The Tumbleweave Diaries

Broad Street Weave...

Somerset Circuit Time Trial

After reviewing some pictures from CX races in the fall, I decided that a skinsuit was an absolute necessity for 2013 racing season. It arrived with the kit order in March, far away from being able to put it to use.

I've spent so much time alone on my bike in recent months, that an Eddy Time Trial seemed like a good fit. The Somerset Circuit Time Trial was an opportunity to test this theory AND most importantly, gave me a reason to wear my skinsuit.

Most time trials are an out and back, flat course. The Somerset Course had several turns and some climbing...more elevation gain in 10 miles than we normally get in 40 miles down here in the South of Jersey...BUT I heard that it was a "fun" course and a few of my friends had registered. I decided to make a day of it by racing and then going for a ride around the Round Valley Reservoir.

The morning of the race I felt good, despite having to wake up at 4:45AM. The course was about an hour and a half away from home, which prohibited me from previewing it earlier in the week. I gained bits of knowledge online and from speaking to friends in order to prepare. Pre-riding would have given me an advantage, but that was a lesson learned...along with the fact that Eddy Time Trials are my new jams.

I've made better food choices since the Ten Minute Criterium. I've also come to the conclusion that training is much more meaningful when it is done in conjunction with a goal that is set on your own terms. 

soul searching

the ten minute criterium

Waffles make me happy. Correction, waffles used to make me happy. Over the past few years, my diet has become more restrictive to accommodate some digestive issues.
Occasionally, I will stray. Sometimes it's not a big deal, other times I pay the price...today was one of those times.

Woke up with mild stomach discomfort, which became worse as I drove to the race...drank a bottle of a bottle of accelerade and felt better during my warm-up.

The first lap I went off the front to test my legs and felt pretty good. The field did not respond so I went back into the pack for another two laps. That's when it hit me. Unable to fight it off, I made a bee-line for the port-o-potty.

Lesson learned...four belgian waffles are not an acceptable dinner on the night before a race...but they were mighty tasty!

Never Let Fear Win

I was having a conversation with a friend last week. We talked about fear, of being afraid...whether it's fear of dying, fear of being alone, fear of failure or something else, sometimes the things we are afraid of impact the decisions we make, the way we live our lives. 

It's restrictive. We place boundaries on ourselves because of it...and then there were the events in Boston this week which invoked feelings of fear in so many people. 

In all honesty, you're never completely safe, but if we allowed that thought to pervade we'd never get anywhere.

Our talk made me think a little bit about my own fears. I was driving to Pitman the other day when four words popped into my head "never let fear win." Last season I had a mental melt down at the Giro Del Cielo Criterium. I pulled myself from the race and vowed to never enter another criterium. I was scared.

If you quit because you are afraid then fear wins. Never let fear win.

My first race of the 2013 road season is tomorrow. It is the Daniel Harwi Memorial 26th Annual Lower Providence Spring Classic Criterium. Check back for a race report!

The Tumbleweave Diaries

weave in the crosswalk...

Plan B

I rolled up to the Post Office at 4:05pm on April 15th. In hand were two envelopes containing fairly large checks. I knew that when I sold my investment property on 19th Street last year there would be some tax implications, but not of this magnitude. 

I've cut so many things out of my life in an attempt to live simply that there aren't many more ways to trim the fat...yet now I am faced with this challenge. Learning to do without makes you more appreciative of what you have.  

People are resilient. You are resilient too, whether you believe it or not. Think about how many times in our lives we have been forced to come up with a "Plan B." Sometimes we have time to prepare for it in advance and other times it takes us by surprise, but we get by. We wake up and face each day just like we always have.