A commitment to the saddle

given the race calendar for the trail running scene being all-but-over relative to my running goals and fitness, I turned my focus towards the bike for the remainder of 2014. I decided about 3 weeks ago to go full-gas into readying myself to ride an aggressive racing timeline with crescendo at the Maupin TT series in early September. 

Prior to making the plans I was "training for fitness" only and have relished the return to a racer mentality. A closer watch to diet, strengthening, sleep, and all the other aspects of performing one's best has been something I missed.

The thing about sport is the World of experiences you can gain from it. From riding in shitstorm rain with blown legs, to seeing the inky clouds smeared like mascara across a sunset as you tap out a steady, strong cadence in Summer heat-- light years apart but each instance granting an even richer understanding of Nature, pain, and the unwillingness to stop finding more within oneself. I'm seeing striations and vasculature not seen in a year, training numbers coming back like old friends, and muscles that feel ready to work. I forgot how much I love the honing of fitness to be at the best.

I'm excited to commit to the saddle once again. It's been a few years since I raced an endurance TT but I am hoping for good training fortunes. And at least in cycling I can't twist my ankle! 

P.