Monday, April 06, 2009

My Season To-Date

I guess I don't have to knock on wood any longer. For the past two winters, I've been able to train pretty effectively because I've been able to avoid the dreaded influenza virus. (Note that I get a free flu shot at work every year.) My "lucky" streak finally ended (even though I had flu-like symptoms last summer), when I came down with a strain of the flu while on a business trip in St. Louis in mid-February. At the time I felt fortunate that the symptoms did not involve any significant respiratory distress -- the thing that usually inhibits my riding long after I'm done with the flu.

Unfortunately, this variant of the flu really seemed to sap me all of the early season race fitness that I had built. Of the 14 mass start races that I've entered so far this year, I've failed to finish (DNF) in 5 of them. By comparison I finished 40 out of 45 races last year.

I was encouraged a bit last Tuesday when I was able to throw in a couple of attacks and still stay with the field (after I was caught). I thought that I might have reached a turning point. That optimism was short-lived as I DNF'ed 2 out of 3 races this past weekend.

So have there been any high points?

Well, despite the pretty mediocre results of this past weekend, I did participate in the first Long Beach Bicycle Grand Prix held in the heart of the city. It was a very cool race and I was able to stay and watch the pros in the last race of the day. Also, I ended up competing in 3 races all within a 24 hour period.

I take my small "victories" where I can.

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