Rested or Rusted, it's Race Time

Gotta love the cycling fans.
(pic from Feb. 2009 Tour of California)

April!? Those races entered months ago are now, gulp, here.

4/5 - Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
4/26 - Duathlon in Richmond
5/22-24 - Three days of Tri at the Triple T in OH

Just as training takes on some urgency - illness. Doh! Almost escaped the cold season untouched. Almost. Employing the unpleasant Do Nothing approach this week has successfully kept it in check and above my neck. No progression to the lungs.

I'm painting a silver lining on this sinus situation, calling it a taper for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler this Sunday. This was to be a pure, no taper, training race, a "C" race. Now it's a C race with an involuntary taper. Come Sunday the legs could be rested, or, rusted. Either way, it's a new course, so a PR is guaranteed.

Later this month: Duathlon Nationals on the 26th in Richmond, a "B/B+" level race. In a perfect world I'll manage a top 10 finish in my AG and nab a slot to the Duathlon World Champs this Fall in North Carolina. Mostly, it's a long intensity session (10K-38K-5K) going into the final prep for the Memorial Day weekend of racing the Triple T in Ohio.

The Triple T is absolutely daunting, and exciting. It's an "A "race, but it has nothing to do with a fast time or high AG placing. Simply managing the 4 races in three days and reaching the finish line Sunday afternoon is sufficient challenge.

It's been a long time since I've toed a start line unsure whether I'll make it to the finish. That's a helluva buzz. Just what I signed up for. I'm looking forward to it.

Triple T Schedule
Fri. 5/22 - 5pm - Prologue - 250meter swim; 5mi bike; 1mi run
Sat. 5/23 - 7:30a - Oly distance - 1500m swim; 24.8mi bike, 6.55mi run
Sat. 5/23 - 3pm - Oly disorder - 24.8mi bike; 1500m swim; 6.55mi run
Sun. 5/24 - 7am - Half Iron - 1.2mi swim; 55.5mi bike; 13.1mi run

Prior to the head bug hitting me this week, training has been pretty solid. A little slacking on the swim, which will change asap.

Weekly Training Time 2009
click to enlarge

My training is oh so bland compared to some. Did you catch this NYT spotlight of the young Canadian fella whose backwoods soul searcher old school ways landed him in the Beijing games and now on a pro cycling team bound for the TDF? At 18, he was riding across Canada on a $40 bike with a homemade trailer attached. In the trailer? Some camping gear and his 80lb. dog (!) named Bear. Balboa punching freezer beef and chasing chickens has nothing on Svein.

I'm going for a strong visual close here with more, um, nutty cycling fans. I like the two piece style, but the dudes...

The Borat Compression Sling.
Yeah, I ride like this. Draft me if you dare.