Hard to concentrate

Wow this week is passing by fast. Kind of tough to concentrate. Work is pretty hectic right now. And with me it always seems to be 100% focus on something until it's done than move on to something else. I'll research something as trivial as hubs and rims to no end. Hour taken just to pick some item.

Also Ansel is starting kindergarten TOMORROW!!!. Man I am NOT ready for that. I've been in denial about the whole thing for months. I think I've asked my wife at least 10 times when his school was starting. It's really distracting me and making it hard to concentrate. I just cannot believe it. It's not that I'm too worried about him, he'll do fine with the academic part and the friends part. I just get all worked up about things like buying lunch and stuff like that.

After the race I sort of felt a loss of focus for cycling, as I am still up in the air how to approach the next season. I actually am going to talk to Dave Morris about coaching this week. I want him to help map out the macro level view of the rest of this year and next year, and then start getting coached by him starting with the SMSP phases and into the in season riding.

There are two more races left this year but they are in October. And starting off season training after those races puts my endurance phase right in the middle of the worst part of the year here, so I want to figure out hte best way to actually be able to do those long rides and not half ass them.

I was pretty soar two days after the race, and just rode to get my legs to come back. Our baby sitters dad and brother were in town and they are big time road cyclists. We did the Spruce run ride. Her Dad, Craig is a beast. It was pretty tough keeping up with him. I rode ok, definitely still fatigued from the race, but I was happy with my legs. I got a calf cramp(twinge) too.

This cramping thing is still on my back. I thought the endurolytes would fix me for the race as they worked in training. But it's another reminder that I don't work myself hard enough in training as I do racing. That is another thing I want to talk to a coach about. Developing some strategies for combating the cramping. Cause I know I could have placed top 3 if I didn't cramp.

On Sat I rode mountain bikes with my neighbor John. We went up OF and down the other side. It DOWNPOURED on us, and we cut back through Laurel Ridge to get home. Worst downpour I've ever ridden in. My brakes were to my bars and not stopping me coming down Laurel Ridge road.

Took some more days off, and rode the single speed in today. It felt really good. I want to get out after this conference call for an hour or so. And tomorrow try some intervals on the trainer.

The one major thing I noticed in the race is the ability to do a hard effort and pass someone really taxes me, and I don't have the recovery afterwards. Which means I need to do intervals with lower recovery times. I've been thinking about them but been scared to do them because of how painful they are. I have to get myself over this fear and train harder so that in the race it isn't so bad.

Yeah easy to say, hard to do with job, wife, kids, etc.

I'm also still working out the orthotic issue. I sent back some ones I get from Doctor's Foot Labs. That guy is an asshole. He gave me the total hardsell about these latest and greatest in orthotics and I totally gave and bought them. And he sent me 3/4 length ones that are on his web site and not the newest latest greatest he promised. I tried them and yes I got a noticeable increase in power and comfort, but the 3/4 length bugged me. Still got numbess but not as bad. I am going to call the guy at www.wellfeet.com and talk to him as he is a real cyclist. I just want to make sure I get my money back from the other dork.

Of course I'm also still playing the ebay buying /selling of cycling shoes. Now I just won some DMT size 41.5 road shoes, and I have a bid on some size 41 specialized mountain shoes. I have my diadora 41 MTB shoes up for sale, they were just too small. My road shoes Specialized are too big. It's not like I really lose too much money. I consider the shipping cost to be like a rental fee, and I almost always sell them for what I paid for, or even make a buck here or two.

I also won some wheels. Some Hugi specialized Sworks wheel. the rear is what I really want. The front has that Skraxle type of axle, which I'm not too sure about. I want to weigh it an look at how it is to mount on to the fork. I might keep it or sell it. I also still have that pair of hubs that I was going to build into wheels. Now I am thinking of having a race set and a training set. Fun Fun. always something to do and think about and occupy time.