I have a confession to make. I haven't been keeping my nose to the grindstone. I could have worked harder this year. After mountain bike season I stopped minding my training schedule and I purely raced off that MTB fitness through the first half of cross season. My CX bike was in need of repairs, so unlike last year, I did not start practicing skills in June. In fact I barely practiced my skills. I think the 6-8 hours of training I was getting in early November did not help the end of my cross season.
Oops, my "coach" forgot to fill out the training schedule after August:
I'm sure if I would have kept on my strength training, intervals and skill workouts I would have had a better year. But I learned. We're only human. I had to work to keep the money coming in. I typically trained about 12 hours a week, and I know that is a luxury. Plus, I really did have a good year. I just now it could have been slightly better. And that nags me.
In some ways I trained so diligently in the first 5 months that after Mohican I felt a bit burned out and just rode my bike. So I focused on racing every race I could to continue the intensity. But sometimes driving to a weeknight MTB or CX time trial you spend more time in the car than you do on the bike!
Also, I got a bit scared when I read an article about London commuters being affected by pollution. I got scared off the bike and commuted less than normal. Commuting is my bread and butter, I save money and get to train all at once! That's why I've been so strong in the past. Fortunately The Bike Show Podcast put some of my concerns to rest, I could simply take quieter streets on my everyday commute to cut back some of this exposure to pollution. Plus, the health benefits from cycling hopefully will out weight the effects of pollution. Plus Cincinnati is not London!
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