I finally bushwhacked my way out of post-race(s) recovery, and now I’m t**s-deep in a training cycle meant to bring about the top-end I’m going to need to race at altitude in August. It’s hard, and it makes me eat and sleep like my life depends on it (as opposed to just recovering/refreshing my legs between races every other weekend). I’m actually going to race a local XC race on Sunday (Legends of Stanky Creek), but, schedule-wise, I’ve been generally treating it like another hard day of training.

In all honesty, I’ve been going at it hard enough the past couple of weeks that I’ve reached the point that I’m kinda relieved that I’m racing this weekend, because it’s easier (motivation-wise) to push in that situation vs. going at it alone. It’ll be a nice break from the (occasionally abusive) self-talk that goes on in my head during the last half of most intervals.

Hard training also brings about the best recovery rides… there’s absolutely no temptation to go outside of “Zone 1-2” when your legs are aching from yesterday, and tomorrow is bound to be a killer. Today, I even stopped to help a little turtle cross the road…

 

How little? Here’s a better shot… for scale: