MAKE IT HAPPEN

Happy 4th...the dogs say hi and are just sharing the love :) They are excited to have me home for the day.

End of season is planned. Got some fun races coming up and plan to do triathlon through Sept- Oct, and then transition to running if my knee will let me for the winter.

Yesterday I did a 70ish mile group ride at the Hightailers Red, White, and Blue Ride...should have been 67ish miles, but I had the unfortunate mis-pleasure of getting off course by listening to some guy. Luckily I caught the mistake pretty quickly and booked it back to the course on my own. The good news is I didn't have to ride with that group anymore, the bad news is all of the groups with whom I wanted to stay were well ahead of me since it took me a while to get back on the course.

I may be increasing fitness, although it is hard to judge based on a couple of rides. In April, I did a 70ish mile group ride at xx mph while staying with a group and mostly drafting. It was a lot cooler- my nutrition was great- and I finished feeling good. This weekend's ride was a 70ish mile group ride and I averaged 1 mph more than in April- riding about 35+ miles by myself or pulling others. It was unreasonably hot- my nutrition was not good as I felt very sick to my stomach halfway through- and I was mentally grumpy. So, for me- I would like to say my riding has improved based on the fact that I was faster with much less drafting on a very hot day. But again, I think that improvement should show in racing. So, we will see.

I have really learned to embrace riding with a group, but I will say there are some quirks of group riding that annoy me to no end. A familiar example: 50 people start off with the lead group, which plans to cover the distance at xx mph. Only 7 people in the group can hold xx mph for the whole distance. Another 13 can mostly hold it with some help and a draft. The other 30 explode somewhere along the ride, if not before the halfway point. So, do you go with the first group to challenge yourself even though you are never even close to these guys in races? I think the answer depends on the individual and their goals for the day. I am not saying I have the answer, although for some people I could most certainly tell them that they would be better served by not blowing up 10 miles into a 70 mile ride. (I often wage a big battle in my head regarding this issue, especially when I see women with the first group and I want to be there too! I have to make some decisions about my goals for the ride and let my ride be dictated by my goals, not by others. Easier said than done in this sport at times- and I am never quite sure when to take the challenge. So for me- learning when to take on the challenge is a place for me to continue to develop).

Other group ride annoyances- the people that compare their mph after group rides with other individuals. ANNOYING and get over yourself. Seriously. If you are that fast, then post that mph at a race where you aren't drafting. If you are that fast, then pull more and draft less. If you are that fast, you probably don't need to be comparing yourself to others because you are focusing on your own development.

The group dynamic of triathlon is just weird to me at times, and it makes sense to me that many people choose to train solo. However, I do enjoy the big Hightailers group rides and I meet some nice interesting people on many of them. And, if you get in with a good group of hard working cyclists around your skill level, it can make for a great workout.

There is still something to be said for just being a soccer player, though. Enjoy the next week of World Cup awesomeness!!!!!

Happy 4th to everyone...thank you to our friends in the military.