Racing draws near, and I’m surprised I can still feel my hands, they have been sat on so long! I distinct lack of racing recently has been a somewhat conscious choice. There has been plenty of races on, from club level enduro’s, road criteriums, National XC races and club XC races. Instead I have opted to train, or rest, or work.
It is a hard decision to make – as I’m certain it comes mainly from laziness. However Pista Pins Bateman reminded me of what the big goals are:
“Right now it’s the off season for Euro’s. You raced all European summer, you need time off.” He said that in November – does it still hold true now?
So this week it begins again! A club race on Tuesday to ‘wake up’, followed by the 2011 Otway Odyssey, widely regarded as one of Australia’s hardest Mountain Bike Marathons. This is a stunning event and worth travelling for. And perhaps that is the connection? I am travelling down with MarathonMTB.com team mates Justin Morris and Sam Moorhouse. There’s no option to ignore my alarm clock and not go. Accomodation is booked, itineraries planned, and the race has been entered. There is a bigger level of commitment racing a Marathon that isn’t in your own backyard:
You have to go. You have to train. You must be prepared.
And you have to be excited!
And I am. I know this will be a day of over 5 hours of hard racing. Although the winner will be going sub 5 hours, that’s not within my ability. While it is difficult to take yourself back to such long enduring agony, the rewards of finishing such a race are immense. The personal achievement gives you a warm glow that outstrips your sunburn. You may have made some new mates en route to your finish, by stocking up on trail karma by lending spares or tubes. However, maybe you made a foe by mouthing off while under pressure. But you also gain that elusive ‘form’. And I’m just as excited about that, as the Otway will no doubt prove to be a stepping stone from being ‘under it’ to ‘ontop of it’. The first of many steps perhaps, but a start at least!
And where does this staircase of physiological progression lead? I start in Apollo Bay, climb to Wingello, ascend to Canberra, then hopefully peak in Cape Town for the ABSA Cape Epic. Then I will climb again as I prepare for ‘Euro 2011’, a couch surfing trip with a sporting purpose.