Warning: If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think every thing you're supposed to think? Buy what you're told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned- Tyler.
Bloody freezing and windy on Sunday in the far Northwest Chicago suburb of Harvard. It's actually so far away I don't know that it can be classified as a suburb - it might as well be in Wisconsin. I rolled out at the butt-crack o'dawn with my most favorite ultra-super-hyper-fast MetLife boys, Josh and Mike for what proved to be a pretty successful day of racing.
Things were moving slowly when we arrived to retrieve numbers so warm-up was cut really short - I think I managed 16ish minutes on the rollers after layering on the warm and minty goodness we call embrocation. I usually do about 30-35min of structured warm-up before racing. Not so long ago a too-short warm up would have had my fragile pre-race psyche out of it's tree but I just sort of let it go and rolled with what the situation dealt me. My legs felt decent which provided some confidence that things would be okay when I wasn't distracted by my body's uncontrolled shivering.
Things were moving slowly when we arrived to retrieve numbers so warm-up was cut really short - I think I managed 16ish minutes on the rollers after layering on the warm and minty goodness we call embrocation. I usually do about 30-35min of structured warm-up before racing. Not so long ago a too-short warm up would have had my fragile pre-race psyche out of it's tree but I just sort of let it go and rolled with what the situation dealt me. My legs felt decent which provided some confidence that things would be okay when I wasn't distracted by my body's uncontrolled shivering.
The 33.3K Harvard course is unique - it heads out on a longish stretch that has a few curves and turns before terminating in a 4 corner loop that leads back to the original stretch away from the start. I know that's not a great description but suffice to say it's better than a boring out-and-back course. It's entirely flat except for some very minor, gradual changes in grade in a few areas and the pavement is decent. There was significant cross/head wind much of the day, especially on the way out which allowed for some good speed on the way in to the finish.
My time trial started well and I basically had a solid performance that earned a first place finish in the Women's Open category. I wasn't entirely satisfied with how things went for me but in retrospect I suppose it was about the best I could do, so I'll take it - another medal for the refrigerator door. Things were definitely tough with the wind and coldness - I know...HTFU! What was running through my head the whole time? Ugh - Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top - oh my....don't ask.
My time trial started well and I basically had a solid performance that earned a first place finish in the Women's Open category. I wasn't entirely satisfied with how things went for me but in retrospect I suppose it was about the best I could do, so I'll take it - another medal for the refrigerator door. Things were definitely tough with the wind and coldness - I know...HTFU! What was running through my head the whole time? Ugh - Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top - oh my....don't ask.
That's right, don't mess with Snoopy - MetLife mascot and pop culture icon that he is.The MetLife guys continue to impress - they owned the day with Josh taking first in the 50+ and Pro 1/2 and Mike killing the 40+ and earning 3rd in the Pro 1/2. Technically, I race for MetLife too - my American Bicycle Racing license identifies my team association as MetLife/Pony Shop so it was pretty much a Snoopy sweep in the thriving metropolis of Harvard (yes, they even have a Wal Mart). Nice job guys - you're the best. Now if only I could somehow get you to accompany me to Arkansas for Joe Martin and Tour of Arkansas.....
Thanks for reading - I might get around to posting a revised list of motivational tunes at some point. Lately I've been groovin' mostly to a lot of classic rock, some more mellow stuff and a smidge of edgy almost-punky-but-not-quite stuff, quite the interesting combination.
Thanks for reading - I might get around to posting a revised list of motivational tunes at some point. Lately I've been groovin' mostly to a lot of classic rock, some more mellow stuff and a smidge of edgy almost-punky-but-not-quite stuff, quite the interesting combination.
