Basically the theme of the 2014 racing season was, for me, "Not Enough". I didn't train enough, even for me, and it showed when the races started getting harder.
Not quite the end of the year but close…
Full Strava here, with all my rides from May 2012 on Strava
My numbers started well in January. I was doing a lot of trainer work, all JRA type rides with no structure, but things started to come along. I was watching what I ate without "dieting", and I hit my lowest weight for the season at that time.
Then I got sick.
There's a gap in January where I couldn't get on the bike. There was also a bunch of things I had to work out with the Bethel Spring Series so I lost a bunch of time.
By February the Bethel Spring Series stuff was in full swing. Typically I ride just a few times in February, relying on a massive January base. This year I made a bit more time and rode a bit more.
March and April were Bethel. The weather was atrocious, the race really stressful, and I wasn't motivated at all. Normally I don't train much during Bethel due to the extreme fatigue of holding the race. This year I managed some hours, but they tapered off dramatically by the end of the Series. With most of the races I did ending in breaks, I managed to win a few field sprints, but not for any real places.
April meant catching up with stuff that I'd neglected for the past three months and May was a bit more of the same. I didn't do any yard work at all (we live in an association place so the basics get handled but any deluxe stuff we do). In the past years I've gone out and done some minor work and got really bad poison ivy. This year I didn't - the poison ivy was so bad I had goosebumps just walking into our back yard.
By June I was more on track and the CCAP Tuesday Night Races really motivated me. I was doing the B races, mainly with 4s and 5s, and took on a mentoring role. June and July were, for me, really good months. I wasn't strong but I could help others with their racing. My favorites were when Heavy D and Aaron won the B races. I also had a good finish at Nutmeg in the M45+ race, winning the field sprint.
In August the lack of hours caught up with me. After suffering mightily and winning a B race with Heavy D's help, I had a trio of DNFs in quick succession. With no races on the agenda I decided it wasn't worth it to try to train too much.
In prior years I brought my bike when we visited family but this year the bike stayed at home. This meant gaps in the next few months. Also, with Junior being 2 1/2 years old, he really likes playing outside. Therefore my "good weather time" turned into playground time, not riding time.
Finally, in November, with my weight approaching my 2009 crash weight (when I was definitely fat), something clicked. I started dieting the week before Thanksgiving. It's been going well for a little over two weeks. My goal is to continue on for at least the month of December, and if the weight is still coming off, to continue in January.
I did do a ride yesterday, sort of on a lark, and ended up pedaling for two hours. I didn't have much more in me, with my wattage dropping into the 80-90w range at the end of the ride, so that's about my limit right now.
And that's my year.
Goal for 2015 (picture courtesy RTC):
158 lbs, give or take.
I'm even wearing a vest.
From this year 2014, in a sprint where I'm sitting up:
175 lbs, give or take.
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4 comments:
Hey Aki, good to hear from you online again. I really hope things work out for you with respect to the spring series and the job search. It also sounds like the motivation to ride might be coming back a little. I hope that keeps up too, but only because I know how much you enjoy it. My kids are 9 and 13 so I fully understand something of what you're going through with respect to setting priorities and wanting to spend maximum amount of time with Junior. Just remember that Junior (and the Missus) get the most out of you when you are happy and healthy and if that means you have to carve out a few hours a week to go ride, then everybody will be better off for it. I've been trying to get a nagging leg injury to heal so haven't ridden in 6 weeks now and it's driving me nuts. If you ask my wife I'm sure she'll tell you it's driving her nuts too! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and best of luck with "Life and Stuff"!
Thanks. I actually have your book on the nightstand. Although I've read all sorts of flying stuff, typically WW2 related, it was never so vivid in terms of the description of the low shoulder height etc. It was something I could instantly relate to.
As far as training, yes, something clicked. I don't know what, I don't know how, but it clicked and now I'm really focusing on 2015 in terms of weight. The training is really related to weight, I'm not actually "training" even by my own JRA terms. I'm just twiddling the pedals. It's good to sit on the bike and all that though so it's good, even if it's the trainer.
Today I was getting annoyed because I was getting pulled a number of different ways. The issue is that when I'm at home during the day I'm "working"; it's just that my work involves interacting with Junior. I don't know if people realize that. I try not to be the detached parent, always on the phone or computer, and today I felt like I used up my "time like that" before others asked for more of that kind of time.
I hope your leg gets better. My philosophy is to wait until it's okay instead of pushing, else it never heals. I do push through some usage twinges, like if I suddenly start riding again (ha), but generally speaking I wait.
Merry Christmas to you, Happy New Year, and the best to you and your family.
Aki, you dirty rotten so-and-so! If I had known you were interested in the book I would have gladly sent you one. But thanks for the $1.27 I'll now receive in royalties though!!
As you've correctly surmised, all the parts attributed to "Smokin" are actually me. Some of the F-16 guys I interviewed did not want their real names used so I kept the convention the same for everybody.
Thanks for the kind words, I hope you enjoy the book.
After learning some stuff about writing (or rather how authors get compensated) I've decided to try to support authors rather than try to score a book on a promotion or whatever. It's the principle of the thing I guess. Recently I attended a book signing and bought extras for friends because I was there and I could. I thoroughly enjoyed it and got to the end wanting to read more. Of course I realized at that point that you would have been dealing with current cutting edge technology (which no one else has, in terms of the categorization) so it makes sense that such things can't or shouldn't be published.
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