Countdown...43/84

They don't call me an anal retentive for nothing..no indeedy.

Up on my monitor I have a countdown clock that tells me currently I have 84 days 11 hours 47 minutes and some seconds until I set off on my hour record effort.....I'd have that same clock on my blog if I didn't have to pay for the privilege. In my office at work I have all sorts of numbers plastered on the walls..no. of laps planned, how long each lap should take and other nerdy comments of the Go! Liz Go! variety. And now I realise that on the website for the track champs there is a more scary clock telling me that..gulp...its only 43 days to go til the start of the World Masters Track Champs in Sydney.

So for the next 43 days or so, I have to move away from the just sub threshold to the definitely over threshold training..the eyeballs popping/legs and lungs don't fail me now/can I keep this speed up for just a few more minutes..pleez training. The sort of training that leaves me shattered, the sort that makes me have to think..whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger. I also have to move off the Blue bike back onto the Colnago with its more aerodynamic but less comfortable set up.

Yesterday was the first of the suffer fests and being the first was of giant proportions. I chose to train along Beach Road (where the last Commonwealth Games road TT was held) because there are always a huge number of cyclists of all shapes and sizes trundling up and down and so there are always bums to chase and also there's a decent stretch of road with no lights. In hind sight maybe I chose the wrong place 'cos it was as windy as and trying to keep to the required power output, while dead easy going up hill and/or into the wind was well nigh impossible going downhill and/or with a tail wind.

My task for the 2 hrs of so called "gentle riding except for" was to grind out 3 sets of 3 x 8 mins on and 2 mins off at a set wattage. Do the maths, factoring in a 15 min pootle between each set+ of course warm up and cool down!

Much, much later I was inhaling the first bit of grease, salt and sugar I could find...a jam doughnut and a latte and then suitably fortified but mumbling incoherently stumbled off to lend support to the Women's Come and Try It track cycling sessions at DISC.

While there and chatting about nothing in particular the topic of a TV program on at 8.30pm came up, which led me to bemoan the fact that an old fart like me couldn't train and stay awake long enough to watch TV that late (!830 ..?late!). I was delighted to be told..you might be an old fart but you are a "kick arse old fart"...yeah!..hey you gotta accept all compliments no matter well disguised they are! Note to non Australian readers..you may not have picked it, but that WAS a compliment.