Liz Randall's Cycling Blog - a life behind bars

"With ordinary talents and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable"



Monday 24 November 2008

A very full weekend

Today I'm taking a day off work in order to recuperate from what has been a non stop weekend.

FRIDAY
A good part of Friday at work was spent getting feedback from the 30 or so staff members who'd attended the first of 4 Spin Classes that the Wellness committee (I'm one of the facilitators) had arranged. I sorta didn't want 30 to the first class and then 10 to the next, so spent a fair amount of time reassuring them that DOMS was normal, as was feeling hot and sweaty while exercising(!) tut sigh.

Then after work I heaved myself over to the track again to change one of the DVD's which was a duplicate of one I'd already got and also to sus out the 2XU compression garments they had on display. I wanted to see if wearing one might have an effect on my left calf cramping. The weather was diabolical, so the umbrella that I bought a coupla years ago and stashed somewhere in the car finally got a work out.

SATURDAY
Saturday am at home I had to pack for an overnight trip, a long bike ride and a presentation night...all without a list. I forgot the following: the handbag (that's no great surprise!), little baggies for stashing away things on the ride and..weep weep, coffee for the plunger for the brekky heart starter. The morning was spent at a meeting of the Australian Masters Commission and the afternoon driving off to my motel near Bendigo. The weather remained diabolical and I wondered why on earth I was bothering.

SUNDAY
That night and the next morning the small town where I was staying had what sounded like a truly diabolical storm with high winds and horizontal rain and yet again I wondered why on earth I was bothering. Despite all that wondering, I set off for Bendigo where I was to ride in the 132km Cyclosportif Gran Fondo including a grovel up Mt Alexander. Crossing the Great Dividing Range my car got its first clean for the year as driving near horizontal rain scoured the duco and I told myself that I would just get the bag or freebies and go home.


And then miraculously the sky cleared.....and it cleared because the wind was howling......

The ride itself was dry, but that old head wind yet again did me in. Initially I was motoring along happily in a group that seemed to consist mostly of pros..Baden Cook etc, but eventually I had to let go and then followed what has turned out to be my regular undoing...solo driving into a head wind. I was going ok until the cramps hit, which they did rather early this time and after that each ascent had to be ridden with an eye on the SRM to ensure I didn't go over the magic wattage number and into cramp land. The turn off for the 82km ride beckoned and I took it and finished in 2 hrs 59 mins and 59 secs!!! I stood up and drove the final 20 meters to get that result and promptly cramped up big time.

Since I'd taken the soft option I had time to drive home to change for the Australian Cyclist of the Year presentation rather than changing somewhere between Bendigo and Melbourne and so was able to retrieve the handbag!

The presentation was at the Grand Hyatt and we were only the second people to use the huge room after its refurbishment. There were over 300 guests and this time I was at a table where I knew most of the others and so enjoyed myself, unlike other truly miserable evenings. I was there as one of the 3 nominees for the Womens Masters division. It was a great night with Cadel Evans winning the male roadie of the year and Anna Meares virtually everything else!!! I won my division and managed to remember my manners and thank family, friends, colleagues, training partners and coach.

So that's the end of a humungous cycling year. The spoils are: World Champion x 4, National Road Champion, VicSport Award and Australian Cyclist of the Year(Womens Master division).

Top that? not a hope, this just has to be the pinnacle. But despite that knowledge I will continue to enjoy my racing and training as there are a few unfulfilled goals yet to be addressed and I lerv a challenge.

2 comments:

Lawrence said...

Congrats on winning last night (where was my text message???!!!) That's diabolical ;-D and very cool. :-D

Liz said...

Tnx Lawrence and also Lorraine(via email)you both got in before I'd completed the editing for typos and grammar (or is it grammer?).
I did think of SMS'ing you Lawrence, but a glance at the watch told me it was 22.50 and I thought that, being a good cyclist you'd be fast asleep. I'm glad you noticed my repetitious use of the word "diabolical" huh! and congrats on the successful Women's Omnium