Liz Randall's Cycling Blog - a life behind bars

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



Friday 21 August 2009

and we're racing again

This weekend sees me racing again. I don't think I've raced so much since I started being coached and was told not to race so regularly 'cos the resultant fatigue got in the way of a structured training plan. The reason I'm racing so much this year is that FINALLY there are enough road TT's in the State to make me want to race.

So this weekend I'm back up to Castlemaine to ride the penultimate race of the Masters TT Series on Saturday and the State Masters Road Champs on Sunday; the weather is apparently going to be a "iffy". I always struggle to travel light, but this time I've gone overboard, packing for absolutely every weather possibility except hot. I just hope its not too windy.

The TT is over the course I rode a couple of weeks ago and which also forms the early part of the 30km road circuit - I have to go round twice. As usual there are few older women entered in the road race...did I say a few...actually I mean 2! We start with the 50 yr olds who will no doubt spit me out the back over the first hill, as I'm not climbing well at the moment, and then I'll be solo TT'ing the final 50km. I may have company of course - depends on how Shirley is climbing.


Alex will join me in my cabin on Saturday night as he has entered a 6hr enduro MTB race being held somewhere in the area on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ben is off up to NSW to race the "3 ring circus", riding for AyUp and Phil has returned from Alaska, and San Francisco looking extremely tanned but with a thumb that doesn't look too good, its still very inflamed....a visit to the surgeon is planned for today. Looking at the pix of Ben in the link above, for the first time I am struck by the resemblance to my father and brother...apart from the side burns(!)

My training has been going well this week and I've also managed to shed a bit of excess blubber. The stress of making a life changing decision is behind me and I'm much more relaxed and able to focus as a result. The ad for my old job hit the website the day after my last post; news travels fast and I have been approached by many people from all parts of my campus and the easternhealth network commenting/congratulating/teasing me.

Now we wait to see if anyone is interested in applying for it.

4 comments:

Lawrence said...

racing can get in the way of a structured training program, unless of course, the racing is structured in to the program as part of training.... ;-)

Judith said...

Good luck on the weekend, I would love to be there, but I raced the Geelong open last Friday and it just gets to exxy to race away from home every weekend. Oh and there is that thing called work and a life which can get in the way of racing. I know what you man by fatigue, I have been trianing much harder over the past few weeks, and I am definitely feeling it. I just want to get stronger but the legs get tired......

Lawrence said...

Judith, am in the same boat. Be assured, as long as you keep up the work, you are getting stronger!

Liz said...

not sure I'm going to enjoy this weekend's racing..weather forecast ain't too good.....