#174: Fall is the time for ‘cross
After racing down in Birmingham this past weekend finished off my road season for 2008 (which ended up being a great race for me despite not finishing high up or in the money–I raced very aggressively…. races are always fun when you are able to slip away for a while).
So with that, it is time to mix it up. Yesterday, Andrea and I took Turbo (her Belgian Malinios) out for a quick 25 minute run at Shelby Farms. The duration was about right since I have not run (except for 2x in Estonia in August) since probably last Fall.
So today, I returned to Shelby Farms to ride the relatively easy single track Tour de Wolf trail. This trail is pretty moderate so it lends itself well to riding my ‘cross bike. I dusted off the Ridley and hit the trail. Getting back on the trail after 1000’s of miles of road riding takes some getting used to, but I managed to not flip over or hit a tree. Towards the end of the ride, I went out to the horse jumping area to drill some dismounts. I don’t think I have done a dismount / remount since January at speed. I have a lot of work to do. … After some October practice races, I will start racing again in November either up in Nashville or waiting to the Mud Island race (Outdoor’s, Inc Tenn. State Championship race).
Last night I set my alarm for 10 to midnight (yes, I am normally sleeping at that time) to pre-register for cyclocross nationals. Between snoozing and a small delay getting the Wi-Fi to reconnect, I put in my registration and got in 16th…. It would be really cool if that (like last year) is the start order. (As previously mentioned, it might be random.) By the time I layed back down, there must have been 200 people registered in several categories and about 35 already in mine (Masters 30-34).
