Unfortunately, this state series is going down hill faster than an acorn rolling off a tin roof. Sunday's race at what I consider my home away from home (Alafia River State Park) because I'm a Tampa native was an unmitigated disaster.
I probably was stale coming into the race because my wife Charmain and I drove to Tampa on Thursday in order to spend a few extra days in our former hometown. I rode Tuesday (2 hours consisting of a Functional Threshold Power time trial) and Wednesday (2 hours off-road at Markham) and planned to ride Friday at Alafia. However, it rained a lot on Friday and decided against going out there.
Riding so little before a race is not good for me and I felt stale when doing my preride Saturday on a wet and demanding course. Then, when I awoke Sunday morning, I had the dreaded "mild sore throat.'' It never got better but I raced anyway and never got comfortable on the bike.
I raced fairly strong on the first lap, but beginning on the second lap, I became a turnstile. Seemed like everyone from classes starting behind passed me like I was a statue. It's times like these when I wonder what the F am I doing out here.
I finished 8th out of 9. Pitiful.
So, now on top of a truly forgettable effort, I'm battling a virus and feeling my fitness dropping lower than the stack of tissues I need to keep close by. Oleta River State Park is hosting the FSC 5 this weekend, and it looks like I won't be there.
It's really hard to handle times like these. You train, suffer and plan with a single purpose: To do your best. When you fall short, it's difficult to handle. Then you start dissecting your plan, looking to see where you messed up. It's times like these when you just need some time to sort through it all. I guess I have that time now.
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