April Showers...

Or the blizzard that fizzled. The forecast last Tuesday had dire predictions on snow, wind and Arctic temperatures. Schools closed early and I was debating doing my intervals inside on Wednesday! But alas for the weatherman, they only got two of the three right. It was bloody cold and the wind was miserable. I really had to bundle up when I was running in the morning - like it was still winter, not the beginning of April. And had we actually gotten snow, it really would have been bad, with the wind and bitter cold. But no snow, so this was the April Blizzard that wasn't. That meant I got to ride outside for my workout...

Still, it was winter cold in Wednesday, so Nick decided we'd do the workout on a different hill the I usually use. Long enough for the intervals, but protected from the biting wind. It was a little steeper of a hill, so I was struggling a little. I've been working on keeping a higher cadance up with my intervals and this hill was steep enough I really couldn't. Not complaining thought - a workout is a workout and the numbers were good. Some good spikes and steady efforts up the hill. I'm also recovering better between each interval so the numbers didn't fall as much as in the past. I was still pedaling squares for a while afterwards, so we didn't dally on the way home. Between the wind and the cold and the fatigue in my legs, I was perfectly happy to follow Nick home. My toes were going numb, even with the toe warmers in my shoes!

Thursday was better - no staid intervals, but race simulation at Bear Creek. I've done the Sand Creek races enough to have a pretty good sense of the courses. We picked a lap, did a practice loop to warm up, then started racing. No waiting around - clouds were threatening over the mountains and sprinkles of rain filled the sky. Wasn't much of a race - Nick and I were the only ones who showed and I was off his wheel right away. Every lap got a little further behind. But he didn't lap me - that was my goal. Just keep the pace high and the pressure on so that Nick didn't lap me. I also needed to ride smooth and smart in all the little rock gardens. Success on all counts - while he put six minutes into me over our five lap race, I was much smoother on the trail. Smooth is fast and fast is smooth. After the hot laps were finished, we went back to practice a few sections since the rain had held off. Especially in a race like the Ascent Series, every second counts. Getting smoother over the rocks will save me time when it counts. Two solid days of riding done - now to get ready for some epic fun on the weekend!