Someone's Gonna Pay

I had decided over a week ago that I was not going to be racing at Hillsboro, but rather support my team by doing whatever needed to be done no matter how small or insignificant it seemed. I enjoyed it, too. I ran small errands, gave people directions, helped folks get signed in, drove a wheel truck, and helped with the tearing down process afterwards. All of it a pleasure.

So, why am I writing to tell you this? The entire time I was at the race on Saturday, I felt as though I was fighting my body's desire to swing a leg over a bike and turn some pedals in competition. I was revved up and ready to roll. I'm sure some of you have been in that situation, too. The clicking of the gears and the spinning of the wheels and racers pulling on their kits with the emotion of matadors preparing for a bull fight. All of the pre-race hype was present, except on Saturday, it wasn't for me. My mind accepted it, but my body didn't.

Fast forward to Saturday night. I got home and was exhausted from the day, but my body wouldn't relax. I didn't think I'd sleep well Saturday night and actually resorted to a prescription sleep aid. It worked, but when I awoke Sunday morning, I could tell my body was on edge. Luckily, I was scheduled for a 30 minute time trial later that afternoon. After church, I suited up for the cool, rainy weather...in shorts, a short sleeve jersey, a thin wind jacket, and gobs of Qoleum embrocation on my legs because of my 'pledge to ignore the cold/wet weather.' It was time for someone to pay and that someone was me. Unleash the hounds!!

After a 20 minute warm-up, I punched the Garmin and began my TT. I was cranking along at a nice clip and actually thought to myself I need to back off a little bit in order to not burn out too early. I reeled myself back in a little and settled on a pace I knew I could keep going for the entire 30 minutes. I felt good and hammered the miles out. The end result? I increased my average speed by almost 2mph from last month's TT.

And today...my legs hurt. I think the price was right.