This winter my training has been a little bit different, given that I am in full time university. I swapped warm weather base miles for trainer rides and Nordic skis. While I am so happy to be in school, I wasn’t really sure how my legs and riding were going to be at the beginning of the season. Questions always come up in the of your mind like, “did I do enough?” or “am I fit enough?” which aren’t constructive when you continuously do or try to do your best every day.
The other thing that has changed my training this year is living with Haley. She is a pro mountain biker from Park City, UT also in first year at Quest. To have someone that you live with, who is also in the same boat with balancing training, recovery, team things, school work, and trying to have a sliver of a social life can bring new motivation for the challenges at hand. I feel very lucky to have this lady in my life, because she pushes me to be challenge myself more. If you have a moment, this article on cycling tips does a pretty good job of summing up what I am trying to say here. Having Haley around this year I feel has made a really strong impact in my life.
This week’s Escape Velocity Spring series ran through the course Bradner Long, my third spring series of the year. While the other two hadn’t really gone my way, I had had some good take-always from both, that left me with new motivation. It is really incredible what an off season with no pack riding and cornering can do to your confidence. The course was full of rolling hills, many corners, and a dog. With some good luck, and a solid lead out from Isabella I was able to take the win today in a sprint finish. While this win won’t be my biggest result of the season, it has instilled me with good confidence in my training and my preparation for this season!