Monday, June 29, 2009

Mid-year Reflections

What a race season it's been so far! Since deciding to solely focus on racing and the track, I've made the leap. It's been hard work and it's had it's frustrating moments. My coach Dino fine-tuned my workouts over the winter, giving me a solid base. Doing River Rides over the winter kept me from getting rusty with groups and speed. As things got more into full swing, I worked a lot on sprints and changing speed. I've gotten top tens in all of my criteriums which have been mostly 1/2/3's (with the exception the Menlo Park Grand Prix against the nation's fastest women). I'm happy! I can hang with the big girls unlike last year.

Another thing that's helped has been losing weight! Bella Sabine suggested trying out myfooddiary.com, which is an online food diary. It's helped me lose eight pounds so far without cutting too many calories or hurting my training. I would highly recommend it to athletes who want to learn more about nutrition. It's a great tool for weight management. With Dino's encouragement, I've added a core strength workout five days a week. It's amazing how much less my back aches and how much more solid I feel sprinting. Overall, I feel lean and fast.

Some of the growth I've experienced has been working on my mindset. How I see myself influences my motivation and willingness to take risks. In the past, I was always focused on whether I was good enough to compete. Sometimes, it's hard to distinguish realistic thinking and negative outlooks. The times where I've succeeded, I've let go of that negative paradigm. I am trying to not compare myself with others, and focus more on my own growth. It's easy to think, "Oh, I'm just a mid-thirties busy working woman on a limited budget. What can I really expect?" After rubbing shoulders with some champions, I realized that it was pretty lame to think that way. There are lots of fast women not in their twenties working on their PhD, working in demanding career, raising kids, and being a wife . It's inspirational. Also, I've got a great support system-- a great mechanic/coach/racing financier boyfriend, awesome team and great friends encouraging me.

Since my last post, I've raced at Hellyer Velodrome six times! That's a lot of two hour drives from Sacramento. We don't mind though. We have it down, including the midway stop at In-n-out burger. It has been the most fun I've ever had racing. I love the people, the learning atmosphere, the hangout, the food, and the intense racing. I think so far Friday nights have been my favorite, but AVC was an incredible experience. I am addicted!

May Track Highlights:
5/17/2009 Get Ready for Summer, Woman’s 3-4 Omnium, 2nd Place (That was a HOT day!)

5/22/2009 Friday Night Women’s Omnium, 3rd Place




5/31/2009 Get Ready for Summer, C’s Omnium, 4th Place



This weekend, I also competed in the American Velodrome Challenge-- but that's another story for another post (coming soon)...