lisa morgan

Every minute in the hurt box during training is like putting a dollar in the bank.  If time on the bike is the principal, you can think of all the good stuff off the bike as the interest - things like following a good recovery plan, not deviating too much from your nutrition goals, having the right attitude, getting enough sleep, maintaining your bike!

Just like a real bank, earning interest isn't all that difficult - you've got to be a bit more committed to making it happen, but for the most part it's the stuff that happens while you've got your feet up in front of the telly.

Earning the principal tho, that's the hard part.  But thinking of it in terms of currency can make it a bit easier.  When you're hurting, as long as you follow up with the interest, you're increasing your balance.  The more you do this, the more you'll have available to withdraw when you come to making a big purchase, and if you've done everything right you'll discover there is always a rewards scheme attached ;o)

Despite the fact that it should be very difficult to think in full sentences when you're making your deposits, this stuff has been sitting in my head a bit recently as I've found myself securely locked inside the hurt box.  Even left to my own devices for the first 4 1/2 weeks of being back on the bikes I was able to find my way in, and now that my jet-setter coach has returned from her latest trip I've redirected my mail there. 

Training with a coach like Robyn, training what I like to call 'the Wong way', is a bit like having a share broker.  I've got all this time to go out and earn training dollars but she points me in the direction where I'll get the best returns - and if necessary, can help me bail out if the market starts to look a bit dodgy.  Lucky for me she's a former Olympian in my chosen discipline and a  trained accountant - convenient, no?

So, enough with the metaphore!  What have I actually been doing in terms of pedalling?

Sunday a week ago I headed over the hill to participate in the Martinborough Charity Fun Ride.  115kms for charity - yeah, charity, that's why.  Last time I completed this was 2 years ago and I remember chatting away in the bunches and having what was largely a fairly pleasant training ride.  I did start last year, but was suffering the wrong kind of hurt after a big day before and had to pull out - turned out I had a trapped vagus nerve - makes breathing a bit rough.  So this year with only 4 weeks on the bike behind me I knew I was in for a hard training ride.  With no climbing legs I struggled for a while to stay with a big bunch through the heavy undulations but ended up in no mans land eventually, which is when I opened up the lid of that box and climbed right in.  45minutes later my first ITT ended as a bunch swallowed me up on the biggest (only real) climb on the course.  I stayed with them for a good while but eventually it fell apart and I crawled back in to my box for another 40-odd minute ITT.  By the end of that I was in a world of hurt and in no doubt of my lack of race fitness.  I'd held a good effort to this point but was having some trouble with my right glute and hammy - the muscles just aren't trained for TT efforts yet so I was pretty pleased when another good sized bunch eventually caught me and dragged me home.  All money in the bank tho.  And plenty of good stuff came out like my leg speed and bunch confidence all still there.

During the week I made a few more deposits and finished the week off with the final PNP race at Makara yesterday.  In the first race, which feels like a million years ago, I only went out to show off my new bike.  In the 4th race I was there to hold a steady effort.  This time I was there to hurt as much as I could.  I'm still missing a good 3 or so gears in my fitness arsenal but there has been definite progress.  A 25-odd minute climb in the middle meant the course wasn't in my favour and I had to watch MJ power away after we hit the bottom together (Sam was already somewhere off in the distance), but this time instead of letting Rach pace me I was pacing her, and with more technical components I was able to pull away.  I made it a bigger day than necessary by spending an hour on the course before the start - and thanks to that extra effort I not only climbed in to the hurt box but by the time I was finished I felt like I'd fallen right through! 

Next weekend I'll be in Tokoroa to check out  the course which will be used for the national race in February, and after that is the big one - the Huka XL - 80km off road in Taupo, most of it singletrack.  No withdrawals yet - all investments and savings for now!

For those of you have been wondering about Felt bikes and want to see some in the 'flesh', if you're in Wellington they'll be in at Penny Farthing Cycles in the not too distant future.  Craig Anderson is a good man to talk to there.  You can also check out some of the great 2XU kit while you're there!