What a tough, but inspiring weekend.
I had a 20 hour strategy and tactics class with the fire department. It was a great class with tons of real fire videos and examples of what to do and what not to do. However, it was a full weekend with school from 8-5 and also trying to squeeze in my “regular” job requirements of training and getting ready for the SRAM Ladies Lounge and Sea Otter. I was up WAY before dawn on both Saturday and Sunday to get in a couple of hours of trainer time before 8 AM. Sunday’s wake up was a little easier because I had the live streaming of Paris-Rubaix on Cycling.TV to keep me motivated. For anyone who knows me, I am NOT a morning person, so getting up before 5 AM on a non-race day is just not my style. On day 2 of this early morning wake up schedule, I was seriously tempted to roll over and go back to sleep, but then Leadville flashed into my head and I knew I had to drag myself out of bed now if I want to race well in August.
The fire department class was taught by a retired Chief from Seattle and it was an incredible experience. The class was combined with other departments in our area and students ranged from fire Chiefs to rookies. It was the next best thing to having a real practice burn for training. The class definitely sparked my psyche for the fire department once again.
Right after class, I went straight to the airport and jumped on a plane to CA. This week is super busy with a visit to Specialized HQ in Morgan Hill today. I’ll be there meeting with designers, sorting out gear for the race season, getting another BG bike fit and just connecting with my friends there. I had set my alarm for another early morning training session before heading to the offices, but I guess 3 days of pre-dawn workouts just wasn’t in the cards. I overslept in a big way and now will have to juggle the day to get my workout in somewhere else. I guess I needed the sleep.
This week will be a great training week out here with the weather forecast clear, sunny and 70 degrees. It’s still raining/snowing in Ketchum, so I am really ready for a little sunshine and outside training.
After leaving Morgan Hill, I’ll head down to Monterey and start all the final planning and prep for the SRAM Ladies Lounge at Sea Otter. It’s my first women’s event with SRAM and I’m super excited to see how it unfolds. I’ve lined up a stellar list of female athletes and mechanics to share their craft and provide information and motivation. I hope to see you all there!
