Training and racing...

So, I just wrapped up a very solid block of hard training. I feel good about where I am and I am looking forward to some rest over the next week.
Over the weekend I did two mountain bike races at the Sea Otter Classic. I did the short track on friday and the cross-country on sunday. These races fit nicely into my hard training block and since they are literally in my backyard I just couldn't pass them up. I had a great time racing and hanging out at the festival.
On friday the short track consisted of 15 minutes plus 3 laps so it was pretty much 22 minutes all-out! This was the hardest I have gone all year and my lungs certainly hated me for it. It hurt and I am not kiding when I say it was all-out from the first second. Great to clean out the system! I finished 3rd in Expert.
On sunday we faced nearly 40 miles of cross-country racing. It was a long,hard day for sure. I finished in 4th and, while not a great finish, it was a very solid training day.
I have to keep things in perspective when analyzing my results. I am a triathlete and I am racing cyclists. I was at the end of a very tough block of training and most of these guys were rested and peaking for this race. Had I rested I think I could have gone much faster but that wasn't my goal. I met my goal this weekend...I wanted two hard races to get me ready for the races that really matter. My big races start May 18th and I will peak in early June for my races in Alabama and Richmond. Until then, I am building my fitness and I have to put results into perspective. At the end of the day I went very hard and got in some great training!