Reflecting on my years riding
Posted by Mark on October 24, 2008 under training | 
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Just been reading this, and think I ought get a training diary. Or make one of this blog anyway 
So, to answer those questions…
- Did I race to my preseason expectations?
I think I did. Six sportives in the bag, including the demon that was the Fred Whitton and the year’s goal, L’Etape. Would’ve been nice if I hadn’t blown myself to bits on the Whitton and therefore had to miss the Etape Caledonia, but that’s the price you pay for making yourself ride up Hard Knott with 100 [massively unprepared for] miles in your legs.
- Did I meet my season’s key objectives?
Well I finished L’Etape, in a considerably better time that I’d imagined I would
- Did I enjoy my season from beginning to end?
Pretty much. I have to admit to myself there were times at the beginning of the year where I was getting immensely bored of the training and very tired of the fact it felt like my life was being dictated by training needs.
- Did I race with my training peers on an equal footing
Pretty much. Although one of my sportive companions did considerably more base miles than me, and on occasion it showed.
- Did I balance my training and racing with real life needs?
Hmm, sort of. OK, no. Trying to cram everything in was just stupid. I should’ve put more effort in during the winter, so I didn’t have to work like hell come March.
- Do I feel as strong now as I did in May?
Stronger. Much stronger. A new VO2max test soon will show whether that feeling is real or not