Nov 16th - Nov 22nd: Training Ramblings

Another consistent week for November, which I was really pleased about. I only missed out on one swim but everything else was solid.  Sunday was two races at Rockburn Cross (hosted by Adventures for the Cure), back to back, so the 4/5 race at 8:15am and then the Master's 3/4 at 9:00am.  Last year at Rockburn was my first foray back into cross after close to 10 years away and it's a great course, generally more technical than the rest of the local races.  On Sunday it was set-up close to the same as 2012, including substantial running sections, which works for me!

The 4/5 race was good, I had a front row starting position which is crucial in a field over 100 riders.  The plan was to try and secure the remaining point I needed for my Cat 3 upgrade and after settling into the top four after the first prologue lap, I knew that it would be a good day.  After lap 1 I was battling it out in the top two but we were gradually being caught from behind by the ultimate winner, who came up at the start of the last lap.  With another race directly after, I sat in 3rd, secured the points and tried to save a bit of energy, I'm not sure if I had the speed for the win on the day anyway.

The running helps..........

The Master's race was fun (and longer). I started towards the back of the field (70th out of 110) but got a good start and obviously knew the course well from the previous race.  It was a matter of picking people off and moving up the field. The goal for this race was to crack the top 25 which would give me some series points and importantly a better start position in futures races to end the season.  I ended up in 22nd....mission accomplished in both races! Now at season's end I can upgrade to Cat 3.

Coming out of the mist

There are only a few more 'cross races left for the season and then we get into the specifics of 70.3 training and the longer rides over the weekend.  Cross has been fun and I might need to focus some more of 2014 for the fall season!

So we are coming to the end of the first base build of the winter season and it's gone well so far.  How well? To date it could be the biggest swim and run month of the year, which just goes to show how structured I have been this month (and how inconsistent 2013 has been).

Total: 97 Miles / 8 hours 51 minutes

Swim: 3,350 yards / ~1.9 miles / 1 hours 03 minutes

Bike: 65 miles / 4 hours 06 minutes

Run: 30 miles / 3 hours 41 minutes