The strength to go slow

Repeat after me: "I trust my coach. I trust my coach. I trust my coach"

With 'cross season coming up this fall, it's definitely time for a rebuild period. I'm okay with that, I've read all the jibbajabba about periodization and rest and whatever. You know, the whole "you have to go slow to get fast" thing. It's just that I've never been able to get myself to actually follow a plan before... but now I've got a coach.

Last week was completely off the bike. I jogged (stupid), I swam (doublestupid), I even went for an obscenely long walk (words cannot describe how stupid that was).

Now I'm back to riding, but easy. There will be no sprinting in the month of August. August is a nancyboy month. This first week in particular is a way-too-easy nancyboy week. Tuesday's ride was textbook nancyboy, 90 minutes of flat riding with 30 minutes of "easy tempo" somewhere in the middle.

When the group met up in the park to do their "Man School" hill ride, it seemed like I could try hiding from the wind and get the best of both world... the recovery of a slow solo ride plus the socialization of a big group.

When the speedometer showed 28mph halfway down River Rd, it was clear that this would not be the case. In spite of everything - the friends, the competition, the safety - I had to leave the group.

There is absolutely nothing blogworthy about the ensuing 80 minutes.

Deep breath. A week ago I was starting to display the classic signs of burnout. The legs need August to be easy, the heart and lungs neeed August to be easy. By September, the body will be ready for some good ol'-fashioned suffering, and mind will be more than happy to oblige after a month of restraint.

Restraint. Discipline. Self-denial.

I trust my coach. I trust my coach. I trust my coach.