Cyclocross season grinded to a halt yesterday after the second iteration of the Wintery Mix CX series here in KC. Despite my lack of anaerobic intensity in the past several weeks I thought it would be a good idea to do both the 1/2 and SS races. It may not have been a terrible idea in the right circumstances, but yesterday was rough. The temperatures were a balmy mid-50s, but the rain from the previous week made the course a thick, muddy mess. There were also some pretty gusty winds, but those didn't bother me like I would have guessed they would have. The heavy mud just sucked the power right out of you in the various sections the course required you to slog through. I actually wish it would have been more wet since I think the bike would have flowed through it more easily, but it is what it is (or was what it was). I finished right in the middle of both races. I might have been able to fight for one spot higher in the 1/2 race, but 1st and 2nd positions were long gone. I was completely fried for the SS race. I think when fresh I should have been able to get 2nd, but Joe Fox and his crazy power just killed that course, so I'm not sure winning would have been realistic. All in all it was a pretty rough season and I'm already trying to train a decent amount to start getting ready for the start of the 2013 season. The whole not riding much at all during the first 3 months of 2012 didn't work out so well, so hopefully things are different this year. Here is a picture from the 1/2 race. It must have been the first lap or two because I was much more covered in mud later on.
Now my goal is to get a solid base in for the next few months or so while also ensuring I am doing enough running to be ready for my half marathons. I'll also work in some marathon mountain bike races starting next month, so I'll be writing about those as they come along. I figure a 3 hour MTB race can only help one get stronger. The UFD East series looks pretty attractive, so maybe I'll try to do a lot of those. In the meantime, hopefully I can get my dissertation proposal defended so I can get another step closer to graduating (again).
