What off-season?

Eleven weekends have passed since the final road race of my 2007 cycling season. After the Bob Beal Masters Stage Race, your hero did enjoy a 26 day period off the bike due to saddle area issues, which helped facilitate a transition to fall running. Since getting back up to speed though, I've done seven cyclocross races and five running races, all in just 43 days. One more to go, with a 10k in Newport this Sunday (slim chance of me making an appearance at Goddard on Saturday, but you never know). Thus, the October-November campaign has become almost a season unto itself.

The Battenkill-Roubaix website now proudly proclaims there are just 136 days left until the 2008 edition. I didn't make it in 2007, but if all goes well (as in not too snowy) I should be ready this year. However, rather than being the first event on the road calendar, with a spot the third weekend in April, I'm guessing we'll see at least two non-training road events before BKR. That makes only 13 more weekends to the start of the road season. That's right, we're almost halfway.

Of course, in the winter I run. Already, five weekends in January and February have races I plan to attend scheduled, and in a few cases I've pre-entered because they might fill up. Most likely there will be a few more. Throw in the holiday and that only leaves about a half-dozen open weekends, and at least a few of those will be allocated to getting back out on the road bike for some big miles late in the winter. Doesn't leave much time to get all the bike projects done, let alone lay about the crib doing absolutely nothing, the way the off season should be spent.

It's all good though. I've been enjoying competing. Spell out goals for next year? Not so fast, at least not clearly. Suffice to say I'm not hanging up my road helmet just yet. I'm looking at a full campaign in the 45+ next season. This means I'd like to wrap up the running season a bit sooner than in 2007 in order to be ready for the early season road courses (like Jiminy and Turtl Pond), which suit me. The New Bedford Half Marathon comes a little bit too late, so I may skip that in favor of something earlier, maybe a (warm) destination race. Any full marathon ambitions are being put off until after I at least make a good effort to complete some unfinished business in road cycling. Just getting faster in running races provides enough of a challenge for now. Duathlons? Hmmm, I had those plans last year, only got to one, the others...fizzled. Cross? Who knows. I did more this year than I thought I would, and came out of it in one piece, but my aged body still isn't entirely thrilled with the concept. You youngsters just keep on enjoying it while you can. Thanks for reading.

Wrentham CX Movie