So here I am Monday at the end of what was supposed to be another double-up weekend of racing, but after a fluke mishap Saturday afternoon in Lawrence I have no race reports to speak of.
Last week I battled a pretty stiff head cold which sapped most of my energy during the week, but by Friday it had moved out and feeling 'normal' again. Played some basketball at noon to get some spark back in the legs which seemed to work.
Friday afternoon we loaded up the 4th grade Defenders team and headed to The Courts in SGF. The boys played super hard against a much taller team (which is typical since our kids are on the shorter end of it) and won 23-17 pulling our record back to .500. Ian was on fire and knocked down 8-12 jump shots (most from 15ft or deeper) to snag 16pts for his best game yet. He (actually all of us) were on cloud nine for the rest of the evening. Jim and Linda (Deb's parents) was on and after grabbing some eats they took Ian for the night so Deb and I kicked it around SGF for the evening doing a bunch of nothing.
Saturday morning Deb took off with some friends to Jeff City to catch our high school boys and girls compete at the state XC meet. First time in Bolivar history both the boys and girl's teams qualified at the same time - cool. Both teams competed well, but finished way back in the standings with no one earning all-state status. Deb said Jake was in a great mood cheering on his teammates and making the absolute best of the day/situation. They didn't get back home until early evening making for a long day.
I hooked up with Dale mid-morning for a trip to Lawrence, KS for the Joules Cross, a first time event at a new venue. After what is always good conversation we pulled up to the course with plenty of time for Dale to warmup for his 3/4 race while I still had a couple hours until the Open started. Caught up with Mike G and Crusty and a couple others. It was a tad chilly at first, but then the temps lifted and made for great conditions. Did a couple laps pre-race and it was a bumpy mug with some climbing and the dreaded spiral of death (actually made me a little dizzy). Dropped some tire pressure which made it much better and the legs felt pretty frisky. Dale rode well and had a good finish in his first 3/4 race and Crusty was solid.
I lined up with a good field for the Open and after a disastrous start (both feet unclipped early and I had to chase super hard right off the bat) I got in a good flow and felt good on the climbs moving with a Nebraska guy right behind Mike G for the first lap and half way thru the second lap I gapped the Nebraska guy and Josh Taylor to only hear a loud pop and then the chain kept trying to drop off the ring (but the chain keeper wouldn't let it completely drop off). I jumped off to see what happened and quickly saw the spider arm was out of alignment (with a big chunk of paint knocked off the frame, but no damage to the carbon frame itself) and a chainring bolt was sheered off - my race was over after 8 minutes; ARGGGG!!!! The pop I heard was a rock which flipped up into the drive train wedging between the crank spider arm and the seat stay; what a goofy fluke. Initially I was pretty steamed and just needed a little time alone to settle down, but after thinking it all thru I realized it wasn't a life-changing event and mechanicals are inevitable with a sport so rough on hardware. Jake's XC/health situation keeps me in check on how to deal with minor issues; he has taught me a lot which is a way cool deal.
This was the second race in a row with a mechanical issue and the forth of the year: 1st - flat then rolled tubular with 2 laps to go at Hermann, 2nd - flat on loaner wheel in Tulsa in 2nd lap, but was able to race later in the evening and do well, 3rd - jammed shifter last weekend in STL, but was able to ride SS and got in a great workout, and Saturday was the 4th - major bummer because it knocked me out of racing Sunday also.
Back at home early evening and to cheer me up Deb and Linda had a Razzleberry pie (the best mix of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) in the oven when I showed up. We kicked around the casa a bit before Jim and I put the beating on Deb and Linda in Spades.
Sunday morning I looking to burn some calories (and frustration) so I nabbed a 4 mile run on probably my fastest pace in several years. The temps were perfect for a great AM cruise. Back for church and some grub afterwards before everyone split different ways. Deb and Linda shopping in SGF, Jim and Ian fishing and shooting bb guns, Jake to church youth group, and I with Dale hit a 2:30hr ride on the backroads southeast of town; he on his 'cross and me on the ol' mtb with semi-slicks. It was a solid ride and trying to keep up on my 30lbs+ rig was no easy task; just what I was looking for to kick off a two week block of hard training.
Back home Sunday evening was all about time with the whole family (to include Jake for a change) learning and playing several games of Mah Jong. It was a little overwhelming at first, but after a couple rounds it turned really fun. Afterwards I snuck out to the shop to assess the crank situation and found the spider arm was simply bent out (with the carbon facade cracked off on the sides) and after a light press in the vise it was straight as before and all is functional. Will look into the SRAM crash replacement program soon, but it will work just fine for now. Hindsight I could have fixed this Saturday evening and been ready to go back to Lawrence for Veteran's Cross, but to be honest I had little interest in taking a bouncy beating on that rough course again and all worked out fine.
Looking for a big two weeks of intensity leading up to Jingle Cross in three weeks and then the final tapper/push to MO State Champs. This weekend I'm heading to Topeka Saturday evening for the Grande Prix HPT (crazy fast course) and then to Leavenworth for my favorite location - St Mary's University for the De Stadt Cup on Sunday.
The title of this entry references how easy it would have been to get upset at the situation and blow up on those around and generally feel sorry for yourself or to take it for what it is (a hobby for fun) and let it slide off. Too many times we let situations dictate our lifes instead of our lives dictating situations. After the first ten minutes of anger Saturday afternoon I made a choice to let it go and it made Dale and I's return trip and the weekend much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a bit frustrated, but not like I used to get; you know, way back when I was 40...
No comments:
Post a Comment