The Season is Upon Us (or Making Goals)

Beltane (May Day) just occurred reminding us that spring is here in full force. The weather in New England is slowly warming up and there are buds on the trees. It is a time of joy and playfulness. It is a time of beginnings.

For me, it is a time to really focus on my intentions for cycling this season. What do I want to accomplish? What seeds do I want to plant and what do I need to do to grow them?

Now deciding what I want to do and figuring out how to manifest my intentions are not easy tasks for me. It feels like there are so many options and possibilities, which is a good thing in that I am not limited, but it also creates a problem of choice. What races and rides do I want to do? How do I want to shape my training at this point? What are my racing and riding goals?

I know I need some short term goals and some long term ones. I know I need to think progressively. I know also I need to think holistically about the balance in my life and the things I need to do to be the best athlete I can – things like eat better and lose that ten pounds that is hanging around my middle.

I have a few short term goals. I’d like to try to do the Wells Avenue training race, especially if they have a women’s field. I am going to ride with the Cat. 4 team on Thursdays and with the Women’s Ride on Tuesdays. I am going to develop a weekly training plan so I at least have thought about the goals for the week. I am going to get back to doing my physical therapy exercises so my knee doesn’t hurt.

I have a few long term goals too but at this point they are a little unfocussed. I want to do two or three road races this season, although I am still not sure which ones. I think I am going to do a charity ride at the end of the season, which is over 100 miles. I may want to do one other century. There is a hilly one in July that might be a good choice. Obviously, I need to get clearer on these goals and then figure out the steps I need to get there.

I have been living in the moment in terms of my cycling, just figuring out what the next best thing to do is and doing it. Although in some ways this isn’t a bad approach, at this point I need more long-term clarity. I know it will be worth the investment to develop a specific plan, even if it evolves over time. So, I will make this my priority and my first short term goal and see what unfolds.

Racing Chick at 46

I am 46 years old and have never been an athlete before. Now I am. I started cycling two years ago and it was the first time that I was truly interested in a sport. My first year I rode 6000 miles and the second 4500, including a 125 mile one day ride for AIDS.

The first year I just cycled like crazy and was happy just to be on the bike and learning how to draft, pace line, use my gears, and take care of my bike. The second year, I rode a little less and wondered what I could do to challenge myself and improve my performance. This year, I have decided to race. Now, writing it so baldly is a little scary to me. I did get a racing license and I have been trying to follow a training schedule and I have been looking at races that I might want to try, but I still have a hard time saying that I am going to race.

When I signed up for the license, I put my information into the electronic form and before I closed the deal a summary came up on my computer screen. It said that I was 47 years old as of December 2008. This is true. My reaction was to think, "what the hell do you think YOU are doing at 47 years old??!!" I still signed up for the license.

So here I am closing in on menopause and thinking about and training for bicycle racing. Who knew?