Training Day

We all train for different reasons, some of us have races coming up and want to complete or beat our time from the year previous. For some it isn’t about racing, but getting fit for a holiday. If you spend a lot of money getting to a destination, you want to be able to ride as much as possible and not be tired.

I train because the riding where I live is very technical and it’s like nothing I have ever ridden. Manly, Australia doesn’t have the fastest riding in the world, but it has plenty of sandstone creating lots of rock gardens, rock hops and rocky shoots and the best part is you generally have to ride up and over these. If you don’t have the fitness you’ll be tired in 30 minutes and be walking over everything, and if you don’t have the skill you’ll be pissed off and walking over everything. No matter what you are training for, getting up before work isn’t always the easiest thing to do and sometimes you just wish your alarm didn’t go off.

The alarm goes off and it’s still very dark. The sound of pianos with birds chirping gently fill the room and open sleepy eyes. Having birds chirping in the alarm isn’t really needed, since they are already making a racket outside since 4.30am. Besides, it’s just a standard alarm sound that comes with the cell phone. Haven’t been sleeping that well lately, the joints are aching throughout the night causing a restless sleep. But sleeping in a semi-foetal position seems to take the pressure off the joints and helps. Ironically the semi-foetal position could be called a semi-bicycle position, and it’s riding the bicycle that is causing the discomfort in the joints.

Been riding most mornings before work, which generally means a 5am start. Lucky the brain doesn’t draw the conclusion that riding too much causes joints to ache and that causes a restless sleep, and I guess the same could be said about drinking and partying. Still I want to have fun and stay out late on the weekend but also want to ride at one hundred percent every time. Every week, every month and every year it gets a little harder. Pretty sure the bicycling will win and drinking will be a sometimes thing, but for now they are having a good battle.

Five past five, better get up, meeting the boys at five thirty. Daylight savings was only just the other weekend so it still feels like five past four. So sleepy, could do a strong coffee, but don’t have any left. Slide out of bed making sure not to wake the girlfriend, and make wholemeal porridge with protein powder. Doesn’t taste too bad but gives good energy to burn all morning. Looks like a brown sloop that pigs may not eat. Put on lyrca, baggies over top, a clean riding top and smelly knee pads with gloves. No point in washing it, just going to sweat and make it stink again. While leaving the house at twenty past five, a text comes in from one of the boys, “it’s still pretty dark, you want to chill for 20 minutes till it gets a little lighter?” Damn it, what was the point of rushing?