Monday, April 27, 2009

2009 Race Schedule

Some people post the races they plan to do on their blog as a way to make a commitment. Seems like a good idea; if you announce to the world what races you plan to do, you may be more likely to stick to those commitments.

I've raced every year since 2000; mountain bike racing, adventure racing or (usually) both. a little bit of running races. That's about a decade of racing. I enjoy racing; it feeds the competitive side of me. The kind of racing I do transports me to beautiful locales, often at stunning times (like 2:00 am under a full moon). Racing also give me a goal, a reason to eat well, run and ride a lot.

However, it takes time and money to race and train. Last year racing kept me away from my honey a fair bit; more than I wanted. I've taken this into account as I plan for my 2009 racing season. My plans are as follows:

April - no racing
May - no racing
June - no racing
July - no racing
August - no racing
September - no racing
October - no racing
November - no racing
December - no racing

Yup - NO RACING the entire year!

This does not mean I will sit around and get sloppy and fat! On the contrary, no racing will allow me and Jesper to go out and create our own adventures. We will go out for LONG rides on the bikes, exploring for hours and hours, getting lost and then found again. We will take Strelka on overnight camping trips. We will run long distances together, using the fast packing gear we have accumulated. We will get more into bouldering and rock climbing. We will do real down hill mountain biking.

I will be able to do ANY ride I want (gurlz rides, Redstone rides, ...) ride as hard as I can, and not have to worry about how it will affect an upcoming race; thus providing fodder for my competitive side.

I'm really excited about NOT racing! There, I've committed!

5 comments:

Kim said...

Good for you Jen! I'm looking forward to some nice long ride with you and Jesper this summer!

Carey said...

Sounds like you have a fun year ahead of you.

JenyJo said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

;-)

jj

Unknown said...

Hi Jen. It's Gretchen, Sue's mt. biking friend from San Diego. I came across an old email with your blog site and decided to check it out again (haven't in months). Anyway, so funny to see your race schedule. I can relate! Love the website picture of you and Jesper enjoying life. Take care.

trainwreck said...

I know! October 7-11 in Michaux State Forest Pennsylvania! That's what you should do! I promise I won't make you ride hard.

tentative dates as of now. bring other coloradoites to taste the east coast rocky goodness too!