With SM100 in the books, I’ve decided that my race season is over. There are a few good ones still on the regional schedule, but I’m ready to rest up a bit and buckle down with my training since I’ve generally just been racing and resting since I came home from Colorado. Yesterday I went in to the cardiorespiratory lab at U of M for a lactate threshold/VO2max test. It hurt on several different levels- there’s the acute physical exertion of a max effort test coupled with the results of the test itself… I’ve got some work to do. It’s nice to have a baseline, though.

I’m also ready to not spend money on races. Since my last teaching paycheck went into the bank on August 31st, I was “officially” unemployed as of September 1st. Lucky for me, though, I scored a job in the bike shop at Outdoors Inc. The pay is probably less than half of what I was previously making, but I genuinely look forward to working now. I’m also learning a bunch of secret mechanic tricks, and I’ve got a gorgeous mechanic manicure (think French manicure, but with grease under the tips of the fingernails instead of paint on top). I might start painting my fingernails. You know… fer giggles. It’s great, but, like I said- quite the belt-tightener.
Not that I’d turn a donation down or anything, but I’m trying to look at it in a positive way- generally the things that aren’t so great for my training (like going to Saucer for delicious, expensive, high calorie beer) are also some effective money wasters.

So that’s the preliminary plan for the fall & winter- train, work, sleep, and stay hungry for next year.