Where the hell did my form go?
For a trained athlete, you have fitness, and form. Fitness is what you get from lots of training over a period of time. If you've been training consistently for 3 years, you are most likely fit, to some degree at least. Form, on the other hand, is how much of that fitness you have access to at the moment. So on a given day, a fit rider with no form may be no faster than a rider of lesser fitness, with better form. But that's as good as things will get for the rider of lesser fitness, whereas the rider with bad form will be much, much faster when his or her form returns.
That said, I am fit as hell. I knew that coming into the season, and after the first few races I did. However, my form is a different story. I had all kinds of form for the first Sacramento race, and I had a decent bit for the 2nd and 3rd Sacramento races. I even came back from Vegas with a reasonable bit of form for the first Pilarcitos. But since then, despite a good dose of weekend racing with smart rest rides peppering the weekdays, my form seems to be receeding. My form is suddenly like that girl you've been dating for 5 happy, blissful sex-tastic months, and suddenly, she seems melancholy and distant. Ask her what's wrong and she says, "Nothing...I just need space."
It's messed up. I need my form. I worked hard to build fitness, and when I've had my form, or even part of it, I've been quite pleased with my performance. And here we are, exactly halfway through the 2005 cyclocross season, and I feel like my top end has disappeared. I can cruise at a good speed, good enough to land me consistently in the top 5 so far (crashing and technical issues notwithstanding) but I don't have that extra push to chase down attacks and that sort of thing.
This week I tried to ride carefully, getting the "right" mix of intensity and recovery rides, along with plenty of food and sleep. It's now Saturday night and it's tough to tell what good this has done
For a trained athlete, you have fitness, and form. Fitness is what you get from lots of training over a period of time. If you've been training consistently for 3 years, you are most likely fit, to some degree at least. Form, on the other hand, is how much of that fitness you have access to at the moment. So on a given day, a fit rider with no form may be no faster than a rider of lesser fitness, with better form. But that's as good as things will get for the rider of lesser fitness, whereas the rider with bad form will be much, much faster when his or her form returns.
That said, I am fit as hell. I knew that coming into the season, and after the first few races I did. However, my form is a different story. I had all kinds of form for the first Sacramento race, and I had a decent bit for the 2nd and 3rd Sacramento races. I even came back from Vegas with a reasonable bit of form for the first Pilarcitos. But since then, despite a good dose of weekend racing with smart rest rides peppering the weekdays, my form seems to be receeding. My form is suddenly like that girl you've been dating for 5 happy, blissful sex-tastic months, and suddenly, she seems melancholy and distant. Ask her what's wrong and she says, "Nothing...I just need space."
It's messed up. I need my form. I worked hard to build fitness, and when I've had my form, or even part of it, I've been quite pleased with my performance. And here we are, exactly halfway through the 2005 cyclocross season, and I feel like my top end has disappeared. I can cruise at a good speed, good enough to land me consistently in the top 5 so far (crashing and technical issues notwithstanding) but I don't have that extra push to chase down attacks and that sort of thing.
This week I tried to ride carefully, getting the "right" mix of intensity and recovery rides, along with plenty of food and sleep. It's now Saturday night and it's tough to tell what good this has done
posted by the seamus at 7:38 PM
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