Seriously

Today marked the start of getting serious about hills again. I've been dabbling for the last few months and it's been going well. I suspect that last year I pushed too hard for too long and ended up paying dearly.

Last year I went hard, really hard, right through winter. Come spring I was exhausted and a flu got me. I compounded that with a crack at the Great Southern Randonee, and ended up really sick. That really put a dampener on the whole summer. This year I've done a few Audax rides, a bit of racing, some training on the track and a bit of commuting. Most importantly, I've taken time to recover, and kept it fun. Yes, I've gone out on days that I'd rather not, but still managed to find some fun in it.

Now, I'm as fit and as fast as I've ever been. I've got a new bike and a partner who encourages and guides me as an athlete. Coming up, I've got some big challenges. Fitz's Epic, the Tour of Bright, Alpine Delight and of course the Alpine itself. (I'm hoping to have a crack at track racing too this summer.) I know it's considered bad manners by some, but I really want to set a decent time for the Alpine this year. Last year my performance was crap and I want to do way better this year.

With this in mind I set out this morning for a little jaunt up Mt Donna Buang and back. (Most of the route I took is here but the tosser phone ran out of battery 10k from home.) Of course I didn't go straight there, I took the scenic route over the Dandenongs. What did I discover?

• That a cheese sandwich, an apple scroll and two bottles of water is not enough to do 155km in the hills at a decent pace.
• That it takes me a while to find a rhythm on a decent hill. I fluctuated for a while between too hard and too soft. It took about 4km to find a rhythm where I could hold a heart-rate of about 165-168 consistently and my cadence around 80.
• That a 39-23 is probably a bit too high a gear for me to climb Donna Buang at present. Only just...
• That knicks, lycra jersey, arm warmers and fingerless gloves is not enough gear to descend Donna Buang when it's 3 degrees C on top. Ooops.
• That I have a heap of work to do.

I saw an interview with Liza Minnelli on ABC2 tonight where she said that the secret to remaining fit and healthy is curiosity. I hope to keep my riding and everything else, curious...

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