Ignorance

I just didn't know what bronchitis would do to me.
 
I do now... or at least I think I do.
 
ArcticCross race #3 was worse than #2. It was a course that actually favored the roadies, and although I didn't get a call-up, I was in good position after the start. Then I noticed I couldn't push myself. My heart rate was stuck just below lactic threshold, where it usually hovers just below my max. My legs felt like they could go harder, but nothing else did. Right before the start/finish, another rider stuck his pedal in my spokes, and I climbed off. No damage was done and I stayed upright, but my heart wasn't in it. Five minutes, thirty-odd seconds of racing and I was done.
 
Shortly thereafter the hacking cough started. I guess a 38F ambient temperature wasn't what the doctor ordered.
 
The week's workouts had pointed towards recovery, with steadily improving power, but that wasn't on display Saturday. When I got home, I got on the trainer for an hour in a warm garage and still couldn't generate any power.

My body is steadily falling apart, and somehow I'm OK with that. I don't like being sick (at all), but I figure my body is due a little down time after all I've put it through. I'll try to sneak in some outdoor rides before much more snow falls, and I'll keep plugging away in the 'cross races, if only for a semi-regular kick in the guts. I have no expectations other than that.
 
It's time to reboot and rebuild.

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