christmas, new year and the training

new year came and went but still no respite from the snow and ice (tho more ice than snow now) which has been with us now for over a month. but at least by new years eve we could get out and put some lanterns up in the sky (as did several other people - in those magical minutes before we thought it might be a good idea to take a picture!)

christmas it looked more like this. i had a rare foray out on the bike and had a rather delightful slowmo off at the bottom of this track. but no bother, it was so beautiful i was content to lie in the snow and soak it all in.

and then go back later with t so that we could look at the lovely snowflake forms decorating the landscape. the snow may have been inconvenient but the weather mad the landscape wonderful

but it still meant very little time off the trainer and outside and even when i did get motivated enough it meant a proper old school cyclocross style hike-a-bike with intermittent i-am-an-organ-donor moments on the roads. today it's started to thaw enough that i thought about the roadbike (the tracks now being all solid ice) but call me a fearty if the thought of it hasn't got me spooked. another couple of days....

so where has this left race training? trainer commitment means i guess i'm kind of fit but endurance is a question i can't answer. plus i've had almost no time out at night. but with two weeks to go and a maximum of five more training days i have to say i'm actually feeling okay about it. which is more than can be said for the bikes. all three race bikes, including the unknown quantity that is the rohloff one are all out of commission. front mech on the specialised is (still!) not working and i mashed a rear brake caliper on the scott prior to new year. and the rohloff is well, the rohloff, and might work or might not. as that hub is on my normal puffer workhorse bike i'm less than impressed.

still a set of new brake pads for all (avid brakes, i do not love you, no i do not), a new mech and a bit of luck and all should be well. bring it on!