Okay, so I regret stating in my previous post, that getting back to a proper training rhythm feels weird, hard and awkward, since it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Ritual burning in Lenzerheide
Man!, that first solid training on Tuesday felt awful. Thomas and I went out on the road bikes for some intervals on a nearby runway (now closed, don’t worry). There are no cars on the track, so you can safely go all tunnel-sight without the risk of hitting or being hit by a car. The first interval felt so-so, but from the next interval and onwards all that was left of me was a teeth-grinding, head-tilted moody training buddy. Felt sorry for Thomas, who eagerly kept me going despite getting no other feedback than a wall of silence. Honestly, had I been out there on my own, my doubt in any abilities on a bicycle would probably have directed me home much sooner.
Well, with that day ticked off, every day on the bike just feels better and better. It’s quite unusual, that Thomas can accompany me in my daily training like now, but since he has holiday, he welcomes the chance of getting out on the bike every day. It’s great to see him excited about this daily routine, that reminds him of his earlier lifestyle, when he used to live like I do now. Also, it’s quite satisfying to see him collapse on the couch in the afternoon being tired from following my pace.
Today we went out for intervals on the mountainbike. We have no long climbs around Copenhagen, but what we lack in long climbs, we make up for in short, punchy climbs. And that’s how I felt today, fast and punchy. It was a great feeling. Sometimes after a great training, I wonder how I can bring that great feeling with me to the World Cup races. Honestly, I haven’t had many great feelings in the World Cup races this season. It’s not, that I’ve been doing bad results, not at all. It all about my subjective feeling. Ever since I’ve started realising that I’m able to do World Cup Podiums, the dream of winning a World Cup has just been ever growing. Naturally it works like that and I don’t think anyone in this situation wouldn’t have the same dream. After all, isn’t the dream of winning (or at least doing better than the last race) a pretty central part of racing?
I’m pretty sure, that I have what it takes to win a World Cup on a day where all the small bits and pieces are in my favour. The key thing this year has been, that the dream of winning a World Cup has gone from being a dream to becoming a (too big) pressure, that does no good other than being kind of an inhibitor. I’ve finally begun to realise this, with some competent guidance. This in the end turned out in a physical act of burning the “pressure of the dream of a world cup victory”. Pictured above at the World Cup in Lenzerheide.
