Sea Otter was the first Primary goal of 2008, and having won in 2007, the pressure was on for a repeat. Training changed somewhat as I increased my volume in an effort to reach a CTL (chronic training load) of 120. The higher CTL would carry me deeper into the season and hopefully further develop my Aerobic Capacities. Did it? Not sure, but I was certainly leaner, which helps, and I certainly was able to perform well deeper into the year. In fact things were going so well I never took a break! Which turned out to be a mistake, more on that later.Sea Otter 2008 was huge, with a win in the XC (cross country) and a win in the ST (short track). I went onto Nationals in good form but a mechanical in lap 1 created a gap that I wasn't able to close. I bent a cog (rare), and was left with a malfunctioning drivetrain for the remainder of the race, still finishing 3rd. Short Track Nationals (30+) went better, being beat by less than a second, pipped by a Cyclocross bike! But 2nd place was a great result, especially considering the Crosser' who beat me is the 2009 Masters National Champ in Cyclocross. It was a bummer being beaten by a Cross bike at an MTB event, but at least he was a Bona fide fast Crosser!
With Nationals behind me I continued training and racing on into November.. at which time I was tired, real tired!
Training and racing all year and well into November, combined with months of low body weight, made for a bad combination that resulted in a mild case of Anemia. Oh great, December is here, time to start training for 09' and I need to rest! Well, that's what I did, I plumped up about 10lbs by Christmas, started taking iron, and began a VERY slow build for 09'. Now I was heavy, slow, and had the brakes on.. not a good way to start 09', but it turned out to be a good lesson. Fortunately I have a great coach, Travis Woodruff, and Travis put together a training plan with less volume, more rest days, and the right amount of intensity to shape me up without digging to deep. And BTW, it was fun gaining those 10lbs.. but boy what a struggle to loose em!
