Crosssports's Weblog

Howdy folks,

In the restaurant world, there’s a common practice employed by ownership/management of a new business called the “Soft Open.” It’s  a pretty simple idea; before you open the doors to the world – and, importantly, to reviewers – you give things a dry run. The restaurant is open, you’re serving food and servicing customers, but the pressure is off. Everyone knows this is all about rounding off rough edges and figuring s**t out before the “real” opening of the business.

If you’re going to race cyclocross this season – especially if you haven’t done a whole bunch of it in the past – this is the time of year to have your own Soft Open.

It’s only the end of July, but there are already Cross races popping up on the calendar. A lot of the folks attending these races will be going full-gas, damn the torpedoes, take no prisoners, mid-season speed and intensity. Full bore, full speed.

You, yourself, might want to think about kinda maybe not doing that.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t do any of the late summer cyclocross racing; that ship has long since sailed. Cyclocross Racing in the US starts in the late summer, and there are some pretty darn cool events in August/early September.

You probably don’t want to miss out on them.

That said, though?

It’s going to be a loooooong season, and if you hope to be going well at the far end of the season, playing rough in August probably won’t help the cause.

So… Soft Open.

Right now, a couple of weeks before the insanity of late-summer cyclocross, repeat after me:

This month is a Soft Open

It doesn’t count

August is all about working s**t out, laying down a solid foundation, and nailing down the loose ends.

I won’t live or die by what happens in August, and I won’t let myself be drawn into the overtraining party that’s about to kick off.

I’m going to have a little bit of fun, a little bit of racing, and I’m going to use this month to reacquaint myself with Cross racing before the deep-dive of the real season begins.

Deal?

***************

So, all the above being said, how about a Workout Of The Day?

This one is pretty simple, and very much in keeping with the theme of the month.

Go ride your cross bike today.

Just get on the darn thing, and put a few miles in.

Go have some fun, maybe hit a local trail if it’s convenient, but above all else, just ride the thing.

It’s probably been a while since your ass felt that particular saddle, eh?

Heck, I bet a lot of folks have cross rigs that aren’t even in rideable condition right now.

If that’s you? Pull that ride out of the closet, and figure out what you need to do to get it up and running.

That’s it.

Have fun!
M

~ by crosssports on July 30, 2014.

Posted in Cyclocross, The Workout Of The Day
Tags: Bicycle racing, bike racing, cx classes, cx handling drills, cx intervals, CX practice, cx skills, CXWOTD, Cycling, Cyclo-cross, Cyclocross, cyclocross classes, cyclocross handling drills, cyclocross instruction, cyclocross intervals, Cyclocross Practice, cyclocross skills, Fitness, Health, Heart rate, Howy folks, Intervals, Marymoor CX, Marymoor cyclocross, Marymoor practice, Personal Training, Physical exercise, Running, s: Aerobic exercise, Seattle, Sports, The Workout Of The Day Tags: Bicycle pedal, wootd, WOTD, XC Racing