There is a story that I mentioned briefly on this blog back in October 2010, but at the time left out some of the excruciating details. I felt it might be interesting to fill in a few of the details so that readers can see, for better or for worse, what goes on in the deep dark corners of my brain.
The story, in its original form, is fairly mundane. The specific story that I am referencing here is detailed in the paragraph beginning with "I think it is safe to say..." Employing some British understatement, my campaign in Manchester started with a rough first few hours.
At the time, I was rather insulted by being required to take an introductory-level track riding course. I appreciate the need to follow rules, but rules should be applied with good judgement, not blindly. After my personal experience and then going to the masters track world championships this fall and seeing riders (who did not go through the accreditation course) slide off the track and cause crashes made me wonder just how well those rules are applied. Luckily, I have thick skin, and while the accreditation requirement felt like a stinging insult at the time, it's not a big deal anymore.
Further along in the story, I mention being caught up in a crash on the track. When I composed my blog post on Oct 11th, I still had a large scrape on my hip. The scrape and associated impact hurt quite a lot, but have both healed. There is still a 2-inch diameter scar on my right hip, which is an interesting souvenir from that experience.
Where the episode back in 2010 became a real mental test was after I left the track surface. The person in charge of bike storage space rentals was gone for the day. I asked the remaining staff if I could leave my bike for the night and sort out the storage rental in the morning. They said, "No." I pleaded. They were adamant. So, as I went to disassemble my bike and put it back into the travel case, I had tears welling up in my eyes from a combination of pain from the crash and frustration with the bike storage and equipment damage situation.
Finally, after packing up my bike, I began the walk to the bus stop to return to the Manchester City Centre. It was late in the evening, cold, and raining as I left the veldrome. As I walked through the parking lot dragging the 70-lb bike case, I thought to myself, "I can leave the case here in the parking lot and come back for it in the morning. Maybe it will still be here if I come back early. But if it's not? Maybe I wouldn't care. I could forget about being an athlete and just be a tourist for the next two months."
Then, standing there alone in the dark, 7000 miles from home, feeling cold, wet, exhausted, battered physically, and shaken mentally, a smile crept across my face. I said to myself, "Karl, this will make for an amusing story later. You need to harden the #@$% up and get moving."
So, I continued.
Jumping back to the present, I am in the midst of formulating goals for the 2012 season. They're still a work in progress, but at the moment I am planning to turn my focus back to the road and earn my cat-2 upgrade there.
After that, I will turn my attention toward some endurance events. In the last six years, I've completed several hundred races on the road and track, without the question of whether I was capable of finishing ever crossing my mind. This season, rather than just seeing how fast I can go, I want to test my physical and mental limits.
I'll write more about my 2012 goals as plans firm up, but I can say right now that the 2012 season will look very different from all my previous seasons.
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