This morning was a bit of a disaster, but I did get a good workout in. I forgot to set my alarm earlier so I could get to Bluemont Park for some cross practice. Instead, I woke up at 6:40a and had to rush out the door to make it on time. I wasn't all that late and when I got to the park, I started to wonder if the Italians had stood me up.

I was just about to leave when Scott rolled up. He showed me a nice little loop that they run and it has most everything you could want to practice: off camber turns, gravel, asphalt, grass, a run up, and even PVC barriers. I think I'll probably construct a few PVC barriers of my own. We rode that loop a few times and I was sucking mightily. My bike handling just wasn't very good this morning and it showed. My gears also need an adjustment after all the mud that my bike went through last weekend. A simple tune up should take care of it.

The real disaster came after I left the park. I rode all the way to the Vienna depot before I started thinking about the clothes I packed. I couldn't remember what shirt I'd packed and when I stopped to check, I realized there wasn't one! After contemplating whether Eric or Pat might have a shirt I could wear, I decided I'd better go home and get one. So I rode 22 miles this morning and ended up driving in to work. It goes without saying that I was way late. But at least I rode today.

Showing up for practice this morning gave me a good idea of how I can get better. A simple, but well thought out loop in the park can give me something to master. And once I've mastered that I'll have a skill set that will help me in races. Thanks to Scott of Squadra Coppi for the introduction.