Just Call Me Nancy

I realized last night on a Blackstar-Motorway ride that I have a lot in common with Nancy Kerrigan. Here is a short list:

- We're both very attractive
- We're both well trained atheletes
- We both have admiring fans
- We both scream, "WHHHHHHHYYYYYYY?????!?!?" after taking a beating

I meant the last common trait in the best possible way.

So last night the ride with Matt and Andrew went pretty well until I got to the Motorway. I felt good on the climbs and we were riding at a pretty relaxed pace. We were able to hold casual conversations all the way from the cars to the top of the Motorway.

I did feel a bit out of control on a few fire road descents, but I figured it was no big deal. I was wrong because the bad feelings were actually an indication of something more serious.

This is the third time I've gone down the Motorway and felt out of control. By out of control I mean to say that my legs are so weak that they start to shake uncontrollably and my forearms turn to rocks from flexing so hard. The bike starts to wander all over the trail because I'm not physically strong enough to keep it on a good line.

The last two times I've felt this way I was convinced it was due to fatigue. The first time it happened was on Motorway (2x). The second pass down the Motorway on that ride was just too much and I was very weak. The next time was after a brutal two week push to win a GeoLadders game.

I don't know that I can dismiss away last night on account of weakness though. I slept a ton this past weekend and I felt pretty good on the climbs. I'm honestly not sure what the problem is, but as always I have a short list of potential culprits:

- Fast and hard singlespeed ride on Sunday morning. This might have taken more out of me than I previously had thought.

- A general fatigue? I did do a fast and hard Harding ride last Thursday, but I'm pretty sure I recovered fully from that this weekend.

- Not enough technical riding. We have not been riding extended technical downhills lately as a group. The technical areas recently have been short and allow opportunities to recover that the Motorway does not have.

- Underestimating the Motorway. I still have it in my head from earlier this year that the Motorway is pathetic. It is nothing. Very easy. Maybe I give myself too much credit?

Whatever the reason - or combination of reasons - I was pretty disappointed with the end of the ride. I felt awesome up to that point and then fell apart _fast_. I'm hoping I can recover well for the big ride Saturday. My confidence is shaken a little, but hopefully with a lot of rest I'll be fine.