My coach held the first Fitness Check Time Trial this morning. We have four every year, every six weeks throughout the season, so you can chart your progress. We do a 9.6 mile section of the Lakefront Path, down and back. Its pretty cool to pull up to the start/finish and see 20+ teammates all ready to turn themselves into gasping, drooling, red-faced schmoes on the verge of barfing.

Today there was a stiff headwind from the south [and a great tailwind riding north!]. My goal was to ride the course in under 28 minutes. I needed to hit the turnaround about 15 minutes in . . . I was closer to 16 minutes . . . and then my minute man passed me. I hoped the tailwind would get me back in 12 minutes, but I couldn't pull it out. My time was 28:34. In retrospect I think this is close to my best time last season, so not bad for this time of year. Heh, thoroughly unexceptional.

And now my legs hurt and my throat is raw. But maybe I could have pushed harder.