Jeff Burmeister

“It’s a long season…” is the phrase that I’m saying over and over again to myself this week. You see last week I was at the National Sports Center Velodrome racing in my first track race since I was in my twenties. Yes, it’s been a long time thank you for reminding me. And well yes I guess I was a bit nervous my first time back. Yes…. I forgot a number of things that I knew in the past. Well, sure, I was racing against guys 15 years younger then me. So why wasn’t I happy with just being there and having a good time doing something that I love?

You see, the mantra that is playing on repetitive loop in my head is not because my results were out of line with where I thought my training would leave me. It’s just that I got played. I was made to feel like a rookie all over again. I was in a place where I was the outsider, an unknown. I had to earn my spurs with these people all over again. So because I didn’t have teammates out there, I was putting my nose out in the front of the pack way too much. I was a classic rookie all over again. And I simply hate feeling that way.

I didn’t finish in the top 5 in any of the races that night, but I didn’t finish in anything less then eighth either. This is a result that I should be very happy with. You see I was consistent, I held in there for the fast short races, and I was there at the end for the long endurance race. I should be happy with my fitness and my ability to not get bullied. I should be happy… but I’m not.

As you my sole reader most likely know, I’m a competitive person when it comes to all things that I put my time and energy into. I want to do well at everything I do. And damn it, I won’t mind it if I won from time to time either.

But there is a real down side to all of this that doesn’t have to do with my little fragile ego.

The pace that my new collegiate aged track friends set was pretty high, and I wasn’t willing to back down from it either, but at the age of 40 (editor -that is actually what it says on his racing license) I’m in no position to sit at 210+ heart rate for long periods of time. So when the 40 lap scratch race got started I was determined to try and break some of the pure sprint type guys and then try to recover for the finish and possibly have a shot at it. So I pushed the pace early and dropped a few guys. But this came at a price. I got the worst exertion headache of my life around lap 20. The type where you know that there’s a blood vessel or two that popped from the pure force of the blood ripping around in your body.

(Editor – Please insert your own, you drink too much, smoked too much, and eat crap food for a really long time joke here.)

So now a week later, I’m still suffering from the headaches and I’m being forced by doctor’s orders to take it easy on the intensity levels. Like the Crockpot cooker sitting in my kitchen, I’ll be doing my training long and slow for the next two weeks. Which just sucks...

Fortunately for me, “It’s a long season…” and I’ll be back and ready to play with my new friends at the Track in a few weeks.