Off-day Before Kalamazoo

I spent today off the bike since I'm going to be racing at Kalamazoo tomorrow. I kind of regret it now, because it was a really beautiful day and I could have done an easy ride out to Wabeek or something. Whatever.

The BTR Park Criterium in Kalamazoo tomorrow should be pretty sweet. It's not on the same circuit on which they held the Western Michigan Collegiate race, so I won't be familiar with the course. That could be a bit of a disadvantage since I'll be racing in the Pro 1-2-3 category (that's right, they combined the 3s with the 1s and 2s). I decided not to do the Category 3 race as well since it's before the pro race, and I want to have fresh legs for the pros. In all honesty, I should already have my upgrade to 2s by now since I submitted it about 2 weeks ago (right after the Make-a-Wish ride with Blair Dudley and Matt Scott). I knew I was ready to upgrade when I was giving Blair a hard time in the sprints while making Matt work on the climbs. Anyways, I'm really looking forward to racing in a fast category tomorrow. It's fun to race in the 3s, but I don't really feel like I'm pushing myself as much as I should be. A race doesn't really feel like a race in that category. I think I'll have a much harder time in the pro category, which is good - I'd much rather work hard to finish top 20 in the pros than pull off an easy top 10 in the 3s.

After an e-mail conversation with Dale Hughes, I've decided I'll be doing a track workout Sunday at noon. He tells me there is going to be a coach there who can help me work on my starts and get me ready for Collegiate Track Nationals. I'll probably bring my mountain bike as well so that I can ride the Bloomer trails afterward, perhaps with Luke.

So at the moment, my tentative schedule for the rest of the month is as follows:
Saturday: BTR Park Criterium
Sunday: Track workouts + easy MTB
Monday: MTB at Pontiac Lake (maybe with some U of M riders)
Tuesday: Six-Day at the Track
Wednesday: Six-Day at the Track
Thursday: Six-Day at the Track
Friday: Six-Day at the Track or rest for Downers Grove
Saturday: Six-Day at the Track or Downers Grove (depending on how some things go)
Sunday: Six-Day at the Track or nothing
Monday: MTB
Tuesday: Loose Spokes Ride from Birmingham
Wednesday: Points race at the track
Thursday: Easy MTB
Friday: Probably more MTB (I miss NAS-TRACK!!!)
Saturday: More MTB
Sunday: Leave for Mike's cottage
Monday - Thursday: U of M MTB pre-season camp up North
Friday: B-School Orientation + Ride in Ann Arbor
Saturday (Sept. 1st): Move in to 502 Catherine + Ride in Ann Arbor

Then school starts on the 4th (after Labor Day)! I'm really looking forward to the B-School and riding with U of M again, but I've got to stay in shape and stay focused on Track Nationals!

As fun as this summer has been, it's kind of nice that it's coming to a close.