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Your heart races, you cant sleep, your palms are sweaty, you
have butterflies in your stomach, your breathing intensifies and your eyes
widen…
Are you nervous or excited? Are they the same emotion, just
viewed through different prisms? Yet everyone loves to be excited, but perhaps
not so much to be nervous, even if they cause the same physical reactions.
Perhaps the difference between nerves and excitement is confidence. The more
confident you are of success, perhaps the more excited you can become.
What were you doing on the second of December? It’s probably
long enough ago that you don’t remember exactly, but close enough to have a
vague recollection. For the record it was a Sunday, the first Sunday of the month,
just after payday. Maybe you were nursing a hangover. Maybe you were out
Christmas shopping. I had the Glasgow Nightingale CC Dinner. It was a freezing
night, and a brutally cold and icy day. So, I sat inside and did a double
session on the turbo trainer. Three hours on the hamster wheel. There was
nothing memorable about the session, but I know I would have hated it.
The relevance? Well, the 2nd of December was 100
days ago, and its 100 days until I start the Tour. The second of December
doesn’t seem that long ago and that is looking back through the coldest,
wettest weather and the darkest days of the year. Winter cycling is no fun. By
the end of this month it will be light enough to get out during the evenings.
The Wednesday night habble round the glen will start. Soon we’ll be cycling in
shorts, t-shirts and sunglasses. Pedalling with the sun on our backs (in
Glagsow?!). Cycling will become fun again and the time will race by. 100 sleeps.
It’s not long. Things are starting to get very real, and very exciting.
After the fun of the two up Time Trial last month the racing
season also started in earnest this week, with a Fourth Cat race down in
Dumfries. It’s a long way to go for a race, however the rest of the country was
treated to heavy snow showers, which had the races closer to home cancelled, so
the journey was worthwhile. Especially since I managed to get a 6th
place finish and win my first points of the season. However, in perhaps the
most controversial refereeing decision since Les Mottram inexplicably chopped
off Paddy Connolly’s rasping volley against the Harry Rags back in early nineties
(yup, the defender handed the ball to
the keeper), I was awarded 7th place. I await the outcome of the
stewards enquiry with interest…
Last week also saw me get back on the track at the Wednesday
night track league. I managed 1 third place and 3 second places in the four
races. I am definitely making
progress.
I am back down in Dumfries this weekend for another race. If
I can manage another top 10 finish then I’ll win some more points and take
further steps towards getting my category 3 race license, which was one of my
big goals for the year. I need to get 10 points. A top three finish will see me
get my promotion. However, as sporting pundits are apt to say; that will be a
‘big ask’.
I am pleased where I am with my fitness and form and there
is still time to get stronger before I head to France. As my fitness grows, so
does my confidence, and thus the nervousness fades and gives way to excitement.
Things are becoming more real, I can almost see the start line now. I am still
nervous about the road ahead, after all it is still a massive challenge, but I
am also beginning to get excited.
100 sleeps.
From Dumfries,
N
If you would like to sponsor me then you can do so here http://www.bmycharity.com/nkemp
100 sleeps.
From Dumfries,
N
If you would like to sponsor me then you can do so here http://www.bmycharity.com/nkemp
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