Just plain fast now

A great spin out with the BYL Junior squad today. Heading out towards the hills for a quick up and down of Welshpool Road before rolling back home again. A nice 115km or so to start the day.

The squad that rolled out was one of the bigger junior squads that I have ridden with since I have started riding with the BYL Juniors. 10 or so of WAs most up and coming triathletes flying along the roads and paths. I gather once it is up to full strength the squad is closer to 15 or 20 athletes, but all the same this morning's effort was very impressive to see.

I would love to say that such a big squad made for an easy and gentle 115km, but that really wasn't the case. Rather these juniors don't really hang around, by the time I finished riding I was quite satisfied to be done. I am not exactly in peak condition anymore, but usually I still do okay once the road heads up hill. I think I still did okay today, but that didn't stop a couple of the junior guys riding me off their wheel. I had just pasted myself to catch up to them halfway up the hill, when they decided that that wasn't on and rode away again. Catching them a second time was something that I didn't have in me. Very impressive to see. These guys might be young, but that doesn't mean they are weak. I remember we used to say things like 'gee they are fast for their age', now we simply say, 'gee, they are fast'.

While the riding was fun, the morning itself was a strange one. One of rare morning's in Perth when a thick fog rolls in. Mixed in with the fog was a bunch of wood smoke (I am still not sure where from). It made for a bit of an unpleasant mixture for breathing. The one upside was that the fog and smoke seemed to take the edge of the temperature on what would otherwise have been quite a chilly morning.

As well as the ride, the day has otherwise been a pleasant one, with a nice family play down at Fremantle Pool. I also started doing the pre-course work for my Level 1 Triathlon Coaching certification which is on next weekend. There are a few pre-course modules I need to do online before next weekend and so my goal for this weekend is to get through those. Very interesting stuff, it makes me even more keen for next weekend.

Mother's Day tomorrow in Australia, which means exercise takes a backseat while the kids and I concentrate on making a good day for the various mothers in our lives. Should be a day with a high concentration of hugs ,which is never a bad thing.