Meridian Training Race

Last ride outdoors was 3.5 weeks ago so I figured why not start with a training race as my first ride back?  It was a brutal effort and one that I'm very happy with given my training the last few weeks. Although my last ride was a long time ago I have managed to jump on the trainer a number of times to give my legs a break from running.  Legs felt okay but I was never comfortable in the pack and was lacking that racing rhythm so critical in staying with the strong guys.  The pace was a lot faster compared to when I last did it in March but I hung in there with the lead group until the finish.  It was nice to see all the guys at the top of the climb who got popped the lap before waiting to jump back in our group.  It gave me confidence that the pace was in fact hard and only the stronger guys are actually hammering away.  I think this ultramarathon training is really helping with my weight lose and ultimately my power to weight ratio.  With a few more hard training races and a few more pounds lost I think I'll be okay in the Pro 1/2 races coming up.  This weekend...back to ultra training. I have a 17 mile loop I'm eager to run. GAME ON.