Today’s hare scramble: not fast enough

If you’re pinning it the way you should, you don’t have time to be introspective. At today’s Berthoud, CO hare scramble, I was not pinning it the way I should. Thoughts:

– You can’t follow and pass at the same time. Duh.

– Looking ahead really helps. Double duh.

– You get out of it what you put into it. Here are some excuses: I had surgery two weeks ago, I’ve been off the moto all summer, I have a cold, allergies, asthma, lack of sleep, wah wah wah. Bottom line: I showed up just wanting to ride my moto and have a good time. No expectations.

– The problem with no expectations = no motivation. No motivation, no focus. No focus, no braaap. Today I rode my CRF250R for two hours. I had a good time, but I never felt Flow with a capital F.

– Yeah, Flow. Flow happens when the current demands require all of your abilities, and you have the perfect amount of emotional arousal; you’re neither sleepy nor spazzed. If you’re under-aroused, that gives you the space to be self conscious, and your body and mind never get into true sync. So instead of Flowing, you’re just riding.

– 100% is about 100x more fun than 75%. Like I said, Flow happens at the intersection of the demands and your abilities. If you have time to worry about stuff, you’re going too slow. If you’re rolling jumps you know you can jump, you’re not having all the fun you deserve.

– Full throttle is significantly faster than half throttle. Triple duh. And I’ll tell you this: If the rock sprayer in front of you is a 450, and you’re on a 250, you best twist that thing all the way.

– Dicing is fun. I was having a great time duking it out with a few characters. The MX guys would pull ahead on the MX track, I’d pass ’em on the trail sections, they’d pass me back on the track, and so on back and forth. It’s amazing how one good move will move you forward, and one bad one will drop you back. Dicing keep you focused.

– Quick pits are best. Instead of a 30-second fuel stop in the pit area — you lose a couple places then battle back, braaap! — I pulled off and rode to the van. Took off the helmet, had a snack, kissed The Wife, filled the tank. After 10 minutes I pulled into the wasteland between classes. I had a clear track, but I missed the dicing. With no contact, my energy level dropped to the floor — not as fun. Next time, I’ll fuel track side and keep on dicing.

– Motocross is a hand sport. No matter how dominant your deltoids and copious your capillaries, you still have to hold on. I’m staying in decent shape this off season, but my girlie-man left hand now sports two big blisters. Callouses are a good thing.

– Consistency is great — as long as you’re consistently fast. I rode steady 15-minute laps, according to my Timex Ironman.

Dude: If you have time to hit the lap button on your watch, you’re not going fast enough!