Blog Barrage

This is the beginning. Not only of my second European adventure this winter, but also of a new attitude about racing for me, and a blogging block.

It seems to me that I every time I tell myself to blog more frequently, I tend to publish every two months. Not only is that boring for anyone who might like to read my blog, it’s a bit demoralizing to me because I always seem to fail this self-challenge. However, this time it’s different. This trip I am responding to an ultimatum from an anonymous source who tells me that he doesn’t think I can blog 5 times on this trip. Since this trip lasts 15 days, that would be a blog every three days. I think I can do that. So brace yourselves, because this is going to be a blog barrage like you have never seen before!

First, a brief summary:
I am writing this on an airplane between Amsterdam and Munich. This trip is an OPA racing trip with a crew of Americans, and we are meeting in Munich to drive to Slovenia today. This coming weekend we will race in Rogla, Slovenia (training grounds of my idol, Petra Majdic who I managed to get a photo with last year…), and the next weekend we will be in Ramsau, Austria for OPA cup finals.

The reason for the new attitude is simple:
I don’t feel prepared for these races. I know that attitude is everything, but being sick half of the days since christmas is also something. It has been quite frustrating to keep coming down with every weak little one-legged cold virus that comes limping by, but I hope to learn something from it. Not that I think I could really have done much different to prevent these illnesses, but I am trying to learn about dealing with setbacks and persevering anyways. I know that sounds all corny, phony, and wannabe inspirational, but it’s true. The purpose of this trip is to race myself back into shape and try to learn everything I can from training with Fitz and racing against fast Europeans. It’s going to be a test of my currently positive mental attitude, and I am interested to see if I am up to this challenge.

Basically:
I have a couple of challenges over the next two weeks, and we will see how I do. If the blogging challenge goes well, there is a decent chance that you will hear how my attitude challenge is faring. If not…. well lets stay positive and assume it will.

Travel Notes:
-Electrical outlets in airports are the new waterhole of the modern traveler’s savannah. All types of different people end up grouped much too closely together, centered around one life-giving resource. No longer are we clustered around a drinking fountain or piled into an inferior pub-style restaurant. We are squatting on the floor, leaning against walls, and climbing over each other to reach that little trio of holes in the wall. Fortunately I have the answer to this dilemma: the three-way-splitter. Even if I show up to a full outlet, I can always contribute to the situation.
-The photo is of Rogla, I took it of an aerial photo in the hotel. Rogla’s awesome!