What Doesn't Kill You?

This posting isn't about heart rate zones. It's about tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm racing my first road bike race, the Tyson's Corner Circuit Race. It's a 1.1 mile circuit and the women's Cat 4 race lasts for 45 minutes. I only hope to survive that long. But I think it'll be a great way to boost my training. 1.1 miles with a climb at the end of each circuit: If I make it 45 minutes and we average 20 miles an hour, that's 15 climbs. I could really use 15 hard climbs to get my legs ready for Duathlon Nationals in two weeks. Plus, I can use the inspiration of getting ridden into the ground to get me out riding more. So we'll see if this kills me or makes me stronger. Or a little of both.