So Tuesday was the first day of the school. 45 minutes in classroom alternating with 45 minutes on the track. They actually expected people to take a break, get advice, etc and break those 45 minute sessions up into smaller segments. I decided instead to do 45 hard minutes without a break, practicing for the endurance race this fall. My goal was 2:20 lap time average, without losing focus and having to pull in because I was too tired. I succeeded in that, and actually had quite a few 2:18 and 2:17 lap times during this practice. Sweet, given that I really wasn't pushing myself very hard at all.
I'm still struggling with holding on too tight.
But at the end of the day, Craig Weirman recommended that I completely change how I'm holding myself on with my legs, and put more weight on the front part of the bike. We covered this a bit during a one-on-one session first thing in the next day. I went out to practice that for the rest of the day. This really appears to work, although I'm struggling to adjust to how different the bike moves under me. But when I do it right, I'm really light/easy on the bars. So I'm committed to this change. But it's hard work.
exhausted