A Pain in the neck

7 March

Again, I am suffering from acheS today.

Particularly, moving my neck today is really quite a feat to perform.
My shoulders and forearms were somewhat aching but it was bearable.
The neck... is just a pain!

This is the result of me being laid off training since possibly Dec.
3 months of being a lazy bum!!
During these 3 months, I did feel somewhat lousy. It was like I am missing something, missing doing something. Importantly I felt 'Fat' and I was indeed gaining weight.

I knew I had to start doing the basic workouts and the jogging. I knew BUT the inertia to move those lazy arse of mine was just too much to get going again.

Therefore I was glad that Louis had a mini race for the 8 of us yesterday.
His aim was actually to test his Swiss Auto engine kart with the rest of us driving the Rotax Max.
We were ok to do it just for fun. It was a very good training. I needed it to remind myself exactly how fitness is paramount to karting fast and consistently and this will be a good guage.

In the mini race, I had the opportunity to lead from the front because at the start we were all over the places on the track waiting for one another. Assessing the situation, I drove to the front and tried to slowed those who came out earlier. In that way, everyone could joined and formed up for the start.

Louis was the closet competitor to me in that mini race, especially when we will be at a clear disadvantage as SA250 will be pumping out about 35bhp while Rotax Max only has 28.5 bhp. We only have the chance to race him because of his degraded tyres. Even with that, he could overtook me just before the downhill section. The difference of power showed quite clearly.

Personally, when it was half way through the 18 laps I was knackered. I was about to looked at the numbers of laps left. From experience I did not, because I knew once I looked the remaining laps will be a torture. And it was, when I saw 5 more laps to go. It was the longest 5 laps. Not that I was heading the field, and someone was right behind. It was the longest because I am already drained! Finally, the flag was out to shown the race was over with me finishing it at the fore. Not actually a win, because i felt I was just better prepared especially with better tyres while the rest ran with a mixed combination.

What gave me encouragement was that after the 18 laps I had the chance to dice with Khamil. He is using a Tony Kart with Rotax Max but without any weights, which is easily about 12 kg off what my kart is running with. In that about 10 laps, I managed to really stayed with him relatively close. The timing was show 45.6s. Good! Then by about lap 8 my body is gone, my head was going all sideways at every other hairpins. I could hardly see the track straight on!!
I tried for another 2 laps, and with each lap the effect of the head leaning all the way this way and that. It was just too much. I had to call it a day.

It was a good day in all. The mini race forces me to drive the long stint training the stamina, and the drive with Khamil put me into pace of sorts.

Today, although with all the aches, I felt alive. I felt delighted. I felt generally happy. To feel more of the same I will need to start doing my off track activities.
So if someone would like to really kart competitively, ignore the fitness at your own peril.