The verdict

I've been wondering for weeks about the key to staying attached during Wednesday Night Worlds.

The warmup?

The previous day's workout?

The back?

Nope. It's easier than that: Get faster.

Last night my legs felt good, my back felt especially good and I was ready to roll. But the hill that usually pops me still popped me. And I struggled in the crosswind. You could chalk that up to lack of skills in crosswind.

But I'm going to chalk it up to not fast enough. Because the pace was hot, and that was enough to battle by itself. Add the conditions, and yeah -- trouble.

It's a work in progress. I'm still pretty psyched that my back didn't hurt. And all things considered, I still went plenty fast. Just not fast enough. Not yet.