Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Sign of Things to Come?

I've posted over the last few months that I'm curious as to how my weight and body composition will be changing and what effects it may have on my racing. All I know is that February is typically a rough month and I eat like crap and don't get my workouts in. Somehow this month - I've been getting my workouts in, eating well, and am more disciplined then I ever thought possible. This has brought about a very interesting condition. Weight has just fallen off of me.

For the 2009 season I raced the majority of it at 158 or 159 and my all time low after a workout was 153. Well as a result of my crazy schedule, diet, appetite, and stress, I've seen the following change. The last 4 mornings I weighed in at 154lbs. This is absolutely nuts for this time of year. I was hoping to race at 152 or so this season but I thought I would really have to work at it. At this point I still feel powerful although a bit tired from all my endeavors at the moment. When I get on the bike it's good but life in general is just tiring. Things will clear up after this weekend.

The good sign is that this is my rest week, and although a bit beat up and sore from lifting, I'm looking forward to some lesser hours. On track for this week is just a trainer session, two lifting sessions, and 6 hours on the bike between Saturday and Sunday. This is a little relief from trying to ride 13+ hours with two lifting sessions like last week.

On the horizon, today is 2 months until the Cohutta 100 race in Tennessee. Last year I was straining to reach 165 for this race and with what I'm weighing in at now I'll have a huge advantage over last year. As long as I can build my strength I will be very happy with my result regardless. Last year was a hard race and I have some major redemption to do. I was a bit foolish and if my plan comes together I will drop close to an hour from last year's finishing time. I'll be showing up prepared after doing a 6 hour race 3 weeks prior. It should be fun to roll in prepared and really open the legs up and see what I've got. :-)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Early Training Block = YIKES!

A few weeks ago my coach and I were talking about doing a training weekend in Blacksburg Virginia. This was supposed to happen this past weekend, and with the weather and personal schedules that were conflicting, the trip never happened. We elected to stay home and put some time in anyway. The idea was to get 3-4 hours in on Saturday, 5-7 on Sunday, and 3-4 on Monday. Leading into the weekend, it seemed that we had a good plan going as the weather was actually going to be worse in Virginia.

On Day 1 we headed out Saturday morning and decided to get our ride in. It was a nice cold, blustery morning, and we got out with a nice group of 4. Even numbers are perfect since we all had someone to chat with along the ride and also with the 4 we took turns blocking the wind. We aimed for the hills since it was cold and what better way to warm up than by getting some decent vert. The days stats were as follows: 3:47 ride time - 57 miles - 4700' of vert.

Day 2 was the supposed big day. It did not start off well as I had waaaaay too much going on the previous day, which caused me to oversleep, and was way too rushed the next morning. I really don't like the feeling of being late and unprepared, and I was both on this morning. It's not good to start off a ride being as frustrated as I was but I was really hoping that this day would be a little better as the miles wore on. On this day it was 3 of us and once again we aimed for some extra vert since the weather was still fairly chilly. It was good to link together some roads that I have not been on in a while and get some new sights in. On the way back I looked down at the odometer and it said 90 miles and 5+ hours in the saddle. Of course this is where the decision needed to be made and I pulled the trigger. I've never done the road century yet and the miles were flying by. Now was the time to get in in. So we took another turn and kept the pace steady and got some solid spinning in to lead to a new personal best. The first road century ever had been completed. The days stats were as follows: 6:43 roll time - 102 miles - 8400' of vert.

For Day 3 a local loop was chosen and 3 of us headed out again to get some less hilly miles in as the two previous days were definitely straining the legs. Even though that was the plan, we still got a great amount of vert in. It was a nice easy cruise through the Denville/Kinnelon area and a great way to cap off a heavy weekend of riding. The miles went on pretty effortlessly - probably because the legs were numb - but it all went very smoothly. For 3 solid days of riding it was amazing. I'm guessing my fit is spot on too as the body does not feel too bad after all and I'll be ready to go again soon. As for today - day 4 - I'm opting to nap and keep my butt on the couch. Although I'll probably be going to the gym shortly. Day 3 stats were as follows: 3:32 ride time - 49.3 miles - 4300 feet of vert.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Living in the land of DENIAL...

"We deeply regret that we were unable to accept your application into
the 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race. We really wish we
could accommodate every interested rider, but we simply can’t. Our
goal and primary obligation is to offer every racer the nation’s
highest quality athletic experience with the utmost degree of safety,
medical care and racer support. The ever increasing numbers of
returning racers and new applicants are testimony we are meeting our
goal. We do not keep a waiting list and cannot yet accept entries for
2011."

And it only cost $15 to get this message. Send me $15 dollars and I will forward it along to you as well...

Leadville seems to be getting to be more of a freak show year by year. I wanted to do it this year as I had a nice opening in my schedule and it would be a great place for my brother and I to throw down and have a little sibling rivalry. I guess this year is not the year. And as I think more and more about it. This year may be the only year that I even try to enter. With the amount of money that they charge, the inability to be able to get friends to do the race with you, and the rumored monotony of the course have it fading further and further down the list of priority races. There are many more on my list of must do races and as of now Leadville is officially off of my radar. The Breckenridge 100, Cascade Cream Puff 100, and High Cascades 100 are the ones I'd really like to get into. If only they would fit in my schedule better. They just may happen for 2011. The one thing I know for sure is Leadville won't. Call me whiny since I didn't get in but part of me was hoping I wouldn't get in to save some $$$ and do some better races. I got my wish.