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. :-)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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.
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 $$$ and do some better races. I got my wish.
the 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race. We really wish we
could accommodate every interested rider, but we simply can’t. Our
goal and primary obligation is to offer every racer the nation’s
highest quality athletic experience with the utmost degree of safety,
medical care and racer support. The ever increasing numbers of
returning racers and new applicants are testimony we are meeting our
goal. We do not keep a waiting list and cannot yet accept entries for
2011."
And it only cost $15 to get this message. Send me $15 dollars and I will forward it along to you as well...
Leadville seems to be getting to be more of a freak show year by year. I wanted to do it this year as I had a nice opening in my schedule and it would be a great place for my brother and I to throw down and have a little sibling rivalry. I guess this year is not the year. And as I think more and more about it. This year may be the only year that I even try to enter. With the amount of money that they charge, the inability to be able to get friends to do the race with you, and the rumored monotony of the course have it fading further and further down the list of priority races. There are many more on my list of must do races and as of now Leadville is officially off of my radar. The Breckenridge 100, Cascade Cream Puff 100, and High Cascades 100 are the ones I'd really like to get into. If only they would fit in my schedule better. They just may happen for 2011. The one thing I know for sure is Leadville won't. Call me whiny since I didn't get in but part of me was hoping I wouldn't get in to save some $$$ and do some better races. I got my wish.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
So Far So Good
It's now getting towards the end of the month and things are looking up for the 2010 season. Today was an opportunity to get some nice miles in with a few teammates and wander around the Mendham area. The hills were good and so was the company. It's soo much easier to get through a nice day in the saddle when you have people to suffer with :-) 5 hours 10 minutes and 80 miles seemed to just fly by.
On the other hand the 2010 schedule is coming together nicely. On tap for this year are basically a repeat of last year. A bunch of the NUE series races, a few H2H XC races, some road training circuits, and a nice bunch of CX races for the end of the season. At this point the thought process is going over fitting in the Cohutta 100, Mohican 100(just registered), Wilderness 101, Shenandoah 100, and if the lottery is nice - the Leadville 100. I've basically realized that I can only do about 10 MTB races, I want to pick the good ones and actually leave some good recovery time inbetween so that I get my money's worth at each race.
For the Leadville, it's actually jammed in the schedule 2 weeks after the W101 and 3 weeks before the Shenandoah 100. It kinda fits, although I'd like more recovery time going into Leadville. So actually I won't be horribly disappointed if I don't get in since that will springboard me into a great buildup for Shenandoah. The Mohican is the 1st planned peak in my schedule and the Wilderness is the 2nd - although I'd really like to do well at the Shenandoah too. I know 3 peaks is a little much to plan for so I'm hoping I do well in the W101 and carry over some megafitness to the SM100. We'll see.
Either way I'm feeling pretty good for January and already getting some good rides in and the body seems to be responding. The weight battle was not too bad this year as watching the diet closely has only led to an additional 6 or 7 pounds which peaked at 165 around New Year's and has already begun to be shed as I hit the scale this morning at 160. Looking back my goal was to be at 165 for the Cohutta last year which I barely made. And at this point I'm already 5+ lbs lighter. That will make all the difference in the hills - and there's still 3 months to go(from tomorrow - but who's counting). Things are looking good.
On the other hand the 2010 schedule is coming together nicely. On tap for this year are basically a repeat of last year. A bunch of the NUE series races, a few H2H XC races, some road training circuits, and a nice bunch of CX races for the end of the season. At this point the thought process is going over fitting in the Cohutta 100, Mohican 100(just registered), Wilderness 101, Shenandoah 100, and if the lottery is nice - the Leadville 100. I've basically realized that I can only do about 10 MTB races, I want to pick the good ones and actually leave some good recovery time inbetween so that I get my money's worth at each race.
For the Leadville, it's actually jammed in the schedule 2 weeks after the W101 and 3 weeks before the Shenandoah 100. It kinda fits, although I'd like more recovery time going into Leadville. So actually I won't be horribly disappointed if I don't get in since that will springboard me into a great buildup for Shenandoah. The Mohican is the 1st planned peak in my schedule and the Wilderness is the 2nd - although I'd really like to do well at the Shenandoah too. I know 3 peaks is a little much to plan for so I'm hoping I do well in the W101 and carry over some megafitness to the SM100. We'll see.
Either way I'm feeling pretty good for January and already getting some good rides in and the body seems to be responding. The weight battle was not too bad this year as watching the diet closely has only led to an additional 6 or 7 pounds which peaked at 165 around New Year's and has already begun to be shed as I hit the scale this morning at 160. Looking back my goal was to be at 165 for the Cohutta last year which I barely made. And at this point I'm already 5+ lbs lighter. That will make all the difference in the hills - and there's still 3 months to go(from tomorrow - but who's counting). Things are looking good.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Happy New Year
Or something like that. Anyway as my first post of the new year I figured I'd just do a status update.
I had a blast with my trip out west to start the new year. 3 days of biking in chilly St. George Utah was amazing. The desert terrain was a nice change from the eastern rocky/rootyness. The following 2 days of skiing Alta and Brighton were also amazing. Such a change from the eastern crud that I've been used to skiing on. The locals were calling the conditions terrible, but from what I've skied on, they were awesome. There's so much terrain that the bad stuff could be avoided and the good stuff was great. Totally worth the 41 hour drive out through 3 snowstorms...maybe.
Once I got back from the west trip I got back into the usual swing of things. Base miles have started as well as my school's ski club. I'm the advisor so Mountain Creek will be my home for the 4 Thursdays in January. At least it will be a little cross training in there. The rest of the weeks have me doing a trainer session, recovery ride, 2 nights of lifting, and some long - low intensity - hours on the weekends. This is great since I've wanted to do some long mileage exploring and it gives me the ability to do this.
Thanks to the holidays a little added ballast has been added to my frame, and I'm pretty happy about it. Happy in the sense that I've limited it to about 6 pounds over my average race weight this past season. For a good portion of 2009 I raced at 159 pretty comfortably. The high that I saw this winter so far was 165 after some wonderful holiday dinners. Knowing all that I've done and accomplished this past season - my body deserved some extra calories. The interesting this is that I've got the diet back on track and the weight is starting to peel off already, without much effort. This morning I weighed in at 163 and in the middle of a downward trend. I'm curious as to what I will level out at with not much effort. I'm hoping that I will be able to race in the low 150's for the 2010 season, and as it's looking so far, it might be possible. I just have to make sure that it is a weight that I can maintain my power at.
So far the tentative schedule for the big races anyway is as follows: Cohutta 100, Mohican 100, Wilderness 101, Leadville 100(lottery pending), and the Shenandoah100. There will be a few local races thrown in, a 6 hr hopefully, and I'm anxious to see the Michaux Endurance series announcement as I'd like to have that series completed this season as well. So far the schedule is getting set up nicely and I'm going to work it a little smarter this year to help recovery and save a little $$$ as well. We'll see how that goes when I'm jonesin to race...
I had a blast with my trip out west to start the new year. 3 days of biking in chilly St. George Utah was amazing. The desert terrain was a nice change from the eastern rocky/rootyness. The following 2 days of skiing Alta and Brighton were also amazing. Such a change from the eastern crud that I've been used to skiing on. The locals were calling the conditions terrible, but from what I've skied on, they were awesome. There's so much terrain that the bad stuff could be avoided and the good stuff was great. Totally worth the 41 hour drive out through 3 snowstorms...maybe.
Once I got back from the west trip I got back into the usual swing of things. Base miles have started as well as my school's ski club. I'm the advisor so Mountain Creek will be my home for the 4 Thursdays in January. At least it will be a little cross training in there. The rest of the weeks have me doing a trainer session, recovery ride, 2 nights of lifting, and some long - low intensity - hours on the weekends. This is great since I've wanted to do some long mileage exploring and it gives me the ability to do this.
Thanks to the holidays a little added ballast has been added to my frame, and I'm pretty happy about it. Happy in the sense that I've limited it to about 6 pounds over my average race weight this past season. For a good portion of 2009 I raced at 159 pretty comfortably. The high that I saw this winter so far was 165 after some wonderful holiday dinners. Knowing all that I've done and accomplished this past season - my body deserved some extra calories. The interesting this is that I've got the diet back on track and the weight is starting to peel off already, without much effort. This morning I weighed in at 163 and in the middle of a downward trend. I'm curious as to what I will level out at with not much effort. I'm hoping that I will be able to race in the low 150's for the 2010 season, and as it's looking so far, it might be possible. I just have to make sure that it is a weight that I can maintain my power at.
So far the tentative schedule for the big races anyway is as follows: Cohutta 100, Mohican 100, Wilderness 101, Leadville 100(lottery pending), and the Shenandoah100. There will be a few local races thrown in, a 6 hr hopefully, and I'm anxious to see the Michaux Endurance series announcement as I'd like to have that series completed this season as well. So far the schedule is getting set up nicely and I'm going to work it a little smarter this year to help recovery and save a little $$$ as well. We'll see how that goes when I'm jonesin to race...
Monday, December 28, 2009
SLC Road Trip
Christmas came and went and with the dawn of the next day came a nice adventure. Nice depends on your definition. My buddy Bob was in town for the holiday and had this crazy scheme of moving an old MG B that he had acquired out from NJ to his new place in Salt Lake City UT. The problem was that he couldn't move it alone since it would be far too long of a road trip. Hence, here's where I come into play. He offered to have me come out with him and help drive the trip. While I was out in SLC I could get a few days of real skiing in, and then hop a nice flight back the following Sunday. Sounded good so I jumped in.
This is day 3 of the trip after a nice 41 hour trip from Parsippany to SLC. It was a long and arduous trip as not only were we towing a car on a trailer which slowed our speed, but we encountered 3 good snow storms to make traveling an epic adventure. In each of the three states: Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska we hit some snowy conditions that just got worse and worse. The most horrid conditions were in Nebraska when Bob was driving. It was really treacherous and we would see the effects of this storm later. All I know is that I awoke from sleeping in the back of the Jeep when we stopped to get gas and Bob was saying that was the hardest 3 hours of driving he's ever done. I didn't pay much attention since I slept very well :-). What he had stated was very evident in the next few hundred miles that were driven. There had to be over 100 cars and trucks all over the median and sides of the road that had been crashed and abandoned. It looked like some scene from a war movie with all the carnage. There was even tape on the vehicle as it was evident the police were responding to make sure no one was trapped in the storm. Very scarry stuff.
After that the remainder of the trip went very smoothly and uneventful all the way into SLC. Just one long scarry trip that will linger in my mind for a bit.
Up next-I'm leaving next morning for a 3 day road trip from Salt Lake City down to St. George UT for a few days of biking. Should be a blast. An update will be forthcoming.
This is day 3 of the trip after a nice 41 hour trip from Parsippany to SLC. It was a long and arduous trip as not only were we towing a car on a trailer which slowed our speed, but we encountered 3 good snow storms to make traveling an epic adventure. In each of the three states: Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska we hit some snowy conditions that just got worse and worse. The most horrid conditions were in Nebraska when Bob was driving. It was really treacherous and we would see the effects of this storm later. All I know is that I awoke from sleeping in the back of the Jeep when we stopped to get gas and Bob was saying that was the hardest 3 hours of driving he's ever done. I didn't pay much attention since I slept very well :-). What he had stated was very evident in the next few hundred miles that were driven. There had to be over 100 cars and trucks all over the median and sides of the road that had been crashed and abandoned. It looked like some scene from a war movie with all the carnage. There was even tape on the vehicle as it was evident the police were responding to make sure no one was trapped in the storm. Very scarry stuff.
After that the remainder of the trip went very smoothly and uneventful all the way into SLC. Just one long scarry trip that will linger in my mind for a bit.
Up next-I'm leaving next morning for a 3 day road trip from Salt Lake City down to St. George UT for a few days of biking. Should be a blast. An update will be forthcoming.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The Calm Before the Storm
Got out today for a nice spin before the impending snow storm is about to hit. I was bracing for the storm to hit as I was out riding and was pleasantly surprised to see that it held off for the entire ride. Now it can snow all it wants. And it looks like it will be doing just that. We are supposed to get 12-18+ as the latest update on the news. Sounds fine to me. Make it the nice fluffy stuff so I can possibly ride tomorrow though. We'll have to wait and see.
Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled
Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled
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