after tsali i needed to go back to the drawing board for the training plan. coach and i decided to push out 2 solid weeks of rides with a nice mixture of short endurance rides, rides with high end intervals, recovery rides, tempo rides, and a couple long endurance rides to keep the aerobic fitness up.
we decided to race this weekends AL state race at Swayback for a hard workout. this will be a first time I've ever raced the day after a 3hr endurance ride. should be interesting.
the bike is starting to really feel normal under me. i have become more comfy on it and feel it's FAST. i know strava isn't for everyone but it helps me keep tabs on my own personal best ride times over certain sections. so i try and do intervals over the same sections...and over the last few weeks, i have set several PR's out on the trails and roads. love it!!
with a training race tomorrow and then 2 US Cups in the following 3 weeks, race season is really in full effect. it's time to put the babies to bed and rev up the engine. i would really like to get up on a US Cup podium this year and really hope to be in some solid fitness come Bump N Grind and HooHaa...bout 6 weeks to go!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
US Cup/SERC @ Tsali, NC "knobscorcher"
when i laid out my schedule, i wasn't not real sure what my fitness would be like...racing all winter really had put some uncertainties in my mind as to how i would bounce back after a full cx season vs doing my normal transition/base/build up. which is why i scheduled my first xc race to be in April, not March like normal. good thing i did!! i also wasn't aware that i was going to be off the bike for 9 days because of work and family vaca in the 2 weeks leading up the race. i had a few days on the bike before the race but i guess it wasn't enough.
Saturday i drove up early and had plenty of time to take our time on the way up and when we got to tsali. I drove up with David and we were both planning on doing the 4mile TT but also wanted to get a full loop in as the warm up. we turned the lap at a moderate pace with a few openers. the course was great. fast and fun! after the loop, we refueled and went to the start line for the TT. it was fast and painful. i felt slow and finished slow. way off pace in my opinion. all in all, i was glad it was over and ready to clean up, eat, and hit the sack.
Sunday was an early wake up call...6a...5a my time...and eat fast, drink coffee, drop the kids off, twice, and head out the door by 7a to make it to the venue by 7:30..for once, because David was with me, we were on time. we had plenty of time!! i used the TT course for my warm up which was great, but i could just tell i wasn't moving fast and didn't feel fresh. before long it was that time....
in bullets...
* GO....ok start and slotted in about 8th place going into the woods.
* FAST pace line through woods. made it over the first climb with group
* 2nd climb to overlook, the pace picked up, and the group blew apart
* i got dropped...then crashed on the downhill trying to catch up
* struggled on the small climbs all day
* 2nd lap went better...caught a few guys who also blew up
* battled with 2 fella for position until the last mile...
* started to cramp on last punch in the nuts climb with water bars
* I crashed on the last creek crossing and they attacked me
* the harder i pushed to bridge up, the more i cramped
* finished 12th...worse xc finish in 3 years...OUCH!
overall the weekend was great and I'm glad i got the first race over with. now time to train and try and get these legs strong and the cardio pumping.
Saturday i drove up early and had plenty of time to take our time on the way up and when we got to tsali. I drove up with David and we were both planning on doing the 4mile TT but also wanted to get a full loop in as the warm up. we turned the lap at a moderate pace with a few openers. the course was great. fast and fun! after the loop, we refueled and went to the start line for the TT. it was fast and painful. i felt slow and finished slow. way off pace in my opinion. all in all, i was glad it was over and ready to clean up, eat, and hit the sack.
Sunday was an early wake up call...6a...5a my time...and eat fast, drink coffee, drop the kids off, twice, and head out the door by 7a to make it to the venue by 7:30..for once, because David was with me, we were on time. we had plenty of time!! i used the TT course for my warm up which was great, but i could just tell i wasn't moving fast and didn't feel fresh. before long it was that time....
in bullets...
* GO....ok start and slotted in about 8th place going into the woods.
* FAST pace line through woods. made it over the first climb with group
* 2nd climb to overlook, the pace picked up, and the group blew apart
* i got dropped...then crashed on the downhill trying to catch up
* struggled on the small climbs all day
* 2nd lap went better...caught a few guys who also blew up
* battled with 2 fella for position until the last mile...
* started to cramp on last punch in the nuts climb with water bars
* I crashed on the last creek crossing and they attacked me
* the harder i pushed to bridge up, the more i cramped
* finished 12th...worse xc finish in 3 years...OUCH!
overall the weekend was great and I'm glad i got the first race over with. now time to train and try and get these legs strong and the cardio pumping.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
March is over...
wow, march went by fast! work, train, work, vacation, train, work...whats wrong that list...no racing...i need racing in there to make me happy!
for the first time in years, my racing schedule didn't start in March. Partly because of work and vacation but also because of cross season not ending until Jan 28th. I really wanted a few months of staying home on the weekends and just training around town. I love my bikes and love to ride and sometimes racing can take that love away because it's all about specifics. i took this extra time to really pile on some volume and just enjoy the rides. i logged in some of my heaviest weeks of training ever and hope that it pays off in the later part of the season.
plus i got a new bike, thanks to Orbea, and wanted to make sure i had plenty of time to get it dialed in and become familiar with and comfy on it. Considering both the hardtail and big wheels are new to me I thought it would be smart to have some solid training on it before racing it.
Now...I'm back from vacation and it's all about the mtb! this weekend will mark my first stab at the xc front in 2012 at the Knobscorcher which is part of the US East Cup/SERC series. i love these races and this venue because it's truly what real xc racing is all about. the fitness is still up in the air but thats why this weekend will be a great test, to see where I'm at and what i need to do to get back at the level i want to be at for this year.
for the first time in years, my racing schedule didn't start in March. Partly because of work and vacation but also because of cross season not ending until Jan 28th. I really wanted a few months of staying home on the weekends and just training around town. I love my bikes and love to ride and sometimes racing can take that love away because it's all about specifics. i took this extra time to really pile on some volume and just enjoy the rides. i logged in some of my heaviest weeks of training ever and hope that it pays off in the later part of the season.
plus i got a new bike, thanks to Orbea, and wanted to make sure i had plenty of time to get it dialed in and become familiar with and comfy on it. Considering both the hardtail and big wheels are new to me I thought it would be smart to have some solid training on it before racing it.
Now...I'm back from vacation and it's all about the mtb! this weekend will mark my first stab at the xc front in 2012 at the Knobscorcher which is part of the US East Cup/SERC series. i love these races and this venue because it's truly what real xc racing is all about. the fitness is still up in the air but thats why this weekend will be a great test, to see where I'm at and what i need to do to get back at the level i want to be at for this year.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Southern Cross report
well....this isn't exactly what i wanted to be writing but it is what it is...
the build up for this race, even though the race was not a priority in any way, was still pretty solid. i knew what kinda of terrain to expect having raced here for Fools Gold 50 mtb race and seeing other racers ride profiles, i knew climbing would be on the agenda in a major way. so for the last few weekends, i spent some time climbing on the cx bike hoping it would help. and overall i felt like it did and that i was coming into this event with some ok fitness...being late February.
the travel over Friday night was fine, no issue what so ever. However,the pre-race dinner was not...while it was tasty, the hibachi stir fry was not only a tad bit on the salty side, it also stuck with me all night and into the next morning, it made me feel extremely bloated. So much so that on Saturday morning, when i should have been eating a large and in charge breakfast, i wasn't really hungry at all! i maybe ate one egg and a one piece of bread...not ideal for a 50+miles in the mountains of GA. Mistake #1...take away....never eat hibachi the night before a big race
my race day warm up....well, there wasn't a race day warm up...more like I tooled around for 10min before the start...not ideal and obviously not what i had planned on...mistake #2
i showed up to the start with plenty of time to get a good position in the front of the 300 strong group. And actually did ok through the cross course in the beginning of the race. It wasn't as tuff as i expected and found myself out on the roads much faster than i anticipated. Unfortunately, my heart rate was up much higher than i wanted it to be...even though the legs felt good...so what to do? i tried to settle down quickly and find a pace that was comfy, and i did. we hit the first dirt section and i could still see the lead group up in front...great! i was feeling good and we were flying. As we dropped down one of the first rutted up sections of dirt road i had both my bottle ejected out of their bottle carriers...nice! what to do? a few seconds went by and i decided to stop and go back and get them...mistake #3!!!! for so many reasons...fist, i should have just gone on and figured a way out with out them. Not having anything to drink for the first several miles wouldn't have been the worse thing. Second, as i ran back to find the bottles, a cyclist crashed hard right in where i was, and i knew her, Elizabeth from TN. I had to stop...I just wouldn't have felt right, picking my bottles up and leaving her alone. so i stood by her and waived other racers around. finally i helped pick her up and slide her out of the way...made sure she was ok, and waited for he husband to get there before i left her side. (karma i hope pays me back) i kinda figured that my race was over at that point. BUT...i decided like an idiot to chase back as best i could. i hammered up the climb...catching tons of riders and burring all my matches at the same time. as i crested the climb and got to the first ad station, i was hot and pulled my knee warmers off and grabbed my other bottle that i had sent up...mistake #4...as i continued to climb, i immediately knew that i was going to be cold and shouldn't have taken the knee warmers off. i tried to settle down some and find a high but sustainable pace...didn't really work out...i would continued to burn matches for no reason. then, stop number 2(mistake #5...karma please)...as i went around a corner, i noticed Jerry was pulled off because of a mechanical issue. i tried to help...i wasn't thinking clearly nor provided any help to him...basically just wasted more time and allowed myself to get cold by standing on top of the mtn. after several minutes of trying to figure things out, i told him to go back to the aid station and get a ride back. sucked for him big time as he was obviously riding really strong. i got back on my bike and continued to push on...but by this time, i had mentally given up. Really one of the first times i really ever have giving up mid race. so i settled into a pretty laid back z2 pace and just was riding. then...mistake #6 and #7...flat...fix it, get back on ride for like 10min and flat again...thank goodness i had two spare tubes and co2's with me, or else i might have cried like Adam Myerson. (even though it wasnt a good day for me and there was no "making the group")so after two tube changes, my mood was somber and low...and by this time, i was watching people pass me who, no offence, had zero chance of even keeping up with me during a race. it was heart breaking and a cruel slap of reality that when the shit hits the fan, it really stinks all over. after the last grunt of a climb it was nice to hit the long, fast descend back home. i passed lots of folks coming off the mtn and just rode back in with not much effort.
after the race, i wasn't in the mood for much more than eating and getting back home. i decided not to stay for the after party mainly because i didn't feel like reliving my horrid race experience to a bunch of guys who didn't really care about how shitty my day was. Southern Cross 2012 was the most odd day i have ever had while racing. i guess the only semi/sorta positive thing to take away from this is my actual ride time of 3:45(not that special in itself, i know)...ya see, i keep the auto pause feature on my garmin, which means the timer only records while I'm actually moving. and even though my goal time was 3:30 or less, i wasn't too far off...after basically quiting mid way through the race, i still had an ok ride time for 50miles and 6k of climbing.
the event was great! all the racers were cool and very strong! the weather was perfect for the most part. the course was epic. the results blew chunks for me...dont care what they are!
the build up for this race, even though the race was not a priority in any way, was still pretty solid. i knew what kinda of terrain to expect having raced here for Fools Gold 50 mtb race and seeing other racers ride profiles, i knew climbing would be on the agenda in a major way. so for the last few weekends, i spent some time climbing on the cx bike hoping it would help. and overall i felt like it did and that i was coming into this event with some ok fitness...being late February.
the travel over Friday night was fine, no issue what so ever. However,the pre-race dinner was not...while it was tasty, the hibachi stir fry was not only a tad bit on the salty side, it also stuck with me all night and into the next morning, it made me feel extremely bloated. So much so that on Saturday morning, when i should have been eating a large and in charge breakfast, i wasn't really hungry at all! i maybe ate one egg and a one piece of bread...not ideal for a 50+miles in the mountains of GA. Mistake #1...take away....never eat hibachi the night before a big race
my race day warm up....well, there wasn't a race day warm up...more like I tooled around for 10min before the start...not ideal and obviously not what i had planned on...mistake #2
i showed up to the start with plenty of time to get a good position in the front of the 300 strong group. And actually did ok through the cross course in the beginning of the race. It wasn't as tuff as i expected and found myself out on the roads much faster than i anticipated. Unfortunately, my heart rate was up much higher than i wanted it to be...even though the legs felt good...so what to do? i tried to settle down quickly and find a pace that was comfy, and i did. we hit the first dirt section and i could still see the lead group up in front...great! i was feeling good and we were flying. As we dropped down one of the first rutted up sections of dirt road i had both my bottle ejected out of their bottle carriers...nice! what to do? a few seconds went by and i decided to stop and go back and get them...mistake #3!!!! for so many reasons...fist, i should have just gone on and figured a way out with out them. Not having anything to drink for the first several miles wouldn't have been the worse thing. Second, as i ran back to find the bottles, a cyclist crashed hard right in where i was, and i knew her, Elizabeth from TN. I had to stop...I just wouldn't have felt right, picking my bottles up and leaving her alone. so i stood by her and waived other racers around. finally i helped pick her up and slide her out of the way...made sure she was ok, and waited for he husband to get there before i left her side. (karma i hope pays me back) i kinda figured that my race was over at that point. BUT...i decided like an idiot to chase back as best i could. i hammered up the climb...catching tons of riders and burring all my matches at the same time. as i crested the climb and got to the first ad station, i was hot and pulled my knee warmers off and grabbed my other bottle that i had sent up...mistake #4...as i continued to climb, i immediately knew that i was going to be cold and shouldn't have taken the knee warmers off. i tried to settle down some and find a high but sustainable pace...didn't really work out...i would continued to burn matches for no reason. then, stop number 2(mistake #5...karma please)...as i went around a corner, i noticed Jerry was pulled off because of a mechanical issue. i tried to help...i wasn't thinking clearly nor provided any help to him...basically just wasted more time and allowed myself to get cold by standing on top of the mtn. after several minutes of trying to figure things out, i told him to go back to the aid station and get a ride back. sucked for him big time as he was obviously riding really strong. i got back on my bike and continued to push on...but by this time, i had mentally given up. Really one of the first times i really ever have giving up mid race. so i settled into a pretty laid back z2 pace and just was riding. then...mistake #6 and #7...flat...fix it, get back on ride for like 10min and flat again...thank goodness i had two spare tubes and co2's with me, or else i might have cried like Adam Myerson. (even though it wasnt a good day for me and there was no "making the group")so after two tube changes, my mood was somber and low...and by this time, i was watching people pass me who, no offence, had zero chance of even keeping up with me during a race. it was heart breaking and a cruel slap of reality that when the shit hits the fan, it really stinks all over. after the last grunt of a climb it was nice to hit the long, fast descend back home. i passed lots of folks coming off the mtn and just rode back in with not much effort.
after the race, i wasn't in the mood for much more than eating and getting back home. i decided not to stay for the after party mainly because i didn't feel like reliving my horrid race experience to a bunch of guys who didn't really care about how shitty my day was. Southern Cross 2012 was the most odd day i have ever had while racing. i guess the only semi/sorta positive thing to take away from this is my actual ride time of 3:45(not that special in itself, i know)...ya see, i keep the auto pause feature on my garmin, which means the timer only records while I'm actually moving. and even though my goal time was 3:30 or less, i wasn't too far off...after basically quiting mid way through the race, i still had an ok ride time for 50miles and 6k of climbing.
the event was great! all the racers were cool and very strong! the weather was perfect for the most part. the course was epic. the results blew chunks for me...dont care what they are!
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