Tanasi Challenge V 2.0

Race day has come and gone, and it didn’t exactly go as I had planned… and that is all I have to say about that. Okay, you obviously want more details than that.

I came into this final week feeling really good. I hung out in North Carolina for a couple days, mainly to do a couple rides at altitude, as well as get a little climbing training in. There’s this road that leads up to a ski resort, and the road ascends over 2000ft in just under 3 miles. On Thursday I decided that I wanted to attempt the climb on my road bike. While I faired pretty well climbing it, in hindsight I maybe shouldn’t have attempted it that close to a race. Live and learn.

Anyway, Friday I did another ride, but this one was definitely low-key. I was still feeling good, and I was pumped for the race. My enthusiasm did have a little water thrown on it, as it started raining Friday night, and continued on thru Sat. It was messy enough on Saturday that I decided not to do a pre-ride. I wanted to save my bike for the race. No use subjecting the drivetrain to all that mud. The forecast called for rain on and off all through the night, which was gonna suck for my 9:30am start time.

Upon arriving at the Ocoee Whitewater Center (home of the Tanasi trail network), I ran into a guy I know from Pensacola, and he was just coming off a lap on the course, and he affirmed what I already suspected…it was nasty out there. As I was signing in I got some good news. My wave would be going at 11:30am…YES! A couple extra hours for the ground to dry would certainly help. Things are looking up.

After a great meal at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, which I can highly recommend (the garlic seafood delight pasta is awesome, but I can’t say a lot about the live bluegrass music that was being played. I detest bluegrass, but your mileage may vary), it was time to head back to the motel and chill out for the evening.

Sunday arrived and things were looking better and better. It never did rain during the evening, so the ground had 8-9hrs to dry out. Once I got water bottles filled and number plate on, and the numerous miniscule pre-race details to attend to, I grabbed the road bike to get some warm-up time in. This is an area that I need to be more mindful of. With the longer races, and higher intensity efforts, I really need a solid 45 min with some intensity. I think the lack of a good warm-up affected me a little today. On the flip side, I finally managed to get to the starting area early enough to get a front row position. How many races did it take me to finally make it?

As the various classes are getting called up I notice that I have a HUGE case of pre-race jitters… we’re talking epic here. My HR was pounding away at 133bpm! This is something else that hurt me, and I mean HURT. My threshold is around 177-179BPM, and I’m standing still on the start line with a HR of 133, and within less than 200yards the course was going to go skyward. You do the math. I was probably at my threshold before I hit the singletrack. I’ve GOT to get into my zone, relax, and get that HR down, at least to low 100’s.

The race starts, and sure enough, the hurt comes fast. With so much climbing ahead, I don’t concern myself too much with positioning. 7 or 8 riders get ahead of me going into the singletrack, but almost immediately their pace starts slowing. I pick off a rider here and there, and then an incident happens that will ultimately affect the outcome of my race. Two of us are going to pass a slower rider, and I guess the guy got flustered and he veered off the good line, straight into some roots and then he stops… except that he doesn’t just stop, he stops and then falls over. The fella in front of me got by cleanly, but I wasn’t so fortunate. Now, I’m still not 100% sure how this happened, but when that guy fell over, his handlebar jabbed me right in the knee (the muscle on the top of the knee to be exact). Of course, it momentarily stopped me as well. Let me tell you, trying to get moving again on an incline is not easy or fun.

At the time the sensation in that muscle was nothing more than a minor irritation to me, but as the race went on it started affecting my pace. I still managed to pass a couple of people, even passed a couple of women experts and some guys from the 19-29 Sport class. Around 35 min or so into the race is when I knew I was in trouble. I had a couple of guys just in front of me, and I knew I was stronger, but I couldn’t generate the force to get around them. Adam Craig calls it “riding like a small child”. I know what he means by that now.

To add insult to injury, I wiped out on one of two bridges. The bridges were slick with mud and did a little too much lean, and down I went. So, in addition to my bruised knee I have a nice selection of scrapes and cuts on my left side. I’m wondering if I lost some concentration from focusing too much on my bruised muscle.

The last section of the course follows the highway that runs along the river, and I was in full on hurt mode. Originally I figured I could make up some time or put some time into my opponents on the paved part of the course. As you’ve read on here, I have a decent threshold power, and I was gonna use that to drop the hammer. Alas, no dropping the hammer today. I had to resort to drafting off another guy for a respite, and even that didn’t help much.

I came thru the Start/Finish line for the second lap, and as I approached the feed zone I did something I never ever thought I would have to do. I stopped and called it quits. As much as it pained me to stop, there was no way I could’ve maintained a race pace for a second lap. As it was, the moment I stepped off the bike and straightened my leg out, it started throbbing. I quite literally limped over to the timekeeper booth and told them I was out. DNF!
I don’t know if anyone has any idea how peeved I was/am. Quitting goes against my personality. Getting a DNF just sticks in my gut.

Despite today’s outcome, I’m still in good spirits. This coming week will be a transition phase, where I won’t have any specific workout goals. When my workouts do start again, I’ll be working on V02 max and anaerobic capacity, in addition to formulating a solid warm-up routine. Overall, I felt good about my fitness/strength/form, there’s just a few details that need some fine tuning.

Once I'm back home I'll post a couple pics from Saturday, when I walked part of the course.

As I write this my leg is still quite sore, so I'm going to hit the sack and see if it'll start feeling better tomorrow.

Almost 'GO' time!

I'm currently in Western North Carolina, and I've gotten a couple good days of riding in. Tomorrow I'll be heading over to the race venue where I'll do a pre-ride and then chill out for the rest of the time, so I can be rested and ready to go for Sunday.

Gotta cut it short, need to chill...

The countdown begins

Race week is here! The race is on Sunday, and I'm gonna have a light 5hrs of training leading up to it. My goal is to put the bulk of those hours in before I leave on Wed/Thurs. I want to make sure I hit Sunday fully rested and ready to give a 100% effort.

Where'd that money go so fast?

No riding today. Instead I took the MTB over to the fine folks at Higher Ground Bicycle Co., in Tallahassee. Since that was where I purchased the bike, I try and take it back there when I need it serviced, although it doesn't always work out like that.
Anyway, I wanted to get the bike looked over, so that I know everything is in order for next weekend. Along with a full tune-up I had them install some Avid Flak Jacket shifter cables. The exposed shifter cables get gunked up something fierce and affects my shifting performance constantly.

It took longer than I expected, but the bike was/is in good working order...a slightly tweaked derailleur cage notwithstanding. I didn't get out of Tally until 4pm, and once I was outside of town I made a quick stop (or so I thought) at a rest area. I come back to the car and...nothing. It wouldn't start. Lights wouldn't come on, radio, nothing. Out comes the AAA card and it would be a total of 2 1/2 hrs before I'd leave that rest area due to a battery that was toast. Ohh, and let's not forget the fact that I left there with $122 less than I arrived with. It ended up being quite an expensive trip; $90 for the bike tune-up/cable installation, $122 for a battery, and fuel costs...and I don't really have anything to show for it.
On the plus side I did finalize plans to race this season in Higher Ground colors, so it certainly wasn't a total loss. Just expensive, that's all.

Do less to do more

As far as getting my remaining intervals in, this has been a mixed week. With only 5.5hrs to log, recovery was a big goal for me this week. On that front it's been successful. I did an easy ride Monday, and with Tuesday off, I went into Wednesday ready for some good results doing some intervals. For whatever reasons that didn't happen. The legs felt good as I got on the bike, but as soon as I started that first interval I knew it was gonna be hard. I ended up pulling the plug on that day's session. Due to some bad weather I took Thursday off, and that brings me to today. I really wanted to get some high intensity work in this week, and thought I'd try some anaerobic capacity work.

To make a long story short, the intervals went extremely well. Instead of trying to shoot for the exact wattage number that the workout called for, I focused on staying within 10% of that number. That made all the difference in the world. They hurt like a mother, but at least I completed all the sets. I saw first hand how important recovery is. Even after completing those intervals I felt really good. It turned out to be one of those great days on the bike...if you have that kind of day at a race, good things are in store for you.

Next week is race week, and with 5hrs I'll be concentrating on heading into the race super rested and on form for a good showing.

I'm paying for this?!?!

I've been trying to follow the Floyd Landis saga, and I must admit that trying to understand the finer points of the science behind it all is very very bewildering, but it doesn't stop me from staying up to date with it all.

Now, for anyone that has been reading my blog knows, I have not made it a secret that I am on Floyd's side on this, and have been from the day the news broke. My gut leads me on this more than what I read on the science of the case. The flaws/inconsistencies in the science, as laid out by Floyd's defense team, just reaffirms my stance.
For every person like myself, who believes in Floyd, there is someone who believes he doped and is gonna get what he deserves.

Something that I think everyone should be outraged over, is the way USADA is prosecuting this case. Whether you think he doped or not, you should be expecting that he get a fair shake at presenting his case.
Unfortunately, he is not. USADA stacks the deck against the athlete before the process even starts. Once you get away from pro basketball, football, baseball, hockey, etc, most pro athletes (no matter the sport) do not compete for the money, they do it for the love of their chosen sport. Cycling is definitely on the low end (on the whole) of the pay scale for pro sports. I know for a fact that in pro mtn biking, most pros have a "day job". Floyd is pretty high profile, and has/had deeper pockets than your average pro cyclist, and if he's having trouble paying for his defense, then that doesn't bode well for your average pro athlete. Because the bulk of USADA's funds go directly to the adjudication process, that means they bring the same resources to a case, whether it is a TdF winner, or a mid pack pro mtn bike racer.That means that most athletes end up bringing a knife (unlike the judicial system, the USADA does not offer counsel for the athlete-it's up to the athlete) to USADA's gunfight.

On top of the guns they bring to the fight, USADA is trying to win this case hook or crook...which absolutely turns my stomach. Denying documents Floyd's team needs for his defense, breaking their own rules, Making demands of Floyd that have no direct bearing on his case except to tie up time and precious funds and infringe on the rights and privacy of Floyd and others, all in an effort to strong arm him into submission.

A good chunk of USADA's funds come from taxpayers. I'm not one to say that the United States does it better than anyone else, but I will say this, when some governing/authoritative agency has "United States" in it's name, by God, as an American citizen I expect the highest standards from that agency.

Our judicial system is by no means perfect, but it at least does its best to be fair, and offer everyone involved to prove their case...getting their day in court. It's all about due process. Both counsels agree on jury members. Jury members can be sequestered so they they are not swayed by outside influences/sources. If it helps their case both sides can call whomever they want as witnesses, but at the same time surprise witnesses are not allowed. What happens if the prosecution does not provide the defense with EVERY piece of evidence they intend to use against the defendant? Without "full disclosure" a case would get dismissed or thrown out. USADA has decided to pick and choose which documents it has sent to Landis. What do you think would happen if an observer for a defendant was locked out of a discovery process or not privy to discussions between the prosecution and interested parties? Would that fly in a court of law? It's happened in Floyd's case.

I hate to keep coming back to our judicial system, but in a court of law, it's about discovering the truth, not winning at all costs. Would it not be in everyone's interest if USADA provided all requested documents, allowed full access to the accused, and allowed for a totally fair and balanced process? Because turning it into a search for the truth would ultimately benefit the whole anti doping movement. If it's discovered that current testing protocols and rules are flawed, then it offers a chance to make the necessary changes and updates so that the system works like it should...catching the cheaters, not taking down the innocent, but at the same time allowing both innocent and guilty to "have their day in court".

Whether you believe Floyd doped or not, you should be outraged at USADA's tactics. If you are choosing to ignore what USADA is doing just because you think Floyd is guilty, then you are missing the big picture. What if it was you? What if Floyd is telling the truth and his team is is right about the flawed testing?If Floyd's case clouds your judgment on all this, then allow me to direct you to the case of Jason Sager. That should show you that the system is messed up.

I'm gonna do my part in demanding change in the USADA's modus operandi, especially since I'm paying for it! I recommend that everyone contact your congressman about too.

BTW, if you've been having trouble understanding the finer points of the case against Floyd, I highly recommend you pick up the June issue of Bicycling magazine. For once they put together a great article. Their "you be the arbitrator" nicely lays out the scientific technobabble quite succinctly.

I'm gettin' there

Week 2 of my peak phase has begun, and it started with less flair than I originally anticipated/planned for. 5.5 hrs is all that is planned this week, and I was going to break up my intervals over the course of the week, with the first set being done on Monday, resting on Tuesday, the second session on Wed, a Thursday rest, and the final interval session on Friday, and then close out the week with an easy spin on Saturday. That was the plan, but it didn't work out that way. As Monday wore on I felt...well, for lack of a better word, I felt kinda "blah". I was tired, not super energetic, and the legs felt lifeless. Under those circumstances I wasn't even gonna waste the effort to try and do some intervals, but at the same time I didn't want to totally stay off the bike, so I went for an easy spin instead.

I'm gonna see how I feel today, but my new plan calls for doing my intervals today.

Riding with a champion

I was originally supposed to be up in Georgia watching some pro cyclists duke it out, but plans went awry and I didn't get to go. As it turns out though, all was not lost-and in my mind-worked out for the best. At almost the 11th hour I learned that Floyd Landis was going to be present at the open house of the recently opened Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze. His visit was to include a charity ride. This was not a "town hall" stop, it was sponsored by Smith & Nephew- the medical device company that supplied the components of Floyd's hip. A chance to meet and ride with the 2006 TdF winner...count me in!


Everyone was eagerly anticipating Floyd's arrival. When he did arrive, he was met with applause. Floyd is a very down-to-earth individual. As everyone started clapping, he had this...well, for lack of a better phrase, an "awwe shucks" kind of look/response. Floyd could be one of your riding buddies...unlike a certain other Tour winner named Armstrong, who is larger than life almost. Within minutes of seeing him, I really liked Landis. When I got a chance to talk to him, my initial reaction was reaffirmed.

A few people took the opportunity to grab photos and get a couple autographs, but time was short and the ride got started. I don't know what the final tally was on the attendance, but before Floyd got there my count was somewhere around 35 or so and more people arrived after that count. I'm thinking that the final number was closer to 50 (although math wasn't my strong subject in school).

Seeing that a number of attendees were not what you would call experienced cyclists, I didn't want to be stuck in between a bunch of squirrely riders. Between that and my desire to actually ride WITH Floyd I got up near the front.

Yeah, that's right...I'm drafting off Floyd Landis. How many chances will I have to do that?

There wasn't a lot of time, so the route was a short one. It was the right call, as the pace was kept low to enable everyone(almost everyone) a chance to ride alongside and chat with Floyd. He made a point of talking with a large number of the participants, in some cases slowing down to do so.

I got my chance to ride alongside and spend a few moments talking to him, which was totally cool. The ride was over WAY too fast. Once we were back at the staging area, I took the opportunity to get my picture taken with him.

Me and The Man... can you say Mutt & Jeff?

Once I learned of the event, I rushed and got hold of a Phonak jersey for Floyd to sign. I wanted more than just a magazine or photo for him to autograph. Thank God Craft USA ships fast!

More than a couple people were envious when they saw me getting this jersey signed.

I know I'm geeking out over this more than some would, but Gosh darn it, I enjoyed every minute of this event!

After meeting and talking with Floyd I am even more convinced that he is innocent of the charges leveled against him. I want to do my part to help in any way I can.

Day of the dead

Today I felt like an extra out of a George Romero movie. After two days of super intensity sessions, I was done... just stick a fork in me. I did hop on the bike, but just to spin long enough to do 500Kj of work and then I was done.

Tomorrow will be another intense day, and I should be feeling more peppy by then. Only 2 more weeks to go.

Tour de Lame

I've been following the Tour de Georgia this week (I know, I'm supposed to be AT the TdG, but that's another story). The race had a good start to it, but the Stage 3 charity ride has me scratching my head. Can someone tell me how and why the peloton let a break get 29 min up the road? The main bunch was 2.5mph SLOWER than the 13 man break! 2.5mph slower!?!?!? Gimme a break. For every rider that wasn't in the break, their race is over.

I'm kinda glad that I didn't go. I woulda hated to spend the time/money for a...less than exciting race.

It's coming together

I had a successful recovery week, and today starts my Peak phase... 7.5hrs this week, 7.5hrs of intervals. I'm feeling really good about my fitness. I shed a couple more pounds and get in a few more V02 max and anaerobic intervals in and I'll be very very pleased about that first 'A' race.

I'm in love

Is that not the coolest hardtail you've ever seen? I want one...in the worst kind of way.

Gimme more

This week has been all about recovery and it has paid off. Today I did an FTP test, and despite not getting a higher number than I did, I was extremely pleased with the effort. I came into the test fully rested, and had my mind set on throwin' the hammer down, come hell or high water. Even a steady wind didn't mess me up.


Like I said, I would've liked the number to be a bit higher, but it was an increase, so I'm not gonna give it a second thought. The last few times I've tried to do an FTP test, something got in the way; I wasn't fully rested, weather conditions, and/or perhaps a loss of fitness.
I ended my ride after 1hr due to putting in a hard effort, but I was so jazzed about my ride that it was tempting to hop back on the bike and go ride for a bit longer. You gotta love those kinds of days. Those kinds of days are what make bike riding so special.

Empty tank

I normally like to have Sunday off, so I can enter the new week refreshed and ready to tackle more training. Sometimes though, you've just gotta be willing to go with the flow and accept some changes. So...I rode on Sunday. A 2.5hr ride that was supposed to include a V02max workout. I thought I was fairly well rested after having Saturday off. I entered the first interval and knew that it was gonna be a tough day. I start the 2nd interval and after the opening 30 seconds of it I had to pull the plug, as I had nothing left in the legs. In this particular workout the opening 30 seconds are quite brutal. The plan calls for averaging 200% of your FTP, with a peak of 300% in that opening 30 second sprint (15 of those sec are out of the saddle.). On the second interval I hit the 300% figure, but struggled in the final 15 sec to hit 200%. After the opening sprint, you continue on for 3 minutes at 100% FTP. My second go 'round I had nothing left, the legs were totally lifeless.

What's strange is that I managed to ride for the next 1.5hrs at a low Tempo pace. I guess it was just the intensity that the legs couldn't handle. Ohh well, no big deal.

I've been doing some reading on the subject of mindset/attitude and visualizing and believing in what you want, and that has helped me not get too worked up when a training session goes awry, among other things.

This week is a recovery week of 5hrs, and then it's on to the opening week of my Peak period.

On a side note, I'm gonna hit up a few stages of the Tour De Georgia. Should be cool to see a pro level road race. I can't pass up the opportunity to see a race like that when it's relatively close to home.

I have my limits

Friday I got in a good threshold workout- 2x20 min efforts at 343 watts. The wind made it more challenging than the interval/s already are, but I hung in there. By the time evening rolled around though, I was toast. Nothing like a good night's rest to make you feel better.

Even though I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, I had already made the decision to bail on the Saturday club ride. With the late season cold snap there was no way in hell I was gonna try and deal with heading out for a 60 or so mile slog. As I write this, it's 46 degrees, with a 13mph N wind. My body has already acclimated to warmer conditions, and I just can't deal with riding in temps lower than 60.

That said, I guess I should consider myself fortunate that it is only 46 out, and not the weather conditions that they are getting at the US Open up in Virginia.

Workin' it

I've been making the most of my final full week of Build 2. So far I've gotten some good hard workouts done, including those elusive anaerobic capacity intervals that gave me trouble last week. While they didn't go exactly as I planned, it was close enough that I called the workout a success. As a result of the AC intervals, and a Tempo/Fartlek workout, I had back to back days with 100+ TSS, so I took it easy today. Tomorrow though I'll be back at it with a threshold session on the menu.

On a side note, yesterday it was 83 degrees during my ride, and on today's ride it was in the 60s and I needed my arm warmers. This is April for God's sake! I'm not supposed to need arm warmers at this time of year...I had put them away and had to go looking for them. The next few nights are gonna be chilly, with Saturday night dipping into the upper 20s. BRrrrrrrrr.

Got mud?

It looks like Tsali was a real sufferfest this past weekend. I'm kinda glad I had a scheduling conflict and couldn't make it. Tsali woulda been a tune-up race, and I would not have wanted to go thru that just for what would've essentially been a training race.

That race was in stark contrast to the NMBS opener in Arizona. It appears that the K-Bomb is back to his winning ways, and Georgia Gould is the woman to beat right now.

On Target

With some minor adjustments, my training has been going fairly well. If I can get a full run of intervals this coming week I'll feel really good about my progress. This coming week marks the final big week of Build 2. After that, it is a R&R week, and then the Peak period begins.
I finished up this past week with a 2.5hr ride with the group on Sat.. I had planned to do my AC intervals in lieu of riding with the group, but when I woke up my legs weren't in top form, and the fact that it was an uber windy day didn't help either.

Fun

Ya know, there are certain words that are fun to say, or even type. For example; Hoobastank. My new "fun" word is Fartlek.

That is all.

Stick a fork in me, I'm done

I've really pushed myself the last few days...probably pushed too hard, to be honest. On Tuesday I did some V02 max intervals. These are the same ones I attempted last week. This time they went much better. I completed 3 solid efforts. Still short of the prescribed 5-8, but all things considered, I wasn't upset over it. Wednesday I continued with yet another intense workout. This time I was doing a Tempo session that I turned into a Fartlek workout, that is to say that I randomly accelerated and increased my power within the Tempo range. The whole workout only lasted 1.5hrs, but because of the added Fartlek element I generated a hefty TSS and IF.
Today I was going to do some Threshold training. I should've known better than to go 3 days of intensity. I had to pull the plug on today's planned intervals, as I just couldn't generate the power necessary. Even after I'd thrown in the towel on the intervals, and just decided to ride for 2hrs, I couldn't even get my power up to the upper range of endurance pace.
The legs haven't been this worn out in a while. Tomorrow will be a recovery ride, and hopefully my legs will have some snap in them so that I can do some anaerobic work on Sat.