Crossmarks, under the microscope

I thought it was time for a long term review of the performance of the Maxxis Crossmark UST tires. I've been running them for about 3 months now.


The Tread
The Good: The tread pattern of the Crossmark is a good one. The almost constant center ridge offers good acceleration and low rolling resistance, and the aggressive side knobs mean you're gonna stick to that turn like velcro.
The Bad: The tire cleans itself fairly well, with the exception of the center ridge- that takes a bit longer to clear out.

The Hard Stuff
The Good: In hardpack conditions this tire rules! It gives you gobs of confidence, encouraging you to go faster and faster. The tire offers decent rolling resistance, so as a result it is snappy and accelerates very well... I'd say on par with the Kenda Nevegal, perhaps even a bit better, which is pleasantly surprising considering that the Crossmark is a 600+gram tire.
The Bad: Bad? On hardpack there is nothing bad about this tire. Period.

The Wet Stuff
The Good: In wet sand, the Crossmark still offers you some traction, which is no small feat. For not being full blown mud, wet sand can pack up tires in a heartbeat, leaving you with no traction. The mud that I've encountered has packed up the center ridge, but the outer knobs got cleared and left me with some traction. I'm gonna cover pine straw in this section, as riding on pine straw can be like riding in real wet conditions. We have copious amounts of the stuff. Like every tire I've ever used, the Crossmark does lose traction on the pine straw, but it finds the solid ground beneath very fast. I've found myself tackling out of the saddle climbs on ground covered with pine straw, and there'll be moments of spinning back tires, but I always find some traction and maintain my momentum on the climb.
The Bad: Wet roots really scare me on these tires. Anything but a straight line over some and the back tire starts going in any number of directions. Now, to be fair to the Crossmark, I've not found too many tires that handled wet roots very well. These tires handle the roots best when they're aired down. If you're running normal pressure be prepared for some scary riding.

Final Thoughts
I've been very impressed so far. In dry, hardpack conditions these tires rule! Even our notorious Florida sand doesn't deter these tires, you can float across/thru it without the bike getting all squirrely on you. These tires love to go fast, and rail corners...it shows, they do both very well. They do a great job with most conditions. The bottom line is that the Crossmarks are confidence inspiring. I've found myself going faster and faster, even to the point where I go faster than the tires and bike can cope with (a turn loaded with pine straw- can you say "wipe-out"?!?).

Note: On the UST version, the amount of air pressure you use on a standard tire will offer a completely different ride. On standard tires I ran 38psi, and it offered a medium ride- not hard but not plush either. That same 38psi in the Crossmark gives a hard ride. Since I'm running a F/S bike it doesn't bother me, and I run that pressure in dry conditions. Thru pure happenstance I found that you can go quite low on the pressure and still not bottom out the tire on the rim, or offer a super squishy ride. I can easily run 22 or so psi in these tires and have no problems (which is a real bonus when its wet out).

Dragon Ass

That's what I feel like today...jello. I don't know what it is, whether it's my sinuses, or the fact that it is one of those spring fever kinds of days. It's about 70 degrees out, with a nice southerly breeze. Perfect for opening the windows, AND being lazy.
I just don't have it in me to get out for a ride, my ass is definitely draggin'.

This will be my second day in a row with no training. Tomorrow though, I'll be back at it, regardless of how I feel. I can't/won't take all my rest days at one time. Gotta save something for the weekend. I need to be plenty rested before the start of the harder intensity efforts to come next week.

Dancing

I've heard the term "dancing on the pedals" before, but never really knew what it entailed...until today. I've had so much fun on my mtn bike lately that I decided to use the Blur on my shorter days (1hr rides) during the rest weeks. Hell, I might even use the mtn bike for ALL short rides.

Anyway, I did an hour today, and what a ride it was. I quite literally was dancing on the pedals. I was in the zone, I had my flow on. I was railing the corners, I was hopping over obstacles with ease, I was surfing thru the trees. It's days like this that make you love riding a mtn bike. Gimme some races like that and this fella will be standing on some podiums! Boo-yah!

Not feelin' the love

My sinuses must've been bothering me, because most of the day I was wanting to stretch out on the sofa for a nap. I forced myself to go ride, and then it was out on the trails. The wind was up around 20mph or so, and I just couldn't see myself battling that today. Despite being draggy the ride went well. I cleaned every obstacle, and kept up a good steady pace. Add in the fact that it was a gorgeous day and I don't really have anything to complain about.

This past week's hours didn't add up like I planned, but I'll focus on this coming week, which is the last week of base.

This past week really affected me, or wore on me, if you will. I don't mean physically either. This was mental. As the week progressed I'd start dreading the longer rides that were still to come. Between the mental "psych out" of progressively longer rides at the end of the week and the seemingly inevitable weather jinx that hits right when the long rides are to happen, I'm thinking of trying to get at least one of my longer rides in during the week...if time/work will permit.

A cruel joke

As of last night we were supposed to have a big day of rain in the forecast, and from the radar images I was seeing that forecast was gonna be accurate. So I wrote off my riding for the day, although, when I got up this morning I checked the radar just to be certain. While not in immediate danger of rain, there was a huge mass of storms just to our north and west of us, "no way we're gonna miss that!"
How wrong can I be.
Other than it being cloudy, we didn't get any rain all damn day long. "Maybe I'll get a ride in anyway!" I head home in hopes of getting some riding in, even if its just on the mtn bike. Here's the humorous part. The rain started on the way home. I sh*t you not. Over 4hrs of zero rain, and when I decide to go ride, it pours. Talk about a kick in the nuts.

At least tomorrow is gonna be nice, so we'll see what I can salvage.

Waxing philosophical

I just finished waxing philosophical about pushing your limits, now I'm going to go the opposite direction and bitch a little...

It appears that there is a minor breakdown in communication. I distinctly asked for one week of decent weather (I wasn't even asking for great weather), so I could get my last big week of base riding in. It looks as if I've been punked... the weather is supposed to be a big pile of crap tomorrow.

I think I'm used to it by now. It used to really frost my cookies, but now...well, I just move on and think about the next day's workout.

Pushing yourself

During Friday's workout I included some more cruise intervals, and by the time I finished the first 7 minutes session I was wondering if I shouldn't just pull the plug on doing the intervals for today. After my 3 minutes of recovery I decided to give a second interval a go. I almost quit about half way thru the second interval, but like the first one, I pressed on. I would eventually do my alloted 4x7 min workout.

I rode for an hour and a half, and got my interval in, but it wasn't a day that stood out, at least not in respect to setting any kind of personal best in speed/distance, etc. But I was extremely pleased with the workout today. I felt like canning the intervals, but yet I pushed thru and completed my tasks, and completed them very competently...I didn't shuffle my way thru them, despite having some serious doubt early on if I was in the right frame to do them.

Ya know, I think that's why so many people pursue endurance based sports... not to garner praise and recognition, as much as seeing how far you can push yourself, and come out the other side a stronger/better person for it.

Sandbagging...what can you do?

A friend of mine competed at last weekend's 12 hrs of Reddick. He was competing in the Solo Sport category. Pat came in 4th, which was very respectable. He said he didn't have anything left...which is what you want. You want to go out and leave everything out on the course. What was unfortunate, was that he was robbed of an even higher placing. The guy who won this year, won it last year. He should've moved up to expert, but he didn't. Another guy who came in 3rd competed in the expert class last year, and was competing in the sport class because he said he hadn't trained much. That was wrong. It's nobody's fault that this guy didn't train. He competed in expert class last year, he should've gone back to it.

I posted all that to say this...the above story is exactly why you can't/shouldn't make rce goals that involve getting first place. You never know who is gonna show up and be racing with you, either legitimately or sandbagging. That's why you should always focus on racing your own race. When I make my solo debut at the 12 Hrs of Tsali, I'm gonna set a goal for a certain number of laps to complete, and let rankings fall where they may.

For today's ride, I made it a recovery ride, and did it on the mtn bike. So, nothing too dramatic to report. 1hr completed, and so far I'm still on schedule for the week.

Better

Today's ride went a bit better, I learned my lesson after yesterday. No impromptu race efforts for me. Despite the ride going well, before heading out I was having a hard time getting motivated to go. I felt really lethargic. Maybe it was my sinuses, but for some reason I just felt kinda, 'blah'.
I once heard someone say that the hardest part of going running was putting your running shoes on. Of course, he was saying that the hardest part of doing ANYTHING is getting started. Today was a perfect example. Once I got my gear on and got out the door my lethargy was forgotten and I was ready to log some miles.

I'm sitting at 3.5hrs for the week so far. Only 8 more hrs to go. Yippee. We're having some typical Florida weather, so that's a nice bonus. None of this freezing my as...butt off. Today it was a balmy 74 degrees, or 23 degrees, for those of you doing that whole Celcius thing.

In other news...
I see that Floyd Landis has taken the lead in the Tour of California. Go Floyd!

Retard...

Idiot, dummy, dipsh*t!

Yes, I'm refering to myself. During my ride today, I let my competitive juices start flowing, and I paid a price. I had been out an hour into my 2 hr ride, and was heading for home when I saw a fellow cyclist pass me going in the opposite direction. After two or three minutes I look back and see this fellow has turned around and is heading in the same direction as me. Well, I know this guy isn't trying to race me or anything, but I make a decision...this guy is NOT gonna catch me, and no way in hell is he gonna close that gap! So, for the next hour I keep up the pace. Here's where the stupid part comes in. I had already done cruise intervals in the first hour of my ride. That last hour was essentially an hour long cruise interval. Retarded, I know.

I'm paying the price now. My legs are expressing their displeasure with me. Now, that said, the ride went pretty well. My avg HR was within the proper zone, the intervals went well, and I got my alloted time in.

Somebody remind me not to push myself like that during training.

Last week of base

Today started my last week full week of base training. How did I start it off? With a day off the bike...how's that for a commitment to training?

Seriously though, the weather wasn't really ideal, and...my legs just felt kinda heavy. I took it as a sign to take a break, even though I don't like taking my only day off this early on in the week. Tomorrow I'll be back at it, and finish out the week strong.

Tip of the week

Gloves need to be washed frequently. If not, they tend to become a little gamey. I noticed mine were....aromatic, to say the least.

No need to thank me, I'm just doing my part to raise the bar of the blogging world.

Time trial

I woke up this morning to chilly 41 degree temperatures. It's a good thing this TT was being done in the woods and not out on the road. This TT was over a 4.62 mile course. The competitors were going at 2 minute intervals, and I was the second to the last person to go. I didn't want to go too hard too early, so I made a concerted effort to pace my efforts for the first 10 or so minutes...long enough to get into a rhythm. At around the 10-12min mark I caught, and passed the person who went before me. I kept a good, strong pace and finished with a time of 23:08. Looking back, there were places that I could've stepped up the pace, but I'm pleased with this effort. In the end I had the second fastest time of the day. The guy with the fastest time is the Florida State Champion Time Trialist 40+ age group, and expert class mtn bike racer. I was 41 seconds off his time. Maybe he was holding back some, maybe not...either way, I'm quite pleased with the results. This TT was for fun, but it's more proof that I'm on the right track with my training.

There will be another one of these in March, and in April. I'm hoping I can get my time down to around 22:50 by the March TT.

I was planning on hitting the road this afternoon, but between the weather and the fact that my legs are not feeling really snappy after that effort, I think I'm just gonna chill out. Tomorrow I'll pick it up. This will be my last full week of base.

Soggy

3hrs was the plan. 1hr was the reality. Despite my best efforts to get a solid training week in, Mother Nature had other plans. About 20 minutes into my ride, the skies opened up...and unceremoniously dumped on me. The weather wasn't going to totally get the best of me...I was gonna get a decent workout in, come hell or high water (Editorial note- Pun fully intended).

I'm slowly learning to deal with these interruptions to my training, so tomorrow I'll get a couple of hours in and call it a week. Next week will be a biggy, at 11.5hrs.

Bicycles and bank robbers

The hour and a half ride went well, nothing dramatic to report. I was hoping to get a second 1.5hr ride in this afternoon(thought I'd be clever and split up my 3hr ride), but my schedule just didn't permit. That means I've gotta do 3hrs tomorrow(the Oak Mtn trip was cancelled due to bad weather-cold and rainy). Yippee.

A local club is starting a mtb time trial on Sunday and there will be two more in March and April. They're doing them for fun, so it's not like there are any prizes...unless you count personal gratification and perhaps bragging rights. I'm thinking about giving it a go as it would be a good race pace test for me, another way to test my progress to date, if you will.

Now, for the local update. We had a bank robbery the other day...right here in my little ole town. A town of about 12,000 people and we have a bank robbery. Here's the best part. The thief robbed the bank in the middle of the day, and without any kind of mask. What a retard! I'm sure that if the police have not caught the guy, they at least know who he his. Can we make stupidity a capitol offense?

Twice in a row.

As strange as it may seem, I am up early two days in a row to go riding. Don't believe me? Just check out the time stamp on this post? Uh huh, need I say more?

I'm downing some Optimum cereal (yummy!), then it's off for an hour and a half of fabulously boring road work.

The weather is only showing a 2mph wind (if you can call 2mph a wind...a breeze perhaps?), but does anyone want to take bets on how hard it will be blowing when I start riding? Effing wind.

Bright and early

Due to some work related issues later this afternoon, I had to go against my religion and get up early for my day's ride.

After some oatmeal and an English muffin, it was off to get an hour's worth of saddle time in.

Other than dealing with the aforementioned wind on my way back, it was a good ride. With that Oak Mtn trip on Saturday, I'm gonna have to do my big 3hr ride tomorrow. I just love those 3hr ones...can you tell I love them?

Conspiracy!

How come I can leave the house with the wind blowing at a paltry 5mph, but get out riding and it's like a gale force wind? The trees are barely moving with the wind, yet I'm fighting a headwind. A mystery wind...I smell a conspiracy.


*puts on foil hat.

Cruise control

Today was a really good ride day. Everything was clicking. I got my time in, and even did my cruise intervals. I managed a couple of personal time/distance bests as a result of those cruise intervals. Two hours went by really fast...which is surprising, as the 2hr and longer rides seem to go on forever. Not today though. I was in the zone!

My schedule has freed up to allow me to go with a group up to Oak Mtn State Park on Saturday. I've never been to Oak Mtn, but I've heard great things about the trails there.

I've got a 1UpUSA trainer, and I've been noticing that while riding on it, at times the resistance will jump sharply, as if I applied the brakes. After an email exchange with one of their reps, they have sent me a UPS shipping label to send the unit back. They say they'll repair it and send it back the same day. That's good customer service!

I just found out the UWF Fat Tire Challenge will be on April 9th. That's the same weekend as the Bryson City stop of the SERC series. I'm thinking of staying close to home and doing the UWF race. Get a little early season racing in, but stay close to home at the same time.

Threads

If you've not seen some of the newest entries in Primal Wear's Rock n Roll jersey line-up, do yourself a favor and check them out.

I'm not a Led Zeppelin fan, but this is one totally cool jersey!



What do you think of this one?



The moment I saw it, I had to have it. It's just too cool for words. Gotta have it!

Meh.

The back is feeling better today, so I got a little ride time in. It was a little brisk out, so I opted for an hour on the trainer, which sucked river rocks...but what can you do?

Change of pace...it's all downhill from here

Saturday was too cold to ride on the road, so I opted for the mtn bike and some singletrack.




Other than the wind, it was a gorgeous day. Even the temperature wasn't that bad... it was just that dang wind! The ride was going well, I had a good rhythm happening, it was almost making up for the lack of real training time I'd been able to get in during the week. It was about this time that I got brought back to reality. I don't know what it was, maybe a stump, but something stopped my bike dead. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that I went over the handlebars. The post crash assessment revealed a couple of bruises and a scrape, and a slight muscle twinge in my back, but no real damage. My handlebars needed some straightening, but all in all no harm done. Although...when I got home I discovered that I had really jacked up a muscle in my back. There was a spot on my back that was VERY sore. Any pressure on that spot and a wave of pain would spread that would just about take my breath away.
The good news is, today my back is a lot better, while still sore, that spot can at least be pressed on without it sending me to my knees. The bad news is that muscle injury put the kibosh on any riding today. So, week 1 of base 3 goes in the toilet. I think this coming week will be much better.

Crash and burn

I woke up this morning to this...


To say that I'm more than mildy annoyed about this development would be an understatement. I was expecting the rain to be over, and it be windy. Well, in a strange turn of events, it's not windy. If it wasn't for the fact that it's currently 48 degrees, I'd brave the rain, but something about rain and 48 degrees that doesn't seem like a good combination for riding a bicycle in. I'm seeing this week's training going down in flames. Must. Not. Get. Upset.

1st week of Base 3- All ass.

This week has not been a good week for training. Trying to get some warranty work done on my vehicle really f&^%ed up two days worth of training, and then some work related issues kept me from getting in my ride today (Friday). The only bright spot was that I got about 45 minutes in on the mtn bike this afternoon, with some friends. It wasn't quality time, but it was fun hangin' with some buds.

I'm hoping to salvage my week's training with long rides on Saturday and Sunday. It looks as if the weather might be against me for Sat. though. We're looking at a wind advisory for most of the day, so that means winds in excess of 20mph. Riding in a 20+mph headwind...that's some major suckage right there.

I'm tempted to restart the Base 3 period next week. I know life can change my training plans, so I'm trying not to obsess over missing a day here and there...maybe I shouldn't restart the period, and just move on as if nothing had happened.

Changin' it up!

Got another hour in the saddle, although I would've much prefered that to be an hour and a half in the saddle, but beggars can't be choosers.

Despite the ride not being as long as I wanted, it was still an hour well spent. Incorporated a new workout into the ride. Cruise intervals...


No, not THAT Cruise. These are intervals of 6 minutes done in the 4 or 5a zone. I did 4 sets for a total of 24 minutes(4x6). In addition to HR I also used RPE to gauge how hard I was working. I need to get used to using Perceived Exertion because that will be an important tool in my races.

On a related note, I'm really starting to see some changes to my fitness. When I ride in zone 2 and get my HR up into the 150s I used to be able to tell. My breathing would get ever so labored, but today I was cruisin' along and glanced down and noticed my HR was in the mid to upper 150s and I was breathing easy and not winded at all. It's awesome to see more and more progress from this training.

On an UNrelated note...my site got some free press from that 24hr Superfreak, Jeff Kerkove. I guess I'm gonna have to get more creative and witty in my posts. The pressure is on, can I handle it?

Turnin' those big gears

Anyone who's read my posts regarding "big gear climbs" knows that I've had a challenge with this particular exercise, due to my lack of suitable climbs. Well, today I tried a different approach.
I decided to ride into a headwind, using my hardest gear. I'm not sure how effective it's gonna be, but I'll give it a few more times before I pass judgement. Due to terrain issues, I couldn't get my cadence into the 50-60rpm range, instead I was between 65-70rpm. Also, instead of using HR for this, I went with RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). For this interval/s my RPE hovered around a 7 out of 10. I think with a little more fine tuning of this I might be able to do the interval and do it with an RPE of 8 or better. One thing that will help will be a stronger headwind. How's that for a reversal? I was cursing headwinds just the other day, now I'm needing a stronger one. I tell ya, there's no pleasing me!

Other than that, I had a rather uneventful ride. 19 miles and 1hr...only 9 more to go for the week.

Base 3: Not off to a good start

Today is the beginning of my final base period and...it's raining. I guess I take my one rest day today. Oh well, I'll just have six straight days of riding.

If it wasn't for the fact that a Feb rain is still kind of chilly, I would've been tempted to brave the rain, as I can't expect my races to always take place in perfect conditions. But riding in the rain right now could end up making me sick, then that would mean time off the bike, which would be self defeating.

The good news is, tomorrow is gonna be nice.

Good and the bad

Saturday ride summary:

20mph headwind. Sucks.

20mph tailwind. Yeehaw!

I finished up the week with 2hrs today, for a total of just over 5.5 hrs for the week. Thus ends the 2nd base period. One more base period to go.


From the "Who gives a flip" files...
Apparently, Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow are history. I can't say I'm surprised. I am always amazed at how many Americans are obsessed with fame. I truly believe there are some people out there, that if you gave them a choice between wealth or fame, they'd take fame. Me? Just gimme the money and we'll call it a day!

Weapons of Mass Destruction

I have found a weapon, a weapon of such destructive capability, it should only be used in the most extreme situations...but it is sure to be an effective weapon. What is this new weapon?

*looks around to make sure no one is looking. Here it is... the song Barbie Girl, by Aqua. I'm sure that after one use, it will be forbidden under the Geneva Convention.

In case you're wondering, I was unfortunate enough to hear this song on the radio earlier today, and now the damned thing is stuck in my head!

On a different note, I got my wheel back and immediately went out on the trails for some night riding. It sure is good to get out on the mtn bike.

Nothing in particular

Not much happening on the training front, just making the most of this easier week. I got the wheel fixed on my mtn bike...just in time too, tomorrow night is the weekly group ride.

Speaking of the group, some of the crew are talking of going to Oak Mtn on the 18th. I'm seriously thinking of going, as I've never ridden at Oak Mtn. It would also be a good test of how my training is going...see how well I'm climbing, etc.

No guilt here.

Normally I'd feel guilty about taking a day off the bike, but not today. The very fact that I didn't have any misgivings about not getting on the bike tells me that I probably pushed myself too hard over the last few days. I'm not sore, and I'm not overly tired, I think it was pushing myself mentally.

Tomorrow will be an easy 1hr ride followed by another day off on Wed.

For now, I'm gonna kick back, relax, and watch 24.

It's in the bag

Got my final 2hrs in today, totalling 11hrs and 200miles. There were times when I didn't think I'd make the full 11, and there were a number of times where I was ready to say the heck with this road training thing.


This coming week is a recovery week, with 3 days off the bike. After last week I'm looking forward to a lighter load. Although, I do have to do a test on one of the days...gonna make sure I'm thoroughly rested before I try it.

One more Base period after this.

Humans...we're a curious lot

Humans are indeed a curious bunch. We have a dark side, but we are at our best when we are trying to push the limits of what is possible.
That can be especially true when you are talking about pushing the limits of human endurance. You don't have to look far to see instances of people pushing themselves practically to the breaking point, and in some cases, beyond the breaking point.

An event/race can be gruelling, leaving you physically and mentally wiped out, but yet, people will return to compete again, or to climb another mountain, etc. What is it that drives people to go back for more pain and punishment? I believe that the pain and punishment is part of the equation. You are testing yourself, suffering, and at the end you emerge... having beaten the suffering. Today, I was suffering with a headwind (my personal nemesis) and I was having thoughts of turning in my road tires to pursue my training on the trails, but no sooner had I finished my ride and started the drive home, than I was already thinking of the next day's riding. During the ride I was ready to throw in the towel, but once I got done I had a totally different outlook than I had 20 minutes earlier.

There's the old saying, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". While I would like to find the person who coined that phrase, and slap them, there are many times when that saying does in fact ring very true.

Can I do it?

I got in a good 55 mile/3hr ride today, but the big question is...will the weather hold for me to get my last two rides in over the weekend? Saturday seems doable, but Sunday is kinda iffy. We'll see.

In the course of my training I've seen how beneficial training with power would be. Training with HR can be a real frustration. If I back off even for a moment on my intensity, my HR will drop 5 or 6 bpm in seconds...of course, that is a benefit when racing, but it makes training more difficult. When I say "back off", I don't mean taking a breather. For example; I climb a hill and my HR is...we'll say 150bpm, and my cadence is 94rpm. I crest that hill with my cadence still around 94rpm, maybe even up to 97 or 98rpm. At this point, unless I accelerate, my HR will be down to 142 or lower within seconds. I haven't technically 'backed off', I've kept the same intensity that it took to get up the hill, but the moment the road descends, I need to rapidly accelerate to keep my HR in the proper zone. Now maybe I'm doing something wrong, maybe it's because I'm using a mtn bike and the gearing is all wrong, or perhaps it is totally normal, but for whatever reasons, I have to be on my toes less my HR takes a nose dive.

I'm learning throughout this process though. I've already seen some things that I'll do differently next season. Despite the...challenges, I know I'm getting stronger, and that's what is most important.

Time for some sleep, I'm tired.

Too many races, too little time

Today was another good ride. Attempted the big gear climbs again, this time on a different hill. This hill is a little longer, but lacks a place to be able to get the HR up prior to hitting the climb. Instead, I just focused on turning a big gear and said "the hell with the heart rate". Also, I made a point of turning a lower RPM than the exercise calls for. I think it might be a decent substitute...all things considered.

I just learned of a new race. The Santos Triple Bypass, which takes place on April 22-23. The idea of a stage race sounds very cool, but earlier in the month (the 9th, to be exact) is the Bryson City (Tsali) stop on the SERC series. Since I'll be in the midst of a Build period, I don't want too many races early on. I was planning on using the SERC race as an early season test of my fitness level. I'm afraid that if I do another race a few weeks later that would do some harm to my long term race fitness, despite having a blast doing the race. Of course, I could bypass the SERC race and just do the Triple Bypass instead. That is definitely something to consider.

Decisions, decisions.

Hump day

It's Wednesday and I only have 2.5hrs in. I was hoping to get a 2hr ride in today, but life had other ideas. John Lennon was right..."life is what happens when you're making other plans." I usually plan my longest rides for the weekend, but with our recent weather, that proposition makes me a little nervous. I'm thinking of moving my 3hr ride to Friday, and do a 1.5hr ride tomorrow. That will put me at 7hrs by the end of Friday.

I know I'm obsessing over the amount of hours I'm getting in right now, but I'm just trying to do my best to get as much riding in as possible. I want my aerobic capacity to be at the best I can get it by the time I start upping the intensity in later periods. If I can get thru the next 5 1/2 weeks with as few disruptions to my schedule as possible, I'll feel really good.


Ohh, here is that pic of my poor spoke.


From the Random Files...

If you've not seen "Off Road to Athens", then you need to do yourself a favor and get it. I got ORtA as a Christmas gift, but if I had to I would've bought it myself. It's about several riders chasing 3 slots on the US Olympic Mtn Bike team. The story is very compelling, as there is some real drama taking place, especially among the women. The racing action is some of the best I've seen, and I can't say enough about the music. Haik Naltchayan did a great job of capturing the mood of the races and the locations that they take place. This is a first rate documentary, one guaranteed to entertain as well as ellicit some real emotion.

Trail Carnage

It was a beautiful day today, the kind of day that was meant for riding. No big surprise that I took the opportunity to log some miles. 30 miles in 1.5hrs made for a good workout, and a good start to the week's training.

In the late afternoon I did a night ride on the mtn bike with a group of friends. Felt pretty good considering I'd already logged a fair amount of miles. Early on in the ride I caught something, that for a split second brought me to a stop. I looked down but didn't see any problems. Near the end of the ride we were all stopped, waiting for the rest of the group to catch up. As I was getting on my bike, I thought I saw a stick or some pine straw stuck in my spokes. Unfortunately for me it was neither... it was a broken spoke (picture to follow). That really annoyed me, which goes without saying. But at least it is just a spoke. Those can be replaced fairly easy and without any major costs. What can you do?

I've got 9.5hrs of ride time to do over the next 5 days. I'm almost regretting having taken my one rest day already. 5 straight days of riding...I'm gonna be one tired fella.

Finding time

Yesterday finished up my required hours for the week, but it left me wondering...As I mentioned yesterday, I had plenty of time to "wonder" about things.

Besides wondering why I go thru this much trouble, I got to thinking about how hard it is to get even a small number of hours in, consistently. This year, my weekly hours will not go over 11.5 on any given week. Now, compared to expert and pro level riders, that number of hours is measly. It's not hard to imagine that a pro can/does have time to fit in their necessary training time...they're getting paid (more or less) to ride their bike. But for everyone else...how do you do it? I'm single, and I couldn't imagine jockeying family and training. All I really have to worry about is work, and that's more than enough to cause me grief in trying to get my necessary ride time in.

If you've got a family and still have time to train, I take my hat off to you. Hell, if you have a day job and train more than 13-14 hrs per week, you deserve some credit!

That's enough for now. Got things to do and people to annoy. Tomorrow training will resume, for now...recovery.

Thoughts from the Edge

I got my 3hrs in today, but it was a tough 3hrs. To call it a suffer fest would be fairly accurate. It started off bad when I realized I left my ipod at home. I had plenty of time to think about all manner of stuff during that time.


00:02:00-
I really wish I had my ipod.

00:05:00-
I'm feeling really strong, this should be a good ride.

00:10:00-
Hearing nothing but wind is getting old.

00:30:00-
I'm makin' really good time, but I've still got 2 and a half hours to go. Sigh.

00:40:00-
40 minutes to the second stop sign. Yes!

00:45:00-
Wind has started. Crap!

01:00:00-
Answer me this. How can I be getting a headwind in opposite directions?

01:15:00-
This old road is gonna beat me to death. Between the road and the wind I'm ready to smack someone. Wish I had my ipod.

01:20:00-
The wind is picking up. Figures.

01:30:00-
I am only half done.

01:40:00-
I hope that is fog, and not rain.

01:55:00-
F&%KING WIND!

02:00:00-
Only one hour left to go! Wish I had my ipod.

02:05:00-
Time for some Perpetuem.

02:20:00-
My legs are giving out. Fighting this friggin' wind has taken its toll.

02:22:00-
I think may be the only person on the planet right now. Am I in The Matrix?

02:25:00-
I see some people. Fellow riders! I am not alone.

02:30:00-
Aero bars on a mountain bike?!? Bwahahaha. That has to be the most retarded thing I've ever seen.

02:45:00-
I'm feeling a bit better. I think the Perpetuem is kicking in. I actually feel like I can finish this and not lay down on the side of the road.

02:50:00-
I'm almost done. Just. A little. Farther.

03:00:00-
Finished! No thanks to the damn wind. My legs are toast.


I'll write more later, but for now, I've gotta go raid the kitchen, and replace some calories.

Plan B it is

My luck held out and the rain subsided, so I was able to get 2hrs of riding in. 38 miles in 2 hours was a good workout. Tomorrow I'll shoot for my 3hr ride. I think I'll have a chance of making it, as the rain should be over already. Starting Monday I'll have 2 weeks of Base 2 left, then it'll be on to my final Base period.

Plan B

Today, this morning to be exact, was to be my day for a 3hr ride. The weather has other plans.

Time for Plan B I guess. If the weather breaks any I'll shoot for 2hrs this afternoon, and save the 3 hr ride for tomorrow.

Want to buy: Mtn for climbing intervals

I just want to do some good big gear intervals, is that too much to ask? I have had nothing but trouble, trying to do these friggin' intervals! As I previously wrote about, I have to get a running start so I can get my HR up and get it into the proper zone once I hit the climb. When I first started doing these, I found that if I hit 169-170bpm by the time I hit the base of the hill, I could finish the interval with my HR around 175-177bpm. Well, yesterday I would start the interval with my HR in the neighborhood of 169-171bpm and I only got over 174bpm one time. My heart rate would only climb 3 or 4 beats at best before I crested the hill.
To be honest, I'm not sure why either. Having only done big gear intervals 3 or 4 times so far, I wouldn't chalk it up to getting stronger, not in that short amount of time. But I can't really say why it is.
I have a couple ideas I'm gonna experiment with the next time I do these intervals. Maybe I'll find something that works, otherwise I'll have to look at an alternative exercise.


On a side note, I've decided to do the Endurance 100 in Utah. I'll be sending in my registration in the coming week. Some people might be wondering why a relative newcomer to racing would want to attempt a race like the E100... I'm doing it to test myself. I'm not looking to stand on the podium, but I just want to finish it, and not finish dead last. Considering that in September of '04 I weighed 310lbs and was in no condition to do ANY racing, much less a 100 mile race, and then less than 2yrs later compete and finish a 100 mile race... that would/will be a major victory for me.

Same ole, same ole

Not too much to tell, just more and more miles, day in, day out. The good news is, I'm on track to get my 10hrs in this week.

Saw that Sager got owned by a hacker today. I'm sure he's not too amused, but I got a chuckle out of it.

Where's the snap, crackle, and pop?

The last two days on the bike have been kinda weird. On Sunday and Monday's rides my legs have lacked that "snap"... you mtn bikers out there know what I'm refering to. It's that liveliness, a certain zing in your legs that makes it possible for you to ride really hard, or ride all day long. If you have that "snap" in your legs come race day, good things are in store for you. Having done "big gear climbs" and some "tempo" work on Sunday, it's no surprise that yesterday my legs felt lifeless, but here's the weird part... On both days I had some of my best average speeds. Averages were in the 19mph range. I felt sluggish and expected my speeds to reflect that, but instead I had some times/speeds that were dang near personal bests.

That's just one of those things that makes you go, "hmm."


Over at The Biking Hub, there is a good article on losing weight... from either you or the bike. The article talks about how expensive it can be to drop weight from your bike, compared to dropping the same amount off of you. A couple of months ago I decided to see how much weight I could drop from my bike, and how much it'd cost to do it, just for grins. It would've cost me around $1100-$1200 to drop a pound and a half. That same $1200 could probably net me about 5 or 6 lbs off of my old Giant hardtail(even then I could buy a whole new bike for that much), but since my Santa Cruz is spec'd out so well it's hard to get much more than a couple of pounds off it.
I'm planning on getting a second set of wheels to use for racing, so that I can change tires to suit the course I'm racing but still be able to do my training rides/fun rides on my non race tires. I'll take that opportunity to get some uber light ones, but other than that I'm not gonna spend mega bucks to drop a pound or two off the bike. It's cheaper to take it off of me.

Not off to a good start

My second Base period has not started well. What should've been a 9.5hr week will end up an 8hr week instead. A 20mph wind and the resulting windchill screwed up today's plan for a 3hr ride. Sigh.
Does everybody have this much trouble getting their hrs in the saddle?

Big Gear climbs- Ghetto style

On the menu today was some force work...big gear climbs to be exact. As I previously noted, doing this particular interval was gonna be a challenge.

The tortuous, 45 second, N Florida version of the Alp D' Huez.

The exercise called for a climb that takes 1-2 minutes to complete, but this "hill" will have to do. In addition to doing the climb at 50-60rpm, I should be doing this at the 5a HR level, which is in the mid 170's (bpm) for me. To do that, I had to get a running start, and push my HR to around 168 at the base of the hill. That way I could be at or near 178bpm by the time I hit the top. Not the most effective way to do this interval, but you gotta work with what you got.

Base 2: The Sequel

My second Base period started today. After that high intensity group ride yesterday, I kept it low key today, and did an hour. Included in that hour was 20 min. of Tempo. Tempo rides are done at a bit higher HR, higher than a standard endurance pace ride. For me, that translates to a HR between 156-162bpm. I'm glad to be getting into some different exercises within a given workout period. Along with the Tempo rides this week, I'm supposed to do some big gear climbs...and I'm not sure how effectively I can do them. I'm from "F is for Flat" Florida, and we're not blessed with many places to do any kind of climbing training. Granted, we've got a bit more elevation than my Southerly neighbors but that's of little consolation.


The exercise calls for a steep grade (8% or more) *that's problem one!, that takes one to two minutes to climb *that's problem two. Get in 6-30 minutes of climbing within a workout. Our "climbs" should probably be labeled "rises in elevation."


The route I take has some elevation gain, and the two longest "climbs" take probably 45sec-1min max, depending on how much speed you carry into it, or if you have a headwind/tailwind.

I HAVE to get some Force exercises in, so I'm either going to have to 'big gear' it no matter how big or small the climb, or do repeats on one particular climb. I might try both methods this week, and see which one I like better...not that I'm gonna enjoy either one.

Stopping to smell the roses

This being the end of Base 1, today was to be a rest day since I finished up my weekly hrs on Saturday. I decided last minute though to join a group mtn bike ride over at the UWF trails in Pensacola. With all my training time spent in the saddle, rest days really should be taken, but I decided that it was high time for some fun. Lately, I've only been getting out on the mtn bike once a week for the usual Thursday night ride...and that's just not right.

No offense Lance, but compared to mtn biking, riding on the road is about as much fun as watching grass grow.


It was great getting out on the mtn bike and not worrying about cadences, heart rates, or training zones. The ride was a lot of fun, I've only ridden in P'cola a few times, and I've never ridden with this bunch before, so I'm glad I did it. There were some fast guys there. I was hustling to keep up, and I still think they coulda dropped me whenever they wanted to. But I held my own.

I'll go again soon, but for now, back to the training.

Not according to plan

I've got some good news, and some bad news. The good news is, I closed out my Base 1 period with a 2hr ride today. The bad news is, my period end test was a disaster. It was a little...windy out.


The wind played havoc with my attempts at a time trial. I guess I'll just retest at the end of Base 2, and call it a day.

Time for some R&R.

1 down, 2 more to go

After I get in 2hrs of saddle time today, I'll have my first Base period in the history books. I'll be doing a test today as part of my 2hrs. We'll see what this riding has done for my LT. If my LT ends up being 2 or 3 beats higher, I'll be very pleased. I'd like to think that by the end of my Base periods, my LT is at or near the 180bpm mark. The highest my HR has ever gotten is 196bpm. Now if that is anywhere near my true max HR, then a LTHR of 180bpm would be around 92% of my max HR.
Those are some numbers I'd be VERY excited to have.

Philosophies

Allow me for a moment to get all Anthony Robbins on you...

The other night I was talking with some business associates, and the subject of my cycling came up. When I mentioned that I had put in 50 miles on Saturday, you would've thought I told them I pedaled to the moon. Most of these people were old enough to be my parents, but I've gotten similar responses from people my age or younger.

Because of my weight loss, some of these same people have come to me to ask about getting in shape. I'll half jokingly tell them they should get a mtn bike and come ride the trails. Well geez, you'd think I told them to take up BASE jumping or mtn climbing. Even though I'm joking, the responses are serious...and to me, quite disturbing. The most common response is, "I'm too old for that ****." Granted, many of the people that tell me that are in their late 50's and 60's, but an alarming number of them are in their 40's and early 50's. They're constantly saying how they're getting old...it's almost as if they revel in it.

Here's where I'm gonna get Anthony Robbins on you.
That "old" talk is, to me, a bad philosophy. Aging is a part of life, getting old is a mental state. How else can you explain how some people are so active well into their 80's and even 90's? I remember reading about the guy who started one of the big ski resorts out in California, and he's in his mid to late 80's and still skis and mtn bikes.
Some might argue that genetics plays a big part. Genetics does play a huge role in making it possible for a 50yr old like Ned Overend to stand on the podium at a mtn bike race against people half his age. The great thing is, you don't have to be a Ned Overend...
I guess what I'm getting at is that if you don't tell yourself at every turn that you're "getting old", you lead a healthy lifestyle, and stay fit, there's no reason that one can't be active well into their 70's on up to their 90's.

Race planning begins

Now that the new year is upon us, it's time to start planning my race calendar. I already have a few events in place, but many have not nailed down their dates yet, so I have a number of question marks on my calendar.

One event that is set is the E100 in Utah. This race takes place in August. It's a 100 mile race thru some primo singletrack on the outskirts of Park City. I am planning on doing one ultra endurance race this year. It's either the E100, or the Off Road Assault on Mt Mitchell. I'm leaning towards the E100, just because it is a longer event and it'd be in a part of the country that I've never ridden before.

Here's the catch. I'm gonna have to make up my mind in the next couple of weeks. Registration for the E100 opens on 1/15, and they have a cap of 499 riders. I'd be surprised if the race didn't fill up within a few hours of registration opening.

Decision time. Anybody have any thoughts on the subject? I'd love to hear some feedback.

Whipped

After 5hrs and 90 miles in the saddle this past weekend, I was smoked last night. I feel pretty good this morning, but I'm not going to lament having a day off the bike. I'm anxious to see myself getting stronger. I've already made huge progress, but I know that I can do better. I really think that I'm gonna see a noticeable difference by the end of the Base period, and some major differences by the time I peak for my first A race.

First ride of 2006

After yesterday's 3hr run you'd think I'd be done for the week, but I had to get two more hours in. Despite it being another foggy day, it was a good ride. My week totals are 10.5hrs, 180 miles. Next week is a light week, only 5.5hrs and 3 days off the bike. I'll be looking forward to taking one of those days off tomorrow.

After this coming week, it'll be on to Base 2. Things are coming along nicely, I'm eager to get started on the more intense exercises. 9 more weeks and I'll be able to start on those routines.

Ringin' in the New Year

Happy New Year!!!


I hope everyone has a prosperous and successful 2006. I'm looking forward to many great things in the coming year, especially some good racing.

Last ride of '05

What better way to end 2005, than with a nice long base ride. My training schedule called for 3hrs today, and to make sure I didn't spend the entire day out on some non descript military road, I planned to get my ride in early in the day. Getting up at 6:30am is quite the feat for me, but doggone it, I did it. I went to fix some breakfast and took a peek outside and saw... nothing. Of all days for it to be foggy.

I'm nervous about riding on the road anyway, and the idea of being out there in less than good conditions didn't seem to be a good idea. I'll speed up the narrative a bit...I finally hopped on the bike at 8:30am, and even then it was still foggy as hell. It made for a real soggy ride. It was a good ride though. It's the farthest and longest I've ridden/been on a bike at one time. 52 miles ridden with an average of 18mph, in 3hrs.
I didn't realize how hard it'd be to accumulate 3hrs, but parts of the road on the military land are in a, how do I put it...a state of disrepair. I could only manage about 30 minutes on that section, it was like riding a pogo stick. I couldn't imagine trying to ride over the cobblestones in the Paris-Roubaix. I thought my kidneys were gonna vibrate loose.

Good ride though. Gotta put in 2 more hrs tomorrow. Here's hoping the weather holds out.

Game on

I had one of my best, if not THE best training ride I've ever done. My game was on! I got a Polar cadence sensor for Christmas, and since I began using it, it has really helped my training.
Previously, I had a hard time judging my cadence (I'd count the number of times my knee would be at the top of the pedal stroke.), and keeping it within the recommended 80-90rpm range while at the same time keeping my HR in the proper zone. Until I got the cadence sensor I would finish my rides with my average HR on the very low end of the range I needed to be in. Knowing my cadence has really helped alot.


Anyway...on to today's ride. As I took off on my ride, another rider was prepping to go out as well. As far as I know he left a couple of minutes behind me. As he was on a road bike and I was on my mtn bike, I fully expected him to catch me about half way to the first stop sign(about 15 minutes out). Well, I reached the first stop sign, but that guy hadn't caught me. I chalked it up to him not being in a rush, or took longer to leave. Due to a military exercise, I had to turn around at the stop sign and head back. 2 or 3 minutes after heading back, I pass that fella. This time I just knew he'd catch me before I'd get back to the car. To make a long story short (too late, I know), he never caught me. About 2 minutes after I arrived, he showed up. As he came past me he said, "damn, you're fast on that thing!" We talked for a few minutes. I complimented him on his spiffy new carbon fiber Trek road bike. He said that he was going as hard as he could to catch me, but just couldn't catch up to me.
Now, I'm not one to boast about this sort of thing normally, as you can read just about any mtn biking forum and see many a tall tale of a guy on his mtn bike putting the hurt on some road bikers. Generally, it's a load of crap. I don't put a lot of stock in what happened today...it's not like I held off Lance Armstrong or nothin', but the fact that a reasonably fit guy, riding a 17lb carbon fiber road bike, couldn't catch me on my 30+lb mtn bike, complete with improper gearing for road riding and...well, it made me feel good. To be honest, I sat there smiling about it for a good 10 minutes.


Couple that with a really good mtn bike ride later in the day, and it was just a good riding day.

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve, and I hope everyone is all ready for Christmas? I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Christmas. I'll be back next week.

Pullin' the plug

After doing a couple of hypertrophy workouts, I've made a big decision. I'm pulling the plug on this hypertrophy stuff... not because I don't believe it will work, or because it's too painful. Granted, it IS painful but that's not the reason why. Just like everyone said, I was uber sore after the initial heavy day, and that first ride was tough. I struggled to get my HR up into the proper zone. At this stage I can't afford to miss too much riding/training time. I'll substitute some other weight program, and try this hypertrophy thing before next season.


Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go lick my wounds.

Hypertrophy-Day one

Ouch!


Not much need in expounding on that, but for my loyal readers (all two of you) I shall elaborate more.


Monday I started the hypertrophy phase of my weight training. I had heard that this phase makes you sore...and let me tell you, they were not kidding. I've done a heavy day and a light day, and right now my legs are smoked. Unfortunately, I've got to keep riding thru this phase or else I'll be behind in my training, and won't be able to be at my best for my first races. Ordinarily, you wouldn't ride during this phase because of the soreness of your legs. Ohh well, I won't make that mistake next season.

Change of plans

My training time has gotten marginally better, but I'm still not riding as much as I want/should be. I have had a little shake up in my training plan. Previously, I was using a rough draft of Chris Carmichael's plan, but the testing (which didn't seem to work for me, for some reason.), and no real mtn bike workouts left me wanting something better, or at least geared more towards a mtn biker.



Joe Friel's book, "The Mountain Biker's Training Bible", seemed to fit the bill. The interesting thing is, I've had this book for a couple of years. When I got it, I wasn't as commited to the process, and so the training concepts went right over my head. I've since dusted off the book and read it cover to cover and started implementing what I've read.
I've now developed a season long training program, complete with easy weeks and peaks for racing. I am making one change though. I'm using the weight training program developed by Coach David Morris. Ashwinearl was kind enough to send me the specifics of the weight program.
If I can just get in consistent riding, then I'll be VERY happy. More to come.

BTW, over at ashwinearl's blog, he's got some cool interviews with pro mtb racers. Check 'em out!

Word-a-day

I learned a new word today... asstastic. I think that word sums up my recent training to a tee. Asstastic.

Why am I using such a label? I'll tell you why. Lately, no matter how much I wanted to get out and ride, something has gotten in the way of it. Holidays, weather, work commitments... it's damned irritating. I see myself getting stronger and faster already, but I can just imagine how much better I'll be in a few months. That's my big personal goal for '06. I want to be as fit as I possibly can be (within the bounds of living a somewhat normal life). I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to win some races, and move up to sport class... but I can't control that stuff. I can control me. I figure if I'm in really good riding/racing shape, the rest will take care of itself.

Next week I'll get a full week of training/riding in even if it hairlips Lance.

My bike has new shoes

My Crossmarks came in today. They're some sharp looking tires. I hope they perform as good as they look.

I guess it's because they're UST, but the sealing process with the Stan's went uber smooth...like 30 minutes for both tires!

Tomorrow night is the weekly night ride. That'll be my first time to try 'em out.

A bunch of us have signed up for an event in January, called the Ididaride. It's a 50 mile ride thru the woods surrounding the Suwannee River. Should be fun. I'm planning on using it as a pre season test...see how I handle long miles on the mtn bike.

We're also looking at THIS ride up in Arkansas, in March. This one is 60 miles, and a bit more technical.

You don't see this everyday

I think I might need a new tire...

Whatcha think?

I've just ordered some new Maxxis Crossmark UST tires. They're so new that the Maxxis website is the only place to get them.

The mighty Jason Sager says, and I quote, "The Crossmark is by far Maxxis' best tire yet - UST, around 600g, and really durable...oh, and yeah, it handles well, rolls fast, and is versatile such that I could travel with only the Crossmarks and be ready for anything reasonable." That's some high praise, hopefully they're gonna live up to the praise.

When I get them I'm gonna Stan's the shit out of them, and then they should be practically bomb proof. The reason I say that is I feel confident that my blowout was due to running the Stan's in a Kenda tire (which have been known to have problems with Stan's sealant- or so I'm told).

Another turkey day come and gone

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was good, except for the fact that I didn't get any damned riding in.

I felt like all I did was eat...

More Foundation miles

Another day, another road session.

I know that these foundation miles are going to do me good, but I'm not sure how long I can last... it's just so friggin' boring. I'd like to think I could make it thru the end of December before I totally glaze over. We'll see.

As of today, I've logged 126 miles for the week. On this ride I decided to do some Power Intervals to increase my VO2 max. Intervals really take a lot out of you. I'm totally spent right now. The weather is supposed to turn crappy tomorrow, but I'm hoping it holds off until I can get my last ride of the week (and my last road ride before Thanksgiving) in. If so, I'll end the week with over 150 miles on the bike.

Ride stats-
Ride time: 2hrs 18 minutes
Distance: 37.3 miles
Avg speed: 16.2mph
Max speed: 27mph

Brrrrrr!

After yesterday's brisk ride, I decided that some warm clothing was necessary. I picked up some Pearl Izumi Thermal Fleece Arm & leg warmers. Those warmers came in handy for todays road ride. Now, before you accuse me of being some warm weather p*ssy, we're under a freeze warning for tonight...so there!

Despite the arm & leg warmers I still got cold... well, my hands and feet got cold. By the time I got back to the car they were numb. I was feeling frisky, so after my road ride I hopped on the mtn bike for some night riding. The night ride was short lived though... I just got too cold while out on the road, and I was paying the price out on the trails. After one trail I called it quits for the night.


Ride stats-
Road
Ride time: 2hrs
Distance: 32 miles
Avg speed: 16.6mph

Trail
Ride time: 32minutes
Distance: 5 miles
Avg speed: 9.5mph

Who turned on the damned A/C?

Logged more foundation miles today. Had another friggin' headwind too...fortunately the headwind was on the way out and I got a nice tailwind for the homebound leg. We are getting some cooler weather, and as a result I froze my nubs off out there.What could the temperature possibly have been? 35? 20? 0? It was 55. Now I'm sure that you northern folks would scoff at that, but this Florida boy truly did get cold (I'm not one of those "it's 65 degrees out, time to pull out the jacket" types...I enjoy cold weather. Honest.).

Arm and leg warmers are on the "to buy" list tomorrow.

Ride stats-
Time: 1hr
Distance: 16.6 miles
Avg speed: 16.9mph (another damned headwind)

A tough workout partner

It's been a while since my last update. I'm such a slacker.

I've been getting in some good base miles lately. I've logged around 120 or so miles since my last entry.

I even woke up early to get a ride in today. Anyone that knows me, knows that is quite the feat in and of itself. I was 30 before I knew that the sun actually ROSE, I always thought it was just...there.
I had an insane headwind during the last half of the ride. A gust would hit me and I could look down and actually watch my speed drop. The wind added an easy 20 minutes to my normal time. Grrrrrr.

Other than that, it was pretty good. Kept my HR under my limit, and got a good 2+hrs of riding in. Also, I had a training partner along. Boy was this guy tough! I never could get ahead of him...

He stayed right there for half the ride.

I attacked a couple of times to see if I could lose him, but I never could. He was on me like a cheap suit.

This is as close as I got to passing him...damn he was tough!

Stats for today-
Ride time: 2hrs 10 minutes
Distance:35 miles
Avg speed: 16.2mph (damned headwind!)
5x10sec Power starts


Tomorrow will be a nice leisurely 1hr ride, then back to the long distance stuff on Thursday.

Ain't this just lovely

My new derailleur hangers arrived today, so with much eagerness I went about replacing the bent hanger. Upon putting the derailleur back on, I discovered some damage to the B screw adjuster...a little metal stopper was bent. It decided it was time to break off as I put the derailleur on. So what is the problem with that? With that metal stop gone, the B screw cannot be adjusted properly, and the deralleur gets pushed up into my cassette. Grrrrrrr.

So what does that mean? It means a new derailleur. I'm having to replace a 4 month old XTR derailleur. Dammit to hell!

On the up side, I'm getting a killer deal on a new one. Performance bike, God love 'em, had the derailleur on sale for $100...then I'm using $35 worth of team points. So I'm only paying $75 for a $150 Shimano XTR derailleur. Yay me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go pout some more.

I'm on a roll

You're gettin' a 2 for 1 deal today...two posts for the price of one.

Got a good road ride in today. I was hoping for a 2hr ride, but I ran out of light (damn the end of daylight savings!), but that said, it was still a good ride. I did 30 miles in about 1hr 40 min or so. I also squeezed in some Fast pedal sessions. The hardest part of these rides is keeping my HR under the 89% ceiling.

Here are the stats:
Ride time- 1hr 43 minutes
Distance- 30.1miles
Avg spd- 17.5mph
Mx spd- 26.8mph
3x3min Fast Pedal @ approx 120rpm

By the end of the Foundation period I'd like to think that my avg speed on these rides will be 20+mph...which wouldn't be bad for being on a mtn bike.

Tomorrow will be a rest day from the bike, but I'll be doing my weight training. I'm in the Volume phase of my training. I lift a moderate weight, 8-12reps, 4-6 sets. I'll do this till the end of November, at which time I'll start the strength phase.

Here is my current exercise list:
Lower body-
Leg curl
Leg press
Calf raise

Upper body-
Bench press
Overhead (shoulder) press
Biceps curl
upright row

Lower back exercises-
Back extension

Abdominal-
Ab crunches
Sit ups(I hate these)

That's it for now. I'm currently planning my '06 racing season. I'll post it once I have it finalized, or close to it.

Could I be any slower updating this?

It took forever, but here are the pics from the 12 hrs of Pine Log.

Camp Pine Dogs (that is Team Possum's mascot hanging from the tree...we swiped it from them [insert evil laugh here])

Handing off for my turn- photo, courtesy of Jef March

Off I go, for my second lap- photo, courtesy of Jef March

Dave, chilling after a lap

MTBers and Halloween, what more can I say?- photo, courtesy of Jef March

Pat, punishing himself in the solo category

Walt and Sophie changing up

All thats left is for the dust to settle

The 12Hrs of Pine Log has come and gone. As of Monday the 31st, I am still trying to recover. I used my laptop and jotted down some notes from each of my laps. I figured if I waited till the race was over I'd not remember most of the details.

So, here are some of my ramblings from the race.


Lap 1

Lap time: 29 min and change (close to 30 min. I forgot to reset my computer)
avg spd: 12.6mph
Mx spd: 19.7mph
Distance: 6.71

Avg HR: 161
Max HR: 188

I started the race for Team Pine Dogs, and the race began with all starting riders having to take off their front and rear wheels, and then putting them on before the race started...talk about a pain in the ass. I would’ve preferred the LeMans start.

The first lap went fairly well. I think nervousness had me, as my lap time was off from the race a few weeks earlier. I got passed by a guy whom I think is a solo rider. This guy was flying. I thought I was draggin' an anchor or somethin'. I think he's gonna blow up before it's over with.
I rode solid. Not great, but good. I think the next lap will go much better.


Lap 2

Lap time: 28:39
avg spd: 14mph
Mx spd: 20mph
Distance: 6.71

Avg HR:175
Max HR: 192

This second lap went much better. I think the wheel changing thing really messed me up...psyched me out if you will. Sophie and I changed up flawlessly, and I was off. I was riding really strong, felt good. About a third of the way in I caught and passed one of the other team riders, from Robin’s Fitness. I would pass 2 more riders before the lap was over. A 4th rider, a soloist, I caught up with right at the end...another 100ft and I could’ve passed him.This was the guy who passed me on the first lap. This doesn't bode well for him.

All in all a good lap.Hopefully I can keep these times going till the night portion.


Lap 3

Lap time: 28:44
Avg spd: 13.8mph
Max spd: 19.6mph
Distance:6.70

Avg HR: 174
Max HR: 189

The third lap went pretty good. I was a tiny bit off my lap two pace... but if I can keep my laps around the 28:30-29 min mark I’ll feel good. The field has really spread out, and you only occasionally come across other riders. I passed two riders this lap, including a boy of about 10 or 11 who was on the trail taking a leak...when you gotta go, you gotta go. I laughed over that one for a few minutes

The fastest teams, unless they have some sort of mechanical issue, will not be caught. There are some expert caliber riders on those teams. We’re about 15 or 16 minutes ahead of Team Possum...W00t! Before the race is over, we should be able to lap them. [Insert evil laugh here]


Lap 4

Lap time: 28:58
Avg spd: 13.8mph
Mx spd: 19.9mph
Distance: 6.71

Avg HR: 164
Max HR: 173

I felt pretty good on this lap, but I could feel my legs are starting to get heavy. Despite that, I still managed to pass Pat, Trudy, and in a last second move into the transition area, a rider from the strong Robin’s Cycle team. I’m thrilled to have passed Pat...now if we can pass a possum!

Next lap will be with lights...here goes nothin’.


Lap 5

Lap time: 31:08
Avg spd: 12.8mph
Max spd: 19.1
Distance: 6.71

Avg HR: 158
Max HR: 168

This was the first of the night laps, and the HID light worked well. The only problem is my legs, they’re just not responding now. My HR is low, but I just don’t have the power to sustain the effort. As a result I went over a 30 min lap time for the first time all day. That said, I still managed to pass someone, and didn't get passed... so it’s all good.
I think we’re within striking range of Team Possum...Hooyah!


Lap 6

Lap time: 31:01
Avg spd: 12.9mph
Mx spd: 18.9
Distance: 6.71

Avg HR: 157
Max HR: 167

This was it, the last lap. I had one goal, and that was to lap Team Possum...I did that, and gave Dave a 45 second lead in his last lap. My legs are shot right now, and my eyes are bloodshot from all the crap in the air. Gonna need some Visine when I get home

I had a great time!

That was my lap by lap account of the race. The reports got shorter as the race dragged on. My HR kept dropping and dropping, but my lap times increased. The engine was willing, but the legs were toast.

Our team did well. Our laps times stayed fairly consistent throughout the race, which was excellent. FYI, that solo rider that flew passed me on the first lap called it quits by the late afternoon. He and his buddy packed up their crap and left. I had a feeling he wouldn't make it through the event keeping a pace like that first lap. I also heard that one of the teams packed it in too.


Ride time: 2hrs 57 minutes
Miles ridden: 40.2
Avg spd: 13 mph (approximately)

I have some pictures, but I'll post those at a later time. Still trying to get myself together.

Just under 48hrs to go

I'm psyched for the 12Hrs of Pine Log, it should be a blast! If I enjoy this race like I think I will, my next endurance race will be done solo.

I did my second night ride with my new light, and it is working perfectly. I'm in the midst of discharging the battery right now so I can have a full charge for the race.
While riding tonight, I almost had a disaster. A stick got thrown up into my rear derailleur. When I stopped and looked at my derailleur, it was bent all the way back, pointing towards the back of the tire. My initial emotion was anger, as this would've most likely killed my race. Upon closer inspection, the derailleur had just pivoted back on its attachment point. I pulled out my trusty multi tool, loosened the bolt and the derailleur went right back into place. I tightened the bolt back down, and tried shifting...everything appeared OK. The real test was to start riding. To make a long story short, the bike shifted just fine, and seemed no worse for the wear.

Talk about dodging a bullet! God must've been looking out for me.

My next update will be after the race.

Lights, action...

The 12hrs of Pine Log is almost upon us. If the temperatures are like what they've been the last couple of days, then we're gonna have an awesome day for racing. My light came in, and it looks to be a really good one. Tonight will be my first opportunity to try it out. From what I've seen so far, that sucker is B-R-I-G-H-T.