Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

I'm sitting in my sunlit bedroom on one of the coldest winters in recent Georgia memory feeling a little tired due to a measly 6 hours of sleep and thinking about my training and racing to come over the next 6 months.  I'm also thinking about my winter weight gain, at least 10lbs. over my usual 175 race weight.  (Preferably race weight would be 170 but settling for 175.)  I know that I am fighting serious evolutionary factors here with my body wanting to rest and store fat for this harsh winter. This is all juxtaposed with the P90X strength training program that I started in November and I'm wrapping up for this session.  This interspersed with the occasional trainer ride, road ride, and MTB ride.  Not to mention the possibly ill-advised Snake Creek Time Trials, the next of which is next Saturday. My goal this winter was to strengthen up, which I certainly have, and to give my mind and body a rest from the rigors of running and biking.  So far this is go...

Toward the end of the year seems like a good time for looking forward to next year and reflecting on the past 12 months.  I began this blog to put my thoughts down on paper, a diary of sorts, but it has turned in to (hopefully) an insight into the mind of an amateur athlete.  I hope the readers have gained insight and humor from my writings and hopefully I can provide a glimpse into the painful, joyous, chaotic, and exalting world of bike racing and trail running. Over the past year I decided to try some new things and get out of my comfort zone.  I became interested in triathlon (swim,bike,run) last winter and entered a sprint triathlon in June.  The distances were short but it was still about an hour's worth of maximum effort.  Triathlon is fascinating because it requires such discipline and really stretches my limits on physical fitness.  Plus I also find it invigorating to train and compete in multiple disciplines. I did my usual trail duathlons this ...

I have been wanting to ride at Berry College for the last several years.  Renee and I had previously attempted riding at Berry in 2009, to no avail, since the trails proved elusive.  Today was a chance to finally go exploring and I'm glad I did.  The Assail the Trails race put on by Cycle Therapy really showcased all the trails available in the wilderness surrounding the college.  This is a beautiful area and it was so beautifully surreal to climb up to the House of Dreams in the misty clouds with trees around in brilliant orange, red, and yellow. I didn't sleep well at all last night waking up every half-hour it seemed with thoughts of, "Can I really ride 35 miles tomorrow?" I thought we would be out on the course the entire 35 miles but it turned out that we would make 3 laps with each lap heading out on different length courses.   Honestly, I was under-trained for this race since I have been resting for most of October and plan on continuing to rest in Nove...

Had a great time and an excellent race at my 3rd Rope Mill Duathlon. It consisted of a 6 mile bike, 3 mile run, then another 6 mile bike.  Try to imagine all out effort for nearly 90 minutes.  This race was a beast last year and was one of the toughest races I did.  This year was no different except that I am pleased to report that this year I felt a lot better physically and mentally. My bike to run transition was more "pleasant" and I didn't feel nearly as trashed going up the first awful hill to Explorer Trail.  I was a lot more assertive and in control.   I had rested all week except for a short MTB ride on Wednesday. Also haven't been doing much running to speak of for the past several weeks.  I think I may have pulled a muscle in my right quad as it's been bothering me since the ride on Wednesday. We had a race start in the 30s this morning. I couldn't feel my hands and was having to rest my palm on my bars and brake with 2 fingers.  My feet wer...

This has been a different sort of month for fitness and competition, not to mention health.  I am winding up the month battling a stomach virus and am just now getting back active after a week recovering.  I think maybe nature has a way of forcing recovery time.  I have been going at it full tilt for the entire spring and summer with not much rest to speak of so I guess this is my rest.  Expert wisdom says that I need more recovery but without a coach, it's hard to judge.  Also, it's not much fun to gain a few extra pounds but it's difficult to adjust eating habits that are so accustomed to full activity. This month has seen me do back to back races and feel surprisingly good doing so. I never would've thought I could do a 6-hour trail run then turn around the next day and do a run-bike-run duathlon.  Progress is good.  Next I did a 100-mile bike ride in torrential rain. Wow, where did that come from? I don't know. I guess it's just proof that we are ...

Renee and I went down to Dauset Trails near Jackson,GA for the weekend. We were doing the 6-hour trail run as Team Herbal Gerbils. The name was inspired by her shop and the fact that we would be repeating a 6-mile loop.  She is trying to get me to become an endurance trail runner and is convinced that I am built for it though I don't share her enthusiasm.  Stayed at a lousy Days Inn in Jackson and got a few hours sleep the night before the race. I was hot and itchy all night. They had a terrible carb-laden "breakfast." I wolfed down a bagel and a muffin and some OJ. Arrived at the trails around 8:30 and set up our EZ-up. Threw down the yoga mat for between-lap stretching, laid out all our nutrition and fluids, and we were set to go for race start at 10:00 . Renee commented that she wished she had signed up for Solo category. I took the first lap and was really conservative. I had been wanting to practice a new strategy of starting out slow and finishing strong but this w...

Week of 9/1/13 Put in 14 hours last week with about half of that spent running, the other half biking. I managed an 18-mile run at K. Mtn that took 3:30 hours. The day before I rode for 54 miles on the SC, I was going for a century. That took 3:30 hours.  The day before that I rode at White for 2 hours, 35 miles. Maybe this explains why my IT bands are so tight and I’m experiencing tendinitis in both knees.  I think 14 hours is the most I’ve ever put in for training. This past week I’ve only done one ride at White for 35 miles.  Rest has been swimming and strength training. I feel like I’ve been getting enough rest.  Yesterday, I put in a run-bike-run brick at Blanket’s in preparation for next week’s races at Dauset Trails. I feel like that I’m getting enough rest but maybe my body is still recovering from last week. I did train for 9 days straight with no off days. This is where having a coach would be beneficial because they could help provide an unbiased ...