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...

Really enjoyed my 1st duathlon of the season although I would've hoped for a better result. I seem to do well in these multi-sport events and I enjoy their dynamic more so than a dedicated bike or run event. Renee even made a comment that I multi-task well.  This duathlon is a tough 5 mile run/11 mile bike course at Blanket's Creek.  I think I finished in about the same time this year as last year, around 1:52. (my watch stopped working mid-race) The time was good enough for 4th place AG.  I am disappointed with the result as I consider the duathlon as my bread and butter. More frustrating is that 3rd was 31 seconds ahead at the finish.  I think I was right behind the guy going in to the bike leg then he slowly pulled away from me over the next several miles.  Weird thing about racing is that you just never know who's in front of you! HA ! I was hoping for at least 3rd. Also, the top 2 guys are monsters.  I know I could've found 31 seconds out th...

Things I learned from this race: I am a slow starter. I feel more "in to" the race on the 2nd lap.  Need to feel that way on the 1st lap! I need to be more aggressive at the start to be competitive. I need to position myself not at the back of the pack at the start of a race. I need to work on fast-twitch muscle fibers (sprints, short climbs) I have excellent endurance and get better as the race goes on. This was a 3-lap 7-mile course.  I feel I would've been more in contention if we had to do 6 laps but there were some insanely fast cats out there! 6 beers the night before a race is not a good idea!

So it's been a crappy week at work. Meh. Oh and for some reason I also thought it would be a good idea to take off this week from my bike training.  I think I could take off for 6 months and I would still be tight in places and have nagging tweaks.  That said, I really don't need to take off that long from biking because it really keeps things in perspective when it comes to work.   Renee, when you read this, if I ever decide to take off 6 days from biking again THEN go up to the N. Georgia mountains to bike, you have permission to slap the ever-lovin' snot out of me! Today was absolutely brutal.  I have owned those climbs on previous rides just a few months ago but today I was hiking up them for Pete's sake!  Gasping for air and heart rate at 175. Jesus.  This was definitely a visit to the Hiott pain cave.  Trails were sloppy from rain night before so I kept mostly to jeep roads. It was almost like a road ride.  Unending climbing up jeep roads ...

First day back on the bike was a good one. It's the cure for what ails me. I dialed it back a lot and took it slow through corners, trying to regain my confidence. Downhills were really conservative and climbs were done in big gears which drove my lower back nuts. Really concentrating on technique through corners trying not to over-steer and using body english. I rode for about 2 hours and could really feel that I had been off a bike for 8 days. My legs were fresh but they didn't have much endurance. I rode about 16 miles. I always forget how much upper body strength is needed for mountain biking. My triceps and shoulders were really screaming today. Trail conditions were nearly ideal after some recent rain. A lot of grip and very little powder. This morning did some trail work. SORBA Woodstock had a last minute post o Facebook about this party. Helped build a wall ride at the bottom of the new downhill area at Blanket's. I'm not really a downhill rider but it...

The 11-mile course took me 1 hour, 06 minutes, 41 seconds. I have heard that the course was 12 miles and 10 miles but no one seems to know how long it was really. My wife Renee did the running portion of the duathlon at 5 miles on the Dwelling loop. I felt good heading out of the gate, confident and calm. Not nervous, just ready to do well. Took 4 days off prior to the race to rest up. Blanket’s is my back yard trail so I was extremely familiar with the course. Earlier this year I had finished the Van Michael, Dwelling, and South Loop in 1 hour 18 minutes. There is little time to get warm and in the groove before getting to some steep climbs on Van Michael. This trail is a cardio beast but has nice,rewarding downhill. It is fast, flowy and not overly technical (rocky or rooty). One aspect I couldn't have predicted were the amount of racers on the trail in front of me. I figured most everyone would be off the course. It was an exercise in bike handling, confidence, and comm...