Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

Despite a nagging right knee injury since February, I have set 2 PRs this week that I am pretty excited about.  1st was a local running route where I placed 3rd overall on Strava.  I am determined to get the KOM for this segment, which is on a fairly rolly section of road. Link here; https://www.strava.com/activities/1024400394 One of my favorite local mountain biking trails is Van Michael at Blanket's Creek.  It is always tough and features a lot of good climbs. Van Michael is nearly always an anaerobic workout!.  Wednesday I rode the clockwise direction and set a PR of 18:56, which I believe was nearly a minute off of my previous time. Frankly, I thought my days of setting PRs were over since Kit got here and I haven't been able to train much over the past year. What training I have been able to get in was mostly Maffetone (MAF), which I believe has helped my overall cardio base fit. Link here:  https://www.strava.com/activities/1026005273 Regardless, I ...

My apologies for not posting in a while but it has been a busy spring with Renee's 100-miler training and my off-season training as well. My last post was in March so I figured I would update everyone now that June is here. I had a freak swimming pool accident that sliced open 2 of my toes so I had to miss the first Mountain Goat Adventures trail race at Garland Mountain. I was super-bummed and was able to give my spot to Renee. I'm doing the short-course series this year to mix things up since I normally do the long course. I've discovered that my winter running has made me fast.  That and dropping 10 lbs. since last fall thanks to Primal Paleo eating and cutting out a lot of junk. Huge thanks to my wife Renee for getting me started on cleaner eating.  I am setting PRs left and right on both biking and running. It's been great! I have worked so hard the last several years and feel like my results have been mediocre and I'm finally starting to see better than medio...

5 years ago I decided to make a change in my life.  I was pushing 250 pounds and wore size 42 pants. I was extremely depressed and had little desire for anything.  A black cloud hung over me.   Also, I was pre-diabetic.   If one ever finds himself doing blood-tests to check glucose levels, something is wrong. That would be your wake up call! I remember getting on a basketball court and how my knees and back hurt and how slow I felt.  The agility was gone and certainly the endurance.  I was a shadow of my former athletic self.  10 years before I was a pretty good basketball player  How could this happen ? Slowly and surely, that's how. Bicycling was on the periphery of my life a few years before that, around 2004 or 2005.  Casual rides around the neighborhood or on the Silver Comet Trail happened without much thought.  I remembered what it was like to have fun with exercise and feel like a kid again.  I always had a blast with bike...

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...

The photo to the right is before a mountain bike race. Photos after that same race about 8 hours later and after covering nearly 61 miles on bicycle: Yes, that would be exhaustion friends. Extreme satisfaction too. Also,a 3rd place medal for my toils.

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 ...

The greatest video game you'll ever play is with your heart pounding in the woods.  I'm talking about riding a bike through rugged terrain through a forest. Yes, mountain biking.  Preferably with hills for both punishment and reward, downs and ups. This sport beats an Xbox any day. Believe me I know.  I used to be sedentary and play Xbox all the time. Take today for example: I had poor sleep and had a lousy day at work and a crummy attitude in general by the end of the day.  One person looked at me and asked "Are you lost?" In a philosophical sense perhaps.  It was a smarmy question but one that made me think. I could've not gone riding and stayed in the apartment and moped but I knew better.  This is nothing new. I know how good it is to be done with a grueling ride. It's my medicine.    It was an absolute beating that I desperately needed.  I'm telling you folks, this is good therapy.  It was such a grueling ride with seemingly un...

Went back to Pine Log in search of singletrack and boy did I find it, except it was mostly uphill and unrideable. Out of the 5 hours I spent out there, I estimate 2 hours of it was spent hiking. One would have to be an absolute bike-beast to make these climbs and the climbs just don't end. It's like Pinhoti with rocks. So I began clockwise on Pine Log Gap Rd again and pedaled out to the cornfield again, about 7 miles out. This is a mostly uphill fire road with a sustained 10 minute climb at one point. Then on to the singletrack at the edge of the cornfield and then an insanely steep climb. This was mostly hiking. The topo maps say it's about 1600 feet at the top of this climb. Left onto Pine Log Mountain trail for a brief downhill run then came across acres of rock gardens that went uphill what seemed like forever. This began the climb up to the radio tower and unfortunately, mostly hiking. I think I could've biked some of it but I was in conserve-energy mode. The g...

Pine Log WMA is a wildlife management area between White, GA and Canton, GA open to biking, hunting, and equestrian use. I had heard good things so decided to check it out. The place is really remote and has an almost primordial feel too it with barren landscapes and craggy trees where one could imagine a vulture perched upon. I started out going counter-clockwise following this map I spent about 90% of my ride time on fire roads, which was disappointing. I managed to find all the awful uphill trails where you could only hope to hike your bike. I'm not exactly sure if I even know which route I took. After about a 90 minutes I wound up back at the parking lot so I at least had some bearings. I think I climbed/walked Davis Trail then circled back on Grassy Hollow Rd. I imagine Davis Trail is much fun going the other way! If I had taken a right somewhere I would've gotten on Route 5 but I never saw a gate with a 5 on it. I remember passing 2 cement bridges crossing a creek on ...

Another satisfying ride at Chicopee . This place never leaves me for wanting more. There are about 30 miles worth of trails with something for everyone, featuring fast,fun, and flowy loops and also rocky/rooty loops with punishing climbs. I rode about 2.5 hours at a relatively slow pace only covering about 22 miles. Carrying the 15 lb pack really weighs me down but it's good for strength and endurance. I also tried to stay in the middle rings on front and back, around a 2-3. At least it gets lighter as the ride goes on with the loss of fluid. Today I was focusing more on good cornering, especially downhill cornering. Not rushing things at all and riding at a rather deliberate pace. Good thing the trails were deserted. It's difficult to keep my weight back through a downhill corner yet push down on the inside bar to give the front tire more bite. Ran the tires at about 30 PSI which seemed to be an adequate pressure for today's trail conditions, which were mostly tacky and...

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...

Past few times out on the bike my front wheel has washed out. The trail has been powdery/loose in both cases but I blame mostly my riding technique. It seems that instead of leaning, which one should do at high speed, I'm trying to turn the handlebars too much. It's discouraging because I feel my technique has advanced considerably over the past two years. I know experience is a great teacher but I can't help but feel like I'm regressing some here. Bad habits are hard to break. Common biking wisdom suggests that we crash on trails most familiar to us, perhaps because we are so casual and too loose. This one particular section I wiped out a few weeks ago on but it was more of a harmless 10-foot butt-slide that only ripped my shorts. Now I'm forced to convalesce and heal my wounds. My body probably needs a break anyway. Already looking forward to the next ride. I want the chance to ride the section smooth and fast with confidence. Until next time -J VMT crash

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...