Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

Had a pretty good race last Saturday at the Rope Mill offroad duathlon.  It was a bike-run-bike format.  I've been feeling a little sluggish lately and am about 8 lbs over race-weight so I was surprised to see that I set PRs on the course.  I frankly felt terrible on the run. I had a light breakfast of Kind bar and coconut oil.  I usually do pretty well on this course and it is really Singlespeed friendly.  Was shocked to see that Garmin reported the race as having 1500 feet of elevation. I had a quick start and was in 3rd for a long time on The Mill trail then finally some geared-fasties started to overtake me.  My legs were on fire on the climbs.  Dylan Reach passed me on the loop somewhere but I didn't remember seeing another one-gear bike :) He took the Singlespeed win.  We placed 5th and 6th overall respectively. I suspect that I still may be recovering from the 70.3  I did on Sept. 27th and months of training. My transition was dece...

This is one of my favorite races since I love the multi-sport format and these trails are in my backyard.  In fact, I owe a lot to the fine folks at SORBA Woodstock and Blanket's Creek trails for helping me to get in shape in the first place! Running and biking sounds like a fun time on the trail!  This is the 3rd year I've done the race solo and pleased to report that my times have gotten faster each year.  The 1st year Renee and I tag-teamed it with her running and me biking. Woke up at 5:30 race morning and had some bulletproof coffee (coconut oil mixed with coffee). This really helped keep me sustained for the race. Normally I would race on that and maybe a piece of chocolate but was feeling extra hungry. Probably ate a little too much solid food with eggs, ham and cheese, a few almonds. Felt full up until race start at 9ish.  Definitely was NOT well-rested.  It's ok because I was feeling pumped. Not really nervous at all, just amped.  Feeling focused...

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...

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 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...