Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

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 ...

Many people have posed this question to me and I can safely say there is no one answer.  People shake their heads and think that I'm insane. Not that this bothers me. I think most people ask me this question out of disbelief that someone would subject themselves willingly to such torture.  Indeed there are many more comfortable pursuits but none I've found as rewarding.  I was getting a rare massage (4 months!) yesterday and the therapist asked me if I wrote about my experiences and what motivates me to get out in the morning and ride.  I told her about this blog.  She says that I have a book in me. Perhaps one day I will write that book. Truthfully I've been struggling with this question for most of the year.  Why do this?  Over the winter, I was dead-set on developing my own mountain biking training plan but that has fallen away for now.  (I've read that if you're not using steroids to enhance your cycling, you shouldn't bother with a training ...

So I entered this race last minute. I had no intention of entering this year having done it the last 2 years and I've been focusing more on duathlon and triathlon.  I've also been road biking more and mountain biking hardly at all. I guess I'm burned out on trail riding and need something fresh.   A few days before the race I thought I would enter this race and it didn't hurt that my wife was goading me.  Sometimes, the mere fact that she encourages me pushes me over the top for entering races. I arrived at the race feeling relaxed with a devil-may-care attitude. Payed my fee and set up my pit area. My tent wasn't fully operational so I had limited shade, which was unfortunate considering how blazing hot it was. Layed down in my pit chilling to some old school hip-hop being sure to keep hydrated.  Ate some pre-race food then changed into my kit.  Still feeling relaxed but pre-race stoke was building. Can't believe I was nervous for a "C race." Line ...