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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

when to do what?

Being a self coached athlete is good and bad. I have been wondering if I have been doing the right training lately. The way I see it though if I have a bad day out training or racing I have no one to blame but myself. I have been questioning my training technique this past year with my spotty result. Although I have some great results I still wonder if I do the right stuff at the right time. Since my Cool 24 hour race I have been struggling on and off to get going and get some good result. I just feel half ass. Just can not seem to get going. Although I'm still training I just don't feel fast or strong most of the time. This doesn't mean I'm going to quit but my observation of myself and how I see it whether I'm right or wrong. I just can't seem to get anywhere close to where I was in May. I guess when they talk about peaks during the year I must of had one hell of a peak for sure. I m trying to be patient but my patients is wearing thin.

As I was looking at the result at downiesville classic I noticed Dezmin Wilder had a good race with a 2:12, now thats fast... Good job Dezmin. Also I seen Yuri had a good race also, kicked my ass again, THANKS:). I will be racing both these guys in September at the 24 hour Worlds, I just hope I can shake the Laguna Seca curse I have been caring for the last 2 years.

I took Sunday completely of, watch the tour and slept a lot. And took Monday of also. Before I would of felt bad but screw it. I work 45-50 hours a week and train my ass of, I deserve a good brake now and then, at least that's how I'm justifying it..! I didn't eat the house down so that was a plus.

The tour has been very exiting. I feel sorry for Vino, he would of been a big threat but not with 14 stitches in his body. And Micheal Rogers from T mobil, that crashed hurt. So with some of the big names gone and Rasmussen going for over all and everybody is real close I think Saturdays time trial with be a big deciding factor for the overall, as long as they don't crash. Oh ya and Robbie Mcewm is out, that sucks. Seem like if you crash your pretty much toast depending on how bad.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Downiesville Classic

I eneded up doing the Downiesville race at the last minute. I wanted to see where I would land in the over all standings. Well I was a little disappionted and my performance. But I am glad not to be injured or hurt. The course can be unforgiving on the dwon hill section. Well it looks like I have a lot of work to do. Yuri Hauswald, and Brock Dicky kicked my ass pretty good. Even though I did come in before Brock, because he had tire issues only. THe Santa Cruz Blur held up flawlessly again, I just wish I could of been stronger.

From the start of the race my heart rate hit a 170 bpm. The hole time I was just trying to get the heart rate down. About half way up ht ehill everybody started to pass me. I kept thinking what the hell going on. My heart is sky high and seems like Im going know where. I hit the top of the hill and just kept it strong and not to get out of control. I was glad to finish strong and not wiped out as usuall. I do love this course. But maybe on a different day. I will now focuse on a month build up to the Worlds 24 hour race.

And your welcome Brock for the help. Anytime!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Im not grumpy, just tired

As my training has kicked into high gear so has my grumpiness. Ass I get home last night all I wanted to do was bite my wife's head off for no reason. Sorry sweety. That's one thing I have to be care full of when my volume gets real high. Amanda ask me why was I so mad at her. I wasn't mad at her at all just miss being home with my wife and hanging out with her. Its not to say I don't like training, I really do but it can be demanding at times, most of the time. Yes I know I don't have to train so much but there are sacrifices I have to make in order to achieve a high level of fitness. Like time with friends, family and loved ones. House chores, washing my vehicles. But this is a choice I have made and I want to do good out there racing. Plus all the chores get done later rather than sooner. Also when the training volume gets high and the fatigue starts to set in the grumpiness comes also. Seems like even the little things will seem like big issues. Oh ya and I forgot to mention also why I'm grumpy is that I'm know 2 days behind on watching the Tour De France, that will make anybody grumpy:). All the pain I go through you cant but wonder why doesn't it get any easier. How come it seem after doing all this training you still sweat the same, hurt the same. The weeks/months/years of doing the training it does seem at one point you could say, " wow! this is getting easy. So after 5 years of this stuff I haven't been able to say that at all. And don't even think about it like that anymore anyway since I heard a quote I think came from The all mighty Eddy Merx. He said " the pain never goes away, you just get faster". He sure knew what he was talking about. So as the pain starts to get high I hold that thought a lot. Im just getting faster ( I hope).


Yesterday I got off early enough to do the Loop. Arroyo seco rd to Carmell Valley over Laurless Grade to hwy 68 and reservation home. I think its around 85 miles or so. I did this route on Sunday afternoon. It takes 5 hours and 4.5 hours of riding. I had a few phone calls and 1 stop for water. Once you leave the valley here you enter into the oven in Carmel Valley. Always a lot hotter there. With and 1 hour 15 minute run n the morning put me at little over 6 hours of training. And the wife wonders why I'm grumpy. Although I know its all self inflicted.

Monday, July 09, 2007

With my training well into high gear Im feeling pretty good about how its going. Doing my build to the 24 hours Worlds on September 1st.

This weekend was a good sign that Im recovered and getting ready. With 7 hours on the mountain bike, and 5 hours on the road bike and 1.5 hours running for Saturday and Sunday is not to shaby. I feel tired today but not wiped out. My pace wasn't anyhting fast but steady. Still trying to keep my heart down, although at times I second guess this method, it just feels so slow and really not what Im used to. But I cant hammer all the time I know that, Although it fun but not productive in the long run for me. Im just trying to build up my body for the upcomming racing and trying to keep it consistant. I cant do that with a lot of intensity's.

Im thinking about downiesville this weekend but I have'nt made a final decision, depending on work and how I feel and if it deosn't get sold out. Also I see that the Distric Road Race championship in ford ord has moved intel after August 10th. I have found another race to for that weekend. Looks like fun, I will see if I can budget that in.

Well se how I feel depending on what Im going to do this week. Although I feel pretty good today seems like the second day I really feel the fatigue.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Ride, Ride, Ride.

This weekend was going to be somewhat of a test to see if I recovered from prior racing and training. I think I am 90 % recovered. Thing went real good and I feel normal again, if that's possible. When I am out riding long I still feel worried about the chest pains coming back. I'm getting better every day at not worrying about it but it will take some time. I even think its a good thing to keep me slowed down for know.
With my new exercise program and keeping my heart rate at a certain range and nor going over that is all new too me. I did a 8 hour ride, 13,000 feet of elevation gain on Saturday and didn't go over my heart cap, I was amazed how fresh I felt afterwords. I could of did a lot more. I was tired but not wiped out like usually. Plus I didn't get that feeling of wanting to eat everything in the fridge. So maybe there is something to this. Who knows but I'm sure it works. Although its king of humiliating at times, I say this because Im going alone and I get passed by this girl and it took all I had not to try and keep up with her. Know that sucks. All I know is I couldn't keep up the pace I was going at and had to do something different. I'm not superman, although I try to be. I have been thinking about all the training and racing. How all the intensity fits into everything. You do need intensity but how much. When does it get to much. Its different for everybody. How old you are, how fit you are, well there are a lot of factors. But for me its seems like a month or so of intense workout/racing is all I can handle. Its like Joe Friel said once that you only have so many matches to burn through out the year, and once there gone that its. So for me at this point its all about getting back to basics and sticking with it. JFT babe! Keeping low heart and getting as big engine built. I saw a discovery documentary on Ice trucks in Alaska last knight hauling big heavy loads on the ice over lakes. Anyway they had this truck on there with over 600 horse power, first I thought of is I had that kind of engine in my body I could shred the peddles of the crank with that kind of engine...

MY focus right know is September race. Its not far away. Speaking of Laguna Seca. On Sunday spent some time at ford ord mountain biking with some friends. I love that place. It has everything. Single track, fire roads. Even a deer jump out in front of me going down trail 50.

I was thinking I don't write enough about my sponsors and there products. So I would like to write today about what bike I ride and why. I have been riding the Santa Cruz Blur for 5 years know. My first bike was a LT with full XTR, boy was on flying high when I got that bike. You cruised alone peddling over bumps and kept going. I remember before when I used to ride my hard tail on long ride and my sides with hurt for days from tensing up going over bumps. Then when I got the new Blur I couldn't believe how much a difference it made. I could ride longer, fell better after my rides and recover quicker. Well a few Blur later that's all I race and ride on today. Yes they are my sponsor this year, but I have been riding Santa Cruz Bikes for 5 years now and think they are an awesome product. Very durable, reliable, and hard to beet for comfort. I 2 cross country Blurs for my 24 hour racing and couldn't do it competitively without them. They cruise over bumps like nothing. Keeps me peddling for 24 hours strong. I never had any major issues that couldn't be workouts. And they have a great warranty if any issues come up at all. Thanks Santa Cruz Bikes!!!