I am still alive

It has been a while, but I am still here. I am riding the road bike more and taking a break from racing for a bit. I have abandoned any "real" training structure, but still maintaining a somewhat-if haphazard- attempt at keeping my overall fitness level up to snuff. Surprisingly, I am riding stronger than I ever have right now. I am mixing in my son's baseball schedule and my daughter's ballet schedule and my softball schedule with my riding time and it is working out nicely.

I recently landed a nice sponsorship from Hammer Nutrition as well. I am really psyched about this. I have been using there stuff for a while, but now I am really starting to understand the whole science behind the supplements. If you havent tried their stuff, give it a go. Also give them a call and tell them a little bit about yourself and maybe they will hook you up as well. They are great people to deal with.

I am racing the 12 hours of Cranky Monkey with my lovely teammate Liz again for another chance at a podium spot in the co-ed division; we took 3rd at Bakers. She recently old me she is ready for a singlespeed build up. Wait, I have to wipe the tears from my eyes and catch my breath. Ok, anyway things are going very well for me right now and I am aggressively going after certain segments to push my limits a bit more; with the help of my friend Bruce who is back to riding our shop ride on saturdays. I really enjoy riding with Bruce. He pushes me to ride harder and even though I dont always want to, I know it is good for me.

So real quick, our baseball team is now 3-3 after thursdays 8-1 victory over Rosedale. My son is having a crazy awesome season so far. He is 2-0 with 39 strikeouts in 15 innings and has allowed only 5 hits with 1 walk. He is batting a solid .300 with 12 stolen bases too. I am having quite the season myself-especially since I havent played since 2001. Thats right, an .857 average. I have only been playing every other week, and that is fine with me.

So, thats it right now. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going into Quantico.http://www.hammernutrition.com/

Bakers Dozen, 3rd place, Pain and This Co-Ed thing is pretty cool

Funny how these endurance races go. You cant wait for 9am to start and by 4 or 5pm, you cant wait for 10pm to come.

First off, my son entered the junior race. This was his first "real" mountain bike race. He was super excited and I was too. I was a little worried because this was his first ride without me there to coach and watch; he was on his own.

They went off and he was gone. Of course, all sorts of things were going through my head; Is he ok? How does he feel? The first group of kids came through, but not Alex. the second group came in, still no Alex; six riders in. So I rode to the top of the last climb-which is pretty long for these little guys and there all saw him exiting the woods spinning those little legs on his SS (all of the kids but one were older and had they all had geared bikes). I was encouraging him to keep pushing and rode with him the rest of the way to the finish. I have never seen my son so tired. I was so proud of him. He rode hard and finished strong. So he finished 8th out of 12, and he was happy...so was I.

This years Bakers had a lot of first for me personally. My first co-ed endeavor. My first co-ed endeavor with someone that I have never met and my first real feeling that I just dont recover as quick as I did. 

I really didnt know what to expect this year. I was riding with someone who I

Yes, a geared bike with suspension

never rode with with before, let alone met. My last race at Patapsco was miserable even though I finished 5th (mercy placement?), who knows. My fitness level seems fine on the road, but my mountain bike rides are not impressive at all. I have been having lower back pains as of late and my wrist still hasnt felt good from bowling 6 weeks ago; do we really have to get old? 

Liz asked me if I would go first and I said sure (I hate going first). Sure enough, 1/2 mile into the race, I got nabbed by the people who lined up near the front that should have been. First, there was a bottle neck into the pines, and then-I still cant believe this-but a guy stopped to walk over a 6" log. I lost 1 minute just from that. It was my fault for not getting closer to the front, but man that really ticks me off. Then, up the first small climb, the same thing-people walking. We decided to do doubles and I couldnt wait to get past the first lap. 

Only 12 hours and 35 minutes to go...

During my 2nd lap, the pain in my back and wrist started to rear its ugly head and it started right at the worst part of the course. Try this, get on a pogo stick that doesnt have any pogo and try to bounce as hard as you can and maintain it while going uphill for about 5 minutes straight. Yep that is the best way to describe this section. Now do it 8 more times. 

I started feeling a bit better on my 3rd and 4th laps, but my arse was raw already, I mean grater raw. My wife-bless her heart-ran to Wal Mart and got some baby lotion and man that was a God send.  

My 5th lap came undone. I still dont know how it happened, but about 3.5 miles in, I burped 75% of the air from my rear tire. I was screwed. I ran fro about 2.5 miles and finally gave up, until some young kid doing solo gave me his pump and I was back in business. My lap time was a dismal 50:00.

At this point, we where in 4th place; about 8 minutes from 3rd. Liz was turning in some pretty consistent 46-47 minute times. Doing doubles was working for her as well as for me. I was really proud of how we were doing at this point. My flat made it more of a chore to get back.

Up the wall

My next 2 laps where very good, I felt much better, although my power just wasnt there and my hr was low. The pain in my back was really getting to mw at this point. When I came in, I went to check the new results and we moved back into 3rd by 2 minutes. I had gained 10 minutes with my two faster laps.

The two teams in front were pro teams, so I was pretty darn happy where we stood. Liz came in and said she was ready fro single laps-so was I. We had gained more time on 4th and sat comfortable in 3rd by 20 minutes. 

My first night lap was really good, not great but good enough. At this point, this is where strategy comes into play. Liz came in at 9:09 and I had to back before ten in order for us to make sure that we stayed in 3rd, if I didnt the 4th place team may have the opportunity to go out and finish one more lap.

I struggled the entire lap, I was done. I was hurting and just wanted for it to be over. I kept looking at my Garmin as if to try to slow down the time, amazing...I couldnt do it. With about a mile and a half to go, I had 9 minutes to get back. I was sweating bullets at this point. I was feeling like crap. Then I got this sudden urge to kick myself and get past the pain and mash the pedals. I got back to the tent at 9:57. That might have been the fastest I rode all day. 

Jack White inspired...

Liz went off and sealed our 3rd place spot. We were both pretty tired and glad it was over. We ended up with 18 laps, only one behind the pro teams, so I am ok with that. we both rode hard and both wanted a podium spot. We finished 1 lap and 22 minutes in front of 4th. 

Liz was super excited and I am really happy that she got a chance to be on the podium and I am glad I had the chance to share it with her. I didnt have a particularly great race personally, but we did well as a team, and that is what matters.

Bakers Dozen with my blind racer date partner thing

Now, I have never been on a blind date; of course I really havent been on a date since 1987. I have raced Bakers for the last 4 years. It is a fun course and weather can be anywhere from 40° to 75° ( I am hoping for 75°). I have done a 2 man 2x's, solo singlespeed and this year will be my first ever co-ed adventure. This doesnt really have anything at all to with dating.

What would normally happen is that you team up with someone you know or at least know through friends. This is a bit unusual in the fact that I have know idea who Elizabeth Hunter is! My friend and SS racing nemesis John Houghton asked if I knew anyone interested in a 2 person co-ed for Bakers and I said me! I was signed up for solo SS ,but I had so much fun riding with my friend Blake Bricker doing a 2 man (we finished 3rd in the male open-we would have been 1st in the 2 person geezer cat), that I thought this would be a blast. I have never done a co-ed race so I am really looking forward to it.

I have been following Elizabeth on Strava and her me, and we look to be in the top 5 from what I have seen of the list. She is a strong rider. Her only fault? She doesnt ride a SS. Oh well, nobody is perfect. She raced there last year, but says she wants to be competitive this year so she is looking forward to it as well.

Hopefully this year I dont suffer from a concussion and get Rhabdo. My wife still thinks I am an idiot for finishing the race. Idiot? I had to remind her that is Moron. Idiot denotes a completely different "type" of moron. I like to consider myself the more intelligent form of moron. I will let Elizabeth form her own opinion. Who knows, this may become a habit and we become the greatest blind co-ed team ever...

Feeling Good

Well, it was bound to happen. I really did try to stay on track, I did. I tried to maintain focus and tell myself that this is working. Fooey! I am abandoning any structured training. A friend had to remind me that there is no"fun" in training; only raining.

Two weeks ago, I had my last soda; a Dr. Pepper I believe. I also started training in a different arena-diet. I have been monitoring what, when and how I eat. The first week was rough, but this week I feel like new. I mean after a day of hills, I take an easy day afterwards. The new me; I ride hard the next day as well; a real rebel. Oh, wait...I did the second day on the Ferrous SS.

I woke up this morning not quite sure what to expect and headed out to Patapsco. I really thought after the first 1/2 mile 10.5% grade gravel grinder, I would be kapoot, but not only did I feel good, bit moved up to 4th overall (1st in the 45+ age group) on this climb; not what I was expecting. So I continued to ride hard for the rest of the ride for the most part.

Yesterdays road ride yielded a max HR of 193. I have been a bit concerned that I havent reached 200, but thats ok. Todays ride on the ss saw it climb to 195. I was pretty stoked in the fact that I was maintaining 183+ for 3 minutes straight on different occasions.

Yesterdays road ride was a bit strange. I had lower back soreness and tired

legs at the end, so I really shouldnt have had to much-if any gas left in the tank for today. Man, good food is good fuel. I am a true believer in this whole chocolate milk as a recovery drink too. I didnt have any muscle soreness at all today, nor right now. I really wish I had felt like this last week during the race. Oh well, Bakers is next week and I will be teaming up with Elizabeth Hunter for a co-ed make up. I have done the SS solo, 2 man so now this. What is great about this is that I havent even met her! I am a Strava stalker though, so I take a peak now and then.

So I am looking forward to this whole new me thing. What the heck, I am 45 years old, I can do what I want.

Over and Out...

AFC Sugar Hill and a dismal 5th

This will be a very short entry because I am not real happy about my performance. In a nutshell, I had the most miserable race ever-and I knew it right from the start. No power and lower back spasms near the end of the race; not a good sign. I struggled through the entire race and worse yet, there was nothing I could do about it. How I managed to nab the 5th spot is a miracle. Either everyone else felt as bad as I did, or they all had pity on my 45 year old haggard body. I finished six minutes slower than last year, which in all honesty really surprised me; I thought it was slower than that. Strangely enough, everybody's times were way off from last year as well; I guess everyone was feeling blah.

So, I am glad that this one is in the books and I am going to get in the tub and sulk a bit.

No Race, but a day of fun with the kids

Well, the AFC Sugar Hill Race was postponed for a chance of rain which never occurred. It really sucks because this was my taper week for this race now it is sort of screwed up. I was ready and looked to claim another podium spot. I was really dying to ride today, so I gave the kids a choice of a hike or bike; they chose wisely!

We headed out to Gunpowder to check out the trails and take some pics. It is the first time this year I have had them both on the trails together. I figured this would add some competition to the ride-I am so sneaky. It is funny to watch these two together; they are very competitive with each other, especially when I praise one. Before I get a chance to praise the other, they try to out do the others' praise-hilarious.

Gunpowder is a great place to take kids to ride. It is nice rolling doubletrack and singletrack. It does have rocks and roots in spots, so you have to be careful. I have to say, I wasnt expecting them to do as well as they did, but they rocked that trail today. I was really proud of both of them. I never forget to tell them either-they eat it up.

We ended up doing 8 miles in 1hr and 11 minutes-not to bad. What was most important was they had fun and we spent another great day outside (not in front of a computer or tv).

Note to parents-it is never too late to get out with your kids. They will grow up before you know it and you dont want to be that parent that says "I wish...".

I love the fact that like to ride. Not just ride, but ride the trails and see how much fun it is. We take a lot of breaks to check out the scenery (something I dont get a chance to do on my training rides) and learn a little bit about each other too.

So, race cancelled, but it couldnt have been a better day. A day with the Bug and P-zero; yeah, nicknames-dont ask. I have 3 kids, but one is all growed up and bike riding is not on her to do list, but thats ok-she is still a super cool artistic kid. One day I will get her out there. I will have to play the guilt trip on her or something.

It really doesnt get any better than this now does it?

Sugar Hill Pre Game Show

Thats right folks, it's time for the 5th annual AFC Sugar Hill Race. Where fun is had for all (unless you consider redlining in the first 5 minutes fun)! We will see great displays of courage (pride) and determination (cutthroat tactics) on the trails on saturday (unless it rains). Yes folks, with 3000ft of elevation and 22.3 miles, this should be a doozy.

Yes, I have been doing this race since its inception. I love to hate this race. Why? One; it is early in the season and two; it is early in the season and the waterbars climb has your heart rate in zone 9z at the very beginning and there is not alot of places to kick back and relax; climbing is on the menu for today.

I have progressively gotten better here every year. In 2009, I finished 8th well behind first place-to be fair, I really didnt train in 2009, I just went out and rode till I puked. In 2010, I finished 7th with a better showing and 3 minutes faster. 2011, I had my best race thus far. I was actually in the lead for the first two laps and just couldnt hold on at the end and ended up 3rd. This was the first year it was run in the opposite direction which had 3x's the climbing. Last year was pretty good. I finished six minutes faster than 2011 and ended up 4th. Though my placement was one place lower, my time is what I was super pleased with. I really noticed a big improvement in my overall fitness level. This year I feel I am in the best shape ever. My goal is to finish sub 2 hour (2:02 last year). I think it is doable being that I have 58,000 more feet of climbing and have done a boat load of endurance miles to boot.

I feel pretty tight right now and this week I have been doing E2 riding. Last year I made a crucial error and 3 days before the race, went out and hammered the course for 3 laps and then some. It was fun I have to admit, though.

The forecast is showing rain, so we shall see how this whole thing plays out.

Just some perspective, maam

Well, last year at this time on was on my way to what I thought was going to be a pretty good season; I dare say even my best. Then things happened and the wheel fell off the cart so to speak.

It is funny how certain things matter more to someone; even things that arent that important in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I could lose my job, and yet it wouldnt be as bad as not finishing a race as well as expected. Sure, it would suck for a bit, but you move on. Now you may say that my priorities are outta wack; maybe so, but to me a job can be had at anytime, maybe not one that you would consider palatable, but a job none the less. Cycling is what makes up who most of us are-at least cyclists anyway...duh. I mean, every january you cant wait to get going and start training and pushing your body beyond what you ever thought was possible. You dont get up monday morning and treat your job the same way you would approach your cycling goals for that same day-be honest. We live to ride... literally. I am fortunate enough to work doing the thing I love to do outside of work.

There are days were I sit and think long and hard about racing and what it means to me and is it worth the effort every year to push myself to get better even as I get older. Yes. Do the jitters every go away as I line up with guys that are younger and faster than me? No. Is it worth it to go out at every race and try to hang with these guys knowing that some are in better shape than myself and push even harder than I should? Yes. Is it worth it at the end of every race knowing I raced a great race and proved I can still do this and do it reasonably well? Most definitely. Is it worth it to go and push myself against guys half my age and beat most if not all of them? Hell yes!

I dont like to lose...period, but even finishing 3rd or 5th is not losing; you finished-and trust me, some races you win if you do just that. I see mountain bike racing differently than most do I think, though. When I go to race, I dont ever go with the assumption of winning. I know, "Why the hell do you go then" you say. Here is my take. Mountain bikers are unique in the fact that, unlike most roadies, it isnt about cut throat tactics that are meant to demoralize ones efforts. It isnt about how expensive your ride is or even what you wear. Mountain bike racing is about pushing yourself to the limits of pain you cant imagine. When you pass someone or get passed, they hurt as much if not more than you do. It comes down to who can tolerate the pain longer.

When I race, I go to beat me...thats it. I dont care what anyone else is doing or has done, I go knowing I trained hard and if I did everything right, I will place in my usual top 3-5 (with a win sprinkled in here and there). I have learned in the past the hard way that if you spend too much time wondering and scoping out the competition, you end up going down a long path of disappointments. I am fortunate to have a wife that digs me but doesnt care for racing-but she is there every race and that makes all the difference in how I race most of the time.

Now, I am not saying that you should ignore what everyone else is doing, you have to peak in every once in a while, but dont get caught up in the logistic stuff; worry about you and everything will be fine. My goals at every race are to exceed my times from the previous year. So far, I have done that and more. I know at some point in my life, that aint gonna happen as much, but I will ride the fun coaster until it derails.

So, somehow that went more to the racing aspect of riding than I originally planned, but its my blog. In a nutshell, get out and ride and sometimes ride hard and if Joe Hammertime shows you up, thats ok. Just ride your ride.

Goals

I would not classify myself as a long term goal setter. They are just to hard to accomplish with everyday life. You set yourself up to get a big punch in the gut most of the time and then you feel guilty about something that was never attainable from the start. Aim low, finish high-my motto. I mean, I am 45-not that I am saying that is old, but  you never know when the legs will start to head south and you will be forced to make some adjustments in your riding style. So long term goals aint for me brotha. I do have a few cycling goals that I really do try to accomplish each year, though; not many but enough to keep from disappointment.

The first one is to try and stick to a training plan. That has really only happened once, and that would be this year so far. I have been putting in a lot of endurance miles and really concentrating on keeping my heart rate in the proper zones; so far, so good.

The second goal is to finish in the top 5 in every race. Now, funny thing is as I have gotten older, this has become "easier." Now I am not saying that it is easier physically so much as it is mentally, but racing against people half your age requires some adjustments to the way I have thought and acted about racing in general. My main goal during each race is not necessarily to beat a certain individual, but to better my times from the previous year(s) races. If I can accomplish that, I know I will finish well. Now, I have been getting faster after I turned 40 and taking some good chunks of time from year to year; how long this will last... who knows.

The last goal and most important for me is not letting my nerves get the best of me. I will try to say this without sounding arrogant, but I consider myself a pretty fast rider. I am certainly not the fastest, but I can hang with some pretty fast people. Anyway, "how am I gonna do" or "I am super nervous about who I am racing against," never fails to enter my daily thought patterns at least a few days before a race. I have yet to conquer this goal. I may have to conjure up some secret formulated drink that takes away butterfly's and replaces them with some teen angst mixed with a little Henry Rollins and a dash of zippity do da just for good luck.

So, remember to aim low and you will always finish better than you thought.

I have a Problem

Yes, I have a serious problem; I love to ride my bike(s). Problem you say, that isnt a problem. You would be correct in saying so. No, my real problem is wanting more bikes so I can love to ride my bike(s) even more. Working at a shop does not make it any easier either. Saturday I succumbed to my desires once again. My friend Daniel had a Redline Flight Monocog 29er frame that just happened to my size. Of course it is another steel ride. I ended up trading my Fox fork for it; the Singlespeed Moron only goes rigid. It seems that you can never have enough horses in the stable. I outfitted this one with some extra stuff laying around; RXL wheels, Stylo OCT crank Elixer CR brakes and of course a Cane Creek 100 headset (as with every bike I own). All told comes in at 22.5 lbs. The top tube comes in 2 inches shorter than my Ferrous or my Superfly ss's, so I mounted a 120mm stem-never thought I would ever use one of those again, but it worked out nicely.

I took it out for a short ride on sunday and was really blown away on how quick this bike is. I attribute most of it to the short wheelbase. Look closely and you can see how close the rear wheel is to the seat tube. I could really feel how quick it was when mashing on the pedals; it just moved. I got this bike to be my "beater" bike. You know, the bike that you dont care if something happens to it? I dont have one of those and it looks like that will continue. This rides to nice to be that bike. The only issue I had (caught it before my actual ride) was when applying the rear brake, the torque from the brake would cause the wheel to hit the left chain stay. My remedy was to take a nut and bolt and place it in the gap between the sliders and the frame and POOF, problem solved. I know this should not happen, but I got it second hand.

If you are looking for a pretty nice frame, give this one a look. This one is a 2009, so I assume the sliding dropouts are fixed on the current models. Pretty funny how things work out. My first SS was a Flight monocog 26er ss in the non ferrous version.

So my problem doesnt seem to have a cure. I tried more cowbell, but that just made me dance. I tried listening to The Cure, but that just made me sad in a good way. So, I will continue to ride and collect. Look at it this way, the more I collect, the more ideas you will have for purchases. Think of me as a free ss consultant.

Catching up with my previous passion

Well, I decided to break out the drawing utensils and put them to the test. I havent done a pencil illustration in about 15 years. So how better to throw an anniversary party than to do a quick portrait of my oldest daughter. Well, this was drawn from a photo when she was 9. Portraits are the most difficult when they are family members just because you know every shape and curve and any deviation from that sticks out like a soar thumb.

Freehand drawings are super difficult because you have nothing to go by other than your eyes and being able to transfer that without anything but, well your eyes. I dont ever use projectors or grids or anything. Anyway, off to visit the sandman and dream of another day where I draw something else...maybe someday.

I thought I was done with School?

I am 45 years old, 3 kids a wife and work full time...time to go back to school. Well, not that kind of school. I have been to Park Tool School and recently to level 1 fit school.

It has been a great experience to go to some of the different vendors such as Sram, Cane Creek, Park Tool, FSA, Fox and Mavic. They all offer unique and not so unique products. It was a great opportunity to catch up with some of the people behind the products, too. Ed at Sram is one of the best out there for sure; just a great guy to sit and chat with.

Getting a chance to rebuild Fox and Rock Shox forks to keep the skills sharp makes for a great opportunity to share and learn knowledge from and with others. Of course, you cant discount the schwag either. T-shirts and hats from Sram and a very cool headset toolkit from Cane Creek. I love seminars...

Today I spent time with Richard Schwinn from Waterford/Gunnar and Chris Nurre from Fit Kit Systems. Lots of knowledge and lots of numbers! I love numbers! I got a chance to meet some cool people from all over the country and swap stories and just good ole fashioned bike banter. I got a free fitting myself and was dialed in pretty close. My saddle height was 5-8 mm off, so not bad. So, I am an official Level 1 graduate. I am going back next year to finish level 2 and 3.

It has been a good year so far in every aspect of my life. Cant wait to see what comes down the road next. Hopefully it isnt a truck driving on the wrong side of the road.

Loyalty...and it isnt mans best friend

What could be better; my logo design at the shop I work for (a tad bit different, but what better advertisement than this) on the back of Ralph's calf.

Ralph is a super nice guy that has bought a few custom bikes from our shop including a Gunnar and Waterford, and some others as well. I have to say that this is THE DEFINITIVE example of customer loyalty without question. I havent yet decided to get my skin poked and stuck by the one thing I fear most, but this makes me feel the dark powers within urging me to take the leap...nah.

This is how you know you are doing things right at any shop. I wanted to tease him and say that  "Wow Ralph, that is freikin' awesome, but what is Sanitation Jello?" Anyway, it is a good thing that he got it on his calf; he is the kind of guy that would be just crazy enough to get it on his arse, and that would be a picture you would not see here.

You Rock Ralph, but this doesnt mean you get free stuff!

Its a Wrap

So, thus ends another january of base miles with a dash of effort. I really tried to stick to my guns this year and get as many "true" E2 base miles as possible.

What makes this such a strange, yet successful january is that of 727 miles, 690 came on the road. I usually mix in more mtn rides which ends up not staying in Z2 which leads me to gradually scoot away from my training plan. So of the 37 rides, only 2.5 were dirt ventures (One was a partial road/mtn deal). 

I have to say that I am feeling really good now. I have seen my hr level out a bit and not staying above the clouds for the entire ride. Another curious note; 20 achievements on Strava all came by way of the tarmac. Last year I had 15, 11 of which were dirt oriented. Since joining the Chesapeake Wheelman, I have been talking with those in the club about doing a few road races this year along with a couple TT's. I know, dont hold that against me; age is starting to play mean tricks on my mind. 

Ok, so 45 isnt exactly the young stud when it comes to cycling, but I think my trend of getting faster as I get older will continue-at least for the near future. I did notice something that I am not accustomed to-slow recovery after a race. Yep, it took me a good 3 days to feel good after saturdays mud fest. Now, the being the conditions were a little more extreme than usual had a bit to do with recovery I'm sure, but still not ready for that phase yet. May have to do some fancy manipulation with the training schedule, but all will be fine.

Anyway, enough mindless banter and off to nighty night.

Snot Cycle or aka Slop Cycle and nabbing 5th

Well, this was the first race for me since may of last year, and it couldnt have been better, well maybe first would have been a little better. Anyway, as is every year, Snotcycle was cold, muddy, icy and of course snow layith on the trails. This is the first time I have done Snotcycle  at the new venue at the Freedom Center, so I wasnt too sure how I was going to do. One of the niceties about this race is catching up with friends and "rivals" and seeing how good of shape there in or how much I need to improve.

As usual, the drive down included pre-race jitters and wondering why I still do this. My biggest fear, as with every race, is not doing well. I know I am in great shape considering I am 45 now, which isnt "old", but lining up with guys half your age can sometimes be intimidating.

I decided to go with the Ferrous this year, just because I have never done a Snotcycle event on it and I love this bike; it turned out to be a great choice. I ran my usual 32x18; safe for not knowing the course, a 32x17 may have been better now that I have ridden it, eh next year. This was also my first race donning the Chesapeake Wheelman colors. Lets just say, I was easy to spot. I believe that this is the first mtb race that they have been represented, pretty funny. They are the 2nd oldest club in the country and I get to be the guinea pig for the 1st mountain bike event of the year.

It looked as if it was not going to start real well. I no sooner pulled up to the start and off we went. I was sitting about 25th of 38, so not real smart. As we headed into the woods, I quickly realized that there wasnt going to be too many places to pass. Tight, twisty and slippery made it very tough to get by the slower riders. I have been really working hard this winter and trying to stay focused on my training, so this was really a race against myself. About 1 mile in , I expected my HR to be in the 190's, but it was hovering in the 170's-this was a great sign. So i mashed the pedals and started moving up. What I also was very happy with was my times for the second lap. In the past, I am notorious for having a slower second lap; however today would be different. My first lap was 31:15; not bad, but my second lap was 29:12, and I knew it. I felt fast and passed around 12-18 people.

The third lap had just turned completely nasty. The snow was gone and all that remained was the sloppy mud. This course looks like your small intestines, so the turns were super dangerous if you werent careful. I didnt drink the entire race for fear of crashing. I was very conscious of who was behind me and where they were. I wasnt real sure where I was in the overall standings, but I knew I was moving closer to the top 5 because I could see Bill wheeler not too far ahead. I was running out of miles, though. I tried as hard as I could to catch him, but just ran out of time. I rode a great race and not a single person passed me. I made sure to I kept everyone that was behind me a good distance from me. I didnt slow at the end and felt awesome. I crossed the line in 1:30:12, which is where I was trying to be to get home for my son's birthday party. I ended up in 5th, which is my best finish for this race, even considering the sloppy conditions.

Overall, I rank this as one of my best races ever; at least from a physical standpoint. My HR was low and I was able to maintain great power throughout the entire race, even through the muck and mud. I did find myself staying seated on just about every climb (felt weird, but that was the only way to maintain traction). My seatpost slipped about an inch which really hampered me a bit, but I just stood as much as I could. The goal for this year is to be more econmical. I only spent 1 minute 22 seconds in anaerobic land, which quite frankly, I never would have thought was possible. Normally in a race, I am in Z5 70%ish of the time, so my training seems to be spot on right now.

I think it is going to be a good year...

Getting it together for 2013

January and february in Maryland are usually pretty dismal. Temps are sometimes in the teens with a lot of wind to boot. My traditional winter workouts have mainly been on the trainer. I hate cold and hate cold wind even more. The trainer is safe, consistent and yes... boring at times (what bores you makes you strong), or at least complacent. So anyway, I live in an area that is vertically challenged which makes it hard for me to get some nice road climbs in on a regular basis.

This year, I have a lot more time to ride and have access to some great hills in and around Ellicott City. They are long, steep and everything you would want in a sufferfest of elevation. So I was, uh um, am determined to ride as much of these monsters as much as possible.

This past week, the temps have been in the low 20's with a wind chill added in, made for some 11°-15° days. Now, I could have taken the easy way out and sat on the trainer, but I decided that I was going to ride no matter what. Each ride had me begging to quit and cut it short to get warm, but I didnt and I was really glad of that. I would have felt worse ducking out than I did for the 2+ hours in the arctic blast. I feel as strong as I did last year at is time, if not stronger. The heart rate is getting lower and the legs are feeling great with good recovery times. I have only one ride on the mountain bike this year so far and I really think that has helped with getting in the shape I need to be in.

January 1st, I weighed in at 186, which is my normal weight. This year I am trying to "slim" down to 180 for race season. I know, 6 lbs isnt a lot; it isnt, but put an extra 6lbs on your back or strap it to your 20lb bike and see how it feels. As of today, I am down to 184.5 (darn Wendy's triple cheeseburger), but it was great!

Snotcycle is this saturday and I dont go to push as hard as I would in the spring, but I do try to stay in the top 10, which I have done every year so far. So, like usual, I have the jitters and get a little nervous about racing (especially after last years medical mess), so I have a lot to prove to myself this year.

A "Blast" from the Past

Well, I am finishing up a room for my oldest daughter, when I cam upon something that I dont use (or hear from) as much as I should. No, not my mother-in-law, nor was it a long lost relative coming out of the woodwork seeking money; he would have to look elsewhere I am afraid. No, it was something that my mother didnt want to take with her into her new dwellings. Thats right, you guessed it, a 1961 Magnavox Astrosonic console HiFi record player! Man, you guys are good.

This has been through a lot over the years; including me playing it as loud as possible-and trust me, this thing is louder than anything you can get today-while dressed up as Ace Frehley with a blue bulb plugged in at the old Oak Grove apartments from 1975-1979. You know, I never had one person complain? It went through a complete ceiling collapse in 1986 and still plays. I have been debating on wether or not to sell it or keep it.


I mean it is 1960's french provincial

style furniture. I dont walk around in powdered wigs, nor do I wear knickers either.

I guess from an artistic stanpoint, it is beautiful. Handmade in Fort Wayne, Indiana of the finest mahogany. It reminds me of the guy in Office Space in the basement all alone and forgotten.

Well, today I cleaned it and plugged it in and put on hmmm...let's see here; Duane Eddy...nah, Beach Boys...no, how bout...NO WAY, I forgot I had this! SGT Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by the...BEE GEES! YESSSSSSSSS! You know, I missed a whole week of school seeing this at the movies at Golden Ring Mall with Michael Bowling. Of course, those of you old enough to remember, you could sit through as many showings of a movie as you wanted. Ahhh, the good ole days.

Ok, back to earth. So, this thing still sounds amazing for a solid state contraption with more tubes than Dr. Jekyll's laboratory. Yeah, nothing like Peter Frampton (aka Billy Shears) vocalizing to "With a Little Help from my Friends."

So, I think I am going to keep her around a little longer. Maybe I will dress her up in the latest fashions from IKEA and try to fit her into whatever scheme we having going on right now and enjoy some Andy Williams or Englebert Humperdink whilst I play along on the trap set.

Its a numbers game

Well, it is coming to the end of yet another fun filled year on the bike; ok may wasnt all that fun. Come to think of it, the rest of the year was kind of a throw away year for me-at least from a racing stand point. I learned that I dont like hitting my head. I dont like hospitals (especially visiting the same one twice within 3 weeks for an operation and Rhabdo). I dont like not racing. I especially dont like doctors telling me I cant be on the bike for at least 3 weeks after my emergency appendectomy (I cheated and raced the next weekend...shhhhh). That was my last race of the year wayyyyy back in may. I did end up 6th, so not too bad I suppose.

Anyway, despite the crappy year, I managed to pull in my best yearly numbers so far. My goal was to log 8,000 miles, but that aint gonna happen. Still managed 330 personal records (200 up from last year). I logged 2,000 more miles than last year as well. I spent 100 more hours on the bike too. I wish I could have spent that time training, but at least I was able to ride.

Snotcycle is coming up at the end of january and that will kick off the race season early for me in 2013. Eh, who am I kidding; those crazy Mayans have the world ending in a few days. Oh well, I guess next years race season will be in the crapper as well.

My Wife is Awesome Post

I usually dont put too much stuff about family things, but I felt today is "My Wife is Awesome Blogpost Day." I have the best woman a guy who wears tight, spandex pants and thinks sitting on a piece of leather and carbon the size of your hand is comfortable can have. Simply put; she makes me look good. She makes me feel good. We dont always see everything eye to eye, but at the end of the day, we know we are still very much in love with each other.

She completes me and she-I still dont believe this-understands me. She "drags" herself to my races; not because she wants to be there, but because I want her there. She supports my two wheeled addiction because it makes me happy. she enjoys that; making me happy. You see, that is what a marriage is about; making the other one happy. Granted I think my wife has a pretty big lead in this category, but I love her with all that I am. I think she just keeps me around for eye candy anyway.

So anyway, sorry that you had to read the mushy side of the moron, but even morons can get all soft and tender too. After 20+ years, I am still learning about you and wouldnt miss it for all of the bikes I own...hmmm, wait a minute, uh...er, nah just kidding!

Better Late than Never

Well, I never thought I would be hopping on the Fixie band wagon. I mean, I always associated it with dorks who wanna be like Andy Warhol and talk as if they just completed their first semester at Juiard and have nothing better to do than ride around the city doing no-handed track stands for the sake of... ok no more of that.

So as it turns out, Bike Doctor of Linthicum (were I call work home, or is it home work?) is changing the name to Aviation Velo. Me being the artsy fartsy singlespeed good natured moron that I am, I decided to "sell" my web and graphics skills to Jeff in return-at his recommendation-for a made in Waterford, Wi. USA, Fleet Velo steel fixie. Now I have dabbled in the fixie arts before-albeit briefly-and just didnt feel any love for this knee crushing, modern velocipede. I mean could I really look like this guy? Good Lord no.

Well, after my first ride, I am hooked. So much so that it is the only bike I have ridden in two weeks, well other than one ride. I have put 110 miles on it so far. It has taken a few iterations to get it where I feel comfortable with the bars and everything else. I finally settled on Bontrager Crivitz bars. Now I know that it doesnt look like the typical fixie, but that is what I want. It feels like my ss mtb's and that is what I am looking for. I decided to go brakeless which scared me at first, but I have gotten used to it...REAL QUICK. I did have a hard time at first forgetting that freewheeling isnt an option.

I can certainly feel that I have gotten much stronger as well. Funny thing is that It is harder work going down hill than climbing. I havent become comfortable with going too fast yet, so it has really worked the quads trying to maintain a safe speed. This is fast becoming my new training tool for singlespeed world domination, well maybe not. I have it set up with a 42/16, which isnt enough for me. I am going to move it to a 46 or 48 set up. It has Dura Ace track hubs and velocity rims. It has the coolest old school Ultegra Octa-link cranks. The Cannondale Save carbon post rocks; very comfortable and light.

I think incorporating this thang into this years training program will be a huge benefit; at least I am hoping. Anything is an improvement after last years medical mess.

I will keep you abreast on how that works out. Of course if I have a momentary laps of reason and forget to keep pedaling, I may have to take up chess or something when my knees are strewn all over the road.