Saved by a Rollerblader

Tonight's plan: three (3x) 20'minute intervals right at threshold. The difficulty: I shelled my legs last night! I was certainly feeling the fatigue on the first work interval. But I made it. Completing it... I had my reward pickle...



Most refreshing on-the-bike snack ever!

I started the last interval with trepedation. I didn't plan to even finish it, but go into it as long as I could. About 3'minutes into it I *barely* passed a rollerblader. He jumped on my wheel and started drafting me. I was doing over 20mph. This guy jumped on, and stuck. He shouted "hey, am I ok here?" "Yeah, sure!" "Don't do anything too crazy, I don't have any brakes!" Had no idea they could go that fast! Determined not to be dusted by a rollerblader, I kept it pinned steadily. Took the best lines I could avoiding the cracks in the pavement. And he kept perfect pace! How cool? I've never pulled a rollerblader before!

Likely I'd have given up on this interval. The fatigue was setting in hard. But the novelty of pulling a rollerblader at 20+mph around the froot loop was way too much fun to stop!

And thus, with the kindness of a complete stranger I finished my goal. Such is the beauty of training. You never know who/what you will run into that you can share a unique experience with. Mr.Rollerblader departed with a "Thanks for the ride" to which I said "Thanks for the experience!"

A good day on the bike!

Tickets to the Road-ee-o

As one could possibly tell from yesterday's rant... there's a supply issue with the new mountain bike. Not going to get it in time for the spring season. Considered a few options. Riding the old bike, that I'm frustrated to tears with. I could tootle through at a leisurely pace for spring races on it. If I'm not going to put in my best effort... why race?

Spent an entire day being lost. Without a spring season... the next logical goal would be the fall season? Too far away. Too big of a gap. It was a trusted friend that came up with the best solution. Road race. Roadies race through the summer. I can do some spring racing. And it can fit into my schedule pretty good. Never intended to be a roadie. But I also have no intention of being a couch rider either.

Training wise... time to step back and assess. I've been building to mountain bike fitness. Most closely resembles crit racing demands. Short but intense efforts with relative easy parts between. But I'm also considering more challenging goals. Ft.Davis stage race maybe? Don't know if I can get climbing legs by then? A lot to consider. Must keep an open mind...

Holiday Week Bust Up

Last week was a training bust. Started well. But I only managed a quarter of one other ride for the week. Ugg. I've been struggling to put consistant weeks together all year. The rhythm of training isn't there. I need to find it quick. Spring is closer than the cold weather would have us believe!

Life on the Gulf Coast

Record high today. Almost 80°F as I plunge out into this ride. Four days before Christmas. I'm out in a short-sleeved jersey and shorts. Great for riding. Not so great for that Christmas spirit. I enjoy it, even if that makes me a scrooge!

The legs have bounced back nicely. Continued threshold work. The uneventful ride allows my mind to wander and reflect on how winter training is going so far. I'm pleased. My theme has been: Don't make it harder than it is. It is easy to get down this time of year. Weather disruptions and holiday distractions squeeze your available time. Riding in the cold is hard. Riding in the dark is harder. But with good gear it isn't that much harder unless I bathe myself in a sea of dread.

Attitude goes a long way. Hope it holds out through January and February. That's when the weather truly gets ugly.

Character Builder

I vividly recall several rides over the years that I classify as "character buiders". I looked back at a few entries just now. What is a character building ride? A character builing ride is one that test's you in some memorable way. They aren't necessarily hard, but they expand your resolve in some way. They require reach into your desire bank. And you hope you have the balance to cover the check you're about to write!

Tonight was one of those rides. The program wasn't particulary hard. But it was already dark when I was dressing for the bike. It was cold, too. Dark, cold, windy. And I was tired. Long day of working late. But I forced my way out there.

About a quarter way through I wanted to go home and have a nice warm bowl of chili. Then my mind drifted to a question. "What kind of person do I want to be?"

I decided to be the person that finishes the workout. And when it was done, as I enjoyed that earned bowl of chili... I'm glad I did.

Faith

A set of 5x 10min intervals tonight. I'm riding much stronger. Just in time for the 'off season'. Ha! I will take it as I'm determined to ride through this winter season. Perversely, I'm looking forward to the challenge.

My progress stems from the last six months of training. Been a tough few months. I started from a low point. And progress hasn't occurred linearly. Instead my body has stored up most of the gains and is only now converting the training into fitness! It always comes in waves.

This is why it is so important to have faith. One must have faith that training will eventually pay off. Every athlete must have some degree of it. You must have confidence that training will work. Even when it appears it isn't. Not easy!

Admittedly, mine was weak at times over this year. Returning to my preinjury fitness has been far more difficult than anticipated. "I know I can do better than this" dominated much of my thoughts. Faith in my training delivered me through. Without it, I'd still be on the couch...

Struggling Through That Time Of Year

I thought it was just me. But talking several folks, it seems others are struggling with their training as well. There's something about August.

Maybe it is the heat? It is indeed hot. Daily the heat index has been over 100° F. Rather dismotivating. After a week or two, draining. Even with shortened workout duration, the heat just takes the fight outta ya. Who wants to train in this?

Maybe it's the change of the seasons? Like a guest that has overstayed it's welcome... it's time to kick summer out for hanging around. Combined with anticipation of more comfortable training weather ahead, the days seem to drag on endlessly this time of year. It breeds a theme of -- it's time to move on!

Is there hope? Of course. In about three weeks solid signs of fall will be upon us. When I was last at Double Lake, I noticed the first tinges of fall scent in the forest. The forest smells different in the fall, and it's starting to waft out. The days are getting shorter. I'm just starting to notice that I'm needing lights on the end of my evening training.

I'm taking the approach I had post-surgery. When the instructions said "don't make any big decisions today" as a warning for the anesthetic. August is one of those time when not making any big decisions is probably a good idea. It feels like a good time to give up. To succumb to the heat, the fatigue, the dying season. Give it a month. The world be much fresher. Trodding through what's left of the summer will make the fall that much sweeter!

Is March Too Late For...

...new year resolutions? Yeah it's March. But my training year is just beginning. Spent some time thinking of two things on a long drive. The second being... 2010 has the potential to be a transformational year.

What will it take to make a special year? What exactly and specifically should my goals be? What is attainable? These were questions that meandered through my mind as the Texas countryside flew by. The answers fell into place. Not in ephionic moments. Peice-by-peice, softly, gently a few ideas fell into place.

I thought about interim goals. Some of my goals are lofty. Having good short-term goals help. As the "big" goal will be reached by doing the "small" goals along the way. I've never broken down my goals before. I've been scared of having lofty goals. Because, big goals always seemed so far away or too unattainable. Broken into small peices it all seems much more... possible. Milestones help.

Open questions remain. Obviously... can I do it? Will I do it? Will I stay healthy? Will I get injured? Will I have the support of friends, fools and family?

What exactly are my goals? You'll have to ask me in person. I'll tell you if I like you. ;-) I'm not adding to the staring line smack talk and pack chatter for my races ;-). But as the season progresses... stand or fall... I'll chronical it all here.

Changes In the Winds

The weather changes fast this time of year. The pics in today's post are from Tuesday. It was cloudless perfection. No pics from Wednesday's ride because it was raining. About 2:00pm it was bright and sunny. By 5:00pm leadout, misting rain later turning into steady rain. The rains have not yet grown cold. No complaints. When doing a challenging threshold ride, they feel nice and refreshing. The slippery roads make the normally boring road ride much more mentally engaging. I'm glad I'm a mountain biker when the rains come.

I'm still reeling from the Terlingua cancellation. Perhaps if there is anything good about it, it forces me to evaluate my goals for next year. I have never had specific goals about racing, but I want them now.

I worked out some very meaningful goals that related to Terlingua. They can't readily substitute into another race. There is only one Tres Cuevas! It's great to have ONE BIG RACE in big red letters on your calandar to keep you going through the long winter months.

My goals have to morph. But to what? I'm not quite sure.
.

There's Nothing Like A Race

Only a race can truly reset one preceptions about how fast one can ride. Both good and bad. It's exposed the slack in my training the last month or so. The upside, my fitness has improved since the spring season. Definitely not satisfied yet. Will I ever be?

This evening was awesome. Only 78°F at ride time. On the downside... the days are getting noticeably shorter. I ordered a updater today from Saris, so I can use the road bike PowerTap with the Garmin. Soon I'll need the backlight as all weekday rides get pushed into the darkness.

Howabout a simple meal? Step 1, grill some chicken...

Step 2, deglaze the pan with marsala wine and throw in some mushrooms...

Serve with some corn and mashed yams/steen's syrup/nutmeg/cinnamon...

Saddle Therapy

Tough day today. The kind of day that reminds me that working for pay does not equal making a living. This was not the day to go out and push myself. The heart and will just weren't there. That said... riding the couch wasn't an option either. Instead of taking the night off and wallowing in my day; I rode. No training plan. No goals. I put the PowerTap head away into my pocket.

Days like today remind me why I cycle. What did I do before? Sometimes it feels like there are two parts to my life. BC- before cycling and AC- after cycling.

Setting the Scene

The Funky Meters "Fiyo At the Filmore" fills the house with happiness. On deck The Radiators' 07 JazzFest set. A refreshing beverage at hand, and a good book about The Supreme Court rounding out the evening. Only one component short of the perfect night. This is what rest days are all about...

I'm A Pavlov Dog

Been off the bike for my rest cycle. With JazzFest and some tragic events in the rearview mirror, today it was time to get back into the saddle! I glanced at my heart rate monitor as I strapped on the helmet. Hmm... its 15 BPM above normal! I truly am excited to be back! Cool how the body follows the passion (or pains) of the heart!

Today was a simple 2-hour base ride. Boring, but necessary. The knee was stiff and balked at any heavy load/low cadence combo. My muscles felt good and curiously strong. What they say is true. You really do gain strength when you rest providing you've done the training beforehand.

Tomorrow it ramps up to a tempo ride, then some short intervals to see if there's any pep in the engine.

Mind Games

On the road to Aransas Pass on Monday... this was good. It gave me lots of time to ponder and reflect. I learned ALOT from Sunday's race. Things that you can only learn by actually doing the race. No regrets about doing the race, but bothered by the fact that I didn't finish.

Certainly, there are some changes to my training regimen required. That's the easy part. The hardest part lies in my own head.

NEGATIVE INNER VOICE?
My #1 racing goal is self-discovery and improvement. I discovered something Sunday - my negative inner voice.

On the downhill portion of the start loop, I came on this steep, but short climb. It was steep enough that I couldn't see the other side. But I carried enough speed to get over it - barely. As I came over the top I could see it was a steep drop off after the peak. I don't know if it was the look on my face or I said something, but one of the spectators said "Go for it, you can do it!" I looked ahead and a 12-year old girl (who passed me!) had just cleaned it. I went for it. After realizing I was going to make it, the same spectator let out a big "whoo-hoo" perfectly in time with what I was saying on the inside! (I was panting too hard to let out any whoo-hoos!). It was fun as hell!

When I thought about this later, it struck me that if I had come upon that hill and saw "oooh fun" instead of "can't make that" I'd have a much better time!

Like I've always said, racing exposes your weaknesses and barriers to success. My negative outlook is easily hidden away in most of daily life - from others and myself. But it's still present. That negative outlook is debilitating on single-track, and in life too. And Sunday, it was on broad display to even spectators! This is the most important single thing I can address; because it's fundamental to everything I do from training to race day.

Back...sorta.

Late last week it appeared that my flu/caugh was making a break for the lungs! All week I took it easy, ate my Vitamin C, ate some mucous relief pills to keep the lungs clear, and slept - A BUNCH! By Saturday, I was probably 85%. Some amazing homemade chicken soup - THANKS JANE! - it was the death blow to the flu/cold/cough. Like all good food, it was as good for the soul as it was for the pallet. It put me the top.

The ribs felt great, too. Saturday night I celebrated some long missing action from my bed. That's right gentle readers - I was able to roll over onto my side!! TADA!!Not the side that I fell on. But nonetheless, it was the first time in two weeks that I could sleep any position except on my back. I was stoked! I could hardly sleep, anticipating good weather and my first ride in two weeks.

THE SNEEZE.
I woke up Sunday to beautiful weather. Ribs-OK. Flu/cold/cough-OK. Ready to Ride. But first I made breakfast. As I was cooking my omlette, I felt a sneeze coming on. I used my sneeze avoidance method. I've got this technique down. Pinch the nose, breathe shallow and verrrry slowly. KABLAMMM! It hit with my nose pinched off! That Hurt! Despite the smoke rising from my pan, I could barely even move for what seemed like an eternity. By time I finished off my breakfast, I was knotted up and hurting too bad to ride. RATS!

MONDAY BAG
Still hurting I had to sleep on my back Sunday night. It was worse Monday. I took a good 10 minutes to get out of bed. Gosh, Monday was a tough day. Achy ribs, discouraged, and I had to fire someone. On the drive home I decided I was going to beat the pain, or it was going to beat me. I put some sag into the fork, jumped on the bike, tender ribs and all, and hit the gas. The softened fork helped. The ribs still hurt. The well rested legs felt amazing! They were urging me on. The pain of breathing deep kept me at a slower pace than I wanted. It still felt sooooo goood to be back! Dare I say theraputic?

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
I'm not sure where to resume training. Before this interruption I was in the middle of a build period. Can I resume there? Do I need to go back and work some base mileage? I'm just not sure.

All Peaks, No Valleys

Offshore projects are filled with peaks and valleys-just like a season of training. Unfortunately both my project and training plan are peaking out at the same time! For the last three days workdays have stretched late into the evening. Then followed by a strength workout that has stretched the evening even later. These strength workouts are leaving me very tired. After training, its immediately off to sleep. Sleep time has been at a premium this week. Lunchtime naps rawk - and refresh!

Although my days have pushed deep into the night, its hard to imagine not having the balance and release training provides. That said, tonight is time to catch up on home chores and social activities. I have a lot of catching up to do on those two fronts! No work, no training, early bedtime. Perhaps a few happy hour beers, first.

There's Something Up In The Sky!

I'm going outside to check out this big, bright, warm, ball of light that's up in the sky. I heard someone say it's called "Sun". I vaguely remember it, but it's been a long time! YEEHAA!

JazzFest Lineup Is Out!

JazzFest lineup is >HERE<. The first weekend is... well... underwhelming... Hopefully there will be some good afterhour shows to fill in the gaps... Second weekend with Trombone Shorty and DUMPSTAPHUNK looks promising!

This is the first year in a while that I'll be doing the entire week. I can't wait for spring ot get here!

HERES A GOOD PREVIEW OF MAS O MENOS

I signed up for the first TMBRA race of the year not knowing where in God's tarnation where Terlingua was. I figured... hey it's in Texas, it can't be that far... little did I know...



But this looks like too much fun to pass up!!! ROAD TRIP!!

Some Quotes, Because I'm Bored.

Your "Ha-Ha" friends will talk with you about people. Your good friends will talk with you about things. Your best friends will talk with you about IDEAS!

- Mark Worthington

Certainly grief is the price we all pay for love.

-Gretchen Jackson, co-owner Barbaro

I want to surround myself with people who help me stretch my vision and not choke my dreams.

-Chuck Amato

Those that have abandoned their dreams will discourage yours.

-?

Like most aspects of biking, and life, as soon as you think about the odds of making it through or over an obstacle your doom is sealed.

-?

Never confuse activity with acheivement.

-?

Gumbo Fest I

Last night was gumbo night at Casa-de-Dave. My friends Amanda, Amanda, David, Jane and Mason came over for a batch of chicken-and-sausage gumbo I brewed up. I used lots of vegetables...



... and a roux.



Turned out OK.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE!!
Jane brought over her own pot of gumbo, too! One of the beauties of gumbo is no two taste alike, and no one makes them the same. Having two gumbos, turned "gumbo night" into Gumbo Fest I. It was awesome to have a diversity of flavors to sample from. Jane makes an wonderful gumbo, with a very rich and hearty flavor. Yum! The flavor from her roux was really good!

Good food, good friends. The gumbos were good not only for the tastebuds, but for the soul too. That's what Cajun cooking is all about!

JEEZ I LOVE THE SOUTH
After my previous pondering of cold weather training... this forecast is encouraging:

.SATURDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ANDTHUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. SOUTHEASTWINDS 10 TO 15 MPH.

Someone over at GHORBA.org reported that Huntsville is in good shape as of yesterday. Should be fantastic out there by Saturday!

Ironically, I got a note today from an buddy living in Michigan. He just installed a heater in his garage. He's all happy because it can keep the temperature at almost 50-degrees! HA!

SILLY SEASON
My buddy Tim calls this time of year the "silly season", because of all the craziness surrounding the holiday season. In motorsport, this time of year is the "silly season" because it's when everyone is out pandering for sponsorship money for next year. Let's be honest here - 'tis the season to go begging for money from anyone who will listen.

The last couple of years I was a silly season participant. I think I'm going to sit this one out, and concentrate on bike racing. One certainty of motor racing is the expense.

How do you make a small fortune in racing? Start with a big
one.

Unless you have a lot (multiple millions) your opportunities for success are dependent on others willing to give you large sums of money. I don't like that.

What I do like about bike racing is that I far more control over the outcome. I'm dependent upon myself to do the training, maintain a good diet, and live a healthy lifestyle to acheive success. Self-determination is a wonderful thing. Only a fool would choose a sport (or life) where self-determination isn't available.

It's funny to look back on the last year. I started biking to improve my fitness for motor racing. Now the tables have turned! I didn't think racing a bike would be exciting enough. Turns out, cutting along down a downhill at 25mph trying to pick a good line as the terrain rushes up to greet you, while ping-ponging off of rocks is damn exciting!

I'm not giving up on motor racing. I'm going to build race team some day. Period. But for now, I've got some things to learn from bike racing. Things that will certainly help me later. They have already helped me in life.