Blog updating...? What's that?
Can't believe how long it's been since a write up. But gotta get a least one in for this month.
I think it's safe to guess it's one of the two B's as to why blogs don't get updated. Either things are too Boring or too Busy....
Can't say it's been the former. Work, family, holidays and .....lot's of training. This fall I'd been looking very much forward to getting some CX skiing over winter, things just didn't play out that way however. A couple of miracle winter training aids and I got in an amount of outdoor cycling that would have previously been not fathomable. Back in November I picked up a some Thermic heated insoles. The Lake winter cycling boots I got the previous year ('08) though good -- just didn't cut it once temps got 30ish or colder or if their was any significant wind (10mph or more). Put the two of them together however and not too much can stop a person from some longer winter training rides. The heated insoles cost a fair amount but I gotta say, they've been worth every penny. If you're ever looking for a solution to your feet freezing, seriously consider picking up a pair. Years of riding in stupid cold weather without them only serve to cause nerve damage in my feet. Training on a set of indoor rollers while great for developing your balance and beats the cold weather... really test the limits of my tolerance and interest on riding a bike. If you do check out the Thermic insolves consider getting the lithium ion battery ones and it's alot less maintenance to properly take care of them.
One more year of gearing up for a MTB race season with a cyclo-cross cap at the end. If current training is any indication, my '09 riding/racing season and this winter's training I may have finally kicked my "enduro" problems. The best thing a fellow competitor could have asked for in the past is "just make the race long enough" and the odds of that person out dueling me were probably pretty good. I think I can go reasonably fast... but in as short as an hour or the longest 2 hours I was general toast. The butter-me-up-and-serve-me-with-scrambled-eggs kinda toast.
If a person looks at their abilities, strengths & weaknesses they can quickly sum up where they excel at and where they fall apart or can't muster the effort. I believe each of us has a natural tendency toward something.... a body that can steady utilize it's fuel reserves for hours on end or one that can dissipate levels of lactate acid at high levels of power output. I find it fascinating how similar the motion of cycling is for everybody but how different we all excel under differing conditions and disciplines of cycling. Watch cross races -- muddy versus technical versus power races. MTB races technical versus hill climbing versus the double track "gravel" road races. Same type of things for road cycling.
Coming from some pretty humble results and beginnings as far back as '01, I've somehow managed to climb the rungs slowly and one at a time. Never really any big jumps and a lot of sitting at plateaus. The one nut I never had much luck cracking was the endurance side of the sport. I've learned to go reasonably fast over the years with a lot of interval training but keeping it up past a certain point was always my downfall. '09 I had a couple breakthroughs but with the training I have going on now I hope to solidly put it behind me. Maybe even a NUE 100 miler in my future... perhaps?
Hmmm... only about 100 days til the first MTB race. That sounds pretty exciting when looking at it that way.... it's alittle more motivating than saying it's finally the end of January. Well, I got a great coach in Josh Powers who's somehow been able to understand the demands of my life (running a business, while trying to be a good husband, and father of 3 children under the age of 6). Somehow he crafts a program that "tricks" my body into getting better on some level each year.
If you're reading you're probably racing on some level or at least riding for the love it. I find the battle isn't about winning (though who doesn't like to) -- it's about doing the best you can with the resources you have. Ride and race to have fun or stay in good health or to find out just how good you can become. Is it ok to be curious about what that next guy is doing? Of course, but no two individual's lives are the same. Not only from the physical possibilities we hold but the demands, choices, points in life and other intangibles that make up our lives.
In wrapping up, I'm looking forward to see many of the friends I've made & fellow racers I've had the priviledge of toeing the line with over the years. For those of you think it's still winter and you're out skiing, knock yourself out, have a great time. In a month or two however, you might find those sticks strapped to your feet growing wearisome and the snow to be in short supply....so swing a leg over that old bike of yours (or drool over a new one) you might be surprised at how much you missed riding.
I'm Out..........................riding...
