This past weekend I didn't have to work at the day job. I was excited to get a full weekend off, but wanted to utilize my free time. That meant being productive in all my other interests. I wanted to ride my bike - but needed to make sure I wasn't too tired after. There was a giant writing project looming over me, and I wanted to hangout with my girlfriend and dogs between everything else.
There never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything, but I was extremely close in the last two days.
Saturday was a big day. I woke up at a reasonable hour, drank some coffee and had breakfast, then went straight to the computer to work for a while. I had until 1:15pm to work before it was time to get suited up.
I met up with a few guys for a nice long ride at 2pm. The small group made me nervous. I had yet to finish a long ride without bonking this year, but Saturday was different. Surprisingly, I felt great the whole time. I put in a lot of work at the front, the climbing legs were dancing on the pedals, and I still felt strong enough at the end to keep pushing the pace. In the middle of the week I put in some quality miles, which hadn't been happening recently. It appears the race from the previous weekend and the extra rides have boosted my fitness - an exciting discovery in the middle of the race season.
Returning home, I expected to be a zombie for the rest of the evening, but I still had some fight in me. I pushed to finish the rough draft on my project and stayed up late to do so. It was beginning to feel like a choir (23 pages), so getting the first draft done was the cherry on top of a successful day.
Sunday was all about editing. I hoped for a finished product by the end of the day. 23 pages is a lot and I like to go over important pieces 3-4 times before submitting. I didn't quite make it, but did manage to get two rounds of editing in while finding time to meet Rian for lunch and clean the apartment. I'm still editing today (Monday), but I'm starting to feel close and ready for submission. It will be so satisfying to get this article turned in.
I was impressed with my productivity, so I rewarded myself with some Karaoke at the bar down the street last night. Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground was stuck in my head all week, and I gave a flawless performance. Going out was the perfect cap to a busy weekend and it was important that I spent time with Rian, because we've both been busy with work.
Riding, writing, fun, and even some cleaning. I squeezed it all into one weekend without killing myself to do so. Finding such a good balance was more gratifying than finding my fitness or getting close to finishing my big project. All the hard work and focus is paying off.
Monday, April 24, 2017
Monday, April 17, 2017
Silverton Slugfest
Last weekend was polar opposite to the weekend before. Sunny and semi-warm. The weather had me eager to make up for my inactivity and get a race in. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered I had committed to an event well above my fitness level.
I had never been to the Silverton area before. As it turns out, there isn't a flat stretch of ground to be found. I knew the race was going to be hilly - it's partly why I chose to jump in. When the road tilts up I have a natural advantage. What was in store? - 70 miles, 4 laps on a 17.5 mile rolling loop.
Perhaps I would have had a decent race, if a handful of pro riders hadn't showed up to rip everyone's legs off.
Right from the gun the pace was hot. At the first big climb the field completely blew apart. Starting in the back, due to my comfort level in the group, meant I spent the whole ten-minute climb passing the remnants of the peloton to try and regain contact with the front group. I got pretty close in my solo effort, but was left dangling in a strong headwind. It was then that a small number of us formed the first chase group to get back on. A healthy mix of respected climbers and descenders made our group a safe bet for catching up, but the front of the race wasn't making it easy. It took about ten miles through the wind and rolling hills for us to finally regain contact, and that's when I knew I picked a bad day to race.
The second lap eased up a little, at least to start. The big climb was taken a bit more casually, but riders were still falling off from the chase effort the lap before. I attempted to move up and find a safer spot where I wouldn't yo-yo so much and waste energy. Slotting into seventh wheel, I tried to settle down. Unfortunately, the descent ensured I would find myself at the back again. Not only do I get blown around from my weight during headwind descents, but my Zipp 404's with 20mm tires were stripping away my confidence with every gust. I never really had a moment to catch my breath or eat food easily and we weren't even halfway yet. As we neared the end of the second lap we hit an easy grade section with a brutal crosswind that had the peloton guttered. I was starting to feel comfortable until the pro's at the front of the group started surging in the wind. Being at the back only exaggerated the effects and I had to use a lot of energy to hold wheels.
I made it into the third lap, but I could already feel my legs tying up. I quickly started on my second clifbar and began to pray. It did me no good. By the start of the big hill I blew up. With no power, I watched the group dance away.
We were only a few miles into the third loop and I had 12 miles back to the finish line, where I already knew a DNF was in store. Doing the fourth lap wasn't an option with how shredded my legs already felt. I caught up to another rider who was dropped shortly after me and we started riding together, trying to chat the pain away. A group of four eventually caught us and we pace-lined for a while, until even our casually paced group blew up 5 miles from the end of the lap. I tried to go with the stronger legs, but found myself caught in the middle and soloed to the line. There I waited for the field to finish. I figured they must be halfway done with the last lap by now. Seeing the finish confirmed how hard of a day it was for everyone. The pro's came in together, and everyone else was struggling to reach the line.
Overall, I was actually satisfied with my effort. Had it been a standard OBRA field I think I may have survived the third lap and at least finished the race. More so, I was happy with how hard I fought and held on being, to my knowledge, the most under-trained rider in the bunch. Of course, last year I may have been in the top ten. This year I haven't produced any steady training since October, so I can't expect to be strong.
Ultimately, I need to ride my bike more. I have been running with the dogs most of the week, but my bike rides are few and far between. My heart and lungs are strong, but my legs are not. Twenty miles of sustained power and the legs fall apart. With a few more rides than runs, maybe I can be competitive at Montinore in a few weeks. Oh, and I need to throw some wider tires on my race wheels or I'm an accident waiting to happen on Montinore's descent and tight turns.
I had never been to the Silverton area before. As it turns out, there isn't a flat stretch of ground to be found. I knew the race was going to be hilly - it's partly why I chose to jump in. When the road tilts up I have a natural advantage. What was in store? - 70 miles, 4 laps on a 17.5 mile rolling loop.
Perhaps I would have had a decent race, if a handful of pro riders hadn't showed up to rip everyone's legs off.
Right from the gun the pace was hot. At the first big climb the field completely blew apart. Starting in the back, due to my comfort level in the group, meant I spent the whole ten-minute climb passing the remnants of the peloton to try and regain contact with the front group. I got pretty close in my solo effort, but was left dangling in a strong headwind. It was then that a small number of us formed the first chase group to get back on. A healthy mix of respected climbers and descenders made our group a safe bet for catching up, but the front of the race wasn't making it easy. It took about ten miles through the wind and rolling hills for us to finally regain contact, and that's when I knew I picked a bad day to race.
The second lap eased up a little, at least to start. The big climb was taken a bit more casually, but riders were still falling off from the chase effort the lap before. I attempted to move up and find a safer spot where I wouldn't yo-yo so much and waste energy. Slotting into seventh wheel, I tried to settle down. Unfortunately, the descent ensured I would find myself at the back again. Not only do I get blown around from my weight during headwind descents, but my Zipp 404's with 20mm tires were stripping away my confidence with every gust. I never really had a moment to catch my breath or eat food easily and we weren't even halfway yet. As we neared the end of the second lap we hit an easy grade section with a brutal crosswind that had the peloton guttered. I was starting to feel comfortable until the pro's at the front of the group started surging in the wind. Being at the back only exaggerated the effects and I had to use a lot of energy to hold wheels.
I made it into the third lap, but I could already feel my legs tying up. I quickly started on my second clifbar and began to pray. It did me no good. By the start of the big hill I blew up. With no power, I watched the group dance away.
We were only a few miles into the third loop and I had 12 miles back to the finish line, where I already knew a DNF was in store. Doing the fourth lap wasn't an option with how shredded my legs already felt. I caught up to another rider who was dropped shortly after me and we started riding together, trying to chat the pain away. A group of four eventually caught us and we pace-lined for a while, until even our casually paced group blew up 5 miles from the end of the lap. I tried to go with the stronger legs, but found myself caught in the middle and soloed to the line. There I waited for the field to finish. I figured they must be halfway done with the last lap by now. Seeing the finish confirmed how hard of a day it was for everyone. The pro's came in together, and everyone else was struggling to reach the line.
Overall, I was actually satisfied with my effort. Had it been a standard OBRA field I think I may have survived the third lap and at least finished the race. More so, I was happy with how hard I fought and held on being, to my knowledge, the most under-trained rider in the bunch. Of course, last year I may have been in the top ten. This year I haven't produced any steady training since October, so I can't expect to be strong.
Ultimately, I need to ride my bike more. I have been running with the dogs most of the week, but my bike rides are few and far between. My heart and lungs are strong, but my legs are not. Twenty miles of sustained power and the legs fall apart. With a few more rides than runs, maybe I can be competitive at Montinore in a few weeks. Oh, and I need to throw some wider tires on my race wheels or I'm an accident waiting to happen on Montinore's descent and tight turns.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
I Didn't Go
In the last post I said I would have a race report from King's Valley. Well, I didn't go.
I can justify spending a bunch of money and getting my ass handed to me when the weather is nice and the experience is still fun. But I checked my iphone every two hours yesterday, trying to decide if the weather was going to hold up enough to make the trip. Most hardcore racers would say I was being a chicken, and I definitely was. A good sufferfest hardens you. However, the forecast was stuck on 40 and rainy. I would have survived, but I wouldn't have had fun. And at this point, fun is the only reason I'm going out there to get canned. So, I stayed home this morning.
I woke up and planned to go for a long run. That way I could at least stay a little warmer if I got dumped on, and I wouldn't need to endure it for 3+ hours. It was blue skies the entire time. Ran a good pace, and even took a KOM by two minutes. Regret set in and I started to think I made a bad call. I'm more fit than expected and the weather seemed perfect in Eugene. Then, I heard it started hailing during the bike race...
Pro's
I had a great run and saw hints of fitness
I saved about $100 total in expenses
I wasn't miserable for almost 4 hours
Con's
I'm not the badass bike racer I was last year
I can justify spending a bunch of money and getting my ass handed to me when the weather is nice and the experience is still fun. But I checked my iphone every two hours yesterday, trying to decide if the weather was going to hold up enough to make the trip. Most hardcore racers would say I was being a chicken, and I definitely was. A good sufferfest hardens you. However, the forecast was stuck on 40 and rainy. I would have survived, but I wouldn't have had fun. And at this point, fun is the only reason I'm going out there to get canned. So, I stayed home this morning.
I woke up and planned to go for a long run. That way I could at least stay a little warmer if I got dumped on, and I wouldn't need to endure it for 3+ hours. It was blue skies the entire time. Ran a good pace, and even took a KOM by two minutes. Regret set in and I started to think I made a bad call. I'm more fit than expected and the weather seemed perfect in Eugene. Then, I heard it started hailing during the bike race...
Pro's
I had a great run and saw hints of fitness
I saved about $100 total in expenses
I wasn't miserable for almost 4 hours
Con's
I'm not the badass bike racer I was last year
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
It All Came at Once
It's been over a week since my last post. That's a longer gap than I ever hoped to have on here. But it was for a good reason! I promise.
Last week was one of those times where too many good things happen all at once, and it turns into a stressful balancing act. For starters, it was spring break. That hasn't really been something to celebrate post college. In fact, at the current day-job, it means things get really, really busy. Everyone is off to Mexico, and I'm left walking their dogs and making sure they are given back cleaner than they were dropped off. It was one of the busiest work weeks I've had in months. Normally, I'd just muscle through, but I'm also training new staff how to groom, for when I say farewell. Things were going a little slower than usual, and I was at work longer than expected everyday. If that's all there was to it, it'd be no problemo. More hours aren't so bad. It's the additional exciting stuff that made the long day-shifts seem inescapable.
I finally got some writing work! Not just one piece to work on, but three. So, yeah, I had a lot on my plate. But I took it in stride. "This must be the real world," I thought. There were a lot of hours spent working, a few hours of sleep, and thirty minutes here and there to scarf down pizza. I didn't get much time to run or bike. But I didn't have the energy for it either. And that's OK, because all the hard work paid off. Big time. All the pieces were well received. All the training opened more time for me in the future. And all the pizza was delicious.
This week it seems like the world is trying to repay me for my efforts. On Monday, Rian and I were handed free tickets to Momma Mia. A sweet date night I couldn't normally afford. Yesterday, a day off work. Today, another big project offer, huge tips from grooming customers, and no rain.
I hope to get back to consistent posting here, and consistent riding out on the roads, but knowing all my hard work and persistence is paying off has me feeling good about where I placed my efforts and what the future could hold for me. I have a race this weekend, and it probably won't turnout any better than the last one, but I bet the write-up will rock.
Last week was one of those times where too many good things happen all at once, and it turns into a stressful balancing act. For starters, it was spring break. That hasn't really been something to celebrate post college. In fact, at the current day-job, it means things get really, really busy. Everyone is off to Mexico, and I'm left walking their dogs and making sure they are given back cleaner than they were dropped off. It was one of the busiest work weeks I've had in months. Normally, I'd just muscle through, but I'm also training new staff how to groom, for when I say farewell. Things were going a little slower than usual, and I was at work longer than expected everyday. If that's all there was to it, it'd be no problemo. More hours aren't so bad. It's the additional exciting stuff that made the long day-shifts seem inescapable.
I finally got some writing work! Not just one piece to work on, but three. So, yeah, I had a lot on my plate. But I took it in stride. "This must be the real world," I thought. There were a lot of hours spent working, a few hours of sleep, and thirty minutes here and there to scarf down pizza. I didn't get much time to run or bike. But I didn't have the energy for it either. And that's OK, because all the hard work paid off. Big time. All the pieces were well received. All the training opened more time for me in the future. And all the pizza was delicious.
This week it seems like the world is trying to repay me for my efforts. On Monday, Rian and I were handed free tickets to Momma Mia. A sweet date night I couldn't normally afford. Yesterday, a day off work. Today, another big project offer, huge tips from grooming customers, and no rain.
I hope to get back to consistent posting here, and consistent riding out on the roads, but knowing all my hard work and persistence is paying off has me feeling good about where I placed my efforts and what the future could hold for me. I have a race this weekend, and it probably won't turnout any better than the last one, but I bet the write-up will rock.
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