Welcome to the 2010 King of Burligame!

Let me start out by pointing out that I finished the 2009 race season w/ a double flat,  a cracked rim, and a pretty DNF (admittedly in a pretty good season overall though) .

2010 ain't looking so pretty right now.

Started out training like a maniac.  3 hours x 3 a week on the trainer + 1 1/2 hour recovery rides in between.  15 hours a week on the trainer some weeks.  That a long ass time on the trainer in a week.  Was motived as all hell.  Finally racing Cat 1 and knew I would be lining up against Johny B and Kevin H.  Never had any aspirations to beat them, but did want to try to stay w/ them at least the first lap.  Next year, maybe two laps, etc...  But then at the end of Jan, my knee gave out. Since then have maybe been lucky to get 3 hours a week on the bike. All those months on the trainer,  FUCKING GONE!!!  Maybe...just maybe i hoped I would have some of that left in me.  Maybe....

So nervous about how much fitness I had lost, I barely slept the night before the race.  Got there somewhat late of course and only had about 15 minutes to warm up. Nate and I had pre ridden the course the day before and knew what to expect.  Had chosen my lines pretty successfully during the pre ride and was able to ride everything w/out too much difficulty.   It had some deep water sections and mud sections but the technical sections were mostly dry. It was all very rideable.

Anyways the race went something like this:

It sucked!  It fucking sucked large dirty monkey ass! I flatted 3 miles in, struggled to change the flat since I and the tire were covered in mud.  Also my first air cartridge leaked most of its air before I got it on the tire.   Finally got back on the bike, rode for 2 miles before realizing that when I put my wheel back on, I had put it in crooked and the brake was rubbing like crazy, which also explained the incomprehensible level of energy I was exhorting to barely be moving forwards.  My hr was like 200 + and I was barely doing 5 mph!  In my changing of the tire haste I had also put on the skewer on way too tight, so it took three minutes, lots of swearing and me standing on my rear tire w/ both hands on the skewer to get the %$@! thing to release.  I then proceeded to hit every single %&*^ rock, tree and mud hole there was not only on the course but off the course as well.  Finally finished to DFL my first Cat 1 race of 2010.  Good start of the season, and hopefully not a sign of things to come!

blogging while on the trainer....

I wonder if this would really be manageable: update my blog while I am riding on the trainer.  It would certainly help pass the time and feel half way useful.  Hmmmm...just typing that sentence was pretty challenging.  I should also use google chrome to write it as the build in spell check will be very much needed (is google taking over the world?).  Another thing I need to do is to turn on my music!  There is nothing more painful than being on the trainer, trying to ignore the dirty basement, and absorb that tiny airflow from that tiny fan that is blocked by the lap top w/ only the noise of the trainer!  ....Music...maybe some NIN to get some cadence going........ehhh.......Cocteau Twins instead... almost the same.....

.....One leg drillls...definately no typing during those...Today is supposed to be my third two hour stint  this week on the trainer and ten minutes into this I can already tell there is no way I am going to last longer than an hour!  I am finishing my first week of Base 1, and am trying to focus on efficiency and form.  I usually last about 10 secs (being generous) when consentrating on making pedalling circles and five mins later realized I stopped focussing and am back to mashing the pedals.  Joel Friel states you should try to unweight your leg on the upstroke.  Sounds easy, but dang, pretty hard to implement. 


Damn it's hot in this basement! 

I read the latest edition of the Training Bible by Joel Friel in hopes to be/feel more prepared for my first cat 1 season...am now typing blind as I had to take my reading glasses off since the lenses had become opaque from the sweat accumulation...gotta concentrate on circles again....I did not read the mtb bible as it was getting old and wanted to get the lastest info on training.  Most likely not that much has changed though...oooh, Cranberries makes good spinning music...Book is good.  As others have said, it is laid out in a really easy to understand manner and Joel does a good job braking it into the basic ingredients and then building up a plan that includes everything he covered.  There are certainly Nay sayers out there on the whole base aerobic build but since this is my first year trying it out, I have no feedback yet.  Having read Joel Friel's book, I started to explore coaching and have been absolutely stunned by the cost!  Insane!

Pretty gross thought, but I know I have to increase the air flow when I can actually start smelling my self!!!


Alright, I actually have to stop typing which brings me back to beginning of this entry: no it's not manageable....