ARE WE EATING TOO MUCH?
IN THE MAD DASH to fuel for, and the recovery from, the next heavy training session, is it possible we might overdoing it...
... to our detriment?
I mean, look around.
For a herd of endurance athletes...
... are we gazelles or elephants, or somewhere in between?
The reason I'm asking is today, after a fairly rigorous start...
- 5:30 am start, as always underslept, normal rise is around 6am.
- 60 miles, 5000' of vert, 225w Normalized (good for me)
- over an hour at threshold or above
... I felt unusually awesome.
What I did was...
- Ate light dinner vs a bunch of extra carbs
- Pre-ride skipped the oatmeal in favor of 3 Trader Joe's peanut butter cups.
- Got home, pounded a Fair Life chocolate milk vs. a pile of Kodiak cakes and a smoothie.
... not on purpose or as a test.
Just life.
Hanging out with one of the grands all evening before.
Getting home to a work crew taking over the downstairs and clearing out amidst the chaos so I could get some work done.
Results are in...
- slept amazing
- had awesome energy all morning
- and cranked out a buncha work before noon
... and I'm asking a legit question.
Am I eating too much?
===
163.8lbs/12.5%
7sh hours sleep
640 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 10 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), Bulgarian split squats with 25lb dumbells, nordic curls, heel and toe raises
89/109/-20 per Strava Power & Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Black List, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
WHAT IS AN EVENT SO GOOD WE WOULD PAY TO HOST?
THE BEST EVENTS OFTEN START WITH NEED AND PASSION, or both. They grow organically from there until...
... they are famous and selling out.
What would be one so good we'd be willing to bankroll it ourselves?
Free entry.
That was the question on a recent Founders podcast.
It got me thinking the...
- lots of people I'd want to hang out with
- and be challenged and stimulated by
- share the experience with
- add in some killer eats
- outrageous awards
- swarm of vendors
... things that would be worth it.
That's the kind of event I'd be interested in putting together.
In the meantime...
- parting with our cash to help finance it
... isn't that what we are basically doing when we register for any event?
===
163.8lbs/12.5%
8sh hours sleep
480ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 50 push ups, 10 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), Bulgarian split squats with 25lb dumbells, nordic curls, heel and toe raises
86/90/-5 per Strava Power & Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Black List, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
TWO NOTEBOOKS
DOCUMENTING OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS is something many of us do. Whether it's a framed race photo, or race numbers with medals on the mantle...
... if it matters, keep it memorable.
What about the future?
Do we document that?
Each morning I bust out two notebooks...
- just after reading something uplifting
- meditating on it
- before all else
... one for imaging the future, one for the todos.
The dumb ideas get axed,
the good ones have a shot at life.
The tasks get completed and crossed out,
the survivors either get done or killed.
What does that have to do with racing, life?
Everything.
===
Deeper Dive
To image the future is to deliberately build a picture of what has not happened yet so that picture can shape what you do now.
It is not fortune-telling and it is not daydreaming. It is the constructive work of taking pieces of memory, observation, values, and desire and assembling them into a scene, a feeling, or a story of a possible tomorrow.
How the mind actually does it
Your brain uses the same machinery for remembering the past and picturing the future. It pulls familiar people, places, objects, and emotions out of storage and rearranges them into events that have never occurred. Neuroscientists call this constructive episodic simulation. People who lose the ability to recall personal memories often also lose the ability to vividly imagine their own future.
There are at least four related modes:
- Simulation — constructing a specific scene (“I see myself finishing the climb, breathing steadily”).
- Prediction — estimating likelihood.
- Intention — deciding what you want.
- Planning — laying out the steps.
They usually operate together.
Why the pictures matter
Sociologist Fred Polak argued that the images a person or a culture holds of the future are a driving force of history. A living, attractive image of a better world pulls people forward; a decaying or purely catastrophic image produces paralysis or decline. The pictures are not just reflections of reality—they help create it by directing attention, effort, and courage.
That is why practices such as writing a “best possible self” letter, running scenario workshops, or simply sitting still and seeing a concrete good outcome in detail can change mood and behavior. The image becomes a reference point you can steer toward.
Two common mistakes
- Treating the image as a rigid prediction instead of a working sketch that can be revised.
- Only imaging disaster. A mind that rehearses only collapse has less material with which to invent alternatives.
Imaging the future, then, is the act of making the not-yet visible enough that you can start living toward it today.
===
162.6 lbs/12.4%
9ish hours sleep
480ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), Bulgarian split squats with 25lb dumbells, nordic curls, heel and toe raises
87/98/-12 per Strava Power & Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Black List, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
SOMETIMES PRE-VIEWING IS JUST A HECKUVA A GOOD REMINDER
THE FIRST WE EVER RACE A COURSE, taking the time to recon from parking to finish, even if it's just the first 5 miles...
... can pay oodles and oodles.
If we have the time,
pay the dime.
Pre-view it all.
But, what if we've already raced it?
Trust me on this...
- the turns
- the sunlight angles
- how the herd responds over undulations
... we'll never have the course as dialed as the locals.
I was reminded of this today
- 36 miles
- 4500' of vert
- most of it off road
... pre-riding the first 33ish miles of our upcoming epic SurfNSummit.
The reminder wasn't the route so much as these specific issues...
- check your batteries - the one day I don't check the shifter batteries the night before and my casual spin to the start turns into sprinting home to replace a 2032 and then pin it to meet the crew - we don't wait, ever.
- respect the pre-ride like we'd expect the race day - I went low on my calories/bottle and extra gels in the pocket and really suffered for it on the way back
- if at all possible - have the cold/icy water if it's going to be hot vs the "room temperature" free water that was as warm as the outside air of 100º. this made eating the NutttrButtrs during the last 90 minutes impossible because my stomach wasn't loving the hot water
- have the bike in the finest working order - that fouled rear 2-speed unable to access my 3 lowest gears made the 50 minute climb unnecessarily challenging
- pace to race - in this case, while grateful to have 4 of the posse join us, they weren't doing the whole thing and rather than high zone 2, we were bouncing between tempo and threshold for the first 90 minutes, which is not the plan for the epic adventure
... that said, it was great to push the pace and be reminded of such idiocy.
Interestingly, while the big climb was a definite grind, and with the superlow cadence I couldn't put out as much power...
... my time was only 7 seconds slower than during the event last year.
Go figure.
No.
Go preview,
as much as possible.
And if we can't in person,
we try and dig up some YouTube intel.
===
165.4 lbs/12.4%
7ish hours sleep
480ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), Bulgarian split squats with 25lb dumbells, nordic curls, heel and toe raises
89/113/-24 per Strava Power &Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
SHARPENING THE EDGES WITH ANGER
HAVING CONTROL OF OUR EMOTIONS on race day doesn't mean just playing it cool. Some emotions are better than others...
... for those who know how to harness them.
Like anger.
I'm not ashamed to admit, below that happy go lucky, come what may demeanor...
... is one hacked off dude.
If I have to/I've been known to...
... conjure up the most heinous reasons to crush the least deserving, most innocent competitors on the line.
Don't worry,
they never know.
Anger works for me.
I had a business partner say...
... you're so mellow
and
... dude, you have authority issues
... during the same meeting!
lol
Here's the real dill.
When I was younger it was uncontrollable and cost me a lot of points on the tennis court and life in general.
These days, if I'm rejected, disrespected, doubted, stomped on...
... that rocket flame of anger is powerful stuff.
Suddenly, I have this amazing laser focus combined with get outta my way energy.
I love that.
- heck no I don't want cookies
- heck yes I'm doing that work out
- heck no I'm not staying out late
- heck yes I need that upgrade
It's way better if I can get it going months, sometimes years in advance, but...
... making it up on the start line is a great way to lock in and race.
You might be askin' What the heck is wrong with you Diesel?...
... let's just say getting rejected on a home we were trying to buy has me pouring jet fuel on PEDAL industries.
Yeah,
harnessed anger is lit.
===
163.4 lbs/12.4%
8ish hours sleep
480ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), Bulgarian split squats with 25lb dumbells, nordic curls, heel and toe raises
155/138/17 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
>
REAL VISION
ALONG THE WAY to a glorious A race we face a lot of decisions. Some are micro, others macro. How we handle them...
... depends on our vision of how it will end.
What are we seeing?
I've long been fascinated with visualization techniques.
Once I learned of the concept via the great Denis Waitley's Psychology of Winning...
... the pieces began to fall into place.
Things I was underconciously aware of suddenly made sense.
The question that remained was...
... Could it be mastered and controlled?
From a practical standpoint, I can confirm that having a clear vision of how I want to cross the finish line...
- good food choices
- commitment to excellent sleep
- making time for and executing the critical workouts when desire is flat
... has given me the strength to accomplish the steps necessary along the way.
Which lends immense and undeniable confidence as the A race approaches…
… because we approach all the prep as if the finish has already happened.
We literally see everything with new eyes.
But, what if it works in all areas of life, not just racing?
What would that be worth,
what does it tell us about our present circumstances...
... what are we going to do about it?
===
162.8 lbs/12.4%
8ish hours sleep
480ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), Bulgarian split squats with 25lb dumbells, nordic curls, heel and toe raises
158/156/2 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
SPRINTING FOR THE WIN
UNLESS WE ARE ACTUALLY sprinters, racing events on the track or crits, it's unlikely we'll ever sprint for the win. We might race our pals to the city limits sign or...
... bang bars with other pack fodder.
So, why practice sprinting?
Here are my top reasons...
- to maintain, increase strength
- as a supplement to weight training
- to cement in neuromuscular connections so I can harness said power
... I have one dedicated sprint day per week.
This is not an interval session,
with efforts lasting minutes.
Yuck!
This is all out getting after it,
in bursts of 5-15 seconds,
spaced with full recovery.
I like to do 'em offroad.
Tonights was particularly fun.
Yes fun!
On the downhill sections, any time I had a chance to get on the pedals hard and keep my speed up, I went for it.
Not only was I recruiting the sprint muscles...
- legs
- butt
- core
- back
- arms
- shoulders
... I was reinforcing how it all works together over rapidly changing terrain.
Which is, in a sense, sprinting for the win.
The win being staying strong and coordinated.
===
163.4 lbs/12.6%
7 hours sleep
480 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 60 push ups, 14 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 20 box jumps (24"), Bulgarian split squats with 25lb dumbells, nordic curls, heel and toe raises
161/170/-10 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THE F-WORD NOBODY WANTS TO USE
IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE the amount of reasons we can come up with when we find ourselves OTB (off the back)...
... whether it's dropping anchor or slipsliding away.
Bring on the excuses.
Like today's TMWC stacked with visiting hitters...
... we were pinning it something vicious, all the way..
Until I started spinning the slowslide of shame,
with five miles to go.
Giving me plenty of time to think of all the reasons...
- haven't shaved legs since July
- got to bed to late
- creatine made me put on 5 lbs
- my Classified hub is dying and dragging
- upped my box jumps and other leg stuff Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday
- walked 3 miles in the sand Sunday (normally just 2)
- left a little late and had to hustle to meet group
- gravel pedals and shoes vs road
- unaero gravel frame
- somewhat shallow road wheels
- less than aero helmet
- extra weight from lights now that it's dark
... while gimping to the finish.
But.
We all know the truth...
... and it starts with F.
FATIGUE.
It's offseason fur cryin outloud!...
... what the heck am I doing?
Well, just the most lifechanging, epic adventure on SoCal...
- 120 miles
- 15k of vert
- around 12 hours (including stops)
... the SurfNSummit on 10.10.26
Sooooooooo... 1 more extralarge Saturday,
then two weeks to taper,
and feel fresh.
Might have to skip the legwork the week of,
or sooner?
===
165.8 lbs/12.6%
7 hours sleep
630ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), nordic curls, heel and toe raises
162/179/-18 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
I SPY
WE LIKE TO SAY this is my escape, to ride/run/swim for an hour or few per day. Our happy place isn't a pain cave as much as it is...
... a world without staring at glass.
Is it novel?
There was a pithy post on X this week...
... I'm inviting a bunch of people over this weekend to doomscroll together.
My other non-scrolling/glass moments are reading.
Ingesting something uplifting in the wee morning hours has been a goto for years.
But, then this happened.
The wind down used to be watching "just a few minutes" of TV,
then onto binge watching...
... now it's a full-on addiction to reading spy novels.
They're all basically the same character...
- ex-special ops dude with skills his government needs
- always going off the range to get the job done
- while mixing in some lady-drama
... and I can't seem to get enough.
It started after my TBI,
as therapy.
Who knew staring and scrolling glass was bad juju for brain function and ocular wellness?
In about 30 months, I've read...
- all of Jack Carr (10)
- all of the Gray Man series (15)
- all of the Pike Logan series (20)
- and I'm on book 11 of 25 in the Scot Harvath (series)
... with no end in sight.
From a therapeutic standpoint, my ability to rip downhill on my MTB has returned to about 90% of where I was.
From Oh crap! every ride,
to Heckyeah! this is fun!
Is there any connection between being a spy and racing?
Well, yeah.
If being resourceful, able to adjust on the fly, and see the mission through to completion is how you like to rip on raceday...
... this is your genre.
===
166.2 lbs/12.6%
8 hours sleep
630 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 60 push ups, 12 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), nordic curls, heel and toe raises
156/144/12 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
NOW FOR THE REST OF OUR SHOW
WE'RE WRAPPING UP THE 3RD QUARTER, heading into the final three months of the year...
... but not the end of the racing the calendar.
Am I right?
We aren't going to...
- hang it up for 2 months
- watch games
- eat chips
... because we know the truth.
Now is the time to...
- bank strength
- build base
- hone diet
... for springtime cometh.
That's what I'm doing.
Shoot, tonight I passed on cake an icecream.
It wasn't hard, once I gave up sugar, the cravings were gone.
In years past, I'd say Bring it on, it's offseason...
... to the point of friends saying It's good to see fatTodd is back.
Imagine that.
Actually, don't.
Imagine ripping it up next spring, right on through the summer.
===
165.8 lbs/12.6%
8 hours sleep
620 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 80 push ups, 16 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 20 box jumps (24"), nordic curls, heel and toe raises
159/163/-4 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
TORQUE TRAINING... STILL?
SOME OF US ARE WILLING to take chance with our equipment. Opting to go with the yet to be tried and true...
... can lead to great advantages.
And, big challenges.
As I struggled mightily up a rather steep pitch today...
- 52/42 chainrings
- 13/26 6 speed cassette
... I remembered how tall the gearing was back in the day.
It was brutal.
But, one of the benefits we didn't realize back then was forced torque training...
- high power
- low cadence
- in place of gym time
... something coaches preach in today's era of super wide gearing.
So, why was I doing it today?
Because my super niche 2-speed rear hub from Classified, which replaced the front derailleur dual chain rings...
... has been acting up for the last 2 weeks.
And died today.
Leaving me with the lowest gear of a 46 in front x40 in back.
Manageable on most road climbs...
... swear-inducing on the dirt steeps I faced throughout today's epic URBN GRVL ride.
I've had the system for just over 2 years,
and it has been great.
Superior, I think, to traditional 1x most cats are running offroad.
Because the Surf N Summit is fast approaching...
... I'm in a real pickle.
Classified is based in the Netherlands...
... which is much father away than the hinterlands.
They have few dealers in the states.
Hopefully, they'll get back to me in time to get the system functioning like the racewinning force it has been.
It was a risk when I purchased it,
and I don't regret it at all.
It's that good.
===
166.2 lbs/12.6%
8ish hours sleep
630ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), nordic curls, heel and toe raises
163/186/-24 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Full Black, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THIS CHAING HURTS
STAYING ON TOP of the maintenance game never seems like it's gonna pay off. It's a constant steady drip on our time and wallets...
... until it's not.
Then, it's chunky.
I was reminded of this today by reader Roberto (not his real name).
Here's the chat transcript:
===
165.4 lbs/12.6%
8ish hours sleep
630 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 box jumps (24"), nordic curls, heel and toe raises
153/128/24 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Foreign Influence, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
>
SHIFT I HATE
DO YOU KNOW WHY WE SAY If it was easy everyone would do it? It's not just because it's true, it's also because for those of us who are doing the hard stuff...
... we need to know there's a reason.
We do things we hate to do.
Here's a few of mine..
- pullups
- pushups
- box jumps
- stretching
- going to work after a glorious morning riding
- hanging on the back of the group until I literally see stars
- skipping the cookies and cake and ice cream
... and I could go on.
If we are doing things like the above so much,
if it really is that hard to be consistent...
... what is driving us?
A couple of things.
One, it gets easier once we get started.
Two, it becomes habitual, part of operating system.
Three, the really big one...
... we know.
We know this is the path to mastery...
... and few are we, the willing and committed.
To arrive at our stated destiny.
===
165.2 lbs/12.6%
8ish hours sleep
750 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 55 push ups, 11 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 20 box jumps (24"), nordic curls, heel and toe raises
157/148/8 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Foreign Influence, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
>
THIS ONE CHANGE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
WE ALL HAVE THAT FRIEND who we train with, who is about the speed, or even a little slower. Then, all of the sudden, seemingly out of the blue...
... they are a lot faster.
Leaving us in the dust.
What gives?
Just yesterday I was on the war path with one of these cats.
We'd opted to take a gravel route of the usual group ride, and if we reallyreally got after it...
... we'd meet/beat the group at the finish.
And romp we did.
I knew we had a shot because of his newly found powers.
And, I knew how he got them.
Because I asked.
Bro, your a lot faster and leaner.
It's my wife's fault.
Howso?
Well, she changed up her diet and she does most of the cooking and we're eating a lot cleaner.
If it's that easy then...
... why aren't we all doing it?
Maybe we don't know what eating clean is?
Here's my super simple rule...
... If I can identify the ingredients it's clean.
Steak,
easy.
Mr. Bachan's Japanese Teriyaki Sauce Surfergirl wants to smother it with,
not so much - probs not clean.
Corn on the cob,
easy.
Dorito's corn chips,
impossible - def not clean.
What is the one change we can make today that would make a huge difference in our performance?
Do it.
Then, stack it...
... with the next change.
Yes, it's that easy.
It just takes a bit of time for the results to show...
... fortunately, most of our competitors don't have time for that.
===
165.8 lbs/12.7%
8 hours sleep
790 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 105 push ups, 21 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 40 box jumps (24"), nordic curls, heel and toe raises
160/168/-8 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Foreign Influence, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THERE ARE SOME DOOZIES OUT THERE
THERE ARE SO MANY INFOOLENCERS yaking for our attention on myriad platforms. It creates all kinds of noise and...
... makes discerning the truth challenging.
Impossible even.
I was reminded of the dangers of expert opinions today listening to The Marketing School podcast titled...
... How McKinsey Helped Nike Lose $223 Billion.
With a B.
TLDL: they hired a guy who didn't understand the business, and he leaned into all the new fangled, cool kid ideas, in the process destroying the brand.
Some were so stupid it was stunning.
Which reminded me of the Time-Crunched Cyclist podcast I'd listened to the day before...
... The Five Self=Coached Cycling Mistakes That Keep You Stuck.
TLDL: he states we're too unenlightened to coach ourselves, hire his firm.
Along the way apologizing for being so harsh. Except I didn't find it as harsh as it was condescending and self-serving.
I shared the above, so I could share this...
- we need to expose ourselves to new ideas
- test them out well before it matters
- implement the best
... using our common sense, listening to our inner voice, for the win.
Are there good coaches and consultants.
Absolutely.
As the great Charlie Munger said...
... Show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome.
===
166.4 lbs/12.7%
7ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 0 box jumps, heel and toe raises
161/172/-12 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Foreign Influence, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
FAMILY FIRST. REALLY?
LOOKING AROUND AMONGST OUR FRIENDS we often see what really drives them. It's not at the races or the slaying rides where this shows up...
... it's at the events they miss.
Huh?
Yeah.
You know, we have this epic ride coming up.
It's not race, it's a social adventure.
From the beach to the mountains...
... the kind of thing you wanna do for the pure challenge.
And.
To blow your friends' minds...
... Yeah, I rode from Dana Point to Big Bear last Saturday.
WHAT?!
Yep, really fun.
No way!
Here's the dill.
A few have shared...
- planning Xterra with daughter
- family half marathon with most of family in Long Beach
- flying to Chicago to support daughter at Chicago marathon
... their reasons for missing this year.
Here's what I can tell ya about each one of these cats...
... they have grown awesome, loving families.
Nothing better.
In case weekend of 10.10 is open for you...
... it's an open invite: https://pedalindustries.com/collections/surf-n-summit-collection
===
166.2 lbs/12.7%
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 105 push ups, 21 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 50 box jumps, heel and toe raises
160/168/-8 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Foreign Influence, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
ANY SYSTEMS READY TO GO?
WE ALL WANNA BE BETTER, at least that's what we tell ourselves. Anybody listening to us drone on about the initiatives we're gonna take...
... might possibly be convinced we really want the prize.
But, do we?
Could our actions convict us?
Better question.
What's it gonna take?
Not the big crazy actions,
that's for sure.
We'll never get those done,
because they are big and crazy.
The real secret...
... having a system to be a little better every day.
And, sticking to it.
One of my systems is to weigh myself each morning. I get instant feedback on the previous day(s) nutrition choices. It's a simple way to stay in tune with any changes I may have/have not made...
... like I'm thinking my adding 5lbs in the last month is a direct result of the predicted 2-3% gain predicted by consistent creatine intake.
Worth it?
===
166.2 lbs/12.7%
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 105 push ups, 21 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 50 box jumps, heel and toe raises
160/168/-8 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Foreign Influence, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
SIRMIXALOTS GRAND MASTER GRAVEL
DEPENDING ON THE LOCALE, there can be a lot of ways to get out and cover some ground. Some areas are all paved, others all single track, others lots of gravel...
... they're all a blast.
Which is best?
I dunno.
But, I can tell you this, where we are, mixing it up on a gravel bike is a great way to get out...
... and skip most of the lights, and traffic.
Like today.
The first 90 minutes were mostly dirt...
... with nearly 30 minutes at threshold or above.
Meeting up with a slaying group ride on the road...
... pushed me to my limits and stacked on the intensity.
From there it was a JRA road, gravel and single track.
I love rides that...
- mix up the surfaces
- skip most high traffic areas
- and traverse lots of interesting terrain
... for the pure adventure.
The biggest and best one of the year is just 4 weeks away...
- Sunrise to sunset
- from Dana Point
- to Big Bear
... and you're invited.
All the details are here: https://pedalindustries.com/collections/surf-n-summit-collection 
https://pedalindustries.com/collections/surf-n-summit-collection
===
166.8 lbs/12.8%
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 0 box jumps, heel and toe raises
164/192/-29 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Foreign Influence, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
JRA
BEING THE DEDICATED ADDICTS that we are, we eventually learn the jargon that sets us apart from the commoners who consider themselves in the know, but...
... are actually far from it.
Neophytes.
Anybody who's worked in a bike shop, particularly the service area has heard the phrase...
... I was just riding along.
And, said to themselves under muffled breath, while inconspicuously rolling their eyes...
... JRA.
What follows JRA...
- my X broke
- my Y stopped working
- my Z fell off and disappeared
... is always entertaining.
Not that it hasn't been heard before,
but the way it is camouflaged...
... as if it is somehow the shop's/mechanic's fault.
Yet, I digress.
Because what I really wanted to point out is how much fun it is to move about the country...
- breathtaking sunrises
- quiet, forgotten roads and trails
- daylight giving way to a moonless, star-filled sky
... and see so many amazing sites.
While we are...
... JRA.
===
167.2 lbs/12.7%
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 0 box jumps, heel and toe raises
155/144/11 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostle, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THAT FEELING
SOMETIMES when we're out riding, the feeling is just right. Like we could just keep going forever...
... and never stop.
Why is that?
I honestly don't know.
It just happens.
And, when it does it's magical.
Like this evening.
There I was, about an hour in.
On my gravel bike, connecting the...
- trails
- roads
- single tracks
... and missing all the traffic stops and lights.
Slipping into the zone...
- HR 130ish
- PWR 220ish
... slicing through town with nary a stop.
And loving it.
===
166.2 lbs/12.7%
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 30 push ups, 6 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 30 box jumps, heel and toe raises
160/175/-16 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
IF I HAD A DOLLAR FOR EVERY TIME THINGS LOOKED HOPELESS...
FOR BETTER OR WORSE, as athletes we are really, really good at enduring. When things look absolutely hopeless...
... we press on.
Is that a good thing?
That's an honest question...
... with an unknowable answer.
Because choices stack.
Accumulate.
Tangent: when I had my pager business, my landlord, an old sage and jeweler by trade, told me the worst thing he ever did was keep switching careers. That it was best to lock in, and go in search of mastery.
Welp, I could see the writing on the wall and sold the pager business.
After that, I took his advice,
and can honestly say:
If I had a dollar for every time things looked hopeless and gave up...
... I'd be broke.
In sports...
... we be _____?
In relationships...
... we be _____?
As students...
... we be _____?
There is, of course, a point where things are hopeless, and we gotta/outta sell, but, if there's anything most of us can bank on it's that...
... there is such a thing as a second wind.
Reaching the finish/the goal usually just takes a little more than we initially thought we could give.
And, so, we endure.
===
166.2 lbs/12.7%
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 30 push ups, 6 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 30 box jumps, heel and toe raises
160/175/-16 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
IT'S NOT PERSONAL, IT'S...
SOMEHOW WE FEEL IT'S OKAY to do whatever it takes to win, even if it means clobbering our friends. Ok, not all of us, but...
... definitely some of us.
We might feel, think, say...
... It's not personal, it's racing.
Shoot, one of my frenemies said this to me after a recent race post sucking my wheel for miles...
... Sorry about doing you dirty back there.
All that to say, It's okay to make things personal.
Not all things.
But, I'm definitely making The Wall personal.
It's the next to last climb...
- .88 miles
- 7.1% average grade
- my PR is 4:16, Kevin Vermaerke (yeah, the UAE one) owns the KOM, 3:06
... on our Tuesday Morning World Championships.
While I'm not sure I'll ever best my current PR, set 8 years ago on a perfect day...
- weight down in the 150s
- great pace set by Zach Lloyd
- amazing road bike I shouldn't have sold
... I do wanna get back to regularly hitting 4:40ish vs the 5:24 I did today.
When we set personal challenges like this,
it's motivating only to ourselves,
but pays off everywhere else.
It's fitness and mental fortitude we can tap into on demand.
===
166.6 lbs/12.6%
6ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 00 box jumps, heel and toe raises
160/176/-16 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
IT'S TOO HARD TO EXPLAIN
DO WE KNOW WHY we do really hard stuff? I mean, really? We keep doing them. Like a young mother who, during the midst of labor, swears she'll never go through childbirth another time...
... and choosing to do it again.
There's something we know,
but can't put our fingers on.
As the great Carl Jung put it...
... Man needs difficulties. They are necessary for health.
It's not the difficulty that repeatedly pulls us back...
... it's the joy we experience on the other side.
Like the insanity of starting a gravel ride at Dana Point, in predawn hours...
- pavement
- to gravel
- to singletrack
- to gravel
- to pavement
- to single track
- to gravel
... and clearing the final summit above Big Bear, as the sun drifts away.
If we did alone, it would be courageous...
... if we did it with friends, it would be the memory of a lifetime.
As the great Terry from Mesa told me today...
- it's your 6th year
- I'm feeling fit
- I'm coming
... I'm always busy.
I'm in.
Are you?
===
Do you know any of these cats?
Previous Finishers
Henri Kavaja (1)
Michael Gould (1)
Richard Brown (3)
Mike Maderos (1)
Richard Ramsey (3) <12 (1)
Josh Wolff (2)
Chris Hill (1) <12 (1)
Spencer Roundy (3)
Michael Foster (4)
Ron Barrett (1)
Todd Brown (4) <12 (1)
Terry Butler (1)
Brennan Sizemore (1)
(times finished)
<12 - completions under 12 hours elapsed time.
===
165.2 lbs/12.6%
8ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 80 push ups, 16 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 00 box jumps, heel and toe raises
154/139/15 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
AN ADVENTUROUS PACE
A TRUE ADVENTURE requires a pace that is fast enough to get to the destination, yet slow enough that all can...
... make it to the finish.
It's a fine line.
Shackleton had is crew on a boat.
Pacing wasn't the issue...
- hazardous journey
- low wages
- bitter cold
- long hours of complete darkness
- honor and recognition in event of succeess
... so much as outright danger.
In this case,
all the men needed was the hope of success.
Which is what a proper pace should be...
... given an adventure of epic proportions.
The Surf N Summit may not be a novel exploration of the Antarctic, but it does require...
- manageable heart rate, low power
- lots of food and drink
- solid equipment
... because, it's a legit journey from the sands of Dana Point to the peaks of the San Bernardino mountains above Big Bear.
If you're in, go here now: https://pedalindustries.com/products/surf-n-summit-california-10-10-26
===
165.2 lbs/12.6%
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 80 push ups, 16 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, 30 box jumps, heel and toe raises
156/153/3 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
SELLING ADVENTURE
WE SHOULDN'T NEED TO BE SOLD on adventure. It's in our DNA. Yet, often we are distracted and timechallenged and thinking...
... we are way too busy.
But,
life is short.
And,
as the great Ferris Bueller said...
... it comes at you fast.
Adventures, however...
- can be daunting
- involve the unknown
- create lasting memories
... which is why we go for them.
Especially, if we are/have...
... enlisted our posse.
On October 10th, we'll be riding the Surf N Summit for the sixth time this year.
The first two times...
- massive heatwave
- crazy early snowstorm
... we failed.
Last year, for the first time, everyone made the summit before sunset.
it's not for the timid,
those afraid to fail,
the unprepared...
... it's for the adventurous souls who dare what others fear to dream.
https://www.strava.com/activities/16111728104
===
165.2 lbs
7.8ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 30 push ups, 6 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
1560175/-15 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THE RING LEADER
EVERY COMMUNITY has a ringleader. The cat who's constantly inviting to do some ride or run or adventure or race. They're usually mostly fun...
... and sometimes absolute slayers.
Even that's fun.
Why does the ringleader lead?
Because, literally, the more the merrier.
Who appoints the ringleader?
Nobody, it's more of an inner calling.
Who supports the ringleader?
Those looking for a good time.
Who pays the ringleader?
Everyone,
just by showing up.
Somecommunities don't have a ringleader...
... they're waiting for us to show up.
And lead.
===
164.8 lbs
8ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 30 push ups, 6 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
151/122/28 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
>
WHEN IT GETS ROUGH
IT DOESN'T TAKE A GENIUS to know we can go faster over a smooth surface than we can over rough terrain. That's why the most powerful sprinters...
... race on the track.
Indoors at the highest levels.
The rest of us get it done over...
- new tarmac
- gravel roads
- rowdy single track
... whatever we get served up.
Where we still need to put down the power,
whether sprinting or just plain ol' racing.
Here's the dill.
If we only ever train our sprinting on the most perfectist of surfaces...
... we're probably gonna stink it up, when it gets rough.
Practicing stomping on the pedals when it's...
- chunky
- slippery
- torn to pieces
... is a skill worth honing.
We've got to be able to perform excellently over all conditions.
When it gets challenging lower pressure in the tires is better...
- roll faster
- better grip
- faster cornering
... just like is in our souls when life gets topsy turvy.
Lower the pressure.
Which reminds me of a dear friend, the great Fritz Tomasello. who insisted we add backpack straps to the RaceDay bag...
... so he could carry his bike from the car to the track.
That's how pristine the indoor tracks are.
===
164.8 lbs
8ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 55 push ups, 11 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
155/138/16 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
CHALLENGES CALL
THAT MONUMENTAL CHALLENGE calls to us, challenging us to prepare and be ready and we answer the call with all we've got. Not just going through the motions...
... this time.
Willing to do the impossible.
We've tried before.
Many times.
Only to fail.
Shattered.
We reconstitute.
To vanquish.
Yet again.
Not trying, doing...
.. the impossible.
===
165.6 lbs
8ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 80 push ups, 16 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
157/151/5 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN
MIND CONTROL is a thing. Especially on the start line when the energy is sky high due to...
... a cocktail of tapering and caffeine.
It
takes
real focus.
Just look at your "resting heart rate"...
... pumping like an outta shape donut eater on an outta control treadmill.
We aren't even moving,
because we are thinking about everything.
How do we calm that down,
achieve serenity?
This is important because if we don't get control our emotions we're going to be leaking all kinds of energy we're going to need later on.
Here are my top 5...
5. breathe deep, breathe slow
4. take in the craziness in the competitors' faces and just laugh - cuz it is funny
3. sit on the top tube, rest on the bars
2. close your eyes and trust your training
... and drumroll
... 1. race more so these feelings are welcomed
Oh, one more.
For hecksakes...
... get to the venue early.
Like 2 hours early so we can go through our launch sequence calmly.
Which brings up the ohso obvious.
Have your raceday bag loaded the night before, with everything you (could) possibly need.
Ok.
There's a lot more,
but those are the basics...
... before we unleash our mighty fury.
===
165.6 lbs
7ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
158/157/0 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Apostles, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
IS THERE REALLY AN OFFSEASON?
HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MAINTAIN FITNESS if there are offseaons? It's a fair question and one that deserves...
... a fair answer.
I have my theory.
And it goes like this...
- get after it 2x/week
- keep stacking the base
- never get out of our routine
... there is no offseason.
But, there is an onseason.
What's the difference?
Look, we have to have a baseline of fitness.
For me, that means being somewhat respectable on the group rides.
If I let my fitness drop the point where I'm getting dropped quick,
that's dialed back too much.
When it's onseason, that means...
- I'll be charging the group rides
- stacking more endurance miles
- perfecting the every aspect of the routine
... everything gets dialed up.
Yeah, I thought of this as I yanked the gravel wheels off,
and mounted the road wheels.
Sticking with my commitment to hit the Tuesday Morning World Championships tomorrow...
... and shoot for a respectable sub-5 minute up The Wall.
===
166.2 lbs
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 50 push ups, 10 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 20 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
153/123/29 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
WHAT'S NEXT?
THE KIDS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL. Things haven't changed much. Some sit in back semicheckedout...
... others up front and eager.
Just like a new race season.
As we head into fall...
- there's still a mess of events calling out to us
- bombarding our inboxes
- popping in the socials
... we still have choices.
Before we choose what's next...
- goals accomplished
- unforgettable memories
- regrets of missed or untaken opportunites
... reflecting/celebrating/acknowledging might be the best next event.
===
165.2 lbs
8ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 100 push ups, 20 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 60 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
156/142/14 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
MORE AI SLOP?
UNDERSTANDING AI QUERIES, for most of us, is like understanding pig latin. If we don't have the key...
... it's meaningless.
Want proof?
Ok.
Rider X is a fast,
and uncoached.
Prepping for an upcoming, highly competitive gravel race...
... he had a sit down with Coach ChatGPT.
The recommended protocol?
Mostly endurance, but per ChatGPT I should as some higher zone work at the end of the ride to simulate race conditions.
Am I the only one who sees a problem with that?
Other than the fact that every romping gravel race I've ever done has started out like an XC race...
- completely pinned until the selections are made
- threatening to settle in before hitting it hard, again
- to the eventual war of attrition where riders finish mostly alone
... I'd say it's spot on.
lol.
So, yeah, as long as everyone agrees to save it to the last 30 mins then Coach Chat has it nailed.
In training...
- most of roll out,
- then, gradually warm up
- finally put in some good efforts
... which is probably why things unfold as they do.
Look, there are certain people I ping for their opinion knowing that whatever they suggest...
... the opposite is the best course of action.
With Coach Chat, it's not Be careful what you ask for as much as its...
... Be careful how you ask.
===
164.6 lbs
7.5ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
160/163/-3 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
GETTING DESTROYED FOR THE WIN
SINCE IT'S SO TEMPTING to sandbag, we should never be surprised that it goes on. At all competitive levels...
... it's a thing.
But,
why?
To get an easy V.
Where's the victory in that?
For the day to day group rides and non-A races...
... we should be lining up the monsters.
Who are going to push to our very limits...
... destroy us.
That's winning.
Ya know what else it is?...
... putting ourselves in position to win the ones that matter.
===
164 lbs
8 hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
153/120/33 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
>
WHY DO BODY WEIGHT EXERCISES
THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS to get stronger on the bike. Whether we want to climb better, fly on the flats or lay down obscene sprints...
... we need more power.
How do we get it?
Akshully go to a gym,
lift heavy at home,
body weight.
They all work.
Lately, I've been in love with the body weight stuff.
Not just the pullup an pushup stuff...
... but, high rep leg work.
Till.
It.
Burns.
Yeah, it produces the same I can barely walk feeling...
... after rattling 'em off.
And, I'm rightly winded to prove it.
The reason I'm really digging these is...
- plain ol' grinding up a long climb
- pushing hard the final minute to the top
- poking my nose in the wind for way longer than normal
... the fatigue resistance it seems to be building.
I feel the fatigue building,
and I seem to be able to deal with it better than high weight, low rep.
It feels so good,
I love it.
===
163.8 lbs
8 hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 75 push ups, 15 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 50 split squats, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
155/128/27 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
MOVING
MOST OF US, all of us, learned to run, swim and ride a bike at an early age. It came naturally to run, the bike a little coaxing, swimming a few pointers...
... and we were off.
Am I missing something?
Oh, yes.
Faith.
It took faith to put the coaxing and pointers into play and...
... realize we weren't gonna drown or fall over.
If, we'd just keep moving.
===
Designed this t-shirt, and realized why I love it so much.
Every successful racer begins with...
- 0 Starts
- 0 Wins
- 0 Fans
... the only difference between them and everyone else is they keep showing up.
Moving.
===
164.6 lbs
8 hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 75 push ups, 15 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 30 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
158/138/19 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
DOORS BLOWN OFF?
OCASSIONALLY, after an A race we might back it down for a few days. Then, think to ourselves...
... we really outta do something with this fitness and rest.
But, usually there's a problem.
Most of us, especially me, think we are resting and therefore recovered and hence ready to slay it.
I mean, if the metric are indicating it like mine were this morning...
... by golly let's get after it.
Welllllll, a funny thing happened on the final seven mile stretch.
Rather than romping like a renegade,
I limped like a lost loner.
It hurt,
I pulled the plug.
How could I have so misjudged my freshness...
- 81 mi
- 11 hrs
- 9,665'
... because last week 4 rides were far from restful.
I should been spinning the flats rather than grinding the climbs.
When I finally managed to make it home,
I thought might as well upload and see how badly my doors were blown off...
... Your highest power output for 30 seconds in 2026!
Oh...
... now what if we actually rested?
===
164.6 lbs
7 hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
152/97/54 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
CAUSING EFFECT
MAKING PLANS for the upcoming event can be nerve-racking because there is so much unknown. There are really only...
... two paths forward.
It's gonna tricky,
it's gonna be awesome.
I was thinking about this, watching the highlights of Leadville.
There was our PEDALindustries flag,
right on the course,
where I imagined it.
Not just any part of the course, but a part of the course which was only open to racers who qualified much faster than me.
But, I really wanted to be there, too.
At Lost Canyon.
In my mind, it was a superior location for my feed zone.
So, made the 12' flags weeks prior to traveling.
Figuring it was gonna happen,
seeing them on course in my mind.
How'd we get the flag there?
First, I applied for a lottery to gain access.
Next, a blog reader and customer reached out and invited me to use his access to the area.
Then, I was informed I'd lotteried in to the zone myself.
That my friends is a magical way to live called...
... causing effect.
===
164.8 lbs
8 hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 50 push ups, 10 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 50 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
152/97/54 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
ONE REASON EATING HEALTHY MATTERS
SOMETIMES WE'RE ON POINT with our food choices, other times, for a variety of reasos...
... we fall off the wagon.
What's the damage?
Over the course of a lifetime,
probably nothing.
If it's occasional.
As the great Tim Ferriss advocated in The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman...
... having a cheat day once a week won't kill us.
Might be helpful.
Honestly, I'm not 100% sure about that.
Here's what I do know.
If my cheat day is Sunday, and I go all in on the cheating...
... I'm likely to wake up a few pounds heavier on Monday, than I was on Friday.
Which is not really the point I wanted to share.
When I whipped up a salad today, with fresh veggies and Safe Catch tuna...
... all I could think about was how good this was going to be for my body.
That kind of thinking matters,
more than some might think.
===
165ish lbs
9sh hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 50 push ups, 10 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 50 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
155/108/46 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The Last Patriot, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The entire works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THE IMPORTANT THINGS
RETURNING HOME after a weekend or week(s) away on an adventure is usually awesome. The trip may have been amazing...
... but, not as much as what we left behind.
I was reminded of this today.
On a sweltering summer day,
we pushed through LA traffic...
... in time for a little family get together.
There really is nothing that compares.
===
164ish lbs
7ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
159/125/34 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The First Commandment, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THREESY DOES IT
DESTINATION RACES AND RIDES always bring their own challenges. One of them can be altitude, and the big question there is...
... how soon do we need to go up?
Give us a rule.
Oldtimers have a saying...
... three weeks or three minutes.
Anything else is subpar.
On the extremes, the very best I ever felt was after 6 weeks.
The worst was driving 15 hours from sea level on a Thursday,
then racing on Saturday.
Which got me thinking after yesterday's final ride above 10,000'...
- sprinting
- climbing
- bombing
... I finally felt pretty darn good.
Confirming the broscience...
... threesy does it.
===
164ish lbs
7ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
159/125/34 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The First Commandment, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
BE STILL MY BEATING HEART
OH, THE TRAINING METRICS! They overwhelm, underencourage, lead us like a ring through our nose, promise us magic, and...
... and in the end distract us.
Potentially.
But, what about HR?
What does it really tell us?
For me, racing anything over 90ish minutes, heart rate is key.
Representing a pace I can hang onto...
- elevation
- weather
- terrain
... how I will perform regardless of the conditions.
Which reminds me of one of my favorite passages...
... As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
===
163.8 lbs
8ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
164/151/13 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The First Commandment, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing, Old Testament
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
IT'S EASY TO FORGET
WHEN WE HIT REALLY HIGH LEVELS OF FITNESS, we are able to do so much more. We can climb, descend, go for miles...
... with relative ease.
It's really fun.
Sometimes, with all the focus of being our best we neglect to unzip a bit and go with the flow.
I was thinking about that today,
rolling into a well-deserved recovery week.
Starting at 10,600'...
- picking my way through the rocks
- negotiating switchbacks
- searching for traction
... and riding straight up for 30ish minutes.
Taking it easy,
in no hurry.
Thoroughly enjoying the low speed challenges going up...
... while testing my willingness to keep my fingers off the brake levers going down.
The other thing we/I forget is hardly anybody on the planet can do this and...
... find it relaxing and rejuvenating.
But, we can.
'Cause we're fit,
fortunate,
blessed.
===
163.6 lbs9ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 50 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 50 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
165/156/9 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The First Commandment, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
PARDON THE BRAIN DAMAGE
GETTING OVER AN INJURY is a process. If we're fortunate, every day we see progress. Sometimes it's inpercptible and frustating, other times it's...
... so rapid we think we're better.
Overdoingit often follows.
Not realizing we have a ways to go.
I'm not sure this falls in that category, but I did have a TBI 2 1/2 years ago...
... and I forgot I already wrote The Leadville Letters.
How I get it done at the race across the sky.
Here are a few snippets:
Intro
ONCE UPON A TIME, A FRIEND ASKED IF I'D COACH HIM TO RACE THE LEADVILLE 100. So, I fired off an email every day... with homework.
Some of the information is tactical for Leadville... like the actual secret shtuff that's helped me go sub 9 hours on all 7 attempts and snagging a PR 20 years after the first go...
... the going 7:57 at 60 y/o in 2022.
But, more importantly, the letters reveal concepts which may be applied to any ride or race likely to leave nothing but the residue of who you are when it's over.
If you're planning to get your head handed to you at Unbound or BWR... or, just want to do an epic attack on your local mountains you love the Leadville Letters.
===
No. 1 Well, HI THERE!
Are you ready to get started?
Each day you're going to get an email from me that will likely be extremely entertaining and motivational... don't let that blind you into skipping the homework.
It's going to seem easy at first and you're going to be asking yourself what the heck did I pay for?
Don't fret.
The goal is to win Leadville (more on what that means) and Leadville wasn't conquered in a day.
Stay tuned, I'm counting on you to follow through.
XOXO, tb
===
from No. 5
HOMEWORK
How and when do you start your taper – what is a taper?
What do you eat the day before, the race morning breakfast, and while you’re racing?
What does work look like for you most Fridays and how do you hack your way out of doing too much work?
What do you wear so the support team can see you?
Do you have a RaceDay Bag?
Email me the answers along with your calendar.
There’s a lot to figure out, and having it dialed early will make each and every race more and more successful.
No. 14 NEGATIVE SPLIT
IF YOU'VE PACED YOURSELF CORRECTLY, you will do a negative split at Leadville.
By negative split, I mean you will cover the second 52 miles faster than the first.
Huh?
What?
I will?
Heck yes you will!
But only if you do your pacing right.
from NO. 18 CREATURE COMFORTS
I never wrote this email... this is the point John dropped out. In fact, I’m not really sure what it was going to be about. I only wrote the headline...
===
There's a taste... I'm going to update all 30 letters, put it in book form, and include massive margins so you can make all kinds of notes. It'll be rad.
===
163.6 lbs9ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 25 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 25 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
165/15411 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The First Commandment, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
WHEN IT DOESN'T GO RIGHT, THEN WHAT?
WHEN THINGS GO SIDEWAYS, and it's not what we planned, had on the agenda, or would wish on our worst enemy...
... then what do we do?
It's easy to advise from the sidelines.
Harder when it's happening.
Think about what a few of my friends faced...
- Body not responding to altitude to the point of barely being able to move.
- Being taken out when the rider ahead crossed wheels, crashing and suffering an AC separation and road rash on the face
- Having a major need to go number two at 12,000' and not porta potty nor trees in sight
- Realizing your shifter batter is dead at the bottom of the first major climb, 8 miles from the start
... at Leadville 2026.
Half were able to finish,
half pulled the plug...
... none logged a time they were capable of had things gone perfectly.
And that's the dill.
Thangs always be changin.
Ideally, we...
- review
- apply
- learn
... come out better for it.
We grab onto that hope,
refuse to let go,
regroup...
... and charge forward to the next challenge.
===
163.4 lbs
9ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 75 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 75 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
166/156/9 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The First Commandment, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
>
BUCKLE UP!
ONCE WE FIGURE OUT how to survive and thrive at anything we have two choices...
... share it, or keep it to ourselves.
Neither one is necessarily wrong.
In fact, it might be necessary ...
- the family treasure
- the hidden path to beauty
- the knowledge we use to provide
...to safeguard our survival.
If it's not,
or if we're feeling generous,
or we're just super excited to share what we've discovered...
... what are we to do?
Personally, I've already written one book.
In fact, I ran into a customer in Leadville who shared his sister bought him the book, and he read it several times.
It's short,
and to the point.
This morning my friend Kevi pinged me...
- how many times have you started Leadville?
- how many times have you finished?
- how many big buckles?
... 8, 8, 8.
I've been very committed,
and very fortunate.
Which got me thinking...
... maybe it's time to write another book?
===
icymi
===
163.4 lbs
9ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
170/180/-11 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: The First Commandment, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
FASTER AND SHORTER DOESN'T MEAN...
RACING LEADVILLE WASN'T ON THE CALENDAR in January. I had my sights on a few other events, one of them was Sea Otter with the friends...
... then I qualified.
Uh oh.
The last time I raced it I started planning a year out, this time I had four months to put my plan together.
I was already testing a new training program...
- more strength work
- more intensity
- more sprints
... and it was going to be fun to see how it would translate.
The impetus was to try and hang on to my dwindling power as I age, because my real long rangl Leadville goal is go sub-9 at 70.
Here's how it went down.
Last fall, I scored a nearly new Epic World cup on Pink Bike.
The perfect bike for me on this course - a little slower downhill, faster uphill.
Fueling was 100% liquid...
- USWE 2L to bottom of Columbine - I kinda regretted that because the pack is so tight when full I felt it restricted my breathing
- Camelback up Columbine is just easy to drink than bottles
- bottles the rest of the way
... CarboRocket, 333 calories/hour.
40 degrees on start line, dawned our Fly Vest, fleece arm warmers, and skull cap. Dumped it all before Columbine.
Tires.
Ugh!
The stress.
Chatted up the Conti crew about my recent punctures on Friday.
Yeah, running the Race Rapid Dubnital is a bit risky. I'd go with Trail version.
Oh, can I buy some.
No, we don't sell at events.
(Come on Conti - make some money and help a brother out.)
Would you run inserts?
They aren't really going to help with the punctures you're experienced, and I think they might make things worse because of tension created on the sidewall.
Crank up the pressure?
Mmmm, not gonna do much.
Bummer.
What are your athletes running?
Oh, they're all running Race Rapids, same as you.
With that, I left the inserts in. No time to remove the . Ran 20lbs up front, 22 in back.
A little bouncy, but I planned to send it on the DHs.
Leadville sends waves of riders off, based on how your time at one of their qualifiers.
I was in green.
Most of my friends and competitors started in the waves ahead.
Which meant, they rolled out either 5 minutes ahead of me or 2 1/2 minutes ahead of me.
Note: in 2022, I qualified for Silver and was beat by a guy who started behind me.
I took solace in that, hope that if I could catch up I technically had the lead.
Gotta have something to prod us on.
Halfway up the first 30ish minute climb we connected with the wave ahead.
Ok.
That's cool.
Here the course changed, due to the Willow fire.
At the top, we popped out onto pavement. Rather than going right, and racing over to the hardest and most technical part of the course, we went left and rode pavement all the way around.
Here, the goal was to plummet like a demon at latch onto the faster climbers.
The long game is to work together.
Back on the dirt, we had some punchy climbs.
It's so tempting to hit it for 1-3 minutes,
better to ease off and save it for the torture to come.
Course knowledge helped me here, I was able to pick my moments and scoot ahead when things to technical.
Even leap up to the next group.
Surfgirl was easy to spot next to the 12' PEDALindustries flag we had on course.
Packs swapped out, it was time to grind.
There is always a point at races like this where I/we say...
... What the heck am I doing? This is stupid, and it hurts.
Usually it's because we are barely moving due to fatigue or conditions.
In this case, it was being alone with riders strung across the mountain ahead of me.
I settled in.
My plan to keep HR in the 150s wasn't working,
it was in the 140s.
Power seemed okay, so whatevs press on.
I yelled at the photog, Here's your chance to get some good slowmo shots!
Humor helps in these sitchyashuns.
Because I started behind, and because we're now all just doing what we can to get up this 90 min climb, over 12,600'...
... we really have no idea where we are in comparison to others or how or when we'll actually finish.
It's terrible.
Lonely.
The top of this years course was back to the originally route, which meant rather than simply turning around we went a little further then down 150 yards...
... climbing out of that I always find heartbreaking.
Now here's the fun part.
Bombing back down the narrowish top, not only are we skirting around lots of rocks, but thousands of riders are still coming up.
Sometimes single file,
sometimes four abreast.
They're barely moving,
I'm doing anywhere from 20-40 mph,
on steep, loose gravel with morning light strobing through the aspens.
It's gnarly,
and I love it.
From the bottom on back to the finish,
it's pretty much the same as every other year.
No one can really help or pace together,
we're all just doing our thing and hope it works.
There's no moto riding up to give you updates on how it's going.
It's just going.
That paved descent we bombed down, was relentless and eternal on the return.
Finally, back on the last legit dirt section, I decided to just have fun.
I was alone in the mountains, it was beautiful, I felt pretty good.
Even stopped to pee.
I never do this, but man I really had to go.
It takes forever.
And, I'm thinking...
... I wonder if I'm screwing up my finishing time in comparison to others.
Feeling a lot better, I pedal on.
When all of the sudden a rider blows by me.
Crap.
Is that who I think it is?
He's uncorked going down the very descent that has sent more than one rider to hospital..
Gotta go.
We link up at the bottom.
Yep.
Good thing I got on it.
We test each other all the way back to town,
up the long and dusty dirt road called the Boulevard.
At the final turn,
he turns on the afterburners and puts a big gap between us.
I'm cool with that...
... cuz it ain't 2 1/2 minutes.
I didn't mail it in, I still went as hard as I could, barely able to stay upright as I crossed the line.
This year's course may have been shorter and faster, but...
... I was as smoked as ever.
It was fun to meet Roy in person, I'd supported his LUX team with raceday bags for a number of years.
===
164.3 lbs
7ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
170/180/-11 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Takedown, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
TRAVELING TO AN EVENT can feel lonely. Especially, if we are going alone. Or, even if we know a few people...
... it's not like being at home.
Where we have our stuff,
and our friends to bail us out.
Here I am, 10,000' above mi casa, in need of some mechanical assistance, and who do I see in the Shimano booth?...
... none other than the great Robert Plumb.
He's from home,
repping and supporting Shimano in Colorado.
In no time, he's got things figured out for me.
It was a shock thing, but I was still sheepish about handing him over my SRAM XX clad bike.
Being the pro he is...
- the new Shimano XTR wireless set up
- the down country brake levers
- the XC calipers
... he educated me on the latest and greatest.
And, I gotta tell ya...
... Mrs Santa better quit blowin' her money on bikinis and surfwax.
===
161.8 lbs
7ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 0 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 0 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
156/111/46 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Blowback, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
PREDICTIONS
DEPENDING ON OUR LEVEL, the type of event, and a whole host of other factors, we may or may not be shooting for the podium. Let's be honest...
... most of the time we're going for the challenge.
But, the pros aren't.
They're going for...
- money
- glory
- fame
... the win.
The rest of us are shooting for some sort of PR and/or bragging rights over our friends and frenemies.
All good.
Here's my prediction for Leadville 2026...
- Quinn
- Keegan
- Cam
... for the Pro men.
And...
- Sofia
- Melisa
- Rosa
... for the Pro women.
And, lil' ol' me..
... my palms are sweating...
... break 7:30.
Seems fast, given my current fitfatness.
But, like I said, few plan on winning.
PS... yes, I do have a few other targets besides time for the race... will report on that later, don't wanna jinx it.
===
162 lbs
9ish hours sleep
540ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 25 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 5 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
159/113/46 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Blowback, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
LOST AND FOUND
TAPERING ISN'T A RELIEF, quite the opposite. It's stressful in that we aren't doing what we're used to doing. Instead, we're doing...
... less, different and/or none.
Our routine is broken.
We try and hang onto it, but being disciplined creates an inharmonious tension with rest and recovery.
That was the path I was on as I rolled out this morning.
Strava maps said it would take 36 minutes,
I planned to go so easy it would stretch out to an hour.
Oh...
... the best laid plans.
Not so suddenly, I find myself in an enchanted forest...
- climbing
- winding around
- wiggling over rocks and roots
... more than I anticipated.
An hour in, the town is nowhere in sight, maps shows I'm miles from where I want to be.
I'm lost.
I come to a fork in the trail, and choose right because...
... it's going straight down.
The next five miles ...
- fast
- paralleling a stream
- bridges and jumps and berms
... some of the funnest single track I've ridden years.
I drop into Frisco, miles from where I'm staying in Breckinridge.
And realize...
... I've found my mojo.
Tapering is overrated,
having fun, the original motivation,
is what it's all about.
===
161. lbs
9ish hours sleep
540 anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 50 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 10 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
163/133/33 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Blowback, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
IT'S GETTING REAL
THE CLOSER THE START LINE, the more real the event becomes. The visions of glory, the angst of readiness, maybe some travel or some distraction...
... there is stress and relief.
Then there's the finish.
But, before all that...
... there was a spark of ingenuity to create the what we are all eagerly anticipating.
In the case of Leadville, the town, the spark came from an explosion in the mine.
Or, should I say implosion?
Where the mine that employed the entire town, provided every job, all the tax revenue for schools and a hospital...
... shut down.
In a day.
No warning.
No jobs.
No money.
Anywhere.
From the darkest hours and days and months was born the Leadville Trail 100 running race.
As the founder said...
... We'll run 'em a hundred miles from the highest city in North America and by golly they'll have to spend at least one night in town.
That's how we'll save this town we love.
I could leave this post there...
... but, really, it begs the question...
... why are we motivated to put ourselves through the many truly insane events we pursue so passionately?
It's not Kirkegaard's What doesn't kill me makes me stronger...
- grit
- determination
- being unstoppable
... it's the lessons we learn along the way.
(That pic up there is of Ken and Merilee, this evening at a frontyard bbq, the dynamic duo who grew an event from nothing and in the process saved a town, raised millions of dollars for the local kids to attend college, and gave many thousands of us an unforgettable experience to race at over 10,000'.)
===
161.6 lbs
8ish hours sleep
550ish anti-oxidant level
Upper Body: 50 push ups, 0 pull ups, hand gripper, shoulder press, curls
Lower Body: 10 ATG air squats and 0 split squats with 50lbs, nordic curls, box jumps, heel and toe raises
166/144/22 per Strava Relative Effort (whatever that means)
What I'm reading: Blowback, Brad Thor
What I'm studying: The works of Neville Goddard, all kinds of marketing
https://www.strava.com/athletes/10248
>
THE CHANGING SANDS OF SUMMER
THE HEAT IS ON, and it's changing the ground we travel on. Muddy spring trails, and roads slick with snow melt, have given way...
... and we've gotta be vigilant.
I was reminded of this today, when I almost had an...
... Oh crap! moment.
Coming in too hot,
my front tire gave way,
then hooked up again and I stayed up right.
Normally, this particular trail is hard packed and I can push the tires harder.
Not now.
The sun and high temps have dried everything out.
The dirt is breaking down and turning sand and silt.
Similar treachery can hide on asphalt, too...
- if it's hot enough
- if it's been patched with tar
... it becomes soft, even slippery.
The point isn't to stay indoors, it's to...
... get out and learn to read the terrain.
===
Side note: I received two opposing responses to yesterday's communique...
From A.S.
- It's ok to get old.
- You might have an eating disorder.
- It's important to focus on muscle mass.
From J.C.
Thanks for the inspiration, especially for consistency. Love today's lesson.
My take...
- Have fun.
- It's fun to be endlessly fascinated with our own physical performance.
- Third, see #1
... thanks to both of these fine friends for reading, responding and caring.
===
163.5
8 hrs sleep
30 PullUps 90 PushUps, Dead Lifts, Shoulder Presses, Split Squats... and more.
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
105
Strava
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I HATE MATH!
MATH IS SO BRUTAL, and I hate it. Not because my brain scrambles the numbers, and that is something to hate. My disdain for math is due to...
... it's harsh honesty.
2 + 2 = 4
Popcorn + Pizza = Slow
I had plenty of time to think about this on my way back home after the weekly beat down...
... we call a social ride.
Why am I not going as fast as last year?
Why was last year slower than 6 years ago?
Specifically...
... Why has The Wall, turned into The Crawl?
According to Strava, I've done this climb 492 times.
You could say I know it...
... and, it know me.
My fastest time was...
- On a different bike
- 6ish years ago
- 5 lbs lighter
... a lot faster than today.
What does the math tell us?
I think the bikes are about the same, in terms of weight and power transfer.
The six years in between that PR and today, I have focused more on endurance than power. That might matter some.
And...
... according to ChatGPT, those 5 lbs require an additional 10 watts of power.
What I can't factor in there, because I'm too lazy to figure it out and don't really want to know the math...
... is fatigue.
But, that's the beauty of having 5 minute climb to hit every week...
- I can look at the result
- Do the math
- Adjust
... and see if new inputs yield new results.
I guess I do like math,
kinda.
---
164
7 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
10 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
105
Strava
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DOES CADENCE MATTER?
WATCHING THE BEST OF THE BEST climb in the Tour de France, I can only make one conclusion, and it's based on...
... my most recent experiences.
Ya gotta spin it, to win it.
I think way, way, way back on my first road bike's gearing...
... 52/42 up front, 12-28 in the back.
We'd grind up everything.
It was crazy.
I'm absolutely in love with the my new bike's gearing...
... 46/32 up front, 11-40 in the back.
It's not just the fact that I'm spinning more,
the jumps from cog to cog are not as big as traditional road bike gear.
The purpose of this bike is dual - road and gravel.
It's a gravel bike,
with two sets of wheels.
The result is I'm spinning a higher cadence on the road,
and I have a bit of a taller gear set up compared to a gravel mullet set up.
What have I noticed specifically in the past few weeks?
Because I have lower gears that previously on the road...
... I'm able to keep my cadence higher and produce more watts.
It may not work for you,
but, it's worth experimenting and finding out.
Spinning = Winning
---
164.5 (weighing in on Mondays always gets me down)
7.5 hrs sleep (early flight)
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
30 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
101
Strava
A CHANGE OF HEART
UNLESS YOU'VE SPENT YOU ENTIRE LIFE doing endurance sports, you've probably had a startling experience. That first time, after logging the miles and time, and the nurse says...
... Wow, I haven't heard that before.
Alarm crosses our face.
Oh, don't worry.
What then?
Your heart, it sounds amazing.
And just like that,
we're dawgawn thrilled with what we've accomplished.
We've had a change of heart,
our beats are slow and strong.
It's a good feeling,
knowing our hearts are physically healthy.
We're putting in the work,
and getting the results.
But, what about our spiritual hearts?
What would a spiritual doctor say upon inspection?
Are we working as hard on the unseen dimension of our life...
... and what are the results we are looking for?
---
163.1
7.5 hrs sleep (early flight)
PullUps and PushUps
30 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
102
Strava
IN SEARCH OF HEAT
WITH CRUSHER CANCELLED TODAY, I decided to go in search of heat. Wouldn't be anywhere near the 90°+ temps of UT, or the adrenaline of a start line, but...
... we do what we can.
Gotta be honest,
it was a bit disappointing.
I wanted more heat, only hit...
- 77°
- 91% humidity
I wanted to bring more heat, only produced...
- Ave HR 144
- Ave PWR 182
I wilted over...
- 99 miles
- 5666' vert
... and that ain't what I was hoping for.
Yes, I'm super grateful for the effort considering...
... I could barely walk 7 months ago.
But, that's not us, is it?
We always expect more from our...
- bodies
- minds
- spirits
... it's who we are.
I have 8 weeks until the showdown with my A race.
What am I gonna do?
Keep...
- searching out the heat
- bringing my heat
- eating clean
... and recovering like a fiend.
This will be a fascinating journey.
---
163 lbs (pizza at 8pm before wife flew out for a week, time to go monk-like)
6.8 hrs sleep (early flight)
PullUps and PushUps
10 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling
104
Strava
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THE IMPACT OF ORIGIN STORIES
WHEN WE'RE REALLY PASSIONATE, we dive into the history of our sport. The origin stories of the largest, most famous events...
... deeply inspire us.
We're more connected because the event's origin often mirrors our own.
For example, before BWR was an international success, it was a fun ride that some nut, MMX, decided it would be rad to add some unroading (his made up word, I love.)
I heard about it years later.
Tried some local dirt on my road bike.
Got hooked, got a gravel bike, got signed up for a BWR.
Ironman Triathlon can be traced back to 1978 in Hawaii, where Commander John Collins and his wife Judy pondered a friendly debate; who were the fittest athletes, swimmers, cyclists, or runners?
To settle the argument, they combined three existing races into one event.
Hearing about that, watching Dave Scott be reeled in by The Grip (Mark Allen), is all I needed to give it a shot...
... to see how fit I actually was.
The more I watch the Tour de France, the more I learn about it...
- the yellow jersey is yellow because the promoter owned a newspaper and printed it on yellow paper
- the original states were often over 300 miles long
- the mountain passes were mainly gravel roads
- smoking was for enhanced performance
- riders were self-supported
... I love it, wish I'd been there 100 years ago.
I imagine myself there.
Check out the nostalgic images my pal Brett Horton as amassed.
: https://pedalindustries.com/collections/nostalgia
---
161.8
8 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
30 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
99
Strava
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LOOKING FOR A GREAT WAY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY?
THIS IS BOTH SELFISH and giving. Because sometimes we can do some good while looking out for ourselves and if our community is thriving...
... we're thriving, too!
All that is required is desire.
22ish years ago, we moved to a community with no group ride.
What?
Impossible!
So, we started one...
... every Tuesday morning.
My friend Shayne was part of a little group of friends a couple of cities away, over the years they've grown their Saturday meetup into a thriving group spanning multiple states...
... this week they're all meeting in Utah for a climbing camp.
Good ol' Dave took the reins of the local Tuesday/Thursday ride. Emails everyone when the start time changes...
... every summer, this is the hot afternoon ride.
Jim from the gym and Oz and Peter Aquino have all taken the time to record videos of the rides they do and post 'em for all to see.
Sethy had the gumption to invite all the clubs in LA, racers who warred every weekend, and join in an all clubs barbecue.
These are the little things that...
- foster friendship
- make us better riders
- faster racers
... and build the communities we love.
If this isn't happening in your town...
... all it takes is desire, and consistency.
---
Here's how far we've taken our Tuesday morning ride, we...
- have ride kits made every year
- annually recognize achievements
- hold an unOFFICIAL Tuesday Morning World Championship
... all in the name of fun, and kickin' each others lycra.
---
162.3
8 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
30 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
101
Strava
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BRAINDURNACE IS REAL
I LIKE DOING EPIC RIDES AND RACES. Bunch of miles, lots of time, long periods between reloading nutrition and hydration, throw in some dirt or crazy climb...
... and voila, me happy.
It wasn't always that way, it took...
... a special kind of training.
Where you wrap your head around the idea of going longer than you ever thought possible.
My first real bike ride was 6 miles.
The next day, I got crazy and went 12 miles.
Six weeks later, my roommate and I rode 125 miles and about 10,000' of climbing.
It was so hard.
Our nutrition strategy consisted of water and whatever we could find at the country store...
... mainly Snickers and popsicles.
We...
- bonked
- cramped
- sunburned
... and decades later, were still charging.
Over time, I cracked the code to doing epic rides mainly by...
... doing a lot of epic rides.
Ludicrously long,
turned into that sounds fun.
Normal.
The mysteries were solved...
- rest
- pacing
- nutrition
- hydration
... and my brain, which controls my body, adjusted to the demands of the effort vs. freakin' out.
Sure, we gotta do the miles to do the miles, but...
... don't discount the mental gains being made.
Braindurance is real.
---
163.9
8 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
30 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Strava
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SO, THE RACE IS CANCELLED... NOW WHAT?
IT HAPPENS, NOT OFTEN, but it happens. We get registered for a big race, plan, train, upgrade equipment, secure lodging, make arrangements for work...
... and the race gets cancelled.
Now what?
That's my predicament as of yesterday.
Planned on racing Crusher In The Tushar this Saturday...
... forest fires shut it down.
Hoping all goes as good as possible for the first responders and property owners.
In the meantime...
... no need to let a good opportunity go to waste.
I'll treat this week the same...
- taper
- skip leg days
- get plenty of rest
... and get after it up on Saturday.
This will allow me to go through all the motions required to rip on raceday.
Thank heavens I have decades of experience opting out of travel insurance...
... I've saved so much money.
Losing the dough for 1 night in a hotel, getting 40% of my race entry back, was easy to swallow.
---
162.9
7.5 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
10 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Strava
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HOW TO DO BASE TRAINING CORRECTILY.
WE'VE ALL HEARD OF BASE TRAINING. You know, the period of time where we do a bunch of long slow distance. That is what you're thinking right?...
... pre-season, early season, kinda stuff?
Well, stop.
Just hang on a sec, because...
... that ain't gonna git 'er done.
We need to reframe what base training means, rather than simply logging miles we could/should also focus on...
- tweaking and adjust bike fit
- making sure all parts are in great shape
- dialing in our on and off bike nutrition
- setting sleep schedule to match raceday
- strength training
- yoga/stretching
- hydration based on weather/temps
- practicing our braking, cornering, sprinting
... miles are good, striving for perfection is better.
We shouldn't be stressed the week of a race any more than any other week.
If anything, we should be more relaxed.
Because our base, our foundation...
... is built on stone, not sand.
Wouldn't that be cool, to start out the year...
... working on perfecting our racecraft.
The perfection phase.
---
164
8 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
30 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
102
Strava
CAN YOU HANDLE THIS?
IT PAINS ME TO WATCH REMCO EVENEPOEL race his bike. Not all the time. When he's going straight on smooth ground, he's a thing of beauty. Alone is even better...
... until he's served up a corner.
Oooof!
I cringe.
Here he is one of the fastest riders in the world, and he's getting gapped on every turn...
- losing time
- wasting energy
- getting shuffled backwards
... because he's just not as good of a bike handler.
He's not alone.
Plus, he's probably a million times better than us.
But, still?
Today, with all the gravel sectors, it was difficult to watch. Probably because, yeah, I'm a big fan.
We can't fix him,
he has improved.
We can fix ourselves,
we can get better.
Which begs the question...
... why are some people much better bike handlers?
And...
... how can we get better?
Here's my hit list...
- ride with faster people
- do more practice racers
- ask the fast kids how they do it
- YouTube has countless great videos
... hiring a coach is always the fastest way to improve.
---
163.8
8 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
10 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
104
Strava
PLANNING TO GET CRUSHED
THREE YEARS AGO, I swore I'd never to the Crusher In The Tushar again. It's straight up, straight down, straight up. Forget who would...
... why would anyone ever go back?
Well, there are a few reasons...
- fomo
- redemption
- train for pain
... none of which are mine.
I have some insights after...
reviewing the course map,
planning my stops,
and nutrition
... and, I am pretty geeked up for it.
'Cause that stuff turns me on.
The planning.
Here's what I've got:
Start
1 Small Bottle (dump the bottle when we hit the dirt)
2 Big Bottles (finish another bottle before decent)
2-3 hours worth of gels/waffles (to augment the aid stations, I might ditch this and go with what is provided.)
Aid #4 51 miles - ETA 3:23
2 Big Bottles (it's only 90ish minutes, it's gonna be hot)
Aid #5 59 Miles - ETA 4:40
1-2 Big Bottles (depending on heat)
Finish ETA 5:40
That finish time is pretty optimistic.
I'm not as fit,
still struggling to get get back.
I do have a few improvements over 3 years ago...
- lighter bike
- lower gearing
- faster wheels and tires
... I'm really excited about the lower gearing.
I remember really battling the first 90 minutes of the final climb.
Pitches get up to 16%.
So, I purchased a 40 tooth front chain ring.
That gives me 7-10% lower gearing than my previous attempt.
Difference maker?
By the way, I truly appreciate the difference y'all have made in my life and the live of PEDALindustries.
We're completing 10 years in biz this month.
Tomorrow 7.7, to be exact...
... and that's pretty cool.
---
162
7 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
10 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
106
Strava
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ALIEN TECHNOLOGY
IF ALIENS ARE HERE, if they've landed and given technology to human kind, if their aim is to make life better...
... I have the evidence.
And, I have questions...
- Should we use alien technology in time trials?
- Are TdF TT bikes faster than Kona TT bikes?
- Why introduce a different skill set?
... and answers.
First the evidence.
The bikes, helmets, positions of the racers on today's TT stage were outrageous...
... and speeds were insane.
In a good way.
Should we use alien technology in time trials?
Personally, I'm back and forth on this one. Probably because the closest I ever got to a legit TT bike was clip on bars and a TT helmet. It was way faster...
... but nothing like what we witnessed today.
That said, yes, I think it's super cool that on the Pro level alien technology is used to maximize speed, at the cost of bike handling.
However, on the amateur level, I prefer we all use road bikes.
There's already an arms race going on in lower level racing, I'd prefer to reign it in.
Are TdF TT bikes faster than Kona TT bikes?
I think this answer is simple.
Follow the money.
Which sport has the biggest budgets, largest fan base, most demanding sponsors?
Road cycling,
by far.
Not to say the tech at Kona isn't amazing, that the Ironmen and Ironwomen don't represent the cutting edge of sport, it's simple a money thing.
Why introduce a different skill set?
It's still riding a bike, but these alien tech bikes require unique skills in terms of handling, braking, sprinting.
At the Pro level, I love seeing different stars shine based on the changing demands of machines and terrain.
In fact, I'd freakin' love to see a straight up gravel stage,
with some sand sections
and single track.
No doubt it would give even more specialists a chance at the spot light.
Is it really alien technology,
from another galaxy?
I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility, just know this...
... our brothers and sisters at Kona have done more to push the TT boundaries than the UCI has in decades.
---
162
7 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
10 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Strava
FREE TO ROLL ABOUT THE COUNTRY
AFTER THE KIDDES RACED AROUND THE PARK, after kidding myself that one more pancake wouldn't kill me at the neighborhood breakfast, I was...
... awesomely free to roll about the country.
Free to...
- wear a patriotic kit, glasses, gloves and socks
- throw a leg over the bike of my choice
- ride wherever the wind blew
... free to do it however I wanted.
Free.
I stopped by the war memorial and read the names of locals who...
... sacrificed everything.
It's hard to appreciate when they are not here,
and I never knew them.
Just their names.
No stories,
or pics.
The plaques don't detail...
- how they lived
- who they loved
- what were their dreams
... only that it all ended too damn soon.
On the slow and easy spin home, I said a silent prayer of gratitude for the dedicated souls...
... who make our freedom possible.
---
161.2
7.5 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
104
Strava
WRITTEN. OFF!
THAT CAT STANDING NEXT TO ME IN ALL BLACK WAS WRITTEN OFF, given up on, fired! Ever had that happen in a race? Races are microcosms of life. For some, our spirits darken, we believe the unbelieving. For others, there is...
... nothing but hope.
And, hope is all he needed.
While on the cusp of history, breaking the all-time record for Tour De France wins...
... Cav' experienced all the above.
Few thought he could win one more.
But, that's all it takes...
- Alexander Vinokourov wrote the check
- Mark Renshaw directed the team
- Michael Morkov lead the train
... to get our lycra off the ground.
They went for it.
Last year.
No dice.
A horrific crash ended the effort...
... not the quest.
They all regrouped,
and delivered today.
Record broken.
Because...
- Cav' believed
- The organization believed
... it was possible.
Only question is...
... who needs our belief in them today?
---
162.8
7.5 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Strava
---
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A DRIVETRAIN MAGIC TRICK
IN PREPARATION FOR BUILDING UP THE NEW QUIVER KILLER, I stripped a brand new chain. That's not too novel. Lots of smart people do that...
... remove the factory's sticky protectant.
What I did next took 5 days...
- filled up a ziploc bag with WEND wax lube
- dropped chain in there
- let it saturate
... the results are somewhat astonishing.
I've now logged 244 miles in 5 days.
(I must love this bike.)
The drivetrain is...
- nearly friction free
- squeaky clean
- silent
... still as sexy as when we met.
Planning to hit dirt for the first time tomorrow,
just gotta get gravel wheels runnin'.
I imagine after that it's somewhat dirty,
and probably making some noise.
Gonna be tempting to do that every few weeks...
- strip
- dip
... can't say enough about this method or this lube.
---
162.9
7 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps and Squats
10 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
105
Strava
A NEW NAME FOR AN OLD RULE || NO PUNCHING BELOW THE NECK
THOSE STUPID SUMMER COLDS are the worst. It's not cold. It's hot. We should be sweating, not clammy. Screaming for joy, not hucking up shiz. When colds happens...
... what's the rule for training?
It's simple.
Above the neck, ride like heck.
In the chest, get some rest.
So, did I do that?
Noooooooooo...
It was Saturday morning,
the fellas were gettin' together,
there was new bike to put through the paces.
I knew I was at that point of my cold that I'd either return feeling...
... I'm healed!
Or, be wasted the rest of the day.
I rolled the dice,
punched it numerous times with surges and sprints and climbs.
Quickly dropped.
Limped home.
Collapsed.
Too wiped to eat properly,
too miserable to sleep.
Every ride has the potential for...
- sprinting
- digging deep
- going all out for the PR
... but, they'll be no more punching when the cold is below the neck.
---
162.9
8 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps
30 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
102
Strava
NO ONE OF CONSEQUENCE
IF THERE'S ONE THING I DO NOT WANT when I show up to race, it's respect. Or fear. Or friendship. I'd prefer to be overlooked, considered...
... no one of consequence.
Don't mind lil' ol' me.
The greatest hero of all time operated that way.
He never showed his skill unless it was absolutely necessary.
He was...
- nice
- respectful
- played by the rules
... swung his sword with his right hand to give others a chance.
He was left handed.
We can learn a lot from the Dread Pirate Roberts...
- preparation
- mastery of skills
- flexible and creative under pressure
... it all leads to supreme confidence.
Never show it.
Own it.
---
162.4
8 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Strava
I HATE EXCUSES
I HATE EXCUSES, even the good ones. Especially, the good ones. The only excuse I ever loved was what we told the schools when we wanted to ditch...
... I have a dental appointment.
The rest,
suck.
Like the ones I wanted to use today.
I had positioned myself perfectly to make it up the worst 3 minutes climb on the planet.
Right behind the super fast cats.
The only chance I have is if I suck wheel into it,
and perfectly carry my momentum,
latch on the tail of the group.
Normally, I like to be just on the outside of the bunch as we hit the bottom.
This time, I rolled the dice and stayed in the center.
This is where the excuses get inserted...
... yawn...
... I missed the decisive move.
It's normal for me, I'm sure not you because you are smarter and braver and tougher...
... to let the excuses pour into my mind.
If only such and such...
... well, screw that!
I missed the move due to my poor positioning.
Plain,
and simple.
The reason I hate excuses is because they are debilitating.
Once they start pouring in the motivation wanes.
The drive stalls out.
We wanna quit.
Excuses suck,
like getting a root canal.
---
162.9
8 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps
10 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
106
Strava
A SKETCHY SIDE OF GRAVEL RACING
GRAVEL RACING ALWAYS BRINGS adventure. Most the time, we meet a bunch of new people, and discover miles of new terrain, neither of which...
... we've ever seen before.
And, that's the problem.
Not the people.
The terrain.
Well, kinda the people...
... the ones in charge of the dern thang.
Just today we were chatting about the Big Bear 50.
Last year, the course was...
- pretty fun
- mostly well marked
- from asphalt to gravel to single track
... sign me up for that again.
Just don't sign me up for the lack of signs the last 5 miles.
Yep.
5ish miles to go and all we could see were course markers for the other events going on the same day.
Which would be really really really sketchy if it was 25 miles out,
and we were in the middle of nowhere.
Oh, and we were unprepared.
But, I wasn't.
Neither was Smiley T.
Each of us had downloaded the course and simple pulled that page up on our bike computers.
On we went.
But, that's just the kinda thing ya gotta be ready for when racing in the wild. Because there's no...
- Street signs
- Landmarks
- Uber
... not really anything new.
We love...
- Adventure
- Nature
- Risk
... and jump at every opportunity to be tested.
---
161.2
7 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps
20 minutes recovery
120 minutes reading + Journaling
102
Strava
WHO'S GONNA WIN THE DEBATE?
WELL, IT STARTED THIS EVENING. The great debate between, two worthy competitors. In one corner, we have the establishment and in the other...
... a brand new approach.
Who will win?
The tried and true,
road bike for road and gravel bike for gravel...
or
... one bike to rule them all?
Here's what I can tell you after the virgin voyage on road wheels...
... the bike felt fantastic.
What I built, because I've wanted to see if it work forever, is a Specialized Crux with two sets of wheels.
There's a chance it turns into the proverbial...
... Jack of trades, master of none.
I've taken steps to mitigate that,
and I think they'll work.
- a set of road specific wheels
- a set of gravel specific wheels
- each set with Classified hubs
Even though it's a 1x12 set up, the special rear hubs act as a 2x12 drivetrain at the push of a button.
First impression...
... front deraillers will be a thing of the past.
The Classified system is much faster to shift,
can be shifted under a load of up to 1000 watts.
In the coming days, I'll test it on the road to see if it is as fast, or close enough, as my road bike.
I have little doubt it will be a great gravel bike.
And so the debate begins...
... is this bike a quiver killer?
---
162
8 hrs sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Strava
HOW I LOST 6 LBS IN 2 A DAYS
C'MON, can you really lose 6 lbs in two days, without starving yourself or dying of thirst? There's no way that's possible, is it? Well...
... here's how I did it.
First, I fell completely off the wagon over the weekend.
Carboloaded after my big ride Saturday.
Did nothing on Sunday.
Woke up at 166.2,
Monday.
That's the easy part.
I mean it took some work to get off the couch and find the chips and cookies on Sunday,
but not much.
The hard part wasn't...
- eating more protein
- shunning pointless carbs
- or, being properly hydrated
It also wasn't...
- getting plenty of sleep
- hitting the weights
- or, riding the bike
... that was all easy,
and how I should be living anyway.
What was hard was...
- finding time for a 2 hour spin on Monday
- throwing down for 3+ hours Tuesday morning
- and then, lining up for an MTB race Tuesday evening
... all of which would be a joy on an individual basis.
But destroyed me half a lap into the MTB race.
If I had to boil it all down to a formula, it would be...
- eat real food
- do 2 a day from time to time
... for a quick jumpstart.
---
160.5
8 hrs sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
104
Strava
IT'S GENIUS!
ONE OF MY FRENEMIES invited me to lunch. He wanted to download all I know about the Tahoe 100 MTB Race. We're really good friends...
... unless we are shoulder to shoulder insight of the finish line.
Then, enemies.
It coulda been way worse than just giving some insights.
I thought he said Crusher, not Tahoe,
which I signed up for yesterday.
Phew, I wouldn't be faced with the hard choice of giving really bad advice or coaching him on how to throttle me.
How
the heck
could I divulge my hard-earned knowledge?
I've done Tahoe 4 times and more recently vs his once 12 years ago.
So, obviously...
... I'm a genius.
And, there's the nugget of truth.
When we do things a lot, we actually do possess a certain level of genius that would otherwise be unavailable to us.
And we discount it all the time, because it seems obvious and easy.
Here's an example.
When I set out to make the first RaceDay Bags™, all we had on the factory floor for the interior pockets was yellow nylon.
At first I thought Yuck!
Then I realized it was a genius idea because the yellow background makes it so easy to find everything.
If I wasn't already making bags, if I hadn't already struggled to find my HR monitor on the black background of my old bag...
... I never would have made the choice to always have yellow on our pockets.
What's your genius?
---
163.2
7.5 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
104
Strava
IT'S TIME TO PLACE YOUR BETS
LAY TUR DAY FRANZ starts in 5 more days. All signs indicate it's gonna be a doozie. Nothing is normal about this one...
... so let's make some predictions.
It would be easy to say...
- Tadej in Yellow
- Jasper in Green
- Matteo (Jorgenson the 'Merican) in White
- Carapaz in Polka Dots
... and most logical as well.
If those were already taken...
- Jonas in Yellow
- Mads in Green
- Ayuso in White
- Yates (either one) in Polka Dots
If the underdogs had a chance...
- Remco in Yellow
- Cav' in Green
- Del Toro in White
- Pidcock in Polka Dots
If miracles occurred...
- Matteo Jorgenson in Yellow
- Sean Quinn in Green
- Sean Quinn in White
- Neilson Powless in Polka Dots
It all starts on Saturday, and I can't wait...
... been on a TV diet so I can gorge for 3 weeks.
Who are you pulling for?
---
166.2 (so far from my goal)
8 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
30 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
100
Strava
I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'VE DONE TO DESERVE THIS
MY SURFERGIRL, bless her paddling heart, is pushing me to do something. This is a new one. She's never done this before...
... am I dreaming?
Rather than rolling her eyes as I justify yet another race,
rather than explicitly saying she'll never do another bike race disguised as a vacation...
... she said this.
I think you need to do some races.
What?!
Yeah, it's true.
While I love the enthusiasm,
it's got me scratching my helmet.
Huh?
Since my accident, does she...
- know I'm afraid to race?
- think I've lost my edge?
- care how I do?
... all/none of the above?
Today really set off alarm bells.
She, if you can believe this, suggested we go to the Crusher In The Tushar.
Yep.
Return to take another crack at what was brutal day on the bike.
- 69 miles
- 10,000' of climbing
Th last time I did it the heat (110 degrees) got the best of me.
Massive battle with cramps.
Barely able to finish.
I have to admit, it is a heinous course with potential infernal heat and would be good training at the least...
... revenge at the best.
My motivation,
prep for A race.
Hers,
I'm too chicken to ask.
---
164.2
8ish hrs sleep
No Strength Work
30 minutes recovery
180 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Strava
SHE'S GOT LEGS!
HONESTLY, I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. I knew she was fast, being a National Champ and all. I knew I was slow, being, well, being me. But,...
... this was ridiculous.
What was happening????
Once summer hits f'reals 'round here, the cooler coast ride starts to draw the hitters.
The Hulk pinned it right from the start...
... the boys (n girls) we're back in town!
After carving through the roundabout and charging the rollers we caught a light.
Alf looked at me and said...
... Talk to me Goose!
I'm
hu uh hu uh hu uh hu
here.
It hurt so bad,
no words.
Meanwhile, Kody The Kid reminded us...
... the hardest 3 minutes you'll ever ride is coming up.
I hadn't posted a decent time on it in a year,
been getting shelled for months.
Could I make it?
PC made it with all the boys, well most of the boys, all the fast ones.
I could only watch as the lactic ground my cadence to a thud.
How the heck did she do that?
After chasing hard for 5 more minutes I caught a lucky break.
They hit a light.
I asked her handsome, nice, and barely sweating husband...
... Did PC make the whole thing with you?
(There's a short cut, and she looked like she'd just left the spa - fresh as can be.)
Yeah, she's on her e-bike.
Ahhhhh....
To be fair, she's dropped me there plenty of times, but not as easily and gracefully as today.
What was extra cool, was drilling it down the canyon, all strung out on her wheel.
All in all, today was an awesome adventure.
Great to be back again, and on the worst 3 minute climb in the county...
... the ol' diesel managed to crack 3 minutes.
I'll take it.
---
As far as training for the A race goes, this is a really good route. Finishes, after the group ride, on a hellacious hill, and takes me about 4.5 hours to get there. About the same amount of time I'm figuring Gravel Nats will take.
I did better on my calorie consumption. 5 bottles, 1/hour. First 3 had 300 calories. Last 2, 200. Better, but not good enough. I was fading on the final hour, and I think more calories will fix that.
That's exactly why we set up group rides, and C races. To figure out things like nutrition.
---
164.9
8ish hrs sleep
No Strength Work
10 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
103
Starva
ARE YOU FITTIN' KIDDING ME?
WHY DO WE IGNORE THE BEST ADVICE? I dunno about you, but the moment I'm outted as a lover of having fun on two-wheels I get peppered with questions. They all start out slow...
... like they're testing me.
And then I get it,
every time.
What kind of bike should I get?
It's a fair question,
just it's not the right question.
They already know they want an MTB or road bike or gravel bike or triathlon bike...
... they're asking me, what brand.
My answer is always the same.
If you're not sure you're really gonna be into it, the cheapest thing you can find on Facebook marketplace.
If you're totally gung ho, whatever the best bike shop in your town is carrying.
They're gonna need the support of a good community.
However, that is still the wrong question.
Not the answer they need.
When I tell them what they need, they always,
and I mean freakin' always,
nod their heads.
Oh, yeah, that makes sense.
Proceed to not take my advice,
and too often wind up with the wrong bike.
So, What kind of bike you get?...
... The one an expert bike fitter recommends.
People fork out real money,
on really bad bikes for them.
Don't be pennywise...
... be fit smart!
---
Have you checked out our travel bags?
https://pedalindustries.com/collections/all-travel-bags
---
164.7
7 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
20 minutes recovery
120 minutes reading + Journaling
98
A THREE PLUG RIDE
IF YOU HAD A CHANCE to ride with your top training pal from 10 years ago, would you? Make it happen? Do whatever it takes?...
... let nothing get in the way?
This pal, retired from the sport.
The horror!
But, every now and again, I can coax him back on his bike and we spend some good time catching up...
... the wonderful two-wheeled way.
We rolled from his place,
through some dirt,
to a bike trail.
I promptly managed to get a fish hook in my tire.
Stopped,
pulled it out.
The magic of tubeless,
it sealed.
Not 90 seconds later I hit a perfectly place piece of gravel,
and punctured the tire.
Ugh!
Big hole.
Put in a plug,
aired it up,
no luck.
Put in another plug,
aired it up,
no go.
I'm outta air at this point,
but I must have taught him well because he's prepared.
Put in a third plug,
air it up...
... we're off, and riding.
There was no way we weren't doing this ride...
... now if I can just lure him back into riding regularly.
I miss hanging out with my oldest, son.
---
164.7
8 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit + extra squats
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
99
DERAILLED?
GRABBED THE MTB FOR DRTY WDNSDY. It'd been a few weeks. The chain started skipping around, and when I shifted down to get over the final steep little pitch...
... it jumped into the spokes.
Did it save my life?
Maybe.
I instantly came to a stop, panicked I'd permanently wedged it between the spokes and the cassette.
A second later, I noticed...
... a beautiful diamond back rattle snake sunbathing about 3' away from me.
Had I been going a lot faster,
had the drivetrain been functioning properly,
there's a good chance one of us would have been hurt.
Derailleur is a weird word.
It's French.
Before I got all hoitytoity roadie, I called it the shifter.
It shifts the gears, or derails the chain from one cog to the next.
Today, mine malfunctioned and derailled my ride...
... shifted my plans.
Which goes to prove not all derailments ruin the day...
... sometimes we just gotta take a breath and find the good in the situation.
---
164.9
8 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit + extra squats
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
101
CALENDERING
WHEN PLANNING OUT THE TRAINING, it's super helpful to have a large wall calendar. Smaller calendars are okay, too. For sure, avoid my go to form...
... the ever lame, in my head.
That's just plain...
- easy
- lazy
- dumb
... otherwise known as...
- winging it
- hoping
- unpro
... not us.
First, put in the milestones...
- Family vacations and events
- Work trips and commitments
... then, add in the A events.
Now, we can look at when...
- we can do the big training blocks
- it makes the most sense to have a rest week
- and a few B and C events that would be great prep
... that's the truly big picture.
The best way to visualize and predict the future.
---
We still have a few of these, and I'm blowing them out for $15, with free shipping.
---
164.7
7 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
10 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling
100
HAVE I BECOME THE MIRTHLESS MAN?
THIS WAS A WEIRD ONE, and I'm wondering if it's ever happened to you. A concerned reader reached out and said...
... I'm doing it all wrong.
All this training is supposed to be fun, and give me joy, etc.
According to this judge, I've missed the point.
I can't possibly be happy with all this dedication, striving, yearning to improve...
... and, I wondered if that's true.
You know what I think?
He's right.
People with low standards, set the bar low and can't relate to...
... people fascinated by what's possible, who set the bar impossibly high.
Riding fast...
... fascinates me.
If you relate, click here.
---
165.1
8 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
30 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
97
IF YOU HAD A SUPER POWER...
AT THE PARTY FRIDAY NIGHT, the gist was to get to know each other better. We each drew a question about ourselves. I drew...
... if you had a super power what would it be and why?
You'd think it would be...
- to climb like a god
- sprint faster than a bullet trail
... something along those lines.
Today being Father's Day, I woulda settled for discipline...
- instead of hogging the delicious pizza we "split" last night
- rising to demolish a fresh apple fritter for breakfast
- snacking on the entire bag my favorite chips and salsa
- prying open the chocolate almonds in the bag
- going tyrannosaurus rex on a steak dinner
... was I desperate to restore my dad bod?
My actual answer to the question was to be a time traveler so I could...
- go back and visit my dad and grand fathers
- go forward and see our sons' families' families
... what could be better?
Oh, well, yeah, also go to the future to finally answer the question...
... what is the truly optimal tire pressure.
---
164.7 lbs (tomorrow's gonna be worse)
7 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps and Squats
10 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
98
COMPARING EVENTS AND INTERPRETING THE DATA
THREE OF THE LAST 4 WEEKS I've hit it pretty hard on Saturday. Twice on the road, once on gravel. All chasing much faster cats...
... doing all I can to hang on.
Today's was the biggest challenge...
... the most feared ride in these parts.
It's called Swami's, and is in the San Diego area.
One of the reasons it's so challenging is because that area has phenomenal athletes, and many of them are cyclists and triathletes.
The other reason, there is only one choice for a Saturday beat down.
I've pulled the data from just the blistering sections of the each day's workouts. Not the warm up or cool down or junk miles.
Below are my results.
Swami's
Two weeks ago, I chased my favorite national class offroad family... they just took 1st, 2nd, and 5th at MTB Marathon Nationals, today.
Gravel route
Three weeks ago, it was another very spirited gallop on the road.
Food Park
What can we see?
Work (kJ) was similar on the 2 road rides, the gravel ride was longer but when extrapolated a similar effort.
For all three rides, my Normalized Power (NP) was almost exactly the same.
A little bit lower on Food Park.
Average Power was highest on Swami's (223), the shortest ride, followed by the longer Gravel ride (216), with Food Park the lowest (200).
Max Power was similar on Swami's and Gravel (739, 730), and lowest on Food Park (653).
Ave Heart Rate, was nearly identical on the two road rides (155, 153) and a little lower on the longer gravel ride (145)... which also had some longish descents.
Soooooo... my fellow lovers of pain,
Which ride gives the best results when I'm searching for more explosive power in the 1-5 minute range?
While you're thinking about that, chew on this:
- I was dropped several times on Food Park but miraculously (stop lights) caught back on.
- On the gravel ride, I came off on most of the climbs, and reconnected on the descents.
- Today, on Swami's, I was shelled about 20 minutes in and rejoined after taking a short cut, then left behind again with 6-8ish miles to go.
My take away is that my fitness is rising, my ability to put out power is increasing and Swami's would be the best effort...
... if I could manage to stay on.
That used to be doable, terrible, but achievable.
My fitness, according to Strava is down 22% from a year ago and 29% from 2 years ago.
Considering it was almost zero in February, post injury, I'm pretty stoked and...
... looking forward to my next crack at Swami's.
What can I do better?
- Still need to carve off some blubber
- Coulda got better sleep last night
- More calories per hour
Now, what to do next week?
---
163.8 (I can do better)
7 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps and Squats
10 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling
100
GOOD AND READY ARE NOT THE SAME THING
A LOT OF THINGS CAN HOLD US BACK FROM WINNING. Our talent, our equipment, our preparation, our effort...
... being good enough to win is likely not in question.
We often have what it takes to snag the PR, get up on the podium, win the group sprint.
But, we don't do it...
... because we aren't ready.
Could be our mental game,
we aren't hungry enough,
our doubts,
fears.
Other times, we straight up...
... forget to pack our shoes.
Doh!
Whatever the case, not being ready is strictly on us.
---
162.8
7.5 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
98
FATIGUE MAKES COWARDS OF US ALL
THE HARDEST RIDE I DO ALL WEEK, isn't with the crew, isn't intervals, isn't some ridiculously epic PR I'm chasing...
... for most of us, we'd consider it a nothing burger.
Not me, here's why.
It's the Wednesday ride, on the heels of the blistering Tuesday ride.
By myself.
Zone 2.
3 hours.
What could be so hard about that?
The way I do it.
From the get go, I'm looking to get my HR right into the upper limits of my Zone 2.
Because I'm freshish, this means the power output is more in the tempo range.
One of my goals, is to never take the pressure off the pedals.
Flat, up, down, smooth, bouncy...
... I'm pedaling.
Focused on that target HR.
Last evening, as I rolled into the 3rd hour....
... I was exhausted and badly wanted to shut 'er down.
To quit.
My power HR was dropping and so was the power per beat.
My desire to pedal,
wilting.
I had a choice...
... stay on plan or head to the coast and coast home.
I chose to persevere because I know when September's event rolls around...
... I want to be prepared to battle fatigue.
---
162.3
7.5 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
99
THE MAGIC OF AN ATHLETE'S LIFE
WHAT IS A RACE, REALLY? There's all the prep and training. Competitors who are teaming and tapered. A race director who's praying it goes off without a hitch...
... but, that's not the real showdown.
What a race is is a date on our calendar to find out...
... how fit and healthy we really are.
And, this is the magic of an athlete's life.
We actually have a plan, a timeline to follow...
... a deadline to bring it all together.
What are we going to find out at the A race?
Yeah, we'll discover if we're faster or slower or better or worse than the rest.
More importantly, we'll know we are doing everything we can to maximize our physical, mental, social and, yes, spiritual, selves...
... which puts us miles ahead of where we'd otherwise be.
To outsiders the resulting healthy glow looks like magic...
... to us, it's normal.
Because Every Day Is RaceDay.
---
If you like tapping into the power of reminders, check this out: https://pedalindustries.com/collections/id-bicycle-stickers-and-tags/products/ride-fast-id-bundle-copy
---
162.3
8.5 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
101
ALL MY THOUGHTS ON AERO
HOW DOES AN UNDERFUNDED, overenthusiastic athlete figure out the intricacies of aero? No easy access to a wind tunnel, no pal on the inside, just YouTube...
... this is a real question.
And, today, I thought I got a real answer.
I went all in on aero.
- Kask Utopia helmet
- New Speedsuit prototype
- No cell phone bulging out the side pocket
This is the depth of my science.
I was the last cat with a chance to catch the leading 5 riders over the top of The Wall.
There was one rider that I could see in between me and them...
... according to Strava, I was 10 seconds behind Gouldilox.
A legit test ensued.
Generally, if I'm not right on his wheel he rolls away from me, even though we are nearly the same weight and build.
Sensations.
Aero helmets are oddly quieter than the others at 45.9 mph (per Wahoo).
The Speedsuit opening forms a perfect seal around my neck, and the fabric is cut so exact there is zero flapping in the wind...
... just the air flowing around my body.
It felt awesome...
... fast as heck!
Nearly two miles later, as I reentered the atmosphere, we linked up.
Looking back on it, while the ride seemed slowish today we actually posted pretty quick times.
How's that for sciency?
I'm taking this Ride Fast mantra pretty serious.
Check this out: https://pedalindustries.com/collections/id-bicycle-stickers-and-tags/products/ride-fast-id-bundle-1
---
162.3
7.5 hrs sleep
PushUps and PullUps
10 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling
100
ON BEING SLIGHTLY BETTER
IMPROVEMENT CAN BE ILLUSIVE. Sometimes it's obviously happening, other times we wonder if we're moving forward at all. Here's how to know if...
... changes for the better are being made.
Where would we be if we...
- rode 3 more miles
- skipped dessert
- did 5 pull ups
- hit the hay 10 minutes earlier
- rattled off 15 push ups
- said no to one piece of bread
- spent 5 minutes on equipment maintenance
... every day?
After a year of this we'd...
- add 1095 miles
- skip 365 desserts
- do 1825 pull ups
- sleep 60 additional hours
- complete 5475 push ups
- go without 23 loaves of bread
- perform 25 hours of equipment maintenance
... and hardly notice a change to our daily lives.
Except, being slightly better each day means being...
... massively better a year from now.
---
162.8
8 hrs sleep
1 Rip On RaceDay Circuit
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
98
WE CAN'T WIN THAT RACE
TWO YEARS AGO, when I was going for my PR at Leadville, I was toying with the idea of a special jersey. It would contain something very stealthy. I tabled the idea...
... because I wasn't sure it work.
Now, of course, the concept is cutting-edge.
Which makes this idea...
... just like every race we stand no chance of winning.
What was the jersey idea?
Sewing in a sleeve to hold my hydration bladder inside the jersey vs a camelbak-style pack...
... which is exactly what the winner, and other pros, used at Unbound last week.
I wanted it because it seemed like it would be more secure, not bouncing around over rough terrain.
Aero wasn't on my mind at all, which was the claimed gotta-have benefit for the 200 mile gravel race.
Clearly it works,
clearly I gotta take a crack at it.
Which brings up the point about racing...
... we can't win a race, ever, if we don't show up.
Take the chance,
see what happens.
---
163.1
7.8 hrs sleep
PullUps, PushUps
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
99
THE REASON I'M NOT DOING 100mi TRAINING RIDES
GRAVEL NATIONALS IS IN 13 WEEKS. Last year's course for my age group was 90ish miles. One would think I should be doing 100 mile training rides...
... there's a better metric to use for prep.
Rather than try and match the mileage,
consider this info...
- The winners completed the course in just under 4.5 hours.
- Add to that, the there isn't a lot of climbing...
- ... 3500' over 90 miles is only 38'/mile.
- Way under my climby course barometer of 100'/mile.
- Most of the roads used look very smooth and fast, maybe a little sand.
... so, what am I gonna do?
That was the question I had this morning as I rolled out...
... how can I best mimic the challenge I'll face in Nebraska?
I had a route in mind that connected the fastest gravel stretches I can ride from home.
My goal was to ride race pace for 4 hours,
then refuel at the little country general store,
and take it easy for the 90 minutes it takes to ride home.
Things went mostly according to plan...
... until my right pedal exploded.
Yep.
2.5 hours in,
I stand up and hear a pinging sound,
looking down I can see the pedal is sliding out about 2".
That pinging sound?
All the teenytiny ballbearings hitting the frame.
First, we need to take care of our gear. I'd been running these pedals for over 2 years, and never done a lick of maintenance.
Bozo Nono.
Second, things can go sideways in a race, so I pedaled on.
Every few miles I'd unclip and kick the end of the pedal to get it aligned. This worked mostly good. I had to slow down a bit, but not much.
Me, being me, there was no way I was gonna quit when I was trying to test my body and figure out a good gravel course.
I arrived at the general store in 3:34,
26 minutes earlier than I'd hoped,
mainly due to skipping bouncy stuff.
That said, my normalized power for the effort was 236, which is pretty good given the pedal issues.
Along with figuring out a 4ish hour test course...
... I wanted to practice nutrition intake.
In race conditions I'd shoot for 3-400 calories/hour, and 1 bottle per hour...
- I downed 1.7 bottles
- 700 calories
... for those first 3.5 hours
This was a total fail.
Next time I do this test, I'll hit the sections I skipped and be on top of my nutrition.
For a first crack,
it was a good effort.
Not great.
One thing I'll be hoping for is some hotter weather.
Today was cool,
and overcast.
Heat will probably slow me down,
but, it could easily be in the 90's come raceday.
So, why am I not doing 100 mile training rides to prepare?
- We don't have endless gravel roads here
- Our local terrain has a lot more elevation gain
- I'm much more interested in being able to rip it up for 4.5 hours
Time in the saddle is a more important training metric for me, than miles.
---
162.3
8 hrs sleep
PullUps, PushUps, Presses
10 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling
101 (finally broke 100!)
BREATH WORK
BREATHING IS A BIG THING when we're maxing out our capabilities. I've tried nose only, focusing on expanding my diaphragm, and belly breathing. I'd like to...
... blame the belly breathing.
That was my first attempt at improving my ability to process oxygen.
I shamelessly blamed that method for my potbelly and Surfergirl's constant request during photos...
... Hold your belly in.
I am!
It's hard to hold back 30 lbs of blubber.
I felt like The Little Dutch Boy,
only my dike was about to break.
During this belly breathing era, you know where your belly is expanding and contracting in an exaggerated fashion...
... me rubbing legs would wear off the anodized color on the sides of my seatpost,
and my knees would bounce off said belly.
Hard to be aero when belly is in the way.
Maybe belly breathing wasn't that effective?
It took about 5 years to change that.
Not the breathing,
the belly.
But, the most rapid changes happened when I decided to go for it on the local, hilly time trial through the canyon.
While I was shedding lbs,
my coach at the time,
insisted I change.
She wanted me to stop allowing my belly expand like a water balloon attached to a faucet...
... instead, focus on expanding my diaphragm.
Bring the diaphragm down to make room for my expanding lungs.
I didn't see the point.
However, when I did that, and it took some getting used to, I noticed I was more relaxed on the bike and breathing easier...
... when riding at threshold, tt pace.
To this day, I think about that era and occasionally find myself consciously practicing the technique.
As for the nose breathing, which she (the coach) also prodded me to do, I never got the hang of it when going at a pace above Zone 1. I do practice it when at my desk, or reading, or stretching.
It could be anatomical, or mental, or laziness...
... I gave it a shot.
The kids, in the pic above, can't remember the day Surfergirl snapped a pic of me 30 years agon, shirtless, bent over, holding their hands...
... Who were they with? I cluelessly asked.
I didn't even recognize myself when we got the pics back a month or so later.
Changing things like breathing and bellies is fun to try...
... and often makes a positive difference in performance.
---
162.1
8 hrs sleep
PullUps, PushUps, Presses
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
98
MUST BE NICE
WHY DO PEOPLE SAY THIS? It must be nice to be fit enough to do epic things, and go for long training excursions when you want. To which I always respond...
... it's not nice.
Because it's not.
It's freakin' GREAT!
Which is why we do it.
Saying No to...
- crappy food
- staying up too late
- wasting time watching stupid stuff
And yes to...
... living awesome lives.
Maybe they say It must be nice because we make it look easy.
And it is.
When we commit.
We're like race horses,
with the blinders on.
Our finish line is the fitness which results in us being better...
- parents
- lovers
- workers
- providers
- thinkers
- doers of good deeds
... than we'd otherwise be.
It's not nice...
... it's The Best.
---
162.7
8 hrs sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
97
THE GAMECHANGING GOAL
SOME GOALS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS, and I think I know why. It's not that one destination is better than another, it's...
... what is required that matters.
Take my pal Roberto's goal for 2025.
He fell short of finishing a monster ride.
He didn't really fall,
he wasn't able to complete the route.
To say he's going to do the whole ride next year is massive because he quit before the final 5000' climb, which was preceded by 10000' of vert and 110 miles.
That ain't nothin'...
... and he's already planning to go for it.
The only way he's going to make that happen is to change his game.
He's got to be a heck of a lot fitter,
and up his bike handling.
That's what I mean with gamechanging goals forcing us to...
- change how we prepare
- eliminate useless activities
- increase time spent doing the right things
- think of entirely new ways to reach new results
... change everything.
Are gamechanging goals really better?
I think so,
they're the only ones that get me excited about what's possible.
What are my gamechanging goals?
- Take Surfergirl on a weeklong vacation to a dream destination (it's been too long)
- Double our sales over last year, even though we are only 5% ahead y.t.d.
- Compete (not just show up) at Gravel Nationals
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163.1
8.5 hrs sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
99
MY STATS AND WHY I SHARE THEM
READER BURAK ASKED ABOUT MY STATS. I'd say it's personal, and I'm not going to share that data with anybody, especially a potential competitor. But, it's personal...
... and I want to be held accountable.
To you,
and to me.
Can't tell ya how many times I've wanted to fudge or skip...
... knowing it's public makes it very powerful to stay on course.
So, Burak, here ya go:
I'm 62.
163.8 lbs
This is my weight, first thing in the morning, not after a 100 mile bike ride in 100 degree heat without a water bottle or food. Tracking that number, at that time of day is super valuable. I've used the same app for years, and if i want to see what I weighed when I snagged a PR or had a good race, it's a tap of the screen away.
8.5 hrs sleep
This sleep number is the time I spend in bed. I used an app on my watch for a while, but it stressed me out so much my sleep got worse. I'm typically zonked within about 10 minutes of picking up the Kindle. Nightly sleep time has increased by 60-90 minutes since my brain injury.
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
The circuit is comprised of PullUps, PushUps, Squats, Heel Raises, Toe Raises, Should Press and Nordic Leg Curls (look it up on YouTube). It takes me 15-18 minutes to do them all, at home, in my PJs, right after I stretch and do some meditation.
20 minutes recovery
Most morning I stretch and meditate for 20 minutes, and several evenings a week I'll hit the legs with the Hypervolt for 6-10 minutes. Occasionally, not as often as I'd like, I'll get a proper massage.
90 minutes reading + Journaling
After I do the stretch and meditate stuff, before the Circuit, I usually dive into some sort of uplifting and/or educational reading, followed by some journaling. If it says over 60 minutes, that's because I did more reading during the day or at night. I really like to read and learn.
95
That little number right there I added this year. It's my fitness score, according to Training Peaks. Strava has something similar. When I was finally able to start training again, my score was in the low 30s vs my high score from 2 year ago when I went all in on Leadville. Then, it was in the hight 130s. I've got a ways to go, and I'm super pleased and amazed at the progress I've made.
The only way for me to pull this off is to wake earrrrrrrly, 5am. That's early for me. I love it. The house is quiet and peaceful.
If you want to know more about this, and be held accountable click here... https://racedayripper.com/share/3ombFpNhXntNd8UB?utm_source=manual
... the key is not to be shy, jump in, introduce yourself, access the knowledge base.
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163.6
7.5 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
20 minutes recovery
45 minutes reading + Journaling
98
3 RANDOM (BUT MANDATORY) EXERCISES
I'M NOT SAYING I'M SUPER STRONG, just stronger than I was a year ago, and probably...
... a million times stronger than most cats my age.
That might be an understatement.
How'd I do it?
That's the funny part.
There's no magic...
... unless you count patience.
But, it's so simple and so effective and so time efficient I can't stop wanting to share it.
Every day, and by every day, I mean I super very rarely skip a day. Like never, unless I'm tapering for a race.
Every day,
in under 15 minutes,
from the comfort of my garage,
in the leisure of my cozy pajamas...
- PullUps
- PushUps
- Squats
... in that order.
Multiple sets that wind up totaling...
- 25
- 75
- 15
... respectively.
I sucked when I started.
Had to jump up and lower myself down slowly on the pullups because I could barely do one.
One!
I started doing 2x on the pushups vs pullups, and now I'm 3x of however many pull ups.
Currently, that means the first set is 8 pullups, 24 pushups, 5 squats.
Let me put this in perspective for us all...
... basic fitness for the military age male is being able to do 12 pullups in a row and 42 pushups in a row.
I'm going to shoot for my max being 12 pullups, which I could probably do now...
.... if I wasn't such a stickler for form.
Am I bragging?
Nope.
I'm begging.
Begging all of us to be strong,
so our bones and souls are less likely to break.
---
... No one is good at something they've never done before...
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163.8
8.5 hrs sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
95
THE EXCITING CONCLUSION
SURFERGIRL KNOWS NOT TO INTERRUPT ME when I'm immersed in the final chapters of pageturning fiction. I'm unreachable, time stops...
... just like the final miles of a race.
I'm gone.
My alter ego firmly in control.
At the beginning of a race or quest or book, it's easy to day dream, let the mind wander, be distracted.
But, there's something about the end that demands a shift in concentration and focus.
Is it because it's time to discover the pay off?
Show what we're made of?
See the story ends?
Or, just the sheer adrenaline of the looming finish line?
---
163.8
8 hrs sleep
PullUps, PushUps, Squats
20 minutes recovery
180 minutes reading + Journaling
96
TODAY WAS A PRACTICE RACE
MY FAST FRIENDS INVITED ME TO TAG ALONG on their gravel ride. For them, it would be "easy". For me...
... it would be an explosive test.
The invitation was on Wednesday,
which gave me two days to be ready.
I wanted to do more than recover.
My plan was to use it as a practice race...
- Recover and taper
- Have a pre-race dinner
- Get to bed early and sleep 8 hours
... that's the basics.
Beyond that...
- I planned a pre-race breaky
- Prepped bottles with 333 calories each
- Stuffed a few crepes in my pockets to supplement.
How'd it go?
The bad...
- Ate half a hamburger and some fries at 830pm
- Went to bed at 1030pm vs the targeted 9-930pm
- Woke up a little late, had to sprint to the meet up vs warm up
The good...
- Legs felt great
- Food strategy went perfect
- Picked off some PRs, and recorded strong power numbers
Which brings up the most important point...
... all races always have shift go wrong.
Always.
While we endeavor to perfect our racecraft, part of the perfection...
... is mastering our response when things go sideways.
---
163.6
8 hrs sleep
No Strength Work
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
98
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE PRO
PRO RACERS GET PAID. That's the qualification to call oneself professional. We'd all like to be pro racers. Wake up, eat, stretch, look over the equipment, train all we want and need...
... recover, and sleep.
You know what's weird about that?
We have to be pro,
to be a pro.
In everything we do.
What's hard about that?
The everything part.
Not only do we have to eat, drink, sleep and train like pros...
.. we have to be pro at work and family.
There's is no room for error,
no time to waste.
Is there any money in being a pro athlete?
Who cares?
It's cool to be...
... pro at everything.
---
161.6
8 hrs sleep
PullUps and PushUps
20 minutes recovery
60 minutes reading + Journaling
93
5 MONTHS DOWN, SUMMER TO GO
DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE, and how you like to compete, your race season has just ended, or is just beginning. I either case...
... I have one question.
Are you where you want to be?
Did things go good during the spring races?
Is the fitness coming together as the summer heats up?
It's interesting to consider our progress, and realize...
... it's all about being consistent.
Sure, we can...
- crash diet
- do a huge training block
- upgrade to a new fancy gizmo
... for a temporary performance bump.
Or, would we be a heck of a lot further down the trail by...
... doing the right things, day after day?
---
161.8
8 hrs sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
94
THE 5 KINDS OF RACERS
THERE ARE 5 KINDS OF RACERS in the world. No matter where we go, we're sure to find all five. Could be on a start line...
... could be on a lonely trail.
Here they are:
- Motivated by the journey, this first group focuses on the racecraft, learns all they can. Then cracks off a blistering time up a mountain, without waiting for someone to organize a race.
- The top of the podium is the domain of fierce competitors, against their PRs and everyone else. They figure out what it takes to win a race, and do it.
- Those on the dirt podium - 4th and 5th and top 10s - are like the top of the podium, but the resistance is real. They're motivated, but internal limits hold them back.
- The rest of the lead group, is willing to expend effort, but not too much. They are fast enough to be there at the end, but don't see themselves as contenders.
- The pack fodder, is cool with just being present and getting by with the least possible effort.
I've been all of these racers, at one time or another.
It's not permanent.
And, that's the cool part...
... we can always change.
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162.8
9 hrs sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Circuit
20 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
96