400 for 3000

Monday December 3rd at 7pm, I will be giving a presentation on my experiences while preparing to qualify for the Race Across America. We will touch on training, nutrition, the Ohio Challenge and the ultimate goal of RAAM. This presentation is open and free to everyone so invite your friends to come out to Endorphin Fitness (8908 Patterson Ave) with you. You can RSVP by emailing register@endorphinfitness.com

Thank you to Endorphin Fitness and Powerbar for hosting the event. I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday night.

The Timing has Me Thinking

It's funny how things tend to fall into their places when they do.  When a string of things fall together at a seemingly unrelated time, it certainly makes believing there is a higher power involved with our lives very easy to do. 

A month ago, I returned home from Ohio where I qualified for the Race Across America.  Since then, I have spent a week relaxing, a week riding and two weeks of being sick.   I once worked for a gentleman who would preach "Failure to plan is planning for failure."  I am not sure who originally said this but it has stuck with me over the years.  As I began to feel better this week and my body was beginning to feel incredibly antsy, I started to look towards next year's training and racing.

Now, it's unrealistic that I get all my ducks in a row to take part in the RAAM in 2013 but I do plan on racing more and putting the training in so that 2014 isn't so unrealistic.  2014 would also be the last year of my current two year qualified status.  One night earlier this week while I was trying to put together a preliminary list of races I might have the slightest bit of interest in doing next year, I got the craving for a cold glass of juice.  

That is when the first of two signs arrived that would make me believe 2014 would be the year.  I reached into the fridge for the pitcher of juice and saw there was not enough left to fill my glass.  No worries, we always have an extra can of Dole's delicious 100% not from concentrate pineapple juice on hand.  As I was opening the new can, I couldn't help but notice the stamp on the top.  (Reminder that RAAM takes place in June every year.)

After letting that little nugget sink in, I went back to meticulously, putting together my extremely tentative race calendar.  Then on Thursday, after a long day of power testing and halloween hayrides I received a letter from the Executive Director of RAAM.  The second sign in as many days that 2014 should be the year.  It was something I had been dreaming of for a long time, my official invite to participate in the Solo Division of the Race Across America.

How all of these things could happen within days of each other is beyond me.  With the exception of one of us, the timing of these events was certainly out of our control.  Whether 2014 becomes a reality or not, only time will tell.  One thing we can be sure of, is they have given me an incredible amount of motivation to continue working hard down this path.  And I intend to do so.

Sinking In

A week ago yesterday, I was able to finish a chapter of a long time dream of mine when I crossed the finish line of the Ohio Challenge.  By crossing the line in less than the allotted 34 hours, I became qualified to race in the solo division of what is renowned as the hardest race in cycling, the Race Across America.

As I sit here now, I am still taken back by the outpouring of support I have received from not just friends and family but also from complete strangers.  People who I have never met and seemingly had nothing in common with were sending motivating messages throughout the day and night.  The phone ringing throughout the night despite my inability to press the correct  button which would allow me to actually talk to the caller. Instead I denied 90% of the calls and just kept riding through dark cornfields repeating to myself over and over again, "Hello? Hello? Helllloooo?"

Combine all of those messages with the handful of conversations and emails I have received who have made reference to how my racing had inspired them to do more with their lives not only in a fitness sense but to lead a more fruitful life in a general everyday sense, all have me reevaluating the reasoning I was reintroduced to a bicycle years after I stopped riding one as a kid.

When I started this journey, I had nothing but selfish reasons to attempt and complete the qualification process.  I am humbled in knowing that I am not alone when I am on the bike.  I am excited to see what is to come in the future as I prepare for racing lots of shorter and even a few longer distances next year.

The question I am asked the most "When will you be doing RAAM?" is a tough question to answer as I am not completely sure when the right time will be.  The one thing I do know is that being surrounded by all of the best coaches in endurance sports, the best of friends who continually inspire me on a daily, the most loving wife who accepts and tolerates every crazy idea that passes from my brain to my mouth and a family who are all willing to go to the end of the earth to make my dreams come true there isn't an easier answer to give.  Soon, very soon.

Mixing Concrete

Over the last few months, I have been sharing a lot of my other hobbies and passions with all the interwebs to see both here and over on the book of faces.  Most of the sharing comes in the form of pictures of food I am either about to throw on a grill, something already on the grill or something just off the grill.  I very rarely share the recipes, only drool inducing photos.  Today, I thought I would share with you a recipe I have been perfecting for years.  A recipe so good, it could win a blue ribbon at any local 4H competition, how to properly mix concrete in your legs.

Anyone who has swung there leg over a bicycle either recreationally or competitively has at one time or another either experienced heavy or cramping legs.  Legs that just don't want to move.  Legs that have been set into concrete.  Follow these easy steps for your very own DIY concrete legs or do the exact opposite if you aren't the following type.

1. Prep work is key.  If the area in which you are mixing the concrete isn't cleaned out properly the concrete will not settle and harden as it should.  The day before you are scheduled to pour the concrete, go out for a long hard ride.  This will ensure your leg cavities no longer have any toxins in them.  It also helps tear the muscle fiber in the tiniest of bits which allows the concrete to properly adhere to your quadriceps.  Proper rehydration is not suggested.  Have you ever tried pouring concrete straight into a lake?
2. The morning of the pour, you may start to take in some fluids.  I recommend one glass of fluid in the early morning and that is it.  Be careful though, too much fluid and you will ruin the consistency of the mix which prevents the concrete from setting up perfectly.
3. Follow that up with a long day in the hot sun.  You do not have to be doing anything active, just be out there.  This is when the pouring actually takes place.
4. After a long day in the sun and the temperatures start to fall outside, you may have your first and only bite to eat for the day.  This bite needs to be in the form of pure junk.  Something with a good bit of sugar in it but with nothing of good nutritional value.  Gummy Bears, Mike & Ikes and vegan cupcakes all work well with two of the three tasting much better than the third. Certainly, nothing with protein.  Protein will start to speed up the body's attempt to repairing your torn muscles fibers which you worked so hard to rip in step one.  You might as well be breaking out a jackhammer!  
5. The sugar you just took in will give your body just enough energy to keep the concrete from freezing overnight.  Frozen uncured concrete will crack a lot easier than if it cures fully.  Now go to bed.
6. After waking up, go for another ride and reap the fruit of your labor.  If you followed the recipe exactly, you will be blessed with legs too heavy to move and your friends will think they are getting faster because they can actually keep up with you.

Swimming in Cyclist Style

When working in a shop you are often asked many of the same questions on a daily basis. Being surrounded by triathletes, one of the most common questions I hear is "Do you do triathlons?" My response is always a coy "No, I swim like a rock."  Which isn't necessarily true as I can swim well enough to not drown in the first 3 minutes of being in the water but that's about it.  Jenn has a standing offer to work with me on my swimming when I want it to truly learn but for now it doesn't fit into my long term plans which means it gets no short term love.

Yesterday, my body was more tired than I it was letting on.  I know this because the plan was to pick up the bike and gear from the shop, eat some lunch and then go for a ride.  The plan was derailed when I fell asleep on the couch after eating lunch and didn't wake up until 3 hours later.

At that point my normal routes from the house would have me playing in traffic during rush hour so I opted to head across town to Westcreek and head a bit west from there.  After being on the bike for a few miles, I had come up with a route in my head then it donned on me, I was about to go swimming in a pure cyclist fashion.  I would ride towards all the roads which are named after some form of water.  

I started in the creek and road towards the river (River Rd).  Like most rivers, the road tends to really flow especially after a lot of rain.  Well the rain on this day was rush hour and I decided to save the splashing around in the river for another day.  

Instead, I thought diving into a Shallow Well would be a bit safer.  After all I was wearing a helmet and there aren't any no diving warning signs posted or flashing in my head. With no fear of spinal injury or head trauma I jumped in just deep enough to get my leg hairs wet while keeping my chamois dry.   

The route was beautiful, the flow was steady and I think I am now a believer in this thing people call swimming.  But for now, my swimming and your swimming will continue to defer ever so slightly.

Naughty List

Today was the perfect day to get out on the bike and just enjoy the ride.  With just a couple of days left before Christmas I spent the majority of my ride taking in the decorations.  I was flying high with the spirit of Christmas.  Somewhere about 35 miles or so into the ride I came up behind another rider.  We were heading the same way so now I company for the next 10 miles or so.

People ask me all the time about run ins with cars but I cannot honestly remember the last time I was honked or yelled at.  Today that changed.  We stopped for a red light and once the light changed and we started back up, we were passed by two cars with no problem.  The driver of the third car came by with the horn blowing and window down.  He let up on the horn to yell to us "Get off the ******* road!"  I usually just let stuff like this go without response but I replied "Merry Christmas!"  He then gave me the early present of the finger.  I know one guy who's stocking is going to be full of coal.

Island therapy

This past week was supposed to be a relaxing getaway full of sun, sand and saddle time.  I keep telling myself, two out of three isn't bad.  Looking back to recent history, I cannot remember the last time I had been so relaxed.  Not a worry in the world once I stop worrying about my level of fitness and health.

The first day down here, I did some running on the beach.  This wasn't your typical "let's go for a run" type of run.  You all know I wouldn't say or do such a thing. Instead, it was just a few short pain free minutes (maybe 20) of throwing the frisbee with Todd.  The following morning was a different story.  My right hip flexor started to yell obscenities with my every attempt to move it.  I tried to reason with it, explaining this was a family beach and those kind of words would not be tolerated. I even tried smacking it around a bit.  That didn't work either.

With this slated to be a heavy mileage week in preparation of the upcoming ADK 540, I got on my bike and headed out for the better part of the morning.  I wish I could report the ride was a success but it was anything but.  I quickly became frustrated as I attempted to break the world record of completing the most missed turns in the first half of a ride.  At the same time, the hip pain had now stretched all the way down the outside of my leg.

At one point it was bad enough to bring me 79.9% of the way to mentally breaking.  Instead of crawling into a ditch to cry, I turned the wheel towards home and bagged the rest of the ride.  The ride ended up, being less than 5 miles shorter in that direction.  The original route would have been more scenic but without the mental fortitude it certainly wouldn't have been more enjoyable.

Fast forward through two days of extreme hip therapy consisting of hours upon hours of sitting on the beach perfecting all my amazing tan lines. What most people try to avoid, I usually excel.  My crisp, sharp lines of differing color on my skin would make any cyclist proud.

Yesterday, I awoke and my hip had stopped yelling at me so I decided to take a few laps around the island.  The plan was to ride for as long as I could go without feeling any pain in my hip.  That lasted close to 4 miles.  Frustrated, I finished up 2 laps of the island which are similar to extended loops of Westcreek but without any sort of change in elevation just flat, mind numbing miles.  And yes, I do realize Westcreek doesn't have any real elevation change but it does require me to use the rear shifter twice every 6 miles.  So I went back to the self-prescribed beach therapy.

Like my new do?

It looks as if I will be giving it one more crack this morning when the other 8 members of the house take to the road for a few laps of back and forth action.  If only the superpowers of the flat, straight roads could be used for good (hip numbing) instead of evil (mind numbing) my world would be perfect.