10 days off....

10 days off the bike equates to nothing good. After the Stampede it has been a strange mix of odd weather and general tasks that have kept me off the bike. I had a window open on Wednesday evening so I headed out on the road bike.

I headed out of town and was feeling okay. Not really sure how far I wanted to ride I stuck pretty close to town with a chance to turn back at any given time. After a few miles I decided to just keep going. I headed out of town and out towards the dam. I wasn't riding hard, and my heart just wasn't into it. It was good to be riding, but mentally it was far from a training ride. It was simply...a ride. Rolled into the house with about 20 miles at a sub 15mph pace. Like I said, just a ride.

Last night a few of us headed to Luton Park. We were hearing that the trail was in awesome shape so I was pretty excited. Nate and I were the first ones there so we geared up and rode the Blue (inner loop only) before everyone got there. That little loop is pretty flat with a few twisty areas. Other than almost taking my head off on a low tree it was a good little warmup.

Mike, Matt, and a few others joined and we headed out for a full loop. The funniest thing I see is random skid marks on the trail. Areas where people get off kilter a bit and mash the brake levers putting their bike into an out of control skid off the trail. Tonight was no different. There is a little root and you have to be going left when you go over it. There was a deep skid into a stump towards the right. Looked a fairly serious "oh shit" moment for someone. 

Luton was dialed. Corners were sticky. No sand. Grip on every climb. Awesome. The best part of Luton is the variety. Each loop is a little different and has unique offerings. The yellow has a few gnarly (ish) corners. The black loop is longer and has a good mix of climbing and fast descents that feel like a roller coaster. The red weaves back and forth making you fee like you are close to other riders even though Mike was pulling away from me. Then you ride a fast off camber flow section to the green loop. One out and back then a little climb and you are done. Great trail.

I did have a slight problem. After the first lap my legs didn't want to work anymore. It didn't stop me from doing another lap, but the legs were blown. Taking 10 days off then putting miles into them all at once took its toll. I was slow, but it was still good to be out there!

Reports are that Island Lake on Sunday is a go! Meaning....I will be in Brighton attempting to be fast!

Island Lake up next

Since the Fort Custer Stampede I haven't touched a bike. With a lot going on a few missed opportunities....life happens. 

After lots of waffling I have decided to head to Island Lake this coming Sunday. It is a course that appears to suit me....flat. There looks to be a nasty climb in the beginning and another mid-way thru the lap but otherwise a pretty good course for me!

My goal...will be to finish. Right now there are 7 registered so my real goal will be NOT LAST. This will be my first time riding at Island Lake and at 18 miles I know I don't stand a chance for the podium. It would be a stretch to say top 5, but how cool would that be? Shit happens right?

Nate, Lisa, and I intend to head over and join a few of my team members. Those two will be shooting for the top step. Cool to have Nate out racing now, and to see him excited to be competing. We will be keeping an eye on the weather right now as it does call for storms in the PM.

Otherwise....I hope to turn in a few miles tonight on the road and then head to Luton tomorrow for more! Friday will be a day off and then maybe a road ride Saturday morning before a full day of knocking items off the honey-do list.  

This warm weather and sunshine makes me happy!

remember, remember....

No...not Guy Forks and the 5th of November. What this post is about is remembering the feeling....

....that feeling of...

...smashing a climb....

....zipping past trees....

...the cool water of a creek crossing splashing on your legs....

...the major tan lines...

...the roar of the crowd...

...passing another rider...

....being fast...

...crossing the finish line...

....and stepping onto the podium.

It has happened before.....and it will happen again.

2016 was the last time I did. The Treetops race I podium by default. There were only 3 of us...and I got crushed....by a lot. But, I was there....and I did earn that podium spot. One of the toughest courses I have ever ridden. Just so much climbing.

TK Lawless was the last time I stepped on the podium. I mustered a 2nd place and actually beat someone that day. Unfortunately, this was the last race that I finished. I declined fairly rapidly after this race and fell off the proverbial wagon.

So we reach 2018 and I finally hit the reset button on racing. I knew going in that I wouldn't be competitive for a couple of reasons. First, as I mentioned before, I am very heavy. That is like dragging an anchor around and trying to be fast. Sure I am gaining strength, but I still have to haul this mASS up all the hills. Second, I didn't have many miles last year. With a fading 2016 and less than 700 miles in 2017 I am just not ready to mix it up for a top spot.

Setting and reaching a goal for Lowell was exciting. Setting and narrowly missing a goal for Barry Roubaix was acceptable. Then reality set in with a crushing DFL at Yankee. Beaten but not bruised I toed the line again the following weekend at the Fort Custer Stampede and had a very solid ride. 

Wait...where was I going with this...oh....remember!

My point is this....with racing comes a different level of riding. I had forgotten this. During a race I am able to dig deeper and push harder than on just a normal ride. The first two gravel races were just that...find a pace...and ride. Yankee was where it started to come back. The thrill of racing and having people blast past. Which is also a stark reminder of my fitness level. I got passed a lot at Yankee because the course doesn't suit my riding style....or climbing prowess. 

Fort Custer is a better place for me to test because it is flat. At the start I was able to keep up with part of the group for a solid portion of the ride. Being rusty made me push harder than I probably would have. I didn't want to blow up and I finally remembered that a few miles in before I settled down into my eventual pace. Tactics....I had to remember how to race again. How to use the rush of the crowd to push me on. How to do a bottle handoff. Crazy right? But it started to come back to me and by the second lap at Custer I was comfortable and started to push where I knew I could. 

My mentality for this season has been to progress from Lowell 50 in the spring to Lowell 50 in the fall and see how it measures up. Watching my team and friends stand on the podium has helped me gain that spark for riding that I have been missing for so long. I have found myself looking at the calendar to see what is next. Researching lap times and watching youtube videos of the next event. Looking to see who will be there and wondering how I will actually finish. 

I know right now I am a long way from standing on a podium. What I have are the memories of being there to drive me to do better. To lose the weight and ride more. To regain that mental toughness I had when I pushed through 100 miles of Lumberjack in 2015. I will continue to try. And who knows, one of these times I might just get to step on one of those steps again....

Nutrition....ugh

Been fighting off posting about this for a while...but the proverbial cat is essentially out of the bag. I have been to 4 events this year...and people have...um...noticed. Don't get me wrong, I have always been a big guy. Well...not always...just for a long time. Lets go back in time....

When I got married I was 180 pounds. I had people tell me I looked sick. :(

When my oldest daughter was born I weighted 185 pounds. I was showing abs and feeling awesome. But, I broke my foot and shot back to 220. 

Then....I started a job where I was in the car for over 90 minutes each way and we ate at a buffet nearly every day of the week. I shot from 220 to to 270 in a few short years.

I faded back to 250 and started riding again. Got down to 238 once, then back up to 250.

I did LJ100 at a solid 250 but I was strong. 

Then....I started creeping up. Winter was always adding 15-20 pounds. Then I didn't lose any, so I went up again to 270.....then 280....then.....ugh....290...

It was time for new clothes. One day I stepped on the scale and I was 296 pounds. That was Christmas day of 2017. Over 100 pounds heavier than I was when I got married. Unacceptable.

So I started lose some weight. Riding again. As of yesterday I am down 13 pounds and at 283 pounds. I know I have a long way to go...and I am hopeful I found a solution. A few people in my family are joining in and we are going to get this weight off. The weight wasn't found overnight, and it won't be lost overnight. Marathon...not a sprint.

So the title....wow was I offtrack. Nutrition was the point of this and I took a deep tangent. But it brought me back to this point that I know I need to get my nutrition dialed in. It has always been my biggest crutch out of every crutch I try to use. Because I have gained so much weight I am actually concerned about my health...and my life. We have lots of stress and I use food to sooth that. I find myself eating and telling myself...don't do it...but stuff it in anyway. And yeah, after the race I had ice cream. But I skipped the donuts. Some days are better than others.

This week has started off well. Sunday was solid, other than the ice cream. Monday was dialed. Tuesday has been good too. I need to get thru 2 weeks of healthy eating to create it as a habit instead of a choice. Its not like healthy food is gross. We eat good on this plan and it works for you with where you are and where you want to be. No magic bullets, just healthy eating habits. Learn. Eat. Exercise. Healthy. 

I have a long way to go. Longer than before. But now that people have seen me out and about and know how big I am...I can't hide it. Now it is time to put the work in and get rid of this anchor that kills me on climbs. Descents...well....major advantage. lol. Lets ride.....

Fort Custer Stampede Recap

Since this is considered our "home race" I decided I better show up. Just like the previous weekend I had talked myself into showing up and out of showing up multiple times. This was one reason I never posted up a goal. Watching BikeReg.com leading into the race I figured I might as well go...there was only 10...wait...11 signed up. Plus, home race...I know the course...and even though I know I will get my ass handed to me....it is a freaking blast to be out there.

Before the start we did our normal mingling and chatting. Then it was time to warm up. A few spins of the pedals and it was time to line up. I haven't been to this race (...hey...I have a daughter that was in dance competitions...so bite me) in a few years and the course changed a bit. Not much, but some. The Start is still at Eagle lake and still goes blasting past the building on the beach before heading out towards red. It was time to go.....and off we went. 

14 of us this time around. By the time we passed the building there was only 2 people behind me. We hit the first straight section before diving back into the woods and the leaders were already gone. Statement...made. I knew I wouldn't hang with them, but was happy to see some of my rivals in striking distance. We rode in a group of about 6 before things started to stretch out in the trenches. I snuck around a guy before the switchback..and then the next class started to bear down on us.

I was pushing my limit and had to remind myself that this wasn't a time trial. With taking a few years off it is amazing what you forget. I felt like I was riding too hard and backed it down just a bit. A few miles in Brain passed me with a stream of "old guys". By Old guys I mean the 70+ sport riders that were hauling the mail. This was in Grannys Garden and I didn't want to hold them back so I bailed out and let the train pass. Then I started the chase back on a guy I thought was in my class.

He held me off for a long time, and the miles slowly ticked away. I got to the boat launch climb and just spun away until I reached the top, reminding myself again that I had another full lap. This section goes pretty quick before jumping off the trail and heading back to the start. I was feeling pretty good, but hadn't seen another person from my class in a while...other than the 2 I had already passed. I made it to the finish area and I see Tim. Tim is Co-founder of Territorial Brewing...one of our sponsors. I reached out and gave him an entustastic high five as I passed. Then I spotted Chelle with my second bottle. Successful handoff and I was off for my second lap.

Now my issue was wondering when the beginners were going to catch me. They were staged when I came thru and I was confident they would be streaming past me. Into the trenches and over the camel humps, I spy a guy from my class. As we head down to the creek I can hear the gang of people cheering like crazy. The guy in front of me hiccups and dabs, I take the outside line and mash the hill to get a small gap on him. I could see him every switchback and every little turn. He was just there. Sometimes close, sometimes just a bit back. A few of the sport women reeled us in and passed but none of the beginners yet.

Just keep pushing. I was baked. Cramps started in my foot. I was dehydrated the day before and was about to pay the price. Just keep going. The miles were ticking away and cleared Erin's climb for the second time. NICE. Go dude, there that guy is again. Gotta drop him. Down the rough switch back and up out of the gully I see him again. He is a climber....better than me. My only chance is to dump him on the flat and survive on the climbs. 

A few more people pass and I can feel the end coming. The long climb out of green and I then a sweet descent. I hear "hey buddy". It was Nate, the first beginner to catch me. He was gone and I had to focus on the rooty climb. Nailed it, drink and go....dangit...this dude won't quit. I push into the switchback down to Eagle lake and try to ride hard to the boat launch. This climb was going to hurt, the last climb. I had to spin. Another beginner smashes past me and I hear a rather unruly troop screaming at the top of the hill. All words of encouragement as I plodded by. Quick drink, don't see that guy....time to go...almost done.

Last punch and then the pavement towards the finish. I cross the road and am on the home stretch. I burn my last match and cross in 11th place out of 14. Instantly started to cramp and had to peel my shoes off. Thankfully I was done. 

Thanks to my family for coming to cheer me on. Big thanks to Chelle. Without your pushing I would have quit a long time ago. Love you woman. Also, thanks to all my friends, family, and teammates that cheered me on during this race. Good job to all of you too!

As always, thank you to our team sponsors:

Custer Cyclery

Territorial Brewing

Giant Bicycles

Kong Coolers