Random Tuesday....trends....

 I don't really have anything to talk about, just a few updates that are more than a short post.

1. Weight loss is going good. This year I am down 36 pounds. I still have work to do, but I am super happy about how I am trending. I have had a few weird (bad food) days mixed in, but overall since I got back from Germany I have done pretty good. Still learning. Still progressing. Its about the trend of my weight towards my goal.

2. Riding. Had the chance to ride Yankee a few times last week. Trail is almost exactly the same as it was last time I rode it....3 years ago. That doesn't seem right to me, but it sure is. I won't be competitive at the Time trial on Saturday, but its more about pushing hard for that 11 miles and seeing what I can do against myself. I was dreading the first ride I did out there. I know there is a lot of climbing and sand. But the trail was no worse than I remember. Yes, climbing. Hills don't tend to change. It was just like being out there with an old friend and catching up since the covid disaster. I went back Friday for another ride and was a few minutes faster. Still a fun trail. Looking forward to seeing a lot of people let it fly on Saturday.

3. Riding seems stronger overall. My rides at Yankee were not fast, but still felt ok. Last night I headed out for some gravel and hit up the Dirty Donut 22 mile course. Its a very flat 22 miles with a lot of pavement. I rode from home, which added 8ish miles for a total of 30. Solid ride. I say I seem to be stronger because of the sections on this route that do have some hills. There is a short stretch where all the climbing seems to be piled in. I set PR's on each of those segments. The reason being that I didn't have to walk. So I think the combo of riding consistent and the weight loss has helped show as improvements. I will take it!

4. LJ100 is looming. Less than 8 weeks out now. I still have a goal weight I am trying to hit before this event. And I have a stacked schedule leading into LJ. All I can do is keep moving forward. I do have Hanson Hills 50 as a solid test event on Memorial weekend, so stay tuned. 

5. Mindset. I am back to reading and researching and learning. This usually bodes well for me because it means I am excited to ride and improve again. Yeah I know I am only 2 weeks removed from a meltdown at Barry Roubaix, but hear me out. I bounced back by that evening. I didn't allow myself to wallow in self pity. I dusted myself off, regrouped, and kept moving forward. Having the right mindset will help me stay on track and attain more of my goals. I will need a solid mindset as my schedule ramps ups starting Memorial weekend. Those races every weekend are 50 miles, 61 miles, 66 miles, and then LJ100 (100 miles). 

Come along for the ride. 

Nutrition update

Nutrition has always been an issue for me. I love food. So I tend to eat whatever is put in front of me. It could be anything from a healthy salad to a calorie loaded non-nutritional dessert. Gone. I will smash it. 

Christine started Whole30 when I was in Germany. She dropped a lot of weight that first week. Knowing that I have LJ100 coming and that I needed to do something, I started it when I got back. 

Sure, you say "diet" and everyone panics.

"Must be the new fad"

"what kind of pill you taking"

"none of them work forever"

"there is no magic pill"

You know the list goes on and on an on. And they are all true. I have tried many different plans over my life. Some are that flash in a pan drop weight quick. Some are a handful of pill that are supposed to make you feel better. Some work. Some don't. It does come down to the person on the plan. I use the word plan, because I don't care for the word diet. 

When I was working with Adelaide she would always redirect words. Instead of "working out" it would be "training". Instead of "diet" she would redirect to "nutrition plan". Subtleties like these are important for what I am trying to do here. Redirect my mind. This is no different than what I tell my youngest as she grumbles towards the door before her shift. She will be slogging around the house and I hear "I don't want to go"....or complaining about school with the "I don't want to do this". I try to redirect her thoughts to the "I will have a good shift" or "when I get this school done..." or something small like that. The whole "speak it to the universe" or "speak it into fruition" type of stuff. Don't worry, not gonna be start gazing here, just making a point about the mental state you can create when you believe one thing versus another.

This brings me back to Whole30. Even when I started I didn't fully understand what the purpose was. I just knew that I could only eat whole foods like lean beef, chicken, vegetables, fruits, and eggs. So many eggs....but no beans, no grains, no dairy, nothing processed. And it started to click a bit.

The purpose of the Whole30 is actually much more than I realized. The purpose is to flush your body of all of the junk we eat every day. Literally....every day...every thing we eat. Well, most of us eat. Ok, what I was eating. The simple stuff like canned vegetables can even sneak up on you. Whole grain bread is good right? Well sure, but it still has these additives that stick in your body. So now, eating clean is working on getting that junk out of your body. Resetting you back to where you should be.

This image shows the overall basics.

When I started I knew I needed to follow it. I did, and I dropped over 25 pounds in that 30 days. Well, it was more like 5 weeks, so 35 days. Clearly I eat a lot of garbage, but that is another story. I actually stuck to the plan for the 30 days. No it wasn't easy. On vacation the family was eating queso and chips, fresh bread at the steakhouse, salads with ranch dressing, and amazing looking (and smelling) desserts. But I managed to get thru that with the accountability of Christine. 

Since then I have had a few days where I ate things that I shouldn't have. I noted how I felt. Like garbage. That "garbage in/garbage out" analogy is working its roots right here. After eating clean for almost 6 weeks my body was functioning better. Much better. The day after eating something with processed stuff, I slept like crap and felt like crap. Even tanked at Barry Roubaix because my mental well being was depreciated and that turned physical in the matter of 10 miles. 

Knowing that I want to keep losing weight, I cut that crap out of my nutrition plan. I say plan here because I have to be intentional with my food. I can't just wing it anymore. I am doing my best to plan out and have those healthy whole food options around that I can eat. That way I am not tempted to swing into a fast food place and grab a crappy burger or taco....both of which are made of  who knows what ingredients. Could be beef, could be sawdust. Could be some additive that has addictive properties. Funny how close those words are....never noticed that before now. 

So where do I land. Clearly staying on Whole30 for the rest of my life would be very difficult. In my research for approved Whole30 foods I started to see the same names popping up. Gluten Free. Non GMO. Paleo. Kosher. Dairy Free. Real ingredients. Keto friendly. Interesting how a lot of these ideas are related....and just have a tweak here or there to make them unique. 

This is the closest one to Whole30 that I have found....

Hunter-gatherer. No dairy or grain. Which means no cheese and no pasta or oatmeal. I have functioned on dairy and pasta for many years. Having cut all of these out of my eating for over a month I did notice the benefits. However, the final decision isn't out on things like oatmeal, yogurt, and granola. 

I actually ordered a few books today. 3 different authors, 3 likely different approaches. However, one of the books was co-authored by Joe Friel (Cyclists Training Bible). He has been a staple of training since I started riding over 20 years ago. And as a trainer of cyclists....perhaps he can direct me how to push my performance while staying away from the pasta and rice that has weighed me down for so many years.

No, this isn't an advertisement. Its just where I am today. I have a lot to learn. I have multiple sources I plan to use to get my nutrition plan dialed to what will work best for me. Maybe it will be snickers and whiskey. Maybe it will be fish and quinoa (unlikely). Maybe it will be straight Paleo. Its really hard to say. I just wanted to share what has worked for me in 2023 and say that I am happy to be down 33 pounds for the year. Yes that is progress. Yes I am proud of that. I still have a lot of work to do, nutritionally, physically, and mentally. These 3 things are not exclusive. Mentally I need to stick to my plans. Which means I eat right and I keep training properly. 

Heading to Yankee for more miles tonight. Been eating clean for a few days now (again) and feeling better overall. Need to continue that trend and hit my goal weight for LJ100. I get to that weight and I will confident in finishing again. I have 8 weeks. Another 20 pounds is still keeping solid loss while doing it in a way that is sustainable. Just keep moving forward. 

 

Yankee Springs TT on the Horizon

The Yankee Springs Time Trial is coming in just over a week. I figured I better get out there and see what has changed on the course.

Short answer, not much. I didn't realize that is has been over 3 years since I had ridden out there. Seems fairly odd to me actually. But when I look at my riding over the last few years it makes more sense. The covid drama was added in there and I was working south so Yankee just wasn't in the cards.

Plus, Yankee is a hard trail for me. Not really in a technical aspect, simply the climbing. I have said before that I am not a climber and Yankee has a lot of hills. While I love the descents, they are earned out there. 

Over the past few days I have cleaned up The DUFF and got it ready to ride. The last time it was outside was August....how is that even possible. ugh. Anyway, I had it ready to go and loaded up last night to head to Yankee. As expected in the weeks leading up to the Time Trial, the lot had a lot of cars. I geared up and headed out.

Right away, I remember why I love this trail. Well...love...hate....

The first drop in is quick and gives you an idea of what this trail is all about. Rocks, roots, and sand. Another ride passed me at the top of the first little climb. A preview of how race day will go. ;)

The trail was in great shape. Sand as usual in the normal places. I had the delusion in my head that I was going to make it around a full lap without having to stop. That ended on a climb less than 2 miles in. Caught a root, put a foot down. I realized how out of practice I was on the mountain bike. Just haven't been riding a lot the last few years, and when I do its mainly gravel. So this was going to be a good test.

I forged ahead and made it to what I feel is the first major climb. The one where the concrete Washington monument marker is. I had to walk. Just not feeling like I had the power. Remember, I am still a heavy rider...and my lack of mtb riding was showing.

A few riders passed over my journey. I was just riding my pace and enjoying being in the woods. I have missed it out there, and I will be riding more because my A race this year is all mountain bike. I got back to the trailhead and went right into the warmup loop. So I wasn't so gassed that I wanted to quit. I just kept going for another couple of miles. 

Overall a good ride. Great to be back out there. Was a bit faster than I had planned, so that was a bonus. I won't be competitive at the TT, because I am pretty far away from the 'clyde' minimum weight. But it will still be fun.

Will probably head back Friday and Sunday for another lap...keep getting my body ready for this style of riding. See you out there. 

2023 Barry Roubaix Race Recap

 This event is always massive. Hastings get taken over when 4500 plus racers show up to test their mettle on the gravel roads of Barry County. Barry Roubaix has been a great event from the start, and it just keeps getting better. 

I woke up plenty early and loaded up the TCX to make the short drive over. I arrived in town just after 8am. I like to get there early to get a better parking spot. I found 1 just a block over from the team tent area. I was also just a block away from Ace Hardware, so packet pickup was super close. I wandered over to the entrance and waited in a short line. Once inside I had to swing into the 62 mile aisle of registered riders, and there was no other riders in there. I snagged my number and went to grab my poster. I got back to my car around 8:30. With a start time after 11 I had a lot of time to kill. 

Sitting there I could sense that I was feeling nervous. I still don't fully understand why I was feeling like this. I had zero flutters last week at Dirty 30, so this seemed odd to me. I decided to just roll around on the bike and see the sights. I ran into Lisa and a few others that I chatted with for a while. I headed back to the car again and was feeling somewhat better....but still had time to kill. I did go down the course a few blocks to watch the 36 milers start. Then headed back to town to finish gearing up and starting a warmup.

Warmup. HA. It was already warm and knowing I had 65 miles ahead of me I didn't want to do a typical warmup. So I just kind of rolled the loop a few times then headed towards the start chute. I was wave 4, so I moved to the side and waited for my wave. Then it was time to start.

We rolled up to the banner and I was towards the back of the wave. We started and this wave was way different than my previous Barry races. People were just cruising, not really racing. The group was spread out right away and I was trying to find a rhythm. Made the turn to the 3 sisters and was hoping for the best. First sister passed pretty good. Second sister was a bit tougher, but I made it. Third....I was halfway up and thought I was going to make it. Got just off to the right and lost momentum. Had to walk. Not an uncommon occurrence for me on this hill. 

Crested the last sister and I bombed the next section. I passed a lot of people on that next stretch to the M43 crossing....where we got stopped...again. This has happened the last 3 times I have raced out here. I know its a busy road, but stopping and waiting during a race is the worst feeling ever. We got rolling again and I eventually made it to the dairy farm climb. Usually I can make this climb, but my heart rate was going super high and I had to walk a bit again. Again, not uncommon...

Things were pretty uneventful for the next portion. The 18 mile course split off and the number of riders thinned down. There was a string of riders ahead of me as far as I could see, but not any sort of groups. I got to the part of the course where I thought we would make the right hand turn towards Gun Lake Road. Instead (despite my course knowledge) we went straight. This road took us another mile out and then turned us back onto Shaw Road. This is another Sager style seasonal road with lots of sand. I rode what I could, but I watched my average speed go from OK to OH NO in the course of one and a half miles. It took the wind out of my sails for sure.

Once we reached the end of Shaw it hits Gun Lake Road right at the bottom of the long climb. I just was trying to find some sort of rhythm and this climb was tough. I cleared the top and used the downhill to recover. This section up to Sager road is good for recovery. I got to Sager and it was tough as usual. I rode what I could, walked the rest. Still watching my average speed drop was starting to bother me mentally. 20 miles in, and I had doubts creeping in.

By the time I hit The Wall at mile 25 I was mentally tanked. I texted Christine and was just done. By mentally tanked I mean....self deprecating....self loathing....stupid and untrue thoughts. I was in that place mentally where I question everything. Questioning why I even ride a bike. Terrible. More on this later.

I was ready to call SAG. I figured I would keep going to 30 miles and see how it went. I was not feeling any better, and because I mentally tanked my physical side was done too. I got to just under 31 miles and called for a ride. I knew that there was no way I could go another 30 plus miles in the frame of mind I was in. So I got a DNF.  It happens. 

Tough day on the bike. Made harder by my lack of mental fortitude on this ride. This happens, but the level that I went to was unacceptable. Thankfully that defeated feeling didn't last long. It was more in the moment that I was super struggling and I let myself believe the negative self talk and I sabotaged myself. Self sabotage is one of my biggest weaknesses. Christine helped snap me back to reality with words of encouragement and positivity. Other people offered insight too and that was also helpful. By the time I got home I was doing better mentally. I wasn't pounding myself into the dirt anymore. I wasn't questioning the reasons I ride. I was just tired and worn out. 

Christine and I talked about nutrition a lot that night. How I felt so different after a month of eating clean versus a week of not so clean. A successful 50 miler versus a very tough 30 miles. Clean vs Dirty. We talked thru a lot of things and started to work thru the muck. How mentally I spiraled down and how my nutrition influenced that spiral. I plan to post more about this in the future. Need to do some more research to fully understand the correlation for myself. Witnessing it in myself makes me pay more attention to things. I guess some lessons are best learned the hard way. 

So this isn't a setback by any means. Just a bad day. I can learn from it. I actually already have. I move forward. Lumberjack is just under 9 weeks out. I have time to anchor myself mentally. Come along for the ride....

Barry Roubaix Preview

 Why do I do this to myself?

I could start every morning like this. A single decision when I was 17 would have made my life look entirely different now....but we won't open that can of worms. lol.

Barry Roubaix is this Saturday. This event has always been great. It has turned into quite the spectacle over the years. This year I saw there are over 4500 racers....which means on Saturday the population of Hastings will likely double. If every racer brings 1 person with them, there will be an additional 9,000 people in a town of roughly 7500 people. Pretty amazing. Even more amazing that they seem to welcome this event with open arms. 

So why the prequel post? 

Well, let me start with the image below.....

Not only is it 62....its actually almost 65 with about 5,000 feet of climbing. Yikes. 

76.9 feet of climbing per mile. In comparison 45.9 feet per mile in the Dirty Thirty. 

First off, this was going to be a huge test to begin with. A few extra miles shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things. I just need to ride my ride and get to the finish line. 

The turn off will mess me with mentally. When I reach the Head Lake and Wilkins road intersection I normally turn left. This intersection marks about 10 miles to go in the 36 mile race. Instead I will go straight ahead and have 40ish miles to go. Significant difference here. 

Here is where 2 things happen. First, the number of people on course will drop off. Of the 4579 people registered (as of 4-13-2023) only 1267 of them are on the 62 mile course. I can assure you that 95% of these people will be long gone for me by the split point. Let's be honest, I am not one of those strong riders that holds 18+ mph on gravel. I will take the company I have for the first 25 miles and then likely ride in solitary for the remaining miles.

Second, I have NEVER seen this course. Riding a long distance blind is going to be interesting. Yes I have done this before, but I like to have an idea of what I am doing. I was doing some you tube searching and found a video where the guy stated exactly what I said above. He offered a bit of insight, but....a lot can happen in 40 miles.

Lastly, there is another adder with the new private property section that Mr. Acker decided to add in this year. This is what pushed the course from 62 to nearly 65. 

 Taking a closer look....it appears it could be anything from sand, to gravel, to dirt, to pine needles. 

Then the last section that looks like we are riding thru someone's yard....

So when the unknown starts....it should be interesting.

With all this being said....what does it all mean? It means I will be out there doing what I can to get to the finish line. I am staring at a 5+ hour day in the saddle....and that is if things go right. Mentally I prepared for that, physically....we will see. Weather looks almost too warm. Road reports are all positive. Now its up to me.

Hard goal time is sub 5 hours. Realistically I will say 5:15 as finishing goal. If things go sideways I will do my best to be under 5:30. 

Not fast....but that isn't what this is about for me. Personal achievement. Personal success. All these things are measured differently. At some point this year those goals will change and will be competitive in some events. This event is training. Pushing myself. Testing. Refining. Gaining knowledge. Climbing those rungs of the success ladder. This is the foundation what will hold that ladder in place so I can keep climbing towards the top.

See you Saturday. 

Rode (road) along the Ocean

 Last week for Spring Break we headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since we were driving I loaded up my road bike to get some riding in warmer weather. I brought my gopro, but made the mistake of leaving the memory card at home, so no videos. 

I did a bit of research before we headed down. In hindsight I wish I had brought my fatty too so I could have done some beach riding. I also could have ridden the small trails they have in the area. Instead, I knew there were bike lanes and plenty of wider paved trails around the area. 

I headed out on a few rides and utilized the bike lanes. Everyone gave me plenty of space. Honestly the only issue I had was people walking in the bike lane. Note I said walking, not exercising. People would just wander into the street oblivious to their surroundings. Tourists...lol. Overall, not a bad experience.

One ride I headed inland and didn't really like that too much. Bike lanes would end and I was caught riding on road that were busier than I prefer. But it sure felt good to get out and ride in the sun. First ride was a success.

Second ride I headed up the coast. Used the bike lane until it ended. Rode all the way to North Myrtle beach. Just felt good to be along the water in the sun. I left pretty early knowing that the 'tourists' would be burying the downtown area pretty early. Also didn't want to ride in the warmest part of the day. Michigan winter skin versus Ocean Sun....you know. lol. 

Overall a few good rides while on vacation. Next time I will bring the fat bike and just ride the beach. Would be a better experience. I snagged a few pics on my rides. Take a look!

These pics below look like fall, but I promise they are from March. Such a different climate down here. 

This one was an oddity. I ran into this situation twice down there. I was riding on a road with a marked bike lane when all of a sudden it was an on-ramp to a 4 lane highway. No warning other than the yield sign. This was the point I turned around and headed back to the condo. 

On my first ride I was riding a paved trail. It ended and turned into what you see below. I saw where the clearing ended and just kept going for a bit. The trail never hit another road. It dumped me inside a gated community thru the back door. lol. I managed to get out, but was confused as to why the trail simply ended the way it did.

This was a waterway I crossed on that first ride as well. The bridge was a rotating style draw bridge. I rode across and then decided to turn back as the road narrowed. When I came back across I saw the bridge operator coming down to see where I went. He waved and kind of pointed that a boat was coming, which I missed. I heard the siren go off a minute after I was off the bridge and it opened. I missed a photo though. 

Unlike the West coast of Michigan, the image below is the East Coast of the United States. I do prefer the sunsets over the sunrises....but the water is always calming.

Dirty 30 Recap (Filthy 50 edition)

 Race season for me has begun. 

This edition takes me back to the Dirty 30 in Saranac, MI. My first time racing here was 2012, check the recap by clicking here. 

Day started off like normal. I was packed up and ready the night before. Always best to try to be prepared. I was up and heading North by 7am. The drive up was uneventful. I got to Saranac just before 8am and swung into the church to park. I rolled down to registration where the line was very short. I asked if I could change my category because I missed that there was a "clyde" option during signup. The dude told me that when Raymond got back he could help me (more on this later). I opted to just head back to the car and figured I would try later. 

With a 10am start I had some time to just relax. I just kind of hung out and watched the parking lot fill up. Eventually it was time to get ready. I geared up and headed out for a warmup. I felt like I was dressed right, because temps were still in the 30's. I was comfortable, without having too many layers and being overdressed. It was funny as I rolled into the intersection by Dollar General....riders and cars everywhere. It has a very 'zwift' feel to it with the riders just blending in together and passing each other. Real life is much better.

I took this video of the swollen river. Hopefully the clarity is there. With the rain storm last week all of the rivers were very high. This one was extremely high. 

I headed over to the start area and realized I was on the wrong side. Looped around and headed into the chute. It was hard to hear the announcer because the speakers were facing away towards the parking log. Thankfully I was in the start chute on time and ready to get going.  In the pic below you can see the partly cloudy skies with a bit of a breeze. Great day for a race.

They fired the start...extinguisher (I guess...it was a steam or water signal of some sort) and it was time to go. Knowing I had 50 miles ahead of me, I didn't want to start fast.....like I ever do anyway. ha! The first section out of town is paved and has just a touch of elevation. Right away the lead pack was leaving me, as expected. We made the first turn towards a school and eventually the pavement gave way to dirt....and another hill. Gone. Lead pack was gone. I was less than 2 miles in and was basically riding alone. Just a few stragglers here and there stretching out ahead of me. There were a few behind me as well, but I was just there to finish.

The biggest thing here was the potholes. The roads surely were in rough shape from the sheer amount of rain in the previous week. Riding in a group could have been dangerous, because riding alone was sketchy enough for me. I was just chugging away when I heard a bigger group coming. I knew it was the 30 miles gaining. I heard a "keep up the work Seany" as Munson ripped past in front of the group. They passed me like I was sitting still, but I swear I was moving. lol.

Miles 10-20 were uneventful. Around the 18 mile mark the courses split and I was even more alone than before. Alone with my thoughts I started to calculate when I would be turning back towards town. They had 12 to go, so that gives me another 20 miles...so in 10 miles I will turn back to Saranac and when I reach the connection I should have 12ish miles to go. All good, just keep chugging.

Somewhere in the low 20's I saw another rider ahead of me. I heard 2 guys behind me chatting and they went ripping past a second later. I realized I had passed them earlier when one had a flat. Didn't take long before they were gone too. Seeing I was gaining on the rider in front of me gave me some hope. I kept my speed best I could and around mile 25 I finally reeled her in. Told her good job and I just kept chugging along. 

This was the moment I realized that I forgot my food bars in the car. NOT GOOD. I was halfway into my race and realized I didn't have any energy with me. No aid stations that I was aware of....this was going to be a long afternoon. Thankfully I did have a Stinger waffle with me, or this story would have ended tragically. 

The road out here turned to a super hard packed white gravel. Still some potholes, but way less than the others. This was where I had to use some nerve. 44ish miles in....there was a massive descent. I touched the brakes....worrying about potholes...but then let off and just decided to gamble. At the bottom of the hill I hit 43.5 mph! Simply hauling. I don't know if I have ever hit that speed on a bike before, let alone on pothole riddled gravel. Sketchy. But I survived and it was a blast!

Happy feeling gone. At mile 46 I made a right hand turn onto Ivan. This 3/4 mile segment has 200 feet of climbing. At this point my legs were already torched and I was starting to run out of gas. No shame, I walked a big portion of this section. No choice. I am still not a climber and this was my longest ride of the year. Also, if you remember, I didn't have any caloric input other than a waffle. So dumb. lol. I made it to the top and the volunteers the top gave me words of encouragement. Thanks for that, it was appreciated!

The next few miles were kind of a blur. Before I knew it I was making the last right hand turn towards the finish line. There was a guy on a unicycle that I destroyed the last 100 yards. (small victories). lol. Was cool that he rode and finished, I am unsure of his distance. What a cool thing do accomplish.

I finished. Out of gas and out of energy. I was happy with my finish for a few reasons. First, I finished. Secondly, I was actually faster than I figured I would be. Not as fast as 2021, but a lot has happened since then. I will take the solid finish and build on it next weekend at Barry Roubaix.  

The kicker....remember that I was going to change classes to the 'Clyde' category? Well guess what....I would have been on the podium in 3rd place if I was able to change. My own fault, and an opportunity missed to make some Sean history. Lesson learned. When I went back to change categories the line was a few hundred people deep. I would have missed my start if I tried to change. So kind of bittersweet. I wasn't last.....but I didn't get rewarded for my efforts. :(

Barry Roubaix is next...and I will do a blog on that soon. 62 miles with 2x the climbing should be interesting. See you guys there!