Changing It Up - Pavement Racing

Last weekend was the Auburn Omnium which consisted of a circuit race on Saturday and a criterium on Sunday.  Don't ask me what the difference is between the two, I couldn't tell ya.  But since we were out there timing the events with TimeYourRace I figured I'd give racing the skinny tires a try.

The last (and only!) road race I entered was five or six years ago.  Since USAC won't transfer any of my MTB rankings over to road categories, I'm still just a Cat 5.  I just never got into it because if I didn't have a MTB race to attend, going for a long training ride on the dirt always seemed better than paying for a short road race.  Anyways... we had help in Jen's parent's and our friend Kris Morin to fill in for me watching Logan and helping run the event, so I suited up in fluorescent yellow and got to the line.

The course was about a mile and a half with two good climbs.  I jumped right to the front from the start and pulled the group around for a couple laps.  Then dropped the hammer for a few minutes to break away.

Since this was a "rest week" for me with about half the volume and no intensity, it was nice to test out the legs a little.  

But going hard enough to stay away from the group for the rest of the race was going to be too much too soon, I eased up to get caught and would wait for the last lap.  Funny thing is... I never once saw the lap cards where they were positioned, and nobody rang the bell for us to signify the final lap, I didn't get my opportunity to give that final push.  We were supposed to race for 30 minutes and I was watching the clock on my Garmin, so as we went up the final climb at just over 27 minutes, I was sitting up and happy to get pulled up to the leader about 30 yards ahead but a guy who seemed to be working really hard and I couldn't figure out why.  Until we rolled across the line and the USAC officials said we're done.  So I finished 3rd. I asked if they rang a bell for us and nobody seemed to know what I was talking about.  Hmmm... Oh well, it's a two day event, and I learned a couple things.  Back to work...

Day two was the Auburn Downtown Crit.  The course was awesome with a long start/finish straightaway and up a short climb to the top of the hill.  A u-turn under the railroad tracks and then a gradual climb on the back stretch to an old pot-holed bridge over those same railroad tracks.  Then a fun descent where you pick up speed quickly three 90 degree corners... left, then right, then another right before back to the finish stretch in downtown.  

When the gun went off I was at the front again but realized I probably should have had more than just a bucket of coffee and a banana for breakfast!  Oh well.

I pulled the group on the back stretch at about 23mph before one of the host shop (Victory Velo) riders went to the front for the first downhill.  He took the corners well and then I was back at the front on the start climb for another lap.  We did this dance for a few laps before someone else decided to lead on the back stretch at 19mph.  I sat in and attacked before the bridge, and hammered the downhill.  I wasn't too comfortable with the oil stains on the pavement on entry to each corner, but the bike always felt solid.  A little gap formed when I did that but I figured that mixing it up was kind of fun instead of trying to ride by myself which I do all the time.  I just wish there was a bigger group since there was only three of us at the front.  

I made sure to ignore my Garmin clock and pay attention to the lap cards for this race and when the final lap came I went to the front.  We slowly made the turn to the back stretch and I was wondering if someone might jump early.  Nope.  Half way there I picked up the pace and listened for any shifting behind me.  I hammered over the bridge and down the hill, carrying good speed through the first left.  I could see a lapped rider ahead just entering the next turn and I hoped he wouldn't be in the way.  By the last corner I was starting to stretch a small gap but I had to let up for that lapped rider, catching him right before the apex of the turn.  I waited to see his exit route and decided that since there was enough room, I could carry the most speed on the outside to go around.  That also gave me the opportunity to look back and see where the other guys were.  They went to the inside and were already sprinting so I set my sights on the finish line as well and made it there first.  Cool!

I definitely had a fun time trying something different, playing strategy games and mixing it up with guys.  Maybe I'll do a few more... but now back to the dirt...

Big News For 2014 - The New Training Plan

Next year I'll be starting a new training program.  After a good solid base over the winter months in the traditional style (with a little CX thrown in on the SS), around the middle of March I'm going to be changing it up a bit.  The modified plan is going to likely consist of less sleep, more caffeine, and less riding time.  The exact details are still being worked out and it's going to be a very "fluid" process I'm sure.  Yeah, you might be thinking... "That doesn't sound like a very good program."  Well I'm very excited for it because of the new addition I'll have to my "pit crew" and cheering section.  Let me introduce you...

There's definitely going to be some new equipment involved as well.  And eventually some new wheel sizes... but they probably won't fit me as perfectly as my 29ers.

But having another person waiting for me at the end of a race is going to give me even more motivation to get there fast.  And we're so stoked!

TBF MTB Madness - A Spectacular Training Event

In the words of Samuel L. Jackson from the movie "Basic"... (Now picture him saying it, with his usual inflection...) "What we have here, is a FANTASTIC opportunity for a SPECTACULAR training EVENT!"

I've been approaching these early season TBF races as "train-through" races anyway, keeping the big picture in mind (being fast later in the year when it matters more to me), but this past week I made it really hard on myself... mostly intentionally.

First off... I finished 7th, and I'm in no way making excuses and I especially don't want to discount the effort of the guys who beat me.  They are super fast and are training hard right now as well.  But I'll tell you why I'm pretty darn happy with 7th.

Saturday I had a great day on the Tallboy, getting in about 4 hours of pedal time and it included a good training/coaching ride with one of my clients.  We had some beautiful sunny weather and riding in just shorts and a jersey in early March is a gift.  That ride had put my tally for the week at 17 hours of riding.  That may not seem like a lot to some, but that's already close to a weekly high this year and with one day to go.  So I started formulating my agenda for race day... and didn't really stop eating.

I decided since the weather was warmer that I would ride to the race in the morning and get in a nice long warmup.  Just as I was suiting up, Jen called and asked if I could grab four bundles of twist ties to bring because they were running out at registration.  Clint to the rescue!!!  Can do... so I loaded up jersey pockets with twist ties, race fuel, various extra layers and my phone to stream some Pandora tunes as I cruised over. About 45 minutes later I arrived and offloaded the twist ties to save the day (In my head).  At this point was my first "crossroads" so to speak... do I eat again?  I didn't really feel hungry, kind of, but it was only about forty minutes to race time.  I elected to get a little bit more coffee, keep sipping some electrolyte and just start warming up more intensely   In hind site, I think I should have eaten at least half of the Clif bar that I had with me because once I started trying to go hard my heart rate just wasn't rising.  An indication to me that the I wasn't still fully recovered and the food I was eating was still going to recovery and not fueling.  But race time was here, I popped a chocolate Clif Shot (like chocolate frosting Mmmm!), and went to the line.

Now enter agenda item #2... line up at the back... way back.  With some big Pro XCT races coming up, I'd be lining up with 60+ other dudes (100 for Sea Otter) and towards the back most likely.  So I wanted to make this start as challenging as I could and teach myself how to be comfortable working through traffic at the start.  So I went to the back and hung out with the expert women, single speeders, and guys as fit as I can only hope to be in 25 years.  When the ten second countdown came I looked down at my Garmin which showed my HR at 68... "uh oh, this is gonna hurt."  GO!!!  But I hadn't... tick-tock... Ok now here we go!

See me? Yeah... not there in the front!

But this is exactly what I was going for.  After about 30 yards we were moving pretty good and there was a nice dust cloud working, not quite as blinding and lung clogging as the big races but a good simulation nonetheless.  And the road was filled with riders.  I found someone who was moving forward on the right and made my first real acceleration to follow.  Soon my momentum was exceeding his (I love sprinting on the Highball!), I saw a lane to the left and went for it, shooting to the center and still passing... and now back to the right.  The 90 degree corner was coming up so I looked for a lane to overtake a big chunk of guys.  Nothing to the inside except a picnic table and no clear lane to swerve to the outside.  I'd have to sit in behind all the brakers and try to overtake on acceleration coming out of the corner.  The crystal ball in my head suggested that the swarm would swing wide and I would cut hard through the corner and sprint from the inside.  It unfolded exactly as planned and I bit off another big chunk of traffic, but I was still way behind.  I took the outside line through the next left hander and kept passing until the first choke point between some big rocks.  Guys, you can't go three wide into that... brakes!!!  I should have taken the jump to the right.  Ok, through the rocks and out of the saddle again.  I take the outside line on another left, trying to maintain more speed than the rest of the conga, and almost wash out on the gravel before getting onto the pavement.  I sprint up the little rise on the pavement, "Go get 'em Clint!!" I hear as I weave through.  Still on pavement, I have to fall in line, hard right, then another choke point between some rocks and posts.  I see an opening nobody else is taking and I go for it sprinting by... BRAKES!!! JUMP!! Bang!  My left foot gets ripped out of the pedal by the rock.  That opening wasn't as big as I though it was (uh... yeah... maybe that's why nobody else was taking it?!?!).  "That didn't sound good!" Says someone behind me.  But everything still worked and I was pretty sure I still had all my toenails.  Now into some singletrack... still way behind but this is what I wanted.  I have to fall in line as the trees are too close to pass in the grass.  There was a bit of pavement coming up so I knew a good sprint was coming.  I sit up, relax, and take a few deep breaths... turn... turn... down the bank... GO!  I sprint by a few out of the saddle, and then get down as aero as I can, weaving in and out of the draft as I pass before having to hit the brakes behind others as we funnel back into the trail.  Nowhere to pass here so I take a few more deep breaths to recover.  I look down, my HR is only in the 150's... what the!?  I felt like I was putting in a 175+ effort.  We make the turn around and the trail widens... "On your left!" And I pass in the weeds... getting back up to speed.  Did I mention how much I love how the Highball sprints (especially paired with the ENVE carbon wheels)?  Traffic is starting to thin out now as I'm getting closer to the front.  A few hundred more yards of trail and we're on the cobble stone levy.  A final flat stretch of about 300 yards before really getting into the course and I can see the leaders at the other end already.  I go "aero" again and do my best NASCAR "Sling Shot" pass (minus about 799 1/2 horsepower) and TT to the other side.  160... geez.  I'd picked off most of them by this point but I think I was still in about 10th or so as I started up the first climb of the course.

Agenda item #3... stay in the big ring.  It's not totally out of the question on the flattish terrain of GB, but still hard in some spots with a 42 tooth.  I had a few reasons for this.  I had been working with my front derailleur and some pliers to get it in a more optimal condition than it was left after knotting up the chain two weeks ago, but I still didn't trust it.  Another reason was to be a motivator to keep pushing really hard and the last was to really work on engaging all the leg muscles, use a slow cadence from time to time, and pedal efficiently.  I made a few passes up the climb and was sustaining a heart rate around 167 which isn't terrible for me but I felt like it should have been in the mid 170's.  I caught a rider as I got up to the top, and did a bit of a supercross style block pass on the sharp left hander before hammering down the hill.  I gassed myself on the schwoopy trails out to the "Beek's Bight" parking lot crossing where I could see a couple riders together, one looked like Jim Hewitt and the other was a Santa Cruz / X-Fusion team rider I didn't know.  At least now I could see the guys at the front from time to time.  But they were still about 10 seconds up and I hadn't seen the front group yet, probably another 10-20 seconds up.  And so I chased...

I charged hard the rest of the first lap but it just didn't seem like I was making up any ground.  I expended quite a lot of energy in all that early passing and sprinting, and the guys at the front were really charging as well.  At the beginning of lap two, in a clearing, I could see the front group of about 5 riders staying close together in a string.  That's rare in MTB racing... it must have been fun attacking each other and trying to pop guys off the back.  I continued up the climb for the second time in the big ring and kept giving it everything I had.  I was gaining on Jim and starting to hope that maybe the guys at the front would start to fatigue and I could pick them off later.  I was hitting all my marks and maintaining some consistent power.  Then as we were making our way out towards Doton's Point (the course turn around), I was just a couple seconds back from Jim and starting to think about where I could make the pass.  I stood to hammer up a quick rise and BAM! "OOUUGGH!!"  I almost went over the bars and took the stem to the gut when my chain skipped and came off the outside of the cranks.  AAAHHHH!!!!  I dismounted and just as I'm getting the chain put back on, Neilson Powless cruises on by.  "Nice work!"  I holler to him.  He started a minute after us.  Awesome.  So yeah I just got shown up because he had passed everyone I had and then some.  Chain's back on... ego swallowed... and I'm off again.  A few easy pedal strokes to confirm everything's working correctly before charging hard and hopefully I could catch Neilson and tag along to the front.  He was already about 10 seconds up as I made it around Doton's Point but I didn't seem to be losing any ground for the rest of the lap.  But I certainly didn't gain any ground either and we were getting into some lapped traffic now.  Some I hit at good times and others I had to wait for... the usual story.  But everyone was courteous and passing was clean.

After the main climb and downhill from the "bench hill" on the third lap, I caught a rider just as we hit a little rock garden climb.  He took the normal center line and so I went left, standing up to power over and make the pass, BAM! "OOUUGGH!!!"  Stem to gut again... chain was off.  Ouch.  I put it back on and passed the guy at the top of the next rise as he pulled over to let me by... thanks!  Ok so there was no catching Neilson, or the front guys, unless they fatigued.  So I just kept a strong, sustainable pace in the hopes that my last lap would have some productivity.

Catching lapped riders helps keep the motivation up, as there's always someone up ahead to target.  And everyone out there is really courteous and just happy to be on a bike.  I caught one women as we came to one of the big rock walls half way through the course.  She took the safe route around as I popped up and over the big face and made the pass... catching a little air as I went.  "AWESOME!" She shouted.  It wasn't much, but that little bit of encouragement was uplifting as I was starting to battle some serious fatigue.

As I came through the start/finish to begin my 4th lap, I ditched my empty bottle... throwing it across the finish chute in the general direction of where Jen was in the timing area in the hopes I could find it again later. I heard someone say "Nice throw!" so I don't think I hit anyone :-).  I snatched a bottle from the neutral feed zone and took the last of the gel I had with me.  But I was already starting to get that empty feeling like it wasn't going to be enough.  Not "hungry" but definitely not fueled.  I was already having a hard time keeping my heart rate in the 150's and that just got more difficult as the final lap continued.  I still made the main climb in the big ring.  I still had agenda item #4 to complete: Have a strong last lap and give everything I have.  I couldn't see any of the leaders anymore, but I kept pushing.  Winding through the trees, hitting my marks, right, left... stay on top of it, pedal, breathe, breathe... 'S' turn ahead... I glance down to look at my HR at the wrong time (144...)... left... OFF LINE! $#!^!! TREE! Miss the bars! Lean! OLAY!!!  Whoa! Close one! Only grazed the shoulder... that would have been all bad!  Focus... finish... stay smooth...  That little mental lapse woke me up for sure!  And I started having fun again, jumping and banking off of the trail.  Fun is fast!  Out to Doton's Point for the final time I could see Ron Shevock.  I was getting hungry, totally bonking, but that was more motivation to keep it up and finish.  Only 10 minutes left.... push.  I caught Ron and we had a nice little conversation about how much this sucked, how much we hurt, and how much Neilson crushed our souls... until I went by and gave the last five minutes of the course everything I had.  I came across the line in 2:02:40, 6 minutes back from the Pro winner Cody Kaiser.  But that time was faster than the winner's time two weeks ago on the same course, and I was three hours and nearly 50 miles into the day's riding so I was pretty happy with that.  And that chocolate brownie Clif bar back at the car tasted SO good!

After some chatting and congratulating with other racers... and as it started to sprinkle (I guess it is still March!), I set off for another two hour coaching ride with another client.  The sun eventually came out again and we had some fun on the local trails (with a little pump track action thrown in) before ending up at home where there was food that needed to get in my belly!  Five hours on the day, 75 MTB miles with a race in the middle.  I was satisfied to say the least with my "spectacular training event," even though I had bitten off more than I could chew to finish on the podium.

2013 - Off to the Races!

Happy New Year to everyone! (Can you still say that in mid-February???)  I had a fun off-season, getting in some fun rides and a couple all day epics.  But most of my time was spent recuperating (mentally and physically) and relaxing with family and friends.  It was much needed...

I had the chance to try some new things...

Scuba...

Cruising...

and Rattlesnake Tequila (no picture of that!!)... among many other things.  Also got to do some of my usual stuff but in new places...

Hike to the top of the highest mountain wherever we are...

And just enjoy life on a tropical beach...

But now it's back to work... both the full time day job and the training.  And since I can't move to Arizona for the winter like the "real" pro's, I'm turning pedals in whatever Norcal weather has to offer.

Day or night...

I've already hit up three races at our local hammer-fest venue, Granite Bay.  I always make sure to race these events put on by TBF Racing because they're a great motivator and test of fitness.  After a 3 or 4 hour ride on Saturday, it's good to have guys that have just come off of cyclocross season pushing me on a cold, early Sunday morning.

The first was the MTB Kickstart in late January.  I'd only been training two weeks so I was not going to kid myself of how well I'd do, but I was going to give it everything I had.

After a good start I was in the front group going up the first climb, but I watched Jared Kessler, Billy Damon, Ron Shevock and Cody Kaiser ride away pretty early on.

Even though I was on my Highball with a 3x10 drivetrain... I had one gear, and it was sorta fast.  No pop, no burst, no real "race" pace.  But it was a good solid threshold workout and I was as strong on the last lap as I was on the first.  And in reality, that's what I was shooting for.  And then I went for a nice 2 hour ride after the race... base training :-).

The second race was on super bowl Sunday, and would have one more lap than the previous race.  I was a little fatigued from a solid 4 hour road ride the day before but I felt surprisingly good after a long warmup.  I was able to stay with the lead group a bit longer but eventually Billy and Ron broke away.  Cody and I were riding together when we got caught by 16 year old Neilson Powless who had started a minute behind us.  This kid is blazing fast and is one to watch out for.  He had a GoPro on his bars for the race... you can see where he passed us at about the 4:40 mark... and then just rode away (he ended up having the fastest overall time by a couple minutes too!).
Neilson's Handlebar Video
Cody ended up having mechanical problems so I was sitting in 3rd by myself but still charging into the last lap and feeling pretty good.  As I started the 4th lap, I heard someone yell "Go Clint! Ron's not far ahead!"  "No way!" I thought... I haven't seen him since the first lap!  But that's the nature of the Granite Bay course, you can be quite close to people for a majority of the lap and not know it because it's so twisty (fun!) and wooded.

When I popped out at Doton's Point (the farthest part of the course) I saw Ron for a brief moment and he was only about 10 seconds up.  That gave me a little burst of motivation and I kept the pace up and eventually caught him a mile or so later in the twisty tree section of the course.  When I passed, he made a comment about being totally "done" but I didn't believe him.  I made sure to crank it up with whatever gas I had left to make the pass stick and pull enough of a gap that he couldn't draft up to me when we hit the final open stretch.  Success!  And I rolled across the line in 2nd place!  I was quite happy with that result and felt I earned my beer that afternoon as I unfortunately watched the 49ers loose the big game.  Oh well...

The third race was just this last weekend and would again be four laps of fun, but with eight mile laps instead of 6.5.  I was looking forward to it and we had great weather.  No leg warmers needed!!! (I'm cold blooded)

Beautiful sunrise over Folsom Lake

Unfortunately the start was about all the racing I got in.  Only about 5 minutes in, as I was making a move to the front, I dropped my chain and on the next pedal rotation it got caught up in my cranks, locked, and tried to turn itself into a corkscrew.  I got it back on the rings with a quick adjustment of the front derailleur but the it was skipping all over the place.  I started messing with the barrel adjustment on the cable with no luck.  After about a mile of fiddling and dropping positions I pulled off to see what the real problem was.  The chain was all bent and twisted up, barely making it through the rear derailleur bends.  I decided my day was done because it would just end up ruining some other part of my bike if I kept going.  So I headed back to the start.  It's just the way it goes some days, plus I was still pretty happy with the ride I had the day before on my Tallboy :-)


As I made my way back to the venue, I came across a downed rider just as the EMT was getting there.  He was in pretty bad shape and they thought he had a broken femur after hitting a tree.  I was able to help out while the EMT put a splint on and we got him on the backboard as the fire department got there for transport.  I followed up with a friend of his yesterday and I'm happy to report that amazingly he has no broken bones.  Very good news!

Survival Training - Sierra Nevada Trail Challenge

A month or so ago I started running again so I could change the training up a bit for the coming off season (training for the off season? Did I really just say that?) and I was looking toward the Sierra Trial Half Marathon as some motivation to keep it up.  Well the running didn't happen quite as regularly as intended and I hadn't been riding very much either since most of my time has been spent painting the new house so we can move.  But, either out of stupidity or naivety, after spending Saturday coaching the TBF MTB Skills Clinic and Sunday helping at the Trojans High School MTB Team practice I felt rejuvenated and ready for a challenge.  On Tuesday I felt good on a 4 mile run and on Wednesday I was a little sore but still busted out a 5.3 mile run in 40 minutes.  I thought, "I'll just see how well I recover from that and then I'll decide if I can/should race a half marathon on Saturday."  Even though I knew I was just kidding myself and would probably give it a shot anyway!  Thursday I did an upper body workout in the gym.  First one in a while, which was stupid because it made my back sore and tight.  A 1 mile run Friday seemed to work some of that out but I was not at all "fresh" come Saturday morning.  Quads and calves were a little sore but the back wasn't tight which was the main thing.  I only know how to warm up one way... so I set up the trainer for a 20 minute spin to get going nice and easy.

It's been a while since I tried something totally new (1st Triathlon last year) and I was a little bit scared of going into "the unknown."  I had never run more than about 6 miles in my life, and that 5.3 I did last Wednesday was the farthest I'd run all year.  The gun went off and I began shuffling along with 100+ others who signed up for, if nothing else, an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful day out on the trail.  

I got into a good rhythm and thankfully had fellow Mad Cat Patrick Morin to run with.  He's a very experienced runner, having completed the Western States 100 and several other ultra trail runs.  So I paced with him and learned a lot about trail running technique while keeping up.  He really attacked and "ran" the downhills which was fun, fast, and actually easier on the joints than just coasting down.  I also learned the importance of shoe covers while trail running as I got sand in my shoes and that wasn't very fun later on.  We wound through the undulating singletrack of Granite Bay and kept a good manageable pace.  We got to the climb up to the bench hill at about mile 6 and I was feeling decent so I went on ahead.  But after that the second half of the course flattened out which to most would seem easier but not for me.  Running the climbs is more of a cycling motion that I'm used to but the flats stretch out the legs a bit more which is still foreign to my hips and they started to tighten up.  Also, that sand in my shoes started to wear on the soles of my feet and the heat generated from socks that were too thick made it feel like there were massive blisters forming.  So from about mile 8 on I was struggling.  I kept running though, and I only walked just 3 times while getting water and one other climb which I'm really happy about.  I survived and finished up the 13.1 miles and about 2k ft of climbing in 2:00:36 and was ecstatic to have actually done it.  I began the recovery and rehydration process and hopped back on the bike trainer to see if I could make my legs forget what I had just done to them because I was going to tackle the TBF 50 Miler XC race the next day.  There was a special category for those crazy enough to do both (The Sierra Nevada Trail Challenge) and a $500 Trek cruiser bike to the top guy and gal with the fastest combined time from both days.  After spinning on the trainer and walking around I headed home to a 25 minute ice bath and then went back to work painting the house.  At about 8pm my body was done and I passed out face down on the floor in the living room while Jen finished up some "painting."  :-)

After a painful and restless nights sleep on an air mattress the alarm went off at 5am... Jen got up... I lay there not wanting to move.  My hips were in so much pain.  I was only half serious with my response of "If I can get up in the morning" when asked if I was doing the MTB race after the run.  After a few more minutes contemplating movement I rolled, literally, out of bed onto the floor, pushed up to the knees then up to the feet.  I staggered the first few painful steps and Jen commented that I walked like she did with her broken foot!  The hip flexors didn't want to work and the bone/connective tissue pain in the hips was crazy!  As I stayed up about about though I seemed to move a little more freely and got the bike and gear loaded up.  At the venue one of the staff members had some Tylenol (thank you Stephanie!!).  Some coffee and my last delicious Cashew Coconut Chocolate Chip Hammer Bar started to pick me up.  I walked around for about 10 minutes and things started to feel better as I contemplated the start 3+ hour MTB race which was only a half hour away.  Then something unexpected happened, with 15 minutes to go before the start, I swung a leg over the Highball, immediately felt right at home on the familiar WTB Silverado saddle and the hip pain was gone.  Turns out I could still ride a bike!  Game on!

The fun began as I sprinted to the front for the 200 yard start stretch and zero'd in on the singletrack straight ahead.  Which would have been fine if that was where the course went too!  As I started to go straight for it the course went right and Dean Bailey (SS winner) yelled "RIGHT TURN!!" I had run the same course the day before but was still in a daze apparently.  I went around a cone into the weeds, ducked under a branch and was back on course in about 6th.  "Sorry guys!" I yelled, embarrassed of my bonehead move.  As we continued on course no thanks to me, the pace seemed to be unreasonably fast for the start of such a long race.  

We hit the first water crossing, up a grassy slope and to the first bit of deep sand on course where Dean fumbled a bit and let out a frustrating yell.  As I went by I reminded him "long race Dean" trying to calm him down a bit.  He acknowledged with a deep breath and a "Yeah..." as we continued on.  

We finally got into the good singletrack and I was in 3rd with our group already with quite a gap.  Jared Kessler was in 2nd and another guy I didn't know in 1st.  On a few of the climbs I noticed my left knee was giving me some pain right over the top of the Patella when I was push hard.  I was a bit concerned because I'd had this pain before and it had kept me off the bike in the past.  But I continued on and we stayed together until the second half of the lap where Jared and I broke away on some more technical riding.  On the fire road back I was leading and took the right turn down off the bank for the short fun single track section that was on the run course the day before.  Would have been nice if that was actually the bike course too!  Doh!  Which I discovered on the 2nd lap after actually looking at the signs which pointed straight instead of right.  

Lap 2 was pretty fun just riding with Jared.  It was nice to BS and chat while still riding fast.  He's a very skilled rider, one of those guys who seems like he spends more time in the air in a tricky section than he does on the ground.  I sat in behind him through the few techy sections as he showed me some fun lines up and over rocks that keep the flow going and the fun factor up.  With the second half of the course being flatter we worked together to keep the pace up and engines burning with gels and liquids.  I started to think I didn't drink enough water the first lap as my legs started to cringe some on the last little bit of lap 2 climbing.  I made sure to finish off one bottle of HEED and grab one of the spares I'd set out in the team area as I began lap 3.  We kept the pace up and were still having a good time until about mile 4 or 5 and I was having to work a little more to keep up, and we weren't talking as much.  Up the climb to the bench hill I said to Jared, "This is getting hard now."  "Yeah..." he responded, thankfully out of breath too.  My left knee pain, after getting worse for lap 2 seemed to have subsided a bit but I lost touch with Jared on the second half of the course as I faded going up the water tower climb.  Because of the knee pain I couldn't really stand up and power over the climbs.  

I kept fueling with Perpetuem Solids which were nice to chew on after the 2hr mark and made sure I finished lap 3 empty of water.  I grabbed my last spare bottle starting lap 4 and headed off... kind of in survival mode.  I just didn't have the energy to keep pushing.  I was caught by a 2 person relay team rider at about mile 4 on the course and he was pretty fresh.  I grabbed his wheel and paced with him for the next few miles until we hit the flats again where I squeezed out my last bit of water and put down as much power as I could.  Things started to cramp up a bit.  The normal place for me was the inner thigh but my shins and the outsides of my calves would cramp too which was new.  Probably a result of the previous days little run.  I gave Jared an "atta boy!" cheer as we passed each other on the two-way section of course with only about 2 miles left.  After I hit the turn around and rolled the fire road back I took a deep sigh after grunting up the last climb since that was the last bit of pain before the finish.  

I pushed it as fast as I could for the last mile wondering if I had put enough time on my running competitors.  I came around the last corner and the race announcer shouted out that he thought I had won the two day trail challenge.  I rolled across the line with a smile at 3:29:30, three minutes back from Jared.  

I knew there were still some pretty decent riders to come who had put some serious time gaps on me the previous day so I was not too confident of my victory.  One of my toughest competitors, teammate Joey Figone, had dnf'd with a crash but there were still a couple guys to keep track of.  Since I was no longer sweating and I would feel queezy as I continued to drink fluids, I hung out in the medic tent while waiting for more finishers.  Three water bottles later I was good to go but I couldn't walk, the hip pain was still there.  I could ride around though so I put the bike in the granny and cruised around until I found Jen getting a Thai massage (which I would later get too... awesome!).  I got my congratulatory kiss and hug (always good motivation to finish fast and hurry back to!) then it was over to the awesome BBQ and some well earned beer!

As it turns out I ended up 2nd overall for the two day Sierra Trail Challenge to Jon Hyatt with only a 2 minute gap after 5 1/2 hours of racing.  He was 10 minutes faster on the run and I was only 8 faster on the bike.  Congrats to Jon for an awesome job over two days and to Jared too for a strong performance for 50 miles!  I was pleasantly surprised to receive a packed bag of awesome schwag for my 2nd place finish too!  Thanks TBF!

I'm so stoked on how I did this weekend.  1. That I was able to do it and 2. That I podium'd!  I have some lessens to learn for running in the future (socks, shoe covers, chaffage...) and I'm really happy with how comfortable my Highball was for a 50 mile race.  I didn't get fatigued at all from continued jarring you would expect from a hardtail and it is just so fun, fast and easy to ride.

Now I'm ready for November... lots of pumpkin pie, turkey, and a trip to Thailand!  

1st Triathlon!

I started running again a couple weeks ago and it finally doesn't make me sore for three days after.  So this Sunday since the weather was so nice and I had the opportunity, it was a good day for a bike ride, a run, and a swim!  I entered the TBF Granite Bay Triathlon which is a 3/4 mile swim, 13 mile road bike, and a 5 mile trail run.  I haven't swam since, oh... probably May of this year, but I'm pretty comfortable in the water so I was willing to just "get through" the swim.  I know a little bit about riding bikes and the run... well I don't know when I've ever run five miles at one time but I was up for it!

My transition gear

I donned my wet suit, goggles and swim cap and headed down to the water level of Folsom Lake, which was thankfully much higher than it has been the last few years.  Last year I remember it was a .8 mile sandy run up from the water to transition.  This year was probably about half that distance.

I was in the first wave to go off, of men age 34 and under.  The "gun" went off and we were running through the shallows and about 50 yards in it was finally deep enough to swim.  I started off to the side because I wasn't used to swimming in such close proximity to others.  I still had a little bit of an issue with a guy that seemed like he kept crossing in front of me, but maybe I was weaving around behind him, who knows?  The swim course was a two turn course in a big triangle with orange sighting buoys half way in between the turn buoys.  Well when I was almost to the first orange buoy, hardly a 1/6th of the way through the course, I wasn't very comfortable.  My arms were already starting to fatigue and my mind was getting some pretty panicky thoughts.  You know... "I can't touch the bottom!" "I've just started and I'm tired... I'm going to drown!"  etc. etc.  I almost turned around and quit right there... seriously.  But when I thought about quitting, I thought about how much I would hate that I quit.  So I told myself to calm down and just do 10 more strokes, and breathe.  Well 10 strokes came and went and I got into a rhythm, and before I knew it I was to the first turn buoy.  I kept that steady (but slow!) pace and never stopped and finally finished the swim... yes!  I ran up the beach and passed a few people before making it to T1 for the bike.

I got my shoes and helmet on as quick as possible and mounted my two day old Giant TCR Advanced 2 for the bike leg.  Honestly it felt a little weird getting on a bike right after swimming and my equilibrium seemed slightly off.  But a few hard pedals and I was right back at home.  The course was a good combination of rolling hills and turns so it was pretty fun.  I hammered and passed more people than I could count on the two 6.5 mile laps and made up a lot of the time I lost churning in the water.  The new TCR is so much fun to ride.  It's super responsive to any power I can give and it turns and handles incredibly quickly.  I really wished the bike leg was about 3 times as long, but it was over and I headed down into T2.

Off came the helmet and MTB shoes (haha!) and I pulled on my sweet super-meshy-water-tri geek-trail running shoes and was on my way.  I even did everything sock-less like a real triathlete!

I started out running with short strides to give my legs a chance to get out of pedaling mode which worked pretty well.  And I was in a good running rhythm after about 200 yards.

And then I got passed by a 44 year old guy (our ages were written on our calves), doh.  But he wasn't blazing by me so I stepped up my pace to match him and that was just about right.  I have no idea what pace we were going though, but it didn't seem like it was going to push me too much.  I ended up running with a group of guys in their 40's until we got into the trees and the fun trails with climbs.  I like climbs on the run!  I think because the leg motion is closer to that of a bike pedal stroke.  I powered through the first rollers and up a little steep climb, making motorcycle "BRAAP" noises in my head through the turns.  I was feeling good and, I'm almost ashamed to say, really enjoying running!  That might just be because it's something different than the hours and hours of bike time I've had for months straight.  But still, three miles into the run I was really amazed at how good I still felt!  We came up behind a woman who was running slower on some singletrack and the guys I was following just slowed down behind her and didn't pass.  Well I just did what I would do on the bike and went up into the grass and weeds and blew on by!  Woohoo!  This was kind of fun!  I was passing people on the run!  I never thought I'd do that!  I started to pick up the pace a little and then came the climb up to the water tower on Mooney Ridge.  This steep, sandy climb was riddled with people walking and I just kept on chuggin' and powered up.  The reward for the climb was the fun rutted descent that I liked to ride on the knobbies too.  It was harder to keep control running down it than it is to ride that's for sure.  I successfully made it to the bottom without slipping or twisting an ankle and a little over a mile later I crossed the finish line of my first triathlon!

What a sense of accomplishment trying something new, stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone, and succeeding gives!  I was really quite happy with myself.  I made it through the swim without stopping, had a good bike leg and pushed it the whole time, and kept a good pace on the run without stopping.  And most of all had a blast doing it!  Then I found out I placed 5th in my 25-29 age group!  Awesome!  The fastest overall time was 1hr 26min set by a guy in my age group and my time was 1hr 57min... ouch.  But I really didn't care that I wasn't close to the overall.  I had a great time and a great off-season workout.

Ohio Trip

I had a business trip to Columbus Ohio planned for last week and the week leading up to it I was hoping my new road bike would come so that I could bring it and explore a new city.  Well it didn't come, and I'm glad it didn't.  Monday afternoon I started calling around to bike shops in the area for a road bike rental.  The closest shop didn't have any road bikes to rent or demo, but they did have a Niner Air 9 in a Large I could demo.  Hmmm... I wasn't thinking about mountain bikes, is there even mountain biking IN Ohio?  I stuck that idea in my pocket and kept calling around.  Some shops farther away had road bikes for me, but I didn't have a car to get there.  Tuesday rolled around and a coworker local to the area offered to take me to get a bike.  Sweet!  After work I called the next closest shop, who told me they had a road bike the day before, but no luck today.  Bummer!  Oh well, I decided to go with the Niner and just have as much fun as I could even if it would be a lot of pavement riding.  I had discovered a park across the street which had some hiking/running trails I could have some fun with.  We headed over to roll: bike shop and got hooked up with the bike.  They also gave us directions to a MTB trail in Alum Creek State Park that was only about 15 minutes away.  Sweet!  We loaded the bike in the car and I got dropped off at the trail, since it was close enough for me to ride back after I was done.  

The park has two mountain bike trails called Phase 1 and Phase 2.  The guys at the shop said that Phase two was the more advanced trail so that's where I was.  It's about a 7 mile loop of very tight singletrack, weaving around in a thick forest of rolling hills.  There wasn't much climbing, nothing sustained at least, but the technicality of the trail kept it challenging.  The trail was littered with roots, which I don't have much experience with out here on the west coast.  They can really break your momentum and you have to hit roots at an angle as close to 90 degrees as possible since tires can slip on them very easily.  The trail also had a ton of logs to hop and man made ladders and bridges.  It was a sweet trail.  

I chalked off one lap and had enough time to rail another.  The dirt was really dry hardpack so it was quite fast.  I was really enjoying the Niner as well.  It had quick handling for a 29er and was great weaving around the trees and for the quick adjustments I would have to make on the obstacles.  I was even getting used to the fact it was a hardtail too.  I enjoyed the quickness and 100% pedaling efficiency.  But hitting a big section of roots was still jarring, there's only so much the big wheels can smooth out.  My second lap was a blast as I knew what was coming on the trail and could really push the speed and rail it.  A half hour road ride back to the hotel and I was done, with a big smile on my face from 2 hours on a sweet bike on new trails.  

I decided I was going to get my money's worth out of this bike demo, so I rolling on the bike at 6:30am the next morning (after fixing a flat! Did I ever mention I hate tubes?) to see what fun I could have on the trails at the park across the street.  It wasn't quite light out yet... ok it was dark... but close to a full moon!  I had hiked a lot of the trails on my first day there and studied the map so I knew where I was going for the most part.  The sun eventually came out and I got in a good half hour or so of spinning so I was happy.

After work that day I set off for Alum Creek again.  As I came outside I noticed a couple rain drops fall.  Oh this could be interesting.  And then I looked to the west and the skies were dark, really dark, with the wind blowing it all my direction.  Oh well, at least it's not cold!  A little midwestern thunderstorm to ride in.  So I set off anyways.  By the time I got to Phase 1 trail, which was closer, it was starting to rain steadily.  I pulled into the trees and set off for a lap around this 6 mile trail.  Phase 1 trail was supposed to be the beginner/intermediate trail, but it was still challenging at speed.  It was littered with even more roots than Phase 2 in my opinion, but didn't have as many big logs and ladders.  The forest provided shelter from the wind and rain, but things were still getting a slick covering as I went along.  So I got to experience WET roots!  Those are tough!  You can't hit them with the bike leaned or at any acute angle or you slip off and can easily be on the ground.  The hard pack dirt also just turned slick instead of muddy and the rain and wind were knocking leaves onto the ground which also added to the slippery conditions.  Oh and anywhere there was a man made ladder or platform, well you can guess where I'm going here.  Just look at the sheen on this:

So all this slowed down the ride and just made for a few "oh #%*" moments when I hit a root I didn't see.  Or ride across a ladder with the timidness of a tight rope walker.  But I finished up Phase 1 trail and set off for the 10 minute road ride to the north for a lap around Phase 2.  With the wet conditions it was nice to have the trail knowledge, but it almost felt like a different trail than the day before because I had to ride it so cautiously and at a lower speed.  The rain did stop about half way through the loop but things were still wet.  There were a few really narrow board crossings that I cleared the day before, but in the wet I decided to walk because the risk just wasn't worth it.  Slipping off a wet wood bridge or board is not fun, I've done that before, and it hurts.  

I finished up Phase 2 and headed back, and the storm had passed.  It turned out to be an epic evening of riding with the storm conditions, lightning and thunder, wind and rain.  I had a great 2.5 hours on the Niner and I was really comfortable with it.  It's a great handling bike and would be a good racer for sure.  Even though it was an aluminum frame, it wasn't overly harsh.  I would love to try out the Air 9 Carbon.  

Then, I found out later that the tornado warning sirens were going off at some point.  Oops!  I never heard those.  :-)  

The next morning I didn't have to fix a flat so I was on the bike at 6:15 for one more ride in Highbanks Metro Park across the street since I would have to return the bike in the afternoon.  The skies were clear and the moon was shining bright to give me a little bit of help seeing in the early morning darkness.  I explored a few different trails while dodging downed tree limbs from the strong winds the day before.  I can't really describe the peaceful atmosphere that I was riding in.  It was really cool.  In complete silence except my bikes freewheel whizzing through the trees in brisk morning air and passing through moonlit patches of fog and seeing moon-rays through the trees.  Just an amazing way to start the day.

I'm so thankful that I was able to take this trip and experience everything as I did.  Just another awesome story to add to my blessed life.

Oh sorry for the bad picture quality, I forgot my camera so my cell phone was the only thing I had.