Tour of Battenkill Prep

We got into Cambridge, NY, late last night.   We have a quaint house on little lake 5 miles month of the race start.   I stopped up the toilet and we could not find a plunger so you can imagine our first act this morning.

We provisioned the house, registered and had a sound lunch.   I got Stan's NoTubes in my Gatorskins we headed out to preview the course.

It is a beast!  I has 65 miles, 5000 ft of climbing, 8-9 major 'selection' climbs(.3 - 2.0 miles long), 16 miles of dirt, holes, one covered wooden bridge with serious cracks between the wood, about 40 turns, gravel and did I mention, holes? ......get the picture?  It is EPIC when you include a Master's Nationals class field (37 each 60+ men).

I think there are about 3000 people racing here in next two days?  We go off at 11:00 AM on Sunday.  Right now, that looks like the very best start time we could draw in terms of the weather forecast and road conditions.

We expect a low of 33F and high of 48F with partly cloudy skies.   Not bad since it has been raining/sleeting for about 3 days.

We will be riding our tuned up, cleaned bikes into town in the AM, now that we have installed all the gear we have.   We have about 8-9 pals to cheer on at the finish.   Several are Pro/1's and a couple are 3's.

We just discussed strategy and clothing.   Dinner time, now.

More to come.

Crash N Burn Rock Hill Style

April 7, Rock Hill Road Race

We trained....we went...we crashed

Although this was a beautiful course for a CAT 4 like Moi.........Each  race  hands up a set of circumstances beyond one's control.

We were 5 miles into the race....good pace..good strategy..Teenie, April and in the front of the pack
We shifted appropriately for the wind...slowed down the pace at one point by all 3 of us blocking/pulling the pack. 

Then KABOOM.....one gal had moved over ever so slightly to surge with the front pack and a brand new CAT 4 gal freaks out and turns her wheel quickly to the left and BAAAAAM........5 down...one broken wrist...one deep slash to the forward, a concussion, lots of blood!  April bruised/ helmet smashed! I can't even tell you what happened....the bike went completely over my head..landed hard on my shoulder.  All I knew was in those few seconds before impact my brain said PROTECT your collarbone so I tucked and rolled ....to the right! How does the brain react so quickly?    Once we got ourselves up and our fearless leader Teenie got it all under control with kind words/cold water and hugs...We all looked around and asked HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?   It would have been a good race for all..Teenie, April and I.

Dan had the worst of it ..as he and the Masters Group had to ride by viewing his wife on the side of the road.........Teenie & I were  able to smile and wave him on........He said he raced really well as he wanted to get back to the start line to see his girl!

Take Away for Rock HILL .....Big Note to Self...  CAT UP ASAP!

Mid Season Check

Taking into account that the season starts on Oct 1, we are about half way thru the 2013 and so far, we are having a fine year with dynamic accomplishments:

*  23 people at the Hincapie Gran Fondo
*  20 people at a super camp in Tucson
*  Many winter team training rides
*  Two well attended parties
*  Early season race participation and some results
*  Fully subscribed Pyrenees trip

It is a good time to ask yourself where you are personally.   Here is what each of us committed to:

Each Member will participate in the following to best of his/her ability:

• Support team goals and objectives
• Race minimum of 6 races.
• Train - ride in 12 TEAM headstrong rides and lead/organize 1 training ride
• Attend and participate in the annual meeting and the party (2 events)
• Write minimum of 1 blog post

If there is anyway I can support you in being successful, let me know!

And if you have never participated in TEAM out of town race like this weekend, you are missing what the TEAM is really about.  Come out and give it a try..........real teams race together!   Racing together is one of TEAM goals and objectives!

Some say cycling is dangerous, but not as dangerous as walking!

Yes it's true! Yesterday John and I were walking around the lake at Furman. He looked back over his shoulder at something and when  he turned around he met a sign with his face. He hit so hard it that it dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Unfortunately when he fell backwards he hit a concrete curb with the back of his head and knocked himself out! When he came to he was able to walk somewhat woozily back to the car but sustained pretty good whiplash, gashes in his head front and back and a substantial headache for the next 24 hours. So, next time you see him walking he may be wearing a helmet! Wonder if Nike has a replacement policy for hats damaged in a crash?

Tucson Bike Classic

The TBC is history now.   One of the larger stage races in the Southwest, this year'sk 27th Annual drew riders from California, Canada, Colorado and even SC/NC!  Bird thinks this is an A class race that far eclipses the French Broad Classic.

For Bird and I, this was a training race on the road to Battenkill and we struggled but had a few bright points.   Teenie had set this as an 'A' race and was well prepared.

j 

With a lightening fast TT on Friday, her 1st place put her in the leaders jersey on Saturday for the RR.  

The RR was 40 miles and 13 masters women came to the line. Three from TEAM DNA in Colorado looked like they could be trouble.   The 40 mile course included 2000+ ft of climbing and was definitely a test with some wind thrown in for good measure.   You guys know Teenie.  She was not going to defend the jersey, but goal set to win the stage.   In a tough set of hills, she broke away at approximately mile 24.   She was solo off the front for 8 miles, but then a chase group of 3 caught her.  At mile 37, the road turned up for 3 miles to the finish and Teenie took the 4 up sprint to gain a 10 second time bonus.   She launched at about 300 meters, despite the wind and grade, and only the 2nd place rider finished with same time.




This morning,  the circuit race was 5 laps x 5.5 miles with a crazy hard climb including about 4 stair steps.   The finish included 2 more hard selections.   The riders were really racing today and launched attack after attack that Teenie covered.   As the race matured, the women were down to about 6 riders and they passed the Cat 4 peleton despite the fact that the 4's had a 3 minute head start and about 30 women.   Up the 2 stair steps to the finish, it was again 4 up but Teenie powered ahead of the other 3.   She gapped the other women, gained time and again received a 10 second bonus.

It was a 3 stage sweep and the GC!  It was pretty thrilling to be here to support her.

Tour de Moore

The 38th Tour de Moore is set for April 27th in Southern Pines.   This has been my favorite race for some years.   The venue is great.   The race starts and ends near downtown at an old estate.   The classic home, community center, parking, trees and a terrific uphill finish are all in walking distance.

The race incorporates some rolling terrain that cuts through Ft Bragg but really omits any real mountain climbs.

The morning round of races are short one lap affairs.   This includes the Cat 5's, Cat 5 - 35+, Women's 3/4 and Men 60+.   Only 28 miles, these races don't leave you trashed and if you are the right age, cat or whatever, you can double up and race again around noon.  Bird, Teenie and I did this last year.

As you may know, women can cross over to men's races and add 20 years so all our women can race Master men 50+ (this is what Teenie did so she could race with Bird and I).

This is one of my 'A' races for the year so I hope you will come join and support me.   I have some big goals!

Oh, by the way, if you are really energetic, the Brick City Crit is the next day in Sanford, about 20 miles away!

Spring's Back

And at the risk of jinxing it, I'll welcome it here. After slogging up/down a lonely Rabbit many times this wetter-than-usual winter, today was definitely splendid. Maybe because it's the first I've ridden in 3 days after a bout of severe lower G-I distress (thanks Taco *@%). Or that it was finally sunny after--yes-- more rain. Or that it's daylight savings time again. Regardless why, the Rabbit was a highway of humanity on a Tuesday afternoon-- doggers, joggers, boarders, bladers, walkers, Cross-Fitters, strollers, street people, and yes cyclists of every type-- were all enjoying the same things: sunshine, warming temps, and Nature's serenade. Tree frogs and other croakers, squeakers, and squawkers were in full song in the low-lying sections. Things are greening up. A hawk and a turkey vulture flew low looking for supper. The Rabbit Café's parking lot was busy-- hope Sam's packing them in. Arriving downtown, it's obvious Greenville is taking off its winter coat and welcoming Spring. Parking lot attendants manned their lots and waved flags for some college baseball at Fluor Field. People strolled Main Street in droves, another reminder of this town's walking perfection. Looping around Cleveland Park, I was pleased to see it bustling, people hustling on the tennis and b-ball courts, dusting off their game. Kids, parents, dogs were everywhere. It's that time of year. Maybe why most people seemed friendlier than usual too. More drivers stopped at crossings and waved us across. Seemed easier to smile at the kids I passed, even though they were sorta in the way. I towed the trio of athletic bladers for a few hundred yards before they thanked me and dropped off. I exchanged friendlier-than-usual head nods and waves at other cyclists. Couldn't resist tossing out "hey, you lost somebody" while passing the dude commuting solo on that old tandem with the American flag on a pole. Hey he laughed back-- bet he never heard that one before. Yes it was a great day to be on the bike. And welcome back Spring, hope you're here to stay a while.

Slow Start

Crazy to think that its the beginning of March but the season is already a month old. When I lived in Wisconsin, we didnt get to ride outside until the first of April! The season started off a few weeks earlier than normal with the Greenville Spring Series. Its been a tough start to the year for me. After 8 months off the bike, my speed isnt coming around as quick as I would like. I think I have the base needed, but need that to translate into some real speed in the coming weeks. At most of my races this year I just cant quite hang with the top group. I couldnt run the pace of the other pros at last weekends mountain bike opener, and in the crits and road races I just cant seem to stay with the front group. Hopefully a few more weeks of focused speed work and intervals along with some more mountain bike races will get me ready for a big month of racing in April. SC Crit Champs, Tour De Moore, Mountain Bike State Champs and finally Tsali first weekend of May! Time will tell!

Brian Thompson ride

Great turnout today of 13 riders to welcome Brian Thompson back to the states! Amazing how strong he was for not having ridden a bike in almost a year!!! Steve lead us on a great 2 1/2 hour ride with some double paceline, friendly coversation and a few opportunities to drop the hammer. Tonight a welcome back party at Sam and Steve's place!

Strava Craze

I have been really thinking about this whole 'Strava Thing' and really getting excited.  You know how Teenie and I are always saying we can take what we learn on the bike and apply it to our 'lives in general'? I decided to put this into action.

A new Strava segment has been created!  It starts at the side of my bed and goes to just beyond the Miele(our famous coffee maker).   This segment allows me to measure how long it takes to get a cup of coffee made in the morning!

Wow!  Already gains are being made by aggregating small improvements.  I no longer put my slippers on.....just hit the cold floor.   No hair combing, tooth brushing or face washing during this 'segment'.   I am sure to come out of bed in an aero position and with momentum.  All this, I am refining.

No longer do I wait for a message saying beans are needed or the waste container is full.   All of you coffee drinkers from camp, know this disappointment.   I take care of these issues the night before.   No reason to waste a great chance at a PR.....it might stall me on a morning when I have a stiff tailwind!

TWO RANDALLS ......... IS THE END OF THE SEGMENT!

I still have ideas for improvement.   I am going to set the timer to start the coffee maker prior to me getting up.   When I arrive, it will already be through the intensely long HEAT and RINSE cycle.  I hate waiting on these.  Can you imagine???  This is going mean a 20-30 second drop in my time.   I could train for years and never make this type gain.  

Look for me soon as the KOM on this segment.   Oh yes.   The coolest thing about this segment is I am the only one that will be doing it............Teenie, I will be the only one, won't I??

I bet the TEAM can find all kinds of great applications for Strava?  Keep me posted!

Southeastern Race Calendar

You can access a list of 2013 Southeastern USA Cycling race events in the sidebar to the left of this post.  

I will update this list as the year progresses.  In addition I added some links (blue type throughout the document) at the top for sites that you might want to check (eg Carolina Cycling, TBRA, GBRA, etc).

If you would like to add an event send me an email with the details (name, date, type, location).  Some of the dates are "place holders" as the event has not been permitted.

I hope this will help you in planning your 2013 season.  I welcome your comments and additions.

Training in AZ #9

Running a training plan when everything is going right, is pretty easy.   The problem is, everything almost never goes right.   Weather, work, illness, family, and LIFE get in the way.   I call these speed bumps.  

This week, I hit a speed bump.   I won't get detailed but I was violently ill with a stomach virus on Monday night.   I continue to struggle to recover.  I have been out for easy spins on Thursday and today...........still weak.  I have really not resumed training.

With a big training race weekend ahead I am in dilemma.........   The plans were to 'crit race' at a church about 5 miles from our home(I ride my bike over)on Sat and road race at Colossal Cave(where the TEAM ride was at Camp) on Sun.  I like the crit course and I felt it would provide me with anaerobic training which was to have started Tuesday(obviously did not due to sickness).   The RR would be great training for Tour of Battenkill.

It is 2:00PM on Friday and I have not decided what I will do yet.   These A and B races, for me, can be like this.   As competitive as I am, these races are not the end goal but the misstep goal.   TofB and Tour de Moore is what is important.  I am pretty sure I will make the right decision if 'I keep my eye on the donut and not on the hole'.

Some of you may be facing/have faced similar decisions on the Spring Series this year.   Lot's of illness, bad weather, and other things have caused speed bumps.........I would like to know how you have handled your bumps?

Oh, I will keep you posted on what I do about these races!

 

from the archives..........

Since I know some of you are thinking of riding GSTS River Falls this weekend, I was looking for any information I may have that I might share and I came across this little gem from 2010... 

River Falls  3/6/2010

4 weekends of racing with the last three Saturday and Sunday…….. what was I thinking….. denial of biology, or maybe senile……….  BUT I am still here to write about it….. well it is Tuesday and I just now have the energy and can see straight to type a brief report……… but first …. since I thought I lacked sustained power and strength I rode the 178 loop down to Pickens and back clockwise coming back up Cleo Chapman…. I tried to hitch ride back up from Bob’s but no one would pick me up……. I think I set a new record  for slow……

Saturday 3/7….. River Falls Road Race…. 6 loops of a 6.5mile course…. 1 BIG climb (2 tier) then just a fast descent ……right turn rolling down then a 120 degree right into a headwind for a couple of miles until the right at the fire station setting up for the CLIMB….. 50 degrees!  Whoopee… lose the leg warmers…

Tom and I rode the course on Thursday (I don’t have enough gear)…. 6 laps 1 at race pace and then one climb like finishing it…… laid out a game plan (optimists)…. with him sitting in until the curve of the last up tick…. need to be at the front…… (delusional to say the least)……. The girls went off earlier and Giselle made the break of 6 which held and she took 4^th …..   They started us after they finished at the top of the climb so the first lap was all about positioning and the neo’s trying to show who they were (the big dogs were all sitting in…… and the pack filler … that would be me in this case….were glad they were sitting in)…….

Turn at the church….. roll along (33mph) with a couple of bumps (hills but with 40-50 riders you just left it in the big chain-ring turn at the firestation……. OK …. here it goes ….. 1/3 back in the pack…….. road turns up… already in the small chainring…. shifting down…… sitting an spinning…. shift down….. Joe (team mate passes me on the lower hill…… didn’t I tell him not to spend his quarters on the first segment?)….. climb eases a bit… I pass Joe……. his breathing is………..well gulping ……… as the grade turns up…….. shift down……. spin… spin….. top the hill .. 10 back….. all close….. false flat …… spin relax……..

Kamikaze descent… hard right …. so fast through the second curve that several riders almost lose it heading for the lake…. an attack….…. flying…….. ease up…. attack ….. flying..….. back around to fire station….. Joe is gone as are about 1/3 of the pack…. Tom still behind me…… Second climb ……. ditto…… spin, spin…..HR spiking to 170……… sit in ….. stay in contact ….. over the top…….

Kamikaze descent….. sitting about ½ back……… through the curve…. glance over  my shoulder…..only about 8 riders behind me….. not good…….. I am OK…. hit the hard right into the headwind…. an attack  …. merde…..OK third time up “you’re OK” ……just spin up……no I think I will stand ……….  attack goes at the start of the climb……….. riders are standing and jamming the pedals trying to keep contact… into the second section…. grade turns up … the front accelerates …. riders coming back….. Tom goes up the outside…..… hit the BRAKE…NOoooooo … go around ….. gap in front….. latch onto a wheel ……… he blows…..go around bigger gap as we top the climb…..3 bike lengths as we start the Kamikaze descent….. 5 then 7 then 15 then…………

Head down chasing hoping some team slows it down or everyone sits up and waits for the next attack…….. still in sight…. pass 4 riders who have bagged it…….. hoping …. hoping (for what?)….  hit the climb …. they are gone…… 2 more laps …. you never know……. chase …..stay calm……..in the drops …. go …. go…….. not a glimpse of the pack…. catch 2 more riders…….. heading into the 5^th climb…… I am done…. cooked…. burnt toast….. I hear the lead car for the 4’s coming up behind me…….  pull to the left as I cross the start finish……….. 1 more lap……….. It’s that indecisive moment to continue on for more lap following the 4’s or bag it……… actually no indecision here …… I turn into the parking lot……. I hate this race……. I mean it is the first of March…. snow is still on the ground and they are having us race up a mountain every 5.5 miles…….  You would think we were doing Paris Nice…………

Tom hung in finishing 9^th or 10^th in a strung out finish with an exceptional showing…… Joe rode all 6 laps (grit , determination) towing some of the 4’s across the finish line………..   Oh and Mel did the 35+5’s race hanging in 4 of their 5 laps…… 

Future Racers!!!

Jill & Dan McNamara along with Sam Smith introduce future Cyclists from Berea Middle School to Sam's new business...after a 10 mile ride down the Swamp Rabbit Trail, we got them all into their first CORE workout at Greenville Fitness and Rehab, with Sam and Elisa.  Word has it that some were sore after an afternoon on the bike and a "session with Sam".....those "sessions" are tough for us all!!!

Before meeting Sam these kids thought  that "CORE" was a word for only apples and pears!

Mental Technology

Below is an email that my client has given me permission to share with you.  Like George, he is one of the most effective studies I've had the honor to work with.  Your teammate, Samantha is another one.

Please also take the time to watch the exciting YouTube video clip Brent sent.  Quite impressive.  Without sharing personal information about our work together, I will tell you one of my reply to his email was this: Wallow in it!  "We pass through our successes too lightly and too quickly to have them assimilated".  

I am reminded about the initial year I worked with the Hincapie Devo Team.  I asked the first racer I saw after his race "How'd you do?"  He went on to tell me all the things he didn't do right.  I decided I would never ask that question again.  Instead, I ask "Tell me what did you do right?"  I want them thinking about what they DO want, not what they don't.  Our present thoughts determine our future.

I share this with you at the encouragement of Randall.  I offer my knowledge to you, my teammates, should you ever have interest.  It might cost you a glass of wine or lunch, but if you take it and assimilate it, I trust you will have the profound and significant results that me, Randall, and so many have.  Happy pedaling.

From: Brent Bookwalter <brentbookwalter@gmail.com>

Subject: Thank you/update

Date: February 19, 2013 4:56:38 AM MST

To: Christina Maddox <cmaddox@headstrongusa.com>

Hi Christina,

Just wanted to say thanks again for your help earlier this winter.

My season got off to a great start a couple weeks ago.  I won stage 1 at the Tour of Qatar and finished 2nd overall! It had been too long since I had the feeling of crossing the line first.  I think it was even more special because 4 years ago I did this same race it was completely demoralized from it.  I have no doubt that implementing and working on the concepts we discussed went a long way in helping with
those performances so just wanted to again express my appreciation!

here is a video link from the last few kilometers from the race I won.
CLICK HERE FOR UTUBE VIDEO

I hope all is well with you!

Brent

--
Brent Bookwalter

BMC Racing Team
www.brentbookwalter.com

Training in AZ #8

In the last post, I stated hard measurable goals for 2013.   Once bold goals are set, I set mid step goals.   Since some bold goals may take months or even years to reach.  I need goals along the way to tell me if I am on target or not.

Some people call these half step goals.   They are important tools in the process.

These are SOME of mid step goals so you can see what I am talking about:

*  Weigh 185 lbs. by Tucson Bike Classic

*  Complete cornering skills workout at the crit course

* Colossal Cave Omnium(B race)  - podium in each race and omnium.

*  Tucson Bike Classic(B race) -  Top 5 in TT and top 10 in other races and GC

*  Rock Hill Crit and RR(B race) - Help a team member win in both.

* Complete 3 Break Thru workouts/races a week prior to April 7.

These are SMART...Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, targets.

Do you have mid step goals???  Would you share any of them?

Sub Zero Racing

When you race and the temperature stays in the 30‘s, choosing the right amount of clothing can be an important factor. Week number 2 of the Hincapie Spring series was one of those race weekends you would never forget. Saturday at Fork Shoals the outlook was sleet, snow, rain and 37 degrees at race begin. It snowed in the parking lot. So I went with my rain jacket, 2 base layers and my jersey. They put the 40 and 50 year old masters together because only 35 stupid old guys showed up for the race, but with the 40 year old masters there was enough horsepower to make it an exciting race. 

I knew after the first climb that I was overdressed, after the second climb I was cooking and in the second lap I felt that I was in a sauna. I could‘t breathe. I unzipped my jacket. I even unzipped my jersey to no avail. Unfortunately I am not a racer that can take off there jacket during a race. Well to make a story short, I stayed with the front group until 2 miles before the finish and called it a day. Problems with my shifter did not help my situation either. To shift down I had to shift down twice and up once. Very annoying. 

Sunday would be different. I got up and looked out the window and saw a blue sky. Nice I thought, well until I saw the outside thermometer. 16 degrees fahrenheit. The coldest day of this winter so far. Well it made sense, everything was covered in snow. I was waiting for a call or text from my daughter who races 2 hours before my race. Seriously I was sure they would call it off. I mean even church service was canceled. Well the call came and the message was that the streets are dry at Donaldson and everything would take place as scheduled. 

So now what I thought. I packed everything, left the house and after driving 5 miles I noticed that I forgot my bike. Is this the sign that I was waiting for. Maybe I am not supposed to race? Well I went home and my wife was waiting for me in the drive way with my bicycle. Obviously for her this was hilarious. At Donaldson the wind was blowing at about 15 to 20 miles per hour. I was already shaking when I got out of the car. Well I did have one less base layer and instead of the rain jacket a vest. 

At the start I was told that the 50+ masters would do their own race today. There were 21 of us. Waiting at the line my legs were uncontrollably shaking. After the race started I warmed up fast and was happy that this time I choose the right wardrobe. In the second lap 5 men got away and I thought to myself that the race is over. Well never underestimate the Headstrong train. 2 of my amazing teammates, Joe and Bobby, myself and 3 other racers caught the breakaway within 2 laps. It proves to never give up! So now the cards would be reshuffled. My adrenaline was pumping now. In lap no 5 a new break with 8 riders formed. Joe and I made the cut. To tell you the truth this was my first ever breakaway in a race. All of a sudden I find myself yelling at everyone to get this organized and make a pace line. Silence! We make a pace line and everybody rotates. Wow they listened to me.

Joe and I still need to work on our sprint tactics. We took the last 2 spots of the breakaway, then again half the group did not race the day before. Still we were very happy with our results that day and said to ourselves it can only get better. Most of all I know what to wear when racing in the 30ties.  

Tucson Winter Camp 2013

Thanks to Randall and Teenie for hosting us in Oro Valley for 5 days of great cycling, food, and friendship....

The Beast, the kid, special K, gohardorgohome, lil' engine, DS, T, Lindzanator, Shake&Bake, Sunshine, Em, the Don, Mel, D&J, April, Craig, Deb.... just a great group ...

Let's get a list of comments going...... add yours...

Winning Teams and Learning Teams

When I was teaching effective thinking skills to executives or pro and collegiate athletes, I often ran up against the belief with these groups and individuals that errors were wrong and that mistakes were to be avoided at all costs.  The members stopped bringing their bright ideas to the leadership for fear of failure.  The risk was just too great.  The old adage was that there was "winning teams and loosing teams".  And losing had little value except to provide humiliation in that weak culture.

How did these businesses and teams grow and thrive?  Most didn't.  They remained status quo; stuck in their current situation while the competition passed them by.  Some learned how to fail and changed.  They realized there were "Winning Teams and Learning Teams".  Yesterday, I was on the Learning Team.

Somewhere I had picked up a habit--a belief, maybe...definitely a limiting belief as in one that was not serving me. The challenge, however, much like the organizations and professionals I worked with, I didn't know I had this limiting belief, this scotoma (Greek for blindness; a blind spot in a field of vision).

Here's the story: Saturday I lined up to race at the University of Arizona Crit with about 25 competitive women in a CAT 3/4 race.  Many of these women I had time-trialed against the day prior and beat by 2 or more minutes in a 20K.  I had a chance at a podium placement.


After a few laps I was dropped.  I continued to race hard, teaming with others, taking more than my share of the pulls in the small grupetto in an attempt to reconnect and get back on the lead train.  But that was not to be the case.  As I rode hard I kept wondering what was going on?  Maybe I need more training?  Maybe I should only race CAT 4 races.  Was I too old (56) to be racing with these women?  Should I lose a few more pounds?  And then I realized it.  SMACK!  As I dove into each turn I had stopped pedaling.  I stopped pedaling!   Later Randall and my power file would confirm my epiphany.

Somewhere I had acquired a belief that if I pedaled in the turns I would crash.  I didn't always do this and I had no idea that this belief existed until that epiphany moment about halfway through the race when I realized I lost ground on each and every turn and had to work like the devil to get back on with the grupetto.

Ricardo Hincapie, George's dad, once told me that he was not as fit or fast as the riders he races against on Tuesday evenings at SCTAC in Greenville, SC.  But, he said, my skills are better than most and so often, I win.

The best lessons are those we experience.  Humiliated as I was.  As P#&&%@-off, as I was, I realized the lesson was invaluable and so I share it with you.  What limiting beliefs do you hold that are holding you back?

Team Camp Preparations

You have all heard the talk and read the reports on here. People are getting ready for team camp in Tucson, AZ. It’s obvious that some started their training earlier than others, and some of us are just now starting to put in some real training camp preparations.  I’m one of those that decided to prep a little later for Camp. However, I am writing this to report that I have stepped up that preparation in anticipation of a challenging week, and I’m pleased with my recent progress.

I started my interval training this week and it has gone better than expected. I have never wanted to do intervals in January as it’s pretty early in the season, but I decided that camp is pretty important. We’re going to have almost the entire team in AZ, and I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of all my teammates. I will say that it was easier than I thought to start my intervals early this year. So easy, in fact, that in addition to the regular intervals, I snuck in one 2-a-day this week.

I didn’t want to overdo the intervals too early, so I started with two bowls of cereal every morning instead of one. You can’t expect results if you don’t do the work, so I just did it. Just poured a second bowl right after the first and ate it! It took some getting used to, but by Wed, I was eating the second bowl with ease. I also ate one banana at about 10am and one at about 4pm. I read that it’s important to have at least a 5 hour recovery between bananas because they contain a decent amount of fiber. I can’t over tax my system too early in the season or my BM score goes up too high.

When I saw how easy the cereal intervals were going, I decided to add some egg intervals. Eggs take longer to cook than eating cereal, so I’m trying to build 2 systems at once. The shorter bowl-of-cereal intervals help me with my speed, but the longer egg cooking intervals build more endurance. I have to tolerate more aroma build up in the kitchen which really helps me temper my breakfast enthusiasm, resulting in a lower RER (ravenous eating rate). If I can convince Sam to join me, we’re going to add some even longer oatmeal intervals next week to really get sharp for camp. By the time we show up, we should be ready for anything.

Just for kicks I also added a sushi interval this week to see how my body would react. I anticipated that the Tuesday/Thursday repeat would be a little traumatic, but I was able to order quickly and I didn’t loose form with the chopsticks on the second interval. That’s the kind of consistent performance I normally expect after a couple months of practice, so I was super pleased.

Before you think my camp preparation is all about intervals let me cut you off right there. I have not neglected my skills development either. You can’t expect to show up for camp and have a good time without some skills development. Sam has been helping me with these, as my skills sometimes fall short of my fitness. She’s reviewed the instructions for running the dishwasher and clothes washer so I can do it consistently with the right technique. She keeps stressing that it only takes one little mistake to cause a catastrophe. And, remember, when it comes to skills and techniques, you don’t just put yourself at risk. You can hurt your teammates as well.

It’s not just the practical side of skills development that counts either. You have to hardwire some of this stuff into your brain so you can perform consistently when it matters most. That’s why Sam’s helped me with a checklist to review daily. This is helping some of this become second nature. You might recognize that some of these skills are fairly challenging for some people. See if you have mastery as well:

• Make the bed (and make it pretty not just pull the covers up)
• No cleats in the house
• No sitting on furniture in wet riding gear
• Laundry goes in your white bag
• No leaning the bikes on the garage wall
• Put your bottles in the bottle dishwasher

I’m sure you probably have some more that you focus on personally, but I can’t bite off more than I can chew this early in the season. If I get these skills down before camp I’ll have a lot more fun with everyone.

As you can see, I’ve really stepped up my preparation and I’ll be ready for team camp next week. I hope that your interval training and skills development is at a point where you can participate and have a good time in Tucson. Last year was a lot of fun and I’m sure this year will be even better.