The biggest thing I learned from my coach at Minnesota was how to recover. Getting faster is about recovery. When you're on a rest day, you need to rest. Sit on your bum, play video games, drink a ton of water, and let your body rebuild.
This also applies to those time one gets sick during the season. When a cold is coming on, learn to recognize it and and stay off the bike. Sit on your bum, play video games, drink a ton of water, and let your body rebuild.
When you're injured, let your body rebuild as fast as it can. Do NOT ride. Sit on your bum, play video games, drink a ton of water, and let your body rebuild.
Catch my drift?
Today I'm recovering from an odd ankle injury that I never saw coming. After Sunday's epic ride to Blue Mounds I had a stiff right ankle. Monday morning it was really hurting and walking was painful.
THEREFORE: I stayed off of my right leg and kept it elevated. I did not ride. I did not walk. I did light stretching that wouldn't engage my right ankle, and I did my situps.
Today (Tuesday) it feels much better, just stiff. While missing the beautiful weather is frustrating, prolonging an injury is even worse.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
End of break
My leg is finally feeling better, and it's been two weeks since Sheboygan. My trainer has arrived, and next Monday is the end of daylight savings. I've finished reading the Training Bible, and will soon be done with my first nutrition book. Other than one night of light spinning, I haven't been on th ebike since Sheboygan.
It is time to begin training for next year.
I've never started training this early, and while I'm not going to ramp it up for a month or two, I will be spinning 4 or 5 days a week, just to avoid putting on any extra weight. When it's nice I'll ride outside.
My eating has already changed a bit, and early and mid-day meal portions have shrunken to accommodate the lower number of calories burned, but I still have my lifelong bad habit of pigging out later at night. Perhaps meal planning will help me avoid that.
I've never felt so motivated this late in the season. Between this year's successes, my category upgrade, and my preliminary team plan for next year (which I cannot discuss quite yet), I've already generated goals for the off-season. While my training goals are a bit more abstract for the next few months, they'll become more concrete as we approach Spring.
Off-season goals:
1. Learn about nutrition. This may seem vague, but I've never known much about nutrition and tend to eat things that make my other mom (Denise Whalen) cringe. Beyond eating fruits and veggies and avoiding sugar and fast food, I don't know much.
2. Keep riding weight below 160 (normally I jump from 155 in-season to 165 off-season).
3. Purchase a Powertap and learn to train with power.
4. Learn about racing with the big kids from those who do it.
Next season's specific goals:
1. One top 15 finish in a WORS event.
2. A top 25 overall finish in WORS.
3. A top 75 finish at Chequamegon.
Less specific in-season goals:
1. Attend 10 WORS events.
2. Attend the Tuesday night time trials at Franklin.
3. Attend two large non-WORS MTB races, such as an MNSCS or Michigan event. Maybe SBF.
I'll soon be posting retrospective pieces about my races from this year. Writing is how I think about things, and I think it will help me process some of the less obvious skills I've learned from this year.
It is time to begin training for next year.
I've never started training this early, and while I'm not going to ramp it up for a month or two, I will be spinning 4 or 5 days a week, just to avoid putting on any extra weight. When it's nice I'll ride outside.
My eating has already changed a bit, and early and mid-day meal portions have shrunken to accommodate the lower number of calories burned, but I still have my lifelong bad habit of pigging out later at night. Perhaps meal planning will help me avoid that.
I've never felt so motivated this late in the season. Between this year's successes, my category upgrade, and my preliminary team plan for next year (which I cannot discuss quite yet), I've already generated goals for the off-season. While my training goals are a bit more abstract for the next few months, they'll become more concrete as we approach Spring.
Off-season goals:
1. Learn about nutrition. This may seem vague, but I've never known much about nutrition and tend to eat things that make my other mom (Denise Whalen) cringe. Beyond eating fruits and veggies and avoiding sugar and fast food, I don't know much.
2. Keep riding weight below 160 (normally I jump from 155 in-season to 165 off-season).
3. Purchase a Powertap and learn to train with power.
4. Learn about racing with the big kids from those who do it.
Next season's specific goals:
1. One top 15 finish in a WORS event.
2. A top 25 overall finish in WORS.
3. A top 75 finish at Chequamegon.
Less specific in-season goals:
1. Attend 10 WORS events.
2. Attend the Tuesday night time trials at Franklin.
3. Attend two large non-WORS MTB races, such as an MNSCS or Michigan event. Maybe SBF.
I'll soon be posting retrospective pieces about my races from this year. Writing is how I think about things, and I think it will help me process some of the less obvious skills I've learned from this year.
gettin loose
Date: 10/22/09 Thursday
Weather: Rainy/44
Weight:
Breakfast: Hazelnut scone, latte, OJ
Lunch: Yogurt, banana, carrots, granola
Dinner: Burger, fries, beer
Snacks: none
Workout: sit-ups, no riding.
Notes:
Date:10/23/09
Weather: 45/rainy
Weight:?
Breakfast: Latte, Scone, OJ
Lunch: don’t’ recall
Dinner: A Dotty’s burger.
Snacks: Beer. Lots of beer.
Workout: no workouts.
Notes: Went out Friday night with Geo and some other peeps. Long night. Not a training-friendly time, but definitely fun.
Date:10/24/09
Weather: 60, sunny
Weight:
Breakfast: Black coffee, pineapple, Cool Beans Classic Burrito
Lunch: Pasta Fresca
Dinner: Homemade nachos, light on the cheese
Snacks:
Workout: Sit-ups, no riding
Notes: See previous days’ activities. No riding today. Definitely not.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
10/21/09 and setting goals for 2010
Date: 10/21/09
Weather: rainy/55
Weight: ?
Breakfast: Oatmeal with apples, brown sugar, water, latte
Lunch:two fresco bean burritos form TBell
Dinner: 1/3 plate of nachos/ Fat Tire
Snacks: 1c. Chocolate soy milk and lots of water
Workout: sit-ups and stretching. no riding
Notes: Cleaned up the Procaliber today. Got the drivetrain back on after putting it through the parts washer at work, but still need to do some detail work on the frame.
Reading the Cyclists’ Training Bible. On Chapter 9 and now I have a pretty thorough perspective of what goes into planning an annual training calendar. I’m also trying to set some goals for next year. Any suggestions for a first-year WORS cat1? Let’s be realistic and ambitious.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
new training journal format with notes to myself
Date:10/20/09
Weather: 55 and rainy
Weight:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with brown sugar, Chocolate Soy Milk, vanilla latte.[AR1]
Lunch: PBJ on whole wheat, chips and salsa, apple, water
Dinner:
Snacks: water, 2 cups coffee
Workout: A little over an hour on the easy setting on the trainer and 100 sit-ups. And I watched Transformers 2, which counts as mental training.
Notes: Got my Super Magneto Pro winter training kit today. I’m not quite sure why one would want two climbing blocks, but it came with those as well as a sweat catcher and a trainer mat. Gave one of the blocks to Claire/Gehling/Carter. Right leg feels much better, still occasionally hitting one leg against the other while I sleep and waking up from the impact, but I can walk and ride normally with no discomfort.
[AR1]Lots of sugar! Maybe get some apple chunks or raisins in there.
Monday, October 19, 2009
smaller numbers can be good
Racing mountain bikes is all about smaller numbers. Smaller times, lighter bike parts, lower tire pressure, carrying less body weight.
And now I have a very small number on my license: Category 1.
It's been a killer year and I'm excited to ride with the big kids in the next one. The last week has been a VERY off week, with lots of beer and fast food. Today I started eating well again and did my morning stretches. Tomorrow my trainer shows up and I'll begind the process of getting into even better shape.
Rock on.
And now I have a very small number on my license: Category 1.
It's been a killer year and I'm excited to ride with the big kids in the next one. The last week has been a VERY off week, with lots of beer and fast food. Today I started eating well again and did my morning stretches. Tomorrow my trainer shows up and I'll begind the process of getting into even better shape.
Rock on.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Off-season days 2, 3, and 4
Day two I did my sit-ups again and ate like crap. I had pizza, beer, coffee, and a scone, and some water.
Wednesday, October 14th:
Taco Bell, two beers, PBJ sandwich, banana, carrots, water.
100 sit-ups.
My leg was starting to feel better. I still can't pedal very well, or with any power, but I can walk.
Thursday, October 15th:
Scone and coffee for breakfast,
Banana and carrots for a snack at work
Potato and leek soup, rye bread, and and water for dinner.
two beers at guy's night at Geo's.
No sit-ups.
I have Saturday off for a cross race, but I'm not going to enter. My leg is still pretty bruised and a bit swollen, so I'm going to take it easy on it. Today I order my stationary trainer!
And good luck to all the rock-starts at Collegiate Nationals! Pop a wheelie!
Wednesday, October 14th:
Taco Bell, two beers, PBJ sandwich, banana, carrots, water.
100 sit-ups.
My leg was starting to feel better. I still can't pedal very well, or with any power, but I can walk.
Thursday, October 15th:
Scone and coffee for breakfast,
Banana and carrots for a snack at work
Potato and leek soup, rye bread, and and water for dinner.
two beers at guy's night at Geo's.
No sit-ups.
I have Saturday off for a cross race, but I'm not going to enter. My leg is still pretty bruised and a bit swollen, so I'm going to take it easy on it. Today I order my stationary trainer!
And good luck to all the rock-starts at Collegiate Nationals! Pop a wheelie!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Off-season day 1
Day 1 of the off-season:
Breakfast: McDonalds Bacon, Egg, and Cheese biscuit, hash brown, and coffee.
Lunch: Noodles and Co. Small Penne Rosa, Chicken, chocolate chip cookie, and coffee.
Dinner: Turkey leg, sweet potato, whole wheat bread, beer.
snacks: 1 more beer and twizzlers. Lots of water all day.
100 sit-ups and stretching. Still recovering from leg injury at Shevegas, so no riding.
Man, I ate like crap today. I haven't had McDs in a long time, and it sat in my stomach like an oil spill in a national forest. Enough of that, I'm not a 9-month-of-the-year racer: I'm an athlete.
Breakfast: McDonalds Bacon, Egg, and Cheese biscuit, hash brown, and coffee.
Lunch: Noodles and Co. Small Penne Rosa, Chicken, chocolate chip cookie, and coffee.
Dinner: Turkey leg, sweet potato, whole wheat bread, beer.
snacks: 1 more beer and twizzlers. Lots of water all day.
100 sit-ups and stretching. Still recovering from leg injury at Shevegas, so no riding.
Man, I ate like crap today. I haven't had McDs in a long time, and it sat in my stomach like an oil spill in a national forest. Enough of that, I'm not a 9-month-of-the-year racer: I'm an athlete.
Ah, the off-season.
Time for beer and nachos.
The cross race was a good training exercise. I rode super hard for a few laps with the lead group and then popped. Cruised in for 14th of 40, I believe.
Shevegas was a ton of fun. That course has gotten even better since the last time I was there (perhaps 6 years ago) and has some very good, challenging singletrack.
The log drop is still in place, The Roots of All Evil, and The Equalizer as well.
This is a constructed course. It has a man-made feel, as though there were intent in each section's creation. And I know there was; The crazy man smoking cigarettes and handing out $5 bills at the top of The Equalizer told me so.
As the season gets on, I notice my start-line speed isn't quite what it was. I didn't have it at Alterra, and I didn't have it at Sheboygan. I was mid-pack going out, and started picking off people between singletrack sections. It was the usual formula: attack like hell in open bits and catch people in the singletrack. Catch and repeat.
Then some guy went down in front of me and the guy behind me plowed into my leg. I think his left pedal got me, or maybe his foot. I could spin and pump a bit, but not attack or get out of the saddle. My leg was done for the day, so I limped in for 8th.
Not a bad season, at all. I applied for my upgrade to Cat. 1 Monday morning and should be racing with the big kids next year. For as much training as I've done this year I don't feel burned out. The cold I got back in July/August that forced some time off was good for me and let me recover a bit and take some down time. I'm going to take as long as my leg needs to heal fully and then it's stationary trainer time.
Until then, It's back ot the training posts.
The cross race was a good training exercise. I rode super hard for a few laps with the lead group and then popped. Cruised in for 14th of 40, I believe.
Shevegas was a ton of fun. That course has gotten even better since the last time I was there (perhaps 6 years ago) and has some very good, challenging singletrack.
The log drop is still in place, The Roots of All Evil, and The Equalizer as well.
This is a constructed course. It has a man-made feel, as though there were intent in each section's creation. And I know there was; The crazy man smoking cigarettes and handing out $5 bills at the top of The Equalizer told me so.
As the season gets on, I notice my start-line speed isn't quite what it was. I didn't have it at Alterra, and I didn't have it at Sheboygan. I was mid-pack going out, and started picking off people between singletrack sections. It was the usual formula: attack like hell in open bits and catch people in the singletrack. Catch and repeat.
Then some guy went down in front of me and the guy behind me plowed into my leg. I think his left pedal got me, or maybe his foot. I could spin and pump a bit, but not attack or get out of the saddle. My leg was done for the day, so I limped in for 8th.
Not a bad season, at all. I applied for my upgrade to Cat. 1 Monday morning and should be racing with the big kids next year. For as much training as I've done this year I don't feel burned out. The cold I got back in July/August that forced some time off was good for me and let me recover a bit and take some down time. I'm going to take as long as my leg needs to heal fully and then it's stationary trainer time.
Until then, It's back ot the training posts.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
One more MTB race and off-season planning.
This weekend I have both a CX race (in Grafton) and the WORS final (in Sheboygan). I'm just barely holding onto my fitness from the year and my rides are fewer and farther between. But I do ride harder than I have previously. I'm going to try some new tires just for shits and giggles.
I have a few early off-season goals, and they're mostly investments for next year.
1. Buy a stationary trainer.
2. Buy a Powertap wheel.
3. Maintain my fitness and get a good routine of indoor riding going.
4. Do some outdoor rides just to get outside.
On a final note: The Saris Gala to benefit the BFW is this Friday evening. You should attend and help a great organization that is doing a lot to help cycling in Wisconsin.
I have a few early off-season goals, and they're mostly investments for next year.
1. Buy a stationary trainer.
2. Buy a Powertap wheel.
3. Maintain my fitness and get a good routine of indoor riding going.
4. Do some outdoor rides just to get outside.
On a final note: The Saris Gala to benefit the BFW is this Friday evening. You should attend and help a great organization that is doing a lot to help cycling in Wisconsin.
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