Well, I figured out that I am not a very consistent blogger, however, I have some good stuff to catch up on.
Christmas 2011
The entry deadline for the LT100 Lottery was January 31 and the "winners' will be announced Feb 15 or 16. Supposedly, they have about 12,000 entries for 1,700 spots. The first number may be a little inflated but you get the point. I, however, should have nothing to worry about as I have 60 volunteer hours from last year and the race director Shannon assures me this will get me in.
Who Knows but its the Cardinals
Mrs. Paschal and Darla
Just did this one to make her mad
WOW, were they in high school?
Training has been going good although it is a little hard to stay motivated and keep pushing in the middle of winter. Last weekend was my 16th anniversary with my beautiful wife Darla. She is a tremendous supporter of the accomplishment of this insane goal, without her support this would definitely not be possible for me. So, I organized a weekend getaway to the middle of nowhere cabin to get her "away" for the weekend. I also invited our friends the Paschals and told Brad to bring his MTN bike as we would try to ride....well as luck would have it, we were very close to the Berryman Trail in MO and got to ride it everyday of the trip (Well, one of us rode everyday).
The second day I felt the need to record a little video before going out for a ride, I am really excited, enjoy.
Then there was the video after, little better mood and Brad feels the wrath.....
Just a few select pictures from the weekend of riding the Berryman. Also, the girls had a nice relaxing time at the cabin, my wife was happy even though a lot of MTN biking was had on her getaway weekend.
Brad figuring out where we are...
View from the living room (Superfly!!)
The riding was very wet, on Sunday, I rode and averaged about 8 miles an hour with a lot of mud, wet leaves, and water. I also had to stop a lot to wipe off the glasses. This speed in these conditions, I was pleased with as during the Berryman Epic in October in perfect conditions I was riding slower (cramping). I am starting to feel really good on the bike and more powerful. The long grinder climbs on the Berryman were no problem this weekend, I never even thought about dismounting and my heart rate stayed in the 150's on most of the climbing (that's good). My weakness on climbing is still the steep grade (well isn't everyones?) which pegs my heart rate and zaps my power. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the LT100 has a lot of that type of climbing.....if it were easy.....I also leave for Georgia next week to spend 5 days in the mountains climbing with some boys from Edwardsville including Gibbs my coach. I am kinda looking forward to that but thinking it is going to really push my limits as all the guys going seem to be cyclists....(if you know what I mean). I rode with a couple of these guys two weekends ago on a "Easy" no drop ride with a lot of wind. We averaged about 20 mph and I was hanging on for dear life at points with most of the guys talking while riding like, "hey, hows the kids?" and I am saying, "gasp, gasp, I,,,,, cant,,,,talk,,,,,,,gasp, ,,,,,right,,,,,,gasp,gasp,,,,,,now" Evidently, Gibbs thinks I can hang, at least for a while. This trip should help my climbing skills!
I made the decision after much research that my race weight for the LT100 should be 155. If you think about it, this is a very big factor for race day as you only have so much power in your legs and every extra pound takes some of that power away. I raced last years Silver Rush 50 in Leadville at 162 and made that weight pretty easy just cutting out sweets and eating "healthy"
Todd and I
However, 155 will be a bigger challenge. At the beginning of the year, my buddy Todd (PRiDE Fitness) and I started on the Caveman (Paleo) diet. This diet consists of what a Caveman could eat: nuts, eggs, meat, fruits and veges. The obvious hard part is lack of grains (carbs) and processed foods are out. On the long ride days (over two hours) I do take on carbs that Cavemen would not have had but Cavemen also didn't ride a bike for 6 hours at a time. I have to keep fuel in the tank to keep pedaling.
Since the beginning of the year I am down 9 pounds. I started at 174 and am at 165. I occasionally get light headed when I get up from sitting for a while but that is all I have really noticed, other than carb cravings which is just part of changing your lifestyle. I do have a cheat day over the weekend where ice cream is in order.....come on, I'm not completely crazy.
Andy
Today, my coach Andy Gibbs (AG Coaching) is coming over to my house to make sure my computrainer is set up correctly for my power tests today and tomorrow. He will also stay through today's test to make sure my effort is where it should be. These tests will then help set my training for the next period of training.
On a personal note, my son and I are going to the Murray State vs SIUE basketball game tonight. My wife has her Masters from Murray and undergrad from SIUE. Furthermore, Murray State is undefeated this year and ranked number 14 in the nation or so.....Should be a blowout but fun for us. ps. my dad is an usher at the stadium, he will be "in charge"
I have another goal besides the LT100 on August 11th. That is to post everyday until then.
Leaving the Simmons House Brrrr
Family weekend gametime
Last week was a big week of training but I had a fever for a day and a half which cut into my training time. By the weekend I was back on the bike. This past weekend was Simmons family weekend. That is where all of Bill and Carolyn's kids, their spouses, and kids go over to their house with bags packed and spend the weekend. The boys usually go shoot guns and the girls go shopping. BTW, ask any of the boys who won the skeet round with 17 out of 25.......This year the Simmons' got to see what a Computrainer looks like and sounds like.
Family Pullups
On Saturday we went to the circuit at PRiDE Fitness (in the snow) and then I rode later that night for 2 hours on the computrainer watching playoff football.....Tebow didnt do so well.....
Mississippi River in background
Sunday I rode for three hours and finished at my sons basketball game in Godfrey. It wasnt that cold but it sure was windy. However, you had to watch out for snow patches.
This week is a down week with only about 8 hours of workouts but Sat and Sun are power tests. Tonight was 1.5 hours on the trainer. It went pretty good, Hudson hung out with me and we talked through it and watched the top 40 FAILs on VH1 (kinda appropriate for a 10 year old) Hey, mom was at Tae Kwon Do with Madi.....
This past week my wife sent me out to buy my Christmas present (even though the Superfly 100 was my bday and Christmas gift) it is a GoPro Hero camera. This camera will allow me to take video of my rides this year to post on here and document my training from an onboard point of view.....very exciting. In February I have a trip scheduled to the Berryman trail (couples weekend) (yes we plan a couples weekend around where the trails are) and another one to Georgia with about 10 other guys to kick start the hard core training for the spring. They are staying for 6 days, I will go for 4. There will be some elevation change down in them there mountains and you will get to see some footage of the pain.....
Looking forward to daily posts to capture my moods......
Woke up at 5am to head to Edwardsville to pick up Andy Gibbs and Tim Rister for a trip to the Ozark Trail (Council Bluff) on Thursday morning. I got to Andy's right on time at 6am (miracle) and we picked Tim up around the corner a little later. There were several more guys there drinking coffee convincing themselves they were ready to go. One of those guys was Little Buddy and this was the 4th or 5th annual birthday ride in his honor (I just met him for the first time that morning). All the the gear was stowed and bikes loaded and we were off at 6:30 ish. We met two other guys at the trailhead at 9am. Everyone proceeded to change into their riding gear in the parking lot, thankfully it was a warm day....
Derailer Maintenance
There was a mile or so of gravel road to start before we dropped into the trail, then 300 feet or so into the trail, the guy in front of me hit a rock through a creek crossing and his tire blew with the sound of a 12 gauge shotgun. Thankfully, we were only a mile or so away from the parking lot and one of the guys had a spare tire and quickly took off to get it while the bike got prepped to accept a new tire. Unfortunately, this set the tone for the day. We had several mechanicals with Andy swinging into action everytime to get us back on the trail quickly. Andy is the head mechanic at the Cyclery and has outstanding "skills". Halfway through the ride the guy who blew out his tire, had his rear derailer hanger bust and the derailer wrap around up into his wheel (not good). Between all ten of us we had 4 or so derailer hangers in our bags but none fit his bike. One good thing, we found out my newly purchased (two days prior) derailer hanger doesn't fit my bike as well.
Great Views
We ended up riding for about 7 hours but didn't cover a whole lot of miles for that amount of time (36 miles) but we had a good time. There was a lot of time spent like you see on the here on the left in this pic.
Gibbs wind up radio for lunch tunes
Self portrait at the peak
Lunchtime
me and the superfly!
On the bright side, there was 4,200 feet of climbing on this loop and I was right in the mix on the long grinding climbs. A year ago I would have been way behind at the end of one of those kinds of climbs as well as spent....This year I was right there and felt good all day and still feel good today! Now, there were guys a lot faster than I, but they were not in race mode hammering. Great day, great ride, the ozark trail system is awesome.
Since I am back into posting full time :)..... I thought I would just take an opportunity to catch up on everything I have missed.
1. The Cyclery in Edwardsville is going to have a team next year and I will be on it. The kits are getting finalized as I type...(they are gonna be cool)
2. I have done two power tests. One in February this year and one last weekend. I havent seen my overall comparison yet but my coach says that I improved across the board by about 20 watts. Thats decent, and I will test again in 3 weeks or so with the coach,,,,with coaching through the test which should improve the numbers.
3. I have bought a new mountain bike for next years race....2011 Trek Superfly 100....This is a carbon full suspension bike and will have a post dedicated specifically to it soon.
4. My fitness level has improved dramatically this year.
5. I have been doing a lot of strength training lately and getting strong (for me). I have been incorporating Pride Fitness's Saturday Circuit into my week when I can. It is awesome and is great for the core.
6. I have converted my old mountain bike into a single speed.
7. I went shopping with DFlack and he just purchased a Trek Madone 5.1.....Hope he's ready to ride!
8. I went mountain bike riding with Mr. Ironman Butler a couple of weeks ago....me on my new ride and him on his 20 year old Specialized that he not ridden in years......He now has a new mountain bike....Sorry Rene. He is ready to ride and we have already had his new machine out on the trails. He was fast for his second trip on the trails in 15 years.... Pretty soon he will be pulling me around the trails like he pulls me on the road rides.
9. I bettered my Tour de Doughnut time by more than 1/2 hour from last years time. I was 54th out of 1500 or so riders. I was very pleased with that. 32ish miles in 1:17. My last years time was close to 1:50. I guess my coach and the training has helped a little. These times are approximate and from memory, I just did not want to take the time to look them up Im on a roll....
Other unrelated personal items..
7. We sold our house and moved to town and I have a great computrainer/weight room in our new place!
8. Hudson is in IMSA (Illinois Math and Science Academy) Program.
9. Madison is a blue belt in TKD.
10. Darla quit her job (So she can do all the house stuff and I will have more time to ride).
So, the other other big race this year......the Berryman Trail Epic.... roughly 56 miles in the Steelville, MO area.
I drove down with my coach (Andy Gibbs) and another buddy of his Skip (that's not his name nor do I know his name). We stayed at a cabin at the campground that hosted the race. It was pretty primitive but not a tent. However, when I retrieved my sleeping bag from the car, it was soaking wet.....made for a cold night.
We prepped everything the night before - bikes, nutrition, clothing - and then got up at 6am to put some fuel in the tank. Andy and Skip had their oatmeal with additives pre-made and all they had to do was add water and nuke it. I went to the shop at the campground for some oatmeal but guess what, they did not open till 8. So, I sponged left overs from Andy and Skip and ate a protein bar or two and a bagel.
As we lined up for the race, I noticed the people at the start line did not have the diversity of a normal race. What I mean is they all looked Ironman Triathlete fit (shout out to Rick and Tracy my IM buddies here!). I found out later that was because this race is long and hard. This was the first time I had ridden down there and my first time on this trail was this race (not recommended).
The first 25 miles were glorious. I was flying, average speed was very high....then, all of a sudden....OW, MY HAMSTRING!!! the cramps started. What I didn't tell you was that I thought I would try this one without a camelpak. A camelpak is a hydration pack that holds 80 ounces of water or so. It also holds other nutrition and salt tabs. Guess what, I needed it....not that fit yet....well, the pros do it! But without a crew at the aid stations it is a little tough without a pack. Anyway, the next 30 miles were excruciating. I cramped early and often. At one point I was on the trail and couldn't move and sent everyone around me through the woods. The thought of throwing in the towel actually did float through my head for a couple of minutes, and I had to play mind games with myself to keep going. With about 5 miles left the course opened up to a fire road and I started to feel good. I opened her up and started hammering, and passing racer after racer and then,,,,,, BOTH HAMSTRINGS about 2 miles from finish. All those racers passed me back and they all were saying "Do you need anything?"......"Yes, not to be so stupid not bring a pack on a 56 mile race with no crew!"
All in all, it was a great learning experience as I had felt great all year and not cramped in any race but it re-emphasized how important nutrition is before and during a race. I can't wait to go back and ride the Berryman as they are some of the best trails in the Midwest. And if anyone is looking for a great race to train for next year, these guys know how to do it.... Berryman Epic
Also, my buddy Andy finished 8th out of 300 or so.... With some pros in the race and in the top ten, this is a very impressive performance! Way to go coach! Yours truly was 154th in 7 hours and 5 minutes...
So much has happened that I have not captured on here related to racing and training. I am so mad at myself for not keeping up but it starts....today. I have instructed my wife to not let me "wind down" in the evenings until I post. So settle in and buckle up until August 11, 2012.....The day I
"Race Across The Sky"
After the Leadville 50 I did two more EPIC races this season. The first was the 12 hours of the canal loop in Western KY. This is the same race that I did in 2009. In 2009 I did the 12 hour solo (by myself) and rode 5 laps for 55 miles. In 2011, I did the 6 hour solo because my coach said he wanted me to go all out and not pace myself. Well, in 6 hours I did 5 loops for 55 miles....sound familiar...yes, same result 6 fewer hours. I would say that the training is paying off! It was a great race and my wife and kids went with me, which made it even better!
To the right, both the boys on their Gary Fisher machines.....yes if you have read previous posts this is a new bike.....ssshhhhh don't tell my wife...more to come on my purchase in a future post.
To the left, goin' out for another lap.
BTW, I have entered the lottery for the Race Across The Sky and will be sending in my volunteer forms that have my documented volunteer hours from this year. This should ensure I get in....if not, the race director lied!
Just a few select pictures from the weekend of riding the Berryman. Also, the girls had a nice relaxing time at the cabin, my wife was happy even though a lot of MTN biking was had on her getaway weekend.
The riding was very wet, on Sunday, I rode and averaged about 8 miles an hour with a lot of mud, wet leaves, and water. I also had to stop a lot to wipe off the glasses. This speed in these conditions, I was pleased with as during the Berryman Epic in October in perfect conditions I was riding slower (cramping). I am starting to feel really good on the bike and more powerful. The long grinder climbs on the Berryman were no problem this weekend, I never even thought about dismounting and my heart rate stayed in the 150's on most of the climbing (that's good). My weakness on climbing is still the steep grade (well isn't everyones?) which pegs my heart rate and zaps my power. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the LT100 has a lot of that type of climbing.....if it were easy.....I also leave for Georgia next week to spend 5 days in the mountains climbing with some boys from Edwardsville including Gibbs my coach. I am kinda looking forward to that but thinking it is going to really push my limits as all the guys going seem to be cyclists....(if you know what I mean). I rode with a couple of these guys two weekends ago on a "Easy" no drop ride with a lot of wind. We averaged about 20 mph and I was hanging on for dear life at points with most of the guys talking while riding like, "hey, hows the kids?" and I am saying, "gasp, gasp, I,,,,, cant,,,,talk,,,,,,,gasp, ,,,,,right,,,,,,gasp,gasp,,,,,,now" Evidently, Gibbs thinks I can hang, at least for a while. This trip should help my climbing skills!
