new and improved with video

a friend started posting video on their blog and has up'd the anti so I went out and bought a helmet cam and here is the first test. enjoy

Will mountain bike racing screw me up?

I have been riding a fair bit of mountain bike in the last couple weeks. It seems to go well with the fallish weather we've been having lately. I must say i am really enjoying it. i am worried however about loosing focus on my road goals. 

I think doing some mountain bike races may be really fun and put some energy into training. I've had to work pretty hard to acquire the fitness I have and don't want to jeopardize it. I'm not saying that mountain biking is easier. Obviously it can be as hard as you like just like road riding. It's  more a concern for maintaining focus and keeping my eye on the prize. 

I hired a full time coach last spring for a few months to help me get ready for the racing season. She is an ex pro mountain bike racer I am sure she will have all kinds of advice.  I can sort of already hear her in my ear. "well you have to decide what your goals are" 

I am really glad my season ended on a relative high note. It has me already thinking about the durand road race in the spring. Hopefully another season of skate skiing and the indoor cycling classes by my coach will have me all set to do better at durand than last year(crossing fingers).

These are the three numbers from the three races this year. Sort of a little scrap book above my desk.

Well better get back to it, i have a mountain bike ride at noon and I have stuff I need to get done before I can go.

Ratts back to fighting.

So I have avoided politics mostly because there is so much political ranting going on on the internet that it's covered pretty well. But.... after the speech by Gov. Palin at the republican convention I feel compelled to note something just this once.

the politics of the US has been driven by a strategy of the republican party that seeks to divide the country in a way that garners them the advantage. it's been very successful for them from the point of view of gaining and retaining power. But at what cost?  

This concept again and again demands of americans if they are to consider themselves americans in good standing to revile their neighbors and fellow americans. It demands that pick and support them in their entirety with out question and vowing total allegiance to their cause. It demands that you fight with every fiber to destroy those who would choose something different particularly the democratic party. It demands that you separate yourself from "them" politically socially geographically, and  religiously. The architects and tacticians of this strategy would have you forget that the " them" they may be talking about are your neighbors, family and fellow countrymen. Those who plan and impediment this dissecting of the american people would have you fill your heart with fear and hatred for your own family if they do not subscribe. 

The Mc Cain campaign has up to this point payed passing homage to this policy but largely avoided it and I have appreciated them for there courage. It would take some strength to not succumb to it as a leader in the republican party. this has been the way they have conducted themselves, that is until last night. 

Governor Palin last night demanded of the convention and the country that they fill their hearts with suspicion and hatred for anyone who doesn't support the presented ideology and it doesn't matter how kind or hard working or faithfully they and their ancestors have sacrificed for this country. If they will not march in lock step and carry the republican torch, you must hate them.

I am truly sad. I had hoped that We the People could take this opportunity to address some really troubling times but it would seem we will be wasting our time finding reasons to undo the work of our neighbors. 

Sadder still is how willing the american population is to give them their wish. So many of us will say yes. Yes I will oppose and disassociate myself with my fellow americans. Yes I will segregate my community and tell my children that they are not to talk to the kids across the street or across town. Yes I will say aloud that those who believe differently from me are dangerous and that peril will come to us all unless we destroy them.

Last night we returned to the gloom and I am sad and angry for it. I don't want to be afraid. I don't want to hate my neighbors to tell you the truth they seem ok to me. 

I don't want to be hated. 

look how far away we've fallen from, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself !"

Gone is the america that is a squabbling family that loves each other, and would do anything for their brother or sister.

Just really sad.

On the bike after a week

I finally got on the bike last night after being away from it for over a week. I've been getting thinner and thinner on patience for days now. It is a good thing I could finally got a ride in before I totally loose it. I can tell that I've lost some strength from my being away from the bike. But work and the beginning of the school year have made my bed for me. 

All the people that know fitness stuff say however good long term strategy comes with periods of rest and  recovery so I'll just pretend this is one of those. The people that ran the race I was in last still don't have the results up, bugger. I've even emailed them to ask when they may be up and no response. hmmmm. sort of frustrating, may be my best finish of the year and I can't find out. well we'll see. 

The air for the last two days has made a definite turn cooler and the smell of  fall is out there believe it or not. I am not ready to give up on summer weather but it's not up to me.

If anyone reads this please leave a comment I am curious if anyone other than Tamsin reads this at all. 

hey tam

State Championship Road Race

This is me and a team mate waiting to line up to start.

Starting rollout.

Pack going by on lap one. I'm in there but you can only see my helmet in the back (behind the guy in the red and white jersey.

My team mate won the race this is him coming across the line.

This is me coming across the line. by the look on my face and the victory salute you'd think I'd just won a tour stage. haha.  I was very happy it went well. so A little victory dance just for me.

This last saturday was the state championship road race. It sounds much more prestigious that is it . It's just another road race. It's just that it's the last for the season. I went and raced. I a happy to report that it went really well, on the joel scale that is. I felt relatively good throughout the race and finished somewhere in the middle. A group of about 20 got away on down wind sprint during the first lap. I held on for about another 15 miles or so then fell off on a big climb on the second lap. 

The front group just barely got away from me. But I had decided that in this race vs previous races i would not blow up trying to stay with the front group. So I put in the hardest effort i could that I thought I could recover from well enough to finish somewhere in the mix. At durand and marty I chased the front group to collapse then got passed by everyone later in the race as I was spent. this time after the front group got away I managed my effort to keep it sustainable then waited for groups to work with from the rear to catch me and I piled on the first one. there were 3 riders from birchwood, a grand performance guy and another i didn't recognize. 

Quick note on the birchwood guys, Super good guys, very cool and good to share the burden with. Kudos and thanks to the birchwood guys.

They haven't posted the results yet but I think I finished in the low 30's somewhere. There were 49 starters. 

While my finishing place doesn't reflect it I did much much better. I was very comfortable in the peloton. I managed my effort much better. I still had some cramping issues which is odd. I've ridden further and harder with the club and not had that happen. I think it's the food and drinks that i'm taking prior to the race that may be the culprit. have to do some experimenting there.

It was nowhere near as painful as durand or marty. I was spent when i crossed the line but the agony getting there was much less.

I am looking forward to the spring races now. I think If i stay on track with my training I may hang on the the front pile in one of the spring races, cross your fingers.

Bad days happen

So went out for a ride yesterday with the usual suspects and totally blew up.  I had no energy at all, nothing. I think a day like that is a canary in the coal mine. It's an indicator that something is going on. In the past these days almost always came at the end of a particularly wearing time or a time where I am not being mindful of recovery and rest. 

I have had so little down time after ragbrai. I am sure yesterdays debacle is nothing more than my body saying basta! So I need to go on a recovery schedule for a few days and see what happens.

I am sure this is boring for anyone who may chance upon this but if this i to be a semi record of my effort to become a middle aged bike racer I sure note this down turn for future reference.

So there you have it.

Back from Colorado

Hey all, home at last and home to stay for a bit. 

A bit up blog updatery. I finally posted a new song o' the day... enjoy!

Colorado was good. The mountains were beautiful as expected. we went for a couple of amazing hikes. One was way above tree line so everyone was huffing and puffing pretty good but we all made it. We hiked up to a ridge next to a peak and you could see up and down the mountain range to the horizon. Truly amazing and well worth the effort.

I did not get to Bike as much as I would have hoped. I only got out twice last week in the mountains. Both were high quality workouts though so not to bad. The hikes were also good workouts to i doubt I lost any fitness while I was out there. I am looking forward to settling back into a more regular cycling schedule.

 There is the possibility of one more race for the year. It's a really challenging road race. I may do it knowing I will likely get dropped. But if others on the team are going to give it a crack I will too. I don't think I'd like to go it alone like the marty MN. road race.. that sucked. 

Mostly I am totally tired from ragbrai and then going to colorado with no recovery time. So once again I'm looking forward to hunkering down into a more regular routine and getting settled a bit.

Also It august In Minnesota so it is time to start getting ready for ski season. Trail running and mountain biking as prep will start soon. I am already lamenting that road bike season is coming to a close. Like I didn't ride enough road this spring and summer.

One more race to close out the season I think..... see how we ended up for the year. Start planning for the spring races. The durrand road race is only 8 months away.... haha.  

I'll post some colorado pictures as soon as i get a sec to pull them off the camera.

until next time..

"the world belongs to those who show up"  my mom