This is how close I was to getting by Manny at the finish 
Dry air hurts the throat and lungs
good stories after good day of racing
CA Champs
- live, work and race to your full potential
Monday, September 28, 2009
3rd place at State Champs and just like that the season is over
This is how close I was to getting by Manny at the finish Dry air hurts the throat and lungs good stories after good day of racing CA Champs
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Pics
My off season supplement
Beth and I cruised to Heisler Park Friday evening
CA State Champs in Big Bear for me tomorrow, Beth will be there for support as she's having to skip the OC Tri due to the unhealed broken toe.
Adam Craig on race fitness late in the season...I’ll chalk it up to what I like to call the late season ebb and flow. Essentially nobody who rode well at the Worlds in Oz rode well in Champerey the next week, nor did anyone from Champerey ride well in Schladming on Saturday. I got to ask a couple of my previous week’s top 10 compatriots why we sucked so much as we wheezed in the 30’s somewhere. Made for light conversation at least…
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tired Vegas
Not sure how to describe the trip to Cross Vegas and Interbike. Wed was a very long day from packing at 7am to working 8-12 to driving until 5 to get to vegas, to racing starting at 9 and getting back to the 4 hours later at 1am...
In the end the race was a bust for me. No excuses though I just didnt bring it. I enjoy racing most at big events where I find a way to step it up and that just wasn't meant to be Wednesday.
Following that Noah and I were at the show basically when the doors opened yesterday. After about 6 hours standing and walking around my feet, legs, and back had enough and we decided to hop in the car and make the drive straight home. Glad we did as I'm still feeling it a little at work this morning.
Maybe this evening or tomorrow I can find a couple interesting stories or photos from the show to share.
In the end the race was a bust for me. No excuses though I just didnt bring it. I enjoy racing most at big events where I find a way to step it up and that just wasn't meant to be Wednesday.
Following that Noah and I were at the show basically when the doors opened yesterday. After about 6 hours standing and walking around my feet, legs, and back had enough and we decided to hop in the car and make the drive straight home. Glad we did as I'm still feeling it a little at work this morning.
Maybe this evening or tomorrow I can find a couple interesting stories or photos from the show to share.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Bonelli Park
A handful of us raced it out for some SoCal bragging rights at Bonelli Park Sunday. If it had to be described in a single word, I think most people would use "hot". 4 laps for the pros meant about 30 miles and 3600 vertical feet of hot. The first lap was actually led for the most part by top superbike racer ben bostrom. After that it was the Mexican National Champ Ignacio Torres going on the attack. At that point I wasn't feeling that super and the front group of 3 started riding away. Looking back there was no one in sight and there I was in no man's land in 4th for 3 full laps. How I look in the pic below pretty much sums up how I was feeling out there.
Tomorrow is a half day at work before driving out to Vegas for the 9pm cross race...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Over the Hump Series
The over the hump race was on Tuesday this week, not the traditional hump day, but still a great day for racing. There were 415 riders out at Lake Irvine, all getting there close to 5pm for the 6pm start, on a course that no mountain biker would consider fun without the other 414 other riders out there mixing it up. Apparently people want to race, and like it when the race is close to home, has a course that accommodates beginners, and spectators, has good prizes, and fun atmosphere. Imagine that. 415 riders is over 100 more than the turnout for the CA state champs on a one lap course in the back woods of Big Bear last year, a race that was still fun to attend, but lacked all of the above things that made the over the hump race great...
The pro race was pretty tactical the first 2 laps (we did 4, 4mi laps) with plenty of good drafting to be had broken up by sketchy turns where it helped to be in front. Then came the lapping of other categories, which lasted the rest of the race. Given that we lapped AT LEAST 200 of the 400 riders in a 45min time span, that means passing someone every 15 seconds or so. Manny and Sid started putting the hammer down on laps 3&4 until the 3 of us were off the front and with about 5min to go Sid put down an attack that we couldn't follow, with Manny also getting a gap on me for 2nd while I cruised in for 3rd.
The pro race was pretty tactical the first 2 laps (we did 4, 4mi laps) with plenty of good drafting to be had broken up by sketchy turns where it helped to be in front. Then came the lapping of other categories, which lasted the rest of the race. Given that we lapped AT LEAST 200 of the 400 riders in a 45min time span, that means passing someone every 15 seconds or so. Manny and Sid started putting the hammer down on laps 3&4 until the 3 of us were off the front and with about 5min to go Sid put down an attack that we couldn't follow, with Manny also getting a gap on me for 2nd while I cruised in for 3rd.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
'thought i would add a little swimming in the mix' -beth
This was the first time I have actually gone on the boat to support a channel swimmer. (I'm going again next month for Lynn Kubasek's swim =) This experience solidified my goal to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. check it out!
Paul Lundgren swims across the Catalina Channel
Distance: 19 miles, Time: 10:19:48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqFNttVYUds
"The most common question I hear in the final weeks leading to this night, mostly from myself, is, ‘Why?’ Why would I want to swim nineteen miles across an ocean channel at night? I think the process of taking on something new, unknown and of great risk creates a path to a closer understanding of one’s true self. I don’t think of the Channel as a physical risk, but rather as the goal itself, and the sacrifice to achieve the goal is a risk. To make this swim, at this stage in my life, and to invest the time and energy would be at a great cost. To fail would be devastating. The process of approaching a goal with the self-imposed weight of its importance is revealing. As a coach I have witnessed it hundreds of times. When the big event grows near the weight of the risks sheds the multiple layers of protective skin around one’s trueself. Eventually the moment comes and nothing is left but the truth. Athletes either learn to explore the truth or mentally break down. I was hoping to explore the depths of my mind through extreme circumstances."
-Paul Lundgren
Paul Lundgren swims across the Catalina Channel
Distance: 19 miles, Time: 10:19:48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqFNttVYUds
"The most common question I hear in the final weeks leading to this night, mostly from myself, is, ‘Why?’ Why would I want to swim nineteen miles across an ocean channel at night? I think the process of taking on something new, unknown and of great risk creates a path to a closer understanding of one’s true self. I don’t think of the Channel as a physical risk, but rather as the goal itself, and the sacrifice to achieve the goal is a risk. To make this swim, at this stage in my life, and to invest the time and energy would be at a great cost. To fail would be devastating. The process of approaching a goal with the self-imposed weight of its importance is revealing. As a coach I have witnessed it hundreds of times. When the big event grows near the weight of the risks sheds the multiple layers of protective skin around one’s trueself. Eventually the moment comes and nothing is left but the truth. Athletes either learn to explore the truth or mentally break down. I was hoping to explore the depths of my mind through extreme circumstances."
-Paul Lundgren
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Getting Away
It's nice to get away from everything sometimes, even if its only for an hour. That can be hard to do in Orange County. After a stressful day at work everyone gets in their cars for the just as stressful commute home. Luckily I have Aliso & Wood Canyon Park only a couple minute ride from home.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Weekend at Home
Another nice weekend hanging close to home. Trained just hard enough on Wed and Thur this week to maintain some race speed. Easy ride today on this bike...
Group ride tomorrow followed by the Irvine Lake training race Tues, Bonelli Park XC, Cross Vegas, and the CA Champs in Big Bear. Should be a sweet 10 days to end my official season.
We're getting into the busy season again for fundraising events so there's starting to be more and more going on at work for me. For the most part I enjoy things being busier, espcially once I don't have the stress of getting on the bike at an exact time for an exact workout. There's always a few things to get done at home too...
Leave this off with some interesting stuff from Sho-Air on why the Vegas race was cancelled:"By the way, the reason why we moved the race to Bonelli is becuase due to the unfortunate death of the genteman that runs the racing at Bootleg, we could not get the necassary permits for the race. We then worked a deal with the Interbike Management to run the race durring the Dirt Demo and we got massive support from the industry and everything was set, however a few companies that i will not name threatend to sue if they ran the race durring the dirt demo event so that pretty much ended that idea. I will post more about the 2010 season soon."
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Snack Time
I sure enjoy my afternoon granola bar and yogurt. Cascade Farms is some of the best, along with Wallaby and Stonyfield Farms. I would probably rate Cascade 3rd among those actually, but it's usually cheaper and so we have that more often. Wash it down with some iced tea and I'm ready to type some more emails before heading out for a little bike riding.
Here in Orange County we're avoiding the smoke from the big LA fire for the most part. Breathed a little during the Rim Nordic race on Sunday, but the air is so dry and dusty to start with up there we didn't notice it too much. I had a good ride and got to hold the big check on the podium - http://www.geoladders.com/mbr_show_race.php?route=27458 While I had a good ride there, I'm still feeling some fatigue from the long season and trying to come up with a good training plan that will keep my fitness while somehow getting extra rest before the Bonelli, Cross Vegas, and State Champ races.
So there is a kayak borrowed from some Laguna Beach local tied to the roof of our Rodeo right now. We don't have a rack so it's just tied on. Thursday night at 8 Beth is going to drive to Long Beach with it and get on a boat headed for Catalina. Then at 11pm (yeah at night) she will start paddling it back to the California mainland while someone attempts to swim the channel. Does anyone else think this is kind of a far fetched way to spend a Thur night? For the swimmer Beth's assisting it's a 21 mi crossing (depending on currents) - solo - no touching the support boat - no wetsuit... There is even a federation set-up for the 10 or so people that try it each year. The boat will follow with support people, navigating, feeding, entertaining the swimmer for at least the next 10 hours. If all goes as planned they make it back to Long Beach a couple hours after sunrise...
Here in Orange County we're avoiding the smoke from the big LA fire for the most part. Breathed a little during the Rim Nordic race on Sunday, but the air is so dry and dusty to start with up there we didn't notice it too much. I had a good ride and got to hold the big check on the podium - http://www.geoladders.com/mbr_show_race.php?route=27458 While I had a good ride there, I'm still feeling some fatigue from the long season and trying to come up with a good training plan that will keep my fitness while somehow getting extra rest before the Bonelli, Cross Vegas, and State Champ races.
So there is a kayak borrowed from some Laguna Beach local tied to the roof of our Rodeo right now. We don't have a rack so it's just tied on. Thursday night at 8 Beth is going to drive to Long Beach with it and get on a boat headed for Catalina. Then at 11pm (yeah at night) she will start paddling it back to the California mainland while someone attempts to swim the channel. Does anyone else think this is kind of a far fetched way to spend a Thur night? For the swimmer Beth's assisting it's a 21 mi crossing (depending on currents) - solo - no touching the support boat - no wetsuit... There is even a federation set-up for the 10 or so people that try it each year. The boat will follow with support people, navigating, feeding, entertaining the swimmer for at least the next 10 hours. If all goes as planned they make it back to Long Beach a couple hours after sunrise...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)