Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Just another day in paradise!

Working hard and riding hard is pretty much all I've been up to the last 2 weeks.  Last weekend Beth and I made the move to our new place, Beth coached at a swim meet both days, and I rode 8 hours.  Seven Sisters and Vision Quest training.  It was a tough weekend, but I'm thankful to have a nice home and great health.

Last night I was still beat after 2 rest days, but I think I rebounded enough today for my tempo workout this afternoon.  After riding hard later today it will be time to rest up for the US Cup / CA Series race in Riverside this weekend and The Vision Quest on the 7th!  I believe some good days are in store...

Another day starts with the morning commute...

the majority of my day
burning through the snack drawer

then get it done in the afternoon!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

2 Hours of Bliss - Last Thursday Evening in El Moro

What to do after going to my first sonogram appointment with a pregnant wife, working all day, and getting so close to closing on our first home?  Spend a couple hours enjoying trails along the coast... God is real and God is good!




Afternoon Snack

4:30pm peanut butter & jelly and leftover morning coffee from the office kitchen... it's almost time for some afternoon training!

Last week I worked 35 hours, closed on our condo and painted 15 hours, and rode 15 hours!  That doesn't leave a lot of time for blog updates.  My rides were good ones though and halfway into my 2 week endurance / tempo training block my fitness is still improving from where it was going into the first couple races of the season.  If I can survive moving this weekend then there should be some great racing to look forward to in April!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

What a Week!

Man, life can be a little crazy sometimes.   But I've learned to always find a way to do what you love, even during the busiest of times.  It's hard to race mountain bikes at the pro level to start with.  Doing it with a full time job is hard to even explain, let alone do.  In my case working full time forces me to balance and prioritize my time, and somehow works for me.  Even if I wasn't working, I don't think I would be able to ride much better.  I would rest better, but I would probably over train pretty quickly. 

Anyway, this week I went from a good race at the CA series opener to a busy work week.  On top of work Beth and I are dealing with an offer we made on a house that is having some escrow problems.  By Wednesday I was on my 3rd rest day and still feeling fried.  Limiting my riding for the last 3 days to 1 hour total may have been good for my legs, but left my overall energy level in a pretty bad place.  On top of that I was stressed from everything else going on and planning to skip the Bonelli race to focus my energy on the endurance races that I'm doing in April.  But Thursday was a new day, we found out the house wouldn't go through for at least another week, and I went for a ride.  I didn't feel great but knew that my body could come around by Saturday and decided to go for it at the Bonelli ProXCT.  The race wasn't my best ever, but I pushed hard and pulled off a solid result in a short, tough race.  CYCLINGNEWS

Now this week I can get back into a routine I'm more comfortable with.  Logging hours on the bike.  It's time for a 2 week block with some decent volume and a little less intensity to get ready for the April 7 Vision Quest. 

Monday, March 5, 2012

California State Series / US Cup #1 Vail Lake

Yesterday was a tough, but good day on the mountain bike!  The 2 Turbo riders from Mexico were just a little too strong for me on the climbs, so it was a 3rd place to start the series for me.

I think today was an even tougher day to get through than yesterday!  A full day at the office after a Sunday afternoon race is a test of endurance in itself.  Time to hit the couch.