Getting it done - working hard towards some big summer races

Time flies!  Between work, riding, and playing with Cameron the days have just been flying by.  I can’t wait until August when we have a true vacation planned.  In the meantime I’ve been having some good times training hard and a few bumps in the road as well like a water leak at home and a tight hamstring that’s been nagging me for weeks now.  Mountain biking is a tough sport where success doesn’t come quickly so I’ve learned to enjoy the process and not focus too much on results.  But I love routine when I’m going through the process and having my routine thrown off a little adds some more stress to the day.  Life is good, it’s just challenging to balance the training and rest needed to be in top shape with everything else going on!

I was able to put in a couple very solid weeks of training in the middle of June.  After the 6 hours of Temecula I did a base week with another 18 hours of riding with a ton of climbing followed by a week with less time but more intensity including 2 weeks in a row racing Over the Hump.  I got my butt kicked both times, but I was racing fairly tired and that’s probably exactly what I needed.  I was tempted to do even more training after the poor results at OTH, but instead followed my plan and took a short rest week.  Now it’s time to get back after it with 2 more solid weeks on the bike before tapering back for the 3 big races I have planned for the summer…

July 26 – Big Bear Grizzly 100

Aug 9 – Leadville 100
Aug 30 – Park City Point to Point

It’s been a while since I’ve ridden in some big mountains, but that's the riding that I love most.  All 3 of these courses will really put me to the test, and that's exactly what I'm looking for!