No more chances for excuses....
Yup....that's right as of my last surgery I should be done going under the knife and will not have any more lapses in training. From this point I see consistency, consistency, consistency. I'm sure there could be more descriptive terms to fit in those blanks; things like intensity, volume, miles, training, or whatever you prefer, but to me consistency always includes all of those and whatever you can throw at me. I may not have my training exactly dialed but I did get to where I'm at as my own coach and there's one thing I know better than anyone out there......and that is myself. I can read me and I know how I feel. That doesn't mean I don't step out of my comfort zone, because there is no way I could be where I'm at now without going above what's comfortable. I have been really good about pushing that comfort zone and I can say that I'm in the best road fitness that I've ever been. I say road fitness because I was always a good mtber, but I was always able to survive off of my technical skills and riding ability. Unfortunately living in Colorado Springs, I've had to dial back on the amount of off-road riding. I know that may sound odd considering there is so much good mtbing here, but the trails that I really enjoy are usually covered in snow and thus I just don't fulfill my mtb kicks on the trails that are open during the winter. I just don't have the access to year long loops like a I did back in KY and Nashville. I must admit that I really miss hosting my weekly night ride at Montgomery Bell State Park just west of Nashville....and rolling straight from work in Cool Springs down to Chickasaw State Park to burn up some hot laps.....or taking the 5 inch bike to Hamilton Creek to huck some rocks and do the fun Yazoo trail TT. Can't beat racing a mtb TT....getting time bonuses for dropping a 6 ft rock and chugging a pint of Dos Perros before you start your TT. Well although I miss all those things, it doesn't mean that I can't have a blast on the trails here. I've got some new motivation as I'm planning on doing my first 24 hr race....solo!! Yup, no reason in holding back...as I might as well dive in head first. And I've got some new placebo motivation to steer me in the right direction for the event. That is a new bike. I'm going to call it Operation Hardtail. I know....I know, I've always boasted of loving the full suspension bikes since I raced a bright yellow Santa Cruz Superlight in 2002. My last hardtail was my beloved GT Zaskar LE. Did I ever love that bike, but breaking the chainstay on a powerclimb at a race in Knoxville will definitely put a damper on keeping a favorite bike. Anyways, I've decided to build a hardtail again to make use of a bunch of parts that I've somehow accumulated over the past few years. Somehow after doing a bit of inventory in my toy room, I came up with a Fox 80x fork, Monkeylite carbon risers, Magura Marta discs, XT cranks, Bontrager XXX carbon stem, Bontrager XLite Tubeless disc wheelset, and a Thompson Elite seatpost. I was just planning on building a "beater" from spare parts, but this thing is going to be a racy machine.
So you might wonder what will all these parts call home....well I've managed to score a Giant XTC1 from a friend. Well they stopped making these in 2005 I think, so you think used, but nope....brand new in the box. So I think this will be the new build for 24 Hours of Elephant Rock! I've always wanted to do a 24 hr event since our Wood-n-Wave team took 3rd overall in the 12 Hours of Razorback in 2004 even after losing one of our 4 man team the day of the event to food poisoning. Unfortunately the course for this one is basically a walk in the park and doesn't have much technical characteristics, but it is 20 minutes from my house and I will be able to do it back to back with the 100 mile of Elephant rock that will start the next day. I am pretty sure that will be one heck of a weekend of mileage if my hiney can handle it! Well we'll see how the next few months go as I'm looking forward to racing some road for the local Rocky Mtn collegiate races, some Mountain State Cup Series races, and hopefully some of the Ultra-endurance events that Colorado is becoming famous for. Maybe the Firecracker, Leadville, and Snowmass. I may even fancy racing a duathlon or two while I go with my one and only Heather to see her on her way. I think the Harvest Moon that comes in September will be all Heather, but some of the other local stuff I may make an effort to do.
Well Heather's home now so off to spend some quality time. SEEEE YA!
Yup....that's right as of my last surgery I should be done going under the knife and will not have any more lapses in training. From this point I see consistency, consistency, consistency. I'm sure there could be more descriptive terms to fit in those blanks; things like intensity, volume, miles, training, or whatever you prefer, but to me consistency always includes all of those and whatever you can throw at me. I may not have my training exactly dialed but I did get to where I'm at as my own coach and there's one thing I know better than anyone out there......and that is myself. I can read me and I know how I feel. That doesn't mean I don't step out of my comfort zone, because there is no way I could be where I'm at now without going above what's comfortable. I have been really good about pushing that comfort zone and I can say that I'm in the best road fitness that I've ever been. I say road fitness because I was always a good mtber, but I was always able to survive off of my technical skills and riding ability. Unfortunately living in Colorado Springs, I've had to dial back on the amount of off-road riding. I know that may sound odd considering there is so much good mtbing here, but the trails that I really enjoy are usually covered in snow and thus I just don't fulfill my mtb kicks on the trails that are open during the winter. I just don't have the access to year long loops like a I did back in KY and Nashville. I must admit that I really miss hosting my weekly night ride at Montgomery Bell State Park just west of Nashville....and rolling straight from work in Cool Springs down to Chickasaw State Park to burn up some hot laps.....or taking the 5 inch bike to Hamilton Creek to huck some rocks and do the fun Yazoo trail TT. Can't beat racing a mtb TT....getting time bonuses for dropping a 6 ft rock and chugging a pint of Dos Perros before you start your TT. Well although I miss all those things, it doesn't mean that I can't have a blast on the trails here. I've got some new motivation as I'm planning on doing my first 24 hr race....solo!! Yup, no reason in holding back...as I might as well dive in head first. And I've got some new placebo motivation to steer me in the right direction for the event. That is a new bike. I'm going to call it Operation Hardtail. I know....I know, I've always boasted of loving the full suspension bikes since I raced a bright yellow Santa Cruz Superlight in 2002. My last hardtail was my beloved GT Zaskar LE. Did I ever love that bike, but breaking the chainstay on a powerclimb at a race in Knoxville will definitely put a damper on keeping a favorite bike. Anyways, I've decided to build a hardtail again to make use of a bunch of parts that I've somehow accumulated over the past few years. Somehow after doing a bit of inventory in my toy room, I came up with a Fox 80x fork, Monkeylite carbon risers, Magura Marta discs, XT cranks, Bontrager XXX carbon stem, Bontrager XLite Tubeless disc wheelset, and a Thompson Elite seatpost. I was just planning on building a "beater" from spare parts, but this thing is going to be a racy machine.
So you might wonder what will all these parts call home....well I've managed to score a Giant XTC1 from a friend. Well they stopped making these in 2005 I think, so you think used, but nope....brand new in the box. So I think this will be the new build for 24 Hours of Elephant Rock! I've always wanted to do a 24 hr event since our Wood-n-Wave team took 3rd overall in the 12 Hours of Razorback in 2004 even after losing one of our 4 man team the day of the event to food poisoning. Unfortunately the course for this one is basically a walk in the park and doesn't have much technical characteristics, but it is 20 minutes from my house and I will be able to do it back to back with the 100 mile of Elephant rock that will start the next day. I am pretty sure that will be one heck of a weekend of mileage if my hiney can handle it! Well we'll see how the next few months go as I'm looking forward to racing some road for the local Rocky Mtn collegiate races, some Mountain State Cup Series races, and hopefully some of the Ultra-endurance events that Colorado is becoming famous for. Maybe the Firecracker, Leadville, and Snowmass. I may even fancy racing a duathlon or two while I go with my one and only Heather to see her on her way. I think the Harvest Moon that comes in September will be all Heather, but some of the other local stuff I may make an effort to do.Well Heather's home now so off to spend some quality time. SEEEE YA!
posted by Unknown at 7:05 PM
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