Day One

Awesome day for a trail run. No complaints with 70 degree weather in November! Stepped on the scale and I'm starting off at 195.8lbs. which is heavy. Lots of work to do!

Not bad but not good

After a few years of pretty much no riding I decided to get my road bike back up and running last February.  It was a slow start but eventually got some great rides in, some long rides, some racing and some results too!  November 1st marks the beginning of my training for next season and I'm more determined, focused and motivated than ever before.  With life only getting busier and crazier it's going to require a strict nutritional plan like never before, and structured workouts with minimal time to train.  Last summer I learned a lot about what I can achieve with limited training.  I was able to be competitive in some races and fast group rides last summer and I look forward to taking it up a notch.   I want to be fast!

 Time to reflect on my weight. Based on the graph below...I LOVE FOOD!  In fact too much of it.  No reason why I shouldn't be skinnier and leaner compared to a year ago.  Those that know me know that I ride to eat. That has to change for next season.  My goal is 164lbs by the beginning of March 2017.  We'll see what happens over the holidays and what kind of serious effort I need to make in January and February but it's going to happen.

Definitely looking to improve on these personal bests! Something about long solo days on the bike that I absolutely love.  Who knows maybe I'll recruit some buddies to bust out the Grand Tour again in June. That 200 mile ride with 3 mountain passes in a single day should take care of these personal bests for 2017.

Looking at this graph the last 12 months I want CONSISTENCY for next year! Maybe a couple bigger months during the summer but definitely no blanks months.

Look forward to updating this blog more often with my progress. Game on!

Garmin Fenix 3

Looking forward to new goals and adventures with this watch!

Business Trip = mini training camp

Away on business for 10 days so looking forward to working out a lot. I'm thinking a few double sessions and some quality time in the gym.  If all goes well and I eat healthy I'd like to be 2-4lbs lighter. My legs will be well rested for the start of this mini training camp.

I Love Racing My Bike

First official race of the season and man was it HOT and windy. Temperature was a pleasant 95 degrees at 7pm and the wind was howling from the west. I was surprised to see so many guys show up and want to suffer. The race splintered into smaller groups with I'd say half the guys dropping out completely. I managed to find myself with a solid group of 6 guys just rolling through hard each lap. I definitely did my fair share of work in the group and really tried to go as hard as I could. I was struggling a little bit with the racing rhythm you only get when you race a lot; I could tell the guys in my group had raced a bunch already this season. Given the amount of riding I've been doing and more so running I feel pretty good about the second half of the season once my ultramarathon is completed. I'm looking forward to being more competitive come July! Time for one last long run tomorrow morning before I shut it down for the North Fork 50 and taper. Below is what racing looks like with a pegged heart rate! Man it felt good to suffer.

Yesterday's Mtn Run

Discovered an awesome trail in Breckenridge yesterday. Gorgeous day with no clouds and 70 degree weather. Legs felt heavy but warmed up just as I needed to head back home. I will be back on this climb again!

Lunch Time Runs

Just finished up my second run of the week with some guys from work.  It's good to get out and get some miles in between long days at work. The guys have a fun 10k course mapped out which is prefect for a sub 1 hour run. Now all I have is a LOOOONG run this weekend. Good times!

4 Weeks To Go!

The month of May was not how I wanted it to go but it its what it is and now I've got to focus on June. 4 Weeks gives me roughly 3 weeks to ramp up my training BIG TIME and chill out the final week. I'm kind of winging it right now with training and trying to play catch up so we'll see if my plan works. My long runs have been taking 1.5-2 weeks to fully recover so I'll have to plan my last long run of 25-30 miles in the next week or so. From there it will be short 5-10 mile runs with a ton of cycling to boost my cardio without stressing my legs too much with the pounding. I'm definitely stressing out a bit because although I think just finishing would be pretty good there is that part of me that wants to be competitive and try to place in the top half. With that mentality comes the push to get as fit as possible given the time I have left. It's like cramming for that final exam. I know I'm going to suffer dearly in this race so my thinking is that if I can improve my fitness even a tiny bit these last few weeks I can maybe delay when the really bad suffering begins in the race. My two most important goals leading up to the race. 1. One more long trail run of 25-30 miles 2. Drop 8-10 lbs tipping the scale at 166lbs. If I can complete these two goals and show up at the start line injury free I'll feel pretty good.

Only Dork's Wear Their Heart Rate Monitors To Sleep

Because I don't wear my heart monitor enough everyday when I workout I decided to wear it to sleep last night.  I have officially confirmed I'm a deep sleeper with my heart rate getting down to as low as 36 beats per minute (bpm)!!! My average throughout the night was 42 bpm so it looks like I'm getting fitter?  I think the idea is that when you become fitter your resting heart rate drops because your heart is more efficient and requires less effort to support your body.  I plan to do this again a few times between now and the North Fork 50 ultramarathon June 29th.  It will be interesting to see the impact if any with me being 15lbs. lighter and a lot more training if my resting heart rate changes.  I can't imagine it getting any lower but I guess we'll see.

Fuel for North Fork 50 fo sur!

Vlog Numero Uno - Training for North Fork 50

Let's try this whole bike racer thing again...

and see what I'm made of.  The last 3 seasons were pathetic and although I attended a few races I never put the proper training in to get any kind of rewarding result.  I was there but I was there.  It didn't help that during those times I always looked back on a great season I had almost 4 years ago with some wins and thought I would easily get back to that level.  I'm ready to approach this season only looking forward to getting fit and ready to do some hard work.  I realize I'm already behind on the calendar when it comes to group rides, base miles and weight loss but it doesn't matter. What worked in the past will not work going forward.  Things have changed and I have to adapt and I will adapt.  Starting today and ending on the last day of the month I have made a goal of 33.75 hours of training (riding) and 10 lbs of weight loss. Not sure what I weigh but I'll post it tomorrow morning as my baseline.  All I know is I'm fat and out of shape.  The good thing is I can suffer.  I plan to post something everyday to document my progress. I'll add weight, photos, my attitude and my setbacks all on this blog. Enjoy the ride. Hopefully I'm going fast this summer.

longest training ride of the season so far

Nothing like riding back home to Denver after doing the Gateway ride in Boulder. Ouch that hurt. Legs are feeling stronger with each ride but the endurance and top end is lacking. It's exciting to see my teammates going well and with two months to go before the important races we are on track to do great things.

THE Incline

I've only done the Incline a handful of times and each time I do it I love it yet hate it. There are no surprises for this simple short 1 mile straight up hike yet just before tackling it the mind games begin. Can I beat my previous time? Is Dan fast? Is John fast? Do I go harder at the bottom and will I have anything left at the top? Don't forget about that false flat. What should I listen to help ease the pain? Is my gear selection right? The reality is none of it matters and it just comes down to you vs. THE Incline.

Last Sunday I did the Incline with my bro-in-law John and his buddy Dan who is a former Olympic wrestler. John always turns in a respectable time up the Incline pacing himself to the tunes of his iPod. I on the otherhand always enjoy a little competitive aspect to any sport so it was exciting to do the Incline with Dan who keeps in great shape and is often referred to as the strongest man by anyone who knows him. Dan is very familiar with the Incline as it was a part of the training program for the wrestlers at the Olympic Training Center. Now he often talks about hiking up it with his bike strapped to his back so that he can ride down the BART trail. Crazy I know. So of course I wanted to be the first to finish but I knew it was going to be a serious effort and possibly a huge mistake to even try to keep pace with Dan. I was scared. Dan and I kept equal pace for the first third of the climb until I opened a short 30m gap. Keep in mind a 30m gap is maybe 2-3 story difference with how steep the Incline is at times. Dan tried to bridge the gap and paid dearly for the effort and I was able to slowly extend my lead which in the end became a 10 minute difference at the finish. At the top I nearly fell over in complete exhaustion and I could feel my heart pounding through my chest. You don't really feel the damage to the legs until the next day when you're walking all goofy because every muscle hurts. I'm looking forward to doing it 2 more times this month and each time I'll go into it scared and nervous like I've never done it before. That's THE Incline.


John tearing it up.



Dan rolling in just behind me.


No hiding.



The best 1 mile workout.



Straightforward, steep, short

First Objective of the 2010 Season

SRAM Tour of the Gila (April 28 - May 2)

I have a lot of work to do for this race. I have a ton of work to do for this race. I'm going to have to climb like I've never climbed before and I'm going to have to focus on my diet. The goal is get my weight down to 155lbs. which is no easy task considering I tipped the scale at 180.2 lbs. the other day. 155lbs. is uncharted territory but definitely a weight I think I can support and race well at but I guess we'll see. I've always wanted to do this race and this is my year and we'll have a team that can win the overall. My goal is to be the best workhorse for our team leader and stay with the main group for as long as possible. GAME ON!

Fall

Almost done with my 3 week break of rest and relaxation from cycling before I get back at it and start training. After the Steamboat Stage race I decided it was necessary in order to refocus and plan for a bigger and better 2010 season. On a personal level the 2009 season wasn't a very good season for me even with a win. I just could not find my racing rhythm and confidence after my collarbone injury. It's also extremely hard to play catch up with pro guys who have been fit and healthy all season. I'm fully healed and ready to get back at it for next season and stoked to be racing for Primal/HART again. We have a great group of guys who know how to have fun and race hard. With the addition of some other guys I think next year we'll be a team turning heads for sure. Between now and the 2010 season I have a lot of hiking, cyclocross and skiing.

The mountain views never get old

Enjoyed a long ride up to Estes Park with some good friends and fellow teammates. Weather was perfect in the mountains but a bit hot around Boulder. My first long training ride since my surgery and the collarbone held up just fine. Some rice and eggs and I'm off to do the same today. The mountain views never get old.

Colorado Center of Orthopaedic Excellence...

fixed me up and helped me get back on the road or trainer for now. A metal plate that looks like something out of the movie Predator and over 10 screws and I'm all back together. My collarbone snapped in a few places and the likelihood of it healing correctly and quickly in just a sling was next to none so with the guidance of my brother-in-law Dr. John Shank and Dr. David Weinstein, head physician for the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, we opted for surgery. I knew I was in great hands regardless of the decision so I didn't even think twice about not doing the surgery. Dr. Weinstein performed the surgery which took just over an hour to complete. Everything went very well and he gave me the green light to start training on the trainer ASAP. 4 days out from the surgery and I'm feeling pretty good about my recovery and even managed to get on the trainer. Just like Lance Armstrong gearing up for the Tour I've got my own set of big goals this summer so I'm pretty stoked to be on the up and up. I expect my recovery to be in the range of Lance's recovery which is 5-7 weeks which gives me plenty of time to train for the Chicago Criterium July 26th. GAME ON!

pic blog from this weekend

My bike geared up for Seattle weather or just crappy Denver weather

Quinners


Goofball Makenna.

Nevermind all the toys in the basement lets play on the massage chair.

Riding with the famous and super fast Devin McCune. The Lance Armstrong of Denver.

Quinn & Lukie Boy

AnoTheR ONe iN thE BAG

Met up with some old teammates and hit the popular fast group ride in Boulder for a long day in the saddle. It was nice to be back up in Boulder and ride some old training roads up towards Ft. Collins. After the group ride came back into Boulder I headed back out to get more miles in my legs. It was tough towards the end with crazy gusty winds coming off the foothills. Ended the night with a little fire pit action and some good beers. Perfect recovery!