Good news!

Ironically as I am typing this I just noticed that it is 11:11am on 11/11/11...creepy.

Just got word last week that ProAir will once again be renewing my contract and remain as my Title sponsor during the 2012 season.  I was elated to hear the good news.  I don't know all the details as of yet, but I couldn't be happier to continue to represent a company who believes in supporting an active and healthy lifestyle.   "ProAir® HFA: Rescue inhaler for asthma, EIB, and COPD".  ProAir HFA is designed to keep people active and will provide the user up to 200 doses. 

Watch this video to learn more about the ProAir HFA difference.

TRX Training

Once again, I cannot emphasize how much I enjoy using TRX to strength train in the "off-season".  The thing I most enjoy about it is that you can take it anywhere (inside, outside, on a boat, etc).  In addition to cross-training by hiking and running, I have begun incorporating some strength exercises.  Each time this year I get stoked; time to build some muscles again.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of these guys who likes to bulk up (obviously), I just enjoy working muscles that have been immobile or "stationary" during the cycling season.

While it is very important for me to maintain strength during the "in-season", most of that strength is focused on the lower body; mainly quads and glutes.  So during the fall and winter months I like to gain some muscle mass in the upper body as well, but just enough to maintain functional strength, power, and performance...I guess it doesn't hurt to look good in the mirror also :-).

Let me back track a bit and reiterate what I just said, "functional strength, power, and performance".  This is why I choose to use the TRX in my training and why YOU too should start or continue to use it.  The use of this piece of equipment allows the user to engage all muscle groups during a single movement, targeting muscles that are used during daily activities (such as vacuuming floor, shoveling driveway, painting a wall, or simply getting in and out of a car/truck).  In as little as 20-30 minutes you can get in a solid workout that will leave you exhausted...another bonus.  Most of us don't have a lot of time, nor should you be spending lots of time, in the gym wasting time.  Hear what other top trainers say about TRX.

If you want to improve performance in a sport, look and feel better, or get an efficient workout in, give TRX a try.  Better yet, come to my "TRX Unleashed" class at the Athletic Club of Bend (ACB) Wednesday nights at 6:30pm.  The class is from 6:30pm -7:30pm.  Even if you are not already a member of the ACB, let me know and I may be able to get you a guest pass to join the fun.

This may sound like an advertisement for TRX, and it should.  I have been using TRX for almost 4 years and I have honestly seen improvements in my cycling performance (better core strength - abs and low back, stronger and more powerful leg muscles, and better speed) as well as a more balanced body.  No longer do I have a dominant side.  Performing exercises in all planes of motion (frontal, sagital, and transverse) has helped me eliminate any weaknesses in strength and stability.

"Make Your Body Your Machine" - TRX

 

Hiking the Central Oregon Cascades

Now that my season has ended, the bike has not seen much action the past few weeks.  In fact, it hasn't seen any except a few miles while leading a youth cycling clinic a couple weeks in September.  I needed a break from the bike and with all the outdoor activities available in Central Oregon it's pretty easy to find alternatives.

September and October are the perfect months for venturing into the Cascades to either camp, run or in my case hike.  No crowds, hardpack dirt, temperatures in the 60's, and beautiful scenery make for the perfect recipe.  The past 4 weekends I have spent my time in the Cascades hiking Jefferson Park, Obsidian Trail, Broken top and Mattheau Lakes.  By far my favorite of these hikes was the Broken Top hike.

Jefferson Park is roughly 10 miles and begins off the North Santiam Hwy (approx 60 min. from Bend).  The hike ascends 1800 feet through old growth Douglas fir and offers views of Mt Jefferson (Oregon's 2nd tallest peak).  However, the day I hiked this trail there was lots of low clouds and I wasn't able to soak in any views.  I only saw one other couple hiking even though the parking lot was packed with cars.  I was able to get in a solid 3 hours of hiking, and not without eating lots of huckleberries, bonus!

Next weekend I joined Jenny and some friends who had a permit to access Obsidian Trail (there is a limit as to how many people can enter this area at a certain time).  Jenny and the others ran while I chose to hike the 8.5 mile loop.  The weather was much better this trip so I was able to catch a view views of the peaks looming nearby.

Mt Washington

The trail was in great condition and the temps were in the 60's.  Again I only saw one other group of hikers during the 3 hour hike.  Lots of steep sections, (both up and down) combined with rocks and roots, and a few shallow creek crossings kept things interesting.  There was even a waterfall to add the the scenery; which is always a pleasant site to see.

Obsidian Falls

I missed one of the turns and ended up logging an extra 2 miles (mostly on lava fields, ugghh).  With so many trails interesting each other, I was having the group mark an arrow on the ground in the direction of the loop we were doing.  I wasn't carrying a map (mistake).  Nothing wrong with getting an extra 2 miles in, however, the party I went with began to get a little worried after waiting nearly 40 min before I returned.   Wildflowers were abundant and there were more huckleberries to be eaten.

Wildflowers

Next was the trip to Broken Top.  This is the quintessential hike in Central Oregon due to its up close views of Broken top and varied terrain (thick pine forest and wide open high country). The hike begins at the Todd Lake and heads west for a total of 8 miles. 

Todd Lake with Broken Top in the background

You can even make an all-day hike out of this by including the nearby Green Lakes hike.  I decided to stay on theBroken top trail and soak in the amazing views.  The temperature felt like 70 degrees and there was nothing but blue skies.  Upon reaching the high country, Broken Top mountain never looked so damn good.  It's too bad I didn't bring along the camping ear and make an overnight camp out of it.

Broken Top

Broken Top

Mt Bachelor

Rounding out the month of hiking was the Mattheau Lakes hike.  I have done this hike once before but it was a very cloudy day and there were no views of nearby Three Sisters mountains.  I was hoping I would be able to view them during this trip.  This is an easy 6.8 mile hike with very gradual climbs and a smooth trail. 

There are two (2) lakes to visit along this route (North and South Mattheau Lakes).  The south lake is a very small lake that offers some prestine camping sites, while the upper north lake is a bit larger and offers up some views (not sure which mtn.).  The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is part of this hike and goes past both lakes, so there is the chance to run into some "thru-hikers".

South Mattheau Lake

North Mattheau Lake

I decided to add a few extra miles and hike part of the PCT and Scott Pass trails.  The temperatures were in the upper 50's and lower 60's but there was just enough clouds to prevent me from seeing the Three Sisters again.  I started the hike around 8am with hopes to catch a good view of the Three Sisters with the sun just coming up, no such luck.  As with the other hikes, I only saw 2 other hikers the entire time. 

I'm hoping the weather cooperates the next couple of weeks as I am planning on tackling more great local trails.  In the meantime, my bikes will continue to be stored away and collect a little extra dust.

  

Are you one of the fittest athletes?

Here is a good article from the American Council on Exercise (ACE).  It talks about who the fittest athletes are.  Although I may be a bit judgemental in this area (no athlete is as fit as someone who can compete and finish the Tour de France...clean...2500+ miles in 3 weeks over mountainous terrain and varied temperatures/weather, and at the speeds they do it in).  However, the article took more than just endurance and power, and mental strength into account.  In fact, several factors were taken into consideration and the results were a little surprising.

Click here to read the full article.

Rubberball Photos

Here is a sample of one of Todd Durkin's (owner of Fitness Quest 10) workout's for some of his fittest athletes that he trains.  Are you up for a challenge?

by Jim Gerard
How the Fittest Train
Now that we’ve reached educated conclusions about the fittest athletes, you may be wondering what kind of training it takes to become one. Durkin, who trains many pro athletes, gave us a detailed look. In the off-season his charges will do a 45- to 60-minute high-intensity interval workouts three to four times a week. As the season approaches, they’ll work out longer (up to two-and-a-half hours a day), working both the upper and lower body, incorporating weights and on-field sport-specific activities. A typical weekly breakdown is:

• Monday and Thursday: lower body and core
• Tuesday and Friday: upper body
• A peak workout for the lower body consists of some combination of squats, lunges, side lunges, plyometrics, single leg Romanian deadlifts, kettlebell swings and lateral band walks (for the hips), using a Superband. Core work includes exercises using the TRX Suspension Trainer, Swiss balls and BOSU balls, push-passes with a medicine ball, total gym knee tucks and rotational training work for the hips and core on the TRX Rip Trainer. “We’ll do four to six lower-body exercises, plus five to 10 sets of core training,” Durkin says.
• The next day, the upper-body work consists of four to six exercises (two to four sets of each) from among the following: balance-board push-ups, stability ball dumbbell bench press, TRX rows, Total Gym pull-ups, TRX movements for the shoulder and back, and one-arm rows and other traditional strength-training exercises on machines or with free weights. He also uses relatively esoteric equipment such as fat bars (which are thicker, harder-to-grip barbells) or rice buckets (to strengthen fingertip grip).
• Some days Durkin adds 30 to 40 minutes of agility drills that replicate moves on the field (with a 1:2 or 1:3 work-to-rest ratio; that is, 20 seconds of work, 40 seconds of rest) using cones, ladders, hurdles and Superbands.
• If those weren’t enough, he adds supplementary exercises for the neck, feet and ankles.

So, if as Chang says, “the fittest athlete is in the eye of the beholder,” anyone who can survive Durkin’s workouts can probably claim the mantle.

Images from the 2011 season

This is ugly

I happened to stumble upon this photo the other day and it makes me cringe every time I look at it.  Probably one of the scariest "cycling" crashes I have ever seen; whether it be in person or a photo.

Marathon Nat's...and the winner is

Adam Craig! 

With high school and colleges beginning classes recently, it was fitting that Adam "schooled" the rest of the field during the 52 mile Marathon National Championship race in a time of 3 hours 10 min.  Adam's former Giant Factory teammate and training partner, Carl Decker, was the only rider to match the speed finishing a close 2nd.

The race began with a neutral roll out on pavement for 2 miles and then continued down the road for another 3.5 miles before ducking into the first singletrack/doubletrack section.  This section of trail was a taste of what was ahead for the next 45+ miles.  DUST! and lots of it.  This photo says it all, just look at the layers of dust covering my face. (nice V on the forehead)

Alot of the early fireroad riding was similar to riding in Moab (like on a beach).  Typically this time of year in Central Oregon the trails are soft and dusty, but this seemed to be the worst I have seen the trails.  Not sure if it was due to the fact that so many riders have been riding them lately (with the 24 Hours of Bend race last weekend and Marathon Nat's this weekend).  I guess I needed to ride faster to avoid the dust clouds.

After 3+ more miles of fireroad riding, we entered a new singletrack section (Steve Larsen Trail...built in memory of the late Steve Larsen) which was pretty sweet.  Lots of rolling switchbacks with a few technical sections thrown in.  By the time we reached the bottom of Funner Trail, Brig, myself and James were riding together sitting in 14th,15th and 16th respectively.  By the time we grunted and grunted some more and reached the top of Funner Brig and I had put some time on James and had passed several other riders.  While grabbing a much needed full bottle of fuel from Jenny in the feed zone. Brig and I rode together through some of the sweetest singletrack riding in Bend, the start of the Tiddlewinks descent.  This section of Trail includes lots of tight singletrack switchbacks while riding through tight trees, and the trail is much more packed down. 

Adam leading Carl through feed zone #1

We then reached the Dina Moh Humm Trail; which was a 12 mile loop in between the feed zones.  This section is relatively new and is another example of the excellent work that COTA does building trails.  Brig and I caught and passed a Sportsman and Ski Haus rider, and slowly brig began to open the gap on me.  Knowing that there was a 6-mile fireroad section still ahead leading back to the 2nd feed zone, I didn't want to be caught in no-man's land riding solo.  Well damn it, that's exactly what happened.  Shit!  With a huge grin still on my face from riding the singletrack, it quickly turned to a frown because I found myself alone on the fireroad fighting the wind.  I could see Brig up ahead with 1 or 2 other riders and they were working together trading pulls opening up a bigger gap on me.  I looked back and didn't see anyone behind me.  Then after 4 miles and just before we turned left up another fireroad I noticed the (2) Sportsman and Ski Haus riders right behind me.  Ugghhh.   We entered the 2nd feed zone together and once again I received a much needed full bottle of fuel from my support crew (Jenny and Robyn). 

The three of us rode together as we now began the Tiddlewinks descent again, this time riding it all the way down to Storm King.  This is where I think Adam and Carl were able to put lots of time on their competitors.  Adam and Carl are probably the two best XC downhill riders in the country (both do many Super D races and win; hence Downeville Classic 2009, 2010 and Super D Nationals this year in Idaho). 

I'm not the best descender, however, I was able to pull away front the Sportsman and Ski Haus duo on the descent and even catch another rider before reaching teh start of Storm King; which would be another 6 or so miles of mostly downhill.  By the time I popped out onto Conklin Rd. my forearms were burning.  All that was left was a 5 mile pavement section and a few singletrack sections thrown in towards the finish; enough to just piss you off.  Funny thing is, I didn't even know some of these trails existed.  I could feel my energy quickly beginning to evaporate from my body and that was evident when 5 riders passed me on the pavement.  I did notice that 4 of them were all on 29'ers.  Just before we turned in on a trail that went behind the Athletic Club of Bend, I noticed that one of the Hammer riders and James were now behind me.   They both eventually passed me too adding insult to injury.  We all three crossed the finish line with the other 2 duking it out in a sprint, while I crossed the line deflated.

 finish line!

I had a good race, but much like the Masters Road National Championship race, I would have liked to finish things off better than I did.  I was hoping to be able to pull out a Top 15, but unfortunately ended up 24th. 

Congratulations to Adam.  It was good to see the Stars and Stripes jersey stay local and go to a Bend rider, stripping JHK of his chance to 3-peat.   Nice job Adam.

The season finale

The cycling season for most has already come to a close or is near it's end soon (of course unless you are a 'crosser...aka: cyclocross for those of you who don't know the slang).  For me it is within a few days.  On Saturday (9/17) the MTB Marathon National Championships will take place in Bend, OR.  Racers form all over the country are flocking to this small, hip, outdoorsy town once again.  Just two weeks ago "roadies" were invading our little town to compete in the Masters National Championships (you can read my Blog report on that here). 

It's been a long season but it's always a bit sad when it's over.  I am, however, looking to partake in other outdoor activities and do some high alpine camping.  Cross season has already begun locally and nationally, and kicks in high gear come November-January.  Cross-Vegas just happened yesterday which usually attracts many top 'cross racers. 

Since Masters Nationals I have taken things pretty easy as far as volume during training.  With only two weeks apart from each other I have been able to maintain the form while fine-tuning some of my intensity work.  My body feels well rested and my weight is right where I want it to be.  Controlling the nutrition is always key to keeping your form.  We've been fortunate to have been given lots of local fresh vegetables from friends and co-workers.  Keeping the fridge stocked with tasty, fresh, organic produce can be quite expensive.  Thank you all!  

The BMC is dialed and ready to go.  I made a few minor changes in the setup, but otherwise it is the same.  It's definitely not the lightest setup (25lbs) I could have, but I am opting for more durability.  Even though there are several miles of pavement and fireroad, there are also many rocks on the course.  The course distance is 52 miles, so I'm guessing the time to be around 4 hours to complete.  I was hoping we would get some much-needed rain this week, but mother nature has other plans.  Although the temperatures have dropped significantly in the past few days, the trails remain dry and dusty.  Start time on Saturday is at 9am, and the expected temperature at that time is supposed to be 45 degrees...whoa nilly!

With the Colorado duo of Wells and JHK (last years' winner), they have to be the early favorites.  So far, Wells has had his best season, taking the 2010 Cyclocross National Championship in December, the XC National Championship race in June, and then Leadville 100 in August while placing in the Top 10 at several World Cup XC races.  Alex Grant is also a threat as is Hall of Famer Dave Weins.  The local Bend riders looking to challenge for a podium spot include Adam Craig, Carl Decker, myself, Brig Brandt, and James Williams.  Here is the complete list of riders . 

Stay tuned for a full report on Sunday or Monday.

Prepare yourself

One of the coolest videos I have seen, the announcers add to the excitement!

Masters National Championship Road Race Report

With about 118 riders lined up today to compete for the 40-44 Masters road race, it was sure to be a slug fest considering we were only going to race for 54 miles and the talent that was competing.  As mentioned the course consisted of lots of rollers, 1 steep short climb and lots of flat sections.  As with most days in Bend, the wind was a bit of a factor blowing around somewhere between 15-20mph. 

The first part of lap 1 began pretty mellow, and then about 3/4 through I tried to get away with three other riders (2 of which were good TT riders).  It didn't mount to anything and was quickly brought back.   Then  on lap 2 another group of riders tried to get away, and the same result they were brought back. 

Temperatures were hovering around the 90 degree mark at the start of our race, so this would eventually play a critical role during the race.  There was 1 feed zone about 10k from the finish.  I started with 2 bottles thinking that that would be sufficient enough if the race only lasted 2-2.5 hrs.  I think I errored on this one.

With about 5k to go on the 2nd lap, I got into a breakaway with 5 other riders that quickly grew to a 30-sec gap, then 45-sec and as high as 1-minute 10 sec.  We were all working together well.  I was running out of fluids 1/2 way around the last lap and knew this was going to cost me.  With 10k to go a rider behind me (Jason Boynton - Folsom Bike) clipped my rear tire and he crashed and hit the ground pretty hard.  I wasn't sure what happened (after the race he told me he reached down to grab a water bottle and lost control and hit my rear tire).  I looked back and he was alright and got back on his bike (not without totally trashing his nice Zipp wheel).  He wasn't able to catch back on the lead group but still finished strong (13th I believe).

Once we hit the final climb up Archie Briggs (the only steep climb on the course), I felt the effect of cramping coming on and my energy getting zapped out of my body.  I tried everything I could to stay attached to the lead group to the top of the climb but was slowly fading back.  By the time we crested the top I was 10 sec back.  At this point I knew I wasn't going to be able to bridge the gap and catch back on, so I cruised the rest of the way to the finish.  I was completely out of gas ("bonked" as we say in cycling).

It's frustrating, however, I gave it everything I had and wasn't going to settle for a field sprint at the end.  I did everything I wanted to except finish it off.  Sometimes the result doesn't turn out the way you would like it to.

Time to rest up and prepare for MTB Marathon Nationals in 2 weeks.