The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good:

I am stoked about this upcoming race season.  I've picked what I think are going to be some exhilarating, but extremely hard races.  First on tap is Marathon Nationals.  I am excited to have this one finally on the East Coast.  I am going to race the single speed division as this course just begs for one gear.  I've got alot of work to do, as I am going to have to be 1-2 gears stronger than when I rode the course a month ago.

Epic takes on a whole new meaning with the next two "A" races.  In August, I will be taking on the Maah Daah Hey 100 (actually 105).  This is a point to point, 99% single track race in North Dakota.  Temps could hit 100 and without tree cover, it could get interesting.  Let's hope for a hot, humid summer in Tennessee so I can get acclimated.  The following month, I will be hopefully heading to Colorado to ride the Vapor Trail 125.  This one requires you to send in a race resume to the director.  I am hoping that with Eric Wever's soul crushers, this will be my ticket in.  I say "ride" as my goal it to just finish this beast.  Planning and race day prep will be just as important as fitness for these two races.

The Bad:

The last two power tests, which have taken place in the last 30 days, have been subpar.  My numbers have been 10% lower, which worries me.  I have never had such low numbers.  And I don't know why.  I have several theories, ranging from a heavily loaded fall racing season leaving me flat to hitting that inevitable plateau that is we all come to face as we hit a certain age.  I don't really want to play the "age" card, as I am only 46.  Besides, my BRF, Zeke Lilly, is 67, and still going strong!

 I did have two "triple crowns" beginning with a September-fest of Pisgah Monster Cross, Black Bear Rampage (1 weekend), and Fool's Gold the following weekend.  My second was in October with Wilson's Revenge, Double Dare, and 12 Hour Nite Nationals (3 weekends in a row).  But I had or at least I thought I had a pretty big 4-6 week rest period beginning around Thanksgiving.  That should have been enough time to recover.

 But then my Coach discussed with me the phenomena of fatigue athlete metabolic syndrome.  What this means is that our muscles only have a limited amount of regenerative capabilites, and once these are exhausted, the athlete can be left in a state of chronic fatigue and training intolerance.  This has scared the bejesus out of me!  The article can be found here.

When I did these power tests, it was not that my legs felt heavy or flat, but my heart felt as if it had a governor on it.  My HR was 10-15 beats lower than what is typically normal for me during a 20 minute power test.  This low HR has been consistent over the past couple months and even during the first Snake Creek TT it was like this.  It has been a long time since I have seen 170bpm, which was easily attainable at higher efforts.

Any insight you might have, especially those that coach, would be greatly appreciated.  I have scheduled a doctor's appointment to rule out anything medical.



The Ugly:

Earlier this week, one of my favorite pair of winter tights met its untimely end.  I love these Pearl Izumi tights because they are warm, water resistant, and have the perfect chamois for my "tush."  I purchased 5 pairs of these back in 2007/2008.  They have gotten me through many cold and wet winter training rides and races.  Now I only have 2 pairs left and one of them is not looking to good.  I don't know how I will survive without them.  I hope that the newer versions are just as durable.

Better Than Southern Cross ... for me

As much as I would love to race every weekend, that would be counter-productive to my training goals and motherhood.  So instead, Carly and I met up with Zeke at the Whitewater Center for a day of skills work and riding. 

I am Carly's training/racing partner and NOT her coach.  She listens/learns better from the non-parental units.  So I shut up for the first half and let Zeke have the floor ... or should I say the campsite.  Zeke worked with Carly at the Thunderock Campground for about 30-45 minutes.  Cone drills, board drills, and weaving in/out large rocks.

Zeke looks amazed that Carly is actually listening to him.  Probably because I do not!

Working on standing while riding over obstacles.

After a picnic lunch we then headed out on the Rhododendron Trail.  Nothing too technical or steep with a fairly wide path.  Needless to say there was still a danger element as one side of the trail dropped off to the Ocoee River below.  As we pedaled out to begin, Zeke's exact words to Carly were, "Be careful.  If you fall off the trail, you just might DIE!"  Thanks, Zeke.  The height and the steepness of this side cut trail did not bother Carly, but I think I was terrified for the first few minutes, ready to leap off my bike and catch Carly in mid-air should something happen.

One of the few spots on the Rhododendron Trail where falling didn't mean dying (according to Zeke).

At the Whitewater Center we piddled around a bit, giving Carly a brief respite.  The trail leading from the campground to the WWC is mostly uphill and with Carly's 22 pound, tall-geared (equivalent to 32-18 on a 29'r), bike with what seemed like 120mm crank arms, she needed to unload the lactic acid.

Skipping rocks.

This beats any $500 payout!

Today was fun, but without the pain.  I am so glad I did not race.  Spending time riding bikes with my daughter is priceless.  Zeke was an excellent coach and Carly gave him an "A."  She is progressing well. The best part, the part that made my heart warm with intensity was when Carly descended the last hill on the trail, she pedaled super hard, tucked down into position, and gave a great big, "Whoo hoo!" 

I can't wait for her new bike to arrive.  I am going to have Bruce upgrade it with a few parts:  DT Swiss 240s, SunRingle' rims, Magura brakes, SRAM shifters/derailleur, Thomson post/stem, Specialized carbon bar, and an XTR crank if I can find 165 mm crank arms.  This bike is gonna be SWEET! 

22 Days and Counting

The Burn 24 Hour MTB Challenge will soon be upon me.  Since I decided to do this, I have been told more times than I can remember how crazy I am.  Yep!  Go ahead and certify me.  All I wish is to do the best I can and have my feet survive.  The last 24 hour I did, my feet went numb for a month.  Well, Eddie of Wobble-naught fame has since improved upon my cleat placement so I am hoping that will do the trick.

Coach has got my body dialed in.  Too bad I couldn't pay her to do all the rest of the crap that is necessary when racing solo for 24 hours.

This past week has been pretty busy in preparation.  I can so far check these off the list:

1. Bikes dialed in.
2. Burn times for lights established.  (Coach loaned me lots of batteries!)
3. Pit tent waterproofed.
4. T-shirts for pit crew acquired.
5. Lodging reserved.
6. First draft of nutrition plan complete.

Unfortunately, the list of what I have yet to do seems 4 times as long.  No worries, tho', as I am sure everything will fall in place in due time.


Next week I am headed over to the Dark Mountain Trail to do another 8 hour dress rehearsal.  Then I am going to hook up with Kip and Co. and ride the other trails in that area.  I have heard numerous times that they are da' bomb!

Also happening next week is my presentation to the student body of Ingleside School.  Some talking followed by some show-and-telling should keep the kids interested!

I dialed Stumpy today in on the Haw Ridge trails.  They were in superb shape; a lot of maintenance and bridge building has been going on since the last time I was there.  Check out the Friends of Haw Ridge on Facebook!

Come Hell or High Water

The latter came today and I had a 3 hour mountain bike ride planned.  Eager to do battle with Mother Nature, I laid out my riding gear last night with precision.  I was bound and determined to stay warm and dry.

One of my riding partners (who shall remain nameless) bailed on me this morning; something about being tired/worn out from not fueling properly during yesterday's ride and then having to attend two Christmas parties.  In all fairness, she did rearrange her schedule for me when I found out that I could not do this ride yesterday, when it was 45 degrees and sunny!

So, once again, poor Zeke came along to endure.  He is one tough cookie for it seems that alot of my training rides are done in less than ideal conditions ... MUCH LESS!

We decided to do an out-and-back on the last and most technical section of The Snake.  We could not damage this portion of the trail as it is just about all solid rock.  When we arrived at Dug Gap, it was raining and 37 degrees.  Conditions would not change at all today.

Now back in my younger (and much insaner) days as a veterinarian fresh out of vet school, oftentimes I would have my arm shoulder-deep up a cow's/horse's ass so that I could tell the farmer if she were pregnant.  No, I did not go in bare-handed; I used a rectal palpation sleeve.  This was a long plastic sleeve that went up to my shoulder.  Of course, that did not keep the manure off my boots, my cheek, or out of my hair, but it served its purpose well in that it kept my hand and arm clean.

Flash forward 15 years to a potentially cold, wet, and miserable mountain bike ride.  I brought a few of these; Zeke calls them "limb condoms."  Placing them strategically on our arms and legs in between layers of clothing, our ride suddenly became very enjoyable and productive.

Today's ride looked like a scene out of J.R.R Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings.  We were enshrouded in a blanket of fog along the ridges.  I half expected to see a white unicorn appear or hear, "My precious!"  But other than a deer and a hiker with a pink umbrella, we encountered no other souls.

It was a good day to focus on skills as speed in these conditions would only get us hurt.  Zeke had already sacrificed some flesh earlier this fall on this trail.

We each rode along at our own pace; hard enough to keep warm, but not so hard that we would sweat.  I rode back to Zeke a few times, allowing me to practice on some of the rockier sections a couple times. 

I managed to stay dry, but after 2 hours my feet got cold.  They were dry, but my shoes were not waterproof so eventually Mother Nature made her way inside and killed my toe warmers.  I need to work keeping my toesies warm.  I had two pairs of socks with the palpation sleeves in between.  These plastic sleeves then were placed under my tights and went all the way up to my knees.  The toe warmers were placed in between the outer sock layer and my shoes.  I wish I could have put the plastic layer on over my shoes, but with several hike-a-bike sections, they would not have survived.

With fresh hot coffee waiting for us in Zeke's van, we managed to make it back to the trailhead 3 1/2 hours and 20 miles later.  Mmm Mmm ... that coffee was soooo good ... and hot!

If today's ride does not make me stronger, I don't know what will.

Two First's At One Time: Specialized SS 29'r

I first rode a 29'r earlier this year.  A friend had a Superfly so I gave it a try.  Other than a perfect fit, nothing much else impressed me.  At the end of the ride, my back was killing me and my thighs were tired from all the standing.

Fast forward to October, the end of my season.  After talking to my Coach and telling her how I felt quite weak with my top end power, she asked if I had ever thought about SS'ing.  Well, yeah, I said, but dismissed it because I thought it would cause my knees to blow out and kill my back.  Coach said it would help my top end and improve my fire road climbing.  So...

The next day I called Bruce and within a couple weeks placed an order!

Well, here she is ... 20.2 pounds and dying to be ridden.

I used an old XTR crank and Bruce did some customizing.

The headset cap is eccentric just like the bottom bracket.

A set of Specialized Captain's mounted to Stan's Race Wheels will make for a stable and speedy acceleration.

Specialized Toupe saddle is lightweight yet comfortable.  Rebecca Rusch got me hooked on this model and I have never looked back.

"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" and "Pain is just weakness leaving the body"  are thoughts that I have put on replay the past week as I get ready for my and her virgin ride.  It will be interesting to see what name comes to mind as I ride her this Saturday.

Thanks to The Outdoor Store, Specialized, Magura, Ergon, and Endless Bike Co. for making this happen.  (I may be cursing you before its all over!)