owie...

 

I raced a few cross events last season and had my share of spills.  I've managed to topple on my road bike a few times as well, almost always a slow speeds and in really embarrassing ways.  Like on the very first ride I did with clip pedals.  I started in too low of a gear, got no forward momentum going up hill while managing to hook the back of my chamois on the nose of my seat almost pulling my bike shorts off while falling over next to a school bus filled with kids coming home from school.

Yeah that was a good one.

Anyway, nothing really to write home about crash wise until this weekend.  A number of us PV folks decided to go out and race at Krugers to get prepped for cross season with a bit of Kermesse action.  The course was fast and hard.  Hard as in pee blood and liquefy your organs hard.  I managed to survive a bunch of warm up laps only to flat my rear tire during the hole shot.  Joy.  A "quick change" (fail) of rear tire only put me a good 2 minutes off the back of the pack and far out of contention, so I decided after some convincing from my teammates to get back out and do the work and get the practice in.

So for 4 laps I rode by myself, trying to remember the lines I took that were good and avoid the ones that made me question why got back on the bike after my mechanical.  I managed to catch a few folks after a bit and I felt like I was turning decent lap times.  I used the laps as more of a mental check list of things I needed to do to my Veloforma CX1 before the season kicked into high gear... shorter stem, re-wrap handle bars, tighten down left shifter assembly, lower seat.. *BAM* .. remove seat from colon... check out some new brakes..

I eventually was passed by the trio of leaders from the B's who started about a minute ahead of us, just before I finished lap 4.  I traveled through the S/F to begin lap 5 and lined myself up cut the apex of the first right turn.

Some accidents happen in slow motion, others happen so quick you don't know what hit you.  One moment you are riding along, and the next the bike is out from under you and you are trying to carve a trench in the ground with your chin. 

I laid face ground in the dirt and did a system reboot.  Legs.. check.. hands.. check.. teeth.. check.. didn't hear any cracks on impact.. face hurts a lot but I can move.  Off in the distance I hear "dude, you need to get out of the way, there are racers coming."  I'm dimly aware of the comment, and some part of my brain wants to tell him that the racers should be able to see a prone guy on the ground in pain and go around him, but I do my best to push myself up on my hands and knees.

Blood is running down on the rocks and dirt below me.  The guy who called out the warning is now off going to get the medic.  Another nice gal who saw me wipe out has come to the corner and picked up my bike.  She grimaces when she sees me.  I take off my helmet and my glasses, neither of which end up being damaged.  The nice gal and I walk back up course towards the medic who's on her way towards us.

I get to know Bonnie pretty well over the next few minutes, even if I forget her name the first time she tells me.  (I'm horrible with names to start with.)  She goes over the standard questions to check for concussions and I'm able to answer them all.  I see Traci heading towards me with a "what did you do to yourself" look on her face.  Bonnie informs me I'm going to need some stitches on my chin, and probably should get a tetanus shot as well.  The other PV boys come by and check in on me before they head over to the start of their race. They make fun of my face.  Bonnie finishes cleaning me up, puts some steri-strips on the wound, and finally wraps some cling bandage around my head to hold it in place. 

It's the next hot thing in headwear don't you think? 

The remainder of the day was spent waiting at the ER to get the stitches and tetanus shot rather than drinking beer with the team.  Oh well.  The team did very well taking home a trio of category wins.  Grats to Paul (Mstr C), Ron (Mstr A), and Kristin (Women's B).

Pain on the Peak is coming along well.  Everyone is pulling some serious hours to get this thing rolling for the OBRA CX community, so come out and enjoy what's going to be an amazing event.  Luciano Bailey will be the VOICE OF PAIN for the event. :)

Pre-registration is open for those who want to save a few bucks.  The updated web site will be online shortly once the code has been pushed.  We've also got a number of announcements coming over the next few days.   Starting off with a bang, KEEN Footware has ponied up a free pair of shoes for all category winners, plus five additional pairs to raffle off at the end of the day.  That's twenty pairs of shoes in all!  How cool is that?

Pain is coming.....

 

Been a bit quiet here the past few weeks, but it's for a good reason.  (No, the blog troll didn't eat me.)

http://portlandvelo.net/painonthepeak/default.aspx - Warning its a strawman website

Pre registration is up at:

https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=3G2V9K7

Right now we are in the very accelerated process of getting Pain on the Peak going.  There is a huge amount of behind the scenes work being done and by the time the event rolls around I'm sure many of us are going to be completely fried, but it will be so worth it.

Venue negotiations, planning, sponsorship negotiations, permits, vendors, prizes, logistics, promotion, omg crazy.

I'm eternally thankful for the crew that's jumped headfirst into it.  There is no way this could be pulled off with out you guys.

So far, the only pain being inflicted is the masochistic variety.  We are beating ourselves up to get this pulled off for the CX community.  We want to make the logistics around this race as amazing as the venue will be.

Look for some video's to be linked here in the upcoming weeks showing the final preps on the course!

Questions or interesting in vendor space?  Contact paincx@portlandvelo.net

On the racing side, my road race season was capped off with my first Criterium race over at Sunset Criterium.  I stayed upright, and took a very tactical 13th after blowing myself up to win a $250 Wobble Naught fitting prime prize.  I'm looking forward to CX.. Krugers followed by the CCX Clinics and then the start of the weekend CX season at PAIN AT THE PEAK!

Isn't there an old saying...

 

... something about returning to what you are familiar with to re-center yourself or revisit past success?  Last night was definitely one of those moments for me.  After spending the weekend indulging in far too much boozy goodness, I stepped on the scale in the Monday morning having gained close to 5 lbs over the weekend.  Now I know weight shifts a lot over the course of days, but this wasn't one of those trends in my mind.  This was a sign to not let myself fall back into the weight bracket that I had worked so hard to get out of earlier this season.

I knew some of my teammates were planning to head out to PIR for the Masters 4/5 race in the evening and I was a bit torn on heading out there myself.  In this day and age of high gas prices, I do what I can to minimize the amount of driving I do, especially for things that I don't consider totally necessary.  PIR is one of those things that I don't consider necessary. It's on the other side of Portland through rush hour traffic to participate.  But I really wanted to get some hard efforts in under my belt to start the week out on the right foot.  I ran home at lunch and got everything together to leave as soon as work was done.

I get home a bit late due to a last minute Doctors appointment, and I see our car already loaded with my bike sitting on top.  Traci rules.  I eat a snack, get dressed and we are on the road in twenty minutes.  Traffic reports some slowing on I-5, but nothing major.  Go go iPhone GPS.  I do my best to stay relaxed as we settle in for the drive.  I've raced out here almost 10 times this season, but I still get pre-race jitters.

We arrive fairly quickly and park in the shade.  Paul, Couzens and Alex are already here and Marc pulls in not 5 minutes later.  I see a lot of familiar faces during warm-up as well.  Larry and Drew from 343, Ken from Skyline, big Mike from Three Rivers, Dave from Ironclad, and Steve from Team Oregon are all in the field tonight.  There are also a lot of unattached riders as well.  Those are the folks you really have to watch.  Last thing I want is to hit the tarmac due to sketchy riding.

The big topic of the warm-up is the wind.  We are running counter-clockwise tonight, so the backstretch is into the headwind the majority of the time.  We notice quickly that riding up against the wall provides some shelter.  My legs feel tight during the warm-up, and the hot lap we do as a team puts me in a bit of stress.  Too much beer I tell you.

The start of the race plays out much like most other PIR races.  A few who are feeling their oats shoot off the front and are quickly reeled back in.  I spend the first few laps dodging the sketchy wheels that will hopefully fade into the back of the pack as the ride progresses.  We hope to get Alex or Couzens off on a break at some point but with the wind being as strong as it is, it will be a big effort for whoever is out front.  The first hotspot comes and 343 leads a train up the right side, I stay calm and watch things unfold, hoping to launch Alex on a break if a few others go once we bunch back up.  No luck this time around.  The pack closes up fairly quick as we head into the wind.

The second hotspot bell goes off and things are a bit less organized this time around.  Two distinct groups form heading down to the line.  I grab Ken Lee's wheel on the left side as he accelerates towards the front of the pack.  As if almost in slow motion, a gap opens in the center of the field and I break for daylight.  I get about 5 bike lengths on the peloton and coast through the line (hands on the bars, fuck you very much) to win some swag.   First time in a long while that I feel some of my prior acceleration available when I called upon it.

Somewhere along the next few laps a 2 man break gets off the front and gets a good gap.  It wasn't until someone mentioned we'd be racing for 3rd did I realize it had happened.  (I blame the beer for my lack of attention.  You can't prove otherwise!)  The PV crew did a lot of work for the next few laps to try and bring them in, but no one wanted to help out.  I did my best to marshal others to the cause, barking out orders and evening trying to goad the other well represented teams into participating in the chase.  I ended up dragging the eventual winner to within 50m of the break, allowing him to bridge up.  Unfortunately the two of us were off the front of the peloton, dooming me no mans land with no legs.  I sit up and wait for the pack to return. 

The remaining laps are filled with half hearted pursuit.  No one wants to help out and the break continues to sit 200m off the front of us, and now there are three of them.  I get away again with 2 others to find ourselves out in no mans land once again.  I sit up and get the rest of the team organized so we could get Alex free for the pack sprint.  The backstretch gets all clustered up again and we are moving really slow. 343 finally moves to the front and we integrate in with them.  Couzens and Alex are behind me, with a 343 guy in front of me and the two big sprinters from 343 behind them.  We kick the speed up to stretch out the peloton.  I'm yelling at the guy in front to keep it moving as we come through the last corner but he starts to fade and pulls to the right.  I hit the apex of the corner and drop the hammer for the last time, hoping to spring our group free and get Alex a clean set of wheels. 

After 5 seconds I don't see any shadows below my wheels.  The sun's low in the sky and at our back... there should be long shadows... I look over my shoulder and see a huge gap.  Crap.  I had ridden off the front of the field and no one was coming around Couzens and Alex.  I pressed on hoping to open my advantage from this stupidly far distance.  The cells in my body burning the leftover Stumptown Tart that I had so glutinously consumed the day before.  My lungs and legs seared. I looked down at my HRM and was running close to 105% of my season's max. 

And then it happened.. a clear moment in the anaerobic pain induced haze when I looked up and saw the finish line 200m ahead.  I wanted to sit up and pack it in.  I reached for the gear shift to ease the pain in my legs and actually went to a bigger gear.  In that instant, the frustration of chasing and failing time and time again turned into  "if the rest of you are content to race for 4th, I'll make sure you finish at least 5th."  Ten more seconds of effort, ten more seconds of pain will guarantee that I finish ahead of the pack and give me a small nugget of satisfaction for the night.

The race ends and we all roll back to the registration area.  Mike thanks me for the bridge to the break then apologizes to his break mates for piping them in the final sprint.  Alex, Couzens, and Larry from 343 comes over and congratulates me on my finish.  Friendly recounts of the night are flowing all around.  Due to hotspots I end up tied for 4th with a guy who was in the break, so I take 5th anyway. ;)  Such is the life of masters racing. 

Traci helps me pack up as I chat with some of my competitors.  In fact she packs up almost all my gear.  I feel bad,  but I'm so thankful of how incredibly supportive she is when I'm racing. 

The drove home is fun and we are both in a good mood considering its after 8pm and we haven't had dinner yet.  We stop at Freddies for some chocolate milk.  Sometimes its good to go visit an old stomping ground to let the familiarity of it all allow you to let it all hang out and see what you can do.

Century Recap

 

You couldn't have asked for a nicer day for the third annual Portland Velo Club Century!  Never one for shying away from the norm, this years event had a number of brand new twists and sponsors that made it the best event that PV has pulled off to date. 

Early Saturday morning saw a small team scurrying to get things setup for the early start time.  As if on cue, the first riders start to arrive for registration once we have everything in place.

Numbers get pinned on, and maps handed out.  Big John gives us some final ride information and we are on the road shortly after 7:30.  This year I'm hoping to enjoy the ride rather than suffer the second half like I did last year.  A number of the race team have pledged to the "Bagel Sandwich Treaty" (BST) that was formed a few weeks back, to ride sane today...  we'll see how long it stays in place.  We head out of FG into the cool temps of the morning.  The climb up Cedar Canyon into the sunlight at the top of the hill makes for a good warm up.

Things stay fairly social up into Hagg Lake, where the entrance climb separates those riding hard and those content to ride in the Groupetto.  Unfortunately I'm sitting someplace between with a handful of other riders.  We crest the climb and decide to make some harder efforts for the next few minutes.  Rob, Jeremy, Javad, Matt C and I trade small pulls, towing along a group for the ride.  About half way around the lake we turn the corner and see a number of bike on the ground and people milling around.  Not good.  A small touch of wheels lead to a few of the race team members hitting the deck.  Mike A is on the ground a bit slumped over.  Jamie and I check him over gingerly, making sure not to disturb any hidden injuries.  His helmet has a good crack in it, but it did its job.  Jamie finishes his assessment and we all agree SAG wagon is necessary.  At least it isn't a call to 911.

None of us have cell reception in the area, so Mitch Lee heads one way with a group and I the other with Russ Patterson, phone numbers ready to be dialed as soon as we have a signal.  We make it all the way down to the guard station and use the phone there to get in touch with Jimmy who happens to be less than 10 minutes away.  I notify the groups heading back that the wagon is on the way and roll on to catch the rest of group.

We hit Gaston to a rousing chorus of cheers from the folks stationed there.  Food is eaten and the crash is discussed.  Mike Kender decides he wants to be like the rapper Nelly and band-aids a penny under his eye.  (Rumor has it he got stung coming into Gaston, but we all think he want to look cool.)  The faster group decides to hit the road, and two members of the BST defect and go with them.  Their membership cards have been ripped up and the remaining members decide to shun them whenever we can.  Sal calls out for the formation of the Groupetto, and a good size group of us head out of Gaston and head south.  We ride in a nice double paceline through roads with no car traffic.  The tempo is quick, but not strenuous with the leaders taking long pulls before moving to the back to relax.  Marc Mazzacco and I are lucky enough to set the pace up the gradual Laughlin Road climb.  Many of us make note to come out this way again for more riding soon.

We get into Carlton to behold the beautiful grounds of Canas Feast a quick top off of snacks (mmmm gummy bear) we hit the road once again.  The century loop was a mixed bag.  Our group was buzzed constantly by unfriendly cars and tormented by local yokels who decided to change the direction of route markers.  However once we got to Dopp Road we enjoyed the peace and quiet until Jeff B had the unfortunate luck to wrap a random wire around his cassette a number of times and ripped a gash in his shorts and his leg.  Ouch.

Sal and I spend the early part of the Calkins road climb trying to discover the mystery behind the sudden large quantity of bee's we star running into.  He decides to blame it on a pair of llama standing under a tree.  Oddly enough, once we pass the llamas the bees are no longer an issue. 

After the climbs on Calkins our group slowly regroups on North Valley before we head back down Kuenhe.  We see Sherry and Sierra motoring along the other way and cheer loudly for them.  We get strung out on Kuehne due to differeing climbing speeds and a lot of car/bike traffic.  Javad, Sal and Kender get far up the road before we are able to pass some slower traffic.  I break clear and wait until our crew bridges up to me before doing my best Stuart O'Grady impersonation and bridge up to Javad.  I crack just as we catch him, which happens to be just as he catches Sal and Kender.  I peel off and dangle on the back of the paceline until we get back into Carlton.

At our second stop in Carlton, I drop my bike off with the gang from Veloce.  The BB sounds like there is a duck in it.  I figure its shot, but they are optimistic that something can be done with it.  At the food table we were treated to some delicious pasta salad and bread.  Carlo hands me a half glass of a wonderful Rose wine that we were able to sample.  So delicious!

The traitors to the BST are back at the reststop looking a bit haggard from their jaunt up to McGuire Dam.  They wish to rejoin us, to bask in the glory of the Groupetto.  We tell them to get bent and suffer with the group they ditched us for.  No love for the traitors!  I check in with the pit crew after wolfing down my pasta and my ride has new life!  My oh-so-wonderful FSA BB had come loose on one side (to the point where it could be moved by hand.)  Some additional lock-tite and some lube had things running silky smooth.  We fuel up for the final 25 or so miles.  Someone jokes that we can be into Maggie's in an hour. 

It was almost prophetic though, the next hour and 10 minutes roll by quickly and with a bit of pain.  A steady diet of flatland diesel engines eat up the miles and cut through the headwind that decided to blown down from the north.  Kristin and Heidi, the two hardwomen of the Groupetto help spell the men on the front and allow them to regroup for the final push into town.  With two miles to go we cross 47 into Forest Grove and tell Sal to shut it down, he nods in agreement and our happy pack cuts through the back streets back up to Maggie's (but not before I snatch the KOM jersey from a napping Kender on the final climb of the day!) 

We make the final turn into Maggie's, and the party is going full tilt.  Our crew scoffs at the idea of parking the bikes and literally rides through the crowd directly to the beverages calling out "BEEEEEER" along the way.  I grab a pint of IPA and take a slug before passing it along to my brothers and sisters in arms.  A shared toast to the shared work of the Groupetto!

We change and make our way back to the event to full our empty stomachs with amazing food from Maggie's and our hearts and minds with the stories of the day.  We are happy to hear that Mike is okay and doesn't require any surgery from his crash.  Cheers go up for each group of finishers as we cap off a wonderful day with wonderful people. We cringe when Carlo starts singing disco songs. :)

If you had told me the day after the LAF event that PV would be turning around and putting the final touches on our club century in under a month, I would have called you crazy.  However that is exactly what a small dedicated group of individuals ended up pulling off.  We took some risks and went big... new sponsors, a new route, and new riding areas most were not familiar with.  We had our share of bumps and bruises and missed turns along the way, but at the end of the day PV put on a pretty damn good party, and the mistakes made will just make next years event that much more solid.

A big thank you goes out to all organizers, volunteers, participants, and especially our amazing century sponsors.  Three cheers for Veloce, Canas Feast, Maggie's, and Madison's!

Fear the Fixie Freak and other random stuff...

 

bikes....

Quick post before we kick off the weekend!  Last night I was seriously humbled by Bigwood on his Fixie climbing Pumpkin Ridge.  Churning his 66inch gear, Bob probably beat me to the top by 45s or so on a windy-as-hell climb.  The flat section of the climb in the middle was horrific due to the wind.

The saving grace to the ride was that I put out more power than my last climb up it, and was only ~30 seconds off my PR. Without the wind and a bit better pacing at the start I might have set another PR for the season.

Was also funny watching Bob spin back down the 6.5 mile descent.  I think his shorts caught fire a few times. :)

The TDF this year has been interesting to say the least.  I'm glad Ricco was shown the door.  I thought the boy needed to grow up and gain some respect for other riders before taken more seriously.  I mean, who the hell gives themselves their own nickname?  I hope the Alps bust the race open and Vander Velde makes a run for yellow.

beer...

Hoping to work some beer magic next week with a co-worker.  If all goes well, we'll be making a Marionberry Ale which should be ready to rip mid to late September. Mmmm beer.  Speaking of beer, Stone released their 12th Anniversary beer.  This year it's a Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.  I plan on cracking one open tonight to try out. 

My other brewing mentor Todd, reports that the CCX Imperial we kicked off Memorial Day weekend is blurping along nicely in the primary.  If it's anything like the batch he made earlier this year, it should be a nice kick in the head.

bedlam...

Like millions of other sheep, I got an iPhone the week.. weee!  I'm pretty damn impressed with the thing so far.  Pandora.com has a free application which allows you to stream music over Edge/3G/WiFi.  Was pretty cool being on the top of Pumpkin Ridge getting tunes while we waited for the rest of the group.

Step back to ride forward?

 

Rest is supposed to make you feel better. It allows for muscle to heal, wounds to repair themselves, the spirit replenish.  Last week I took as a rest week and took a step back.  I had noticed looking over my TrainingPeaks data that I was running a very high Acute Training Load, and my Training Stress Score was at its lowest point this season.  The last week of June and first week of July had seen a good 400+ miles roll by with a number of high intensity workouts mixed into the fold.  I did no hard rides during the past week with the hopes that the rest would allow me to hit that next level I'm searching for.

The off week was actually more difficult that I imagined.  My body felt restless, and my spirits raised by the coverage of the Tour.  I wanted to ride.  I was looking forward to the weekend.

Saturday the club route took us up one of the nasty small climbs in the foothills of Bald Peak, a road known as Unger or Iowa Hill depending on which side of the road you decide to go up.  I decided to take the Hammer & Nails group out on this day, which should lead to an entertaining ride.

I was happy to see that a number of new riders had joined the usual crew of PV racers and weekend hammerheads, the number possibly buoyed by a stern reminder I gave to the club about sandbagging in slower ride groups.  Unfortunately newcomers means unpredictable riding, the first ten or so miles were much harder than they needed to be.  A constant series of surges and braking to compensate for poor paceline work. 

The beauty of the H&N group is that it eventually becomes self sorting.  The weaker riders, or those with poor performing rides tends to drift off the back over the first half of the ride, a series of dropped chains, flat tires, and "bio-mechanical" failures.  It sounds harsh, but its designed to be difficult to elevate the performance of those who try and ride with the group, and it works. 

I remember the first time I finished with the H&N group last year.  I celebrated by shaving my legs for the first time.

Unger road loomed ahead of me, a two stage climb that can seriously work over those who are unfamiliar with the climb, and just puts the screws to everyone else.  The first time I went up the climb, I remember seeing a faster group ahead of me on the second stage and watching some members of the group tacking back and forth across the road to maintain their forward momentum.  On this day I was with the lead group of 10 or so riders at the base of the climb and immediately knew I was in trouble.  My legs just wouldn't turn over and my cardio system couldn't handle the stress.  With a bit of dismay I watched as the crew rolled away from me up the hill.  "This is Hammer & Nails, we don't wait."  I hear the words I spoke minutes before echoed ironically in my ears amid the pounding of my heart.  I relegated myself to grinding up the two sections of Unger, the blazing sun my only companion.

I eventually crested the beast and started the decent.  A sharp impact at the corner of my lip reminds me to be wary of the not so friendly  bees that have stung more than a few cyclists on this stretch of road.  I took a bee to the tongue two years ago and it's not a event I'd like to repeat.

On the descent Russ Patterson and Greg Magnus bridge up to me as I pull out the queue sheet, confirming that most of the group went the wrong way.  The three of us make the turn on Nursery Road and see Carlo and his father on the side of the road cameras in hand.

Greg and I decide to ham it up and engage in a mock sprint at a not so blazing speed.  The two of us are out of the saddle, our tongues hanging out like madmen.  I'm sure it will make for a pretty picture.   Greg's father Ron joins up with a short bit later and we make our way to Blooming Fern road and discover its been completely resurfaced.  I'm concerned as it will make an already fast decent down to Spring Fern Hill road even faster. 

We reach the bottom and stop to wait for the rest of the group, acting like sentries and watching for cars that could cause serious issues for anyone with bad brakes.  Fortunately the club members are familiar with the road and exercise caution coming into the intersection.  The final members of my group arrive and we depart for Forest Grove and Maggie's.

Maggie's Buns is a small off the wall bakery in the heart of downtown Forest Grove, and one of the clubs awesome sponsors.  If you've never had one of her famous cinnamon buns, you haven't done yourself justice!  "Best Buns in Town" isn't just a catchy phrase.  Maggie mans the water faucet and the two off us top of close to forty riders water bottles in no time at all.  I can't wait for our upcoming century that she is catering.

I retrieve my bike from the limited shade and see the swarm of cyclists that have gathered upon the small store.   I call out that the H&N's group is rolling out and head on our way back into Longbottoms.  A half mile down the road I glance back and the original two dozen that left at the start of the ride has swollen to close to fifty riders.  I formulate an evil plan.  The pace is causal heading out of town, allowing us time to warm our legs back up after the elongated stop.  As we approach the HWY 47 crossing, I ask Ron Babcock to park himself at the front of the line and ramp the speed to the mid twenties when we get across the road. 

The group is so large that a natural split occurs at the crossing.   "Play time's over folks!" I call out.  I hear Ben Johnson cheer with approval from behind me.  Ron obliges by dropping the hammer, with Ben coming up to lend a hand.  The group strings out into a long line as we cruise through the fields of overripe strawberries.  Another intersection splits the group further again, Sean and I find ourselves on the wrong side of a gap and work hard to close it around the traffic circles of Verbort.  A small Toyota pickup truck causes us to loose ground right as we were within striking distance.  Frustrated, we sit up and wait for more riders to join us before making another dig at the leading group.  We eventually catch them on the run up to Long Road.

Things cool down until we hit Hornecker.  I try to lead Bob out for a sprint but go too early for what limited strength my legs had left.  The remainder of the ride is thankfully low key.   

Short term pain for long term performance?  I hope that's what this rest leads to.

4x4ftw!

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, it's time for a recovery week.  This week my riding has consisted of commuting to and from work, a massive 9 miles a day.  My legs actually feel heavy when I get on the bike right now, so I'm hoping the light cycling load will be helpful.  I'll find out on Saturday when I go for some climbs with the team.

The light workload doesn't mean I'm not staying active however!  Any training regiment needs to be varied in my opinion, so I've supplemented my cycling with a weight program.  I believe it's important to have strong stabilization muscles to maintain form, and prevent injury.  So at the start of this year during my first training phase, I spent at least two workouts a week in the gym doing a high rep-low weight lifting regiment. 

From past experience, I've found I'm the type of person who can gain muscle mass by simply walking past a weight rack.  Oddly enough that wasn't something that very evident to me until a number of years after I was diagnosed as being diabetic.  My endocrinologist stated it probably has something to do with extra insulin I sometimes have in my system and went on to state that insulin is often abused by body builders and other athletes as a performance enhancing drug.  (Anyone want a hit off my insulin pump?)

As a result, I've found I have to be super careful when doing any sort of lifting program to not add bulk when increasing strength.  I'll have to admit its hard for me to go to the gym and complete sets of 30 reps with a really light weight.  Part of me knows that I can lift far more weight than what I'm currently working with.  I guess in some strange way it's an exercise in mental discipline. 

However strength work doesn't need to be done with free weights or machines!  This weeks strength routine I've named "4X4ftw".  A deceptively simple series of 4 different exercises done in a circuit 4 times.  As an added bonus, when you are done it feels like you've been beaten with a 4x4!  (I seriously wanted to barf last night.)  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Here is what made up the 4x4ftw circuit.

1. one leg squats:  I actually do these on the stairs as it gives you the ability to dip low.  This is your basic squat with one leg.  It works your quad/hamstrings, gluets, and calf muscles.  While you squat down, keep your core muscles tight to help with balance.  I tend to also do a knee lift with the leg I'm holding up to further emphasize the contraction of the core muscles.  It's like a standing crunch!  15 reps per leg then immediately on to...
2. planks: this is a ground based exercise, so having a yoga mat or something similar is helpful.  Start in the push-up position, then drop your upper body so you are resting on your forearms.  Here is a video demonstrating the exercise.  Engage the core muscles to hold your body as stiff as a "plank of wood".  Don't let your back round up, or sag down!  I try to hold the plank position for a minute.  It's harder than it sounds.  Once done, stretch the lower back, abs via whatever yoga pose you like, but don't take too long.  One of the purposes of doing something in a circuit is to keep your heart rate elevated.  Next up...
3. jump squats:  crouch low, loading the leg muscles with your body weight, then jump upwards using your legs and arms to propel you skyward.  When landing, absorb your descent with your legs again.  This is a standard plyometrics based exercise.  You don't have to jump to your max on every attempt, but do make sure you start and end each rep at your crouch or "loaded" position.  15 reps then on to...
4. decline push ups: there are a lot of variations of this exercise, but I put my feet up on one of those inflatable exercise balls, but you can use the stairs, a bench, or the edge of a couch to prop up your legs.  I personally like the exercise ball as I've found propping the legs up on an object that moves requires your core, lower back, and gluets to constantly shift and adjust making the push up more difficult.  As with most of these exercises, keep the core tight!   20 reps.

Once I finished a circuit, I move directly into the start of the next one.  You'll find that the the jump squats will elevate your heart rate, making the push-ups much harder then expected.  I normally take a short 2 minute break between the second and third circuit in order to hydrate.  A circuit will take me about 5 to 6 minutes, allowing me to complete the workout routine in 25-40 minutes depending on my pace.  The best part is all of this can be done at home, so its great if you need to shoe-horn a workout in.

The addition of strength and flexibility work into my routine has definitely paid off this year, and I'd strong suggest it to anyone looking to improve their performance.