Leaving for Adelaide

This is my last post before I leave for the first round of the Nationals.

I have decided to remain in "Expert Men's" (B Grade) category for another season. The time I had off over training during my build period I think took its toll.

Not a huge drama, its just good to compete in the top category of any chosen sport....

I will be racing Olympic Cross Country on Saturday (2 hour race) and the Short Track Cross country on Sunday, this is about a 40 minute race.
I am all packed and ready to go, just a little concerned about flying my bike to the meeting, possible additional charges etc. Will have to wait and see.

Anyway will check in next week.

Racing Season Starts

I just raced my last club race before the National season starts.



Ever wanted to turn back time? Well I sure did on the weekend, oh the pain. I realised I really haven't create the base I wanted to have by this time of the season.



A flat on the first lap certainly didn't help things to much either.



Ever take someone eles's advice and then realised you should have just kept doing what you were doing to start with. Well this was the case with tyres, I was told you light fast tyres, etc,etc. So I went and spent $150 on new tyres... within 5 rides both tyres are wrecked and I am back on the old ones....... If in doubt look at the guys that are winning events!



Club race went ok other than that. The track has been shortened for the club races and the race is done and dusted in about 50 minutes. But believe me its not an easy 50 minutes. The long downhill has been cut out and you basically race at threshold heart rate the entire time. Not unlike a road crit or short track XC.

6 Days till the nationals.....

Freedom MTB Marathon update

Well I am kinda glad that is over.

I have gained a new respect for the top Marathon racers. If all the races are like this, this is hard..... But I have to say completely mind numbing.

This particular track boasted no word of a lie about 200 metres of single track before exiting a creek crossing and hitting the fire roads again....

I have never seen so many water bars.

I did learn a major lesson though.

HYDRATION - if you are trying to rehydrate before or during an event with fliuds or electrolytes your dreaming. Along with nutrition the results of up to the last 7 days is what will determine how well you perform on race day, no exceptions. This is learnt the hard way. I suffered cramps in pretty much every leg muscle in both legs at some stage during this race. Its was the most pain I have ever been through during an event. With in the first 20ks I had my first cramp in my left caft, this is pretty unusual for me as I never usually have a problem with cramps that much. I have definately upped my sodium intake as I think for me this seems to be the major component for anti-cramping.

From the start of the race the pace was pretty sustainable especially after only racing XC races. After climbing for about the first 2 klms I backed of a little as I wasnt completely sure how long the first climb was. I am kind of glad I did as it must have climbed for about 20 minutes. This may not sound like a long and it isn't... on a road bike, but a mountain bike is much different, resistance from the dirt and heavier, grippier tyres add up pretty quickly when you are talking energy comsuption over extented periods.

The rest of the race just continued up hill for a long time and downhill for a short time. That was pretty much it. By the time a arrived at the 20 drink stop to marshall informed me that I was only about 6 minutes down from the leader, I was pretty stoked about that considering I the way I was feeling.

Apart from chain suck in about the last 5 klms causing me to have to dismount during one of the final climbs all went pretty well I guess.

By the end of the race I was about 35 minutes done for the leader and about 25minutes down from the time I had set for myself, but this happens. From now on I will be taking steps the ensure I NEVER cramp like that again.

Here is the file on motionbased for anyone who is interested.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7030156

Quote for the Day

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.

George Bernard Shaw

7 Day hill Training - cyclo-club

I will finally finished my 7 day climbing camp on the week end. http://www.cyclo-club.com/.

Hey this definitely wasn't easy. By the time I got to day 5 and Cyclo-impossible I still felt really good, but by the end of day 6 along with doing additional day at work on Saturday (I don't usually work weekends) I was buggered.

It really made me look at my pedal efficiency over the course of the week and I think this is definitely something that many riders (myself included) over look. We get so concerned about looking at our power meters or heart rate monitor to see which zone we are in and where we should be that we sometimes forget that we need to maintain that wattage of heart rate for the duration of an event.... And this is unlikely to happen if we constantly waste energy with poor bike setup and riding techniques.

After the 7 days I was definitely ready to have a couple of days off training and just focusing on recovery. I have now started on the Club's 6 weeks mountain bike plan. I completed the first training day on Wednesday and I have to admit its completely different to any other training I have done before. I takes I bit to get your head around it and you definitely feel it the next day.

My First 'C' Priority race start in on this weekend, the Freedom MTB Marathon 60k race. This next race after this is the first round of the national series in 2 weeks.

You can Change!!!

I saw this quote today and thought it was worth sharing

If you don't like who you are and where you are, don't worry about it because you're not stuck either with who you are or where you are. You can grow. You can change .

Zig Ziglar

7 Day fat loss - Complete

I'm pumped. I think this is the first time I have actually really set a short term goal and stuck it out. No I don't feel like it, or I have to this and that. I stayed focused!!!



Hey it wasn't easy as I realised I really love food, maybe too much.



By the end of the week I managed to loose 2 kg's and I have started to feel good again.



I realised I haven't been eating the best diet of optimum performance and I really wasn't eating enough carbs.



I can't wait to receive my new nutrition plan on the post Cyclo-Fuel Nutrition plan. http://www.cyclo-club.com/products/item8.cfm



I am now in Day 2 of the 7 Day climbing camp. Yesterday was quite a hard day but it should be a real advantage for threshold training riding at threshold wattage and heart rate for 2o minutes.

Quote for the day.

I read this today and thought I would spare it. I think most people could gain power from it.

"It is never too late to be what you might have been."

George Eliot