Peoria Poo Poo Platter

Down But Not Out...

I did it, I actually drove 2 hours to Peoria to race in their Illinois State Champs Criterium races. I was unmotivated & undertrained, but not willing to quite yet let my entire summer racing calendar go down the tubes. I figured racing in Peoria would keep my training in line, and give me the insight I needed to know if I should bother with going to superweek (do I even like racing crits?) I was also hoping that racing two times in one day would make up for missing the Time Trial that I missed on Saturday. Yes, racing is like a drug, and I needed a fix.

MASTER'S 30/40 + (CAT 1,2,3) - 11AM
This was my first experience racing with this caliber of cyclist. Dominic Moraniec of Atlas was there and suggested that this would be the harder of the two races I had entered (I also entered the Cat 3 race). Team Mack was dominant with 13 riders (there were only 37 finishers, so this is a huge percentage).

The race started out smooth and not nearly as 'anxious/sketchy' as what I was expecting. I guess these guys truly are 'masters'. I was however, trying to get a rhythm going in the first part of this 20 lap (20 mile) race, so I wasn't really active in chasing the attacks. Dominic and a Team Mack rider were in a early break, however the team Mack guys weren't quite ready to start blocking and that got reeled in.

Ultimately, a break formed with all of the key Illinois teams (team mack, proctor and XXX racing). So the blocking began. I was right where I wanted to be for the last half of the race, but not really confident enough to try and bridge up to the break. With just a lap to go, I got a feeling that I was going to place well in the field sprint (I think were racing for 6th), because I was positioned well.

With two corners to go the team mack guys started telling each other to 'go'. Man the field had a lot left in the tank, and I lost about 20 spots by the time I crossed the finish line. There were only a few guys behind me.

Ok, that wasn't exactly a confidence builder for the next race, but then again, I was racing against cat 1,2 riders in addition to the cat 3's. I had already paid for the second race so I stayed. Good thing, because Sean Walker of Bikes To You in Iowa City, had a great race in the Cat 1/2/Pro field, making the 5 man break to place 5th overall, and provided for some great bike racing to watch, while I waited. He was right behind Pro rider, Steven Howard of Bissell.

A storm started brewing, and I was down wind of the porta-potties. The smell was unpleasant, and combined with the cramping I was getting in my hamstring seemed like foreshadowing for a less than successful Cat 3 race. (the second 'poo' on the platter?)

ELITE CAT 3 RACE - 4PM
A rather large field of around 60 guys lined up. I wasn't really nervous, because I had a great feel for the course after having racing it earlier. I was, however, wondering how my stamina would fare, not really being that familiar with doing two races on the same day.

This race started smoothly as well. We were racing about 30 miles, so the field wasn't too frantic at first. I got in a rhythm right off the bat (because I still had the feel from the earlier race). Unfortunately, I started to get sort of light headed and uninspired very early on. Some of my less than admirable thoughts were
"man, when is this going to be over"
"I think I am going to cause a crash"
"oh, great this head wind section again"
"I would be good at this crit stuff if it weren't for the corners"
"do I have a flat tire"
"I am going to DNF... wait, even worse I am going to be dead last on the results"
"I hope I don't get in the money, because I still have a two hour drive home, and don't want to have to wait around for the results".
etc.

Not sure, think I was actually bonking or something, because I really didn't eat lunch. I would go up to the front section, then slip back to the rear. I just didn't have the 'mojo' to defend my position when I achieved it so I ended up in the rear of the race quite a bit.

With two laps to go, I was in the tailgunner position. Man it was tempting to run my bike into a fence or something, so I could say I 'crashed out'. I am not a quitter, though, and I was determined not to finish in last place.

In the straight-section of the last lap, I put the hammer down, and executed the one aspect of bike racing that I do actually still have confidence in... long sustained efforts. The finish line is also a straight section, so I accelerated there as well. I passed a lot of people to come in 35th out of the 51 who finished.

So, the opposite happened in this race... I made up almost 20 places, instead of losing 20 places. Whew, dodged a bullet there. It would have been hard on the ego to recover from a last place finish. Since I didn't finish last, I will provide a link to the RESULTS.

Overall, yeah, I stunk it up. Optionally, however the other cyclists were having great races. The illinois guys were especially motivated since this was their state champs, and I can imagine it was one of the main events on their racing calendar.

So, I am glad I went, though I am pretty sure I won't try two races on the same day again. 50 miles of crit racing on an hour glass course was a bit much. I didn't have any more crits on my calendar except for the IA state champs, so no real worries that I have sort of burnt out on cornering tactics. I did take superweek off of my calendar, maybe do a leg or two or RAGBRAI instead.

I feel good today, though, I think things will be on the upswing as far as my results go.

Three day no bikin binge.

Me and my shadow headed down to burlington and did it up Fun City style Thursday. I punished myself extra special Thursday morning, because I knew this adventure would be doing some damage to my fitness. Yes, fun was had.

Met a girl from davenport, who also had a little shadow following her around everywhere. I guess that is known as, 'fun for the whole family'. I didn't get any contact info, so sort of like going out on a solo flyer trying to win a race that gets pulled back in just in front of the finish... nice effort, but nothing to show for it when it is all said and done.
I tried to photograph my shadow, but the images always turn out distorted as can be seen from the above picture. Maybe he is just a figment of my imagination?

Well, I can't make it to the race on saturday I had planned, which lowers my motivation to race the crits in peoria on sunday. Also lowering my motivation is hearing that another Punk Rock Cycling gal got in a wreck and knocked some teeth out. This is just a reminder how crits and crashing go hand in hand. (also a statement about how agressive those PRC girls race, awesome).

I knocked half a tooth out, in the first cyclocross race of the 2007 season, "Village Cross" put on by the late great Mike Zugmaier... may he rest in peace, as I hope for a 'second coming' because the DICE racing calendar hasn't been the same without him. I did win that race, however, so unlike my weekend, I had something to show for it, besides a dental bill (actually I won the hill prime as well, so my dental insurance co-pay was covered by the winnings.)

So it will be another 'grumpy' monday as I will be extremely anxious thinking about how much fitness regional riders gained, and how much I lost by 'relaxing' on a three day no bikin binge.

Wait, it is only friday, maybe I will end up getting some training or racing in, check back monday, your guess is as good as mine.

Karoake and Sobriety Don't Mix

Warning: This will be a boring post, read at your own risk, and/or to initiate a nap.

The competition started Thursday night as I was invited to join some gal pals for a few hours of enjoying the downtown Muscatine night life scene. Luckily, Muscatine night life isn't much of a draw, as thursdays the main event is Karoake. However, this was tempting, in my quest to also fill in some voids in my personal life.

I was asked if staying out late on thursday would really effect my races on sat and sunday... Oh, man... sadly it would. Physically and mentally, I need some focus and to give these events some respect, otherwise I am very much competing at less than 100%. Karoake and sobriety don't mix.

Friday, I tossed and turned, trying to decide whether to enter a 4.65mile running race or a two-bee 50k RR. There were pros and cons to each option. Ultimately, I decided to look at the big picture of my goals for later in the summer and opted to do a time trial without a bike (also known as a running event).

The St. Malachy's Steeple Chase 4.65mile race went well, as I came in third overall and first in my age group. The greatest benefit I get from entering running races is a better mastery of the mental aspects of bike racing. It is important to be able to successfully battle those self-doubting thoughts that enter the mind as we race, and running at your max for 20-30 minutes gives plenty of time to cycle through these thoughts and conquer them one by one.

The greatest detriment that I get from entering these running events instead of bike races is that my leg strength isn't advanced, possibly lessened. Oops, something has to give.
I am on top of the leaderboard for the Muscatine Grand Prix Road Racing (running) Series, so I plan on keeping track of that for incentive purposes.


Saturday I was again asked by a buddy to join him downtown. I again conquered the temptation, set my alarm for 5:19am and waited for the sun to go down so I could start trying to go to sleep (lame, I know).

Sunday was the Rigamortis and the Hare 25k time trial. This course was always rolling either up or down. At one point on a large uphill portion with a head wind, I ran out of gears on my 11-23 cassette and was only going around 14mph. This is painful and the 'self-doubting' kicks in.

After the turn-around the tail wind set things straight, and my average speed started to improve to a more rewarding number. On the aforementioned uphill portion, I was able to spin out my 11tooth to over 44mph going downhill.

The course record of 33:59 was set by 2007 Iowa State TT Champion Paul Deninger, I finished at 34:53, the second fastest time on that course. Micheal Edwards of Two Bee Racing finished second on the day with a time of approxiamtely 38:53.

For some reason, Conn didn't have any 12 packs of Michelob Ultra for the winners, so I grabbed a plate of monster cookies and ate them all on the ride home.

Now, the irony is that I am ready to hang-out, but no one will call, as they are settling in to their sunday pre-work week routine.

For me, a rest day on monday, then gear up again for next weeks racing, most likely the crits in peoria, Il.

Back in the Saddle

I filled out my racing/training calendar for the next two months, and things are taking shape. Looks like I have four 'goal' events in august, therefore July and the rest of June can be used to build up to another fitness peak. I suppose a little mental/physical burn-out after building up to a peak goal is normal. Having an injury didn't help. I will keep that in mind next year at around this time.

I still am not sure whether I am a 'roadie' or a 'multi-sporter' but I don't mind this confusion, because I believe the cross training will create a 'cheeky' fitness advantage when cyclo-cross season arrives late september.

SUPERWEEK- 6 back to back bike races in Wisconsin will be used to sharpen my form for my August 'goal' events. (unless I chicken out). The hotel room is only $70 for up to four people and the drive is only around 4 hours, so this isn't really all that unrealistic of a notion. I am planning on doing the races from Saturday July 19th to Thursday the 24th (4 crits, 2 Road). My cousin lives near Waterloo (Trek HQ), so maybe some hosting. Anyone interested in this agenda, and possibly able to form one of those 'composite' team trips to save on gas/lodging, let me know in the next week or two. That might help convince me to actually go through with this thing.

Living large in Milwaukee for 5 days, should also be a nice change of pace. I have to make sure to duck out of town, though before the Downer's Avenue Race on Saturday, also known as the Belgian Beer Fest. (Bikes and Beer...That is a combination that could spell trouble).TUESDAY NIGHT TRAINING-
Tim Campbell, Cat 3 Road Racer and Triathlete has been joining us for our group training rides which leaves from the Harper's Bike Shop, Muscatine, IA at 6pm. Having new cyclists join us, like Tim, makes the work-out that much more fulfilling. So, Adam Price, Scott Fett and anyone looking for a change from their usual Tuesday night ride, please feel free to join the group from time to time this summer.

brain injured biking

Ahh, I don't know...
my injury in my left leg has traveled up to my brain in the form of burn-out, I think. I have been torn between resting my leg/recovering with the 'need for speed' in continued training. Unfortunately, neither effort is gaining any ground and my wheels are spinning.

Not training makes me feel uninspired and devoid of meaning, yet peddaling around without a goal and not at 100% is equally depressing.

I thought maybe wednesday's duathlon training would help... nope cancelled because of flooding. So I hopped on the treadmill and tried to run at my fast pace for 3 miles... nope could only go 2.6miles. I thought maybe riding in Iowa City thursday would help... nope severe storming at 70% with a tornado watch so not going. I thought... nope no more thinking, I am just in a rut. I got the Funk Soul, Brother.

Well, I did ride 100 miles monday. Man that was boring. The skies were gloomy, the scenery flat and uneventful, the roads bumpy and filled with cracks. The extra mileage made my leg hurt more, and ultimately just got really hungry and tired over the next two days.

I bought a container of frosted sugar cookies and ate most of them in one night. Right in the middle of a set of push-ups I stopped, and wondered 'what is the point'. I also stopped weighing in the mornings, I got a comment that I looked better when I wasn't as skinny, so being at race weight is no longer even a rewarding accomplishment.

I am still in pretty good shape, if I can just find some motivation to 'train' towards some sort of goal. There are 3 solid months of summer ahead of us, I am sure I will dig something up here soon? On the other hand, all of this extra sun exposure does cause premature skin aging and increased risk of skin cancer... oops, I am still down, for a moment there I almost had a positive thought. I better sign off until I have something more inspiring to blog about, which I hope will be soon.

Evening the scales

West Branch Iowa was the scene of my racing 'effort' this past saturday. I experienced a new challenge in racing because this was actually two back to back races, and both needed to be successful to win the event.

The first part was a 22 mile road race on this year's State RR course. Plenty of rolling terrain, which will make for a good race in august. We only did one lap, so doing three loops as a cat 3 will be good times.

Jim Cochran and Ryan J. of Atlas were the agressive team of the day. One or the other of them always seemed to be attacking the field. I decided to chase down everyone of Jim C.'s attacks and let Ryan J's attacks dangle off of the front. Not too much thought went into this tactic, except that I knew from the last Two Bee race that I entered, that I couldn't bridge up to every attack and still finish well.

I gave out a couple of pulls from time to time, but also defintively followed the lead wheel, at other times to conserve energy.

Then with 21 miles gone in this 22 mile race, just as I was finishing pulling the group up to bring Jim C.'s final attack in, the group seemed to accelerate. The acceleration didn't let up either, I was slowly being dropped. Ooops, I guess this wasn't an acceleration it was the final sprint? My spedometer only said 21.3miles, so I seriously didn't see the finish line coming. I would have tucked in had I had a better idea where the race finished. Most likely, then Jim C. would have won, and we would have been sprinting for 2nd, however, that would have been better for me then finishing last in the group sprint. There were only 8 survivors in this group, so I came in 8th out of 16 to 20 racers, and Ryan J. then took the overall win, impressive considering all of the attacking he did throughout the race.

Then the time trial... a four mile race against the clock on a rolling stretch of road with a fierce cross wind. No one was using TT bikes (except Conn), so this was a pretty even playing field. I had a good time just under 10 minutes but Josh Madsen took the win in this event with a time 10 seconds faster.

The main variable that could be analyzed after the event, was how much energy was used in the Road Race versus how much was saved to have more left for the TT. It would have been harder, for example, to pull and attack during the RR and then still have your best TT. Ultimately, Josh Madsen had the best strategy for the day and won overall. This is a series of three races, so I may be able to try again july 5th.

Feeling sort of defeated, I decided to continue competing until I felt more accomplished. I weighed 163.6 pounds when I woke up that morning (more than I have weighed in many weeks). I stepped on the scale when I got home from the race and was happy to then only weigh 161bs.

So, I made a sport of seeing if I could sweat out at least another pound of water weight. I strapped on the running shoes and went for a jog in the middle of the 90 plus degree heat at about noon.

I ran about 7 miles, and it was pure agony. I hopped on the scale and told my self that if I was 160 or lower, that I could take well deserved rest day on sunday... 156.4lbs! Oh yeah and only 8% body fat. I Won! Even though it was against myself. Sort of pathetic, really. I ate and drank like a pig on sat/sunday to see if I could gain 10 pounds by monday morning. Oops, only 160.4lbs, dang.

Summer Heat

Finally, the heat is here. May of 2007 had an average temperature of 63 degrees, 2008 was only 53 degrees (according to my gas bill). I thought I was becoming a wimp, still wearing arm warmers late into may, but in actuality it has just been much colder than usual.

Not the case on thursday. The heat and humidity caused my heart rate to rise quicker than usual, I actually had a sensation of intense thirst while training, and when I finished I was completely soaked with perspiration. Also, it was the first time I thought obligated to put sports drink mix in both water bottles.

This is the good stuff. We don't have to ride as far or as long to get the same work-out. Fitness peaks will start to surface for most, as it is the best time of the year to drop the excess body fat that may have been holding you back. And, just because we could get the same workout with less mileage, everyone seems to bike just as far and as hard, so fitness can really blossom.

New Club Gear Arrives

Here is a picture of me modeling the new Muscatine Multisport gear that just arrived. I helped with the design, so I was excited to see that they turned out well. I would have rather had a sleeved skin-suit version, but we didn't have the minimum order for that option. I guess I won't be able to develop the cyclist 'farmer tan' as fully as in previous years, since my shoulders will occassionally see the sun.

I guess the other caption is..."are we looking at the next Iowa State Time Trial Champ?". This a quote from Conn Day on the bike iowa yahoo group referring to my Time Trial efforts so far this year. Sort of a lot of pressure, but I appreciate the recognition, because I am training pretty hard this season. I will just try and stick to my training regimine and see what happens.

Since I have yet to see any 'action' in my gear, below is a picture of fellow Muscatine Multisporter, Chris Mann competing in the Pigman Sprint Triathlon.
I wonder if Emily would go on a date with me if I placed well in the state championships?

Hard Pedalling

I definately 'Hammer'ed it on saturday at a 50k time trial held near Iowa City. In fact, I am sort of injured and questioning my future in the discipline. 50k is about 31 miles and takes well over an hour to complete. That is a long time to be in the tucked areo position, at least it was for me, since I have never ridden my TT bike longer than 40k.

I am still paying for that effort as I have a 'saddle' issue, sore neck and limited rotational movement in my left leg. I was able to top end a very nice speed using the 53/11 gearing of my bike on the tailwind section of the course. Actually, I didn't realize I was 'spun out' of gears until I got to a downhill part and tried to shift to a harder gear.

So, now I see why some TT bikes have 56 tooth front chain rings. I guess the pros can actually use more gearing in certain conditions. I am sure I will be perfect with a 53/11 but what fun it would be to actually 'need' a bigger chain ring next year. This all depends on what cadence you pedal at. I don't have a cadence reading on my spedometer, so I will probably never know.

Anway, I will admit to not really having anything to focus to my training at the moment. I will have to come up with some sort of goal event and try for another fitness peak later in the summer.

For now, I have yet to go on a bike ride longer than 56 miles this year, so I am going to try and clear some time for a century ride. That always seems to jumpstart my fitness. The plan is to take off time from work today. I will either have a great ride, or I will make my injury worse... I will report back later in the week to let you know.

The sensible thing would be to rest more, but I am sure you can relate to how hard it is to stay off the bike when everyone else is logging serious summer mileage.