This is something that I started a few years ago and in the midst of having to listen to all the endless countdowns for everything from the greatest Holiday destination of the stars to 2008's best movie soundtracks, I proudly present Miner's Blog.....Best of 2008.
Miles ridden: 2,500.
I'm noticing a disturbing trend here. I'm down 1,000 miles from last year and down 2,000 miles from 2006. It's to be expected though as I literally hung up the bike in mid July after the last Chapel race and besides a few weekdays spent commuting to work, I haven't been on it since. I predict great pain in early 2009 for my body when I try to get back into my 2x20's.
Best 2008 Bicycle Racing Experience:
I really have to think back on this one since it's been 5 moths without racing. I had a lot of good races. Race at the Lakes is always a blast because of the proximity to my house and the usual turnout of teammates. I would say the Chapel Series this year was my favorite experience. Cheap Racing, good eats at the end of the series and a large turnout of Stark Velo mates. It's also the one race of the year where guys seem to race tactically which makes it fun. For me, the added bonus was that I surprisingly went into the series with good fitness so I rode pretty aggressively. I hate being pack fodder and would rather be off the front or off the back from trying.
Best Cycling Purchase:
Once again I laid pretty low on the bike accessories this year. I ended up buying Nicholas a new Haro BMX bike. He had a blast racing out at the Akron Derby Downs this summer. My new bike purchase in 2009 will hopefully be a BMX cruiser for myself. Not sure I'll race it...yet but it'll be fun to go out there and ride on the track. BMX racing is how I got started into this sport as a kid so it's fun to see this path come full circle.
I don't know if I can call this a cycling purchase, but I was able to scrape up enough money to pick up the new Garmin 405. This watch is amazing and it's now clear that I am addicted to numbers, data and just plain information. I never thought of myself as a 'techy' guy as I don't need those kinds of toys, but when it comes to physical exercise and training, I'll get any proven gadget that I can to help me improve myself. Somehow in my own mind that justifies the purchase. I will clearly be a dork on my bike this year with my PowerTap giving me all the power data that I can consume and my Garmin giving me endless information as well. I can't wait to hear the comments from House and Troche.
What I missed in 2008:
Not much time spent on the bikes means not much time spent with my good friends. I miss those times the most. I remember saying this last year but I hope that I can find a better balance between running and cycling.
I also missed the annual trip to Boone, North Carolina. Hopefully I can find a way to resurrect that trip for 2009. There's nothing better than taking a cycling specific trip with friends where the only thing you have to do is to have fun, eat, sleep and ride your bike for three full days.
What I hope to accomplish in '09:
My plan in 2008 was to upgrade to Cat 3 and that obviously didn't happen. Not sure if I can state that as a major goal for me this year or not. It would be cool to be able to upgrade to race with all my teammates who seem to be progressing in the sport but what I've learned in the past 5 years of cycling is that I'm not really as good as you think I am. I know that's hard to believe but I don't seem to have a lot of natural God given talent, it all comes from lots of hard work. With the boys growing up, Elves & More and work, there doesn't seem to be that much time anymore that I can dedicate to my bike. I think I can be content being an average Cat 4 who goes out and rides with his friends for the fun of it and not necessarily because I'm trying to accomplish specific wattage goals on my PowerTap. I'm not giving up racing, look for at the usual places in 2009.
Off the bike, I hope to complete my first marathon in the spring. I will be targeting the Cleveland Marathon (I plan on registering today) in May with the goal of completing it and then I will target the Columbus Marathon in the Fall with my goal of getting a Boston Qualifying Time. Running is something that I'm really enjoying. It's really therapeutic for me and I love the fact that I can go run for an hour and feel completely destroyed as if I'd just been out riding my bike for 4 hours. I also love when I tell people that I went out for an easy 10 mile run.
I also hope to help grow Elves & More this year. Tim and I determined that our volunteer base has outgrown our contributor base. We need to continue to grow both but we need to find more funding. We think we could have easily built 2,000 bikes this year and I'm sure we could have just as easily given away 2,000 bikes. Here's to finding more money in 2009!
Well, that's it for my 2008, time to move onto 2009. I didn't do all that I wanted to with my racing, but sitting here on December 31st, I'm very lucky to be where I'm at. I'm happy and healthy, I have a loving wife and two wonderful boys, I have a great job and I'm a partner in Elves and More. This year, Tim and I along with countless volunteers and contributors, helped make Christmas special for 1,000 kids living in the Mason Park neighborhood in Akron. It's good to be a part of something larger than just yourself. Happy New Year!
brian
12.31.2008
12.21.2008
The month of December
December. What a wonderful month. It's just too bad that I historically have to fit 6 months worth of work into 31 days. Between clients trying to get projects out before the end of the year (Bidding is historically better during the winter) and Elves & More I also threw in a new project into the mix this year....a trip to Portland, OR.
I was contacted by NCARB in the middle of the year about being a tester/reviewer for their new architectural registration exams. They originally wanted me to go to Tuscon in August but fortunately I had a conflict that kept me from visiting the desert during the hottest time of the year. When I heard there was a trip to Portland I jumped on it faster than Stephen Baldwin jumps on a really bad script. Portland is an area that I've always wanted to go to. Site unseen it was also a place that I could imagine living in. Now I would get the opportunity to visit at no cost to me! What could be better.
My good friend Pat up in Chicago's brother and sister-in-law just moved to Portland. When Pat found out I was going, magically the trip out west became more than just a business trip, we decided to head out a few days early to hook up w/ his family and try to get some snowboarding in on Mt. Hood. Unfortunately Mother Nature didn't cooperate with us and there was too little snow on Mt. Hood to justify taking the snowboard across the country so we decided to get some hiking in. That turned out to be the best decision ever because besides the lack of snow, they had unseasonably warm weather that was in the 50's and more importantly, it was nothing but sunshine.
On Friday, Pat and I decided to head up to Mount St. Helen's for some hiking. I've traveled with Pat before and whether it's a trip to a mountain or a trip to the grocery store, you are definitely in for an adventure. We made up our way to the last visitors center and got out to make our best effort to find some good trails. Everyone we talked to recommended us taking this one trail up to a neighboring peak to get the best view of Mount St. Helen's. We decided that we had a pretty decent view from where we were standing and decided to make it a quest to try to hike up to the crater. After all, that would be an adventure. The hard thing about Mount St. Helen's is really being able to judge distances. There is absolutely nothing left after the explosion in 1980. No trees, no vegetation, nothing. Nothing that we could use to really judge scale. What looked like a trek of only a few miles would be more like 7 miles one way. The other thing about Mount St. Helen's is that because there is absolutely nothing there to sustain them, there is really little signs of wildlife. I think we saw a few Elk which I was really surprised about and one bird. That combined w/ the total lack of wind there made for a very eerie experience. It was like you were truly hiking on Mars.
After 3 hours, we finally made it to the water fall on the Mountain. Unfortunately it looked like our goal was still about 1 hour further up. We were also at the end of the 'sanctioned' trail which was sort of a joke since the only thing that was there were rocks. Hard to disrupt the environment when there is nothing but rocks to hike over in my mind. It's for that reason that we decided to take the most direct route back to the visitors center.
I should clarify, we only did this because we were getting challenged by losing sunlight (It gets dark at 4:30) and on the hike out when purposefully trying to stay on the trail, we'd lose it because it was really hard to distinguish where the trail was and where it wasn't. It made for a really fun walk back. We got to experience an area that maybe only a handful of people and elk have but it made it difficult because there was some really tough terrain to navigate through.
In the end, we estimate that we saved nearly an hour by taking a bit more direct route. I would imagine that their established trail takes you so far out because of how much water might be running through the valley during the spring melt off of the snow on the mountains. With it being dry we were pretty safe. The only difficult part was having to climb a 30% slope back up to find the trail. It was a blast though and by far one of my best experiences in the mountain. I only wish we had more daylight to have been able to make it up to the top.
Day two in Portland brought a trip to the Columbia River Gorge. This time we went with Brad, Em & their friend from Chicago Evan. I don't want to take the easy road here, but Brad did a good job blogging it so I will refer you to his site as well as some good pictures for the day.
Today is the big Elves & More Delivery day. I can't sleep which is why I started blogging this at 6:00 this morning. I will blog about the delivery here in the next few days as well as hopefully get some pictures posted. All I can say is that although its only going to be in the 20's, there's going to be about 1,000 happy kids in Akron.
b
I was contacted by NCARB in the middle of the year about being a tester/reviewer for their new architectural registration exams. They originally wanted me to go to Tuscon in August but fortunately I had a conflict that kept me from visiting the desert during the hottest time of the year. When I heard there was a trip to Portland I jumped on it faster than Stephen Baldwin jumps on a really bad script. Portland is an area that I've always wanted to go to. Site unseen it was also a place that I could imagine living in. Now I would get the opportunity to visit at no cost to me! What could be better.
My good friend Pat up in Chicago's brother and sister-in-law just moved to Portland. When Pat found out I was going, magically the trip out west became more than just a business trip, we decided to head out a few days early to hook up w/ his family and try to get some snowboarding in on Mt. Hood. Unfortunately Mother Nature didn't cooperate with us and there was too little snow on Mt. Hood to justify taking the snowboard across the country so we decided to get some hiking in. That turned out to be the best decision ever because besides the lack of snow, they had unseasonably warm weather that was in the 50's and more importantly, it was nothing but sunshine.
On Friday, Pat and I decided to head up to Mount St. Helen's for some hiking. I've traveled with Pat before and whether it's a trip to a mountain or a trip to the grocery store, you are definitely in for an adventure. We made up our way to the last visitors center and got out to make our best effort to find some good trails. Everyone we talked to recommended us taking this one trail up to a neighboring peak to get the best view of Mount St. Helen's. We decided that we had a pretty decent view from where we were standing and decided to make it a quest to try to hike up to the crater. After all, that would be an adventure. The hard thing about Mount St. Helen's is really being able to judge distances. There is absolutely nothing left after the explosion in 1980. No trees, no vegetation, nothing. Nothing that we could use to really judge scale. What looked like a trek of only a few miles would be more like 7 miles one way. The other thing about Mount St. Helen's is that because there is absolutely nothing there to sustain them, there is really little signs of wildlife. I think we saw a few Elk which I was really surprised about and one bird. That combined w/ the total lack of wind there made for a very eerie experience. It was like you were truly hiking on Mars.
After 3 hours, we finally made it to the water fall on the Mountain. Unfortunately it looked like our goal was still about 1 hour further up. We were also at the end of the 'sanctioned' trail which was sort of a joke since the only thing that was there were rocks. Hard to disrupt the environment when there is nothing but rocks to hike over in my mind. It's for that reason that we decided to take the most direct route back to the visitors center.I should clarify, we only did this because we were getting challenged by losing sunlight (It gets dark at 4:30) and on the hike out when purposefully trying to stay on the trail, we'd lose it because it was really hard to distinguish where the trail was and where it wasn't. It made for a really fun walk back. We got to experience an area that maybe only a handful of people and elk have but it made it difficult because there was some really tough terrain to navigate through.
In the end, we estimate that we saved nearly an hour by taking a bit more direct route. I would imagine that their established trail takes you so far out because of how much water might be running through the valley during the spring melt off of the snow on the mountains. With it being dry we were pretty safe. The only difficult part was having to climb a 30% slope back up to find the trail. It was a blast though and by far one of my best experiences in the mountain. I only wish we had more daylight to have been able to make it up to the top.
Day two in Portland brought a trip to the Columbia River Gorge. This time we went with Brad, Em & their friend from Chicago Evan. I don't want to take the easy road here, but Brad did a good job blogging it so I will refer you to his site as well as some good pictures for the day.
Today is the big Elves & More Delivery day. I can't sleep which is why I started blogging this at 6:00 this morning. I will blog about the delivery here in the next few days as well as hopefully get some pictures posted. All I can say is that although its only going to be in the 20's, there's going to be about 1,000 happy kids in Akron.b
11.25.2008
My thought on Bernie...
A quote from today's Cyclingnews.com:
Bernhard Kohl is "terribly disappointed" over the two-year doping suspension handed down yesterday by the Austrian Anti-Doping Agency. He called it "the wrong signal and the wrong direction."
No Bernie, the only "wrong signal" and "wrong direction" that was taken was by you when you decided to dope and get away with it. I hope you have a miserable two years off the bike that is filled with endless saddle sores.
b
Bernhard Kohl is "terribly disappointed" over the two-year doping suspension handed down yesterday by the Austrian Anti-Doping Agency. He called it "the wrong signal and the wrong direction."
No Bernie, the only "wrong signal" and "wrong direction" that was taken was by you when you decided to dope and get away with it. I hope you have a miserable two years off the bike that is filled with endless saddle sores.
b
11.17.2008
Life Updates
Not much cycling...not much running...too much work. That sums up my last three weeks of life. I'm currently designing two building projects, one for Kent State and one for The University of Akron which is taking up too much of my time. Although they are lots of fun it's not leaving a whole lot of time to do anything else I'm afraid.
I was lucky enough to make it out on my bike a few weekends ago when we had the really warm weather. It had been 4 months since my last real ride so time went by fast and before I knew it, it was time to go back home. I haven't been on the bike since. You know it's too long since your last ride when the tire pressure is below 40psi. I'm hoping to get back on the bike a bit more routinely here this week. I hate to do it but it looks like it's back to early morning rides in the basement on my trainer. I normally don't mind trainer rides but I'm not looking forward to it this year.
I have been routinely running 3 times a week at the gym. Those workouts on the treadmill aren't actually too bad. It's a lot like riding indoors, w/ some good tunes on the ipod time goes by quickly. My only issue is that I get so hot that when I'm done running, I'm completely drenched in sweat. Fortunately I'm married and not looking to pick up chicks or else I'd be labeled as that weird sweaty guy! Who knows, I probably am already labeled that but I guess I don't care. What I don't know won't hurt me, right? My plan is to continue running 3 to 4 days per week, with one of those runs being a long one between 7-10 miles. Looking ahead to the Cleveland Marathon, I really have to be in full blown training mode in mid January so I don't want to lose any fitness or gain any excess weight that tends to happen to me at this time of the year.
Besides that it's Elves & More time. I'll be doing a lot more blogging about how that effort is going but in the meantime I'll say that the volunteer dates have all been set and registration is now open. Check it out.
b
I was lucky enough to make it out on my bike a few weekends ago when we had the really warm weather. It had been 4 months since my last real ride so time went by fast and before I knew it, it was time to go back home. I haven't been on the bike since. You know it's too long since your last ride when the tire pressure is below 40psi. I'm hoping to get back on the bike a bit more routinely here this week. I hate to do it but it looks like it's back to early morning rides in the basement on my trainer. I normally don't mind trainer rides but I'm not looking forward to it this year.
I have been routinely running 3 times a week at the gym. Those workouts on the treadmill aren't actually too bad. It's a lot like riding indoors, w/ some good tunes on the ipod time goes by quickly. My only issue is that I get so hot that when I'm done running, I'm completely drenched in sweat. Fortunately I'm married and not looking to pick up chicks or else I'd be labeled as that weird sweaty guy! Who knows, I probably am already labeled that but I guess I don't care. What I don't know won't hurt me, right? My plan is to continue running 3 to 4 days per week, with one of those runs being a long one between 7-10 miles. Looking ahead to the Cleveland Marathon, I really have to be in full blown training mode in mid January so I don't want to lose any fitness or gain any excess weight that tends to happen to me at this time of the year.
Besides that it's Elves & More time. I'll be doing a lot more blogging about how that effort is going but in the meantime I'll say that the volunteer dates have all been set and registration is now open. Check it out.
b
10.23.2008
Cycling vs. Running
Now that my big goal is over for the season, it's time for me to reflect a bit on the physical impact on my body when making the switch to running from cycling. In no particular order, here is a list of ailments that I have had in both disciplines this year:
Cycling:
Cycling:
- Occasional razor burn.
- Weird tan lines which are hard to explain while on vacation at the beach.
Running:
- Bloody nipples (learned that Bag Balm works well here on runs up to 15 miles in length. Anything over that and use band aids.
- Rubbed raw certain, sensitive male parts. Once again, Bag Balm works well here. This was a tough lesson to learn....
- Blood blisters on ends of toes.
- Lost toe nails
- Stress Fracture to my left femur...the largest bone in the body.
- Strained lower back
Seems pretty apparent that running just plain sucks....somehow I'm hooked and already looking forward to training for the next one.
b
10.21.2008
Columbus 1/2 Marathon
Columbus...what can I say? It is a city that as an Architect I have had a love/hate relationship with for years. There are some examples of amazing architecture, incredible historical neighborhoods and parks but Columbus is also a city that has expanded with reckless growth and is the epitome of Urban Sprawl. No need to conserve as long as there's another corn field or forest to destroy. My personal feelings aside, this past weekend might have been one of my greatest experiences in our State's capital (w/ the exception of being married there).
My wife's family lives in the city and typically we stay with them on weekend trips in. This time, we decided to get a hotel room downtown. Not knowing what to expect in terms of available parking and traffic in, I wanted to minimize any anxiety and sleeping a few blocks from the start line seemed like the best way to do it. This also gave us the opportunity to leave the kids with my in-laws which really made both of their days. The hotel was awesome, with our room being on the 19th floor it really gave me a greater perspective of the city which I can now come to appreciate more. The hotel was also connected to the new convention center downtown which made getting to the expo and my race packet a lot easier. That also gave us the opportunity to see all the other events happening there like some big cheer leading competition. Before you go crazy thinking thoughts about hot college chicks or high school girls, it seemed like this was cheer leading for the pre-tween girls. I swear that I even saw girls there younger than Nicholas who is only 5 years old. With all the criticism the Ramsey's received about how they exploited their daughter JonBenet, it seems like some parents just haven't learned the lesson yet...but once again I digress.
Saturday night was spent hooking up with my family who came into town to watch the race and heading out to dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse. After being disowned by my parents, it was nice to have the support of my grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and of course my wife's family. They weren't there just to see me but my cousin Tim and brother-in-law Brian was also running with me. Tim's an experienced runner and is currently the boys' cross-country coach for Ashland High School. If I have a question about running, he's one of the two people I go to. The other is a friend named James Miller who was also there this weekend taking a stab at a Boston Qualifying time.
The Sunday morning wake up came early but fortunately with the short distance to the start line, I was able to sneak in a few extra minutes of sleep. Heading out to the start line at 6:30 I immediately noticed that it was cold. The temperature was mid-30's...ouch that's cold. Coming back from dinner the previous night I rethought my clothing strategy and decided to go with a long sleeve shirt, gloves and shorts. I also had on a sleeveless Under Armor on which made for a nice base layer. I'm really glad I made the switch to long sleeves because during my warm up/stretching and staging for the start, I couldn't keep myself from shivering. I could only imagine how much worse it might have been in short sleeves. There is nothing worse than having chattering teeth on the start line.
My strategy going into the race was to just have fun and to try to hold an 8'/mile pace. I haven't run longer than 9 miles in over 3 months so I wasn't sure how my body was going to react. Going out of the start we hooked up with the 8'/mile pace group. Within the first mile, Tim and I decided to pick it up a bit to get in front of them and if necessary, we could ease up and rejoin them if we weren't feeling great. Mile after mile, we pulled further and further away from them to the point that if they caught us, it was because we would be running backwards to rejoin them. It was obvious that Tim and I were both feeling good and that we would average much better than an 8'/mile tempo over the 13.1 miles. A new thing for me was to try to drink while running. Normally I carry a water bottle so it's not a big issue but drinking out of a cup is a bit more difficult. I was able to get a few sips down but that always came with Gatorade shots up my nose. I need to perfect drinking I guess.
bib number: 3034
age: 35
gender:M
location: Cuyahoga Falls, OH
overall place: 354 out of 5290
division place: 3 out of 160
gender place: 279 out of 2230
time: 1:38:56
pace: 7:34
10k: 47:09
brian
My wife's family lives in the city and typically we stay with them on weekend trips in. This time, we decided to get a hotel room downtown. Not knowing what to expect in terms of available parking and traffic in, I wanted to minimize any anxiety and sleeping a few blocks from the start line seemed like the best way to do it. This also gave us the opportunity to leave the kids with my in-laws which really made both of their days. The hotel was awesome, with our room being on the 19th floor it really gave me a greater perspective of the city which I can now come to appreciate more. The hotel was also connected to the new convention center downtown which made getting to the expo and my race packet a lot easier. That also gave us the opportunity to see all the other events happening there like some big cheer leading competition. Before you go crazy thinking thoughts about hot college chicks or high school girls, it seemed like this was cheer leading for the pre-tween girls. I swear that I even saw girls there younger than Nicholas who is only 5 years old. With all the criticism the Ramsey's received about how they exploited their daughter JonBenet, it seems like some parents just haven't learned the lesson yet...but once again I digress.
Saturday night was spent hooking up with my family who came into town to watch the race and heading out to dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse. After being disowned by my parents, it was nice to have the support of my grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and of course my wife's family. They weren't there just to see me but my cousin Tim and brother-in-law Brian was also running with me. Tim's an experienced runner and is currently the boys' cross-country coach for Ashland High School. If I have a question about running, he's one of the two people I go to. The other is a friend named James Miller who was also there this weekend taking a stab at a Boston Qualifying time.
The Sunday morning wake up came early but fortunately with the short distance to the start line, I was able to sneak in a few extra minutes of sleep. Heading out to the start line at 6:30 I immediately noticed that it was cold. The temperature was mid-30's...ouch that's cold. Coming back from dinner the previous night I rethought my clothing strategy and decided to go with a long sleeve shirt, gloves and shorts. I also had on a sleeveless Under Armor on which made for a nice base layer. I'm really glad I made the switch to long sleeves because during my warm up/stretching and staging for the start, I couldn't keep myself from shivering. I could only imagine how much worse it might have been in short sleeves. There is nothing worse than having chattering teeth on the start line.
My strategy going into the race was to just have fun and to try to hold an 8'/mile pace. I haven't run longer than 9 miles in over 3 months so I wasn't sure how my body was going to react. Going out of the start we hooked up with the 8'/mile pace group. Within the first mile, Tim and I decided to pick it up a bit to get in front of them and if necessary, we could ease up and rejoin them if we weren't feeling great. Mile after mile, we pulled further and further away from them to the point that if they caught us, it was because we would be running backwards to rejoin them. It was obvious that Tim and I were both feeling good and that we would average much better than an 8'/mile tempo over the 13.1 miles. A new thing for me was to try to drink while running. Normally I carry a water bottle so it's not a big issue but drinking out of a cup is a bit more difficult. I was able to get a few sips down but that always came with Gatorade shots up my nose. I need to perfect drinking I guess.I lost contact with Tim around the 9 mile mark. We caught up to the 3:20 pace group which had a lot of runners and Tim made it through but I didn't. Here's where I might have taken it too conservative. I was still feeling good but being in uncharted territory here, I played it conservative. I decided to hang with this new pace group and then if still feeling good, pick it up by mile 11 and finish as quick as I could. That's what I did but in hindsight I wish I would have made the effort to try to regroup with Tim and finish even faster. As it turns out, I beat the secret goal that I had set for myself. I was hoping to come in around 1:40. I finished the race in 1:38:56. That gives me an average pace of 7'34"/mile pace.
A lot of people have asked me about how the race went. My response is this...in all of the competitive events that I've ever participated in, this by far ranks as one of the best experiences, if not the best. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's being a part of nearly 12,000 runners trying to accomplish the same goal which is to finish. Maybe it was miles and miles of spectators along the sides of the road cheering you on. I don't think there was ever a stretch of road where there wasn't at least one person watching. Normally when I run I notice every mile that goes by. This event I remember hitting the 10 mile mark and being surprised that I had already gotten that far. The effort just seemed that easy.
Here are some stats from the race:
Mile 1 – 7:59
Mile 2 – 7:41
Mile 3 – 7:26
Mile 4 – 7:37
Mile 5 – 7:25
Mile 6 – 7:22
Mile 7 – 7:29
Mile 8 – 7:34
Mile 9 – 7:25
Mile 10 – 7:17
Mile 11 – 7:28
Mile 12 – 7:39
Mile 13 – 7:20
.1 – 1:07
Total – 1:38.56
Mile 2 – 7:41
Mile 3 – 7:26
Mile 4 – 7:37
Mile 5 – 7:25
Mile 6 – 7:22
Mile 7 – 7:29
Mile 8 – 7:34
Mile 9 – 7:25
Mile 10 – 7:17
Mile 11 – 7:28
Mile 12 – 7:39
Mile 13 – 7:20
.1 – 1:07
Total – 1:38.56
bib number: 3034
age: 35
gender:M
location: Cuyahoga Falls, OH
overall place: 354 out of 5290
division place: 3 out of 160
gender place: 279 out of 2230
time: 1:38:56
pace: 7:34
10k: 47:09
brian
10.17.2008
2 days to Columbus
Here I am, sitting comfortably at my computer 2 days before the Columbus Marathon. Because of an unfortunate injury which I've already discussed in previous posts, I'll only be able to complete the 1/2 marathon this year. I have mixed emotions about it. On one side, I'm only running 13.1 and when I'm done my body most likely won't feel trashed with the shorter distance. On the other side, I had set some really lofty goals like completing my first marathon while I was 35 and doing it in a Boston Qualifying time (3:15). Training for this event was unlike anything that I've ever done before. Training for a bike race is different. Sure, you spend lots of time training hard just like you do for running, but if you get hurt, sick, get unlucky or have a bad day on the bike, there's another bike race somewhere the next weekend that you can travel quickly to and have another go at it. With running, it's not like that (or at least it just doesn't appear to me that way). With marathon training, I focused all of my attention and energy to running to make sure my body was ready for the big goals that I set. I dedicated almost 5 months of my life to a singular event. Running is so physically demanding that racing the next weekend if something happens to go wrong most likely just isn't an option. Unfortunately with the fracture, I can't take a stab at even completing the marathon this year. I'm currently only up to running 9 miles at a time and trying to take a stab at 26 is just asking for another injury. That's just something that I can't risk. The 5 months of training for Columbus could be looked at as completely down the drain. Those were 5 months that I could have been on my bike riding with good friends that I haven't been able to keep in touch with because we don't share that commonality at the moment. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. I'm still in decent shape, just not cycling shape. Will I take a stab at another marathon? Absolutely. Just not sure when and what my plan is for 2009 yet. I still have 13.1 more miles to go this Sunday before I think about next year.
brian
brian
10.01.2008
Akron Roadrunner Marathon
Last Saturday was the Akron Road Runner Marathon. This is the sixth year of existence for the race and the 4th time that I've had the opportunity to run a relay portion of it. I have to say that each and every year it just gets better and better. Earlier in the year the strategy for this event was to fun the final 12k leg with some kick. I had delusions of running 6' mile pace. Obviously that all changed a few months back. With me on the right road to recovery, I opted to run the shorter 10k. In hindsight, this was a great move because I am now only able to run a slow 6 miles without any discomfort in my femur. This year was the first year that I was also able to run the opening leg of the event. This was important for me for two reasons. Firstly, it was great practice for Columbus to get started in a big mass so I could see how I needed to maneuver around people to hit my goal pace. Secondly, it allowed me to finish in plenty of time to see Nicholas and Will run in the Kids Fun Run later in the morning. My strategy for today was to finish somewhere close to 45'. My normal 10k pace is 43' but with recovery, I knew I would have to sacrifice some time so I didn't injure myself anymore. The plan for the day was to hook up with a friend of mine named James who is an avid runner and seasoned marathoner. He was running the 1/2 marathon (in preparation for Columbus) and was hoping to run a 7'10" pace, a touch faster than what I thought I could do but idealistically right about where I wanted to finish up. Running that morning felt great. There's something about the adrenaline and the excitement of the day that really gets you going. It was probably that quicker than goal pace that helped tire me but just after 5k of running, I began to lose touch with James as I just couldn't hang at that pace. Seems like I've lost a bit of that high end speed. As I was beginning to suffer more and more , I noticed that we were running right by the Summit Lake neighborhood that we delivered to last winter with Elves & More. The thoughts of that day pulled me away from the pain and the doubts that I was beginning to suffer. I have to imagine that running which is really a solitary sport is probably a lot like Time Trialing on a bicycle. When you're by yourself, I'm not sure if the bigger battle is between you and the road or you and your mind. Ultimately I won because I didn't stop, but I wonder if I slowed down at all because of the mental debates that I was holding with myself.I'm happy to say that I finished the 10k if 45'24". That's where I realistically figured I would end up being, but deep down inside, I was hoping that I could have pulled out a much faster time. This was a good test for me for Columbus. From this experience I learned that the marathon is for sure out of the question. I realistic goal will be now to complete the half-marathon in Columbus. Not sure what my goals other than completing relatively pain free will be yet but I'll let you know.
b
9.17.2008
Follow up from the 40'
I'm a bit late in getting the latest report out but here it is, after running for 40 minutes at a moderate tempo, my leg is doing well. This gives me some confidence with just under two weeks until the Akron Marathon that I will be able to finish the 10k test there with a somewhat reasonable time. In fact, I've already run twice for that duration and I'll be back out there early tomorrow morning to test it again, this time a bit faster perhaps.b
9.13.2008
New Milestone
Tomorrow I'm taking a big step, or to put it more accurately, about 1200 more big steps. I'm going to attempt my first 40 minute run since recovering from the stress fracture. This will be my longest run in almost 7 weeks. 40 minutes should put me somewhere over 5 miles for the day. I'm a bit nervous because I really don't know how my leg is going to feel. Running at 30 minutes this past week my leg has felt great but I just don't know how I'll respond to adding 10 additional minutes. I need to make this step and get past the mental fear if I want to make it to the next goal, which is running the opening 10k leg in two weeks at the Akron Marathon. I have a goal in that race of finishing somewhere around 45 minutes. That will be the slowest that I've ever run it but given the fact that I'm still in recovery mode, 45 minutes will be a great accomplishment. I'll post something tomorrow on how it went. That's saying that I actually make it out with all of this rain that we're having.
b
b
9.03.2008
Getting Back into the Groove.
A few posts ago, I talked about the5/5/5/ plan that my doctor put me on to allow my femur to fully heal. He also prescribed several weeks of physical therapy so I can work on some deficiencies that may have led to the fracture. I only use the word 'may' because unfortunately determining the exact cause that led to the injury is somewhat hard to determine and in all actuality, it was probably caused by several factors. What I've learned in PT is that I have a weak core and running really utilizes those muscle groups. There was a point in time where I used to weight train but that was prior to having kids and thinking back, I'm not sure that other than performing a few crunches here and there that I really ever worked on core muscle development. I'd say the last time I truly did core exercises was when I was in the Army and we were getting 'smoked' by our drill sergeants for doing something wrong.
This past weekend was the end of the 5/5/5 plan and I was free to start running again, well sort of. With the longest run being only about 2 miles long and at a 10 minute/mile pace, I was a long ways away from the previous distances and times I had been clocking in prior to the injury and I was even further away from being really ready to run in Columbus in now less than 8 weeks. Sunday I decided to push the distance a bit but keep the tempo right around the 9'30" tempo. Instead of 20 minutes, I'd try running for 30 minutes. The run felt great and I knew I had begun to slowly increase the tempo up a bit but I was feeling good so what could it hurt, right? So how did my leg feel? Well, unfortunately I never feel the pain during the run so it's hard to know whether I'm pushing it too far until the next day. Monday morning I woke up and felt the dull pain where the fracture occurred. It didn't hurt, I wasn't limping around but my leg didn't feel like it did the day before so I know that I pushed it too far too soon. Time to throttle the training back down again and give my leg a bit more time to heal. My PT tells me that broken bones typically take 6 to 8 weeks to heal. I'm now at 5 weeks since I last truly ran on it so I should be getting close to moving past this.
This morning I did another run. This time I went back to the last phase of the 5/5/5 plan and I ran for only 20 minutes around the 9 minute/mile pace. Again, I'll have to wait to know for sure but I'm hoping that I can push it just a bit more this weekend. Fortunately, I have a follow-up visit with my Doctor and Physical Therapist this Friday so I'll be able to get some advice on where to go from here. It's frustrating, without a doubt.
b
This past weekend was the end of the 5/5/5 plan and I was free to start running again, well sort of. With the longest run being only about 2 miles long and at a 10 minute/mile pace, I was a long ways away from the previous distances and times I had been clocking in prior to the injury and I was even further away from being really ready to run in Columbus in now less than 8 weeks. Sunday I decided to push the distance a bit but keep the tempo right around the 9'30" tempo. Instead of 20 minutes, I'd try running for 30 minutes. The run felt great and I knew I had begun to slowly increase the tempo up a bit but I was feeling good so what could it hurt, right? So how did my leg feel? Well, unfortunately I never feel the pain during the run so it's hard to know whether I'm pushing it too far until the next day. Monday morning I woke up and felt the dull pain where the fracture occurred. It didn't hurt, I wasn't limping around but my leg didn't feel like it did the day before so I know that I pushed it too far too soon. Time to throttle the training back down again and give my leg a bit more time to heal. My PT tells me that broken bones typically take 6 to 8 weeks to heal. I'm now at 5 weeks since I last truly ran on it so I should be getting close to moving past this.This morning I did another run. This time I went back to the last phase of the 5/5/5 plan and I ran for only 20 minutes around the 9 minute/mile pace. Again, I'll have to wait to know for sure but I'm hoping that I can push it just a bit more this weekend. Fortunately, I have a follow-up visit with my Doctor and Physical Therapist this Friday so I'll be able to get some advice on where to go from here. It's frustrating, without a doubt.
b
8.19.2008
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble...
Last night was my first attempt at a 'jog' since determining that I have a stress fracture in my left femur. After a new shoe purchase at my local running shop called Second Sole, I headed up to the local towpath trail to find softer running surfaces than the concrete sidewalks in my neighborhood. As in cycling where my philosophy has been why drive to start a bike ride when I can bike from my house, I've always tried to run directly directly from my front doorstep. This not only saves a few dollars in gas but helps minimize how long I'll be away from the house; and ultimately how long I'll be away from the kids and my wife.
With my leg finally feeling good and the limp in my step gone, I wanted to play it ultra safe and run somewhere a little more forgiving concrete so the towpath would have to do as I don't have a gym membership to find a treadmill. Pulling into the closest trail head at Sand Run, I was reminded of how busy this place is. If running ultra slow in privacy was my goal, I wouldn't find it here. Sand Run is to running what Bally's is to working out. Essentially if you're into being seen or seeing others, this is where typically go. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to run but there's more to look at than the trees and wildlife. I didn't want to be seen but it was the closest place so I'd have to suck it up, after all, Doctor's orders was jogging for no more than 20 minutes so how bad could it really be?
Bad enough to be passed by every runner, walker and three legged dogs in the area. The only people who didn't pass me were the 80+ year old crowd, but that's probably because they were home getting ready for bed. It was so tough to not try to pick it up to save some dignity but better to be safe than sorry I guess. Truly a humbling experience. I think I will make a T-Shirt the next time that says "Fractured Femur on Board" or something.
brian
With my leg finally feeling good and the limp in my step gone, I wanted to play it ultra safe and run somewhere a little more forgiving concrete so the towpath would have to do as I don't have a gym membership to find a treadmill. Pulling into the closest trail head at Sand Run, I was reminded of how busy this place is. If running ultra slow in privacy was my goal, I wouldn't find it here. Sand Run is to running what Bally's is to working out. Essentially if you're into being seen or seeing others, this is where typically go. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to run but there's more to look at than the trees and wildlife. I didn't want to be seen but it was the closest place so I'd have to suck it up, after all, Doctor's orders was jogging for no more than 20 minutes so how bad could it really be?
Bad enough to be passed by every runner, walker and three legged dogs in the area. The only people who didn't pass me were the 80+ year old crowd, but that's probably because they were home getting ready for bed. It was so tough to not try to pick it up to save some dignity but better to be safe than sorry I guess. Truly a humbling experience. I think I will make a T-Shirt the next time that says "Fractured Femur on Board" or something.
brian
8.12.2008
Running Pains Part II
As an endurance athlete (if I can call myself that), you become somewhat accustomed to at least some level of discomfort when training for your specific sport. Running definitely falls into this category. At first, there's nothing pleasurable about running and typically every step hurts so when I started feeling some pain in my thigh about a month ago I figured it was just the next level of discomfort that I needed to work through to get to that next great plateau. After a few weeks I noticed this pain wasn't going away but it certainly wasn't getting any worse so I figured I'd do my best to run through it in hopes that it would eventually disappear. The trick for me was to run the first quarter mile or so (usually with a limp) in pain but know that after those first few minutes the pain would go away and I'd be back to running my normal stride pain free. After the run, I'd feel better than ever before and think that I was finally through this hurdle but like that one loud neighbor that everyone has, it would always return the next day. Two weeks ago when I was out running one of my 8 mile runs, the pain didn't go away. In fact it got worse during the run. It was at this point that I knew something was wrong. It was also at this point that I could no longer hide the pain from my wife as I came hobbling through the door. Atypical for me and probably most males in the continental United States, I made a doctor's appointment the very next day to rule anything serious out. To shorten the story, once I worked my way through my primary physician I was finally able to get to see a sports medicine professional. There I had some x-rays done which showed nothing. Yes!!! No stress fractures so it's something muscular and I can keep my running hopes alive. Not so fast, the doctor wanted to perform a Bone Scan just to rule out any fractures that might be too small to show up on the usual x-ray. I had the test this past Friday and I'm happy to say that I'm no longer radioactive, but I did find out some bad news in the process. My worst fear came true, actually my two worst fears came true. The first one is that I do indeed have a stress fracture in my left femur. The second fear that came true is that unlike what I was telling everyone in grade school, the scan shows that I am not big boned but in fact, I am just fat. So much for being able to use that excuse!
In all seriousness, finding this out is horrible news. It completely redefines what I'm going to be doing for Columbus and in fact there is even a big question mark on whether I can even compete in Columbus which happens in only a few months time from now. My physician who is an avid marathoner who feels that there is still a chance I can do it, but I will have to throw out all ambitions of running a fast time and only focus on trying to finish it. As he said, I might have to settle for walking a portion of the race. Walking is a long ways away from my Boston qualifying time, but I guess I should be happy that it's nothing more serious than it is.
So what's my next step to recovery? Well, take it slow day by day and manage my recovery by what level of discomfort that I'm having. I will do what my doctor calls the 5/5/5 plan. For the first five days, starting today I will walk briskly every other day for 20 minutes. If I feel any pain doing this, then I'll stop and rest more. On the days that I'm not walking, I'll do some cross training like riding my bike or doing an elliptical machine or something at the gym. During the next 5 day cycle, I'll start to jog for 20 minutes. This jog will be at a slightly faster pace than my walk. Not fast enough to get cardio benefit out of it, only fast enough so that my left leg is striking the ground with all my body weight on it without the support of my right leg. Again, I will cross-train like crazy at this point to keep my cardio up high. If I feel any pain, I go back half a phase and start over. It's my hope that I don't feel any pain. The last cycle of 5 days will be running for 20 minutes. Again, not running for cardio but running a bit quicker than before so I get more repetitions on my left leg during the 20 minute time period. These will be run at about 2 minutes slower than my normal running pace, so for me I will target about a 9 minute/mile tempo. Most likely, I will even try to run these a bit slower like around 10 minute mile tempo just to take it a bit easier. If after all of this, I'm still pain free, I'm good to go on training, only I will take the schedule much, much, much easier at this point as I will be only running to condition myself for long runs and not necessarily for fast running. Here's to the hope that I can go pain free!
brian
7.21.2008
Running Data!
I've admitted several times before in previous posts that I'm addicted to data. I don't get the shakes or cold sweats if I'm not looking at charts and graphs showing me my daily training, but knowing that there is relatively cheap technology out there that I can use to help me train more efficiently and effectively keeps me saving my pennies. When I started running, I stepped back in time in terms of training aids. The best that I had was my old Timex Iron Man watch that was replaced after the previous one got ruined while swimming in Italy (Good story here about "Naked Lady Cove"). As for heart rate, pacing, mileage, I was taking a non-approach to training and just winging it which after being so heavily involved in power based training on the bike felt very foreign.
I needed to look for something to help me out. As with the bike, there were also lots of options here, watches, heart rate monitors, GPS Systems, etc. I quickly narrowed in on the GPS but decided that for the high dollars that these systems cost, I couldn't justify it....yet. It wasn't until I visited my local running shop Second Sole that I learned about another option, the Nike+ Sportband. For a moderate $65, here is a device that is supposed to tell me current time, duration, pacing, mileage and calories burned. Everything that I was looking for and for the right price. So how did it go? Test run number one was 13 miles long. It said I ran 2.5 miles. Test run two was a 6 miler, ended up recording only about a mile and a half. I started keeping an eye on it and noticed that it was recording my pace at accurately one second and then in the next second it would be something crazy like a 45 minute/mile pace. Frustrating to say the least. I ended up taking it back and exchanging it for another, hoping better results would come on the second one. How did this one do? Yesterday was a 14 miler....and it recorded 14 miles. I'm hopeful that this thing is close but I still plan on taking it to the track this week to make sure its calibrated right on. So what did I learn from this technology? Well primarily that my pacing is way off. On my long runs I'm trying to run about an 8minute, 30 second pace. I ended up averaging 8'17 seconds overall but that for over half the run I was running at 7 minute pace. I'm happy that I've now got something to help me out and I'm glad I've still got some time to get the feel of running all dialed in. It's a bit week in terms of graphics but here's what the data looks like from my run. (Note that all the dots represent the miles. On the website where my data is listed, each of those dots are active points that give me info for the run at that point in time. Helpful there, not so much here :)
b
I needed to look for something to help me out. As with the bike, there were also lots of options here, watches, heart rate monitors, GPS Systems, etc. I quickly narrowed in on the GPS but decided that for the high dollars that these systems cost, I couldn't justify it....yet. It wasn't until I visited my local running shop Second Sole that I learned about another option, the Nike+ Sportband. For a moderate $65, here is a device that is supposed to tell me current time, duration, pacing, mileage and calories burned. Everything that I was looking for and for the right price. So how did it go? Test run number one was 13 miles long. It said I ran 2.5 miles. Test run two was a 6 miler, ended up recording only about a mile and a half. I started keeping an eye on it and noticed that it was recording my pace at accurately one second and then in the next second it would be something crazy like a 45 minute/mile pace. Frustrating to say the least. I ended up taking it back and exchanging it for another, hoping better results would come on the second one. How did this one do? Yesterday was a 14 miler....and it recorded 14 miles. I'm hopeful that this thing is close but I still plan on taking it to the track this week to make sure its calibrated right on. So what did I learn from this technology? Well primarily that my pacing is way off. On my long runs I'm trying to run about an 8minute, 30 second pace. I ended up averaging 8'17 seconds overall but that for over half the run I was running at 7 minute pace. I'm happy that I've now got something to help me out and I'm glad I've still got some time to get the feel of running all dialed in. It's a bit week in terms of graphics but here's what the data looks like from my run. (Note that all the dots represent the miles. On the website where my data is listed, each of those dots are active points that give me info for the run at that point in time. Helpful there, not so much here :)
b
7.17.2008
Miner's blog, jr?
Last night Nicholas started racing his bike. This process started a few months ago when he asked me when he could start racing like me. After I explained to him that he was still a bit too young at only 5 years old to start road racing, I let him know that there was an alternative and that was BMX racing. He seemed interested in seeing what it was all about so we ventured over to the Akron Derby Downs BMX track. His good friend Gavin Parr has been out there a few times so it was a good opportunity to ease any fears that he might have about the sport. Wanting to make sure that he really wanted to do this, I took him out there multiple times, just so he could get a good feel for what he would have to do to make it from the start line to the finish line, and to make sure he was sure he wanted to do it. Sometimes with kids, their opinions can change fairly quickly on what they want so before we made any financial commitment on equipment, race license, etc., I wanted to make sure he was serious. Tuesday night when I asked him if he wanted to go to swim lessons or race his bike, it was a quick decision...race his bike.
Once we got to the track last night, we quickly got Nicholas registered and almost immediately found that the volunteer staff out there is absolutely amazing. It was really cool to see how everyone there was so helpful to Nicholas and I. He quickly found a mentor named Greg who had two sons also racing who took him up to the start gate and helped him around the track several times until he could get the hang of it. I'm really thankful for him being there because it took a few turns before he realized how much speed he really needed to have to get up and over those big ramps. I always thought Nicholas was a big kid until I saw him out there. He looked as small as the day he was born. What impressed me most about Greg and the other volunteers out there who make the races possible, is that they love the kids and the sport, and are willing to do whatever they can to make sure you have a positive experience. Not sure I've seen that kind of expression of interest in any of the local races that I've competed in. Not saying I've had bad experiences because for the most part, they have all been positive. I'm just saying it was totally different.
Nicholas did well, I can't really give a good race report and let's face it, you probably don't want to hear one from me. I was just happy to see that at the end of the evening he was thrilled with the trophy that he won (he slept with it) and that he's anxious to go back again.brian
7.14.2008
Back at the Races!
When rolling across the finish line at the Race for Alex almost a month and a half ago, I had hoped that between my running and my commuting to work via bike, that I'd have some type of fitness to participate in the annual Chapel race. I always look forward to this race as it's close, cheap and lots of fun. With being off the bike for so long I was also looking forward to seeing and racing with all my teammates again. Rolling up to the start line, I really had no expectations for the day but to hopefully stay with the pack. I thought if I could do that, then it would be a successful day. Quickly into the day, Tim pushed the pace to try to get off the front. He didn't have much luck but than Marshall came up and tried the same thing. I figured that I'd give it a shot as well. We had the field packed so I thought I could at least make the race difficult for as long as possible, even if that meant my day would be early. As it turns out, I'd be good for a few more attacks along the way and surprisingly, I felt as good as I ever have on the bike. They say rest is important, apparently I need 6 weeks! In all honesty, I never felt good to go solo for the distance, but if any of the breaks that I was trying to initiate would have been successful in working, I think I could have made it stick. With 5 to go, I knew it was most likely heading down to the bunch kick so I restrained myself for the finish. With a half lap to go, I let it all go and attacked one last time on the backside of the church. I went through the final few turns still up in front but not with enough power to hold on. I ended up rolling in for 7th place for the night but with the satisfaction of making the race difficult and hopefully setting up some success for my other teammates. I'm looking forward to racing again this week.
Unfortunately I'm having some issues with my PowerTap computer as Cycling Peaks had some issues saving the data for me. From a quick glance, I remember seeing a normalized power of 305 W for the approx. 39 minute effort. This really surprised me that my power output would still be that high after so many weeks at sub-threshold riding. Maybe there really is something to this rest thing :)
b
Unfortunately I'm having some issues with my PowerTap computer as Cycling Peaks had some issues saving the data for me. From a quick glance, I remember seeing a normalized power of 305 W for the approx. 39 minute effort. This really surprised me that my power output would still be that high after so many weeks at sub-threshold riding. Maybe there really is something to this rest thing :)
b
7.03.2008
Commuting Woes
I suffered what I'm sure will be the first of many flat tires on my commute home yesterday. I was riding the cross bike with the knobbies on it but I guess those do little to protect me from what seems like endless miles of broken glass and other sh%t along the streets of Akron. It really is amazing to see how much trash is along the sides of the road here. Maybe that's part of Akron's problem, if the citizens who live and work here can't have enough respect for their own neighborhoods to at least keep their sidewalks clean, what hope is there to attract new talent, businesses, etc. into the area; guess that's just my philosophical self talking. Just call me Bri-istotle. Is there something really fun about smashing glass bottles? I'm just not sure that I really get it.
One thing that I've learned is that 700c x 32 cyclocross tubes aren't successfully replaced with tubes that are for 23mm road bike wheels. I rode the rest of the ride along the towpath home really slow as I couldn't put enough volume of CO2 into the tube to fully inflate the tire. Lesson learned I guess. Better hit the bike shop this weekend for some new tubies and patch kit.
I'm looking forward to the long weekend which will hopefully allow me to get some bike riding in. I've got to take it easy because I don't want to compromise my running schedule but I'm hoping to get at least a bit of feeling back in my legs so I can race in the upcoming Chapel Series. I don't have any expectations of even staying in the field until the finish, but for those of us who drop off the back of the main field....I will so kick your butt for the sprint for 25th place! :)
b
One thing that I've learned is that 700c x 32 cyclocross tubes aren't successfully replaced with tubes that are for 23mm road bike wheels. I rode the rest of the ride along the towpath home really slow as I couldn't put enough volume of CO2 into the tube to fully inflate the tire. Lesson learned I guess. Better hit the bike shop this weekend for some new tubies and patch kit.
I'm looking forward to the long weekend which will hopefully allow me to get some bike riding in. I've got to take it easy because I don't want to compromise my running schedule but I'm hoping to get at least a bit of feeling back in my legs so I can race in the upcoming Chapel Series. I don't have any expectations of even staying in the field until the finish, but for those of us who drop off the back of the main field....I will so kick your butt for the sprint for 25th place! :)
b
6.30.2008
Running Pains
Ouch. I really forgot how hard running is. I've been running 4-5 days a week now, fairly consistently for the past month, mostly consisting of smaller runs around 3 miles long in the first few weeks and then progressing to 5 mile runs the past few weeks. I'm finally starting to feel good (if that's even possible while running) when I'm running so I don't feel completely thrashed by the end of my workout until I started doing big miles. For me, a big run used to be anything longer than running from my living room to my kitchen for some more snacks. Now, I've had to redefine it a bit to say anything in miles that was two digits long. Two weeks ago I did my first big run of 10 miles. This wasn't my first attempt at running big distances. I've done big miles while in the army and a few years ago, I was routinely running 15 milers for the fun of it. For some reason, who knows, maybe its the age but this 10 miler affected me big time. While running, I felt awesome. The kind of feeling that I knew I still had a lot more left in the tank and I could definitely keep going. Fortunately I was sensible and wrapped it up. It wasn't until I got back in the house and cleaned up that I noticed a pain in the ball of my left foot. Ouch, hurts to walk on it. A few days go by and I'm able to do some of my 5 mile runs through the week without issue but on yesterdays 11 mile run I'm feeling it now worse than ever. Funny because I was pretty conscious about it during the run and I never had any issues with pain. I'm hoping this is one of those things that I just have to get through and that there are no serious issues. To be safe, I'm going to head down to the local running store tonight and have them take a look at my running shoes. Better to get this solved now. I can't have anything compromising Columbus.
Sorry, no data but I am trying to convince my wife that I need to Purchase the Garmin 405 watch. Man, if there's one thing that I've learned, it's that I'm addicted to data.
b
Sorry, no data but I am trying to convince my wife that I need to Purchase the Garmin 405 watch. Man, if there's one thing that I've learned, it's that I'm addicted to data.
b
6.23.2008
Miner goes Commuting!
Commuting to work via bike is something that I’ve wanted to do for the past few years. The excuses for not doing it always came easy and I never seemed to take it too seriously until this year. Inspired by my buddy Pat up in Chicago who commutes to work via bike every day of the year and along with the outrageously high gas prices I decided it was time to get serious about starting. As I just mentioned, it was the excuses that kept me from doing it previously. Specifically some of these were what do I do about my work clothes since I have to dress professionally here at work, what do I do about a shower and what do I do if I need a car to drive out to a clients project site? I realized that my whole problem was that I thought commuting to work meant I had to do it every day of the work week. Once I got it into my mind that this wasn’t true, two out of the three issues above simply went away. What I do is that on the days that I have to drive into work (if I need to drive to a project site, pick up kids after work, etc.) I bring my clothes that I’ll need for the days that I plan on riding and just leave them in my office, hence keeping everything looking wrinkle free! As for the shower, my building does have a shower facility here in the building should I need it. I say should because so far I haven’t. My commute is just under 5 miles and what I find is that even with some of the small climbs that I have, I’m just getting warmed up by the time that I get here. So, showering before I leave the house is still working out well. This might change once the temperature gets a bit warmer and muggier, but I’ll deal with that issue when it arises.
Commuting to work also helps me feel connected to riding. Having for the most part stopped seriously training so I can better prepare for the Columbus Marathon, riding in three days a week at least keeps me feeling like I’m not completely throwing away all that fitness I gained through the winter and spring. In the back of my mind I’m really hoping that these commutes along with the occasional team training ride can keep me somewhat in shape (along with tons of running) so I can get back on the bike just in time for cyclocross season. As for my daily commute, pretty straight forward really. I’m treated each morning with an amazing view of the City as I roll behind Saint Thomas Hospital and down Howard Street. I’ve also found this amazing street that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise called Bluff. It’s got some amazing cobbles to it, and I mean true cobbles, not just brick pavers. Check out the picture below. If it was located in a more convenient location, it would be awesome to try to race up. Until next time,
b
6.05.2008
Columbus Marathon, here I come..
Well, it's official. I'm now registered for this years Columbus Marathon which will be held on October 19th.I had an opportunity to run a 4 miler Tuesday night in the midst of a downpour which unfortunately was my first real run for the year. Funny how not one person yelled at me from their car, threw things at me or came dangerously close to hitting me while I was out there. The first mile I felt lousy; mile 2 and mile 3 I felt awesome and then mile 4 I felt lousy again. It's a long way to get to 26.2
b
6.02.2008
Race for Alex
When I made the decision to run the Columbus Marathon this fall (and be competitive in it), I knew I would have to cut short my cycling season to achieve some of the goals that I set. I barely seem to have time to train for one sport, let alone try to train for two so something has to go and it won't be family or work so I guess that means I'm voluntarily letting my CTL drop a bit until later this fall. With the shortened season, I picked the Race for Alex as the event to say goodbye to my 2007 season. I raced it last year and remember having a lot of fun on a course that really suited me.
Sunday morning I lined up in a field of 54 riders in the Cat 4/Cat 5 field, by far the largest group that I've raced with in awhile. Joining me from Stark Velo was: Matt Turi, Tim House, Chris Smith, Don Bunker, Greg Banic, Bill Fletcher, Tim Graichen and James Votaw. With such a large group of teammates racing, we should hopefully be able to do something productive for the day as we certainly had the numbers. With such a large group and a strict yellow-line rule, moving up was going to be difficult so I did my best to get myself in the top 20 places as we rolled out of the parking lot. Being even this far back would prove to be disaster for the day. It was nice from the sense that I always had someone to block the strong winds, but difficult to move up into any better position. I always like to keep an eye on the front and make moves when necessary. Sitting pinched in the middle of the field sort of makes that logic impractical. A prime example came when Turi took a solo flier off the front on lap 2. I was doing my best to move up in the field to the front to try and slow things down but it was impossible. There were only three ways to do it. Flagrantly breaking the yellow-line rule, take my luck riding in the gutter or be stupid/dangerous and try to squeeze through riders in the field. I decided I'd try to ride near the gutter in hopes that enough openings would happen on that side that I could jump into and leap frog my way to the front. Unfortunately, after almost a lap of Matt being out front, I was nowhere closer to helping him out and he was quickly moving back to us.
The race was fast but I was able to notice some things along the way. Firstly that there was a rider who was walking back to the start line (opposite race direction) who was pushing his bike with a severed handlebar. Wow, wonder how that happened and where. Two, the railroad tracks on the course are absolutely horrible. I still need to take a good look at my Zipps but on one outing over them; I heard a nasty crack when I rolled over it. Hopefully, it was the guy next to me and not my fine 303 hoops.
Starting lap 4 and I'm finally feeling better. It had been a few days since I had an opportunity to ride and I needed a few minutes of high intensity to bring my legs back. I knew with only two laps to go, there was no way I was going to get dropped and hopefully I could find a way up front to get competitive in this thing. After all, it was my last race. So we roll over the track on lap 4. Guys do like they always do on every lap and try to bunny hop them at 35 mph. Something happens and all of a sudden there are bodies and bikes everywhere. I slam on my breaks hoping nobody behind me crashes into me and I safely navigate my way through the carnage that lies on the street. The field moves away from me at that point. I pretty much stop to see if anyone who was involved in it is really hurt or not. I notice that there was a follow vehicle that is there and decided that I can try to catch the main field which at this point was probably down to 25 guys or so.
Well, the wind was too strong and/or they were too fast so I never could catch them. Rode the last lap and a half by myself but nobody ever caught me...for whatever that's worth. Riding solo did give me an opportunity to reflect on that crash though. My thought was that the Race for Alex is a race that was setup to benefit a recovering spinal cord injured racer. Why is this race trying to setup future injuries? I know that may seem a bit harsh and you can call me a p#%ssy if you like but let's face it, bike racing is inherently dangerous as it is even on the safest of courses. Throw in things like crappy, rough railroad crossings and the risk level just gets raised that much higher. I haven't found too many races that I feel are worth the risk of racing and boycott from (Medina Twin Sizzler is the only one right now), but I think I'm going to have to add the Race for Alex to the list that I'm going to avoid from now on. I hate to say it since MVC is a good club, it has great organization and Bob seems to have a lot of passion for this race, but there are better things I can be doing with my time than risking my life.
So, not the way that I wanted to wrap up my season, but I can’t control those things. If I could, I would have won every race that I’ve ever entered. I look forward to really getting into running here this week. I’m hoping to keep riding, at least with commuting to work and maybe the occasional team ride in hopes that I can still race the Chapel Series. I need something to blog after all…..
b
Here's the data for the day's race:
Race for Alex:
Duration: 58:14
Work: 877 kJ
TSS: 98.2 (intensity factor 1.006)
Norm Power: 302
VI: 1.2
Distance: 21.978 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 1057 251 watts
Heart rate: 94 205 169 bpm
Cadence: 31 141 97 rpm
Speed: 2.6 35.8 22.6 mph
Pace 1:41 22:59 2:39 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 345 79 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1165 220 lb-in
Sunday morning I lined up in a field of 54 riders in the Cat 4/Cat 5 field, by far the largest group that I've raced with in awhile. Joining me from Stark Velo was: Matt Turi, Tim House, Chris Smith, Don Bunker, Greg Banic, Bill Fletcher, Tim Graichen and James Votaw. With such a large group of teammates racing, we should hopefully be able to do something productive for the day as we certainly had the numbers. With such a large group and a strict yellow-line rule, moving up was going to be difficult so I did my best to get myself in the top 20 places as we rolled out of the parking lot. Being even this far back would prove to be disaster for the day. It was nice from the sense that I always had someone to block the strong winds, but difficult to move up into any better position. I always like to keep an eye on the front and make moves when necessary. Sitting pinched in the middle of the field sort of makes that logic impractical. A prime example came when Turi took a solo flier off the front on lap 2. I was doing my best to move up in the field to the front to try and slow things down but it was impossible. There were only three ways to do it. Flagrantly breaking the yellow-line rule, take my luck riding in the gutter or be stupid/dangerous and try to squeeze through riders in the field. I decided I'd try to ride near the gutter in hopes that enough openings would happen on that side that I could jump into and leap frog my way to the front. Unfortunately, after almost a lap of Matt being out front, I was nowhere closer to helping him out and he was quickly moving back to us.
The race was fast but I was able to notice some things along the way. Firstly that there was a rider who was walking back to the start line (opposite race direction) who was pushing his bike with a severed handlebar. Wow, wonder how that happened and where. Two, the railroad tracks on the course are absolutely horrible. I still need to take a good look at my Zipps but on one outing over them; I heard a nasty crack when I rolled over it. Hopefully, it was the guy next to me and not my fine 303 hoops.
Starting lap 4 and I'm finally feeling better. It had been a few days since I had an opportunity to ride and I needed a few minutes of high intensity to bring my legs back. I knew with only two laps to go, there was no way I was going to get dropped and hopefully I could find a way up front to get competitive in this thing. After all, it was my last race. So we roll over the track on lap 4. Guys do like they always do on every lap and try to bunny hop them at 35 mph. Something happens and all of a sudden there are bodies and bikes everywhere. I slam on my breaks hoping nobody behind me crashes into me and I safely navigate my way through the carnage that lies on the street. The field moves away from me at that point. I pretty much stop to see if anyone who was involved in it is really hurt or not. I notice that there was a follow vehicle that is there and decided that I can try to catch the main field which at this point was probably down to 25 guys or so.
Well, the wind was too strong and/or they were too fast so I never could catch them. Rode the last lap and a half by myself but nobody ever caught me...for whatever that's worth. Riding solo did give me an opportunity to reflect on that crash though. My thought was that the Race for Alex is a race that was setup to benefit a recovering spinal cord injured racer. Why is this race trying to setup future injuries? I know that may seem a bit harsh and you can call me a p#%ssy if you like but let's face it, bike racing is inherently dangerous as it is even on the safest of courses. Throw in things like crappy, rough railroad crossings and the risk level just gets raised that much higher. I haven't found too many races that I feel are worth the risk of racing and boycott from (Medina Twin Sizzler is the only one right now), but I think I'm going to have to add the Race for Alex to the list that I'm going to avoid from now on. I hate to say it since MVC is a good club, it has great organization and Bob seems to have a lot of passion for this race, but there are better things I can be doing with my time than risking my life.
So, not the way that I wanted to wrap up my season, but I can’t control those things. If I could, I would have won every race that I’ve ever entered. I look forward to really getting into running here this week. I’m hoping to keep riding, at least with commuting to work and maybe the occasional team ride in hopes that I can still race the Chapel Series. I need something to blog after all…..
b
Here's the data for the day's race:
Race for Alex:
Duration: 58:14
Work: 877 kJ
TSS: 98.2 (intensity factor 1.006)
Norm Power: 302
VI: 1.2
Distance: 21.978 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 1057 251 watts
Heart rate: 94 205 169 bpm
Cadence: 31 141 97 rpm
Speed: 2.6 35.8 22.6 mph
Pace 1:41 22:59 2:39 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 345 79 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1165 220 lb-in
5.12.2008
I knew I always looked sexy in this kit!
This past weekend, Jen and I took our annual trip up to Chicago to visit our good friends Pat and Kristy. I hate missing a good local race like RATL but the opportunity to head up to Chi-town without the kids just couldn't be passed up; besides, Pat is a great rider and I was sure we'd get some decent riding in while there.The weather forecast for the weekend showed Saturday as the best opportunity to get some miles in. What Chicago lacks in elevation (i.e. hills) they more than make up for in wind. The wind was something like 25 mph sustained with probably 30-35mph wind gusts, definitely a lot of work to keep any type of momentum going while heading north along the lake. Fortunately we'd be heading into the wind in the beginning and then taking advantage of mother nature on the return trip home. The plan for this ride was to leave from their place down in Hyde Park and then work our way over via the city streets to the bike path along the lake shore. This isn't the first time I've ridden up in Chicago and I knew what to expect while riding on the roads with Pat. Everyone has probably seen the video of the bike messenger races in NYC and getting around here in Chicago isn't much different. It's a lot different than riding here in Northeast Ohio but after experiencing this a few times I now really love the rush of adrenaline that flows when you're dodging through moving traffic! Who knows, maybe I'll give up my gig as an architect and become a bike messenger!
OK, I'm not really going to blog every twist and turn of the bike path for you. I would just say that first of all, if you haven't been to Chicago, go. This is by far my favorite American City and I could feasibly see the Miner's relocating up there someday (soon?). Second of all, when you get to Chicago, make sure to spend some time down on the Lakefront. Being down there, whether you're walking, riding or people watching, it really makes you think about how bad Cleveland messed up on the development of their waterfront. Lots of missed opportunity up there but I digress.So, here's where my fun morning of dodging through rollerbladers, dog walkers and recreation riders takes a turn for the worse. I have always been completely honest and transparent in my blog, but if you're under the age of 18, you may not want to continue reading as I don't want to be responsible for the corruption of any minors. Back to the story.....we made it all the way to the end of the bike path which is about 18 or so miles north of where we started. Anticipating a fun and fast return back to Pat & Kristy's condo, I decided the half-way point would be a good place to make a quick pit stop before turning around. Fortunately, there was a public restroom right there...what luck! As we roll up, there's a guy walking down the path and like anybody would probably do, I tossed out a hello and what's up. He mumbled something that I didn't really hear as I was concentrating on getting to the bathroom before the Gatorade that was inside of me made a forceful exit. So, I unclipped out of my pedals, put the bike against the wall and here comes this same guy again into the restroom. I thought it was a bit strange as he had probably just left there but who knows, maybe he was having some issues and couldn't venture far away from the safety of a toilet. Who was I to judge? Another second of taking off and stashing my gloves and in I went. To my surprise, the restroom was somewhat large with 4 urinals and this guy was at the far end. Thank God I know enough about the unwritten rule of not standing next to someone so I went to the one that was two away from him because the last one was in plain view of the exterior and I do like a bit of modesty. You know how you see things out of your peripheral vision that you don't really want or intend to see? Well, I can tell that this guy has got some 'weird' type of movement there for going pee. I chalked it up to maybe a Chicago thing and that he was just finishing up. I've always said and been told that shake it three times and any more than that you're playing with yourself. Well, out of my peripheral vision, I could see that this guy was looking at me and he probably wasn't peeing, I couldn't be sure but damn it really seemed weird. Of all the times to get stage fright while going to the bathroom and all I could do was stand there and pray for me to pee soon. I was frantically thinking, pee or leave, pee or leave.....My decision was immediately made when his random, slow hand movements sped up and some moaning occurred. That's it, I had all the evidence that I needed, this guy wasn't peeing, how do I say it discreetly...he was choking the chicken, polishing his knob, pleasuring himself and he was using me as his sexy pinup boy. AUGH!!! AUGH!!! AUGH!!! I quickly got out of there, still not having went and left immediately. I remember having the thought, do I say something to this guy, do I tell Pat to come in and we can laugh at him for being insane, do I kick his ass, maybe call the cops on him? My first intuition was to just get on the bike and go which is what I did. This guy was a Freak with a capital F and who knows what else he was capable of. So, there you have it Miner getting violated in Chicago while on a bike ride. I will always be careful now when venturing into a public bathroom. Maybe I will do what women do and have a friend go in with me or something.
b
5.04.2008
Race at the Lakes - Round 3b
I don’t get many opportunities to ride outside. I can get all the early morning rides on the trainer that I want, but in all honesty getting up at 5:00 a.m. to get an hours workout in before going to work is getting old, especially now that the weather’s getting so nice outside. I would say that on average, I only ride about 6 hours a week. On a good week, I might see 8 hours. I don't think, with the exception of the Boone, North Carolina trips that I ever have any weeks that have more volume in it than that so needless to say, I jump on any opportunity I might have to ride. With the lousy weather we had yesterday, today seemed like an absolute dream and I started thinking during the middle of mass this morning on which of my favorite routes I would be doing this afternoon. As I was getting my things ready to go, I looked outside, saw my son Nicholas playing and decided that I’d rather spend some time with him on the bike, rather than training down in the Valley. He had been asking for a few weeks about riding with me out at the RATL course and I figured today was as good as any day to do that. It’s so close and I figured after a few laps, we’d be done and I’d still have time for a quick workout.
I’ll be honest, this might be the best way to race out there. Nicholas and I grabbed some chalk, made a quick start line and we were off, me riding the Cervelo and he on his slightly undersized Specialized. I keep meaning to give Sherman up at Bike Authority a call to see what we can do about getting him something more his size and this might just be the nice reminder that I need to do just that. Each lap around the course had plenty of breaks, either to look at the water, pick up Dandelions, play on the playground equipment or just to grab a drink of Gatorade. I’d even say that this was by far the best time I’ve ever spent out there on this course. I don’t think I’ve ever had an opportunity to really see the beauty that this park has to offer, especially when accompanied by a 5 year old. It’s nice to slow down every once in a while. Oh, by the way, just like all the previous races I’ve done out there, I didn’t win this one either and I didn't get any more training in afterwards. Guess I'll be getting up really early tomorrow.
b
Here’s the data for today’s race:
Entire workout (38 watts):
Duration: 55:50 (1:54:33)
Work: 122 kJ
TSS: 4.9 (intensity factor 0.234)
Norm Power: 66
VI: 1.73
Distance: 5.891 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 240 38 watts
Cadence: 29 141 56 rpm
Speed: 2.2 15.1 6.5 mph
Pace 3:58 26:49 9:15 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 304 45 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 378 60 lb-in
5.03.2008
Race at the Lakes - Round 3
This morning when I woke up and I saw the weather radar, there was absolutely no chance that I wouldn’t be racing today. I like having a little diversity and bad weather always leads to a more selective field. The only question for me was would I ride my bike over to the race or drive myself instead? I made my decision quickly when the rain started coming down around 8:00 this morning. I decided to opt for the warm and dry car ride instead of the bike ride over. I recalled seeing a picnic shelter that I could go set up shop in and stay warm and dry and that seemed a lot better to me than riding in the cold rain. Don’t get me wrong, I knew that there was no chance in hell that we would stay dry during the race, I just figured why get wet any sooner than absolutely necessary.
The Cat 4 field was expectedly smaller than the previous two weeks races when the weather was a bit nicer. I would estimate that maybe we had about 25 guys in the field which I thought for such lousy conditions really wasn’t too bad. Joining me from Stark Velo today were Tim, Matt, Marshall and Josh.
This was a weird race today for some reason as it just didn’t seem to play out the way they typically do. Typically it’s a sit and sprint situation with one large field. Today this race ended breaking up more often than Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee. It all started off with Matt taking a solo flier early into the race, maybe around lap 3 or 4. He did a great job opening up a small gap but after a lap, he was back in the field. Summit did a great job of immediately countering Matt’s move. They didn’t get far but once we were all back together I noticed that these two small efforts split the field in several groups. What once was a group of 25 was now a small select group of 10. Nice, if this could work I’d be looking at a top 10 finish for sure! We managed to stay clear for several more laps but I don’t know whether it was guys killing themselves to win primes or what but there was never a consistent tempo that would have been helpful to keep us clear. We were soon joined by about 4 or 5 other guys who managed to bridge back up to us. I was happy to see that two of them were Tim and Josh because I knew by this time that I just didn’t have the legs for the race today and I felt bad not being able to help Matt out. Having two additional teammates who could help cover any dangerous moves meant I could almost just concentrate on getting myself to the finish line as I was struggling just to stay with this lead group. I don’t know how I go from feeling so strong one day to feeling horrible the next but I just never felt good in the race. Needless to say I had nothing left in the tank so when the tempo got really hot with one lap to go; I lost contact and rode in solo to finish up another mediocre performance for ‘08. Matt was the best placed Velo rider in 6th place with Josh and Tim finishing up just in front of me. I think Team Spin won today’s round but there’s one more opportunity for Stark Velo to pull out a win or podium at next weeks event.
A look at the data afterwards reveals that the race was much harder than I had perceived it being during the race.
Duration: 51:19
Work: 774 kJ
TSS: 99.5 (intensity factor 1.079)
Norm Power: 302
VI: 1.2
Distance: 19.81 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 883 252 watts
Heart rate: 101 183 168 bpm
Cadence: 29 141 100 rpm
Speed: 0 32.8 23.1 mph
Pace 1:50 0:00 2:36 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 342 76 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1296 213 lb-in
The Cat 4 field was expectedly smaller than the previous two weeks races when the weather was a bit nicer. I would estimate that maybe we had about 25 guys in the field which I thought for such lousy conditions really wasn’t too bad. Joining me from Stark Velo today were Tim, Matt, Marshall and Josh.
This was a weird race today for some reason as it just didn’t seem to play out the way they typically do. Typically it’s a sit and sprint situation with one large field. Today this race ended breaking up more often than Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee. It all started off with Matt taking a solo flier early into the race, maybe around lap 3 or 4. He did a great job opening up a small gap but after a lap, he was back in the field. Summit did a great job of immediately countering Matt’s move. They didn’t get far but once we were all back together I noticed that these two small efforts split the field in several groups. What once was a group of 25 was now a small select group of 10. Nice, if this could work I’d be looking at a top 10 finish for sure! We managed to stay clear for several more laps but I don’t know whether it was guys killing themselves to win primes or what but there was never a consistent tempo that would have been helpful to keep us clear. We were soon joined by about 4 or 5 other guys who managed to bridge back up to us. I was happy to see that two of them were Tim and Josh because I knew by this time that I just didn’t have the legs for the race today and I felt bad not being able to help Matt out. Having two additional teammates who could help cover any dangerous moves meant I could almost just concentrate on getting myself to the finish line as I was struggling just to stay with this lead group. I don’t know how I go from feeling so strong one day to feeling horrible the next but I just never felt good in the race. Needless to say I had nothing left in the tank so when the tempo got really hot with one lap to go; I lost contact and rode in solo to finish up another mediocre performance for ‘08. Matt was the best placed Velo rider in 6th place with Josh and Tim finishing up just in front of me. I think Team Spin won today’s round but there’s one more opportunity for Stark Velo to pull out a win or podium at next weeks event.
A look at the data afterwards reveals that the race was much harder than I had perceived it being during the race.
Duration: 51:19
Work: 774 kJ
TSS: 99.5 (intensity factor 1.079)
Norm Power: 302
VI: 1.2
Distance: 19.81 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 883 252 watts
Heart rate: 101 183 168 bpm
Cadence: 29 141 100 rpm
Speed: 0 32.8 23.1 mph
Pace 1:50 0:00 2:36 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 342 76 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1296 213 lb-in
4.28.2008
Race at the Lakes - Round 2
Well, I stand corrected from last weeks race report, it is possible for a breakaway to be successful in the Cat 4 field at RATL. The Cat 4 field size was a bit smaller than last weeks, I guess the threat of rain kept a few of the riders from last week away which was OK with me. I for one was hoping that it would be a serious downpour as I tend to like those nasty conditions a bit better. I'm 1/1000 Belgium so I kept my eye on the heavens but of course, I also think that I'm 1/1000 Kenyan (which I'll be calling on for the Columbus Marathon later) so those two heritages actually cancel themselves so I wasn't left with much of an advantage.
Joining me in the Cat 4 field for Velo were Tim House, Josh Troche, Matt Turi, Chris Smith and Jason Leaman. With the strong wind, my plans were to stay safely in the field, keep attentive and if anything promising happened, try to follow it. Well, I found myself very early in the race going with moves that were destined to fail. One move was with a solo Summit rider (who happened to win the race later) but it was all brought back within the lap. We needed more people to make that one stick. Another move a bit later was with a few other guys with each of the teams being represented so I figured it would stick. Nope, it got pulled back too. Another move was a counter attack to Tim's initial attack. What failed my move (besides not being a great athlete) was it was also a prime lap and my attack came near the hill. I wasn't attacking to try to win $5, I was attacking so my buddies efforts weren't in vain, and I wanted to win the race. I was caught just before the line so I didn't even win the lousy $5. It was nice to see Josh counter my move right away. For a guy who proclaims that he doesn't like to climb anything greater than the natural curvature of the Earth, it was impressive to see him make the effort at the top of the climb. From here, things settled down a bit for a few laps until another move made its way off the front. Seemed to have representation of every team in it except Snake Bite. There was no immediate response to bring it back and so the break slowly gained some time on us. Matt Turi was up there representing Velo and I felt confident knowing that I could just cruise on in to the finish line as I was definitely feeling the days earlier efforts. All of a sudden I see a Velo rider coming back. Crap, now it's time to try to make a move, only problem was that I was suffering just to keep the tempo, let alone try to bring it back or bridge. Now I was cursing my earlier failed efforts, but you never know how these things work out. Chris Smith made an effort to get across but only made it about halfway in the bridge attempt before coming back. Then Jason made the effort and was able to pull everyone up to two of the breakaway companions but the days winner had shed them earlier, taking the solo win.
Looking at the data, it's no wonder why I had nearly nothing left. With a normalized power of 307 watts for the race, that's well above what I thought was my current FTP level. In all honesty, I've never had any power levels that high in any race that I've done before. The closest that I've come is 300W out at Snitgers and I would have considered that the toughest race in the area. I guess a lot can be said about racing smart and not trying to make unnecessary moves. Just shows the amount of energy and fitness needed to race really aggressive. That being said, I'll be back at it again next week as I'd rather lose the race trying to win it than be pack fodder. My racing $.02 of course.
b
Here's the power levels for the day:
Duration: 49:29
Work: 742 kJ
TSS: 98.9 (intensity factor 1.095)
Norm Power: 307
VI: 1.23
Distance: 19.901 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 1098 250 watts
Heart rate: 103 188 171 bpm
Cadence: 30 141 102 rpm
Speed: 7.7 34.1 24.1 mph
Pace 1:46 7:47 2:29 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 304 72 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1028 207 lb-in
Work: 742 kJ
TSS: 98.9 (intensity factor 1.095)
Norm Power: 307
VI: 1.23
Distance: 19.901 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 1098 250 watts
Heart rate: 103 188 171 bpm
Cadence: 30 141 102 rpm
Speed: 7.7 34.1 24.1 mph
Pace 1:46 7:47 2:29 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 304 72 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1028 207 lb-in
4.19.2008
Race at the Lakes
Wow. What a difference some sunny, warm weather will make. Seems like anyone who rides a bike in Northeast Ohio was out at Munroe Falls Metro Park this morning for the annual Race at the Lakes. This is always a fun race to be in and the Summit Freewheelers/Rainbow Inks team always does a great job at putting this series together. This morning I was joined by fellow Starkies, Matt Turi, Tim House, Marshall Leininger, Josh Troche and Jason Leaman in the Cat 4 field along with about 50 other riders. From a quick glance it seemed like all of the local teams had a major presence, Spin, Snake Bite, and Summit all had a lot more guys there this morning then we did. The history of this race is that the probability of a breakaway actually being successful is next to zero. No way, not going to happen, not in the Cat 4 field anyways. The last time I remember seeing it happening was when I was a Cat 5 and I watched Rick Parr get away Jimmy McDonald about 3 years ago. It’s not that the Cat 4 field is organized and lets something get away until the very end where it gets swallowed up in the last lap or two; it’s just that any move that is made is immediately reacted to. Possibly because this race is just that the race is so short and guys know they’re only a few miles from the finish line, even when they just roll out of the starting gate. (This is of course my best guess). Today I thought could be the exception to this rule with so many teams here. If the right move went up the road with all the major players in it, maybe there was a chance unless teams started chasing down their own teammates, which in the Cat 4 field turns out to happen more often than not. (Again, my editorial comment). My goal this morning was to ride conservatively and be attentive and see if anything happened. If I saw a move developing that had the major players in it, I would do my best to get in it as well. I decided to play it conservative and to try not to initiate it. The race started like it normally does, guys trying to get away but inevitably being swallowed back up in no time. It wasn’t until about half way through the race when I saw a move that looked promising. I quickly make the jump and bridged up to them but by the time we hit the ‘hill’ we were all back together. Turns out, every other Cat 4 wanted to be there as well. The race would follow this routine for the remainder of the race, only to be broken up by the sound of a blown tire and then a savage sounding wreck behind me. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt. The race finished as predicted, in a mass sprint. Congratulations to today’s winners, I believe the Spin guys took first and third, not sure how the rest of the field placed. I know that I finished somewhere in the top 15 or 20 guys and Matt was the best place Stark Velo in seventh. I can’t wait until next week.
Here's the data for the race today.
b
Work: 677 kJ
TSS: 86.1 (intensity factor 1.034)
Norm Power: 290
VI: 1.24
Distance: 19.374 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 972 234 watts
Heart rate: 115 185 164 bpm
Cadence: 29 141 100 rpm
Speed: 2.4 35.1 24.0 mph
Pace 1:43 24:46 2:30 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 355 67 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 904 194 lb-in
Here's the data for the race today.
b
Work: 677 kJ
TSS: 86.1 (intensity factor 1.034)
Norm Power: 290
VI: 1.24
Distance: 19.374 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 972 234 watts
Heart rate: 115 185 164 bpm
Cadence: 29 141 100 rpm
Speed: 2.4 35.1 24.0 mph
Pace 1:43 24:46 2:30 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 355 67 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 904 194 lb-in
3.30.2008
Tour of Richaland County
Yesterday was the kick off for my 2008 racing program. I wanted to race a bit earlier this year but as everyone knows in Northeast Ohio, almost every race prior to this one had been cancelled due to weather. It was for this reason that I was expecting a huge turn out at this race. I know it wasn’t super warm out, but it was above 40 degrees and sunny and couple those two elements with cabin fever, I would have imagined that every race within a 200 mile radius would want to get out to test their fitness on this challenging course. You can imagine my surprise when I only saw about two dozen racers in the Cat 4-5 race. Oh well, better odds for me, especially with the finish line at the bottom of the climb this year. Wow, maybe I have a shot this year.
It was nice to see a lot of Stark Velo at this race. There was almost so many it appeared like it was a training ride where we invited other riders. I think every field (with the exception of the 1/2/3 and the women’s) had 4 or 5 riders. Joining me in the Cat 4-5 race were Matt Turi, Sebastian Birch, new guys Greg Fletcher and Greg Banic. Everyone talks about this race and the big climb on it. Now racing this course for the second time, I don’t think that climb is as decisive as everyone feels it is. In my opinion, it’s the miles of steep rollers that come after it that are much more painful and selective. Just like last year, that’s what would cause my undoing. For me, it came on the second lap, on the last steep roller just before making the final right hand turn onto that valley road. I lost contact with them and although they stayed within eye site, I could never bridge back up to them. Getting dropped sucks big time, but it gives some time for reflection. I guess this is the case with every race but if only I would have had a bit more fitness, I really think I could have had a shot at this race. Tactically this race was easy. It’s not like there were guys attacking all over the place on the hills. In fact, it was completely the opposite, it was just a steady grind all the way through and the course is what selected who finished and who didn’t. In the two dozen or so starters, I counted 9 in front of me when I fell off the back. In some weird sense, I was happy to have lasted to at least to that point. If I could keep anyone from catching me, I could have a top 10 place for the day! I just wouldn’t tell anyone, except for the blogging community that it came a minute after the rest of the winners….
On the last half lap, again on those darn rollers, I could see a few riders coming up from behind me. All of a sudden I heard “Is that you Miner?” I looked back again and saw a bit of yellow so I figured it was one of my teammates and said yes. Turns out the yellow was of an independent rider and the one who knew me was Jay from Breakaway. Check out his blog when you get the chance, always good reading. Anyway, turns out Jay and the indy were in my field so now I had a few guys to ride to the finish with and make it a bit more interesting. We rode along well together for the next several miles where we picked up another indy rider from our field. Yes, if I could now out sprint these guys I could get ninth place! Ok, not so big of a deal. When we were on the last miles of the valley road, we were doing a paceline at the urging of one of the independent riders. I don’t mind doing this and it helps everyone get to the finish quicker, but the problem was it was so slow. Watching my speed and power meter, I had gone through this section solo on the previous lap about 3 mph and a few dozen watts faster. I thought to myself, when should I attack this group and just ride in by myself? I also thought, would that make me a jerk to attack this group? I don’t want to be viewed as that, but I also didn’t want a bunch more riders catching me from behind because we were barely doing 20 mph. So fortunately, it wasn’t me but Jay who put the hammer down. I quickly found his wheel and a quick glance of who was left and we were down to three riders. From there, it was a nice steady rotation until about a mile until the finish where I found myself stuck in front, it seems as though the indy rider didn’t want to come around me anymore. Funny how we fight for the scraps. Ok, no big deal, that’s bike racing and if I’m going to lead you out, I’m going to do my best to make you suffer a bit while doing it. I quickly ramped it up into the finish and soon we were doing 29/30 mph going into the last few hundred meters. I took a quick look behind me and saw Jay furiously sprinting to make up a small gap on my wheel. I started sprinting but couldn’t quite hold him off; he nipped me at the line. D@#n you Jay….D@#n you!!! Just kidding, it was a blast. Not sure where I ended up finishing but I guess it doesn’t really matter.
Ok, so that was my race in no man’s land. One of these days, I’ll have a sweet report from the front of the race.
B
Malabar Farms Race:
Duration: 1:34:22
Work: 1375 kJ
TSS: 166.7 (intensity factor 1.029)
Norm Power: 283
VI: 1.17
Distance: 30.59 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 774 243 watts
Heart rate: 63 204 166 bpm
Cadence: 29 141 91 rpm
Speed: 2.7 37.4 19.5 mph
Pace 1:36 22:27 3:05 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 442 104 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 817 229 lb-in
It was nice to see a lot of Stark Velo at this race. There was almost so many it appeared like it was a training ride where we invited other riders. I think every field (with the exception of the 1/2/3 and the women’s) had 4 or 5 riders. Joining me in the Cat 4-5 race were Matt Turi, Sebastian Birch, new guys Greg Fletcher and Greg Banic. Everyone talks about this race and the big climb on it. Now racing this course for the second time, I don’t think that climb is as decisive as everyone feels it is. In my opinion, it’s the miles of steep rollers that come after it that are much more painful and selective. Just like last year, that’s what would cause my undoing. For me, it came on the second lap, on the last steep roller just before making the final right hand turn onto that valley road. I lost contact with them and although they stayed within eye site, I could never bridge back up to them. Getting dropped sucks big time, but it gives some time for reflection. I guess this is the case with every race but if only I would have had a bit more fitness, I really think I could have had a shot at this race. Tactically this race was easy. It’s not like there were guys attacking all over the place on the hills. In fact, it was completely the opposite, it was just a steady grind all the way through and the course is what selected who finished and who didn’t. In the two dozen or so starters, I counted 9 in front of me when I fell off the back. In some weird sense, I was happy to have lasted to at least to that point. If I could keep anyone from catching me, I could have a top 10 place for the day! I just wouldn’t tell anyone, except for the blogging community that it came a minute after the rest of the winners….
On the last half lap, again on those darn rollers, I could see a few riders coming up from behind me. All of a sudden I heard “Is that you Miner?” I looked back again and saw a bit of yellow so I figured it was one of my teammates and said yes. Turns out the yellow was of an independent rider and the one who knew me was Jay from Breakaway. Check out his blog when you get the chance, always good reading. Anyway, turns out Jay and the indy were in my field so now I had a few guys to ride to the finish with and make it a bit more interesting. We rode along well together for the next several miles where we picked up another indy rider from our field. Yes, if I could now out sprint these guys I could get ninth place! Ok, not so big of a deal. When we were on the last miles of the valley road, we were doing a paceline at the urging of one of the independent riders. I don’t mind doing this and it helps everyone get to the finish quicker, but the problem was it was so slow. Watching my speed and power meter, I had gone through this section solo on the previous lap about 3 mph and a few dozen watts faster. I thought to myself, when should I attack this group and just ride in by myself? I also thought, would that make me a jerk to attack this group? I don’t want to be viewed as that, but I also didn’t want a bunch more riders catching me from behind because we were barely doing 20 mph. So fortunately, it wasn’t me but Jay who put the hammer down. I quickly found his wheel and a quick glance of who was left and we were down to three riders. From there, it was a nice steady rotation until about a mile until the finish where I found myself stuck in front, it seems as though the indy rider didn’t want to come around me anymore. Funny how we fight for the scraps. Ok, no big deal, that’s bike racing and if I’m going to lead you out, I’m going to do my best to make you suffer a bit while doing it. I quickly ramped it up into the finish and soon we were doing 29/30 mph going into the last few hundred meters. I took a quick look behind me and saw Jay furiously sprinting to make up a small gap on my wheel. I started sprinting but couldn’t quite hold him off; he nipped me at the line. D@#n you Jay….D@#n you!!! Just kidding, it was a blast. Not sure where I ended up finishing but I guess it doesn’t really matter.
Ok, so that was my race in no man’s land. One of these days, I’ll have a sweet report from the front of the race.
B
Malabar Farms Race:
Duration: 1:34:22
Work: 1375 kJ
TSS: 166.7 (intensity factor 1.029)
Norm Power: 283
VI: 1.17
Distance: 30.59 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 774 243 watts
Heart rate: 63 204 166 bpm
Cadence: 29 141 91 rpm
Speed: 2.7 37.4 19.5 mph
Pace 1:36 22:27 3:05 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 442 104 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 817 229 lb-in
3.20.2008
Another AZ. Pic
I'm really off my game this week. Thanks to jal for giving me the heads up on this one....
3.18.2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)