Me Legs!!!!!!!!

Well now, me thinks this weight work and plyometric jumps has destroyed me legs! My goal of 60 miles per day has foundered. Combination of cold, windy weather in conjunction with legs that ache has made for quite the difficult rides. I could only do 40 today, with 2145 feet of climbing, 500 of which came in the first 4 miles, all of it short but steep (Garmin says 14 to 16% grades). After that warm-up, riding into a fierce head wind, me legs were on fire. It's interesting as I felt the limiting factor, even when I pushed the pace was the pain or fire in me legs versus anerobic debt. Then again, my max heart rate for the day was only 166, so as you can tell, I did not push. Again, tough day, elevation change on the garmin graph was kinda cool.

Headed to Munich x-mas day, then Amsterdam on new years eve, might not train that day!

Calling all MTBers!

Alright, here's the deal, the Perry Roubaix, as in Perry Georgia, is the weekend of March 12. So for all your mountain bikers, come out and do this ride, fight your way in the pack, we'll BW to move people out of the way and then BC will bring the freight train!

Seriously, I hope you guys take a look at this and consider doing it. Has several miles of dirt road on each lap, so you'll get your fill of that, the rest of the time just sit in and hang on.

So, training is going so so, my back injury kind mellowed out last week, so I did the weight/plyometric workout last week with what I thought were good results. Yesterday, I went back in and since I have forsworn squats, went realllllllllll heavy on the leg press. Did four sets on the leg press with the box immediately following each set, did extensions and leg curls and then on the way to the airport, my back quasi seized. Flew to DC by way of Florida, spent the night and just flew back. Having trouble picking up my back pack so I may have a problem. We'll see after I get off the trainer about an hour and a half from now. It's supposed to be mid fifties tomorrow and Thursday and they are my days off, so my goal is 60 miles each day. That's a slow 60 miles, so figure somewhere around 3:20 to 3:30 on the bike. Most of my time on the spin bike or trainer has been spent keeping the heart rate at the top end of the aerobic level, with occasional 2 to 5 minute runs as hard as I can go. But the total of each time on the trainer has not been over an hour and a half so my weekly totals are not that high. I have focused on power working on my cadence ( actually think I spin too high a cadence). Between traveling, cold weather, back pains, chores and such it's been a struggle to maintain a consistent schedule of training.

Perry Roubaix is an Omnium with a TT and a circuit race which you guys probably won't want to do but I plan on it. It's not that far from Tallahassee, has unique road course so you guys should come up and do it. I am planning on racing the following weekend as well. There is a an Omnium 10 miles from my house so I gotta do it. I have already asked for weekends off for those two. After that there is a Wednesday night Crit series I am hoping to do as well as a few other races. You guys come up and do the Perry and I will race the BUMP. Fair Deal?

I may have rui'nt myself!

So, yesterday I decided to get my leg workout in, my back was tight to begin with I think from the 7 hour walk in Rome. But a good warm-up later and I am under the squat rack, two cadillacs a side, thento the jump box. ON the third set, something went terribly wrong. For the last few months, I have been dealing with a Sacrum Iliac joint problem on my left side, (imagine feeling a knife stab you about two incehs left of your spine, not to mention the pain radiating down to behind the lft knee), but I have just been working through it.b(Rule #5) style. Well I cured that problem yesterday on my third set, or rather I exchanged that for an excruciating pain in my right lower back. After about 15 minutes< I decided I better figure some way to get dressed and head to the chiropractor. It was funny, I could not carry my bag, could barely walk and thought Oh man I have to go to the range this week, fight on Wednesday PT test on thursday, some kinda fitness challenge on Friday and then drive to Tally for the Dirty. All this was in jeopardy last night, but today, the pain in my SI joint is back, my right side is sore, but I can walk, run if I need to and hopfeully baring a recurrence, will be there on Saturday. I think leg presses rather than squats for me from now on, that was major frightening. Dr, says do Yoga, so thats gonna be my new thing. Now I am going to go watch American Flyers which Deb got me for Hannaka!

So, will cross tires fit on the GT?

Anybody got some used, smaller size cross tires? I figure I will borrow the GT from my dad versus putting the Pinarello on that much dirt. I checked it out this past weekend and the GT is fairly tight too so I am not sure cross tires will fit in the frame. I have a pass to go to the Dirty Ron, just need to decide whether to come in Friday night or Saturday morning.

I do have training next week which is going to include my PT test, a team fitness challenge, two days at the range and two days of fighting, so I'm not sure what kind of shape I'll be in for the Dirty Ron. If my little brother comes, we should make him a shirt to wear with the Logo, "I got dropped" across the chest, cause I think he would be. Message for WB, stay on that trainer dude, if you can stand the torture of it, you should come out much faster, you just won't be able to turn and you can reaffirm your name of Wrecking Ball! BW, get on the 17 day diet so that you can open up a can on everyone in the spring, in other words, put away the baked goods! Dude you have so much talent, ya just need to cut weight! Cuz, do you actually ride anymore or just do insanity in the living room while parenting? Then go out in the garage and look at your bikes?
Silk, anyone who can get so far ahead in a race that they take a break in the woods to allow their heart to reset is just a freak and I can't mess with you! JimGod, you're my hero! The quiet stud! Mingo, get some skinny tires, we are now in the upper forties category! RonD, glad to hear your green card got renewed, otherwise communicating with you might affectt my security clearance. Hey, what about the Eyetalian Stallion, yeah the Mackeral, aka pimp daddy, is he coming to the Dirty? Darien, please ride a bike with gears if you do the Dirty, even if you don't shift one time! It's humbling to ride with someone on a single speed. Kinda like the days of struggling up a road while BobGod wheelies up it beside you while talking in a normal voice!
Little Ball, Zach, you know your role in the Dirty, you young studs should be up front pulling us around!

Well, got to get on the trainer now before I head to Rome Italy where I will get sick tommorrow on Gelato, Expresso, Proscuitto and other O's.

My Legs Hurt and the cat walked in the paint

No really, a can of paint spilled in the garage yesterday and at least one cat and one possum walked into and then all over the garage. I now have an art deco floor!

So, I've been riding, quite a bit actually. I excuse Terry for not being able to ride with me this past Saturday and Cuz since he was called out of town, but the rest of you have missed an opportnity to drop me again. I did the airport ride again this Sunday, for those not familiar, let me know and I will try and post a link. It's a road ride, very fast with two options, a 42 and a 70 miler. So far I stayed with the 42 and this past Saturday remembered what Friel said about group riding, so I got up front and rotated through for the last hour. Garmin says above on 160 for that last hour, It hurt, bad.

Yesterday I did legs, so ya'll try this workout, it's supposed to help with power and sprinting. 30 minute wamup on the trainer, squats 6@ 225 then immediately 10 plyometric jumps on to a 24 inch box. Did three sets of that, then three sets of leg presses for 6 at 450 followed by another 10 jumps on the 24 inch box after each squat set. Finished off with three sets of single leg extensions and three sets of single leg curls. My legs hurt and I have no idea how the trainer is going to be this afternoon. Headed to Rome tomorrow, time for expresso, gelato and vino!

Can anyone give me more info regarding the Dirty Ron? I have the 8th off and am ready for you guys to beat me up on the long ride.

Hey guys, Keith's been riding!

The story of my demise! AKA BUMP death

Hmmm, what to say............................ Okay, I was excited about the BUMP, visions of a podium danced through my head, I did my home work, knew the times I had to turn, training was right (albiet on the road), diet was right, rest was right, everything seemed to be good as I parked the car Saturday and met JimGod for a practice loop. I headed out slow as I really did not want to push, as JimGod and the local pros caught me and then sped off, I stayed with JimGod as we both agreed they were going a little harder than either of us wanted to do. Everything was fine, although I was having to push through the turns and downhills a little faster than I cared to kepp up with JimGod who will hereafter be referred to as JG in this post. The climb was fine, all middle gear and quite easy although I was beginning to feel the heat and humidity, across the top was cool, we both agreed Blood Rock was not worth a fall and after that bit of hike a bike, JG promptly disappeared. This did not bode well for me, but, I still felt good about the race.

So, Sunday comes, I eat right, stay cool and get in a decent warmup, the legs feel great, yesterdays loop had no impact. At the start JG goes like a bat out of hell and Mingo is not far behind, I sat in and end up last in the first group to hit the woods with a big gap to the second group behind us. Okay, that was a bit more than I wanted, but I am good, there is one rider between Mingo and I and a gap of maybe 5 seconds to JG, in other words right where I want to be! We get to the third turn in the woods and the dude in front of me misses the step up to the root, I am on his ass so we both go down (wreck #1). Stay calm, remount, let one rider go round and back on, stay calm and start closing back up, a few hundred yards later I am about two seconds behind Mingo again, I can see JG ahead and all is right with the world when my front tire washes out and I go skidding into the poison ivy. Okay, now I am pissed and slightly rattled, but back on and again closing the distance as we get to the first fire road, I can just see Mingo and shift to the big rind to try and close it down, so I am a little scraped up, dirty and for sure gonna have a poison ivey rash but no big deal, I work up the single track climb, go across the bottom and then where they have that concrete wash thing, I fall off again. Totally rattled, pretty much ready to say the hell with this, but plug and chug, get to the big climb, dowse myself with a bottle of water and start climbing, now passing people, then hurt a bit, then pass peoplem then hurt, this is not too much fun. Finally get that hell climb done and realize I have no idea how I am doing but know it's not too good. ON the flat across the ridge, come upon Mingo and see he's flatted, offer a tube but that won't work with his 29er. Get past Blood Rock with no one behind me, I mean no one.............................at the bottom of the down hill, I look back and it's like a train of riders who made up tons of time on me! Let about 9 riders go, then all of the sudden we are back on the sinlge track climb, a pro comes by doing their second half loop, I grab on his wheel and pass about 6 riders going up the hill, okay, i can do this, I can ride with this dude, I hang on, steadilly passing people, then we get to that new section of singletrack, I like to call HELL! It's off cmber, got roots, no significant climbs or downhills to get momentum, so, I fall again! Oh this just sucks I say, but let's just get it done and keep n pressing. So, I hit this rock thing and absolutely flat (I mean an immediate BANG flat). At this point I say piss on it, I ain't fixing it, I am just gonna walk it out, I am tired, I am hot and I am disappointed. So I take a piss, stretch a bit then walk for about 5 minutes, I ask somebody coming by and find out I got like two miles left, so I change out tubes, air it up and get back on. Getting a bit better now, looking to grab a wheel, just looking for the finish. As I start to come out of the woods, I see Mingo junior and tell him his dad flatted, I am speaking to him when my front wheel sllides out over a bridge, down again, ,my watch is in pieces as both side of the band break off from the impact, my foot is trapped between two planks on the bridge and riders back are trying to figure out how to go around as I study my leg, wondering how did I get it stuck in there and how do I get it out? Get extricated. get back on this torture machine, cross the line, head to the showers and get on the road. I apologize for not communicating to anyone, mountain bike riding was not fun that day, nor has it been for a while. As a matter of fact, I no longer own a mountain bike.

Since I moved back to Atlanta, I have spent the majority of time with Rachel and Rebbekah, trying to rebuild those paternal ties. The end result is that I have not exercised at all, no weights, no bike, no run, no nothing. This has resulted in a lower back with sciatic pain all along my left leg. Yesterday, I thought about my last pt test at work, realized that when they took my blood pressure right before it, I had already had a couple of dips of copnehagen, had a red eye from starbucks and still had 106/60. So, I got on the Pinarello, it's been an month and I was slow, I mean real slow, but I got in 20 miles. Today I hit the gym at work, that sucked too. I plan on racing again, starting next week, I will be pack fodder, may even get dropped for a race or two, but two more races and I upgrade to Cat 4.

Now, as for JG's post, he called it, my previous posts were all legit, USA cycling has my results, they are all legit. I can ride, I will continue to ride and yes race, but it won't be on a mountain bike. My hats off to JG, Mingo, Dairen and Little Ball for showing up, the rest of you can get bent cause you did not even throw your hat in the ring! Road ride T-Day morning, if you don't have a bike. buy one, if you can't afford a bike borrow one, I just sold a nice GT-R to my dad, the Pinarello stays with me, cause it's only got one speed........fast!