Mtnracer

It looks as though there plans to be a criterium in downtown Albany, OR on Sunday, May 25th.

http://app.obra.org/posts/obra/show/42537

If this is the case, I just may have to head on down and do it. Albany is 10 minutes away from Corvallis, so this would be a good chance to wake up, drive down and race, without taking a whole day out for the event (like I usually have to do).

I hope to see other familiar, shining happy faces out there as well!

What a disappointment! I’m not even in the OBRA results… Although, it would say a big-fat DNF, I like seeing my name in print.

Short answer, here’s what happened: No, I didn’t get dropped again. I flatted out.

Long answer:

I arrived at Hagg Lake with good time to warm up. I didn’t bring my trainer, so I was going to have to get in a good warm up on the road. Another benefit of my arriving early to this race, is that there is no waiting line for the restroom (yet) – way to go coffee drinkers!
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On long rides I like to bring energy bars to eat. I’ve tried eating homemade snacks, sandwiches, fruit/pb wraps, even fruit & pudding pies (damn you Doug O. for showing me these). But, nothing beats a plain-jane energy bar. Whether your brand is clif, power, or otherwise, energy bars kick ass!

They recently had a sale on Odwalla bars at WinCo for 88 cents each, so I bought a case. I usually get Clif bars, as I like the texture and flavor more than other energy bars.

Always a sucker for variety, I couldn’t just get a simple case of “Berries Go-Mega,” so I had to throw in a few Banana Nut Bread and some of the Superfood flavor Odwalla bars. I’ve seen the Superfood smoothie that Odwalla sells, and it looks nasty! Talk about green sludge that you dig out of the garbage disposal when it’s backed up, or the stuff that comes out of the toilet after a heavy plunging…Anyway, it looks gross. Their energy bars, although retaining the same horrific green color as their sludge smoothie, are solid, so I figured they wouldn’t invoke my gag reflex quite as quickly. I especially don’t want to blow chunks half-way through a 4 hour hammer fest, just because my energy bar reminds me of something I need to call a plumber to fix.

Much to my surprise, these things are good! Real good! I think I ate the first one without even looking at what I was eating. But after I realized what the pleasant date-like, sugary flavor in my mouth was, I quickly made it a favorite. I have stocked one of these ugly green bars on my training rides each day since. So, Clif, you’ve got a rival in the Superfood Odwalla bar. I have to say, I am enjoying the change, and might make it a staple in my training diet.

I read about this new mountain bike race in Brian Head, Utah this morning. This stage race looks awesome, with three long stages plus a prologue. It takes place August 21-24, a nice hot time to be spending four days in the desert sun.

The problem: The $400 entry fee is a bit steep. I know that I am not able to afford it without help. With gas, food, and lodging we’re looking at another $500 probably. If I manage to dig up some support or sponsors to back me in this race, I would definitely love being out there in Utah late Summer. If anyone is interested in offering support, I can be contacted at vaughn[dot]andy[at]gmail[dot]com or by phone at (541) 908-0713.

Anyone else planning on doing this race?

I’m down to 166lbs now. I have been stable at this weight for the last week and a half. With my goal of 156lbs, I only have 10 more to go before I reach it. Yay for me!

I have been wanting to share this for a while now. Here is my ipod playlist that I listen to while warming up for a race. It’s a bunch of angry, hardcore rock music. So, cover your eyes if you don’t like that type of music.

The list is also not ordered, as I have an ipod shuffle, and love that I get to be surprised by what type of angry music I get to listen to next.

• Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) (Short Version) – Concrete Blonde
• Running Knees – Days Of The New
• Walk The Sky – Fuel
• Brain Stew (The Godzilla Remix) – Green Day
• Papercut – Linkin Park
• One Step Closer – Linkin Park
• With You – Linkin Park
• Points Of Authority – Linkin Park
• Crawling – Linkin Park
• Runaway – Linkin Park
• By Myself – Linkin Park
• In The End – Linkin Park
• Place For My Head – Linkin Park
• Forgotten – Linkin Park
• Pushing Me Away – Linkin Park
• Enter Sandman – Metallica
• Wherever I May Roam – Metallica
• The God That Failed – Metallica
• Come With Me – P. Diddy
• No Shelter – Rage Against The Machine
• Pressure – Staind
• For You – Staind
• Schism – Tool
• Parabola – Tool
• Lateralus – Tool
• Falling Away From Me – Korn
• Last Resort – Papa Roach
• Stupify – Disturbed
• Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
• Alive – Godsmack

The training has been going well. I am improving in speed as well as overall endurance. I think I will be ready to actually compete in the next week or two at the Banana Belt races. I probably will not be doing the BBII, but am definitely writing it in my schedule to do the BBIII, since it’s part of the Oregon Cup, and also a good distance for racing (77 miles).

So, with my own training, I have also been doing some coaching. And, one thing that I have done with some of my athletes is test their fitness and strength to see where they are compared to where they were. Here’s a quick run-down on how I test this:

1. Fixed-interval sessions -

   For these, I give a fixed duration interval and fixed duration rest (for example 2 minutes all-out, 3 minutes rest). When your overall power starts to really drop, and you are no longer able to complete another full interval, I call that the end-point or maximal number of intervals. By measuring exactly how many of these you are able to do before complete exhaustion, you can monitor your progress.

2. Variable-length sessions -

   Similar to the other intervals, except that you mix up the length of interval and/or length of rest. After doing these a number of times, you will find that you can hold the efforts longer and recover faster.

3. Body weight -

   In cycling, there are few things that will make you as fast in the hills as losing pounds off your total weight. Some people will spend thousands of dollars trying to lose ounces off their bikes, but forget that donuts and cinnamon rolls make their purchase in vain. Another benefit, is that for men, who tend to carry much of their extra weight in their abdominal region, losing weight will make it so that they can be much more comfortable on the bike and reach a more aerodynamic position.

4. Average speed -

   This is something that I like to take a look at on my rides after the ride. And, I particularly pay attention to it on easy-medium days. Everybody likes to test their speed on hard days, but I find that an increase in my easy-medium day average pace truly shows an increase in fitness. If I used to average 15.6 mph on most of my easy-medium rides, and I now average 17.1mph, then I have really shown that my comfort level at higher speeds has increased as well as my fitness. I also tend to look for trends, not specific days. Because a single day may be high due to group riding, tailwinds, or some other particular vigor. But, trends across weeks or months speak much more highly about your fitness.

5. Hard-as-hell hills -

   My favorite test is to seek out the hardest hills in the area, whether by gradient (steepness) or length, and just do them. I don’t race up them, and I don’t particularly aim to pace them either. I try and make it so that just accomplishing the hill is a test in itself. We have a couple hills like this in the Corvallis area. Heather drive off Ridgewood is one of them, and I have a few secret others. But, I love to do these hills and see if it made me cry or dance with joy when I accomplished it.