Mad Skills!!!

Down again...

Ok, here I sit on the couch again! Another injury involving either a pinched nerve or some kind of muscle strain in the left side of my neck/chest. This has been a reoccuring injury since I was in my early twenties and heavy in to lifting weights. I pulled a muscle or strained one way back then, and every once in a great while it gives way. It's usually few and far between so it's something I can live with, but it's hit me two times in three weeks! Fortunately, I think I've discovered what's triggering it. Working out!

I worked out very few times this year, and when I did, it hurt my performance on the bike. I'm not saying that working out is a bad thing to do, or that it has no benefits, but not for all. A professional bike racer probably does benefit from this, but one has to remember that's their job. They ride a bike 40 hours a week, and that's it, so adding workouts in to that mix isn't an overload, but for the average amateur racer who has a regular forty hour a week job, just riding an average of ten to twelve hours a week is enough. Anymore, and overload can occur, which just sets you back. We shouldn't try and emulate their training schedules.

I believe it's better to spend any extra time one has actually out training on the bike rather then hitting the gym. Which one is going to make you faster? There's a saying..."Get in to shape to play your sport. Don't play your sport to get in to shape". I don't think that holds true for cycling. Most people ride bikes to get in to shape. I now firmly believe that's all that is needed for me.

So here I sit. Maybe another week off the bike to heal, and then back to it without the weekly workout! Hope all is well, until next time...

Magic...

Hello All! Have you ever had one of those moments on the bike where there just seems to be "magic" in the air. I LOVE to ride my bike. I don't ride just to get in to shape for an upcoming race, or because it's a social outlet for me. Training partners aren't required for me to enjoy a ride, sometimes they help motivate, but in the end I'm just happy I'm able to get out and pedal. I regress.

Today after work, I hopped on the bike to get a quick 1-1/2 hours of recovery after Sunday's 90-miler through the hills of San Diego County. As I rode down the Coast Highway, I just had this sense of everything being "perfect". The temperature, the ocean water, the sights, sounds, smells, everything. And I was enjoying all this, the only, and best way possible, from the seat of a bike. I wasn't hammering the pedals, which in its own way is extremely enjoyable, but just cruising down the highway, taking it all in. This is why I ride, moments like these. Be safe y'all. Until next time...

Distractions...

Hello All! Have you ever felt that your life just isn't going smoothly, and nothing feels right. Turmoil, that's the word!!! I've decided to back out of the Mt. Charleston Hill Climb this coming Saturday. With this economy the way it is, our restaurant has taken a big hit in sales, but the problem really lies in our food cost going up exponentially over the last year or so. Anyone who grocery shops knows this to be true. This is one of many pitfalls in the restaurant business, food costs literally change on a daily basis, and you're not able to change your menu to reflect those changes!

So, with the business struggling, I'm forced to work more hours, and my priorities have shifted considerably. I couldn't figure out why, for the longest time (almost this whole race season), why I couldn't get motivated to train properly, or even race for that matter. Now I know. Oh well, this is life, ups and downs, ebbs and flows. It's how we deal with it that matters most.

So for now, the racing takes a back seat to more important matters, but I will continue to log as many miles as possible on the bike. I'm determined to not lose too much fitness, because we all know how much more work is required to get it back:)

Hope all is well with you all. Until next time...

Yo...

Hello All! How's everything going out there? Not a lot new to report here. Work is work. We could be busier, wish we were, but who doesn't these days! I've been training my a#$ off for the last two months trying to be prepared for the Mt. Charleston Hill Climb coming up September 19th. Unfortunately I was training a little too hard and paid the price for it.

Two Fridays ago, I attended my nephew and niece's "End of Summer" party at their pre-school, and woke up Saturday morning with a cold. Imagine that! Well, like the fool I tend to be when it comes to not listening to my body, I went out with the team Saturday for a hard training ride throughout the hills of San Diego county. Needless to say, I awoke Sunday morning with a bad pinched nerve in the left side of my neck, which affected the entire left side of my upper body. Couple that with the cold I already had, and what do you get? A forced time off the bike:( I ended up taking one week completely off the pedals, which I realized after riding both days this last weekend, didn't really set me back at all. In fact, I felt really strong on the bike. Maybe a little rest isn't such a bad thing after all!

Hope all is well for everyone out there, keep your heads up, work hard, and play harder. Until next time...

An actual update!!!

Hi All,
Sorry for the huge gap in between entries. Truth be told, I've come to realize that blogging takes some commitment, and I've managed to place quite a few other commitments ahead of this one. I was out on a ride last week, working my way through the hills of San Diego County, when a thought occurred to me...instead of blogging about just my training, or my races, (which these days have been few and far between), why not write about what I see, or what I experience while on my bike. So here goes...

What made me think of this, was an incident that happened soon after I pulled out of the Chevron off the 15 and Highway 76, next to Nessy Burger. I decided to head straight down the 76 East and make my way to Cousar Canyon Road. As I made my way down the highway, I came up on a large construction project, (I believe they're widening the Highway). There was a construction worker standing in the middle of the road holding one of those "Stop/Slow" signs, with the "Stop" side facing me. I rode to the front of the line, to let my presence be known to the cars waiting to proceed down the road.

As the worker flipped the sign, I clipped in and took off. Now mind you, this section of road was slightly downhill, and within a few seconds I was cruising along at 25-28mph, trying to keep my speed up as not to hold up traffic. There was no shoulder in this section of road, just cones on the right-hand side. I was riding as close to the cones as possible, noticing that not far up the road the cones ended, and then I'd be able to get out of the way, and let the cars pass.

Well needless to say, some jackass in a large, black truck, decided he didn't want to wait and gunned it by me. I knew the truck was coming, I could hear the engine rev. At that point, I moved over as far right as I could, uncomfortably close to the cones as the truck sped by. As soon as I thought I was clear of the truck I just began to move back over, when all of a sudden I noticed he was also towing a trailer with a dune buggy on it! I just manged to veer right, and I swear I felt something solid brush my left shoulder! Hands down the closest I've come to be taken out. I had to laugh to myself when I looked up and noticed the "Jesus is Lord" sticker dominating the guys rear window! Yeah right!

On the training front...I've been working my ass off in preparation for the Mt. Charleston Hill Climb. Hands down, one of my favorite races of the year. Weekly Palomar repeats, yes I did say Palomar repeats:) Dieting and getting the weight down as much as possible. I have to say though, I'm getting tired of always being tired. This level of intensity in my training leaves me little energy for anything else.

Nothing to report on the racing front, seeing as how I haven't raced since May! I can't wait to pin a number on, I just hope the lack of competition doesn't hurt me too much come race time. Hope all is well out there! Until next time...

Long time, no talk...

Hi All,
Happy 4th! Hope everyone has a great day, and enjoys the freedoms this great country has to offer. No place better! Sorry for the big gap between entries. I've come to realize that maintaining a blog is a lot of work, and often difficult to remember it even exists. I just returned from vacation on the 30th. Seventeen days of vacation to be exact, the longest I've ever taken. I had a GREAT time! Managed to see Yosemite, Crater Lake, and finally arriving in Astoria, OR to prepare for the reason for taking the trip in the first place. Riding down the Oregon coast to San Francisco with my father-in-law:)

The trip was absolutely beautiful! I have to say, the roads in Oregon, and the scenery, make the rides around here in So Cal pale in comparison. I had to keep reminding myself there was a dark side to what creates that beautiful scenery. RAIN!!! Fortunately for us, we only experienced one day in the nine that we rode, that was really wet. Other then that, the rest of the trip was on the cool side, but highly enjoyable. Our ride numbers...Nine days of riding, 639 miles total. Other then a pair of sore kness, everything was perfect. Not even a flat tire between us!

On to the racing...WHAT'S THAT??? I haven't raced since the State TT Championships back in May!!! I'm getting a little nervous that I won't remember how when I do finallly get ack in the action. My next race will either be the Sisquoc RR, or the Mt. Charleston HC, or both, or neither. To be honest, my focus has faded from the race scene this season. Not that I'm not enjoying it anymore, just have other things I've been focusing on, and life has stepped in the way more then once this year. I've learned to be OK with that, reminding myself racing is what I do has a hobby, not as a living. Well that's about all for now, until next time...