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I’ve changed up my workout routine a bit this year leading into racing season, and so far it appears to be paying off.  The first major change came from running 5-6 days a week over Christmas break since I didn’t have a bike with me.  As I mentioned in the last post, this seems to have improved my climbing ability on a bike.

Primarily to maintain the running endurance I built from running regularly for several months, I’m still running 1-2 days a week, usually for 5-6 miles at a moderate tempo.

Next up, I’m doing bodyweight workouts to build general strength.  I don’t have access to a gym, and bodyweight workouts are reputed to be a great way to build lean muscle.  I looked into some different routines and basically ended up coming up with my own.  I focus on core, legs, and some upper body with 4-5 different exercises in each of those categories and rotate through each by doing one exercise per category and then moving on to the next exercise immediately.  By the time I come back to that category, those muscles will be rested but I will have been continuously working out.  I only do one set for each exercise, but I do as many reps in each set as I possibly can before I simply can’t do more.  This strategy leads to a very fast, intense, and brutal workout that gets the heart rate way up.  After all 15-20 exercises are complete, I evaluate how I’m feeling and if I think I should work on any section more or if I’m done and then move on to stretching.  So far I’ve managed to work myself well with this routine.  I’m always sore the next day.

As far as on the bike workouts, I thought I would have a lot less base than I do since I haven’t been back on my bike that long, but apparently an hour long run translates into 4 hours on a bike pretty nicely.  My endurance has surpassed my own expectations by far.  Still, I’m trying to get in at least one long ride per week (60+ miles).

The rest of my time on the bike consists of ramping up intensity slowly.  It’s still early in the season, but I do have a stage race in a week that I want to do well at.  I usually get in one good ride of hill repeats (exactly what it sounds like – go up a hill, go back down, then go right back up again a bunch of times in a row) per week.  I’m starting to add high intensity intervals in order to increase my ability to recover in races.  Intervals are always the most painful workouts, but result in some of the most noticable benefits.  Finally, I’m doing some long tempo rides in order to increase my time trialing strength.  Ususally I’ll throw my aero bars on the bike and go out for an hour or so at a pace that’s just under my anaerobic threshhold.  I need to get in another one or two of these rides before next weekend.

So that’s about it.

In a typical week, 1 run, 1 bodyweight workout (ususally same day as run or a shorter ride), 1 endurance ride, 1 hill repeats, 1 tempo ride, and one set of intervals.  Oh, and on race weeks I’ll cut out one of the high intensity rides in favor of racing.

After a rest day yesterday and intervals today, I plan to do two more hard days of riding this weekend, then take it easy next week leading up to the stage race to be as fresh as possible.

Lots and lots and lots of pictures after the break.  Check them out.

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Before I get into the details of today’s race, it’s worth mentioning my new race day breakfast concoction.  I mentioned a while back in my race prep post that I ususally make pasta the night before the race and eat the leftovers in the morning. Additionally, I like to make eggs on race day morning.  That post got me thinking, why not make eggs the night before as well?

Introducing: My race day breakfast.

Absurd as it may seem, it’s actually quite tasty.  The bottom layer consists of plain elbow macaroni.  This is topped with bits of lunch meat or some other type of meat.  The next layer is scrambled eggs, and to top it all off I add some shredded cheese that melts in the microwave the next morning.  It’s very plain on the pallatte, which is a good thing because it doesn’t upset your stomach before the race.  The main thing it lacks is some sort of glucose, but this morning I fixed that problem with a leftover slice of pie.

Anyway, the race.

Banana Belt #3, which is the second race in the series due to last week being cancelled, was held in conditions very similar to yesterday’s miserable ride.  Rain, wind, and cold.  Two miles into the race we were soaked, but luckily the racing made it bearable by getting the core temperature up.  I was feeling pretty good considering, and spent some time at the front chasing attacks and waiting to follow a move I thought might have a chance.

In the second lap, plans changed as my rear tire went flat.  I dropped back to the wheel car and got a spare wheel changed in under a minute and wasn’t particularly concerned about my situation.  I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to make contact with the pack again.  I set about chasing the pack and worked with a couple other guys off the back due to flats, and we eventually came within several hundred yards of the field.  At this point I let them go ahead to rejoin the group while I dropped back and cruised into the parking lot.

Why would I do that, you might ask?  Well, it turns out the spare wheel I was given had a 10 speed cassette, but my bike has a 9 speed drivetrain.  This resulted in severe misalignment between my derailer and the cassette, so I only had 2-3 good gears to work with.  In most gears, the chain would simply fail to grab and hop around, leaving me spinning my legs helplessly.  I was able to chase the pack using my few good gears, but if I’d gotten back into the pack I would have needed a much better functioning bike than I had to be competitive.

Joel (my ride to/from the course) was still racing and the car was locked, so I went out and did a lap backwards on the course with my two good gears to watch the remainder of the racing and try to stay warm in my soaked state.  The day was a good workout, if nothing else.  That’s bike racing for you.

The team’s win for the day came from Lindsay in the women’s 4 race.  She flatted early on, got back in the race, and then attacked and went for a solo break the entire last lap to win.  As if that weren’t enough, she even brought us cookies.

The post-race scene was mostly marked by a bunch of us huddling under a tent in the parking lot trying to stay dry out of the pouring rain.

tent party!

This morning I got up and looked out the window at rain, cold, and wind and was very tempted to go back to bed.  Instead, I ventured out to the Team Oregon Saturday ride.  This was mostly due to the fact that kits are in and I wanted to get mine.

The ride, however, turned into one of the most miserable rides I’ve ever been on.  37 miles felt like an eternity as I got soaked to the bone (through wind/waterproof layers), got pushed around by gusting winds, and tried to keep my toes and fingers warm in 40 degree weather.  The suffering was only made worse when I had a flat tire that required removing my gloves to change.  I spent the next 10 miles trying to get the feeling back in my hands.  A brave group of 7 of us started and finished the ride.  Tomorrow’s race is supposed to be in similar conditions, albeit less windy due to the protected location of the course.  And most riders won’t have fenders either (see the first Banana Belt post for a sense of what road grime+rain results in).  At least there’s almost no chance this one will be cancelled due to snow.

It was incredibly satisfying to get home and get in a hot shower, eat a lot of food, and then try on my new kit.  They look really sharp!

They’ll be easy kits to spot on the road.  Now I’ll take it and go get it really dirty tomorrow.

Speaking of snacks, what could be more delicious than this?

Now to eat some more food and get packed for tomorrow.

I woke up, finished my carbo-loading for the race, put on my bib shorts and base layer, got dressed and packed, and was about ready to head out the door when I got notice the race had been canceled.  This wasn’t completely unexpected, as there was a chance of snow in the forecast.  Watching emails on the OBRA email list soon made it clear exactly what the conditions were like at Haag lake this morning.

The photo is thanks to Kevin over at Bike Dreams.

Probably a good idea to cancel the race.  And it’s been rescheduled for two weeks from now, when hopefully it’ll be 60 and sunny instead of 30 and snowing.

The problem I was then faced with was that it was before 7AM, my body thought it was before 6AM thanks to daylight savings time, and I was wearing bib shorts… what to do next?

It wasn’t a particularly hard problem to solve.  I went back to sleep.

The rest of the day was spent in a fairly productive manner.  I spent a while sanding the sides of my uncle’s utility trailer to remove flaking paint, and then decided to go on a ride.

It must have just been one of those days that’s not condusive to cycling, because even though it was nearly 50 degrees out, I was hit by hail from three separate storms in less than two hours.  I would have preferred snow – much less stinging.

Then I started on repainting the utility trailer and got three coats on one side of the boards.

After dinner, I won a close game of Scrabble with my aunt and uncle.  After forfeiting my first turn to exchange some horrendous tiles, I laid down trainee(s) for a modest 77 points and never gave up the lead from there.

Now I’m going to finish reading Watchmen, the graphic novel that the movie in theaters currently is based on.  I figured I needed to experience the story in its original form before seeing it in theaters.

No matter whether it’s rain, snow, sleet, or hail, it’s almost guarenteed there will be precipitation tonight into tomorrow morning.  Plus, it’s going to be near freezing.

This wouldn’t be that notable except that I’m racing again tomorrow.  They won’t cancel unless there’s snow/ice actually sticking on the road surface, but mentally I’m prepared to be cold and wet – and prepared to immediately change into dry clothes after the race.  Report to follow.

After an interview yesterday, I talked cycling briefly with a fellow cyclist who was one of the interviewers.  It brought up an interesting subject that I’ve always been aware of and have discussed occasionally with other cyclists, but have never really fully thought out – so cyclists, runners, athletes in general, give me your feedback:

I’ve participated in a great variety of sports throughout my life.  That includes everything from rec soccer as a kid to fencing in high school.  While cycling is without a doubt the sport I’ve been most drawn to and involved in, it’s also the only sport I’ve experienced withdrawals from.  I think mental withdrawal is a part of it – staring out the window at snow and ice on the road wishing you could be on your bike is understandable, but there’s a physical aspect of it that I’ve noticed as well.  If I’m on a regular training schedule (riding at least 3-4 times per week) and then skip a period of 4 or 5 days, I find myself becoming anxious, moody, and more easily flustered.

I first noticed this in college, but didn’t immediately recognize the correlation with cycling.  I confused my normally upbeat and happy self by being more down than normal without a good reason to be.  Then it’d pass and I wondered what the slump was all about.  Eventually I found myself anxious physically and mentally wishing I was on my bike at the same time, and wondered if that might be the root cause.  I polled numerous friends from the cycling team and many of them eperienced the same sort of thing. We came to the conclusion that your body does actually go through withdrawals physically from not biking.

My best conclusion is that it’s an actual chemical/hormonal imbalance created by a lack of cycling that results in the downer.  While a cycling high is definitely a little different from the ethereal runner’s high that I’ve experienced several times, cycling definitely boosts the body’s happy hormones (endorphins would probably be a little more scientifically accurate).

I think this could explain a lot.  It would explain why cyclists crash and suffer road rash and get back on their bike to race the next day.  Or why someone will break bones yet count the days until they can get back to training.  Basically, cycling is an addiction.  You don’t see me complaining.

So now time for your feedback:  If you’re a cyclist, have your experienced this same thing?  How about endurance athletes in general?  Or perhaps it’s the case for all serious athletes in their respective sports?

Looking outside there’s no ice or snow on the road.  In fact, it’s not even raining.  I think I’m going to boost my endorphins and maybe do some hill repeats while I’m at it.

Today was a great day for a bike race – cold, wet, and miserable.

It gets you in the right mental mindset rather quickly when you’ve got spray and mud from the road in your face in the first mile of the race.  The race went well and I was really happy to get back to racing.  The team had planned to try to get me into a breakaway group in lap 3 of 4, and I saw my moment of opportunity and took it by attacking the field to bridge up to a rider that had gotten away solo.  The two of us were joined by three other riders that bridged up, and we had a 5 man break going that at one point got probably 45 seconds ahead of the main field.  Unfortunately we eventually got reeled in as is common in Cat 4 racing.  I managed to make it over the last big hill with the front group and rolled into the finish near the front of the pack for about a 15th place finish.  Not bad considering I’m not a sprinter and I’ve only been back on my bike for a month or so.  My legs feel good and I could have gone another lap or two without a problem, but I definitely need to get in a few more intervals to see if I can increase my top power a hair.  Overall, I feel pretty happy with my conditioning currently and how the day’s race went.

Among the more notable events on the day was a teammate’s total bike implosion caused by a jammed chain.  If you look closely, the chain is mangled, the front derailer is snapped in half, the rear derailer is in pieces, the derailer hanger is bent, spokes are broken… at least he stayed upright.

So what’s the result of 44 miles of riding in the rain on dirty roads look like? Something like this:

It was also great to catch up with some friends from UO, including Chris, who was also filthy.

I’ve been going through my standard pre-race preparations today and realized that for someone not familiar with racing, it’s really anything but standard.  So here’s the rundown – for a two hour race, it’s easy to spend far longer just getting ready.  At the same time, it gives you a lot of time to focus, visualize, and prepare.

Things actually started off yesterday when I spent over an hour cleaning every tiny crevice on my bike and removing grease and grime.  I also adjusted the shifting, checked the brake pads, adjusted the brakes, and spent over an hour with teammate Joel at his place re-dishing, tensioning, and truing my rear wheel.  Thanks Joel!  Without a bike stand currently, braces on the unfinished basement ceiling came in handy.

Then this-morning I went to the team ride and did an easy 40 miles with a few short efforts thrown in.  Ideally, this will wake my legs up and they’ll be fresh tomorrow morning with lots of jump in them.

Then after some final tweaking of the drivetrain, I spent part of the afternoon shoveling bark dust with my aunt.  This part wasn’t so productive as far as race prep goes.  In fact, I’d recommend against it the day before a race.

Next up, packing the race bag and laying out clothes.  I pack enough sets of racing gear to be ready for pretty much any type of weather – from warm and sunny to cold, windy, and raining.  I also pack extra tubes, chain oil, food, gatorade, extra water, and a change of clothes for after the race.  And of course the most important part – you always have to keep a mental checklist of whether or not you’ve got your shoes and your helmet.  You can almost get by without everything else.

Next up, the leg shave.  If you’re a cyclist, you completely understand why cyclists shave their legs.  If you’re not, you think we’re pretty much nuts.  Yeah, there may be a slight aerodynamic advantage, but in reality if you race road, shaving is a necessity because if you crash, you do not want to deal with hair getting in the way of bandages.  Plus it’s considered bad form among road cyclists if you don’t.  I usually keep my legs trimmed during race season, but only shave before races.  Part of it is mental – it’s a great time to focus on the race.

Now this is what the day before the race is supposed to be about – sitting with the legs up in a recliner.

And while you’re at it, get an iPod playlist ready for your race-day warmup.

The last step for me is making some pasta before bed.  I make a fairly large batch – enough to have some for a late 2nd dinner plus leftovers for breakfast.  In the morning I eat the pasta, and if I’ve got the time, I make some eggs as well.  I always seem to feel good in races after eating eggs, even if it’s only a placebo effect.

Everyone’s race prep varies a little bit – but mine is pretty consistent from race to race.  Yeah it’s probably too thought out and a bit of overkill, but it’s totally worth it if you get a good result the next day.

I’m racing this Sunday.  It crept up on me a bit because I knew the race was the first Sunday in March, but I forgot that February is a short month and March begins on Sunday.  This race will be the first of the Banana Belts, a series of 3 races on the loop around Haag Lake to the Southwest of Forest Grove, Oregon.  The bike is currently in winter mode, but will be undergoing some maintenance and adjustments to be race-ready in the next several days.

This race is particularly notable for me not only because it’s my first of the year, but because it’s a one year anniversary.  More on that later.  In general, something interesting ALWAYS happens in the Banana Belts.  It’s the site of my biggest win, my dumbest showing off, and my worst crash (all in various different races over the past several years).

Three years ago, I had plans to attack off the front of the race in the last lap with friend and then teammate Scott Jones.  He wasn’t feeling it, so I rolled casually off the front of the race across the dam, and then attacked with everything I had at the base of the hill that followed.  I managed to solo in the last 8 miles of the race for the win after building up a minute lead on the field.  Now that’s a great feeling.

Two years ago, I was feeling really strong and spent the majority of the race attacking off the front of the field, just waiting for someone to come along.  I’d allow myself to almost get caught, then attack again.  I finally drifted back into the pack and was ready to go again when I flatted.  Race over.  Figures.

Then, last year – this same race one year ago.  For some background, there’s one corner on the course when going clockwise that comes off a downhill into a sharp 100+ degree corner that’s off-camber (slanted against the direction of the turn) that leads onto a dam.  It’s a beast, and has aptly been dubbed the “damn” corner.  I’ve always been a confident descender and comfortable cornering, so laps 2 and 3 I was a the front of the field taking the corner at high speed.  I was feeling confident going into the final lap and used the corner as a way to try to get away from the field to see if I could somehow manage to win the race.

I hit the corner maybe 50 yards ahead of the field and things were going according to plan until my rear wheel started hopping.  I got it back under control and had the corner made until the hopping started again, due to what I found later was a wheel failure.  Two seconds to react – probably 35 MPH headed straight at a guardrail.  I downed myself at the last possible moment, and remember very well my body’s reaction to the large force exerted on it – the adrenaline just froze my body up for a good 10 seconds.  I get back up and can’t find anything particularly wrong, other than that I hurt everywhere.   Race officials seem amazed I’m standing.  I’m incredibly frustrated with myself and just want to finish the race.  I’m allowed to get back on my bike and finish, but only after medical checks me over.  I finish the race and still manage to beat a fair number of racers somehow.

After the race.  Something isn’t right, but I can’t quite figure out what.

Three days later, the pain in my hand has not gone away, and I go to a doctor to confirm that it is indeed broken.  That’s mostly all that’s wrong though.  A nice bruise and swelling on my thigh.  Almost no road rash.  Apparently I’ve learned to crash well, considering how bad it could have been.

So that really hindered my racing aspirations for my last year of collegiate racing, which basically ended up not happening.  I wasn’t completely down and out though.  I could still fit the aerobars pretty well with a splint on my hand:

But other than time trialing, normal racing and even normal riding/reaching the brakes just didn’t happen.

Looking back, I’m glad things turned out the way they did, as the series of events that made up my spring into summer eventually resulted in the 6 month marketing tour that has to have been one of the highlights of my life.

But now, it’s back to racing.  One year later, I’m going to show that corner who is boss.