Training Log Archive: FoxShadow

Riding with Reed and Meghan, picking up trail festival CPs. Fun! I was glad to get up there early enough on Friday to get a ride in on this night.

Out for a spin around the lakes. Felt good on the new road bike. That thing is evil.

On the trainer.

10 minute warm up

1 min max (HR 175-182)
1 min active recover

x12

6 minute cool down.

Yargh. Don't feel too good. But hopefully I'll feel better after my stomach settles. Next time I'll do this before dinner.

C • this one was for Bullard. 3

Great article from AliC's log on team chemistry:

http://skitrax.com/60781/

Rode into Nokomis area to watch Kelly DEVESTATE everyone at the Brain Kraft 5k this morning. If I were to say everyone, you'd assume that perhaps Katie McGregor, Jenna Boren and all the pros/semi-pros that lurk in the area showed up. Yes, they did. She beat them all. Murdered them. Katie was 34 second back.

Kelly was in rare form today, and it was fun to watch her make history. She laid down the fastest 5k ran in MN in the past 19 years. Even broke Carrie Tollefson's MN record of 16:04 (kelly ran 16:02). Carrie is decent I guess, if you consider making the Olympics decent.

Reports out of Fermilab early this morning showing that the Higgs field was disturbed today - I assume this event was concurrent with Kelly brutal display of force.

That kids, is how you do it.

C • consider me devastated : ).... 9

The Blank River Falls Navigation Challenge.

Eric was my partner, his first event longer than a red course. He did well! He slowed down a bit early, but was pacing himself evidently, because he was able to keep a fast hike with jogs on the roads for the rest of the day. IT was nice to have a race in which I was not working through the wood at Biz pace, and instead having time to eat, enjoy the scenery and not suffer too much.

Naviagtion was good, only about 10 minutes of lost time which for an 8 hour rogaine I was really really pleased with. Had a few spikes that were particularly rewarding across some long stretches. Really good event!

The terrain had, dare I say it, ZERO buckthorn! Fantastic.

Thanks Andrei!

Spin around the city before leaving town in the bullet.

Interval work.

10 min warm up.

1 minute max (up to 175-183 HR)
1 minute active recovery

x10

10 minute cool down.

20 stretch.

C • ouch!....in a good way : ) 1

Lifting with Tommy at snap fitness. Major muscle groups, including lower body.

Willow River O-Meet. Ran pretty slowly, but of course than lended itself to great navigation. I have been trying to push the pace recently, and I will continue to do that, despite being just 90 seconds off of Biz and Andrei today. Fun day out at a great park. The map needs better data. CP1 was on the top of a 30+ foot hill that had one contour, yikes!

Red - Splits

Almanzo!

Must better shape than last year, which had me in tears.

This year featured an excellent bullet parking location, cooler weather, two water crossings, one of which was gnarly and nearly pulled Biz and I downstream, a hard charging pace, and I believe, a top result.

Biz and I worked well together, him doing a fair amount of pulling from time to time. I sucked wheel quite a bit, and that helped me survive the day well. We ended up finishing the last 3rd largely by ourselves, and we managed to push the pace the whole way. I would guess we had very near even spilts.

Good stuff!

Penn cycle group ride - known as "Wednesday night worlds". Touted to be the toughest group ride in the cities.

It was tough, but not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Did a 53 mile loop to the south on a night with near perfect weather.

The winds were out of the SW, and although the ride was not terrible, the stretch of road we did heading west was very tough. It was putting me into the ditch trying to stay in the draft. It was a very tense section as my choices were to leave the draft (and nearly get dropped if so) or ride right on the edge of the pavement. At the end of this section, a few guys did get dropped but we waited for them.

Great workout.

Nice morning spin before the heat came. Beautiful.

C • morning person? 3

Ride home after the meet. A stop at both the shop to grab my repaired wheel, as well as some delicious gelato at Cow Bella!

Event: MNOC Battle Creek
 

Ride out to the Battle Creek meet.

My spoke snapped coming over the Ford bridge! Big thanks to Grand Performace bike shop who not only took my wheel and fixed it same day, but gave me a loaner wheel to get to the meet and back to the shop on. Fantastic service. My wheel needed a special straight pull bladed spoke, they had it in stock and although they had to pull my hub apart to re-install it, they only charged me $26 for everything!

Love to have a good local shop.

Ran the BC meet. Did a strange 90 degree map flip error once I got near the control. Walking through that buckthorn did not help me settle down and figure out what was going on. From there I had a good run, and really enjoyed the beautiful day. Back was very stiff from all of the riding of the previous week, did not feel much pep in the legs. But had fun and navigated fairly well after the BOOM on CP1.

Congrats to Biz for SMOKING this course. Hoodamn!

Red - Splits

Big loop out to tonka, back I to the city down greenway to river road and back south through nokomis to home. Perfect day.

Supburbocross IIX.

What a night.

The air was cold and the night was dark, I was going into SBOC, one of my favorite races of the year, without much recent rest, and no lights! Not very well prepared for the race.

But I had my CX bike, and I'm fit this spring.

Within the first few miles Robbie and I separated from the field (we would ride the rest of the night off of the front). Next, in the Purgatory singletrack, he went down, unable to stop to get around a bend in the trail around a big tree. He hit the tree and fell left. I had a split second to decide to try to brake, or jump off my bike to avoid him. I hit the brakes. I did not stop. I ran straight into Robbie, a rider I had not ever met before tonight, and hit him hard. For a very brief moment, I wondered if I had severely injured him, as I put my front wheel into his spine.

He responded back to my frantic questioning "Are you ok buddy!?" He got up slowly. He said his shoulder hurt from hitting the tree. I asked if he could ride. Before he really had a chance to answer, we were back on our bikes looking back to see Biz and Dittmer and Mike Phiffer and others coming for us. The adrenaline kicked in and we were off. Thank goodness, as I needed him draft, and his lights!

The rest of the night riders were near us, especially Biz. Charging hard on a mountain bike. But on the hard packed stuff (roads or gravel) we would pull away. I could keep a close eye on them as I could turn around without giving away our position.

In the end, it came down to sprint. I have never lost a sprint. This night was no different. I felt good, hit the gas, and had a bike length on Robbie within a few seconds, and it was over.

Robbie is the "better" rider of the two of us, able to climb better and spin out watts into the wind. Hats of to him for a brilliant ride that tore the race apart from the get go.

Awesome night. I was so pumped I didn't sleep until 3AM.

EDIT: Found out from Robbie that his doc guessed that his shoulder did dislocated when he hit that tree, but it pooped back into place immediately. SBOC brings out the best in people. A great fight by Robbie.

C • exciting 5

Spin up into the city, up the river road and then out on Shepard road a bit. Good stuff, maybe a bit too long considering Supburbocross is tomorrow.

The Gear Junkie Challenge. Super fun urban AR. Teamed up with Eric Kelly and then picked up Stanley Barton as well for a three headed monster.
Even got to climb at VE during this one.
Thanks to the GJ and his crew for putting it on!

Hit the gym to give the beach muscles some work, with Tommy O'Connor.

What a gorgeous day for a ride. Biz and I took the Bullet down to Elgin, MN where we quickly located a school at which we were able to park and sleep for the night. We awoke just an hour before the start and had delicious breakfast ensconced in the sweet sweet luxury of the grand old iron beast. Quick registration at a dirty watering hole, and we were off.

The ride was very scenic, as the land down in the area is less flat than the Almazno and Ragnrok terrain. I think it was my favorite of the gravel grinders I've done to date. We rode it as a training ride, but at a firm pace, averaging about 16 MPH despite 4300 feet of gain across the 5 hours.

Great weather, great course, and met a number of great people out there as well.

Today I was named to the MTB-O national team for O-USA. Three men and three women have been selected.

I'm super excited to represent the US at world in Estonia this fall, from August 24th to the 31st, with the possibility to attending the training camp beforehand if funds allow. A firm beating awaits me.

Time to start riding like Kelly runs, except not nearly that hardcore because nobody can beast mode like Kelly beast modes.

Regardless, I am excited to train and see where I can get.

Thanks to Greg Lennon and O-USA for the opportunity!

C • Well done! 11

Spin around the city. Getting the cycling legs going.