Its been a while since I tested my legs in a race, so last weekend I decided it was time. I know I'm in no shape to be racing, but I missed it and really needed to see where I was at. Turns out I have a long way to go!
For the past few years, my winter training has been solid. In 2011/2012 it was probably too solid and I was cooked, overcooked by June. I had been riding up to 16 hours a week during that winter and my body didn't respond well to the volume. I was a sprinter when I swam in high school and I think I'm just going to be sticking to sprinting now. I just think my body is built better for it. Not to mention I simply dn't have the time to train with that kind of volume.
So, its back to some basics for me. My best season of racing was in 2011. I won a good amount of races and that's where I achieved all my upgrade points to become a Cat 3. But what was it about that season?
Well' to start, it was my winter. I swam, ran cross trained. I was on a spin bike 2 days a week and got out on Saturdays for 2-3 hours or even parked my butt on a trainer for that amount of time in cold days. The other days I was lifting weights, swimming and even running a bit.
So this season, I'm going back to that. But its already May! Well, I'm just doing now what I should have been doing in December. My weeks look like this:
Monday - Slow a.m. spin indoors
Tuesday - 50 min spin class and 50 minute weight circuit
Wed- 30 min run
Thurs - hour swim
Fri - 50 min boot camp style class
Sat - race or 2-3 hour ride
Sun - off or slow evening ride.
I've been doing this for about 5 weeks. What I found out at the crit I raced at on Saturday was I had no top end, no power coming out of turns and I got dropped pretty quickly. But for where I'm at in training, and where everyone else is at, I'm ok with it. More important than anything was getting out there, testing my legs and lungs and seeing all my cycling peeps. Just being in that atmosphere again motivated me and gave me some strength to keep on track with my comeback. I'll start moving into some more power building in a few weeks but I'm satisfied with my progress so far.
Showing posts with label Harristone/Sun Valley Mortgage Cycling Team. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harristone/Sun Valley Mortgage Cycling Team. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2014
Monday, February 4, 2013
Harristone/Sun Valley Mortgage Cycling Team - Mini Camp
The sun gods finally blessed the red rocks of Utah's Dixie with sunshine and 60 degree temps this past weekend. My team took advantage of the nice weather and had an awesome 2 day mini training camp in St. George.
The camp began early Friday morning with a pleasant drive to the south. The sunshine and warm temperatures greeted us mid afternoon and we headed out for a 2 hour loop. My camp started on a major downer as I dropped my new to me GoPro camera while riding and I watched it shatter into 10 pieces. It was one of those stupid moments you wish you could have back, like dropping your keys in the lake. I was pulling the camera out of my back pocket and it literally just slipped out of my fingers. The waterproof case held on the initial impact, but it was hit by multiple bikes and the case split open. The battery flew out and the inside case cracked. The lens has a nice ding on it as well. I was sure it was done for. But I managed to put it back together and it kept recording! At least that's what the LED screen said. I kept recording for the weekend and sure enough, these cameras rock! Aside from the scratched lens, the unit functions and records like normal. As soon as I figure out how to edit the vids, I'll post them here. They're nothing spectacular, but its cool footage nonetheless.
Pro-Form 490 Spx Indoor Cycling Bike (Google Affiliate Ad)
With the GoPro crisis over, the rest of the ride went very. Mellow, sunny and the Toquerville loop is gorgeous. The ride ends near Quail Hollow Reservoir and the setting sun made for beautiful scenery.
Friday's traditional feast at Brick Oven Pizza was delicious as always. Brick Oven even has gluten free pizza for the special diet needs of some our cyclists! With stomachs full we headed back to the house and stayed up way too late to watch Tyler Hamilton on Jay Leno. Teammate and sponsor, Tim Speicher of PRTI, busted out his massage table and worked on some of us for the evening.
Saturday's ride turned into a rather large group ride as we met up with some other cyclists on our way out to Utah Hill. We decided to ride the Ironman/Gunlock loop and take in the 7 mile Utah Hill climb as well. My motivation was of course the savory banana cream pie waiting for us at Veyo Pies. The pie is really why I ride in St. George!
The groups split up and I limped home very tired from the 84 miles, 84 tough, rolling and sometimes very steep miles. The pie got me home for sure.
Tim performed some more of his magic for the team post ride and we packed up for the long trip home.
These annual pilgrimages to St. George accomplish so many things. First, its a great chance to get in some major mid winter miles. Second, its a nice break from the trainers and cold weather of the Wasatch front. And finally, its a great chance for teammate to get to know each other or reconnect from the long winter break from racing. (Its also a chance for PIE!!) We hit all of those goals and set the tone for a great season to come.
I also had the chance to ride my first pair of Diadora cycling shoes. I'm on the top of the line Jet Racer and I was very impressed. I'll do a full review on Thursday.
A HUGE thanks goes to all of our sponsors: Harristone, Sun Valley Mortgage, Excelerator Sports, PRTI, The Bike Shoppe, Chick-fil-la, Intermountain Health Care and the Cache Valley Women's Center. Without these awesome sponsors, our team and these trips wouldn't be possible.
Here's to an awesome 2013 racing season!!
The camp began early Friday morning with a pleasant drive to the south. The sunshine and warm temperatures greeted us mid afternoon and we headed out for a 2 hour loop. My camp started on a major downer as I dropped my new to me GoPro camera while riding and I watched it shatter into 10 pieces. It was one of those stupid moments you wish you could have back, like dropping your keys in the lake. I was pulling the camera out of my back pocket and it literally just slipped out of my fingers. The waterproof case held on the initial impact, but it was hit by multiple bikes and the case split open. The battery flew out and the inside case cracked. The lens has a nice ding on it as well. I was sure it was done for. But I managed to put it back together and it kept recording! At least that's what the LED screen said. I kept recording for the weekend and sure enough, these cameras rock! Aside from the scratched lens, the unit functions and records like normal. As soon as I figure out how to edit the vids, I'll post them here. They're nothing spectacular, but its cool footage nonetheless.
Pro-Form 490 Spx Indoor Cycling Bike (Google Affiliate Ad)
With the GoPro crisis over, the rest of the ride went very. Mellow, sunny and the Toquerville loop is gorgeous. The ride ends near Quail Hollow Reservoir and the setting sun made for beautiful scenery.
Friday's traditional feast at Brick Oven Pizza was delicious as always. Brick Oven even has gluten free pizza for the special diet needs of some our cyclists! With stomachs full we headed back to the house and stayed up way too late to watch Tyler Hamilton on Jay Leno. Teammate and sponsor, Tim Speicher of PRTI, busted out his massage table and worked on some of us for the evening.
Saturday's ride turned into a rather large group ride as we met up with some other cyclists on our way out to Utah Hill. We decided to ride the Ironman/Gunlock loop and take in the 7 mile Utah Hill climb as well. My motivation was of course the savory banana cream pie waiting for us at Veyo Pies. The pie is really why I ride in St. George!
The groups split up and I limped home very tired from the 84 miles, 84 tough, rolling and sometimes very steep miles. The pie got me home for sure.
Tim performed some more of his magic for the team post ride and we packed up for the long trip home.
These annual pilgrimages to St. George accomplish so many things. First, its a great chance to get in some major mid winter miles. Second, its a nice break from the trainers and cold weather of the Wasatch front. And finally, its a great chance for teammate to get to know each other or reconnect from the long winter break from racing. (Its also a chance for PIE!!) We hit all of those goals and set the tone for a great season to come.
I also had the chance to ride my first pair of Diadora cycling shoes. I'm on the top of the line Jet Racer and I was very impressed. I'll do a full review on Thursday.
A HUGE thanks goes to all of our sponsors: Harristone, Sun Valley Mortgage, Excelerator Sports, PRTI, The Bike Shoppe, Chick-fil-la, Intermountain Health Care and the Cache Valley Women's Center. Without these awesome sponsors, our team and these trips wouldn't be possible.
Here's to an awesome 2013 racing season!!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
DNA/Plan 7 Women's Cycling Team - Winter camp
This past weekend I had the privilege to spend a few days in St. George, UT with some of the best cyclists in the West. The DNA/Plan 7 elite women's cycling team the weekend bonding and training in what has become a rite of passage for Utah cyclists. While the weather could have been a bit better, it was leaps and bounds better than the blizzard experienced in the Salt Lake Valley while we were gone. I had a few goals for the weekend, which included hosting an awesome trip for the team, buying a lotto ticket and eating some banana cream pie at Veyo Pies. I got two out of three!
The weekend began with a short ride out to Sand Hollow Resevoir and then on to the Zions National Park gate. A bit of cold and some wind didn't deter the group and the riders broke in the weekend with a solid 3 hours. I took in half the ride with the team then headed back to town to meet with some shops and sell some shoes, tires and wheels.
My favorite shop in St. George has to be Bicycles Unlimited. The owner is one of the nicest guys I've met and his staff are awesome. I mean, they stock Mountain Dew in the shop! How cool is that?
I also had to check the brakes on the van. Turns out I just needed and adjustment and a fluid flush, so I was back on the road safe!
The riding continued on Saturday with a soaking wet tour of St. George. The plan was to ride Utah Hill all the way to Mesquite and back, what would have been a 104 mile epic. But the weather was the limiting factor with cold rain much of the day. So we scrubbed the Mesquite ride (and my lotto ticket) and rode out to Sand Hollow again, but this time went up to Toquerville and came back along the east frontage road long I 15.
Polar CS100 Cycling Computer (with Transmitter Belt) (Google Affiliate Ad)
The ride was only 50 miles, but it took 5 hours. The rain made for slow riding as did the 14 flats incurred by the group. I was actually having a blast in the rain. I felt like a kid getting all muddy and dirty and with the flats we ended up having an epic ride even without going to Mesquite. It was awesome to have a sag vehicle the entire ride. Thanks to the guys from Competitive Cyclist for driving the slow, wet and cold route!
Sunday came with much better weather and we took in the Gunlock/Veyo/Ironman/Tour del Sol loop. We had a smaller group than the previous day and I was worried Veyo Pies may not have been open on Sunday. I'm not the best climber, so "the wall" along this loop is tough, and it was even tougher not knowing if I was going to get pie at the top or not. Huffing and puffing I made the climb and continued on to Veyo. I actually shouted for joy when I saw the "open" sign at the pie shop. Miracle!! It was open and my St. George trip tradition of downing some banana cream along that ride continued. Some in the group had never partaken of the creamy goodness that is Veyo Pies and others were doubtful it was a wise mid ride food choice. But the doubters are now believers and the bike racks in from the the pie shop will continue to be filled throughout the year.
So, I managed to provide and awesome trip and eat some pie. While I was sure it was my time to win the lottery, we'll have to put that one off a bit. We got in some great mellow miles and the team had a chance to relax and gel and get ready for their new season. Tomorrow, I take my team, Harristone/Sun Valley Mortgage, for our annual expedition to St. George. The weather looks to be much better than last weekend with sunny skies and temps in the 60's!! We'll get in some more miles and it will be my first time on the new Diadora Jet Racer shoes I'm now repping.
Get out and ride!
The weekend began with a short ride out to Sand Hollow Resevoir and then on to the Zions National Park gate. A bit of cold and some wind didn't deter the group and the riders broke in the weekend with a solid 3 hours. I took in half the ride with the team then headed back to town to meet with some shops and sell some shoes, tires and wheels.
My favorite shop in St. George has to be Bicycles Unlimited. The owner is one of the nicest guys I've met and his staff are awesome. I mean, they stock Mountain Dew in the shop! How cool is that?
I also had to check the brakes on the van. Turns out I just needed and adjustment and a fluid flush, so I was back on the road safe!
The riding continued on Saturday with a soaking wet tour of St. George. The plan was to ride Utah Hill all the way to Mesquite and back, what would have been a 104 mile epic. But the weather was the limiting factor with cold rain much of the day. So we scrubbed the Mesquite ride (and my lotto ticket) and rode out to Sand Hollow again, but this time went up to Toquerville and came back along the east frontage road long I 15.
Polar CS100 Cycling Computer (with Transmitter Belt) (Google Affiliate Ad)
The ride was only 50 miles, but it took 5 hours. The rain made for slow riding as did the 14 flats incurred by the group. I was actually having a blast in the rain. I felt like a kid getting all muddy and dirty and with the flats we ended up having an epic ride even without going to Mesquite. It was awesome to have a sag vehicle the entire ride. Thanks to the guys from Competitive Cyclist for driving the slow, wet and cold route!
Sunday came with much better weather and we took in the Gunlock/Veyo/Ironman/Tour del Sol loop. We had a smaller group than the previous day and I was worried Veyo Pies may not have been open on Sunday. I'm not the best climber, so "the wall" along this loop is tough, and it was even tougher not knowing if I was going to get pie at the top or not. Huffing and puffing I made the climb and continued on to Veyo. I actually shouted for joy when I saw the "open" sign at the pie shop. Miracle!! It was open and my St. George trip tradition of downing some banana cream along that ride continued. Some in the group had never partaken of the creamy goodness that is Veyo Pies and others were doubtful it was a wise mid ride food choice. But the doubters are now believers and the bike racks in from the the pie shop will continue to be filled throughout the year.
So, I managed to provide and awesome trip and eat some pie. While I was sure it was my time to win the lottery, we'll have to put that one off a bit. We got in some great mellow miles and the team had a chance to relax and gel and get ready for their new season. Tomorrow, I take my team, Harristone/Sun Valley Mortgage, for our annual expedition to St. George. The weather looks to be much better than last weekend with sunny skies and temps in the 60's!! We'll get in some more miles and it will be my first time on the new Diadora Jet Racer shoes I'm now repping.
Get out and ride!
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