MX Wrap, Cross, and The BIG Day

Its been a crazy few weeks! I finished up the Masters Of Motocross series with an awards and ride day, finished my longest run before IM, and did another cross race. Sounds like everything went great, right? Not exactly... 2 weeks back I was feeling tense about missing a bunch of training to being sick, and the impending IM AZ on 11/23. I finished a 90 minute hilly ride with an 18 mile run.... haha. It was the last big running day I will allow myself to have; not being the best runner all I can do from then on in is create problems. The good news was it went off pretty much without any problems. I feel like I will be OK as long as I get my nutrition right in November. After that long Saturday I went to the Masters of MX awards day at Tomahawk MX track in West Virginia. It had been a few months since I had ridden and it showed! I had a great time, but wasn't feeling comfortable and part of the bike like someone who actually rides! I even dumped it in a rutted corner to add to my beat up body... nothing serious though. All in all it was great and I ended up with 2 trophies for 2nd Overall in 35+B, and 3rd Overall in 30+c. I will post some pics this weekend. If you are over 30 and race or ride MX, I suggest you check out the Masters of MX series in 2009!
Last week I had 2 days off to "train" for November. Not a fan of the cold weather I decided to go to Patapsco's Avalon area for a brick endurance ride/run... what a mistake! I hadn't ridden MTB since July and about 10 minutes into my ride I went down....HARD! I caught my right hand on a tree branch and the next thing I know I have a cracked helmet and bruises and trail rash all over my left side. So much for training days... I finished up a measly 2 hours and went home. The next day I was sore so I did an IM swim.... which actually went well. All in all not great for training, but good for my most overlooked event.
That brings me to the DCCX cross race last weekend. I had never been there, but I will definitely be back! what a great course; inside the DC beltway? It was surrounded by crowded, sprawling DC, but what a nice area and a great layout. Having 2 great finishes in my 2 MABRA races I lined up in the back as usual. After the start I started moving up, but with the twists and turns and technical sections I could only really make up time through the pit and out on the road/path. After 45 minutes I was in 11th place with no real estate left; one of these years I will give cross a real shot! For now I have one more race this weekend, and then just trying to stay healthy.. which seems like a challenge for me lately! I will have a report on Monday and hopefully some pictures. Just so everyone knows I have officially entered the panic/apprehensive phase of my Ironman preparation; not much time goes by when I don't think of something I need to do, buy, or worry about! One of my friends doing the race told me he was the same way... I guess it isn't just me. I have 3 weeks to be ready for the big day. I fully intend to be ready to leave it all on the course; I'll keep you posted.

Autumn Surprise

Last week was a rough one for me, I came down with a sickness on Monday, skipped work Tuesday, and didn't work out the rest of the week. Luckily I only had a cough and congestion over the weekend which is why I was surprised with the race. Sunday was the first year for the Brierman 50 Half Lite (.85 mile swim + 40 mile bike + 9.3 mile run = 50 miles) in Frederick, MD. It started at Greenbriar State Park which is one of my favorite MTB areas, and a place to pick up the AT (Appalachian Trail). Why is that important? Because it is in the mountains... this race is HILLY!!! It was a cool morning in the 40's and the water temp was in the 50's which was definitely a wake up! I used my long sleeve wetsuit for the first time this year and must have really liked it because I left the water 13th which is my best so far. After a few mess ups including trying to put a shirt over my aero helmet I had already put on, I was on my way. This course was AWESOME! 2 x 20 mile loops on a tough course; I will post the altitude gain when I download it! Going out of the park is a steep climb to Rt. 40 and there was already guys weaving in their big gears trying to get up the climb. The bike leg was probably the best I have seen with twisty, fast, hilly descents and long, steep climbs. The crux of the course was a 1.5 mile ascent which stepped up and never seemed to stop. I had great legs from all the rest, but the wind was not so good so I just tried to pace myself. Most of the descents were fast and I had a max speed of 48mph! After the 1st lap I thought I was in the lead, but the sprint athletes were also on the course so it was tough to know who was in the Half race. About 3 miles from the finish I caught a guy who was moving really well and passed him, but couldn't shake him until a steeper climb up 40 back to the park. I entered T2 either 1st or 2nd, but left 3rd with another snails pace transition. then the pain started! The run was just as hilly as the bike.... straight up over the AT and back down. Its funny, but I can actually run uphill better than most people, but the downhills are where I really suffer. Coming into the turnaround I heard footsteps... and lost 3rd. Then on another long descent another racer caught me so now I am 5th and starting to worry... are the hazard lights going on? I still felt good, but I just couldn't seem to get enough oxygen to apply any speed. Luckily I had done enough on the way out and the bike to have a cushion and I finished 5th overall; my best result in a road tri! I have to say that the course definitely favored me, and having 3 minutes off the bike to my next competitor made the difference. I feel like if I can stay healthy and keep working I am on track to a good IM in Arizona. I still get that sinking feeling when I hear footsteps on the run, but at least now I am not just falling out of contention. I will post pictures when I get them. Now I just have to figure out how to run like these guys and not get any slower on the bike... I had better get busy! Thanks for reading!

Setbacks....

Its been a few weeks since I wrote anything, and I thought I had better write to say I am still alive! Its been a tough few weeks and I have had a few illnesses to deal with. The first happened the weekend of the Ed Sander Cross, which is my favorite cross race of the year. I started having an allergic reaction to something and developed a rash and some congestion that wouldn't seem to clear up. I had to skip racing and take 3 days off of training altogether. After feeling better during the week I did feel good enough to go to the Breast Cancer Awareness Cyclocross in Hagerstown, MD on October 4th. I raced in the Elite Master's category and had a great race going until I rolled my tire in a corner with 2 laps to go. Frustrated, but unhurt I ended up that day around 15th which was OK. Then on Sunday I started feeling bad and had to cut my workout short; sure enough Monday I had a sore throat. Now its Thursday October 9th and I am 2 days into a course of antibiotics with a cough and cold! I have a 1/2 Ironman (lite) to race Sunday so I am hoping to get progressively better the next few days. It was supposed to be my last big test before IM Arizona, but now I am just hoping to be healthy enough to get there. This kind of stuff almost never happens to me, and I am not used to having so many setbacks.
All in all I had to think that I would have some setbacks. I have had a great year so far racing and maybe this will make me focus a little better on the end of the season and my goals at IM. Its always tough for an athlete to accept setbacks, but in the long run they can turn out to be something that will help out in some way. I would rather have just about anything than a fever, cough, and cold; but I will try to make the most of it. 3 days totally off training and going into a half-litle Tri is not where I thought I would be right now, but I will do my best to make the most of it! I hope your Fall is healthier than mine! Thanks for reading!