The Perfect Storm - Round 2

Saturday saw my first return to see Mark Kane and continue my implementation of plan 'x'. Don't ask why it's plan 'x' as I don't really have a reason other than it's easier to refer to something if it has a name. Besides, plan 'x' sounds sorta cool like it's an x-men experiment and I'll come out the other side strong as hell but with some sort of abnormality like poor vision and a slight onion tolerance. I'd rather have a tolerance to wild animals though.

Anyway, it was time to begin work on the areas of concern that were highlighted by the assessment; more specifically my back and glutes. I fall into the 'I sit all day and don't do shit' category when it comes to daily, general activity. Therefore, one thing that tends to happen is my glutes tend to switch off or go to sleep. The trouble is they stay that way and when I try to ride a bike or perform any complicated sports move they don't contribute as they should, leading to reduced performance. We began with some simple exercises to wake up the lazy ones and then moved on to a few more advanced exercises that are designed to engage the entire core but also focus on my weak areas. One is called the Inchworm. Essentially, you begin in a downward dog type position and slowly slide your hands out in front of you as far as possible but still remaining stable. The back must remain flat and not sag; hold for a few second and return. It's basically like a really hard plank.

We also did Mountain Climbers, but these were very much unlike the ones we did all day in the Infantry. These are designed to increase one's ability to resist rotational forces with the core so the movements were preformed very slowly. To me these weren't too bad until Mark had me do them on an instability ball. Nice.

We meet again this week and are going to start a bit of work in the gym to progress things a little. Should be interesting; drive on soldiers, drive on.

C

Knee Rehab - Week 4

Just four weeks after having surgery on my left knee, I was sitting on a spin cycle with no resistance set spinning in slow motion. It has to be the best feeling in the world for a injured cyclist to regain that motion - for me without a doubt. But it did not come easy. The surgery which involved cutting tissue away to release my knee cap has resulted in a lot of swelling and lost of mobility. It has taken great patience and work just to get to this point where I can now sit on a bike again. Any athlete faced with an injury involving some amount of time off to recover will face frustration - it is a given - recovery is the most difficult endurance sport on the planet!

My recovery began immediately with my leg in a Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine the day after surgery. Per doctor orders, I used the CPM for 8 hours a day to reduce the formation of scar tissue in the area. Yes, that is right - 8 hours a day for 2 weeks!! This machine became a mental torture devise as I had to sit around and watch my knee go up and down with no effort on my part but the benefits became apparent. Mobility came back rather quickly and has been consistently increasing as time passes. Along with the CPM, I started Physical Therapy (PT) 3 times a week with Mark Kane (www.kanetraining.com) just 2 days after surgery. The use of manual therapy of the soft tissues supporting the knee and active movement exercises in combination with my time on the CPM is working. The CPM is gone now - YEAH - and I am continuing to work with Mark Kane 3 times a week on improving mobility and strength with simple exercises to engage the quad, calf, and glut muscles. The battle with wanting to start where you left off is hard to fight but you have to think baby steps to get back to that point. Reality of this hit when Mark asked to see if I could do a bridge exercise with the band - normally a really simple exercise almost requiring no real effort but I could not do it - not even close. The muscles used to perform this simple

exercise are not working right now. I had to accept and believe if I continue with these baby steps, I will recover better and stronger than before.

One thing I find helpful with this whole recovery process is to find peace with it and not fight it. It is a mental game for sure and I have some exciting things happening in 2012 but I have to be healthy first! Anyone who knows me knows there is always a plan :)) Stay tuned to follow the progression of recovery - it will be a long road as I will have to have surgery on the right knee as soon as the left knee heals enough. Is this really happening ???

To read more about the surgery - visit www.teamup4type1.org.

Pisgah stage 4

Hunter Subaru Pisgah Stage Race - Day 4
Stage details - 39 miles, 8,000+ ft of elevation gain

Race director Todd Branham warned me of this stage and on several occasions he would address the group around him warning of stage 4 being the hardest of the race. His hype was spot on. We started from the bottom of the Black Mountain trailhead and headed up the trails that we normally finished the stages on. That sweet fast downhill was now a long grinding uphill all the way to the intersection of the Turkey Pen trail.  2,000’ of climbing in the first 5 miles, some you could ride, some not as it got rockier, washed out and steeper. Once to the turn off to Turkey Pen we hit some great down hill sections and the constant reminder of how remote we were started to sink in. There is no easy way to these trails so they don’t get much love in the way of trail maintenance. We had to endure constant face and arm whacking by Rhododendron, briars etc as you tried to pick the cleanest lines. Suddenly thrown straight downhill on some of the fastest sections and boom, straight back uphill, off the bike and pushing. (Rinse and repeat). Finally making it to aid station 1 and giving the White Squirrel a “high five” on the way. Stocked up on food and water and headed out for the next trail section. Along the way, I came upon a fellow racer, Cissy who was leading the overall in the Open Women’s division. She was sitting trailside with her 3^rd flat. She was desperate for a spare tube. As I carry only 1 spare with me and have extra ahead at the next aid station, I couldn’t say no. I stopped, took off my saddlebag, fished out the tube, some spare duct tape to patch her tire and wished her luck and moved on. I had a goal to finish the hardest stage in less than 6 hours. I realized that I would be in the same situation as her if I flatted but here I was on day 4 with no flats, no mechanical issues and hoped my luck would hold until aid station 2 where I could pick up my spare tube and pick up the pace. With lot’s of singletrack ahead, I continued to be cautious and rode conservatively as I worked toward the next aid station. After riding Squirrel to Horse Cove, I came upon a banjo player (no kidding) at the intersection, plucking away and pointing me uphill. Ride, push, ride, push. Finally dumping out on to a section I was familiar with since I had ridden it with Tracey, Jim, Andy and Scott a few weeks earlier. Fast, reclaimed FS road with some spectacular views, which in a race, you don’t get to enjoy. Caught up to a couple of riders and sat in behind a guy from Canada named Garnett. Followed him down to aid station 2 and warned him about some washed out sections ahead so he wouldn’t crash. His whole side was dirty; tell tale sign of previously sliding out. As we rolled in to the aid station, Garnett started telling the volunteers about the 2 bears he encountered. Says they were 30 meters away from him and spooked him pretty good. I grabbed some food, small cup of Coke and headed out. Now knowing the rest of the course I realized I would really have to pick up the pace to come in less than 6 hours. I really started pushing harder and started catching more and more racers. About 2 miles from aid station 2 when I realized I had forgotten to grab the spare tube. Holy Crap! I decided to keep on going and just be careful. Made the gradual climb back up to Buckhorn Gap fairly quickly and was looking forward to seeing Tracey there where she was the course marshal. Pulled in and chatted for a few seconds and my teammate Scott George was there. He said he would ride the next section with me down to Club Gap and then he had to turn off. I can’t tell you how much that did for me. We didn’t talk much but knowing he was there gave me a sense that I knew I would finish the stage as best as I could. We rocked that section as we rode the sections where other riders were pushing. I had settled into a nice pace, keeping my heart rate just under 165 and grunting through some of the steeper sections and recovering as quickly as possible to tackle the next set of steep pitches. Scott pulled off at Club Gap, I was sorry to see him go. I headed down the treacherous Buckwheat Knob downhill to FS 477. Once there it was a long high speed downhill to aid station 3 and some more climbing to Maxwell Cove, a little hike a bike section on Black Mountain and I would be at the finish. I stopped at aid station 3 and grabbed the spare tube, emptied my pockets of all non-essential food and headed out. I figured I had lost about 15 minutes on the day from riding cautiously and another 5 from stopping to help. I kept pushing and as I turned onto Maxwell Cove, I picked up the pace, just concentrating on riding as hard as I could. Off to my right I heard a loud crashing noise and as I looked over I saw a pretty good sized black bear about 50 feet off the trail and running at approximately the same speed I was riding and we were side by side. For some reason I didn’t seem to be too concerned and I simply started dinging my bell as I didn’t want him to come up in front of me and cut me off. The encounter was no more than 10 seconds but the adrenaline surge and let down were totally noticeable. Whew. I kept going and finally hit the downhill section of Black Mountain, constantly checking my time and finally figured I was not going to make the 6-hour goal. I kept off the brakes as much as possible without being stupid; I still had 1 more stage to race and didn’t want to risk a crash. I hit the finish line and could see the clock at 5:58:58 and crossed in at 5:59:00. How about that! I finished 6th on the stage and remained 6th overall.
Garmin date for stage 4: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/118182877

The Perfect Storm

While many of my teammates and friends have been gearing up for the last few races of the season, I've been avoiding the bike (per Chad's orders of course). Yea, this year I decided to cut the year a little short (just after River's Edge) and focus on next year. I can't say 2011 racing was all that great to me - or rather, I wasn't that good to it. Things went up and down, left and right and there were only a few times this year when I felt strong and competitive. So, the break was a bit of a welcome and my brain immediately began working out strategies on how to make 2012 better. Long story short and with Chad's help, a plan has been devised and recently hatched.

One of the primary components is balanced strength and body movement. It's way too easy for some of us to get wrapped up in cycling alone. I'm guilty of it; hell, all the exercise I do for the majority of the year is on the bike and I also have an office job that requires me to sit all day. A lot of us end up stale and unable to achieve our full potential simply because our body is not working as a single unit. Our team is very fortunate to have Mark Kane as one of our primary sponsors and this year I'll be relying on him to ensure I'm doing everything I can to be a better complete athlete. I met with him on Sunday and he conducted an initial assessment of body movement, strength, stability, muscular balance and soft tissue. You know, it was my first time doing anything like that and man was he thorough. He quickly found areas where I was weak or overly tight that can have major impacts to one's ability to ride a bike (not to mention live an active life).


You can read more about what Mark does here, but the quick version is that we conducted the Functional Movement Screen which is basically an assessment (and first step) to in the Functional Movement System (FMS). The screen is basically:

"...a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns that are key to normal function. By screening these patterns, the FMS readily identifies functional limitations and asymmetries. These are issues that can reduce the effects of functional training and physical conditioning and distort body awareness."

The great thing: Mark is far from a one trick pony and he's designed an entire arsenal hell bent on making athletes achieve their maximum. You could say I have two major components moving me into 2012: Chad and his expertise as a cycling coach and Mark covering, well, everything else. The perfect storm? It looks that way from where I'm standing. More to come as I work through the issues Mark and I found and get down to some serious strength and conditioning. 2012? Oh yea baby.

C

Pisgah stage 3

Hunter Subaru Pisgah Stage Race - Day 3
Stage details - 25 miles, 3,200+ ft of elevation gain
After somewhat bonking on stage 2, I was a little apprehensive approaching this stage knowing it was a make it or break it stage mentally for me to finish the race. Fortunately I had ridden about ½ the course on a previous ride with Stephen Janes from Asheville. The start moved to the North Mills recreation area at the Wash Creek Group campsite.  Although shorter, the stage promised plenty of steep climbs and super fast descents. We started out with a FS road climb up to Spencer Gap and the group started a split almost immediately. I stayed near the front 1/3 and was in good position as we entered the first really steep sections and managed to stay on the bike and climb all the way to the top. In doing so, I passed quite a few that were off the bike pushing the climbs.  This eventually leveled out to a 2-3% grade and was a really nice singletrack climb to the top. The downhill was being bombed as I was on the wheels of husband and wife duo team Lee and Brenda Simril. Nearing the bottom we were caught by a couple of insane descenders who blew by us on the creek crossings.  One was a guy from Industry 9 in Asheville and I caught back to him and rode for a while talking as we climbed to the Fletcher Creek downhill which I feel was the most fun downhill section for flat out speed and handling. Keith gapped me a bit on the downhill but eventually I passed him on the climb back to aid station 1. The race director and volunteers have this race dialed in. As you approach an aid station, a volunteer is positioned about ¼ mile and radios in your number, as you approach, they have your bag and digging in it for whatever you need. This keeps you moving and you don’t stop. Great system!. I blew threw and grabbed a fresh bottle and headed for the Lower Trace Ridge descent. Flying downhill suddenly I came to a drop off of about 3’-4’ and as sliding to a stop remembered this phrase that kept going through my head “just because you can ride it doesn’t mean you should”. I yelled an obscenity and jumped off the bike to run that section just as I heard someone say, “watch your language young man”. I looked ahead and there was a couple in their 70’s that had hiked up to watch the racers come through that section. They laughed and said that wasn’t the worse they had heard. Turns out they are both Mtn bikers. How cool is that?

Continuing on the bottom of Trace ridge I see Tracey who is the course marshal at the crossing of the North Mills River. I yelled, “Look, I’m being careful” and then screamed across the river to get to the next climb up Wash Creek road and the hike a bike up Trace Ridge. I was starting to make time on a few of the riders I had caught up to but none were in my race category of 40+ men.  Keeping up the pace and eventually found myself once again riding alone until I approached the last downhill which would be followed by a shorter gradual climb and finally the super fast technical downhill leading to the finish. I caught up to the women’s leader and a duo team member and rode with them to the finish coming in at 2:41 and finishing 6th. I felt good although tired. Time to recover and get ready for stage 4 which is constantly being talked about as the hardest stage of the race.
Garmin data for stage 3: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/117955389

Pisgah stage 2

Hunter Subaru Pisgah Stage Race - Day 2
Stage details - 43 miles, 7,300+ ft of elevation gain
Stage 2 left from the Kuykendall group camp and featured a LeMans running start to get to your bike followed by a stream crossing and 3-4 minutes of super fast riding to get down to FS road 471 and the 7 mile climb to the intersection of FS 229 then the really steep climb up to the Famous Farlow Gap downhill. I moved closer to the front of the pack just to be safe and not get caught up in any crashes. Once on the climb, settle in and keep heart rate under 165 and watch quite a few folks go up the road. I made the first climb in about 40 minutes and grabbed a bottle at the 1st aid station and kept riding. As I came in toward the Farlow Gap area there was a tight section between a tree and huge boulder. A momentary distraction saw my front wheel slide on some roots and I shoulder checked the boulder and ripped a chunk off my left hand, scream, curse and keep going. No way to approach Farlow being dazed but here I went straight down the boulder field, 6-9% grade down hill full of rocks that are constantly moved by each rider before and after you so the lines are always sketchy. About ½ way down was the “White Squirrel”, a local dressed in a giant white squirrel costume and his trademark “Woooooo” yell. Distracting enough in the middle of nowhere to cause most riders to dismount and walk some of the steepest gnarliest areas before getting back on the bike. Several more stream crossings and on to the Daniel Ridge/Cove Creek areas and aid station 2. I’m riding with some locals that knew the trails really well and flying through the woods, smiles all around as we railed the turns. As I came in to aid station 2 I realized I had not drank or eaten anything and suddenly I was feeling really tired. I immediately ate a honey stinger gel and ½ of a PB&J and kept moving. Knowing another 7 mile FS road climb was ahead as well as Club Gap, Black Mtn and Maxwell Cove, I was beginning to feel that maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew. I kept shoving gels, trail mix etc but I was behind the nourishment curve and now could do nothing but hold on and try to finish as I was only ½ way into the race. As I struggled up the climb, several racers I had passed earlier were now coming back and leaving me in their dust, very humiliating. I just kept going and I saw Tracey on FS 477 as I turned to climb up to Club Gap. I tried to look strong but after I was out of sight I fell back in to the slo mo pace to limp to the finish. Knowing that I had to repeat the lower part of Black Mountain to get to the finish was disheartening but once over the climb, I knew I had the finish in sight but probably had lost a place or two in the overall as I knew I finished 20-30 minutes slower than I had expected. I came in 6th for the stage and dropped to 5th overall. Still 3 more days of racing and a shorter stage on day 3. After the finish, Tracey force-fed me even though I had no appetite. Honestly, I don’t think I would have gotten on the bike for the third day had she not been there to “Fix me” after I screwed up by not eating. What a hard lesson, simple as it was and my pockets full of food, I didn’t eat.
Garmin data for stage 2:http://connect.garmin.com/activity/117769065

Pisgah stage 1

Hunter Subaru Pisgah Stage Race - Day 1
Stage details - 39 miles. 6,200+ ft of elevation gain.
Weather was great as we lined up for the first stage of the 2011 Hunter Subaru Pisgah stage race. The Lynskey Pro29SL was dialed in with a new drive train, new Ergon grips and running some new Kenda Slant Six tires front and rear. I figured the 120TPI would serve me well as Pisgah is known for ripping some sidewalls. The stage started out from the Black Mtn trailhead and turned right on Hwy 276 past the Pisgah Ranger station and up Forest Service rd 477 to the horse stables. This was a controlled start on pavement and once we hit the gravel road it was “Race on”. The climb up Clawhammer rd to Buckhorn Gap is about 7 miles and an average grade of 6-7% with some steep sections of around 12%. I decided to keep my heart rate just under 165 for the climb, which meant I was letting a lot of folks go by me. I got to the top in about 44 minutes, grabbed a fresh bottle and hit the singletrack down Buckhorn to Squirrel gap, a great reward for all the early climbing. I felt pretty good at this point but had to stop to reposition my saddlebag and rear quick release, which was creaking. The climb on squirrel was great and having ridden it before with Teammate Scott George, Tracey Lewis and others, I knew what to expect so I turned up the screws and dropped several of the riders close by. After getting out of the singletrack we hit a long gravel FS road where I picked up the pace and caught four other riders. The climb back up to Buckhorn was a little tiring especially knowing that I had to hike a bike over Black Mountain to get to the finish. I stopped for some quick chain lube and hit the climb. If you’ve never done that section of Black Mtn, it is a beast on foot, much less dragging a bike up. Once over the top you have some downhill sections with big log drops, washed out trail with lots of rocks etc. One more hike a bike section before hitting the final downhill section and on to the finish. Hitting the fast section and being tired caused me to make an almost tragic mistake. Coming out of a turn at 20+ mph I steered into a flat faced rock head on and had a serious gut check. I grunted so bad that I thought I was flying over the handlebars and race over. I’m not sure how I saved it but credit goes to the bike. I fully used every bit of front suspension so much that it forced oil out of the seals and pushed the ring marker all the way to the top. Slow go to the finish as I realized that 4 more days of racing were ahead. Finished 4th with a time of 4:43. Garmin data for this stage attached:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/117648764