Brain MRI...

...yeah you heard me right, I had a MRI done today on the old brain (I'll go into the why part another time.) I'm guessing things are gonna come back looking like this...
Won't know for a week or so thou.....Hell the way I'm going they may even find nothing but a avocado in their.

I'm back...

...well I never left, I've just been off crime fighting.

Ok, not really on that one too. Unless you call saving the world from being overrun with Oreo's and Belgium beer, even if that's the case I'm only batting 500. I'm pretty sure I've single handed keep Hoegaarden in business the past week and a half, but the cookies are gettin the best of me. Just can't really do much junk food, but I'm giving any avocado in five square miles the warning to watch out.

I've made and eaten more guacamole in the past week then your average Mexican restaurant...and plan to keep it going for a little while longer.

If you can't figure it out I'm taking a much needed break from any real training. Nationals has come and gone and MASS is won, therefore I'm doing what I've been told for once...taking a break.

Still doing some base miles, but I don't think my HR has been over 150 in the past ten days.

Some if you're a Belgium beer or a plate of nacho beware...I'm coming for you. Atleast for the next few days still.

Mt Snow Nat's...

As some of you may have read the MTB Nationals were this weekend up in Mt Snow VT.

After a easy pre ride on Thursday I headed out early on Friday morning for a test of my knowledge of the lines....little did I know it would be with Georgia Gould...
...(for those of you that don't know she's one of the best female MTB'ers in the World...and cool as Hell on top of that.) But with my race only being three hours away I tried to keep my HR as low as I could while sucking in all the knowledge Georgia was throwing down (she's forgot more about MTBing then I'll ever know.)

But noon was throwdown time for my race, and after seeing the "call out" I knew who my competition was...not to mention it was gonna both start and stay fast. The course started with a half mile climb up and combination of dirt/gravel and jeep trail that then sent you bombing back to the start/finish area.

Only then to head back uphill for a three mile climb to the top of the ski resort for the last technical mile long downhill to a fast 500 meter sprint to the finish of the lap.

The race started FAST and I hit the climb about mid pack, but my body just had this cold/not warmed up feeling to it. But after 10-12 minutes I felt in the groove and start passing riders both in my and earlier fields....only to be hung up behind a couple slower riders in the technical downhill.

The second lap was a blur of pushing as hard as I could and passing riders when/where I could.
But with about 100 meters to go on the last technical downhill I heard a rider coming behind me and I gave it all I had. I came into the last 90 degree turn out of the technical stuff WAY TO FAST and grabbed a handfull of rear brake knowing it was to late. By some miracle the rear of the bike snapped around (in a powerslide I never knew how to do in the first place) and I found myself pointing the right direction and gave it all I had. Needless to say the 20 plus people watching in that corner went nuts....the one thing I heard was some guy yelling "that's how you f-ing do it right there." Little did he know I thought I was gonna forever be apart of the tree he was standing next to.

Once I knew I was not dead I gave all I had left into the pedals for the last 500 meters to the finish never looking back, and never heard a sound again...still not know who was behind me.
The first thing the wifey asked once I finished was "how you do?" I told her I thought I was 5th-8th and was somewhat happy knowing I gave all I had for a lap and a half.

Turns out I was third of the field 28. Being on a podium is cool...but being on a podium at Nationals was really freaking cool. But a third is a third, and with that in mind I'm setting goals on next year and Expert Nat's at that.

But until then it's time to reset short-term goals rock the house in Cycle Cross.

Bust...

...well, if you want to call third place in Nationals a bust. Personal I do...I'll give the blow by blow tomorrow.

Mt Snow or bust...

Loading the shortbus up this morning for the trip up to Mt Snow for Nationals on Friday. Should be a good time, but it's gonna be a rough course it sounds. Lots of climbing and tough competition all around, but I'll do what I can do.

Reality check....

....that was the best way to put yesterdays race at Fair Hill, but being my first Expert race I knew things were gonna be different. Between the speed, the extra distance and just the over all competition change this was going to be a new game.

The course is the longest of the season at 28 miles, but it's also a very fast course with the average speeds in the 12 mph range. The race started at a good but sustainable pace, and I was sitting in the lead group of 8-9 riders. I have to say that it was pretty cool to look ahead and see our little freight train of color rolling thru the trail.

We stayed as a unit for about the next 45 minutes, only being spaced out a little here and there when we came upon slower traffic from the classes in front of us. But that's about the time were things started to head south. I got "hung up" behind a small group of singlespeeders and fell off our little freight train....and I say hung up because the more I think about it I just didn't want to get by them, I felt myself starting to fade. I think it was more mental then physical, but none the less it was happening.

After 2-3 minutes of rolling with the SS guys I came around on a long downhill fireroad, but I did use my time wisely and sucked down some fluids and a little nutrition. A few minutes later I came across the best water/recovery stop known to man....lots of pictures in the link...

...as always FatMarc and friends know how to have a good time.

After my little lap in the pool I felt things coming back, not sure if it was the nutrition I threw down just before the stop, the splish splash in the pool or seeing Rotten Rob rocking the leopard print loin cloth but I was back....so I thought.

Things felt good for about the next 10-15 minutes but then I felt myself starting to fade again. I caught another group of riders and was content with just sticking on their wheel. After 10-15 minutes of riding with these guys I made my way thru (more so because they were fading more then I was, not that I was faster) but that put me riding alone...which is not what I needed.

With 3-4 miles left in the race (about the 23-24 mile mark) the wheels fell off....I was done, cooked, spent, etc. I was not cramping at all, so I'm guessing it was more nutrition based then hydration...or maybe it was just the distance, either way I was heading south fast.

Thankfully this part of the course was flat and I limped to the finish with a showing of 11th of the 14 finishers in my class. The next hour was a little worrying thou, I've never felt so bad/sick after a race. I was light headed, disoriented and felt like I was gonna puke, but I was sweating like an escaped convict so I'm not sure if it was dehydration.

But things slowly got better and all seams good today. So now it's a chill out couple of days until Nationals on Friday and we'll go from there next week. I've got a couple different thoughts running thru my head...but more on that later.

A week away

Not that I'm counting or anything, but seven days and three hours from now my race at Nationals starts...again, not that I'm counting.

But before that we have this weekends race down in Fair Hill, which will be my first as an Expert. But the cool thing is I feel zone pressure, I plan on just going out and giving what I've got knowing that I'll be mid pack at best. I look at it as this is just a head start on next year and a training ride/race for next weekend.

With the race coming on Sunday and the big one next Friday I've kept it a pretty laid back week on the riding front. I did forty miles on the road on Tuesday and believe it not I went down to Wissa and did a MTB ride yesterday.

I thought about it as I was riding and I could not remember the last time I went out for a true MTB "ride." Sure I've rode lots of miles off road over the last few months but it's all been racing or pre riding the course before a race. I've not gone out and rode in the dirt since before the race season started, guessing it was as far back as March....and I have to say it felt good.

Marysville major

As I wrote lastnight this past weekend was the Marysville stage race. Friday night was a NTT, (night time trail) Saturday was a normal XC race and Sunday was both a hill climb (2.6 miles long) and a STXC (short track.)

The way it worked was all four races broke down into two points races for the year long season. The XC was one itself and the NTT, hill climb and STXC (stage race) were grouped together as the second one. Everything with the XC was normal, but the way they grouped racers for the stage race I lined up with 19 thru 45 year olds (Sport A.).

Having ran into a problem with the babysitter for the dogs wifey and I got the pleasure of driving the hour and 45 minute each way trip back and forth all three days. So thinking about it we spent more time in the short bus then we did racing.....

....and we kind of invaded the "Team" RV....food, beer and all.
The NTT on Friday night was a blur only being 25 minutes long, but it was a good look of the course for the XC on Saturday morning. After Wifey had a little problem Saturday morning (I'll let her tell that story) we were lined up and off for the XC race.

The course was a great mix of technical stuff, (logs, bridges and tight twisty turns) climbs and open areas the fly thru. Things worked in my favor again and I took the win....my last for Sport, more on that later.

Sunday started early with the hill climb being the first of the two races of the day. It was only a 2.6 mile climb on mostly fireroads, but it was 20 minutes that I don't want to repeat until next year. Luckily no walking (besides having to jump of and run thru a bottleneck area for 10-15 meters) but it was a nice tough climb the whole way.

After a couple hours the recover (two beers and a turkey burger style) it was off to the STXC...20 minutes of laps on a quarter mile loop thru the camping area. Wifey had the camera rocking...

....and I was just trying not to throw up....nothing to do with said beers and burger. After working my way thru traffic (someone thought it would be a good idea to fall over in front of me at the starting line) I sat on third places wheel in forth most of the race. First and second place were fighting back and forth about 25 meters ahead of us, but we just could not close the gap.

With two laps to go I made my way into third place coming across the start/finish and I heard the promoter say over the PA system if I keep third place it would put me on the podium for the Sport A stage race....
....and so it was. I took third in the STXC and that gave me third overall in the stage race....the podium shot of the three 20 something year olds and I. No respect......kids beating up an old man like that.

Even thou I was third overall in the Stage race they break the points down into the normal age classes, so with that I won all three stages in my age. And with the wins this weekend I will have mathematically won the season even thou there is four races left...so on to Expert I move.

Now the real pain begins....but I just look at it as a head start on next year.

Marysville Minor

Just got home from three days of driving and racing.

Marysville was great, in a nut shell I won all four of my races. The weekend was broken down into two races, a stage race (with three stages) and a normal cross country.

A full write up in the morning and a couple photos I hope (depends on how steady wifey's hand was) till then I'm going to sleep.........for about a day.

Till then goodbye Sport class, hello cruel, cruel Expert class.

Hi ho, hi ho....

...it's off to Marysville we go.

The wifey and I are heading out to Marysville for Stage Race and Festival for what will be my last Sport race...there, I've said it...it's official. I wanted to move up as of this week, but someone asked me not to change until I mathematically had won the Class for the year. So next weekend to the big leagues it is.

Either was the weekend should be a blast. It all starts with a night time trail today, a XC tomorrow and when a hill climb and short track race on Sunday. I hill climb is what I'm not looking forward to, I remember it from a couple years back. Was pretty much a 20-25 minute climb up this long beat up dirt road.

But it should be a good weekend mix of fireworks, beer, a race (or four) followed by more beer.

Time to go get sleeping beauty kick started....or maybe kick sleeping beauty. At this time of the morning they one and the same thou.

Pity Party over

Not that I was really having one, but the self pity party is over.

I did not really put to much thought into Saturday's poor showing till I did a road ride yesterday. It was 30 miles of should haves and could haves. I little talk to the wifey about endrance thoughts in the future and a plan is set....for when and where is yet to be determined. But it's gonna be game on.

Today I met up it Gary for a 40 miles spin out of Doylestown that kind of hurt. The legs were still pretty shot which I was surpised by, but the "undercarriage" took the worst. Not sure if the bibs were sitting wierd on Saturday or what, but damn...we've got some heeling up to do the trhe next couple days.

After the ride it was time to meet up the Geoffrey to work out all the latic acid that must still be hanging out in my legs. Hoping things feel much better tomorrow (leg wise).....still need to figure out what I'm racing this weekend, the six hour endrance or the XC.