Been a tough few weeks, but things are getting back on track. I was partaking in "one too many" of my favorite summertime drink, and ended up paying dearly for it. Let me describe this particularly nasty concoction for you so you can get a bit of understanding:
2 parts 12-14 hours work days (10hrs of which are on your feet, racing around the resort or on the line)
1 part limited sleep (4-6hrs per night)
1 part guilt (for not spending any time with your family)
1 part interval training (however, not as much as I would like)
Then comes the real the real kicker...the "lack of medication floater".
Let me explain before you guys start to think of me as the second coming of Rush. I have a degenerative thyroid, which basically means if I don't take my 75mcg of Levoxel everyday, i start to get a little run down. We discovered this problem about 7 years ago while I was working in Colorado and have learned to manage it with the medication. If I'm on the meds, all is well. Miss a few days, no big deal. Miss a week or so, and its the "permanent hangover" .
This was the case this past month, and it paid me back in spades. My prescription ran out, and when that happens, I have to go to the doc for a blood test and all that shit. Well, I just couldn't seem to make time for that and thought maybe I could get away with it for a bit. Bad call. My summers are so frickin' busy now, that any deviation in this regiment stands out like Sobe sandbagging his way through a Cat 3 crit.
So, we had to change the program once again to let me recuperate from my misgivings. Good news is everything seems to be coming back together just in time to get three solid weeks of intensity in before the first races of the season.
My weight is going back down, 226lbs as of this morning, and yesterdays intervals went great. I did two sets of 3X2min of above LT on the lower slopes of Teton Pass. As they were so short, I stood up for the entire two minutes of the intervals and had 3 minutes to recover between each. Surprisingly I felt pretty strong for all six intervals and feel pretty good today as well.
Tomorrow, we are going to do two more sets of 3X3min above LT with 3 minutes of rest in between. Then it is on to some Over/Under intervals for Saturday, and a long mountain bike ride on Sunday. I will follow more or less this same weekly schedule for the next three weeks before a quick rest the week before the first race.
One thing I have noticed is how my body reacts to rest now that I'm older. I really seem to gain quite abit from extended periods of rest that I don't think I ever had when I was young. I probably need the rest more now obviously, but I also don't lose as much fitness as I used to. Kinda cool that way.
Time to get some real work done, and stop taking nips from the glass.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
"Daya herd dat?"
These are the words of my soon to be three year old daughter Zoe anytime she hears something out of the ordinary. Could be a motorcycle going by, an airplane, or the sound an email makes coming through my phone. She is a bit hyper-aware of things like this.
Soon, she will hear a new sound.
You can almost hear it now. Shhh...be quite and listen. "Daya herd dat?" I know, its very faint. But trust me folks, it will soon be deafening.
That's right...its is the sweet sound of cowbells.
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls,....'Cross time is almost here!!!!!!
My excitement is starting to build. I'm at the point of looking at my 'cross bike, wanting so much to put my fatties on and get going, but know I have yet another month before the first race of the season.
It looks as though I'm going to have a pretty good schedule of racing this season starting Sept 24th for the Kross Kickoff in Victor. From there, we have the following:
Moose Cross Oct 8-9
Jackson/Victor Weekend Oct 22-23
Crosstoberfest Oct 29-30
Cube Cross #1 Nov 5
Cube Cross #2 Nov 12
State Champs Nov 19-20
After that, it will be time to chill for a bit before hockey starts in Jan.
The training is going OK, not a ton of volume right now, but lots of intensity. Last Tues was a killer with 36min (3x12min) of Over/Under intervals. Pretty painful, but great training for 'cross. I've also been hitting the bike park at the resort, trying to work on my handling skills mostly and just getting comfy on the dirt again. Once I suit up the 'cross bike with knobs, I'm going to bring it out and ride the easier trails at the park to really dial in my rig.
My weight is now down to 226lbs. I haven't been losing as much as I have in the past, but then again, I'm not riding as much either. My intake has gotten back on track, still having a lite breakfast, a large lunch, and passing on dinner. Skipping dinner has been pretty easy recently as Couloir has been absolutely slammed every night. My only real vice has been beer. For a while, I was abstaining completely. However, considering the fact that I'm amped up on espresso and iced tea (Splenda, no sugar) all night to get through service, a beer after work is the only thing that is getting me to sleep before 1am. I'm hoping work starts to slack up soon so I can have a bit more time to get it all together before Sept. 24th.
Overall things haven't gone to plan, but haven't gone bad either. Doesn't really matter though, cause the cowbells are coming, and I love that sweet, sweet sound.
Soon, she will hear a new sound.
You can almost hear it now. Shhh...be quite and listen. "Daya herd dat?" I know, its very faint. But trust me folks, it will soon be deafening.
That's right...its is the sweet sound of cowbells.
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls,....'Cross time is almost here!!!!!!
My excitement is starting to build. I'm at the point of looking at my 'cross bike, wanting so much to put my fatties on and get going, but know I have yet another month before the first race of the season.
It looks as though I'm going to have a pretty good schedule of racing this season starting Sept 24th for the Kross Kickoff in Victor. From there, we have the following:
Moose Cross Oct 8-9
Jackson/Victor Weekend Oct 22-23
Crosstoberfest Oct 29-30
Cube Cross #1 Nov 5
Cube Cross #2 Nov 12
State Champs Nov 19-20
After that, it will be time to chill for a bit before hockey starts in Jan.
The training is going OK, not a ton of volume right now, but lots of intensity. Last Tues was a killer with 36min (3x12min) of Over/Under intervals. Pretty painful, but great training for 'cross. I've also been hitting the bike park at the resort, trying to work on my handling skills mostly and just getting comfy on the dirt again. Once I suit up the 'cross bike with knobs, I'm going to bring it out and ride the easier trails at the park to really dial in my rig.
My weight is now down to 226lbs. I haven't been losing as much as I have in the past, but then again, I'm not riding as much either. My intake has gotten back on track, still having a lite breakfast, a large lunch, and passing on dinner. Skipping dinner has been pretty easy recently as Couloir has been absolutely slammed every night. My only real vice has been beer. For a while, I was abstaining completely. However, considering the fact that I'm amped up on espresso and iced tea (Splenda, no sugar) all night to get through service, a beer after work is the only thing that is getting me to sleep before 1am. I'm hoping work starts to slack up soon so I can have a bit more time to get it all together before Sept. 24th.
Overall things haven't gone to plan, but haven't gone bad either. Doesn't really matter though, cause the cowbells are coming, and I love that sweet, sweet sound.
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