Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Food

Adam asks what our favorite food is. That is funny, my wife asked me that same question earlier this week, my answer, well I couldn't answer. SHe said she had lots of favorites, I asked her how can they be favorites if you have so many? I am, have become or maybe always have been the type of person who views food as utilitarian, I eat what I need. I do have a sweet tooth. I have a very bad Hot Tamale habit.

Breakfast, usually a Breakfast bar of some sort and some fruit type of thing and lots of coffee.
Lunch - a creature of habit am I. Chick Fila, Indian Buffet, Mexican, NYC Pizza, Burger, Salads
Dinner - Baked Fish, Baked Chicken, with rice or pasta or potatoes, and Salad or Green Beans or Broccoli or asparagas.

Now race carb loading is different. 800 grams of carbs for 2 days before a big race, 1 day for not so big, same after the race. That many carbs means I just eat anything I can. Rice, Mac and Cheese, Yogurt smoothies, apple sauce , pasta and sauce. Rice Crispie treats, and more of the same. Pre race meal is waffles or pcakes and yogurt smoothe and a cliff bar.

I really like food in general and it looks as if lunch is my most dangerous meal, hmmm, maybe i should look into that. Not worried about my weight, just my fuel. I also believe that america's meat portions are way too big, so I split a chicken breast into 2 servings. Read the servings is my advice. My coach told me 3 years ago that after reading Clinical Sports Nutrition that I would read every label, I do, not that I always choose the right stuff, but at least I know what is in it.

The book is 700 pages long and very heavy in technical terms and expensive, but it was very informational.

Monday, November 28, 2005

Kuala Lumpur?

So on Map Stats I got traffic from
Kuala Lumpur, I'm thinking that one is not for real, the refering url is a bit racey.
Venezuela, but the profile is from Indiana - This could be real, my sisters man is from Venezuela. I hear they are amassing a formidable armed force down there.
Tulsa - Um this one looks fishy, but i don't speak that language.
City of Industry California - proven-acne-treatmentsno, I think this may be a problem
Las Wages - This came from Adam's site, so i think it is Ok.

Being a Geek by nature and thinking of life in terms of patterns and equations and 1's and 0's I am loving this tracking stuff like Mapstats and Technocrati, I am sure it has just opened me up to the Blog world equivalent of Tele-Marketing, but still, it is cool.

What Would EPO do for me

I mean really, If i was 2% faster i may come in 3rd place not 4th. Brad P and Ty H and I ate some good mexican for lunch today and discussed this and other related items. Ty has gone so far in his 2006 planning to calculate mileage to each race and averaged the gas cost. Well i plan on racing a lot and filling the tank up when i need to, guess that is why I'll never be rich, but hey, you can't take it with you. Went to the gym again last night, it was empty, that was nice. Lyna and I ripped through our workout.

Lyna finally got her Thesis Defense date set. 12/12/05, that means the journey is over. SHe will be able to become my sugar momma now, well not really, but getting her Masters is a great accomplishment.

Anyone interested in a used but Pristine Scott Scale or Scott CR1 Team Issue. I would love to have both, but don't have the spare cash. I know the person selling them. He was a competitor in the Red Bull Road Rage, so it for sure is not me, because on the road, I descend like a feather.

So here is my tentative Schedule for 2006 -

Intermountaincup Desert Rampage
Intermountaincup Cholla Challenge
Intermountaincup 5 Mile Pass
Intermountaincup Lava Rama
Intermountaincup Hammerfest
Intermountaincup Point Blank
Intermountaincup Sundance
Intermountaincup Deer Valley
Intermountaincup Joy Ride
Intermountaincup Solitude
Intermountaincup Snowbird
Intermountaincup Border Town
Intermountaincup Wolverine Ridge
Norba Deer Valley
National Championships – Mammoth
Norba Brian Head

And Possibly
E100 12 hour
24 hours of Soldier Hollow
24 Hours of Moab on a ringer Expert Team or Coed Pro-AM

Road Races
Hell of the North – Utah Style
Tour of Saint George
Tour of Utah – 2 Mountain Top Finishes oh Joy!

And maybe a full CX season.

Thats only 21 races before cross, well I may have to not do the E100 race and the 24 hours of Soldier Hollow.

Found out today that the Tour of the Canyonlands is no longer, what a shame, a long running race in a beautiful atomosphere. 2004 led to the demise, a death during a race is horrible. I was not in that race but will always remember it. Sam Ben Hall was killed when he collided with a SUV on the Kane Creek road on the way to Hurrah Pass. A Salt Lake rider was injured pretty badly in the same incident. This hit me hard because the last race I did, The Nova Desert Classic, I was neck and neck with Sam in the TT and in the XC before I did my shoulder separating OTB. That could of been me. I remember being on the Amasa Back descent with Chris Sherwin, waiting to cheer friends on when we heard the ambulance, little did I know that a life was lost. Wow, that is a bummer, wasn't expecting to go there, Remember life is short. Live well and be good to everyone you encounter.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Point Blank Race Course

Photo log warning, here are some photos from the ride on the Point Blank Race Course, ummm, it is flat, it makes me dizzy, nice view of the mountains though.

The group on a downhill?
Post lap

Yeah , i think 5 miles of a lap winds around that field

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Soreness sets in in 8 hours

So, first trip to the gym last night, and in about 8 hours I will curl up lke a little ball and not want to move, it usually takes 24 hours for me to be sore.

I did not ride Sunday, spent the whole day watching football. Planning a Day after Thanksgiving Ride at Thanksgiving Point this week, Friday at noon. We will be riding the new Point Blank race course, it has a whole 100 feet of climbing every 10 mile lap. Sweet.

So I checked out Kerkove's site and he has a link to Alex's site. I met Alex 3 years ago at Moab, he is friends with a couple here in Utah that I know and who happen to own a business that sponsors Team Revolution, what a freaky small world.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Part 2

So in the spring of 2001 i hear that there is a series, the Intermountaincup. I do my first XC race in April, SHowdown at 5 mile pass. I come in 3rd in beginner men 30-39. I do 3 more beginner races and I get 3 1st places, i was always 5-10 minutes ahead of second, in an hour race, so i guessed i should move up.

My first Sport race was the Draper Dash, i went from 10 or less miles the week before to 23 in 100 degree heat, ouch. I closed out the season with some decent results, a few top 6 placings. Oh yeah I did the 24 hours of Tahoe and Moab that year as well.

Now I wanted to do well in Sport. 2002 was the season I determined I could not train myself, experiment with tires and the season that I met most of my current riding partners. I had several podiums, several flats, took 3rd in the series and Rode the 24 hours of Moab on an expert team. Oh yeah, i did the brian head 100, made it right under 11 hours, i had never ridden longer than 35 miles before this race. That was not very bright.

Off season I got a coach, and was excites to see how things would work out, early in the season i had my first sport win, followed by some high placings and another win, in June I moved up to expert. Funny thing was that in Sport I could hammer for a lap and settle in and sta in the front, in expert, well the whole race was a hammer, no settle in. I did ok and did a few nationals and again did 24 hours of Moab on an expert team (Adam's Mad Dog team)

2004 was a break out year. I did well enough locally, had my best performance in the finale. But i also had 2 national podiums at Big Bear and Schweitzer. They helped me gather 2nd over all NCS expert 35-39 for the year. The year started out with a shoulder dislocation at the Nova Desert Classic.

2005 was an up and down year, only did a few nationals, missed a few local races, DNF'd my first local race with a blown Lefty fork, traveled alot for work and burnt out pretty well in July/August. The results were good, many podiums and my first ever Expert class wins (Tour of the Canyonlands Hillclimb/Lava Rama XC race). It leaves me hungry for 2006.

Watched the CX races at RMR yesterday, what a brutal course, Team Revolution was in effect in the B class. 3 riders in the top 5. Then We won the womens A category to top it off. In the afternoon I rode the shoreline form the zoo to dry creek, temps were around 50, same today, so i am hitting it again.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

How I started Riding/Racing

Hmm, Adams post has me thinking back how it all started.

1991 - I have several friends that 'work' at All Terrain Mtb Parts. A Mail order bike company in Lexington, Ky. I have a rigid blue giant iguana. The convince me to go riding at General Butler State Park on the trails. About a mile in I snap my headset. I upgrade almost immediatley to a Myata pur[le aluminum wonder and slap a Marzocchi XC 300 (Purple Ano) on it, and ride once a week at the Caney Loop at Cave Run Lake, Endo about every 1/4 mile - a theme that will continue for some time in my career. I then upgrade to the 1992 bike of the year a KHS Team Montana, steel is real. I still have it, pink and blue, grey ano's cook brs cranks, gold ano's answer bar, purple answer atac stem, purple ringle skewers and seat post. I ride it every weekend till i get into grad school. In 98 move to Utah. End of summer 99 was first trail ride in the state. Start at teh Avenues trail head of the shoreline, ride down dry creek and back. Hooked. Every day after work i rode that trail or dog lake or the pipeline, until it snowed, still on the KHS. In 2000, early in the year i rode past the gate in Mill Creek and up to dog lake, on the way down the pavement, the bike was making all types of noise and it was decided that Ii needed to replace the 8 year old steed. I ended up with an brand new Rocky Mtn Blizzard that afternoon. I was really hooked. Got the wife a Rocky Mountain Element that year. We rode all the time with a small group of friends, Sundays were rolling you pick the trail rides, we rode pretty much everything in Northern Utah that summer. Carried huge camelbacks for short rides, hung out laughed, cried a little and enjoyed life.

Coming up to October 2000 my friend Scott uttered these fateful words 'Hey Bob, you are kind of fast, you should come do the 24 hours of Moab with us"

My life has never been the same. more later....

Thursday, November 17, 2005

What exactly is the Off season and other musings

So, met with the coach tonight, I am always amazed at what he knows.

1. About me
2. About Training
3. About Racing
4. About me

Next year has some new training in store for me, the hope is to make me faster. The local series has 14 races next year. 2 Norbas in Utah and Nationals in July. All of this togethe rbodes well for my training, peaking and results. 2005 started with a 3 race weekend in vegas in late February, throw in 2 single day road races, 1 road stage race a few hill climbs and numerous MTB races, Including the Brian Head Titanim 50 (Saw Adam there after his 100 on the day, I'm sure, he would prefer to forget) close it out with 6 Psycho-Cross Races, well that is a long season with no focus. Next year there will be focus. Some day I will venture back into the endurance world, but for now i am tackling the around 2 hour race world.

So, back to the coach, i was worried my extreme inactvity would bring frowns from him, well, no it actually made him happy. I was supposed to get 20 hours of activity in November, i have got around 5 so far. Rest is good. So Monday back to the gym to show off the remnants of my biker tan and my Urkel like upper body.

Still debating a Saint George T Day MTB adventure. We will see.

O yeah, can a local MTB Team successfully have 2 bike sponsors? Any opinions, Thoughts etc....

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Cold Cold Cold

Well winter is here, and I start training in a week, and my trainer needs to be warrantied, unless i want high revolution spinning, well looks like I will have to send it in. I am convinced that as the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy say 'Television, Drug of the Nation' 2 weeks of TV shows has turned my mind to mush. I think Brighton opens up tomorrow, o maybe I'll go snoboard this weekend. Or maybe I'll hit the shoreline trail, it is supposed to be clear all week.

Meet with the coach tomorrow to reflect on 2005 and plan 2006 and see what pain he has in store for me.

By the way, why is it so difficult to get some energy food maker to give me free stuff, I just need gel and powder drink mix, I tend to mix and match 4 packets before each race and I'll tell ya the chocolate stuff don't go so well with, um, anything. The cola ont he other hand, ummmm , good.

Tomorrow night I'll try out my sisters Yoga DVD and see if it hurts me as much.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Turkey flavored soda?

So after lunch at Chik-fil-a today (cause it makes me faster), went to target with JV, while waiting for him to get his chili fixins, I noticed the Jones Soda holiday pack that include turkey and gravy flavored soda, wait it also has Brussels Sprout with Prosciutto and other tantilizing flavors. I think i'll stick with soda water this thanksgiving, maybe with a little essence of lemon.

Adam Lisonbee claims on his site that I am fast, well that is nice, I would say that I am obsessive compulsive, but thanks for the kudos.

My body is sore from the previosly mentioned Pilates, I think I like it. I would also agree with Adam on the feeling I get in the gym, boy oh boy am I a skinny little fool, then they see the amount of weight I put on the leg press machine, and they walk away. I think they look like big V's.

Monday, November 14, 2005




Wanted to post this to make it my profile photo, it is from the 2005 Tour of the Canyonlands TT, I took second in expert 35-39, the guy who won made the crazy 30 second bonus section and beat me by 2.9 seconds.

2006 starts












So not liking to wait for my pre-ordained start of season, which is next week, I worked out to one of my sisters DVD's tonight, Pilates for Fitness, well it kicked my butt, thank god it was 10 minutes shorter than the stated 50 minutes. Check out her website www.janissaffell.com for some of her work, she will kick you into shape, regular like.

The winter is here, drat, i really wanted to race CX in the snow, but i stopped 3 weeks ago, this weekend at the RMR could be it. There were a significant nuber of Sand baggers at the CX race this past weekend. State Championship C Flite (first timers and novice racers) was won by an expert class mountainbiker, nice, way to win that one. sheesh.

My better half and i may head down to Saint George for the turkey holiday.

2006 sponsorship season is on, trying to get team sponsors to line up is definatley not very easy, but educational. The team will have a new bike sponsor for 2006, i am going to miss the lefty, but that is life.