One year later

So last year I did indeed do only two mountain bike races.....  The first one was "Chippewa Hills Challenge", then the second one was "Addison Oaks Fall Classic", with races in one weekend.  Well this year due to little girls with a growing list of interests I have only one race scheduled, and its tomorrow's "Addison Oaks Fall Classic".  Well I haven't trained for racing this year, but I don't every really lose all of my fitness, so I will give it my best shot tomorrow.

Still experiencing biking adventures

No races so far this year,  (I have two planned for September 8th & 9th),  but that definitely doesn't mean there is no adventures.   Every ride doesn't;t have to be a race,  but every ride should be an attempt at having fun.  Some rides are for scenic views, others are for the roller coaster effect of single track trail...  Just make it an adventure.  I will share some details to some soon.

This city desert makes you feel so cold; It's got so many people, but it's got no soul. 
And it's taken you so long to find out you were wrong. When you thought it held everything

miles

Strava says I got more miles in this year than last year, but 8 less miles than 2 years ago. ..

I hope to get in as many miles as I can this year.  My goal is to have fun, do a few races and make more improvements.

Not Dead Yet.

Well I am now heading into a new year five years away from 50.   I do not feel the way I was told I would feel at this age.  I feel like I did at 18 years old.  The one thing that has changed the past 2 years, is I am less likely to ride outdoors in the cold weather.  I don't think my age has anything to do with my motivation (or lack of) to riding outdoors during colder weather,  I think access to better technology to simulate biking indoors is the reason.  Who wants to ruin bike parts with salty conditions and mud?  Not me.  For indoor spinning now days with online group rides and races, I can almost tolerate spinning on a trainer.  I just need a bigger fan.  I have a bit of renewed motivation to keep in shape for some gravel road races as well as a few XC Mountain bike races, next season.  I have been a bit better at work-life balance, at least I can sleep at night without my phone going off.  Now I just have to keep busy because if I am too busy riding, working and doing yard work, I leave little time to "get old" right?

My Goal for 2018:  To get in at least 100 miles (indoor or outdoor) per week (winter).  For the winter months,  also do at least one online race every 2 weeks.  For the summer months, get in 125 miles per week. with one ride exceeding 50 miles per week (unless its sloppy weather).

Work-Life Balance

Work-Life Balance is essential for everyone, but especially if you are an older athlete, wishing to be somewhat competitive...  But work-life balance is even more important for the quality of life that keeps you healthy.  Happiness is an important element of health!

Getting too old to be riding long and slow.

I read up on some articles by older cyclists, including Ned Overland and they say the same thing.  I have come to the conclusion based on by readings and my current experience that I am best served with shorter far more intense workouts.  This allows me to gain strength and recover faster for the next ride.  Back in 2012 and 2013 I did a lot of long rides with a less than race pace speeds. Only during races did I ever get my heart rate up to my Zone 5 range.

This year, I have done only 5 outdoor rides up to this point, where as this time last year I think I easily had 20+ outdoor rides.  Its fine because the outdoor rides I have done really were leg burners.  January 3rd, was the first and almost the last winter ride.  It was almost 60 miles with cold winds and very hard efforts on the second half of the ride.  This ride along with sick kids resulted in me getting the flu.  For the next week after getting sick, I had trouble recovering, so I had essentially taken a week off.  The first workout after barely recovering was a moderate workout and then the following was a power test at BK Labs.  Actually it was only an attempt at a power test as I could not finish.  I decided that I did not want to risk getting sick again so I continued to primarily spin indoors.  It took some getting used to.   Yes I do have a CycleOps Indoor Cycle (IC400pro), and I have been using it on-and-off for over a year now,  but never at the level or intensity that I do now.  Spinning indoors and really working up a sweat takes some "getting used to".  But I did get into a groove, and doing on line races and routes did help some. 

As I got used to the indoor cycle with the lack of real outdoor airflow, I really was able to focus on efforts.  I kept most of my workouts at 60 minutes or less, but almost all of the workouts at Zone 3 - Zone 4 or Zone 4 - Zone 5 ranges.  It seems to be working though.  The last outdoor ride was over 3 hours and I felt that even the last 30 minutes of the ride that I still had significant power for a few sprints.  I also did a 3 hour spin Sunday (March 6th) and the last 3 minutes I was able to hold 540 watts for most of the end sprint.  So while endurance is important, its really power that I needed to gain and I think I have made some improvements there.

There is a book called "The Time Crunched Cyclist" and it also mentions getting the most out of less cycling time. While my time may not be as "crunched" lately as it was last year at this time the concepts still apply.

Other good reads: "Fast After 50"

This summer I will continue this model and this will naturally include more single track / trail rides.

Past Races.