tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60331696479769366732024-02-20T03:12:22.129-08:00The Mann AdventureThis blog is all about the adventures that my wife and I share,
mostly riding and racing mountain bikes!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-45238296160434418242013-03-12T21:28:00.000-07:002013-03-12T21:28:06.292-07:00Carry on.It has been a long time since I posted a blog. Lots of the stuff I have wanted to write were just not things to share with the masses, so I have kept them to myself.<br />
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The past year has brought vast changes. Things I loved have gone never to return. Things I lost, among them a lot of inches on my waist line, have come back to haunt me. I fear the race is lost to the fat man that was chasing me, a visage that was never far from mind when racing my mountain bike or spinning away miles on the road bike. Looking back I can recall making the decisions that set this chain of events in motion. I definitely own the outcome of this train wreck, wherever it winds up.<br />
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Some positive things have happened, though at this point it is hard to appreciate them. I am doing my best. I will keep grinding, chipping away. It is the only way I know how. My parents didn't raise a quitter. I am not even sure what quitting means, only that I cringe and scour at the thought.<br />
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I do occasionally find a blindingly bright bit of happiness in the haze and gloom, so it isn't all bad.<br />
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It sure as fuck ain't Crested Butte, or any other of the many spectacular mountain campsites I have had...<br />
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...but I got to get outside and ride with my wife.<br />
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Maybe the hard work and dedication will pay off. It seems the things I want most are however not at all directly correlated with my efforts. Most of the time I feel stuck in a quagmire, the more I try the faster I sink. I am working on learning to let go. Though it seems I am hard wired to try and "fix" things.<br />
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I hope to roost all over this bullshit and leave it in the past some day.<br />
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Till then I will keep tapping away like Andy with the tiny rock hammer. Knowing this isn't where I belong, toiling to escape.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-70503689709602778742012-05-06T22:39:00.000-07:002012-05-06T22:39:19.182-07:00ToughnessToughness is a good thing.<br />
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I think it is a trait that people, especially men, seek in their lives. It is something that my father wanted to see in me. I can recall times when I would get hurt, or show some emotion, and my father invariably responded with "Rub some dirt in it, walk it off son." When I think of him I think of his toughness. His hands were rough and callused and unyielding.<br />
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I got a call tonight. My father had heart failure and is in the ICU. It isn't likely that he will live. They are going to stop life support in 48hrs.<br />
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Ironically his toughness was likely what had the doctors telling him last week that he was beating lung and throat cancer. My father was good at fighting. He was tough.<br />
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What I am struggling with most right now is that I don't have much else to say about who my father was. I wish we could have been closer. I have said many times that when someone close to us dies we should celebrate their lives and not mourn their deaths.<br />
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In following this creed I will embrace the few positive things that I know of him.<br />
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What I know of my father is that he had a hard childhood. He was a good athlete. He worked hard. He did what he could to provide for his wife and children before the divorce. He was very tough.<br />
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I will remember the handful of times that I spent with my father that I think I got a glimpse of who he really was. A fishing trip or two, a few walks in the woods. <br />
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I don't think my father was a bad man. It certainly isn't my place to judge him. I sometimes wonder if I had lived up to some of his expectations of me if things might have been different. Maybe he would have identified with me or taken some interest in who I was, but I never could quite get there.<br />
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I am sorry that I couldn't bridge the gap. I know I tried. I know how much disappointment he felt when it came to me. I felt it many times.<br />
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I am sitting here writing some dumb blog crying. Not very tough. Probably letting him down again.<br />
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I learned a great many things from my father. Some day I hope to be a Dad. I hope if that happens that my child thinks I am tough too, but I hope they have more than that to embrace and remember me by.<br />
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Here's to those few times when we were side by side with fishing poles. I love you dad.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-71631361662640825042012-04-23T15:16:00.002-07:002012-04-24T16:35:24.700-07:00Sea Otter 2012: The Umbrella Boy's PerspectiveThursday AM we got up super early and headed up to Monterey to race and enjoy the spectacle that is Sea Otter Classic. We arrived at Laguna Seca Raceway around 1:30pm and immediately kitted up and rode a lap of the 20.5 mile race course, despite the fact that it wasn't necessarily the best preparation for the Umbrella Boy race on Friday.<br />
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First impressions: HATED IT!!! Too much gravel road riding, not enough fun stuff. Too long of a lap (and I had to do 2 of them). No spectator areas. Feed zone over 3.5 miles away from venue.</div>
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On the bright side there were a couple short sections that made me smile and BRAAAAP...</div>
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After the pre-ride we did a loop through the show to chat with a few people before checking into our motel room. Umbrella Boy doubles as Team Mechanic so both of the S-Works Stumpjumper 29er's were the focus of the evening. Race prepping the bikes went smoothly and I installed Allison's sweet new Ergon saddle for her!</div>
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Friday's schedule for the Umbrella Boy was to support Allison Mann (Pro Women's Short Track Race) and then kit up and "race" for over 40 miles in the heat of the day (equates to nearly 3 hrs). I use quotes because I don't so much race that kind of time/distance as after the 1.5hr mark I am only surviving. More on that later...<br />
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Allison had a pretty decent short track race. I attribute that mostly to my umbrella holding skills at the start line. Observations from the race, Allison seemed to have an acceptable start given her back row positioning. At one point she was right with Kelly and Pua but either she faded or they accelerated, not sure which one as I don't have lap times (Umbrella Boy needs to step up with his stopwatch work!). It was awesome to see her race again and really cool to see that she is racing around the same girls she was in 2010, this bodes well as she is still progressing in her training for this year!</div>
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Umbrella Boy then kitted up and headed out to warm up. It was hot but I made the game time call to stick with the skin suit. I just like racing in it! Chatted some with my racing buddies as we rolled around and checked out the rutted exit from the race car track to figure out line selection just in case things were dicey.</div>
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Unfortunately I rolled over to staging really late. It made me nervous but I was third row on the start. In contrast to years past, the start was very docile. Heck, it was down right friendly! This was great as it afforded me enough time to squeeze through to the front. The exception to this was interesting. Marco and some other dude with a hydration pack attacked from the gun and were at least 30 seconds ahead when we touched dirt. My strategy was to finish this race without locking up in cramps on the second lap so I knew not to chase.<br />
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I positioned myself as best as I could knowing full well who the real contenders were. Unfortunately there was a stupid steep section right before the first single track and when I reached that point Ty and Eric had a slight gap. When I got close to the top someone gave me a push but when I crested the hill I heard complaints from the guys behind. Dumb Justin then proceeded to sit up and try to nullify the effects of the push which gave Ty and Eric a gap that would never be closed again. I don't think a bit of a push makes a difference in a 3 hour race but I can guarantee you that losing their draft did! I just don't want someone to say I was cheating or something as it wasn't planned or requested... though it was pretty darn sweet!</div>
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The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. I didn't get passed, did lots of passing, tried to stay focused and go fast. First lap went well. I stayed fairly close to Ty and Eric despite the fact that they had the advantage of two riders drafting. Second lap things went south almost immediately as my quads started to show signs of cramps. I conserved and never locked up, but it was not so good a few times. I slowed to a snails pace more than once, and came to a complete track stand twice. Picture me, track standing on the single track climb, praying to the cycling gods to not make my legs cramp... not pretty.</div>
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I made it out okay though and finished fourth, 13 minutes back from Marco's unbelievable performance.</div>
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After XC racing it was time to go back into Umbrella Boy mode. Back at the motel I had some work to do prepping Allison's bike to ensure perfect operation in her XC race the next day. I have a tradition of having a one-on-one chat with her bikes where I explain my expectations for it's performance and how high the penalty for failure is. I also went into a bit of a tailspin regarding my own performance. I was quite disappointed in my inability to keep up. My cyclist melt down included consuming an ice cream sandwich, then I spiraled out of control eating a slice of pizza and a pint of ice cream, all after eating a dinner of leftovers. </div>
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Allison was just shaking her head in disgust at my gluttony.<br />
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Allison's race went well from all angles. I was stoked to see her do so well against a decent sized and international field!<br />
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I even let someone else hold the umbrella (I do a good job so no fear of being replaced).<br />
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Sunday we rode a lot of the XC course and I got pretty disgusted by all the trash we as racers left behind. I spent most of the 2hr ride filling empty water bottles with gel and food wrappers and dumping them off in trash cans. By no means did I pick up everything but I did my part to help clean up some.<br />
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On the way home I was again stoked to have my little TDI. Not so much a BRAAAAP as a quiet clickety-clack like a sewing machine!!<br />
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Next stop is Prescott, Arizona and the Whiskey 50! Life isn't so easy for the financial support/umbrella boy/mechanic/soigneur/driver/chef/etc... but I wouldn't trade it for anything! BRAAAAAP!!!!</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-86658040363945895962012-04-12T09:20:00.002-07:002012-04-12T09:20:30.173-07:00Whole lotta change comin' my way!For better or for worse, everything is about to change. I have seen it coming for a long time, like a dust storm on the horizon that slowly darkens the sky (or more aptly, like the impending sunrise that slowly lightens it!)<br />
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I have put in notice with my current employer and will be starting a new job on the 30th. Changing jobs isn't the end of the world, but this particular job change will pose some significant challenges for me to overcome with respect to time and training.<br />
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I know, I have had it good. Currently I drive less than an hour a day (usually 15 minutes to work, at times as long as 40 minutes on the way home) and losing 2 hours more a day, every day, is really going to smart. I am going to lose a lot of the time that I used to utilize for training or "family time".<br />
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On the other hand I will be working on new stuff, learning new things, expanding my capability as an engineer. I should also be bringing home a better salary. For a long time I have argued with myself that money wasn't what I wanted, that although I didn't have money I had something better, that I had quality of life. Though I still feel quality of life is important, money does indeed make the world go round (or fund trips etc).<br />
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Enough about my employment. I have been putting in what I considered to be a good year so far with respect to training and racing. That was of course right up until the post-workout analysis of our intervals the other day. It turns out that despite my best efforts I am just not a great engine, or even a good engine. Maybe my disappointment with my own capabilities comes from direct comparison with my wife who is quite a good engine it turns out, but certainly my aspirations of reaching higher than the lower steps of the podium against the good engines of the world is a stretch goal at best.<br />
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What does all this mean? Well it is likely a good thing that my job change will have me more focused on my career. I never wanted to be an Elite bike racer, but now it seems maybe I have achieved the most I can with racing and can just be excited for last year's lack of competition which netted me a lot of victories. I will still be out riding my bike as much as I can, because that is what I love to do, and will still be throwing down at the races that I attend. The difference is that I won't really be racing for a top step of the podium. I am racing to put in fast times on course. It is a change of perspective and should allow me to enjoy things more considering that I am getting pummeled by better athletes.<br />
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No matter what I am still stoked on everything that is going on. I have a wonderful wife who will be by my side (or up the road having dropped me, whichever the case) through it all. The Mann Show will rock on!!!<br />
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Till next time... BRAAAAP!!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-1322927550047275832012-04-03T16:14:00.002-07:002012-04-03T16:14:10.262-07:00Consistent<br />
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<h2 class="me" style="color: black; display: inline; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
con·sist·ent</h2>
<sup style="bottom: 1ex; font-size: 0.75em; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"></sup> <span class="pronset"><span audio="http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/dictionary/audio/luna/C07/C0773100.mp3" default="http://dictionary.reference.com/audio.html/lunaWAV/C07/C0773100"><embed align="texttop" flashvars="soundUrl=http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/dictionary/audio/luna/C07/C0773100.mp3" height="15" id="speaker" loop="false" menu="false" quality="high" salign="t" src="http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/d/g/speaker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="17" wmode="transparent"></embed></span> <span class="show_spellpr" style="display: inline;"><span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[</span><span class="pron" style="display: inline; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">k<span class="ital-inline" style="display: inline; font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">uh</span><span class="luna-thinspace"></span>n-<span class="boldface" style="font-weight: 700;">sis</span>-t<span class="ital-inline" style="display: inline; font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">uh</span><span class="luna-thinspace"></span>nt</span><span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">]</span></span></span></div>
<div class="body" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<div class="pbk" style="font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="pg" style="display: inline; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 3px;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">adjective</span></span></span><div class="luna-Ent" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="dnindex" style="color: #7b7b7b; display: block; float: left; font-weight: bold; width: 28px;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">1.</span></span></span><div class="dndata" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 37px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">agreeing</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">accordant;</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">compatible;</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">not</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">self-contradictory:</span></span><span class="ital-inline" style="display: inline; font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">His</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">views</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">and</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">actions</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">are</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">consistent.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="dnindex" style="color: #7b7b7b; display: block; float: left; font-weight: bold; width: 28px;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">2.</span></span></span><div class="dndata" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 37px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">constantly</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">adhering</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">to</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">same</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">principles,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">course,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">form,</span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">etc.:</span> </span><span class="ital-inline" style="display: inline; font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">consistent</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">opponent.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="dnindex" style="color: #7b7b7b; display: block; float: left; font-weight: bold; width: 28px;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">3.</span></span></span><div class="dndata" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 37px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">holding</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">firmly</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">together;</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">cohering.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="dnindex" style="color: #7b7b7b; display: block; float: left; font-weight: bold; width: 28px;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">4.</span></span></span><div class="dndata" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 37px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="labset" style="display: inline;"><span class="ital-inline" style="display: inline; font-family: Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;"><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">Archaic</span> </span></span><span id="hotword" style="position: static;">. </span></span><span id="hotword" style="position: static;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; position: static;">fixed;</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="position: static;">firm.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
With the exception of the race at Bonelli where my finishing position was dictated by the delicate stock rear tire on my new race whip, I have finished very consistently this year.<br />
<br />
Though I would also argue I have been consistent in work, training, racing... pretty much across the board. Consistency is good to an extent. There is however a plateau that one reaches with consistency. Everything about us is geared to adapt and create a plateau, to compensate for stress levels that are present. Sometimes we can stimulate growth by doing something small, a small increase in training volume or recovery, but every now and then you just gotta say "Fuck it!" and go for broke to see if you can push past your current plateau, past where you ever thought you could get to, and see if there is a "status quo" somewhere in the clouds above your current altitude. Discomfort often accompanies this stimulus in some form or fashion. If done right though, you can then level off at a new cruising altitude above where you were previously.<br />
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I do acknowledge that my current "altitude" is pretty damn great, I have climbed far from where I started and have had to dust myself off a few times and start over. The higher we climb the farther we have to fall... but lets not talk about that, staying positive here!<br />
<br />
This week is a rest week but in the weeks to come I will be introducing all kinds of new stimuli. I will try to blog about what transpires but I honestly don't know if I will have time. With some luck I will eventually hit a new plateau at higher elevation and my loyal blog readers will be rewarded for their patience.<br />
<br />
Speaking of luck, yesterday was the two year anniversary of my broken neck. It is good to have perspective and to be thankful. True I am going to be making a big push for changing things up and trying to get to the next level, but that doesn't mean that I am not truly happy that I can still get up in the morning and stretch out (albeit a tad more slowly than before my broken neck), or to go for a bike ride and soak in the wonderful sunlight (while KEEPING MY FUCKING HEAD UP!). Being thankful for the little things is something we all forget from time to time...<br />
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After all that if you are still reading, here is my weekend recap...<br />
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Saturday:<br />
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4 hours of shredding perfect single track on an amazing day with my wife and Ben Jones.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="http://app.strava.com/runs/6006245/embed/9817123a91bbc3f6eb89e1b784819d0ad1380daa" width="590"></iframe>
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I don't have any pics from the day, so I will just steal a couple from Allison. I was rocking out to some sweet tunes via Bluetooth helmet sound system from <a href="http://www.o-tus.com/">O-tus Safe Sounds</a>. Pretty cool to have tunes without chords, be able to easily control them (on/off, skip, volume up/down), and all the while hold a conversation with the nice people you are riding with!<br />
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I am getting out of chronological order here, but when asked on Sunday why I did a big 4 hour ride with lots of climbing the day before the Sycamore Canyon US Cup race, my response was an emphatic, "Racing isn't so important that I am willing to pass up a perfect day shredding awesome trails with my wife!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqrPk-Apu53Vpyx2cjqVW5SE3mRccR1boLtkbNf7CmzWn99bTGO4efXQasd-7mqgVi_P1sKZ9_7YKkXtQw5TifAhdIgTv6UwFbpkKm0UHQNUUyDo-cEFKqXbHfEjVXUsplKLx5SchVy3N/s912/IMAGE_110475AC-D54E-4B88-9E97-18D789066966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqrPk-Apu53Vpyx2cjqVW5SE3mRccR1boLtkbNf7CmzWn99bTGO4efXQasd-7mqgVi_P1sKZ9_7YKkXtQw5TifAhdIgTv6UwFbpkKm0UHQNUUyDo-cEFKqXbHfEjVXUsplKLx5SchVy3N/s320/IMAGE_110475AC-D54E-4B88-9E97-18D789066966.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sunday:<br />
<br />
I fully admit that I didn't feel "ready" to race after Saturday's adventure. I will also admit that there are more factors than just Saturday's ride that left me feeling deflated and tired. One of those factors was rolling to the races alone again.<br />
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Allison's training called for a 5 hour road ride. She left the house just before me to ride a serpentine route I made for her up to the race venue that would have her arriving some time around the end of my race. I teared up a bit after driving past her and then moved on.<br />
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I rode one lap of the course during warm up to get a look at it before hitting it at race pace. It was the same course as last year with a tiny change here or there so no big surprises.<br />
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I felt a little more ready to race by the time we got around to lining up. That is one thing about racing, it seems to narrow the scope and focus my energy to one point, going fast, at least for a little while. I had a good start. This week the 30-34 AG started in the wave ahead of us so the group was a little smaller, but Marco stepped up to the plate in creating first lap shenanigans. He made a wrong turn on the "Start Loop" and then scrambled to get back to the front. There were four of us out front initially and I was feeling okay sitting third wheel onto the first good descent. Unfortunately Marco wasn't done playing with us and made a mistake in the relatively easy rock section sampling some dirt while leading, the rest of us smashed up accordion style behind him while he spit dirt out of his grill. I didn't wait around to offer him any advice for his descending, hope that doesn't make me a bad team mate! Eric and I squeezed by as soon as there was room and Eric proceeded to go balls to the wall while I sat on.<br />
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We got to the bottom of the course and started back up the other side and that is when things went a bit sideways for me. Eric hit the climb and almost immediately started to open a gap. It wasn't like the wheels totally fell off my wagon, and I am not really sure I have ever really gone faster than I was, but I wasn't riding his wheel and I am sure that gave Eric some extra motivation to continue to pry the gap open further. He was definitely stronger on the day. Not long after that, before we finished Lap 1 actually, Marco went by me like a freight train putting me in third.<br />
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Again the finish order was settled on the first lap. I did my best to maintain my pace after losing sight of Marco. For most of a lap I was going back and forth with Ted Willard, he started in the wave ahead, who was climbing strong but not matching my speed anywhere else. In fact the only real mistake I made the entire race was during the time I was trying to scrape him off, I was gassed and lost my front wheel in some sand on a loose left hand turn on the climb. Still learning.<br />
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Eventually I shed Ted and I was alone. Nobody I could see ahead, and nobody that I could identify behind. I tried to stay on the gas but the cement had started to harden around my legs and I was locked in third. Consistent.<br />
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One of the greatest things about racing is the respect that some of us share for each other as athletes.<br />
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My consolation prize this week was that my team mate Marco came back from his dramatic first lap to take the top step. Bikes for Boobs baby!!!!!<br />
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As usual thanks to everyone that supports our racing adventures. Special thanks to <a href="http://www.110playharder.com/">110% Play Harder</a> for coming out and checking out the races at Sycamore! Randy hooked me up with just about the coolest podium socks EVER! I even put them back on after my shower because I like them so much!<br />
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Till next time.. BRAAAAP!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-21245176046457972422012-03-28T20:27:00.000-07:002012-03-28T20:27:07.957-07:00InspiredThe other day I was on a training ride on the road and as often happens with "mindless miles" lots of different topics flitted through my head. <br />
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I have missed putting my thoughts and race reports on my blog but I have been slammed. There are lots of things going on and I am trying to make some dramatic changes so a lot of the moments where I would author a blog have been absorbed with research or just some distraction from the stress of the situation. In the same stream of consciousness I realized from the casual outside observer who knows I haven't been placing 1st at the races, it might seem like my lack of blogging is sour grapes for not being on top of the podium. This couldn't be further from the truth! After an email exchange with <a href="http://www.gochuygo.com/">Chuy</a> (completely unrelated topic, but likely one of the coolest exchanges I have had with another athlete) I finally got the last bit of motivation to set aside some bandwidth for blogging today.<br />
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It has been so long that I don't think I can capture everything I would have wanted to. I will try to recall some of the highlights...<br />
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Vail Lake US Cup:<br />
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First race of the year, in our back yard, with the new team and new kits and all the excitement, Vail had a huge buildup for me. <br />
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I am still learning lots of things on the training and racing front though and Saturday morning I was alarmed to see the scale reading 146lbs, somehow in the previous two weeks before the race I had lost over 4 pounds. Uncharted territory for sure. Looking back, I wasn't fueling sufficiently. <br />
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I had been trapped into the idea that since my FTP didn't seem to be increasing that the only way for me to compete would be to get lighter at all costs. I think that mentality has hurt me some recently and have since made a correction the other way.<br />
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Back to my race recap! The schedule for Vail had Short Track and SuperD on Saturday and XC on Sunday. Short track was interesting as the field was combined CAT1 and Pro. The start was typically hard and I was in a pretty good spot. I managed to not get hung up in a first corner crash which put me close to the leaders. There were about 5 or 6 of us out near the front on the first lap. <br />
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A few of the lead group faded just a bit and the last few laps it was Marco and Jason battling for first and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AKMiguelRamos">Miguel</a> and I duking it out for third. <br />
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Going out on the last lap I had a gap on Miguel but completely ran out of steam. He caught and passed me on the climb and I was unable to answer his move leaving me in 4th overall and 2nd CAT1.<br />
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This race was somewhat demoralizing. I was stoked on finishing with a good position but having watched Marco racing for the lead from the back seat, and stretching out the gap despite my best efforts, I definitely started to feel that the 4 minute gap from last year in race times was likely to not have changed for this year. I put in solid training, didn't have any setbacks, I hoped to be closer.<br />
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As a great consolation prize I rallied later that day and smashed the entire field in SuperD. Home course advantage... but I will take it!<br />
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Sunday's XC race was another affair altogether. Marco attacked right away and gapped everyone on the first climb. I was buried in the chase group but was somewhat content as I had observed Marco's superiority the previous day. Slowly the group fell apart and I was sitting third with a small gap to second place. When I tagged onto his back wheel I called up that I was willing to work with him to try to catch Marco. I didn't think I could do it alone and was factoring in the higher speed climbing sections where drafting could favor a good working duo. Unfortunately it didn't pan out, when we started up Ambulance I looked back and there was a good gap. I figured my best bet at that point was to use my descending to try to close on Marco.<br />
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I managed to do just that but a few mistakes (clipped my bars on a bush on Slingshot and flew into the ravine, and made a tactical error near the end of the last lap on BMX) left me in a close second place on the day.<br />
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To be honest I wasn't sure what to think of the race afterwards. In post race analysis it sort of seemed like Marco was playing with me some. He definitely felt bad for me when my bottle exchange was botched due to some crazy feed zone shenanigans that left me without a bottle for 30 minutes in 95 degree heat. I rode his wheel for the better part of the race but couldn't figure out if he LET me ride his wheel or if I EARNED it. I figured it was more of the first option as he certainly showed the previous day that he was stronger. In any case it was a fun race and it was great to have our new team take so many podium spots!<br />
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Allison posts a weekly update on the training stuff and now that I have a Training Peaks account I can review my notes and stuff on there, no need to add training fluff in this blog so on to race number two, Bonelli Park Pro XCT!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.firstendurance.com/2012/03/loren-rowney-wins-stage-1-of-redlands/">Gotta mention, we rode with a really awesome road racer from the Specialized Lululemon squad, she went on to destroy some races recently too!</a></td></tr>
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Bonelli Pro XCT:<br />
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Bonelli had a significantly different schedule with XC and SuperD on Saturday, and just Short Track on Sunday. I picked up a new Sworks 29er HT on Thursday and had ridden it for maybe 2 hours when I lined up to race on Saturday morning. <br />
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With the switch to 29er wheels I was somewhat unprepared with respect to tires. I hoped that I could make it through the race at Bonelli on the stock Sworks Renegade tires. My hopes were dashed quickly though, while sitting in perfect position on the first lap something sliced the sidewall of the rear tire and I found myself standing on the side while the rest of the race raged on.<br />
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After repairing the rear wheel with a tube and CO2 (this was a first for any race) I remounted my steed and started riding.<br />
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At first I wasn't very motivated. I knew I had lost at least 5 minutes. Almost immediately though other racers and spectators started cheering for me. <br />
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It seemed "Go Mann Show!" came flying at me from everywhere! It was inspiring.<br />
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I leaned forward and dug deep, chargeding forward through the field eventually slicing my way back up to 7th position. <br />
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I was disappointed by my finish position. I had been feeling good and hoped to chase Ty and Marco. I was frustrated, but that is racing! It didn't last long though as shortly after I finished my race I got to watch Allison dominate and win her first Pro XCT race!<br />
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I was pretty wiped out after a long day by the time SuperD rolled around but I still had some hopes for redemption. I grabbed my trusty 2011 Sworks Epic and set off to see what I could do. Unfortunately due to the scheduling of the race I started after the sun went down. Despite a crash in a dark tree covered area I pulled off a second place, not what I had hoped for but a solid showing. <br />
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It was going to be a long drive for Short Track on Sunday and Allison had bashed herself up pretty good. <br />
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A quick email to her coach confirmed that we would spend Sunday in recovery mode instead of racing. Next stop, Funtucky!<br />
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Fontana City "National" (just a local USAC race now):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bikes for Boobs Skinsuits!!!!</td></tr>
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The schedule for this race conflicted with Allison's plans for training so I was racing this one solo and "training through" the race to continue preparing for the season on her schedule. No short track, and only SuperD on Saturday meant that I was out in the Santa Anas with Allison for a long 4 hour ride the day before the XC race.<br />
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Not the best race preparation, but it seems for some reason I do well when faced with adverse conditions! What was perfect about this ride was it gave me the chance to test out my new Specialized 2.2" Fast Track tires! They worked so well I scrapped my plans of riding my Epic and loaded the new 29er on the truck instead!<br />
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Sunday morning I drove to Fontana and Allison rode there (4 hours on the road bike) to support me during my race. I tried to get a bit longer of a warm up knowing that the fatigue in my legs was going to make them heavy. The start was a bit different as we went off in a combined 30-39 wave with only the Pro Men and Women ahead of us (30-34 and 35-39 are scored separate but started together). I am sure this was done to help the leaders of our group not have so much traffic on lap one working through the back of the 30-34 racers.<br />
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The start went off well it seemed and I was positioned reasonably in the group. Unfortunately not far into the lap Ted (SDG/Felt) had an issue of some sort and flew over the bars. I am pretty sure he was sitting second wheel at the time and managed to take out a significant portion of the lead group. I lucked out and was offset to his right, easily slipping by despite the fact that his long appendages were flailing across most of the trail.<br />
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I was now second wheel headed onto the first climb and knew that as soon as we hit the asphalt the attacks would come. Ty moved past me but seemed to be content with a fairly casual pace (for him, I was of course running near max and barely hanging on). Near the cutoff to the single track Eric Bostrom put in a dig and I countered. <br />
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For a few seconds I wasn't sure how it was going to play out. Eric had the inside line on the corner and could have forced the issue and sent us into a game of elbow wars which I am fairly sure I was prepared for, at the last second though he conceded verbally and said I could have it if I wanted it. I took it and was second wheel to Ty up the first single track. Again Ty seemed to be setting a nearly human pace and I think that I learned a few things following him for the short time we were together. He has a vast amount of racing experience compared to me and if I can learn something from him all the better!<br />
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Unfortunately we were already working our way through the Pro Women and Men and I got schooled in what happens if you hesitate. Ty was slashing through the slower riders and I wasn't. A gap formed. Then as we crested and started down the first main descent Ty got around a woman and I was trapped! My focus went to shit, I panicked, I was trying to think ahead on the trail to a spot that would let me make a pass. I hit the first corner, a loose 180 left, and washed the front end. Dumb Justin! I do my best to race clean so called Eric by me as I picked my bike up to resume the chase. Just my horrible luck, Eric slashed his way past the female rider and again I was left held up. By the end of that track Eric had established about a 25 second lead and I was never able to bridge even after the conditions shifted in my favor with rain (I love racing in the rain).<br />
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Despite a solid race I was left third on the day.<br />
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So although I don't have any big victories to blabber about (Allison does!), I have been racing hard. The difference is that this year I am racing against much tougher competition. Regardless of finish position I am stoked to be as physically fit and having this much fun on my bike whether racing or training with Allison! She has made big strides in her comeback this year!<br />
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We both have a lot of racing ahead of us and hope that we make everyone at <a href="http://www.bikesforboobs.org/">Bikes for Boobs</a> and <a href="http://www.rocknroadcyclery.net/index.php">Rock N' Road</a> proud of our efforts!<br />
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Thanks to all the <a href="http://www.bikesforboobs.org/b4b-sponosrs/">team sponsors</a> and everyone that has aligned themselves with our cause. We are making an impact outside of racing with 25 cases of cancer detected so far! <br />
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<img border="0" src="http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/full/507528284.jpg?key=250260&Expires=1332989765&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=vCRV6toyqEAePyx7EO0ot3WE1eCCDEbzo1BrhHJnYsRTIu3uLQyMN4moHMPTXe7Bff98uyuWYekwRwuJ3rTOkKQoE4YvlJ3JgsyPHmR6MPN4WqfnEm-RWmolDCduyeN3efsUf4l-BdZeVWaKuG~sFm5nWB6IyZnKS~VNTDBcgLg_" /><a href="http://www.mammogramsinaction.org/">http://www.mammogramsinaction.org/</a></div>
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Please help us keep fighting cancer. You can donate through my blog, the <a href="http://www.bikesforboobs.org/portfolio/justin-mann/">Bikes for Boobs website,</a> or by purchasing Bikes for Boobs gear from Rock N' Road Cyclery! If you are far from one of their four convenient stores in Southern California please contact me for details as to how you can purchase gear and have the proceeds go toward saving boobs!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-81152988742607206752012-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:002012-02-22T20:51:18.237-08:00Houston, we are having too much fun...I have been putting in some awesome training!<br />
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My Strava information over there --->> contains the numbers, but I can tell you that there is way more to it than just a bunch of miles, watts, altitude, or time!<br />
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Saturday Allison and I took off on the road bikes and roughly rode towards Oceanside. <br />
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Mountain bike racing starts in like a week and a half and I am super excited for to be representing a great cause when I pedal. If you or someone you love has ever suffered the impact of cancer you know how important detection is. Feel free to use the link over there ---->> to donate to <a href="http://www.mammogramsinaction.org/">Mammograms In Action</a> who funds cancer screening for those that otherwise might not be able to afford it. If you use my link I will get "credit" towards supporting the cause, but the important part is that we all do what we can to help out.<br />
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I would have donated a little more this quarter, but I just purchased a bunch of Ensure products for my dad to help him in his fight against lung cancer. He can't talk anymore, but his wife told me that all he can eat is Ensure so I sent him a case of this...<br />
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I was looking at the Ensure products and remembered that my dad always loved butterscotch pudding so I sent him a case of this...<br />
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My dad and I don't have the greatest relationship, but he is still my dad. I hope he finds the strength to beat cancer. <br />
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Back to the riding...<br />
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It was a great day and we zig-zagged a bunch on the way back hitting up Sleeping Indian and then going back through Bonsall. I love riding bikes with my wife!!!<br />
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After we rode we feasted at Freebirds. So tasty!<br />
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Sunday we rode on the mountain bikes and had some company in the form of another aspiring Pro racer. <br />
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I was carrying spare gear in my uber awesome Ergon pack in case the weather turned bad or we needed spare tubes or a pump (I think I can almost fit my Volkswagen in there). Unfortunately I didn't have the parts to repair the broken rear derailer cable that snapped later on in the ride leaving me with either 26-11 or 39-11 gearing. My knees were not stoked...<br />
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My hands <i>on the other hand </i><u>have been stoked</u> lately though with the addition of the new Ergon gloves. The HX1's I have been using are extremely comfortable, super light, and airy feeling! Highly recommended!<br />
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Having another rider along gave me a great opportunity too. I really enjoy the few opportunities that I get to help someone, other than Allison, improve their riding. In this case there was a marked improvement in descending immediately (bike setup and technique adjustments). <br />
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It was a blast shredding dirt trails and watching two very fit and talented women kicking up dust.<br />
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After 4.5 hours of riding on the mountain bikes...<br />
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The weekday interval workouts have really started to ramp up. Despite the pain and anguish they prepare us well and are a sure sign that racing is close! So before we know it I will be writing race updates here on the blog from the first few mountain bike races of the year. Regardless of finishing position I feel I am as well prepared as ever and I hope everyone else is feeling the same way!<br />
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See you at the <b><u>mountain bike</u></b> races!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-15678002787634605672012-02-13T09:01:00.000-08:002012-02-13T09:01:10.354-08:00Biped, Rock, and Roll!The last week was an "off week" for Allison and I. Something that is probably typical of athletes like us, we are not so good at these. In fact I am fairly certain I completely screwed it up, but I had fun! Hopefully it doesn't hurt my performance, as we all know "it's all about performance"!<br />
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<b>Here is what I did:</b><br />
Monday: Short run/walk (3.5mi) with body weight exercises at the playground.<br />
Tuesday: 2hr Easy spin<br />
Wednesday: 2+ hr MTB<br />
Thursday: 1.5hr Run (8.7mi) with body weight exercises at playground.<br />
Friday: 1000m swim (26min)<br />
Saturday: 3.6mi hike (1hr) and a couple of hours of Indoor Rock Climbing<br />
Sunday: 3hr MTB<br />
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What causes me to do such a crazy week when I am supposed to be on regen? Easy. Weight. If you know me at all you know that I battle with my weight. I am oft to say I am a "fat man trying to be skinny". So at the beginning of the week when stepped on the scale and it told me I was nearly at "race weight" I smiled broadly, then I scowled. How to limit my losses (gains actually) through the week? Starving myself isn't conducive to recovery! I was definitely in desperate need of recovery too.<br />
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The previous week I had aggravated my achilles and it was causing me to load up on Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) and I was fighting some other issues (right knee issues and a saddle sore from forgetting to use Endur-It, dumb Justin!). Tuesday it seemed my achilles was okay again, but the saddle sore was making riding impossible by the end of Wednesday. <br />
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Faced with three days off the bike to try and let my posterior recover I kind of went nuts on Thursday. I ran, then I ran fast <u>for me</u> (two 7:40min miles), then my right knee had some issues (lunges of all things fixed the issues), then I ran more before doing some body weight stuff, then I ran. It was kind of crazy, I was really enjoying the running. I fully blame this whole running thing on the book I am reading "Born to Run". It makes me want to go out and run down a deer!<br />
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I figured that some swimming would be good on Friday but couldn't pull off the Bike-Swim-Bike so I had Allison drop me off at the local pool while she ran errands at lunch. It was a good workout, swimming is such a great way to spend lunch when the weather is nice like it has been!<br />
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Saturday Allison's coach said no bikes. I came up with all kinds of crazy ways to spend the weekend off the bikes but was shot down on all fronts. It turned out she came up with a stellar plan, so I am glad I got shot down. First we hiked and then we climbed. Awesome day!<br />
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There are awesome women everywhere, but I wanted to point out that these two are off the frickin charts. A book could be written highlighting their achievements and comparing and contrasting them as athletes! I look forward to seeing/reading/hearing about them taking over the <u><b><i>world</i></b></u> in 2012!!<br />
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First we marched up the hill, and then after meeting up with Dan we marched to find some grub!<br />
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Allison doesn't look pleased about not getting to partake in the tasty burger joint... her choice not mine!<br />
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After grubbing we went climbing!<br />
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Allison was a frickin natural! No real surprise, I think she would be good at anything she wanted to do.</div>
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It was fun but exhausting on our wimpy cyclist hands and upper bodies!<br />
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Sunday morning Allison finished up the fit on her new race bike... and as you might be able to guess it was awesome to get back on the bikes, on the dirt, on Sunday!<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="http://app.strava.com/runs/4121193/embed/6572086392bb5fa0f19c6d9b694ed748d5124822" width="590"></iframe>
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First ride back on my 2011 Epic. So much fun!!!! It isn't a new race whip, but it is bad ass!!!!<br />
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It was a fun week, if not quite as restful as it should have been, and now I am looking forward to getting some really solid training on the bike! First race is almost here! The course at Vail Lake will be fun!<br />
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Get some! BRAAAAAAAP!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-62856295057459556552012-02-06T09:55:00.000-08:002012-02-06T09:55:43.480-08:00Solid Weekends are What Base is All About!This past weekend worked out to be just about ideal. It would have been perfect if I hadn't been milking a weird pain/injury, more on that later.<br />
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Saturday we got up early and clattered in the little TDI over to the <a href="http://www.rocknroadcyclery.net/index.php">Laguna Niguel Rock N' Road</a> store for the start of the Sweethearts Ride! We showed up sort of on time, actually we showed up late, but we did have a good excuse that we drove really far to get there...<br />
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The turnout was awesome!<br />
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There were quite a few <a href="http://www.bikesforboobs.org/b4b-advocates/">Bikes for Boobs Advocates </a>along for the ride which is great to see! I rode in the middle of the pack and chatted with some awesome people while Allison sat on the front and tried to get as close to her assigned training wattage as possible. She is a silly girl, but she has high aspirations! When we hit PCH the views were stellar and the pace broke up the pack a bit.<br />
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At the distal terminus of the Sweethearts Ride the <a href="http://www.bikesforboobs.org/b4b-advocates/">Bikes for Boobs Advocates</a> that were present set out to finish the 4 hour training ride with their <a href="http://www.allisonmann.net/">Top Pro</a>.<br />
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Proud Domestiques flanking their leader!<br />
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Cycling is such a beautiful sport in part because of it's individuality, and the unique sacrifices made by team mates who are not usually given their due credit. I love riding bikes!<br />
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The four of us cruised in spectacular weather with beautiful coastal views killin' KJ's! (I actually killed about 2.4 MJ's)<br />
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After the 4 hour ride Allison decided that with <b>Love</b> being the theme of the day she needed to get more intimate with her new race bike, BG Fit style.<br />
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We headed over to the Mission Viejo Rock N' Road store and spent some time with their fit experts!<br />
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The drive home was brutally long due to a traffic accident on the twisty mountain road, life is so full of silly inconvenience. Once home I prepped the Super Bowl Crockpot of Pulled Pork Goodness and we hit the hay.<br />
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Sunday was another big day! 4 hours on the mountain bikes (YAY for dirt!) and then Super Spectating of the Football kind! First we ride...<br />
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We saw a ton of friends out on the trails at Vail Lake!<br />
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So much fun blasting around on the dirt. We did some moderate intensity climbing and some rip roaring descending.<br />
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At the end of 4 hours and 50 miles on the mountain bikes (after nearly 70 road miles the day before) I was feeling a bit spent. Beer me!<br />
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Had a Hangar 24 Double IPA and a fabulous dinner while watching the Patriots blow it in the Super Bowl.<br />
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Now to that nagging injury thing...<br />
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My right Achilles tendon has issues every now and then. It got to be super painful on Saturday. I loaded up on Ibuprofen though and Sunday the sheath seemed to release some. This is a strange injury and seems to come and go with no apparent trigger or resolution and has reared it's head a few times over the past couple years. It bums me out because I wanted to run on Monday... oh well. Glad for a rest week now and can't wait to get back on the volume after a nice recovery period!<br />
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BRAAAAP!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-3225171919715609452012-02-03T14:46:00.000-08:002012-02-03T14:49:32.581-08:00Mix it up!A <a href="http://forums.mtbr.com/xc-racing-training/2012-training-check-up-766022.html">recent thread on MTBR</a> asked some questions about training for 2012 and was a great thread in my opinion. One of the questions was, <b>"What are you doing differently?"</b> This is a very good question to ask because assuming that you can raise your game each year, or make some improvement, and you didn't achieve it previously, then it is likely that to reach your personal best or full potential a new stimulus is probably needed.<br />
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Now I am not a coach, just a previously fat guy that:<br />
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1) Wants to be healthy. I have authored previous blog posts about running scared from the fat man in my rear view mirror. I want to stay this way for the long haul, and that might best be achieved with more cross training.<br />
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2) Wants to be able to keep up with my wife on a bike. If you know my wife, or have seen her on one, you likely understand that this is no small task and one which requires a high level of fitness.<br />
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3) Wants to compete. I enjoy competition and would like to attain my own personal best, my full potential (whatever that means, it isn't a hard stop at the end of the road that is for sure).<br />
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So what am I doing differently this year?<br />
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Of course I am still riding my bike. I am trying to carry the momentum from last year that was spurred by my comeback after breaking my neck. I am also doing some new stuff like trail running!<br />
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I am really enjoying the trail running, and am grateful that I <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm">stumbled onto these puppies </a>which have changed my world (or at least the one that revolves around the pain in my right foot!).<br />
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I am currently reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Superathletes-Greatest-Vintage/dp/0307279189/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328306496&sr=8-1">Born to Run</a> and wish that I had read this book earlier and tried the barefoot/minimalist thing long before now!<br />
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In addition to the trail running I am doing workouts like today's Bike-Swim-Bike.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/146865454" width="465"></iframe>
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What is that? Well I roll from work on my lunch break just like any other day.<br />
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Always nice to have someone to roll with!<br />
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But when I rolled out today I had some extra items tucked into a plastic bag in my jersey pocket.<br />
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A key ingredient to this whole equation is that pink water bottle. Only it isn't a water bottle.<br />
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It is a very convenient lock to help ensure my bike stays where I left it when I go change like Superman into my other fruit-suit for aquatic activities. <br />
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Allison doesn't participate in the swim portion, see you later beautiful!<br />
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So I take my leave of my wonderful wife on wheels and put on my suit for the wet portion of the workout.<br />
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After that this is the "road" ahead.<br />
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Beatiful day for a bike... er... swim!<br />
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So after swimming for 20 minutes solid I then switch back to my land based fruit suit and pedal to reunite with my <a href="http://www.allisonmann.net/">Two Wheeled Wonder Woman</a>.<br />
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Together we spin back to work...<br />
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...to complete our day of cubicle life.<br />
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So that is what I am doing differently. I have hopes that it will help some as I prepare for the year ahead, but I am sure the alternate training stimulus is good for my health and well being.<br />
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This weekend should be a good one. Big road ride, part of which will be with <a href="http://www.rocknroadcyclery.net/index.php">Rock N' Road Cyclery</a> on Saturday...<br />
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...and a mountain bike ride before the Super Bowl on Sunday! YEHAWW! See you on the bike!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-78423786128642996122012-01-30T11:04:00.000-08:002012-01-30T11:12:56.727-08:00MTB Race Season Is Right Around The Corner!For some reason I feel like I have said this before, but I don't feel like searching through my blog history...<br />
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"I am not sure I can properly convey the wild swings of the last seven days."</div>
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First of all I don't normally blog about work stuff. There are two main reasons for this:</div>
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1) I work in R&D and the stuff I work on is leading the industry and proprietary. If I leaked something to a competitor I would likely find myself in a legal bind (not to mention feeling like a total ass).</div>
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2) I suck bad enough at the political game. Running my mouth on my blog about work would only draw attention to my political incompetence.</div>
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As you can see I have good reason not to post about work stuff. It is not however any secret that we had a layoff last week, or that there is another one coming mid year. Very stressful stuff. Everyone knew it was coming. I have laid awake at night trying to come up with backup plans. Despite the fact that I feel I serve a valuable function, in a large company I know I am just a number. We (The Mann Show) are not wealthy, in fact with the housing market collapse we are likely some of the least wealthy people I know (also not something I blog about, you won't see news articles about us building a custom home!), so having income to support us and to keep Allison's bike racing dreams alive is paramount. </div>
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In any case the layoff happened and I still have a job, for now. I am grateful. That doesn't change the stress. Wednesday I had to double apply my deodorant!</div>
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After the negative stress an opportunity came up to put some positive stress on my system on Thursday.</div>
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Yep, that is the XC World friggin Champion (adjusting her saddle height)! We took a vacation day to show her and her band of speedy Canucks around Idyllwild. Positive stress indeed! It was amazing to ride with them for so many reasons. Huge learning experience on top of the simple cool factor.</div>
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What a lineup!!!</div>
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I don't have many riding pictures because these people mean serious business when riding, but I did my best...</div>
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They even offered up some suffer face for the camera!</div>
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Three hours of riding with this group on stellar trails was worth a vacation day!!!!</div>
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So the awesomeness wasn't entirely just who was on the ride. Wednesday night I burned the candle late after picking up Allison's new race whip and it was her first day on it!</div>
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Sworks 29er HT. Good stuff!</div>
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So it was a good thing to ride with World Cup racers and not feel like a boat anchor. I mean, Canadians bled on this ride (so did I due to a fatigue induced crash near the end of the ride) so I don't think it was a leisurely ride for anyone. I really just am lost for words to describe the awesomeness.</div>
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Friday was a nice easy recovery spin. I needed that. Oh and I was working on bikes again late into the night because Saturday was another stress filled day...</div>
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Saturday I had to say good-bye to one of my favorite bikes of all time.</div>
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That is right, the Crux has left the building. Don't fret though, as soon as a carbon disc version of this baby is available I will be adding whatever it costs to the balance of my credit card! Hopefully the time I go without Crux-ness is short. The versatility and grin factor were off the charts on that machine.</div>
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In the mean time...</div>
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I am back on my old Tarmac. Great bike, just not as great as the Crux. It was great to have power numbers again though. Made for an interesting day riding with this one...</div>
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It was an amazing day in January to do a 4 hour roadie ride to the beach!</div>
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So the last seven days has had tremendous highs and lows. Hopefully things even out some. I could use some nice steady even stress so that I can prepare for the racing season. I am looking forward to racing on the MTB in 2012! :)</div>
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Keep it Rolling!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-16241202343614644632012-01-25T10:52:00.000-08:002012-01-25T10:52:15.353-08:00Smoke Signals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fire makes such a great analogy for things in life. It can be amazingly powerful, but fragile at the same time. Cultivated properly it can sustain, provide warmth for those nearby. It is useful in so many ways and yet destructive at the same time. It can be fearsome, or comforting. Controlling it can be a bit of an illusion at times, snuffing it out can be immediate and harsh. All kinds of parallels can be drawn between flames and the chemical fire that burns in each one of us. Some are smoldering, straining to stay alight while others are consuming everything around them, all consuming and destructive in nature.<br />
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Allison has been using fire as an analog in many of her posts recently and I like it. Understanding fire and bridling it's good qualities while avoiding the bad is much like the way an athlete cultivates their ability. The title of this post was one I thought of on my long drive home this last Saturday evening after the final CX race of the season, following the awards ceremony where I stood on top of the podium as the Series Champion for 35+ A group.<br />
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Lots of smoke is usually a bad sign from the fire. It can mean lots of things, burning too rich or having trouble staying alight...<br />
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The past few races I felt like my fire was making too much smoke. My results have faded some and I have struggled with the race efforts and with the motivation to compete. It isn't like that is a big surprise. I have had a lot of racing and stretched my base further than expected, the fire needs to be reformed and rebuilt. As I started with my YIR post, which turned into a series, and was then never finished; 2011 was one hell of a year for results for me. I raced more than ever before and was on the podium more than my share. I won a lot of races, placed third at Nationals, took several jerseys for my collection, and was forced to pick and choose between trophies for the shelf. <br />
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At dinner last night with my father-in-law Allison and I agreed that it was probably our best year ever for vacations, and will be one with which many future years will be compared to (with the exception that her whole racing season was destroyed). So after having a bright, hot, somewhat destructive fire things need to be rearranged, they need to have some order restored.<br />
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So that is what I am doing now. I need to find out if my fire can burn brighter, cleaner, hotter, maybe a tad less destructive and overall more efficient. I will have more competition, serious wildfires to contend with in 2012. Fires that left a much bigger swath of destruction behind them than I did last year!<br />
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Seeing as how I am not so good with plans I am still playing things by ear. I am entering the year with diligence and focus but am not expecting results on the same level. I am looking forward to the epic battles and hope that I am prepared to take part. Despite where I lay when the dust settles, I hope to have improved in some way. <br />
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To this end I am doing some trail running in the hopes of promoting continuous improvement. I am still very new to all this and have much to learn about sport and myself. 2012 will be an exciting year and I hope to have many fabulous stories to write in my blog.<br />
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Till then, a drink to the success that was 2011 (and then a little with the last CX race this last weekend)!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-86091771808883548992012-01-09T08:53:00.000-08:002012-01-09T08:53:23.942-08:002012 is here!Since my YIR'11 post has been stymied by my lack of computer/free time I have put it on the back burner to bring my blog up to date for the New Year!<br />
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That is right folks! First race of 2012. First podiums for Rock N' Road / Bikes for Boobs!!! I got third (photo below) and the Gritters brothers went 1-2 in Elite!!!!!<br />
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Bummed that my report isn't on winning, not even second place, but second loser was all I could muster on the day. Some days just don't turn out the way you hope they would.<br />
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A quick race recap...<br />
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Uphill gravel start got me off on the way wrong foot. My ground foot slipped, my wheel spun, and in a heartbeat I was off the back ruining David Turner's start as well. The first lap I was pressing hard to move through all the traffic and in my haste made a couple mistakes. Way up ahead somewhere Phil was in a league of his own on the day bunny hopping barriers, behind him a group of four were drilling it, and way back from them was me chasing like a the loyal dog that got left behind at the last pee stop of the family road trip complete with drool and foaming mouth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n-vWvRDi2ayvQl_93cHjLkKAiiGpq_SURSU3Ifj4kk3GxJdnoY7mWIBhOOC-uaEZx61ztJNuNgWaRn7TgymcPVr0zRGfO9W9RHTA4Uw5N2ian114r2qU9Mx7_oFxCFrqYXaRpCVwFz_C/s1600/386153_2601846402889_1156700525_32172973_2116614733_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n-vWvRDi2ayvQl_93cHjLkKAiiGpq_SURSU3Ifj4kk3GxJdnoY7mWIBhOOC-uaEZx61ztJNuNgWaRn7TgymcPVr0zRGfO9W9RHTA4Uw5N2ian114r2qU9Mx7_oFxCFrqYXaRpCVwFz_C/s320/386153_2601846402889_1156700525_32172973_2116614733_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the slippy Start/Finish region. Photo Credit: Jesus Ortega</td></tr>
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Eventually I caught back on and things shuffled a bit. The group was whittled down to four; Hime, Dave, a rider I don't know, and me. Other than my stupid mistakes and generally sloppy riding (guessing this is a base fatigue and lack of racing related issue) things were uneventful until the last half of the last lap.<br />
<br />
Hime was on the front exiting the "Spy-clone", a spiral-in-spiral-out feature that seemed to just serve as a mid-lap recovery zone, and he stomped on it as soon as the dizziness wore off. I knew it was coming and followed. Dave had an issue on the steep spot behind (would have been a run-up if it had stairs) and lost the train. I was on Hime's wheel as we came out of the uber loose left hand gravel turn and I counter attacked. I probably should have been patient and saved my attack for after the barriers (learning!). I led up to the barriers and Hime just edged me out remounting. This gave him the lead for the rest of the lap and given the extremely loose gravel there really wasn't much of a sprint opportunity.<br />
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It was another good close race and hopefully I learned something along the way.<br />
<br />
1) File treads are not king.<br />
2) Work on being patient on a loose start, don't get anxious, just be smooth!<br />
3) Be patient on the last lap, plan your attack relative to your weakness, not just the first opportunity.<br />
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After the race I coerced Dave to go for an hour long ride with me. Good times! I am glad that CX season is just about done but I will miss some of the great people I get to race with during the winter (that don't race MTB during summer).<br />
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Speaking of MTB, training is going fairly well. I have been riding a good amount and my weight is coming back down. There has been a lot of discussion on The Mann Show lately about bikes and whether "<b><u>size matters</u></b>". <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pPUPJhX1YyQu6eNWXTsWl2x4RtNC-u8VfCzfN4R06vrUHx6dgdvJdqsBcu_-xBt7jGbZIeA9DczXYpQqSwDCDxJ6Y-Wh6NU3Q7GDFmj69FTt9VwxaFqsgzWOU50od1ANxNGZcczd15lr/s1600/IMAGE_F57C2798-D6B6-4346-A936-4D9D761F9785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pPUPJhX1YyQu6eNWXTsWl2x4RtNC-u8VfCzfN4R06vrUHx6dgdvJdqsBcu_-xBt7jGbZIeA9DczXYpQqSwDCDxJ6Y-Wh6NU3Q7GDFmj69FTt9VwxaFqsgzWOU50od1ANxNGZcczd15lr/s320/IMAGE_F57C2798-D6B6-4346-A936-4D9D761F9785.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You wouldn't think so by the picture, but this innocent looking bike started all this...</td></tr>
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Allison demo'd a Specialized Epic Comp 29er 2 weekends ago. She flew on the descents, it was sweet and I was stoked. Totally beautiful. On the other end of the spectrum, I have been training on my 2009 26" Sworks HT. Yesterday we rode with some team mates who are really looking at stepping it up in 2012 and they spanked my butt going down hill, one of them was on a HT 29er! Do the "Pros" of big wheels outweigh the "Cons" with the latest tires and wheels and forks? Now the pressure is on. I can't be giving up time on descents if I want to be on the podium at all.<br />
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What does all this mean? Well after two weekends of testing it seems Allison's cockpit was too stretched out. <b><u><i>Size does matter!</i></u></b> Wider flat bars and a shorter inverted stem seemed to help her descending on the 26" FS, but is that even relevant if we consider the 29er FS as an option? (then there is the task of figuring out whether a size Small is necessary, or if a Medium with a shorty stem is a better option). The concept of changing race bike platform has my head spinning and my wallet cringing, not to mention me having to swallow my pride and revoke all the negative commentary on "wagon wheels". Oh the horror... :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Oj7VHhuZyNcoSHJdA9ZnwSX_PZLissFIazsMcYuEazmWbJLTQ_bJbirXnnKhjAeyu-39-UCvE1AZpnLceFste99w38pLuBq6rLC0dMuX-pO2GjVcCgnk-BZpPUOjz3hhNFJb5q3C-f1C/s1600/379951_3035022042331_1466344419_3044548_156494303_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Oj7VHhuZyNcoSHJdA9ZnwSX_PZLissFIazsMcYuEazmWbJLTQ_bJbirXnnKhjAeyu-39-UCvE1AZpnLceFste99w38pLuBq6rLC0dMuX-pO2GjVcCgnk-BZpPUOjz3hhNFJb5q3C-f1C/s320/379951_3035022042331_1466344419_3044548_156494303_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer doesn't help ease the pain.</td></tr>
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With only one more 'Cross race on my schedule, and MTB racing creeping up on us, gearing up for 2012 and training consume us entirely. Such is the life of the "wanna be pro" and "wish I could be fast CAT1" MTB racing duo known as The Mann Show. We are so simple.<br />
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See you on the trails!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-54414193735193841652011-12-21T14:29:00.000-08:002011-12-21T14:29:31.197-08:002011 YIR Part 1For me 2011 will always be the year of "The Comeback". If I close my eyes I can still feel my body shatter against cold hard steel, hear the bone snapping collision in head, taste the blood that flowed freely from my face. I don't know if time will ever smooth over the broken jagged edges of my memories of April 2, 2010 or the days and weeks that followed. Those memories propelled me. Death is a stationary immovable object but I plan to move, till I can't move anymore. Sure my neck and my knee still hurt, living is hurting though and is better than the alternative. I charged into 2011 with my best friend and partner by my side.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHWLgKKPliOfKon84EOZtGtkFD0mmTw1zdcSG3ogRwU_ClU-Tw2ZM0HbKQD1mwxwew3Q6T32quRcdyYfjyfnYvQbsnI-Yf1OVr9bpVdcSPZzEwWD6xMynzyJe3B-dkpG1abppQQm7yv8a/s1600/163420_10150377534770157_903925156_16686562_7463169_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHWLgKKPliOfKon84EOZtGtkFD0mmTw1zdcSG3ogRwU_ClU-Tw2ZM0HbKQD1mwxwew3Q6T32quRcdyYfjyfnYvQbsnI-Yf1OVr9bpVdcSPZzEwWD6xMynzyJe3B-dkpG1abppQQm7yv8a/s320/163420_10150377534770157_903925156_16686562_7463169_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Years Eve, Allison's foot went bad that day.</td></tr>
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Her presence by my side though was short lived in 2011. Black Death Foot knocked her clean off the track that she was racing on. In her absence I envisioned myself left on the field of battle. Alone I was left to guard our flag. I don't have many pictures from the seemingly endless hours of training in the cold and wet that followed but my skin grew thinner showing more of the sinew and muscle below than ever before. I did get to ride a couple times on the dirt with friends and they were not just great times, it really helped keep me going to ride with someone else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByzkndUrABjSOdES4adr_UCv7ZSztgzke8bip65BDi-cEaZeegirroMpvLAgrzZw8w50czSyH5_2XxsXwCIpESoeblhil5GM7-ZzIuUScLimfaEZ3a9uSTBnSXSPuaL2xumlj2lmDNcd6/s1600/166419_823985204945_6404674_44456217_7445907_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByzkndUrABjSOdES4adr_UCv7ZSztgzke8bip65BDi-cEaZeegirroMpvLAgrzZw8w50czSyH5_2XxsXwCIpESoeblhil5GM7-ZzIuUScLimfaEZ3a9uSTBnSXSPuaL2xumlj2lmDNcd6/s320/166419_823985204945_6404674_44456217_7445907_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singletrack riding with Weeger, one of the best rides of January.</td></tr>
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In February Allison tried to train again despite her injury. The excitement over the 2011 race bikes fueled us along with the refusal to give up hope that she could get back on track and continue her ascent in racing. She was, actually we both were, desperately groping at the edge of an icy crevasse of unknown depth that neither of us wanted to admit she had slid into without warning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBs7KS5kVjN3MF5f-Xp6r_9Gfs36NsrbhjodpSw0m00yT7TWWUQ5xGeRW2O_20cgs5KrTFCeybyghxRK94yprCeQ20_xhckUKBb8NJvUXM6YHqhUkasev75JKYq6mMlDO5nRgQTrmJwnEr/s1600/180004_10150415292725157_903925156_17335260_73436_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBs7KS5kVjN3MF5f-Xp6r_9Gfs36NsrbhjodpSw0m00yT7TWWUQ5xGeRW2O_20cgs5KrTFCeybyghxRK94yprCeQ20_xhckUKBb8NJvUXM6YHqhUkasev75JKYq6mMlDO5nRgQTrmJwnEr/s320/180004_10150415292725157_903925156_17335260_73436_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new race bikes ready to rumble.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWO-3xW8VegeBZx7J5Rnq5nM-uLb0S1Kh76VN_89YMODAayRi5iPMc9XSO6BLa_0e0yeHojOIDFU_DJxm5AQo4nQKaLc9n4Ix-epc4igg8Cb7VC75uIQ3t9hop4oAoKvKJFB5xRqmoXz3/s1600/169036_10150415293780157_903925156_17335287_2442453_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWO-3xW8VegeBZx7J5Rnq5nM-uLb0S1Kh76VN_89YMODAayRi5iPMc9XSO6BLa_0e0yeHojOIDFU_DJxm5AQo4nQKaLc9n4Ix-epc4igg8Cb7VC75uIQ3t9hop4oAoKvKJFB5xRqmoXz3/s320/169036_10150415293780157_903925156_17335287_2442453_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love riding with this girl!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCcO07NNWSwnmc5tWsTE0kJO-47ocLpmujc2R6oI9nMOJ7-BJYV9ho4WuT56wrlQwuEUx3hqiyXf1qX4uXpiVKBwBBjHP8lZnNID4CV1PnJLoBTqjbv-ph6niq0Bsayn2OWGXW2XsxaNv/s1600/180768_10150415294180157_903925156_17335301_5306594_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCcO07NNWSwnmc5tWsTE0kJO-47ocLpmujc2R6oI9nMOJ7-BJYV9ho4WuT56wrlQwuEUx3hqiyXf1qX4uXpiVKBwBBjHP8lZnNID4CV1PnJLoBTqjbv-ph6niq0Bsayn2OWGXW2XsxaNv/s320/180768_10150415294180157_903925156_17335301_5306594_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the short ride together I rode home solo from Escondido.</td></tr>
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Soon enough though the slow pace of the Winter picked up and going fast would be the name of the game in the Spring. I was up to the challenge. Winning races started in February at SRC.<br />
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There was no winning at Sagebrush, only suffering and cold.<br />
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March was a new month and the disappointment of Sagebrush pushed me to a higher level. I am not sure if there was another race in 2011 where I was so much "in the zone" as I was at Bonelli.<br />
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Shortly afterward Fontana brought one of the most memorable and closest races I have ever had on a mountain bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0i-fAengwa0wI-JoB3Q4twhT1pKGSeWY7Hmw2tp28G9ID1O19FBF-JwBfCHJftx_-5QsBtoWtY2HJj8a1c-eBYiXu4yGTqmyK7y62eRR8SSg-i-sdgx0LXnHEYkip2uxHV0PxAUZqdq9/s1600/197143_10150480896305157_903925156_17999898_852703_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0i-fAengwa0wI-JoB3Q4twhT1pKGSeWY7Hmw2tp28G9ID1O19FBF-JwBfCHJftx_-5QsBtoWtY2HJj8a1c-eBYiXu4yGTqmyK7y62eRR8SSg-i-sdgx0LXnHEYkip2uxHV0PxAUZqdq9/s320/197143_10150480896305157_903925156_17999898_852703_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special thanks to Brian for making this race amazing. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxWiB-E6B9S1tUjvPYI_mQsS6r3dNlJhr3MOaUu0dxki_moUQ9aVagCCTZ4l7Z22OTc-hOIzjvJls62eXNWabnrrPdvI_aVXe-UNhF3R4aEmW12C2RHfeQKXuHszGYdp8exKCpKkWAI4W/s1600/196581_10150480896470157_903925156_17999902_7115957_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxWiB-E6B9S1tUjvPYI_mQsS6r3dNlJhr3MOaUu0dxki_moUQ9aVagCCTZ4l7Z22OTc-hOIzjvJls62eXNWabnrrPdvI_aVXe-UNhF3R4aEmW12C2RHfeQKXuHszGYdp8exKCpKkWAI4W/s320/196581_10150480896470157_903925156_17999902_7115957_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Top Step" at Fontana, a dream come true.</td></tr>
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April brought a whole new race venue with Sycamore Canyon. Again I reaped the benefit of all my hard work and mounted the top step.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNj_nDHdvwd83Xt-1yVoiwir_bG1sDIy4kATf-wMy3Cm1wNB5Kf60396e9H33fNBYd3PxuG6vfr0r9XfpgLuuYPlxy9m3IZWMj27QGlky6fi24kucpauBqUSy7hv6lb_vVqUS8V3UiFis/s1600/197174_10150501799250157_903925156_18082537_1031664_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNj_nDHdvwd83Xt-1yVoiwir_bG1sDIy4kATf-wMy3Cm1wNB5Kf60396e9H33fNBYd3PxuG6vfr0r9XfpgLuuYPlxy9m3IZWMj27QGlky6fi24kucpauBqUSy7hv6lb_vVqUS8V3UiFis/s320/197174_10150501799250157_903925156_18082537_1031664_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joking with Sheek off the start line.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLdsVWAR1fy4FhlXuTVCiWXqdCVLP9pAAlcH6z8mrWVP-lYOV1c6zyZ0tWNt6pkwzxW__3DYyHd0HggLZU3ONgb18x2SEkpdHTWfeMcYlpvw3W8mhClx6a6OSZrr-vmXKSDb_Ve2CkpZC/s1600/200276_10150501801110157_903925156_18082581_646193_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLdsVWAR1fy4FhlXuTVCiWXqdCVLP9pAAlcH6z8mrWVP-lYOV1c6zyZ0tWNt6pkwzxW__3DYyHd0HggLZU3ONgb18x2SEkpdHTWfeMcYlpvw3W8mhClx6a6OSZrr-vmXKSDb_Ve2CkpZC/s320/200276_10150501801110157_903925156_18082581_646193_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Tower, requesting a flyby."</td></tr>
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While I was getting practice climbing to the top step Allison was practicing her photography skills. They would come in handy during what would become the most amazing Summer ever.<br />
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To be continued...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-23034773562239422972011-12-19T10:39:00.000-08:002011-12-19T10:52:55.596-08:00Santa CrossI have really been feeling the fatigue of ramping up Base training lately. Unfortunately my training induced stress is being compounded by other issues. It seems that Allison's training has diverged from mine significantly enough that we aren't able to train together much. She has been doing some trainer workouts after work which makes scheduling the day difficult (I really don't like doing indoor work if I don't absolutely have to). <br />
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The stress has gotten to me and I have been a jerk, which doesn't help things. Sometimes it is important to remind myself that being a team means that although we aren't necessarily working side by side we are still working together. We both need to stay focused to have a good season next year and we need each other to make that happen.<br />
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This last weekend was the Griffith Park double header known as <a href="http://socalcross.org/">Santa Cross</a>. Since Allison is done racing for the season doing the double header just wasn't going to happen. Since I am still leading the points series I wanted to make it up for one of the days, but felt that putting in some solid riding with Allison on Saturday followed by a hard race effort on Sunday was my best option.</div>
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Saturday we rolled out into the cool morning air and put in a very good Base ride.</div>
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I really love riding with my wife. </div>
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I took a short nap after the ride and tried to ensure that I would be as rested as possible for Sunday's race. I know I am not on peak form so it is tough to head to a race with high expectations.<br />
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Since Allison wasn't racing on Sunday I dropped her off for a ride in The Gabes with <a href="http://mtbchick.com/">Tonya</a>. A big part of me really wanted to be heading out on a rad mountain bike ride instead of racing 'cross. About the only thing that helped me follow through was the promise of a sweet course at Griffith Park!<br />
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The course was challenging with a significant amount of climbing and some great technical stuff! I however was not really up to the challenge on the day. My hands and wrists have been getting worse and worse through the season and warming up on the course I knew I was going to suffer horribly in the bumpy sections. My left hand was so bad I couldn't really hold the hoods to bunny hop. This made for really slow going through the smaller barriers as I then was super worried about pinch flatting with no spare wheels! I told myself to suck it up and thought of the text message I got from my mom who suffered through radiation therapy for her cancer this past week, "Pedal your ass off!".<br />
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Race recap...<br />
First lap: Decent start, didn't want to be on the front but was very close. Hime swerved right going through the barriers and pushed me through the tape on the right. I had to fight to stay with the group. Then I made a really dumb mistake on a tight turn folding my front tire and pushing it out. Remounting my bike the chain had fallen off. I was no longer in contact with the chase group, Hime was off the front with a good sized gap. I chased.<br />
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Middle of the race: I chased hard. Caught and passed people moving myself into second place. Hime had what looked like an insurmountable gap. I chased harder. With about four laps to go Hime started making mistakes. He crashed on a grass corner. The gap was coming down as I was drilling it with Dave McNeal on my wheel. I am pretty sure that at one point Hime had to pit and we had now formed a group of three. I could now sit in some.<br />
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Two to go: I attack going through the Start/Finish and take the lead. It was mostly to see if I could gap them off in the corners. I knew they would match my pace on the straight climbs by drafting. Hime took the lead back going over the small barriers and threw a shoulder at me as he went by. My ultra conservative approach to the barriers section was costing me a couple seconds every lap but I couldn't afford to pinch flat and my left hand was totally useless and could hardly work the brakes let alone bunny hop. It looked like it was going to come down to a sprint finish.<br />
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Last lap: Hime attacked brutally going through Start/Finish. I matched it. Going through the barriers he had about 2 meters on me. Remounting I missed my pedal and it looked like I might have lost it at that point. He had probably 10 meters after the barriers and I cut that in half by the top of the course. I closed a bit more going through the tight grass turns and was within 2 meters again as we hit a high speed gravel right hand sweeper. This corner seemed to be getting looser as the race went on for some reason and Hime pushed it too hard. He went down hard. The attacks had opened a small gap to Dave McNeal so from that point I just tried to stay smooth and mistake free. I crossed the line a few seconds up on second and nearly 15 up on third, double fist pump, another win!<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AkoYYzzZGH_8dFR1QWVMb2JUdjl3LWFxZnNNMDdBN3c&output=html">Race Results</a><br />
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Huge thanks to all the people that cheer for me. Hime had a huge cheering section, but people like Carolyn Reeves and Brent Prenzlow were reminding me that there are people in my corner too. I appreciate it very much!!!!!<br />
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This has been a very long season and it has taken it's toll. I am tired and sore and nursing injuries while trying to start Base and finish the CX season with a SoCal Prestige Series Title. Not sure how all this is going to effect me going into 2012. I really hope I can carry momentum, get some solid base, and race well in the early season. If that works out I think I will try to schedule a lull and then get back on form for Nationals. Sounds like a plan, but I am not all that great with plans so who knows what to expect! :)</div>
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Hopefully I can put together a "Year in Review" blog soon. I think I know what I want to do with it, unfortunately these things often look better in my mind than they do on the interwebs... If it doesn't get out before Christmas, hope everyone has a very merry one!<br />
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Till then, rubber side down and shredding (or rolling super steady, Base you know)!</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-55249419702177258352011-12-14T10:29:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:29:54.438-08:00Good Weekends tend to lead to Bummer Mondays.This past weekend was pretty great! Saturday Allison and I got up early and headed over to Orange County to donate some cans and go for a sweet ride with a hundred or so other people. This was our third year going to the Hunger Ride and this year the weather man smiled on us again, last year it rained! Instead of hammering myself into the ground on the ride I hung out with <a href="http://www.mammogramsinaction.org/">Mammograms In Action</a> founder Zionna. She is a kick ass Cross Fit athlete and Olympic Lifter but is new to the bike thing and I had a great time showing her the ropes and escorting her on her longest ride to date (30 miles on her 3rd ride!).<br />
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Sunday Allison and I got out on the mountain bikes and rode Trabuco - Holy Jim. This route is a Santa Ana's classic and one of my favorites!<br />
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It was a beautiful day!<br />
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Monday is as always a "rest" day, but I went to the gym and did some plyos anyway. :)<br />
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Unfortunately during the day a major bummer struck and I got an email from Google stating that my Adsense account was terminated. This was a major bummer but it seems that along the way I had "promoted" the ads on my blog and that is forbidden. All funds I had earned ($104) were refunded to the advertisers.<br />
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I was really looking forward to donating that money to Bikes for Boobs so it hit me pretty hard. I now plan to still make that donation, but from my own pocket to honor my promise to my blog readers and their cooperation with clicking on the ads.<br />
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So there you have it, another update from The Mann Show. Training is going well, work is hard, living the life...<br />
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See you on the road or trail!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-44044059368825139052011-12-08T15:56:00.001-08:002011-12-08T16:07:37.758-08:00Hunger Ride and Stolen ShoesAnyone in Southern California that rides a bike should "Bring your can" and join us for the Rock N' Road Cyclery Hunger Ride!<br />
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It is a fun ride, and a good cause! We have been there the past two years, and I am looking forward to meeting and riding with some new people!</div>
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Now to something not so cool...</div>
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Sometimes I am reminded of how much I really hate people. Yesterday my cherished black leather Vibrams that I wear to work were stolen from the locker room at work along with my Injinji socks, my Specialized shoe bag, and the "glove dogs" I put in my cycling shoes to help them dry out. What is wrong with people?!?! They were sitting under the bench in front of my locker and someone decided that I shouldn't have them anymore. Such is life, from now on I will have to lock my shoes inside my locker with my other stuff...</div>
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In other news the "Leader board" was updated and I am still leading the points for the <a href="http://socalcross.org/">SoCalCross Prestige Series</a> in Master's A 35+! This title will make a nice ending to a winning year for me!</div>
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Have a good weekend!!!!</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-87601364748463850702011-12-07T08:33:00.001-08:002011-12-07T10:27:14.269-08:00A late Thanks-giving and Shades of Grey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The past couple weeks since my last post have been crazy. It seems that is a fairly common occurrence in our house, though this time it might be a little more than usual. The Thanksgiving portion of the title on this post is self-explanatory but the "Shades of Grey" is not. You will soon find out the details but basically it is a combination of things that has seemed to create a fog in my mind. My original title was "Not Winning, Not Losing" which is also accurate but wasn't as all encompassing.<br />
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Rewinding a bit we traveled to North Mexico to celebrate Thanksgiving with the duo-Mac. Stephanie is an amazing cook and I love her food. I love it so much that I nearly ate myself sick. That is what T-day is all about right? Eating so much you have to roll yourself away from the table is normal right? I kid, we have much to be thankful for and many things went through my mind that make me very thankful indeed. I will save most of them for my Year In Review post that will come some time in the near future. Suffice it to say that I am very grateful that we have such wonderful friends to share some time with!<br />
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Around that time I got a phone call from my Dad. I don't talk to him much and for the most part he is a non-factor in my life as it seems he prefers it that way. Lots of history there for sure, and it doesn't really belong on my blog. I wish that meant I felt completely ambivalent to the news that he delivered but I do not. In any case he called to inform me that he had cancer in his throat and a mass in his lung. Officially both my parents are now fighting cancer.<br />
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The day after Turkey Day Allison and I headed to Noble Canyon for some sweet trail action. As luck would have it we ran into our buddy Jens and the three of us had a fantastic time. With SCNCA Divisional/State CX Championships on Sunday it was a pretty big bummer that Allison was having some issues riding. She poked herself in the ribs with her handlebar in a low speed crash and it is STILL haunting her. I feel for her struggles on the bike and hope that this time of struggle is followed by a time of "hot nasty sexy speed". I had a good ride with no major carnage though I definitely went down and certainly pussy footed about a few times. I really wish we had more "trail" type bikes to train on at times! I came out of the day with a bit of a sore right knee and some pain in my left palm.<br />
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Saturday we did an easy road spin. I keep battling with myself between racing well in Cyclocross and putting in my base miles for Mountain Bike racing next year. On this day base miles won out and I rode "bonus" time to meet Allison at her G-parents house. Certainly not the best preparation for the following day's race, but again I am conflicted.<br />
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Sunday's race was a very fun course with some good challenges. I had crashed a couple times in last year's race and managed to finish better despite repeating the crash-happy theme. Several guys that normally race the Elite category raced down for the "Bear Jersey" so I was not too upset with my finish position, especially considering I had two get-offs on a stupid 180 corner, the first of which occurred while I was leading the race on Lap 2. I did appreciate the racing experience though and am always learning more about tactics and how to race better. On the last lap I was in third, stuck in a Felt sandwich of Sheek and Fritz. Sheek managed to pull away a bit due to a bobble on my part and Fritz put in a brutal attack from the tail gunner position shortly after that left me in fourth. Allison again won the title/jersey which was a nice consolation prize for me.<br />
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As if the whole training/racing stuff and both parents ill with cancer wasn't enough, work has really been turning the screws on me hence no time to blog during the week. I have been trying to follow Allison's training schedule but her coach isn't giving her much base work. Fearing a downward spiral of mediocrity when faced with racing the two fastest amateur XC racers in the nation at a local level next year I am having to strike out on my own already. This is disconcerting as I learned early in 2011 that I didn't like riding all those endless hours alone, but I don't want to be under-prepared. In 2011 the average differential between me and the Marco/Ty battle was 3-4 minutes. I am not going to bridge that gap with a weak base!<br />
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This past weekend we did another Cyclocross race. This time a double header UCI race in Downtown Los Angeles. Again my race preparation was less than optimal as I had done a 4 mile trail run with Allison on Friday. The course was good even though it didn't have much in the way of technical challenges and it turned out that tactical racing was the order of the day. Saturday the Lap 1 attack of Tim Butler (Sue Butler's husband) left me and the rest of the 35+ Men's field scratching for second. I didn't know my competition for sure and didn't actually know the identity of the man in the black kit with the big W on the back, though in retrospect it is a tad bit of foreshadowing as he wound up Winning both days. I also didn't know Kenny Wehn of the "Stan's No-Tubes Elite" team was sitting in and waiting for the kill along with Bailey Bikes owner John Bailey. All I knew was I was in second with one guy up the road and drilling it till I dropped dead seemed like the order of the day. I rolled across the line in fourth losing a sprint to John after Kenny pulled away through the barriers.<br />
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Sunday's race was a lot different. I played a more tactical game and was happy to not sit with my nose in the wind. I spent pretty much the whole race in third tucked behind Tim and Kenny and trying to learn from their actions. A pack of 5 of us ripped around the course and several times I was unsure of how exactly I was managing to hang in there. Donny put a pass on me at one point and it made me very nervous to have him between me and the lead pair. I didn't want to have a gap form and know that if there is a roadie in there I would be more likely to get yo-yo'd than if I can shred the corners at my own risk filled pace. I picked a superior line through a corner and had a clear path through the next chicane when Donny leaned on me some. I didn't want to give up my line so I said "Make a little room" and held my ground. Unfortunately Donny then went through the tape on the opposite side of the course. I definitely didn't mean for that to happen. Our little squabble for third meant that I then had to bridge back to the lead pair and that cost me valuable energy! On the back straight they accelerated and I couldn't match it. Again I was left in the wind and towing another rider. This time I tried to use my corner speed and got a small gap going onto the finish straight. I sprinted with all I had and when my legs gave up I sat down and looked back. Fourth place was coming fast but I took third by a few inches. It was CLOSE! Another foot and I would have been fourth.<br />
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So as you can see I have not been winning, and not really losing either. Working hard for sure though! Looking forward to next year already! Since you invested this much time in reading my dumb blog, go check out the sweet new website for our new team, <a href="http://www.bikesforboobs.org/">Bikes for Boobs</a>! If you are so inclined please feel free to donate to the cause! Save a pair, save a life!!!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-36600903750130594102011-11-21T08:09:00.001-08:002011-11-21T09:14:35.471-08:00It's not easy being cheezy!I am not sure I have recovered from last week yet. The travel, lack of sleep, and crazy work stuff has left my head spinning. Add to that the fact that it seems I brought dreary weather back to Socal with me when I returned from Chicago and I feel like curling into a ball and taking a nap (the lack of pictures due to atmospheric moisture is sure to impact my crappy blog!). Hibernation anyone? <br />
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Allison's rightfully neurotic obsession with her foot in cold and wet weather makes planning and executing rides more of a chore than ever before. I am feeling the pressure too, she turns to me for guidance as if I know what she should and should not do. How the heck am I supposed to know? The best doctors that we <u>can't</u> afford are unable to give us any indication of how to deal with <b>Black Death Foot</b>. These doctors pocket more money per quarter than we make combined in a year. Surely they should know something I don't, but they are<i> useless</i>! We are further confounded by the fact that despite our best efforts we have thus far been unable to locate a pair of Specialized Defroster shoes for Allison. You would think that maybe someone somewhere could help, but so far it seems we are shit outta luck. At least the $200 "hot socks" seem to be doing a sufficient job so far, but I have my doubts about their effectiveness when the rides shift to longer duration. Insulation will become more important in my opinion. Don't come at me with suggestions, we have tried them all from wrapping her foot with space blankets, wool socks, booties, aluminum foil, plastic bags...<br />
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It is easy to come up with suggestions and say, "Try this..." The problem with everything is that if the suggestion fails Allison loses 3 months of her life. It is like playing Russian Roulette only the gun is pointed at her foot instead of her head. Think about it, if your foot gets cold it dies and now you have a terrible injury from NOTHING that takes 3 months to heal. Oh by the way, your foot getting cold is only a hypothesis. It has happened twice before and only two things that seem to be common between the two occurrences, riding bikes and cold weather.<br />
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Okay enough of that rant. Despite all this we had a decent weekend of training. <br />
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Saturday we headed up Indian Truck Trail with the goal of riding Trabuco and Holy Jim. We got up to Main Divide and it was cold. I could hear the cylinder snap shut on the revolver and the hammer pull back, the gun is pointed at Allison's right foot. I pulled the plug. We headed back down Indian Truck <b>F</b>ail and then drove to Vail Lake to finish her specified volume at lower elevation and without extended descents. My left Achilles tendon had started to hurt earlier in the day and at the completion of the three hours it was excruciating. I loaded up on Vitamin I. (Inside joke for Ibuprofen)<br />
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Sunday we had learned our lesson and knew we were going to have to keep training on the down low, the lower the better. Reluctantly Allison agreed to spend three hours looping through Daley Ranch. I had a good ride, she struggled I think. Either way it was much better than having to deal with icy cold wind and rain! We got a little wet in the last 10 minutes or so of the ride, but not enough to short out her "hot socks" thankfully!<br />
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Sunday night was the Velosport Team Banquet so we drove over to Rancho Santa Margarita. After helping to set up the banquet hall we feasted on pizza and cupcakes. It was nice to see some of our racing buddies that don't show up to 'Cross races! Huge congratulations to Clint and Marco for winning the coveted "Rider of the Year" award. It is nice to see people recognized for their hard work, likable personalities, and good attitudes! <br />
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It was nice racing with one of the largest club teams in the USA (approx. 600 members), but I look forward to next year racing on the new Bikes 4 Boobs / Rock N' Road Cyclery team. I think it will be great to sport new colors and to work for something bigger than a "trophy". Helping to detect cancer early for people who can't afford screenings is certainly a worthy cause! I ride with purpose. Save a pair, save a life!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-54436538741051129592011-11-18T14:47:00.001-08:002011-11-18T15:27:04.989-08:00Getting back to life after busin-ass travel...Putting things in perspective, it was a great experience to be selected to attend a corporate wide technology expo. The major drawback is that traveling destroys my ability to exercise restraint on my dietary intake and then creates a perfect fat-storm because I wind up with no time to work out at all. The trip itself was extremely demanding though, arriving in Chicago at 1 AM, didn't get to hotel and bed till 2:30. Up Monday at 6:15 AM and then spent all day at the symposium (3.75hrs sleep). Monday evening I met with a vendor and didn't get back to the hotel and bed until 1:30 AM. Tuesday I was up at 6 AM and working the poster presentations all day (4.5hrs sleep). Despite my lack of sleep I spent Tuesday night with a co-worker in Downtown Chicago (pics below) and then got about 2 hours of sleep before heading to the airport to catch my 5 AM flight. Total sleep for three days around 10hrs. Huge quantities of crappy coffee were consumed to accomplish this schedule. If it weren't for Kim I would have been sulking the entire time from missing my wife and bikes!<br />
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Arriving near downtown we parked and then grabbed the train.<br />
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There was a really nice sunset during our train ride towards Millenium Park.<br />
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I snapped a few photos of the Millenium Bean, this one was my favorite.<br />
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We walked down to the statue of Marilyn Monroe.<br />
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A couple of shots off the bridge of the river.<br />
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Some weirdos were posing between her legs and snapping pictures of her undies!<br />
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The Wrigley Building.<br />
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Figured Allison would dig the Leg Lamp!<br />
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She has one of her own...<br />
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In any case, I am super thankful to be home again and looking forward to shredding some sweet trails this weekend with my beautiful wife.<br />
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Loving life!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-47119198361928009212011-11-16T18:28:00.001-08:002011-11-18T10:10:44.959-08:00Some things that DON'T suck.This post was supposed to be posted on Monday but was delayed due to a crazy few days of busin-ass travel. I appreciate your patience during this time of technical difficulty... :)<br />
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1) Riding bikes with my wife and friends.<br />
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2) Road trips with said people.<br />
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3) Sushi that I cannot afford.<br />
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4) Utah landscapes.<br />
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I am sure I had more items on that list as I piloted the Black Max across the desert Saturday night. Right now though those are on the forefront of my mind. The last four days were stellar.<br />
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It is easy to identify and list things that don't suck when immediately juxtaposed with something that does. Air travel is certainly on the list of things that do. As I write this I am sitting in the bar at the airport sipping a glass of overly expensive red wine waiting for my flight.<br />
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I was determined to not let a business trip rob me of a weekend day, I desperately wanted to race Cyclocross today but despite my best efforts it just wasn't to be. Between a ticketing SNAFU and trying to unpack from one trip, pack for another, and sleep a little, all I was able to manage was a 1 hour ride with my wife before reluctantly driving off to the airport.<br />
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Rewinding a bit, I took three days of vacation to properly execute a plan for Allison's birthday that had been hatched four years earlier while sipping beers in the parking lot of Bootleg Canyon after a full day of shuttles and giant grin inducing shreddage on big DH bikes.<br />
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Interesting how one road trip in 2007 birthed another in 2011. We were sharing a Stone Brewery 11th Anniversary and Stone's Vertical Epic series spurred some discussion about Allison's birthday in 2011 being a unique opportunity to do something cool. 11.11.11 with an 11th Anniversary @ 11,000 feet of elevation was born.<br />
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Wednesday, the first day of the vacation, we lazed a bit in the morning before a nice ride around Lake Elsinore. This is a main staple of winter base training for us as it has a very flat profile. Post ride nutrition out of the way we packed up the truck and headed 4 hours north to Las Vegas where we would rendezvous with Jeff, one of the original instigators of the trip. After picking Jeff up at the airport we headed for The Hard Rock Hotel where we first enjoyed a cervesa at the Pink Taco, and then Steph and Dan joined us for an incredible sashimi dinner at Nobu. Now that we had the full compliment of friends and our tanks topped off, the five of us sped late into the night arriving on a nearly full moon lit Gooseberry Mesa in the early hours of Thursday.<br />
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An all too brief night's sleep yielded a great deal of excitement around Thursday morning's french press coffee from the Jet Boils.<br />
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After sufficient caffienation and a hearty bowl of oats I revelled in introducing three of my closest friends to slick rock riding on The Goose. We spent the better part of the day playing connect the dots, steep ups and downs, fast single track, techie fun heavenly riding with spectacular vistas of Zion and Little Creek Mesa and massive vertical drops to the desert below.<br />
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By the time we were loading the bikes back on the cars for the evening jaunt to Hillsdale every one of us had smiled, laughed, hooted with joy, and were ready for food and rest. At the little house beside the road a roaring fire in the potbelly stove kept us warm, a delicious dinner of steak and vegetables satiated our appetites, and sweet sleep fell on our weary eyes (after some libations and clowning around of course).<br />
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Friday, 11.11.11, four years in the making.<br />
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A ride on Thunder Mountain was the order of the day. Conditions were uncertain as there was some patchy snow still on the ground in the valley from the previous week's storms. As our group pedaled up the bike path the snow became more and more dense, eventually shrouding the path entirely. <br />
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Our mountain bike tires groaned and hissed as they pressed their way up through untracked snow. Turning right onto the dirt road the snow only got deeper and before reaching the single track the snow was several inches deep. I have to admit that at this point I was a little worried. Between Allison's Black Death Foot and navigating the trail with 4 inches of snow covering it, it was going to be a long and fairly stressful day.<br />
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Fortunately it takes a bit more than some frozen precipitation to dampen the spirits of our little crew and we proceeded to shred snow covered trail with reckless abandon. Traction was hard to come by and the riding experience was a polar opposite to the previous day's slick rock. The views again did not disappoint, snow provided jaw dropping contrast amongst the red rocks, ancient gnarled pines, and hoodoos.<br />
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Unfortunately the next activity of the day was cut short by the white winter decorations. The road to Brianhead Peak was not passable in our truck and Allison deemed it too far to hike. Night had fallen and our energy levels were depleted. We did our best but came up 560 feet short, enjoying the aged 11th Anniversary at 10,420 feet.<br />
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Our failure to summit was not without celebration though as the duo-MC set about making snow angels and writing giant birthday wishes while Allison tilted back the brew. <br />
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Back at the cabin the evening's feast consisted of Mann-style grilled pork chops and S-Mac's magical vegetables, followed by Reese's Peanut Butter Cup encrusted brownies with 31 candles alight. Surely it didn't measure up to Allison's mom's famous Boston Cream Pie birthday cakes, but it was quite tasty.<br />
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Sometimes the drive home can be a drag after such a fabulous few days of adventure with friends, a sensation of crashing down off an amazing high. This trip however brought us back from the high nice and slow. After winterizing the house and bidding farewell to Dan and Steph MC who were headed home through picturesque Zion National Park, Allison, Jeff, and I drove through Toquerville for a blissfull trip on the flowy serpentine single track above the cliffs of Hurricane (always pronounced Hurkin in these parts).<br />
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Even a violent looking crash by Allison did not derail the pleasure train on this day as our slightly smaller group of mountain bikers flew through the desert landscape on perfect buff one track.<br />
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Dinner consisted of the highly touted Cafe Rio in St. George followed by a "Concrete" (think DQ Blizzard but made from frozen custard) at Nielson's.<br />
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Sitting here on an Airbus, flying to Chicago, these memories warm my heart and bring a massive smile to my face. I close my eyes and it isn't just the turbulence that moves me. I can hear my friends brapping and shouting and laughing as we ride. This is the reason mountain biking is so important to me. It is the polar opposite of suck. It has brought us great friends that will travel from far and wide to full fill a crazy whimsical idea for my beloved wife's birthday celebration. I love riding and I love these people.<br />
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Till the next time, may your adventure be full of joy and love...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-71941247875116952522011-11-07T08:54:00.000-08:002011-11-07T11:10:02.649-08:00Fat on Saturday, skinnier on Sunday"Fat on Saturday, skinnier on Sunday." Tires that is. Certainly our recent over-indulgence isn't going to provide me any weight loss!!! Sorry in advance for the distinct lack of photos, I will try to get more snaps for the next one...<br />
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Saturday we rode the mountain bikes on San Juan Trail. Conditions were primo because of rain on Friday. The ride was made even sweeter by the fact that we got to ride with Ben Jones, Brent Prenzlow, and Chtistina P. Turner! Perfect single track shreddage and a veritable who's who of cycling in So. Cal. made for an exceptional day.<br />
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On the climb Ben Jones was riding in front which made for a nice change of pace. I am usually playing 5mph bumper for Allison but on this day Ben took the onslaught of shuttle riders and DH rippers. Our pace was fairly moderate which was good because my legs were quite sore from running 4 miles in 30 minutes on Friday.<br />
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When we arrived at Bluejay Campground where we usually refuel I discoverd that my rear tire was leaking down and Allison declared that she was going to give in to her training OCD with a 10 minute low cadence climb up "Pain Divide". Nobody thought that sounded even remotely like a good time so our little party of five broke up. I put some air in my tire and hoped it would seal but it didn't. I then figured I would tube it while Allison was flogging herself on the fire road climb but that didn't quite work out as my spare tube had a hole in it. When Allison came back down I decided to milk the tire as far as I could which wasn't very far. I hate having to put a tube into a tubeless setup!<br />
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The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. I slowed my pace to stay close to Allison and to ensure I didn't pinch flat the tube. With the conditions so perfect there were a lot of people climbing the trail late in the day so it was a good thing I wasn't really letting it rip. I love to open it up and blast that descent but on day's like that when other trails are too wet to ride San Juan is amazing so there is always a ton of traffic.<br />
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Saturday night I BBQ'd dinner at my father-in-laws house as an early birthday celebration for Allison. As is customary for us we ate too much and drank too much and generally had a great time. We both paid for it on Sunday!<br />
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Sunday we awoke to rain. It seems some people get really excited for "real 'cross weather", but Allison just gets super freaked out about keeping her foot warm. I have tried to explain to her that I don't think that less than 1 hour is enough to cause Black Death Foot, but it is a huge deal and we really don't know for sure exactly what the limits of her condition are. If finding the limit means another three months off the bike and another wasted season I say we stay well on the safe side!<br />
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When we got to the park it was pouring rain so I set up the canopy and the trainer and then set about getting dressed. I layered up and jumped on the rollers. Riding rollers in the rain on a CX bike with 35psi in the tires is tricky to say the least! My legs were feeling pretty sore and beat down though so it was nice to spin on the rollers for a few. I didn't get to ride a full lap of the course before my race as the lap times were fairly long and I needed to strip all my warmup layers off. I had another iffy start as you can see in the video (4th or 5th wheel), but I really didn't want to be on the front as I hadn't ridden a full lap and figured it might help to have someone in front of me for the first lap to keep me from blowing corners or crashing.<br />
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<iframe class="twitvid-player" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.twitvid.com/embed.php?guid=66NFA&autoplay=0" title="Twitvid video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe>
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The first lap I didn't feel terrible. I was easily holding position in third place. The course was very slick in places and I was being a bit conservative. I was third wheel going onto a high speed sidewalk section when both of the riders in front of me splattered. It looked terrible, but I think they were both okay. I snuck around unscathed only to get passed in the next corner by Brent Prenslow! I didn't know he was racing with us but I sort of hoped he would be just cruising so I could hold his wheel. I figure I have a lot to learn and staying with a guy that wins at the Elite level locally might help, especially seeing his lines on the rest of the course that I had not pre-ridden.<br />
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Well it didn't last long. My legs just didn't have the extra gear to hang with BP. I really tried, but it wasn't to be. He quickly opened a gap and I found myself battling with another rider for 2nd. The other rider seemed to have better power than me but was struggling a bit in the mud so I tried to help him out. "Stay centered on the bike, lean it under you, don't get inside the bottom bracket." I don't know if I helped him, but I tried. Soon after that I got a gap on him and was pulling away.<br />
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On the last lap it looked like I was going to take second place with a good margin to BP in first and about the same gap back to third. There was a slippy muddy section leading onto a tarmac straight. Unfortunately as I was speeding through the mud my bike started to skate around, I wasn't well balanced as I came up on the transition to asphalt and couldn't un-weight the bike properly bashing my front wheel on the lip. That horrible swish-swish-swish sound of my front tire going down sent a feeling of panic through me! I need points! I tried to stay on the gas and found out going into the high speed corner at the end of the tarmac that although a tubular tire will stay on the rim, it doesn't afford any real traction or predictability on the mud. I face planted.<br />
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I struggled, riding the rest of the lap on the flat front tire. It was pretty terrible. I managed to cross the line in 9th. I felt crappy about the whole thing even though the course was tremendous fun and the mud was a very welcome challenge. Two flats in two days, and this one was my first time flatting a tubular.<br />
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So a flat tubular comes at about the worst possible time. My mom had a tumor and her thyroid gland removed from her neck last week and it turns out it was malignant. My mom means a lot to me and she is strong, if anyone can beat cancer it is her. It still scares the shit out of me that she has to fight it though. On top of that we will be leaving for Allison's birthday celebration this week. Four years in the making, 11/11/11 will be epic but it leaves me zero chance to strip off a dead soldier and glue a freshie. Oh well, everyone keeps reminding me that "it is just cyclocross." I fly out to Chicago on Sunday afternoon for work so maybe I will skip the CX race altogether. Maybe I will have time to update the blog, but it may be a while...<br />
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Till next time, hold it WFO and rubber side down! BRAAAAAP!<br />
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Update: Robert Plumb uploaded this pic of me to Facebook, I thought it was cool as I think it shows how much concentration goes into riding the slick mud sections.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-86208430077263669292011-11-02T09:55:00.000-07:002011-11-02T09:58:57.303-07:00TEAM, The Mann Show is a TEAM!This morning my good friend DMC uploaded a bunch of photos from this past weekend's racing. Before I delve into the topic of this post I want to give a hearty thanks to all the people who take the time and effort to photograph and share these images. The moments of racing, like many in life, are fleeting. When a photographer applies his or her skill and artistic talent they (sometimes) capture something special. Looking at race pictures I am often reminded of the sweat stinging my eyes, the elation of racing, or the crushing moments when as an athlete your body simply lets you down and won't do what you ask of it.<br />
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When I saw the picture Dan posted it was a different feeling altogether.<br />
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You see a bit of back story is necessary for the casual observer to understand...<br />
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After racing my guts out in the Master's 35+ A race, and immediately jumping into the Elite Men's race which I pulled out of with 2 laps to go due to cramping while again turning myself inside out to try and place well, Allison asked me to ride the course with her and show her what I learned in the last 2 hours of flogging myself cross-eyed.<br />
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This photo for me captures the fun feel of the Expo area of a local cross race. It captures the multiple surfaces that we race on (dirt, cement/tarmac, and grass). It captures the fabulous weather and venue that comes with racing in Balboa Park, at the San Diego Velodrome. More than those things though it captures the nature of my relationship with Allison. In the photo I am calling back to her to "take that corner to the tape", coaching her on corner speed. It reminds me that first and foremost, although we race individually, we are a team. One without the other just wouldn't be the same.<br />
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I am one lucky Mann!<br />
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No matter what the future holds I am excited and comforted with the knowledge that the two of us, the team that was formed so many years ago, will rock on strong...<br />
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THE MANN SHOWAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-31697221691550893922011-10-31T11:05:00.000-07:002011-10-31T16:25:54.945-07:00Spy-clocross and the Velodrome!Last week was a good one. I got some solid training in both running and riding. I am anxious to start my serious base training for next year, but the draw of <a href="http://socalcross.org/">SoCalCross </a>racing is strong!<br />
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This past weekend was the "San Diego Double Header" with a race on Saturday at Lake Hodges (SPYclocross San Diego) and Sunday at Balboa Park (Adams Avenue Cyclo-Cross). Racing at new venues is always so exciting! Lake Hodges was a brand new venue so although we had ridden in the area we had never raced there. To up the ante even further Sunday's race was to start and finish on the San Diego Velodrome. Allison and I had never even ridden on a track before so our excitement level for the race was definitely very high! To make the weekend even better Allison arranged for us to camp out at <a href="http://www.stephmccormack.com/">Steph</a> and Dan's house, Mannimal Reunion Meat Festival!!!!!<br />
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I have been slacking horribly in the mechanical department so the bikes were not at all ready for another race weekend. I am glad that the race on Saturday was close enough to home, and starting late enough, that I had time to get up and at least do some abbreviated race prep in the morning before we had to head out. Eventually we hit the road and before I knew it I had picked up my <a href="http://socalcross.org/series-info/">Series Leader</a> jersey was heading out to check out the course.<br />
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First off I was stoked to have another flyover, despite the fact that it was not functional (didn't have any usable passageway below). The course was really pretty good IMO. It wasn't the typical CX course as there was zero tarmac and almost zero grass. Last week there had been quite a lot of heated discussion on Facebook about the course. I didn't really chime into the conversation as I am not an "OG" cyclocross racer. Not to disrespect the big dogs, but I actually like having the variety of courses. I really think that the course was fun. I wouldn't rank it high for "All-Time Greats", but it had a good variety of features. There were super fast sections, some long sandy sections, some tricky corners and **GASP** singletrack!<br />
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Before the race Allison took a few pictures of me in the leader's jersey and when I saw this one I thought with the beard that I could maybe do a funny bit of editing...<br />
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Being series leader affords me the privilege of first call up.<br />
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Though that doesn't guarantee that I will actually have a decent start as demonstrated moments later. I got absolutely swarmed off the gun and was probably 6th wheel or so as we headed out. <a href="http://motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=243">Johnny O'</a> definitely was on his game though and was out front and pulling away immediately. The high speed double track descent was broken up by a kink in the course and a couple of the riders in front of me went down which jammed things up a bit and let O' Show open the gap further. By the bottom of the course I was fourth wheel with O' Show checked out, Todd Stevenson and Jeff Sanford battling, and a gap back to me. My goal was really to catch Johnny and I sort of hoped that Todd and Jeff would work with me. At the end of the first lap I had caught the duo and as we headed out onto the fast section of the course for lap 2 I went to the front to pull.<br />
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I hoped that giving them a bit of draft could help us all reel in Johnny but I heard Todd yell up "Thanks." neither of them ever came to the front again. Though this picture definitely shows that they weren't far behind me two laps into the race.<br />
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I was pretty sure there was no way I could reel O' Show in without help but I am not smart enough to not try... and fail. <br />
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Luckily for me Johnny is almost old enough to be my dad and although he seems to kick my butt regularly we aren't in the same age group. Winning my age group means I get to go for a celebratory leap!<br />
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After my race I tried to re-hydrate and ran around taking pictures and dousing the women as they battled through the hot afternoon. Eventually after Allison got done crushing the course and collecting another win it was time to head South again for Meat Fest and some time with the original Mannimals!<br />
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Sunday morning we were up early and headed over to check out the course at Balboa Park. The course was much more of a traditional CX course, but also had some very rough sections that I would say were more mountain bike specific than a buff piece of singletrack! I heard lots of people complaining about flats and even broken carbon rims! The course was also a little confusing on the first few laps. In some places it was so wide that there was no indication that one was still on course! It was however quite fun with long grass sections, dirt, some cement walkways and wait for it... the Start and Finish on the San Diego Velodrome!!!! Here is a video of the start of the Master's 35+ A race, yep that is me on the front!<br />
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<iframe class="twitvid-player" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.twitvid.com/embed.php?guid=G3WCW&autoplay=0" title="Twitvid video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Though I did lead the race from start to finish it wasn't as easy as it sounds. I didn't know what the gaps were and I was pinned the whole time despite the fact that I had already signed up to race the Elite Men's race immediately after finishing the 35+ race!<br />
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It was totally rad that they incorporated the Velodrome into the race!<br />
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The joy of victory was quickly wiped away though as I suffered horribly in the Elite race and wound up pulling out when my legs started to cramp up. I had been desperately trying to hang onto <a href="http://jameswalshracing.com/">James Walsh</a> after catching him and with two and a half laps to go just ran out of fitness. After changing clothes I grabbed the camera and you can likely find any number of (hopefully) sweet pictures I took on <a href="http://www.allisonmann.net/">Allison's blog</a>. I am not a great photographer so I hope my spray and pray technique yielded something useful for her along with all that work of sorting through the crap photos.<br />
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See you at the next one!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15136915318177389272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6033169647976936673.post-38724823280996469932011-10-24T16:18:00.000-07:002011-10-24T16:21:29.338-07:00Bikes 4 Boobs Excitement!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As <a href="http://www.allisonmann.net/2011/10/week-2-no-racing.html">Allison </a>already posted, this past weekend was another non-racing weekend. In some regards it is a bit of a bummer to not race knowing that our racing buddies are all suffering and drooling on themselves as they ride/run/jump in repetitious fashion until an official tells them they are done, but I was relieved to not have to be driving quite that far. The races would have put us 5 hrs from home on Sunday afternoon.<br />
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Instead we did some other driving this past week. On Wednesday we borrowed some sweet <a href="http://www.turnerbikes.com/011/spot.html">Turner 5.Spot</a> bikes from Turner Bikes and did a ride with some nice fellows over in Laguna after meeting for a chat with Matt from <a href="http://www.rocknroadcyclery.net/index.php">Rock N' Road Cyclery</a>. Definitely not our ordinary weekday grind!<br />
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Friday I enjoyed a long (for me) run at lunch. 5.6 miles is more than I think I have ever run at one time. I don't run very fast but the idea is to go out and just get some other stimulus for my system. I need to force a lot of adaptation if I want to be competitive next year!<br />
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Saturday after a lazy morning we headed over to ride the mountain bikes on San Juan Trail. That trail is always pretty busy on the weekends, likely because it is such a good trail! Our ride was made even better by an encounter with our buddy Jeffe which spurred on plans to do dinner with his family. I felt pretty good on the bike and was having a really good time on the descent but Allison was having an off sort of day and wound up violently sampling dirt. Luckily she didn't suffer any major damage! I like to think it was made all better by a typically excellent BBQ dinner and some ice cream for dessert at Jeffe's, or maybe me strapping ice to her helped...<br />
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In any case Sunday was a very exciting day. New opportunities are always like that, especially when they are this good. We drove to Newport Beach from Jeffe's and joined the new Bikes 4 Boobs team for the first team ride! The group is quite diverse but we all have a great love for cycling and a desire to help with <a href="http://www.mammogramsinaction.org/">Mammograms in Action</a>! It is a cause that has affected nearly all of us in some form, I nearly lost my grandmother to breast cancer in the 80's. She was strong and lucky and beat it, but only because it was identified soon enough. From the Mammograms in Action website, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">Mammograms In Action (MIA) is a <a href="http://www.mammogramsinaction.org/_forms/mia501c3.pdf" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ed0b8a; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">501(c)3 non-profit breast cancer organization</a> with the mission to provide funding for qualified low-income and uninsured women and men who need screening and/or diagnostic procedures in the prevention of breast cancer." </span>This opportunity to ride and race in the B4B kit and help to fund medical screening that saves lives is really giving both Allison and I an opportunity to participate in something much bigger than ourselves. We feel both humbled and grateful for this opportunity and look forward to our future adventures in Black and Pink! Many great things are on the horizon!<br />
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If you haven't already, please feel free to click on the link on the right side of my blog to donate to the cause. I have also added an "Advertisement" to the bottom of my blog to "monetize" it. Please click on it often as I will be donating any funds that it generates to the B4B cause! Any donation helps and is appreciated by the many people who's lives are touched by this organization. Help us save a pair!<br />
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