Words To Live By

Back from a hiatus.  Don't know why i haven't updated the blog in a while...just haven't.  Not apologetic about it, but not stonefaced about it, either.  I've had lots to talk about, but without having the time to get around to posting, the random thoughts leave my mind as quickly as they entered, nevermore to be heard from again.

Throughout all my workouts and training sessions, I get a lot of music time.  Some of my most adrenalin-pumping tunes gear me up, carry me through, and cool me down on almost a daily basis.  Every once in a while, I catch a certain phrase that sticks in my mind, and have trouble shaking it.

     "Never trust a junkie..."
                                              - lyrics from 'Just One Fix', by Ministry

     "...We found your weakness;
               and its right outside your door, now testify!"
                                              - lyrics from 'Testify', by Rage Against The Machine

The first, well no shit.

The second carries some weight with my training, my preparation as I move into a higher category for mountain bike racing this summer.  Understanding this is not in context with the lyrics of the song, but the the particular Rage lyric above points me to understanding what I need to get better at, its staring me right in the face - and I need to admit it and get better.

Its a stretch, but whatever.

Maybe I just like how kick-ass that song is.

Anyway, the weather has been frickin STELLAR around here lately.  Literally upper 50s today in Eagle.  W00T!  Couple that with Daylight Savings Time (yay!), and I can seriously be riding outdoors on the roadie in the evening after work.  That, ladies and gentlemen, don't suck.

I'm in my Build training blocks right now, prepping for the Sea Otter Classic in Monterrey, California, on April 16.  38 Miles is a helluva long mountain bike race this early in the season.  However, during the Build portion, I'm doing more lactate threshold (LT) improvement and VO2(max) expansion workouts.  Downright suffering.  For instance, my workout yesterday evening went something like this:

• Warm up at comfortable cadence (90rpm)/easy effort for 30 mins, keeping heart rate below 125bpm
• During warm up, mix in (3) efforts at 1 minute long, cadence at or above 120rpm
• Ramp up effort at 90rpm to move heart rate into 170-175bpm, hold that effort for 3 minutes
• Relax effort at 90rpm to move heart rate back into 150bpm range, hold that effort for 4 minutes
• Repeat 3 times (1 set)
• Repeat 3 sets, with 5 min between at 90rpm/easy effort
• Cool down for 20 mins with 90rpm/easy effort

Because it's based on heart rate, the difficulty of the workout ends up exactly where you need it to be.  Which is frickin' hard.

On a lighter note, Fruita (Loma trails) should be relatively good to go in a week and a half or so.  Which is good - heading down there next Sunday to get some MTB work in (efforts and bike handling).  Stoked.

Well, since it looks like the warm weather is coming out to play now, GO RIDE!