The Quest for Form

THE QUEST FOR FORM:

Ah that mystical word called form, what does that mean to a cyclist and how can it be manifested into real world rubber meets the road reality?  For me form is a combimation of positive mental energy, a high level of muscular endurance, moderate to high Power to weight ratio @ 20 min ( this rises during the year ) and moderatly honed skills.  I also take into account my over all health scores and my physological metrics.  Form alows me to start riding hard without the fear of early season injuries catching the local crit or time trial from time to tme as I feel the whim come on, hit early season Gran Fondos if I choose and gives me a stable base in which to push my self to peak race capapability.

But how to get here?

Every season starts in a different place physicaly and mentally.  Some times we are plagued with the frustration of many false starts and or injuries from starting too hard.  Coming off the holidays or having to start during the holidays presents challenges and lets face it Jan-March the weather usualy sucks so we are on trainers, rollers or spin class.  This year to add a new demention to my year I did a 90 day blitz of heavy stregnth training with a super heavy focus on lower body and core work I got to 315 X 4 squat 1200 X 4 leg press and 405 Dead lift X 1 so super powerful then due to a injury had to dial down, now I do cross fit twice a week and that transition seems to have worked well to maintain all the power from those 90 days

On the bike I had alot of false starts with getting a good week or two in hear and their since November ( trying to peak in April )  but with the holidays and a few other road blocks I was thwarted in my efforts but finaly it stuck.  So for the first 4 weeks or so I just focused on staying in the small ring and adding time as I could, longer rides outside and no more that 90 min inside just focusing on basics, kinda like a subdued base period.  I used all 3 bikes road, TT, Track to vary things up and also went from rollers to stationary trainer for various workouts.  I don't like spin classes but see nothing wrong with them!

After the first block of training was done about 4 solid weeks I transitioned into adding what I call the green gorilla to my training once a week, basicly it is a rising succession of intervals of 5 min designed to bring me 50 watts over my current LTH and then 2 X 1 min sets just flat out with 5 min rest  I do a good warm up that varies from 10 min out to 30 min depending on my current state and a soliid 10-15 min cool down.  As the weeks pass I add one 1 min step up to each 5 min work set I call then jump ups so at the end of every 5 min work set I Jump Up 50 watts for 1 more min I also start to drop the recovery periods with the goal being to be able to go with my projected top LTH wattage for 18-20 min with no recovery period then it all starts over again just with new #s.  I also do longer endurance rides and recovery rides during the week I train 6 days a reek but I spinn wheels every day.

I also added Cross Fit:  Hallow Rocks, Turkish get ups, supermans, hand stand pushups all done AMRAP for 20 min at least 10 reps per this goes 2 X a week.

Diet isn't restricted but I eat healthy food and the training sheads the weight anyways.  At this point in time I am not using any suppliments just some protien powders to keep my body repairing it self

Goes without saying you need alot of rest but with this it seems to come natural.  I feel that my form is coming!

In the beginning

So after a year to 18 months of laying low I gota race again.  Its not like I have not done rides MS 150s we even did the Hincappie Gran Fondo which was awesome and I ride cuz I like to.  For the last 18 months I have not recorded a single watt RPM or MPH and honestly Icould not tell you what my morning heart rate has been.  Oh and the diet, I was on the See food diet I do not eat low quality foods as a general rule so good quality farm reserve cheese is ok on the see food diet!

So really I went from 161 race weight to a wopping 192 during my 90 day stint in the weight room.  This wasn't without some good gains in the gym squating 315 X 4 and a dead lift of 405 X 1 and all the other gains that come with a good program of progressive lifting, however during some heavy sets of 1200 leg presses I tore a oblique and so ended my weight lifting for a long time.  I supplimented walking and other things with Cross Fit Body Weight excercises, but I still had this nagging feeling that I just wasn't done with cycling and bike racing.  Owning a bike shop and being on staff and sitting on a board of some exciting cycling adventures just would not let the monkey die.

Last time I raced I had put all my soul into it and was thwarted by an infection and some fairly good damage to my right shoulder, not to mention having to refit my bike at the last min and the USAC mech had my seat sloped so far forward I spent most of the ride pushing myself back onto the seat, it was a last min change that I didn't catch untill I started riding and by that time it was too late!  But that was then good riders won and well folks thats bike racing lots of minor details and when one is off your race is off just the way it is.

So I just stopped riding nevermeking the road race the next morning due to fever and just went home despondent and depressed more than likely a inner mood I was in untill I started lifting a year later I closed up.  Athletes spend their whole lives pushing the limits of their body and mental capisity we reach for goals short and long but NO one covers what to do when one decides to hang it up, it is outright crushing, emotionaly, physicaly, mentaly and spirtualy and if you call it quits for all the wrong reasons those feelings manifest 100 times more intensily, so I was lost for a year which I will honestly admit I squandered emotionaly as I maintained my inner depressive pitty party going on. 

I did however have time to heal and get all the body maintainance done, and some critical issues of my TBI stablized.  I had some bad and some time serious events manifest which was sorta scary but I fought through.  I bought a business, travled a good bit, played some golf, watched daughter #1 make a dynamic entry into the body building fitness show rhelm  Daughter 2 gave me the cutest grand daughter (only girl) and daughter #3 graduated college and is now in a special Medical program as a LT in the Army.  There was allot of good stuff in there but there was no joy in here and that ate at me daily as I just was not satisfied nor joyful.

After some goading I was talked into riding in the Hincappie Fondo a fairly hard ride and the feeling came back not 100% there were plenty false starts but with each one came a renewed drive to reach top form again.  Finally in late Jan the tide broke my way and things are getting stronger each day.

So now I am concerned with watts, total watts, heart rate, TSS TSB and CL #s.  I wish I could tell you I am counting calories but usualy I do not I just eat good and allow the training to drop the Lbs.  So it is back in the saddle and very happy so.  There are new things on the horizion that are just too fantastic to leave on the table and I am excited!

Racing for a National title

I arrived in Augusta GA yesterday afternoon after a 7 hour treck from home in NC.  For my part it was an uneventful journey as I kept a steady stream of positive and motivating vibes going!

I road out on the course late yesterday evening and I have to say my cycling coach Dan Shelby nailed this peak right on the money, I had some lingering fatigue in my legs but I could turn up the power as needed.  The hills I thought were problem areas back in April just didn't seem all that much.  Thats more positive vibes on my side. Today there was no fatigue and I felt awesome!

With the exception of the camping trailer ( which is an new addition ) everything I planned on doing and milestones I wanted to reach have been attained.  Last December I used a program called mind map now called mind jet ( I have no stock in this co ) to fully in great detail plan getting ready for this event.  In the beginning some of the areas were blank but I put a need in there and looked for some one or something to fill it, in the end only the results have to be filled in.

Isolated away from the madness of the minions of riders that are here for this race I can prepair mentaly and spiritualy in a totaly amazing setting!  I can't say I am not nerveous or scared for that matter, there very well could be some big things on the line and a holla ba lou if I can pull the win off, it will be the classic out of no where underdog win.  It will take the ultimate ride of my life and each day I train on the course I feel the ride of my life coming to the surface.

This is an excelent time in my life, one of many but this one was a long time coming and I put allot of myself into this allot, I feel for what I did and the magnatude of this event I kept a fair ballance maybe not much futher than my close family circle but I tried and I think they know.

Its a big adventure on the road racing a bike and loving it so for the 27 min of racing 365 days have been put into the bank account of the past, so here goes, I am taking a lump sum withdrawal

The more things change the faster one adjusts

Well I am suposed to be at training camp in CO right now and things that are way outside my pay grade have decided that wasn't to be so, after all the President does say we can all do with less so others can have more, however I am the guy working hard staying focused and making sacrifices so why does someone else think they should benifit  from my labor?  Ok thats another rant.

The Nationals are 14 days out now and I will be giving the performance of a life time or I can simply stay home.  Overcoming obsticals and maintaining drive and direction this is the essence of being better than good, its not an easy game for sure you are up you are down things cost money and its all out of pocket while the pretty boys and the chosen ones get life on a silver platter but its like Rockey Balboa says:

Life ain't all sunshine and rainbows, let me tell you something you allready know no one can hit as hard as life, it will hit you and hit you and knock you to your knees and keep you there if you let it.  But it ain't about how hard you can get hit, its about how many times you can get hit and keep getting up, , , THATS HOW WINNING IS DONE!

Sick as it very well may be I think like that, so many things jump out at you as you reach the pinical of any endeavor like summitting a mountian, its not that things are bad or good we all know that God looks out for our best intrest but it is that compressed space, that compressing of time where each moment each step becomes more critialy important than the last and your mind is in a hyped state of clarity you are in the RED zone.

Two things are decided in the red zone winning and loosing, life or death all the base instincts of human nature blossom forth the reptilian brain activates and it is you against then.

It is also a lonely time as any warrior is an island all into his or her self each fighting for survival even if part of a team the key is to channel focus.  Leave out everything that does not bring you one step closer to victory, have no regrets as you line up ready to do battle.

Ahhhhhhhh such an exciting time too bad we all at dome point and at every level have to return to the lives of mortals

Ready Set and do it again!

The up coming holiday weekend was planed with a trip to VA however I will be in SC at the US PRO Time Trial while the family enjoys some VA hospitality sans Dad!  One must have his priorities straight!

There was an invite to the Morning Para session for the USA Pro TT so I need to be there, since Canada I have held my fitness pretty steady and have set some PBs in 1 and 5 minute Power output as well as putting in 40 hours in the saddle so far for this month, I really won't be in any peak form but I thought it would be cool in a perverse sort of way to measure my self against the Pro's times and just mingle for the day.

My coach Dan Shelby has set up the guest room and his wife is promising some awesome food selections I will make an apperance at BMW Fitness and the Edge Fitness centers while I am there and visit with the crusty ole owner Jim Cunningham of Greenville Cycling, na really I am the crusty ole guy!

D.Z.

My biggest goal for this event is personal as there is no real Race for my Classification so a time of 30-32.5 will be ok with me and I can walk away happy from the whole thing and get back home ust in time to pack up for training camp at the Olympic Training Center on CO

The wrap up from Canada, Exciting!

Funny how the London GPS data showed up I just noticed that now that’s eerie!  Just crossed over the Great Lakes on my return trip from Defi Sportif UCI-IPC cycling race. This trip was interesting in many ways some good some bad.

First off we had lost all our VA grant funding for travel so I had to plan this out if pocket, however I knew I could win here in the TT and do well in the RR. The plan proved to be 50% correct and I easily won the TT in C4. The preceding issue over Classification was neatly handled by UCI and the allowed me to re-class and I did keeping the same classification as last year. This second classification also opened the way to get put on the master classification list with a status of permanent which has to be handled at a higher level than my wishes but would be an excellent plus for me in my quest for a birth on The USA Cycling Team.

With the invite to training camp in June, if it manifests it self truly opens the door for that to happen. The room ended up being funded by Team Semper Fi and while it was a challenge on day one it worked its way out in no small part due to the efforts of HP director Paul F. so we could focus on racing!

I like coming to Canada it’s as good a place as any, I understand some of the language and the people always are nice and welcoming. Of note was on the way here I ran into Eric Stall and his family as they were leaving for vacation in Canada. Those were some cool moments as two guys chatted on family and such it was better that way. I stayed at the Hotel Delta in the financial district of Montreal and they are a first rate act from the initial greeting to the endless hospitality they are second to none and they handle a huge group!

The event it self was honchoed by Myriam and Marri they did excellent considering over 4000 athletes showing up. The weather for its part sucked and for the TT we had 32deg 20 mph winds and snow flurries. That event was good for me though and I won my class convincingly beating Sebastion Bouchard which was my competitive goal, however due to the conditions time goals were out of the question. Sebastion would return the favor on the RR after I DNFed due to a mec problem caused during one of the sketchy moments of the first 5 laps, some tool tried to move around the right and outside of the lead group and hit the barriers catapulting him into the center of the lead pack causing havoc lucky no one went down however I was run into the rumble strips on the inside of the turn and the impact caused my breaks to lock, it was tough luck but no injury so Ill take that!

The spirit of the majority of the athletes was highly friendly all around there were some snobs of course but over all the spirit was great. Steve Clendenning came up on the trip with me and he held his own and made a good roommate. Placed 5th in the TT and 4th in the RR good work for him! We made some new friends meeting MC Capt Chris A. Tim C. and his wife Josh Joe and many others its a great community with some of the folks and that makes it worth it.

On winning, its always a good thing! Those that know how I tend to function know that winning something like this or reaching a big goal is anti climatic for me. The juice the jazz all the excitement to me is in the journey the striving, everything that came before from the first training session to handling the stress of travel and International competition, that’s where the growth is that’s where your spirit is tested and you grow or wither from the challenge way before you are asked to perform. Don’t get me wrong bike racing is some tough stuff, if Hockey players will tell you bike racing is some tough stuff then figure the sport is not for the timid and weak. But if done right training prior to any big event should pale in intensity to the race itself, its just the way I roll.  Dan Shelby put together the training that has gotten me to this point this year.  Dan has done an excelent job associated with Jim Cunningham together their coaching is top rate!

No one gets to the finish line without the support of many people and sponsors.  First up I am grateful to God for giving me such a neat talent and allowing me to hone it to such a high level.  My wife and family for putting up with my single mindedness and dedication.  My personal Life Coach, Talane Miedaner who nursed me through the final phases of mental prep.  Talane is a world renowned Life Coach and the owner of LifeCoach.com  she has taken on the role of sponsor coach and I am grateful as her guidance brings steadiness and direction to my endless drive!

 

I use a hydration product formulated by the folks at Innovative Health Solutions and their products H2O Overdrive and Hydrate.  These hydration and recovery products are formulated with the athlete in mind and meet the requirements of recovery after grueling hours of training.  There support and dedication to the drive to the Paralympics has been exceptional!

One of the products I have used more that any other is a product called Calci Blend by Heart Burn Help LLC.  This is something I picked up by track racers and marathon runners.  Most will suck down a hand full of anti acid tablets before an event in the hope that it will lower the blood Ph and help with muscle tissue acidosis, however due to some of the active ingredients in the antacids I never used them.  However through some research I found the products offered by this fantastic sponsor and I can tell you they make me go any faster and there are no athletic claims attached to the product, however when I take the product I can tell you that it does extend my ability to keep a top end pace.  Also as an added benefit the powdered form can turn a bitter cup of coffee or cheap wine into an pleasurable beverage!

So yea some more highlights were Sasha the Russian massage guy that spent the better portion of 30 min literally beating the shit out of me, I am still sore! Then at one point there were 3 therapists working on me each saying in heavily accented Russian/English "relax" yea it never happened as my body was slammed all over the massage table, no wonder Russian Athletes are so tough!

The food of course was excellent, however I think I have broken the code on why sometimes the meat just sucks and realistically its in the translation. So here in America you order prime rib that is a nice cut of meat however somewhere else it may be some meat attached to some prime ribs!

I like the Canadians cuz well I was raised by some! While there are allot of various peoples in Montreal you still get this straight talk no PC bs and they love there country. They just don't mix words but do so in a polite way and God forbid you are a politician they roast them up there well done ya know but not in a hateful way like the way we do here.

While I was there they had some massive protests going down over tuition rate hikes. The scope of the protests were impressive with thousands of students taking to the streets nightly like clock work, choppers in the air at 845, riot police at 9, foot police and EMS at 910, live coverage from both sides streaming over the net no later than 915 with twitter active through out. It was a total interactive experience as one could watch out the hotel window, get the bigger picture on the TV, get one way slanted news through various on line feeds and follow the microcosm on twitter amazing. However it strikes me silly when one looks at eastern and western "spring" protests. In the east they had huge success in an attempt at freedom not western branded freedom for sure but a release from the current tyrants in hopes that the next one was a little less so, they were not so much protests as they were uprisings and civil war. Here in the west it seems that the majority of the underlying ideology is driven by people that already are given huge handouts wanting the other hand filled also on the backs of those that are willing to produce in order to have it stolen and redistributed by politicians seeking votes. But hey that’s another rant.

Air Canada is a shit hot airline keeping the customer first, reasonable fees and they back up their service up with great people. Customs, TSA, and all that acted professional processing thousands of people and I didn’t see any crying grannies or naked hippies.

So a great weekend of racing and ad I wrap this up one of my protégés just scored a Gold at the US Warrior games what a week!

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Win win win

Yea you know i won my classification and the one above it so in C4/5 I was the fastest guy, even though the times today were slow.  However slow is relevant it was 32 deg, the wins was 20 mph out of the north and there were snow fluries, a good solid challenge!

Also today they reinstated my normal classification after I went through testing this turns out to be positive for me since this is my second look with no change do that makes the classification perminant which is great, getting classified is a little like the Spanish Inquisition and DUI court all rolled into one, no one wants to do more of these than needed.

So right now I am happy, elated and dog tired!