The need to train...

So I've got it all set in my head, I've posted about and announced by 4 year goal to the world and now I'm stuck! I'm stuck by one thing and one thing only...my fitness level! I ran on Monday this week and Friday. Both runs pretty much killed my legs and both were only 30 minutes. I wanted to ride today so badly it hurt but I put it off. I told myself I was going to run twice this week and that's it. I don't want to injure myself and so I'm easing back into it...the problem? Well, my mind can still remember what I was doing at the beginning of the summer with 40 mile bike rides and 1 and a half runs. No way I can pull that off right now though.

So I made myself sit in the house and giggle with pleasure at the shlacking the Cowboys just took! I was supposed to ride tomorrow but I forgot about some obligations so it'll be either a 30 minute run in the evening or pushing the ride until Tuesday. So it'll hopefully be two rides and one run next week. And the opposite the week after that.

On to other issues. I'm wondering what people ride the most for endurance races/rides. I have two bikes that might be suitable. This one and

this one;


My problem is that neither of them are realy a pure XC machine but rather on the light side of AM and the Chameleon (the white bike) is really more in line w/4x racing right now. My other problem is that I think both bikes are to small. I think I need a large. So do I try to find a large frame and swap parts from the FSR or upgrade parts on the Chameleon and make it a true XC stud? I need to do some more research to see which will work out best.

Here's to good balanced training and the fun of researching bikes!!! :-)

End of year report...

So as the year wore on I let things like a serious bout of depression, school, nearly losing my job, family and just life get in the way of my dirt nerdom! I am a bit annoyed at how out of shape I've gotten. Through the past 3 month (school semester) I have gained 15 pounds and have nearly completely stopped working out. I have been seriously stressed out and so I set up my next semester to allow me some exercise time. I've also decided to set a few long term goals to keep myself somewhat motivated. I'd like to complete the following before I turn 40 (in 4 years);

1.) Complete a Triathlon
2.) Complete a 12 hour race - Solo
3.) Complete a 24 hours race
4.) Run a marathon

I've been bouncing around the various mtn bike disciplines and while I love jumping, 4x I really enjoy just riding long distance. I think I'm a closet endurance guy stuck in a Clydesdale's body!!!! lol. So as the year winds to a close I'm getting back on the wagon.
A few things I'll be avoiding this time around. 1.) Bodybuilder workouts, 2.)Bodybuilding diets, 3.)a years worth of workouts in 3 months.
This year I burned out and so I am going to try and avoid that this year by spreading things out and trying to mix it up a bit. The year however wasn't all bad, after studying my work out journal and a bit of math, here are a few stats for you!

1.) I rode 542 mile this year (the most ever for me.)
2.) I rode once every 8 days on average.
3.) I ran 114 miles this year
4.) I ran once every 12 days (another PR for me)
5.) That gives me a grand total of 656 miles all together (most assuredly a PR)

So from here on out I can only build on that. Right now I'm working on just getting out. My body is sore and out of shape so I don't want to get all gung-ho right away. So right this week I ran twice for 30 minutes each. Not much but I'll slowly add to that. Next week it'll be two easy rides and one run! I'll probably keep alternating like this for the next few months and throw in some body weight resistance training. The final ingredient will be a swim but we'll get to that when we get to it!

I guess that's about it as I wrap up my year. It's not been a horrible one but I've had better for sure. I'm hoping 09 turns things around a bit. I did learn I need my exercise/training so I'm going to do everything I can to keep that going. I'll also be getting a small camera so I can add some photo's to this! lol I wanna be just like all the other blogs!!!! :-)

Thanks you and Happy New Year to all!

It's been awhile...

I know, I know, it's been a while. To be honest my 'outdoor' life has sufered just as much as the rest of my life lately and I feel far more the couch lover than the Dirt Lover lately. For the past few months I've been wrapped up in school, finance issues, and work issues but I think I'm slowly coming out of that. I have a better grasp on my school schedule and a feeling that I can balance all things as I finish my first semester back w/at least an A in one class and possibly a B in the other.

Next semester I set it up so I am still with two classes but a bit more time available in and around school so that I can exercise/work-out/train (whatever you wanna call it). I am super interested in doing a Triathalon before I turn 40 and with 36 staring at me in the face I don't think I have a whole heck of a lot of time to procrastinate. As for racing in general, I desperately wanna do a couple of Southridge races again but I'm not sure work is going to be as flexible with it this year. A diffrent player is involved so we'll see.

Still up 15 pounds from 4 months ago it's time to get out and train again. I want to ride, to run and to do body weight resistance here at the house. This year it looks like I'll get in just shy of 52 rides for the year but that's because I was so into it at the beginning of the year. I'm looking for overall consistancy this year. No more 6 month gradiose efforts followed by 6 months of iffy 30 pedaling efforts. I need this, as I can handle so much more shit in everyday life when I feel healthy and have an outlet for my anger/stress!

A layoff no more...

Well after two months off the bike I rode last week and then again yesterday. It was great to get back on the bike. Last week I rode the infamous Fully Loop in Fullerton with Ricky and Danny from STR. It was nice they wee able to ride with me because that trail is pretty convoluted. I rode the Heckler and she rode just as good as I remember. To be honest I don't really know why I wasted the money on the Specialized. I bet the Heckler would've gotten me the same times if not better last year at Southridge.

Then yesterday, feeling very down and out at work, I got home and went for a ride on the normal trails behind the Farm. It wasn't to rough but I did have to walk a few of the tougher looser hills. (Not so unusual out here where all of the trails are made by dirt bikes) I rode the Heckler again and it was awesome. I ended up needing to tighten a bolt on the big chain ring which has made me check all of the bolts I can to make sure things are good. I was actually impressed with my spyness since I spent an hour hiking the shoreline at work. So that's two hours of a workout in one day! Not bad at all.

I was going to ride again today but I was really feeling it a bit. I spent about a half-hour hiking the shoreline today at work and going uphill I could feel my legs tiring quicker than they should've. So I held off today. I'll have to ride next week.

Hey there...

If anyone is intrested I just started a less sports/exercise blog to explore the other...intrests of my life! Check it out at www.sanctuary-theotherside.blogspot.com

Random Idleness...

Life has been throwing me enough curveballs of late to have my world spinning a bit out of control. From the typical financial problems affecting everyone else to the threat of a lost job I just have to sit back and be glad that I have a family that supports me. I'm trying to look at things from a positive stand-point and know in the end the family will have a roof over its head one way or another. I choose to look at my current difficulties from a positive stand point! Whatever fate throws at me it'll make me stronger and open new doors for me that might otherwise not have been opened.

It's been a while...

Wow it's been a while since I posted here. Things are good....really good. I cleared my colonoscopy and do not have the FAP that my brother has. No FAP means no polyps which means no cancer. I was pretty freaked there for a while and really am viewing things differently. It's good to be home, good to have a loving wife at my side and great to have a family around me. It's awesome.

My summer plans were to spend as much time with the girls as I could and so far I've achieved that. With the economics the way they are we're not doing as many trips as I had hoped but we're still having fun so that's what counts.

I'm still riding, still running, and still working out. Things are in a good balance right now which is really nice.

I just ran into a really cool female rider that I wanted to mention. Her names Liz Hatch and she seems like a really cool person from her blog, and the articles I've read. It's neat to see someone my girls can look up. She's pretty, rides hard, she doesn't mind getting dirty and doesn't let up. The exact kind of women I want my girls to be when they get older. I doubt she'll ever read this but thanks, thanks for giving them a role model. Check her out at www.lizhatch.missingsaddle.com

Happy May Day....

Well it's May and we're almost half way through 2008, before you know it Christmas is going to be here. It's a beautiful day today that's for sure and I got out on the Heckler and spun around Santa Rosa Plateau today. Nice breeze and actually a tad bit cold for the first half hour. I got in about 90 minutes of riding and cross pathes with a few other bikers. It must've been Horse day out there because there were more horse riders than I've ever seen. Everyone was nice and I walked the bike around them a few times and all in all everyone was quite nice. It was an easy exercise day and quite relaxing really. I was supposed to take the day off completly but I just woke up and had to ride!

So I mentioned my Brother in my last blog and I'm happy to say he is out of the hospital and staying in a nice place provided by his employer for another week. It looks like he'll be home sometime next week! That is very cool news. Unfourtantly there is a downsize, it's my turn! Yep I get to go in and get a colonoscopy and there is a 70% chance that I may have the same problem that he has. I got my consult yeterday and while the doctor was optimistic that I'd be fine...no one really knows until they go in and check. I'm a little freaked by it but I'm surviving. I have 5 weeks until the procedure and while I know the procedure isn't that big of deal there are a combo of things that have me edgy. That means I have five weeks to enjoy the outdoors, continue to work on my conditioning (if they go in and have to remove my colon I believe my conditioning may be the thing that gets me back on my feet faster!) and enjoy the family. To be honest the job has taken a distant third for right now. I'm working and doing what I need to but my mind is not really in it right now. I'm sure once I know things are good and I'm clear I'll be able to get back into it!

Well its nearly another week down. I hope everyone has a great weekend and if you have tendency to pray, a shout out to the Man up stairs would be appriciated! Thanks and keep the rubber side down!

It's Just One of Those Days...

Actually its not been a bad day or anything like that just feelin' a bit tired this morning and lacking the energy to actually do what needs to be done around here. I did get a ride in for the first time in like 4 weeks or so and that felt a bit refreshing. I continue to lose weight and I'm down to 200 now and I've dropped about an inch and a half off the waist line! It takes a lot of work though; My average week looks something like this.
Monday: Chest/Back and 40 minutes on Exercise Bike (followed by 8 hours at work)
Tuesday: Ride/Run/Climbing at Threshold Gym
Wednesday: Shoulders/Arms/Abs 40 minutes on bike
Thursday: 8 hours at work followed by run/ride
Friday: 8 hours at work then Legs/Abs 30 minutes on bike
Weekends I work but usually take the days off from exercise.

It's pretty crazy and for a week or two I was waay over trained but I backed off a bit and have brought it back up slowly and watching my nutrition a bit better seems to have leveled things out a bit.

I'd like to take a minute to send a shout out to my brother who is up in Washington right now under the knife having his colon removed. I know he's in for some rough weeks and months ahead but I want you to know bro that things will work out and you'll be right as rain before you know it!

That's it for me. Sorry about the lack of pics and flash but things have been fairly low key in my world. Just hanging out, training (not sure for what yet) and hanging with the family.

Take it easy world and as always keep the rubber side down!

First Daddy/Daughter Day Hike...

So I came up with the brilliant idea of taking my 7 year old twin girls for a quick jaunt in the Santa Rosa Plateau. I had figured with all of the rain we had earlier this year that the Vernal Pools would be full. So I packed up a couple of snacks, a couple of water bottles and the camera before picing them up after school and off we went. It was a beautiful day with a few scattered clouds and some light sun. The temp was in the low 70's and the girls had a blast. They wanted to jog a bunch and were probably a bit loud but all in all it was fun. We did just under 2 miles and the girls are already asking for a longer hike. This is all in prep for our first daddy/daughter overnighter in June! Here are some pics of the girls at the trail head and some of the scenery we got to see.

A Happy April to all....

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd drop a quick post to wish everyone a happy April. Spring is here, Baseball is underway and the weather has been great. What more can one ask for!? My girls turn 7 today and I'm really blown away that 7 years have already flown by. It's amazing, truly amazing.

In DirtNerd news I've been getting out and doing a bit of trail running which has been a nice change of pace from the bike. (104 rides in a year is going to be harder to achieve than I thought!!) I took a whole week off of the bike to just get a break and change gears a bit. I ran three days last week for about an hour at a time which at my very slow 11 minute mile means about 5 miles or so. The gym work continues and I've dropped a couple of pounds and feel like my waist is a bit smaller. My Measure day is coming up soon so we'll see how things work out. With all of this running, working out, climbing and riding I think I may be a bit over trained so I may need to back off a bit. I'm doing 4 to 5 days a week right now and I've been a bit tired and a little moody (may just be issues at work but who knows) so I'm going to shoot for more like 3 to 4 days instead to give myself one more day of recovery. We'll see.

That's about it for me lately, just working (ick), exercising and playing with the kids can't get much better than that! Take care all and keep the rubber side down.

Just a quick Happy.....

Just a quick happy whatever it is you're doing today. I was just involved in a quick discussion where not everyone celebrates Easter and it got me to thinking a bit so I decided to post a quick Happy Easter/Ostara/Spring/Sunday/23rd day of the 3rd month of the year 2008! I hope that you are where you wanna be doing the thang you wanna be doing and having a blast with whomever you've decided to share the moment with. Take care one and all and remember to keep the rubber side down!

A New Rides first real ride...

So I took the Bottlerocket out for its first real pounding. I met up with the crew from STR at the Fontana 4x course and started rocking. The bike felt great and so did I. Thanks to Willy for adjusting the rear mech, I spent like an hour trying to dial it in and he did it in nearly 2 minutes! Man I've gotta start working on the whole mechanic thang. As always it takes a few runs to get the confidence up but towards the end I was starting to really feel flowey and in tune with the bike. I really think this may be the bike I race on in next years 4x. I know its heavy at like 40lbs but it didn't feel that heavy when I was riding it. It felt just as flickable as the hardtail and fit under me really well. You can totally compare these pics with the first few pics back in decemberish and see how much more confidence I have just in the lean on the berms if nothing else. Well that's it for now folks, as always keep the rubber side down!

I love the pictures and all the photog credits go to Sharky of STR. The guy with the real good lean on the Bottlrocket in green accents is Todd aka Destroyer and his ride was the inspiration for mine. Great rider and an even greater guy. Thanks Todd.

Find me a rock!!!!

Well I think I've discovered new outdoor funness!!!! (yes funness...I don't care if it's not a word) I've been wanting to get to a rock climbing gym ever since one of my bro-in-laws started getting back into climbing. I finally managed the courage to go to one and look stupid for a little while. Last Tuesday I hit up Solid Rock climbing gym in San Marcos and wow what a blast! It was really fun and SUPER hard. I climbed for a little over an hour and my upper body was absolute toast. I was sore for the rest of the week and its given me something new to work towards with the weights in the gym. Very fun stuff and with a new gym opening up in Riverside and possibly one opening up in Temecula in the next year I'm thinking this is gonna grow on me. I'm already trying to decide when I could go next and am thinking the week after the kids spring break might be the week. It's not super expensive but it does cost about $12 on the average so it won't be a three times a week thang anytime soon but to supplement some of the riding, running and weight training I'm doing it'd be fun. And maybe if I get the guts up I might be able to hit Joshua Tree with my bro-in-law!

A new ride...

Well here it is...my 5th bike!!! I guess I'm probably done for the year with 5 bikes in less than 12 months. Now it's down & diry time..just go ride for the summer and take my pick of which bike!!! Man my wife really spoils me. hehehe enjoy the bike porn!!! A big shout out to DropNZone, Allen there was great, he communicated well through e-mail and was upfront with everything. Great guy with what appears to be a great shop. It's all the way up in Washington but I'd totally do business with them again.

My First Podium

I did it!!! Yep that's right I got to stand on the podium...well at least right next to it that is. I'm super stoked to report that I got 4th place at the last Southridge Winter Series race and 4th overall for the series. That really fullfilled my goal for this first series of racing and totally set me up for doing it all over again next season. I did my normal last place in 4x but that is all right, lots of improvement means lots of fun and training. I'll be trying to get over to the local BMX tracks a bunch more this summer to try and dial in what little technique I can. I'd just like to give big props to all the peeps over at STR for my little cheering section when I got called up to the podium and the encouragement in the 4x. Now on to the pictures! Thanks and picture credits go to Ricky, Sharky and DavidB from over at STR, they're great folks and its awesome that I'm able to have a photgraphic diary of my first racing season!

5 hours in the saddle....

Well today started out as kind of a ho hum day. I had planned to ride, wanted to ride and had been dreaming about it all weekend but when the day arrived....no energy. I just wanted to sort of sit around. I got the kids to school and the boy to the baby sitters and then I came home....and sat! It was quiet and a bit dark and I just wanted to lie around the house. I ended up on the lap top on STR and slowly got motivated. I had started to get the Allez ready to ride earlier in the morning but it just wasn't turning me on so, but when I walked past the FSR it grabbed me. I felt motivated and excited so I grabbed it checked tire pressure and spun out of the house. I ended up riding for a total of about 5 hours and covering between 40 and 50 miles give or take. I really wasn't caring.

I rode to skinner and did that in 1 hour and 20 minutes (that's about a 17 mile ride) and the plan was to head back but I was feelin' it and after a Cliff Shot continued on to Temecula. I ended up stopping at Chipotles for a quick Chicken Fajita Bowl and then at B&N to stock up on Mtn Bike mags. I rode in and around the mall area after that and ended up over by Bicycle Warehouse with a mean need to use the Restroom so I stopped in there and they were pretty cool. I chatted with them for a few minutes and then it was back out on the bike.

I just rode like I did when I first started this sport and didn't have the money for four bikes. I just rode what I had and took it anywhere and everywhere. I rode up hills and down, I rode this road and that road. I ended up by the first house we rented with Shawn and then ended up over by our first apartment exploring the trails (or lack of them) in Murrieta. All the trails I used to ride are gone, bulldozed for homes, or closed by the Open Spaces Distrcit of Riverside. Its such a waste. Why have open spaces if you won't allow users. (But that's negative thinking and I don't wanna do that on here) I ended up finding a pretty cool DH section in the hills to the North of Clinton Keith. It'll be a gnarly hike a bike from the Farm side but it'd be a good 2 or 3 minutes run down to the streets of Murrieta. It might be worth it on the Heckler or the Slopestyle rig I'm shopping for.

All in all I left the house at 930 am and came arrived back at the house at 315pm. I figure with the stops I wasted about 30 to 40 minutes so that's about 5 hours of riding today. Pretty killer.

In other Jman news the gym is going well. I've been there three times and am falling back on my old routines until I can find newer and better ones. It's working and I've been sore most days which just means its working. It actually feels pretty good to be lifting again and the smallness of the gym is nice. The times I'm using it the place is fairly empty which is cool.

Alrighty that's it for now, I'll see everyone on the trails!

Just call me Mr. Gym Rat....

Well not really but I did join a gym today. My best friends wife has been going to Fitness 19 and she loves it so when one opened up about 10 minutes away I figured I would give it a try. It's only $14 a month and I figure since I dropped Aikido I should be able to swing this. I've also wanted to get back into some weight lifting to strengthen the whole body and be able to keep riding/running longer. This will beat my little garage gym all day long and I'll be able to get some better hamstring exercises in. They have a cardio section but I doubt I'll use it too much. Overall it seems like a nice small gym and the times I'll be going should keep it easy to use the equipment. We'll see how it goes.

On the riding front I had aimed to do two laps around DVL but I woke up and it was just plain crappy out so I sorta fell into a lil mini slump. I ended up doing the gym thing and then for giggles went over to Bicycle Warehouse, I ended up chatting with the Mechanic there, (a guy named Mike who was pretty up on bikes and seemed like a cool guy), it was a blast actually, if I can't ride than talking about it is usually the next best thing! Anyways this got me pumped and after lunch at Peoni's with Kelly I ended up hitting Sylvan Meadows by way of Slaughter House Canyon. It was a decent ride, I still felt a bit sluggish but I got nice and wet and muddy from the half-a-dozen stream crossings. All in all not a bad day. Sorry no pics though, gotta get me a smaller camera.

Southridge #3 and SART....

Well we'll start this here Blog entry with a quick recap of the Southridge Series Race #3. It was a good race overall and I felt both strong and confident after the fun ride on the 5th. I realized as I lined up and look over the other riders in the group that the top four places were already spoken for so I knew a podium place was doubtful. With this in mind I quickly reordered my ultimate goals with the first being to ride the whole race (no hike-a-bike) and the second being to simply try and better my previous time.

I downed a gel (probably a bit early again so at the race in march I'll be waiting until the pros start before I down the gel) and felt that cool rush of adrenaline as I waited for Donny to start us. With the horn I was off. There was a quick crash at the first left turn and I must've passed at least one member of my class, then another guy dropped out and I knew I wouldn't be last! Kewl. So I just ponied up and gutted out the first climbs. Before I knew it I had passed them and hadn't walked (score one for Jman!). I felt strong and ready to rumble. I made it to the rear hell climb and made it about 75% up when I lost traction and had to walk the last 50 yards or so. (score one for the course) I rode the rest of the course and passed one more member of my class as he tried to dismount but couldn't unclip and over he went. (score one for Jman). He was never able to recover and I finished in 7th place out of 11. Not bad but the best part was that I was able to knock 5 minutes off of my first race. Now that ROCKED!!!!

The 4x course was fun but I put alot of effort into the XC race and I could feel it in the legs. It was not a pretty warm day and even though I had had about 2 hours to rest I felt a bit heavy legged. I did buy a new 50mm stem and that did make an enormous difference. I felt way more confident.

Donny came up with a new race format that gave us at least two runs on the course which was way better than one. I warmed up (too much to be honest) and finally lined up. When the gate dropped on the first race I was pretty quick out of the gate but one of the riders just flew ahead of me. He cleared all of the doubles and had myself and the other guy beat by the middle of the course. The other guy, his name was Gil, and I went neck and neck for the middle section but his BMX skills really came into the game on the lower course and he took second place.

We rushed back up to the top and lined up for the second heat. When the gate went down I instantly knew I was in trouble, my legs were just dead, I tried my best and saw a lower line to try and pass Gill. I tried to swoop under him but my rear tire slid a bit and I grabed som brake which killed my momentum. At the point I was shot and I literally jsut cruised into the finish. I was done for the day. Still it was a blast and I have really uped my riding ability BIG time on the course and overall as well. I'm looking forward to the race in March. Here are som pics of my races on the 4x course.

The doubles at the start of the 1st race, we're neck and neck here

Here I am pedaling out of the big berm and lining up for the doubles.
Neck and neck, I'm trying to shooty for the lower line here and failing BAD!

So in other riding news I pulled out the road bike on Wednesday the 13th and hit up the Santa Ana River Trail (SART). I'd heard about this ride recently on STR and on a trip to Disneyland the day before decided to just do it. So I started out at Green River Rd. and rode all the way to the beach! It was a great ride except for a 10mph head wind the last 5ish miles to the beach. Whew that was tough. The return ride was sweet though, the head wind turned to a tail wind and that combined with two shots of gel propelled me in the big ring all the way home. The final tally was 60 miles in 3 hours and about 45 minutes. It was just over 15mph for the ride. My knees were a bit sore but overall I felt great. I wasn't really sore on Thursday which was good news and by Saturday I was feeling well enough to hit the local trails for a quick 4.5 mile run with Kiara (my Australian Sheppard mix). Life is good and I'm feelin' awesome about my fitness right now. Thanks for readin' and keep the rubber side down!

Nice little ride...

So I posted my first ride on STR and had a few takers. I wanted to go out and ride the Fontana race course just for fun without the pressure of a race day so I met up with DavidB and Speckled Trout (Quinn) and we hit the trail. It was a beautiful day out today with lots of sun, mountains covered in snow and the dirt was in great shape. It was a bit windy but nothing so bad that it was miserable.

We ended up doing our first lap and I felt good, David had the idea to do another lap but with our stomachs growling we decided to stop at Subway for a bit o' lunch and then hit the second lap. I was a bit surprised that I actually felt better on the second lap. I climbed al the hills without walking and THAT felt great. Now that I know I can do it I'm hoping to let it all hang out on Saturday at Race #3. I rode the Heckler and it sure is a nice ride. It felt like it rode better than the FSR but I know it's not quite as fast. I'll ride the FSR on Saturday regardless as it felt pretty good on a ride I did last Thursday. In all we rode about 15 miles in about 2 hours or so. Not lightening fast but that was not really the point of this one.

It was a fun ride with some good people. All of that equals a great day out on the trails.

DavidB

Quinn still smiling as we start the 2nd lap.
The road up...this particular climb ends at that water tower. One of the tougher climbs of the course.
Just a self portrait just to show that I was there....not the prettiest of pictures!!
I was using an older HP camera with like 2.31 mp so the pictures aren't the best BUT I can fit it in the camelback so I can get a few pics 'cause we all know that a Ride Report is nothing without pictures.

'Till next time keep the rubber side down.

4x Training...and pics....

So I got up to the 4x track at Fontana and really made a huge leap in my abilities but mostly in my confidence. The skills are there and with more confidence the skills are coming to the surface. It's a really awesome feeling to flow the jumps nice and smoothly and to even carry some speed. I got crossed-up a couple of times but never went down so I felt good. I'd like to hit it one more time before the 9th but now my focus is going to be doing some hills on the FSR. As Allison has said, only more hills will make me better. It'll hurt but I hope it'll help even with such a short time between now and the next race. Besides secretly I really wanna go on one of those death rides with Justin and Allison and actualy be able to hang!!!

So here are some pics that were posted by Sharky and DavidB from over at STR as well as a couple of pictures from Eric Foltz photography.

This is DavidB, sitting and Maxwell from STR before the SuperD run. (Pic by Sharky)

This pic is of me on the upper section of the 4x course. (Sharky got this one)
This is the XC race, and if you ask me I almost look like I know what I'm doing. (Eric Foltz Photography)
A second shot of the XC race. (Eric Foltx Photography)
This is a shot from my first XC race that I really liked and order a print so I can frame it and put it up on the wall next to my race number. (Eric Foltz photography)
I just wanted to add that Eric Foltz Photography was a great little company to deal with. His race photo's are great and are decently priced. I think it took all of three days to get the print to me and the web pics were sent the next day. Very nice.

Another race is in the books...

I completed my second race and it was fun. I didn't do as well as I would've liked but I think that I got into my own head on this one. Also, I don't think I trained enough leading up to the race with a 7 day break in between rides. I came in last in my class but did improve on my time by 50 seconds so that was sweet. I had it in my head that I wouldn't be able to clean certain hills and sure enough I didn't. I needed a more positive outlook and I think a bit more riding would've helped. So my goal over this next two week break is to ride more, and on top of that more HILLS.

In more uplifting news, I raced my first 4x race and while I came in 5th or 6th out of 6 and I only got to run one run it was a blast and I think I'm a bit hooked. I'll need to upgrade the Chameleon a bit and most assuredly I need to buy a bit more protective equipment but I think I've been bitten by the 4x bug.

The folks over at STR got some great pictures of the day and I'll be uploading images as soon as they post them. So all in all not quite the results I was hoping for today but I do love the atmosphere and camaraderie which made for another great day!

A few days ago I raced and I had an awesome time, here are som pics of the race courtesy of Sharky on STR. It rocks to see the even in pictures.

Here I am hanging out at the finish line (I'm smiling because I'm done!)

Here I am at the Finish line in what would eventually become 8th place out of 12 with a time of 1:00:27. (It was just over an 8 mile course)

Here I am clearing a rock section on the Super D course:

And the top of the above rock section:

That's it for now. It was a pretty awesome day and I'm pretty sure I'll get to ride at race #2 on the 26th. I'm hoping for a bit fresher legs and not getting lost this time will hopefully help me get a slightly better time. 55 minutes anyone? Here's hoping!

What's a Brick??

Wel I'm gld you asked, a Brick is Triatholonese for a run/bike sesssion one after the other. Why do I know this???? Well one of my long term goals (very long term right now) is to complete a Tri. I think it would be fun and would really push me. So today I tried it out. I started with a 17 mile ride that hit some of the bigger hills in the area. I rode down Clinton Kieth (from Santa Rosa) over to Nutmeg and then up Nutmeg to Clinton Kieth I just reversed course after this. The rides up the two hills were good ones with Clinton Kieth being the most difficult. I did my best to keep the speed up but the Allez is really not set-up for climbing like it could be. I suppose though that this is alright since it means I really have to push the big gear. I did this ride in 1 hour and 10 minutes which wasn't bad with the climbing involved.

After the ride I changed into a new shirt and ran the Adobe trail in the reserve. This is a 4.4 mile loop that is fairly flat. I just purchased new trail running shoes and would you believe I forgot to change into them!!!! Yep I ended up running in my old Nikes that I use for everything. They actually held up pretty well and I suffered no knee issues although I did nearly role my ankle at one point. I do thing I may need to invest in a little hip sack to hold my cell phone and or keys or perhaps a snack as I plan on pushing my running a bit more after the Southridge Winter Series. All in all I felt pretty good and finished the run in 40 minutes which brings down my mile time to about 9 minutes. I am really stoked about that. Another two minutes and I'll be happy....that means more intervals!!!!!! Now the only thing left to complete a Tri (besides losing about 20 more pounds!!!!!! To get to 185pounds...as if) is to work on my swimming. Whew I wonder when that might happen! For now I'll concentrate on running and my riding...more riding....

I had two BBQ Chicken Sandwiches at Carl's Jr. with Kelly and then came home, surfed STR (how odd) and then was inspired by 2Wheelee to take the Chameleon out. I kept the seat lowered went down a little dirt road and threw together a couple of jumps and what amounted to a wall ride. It was pretty fun and got my hear rate up and exercised some muscles I'm not used to using. I'm really thinking of running the 4x race on the 26th instead of the Super D.

I think that about sums up my one day off this week. Roughly three hours of exercise for the day and besides the Carls' Jr. not a bad eating day. I'm stoked and pleasantly tired. With the boss coming back into work tomorrow I'll need all the rest, relaxation and happy memories of running/riding I can get tomorrow!

'till I write again, keep the rubber side down!

My first race is in the bag...

So I completed the Southridge XC race #1 as well as the Super D. I had a blast, it was absolutely the best time and opened up a whole new world of mtn biking to me. I'm so happy that I've though ahead and set aside a few more Saturday's to race. I am already thinking about the race on the 26th and looking for ways to do better. Just want to say thanks to all of the STR gang that was there. It was a great time. I placed 7th out of 12 riders in the Beginner 35-44 class w/a time of 1:00:27 and 7th out of 13 on the Super D race with a time just over 13 minutes. My goal had been to finish the XC race in at least an hour or less and I'd say I did just that, especially since I lost about 3 or 4 minutes on a wrong turn. So next race I'm hoping to cut at least 2 minutes off of my time. The other issue that slowed me down a bit was the 50 miler two days earlier. I thought my legs were doing okay but it was pretty evident to me early on that they were a bit weaker than I originally thought, nothing huge but I might've been able to shave another minute off with fresher legs. So on the 26th my goal is to complete the race in like 57 minutes. We'll see how I do. For now though I am basking in the glory of being an XC racer even if only a beginner!

MY FIRST 50 MILER....

So today was a ride day and with my first race only three days away I wanted to get a decent ride in. I started out at the corner of Scott and Antelope in Murrieta and just rode. Well next thing I know I'm up in Perris and still feeling pretty good. At Nuevo I had been riding for about an hour but my legs felt great so I pushed forward. A little voice in the back of my head was saying, 'Hey you could ride to the 60 freeway!' You know I really need to stop listening to that guy.....but I did listen and before long there was the 60 freeway. 1 hr and 45 min. to get to the 60 and then I basically retraced my steps throwing in a few more twists and turns so that it didn't get boring. I will admit that I was hurting pretty good coming down Newport to Antelope and had to really talk myself into pushing on. It was a great ride though and I while I was HUNGRY at the end of the ride I resisted the urge to eat at the Del Taco I had parked next to. So other than being hungry and having a pair of sore knees I feel pretty great. What did I eat, you ask, well I ate a couple Tuna Sandwhichs and some Mac and Cheese. Not bad really. BTW, weight at the start of the ride 206.5, weight at the end of the ride 202.5....Sweet!

New ride...

Yep I completed my collection of bikes today with a new XC ride. I now have an AM/lite FR bike in the Heckler, a 4x AM/Lite FR HT with the Chameleon, a decent roadie with the Allez Elite and now a good XC bike with the Specialized FSR XC Pro. All done up in Specialized red and white.

After much searching, questions and research I dumped the 29er idea as well as the possibility of getting a gravity rig and just went with what I know and probably ride the most of and that's XC. I pretty stoked about it and will probably race it this Saturday and Southridge.

In other news I got run #2 in yesterday, only 38 runs left in 08!!! It was a great short run in which I went all out and got my mile time down to like 11 minutes. Not the best I know but I think it's pretty good for a 205 pound guy who does not run full time and until about 3 years ago hated running.

So after getting the bike I now need to upgrade to clipless pedals and some decent riding shoes. I also need and I mean I really NEED a new pair of running shoes because the NB's I'm running in now have been used for 3 years solid. We'll see what the tax man can do about those problems.

Run # 1

Wow with all the STORM talk on the radio here in SoCal I never would've thought I would get the chance to run....BUT...the storm hasn't really shown up....yet, so I got out and ran for about 55 minuts. It wasn't a bad run and I felt pretty good although my quads were hurting pretty good. I ran through Lake Skinner on the main road's nice soft shoulder. The dirt couldn't have been better to run in. Nothing huge except the climb from Whittier to the main gate was a good one and I felt great that I didn't walk the whole time.

So I figure if I'm shooting for 104 rides in 2008 I'll shoot for 40 runs as well. that should keep me on my toes for the year and will hopefully keep me from slacking to much.

Ride # 1

Yep that's right, ride # 1 of the new year. It was a pretty sweet little ride through some trails that I didn't know existed within like 10 minutes of my place. I just wanted to go and ride and not worry about where, how long, or how many miles. Just go ride like I used to do when this area was new to me. Just get out there and pedal and see where this or that trail took me. It wasn't the SCST or the Fully Loop or Sylvan Meadows...it was just Some Trail in Those Hills Behind my House! If I wanted to right I went right and boy did I find some seriously tough trails. I did nearly a 20 minute hike-a-bike through some nasty rutted trails that had seen far too many 'throttle twisters' but that's alright it was a lung burner. The hardest part was to probably break the cycle of pushing the bike at every steep uphill. But as the song says 'what goes up must come down' and so I did and boy was it fun. Steep and technical so that it took more body English and bike finesse to get over, around and through the rocks, grabbing brush and sharp little S-turns. All in all it was an awesome time.

So why label it ride #1???? Well I had the goal of getting 52 rides in last year but really only started counting about July or so. Well this year I'd like to get 104 rides in. Mileage doesn't really count (although this evening in the shower I figured around 500 miles last year give or take a hundred) so just shootin' for the # of rides. So #1 down and only 103 to go.

On another Dirt Nerd front I think I will be entering my first XC race a week from this Saturday. It'll be race #1 of the Southridge Winter Series and while I don't expect to podium or do overly well it'll be my first race in nearly 12 years of riding. I'm stoked to be honest! All I have to do now is get the time off of work. I'll post the results and I think this might help me set some longer term goals for after the summer. (and yes the race will count as a ride towards my 103!) ;-)

Keep on spinnin' boys and girls.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Well this is it, the first day of '08! I think this year may be a good one in terms of playing in the dirt. I've really gotten into doing my thang out in the dirt. I've made some friends at STR and gotten hooked up with some great rides recently. I'm really close to taking the plunge and buying the tent trailer I've been wanting for like 2 years and I might very well splurge and purchase a kayak...another item I've been wanting for more years than I can imagine. On top of that I hope to be doing some upgrade to the bike over the next several months. I see great things for 08 indeed.

I'm not one for new years resolutions so I won't take the time to really make any. However I do want to get in a week long road trip this year. I tried to do the Grand Canyon but that has not worked out so I'm looking at Moab now. I'm also shooting for at least 5 nights of camping this year. I know it doesn't seem like much but since I only have one night last year this is could be a big thing. I don't even care if its car camping or backpacking but it'd be cool if it was a mix of the two! I guess the only other thing I'd like to try this year is to participate in November 08's 12 hours of Temecula. I also will continue to run and plan on getting at least two good runs (5 miles for me right now) a month in for the entire year.

On the riding front, I got in a great ride Friday evening with some guys from STR over at Santa Rosa - Sylvan Meadows. It was pretty fun and I felt really strong on the bike. We rode for just over an hour and I did some trails backwards from my usual route. The backwards route turned out to be almost as much fun if not more than the route I normally take which was cool. I helped another guy out who was having a harder time than myself and I practiced some of my 'berm' riding which really kept the flow up through the little up & down hilly section. Good area, good people, good bike = AWESOME RIDE!

No pictures from this ride but I'll try to get some pictures posted in my next post. Hope everyone has a great and safe New Year. Keep the rubber side down.