Tomorrow I’m racing Bike Monkey’s 8 Hour event in Boggs Mountain State Forest. I’m going solo, while most of my friends are in teams. It should be fun, and extremely challenging. The only other event I’ve done that comes close is Leadville, and I finished the 100 mile course in 8 hours and 20 some minutes. My training has led me up to these long endurance races.
I had planned on racing the entire weekend, starting with the hill climb, XC and Enduro, but because of the move and new job I decided to scale back a bit. 8 hour XC race is more than enough for me.
My friend David gave me a wealth of advice, nudging me to put this bell on my bars. It can get backed up at times, especially with 500+ riders on course, from beginners to pros. I’m hoping to line up at the very front as to avoid the chaos of the mass start. Wish me luck!
Heading up to Redding, CA this afternoon for the Lemurian Shasta Classic XC race, which is tomorrow morning. I’m going up with my friend Josh, who races in the same category as me. We both suffered quite a bit at the Sea Otter Classic, and we’re both hoping to redeem ourselves tomorrow. It’s a long haul up, which is why we’re going a day early. It’s gonna be nice and hot up there, too. I’m feeling pretty good, having spent most of the week resting and doing a few active recovery rides.
I learned my lesson the week leading up to the Sea Otter Classic. I need to rest as hard as I train. After the Napa Valley Dirt Classic I only had five days in between to recharge, but failed to do so by packing in a few high intensity rides during the week. Plus the additional stress of leaving work compounded the situation. So this week my plan is to make sure I fully recharge my batteries, test out my legs here and there, and see how I feel towards the end of the week. The Lemurian Shasta Classic is just around the corner, and I want to do well.
This weekend I’ve got the Napa Valley Dirt classic. It’s one of the bigger local races that attracts a strong field of NorCal’s finest. I’m not sure how well I’ll do, but I’m feeling pretty good. I went for a quick spin through the Headlands this morning to get the engine started.
I want to do well, obviously, but I’m treating this as a B race in preparation to Sea Otter next Friday. My neck has been bothering me lately, but I think it’ll be fine come race day. My legs feel a bit off, but I know I’ve got to give them another day or two of rest. My game plan till Sunday is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. It feels good to have had a few races and wins under my belt going into this event. It takes the pressure off from having to perform at my absolute best.
Having put in a lot of hours in the saddle last week (14 hours) I’m in need of some rest. I’ve got a big block of racing coming up this month, starting with the Napa Valley Dirt Classic, followed by the Sea Otter Classic, the Lemurian Shasta Classic and the Boggs 8 Hour race (solo). It’s a race every weekend for the next month, and I’ve got to make sure I gauge my efforts right.
I was gonna go play in the dirt this morning, but the rain was too hard and depressing to get out of bed. I needed to catch up on my sleep anyways. My ride into work was wet and soggy. My day at work was… bleh. Hopefully I can pick up the threads tomorrow and get in a good ride.
I’m racing on Saturday down near Monterey, CA. I’ve been spending most of my week recovering and not putting in too many hours on the saddle. My fork seals blew last weekend, but I managed to get them fixed just in time for the race. I’m feeling pretty good, and am looking forward to racing some new folks as well as friends.
I was supposed to do an early morning Headlands Dawn Patrol with the usual crew, but had to sleep in. I had been up rather late the past couple of nights finishing up a side project. Hopefully I can catch up on my sleep and get back into the swing of things. I also decided not to do the Grasshopper ride this weekend. Instead I hope to get in some steady training before I race the following weekend. Sometimes you need to know when to slow down.
I’ve got this water bottle I keep at work. I picked it up in Leadville, CO prior to racing the big race, which I drink out of almost every day of the week. The afternoon sun hit it just right, sitting there, glowing like a beacon. It suddenly reminded me of the task ahead, and made me ask myself if I was ready for another Leadville. The short answer is yes. Bring it on! Will I be able to break 8 hours? That’s the bigger question I’m quite confident I can answer. With daylight savings and the long hours of light after work I’m looking forward to ramping up my weekly riding volume.
I think my effort from Tuesday morning is affecting my mood today. It could also be the change in weather, but I just didn’t find it in me to get on the bike. I was scheduled to do a tempo ride, but instead I opted for the couch. I really need to be cautious about putting in too many unnecessary hours in the saddle. I probably need to hydrate and stretch more, but hopefully I’ll be back in the swing of things tomorrow morning.