Looking Forward To 2013

The stats are in!  For 2012 I rode:

Distance:  3,690.11 mi (481.98 more than 2011)

Time:  351:18:48 h:m:s (only 7:18:28 hours more than 2011)

Elevation Gain:  343,260 ft  (83,766 more than 2011)

I did spend quite a bit more time on the road in 2012, but still some good signs of improvement!

Currently I'm on my third day out of a three week rest period, and all I want to do is ride!  Seriously, how do people go every day not doing anything active?  I'm going crazy already and I'm not even half way through!  In the meantime, this is a good time to go over my goals for 2013.

Goal #1:  Weight!

Once again, the elephant in the room is power-to-weight ratio, because I was the elephant last year.  After losing a sufficient amount of weight for my first race (which I won), I gained back much of  the weight I had lost, started losing races, and wasn't able to get back on track.  After counting every calorie and refusing to eat anything remotely bad for weeks, I would have mental break downs where I was binging and then had worse mental break downs after gaining a lot of weight (I gained 10 lbs in two days... I'm aware it was mostly water weight, but still, that's crazy).  And that's what we call an eating disorder.  I told myself winning wasn't worth not eating... which is true, but I think I can do both for 2013.  Next year I'm approaching weight loss differently.  No more counting calories.  I know what I need to eat and more importantly what not to eat to lose weight.  I would get upset every time my wife made something because I had to add all of into the calorie counter, and I HAD to know every calorie.  This stressed both of us out... definitely not healthy.  Also, I'm going to indulge once a week, but within moderation.  Having a little bit of bad is much better than not having anything bad for weeks and then eating everything in sight. Limiting my beer intake!  This by far was the biggest factor for me not keeping the weight off last year.  And lastly, starting the weight loss early so I lose it in a slow, healthy way; which I am currently doing successfully.  The hard part is when summer hits and there is less training to keep the weight off between races, and you seem to find reasons to drink and eat.  I can only 'weight' and see how it goes.

Goal #2: Go Pro!

All I have to do to compete in the Pro class is cut off 30 minutes from my best race, and do it constantly!  Simple, right!?  Okay, maybe first step should be to spend 2013 getting on the podium in the class I'm in, and then maybe go Pro 2014, but you gotta dream big to go big.

Goal #3:  More races... without killing myself.

So far I have 14 endurance races planned for 2013.  I only did 7 in 2012, so quite a jump.  That should help keep the weight off too!

Pretty lofty goals for 2013, but I'm not getting any younger.  Training starts in January, and I'm ready to hit it hard!  Can't wait for the first race in April!

Turkey Day And Fun In The Sun

Well, my CX season of suckiness has continued since my last blog.  I raced in Boulder at Valmont Bike Park on November 17th.  During the race, my chain fell off and somehow got a loop in it.  I found myself trying to figure out how to undo the loop mid-race, and in doing so  I bent a link which made the chain skip on some gears. The time it took to undo the chain and the skipped gears  cost me enough time to put me out of any decent finishing position.  Turkey day, I raced the Turkey Cross.  I was doing great, and then on the 3rd of 4 laps my tire flatted.  I didn't bring an extra bike because I was short on time since I needed to hop on a plane to visit the family for the weekend.  That tacked on another DNF.  I came back early on Sunday that same weekend to race the first of two Green Mountain Sports CX races, and didn't even make it to the race because when I was loading the car to go to the race, I hit my head hard on my truck door.  Blood starting pouring down my face and I was feeling a little dizzy so I figured attempting to race would have been a bad idea.  

One more race to go this season on Sunday.  The venue changed to my favorite place where I'm most favored to do well, but honestly I just don't care anymore.  Even though my CX season has been a disaster of mechanical and poor performances, I still accomplished my end goal to keep fit in the off season and to have fun doing it.  After all, the blog says "Endurance Mountain Biker".  Never claimed to be any good at CX, but I sure do love trying to be.  

In my traveling news, after my poor turkey weekend results, I needed another weekend vacation.  We flew down to Cabo San Lucas for some fun in the sun.  Snorkeling and playing frisbee on the beach while sipping a piña colada is considered cross training, right?