Saturday I've got a BIG race. BIG in distance, and BIG in importance.
http://www.tahoetrailmtb.com
100 kilometers, about 7,000 ft of climbing, all over 7,000 ft in altitude in the Tahoe Sierra. Big numbers.
This race determines whether I can race the legendary Leadville 100. I need to finish under 8 hrs, and win the lottery. Big importance.
I've done this before, but I've also failed before. In April, I failed to finish another qualifier in Austin, TX due to severe cramping. Last summer I failed at Leadville by not making the first time cutoff. But last year I had a shoulder injury in early spring that kept me off the bike for a few weeks. AND I got sick with a nasty flu right before the Tahoe race, missing more training.
This year, I got good results with winter strength training. I've maintained some of it with some KB work. I took two all day MTB skills clinics to get some speed not dependent on fitness. I've improved. I rode hard through the spring on a big four corners desert road trip practicing those skills. I've spent the last 6 weeks hammering myself on the road bike with lots of climbing to build a bigger aerobic engine. I've been tapering the last week and a half.
I've flogged three bikes, blowing through tires and brake pads left and right. With a little drama, I've got them all working right again. I blew up my Camelbak, got a new one. I got DZ Nuts chamois cream for my saddle sores. Which bike to ride? The super light hardtail that will also give me a pounding, or the plusher, but heavy, full suspension that will rest my legs downhill but force them to work harder going up? I lay at night pondering this while visualizing the course. Decisions, decisions.
I've got my gels, got my Skratch Labs sports drink for hydration, just need to make a few onigiri rice balls and sweet potatoes for solid food. Gas up the VW, and make some tracks . . .
Succeed or fail, I couldn't do this until I learned some important lessons from some great teachers.
First, Dr. McDougall and Jeff for the nutrition. It was only a dream to do these things, but I couldn't even try until I learned proper nutrition. I'm a slow back of the pack racer, but I couldn't even pin a number on until I changed my diet.
Dr. Phil Maffetone for redefining aerobic training. Until I started using the 180 formula, I always burned out way too quick. Now I can make steady progress and actually enjoy it.
Dan John for making strength training a complement to other things, like life, instead of an all consuming ordeal. Learning the basic human movements and simple programming I found out that more is not better. Instead, good *enough*, well, is.
Lee McCormack for helping me finally understand MTB technique. Now I understand what I'm doing wrong when it happens, so I can correct myself. I can go faster without working harder.
There are others, like my dharma teacher, Scott Nanamura, for keeping things in proper perspective. Geoffrey Levens for some TCM advice. And all the folks here whose examples of swimming against the stream to improve their health are always inspiring.
