Week 2: Actual Update: Growth and Learning

I figured I would hold off from posting my real update until Sunday was complete. A good, long ride...my first century of 2013. Luckily it was with a group, as yesterday's 82 miles was solo with a very solid 3 hour endurance block with +/- 1500ft that easily topped 20mph, not bad for February...I did this in May last year and my HR was 10 beats higher. Looks like the year is starting quite well!

Yesterday I rode with Adam Myerson, a long-time pro cyclist and very well known rider and 'ambassador' to the sport in the Northeast. Most of you in the cycling scene know of him as I did - tatted up, clever, 'cross guy, wins crits, gauge earring, Twitter-pro - until about two weeks ago. It's cool to ride with someone who you simply knew as "be near him on the last lap and you'll place". As one would expect, there's a hell of a lot more to him. He's been kind, patient, and happily introduced me to some gems of Tucson. We rode to the top of Lemmon, reminisced old training he did a decade ago with Dan Vaillancourt, and had the best chance encounter on a ride that I have ever had. Spending 3+ hours at a time on a bike with someone you didn't know one bit is probably the best way to get to know someone. I rode with him a bunch that past 2 weeks, but 6.5 hours yesterday was pretty awesome. 3.5 hours of absolutely miserable headwind that makes most people want to quit biking altogether. We were going under 15mph for the full 3.5 hours. A one hour climb where Adam taught me the the difference between being fast and being fast when it counts, hours into a ride/race/workout...all without the exchanging of a single word. He calls it Old Man Power. I call it 'painful glory'. Towards the end of the ride we talked training, coaching, and all the skills you need across the board. I had written the rest of this post prior to the ride - and the stress Adam put on communication and learning only strengthened how important those things are in sport and life.

Here's some shots from my longest duration ride ever - due to elevation and winds it wasn't my longest ride ever, but it was easily my best long ride ever. And it was only 50F in Arizona.

As Adam said: "No Girls Allowed"

Yeah. Wind.

Flavors of the Southwest!

Beer #1 of Tucson.

This marks the first 20+ hour week of 2013 as well. By this time last year I had (foolishly and unstructured-ly) put in 3 and just hit mini-burnout #1. Luckily, I am a year wiser and have guidance that is more intelligent than "raw excitement and fun". I'm also more involved in the process behind my training than I ever have been.

I'm happy about my fitness, there is no doubt about that. But what I am much more pleased with is my understanding, both of myself and my training.

Now for a little insight into "Growth and Learning":

My involvement in my training is greater this year - when I have a coach - than last year when I was 'coaching' myself. How does that make sense? Communication. Which is the first thing I would tell anyone is the first key to finding a coach. It doesn't matter if that person coached an Olympic medalist or what their credentials are if you don't have good communication! My second key is be involved. If you're new to a sport, this might just be listening and absorbing ("knowing the work") rather than simply "doing the work". If you've been involved in the sport, you should be learning the "why" of each workout, then the "how" of progress, then begin to understand "what" the specific gains of each workout, block, or period. Once you have the understanding down, the next big (huge) step is "feel". This is the concept of learning one's own body; if learning things is an endless process (answer: it is!), then learning your body is an endless process that yields exponentially more powerful results.

Just like life, sport is a continuum of growth and learning. And the more you grow and learn, the more powerful your knowledge becomes - especially because you are now able to share that knowledge!

Share your life, sport, joy, and knowledge. Not only will you benefit from growth and learning, but someone will benefit from your teaching.

Yours in Glory,

Travis

If you want a bit more to read about a pretty cool Pro athlete who also has one heck of a crazy busy life, check this out. Otherwise, see you next time!

(As an addition to my above statements: I stayed with a guy in Tennessee (Craig Evans - self dubbed "Endurance Daddy") who can only be described in a LOT of words: Husband, father of two, medical device manager (his job is massively demanding), local cycling ambassador,  owner of triathlon shop, and - oh yeah - Pro Triathlete. The night I spent at his house, I didn't see him until the morning, known as 5AM for him, because he got home at 1AM from work...in Cleveland! Due to this busy lifestyle, Craig's former coach, who I am sure is a great coach, couldn't relate to him and wasn't able to work with his schedule. Clearly, this led to a gap in communication. Once he was able to find a great coach who could also communicate on his level, great things happened. He got second at the World Championships in Offroad ITU Triathlon...to a guy named Conrad Stoltz. Communication led to growth and progress, led to a silver at Worlds. The coach that had this great communication just happens to be my coach as well and he's very skilled at communicating with a 20-something starting out and a busy father, who is professional in many things aside from sport. To see an adrenaline pumping video about Craig, his lifestyle, and season go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRU_Bzgygjw&feature=youtube_gdata_player)

Week 2, 2 words: Training. Load.

Did lots of training, and also did a few loads of laundry.

(<150 words. Happy Jase?) :P

More to come later.

Also, I found the official bicycle of Maine:

I just can't figure out the disc brakes. And where the shift/brake levers are. I think it is an "integrated" set-up.

Tucson, Week 1. In pictures.

Hope you all enjoy my first week in Tucson in Pictures!

First step upon arrival. Put trainer way in corner :).

Mexican PEPSI! REAL stuff, no American junk. I actually haven't drank it yet...I have to remind myself it is not against the anti-soda Travis, I'll likely have it after a ride when it gets hot (80ish) so I can feel like I'm in a commercial :p.
Also, I got a 6lb, 10oz container of salsa at the same store (17th St Farmer's Market) for $4.99! Woohoo!

Some 2013 words of wisdom from PBM Coaching & Kurt, utilizing The Who logo.

Sweat much? And it was only endurance and only 65F!

Redington Pass (cat 2 dirt climb). Yep, see that road? I was there about 15 mins before

Vegan 2 bean meatloaf! AWESOME!

Mt. Lemmon. The Queen of Tucson. At 9157ft it is the highest of the Santa Catalina Mountains (yes, I looked it up). Climbing it you go from ~2700ft to a max of ~8200ft, which is over a full mile of climbing in 21 miles riding. Given little downhills, you get almost 6500ft uphill while climbing! BEAST. Half of the mountain is considered an "above category climb"...it almost could be 3 HC climbs!

The other day while doing intervals with a friend. We stopped for the most beautiful pee break ever. Overlooking a valley between ridges - the road we rode up (haha) is in the tress on the lower left. It's amazing seeing mountains like this. I kept excitedly asking Adam "Is that the top?!" as we saw peak after peak. About the tenth time I asked we were finally there. With these really big mountains (especially in they are layered, and you'll never see the peak from the base.

If you want some cool reading on mountain structure, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topographic_prominence :).

Amazing. This was taken shortly after a massive fire burned down the entirety of Summerhaven, the small 'town' at the top of Mt. Lemmon. There is still the remnant foundation of one of the buildings that was there.

Two words: COOKIE CABIN. A little (non-vegan, non-GF) cookie monster's delight atop Mt. Lemmon in Summerhaven. A ~1000kcal cookie. Adam and I  didn't get close to finishing each of ours, even after burning 2500kJ on the climb (although many people who drove up devoured them with ease...). Needless to say, we got doggy bags: my roommates were VERY happy to hear I brought home goodies :).

Sexy. Tan. Lines. Cultivation of cyclist beauty...speaking of beauty, please see the next picture.

A little URXC Tribute, and moreso to that time I was "Once A Runner". If you are an athlete and haven't read Once A Runner by John L Parker Jr, then get on it (yes, such an amazing book deserves proper underlining). Oh, and, Gaunt IS Beautiful. The guy at the Giant shop here (Roadrunner Bike) loved the shirt too, which sealed the deal as it being 'my local shop (LBS)' here!

Homemade GF bread, Homemade Agave 'infused' Almond butter, Organic (no HFCS Smuckers crap) yummy Jam.

GF Pasta with chili cheesy sauce. Should've written this down as I threw ingredients  and sauce into a pot of pasta...

Only. One. Per. Week. Really looking forward to the CocCoNut Porter.

Mmmm. I love this bad boy. Saving it for post- Tucson Bike Classic (3 day stage race)...if I have an acceptable performance.

Snow. In Tucson. Yes, Arizona, and not at elevation (only 2000ft).

Further Snow 'proof'. Windshield. (At stoplight).

One last little thing. I don't care much for competing on Strava (anymore, I did last summer) because I am training, not aimlessly racing ghosts of rides gone past...but THIS IS AWESOME!! I was riding (with a nice tailwind after a sprint workout yesterday). Two Mainers atop the leaderboard in Tucson, AZ on a LONG downhill segment! (Both James and I are not considered the heavy power-beasts that usually crush downhills)

Hope you all enjoyed my very atypical non-wordy post! I'm loving Tucson, if you even had to ask.

Yours in Glory,

Travis

Quest out West: Tucson (AKA, Home Tu.0)

After a nearly 3000 mile cross country drive in 5 days, a few stops with old friends and new friends, and some beautiful scenery, I officially made it to Tucson. The first day here was 40F and rain, which just made me feel like I was at home (where it was 30's and wintry mix) but without all the people. It was good for making me realize where I am and why I am here. Leaving a lot of unfinished stuff at home that will consume me upon my return and saying see you later to the fam in a taxing time was difficult, but it all is for a purpose with an unspecified but very exciting 'end-game'.

Juice!!

Lasagna with Macadamia Ricotta

My trip went smoothly, except for the whole training while traveling at first. I barely managed a 45min then 35min ride in my first two days on the road. I fit in a 2 mile run mid-travel from Nashville to Oklahoma City to revitalize the body, which had begun a steady spiral into lethargy and apathy. In OKC I found a group ride with "the old guys" and enjoyed chatting with Alan and company, coffee at Java Dave's, and battling a nasty headwind to get home and on the road at a decent hour - which became a solid threshold interval...for 30 minutes. I had lunch in OKC at Matthew Kenney and was stunned by the glory of (gourmet) raw food.

I drove to Albuquerque (a potential final location before Tucson was finalized) and saw a good friend from college, whom I only found out was living there on my way to OKC one day earlier! He had move in a week ago. I found another group ride with "the old guys" again and learned to echelon properly, given that the road was two-laned and 6-10 of us spread diagonally across a whole lane. There was definitely a bit of instructing given to me, as I tended towards the white line with my east coast white-line riding being so ingrained. I busted out my coffee press that my sis, Lex, got for me and I now have a new love.

I saw one of the most serene open roads ever, Route 26 from Hatch to Deming, NM, and definitely felt the separation from home for the first time on the way out. I hit Starbucks in the 11th state of my quest out west in Wilcox, AZ and arrived safely in Tucson to my new humble abode, which is yet to be dubbed with a name (maybe Humble Adobe, giving it a little pun and southwest spice...and adobe/chipotle is probably my favorite flavor currently :P).

More pictures will be posted of the travels and of my new place once I can settle in, upload photos, and get things organized.

Here is a quick array of my room set up.

Pursuit of Glory 2013 takes it to the Southwest!

The 2013 campaign is under way. It pretty much began in the end of November when I committed to hiring a coach. I knew hiring someone was going to be a big part of stepping up my riding, and the intelligence of my training. Luckily, there is a coach nearby who I have seen often over my 2 years on a bike and with whom I have connected well. Hiring a coach in November is a lot better than hiring someone in February, especially when you plan to be racing early and strong. It's been going well and I finally feel the fitness coming back following a far too long hiatus.

The biggest step towards growing in cycling, aside from training solidly and intelligently is doing what is best described as "taking it to the Next Level": I'll be heading out to Arizona for two months to bump up my training quality, volume, and enjoyment...and also to gain a bit of fitness and lose a bit of fatness. At home I hang with the upper tier of riders and can stick with almost anyone. When I am fit, it is uncommon for me to get absolutely pummeled on rides without others being pretty tired. By no means am I saying that I am great, but I have worked very, very hard to get to a level where I can ride strong in Maine. Now, it is time to dive right in to the winter training Mecca of the US: Tucson. I have no idea what it is like, and less of an idea of how badly I am going to get by ass whooped. All I know is that I am going to have an amazing experience and I will be riding with (read: wayyy behind) many of the best amateurs in the US.

I leave for Tucson, AZ on Tuesday morning for about two months. This idea has been considered for 9 months, but only became a real possibility and option since November. Therefore, with all that life brings it has been a wildly busy last two months: preparing work, home, family, and biking stuff for the temporary relocation. Making connections, finding a place to rent (two months is hard to find unless you're paying twice what you want - but I found a spot for a good price), and getting a solo road trip planned are not easy tasks either. Here's the plan:

Tuesday: Home - DC (9-10hrs)
Wednesday: DC - Nashville, TN (10hrs) - a place I've never been. Let me know what I must see!
Thursday: Nashville - Oklahoma City, OK (10)
Friday: OKC - Somewhere in New Mexico! Santa Fe seems likely (~8hrs)
Saturday: NM - Tucson, AZ (~8hrs)

I might stay a full day in Oklahoma if the weather is very cycling friendly, then make the beast 15 hour trek to Arizona the day after. We shall see. All I know is that in 48 HOURS I will be on my way to Arizona. This is wild that it is actually happening, it's gonna be a blast.

I'll be putting in effort to keep people updated via the blog. Pictures will likely be all over my facebook feed, etc so you'll know there is ZERO snow and LOTS of sun around me (except when hitting some of those 8000ft plus peaks...snow will be seen!).

Here's a nice shot of the climb up to Mt Lemmon, which peaks at over 9000ft. The highest altitude I have ever been on a bike is less than 3000ft. On the way up Mt Lemmon, I will be climbing 6000ft. I think my largest net gain in a climb is around 2300ft...I'll be multiplying that by 6 or so. Crazy, but also awesome.