17.6 HR, 237.2 Miles, 13700 FT

What does the random numbers in the title mean exactly? It represents my hardest week on the bike I've ever been able to pull off. 17.6 hr of saddle time (53% Mountain bike), 237.2 Miles ridden(37% Mountain bike), and 13700 vertical feet of climbing all in one 7 day time frame. During this time I learned a few important lessons, and looking back I wonder how I got myself into/through this crazy week.

What happened to the Trail?

Swapping out bikes, 4 hr on Road, 2 hr on MTB!

The first, and by far the most important, lesson I learned is that my body can physically cope with that much training stress. Up until last Saturday (17 Aug 13) I had only been able to put ~15 hr into my legs without getting dog tired, and quickly becoming  sick. It's strange to think about it, but when you have nothing to do but ride, rest, and go to work , you can get some insane miles in. The few friends I have  in Fayetteville are all crazy about riding, just like me, which also helps add on miles!

The second is that when weeks like this happen I need to make recovery just as important as the workouts. I would go on a ride with friends (or even on my own) the stay up way too late eating and drinking. I made it through the week, but had to take a few days off last week to keep some pep in my step.

Third, I need a new bike. I've been saying that for years now, but I think its officially time to take a serious look. On Wednesday (14 Aug 13) I had one of my water bottle cages decided it was tired of living on my bike. But not just the water bottle cage, the bolts and grommets that hold the cage on!

This is where it Happened.

Found it a few days latter

So why all the major miles? Mostly due to boredom and the drive to take my fitness to that next level. I really want to do well next year, as I hope to have a full session of endurance races lined up. I only have about 3 months of saddle time in my legs after taking nearly a year off. And I also have a race coming up this next weekend.

After 3 years of wanting to re-race it, I am finally returning to the Noxubee Hills Trail System for the Skool of Hard Nox 50! These are the trails that got me hooked on MTBing! I'm supper excited to return to these trails. It's going to be a hot, but shortish race for me. My goal is 4:15 for the 50 mile course. This race was my first endurance race to finish, and was also the location of my first ever MTB race. Its 50 miles, 75% single track, 25% grated forest roads and about 4800ft of climbing. Can't wait to mix it up with some fast guys. It's starting to look like this race will grow in the years to come. I've been hearing people in Fayetteville, AR talking about this race!

Anyways, I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I hope to make this a weekly deal.