Still hungry, but more focused

As I mentioned in that last post I can feel that my body is on the brink, and I’m getting tired. The question is when the fall will come. With nationals next weekend, most people are asking will they peak at the right time, and will everything go well. I’m asking myself can I stay motivated and keep the fatigue from taking me down. As of right now, I think I can and I might actually have something special next weekend. I’m feeling pretty good right now, still beat from this past weekend, but the kick is back in the legs.

I had good starts both days from the second row. I hit those SPDs perfect
both times!

Speaking of last weekend let me take you back. It was the inaugural New Year’s Resolution put on by the guys of the Chicago Cross Cup. I’ve never been down to Illinois for a CCC race, but I hear they are fantastic. Let me tell you, if they are anything like last weekend, I might consider making the trip next year. Good course and well organized. I found the course to be interesting, in a similar fashion to the nationals course. While the two seem completely different, I don’t think they are.  But the two days ended up well for me. Saturday I found myself in a long chase for the lead which I couldn’t overcome. I was able to hold on for 2^nd. Sunday was looking to be much the same as the same riders more or less came to the front, until something unexpected happened. The pit fencing was blow into the leader and knocked him over. Out of the leading group of 4, I was the only one still on my bike after it happened. I opened it up hard. I knew that this was the opportunity to take it. I gassed it hard and got about 30 seconds ahead. But then the gap came back down as yesterday’s winner began to pull me back in.  on the last lap he caught me as we came through the pits for the first time. Then through the last tough mud section, really the last technical section period, I put a foot down and had to run. I gave it everything I had and was right behind him coming out. But his power proved too much. 2^nd again.

I was pretty happy with the placing, but not with the way it happened. I was feeling good, and had it all, but when the time came, I lost focus and made a mistake. A lot of people said that having a pit bike would have helped a lot, and they are right, but even still. I had the win and I lost it. Don’t be fooled, I’m bummed, still confident. But it’s something I need to work on. I had this happen before. I’ve made the right move tactically, or been in the right place, right time and couldn’t come up with the goods. Maybe its fitness, maybe it luck, but I don’t think so. I think its toughness. I think I need to learn to focus less on the pain and the possibility of losing, and more on the win, more on the task at hand.

Making my way up to the lead on the first lap.

I’ll spend this week much like last week though in preparation for nationals. Without any real peak in fitness or anything, I’m just trying to keep things sharp. I’ve been doing 2 days of intensity, but cutting it short, surrounding one day of longer spinning just to get out on the bike. It’s been keeping me sharp without making me tired and putting me over the edge. I’ll be feeling good for next weekend. I’m hoping for something special in the U23 race, and certainly a high finish in collegiate. I’m not wishing, I’m going to make it happen.

Christmas break…well almost

First off, I am a wizard. If you don’t know what that means, you need to be educated better. Ask me sometime. But in all matters of magic, I am the law.

Ok enough of that silliness. Since last post, I’ve been mostly focusing on studying. In the spare time that I have from that I’ve been getting in a ride here and there, but nothing major. And it’s mostly been speed and interval work. That is with the exception of a few weekend ago. I hadn’t been on a long ride in forever so I decided a nice 4 hour trip to New Glarus would be nice. I invited people from the club to go along but the best I got was a few people to ride out to Belleville with me. So I made the rest of the trek to New Glarus and got some food. I then had a nice ride home. The pace overall was actually pretty fast and it didn’t hurt too badly so I felt good about it. But beyond that it’s been short rides and a lot of running.

Then I went home for Christmas. It was really nice to see the family and just do nothing for a few days. It was a nice break. I ate a lot of cookies though. It really hurt my legs; I seriously almost threw up on my warm up on Saturday. But again, it was good to decompress for a few days before I came bad to Madison and started working.

And that brings me to the ‘well almost’ part (use versus mention..I actually learned something this semester!). I can feel that I am tired; I am burned out a little from the year of riding. I’ve been like that since after Jingle CX. Badger X was sort of a weird thing because I felt tired, but raced well. But now I just feel tired. I can tell that I’m on the verge of what I’m beginning to call Wild’e’coyote-ing. If I’m on the clif right now about to be over the edge of tired, Last year around late spring, I was falling off making whistling noises and then poof! But I’m on the edge of that now. So I’m stuck thinking about what I want to do tonight. Should I ride? Or should I stay in and knock some more off my Winter Break to-do list. That’s exactly what this blog is for, because after re-reading that, I’m staying in.

Note if you're ever confused: This blog is basically me talking to myself, except now once in a while I write down what I say.

So that will be it. I’ll take these next few weeks like any smart bike racer would. I’m not going to forget what Cyclocross is to me. It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s challenging. But at the end of the day it’s my off season. It’s my time to race, train for how I feel and when I feel like it. If I’m this tired now, I don’t want to imagine what summer will like if I don’t take it easy now.  That’s all for now, hope everyone had/is having a wonderful Holidays. 

2 Weekends, 1 Post

Although I write about the last two weekends together, that is all they share in common. I mean results were polar opposite, I felt completely different, and that was all because my preparation was completely different.

Wizard Cross was held at a local park in the Madison area. The course was brutal. There was a lot of tough climbing and nowhere to hide. I could sum up the course in the following sentence. Go fast, go fast up hill, go fast downhill, repeat until you puke. I think everyone agreed that it was a spirit breaker with so much climbing. However, I certainly disagree with those who didn’t like it. It was a challenging course. And I don’t really care why it’s challenging, I just like challenging courses. But this isn’t really relevant because I was really hung over. I don’t generally like to admit that I drink once in a while, I know I shouldn’t, but I’m in college, it happens. On the flip side I had a lot of fun the night before, but the race was a suffer fest from the gun to the line. But I did take some satisfaction in that I didn’t get lapped. Ended up 9^th in a tough field, which all things considered was pretty good. And I didn’t puke, so that’s good too.

But then the polar opposite happened this past weekend at the Midwest regional race here in Madison. I took it easy Friday night. Had a few beers with the boys and hit the sack early. Woke up and spent the morning watching CX, and preparing for the race. Got there and got ready. I never even thought about how the legs were doing. And on days like that you know they’ll be there for you when you drop the hammer. Suffered pretty hard on laps 1 and 2 but kept within myself and started to work catching the lead group which I had been shelled from. It was looking like a solid 7^th place finish for me until a rider tripped on the stairs and lost 10 seconds allowing me to pass. Then Dave Staab crashed in a tough corner. 5^th place was mine! It was a huge battle to keep the chasers off my wheel, but in the end I held the gap. So it was a nice result and a fat chunk of change.

Then today wasn’t quite as good, which was unfortunate because the legs were totally there to repeat a top 5. I had one of those starts where you just can’t help smiling on the inside. I hit my pedal perfect at the start and had the right gear. I got the acceleration and hit the dirt in 2^nd. But from there it went sour. I seriously didn’t know how to react to such a good start and started freaking out. I think I crashed 4 times on the first 2 laps. It wasn’t until a buddy told me to get it together as he passed me that I took a breath and got back on it. But by this time I was well outside the top 10, we’ll say 12^th-15^th. I pushed a hard but consistent tempo and played the tactics and made passes at good times. After an entire race of clawing back I ended up in 8^th place. Just out of the money. But I had no chance of getting 7^th place so I can’t complain there. Finished the day off with an awesome dinner for two and getting a full nights sleep. Which is good because finals are next week(s).

Another thing I want to mention is the increase in fans! People actually know my name now, and they yell it during the races! The support and enthusiasm is what make racing just that much more fun. Racers always have fun when the crowd enjoys watching. So huge thanks to those on the sidelines cheering.

The next few weeks will be spent training and getting in some good form to have a good showing at Nationals. Pretty excited to race after racing the course, it was superb, and a huge shock from what I thought it might be like. But I’m hoping to have a good showing in the collegiate race and then in the U23 contest.

Jingle CX: Days 2 and 3

Coming into Jingle Cross, I seriously didn’t know what my form would be like and didn’t have any good idea of how I would do. So I was excited about my Friday result, I would have been happy with a top 10, or with a top 5, but getting on the podium was a great feeling. That was all fine, but now I had a good understanding of what I could do and expected something the next day. I made sure to do everything I could to help in my recovery. I took a hot shower, stretched in the shower, massaged my legs, and finally put on compression gear before going to bed early. I got a really good night’s sleep.

Rain was in the forecast for Saturday so I was expecting some muddy condition. Muddy is an understatement. A lot of people were comparing it to USGP Madison which I didn’t race. But USGP didn’t have an insane decent off Mt. Crumpet. But it was extremely similar. It rained all day and the course was very similar. The big difference was we rode up the way we came down Mt. Crumpet the day before and then descended a steep switchback down the back side. This decent was difficult to walk down, let alone run or ride.

I had a similar start to Friday night. The competition was slightly better, as there more people challenging for the top 5 than the day before. I slotted in a few places back than the day before around 7^th or 8^th. I started picking off riders during the first lap. By the end of the lap I could see that not only was Jeff not very far off the front, but Jordan was in sight as well. My legs felt ok, but I was catching the leader so I pushed hard to make contact. I immediately got the feeling that both Jeff and Jordan were taking it easy because once I applied pressure and made up ground, they accelerated and started pulling away.

During lap 2 I almost caught Jeff. He noticed this and put on the gas. Jordan was also seeing the we were making up ground on him and hit it like, well only he can. He was gone once again. But Jeff was still in sight. Plus there were 3 guys about 10 second behind me. I was in a very good position and kept pushing hard. I caught Jeff and immediately left him behind at the start of lap 3 and attention quickly turned to catching Jordan. My big weak point was the climb though. Each time up the hill I tried to ride as much as possible, because once off the bike I was walking. I just couldn’t run to save my life. Jeff was making up a lot of ground there. On the 3^rd lap after I thought he was toast, Jeff and the 3 guys behind him passed me on the way up. I was able to make contact with the group on the way down, but Jeff was gone. I battled with the group on the 4^th lap and was only able to beat one guy.  5^th place, I was hoping for more, but I was fried from all the running. Same story that night, after a quick meal and one beer at the Jingle Party, I hit the hay early, even got some HW done.

Sunday was back to a course similar to Friday. Run up Crumpet, and more long straight sections. One huge deal was that my team director Dave let me borrow his Challenge Limus tubulars. They are challenge’s new all mud tire. To be honest, I felt really good that day, and the race started very similar to the other day. Good start and top 5 in the first few corners. But this time, by the end of lap 1, I was way out front with only Jordan in the lead ahead. I honestly remember thinking to myself, whoa, where am I. Oh, I’m in 2^nd, holy shit. I was going hard and felt good, but those Limus tires were amazing. I almost didn’t notice the mud. I could rail the corners and I felt super confident in the pinwheel. It was kind of cool on the final lap Tim Johnson was watching me race, and I wasn’t going to hard knowing that the gaps were settled so I said “HI TIM JOHNSON!” as I rode past. He cheered back. It was kinda cool.

But I rolled in for an amazing 2^nd place! That really was a good way to end the weekend. I ended up winning all my entry back plus a little extra to pay for food. Amazing weekend, and really need to get me some Challenge Limus tires of my own! I be back next year for sure!

Thanks for reading!

Pictures from Jingle CX

Greg Ferguson Took some great pictures from Jingle Cross that he just sent my way. Thanks to Greg for the photos, hopefully this give you an idea of the mud. These are all from Sunday.

Now I just need to get around to writing about the actual race.

Jingle CX: Friday Night Lights

I got up on Friday morning all excited to go race my bike. Packed up the car and headed to Trevor, WI to the bike lab to meet up with Dave. I had never been to Dave’s house, but it is awesome. Seriously, it’s a bike geek’s paradise in that basement. But anyways, we packed up his car and got on the road to make the 4 hour drive to Iowa City. The drive was nice, we didn’t turn on the radio once and we talked the entire time.

We arrived at the hotel and dropped off a few things and then drove a few extra miles down the road to the race course as the sun began to get lower in the sky. When we arrive the sunlight was fading quickly, but I was able to get 2 laps in while it was still light out. The course was pretty fun. It had this tough off-camber section where there were these muddy ditches you had to go through to get in or out of the section. That was followed by a fly-over that was seriously steep. Finally after that there was Mt. Crumpet. Mt. Crumpet was this terribly steep run up. I had to walk it sometimes it was so steep. Some guys rode it, but I don’t know how. That section of the course was tough, but before and after it everything was technically interesting but not hard on the legs. I got off the course and watched a few more races before my race went off in the Cat 2 men.

I started back row. Hooray! There were only 4 rows so it wasn’t so bad, but still, I knew that good start was important. The start chute was a really open and long road section so it made passing easy. I was able to hit my pedal right away but got caught behind a couple of guys who didn’t and was pushed to the back until I made some key passes around the left to get into 10^th place or so. Then after the opening set of twists and turns 1^st and 2^nd got a little gap. Coming into the off-camber section the leader of our little group took a spill in the mud and held up everyone except me so I was able to slot into 3^rd place. I spent the rest of the first lap catching 2^nd place while 1^st, Jordan Cullen, was way ahead at this point. We rode together for remainder of lap 1 and lap 2. I was riding very fast, and extremely consistent. Jeff, the guy who was with me was riding quickly, and had more punch than I did. He attacked a few times but each time I would claw him back within a minute or so. Finally on the straight away I decided to come around him. I did so on the finish straight and rode at the front until Mt. Crumpet where his ability to run bested me. The sun was now completely down and we were riding under just the lights.

Jeff pushed the pace again and got a gap. I completely gave it everything I had to catch his wheel and came very close through the pinwheel, but wasn’t able to do it. He had a 5 second gap with 2 to go. The gap moved around a little and I almost made contact again with one to go, but just couldn’t do it all the way.  I had to settle for second. It was an awesome race, so much fun. I felt a little beat mentally because I feel like I gave up on the last lap, but in hind sight, I wouldn’t’ have caught him either way.

But the fans were amazing. I really wanted to give them a good show. The crowds were cheering so loud, and all the people I knew were as well. On top of all that, anyone knows that Cyclocross is something of a spectacle. But racing under the light is something entirely different. Besides the obvious fact that its dark and the lighting are different, mentally it’s different too. The spectacle is so much bigger. You really feel like you’re on stage, like you’re being shown off. It helps you go that much harder. Overall, it was a great night.

Giving Thanks

With Thanksgiving come and gone I took some time to think about what I need to be thankful for. It’s a pretty long list to say the least. But I thought I’d take the opportunity to thank those who make not just bike racing possible for me, but life possible for me.

First is my immediate family. Gosh I love them so much. My parents are always there. Growing up we didn’t always have everything, but my dad always made sure I had a bike and there was always food on the table. What we lacked in things, we made up for in love. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Their support of me now is much the same. Whether it is school, racing or just living, they do what they can to make sure I can succeed. Sometimes it’s a few bucks, sometimes it’s a car on the weekend, but it’s always done with love. They love me so much and are always there when I need them, and when I don’t. Especially my dad, beyond the respect I have for him, I can always tell that he worries about me working too hard, or training too much. He helps me stay sane, and that isn’t always easy.

 And then of course there is my sister. We haven’t always acted like it, but we love each other. One of Ellie’s friends said the other day that we are closer than most siblings. It’s so true. We are two of the biggest goofballs around, and we seriously sometimes think on the same wavelength. Besides that she is usually the one to come pick me up from Madison and bring me home, or drive me to a race. I am amazed at how much she willingly does for me, usually without even being asked. She is a college student just like me and sometimes I wonder how she has the time to help me out as much as she does. She is also trying to make it as a musician. She has the most amazing talent, not just with her voice, but in the way that she sings. Check her out on Youtube! Love you Ellie!

Then of course there is the extended family. On both sides of the family there is a lot of love. On my mom’s side there are the crazies, and I mean that in the best way. They are all so alive and full of love. I don’t see all of them a whole bunch, but when I do it’s like we saw each other the other day because we are just so comfortable. On my dad’s side of the family the story is much the same. They live all over the place so I don’t see them so much, and not nearly as much as I’d like to. But it is the same thing as with my mom’s side, every time we see each other it’s like we hang out every day. They are definitely not as crazy as the other side of family, but I definitely get my work ethic from that side of the family. All my aunts and uncles are busy people on that side and they set a good example of how to work hard, but still make time for those you love and for yourself. Love all you guys!

Then there are my friends. I’ve got a few different circles, but they all share something in common, they are all enthusiastic and extremely supportive. I’ve got my UW cycling friends. Talk about a fun and motivated group of people. I love training with them and racing with all of them. The entire atmosphere at the club is easy going and always playful. I’ve got my friends from Milwaukee too. Robotics friends from high school who are busy people like me, and understand and relate to those pressure I feel every once and a while. Plus they know how to have fun and relieve that stress.

Then finally there is my team, KS Energy Services/Team Wisconsin. I don’t want that to sound like I have to talk about them because although I would either way, it has become more than a team to me throughout the past year. It’s a support system, and a great group of friends that are all there to support one another. Obviously there are the sponsors, most of which are small to large business owners from around the region who love to ride and ride with us. Dennis from KS, Jason from MC2, and a new sponsor this year Brent from Emery’s bike shop along with Trek. It’s these companies that stick there neck out there for us to ride. They put their name on my chest for a reason and I’m proud to ride for them. I’d like to think that it’s a mutual respect because I know that I respect them beyond comprehension. For instance, I remember when I rode in the Make-a-Wish run as the pace rider with Dennis from KS Energy Services. I had a lot of fun riding and hanging out. I was even a little surprised at their speed. With how busy he is, he was still putting the hammer down. But beyond that we spent some time talking about life and things in general. In just a few minutes I learned so much about him and the lessons he has learned. Just invaluable things you can’t learn from a book.

But of course in addition to the sponsors, there are the riders and administration that make it all possible. The MTB boys and my Cat 3 squad are tight. I think we all agree that through racing together we have become great friends and that’s something I’ll cherish forever. Then there is Dave Eckel, the director/president/magician. He does it out of the love for the sport. I had a chance to hang out and talk with him this past weekend at Jingle Cross. He is a really cool guy who puts so much into the team. Again I am proud to ride for the team and Dave because I know that my success is their success and I love to honor that.

With the CX season starting to hit its final leg, I’m starting to look into next year. I’m hoping to do some big things next year, because it my last big shot at something special before I graduate. It’s all really cool and I couldn’t do it without the support of my team, my friends and my family.

Thank you all so much.

Jingle Cross Part 1: Just having fun

This past weekend was Jingle Cross Rock. For those of you who don’t follow cycling, Jingle Cross is a big international race held at the Iowa City county fairground every thanksgiving weekend. It’s a pretty big race and from what I’ve seen and heard, it’s a blast!

Dave Eckel, my team director and good friend suggested that I give it a shot, after many other had done the same. So I registered and packed up Wednesday morning for both Thanksgiving with the family and a weekend full of CX racing. I didn’t get done with work until around 8:30 and got home feeling really beat. I grabbed everything and drove home to Milwaukee with my sister and her friend. My sister came to Madison once again to pick me and I can’t even tell her how much that means to me. She is really awesome. But I got home and was about ready to fall asleep. I got the laundry going and fell asleep hanging out with my mom. The next morning I spent with my dad watching the packers making the Lions look silly. It was a really good time and it helped that the packers killed the lions.

After that we headed out to my aunt’s house for dinner. It was a nice little gathering, just my aunt, my uncle and my immediate family. My family is crazy. After talking with roommates about their Thanksgiving, I realize that they are not criminally insane or scary crazy like most families, but crazy still. But that’s a good thing. I love the time I spent with them. It’s never a dull moment and there is truly love in everything we say and do. It’s like hanging out with you best buds for Thanksgiving. Conversation ranged from funny to not so politically correct but still funny throughout dinner, then ended the night watching old concerts on TV while talking about much the same as we did during dinner.

It was an absolutely relaxing night and the exact thing I needed after what turned into a stressful week of exams, homework and then finally a long day at work. But it was all productive and that gave me a good feeling. I was relieved to lay my head down on the pillow after putting the final load of laundry in the washer Thursday night and get some rest.

That’s all for now. Writing this has given me the motivation to do my homework. I had better strike while the iron is hot.

State Champs

So like I said, state champs were this past weekend. There are a few reasons why this race is hard. The course last year was pretty tough. And from what I understand it’s been similar for a long time. The course has plenty of tight technical sections, but if I had to call out the most defining feature it is definitely the long straightaways. The fact of the matter is that riding across a grass field on a bike is hard. In addition to that, the fact that a jersey is on the line people seem to go harder. This is true from Cat 4 up to the P/1/2. There was an obvious absence of some of the big dogs from Wisco, but I’d like to think that the guys who took the top step could have given even Tristan or Brian a run for their money.

Really love the barrier section in Hales Corners

To start think off I missed my pedal. Something I was really hoping would go away since I switched to Shimano pedals, but besides missing my pedal on the start they are a million times better. That missed pedal got compounded with the two riders in front of me throwing some bows and pitching me back. Things opened up and I think I went into the first corner 10^th or so, no awesome as I like to start ahead of where I finish. But those first two laps were tough. I really would have liked to ride in the front group for a while and see how I measured up, especially because they seemed to be either playing games or not really much faster than I was. But by the time I had a shot to get to them, they were long gone and the gap was huge.

Lionel went back in forth for the first
half of the race

I ended up following Lionel’s wheel from lap 2 to about lap 4. I was able to ride with him, but I don’t think he was putting the full gas on. About half way though he passed and dropped me when I dabbed my foot down. The good news is that while we rode together we passed about 3-4 guys putting him in 6^th and myself in 7^th. Once he got away I had a hard time fully finding my rhythm until I noticed I was getting caught by a Magnus guy and my teammate Mark Norton. I did want to get caught so I focused on keeping the gaps and then tried to reverse it. But They caught me. I rode Mark’s wheel for a lap or 2 and after a little crash I got back around him while the Magnus guys was stuck back. I gassed it hard to open up a gap.

Once the gap was there I tried to maintain the pace. I remembered some breathing exercises that I had done during the week to help open up my chest. So I focused on riding hard and breathing deep. I was able to really pin it a lot harder than I thought I could and was able to hold off the chase. I finished 7^th behind Lionel and one spot out of the money. Solid race, but I really think I learned a lot about how my body work, so a little personal victory for me.

The short sand pit was long enough to
slow you down if you didn't ride the ruts
well. 

Next week I’ll be home for Thanksgiving before heading to Iowa for Jingle CX. This will be the biggest race I’ve done on a cross bike, and I think I have a solid shot at a win in the 2/3 field. That is if I don’t die from overeating Thursday night.

Collegiate CX and State Champs

Not much in the way of biking has been going on around here in the last few weeks. I kind of thought about it and realized I haven’t ridden my bike for training in about 3 weeks. That’s not to say I’m completely off the bike, but nothing with any intensity. Basically I need to get to work. I think the hardest I’ve gone was those few days when I was almost late to work…almost.

I was thinking that it might be dumb to write about what I’ve really been doing because it’s been school. But I guess I don’t really know what boring to read about because I read textbooks for fun. In any event, that’s what I’ve been up to, school. Like I said before, I’ve been working really hard and it doesn’t seem to get any easier. I don’t seem to understand things much better. I have been relaxing a little more though. But I think that’s just the way I’m wired. I work well under pressure. In fact I think I need that pressure to push me to excel. The good news is that I’m starting to find some joy in school and learning again. Reminds me of when I was younger. I used to be so fascinated by everything and I’m getting that back. I’d like to say that I understand everything, but I think it’s more fun when you don’t.

So I’ve been studying my ass off during the week and the last two weeks I’ve been bashing my head in racing. Two weekends ago was the UW-Madison CX race. It was a huge hit as people loved the course and it was really well run thanks to the awesome volunteers and the leadership of Papa Grady. My race however didn’t go as planned. I was really hoping to dominate. Ok, maybe not dominate, but I think I had a win in my legs. But with all the running around and running the race, I didn’t eat much. With 2 laps to go I had a minute gap back to 2^nd. I was feeling awesome and I was dominating. But I bonked, hard. Everything went numb and my vision went bad. I could barely see where I was going. My teammate caught me and got the win. The gap was reversed, but I was able to hold off for second. Tough way to lose, but lesson learned.

The next day was the Silver Lake Boarder Battle. My team KS Energy Services/ Team Wisconsin was putting it on so I skipped the collegiate race in Ripon to show my support. It sounded like the Ripon course was awesome, but so was the Silver Lake course. I had a decent race, things settled out pretty quickly. I filed in for 5^th and was caught mid-way through the race by the two behind me. I couldn’t hold on and finished 7^th. Not a bad finish against a solid field. Overall, I was satisfied with the weekend.

Maybe sometime this week I’ll write about the State Champs, but overall it was really fun. I certainly learned a lot and had a pretty good race. I would have liked to finish up with the leaders more, but I was just off the pace back in 7^th.

Back to homework, these lab reports won’t write themselves. Or can they? Hum, maybe I should work on that instead of the reports.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

After nationals I took some time to relax and come back down to earth after a long time up in the clouds pretending I was a bike racer. I had a chance to add up my races that I’ve done and I have done 54 races since late February. I don’t really have a good handle on how many is a lot but I feel like this is close. Plus to add on to that I’m still looking forward to CX this winter. But then there is a problem.

Last week I tried to get back into training, it didn’t happen. I’d like to say that I don’t know why, but that’s a lie. I know exactly why. I think I’m tired, I think I need more than a week off. Stack on top of that the fact that school is seriously getting harder and harder each day, The time to ride is just drifting away. The next step for me is to wonder if that is a problem. I still love to ride my bike, don’t get me wrong. That’s the funny thing. All I want to do is ride my bike until I get the chance to, then I find something else to do. I feel strange not training. But it’s not a bad strange, it’s sort of content. But like I said, school is getting harder and harder, or I’m getting dumber. Both are possible.

During the early part of the semester I didn’t study all that much. I spent most of my time just doing the bare minimum on homework and showing up to class. So it made sense when things didn’t always make sense and there were little parts of the material I didn’t fully understand. But in the past 2 weeks I have been studying. I have been doing most of the assigned reading. Not only am I doing the homework, but I’m doing extra problems. So you would think that my grades would improve and the test would be easier; but nope. So I guess I’m saying I’m a little frustrated with it right now. I feel like I was moving through school at a gentle walking pace before, but now that I’m trying to run there is a brick wall in front of me; I’m spinning my wheels if you will. I guess I’ll keep on keeping on and hope that it just takes time for me to catch up and feel like I’m on top of things. Because I still feel like I’m behind.

On top of that, my phone died. Not the end of the world I know, but it’s kind of sucky when you’re social life slows to a crawl when everything else in life gets tougher.

But now I will take some time to reflect. First of all, to reflect on what I’ve written so far. This post wasn’t supposed to be about how tough things are and just me complaining about it all. But rereading it, I think that’s what it is, at least so far.

So what is the lesson in all this? That is after all, what I started this blog to do. I wanted to learn about myself and training by writing things down. I think the lesson is that It is important to remember that we are all human. That there is only so much we can do. And when we put our heart and soul into something we can accomplish some pretty awesome things. But it all cost something. We have to take that into account to make sure that we still enjoy the hard work. And that sometimes we need to take breaks from our focus and spice things up.

About now is the is the time where I would look around the internet for sweet racing pictures, but I didn’t race. So here is a sweet picture of me not racing.

Thanks for reading!

Trance Mix November 2011

Ah, its seems like it's been a while since I've posted. Life really slows down when you're not training and racing all over the place. I've spent the time off listening and mixing. I was a little sad from not riding, but nothing a little uplifting trance can't fix. Seriously, this shit is so fucking uplifting. Hope you enjoy listening to it, I know I enjoyed making it!.

Saturday at nationals: HTFU

After some success on the previous day I headed back to the room and began recovering. I knew that one of the big issues with altitude was recovering so I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could. I took a warm shower, gave myself a leg massage and put on compression socks. Then I ate a big meal and of course I drank a lot of water. Skip and I did our laundry and prepared for the next day.

The short track course was pretty fun. I woke up early enough to watch the D1 women run their race. It started in the same spot as the XC course and instead of going into the woods for the single track, it kept going up into a pump track that was built into the side of the hill. It just kept going up from there. It was punctuated by a steep little hairpin at the top, then a fast and fun downhill back to the start; simple but effective. I did three warm up laps before heading to start chute for my call up.

I got the same spot on the front row, right where the mud was thick and deep. Same bad start, so I had to fight back from that when the gun went off. I was able to keep good position through the first corner, but once we hit the hill I was completely dead. I can’t describe it any other way, I was completely drained. I started breathing really heavy, but it didn’t matter how many deep breaths I took, I just couldn’t get on top of it. I struggled on the first two laps. Then on the third lap, I started to feel a little better. As if I needed extra motivation, I was told that I was going to get pulled at the end of that lap. Holy crap! I put the hammer down. Not hard though. I gently set the hammer down on a soft surface.

I was pulled after completing only three laps. Ouch, my pride hurts.

Overall I was completely disappointed with my performance. I know there were people who did worse than I did, and I should be proud of my accomplishments. But I was really hoping for more. This was the big goal for the year, the big race that all the hard work boiled down to. I had some great results this year, but it’s disappointing to miss out on the big one. Ended up 48^th in the short track

After flying home and taking some deep breaths (not really, I stayed up all Sunday night finishing homework) I took the time to read some of the race reports and watch some videos. If you look at the results, the top spots were all schools from altitude. In all the post-race interviews, the question came up, do you think altitude played a big role in the racing? The answer in all cases was not really, or maybe a little, it’s not a big deal. I’m sure there were other factors, but I think it is completely the opposite. I think altitude played a huge role. Definitely in the STXC, but still in the XC race. Racers who live and train at altitude have a huge advantage, both at and not at altitude. Again, I’m sure there are other factors, but I think altitude plays a big role. Having said that, is there anything that can be done about it? No, nothing at all. I just have to hope that what the mountain schools gain in fitness, I gain in mental fortitude. I just have to hope that I’m tougher than they could ever be.

And I think there is something to that. If you didn’t read Tristan Schouten’s last blog about the Colorado races, you should probably do that right meow. http://tristanschouten.blogspot.com/2011/11/say-what.html

Tristan is a shining example of the kind of racer that lives in the Midwest. I have looked up to him for a while now, but in the past few months of the CX season, he has really been showing his stuff. He shows that you can work, go to school, whatever it is that you do and still kill it out there against those lucky few who are able to focus on cycling full, or nearly full time. Plus he does this all with a cool head about him. He gets by on just being tough. I think we can all take something from that. Take a page out of Tristan’s book. Don’t worry about what other people have, don’t have, or how you are at a disadvantage, just go out there and let it rip. And don’t forget to be thankful for what you do have, and the people who support you.

Well, thank for reading. That’s all for now. I’ll be taking some time off, but not much. I’ll be out racing CX in the next few weeks, just getting some fitness and bike time in. Look for me out at some WCA cross races; maybe some bigger races like Jingle cross too. But the next big goal is CX nats. Again, big thanks to those who support me. Every text, tweet, and message helps. Huge thanks to my Dad, he’s a man of few words, but each one is incredibly powerful. Also my mom and her most frequent baking ingredient, love. She just gave me a huge batch of cookies. Probably shouldn’t eat them all, but they are just so damn good. 

Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals: Thursday/Friday and the XC race

First off, take a deep breath, I know I am. The year is by no means over, but MTB nats was the big target so the rest is just for fun.

Now how did it go? That’s a loaded question. I really do have mixed feeling about it. I’m finding that there is a difference between having something to be proud of, and being satisfied with your results. I suppose I should tell the story and let everyone else be the judge. But for now I’m going to take some time off the bike and starting thinking about how I can improve.

It all started on a wonderful Wednesday night in Madison, the whole town is filled with anticipation, because Halloween was just around the corner. I was feeling anxiety, nervous about getting class work done, in time to have my mind free to focus on tearing legs off in New Mexico. Wednesday night was busy, packing and homework just trying to get it all done after coming home from work. Then I had the choice of weather to sleep for a few hours or just tough it out and finish cleaning dishes and my room. I opted for sleep. Skip and I boarded the 4am bus to Chicago that left from Madison’s memorial union Thursday morning. We began what was for me the longest day of travel save maybe the day I had a layover in Kansas a few years ago. We got to the resort and checked in, then headed out for a quick lap around the XC course. Lots of climbing and lots of mud, can you say suffer fest?

Without any real understanding of what the altitude might do to my body I wasn’t sure what to expect. I got a decent night’s sleep and woke up in the morning feeling pretty good. I went out and watched a little of the women racing and then started to get ready for my race. Things were still frozen from the night during the women’s race, but everything was nice and sloppy for the men’s D1 start.

I had a front row call up from being the MWCCC D1 champion. This was good because I really needed it. In hind sight though I would have rather been second row behind Rotem, because where I started there was a bunch of thick mud. That is not the ideal starting spot. I was able to get a decent start though, and went out top 15 around the starting loop. I got hit by another rider and had to dismount on the first climb, and as a result had to really gun it to stay up front. This put me into the red more than I wanted, but this was to be expected on the starting line. But once we hit the climb, I really felt like shit. We hit the thick mud and I couldn’t pedal. As other started to dismount and run I was left behind the lead group. It wasn’t until about halfway up the mountain that I started to feel back within myself. By then the top 10 was long gone, and I had walked about a mile up a mountain. The entire frist 2-3 miles were completely up hill. I don’t think there was a single section that went down until you got to the top. Most corners were tight switchbacks and as the day went on they all became impossible to ride.

On the plus side, I was able to start making some big passes. I passed about 5 or 6 guys on the first lap after getting shot to the back. Once we hit the top I had made all the passes I needed and the way down was all clear. I think I made one pass on the way down, but made up probably a minute on the guys in front of me. When we hit the bottom I was feeling better and made another 5 or 10 passes including Cody and Josh, 2 big rivals from the MWCCC. They seemed to be having mechanical issues. My second lap I felt pretty quick, but the course was really beat up from all the mud. I made a few passes on the way up and held off a few guys until the downhill where I had an advantage over most.

The first section that went down was this huge open double track section. The mud ruts were pretty deep, but if you stayed in the track you could really rail it. Most people didn’t so I was catching people left and right on this section. Right before it made a tight right corner into the woods; there were a few mud puddles and big ruts. On the second lap I hit the deck hard after my front wheel came out from me by getting pulled with a rut. I hit the ground really hard but I got right back up and started pedaling. After a few seconds back on the bike, my wrist and arm started hurting. I was worried that I broke something, but kept going. Turns out it was fine and I finished up the lap by catching a few more down the mountain.

The third lap was just impossible. The course was completely torn up. I walked up the entire way until maybe the last half mile when the snow was still frozen. I cannot tell you how good it felt to see the top for that third time. I was at that race to place well, but I’ll tell you that it turned into survival really quick. Just knowing I was going to finish was assuring. But it just wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t crash again. Same place, same reason, same pain as I hit the ground but with a little extra derp. The good news was that I knew exactly where to find my bike afterwards. After fishing it out of the ditch, I headed down the hill and made a few more passes. Ended up 24^th for my first National championship race ever. I was hoping for something better, but looking back I don’t know how real my expectations were.

In the interest of getting some homework done and not boring everyone to death, I end this post here. More on the Short Track race and the rest of the weekend later. I do want to thank everyone who sent me texts and twitter good luck wishes. It was awesome to see how many people were rooting for me. And as always, thanks for reading!

https://www.usacycling.org/gallery3/main.php?album=MTB/2011-USA-Cycling-Collegiate-MTB-National-Championships

Ok, I might be a Bro

This is just a little mix I did for training, but it made me realize that I listen to a lot of house music. I guess I'll have to start pumping my fist more. Let me know what you think and enjoy!

Track List:
One Last Ride - John Dahlback
Levels - Avicii
Eagles - Sander van Doorn & Adrian Lux
Calling (Instrumental Mix) - Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso
Pressure - (Alesso Remix) - Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji

Back in the Groove

The last week has been pretty tough. I’ve had a lot of homework and things to do around the house. Now I don’t like to complain, but things were just piling up and I was having the most difficult time getting them done. In the aftermath of regionals, I was pretty tired. As the days went on I began to realize just how tired. Nothing I did seemed to help. I was getting tons of sleep, eating plenty, recovery riding, you name it I was doing it. But nothing could get me out of the rut I was in both mentally and physically.

After a recovery ride on Monday, I decided to just take it easy, focus on getting homework done and get my head back in the right place. Tuesday and Wednesday were just hard days. I had a tough time getting out of bed even. But I pushed on to at least get my homework done. That was good for me. I got my homework done and actually enjoyed it a little. But having nothing to do on a Thursday night? That was truly special. I completely chilled and went to bed without any worries. Friday was similar, just chilled and got to bed super early. Mentally I just needed a little break.

On Friday I got the cross bike working and headed out to Olin park with some buddies to practice some barriers. It was a good time, but I realized just how out of cross shape I had become. This year I was able to get into really good shape for MTBs, but completely lost all running muscles. Seriously, I couldn’t run, not even a little bit. It was a lot of fun though, and after a few barrier runs I got the feel back for the barriers, almost like I had never left.

Saturday was the annual apple cider ride with the UW club. I have missed this ride every year since freshman year, due to races or other things, but not this year. I skipped the cross race on Saturday to ride out to an apple orchard near devils lake and stuff my face. The morning began much like the week did. I just didn’t feel good at all and couldn’t get my heart going. I was holding the groups pace, but I felt really dead. I suffered for 65 miles to get that apple pie, and man I felt like I really deserved it.

And seriously, that’s what I did. I bought an entire apple pie, no more, no less. It was simply delicious. Sugary and awesome, I ate about half of it before I thought of stopping. I packed it away in my jersey pocket and we headed home. The 45 miles back were less torturous. We rode to a ferry about 5 miles away and rode that across the Wisconsin River. It gave me a shot to stop and really look at the amazing landscape in that part of the state. I wish I had some pictures.

After we got off the ferry, something amazing happened. All that crap and heavy feeling in my legs just started to go away. I don’t know if it was the apples, the fresh air, or the company. But something about that ride was exactly what I needed. That is without a doubt the weirdest feeling I have ever had. I felt way better at the end of that 100+ mile ride than I did at the start. I guess the lesson is that I still need to figure this bike thing out. Just when I thought I had a handle on training, curve ball, but not in a bad way.

So with this new found motivation and legs I raced in the Sun Prairie CX race today. I really like the course they have. It was awesome last year, and the park has some really neat features. I have to say that I didn’t like the course as much this year as last year, but it was still a cool course. It was a tough race though. Brian Matter was there so the pace was quick right off the bat. I knew it was going to hurt, and that is exactly what it did. It was good though. I was able to dig deep, and suffer. That’s always a sign that I’m feeling rested. And I think I ended up 7^th or 8^th, not bad for the first time on the cross bike this year. Hopefully after MTB nats and a little time off the bike, I’ll be back racing cross like a champ. The big goal this year is MTB nats, but I’d really like to have a solid cross season, or at least what’s left of it.

Skip and I leave next Thursday, early for New Mexico. I'm really excited to be racing and I think I’ve got something to show for all my hard effort this year. I’m shooting for a top 10 in the D1 men’s race. If all goes according to plan, it’s going to hurt, but I will do it. That’s all for now!

This week in music

Great remix of a song I've never heard of. Melodic, catchy, calming. I get a feeling of nostalgia, reliving the past one last time. Great track 

New club banger from Kaskade.  His new album drops in a few day, or weeks or something. Fire and Ice, should be amazing.

This is the other single off Kaskade's new album. It's a little slower, but the vocals are amazing! I'll be on the look out for some great remixes of this one.

Tiesto! Maximal Crazy, so much energy in this tune. I have been thinking that I wish Tiesto would get back to trance, but songs like this are too good to pass up.

As a rule I try not to post the same song more than once. I posted this on twitter and Facebook back a ways, but it is just too good not to post again. Ask my roommates, I can't stop humming this song. I seriously was dancing to it on the bike today. 

Collegiate Regionals: Taste of success

So this past weekend was the Midwest Collegiate regional TMB race, which was held at Nordic Mountain in the middle of the state. The weather was nice all weekend, save a touch colder than I was hoping for, but a nice reminder that fall is here. Its taken me a while to get this post written up because I have been so busy with school, mostly because I put off a lot of work coming into the weekend. But then again, I always do that.

Saturday was the Short track race, an event that I consider myself to struggle in a little. All season I would kill it in the XC but suffer in the STXC. I was a little worried about my form coming into the race because I was tired all week. Put that on top of being really nervous for a good performance, I just didn’t feel good coming in. The race started at 3:30 on Saturday, which was kinda nice because I had the chance to eat properly and wasn’t tired from not getting sleep. I did end up cheering all day for my teammates, I’m glad I did, but I was on my feet all day. While I don’t think this really hurt me, something to pay attention to. When the race started, I had to fight around the outside to get into the leading few from a second row start. Not too big of a deal. I think I lucked out because the pace was pretty easy and no one attacked from the gun. After lap one Taylor Ladd went off the front in his signature move. Nobody reacted. We all stayed calm, and just rode together. The lead group was pretty big, almost 10 people. We ticked off the laps, but about half way through I decided that Taylor was increasing his gap, so I went to the front and pushed the pace. I was able to get my own gap in the single track. This made everyone else have to put that little more effort into each lap. I thought this would wear them down.

With about 5 to go we caught Taylor and passed him. I was in the lead, something that never happens in STXC for me. I continued to push the pace. My plan was to attack on the last lap out of the single track and just go for the line. Unless someone attacked, in that case I just had to hope I could catch their wheel and pass them in the final few corners. Coming in for 1 to go, Cody stood up and started coming around me. Not really an attack, but I reacted. Just then Josh came around my other side and really attacked. I stood up to match but it just wasn’t there. Cody and Josh rode away. I pulled them back through the next lap, but couldn’t make contact. Josh got it, Cody in 2^nd. I was really happy to have such a good short track race. It showed me I was in good form, despite my worries. I would have liked the win, but I’ll take 3^rd in a STXC, because I knew I’d be better in the XC the next day.

The XC started a little earlier. We had to leave at 5:30 am to get the B’s and C’s riders there on time. My race went off at 11. This time I got a call up for a front row spot. It was nice, but I didn’t need it. The first hill was selective enough that you could get around people pretty easily. Still nice though. Don from WORS was there too, it was cool to have him announcing the race. Plus having his trademark starting style was fun. When we started up the hill Eric from Ripon just went for it. He didn’t quite get a gap, but he put me in the pain cave. It was Eric, Josh, Cody then I. I was hot on Cody’s tail through the first few sections, but just couldn’t ride my bike very well. A few dabs, and a few bad corners and I lost his wheel. From there it was just a matter of getting my head back in the game and pulling cody back. Turns out he was having a really good day. I couldn’t pull pass him, but we caught Josh in the process, then I got dropped. I was struggling to keep myself going, just didn’t feel smooth. But my legs felt ok. In hind sight, probably shouldn’t have had any drinks the night before, I always feel slow in the head the next day. Mistakes, what can you do but learn from them.  But, Cody ended up slamming his derailleur against a rock and had to pull out. I was in third. I was feeling pretty good by the 2^nd lap and thought I could catch Josh. I pushed on and started to pull him back. At the end of the third lap I caught him and sat on for a few moments. He let me by, I figured he was hurting. I was to, so I didn’t attack him. He sat on my wheel, and coming into lap 4 I dropped my chain into the spokes, FUCK! I didn’t panic, and started to pull it out. Josh got around me and so did a guy from UW-Platteville.

I got back on and started hunting the two down. Eric was long gone, but I knew that 2 laps was a long way. The Platteville guy was killing it. Passing me must have made him hungry, because I couldn’t close it up. I was even feeling smooth in the single track, but just couldn’t close it up.  Finally in the middle of the 5^th lap I started to see he getting closer. All of a sudden, he was right in front of me. I smelled blood, and attacked him, gave it everything I had. He was toast. I kept telling myself that he was right on my tail, to not slow up. I gave it all. He ended up about 1 minute back when it was all over. Coming into the final few sections I could see Eric in front of me. I figured that Josh had caught him and was a ways ahead. He had about 20 seconds on me. I put everything else I had left into catching him. The last few sections are very technical, where he had the advantage. I just couldn’t close it up. Another 3^rd.

It’s not all bad news though. I had made up a lot of time. Josh was the guy who won the cat 1 race at Subaru cup. He beat me by about 5 minutes on the same course. This time he only beat me by about 1 minute. That’s pretty awesome and huge improvement. I was also crowned the D1 individual Endurance champion! That’s also pretty cool. Josh probably deserved it more than I didn’t, he only had 4 races that counted outside of regionals, but I still take it. It gives me a front row start at nationals. I figure I’ll need it.

Well, now it’s just a matter of getting in some more training before nationals. I plan to take some rest too; I think my body needs it. But I want to get in a few days just to remind myself how to push it. Next Thursday I fly out to New Mexico and compete against some of the fastest people my age in the country. Should be a blast, Skip is coming with me. I getting really nervous, but luckily I have a lot of school work to get done so that keeping my mind off the stress. If you’re looking for a way to keep tabs on me for nationals I’ll be tweeting about it, @jhmaloney. Thanks for reading!

Universal Religion Chapter 5!

As you may know I listen to a lot of dance music. I first started listening to trance, and its still my favorite. Anyways one compilation that I have always loved was the Universal Religion series by Armin Van Buuren. Its always so captivating and uplifting, while catchy and exciting. You can always feel the crowds because they are in the background of the live recordings. Anyways, in honor of the new chapter, I made a little mix of my favorite songs from the previous 4. Hope you enjoy!

Track List:
1.As the Rush Comes (Armin van Buuren's Universal Religion Remix) - Motorcycle
2.The Timelord - Signum
3. Daydream - Markus Schulz Vs. Andy Moor
4. This Moment (Prog Mix) - Nic Chagall feat. Jonathan Mendelsohn
5. Tuvan (Gareth Emery Mix) - Gaia

Awesome results, but it's just the beginning.

This past weekend I had a difficult choice to make. I could drive down to Mizzou and race collegiate on some pretty awesome trails and get some collegiate racing in or I could race the WORS Wigwam race in Sheboygan. It was a tough choice, made even more difficult by the fun that was to be had in Mizzou. On the flip side the competition at WORS is so much better and I stood to gain about 160 points in the overall which could move me up considerably. In the end between competition, points, and the amazing Wigwam fans and course, I decided to race in Sheboygan.

It wasn’t all bad either. Saturday night I went out with some friends from high school and had a really awesome time. I got back a little later than I wanted to, but no big deal. I’d rather go to bed in a good mood than super early. That’s not to say I wasn’t really tired in them morning though. My dad woke me up 30 minutes before we were going to leave. Luckily everything was already in the car from when I drove home from Madison the night before.

I got to course in time for my dad’s sport race and the weather couldn’t have been any better. Seriously anyone who was there would agree. The fall colors were amazing, but it was almost warm for summer time, let alone fall. The course was also in amazing shape too. Some spots were a little dry and dusty, but I’m not complaining. Things got even warmer during my dad’s race too. But it was a lot of fun to watch him race. He has been putting more time into racing and riding this year and it’s fun to watch it pay off for him. As he was finishing up, I got ready and started my warm up. It was just a few 30 second sprints with about 20 minutes of spinning, but it was just right. Then I headed to the start line.

 

I got super lucky on the start. Everyone had a call up who was in front of me so I actually ended up on the 3^rd row right in the middle. I knew that the inside of the first turn would get crowded so when the race started I took it fast and got to the outside. It worked really well and I went through to hole shot banner like 15^th wheel. I was able to make a few passes before the single track started, but everyone in front of me was plenty fast enough. I did make a few passes in the second section as Scott Cole was behind me pushing me to go faster. I made those passes and actually left him behind and caught his Adventure 212 teammates Chris Peariso and Ryan Krayer. I filed in third wheel and started looking for passing lanes. I tried to pass on this off camber downhill, not the best idea I admit, and Ryan made sure I knew as he put me into the bushes a little bit. I was able to get him later in the lap, but only after Chris got away. I broke away from Ryan and ended up catching Dalas Fowler, a good friend, Kuhl Midwest rider and UW Alumni.

We battled back and forth on lap 2, 3 and 4. One lap he would attack and I was on the rivet, and the opposite would happen the next lap. But I was pretty content because we were riding well inside the top 10. I decided to take it a little easy on lap 4 because I knew I wasn’t going to just ride away from him, he’s just too strong. I saved my energy for the last lap and attacked him going into the single track. I got a very small gap, but most importantly had control of the pace. I started to really put the hammer down and push it. I stretched the gap out to about 5 seconds. I tried to snap the elastic but he was just a little too strong. I finally was able to get out of his sight on the climb after the river crossing and continued to push the pace until I went across the road into the riverside single track.

I was pretty confident I had him at this point. I ended up getting caught behind a comp rider in the single track. This made me nervous because I had the big advantage in this section. I admittedly was being a little bit of a dick trying to pass in this section, but all I could think of was Dalas catching me. I got just a little too close to the rider in front and crossed wheels, getting thrown over the bars. Without even thinking I grabbed my bike before the guy even knew I crashed and he let me by. I lost some time and Dalas could see me now. I just laid it all out there. Two big climbs and some single track left. Dalas had the advantage in the climbs, but I was faster in the technical stuff. I gave it everything I had on the first climb and found the strength to demolish the equalizer on my final lap. I continued pushing it. On my way down towards the lake I felt my heart rate spike and I knew I was going deep into the red. But I kept pushing. Finished up the lake section and got a little caught up in the sand. Coming into the final section, I took a look back as Dalas wasn't there. I took a deep breath and rolled in for 7^th place. HELL YEA!

This was a huge confidence booster going into collegiate regionals. Not only was it my best finish all season, but it was on a tough course with a stacked field. I also felt like I really laid it all out there, nothing left at the end. I played the tactics game just enough to give me an edge and gauged my effort perfectly. Overall it was an amazing race. I got to thank my Dad for being there, love to hear him cheering for me. Also Claire Cannon form the Trek Store of Madison and Team WORS. She works so hard and still offered to give me a hand up, which on lap 4 I really needed big time.

That was an awesome way to end the WORS season and good way to feel heading into two important races. Next up is collegiate regionals. Then there is a weekend of cross races in preparation for collegiate MTB nationals. The next month is going to be crazy, but I can’t wait!

Thanks for reading!

Songs to train to

So I am going to start posting song that I hear while training and working on HW. One of my favorite things to do is discover new music. I at one point had a thought of being a Dj, but now that is gone. This is close enough for me. Hopefully you enjoy the songs and if you really like one of them feel free to comment. If you have other song suggestions, stuff I should listen to, let me know as well. I will try to have one song from each day, or at least let you know which day I couldn't stop listening to it.

::::Wednesday:::

A very uplifting track, and a great remix. Admittedly the lyrics are incredibly catchy, so much so that its hard not to sing along. I love the line "So much pressure, so much heat. So much hustle, they want me."

:::Thursday:::

This is kind of a sad song. The original is really slow and sad though. Kaskade has been known for his amazing ability with vocals. This remix is no exception. Beyond that Skylar has an amazing voice and the tune is incredibly catchy.

This song is also actually kinda sad if you listen to the lyrics. I usually don't though. The song is just damn catchy, and the beat and melody just groove. It has electro, house, and trance vibes all up in there. This mixing of multiple genres has really been catching my eye lately. But saying that makes me sound like a hipster or something.

:::Friday:::

Uplifting, always from Above & Beyond. Their new album has a few similar tracks and they are all good. This one definitely has a good message too. When things get busy and you feel a little like you're going under, don't forget about a thing called love. Always puts me in a good mood.

Finally something (relatively) new from Tiesto. It's been a busy week. Training, working making that money, homework and class plus actually trying to sleep once in a while. I'm on this shit all week. This beats for all my freak, so line the shots up!

Have a good weekend!