Day Changer

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It was just one of those days. The sort of day that you wake up with something stuck in your thoughts and it carries with you all day. It started to make me grumpy, kinda sad, and get mad at myself. Nothing productive comes out of holding on to the thought, it just eats at you and sours your mood. Maybe I am a bit tired, I feel pretty pooped after work today.

Still I get on the Team GO kit and get on my bike. Since the Growler is said and done, I need to venture away from good ole Hartman Rocks and head out up Lost Canyon Road. A pretty steep MF of a climb, lets you know how you are really feeling. I feel good, but the climb makes me feel small, makes all my worries seem even smaller, silly small. Up and up slowly climbing into the aspens and dark timber, the grass is thick and green, the tiny creek trickles its flow. An elk bounds off into the timber. Bright bunches of flowers popping up everywhere.

After the steady long climb I turn onto the ever ghosty Colorado Trail Spur. Very few had laid tread onto this bit of trail yet this year and it is over grown, vague and lumpy with a few patches of snow still lingering in the dark pines. Trying to surf my bike through one patch of snow I go over the bars of my bike and by some miracle I manage to get onto my feet, only to have my tumbling bicycle smack me in the elbow. Yeee-ouch! Would have been very funny to watch, I laugh aloud as I rub my arm, imagining how my face must have looked. On and on I ride, following vague old trails and almost forgotten dirt roads and farther and farther my troubles seem to be.

The view from atop Signal Mesa is quite outstanding. Setting sunlight and alternating shadows define the sage covered hills that stretch out for mile after rolling mile as the hills ascend up into the dark craggy rock and snow covered peaks. The sky fades into a pale pink in the north and east as the last golden rays of sun slide over the West Elks. Simply Stunning!

Tonight I am riding well, the bike feels weightless as I rock the handlebars, hammering up and down the hills. It feels so good to push my pace, to feel the blood powering my mind forward. Each heartbeat leaving me feeling cleansed of my day’s negative thoughts. With the sunset setting the peaks a glow, with such timeless magnificence surrounding me on all sides, it is hard to believe I was making myself crazy over something like the lack of money in my life, Thank You Universe, Thank You.ImageImageImageImageImage

Post Race-ness

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For over a decade I have been participating in some big bike races, my first was a 24 hour solo back in 2002. I have also been on a gluten, dairy, soy, nut, egg free diet for about 13 years. The thing is after a race, I let down my guard and eat, drink and be merry. I have thought about it a lot and after doing an event that takes everything you have, that fills every cell with adrenaline, joy, pain it is hard to just come down and settle back into day to day drudgery. Therefor I eat delicious naughty food, drink too much coffee, and beer, to keep the full feeling going as long as possible.

The problem is that I then recover so slow, bogging down my poor body with food that I can’t digest, fluids that don’t get me ready for the next race. I have been able to overcome this with my tenacity and bull headed-ness, but I am getting older and it ain’t so easy to power through the obstacles as it has been. Plus I am not done. I keep thinking I will give up racing, torturing myself with uber long days upon days of riding, but I just love it. Here tired and sore from the Growler yesterday I am brimming with desire for my next race, 24 Hour Nationals, in less than three weeks. I really truly love this stuff, pretty sure I want to do it for a long time to come and want to keep doing it at the limits of my ability.

That all said I ate nothing I shouldn’t have eaten, I didn’t drink any beer, I am only having one cup of coffee this morning. I am going to work on my bike and go for a short spin today. I am going to stretch and sooth my body so I can get some more training in before heading to Gallup for 24 hours of as many miles as I can muster. And all this makes me feel so happy! I normally don’t want to stop the debauchery of eating and drinking, right now I am loving this focus and desire. Shall see where it takes me, can’t wait.

2013 Gunnison Growler

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The Growler is a special little race. First it happens here in Gunnison Colorado my home. Second it occurs on the BLM land known as Hartman Rocks, which is full of lots of flowy singletrack, hard and easy rock moves and incredible views. Third it is staffed with tons of super nice folks that really want you to have a good time and race your bike. Plus it is hard, real hard. Finishing the Growler is a feat, doing well takes experience, skill, fitness and good luck, lots of good luck.

This was my second attempt to race the Growler, I raced last year, sort of on a whim and it floored me pretty good. I wanted to give it a bit more focus and try going faster, kinda what racing is all about, challenging yourself to be better, smarter, faster. Well life is what it is and despite trying really hard to stay on top of doing lots of core work and stretching this winter and early spring, I struggled with a tight back and dead legs.  I did the 12 Hours Of Mesa Verde 2 weeks ago and it was apparent that I wasn’t as strong as my mind wanted to be. But I am able to push past discomfort and did well anyways, but that effort kicked my butt. I tend to recover slow and didn’t feel too strong all the next week. Then this past weekend I went out and rode 85 miles of mostly the Growler course in three days. It cooked me.This past week leading up to the race I was tight, sore and scared. Man I am a dumb ass sometimes!

Well time flew on by and suddenly it was Growler weekend, a busy little time for Gunny. On Saturday we got slammed at Rock N Roll with last minute repairs, food items and the usual weekend traffic. Funny how when you are doing three things at once you always get those awful automated phone calls, “Come on I am Working!” or folks asking a million questions about some used bike they know nothing about. I survived, got off work, bought food, picked up my registration, walked the dogs, ate dinner was about to hit the shower when I realized that I hadn’t gone for an easy spin. So at 9:45 I headed out with my lights for a quick 30 minute road cruise. The moon was full, the air cool and clean, ahhh just love bike riding!

Got up at the crack of dawn, ate, walked the dogs, loaded up my bottles and headed downtown for the 7:AM start. My head filled with wonder about what the day was going to look like, would I cramp, would it hurt the whole time, could I really get two laps in 6 hours? Well there is only one way to answer these questions, GO Ride!

After the gun goes off it is a crazy roll out to the base area with 350 other riders, it is fun and kinda scarey. Up KilI Hill with all those folks packed into one and a half lanes of steep dirt road. People are spinning out, singlespeeders are grinding their way up, I feel the excitement and begin to pass and pass and pass. Run from the wolves and chase the rabbits is my race motto. Try not to get passed and chase everyone in front, or at least try.

The thing is that no matter how much it hurts, I just love riding and racing bikes, year after year, race after race, I still find myself in love with what I am doing. It isn’t so easy to keep that perspective in your head, you got to remind yourself to smile, to hit a jump here and there and holler! Because there is a fine line between focusing too much on performance and still having fun. Today the balance was perfect. I was happy as can be and racing my ass off. It feels so damn good to set a goal and do it! Was hoping to make it around twice in 6 hours, managed 5:47, so stoked!

Bottomless thank you’s to Rhett Griggs for getting Team Griggs Orthopedics together, so much fun racing and hanging with all those awesome folks.Thanks to all the other sponsors for our making our team possible, Stans No Tubes, CBMR, Rock N Roll Sports, Pearl Izumi, Pike Construction, The Elk Mountain Lodge, Go To Guide, Acli-Mate, Sram, Squirt, Rudy Project, Chuck’s Glass and High Mountain Concepts. Also to Gunnison Trails for putting on such a great event and bringing such a good group of folks to our community. The Growler is actually the primary fundraiser for Gunnison Trails, whose mission is to build, maintain and improve trail opportunities in the Gunnison Valley, support the trails!

Fear and Loathing in Your Own Head

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easy sounds kinda boring

easy sounds kinda boring

How many of us have ourselves as our worst enemy. Way too often I find myself seeing better paths ahead and still manage to not take them. Completely aware that I am doing just that, not making the change for the better, not taking the initiative, not making myself a winner. Then I berate myself with belittlements over and over, “what a wuss, why can’t you just say no, why can’t you just go to bed earlier, why can’t I get up earlier and train more” on and on.

Then there is the inability to dispel doubt from my mind, instead failing to believe in what I can do, taking it all apart, chopping down thy own tree. What if, I wonder, what if I did make those little changes and began to push myself forth with confidence and courage? What could I then achieve? I wonder if I will ever know the answers as I am damnably human and keep locating the traps below my feet. Keep making the same mistakes that have been noted to be just that. mistakes.

Not to be monotonous but my challenges almost always come back to pushing myself, mentally, physically, spiritually to be a better athlete. Sure I do want to be a better person, and better employee, a genuine positive member of society. Simply I want to kick some more ass, really. Year after year I compete in events and see my potential to be so much more, if only I could….There is the hitch. If only I could what, wish upon a star? I do try, I take the knowledge and attempt to focus and train harder, smarter, longer, shorter. I lose my grip, I fall off the wagon, the focus gets fuzzy. I do this year’s event and realize I fell short on my desires again.

Yet over time you just can’t help but learn a few things. I have learned about eating, hydration, pacing all that stuff. But most of what I have learned and been able to put into regular practice, is simply, getting it done. Being able to suffer, suck it up realize that this is nothing and I Can Do IT. Sure I am always so acutely aware of how very human I am when it hurts so much, but that doesn’t mean jack shit if you try hard enough. We weak piddly little things can do some down right amazing things, not just with our bodies and minds, but with our souls.

So today I went out to ride the 2nd Lap of the Gunnison Growler, it has a bit harder start with more techy singletrack than the first lap of the 64 miler. I started tired, sore from yesterday’s lap 1. My back locked up right away, my legs screamed with complaints. It was hard, I didn’t quite go as fast as I wanted, but I also caught a glimpse of what I could do out there. It has nothing to do with listening to my pesky nagging doubts, to instead embrace the pain as my payment for having such the wonderful luxury of racing my bike. Not to back down when it hurts, to not pay mind to when aches rise up, but look forward to the experience. Never give up, don’t stop believing in yourself, never stop trying. And of course smile and smile through all those wonderful turns and rock hopping goodness.

Growler Lap

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 It was raining, huge dark clouds were everywhere around us. Full on walls of purple thunder were dragging along the hills. But we still headed out. We had to curl on back to get Sam more clothes and stop to get more air in his front tire. Even wide open and sitting on the side of the pavement somehow the rain didn’t open up,  just peppered and threw graupel at us. Determination was strong as we were heading out to throw down a quick Growler Lap. The race is a week away and it is hard nor to get caught up with the nervous energy and fear of that many miles of pretty tough riding, with 300+ other folks.

Having just suffered through the 12 Hours Of Mesa Verde with a sore tight back that lead to some post race dead legs, I just am not sure what to expect in the Growler. Plus all excited and wanting to do another lap race, I signed up for the 24 Hour Nationals, at the 24 Hours of Enchanted Forrest, only 4 weeks away. Sometimes when I calm down I wonder what sort of fool bites off way more than he can chew. But I am me and I have to keep up my end of the bargain by living and trying. Yet what is wrong with me? I can deal with a good bit of discomfort and pain, but I am more than a little scared about all this.

The best way to deal, is go for a bike ride. Sometimes a sort of fast bike ride, and that was what happened today. After the awful grind up Kill Hill, I opened it up a bit on Main Street, and Josho’s. It felt good. Pushing the pace, cranking the pedals. Sam was wondering what the hell was I up to…he wanted to go sub race pace, yet he hung on my wheel so I just kept cranking.

Soon I backed off and let the pace ebb and flow a bit more, still cranking it hard at times to keep myself feeling honest. I even stopped to let us eat and talk with normal breathing. Today I felt smooth and quick, what we like to call being a Trail Ninja! It is such a temporary condition and needs to be enjoyed while it lasts. Oh it was fun. Being the excitable boy that I am I was unable to control myself towards the end of the ride and pushed Sam a touch too far. He was cooked by the climb up Ridgeline Trail and ate it a couple times on the tough tricky techy ascent. Sorry Sam, but when you got it you got to use it!

I am still plenty scared of the upcoming events, one after another, all hard. But the truth is I love riding bikes, I love riding bikes as fast as I can on all kinds of trails. I enjoy the competition and comradery of bike racing. Fear tempers my approach, but does not dim my enthusiasm. Today while my legs screamed up the climbs, my back sent angry messages to my brain, I grinned ear to ear as my tires carved the turns and hopped the rocks. Even freezing in the wind and rain I was aware of how lucky I am to have the predicament that I have. Thank you universe for letting me get through all the BS I once held so dear and to be at this point in my life.

12 Hours of Mesa Verde

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If you haven’t ridden Phil’s World outside of Cortez Colorado, you need to get your butt down there and ride! I had the pleasure of being down there this past weekend for the 12 hours of Mesa Verde, my first race of the year and my first solo lap race in 7 years. The place is amazing. Folks with pure trail genius oozing out of their pores built the smoothest, fastest corners I think I have ever ridden, utilizing the terrain to its blissful trail riding potential. The event is also smooth and tight.

Having not yet raced this year, or put in too many long rides, or that many rides at all, I went into the race a bit nervous about my fitness, but mostly worried about my bum and my back. Was I ready for 12 hours of riding, of riding all singletrack, would I curl up and want to cry, would I blow up and look the fool? Would my Sram XX1 keep delivering the goods or make me walk. Well one can wonder their life away or go out and live it, right? This was also my first time racing for my team, Griggs Orthopedics, Team GO,and I wanted even more to do my best.

Before I know it I am standing in a crowd of hundreds of bikers, the gun goes off and we begin the long day with a jog to our bikes. I go slow on the run and end up bottle-necked and in the back of the pack. I bide my time and take it easy on the first lap, forgetting that the key to lap racing is pass pass pass. By the second lap I feel warmed up and begin to crank the throttle, even as my back begins to throb and fill with knots. Grin and bear it, I tell myself, grin and bear it. From here I simply want to keep the rubber side down and aim for 1:30 laps. Chase the rabbits and run from the wolves to keep the pace from falling off. Oh My does it hurt.

Somehow I simply let the pain be and keep the pedals spinning, and if you keep the pedals spinning you will get there. I keep eating, drinking and pedaling through intense sun, a bit of refreshing rain. I do terrible math all day trying to figure out where I need to be to get my desired 8 laps. I do the math over and over, not that I could go any faster if I wanted, but it gives the old noggin something to do besides focus on the discomfort taking over my body. I manage to get through the lap tent before 6:pm and have the chance to hit my goal, 8 laps! Through out the day my team does a great job of keeping me hydrated, plenty of Squirt on my chain and lifting my spirits, thus I am ready for one more.

Although it hurts, I almost don’t want it to end, the course is just that fun to ride. Even after hundreds of wheels and being exhausted I can still rail the corners with lots of speed, corner after corner just begs you to lean into it and trust it. After 12:30+ hours of riding I am cooked, sunburnt, tight and beat up, but so damn happy. It was not a perfect race, not even close. There is something magical about pushing yourself, with a goal in mind and the willingness to do it, to suffer for it and to pull it off is irreplaceable. It was so hard, it hurt a whole lot, but there is nothing I would have rather been doing this weekend. All day I had no idea where I was in the standings, come to find out I pulled off 5th place and got to stand up on the podium, I just can’t stop smiling!!

Huge thanks to the event organizers, the volunteers out there all day, my awesome fellow racers on Team GO, Dr. Rhett Griggs for making this team happen, Jari for the ride down, Miff for watching JBoy, DaveMoe for letting us leave for the weekend and all the wonderful folks out there racing their bikes with me. It was a great weekend!