10,000 Feet Later

I have a tendency to get really creative, and stupid, when planning my long rides here in Denver. The process is pretty straight forward: upload a route to Google Earth that I've ridden before, then add or deviate slightly from that route to create a new and exciting ride. Below is the route that I decided to use as a base for today's ride...kind of...
After a great day of training yesterday, an interval run and speed work in the water, I was feeling especially ambitious last night in the planning of today's route. I decided that I would ride from my place in central Denver through Evergreen, up Squaw Pass and to Echo Lake. Echo Lake is right after the turnoff to the highest paved point in North America, Mt Evans, so this would be the perfect ride to see if riding up Mt Evans and back was actually feasible...it's not...

The climb up Squaw pass is a grueling 15 miles that starts at 7,800 feet and peaks at 11,202 (according to my Garmin). The pass itself is a tough endeavor, not to mention the 30 miles getting to the climb and the 30 miles home. Now top that off with being stupid and you have yourself a nice little Thursday ride.

As I climb through Evergreen toward Squaw Pass I know that nutrition is critical on a ride like this. Hammering down a good amount of calories and a lot of fluids is key to staying safe, sane, and upright. Today I'm having trouble with my nutrition, my Inifinit isn't playing nice with my stomach and, well, I'm just being dumb. I run out of water 8 miles from Echo Lake, too far to make it to the lake (there's a restaurant/gift shop right before the lake) and too far from Evergreen for a refill. Luckily, there is a ski resort about 7miles from Echo lake called, appropriately enough, Echo Mountain. There is no summer operations at this resort, but I am betting that there is going to be a place to fill up water. Naturally, it isn't as easy as pulling into a parking lot, topping off, and heading out. Nope. Instead I'm greeted with open arms by a steeply graded dirt road who is egging me on, "I see that you are extremely tired, kind of shaky, and not really riding straight, why don't you ride down my made-for-a-4x4-truck, loose and rocky terrain? Oh, and watch out for the potholes and deep sand." Seriously!? I'm the dumb one after all. A few grave moments on the dirt give way to one glorious event, an open bathroom door with an endless supply of tap water! Not gonna lie, I was getting pretty scared.

I ride at my limit up that dirt road to avoid walking/falling and then it's clear, I'm going to make it to Echo Lake. Now there's that old saying in the mountain climbing world, getting to the top is only halfway there. In the case of Echo Lake you have to ascend about 1,000 feet to get to the top of Squaw pass before the downhill starts. The legs burn, and I'm not talking about that good burn, but the thought of 15miles of downhill make another 1,000 feet of climbing not too big of an obstacle.

The ride back is going really well, and very fast, until I hit the edge of Denver. Today the forecast for Denver calls for temps in the low 100s and at about 2pm, it's hot. The perfect weather of the upper 70s at Squaw pass is 80s in Evergreen and then 90s in Denver. I am greeted by Satan at each stoplight as he lights a fire under my ass just to make sure that my sweat rate is purely ridiculous. Extremely depleted, hungry, thirsty, and lightheaded I am happy to be finished. The time has come, after 100+ miles of riding and 10,000 feet of climbing, to relax and refuel in the comfort of my climate controlled apartment. Wait, the A/C at our place is broke? 97 degrees outside when I finish the ride, 90 degrees inside...Fuck.

As for the ride to the top of Mt Evans and back...it's not possible if I ride like I did today. With proper nutrition, my road bike (I rode my tri bike today...not an uphill bike), and good hydration, riding those extra 24 miles is insanely possible.

Florida is Wet

This past weekend was the longest overdue trip of my life. When I tell someone that I'm going to visit, I visit them. I book a flight within a few months and I'm there hanging out. I'm that guy that you never want to invite to stay at your place unless you sincerely mean it. It works the other way around too, but no one ever takes me up on my invites...you should.
Some two years ago my cousin Michelle (My mom's older brother's daughter, who is adorable and single) decided that she had enough of small town Illinois and headed a thousand miles away to Jacksonville, FL. Naturally I was invited to visit and I accepted. Well, this past weekend I actually headed out there. The timing was nice. Just a few coaching clients at this point, so work is light (I'm accepting applications for new clients...), and I reworked my training schedule for a nice recovery weekend.I did get out for two runs, two really hot and wet runs. The last time I can remember training in 90+ degree heat with 100% humidity was in Madison, and this was worse. Toward the end of that first run the road wasn't staying in one place very well and I struggled to maintain a straight and logical path. I would run on the sidewalk, then on the road, then to the side of the road in the grass, then back on the sidewalk all within about 100 yards. That last 1/2 mile was the worst as I ran out of water on the final stretch toward heaven, my cousin's 74 degree townhouse. Whose dumb idea was it to train at 10am anyway? After arriving in 74 degree bliss I stood soaking wet in the bathroom chugging a glass of water. As I finished the glass I was pretty confused; an equal amount of water that I was ingesting was present on the floor below me. After a moment of worrying that I unconscientiously peed myself, I realized that I was sweating at the same rate as I was drinking, truly amazing.

Beyond the normal training, I did manage some good cross training: wake boarding, skydiving, staying out late while boozin' excessively (endurance training...duh...), and eating a lot.A truly great weekend of hangin out with my cousin, meeting her awesome friends, and experiencing another new city in this great nation of ours.

Mt Evans, Breckenridge 100, and riding the Front Range

The past 5 days have found me venturing throughout the greater Denver area for road riding, dirt riding, and relaxing. This past Saturday was the Mt Evans hill climb, and event which Luisa was signed up for and I was planning on just riding along. My plan was cut short at about the halfway point when a race official stopped me about a mile past the fee station for Mt Evans, informing me that the road was closed to non-racers and that I'd be ticketed if I continued to the summit. I was pretty pissed off. I had my mind set on climbing that damn hill and this jackass in a Subaru just burst my bubble completely.

I rode down for a little while and caught up with Luisa, who was racing the climb and started about 20min after I took off. I told her that I'd just meet her back in Idaho Springs where the car was. I continued riding for a little while up and down Squaw pass, but not down the whole pass. Then headed back to Idaho Spring to wait for L. I was really bummed, but at least I can head back and ride the country's highest paved road some other day.

After the hill climb we went up to Breck to support two of our friends, Mike Melley and Kimo Seymour, who were competing the the Breckenridge 100 MTB race. This race is crazy with something like 15,000 vertical feet of climbing. I was amazed, but had no desire to compete in such an event. 10+ hours on a mountain bike is my idea of a sore ass, not my idea of fun. Mountain bike races have such a cool vibe to them, with a completely laid back feel, lots of people hanging out, and not the hyper stressed out environment of triathlon. Speaking of triathlon, two of Kimo and Mike's Boulder friends were there hanging out: superstar triathletes Tim and Nicole DeBoom. It was a fun day.

To cap off the weekend, Luisa and I met up with our friends Nate and Erin for a scorching hot Rockies game. The pre-game meal found us hanging out at Falling Rock Tap House for a few pints and some grub. Then the Rockies pulled off a nice run about halfway through the game. Fun Times.

As for training, this week is going well. Mountain biked yesterday for 4 hours then bricked a 30min run. Both the bike and run found me struggling to keep my heart rate low. The bike was steady in the 160s throughout with stints in the upper 170s and peaking around 186. I typically don't see a heart rate above 185 unless I'm really pushing myself through my pain threshold (I race Ironman around 145-150 bpm). Then on my run I just couldn't go slow enough to stay in a controlled zone, so I just went hard; problem solved.

Today was suppose to be a 5+hour ride, so I mapped out a little ride through the front range, covering all of the climbs and routes that I know of. I fell about an hour short of my predicted saddle time; the ride only took 4.5 hours. I wasn't too bummed though since my legs where pretty well fatigued from yesterdays threshold fest. I just maintained a nice steady tempo throughout all of the flats and the climbs, then spun easy on the downhills. I spent the whole ride being chased by rain, but escaped with just a few sprinkles and one really close lightning strike just off the Evergreen exit of I-70. That strike made me climb that exposed climb a lot faster.

As I looped around a sub-division just south of Morrison I spotted a lawn decoration that looked quite tacky in front of this million dollar home. Who decorates their lawn with deer decor? As I get closer I start to think that some people really don't know what to do with their money, but wow, that lawn ornament looks pretty life-like. Wait, that ornament's mouth is moving, and there's two. Those things are real! Well, that's a first for me. Riding through a subdivision with countless cars passing by and two doe are just chilin', eating some finely manicured grass. Crazy. Then, as I continue riding and thinking just how strange seeing a deer in the front lawn of someone's house, I see three more, bucks this time. I slow down and pull out my phone and snap a few pics, as I was pretty amazed.

The strange thing about the deer sighting is that I just finished riding through the mountain wilderness and all I saw up there were some birds, a few squirrels, and road kill. Then, I see 5 deer as I'm cruising through this remote southwestern suburb of Denver. Crazy.

A little tired

Nearly two weeks into real training with a few hundred miles of riding at altitude, a bit more running than I usual do (did I mention that I'm not a huge fan of running?), and consistent swimming has left me a little low on energy. Sometimes you think that your body can work miracles overnight. Well, without some of that good stuff that Riccardo Ricco is on, your body takes a little bit to recovery from a hard training session, two nights of good sleep and an easy two hour ride doesn't quite make you feel tapered.

This morning on my 50 minute run I struggled to maintain any sort of tempo, then at swimming my shoulder felt as if they had just completed a sprint set. Come on, that sprint set was on Wednesday, it's Friday! My swimming is way out of shape.

Tomorrow I've decided to rest up and take a leisurely ride up some 6,724 vertical feet in 29 miles to the top of Mt Evans. Seriously, I love riding my bike and new rides like this get me really excited. I know that my legs will feel a little heavy, but after the first few miles I'll set my effort a bit below threshold and just ride.

It's going to be a great day.
GrandpaMungo.com

100+ miles in Colorado

In preparation for Ironman Arizona I must have ridden 15, 100 mile or more rides. Today was the first such ride here in Colorado as I gear up my training for Kona. There is something a little different about 100 mile rides here, altitude and hills...and a lot of both. The ride took Luisa and I from our place just south of Downtown Denver up around Longmont, into Lyons, through Boulder and back to Denver. The terrain reminded me a lot of training in Madison, WI; not a flat spot out there. You are either riding up a hill or down a hill, you're always shifting and you are always trying to maintain some sort of rhythm.

The ride out to Lyons felt pretty good, but the ride from Lyons to Boulder along Highway 36 just hurt. I regained some feeling and groove once out of Boulder, but never quite felt good again. It was hot, I got hungry, and ran out of Infinit (my favorite nutritional supplement). On the way back to the apartment, Luisa and I made a stop at REI to grab some food, caffeine, and soak our tired legs in the river. There's nothing like a nice cool leg soaking to jump start the recovery process.

The first 100 miler, 111 actually, is always the hardest. Now it's time to just keep logging miles.

The first week

The first week back into a real training schedule is always tough. During the time since Ironman Arizona in April I've been getting in some good miles here and there. A bunch of mountain biking, a bit of swimming and enough running to keep some sort of form. I have been taking about two days off a week and enjoying a little more relaxed schedule.

Last week it was a tri-cubed week. Three swim workouts, three bike workouts, and three run workouts. I haven't done a cubed week in a while due to running injury issues, a dislocated shoulder, and a lack of motivation.

The week went pretty well beyond the last two days. I put in a bunch of miles in the mountains on the bike during the week and headed with Luisa to Lyons, north of Boulder, to do some mountain biking yesterday. The ride started off with tired legs and a lot of frustration due to the technical nature of the beginning of the ride out at Hall Ranch. I didn't have the legs to keep good momentum up the technical climbs and my focus was off. After stopping to refocus and just enjoy my environment, the rest of the ride was awesome.

Then it was off to Boulder to meet up with friends: Nate, Bryan, Kate, and Erin. I worked my magic on the BBQ, put back a few too many brews, and just hung out until crashing at 1am.

8:30 on Sunday morning hit fast and it was back to Denver to get my run it. It was kind of rough going until I found the groove. I hit a few fast miles and then I was done after about an hour. It was slow going back to the apartment.

Tomorrow will be a much needed rest day.

The History of it

Being the best was always a goal of mine, and being the best at my sports has always been highly important.

In grade school I had to run the fastest mile in gym class, I had to be the fastest swimmer, and needed to be in a starting role on the team sports that I played. This changed slightly in high school as I was introduced to a much larger pool of talented athletes. I was no longer the fastest runner or the fastest swimmer. I realized that with a lot of hard work and dedication that I could be the elite of my sports, but never the absolute best.

At 16 I saw the Tour de France on TV and decided I wanted to ride bikes. My mother bought me my first real road bike from a shop in Wheaton, IL called Spokes. The bike was amazing, a Lemond Zurich with Shimano 600 and Reynolds 853 steel tubing.

I started out with the hardest 20 mile rides of my life. Soon it was 30 and then 50; 50 was a really long ride. After a few weeks of riding I decided that I liked being on the bike. I already knew that I enjoyed swimming and so triathlon was the next step.

When I first started training for my first triathlon, I knew that competing at the World Championships, Ironman Hawaii, was the ultimate goal. I was prepared to take the steps and put in the training to reach this goal; I was unaware of how long it would take to qualify for Kona.

11 years, 3 Ironmans, and countless short course races later I have finally qualified for Kona. October 11th, 2008 is the day; now it's time to train.