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| Changing of the seasons...... |
Not overrated....
Preparation is definitely not overrated. If anything, it is under appreciated. That said, preparation is often a life long event. I remember when I first heard about US Air Flight 1549 landing on the Hudson. I remarked to a co-worker that the pilot would most likely have been trained as a soaring (glider) aviator. They are trained to fly planes differently. Sure enough, as an Air Force Academy grad of the early 1970's, he would have been trained as a soaring aviator. More importantly, I remember one of the first interviews he gave where he described how for his entire flying career, he had been making countless small deposits of knowledge into an account, that at a particular moment he made a tremendous withdrawal. In a period of 230 seconds, Sullenberger drew down on an entire life of experience and preparation - which frankly many aviators would not have pulled off. Mere seconds prior to touching down, the F/O asked if he needed more flaps. Very calmly Sullenberger replied - "No. Stay at 2". He knew exactly what he was doing, as he had lived this for an entire career. Nearly all water landings end in some type of cart-wheel, or side scatter - leaving incredible devastation. What you do is what you become. Just hope you become what is needed at the most critical moment. Consider it preparation.
Taking days off
Training is arduous - regardless of the program and/or event for which you are training. Sometimes it is struggling through an education. Other times it is struggling through life. Regardless, we often fall into a trap believing that we can take time off and "binge" a little, before going back. You certainly need a break, but don't cash in what you have earned through the process of of hard work. I once heard a sports trainer state openly that he trained hard so he could eat whatever he wanted. Kind of a flawed philosophy, as eventually it will catch up with you. Rather, if you look at your hard work the same as a financial investment, you would never throw away all that hard effort on a single night on the town. Maybe once, but you'd learn fast after that. Taking days off is important, but guarding what you have built is equally important. Consider what you have built and what the cost of spending that investment in a spontaneous moment will actually do for you in the end. Don't throw the investment away.
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| Bottom of the boat ramp at Pineview |
Hardtail Days
A little tire work on the hardtail and it was out for an extended ride this morning. I still need to install the new XTR brakes, a new fork and a dropper-post, but for now it rides just fine. I'm thinking to also jump up to a 36-tooth front ring - the largest that frame will accept and probably the largest my legs can push on some of the steeper climbs. The simply joy of getting out and riding across the valley at a fairly stiff pace just does something for my attitude. This is truly a great time of year to ride, especially in North Fork - which is why I need to upgrade the hardtail. I've been riding the full sus with both front and rear locked-out most of the summer. There really isn't anything in North Fork that absolutely requires a full sus bike. The Pro-Caliber uses a flexible link in the seat-post/top-tube connection that allows for some compliance, but it doesn't add "suspension" back there at all. Running a combination of XR2 rear tire to XR3 up front.....there is enough confidence to ride across anything in this valley.
Zone Training - The Debate
I've been doing this long enough that I've seen trends come and go. About 20 years ago everyone that was anyone was following Chris Carmichael. From there it went to heavy interval training. Most recently the fad is "Zone 2" training. I suppose if you have like 30 hours a week to commit, maybe it works. I'm sure a solid mix of Zone 2 days with some harder cardio is still probably a good combination - I suppose. Having been reading more about A-fib and endurance athletes that don't know they have it, I'm not sure about the correct combination of high intensity versus high volume stuff, but I am paying closer attention to the matter than I did before. I've also come to understand there are numerous triggers for A-fib that range from diet to simple physiology. One thing about it, trend or not - maintaining a clear understanding of what is happening at all times has to be a constant thing.
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| Not a lot left... |
More to Come
LOTOJA 2026 was simply a milestone - a waypoint if you will, toward other objectives. Everything worked as is prescribed specifically for that one event. Well, now it's time to continue with that trend, one segment at a time. Nothing to announce, but still looking to meet some key objectives in the next few months. Regarding this most recent event; I would say that was at a conditioning level that I would want for early May more than early September. Again, segments.........
Ride HARD!
