So, I'm sitting here in front of my computer updating this blog on a Saturday morning instead of being out on a bike training...why....a swollen left ankle was my reward at the end of yesterday's run. Bummer. I've had bad ankles for years and I love running trails, which tend to have plenty of rocks, ruts, etc...the two don't go together well. I was doing a bunch of 20 second intervals during my run and never saw the rock that turned my ankle...in an instant I was hopping on one leg and cursing at everything around me. The good news is that the ankle feels good enough now that I think taking today off as a precaution will be enough and I'll be back on the bike by tomorrow...probably running (on nice smooth pavement) in less than a week. Time to get a little more serious about doing the exercises to strengthen the muscles around the ankle.

Focusing on the positive: A good week of training otherwise. Got in some good hard intervals on sunrise climb in the McDowell Preserve. I feel good and I feel ready to work hard in the upcoming weeks. Oddly enough, I tend to enjoy biking the most when I'm doing structured workouts and feeling like I'm working hard. Looking forward to getting past this minor bump in the road and hitting it hard next week!

Gearing up for the Fall

So today I started preparing myself for a few races in the fall. These are pretty laid back races and they're fun. I'm not doing any competitive post-season races this year as I've been pretty much consumed with the antics of businessownership. I've been training a ton and feel like I'm faster than I've ever been, but no racing to prove it. I'm looking forward to some good Fall races to get me back in the swing of things. Here's the schedule:

8/21/10 - Absolute Bikes/St Mary's Food Bank Mountain Bike Race - Flagstaff, AZ
9/11/10 - Gettysburg Century (tentative) - Gettysburg, PA
10/2/10 - Tour of the White Mountains 60 mile MTB race - Show Low, AZ
10/9/10 - DCB Adventures Dust Devil MTB Race #1 - McDowell Mtn Park, AZ
10/30/10 - DCB Adventures Dust Devil MTB Race #2 - Estrella Mtn Park, AZ
11/7/10 - Amica Sprint Triathlon - Lake Pleasant, AZ
11/20/10 - DCB Adventures Dust Devil MTB Race #3 - White Tanks Park, AZ
12/4/10 - DCB Adventures Dawn to Dusk MTB Race - McDowell Mtn Park, AZ


Should be fun. My coach, Trevor Glavin, has had me doing tons of strength work on the bike. I'm pushing a bigger gear than before. Looking forward to racing and seeing the results of all the work!

Sedona!!

Oh how luck I am to live in the great state of Arizona....one of the best places for mountain-biking. Every time I travel somewhere other than AZ, I'm asked how we manage to live here in the summer...particularly when the other person is a triathlete/cyclist, etc..."how do you train in the heat." I'll admit, there are some tough days. But 90 minutes in the car gets you a 15-20 degree drop in temps and your biggest risk is crashing on the bike because you can't stop taking your eyes off the trail to stare at the views. This is Mountain-Biking!!! Got in a great 3 hr ride here last sunday - 95% singletrack - starting from Absolute Bikes and added a 30 minute run for good measure.