Cross Racing, Zoom, zoom!

The benefits of cross training have been touted for awhile now. Injury prevention, enhanced motivation and a cure for boredom a just a few you hear about. But there is another step one should consider but it is often left out of the discussion on Cross Training, Cross Racing! The benefits you find here go beyond those found in simply cross training and can help you achieve your athletic goals. They include more speed, better technique and greater racing confidence.
Although the idea of cross racing was originally hatched with the triathlete in mind, the benefits can extend to all athletes who are looking for fun and competition. The major obstacle preventing athletes from cross racing is intimidation. But that can be turned into a positive for sure, remember the excitement when you began you sport of choice? You can find that again in cross racing. Also the pressure to perform is way down, your new to it, it’s not your chosen sport maybe it’s your first ever Mountain bike race. That pressure to perform is way down and the fun level comes way up.
Swimming is the cross racing that takes the most pre-event preparation of the ones we’ll  talk about today. First you need to find one! The can be done with a quick stop at the U.S. Masters Swimming website, www.usms.org. Here you can look up all the events for Master Swimmers sanctioned by the USMS. Open water swims, long distance meets, sprints they are all here. Once you’ve picked your event you must register as a US Master Swimmer. You needn’t be associated with a master’s program to enter but if you are bringing teammates along for support and to root for makes for more fun! I have heard all the excuses about not going to a meet, “I am too slow” “I will come in last” “Tell everyone to stop looking at me!” But for us non-fish like people meets are as laid back as they come. It’s just you against the clock! Heats are split up into swimmers of like ability. Others in your heat maybe older, younger, male, female… anyone who can swim about the same times you can. They will announce you heat, you can jump off the block or start in the water, and off you go! All the officials are very approachable and eager to help new people have a good time. Once your heat is over another one starts right away, very painless actually. The great thing about these meets is you can race as many as 5 events in one day, not only working on your speed but testing your endurance.  
Cycling is a little easier to start up racing. Plenty of sites around listing the races in your area as well as USA Cycling’s website. With cycling most races will sell you a one day license making the process that much easier. Again those new to the sport are lumped together, so no worries about racing Lance wanna-be’s out there. The newest of the new even get a little clinic on how the race will go and what to expect. Usually you can get in two races in a day if you are doing a grand prix race or a criterium. The officials, as with swimming, are very informative and will answer any question that you may have before the race. During the races you will gain valuable handling experience as well as pushing that aerobic/anaerobic threshold to the max! After the race you can hang around and see the pro’s race, it makes for a great morning.
The last racing is one we tend to forget about but it’s the shorter distance foot races. Sometimes we get stuck in those long distance endurance events thinking we need to get a good long workout in. But the shorter races, the 10 and 5K’s, hold a lot of value for triathletes as well as endurance runners. They will teach you how it really feels to push your limits, what kind of effort is required to run FAST, as well as what it feels like to get passed by the local kids from the cross country team! A 5 or 10 K a month is invaluable training for any longer distance athlete looking to get faster.
Remember to run, bike or swim fast you must run, bike or swim fast! These races will give you the perfect opportunity!

Bike to the Run to the Top??

Run to the Top has become so, so.... uni-dimensional! The race consists of running 8 miles to the top of Mount Baldy, starting at 6000 ft and ending at 10,000ft. Fire roads and wide open trails for the first half then single track, technical stuff to the top. Problem is you have to kill yourself at the beginning so that you are ahead of almost everyone before the technical stuff starts. Because at the technical point all those street runners start to get nervous they are going to fall to their doom! This accompanied with the lack of oxygen going to their brains make them slow and unwilling to let superior runners (Trail Runners!) pass them. Then take up the whole trail, keep at least one hand in contact with some earth and generally whimper as they run.

Now I am a “diesel’ type athlete, start up is slow, build up is steady and I can go forever so this race does not suit me. So how can I spice it up?? How about I bike to the run to the top! Brilliant!

So I am going to test out my plan this Friday, August 19^th. Initial staging at my house, then bike it up to Baldy, then run to the top, Ha I am a genius.

Whose in??

High altitude training for the High Altitude Challenge!

T-1 under the tree!

Turn around

I decided to follow up our awesome Mount Whitney adventure with another little high altitude workout. My workout resembled the course for Mount Baldy’s and Coates Cyclery’s: High Altitude Challenge scheduled for Sept 17^th. The race is a mountain bike run duathlon. For those familiar with Baldy, racers bike up the San Antonio fire road past the ski lodge, loop around a little on some of the ski trails then transition to the run. The run again has you loop around the ski area and finish in the front of the ski school. 7 mile ride, 3.5 mile run all above 6000 feet! Quite a festive time is had by all.

With that course in mind I started my workout by heading up the fire road. I was able to settle into a nice rhythm. My giant 29’er climbs great and on the wide open gravel roads the climb presented a chance to push hard and not worry about the terrain. Instead of looping around the joint at the top, I headed up under one of the ski lifts. About halfway the lift trail I transitioned to the run. From there my goal was to run to the top of Baldy, which is what I think the course should do!

After meandering around the ski area a bit the trail gets a little technical, single track with nice drop offs on one or both sides. For those who run in Race to the Top you know this area as the place of no passing! Everyone is tired, confused and nervous and won’t give way for you to pass! If you start out conservative (like me) you get screwed here by those who went out hard and are now falling apart and are just a bunch of traffic cones between you and the summit . In Run to the Top you must start fast and try and hang on (by not letting people pass obviously!) but I digress. My run went smooth the weather was great. I had a short visit at the top and then ran down the rockpile. I transitioned back to my mountain bike and flew down the hill. Training for the day done and all before work!

Totals for the Effort:

• Uphill Bike: 4mi in 46:36 with an avg HR of 143
• Run to Baldy Peak 2.75 mi in 37:00 with an avg HR of 158
• Including downhill 13.5 mi with 1222 cals used and 142 avg HR
  

Gatorade jumps at the chance!!

The fine people at the Gatorade Sport Science Institute have decided I would be a good fit on their team. The new G Series Pro will now be my fuel of choice when racing and training. I am very excited about our partnership and look forward to sharing my training with you all!