I am kinda bummed. All that preparing for Sansom Park race, and it was rained out. The DFW area got 5+ inches of rain from Saturday into Sunday morning.
Sadly the series promotor will not have a rain make up date for this race, and my registration for Sansom Park is now pushed to Rowlett Creek in late November…. Which I have no idea where that is…
Stay Tuned.
For those who are not familiar. The Race I am gearing up is being put on by a club called the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association (Dorba). I frequent their forums as they have a pretty active online community. This morning I began my morning ritual reading sites I like to catch up on that I didn’t read over the weekend. One of the post on this forum struck me as kinda sad.
The poster explained that the race course for cat 3 ( my category/beginner category) was to hard, and a lot of returning & beginning racers alike would not be racing in this race as the course is not smoother dirt road single track. The Sansom park course is more technical than the first two races in this series.
There were many more post who agree and more still who didn’t agree. I am in the latter camp. My question is WHY NOT? Why not race?
Mountain biking is a demanding sport. You have to be physical and mentally prepared for what the trail you are on will throw at you or you can get hurt. You test your mind and body, and the feeling I get from accomplishing a hard trail is what keeps me coming back for more!
While this series is catered to beginners and pros a like I think there is a difference between a Beginner rider entering a race and a Beginning racer. I use my self as an example. I have been riding consistently for almost 2 years straight. I have grown comfortable on my bike and have seen just about everything in what North Texas trails provide. I wanted to up my experience and take it to the next level. I feel that is racing….
Is racing for every one ? Absolutely not, but I think you should at least try. However skipping a race course because you think it is to hard is just well I do not know…. I think you will miss out on a opportunity to test your self to your limits, and come out on top. Not racing, because the course is to technical which may stop you from maybe finishing in the top 3? I guess every one has excuses….. But when you take all that away its just you and your will power… Set a goal to just finish the race. That is what I am doing.. I know this course is hard, I know this will be my first race and I do not know exactly what to expect out there… But I made a commitment to test my riding ability against others on one of the hardest trails in North Texas. Either I finish first, last, or somewhere in between, it doesn’t matter…. What matters is that I set a goal and I am setting out to accomplish that goal, and when I do that makes me a winner in my own mind. I will go home after the race knowing I did what I set out to do.
So while you are sitting home wondering what could have been there will be a group of racers, my self include bringing our all, and leaving it all on the trail. In the end we are all winners.
Being new to this race scene, I haven’t really done much in terms of actual race conditioning…. I have read enough on message boards to know that there are better ways to go about it than what I am currently doing. I think if racing is indeed something I want to get more serious about, I may have to re-evaluate my training.
One of the tools that has helped me train is the GPS App on my phone. It was handy in seeing time spent on the trail average speed etc, however my Phone was stolen, and I am with out anything. This Past Tuesday I got a ride in, it was a little late in the evening so I was only able to do the first half of the trail… However I felt strong and my time was much lower than it was previously……. At least it felt that way…………
The nerves are still there, I do not think they will go away…………………
Well, I am really nervous about this up coming MTB race. I just registered and put my money down for my spot in the race on Oct. 9th.
I am continuing to condition my self by running in the early mornings, I need to get on the bike some more, but I am not entirely sure how well a Mountain bike on the road will help with training.
I did hit the trail the race is being held at this past Tuesday and it was an eye opening. About 5 miles in I was beginning to get very tired. The trail is in itself is pretty brutal with plenty of rocks waiting for your blood and many up hill climbs that make your legs scream for mercy. The total mileage of this race course for Cat 3 is 7 miles, and while 7 miles usually isn’t a big deal, as I said above the terrain on this course is very rough and demanding. I need to ride it some more.
Right now my goal is to just finish the race, everything else is just a bonus.
I have been doing better since my bout with Lyme Disease. I have no idea how it really affected my system other than those two weeks..
Other than that I have not been very consistent in keeping my exercising, or my eating habits for that matter in check. The summer was especially tough. With out giving a bunch of excuses it really boils down to self discipline and it wasn’t there.
That being said, as the 3 readers I have know, my favorite sport/past time is mountain biking. I feel I have gotten comfortable on the bike for some time and I still ride at lease once a week. The next logical step for me is racing. I have always been competitive in any sports I play, it has been a while since i have done a organize sport, so why not combine my hobby with the need to play a sport? I have decided that the first race I will try is on October 9th, part of the DORBA Fall Series.
Being my first race experience I fully expect to come in and finish last place, I just know its going to happen, but I am hoping for mid-pack goal.Which is why I need to begin conditioning my self once again, which means eating right and exercising ( stuff I should of been doing already).
Now I just need to go find that Self Discipline, we have to have a little talk….
Last few weeks have been a interesting one….
After a Random mountain biking trip, on the way home I pulled a tick off my leg. The next two weeks have been absolutely crappy. After a visit to the ER for a severe headache I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
I feel like I am on the tail end of it, and I have been taking the prescribed antibiotics, and have been feeling much better. However since then I haven’t gotten much exercise and Starting Monday I am jumping back in.One of my Biggest goals has been shedding the last 14 lbs to hit the 199lb. mark. It’s been the hardest mile stone for me to make and I just can’t figure out why!
Never the less it needs to get done, and I am going to do it one way or the other.. ( Got the hack saw ready to shed a leg 
)
Its been a while since I posted some pics. Here are a few shots of my self with my Son drake on his first trip to the zoo.
While my son is super cute, I wanted to give you guys some updates on my self as well 
Hope you enjoyed!
So I have gotten out and about on the mountain bike lately. In fact its been just plain awesome to get out on the trail. I have been out twice so far this year, both were great times.
This past weekend I hit a trail system called Knob Hill, its a out and back trail which means it has a start and end. You ride to the end and you ride back. All told its around 10 miles of hills, Drops, and flowing single track its one of my favorite trails because it isnt traveled very often and gives a feeling of really being out there. On the way back I had a tumble and it wasn’t to bad but it has hampered my ability to actually be active this week.
As I limp around my office today wondering when this is going to end I started to think, this must be a down side to being active…
I mean lets face it, if I was still close to 300lbs I would be sitting on my ass in front of the television or computer wasting away and not even worry about things outside, or being active or being in pain right ? Thats awesome right???
WRONG!!!!!
I would not change my injuries to go back to the way I was for a million bucks.. Like a scrape on the knee as a kid this Bruise is a badge of honor.. While I am certainly annoyed with having to limp, I will get better…. I actually take pride in the fact that I have this bruise solely because I did earn it.. I didnt just bump a table or door etc going to the refrigerator, oh no… I knicked a tree going down a section of trail about 15- 20 mph and over corrected causing me to endo( fly over handle bars ) and crash 2 – 3 feet away from my bike..
And Yeah thats right I got up and rode out.. I’m a bad ass…
I am actually beginning to see these things called Biceps on my Arms!!!!
Pics for proof !!!
That’s all for now!
I recently read on another blog about how they love to wear hoodies, as basically before their loss a Hoodie was out of the question..
That got me wondering about what do I wear or love to wear I didn’t wear when I was pushing 300 plus lbs. Obviously I wore jeans, but I never really could wear designer jeans. For the most part I still don’t, but I do enjoy a the idea that I can shop in their stores and I have been on and off for almost two years now..
Then it came to me… I REALLY REALLY enjoy wearing “Under Armor Type” gear. I actually do not wear the brand Under Armor, as I am too cheap to pay that amount for a shirt. But the other brands like Champion and things like Nike ( when I find it at Ross ) I wear. I really just cant get enough I wear them as under shirts, I wear them when I work out and I even wear them to bed.. 60% of my wardrobe is probably made up of this type of clothing in fact over the weekend my wife and I did a little clothes shopping. I bought more of the same type of workout gear.. Hmmm I wonder if they make under wear……..
In an earlier post I mentioned in the summer of 2010 I got a new mountain bike.. I love to Mountain bike and the healthier I get the more I enjoy it, as I can go further faster and do things I just couldn’t do at 250 plus. In order to get my new Bike I actually sold a car to fund it.. Crazy right ?
Here are a couple pics I took last year.
First Day I brought my F4 home
Side by Side next to my older biker. 29inch tires dwarf my older bikes 26 inch tires.
The Weather is starting to warm up and Days will be getting longer…. I look forward to getting back on the dirt!!!
