2-13-11 New plans take me back to old places...

Ok so it's pretty official I am going to do the 24 hrs in the old pueblo this weekend! 4 person team, takes me back to 2003 or 4 when I did that same race with some pretty cool dudes and had a blast! This time should be no different then the last. To tell the truth it threw me for a loop, I had no idea that some of these guys had taken up mountain biking...Awesome! The race should be cool, from noon Sat till noon Sun, taking turns around an 18 mile course. It took me the better part of yesterday afternoon to get my light system up and running again, my mountain bike dusted off, and some basic plans on how I will get there laid out. I figure this will be good training for: 1. The Gila 2. Deuces Wild Xterra 3. Maybe my final Tri season. I am excited about this decision to race there again and I've heard the company I am going to be with are really cool dudes... JB, Jeff, and Sam..

Yesterday I decided to ride with the Zia Velo Bike squad, great idea! There were no less than 30 riders out yesterday morning and on a chilly  desert morning I welcomed the warmth a pack provides! I had forgotten how competitive the ride becomes at certain points, but I think I did pretty well considering the amount of time I have spent smack dab in my living room on my spinning bike and NOT outside going up hills, sprinting on the flats, and pulling the pack! A buddy told me, "dude you need to learn to let other people pull, stay tucked in the pack, then at the end blow their doors off." Yeah, I see the point, but it seems I have spent the majority of my life like the drummer for the Muppets? (Animal)?? See I can play nice and in the pack for a while then it gets to me and I just have to make it hurt, so I go to the front and try to widdle the the select group down to three or four who actually deserve to be there not just sit back and suck wheel the whole time. This has always been an issue with me, but I know now what I have failed to realize before, that's how you win bike races, by being smart...not a p###y, but smart. Dammit, why is that such a hard pill for me to swallow? I will ride with them and learn how to let other people work...The ride turned into a 4 hr ride and it was the first time I cramped in a while. The cramps were small, but still an indication that I need to prepare better:)

Today caught me reminiscing about running up A Mountain with my buddies Tony, Glenn, Danny, Jr, and Stermer. Tony is in the east coast, Glenn is in NC, Stermer and Jr, well I hope they are resting in heaven. What a day, almost brought me to tears on the top thinking about everything. The one solid was that I saw my best buddy in the whole wide world someone who has been there for me through thick and thin, someone who has accepted me no matter what, and my adopted brother...Danny. That's the way to end a really good week....church, family, friends (we sat with Stermer's son Michael in church), and training. Here are some pics from today's training run up A for my buddies Tony and Glenn, Stermer and Jr get  to run with me whenever they want:)

Start

                                                                   Last uphill to the top

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