Base building is not boring

My 2011 race schedule is finally complete. It's a pretty packed list especially in the spring. With the addition of mountain bike races I think April, May and June are really full. I am super excited but also a bit stressed. It's going to be hard to juggle all the rest of my life so I don't completely dominate the Spring. Since I am already a bit out of sorts with it I most certainly will have it dialed by the time it comes around. I guess I better get my car cleaned out because I am going to be spending a lot time getting to where I need to be fast. The whole family is talking about Leadwoman so that's a good thing. I love how Alex is giving me tips on mountain biking. Believe me I am listening because he's a teenager and fear is not really part of their vocabulary. I am trying to channel some of that "go for broke" attitude and turn it into power. When I say power I am talking about power generation on the bike. Seems I am lacking in that area. The good thing is I can pedal up a hill for easily over an hour with very little fatigue. Bad news I might be the last one to the top.

Matt has me on an Annual Training Plan leading up to Leadwoman events. Everything in between will be a B-C effort and some of the Leadwoman events are even B efforts. Right now I am in the beginning weeks of base building. Seems like years since I've been back at the base stage. I love this phase of training because the volume is high. The intensity is not frequent and many times short bursts. The hours of cardio so far have ranged from 10-17 a week. I

am still lifting at least 2 times a week. On the big weeks I am worked by the time Sunday rolls around. The bike is much more forgiving than running so I can get away with more. Matt's coaching is extremely thorough. He covers it all. I have to do some yoga, some power moves and then of course running and biking

. Currently it seems to be an even split between running and biking. Some of the workouts have been really hard. He had me doing a full body workout which included 320 push-ups and more jumps either broad jumps or lunges (jumping and static) than I ever want to do. This workout took me over 50 minutes with no rest. My butt was so sore. The pushup's were a rest for me however I was a bit sore in the front delts. There are changes happening. My body composition is changing a bit. My legs are certainly changing. My shoulders are changing so it's been fun and hard. The yoga is rough for me. I am just not that calm but I feel better after I do it. I can assure you if it wasn't on the schedule I would be hard pressed to fit it in. Since it's there I can't leave my completion button blank! I also got to do my first time trial on the bike in which I insisted on wearing a safety vest. Kris took me out to her old stomping grounds for TTT's (tempo time trials) and showed me the ropes. It was hard but I surprised myself by cranking my heart rate and speed up there. I am getting much more used to a fast pace. I am definitely getting much less sheepish when I hit speeds above 17 MPH on my MTB. With the addition of cycling I've had to work through some body adaptations as well. My IT band got pissed off and I needed to modify my bike fit so my reach was more appropriate. My mid back is not accustomed to be bent over but it's learning. It's hard for me to relax my upper body on the bike. I am so used to being strong in the core and very upright.

Sunday will be my first race. A bunch of us are running the Vancouver 1/2 marathon. This is going to seriously hurt both physically and mentally. I have run a January 1/2 several years in a row as I prepped for a winter marathon. This year I am going in the slowest I have been in while. There will be no PR on Sunday but it will be a good test of grit. I have already relinquished my need for a decent time. I will be running it hard and hope I can break 1:50. A far cry from the 1:33 I ran there before. Maybe I will surprise myself but either way it will be a fun time with friends.

February 20th will be my first MTB race. I am doing the solo 24 hour ride at Old Pueblo Epic Events.

No need to start out slow and pick a 3 hour race! I am super excited for this. Kris, Chester, Micheal and I are all riding. Susan is coming along to help out. Bill and Alex won't be able to come L. My plan is to race 100M and see how long that takes me. It will be a good gauge on how far off I am the Leadville. After that everything is gravy. I am excited to see how this all works. Being around MTB racers, feeling my pains on the bike and am curious about the fueling. This will certainly be a crash course in MTB racing.

Winter is almost over J! I know it's still January but around here the rains are getting warmer and there is the occasional shorts wearing event. The coats are bit much but gloves are still necessary. I love this transition. Seems we have had one wet and cold winter around here so I am looking forward to 55 degree rain. Oh, and the sun would be nice too but I am not going to hold my breath for that one.