Well here it goes, time to share.
Intro
I often thought about starting my own training thread but always manage to talk myself out of it. A lot of guys start something like this then peter out after a couple months. From posting up fairly regularly on the Music Thread I know how tedious daily blogging can be, so my aim is to check in with periodic updates and thoughts on training...and I'll pepper it with some quality photos and music when applicable. So in other words I am looking for quality over quantity, I'll do my best to deliver.
History
My teammates know my cycling background but to start off right I will give a rundown of my biking history so everyone knows a little about Iggy.
In 2000 I entered the Greenwood Lake Sprint Triathlon and soon afterward gravitated toward the road bike, running sucks and I found swimming boring. By 2002 I was riding with the Cranford Bike Team and began racing in 2003. The first time racing in a pack was such a rush and still is, I remember that evening in Rahway River Park. Every Tuesday there was a pick-up/training race there(still is today as well), guys from an hour away would show up for this ride and hammer. I got dropped my first time but definitely caught the racing bug.
In 2004 I upgraded to a Cat 4 roadie, and I was really psyched for another year of racing/training. My wife wasn't real happy with my schedule of work and riding while here schedule was work and take care of 2 boys, 6 & 9 at the time. It was hectic but managed to squeeze little league games in as well as races.
July of 2004 I went down at Rahway River Park while at the Tuesday night deal. I took an ambulance ride to Rahway Hospital and got stitched up and x-rayed all over to be told I had a broken scapula...oh yeah and a slight concussion. The worst part was calling my wife to tell her and have her pick me up after mid-night with the kids in tow.
I recovered pretty quickly and was racing again by September but by the fall I was feeling burnt out. Not just from cycling but trying to fit work schedule and family schedule into the day was just becoming too much. I took some time off from the bike and by the spring of 2005 I sold my Cannondale Six 13. I didn't want to look at it if I wasn't racing.
Fast-forward to 2006. For the hell of it I began taking out an old Trek mountain bike I had in the garage, nothing big just rides at the local park. The following year I bought a new mountain bike and started venturing out to Allaire, Hartshorne and Chimney Rock. Based on my history with the road bike I was slow getting into any serious training and stayed away from the notion of racing. I didn't want training to take me over yet I did enjoy getting out to ride.
By 2009 I found myself putting more hours in on the mountain bike and when I cracked my frame I hopped back on my old roadie to keep going with the miles. I joined my old team for training rides and worked my way back to being able to go hard in a group ride. I had no intention of racing again but enjoyed going fast.
Training on the roadie helped me make gains on the mountain bike, that and reading Norm's thread. Things that seem so fundamental now in training were missing before I started reading what others were doing.
After reading many race re-caps from others I was curious as to how I measured up against other riders. The only way to really tell is to race, so I entered Tymor H2H race in 2010. After sitting out of the racing seen for awhile I decided to give it a shot but coming back to it I knew of the importance of balancing out other things in life like family and work. I enjoy training and racing but I am often the guy who will chime in and encourage others to take a step back if they need to.
My first mountain bike race was more work then I had been used to but the adrenalin of racing kicked in and I ended up doing well that day, I got 3rd. I did well enough last year to upgrade to a Cat 1 Mt. Bike license this year. I remember last year thinking I could never do another lap in races and be able to hang at a Cat 1 pace. Well I am hanging in as a Cat 1 and must say that with training you can do more then you think you can. My attitude these days is to train hard, keep a balance, show up and have fun...even if it is a midpack finish.
There's lots more I want to cover but I'll save it for the next post.
Hi Luke!
Intro
I often thought about starting my own training thread but always manage to talk myself out of it. A lot of guys start something like this then peter out after a couple months. From posting up fairly regularly on the Music Thread I know how tedious daily blogging can be, so my aim is to check in with periodic updates and thoughts on training...and I'll pepper it with some quality photos and music when applicable. So in other words I am looking for quality over quantity, I'll do my best to deliver.
History
My teammates know my cycling background but to start off right I will give a rundown of my biking history so everyone knows a little about Iggy.
In 2000 I entered the Greenwood Lake Sprint Triathlon and soon afterward gravitated toward the road bike, running sucks and I found swimming boring. By 2002 I was riding with the Cranford Bike Team and began racing in 2003. The first time racing in a pack was such a rush and still is, I remember that evening in Rahway River Park. Every Tuesday there was a pick-up/training race there(still is today as well), guys from an hour away would show up for this ride and hammer. I got dropped my first time but definitely caught the racing bug.
In 2004 I upgraded to a Cat 4 roadie, and I was really psyched for another year of racing/training. My wife wasn't real happy with my schedule of work and riding while here schedule was work and take care of 2 boys, 6 & 9 at the time. It was hectic but managed to squeeze little league games in as well as races.
July of 2004 I went down at Rahway River Park while at the Tuesday night deal. I took an ambulance ride to Rahway Hospital and got stitched up and x-rayed all over to be told I had a broken scapula...oh yeah and a slight concussion. The worst part was calling my wife to tell her and have her pick me up after mid-night with the kids in tow.
I recovered pretty quickly and was racing again by September but by the fall I was feeling burnt out. Not just from cycling but trying to fit work schedule and family schedule into the day was just becoming too much. I took some time off from the bike and by the spring of 2005 I sold my Cannondale Six 13. I didn't want to look at it if I wasn't racing.
Fast-forward to 2006. For the hell of it I began taking out an old Trek mountain bike I had in the garage, nothing big just rides at the local park. The following year I bought a new mountain bike and started venturing out to Allaire, Hartshorne and Chimney Rock. Based on my history with the road bike I was slow getting into any serious training and stayed away from the notion of racing. I didn't want training to take me over yet I did enjoy getting out to ride.
By 2009 I found myself putting more hours in on the mountain bike and when I cracked my frame I hopped back on my old roadie to keep going with the miles. I joined my old team for training rides and worked my way back to being able to go hard in a group ride. I had no intention of racing again but enjoyed going fast.
Training on the roadie helped me make gains on the mountain bike, that and reading Norm's thread. Things that seem so fundamental now in training were missing before I started reading what others were doing.
After reading many race re-caps from others I was curious as to how I measured up against other riders. The only way to really tell is to race, so I entered Tymor H2H race in 2010. After sitting out of the racing seen for awhile I decided to give it a shot but coming back to it I knew of the importance of balancing out other things in life like family and work. I enjoy training and racing but I am often the guy who will chime in and encourage others to take a step back if they need to.
My first mountain bike race was more work then I had been used to but the adrenalin of racing kicked in and I ended up doing well that day, I got 3rd. I did well enough last year to upgrade to a Cat 1 Mt. Bike license this year. I remember last year thinking I could never do another lap in races and be able to hang at a Cat 1 pace. Well I am hanging in as a Cat 1 and must say that with training you can do more then you think you can. My attitude these days is to train hard, keep a balance, show up and have fun...even if it is a midpack finish.
There's lots more I want to cover but I'll save it for the next post.
Hi Luke!