IGVENTURE

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
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.

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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!
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kush

Active Member
Hai Iggy! I didn't now all that stuff. Now I do. You are in fact one of the most positive people I know.
 

ebineezer

Well-Known Member
Look forward to reading this Chris. If it's anything like your contributions with the MTBNJ-UNIVERSITY RADIO... I'm sure this will be a hit.
 

Carson

Sport Bacon
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Sounds like you strike a good balance between training and family life. Look forward to reading here.

And I want an explanation of the "iggy" nickname in due time. When you are ready to talk about it.
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
subscribed as long as you dont start throwing TSS CLT WTF data then it's snooze button...
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I love that you're able to bust out both TSS and CTL just like that. You're getting there!
 

Robin

Well-Known Member
I hope this doesn't mean your Music thread will end...:cry: maybe throw in some music stuff in this thread too!?

Good work Iggs!
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Up Front

Robin, of course there is going to be some music mixed in, this will be one stop shopping for music and Iggy training stuff.

Thanks for the support Brian, always good to hear from you.

Kev, no need to read just look at pics.

Nickname...About 7yrs. ago I worked at a place where everyone had a nickname, no one used real names...I felt like I was back in college. So after awhile the king-rat(dudes nickname) starts calling me Iggy. I don't think too much of it and don't fight it, its always worse when you fight it. In casual conversation it comes out that Iggy is short for igniter due to the fact that I could infuriate the boss and send him into a tizzy. I remember that guy blowing up like a rocket. Bosses are like that, they just don't appreciate honesty.
Well Iggy was already taken on the board so I opted for poor iggy, which is a reference from the movie Flags of our Fathers. This is the only time I am going to explain this, refer all future inquires to this post.

The Ride
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Let me introduce you to my road bike. I don't have a name for it but if I had to pick one it would be Can O Corn. Norm has the same bike which he calls Can O Beans, his relatives in Taiwan probably sold it for scarp or melted it down to cook beans in by now.

This bike just goes, I bought it used in 2001 and put close to 15,000 miles on it. The bolts that hold the bottle cage on the downtube rounded out and are beyond my realm of repair knowledge. After some trial and error methods the double up zip tie system is working well. I may patent this idea, the weight weenies could loose some ozs. by not having to use bolts.

I replaced the saddle tonight, the old one looks beat up but I had no issues with discomfort on it. I'm saving the old one in the event the new one ain't right for me, so don't get all excited thinking your gonna get a good deal on my old saddle.

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Summer Solstice
The winds that seemed to punish me on my bike in April have settled down to soothing breezes. I did this ride last Saturday morning and couldn't get this song out of my head. I've heard Summer Breeze so many times on the radio but lately I've had a moment of clarity and can say that this song is great on every level...writing, performance, arrangement. In today's Indie folk rock scene it is so current.

In my training closet I have 3 types of rides, hard, medium and easy. Last Saturday's ride is what I'd call a medium ride and something I do to keep up general fitness. Looking at my riding schedule I'd say I generally follow a method of 2/2/2. (2 hard day, 2 medium and 2 easy days per week) I could probably go hard 3 days a week but over time doing so would lead to a fade in the intensity. Once this happens your not really going hard so whats the point. I may mix up the schedule and do 1 hard day and 3 medium days followed by some easy/recovery days. The point is to be rested for hard days and plan out the week to be ready for them. Typically I'll go hard Tuesday and Saturday. Wednesday would be a recovery easy spin day, Thursday medium pace, Friday easy or off day and Sunday medium pace. Hopefully I didn't just confuse the shit out of you.

I Like open spaces, that's why I work on a golf course.
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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
So far, so good. I like the style & pics. And of course you didn't confuse me but I'm sure you knew that. I very much like the name of your bike.

Since you like honesty, I gotta give it to you straight. Changing your saddle the day before a 5-6 hour ride is flat-out folly.
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Since you like honesty, I gotta give it to you straight. Changing your saddle the day before a 5-6 hour ride is flat-out folly.

I thought about that as I was tightening the bolt on the new saddle so I test rode it for less then a minute in my driveway. That should do it, no?
I'll blame the shorts if I have saddle issues.
 
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