Kush's semi-training thread

Hidden Valley

Kush,
Missed you on Sunday at Hidden Valley. Luckily there was some young buck there who put me in the inner sanctum of pain. He kept crashing then passing me over and over...finally kicked my ass in the sprint at the line. I think it was a course that would have suited your mad cornering skillz.
 
TedH said:
Man, if that isn't the textbook definition of looking through a turn while still powering the pedals in the big cookie with no brakes. This is what Brian Lopes is talking about in his book and is probably the single, biggest elusive skill for new CX racers who lose too much speed in the corners because they aren't looking through.

I work on that

every.
single.
weekend.

and I still can't nail it down.
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my only problem with this photo is that ear to ear smile. Where is the pain!!?? 😀😀😀😀
 
TedH said:
Man, if that isn't the textbook definition of looking through a turn while still powering the pedals in the big cookie with no brakes. This is what Brian Lopes is talking about in his book and is probably the single, biggest elusive skill for new CX racers who lose too much speed in the corners because they aren't looking through.

I work on that

every.
single.
weekend.

and I still can't nail it down.
Click to expand...

My biggest skill is picking out just the right pic to post on the intraweb 🙂

That is way too kind, I have good days and many bad. Sometimes I look like something out of Bovines on Ice. Sometimes I'm like Irina Slutskaya.

Delish said:
Kush,
Missed you on Sunday at Hidden Valley. Luckily there was some young buck there who put me in the inner sanctum of pain. He kept crashing then passing me over and over...finally kicked my ass in the sprint at the line. I think it was a course that would have suited your mad cornering skillz.
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I wanted to but I felt crap most of the week, and got my ass handed to me at FH. I figured twice a weekend would a bit much!

ArmyOfNone said:
my only problem with this photo is that ear to ear smile. Where is the pain!!?? 😀😀😀😀
Click to expand...

The pain was deep inside! My kids were cracking me up over the loudspeaker. This is why CROSS IS BOSS.
 
Quick update

Fair Hill race

I felt like crap, and I got 3 hours of sleep the night before

I took 6th at Fair Hill. Caleb deserved to win, and he did by 30 seconds. I've beaten him in same way at Beacon. The course was good, although they took out the mud pit, and I like mud. After the first lap, I was absolutely in pain. My vision was blurry, and my being hurt.

I need to peak into the final 2 races in two weeks, but so far I just put in an 18 hour work day, will do same tomorrow, and I'm still sick.

So I need to get past Wednesday's big deal meeting, and get coach Norm's input on what the heck I'm supposed to do with a two week taper off bouncing off from this mess.

Luckily I have a power meter (thanks to J at halters as this was a killer deal delivered in a week with the wheels laced), but unluckily I don't know my threshold power yet.

I'm looking forward to ending the MAC series, hopefully on a high note, though the way I'm feeling now... yekh. Even after this disaster, I'm still tied for the lead with Breogan the Spaniard.

After that, I'll do the Horseshoe thing in NJ, but not much else. Frankly I didn't like Pburg. In fact, it was opposite of like. I may be in the minority.
 
Interesting.

I had my Garmin and HRM at Friday Nigh Hockey game. It's not a formal game but its a hard scrimmage.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/56471752

The stats are a bit shocking.

The take-away is when I play hockey, I do 2 hours worth of high threshold intervals.

So 12x4:4 at 90% HRmax, or pretty close to my LTHR.

This was a bit of a revelation because it doesn't seem like I'm working this hard when I play hockey. Good to know.

Hopefully I have enough left for the Masters race today :getsome:
 

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Ok, a hard-fought 3rd place. Caleb won by 30 seconds again, and he just started racing. Broegan the inconsistent Spaniard took second.

The top 3 guys are now 1 point apart each. In order to win the series, I'd need to win it outright, and the way Caleb is riding, that is highly doubtful. Just being real yo. This course is also pretty flat, and not a bike-handlers course. One guy in the Bs was literally on a road bike with road shoes.


Most importantly, this power meter thing is great. I was sick like the rest of NJ past couple races, and recovered full this past week heading into this race.

Grestone race in 35+ where I felt like ass - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/56566853. My avg power is 267. My avg HR was 167, and tailed off

The Fair Hill race in Cs where I got my ass kicked (6th), http://connect.garmin.com/activity/55683950. No power, but couldn't get the HR up, and I felt like dog shit.


This LI race today - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/57332886
The average power is 292 (I don't yet know whether that's good or not, but it sure is an improvement!) The avg HR of 172 was highest of ANY cross race this year. Those numbers are helped by a taper, but still. What a difference a bug makes.

Anyways, one more day, and then I'm eating and drinking and laying on the couch for a couple months. or weeks. don't care need a break. Will do the horseshooo.
 
Reality is a bitch, but it is what it is. Just show up and throw out your best, it's all you got. Then enjoy a beer or 6 for me while I carry my own bug through to the end of the horseshoe poo.

Plus, maybe these 2 guys run into a tree and you win outright.
 
And its DONE!!! 😀

My season is OVER. I finished 2nd in the MAC Cat 4 Series by 2 points.

I spent the 2nd day on Long Island battling the same guy Breogan The Spaniard Alvarez who was in 2nd in the series behind me coming into this. (He also leads the NJ Cat 4 series). I also battled Caleb "I haven't really ridden a bike before" Holmes, but he didn't show the 2nd day.

Both days, The Spaniard got by me on the 2nd or 3rd lap on the flat roadie sections. Both days I tried the same strategy that worked for me for the win at Beacon where I jumped hard at the beginning and dropped the whole field in the first lap and kept them at bay for the rest, including Breogan and Caleb. But, alas, those fuckers got stronger or I got weaker, or whatever, but it didn't work on Long Island. My power looked really solid though both days, Avg 292 on Day 1, and 298 on Day 2. I still don'tknow what that means, but again, progress is good.

Anyways two roadies who never show came out 1 and 2, and Broegan and me were 3-4 on day 4. The Spaniard has strong legs, but sucks on the bike handling. I told him to take up mountain biking! The course was better this time, but still had a mile of freaking flatness you can ride on a time trial bike/

I am more thrilled for the damn series to be done, that was overcommitment to the nth degree for my life, and I need to get back to a sense of normalcy. One more day of Horsheshoo and that's it, but I"m not training for that, so I might as well ride a unicycle in a jester's outfit or something.

I love that I can play hockey twice a week, that I can ride a mountain bike whenever and wherever I want, that I don't need to ride a damn bike at 5 am anymore for at least 3-4 weeks. I needed a rest, and I'm getting it.

This weekend I had 2 rounds of Chinese food, Pizza, Subway sandwiches, bunch of beer, and lots of Dunkin Donuts.

This was a good season where the highlights were a win at SSAP NY/NJ, a 5th at Battenkill, podiums in MASS and H2H, couple of podiums in Road, a 1st and some podiums in CX, and a pretty respectable showing in the biggest triathlon in the area, NJ State Triathlon. I wanted to do a TT, but never got around to it. Next year.

I just submitted my upgrade request for Cat 3 CX, and Cat 1 MTB. I'm already Cat 4 road.

So my season next year will be one of utter mid-packedness, but that's the way it is I suppose.
 
kush said:
So my season next year will be one of utter mid-packedness, but that's the way it is I suppose.
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I thought the same thing a year ago, that this year would be a pack fodder year. On the mtb, that ended up mostly being the case. But overall I was wrong. Cat 4 on the road should be a comfortable enough place for you, and I can easily see you doing well in the Bs next year. The cat 1 mountain biking is a pretty big step up, I won't BS you. But you're ahead of where I was a year ago in at least 2 areas, namely having the PM and having done a good number of races. Both are invaluable. Now you just gotta learn how to use the PM properly. I'm getting closer but still piecing together what it all means.

Good year out there, well done. Beers in 13 days. You know where 🙂
 
Yay! Ilya gets to come out and play on the MTB! (Keep packin in the Chinese food and Donuts so maybe I have a chance of keeping up.)

Congrats on a killer season!
 
Congrats on the 2nd place overall. Yes, that series is very long and it must feel good to have it complete and successful as well. Good luck with the upgrades.
 
I'd say you had a good year.
You should continue to make gains next year but they won't be as obvious.

The past is gone, the future is unformed - all that is, all that we have for certain is the now - live the moment and you will be rewarded.

Your luck numbers are 24 16 90 2 58 1 78

Come back soon
 
Looks like you had a huge year, congrats. If you keep progressing at your current rate, next year's challenges shouldn't be too bad.
 
Based on doing Battenkill with you and reading your MAC series exploits, I would suggest you give M35 a go in cx. For the Mac series, B's are super fast, but for nj cup, you will likely find a greater challenge in M35, plus that cat could use a few more guys (I think most of the guys in front of me should switch)
 
Norm said:
You think M35s are faster than straight Bs?
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Ceteris paribus, yes. I've raced a bit in both, and feel that the pointy end of the race is faster in M35's. What I've noticed in 4yrs of racing B's is that each year it does get faster with some of the younger guys racing B's and U19 and more road/MTB folks starting to race (I finished 5th in states in 2008 at Augusta and now I can barely manage top-10. I don't think I could win a C race anymore). While on simple math, Nick "beat" Chad and Dave comparing the B vs. the M35 time, it is worth noting that Chad pulled Dave around at tempo for 4.5 laps since they had such a huge gap - the M35's have much better racing tactics and knowledge, but also race very hard start to finish if the conditions dictate - Sunday did not dictate the need to pin it for 45min (Chad's finished top-15 at USGP before in M35's in a stacked field, Dave is equally decorated). I've raced against both Chad and Dave, and my time was "better" on Sunday than the M35 finish time by 3min (they hit 45min exactly for 5 laps), but I harbor no illusions that H2H, they would always crush me. (although I did beat Dave in his first ever CX race, and got pasted on this very forum for it!). If you throw in Jimmy V with fitness, Mark Pohndorf, a bunch of other guys, or God forbid Roger, you've got a serious race. I don't think M35 Sunday was indicative of how good it can be. Many do not want to race the hour long A race, but can't race M35's because of age so they are in B's, and that explains some of the speed at the front (A-race is 1hr, so it doesn't reflect USGP/MAC/Verge/Nats timing, where the U19/U23 age group is much more competitive). It is getting harder to split, and Nick would've likely only been beaten by Bill in A's on Sunday (who turned 7:30's) but I found that most guys that line up M35 are very experienced racers and race really hard. B's has a few guys that are super fast, a bunch of pretty fast guys, and a bunch of guys who enjoy racing a CX race, but are more there to have fun. While the B race Sunday showed who sincerely has fitness, and the top-10 were separated by 1-2min*, I think Dave and Chad would've still been 1-2 if they entered B's. USGP/MAC/Verge would be faster at both levels.

I've also noted in 4yrs of B's that I still can't get enough points to get to Cat 2 in CX....But I still may switch to M35 myself next year. Not decided yet.

*don't know where Nick finished, but you were ~1min ahead of me based on Garmin.
 
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Before you set your goals, check the series schedules. I have heard that there may be some major schedule changes in the mac for next year. Something about bumping the 2 pro fields up and B's going last. It may encourage more to race 35+ for the better time slot.
 
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