Racing (in person) may have been canceled, but running hasn't! Yes, some locations are stricter on the lock downs and stay at home directives then others. Getting out to trails and the mountains has been challenging for some people. But others are getting creative and doing their runs around the block or even smaller. How to stay motivated when there's such a limited range for adventure? After so many March and April races were canceled, with May and June looking ominous, the race directors have stepped up. They need to stay in business - which means putting on races. No races means no money and possibly even worse as runners demand refunds for events that were canceled. (Side note - if you want your favorite grass roots race series to survive, don't ask for a refund if the race was canceled on short notice and don't do a charge back! That's a sure way to bankrupt the events. Let the RDs figure things out that will both help you and the events.) The solution isn...

The last few weeks (and the upcoming ones I'm sure...) have been crazy. It seemed each hour brought new cancellations to the racing world and new restrictions on everyday life. It's hard to see the effects that the widespread cancellations, closures and such will have on people and businesses. We do know that things are changing and changing rapidly. Some things will survive, others will not. It's our job to help the people, businesses and series so that when we emerge on the other side, they are marked on the survivor side. There's plenty of information out there on the importance of social distancing to slow the infection. That doesn't need to be repeated. Social distancing doesn't mean time to go out and plan an awesome vacation because you are "working from home." It means minimizing unneeded travel, decreased close up and in-person interactions. Yes, camping off the grid decreases social interaction, but that overlooks the unneeded travel part o...

I was going to write about setting up goals for the 2020 season. I was planning on reviewing SMART goals, updating an earlier article on writing and implementing goals. I was also going to discuss some of the pitfalls of setting resolutions as related to the SMART goals. But there's always some much written about goals this time of year. Why write the same thing again? So here's the link to the SMART goals . There's plenty of good information there to help you craft achievable goals. Instead, I want to talk about rebuilding. It's never a comeback , as I've discussed before. The athlete who suffered the injury, had the layoff - what ever, is no more. We can't return to that athlete no matter how hard we try. Rebuilding isn't crafting a comeback, it's creating a new version of that old athlete. The athlete we are now building into is coming from a different place then the old identity. It's important to remember that the rebuilding process takes time...

"It's sad to see anyone inside on the trainer." That was the comment attached to an article about riding outside all winter long. And yes, there is a certain joy to being outside in the chilly air, getting fresh tracks on a snowy trail. The terrain changes under the snow and old trails become new. But with the changes in terrain come the hazards associated with winter - ice to mention one. Like with everything, there is a time and a place for both outside rides and inside workouts. Instead of demonizing the athletes who choose to take the workouts inside, we all might gain some perspective if we really think about why. Here are just a few of the benefits for taking workouts inside during adverse conditions. - Time savings. There's no bundling up in three layers of clothes to ride inside, nor the extra time required to wash all those extra clothes. In order to get a quality workout inside, you just need to throw on bibs and jersey. You can be pedaling in 5 minutes a...

It's a oft discussed topic in the world of ultras with firm opinions on both sides. To have a plan or to not have a plan? The no plan camp says that a detailed chart can lead to more mental anxiety then not if things don't go according to that plan. There is truth to that statement - how many times in a race have you targeted specific goals and then struggled when the goal times weren't met? Seeing goal times at checkpoints slip away can have a devastating effect on a race. Athletes either push too hard trying to make up time or just give up because the goal is gone. Pushing too hard often has the opposite effect. Instead of making up time, there's too much energy expended and the athlete loses more time in the end. On the other end of the spectrum is the athlete who simply gives up and stops. This athlete isn't hitting the goal splits and doesn't see the big picture that while one segment of the race might not go according to the plan, there's miles left ...

It happens to everyone. At some point, something happens and the well thought out, perfectly built training plan is in tatters. It can be from injury, a prolonged illness or something else and the athlete is left staring at a training plan that is no longer appropriate, wondering how to recover from the setback. The first thought is to cram as much training as possible into the time left following recovery or clearance. Then come the thought of just abandoning the race and training because the fitness won't be there. Finally, the realization that the goals might have to change, and the training plan needs to be modified to reflect the new reality. Cramming sounds good in the beginning, since even a few weeks won't affect too much fitness - but it's a good way to get injured, especially following another injury. Abandoning the race might have to happen pending the timing and recovery status. The important thing is to balance the reality of the injury, current fitness before ...

The final race of the 24 hour season is fast approaching - 25 Hours of Frog Hollow, held over the end of Daylight saving every year. This year, it also marks the finale of the N24 - the National 24 Hour Mountain Bike Solo series. It's a new series this year, with three races joining forces to host solo riders and award the championship to the most consistant soloists. With Frog Hollow only days away, now comes the time for all races to make sure they are ready - double checking all gear and the plan. Most of these tasks should have been completed before leaving home, but it's always a good reminder.  Lights - at this point, you have done a few night rides, ensuring that you know how to use your lights and that the position on both helmet and bars is correct. You should also know long the batteries last - nothing worse then getting halfway on a lap and having lights fail. Note on your master plan how long each light lasts and how many laps you'll be ably to get out of it. Yo...

No, I don't mean KOM/QOM hunting season. I mean real hunting - heading out into the woods with a deadly weapon in the hopes of filling the freezer with meat for the winter. In Colorado, archery season kicks off at the end of August and goes through September, depending on the type of animal. Muzzleloader hunting is in the middle of September. And finally, rifle season for big game such as deer and elk started October 1 and depending on where you are, runs through November 20. Why are those dates so important? Because the middle of September through the middle of October is also prime leaf season and fall riding season. Riders from all over are converging on the mountain trails for the final alpine loops and golden singletrack. And most of them aren't thinking about the hunting season or the precautions they should follow to stay safe. That fact became quite clear last year during a late season trip to Salida and Fairplay. We met several groups of hunters, all decked out in thei...

In racing, the goals are usually black and white - finish or bust; finish in such a time; finish in such a place. The success of racing - and the emotions that are tied to that success are measured against these concrete goals. So what happens if you come up short? So much time and energy invested in that one day, that one race and the ability to go faster or further. It's easy to view the entire event and the build up leading to the race as a failure based on the final outcome. I didn't reach my goal, therefore I failed. It's the most common reaction. And most of the time, the wrong one. Yes, the goals weren't met or the race wasn't finished. You fell short of the objective and did not succeed. But not succeeding is different from failure. Any time a race doesn't go as planned, it's important to review the training and preparation for the race as well as performance in the  race. A race becomes a failure if you don't learn from the process building up...

As the summer racing season approaches, there are some things that all athletes need to remember while training. The biggest is to train for your course - not for convenience. Sure, it's easy to go out and put in the hours on the local big ride loops. In Colorado Springs, the favored ride is the Fountain loop, a nice 40 mile loop on gently rolling terrain. The chance of head winds are higher then of any significant, sustained climbing and the farm dogs are usually more of a hazard then other vehicles. But are those loops an accurate simulation of the terrain faced on race day? The bike paths around town are nice and flat - perfect for speed and turnover work. How many marathons are actually as flat as the Santa Fe Trail here in Colorado Springs? Not many. Yet every day, hundreds of runners turn to the greenway as the go-to workout and long run training grounds. It's close, convenient and safe. For triathletes, finding open water that is truly open for swimming is a major chall...

Is your mind helping or hurting? The mind is a powerful advantage - but also the weakest link when it comes to endurance sports. Too many things to think about, outcomes to consider and possibilities to ponder. Instead of turning off the brain, the outcomes overwhelm and you begin to second guess the training, the preparation and the goals. Planning for a variety of outcomes is one thing, but allowing them to overwhelm is a completely different story. Not contemplating the potential pitfalls is one way to handle the influx of information, but not that may lead to less then satisfactory results. So what to do? Build on the knowledge and base you have gained through training to confidently be ready for whatever happens. It calls for being willing to head out in all conditions, knowing that clothing choices are appropriate. It also calls for understanding the course and the the history of the event so you have a baseline for the possible conditions you could face. Instead of becoming over...

Or why constantly looking for the athlete you were can lead to trouble... We've all been there - a season or two removed for competion in sports for what ever reason. When it comes time to return to that sport, it's also time for the glorious comeback - reclaiming the speed, power or skill that once defined us athletically. There are plenty of stories of athletes suffering major injuries and then finding themselves at the pinnacle of their sport again. The comebacks happen, but with less frequency among the weekend warriors or life long athletes then the premier elites. One major reason is that many life long athletes don't have the resources of the elites. We don't have the ability to hop in a plane so the top surgeon can work is magic. We are usually stuck with which ever doc the insurance company will pay for. We also usually don't have unlimited access to PTs and world class gyms. It might be 24 visits and rehabbing at 24 hour fitness. So comparing our abili...

After another successful outing at the 25 Hours of Frog Hollow, I took some time to look over the results and the lap times teams were riding. One thing struck me - and it's something I've noticed before in these lap style endurance races. The teams who finished on the podium, especially those on the top step, were not just the fastest. Speed helps, but it was the consistency of the riders as the race progressed that really sealed the deal. Granted, the lap times don't always tell the whole story. Someone who was riding 1:05 laps and all of a sudden has a 1:45 lap might have had a mechanical or such happen out on course. But the trends are still there. If a mechanical was the reason, the next lap usually drops back down. Looking just at the Coed Duo, which is the class Nick and I race, the combo of speed and consistency was what won the race for us. It's easy to be fast for a few laps, but at what cost? For the top three teams, the men's first lap was all within 3 m...

A lot goes into getting ready for a race of any length. Most of the focus is on the training - long days, intervals and other physically tasking workouts. That's where the majority of the time spent and it's also the easiest to talk about. People understand intervals, track workout, long rides and recovery days. Really, the training is only part of preparation for a race. There are other, less noticeable and glamorous areas that have to be addressed with just as much focus. It's the non-training basics that can make or break any race, from a 5k to a 100 mile running event, a sprint triathlon to an iron distance race, and from a 20 minute short track to a 24 hour race. Along with the training, the pre-race preparation should become part of the schedule. It's not something to ignore until the day comes to leave for the venue. What are some of the bigger areas of pre-race preparation? Gear is one of the biggest in my mind when something as simple as the wrong socks can r...

We all have them - that point where we are happiest, relaxed and just comfortable. It doesn't matter if it's in life or on the bike, we settle into those comfort zones and stay there - either not realizing that we are there or unwilling to make a change. And sometimes, that's okay. There's not always a reason to push the limits or make drastic changes. Until there is. Until there is something that makes us realize that there is a whole world out there, filled with new experiences. Then that comfort zone becomes a barrier holding you back.   On the bike, comfort zones tend to be speed and technically related. "I'm not fast enough to line up with those girls, I'll get my ass kicked." or "That rock garden scares me so I'm not going to sign up for that race." But wait a minute. Re-read those statements. Presented like that, the comfortable sounds like a limiter, doesn't it? Instead of just keeping us safe and happy, it's holdin...

How many age group athletes look at the intensive training schedules and workouts of elite athletes and think "I could be that fast, if only..." If only I didn't have to work 50 hours a week, I could spend more time training. If I didn't have to deal with family responsibilities as much, I would be able to train more. That's why I'm not as fast as the other athletes I'm racing against. I don't have the time to train as much as everyone else. So we try to replicate the elite schedules the best we can, with pre-dawn swims, lunchtime runs and evening rides on the trainer after dark. Every minute of every day is planned around the workouts. The weekends come and instead of rejuvenation from the stress of the week, more stress is piled on in the form of long rides, long runs and open water swims. And even with all the training and hard workouts, the results aren't there. So instead of going back to the drawing board, the most common "fix" is t...

Winter time - the bane of most athletes because of the adverse conditions. Snow, ice, sub-freezing temperatures all make getting outside for workouts and training difficult. Cyclists don't seem to mind moving inside onto the trainer when things get sketchy and some triathletes always ride inside. But runners? Treadmills are to be reserved those days when there is no other option and given the photos circulating the internet, that rarely happens. I'll admit to having an adverse reaction to a treadmill as well, trying to avoid playing hamster at all costs.  But is that always the correct response? Well, it depends. (There never is an easy answer...) What are the goals of the workout? If there's a specific time pace or interval set that needs to be hit, then perhaps the treadmill is the smartest answer. Another thing to consider is modifying the workout - hills on the trail instead of a speed workout on slick roads. There are still benefits from hills that will carry over into...

It might seem contradictory - I've tweeted that every workout should have a purpose and athletes should be aware of the purpose prior to starting. The parameters of the workout should be clearly stated, along with the goals to be accomplished during the workout. That means the athlete needs to keep an eye or distance, pace or heart rate and power output to ensure that the workout achives the desired effect. It also means the athletes need to be aware of falling outside the ranges and when physical status might preclude an effective workout. The gadgets, toys and technology employed by both runners and cyclists now make that real time monitoring easier - and can assist the coach with providing feed back to improve performance.  But I've also said that we need to unplug and leave the gadgets behind to reconnect with the world. Without numbers staring you in the face, you learn how you feel  during the workout. There are no numerically imposed limitations to performance - just th...

Balance has become a buzz word in the past few years, with everyone going on about "life-work balance" "training balance" and so on. It's easy to get caught up with the fads and the buzz words, but harder to understand what it all means. What part of our identity should we be focused on? The professional aspect, personal aspect or athletic aspect? There's no easy answer to any of those questions, but if you find yourself wondering if you are missing things in any aspect of your life, then the balance is off. If professional quality at work is suffering because of fatigue from training, then the training plan needs to be re-assessed. The same goes if you find yourself missing important family obligations for that last few miles or extra swim session. At the same time, if work responsibilities are impinging upon time with family... That's a harder one to address, but just as important. It's a personal give and take to find the balance for a fullfillin...