Note: As a general rule, telling your competitors how good you feel before a ride and how much you’d like to kick their asses is a bad idea.

After a week and a half resting after my dismal performance at Monster Climbs IV, I foreshadowed my improving form with this simple tweet.

I dug the hole even deeper, sealing my fate with this one.

Flash forward to 8:30am the next morning, a bright and sunny day in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. There was a lot of joking and “boys being boys” while Marcos, MickeyGow and I kitted up. We all agreed this was the best weather of the season so far and pedaled out into calm, cool sunshine.

As soon as we passed The Gate, MickeyGow was off the front. Where he was going? Didn’t he get the memo to neutralize the start so everyone could warm up? I chased with cold legs, the pain begging me to slow down, but I knew I had to keep him in sight. What if he doesn’t stop at the “Oak Tree” at the bottom of Soapstone as we always do? What if Mickey just keeps hammering up the singletrack to Sunrise Highway? I pedaled even faster to keep him in sight.

Mickey did not stop at The Oak Tree. I shouted out, probably louder than necessary, to hold up and choked down a GU and some Perpetuem while Marcos caught up. I tried to give Mickey a bad time, but all I got back was a smile and that twinkle in his eye telling me this was just the beginning.

He took off again before my heart rate settled and I cursed as I stuffed my half-eaten GU back into my pocket. I’m the one who’s supposed to be off the front today, what the hell is going on? I chased and chased to Sunrise Highway where Mickey mercifully stopped to wait. I had the urge to blast by, but I resolved to wait for Marcos who was just behind me.

Marcos called out, “Move out!” as he approached and I jumped on the front vowing to not let anyone pass on the downhill singletrack. The course was narrow and a little technical and Mickey could have gone faster, but screw that! He’d f’d up by not taking point, I wasn’t going to let anyone build a gap now. I didn’t stop when we got to Fages Monument either, just cranked up the watts a little.

A rider was behind me but the course ahead was too technical for me to look back. I figured it must be Mickey coming strong – his wheel was never more than five feet off mine. No matter how hard I pushed, I could not shake him. More than once, I overcooked a corner and had to go full power to get out of the bushes and maintain my lead. I hammered up the last bits to the top of Soapstone and found it was Marcos on my wheel. Where the heck was Mickey? Did they tag before trading off?

As soon as Mickey caught up, we were hammering down the wide sections to Hwy 79 and Middle Peak. Mickey passed me going balls out and barely in control on the sandy fire road. His grin was evident. He waited at the highway and I blew past to get whatever gap I could before the real climbing began. I got no more than 30 seconds.

I started up Middle Peak with Marcos on my wheel. And I mean “on my wheel”. Every so often he would buzz me, rubbing his front tire against my back, creating a ripping sound. If you asked him I’m sure he’d say it was accidental, but I’m certain it was on purpose – to show me how easy he was climbing. I was certainly not climbing easy. I was on the rivet, going as slow as I thought I could get away with. Mickey caught up and we became such a tight group that at one point I looked back and couldn’t tell who was who.

I heard the recognizable “ping!” of a spoke breaking followed by a “ding ding ding ding” of it spinning through the fork. I called back, “Broke a spoke?” and received a “Yeah” in reply. I asked if Marcos wanted to fix that and thankfully he did, giving me a moment’s rest, time to pee and choke down another GU. Far sooner than I’d have liked we started back up again.

I knew I was a goner and tried a little psychological warfare. “Just warming up, starting to feel good!” I said as positively as I could. “Almost halfway up!” I said at the three-quarters mark, trying to dishearten my chasers. I went wide on an inside corner near the top and Mickey saw his chance and took off. I could merely watch him go. Marcos hung back with me for a little longer then left me to the buzzards as well.

I was being schooled. Punished for bragging about my form. My plan was working perfectly.
I congratulated them at the top and then down we went through the maze of rocks and tangle of bushes that makes up “The Shortcut” off Middle Peak. I was glad that Marcos was behind me in case I crashed and broke something.

At the Hollow Oak Tree we regrouped and then began hammering up Azalea Springs fire road. MickeyGow went to the front and I chased desperately, knowing that I couldn’t let him gap me before the big descent of the day. Ahead was a five mile rocky downhill and as the best descender I’ve ever seen, MickeyGow could create quite the gap here. There was no sense in giving him more time.

We tipped over the crest and I watched Mickey zoom down. I passed Marcos to stay on Mickey’s wheel and down we went, me focusing on staying loose and light. For some reason, I was staying with Mickey instead of him going quickly out of sight. I focused on holding as much momentum as possible through each turn. I flew through sections where I used to come to almost a complete stop. My line was a blur and I was beaten mercilessly by the bushes and trees on either side of the trail. I was going faster than ever.

We came to a slight incline and I saw that Mickey was just cruising up it. I hammered full power, closing down the gap completely. As we crested, I tried desperately to buzz his back wheel and let him know I was “right there.” The trail tipped down and again we were at the mercy of gravity but this time Mickey started to pull away. I hammered all the flats and dead spots, but could not keep him in sight. My bike slid, rattled, jumped and jinked underneath me like a mechanical bull, to no avail.

Finally, I arrived at the singletrack; the last 2 miles of trail before beers under the trees. I hammered as best I could and once got a glimpse of Mickey through the trees, but I never caught him. I was about a minute behind at the end, not counting all the other times he waited for me.

After just 2 and a half hours of cycling, I’d had my butt thoroughly kicked. Very little zero-time, lots of desperate chasing and being chased. My plan had unfolded perfectly.

Idea: Before your next buddy ride, tell all your friends you’re going to kick their asses and see what happens…

I just got passed by a guy wearing shorts and a t-shirt riding a steel bike with sandals. Doh. I’m climbing Torrey Pines, one of my favorite hills in all of San Diego. Looking at my Garmin, I see I’m generating 272 watts – time to slow down again. I push my smallest gear over as slowly as I possibly can. My power output dips to 235 watts and I wonder what it would feel like to be passed by a chipmunk.

I used to think I understood what a “recovery ride” was. It meant you go out and have fun without hammering any hills or sprinting for town signs. Just keep the pace fun. Then I started working with Coach Colin who was much more exact about it – go out and ride, generating between 160w and 260w watts. Don’t go over 260w and average near the middle. Yikes, it doesn’t take very much for me to generate 260w.

The theory behind the numbers is that you want to be rested and fresh so you can give 100% to key workouts. If you aren’t able to go the limit, you’re can’t grow stronger. And it turns out that riding just a little bit is much better than just sitting around. And that’s how you get this balance of riding, but going very slowly.

That’s also how I arrive at my favorite hill in San Diego and get passed by the surfer on his steel bike. By the way, I did eventually catch and drop the running guy, although it was close.

How much do you have to give? I’ve often wondered exactly where my personal boundaries are, now I know. Here’s how you can find out too:

Author’s note: I’m no doctor or sports trainer, but I have a distinct feeling it’s possible to kill yourself doing this so please be careful.

Step 1 – Choose a favorite piece of road where you can ride uninterrupted, preferably uphill. Go as fast as you can. Really dig deep and give everything you have.

Step 2 – Ok, now go just a little bit faster. Is it starting to hurt yet?

Step 3 – Now, give it a little more. At this point, this exercise may seem like a really stupid idea. That’s how you know it’s working.

Step 4 – Quit being a wussy, dig deeper and go faster.

Step 5 – Your whole body is screaming at you to stop. Get mad, scream back, dig deeper than you ever have and just go a little, tiny bit faster.

Congratulations, you’ve just completed one power interval for Coach Colin. Only three more to go.

It’s hard to remember why I didn’t finish the Julian Death March now. Isn’t that funny? It was so clear Saturday afternoon, but all I’m left with now is, “How could you quit?”

Mark makes his way. Photo © 2009 Barry Munson. All rights reserved.

The mind is an interesting machine; it forgets the painful stuff and leaves us wanting more. Forgotten is the way my legs felt after 63 miles and 8,600 feet of climbing. It’s hard to recall the way my stomach revolted against energy bars and how I had to force myself to swallow a GU packet to finish the Three Canyons climb. The memory of how bad my back hurt and how sore my whole body was as I pedaled back through Julian are completely gone.

All that’s left is the certain knowledge that I tried to do 85 and only got 63.

Find the thorn. Photo © 2009 Barry Munson. All rights reserved.

I’m supposed to be proud of myself. It was only a month ago that I rode my first 40-mile MTB ride, so getting 63 is pretty good. And I’ve just completed a tough block of work for Coach Colin who warned that this race was going to be tough and my power would be hard to find.

I am happy with finishing 63 miles. It was a tough day of climbing and I felt pretty good until the final 10 miles or so. But there is an asterisk next to my name – I didn’t finish the entire course.

I’ve got a lot of work to do between here and Leadville.

I have been working with Coach Colin from CTS for a month now and I’m starting to understand why this was such a great idea.

How it works
Working with Coach Colin is super easy. He publishes my workout schedule for the next 2-3 weeks online. My job is to perform each workout to spec and email him my data file so he can see my power, heart-rate, cadence, etc. He emails me feedback after every workout and we chat via phone 1-2 times per week.

Here are the three big reasons why this coaching program will have a major impact on my fitness for the Leadville 100.

1. Coach Colin is Big Brother

The number one benefit of working with a coach is accountability. I know that Coach Colin is patiently waiting for my data file after each and every ride. He goes through my data with a fine toothed comb and gives feedback on how I did – every single time.

When I was self-trained, it was too easy to skip a day because I was tired or busy or whatever. Since working with Coach Colin, I have not missed a single workout. Also, when I was only accountable to myself, it was too easy to do the fun workout instead of the best workout for my fitness. I can always find a reason to turn a workout into “hill day” – yeah, I like hills that much.

2. Coach Colin is Cruel

It’s really easy for Coach Colin. With just a few clicks of his mouse, I’m off grunting out big chain ring intervals or ripping my guts out trying to generate 320 watts for 15 minutes – three times in a row. I would never in a million years have tried that while self-training. The first couple of minutes are ok, then it gets harder and harder until time slows down to where seconds become minutes and then I’m just wishing I could sell my damn bike and quit!

But then I remember that Coach Colin is patiently waiting for my data file and it better be perfect so I get mad and keep pedaling – and get stronger for it.

3. Coach Colin is Really Smart

Try asking Coach Colin something like, “Hey, how does that power meter thingy help with my training?” He loves this stuff and gets all excited explaining it to you. The first few minutes are interesting and then it just starts to sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher – “wah wah wah-wah wah…” I’m glad all I have to do it pedal, because what he does sounds really hard.

Coach Colin lives for graphs like this.

The Verdict (so far…)

Overall, I’m riding fewer hours and fewer miles but get way more fatigued. I train five days a week, but since the rides are shorter it fits better into my family and work time. I feel like my fitness is higher than ever, but we’ll wait for Coach Colin to prove it with data.

I thought about coaching for a long time before I pulled the trigger, now I wish I hadn’t waited. This is way worth it.

The Summit Daily News is reporting that Lance Armstrong has officially entered this year’s Leadville 100. Last year, he finished 2 minutes behind Dave Wiens, 6-time winner and course record holder. Chris Carmichael is registered and there is also talk that Floyd Landis will make his return to Leadville this year too.

Lance racing Leadville. Summit Daily/Mark Fox

I’m honored to be among some of the greatest cyclists of our time, racing the Leadville 100 this summer. Every time I’m training and it hurts or I want to quit, I’ll think about that.

You see, I signed up for this crazy 100-mile mountain bike race held in Colorado called the “Leadville 100”. Well, this insane race actually starts at 10,200 feet above the ocean and goes uphill from there. I can smell the ocean from my house.

No, I don’t really live at 123 Main Street.

Both Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis have raced Leadville and NOT won. I am going to have to train my butt off just to finish in the 12-hour minimum.

I tried doing the self-training thing. I read the book 12 times and built a whole series of spreadsheets. I tracked everything and was as meticulous as an engineer can be about workouts, nutrition and recovery. In the end, I lined up for a 40-mile early-season Cat 5 road race and did…

Velonews: Arlyn, congrats on finishing the Boulevard Road Race, how did you do?
Arlyn: Thanks. I dunno, good? 22 is my lucky number actually.
Velonews: Could you have done any better?
Arlyn: Well, 22nd sure seems to leave a lot of room for improvement.
Velonews: What could you have done differently to have done better?
Arlyn: Uh, good question. I’m not really sure.
Velonews: What kind of training will prepare you for the Leadville 100, one of the most prestigious ultra-endurance races in the world?
Arlyn: Uh… why are you asking me? I’m an engineer, not a coach.

Exactly! I’m not a coach. So, I got one. In fact, I hired Lance’s coach! Ok, not Chris himself, but one of CTS’s senior coaches – meet Coach Colin, a new regular here on the Adventure. We’ve been working together for about one week and I’m digging how I don’t have to spend any time thinking about my training plan. All I do is whatever Coach Colin says.

No pressure Coach Colin, but it’s all up to you now.

Yesterday was my final group ride before Boulevard, my first USCF road race. The plan was a coastal pootle to Oceanside Harbor and eleven mighty Descenders showed up for the ride.

The Mighty Descenders at Oceanside Harbor.

I was under strict orders from Alpha not to push too hard – with the race less than a week away, it’s time to recover and let my body peak. No problem, I was looking forward to going for town signs.

Being the first to each town sign is a little game I discovered riding with Mark and while I’m certainly no sprinter, I’m competitive and find the game extremely fun. The Descenders don’t seem to share my passion though, so I often find myself sprinting alone. Such was the case yesterday. The interesting part (to me at least) is that I still keep jumping for every sign, knowing that no one else cares. The good news was that I didn’t have to jump very hard, which supported my goal of not pushing it.

The boys were excited about who would get to Oceanside Harbor first. I’d never been on this ride with them and wasn’t sure where the official line was. As we approached the Harbor area, the pace picked up. Mike and someone tried a cheeky move off the front, but that got chased down. As we turned into the Harbor parking lot, the pace clicked up even higher. There was a lot of motion within our little group as riders jockeyed for position. At one point, Rob tried to share the draft I was using and I shouldered him out joking, “This is my wheel, go find your own!” We laughed.

I tried asking where the line was, but couldn’t figure out the answer. So I just followed. We were zooming around the parking lot, with some traffic getting it the way and it was a bit hectic. I was probably four or five positions back when we rounded the final turn. I still had no idea where the line was when Jim and some others lit their turbos and launched. I sprinted too, but didn’t move up any. It seemed we were sprinting into a dead-end (with cars) so I sat up. Jim took the bragging rights. At least now I know where the line is.

We pootled home, with me jumping out every once in awhile to nab a sign that no one cared about. Hey guys, it’s really a fun game, a great way to spice up those boring coastal miles. Oh well, I went undefeated for signs.

Iwent back to the Boulevard Race course yesterday with Mark, Voris and Rick. The idea was to pootle the first lap as a preview and then race the second and third. We’re just two weeks away from the actual race and we all wanted to leave everything on the road.

I got more than just a great workout – I learned a little more about the difference between quitting and failure.

Three laps of the Boulevard Race course has a lot of bumps in it.

Lesson One

After rocketing west on Hwy 94, we make the turn north onto La Posta road and begin climbing. Voris wants me to learn how important it is to stay with a rider going over the top of a hill. His point is that two riders can go a lot faster downhill than one. So he picks up the pace on the last mile of 6-8% grade. I grit my teeth, dig deep and survive. I have resolved to keep his wheel or die trying.

Lesson Two

Voris attacks again on the second hill on La Posta. Again, I survive. I find it easier to stay with him by spinning higher than by mashing at a slower cadence.

Lesson Three

We’re climbing along Highway 80 back to Live Oak Springs and the faux finish line. Rick decided to test his legs and is gone up the road. Dave digs in again, again and again. I find it within me to keep his wheel. Sometimes he’s able to open a bike length, but not much more. I make the comment that he’s being cruel to me and his reply is that he’s training me.

Lesson Four

We’re on lap 3 now, back on that first climb on La Posta Road. Dave attacks and at first I’m ok. Then I start to waver, but struggle back. I’m really hurting. We come around a bend and the crest of the hill is farther than I thought so I momentarily sit up and let a gap form. I remember my commitment and continue to spin, now trying to close the gap. If he goes over the top first, he’ll gain lots of time on the descent.

Rick is with me, encouraging me, pacing me up. As we crest the hill, Rick is telling me to shift up, again and again. Then he takes the lead and we rocket back to Voris.

Did you notice that I let the gap form? I didn’t die, I gave up.

Lesson Five

On the steep ramp up to Hwy 80, Voris attacks hard. I follow and at first I feel really good. I’m mashing this big gear, almost passing Dave as we round the corner onto the highway. He sits and accelerates uphill; I sit and try to match. The pain in my legs is unbearable and I let another gap go.

Mentally, I’m a mess. I don’t want to lose, but I don’t want it to hurt anymore either. I can’t remember my commitment to stay with Voris and tell myself to just go my own pace. Rick comes up beside me and helps me through it. He paces me and talks me through it. He can see it clear as day – I gave up.

With Rick’s help, I held Dave to not much more than a minute and gained a little each time the road turned downhill since I had Rick to pull me. On the last steep section before the final right hand turn, Rick pointed out that Voris was struggling and encouraged me to push, push, push. I did, pushing right through the pain in my legs. After the turn, Dave sat up and we finished the last couple of downhill miles together.

In Conclusion

Giving up is a lot more common than failing. Understanding the difference gives you the power to choose. My thanks go to Rick and Voris for the education.