Surgery

Last Sunday I did my first long ride training at 19 Sports. It was an hour and a half session with just three other people. It went by surprisingly fast and I easily maintained the same average watt output as during my 40 minute threshold test.

Unfortunately, all of my progress will slowly regress because I went in for surgery on Tuesday February 16th. The surgery was mainly to repair a grade 4 deviated septum so I can breathe through my nose for once. Dr. Gull also removed a few of my turbinate bones, and opened up my maxillary orifices from 2mm to 8mm. I still have the stents in my nose and the recovery has been much worse then I expected. I am going in Monday to have the stents removed...can't wait. This is the first time I have ever wanted a weekend to go by fast.

I can't wait to get back on my bike again. The hope is that this procedure helps my cycling in the long run.

The Contender Club

Last Saturday I joined The Contender Club and look forward to riding with a team.

Last week's training session at 19 Sports was one of the hardest training rides I have ever done. The last few sessions have really isolated the muscles that I am not accustomed to using. My pedal stroke is improving but I still compare the difficulty to dropping your pinkie finger without any other fingers moving. Bailey joined us last week and cranked out some serious power at the end of the ride.

Thankfully, pizza and beer at Maxwell's always helps soothe the pain.

Ready to give a hundred and ten per tent!

Thank god for cycling! After doing the BAM triathlon and the Vineman Half Ironman I had to accept the fact that I can no longer run. I finished both races with intense pain in my right knee. Back in 1993 I tore my meniscus and had a piece of it removed. After the injury, I continued to run as much as possible, but if I ran too much the bones would bruise and the pain became to severe. I finally went to see Dr. Cooley in 2009 and was diagnosed with grade three condrosis of the medial compartment. I have been running most of my life and now I had stop. My new found excitement with triathlons was quickly smothered. I was extremely disappointed.

My good friends Jason Linder and Justin Garrett introduced me to the world of triathlons and I quickly caught the bug. I purchased my first road bike the day before the 2008 BAM triathlon and my first road ride was in the race. It was exhilarating and I felt like I had been doing it forever. After accepting that I can no longer run, Jason suggested that I do the 2009 1000 Warriors race with him. This was apparently the hardest stage of the hardest stage race in America. "That sounds great! I'll do it, but I need to train this time;-)" I have always enjoyed competition and physical challenges, but I have never been serious about training. I did upgrade my training to two days a week and was surprised to finish sixth place in the civilian category. It was one of the hardest races I have ever done but it heightened my interest and desire for the sport.

It has now been several months since the 1000 Warrior race and I cannot wait to race again. I have played a lot of different sports in my life, but I have never had as much passion for one sport as I do now. I am determined to become the best rider that I can be. I am ready to give 110% or a hundred and ten per tent (if your name if Candypants and had one too many!!).

Stats from the 1st Session - 40 minute Supermax Test

• Weight: 164lbs

• Heart Rate at Lactate Threshold: 165 bpm

• Lactate Threshold Power (LTP): 229 watts

• Lactate Threshold Power to Weight: 3.1 watts/kg

19 Sports at the Canyons

Started an 8 week training session with Garrett at 19 Sports at the Canyons. Wow! I know so little about cycling. This training course has been as educational as it has been physically strengthening. I now know my power output and understand all of the training zones. It makes it so much easier to set goals and monitor my improvement. Rod Riley informed me at our last training session that I only push down on my pedal stroke. This was good and bad news. The bad news is that I have a long way to a perfect pedal stroke. The good news, and the news that I thrive on, is that I have a lot of room for improvement. I am becoming a stronger rider every week and this course is helping significantly. I recommend this course to all riders.

19 Sports website is http://www.nineteensports.com