Fresh from the garden

This is our first year having a garden and I've been loving it. It's so great to go out to the backyard and pick the veggies we'll eat with dinner. I've been eating so many salads and fresh veggies!!!

Here is a picture of some of our veggies ... We grew multi-colored carrots (white, yellow, orange, and red), beans, peas, potatoes, zuchini, squash, pumpkins, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and radishes! Yummy!

Perfect Timing

Well, today was looking a little over-cast and I was a bit late getting started. I packed the truck and was getting ready to hop in and felt a rain drop ... splat. With all of the hot weather we've been having I hadn't checked the weather ... so I quickly went back inside and took a look at the sattelite image ... lots of green and yellow (rain and harder rain) ... but it was West of here and I was going East so I figured I'd miss it.

I headed out to Tiger to do 2 quick laps. I love that place. Both climbs were sub 28 but the descents took a bit longer as the trails were wet ... On the first lap it rained a little while I was in the woods but had stopped by the time I got out. I debated doing a second and decided what the heck and went anyway ... It rained pretty hard on my way up - which was actually really refreshing ... and then stopped on my way down.

I got packed up and headed home ... had been on the road for maybe 5 minutes and it started to pour ... I am sitting in my living room nice and warm and watching it come down in buckets outside! Perfect Timing - I had gotten the best of the day! Gotta love it when karma works in your favor!

Exercise Induced Asthma

Heat + Humidity + 2 long days in the saddle == Exercise-induced asthma

I'm lucky. I don't get asthma that often ... in fact, i only get it when it's HOT and HUMID and I've been riding for a while. This makes me lazy when it comes to taking my puffer -- I don't take it regularly - OK, I taken it maybe 4 times this season and they were all while I was having asthma issues.

This past weekend I did 5 hard hours at Tiger in 30 C heat and 70% humidity. The next day Frase and I headed out for a 75 mile road ride in 32C heat and 78% humidity. About 45 miles into the ride we had to stop. I couldn't breath ... I had really bad asthma! It was pretty scary so I sat in the ditch while Fraser worriedly waited for me to catch my breath. We took the last 30 miles pretty easy ... and I was able to make it home without another incident.

I have promised to faithfully take my puffer before every ride and to take it WITH me when I ride ...

Exercise-induced asthma is a weird thing. I kind of know the conditions that set it off ... but because they don't ALWAYS set it off ... I get lazy. I wrongly assume that because my fitness is better, my lungs are better too. I was reminded this weekend that fitness does not mean your asthma goes away!!!

On the positive side, my stomach was very happy all weekend and it seems that the new fueling strategy is going to work!!!

Calories, calories, calories!

As you know from reading my Worlds race report, I have been struggling with eating during 24hr solo races. With my fitness at a great level nothing is more frustrating than to have your stomach slow you down ... or, in my case, make you stop!!!

So, I have been asking friends, nutrition boards, and other forums ... for advise. The best advise I've gotten so far was from the Hammer nutrition forum and from Rebecca Rusch (2007 and 2008 World solo champion). The diagnosis: I am eating too much, and definatly eating too many solids.

I am a high burner so have always worried about not eating enough ... funny that this would turn into my enemy on race day. I've been training with WAY less calories (around 250 per hour) and only using liquids ... the results? So far, so good. Next weekend will be the real test. I'll plan to drink 250cal per hour and then use my beloved cliff bloks to fill in the gaps when needed.

I am sad to ditch the donuts but am not willing to incorperate them into my every day life so that my digestive system is more used to them ... and have been advised to ditch them by pretty much everyone. The chips, potatoes, pasta, hammer bars and cliff bars will remain on the menu as my solids if I feel the need.

I am really really hopeing that moving to more liquid calories and less overall calories will solve my stomach issues for long races. Only the true test of a race will tell...

The Importance of Core

This year the importance of core has been made very real to me. I have always known, like all athletes, that core is very important. What I didn't realize was just how important it can be. With increased work responsibilities, moving, and general life changes my lifestyle has changed. I no longer hang out at the climbing gym (pun intended) or go on regular kayak or canoeing trips. Cycling and hiking make up 98% of my physical activities and need to be supplemented by core... I didn't realize how much those other 'cross training' sports were doing for my core until this year!

My first race (24hr NW Norba Champs) my back got sore after 6 hours - only 6 hours - on the bike. I was shocked. This had never happened before ... After this race I integrated core exercises into my daily life - doing them every other day religously. I can now say after Canmore (where there was WAY more climbing) that these exercises have paid off in a major way. My back didn't hurt - not once - and my core strength paid off in the twisty technical sections too - i had more balance (or more ability to keep my balance) when the rain made the course slippery as heck.

So .... the lesson for the day is ... never underestimate the power of core!

All cleaned up and back on the trail

Well, it took a week ... of hosing down items in the back yard, scrubbing mud off of every peice of gear and clothing we used, and loads and loads of laundry ... but finally most of the gear is cleaned up and I am back on the trail.

Yesterday was my first ride with my new caloric/food strategy and it was a success. I won't do too much celebrating yet as it was only a 3 hour ride but it did include 3000+ ft of climbing and about 26miles of riding with lots of fun twisty single-track mixed in to keep it interesting!

The first lap my legs felt pretty sluggish but by the end of the first (30 min) climb they were back in gear and I was feeling good. It never ceases to amaze me how fast my body seems to recover from these longer races! I am not saying that nothing hurt -- there are a few sore mucsles ... but overall, I felt great and am looking forward to another 3hr ride today.

I am gong to continue to use my new food/caloric strategy for all of my rides ... the real test is in 3 weeks when I will race a 12 hour!

.. off to the trails once again!