Catching Up with My Sponsors

Last week I got a call from my supplement sponsors at Biomedical Research Laboratories. They were calling to check in on how my training was going, if I needed any more products, and to tell me about some of the new stuff they have coming out over the next few months. The rep that called me even knew details about my upcoming racing schedule as he's been checking up on my blog. It was great to know that the staff at BRL cares enough about their athletes to call them and follow up with their racing and training schedule. You can check out the Athlete Profile page they have for me here.  

The rep also discussed some really exciting new products that BRL is working on. While still under wraps, I can say I am really excited to get some samples of the new products as they start testing it out. As always it will be of the highest grade natural ingredients and includes no banned substances listed on the WADA 2013 list. Take confidence in knowing that BRL manufactures in the United States and submits all of its products to the Banned Substances Control Group for testing to ensure that all of the athletes consuming their products are staying legal, no deer antler spray or holographic chips coming from this company!

Two days after my phone conversation, another support package showed up at my door. This is turning out to be a great partnership. I'm looking forward to racing and training on their products and excited for what I will be able to achieve.

A Plan Coming Together

So, for the first time ever in my career, I have established a yearly training plan. In years past, I would schedule, haphazardly, the 2 or 3 weeks leading up to my most important race of the year, but that's it. This year is different. I have done my research and created a structured, purposeful plan to tackle the 2013 season. I have 3 big races I am focusing on with many others along the way. The first race of the season is March 10th with the first major race being in late April. The last race isn't until late September. It's going to be a long season.

As mentioned previously, the first half of the season will focus solely on cycling events with a gradual transition to triathlons in the summer. How am I going to integrate the two other sports and make everything work? No clue yet. I am really excited about the cycling though. I am using my new power meter to guide my training as I progress through the different training cycles. This weekend I completed my baseline power profile testing. It was a rainy few days and I didn't quite get the numbers I was expecting: timing, weather, big week as possible causes. Just means more room for improvement and I'll try again in 4 weeks.

I will be cycling more per week than I ever have as part of this cycling focused training. Come race time I should find out what my true potential is. I have the tools, I have the plan, and I have the perfect city to do it in. Time to execute.

The famous river gorge

The scenic city: a great place to train

Views from power testing

Another nice view from a long day of testing

Rapha Festive 500 Challenge

Strava is an online scoreboard that uses riders' GPS's to rank cyclists on different sections of roads and trails. They host different "challenges" to drum up activity and exposure with the most recent being the Rapha Festive 500 Challenge. This challenge was to ride 500 kilometers, 310 miles, between December 24th and December 31st.

I decided to participate and go for an overloading week of riding that would accumulate with the most miles I've ever ridden in that time frame. Leading up to it, I overloaded in the weight room taking advantage of a 6 day trial I had to the best gym/club in Memphis. It was going to turn out to be a tough two weeks of base training.

As the 24th approached, I was unsure if I was going to be able to attempt the challenge. Everyone at my house was sick with two people even having the full blown flu and restricted to bed. However, the warmest day in the forecast was on the 24th so I decided if I was going to give it a shot, I had to make the most out of the first day. I knocked out 70 miles that first day which stressed my legs more than expected, must have been all the time in the weight room leading up to it. You know you went hard on the bike when you have to sit down in the shower.

The next day it was raining and 36 degrees: no riding. Snow lined streets and 32 degrees the next day didn't stop me though. I was able to ride everyday except the two days that it was raining in the 30s. That's just crazy. There sure were some bitter cold days out there, but I continued to get out the door and put in the miles. I now stand 76 km, 47 miles, away from finishing the goal. Shouldn't be a problem to complete it this afternoon. So here I go, ending 2012 on a good note after a rough few months. Being in the saddle always makes me happier.