Sharpening the Razor: The Mental Edge

I often think, and tell others, that racing at the 1/2 or Masters 30-40 level is about 90% mental. That might be an exaggeration, but on race day it seems about half the riders in the field could win that day based on their experience, and fitness. So what's the difference? The Mental Edge.

As a junior I remember reading about the power of visualization and picturing your successes. We've all done it on rides; cresting the top of a climb with your arms aloft, sprinting to a county line, or just fantasizing about standing atop a podium. You can take it to another level and see yourself in the race, repeating mantras, and mentally completing workouts in your "mind's eye". These are techniques often practiced by some of the sports greatest champions. I've incorporated more and more of these techniques during my life, not just in cycling, but in my career, relationship, and even day-to-day.

This past week I've been reviewing the road race course on Google Earth, investigating the riders in my field, picturing attacks, and the finish, as well as the results of all my hard work :). The only thing left to do today is execute. And that's the difference. On race day you have to use your brain to bring to fruition all of the physical, tactical, skill, and mental work that you have completed. I relish the opportunity to do that today!

Sharpening the Razor: Nutrition

So I've altered my diet/supplementation slightly as I approach the National Championships. As most of you know I follow a pretty strict modified Paleo Diet, or Paleo Diet for Athletes most of the time. This means that I eat lot of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, healthy fats, and fairly low levels of carbs, except for right before, during, and after my workouts. A sample day might look like this:

6AM: Ride - Honey Stinger gel or a bag of their organic Energy Chews before the ride, Accelerade during if I'm doing intervals.

7:30AM: Shake - made with whey, fruit juice, banana, and Udo's Blend oil

8:30AM: Breakfast - usually eggs and fruit, or possibly oatmeal if I've done a particularly hard wokrout

11AM: Snack - chicken/tuna salad and apple, trail mix, or energy bar

1:30PM: Lunch - usually a massive salad with some protein (fish, chicken, steak)

4PM: Snack - usually same as above, but I add fish oil and green drink. If I'm doing a late workout I will have a Honey Stinger Protein bar

7PM: Dinner - Lots of veggies and protein

10PM: Whey protein (if I've had an afternoon workout)

** Note the lack of grains, pasta, bread.** This is a change I made about 3 years ago. I've noticed that I don't have joint pain anymore, and have had almost no stomach issues on the bike whatsoever. In addition, I've had 1 cold in 3 years. This was after a vacation where all nutritional discretion went out the window! The exceptions to the above are if I'm doing a long mid-morning ride. I will then have a Honey Stinger Protein bar with a banana, oatmeal, yogurt with homemade granola, or 'poop-pudding' (a mix of organic, unsweetened applesauce and frozen mixed berries). I've found that these foods provide me with the necessary 100-150g of carbohydrates about 3 hours before the ride.

On the bike nutrition is entirely liquid now. I use Honey Stinger gels (1 per hour), Hammer Perpetuem (1 scoop per hour), or Accelerade (for short efforts). I've done rides up to 4.5hrs with this protocol and have not felt like I've bonked, and again, stomach issues are non-existent.

Additionally, I supplement with a multi-vitamin, antioxidant blend, Vitamin D (4000IU/day), fish oil (Carlson's), and green drink.

So what am I doing differently leading up to Nats? Eating more carbs. Now to be as Paleo or Primal as possible, most of these are coming in the form of fruits, fruit juice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, etc. However I have allowed myself more oats than normal, as well as some starches/breads during my post-ride meals. I'm shooting for 500-600g of carbs to top off my stores before Monday. I'm also adding sodium phosphate and glycerol in loading doses.

I truly believe that my diet has taught my body to burn fat instead of carbs for fuel, allowed me to reach a new low for body fat, and maintain my intense training and work schedule. Also, it helps to maintain a healthy immune system in a stressful environment, and allows me to stay focused in the OR when I need to bring my 'A game'!

Thanks to Honey Stinger (www.honeystinger.com) for their great products this year! I love their Dark Chocolate/Coconut/Almond protein bars, honey stinger gels (especially Ginsting), and both my wife and I love their organic Energy Chews. It makes a big difference when you feel like your 'cheating' when you are eating fuel for your workouts!

Sharpening the Razor: Equipment Edition

So, after breaking my front derailleur in the road race last year, I'm taking no chances on equipment this year. In the last 2 weeks I've installed: new cables, new chain, new cassette, new wheels, new rear derr, new bar tape, new saddle, new pedals, new shoes, everything tightened to specs, and full bike with powermeter = 15.25lbs - perfect. If I put my 'climbing' wheels on - it's right at the UCI limit of 14.99! Here's a picture of my bike ready to race next week:












Specs:
Frame: Trek Madone 6.9
Wheels: Industry Nine ID
Crankset: Bontrager/SRAM S900 Quarq (Garmin 705 head unit)
Components: SRAM Red
Handlebar/stem: Trek XXX lite & Blade
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Carbon
Pedals: Shimano Dura Ace
Tires: Hutchinson Tubulars

Thank you to our sponsors that made this sweet bike possible! Trek, Industry Nine, Hutchinson

Sharpening the Razor

If you've read Bruyneel's book "We Might As Well Win", you may remember a part about him talking about Iban Mayo getting out onto the 'razor' as he prepared for the Tour. In that spirit I will use the metaphor of sharpening the razor as I prepare for Masters Nationals in Louisville next week. Last year Nationals was my big goal, but moving to Asheville (which was the best decision we could have made!) threw a little wrench in the works since I had to devote so much time to getting my territory up and running, which left a less than ideal amount of time to train. Not that I have much more this year, but training for an extra 2-3hrs a week means an additional 30-50% to someone who can only train 5-10hrs a week! My result at Nationals last year was a 5th place in the TT, and a broken front derrailleur in the road race. I was happy with my TT, but not the road race (obviously).

My focus again in 2009 was the road race in Lousville. This year I decided to hire a new coach (Andy Applegate), and we've truly worked together seamlessly in planning my training this year. We set volume, race, and wattage goals which I have hit almost spot on at each checkpoint. In the 3 big road races I've done in the past month leading up to Nationals, I won the road race at McMinnville, got 8th in the Pro/1/2 at Roan Mountain, and got 2nd at the NC State Championships last week. My fitness and focus, as well as team work, has really seemed to come together over the past few months! At this point, only a week out from the race, the only thing left to do is 'sharpen the razor'. There really isn't a lot of training you can do at this point to improve a week out. My weight is ideal - 148lbs, my threshold power is at an all-time high, and I have some good results.

The week leading into Nats will look like this for me: Friday I did some TT specific intervals, yesterday I motorpaced with my mechanic Andy G on the river, and today I went out for almost 3hrs and did a 'punch ride' where I punched it over each climb, out of each turn, and basically tried to go at 90% effort. I felt so good and ended up setting new MPs for 1 minute and 5 minute power, and went up Town Mountain in under 22 minutes just cruising at about 10 beats under my threshold HR - perfect! The rest of the week will be rest, then the race at track Wednesday, some TT efforts on Friday, easy Saturday, preview the road race course Sunday, then kick butt.

It also seemed like I had a tailwind all day today, and even though I'd thought about it earlier this week it hit me on the way home: today is the 12 anniversary of my best friend's, Chris Strader's death. He really was out there with me today as I poured the power into my pedals - I felt like I had the strength of two men, and it was like Chris was giving me a push from behind as the wind was at my back all day. Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there - but especially my step father Marty, and Lou Strader. I love you guys.

Paleo Athlete Snacks

Paleo Athlete Snacks: Fuel for Training

Most of you know that I'm a big fan of 'Paleo', 'Caveman', or 'Primal' nutrition! My personal favorite pre-race meal is 'poop pudding' - organic applesauce with mixed berries blended in with either whey (not perfect) protein, or a couple of eggs. I will substitute a Honey Stinger protein bar with a banana or some poop pudding if it's an early-morning race. This is by Nell Stephenson: Being an endurance athlete myself, I can promise firsthand that it does! It will require more preparation since you're not likely to find baked yams with salt in your local mart. You'll fare much better in your training, racing and recovering than if you were to default to the commonly available sports bars, made with whey, grains and all sorts of other "interesting" non-Paleo food ingredients. The following are some of my favorites. For a complete listing of why these are favorites, review sections on what to eat before, during and after training around the time of a training session in The Paleo Diet For Athletes. Natural, unsweetened applesauce with plain egg white protein powder and a sprinkle of salt Baked yam with hard-boiled egg whites (I'll give the yolks to the dogs as I prefer a light meal of protein and carbs only if workout session is going to follow immediately and I don't have time to digest the fat) and again, a touch of table salt Bananas - either fresh or sliced, and then frozen. There's not a time I enjoy a banana more than after a workout session! Pineapple - again, right after a workout is a perfect time for this fruit. Pineapple (and papaya and mango) contain bromelain, an enzyme that aids in digestion and helps to settle the stomach. That's quite handy for those hard sessions when you've pushed your limits, and ended up feeling a touch of nausea! Dried fruit - the best time to eat this higher-in-sugar snack is right after a session when your muscles are screaming for carbohydrate to repair and refuel for your next session. Cantaloupe - a great source of potassium, even higher than bananas! Finally, I can't omit the essential: the recovery drink recommended in Paleo For Athletes, "Homebrew." It's superior to anything you're going to find commercially available, and it contains fruit, protein and salt. You'll never tire of it, as you can always vary which fruits you use to keep it interesting. If you haven't committed to being 100% Paleo for fear that it won't support your athletic endeavors, again, I promise you, it will. Train Hard Paleo Athletes!

Race Report: NC State RR Championships 30-34

Another early weekend morning, up at 5AM to meet my teammate Jason to head to Salisbury, NC for the NC State Road Race Championships, held here for the second year in a row. An easy drive proceeded a day with a high close to 90 degrees in humidity that I'm not accustomed to anymore. Jason and I discussed the race and agreed that, like last year, it would most likely be a tactical event where there would be a lot of watching and marking, with potentially an early break going. My breakfast was coffee, a Honey Stinger Protein bar (tasty, easy to digest, and sweetened with honey!), and 'poop pudding'. Bike setup for the flat course was the standard road setup - Trek - but Jacob lent me his I9 deep-dish ID wheels fitted with our Hutchinson tires, which proved to be the perfect option for the fast, gently rolling course.

I made it my goal to get up the road early with a break represented by the 'major' teams in the race; Hincapie, Clif, Carolina Masters, etc. After the early suicide attacks by Clif and Hincapie, then duo dangled about a minute up the road when a counter went with Carolina Masters and a couple of others 20 miles in. I watched the numbers and noticed that there weren't any 30-34 riders going away and joined them. We steadily closed the gap to the duo and then formed a paceline to slowly build our gap. Unfortunately most of the others just didn't have the strength or skill to smoothly rotate and it took a lot of work to finally get a group of 4 that worked, with the others sporadically rotating in. As the day wore on and the laps clicked down, the 6 of us turned into 4 until Rich Harper bridged across solo with 2 laps to go. I was thankful to have some more help to power the move, but knew that I would have my hands full with Rich in the sprint . . .

Rich and I took turns pulling with a little help from the other 2 as Shane from Hincapie dropped back to try to help Chris Harkey in the chase behind (now at 1:30, with the main group at 3 minutes). With one lap to go I started to feel the heat and 3 hours in the saddle and thought about how I could get the drop on Rich. Coming into the final turn I pulled up even to make it a 'fair' sprint. I eased up with about 200m to go and actually got a bit of a jump on Rich, however cramp quickly enveloped my left hamstring as Rich pulled me back and overtook me with 100m to go.

While I was disappointed that I didn't win, I was happy with my effort and result overall. For 3 hours in the saddle I had an average heartrate of 170bpm (my threshold is at 175bpm), NP of 276W and TSS of almost 250 (for your CyclingPeaks geeks out there!).

Thanks goes out to all of our sponsors:

Industry 9, Trek, Hutchinson, Liberty Bicycles, Rudy Project, Honey Stinger, Dr. Miller, PML, Eco Concepts Realty, ABRC, Champion, Velosports, and Affordable Home Inspections

** If you're wondering the picture is from one of my company's weekly publications. They put a picture like this in every week - I'm the 'one' this week! I know it's from last year thought, so sorry for the old kit.

Race Report: Sanofi Adventis Crit

Roan Crit (Johnson City TN) race report -by Jacob McGahey

http://video.johnsoncitypress.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?clipId1=3841074&at1=Sport&vt1=v&h1=Blue+Plum+bike+race+is+a+hit+on+the+last+day+of+the+festival&d1=161367&redirUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.johnsoncitypress.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv&rnd=88789512

Chris Larsen, Chris Emory, Andrew, and I all headed over to do the Johnson city pro 1,2 crit on Sunday. While both Chris's had solid rides in the RR and TT the day before, with the omnium only paying three deep we determined our goal for the day was to take a shot at the win and not worry about protecting omnium placings. I got one lap in preriding the course before the Cat 3 race, which preceded ours. That was enough to know that this was going to be a hard and technical race and staying at the front was going to be paramount to getting a good result. The course took the form of a giant U outline with three wide outer streets and three inner streets in the down town district that were probably fifteen feet wide at most and had brick pavers in the middle of each corner.

With the course being so technical we all assumed that there would very likely be an early break that got away, and decided we would do everything we could to stay at the front and cover every moves. To that end, Chris L. and I made it a point to line up on the front row eschewing some extra laps. The race didn't disappoint our expectations as the attacks pretty much started from the gun and never let up. Between Chris E., Chris L. and myself, we covered pretty much every move that went up the road and launched regular attacks of our own. Each time I came back from a move and a counter went I would see a blue I-9 jersey come flying by in full cry. With Myogenisis holding the two top spots in the Omnium, we assumed they would be complicit in letting us roll up the road to protect the omnium, and we would have a good shot at making something stick. However, while this seemed to be largely the case, a motivated Hincapie contingent with a bunch of riders in the field, was intent on not letting anything go up the road that didn't have John Delong in it, who was third in the omnium going into the race. They also had some apparent collaboration from the Hincapie development bunch who were chasing us all day as well. So while our constant attacks netted both Chris's and myself a prime appiece and a bunch of exposure, we couldn't come up with a mix that had the legs, the willingness, or the complicity from the field to make it stick.

With five or six laps to go Chris Larsen went after a prime and looked back to see a such a big gap he figured even though he was pretty cooked he'd just keep going. He stayed away until less than three to go, giving Chris and I an armchair ride in the top ten. Once he was caught He stayed on the front to keep the speed up for the sprint. I felt the best I have all year and I felt pretty good about my chances in the sprint. As we entered the last lap I found myself about where I wanted to be sitting fourth wheel. After burying himself for most of the last six laps, I'd hoped that someone from one of the other teams would take over the lead out from Chris the last lap especially with the GC still up for grabs, but no such luck. As we came out of the "alleyway" section of the course I sensed the speed wasn't quite high enough, but before I could react Jon Delong came shooting up the right side from six guys back or so with two guys on his wheel. I punched it and shot after them trying to close the gap. Unfortunately with two turns and two very short straights to go it was already to late. With 500 meters left in the race I saw my chances slipping away even as my rear tire attempted the same as I stood up out of the second to last corner. I finally hit the back wheel of the third rider with 75 meters to go but it was too late to even come around him for third, so I had to settle for fourth on the day. Chris Emory notched in a couple places behind me in sixth. Chris L. rolled in after his monumental efforts and Andrew stuck it out valiantly to finish what was a hard and very technical race that he admitted didn't suit his riding style.

Overall this was one of the strongest races we have had has as a team this year. And while I was admittedly disappointed to let a great shot at a win slip through our fingers, this was one of those races that made me feel lucky to be racing a bike. Thanks goes out to my great teammates and to all of our sponsors:

Industry 9, Trek, Hutchinson, Liberty Bicycles, Rudy Project, Honey Stinger, Dr. Miller, PML, Eco Concepts Realty, ABRC, Champion, Velosports, and Affordable Home Inspections

Race Report: Roan Groan RR

The weekend began with an early morning wake up call at 5AM Saturday at the race started at 9AM and I wanted to get in my coffee, 'poop pudding', and whey protein a solid 3 hours before the start of the race. We won the road race last year by sending Jason up the road early to out-fox Brent Bookwalter and the other pros, but figured that strategy wouldn't work 2 years in a row. With Jason out due to his father-in-laws emergency surgery, Chris Emory, Jacob and I decided that Jacob would go with early moves and Chris and I would take our chances on the final climb to 5500' on Roan Mountain. I didn't make it to the top last year as I was active early chasing down moves, and after getting reeled in from a last minute attack I decided to turn around and get the car to shuttle my teammates home. The only time I'd been to the top of Roan was this past winter snowshoeing with my wife and dog!

As I chatted with my friend John Delong, I suggested we roll to the front. Well, John must have misunderstood my intent because he just kept rolling - all the way to the finish! Jacob and Chris followed some counter moves, but unfortunately were unable to get across to what was to be the winning break. The field settled into a nice tempo (compared to last years explosive fits and starts) and some others tried their hand at attacks as well. Jacob worked like a Trojan to reel in some of the late attacks and then followed fellow Asheviller Chris Ernst up the road in a late attack on the highway leading towards Roan Mountain. Emory went about halfway from the final turn to the start of the main climb as well!

Unfortunately Roan gobbled up all the late attacks (save for Adam Ray and John Delong who stayed away for 1st and 2nd) and the field charged up the climb after them. I hung to the back of the front group, dodging riders as they detonated in front of me, maintain my own rhythm. I looked up to see us pick up the 2 Chriss as well as Jacob after a couple of miles. The group continued to be whittled down under the pressure of a small group of 'little men'. I lost contact during the first steep portion, but reeled back the group of 5 on a false flat as I continued my individual TT up the climb. Unfortunately the distance, climb, and hardest training week of my year (OK 10 years) took it's toll and I lost contact after Eric Murphy attacked with 2 miles to go. The group put about 10 seconds into me and I had to settle for 8th on the day. Chris Emory finished 2 back to round out the top 10, and Jacob finished a superb day of work in the 'field' before we turned around to head back down the mountain. Aside from Myogenisis we were the only team with 2 in the top 10! Not bad for 3 working guys from across the border in NC?

Thanks to all of our sponsors, whom without we would have no bikes to ride (can you say 15lb bike?), wheels to ride on (love those Super Egos on the climb!), food to eat (Honey . . . yum), tires, glasses, clothes, etc!

Industry 9, Trek, Hutchinson, Liberty Bicycles, Rudy Project, Honey Stinger, Dr. Miller, PML, Eco Concepts Realty, ABRC, Champion, Velosports, and Affordable Home Inspections

Training is Important!

This really sums up my view of training nicely:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7125&status=True&catname=Latest%20News

Walkable West Asheville

How cool is this? We just bought a house in West Asheville!

Walkable West Asheville has been named on of the best neighborhoods in America by Men's Journal magazine. Here is a sample of houses in the neighborhood:

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=B0&Dato=20090601&Kategori=LIVING&Lopenr=906010805&Ref=PH&referrer=PHOTOFEATURE

Life in West Asheville: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=B0&Date=20090605&Category=LIVING&ArtNo=906040807&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1

Men's Journal article: http://www.mensjournal.com/best-nabes-southeast

Equipment is Important! Trek Madone Review

The bike of America's next cycling superstar

By James Huang

Taylor Phinney (Trek-Livestrong) has already proven himself to be a major force on the track but with his recent victory in the U23 version of Paris-Roubaix - at just 18 years of age - signs are pointing increasingly stronger to him becoming the next great all-American cycling superstar.

All the ingredients certainly look to be in place: his parents are former US racing icons Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter-Phinney; his Trek-Livestrong development team is essentially partially backed by none other than Lance Armstrong; and his Trek Madone OCLV Red Series road machine is built in Waterloo, Wisconsin.

About the only things missing from the formula are some apple pie, a faint 'Star-Spangled Banner' playing in the background and some fireworks over the Potomac.

Phinney's 1.93m (6' 4")-tall build and 818mm saddle height fit on a standard 62cm Madone 6.9 frame easily enough but his "super long" femurs required Trek senior R&D engineer Mark Andrews to craft a custom seatmast cap with 35mm of offset. Even so, Phinney's saddle is slammed all the way back on the rails for a position diehard traditionalists could only dream of handling.

Aside from that, Phinney's Madone was pretty straightforward when we caught up with it back in early April at the USA Cycling development facility in Izegem, Belgium. SRAM provides a complete Red group - with the lone exception of an S900 crank for its 177.5mm-long arms - and much of the rest was emblazoned with the Bontrager logo, including the Aeolus 5.0 carbon clincher wheels, Race Lite VR aluminum handlebar, and Race XXX Lite carbon stem. Stem length is a rather normal 120mm and Phinney apparently has rather narrow shoulders given the 42cm (c-c) bar width.

Rounding things out are Speedplay Zero Titanium pedals, a fi'zi:k Arione saddle, Vittoria Open Corsa EVO-CX clinchers, a mismatched pair of cages from Bontrager and Specialized, and a Specialized Turbo Comp computer.

Racing on Belgian cobbles places unique demands on equipment, though, and not surprisingly the bike underwent a minor makeover prior to Paris-Roubaix similar to what was done to Astana team rigs in April. Replacing the standard Bontrager Race XXX Lite E2 fork was one borrowed from Trek's Pilot range with more clearance around the crown and Astana loaned Phinney a pair of team-only 'Bontrager Classics' aluminum tubular wheels with fat 25mm rubber - all subtle modifications for sure but ones that have proven to be undeniably effective.

So let's see here: three UCI world championships, four US national titles, one Paris-Roubaix - and a lifetime to go. Things are looking good indeed.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2009/probikes/?id=taylor_phinney_trek-livestrong_madone09