Pink Eye, Just Great!

So, my youngest daughter gets pink eye, my older daughter then gets it, and well you know how it works, Sh%# rolls up hill and I end up sick as dog (though I rarely see a sick dog...but I am moping around with a wet nose and drooling a bit, kinda like an aging Basset Hound).  If you have never had pink eye, it is a wierd sensation waking up and not being able to open your eyes because they are glued shut with eye boogers that must be wiped and/or crumbled apart in order to see.  Good Stuff.  Well, hopefully the ribs I have consumed will make up for my lack of training.



Me, a week before my first solo 24.

 I will be riding my first ever solo 24 hr race this weekend (5/26-27) at the Burn 24.  Honestly, I felt over prepared for this event, and that just would not be fair to my fellow competitors.  For this reason, I decided to get injured during PMBAR to justify taking a week off the bike (to help level the playing field).  After one ride I still felt too strong, so I decided to contract pink-eye and a nasty throat virus to keep me off the bike for another week. will try a ride tonight, but because I don't want to embarrass anyone out there, I will follow it up with a rack of ribs and some beer.
Over the three weeks leading up to this ride, I will have had more racks of ribs than rides.  Now that is how you train for the Burn. 

 

NOTE:
Oh yeah, The blog name has changed from Old, Short, Fat Bald Single-Speeder, as it has been pointed out that I am no longer considered "fat".  Thought about going with "Phat", but I am not hip enough to pull it off.  Now this does allow me to go with a cool Acronym (I just love C.A's...cool Acronyms), but I could not decide between B.O.S.S. (Bald, Old, Short, Single-speeder) or S.O.B. (Short, Old, Bald).  Fortunately, after a short poll of my inner circle, it was made clear that I am more of an S.O.B than a BOSS, so there ya go. More changes to come to keep things fresh...or is it now "phresh"??? 

On the Road Again, and Trail!

Single speed commuter

After more than a week off due to injury, on Monday, I finally hit the road for my first ride to test the knee.  My ride consisted of an 8 mile commute to work (IRO Mark V single speed), and then a 13 mile commute home.  Felt fine other than a little interior soreness, almost as if the inner scar/scab is causing some discomfort, but I can live with it.  Decided to hit the trails on Tuesday, but as I go for my bike (which has been sitting dormant since I returned from Pisgah), I found the left side of my bottom bracket seized as well as the upper bearing on my headset.  Bummer!  So I grabbed the Motobecane Fantom Team off the wall, removed my wifes seatpost/seat combo and slid on my Seatpost/seat combo and I was off to ORC.  This ride made me realize how much I now dislike riding a full suspension bike.  Am I in the right gear? Do I sit and spin? Do I stand?  What is all that noise?  Strange, that two years ago I won the Triangle XC Series on this bike* and now it only gets ridden by my wife or when the SS is in need of repair.  I had planned on riding 2 laps (24 miles) but instead rode one frustrating lap, then 5 miles of fire road before calling it a night.  When I returned home I disassembled and cleaned the bottom bracket shell and and the eccentric bottom bracket, then threw on an XT bottom bracket I had lying around.  Next, I took apart the Motobecanes headset and swapped over the bearings I needed (before ordering another set).  This weekend I am definitely back on the Single Speed with one week left before the Burn 24...YeeHah!

Val, showing off what will eventually be her full-suspension ride.

                  

PMBAR 2011 Experience: First Ever DNF!

Jay and I at the end of last years PMBAR

Un-#%@-believable.  Last year Jay and I had a great 1st PMBAR.  We worked through adversity, we made some good strategic decisions, and we finished the event on our single-speeds with four checkpoints in eleven and a half hours.  Neither of us knew the trails that first PMBAR but after the first checkpoint we caught up to another team (Camye's) and she let us follow her as long as we could keep up.  This year Jay and I studied the trails, studied previous checkpoints, studied which trails were better in which direction...heck, I even made a small map (which I left in the campsite, but it did not matter).  We were ready to go at it.  We were given the passport, read some funky rules like no Black Mtn start/return, turn in a wooden nickle and no out-and-back on Pilot, then we were off.
Checkpoint one: Thrift> Black> Maxwell> Clawhammer> Buckhorn> S Mills>Squirrel.  We were rolling fast and passing a lot of geared teams on the climbs.

Checkpoint two: Squirrel>Mullinax>S Mills>Bradley Creek (yes, we should have taken Horse Gap to Cantrell to save a few minutes, but we went the way we knew for sure). Arrived at 11:58. I Had a cookie, a donut, two pieces of bacon and we were off with ~ three other teams.

Taken 4 hours later at Davidson

Checkpoint three: I am feeling pretty good at this point...even better than a couple hours ago.  The plan was for Bradly Creek>1206>Yellow Gap>Trace Ridge.  After that we would back track to 1206, up Laurel Mtn to Pilot for #4 and down Pilot, Down S Mills to Buckhorn Gap and retrace our path to the finish.  Unfortunately ~5 miles up Bradley Creek I was carrying my bike across maybe the 6th river crossing when I took a bad step on a large slippery rock and went down hard.  Don't know what happened really, other than I banged my knee on my bike and it felt like I was hit with a ball-peen hammer.  As I started writhing in pain, I noticed  chunks of white flesh dangling from my knee.  I limp out of the water with my bike and instantly my lower leg is a sheet of red and the pain is immense.  The next river crossing was only 30 ft away so I limped to it to wash off my knee, hoping I could walk this off.  I went into the river gingerly, it was hard to walk.  I could still see the pieces of flesh dangling around in the water.  As I exited the river, the blood again began to flow freely.  And while the cold water certainly helped a bit, I was hurtin' for certain.  As Jay is getting out his first aid kit to patch me up, another team comes up behind me and asks to take a look.  Of all the people who could come up right behind us, I get a guy who works in an ER.  He tells me to sit down and assists in stopping the bleeding.  He just happens to have some prescription strength Liquid Stitches which he proceeds to apply to my leg after a bit of applied pressure slowed the bleeding.  He gave me instructions to sit there for a few minutes to let it dry, then it should be good even through the river crossings.  He said to expect some seepage due to the movement, but I should be good.  He was right.  As his team went forward, Jay and I knew our race was done, but our adventure was not over.  We still had over 5 miles and several river crossings to get back to the last checkpoint near Turkey Pen.  The stitches held up great, and I ended up riding with my right leg dangling and my left leg peddling as hard as it could all the way back (with some limp-a-bike mixed in).  We eventually made it back, and one of the guys at the checkpoint was going to give me a ride back, but he could not fit both of us in his car.  Fortunately, I had met a nice couple at the bottom of Turkey Pen as I waited for Jay who went up to the parking lot to catch the guy.  They were just finishing fishing for the day and offered to throw our bikes in the back of their truck and get us back to the start.  They even offered to push my bike up the hill for me, though I declined, because I did not need them to, and because it served as a crutch while I was walking.  After Jay rode down the hill, I ended up riding up to the parking lot with him (using only me left leg).  When the couple arrived, they gave Jay and me beer while we waited for them to get out of their fishing gear.  They got us back to the start where we told Eric about our DNF, but considering what had happened, I still had plenty to be thankful for.  This was my first ever DNF and I felt really bad for Jay; but he was a fantastic PMBAR partner (and an all around good guy) and he was great through the whole ordeal.  Heck, by the time it was over we still had ~40 miles of Pisgah.

Felt like a bad son & husband for being gone on Mothers Day.

The best part of the trip was the riding, the hanging out with all the other riders before, during and after the event; convincing Eric to give an inebriated Rich Dillen a seat for a prize (like that guy needs more free stuff), and hanging out with fellow like-minded mountain bikers.  Jay, campground crasher Camye and I also really enjoyed spending meals with Jeff, Kelly K. and Kelly's family (Dad, Mom, wife, mom-in-law).  Good peeps, good times.  The worst part of the trip: listening to all the darn 26" jokes (there were plenty, too many really), and naturally many focused on how I would not have gotten injured if only I rode a big-kids bike (lame).  Still, a PMBAR to remember (the scars will ensure that).  Pisgah, you may have gotten the better of me this time...next year just may have to be the tie breaker.

Note:  I had a close-up pic of my knee posted, complete with oozing puss and blood, but the wife insisted that no one wanted to see that...so I switched it with a couple of bad sons and a bad husband.  Though luckily I still made it home in time to have dinner with my wife and mother, so all is good on the homefront, surely earning me positive points toward another mtb weekend hall-pass. 

Pisgah PMBAR Map

So, in an effort to not get lost for this upcoming PMBAR, I have taken the large Pisgah map and attempted to recreate it on a standard sheet of paper to carry with me.  Naturally the trails are not to scale, and I still will not know which trails are better in which direction, but I wasn't going to know that anyway (other than for a few trails).  I am still researching trails and hope to add notes on the backside of the map.  I know just creating this map (twice, messed up once), was a help in learning the large network of trails.  Of course now I learn there is a new map with better/more information, but what can you do?  Hopefully this map will be the key to a successful race...or at least the key to not spending the night in the woods.   Well, if anything, it will shave some grams off the original map. :)  And yes, I changed my font...whatchagonnadoaboutit?

Mileage!

Holy Smokes.  I just added up my riding mileage and realized I have been putting in more miles than I though (for a guy who only rides his mtb twice a week).
Here are the stats:
January: SSmtb=211, SSrd=119 Total=330
February: SSmtb=302, SSrd=121 Total=423
March: SSmtb=331, SSrd=127, Grd (gears)=15 Total=473
April: SSmtb=327, SSrd=117, Total=444
Cummulative Totals: SSmtb= 1,171, SSrd=484 Total=1655
Yikes, that puts me on pace for over 6k miles.  I would like to ask how I continue to stay fat with all this riding, but the nachos, rack of ribs and multiple beverages I consumed yesterday may have an answer.
One would also think I would be a kick-a$$ rider.  I should be keeping up with Dickey, Kelly and Jeff (Mr. Podium at Warrior Creek), but hey, I like to do my thing, so I am not out doing intervals, worrying about power wattage and hear rate stuff.  I just try to ride lots.  With PMBAR in a week, then the Burn24 a few weeks later, this could be a big month.
I will definitely slow it down over the summer as I will not be commuting to work, I will be in California for a month, and though I will ride more frequently on the SSmtb, my rides will be shorter in duration.
I am also proud to report that over the last few months, in an attempt to get a stronger upper body and core, I have begun the habit of doing a push-up/sit-up routine ~every two days.  Would like to do this every day, or at least every other day, but my joints (and lack of muscle) just can't take it.  I have begun working in curls (for the girls) but my strained bicep, while healing, keeps me from doing them too often.  Sadly, I do not look that strong, and as strong as I do look, I am not even that strong; so hopefully this is the start of (in Austrian accent) getting pumped up!

2011 North Cackalacki Caddywompus Single Speed Rally

Yes!  That time of year when single speeders (over 21 of course) from around the county (and state) come together to enjoy some fellowship, Single-Speed Mtb style. The days events started with meeting near an Ale house (important for post ride grub), getting our 6 pack entry fee ready, then riding along a highway to get to the trail.  Yeah, a bunch of single-speeders spinning along a highway, dressed like we were going to a frat party...we turned our share of heads.  Interestingly, when we arrived near the trail, rather than riding down to the trail head and riding to the gathering spot, we followed our fearless leader (let's call him Banjo) into the woods as he decided to braid/bushwhack a path through the woods, over vines and sticks, and dodging fallen brush and dead trees until we eventually came to part of the actual trail that got us close to where we were going, just so we could bushwhack again.  There at the gathering spot was a strategic hole in the ground with bags of ice awaiting the 6 pack offering that we were all carrying (This was prepped ahead of time by another one of the leaders/organizers...let's call him Karate Monkey).  For the record, I only brought 5 beverages, but 4 were Guinness 14.9 ouncers (the other was an Amstel Light...maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that).  Anyway, there was plenty of PBR thanks to the organizers, but I stuck to the Guinness and the Chubs (darn good beverages).  At this point, I could go on, but I think it is best if I just say that everyone left the woods safely and we had one heck of a good time. To many details would just ruin the mystique of the event...some pictures, however, would add to that mystique, so here they are (I only wish I had taken more).

 

Getting ready...this should be the first pic.

Scary man exiting the woods.

Uh-oh, I think he spotted me!

Feeling Fatigue--Need More Rest?

Notice the small slobber spot? Rest is good. 

So the last month or so I have not felt that great.  It started a week before Warrior Creek and has lasted up to this very day.  My energy seems high, but my strength seems low.  I just do not have that extra pep in my legs that usually exists after a climb...it's as if I'm not recovering well from the exertion.  It seems my muscles just do not want to do the work that they once did.  Is it over-training?  I doubt this as I only ride my Single Speed mtb twice a week (though I do ride my Single Speed road bike twice a week also).  I do average ~420 miles a month, total so I think I will take it a bit easier over the next two weeks.  Could it be (as a friend suggested) parvovirus B-19 (fifths disease)?  I suppose that is possible as there was an outbreak at school, but for this long? Could it be the 6 hours sleep I get a night (yawwwn)?  Regardless, I am going to keep on riding.  Really, felt like crap this last weekend when I struggled through the end of a 286-Rocky Road-286 ride.  Normally a 30 mile single track ride like this would not be a problem, but my legs were struggling and I started cramping toward the end of the ride (and that usually doesn't happen until 40+miles).

Today I rode an easy 40 through Umstead and felt o.k..  With PMBAR and the Burn24 coming up, I NEED MORE POWER!!!  Hopefully all will be well soon.  Ready or not, here I ride!

Note: On the plus side, my sore bicep tendon (that has plagued me for the last several months) has not been aggravated in some time and seems to be on the mend.  Though it still lets me know it is there, I am able to ride and even clear logs (and the 286 rock) again without pain (yeah!).