SpeedPacer

Speed Pacer Website is Officially Live!!

2011-01-31T13:18:00.002-05:00

Happy 2011 Riders. I have got my website officially up, and I will be posting cool videos from all genres of cycling, training videos, articles, helmet cam videos, as well as vlogging.

Go to www.speedpacerracing.com

I am planning to actually make an attempt to complete my first State Series as a Expert Rider, and I will be giving a "Pacer Diary" of my entire Season

Stay Tune, it's going to be fun

Pacer Out!

Speed Pacer Website Coming Soon

2010-12-02T01:55:00.001-05:00

2010 FSC Pro Race & 30+ Experts Race Video

2010-11-16T20:49:00.003-05:00

Pro Race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kabhw9M66I8

Expert Race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLMSMqznt6E&feature=related

Enjoy

Leg Fully Healed! Rolling in Miami

2010-06-24T15:10:00.002-04:00

I started working out too early and put my leg in harms way. The muscle were not fully attached and what I was doing was keep them from attaching properly and actually gaining strength.

So my doctor strongly suggested that I not work out until the muscles completely reattached. So I stopped working out completely from April until June. That shit was painful. Not to mention the 12lbs that I put on trying to stay lean, but not working out.

My leg has completely healed now and I'm back on the bike with no leg pain. I started playing table tennis again, and after the training block went well I decided to take the back off the trainer and hit the road.

I had not really looked into riding in Miami since I lived here, and just decided to go to my normal places in Broward. In my building I saw a guy with a road bike and I asked him if there was a group ride near. He said, "There is a ride that starts 2 blocks from here at 6am on Tues and Thurs." Great! I can get a good ride right from my house.

I replaced my new tires and took off the trainer tire. The next morning I got to the ride and about 5 people were there. Another 5 riders came and we left around 6:05. The pace stays easy while we were navigating our way out of downtown. A lady name Karen introduced herself, and "I asked her how far is the ride?" She said, "It's a trip around the Key. We all have to go to work". I thought to myself, "How long is that".

Deciding to ride in a small group can be a good thing, or a bad thing. It can be a good thing if the group decided to Team Time Trial, take nice pulls, and don't ramp the effort. Or it can be a bad thing if the attacks start coming, the group starts to fall apart, and riders end up just looking for a wheel to latch onto.

We make a left turn and there is a toll booth, and after that I can see that it is wide open. Not even 1 minute later we have gone from 20mph to 23mph, and into the wind. It was a really unstable crosswind. There is a natural order that finds itself and the fast is right in between easy and hard. There is a rider charging hard. He is looking back and surging, getting out of the saddle and pushing the pace. He is creating gaps and riders are pulling out of the paceline. I thought, "Who shatters a group of 10?"

I don't realize it much but I'm shifting to lighter gears because we are going uphill. It's not too steep, but I'm climbing. We make it over the top of the hill and I can see the Bay to the right of me, but I can't really enjoy it.

When we get organized again the rider in question is asked the guys, "How was that? Did you like that? I was thinking, " It must be this guys bucket list to beat up on a bunch of riders that are not good enough to stay with him, not interested, or don't even care. I didn't let the ego get the best of me to show him that I can do more than just follow wheels, but I wanted to make sure I was in ok position at all times.

The next time he takes a pull, I am 7 riders back, and by the time I realize it he has 50 meters. We are going 23mph, and I take my pull. The group is not working hard to bring him back, but we are slowly bringing him in. When it seems like we are making ground a guy in red ramps the effort to Race Pace. I look down and we are doing 29mph, then 31mph. I'm 3rd in line and I don't want to create a gap but 31mph is too much for me as my 1st day back after more than 6 months. I look back because I was going to signal for the next rider to close the gap, but noone was there.

I look down and we are still going 31mph, so I give it up and just go at my pace. One guy comes by and says "Welcome to our Group". I said, "That is a Welcome". I never really do multiple attacks in any group ride, even though I am capable of it. It's not the way that I ride. I can cover attacks of riders that I don't want to get away. I like how things build up towards the end and climaxes with a sprint.

The multiple attacks really only nags the group, but that is how attacks get away and stay away. But in 10 man group it really is a waste of effort unless it's on the bucket list. We get to a turn around point and the group reform. We have lost Karen and another rider. Thing keep going at a pace between 20-23mph. Then we take a right turn detour were things heat up again. We have lost another 2 riders, the bucket list guy is charging again. I pull out and Pablo is behind me. He does a hard charge to bridge up. I am doing 27mph and I go up to 30mph to bridge back up to the cluster of riders. " I don't know my way home" is the only reason that I worked this hard.

We do another turn around and the pace picks up again. Shit, were is my passport. I am not recovered to hang on, but I give it try anyway. I thought we were going to go hard until we go to the main road, then tone it down. Nope, Bucket List guy is putting it down.

I'm dropped, and I know it. I go back over the Bay and the thing is freaking huge. I'm keeping a nice pace and my Heartrate is 185bpm, and my pace is 14mph. I know the Heartrate and pace is way off, so I didn't think much of it.

So I crawl my way back and I hope I can remember my way home. The group is right around the corner, and they were waiting for another rider that was in front of me and me. Or just him.

I give my email to Pablo to keep informed when the rides are going to change. 3 weeks is what I told him it would take me to show bucket list how to go to the front and leave everyone behind me in a scene of colorful destruction.

Gonna keep riding down here, and I'll end up hitting the mtn bike at Markham as soon as I can get decent enough form to ride with them knuckle heads of Broward.

Keep ya Passport with ya!

Pacer Out.

Back on the Singletrack

2010-04-11T22:50:00.002-04:00

What up Cycling World. Yeah man, it's or local neighborhood Speed Pacer doing a long overdue check in.

The leg had not fully healed so I had to wait until the doctor told me that the muscles had completely attached. That had me off the bike until April 2nd.

I have been hitting up Amelia a lot since it is on the way home to Miami. Here is a little video I shot with the HD cams. Enjoy

Pacer Out!

Speed Pacer Vlog Entry #1

2010-01-05T18:34:00.001-05:00

Just a little video to update the Pacer Program for 2010.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T02:51:00.000-05:00

One Less Dude

2009-11-30T21:50:00.001-05:00

There is one less “Dude” on my “Friends List” for 2010. I have one word for this blog entry, and that is “Scandalous”.

This is going to be a long blog entry, because it is going to showcase exactly how 2 different people think so differently, and because of that, it is better off that they aren’t in the same air. For my life I have very simple principles and I stick to them.

When I started writing my blog in 2007 I was really happy to be able to write about my cycling. I was racing on the road, and mtn biking and so much was happening that I really wanted to write about it. Plus, a lot of my peers from all over the country were doing the same and I was inspired. The only thing that I learned from that year of writing was “No More Name Dropping”. What that meant was to not drop a name unless it was absolutely necessary, or absolutely comfortable. I trained and mentioned so many of the same names so much that I even got bored of it. When I moved to NC in March of 2008, I basically didn’t write for 1 year. When I got back to Florida in April of 2009 I decided that if I were to get back to writing I would go out of my way to not name drop if I could help it. And that new detail is the very reason that I’m writing this post and I have One Less Dude in my life to worry or think about.

I learned something from my mother early on and she said, “If you can’t find a solution, then you never had a problem”, and I use that to this day. Instead of coexisting with a person that you don’t see eye to eye with on any issues, it’s best to realize you don’t have a problem. This is a North Pole vs. South Pole issue, with no way of meeting at the equator. I’m going to say right now that “These are the truest words I have ever wrote”. If you don’t know what quality person I am, you will after this entry.

This all got started because I didn’t mention his name. So for the sake of continuing this same standard, let’s not mention his actual name, but I will now call him “Dude”. At the end of this post, “Dude” is going to be famous. He is going to be so famous, that he is going to be “Infamous”. I am going to do more than just mention his name. I’m going to give him a new name. This is how you deal with a person that does not have the same intelligence level as you. You rip them up using words instead of action. You show them that they are in “First Timer Category” when it comes to this kind of debating. That is why Dude has read my blog for over 2 years. He reads my words. “Dude”, I entertain you by telling my stories. Now, I’m going to entertain everyone else by making
you the story, “Dude”.

To explain how the relationship got here I really do have to backtrack 2 years to fully bring you into the story.

I let one of my buddies read this blog entry, and he said, “Man with the cameras you got, you should shoot this as a movie”. This post is going to go back and forth, and mention people’s name that are completely innocent, they are just here to drive the story. From my point of view I will let you know who is there to drive the story, or who is going under the bus. So here goes.

I’m honestly not sure what I would have called “Dude” before this. I considered myself friends with all the Expert Riders because we race so much together, and often see each other on the road. You know when a person speaks to you in a way that let’s you know that he is doing it to be nice, not genuine. That is how I would honestly describe “Dude”. This greeting never felt warm, and for that I just lost interest in speaking to him, and reverted to speaking to him only when he spoke to me.

In Table Tennis I considered myself friends if I have been out with you outside of training, or I knew your mother, or family. That standard does not apply to cycling so it is safe to say that most of the guys in cycling are training buddies. I have hugged & kissed enough wives and girlfriends on the cheek to know whom my friends are.

I considered “Dude” more of a person that I would ride with if we were out at the trails, but I don’t ever remember calling him to meet me to train. Him not riding from 2004 to 2007 also made it easy as I never really saw him.

I posted my “Season Over” blog entry, and it got some hits. Some people emailed me personally, some people posted comments. The entry was really about the spirit of people, which I felt should be bigger than egos. Here is a great example: In Race #6 a racer in my category had a problem passing another rider, and a conversation ensued while the race was going on. Nothing negative, but after the race the rider that would not let the other rider by came to him and apologize like a man. See, that is what my blog entry was about. It was about having a good spirit even in the heat of competition. It was about caring for your fellow competitor as a person as well as a cyclist.

As I said before this spark was ignited because I didn’t mention his name in the “Season Over” blog entry. I referred to him as a ZMotion Rider. If you are interested in knowing who this “Dude” is you will have to do your own research. If not, you can sit back and read my side of the end of “Dude”. When I didn’t mention his name I really thought I was protecting his name as he was/is good friends with the rider that crashed into me, or so I thought.

What came next was a debate that happened over “Text Messaging”. Can you believe that? What a 2nd hand way to pick an argument with a person. I got into a 1 hr debate texting back & forth, and the matter could have been cleared up with a 2-minute conversation. I was eating dinner with a table tennis buddy of mine from New York, and “Dude” texted, “Sorry about your crash, but I find it funny that you didn’t mention my name especially when I let you borrow my $2600.00 wheels for 2 days. I was first thinking, “Are you sorry for my crash, or are you upset? Because they came in the same sentence.” I was considering buying some wheels from this dude, but I instead decided to by the Spark 10. So I didn’t feel like the favor was that big.

My boy said, “Why is your friend picking a fight with you over text messaging”. I said “Friend”. He is not my friend, because my friend would have called me. Now, he is just some “Dude”, for real.

I text back, “ I didn’t mention your name because I know you are friends with the crasher. I thought it was over, so I went back to eating dinner with my boy. In came another text that, “I had mentioned 2 other names and not his”. I texted back that those were “Teammates”, and I was protecting your name, AGAIN. Then I thought it was really over.

About 5 minutes went by, I got text back with some venom. He hit me with the “Hot Fire” man. It went, “Whatever! You are a joke, your blog is a joke. Instead of calling it SpeedPacer, you should call it “SlowPace”. Now, you have another person to hate”. When you write something like that you are pulling a Thelma and Louise, and going straight off the cliff. There ain’t no coming back from this”. My boy then says, “He is swinging at your ping pong balls. I then said, “Dude” has a lot of free time, right?

My boy went on to say, “You are being attacked on your Blackberry playa?” And I say, “I think I am”, and we both laughed. He goes on to ask, “Is he doing this because he is afraid to confront you?” I say, “No”. He loves confronting me, but it does seem cowardly. Now, I have been in trouble for not feeding the dog, or leaving the TV on all night in the living room, or taking too much of the cover at night. But nothing has been bad enough to even get attacked by my wife over the text message. I was a little taken back because I thought I had clarified it, plus this was such an impersonal way to attack someone. But this guy was raging, and he wanted to fight, and what I was texting him back seemed like I was retreated, so he went there to stir up the pot. I put the phone down and explained a 2007 flashback that might explain dude’s “Passive Aggressive” behavior to my boy.

It’s the 2007 FSC, #2 Race, Razorback, Team Time Trail. I am the Team Leader for Active Cycles and we had gone into the Team Time Trial after B& J. I am leading the team through the Trail, and trying my best to keep all 5 guys together. We come up on a section and “Dude” is screaming at the top of his lungs at Matt Hammond, and the B&J Team is in full-blown “Implode Mode”. Apparently Matt was pushing the riders behind him verbally to pick up the pace, and “Dude” lost it. Why didn’t Oscar and Adam get into it with Matt? It’s because he is the only one on that team that is “Passive Aggressive”.

That in fighting only motivated us because I thought we would have enough to catch them. They ripped us by 3 minutes and my team all agreed that the fact that they were fighting only motivated us because we were riding as a unit. 2 years later he was unleashing the same rage in the form of a text message. After I explained that to my boy, he asked, “How much money does he make in cycling”? I say, “Nothing”. He then laughs, and looks at the waiter and says, “Give him the bill”.

When I get home I remember my proverb, “If you can’t find a solution, you don’t have a problem”. We don’t have a problem. This guy is angry because I didn’t mention his name in my blog. The only solution for me is to write what he wants. That’s not going to happen, because this is my blog, and I can write whatever the hell I want to write. We aren’t on the same page at all, and we never have seen eye to eye. There is no solution, so there is no problem. What do you say to a person that is angry at something that you are not? You send them on their way, but not without playing them like X-box 360.

I write, “ No need for the insults. If you are angry, that is where it is going to stay. I’m not going there. Good Luck with the rest of the season”.

And that was from the heart. I do want “Dude” to do well in the season. I do wish him the best of luck. All he wanted to do is pick some fight over the phone because he is feeling overly sensitive about his name being left out. Now, if “Dude” where paying attention in Psychology Class, after a person has been Aggressive, the downside is going back to Passive, especially if the other person does not give them the response they want. Having no engagement will make the person feel helpless and they will end up having to retreat after feeling guilty for launching an attack on a person that won’t take the bait. As you can see, I was paying attention in Psychology Class, and he fed right into the set up.

I get a text back and it reads, “I don’t hate you, I think you are a good rider. I think you are overly sensitive, and keep bringing up LaRue. I also think you were wrong about Matt H. If I didn’t know you I would think you are Lance Armstrong.” “I’m overly sensitive?” Me, overly sensitive? After a guy puts a hole I my leg I basically go on my blog and say that I’m frustrated that he wouldn’t acknowledge that he hurt another person. I dealt with it very intelligently. I could have gone to his house in Boca and hit him with the “Patronus”. There are ways to act overly sensitive, and I’m sure that my behavior does not qualify, but I will tell you what does. Dude verbally attacking his own teammate in a race and practically saying he would rip his head off. That is acting over more than sensitive. Attacking another one of his teammates on a road ride (Adam G), and crashing into my boy Wes and hurting him is acting more than sensitive. And attacking a person he called a friend by way of text message is just another way of acting out on being overly sensitive. “Dude” is the only person in cycling that is acting out because of your insecurities. This “Dude” is not thinking before he is texting. I’m not the person attacking in a text message. I’m doing the same thing I have always done. I have been thought about my feeling without betraying them. There is nothing that important for me to send a person a text message. If the person were my friend, I would talk to directly to them. But, I do want to take the time talk about what he wrote.

Wow, let me dissect this text. First of all, did you notice the retreat from Aggressive back to Passive? Of course you did. That is the 1st sign of weakness. This type of weakness is more mental than physical. Because he will fight someone, but he is not strong enough to go inside himself to be stronger. For everything I have wrote on this blog, I have thought long hard as well as if I should write it. If you are going to write about someone’s character it is important to be able to back it up, and to stand by it. For everything that I have wrote that talks about any person’s character, (mines included), I will standby. And here is “Dude” taking his statement back. Weakness!

Now, he brought up 2 innocent people. One of these people is going under the bus, and one of them is going to be seated nicely in the bus.

Here is where you can tell the difference in a selfish view, and a worldly view. OK, Let’s talk about LaRue. Like I said before we had problems as soon as I moved to the Expert Category, and he is not going to address anything with me. I talked about it to his face, and he never said anything to me. Want to know why? Because, I was telling the truth. I even said something to him, I said something to him right in front of Dave. He doesn’t respect me enough to let me pass, even when I was fast enough to pass him and put 9 minutes on him. Our relationship started this way, and ended this way. There was no repair or recovery. It just stayed with him having that attitude. I think anyone would lose respect for a competitor with that attitude. I stand by it, and I will never retract that statement. The statue of limitations has passed on repair than, but not enough to still talk about it. Dude, brought it up, and I brought you back into the drama so you would be up to speed.

I send a text back to “Dude” that in my experience, LaRue has bad sportsmanship, and “Dude responded very selfishly by saying, “He trains hard, goes out of his way to finish every race, and I wish I was as fast as him.” He goes on to say “ I have raced with him many times, and “I” have never had that problem.

OK, let me start by saying that LaRue is not a bad person, but I was given some vital information from Enzo when I turned Expert, and he said, “Don’t ever ask him to pass LaRue, just make your move”. Whether or not he was a bad person is not in question, but what is, or what was at the time, was his judgement. He is just using very, very bad judgement once his ego is let loose in the race. I talked about it many times on this blog, because it has happened “MANY TIMES” in the races. It has happened to many riders and this issue is bigger than Brian Pace. It is an issue of Sportsmanship. It is an issue of respect for your fellow competitors. My view is not that of my own, it was that of my competitors as a single voice at the time. Everyone in the Category had a problem with him at some time. Dude was only talking about his own view, and that is very selfish. What is most telling is dude has had the least amount of experience racing with LaRue because he only raced with him 1 season. Try 4 seasons dude, then you would be riding to a different tune. Dude got to the category after I had already called out and dogged out LaRue on my blog for 6 months.

What forms an opinion about a person is how they respond after the call out. Once I called him out in 2007 you would think we would talk about it as men. Nope, he went out of his way to ignore me. OK, he is that type, and I can understand that type of behavior, but I don’t agree with it. Some guy publically rips you on his blog that is popular. You are left defensively because you can’t go to your peers because you know he is right. So you ignore the guy every chance you get. This is what lets you know I’m right, “HE NEVER APPROACHED ME”………………………..EVER! NOW THAT’S GANGSTA.

Here is another incident I had that actually involved “Dude” and LaRue. 2008 Hospice 100, and I’m about to do a preride lap with “Dude”, and LaRue shows up. I go into after “Dude” and for the entire 1st lap LaRue is screaming over my helmet to Dude the entire time. He is going out of his way to let me know, “Pacer, you ain’t crap to me”. Again, I understand the behavior, I just don’t agree with it. So when you hear me talk about LaRue, you now understand why I really don’t have anything nice to say about him, and it’s a total of all these small incidents.

I can speak freely about LaRue because I’m not friends with him. He is not on my email list, his number is not programmed in my phone, and he is not on my facebook. As far as I know he could have gone to “Passer’s Anonymous” to rid himself of his inability to let people pass him. What I know is he never made an attempt to straighten it out with me, and that is what we need in this world. It’s people that aren’t afraid to repair a relationship without feeling like they are loosing face. It’s safe to say who is under the bus. Now, let’s get to the passenger that is safely in the bus.

Ok, on to my boy Matt Hammond that has gotten pulled into the conversation for what reason, I don’t know? If I remember, it was “Dude” that did the verbal attack on Matt H. I have never had a conversation or confrontation with Matt. What I realized now was dude was picking selfish debates with me back in 2007, but I just didn’t see it.

It’s the 2007 FSC, and Active Cycles is in 3rd place, and B & J is in 4th place for the Team Category. I say on my blog that all the Active Cycles riders were on the Active Cycles Team in 2006. I go on to say that B&J bought the service of Matt Hammond and Bob McCarty to Twilight for them. Now that was a little friendly smack talk between 2 local teams in the hunt for Team Points. “Dude” comes to me at the Gainesville Race and says, “You are wrong about Matt Hammond, he is riding for B&J. What he did not do was say that Bob was lending himself to your team even though he his outfitted with Cannondale from head to toe. So he selfishly talked about Matt, but left out Bob. This all was friendly on my part. I have no problem with Matt. And Bob, man, he was my main training partner for all of 2007, and his name was mentioned on my blog 25 times more than anyone else’s.

The next day he comes back to me to say, “Matt thinks you have a problem with him. Damn “Dude”! You keep trying to engage conversations with me like you are the hired hand whenever my blog is out of touch. And why are you speaking for Matt? I know, you want to me to notice you. Sorry I don’t. Even with the muscles and tattoos, I don’t see you. OK, back to the story.

See, this is how you do your best to repair, and restore a relationship. In my next blog entry I state at the beginning, middle, end, and a few other times in between that, “ I do not have a problem with “Matt Hammond”. I also go on to state that I stand corrected that Matt is not only riding for B&J for the Season, but he is a part of the B&J Mtn Bike Team. I was wrong in thinking that Matt was not riding for B&J, and I corrected it from my part. Since dude is the spokemans for Matt and wants to prove to himself that he is brave, he came to me to say that Matt thinks I don’t like him, so I went out of my way to say I don’t have a problem with him. Weird relationship with this “Dude is starting to develop, and then I realized he gets his rocks off approaching me over anything I write.

Are you seeing the picture here? In the history of my blog “Dude” is the only person that has every approached me about something that I wrote. He was a habitual offender with regards to this, and I now know that he was only trying to start something, because every time he approached me before this season, he was speaking for someone else. Either he really cares, or he has a hard on for wanting to pick a fight with me.

That’s is clearing up the LaRue and Matt thing from 2007 that dude attacked me on in a text message in Nov 2009. Does that make any sense? To get attacked about something I wrote in 2007 in a text message in 2009? This has dysfunctional written all over it. “Dude” has a serious ax to grind, and not mentioning his name really set him off.

I think “Dude” feels left out because I didn’t mention his name, but at this point you can tell why I didn’t mention his name. I don’t want to engage with him, but he wants to engage with me. The question I have is “ Why do I matter to you, “DUDE”. Why do you even care about my blog? Why do you even care about what I write or don’t write? This is what I want to know about this “Dude”.

Let me make an attempt to dissect dude. He is a Cyclesdale turned Sport rider, 4 seasons off, back to being a Sport Rider, now Expert. He is sensitive about his performances, almost to the point of being insecure if he has a bad result. That is not a person you mess with, because there is nothing to mess with. This is the type of person that defeats themselves if the races don’t do it to him. The races will do this kind of person in faster than a bullet or a blog entry. You can’t fight with a course. You can’t send a text message to the Gun Range. You can’t pick a fight with a fireroad that has a headwing. If you say something to him, you only motivate him to make you the villain, and now he will have a target to rider faster. Now, he has picked this fight with me because I didn’t mention his name. It would have been easier to say that I don’t like the guy, and act like a nigga so we can throwdown next time we see each other. But the truth is, he is a harmless man to me. He is Passive Aggressive, and I don’t see this guy enough to wind him up to Aggressive. He is trying to whip himself into that Aggressive attitude using me as the catalyst. How sensitive can you be to send a person an angry text message because your name was not mentioned? Imagine throwing down over that crap. I will save keep the text messages in case we throwdown and I have to hit him with the “Patronus”, and I need to give the Po Po’s my side of the story. Having your name mentioned on my blog does not make you famous, nor does having your name not mentioned make you unimportant. That is going to change for him after this. I’m going to make him famous now.

If Mrs. P. is watching Fox News and I don’t like what I’m seeing, I pry the remote out of her hand and change the channel to Animal Planet. I don’t find myself getting angry at the migration of Canadian Geese. What I’m saying (Especially to this “DUDE”) is if you don’t like what you are reading, “CHANGE THE CHANNEL”. I won’t lose any sleep, and neither will you. Or better yet write your own thoughts down on something beside a text message. “Get a Blog Dude”………….That’s it, get yourself a blog and you can include or exclude whomever you want. You will have the power to write your own name down as many times as you want. That way you will never feel left out or less than whom you think you are.

I don’t have a problem with a friendship ending or whatever I had with “DUDE”. I’m not going to do it in a way that we are villains, and I’m not going to go out of my way to train to be faster than him, or to want to beat him. That is not what the spirit of competition is about. I want to be better than my competitors because I want to be better, and I will never let it come from another place.

I think “Dude” is going be famous after this. He does not want be overlooked, or have his name not mentioned. So when you see him on the line at the race, acknowledge him. Say, “ Good Luck” “Dude”. Trust me, he’ll appreciate it. When the 40+ riders catch him and need to get by, say “Dude, rider coming on your left”. Trust me, he will like that you are acknowledging him. When you see him at the park and he passes you and he is flying, say “Dude, you are fast”. His chain has dropped several times this season, and when you pass him and he is yanking his chain out say, “Bad Luck Dude”. If you are one of the people that have been in a battle with him, please let him know it was a great contest by saying, “Great Riding Dude”.

Dude, now you are famous. Now, all types of people all over the world will know about you. My blog got 250 hits a week in it’s hayday, and I’m going to leave this post up as my last post of 2009. I’m going to “Control” “Alt” “Delete” you, but now without giving you the fame and attention you long for. At least 1000 people will know who you are because of me. If they don’t know who you are, they will know how insecure you are. All types of people will call you dude to tease you. All type of people will call you dude that haven’t even read this post. People will call you dude, and when they do, you have me to thank, for I, Speed Pacer, a.k.a. “Slow Pace”, have made you famous and unforgettable. Famous for the reason of wanting to be acknowledge in another person’s story. And Unforgettable for being strong looking, bearing tattoos, riding on a 20lb bike, and just as insecure as a 9th grader on his first day in High School.

You wanted to be mentioned. You wanted to be acknowledged. You wanted to not be overlooked. Now, you have what you wanted. Good Luck managing your emotions when random people walking the earth calls you dude. “Dude”, you are never going to forget me now. Just remember, when you feel yourself raging at someone for calling you dude, you will have to admit, “Slow Pace” is smart.

I only have a few people programmed in my phone, Bounds, T-Wiz, Bob, Jorge, Adolfo, Big Wes, and a few others. I have never had to delete a name, but dude leaves me no choice. I now have “One Less Dude” programmed in my phone.

I’ll holla back at you in 2010.

Pacer Out

Season over

2009-11-17T00:19:00.015-05:00

Season Ending Injury

This is a long one, and it’s merited. First of all, I do want to send a warm thank you, high five, or hug to all the riders that contacted me during this time. I love this cycling community and I really do know who my friends are now.

Having a season ending injury is a bummer, a real bummer. This is the first time in my entire life that I have been laid up with an injury that has disabled me from being able to actually use my leg. I haven’t blogged in a long time because I have been doing videos instead, and since I’m stuck to my bed and bored as hell, I decided to break down my side of what happened.

So let me break down how it went down. Race number #5 of the FSC was at Oleta, and I was kinda happy that I was gonna be racing on a course that was flat. Historically, I have done better at this race than any of the other races as an Expert. I knew I still wouldn’t have a presences at the front, but I did expect myself to do better than the other races.

The start was a little tight for my liking, so I made the Executive Decision to get into the top 4 at the start. The main reason was it was virtually impossible to pass anyone for the first section of the course. I have held back on all the other races at the start because I’m not strong like to years ago, and I didn’t want to be the person to let a group get away because I was too slow. So with the factor of me doing my best at this course, and the course being really tight at the beginning made me get to the front.

The start went as planned, and I got in the top 4 with Luis and Adolfo in front of me, with a ZMotion Rider in front of them. As we went across the street I was nervous because the gravel rocks where coming, and it has always been hard to stay upright if you come in at the wrong angle. I got onto the gravel rocks right behind Adolfo, and this happened.

Someone slammed into my shoulder and hip, and I put my foot down to keep from being sideswiped. I had a really sharp pain go up my calf, but I was able to keep the bike upright.

My bike kept moving forward, so I made an attempt to put my foot back in the pedal and go forward, but my leg was hurting like a bitch. I thought it was a case of being hit so hard in the muscle that you have a cramping sensation, and those wear off after the adrenaline kicks in.

My leg was so paralyzed that I had problems putting it back in my pedal, and I went from 4th to last in a matter of 50 meters. Then I thought, “Great, just muffed up my good start”. I kept pedaling, and the more I pedaled, the more pain I was in.

I went into the first section practically pedaling with one leg, and once I got to the 1st steep climb I knew my leg was would not allow me to pedal up it. So I dismounted at the bottom of the climb, and the first thing I did was look back at my calf, and that is when I knew this was very, very serious.

There was a 3-inch gash in my leg about 2 inches above my Achilles heel. The blood was already gushing down my leg to my shoe. That is when Andrew Lee’s brother asked me if I need help because I was limping at this point. Carlos from ProedgeBiker and his wife Danielle jumped in to help me get back to the GoneRiding Trailer. As soon as Terri saw the cut, she said, “You have to go to the hospital bub”. Carlos gave me makeshift wrap to keep the pressure on the cut, and Mrs. P. came over with my car and went to the hospital, and this is what basically happened.

The cut went all the way threw my leg muscle, and cut part of my tendon.

I got 9 stitches,

a foot splint,

crutches,

and 30 days off my feet. It took about 3 hours, and before that time was up that I left the hospital I got over 25 texts, facebooks messages, or phone calls from riders concerned about my injury. What I did not get was “ANY” form of contact from the rider that did this.

I have become really good friends with all the Riders on my team which is Alex Bike Shop. Even their wives, girlfriends and other friends have contacted me to wish me well. Jorge and Adolfo have gone way out of their ways to stay in contact with me almost everyday to check my progress, and I forever thank them for that. I also thank the other riders that have contacted me by email, and facebook.

I was conflicted to talk about this, because this can be considered a touchy subject if it is not looked at objectively. But after more than 8 days I feel like the “Statue of Limitation” has come and gone and now I should discuss it. I guess my question for you to think about is if you were the cause of the accident, “Would you give a courtesy call”?

If you are a fan of my blog from 2007 & 2008, then the one thing you can say is I have a Pet Peeve about passing. “Noone”, and I mean “Noone” has ever had a problem with me letting them pass in a race. I have had some problems with riders letting me pass, and I won’t rehash it but all my peers have agreed with me on that issue, and that the rider in question really does lack sportsmanship. I never heard anyone confront this rider, and he pretty much went around unchecked. For that I lost a little bit of respect for some the riders in my category for not promoting fair play, but ultimately I have lost respect for the rider for not having “Strong Sportmanship”. To this day I have never rode with him when I saw him at any mountain bike park. I can only stand by my principles and integrity as an athlete and man, and the only way to set an example, is to “Set and Example”.

That is the same thing I’m conflicted with in this same situation. I keep trying to replay this incident in my head to see if there was something that I did wrong, or if it is a lack of respect. The reason that I put these pictures up was to paint a perfect picture to the objective eye, so that anyone with common sense could see that what appeared to have happened was an accident. In the 9 days since the accident happened, I have started to lean towards it being a lack of respect, in addition to it being accident.

The reason that my attitude has changed in this time was I never received any type of contact to see how I was doing from this person. I have to be honest in saying if I crashed into any rider, and I went on to finish the race, the first thing I would find out is if the person is ok. Everyone looks at the results after the race, and if you see “5000000” by my name it means I didn’t even finish the first lap. Listen, this cycling community is small and it had to get back that I got hurt, didn’t finish the race, went to the hospital, and my season is over because of this accident.

I really was hoping for a contact from this person, and it was not for my ego. It was to confirm my “Spirit for Caring” for another human. Mtn and Road Biking is my “Clark Kent”, and my “Super Man” is Professional Table Tennis. I’m a Certified Coach, and I make my living standing on my feet coaching table tennis to my clients. In addition, I have training videos that are selling all over the world. I still compete at the National Level, and Thanksgiving Weekend is the Biggest Team Tournament in the world, and I will be missing that now. Our National Championships is next month in Las Vegas and my participation in that competition is in serious doubt. If I do attend my performance is in direct doubt as I would have been off my feet for more than 30 days.

No riders racing the FSC are paid enough to make a living. We are all doing this because we are addicts to sitting in that saddle to see how much pain we can endure, while asking “Why am I doing this” at the same time. So, if any rider gets put out by an season ending injury, that injury will affect their life.

Most of my teammates know this rider, and a couple of them were really psst that he had not contacted me after more than 4 days. A couple of them were ready to confront him, but I urged them not to do it. I was holding out for a contact just to say “Hey, I’m sorry and I hope you are OK”. In this case most people’s attitude would turn from frustration to anger, and I can say that I have felt neither, and I will never allow myself to go there. I first felt nothing, because I do know deep down that it was an accident. After not being contacted, it went from having no feelings to sadness and lack of hope. I felt sadness because I felt like this person made a conscious decision not to contact me, and it did not hurt my feelings, it hurt my spirit. It hurt my spirit with regards to people that won’t make it a point to recovery or repair a relationship. I can’t get back this 30 days of not working. I can’t get back the form that I lost. I can’t get back the rest of the season I will miss. I can’t get back the experience of hanging with my teammates for the entire race weekend. I can’t get back missing the biggest Table Tennis Tournament of the year where I had put together a Dream Team. I will forever have this scar on the back of my leg, and I can’t get that back. There are a lot of things that I lost, and the only thing I did not want to lose was “Hope”.

Being contacted would restore any persons’ hope. This is all I could possible want for my spirit. He’s not going to pay my hospital bills, or repay me for the 1-month of work I missed. But a simple phone call would restore my spirit, and confirm to me that he really is saddened that this accident happened. So hope in this person is really what I lost, and a great question is, “Where does that take me now?” This puts the person exactly where I put the last rider I had a problem with.

Now, I’m back in the same situation of losing respect for another rider because of a simple human emotion………………..Courtesy. Courtesy is more than a word. If you step on a person’s shoe it is common courtesy to acknowledge that. How difficult is it to pick up the phone to offer something that says, “My bad”, “I’m Sorry”, “Hope you get better soon”, etc. In this world where there is so much chaos it can be very difficult to have simple principles, and it can be even more difficult to actually stick with those principles, especially when your spirit is tested. It is simple to stick to your principles, and in some cases it may seem complex. This is not one of those cases.

I can say with all honesty that this is rider that I will most likely never ride with again, EVER.

Pacer Out!

FSC Race 2 - San Fernandina

2009-09-29T11:33:00.005-04:00

Busted Bottle Bracket Prevented me from racing, so I took the HD Camera out and caught some really good footage.

Enjoy

Pacer Out!

Video - FSC Race 1 - Gainesville

2009-09-24T13:03:00.001-04:00

The Scott Spark 10 is "HERE"

2009-09-22T14:27:00.004-04:00

Check the Photo

Check the Video

Riders 2 Minutes

2009-09-10T00:32:00.007-04:00

It's been a long time since I been on the line at a mountain bike race. As a matter of fact, it has been 18 months as my last race was the 2008 Hospice 100. So, that nervous energy that happens at 2mins is going to have extra meaning, and my ego is in check, and I'll explain why.

It's been a very long time since I'm posted, and I know people haven't been here much, and it's my fault. It's because I have been busy running my business, but I have a nice break to train now. Too bad the FL State Series starts this weekend, and I"m totally 1 month behind my training.

I do have some good news. I just purchased the Scott Spark 10, and I'm going to reveal it at the 2nd Florida State Series race. I just got back on my Mountain Bike after doing a tremendous amount of road, and I don't have my skill back up to par yet. My ass and hands are constantly tender after riding Markham, and I'm reluctant to do back to back days right now. But I am getting faster every time I go out and rider, and when I have put in a nice block of training, I will mount my new steed and get ready to see if I can play knock around boy at the front of the Expert Group. And I"m not telling any of you ho's how much it weighs. It weight Thousands of dollars.

Some other news is I have joined " Alex Bike Shop ", and they just might have the strongest riders in the South with regards to Mountain Bike Riders. Jorge Cortez can ride right alongside the Pros, and I think he if favored to win the 0-40 Class of Experts and he and Rodney are going to do some wheel kissing this year. Danny, Luiz, Adolfo, and myself are all experts so racing together is going to have an "Astana Feel" to it. With 4 riders riding in 1 category racing together we have some type of advantage even if we are not the strongest. So I am interested in seeing how that plays out.

Am I strong enough to hang right now? "Hello No", and if I raced right now I would hang with the front group for the 1st half of lap, and then shut it down and ride my own pace after that. So I'm going to take a different tact. I'm planning on doing the Time Trial Saturday at Gainesville and at least 5 laps that day. I'm going to opt out of racing on Sunday as I"m absolutely sure that I don't have 5 laps in my legs, and more importantly, I don't have 5 Expert laps in my legs.

I had not really planned on trying to do any real damage this season, and was having fun riding my road bike and not getting banged up on the Mtn Bike, but a couple of incidents mid-summer really kicked in my competitive side in gear, and now I want to see if I can get my campaign going after the Gainesville. So I cranked out the Colorado Altitude Tent, which was in a box for the entire time I was in North Carollina, and now it's set-up in my office. I'm actually writing to you from 9300ft. Correction, 9340ft. I have not really had any real block of time in the unit in August as I have been out of town every 5 days for the last month.

Now, I don't travel for my job for the next 5 weeks, so I'm going to work "High",

and ride the trainer "High", to get even more benefit

And hopefully get my mountain bike skills back in time to show my face at the Race No. 2, and slowly put myself in position to finish top 5 for the season.

I also have some archive footage from the 2004 Florida State Series, and the video below is Quietwaters. I will be putting up more archived videos, and in addition I will be creating videos at the races this Season with my New Team, which is by the way, the "BOMB"

Pacer Out

Old Race Footage - 2006

2009-04-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

Alfia and Oleta Race from 2006 Florida State Series

S. Florida, here I come

2009-04-11T11:32:00.003-04:00

Well, it's official, my last day of residence in NC will be on April 23rd. I'm out of here. We tried it twice, but NC is just not the place for us.

My company is gaining a lot of popularity that Rick from Atlanta Table Tennis did a indept interview about me breaking the mold in table tennis.

It really is thought provoking, and it will leave looking at your place in this universe. Enjoy, and see you on the trails in 2 weeks.

Pacer Out.

http://atlantatabletennis.com/2009/04/exclusive-interview-brian-pace-and-the-realities-of-getting-sponsored/#more-930

A New Frontier: The Privateer

2009-03-08T21:09:00.004-04:00

What's up cycling world. This is your boy Pacer checking back in with ya on the haps.

My first week as a business owner was incredible. If you go to www.dynamictabletennis.com, you can see my website.

I am the FIRST person in the WORLD to offer "Automatic Download" of a full length table tennis training video. I am offering it for download for windows media video, and quicktime for ipod. I am also offering it in the hard copy form.

This week sales came from Southeast Asia, Germany, Hungary, Dubai, Phillippines, and Pakistan. I also had a truck load of sale right here in the Great U, S, of A. I put this company in place so I can get a return off my 20 something year investment, and I have got back the first 8 months of my career so far. The future is bright for Dynamic Table Tennis, and my wife called me the Mailbox Mogul, because my main job now is walked over videos to the post office. All that has done is freed me up to hit the trails and the road.

How so, you may ask. I branded my name in Table Tennis, and I have carved out a unique niche because I own my own product from the ground up. I am selling directly to customers and since I'm not doing any wholesale, I"m making a killing. I'm going to do the same thing in cycling, only for fun.

I created a cycling logo, and this fall I'm going to be doing some races with my helmet cam on, and I'm going to convince some of my race buddies to do the same as well. I'm going to make a show out of it, and have a truck load of fun. I'm going to do interviews, helpful tips, and video articles on health and fitness.

I the mean time I have knocked the cobwebs off the Racer-X, and hit the trails 2 days in a row because we had weather in the 70 in NC finally. I am 5 minutes off my normal time, and after 4 months of not touching a bike, I feel kinda of happy. I was just a tad bit faster the next day. My ass and hands are raw as hell, and that is to be expected.

I'm trying to put myself on track to race Bump & Grind in June. I only did that race once, but I loved it, even though that 2 mile steep climb killed me. I'm a much better climber, I'm faster, and about 15lbs leaner, but the only draw back is I'm an Expert now, so the odds are back to neutral.

My plan is to hit bump and grind, and hopefully get T-Wiz to come up from the Dirty, Dirty, and make it a really great weekend. I am going to hit at least 2 of the SERC's to test myself, and try to make my a real dent in the State Series this fall.

What is my plan
The Bike: The new Carbon-X
The Program: Getting Coaching from Dean Yobbi (I said it first, even he doesn't know he is my coach yet
Fitness Test: Gonna get 2. One in June, and one in Sept.
Sleep High, Live Low, I'm going to start sleeping in my CAT Oxygen Unit in August
The Goal: Top 3 in the Expert Category.

So, that is it people, Pacer back on the block, but call me the "Privateer", because I am going solo from riding for any bike shop, unless someone offers me a "Godfather Deal"

Until then, take a look at me on youtube acking the damn donkey

Pacer Out

I ain't dead riders, just been ponging

2009-02-23T22:13:00.004-05:00

What's up riders. Long time no write. Or see, or hear, or ride. I have been working on something that is so big that it actually required me to drop of the racing scene to get it done, but I miss you all. I miss riding and racing. I miss reading the blogs of Eddie & Nam, Harvey, Ryno, & Big Blue to name a few. I have been up to something, really, really, Dynamic.

What do you ask? It is called "Dynamic Table Tennis Training Systems", and it is my contribution to owning my own existence.

It has taken me 15 years to get to this product out. I had to learn how to write a script, storyboard it, soundtrack, shoot it, edit it, and produce it as my own product.

That's right, I own it. It is on sale as of Feb 23rd, and I have already sold the first 1000 copies. Do the math people, 1000 copies at the price of $40.00 a pop. Yeah, I'm in the money. I see the new Carbon-X in my future real, real soon.

I have 7 videos total, and I am the first person that is doing something so ambitious that will change the way players make their money. I'm still losing, because I have played table tennis for over 23 years at the tune of paying at least $20K a year, and this product is a return on my investment.

I still haven't forgot about my Racer-X and Felt FC1. I still ride my bike, I still rip the dirt off the single-track. As soon as the business turns into a real machine, you'll see me back on someone starting line.

Now, take a look at my award winning work

Pacer Out!

April - May Riding Update

2008-05-30T09:30:00.004-04:00

It's your friendly neighborhood singletracking ping pong playing brother checking in to give you some video on 2 of the trails that I frequent weekly. Sorry I couldn't get more footage, these trails are exhausting to shoot.

Not going to go to Bump & Grind like before, as I have not fully recovered from wisdom tooth surgery.

Holla at your boy.

Pacer Out!

Mar-May Update

2008-05-19T11:30:00.001-04:00

I have been saving this update since I moved to NC. This type of update is an indirect request from Bob Mc wife Amy. It think when I was posting so much before I think I was taking away from her cuddle time with him while he was wrapped around his laptop reading about my heartrate values on any given ride I had been on. So Amy, you get a chance to watch "Dancing with the stars" or " It's always sunny in Philly" without me preventing you from spooning with your man. LOL

I've been busy. See you at Bump & Grind

Pacer Out!

Rider Up!

2008-04-21T08:45:00.002-04:00

That is a statement that I have not said in the 1 month I have been here in NC. There is always a multitude of riders out at the Lake Crabtree of all levels. You have riders on old beat up frames that have been riding for years. They are not the elite type riders with carbon this, or titanium that. They just come out to ride. You have families out riding also. And women! Yeap! Women are out in force hitting up single track. And this stuff ain’t easy. I have seen some women on Racer-X, a Orange Santa Cruz, and Trek Fuel, etc. These are true mtn bikers. You also have the BMXers out there working the pump track in the middle of the course. And you have mostly single-trackers. I have not come really come up on any riders from behind, and almost all of my encounters have been from head-on traffic. The Protocol is the rider climbing has the right of way. All of my encounters have been really good so far, but there was one question mark. I came up on some riders I know (I know who they are, but not friends with them) as it was 2 of them. The guy had gapped the girl, and we met on neutral single-track so we both slowed down. By the time I get to her I’m now climbing and she doesn’t even budge. She just blows down the downhill without even acknowledging the Protocol. That was my only question mark, and it came from a chickenhead poot-butt ass girl I got in a debate in with last year over a race I didn’t come to in NC. She was making it seem like I was scared to come, and I called her out. Man, so many people got involved that the thread got out of hand but someone that everyone respected said “Enough” and everyone got off the keyboard on that issue. From then I have decided to not post on that forum anymore. I do frequent it now that I’m residing here, but only to see if the trails are open. I’m reluctant to put up a post there anymore as most of riders that swear they are experts are riding a Trek 800 Sport with no suspension. I mostly do weather check before I go to ride. The weather is unpredictable compared to Florida. Or maybe this is predictable. Up here if it rains, then they simple shut down the trails, which is an awesome way to preserve it. It pays to have a gym membership and a nice pair of spin shoes.
I was going to do the race in Greenville yesterday, but the rain came in Saturday night, and THANK GOD. I went out to preride the 7.5 mile loop at the Bike Post on Friday, and it just kicked my ass. Since I had moved here I had not gone anaerobic 1 time. It’s because I have done most of my training by myself and it’s been almost all zone training. The temperature was in the 80’s and the course was challenging as I have ever experience. It was just as hard as Razorback. Well, maybe not has hard, but it felt like it. I did a 42 minute lap, and packed it up knowing I was going to get dropped in the first 5 minutes to any locals because they know all those off camber switchbacks like I know the gunrange at Markham.
On Saturday I had a table tennis tournament in town. I come to play the tournament for 2 reasons. My name will attract more players, and to get more t.t. footage for our website. The first tournament I played 13 players came, and once they knew I was in town and playing, this tournament had over 40. Because I just made this guy over $1200.00 I asked him to waive my fee. I won the tournament, and it was only $35.00 for first, so I told him to keep it as we are even now. In the future he is going to have to offer prize money if he wants me to come out and play for 6 hours. I actually lost money that day as I could be coaching for $40.00/hr. It was a good day, as I got a ton of footage that should keep our site buzzing with quality matches for a few weeks.
Since I knew rain was in the forecast for Sunday I decided to go ride at Lake Crabtree since it was 10 miles away from where I was. I have been hitting up Lake Crabtree since I moved here and it has quickly become my choice trail to train at. When I started riding it last month my first full lap was a 29 min lap, and I just knew I could not ride any faster. I have slowly knocked off minutes since then, as I got used to the swooping turns, and staying off the brakes more. I needed to go anaerobic since the race on Sunday would send me over the top in a big way. So the first lap I went off in search of that anaerobic burn in the legs. It was hard to find as the temperature was cooler than Friday, but I was riding much faster.
I quickly got myself down to doing the outside loop in 25-26 minutes. I had dipped below 25 only by a couple of second on 2 occasions, and I was riding much faster than that this day. I was getting faster at ever check point and it reminded me of how Bob Mc rides. He doesn’t really zone out, he keeps pushing to get faster, and that is how I felt. While that is not my choice way to train, it would do for this session. I really thought that I couldn’t go faster than the 25 minute lap, but I came in at 23.58, and kept going. I have this new thing that I always do my training in 10 mile blocks. I think it’s makes you stronger to do 2 laps back to back if you plan to race and that is what I have been doing all year. Actually, in South Florida I was doing it in 12 mile blocks, so the 10 miles is a bit easier. As I approach a race I will mostly like start moving it up to 3 and 4 laps back to back. This second lap I was not fast as before, but I was still way ahead of my 25 minute lap pace. I brought it in at 24.42, and was happy enough with the effort to call it a day. I needed to save some for the race, if the RAIN does not come in. As soon as I got in the car, it started to sprinkle and I laughed. I thought it was a perfect occasion and got the ipod out and loaded the “Here comes the rain again”, and sang along very comically.
I woke up Sunday, and the race was a BUST, for me, at least. Pacer “Does not do RAIN”. I will ride in it if I’m caught, but I will not pack up anything if it’s already raining. And the way the rain was hitting the window I know it was awful, so I just slept.
At 10am I could not sleep any longer, and the weather had improved dramatically. So I decided to meet up with the “Cyclist of Wilson” ride. It’s a Sunday ride that starts from the Starbucks on 58 and they normally do between 25-40 miles. The pace is moderate to fast, and they normally avg between 21-22mph. Now, I know that is not a lot to anyone riding in South Florida, but there is not a 1 mile stretch that is flat so you are on false flats, or you are out of the saddle climbing up over an overpass. So it is challenging to the legs. I had only done this ride once before, and been on my mtn bike almost every ride I have done in the last month. But when I ride the mtn bike so much I actually ride better on the road bike. There are only about 17 riders in this core group, and 5 showed up. I was the strongest rider in the group, but wanted to get a workout without shattering the flow. Since we had 6 riders, and were taking 3min pulls, it was not enough of a workout for me so my 3mins had to be anaerobic. I was 4th in line to pull, and once I got to the front we hit a crosswind and I took it out of the gutter to give everyone room to find the slipstream. I slowly ramp it up to 24mph and after 1 minute the group had broken up as we reached a light. Once we got back going I took another hard pull for 1 minute, and 1 rider had gotten dropped. So, I waited for him, and pushed him all the way back to the group. That was another 2 mins of riding anaerobic. Things tamed down a bit as it took me another 15 minutes to take a pull, and I went hard but this time I was directly into a headwind. But the time I got it up to 26mph, the group was gone, and John (A tri-athlete) bridged up to me and I held that pace for another minute, then backed off. OK, I’m finished. No more hard work for me today, so I got in the back and anchored the group. At some point I realized we were heading back, and was not expecting things to pick up again. But about 3 miles from the end John went off the front with another rider on his wheel. I was thinking the guys would regroup, organize and walk it down, but they just waved for me to go, so I did. OK, one more hard effort, Pacer. I put my head down and completely bury myself in the “Acid Bath”. It takes me about 1 minute to catch them going 28-30mph. John keeps pulling, and I my HR drops back down and I’m completely recovered by the time the other guy(Sorry, I forgot his name) takes a pull. But he is waiting for me to sprint, and after about 45 seconds he pulls through. I don’t sprint, but instead I do a really hard surge to get John off my wheel, then I bury myself again and walk away. By the time I got back to 58 I had 100 meter on him. Then I decided to take it all the way back to Starbucks with this effort since I was feeling good and I surged again. I could see that John was still in pursuit, so I decided to close the door on that. He is on a Time Trial Cervelo, so he has better technology, so I keep the pedals going under as much wattage I could do without blowing it. I got to Airport road I had increased my distance to about 300 meters, but I hit a light and gave up about 20 seconds, and John was still charging as he was within 100 meters of me. I put the wattage down again, and was able to get my distance back and more, and by the time I got to Starbucks I had about 25 seconds on him.
The rest of the group came back in, and we sat and talked for about 45minutes and it was nice. Normally, I’m always in a rush as I have something to do, but not this day. I had nothing on the agenda besides riding and sleeping. So I went home and took a power nap.
I had 3 anaerobic days in a row, so Monday is a rest day for sure. I’m not sure when I’m going to race next, but I’ll keep training as if. I know that Greenville is a great course to train on, so since I have no clients on Wednesday, that is my course to train at since it is like Markham in sending you into anaerobic even if you don’t want to.
This week I will spend most of my time on the mtn bike, and will jump in some spin classes if the rain comes. This weekend I’m off to VA to do a table tennis clinic. I won’t tell you how much I will make, but I will be getting a power meter, and some Cane Creek training wheels for my mtn bike, you do the math.
Until then, I’ll holla
Pacer

I rides the bike, ALOT

2008-04-14T10:40:00.003-04:00

I just haven't been writing. I haven't forgot about you guys, at all. Sorry, I haven't been able to update the move to NC has really taken up all my time to write, but not to ride. I go out and let my body rock at Lake Crabtree about 3 times a week, then I do a couple of 40mi rides by myself. In fact there is a race this weekend in Greenville, and if the weather permits I'm going to race.

I was in S. Florida this past weekend to attend my graduation, and I was able to sneek over to Markham with my HD Video Camera, and I shot just a little bit of Markham then did 3 laps.

Since I work in video production now, I turned my ride into a event. Sorry, it's not more video of me doing singletrack, but I'm practicing. Soon I'll have a HD Helmet Cam on for races.

Pacer Out

Rolling in NC

2008-03-25T14:16:00.001-04:00

What's up with you planet earth? This is your boy Pacer checking with you after the relocation to NC. I'm officially living in Raleigh, which puts me right dab smack in the middle of single-track heaven.

As soon as I got everything in our place, we crashed. But the next morning I was checking the Raleigh Area website to see which trails were open. Yes, up here they close the trail when it rains. Harris Lake was open, so I packed up the Jetta and Titus and hit the road. This course is about 15 miles South West of Raleigh and the only reason I wanted to ride this course was because I raced there 2 years ago, and I kinda remembered the route so I could make it a training loop. Well, I got in the course and out of the 7 miles I could only remember the 45 ft. of dirt jumps. I was able to find a decent route that allow me to make it a training loop. The second and third lap were perfect as I found a flow. The weather was in the 60's, but by the time I finished it was in the 50's.

The next day I went to Lake Crabtree on the Cary/Raleigh border. I really like this course, but I had only rode it twice when I lived here before. I was very impressed and surprised to find that the course was loaded with riders of all levels. Families, downhillers, walkers, runners, and mountain bike groups flooded the singletrack. It was a welcome to see so many people out and active. The trails had oncoming traffic, and what was great was you could see the person coming 200 meters away.

I ended up hooking up with some locals that were very familiar with the course, and they took me to show me everything. We were in and out of trails, and I was completely lost in a matter of minutes. After that lap I asked if there was possible to do one loop like an out and back. I was advised to take all left turns until I got to the lake, and a parking lot, which I had to make right turns and that would put me at 5 miles. So I got another water bottle, and went out. It's tough to ride on a course that takes you up and climbing in the first 15 seconds as it puts a nasty burn in the legs, but it went away after about 1 minute of lactic acid buffering. I found a flow, and really had to pay attention to my shifting as the terrain changed constantly. One minute I would be out of the saddle climbing up jagged rocks and roots, then I would be on a false flat only for it to turn into flat single track that would take me into some really fast switchbacks. At end of the lap I had found my training HR. I went back in and did 2 more laps to make it 22 miles for the day.

I'm going to frequent this course for right now, because it is the only place that is close to my house that has a nice loop that has all kind of terrain. There is a race here up here on the 20th of April, so I'm going to put in a training block and see how things go.

Until then, I'll see you out on the trails

Pacer

The Last Hoorah!

2008-03-21T11:16:00.003-04:00

I decided to go back out and find a way to do this helmet cam thing, and do it better. I hooked up for a nice ride with Bob on the first lap, then the second lap Danny and Jorge joined us. I cut back in forth between the 2 laps, and here is what I came up with. Sorry it's not as nice as what you normally see. I'll upgrade camera pretty soon, and improve the quality.

Here is part 1

Here is part 2

It's been fun riders.

Good Luck with your journey

Pacer

I'm still alive

2008-03-19T08:15:00.001-04:00

What's up blog readers? I'm still alive, I just been in the table tennis world ever since the Hospice 100. I've been still riding my bike, and getting ready for the big move up to NC this week.

Oh Yeah! I played a hella big table tennis tournament this pass weekend in NC, and I did pretty well considering that I had been off the scene for 4 years. I walked away with some money, and a trophy. A freaking trophy? I can't remember the last time I got a trophy. I really went there to get the word out that I was moving back to NC, and I would be a coaching part-time in addition to my table tennis job. That went well, as I almost full booked up my coaching schedule, so that was a success.

Now, to the matter at hand. Trying to get some decent video of Markham before I leave. I did some video in the single-track in NC, but it was so awful it is not even worth showing you.

Yesterday, I went out to Markham with the new camera, and got some footage. It is still way under my expectations and not really worth showing, but I'm in the infant stages of trying to figure out this helmetcam thing. Plus, I WILL get some footage of Markham before I leave. I had the camera on my helmet, and after 3 bad outing I think I'm going to try putting it on the handlebars.

But here goes.

Pacer Out.

Last week in FL.

2008-03-12T00:07:00.006-04:00

Since the realization hit me that I was leaving FL, I really have tried to soak up what it is to have been a Floridian for 11 years, and I wanted to take as much as I could with me. So I decided I would turn my bike into a make shift camera stand, and do a lap at Markham. Here is how it looked.

It took about 5 minutes and the bottom harness was coming loose, so that ghetto operation was a bust, so I went the respectable route. Check it out

Here is the camera

Not costly at all, but functional from the reviews I had read. I put it together and went for a night ride. It didn't come out too well, but that was my test. I'm off to NC for this weekend to play a table tennis tournament and I'm taking both bikes, and plan to tear up some singletrack and knock the kinks off this helmetcam experience. My hope is to be able to really video Markham in all it's glory before I leave. Until then, take a look at this UPN type, blairwitch type video.

Pacer Out

Hospice 100 - Race Report

2008-03-03T12:54:00.001-05:00

This was the second year event in memory of Cindy Feeney. Last years turn out was not as big, but this year the event gained a lot of exposure. I did this race last year with a my boy Wes, and 2 first timers and that is how bad I wanted to to the event. I know Cindy and her brother Bruce personally, and coming out to support this is more important than my result this time out. BUt this year brought more heavy hitters, and a slew of racers participating in support of a great cause.

I went and did the preride on Saturday and was surprised with how they got the course to 7 miles. That meant a lot of fire roads, and a lot of bypasses. What made the course easier to manage is you never really stayed in one section too long to wear you down. The gunrange was the only section that had almost off all of it. One great thing is there were plenty of change to drink, so there should be no reason not to finish every water bottle.

You never really know who is showing up, but when you see them standing in line at registration, the next question is they are one a team or riding solo. I never ask what someone is riding, just a pet peeve of mine. I'll find out in due time, but I assumed it would be at least 5 more heavy hitters. They were Bob, Victor, Harvey, Joe V, Nixon, and myself.

It was safe to say that Bob and Victor were going to go off the front, and see who crack who, as that has been their relationship as of lately. Everyone else will fall in line and see how things play out. Harvey really is the only true Endurance Racer in this bunch, and I really didn't think that the duration was long enough to have him reel everybody in. So I don't expect him to catch Bob and Victor. Nixon has done enough events to be a rider of interest. Joe V. smashed out a great performance at Santos in the 6 hour, and barring any incident he will have a similiar performance. My only good result in this type of event was finishing 3rd in the 6 hour at Santos. So everyone in this group had some type of result to back up being there.

Lap 1
I'm never really sure how fast to run on the lemans start, but with having such a long flat section, I decide to burn it. The first reason is I wanted to make sure I would not get held up because Armadillo is a No-Pass section. The second reaason is I wanted to see exactly what kind of pace was being set by the riders that weren't going to be racing at XC speed. I discuss that same strategy with Harvey, and he is going with the same plan.

All Hell breaks loose at the start and I’m not running as fast as I can because I have my ipod in the back of my jersey. I get to my bike and as I push off Harvey is in front of me and Bob is behind me. We start picking off riders going east around the warm-up loop. Going back west around the warm-up loop there is a tailwind and it’s difficult to get pass riders as they aren’t tapped out yet. Bob throws down enough wattage to light up a small African village and he surges all the way to the front. As we turn onto the straight away to Armadillo we pass more riders, but we can’t get pass one guy that’s is were a Active Cycles jersey with a gold helmet. Not getting around him cost us, as we were immediately gapped by the Joe and Nixon. Those were 2 of the riders to be near, and they were jogging away from us. By the time we get out of Armadillo we both surge pass him, and Harvey lifts the pace in hope of reattaching to that duo.

We have a flow going, and the effort is more than what I want to do, but I want to get an idea of the pace before I back off and do my own thing. In Outback I count the seconds and they have about 15 seconds on us. That is enough for them to counter any surge that we may do in the singletrack, and the only way to make it up is to let it all hang out on the fireroads. They maintain that same 15 seconds through the bypasses for Crime Scene, Jet Ski Hill, and Ted’s Twisted Trail. In Alligator Alley, and Deep Dark Forest they put time on us. I should have been in the front in these sections as I know them better. We cut over to Bermuda Triangle we do half of that section. If I’m going to be with Harvey I might as well put in some work, so I move to the front and I take a pull on the fireroad. It’s a 2-minute pull into the wind, and I take it all the way to the gunrange, then I pull through for Harvey. He keeps the pace going, and I know Joe V is going to put more time into us, because he is just as good in the section as I am. Sure enough he gained more time, but Harvey was not having it as he came out of the gunrange hammering. My HR went from 156bpm to 174bpm and he kept that burn going all the way up Redback, to the dump, and all the way down to the warm-up loop. By the time we came through the feedzone, we had got back the time he lost. If I stayed on his wheel, he would only get better at navigating those sections. First lap was 30mins, and way too fast for me to maintain for the remainding 55 miles.

Lap 2
We are going back East around the warm-up loop, and my HR is 171bpm, and my breathing is labored. So I decide that I’m going to stay in his slipstream, and once we get to Armadillo I’m going to bid farewell.

As soon was we get into Armadillo I tell Harvey I’m backing off, and say good luck. He says the same, but his pace doesn’t indicate that he is making surges to bring back the Duo up the singletrack. As a matter of fact, I think he backed off also, because I was expecting him to drop me immediately. I was riding with him the first lap and my HR was in the 160’s, and I really wanted it to be about 7bpm lower. My HR had gone down to 156bpm, and I instantly felt better.

I stay close to Harvey but at this point I’m letting him do all the pace-setting as I really want to settle into my own flow. I’m dead set on finishing out the race strong, and I was not going to blow myself up early in a 62 mile race. Harvey started being more selective in where he was making his surges, which meant the course was finding him. It paid off as we were stealing seconds up on Joe V/Nixon group ahead of us. Cutting into Bermuda Triangle Harvey chain skips and he has to put a foot down and I pass him. I slow down and wait for him to get back on my wheel, and escort him all the way out to the fireroad. I take a pull for 25 rpm, and I give it to him. My Heartrate is 146bpm by the time we get to gunrange and it’s 160bpm when we get out. Harvey lifts the pace and I spend about 15 seconds trying to get into his slipstream which is not that useful as it still feels windy. We go up Redback backwards, and Harvey looks at his HR monitor, and make another hard surge going down the dump to the warm up loop. That surge puts me 169bpm, and I’m ready to put on the parachute, but he slows down in the warm-up. Halfway threw the warm-up loop, a bee sting in the right upper stomach. That immediately has me hitting my stomach and cussing. A couple seconds later I get another half-sting in the lower stomach and I punch the spot and pull my jersey up. I see the bee roll off my short and say, “You a punk, Pacer”. That episode cost me 15 second and a great wheel to be on. I go through the feedzone and Mrs. P has my water bottles out on the table and I scoop it up, put it in my bottle cage, and dismount right on the line. Another 30min lap.

Lap 3
I’m feeling a little tapped out, and my anxiety is still high from the encounter with a bee. If I haven’t wrote before, “ I don’t FONK with bees”. My right ear is 30% bigger than the left, and that is courtesy of a bee sting at 13 years old. I have had encounters before, but never in a race. Had I not been racing I would stopped, stripped booty butt cheeks naked until I found the Africanized Bee that is looking for the black man. Hey, shouldn’t he be cutting me a break, we bruhs. lol I’m back on the north side of the warm-up loop going west and I can see Harvey, with Nixon not too far ahead of him. I can see that my HR has gone down now, and it takes me some time to get into a pace that I feel will keep me competitive with the front group. I can still see them in some of the sections, and on the fire roads but they are gaining time on me. Plus, I’m not really in the mix. Harvey is close enough to taste catching Nixon, and Nixon is far enough ahead of him to still have thoughts of holding him off. If I’m not in that mix, I won’t be able to ride as fast. My goal is to keep it steady, and come on strong in the end. My HR stays in the 150’s the entire lap and I have found a burn in the legs, and a breathing in the chest that is identical to what I have been doing in training. I bring in that lap at 32 and a half minutes and I’m feeling a little inspired and tapped out. I miss the water bottle feed, but Julie B gets it to me so Mrs. P. can still videotape.

Lap 4
I instantly start going backwards, and I know it’s a result of the 2 fast laps with Harvey. It’s not too bad as I’m about 30 seconds off my 32 min lap from the lap before. At this point the guys are still in front of me, but they are out of sight on all the fireroads. I only manage to lose 30 more seconds, as I bring in the lap at 33 and a half minutes.

Lap 5
I instantly feel better, and I know why. It's the XC that has been deeply embedded in me to smash out the last lap. This is my natural inclination, and I don't try to hold back from it. In fact, my HR is low and I'm about 15 seconds faster at the halfway point. By the end of the lap I'm able to squeeze out anohter 17 seconds and brought in the lap at 32mins, 59 seconds.

Lap 6
Boy, I took it on the chin this lap. I seriously start going backwards. In fact I normally come out of the Armadillo at 4min, 54 second, and I was at 5mins, and 20 seconds. Man, something is going haywire. My legs feel ok, my breathing is ok, I've been taking in gels, and I have drank every water bottle. I try to pass a guy at the really sharp U-turn in outback, and he hits the deck. I have to help him up, then he takes off. Ain't that a B. Now, I have catch this guy and pass him. I catch him crossing over from Outback ext, and he doesn't even pull over. I try to surge to get my flow back and I crash at the bypass to Jet Ski Hill. As soon as I get up I'm laughing at how I was flying in the air at a 45 degree angle to crash. My new "No courtesy buddy", rolls up to me and has the nerve to say "Gonna come on your left dude". I just take off up the east side of Ted's Twisted Trail, and he is gone in a matter of seconds.

I'm still in this brainfart, and I have no idea how it has happened. Maybe, it's the crossing over from XC to Endurance as far as the duration is concerned. When I normally get to the gunrange I have been in the 21 minute range. I'm now in the 23min range. And no amount of surges can get me back to where I need to be, so I just ride it out. I finish out that lap at 35mins 27sec.

Lap 7
I do start to recover well, as I'm starting to steal back time at all my check points. I'm in such a zone that I can't ramp it up. I can tell that I'm riding faster, but it's coming on very slowly. I get by a young lady on a singlespeed without any incident, and I get another jolt of andrenaline. I finish out that lap about 45 seconds faster at 34mins, and 40 seconds. I get 2 water bottle from Mrs. P for lap 8

Lap 8
I'm still moving faster, and I know that this lap is going to be faster than the last I finish the fireroads and just before Armadillo, I'm joined by Carlos B. racing for Bike America. I'm ready to let him by, but he suggest that we stay and keep a flow. That gesture lifts my spirits and the pace, and ride on the front until we get to Crime Scene, then I let him take over. He keeps it flowing through all the section without missing a beat. When we get out of Bermuda Triangle I take a pull on the first leg of the fireroad, and he takes the second. As soon as we get in the gunrange he has to pull over because he is losing air out of his back tire. I finish out the rest of that lap riding inspired, and it shows in shaving off another 50 seconds to the tune of 33mins, and 50 seconds.

Lap 9
Now, I know I'm going to ramp it up to XC speed for the last lap. My goal is to try to see if I can have the fastest last lap of everyone in the Solo Category. The front runners were gone with the wind, and I know they are giving it back at this point. I held some in the tank, because I really was not in the mood to die out there. At my first check point out of Armadillo I'm 13 seconds faster. My HR is only 4 beats higher, so I'm riding more smooth than with more effort. I decide to attack any incline and surge right at the apex. That pays off as I'm way ahead of my time at all my check points. I get out of the Bermuda and I put my head down and bury myself in my pedal stroke. By the time I get to the gunrage I'm 90 seconds ahead of my last lap.

Not even 2 mins in I get joined by Richard Diaz, a Active Cycles teammate and he blow right pass me. "I'm not letting him go", I say, so I crank it up and it takes me almost all of the topside of the gunrange to pull him back in. Part of it was deciding to ramp it up after already having it ramped up, up and up, and to let my body get used to the next level of acid burn in the legs. I'm right behind him as we cut out onto the fireroad. He looks back and says,"You want my wheel", and I say "Hell Yeah". He puts his head down in a matter of seconds we are going 22mph. Richard is really strong on the road bike and this is when it's showing. He attacks out of every corner and up Redback backwards, and down the dump to warm up loop. Before we get there we are going 24.2mph, and he pulls through just before the singletrack. That was a gangsta ass Presidental Escort he gave me. Richard sat on my wheel as I smash out the last 2 minutes of the race like it was the first 2 mins. I ended up coming in at 32mins, 9 seconds. I'm not sure if that is the fastest lap, but it is going to be close for sure.

I don't think this performance would have been possible had Eddie O not contacted me. Nam gave me the exact amount of fluids/sodium/gels I should be drinking based on my weight, height, and body fat. She gave me the protocol of what to drink if it was going to be hot, which I needed. I realize that the training is important, but not as important as taking in the proper fluids. So, thanks to Nam again for keeping me cramping up or having a imploding stomach.

On a sad but happy note, I'll be relocating to North Carolina in 2 weeks. I'm basically taking back my old job from 2006. While living there in 2006 we found out that Mrs. P. had cervical cancer, and she wanted to be with her family during her therapy that was pretty intense. So I walked away from the 2 most important groups of people in my life. The owner of the table tennis company that put the racket in my hand in 1986 was the first group. So it was difficult to walk away from the company. And I work in the same city that my family lives in, so that ideal for me. I left home when I was 15 years old to play table tennis all around the world, and I spent basically 3 weeks home every year. After giving up so much of my life for the sport I want to be near my family now.

After the 1 year of therapy, we got the ok from the doctor that the cancer cells where not dormant, they were GONE. That is why you can tell on this blog that I'm fantancial about my health. It was 95% geared towards living longer on this earth, and being a better racer is a by-product. Mrs. P. looked at me as soon as we left the doctor's office and said, "I think it's time to go back to NC". I called up my sponsor to let him know I want my office back, and he said, "Your computer, fridge, and vitamins are still here", see.

So, this last race to me was extra special and I tried to get as much video footage and chat with riders as possible as I could as I knew it would most likely be the last time I race at this course which is my favorite.

What am I going to be doing with this job? Web related table tennis video. It's a part-time job, with full time pay and benefits. I don't need to come into the office. I shoot the video, edit them, produce them, and post them on the website. I'm going to do that from my house. Which means, more time to ride my bike, so expect me to still do some racing. I'll just be talking about different people top Expert riders that will be dropping me.

I'm also glad it's part-time job, as I'm going back to school for video production in June. I graduate next month with a Masters in IT, and I'll kill myself before I work in that field. I'll be back down next month with some family members that will be at my graduation, and I'm going to try hard to bring the Racer-X down so I can hit up Markham one last time.

So riders, it's been real. I hope to see you all out on the singletrack at some later date. Until the, keep on pedaling. That's the only way to get faster

Here is some video highlights from the race.

Pacer Out!

Build up Week for the Hospice 100

2008-02-27T10:34:00.030-05:00

After basically a rest week off the bike, I was hoping that it would lift my form a little in preparation for the Hospice 100. On Monday I did a nice endurance ride to the tune of 30 miles and a avg speed of 20.4mph. My HR was acting haywire, so the chart is not worth showing.

On Tuesday I went out to do my normal 40mile time trial, and was hoping that I would see something that would indicate that the form was in moving up. Here is the Chart for the entire workout.

For the first hour I was having serious problems with finding a flow as the legs had just not found themselves yet. Plus, I was being straight "Wind Jacked" by the nasty crosswind. I still managaged a Avg Speed of 20.6 for the 1st hour. Here are the stats for the first hour.

As I turned back I started to feel better even though I was still in a crosswind. My speed slowly crept up, and the burn in my legs crept down. The only negative about the rest week was my hips were aching a little. I was pushing the pedals harder than I have this year, and I was going faster and faster. I'm right around my fastest time at all checkpoints, and my HR is still in the 140's. I'm not heading East on 84 and my heartrate is in a zone and I'm riding faster into the wind than I was going West with the tailwind. Once I get to I-75 I stand up and attack all the way up and over. My HR goes from 147 to 171bpm, and I still have the burn does seem to set me back as I keep the pace high all the way back home. The Avg speed for the 20miles back home was 21.9, and that is the fastest that I have ever rode back, especially with most of it into a headwind. Here is the stats for that lap.

I went back and looked at the laptimes of the top riders at Santos and I realized 1 major factor. And it was constant speed. I need to hone in my ability to ride constant speed. When you are coming from XC racing, it is easy to push the pedals at that XC effort. I realize if I do that, then it will set me back at about hour 4. I'm still convinced that I did the necessary training for Santos and it was my stomach that I failed by overdosing on carbs, sodium, etc. Nam as me on the right program, so I can sleep easy on what is going into my body.

I've been sitting on these for about 2 weeks, and I'm itching to get them on.

My FSA K-Force Flatbars have not come in yet, so I'm going to miss having the new brakes on for the Hospice 100. I'm going to apologize now for anyone that is near me during the race because I have some squeaking that just won't quit. I thought it was the bushings, so I replaced them. It's still squeaking, so I'm going to have to troubleshoot it at a later date because I dont' want to tamper with the bike as it is functioning well right now.

For Wednesday I decided to do a 6 lap dress rehearsal at Markham in preparation for the Hospice. I'm prepared 6 water bottles, and the plan is to do 6 laps back to back. After Tuesdays great workout, I really need to get back on the mtn bike. I haven't quite figured out how to transfer my talent from the road bike to the mtn bike, so at this point just riding the mtn bike more may do the trick. Or maybe my talent is higher on the road bike. I know that everytime I have gave a great mtn bike ride, I go back and have a better road bike ride. I wish I could reverse that.

The bottles were prepared to Nam's specs and I went out to Markham. I decided to put out my small cooler on the picnic table and just grab one as I went by each lap. The only thing I was fearful of is someone tampering with the water bottles in the cooler. My nightmare is urine in the bottle. I need this dress rehearsal so I take a chance and leave the cooler on the picnic table and I’m off. I was feeling really inspired in the car, and I was hoping that my legs would match my emotions. The trail was empty and I was feeling pretty good, and being about 20 seconds up on my normal checkpoints indicated that. I was not riding harder than I normally ride, but I had a really nice flow going. A couple of times I held back for a few minutes, because I wanted my 2nd lap to be the same as my first. I’m also glad I was doing all the laps back to back as the weather was cold. I wouldn’t want to have to go back to the car and have the body cool down in this frigit weather. I bring in the lap at a 26mins, 30 seconds, which is about 17 seconds faster than I have ever ridden at this effort

I have to stop to open up my cooler and get another bottle and that sets me back about 15 seconds. I was feeling good and I decided that I would push it enough to bring in the lap at the same time as the first. My legs felt great and I push it in certain sections that flowed and backed off in the more anaerobic sections. It took me the entire lap to get 10 of those seconds back, and I brought in the lap at 26mins, 35 seconds

Yeap! I pushed it too hard and now my legs want to back off. I don’t fight it as I still have a flow, I’m just pushing the pedals a little softer. By the end of that lap I had lost only 19 seconds and the power was ok.

As I went into this lap I could see the cars of the usual suspects out at the park. I call them the "Frat Pack", and I normally don't run with them. It just seems like I don't quite fit in now that I'm a Expert rider, which is weird. My attitude was the same when I was a 220lb Beginner as I always gave my opinion. The better I got, the most resistant I got for saying my opinion. If another rider give their opinion, it's ok. But if I give my opinion, then I'm taking shit and it comes back to me. Looking at a riders laptimes at a race and giving my opinion is not taking shit. Writing on my blog that I have had problems with asking a certain rider to pass that everyone else has historically had a problem with is not taking shit. Taking shit is if I went up to that guy and said, "Hey, I saw that your grandma won the "Amateur Night" at the strip club last week wearing the 1985 Tour de France Motorola uniform. See, that would be taking shit. So to avoid conflict, I just go into the trail and ride by myself. It's what I did when I played table tennis, so it's old hat at his point. OK, back to this 4th laps I'm putting down.

I felt good with my effort, but I was starting to lose some power as I didn't hit sections as fast I normally do. At the halfway point of the lap I connected with a Active Cycles Teammate Dean Yobbi and having that company lifted my spirits, and it showed in my speed and HR. Dean stayed on my wheel until the end of Alligator Alley where I either surged or he backed off. Having another rider behind me for 10 minutes managed to bring up my morale and I'm only 2 seconds off my 3rd lap.

Now, I have my system for scooping my water bottles out of my cooler without even missing a beat, so I'm stealing seconds with a really good bottle exchange. I’m not having any problems with my stomach and I almost don’t even notice it. I'm so used to having stomach problems and it always affected my ride. I’m taking in 1 power gel per hour, and that is ok. But I can tell you that I’m a little bit hungry. My legs have taken another 20 second hit and I'm able to manage that effort. I'm started to daydream about how hungry I am. In my daydream I'm taking a nap and I'm actually dreaming that I'm one of those "Feed the Homeless" kids. I'm standing there with a fat stomach, diaper full of boo boo, with flies all in my eyes. Of course, I'm swatting down looking right into the camera with the stoic look on my face like I do this all the time. Then the white man comes walking around the corner to explain my situation. "With as little as .35cent per day you can feed Brian". I speak English and realize I can defend myself. "Hey Mr. White Man, I can take over from here. I look into the camera and say, "I don't need .35 cent, I need you to come and get my black ass. Look at my stomach, I need some carrot juice to flush my colon." That nap inside of the daydream allows me to forget about the fact that I'm losing power, and bring in the 5th lap at 27mins, 35 sec.

During the 5th laps I had fantasies about blasting out a 6th lap faster than my first, but the legs were not having it. In fact, I was hurting and I had lost 40 seconds at the halfway point. That is when I went from the comedic standpoint to keep myself in high spirits, to straight insulting myself to keep that 6th laptime intact with the 5th lap. I had to dig deep to get creative to get this done, so I created a Good Rider, Bad Rider personality. The good rider would say " My ass is hurting", and the bad rider would take over and say, "You is a bitch Brian! Yo punk ass is hurting. Maybe you should put on KY Jelly on it . You ain't got no heart out here dying after 5 laps. As a matter of fact all you got is balls. Where's your shaft Brian. You sure you don't have a coochie down there. You aerobically "Embarrassed". You got bad Credit Brian. You got one of those fat, video booties, I see why your ass is hurting. Put a thong on that booty, Brian." The good rider doesn't even get a chance to interrupt as the lap was over by the end of the rant by the bad rider. I brought in the lap 10 seconds faster than the 5th. Mission Accomplish, it was just a really funny exchange with the fake personalities I created.

Here is the Overall Chart

Here is the HR Values Chart

The only negative about the entire ride is someone stole 4 of my water bottles that I threw on the ground. Man, if you need to steal a riders water bottles that are used, then you are doing bad. Now, what should I do if I see someone with "Dedicated Athlete" water bottles that are issued to sponsored riders. I'm not going to put some foot to dat ass, but whomever it is will get the whispering of a lifetime (That means some really eloquent curse words). The workout was so good, that I didn't let that dampen my spirits of making it more than 50% through my Hospice workout while keeping my speed extremely constant.

I can't ride anymore controlled that this workout, and I hope that it is enough to put up a fight with the best riders. I know there are going to be some heavy hitters in town, and it's hard for me to make any kind of prediction regarding my performance. I had really high hopes for Santos, and that got crushed after about 6hrs. So I'm going to take a page out of being respectful of my ability and my pass performance. So my mine objective would be to run good laps just like I did in this workout.

The recommendation Nam gave me on how much to intake during the workout was spot on. When I told her it is forecasted to be hot on Saturday, she gave me a fluid intake preparation plan that is extremely planned to a tee. I'm going to have to write that one down to remember it. I'm actually hoping for hot, hot, and more hot. I'm still hype on drinking the 9.5 water, and it being hot will only help drive my point home on the benefits of it. I don't want a good performance to be indicative of the benefits, but it seems like that is what it is going to take.

The weather is way too cold and windy for me to ride on Thursday, so that means a CTS workout on my ipod, or a stinking Spin Class. I think I'm going for the ipod workout.

Until then, I'll keep you up to PACE

Pacer Out!

Keeping it Moving

2008-02-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

The week after something like Santos is always a slow week for me because I need time to let my body recover. I can ride alot, but it's only going to hurt so I thought it would be better if I picked some select days to ride, and played some table tennis in the meantime.

I did ride this week, so I'll try to recap it. I took off Sunday and Monday as the legs were aching. Tuesday morning I went out to do my 40 mile time trial, and had a nice ride going for the first hour, but got hit by some light rain which was not too bad. It was the 15 degree drop in weather that made me cut out of the ride 10 miles early.

Wednesday I went out to Markham to do 6 Hospice style laps, and I had some bike problems. First I had a bent hanger. On top of that the cable came out of the groove that is on the deraileur. As a result I destroyed the shifter.

Whatever happened at Markham would have happened at Santos, as the shifter stopped working about 3 miles into the course. So I just rode it out, and went home.

Since the day of singletrack was bust, I decided to play some table tennis. I'm getting more and more skill back every week. Here are some highlights from the session.

I skipped Thursday on the bike, and went to the YMCA in Weston to do a spin class.

I hate spinning, because I just overheat in that room. I normally go there becuase I have a 2hr session with 2 of my table tennis clients.

I'm actually better friends than clients with these guys.

Z-Motion Ride
I took Friday off, but planned a big day on the bike for Saturday. My boy Wes had been telling me about the Z-Motion ride that leaves in Parkland. Since they have B&J as their core of high level riders, it a guarantee that the ride is going to go anaerobic at some point.

I had got some great guidance from Namrita on how how I should approach my nutrition on the bike with regards to sodium, and my carbs based on my weight, height, and body fat. Based on her protocol I was straight "Overdosing on Sodium". I was dumping in my sports powder, and salt solution into my bottle. Not to mention the power gels has sodium in them. For the Saturday ride I prepared my bottle to Nam's exact specifications.

I get to Wes house and we warm up over to Pat's house where the ride leaves from, and other riders slowly trickle in. Enzo, Flaco and Victor have moved up to Pro 1,2, so I know their legs are primed and ready to go.

Once we get going the ride is slow as it goes in and out of backstreets. Wes told me that once we get down to SR 84, all hell breaks loose for that 6.5 mile stretch, then everyone waits for the riders that got unhitched. Before we get to Hiatus there are 3 riders off the front, so things heat up. We are going 27mph into a headwind, and I'm not excited about taking a pull as it's going to be painful as I have not done any high end efforts all week. But by the time take my pull I'm feeling good, so I put my head down and take a 90 second pull over 28mph. Don got unhitch, and I realize it was Victor and Joel up the road. My HR starts at 153bpm, and when I pull through I'm at 178bpm. OK, a brother needs a break. It keeps going though.

I recover faster than I expected and I'm able to go off the front with Victor and we walk down a 3-man group that is off the front. My HR is over 170bpm again. Man, we haven't even got to Oakland yet. This is going to get much more painful. There about 6 major, major players on this ride and that is Enzo, Flaco, Victor, Me, Sheldon, and a guy in a Florida Premiere uniform. All of these players can take pulls over 31mph and hold it, so having that flow allows the ride to keep a high pace when other riders coming in and take pulls.

We get to Oakland Park and I'm behind Flaco. This guy is a beast and he can take a pull as such a high pace that it will kill your ability to take a pull. He is taking it easy at 27mph, and when he pulls through at 136th, I'm in the front. I take it all the way down to just pass Sunrise and I don't go under 28mph. Since I'm new to the ride and noone knows me no gap is opened for me to get back in near the front. So I go all the way to the back, and I fully recovered by the time we get to SR 84. Side Note: I can't remember the last time I did a ride this hard. The Sheridian ride is slightly faster, but with 80 people in the ride it is very hard to get this type of workout. Plus, there are much more attacks that go off the front even if the rider at the front is smashing it. I have been riding in nice group rides so long, that I almost forgot what is like to be in a ride where attacks go off the front in the middle of a hard effort. Welcome to the B&J ballers.

Hell has already broke loose about 6 times, so what is going to happen now that we are 84. Things get going and by the time we go through 136th, the pace is over 29mph, and things start shaking up. Sheldon is at the front and take a monster pull and he spends enough time above 31mph that I stop looking at my speedometer. When he pulls through, Joel goes right him. By the time we get to Weston Road there is a group of us that are off the front. It's Flaco, Victor, Enzo, Sheldon, Don, and myself.

The guys in the Florida Premiere uniform takes a Jurassic pull over 32 mph and holds if for over 50 seconds. After that we settle down to a nice pace that has us increasing the gap on the second group. Everyone is playing nice, then Victor and Flaco start doing "Gorilla Surges", and that cripples the nice hard pace we had going.

I take every surge the Enzo starts and it seems to be putting Sheldon into difficulty. He doesn't have a quick start to surge, so Enzo has the upperhand as his first 10 pedal strokes usually get him over 31mph. Noone is working together as surges keep coming and everyone is looking around for someone to form something.

Flaco slips off the front while everyone is trying to manage the acid bath in their legs. Enzo is still looking back for Sheldon and whenever he has a gap he does a attack that gaps Sheldon, but Sheldon grinds his way back up to the group. The second group is gaining because Enzo is discouraging anyone front forming a chase group to get Flaco with his multiple surges. About a half mile from Glades I go off the front by myself and I decided to keep my pace above 31 for as long as I can, and I'm about to get to 47 seconds. My HR is 182bpm when I take the turn onto Glades and everyone regroups.

Some of the riders that got dropped were taking a long time to catch up, and Flaco was up the road still keeping a nice pace. So about 6 of us waited for everyone, then took Glades up to Weston Road, made a right, then cut over to South Post to see if we could meet with the group that dropped us. There was Flaco leading a group on South Post up and over I-75 while we were at the light. He didn't wait up, he kept it moving. A chase group kinda forms, but it falls a part at the round-about when we have an exchange with a guy in his Porsche.

We get to the Mobil Station, and Wes says, "We've never gone that fast before". We leave the mobil station just as the Sheridian Ride rolls in,m and I'm happy as I know I got a much better workout. At this point I'm sure that the pace will be slow on the way back. Wrong! Before we get to the first light we are going 27mph, and I look at Wes and he shakes his head. I'm sure that effort that I did once we got going was the hardest effort I did this year, and the front group was putting out the same medicine. This effort was not what I bargained for, but I got involved anyway. I'm a decent sprinter, I can take pulls with just about anyone, and I can handle the multiple surges.

We get up pass Oakland and the pace and effort is just as hard as the Florida Premiere guy takes the speed over 35mph with me on this wheel. When he pulls through I stay on the front and do a 20 second countdown based on pedal stroke, then I pull through. That surge he provoked the heavy hitters and they started animating the ride even more. To make a long story short, the last 20 miles was just as fast as the first "Hard Effort Stretch" going South and I was actually looking forward to looking at the workout chart.

We get back to Pat's house, and I just take off my helmet and sit on his garage floor that is carpet. I start stretching just to make sure the muscles don't get too stiff. Once everyone rolls we, we go in for one of the most gansta as meals you can have after a 70 mile effort. Man, Pat hooked it up. Boiled Eggs, Egg Casserole, Spinach/Cheese/Crab Casserole, Bagels, Pancakes, Juice, Coffee, and Fruit. I hope I'm not leaving anything out. I was more concerned about how the stomach would take a good meal like that after such a hard effort. I normally eat light when I get home. But the "Nam Program" had my stomach feeling ok, so I was able to eat 2 servings of Egg Casserole and 2 boiled eggs without any problems. We chat a little about the ride, and racing in general. This guy Pat is a great host and a cycling fanatic. Wes had been asking me to come to this ride for about 5 weeks now, and I'm glad I came. It's a great group of guys and gals that just love to ride their bikes. If I'm not racing I'll definitely come out and do this ride.

After the meal I needed a couch, as my body has completely shut down. The ride back to Wes's house was like walking the Green Mile as my body was pretty tempermental about wanting to be on the bike, but I managed it. Next time I do this ride, I'm going to just ride to Pat's house instead. It was a great day on the with a really nice group of people.

I got home and I was eager to look at the chart. Here is the complete chart.

We actually went slow going back and forth on the backstreets, and here is what it looked like once we got going. Anything in the read indicate we are more than racing.

We went over 32mph 11 times in this 20mile stretch and had a Avg of over 25mph, see.

The last 20 mile stretch was just as fast, and I felt like we went a lot faster, and a lot harder. We hit about 7 lights and that dramatically drops the Avg Speed. Here is the chart for that stretch.

We still were able to Avg over 24miles per hour with all the stops, see.

I went out Sunday and played more table tennis for 3 hrs, then I went out and did a recover ride for 1hr making it 4hrs for the day. This week I plan to pick up the distance in my rides on the mtn bike, and wait for my legs to come around before I really pick up the intensity.

Until then, I'll see you on the dirt or asphault

Pacer Out.

Video of the Week - 12hrs of Santos

2008-02-24T13:49:00.001-05:00

Sorry it took me so long to get it up, but here is the video from the 12hrs of Santos. I warn you, it's not much riding as Mrs. P only got me going through the feed zone.

Pacer Out!

Anecdote of the Week - My bike

2008-02-22T09:02:00.000-05:00

That is what I said when Shawn Hancock rode off on my Schwinn bike. I had taunted him, and it ended up making him play way above his level and he won my bike. Not only did he win the bike, he won the admiration of the crowd by beating down the bully on center court. The lesson for me was, “Don’t bull the small guy”.

I had missed this tournament the year before, as a result of “Peer Pressure”, and I made sure that I was a shoe-in as I did the proper training, improved my level, and stayed out of trouble. The “Regency Mall” tournament was the premiere Table Tennis Tournament in the south as it was played in the mall in Augusta GA. If you won the junior event, Pete May would walk you down to the department store, take you the recreation section, and you could pick out your own bike. Most would ride them right back to the center of the mall while people applauded. I could see myself already popping a wheelie, so that bike was mine. Plus, I was sick of tired of running across town to play table tennis. I could use more of my time playing if I got to the club 25 minutes earlier every day.

It was a nice retreat to play a competition in the mall. You could smell food from the food court, and the sharp smell of finger nail polish from the nail salon at the same time. It also was nice to see cute girls walking around the mall with their mothers, which was a nice retreat from what we normally saw at tournaments. Most of the girls in table tennis where tomboyish and very athletic, and it was refreshing to see some cute petit faces.

We packed into the Butterfly Van for the 300 mile trip to Augusta, and we checked into the Red Roof Inn once we got there. As soon as we got into the room, someone turned on the TV and the movie “Red Sonja” was playing. That was the movie that starred the women that dated Flavor Flav before he did “Flavor of Love” Eddie, clearly the most comedic of the group started repeating lines from the movie and “ Sonja, the Eye”, was the line that had everyone in stitches. He then started saying lines from Bruce Lee movies. “Can you tell me what teacher died of”, from “Chinese Connection”, and it had all of us cramping. Then he went to “Enter the Dragon”, when he said, “What was that, and exhibition. I said emotional content, not anger”. Then, “Man you come right out of a comic book. I would all of a sudden like to leave your island”.

After the comedy cooled down someone turned to Rocky III, and that was when it hit me. I need to be like Clubber Lang, who was played by Mr. T. He was domineering, and a physical beast. Plus, he has some of the greatest lines to drive his point home. So while everyone was turning in for the night, I kept watching the movie. I even wrote down every line that I thought I could use for the tournament.

The next morning I kept thinking about how I would use the lines, and give them life based on the situation. My first match was Clifford Roberts, the tournament director’s nephew. And man, I didn’t care, I had my plan together. When we got to the table I looked at him, and said, “Dead Meat”, and he gave me this puzzled look on his face. I dominated him, and tortured him at the same time. It was so overwhelming that my boys were asking me what in the world was I doing. I ignored them and stayed in my zone. I had 2 other meaningless matches, and decided it was not worth me giving out the great lines, if the level was not up to par to make a point.

In the semi-finals I had to play Shawn Hancock, a scrappy, small 13 yr old that chews the floor to win every point. This would be a great match to display all my lines. We got the clipboard from the control desk, and as soon as we got on the court I looked at him and said, “Gonna Bust you Up”, and he gave the same puzzled look as Clifford and for a moment he thought I was going to fight him. No! I wasn’t going to fight him, I was going to fight him with words just like how Clubber Lang got into Rocky’s head the first fight.

I’m much better than Shawn, but he can play above his level so I wasted no time putting the smash down. I hit a ball pass him and it went out of the court, and when he came back I said, “You shoulda never came back”. The better I played the more I taunted, and the more I taunted the more Shawn lost his focus. I hit another ball out of the court, and when he came back in the court I said, “I gotta a lot of mo”, just like Clubber Lang said it. I was clicking on all cylinders with the timing.

I win the first game by a huge margin and I when we get ready to start game 2 I said, “ I will destroy any man who tries to take what I got. What I got is in Montgomery Ward. That is my bike. I get a huge lead, but I’m running out of lines. So when I hit a ball out of the court it goes into Chick-fil-a and I yell, “Bring me back a chicken strips”. He comes back, and I say, “I’m gonna beat you worst than I did last game”.

At this point Shawn is practically in tears, as I’m embarrassing him in front of his home crowd since he lives in Augusta. He is visibly holding back his tears, so I thought. He was actually mustering up the courage to face the bully. At this point I’m waiting for him to lie down and give me the win, so I stopped trying so hard. But he is going up the side of the mountain in terms of inspiration, and I’m back sliding like it’s nobody’s business. Somehow he wins that game, and there is a huge momentum shift. He goes into game three with the support of the crowd, his family, his coaches, and the peers from the Boys and Girls club. And I have my “Clubber Lang” fake personality that has been reduced to a fart in the wind. Game 3 was a landslide victory for Shawn has he was totally in the zone, and I couldn’t even find Brian Pace. My teammates looked in amazement as I was taken down by this kid that I should never, EVER lose to. Shawn support crew lifted him up like a phoenix rising from the ashes and he beat back the big bad bully, just like Rocky did to Clubber. I guess I forgot about how Rocky actually beat Clubber Lang in the end.

Shawn was riding so high that he completely destroyed the other kid in the finals, to take the title. And Pete did what he always did. He walked Shawn down to Montgomery Ward, and he came back riding on a brand new Schwinn and the thunderous applauses of the crowd. I just sat there feeling all defeated, and happy that I actually didn’t win for having such a bad attitude.

On the ride back home, I heard every single line that I used during the tournament, and every one got a huge laugh. Pretty soon I started quoting the lines myself. My coach was like, “Wow, these guys can quote the lines from movies like nobody’s business. He was playing the tournament also, and he normally doesn’t watch us closely. If he had known that I taunted someone into playing the match of their life, and they had rode off with the bike as a result he probably would have been a little grumpy at me. That attitude was not something that he promoted, or put up with.

I got home, and it took me a couple of days to detox from the weekend of trying to act like a bully. When my brother Reggie asked me why I didn’t have a trophy this time around, I explained to him how my plan had backfired, and he just laughed and laughed. He then explained to me that if I was a table tennis player, and it was an Asian sport, then I must act the part. If you are going to beat someone right in front of you like that, then your approach has to be more “Ninja” like than “Loud American”. He then showed me this movie called American Ninja, and they used all kinds of tools, but never fought you face to face. It was almost comical, as he used what little knowledge he had to help me learn the lesson.

It was important for me to have this experience early, because had I won using that tactic I have no idea what I would have become, especially if I had rode off with that bike. So it was important for me to lose. And I have learned a lot from that experience. I learned to create a game plan without making it personal. I learned that if you taunt some competitors, you just might provoke them. I also learned that in the sports, you are making an attempt to conquer a style of your opponent, and not a person. So if you really want to put the knife in and twist it, then it’s better to compete from a logistical stand point. Because if you can systemically pull their game apart and expose their weaknesses, then there is nothing they can do to stop you.

But the main theme of my experience is “Don’t Bully the Little Guy, he just may ride off with your bike.

Pacer Out!

12hrs of Santos - Race Report

2008-02-17T16:06:00.021-05:00

I haven't forgot about you planet earth. I've been really busy, and really couldn't get to sit down uninterrupted and give the long winded version of my race report.

I got to Santos, and actually made a stop at the Santos Bike Shop to have Ryno put on a tire for me. Anthony Hutton was there, too. There was a young, cute female there that new here bike parts. A chick that knows her bike parts, somebody better take her off the market. I got to Vortex and did a lap that I thought was the entire race course, and it was smooth and fast. The false flats where not to difficult to manage, and I got really excited about how I would approach the race regarding my effort. Then I heard that I actually cut out the 1st 12 minutes.

So I went in back in to do an entire lap, and that 1st section was a doozy for the legs to get used to. It was technical, hilly, rough, jagged, and not much room to navigate on each side. All I was thinking was, "This is gonna be a bitch to ride at night". But after this assault on the legs, the rest of the course is smooth until it gets back to the reds, but they are much more easy to manage.

I went back to the hotel thinking that I just need to hold back on the first section, and ride smooth and consistent the rest of the way.

The next morning finding a decent place to park was a blimp, and I settled in right beside Ryno. I hauled all my things over to my tent that was set up right beside Joe V. and I must pat myself on the back for having one of the best places to make my pit stops. I set it up the day before, and waited until the next morning to say something to Dave, in hopes that he wouldn't have me move. Dave ok'd it, so I brought over the rest of my things.

I had 12 hours to manage everything, from effort, to food, to fluids, to attitude. I decided that I would ride with the who I thought were the front runners to establish a pace to settle into. I chat with some people at the start. Shout out to Dean T., T. Wiz, Bounds, John M., Ed Legerwood, and some dude that spray painted his hair like Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings.

Some dude said you can't have headphones in your ears. I turned around and said, "I'm a black dude". Before he could say anything I said, "All black men are bonafide paralegals, we know the crimes and the penalties." That got a laugh out of everyone. I then explained that if the earphones aren't actually in the ears, then it's ok. I always have mine wrapped around my helmet strap. Then I patted him on the back and say, "You ran right into that one".

We were all at the bottom of the quarry ready to go, and antsy as a result of the waiting for the last minute riders going to drop of their bikes.

Riders 5 seconds...................Horn! I take off behind T-Wiz but my ipod is bouncing and it feels like it may pop out. I'm not letting my 80GB ipod drop out of my jersey to get stomped by riders with cleats on their shoes. So I slow down, grab the ipod and keep it steady. Harvey cruises right pass me. Great! That is the wheel of interest to sit on the first lap. As he is really the only 12-hr guy that I know. We get to the bikes and it is chaotic, and I mount the X, and I'm off. Harvey is 20 meters up the road and I smash it to get on his wheel just before we turn into the singletrack.

My anxiety has the best of me as I have a HR that is about 10 beat higher than I want it to be, but I'm in a nice paceline. We pass a couple of people and we soon establish a core group that are fast, have good skills, don't mind their position, and have a nice flow. My HR is still about 10-12bpm higher than I want it to be. I'm not burning a match yet, but I'm downshifting to my own "Speed Pacing" after this lap.

Just before we finish the blues and about to go into the reds, I can see Kevin H. creeping up on us. Once we get to the reds, things slow down as riders space out. On the first climb, someone has to unclip, and we are all running it and I get passed by 2 riders. After that we keep it breezy until all of sudden 6-8 of us have made a wrong turn.

I wasn't even looking at where I was going, just the wheel ahead of me. We only lost about 10 seconds, and less than 1 minute we were rolling through the start/finish to dismount, run the bike through, and remount. I hate getting off my bike by the way. That lap was 32mins.

I haven't even had anything to drink, so I take a long swig(Definition of Swig - A long uninterrupted drink of anything) from my water bottle and get another one from Mrs. P. The riders bunch up as most of them are getting fed their water bottles. I got back in with Greg D. on my wheel.

Since he is racing the 6-hr and Joe V and Victor are up the trail, I start looking for a place to let him pass. I choose a bad place to let him pass and when I pull over he is already on the outside of my wheel and can't bring it back in. I here a "THUD", and when I look back he has one hand down, and the other hand still on the handlebars. Shit! I was trying to give him the best line to pass me, that is why I went out wide. Riders are passing, and I don't have the gall to just ride off on Greg, as he is off his bike trying to let his pain subside so he can get back to riding his race speed. I ride up the trail, and wait for him just before a steep climb, and when he passes I give him a push and apologize again.

Then I settle into my own pace, and I get through the technical section and I'm not attacking the false flat but I'm keeping a real nice pace. The burn in my legs are gone from the first laps that included the run, my breathing is not labored, and the power in my legs feel good. I ride that entire lap by myself, and bring it in at 45 minute lap.

Bob Mc is now at my tent and he waves me off to slow down, and hands me my 2 water bottle, and the first thing I notice is how sweet and salty it is. I have my blend of powder and salt solution in the bottle, and it was not that sweet in training. But I slam the first one down right out of leaving "The Reds", and I keep it steady. About 18 minutes into that lap I get passed by Kent Lofton and he has a nice pace going. Because he has 2-digit number on his leg I jump on his 2-man train.

He is smoking it like he is doing the 6hr, and I decide not to let him go. I go into the top of my endurance zone, and I'm flirting with the red zone, but I hold it. After about 10 minutes, the guy sitting on his wheel pulls over for me. Kent keeps the pace going and I'm not in the red. He is really a fast rider, or he is trying to drop me. I decided that I will stay on this wheel.

I finish out that lap with a 44min lap, and I get 2 more sweet ass water bottles, and I'm off. I get into the trail and I can't find Kent. Damn, he is gone. He must have turned up the gas, so I just settled into a nice pace. About 10 minutes in Kent comes by riding through, and I jump on. About 20 mins in he downshifts and the pace is easier to manage. There are sections that he turns it up and I'm in the red, and other sections that I'm about to run him over.

I finished out the lap, and I ask for 2 gels, and I'm reluctant to ask for water bottle as I can't take the sweetness. Bob Mc starts to jog and he hands me my water bottle and puts the other one in the back of my jersey. Even though it was really sweet, I needed them. I got back in and I'm by myself for about 6 minutes until Kent rolls up on me. He actually pits a lot longer than me, and that is why I'm in front of him at the beginning of each lap. He is actually quite cordial and he offers me a water bottle and gel each time he passes me. As soon as we finish the red section, I don't feel so good. It's not my legs or the tale-tell signs of cramping coming on. It's not the burning in my legs that normally forces me to slow down. It's my STOMACH. It's starting to bubble like a volcano.

We passed Anthony Hutton the lap before, and bridged back up to us, so we had a 3 man train going before 2 other riders bridge up to us. I pull out of the way to let the riders by, and when I do Anthony had been gapped a bit. My stomach is feeling so bad that I just shut it down and go a much slower speed. I have cracked a bit due to a weird acting stomach, but I can see Kent about 10 seconds up the trail. He must have something going on because he should be gone with the wind. I'm surprise that he is not gone because I have backed it off to a crawl. When I finish the lap I'm about 5 minutes behind the time from the lap before. I tell Mrs. P that I'm going to make a pit stop.

I come in and explain to her that the mix is too sweet and to just give me water until I ask for anything else. I actully sit on my bike and try to gather myself as I still have a long day ahead of me. My stomach aching, "I gots ta Boo Boo", and Mrs. P blurts out into laughter. She said, I wish I had the camera on, that was priceless". I hit the Little John and I know I'm in trouble as it was just water. OK, my stomach is not working, it's just flushing.

I get back out on the course and I feel like I have a parachute behind me. I'm trying to push the pedals to get my HR in the 140-150's, but I can't. I'm actually in the 130's, but it's burning like I'm in the 150's. I then decided to ride in that zone which is my fat-burning zone until things turn around. But I feel like crap. I get passed by a former teammate, Larry Beute, as he his riding for a team out of St. Augustine/Jacksonville. He says, "I'm drinking Fuji Water", and I just laugh. That is a kick in the ass to me drinking the 9.5 Ionizer Water. How I"m riding right now, I honestly say, "Don't do SHIT that Pacer is doing". I finish that lap out 8 minutes slower than last, and I make another pit stop. This time I pit for 12 minutes trying to get fluids back into my body that will jumpstart me back into race zone.

I pass Kent and Anthony, and they must be having some type of melt down too, becuase we are all about 20 minutes behind the pace we were doing earlier. I go into the course and my HR has dropped another 10 beats, and I'm now riding in the 120's. Shit! This is just funny now. I feel like I"m riding ok, but I'm reminded that I riding really slow when I rider blows pass me, and what was even worst was I just could not get on anyonne's wheel for 10 seconds.

When I get to my normal time check at 20 minutes I'm actually at 27 minutes, and I know I'm just stinking up the trail with my pace. I look down and my HR is 116bpm. I'm not speed pacing, I'm freaking "Speed Walking". I'm sure my wife can run faster than this, I am able to hit all the climbs in the red section before the end of the lap, but I'm just creeping over them and don't have much power to keep the pace after. I know that I'm in trouble if this is the pace that I'm going to be riding at night. I envisioned myself riding at night, and because I'm riding so weak I would lose control over the bike and ride off one of those cliffs and fall 40ft right in front of my tent to a laughing Mrs. P and barking Lance.

I get through the red section, go through the start/finish, and I know I have to pull the plug. I get to the tent and Bob is there to do a check on the bike. I let them both know that I'm not even riding at all now, and I'm nervous about the prospect of slow pace riding at night. They both suggested I shut it down. I take a seat and I recount with Mrs. P how the laps went bad all of a sudden.

I started brainstorming what had transpired. I wasn't riding fast enough to hurt myself so soon. I then tell her that the mix was way too sweet that I prepared. "Which bottle did you prepare?", she asked. "I prepared the first 7 bottles", as she had a confused look on her face. She then said, I put powder and salt solution in all those bottles you had on the table. What?! I had put powder and salt solution in those bottles the night before. We both just took about 10 seconds to let it soak in. I had a double dose of my blend, and salt solution. She looked over at me and said, "My bad". I then said, "I want a DIVORCE, I'll see you at the courthouse", and we both laugh.

Is the overdose in the water bottles the real reason why my race when sour? Or did I push too hard? Those questions will be answered in 2 weeks when I do the Hospice 100. Nah Riders! This bad performance ain't gonna break my spirit. This training program includes the Hospice 100, so I am going to finish it. I can say sitting their at the tent with weak bowels and a race that had fallen apart had me rethinking if I can actual pull this off. By the time I got to Olive Garden with Mrs. P, I was in good spirits as I knew I could revamp the protocol.

What's new with the protocol. What food I eat at the Hospice 100 will be taken out of my hands, and placed into the attractive hands of this young lady on the right.

That is Eddie and Namrita Odea, if you have been living under the singletrack. Eddie shot me a email yesterday and wanted to offer some advice on what to eat on the bike from his wife, Namrita Odea. She is one of the queens of 12hr, 24hr racing, and she does it on a dang singlespeed, that's gangsta. She is completing her MS in Nutrition, so what a perfect person to give me the REAL. I've proven that I'm incapable of running the JOINT with regards to food, so I'm going to hand it over to Nam.

I still have some problems holding down food, even after 4 days, so whatever happened really has set the stomach back. Yesterday I went out and did my normal 2 hour workout and I was riding just faster than my best time for the 1st hour, the second hour the rain came and I had to cut it short. So my legs are recovered, but I do have just a bit of soreness in the knees.

I'm going to go out today and see if can do 6 Hospice style laps at Markham and ride a nice pace. Mrs. P did some video from the race, and as soon as I get the cord to download it to my computer, I'll upload it.

I'll keep you posted.

Pacer Out!

Clip of the Week - Off to Battle

2008-02-15T07:43:00.000-05:00

I have been anticipating this event. The start of it, the lining up, the anxiety, the run, the mounting of the bike, the heavy breathing, the finding of my flow. And most of all the 12 Hours of racing on the bike Solo. When I'm out there I won't adapt to the single-track. "I will be the single-track".

I do want to thank my TEAM. Without you, I would not be able to do this. You know who you are.

This clip pretty much sums up how I feel about it.

Pacer Out!

Food Plan for Santos

2008-02-14T10:15:00.002-05:00

Food Plan for Santos.

When I decided that I was going to do Santos, the first thing that I figured out was what I was going to eat & drink.

If you don't already know, 9.5 water is the bomb. All my table tennis buddies are coming over weekly to take home a couple of gallons for their families. I got T-Wiz (Tim Wisner) on tap for some water and I'm sure others will follow. It only takes one person to co-sign it, then it's on. I say if you are sitting there with yourself in neutral, and waiting for me to do this race to judge the outcome. Then, I say you are sitting in. Come on rider, don't follow my wheel. Pick your own line. I say you are waiting for someone to tell you it's ok. This is not the stone age. You don't have to go to the inside of a cave to try to read the marking that were left behind. You can do you own research.

I got my video camera fixed, and I'm going to do my own test with other water companies. I have about 5 different water bottle companies. After Santos I'll do the test, and you will be surprised for sure. Drinking this water when I workout has not made me faster, it has allowed me to maintain a higher speed for a longer period of time. That is exactly what I need for Santos.

The next thing I figured out was what kind of food I was going to eat. Yeap! You guessed, ALKALIZING FOODS.

I'm staying with the theme of alkalizing, and now that I understand the alkaline/acidic food chart a lot better, I can't bring myself to eat incorrectly. The best aspect that I have learned from this experience is food-combining. I normally always eat rice and chicken when I eat broccoli, but since rice and chicken are both acid forming I'm getting no benefit out of the broccoli. So I have to end of eating it solo. Salads that are rich with green leafy vegetable has been what I normally do for lunch. Sometimes I even have it in the morning.

With regards to nutrient uptake, I have broken my race into 3 sections. It is carbs, fats, and drink. There are subdivisions of food intake, but these are the main 3.

My source of carbs. In previous races like this I have seen everything from honey buns, peanut butter and jelly, and all kinds of sandwiches, to just power bars, gels and bananas. I'm going to make a decision to put 80% alkalizing/20% acid food in my body during this race. My plan is to chose food that is easily digested, and will have nothing but a energizing affect on the body. I'm going with broccoli, red, green & orange pepper for my alkalizing carbs. I plan to cook them down at just under 160 degrees, which does not destroy the nutrients but does kill any bacteria that my be present. They will go in a 8 oz cup and put them in the back of my jersey, and it will look like this.

So when I need to eat, I can just dump it down, no wrapping, no having to opening anything. That way eating on the bike will be easy and efficient. These foods are alkalizing, full of nutrients and have a tremendous amount of fiber. I think that that eating simple carbs is just not ideal for this type of event. Eating a power gel, or taking in a red bull is like throwing gasoline on the fire. The type of food that I'm going to eat is like throwing a huge log on the fire that the body gets more uses out of during the event.

For my 20% acidic foods (cheating food, basically) I plan to make a ham & cheese crossaint with parano cheese. I also plan to do vanilla power gels, and maybe some shot blocks.

My source of fat. Now this one is really not radical once you read the research, and I know it's going be a huge factor. My primary source of fat will be coconut oil in all my water bottles.

Let me explain what coconut oil is, and what it does. Coconut Oil is called a "low fat" fat, and it is one of the most stable "Fats" you can eat. It actually acts like a carbohydrate in that it just passes right through the liver and is used as quick energy. Because the liver does not have to break it down, it won't affect me while I'm riding on the bike.

The body does not store it like other fats. It supports thyroid function and increases your metabolism, and that is perfect for something like a long distance Endurance Race. Here are the supplemental facts.

The plan is to put 1 tablespoon (125 calories of fat) in each of my water bottles. I plan to drink 2 water bottles per lap, so 250 calories of good fat per laps that turns into instant energy is as good as as I can get. Wait, I have more info on this oil.

Coconut Oil also improves digestion and absorption of fat soluble vitamins, minerals (especially calcium and magnesium) and amino acids which are needed when racing. It is a natural antioxidant, and it protects the body from free radicals damage, which means it's neutralizing free radicals that are forming during the race. And because it's a "Medium chain fatty acid", it has very unique qualities. It does not required your body to shut down to send blood to your liver to break it down. It passes right through and is quickly used. Taking in most fats usually has a person feeling out of sync while digestion is taking place. Well, not with coconut oil.

My source of fat. That would be the avocado.

Now, this is just outright radical in every since of the word, but read a fella out before you think I have gone off the deep end. I'm simply looking at what is the best food based on digestion, not what is IDEAL from an historical standpoint. They are rich in vitamin A, B-complex, C, E, H, K and folic acid. They also contain the buffering minerals to get lactic acid out of the blood and muscles, which I'll need while I'm in the race. They also provide all the essential amino acids which is 18 in all. Plus they have 7 fatty acids, including omega 3 and 6. They also contain more protein than cow's milk. The water content of avocados range from 70-80%, and that makes them a hydrating and energizing fuel and leaves no metabolic waste behind.

What is also great is it is one of the most easily digested sources of fat and protein in a whole food. Approximately 63% of the fat contained in the avocado is monosaturated and only 17% is saturated. Both serve as good sources of fuel rather than glucose or protein. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

My source of liquids. Of course every water bottle will be full of 9.5 water.

I can't say enough about how drinking structured ionized water has improved my performance on the bike with regards to hydration. I'm actually looking for hours 6-12, because that is when you find out what you are made of, and it the time I hope I get a return on this investment.

For my Endurance drink I have decided to go with a company, but I can't make it public. So to see what I'm putting in my water, you'll have to find my tent. But I'm covered for 12 hrs.

My main electrolyte source will come from this.

This is a product called phlavor. It is Liquid Salt. Most people don't know the pathway to using magnesium, potassium and calcium begins with salt. So you can eat all the foods that are rich in those minerals and without salt the body can't use them to help the muscles contract while on the bike. If you don't have salt, those minerals are stuck in a holding pattern and can't be used. And this isn't the salt that you buy at your local store. It is unprocessed and whole. The salt is harvested and blended with water of a ph of 9.5, and you have something called Sole. I know riders that take electrolyte pills, or the electrolyte tablets that have powder in them. Your body does have to break it down, and who knows how long that will take. Well, my mixture will go into all my water bottles along with the Endurance Mix and coconut oil. Since they all are easily digested I don't forsee them getting in each other's way in the form of giving me an upset stomach. Plus, they all have different functions.

Last year when I did the 6-hrs of Santos, and I had an upset stomach after about 4hrs. It's because I was putting all this acidic food in my stomach and it was not able to digest due to the high intensity effort I had on the bike. The body has a decision to use the blood to carry oxygen to the working muscles, or to use it to digest food. So if I'm putting everything in my body that requires little to no digestion, I can keep my speed up on the bike and that is going to factor in for me later in the race.

With all the people reading, I know there are doubters. Please try to prove me wrong. I hope that you are a skeptic, because then you'll do your research and see that Pacer is sitting in the Penthouse, and the doubters are in the lobby with regards to details to nutrition.

The only thing I can't control is the outcome of the race. But what I have done is taken all the steps to prepare. I have lined up all my ducks, and I have one bullet. When I played table tennis I just simply took myself through the steps to prepare, and all the energy went into the details. To make sure the nothing was over-looked once the big event came. All activities had to be closed, all anxieties had to be put to rest and that was done with preparation. Imagine going to hit a heavy bag with one of your fingers out. You are bound to dislocate that finger. I have all my fingers closed and I'm ready to kick Santos in the ass. No offense to any of my competitors, I'm honestly not interested in kicking any of your asses at all. If they get in the way, well, I'm sorry.

I'm just simply applying that same program to another sport. I have successful created a protocol that I believed in based on the knowledge and experience I have. I followed that protocol without having to modify it. Now, it's time to see exactly what kind of return I will get in this investment in effort.

I know you have hear the phrase, "The devil is in the details". Not me. The devil to me is the actual race. The putting together the program and following it has been the most rewarding experience. I do understand what kind of feat I'm attempting in just doing this race. Don't think I haven't thought about how many people actually finish this race, or don't have the performance that they have trained really hard for. That is why the details were so planned out, and executed to perfection.

But, I will be honest in saying whether or not I do well, the race will honestly be anticlimatic for me. I think I have just enjoyed the "Process" of being 100% committed to the program, and that out-trumps the event. I'm not actually sure exactly what I will do after this.

Either way, you'll get a blow by blow of the event from the moment I hit the road, to the moment I get back in the house. I plan to have some video shot also, and I'll put together something for you also.

Pacer Out!

Anecdote of the Week - Peer Pressure

2008-02-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

With rain in the forecast today made it pretty easy for me to reflect since I will not be riding the trails today.

My Anecdote of the week goes back to 1986. Peer Pressure.

That is what got me into trouble. It was the first time that I can say that I gave into peer pressure. In the mid 80’s all I heard from the Nancy Regan was “Just say No”. For me it wasn’t drugs, they got me to steal.

My mom had caught me stealing about 3 years before and I caught the beat down of a lifetime as a result. I remember having no interest in getting held down by my older brother and whip with a belt. That is a dirty south style of whoopings. And if the crime was really bad, then you would get the most feared weapon for a offender, “Da Switch”. And what’s worst is you would have to go and get your own from the backyard. Now, I had gotten the belt enough to have a routine. Just put the arm out and the belt will wrap around it, and then you can just ride it out. But a switch was a totally different monster. It was small, thin, and agile. It is a small tree branch with the leaves taken off. Oh! You better not go get one too small, because if your mom has to get one, she’s gonna whip you up the wall. I see the switch and I'm not nervous at all. I do my normal routine in putting my arm out to do the “Wrap around”

That didn't go the way I wanted it to go.

First let me say, that I was not one of those kids that was abused, I deserved every one of my whoopings. The stronger and bigger I got, the whoopings became less, so she looked for other ways to punish me. But that whooping was the mother of all whooping and it left an impression on me.

Ever since the major beatdown I had sworn off stealing and just opted to ask my mother for money instead. We weren’t doing bad on money, I think I stole for the thrill of bragging who had the most goodies once you get down the street. I had started playing table tennis the second semester of 7th grade, so this would be the first summer that I would have primarily one activity every day. In fact, some of the guys I used to get in trouble with were involved in table tennis, and whenever they went out to do dirt, I made myself disappear.

We played table tennis in the back warehouse of the actual company that the table tennis business was in. So once the summer came I was free to go across town and play table tennis during business hours, then once the business closed my coach would play with us, then take us home. This happened pretty much every day. We were not that sure how it happened, but the table tennis association gave a grant to our coach to pay himself to coach us. He turned around and offered that money to us to earn our own money to go to tournaments.

We would look at the directions in Japanese and somehow figure out how to put together table tennis tables, barriers, etc. We also filled orders, put labels on mailouts, and cleaned up the building. So we were earning our own money to play tournament with the help of my coach and his family I later found out. We would play the morning session, then during the 2 hour lunch break we would go to White Rec Swimming Pool, then they would hit up the grocery store.

If you speak or understand slang, Hit up the Grocery Store means you would bum rush the store with 10 kids, and 6 of them would steal. 4 of them would act suspicious to draw out the po po’s, and the others would get snacks. Little Debbie’s snacks, crackers, cheese, peanut butter, cool-aid, and sugar would be the normal list they would get. For the entire summer I just sat out the local Big Star, while the crew would rob them for about $8.00 worth of snacks. The thought of stealing had me having flashbacks.

So I would tell them I’m on the bench. I wouldn’t steal, but I would indulge in the spoils. I would always be given a hard time for not stealing, but the guys loved how I mixed the peanut butter and jelly and made cracker sandwiches. As the summer came to a close we all pretty much had the money for the trip from working at the table tennis club/business. We also had to complete our training, and physical training before you could qualify to even go to the famous Regency Mall Tournament in Augusta. No one wanted to spend any of their money they had earned, so they kept stealing and I kept watching.

At the end of the summer I pretty much got an ultimatum from the entire group. I needed to steal something, or I was not going to get any of the spoils. What was worst was I could have simply took $2.00 out of my account, had a happy meal and the situation would have been closed. But that peer pressure was a blimp, and I didn’t want to lose this core group of friends.

I had on a big shirt, so they told me to steal the crackers. I had not been in this Big Star, so I had no idea where the crackers were. So I walked around looking all lost, drawing attention to myself. I saw the crackers, then I made a pass to see if anyone was watching. I walked down the next isle, then when I came back, I grabbed them, walked to end of the isle and put them in the front of my shorts. Now, I’m walking around looking like a pregnant 14yr old kid.

The next thing I know I’m being grabbed by this “Mens In Black “ type guy in a black suit. I get taken to the security room where they show the camera on me. It shows me looking all around like a rookie, and I see that I’m being stalked by the special agent Men In Black dude. They call my mom at work, and she has to pick me up. They explain to her that I had been caught stealing, and I had another flashback to that beatdown from 3 years before, and I was getting ready to take my licks right there in the security room. But my mom found it comical as they showed her the video tape because it was no way that I was getting out of there as I just looked like I was going to steal.

They tell her that it is a good chance the Big Star is going to press charges, and I will most likely have to appear in court to do some community service. I walk out of the store and all my boys are out there, and one of them say, “Where’s the crackers, Ni%&A? I look at him and give him the gester that I was going to get my head cut off.

Reggie can’t hold me down to catch a beatdown because he just went into the Marines. Phillip is older than me, but I’m stronger than him. I know my mom wasn’t going to get her boyfriend to hold me down, as he wasn’t that close to me to do that. I got home and she just prepared dinner, and all the time I was waiting to be told to get my switch so she could get to whooping. But she said nothing, nothing at all. As a matter of fact, she was nicer than normal. That was a Saturday, and on Sunday I didn’t play table tennis as I went to church. I had actually prayed that I would not get a whooping, and I didn’t get one. “COOL”, I thought, I need to holla at the big man more often.

The realization came to me the next day that I was not going to get off scott free. When my mom was getting ready to go to work, I said goodbye and that I was going to the club to play. She said, “You are going to sit in this house and tape the soap operas for me. No table tennis for you, as that is the wrong group”.

Damn, she cut a brother off at the freaking knees. I had to video-tape Young and the Restless, Body and the Beautiful, As the World Turns, and Guilding Light for the rest of the summer. I couldn’t tape it and leave. I mean I was told to stop the tape during the commercials, so I couldn’t fudge it.

For 3 weeks, I went through the most torment that I think I had ever experienced. She got me! She knew I had discovered a love affair with table tennis. I actually got into the soap operas because I had no choice. I missed the mall tournament in Augusta, but I got a play by play when they got back.

I was missing out, and I needed to do something to get back in. So I started cleaning up, acting nice, and being very cordial. Ever couple of days I would ask my mother if I could go and play, and she would just say “NO”, and it was end of discussion. I decided that I need to show her how far I was willing to go to get out of Prison of taping and watching the damn soap operas.

The revolution first started with me taking naps, or going to bed with my racket on my chest. She found it funny, so I had to take it up a notch. Next, I would come to the dinner table and lay my racket beside my plate only for my mother to slap it off the table. Great! I’m testing her spirit, but I was not breaking it. I then started playing table tennis videos on the TV and I would practice my strokes in the living room trying my best to make as much noise as possible. I was trying to burn a hole in the carpet with my movements.

That got under her skin, but no keys to freedom yet. I needed some help for this next one, so I called up my best friend Greg D that was playing at the time. We lined up my mother cookbooks across the kitchen table and Greg and I would go at it right there. It was nothing worst than the ball bouncing behind the washing machine or into the spaghetti my mother was cooking. The last thing I would do was I would say the name of my racket and rubber over and over. It didn’t have a name yet as it was just a code. I would say EE5, on Sriver and Sriver. That drove her up the wall, but she stoodfast in her punishment.

I broke down when Greg told me they were having a Car Wash and then were going to take the proceeds and go to the buffet at Pizza Inn. I got off the phone with Greg, and I had to think of a plan as it was Friday night and the car wash and pizza buffet was Saturday morning. I couldn’t think of anything, so I decided to just do a “Prison Break” and pay for it later.

On Saturday mornings my mother picks my grandmother up from the dentist office where she works and takes her home. That means I can leave right after her because my mother won’t be coming back in same direction. So as soon as she left I put on my socks, grabbed my racket and left. I knew I would get in trouble, but I would get to enjoy the car wash and pizza before. I was running like I had stole something, again. I was out on the main streets and I needed to get to some back streets so I could hide on my way across town.

I just need to get pass the train tracks, then I can start cutting through neighborhoods. I’m a block away and I can see freedom right in front of me. If I’m going to get caught, this would be the place because I can't jump the ditch on each side of the tracks. I get to the track, and I cross them, and I speed up my run. I hear a horn beep.

I look up and it’s my mother beeping the horn, and waving her hands out the window. I stop running as my mother practically pulls into oncoming traffic for me. “Get you black ass in the car right now”. I was so stunned that I just got in the car with a shocked look on my face. How did I get caught, she never comes back this way. She actually was taking my grandmother back to our house, and she was going to let me off punishment since it was 3 weeks to the day that I got caught.

So my mother just simple said, “You just added 21 days more”. Every time you mess up, you are going to add another 21 days to it. So get some “Act Right” in you, and you can go back and play. Remember, you mess up, you stay in the house.

The other bad news, was my name was in the paper along with my cousin for getting caught stealing at Big Star. The good news is Big Star went out of business, so there were never any charges brought up on me. Now she had me by the ping pong balls with regards to my behavior. She did abuse it a couple of times. Like having my coach come in the house and wash the dishes with me before I could leave and go to practice.

The lesson was not to give into to peer pressure, Ever. That is why I do most of my training by myself, and it is very seldom that I will call someone. I normally jump in and sit in the back if there is a big group anyway. When fools start acting up and smashing the pace, I let them go 95% of the time. I think trying to keep up when things get provoked is a form of peer pressure. How many times have you let someone sucker you into going all out, especially when you did not want to do it.

With regards to table tennis I have essentially spent my adult career training in remote 3rd world countries by myself. I like the environment like how Rocky did it in Rocky IV when he went to Russia. I love the solitude. Most of my peers keep up with me now by reading my blog, as I have pretty much took myself out of the XC group for the time being. I’m not naturally this way, but I have disciplined myself to train in solitude. I think I'm going to need it when I'm at Santos though. I think that doing the opposite in a lot of cases makes you a more well-rounded person.

So that is my lesson on staying focused and determined to not let anyone or any group twist you into a posture that you know does not work for you, EVER.

Pacer Out!

Fine-tuning the Engine!

2008-02-10T23:16:00.001-05:00

What's up with you Planet Earth, this is your boy Speed Pacer checking in with you after another fantastic week of training.

This past week I really wanted to see if I can still continue to improve my performance, and my body did not disappoint. After a great ride Sunday I decided to give myself much needed day off the bike, so I decided to run with Mrs. P. I woke up the next day, and hit the sidewalk with Mrs. P, and the Water Ionizer had improved her performance, and after about 17 minutes she just kept turning the screws and I couldn't keep the pace. She was even taunting me saying " Keep the pace Mr. Pace". After she dropped me like a husband at the alter, I took it back to the house and she continued for her 1 hr run. I'm holding her back, so no more running with her.

I enjoyed the rest of day off from an aerobic standpoint, but the screws were still turning mentally and emotionally. I decided I would do only 2 high intensity workouts this week. That would be a strong effort at Markham, and my first "Hundy" of the 2008 for me. In between I would but in some nice low HR recovery rides, with some hypoxia workouts on the CAT Altitude Unit using the mask.

On Tuesday I did my first recovery ride, and decided it would be based on Speed, and not HR. So I kept the speed between 19-20mph. One thing I noticed about these types of workouts is my body goes through periods when I feel good, and other moments when I'm out of sync. When your racing XC you are hurting the entire time, and don't have time to really monitor if you are up or down when you are in the pain locker.

After the 90 minutes, I jumped on the patio, got myself up to 9000ft on the hypoxia unit, and did the OLD (One Legged Drills) on my ipod. After 30 minutes of that I was good to go. I'm trying to accomplish a variety of things with this kind of workout. I want to put in the 90 minutes of steady riding, then I want to ride at 9000ft for 30 minutes as it adds another extra 30 based on the altitude training. Then I want to work on my improving my cadense, which was 88rpm for min. for 90 minute workout. This is the kinda day that you can work on the small things. Here is the chart.

Since the next day was Wed, and I get off at 2 I decided I would go to Markham and the plan was to do 6 laps. I want to compare it to my MLK Day ride when I did 6 laps at markham. In the middle of the second lap I got a flat tire. Yuck! That ruined my workout as I was feeling great and was ahead of my first lap time with a much lower HR. I wanted to to do at least 2 more laps, so I went to the 2 nearest bike shops, but they didn't have tubeless tires. Ok, the ride is a BUST for Wednesday.

I got off Thursday in the early afternoon, took my rear wheel to Active Cycles and got a new tire on it. When I got it home and put the rear wheel on, somehow the rotor knocked out one of the brake pads out, and I wasted 30 minutes trying to get them back in. One of my goals this year is to become a much better wrench, so this was one of the moments for me to get some practice in. But it did prevent me from being able to do 6 laps, so I committed to 4 laps. I left the house so quick that I forgot my ipod, and that is a serious offense. I'm in my 4th year racing Expert and I can count how many time I have rode without music. But since I had limited daylight, and I had lost time putting the pads back in, I decided not to turn around. I would have to feel and hear the entire course today.

After I rode around the park to warm up I went back to the car to get an extra water bottle. I knew that some of my peers told me that my bike was squeaking due to needing new bushing, but that was just outrageous. I put some WD-40 on the bushings, and that quieted it for the moment. Note to self: Get bushing before Santos. As soon as I got into the course I was feeling really good, and I knew I would be faster on all check points. I was not doing a full laps, I was actually doing the "Hospice Lap". I get to the halfway point in the lap, and I'm about 30 seconds faster. By the time I'm finish that lap I'm about 48 seconds faster than the MLK(Martin Luther King)Day workout. On the second lap, I feel just as good and at the halfway point I'm on the same time as the first lap. I actually decided to hold back, and I bring it in about 12 seconds lower.

I get back to the car, and I quickly get 2 more bottles and try to make the pit stop less than 1 minute. I get back in the course and I'm still feeling good and I just keep it breezy and at the halfway point I'm back to the same time I was on the first lap. This year I have really learned how to not be a slave to the HR monitor, and I spend my time finding a nice endurance flow. I don't even look at my HR anymore, I only look at my time, and I bring in the lap 5 seconds slower than my first lap.

As soon as I go in for lap 4 I have no intention of riding that fast, I decided to back it off and at the halfway point I'm about 15 seconds out of my first laptime. I'm in Bermuda and I slide out on some soft sand as I'm about to go over a log and I actually knock out some air. It was the first time I have ever burped out some air out of my tire, and I actually thought it was flat. As soon as I saw it was not flat I quickly jumped back on the bike and decided to finish out the lap. The front tire was really unstable on shart turns due to the burp so I take it in about 50 seconds slower than the first lap, but it was a really successful workout.

Honestly, I think this is closer to XC racing , but I did what I could do based on time, course, and the protocol I have created.

Here is the total chart from MLK

Here is the total Chart from this past Thursday.

As you can see I spent very little time in the red racing zone, and you will see that I'm just faster. I'm not sure if those chart really do justice, so I decided to see if I can break it down a little better for you. I'm going to compare 4 laps of the Markham workout on MLK, and this past Thursday by showing the stats from each lap.

Here is the 1st lap of MLK Workout. Actually look at the second line which tells you what lap I did, not time as that tells you the total time for the entire workout.

Here is the 1st lap of this past week

My HR was down 7bpm, and I was over 45 seconds faster

Here is the 2nd lap of MLK Day

Here is the 2nd lap of this past week.

I was hurting on this lap on MLK, but this past week I was able to knock off over 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

Here is the 3rd lap of MLK Day

Here is the 3rd lap of this past week.

I was in a flow on MLK Day on this lap, but this past week I had that same flow, but I was just faster. Actually, I was actually exactly 90 seconds faster

Here is the 4th lap of MLK Day.

Here is the 4th lap from this past week.

Even after losing time because of a small crash, and having only about 20lbs of pressure I was still 40 seconds faster on this day compared to MLK Day. After that I rode around the park to make my total for the day just over 30 miles. I know that this not enough singletrack, that is why I'm doing my first "Hundy" mile ride for 2008 on "Sheridian Ride" Saturday.

After giving myself an emotional pat on the back for being stronger all the way across the board on this Markham workout, I went back to my low HR recovery workout. There is a really nice loop right outside of my complex, and I never have to worry about traffic and I really get a chance to keep my HR in the ideal zone.

This workout I decided to up the ante just a bit compared to Tuesday by decided to keep my speed between 20-21mph. I started to zone out as soon as I got into the workout, and that makes the workout go by quicker. I was able to keep my speed and HR where I wanted it and I got through the 90 minutes feeling quite good. My Avg Cadense was 94rpm, which was up 6rpms up from Tuesday. I still jumped on the trainer, turned up the unit to 9000ft, and did the same One Legged Drill. I skipped the warm up and cool down, which made it 30 minutes. Here is that chart.

I was really excited about the 100 mile day and since I was fully recovered it would be easy for me to get through it. I got up at 6am, eat some granola cereal with bananas, and as soon as I got to my bike the front tire was flat. Damn! I fixed it but I lost time as I was trying to analyze the problem so it would happen again. I left the house at 6:45, so I wouldn't be able to put in more than 20 miles before I get to the Sheridian ride.

I get out on the road, and my legs feel heavy and I know the problem. I need to drop some more riders out of the peloton. I thought I had my morning bathroom excursion, but more riders need to go backwards. I changed my route to find a gas station, and I instantly feel better once I get back on the bike. I keep it steady and get to the ride with Garrett of Bike America.

I pull into the ride, and I hear psssssssssssss! I took off my headphones, and it was me with the front tire going flat again. I ride up to Joe D, and he holds my bike as he hears the flat. At the same time they are whistling for the ride to take off. I go and get a tube from Tony, and he grabs a pump for me as I go back out. Joe is pulling off the tire, and put sweat all over him giving him assistance. The whistling is still going as we are putting the tube back in. The riders are going out to Sheridian and go says, "I gotta go before I get dropped". I get the tube back in, and Tony starts pumping, but the pump won't go over 60psi. We both rush into the shop and I find another pump, and this one does not work at all. I go over to a new pump, tear the plastic off the adapter and I put it in and as soon as Tony gets it to 120lbs I yank it out, and run back out to my bike in front of the shop.

I know I'm not going to make it to group, but I have to at least try. If the stars are aligned then I can get back with them. I had my 100 mile route together and I needed this ride to be a part of it. I needed the high end, as I have not done much this week. I get out to Sheridian Rd. and I hit the laptime marker on my HR monitor and before I know it I'm going 28mph, and I can't even see them. I put my head down and the next time I look up I'm going 29.5mph. I can see the group, and they are really, really, far away. I don't have any burn in my legs, so I put my head down again. The next time I look up the group is closer and I'm going 30.7mph. I know I have to catch the group before they get over I-75 because once they come back down the westside of I-75, they are going to take off.

I start getting excited because I know I will catch them, and I can't even remember if there is burn in my legs. I bridge up to the group just over I-75 and I blend into the group quite nicely. Joe D looked over to me a couple of minutes later and said, "Boy, you had to put in an effort to get back to us". I just looked at him and said, "Yeah". I didn't feel turned inside out at all. Especially, not compared to 4 weeks before. When I looked at my chart the HR monitor was acting up and didn't show my actually HR. That was probably a good thing, so I wouldn't have been defeated by that number.

The group gets going and once we turn on Hwy 27, things starts shaking up at the front. I slowly move my way to the front, and there is a group that is putting the smash down. We are going over 33.8mph for over 1 minute, and as soon as they back off, I pulled out and keep going. No one goes with me, and for about 2 minutes I was out on my own just pushing the pedals. When the group catches me, I'm offered a push by a couple of riders and I decline. I want to back into the group and recover.

I move back up to the front just before we turn East on 84, and the group breaks up and everyone's just riding for themselves. Soon after order is restored and the group that is off the front are slowly brought back in.

I sit in the group all the way over I-75, and I move up to the group and it is practically dissected into 2 big groups. The lead group has about 15 seconds, and I have no idea how it happened, but it did happen quickly. Normally, I would be one of the guys that would make up the front group that is making the charge to bridge, but with so many riders I stay right where I'm at. In less than 2 minutes we are all back together and I haven't burnt a matches.

I sit in to wait for the sprint, and it just does not look good. About 40 riders are staying in position and normally it's about 20. As it gets going I can't find a way in as way too many riders are being dropped out of the back as the group is stretched out really long. I make a surge up to 36mph, and I instantly pull the plug. I didn't want to waste an effort if I wanted to get to 100 miles for the day.

I get to the gas station, eat a bananas and gel. I decided to ride back home and get my own 9.5 water instead of the awful water in these stores. I'm now just under 49 miles and my plan is to do a 51 mile time trial to get me just to the Benajamin Franklin (100 people). I go home, drink 3 water bottle, eat 1 bananas and 2 more bars, and I run Lance downstairs to hit his favorite trees and I'm back off. I'm at 59.2 miles at this point. Great I can do my normal 40 mile time trial route, then ride around to get just to the Century mark.

It takes me a bit to get into the groove as the 10 minute break back home was just enough to start the "Acid Buffering" process over again. I'm very surprised that I feel so good. I mean good like I just started out. In fact, I'm riding a time that will most likely rival my best 2 hr workout with fresh legs.

At the halfway point I'm riding a very good clip, and when I turn around I have a tailwind, and I actually hold back. I know there is a headwind going East on 84, and I'm going to leave some in the account for that. I'm on a high because I'm just riding stronger and stronger. I get to 84, and the normal headwind has me going between 17-19mph. But I'm between 20.5-22.5 and my heartrate is 142bpm, so I have some more to give. I stay patience and as the wind get stronger I slowly bring up my effort, but I manage to keep it under 150bpm all the way home. I ride for another .8 of a mile to make it a cool "HUNDY". This has been the best 100 mile workout that your boy Pacer has ever done.
Here is the info from the HR monitor. 100 miles right on the dot.

Here is the Avg Speed. That's gangsta.

And the time.

That time, I had to do a double take on the time of 4hrs, 37mins. 3 weeks ago I did the same workout and got 96.1 miles out of 4hrs, 37mins. I was able to squeeze out 4.6 miles in the same time. Plus, I went from 91rpms, to 93rpms. OK, I have to break this one down for you since my HR monitor was acting haywire during a section of the ride.

I'll start out by showing you the entire charts for both workouts.

3 weeks ago

This past Saturday

Then I'll break it all the way down "Stat style".

Here is the ride to the Sheridian ride 3 weeks ago

Here is the ride to Sheridian Sat.

Here is the Sheridian ride 3 weeks ago

Here is the Sheridian ride Saturday

Here is the ride home to get more water 3 week ago

Here is the ride home Sat.

Here is the ride back out to Orange and Flamingo 3 weeks ago

Here is the ride back out to Orange Flamingo Sat.

Here is the ride back home 3 weeks ago

Here is the ride back home Sat.

I took a nap, and was awaken by Mrs. that forgot to tell me that we had to go to a Birthday party for her Boss. She woke me up out of my "100 Mile" nap for a birthday party. Man, I should just lay here and act like a stupid husband. But she is Haitian and will probably sprinkle some of that powder on me and my head will shrink like Beattlejuice. So I dragged myself out of bed to hang out with a bunch of boring ass therapists. Word to the wise, when you are around a bunch of people that Psychoanalyze the way you breathe, just shut up and watch.

We were able to take some picture, and Mrs. P kept saying you actually look nice when you shave back the "Big Foot", and put on the nice clothes you have. Look

After all the prayers, the speeches, the songs, and the slides on powerpoint I was burnt out. When I tasted the vegetables I look over at Mrs. P and had enough. I said, "I'm going to act like I'm going to the bathroom", you understand what I'm saying. She said, "I'll be right behind you". In less than a minute we were out of the hotel, in the car, and high fiving each other for getting out of there before it really got started. I got home in time to watch HBO boxing. I watch the 5'9 Carlos Quintana upset the 6'2Paul Williams for the 147lbs title. It was almost comical watching the short guy throw punches at that very tall target. Carlos, Floyd Mayweather is coming for that ass.

Sunday morning, I decided it would be great idea to just not ride the bike on Sunday, so I decided to get the racket out to get me some new headphones. Every 2 weeks there is money pot competition in table tennis in Davie. I've only played it once in my life, as I never play in bad conditions. The Boy & Girls club has some type of legos in the gym and they move which is just bad for someone like me that is all over the court. I had only had 1 training session this year, which was last Wednesday, so I'm reaching but if there is money I'm the line, I'm there.

I wanted to get win the $100.00 so I could make a drive up to the Apple Store at Boca Mall to get some headphones. The headphones I have now have a shortage in them, and I need to get some before Santos. As soon as I got there, I was playing in less than 5 mins. It was strange being back out there with the other players looking at me like they were going to scalp me. I found my instinct the second match, but I was seriously knocking off dust the footwork, handspeed, reaction time, movement, and timing.

I won my group, and moved into the final group. I lost to a guy that I have never lost to from Trinidad, then I turned around and beat a guy from Cuba. I had actually never beat him as he beat me twice just before retired. I didn't advance because the Cuban buy beat the Trinidadian guy 3-0, The Trinidadian guy beat me 3-0, and I beat the Cuban guy 3-1. See that 1 game the Cuban dude won just cost me money, so I had to go to Boca and spend my money. After the Oleta race I'm coming back to rock that world pong players. Yes, Daddy's coming back to take over the hen house.

I couldn't chose between these 2 at the store, so I bought both of them.

The first headphones are so loud that I just decided I would use those when I'm jamming in the house, or airport, or just traveling. The second one was the normal one that I use. So I have my tunes back.

I take a nap, and make myself a nice alkalizing meal. Just broccoli and onions. Bump what they say about milk for protein. I'm not a baby anymore, so the excessive milk for protein is way over-rated. If you eat enough broccoli, you will get all the protein, iron, minerals, etc that is needed to replenish the body. Take a look. Yummy!

Now, what is on tap for this week. Maybe one strong effort ride, but mostly tempo riding just under race speed. Then, some final upgrades to my steed, the Racer-X. First, I have the new bushing in for the Titus. Then I have the 2008 Juicy 7 Carbon's coming in on Tuesday. Gonna get my boy Ryno to put 2 Fast Trac Pro tires on hold for me so I can put them on fresh before the race.

One thing I haven't mentioned was the food plan I plan to use for Santos, as I'm saving that for last. Man! All I have to say it, RADICAL, RADICAL, RADICAL. Just before I leave I'll reveal my plan, and I know that I have everything covered. Either I'm going to shock everyone with a performance that is better than anyone expect, or I'm just going to go down in flames.

When I'm out training I'm constantly thinking about whether or not I'll have what it takes to even hang with these guys at all and the competitor in me wants to hang in there for a while and even make them think that I may be a player in the Endurance race, and the sane part of me just wants to finish the race to say I had the experience to put the notch on my belt. I really think food plays a big part, so I'm hoping what I have on tap for food will get me through hours 8-12.

Either way, you'll have a "Front Row" ticket to "Pacer Experience".

Pacer Out

Clip of the Week - Revenge

2008-02-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Keeping with the Theme of Battle, we can go right back to the 2003 Tour de France, when Jan actually put Lance in the "Pain Locker", but only managed to get 7 seconds. Take a look at it, and you'll see when Jan makes his surge to bridge up to Vino and that put Lance in difficulty.

Fastforward to 2 years later, Lance is back to his same dominating self and his last Tour, and he returns the favor. Experts say that elephants have the best memory, but Lance can easily rival that. He drops Jan at exactly the same spot where he was put under difficulty.

That is revenge for that ass.

Pacer Out!

A return to the table

2008-02-06T22:25:00.000-05:00

After 4 years of enjoying my retirement in the sport of table tennis, I have been pulled back in. It all started in December when I went to Las Vegas and I was seen shooting instructional videos for my sponsor on one of the outside courts. I was later seen given interviews, and videotaping the highlights of the tournament.

I'm now featured on the middle of the butterfly website, and will be there for at least 20 weeks, as I shot 20 different clips on basic textbook table tennis. I did the animation, the video, the editing, and the voice over. Man, I'm about to take my ass to Hollywood.

Here is the page that will show my clips, and they already have a couple of there.

http://www.butterflyonline.com/coaching/08BPVC_BL.asp

Then the rumors went around that I was making a comeback, which were untrue at the time. And at the tournament, with me in street clothes I started getting invited to Invitational tournaments. I looked at Mrs. P and said, "Where do you want to go", as I had 4 offers on the table in a matter of 3 days.

Look, you wanna know how serious I was about retirement? I let my passport expired, and didn't even make an attempt to wipe the mold off it, look.

Mrs. P. chose Haiti, as it is her home country and she has not been there since she was a kid. So I told Mozart Francois, that I would like to play in the Haiti Masters Invitational Tournament, and I would consider the others if it didn't conflict with anything else.

I was asked to invite 2 other players to come along, so I chose my boys Rocky and Ragu from Maryland, as they have been loyal to me, even in my retirment and I'm very good friends with them both.

We worked out the deal by Jan 15th, and I got this in the mail soon after, so it's on for Sept 5th-7th

"Cot toe might know" (OK, the Dirty South way of saying "Oh, my God". These organizations work fast. It's a little bit scary to be the player that is given "Top Billing", because people will come based on my status. So I might have to hit the table pretty hard to keep up my undefeated record at this tournament in 3 years. We'll be going early, to spend 2 days at this resort in Cap-Haitian that is 5 Star to the max, even for International standards.

So it looks like I won't get a chance to put the smack down at 13 hrs of Santos as I'll be preparing for this event.

My first actual event is in March in Cary NC(Suburb of Raleigh) in front of my home crowd since my hometown is 45 minutes away. I officially started my training program last past week, and I only need about 6 weeks, to work off 4 years of calcification. The great things is I stayed in mediocre form by giving private lessons, and would put down the "Real training Session" a couple of times a month to let the up and coming know that I'm really a "Sleeping Elephant", and to let me stay sleep.

I think I'm up now, but I'm going to transition myself out of racing on the bike a little and see if I can "Pong it Up" once more to get some free trips over the world with the wife.

Of course, I'll keep you posted. I'm still gonna hit singletrack and the road, so this won't turn into a "Ping Pong" blog. I already had one of those in 2001.

Pacer Out!

Getting Stronger!

2008-02-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

Or more efficient, hell, maybe even both. I'm not sure how much it makes a difference, but I feel better than I have ever been on the bike. And what is weird is the more that I ride the mtn bike, the stronger I am on the road bike which is the opposite result that I have been hoping for.

I decided to skip this weeks race at Amelia, but I did manage to get out there and ride 3 laps on Wednesday. The first lap was with a group, and the next 2 laps I did back to back, and they were by myself. It is strange to be on this new program, as it does not leave me much time to chat in between laps. I'm a bit of a social butterfly, but this new program has me looking like I'm standoffish. I'm getting more out of my workouts, and that is the theme. I actually love doing more continious laps. On this day I didn't push the legs too much. I actually just wanted to do 2 laps without stopping. I have become a much stable rider this year with regards to a more leveled out HR now that I always do at least 4 lap, and 95% of the time I do 2 laps back to back.

Since I wasn't racing this weekend I wanted to take advantage of a course that was cut and ready to be raced so I took a drive 26miles south to Amelia and took the camera with me. Out on I-75 and Pines Blvd a new mall is being put up so I know Mrs. P is going to frequent this place.

I wanted it to be a smash mouth day of mtn biking since I was not going to race, so 6 laps were on tap for me.

When you see this sign,

Then you are going to do this.
Which is not bad, as it probably is the most family friendly of all the parks in South Florida. They have the most pavillions and overall space

And a doggie park that would make Lance probably run himself into a coma.

And of course you have Po Po's out in force.

And then of course, you have the course.

Steve and the "In da House" crew all are putting the funds and effort where it belongs. They put in a new section that lets you know that they really do know how to trail build, and make it challenging also. Hats off to them.

But I had a different agenda today. I wanted to compare my performance to the last 2 visits I had here last year when I did 4 laps. So for the first 4 laps I would do 2 laps back to back, and skip the new section so I could go back and study lap times.

I didn't race at this course in December as a result of a busted fork, and I couldn't get it fixed until after my wave started, but I did go out and do 4 laps. My total time for the 4 laps was 1:57.16. The laptimes were 27:53 & 29:37 for the 1st & 2nd. Then I did 30:27 & 29:24 for the 3rd and 4th. Here is the chart. Any time you see it in the red, I'm officially going race effort.

And I was trying to race this day. The next week I skipped the State Series Finale in Santos, but did another 4 laps at Amelia to see if I could get the laptimes down. I was able to knock off 4mins and 16 seconds in doing a 1:53.00. The lap times were 28:56 and 28:19 for the 1st and 2nd laps. I did 27:28 and 28:15 for the 3rd and 4th laps. I spent less time in the red zone even though I put out the same effort as the week before. Here is that chart

Now fastforward 60 days when I have done a water fast fpr 14 days, been sleeping in an Altitude Tent at 9000ft for 22 days, drinking 9.5 water that is more absorbant, taking the supplements EP-NO and Kona Endurance Pro, and 80% of the food that I eat comes from the earth. Shate! I'm doing a lot.

I felt really good this day, and I did 27:35 & 27:31 for the first 2 laps. And the 26:55 & 27:55 for the 3rd and 4th laps. 85% of my time was spent below my race zone, and my overall time was better by 4 mins, with a time of 1hr:49.58.

I was very happy with these laps. I was actually holding back because I didn't want to bonk on laps 5 & 6. I could have easily taken off 45sec to 1 minute off of each lap,but I was zone training. I then went back out and did 2 more laps back to back, but I added in the new section. The last half mile of my training was interrupted as the Short Track was in progress. So I jumped in and finished out the workout above my race zone. I was very excited to watch, and I hope Dave does another one at the Oleta race so I can get a piece of the action.

My total mileage for the day was 34 miles, and all of it was singletrack. One great thing that I noticed after the workout was that my back was not aching at all. Nor did I get up to stretch my bike when I think about it. I have been doing these core training exercises, and it has been paying off. I'll do a post on the core training I'm doing, and it's "Gut Busting".

I can now look at the numbers and it can confirm that I'm a faster rider than before. I'm not sure where that puts me with the Experts as I have not done any significant with regards to high end efforts. I always let them go when things start shaking up like that because I don't want it to ruin my progress in this program. I think it's a time, but now is not it. I can say that me being a faster rider is a factor of everything else except putting in hard efforts. I'm not sure if that much high end is going to be needed for Santos since it's a much flatter course, and those courses suit me better. If I have to go up and down constantly, then that is what hurts me right now. But, I have a plan for that. I'm going to go out to Markham on Thursday and ride the most jaggedly intense part of the course for 1 hr straight. You know what I'm thinking don't you. That would be all of the Gun Range, Outback Ext, Crime Scene, Jet Ski Hill, and Ted Twisted Trail. Yeap! that is what I call threshold training, and I'm not sure if anyone has thought of that. If they did, then they have to be just as fanatical as me.

Now, the update on the road bike has been more promising. I have done the same workout of a 40 mile time trial in my lower endurance zone in this new program. I have put up some HR charts in other post I have done, and the lastest 2 charts kept the hopes up that I'm improving every week. I waited 10 days just to see if I could get the body to forget this route. The last workout I did 1:55.48, and after 10 days off I did 1:54.02. Wow, I knocked off 1 minute and 46 seconds off my best time. Something is working, maybe it's everything that is working together.

Here is the Chart

Here is the HR Values to let you know what time was spent where.

So after doing the smash mouth 34 mile day of singletrack, I decided to go out and hurt myself on the road bike. I mean, really go out and up my effort. I have done all of these workouts with my HR between 140-150bpm. Now, I would raise my effort 5%, which is a whopping 10bpms. At this point I was experimenting, so I wasn't even apprehensive about attempting it. I wanted to see where my aerobic ceiling was after 23 days of being back on the bike.

Since I was raising the HR 10 beats I really tried to look at when the best time was to push the effort. It's easy for me to get in the 140's, but getting into the 150's proved to be much more challenging than I thought. I felt like my legs and lungs were burning like I was in the 160's, but my HR was 144, and I could not get it close to 150 without feeling like I was going to suck my lips down my throat. So I gave up the HR concept and decided to push the pedals way harder than I had done before. This would be great time to have a power meter to look at wattage. Note to self, AGAIN. Get the Polar Power Meter, Pacer!

At the 33 minute mark my Avg speed was 22.9 with is about 1mph faster than normal, and my HR finally got to 151bpm, and 10 seconds later it was at 147bpm. I just laughed as the Workout Gods were playing with my emotions. Then comes the headwind for last 27 minutes going east from Royal Palm to Orange all the way out to Flamingo. I get to the halfway point, and I'm 44 seconds faster than my best time.

I turn around and for 23 minutes I feel like I have a real motor on bike as I never went under 25mph. I got to every light and it was green, so I really got a mode going. Then comes the headwind going back East on 84. I could see that I was way ahead of my best time, but the last 30 minutes really put me in the dirt. I came in at 1:52.31. and that is 1 mins and 31 seconds faster than the time I did 5 days before. I feel good about this workout, but I know that my effort was a lot more than the heartrate values were showing. I'm going to chalk it up to haywire day with the heartrate as a result of the long singletrack effort I put out at Amelia the day before.

Here is the chart

And the HR Values.

When I completed this workout I decied to hop on the trainer, and ride on the Altitude unit at 9000ft for 30 minutes.

Riding at this Altitude for 30 minutes in the fat burning zone is the same as working out for 1hr above your race zone due to the lack of oxygen. In fact, there is no workout you can do at sea level to lower your blood saturation level low enough to trigger the body to make more red blood cells. So this is my way to get more RBC's in the system, the LEGAL way of course. So I can add an extra hour to my workout making it a 3 hr effort, and I need everything considering I'm going to be on the bike for 12-hrs at Santos.

I have only done this workout a couple of times since having the unit, and never after a really hard workout. Sheesh! I felt like I was racing after 5 minutes, as I just felt like I just could not get the oxygen that I needed. I took the mask off for 1 minute and I felt fine, so that did indicate to me that hypoxia training (low oxygen)is really a deep workout for the cells as it leaves them with very little oxygen to work with. I put the mask back on, but the feeling came back, so I took off my shirt.

Great I thought, the breeze on the patio can cool me off. No dice! I still felt like someone has my lungs in the bear hug. I pulled the plug at 25 minutes as it just became to challenging, but I should have pulled it at 15 minutes.

I'm 2 weeks away from the 12-hour and I have done all I think I can do to prepare. I have to be honest in saying that the real goal is to finish the race. I have studied all the races, and only the elite actually finish the race. I don't consider myself the best, but I'm going to consider myself good enough to race with the best. Finish the Race!

Keep Singletracking

Pacer Out!

Bike Fitting Deal at "On Your Mark" Performance

2008-02-01T23:07:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone

We all pay money to get faster, right? But what if you could get a scientific approach to positioning yourself on the bike that makes you more efficient, and to feel better on the bike at the same time. Would you do it?

That is what I'm planning to do in getting a bike fit from "On your Mark" performance up in Palm Beach Gardens and I want to see if I can get another 2 riders to get fits with me. I would like to have more than one person involved in this process, so that it will have more merit later on.

The owners of the shop is Matt Goforth and Julie Barker, and they are racers in the FL State Series, and Endurance scene. Check out their site, it's http://www.oymbike.com/

Look it, we spend all this money on bikes, bike parts, nutrition, training, videos, and even more than that taking off work, and traveling with family to these races. Only to say that my left leg kept cramping, I kept changing my position on the bike, and my personal favorite, the course killed my "back". How many times have we paid so much money and been robbed of the experience because we didnt' get the most out of the bike. I can say that I have been that person, but I'm not going to overlook this anymore. It's time to go "Cutting Edge".

Go to http://www.velonews.com/vntv/, and see the video that Nate Ross did with the creator of Wobblenaught, Tom Coleman. It's so extensive that if you are serious cyclist or racer, then this just can't be overlooked. So let's see if we can get faster as riders, and support one of the pioneers in the area that is offering this service.

The idea would be for us to hook up, and go to him together. I want to also do a write-up for my blog and hope that it gets Matt and Julie more clients.

Go to http://www.velonews.com/vntv/, watch how details the videos are, then go to http://www.oymbike.com/ and see that he is offering this very service.

We don't have to go togther, but if you want to get the "Bike Fit" done, you can contact Matt at onyourmarkperformance@gmail.com, and ask for the "Pacer Trio Deal".

If you are interested, holla at your boy.

Email: brianpacett@hotmail.com
Phone: (954) 213-9892

Cheers and Happy Riding

Pace

Anecdote Thursday - You ain't doing Jack!

2008-01-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

I have all these antedotes that have shaped my life as a athlete and a person. I almost think it would be unfair to leave out these experience that have helped shape my life, especially from an "Athlete" standpoint. So from now on, I'll try to make Thursday the day to give an antedote. Don't worry, I have plenty of them. So if this is halfway entertaining, I'll have more on tap. To actually understand this post better, it's probably a good idea to go back and read, "Going Lone Ranger".

You ain't doing Jack!

To get better, and you know it. While you are sleeping, they are getting better. Why you are watching your favorite sitcom, they are watching film on how to get better than you. While you are cutting that practice session short, they are extending their session.

These are all the statments that were made to me from one of our brightest table tennis stars, 5-time US Champion, 2-Time Olympic Team Member, and now Table Tennis Hall of Famer, Sean O'neil. I was invited to live at the Olympic Training Center in the Summer of 1988, and when I got there the US Team was in Seoul Korea playing the in the Summer Olympics in Table Tennis.

The program had 15 of the top players, male and female from CA, MS, GA, MD, TX, VA, NC, NM, and CO living in 8 dorm rooms in the resident building for athletes. The other 2 dorms were for visiting athletes. We went to public school, but had some subjects off as we trained in the morning sometimes.

And I was pretty full of myself as I quickly realized that I was by far the most athletic among everyone on the team. I dominated all aspects of physical exercise from Frisbee football, to football, track and field, basketball, etc. But where I got it handed to me, was on the table. I got a rude awakening that I was by far the least skilled athlete on the team. Some times I got beat so bad, that I wondered why they even chose me to be there.

The other players were all seasoned athletes with at least 8-10 years of experience behind them. They all came from table tennis families and started playing by age 6. I was this raw talent that started when I was 14, and by 16 I was among the best, but I had a long way to go. The team manager Larry Hodges, would stay after practice and essentially knock the confidence right off my shoulder in beating me repeatedly. I felt like I was better than him, but I was so inexperienced that he just abused me. I got the daylights beat out of me every single day after practice for one entire semester.

Things got real for me when Sean came back from the Olympics. He had just come back from competing on the largest scale in sports. The Olympics is the pinnacle of sports as any person knows. Watching him train, and interact like a true professional made me question if I had what it took to be at the top. He explained this story to me that happened to him when he was a kid.

Let me first say that he was American’s brightest hope in the early 80’s. And at that time his parents brought a Swedish coach over to spend the summer at his house in VA and work with him. He overheard a conversation with his parents and the coach. The Swedish coach essentially told his parent that he really didn’t have any talent, and that he didn’t have the work ethic to be world class.

From that day forward Sean went "Over the Top", with regards to being the best athlete he could be. He had the mental game of Tiger Woods before we even knew that someone could be that intense. If he could beat you 21-0, then he would do it without the blink of an eye. If someone dropped dead playing on the table next to him, he would be focused on his task of kicking your teeth in. I went back to my room feeling like I should just pack my bags and move back to NC. I was not even close to having a “Over the Top” attitude. I was just doing what was required of me to just get by. But before I went to bed, he asked me to go on this run with him, and to be outside my dorm room at 6am the next morning. That gave me some confidence as I felt like he was taking me under his wing.

I met him at 6am the next morning, and he said we were going to run 4 miles to this abandoned landfill, then 1 mile up it, and 1 mile back down, then 4miles back to the training center. That didn’t seem so bad, so I relaxed a little. We did a slow jog across the campus of the Training Center, and if that was the pace, then I would be just fine. Hell, I might even put it on him a bit. But as soon as we got outside the training center an onto the side walk, he freaking took off. He never looked back, and he was running at breakneck Ethiopian speed. This was 6200ft, and I was buried within myself by the first 2 miles, and he never even bother to see how I was doing. I was saved from being dropped by him more than a couple of times by stop lights or morning traffic.

We get to the landfill and I’m happy because there is a dirt road. Sean waits for me, then he said we are going up the side of the dump straight through the bushes. I saw patches and patches that I knew I couldn’t navigate through without being cut up. He takes off, and I follow him. It has broken bottles, trash, plastic grocery bags, and smelled a little like death. By the time we got to the top, my hands were bloody, but the 20 degree weather numbed the pain. We turn around and run right down the same path we came up. The last 4 miles he completely broke my spirit, and dropped me just like the amateur table tennis wannabe that I was. He did wait for me at the gate, and we went to breakfast together. I was shaking as I was tried to eat my eggs and toast, and after I ate it, I went right to my room and barfed it up. I actually couldn’t walk normal for a week, and missed 2 days of school and practice. He never spoke of this event again. No, “Let this be a lesson to you”, speech. He just handed me my ass, and walked off for me to figure it out. I later found out that almost every athlete with potential got the "Run of Pain" with Sean, and they only did that run with him 1 time.

That was the lesson, if you could do more than your competitors, then you can look them in the eyes and know you are dedicated, even if you are not better. You need to know that you have more mental insurance that you were more prepared, more dedicated, and had given up more to be in that position. Winning was an after thought if you reached to every corner of the earth to be better. 4 months later at Ceasar's Palace at the National Table Tennis Championships in Las Vegas, he dominated everyone and won the Men's Singles Title. $5000.00 was brought out to him in gold coins by guards dressed up like Romans. He just sat on top of that money raising his hands. I got a chill in my spine that I can still remember it from 1988, because that was the first time that I saw what the footsteps looked like to going "Over the Top".

That was 1988, and it took me about 4 years to learn how to do that without losing my social life, friends, pssting off teammates, and driving myself up the wall for trying to find balance in my life at the same time. The summer of 1992 was when I truly learned how to balance myself, and in the fall of 1992 I beat Sean O’neil, shortly after he got back from the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. I think that is when he acknowledged that I was doing more. I had known what he was made of, and there was no way I could stand in front of him unless I had been able to go "Over the Top".

In 2001, I moved to Romania without letting anyone know outside of my family, and closest friends. As soon as Sept 11th happened, I emailed everyone to let them know I was living and competing in Europe and that I was ok outside of being constantly asked to show my passport. When Sean found out I was in Romania he asked me if I wanted to play Men’s Doubles at the Nationals, and I was honored. He realized that I had that “Over the Top” attitude and he scooped me up as a partner before anyone asked. I came back from the first part of the season sharper than I have even been i my life, mentally and competitively. At the Nationals we finished runner up in the Men’s Doubles, and it was one of the best experiences that I had playing doubles.

You can go to this link http://www.usatt.org/events/2001nationals/day_four.shtml to read the write-up from the Finals. Scroll down half the page and you see this picture, and the write-up is just under it.

Now, I live my life by that statement, and I have always been able to look myself in the mirror and know that I’m going “Over the Top”. Now, can you say you are doing that?

Go out and ride smarter, harder, longer, and faster.

Pacer Out!

Dedicated Athlete or Demented Person

2008-01-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

That is what I've been thinking as of lately. Ever since I decided that I was going to really give it a very hard try in 2008, I have kinda went off the deep end. I slowly added in all the factors that make up what I think I need to ride my best.

I got a sponsorship from Dedicated Athlete and made my first order for the EP-NO for the year in hopes of raising my red blood count. (Dopers, beware. There are some athletes doing it legit).

My boy Shane at Dedicated Athlete in GA threw in a "Dedicated Athlete" T-shirt, check out the website, www.dedicateathlete.com Here is the front

And the back

I already had the powerlung, and it is a hell of a workout for the lungs, and the concept is to improve exhalation that gets more C02 of of the lungs.

During my rise at a road biker in 2007, I was on Kona Endurance and it was the supplement that I took that got me the 2 best result of the year in the State Series.

They now have Kona Endurance Pro, which is jacked up with more supplement that improves V02 Max, and reduces lactic acid build-up, and I just got my order for that in. The benefits should be coming around in about 4 weeks.

As you know I got the Water Ionizer, and it has proven to me to be the purchase of the years, as I did 5 laps at a pretty hard effort without losing power, and not even coming close to cramping up. Can't say enough about the purchase, I'm definitely patting myself on the back for making that purchase.

I spent a grip on the CAT Altitude Sleeping Tent, and I don't have much of an opinion on it yet as I have only been sleeping in it 10 days. Research says that you start to feel the effects after 2 weeds, and at 4 weeks you will see an obvious improvements, and the max benefits are seen at 6 weeks. That should be right around Santos, so I'll wait to see what happens on that.

By the way the response to me going to far to improve has been really, really positive so far. I'm looking forward to seeing how my I can gauge my performance in about 4 more weeks.

For Xmas I got my brother to order me a copy of "P90X", as he has been raving about it. He is in the military and a drill instructor in SC, and he says that this is the workout that puts the privates in the dirt. For Thanksgiving, we had me do the "Ab Ripper X", and I couldn't get more then 6 minutes into the 15 minute non-stop ab workout. My challenge is to incorporate about 6 of these workouts into my weekly routine. Also, if you come to my place, and make it through the Ab Ripper X, I'll pay for you and your significant other to go to "Bonefish", that is how convinced that it's ass busting. Actually, all 12 of the workouts are tough.

I got this gift from my brother that is more fanatical than me regarding health. It's raw organic chocolate powder. It's nice to put in your after workout shake as it has not been processed. It doesn't really give a sugar high/low like normal chocolate.

Even though I only raced hard for about 14mins at Markham, it was a great workout. I could not have gotten a workout like that if I had went out to ride by myself. So I paid for the atmophere. But, I'm happy to say that my lower endurance zone is coming along just fine.

I went out yesterday and did my normal 40 mile workout while keeping my heartrate in the 140's, and I was 1 minute and 44 seconds faster than my best time I did 2 weeks ago. I think next week I'm going to moved up this workout into the 150's and see if I can manage that for 2hrs.

Today, I'm going to ride down and do 4 laps at Amelia, which has quickly become my favorite trail to ride because it's not so up and down as Markham. It also allows you to do zone training, which I'm a big fan of. I know I have to eventually start rolling with those knuckleheads if I want to get the high end work that I need. I'm going to skip this weekends race, but I will go out and ride the course which I think they will run backwards this time around. I guess I'll try to make Oleta my coming out party for a big effort as it is really the best course that suits my style of riding. Last year the the Pro category only beat me by 3 minutes, so I'll take advantage of the fact the I ride better at that course.

I'll Holla

Pacer Out!

Race Report - 2008 Coconut Cup - Markham

2008-01-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

I get to the course about 40 minutes before the race, because I don't want to get there extra early like most racers and hang out. I like to swoop in, sign up, get the bottles, and warm up.

When I went to sign up, and I was very surprised to see Bounds, Mad Maddox, and T-Wiz signing up. All of a sudden the middle of this race was going to be very fast. Damn, I picked a bad day to get a good training ride in on race day. I started looking around and it looked like most of the riders that was in the Expert 19-39 race were ballers so there would be no core midddle group of riders. It actually made it easier for me as I knew I didn't have the firepower to stay on the front like last year.

I warm up a bit with Bounds, Tim, Adam, and a few other going in to do Armadillo backwards. After that went back to the tent, because I forgot my water bottle.

I'm actually being extremely radical this year in my approach. Last year I did this race after 6 weeks off and 2 weeks back on the bike, and I had no power and had to DNF. This year, I'm going to use it as a tool to get faster while working on my endurance for Santos and the Hospice. There was a small, I mean very small inner conflict going on with the super competitive ass kicker in me that wanted to challenge the front of the group. But I would simply DNF if I put down the little power that I did have.

Things I was doing different this race
1. No powders in my bottles(Emergen-C, 20 calories per bottle)
2. No powergels, or gu's (Actually, nothing)
3. I'm going to finish every bottle that I have
4. I'm going to ride more after the race(about 20miles)

If I was drinking this alkaline water of a 9.5 and it was going to keep my body more hydrated, then I was going to put it to the test. It takes character to come to a race and actually experiment. Almost all the racers I know are more concerned about their image with regards to their results. They have to do well, and if they don't it's like the world has come to an end. Note to them: If you think you have to do well "All the time", then you simple have not done enough losing. You need to "Lose" to "Learn". I used to train with Jimmy Butler (2-time US Olympic Table Tennis Team) and he helps me understand the importance of playing a tournament when not in top form. He said all the sports have some type of scrimmage system, and he said, "No one is going to ask you how many practice matches you won in your scrimmage period". I have not been able to get that out of head, and it's been especially challenging in cycling as we pretty much race year round. It's not like living in the north when their are no races because the weather is awful for 5 months out of the year. OK, that is my schpill on why I think it's important to have a training races.

Riders! 5 seconds, whistle and we are off.

Going through the gate Bob and Victor are jocking for position to be in the front and Bob makes a surge. But I admire what Victor is doing because he is not playing defense at all. He is taking the race to Bob. In all the races in the North Bob has used wisdom in playing defense instead of surging to got off the front. Then he would pick off the riders that have been dropped out of the front group. That is simply wisdom over youth, and they both work. See, you don't have to be a Pro to have a Pro's perspective. I'm not sure how many people would have ever picked up on it, or even have the confidence to say it. Shit, I will.

We are going around the fireroad, Bob, Victor, LaRue, Joe V. me, and Bounds. About 200 meters before we turn off the fireroad things starts shaking up, and I manage to get in behind Joe V. And I don't mind making this surge because it won't cost me. We are on a long straight that goes to Bermuda, so I know I'm safe for the time being. My HR is 171bpm, but I don't feel tapped out at all.

We keep it steady through Bermuda, and when we cut out of that section there is a surge and don't even make an attempt to go. Bounds comes around me, and I'm expecting LaRue to be with him. But he is not, and when Bounds says "Jump on my wheel, Pace", I go and he bridges us back up. My heartrate is still the same, but I know things won't get humbling until I get to the Gun Range. Actually, Bounds gets gapped by the front 3 in the gun range and I can feel myself going a little to deep for 14 minutes of racing. But out of the gun range Bounds and I have a gap on LaRue, so I just stay behind him.

I said all that to say that I really didn't want to keep up with Bounds, but I didn't want to wait 10 second to let LaRue pass me. I was just going to keep on riding until he catches me. I go into Outback and I turn off the after burners big time, as it is time to start Speed Pacing. LaRue catches up to and I just pull over, grab a tree and he says "Thanks Pace".

Now, I'm like Patti Labelle, "I'm on my own", and I have to manage the next 4 and a half laps taking in no calories. Just drinking that 9.5. I soon get caught by Trent, then about 3 minutes later, T-Wiz. T-Wiz is in front of me and it's tempting me to go into the red to get on his wheel, but I just keep my effort right were it is.

I go into Armadillo and I can still see him, I go into Toilet bowl and I can see him, I cut into Alligator Alley and I can see him. I get ready to go into warm-up loop backwards and I can still see him. "Nope, not gonna do it", and I just keep it Pacing.

I look down and my HR is 170bpm, and I really wanted it to be around 10 beats lower, but I keep that same effort. I can still see Tim and when I come out of Bermuda Jorge tells me that he has 20 second, and I say, "Thank God". I know if he is still in sight I will end up keeping my effort high. I come out of the Gun Range and just before I go into Outback backwards Luiz M. and Danny say he has 30 seconds. Damn Tim, go ahead and put me out of my misery. I know I'm at the back of the race and the only person I can see is Nixon so I will only ride hard enough to keep my position on him.

I go into lap 3 and I have found a flow, and I have not even felt that tingle in the legs that lets me know that there is some cramping on the horizon. At the halfway point in the Gun Range I hear a group of at least 5 riders together, so I know that's the 40+ group. I was expecting Matt to catch me first as he is the Alpha Male at this course in his category. But it takes them a much longer time to catch me, and once I have made it up the backwards steps in Armadillo, Matt and Campbell passes me and Oscar has to put a foot down, so I push off and I'm behind Campbell. I really don't want to be between any of the riders in this category. I really want get in the back, and watch how things shake up.

I finish Armadillo behind them and I realize that I have been going way too slow. There pace is good, but it's not punishing at all. Maybe that is why there is such a flock of riders together Before toilet bowl I let Oscar pass me as he has bridged up to me. Things stay flowing and cutting into Alligator Alley Oscar has to put a foot down as he hits the soft sand the wrong way. Adams asked to pass, then Joe D., then Andres, then Henry. Shit, 7 riders together going into the last lap. I need some popcorn. Now my agenda is to keep the slow rider in the group on all the fireroads. We go into the warm-up loop and the group gets stretched out.

Once we go into the start/finish it has broken up with Matt and Campbell up the fireroad, Joe D and Oscar and Adam trying to bridge up to them. Andres surges off and Henry is by himself so I surge up to him and give him a push and he able to come up on the group of Adam and Andres and pass them both and now he pulling them. Things stay steady through Bermuda, and once we get out, Adam is struggling so I give him a push also. I'm giving out the pushes like lollipops from the dentist and it raises my heartrate, but I feel good.

I'm sitting at the back and Matt and Campbell are gone, and Oscar, Andres and Henry are in the group ahead of us. I don't have the balls to ask if I can come around them so I just sit in. Adam has slowed down a bit, and Joe is starting to soft pedal and I say, "Joe this is the end, don't play defense". I try to keep him motivated so we can make a surge to bridge back to the trio up the trail. We come out of the gunrange and I yell out, "Who wants a ride" and I put the hammer down as I can see the trio about 15 seconds ahead of us. I'm a little bit inspired as I feel like I'm just a worker trying to pull back a chase group. I go into Outback backwards and I'm racing now. I look back, NOBODY. Damn! "Who's wit me", I say like Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. I soft pedal until Joe gets back to me, and keep it steady. I gap him again, and I got into Armadillo by myself. I make a mistake at the steps and when Joe comes around I give him a push. Ok, that is push number 3.

I stay behind Joe, but he is seriously going backwards, and I pass him in the last section before the warm-up loop and bring in the 4the lap all by myself. Damn, I won't have any drama this lap to make me forget how painful the race is. The only thing I can think of is Nixon is a pretty strong finisher, so I was expecting him to make some kind of surge. I actually started to soft pedal since I knew I was going to put in more miles, and had to almost force myself out of the flow I had riding with the 40+ guys. I finish out that lap about 40 seconds slower than the lap before.

I went back to the car, and ate half of a blueberry scone, and hit the road to ride on the levy. The first 10 minutes was a bit painful as I was trying to get the body back in the zone, and the fact that my body had cooled down made it especially challenging.

I go to the levy, and realized that it was going to be a little painful as I had a serious headwind. I could only manage about 12-14mph, but I was glad that it was in the attack position. My shoulders started to ache, and so did my back. Great! This is what I need as it make the body stronger. I need to train the body to be in this position more often and the body aching is a great sign that my core strength is being raised.

I started mediating on Santos and the Hospice 100, and just managing the distance, the body, the food intake, etc. These would be the 2 races that I'm focusing on before I start bringing in the power for the new year. I'm also going to get down on some road racing at Rosewood. I think it's going to be more challenging now that I'm Cat 3, so I won't set any goals beside trying to stay near the front for the sprint.

After about 40 mins on the levy, I had enough of being mauled my the wind(thanks Eddie O), and turned around to enjoy the 30min ride back down the levy. Once I got back to Markham I did another 5 miles home, and brought in the days effort at 49.1 miles.

Goals I accomplished
1. I reached the 4hr mark on the mountain bike and did not cramp up, compared to Santos 3hr and 55 min full leg lock up even when I was taking in food(Mission Accomplished)
2. I was able to hold back myself from racing all out and focused on steady riding which is what I need for Santos and the Hospice (Mission Accomplished)
3. I did a XC race on just 20 calories per laps and 9.5ph water, and I now understand the importance of water(Mission Accomplished)
4. I did a XC race on no powders, gu's, gels, etc. (I'm never doing that shit again)(Mission Accomplished)

I can't say I'm interested in going to Amelia to do the same thing this weekend, so I'll most likley do 6 laps on the Pre-ride day, then go to Oleta on Sunday. Now, I know how far I can ride based on no food, I want to see how I can ramp up the power when I add in bars, gels, and powders.

I think my next purchase is going to go towards a bike fit from Matt Goforth of "On Your Mark" Performance. I had said something to him, but never really followed up. I was on the velonews site and Nate Ross and the owner of Wobblenaught explained how they fit the riders based on the body's geometry, and it was really extensive. I have followed this, especially on Eddie O's 55nine performance, but never pulled the trigger on gettin the bike fit. Even after hearing all the overwhelming testimonies. So if I'm going all out in 2008, then I have to get this done. The reason is I still don't understand how I'm so much more effective as a rider on the road bike, but it's just not translating into the mtn bike. I plan to get it soon, and give my body enough time to get used to it for Santos. By the way, that 6hrs of Santos is looking more and more attractive than the 12hrs every day now.

But when I know more, you'll know more

Pacer Out!

Markham Pre-Race Thoughts

2008-01-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

I decided that after riding at Markham on Wed and Thursday, that I really don't have XC Race power. On Wednesday one of the laps turned into race pace, and I was not able to hold on in the last 5 mins and got dropped by about 10 seconds. I went out on Thursday and hooked up with Andres and Jorge and was only able to ride about 35 second faster which put me right under 33 and a half minutes. Where I'm really shining at is in the distance of my rides. I'm able to ride a much longer distance while able to hold my pace.

So the fact that the race is 5 laps is in my favor to post a decent result. I really let go of the XC aspiration on Thursday and honestly decided to turn the race into a really hard training ride. In fact my plan is to ride another 3 laps after the race is over, then ride up and down the levy to see if I can get my total for the day to around 50-60miles. If I can do that then I'll be ready for Santos. I won't force the XC speed, I will have to let it come to me whenever it checks in.

On Saturday I went to work for about 2 hrs, then went home and loaded up my stuff. I decided to ride over to Markham since it was only 5 miles from my house. Since I had really good endurance I decided to do 4 laps, then ride back home. I got there and did the first lap with a rider from Z's Bikes. The way Dave Williams set up the course was another "Knock Out", and noone saw it coming. We go around the warm-up loop then cut into a fireroad that goes straight to Bermuda triangle. Out of there you skip Ted's, Jet Ski, and Crime Scene, then a quick in and out of Outback Extension. Straight to the Gun Range. Out of the Gun Range we go into Outback backwards and that section was challenging. We continue going backwards until we get to Area 51, then we cut over to Armadillo. Then it's 95% of Armadillo backwards, then cut over to toilet bowl. From toilet bowl we cut into Alligator Alley, then we take that all the way back out, make a sharp left turn and cut into last section. Then we do the warm-up loop backwards. It was a nice pace, but only a 30min lap. The course is flat on the front end, jagged in the middle at the gun range, even more jagged and challenging once you do Outback and Armadillo backwards, not to mention the up and down of Alligator Alley. Then thing calms down going into the warm-up loop.

I went back in and did 2 laps back to see if I could get a mode. I did a 27 and 28 minute lap, and got a good feel for where I should put in my efforts and where I should hold back. To make sure I had no XC dreams, I put in one more lap for good measure making it 4 for the day. After that, I rode home to cool down the legs. Here is the chart.

My Goals for the race
1. No cramping up (Hydrate, Hydrate)
2. Really come on very strong for laps 4 and 5 (Hold back early)
3. Let the front 2 riders go as they are in a battle (They are just too fast)
4. Ride more miles after the race (Need to prepare for Santos 6 or 12hr)

I prepared my hydration intake for the race after dinner. I'm going to ride with 24oz bottles on the bike, and 20oz in the back of the jersey. I'm going to eat a salad for breakfast since is more alkalizing than my normal meal at Panera Bread, or Waffle house.

Here is the 6 water bottles I plan to drink in 5 laps.

I loaded up all my bottles with Acai Berry Emergen-C.

If I can still walk I'm going to throw this on my back.

I'm sure I'm going to be depleted, so I plan to load up on the 9.5. Remember, "I run on Electrons".

Then I'm off to put in some more miles.

Wish a brother luck out in the woods

Pacer Out!

Clip of the Week - Fight or Flight

2008-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

In light of this weekends race I went back in the archives to find something that speaks to the "Hardcore Competitor" in me, and I found this.

If you have taken a psychology or sports psychology, then you have heard of the "Fight or Flight" moment. If you haven't heard of it, it is the moment in sports or life when a athlete or person decides that they are going to except the challenge, or they are going to look for a way out of it as it is too much for the senses physically, mentally or emotionally.

If you remember the Tyson/Holyfield from June 7th 1997, then you remember one of the most bizarre moments in sports history. It's when Tyson bit Holyfield on each ear. Now you tell me if you think this is a fight or flight moment.

If you remember the 2003 Tour de France, Lance was having a just a hell of a time trying to get himself together and on Luz Ardiden his handlebar snags a spectator. Take a look

After the chaos ensues, things get back to order. Then when Mayo attacks, and that sets off Lance.

I put in most of the events as they transpired so you can get a chance to really see that it does turn into a moment to remember.

It's nothing better than to ride away from a group that is clustered together holding on for dear life. To me that is a "Fight" moment for Lance

Whatever you do, have a good ride, race, run, then have a little retreat and relaxation.

Pacer Out!

Crunching Numbers, pt 2

2008-01-24T11:05:00.000-05:00

To better understand this post, you should probably read "Crunching Numbers, pt 1".

Last year I decided that I wanted to do some XC Endurance events for 2008. After reading the blogs of Harvey, Eddie and Nam O, Danielle, Harlan Price, and others it seemed so attractive that I just couldn't deny trying it. So I decided I better bring myself in slowly by doing the 6hrs of Santos. At the race I went off the front with Shawn S. and Greg D. and we created a huge gap. But at 3hrs, 55mins mark my legs were cramping up, and my stomach would not hold any food. I was practically finish racing at the 4hr mark. I had gone right into cramping up, and it would switch from quad to quad, and hamstring to hamstring, and finally hamstring and quad at the same time.

So I realized I had to study Endurance racing like I had studied everything else I do, and come up with some reason why I think I can pull it off.

What I have going against me is a couple of things. I'm genetically built like a sprinter, and I don't think it's ideal for attempting Endurance Races. The second thing is historically speaking my background in racing is only XC, which does not go over 2 and a half hours in 95% of the races I have done. The third thing is I am prone to cramping up after 2 hrs of hard racing, especially in hot weather. It does not even matter if I'm super hydrated. The last thing that I could think of is going from a 2 hrs XC race to 12 hours of racing is borderline "Insane" to put the body through.

Now, what I have going for myself. Since I played table tennis between 4-6hrs a day, I have built up my body to be more aerobic based, instead of ballistic. I love the concept of riding much longer races where you really get a chance to see the race really play out from a "Will Power" standpoint. You get a chance to really see if it is just talent, or a really fighting "Spirit" in getting a result. The second thing is I can do 100 mile rides on my road bike, and have NEVER encountered a problem with cramping. What is most important is once I have created the cirriculum for any program I have done better than expected. The last and most important is I have never half-assed it once I was Dedicated to the task.

These are the reason I decided that I should start crunching numbers so that I could create a startline and a finishline to being prepared to attempt this type of event. What I did first was I started to crunch the numbers for all XC Endurance races that I followed in 2007. I also got a little bit of advice from Eddie O of 55nine performance last year on exactly what training zones you should be in when training for this type of event.

I basically followed the 12 hr events because they show lap times. It is difficult to mention the 12-hrs of Oleta as it does not have really depth on a high level. The first real event with significant competition was obviously the 12hrs of Razorback. Because it got put on the National Calendar it attracted some really good Endurance races in the likes of Harlan Price, Rob Lichtewalner, Harvey Minton, Ernesto Marencin, and Chris J. Now these guys are very heavy hitters. It essentially was a 2 man race after 2 hours as Harlan and Rob rode awy from the pack. Harvey and Chris had a battle right down the wire, so it essentially was a 4 man race. Not to mention the distance, and the fact that Razorback has fangs.

I won't count the Hospice 100 as it only 62 miles, and it's done essentially on a XC course instead of a endurance course. The next event that I could look at lap times is the 12 hours of Tsali. There were 4 riders in 12hr race, but it was a 1 man race, as Brandon lapped is 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place compeitors. When the winner can lap his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place competitors, it lets you know that the word "Pro Mtn Biker" is really a relative term and should be used loosely. I followed all the NUE Series races, but they are normally set up to do 2 long laps, or just out and back. But Chris Eatough, Harlan P, and a whole host of other very strong riders dominate those races. After reading some of the post that riders put on their blogs, I was able to get an idea of how things went down without having to look at laptimes.

The next event was the 12-hrs of Santos. It was a 2 man race as Drew and Bob went off the front of our group 6-hr group of Greg D,Shawn S and I. I'm convinced to the deepest part of my soul that the pace the 12-hr guys were going was above XC race pace and they would have paid for it big time. Chris J. and Eddie O are the real veterans in that kind of race and I think they would have brought it back. I think they both got caught up in a duel, and they went to try to crack each other early in the race. The race got called because of dangerous thunder and lighting, and trees down. It would have been nice to see how the back end of that race would have finished since I got a chance to ride the same course.

2 weeks later Eddie O won the 12hrs of Dauset, and Harvey finished second. Harvey got a pretty nasty mechanical, if not, it would have been a much more intimate race. Looking at the results it look like Harvey brought it back to within a minutes, that that was some really intense races. But they rode away from 3rd place, so it was a 2-man duel.

Now, I need to get to more number crunching with the little info that I can put together. First thing, I need to spend more time riding on my mtn bike to get comfortable with riding for very long periods of time in the attack position on a mtn bike. I need a dress rehearsal before I get to Santos. So on Sunday, my plan was to go out to Markham and do it "Godzilla".(It means big people, you know "Grande)

I slept in on MLK, did some reflecting on how far we have come as a society. We have a black man and a women in the race to be president, that's just awesome. We have come a long way. Enough with being preachy.

I can say after the sprinting on foot on Sunday that I woke up and the legs were a little bit tender, but not enough to say that they were sore. But the balls of my feet, toes, my abs, and biceps were really sore. I packed up and went to Markhum and I thought about how I wanted to make the ride really one to remember. In the car I came up with a plan. I would ride around the park to warm up (3.5miles), then do 2 laps back to back, get more water and ride around the park again, then 2 more laps, then ride the levy up to Atlantic in Coral Springs, then back. That is about as epic as I can make it. That would make it a 51 mile ride on the mtn bike, which is something that I need if I want to race longer Endurance events.

I get to the park and my Active Cycles teammate Tom Pike shows up right with me, and we chat and catch up as we have not seen each other since the Amelia race last month. Michelle didn't make it out to ride as she was having some abdominal pain, so I wish here a speedy recovery, and a quick return to the single-track. As I'm ready to start my warm-up around the park, Richard Diaz shows up and I tell him what I plan to do, and he tags along with me as Andres has not shown up yet. There is the nastiest wind head going South West, and makes is almost impossible to ride in, so I know that there will most likely be no riding the levy for me as it would just be too much of a hassle to ride for 10 miles into a 20mph wind.

After we get back to the entrance into the trail Andres is there unloading and has Jorge Cortez with him, so I opt to go in by myself and I find a nice flow, but I don't feel so good yet. I know that my breakfast was still on my stomach and I haven't had any water yet. But I'm doing the first 2 laps back to back, and I have 2 bottles, so I work that out. I finish the first lap, and I feel even worst on the second lap, and I lose 90 seconds. Once I get out I realize it's just too windy to ride around the park, so I decided to not ride around the park, but to do 2 more laps which would make it 6.

I get 2 more water bottles and I head right back in for laps 3 and 4. Now, my legs have found a mode and the burn is at bay and I have a nice clip going. I finish that lap 1 minute slower than my first, and go back in and do the same speed for the 4th lap. I get 2 more bottles, and head in for the 5th and 6th laps. My goal was to ride in the 150’s for as much as I can, and that is what I did the first 4 laps. In fact, my 6th laps was faster than my 2nd-5th laps. My 6 HR's were 158bpm, 152bpm, 152bpm, 155bpm, 153bpm, and 158bpm. Here is the chart for it.

I spent 100 minutes between 150-160bpm, and I can't get more "Endurance based" than that. I'm going to try to keep putting together big rides between now and Santos, but I honestly think that for where my form is, the 6hr event is more ideal for me. I don't want to force the form to try to do the 12hr, so I'm going to be smart based on where my form is, rather than what my head is thinking.

I'm sure if any real Endurance rider reads this post, they will see that I have probably left out 10 factors in training, nutrition, pacing, etc. The good thing about putting together a program, is you can modify it as you go along. I think the important thing to do is keep putting together good workouts that make sense.

Only time will tell if any of this makes sense, and of course I give you all the details.

Later Planet Earth

Pacer Out!

Alkaline vs. Acidic

2008-01-22T13:05:00.000-05:00

That has been my main theme of 2008, and so fair things have got off to a fantastic start, and I have been having breakthrough after breakthrough.

If you don't already know I did the 14 day water fast (Easily, the hardest thing I have ever done), and have been enjoying some big breakthroughs on the bike as a result. I read so many books during those days that I knew I would never be the same once I went back to eating food.

I really got a much deeper understanding of what alkalizing food does to the body, and a much better understanding of how harmful acidic food is to the body. If you are an athlete, then you are producing much more acidic waste in volumes that is higher than most people that don't workout as much. So taking in more food that has an alkalizing and energizing effect on the body is paramount.

So I decided to make that concept my theme for 2008. It is to have 80% of the food that goes into my body daily coming from alkalizing food. In the last 13 days the ratio has been more like 90% Alkalizing/10% Acidic. And it became quickly apparent that I was on to something.

Coming off the fast I really went after the right food this time out. I would eat soup or fruit in the morning, and a salad for lunch. For dinner I would always do stir fry. I would get all the alkalizing vegetables, then cook them at 168 degrees. The cookware that I have has a whistle on it once the temp goes over 168 it whistles to let me know that I'm about to start killing the nutrients and enzymes that are vital. Here is what the stir fry looks like. As you can see, I did not hold back on what is alkalizing.

In staying with the Asian style cooking I normally add in some Chinese dumpling, better known as Potstickers if you are American and frequent Cheesecake or P.F. Changs which is the kind which Mrs. P prefers

Me, I'm taking a page out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with the old school Chinese style dumplings like I used to get when I spent some time training in Shanghai. I get them from the Oriental Market in Coral Springs.

I have stayed on this program to the tee, and I have felt great, and it has shown in all my workouts. If you want to see how it has affected my workouts in a positive way, then read the "Crunching Numbers, pt 1" where it's all broken down.

On top of that I have made the purchase of the year in getting a Water Ionizer, which alkalizes the water to the level of 10.0, with 9.5 being optimal for human consumption. (I know you have already heard me mention this more times than you care to hear, but I'm doing it for a reason). The water you can make in your house with this, is better than anything you can find in the store.

I was at the Sheridian ride on Saturday, and at the Mobil station at the end of the ride it was really painful to watch the riders drink Desani(ph5.4),Aquafina(ph5.6) and Gatorade(ph5.2). That water is just robbing their bodies of oxygen, and energy. They don't even know that the only 2 water companies to drink(If you have to) is Fiji(7.4) and Avian(7.5). Now, I take a extra bottle of 9.5 water that has enough servings of sport powder to fill up 2 more 20oz bottles. If I have to drink water, then I'm going with Fuji.

Just to make sure wasn't tripping about this whole water hype, I ordered some ph miracle water which is suppose to have a ph of 9.5. Here is a picture of it.

That is a gangsta ass looking bottle of water. The first thing I did was crack open a bottle, get my ph drops out and tested it. It immediately turned dark purple giving merit to the fact that it is 9.5, and it highly alkalizing. So for Xmas this year everyone that is significant to me will be getting this $3.50 bottle of water, the website, and the research behind why they should get more of it for their health.

I can say that I have worked out the first 10 days, and have completed 452 miles of training, and I have not even come close to feeling like I need to take a break to give the legs a rest. I fact, on Sunday I went out and did a workout that normally sets me back for 2 days. It is a sprint workout on foot of running 150meters, and I normally do 5 all out sprints, with an average time of 26 second. That 15 minute workout normally has me walking around all sore, and I can't ride my bike for 2 days. On Sunday I did 9 of those sprints, and the avg time was 24 seconds. Check the chart.

8 of those 9 sprints I got my heartrate right into my race zone. Since it was raining, I then jumped on the trainer and did the CTS 1hr "One Legged Drills" with the mask on riding at 14.9% oxygen(9000ft) from the CAT Altitude unit. The concept is to drive up the Oxygen Consumption Rate by doing the sprints on foot, because to me they are much more explosive than doing them on my road bike. Once the legs are tapped out I go get on the trainer. Then getting on the trainer and specifically working on improving the cadense while riding with the mask that is giving me less oxygen to the muscles is another level to reach for the muscles.

That is training my legs to be able to work under a more difficult workload, and without as much oxygen that I'm used to. To ride in your fat burning zone at 9000 ft is like full on racing to the cells that are oxygen deprived.

When I have done the sprint workout in the past, my legs would already be sore once I got up from my nap. Not today! Even after riding on the trainer under low oxygen. My purpose was to go out and see if I could smash the legs, and I have not been able to do it yet. If I'm drinking Alkaline water with a ph of 9.5, the lactic acid can't stay in my legs. Ah Damn! I'm on to something. My new phrase for 2008 is "I run on electrons".

Here is a picture of my non-plastic, non-leaching material container and the "VIP" (Very Important Product) making the life giving, energy giving, 9.5 water, which I call "Water of Life". Ok, that last sentence was really, really lame.

I have been sponsored by Dedicate Athlete since 2006, and I have been taking EP-NO, as it is a natural blood booster. It is going to be more effective now that I'm sleeeping in hypoxia(Low Oxygen) which triggers my body to create more red blood cells.

I'm making my order for the Rapid Recovery, Rapidade, and Multi-vitamin next week so that I'm "Dedicated" all the way down to the bone. I think I have covered all bases, and the last things is how I'm going to approach the Markhum Race this coming weekend. I'm going to keep my plan under wraps, but it is going to be "Extremely Ambitious".

Pacer Out!

Crunching Numbers, pt 1

2008-01-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

What's up with you planet Earth, this is your boy Speed Pacer checking in with you after about 9 days of riding for 2008.

I have to say that coming off the fast and getting back on the bike I have worked my form up to a level that I have never experienced, EVER. What has confirmed this is my polar percision performance software. If you don't know I am "Polar HR Chart" Super Freak. At this point I'm almost a slave to them. OK, I am a slave to them.

I'll give you the 4 of the workouts of 40 miles that I have done in the last week, and you'll see that the first 3 workouts got progressive better, but the 4th chart is just "King Kong".

This workout was my first day back on the bike after of not riding for 5 weeks, and a 14-day Water Fast. You can see that I did have a good pace going, but my heartrate values were just too high. My goal is to be able to ride in the 140's. As you can see, I spent not even 5 minutes in the 140's.

So that you understand the colors, the blue zone is the top of my fat burning zone, and bottom of my endurance zone. Anytime you see the chart in the red, that means I'm officially in my "Race Zone".

Here is the HR Chart

And here is HR Values.

The next day I did the same workout, and the chart looked almost the same. I only spent about 10 minutes in the 140's, but the avg spd was about the same.

HR Chart

HR Values

Day 3 was a very cold day, but the heartrate was very high. Sad to say that I spent less time in the 140's, but it was the fastest ride that I have ever done.

HR Chart

HR Values

I took 2 days off from this workout, and popped my cherry on the Titus for the first time this year. I did 2 pretty good laps, but was tapped out for going so hard the first time out. The next day I did a 90 minute recovery workout.

I then went back to this workout on Friday and was determined to get in the 140's. So this time out I decided to just keep my heartrate in the 140's and find my mode. Take a look.

Here is the most beautiful HR Chart I have produced

This is the best zone training workout I have produced also. 87% of the time spent in the lower endurance zone is great.

For the first 3 works my HR averages were, 161bpm, 157bpm, and 160bpm. The Avg workout for this day was 142bpm. For the same speed, my HR Avg when down 18bpm. For some reason my legs and lungs got married for this workout, and I started firing on all cylinders. Even the breathing came around.

Just to make sure I was not tripping, I went back and found my chart of this same workout in November when I had 2 really good finishes in the State Series.

Here is the HR Chart from Nov 3rd

Here is the HR Values from Nove 3rd.

As you can see that my Avg HR was 152bpm, which is 10 bpm higher than my best workout I did this year. So the form is officially better than it was last year, and probably EVER.

Now that I was able to ride at a really consistent pace I decided to get some interval work in at the Sheridian Ride. That is the kind of training I need right now to work on my high end for mtn biking. My plan is to do 100 miles, and to do that I will ride about 22 miles before the I get to the Sheridian Ride, then the 27 miles of the group ride. Then my normal 51 mile ride from Flamingo and Orange up over Sunrise, then out to Weston and back to Orange. The after that I will turn around and take that route back to my house.

I get out of the house at 6:40, and I'm able to get to the Sheridian Ride with about 10 minutes to let the body cool down. That was just enough time to take a couple of photos of the some of the riders in the group.

After we roll out we immediately get stop at Sheridian, so I quickly snap a few more pics.

The ride started off slow, so I knew that it wasn't going to be like last week when it blasted off right from the start. Things got moving once we went over I-75. I could tell that Z's Bike was going to control the ride today. I started to make my way to the front just before we got to Hwy 27. There were 2 groups that were already up the road, which made for a great way for me to get my intervals in. I got with the groups that were making up the chase. Z's was still up front, and they were trying to slow the ride down to keep there guys up the road.

I kept taking my pulls to make sure that the pace stayed high, and we eventually caught the group with LaRue in it. The next group was caught about 2 miles from 84. On 84 Z's made several attempt to put some riders in a breakaway. When we would pull it back in, another 2 riders from Z's would go off the front. Right at I-75 Bob suggested that we try to breakaway. I was a little hesitate as I wanted to save it for the sprint.

Once we get over I-75 a group makes a break for it. I'm slowly stalking my way to the front, and I intended on attacking as soon as we bridge and things get moving again. We caught the group just before Indian Trace, then we hit a red light. As soon as we get going I look back to Bob and signal to him that now is the moment, and I burn about 10 matches making a surge away from the group.

Joe D is on my wheel, and Bob is in tow. I totally feel like crap, and I know I won't be able to do anything that puts the group under real pressure so I pull through. Joe immediately pulls through, the Bob takes a much longer pull that I did. By this time Austrialian Time Trial dude (Name is Keith) bridged up to us. Once that happens, Joe D lets himself get drop and goes back to the group. I take another 2 pulls, then I let Bob know it was futile.

I retreat back to the group, and 5 minuete later Bob asked me if I want to do it again. At this point I was not going to burn any match unless it was the sprint. Once things start shaking up, I'm sitting on LaRue's wheel and I'm thinking he is big and I'll get the optimal protection from wind before I open up my sprint. But when they start setting up the sprint, LaRue gets dropped and gives up 15 meter. I come around him and I have to burn my matches to bridge back to the group that is in full fledge "Go for Broke". When the group starts to break up I'm on the wheel ahead of me, but I can't come around anyone's wheel so when 1 riders comes around my wheel I realized I lead him out, so I just sat up. Note to self: Don't follow LaRue's wheel for the sprint, he just does not have the horsepower.

We get to the Mobil, and LaRue starts on with saying he gave up the sprint because he thought I was not on his wheel. Bull shit! He just got dropped. I have never not been in position. You don't pull out in the last 200 meters unless you have your ball knocked in the dirt along with your legs. 200 meter with good legs is like getting to 3rd base with a chick. There is no way that any person would not proceed.

I get some Fuji water, put my Emergen-C in them, rip off one of the halfs of bread and eat a turkey and cheese sandwich, then I hit the road with Joe, Bob, and LaRue. My plan was to do my 51 mile time trial between 145-155bpm. I really need to put in long miles, at a much higher effort if I want to consider myself being halfway competitive in a Endurance Race.

Joe D and Bob decided to change their ride as they did not want to ride a tailwind up to Boca, only to get assaulted by a head wind for the last 2 and and a half hours of their ride back South. So they opted to tag along with me for my route, which keeps all of us closer to home. We go over the Sawgrass and I have my heartrate exactly where I want it to be.

Once we get to 84, I suggest we should take 3 minute pulls, and we do so all the way down to Royal Palm. We turn on Glades and all continue to rotate, then we make a stop off at the park for a nature break. I rinse the sweat off my face and it refreshes me a bit, as I kinda got bored of licking salt off my lips to keep them from burning. Note to self: Use the lip balm that you brought along. We get back to hitting it, and once we get to Saddle Club Road I take my pull just passed the YMCA. We are going into a headwind/crosswind, and I manage to keep the pace between 21.5-22mph. I pull through after my 3 minutes and Joe is gone. I didn't want to dump him out of the ride, but I was trying to maintain the heartrate between 145-155bpm. Bob pulls for 3 minutes, and when I pull through I slowly lift the pace. I'm at 21mph, then the second minute I take it up to 22mph, the third minute I take it up to 23.5mph. Now, I'm about 1 minute from Weston Road, so I just took it up to 25mph, then took it all the way to the stop light. I'm sure that put Bob under pressure and he let me know it did.

Bob takes a 6 minute pull, and almost all of it is into a headwind, and as soon as he pulls through we are going into a slight crosswind/tailwind, "Thank You God". I take the speed up to 24mph, and I keep it at that pace until the last 2 minutes then I take it up to 26mph to finish out segment of the ride really strong. I think I hurt Bob again on that pull. Since I do most of my ride by myself, I really don't pay much attention to where the wind is. I just pedal the bike.

Now 6 months ago I did this ride with Bob, and between mile 85-100, I completely cramped up and Bob had the "S" on his chest that day as he pulled me all the way back to the end of the ride at Active Cycles. Today I think I had the "S" on my chest as I was the rider putting in bigger efforts.

We chat for about 10 minutes, and we part ways after talking about nutrition on the bike, etc. I'm in for 100 miles, but I only have 76miles, and the route home is only 20 miles, so I'm going to be 4 miles short. I start thinking about how I can put in another 4 miles to make it a cool Benjamin(That means 100, Non-ebonics speakers).

I get going and I decide to just finish the ride as I'm started to lose some power. My heartrate won't stay in the 150's, so I just go into a zone and push the pedals. I get over to Bonaventure and a guys rolls up on me and he is finishing his metric century and offers me his wheel when I tell him I'm on my last 20 of a real hundred. He was a really big guy, and he said he was 235lbs. This guys is clearly in his late 50's, and he is riding like he is in his early 20's. He processed to pull me for at least 11 miles and he did not go under 23mph. At 84 he pulled off at Indian Trace and I said, " I need to remember your name". He said John. I then called him "Tarmac John". If you see a grey haired older gentlemen on a navy blue Specialized Tarmac, don't ask any question, just get on that damn wheel.

I have about 5 miles to go and I take it in riding in my fat burning zone. I end up with 96.1 miles, with an average of 21.2. I rode 20.7 miles to the Sheridian ride and the avg was 19.5, then the Sherdian ride was 24.6, then I road with Joe D, and Bob for 27.7miles at an avg of 20.8, then I did the last hour at 20.5mph. Here is the chart of my HR Values.

The total time was 4hrs, 37mins, and I spent 80 minutes in the 130's and 140's. After doing more crunching of number, that effort is not enough for me if I want to do well at the 12hrs of Santos and the Hospice 100. Explaining to you why will the subject of a post next week also.

Pacer Out!

Clip of the Week - Be like Water my friend

2008-01-18T14:17:00.000-05:00

When I was playing table tennis, I was so fasinated by trying to play like the best Chinese, or the best Swedish players. My brother saw me looking at videos, and I explained to him I wanted to be like this Chinese player. He gave me the "Cosby Kids" slap up side the head and put in a Bruce Lee Documentary, to explain to me that I should not try to copy other athletes and the reason why.

From that point forward I was in search of Brian Pace, and his own style. 20 years later, players come up to me and say they want to play like me, and I have a flashback to the Cosby slap.

How that translates into cycling is developing my own style of riding. It's based on equipment choices, or training methods that I believe in and that has have proven successful for me. But most of all deciding to cut my own path to learn how to express myself as freely as I can when I'm pedaling my bike.

Be like water my friend.

Pacer Out!

Going Lone Ranger!

2008-01-17T12:07:00.000-05:00

Going Lone Ranger was the attitude that I was forced to take when I moved to New Orleans in 1995 to take on a private coaching job for table tennis. That was the first time in my career that I was without a team to lean on for motivation, moral, and just overall camaraderie.

I had absolutely no friends when I was there, and it really was a 1 year contract in solitude. I lived a couple of miles from The French Quarter, but I don’t party or drink so that didn’t work. There were no good players anywhere in the state or surrounding areas, so I couldn’t get any good training.

That was the first time I forced myself to run, as I needed to find a way to burn off this anxiety. I was making great money for being a single athlete, but I needed my environment to get back in my groove. So I started running, and running and running. I even ran the Cresent City Classic which is the most popular 10K in New Orleans, and it starts in the middle of Jackson Square. Every now and then when I’m riding my bike and I have a good flow going I’m able to replicate that same breathing pattern as those times and it takes me back to running up and down Napoleon Ave next to the trolleys.

Then I bought a mountain bike. It was a Trek 800 Sport with no suspension, and it was on. I would ride all around the town, and that was when I first got the cycling bug. What was more important was I learned to be self-sufficient from a emotional standpoint. I learned that I could do it without anyone else making it easier. When you have a group of people to lean on, it is truly culture shock to go off on your own. So my brother called me the “Lone Ranger” minus Tanto ever since then.

That is probably why I do most of my training with only one practice partner in table tennis, and almost all my training by myself on the bike. I believe that being by yourself is the only way to deal with yourself on every level. Getting in with a group later is a way to test yourself inside of the group dynamic atmosphere, and to see if you have improved on any aspects. I think you do need it too, but your program can be done without.

I was kind of dreading my return back to the mtn bike, because it's always a shock to the body to go back to taking that abuse. I got off work on Wed, went home packed up and took my bike to the Active Cycles to have the new Agilis crank put on with my 34-44 chainrings. I actually road very well with the 33-45, but I know that it is in my best interest to have that extra teeth.

I got the crank on, and headed out for Markham. When I got there it was a small group of riders already there. Andres, his son, Richard D, Bob, Steve, and Dean where out, so I went in with them. My intentions was to get dropped, so I could find my mode, but I was riding ok without going too deep. I had not really lost much of my skills, but the hands and butt seemed a little tender. Bob and I walk away from the bunch, and I realy have no intentions of staying with him, but slower riders up the trail kept me in contact.

By the time we got to gun range I was feeling my back ache just a bit but the legs and lungs felt neutral so I decided to keep pushing the pedal, but not to bury myself. I keep things steady in the gun range and when I come out Bob is about 10 seconds ahead of me. Last summer I would launch an all out offensive to get back on his wheel, but I just continue at my pace. I think it's too ambitious for me to ride any faster. At this point is when I normally get dropped by for some reason Bob is keeping me in his sights. At this point Andres jumps in as he had fixed his flat and cuts in the course to ride with us.

I don't make an attempt to bridge to Bob, and nor does he decide to ramp it up. By the time I finish the lap he had pretty much allowed me to bridge up to him. The time was 34mins,4 seconds, which is the fastest time that I have done since last May. I really didn't want to ride that fast as I was just getting back on the bike. Markham is a very tough course to come to after 6 weeks off the bike and to ride that speed. I was a little happy with the effort, but I would take it easy the next lap.

We go back in and I immediately let Bob go, as I hate giving in to the Peer Pressure of going all out. I also let Andres by before the Rock Garden and I settle into my own Speed Pacing. Richard and Steve are behind me, and I keep it steady as I don't want to ride like I'm racing. I really just want to enjoy being back on the bike and enjoy my mode.

Coming out of the gunrange I'm about 1 minute off the last lap time and I was keeping the heartrate under 160bpm. I make a mistake in Outback Extension and I let Richard and Steve pass me. Before I know it, they are both gone. See, why does the riders have to race all the time. Funk That! I'm going to just ride and finish the lap without acting ignorant. Richard's going to get a hard on if he drops me, so he just might get that hard on today.

I keep it steady and I'm determined that I just need to push the pedals without overextending the legs or lungs. In Bermuda Triangle I can see that Richard has slow down like someone put a parachute on him. I look down, and my heartrate is 162bpm. I didn't lift my pace, he dropped his anchor. By the time we finish the lap, my heartrate is 147bpm. He just outright went backwards for the last 6 minutes.

After we finish the lap I say "You son of a gun, you lifted the pace". He first denied, then said he saw some daylight and tried to put it down. I said it's ok to do it, I'm not offended. He even said he wanted to say he dropped us. I guess it's good to have that environment to train in. I'm pretty tempermental about when I'm in the mood for that kind of intense riding. I'm just not into burning matches when I don't need to.

I ride around the park to cool down while putting together the rest of the week of training in my head. On Thursday, I'm meeting with a guy in my neigborhood that races Rosewood, and we are going to ride around this circle next to where I live. It's an awesome 1.7mile loop and you never have to worry about traffic and you can hit the pedals and never let off the gas. I used to ride the Hiatus/Old Hiatus Loop, but I the turns onto Broward and Sunrise have too much traffic. So this loop is great to just put your head down and time trial to the max. To make this kind of workout more productive and specific, I gotta go ahead and get the polar power meter.

Friday, I'm going do the 1hr CTS "One Legged Drills" on my trainer with the hypoxia mask on at 9000ft Altitude. I still think that there is nothing better than continuing to improve the rpm's. I had a huge improvement last year when I focused on this. In fact, on Sunday when I rode with the Weston Flyers group, I was the only rider rotating at 29mph that was NOT in the big chain ring. I've done one workout on the trainer with the mask on, and I could feel that I had to really breath much deeper. Note to self: Get Power Meter.

On Saturday I'm going to do the Sheridian Ride, and put in a couple of hard pulls at the front. The ride was bananas last week as the avg spd was 27.6 for the ride, which is the fastest it has ever been since I rode it. After the ride I going to do the same route as last week that has me going 85miles total. My goal is to stay under 150bpms, as that is going to be my required heartrate zone to prepare for the Santos 6 or 12hr. It's on the other side which is the Vortex side which has wider, longer single track. I haven't done that course since 2004, I don't remember it being that jagged, so this may be my the best type of course for me to do.

If my legs feel ok, then I'm going to go over and funk with Oleta to the tune of 30-miles of selective singletrack. I don't see a need to do Rocky Mile if I'm preparing for Santos. But I do want to ride at this course just because it's longer, so I get to ride more uninterrupted.

Some thought I have for 2008 so far on:

The Water Ionizer!
That shit is the bomb. I could tell the difference the very first time I road while drinking 8.5 water. I came home after a hard 51 mile road ride, and I felt great. The legs were not tender, or sore. I had done 5 days in a roll, and put in big efforts all those days, and I have not need to take a rest day because of the acid build up. If you are drinking water that has a ph of 8.5, that has a negative ORP, then acid can't exist. Digestion is way better now. I'm actually eating less food in one sitting, and drinking more water during the day. My % of water weight on my scale has gone from 58.2 to 61.1. I can't say enough about this purchase. I have decided that for the first week I'll drink 8.5, the 2nd week I'll moved up to 9.0, then the third week I'll settle into making 9.5 my permanent water to drink. I look forward to seeing how it affects my body once I have moved up to drinking 9.5 water on a regular basis. I'm so stuck on this because I really do think that water is the key. I read this book called, "Your not hungry, your thirsty", and it some of the most intense, but simple reading that you can ever come across. Why don't more people know this? He state that the body should be 70% water, and that we are only as healthy as the fluids that our bodies bath in. Enough on that, I could go all day.

Hypoxia Altitude Tent!
It can get hot and stuffy with 2 people and a dog in it. The weather is cool right now, so it's going to be ideal for the next month or so. Every time the altitude gets to 9300ft, I wake up. My body does not like it to be that high. If we go to bed at the same time, the altitude goes down faster, and I wake up sooner. If one of us hits the sack first, then I normally wake up later.

I know you are probably wondering why I’m reaching to every single corner to get better as a rider now that I want to do it like I did table tennis. One phrase sticks in mind from 1988, is “You ain’t doing jack”. That is the subject of a post that I'll put up next week.

Pacer Out!

Back at 'er

2008-01-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

After the grueling 14 days of a water fast, the thought of food was more than overwhelming. I decided to do it smart this time without giving in to the taste buds. I took a trip over to whole foods and bought bags and bags of oranges to make my own orange OJ. While I was waiting for the Water Ionizer to come in, I would drink organic orange juice. It has a ph of 8.0, and ORP of -200, so that is the best water I can drink right now. So here is what it looks like get a huge amount of oranges to juice.

You'll need a hand squeezer for the oranges, a bowl, and a something to sift out the pulp.

$20.00 of oranges turned into 64 oz. of freshly sqeezed oj. Man, that is a damn shame that it's that expensive.

I broke the fast Jan 8th first thing in the morning, so I drank oj all day Tuesday and Wednesday. I introduced food in the form of watermelon, soup, and a salad on Thursday. I felt great and I was so excited about getting back on the bike, that I hit the road for a 2hr spin.

I did my normal 40mile route, which normally takes about 2hrs, 2mins. Well, this day I came in at 1hr,56mins,2sec. What? I'm 6mins faster my first day back on the bike after over 5 weeks off? This has to be a fluke, and in the past I would always go out the next day to see if I could do that type of ride again, but to no avail. Well, on Friday, I went out and did the same workout, and came in 7 seconds slower. Ah damn! I'm on to something.

I decided to do the Sheridian Ride, which is a huge jump up in the pace, and the amount of surges. But I have always performanced ok when I'm back on the road bike after a break. It's always the mtn bike that is suspect for me.

The last couple of times I went to the Sheridian ride, they had already left so I was a little nervous about getting there only for the parking lot area to be gutted out like a ghost town. Not the case this day, it was packed like it was during the summer. Bike America, B&J, Z's Bike's and a host of other teams were out in force. That meant it would be a really fast ride.

We get going and I chat with some of the riders that I haven't seen in a while. Like Enzo, that has just just moved up to Cat 2 and it's safe to say that Flaco and Victor have upgraded also.

The pace picked up and we stop talking. We blaze over 75, and coming down my chain drops and it's on the outside. It's stuck between the pin and the crank. Enzo and Raul Bello are pushing me along at 28mph while I'm trying to pull it back out. I have to stop at the light and put it back on. I jump back on and hit it hard but they are 100 meter away, and that means death to the legs. But I'm saved as the grey SUV pulls me back up to the group at 34mph. As soon as I get to the group my chain drops again, and I now know it's happening because the shifting is off when I go to the big ring. So I have to come to a complete stop and put it back on again.

Now, I'm a little frustrated, and I think my guy is gone so it's no way I'm going to get back on now. I still hit it in hope of the group getting held up. But I'm the one that is held up by tight slow traffic, and they are gone. I keep hitting it, and I look down and my heartrate is 177bpm. I did not want to be riding this hard, in fact, I didn't want to be riding this week so riding this hard is way outside of the program.

But I'm saved by my SUV guy and takes it up to 32mph and we chase the group all the way to Hwy 27. We turn on 27 and we take it up to 34mph again, and it takes about 4mins to catch the group. When he pulls through I give him the thumps up to say thank you, and as I look down we are going 32.3mph. I get in the slipstream and my heartrate goes from 178bpm to 150bpm. I start making my way to the middle of the group for more protection and better position.

As we turn on 84 I realized that it's a headwind with a slight crosswind, so I make my move to get near the front in case things start to shake up. Things don't shake up, but the front group are really nailing it. We don't go below 26mph the entire time we are on 84. I'm starting to feel better and almost fully recovered from the acid bath back on Sheridian Rd. and some of 27.

Going over I-75 things start to shake up, and I'm neatly tucked in the 1st third just chilling with a heartrate of 147bpm. Once we get to the sprint, Bike America and B&J are battling to set things up. Z's Bikes couldn't keep it under control. I'm about 15 riders back, and I start to pick off riders before they go for the sprint. Flaco is now at the front with Victor behind him to set up Enzo. Bike American makes a jump and ruins the leadout, then you see everyone start to go for it themselves. I actually don't open up my sprint as I was afraid the chain would come off, but I did manage a 6th place finish.

I know that I'm in for 85 miles, so I'm nervous about the last hour of the ride, as I know I'm going to be hurting from the all out effort earlier. I grab a Avian water and 2 nutrigrain bars. I get a call from UPS that my Water Ionizer is here, and he needs to get into the gate, so I call Mrs. P.

I hit the road and the next hour was great, as the power in the legs was still good. As soon as I got to the turn around the point, I immediately felt the power draining out of legs. By the time I got to mile 75 I was really tapped out, and I was hoping for it to be over. I caught a 3rd wind the last 15 mins and brought it in really inspired. I did 85miles in 4hrs, 6mins. I download the chart in my polar performance software, and the Avg Speed for the Sheridian ride was 27.6 in 1hr, 49sec. I had checked all other charts, and the best the ride had done was 1hrs, 4mins.

I got in the house and saw the box with the Water Ionizer in it. I showered, ate some chicken torilla soup, and opened the box up. I felt like I had a new toy, and I had done so much research that I knew I have the advantage now. Things are looking good for "Project: Drop them bitches", or I"m so putting my foot up my own ass talking all this cash money if I can't back it up.

I took all the literature and read through everything before I touched anything. It came with a dvd, that really put everything in lamens terms, a chart that explains what the other bottle water companies ph balances are, another chart explaining which ph water benefits certain situations, plus directions for assembly.

Well, here it is in all its glory. All Hail, more oxygen, and hydration.

A pic out of the box.

I got all the hardware to put it together.

You could assemble it under the sink, but I would have to drill a hole for the tube to get to the ionizer. So I opted for putting the diverter on the spigot, and running the tube to the unit. And there is it. Not even 10 minutes and I had it hooked up.

It came with a kit that you could test the ph, as you can see, 8.5ph water is running out of the unit, and the purple indicates that it is highly alkaline water.

I went through every water setting, and tested the water for chlorine and the ph level. Everything checked out like they said, so I put 1 gallon of 8.5 ph water in the fridge, and took a nap.

I feel like writing this type of post on my blog, because it is more than me trying to have great results. This is more of a social responsibly, because drinking high ph water with a negative ORP has been known to cure diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic constipation, detoxifies the internal organs and blood, and it penetrates deeper into the tissue to rid your body of toxins and acidic waste.

If you think I'm crazy about being this fanatical about trying to be better on each level, that's great. But my hidden agenda is for you to be able to look into this and maybe suggesting this unit for a friend or relative that has any of the ailments, because it will put them back on the path to beter health. When I have had a chance to get some good test, I'll give you an update.

I decided that I would give the ph water a test with regards to riding my bike. So I got up Sunday morning, drank 24oz. of 9.5ph water with Emergen-C in it. Not even 10 mins later my stomach felt a little funny, and that was followed by a trip to the bathroom to drop some riders off. But I had already dropped my normal amount of riders off. Well, I won't make a note yet.

I ride up to 84 and Glades and meet the Weston Flyers group, and they are motoring into a headwind. They ride double line, and more times than I can count it turned into single line when riders stop taking pulls. I work my way to the back, and not even 5 minutes later, I'm at the front taking pulls. I didn't want to, but when you are a strong riders, other riders start looking for your wheel. And I hate it when the riders stop taking pulls and wait for someone to organize it.

By the time we get to Weston to go back out to Glades I'm in the top 5 taking pulls while 25 other riders are just watching. I'm not even in my big chainring, so I move out of the paceline to politic this without the chain coming off like the day before. It comes off again, so I'm off the back but I'm able to keep the bike rolling and I get it back on. I hit it hard and before long I'm going 31mph, and I catch the group and my heartrate is 193bpm. Shit! Me, and this bullshit shifting has got me working harder than I want to.

I sit in the back and ride it all the way up Glades while I'm getting the heartrate down. We take it back East on 84 hammering again into the head, and there is a charge up over I-75, and I respond to the move. Things slow down on the backside and things shake up before 136th. I charge at the last moment to win the sprint, but I only got up to 32.7, but that was painful to do into the wind.

At this point we are going up north over the Sawgrass Mall, and I almost decided to take it home as we pass my street just before Sunrise. At Sunrise I realized that I haven't drank anything and I was 1hr into the ride. I drank one entire water bottle and we continue up over the mall, then back down to the Orange Road. I don't even go for the sprint, as I know I'm in for another 20miles and I don't want to be hurting at the end.

I drank the other water bottle at the gas station and grab another nutrigrain bar. I buy an Avian water as I now know that is the best water I can drink in any gas station, as it is a ph of 7.5. I put an Emergen-C in each bottle and hit the road. I decided to keep my heartrate under 150bpm, even if I was going to go too slow. The1hr hour went by so fast that I didn't even notice it. Nor did I even remember to drink, so I slamed a water bottle on 84 and brougt it in at 1hr, 2mins.

I get in the house and check my weight, and I had only lost 2.2lbs. What! 51miles, and I only lost 2.2lbs? I drank 9.5ph water before I left the house, then 2 bottles of 8.5ph water during the ride, then 1 bottle of Avian. I know the I normally lost more weight than that. I won't get too extensive yet, as I really want to gather more information before I give my report. I can say that after 7 hours, my legs feel great.

I'm going to start to put together my program of getting into race form. This year may be the first year that I race out of form, so see if I can race myself into form. My tenative plan is to do the Markham Race if I can put together some form. Since I'm doing big rides regarding distance, I'm going to test the legs to see if I can do very long rides without the legs cramping. If I can get pass that, then I'm going to do the 12hrs of Santos. That is probably the best course that I could do because most of the terrain is flat with only a few places that go up and down. I have about 1 month to put together some good form. If the form is not up to par for the 12 hrs, then I will most likely do the 6-hr. But I want to get out and see if I can battle all day, so that is where my head is at.

When I'm definitive, I'll holla back at ya!

Pacer Out!

Cutting Edge? I think!

2008-01-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

Cutting Edge! That is the theme of 2008 for me already. Everything that I’m doing is focused on who I am on the inside. 2007 was such a great year that I’m going to most likely stay true to that same schedule of racing doing road starting in March, and closing that campaign down in July, then taking a break to change over for the mtn bike season in the fall (If I’m still living here)

When the season didn’t go so well at the beginning I really started to feel the true warrior come out and I tried to keep him at bay, because that person will go right to the edge to win. I had always tried to justify not going to the edge by the fact that I didn’t have money as a motivator which was what my driving force when I was in table tennis. I always felt like I trained hard, but I was not fanatical about it on every single aspect, on every single level. In late October I started to feel that coming together because I wanted respect. Not from my peers, but from myself. If I was not going to respect doing the effort like I know I should, then, well, quitting was not an option. So I dug deep into that table tennis resolve and trained while visualizing myself having a good performance, and put out 2 great performances as a result. I did that on the bad side of my form, so I know those were performances of defiance and not true riding form. After that I was not amped up to prove anything else to myself, as I already started thinking about 2008. Now I proved to myself that I could implement the attitude to train and compete like it was an event that was just as important as a table tennis event.

That table tennis resolves always takes me places. When I was 13 I found table tennis while I was in the middle of being state champ in Tae Kwon Do, and playing football. I quit them immediately and started playing table tennis. I felt like it was an alternative sport in the US and more alternative people played it. That has always led me to seeking out alternative things. Those came in the form of living in obsure countries like China and Romania. It really doesn’t even seem normal to living those countries, and it’s especially not normal to be living in those countries playing table tennis. So here I am applying my alternative attitude to racing bikes.

Once I’ve been this convinced, I’ve,"NEVER", not exceeded my own expectation. All the other years I have just wanted to race hard, and enjoy being something more than a weekend warrior. Naw! Not this year, I’m going to front and do some damage. The last weeks I did training that led up to my performance I was shouting out gangsta ass affirmations, and my favorite one was, "Speed MutherF**#ing Pacer, holla at your I drops bitches". That may not seem like much, but chant that shit for 3 weeks, and it turns into something. So I have the master plan in affect to 2008, and those riders are already dropped or put under some pressure, they just don’t know it yet.

What’s on tap for 2007?
For the racing edge you now know I have the CAT Altitude System in my bedroom, and that has a multitude of benefits for any endurance athlete. It has an average benefit of 1-3% in race results, and that is the difference between 1st and last at the Tour de France. Results have been as high has 4-8%, so you know that is where my range is. If I’m going to spend that amount of money, hamper my life by living in a bubble, then I’m looking for something more like a 5% improvement in performance. I have not as of yet spent one night in it, as I’m in my fast.

Fasting, which is what I’m at the end of right now and I tell you a couple of things. Courage, heart, interpersonal strength had better be your backbone if you are going to start and finish this plan without going crazy. I had wanted to do 10 days at the start, but as more time went on I realized that I could actually go longer, based on will power and health. The average body can fast for each year they have lived. I have no intentions of fasting for 35 days, but I’m on day number 14, and this day is the best day I have felt so far. Today is my last day, as I end it on tomorrow. My longest fast before this was 15 days.

There are some simple things to understand about the body, and the first one is the body needs to maintain a ph balance of 7.365. The body will do everything in it’s power to maintain that level in the blood, and that is still true in the case of a fast. On day three once you no longer have food in your body, it kicks into a stage called " Ketosis". The body starts to focus on waste, waste, and more waste. The first waste is visceral fat, which is the fat that aligns itself around your internal organs. That is why a person with a normal body, can have a beer gut. During this stage the body gets rid of that waste. Another waste is toxic waste. Again, thank our wonderful body for putting those toxins in our joints, internal organs and connective tissue. Another waste is metabolic waste, and that comes from over-acidification which comes from excessive exercise, and over-acidic food. What does it all look like. I won’t gross you out with the details, but all I can say is waste, waste, and waste. Imagine the crud that you crape off you grill after a big cookout.

I have had serious highs and lows on this fast. They would go from feeling good, to watching the food network to motivate and torture myself at the same time. There would be days I would ride the bike for 40 mins, and then I would have the most vicious cravings for stuff pasta shells with every kind of meat and cheese in it. Days 6-8 were exceptionally difficult.

I started with a weight over 199.6, and after 14 days, I’m 178lbs. The weight lost this time as been slow because I have actually been drinking much more water this time out. The other times I did not drink enough and I became dehydrated during the fast so more of my weight lost was water weight than waste and fat. This time around a have a digital scale that reads my water percentage, and I have keep it between 57-60% water weight.

My hope is to make the body more efficient on every single level after this fast. But it has to be different this time. In all cases I have gained back the weight around 1 year, and that is going to change this time around.

I have found just the product, and it’s called a Water Ionizer. This is it for me. This closes all the circles of concern regarding, water, hydration, alkalizing, etc.

Regarding Water
I really want to have one basic water source to get my water from. I’m really tired of hearing the next best water that is out there that is going to boost performance, etc.

Regarding Hydration
I have always had problems with cramping up in hot weather or long races. It really didn’t matter if I did a lot of hydrating the night before or not. I really do want to get involved in doing the NUE for 2008, but they are 100 XC Endurance races. I had big problems cramping up at the 4 hr mark at Santos last year, so that was pretty much out of the question. Well, until now

Regarding Alkalizing
I wanted to have one water that I can drink that encompasses everything I need without having to supplement it with drops, salt, sodium tablets, etc. I think I have found this with the Water Ionizer.

What does it do.
This machine make the water cluster from your tap water smaller than anything that you can buy. The average water cluster is 15, and this water reduces the cluster to 4 or 5. So you get 3 times more hydration than all the water that is on the market. Reduced cluster water is hydrogen rich, and that is what is needed to activate the cells to perform at their best. ORP stands for "Oxygen Reduction Potential", and that is a number that measures the ability to reduce or oxidize toxins. A positive ORP allows toxins to settle, and a negative ORP can detoxify the body, hydrate it and feed it with more oxygen. That leads to better digestion, better metabolism, less stress, more energy.
I think I have killed a bunch of birds in the tree with one stone. Here are the uses of the machine.

The 10.0 preset level is the highest and has a negative ORP around -400, and good for:
Cooking Soup
Washing Vegetables
Cooking Meats and Rice

The 9.5ph is the optimal drinking water with a ORP of -319, and good to prepare coffee or tea This is also best level for all adults to drink

I’m looking forward to mixing this water with my workout powders, and after workout powders. This level of water has the ability to emulsify canola fat into water, so imagine how it’s going to break down all powders. That means no clumps at the bottle of the bottle, and more assimilation.

The 9.0ph water is a good water to start out with when first drinking this type of water. It has a negative ORP of 239

I can keep going on and going but the benefits are plenty, just go to www.waterforlifeusa.com and do you own research. The great thing that has been happening so far, is that the benefits of 9.5ph water have not been refuted on any site I have went to.

There are a lot of companies that are making these machines and they aren't of good quality. If you go to their comparsion page, you will see this is the best one to get. They even break down every other popular unit on the market

On top of that, they have a payment plan if you are one of those people that don't want to put out all the money at one time, or like me being just a bit skepical. You can put down $500.00, and they'll send you the unit. They give you a test kit and ask you to go out and buy water from all the usual suspects like Avian, Aquafina, Dasani, Fuji, etc. Then you can do a test to see which water has the highest ph. You can also do a chlorine test. And for any reason if you are not satisfied with what the water has done to increase hydration, increase health, etc in 60 days you can send it back and get your $500.00. That's gangsta. That is my new program for 2008.

I really took a hard look at where I could really make a big jump. The first one was the bike, which was nothing to worry about. I may get more detailed about how well the bike is functioning, but not to the point that I may become anal like some other riders. I know that being anal is not good, and that will come back to bite you in the ass somehow.

The second factor was the training, and there were no problems there at all. I exceeded all expectations regarding my ability to put together a training block and have success thereafter.

My obvious answer was making changes in the body will be much more profound for the New Year. That first came in purchasing the CAT unit, so the benefits on that are a slam dunk. I'm even going to use it when I do my CTS workouts on my ipod when I'm on the trainer.

The second form of improving the body is doing this dreaded 14 day fast which ends on Tuesday January 8th, then I'll follow that by drinking organic squeezed OJ for another 2 days, then I'll start introducing food in the form of soup and broths to make the transition easy for the stomach. Oh! Don't think I haven't been wanting to eat what I see on the commericals like Papa Johns, KFC, Chili's, etc. I think breaking the fast, and starting to put food back into the body is just as important as fasting, so I'm taking this stage very serious.

But you do have to be hardcore to start a "Water Only" fast on xmas day, and skip the New Years partying, eating and staying out late to stay in the house and focus on ridding the body of internal waste. When I played table tennis I was fanatical like that an especially how I ate, so I'm bringing that back for 2008.

The last improvement on the body is getting a Alkaline Water Ionizer which improves the hydration by up to 700%. 700% is just a crazy ass number. What I think this means for me is that I can do some of the NUE series. What is even better is if this is successful for me and I have better hydration and digestion during these long distance XC Endurance races, then that means no cramping (or at least, much less), and more energy from my food being assimilated easier.

I'm still doing Yoga, plyometrics, table tennis and core training, so I'm doing enough to keep training and racing on the bike fresh and not boring at all.

I was talking with a buddy of mine and he kept asking why do I always take a hiatus. I told him that I don't believe in the athletes that compete throughout the entire calendar yet. That is a luxury especially living in South Florida, but it's not as functional for your program as you think. In fact, I almost feel sorry for them. I like to step away from it, because that is when you truly do see what happened that year. If you let yourself go through that period, you will find so many things you want to change or improve upon for the next year. I just don't don't like trying to do the improvement on the fly. Stepping away allow me time to really work on my rpm's and I already have really, really high rpm's. I was able to improve upon that, and learn how to timetrial while riding singletrack. My list of things to improve was long, and you can't properly approach them and give them full focus unless you have stepped away to take a 3-dimensional look at it.

So this is my concept for "Project 2008". I'll starting riding on 15th of January, and as things start to come together I'll keep you up to speed.

Pacer Out!

Rider's Contract

2007-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

On 12/31/07, at 11:59pm, your contract as a rider and a friend of me has been approved for 2008. You may ride with me if you see me in the singletrack, or the road. After careful consideration, it was a tough decision, so you may ride with me in 2008.

I will exept your phone call without having them screened. I will call you without any equivocations, just like a family member. We can meet at the trail, or the road to train. I also will continue to give you all the information that I know about training, competing, and staying inspired with no charge to you.

In reading this post, you have agreed to the terms and conditions of the "2008 Riders Contract".

Happy Riding

Pacer

Doping Done Fair!

2007-12-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

How do you get the edge without crossing the line. How do you add more to what you are doing without being self-conscious about whether or not it's illegal. How do you do something without seeing resentment in the faces of the people that can't do it.

At this level in cycling there is really no way to tell if a person is doing it fair or not. But there is a way to tell if the person has paid money to do it fair. I have this theory about spirits and energy. People think that spirits are not physical. Well, I think that is exactly what they are. I think that once you give in to something then it becomes a part of you.

Like, if you believe there is a peer that is doping, then your physical energy has just been defeated my that emotional thought. You have let the universe willpower you into being defeated by that thought. I'm not going to let this universe shove me around based on the thoughts that are in the back of my head that I can't prove. I'm going to bend this universe into what I feel suits me. I'm not going to acknowledge what I can't prove. I choose to go around, over, and through those thoughts by doing it fairly, and legally.

Well, I choose to pay to do it fairly, in the "Sleep High, Train Low", method. So I purchased the "Colorado Altitude Training" Sleep Tent.

From 1988-1991 I lived in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center, which is about 6200ft. I remember struggling aerobically for about 3 weeks to adjust to my normal training effort. Coming back down to Sea Level made me feel like I had a 3rd lung. I could train, run, and cross-train at will without feeling like I had any limit. I never forgot that feeling of euphoria.

Now, fast forward 17 years and I'm bringing that to my bedroom. Pike's Peak is the highest point in Colorado, and that is where I plan to sleep at.

I thought this purchase was derailed when I damaged Wes's bike. I was returning his bike back to him, and it fell off the rack on the Sawgrass Expressway at 70mph. Needless to say, I'm having to replace the frame and wheels. Take a look at the damage.

You can tell here that the bike got ran over by a car before I could get to it.

Seeing the scratches and the bent rear triangle confirmed it for me.

I'm sure the seat got ruined by seeing the bike bouncing down the highway at 70mph and at least 15ft high.

This happened a month ago and I waited until the new frame I ordered for him came in.

I also gave him money for the new Cane Creek wheels.
Wes is one of my closest friends, and he was really cool about it, and never hassled me at all. That is why he is so cool. I told him, "With all those anal-retentive riders that don't even want you to touch there bikes, I would have to fight them muther&%_ers every time I saw them if I did this to their bike.

So I decided not to get the system because my first priority was to get all the replacement parts for Wes's bike. But the frame and wheels was basically what he needed as the rest of the parts were ok. He already had a new saddle, so he didn't want to charge me for for that.

I went to Las Vegas a little bummed out about not being able to buy the CAT unit for my base training period. By the time I got to Vegas, saw all my buddies, played blackjack, ate great every night, and played a bunch of table tennis, I had forgot all about the disappointment.

Mrs. P came out to Vegas on a different flight than me, so I came in before her. Her cousin picked me up and took me home to get my car so I could pick her up when she came in 2 hrs later. I walked into the bedroom, and I saw this.

She had made the purchased anyway, and set it up before she came out to Vegas. She already had the mattress, table, fan, and Lance's sleeping tent in it already.

I don't have any impressions so far as I have not slept in it yet, but I can tell you that the unit is louder than a fridge. Mrs. P said she slept in it 2 nights, and it kinda got hot. So I know that with 2 people and a canine, it's going to be hot. But for now it may be ok to manage as the temperature is cool right now. Plus, kudos to Mrs. P. for actually running with this. How many wifes would agree to sleep in a damn tent every night so there husband can have a kick ass year in a sport that he makes no money in. She's a keeper.

This is the first post that I was apprehensive about writing for a couple of reason. Firstly, was because there was controversy over whether or not it was considered doping. WADA (World Anti-Doping Assoc) did an extensive study and came back that it was not a form of doping, but did not necessarily support the tents. I guess that they prefer everyone to live in the French Alps to get the same effect.

Secondly, I could foresee other riders being judgemental that I have such a device in my house that does give me proven advantages over my sea level racing mates. Then, I remember if I give into that, then I'm letting the universe bend me. So here I am, being just has transparent as I have always been. Mrs. P does not believe in giving out any personal information practically, and she often ask why do I do it. I tell her that I dare someone to be as creative, in putting there money where there mouth is. I don't know one rider that gives a detailed description of who they are as an athlete and person to the degree that I do. From what they eat, how they train, to how they experiment with being better without being influenced by jumping on the bangwagon. I think it's more difficult to cut your own path without trying to follow the popular vote.

Here is pic of me next to my new bedroom for 2008
Even Lance is cool with it.

So the concept is you turn this on by pressing the button on the right, while the button on the left dials in the altitude you want to sleep at.

This tube is inserted into the tent, and it sucks out the oxygen in the air and leaves nitrogen.

The response in the body makes more red blood cells. You can feel a difference in 14 days, but the full effect takes place between 4-6 weeks. If you have more red blood cells, then you have more oxygen. If you have more oxygen, then you ride faster. If you ride faster, WELL, you get the point.

You can use this device to find out what percentage of oxygen is in the air.

And that is pretty much it.

That is what I'm doing now, I'm putting my money where my mouth is (literally) in cutting my own path and not following the popular vote. There are 2 table tennis athletes that are serving their 2 year suspensions because they were doping. If you are going to do it, then you have to do it the best you can. But doing it fairly MUST be implied.

Project 2008?

Don't expect anything out of me in January, as I'm forcing myself to take the time off after 9 intense months of racing. The allure of doing the 6-hrs of Oleta and finishing out the Coconut Cup where I'm probably going to most likely finish 2nd overall is strong, but I'm not going to let it bend me. I'm sure there is a bunch of riders that are going to do it because it's in town, and can't resist racing when they know they should be allowing the body and mind to recovery from this rough season of racing. I'm going to cut that new path I talk about and it's called "Discipline".

What I have learned from training from table tennis is just because you love it, you can learn to not like it if you overdo it. Cycling is alot easier to overdo than table tennis, especially at the Expert level and beyond. I guess I'm saying that you should not go out and ride just because you have the power to. Just because you can, does not mean you should. So taking a break allows the body and the mind a chance to absorb what has transpired in the season. That is where your improvement comes from. If you look at the Pro cyclists, they have a serious off season with a significant time being spent off the bike.

Also, there is a 100% chance that I'm moving back to NC now that I"m finished with my Masters Degree, I'm not sure when. I have worked out the details of my job when I return back to the table tennis company, or at least I think. It does include a place I can workout in the back of the wearhouse that I can ride my trainer during the winter months. So this deal is all but done, again, or at least I think. I loved the trails in NC also, and there are enough races inside the state on the road and singletrack to satisfy my urge to race.

Plus, I might me making a return to table tennis. The Haitian Federation has just ask me to compete for them at the 2008 World Table Tennis Championships in China at the end of February. If you don't know I am married to someone that is Haitian/Cuban, and I'm in the middle of getting a dual citizenship for Haiti because I love going to compete there. If that happens in time, I will play for Haiti at the World Championships. I'm also slated to be there National Coach, which is the reason I have taken the request. So right now I'm back on this table tennis for the time being.

So, I probably won't get in a really good training block that is good enough to go out and measure my improvement against my peers in South Florida. It would be nice to stick around long enough to see if I can not get dropped by some of the local riders on the mtn bike, or to put the hammer down on the road to a point that I could see the improvement.

Well, whatever happens, I'll keep you posted.

Keep it Transparent.

Pacer Out.

Inspirational Clip of the Week - I am the Reign

2007-12-28T09:14:00.000-05:00

Imagine being crowned the Heavy Weight Champion of the world at 22, and going undefeated until the US government stripped you of your title. Imagine being stripped of your hard earned 3rd place finish in you category in your mtn bike series, because of your religious beliefs. Because you didn't want to go to Vietnam and murder other poor people when you didn't have equality in your own country. Imagine your passport being taken, and not being able to earn a living in your professional for 4 years with a family to feed. Imagine the heart and will power it takes to have a simple principle, and unlike most people, have the courage to swear that you will die before you violate that principle.

Now imagine winning your case that went all the way US Sumpreme Court, where they found it unconstitutional to imprison a person based on their religious beliefs. Then imagine winning your heavyweight title back in Africa in front of the world, and becoming the most recognizable person in the world. That speaks volumes to the kind of integrity it takes to go through that kind of hell, and to become a better person once you came out on the other side. Imagine making it rain way before any rapper made the phrase popular. He didn't make it rain, he made it REIGN.

If you can imagine that, then you are Muhammad Ali

Time to Deprive

2007-12-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

From 1999 to 2005 I was involved in the ritual of fasting. It wasn’t a church thing, or spiritual thing. It was a looking good thing. I got the idea from a paper I did in my speech class on the many benefits of fasting. I did this paper without actually fasting, and when I let my brother read it he actually tried it. He did it for 20 days, lost weight, and raved about it so much that I spent the Xmas and New Years in my room letting all the food addictions leave my body. I went from 186lbs to 166lbs in 7 days. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I did that ritual during the Xmas holidays since that is when people gain weight from overeating only to set new goals for the New Year.

The last fast I did was at the end of 2004, just when I upgraded to Expert. I was quite nervous about upgrading to Expert, and I felt like this would give me the best chance to reset my body. I was always leaner when I played table tennis, because I was more dedicated because I was top 10 in the US, and much more was at stake with trying to make the Olympic Team. Mtn biking racing was a way for me to stay competitive after I retired from PONG without globe hopping, but I had moved up to a level where I needed to be just as dedicated, even if I wasn’t as talented.

I was 192lbs, and I got down to 174lbs. My training after that was incredible, and I was riding at the Expert level for sure. My first race at the Expert level was actually my best until the Oleta race this past season. I tell you, my body was super charged for about 6 weeks, which was how long it took me to let the bad food back into my diet. I slowly went back to my old diet of the occasional fried food meal, and eating a little bit too late for my liking. And after 4 months I was right back were I started even though I had not gained back all the weight. That was when I realized it was more about what you ate, then what was on the scale. Since 2005 I have not done the fast because I have just been too busy, or too afraid to go through the awful detox experience.

In Las Vegas at the breakfast buffet at the Stratosphere I looked over at Mrs. P and said, “It’s time for a fast”. I then proceeded to tell her everything that it involved, and she said she was on board. Man, I’m glad I have a wife that I can convince. She said, “Man, I’m looking for some abs to get in this bikini”, I'm not thinking about your ass. So much for confidence.

So I started this fast on Xmas day, of all days. I went to Vegas 193lbs, gained 6lbs eating buffets and fatty foods in Vegas, so I’m starting the fast at 199.2lbs. My plan is to do 10-12 days, but I’m feeling quite inspired and I think I going to take it up to 12-14 days instead. Since I’m in no rush to get back on the bike, I can really take my time and enjoy this process, if there is such a thing.

Fasting has many benefits, and my reasons where selfish and physical in the beginning. I wanted to see the abs I had from high school. As the time went by, it started to turn emotional and spiritual. Things that bothered me before just didn’t bother me any longer. Things that were important to me that gave me anxiety were equally important, but somehow they didn’t stress me out anymore. I was more aware of the emotional order to things. You can let it bother you, or you can let it roll off your shoulder. You can let the universe bend you and ruin your emotional posture, or you can bend the universe as you see fit. If this universe is full of energy, then you can push it out of the way to make your own kind of emotional harmony. If you have every seen the Matrix, then think, “There is no spoon”.

What I later learned to enjoy about the fast, was the breaking of food addictions. After reading at least 8 books on fasting, I realized that some times Will Power is just not enough. I have broke a food addiction to some type of food every time I fasted. The first was mayo, the second was pork, and the third was salt. Those were the main 3, especially if you are a Southern boy like me. You can either fight with wanting the food and not eat it, or you can erase the source of the addiction. So fasting erases the database of that food's exists. After that the body naturally craves food that comes out of the ground, and especially those that are not fried.

I’m not an expert on this subject, but I have done it enough to know what goes on with the body. So, I’ll tell you what my experience has been like. Fasting does a multitudes of things, and the first one is it give your digestive tract a rest. If you are American, then you are most likely overeating, because it’s our culture. I learned that when I lived in Europe. We also eat really fast, again, it’s a cultural thing. We also have awful food combinations that make digestion almost impossible. Most of our organs are overworked, and backed up with waste from the colon not being able to digest because of the type of foods that we eat that clog the system. So if the body is not taking in food, at day 3 it turns its energy inward and starts to detoxify. You lose your craving for food, and that nasty “ I need to eat” headache dissipates.

The first thing you will notice is your face become thinner, and your stomach becomes flatter as the colon flattens. The second stage is you lose your desire for food. This is when you realized that you go to the fridge way too often. At this point the colon now understands that it does not have to digest incoming food and starts to get rid of waste in it. That process breaks down fat reserves, and eliminates stored toxins. During an extended fast the body removes dead or dying cells, unwanted fatty tissue, trans-fatty acids, mucus on the intestinal wall, and excess cholesterol to name a few. But the real question you have is “Why Fast” right?

The answer is simple. Fasting restores good health, and that comes in the form of better digestion and elimination. If you have better digestion, your body breaks down more of it’s food. If you have better digestion, then more of you food get assimilated, which is the food that your body actually uses. That means that less of your food has the potential to become waste. That makes elimination much more productive. Fasting allows a deep, physiological rest of the digestive organs, and the energy that is saved goes into self-healing and self-repairing. One of my favorite radicals of Fasting was Arnold Ehret, and he had a very simple formula. It was “V” = “P” - O. It means Vitality equals Power minus Obstruction. Power is putting mucusless food in the body and having a clean colon that transfers food to you entire body. Obstruction is the products that we put into our body that slows down the power. The sum of that is Vitality. You have to remember the body is an thinking engine, and if you give it a break, it will make an attempt to heal and repair itself.

In July and August I worked myself from 197lbs to 186lbs, but I still had the same food cravings. That is why a fast is great, because it erases the entire database of food that your taste buds have acquired the taste for. My required reading during this period to keep me motivated is Mucusless Diet by Arnold Ehret. He has created a charts of foods that give you power, and the chart of foods that add obstruction. That give a simple picture of what the body does in the body, and not how it taste. The other book is called “Sick and Tired” by Robert Young, he has a link on youtube, check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ChU721jrn4&feature=related. In his book he does a great job of explaining the foods that are acidic, and the foods that are alkaline. I also have a multitude of literature that I have gathered over the years.

The great thing is Mrs. P. is in for 5 days, as she doesn’t feel like she has the energy to do more than that. I plan to go up to Jan 7th, which would make it 14 days. The average person loses about 1lb per day, but I have always lost between 2.5lbs and 3lbs. If I do 14 days, then I’m in for over 30lbs of weight lost which I think is too much. My cut off is about 175lbs. The body normally gains about 10lbs back as it fills up the small and large intestine. So, if I can get to that weight and maintain it while taking more of the bad food out of my diet then this would have been an successful effort.

I will be drinking chlorophyll to help with digestion. I’ll be taking a powder that attaches to the colon walls and removes waste safely. In addition, I’ll be taking pills to kill parasites. If you don’t think that we are all walking around with parasites, then check out this site. www.drnatura.com. I’ll also be taking bentonite clay, as it has iron in it, and it absorbs toxins that are in the blood stream which speed up the elimination process.

I know there are some people reading this and thinking, just stay motivated with what you eat. If that is your attitude, then I have a challenge for you to test your Will Power. I dare you to take 5 days out of your LIFE and go without food. That is the meaning of real “Will Power”. I can guarantee that you will remember those 5 days just as vividly as you remember your wedding day, or honeymoon. That will change your outlook on health, motivation, and determination.

I’m not sure if I want to post anything during the fast, as I might not be of sound body and mind But, I’ll most definitely post after the entire process is done. My plan is to stay off the computer, cell phone, ipod, tv, and radio during my fast. I’ll listen to rainforest, and thunderstorms every night to soothe the soul during this time of healing. My goal is to get back to this.

Wish a brother luck

Pacer Out!