12 Hours of Snowmass is just 4 days away. I’ve been riding as much as I can to prepare for it, but in all honesty, I’m not anywhere near the shape I need to be in for a race of this caliper. I thought I was acclimating to the elevation and getting used to the climbing, but two tough rides last week were quick to put me in my place. I’ve got my last tough ride tonight and after that I will focus on rest and other preparation. I will be completely on my own for this one, so food and liquid preparation will have to be extra meticulous.

If this is the first time you’ve heard of my decision to compete in this race (i.e. we aren’t facebook friends), I didn’t really have the funds to make the trip and put up the registration fee. Luckily, they offer an option for you to fundraise your entry fee through activegiving.com. I reckoned if  I could even raise half the fee I could somehow manage to cover the rest. I’m pleased to announce that ZoeFitness stepped up and agreed to pay my full race fee, so I will be representing Zoe’s team at this race, and possibly some future races. Thank you so much, Zoe.

I would also like to thank my dear mom and former NRC/pedalmasher teammate Nick Cirrincione for contributing $30 to the cause. If anyone else wishes to contribute, the channels are still open to do so. Please visit my fundraising page . All donations  benefit the Aspen Youth Center, a safe and supportive place for youth to connect, learn and grow.  Although I can now cover whatever I fall short of $150 (thanks to a check from ZoeFitness), any additional funds I raise will help me cover race expenses, of which there are a lot at a 12 hour race. Your help is greatly appreciated. I also promise to pay it forward once I’m back on my feet in this new chapter of my life.  Stay tuned next week for a race recap.

Now, on to the racoons.

Since moving here I’ve had to kill one skunk and a racoon. They were tearing stuff up and the skunk posed a bit of a “health” risk snooping around my back door. I popped another skunk with a shot the other night and after that felt kinda bad, since he got away and either died a slow painful death somewhere in the woods, or survived, but perhaps slightly disabled. I decided I was going to live and let live after that fiasco and wouldn’t shoot any more critters unless I really had to.

Well, last night, I was rudely awakened by a pack of 5 coons ransacking my outdoor cook station. They had knocked down my skillets and were all over them like white on rice. The grunting licking sounds they were making were just disgusting. I open the door and they just sit there and stare at me. Two of them don’t even care and are going to town on whatever it is (goose fat I think) that is left in the pan. I don’t want to shoot them at point blank range, (1) because I’m in the RV and the shot will be a little loud, (2) if i miss i might hit the pan and have a bad richochet and (3) i don’t wont racoon guts on my porch and pans. There happens to be a framing level right next to the door, so I grab that and bop ’em on the head a few times so they scatter towards the yard.

I grab the trusty 9 shot .22 revolver and walk into the cool night air wearing only a pair of boxers. The first shot goes off without a hitch. Can’t tell if I hit one because my flashlight is going dim. I do know there was mass movement of racoons though. I go around to the back of the storage shed and there are three of them hanging out by a tree. At this point,  I think they realize I am not messing around. Two of them hightail it up the trail while the stupid one gives me a blank stare.  Well, this one gets popped with a cap. I hear an awful grunting sound for a few seconds and then he runs away. Tough little booger.

I flank around to another storage container and see two of them trying to hide underneath it. I close in for a better shot and take it. Could’ve been the same one I already shot, could have been a different one, but I still had no confirmed kill. I’m ticked at this point and hear them running for the woods. I initiate pursuit, but they have good cover and my light is pretty much dead, plus I’m getting cold. So, the little bastards appear to have won this battle, albeit with some casualty. Next time, they won’t be so lucky. I’ll forego the modern destructive power of a revolver and instead jab ’em with a caveman spear I’m working on. This way I don’t have to worry about neighbors calling in gunshots too.

Today I had a breakthrough ride. I had some free time and felt like doing a long, somewhat epic ride, and that is exactly what I got. I pulled out my map and saw Kennebec pass at 11,870 feet and quite aways from town. This out and back route would be my goal for the day. I began my journey at the Dry Fork trailhead at roughly 7400′. I climbed up to the Colorado trail to about 8600′ over about 4 miles. The whole time the skies were looking ominous and rain /lightning was threatening to hamper this ride, but I forged ahead anyways. I could see the tree lines of adjacent peaks not too far above me and I knew if I hit that elevation I would have to come back down because the open tundra is no place to be during a thunderstorm.

From there I took the CT north 3.5 miles to High Point at about 9600′. Along the way, I got my first glimpse of high country wildflowers.

Sally and I took a break to enjoy the view at high point.

From High point, it was a descent back down to Junction creek to about 8600′. The descent was fast, swoopy, a little treacherous in some places, and crossed lots of mini creeks, but was very scenic.

After crossing the footbridge, it was nothing but climbing out of junction creek canyon and towards Kennebec. By this point, it was drizzling and the trail had turned from awesome moist dirt into a little mush and lots of slippery rocks and roots. I had to hike a bike a lot more than I wanted to. On the up side, Junction creek offered plenty of scenery with waterfalls and wildflowers.

On the last stretch of ascent out of Junction Creek there is a really cool waterfall to admire.

After the waterfall, the trail climbs out of the canyon and towards Kennebec pass. It got less rocky, but more rooty, and a little steeper in places. By this point, I had gone through my 2 Larabars and was starting to feel drained. My 2×9 gearing is not very low (27/34) and I was getting back up to 10,000 feet, so I was forced to walk some of the steeper sections. I came up to CR 171 at about 10,500 ft and 2 miles from the pass, and decided to pull the plug and take the country road back into town. This would not only give me a loop to ride (instead of an out and back), but get me back quicker since I could coast full throttle on the road ( you can’t really do this on the trail due to the technical singletrack nature, but also because of other trail users) Despite my hopes that I wouldn’t have any more climbing to do, CR had maybe a few extra 100′ of climbing, but after that it was balls to the walls descending back to town at 35-45mph. Before the descending began, I had an awesome view of the valley below and mountains to the east. Notice the rain storm about 10 miles away.

Looking at my map, I noticed a “fun downhill” trail notated as part of the log chute trail system. At the trailhead along the road were a couple of fellows with downhill bikes doing shuttle runs. They told me the best way to ride the trail back down to the Colorado trail, but I was little uneasy about giving it a go seeing as how they had full pads and full suspension bikes with 8″ of travel and I was on a hardtail with maybe 3.5″ up front and XC tires. I forged ahead anyways and am I glad I did! I maybe had a 20 second headstart on the downhillers, but somehow I still beat them to the bottom. I have never in my entire life ripped a downhill like I did this very day, especially on a hardtail. It was a major breakthrough, and a fun one at that. When I got to the bottom, I had a choice to make. I could take junction creek road back into town (downhill all the way) and try to get a lift back to my truck at the dry fork trailhead OR, I could climb back up another 1000 feet to Gudy’s Rest and take the HoffHein’s connect down to my truck. I had already been on the trail for about 6 1/2 hours. I was tired and hungry and ready to be done. I didn’t want to leave my truck at the trailhead though, and so I mustered up some 24 hour resolve and bulldozed up the climb with energy I didn’t think I had. Another breakthrough. I was giddy after reaching the top, because I knew another smoking fast downhill was all that stood between me and my truck. I ripped Hoffhein’s even faster than the other downhill smiling all the way, my third breakthrough of the day.  I arrived at my truck both elated that the ride was over, but sad there was no more downhill to shred. Oh well, another day, another trail. That is the magic of Durango.

It’s been three weeks since I packed up and left Austin for the wild west in Durango. Lots of people want to know how things are going. They want to know where I’m staying, what I’m up to, how I’m doing. Some people are just now finding out that I’m in a different state and sending along their well wishes. Wherever you fall along these lines, hopefully this post will give you a little bit of insight into my new adventures here in Colorado.

I’m staying at a place off of Highway 160 W, about a 1/4 mile from downtown. Really couldn’t ask for a better location. Absolutely everything I need is within biking (and to large extent even walking) distance of my front door. I came across an opportunity to trade handyman work for my lodging. This is about the only way I can actually afford to live here since housing is so expensive. In exchange for about 10 hrs of work a week, I get to stay in 1978 Dodge Swinger slightly defunct RV. It has electricity, but no plumbing. Well, there is plumbing, but it’s not hooked up to water or sewage, so I can’t really use it. The engine doesn’t run, but that doesn’t matter to me since I’m using it more like a mobile home. The RV sits on a large parcel of land that has a main house and a garage apartment. If I need to take a shower or use the restroom I have access to the main house. Luckily, I don’t have to shower much and just try to take of business while in town, so it works out well for me. Here are some pictures:

I ride a bike every single day. Sometime it’s just into town to run errands or checkout Main Street. Other days, it’s intense, yet relaxing as I hop on either my geared YBS hardtail or singlespeed Kona Kula 2-9 and head for the trails. To date, I haven’t ridden the same trail twice since I arrived and I have plenty more trail to explore. The riding is absolutely amazing here. It has everything from smooth easy swoopy to white knuckle technical death defying mountain top riding. Anywhere from 6400′ to 12,000’+ Sometimes it is dry, dusty, and warm. Others it is overcast, rainy, and downright dangerous with the threat of lightning storms (it is monsoon season here, and late afternoon thunderstorms are common).Here are some of my favorite pics from out on the trail:

Durango is renown for its mountain biking, but the road biking isn’t half bad either. I just happened to bring a road bike and Monday took the skinny tires out for the first time. Instead of climbing up to peaks and ridges and looking down on everything, you are usually riding in between them and looking up, offering a totally different experience. Today I’m going to meet up with the local roadies for their version of the Tuesday nighter. Won’t be the same as the good ole Austin Tuesday nighter, but it will be fresh and I’m sure still a very good workout.

There is much more to do than just ride bikes. The local paper and a locally based website called buzztown publish daily events and deals, anything ranging from $1.50 taco specials to College concerts to live music at bars to art showings and much, much more. I’ve also been enjoying going to the Farmer’s Market each Saturday for fresh local food. For as small a town as this is, it is incredible how much is going on. Part of this inflated activity is because of tourism. The Narrow Gauge Railroad, Animas River rafting, eclectic Main St. atmosphere, and other outdoor activities attract a lot of tourist.

In addition to my handyman chores, I’ve resumed my contract architecture work. At this point, it is all from Austin clients, but I might start marketing for local work or a third job. Most of the locals are accustomed to working 2-3 part times jobs, not only to make ends meat in a pricey town, but also because of the seasonal nature of work here. The first few weeks have been enjoyable not being tied to work, but I’ve got a lot of activities I would to try out and they are all going to cost a little money. Fly fishing, elk/whitetail hunting (in the fall), possibly skiing if I stay into the winter, racing (MTB and maybe some alpine 5k/10k’s), hiking some 14er’s, camping the high country lakes, and then there is just normal maintenance costs for my bikes. If all goes well, I am going to try my hand at a race that ended disastrously last time I was at it, the granddaddy of them all, 24 Hours of Moab. This time solo. I feel better about my chance of success this time around since I know what to expect, I feel like I have a great bike setup, I’m living and training in similar geography, and my mental resolve has toughened since 2008.

I have been enjoying my time here and really love the town, but it has come with a steep price. I miss married life and I miss my dog. I’m heartbroken over how events have unraveled. I try to put a finger on where things went wrong, but I can’t. Not a day goes by I don’t think about the good times I had with Colleem. Being in Colorado makes me think about the vacation we took here a few years back. I remember vividly drinking soda water in Manitou Springs, taking in the Royal Gorge, enjoying the hippy dip in Pagosa Springs, staying a night with Shonny V here in Durango, nearly tearing apart our Subaru Outback rental going down Ophir Pass, dancing at the Fall Festival in Telluride, and eating gourmet pizza with Tony Benson in Crested Butte.

So about my post title. Purgatory is a theological concept derived in large part from the imagination of early Christians. It describes a place where people go after death to hopefully be prepared for acceptance into heaven if they haven’t quite met all the requirements. The ultimate outcome of their soul hasn’t been determined, and so they might be stuck in Purgatory for a while until their fate is resolved.

Purgatory is also the old name of the ski resort right north of Durango, now called the Durango Mountain Resort at Purgatory, so it’s rather fitting that I picked the title post that I did.  I feel like I am stuck in my own little Purgatory.One half of me wants to stay here for a long time and make this my new home. Get a Colorado drivers license and plates, maybe even buy a 4×4. Leave all my troubles from Austin in Austin and move on. The other half  is struggling to let it go. I still care about Colleem. I still love a lot of things about Austin. At the core of my existence is a place they call Texas. I own two rentals there and it has been difficult trying to run them from here. There is more business opportunity in Austin. Blue Bell and Tex Mex are in abundant supply. It’s a lot to leave behind and I’m just now sure which place is going to be my heaven. With my luck, it might not be either.

What I do know, is that whatever happens will happen for the best. I’ve strongly held this belief ever since I was a teenager and began developing the ability to think for myself. Even when I collided with a car at mach 1 and dislocated my shoulder, I found the good. Even when I’ve lost loved ones I have been able to celebrate their life or realize the positive role they had in my life and others’. Even through all the struggles I’m dealing with now, they have afforded me the chance to live somewhere new and experience new things. So for the moment, I’ll just keep floating along, enjoying my new found freedom, and thanking the good Lord for all my blessings.

I have completed the long boring drive across Texas and New Mexico. My Caveman compass pointed me towards Durango, CO, and I will make this my home for a while. My journey began  by leaving my beloved homebase of eleven years, Austin, and heading up to my hometown of Terrell to stay a night and see family. From there, I headed West and a little north across TX and NM. Here is a picto-post of my journey thus far:

Driving across the parched nothingness of North Texas near Wichita Falls.

The digital thermometers at every small town I drove through registered 102+ d F, and I was rolling with the 2-60 AC 90% of the trip. At least the roads were free of traffic and the Texas sky was big and bright.

The world famous Cadillac Ranch just outside of Amarillo. I can finally scratch this one off my Texas bucket list.

Got to watch the sunset in Texas one last time. Lego Caveman was an ok travel companion. He didn’t talk much, but sometimes that is good thing.

Farewell, Lone Star state.

As I neared Tucamcari, NM I had a front row seat to a spectacular lightning storm. My camera didn’t have night settings, so all i got was blurry car lights and a little white patch from a lighting bolt illuminating the clouds. The strorm was actually a little down the road in Santa Rosa, NM where I spent the night.

By the time I hit Santa Rosa, NM, it was late and I was tired of driving so decided to find a campground for the night. There is a state park on Santa Rosa lake just north of town. I had a hell of time finding the park and a place to pitch a tent (thanks to the state of New Mexico’s uber intuitive wayfinding), but eventually found an ok pad, setup camp, and crashed hard. I woke up to a beautiful sunrise.

Made it through Albuquerque and onto Hwy 550 which would take me all the way to Durango.  I could see the beginnings of the San Juan mountains in the background.

Colorado State Line, my new home state for a while.

On top of the plateau looking down into the Animas river valley. A beautiful day here in the 4 corners region.

This is the view looking south from my new place.

Here is a view of my backyard. I caught this pretty little lady hanging out mid day. There are some crabapples on the property that she really enjoys. I got to within 10 ft tossing some her way.

So, that sums up the trip and a little bit about where I have landed. My second day here I met up with Austin mountain bike friend Payson McElveen who will be going to school here at Ft. Lewis College and we rode a good chunk of Horse Gulch, the more popular local trail system starting right out of downtown. I’m totally out of shape and struggled to keep up with him on the climbs, but I reckon a 3-4 rides out here a week will get me back in shape very quickly. Enjoy the ride!
Caveman

The weekend went according to plan and I did make it to Warda to participate in the Blazing Saddles 6 hour race on Saturday. Ladybird and I made it out to the ranch around 4pm and started setting up. Former NRC/Pedalmasher head honcho James Webb showed up about a half hour later and started setting up his gear next to mine, as we had coordinated earlier in the week. Both of us would be racing completely self supported, other than having each others tools/food/water to share. Having Colleen at these long races has really spoiled me, but I’m no stranger to self supported racing and this go round it was actually kind of nice. I wasn’t out to win this one, and not having to squeeze every single second out of my feed zone times helped reinforce this mentality.

The Solo Open Men took off at 6pm followed by the Solo Men 1 minute later, and then 2 person teams and women (the open class is more competitive and has higher payout, it is what I race). The Texas summer did not disappoint this day. Race start was probably around 98 degrees (at least it wasn’t 106 like we’ve hit in the past few weeks) but this was still plenty hot to punish any who dare forsake it. I mentioned in my last post that heat tolerance was one of the only advantages I had going for me. While I can do low intensity work all day in the heat, racing in it is a different story.It still zapped me and forced me to stay below my threshold. I felt like I had the legs, just not the conditioning needed to fuel the legs at this temperature. So, I let lots of people pass and told myself I am a second half racer-when these hot heads are spent after a few laps I’ll still be consistent and cruise on by.

I was racing Long Tall Sally 2.0 for the first time. Mike of YBS bikes had dropped it off Wednesday that week and I hurried to get her built and dialed in before the race. I normally would never do anything like this since it is asking for mechanical and bike fit issues, but since I wasn’t planning on being super competitive for this race, I saw it as a great chance to break her in. Also, before the frame came in, I was debating which bike to race-Proud Mary the light fast snappy hardtail, or Big Tex the heavier but much more comfortable full suspension. Having limited ride time the past few weeks, I didn’t know If I could handle 6 hours on an alloy hardtail. A steel hardtail was a good compromise. Heavier than the Kona Kula (only about 1.5 lbs), but lighter than the fully, with the supple riding quality of steel!

I had my only mechanical on the first lap. I washed out in a sandy turn and had to put my foot down. The chain jumped off the big ring onto the crank arm. I was using an old bent front derailleur that my sponsor shop had lying in the scrap box in the back ( the frame clearances are a little weird on this bike and this was the only one we found that was compatible). It wasn’t an ideal setup, but after that little flop I didn’t have one single problem with the bike the rest of the race. I loved the 2×9 gearing with 40/27 up front and 34/11 in the rear. I am going to see about going to a 36 or 38 ring instead of a 40 so I can stay in the big ring more often and spin a little faster.

The evening wore on and after 4 laps it was getting dark. Threw the lights on and started out for lap 5. The heat had taken its toll on just about everybody at this point. Riders were dropping like flies. I was feeling ok though, and kept chugging along. Just as predicted, I began passing riders and building my confidence. I felt my second wind coming on and the pace picked up. My legs had reached that point of fatigue where the pain somehow feels good and you get a sense that you can ride forever. My biggest concern coming into the race, whether or not my butt would hold up from saddle soreness, didn’t seem to be an issue. All of a sudden, the race demon came out, sort of.

I knew the lead was out of the question ( the winner, Tristan Uhl would actually lap me at the end of this lap), but, I figured If i pushed hard and made up 5 minutes a lap, I could catch anyone within 20 minutes. Maybe I could get a podium spot. I kept the pace high.

After a short break back at camp, I started on the 7th lap. I could tell my motor skills were fading even though my muscles felt fine. I’ve dealt with failing motor skills in the middle of 24 hour races at 2:30am, but never at a 6 hour at 10:30pm. This started a bit sloppy and just got worse until I smacked a tree with my left handlebar. My right shoulder is the one recovering from dislocation, but the impact was kind of an action-reaction sequence and jerked my right shoulder forward unexpectedly. It wasn’t excruciating pain, maybe 7 out of 10, but it gave me a pretty good scare. With 10,000 more trees between me and the finish line, I decided to play it safe, slow down, and call it a day after this lap. I rolled in at 11:06pm, a little bummed I didn’t go the full 6 hours, but pleased nonetheless with the effort and really, really excited that the race demon had paid me a visit.

Thanks to friends and sponsors who had a hand in my success: YBS Bikes, Eastside Pedalpushers, Bobcat13 Photography, Paleo Cookbooks, James Webb, and the world’s best cheerleader, my dog Ladybird.

There is a 6 hour race at Warda this weekend that I plan on competing in. It will be the 2nd race I’ve attempted since recovering (mostly) from the accident March 16. It will be the first endurance event I’ve attempted since then. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even done anything over about 3 hours. This relentless Texas summer promises to make this one a scorcher. It will start at 6pm and last til midnight. I bet at midnight, the temp will still be around 85 degrees, hot enough for bike parks in Canada to issue heat advisories. Ha! 85 is pleasant to a tried and true Texan this time of year. My heat tolerance is about the only thing I have going for me since I’ve been working a lot on my rental without any AC. I have been riding more, but not really enough to be competitive.

My last two experiences at Warda have been less than satisfactory. The strange withdrawal at the 12 hour, and the 4th place finish at the XC race a few weeks later. This time will be different though, because I have no expectations, other than to get some ride time in and have some fun. If for some reason I accomplish neither of these, then at that point I might be a little upset. Otherwise, I aim to keep it chill and attempt  to finish.

About the bike pics. This is Long Tall Sally 2.0. If you recall, YBS Bikes agreed to build me a custom steel 29er for way cheap as a prize for winning the 2010 24 Hours of Rocky Hill. The frame they built was cool, but they left off a few details, so I sent it back to get tweaked and this time they got it right. Excellent customer service! I do really enjoy single speed riding, but I also enjoy what gears can bring to the table! With a derailleur hanger and some cable stops, the frame is now ready to accept gears! I threw on my trusty 2×9 middleburn DUO setup and also added a brand spanking new FOX F29 fork (which YBS also gave me a great deal on) and I look forward to trying out this setup at Warda this weekend. As it stands, Colleen will be out of the country for work and I haven’t found anyone to man the caveman pit, but I’m ok going unsupported for this one. Sometimes its more fun this way.

I woke around 7:30am this morning. Somehow the low 80’s temp felt cool. I’ve been doing LOTS of physical labor throughout these 100 degree days in central Texas. Water seems to sweat right out as soon as I drink it. BUT, I’m becoming very tolerant to the heat once more. When you’re used to 100, 83 does indeed feel pretty cool. So cool in fact, that I was inspired to hit the trail with Big Tex (bike) and Ladybird (pooch). We quickly packed up and headed off for the 360 trailhead before the mercury climbed back to 100. It’s been about 2 weeks since I’ve got to mountain bike and it was just an absolute blast.

After clearing the middle grounds and riding past an empty twin falls, we decided to hop on Rudy’s loop. The heat of the day was starting to show itself by the time we ascended to the top. On the way down, I spooked a doe and nearly slammed her at a pretty good clip. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to hitting a deer, but a good grip of the brakes avoided catastrophe and we made it back down to the main trail safely. At the bottom of the hill of life was enough water for the dog to get a good sip and cool off in.

Having felt Ladybird was refreshed, we took off for the ultimate Greenbelt achievement, something I can’t remember the last time I attempted: climbing the Hill of Life without stopping. I hadn’t attempted this in a while because I’m usually on a a Singlespeed and just don’t have the gears or legs needed to crest this very steep and technical climb. Today I had 27 gears and 100mm of suspension front and rear with the biggest nobbiest tires I own. I didn’t know if I had the fitness, but I was going to find out. I actually only dabbed once on the toughest ledge to clear, but still felt very proud upon reaching the top.

I dusted the dog on the way back down and we made our way back to the car. I probably pushed her a little too hard since she was gasping horribly for air, but the Max A/C along with more water to her back got her feeling better just in time for breakfast at Maria’s taco express. Three migas tacos and I was set for the rest of the day. I still think I’ll be doing some sort of racing come fall, but right now, I’m just riding for the fun of it, which is the best kind of riding there is. Maybe the kindle can wait til daily highs get back below 90 degrees

If you haven’t seen the update on Paleo Diet and Living yet, the big news of the day is that an interview by Paleo Cookbooks has been published with me as the featured guest. It’s an easy and informative read about how the paleo diet has helped me as an athlete. Check it out when you get a moment.

Caveman

Good Lord Almighty. Following the progress I’ve been having with my shoulder-slow, but steady- I decided in the eleventh hour that the last TMBRA race of the season would be a good morale booster. I was even hopeful that I could still hang with the big boys in the Singlespeed Open category. It is always important to separate your hopes from your expectations! ESPECIALLY after 9 weeks off the bike. Especially when you decide to restart your racing career riding a rigid singlespeed on the course I had to ride Sunday with the weather that ensued.

New for the Rocky Hill race this year was a Euro style short 4 mile loop. The Pros had to do 5 laps, and singlespeeders got a “break” only having to do 4 laps. I parenthesize “break”, because the course was not very singlespeed friendly. A lot of new trail had been cut connecting some of the hillier parts of the course making it a constant up or down slug through the woods. The new cuts weren’t broken in yet either, making for a bumpy ride. Either that, or I’ve just become extremely wussified. I think had it not been around 95 degrees with 75% humidity it would have been a little more tolerable. Instead, it turned out to be one of the worst suffer fests I’ve ever endured. Thank God it only lasted 1 hour and 49 minutes.

But still, I’m usually able to excel in difficult weather conditions. It is blatantly obvious to me how important conditioning is to overcoming such obstacles. My body was working double overtime trying to hang with the field, and that effort, compounded with the heat, nearly put in me in heat exhaustion. I thought about throwing in the towel mid way through lap two. This thought was reinforced when I came across Jeff Campbell, a super tough singlespeeder catching his breath at the top of the worst climb on the whole course. He was cussing the heat and saying how he was going to quit when he reached the finish. Must have changed his mind, because after I changed my mind to keep going I saw him taking off for the third lap. That third had me questioning whether my decision to continue was a good one. At this point I was forced to walk the tougher climbs.

On the last lap, I was starting to feel cold shivers and could feel things starting to shut down. Luckily, there was a beer party sponsored by Shiner hanging out at the top of “The Wall”. I desperately needed something cold, and this place had my answer. With a simple left arm reaching towards the masses, a cold pint of Shiner Bock beer magically appeared in my hand. The frosty beverage was downed in one fell swoop, and after paying my respect to the hecklers I was off again. It was just what I needed to make it to the finish line.

I spent some time at the Bicycle Sport Shop tent (my wife’s team, she raced earlier in the morning) cooling down with ice and more beer. There didn’t seem to be any shortage of beer at this race and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t about to enjoy it after that hell hole of a bike ride. I ended up 5th of 8, only because 3 riders Did Not Finish ( I think the heat took its toll on them too). The price for my “moral victory” was quite steep. Heat exhaustion is no laughing matter. But in the end, I’m glad I went out and gave  it a go. The support from fellow racers and spectators who were happy to see me back out doing what I love was very encouraging. Thanks to everyone who passed along kind words or pats on the back.

From here I start doing what I should have done prior to this race, gradually get back in shape, and who know maybe I’ll find some odd races to do in the summer  but Fall will remain my main focus. That day long race at the end of October is still kind of on my mind too Hope everyone has a fun and safe memorial day weekend and enjoys the start to another summer!

Caveman

Here is a little less painful looking picture on the first lap when I still had a little zip in me!

It was about two weeks ago I remember picking up my slingshot to see if I could still draw it. I couldn’t. It was a bit demoralizing. Things are starting to change though. Sunday, I felt it was time to hit the trail once more. I grabbed Big Tex and the dog and we made a trip to the holiest of places in Austin, the Greenbelt. We started out pretty chill, and I tried my best to keep it this way. The shoulder felt fine. The legs and lungs surprisingly felt fine. My technical skills hadn’t diminished one  single bit, in fact, they almost seemed better because I was riding at such a chill pace. I wasn’t planning on hitting up any backtrails since they are more technical than the main trail and fewer people use them, meaning I could be in trouble if I took a spill, but after Bird and I got to the dam and swam, we decided that it was just too nice a day to go home so soon. So we pushed deeper into no man’s land hitting up woodchip hill and then Travis Country. There is a nice little spot atop a bluff where you can stop and overlook the valley below, so we stopped for a little sunbath and to give thanks to the Creator for the beautiful day and many blessings bestowed upon us. I don’t know how, but I cleared that entire section of trail all the way to the power line. It was like my skills had gotten better with the time off the bike. We took the powerline trail all the way back to the creek before heading back to the 360 parking lot. It was about a 3 hour trip including stops, and surprisingly enough, the shoulder felt ok.

My first physical therapy (PT) session had occurred the Friday before, and I had noticed some improvement, which spurred me to go for the ride. Although there wasn’t a lot of pain, the ride sort of cinched things up and we had to work it back out with my Monday session. I don’t have regrets for doing the ride, and besides, you don’t know how an organism responds to a stimulus without testing it out. The Monday PT session wasn’t as promising and much more painful, to the point that I came close to blacking out again, but these things take time.

Today, Tuesday, something happened that inspired me to see if I could draw my hunting bow. I took it out and tried and nada. It was set at the maximum 60 lb draw weight from when I was healthy. So I took out my allen wrench and backed off the weight some. Don’t know what it is, maybe 35 or 40 lbs, but I can draw it! First shot I tried to take and my string peep exploded and the arrow just fell to the ground. Nock must have slipped causing a “dry fire”. So now I’ve got sight pins, but no sight peep. The pins are pretty much worthless without a peep, so I take the pins off and I now all I have is my instinct. I’m also having to shoot with a finger tab since my trigger release glove has made my draw length too long (I think because I let so much weight off). Shooting a modern compound bow with old school techniques is interesting. But you know what, after a few shots of learning where the arrow went relative to my reference point, I nailed the target!

After that got a little tiring, I decided to play with the slingshot, which had demoralized me in the first place. I found a nice round rock, and happen to notice an ugly bird staring at my tomato plant which has some nice green tomatoes on it at the moment. I draw, take aim, and BAM! Rock hits the ground about 1″ away from the bird. A non-lethal shot, but effective, nonetheless.

So, all these things are small victories for me. Not as exciting as winning a 24 hour race, but the journey to success starts with a single footstep. What footsteps are you needing to take? Thanks for reading.

Caveman

It has been almost 8 weeks since the accident that dislocated my right shoulder. It’s been a little over 2 weeks since I launched the new website. Time flies. It seems like yesterday I was laying on the couch watching movies on netflix with my arm in a sling. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to do the things I loved ever again. The body is a resilient thing though, especially when you follow the Paleo Diet and and live like a Caveman!

I’m happy to report that I can do push ups and pull ups, cut down trees, work on the house, run , and you guessed it, ride a bike. Now just because I can do these things doesn’t mean I am, at least not in any intensity that leads me to believe I might pop my humerus back out of the shoulder joint. Riding my commuter around town doesn’t hurt at all so at least I can get places without having to drive. Driving sucks.

I have hopped on some fat tires to take the dog for a run in some neighborhood parks and trails.It feels alright as long as I take it easy. Big bumps and roots hurt. My desire to be racing again by the fall shouldn’t be a problem. While I never enjoy injury, I do enjoy bouncing back from it and coming back a little stronger. I long to be doing classic greenbelt rides so badly, but they will have to wait and I have full confidence I could sustain a fall without re-injury.

I start rehab this week and hopefully the doc can help break up all that scar tissue and restore my range of motion. Currently, any motion with my arm raised above my shoulder is painful or just not possible. Swimming might be something I won’t make a full comeback at, but I’m not going to say never!

I’ve been thinking a little bit about what to do with this blog. Now that the other heavy duty Paleo site is up, I won’t be posting anymore articles about the Caveman diet, workouts, or lifestyle on this blog. Those will all be on the new site. I will, however, continue to post race reports and personal insights that I feel worthy of sharing. I might even revamp this blog so that I own it and wordpress doesn’t. This will give me some flexibility that the free wordpress platform doesn’t (plus my own domain name!) No hurry though. If that day comes I will certainly announce it on this site.

Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely spring weather. Summer is right around the corner!