August, 10, 2008

Sport 45–49

10th place, 2:05

95°+, dry and dusty

 

I was 6 minutes slower than last year. Fortunately, the conditions made everyone else slower as well.

 

A few months ago, I started working out with Al Painter, from Integrate Performance Fitness in Mountain View, CA. He recently opened his own workout studio and created a test program for MTB riders focusing on building power and balance. Workouts were an hour of circuit training with light weights, high reps, and quick transitions to keep our heart rates up. Many exercises required wobbly surfaces (foam, swiss balls, BOSU, etc.) to engage core muscles. As we were posting our program reviews on mtbr.com, someone asked about the "control group". Well, we didn't have an official group other than our fellow racers. Now, I'm the "control group," as my results have suffered since stopping the program.

 

My next race is the California state championships a month from now. That's plenty of time to restart the program.