Steve Miller’s Training Blog

My last endurance race of this season is coming up this weekend. The 12 Hours of Pando is this Saturday. I did this race last year as a 6 hour and was really taught a lesson about going out too fast and climbing too hard. This year I intend to start slower. My goal is to double the number of laps I did in the 6 hour race last year which would make my goal 18 laps. The laps are short but there is a lot of climbing. I think my focus for the winter will be losing weight, then building endurance and speed. Hopefully I can perform better in the races with climbing.

Tonight will be my last ride before the race. I will be riding in the Cycle To Fitness Wednesday Maybury Miles group ride. If I can recover fast enough, I will also ride in the Maybury Cross Country race a week from Saturday. Maybury is my “home” trail and a race there is always fun. My only goal for this race is to equal my time of last year, which 7 days after a 12 hour race should be a tough goal.

Tonight will also be my last Wednesday night group ride as I am starting a new challenge. I will be an assistant coach for my daughters soccer team. Next Wednesday is the first practice. Stephanie and I are both excited about me coaching.

I was awakened by my boss this morning at 2:00 am for a problem at work. (Yes, waking up for these is part of the job, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.) Two hours later and the problem is solved. Oh yeah, my alarm goes off in 30 more minutes, so what else should I do. It is a perfect time to blog.

Yesterday I had planned on doing my first group road ride. I left work on time and arrived at the bike shop we were meeting at in plenty of time. My road bike had been on the trainer and had not been ridden in a while, so I put air in the tires and start getting the rest of my stuff together. Then I hear the unmistakable sound of air rapidly exiting my rear tire. Ok, no big deal, I have a spare tube, I will just put it in and buy a new spare from the shop. So I put the new tube in, reinflate, remount the wheel and start going about my business. The next thing I know I hear that same sound again. So now I have lost my primary and spare tube and the ride is supposed to start in 5 minutes. I knew that this must be a sign, so I just pack up and go home. Then when I get home I start investigating and find that there was a tear in the rim strip at a spoke hole. The edge of the spoke hole was sharp enough to open up the tube.

Hopefully tonight will go better. Tonight I intend to ride the Cycle to Fitness Wednesday Maybury Miles Group Ride. I have done this ride before and it is very fun. It is usually a good 4 hour ride. About 13 to 16 miles of trails and about 30 miles of road. Although the 95 degree heat ought to make it fun in a sick and twisted way.

The new job is starting well, and I think I am going to like it. It is a big change for me having spent most of my career in IT supporting the Automotive industry to now move to the Health Care Industry. There are a lot of similarities, but the differences are huge.

Well, My alarm just went off, so I guess it is time to stop writing and start getting ready for work.