Ouachita Challenge training - the outside kind this time
There, now that's better. I actually got out on the trails today. I managed to get around 90 minutes of good riding in before I figured it was time to hang it up. The trails were starting to come apart on me so I called a halt to it for the day.
I wish I'd been able to get out a little (or a lot) earlier, but sometimes Saturday mornings don't move along as rapidly as I'd like. If I had known the partly sunny-ness was going to start melting the trails - something I'll remember for next time - I would have pushed harder to get out the door. The temperature never got any higher than the upper 20's the whole time I was out there but the trails on the sides of the hills facing the sun were soaking up those rays pretty well.
I got about a lap and a half in before things started coming apart. The first lap the trail surface was rock solid. Frozen mud. Easy and clean riding. The second time through it started to thaw. Bits and pieces started sticking to my tires, getting tossed all over the place. A few minutes later they got downright greasy, a thin layer of muck on a softening trail surface. Anyone who rode after that time had to have had a hard time of it and definitely did some damage.
I moved my workout over to the other side of the park where the trail was more sheltered by the sun's rays and finished up there. All-in-all about 90 minutes of good solid riding. Not what I wanted but good Ouachita Challenge training all the same.
Speaking of the Ouachita Challenge... I was fortunate enough today to run into, Chris Ploch. He took 4th in last year's Ouachita Challenge and he's gunning for a podium finish this year. I wished him luck and assured him I wouldn't be around to see him take the title. It probably wasn't necessary though. I don't think he was all that worried about me anyway.
It will be good to see a home-town guy challenge for the top spot. Chris certainly looks the part. The guy do look fit.
I noticed
that Eric Pirtle was on the wait list. Hope he gets in. As you mention, probably not someone that we will see much of DURING the race.
Training Tips
hey 2old,
I've been reading through your blog. I am signed up for the tour and just hoping to finish. The weather has kept me off the trail but I've been trying to get a solid 30 miles every sunday on the paved path. Any good tips for other training until I can get on the dirt?
GP
I'll see what I can come up with
I'll be happy to give you a couple of recommendations, but bear in mind this is my first time doing this. Better advice and recommendations might come by Unit. He rode it last year. Perhaps some of the other guys out there might chime in too...
First, a couple of questions: What other training or riding are you doing besides 30 road miles a week? What are those 30 miles like? How fast are you riding them? What's the terrain like?
Mark Ewers
I may not be fast, but I'm 2 old 2 go slow
The painful truth...
The weather is making it tough to train for this. Truth is, you need to condition your entire body for this event.
You need to have your diet in check...you are going to need to eat and refill your tank often (Ouachita will take it out of you).
You need your upper body to be ready to take a pounding...the trails are great, but rocky, and you are going to feel fatigue from absorbing the shock...even if you are riding FS.
Your hands need to be strong...you will use a lot of brakes and I really noticed my fingers were aching a bunch last year from using brakes on the long rocky downhills.
Your lower body is going to need to be able to produce a lot of fartlek (off and on and highly variable) power for 5 to 8 hours depending on your pace. The hills are steep and long.
This ride will take a lot out of you...you can not be too prepared.