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Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
I've gotten back on the fitness train with the bravado and clarity of mind of a drunken sailor. A friend and I discussed entering a distance back country bike race about a year ago and this January we finally pulled the trigger. But in an uncharacteristically manic moment, particularly for the friend, we decided to opt for a 24hr, 200 mile, 10,000 ft of elevation gravel race. Neither of us has ever road over 120 miles in a day and even for those periods never over 2,500 feet. The manic decision has culminated into a frenetic energy around our training where we are just trying to get on the bikes as much as we can, for as long as we can in the meantime. I don't want to jinx myself and say we're careening towards an injury, but with the current pace it does feel a bit that way. I'm not sure what else to do to be ready by June though. All in all though, I'm equal parts terrified and excited.
The compounding factor on this is that my partner got me tickets to a "secret screening" of new Beau Miles videos which Beau attended and spoke at. I have one other friend in my life that appreciates his content, so we made a boys day of it up to San Francisco. (@cfabbro, you're probably the only other person in my orbit that gets as excited as I do about his videos!) I brought a bottle of homemade hooch for Beau and actually got to spend a good deal of time chatting with him! Hopefully without giving too many details away, he found out I live somewhat close to where Tortilla Flat (the inspiration for this incredible feat) is set and got excited at the possibility of coming to visit us for a video on another aspect of the book. Well this sent an already active fitness dive into full tailspin. If Beau is going to come out for some combination of running/watersports I need to get my butt into gear. So on top of the biking I've added more running, swimming, and climbing back into the mix. Again, it's all a little frenetic and jumbled as I try to fit everything in, but I'm pretty excited to be back on the horse again after some pretty major injuries in 2022.
It's all been very motivating but I'm pretty wary about the cumulative effects on my overall structural health. Trying to focus on physical therapy to keep everything in line and truth be told I feel better than I have in years. Famous last words though so we'll see...
My brother in law is pretty serious about gravel road races, including placing high and even winning some races (for riders over 50). He is really hardcore. But he mainly races in Kansas and Nebraska where there are mainly long, low hills. 10,000 ft over 200 miles sounds absolutely insane!
What kind of bike are you using? Some of those gravel bikes are really expensive.
None of these comments are meant to scare you. That sounds awesome! There is nothing like a gonzo fitness goal to shake some motivation into your psyche. Good luck! Please do post some updates as you get closer to the race.
Thanks! Definitely a gonzo fitness goal. Sounds like your brother in law has quite a few feats under his belt! I'm just hoping to finish within the 24 hour limit. The one I'm riding is in Kansas as well, in the Flint Hills. I think it ends up being ~10,000 feet just because of how long the riding is.
I'm still debating what bike I'll be riding. I've got a Surly Disk Trucker that I've done extended gravel rides on (like 550 miles over 2 weeks) that I'm training on. I think riding my full suspension mountain bike would just about kill me. I'm also thinking of pulling the trigger on a new bike as the bike market is finally crashing after a few years of insanity. I'd like to get a bike that I would get some other use out of as well, particularly as a rough terrain bike-packing bike. I'm looking at the Salsa Timberjack and the Surly Ghost Grappler or Karate Monkey. I realize those aren't ideal bike for gravel racing but they serve my other hobbies better.
Happy to post updates, hopefully they'll be happy ones!
Oh, man. That's awesome, and I'm super jealous!!! Was Beau as pleasant and charismatic in real life as he is in the videos?
One of my best friend's met another of my personal heroes, Les Stroud (AKA Survivorman), a few years ago at a talk. He then got invited to the bar where Les was performing with his band, and spent some time drinking and hanging out with all of them afterwards. My buddy said Les was every bit as nice and chill as he appears on TV. So sometimes that old proverb 'never meet your heroes' thankfully isn't true.
I had the same apprehension but I am extremely happy to say Beau was every bit as charismatic and kind in real life. My friend and I got to the venue just before the films started so there wasn't a lot of seating and I called back to him "Looks like there are still some good seats at the sides". It turns out Beau was standing right next to me and just says "Ahhh, the wings are always the best. See you there in a bit bud." And genuinely sat like 2 people from us while the films played. His showtime banter was hilarious, chatting to him after the show was very easy and genuine, and he seemed to focus completely on everyone who stopped to chat (and there were a lot of chatters). His camera man Mitch even stopped us as we were leaving the bathroom to ask us which film was our favorite and chat a bit. His whole team is awesome.
That genuinely does my heart good to hear that! Thanks for sharing. :)
Decided to explore some local trials this weekend. I did a long, fast paced, solo hike on Saturday during which I really cleared my head and felt invigorated. On Sunday I did a leisure hike with the family which was just beautiful and relaxing. Very good for my mental health and so I’ll be making this a regular thing.