A fun photo from one of last week’s CrossFit workouts at EmerFit:
- Team row of 4000 meters
- Each team member could not row more than 500 meters at one time
- While resting the team member had to hold the 32kg Kettle Bell (70.4 lbs)
- If you dropped the kettle bell each team member had to do 5 burpees (Jobe and I held on tight)

Jobe (buddy from work) and I teamed up to knock this out. I think our time was 15:00 something. The rest time was almost as hard as the rowing. The weight of the kettle bell was dragging you down so you could never get air back in your lungs. I have a love/hate relationship with the row.

It was brutal and I gladly ate thousands of Thanksgiving calories as a way to repay myself for the hard work.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Black Friday online special: visit www.motortabs.com- click ‘buy now’ – place your order – use coupon code: MTPRO and save 43%…the offer is good Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday ONLY!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
via Greg Sellers

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Day 1, Highlands Ranch, CO

It’s another Colorado trip for the Thanksgiving holiday. The first two days in town I spent riding around the hills of Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

The riding is smooth and fun. There really is nothing I found that is too technical for a cross bike and the warm weather made it even more perfect. However, all the warm weather was melting the snow making for some super fun and slippery descents.

On the way back to Aunt Florence’s house I stopped at the local high school to get in a few powder runs to train for the Powder 8 championships.

-DSheek
“Day 2 is better.”

Free $51 eGift Card with any North Face Jacket over $149! Use promo code, “TNF51″ at checkout.

Happy Thanksgiving friends! Here’s a picture of my boys this morning waiting for their mom to start her 4 mile Turkey Trot. She ran it in 29:20. Amazing day in CO!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Southern California/Nevada Cyclocross Championships
SCPS #12: Convert Cross

Photo: Kate Ybara
With clear skies, no winds, and a fantastic course Lake Casitas park was this year’s venue for the Southern California/Nevada Cyclocross Championships. The wonderful location and beautiful views made for an epic day. The course supplied one of the most consistently flowing raced this season. The combination of turns with loose dirt, fast sweeping grass sections, climbs, and the two flat road sections gave riders a lot of opportunities to race more tactically, which was evident all day.

We have to say congratulations to all the new champions who went out and worked so hard. There were many excellent races but a few that can’t go without mentioning are: the men’s 35-39, where Fritz Bottger (PAA) and Garnet Vertican (Giant Bikes) battled the entire race putting on one of the best shows. They destroyed each other, lap after lap, exchanging the lead until it ultimately came down to the final sprint were Bottger was able to take the title. In the men’s 50-54, it was Bob Langin Sr. who has been sidelined, off and on, recently due to a heart condition, however, it did not seem to slow him today as he pulled off his biggest win on the season.

Elite Women:
Coryn Rivera (Proman) was back in the mix this week as she tunes herself up for national championships and it was Rivera’s race from the start. She took the whole shot and lead the race off the pavement through the first 180 degree turn and did not look back. On her tail it was Melody Metzger (Cal Giant) with the other Southern California star Kendall Ryan (SoCalCross/CICLE) in third. The two worked hard trying to close the gap on Rivera but Rivera’s power was too much. The real battle then was for second and third, until there were two laps to go when Metzger had a mechanical which was just enough for Ryan to sneak away. Metzger held her ground but could not catch back with Ryan. In the end it was Rivera who added another title to her belt, Kendall Ryan second, Metzger third, Baumketzer fourth, and Alexis Ryan to round out the top five.

Elite Men:
The long road start was taken by last weeks winner John Behrens (Bailey Bikes) who came out in the lead through the first loose turn and he continued his pace through the first half of lap one. Then it was series leader Brent Prenzlow (B&L/Celo Pacific) who commanded the front spot going up the long climb and through the triple barrier section. He had the lead position but the front group was not breaking up. All race it was a group of at least six to seven riders as they tactically watched each other, applying their efforts in their chosen sections but it would not crack the group. On the third lap going into the fast flat barrier section Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air/Specialized) went over the bars hard as he was hopping the barriers. It was a hard crash but not enough to put him out of contention because he has the power and pedaled back onto the front group within half a lap. Prenzlow was racing smart at this point with the other lead riders as the exchanged pulls through different sections continuing to pull away from the rest of the elite field. We saw Gary Douville (Platinum Performance) up front, and then Taberlay, Mountain Bike Legend Ned Overend and others as the group came through each lap. With four to go Prenzlow dropped off the front pack with his foot unclipped, maybe with a pedal issue, but by the fifth lap he was back in the group. Finally, with one to go pack of six came to the last turn before the barriers. Mark Noble (Nonstop Ciclismo) made a move in the tight corner to pass Overend but he lost traction and slid out which made Prenzlow run into the back of him. It was just what was needed for Taberlay, Douville, and Brandon Gritters (Rock N’ Road Cyclery) who monopolized on the two tangled riders. Taberlay instantly attacked leaving Douville and Gritters in the chase. Prenzlow and Noble were back in the chase quickly but it was close. Taberlay kept attacking through the final climb and onto the road for the final sprint for the win. However, while he did have an impressive race to take the win, his Australian citizenship does not allow him the Southern California/Nevada Championship so Gary Douville took the championship title and second on the day. And, behind sprinting up the road it was Brent Prenzlow who just passed Gritters before the line for third, with Gritters Fourth and Ned Overend to round out the top five.

Photo: Kate Ybara
Thank you to all who came out for another weekend of racing and spectating. The crowd’s cheers definitely charged the racing for this exciting championship weekend. We look forward to seeing everyone next Sunday, November 29, for the always-fun post Thanksgiving, Gene Galindo Memorial Turkey Trot, where the free turkey dogs flow like the salmon of Capistrano.

Congratulations to all the awarded Southern California/Nevada District Champions…
Juniors:
Women
10-12, Hannah Eckvahl (Velo Bella)
13-14, Tori Baldewin (Team Velocity)
15-16, Hannah Rae Finchamp (Team CICLE)
17-18, Somersby Jenkins (Echelon Santa Barbara)
Men
10-12, Duncan Reid (BikePalace/BackOnTrack)
13-14, Cammeron Williams (Bear Valley Bikes)
15-16, Alex Darville (Echelon Santa Barbara)
17-18, Peter Morris (Bike Religion)
Masters/Elite:
Women
50+, Carol Ruckle (Team Possibilities)
45-49, Trina Baumsteiner (Team Reubuski Law)
40-44, Christina Probeft
35-39, Rachel Schmidt (XStrategy)
Cat 3/4, Sarah Brodsley (SCNCA)
Pro/Elite, Coryn Rivera (Proman)
Men
60+, John Ruding (UC Cyclery/JW Flooring)
55+, Jon Miller (Rock N’ Road Cyclery)
50-54, Bobby Langin Sr. (Platinum Performance)
45-49, Gary Hanson (Bike Style USA)
40+, Mike Lee (Rock N’ Road Cyclery)
35-39, Fredrick Bottger (PAA)
Cat 4, David Bianco (PAA)
Cat 3, Marco Arocha (Sho-Air)
Pro/Elite, Gary Douville (Platinum Performance)
Single-Speed:
Open- Noah Holcomb (Cannondale Factory Team)

The past few weeks I have found myself traveling between Colorado and California for the Thanksgiving Holiday and then to bring Andy B. his car. The drive made me realize I am not 22 anymore. Years ago I would do the drive straight through but this time I found myself drawn to tourist attractions or sites along the way…
Friday:
I turned $50 into $100 in Vegas, it was a good thing I got out when I did because I was up $160 and on a quickly falling downward spiral back toward zero. My original purpose for stopping was to charge my cell phone which turned into an hour of gambling. From Vegas I headed north back onto the 15 freeway finding some random town with a crappy motel just past the Utah border where I could catch up on sleep and stretching after a the long day of driving. It might have been only 10 hours in the car but the traffic through Riverside, CA made it feel like 40 hours and by 1:00am my eyes don’t work anymore.
Saturday:
With about three hours of sleep I was back on the road around 9am. The truck drivers decided they did not need to pay for a room so they parked outside of the motel and revved their engines all night and tested brakes as they came and went, miserable. I was back on the road and craving a cup of joe but my inner coffee snob would not allow me to buy one from a gas station, so I just sacrificed making a Fluid recovery drink to start the day. The roads finally started looking normal as the desert opened to mountains and MOAB, Utah was getting close.

Keeping the car rolling was hard knowing I was close to Moab and I had Andy’s Mountain Bike on top which I had already switched my pedals onto because I got in a morning ride before I headed out the previous day. The big highlight was entering Colorado and finding the town of Fruita, just another mountain bike hot spot in North America. This time I was sure I was going to ride. I found a nice little coffee shop, toured the town, a national monument, and two bike shops where I got all the trail info and maps I needed to hit the dirt. Unfortunately, there was just not enough coffee to get me going properly and the thoughts of getting over the Vail Pass before dark were in my mind since it snowed that day.

Colorado River pic in Fruita

Happy Holidays from Fruita, CO pay close attention to the Dinosaur eating the Grinch! (Fruita as the rest of CO has a lot of Dino finds, they have a spot called Dinosaur Mountain. Yes, I visited it. My Grandpa would be proud).

Colorado, “Where the wine flows like the salmon of Capistrano.” -Jim Carey

From Fruita I was off determined to get to Fort Collins to see the Brazeltons but of course I made a few more stops, gas, coffee, food, coffee. I love meeting people along the way it is always interesting. While driving through the Vail/Beaver Creek area I stopped at Starbucks to poach the internet and recharge, only to meet a Barista who is a California transplant and she lived one mile from my current address, weird GW!

By 9:30pm that night I reached the Brazelton’s to make my delivery and get my needed sleep.
Sunday:
I was out early and still exhausted the next day. But, by 11:00am I was back in the car leaving Fort Collins heading to Boulder for one last big workout before the next weeks travels. It was the Colorado State Championships for Cyclocross. They know how to party/race in CO except getting their 30minutes before my race left me with a late registration and last row call up, 75 of 80 something. It was good fun and my tired body did well finishing in the 40′s.

Mud, Snow, Crashing and Painful Fun sums up my Colorado Thanksgiving trip which included some good morning rides and Cyclocross (CX) Racing…

I was in town for five days and it all started waking up to the lovely weather on Turkey day. I was getting in some good rides and enjoying the new company over the Holiday but the cool weather and riding were awesome!

Days 1-2:
Highlands Ranch, CO was home base and while the road riding was open and great; The Highlands Ranch bike trails were the best so I kept getting drawn back to the dirt. I spent Thursday and Friday mornings with two, or more, hours of riding the Ranch trails.
One can see the trails are wide single-tracks that are well maintained and smooth, perfect CX bike riding. While I did meet a few really cool locals the wildlife was the coolest of onlookers…
The cool weather also produced some fun elements with frozen dirt, which was like velcro and ice streams.

Days 3-4
After stuffing myself with Thanksgiving turkey, wine, all the other foods, and more wine. I was enjoying myself way too much in Colorado. Saturday morning I awoke to snow but luckily it stopped and sun was starting to peak through which made my first race day in Colorado a mud fest.
It was a great racing scene and even with the weather the fields were stacked. I figured out that starting in the last row of 35 riders was not a good way to start. We sprinted out from the start for about 400 yards of muddy road until the group hit the soupy single-track. It was tight and snow filled trails. I thought I had the opportunity to pass a couple racers in the forest section as I made a dash through the snow off the mud track only to strike a hidden tree stump, in which I found myself thrown off my bike into the snowy forest and farther back in the group than I had planned.
Well the end of day 1 of Colorado CX ended with a horrible finish as I crashed more than once and found myself off the course at least twice each lap. My realization was racing cross in real cross conditions is a lot harder than SoCal.

Sunday started again waking to snow, except the snow did not stop all day. In fact it was snowing so hard on the last lap that there were sections that the tracks were filling in as racers finished each lap.
It was a much colder day of racing but I finished much better. The races were packed again and I was able to obtain a 19 out of 42 competitors but I am sure more of my California skills showed with each crash and mistake I made on course sending myself into the snow banks. The snow was great and gripped a lot better than the previous days soupy mud but the off-camber mud sections sucked. I found myself launched onto my side twice during warm-ups and once during the race and the crashes happened so fast that I was not able to unclip as I landed on my hip and shoulder sliding down the course. The bruises from the crashes are more painful than actual racing, I hate ice!
The other difficult part of the snow and mud is the build up in your tires, frame, brakes and derailers. By the last lap my brakes did not work and my tire would not spin on without some serious power pushing on the pedals.

Watching the big dogs, Matt Pochoa-Velo News and others, race was great too, especially since they smoothly steered their way through the mud and snow looking a lot more comfortable than I did, splattering myself on the courses in my two days Colorado CX experience.

Overall, the trip has been a blast as I was able to visit friends and family for the Holiday while damaging myself and bikes in the local race scene. I am actually bummed to go home as I am sitting reflecting on the trip in a Starbucks sipping my decaf and thinking of putting my ice pack on my hips when I get home tomorrow.

-DSheek
CX explorer
Next destination, Kansas City CX National Championships

A light snow fell through Thanksgiving morning. My prayers were answered. While the Turkey cooked my brother and I put the Subaru through its paces up above 6,000 feet near Idyllwild, CA. John navigated us to a great overlook and we shot a few images of the snow covered scene. The next morning my wife and I headed up Devil’s Slide Trail. The hike was amazing. We got into the snow line and enjoyed views of beautiful pines and cedars.

This morning I rose early for a ride up Amalfi and down Sullivan Canyon 1:15 up, :15 dirt down, and :15 street down. A lot of climbing but a stellar morning to climb out of the fog and into some quality dirt.

Much to be thankful for.
Welcome to Colorado Andy B.

Matt S.
Outside All Day

With the rain coming down I have stopped long enough to write. November has been a push. I have given more to the man that I should have this month. The good news is that I have work. Many thanks for that.

image courtesy of joe bark paddleboards

In the last week I got two really fun workouts. More escapes from the grind then races against the clock. Saturday night after a good morning run with the wife and friends I headed out for a paddle with my buddy Todd. Todd brought a 10’6″ Bark, I brought my 12′ Bark. We headed out complete with our beanies into the setting sun. The temp was brisk and the surf was up just enough to get our attention. We took a super close line next to the shore to get out to the cove and stay away from the kelp. We had moments of entertainment when a few rogue sets reared there head but kept it safe. The payoff was a handful of empty waves at the cove with a beautiful but slightly sketchy paddle back to the beach. The lights along the bluff brought us back in smoothly.

Early Monday morning I headed up the hill with my Epic and a bottle filled with fruit punch Motor Tabs. For one hour and eleven minutes I road alone. No noises from my cell phone to be heard. No text messaging. No iPod. Just the trail and I. Amazing. Del Cerro had but a few loyal hikers and a few more local women on their morning hike. I gave big smiles – in hopes they would give us more access to the mountain in the future. I even enjoyed the drive back to the house – probably because I had my morning Motor Tabs.

Heading towards Thanksgiving.

M Smart
Outside All Day

My wife and I will be joining a bunch of friends up in Monterey for the Big Sur Half Marathon. It will be great to run along the coast and get a great run in before the Thanksgiving weight gain. Join us. And don’t wait to register. Registration is filling up fast.

Date: Sunday, November 9, 2008
Course: Gently rolling fast course winding through historic downtown Monterey, Cannery Row, and proceeds along Pacific Grove’s coastline with views of the Monterey Bay.
Events: Half Marathon, Half Marathon Walk division, 10-Mile Walk, Run Forrest Run 5K and the JUST RUN!® Just Kids 3K fun run.

For year’s I have walked by the classes at the gym with a mocking grin on my face thinking to myself how dumb everyone is the BO smelling room looked shaking their gluts to a hip-hop salsa beat. I’m not exactly sure what changed my mind to make me try one of these classes, maybe it was my brother-in-law mocking me on Thanksgiving, maybe its the year’s worth of work with little pay off for weight loss, or maybe it’s my need to look like a tool. Either way, I have on the calendar 2 Pilates work outs each week. The focus is the core and my goal is to drop to 180 pounds by March 27, 2008 for my next race.

Weekly training breakdown for December 07 through March 08:
- 2 morning swims
- 2 Pilates classes
- 2 – 3 runs
- 2 – 3 bike rides

Sounds like a plan.

Andy B
outsideallday.com