Old News… February’s Recap

This is about 2 weeks late. I started it over a week ago and just never got back around to it, but figured I’d finish it up and get it out there.

I have been able to race a couple times in February, but I have been sinking as far as time goes and I’m starting to fall behind on just about everything now. I have a lot going at the shop right now that I’m trying to work on, which is pretty much taking up most of my time whether I’m at the shop or not. I have a lot of things I want to do with it and my mind is running 100 mph non stop. Anyways, here is the February update…

Podcasts

Again, I have not recorded any new podcasts this month, but I do intend to keep them going. I am closer to working out a schedule that I can dive back into my Endurance Path work a little more by late spring. I will get some audio out of my races for sure and I am lining up some special guests again. In the meantime… You can catch up on old episodes.

Listen on Google Play Music

Listen to Stitcher

New Race Reports

906 Polar Roll – Fatbike Race

polar roll

January Training Summary

february

Cycling

February Mileage – 184 miles

February Duration – 19 hrs, 35 min

2018 Mileage – 388 miles

2018 Duration – 36 hrs, 13 min

February was a great month of riding! I got out on the Woolly Bike Club Trails a handful of times and also put in a few structured workouts on the trainer. I’m not following any specific trianing plan right now, but I was a little purposeful with some of my rides and trainer workouts to be somewhat prepared for the Polar Roll. I hate that flat legs feeling at a race. It worked out well and I felt like I was in decent shape for Polar Roll.

My peak ride time during the weeks leading up to Polar Roll was about 6 hours for one of the weeks. I’ve said this in the past, but I feel decent about my results for the amount of ride time I am actually putting in. That being said, I would like to up the anty a bit. We’ll see what I can work out schedule wise as I will need to start ramping up my trail running game to prepare for the Wilderman in July.

Take-aways

  1. Just getting out and doing some trail riding on the fatbike was huge for my bike handling.
  2. A couple longer fatbike trail rides helped figure out my on bike nutrition – I’ve ditched the hydration pack and went to bottles (at least for fatbiking).
  3. A single hot lap, just over 30 minutes on Wednesday before the race was really great to make sure my legs were alive and ready to go. Although, it might have been a little too much effort or a day too close to the race.

Running

February Mileage – 0 miles

February Duration – 0 hrs

2018 Mileage – 24.9 miles

2018 Duration – 3 hrs, 51 min

I did ZERO running in February…

Take-aways

  1. None

XC Skiing

February Mileage – 41.1 miles

February Duration – 6 hrs, 23 min

2018 Mileage – 65.8 miles

2018 Duration – 9 hrs, 47 min

I picked up 2 more ski sessions in the month of February to try and figure things out before the Birkie, for a total of 4 ski sessions this year. Less than 2 hours of my ski time was accumulated in those 2 sessions. I might actually get some roller skis to mix things up this summer/fall and be better prepared for ski season.

Take-aways

  1. I loved the Birkie and want to do more skiing.
  2. I really need to figure out how to ski efficiently. I have a good engine, but looking at pictures and watching others… I look like a mess when it comes to form.
  3. When I originally started out on this fitness path, I really just wanted to be in good enough shape to go do stuff like this on a wim and I can certainly do that now… But, I also love being able to push further, so I’d like to figure this skiing thing out and see what I can do with it.
  4. I have no regrets about not training more for the Birkie. I loved it, got to experience it and see what it was all about. It was awesome to go out to an event like that and have almost no expectations for a change. But as I mentioned above… now I’d like to see what I can do with it and move up the waves.

Totals for All Disciplines

Total February Mileage – 250.6

Total February Duration – 23 hrs, 53 min

Total 2018 Mileage – 250.6

Total 2018 Duration – 23 hrs, 53 min

Strength

Push-ups and Pull-ups are my main deal. If I’m short on time, I’ll be swapping reps of those. When there is more time, I’m adding in Romanian deadlifts and rows. That being said, I’m doing about the bare minimum right now.

Nutrition

I’m heavy and need to cut some weight before the summer. I’d say I’m about 8 to 10 lbs heavier than I want to be. I’m actually the heaviest I’ve been in a few years, which is about 160 – 162 lbs.

Upcoming Events

March 10, 2018: Fatbike Birkie

March 15, 2018: Loppet Duathlon

New Race Registrations

I added another race to the schedule. It was actually just a last minute registration for Fatbike Birkie.

March 10, 2018: Fatbike Birkie

Gear

Not a lot of new gear this month, but I did get a pair of Bontrager Velocis Halo S1 Softshell Bibs. They rock! I used them for skiing twice, fatbiking and raced with them at Polar Roll. They say for above freezing, but they are perfect for race intensity down to some really cold temps.

I’m becoming a big fan of the Clif Blocks. I used 3 of them for Birkie with just 1 bottle of CarboRocket and then water from the aid stations and they just worked out really well. I seemed to digest them well and the packaging makes them super easy to use. I’ll be using them more in the future.

Personal Training

I work out of the following gyms, plus offer virtual training/coaching over the web, phone or in person for local folks… Contact me for availability.

North Branch, MN Snap Fitness

Typically available Mondays and Fridays, plus other random times throughout the week by appointment.

Rush City, MN Snap Fitness

Typically available Mondays and Fridays, plus other random times throughout the week by appointment.

St. Croix Falls, WI Snap Fitness

Typically available Wed and Thursday morning

Virtual / Remote – I also provide Personal Training & Fitness Coaching services for non-local or non-gym goers through phone or web video sessions. If you are local, I can meet in person for sessions or a free consult.

Instagram Account

A few pics from the past month…

Link: Endurance Path on Instagram

instagram

On To Next Month…

Thanks for following along. If you have any questions about anything I shared, feel free to hit me up using my Contact Me page.

-Steve

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