Autumn had definitely arrived. Rain came the day before, washing out our Halloween outdoor plans. It was a rather disappointing and uneventful Halloween to say the least. Behind the rain was a cold front. The temp was in the mid-30s when Shannon and I arrived to the race, with a stiff North wind blowing at 15-20 mph to make the air feel that little bit colder. I did my best to talk Shannon into racing, but she was smart. She didn't fall for any of my trickery. She did not want to do her longest run of the year on the coldest day of the season.
I did a short warm-up. My longest run in training has been two miles. I have been very slow to add distance just to be sure I don't get my hamstring aggravated again. Too long of a warm-up today may see my legs wear down before the finish. I'm working toward my goal of a sub-20 minute 5K. My target race for that time is Rudolph's Red Nose Run 5K in Nashville in December. That will be a tough course to lay down that kind of time, but it is my only choice. I'm pushing hard in run training for the first time in my life. This APSU run was just my first test to see if I was on course. My goal here was to finish in around 23 minutes. That would be a good time on this course, which is tougher than Rudolph will be. To be honest, I felt I was behind on my training and that going under 24 minutes would be difficult for me.
APSU 5K course map
Ready to start. That's me in the orange to the left of the group.
photo by APSU
We started atop Emerald Hill. The thundering herd of around 100 runners came charging off the hill first, then took a left onto 2nd St. and up a long climb. This course featured very few flat sections. You were either going up or down most of the time, but lucky for me, the climbs were all gradual. I found myself on the back of the lead group of 12 as we turned onto 2nd. I went harder than normal on the start since it was downhill. Gravity can help you so you can go faster with less effort. On the first climb, I settled into a good pace. The front six runners began to pull away, but I stayed with the chase group and found myself in 10th place overall at the top. We got a short break before another long climb took us onto campus. I picked up another spot on this climb and then two more spots as we crossed through the main campus. I was surprised to see 6:45 on my watch as I completed the first mile. That was a fast pace for me and I felt fine so I kept hammering away.
And we're off!
photo by APSU
Mile two was the flatter portion of the course, going around some of the parking lots and the new football stadium. The wind was in our face and really slowed me down. I could feel myself fading and I really had to focus to be sure I kept my pace up. Even with the tough wind I ran mile 2 in 6:52. I was still well ahead of my goal pace at this point.
I had pulled away from all the people I had passed except for one guy. He had stayed about 10 seconds behind since the 2nd St. climb. He poured on the speed as we descended 2nd St. on our way back to the finish. I did all I could to stay with him. He really made me push myself farther than I ever thought I could go. He had about four steps on me as we started onto Emerald Hill. It was only a quarter-mile long, but it was a tough climb. When we drove up it in the car we drove behind the mansion for parking. The grade in the front of the mansion was much, much steeper. The guy ahead began to walk as we hit the steep part. I yelled for him to keep going. We were so close to the end! He couldn't walk now! He tried to run, then started to walk again. I was wheezing as I went by, but I shouted one more round of encouragement. It must have gotten through because he began to run again and even produced a little sprint to the line that got him past me.
Me chasing this guy up Emerald Hill
photo by APSU
I was pumped with 8th overall and a time of 21:37. That was just three seconds slower than my second-fastest 5K ever and this was by far the toughest course I have ever raced. I blew out all my expectations. Then when awards were announced I found out that I won the 25-29 age group! Win #2 of the year! I came up just a few seconds short of being the top Alumni finisher as well. So, I would say I am right on track for Rudolph. The sub-20 is possible for me and I'm going to do my best to make it this year.
Another cool thing about this run was seeing a former patient doing her first 5K since ACL surgery. I did physical therapy with her for months, then trained her for a few more weeks after her insurance ran out so she could get her full leg strength back and return to running. It was so good to see her running. She really has worked hard to recover from the ACL and I am heppy to have been able to assist her in the process. She even took third in her age group! Nice job Aubrey!
Aubrey and her family coming up Emerald Hill
photo by APSU
Later that same day, I went out for a mountain bike ride on my trail to spin my legs out. I felt great after the run, but a few hours later the muscle soreness was already setting in. Before I even got to the woods my cable stop popped off the seatstay on my Titus Racer-X. The rivets had broken. I tried to find the cable stop, but the grass and leaves in the yard were too deep. I went ahead and rode a lap anyway, on what was now a tough singlespeed. Without a cable stop the housing and cable are free to get as much slack in them as they want, sending you to the smallest cog you have. I made a lap, but the big gear made my legs feel worse, so I called it a day. Now I'm awaiting a replacement cable stop so I can re-rivet it to the frame. I've never done this before. I'm hoping the carbon seatstay will hold up to my rivet gun.
The Remedy is now my go-to bike with the Racer-X out of commission. I had panned to do a practice XC race on the trail on Halloween, but I got called into work. It was crappy weather anyway, so waiting until Sunday turned out to be a better choice. I had good legs and kept the big Remedy rolling for four laps on Sunday morning. I still feel like I'm getting stronger. It may be the off-season, but I'm treating it like the on-season with these practice races. I have done two more cross practice races as well since my last blog. Shannon even did one with me for her first time ever encountering so much grass and dismounting for barriers. I was mean and even made her do my stair run-up! I'm getting much more comfortable on the cross bike and feel strong on the power sections.
Now on to the part about life. I have not updated everyone on things outside the bike lately. Really, the only non-bike thing we have going on right now is work. We continue to look for a house, but that search has turned up nothing affordable at this point. As for work, like I mentioned earlier, I've been called in and out several times recently. I expected to be called in, but not called out. One of my bosses has cancelled on me quite often in recent weeks. It is irritating because the cancel usually comes so late that I cannot find another place to work at for that day. He always says "It's nothing personal" when he calls to cancel me. I never would have taken it personal, but the constant comments have made me start to believe that he is trying to convince himself that it's not personal. I'm kind of thinking it is because there is usually a comment about me racing or taking a trip thrown in there as well. At first, I could not figure out how he knew so much about my life outside of work. Then it dawned on me. We have been Facebook friends for a long time. He never comments on my posts so I forgot we were friends. I don't post a lot on Facebook, but apparently everything I did post was being used against me by this guy. I solved that problem with a simple delete. I can't be having spies from a company that thinks riding bikes in my free time causes me to lose focus at work.
I have been keeping busy with other jobs as well. I'm still helping out with unloading and packing the Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough for school fundraisers. My Mom is still managing the deliveries for them. Now that the school year is in full swing, the orders are coming in steadily. I do it mostly to help my Mom as she needs the extra hands, but the job also pays very well and is flexible too. I have been able to work around my physical therapy job and my training. Some days I even manage to work at both places in the same day if I work things out just right.
I may be staying busy with work and training, but my family is convinced I am a bum. I think my only supporter in racing these days is Shannon. My Dad and grandmother are convinced that I am throwing my life away. I might could see their side a little better if I was not working at all, but I am always taking work that comes my way. I actually work quite often, though it does not add up to full-time. They will not be satisfied until I'm back to full-time. And maybe not even then.
My Dad is a work-aholic. He believes in making the most money you can at every opportunity you get so you can plan for the future. He has had several talks to me about how much of a bad decision I am making. While I appreciate that he cares about my well-being I wish he could see that I have a great opportunity ahead of me. It is because of him and the things he taught me about hard work and managing money that have created this opportunity. Shannon and I have put ourselves in a great position. We have no debt. Our expenses are low enough that one full-time check more than covers our bills. And, while trying to run some of the top races in the country is not cheap, we manage to hold a reasonable budget that does not affect our life outside the bike. My Dad would be amazed if he actually sat down and looked at how we budget. We did not just make this decision overnight. It came after much planning, praying, calculating, and recalculating. All too often we as people get caught up in planning for the future. I'm well aware that money is necessary to build your life, but it should not dominate your life. Some days I wish my Dad could see what I see. I am soooooo much happier now than I was a year ago. We may have a little less money, but I don't miss it. Not one bit.
Grandma, on the other hand, just thinks bikes are for kids and I should have grown out of that already. I just want to know where it is written that there are proper ages for sports. I don't think it's written anywhere. Returning to full-time would do nothing for changing how she views me. After all, she has always considered my cousin to be the example of how my sister and I should be. My cousin who dropped out of school, had a baby with some random guy and smoked during her full pregnancy. Yeah, that's not my kind of example.
I had a hard time with reducing my work hours when we first made this change. I felt bad that Shannon was having to go to work while I went out and rode my bike. I really did struggle with that for several months, even with Shannon constantly telling me that is what she wanted me to do. Then one day during the summer, a comment from a rider at a local group ride that was aimed at being hurtful turned my thinking around. The rider asked me, "How does it feel to see a rider like Nate Brown, who has real talent, riding in the Vuelta while you are still riding here?" At that moment, all I could say was that it was awesome to see Nate riding in the Vuelta. Later, I thought about why exactly did Nate and I end up going such different routes. Here's my conclusion.
If you don't know much about Nathan Brown, I'll give you some background. We were teammates as Juniors on two different teams. Nate is a great guy and a Tennessee boy like me. I enjoyed racing with him in our early years. He was younger than me by a few years, but he was strong. I remember once in a road race in Leipers Fork, TN, we planned to break away from the Cat. 3 race together. Nate attacked first, then a few miles later I attacked and bridged across to him. We had a nice gap for a few miles, but then Nate was so strong on the hills that I could not follow him. I told him to keep going while I fell back to the pack. He stuck the break and won solo that day. I was happy to be a part of such an impressive victory, even if I only helped out for a few miles.
Nate and I were both selected to the Southeast Regional Junior Team one of my last years as a Junior. I can't remember exactly which year, either 2003 or 2004. The team was to go race a big Junior event in Massachusetts, the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic, before heading north to Canada for the Tour de l'Abitibi, which is a major international stage race for Juniors. The team director did not like it that I raced mountain bikes as he felt that it hindered my road racing. He suggested I stop mountain biking. I am a mountain biker through and through so that was not an option for me. Besides, I was dominating every Junior race I started that year, mountain bike oand road. Why change a good thing? Four days before Fitchburg, my parents received a phone call telling them that I was cut from the team. The reason? Because I raced a mountain bike race the weekend before. I was pissed! Heck, we all were pissed. That was a terrible reason. My parents were literally minutes away from buying me non-refundable plane tickets. I think my Dad would have had wrung that director's neck if he had bought those tickets.
The team did not replace me. They started Fitchburg one rider short of a full team. That told me they did it simply to prove a point. That was the closest I have ever come to having an opportunity to make myself known in the bike world. It was a chance to race on a bigger stage and meet the people that mattered. While Nate's dad, Dave Brown, felt that I had been wrongfully cut, he would not stand up for me. He wanted Nate to get that opportunity. Dave told me that it is not about how well you ride, it's about who you know. He did everything he could to put Nate in contact with the right people. Dave's words are sad, but true. I've been passed over for several team selections for someone that was slower than me, yet was known by the people making the selection. Nate stayed in the right circles and made his way to Europe and now races professionally for Garmin-Sharp. He rode his first Grand Tour this past August in the Vuelta a Espana. Dave's hard work for his son has truly paid off and I am happy for both of them.
While Nate worked his way through the ranks, I tried to do the same while also making a life for myself. I believe in planning for the future. Bike racing is not for life. You simply can't make enough money doing it to last you until retirement unless you go win the Tour de France a few times. And an injury can end your career within the blink of an eye. So, I went to college to ensure my future would go on with or without bike racing. I have two degrees now. I worked hard during the first one, taking the full 18 hours of classes while working two jobs on the side and still racing Pro in the biggest mountain bike races on the east coast. When I look back at it, I am amazed that I raced so well. I had little time to train with my crazy school and work schedule, but I wanted it badly and my results showed that. And I was no slouch in school either. I give it my all at everything I do. It's just wasting your time if you do something without giving it 100% effort. I graduated with a 3.96 GPA and won the Health and Human Performance Department Award. It makes me laugh every time I see a college bragging about their football team's average GPA of 2.7. I managed to have a high GPA, work and race Pro. Football players can do it too. Good grades really are not that difficult to achieve. It just takes a little work. The second degree was much tougher and the bike was forced to take a backseat. After that degree, I got a job and resumed racing. I eventually met Shannon, we got married and started building our life together.
So, while most aspiring young cyclists forego a college education, or take minimal hours in school while not working to take their shot at a Pro career, I built my life. At my age now, 28, most people think you have missed your opportunity to go Pro. I think my opportunity is just arriving. I am a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason." All the hard work with school and work has not only put us in the financial situation to actually attempt this, but it also has changed me. My personality, work ethic and general outlook have all changed greatly from what they were a few years ago. If I had gone after cycling at 19 years old, I highly doubt I would be who I am today. My time is just arriving. This is the time that has been prepared for me to get my chance. While it may be later than most riders, it has come nonetheless. My goal is not to become some Tour de France rider or a highly-paid Pro in Europe. My goal is just to reach my maximum potential. I know I can go so much farther than I have pushed myself up to this point and I want to reach that top. Whether that top is racing cyclocross in Europe alongside Sven Nys or just being competitive in the Pro/1/2/3 race at the Music City Crits. races does not matter. All that matters is that I reach my full potential and take full advantage of this opportunity I have been given.
As for the talk about "real" talent, I think that is a bunch of crap. Sure, some people have more "talent" than others. They seem to gain fitness or skills a bit faster than others. But in the end, it always comes down to hard work. It's who wants it more. So, to answer your question Mr. Local Douchebag Rider, it feels pretty damn good to watch Nate race the Vuelta and look at where I am. Because I'm right where I am supposed to be.
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