Staving off Burnout

Odds are if you race your bike, train a lot, run marathons or any other kind of athletic pursuit that you’ve come to a point where you’re feeling burnt out. No one is immune from burn out if they don’t take the proper precautions, and even doing so doesn’t guarantee your body won’t revolt at some point. Despite this fact, there’s no need to worry but rather harbor the knowledge you need to stay fresh and dig yourself out of that hole should you ever find yourself in one. Recently I found myself feeling the effects on traveling long hours, racing every weekend and dealing with the realities of winter. I’ve talked with people multiple times about this subject and thought it may be useful to get some thoughts down.

A Frequent scene during winter race travel

Taking yourself seriously is like building a tolerance to caffeine. At first it has the benefits you’re looking for, but as time goes on and you indulge more and more the benefits are less and less. Sometimes you need to take a race or training session seriously, the focus and attention can help to amplify the results, but if you apply this to every action regarding cycling then you’ll soon find the affect to be diminished and over time it can actually become a hindrance. Keep perspective on what events you need to take serious, and focus on being more relaxed with the rest of your schedule and training. Training won’t always be fun, but if you’re not stressing yourself out beforehand then you have much better odds at enjoying and embracing it.

Be forgiving to yourself. It’s easy to console others on lack luster races, goals missed, or lack of fitness due to outside circumstances, but I find that a lot of people have trouble applying that same mentality to themselves. If work has kept you long hours, the kids haven’t been sleeping well, or your motivation just hasn’t been there, take a step back and don’t be hard on yourself about what could have been or chastize yourself for “where you should be”. Where you should be is most likely where you are based on lifes demands. Fitness comes and goes, sometimes we loose our edge temporaily but it doesn’t mean that we can’t resharpen it and come around stronger than ever.

Find time for fun in your schedule. There are going to be rest days, low volume days, spin-it-out days, and “free” days, be sure to take these days “seriously”. I don’t mean “seriously” like wake up at 5am to carb load, but seriously like sticking to keeping things fun and the level where they need to be. All too often people will stick a hard ride or tempo pace group ride in where a rest day or easy day should be just because they feel like they need the fitness or it will benefit them. The rejuvenation from a proper recovery or easy day will go much farther in the long run than cramming in another 2 hours of threshold effort. Get creative with your easy days, go explore a new park, ride somewhere scenic and stop frequently for photos, ride with a friend or spouse who rarely rides and stay next to them.

Fun group ride adventure!

Pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you. It’s easy to get excited and feed off when your body is hitting a fitness peak or you’re really in the groove. You can feel the hard work paying off and you’re dropping foolson all the stop sign sprints, but what happens when you’re the one getting dropped? As much as we can embrace the peak fitness we can deny the signs of burnout. Sometimes we all have off days and that strava segment remains elusive, but when you start to notice multiple symptoms (chronic fatigue, mood swings, lack of enthusiasm, lead legs, etc…) then it’s time to face the music. Don’t get upset or depressed because you’ve reached this phase, but rather accept it and take it “seriously”. By “seriously” I mean give it the attention it deserves along with the rest and recovery your body needs physically and mentally. The french have a saying “c’est la vie” which translates to “that’s life”.

Treating yourself well both mentally and physically is the key to getting over the hump. Give your body the rest that it’s looking for, and I realize this is always easier said than done, but try to get the sleep your body is craving or at least hold the couch down when you can. Don’t focus on “how burnt out you are” or “how slow you’ve gotten”, but rather try to excite yourself about getting some time off and the impending comback to strava greatness! Negativity will always hold you back, and letting go of those bad thoughts and embracing the positive will go a long ways in recovery. Give your body the food it wants (obviously use discretion here) and don’t fret over indulging in some Taco Bell here and there. During race season or heavy training we all too often withold what we really want (Taco Bell) in favor of giving our bodies the healthiest and leanest food. If you must get on the bike keep it super fun, go out without a route in mind, go practice wheelies in a park, go in search of some rogue trails or alleyways, go on a fun pub excursion with friends, etc… If you are really tired of the bike, find some other fun activites like running with your pet, hiking at a park, backpacking, kayaking a river you always ride by.

Urban exploration

Racing year round is becoming more prevalent. If I didn’t find the time to take breaks and have fun I could literally race every single weekend of the year, and multiple events at that! There are more and more events showing up each year, and the overlap of seasons is really starting to blur the lines. Here are some things I do personally to keep things fun and fresh:

1.       I make a calendar document in Word or Excel and just toss all the races/events that I’m interested in on there. I don’t decide right that moment if I’m for sure going, but I get them on there to see how it all lays out. Once they’re on there I “edit” what makes sense and what is too tight. This calendar is fluid and just because a race is on there doesn’t mean I’m going. This helps to avoid over-committing or racing 200 mile gravel races weeks apart.

2.       I try to always ride different routes. Sometimes it’s fun to do a TT or loop effort to check your fitness, but in general I try to always keep my scenery changing.

3.       I switch up what bikes I ride regularly. Just because it’s “gravel season” doesn’t mean I won’t jump on the fatbike and shred some gnar or hit the road bike for some speed work.

4.       I take hard days seriously while my easy days are very relaxed. I can conjure up the serious motivation in droves this way and I don’t grow a tolerance by taking the other workouts less serious.

5.       If I hit a chronic fatigue phase I will reduce beer or alcohol consumption (say it ain’t so!), be sure I’m getting good vitamins and nutrients, stay properly fed, and adjust my schedule to get plenty of sleep. I don’t worry about it, and if I need to skip a race or two then that’s what I’ll do.

6.       I get out and have fun on my bike, after all, that’s really why I do this!! I’ll go explore fun urban trails or alleys looking for cool urban routes, I’ll go ride somewhere I’ve always wanted to explore but haven’t, I’ll go ride over to Brewery Vivant to meet friends for good food, beer and conversation.

7.       I try to turn training into fun adventures. If I need to get some high volume rides I’ll go bikepacking with friends, that way I’m getting the miles and effort in on the bike, but I’m also having a great time exploring. I’ll go do a gravel route that has a river or creek crossing and I’ll throw in some singletrack and a stop at the Otisco Bakery in Smyrna to baked treats!

Creek to River Fatbike ride 2015

Last weekend I found myself traveling to Minnesota for part of the GLFBS (races 5 and 6). The series is being contested by many awesome athletes so the pressure is on to perform, and with races on both Saturday and Sunday it was key to recover and relax whenever a moment allowed. I’m pleased with how the weekend went, and had a lot of fun with friends old and new, but come Monday I was feeling pretty wiped out. I had a feeling this would happen so I made this week a “whatever I want” type of training week. My goal was to take it easy on myself during the week and hopefully feel good enough to get some hard efforts in over the weekend to prepare for the next GLFBS race.

Cuyuna Whiteout race recon

On Monday evening Jenny and I went for a fun cruise on the fatties through some alleys, down by the Grand River, stopping at Broadway bar for a pint, and finishing over at Logan’s with some tasty food and a stout. Tuesday I felt better so I got a moderate ride in. Wednesday I wanted to get another easy ride in so I decided to go test out the ice on Reeds Lake, and I’m happy to say I didn’t fall in! Thursday Jenny and I met with my doppelganger to talk wedding photos and have treats at Harmony. After our meeting I was excited to go check out Reeds Lake again (feeling excited to go ride is a good sign that you’re recovering well). I went out onto the lake ice under the warm orange glow of streetlamps and soon left them behind for the frozen dark abyss of the lake with wind swept pockets of snow strongly resembling clouds. After promptly drawing an M on my impromptu route I made another fun lap of the lake. Nearing the end of my ride I stopped to get some photos to capture the adventure. I found myself standing on the crystal clear ice in the sharp winter air marveling at how awesome it was to be out there. I didn’t want to leave the frozen lake, but rather ride willy nilly about the lake under the dark night sky. I slowly crept off to the ice and headed for home, sidetracking through the 1 mile Hodenpyle trail for one last adventure. Heading home I knew I was in a good place to train hard and enjoy the weekend, and all I had to do was relax all week after racing and have some fun to get there.

Logan's Alley

Night ice riding

Lake Michigan Beach Fat Bike Riding!

It's with some amount of shame that i willfully admit this, but until a couple weekends ago i had never ridden my fatbike on the beach. I feel better now that i've gotten that off my chest. Jenny has been suggesting for time over the past few months that we get out for a beach ride and it wasn't until the Sunday on the end of my winter vacation that we actually put this into action. I had been chatting with Joe and he said he was up for a beach ride so the die was cast. Anytime we get to put the Transit to good use hauling bikes and people my excitement level goes up a few notches and i was pleased that the 3 fatbikes, gear and people went in with much room to spare. After some recon on Strava and Facebook groups i had a rough route in mind. The biggest thing about planning routes on the lake shore is access to said beach (parks are easiest but be sure to check hours), any hindrances along the shoreline (major channels, barrier walls, bluffs, etc...), and of course lake conditions as excessive wave action can thwart the best laid plans. We would start at North Beach Park near Grand Haven and venture north to Muskegon. There are several good stretches to choose from that are relatively unencumbered by the constructs of mankind and this one provides a good 7-8 mile jaunt before having to side route.

Fatbikes happily in their element

Jenny capturing the moment

The creek crossing at PJ Hoffmaster State Park

As we unloaded from the van we felt the northwest wind cutting across the beach and into the parking lot. Keeping skin fully covered is a good idea this time of year with the sand and steady wind. I started off with around 8 psi give or take and it was a good compromise of rolling resistance to flotation. The damp sand makes the best area to travel as long as you keep an eye out for rogue breaking waves ready to soak passersby. Thankfully the lake was relatively calm with just small whitecaps breaking and no major wave action on the shoreline. With the recent stretch of storms and high lake levels the beach has a fairly dramatic cut bank in this area so it's not very easy to just scoot a few meters inland to avoid the water. This stretch from the North Shore Park to the creek at PJ Hoffmaster is relatively un-barricaded with the exception of some long eroded dock pilings along the way. At the 4 mile mark we encountered our first true challenge which is the creek at PJ Hoffmaster State Park. Generally speaking the channel inland is around 2-3 feet in depth and the shallowest crossing point is the sand bar that builds up where the creek meets the breaking waves. I found the best method for crossing was to approach easy enough to not make a big splash and keep the pedals horizontal (think 3 and 9 o'clock) and use a stuttering pedal stroke to keep the bike moving forward without going through the full pedal stroke and soaking my feet. Each of us made it through relatively unscathed and dry. The 45NRTH Japanthers have a nice water resistant upper that keeps the frigid water at bay.

Talking creek crossing strategy

Posing for posterity

Preparing for battle

After crossing the creek we ambled northward battling the steady winds and enjoying a brief showing from the sun. The next barrier ahead would be more significant than the minor creek at the state park and that would be Mona Lake Channel. The channel makes an appearnce at mile 6.5 on this route and is surely not ride-able so we cut inland through a small community park and one half mile inland to Lake Harbor road in Norton Shores. After crossing the channel we turned back toward the lake through a county park and continued our adventure northward. Nine miles into our journey we encountered a man-made rocky outcropping that had to be overcome and ventured onward until we hit a major road block. The beach quickly disappeard and in it's place was a sharp forested bluff going straight into the crashing waves. On Google maps this still shows up as a sandy beach, but those times are long gone. To further complicate the issue there was a house just 50 feet or so up the bluff and it would require trespassing to safely surmount this obstacle. We chose this as a good spot to enjoy a snack and strategize. We all agreed that we wanted to make it to Muskegon even if we had to make a sizable re-route to get there so we ventured back south to that rock outcropping and the road that dead ended at it.

Said rock outcropping

Awesome views during our snack break

As we ventured down the road which i would later find out is Seminole road we found ourselves on the backside of a locked gate with No Trespassing signs facing outwards. We didn't pass any signage coming from the beach, but clearly this road was not meant to be a thoroughfare to access the beach. It seems that it is meant more to keep miscreants out as there's a community hiking/walking path the goes around the fence and we passed a local walking their dog. With that being said, this route leads to a dead end and i wouldn't recommend it. We hopped onto the pavement and set the navigation to Norman F. Kruse Park which we assessed to be the nearest access point to the shoreline. By the time we hit the beach again we were at a total of 13.5 miles. Upon regaining the coast we quickly found ourselves in a minor snow squall which made the adventure that much more excellent not to mention the lighthouse on the Muskegon Lake channel had come into view. We made short work of the last section and celebrated briefly at the lighthouse for our perseverance.

Photographic evidence

Stoke level is high

We were all excited for the return trip as it meant a tailwind would be ushering us closer to our vehicle. All was well until i looked back and Jenny was out of sight. After she caught up she informed us that her bike was acting funny and dropping the chain. I took a closer inspection and found the freehub to be frozen up a bit. With some work i was able to free it and we ventured onward (this omen would later rear it's ugly head in the form of a spice grinder style destruction of the pawls and springs on a different ride). We decided that we would head south beyond our last point of entry to assess the bluff which had blocked us from the northern view. As suspected it was more than just one house that lay in the way and there was no way to safely pass without basically climbing the stairs to their driveway and cutting through their yard. This did spawn some discussion which led me to look up the legality of beach access and private property in Michigan. Here's what i found:

Lakeshore Access legal mumbo-jumbo

Basically you can cruise, run, hike or skip down the beach but i wouldn't plan on having a bonfire or picnic on someone's property. Also, it never hurts to be amply courteous and wave and smile as you encounter other people. Back to the story though... So, we turned back north towards the park and followed the same roads which brough us around the obstacle. After looking at the map we also determined that the beach section between Mona Lake Channel and the encroaching bluff was not worth the extra hassle of re-routing twice so we just cut straight to the beach access south of Mona Lake.

Obligatory group ride selfie

Here's what i learned about this route:

If you're looking to just stay on the beach for an out and back ride, i would recommend turning around at Mona Lake channel for a nice 13 mile roundtrip. You could always add some extra at the end by looping down to the Grand River Channel in Grand Haven. If you want to make it from Grand Haven to Muskegon, do yourself a favor and take the roads from the Mona Lake Channel to Norman F. Kruse Park (count on about 5.5 miles of pavement). If the creek is too much to tackle at PJ Hoffmaster you can turn inland and there's a bridge over the creek. If your freehub body starts freezing up, slipping or not working, take it to a bike shop or check it out when you get home, the sand and water may have done some wicked damage.... At the end of the 30 mile ride i was wondering "why have i never done this before" and found myself scouring maps more more epic beach rides in the future.

The bridge isn't too far inland

Overall route map

Zoomed in map of our re-route areas

Work week blitz

During a long work week i typically find myself lusting after being outdoors and going on adventures. Typically adventure is reserved for weekends and vacation periods, but what if it didn't have to be that way? I can't take credit for the idea as it is the brainchild of a good friend of mine, Joe Deja, an avid adventurer. Surely others have dreamt up weekday adventures, but i suppose it just never crossed my mind until i read a blog post of Joe's and that's when the proverbial light bulb turned on. Here's how it works; call up a buddy or fellow adventurer and hatch a plan (MTB, fastpacking, canoeing, you name it), rendezvous immediately following your respective workdays, partake in adventure, settle in to camp somewhere for the evening, awake early and go about your regularly scheduled workday. Pretty simple eh?

Awesome singletrack at Owassipe

Chris's first time across the narrow bridge

Making the most of the daylight

My first work week blitz was back in 2012. I got a hold of my buddy Chris and proposed just such a plan; meet up after work at a campsite, head to Owasippe and MTB until dark, return to camp and enjoy a fire/dinner/brews, bivy for the night, wake up early enough to get to work on time. Yeah, i was a little extra tired the next day, but the thrill of adventure during the week kept me going. I feel like the best use of a work week blitz is during a period of time where vacations and far apart, work may be more demanding than usual, and it's just plain hard to get away be it a busy schedule or other priorities. After indulging in this work week extravagance i filed the idea away for another time when it would become necessary. Flash forward to 2015...

Peaceful summers eve at the scout reservation

Ideal end to a work week blitz

It's 2015, the fall is quickly coming to an end after a busy season of MTB and cyclocross racing, and i realize i haven't been out to camp in far too long. Whether we admit it or not, we always tend to categorize our friends into groups; party people, training friends, school friends, and of course, adventure friends! I've had the good fortune over the past year of adding to my group of adventure friends including a one Tyler Keuning. Ideally a work week blitz requires less than an hour of driving to get to the rendezvous destination to maximize adventure time. We elected to meet up at the Diamond Point national forest campground (2 sites) which lies about an hour northwest of Grand Rapids on the White river. I spent some time pouring over the strava route builder, and using the heatmap and strava segments, laid out a route that covered many of the highlights in the area. To add to the adventure i routed us through some forest roads that may or may not be passable.

The route as it was completed 

Nice sunset on the drive up

With hunting season in full swing, Owasippe trails were not an option so a gravel adventure it would have to be. I try to setup routes to favor the wind for the day (face the headwinds early and allow yourself a tailwind for the return), and it would be very important the day of our adventure with gale force winds reported on the lakeshore. We elected to run the route counter-clockwise to give ourselves a nice push on the way back to the cars in the late evening. The route started on some seriously sandy two track terrain, but thanks to recent precipitation it was manageable. We tried our best to stay on forest roads, but none of them wanted to pan out so we opted for paved/maintained gravel north towards the town of Ferry. Thankfully we were both on our Salsa Warbirds with nice 40c rubber mounted to handle the loose stuff. After M20 the roads began to become more desolate and primitive, and we enjoyed a nice grinding climb up high into the hills after which we enjoyed a bombing downhill. There were several false starts as a few of the roads i had chosen dead-ended into private property, so we went rogue and weaved our way west and south back to the next known section on the route. This is where the adventure part of the ride comes from; riding uncharted terrain, roads that may or may not exist anymore in conditions that may or may not allow it.

Pausing for a snack and to collect ourselves

Salsa Warbird, the adventurers weapon of choice!

As we slowly plowed our way west directly into the headwind, the nerd in me could only wish that i had my power meter mounted. Between the water logged roads and the brutal gusts there were times when 10 mph seemed a stretch, but nonetheless we grinned and kept our heads down and fought onward. The closer we got to the big lake, the worse the conditions got, but the idea of having a tailwind of 20+ mph kept us grinding away until we crossed the last stretch of road before the lake. I had chosen Whiskey Creek park as a landing zone on the lake to enjoy the wild weather and waves. The sign at the end of the road assured us we had arrived and we eagerly snapped photos and scampered down to the beach to observe nature in one of it's more extreme forms.

Our version of Plymouth rock

Headlight selfie

The path to the lake

The scene at the beach was surreal, with water levels well above normal, the end of the path was as far as we could get. Our stay was short lived as the 30 degree standing temps and howling winds made it unbearable after a time. As we saddled up for the return trip we reveled in the tailwind we had worked so hard to earn. After a short while of heading east we turned south to tackle an ominous section of two track which would have been better handled on a fatbike, but nonetheless we persevered. I was pleased that at least one of the mystery sections had panned out and it would go into the catalog of wicked routes. From there we plodded further south then east onto a seasonal road. If the terrain hadn't begun to freeze we would have been in for a long night as the terrain was reminiscent of the battle fields at DK200 this spring. Surely the tailwind made life better and we approached the next questionable section rapidly; an unsanctioned crossing of US 31. I spent quite a bit of time looking at satellite images to scope a path through the fencing and across the motorway, but nonetheless i was nervous as we approached. It wuld be quite a bummer to have to reroute 3 extra miles to the nearest overpass. On the nearside we had success and quickly bounded into the median where a turnaround simplified things. After awaiting some high velocity traffic to pass we made a run at the farside where only a couple hundred meter separated us from our journey home. Lucky us, some scofflaws had already done away with the fencing that surely would have stopped our progress and with a few quick turns we were back on gravel! We powered our way more rapidly now eastward with an exhilarating crossing behind us and one more good story to tell. The road turned to seasonal status but left two nice tracks for us each to follow until suddenly it didn't...

Tyler fording the creek

Only a headlight shines

The road we had entrusted our salvation with had suddenly turned a blind eye to our progress and then Tyler remarked "hey, this looks familiar, i think i rode this last year on my way home from Silver lake...". I turned inquisitively to him with a do-tell look on my face, and his reply "yeah, there's a creek down there, i waded across it, it was nice in the summer...". What's nice and refreshing in the summer typically doesn't translate to have the same meaning when it's nearly midnight in November. We carefully negotiated the descent to the creek and assessed the situation; not so deep as to be above the waist, not so fast as to get swept away, and obvious entry and exit points. Being my route i took the plunge first and was relieved to only have gotten wet up to my thighs. Tyler followed suit and once again we blazed a path east, now with a bit more moisture. Thankfully that was the last of the adventure for the evening, and as we rolled up to camp the stoke level was high to see we had arrived right at midnight. Tyler had obligations back home so he was unable to camp out, and with the time and weather conditions i elected to try out my first night camping inside the van. The Transit did not disappoint with all of the seats folded i had a nice area to change into wool long johns and socks. I had the radio on low and imbibed in a beverage from Brewery Vivant as i lay there reliving the nights events. As they say, it was a good day.

Right on time

King of the castle!

A hoppy beverage and a happy soul

Bikepacking the Manistee National Forest: Part 5

Day three was planned to be the shortest of all to allow for time to travel home, unpack and prep ourselves for returning to reality. Nonetheless, it wasn't a day to write off with some spectacular scenery and views ahead. We packed up shortly after breakfast and headed south then west towards the Pine river via forest roads and a bit of pavement. It was pleasant to start the day out mostly descending towards the river and warming the legs up. When planning a route it's always good to consider the terrain you start and finish each day with. After the river naturally we began climbing back up into higher terrain via frequently used motor vehicle routes. The roads near this area are notoriously sandy and we were pleased to have a fair amount of moisture in the ground to keep the sand packed down.

Saying goodbye to our shelter until the next time!

Awesome forest roads near the Pine river

Enjoying a nice downhill jaunt

ORV bridge on the Pine River

After slogging through some pretty sandy sections we meandered back north a while to stay close to the Pine river and avoid busier sections of road. With the Pine river being a National Scenic area this is a great section to see untainted views and less trammeled terrain. The forest roads we took varied from river lowlands to pine plantations several hundred feet about the river. Every time i cover new terrain is this area it only makes me want to come back and explore more! Before approaching one of my favorite sections in the area we stopped for a short snack break to enjoy some nice hardwood fall colors.

Tyler cruising 

Nice quiet area for a snack break

Seldom used two tracks are the best!

The section of forest road from M37 to Low Bridge on the Pine river is one of my favorite stretches of two track in the area. There are many areas to stop and take in views of the swift Pine below, areas to camp opposite the riverside of the road (camping is not permitted within a set distance of the river as it is a National Scenic section). Although we had the end is sight we found ourselves stopping frequently and slow rolling this section to enjoy the scenery. Even if you don't make it up there for a whole bikepacking trip, this section makes a great day trip ride.

Nice spot for a photo op while searching for an unobstructed view

Beautiful overlook

Hardpacked two-track makes for an easy roll

Even the bikes enjoyed the views

Low Bridge gets its name for an obvious reason, it's really low to the river. In fact, most of the time there is water over the road here so it's a pretty cool area to bomb through in warm temps for a quick cool down. We took more than our share of photos of the area then ventured further south towards the Jerky mecca of Michigan in Dublin. After the hefty climb away from the river the terrain rolls mostly flat to downhill southward to Dublin and to where our journey began. If you haven't stopped at the Dublin General Store and consider yourself to be a carnivore then you're only doing yourself a disservice. Aside from the jerky this is a great lunch stop or resupply point for any trip. After an obligatory stop we quickly covered the last few miles of the journey with some last minute exploration to chart out some new terrain for future trips.

View of Low Bridge from a high bluff

Water on the road

Aptly named river crossing

In summary, our trip covered approximately 155 miles of beautiful terrain. It took about 13 and a half hours of pedaling to cover the ground along with 11,5K feet of elevation. You can find the rest of the nerd data on my Strava account around the time period of Saturday October 10th. Even if you don't have the time/ability/energy/resources to make it out for this long of a trip i highly recommend getting out to explore the area and take advantage of what Michigan has to offer. The best part is that this whole area is totally free to visit, no tickets required or long lines with $4 bottles of mountain dew mocking you in 100 degree heat. Get out and explore!