I've been crankin' it out here the last few weeks, probably putting a little too much on my plate but it seems like the busier I get, the less I can relax when I should be.

I had probably the best 6-8 weeks of training since June that I have ever had. Even with the heat in July I was really having some good workouts and have been really consistent. I was feeling really good in late July and had great races at Alterra and Sunburst WORS a few weeks back. I did a few projects that I probably shouldn't have, namely, putting down a new rubber roof on the porch on the back of our house that is over the kitchen. Since we moved in, there has been a small leak somewhere and when the wind/rain are just right, we get some drips coming through. For some reason I decided the weekend before Ore 2 Shore would be a good time to tackle that job. It was easier than I expected in some ways, but took longer than I thought it would. I spent too much time on the ladder and bent over because for about 3 days my hamstrings were super sore, actually even until Thursday last week I could still feel it. Probably not the best but it was a good project and it had been bugging me for 2 years and now it's off the list.

Ore 2 Shore went according to plan in some ways, but not in my finish I suppose. I rode the race I wanted to but the dynamics of that race seem to be getting more like a cat 4 race than a good mtn bike race. I was on a good day, not great, but as good as I could hope for. I made some efforts early on, and along with Brian Matter we got a seperation of about 7 of us about 10 miles in. That seems to be the smallest the group has gotten in the last 3-4 years. I find the tactics to be a bit frustrating though as no one seems to want to go hard when it's hard, but everyone goes hard when 1 person attacks, but then everyone sits up when they are caught. Brian and I did a majority of the attacking but 6 other riders wouldn't have it. When we got caught, everyone sat up and went slow. So, being a mostly downhill and fast race it's very hard to get away solo especially with those kind of tactics by a majority of the racers so it really didnt' break up until the woodchip climb 2 miles for the finish. I pretty much messed myself up there, I went up the climb first, but got bogged down near teh top and Cole, Brian, and Phillips went past me like I was standing, well, I pretty much was standing still. I never was able to close the 20ft back to Phillips, then I overshot a corner and the gap was 40ft, and then they were gone. I latched on to Tyler but I told Jamie earlier I was going for the win or I didn't care this year so that's about the way it went. Still, I am feelign good about things, the race didnt' really beat me up that bad which means the overall fitness is good. I need to figure some different tactics out for next year but the race is what it is and a good racer shoudl be able to win in each situation.

We did have a great time in Marquette despite the race not finishing as well as hoped. We stayed an extra day on Sunday and really enjoyed the city. There are tons of beaches, parks, and things to do in Marquette and we really filled the day solid. I Started out riding the trails in the morning at Marquette mtn with Brian and that is a ton of fun, I would mtn bike every day if I had trails like that around. I told Brian I think I improved my technical skills 100% in the 2 hrs we rode.

The rest of the day we spent at the parks, having a picnic, at the beach, and then finished it off with a 2hr boat ride around lake Superior. It was awesome and a great day.

Next up is Subaru Cup which I am looking forward to, I hope I have legs like I did at Sunburst because that would be a fun day racing. After that it will probably be a little break for a few days and then the focus will shift towards cross. I should have some news coming out very soon regarding some changes this year and it should make a big difference so I'm looking forward to that.