Quick Fill #5: This week in GNCC

Hey all. Welcome to Quick Fill.  Things are starting to heat up here in the office, as we're less than a month away from Round one.  The staff here has been working hard to make sure everything is ready and smooth rolling once we get down to Florida.  Just a couple of housekeeping things: If you contacted us about your number and haven't heard anything back, please give Dan a call at the office and he will confirm things for you. Also, we're looking for ATV and bike riders to help work the checkpoint areas during race day. Workers will be compensated with two gate passes and one waived entry fee. If interested, please email me at Jen@gnccracing.com.

Although February is actually the shortest month on the calendar, it seems like an eternity to get through because of the anxiety and excitement that comes along with waiting for race season.  We have started a little something on Facebook to help pull ourselves through this final month of the off-season (well I should say for those of us who aren't hanging out in the warm parts).  Last week was our first edition of the Photo Caption Contest on Facebook.  Every Thursday, we will give away some sort of prize for the cleverest use of a photo caption.  Josh Strang was gracious enough to serve as our guest judge last week, and big congratulations to our winner Jared Smith, who has an amazing story that I'd like to share with you all.

Jared has raced motorcycles since he was five years old. In 1996 he became a factory support rider for KTM, moving him closer to his dream of becoming a full-time professional off-road motorcycle racer. In September of 1996, he suffered a motorcycle crash that left him paralyzed in the right arm.  That didn't stop Jared from living out his dream of riding his motorcycle, though.  Today, he still rides and competes as much as he can - alongside his 17-year-old son, Cody, who rides in Open A.  Jared, you are truly an inspiration to the sport!

I'm happy to announce that I am no longer the "new guy" in Quick Fill anymore, as we are bringing on our friend Coach Robb Beams from MotoE Performance Training, to share some of his knowledge in fitness training.  Coach Robb has been working with Charlie Mullins and Morgan Moss to get ready for the 2011 season. So here's Coach:

Thanks Jen.  As we've been seeing in both the amateur and professional levels, the racing season has increased to the point where the racer is competing nearly year round and actually inhibiting his or her ability to improve physically as a racer.  It is unrealistic to think that a racer can be in top form every weekend from January through December.  Throughout the year, the body has to be provided the opportunity to develop various energy systems through specific workouts. For long-term improvement, a window of time must be provided to rest and recover from the stress loads applied to the muscles and cardiovascular system.  This is where Periodization comes into a racers program.  Periodization answers how hard, how long and how often a racer should train to reap the benefits of training without burning out or getting injured?

PERIODIZATION - WHAT IT IS AND WHY IS IT AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF A RACERS PROGRAM?

As a weekend warrior or a competitive racer, you need to look at the year as four different seasons of performance development.  At MotoE, we break a year into four training "seasons": Pre-Season, Pre-Competitive, Competitive and Off Season. Each season has a different performance objective to optimize your training time for maximum results.

With riding and racing encompassing so many elements of your life, it has literally become a lifestyle - sleep, eat, ride, train off the motorcycle, repeat until the next weekend.  However, this lifestyle of training, doesn't allow you to systematically decide to begin training seriously for four weeks out and then be ready for the season's first big race.  On the other hand, hitting the Concept 2 Rower the Monday after your big race and riding every day until next weekend's race isn't productive for you either.  The reason being, you will not be able to push the body beyond its normal performance level and then you don't allow enough time for the body to adapt to the stress loads.

As previously mentioned, at MotoE we break up the year for our riders into four seasons of training - each having a specific physiological purpose and taxing your energy systems (i.e. explosive strength, VO2 Max, anaerobic threshold, distance, etc.) to duplicate your race conditions.

Physiological adaptations relevant to each training cycle:

NOTE: DURATION OF TRAINING CYCLE VARIES BASED ON IDENTIFIED WEAKNESSES DURING ASSESSMENTS

Pre-Season (12 weeks): developing maximum aerobic capacity, muscular strength and flexibility; this is also an ideal time to work with your riding coach to help with technique and mechanics.

Pre-Competitive (8 weeks): continued development of your aerobic engine, final stage of maximum strength development and the implementation of slight lactate tolerance intervals.

Competitive (4 Cycles of 7 weeks): specialization is the main component of this season.  Your anaerobic threshold and sprint training should make up the high quality workouts during the week.  Also during this season is the increased need for rest - ideally one complete day of rest per week to help you recover both mentally and physically.

Off Season (4 weeks): this is where you deviate away from heavily structured training.  This is where you're back to riding verses training when you are on your motorcycle or any other type of cross training.  You don't want to become so inactive that you begin to lose the conditioning you have worked so hard to achieve throughout the year; you do, however, what to remain active and healthy.  For more information, please visit www.coachrobb.com.

Thanks Robb. We'll see you back next week.  Now here's Shan Moore.

Thanks, Jen. I'm really getting anxious to head south for the opening round of the series in Florida. After getting blasted with last week's really big snowstorm, we here in Oklahoma got another dose of the white stuff on Tuesday night when six to eight more inches fell. I've never seen that much snow in these parts and people are freaking out. It's like Armageddon at the grocery stores, with shortages of milk and bread, and I've really ran up my pay-per-view bill with all the movies I've rented from being cooped up inside. I always thought cabin fever was just an expression, I didn't think it was a real disorder, until now.

Okay, on to GNCC News: I heard from Keith Obermeyer this week and he got me up to speed on what's been happening with the Am-Pro Team over the winter. Keith tells me that the Am-Pro Team has been working hard this winter, and Thad and Jordan, being of a similar age, have gelled well and have been pushing each other pretty hard during workouts and rides. Testing has been great for everyone and Randy Hawkins is super pumped in regards to the atmosphere at Am-Pro as everyone is fit and on with the best equipment possible.

Paul Whibley has been racing a lot in New Zealand and really hasn't taken the winter off like most (although it's summer down there).  Obermeyer Yamaha has picked up a couple of regulars to the GNCC series: Chase Bishop in the Open A class is riding well and all healed up after an injury in the final enduro round in Indiana. Chase is in Florida training and is ready to roll. Keith tells me he's also helping a new-to-the-GNCC series rider Steven Squire. Steven is a native of Indiana, which is good for Obermeyer Yamaha's local exposure as well. Steven has made the switch from Supercross Lites racing to off-road and will be contesting the light A Class aboard a 2011 YZ250F.

In the meantime, Jordon Milbauer has got her WR250F dialed in with help of many of her sponsors. Jordon will be spending some time at the AM-Pro camp in the coming weeks to get some last minute expertise from Randy and Company.

Meanwhile, Keith gave me a bit of "insider" news in a "YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST" kinda way... Randy was struggling with keeping Jordan and Jordon straight when have conversation's so he's has nicknamed Jordan Ashburn "FLASH".  Randy says "That boy can weld better than anyone I have seen!" Jordan is quite the welder and now he's kept straight with the new nickname. Also, Jordan is not only a racer for Am-Pro YAMAHA he is the team Welder"!

Bart Hayes tells me that David Knight will be riding the Alligator Enduro and at least the second round of the GNCC series in Georgia, and possible more. Knighter just finished second in the Spanish round of the Indoor Enduro World Championship series riding the prototype KTM 350 XCF Factory. Knight is riding the bike in select pre-season events to help KTM with development, but he will be riding the 530 in the E3 class again this year at the World Enduros. It will be cool to see David racing a GNCC again.

Thanks Shan. And here's Rodney.

Thanks Jen.  As I write my contribution this week I look outside and see a most beautiful day but as I take my steps out the door, I quickly turn around head back to the coziness of the indoors.  Wow is it cold, but it will soon be heating up and racing will be back in full swing before we know.   As a matter of fact it is only 24 days till ATV racing and 26 days till Bike racing begins at River Ranch.

Johnny G has been training for the last 3 months at the Chris Borich Florida Compound and when asked if he could beat the champ he replied, "Not yet!"  Johnny continues to be more and more serious about his training and with only 24 days till race day, he will be working hard to have anything ready at this point.

We just found out some good news...Johnny G's ATV was FOUND!  We recently posted the news of his ATV being stolen, and it sounds like a pretty interesting story actually.  Johnny explained that Chris Borich and some others actually ran the villians down through the woods and got them into police custody.  It's safe to say the two thieves won't be stealing for a while.

On the bike side of things I spoke with the better half of the 2009 GNCC Bike Champ Paul Whibley.  His wife Katherine told me they are back stateside and that Paul is training somewhere in the sands of Georgia today at a friend's house.  She said they had a great time at home in New Zealand and that the time went way too quickly.  She also said that they were ready to get back to GNCC racing and make another run at the title. "Paul has been training super hard so hopefully it will show!"

Whibs made a late season bike change in 2010 that put him up front consistently and he wants to see what the new season holds.  Katherine said that Paul raced every weekend while at home and that he is doing the East coast HS this weekend then an OMA the following weekend. "We are just pumped to get the season going!" Katherine said. "Josh Strang won't be holding back and Charlie Mullins will have something to prove to KTM so it will be interesting that's for sure."   Throw into the mix Corey Buttrick and one of the fastest rookies in a while, Kailub Russell, Nate Kanney and his new team, plus more and the stage is set for one of the most epic seasons in history.

Just curious, has anyone heard what 2-time GNCC champ David Knight has been into?  Hmmm, just a thought of curiosity.

One last thing.  I would like to apologize to Jerime Dudding for the Tuesday Toolbox not being posted Tuesday night.  Something happened and the post did not make it up.  However it is up now and definitely worth a read.  Dudding is making a move to full time Side by Side racing action and looking forward at running for the championship.  He and many others were very pleased to see that the 2011 Racer TV schedule include UTV racing in it.  You think those guys were crazy before...imagine what these guys will do for a little TV time.  It's going to be great!

That'll do it for now.  Till next time God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs!