... is that I have allowed myself to become a fat bastard.

Man, I totally underestimated the toll it would take on the body beating round that course for 5-6 hours!

I used to play varsity rugby in college and I don't ever remember being as sore as I was Saturday morning!

Running in long underwear, fire-suit, boots, and helmet and carrying a driveshaft wasn't much fun either, but we used to do pack runs in basic all the time.

The WORST part was, I didn't get to meet and talk to as many people as I would have liked after the race - the last straw was "sprinting" over the concrete to get to Rob Usnick in the hole with seconds left. After that I was a fawking spent zombie!

So, I got on the scales this morning - 217.8...fighting weight in basic training was about 185...time to hit the gym fatty!

I'm convinced mental performance will improve when the body is in better shape too.

I did not realize who you were until I looked through some pics today. I was in the single seat rig at the Hill Climb that winched you guys back over while I was waiting on parts.

Doesn't the Can-A-dian AF have weight standards??? WTF?

:D

Two words for yah: BUD LIGHT....:flipoff2:

Seriously though, if you lose an extra 30lbs your new V-8 motor will just be faster!:D

Bill I said the same shit when I went to the Hammers two years ago. Lost 50lbs and then put 20 back on. I'm going down to 220 this summer and should be pretty lean.

Arms are getting there just need to quit eating. Kats a pretty darn good cook.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p42/bretkeller/utf-8BL01lZGlhIENhcmQvQmxhY2tCZX-1.jpg

I think that is another thing that makes KOH so cool. It makes you change your lifestyle for the better.

I have to say that while not a fat ass I do have a few extra lbs. that I could get rid of.

The week we spent at KOH this year was tough. We did make sure to eat well and get to bed by 10:00 or earlier if at all possible. After sitting in the car both co-driving and driving I was spent. We had a water pump leak issue at the top of Sledge Hammer that turned out to be not a big deal but we were not on our metal game enough to think it through as well as we should have. We made a small issue into a large problem just by being drained.

The things I learned from that are.

#1 Physical fitness is important. Being stronger will help to maintain a good mental edge throughout the day. With the strength comes the ability to do the physically tough parts of the race, Hiking/running if needed.

#2 Hydration is just as important. We had camel backs mounted in the car but only drank about half as much as we should have. This was a good thing as we needed this water to help put a stop gap in our water leak problem. But had we been better hydrated we may have been able to slow the problem before loosing most of the water. Thus finishing several spots higher up. Perhaps even top ten.

#3 When in the right seat. Relax, Relax, Relax. You are the one that has to think about everything. You don't need to be doing any unnecessary work. Let the driver drive and give him the info he needs and not anything else.

#4 When driving you have to pick and choose the situations where you let your guard down to relax a little. You need a little down time if only for a few seconds. Case in point: We winched through the plaque area on Sledge. neither I or the co driver thought of this it was a voice in the crowd that made that happen. Thanks Pistol. There is no penalty for winching but everyone gets this mindset to keep ramming at an obstacle instead of pulling a bit of cable and making it up perhaps even quicker. As I set in the car (down time) waiting our turn at Sledge I should have thought about winching through that spot as the two guys ahead of us really struggled. See #1 for the fact that we needed to be on the game a bit more.

#5 Personal Hygiene. I wish I had taken a shower a few more times through the week of KOH. The outside shower on the camper was just not appealing in the wind and dust but being clean makes you feel a lot better as well as helps with sleeping and general happiness for yourself. Besides then people don't run away from you when you want to talk.

#6 Crew. Having a good crew is the key. We had enough help that nobody had to go out of their way to make things happen. We spent a few hours each night going over the car and fixing things as they needed to be fixed or in some cases catching the problem before it was a problem. Having dedicated cooking personnel rocks. Our car crew didn't have to think about cooking and dishes, this provided way more time to focus on the race and tasks at hand.

Racing is hard not only on the vehicle but also the occupants. Not being in shape and mentally off task is just as bad as driving cross country to tear your junk up the first few miles because you failed to get something done right. You also have to remember that spending a week wheeling in the desert in general is not really easy anyway.

I think we are all learning how to do this sport. The desert racers may have already been down this road but to be competitive in any event you have to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together and then have a little luck thrown in.

One motivator for me is just plain self preservation and I'm not talking about extending my life span from 78 to 80, it's more like making sure I come home from racing trips.
When we go to a Baja race we typically end up leaving late without sleeping as much as we should have and we drive about a thousand miles just to get to the border. Coming home it's guaranteed we're not going to have all the sleep we need and the drive home can get pretty long, especially from la paz or cabo. Being in good shape REALLY helps with the staying awake and alert, even when you're just sitting on your ass for 20 hours straight. And it can translate into more fun, I've been able to ride in prerunners and race cars just because I'm the only one that was still functional and motivated after a long day or night.

Now I'm kicking myself for not going for a run this morning before breakfast.

Man, I totally underestimated the toll it would take on the body beating round that course for 5-6 hours!



good thing it was a short race and was over quickly :smokin:

care to take a swing at the baja 1000 in jeepspeed with 10" of travel :laughing:

care to take a swing at the baja 1000 in jeepspeed with 10" of travel :laughing:

Absolutely. Tell me when and where to be.:D

Absolutely. Tell me when and where to be.:D

Ensanada in November :smokin:

Ensanada in November :smokin:

I get some time in the left seat?:D

I get some time in the left seat?:D

then I could complete the circle and start a thread called "my one big regret about baja 1000 " :laughing:

I get some time in the left seat?:D

I got a cherokee....lets get started...:D

I get some time in the left seat?:D


Leave the drive on top of me magnet at home OK?:flipoff2:

then I could complete the circle and start a thread called "my one big regret about baja 1000 " :laughing:
"My one big regret about the Baja 1000 was letting an east coast guy drive circles around me."
I could see how you'd need to start a thread like that.


Leave the drive on top of me magnet at home OK?:flipoff2:
Now who'd want to come watch that?










:flipoff2:

Absolutely. Tell me when and where to be.:D

The right seat in 1705 seems to attract people who talk funny for some reason. Last year Rusty Bray co-drove the Pirate4x4 Jeepspeed in the B1k for 350 crazy miles. This year who will it be? :eek:

The right seat in 1705 seems to attract people who talk funny for some reason. Last year Rusty Bray co-drove the Pirate4x4 Jeepspeed in the B1k for 350 crazy miles. This year who will it be? :eek:




I can send someone your way................:D:D:D:D:D

I can send someone your way................:D:D:D:D:D

Hell yeah I would love to see Adam Carter in the Baja 1000. How many people from Alabama have ever done that.

Fawk that you need a Marylander! :flipoff2:

HUSH Dougie,:D go back in your dog house.I'm screwing this cat and when I get a kitten I'll give you one.......come Awn

My regret is that I didn't introduce myself to more people. Should have had a nametag with my "Pirate name" on it. :D

I was the guy in the black and white Summit Racing hat.

HUSH Dougie,:D go back in your dog house.I'm screwing this cat and when I get a kitten I'll give you one.......come Awn
That right thar is some funny shit......:D

then I could complete the circle and start a thread called "my one big regret about baja 1000 " :laughing:




:laughing: :laughing:

So, I got on the scales this morning - 217.8...fighting weight in basic training was about 185...time to hit the gym fatty!


Put the twinkies down fatty. :flipoff2:

I'm almost a month into my awakening. I feel better than I think I've ever felt in the past 10 years. It is worth it. Now put the molson ice down and hit the weights. :D