Denial and aging...

This is a hard one. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/opinion/31jacoby.html?hp

Few things scare us more than being trapped with no hope of getting out. 

Choosing to be a psychologist is the natural result of a tendency to make my mind go places that are typically too frightening.  Trying to take the `sting' out of our darkest fears.  We use the term `functional denial' to describe the process of `just not thinking about' things we can't change but are likely to be unpleasant. 

I often wonder about why I spend so much time in solitary cycling.  Am I pursuing something?  Or am I fleeing something?  It is both.  But what a difference!

I love to challenge myself to do something beyond hard.  So that I can then take private or public credit for exceptional accomplishment.  I feel good about myself and gain a temporary sense of hope. 

But I also need frequent confirmation that I'm successfully escaping calamity or failure.  Fleeing powerlessness and, in my case,  the sense of `shame' that accompanies just being `still.'  The everpresent `ghost' in the shadows. 

On a professional level I `can relate' to that fear and suffering in others.  It helps me to help others.  Sort of selfish, isn't it. 

On a personal level I'm really critical of myself and others.  I tend to not be `good company' for an extended period of time. 

I'm not afraid of oblivion.  Which is what I perceive as being dead. 

I'm terrified of being trapped in a painful body while being clear headed and conscious of the inevitable worsening until death.  And anything or anybody causing me to be exposed to my decline ... I struggle with. 

Very contradictory.  Hard to think about for long.  And maybe the long hours of `zoning' while cycling keep me adequately distracted.  An addiction?  A dependency? 

Vanity of humanity, or, `ride your bike and socialize.'

Quote:

As the baby boomers age. Electric assist on bicycles will ramp up in popularity . You get older, you need an assist, whats not to like?

That's logical but not reality. In fact, most of the elderly become inert. That is, they don't travel unless transported by others. This is sad, but true.

Worse, obesity is becoming pandemic in the U.S. among the pre-adolescents. They are hooked on passive forms of distraction. When they do participate in activities they, like the elderly, are transported by others.

Military drill instructors training new recruits have registered their own shock at the rapid and extreme downturn in physical fitness among 18 - 24 year olds. One DI was quoted as saying: "They're so out of shape some of them can't even skip!"

As for the objection that most of us will continue to use gas rather than switch to two wheeled bikes ... again, fallacious.

Fewer suburbs. More small exurbs. Bigger cities. Less gas consumption. More trike- and covered battery powered vehicles. More public transportation. Verticality rather than sprawl.

The 1% of the population owning almost half of the national assets will continue to do as they want until they are, again, beheaded and burned. The rest will do without until, again, they behead and burn.

The human species occupies a mere thin layer of `stain' on the planet when considered on a geological / biological scale of time. Consciousness is an evolutionary dead end.

Ride your bike. Enjoy the moment. Don't isolate yourself. Build good neighborhoods.

Never forget that Aristotle and Plato thought the sun, moon, planets and stars revolved around the earth.

Never forget that Galileo was persecuted and held in house arrest for the remainder of his life by the Pope for proposing that we live in a galaxy, and we occupy a small place in the `solar' system.

Ride your bike. Enjoy the moment. Don't isolate yourself. Build good neighborhoods.

Use of External Catheter for Racing (or just convenience)

I use an external catheter for on-the-road urination while riding the recumbent. For upright and other bikes you might make some changes. Here is what, how and why I do it.

(Note thin white `tube’ exiting left of rider’s torso. That is the external catheter. Does not empty onto water bottle, chain or brake pads.)

Material:

• External catheter: Self-adhering male external catheter
• http://www.greatmedicalsupplies.com/supply~Rochester+Medical+(RH)~wide-band-silicone-catheter-large-36304.htm
• The medical supply company sells the catheters at different widths. Though you may be `sensitive’ about this the idea is to measure the circumference of your penis in millimeters (not feet, yards, or meters!). When you access their website order appropriately.
• Acrylic tubing. Clear. External diameter 7 mm; length 13” – 15”.
• Electrical tape or equivalent. .5” - .75” wide; 1.5” long.

How:

• Insert the tubing into the catheter extension.
• Drill a little vent hole on one side about an inch from the top of the tube (this allows the urine to flow without creating a vacuum).
• Apply tape around the connection between the tubing and the catheter so that the tube does not work itself out of the catheter while riding. Be careful not to tape over the vent hole.
• Roll the external catheter (like a condom) over the penis so that the adhering material is firmly attached. (You may need to cut your pubic hair to avoid getting it caught in the adhesive. Be careful!)
• When not riding you can discretely put the tubing in your shorts.
• When riding you can extend the tubing out of your shorts to the left side to avoid getting it fouled in the chain.
• When you are done riding you simply (and slowly) peel the catheter off the shaft of your penis. It doesn’t hurt or leave an abrasion or skin irritation.
• Remove the tape and catheter from the tubing. Wash the tubing and reuse.
• Many have said that they don’t think that they can pee on the fly. Wrong. Physics. When your bladder is full and out of room you will pee. After a while you won’t notice it.

 Why: 

• To remove any thought of trying to minimize fluid / hydration intake.
• During races some racers have to stop several times and run off to the bushes, losing valuable time.
• Simple convenience. The argument that it is unsanitary ignores the fact that cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other animals disperse many worse fluids, materials and solids on roads.
• Completely inconspicuous.
• Leaving a valuable bicycle outside a public restroom without a lock risks theft.
• Carrying a heavy chain, cable or lock to secure the bike while using a public restroom adds weight to the bike.
• Often I'd be forced to urgently run behind some barely adequate bush, some alleyway between two out-of-the-way factories, or any similar barely hidden location just to pee. And, while discreetly peeing, I would look, furtively, in all directions, fearing if I'd get arrested for public indecency /exposure.

Note:

Often persons considering the external catheter have an inhibition to the very idea. Peer comments may contribute to your own initial reluctance. For many bicycling involves peer approval and ego issues. You’ll have to make the `judgment call’ for yourself.

If you are likely to be embarrassed on a group ride (worrying that you will be seen urinating) just separate from the group for a while; pull back, to the side, etc.

For those who race bicycles this is a better option than:

• Stopping to pee;
• Slowing down to pee under or over your shorts;
• Peeing in the saddle, through your shorts;
• Underhydrating to avoid peeing.

 And What Happens When You Hold It In For Too Long?


Watch This
 

Indoor Training for Outdoor Competing

RAW and RAAM - 2012 and after .... TRAINING STRATEGIES

Because my wife and I will be relocating from Chicago to Prescott, AZ, in 2011 I won't be able to enter the Race Across the West in 2011.  Likely the most challenging event for the '11 cycling season will be the doublecross Indiana UMCA race on May 21st. 

Since I'll be retired by June '11 and likely living in Prescott the training will start with regularity at that time.  I'll be switching among recumbent bikes for the training in the mountainous local area and the low (southwest of Prescott) and high (northeast of Prescott) desert areas.  The recumbents I'll be training on will include the Bacchetta Ti Aero, the Cruzbike Vendetta and the Cruzbike Sofrider. 

The Cruzbike Vendetta will be used exclusively for speed and time trial training on both the flats and the mountains.  It will be reserved for shorter (200 miles and less) unsupported distances.  (If I am supported in my racing the Vendetta will be the primary bike, no matter what the terrain or distance). 

The Bacchetta, also will be used on both the flats and the mountains.   But I'll be training with a BOB trailer weighted with gear, nutrition and water for the longer distances.  For shorter distances (less than a day) I'll replace the gear with sandbags. 

And the Cruzbike Sofrider will be used almost exclusively on the mountains for shorter distances, using the BOB trailer weighted with sandbags and nutrition and water.

As you can guess the use of the weighted BOB trailer will serve the purpose of increasing my mountain climbing speed and power. 

I plan to use the Bacchetta and the BOB trailer for long, multiday, unsupported solo training through the low and high deserts.  I'll need the BOB trailer to carry water, tires, parts and tools, clothing and camping gear.  It's hot, dry and the towns are few and far between.   Again, the purpose will be to increase endurance and power by adding weight (trailer) and extended training hours. 

As mentioned in a previous blog I'll use either or both the Bacchetta and the Cruzbike Sofrider to transport the Cruzbike Vendetta to races that are within a 300 mile radius of Prescott.  Again, more reliance on human power for endurance and conditioning. 

Though I value the `green' aspect of not using my pickup truck and gas to go back and forth to races ... I'm less interested in being `green' than I am in building strength and endurance. 

As for food?  Thouugh I tend to be careful to avoid `bad' foods and too much salt, meat and alcohol I'm not what you would call a food freak.  I do well enough.  And I have neither an illusions about immortality nor a desire to live into senescence.  If I have to die I'd rather not slowly dissolve into a barely surviving organism.  Part of my role in life is to become food for the planet when I'm gone.  Nope: no cremation.  What a weird idea! 

Surprising

Just the other day I established what I thought would be a challenging indoor training goal of maintaining an average heart rate of between 128-132 bpm.  Looks like it's not so challenging. 

When I got on the trainer today the first 5 minutes felt uncomfortable and I was wondering if this was going to be a crappy 90 minutes of disappointment.  Twenty minutes later I was having to restrain myself from pushing past the 130's.  For the rest of the workout I found myself easily pushing into the late 130's and then backing off so as to stay on plan. 

I think part of what is going on is that:

• I'm regaining the fitness I let slide as I closed out the cycling season about 8 weeks ago and played catch-up with neglected family/work duties;
• I typically close my eyes when indoors;
• My mind wanders (`to do' lists, memories of past rides, etc);
• I get caught up in the music I'm listening to.  

I'll let what happens happen over the next week or two, not pushing for `peformance' and power so early into the indoor training off-season. 

The (possibly) good news is that I may simply be stronger than I was last year, stronger than I thought.  It's interesting to recognize how our body's response to years of training improves despite (in my case) the fact that I'm 65 yrs old. 

I wonder if I should increase the HR goal to the 140's range.  This increases my curiosity about how many watts I'm generating.  But that will have to wait.  I have to be careful to not spend too much time training at the expense of the many other things going on in my life. 

Balance.  Always the important variable. 

Avg Wattage Estimate for UMCA Indiana event

Originally Posted by galilee
"Just curious but what is your target watt output for the Indiana event?"

I don't know yet. So many factors play into setting such a target on discrete racing events. Shorter distance and more difficult terrain would argue a higher wattage. 300 miles with half of it likely with a tail wind and a slight incline and the other half with a slight decline into a wind ... again, hard to say.

Last June (RAW) I averaged 106 bpm over 415 miles in 27 hours from San Diego to Congress, AZ, with minimal (at least "I" thought it was minimal) real climbing (50 miles max). Frankly, that is the kind of range you would want for anticipated 860 mile three day event. That certainly might equate to wattage in the 120 or less range.

I didn't expect to have to stop in Congress. And I think it had to due to the constant diarrhea I experienced. You can hydrate and fuel only so much, but diarrhea will take it's toll. My nutrition and hydration plan for Indiana will include much moe solid foods (turkey jerky, turkey weiners, etc).

Given the Indiana attempt I might expect to average 150 - 170 watts, 130 - 140 bpm for 15 hours - which will be bordering on depletion and exhaustion. I want to avg between 24 - 26 mph. Very, very challenging goal.

I think the CompuTrainer numbers in mid-March should give me a more accurate and reliable set of data. I'm quite curious, too.

__________________

The Indoor Training Program This Year

This year's indoor training program is completely different from last year's. Although the 2011 cycling event calendar is far less frightening than 2010 my thinking is that the I'll probably enter the spring in better condition.

First, I'm not using the CompuTrainer this year. Low tech is the plan: the LeMond Revolution (sturdy, powerful and challenging wind trainer).

Second, I'm not going to force myself outdoors to train in the freezing and brutal elements. Too much time (hours and hours of driving and preparation and recuperation --- not to mention the expense) and the benefit just wasn't / isn't worth it.

Third, I'll be less a slave to a training log, spreadsheet, etc. I'll just train as much as I can and want, while I put family and work as priorities.

Fourth, I'll approximate a periodization method of training. The major goal, so far, is the W-E-W Cross Indiana State UMCA Record attempt on May 21st. No major terrain challenge; weather should be very agreeable.

Fifth, my focus will be on keeping a steady heart rate in the high 120 bpm - low 130 bpm range for long periods of time (17+ hours without a break). I've already put in a few 90 minute sessions of this in the last week.  It might turn out that this goal is too `easy.'

There will be several weekend days of 6 - 10 hours on the trainer, a nice window fan and music if and when I want it (no iPod; instead, just simple earbuds to a CD player). As the early spring arrives I'll put in more hours outdoors, as well.

In comparison to last year I'll be saving hours and hours of time I used for heat acclimatization. That is, I won't be dressing up as the Michelin man, surrounded by space heaters and `dikes and berms' surrounding the bike to contain the rivers of sweat.

Periodically I'll switch the bike to the CompuTrainer to measure wattage production. The Indiana course is flat and, though there will be wind and weather, I won't be dealing with 20 miles of 5-7% grades, 22% switchbacks, etc....

Again, the training will target the event: solid watt production, substantial heart rate capacity and long hours of doing it without interruption.

Though I expect to weigh in around 180 - 185 lbs for the Indiana event this will be a byproduct of training rather than a particular goal. If I had long hours of climbing to do in 2011 (like there was in 2010) I'd focus more on weight reduction.

Compared to last year I find myself much less `afraid' going into the training mode. It will be more natural, less insane. More integrated with the rest of my life.

And, I'm pretty confident -- determined -- that the results of the `off-season' training program will be amply demonstrated with a solid series of UMCA Cross State Indiana records.

LOST AND FOUND

I received an email recently from an ultracycist listserv recognizing the indoor training achievements of a few DF’rs this winter. The author joked about the need to stock up on “Chamois Buttr.”

I was recently watching vids of ultra DF’rs scrunched up over their bikes, backs aching, feet screaming with pain, necks about to crack in half, hands and wrists numb and limp from nerve damage, shoulders drooped and folded like leaves from a dead plant.

And I am ashamed to be a hypocrite. For the first 63 years of my cycling life I rode DFs. And for last 25 years of riding the DF I spent at least half my energy and effort struggling against the pain, not struggling to improve my fun or performance.

These last 2.5 years I have had no pain. I spend NO energy and effort struggling against the pain. NOW I put that energy and effort into improving my performance, enjoying the ride, excited about what I feel inside of me and see around me.

Why did I spend so much of my life in diligent pursuit of suffering on the DF?!!

Because I wanted to be liked by my buddies on DFs.

Thoughtless.

Pure and unadulterated desire to be accepted.

Blind and ignorant to what my poor body was trying to communicate to my dumb mind.

Rushing with the crowd toward the edge of the cliff.
------

Now? I have no more `Chamois Buttr.’ 

I now ride to be fast, to go long, and to be my best in performance, NOT my best in capacity for self-inflicted pain.

Slow learner. But … at least I got the message before I lost interest or died!

From a post on a recumbent bike forum.  I stated that I thought I could beat my previous times on several challenging routes on a front wheel drive recumbent bike:

           "Again, Dan I think you are deluding yourself. Only after you have recreated your epic Arizona rides and have data which shows this advantage will I no longer be skeptical. You are chasing the fountain of youth."

My reply:

Dear God NO!!

If there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back having skipped the first 45 years of life. And while I'm on this bent (oo!) I'd like to come back as one of the following: dung beetle, cockroach, ant. But that's another story.

• And, yes! I delude myself frequently.
• Also, I work with some diligence toward contradiction.
• Double standards are my due, given my age.
• I think intelligence is overrated and organizational skills are what keep most of us fed and clothed every day.
• Denial is something I do but try to avoid thinking about. 

And I like ice cream bars with chocolate.

I'm o.k. with being serious.

Me? I want to be faster, fastest and first. If that is attributable to wind, terrain, unholy engineering, or just a good day ... I'll take it.

And when another comes by who is better in all categories I'll praise his/her good fortune, talent and hard work. I'll grumble and swear. But I'll be glad to share with the few something that is hard won.

In a hundred years (as they say) we won't be remembered.

So, you see, all that matters is how we are towards one another in the here and now. And I'm not so good at that, even. F'sure.

Perhaps it is because I've experienced so many failures, disappointments, losses, embarassments, a few reqrets, and reasons for shame.

Mostly I don't want to be lonely, in protracted pain or afraid. Never did. Didn't know it though. Time and a reputation for being a slow, but persistent, learner helped. It's workin'.

My smiles express an embrace of others who are learning towards what I'm so recently aware of.

When young I could hide this wisdom in a tsunami of hormonal rage, fury and enormity. Youth, for me, was fun. But it was blind and self-absorbed.

Now? I'm a tad less driven.

I like it now. It's better. Dessert.

And I'm not going to give it up with out the most ferocious of battles. As William Wallace once said: "A'm gooin' t' peck a fight!!" With a smile, a nod of the head and a threatening twinkle in his eye.

Indiana Double Cross (W-E-W) on May 21, 2011

It's decided.  Rather than just repeat my previous W-E record set in 2009 I'll attempt an `out and back' record on Saturday, May 21st.  Four opportunities to set UMCA records:

1. Beat my '09 W-E record time for a recumbent;
2. Set a W-E record for all bikes;
3. Set a E-W record for all bikes;
4. Set a W-E-W record for all bikes. 

Greedy.

Recumbent Blog Interview

Just before Calvin's Challenge in Ohio in May 2010 I had the pleasure to sit down with Tom Hovan and Travis Prebble to discuss my indoor training over the winter in preparation for RAW 2010.  Not having listened to this interview for about six months I'm reminded of just how insane one has to be to think that one can train for such an event almost exclusively in one's basement.  My confidence exceeded my ability because I DNF'd at Time Station 6 in Congress, AZ.  Still, I was able to do 415 miles in less than 28 hours of the coastal mountains and desert heat. 

http://www.recumbentjournal.com/views/interviews/item/141-an-interview-with-ultra-cyclist-dan-fallon.html

A spasm of philosphies...

From a recent exchange on a recumbent bike discussion forum:

"Dan,

maybe it's because my poor english, not your fault. And I do not feel offended at all. I really cannot understand your word "ethic". I understand, you take cycling seriously, as organic part of your life. But I cannot understand why you wouldn't testride an exotic bike, if it was possible. There is only one recumbent bike shop in Hungary, and I have tested a lot of their interesting bikes. I frankly told the owner in advance that I won't buy a new bike in the close future. Why he allowed me to test them? Because I talk to many hungarian guys about recumbents, cyclists, tourists, fitness maniacs, etc. I am not his agent, but I mention his shop, his bikes, etc often. This is the fee.

The same with you. If a shopkeeper offers you a recumbent spaceship for instance to testride, he does it because you are a well known, credible recumbent cyclist. Your testride report worths much more than a rental fee or a paid ad...

Cheers!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for your response. I've valued your posts in the past and worried that I may have injured this.

First, I've ridden the Carbent a year and a half ago in what turned out to be a 100 mile (out of 200 miles) race. Though I enjoyed it I didn't find it any different from my Ti Aero (perhaps it was because the race was on completely flat terrain).

Second, with few exceptions I can estimate what a different recumbent will feel like. Now, if someone gave me a fully zooted-out Zockra to ride I'd do it just for the experience, but not because I would have any intention of spending the money to buy it.

Third, (if not really first), it's the `engine.' Because of my work and the location of my home (Chicago -- `streets' don't help train; open roads do) it is a big investment of time and ... time to intensively train for the kind of speed and endurance I desire. During the cold months I train on indoor trainers that strengthen my `engine,' (watts). When the warm weather returns I then train on endurance over time.

Finally, in fact I `do' consider spending a lot of money on a bicycle to be offensive to my core values. Would I allow myself to be sponsored by a company that spends their money on bicycles? Probably. That would be clumsy and convenient ethical rationalizing ... but I'm weak enough to allow that.

Even more finally ... and you didn't imply or ask this ... my assessment of our species is that `consciousness' is an evolutionary dead end of very short duration and will self-destruct in the not too distant (in geological terms) future. We think too much and accomplish too little. If I had my way I'd have been born a dung beetle, a cockroach or an ant. Actually, some people already think that I AM one or all of these remarkable creatures.

If I were to switch from animal to plant? I'm big on weeds

And even more finally, finally ... I'm looking forward to the Cruzbike road test because the bikes are based on readily available and (relatively) inexpensive components and a decently priced frame --- with the prospect of solid functional performance where and when it counts.

I'm no slave to consistency, predictability or comprehendible monologue. I value my contradictions and feel perfectly at home within my (the clock is ticking!) species. (It takes serious restraint not to exhibit sarcasm as a core coping strategy in an absurd and brutal world).

I don't believe in god. Faith is a delusion. Sentiment does or does not promote procreation. And when Mother Sun becomes a red dwarf it'll all be clear to us then.

From less to more ...

I stopped riding the upright after a few seasons of agony with saddle sores.  I was trying to do ultra distances and just could not manage a way to stay in the saddle for the hours needed.  The `demise' of my upright cycling was quite sad, in fact.  I thought I had lost one of the most productive outlets for energy and very needed alone time.
 
I had great good fortune in the friendship of Joe Reichert of Amlings Cycle and Fitness in Niles, IL.  Joe introduced me to the recumbent just as I was `giving up' on cycling.  What a stroke of luck!

It's been just a few years since I've put in any real miles on the upright.  And I miss it.

A few months ago I started mixing up my morning training rides between the bent and the upright.  My schedule and other demands ended that.

Now, over the cold months, I'll be setting up both the bent and the upright on the indoor trainers.  I certainly won't be putting in the hours on the indoor trainer this year that I did last year.  But it will be good to get my butt and shoulders `worn in' as preparation for the warmer season ahead.
 
I'm almost entirely certain that I won't be doing any ultra distances on the upright.  I'll reserve that for the recumbent.  But I would like to get in a few centuries next year on the upright.
 
On the recumbent I can push my endurance - time and distance - because I'm not distracted by torn, ripped and bleeding tissue (saddle sores).
 
On the upright I won't push for time and distance (i.e., ultra endurance events).  Instead I'll ride for enjoyment and pleasure.
 
Just when I thought I had reached the end of cycling in my life I find that I've actually increased it and given it more excitement, variety and pleasure.

Life is like that.  I am very, very fortunate.

Probably better ...

I've been actively participating in a few cycling organizations over the past few years as a bent rider. Earlier, as a DF rider, I'd have occasional reason to be involved in these organizations but not as actively.

I'm better on a recumbent than I am on a DF. In fact, I'm probably in the top 10% of recumbent riders/racers, even with the minimal amount of time I have been able to devote to training. Age notwithstanding (or, despite my age).

When I consider that I entered RAW 2010 with fewer than 1500 miles of outdoor training and did as well as I did ... being a DNF with 415 miles in 25 hours ... is evidence.

On too many ultra events I have found that I am discounted. First my age. Next, that my platform is a recumbent.

I am less for neither.

This month I was 3rd in all categories on a 24 hour event. The race organizers overlooked this and reported erroneous results; failing even to refer to my result. When brought to their attention they apologized and issued a correction. They are sincere. And they certainly regret it.

I accept that cycling is predominantly considered a DF world.

So, what does it mean that I took home the `trophy' for being the Recumbent Champion of the recent 24 hour event! I was the ONLY recumbent entrant!!

And what does it mean that I own the UMCA cross state recumbent records for Illinois and Indiana ... when I had a lucky tailwind for both!

The organizers of these events are wonderful people with unselfish motives and a sincere and genuine desire to give to the sport. The folks are, in my mind, heroes and mentors.

Nevertheless, when I consider the sacrifices and effort that I put into training on the recumbent I resent these oversights.

So, as a recumbent racer, it is probably better that I ratchet down my expectations for acceptance in most ultracycling events.

The plan is to become gravely serious about breakthrough performances at ultracycling events; not to just show up for the fellowship, or to use the event as a good training experience.

The plan is to target the fastest times from point A to point B in all categories and on all platforms.

I am not a `grandmaster.' I ride a two wheeled machine. It is a recumbent.

I won't be stopping to etch an early gravestone.

"The knowledge that every ambition is doomed to frustration at the hands of a skeleton have never prevented the majority of human beings from behaving as though death were no more than an unfounded rumor." - Aldous Huxley

Two speeds: Stop and Race.
__________________

- Dan

"For really I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live as the greatest he: and therefore truly, sir, I think it’s clear, that every man that is to live under a government ought first by his own consent to put himself under that government.” 17th-century Englishman, Colonel Thomas Rainsborough

Reading and Balance

Now that I've let loose of the need to spend hours each week either training or feeling guilty for not training I'm getting some balance back into my life. 

Week 1 post the UltraMidwest 24 Hour Race I attended to urgent (paperwork) matters associated with my work and our family finances.  Week 2 post UM24 I attended to important but not urgent similar matters.  Now that I'm into Week 3 post UM24 I've begun to read for pleasure. 

I'm rereading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness for about the 4th time.  I seem to reread it every decade, uncovering meaning that I couldn't possibly have understood the previous decade.  Age and experience matters. 

I'm putting myself to sleep every night with 3 to 5 pages of John Grisham's The Brethren, a scattered and clumsy novel that bores me into a snooze. 

I spend most every morning sitting with my wife, Annie, reading the NYT and sipping coffee.  We catch up on what the other is thinking about, discuss plans, share ideas. 

Ah, yes, and for Mia and Mickie, the grandkids, 7 and 5.  We make up stories and tell eachother about the dreams we had last night.  And we play `cheese and baloney' when we don't have the patience for bedtime stories. 

And half a dozen books on geology, paleoecology of the Southwest, and various ant colonies. 

UltraMidwest 24 Hour Race

‎24 hours after the UltraMidwest 24 Hr Race. Glad to be (oldest) one of the 4 who did it all and proud to have earned the UltraMidwest 2010 Men's Recumbent Champion trophy. Hardest part turned out to be sleep dep. Cold, windy, hilly and long. Uncomfortable, but not a show-stopper.

Official miles are 332.  Add in the `bonus' miles for getting lost 3 times and it comes to 360 miles. 

As this was an unsupported race (i.e., no crew) I provided my own food and fluids.  I decided to ditch the `all liquid' idea after a disastrous Race Across the West experience.  Instead, this time I ate anything that didn't eat me back.  I shocked myself at how `much' I ate.  Sandwiches, cookies, dozens of turkey hot dog wieners.  All went down well and stayed there.  Good energy, too.

Metamora, IL, 200 Mile Race - August 7th

It's noon, the day after, and I'm just now beginning to feel like I have enough energy to chew scrambled eggs.

Four 50 mile loops.  Dave Parker and Joe Jamieson of Ultra Midwest outdid themselves this time. Great course.  Great support.  Delightful fellowship. 

I managed to handle to first two laps in 5:09:00; I called the third lap my `lope' lap while I recuperated; and the final lap was 25 miles at about 75% RPE and the last 25 miles at about 60% RPE. I was nicely fried.

On lap 4 I got cramps, despite having drunk enough fluids to float a battleship. I gave about 15% up for the cramps for about 20 minutes and remember screaming outloud to my leg and that pesky abdominal muscle: "I'm not going to stop, you two, so just keep cramping, you ****ers!!" I think I scared the cows and horses.

Twice I found that the front brake was hanging and creating a friction on the wheel. Finally, I just loosened the brake so that it was inoperable. Brakes are for sissies!

Pulling in to the finish Roz Jamison hands me this medal congratulating me for being the third fastest recumbent to finish the 200 miles.  After John Schlitter and John Tanner I was only 90 minutes behind.

But I'm now looking forward to the 24 hour in Port Byron in September.

Here's a link to the Garmin data:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/43684491

existential note

Ever since I was a young teenager I wanted to know what it was like to be at the "end" of things.  Hurry up!  How does it end?!!

This translated to a lot of `starting up' to be able to get to the `end' sooner. 

Though I'm in my mid 60's I don't have a sense of personal mortality.  Not even a hint.  I still see the times of TdF racers and say to myself: "When I retire I'll have more time to train.  I can beat that time!"

In a `rational' universe that statement makes as much sense as what I said on a recent long 144 mile training ride.  Stopping off at a country firehouse I asked the fire fighters: "You guys got any water?"

Looking, though, at the numbers I realize that I've probably got fewer years ahead of me than behind me. 

And that gives me some pause:  I now realize that the `end' of things presages nothing more than the `repetition' of things. 

In a weird way that is reassuring.

Ride Across INdiana (RAIN) 2010

I left Chicago Saturday morning around 2:am and got to Terre Haute around 6:15am. (I had to stop along the way to take a 15 minute nap because I was having a hard time staying awake).

I parked at the Drury Inn in TH and biked the 7 miles to the start line but got there about 2 minutes late. That didn't matter though as my plan was to be the last person leaving, anyway. It seemed like 2000 riders piled out of a small country lane on to US 40, taking aboout 10 full minutes. I waited at the intersection of the country lane and US 40 just to watch the spectacle and saw several bents. When I was sure there was no more `juice in the orange' I just pulled out and rode up a small 4 - 5% quarter mile hill before the route smoothed out.

I saw a number of riders on bents and/or tandem bents yesterday on the Rice Across INdiana. It was a warm to hot day all day. Fortunately I didn't see any accidents, let alone near accidents.

We had a nice SWS tailwind of about 5 - 7 mph. Local drivers were mindful of the riders. And many people in the towns we passed through were happy to see us. About 30 miles out I saw a rider changing a flat tire while one of the townsfolk was holding up an electric fan next to him to keep him cool. What a riot!!

RAIN is a fun ride when riders are careful. A real challenge to riders is when the ride route bends south around Indianapolis into the rural residential neighborhoods. Narrow 2 lane roads with little shoulder. Lots of 90 degree turns -- and this is what makes for dangerous accidents.

I had two flat tires along the route, taking about 50 minutes to fix, total. And then I completely missed the second `rest stop' where I had intended to refill water bottles. This required me to stop at a local store to purchase water.

I finished the route (155 miles this year) in 8:04:00 riding time. Except for the two flat tires I spent only 11 minutes off the bike (water, bathroom). Elapsed time was 9:01:00.

I passed at least a dozen DF pace lines along the way. At a stoplight the leader of a paceline leaned over to me and said "You were really flying on that thing!" I responded: "Nickel body. Dollar bike." And we both had a good laugh.

I think my average mph was 19.40 for the course. This was my 11th RAIN and I think I finished it close to 2 hours 45 minutes faster than ever before. If it weren't for the clumsy starts, stops, spooky turns, etc, of that section around Indianapolis I think my time would have been about 30 minutes faster.

After about 100 miles, I was still passing pacelines. I realized then that because I missed the 2nd rest stop, bought water and canned soup at a local store along the way, purposely passed up the 3rd rest stop (the school) I must have been pedalling while the speeders were hanging out at rest stops.

After Dunreith (around 130 miles) I started to cramp up. Not sure what that was about but I doubled my hydration and ate two candy bars I picked up at Dunreith. I stopped at a closed small factory and filled the water bottles at a water faucet on the side of the building.

Cramping slowed me down for about 5 miles. Right quad, left abdominal muscle (I've concluded that the abdominal muscle is my warning system telling me to hydrate more). Had about two Endurolyte pills every 90 minutes.

Never had cramps on RAW (DNF'd). The fact that I had a crew and that the `dry heat' is actually easier to handle than the heat and humidity of the midwest ... makes hydration in the midwest particularly important.

Pics

Some pics taken by Allan Duhm, my crew chief, from the Race Across the West.

http://picasaweb.google.com/psychling/RaceAcrossTheWest2010Photos#

These are pics taken by my son, James.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fallonmms/DFRaw02#

And this is a short video taken by my son, James.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fallonmms/DFRAW#


After about 415 miles in 28 hours I arrived at Congress, AZ.  Time Station # 6.   I was fine from the waist up. No heat problem. We had pretty much worked out the food problem. The `runs' had stopped running. I don't think I was dehydrated (no symptoms that I can recall but I DO think that one should hydrate more than I did -- electrolyte matters being equal). I just didn't have the legs for it. I wasn't dizzy. But when I stood up I couldn't recruit the dozens of autonomic small muscle movements we need to remain stable in the upright position. That, and a recognition that I didn't likely have the stamina to get past Mingus Mountain.

I'd done Yarnell Grade, Skull Valley, Mingus Mountain, through Sedona and up to Flagstaff in the past. It's important to know what you're doing. And when you decide to not do it ... it's based on knowledge, not loss of will.

I just didn't have the miles of training necessary for the entire RAW route. There's really not a lot of surprise to it. I knew it was a `long shot' but I really, really wanted to do it. And, I was very much looking forward to having my crew and I together to participate -- from the inside out -- in one of the world's most incredible endurance events.

So much for the he-man mystique. Though I brought the bike and gear to work yesterday with the intention of riding after work through the night and day until 8pm tonight ... I just went home after work instead. Missed my wife. Working afternoons and evenings ... I don't see her enough. I was tired. Didn't want to be alone on the lonely dark roads. Wanted to be home with my honey and the dog.

Got up early this morning, out, drove the 60 miles to the country and started at 8:20am. Stopped at 6:30pm. Did 144 miles. Stopped at a country store, bought a ham and cheese sammich and brought it to the forest preserve where I park. Had a tasty pleasant lunch and took an hour nap in my truck there.

A good ride. Pushed it for quite a bit. Took my time at other times. Lots of nice folks on the road. Toodled around a few places I'd always been too much in a hurry to look at. A County Park. A country school complex.

Stopped to chat with a bunch of firemen sitting in the drive of the fire station in Burlington. I rolled up and said: "This is a stupid question to ask guys at a firehouse, but, do you have any water?" Offered me ice for my water bottles, too. Quintessential American country: "Hot enough for 'ya?"

A pickup truck with a few Mexican workers sitting in the back passed me on a long stretch of road and they and I broke out in big smiles and thumbs up and hand waves.

Can be very quiet and even lonely in the country prairie. Makes the infrequent contact with others that much more poignant.

Why I Don't Take Pictures / Videos / Photographs

No pictures.  I don't take pictures.

Somehow I don't feel the need to memorialize in digital format what mother nature meant my memory to do, i.e., to distort, exaggerate and romanticize. 

Every time I look at pictures of me I feel `let down.'  Jowels.  Mortality marches on. 

When I look at my family, friends and associates I'm bouyed.  I am reminded of their kindness and generosity.  Their good humor. 

One's perceptions float around in a pool of neural connections, weird chemicals and electrical farts.  The ultimate good purpose of this `pool' is:

• to protect us from past painful experiences,
• to stimulate pleasure without the use of drugs (legal or otherwise),

Recently there has been research demonstrating how persons suffering from terrible trauma can turn disabling nightmares into mere dreams.  The premise of the research is that there is an element of `telling ourselves' a new story line that can replace a nightmare with a less frightening, even pleasant, dream. 

Pictures take away from memory too often.  And the stories we tell ourselves are too important to leave alone, without a context of sensation, meaning, and value. 

Recently I was asked a few questions about some things on RAW.  I'm posting the questions and replies here:

First, I actually rode 415 miles. At Borrego Springs there is a roundabout with about 5 exits, all poorly marked. I was flying along and decided, without crew concurrence, to take the exit that seemed right. Five miles later the crew pulls up beside me and tells me I took the wrong exit. I rode back. My crew did their best to identify the next exit but it was wrong. About 6 miles later they tell me to stop. The load the bike into the van and drive me back to the roundabout. There we scan a little sign ("S1") that corresponds to the route book. And I'm off. Bonus miles.


1. What would you change specifically about your nutrition plan?

Emphatically:

A) I would not focus so exclusively on liquid fuel.

- In an effort to reduce the volume of liquid fuel I increased the concentration of calories, i.e., the maltodextrin/Sustained Energy mix was too dense. It was a thick syrup. My gut couldn't process so dense a concoction.

- I used a 70 oz bladder for water. It was a mistake to use Hammer Electrolyte powder in the water mix. Hammer Electrolyte powder doesn't fully dissolve (I learned). A semi-concretized sludge accumulates at the bottom of the bladder. Every bladder refill accumulated more Hammer sludge. In no time I was drinking a very concentrated muck of Hammer sludge. By the time we figured this out I was 5 bladders into the race and already suffering the runs. It took 5 `flushings' of teh bladder and a lot of shaking to clear out the sludge. From that point on I put nothing but water in the bladder, popping only Hammer Electrolyte pills (2 per hour).

- I drank an Ensure every hour or two, until after about 14 hours. Ensure, added to the above stuff, was just more too concentrated stuff.

My expectation was that my intestines could absorb this intense mix, that my body would burn it off, and my kidneys and ureters would send it out as pee. I was wrong. My intestines were overwhelmed by the concentrated formula and instead of sending it all to my ureters it simply resulted in the runs.

In the future I will rely less on concentrated liquid fuel and begin eating solids (real solids ... not peanut butter or semi-viscous energy bars) from the start. The liquid fuel will be much, much less concentrated. Frankly, I like meat and beef jerky.

2. How did you feel on the climbs?

I don't really think there were any real climbs, except for a few miles up over the coastal mountains and into Henshaw. And these were short, mild, fairly straightaway 6 - 7%ers.

(Though I stopped at Congress I've previously ridden to Prescott, up Mingus Mountain, up to Flagstaff. I knew what to expect, which is why I made the decision to stop at Congress.)

The climbs started at Congress, up Yarnell Grade. And still, though there were only a few `feet' of 9 - 10% climbs, there were no switchbacks, making it much easier to navigate.

On past YG the only other climb to Prescott was past Skull Valley, up into the Prescott National Forest (not a `tree' forest; a scrub high desert `brush' forest). In the PNF it was 4-7%ers at worst, excellent road, no switchbacks. But it was endless climbing for about 14 miles.

3. When you make your next attempt when your situation will actually allow you to train more optimally, how might you train?

First, I'd spend more time training. I could do that in Chicago if I didn't have a job. Chicago -- the midwest prairies -- isn't the `best' training for accomplishing a good performance on RAAM/RAW but when you do it 300 - 400 miles per week for 9 months you'll build endurance/capacity.

Second, I don't just want to `finish' RAW/RAAM if I do it next time. I want to go fast. Go fast. Fast.

I want to add heat, switchbacks, and lots of climbing to the `time' I put into the training. Can't do that in the prairie. (No matter what anyone tells you ... pushing into a 20mph prairie wind doesn't simulate climbing or switchbacks).

Retiring and moving to Prescott in the next 18 -24 months will give me the time, terrain and climate to train right.

4. Would you mind sharing some details and maybe some pictures of your bike?

I'm not that impressed with the differences between my Ti Aero and all the carbon fibre out there. No question the CFs offer benefits. But none so particular that would make more than .5% difference on a 750 mile, multiday race.

What matters is training, fuel, hydration and crew. And some ability to manage altitude (I must have some Tibetan ancestors because I have never been affected by altitude).

I ride a Bacchetta ti Aero. Zipp 404s. Schwalbe Ultremos. 56 big ring up front with two smaller rings. (the 56 made a huge difference when I had a tailwind). An 11-34 nine speed cassette in the back. Although I had a headrest I found that I didn't really use it except to anchor the Fastback pouch into which I put the bladder.

I won't use a bladder anymore. Nor a headrest. Instead I'm more likely to use a cage mount bottle holder attached to the hard shell seat. Even though the bottles will hold only 24 oz (as opposed to the 70 oz bladder) they will be easier and faster to replace than the bladder.

I have pics of my bike, the crew, clothing strategies in the heat, etc., at my picasa site:

http://picasaweb.google.com/psychlin...est2010Photos#

My son took a video: (the first minute is him videoing me snoring at night before the race ... his way of proving to me that I snore )

http://picasaweb.google.com/fallonmms/DFRAW#

5. What did you use for night lighting, and did you feel it was adequate?

Minimalist.

I used one Planet Bike blinkie for the back and one Planet bike headlight. I wanted the least weight possible, knowing that at night I'd have the crew vehicle (rules: bike can't move at night without follow van right behind it).
---------------------

I had a great time. I got several questions answered; several assumptions proven wrong; several assumptions verified.

Now I'm off to ride a 100+ in the prairie land.

Stopped but not finished - RAW 2010

I've not visited this blog since the last of May.  The Race Across the West 2010 has come and gone and I'm so deep into my job and work that I'm just coming up for air. 

First, I stopped at Time Station 6, Congress, Arizona, 392 miles into the 860 mile route.  I think elapsed time was 28 hours.  But riding (on the bike) time was 25 hours.  I could try to be `cute' and say that I had all my questions answered before I had to do the rest of the Race.  The fact is, though, that I was certain that I had nothing left. 

Simple fact is that my assessment in March, that the whole RAW route would be more than I could train for by June, was correct.  But I waaaannnnted to be in RAW, anyway.  My training regimen was spot-on.  I did the power work.  I rode the long weekends.  I just didn't have enough time to do more of it so that my endurance was there.  The 392 miles that I did do, however, I think I did very well.  A good start. 

I owe a lot of people.  I owe my wife, my family and my crew more than I can say.  They supported me in every way possible.  My son, David, drove the support van from Chicago all the way to San Diego.  He had to fly back home but my other son, James, flew into San Diego to crew for me on the Race. 

Allan Duhm was my crew chief and Jeff Clark was my mechanic.  They were a solid size `10' to my size `5.'  I could not have had a more informed, good natured, take-no-prisoners crew.  They were supportive, demanding, accepting, whacky and made me feel like I didn't have to do anything but ride the bike. 

After I stopped at Congress we all packed up and drove the 45 miles up Yarnell Grade, through Skull Valley and into Prescott, where my wife was waiting in a house we have in Prescott.  Everybody had a good meal, drinks, conversation, showers, a comfy and clean bed for the night.  Heaven! 

The next morning Allan and James were able to rearrange their flight home from Durango to Phoenix.  Jeff was off in a rented car to Durango where he had his bike shipped from home so that he could spend a few days on his own exploring the mountain bike heaven of Durango.

I recovered in 2.5 days and got back on the bike, riding from Prescott to Congress and back up Yarnell Grade, through Skull Valley and Prescott.  Did these routes several times over the following week on my own.  The area is an absolute `valhalla' for all kinds of cycling.

I had no cramps.  The heat (103 - 107) didn't get to me.  I hydrated well.  My preparation --- for 400 miles --- was perfection.  My fuel (nutrition) didn't `work.'  Too much intensely rich liquid nutrition caused me to have a hard time, i.e., I had the `runs.'  I was worried it might progress to dehydration but .... I didn't allow that.  Next time I'll be more informed and experienced. 

It's quite clear to me that my work life doesn't permit me to train for racing and competition.  I might have been better prepared if I didn't live in a major urban city that freezes over in the winter.  But I still think that I work too many hours to be able to compete at the level of which I'm capable.  Two years and I won't be working anymore. 

More, later.  But .. would I do it all over again, knowing what I now know?   Is the Pope Catholic?!  Does a donkey have a tail?!  Does a bear **** in the woods?!

- Dan

Last minute stuff ...

EXAMPLE OF POST TO THE CREW:

Folks ...

Joe has checked out the signage and electrical on the van to make sure that we have all the parts we need and that all the parts and the van work properly.

Joe has mounted the top of the van bike rack that we will use to put the spare bike during the race. At all other times the spare bike and the racing bike will be in the van for security.

The top van rack can allow for stowing of well-packed and secured gear that we won't need during the race. This will free up space.

Joe has modified the spare bike to accomodate my sizing and it is ready to go. I've mounted my Velocity Spartacus wheels on this bike.

I will be bring a third set of wheels: Velocity bombproof wheels that I use in training. Just another `insurance.'

I'm not going to obsess about proper placement of the gear and equipment in the van. This is something that Jeff, Allan and James can do in San Diego. I will, however, have lots of bungie cords and cable ties that will allow you to secure the gear once you decide on how you want it organized.

HYDRATION:

I'm only bringing the 70 oz bladders, not the 50 oz or 100 oz camelbak bladders. The 100 oz is too heavy and won't fit in the bag attached to the bike seat. If we only want 50 oz in the bladder we don't need a special bladder for that; just fill the 70 oz with 50 oz. Makes things simpler.

I found this weekend (two hot days in a row of riding) that I `use up' the fluid my body naturally over-stores within the first 4 - 5 hours of riding. At that point sipping from the bladder doesn't seem to be enough to make me pee at least twice per hour.

So, I am anticipating that in the hot and desert-like weather I'll just need to have handed off to me a 16 oz `bonus bottle' of electrolyted water - with the top off the bottle - so that I can just gulp it down. This is a very critical point as my `racial heritage' body type did not anticipate prolonged sweating... although I have a profoundly productive sweating capacity. Combine a strong sweating capacity with too little electrolyted water and I risk subtle but certain dehydration. Thus the `bonus bottle' every hour.

FUEL:

Again, after 12 hours of riding I use up the ambient extra calories in my liver and gut that give me a great calorie cushion at the outset of an event. Thereafter, however, I have to really pay attention to calorie consumption.

Saturday I rode 160 miles in the heat and did not remotely bonk. Sunday, however, after only 50 miles I felt myself at the edge of getting jello legs and only the vaguest feeling of bonking. Proves my point: my body `grants' me the first 12 hours of energy without asking much in return; thereafter, it is `cash on the barrelhead,' i.e., I have to follow a strict schedule of calorie consumption.

LIQUID V. SOLID FUEL:

I know I've said this too often but I HAVE to start a race with little-to-nothing in my gut, i.e., I have to have a liquid diet for 2 days before a race. If I've got anything in my gut it wants to get out NOW.

Also, I have to restrict myself to only a liquid fuel the first 12 - 18 hours of a race. Thereafter ... I know I have to start eating soft solids. BUT, I don't know what specific foods that means.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure that somewhere along the route I'm probably going to want a few Big Macs for the meat and sodium.

Also, small plastic bottles of caffeinated Coca Cola are great on the fly. They're small, tasty and easy to manage.

By the time I get to San Diego I'll have a list of several types of solid food I can eat and tolerate.

COOLING IN THE HEAT:

Two years ago I purchased `arm coolers,' i.e., thin white sleeves that are made from a material that doesn't absorb water but wicks it to the surface. The air flowing over the material has the effect of a `swamp cooler,' i.e., it reduces the surface temperature, thus `cooling' the arms.

These things really work well. Before I used these my arms would just soak up the heat without sufficient reflection, thus adding heat, not cooling at all.

I just purchased two pair of `leg coolers.' They serve the same function and are great.

I used both of these over the weekend and even in the humid heat of the midwest they literally kept me cool all the time EXCEPT when I had a tailwind.

Though the arm and leg coolers do reflect the heat of the sun, when I had a tailwind there was little wind that could evaporate the water sweating off my arms and legs. So ... the cooling feature wasn't working.

What I propose: Allan's idea of using a pressurized gallon jug of water with a flexible hose and wand to `spray' me with a watery mist is quite likely going to be the very best thing we can do to keep my core temp manageable.

I have two other methods (chilly towels, and something akin to an ice bib) that we may consider along the way.



(O.k.. Back down to the cellar to complete the packing and van storage process.)

- d

Transitioning to include solid food while racing ...

A recent interchange between Jeff Clark, Crew Mechanic, and me:

From: "Jeff Clark"
To: "Dan Fallon"

Dan, your stomach will want something to gnaw on other then the liquids and soup.

Some of the riders that I have crewed for become aware that they have only had water with electrolytes, gels, P.B.&J's and bars all day. They then want solid food and are really looking for it.

I personally think that a primal urge in the recesses of the mind is triggered by the setting sun.  At Sebring there is a concession stand that has hot dogs and hamburgers etc. both day and night.  And after awhile that warm food in your tummy is very satisfying.

I wasn't able to crew at Sebring this year but if i was going to be there I was going to ask Allan's wife, Cindy, to make some small containers of Allan's favorite meals. Then the plan was to microwave them and serve they over the night time hours. This I thought wood serve two purposes: first, warm solid food; second (and probably most importantly); food for the mind and soul.

Allan had stomach problems on his FL record ride early in the day and I think that effected his ability later on into the evening as well as the over night. Another thing is when are on a liquid diet that will be all that your body will be eliminating.

Something that you need to start thinking about is some solid and warm foods along the way. I don't know if you eat at burger places but it doesn't have to be a meatball sub.We could hit a restaurant for a "kids" pasta to go. Many things are possible.  You need to get some ideas going so we, as the crew, can help keep you rolling with the fuel tank full of many different things besides gels, soups and bars.

MY REPLY TO JEFF:

You know, Jeff, I'm pretty much thinking along the same lines as you. I've never done even a 24 hour ride, not to mention a 24 hour race. But with the recent longish training rides I've done I've found myself, after the rides, wanting to `munch' on something solid. Like a big honkin' greasy piece of dead meat :)

Two things:

1. My innards want to eliminate solids when I ride on the recumbent.

This is a physical phenomenon called `peristalsis,' i.e., the movement of solid remains of meals through one's intestines and bowels and out the anus. Often, for me, the first 90 minutes of a long training ride can include one or two stops at a roadside port-a-potty to completely empty me out. (Unless I've been disciplined enough for the 48 hours previous to consume only a liquid diet).

The surprising and very welcome consequences of this are: a) my breathing improves (less effort by my diaphragm to flex, less contents in my gut to interfere with the diaphragm); b) more capacity of my midsection/core muscles to integrate and coordinate in providing watts and balanced and controlled breathing. My riding is much, much more relaxed and comfortable.

2. I can't wear bib shorts if I have to worry about stopping to defecate every few hours. Waaaayyy too much hassle.

•  pull off the jersey,
• pull off the shoulder straps of the bib,
• do my b'ness,
• re-do what I just undid.
• the sweat is burning my eyes,
• the sweat is messing up my glasses,
• I'm banging my head and helmet into the walls of a port-a-potty
• and I just dropped my car keys into the poop hole!!!

I'd need a crew and a staff just to get this managed quickly.

I'll come up with foods that will not be fiber-thick and heavy but tasty and midway between liquid and t-bone steak :))))

Winding it down, wrapping it up

Of course, just a few short weeks before RAW life's exigencies remind me that life is not `RAW.'  It is more (much more) and better than that.  (I wonder if I would have been so at peace with chaos 20 or 40 years ago). 

My work is wonderful.  I continue to experience the opportunity to participate in a helping way with the lives of people who are hurting and reaching out, showing their resilience.  Many sad and painful experiences in my client's lives are coming to a head: 8 lanes of traffic on a 2 lane hiway of life.

My nearest in age sister passed away last weekend after several years of suffering with a dread illness.  As her legal Guardian, and now the Executor of her Estate, my heart, soul and the time it takes to stitch the fabric of our lives together again is pressed even harder.

My wife retired less than two weeks ago.  She is doing a heroic job of `changing lanes.'  Not an easy job for a woman who has lived in the `pass lane' all her life.  But I am delighting in the easy mornings I get to spend with her now, drinking coffee, waking up, having the time to speak in soft tones slowly. 

Last weekend I rode 325 miles.  Tonight after work I will head out to Burlington to do a midnight 100 miles, getting home by around 7am.  Saturday and Sunday I will do 100 miles each, pushing hard knowing that I will not be pacing myself for the 12 -14 hour rides of late. 

Amidst all of this I will be finishing up packing for RAW, readying the follow van, assuring that everything is buttoned up as Tuesday, June 1st, arrives and I move from one scheduled activity to the next ... until Noon, Wednesday, June 9th, in Oceanside. 

And then the fun starts.

- Dan

Challenging Indoor Workout Design:

I've got no choice but to do weekday training on the indoor trainer (CompuTrainer a.k.a. "Igor").

• Design an 11.2 mile course with 7% steady grade.
• Warm up for 10 - 15 minutes by just spinning without engaging the course.
• Start with 3 mins of 170 watts, then 2 mins of 200 - 215 watts.
• Do that for an hour.

 Challenging.
 Why?

First, builds leg strength.

Second, prepares rider for emotional / psychological impact of climbing challenges on RAW / RAAM. Just when you think you've topped an incline you discover it is a false flat and you've got another tough incline to climb. And this goes on and on and on (e.g., Skull Valley to Prescott).  Less hard on the legs and lungs than the lobes (brain lobes, that is).

Third, Stage One includes a several mile long 7% grade. Again, prepares one psychologically for the grind.

Fourth, most of us can mount a long set of hills by shifting down and just taking our time. In a Race one must be cognizant of doing this as well as possible without blowing up and DNF'ing later.

By training with programmed adversity we can build physical capacity and psychological tough-mindedness.

"Sparky" lives to ride again ...

I wanted desperately to ride a 12 hour after working all day Thursday. Despite weather forecast of rain, wind, lightning and cold.

Left the job around 12:15am Friday. Got on the road around 2:15am.

After doing one 25 mile lap in rural Burlington this morning it started to flash and crash (lightning) all around me about every 20 or 30 seconds. Even this dumb mick realized it's better to dive into the truck and head home than stiff it out and risk being a char broiled "dan on a stick."

Didn't mind riding in the driving rain. Sort of liked it. Even though it was almost parallel with the ground with a solid 20 - 25 mph NNE wind and 45 degree temp.

Weather guy said there were 2000+ lightning strikes w/n 150 mile radius of the area in a single hour during the time of my ride.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/32498365

Home now. Gonna grab about 6 hours sleep and do 6 hours on the friggin' fantasyland indoor trainer.

Tomorrow morning back out to Burlington and on the road by 4am for that 12 hour.

Calvin's Challenge - 12 Hour Race - Springfield, Ohio - May 1

I used my Zipp wheels Saturday and it all went to hell. At mile 42 I had passed almost everybody I could see ahead of me and I was closing in on a a small pack. Blinding rain, glasses useless and I missed seeing a pothole. Hit the pothole and got a front wheel pinch flat. Got back into the race 20 minutes later only to find that my front wheel had gone soft.

By mile 14 of the second 50 mile lap the front wheel was flat and I had to stop. My valve extenders were either defective or I just had the wrong set up because I used 6 cartridges of CO2 before I realized ... it just wasnt gonna hold air.

Called Larry Graham, he came and got me. He drove me back and I switched out my Zipps for my the training wheels I brought.

Added some `land of the unknown' bonus miles on the second lap and finished up with about 170 miles for less than 10 hours of riding. Attaching my Sat ride on the CC 50 mile route below.  (Also did the CC 50 mile route the day before, Friday, and am attaching that below.)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31918657

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31918652

I don't think the weather was that bad. Windier on the 50 I did on Friday, the day before. The rain brought out the fool in me. When you can't see the road in front of you because of the rain, and your vision is blocked by a pack of riders in front of you ... you're looking for trouble.

Larry G was really great in that he gave me some very useful information about valves and Zipp wheels. I'll be making big changes in tubes and valves for RAW.

Had planned to go down on Sunday to Cinci for a club century but there were flash flood warnings and 19 people were killed just over the border in Tennesee in flash floods the day before. Drove home after CC, got home by 3:30am and .... did the laundry.

Good training rides Friday and Saturday. Wish I could have had the whole 12 hours to ride without the 2 hours off the bike for flats and wheel problems. I think I could have done 215, at least.

I'm going to schedule back to back 12 hour rides this coming Friday and Saturday in Burlington, IL.  Of course, they'll be solo rides, but ...

Why I do biking

I've never been able to put to words why I do biking.

I've never considered biking much different than other things I've done in my life.

It's all coming to some sort of a weave as I get older.  And seems to be sorting itself out, getting clearer to me.

I've always looked for patterns in experiences.

When I view my life from the inside out it is pretty hard to see patterns with any semblance of confidence in what I see.

I like to feel secure, safe, in reasonable control, able to think on my feet to keep from harm. That leads to distorted thinking, rationalizing disorganization, hiding from the fact that it is all leading to loss, disorientation, a lessening of sensation.

So, while I was listening to a particularly poignant cd on the drive home tonight some words came out of a good, warm and tearful place.

I do biking (lovemaking, moving into the lives of those around me, taking a stand for my values, fathering, grandfathering, teaching, learning, taking the helm just when the storm is most violent and threatening) because it brings me to a sensation of living at the edge of my capacity to perceive.

It's thrilling. It's not a reckless abandon into pointless risk-taking.

And when you've earned it ... you own it. You are fully alive and knowing how it can vanish in an instant.

Y'a gotta do something with your life.

RAW - Hydration and fuel ...

I use a very simple mix of powdered stuff for my fuel bottle. I mix a 2 hour (600-700 calories) batch for each fuel bottle. I will have about 30 - 40 premixed cannisters (plastic containers from a medical supply facility) that the crew can just pour one at a time into the fuel bottle, add water, shake a bit (very, very viscous and without lumps) and hand off to the rider. I will also bring one gallon cannisters of the powdered stuff (Maltodextrin, Whey protein, Perpetuem) in the event we run through the premixed cannisters.

The water bottles the same. I use a predetermined amount of Hammer Endurolyte powder for each 24 oz bottle. Same thing: smaller plastic container that the crew pours into every bottle of water. Mixing may help but it doesn't really matter because the powder is very fine, though sometimes gritty. I will have several bottles of Endurolyte in pill form, too. These can be useful to take on an `as needed' basis in hot and sweaty times.

I'll be drinking one bottle of Ensure Plus at least every two hours. That comes in it's own bottle and the only thing the crew will need to do will be to twist off the cap and hand it off to me. I'll gulp it down quickly so this can be done in one rolling bottle handoff. On ped handoffs I'll just drink it and flip the empty Ensure container behind me for the crew to pick up (unless I'm going so slow all you'd have to do is a little slow trot to keep up with me).

I'll also be drinking/consuming one can of Campbells chicken soup every one or two hours. It's semi-liquid and has meat, noodles and a lot of sodium. Again, this is easy to deal with. What I'll ask the crew to do, however, is to put the chicken soup in a small container (that I'll bring) that will make it easier to pour out of while riding. (The can tends to `hold onto' the noodles and chicken making it clumsy to shake and empty while riding).

Periodically I'll ask for an aspirin or ibuprofin. Frequently I'll ask for a calcium pill (Tums) to deal with potential calcium depletion in the heat and sweating. Once each day I have a few medically prescribed pills to take. I'll put those in separate individual containers well marked. (Despite recent reports about the beneficial effect of Viagra while doing long endurance work I'll not be ingesting THAT ***!).

There will be times when I will just need to `overhydrate.' That is, I'll want more water than one thinks I should have. This is important to do, as long as I make certain I'm attending to sufficient electrolytes (Endurolytes, Tums and chicken soup).

A sampling of our Crew's emails to one another ...

FROM JEFF CLARK - RACE MECHANIC:

Dan,

I want to check on some things while we we are still 44 days out from the start of RAW. You had mentioned that you where going to have a 56t chain ring installed and I wonder if that was working out for you . How old is your gear housing? It can become brittle over time and split a part, a failure of this nature would be catastrophic. If you have bar tape on your bar peel it back a little to see if there is a little white powered that is aluminum oxide. Allan is a sweater an he has this type of problem. He even had a brake lever brake break due to this. I went to replace a gear cable and the lead end of the cable entered acted with the alloy shift lever and would not come out I tried drilling it but finally had to replace the entire shifter! Please have local bike shop go over the bike/recumbent with a fine tooth comb looking for this type of stuff.

What spare parts/tools are you bring with you for the race?

- Jeff (Mechanic)

FROM DAN:

Jeff ...

Just got up from 6 hours on Igor (indoor CompuTrainer) and I'm hurtin'. Worser when on the trainer.

I'm shooting your questions to Joe Reichert (owner of Amlings Cycle and Fitness and home-base mechanic) so that he can respond. He knows what you're talking about and can handle anything we need.

I'm requesting that we include all the Team members in these emails so that we all know what is happening and don't have to catch one another up.

- `done' dan!

FROM JOE REICHERT (LBS owner and Home Based Mechanic):

Hi all,

Jeff, the 56t chainring seems to be playing nice with the old scholl LX derailleur. All of the housings were replace on a recent overhaul. My guess is that we may do another cable and housing replacement about 2 weeks before the event. That will give everything a very good chance to shake out before the ride.

We had discussed earlier that if Dan needs to go to the back up, the quickest option would be to swap the whole seat assembly as opposed to removing everything from the seat and transfering all that over. 4 bolts and you're done. If the seat happens to be the problem then ths won't work, but for any other issue I think it's a good solution.

Take care,

Joe Reichert
Amling's Cycle & Fitness
http://www.amlingscycle.com/
8140 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Niles, IL 60714
Ph. 847/692-4240
Fx. 773-894-0376

FROM DAN:

Jeff ...
 
I'm more `conscious' now than I was yesterday after the training so I'd like to add to a few things Joe notes below.

Joe has a Bacchetta Ti Aero of his own that he's lending me as a backup bike. We'll be outfitting it to replicate the equipment on my Ti Aero. My cranks are 172.5s and Joe will be putting a 56/39/30 triple in front. Not sure how he's going to handle the FD but he and I will get that straightened out a few weeks before I leave. Likely I'll take his bike out for a long set of hills in SW Wisconsin (15% grades, spikey moraines) to confirm things. Larry Graham, a solid rider from Ohio, said he'd give me one or two of his FDs that he knows handle the 56/39/30 spread this weekend at Calvin's Challenge.

Your question about what tools I'll be bringing is what I've been noodling on the past week. I'm going to collect all the tools I think I'd be needing and list them on a spreadsheet. I'll share this spreadsheet with you and Joe. Hopefully, this will mean that you won't have to think of bringing any of your own tools (unless you want to).



- d

FROM JEFF CLARK:

Dan,

The crew will make a difference to your success. Reading the crew spread sheet about estimated speed and time to the Time Stations on RAW have you ever taken a bottle from a moving car or someone standing on the side of the road? The first couple of times with Allan (Duhm) on his state record ride were -- let us say --- interesting: the van weaving, the bike weaving trying to get close enough to make the hand off. Many times while driving ( I drove all but 3hrs.) my mantra was DON'T RUN OVER AL.  After awhile we could pass off a partially peeled banana. Will you be using the water bladder in the "trunk" of the recumbent like Al does?

With Al and I being from Florida and able to ride virtually year round we have a hard time understanding and total respect for the indoor training you do in your basement in Chicago. Do you use music or videos to occupy your mind. I think after awhile I would have to get a white jacket with wrap around sleeves and a soft room to lay down in  --  if you know what I mean.

FROM DAN:

The rolling bottle handoff will be done with a reaching tool. It extends the reach of the crew member by 3.5 ft and is firm and solid. I've attached a .jpg of the reaching tool.

Rolling bottle handoffs will take place only when we're on relatively flat terrain. On the mountain climbs we'll be doing pedestrian handoffs because I won't be going faster than 8mph and the mountain roads have only two narrow lanes with no shoulder.

I've always known that when done properly indoor training is far more effective for the time spent than outdoor training. Six hours on the CompuTrainer (like I did last Sunday) is far more of a physical challenge and workout than 9 or 10 hours on the bike outdoors.

I spent an hour on the CompuTrainer yesterday morning before I went to work. A steady grind of 3% climb with no let up, no rolling hills, no stops, no tailwind, no fan blowing me cool. Pushing 175 - 180 watts with an rpm about 75 - 80. Heart rate got up to the high 130's with a few low 140's for a while.

These kinds of indoor workouts can't be simulated in the Illinois flatlands. And I'm convinced that it was these kinds of indoor workouts that allowed me last March to go from my Chicago basement to the most demanding mountain climbing on all of RAAM / RAW with no cramping, no stopping, no resting.

Consider that on Sunday I did 11.2 miles of 7% incline in 2 hours and 3 minutes on the indoor CompuTrainer. That equates to 4,140 feet of climbing.

Last March I rode from Prescott, AZ, to Flagstaff,AZ, over two mountains, for 91 miles in 9 hours and 9 minutes. That worked out to 8,100 feet of climbing.

Two hours and 4,140 feet of climbing (with no breaks, no downhills, no flat sections) in my basement v. 9 hours and 8,100 feet of climbing (with lots of flat sections, significant downhills, half a dozen 2 - 5 minute breaks to get water and change into dry clothing).

I listen to `house' music when I train indoors www.podrunner.com on my iPod. I don't use the iPod when I train outdoors.

This weekend I'll be doing several hundred miles over 3 days. Last year I rode a 200 mile course that had over 10,000 of climbing in May in 12 hours (Balltown Classic). No recumbent ever did that before.

This Saturday I'll be at Calvin's Challenge, right outside Dayton, Ohio, doing the 12 hour race. I'm asking myself now: if I did 200 miles and 10,000 of climbing in 12 hours last May when I was in half as good shape as I am now what can I expect on a flat course in the same time with no climbing? We'll see.

- Dan

Honestly, I don't know how I am able to bear the basement training. I certainly don't do it as entertainment; neither do I consider it like I would if I were going to "ride my bike." Living in the middle of a metropolitan area with 6+ million people, the nearest open roads for training are a 50 mile one way trip, and the weather is cold and wet 7 - 8 months a year .... So, I do the indoor training to meet my goal of being fit, strong and ready for the `real' biking season. This year I've been even more dedicated to indoor work so that I, frankly, don't disappoint the crew when doing RAW. Jeff ... you point out important issues. 
I'm attaching a list of items that somebody on the UC list sent out a while back. Looking it over it seems nice and thorough. I used it for my trip to Arizona a few weeks back and had what I needed.

Indoor training when it is a beautiful 60+ degrees outside!!!

I sort of surprised myself in AZ last month on the long miles of climbing: I didn't cramp and I didn't stop. (I am not certain of this conclusion but I think it is more difficult to climb significant elevations on a recumbent bike than on an upright bike. You can only recruit muscle power and don't have access to gravity-assist by hopping from one leg to the other when out of the saddle).

On a Sunday I climbed up and down one mountain (Mingus) and climbed from a relative valley to the top of a geological plateau (from Sedona to Flagstaff, i.e., Oak Creek Canyon to the top of the Mogollan Rim). Though the trip constituted 8100 feet of climbing in 91 miles there were still about 50 miles of flats or downhills. When you remove the flats and downhills the actual climbing looked like this:

From Sedona to highest elevation (a few rolling miles with minimal climbs) before Flagstaff:
- 22.29 miles
- 2,709 feet of climbing
- 121.53 feet of climbing per mile
- avg grade + 2.3%

From the bottom of Mingus Mountain (going toward Flagstaff) to the top of Mingus Mountain (Mingus Recreation Area):
- 11.15 miles
- 2,044 feet of climbing
- 183.32 feet of climbing per mile
- avg grade + 3.5%

From Cottonwood to the top of Mingus Mountain (Mingus Recreation Area) on return trip from Flag to Prescott:
- 17.66 miles
- 3,731 feet of climbing
- 211.26 feet of climbing per mile.
- avg grade + 4%

Clearly, both the numbers and my experience confirm that the most difficult section of climb was on the way back from Flagstaff to Prescott (the next day) from Cottonwood to Mingus Mountain, i.e., 18 miles of avg 4% grade.

Now, 2.5% to 4% grades aren't leg busters. But when you push that grade for 12 to 22 miles, non-stop, with a few 6-8%ers thrown in at the switchbacks, it can put a big hurt on your legs. A perfect set up for cramps due to heat, poor hydration, poor intake of electrolytes, etc....

So here I am in Chicago and the prairie flatlands of the midwest. The longest and steepest `hill' is less than .5 miles and MAYBE 4% (max).

How does one prepare outside and train for dozens of miles, nonstop, of 4-6% climbing?

I'm sure there are ways to do it, e.g., cranking a 56x11 into a 30 mile wind for 30 miles. I've never been able to do that with any sense of predictability. I mean, I can't `plan' a 30 mile wind for, say, Wednesday morning.

So, since I think the indoor training on the CompuTrainer did a good job of preparing me for the long climbs in the `real' world I'm back doing indoor training in wonderful 60 degree weather today.

I'll be programming a course of 3-6% grades for 3-4 miles, with some turns, and a short `relief' section of 2% grade for, say, .2 miles. Then back to the 3-6% grades. Doing this for a 40 mile course will effectively simulate the pressure on the physical system.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Something I learned when in AZ, going up those grades at speeds as low as 3.5 - 7 mph is that there is a lot of bike handling to master (esp on two lane mountain roads without a shoulder and lots of trucks and cars whizzing past).

With minimal forward velocity I'm much less able to ride a straight line. I found myself struggling, at times, to stay vertical, twisting the handlebar left and right to balance myself. On a few occasions when I thought I was going to fall over I had to increase the pressure on the pedals (increase the watt/power) suddenly to get forward velocity and to straighten myself out. I realized when i was doing that that a) I actually had the power to spare to do that, b) I wouldn't have had the power had I not done the indoor winter training on similar grades.

Something I learned to share: how to go slow on a bike when in a race so that you can finish the race (and maybe win). (One doesn't often get taught how to go `slow' very often).

- Dan
_____________________________

'06 Aero ti
http://raw2010.blogspot.com/

Near miss ....

Midweek during the Arizona trip I made a firm and confident decision to withdraw from RAW 2010. I changed my mind two days ago. I didn't inform anybody about my decision to withdraw because I wanted more time to let it just `percolate,' i.e., to think about it and re-think about it.
I spoke with a Paul Carpenter, current record-holder for RAW and a man for whom I have deep respect and admiration, stating the following:

-----------------
This week in Prescott has been exceedingly satisfying. Exceedingly. I've climbed the route up from Prescott, over Mingus Mt, through Jerome, Sedona and up to Flagstaff. 8100 feet of climbing straight out of the basement of Chicago. And, then, I returned the opposite direction back to Prescott. Frankly, I think the route back from Cottonwood, past Jerome, and over Mingus Mountain was more difficult than the other direction. Might be that I was pretty snackered from the two days of climbing.


Subsequently I've ridden back and forth between Prescott, Skull Valley, Peeples Valley and Yarnell. Several times.


Not once did I have to `rest' on any of these rides; though I did stop to get water and switch out wet clothes for dry ones.

Mechanically, I've got a strong sense of confidence in my set up and the equipment. In fact, I rode to Flagstaff and back with about 30 lbs of gear, equipment and tools - not to mention tummy - I wouldn't have on RAW.


Given all of this I'm confident of my strength, stamina and skills on the recumbent. However, I'm equally certain that I would not be able, over the next 2.5 months, to develop the `lasting' power, or endurance, to keep on day after day to Durango from Ocean View. I have had no experience with heat, yet. On completion of the Flagstaff and back route I was at my limit at this time.


Do I think I could not only finish RAW but place high in the standings if I had more mountain training, more 10 - 20 hour rides? Absolutely. But I also know that I'm quite likely to hit my limit of endurance after Congress.


So, I'm going to give it a few days before I officially withdraw from RAW 2010.


I'm not in the least disappointed. It is, frankly, a very straightforward recognition and calculation that I would have to spend these two months almost full time training in the heat and the mountains. To manage the logistics, disappoint the crew, spend the money, time and effort to probably barely finish --- barely --- that is not how I do things. In for a dime, in for a dollar. Make no heroic and dramatic ego driven goals that have the probability of coming up short.

So ... I've learned a great deal and would have done NOTHING different.


You've been my inspiration and motivation from the start. And keep me in mind as crew if it comes to that. I'd drop it all in a heartbeat to help you make the trek to Annapolis!!
------------------------

Paul replied:

Reading your logs and your email I wasn't expecting the punch line that came. It sounds as though everything went well and you rode some of the most difficult sections of RAW comfortably. While you know yourself best, it sounds as though you are on track and can finish RAW. Won't be easy, but then if it was it wouldn't be as much fun. It will be different racing with a crew than riding solo as you did. That support and the motivation of racing an be powerful. I can understand that if your goals are too finish strong, then if you feel you will be at your limit based on your training to date, then perhaps next year gives you time to build the speed and the endurance.

The lack of climbing and heat training is a concern. Living in the Midwest with a full-time job that's always going to be a challenge. When I did RAW, the lack of such training was a real concern to me. Didn't become an issue for two reasons. First, took a number of precautions in the heat to minimize the issue of the sun/heat. Second, approached the hills riding slow and steady rather than powering up them--rhythm was the key. I also think a lot of people who struggled went too hard that first day up to Lake Henshaw.

Give yourself time to reflect.
-----------

I concluded a few things over this past week, after listening carefully to Paul, reconsidering my training plans between now and June.

First, I think I underestimated how well I performed in Arizona. Think of it: training literally in the basement all winter to riding some of the toughest terrain in very difficult weather ... and doing it well, without mishap, without even stopping to rest or eat. Rode more than 370 miles of difficult, mountainous terrain, climbing between 30,000 and 35,000 feet in the process. In daylight, at altitudes of 8,000 feet.

Second, I am accepting Paul's comment about how different it can be with a crew supporting me. I carried about 20 lbs of extra body fat and 15 - 25 lbs of tools, clothes, and other gear on the bike and STILL did what I did.

Third, I will be modifying my training to make weekends 18 - 30 hour long rides to work on `endurance.'

Fourth, I'll focus on staying as cool as possible during the heat of the event. Allan and I have discussed various methods to accomplish this.

Finally, I'm feeling a little angry and pissed off about this. And I know myself well enough to realize that this is the part of me that has surfaced in the past amidst difficult, challenging and otherwise overwhelming odds. That pissed off angry `Dan' part of me is like that confident and supportive `big brother' urging me on to do what I am certainly able to do.

So ... we're on to RAW 2010 with winning (ugly!!) in mind.