Darwin Award Entries

A stunningly beautiful day for a ride in the Prescott National Forest.  Cool but not cold.  Calm shadows of the pines.  Brilliant sun on the mountain side.  Breathtaking cliffside vistas. 

Time to review all the reasons I should be dead by now. 

Morbid musing notwithstanding, a parade of near fatal cycling disasters passed before my (imagination's) eyes today.

The Spectacular: 

On my standard bike.  Slowing from 25 mph to make a sharp right turn.  Front wheel meets a slick as ice sewer cover.  Brakes seize up the front wheel.  Front wheel reaches the concrete road surface after sliding across the sewer cover.  Me and the bike `pivot' at point of wheel-road recontact.  360 degree endover. 

I come down on my left foot, calf, buttocks, arm and shoulder.  I take the concrete full-on, the back of my head hitting the road like a whiplash. 

Motion stops.  I am frozen in place.  I realize I'm conscious.  I do a mental checklist of parts and functions.  ...  Nothing.  No problems.  No pain.  No blood.  No broken parts. 

Not even my head?! 

Nope.  The helmet absorbed the full impact.  The plastic cover and Styrofoam helmet had a thin crack at the point of contact.  But for the helmet I would today be dead or a vegetable.  (Maybe I am a vegetable.  Twenty years in a coma.)

The Embarrassing:

First time I wore cleats with clipless pedals.  I came to a busy 6 corner intersection.  I had the red.  I stopped.  And fell over.  About 300 people present.  I'm CERTAIN that they all saw me, quietly laughed and considered me an idiot.  CERTAIN!

The Bloody:

I was descending a mountain switchback with a posted speed limit of 20 mph.  I was doing 35 mph.  I slid out.  Ten yards of road surface mixed with road shoulder dirt and gravel.  Left glute skin shaved off raw.  Various elbows, arms, shoulders, equally denuded to the muscle.  Somehow my right hand got into the mix and I now have three knuckles that look mildly Frankenstein-ish. 

The car behind me stops to offer assistance.  Lady gets out.  I'm standing, bloody but unbowed.  She offers help and I ask her to call my wife to come get me.  Neither of us can really communicate because of the frenzy.  She hands me her cellphone.  I call my wife to come get me.  I hand her back the cellphone, dripping with blood. 

Worst part is ... I feel I was thoughtless in not wiping off the blood on the cellphone. 

You?

Carrying A Spare Tire

Most of my riding is in very remote locations, often 40+ miles from the nearest store, gas station, or even cell phone range.  Though the roads are often good to normal (no traffic!) I do have a concern about getting a tire trashed by a cattle guard or errant piece of sharp metal.

Over the years I've found myself needing to drill holes in the Bacchetta Carbon Hard Shell Seat.  Using the ADEM Aerodon Headrest requires drilling a few holes at the top.  The bottle holders on both sides, the same. 

When I bought Dana Lieberman's Bent Up Cycles CA2 I noted that he had wrapped a rubber ridge around the circumference of the CFHS seat and fastened using small zip ties inserted through tiny holes drilled into the edge of t he CFHS.  THAT was a good idea that protected the edge of the CFHS seat from the inevitable fall overs.

I have several different seat bags in which to carry almost every conceivable tool and clothing (esp now when winter can mean a 40 degree difference in temperature when descending or ascending).  I need all the room in the seat bag for these things.

So, I now drill 4 little holes in the CFHS for a spare foldable tire.  Two up top and two more 6 inches lower.  I thread cable ties through the holes and around the spare tire.  These holes are less than a few millimeters in diameter and don't impact the CFHS seat.

This Was Just Great!

Another few examples of simple courtesy while on that Vulture Mine route a few weeks ago. Both are notable and one was a little odd.

I was riding my Bacchetta Ti Aero and came to the turnaround point of an 80 mile solo ride through the utterly and completely empty desert ( http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2038355 ). It was a truck stop off I-10 in Tonopah, AZ. Busy place with nothing but 18 wheelers, big vehicles pulling horse trailers and hay wagons. Gnarly guys who seemed happy to stop for a while and interact with folks.

I rode up to the place and wanted a sandwich and something to drink. Didn't want to leave the Bacchetta Ti Aero outside so I went in and asked the cashier if I could park the bike just inside the door. "Sure." He looked at me for a while because you don't see many guys with road kits and helmets.

I went outside to get the bike and was about to navigate getting the bike inside two double doors. Next thing I know a lime green (looked like it was painted with a brush) early '90's Ford Escort `Taxi' pulls up and out gets a very smiley dark black fellow. Really dark brown skin. Beautiful, deep brown skin. Smiles with brilliant white teeth and rushes to hold the doors open for me. Thanking him he energetically responded "You're very welcome" with what seemed like a Nigerian (I taught lots of Nigerian students) accent.

I get my sandwich and drink and head the bike toward the two sets of double doors again. This time a fairly attractive middle aged woman opens the outer door, again, with a very smiley face. I thank her and after the door closes she says: "You want to come home for lunch with me?"

I was caught completely off-guard and (believe it) speechless. Not out of fear or worry, but mostly out of shyness or nervousness I responded "Thank you but I've got to get back" while motioning in the general direction of north. If I were less of an uptight, anxious guy I might have developed a conversation with her. And who knows about lunch?

It was just another of many great experiences I have riding out here. Not to mention a few of the drivers who were friendly, one complimenting me, saying: "Oh, you're that hot rod we passed up the road."

That's probably one of the reasons I give a wave to passing vehicles out on these empty roads. You never know.

"So I Just Laid Down on the Road."

Last time I did this route Vulture Mine Road, I was driving back to home.  On the way back a school bus is stopped in the middle of the road.  Car in front of me stops, of course.  We're waiting for the kids to be discharged, etc.  

Nothing happens.  Bus is half on/off the road. 

After 5 mins the car in front of me slowly drives to the left of the school bus.  I watch as the driver stops, window rolls down and a fellow in front of the school bus is talking to the driver.  A minute and the driver window goes up and the car drives off.  

I slowly drive to the left of the school bus.  Same guy in front of the bus.  I roll down the window.  Guy has his shoe in his hand, gestures in 3 - 4 directions, explaining something.  Says something about  the police being called.  I assume there is mechanical problem with the bus.  Guy asks for ride to Congress where he'll meet police.  

Sure. 

Guy gets in the car, we're driving.  He is tense, nervous, hyperverbal.  Says he has been `on the road' for a few days.  He "tried" to get a ride at the last intersection but nobody would stop.  Hungry.  Thirsty.  Feet hurt.  (Shoe).  

Then he said he just decided he was going to just lie down in the middle of the road to "make the bus stop."  

I'm curious.  Alert for danger, etc.  No hint of danger.  

I'm trying to think of some kind of conversation for the next 15 miles to Congress that won't result in `episode.' .

ME: "So.  How was the road?  Warm?"

HIM: "Yeah.  Not bad.  Hard.  But o.k.."   "I'm going to the Hillside church because I live in Yava." 

ME: "Yava?"  (Yava is a road sign next to a cattle guard on a desolate road in desert canyon).

HIM: "Yeah.  Yava."

ME: "Couldn't be more than 3 people in Yava."

HIM: "Twelve of us, actually." 

Get to the gas station at Congress, drop him off, wave goodbye. 

The `West' IS wild. 

Surprise and Reprieve

Back in April of this year I read that a very talented ultra racer had delayed some dental work until he had completed the Race Across America (RAAM) in June.  He didn't go into his reasons but I made the practical assumption that the impact of the dental work would reduce his readiness for such a manifest physical demand as RAAM.  And I remarked to myself `me too.'

Briefly, I had some health issues when I was a kid that required a great deal of dental work.  Over the course of my life I've had to be vigilant and very attentive to maintaining good dental health.  I had a good deal of the `dental engineering' performed and hardware installed and it was beginning to wear out.  It became time to overhaul my entire `dental system.'  A big investment of time, energy and money. 

I put off the `overhaul' until the end of the cycling season this year (Nov 3rd).  I cleared the decks of any physically demanding activity and resigned myself to about two months of exhaustive and draining dental work and recuperation.  I girded myself and became very stoic, expressing to my dentist "I'm up for numerous sequential 10 hour days in the chair so just consider me your sole source of income for that time." 

It hasn't turned out that way. 

My memories of the major dental work done a few decades ago were not repeated these past few weeks.  Dental technology has improved dramatically.  I wince at the recollection of the countless 3 hour torture sessions in the dental chair, with rubber dams, noisy, slow and smelly grinding, use of painful picks and frequent `refreshing' of injected anesthetics.  Close to 4 months of twice weekly suffer fests in 1980. 

Not these days, though.  A 3 hour root canal in 1980 (performed using crude `mining' tools) took a total of 20 painless minutes in the chair two weeks ago.  Yesterday's one hour forty minute dental appointment would have taken 4 weeks of grim gore in 1980.  Instead, when it was over yesterday I was amazed that it was completely painless.  The dentist and his assistant and I were cracking jokes the entire time. 

I am now on the `down slope' of the dreaded dental experience.  The hard and scary work is over -- without it being hard.  I'm almost disappointed!  I had girded myself for so much suffering. 

There remains significant dental work to be completed but it is really not much more than `wrap-up' and `housekeeping.'  Let some time pass.  The next one is scheduled to take ten (10 - count'em - 10) minutes!

This is a `reprieve' for me.  My cycling training plan has to be revised to recognize that "I'm back!" 

Cycling, Ultra cycling, Ultra racing, Motives and Wisdom

I've only considered myself involved with `ultra cycling' since 2008, when I first bought the Bacchetta Ti Aero recumbent bike.  The Ti Aero allowed me to ride without all the pain and suffering associated with DFs (`traditional,' upright bikes).  This excited me and I  began to push the limit on time and distance.  Ultra cycling was an obvious `open door' for me.

However, after setting a few UMCA state crossing records and participating extensively in too many ultra events to count (24 hour races, 200 mile races, RAW racer, RAAM Official, RAAM Crew Chief) I've learned quite a bit. 

The two most important learnings I've gained from ultra cycling have to do with:

1. the psychological component (`Why am I doing this?  What is my motive?'); 
2. the risk v. benefit component.

Having been raised in family whose religious tenets required `suffering' as payment for entrance into an eternity of bliss ... and survived both that family and those religious tenets ... I'm alert to delusional thinking. 

It took me some time, a lot of angst and even more money, but I am wiser and more informed as to the `why' aspect of ultra cycling.  And that has caused me to step back from it significantly, to appreciate my capacity for objective evaluation of ultra cycling events, and to be productively and constructively appreciative and critical of the ultra cycling events.

RAAM and RAW, in my opinion, is a repository of person's efforts to work through their mortality and gain self-respect.  Both admirable factors in the development of wisdom and a healthy personality. That's a `good' thing about ultra cycling.

What is the definition of a fanatic?  A fanatic is a person who redoubles his efforts as soon as he loses sight of the objective.  Much of this permeates RAAM/RAW.  As well, much of this permeates a good deal of our lives (religion, politics, sports, jobs). That's a `bad' thing about ultra cycling.

I'm personally drawn to ultra cyclists because they do no harm to others in the pursuit of their extreme goals.  Drawn both emotionally and intellectually.  And, these days, the `intellectual' element dominates.  I've seen good people doing hard work with the best of intentions.  And I see how sometimes that crosses the threshold of healthy expression to an irrational obsession.

Withdrawing as Maria Parker's RAAM Crew Chief last June after the near tragic accident (RAAM - 2013 Close Call) I concluded that I was not going to be the one to tell her parents (or her sister with terminal cancer for whom she was doing RAAM solo) that she was killed or critically injured by a texting or impaired driver.  To continue the race, in my opinion, bordered on the fanatical.

The turf skirmishes (bent v DF, sleep v no sleep, etc) that currently occupy the politics of the world of RAAM/RAW amount to moving the deck chairs on a vessel too small to have deck chairs.

I love cycling.  It is one of the most complex and rewarding and `harmless' endeavors I've ever done.  It has been a release for me at times.  And it has been a form of exquisite existential expression.  But my cycling is not fanatical.  And I am committed to pointing out the benefits, dangers, risks and, frankly, exploitation when I see it. 

Why Is That?

I have slips of paper with my scribblings on them on every surface and in every corner of the house.

• "What did the dentist mean when he said `... some goopy stuff'?"
• "What is it about wool that makes it so good in cold weather cycling?"
• "Really! Why is it so hard to get my heart rate higher on a recumbent?  What is involved?"
• "When is the last time I ate due to real hunger?  Why do I eat?"
• "Should I train with weight or just try to reach a heart rate threshold?"
• "Edgy when off the bike for more than a few days.  Why?"
• "Moods.  When I'm exhausted from training or a cycling event is that a good thing?"
• "Get a mountain bike so I can ride off-road to some of the remote old mining sites."

I wish my intelligence matched my curiosity.  Or maybe it's just that I need more discipline.  But I doubt that!

If you have lingering questions about cycling related things that you need `researched' shoot me a few.  I'll see if I can scratch that itch.

I Need Something Hard To Do.

The active cycling season closed out for me on November 3rd with a 52 mile race.  Literally, the next day I began what will be a 6 week dental repair process.  Some things just have to get taken care of or they will have bad outcomes.

I really didn't mind sitting in the dentist's chair for 6 hours over 3 days this past week.  And I'm not dreading the rest.  Frankly, at this point, I'd be fine if it were compressed into consecutive 10 hour days.  Get it over with.

Here's the problem: I have nothing to be tired from!

Sleep is less deep and fulfilling.  My appetite remains but it is clear that I'm taking in more calories than I'm using.  I'm experiencing a sense of `anxiousness' that is quite uncomfortable.  But my mood and temperament are good. 

I have made `to do' lists and completed many of the tasks long delayed, neglected and deferred.  Although the tasks I've identified are meaningful and important (and in some cases challenging) they don't really get my full attention.  Why is that?

"Compared to what?"  Compared to cycling. 

Cycling has become something of a `major process' for me over the past few years.

To say that I have learned from my cycling is an emphatic understatement.  To say that cycling engages me physically, athletically, intellectually and emotionally is, as well, an emphatic understatement. 

At this point I recognize that this blog post could become unwieldy and boring to read.  So I'll `suspend' this monologue for a while. 

Analysis: Skull Valley Loop Performances

THIS is the Skull Valley Loop.  Ridewithgps overestimates the climbing by about 1,000 feet. 

Every year the Prescott Alternative Transportation organization sponsors the Skull Valley Loop `Challenge' as an invitational `ride.' 

In September of '12 I `raced' this course, completing it in 2 hours and 49 minutes.  I `raced' it again in September of '13 and completed it in 3 hours and 10 minutes.  Over the past six weeks I've trained with greater intensity and `raced' it solo again this morning, completing it in 3 hours and 17 minutes. 

Why the difference in times?  I've completed a very detailed set of analyses and these are my conclusions. 

• I trained harder, with more racing intensity in '12 than in '13. 
• I weighed about 12-15 lbs less in '12.

That about sums it up. 


Today's performance isn't apples to apples with the previous two performances, as follows: 

• it was 40 degrees colder (cold air is more dense than hot air) [source];
• there was a 12-15 mph wind this time, whereas the previous times the wind was negligible: 
• it was never a tailwind, and only for about 10 miles was it a headwind;
• on the descents and climbing the wind was either quartering or just swirling on the switchbacks;
• racing against others motivates me.

I was very pleased, in fact, with today's performance. 

• Absent the `weather burden' of today's race I probably knocked off about ten minutes from my performance last September;
• I've been doing indoor intervals for the past six weeks.  Not long enough to really make much of a difference but I realize already how important they are. 

I think (not `feel') I know what to do to make significant improvements.

• reduce the `tour' pace of my training, i.e., I've been too lazy;
• continue and build on the interval training;
• incorporate more and more frequent racing sessions into my training;
• lose weight;
• continue to analyze the data and make adjustments;
• be alert to `overtraining.'

Indoor Training: from ridewithgps blog

http://blog.ridewithgps.com/blog/2013/10/06/Indoor-Bike-Trainer/

Posted on 06 October 2013.

There is a strong opinion that is shared by some cyclists, and that is that indoor bike trainers “Suck.” We can’t argue too much about that. We can probably all agree that there’s not much more enjoyable than a great ride out on the open roads in the fresh air. However, we can also argue about the importance of the indoor trainer for maintaining some cycling fitness through the winter or for getting some time on the bike in the early spring.

 

Because fall is rapidly approaching and the inevitability of winter is looming, we’ve been finding ourselves engaged in conversation about our upcoming “trainer season.” It sparked a good dialog and we thought we’d share some of it with all of you.

 

First, let’s tackle why riding the trainer is a good thing:

1. Riding the trainer a couple times a week allows you the ability to maintain some of your fitness through the winter. By not losing all your fitness through the winter months you have less of a build up in the spring where you’re just working on regaining what you had the last summer. This allows for you to have more enjoyable rides earlier in the year!
2. Riding the trainer when the weather is really bad can be better than a road ride because it takes less time. If you ride the trainer when the weather is bad you don’t have to spend a ridiculous amount of time putting layers on and off. Additionally, with the fact that you should reduce your ride time by ~25% from the road to the trainer you get a lot more return for you time.
3. Riding the trainer is better then getting rained on because you get to watching a movie, favorite TV show, or listen to an audio-book. The key with this is to find something that you enjoy, will help pass the time, and maybe isn’t something you’d get to keep up on normally. Some of the types of shows we really like to watch are: sci-fi movies, sports center, old bike races that are on Youtube, and any TV series because there’s always more to watch.

So what do we use?

Cullen and Zack both have Kurt Kinetic Trainers. Cullen got his because a friend sold it to him used for a bargain price of $120 and he knew it was well-reviewed. Both of them really like their trainer and they recommend it to others because it's fluid-filled and high quality, and supposedly has the best resistance curve unless you spend real serious $$$.

I have a Trek Mag by CycleOps trainer that he also picked up used. It’s not fluid, but it has served him well for several years. He also has a set of rollers that he uses in addition and that helps prevent things from getting stale.

We’ve also tried to answer the question of, “what trainer would we get if we could get any trainer?”

The consensus seems to be split between the LeMond Revolution Trainer, and the Wahoo KICKR. Both have a similar design, and are definitely more of an investment.

Ascending Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, AZ

Mt. Lemmon:

This was a solo and unsupported ride. 

Ridiculous wind. Both going up and descending. ...

(Ascent) http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1966285

Pretty much endless 4-9 degree incline the whole way. Above 6,000 feet the wind was whipping along the sheer cliffs and pocket clefts on the switchbacks. Stopped for a bathroom break once, got stung by a bee that was out of control in the wind, had to put on a windbreaker about 30 minutes before I reached the summit. 

 

Getting to the mountaintop town of Summer Haven I looked for the road to the very top of the mountain (observatory) but the road names changed up there to `boutique' names and I decided not to just troll up and down roads, esp. given the wind and low temps. 

 

Ride/elapsed times were good, esp given the wind.

Again, the wind was dangerous (of course) but I was careful. There were times I broke out in laughing fits ... it was that bizarre.

(Descent) http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1966283

The drive home. 

 

I decided that I wasn't getting any sleep yesterday so I packed up and left Tucson at 9pm expecting to be home by 2am at the latest. Fifteen miles north, on I-10, I ran into a ten mile traffic backup due to a crash by several cars and trucks that killed three people. News reports said that the accident was due to sandstorm obscuring vision around 8pm. Sat in my car for 90 minutes until the site was cleared. Then, when I got to the exit ramp from I-10 to I-17 it was closed off while they were doing service. Had to negotiate Phoenix side streets for another hour while I found my way on to I-17.

So ... Mt. Lemmon is off the `to-do' list at this point.

"Not gonna' let 'em catch me"

Wow.  I just found what a local bike shop did with my vid.  Great music.  "Not gonna let 'em catch me"

Doable, Non Brain-Killing Off-Season Training

I used to report my philosophy about cycling as: "I'm a fanatic about living a balanced life."  I hope the irony is taken.

Due to both a desire to pursue other interests (reading, geology, local history, etc.) and have emotional and physical energy available for family and social life I've struggled with bicycling.  To develop the level of performance I want requires at least 12 hours of cycling and the concomitant 8 - 12 hours of recovery (being `flat' and tired) per week.  In a word: unbalanced.

`Reluctant' is the word that best describes me when it comes to intense training.  (Joe Friel's recent blog entries do an excellent job of defining `intense').  Intervals are uncomfortable and taxing.  Tempo training, for me, bleeds off some of the pleasure I take in cycling up here in the beautiful high desert and Arizona mountains.  As well, when I have the expectation of doing tempo training I have made myself feel `pressured.'  As an adult I've pushed back against things and people who pressure me.  I get angry (and stubborn). 

Moving into the `cold' season adds to the reasons, and excuses, to not train well.  Too cold.  Takes too much time arranging clothing for cold, warm and even hot temps at different altitudes.  Shorter sunlight and black ice on mountain roads limits the times during the day I can ride.  The certainty of unavoidable mechanicals and flats reinforces the need to carry dry clothing available while I fix the problems. 

Yesterday I completed a training regimen that holds real promise for a good `off season' experience.  It addressed much of the reluctance and many of the  objections I have to winter training -- and training, in general.  It holds promise for a good several months of training. 

1. I don't have to carry 3 seasons of clothing.
2. I don't have to worry about ice and daylight.
3. I don't have to deal with the cold.
4. I save a great deal of time.
5. I can ramp and taper `interval' and `tempo' training.
6. I don't have to worry about mechanicals or flats.
7. I can hit the road less frequently and still maintain good fitness.

Indoor training.  Without the mind-numbing boredom of 3+ hour sessions on a bike. 

Below I include Garmin HR data for three activities.  The first activity is use of the Concept2 indoor rower.  Then the elliptical.  And finally the bike on an indoor trainer (Lemond Revolution).  Each `machine' allows for measuring time and effort.  Doing so permits development of a training schedule and program.  And, to paraphrase many, `anything that exists does so at a certain quantity that can be measured.'  And anything that can be measured allows for comparison and improvement. 

One Hour on the Indoor Rower

One Hour on the Elliptical

One Hour on the Indoor Trainer (Tempo and Intervals)

Now I have all the benefits listed above and a baseline with which to build a Training Plan and against which I can measure change (performance improvements). 

This is a great relief to me. 

But right now I have to get out the door to do this:  Skull Valley Loop





 

Aging: The Problems of High-Intensity Training

Joe Friel's Blog

Posted: 09 Oct 2013 10:42 PM PDT

 

Can the loss of performance with aging be overcome by training? Can you maintain your 35-year-old aerobic capacity and muscle mass, the keys to aging performance, when you’re 55 or even 75 years old? Most scientific research tells us that it’s highly doubtful (Doherty, Faulkner, Foster, Phillips, Raue). Even though much of this loss appears to be a result of disuse (LaRocca, Leyk, Wroblewski, Wright), there is no doubt that there is a decline in endurance performance with age that appears to be inevitable even among elite age group athletes regardless of sport. 

We know, however, that the rate of loss can be slowed if you continue to train at a workload similar to when you were younger, especially the intensity of your workouts both in aerobic (Katzel) and strength training (Aagard, Porter). I wrote about that here and here. But as many readers have told me recently in comments to this blog and in emails, the problem is an increased incidence of injury resulting from high-intensity efforts that seem to be especially high among runners. The other problem is slow recovery. The keys to maintaining aerobic capacity and muscle mass then are injury prevention and rapid recovery following workouts. I wrote about recovery and aging a few weeks ago here. So let’s now examine Injury prevention in greater detail.

Modifications to training are necessary to avoid an increased likelihood of injury. Typically, the older you are the easier it is to become injured and the slower an injury is likely to heal (Kallinen). Bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and muscles break down and form scar tissue at lower levels of training stress than they did when you were younger. An increased likelihood of orthopedic injuries may be the reason runners seem to slow down more than their similarly aged peers in swimming and cycling. While running is not the only sport athletes get injured in, it is more likely to produce orthopedic injuries than, for example, swimming, cycling and cross country skiing. So the normal training stress of runners often declines at a steeper rate over time. That may well be necessary.

In terms of continued performance improvement, there is nothing worse than an injury. It can easily result in a bunch of zeroes in your training log. Missed workouts mean lost fitness and starting over again.

To avoid injury, regardless of your sport, there are two things you must always do. The first is to start at a training stress level you know you are fully capable of managing. This has to do with how long and intense your workouts are and your weekly volume of training. The second imperative to avoiding training setbacks is to be patient with your progress. This is where most athletes make their greatest mistake. Allow more time at each stage of training than you did when you were younger. Be patient. Wisdom is supposedly one of the attributes of age. Apply it to your training.

Increase your workout durations and intensities slowly over time. Don’t rush to the next level. It’s too risky. Counterbalance these two workout variables. When you increase the duration of your workouts, decrease their intensity. When it’s time to increase intensity, decrease duration. For older athletes it's probably wise to avoid increasing both up at the same time. If you do, your risk of injury increases exponentially. You may have gotten away with a double increase when you were younger, but it’s now more likely to result in injury.
If injured the timing of treatment is critical. Don’t wait to seek medical help. Every athlete, but especially you as an older athlete, need someone in your corner who can treat injuries, or even niggling aches, when they occur. This could be a family physician, chiropractor, physical therapist, podiatrist or naturopath who you trust, who knows your endurance sport and who understands the treatment of aging athletes. I rely heavily on Nate Koch at Endurance Rehabilitation, a physical therapy practice where I spend my winters in Scottsdale, Arizona. With my summers in Boulder, Colorado I go to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and to see Dr. Andy Pruitt, an old friend and fellow aging cyclist. They’ve both been treating my aching bones and soft tissues off and on for 11 years. I have complete faith in their effectiveness when I place myself in their hands as I’ve had to do on numerous occasions.

Closely related to injuries is arthritis which becomes increasingly common with advances in age. The best way to avoid this may well be continued exercise since it is less common in athletes (Maharam). The research doesn’t tell us, however, if exercise helps to prevent joint disease or if those who experience it drop out of their sport becoming sedentary and so skew the data. If you suffer from arthritis you have probably become adept at knowing not only what aggravates it, but also how to modify your training to accommodate it until the inflammation subsides. Prescribed medications may well be necessary at these times.

Training for Redemption (Note: no `god' talk here)

I've done better (2:49:00) and I've done worse (3:21:00) on the annual September Skull Valley Loop Challenge.  But I've never hurt so bad as I did this year (3:10:00).  Cramps.  Bonking.  Disappointment. 

In an earlier blog entry (IT NEVER STOPS) I offered my `analysis' of why things went so awry this time.  I also vowed that I would train differently and do better next year. 

Since writing that blog entry I concluded that I can race the SVLC course any time I want.  I don't have to wait a full year to do this course. 

So I gave myself seven (7) weeks to train differently and then do the SVLC course again.  I'm scheduled to race the course (solo) on Monday, November 3rd.  I intend to `redeem' myself. 

I'm training at `race pace' instead of at `tour pace.' 

Mindful of the need to balance rest with effort I've ratcheted up the `intensity' factor of my training.  Here are the factors of the `race' training method:

1. disciplined hydration while racing.
2. disciplined fueling / eating while racing.
3. twice weekly indoor intervals.
4. twice weekly tempo outdoor training. 

Intervals: 

I've avoided intervals in the past because a) they're uncomfortable, b) I've `wasted' myself when doing them by doing too much too fast.  This time my program is tighter and less arduous.  I'm doing only one half hour of intervals twice per week.  And the schedule is as follows: 30 seconds intense effort, rpms around 95; 3 minute rest between sets. 

I've found that this formula taxes me but doesn't deplete me for the rest of the day.  (INTERVALS)

Tempo Training:

Outdoor intervals and tempo training in mountains is hard to actually `dial in.'  For example, I can do interval max output for 30 seconds on a 4% incline, but backing off for 3 minutes ... still leaves me with cranking up that 4% incline.  Not quite `rest' between max efforts. 

And typically, when the 3 minutes is up I find myself descending and am unable to push as needed for the 30 seconds. 

Tempo is much more manageable but still gets complicated.  Ascending inclines I can hit my tempo heart rate goal but only as long as I'm ascending.  Of course, ascending takes more time than descending.  But there is scant chance for continuous, non-stop climbing before I hit a descent and the effort and heart rate plummets.

So, yesterday I developed a plan to accomplish steady and constant tempo pace. 

The 54 mile, 4,400 ft of climbing route from my home in Prescott to the `intersection' called Kirkland includes some climbing at the outset.  But after about 14 miles of steep ascents and descents (the White Spars) the route changes dramatically.  After 14 miles there are 9 miles of continuous descent (during which the power and heart rate drops).  Then there are another 4 miles of rolling descent to Kirkland. 

The opportunity for good tempo training occurs on the return trip up from Kirkland to mile post 298, a solid 13 miles of climbing at 2% - 9%.  With two exceptions of about 100 yards each it is all uphill. 

Yesterday I did the tempo training on the `Kirkland' route.  It is a great training ground for tempo.  It took me two hours, at increasing heart rate (and power, though I don't have a power meter), to complete the 13 miles. 

I stayed in the big (55t) ring up front and rarely got below the 28t ring in back.  My rpms were probably 70-75.  (TEMPO - Kirkland Route)

By the time I hit mile post 298 I was really feeling it.  That is a good thing.  (As well, I was feeling the cold of altitude and had to put on some arm warmers and a windbreak jacket).  I had about 17 more miles to go (including several long 9%-15% grades) but I allowed myself to keep the HR in the 115-130 bpm range.  Essentially, at `tour pace.'

So now I have two components of `race pace' training available to me right out my front door. 

I'm still looking for that (nearby) elusive flatland for long, 8 hour aerobic training.  Might be a long wait. 

RAAM: Serious Problems

A link Trans America Bike Race (TABR) sent to me by a friend the other day triggered this post. 

The first thing I did when I went to the TABR website was to look at their route.  In detail.  The second thing I did was to follow a link to Bikepacking.net, a website for bicyclists using off-road routes for longer distance bicycling and camping. 

What was I looking for? 

• Did TABR find a route that was less dangerous (cars, trucks) than the RAAM route?
• Did TABR find a way for entrants to avoid spending tens of thousands of dollars?
• Is everybody doing TABR `white?'

You should go to the links above and get answers to questions you may have.   I'm still drilling down to get my answers.

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I don't have many real friends now (my choice) so I'm not risking much in this domain by addressing the `RAAM' question. 

As well, I'm an easy target for those objecting to my statements because:

• I did not finish my own Race Across the West (RAW) attempt in 2010 (Not Finishing RAW),
• I was a real pain in the ass to the RAAM folks when I was a RAAM Official in 2012 (My Experience as a RAAM Official - 2012),
• as the Crew Chief for a RAAM solo racer in 2013 I pulled her out of the race after her crew vehicle was back ended by a driver who was texting (RAAM 2013: Close Call) (She ultimately - without me - reentered the race and finished.) 

My objections and criticisms can be dismissed by some as `sour grapes.'  Or, as one hubris-disabled sot referred to me by saying: "There are `champs.'  And then there are `chumps.'"

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• The RAAM route is meticulously researched and selected.  But it has many conspicuous and oft-cited problems.  I do not know why RAAM management has not accepted suggested reasonable safe alternates to current dangerous routes.  Meticulous research, lacking good decision-making, results in bad outcomes.  Bad outcomes, over and over again ... why?

• When I articulated my concern about route safety to one of the key RAAM executives I was accused of "undermining a sport we are trying desperately to grow."  My unstated response was: "It's a profit-making BUSINESS that you are trying desperately to grow!"

• Several years ago the legal ownership of RAAM changed from that of a non-profit to a privately held for-profit entity.  I think that is a real problem.  The temptation to `grow' the event may lead to decisions that place the interests (safety, safety, safety) of participants at risk. 

• Agreed that RAAM raises money for charity.  But participating in RAAM as a racer can exceed $100,000.  Less for solo racers and (much) more for teams.  Why spend $70,000 to participate in RAAM only to raise $70,000 for a charity? 

• So many white people!  Yes, there is international representation at RAAM.  And, perhaps my objection is not so much the issue of race, but that of `class.'  (There was a phrase we used to point out the irony that the University of Chicago is situated and bordered on four sides by poverty, crime and ghettoes:  "White and black.  Shoulder to shoulder.  Against the poor!")

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I have a problem.  I find meaning and expression in endurance bicycling.  But I'm a `road' cyclist.  Sharing the roads with motorized vehicles is inherently dangerous (i.e., you can get killed a lot :) ). 

I'm going to give off-road `bikepacking' type activities more study. 

Who Am I to Judge?

But we all do it.  `Judge,' that is.  We decide (explicitly or implicitly) what is `worthy.' 

Joe Friel's latest (9/27/13) blog post (Aging: An Excuse) approaches from a physiological, data driven, perspective something that I've been saying for years: Many of us use getting older to justify laziness. 

Now THAT is a `judgmental' statement. 

I didn't choose my profession: psychology.  Focusing on what is going on in the minds of other people is not something I choose to do.  I can't NOT do it.  It's like water seeking the lowest point.  You don't see water hesitate to flow once it is free to do so.  It's an implacable law of nature.  I call this invasion into people's motivation and mind my `talent.'  Because I certainly didn't choose to `learn' it.  I have no choice.  My `head' just goes there.

I have deployed my `invasion' force toward my own behavior.  And it has been a godsend for me.  I'm impatient with most people (unless I'm paid not to be).  I `reverse engineer' from their accomplishments, deficiencies, etc, what it took to `get there.' 

The other day somebody said "Oh, I'm too old to learn about that (a minor computer thing)."  I exploded with frustration: "Well, hell.  Why don't you just dig a hole and bury yourself right now!" 

Many of my contemporaries whine (different from complaining: 2013  ; 2010 ).  They have worked hard to be out of shape, fearful of the morning, avoidant of challenge, essentially numb to themselves and the world from head to toe.  I call it `passive suicide.'  Waiting to die.  It takes real effort to stay bored and afraid all day long. 

So, again, what the frig does this have to do with `Training?!'

First, I used running and cycling to wear myself out so that I didn't have to sit in a chair shaking and trembling with `existential' fear and tension.

Then I worked insane hours in an effort to distract myself from deciding what was worth it.  "I can't leave Chicago and wander from this to that because a) I'd be irresponsible, b) I'd not be productive, c) I'd be just like (pick a name)."  

Sex and ego were the penultimate distraction, causing me to be dead from the neck up for decades. 

When my body started to `lose' shape ("Check your pockets. Did you `lose' it there?") I got frightened.  When folks didn't know I was a `doctor' I felt an urgency to set them straight about my top-dog status.  When I passed a mirror and saw my father I began to lose hope that I was `different.'

Training is an anvil and I use my body as the hammer.  The outcome is `performance.' 

These days the battleground is between the conscious knowledge of the difference between `riding the bike for long hours and distances' and `a structured plan of training that includes intervals, tempo, rest and goals.' 

I resist the hard stuff because a) it's physically uncomfortable (if not actually painful), b) I `predict' poor performance and how I judge myself for it (thereby energetically engaging in the self-fulfilling cycle), c) it requires me to set priorities.

Priorities.  When I'm tired from training I decide not to do things with my wife that she would enjoy.  I don't like to disappoint my wife.  So I train less.  I exaggerate her disappointment and don't place a demand on her to be responsible for making a fulfilling life without my being there all the time.  (Of course, THAT is a bullshit pretext to avoid the consequences of 'resisting the hard stuff.')

Priorities.  Being neat and clean, being completely on top of finances, getting all obsessed with house maintenance, appearance, etc.  It's `good' to have these things in my life.  But the extra 80% effort I make to get that last 20% of perfection is just plain mental illness.  It's nuts.  I'm trying to push the river back upstream. 

Training to fulfill the potential I have can be accomplished without abusing or neglecting other domains in my life.  In other words, manufacturing in my mind `catastrophic' consequences is a conscious decision I make.  Even if it has emotional and psychological origin. 

Who am I to judge?  Well, me.  I AM the judge!

Joe Friel: A Pillar of Sport and Fitness Excellence

I've had a love-hate experience with the work of Joe Friel for years.  But I don't know of any sport and fitness professional who covers so much ground (intellectually speaking) with such focus and legitimate authority. 

Here's Joe's recent blog post.  You can find more of his work here:  Joe Friel's Blog

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Joe Friel's Blog

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Aging: What’s Happening to My Muscles? Posted: 18 Sep 2013 11:42 PM PDT Scientists who study aging have been telling us for years that we can expect a loss of muscle mass as we get older. We’re simply destined to lose muscle fibers, especially type II fibers – the fast twitch ones (Deschenes, Iannuzzi-Sucich, Karakelides, Proctor, Short, Wilkes). We are told to expect about a 40% to 50% loss by age 80 (Doherty, Faulkner, Karakelides, Lemmer). Depressing for someone of my advanced age (69). Several more recent studies, however, are now concluding that the changes with aging reported in such research are largely the result of disuse and not as much due to the ravages of age as previously believed (AAgaard, Maharam, Melov). How is it that science is finally coming to this conclusion? By measuring what’s happening with older masters athletes who continue to compete and comparing them with young athletes and with the oldsters’ sedentary age peers. For example, Wroblewski compared athletes aged 40 to 81 in a cross-sectional study and found that although body fat increased with age, quadriceps muscle mass and strength were similar across all ages. All of the subjects, regardless of age, trained four or five times weekly as runners, swimmers, cyclists or triathletes. Use it or lose it. Right? Of course, the confounding element in cross-sectional studies such as this is that the older athletes may have self-selected. In other words, perhaps they didn’t maintain their muscle mass because they were athletes, but rather they were athletes because they maintained their muscle mass. Those who couldn’t maintain muscle mass with age may have quit their sport or never even started such strenuous activities. So the research still leaves us wondering. It could be inevitable that you will eventually lose some muscle, but it may be insignificant for decades if the more recent research is to be accepted at face value. The most common reason given for this happening is a decrease in the body’s production of anabolic (muscle- and tissue-building) hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor. But then exercise is anabolic also – it may help us hold onto muscle as we get older by slowing the demise of these hormones (Arazi, Kraemer, Cadore). The accompanying pictures of the cross-sectional areas of three people of different ages illustrate this belief (Wroblewski). These MRIs compare the thigh muscles of two male triathletes at ages 40 and 70 with those of a sedentary 74-year-old male. Note the atrophied muscles and surrounding fat on the thighs of the sedentary man and how similar the muscle mass of the two triathletes are regardless of age. Is this what we can expect? These pictures made the rounds on the internet about a year ago and lend support to the idea that remaining active through strenuous exercise may well be the best thing you can do to hang on to your muscle mass as you age. One of the authors of this study believes that aging accounts for only about 30% of the decline in athletes (Wright), whereas most cross-sectional studies of sedentary older people place 50% to 70% – or more – of the blame on age alone. Could exercise keep your muscles young? A couple of recent, unique studies from the University of Western Ontario lend support to the “use it or lose it” concept (Power, Power). The researchers counted the number of motor units in both young and old subjects. A motor unit is a group of muscle fibers activated by a single nerve in the spine. With aging (or is it disuse?) those nerves die and their associated muscle fibers atrophy. And so we lose muscle size, strength and power. This has been known for quite a long time with aging rats. But how about with people? The initial Power’s study done in 2010 was the first to examine this phenomenon in humans. Basically, the researchers found that we’re quite similar to rats in this respect. Runners in their 60s had about the same number of motor units in their tibialis anterior (a shin muscle) as runners in their 20s. But when they counted the motor units in sedentary but healthy people also in their 60s the scientists discovered the inactive older folks had 35% fewer motor units than the same-age runners. Essentially, the old runners had young leg muscles. The Canadian researchers logically wondered if this finding meant that all the muscle motor units in an aging runner’s body were maintained, or just the running-related motor units? So in a similar follow-up study they counted motor units in the biceps brachii (upper arm) of aging runners, young runners and aging sedentary. They found that the older runners had about 48% fewer motor units than the young runners and about the same as the older sedentary. Apparently, exercise does not maintain muscles unless they are strenuously trained. So there is now little doubt – use it or lose it. Right? But, again, could this result could be the consequence of who the subjects were? After all, it was a cross-sectional study. The subjects may have self-selected. People who maintained their motor units may have continued to compete into old age while those who didn’t maintain them dropped out of sport at a much younger age. I wish we could take a look at some longitudinal studies of aging to see if these results hold true when athletes are followed for several years. Unfortunately, such research is lacking. So it still comes down to opinion. Mine is that the existing research is probably accurate and that while aging has some affect on muscles mass, the greater cause of the decline is more than likely lack of use – an increasingly sedentary lifestyle as we get older. I see this even in master athletes. The older they become, the less strenuous their training. In the next post I’ll take a look at sport science’s somewhat depressing view of aerobic capacity (VO2max) and aging. Then we’ll move on to what I think the solutions may be for maintaining (or even improving) muscle mass, VO2max and performance as we get older. I know some won’t like my conclusions. Everyone is entitled to an opinion when we have little in the way of data.

Paleo Diet

I got the book Joe Friel recommended ("Paleo Diet for Athletes").  Cover to cover. 

Though it was written by a university academic it reads like one of those advertisements from Hammer products: "wow," "amazing," "you'll improve your times, lose weight, develop a following of groupies, get rich, dance better, fart less, your hair will grow back, and people will say you remind them of Brad Pitt."

Paleo means `cave man.' 

You're supposed to eat meat, fish and vegetables.  All of it fresh, if not actually trying to eat you back while you eat it. 

You're supposed to avoid milk and grains.  You're supposed to drink fluids only when you're thirsty. 
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• Cave men typically didn't live long enough to develop heart disease.  They checked out in their 20's.  So, it's true that they didn't die from age related diseases.
• As we age our sense of thirst isn't as reliable as when we were cave man `eligible.'  Almost all folks over 50 are chronically, even if mildly, dehydrated. 
• I will not allow my food bill to double.  Fresh meat?  Fresh fish?  Organic vegetables? 
• The meat-producing industry does massive harm to land and ecologies.
• I'm supposed to buy frequently (fresh!) and local.  (Right.  I'll just rearrange my houseboy's schedule during the week so that he chauffeurs me less and shops more discriminatingly).
• The author has 30 or 40 `recipes' for me to cook up.  My houseboy can't cook for crap.  That means I'd have to add a chef to my payroll.  I wouldn't trust them.  I'd probably find them both smokin' on the veranda when they're supposed to laboring away, perfecting my mortal `temple.'
• The author laments the fact that our species became agrarian, no longer hunters and gatherers.  He blames climate change for this tragedy, suggesting an asteroid caused it.  He would prefer, instead, that we died off in our 30's, never developed science, writing, art (oops!  bone necklaces and pictographs are art), culture.
• The author (and others) reports amazing data regarding improved biometrics, i.e., cholesterol, triglycerides, and countless other things.  I don't have the training, education or knowledge to dispute, let alone comment on, much of the detail.  So, I got tired of saying "Mmm. Uh-huh" after each 20 page dollop of chemistry lesson. 
• My family has always had a problem with cholesterol.  I take a small, inexpensive statin drug and it has made a miraculous difference. 
• It makes no sense for me to "get in the river and try to push it back upstream."  I mean, I should eat meat all day and then take a statin to reduce cholesterol?!  I DO see the contradiction.

I'm gonna stick with veggies, peanut butter and lots of fluids.  And NOBODY is going to take my glass of two buck chuck from me.

After all, it appears that the time has passed (40+ years ago) when I should be a dead caveman.  Something I'm doing (or not doing) has got to be working.

Here is a link to an interesting YouTube vid on this subject:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4RB50h61FQ

It Never Stops. And That's a `Good' Thing.

Over the weekend I did a `ride qua race' (for me, at least) called the Skull Valley Loop Challenge.  The course, road conditions, weather, terrain and number of entrants couldn't be better.  SVLC Route

This was the third SVLC in a row for me.  My times are as follows:

2011:  3:21:00
2012:  2:49:00 Garmin Data - 2012
2013:  3:10:00 Garmin Data - 2013

I was disappointed with my time this year, of course.  On comparison of the Garmin data of 2012 and 2013 a glaring difference became apparent: in '13 my heart rate was much more elevated than in '12. 

Long story made short: if you're going to try to `race' a short course don't train for a long course. 

In 2012 my training was more intense.  I pushed myself for speed on the climbs as well as on the descents. 

In 2013 my training was much less intense.  I did far more long, slow, multi-hour training sessions.
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In 2012 I allowed myself to coast down the mountain (max of 48 mph) during the first half of the event and then applied intensity and effort to the climbing back up the mountain in the last half of the event. 

In 2013 I pushed myself hard down the mountain (exceeding 53 mph) and didn't have the training-built stamina to maintain the intensity for the climb back up. 

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The 5 mph addition in 2013 was at the cost of physical capacity to maintain the pace for the race. 

Not complicated.  And had I been paying a 3rd party to structure and supervise my training I would have been corrected and put on a different training track.

I can be properly faulted by not paying for a coach.  But, frankly, I'd rather take this `lesson' than spend my money for a faster, more effective, lesson. 

Lifestyle: as disciplined as I am I'm too stubborn to place my own cycling so central to my everyday priorities.  It's not that I have so many more `honorable' priorities (e.g., family, friends, etc).  I just don't want to be on that treadmill.  I simply prefer to be stubborn and undisciplined in this way. 

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Going forward.  Next year I'll spend the 8 weeks preceding the SVLC ramping up the intensity level so that I can have more stamina and rationally expect as good or better outcome than my 2012 time. 

It never stops.  And that's a good thing.

Transition to Colder Weather

I live in Arizona so many will scratch their head when I describe my plans for transitioning to `colder' weather.  ("Arizona?  It's always hot there, right?!)

Today is Sept 12th and at 7AM it's 51F and sunny. 

One hundred (blessed) miles southeast and 4,000 feet lower is the obscenity called Phoenix where it is currently 75F with an expected 95F today. 

Down `there,' in the `valley' the cycling season is coming alive. 

Up `here,' in the mountains we're a bit more reality based with four actual, real, seasons.  Snow as early as November, even though most of it melts off in a day or two.

Because we're in the mountains, though, the roads can stay iced in the mountain shady sections during the day.  Cycling requires much more planning and is typically of shorter duration.

Last winter I found myself schlepping the bike south and down to warmer climes to get in some training.  Punched a big hole in my day without much of a return.  I spent many, many hours grinding away on the indoor trainer while looking out the window at snowy mountains.

Not this year. 

Yes, I'll continue to put in hours on indoor equipment.  But I won't be schlepping the bike or threading the weather needle during sunlight just to be on the road.  Instead of `looking out the window at snowy mountains' I'll be on the mountains.

Literally every time I ride I find myself wondering what it must be like to be `up there,' in the woods and on the mountain.  I plan to find out this winter.

Trekking up and over rural mountains, thinking it is going to be a fun hike, is an invitation to calamity.  There are `trails' galore out this way.  But they're not the kind of trails with benches every 2 miles and informative little descriptive signs.  Some trails go untraveled for years.  And they often lead over one mountain, down to a wilderness valley and back up to another mountain that is even more wilderness.

I'm very much engaged in learning as much as I can in advance of a careful, considered winter of hiking and climbing.  If and when I conclude I know what I'm doing I'd like to do some multiday hiking. 

Sleep is a Good Thing

In the run up to this coming Sunday's Skull Valley Loop Challenge my training schedule made last week the `heavy' week for workouts.  And `heavy' it was.  My last workout was yesterday.  So, after doing the 20 Mile Descending Time Trial  my wife and I had a nice brunch and did some local touring of beautiful Arizona.

Returning home around 2pm I was unable to keep from nodding off the minute I sat down for the rest of the day and evening.

Today started the `taper' of light training in advance the Challenge.

I got up later than usual this morning, did some household chores and made a week's worth of my "grim concoction" of vegetables, fruit, protein, wheat germ and lemon concentrate in the VitaMix blender. 

But I kept nodding off.  DEEP nodding off.

I finally gave up the battle and went back to bed and slept for three more hours.

If my body had a brain it would send me a `thank you' gift.

20 Mile Descending Time Trial Result

Completed the test with link below. 

Here are data and thoughts from today's test:

• Top of Iron Springs Rd. to Skull Valley RR track (12.4 miles = 00:21:39);
• SV RR track to Kirkland (6.65 miles = 00:15:43). 
• Total of 19.05 miles in 00:37:22. 
• Same speed for same distance as on Sep 15, '12. 

But 00:03:00 short of my goal for the race next Sunday.

Four possible reasons:

1. no headwind last year but 10+ mph headwind today;
2. 32 minutes of racing to warm up last year but started `cold' this year;
3. racing TT / solo today and not as `motivating' as competing against others last year;
4. I'm not as strong as last year.

Sep 8, 13: 20 Mile Descending TT

Race Experiment: Descending Cum Riding Time

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3307104

In about one hour my wife will drive me to the top of Iron Springs Road and drop me off. I'll then descend down, at maximum speed, 20.5 miles to Kirkland.

I'm stripping the bike (Bacchetta CA2. blue, carbon fiber) down so that I carry nothing ... no food, water, tools, seatbags, etc. This serves two purposes: ...

a) to assess the descending speed capability of the bike without ballast,

b) to determine the bike handling dynamics of a totally naked bike. A bike with seatbag, water, etc, has variable weight distribution that interferes with air resistance, affects vertical stability at speed, i.e., there is wobble making the bike whippy at high speeds with minor directional forward changes [slight weaving at speed to stay upright, avoid rough road, etc].

I don't expect my maximum speed to exceed 55 mph (which any skilled cyclist - DF or bent) can achieve. But, because of the oversized front chain ring (58t) I'll be able to increase the amount of time/distance I can maintain pedaling (i.e., apply power) at the bottom of descents and beginning of ascents. So, max speed may not be much different but elapsed time between start and finish will certainly be shorter / less.

When I descend so fast that `spinning' generates instability I stop pedaling and become nothing more than a bag of rocks coasting. When I coast less and power pedal more the average speed over distance and time improves.

A Surpising Training Efficiency.

In less than two weeks I'll be racing the Skull Valley Loop Challenge. Here's the Course Map.

Arizona Central Highland terrain (6,000 feet).  Fifty four miles and 4,800 feet of climbing.  To `ride' the SV Loop is a `challenge.'  To race it is several steps beyond a `challenge.' 

Last year I took 32 minutes off my previous best time and came in at 02:49:00.  I was very surprised at doing so well with very little focused training. 

This year my training for the SVLC is now very focused and intense.  Wish me luck.  I'm intending to take another 15 minutes off my PB.  Maybe even sub 02:30:00. 

I don't `race' often.  (I do hold two world racing records: fastest recumbent crossing of Illinois; fastest recumbent crossing of Indiana.  Both in 2009.)

Rather, I've done long distance endurance events.  I've often been the only recumbent to finish such events but never first. 

On Sunday, October 6th, I'll be `converting' the SVLC course from a race to an unsupported ultra endurance event.  Instead of racing one loop I'll be stringing five loops together over twenty-four (24) hours, i.e., 270 miles and 24,140 feet of climbing. 

All but about 7 miles of the `loop' are in remote mountain, forest or ranch land.  When the sun sets vehicle traffic can be literally non-existent.  Critters.  Flat tires.  Accidents.  Very, very dark.  And alone.

Current training for the `race' has included speed work, climbing with 25-30 lbs of extra weight (power to weight ratio) and increased frequency of `hard' training sessions.  So as not to `over train' I've incorporated easy days into the mix.  These `easy' days cover the same mileage and climbing but at a much less intense effort.  That is, instead of being on the road for 3.5 hours I'd put in 6 hours ... just time `in the saddle.' 

The 24 hour ultra endurance event (5 loops) scares me more than the one loop race.  Can I `do' 24,000 consecutive feet of climbing in 24 hours? 

It turns out that my `race' training program is fitting well into my `ultra endurance' training needs. 

In the last week my long, `easy' training sessions left me with lots of energy and little wear and tear.  If I carefully attend to proper pacing on the ultra event I'm very, very confident of finishing five loops in 24 hours.  One month to go. 

Logistics.  Hydration.  Food.  These remain the factors requiring careful planning for the ultra event. 

Joe Friel's Blog: Aging and Performance

Certainly, because of my own age (67) Joe Friel's recent blogs are of intense interest for me.  His latest topic is no disappointment:

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2013/09/aging-my-performance.html
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Aging: My Performance Posted: 03 Sep 2013

I’ve got training logs that go back to the 1970s when I first started recording my workouts. My heart rate data started in 1983, power in 1995. I had intended to go back and review all of that before sitting down to write this. But last weekend we flew to Lucca, Italy, where I am now. Preparing to leave is always a hassle. But being gone from my office for two months meant getting a lot done before the trip. I never got around to checking my training records, so much of what follows is based on memory. And it seems the older I get, the better I used to be.

Things appear to be changing this year. I’m not sure if it’s my age that’s behind it, just an aberration, or the inevitable circumstances of a busy life in 2013 with lots of travel. Of course, it could be some combination of all of these – and more. Regardless, it’s disturbing and has me wondering.

By “changing” I mean I’ve become less powerful. And it seems like it happened all of a sudden. In March I tested my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and it was right where it has been for the last six springs when I first started testing this marker of performance. This was done in Scottsdale, Ariz. where I spend my winters. My summers are in Boulder. My power is always considerably lower in the latter due to the altitude. And sure enough, my FTP was where it always is in the first few weeks after arriving at 5500 feet – down about 8% from Scottsdale where I live at around 1800 feet.
Usually, around a month into my adaptation to the higher altitude about half of the lost watts come back. By the end of the summer when I’m ready to head south to Scottsdale, my FTP in Boulder is about what it was at the lower altitude in March. Then when I get back to the lower altitude I see my peak FTP for the season.

But not this year. Things were different. My FTP in Boulder never rose. It stayed at the -8% decrement all summer. And when I got back to Scottsdale, it didn’t come up – at all. To add to the concerns, my sprint power is the lowest it’s been since I started testing it. Could these changes be the first signs of age catching up with me?

For many years my FTP and sprint have been about the same with only seasonal or environmental (altitude in Boulder, summer heat in Scottsdale) shifts. My power for specific types of workouts, especially intervals and tempo rides (here’s the questionable memory part), has changed very little since 1995. As a 50-something rider I was slightly above average at, for example, time trials and climbing back then. Fifteen years later I’m a much better-than-average senior rider for TTs and hills. I don’t think I improved; my age peers just slowed down more. But now I may be catching up with them, it seems.

Of course, we are all going to have reduced athletic performance in endurance sports as we age. It’s inevitable. But we really don’t expect to see it happen - ever. And when it does, as I seem to be experiencing this year, it’s a bit frightening.

How much of a change should we expect? And when?

There was a great study that came out of Boise State University in 2009 – “Masters Athletes: An Analysis of Running, Swimming and Cycling Performance by Age and Gender” (Ransdell). The problem with most studies on athletes and aging is that they look at broad cross sections of various age categories by gender. That means they are comparing a wide range of abilities – front to back of pack – with motivation having a lot to do with performance. Some people simply aren’t motivated to train. And as the number of participants in endurance sports increases, the percentage of those who could not care less about performance and are only doing it for social reasons is likely to increase. That waters down the data so that we really don’t know what the true impact of age on performance is likely to be.

The authors of the Ransdell study examined only current US and World record holders by age groups in three sports – swimming, running, and cycling. That means we are now able to better understand what happens when motivation to train and compete is taken out of the equation leaving only age and gender as the modifiers of performance.

The following three charts are based on data from this study. While the scientists looked at several event distances within each sport, I’ve selected out only the longest and most common, long-endurance distances – 1500m swim, marathon, and 40k time trial. On the left side of each chart (the X axis) are the times of the records and across the bottom (Y axis) are the age groups. The charts aren’t terribly precise but give us a good look at trends.



Note from these charts that in the age groups from 50-59 there is a slight decrease in performance with it being greatest in swimming (the times get slower as indicated by rising lines). Women’s performances tend to decline even faster than the men’s, especially in running. Swimming shows the least gender-related decline.

These findings are roughly in agreement with other papers that also studied elite age-group athletes. For example, Wright and Perricelli looked at the performances of senior Olympians (50+) in the 2001 National Senior Olympic Games. Both male and female performances declined by about 3 to 4% per year from age 50 to 85, but at a great rate after age 75.

Tanaka and Seals looked at US Masters Swimming Championship results from 1991 to 1995. They found a steady decline in performance until about age 70 when times started declining at an exponential rate. The declines were greater in women than in men.

Many other researchers have found similar rates of decrease in elite master-athlete performances at national championships in swimming (Donato, Fairbrother) and triathlon (Lepers). In the triathlon paper Ironman age group performances declined faster than for those doing Olympic-distance races. I’ll get to the assumed reason why from the authors in an upcoming post here.

So it appears we can expect to slow down significantly some time in our 50s and experience the greatest negative rates of change in our 70s and beyond. (Want to guess what my next birthday will be? Right. 70.) The key questions are, why are these changes taking place and what can be done to slow them? That’s what I’ll take a look at in my next three posts.

References
Donatao AJ, Tench K, Glueck DH, Seals DR, Eskurza I, Tanaka H. 2003. Declines in Physiological Functional Capacity with Age: A Longitudinal Study in Peak Swimming Performance. J Appl Physiol 94(2):764-9.
Fairbrother JT. 2007. Prediction of 1500-m Freestyle Swimming Times for Older Masters All-American Swimmers. Exp Aging Res 33(4):461-71.
Lepers R, Sultana F, Bernard T, Hausswirth C, Brisswalter J. 2010. Age-Related Changes in Triathlon Performances. Int J Sports Med 31(4):251-6.
Ransdell LB, Vener J, Huberty J. 2009. Masters Athletes: An Analysis of Running, Swimming and Cycling Performance by Age and Gender. J Exerc Sci Fit 7(2):S61-S73.
Tanaka H, Seals DR. 1997. Age and Gender Interactions in Physiological Functional Capacity: Insight from Swimming Performance. J Appl Physiol 82(3):846-51.
Wright VY, Perricelli BC. 2008. Age-Related Rates of Decline in Performance Among Elite Senior Athletes. Am J Sports Med 36(3):443-50.