Keeping Busy On This Cosmic Spitball.

Even though it's `Arizona,' here, it still gets very cold and windy at 6,000 feet in the winter.  Riding through a snowy, cold winter sucks.  Indoor cycling more than sucks ... it creates a pervasive and depressing VACUUM of sucking. 

As disciplined and creative as I have been over the many years of cycling I have finally acceded to the wisdom of my numerous alternate personalities:

`Bad Dan' self:

"Daammmmmn, Dan!  It's gonna be all show and no go for 2 or 3 hours just to get in a good 35 mile, 3,400 ft of climbing ride today.  You're carrying three seasons of clothing, you'll be sweating, stopping, shedding wool, hitting a wall of cold mountain wind, stopping, putting that wool and a windbreak on again, dodging patches of black ice.  And half of the damned ride you'll be coasting downhill, wet, paralyzed by the wind chill. Dumb shit!" 

`Lazy Ass Dan' self:

"Right, you stupid moron!  You're going to go into that claustrophobic shed and ride the indoor trainer for an hour or two, juice yourself up with earphoniac drumbreaking music-qua-noise, delusional hallucinations, self-abnegating ruminations, and simplistic and shameful rationalizations as to the actual benefit of this insane torture. Dumb shit!" 

---

So, after almost 70 years of doing the same thing over and over again (... don't say it) I'm deep into a major training transition that may actually result in ... dare I say it? ... pleasure and satisfaction. 

This is a blog about Training.  Not bicycling.  Not self-abuse.  Not proof of masochistic cajones.  Training.  With the remaining hours, days or weeks I have on this spitball of cosmic insignificance I think I'll opt for door # 3,362,950,102.

• Running. 
• Rowing: Concept2 Indoor Rower (ergometer). 
• Bicycling (outside).  Only on a truly too tempting good day.

Running.  I started running when in the penitentiary (Remember: The first duty of every prisoner is to ... ESCAPE).

There were two `yards.'  The `big' yard where the stogie chomping and peglegged Mafioso (Mickey Cohen, etc) and wiseguys walked their laps.  And the `little' yard that nobody went into because it had nothing in it (no barbells, no baseball diamonds, no place to sit).  Just short grass and two huge fences with concertina barbed wire, punctuated by guard towers with armed and dangerous white Ozark farmboys and their essential drooping bellies. 

In the summer I'd just plod around and around for a few hours to burn off my wasting youth.  In the winter, when it snowed, I'd stomp out huge peace symbols in the snow in front of the guards just to show them that ... well, just to piss them off. 

When I got out of the `joint' I continued running.  It is a cheap sport.  Portable.  Cutoff jeans and a sweatband.  U.S. Keds.  And `I'm off.' 

I ran everywhere, all the time.  I ran so far and so long I'd sometimes get so lonely that I'd talk to myself to keep company.  I'd interview myself for ABC Sports. "So, Dan.  How did you get into the sport?" "Waaaall, I started runnin' in the penitentiary and ..." 

I'd pass other runners and they'd slow down to look at that sort'a crazy skinny guy who was talking to himself.  I'd even spook horses on the Chicago lakefront when they had horse trails.  I'd run 12 miles to work and 12 miles home.  I think I finished 8 or 9 marathons. 

But, then, in my forties things went south and I started to work 12 - 16 hour days.  After that I'd start and stop running, gained some weight, get an injury that'd keep me from running for 3 weeks.  And then the run-injure-stop cycle just put me out of action and on the bike. 

Now, I'm running again.  I weigh 50 lbs less than I did 3 years ago.  I'm only `pitty-patty' running at this stage.  Fifteen to 20 minutes.  Going very easy at the outset.  No pain.  But I do experience a mix of feelings. 

The first `complaint' that my body registered came from my left shin.  Very slight and it went away after I eased up on the pace and paid more careful attention to my foot plant.  Then I experienced an almost unbelievable sense of return to old form; like I was back in my 30's and my stride and landing were easy and `right there.'  Dangerously tempting to break out into a full-bore run.  NOT!!  As the time running increased I would feel my legs getting tight and heavy.  Experience has a way of improving even a dumb brute's judgment, so I stop before I feel any pain or strain. 

And that's where I am at the moment with running.  Pitty-patty, brief and within myself.  I will be disciplined about maintaining a very minimalist running plan.  Six months of not much more than 15 to 30 minutes of running.  Can I do more?  Sure.  Will I be able to avoid injury if I do more?  No. 

But I am having head trips about doing marathons again.  I'm even dreaming of it.

Same for the indoor rower.

Rowing.  I have always had absolutely no upper body strength.  A big burly, hairy chest.  But picking my nose has always left me winded and gasping. 

A few weeks ago I was moving the bike and pulled a back muscle that I later learned is the trapezius.  The damned bike is made of carbon fiber, f'crisake!  I was walking around like I had a crowbar up my keester for a week. 

Twelve years ago I bought the Model C Concept2 indoor rower.  I used it quite a bit but only as a barely plausible pretext for not going outside to ride the damned bike. 

Shame put me on the C2.  Guilt got me off the C2 and back into macho-masochismo biking in the snow and subzero temps.  (Sometime later I'll describe how I once rode in temps that were so cold I froze my `pawls' off.  That's not just a pun,)

So a bit over a week ago I decided -- made an actual conscious, deliberate decision -- that I was not going to put myself through the anguish and shame and guilt and pain and suffering this winter over the damned bike.  I decided to get serious-grave about the indoor rower. 

You know, plan it out, a steady, consistent training program that would improve my upper body strength, my cardiovascular function, my pulmonary respiratory function, anaerobic capacity, stamina and endurance.  Yeah.  All 'a them things. 

For some reason I don't feel the mind-dissolving boredom on the indoor rower that I experience on the indoor bike.  I think its because I'm using both my upper and lower body.  But I'm not sure.  Time passes much faster.  I actually enjoy it. 

Seven hour sessions by March.  Competitive indoor rowing, f'sure.

Climbing Impossible Courses on the Recumbent

D2D (Death 2 Dan)

Start / End at my front door. 26.9 miles. 3,235 ft of climbing. Avg ft climbed per mile 120.5.  Many sections > 20%.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6519567

I've completed all sections of this course in little dribs and drabs.  But I've never put them all together as a single training course. 

I'll probably build up to it for the early Spring.  A good incentive to drop more weight, down another 15 lbs to 160. 

Why Is That?

I've been accumulating questions about cycling with the intent of a few posts with possible answers and responses.  But I've not gotten around to actually writing anything in the way of answers or responses. 
 
So I'm just listing a few of the questions: 
 

Is cycling mostly a mental thing?

On long rides my emotions and mood sometimes changes a lot.  Why is that?

I ride alone a lot.  Am I an introvert?

I rarely ride by myself.  I try to ride with others as often as possible.  Am I an extrovert?

Are `ultra' cyclists different from other kinds of cyclists?  If so, how?

In the `off season' I'm more edgy, my mood is different.  Why is that?

If I had to stop cycling would my mood change?

How can I keep from going bonkers during the cold and snowy seasons?

I'm an average cyclists but I buy bikes and gear worthy of a pro.  Why is that?

My work, family and social life suffer because I spend so much time cycling.  Why is that?

I prefer to ride alone.  Does that make me an introvert?  Is that a good / bad thing?

When I cycle with others I find that I try to go faster and harder, even if it offends other cyclists.

I'm a `binge bicyclist.'  Why is that?

If I'm an introvert should I make myself ride with others more?

I `dump' all my frustrations, tension, anxiety into bicycling.  Is that good?

I often find myself suffering from `overtraining.'  Why is that?

What are the symptoms of `overtraining?'

I set goals that I don't fulfill and find myself losing motivation.  Why is that?

I can't stand it when I don't meet my performance expectations.  It bums me out.  How can I handle this better?

I actually worry that I'll `explode' if I didn't have cycling.  What's going on there?

Why do I cycle?  Especially if it tires me out, interferes with other things.   Feel free to offer your own answers or responses.

Doctors With A God Complex II

(Oct 2014)

I wrote the blog post about the doctor with a god complex in May of 2012.  Since that time I've met many physicians who more than favorably balance the equation.  That is, they are humble, conscientious and place a premium on listening.  I'll lead with a recent New York Times interview with one of them:   Dr. Laurie Glimcher

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(May 2012)

New to this area I sought out a doc just to have one on hand in the event I needed one. This guy came well recommended by some acquaintances. I met with his Nurse Practitioner a few weeks ago Monday. She takes my history (did a decent good job) and set me up to see the doc himself that Friday.

You know the drill. They get you undressed and cloaked in a butt exposed `gown.' This of course, has nothing to do with setting the scene so that the doc is top dog and the patient is a vulnerable sot. -;

The guy comes in, doesn't even look at me. Sits at a little table and opens his laptop. Starts barking numbers and concludes: "We're gonna put you on a diet. Your BMI is too high." I tell him I lost 20 lbs in the last six months, ride 200 miles and climb 18,000 feet on a bike every week, that muscle is heavier than fat (Beyond BMI), that the BMI is a 19th century metric, that I no longer eat meat, and refer him to the BodPod results I submitted when I met with the NP.

He ignores that and keeps looking at his laptop. Then he says that the prostate exam and full urological workup I had just last May (biopsy that showed NO evidence of enlargement or cancer) was worthless and that nothing is as good as ... and then he just sticks his index finger in the air and waves it.

I didn't respond because this was so stump stupid on his part that I was (believe it) speechless.

I tilted my head, smiled, got my Irish up and said "... and then what? A biopsy and blood work that I just had 6 months ago?!"

He then slammed down his laptop and said: "I'm not accepting you as a patient. I'm not going to argue with you."

I was, again, taken aback and surprised at the crude arrogance. Then he tells me to get dressed and a nurse will tell me what to do next.

I left a few minutes later and pondered deeply as to what this meant. Finally, I found another doc. A few days later I sent this idiot the following letter:

---

Dr. X:

I understand your prerogative to decline accepting patients.

I am in agreement with you that it is better that you recognized what would certainly have been apparent at a later time. Being most generous in my description there is an incompatibility between us.

Candidly, I was surprised and am mildly distressed at your behavior.

Having been the Clinical Director of a psychiatric hospital for abused and neglected children and adolescents I have many, many times been reminded of the importance of listening to my patients and staff.

It is my conclusion that you emphatically failed your profession in this regard.

---

So, my advice to all of us: don't be intimidated by physicians who are so arrogant that they suffer from a God complex.

From a psychological perspective such people lack confidence in their ability to maintain a interactive and candid relationship with the client / patient.

More, several recent `gold standard' research reports conclude that arrogant and self-absorbed physicians have a much higher `fail' rate and more malpractice allegations than others.

Word to the wise.

Characteristics of Emotional Maturity

An admired acquaintance recently experienced a complicated and painful cycling accident.  He is an avid and accomplished cyclist in his 50s.  The effect of such injuries requires that he (we) call upon our experiences and capacity for managing (sloppily, we all admit) stress, `dead' time, handling boredom, too much self-reflection, overthinking every damned thing. 

So here is something I have read and re-read to remind me (and hopefully others) of what it means to be a grown-up.

--------

Maturity: noun. 1. a being full-grown or ripe, 2. a being fully developed, complete, or ready, 3. a becoming due (Webster's New World Dictionary).

1. The ability to experience and understand our own deepest feelings and needs, and to be able to act on and express these feelings and needs in appropriate and constructive ways. This is opposite from "acting-out" our needs in unconscious, destructive patterns of behavior. This aspect of maturity includes the ability to experience and tolerate especially intense feelings - which inevitably occur in life - and to be able to appropriately express these feelings, or contain them until an appropriate and responsible means for expressing them is available.

2. The ability to act on and react to life circumstances with intelligence, sound judgment and wisdom. This aspect of maturity is opposite the tendency to act impulsively, without taking the opportunity to think through our actions or consider their consequences. (Wisdom: having the quality of good judgment, learning and erudition, soundness.)

3. The ability to recognize, empathize with, and respect the feelings and needs of others. This is opposite from a selfish and chronic preoccupation with our own needs, with no awareness of, or sensitivity to, the needs of others.

4. The ability to delay the immediate satisfaction of our own needs, so that we may attend to other more pressing needs or actions. This is opposite from a condition in which our immediate needs always take precedence over all other needs.

5. The ability to love - to allow another's needs, feelings, security, and survival to be absolutely paramount - just as if these were our own.

6. The ability to adapt flexibly and creatively to life's changing circumstances and conditions. This is distinct from the tendency to respond to life's challenges in rigid, outmoded behavior patterns that are no longer particularly effective or appropriate.

7. The ability to channel our energy, both positive and negative, into constructive contributions to ourselves, to others, and to our communities.

8. The willingness and ability to be responsible and accountable for our own circumstances and actions in life, and the ability to differentiate our responsibilities from those of others. This is distinct from blaming others and seeing ourselves primarily as the victim of other's behavior, or from maintaining a sense that we are somehow responsible for the happiness and well-being of all those around us. Responsibility arises from a stance of strength and competence; it does not include pronouncements of blame, shame, guilt, or moral inferiority/superiority, as all these are judgments added to the basic condition of responsibility.

9. The ability to relate comfortably and freely with others, to like and be liked by others, and to maintain healthy and mutually satisfying relationships.

10. The ability to choose and develop relationships that are healthy and nurturing, and to end or limit relationships that are destructive or unhealthy.

©Maryland Institute, 1998

Training and Weight Loss

I'll start with the weight loss first.

I think it is a mistake to think that more exercise alone will result in enduring weight loss.  Fat burns best at an aerobic level of effort.  The number of calories burned during aerobic effort is usually put at 300 per hour.  If I train for 6 hours I've burned 1,800 calories.  If I ingest nutrient in the way of food and fluid in order to sustain myself in training ... it is a wash.  I ate what I spent.  Which is smart training. 

Weight loss means that we have weight to lose.  If we are skin and bones to begin with we run the risk of losing muscle mass if we try to lose weight.  Most of us are not skin and bones.  I certainly am not. 

Typically, if we are overweight (everybody decides for themselves what that means), the first several pounds can come off quite easily and quickly by eliminating the obvious culprits in our diet: alcohol, bread, pasta, etc.  Thereafter, i.e., after the initial success, it gets `harder.' 

In my case (190-195) the first 20 pounds came off with little problem.  Two pounds per week was my goal. 

When I hit the 175 pound mark I found myself feeling without energy (physical, intellectual, emotional) for a few days at a time.  That is what I called a `plateau.'  Meaning, my regular habit had been to `graze' during the day; but I ended that when I started the weight loss program. 

I found that I had been too restrictive and unbalanced in my eating behavior for the first 20 pounds.   I didn't have a) the available fat stores that had earlier sustained me during the day; b) I was not eating enough carbohydrates to support my energy needs.  So I had to reflect and reconsider what and how often I ate.

My current healthy body weight goal is quite challenging: 160 pounds, i.e., an actual weight loss of 15 pounds (+/- 3 lbs). 

So I have three concrete tasks ahead. 

The first task is to not regain the weight I lost.  In the excitement and sense of accomplishment I feel at reaching my 175 pound weight goal I experience the impulse to `let up' and have that forbidden food (the glass of wine, the bread, the pasta with cheese). 

The second task is to not be too `severe' with myself.  That is, if I am so preoccupied with eating less that I can't STOP thinking about it I'll get resentful and angry.  We all reach that point where we say something like "Screw this.  I've had a hard day / going through a tough time / I'm a grown adult, not a lab rat." 

So, in order to not be severe with ourselves:

• We need to accept that we are establishing a new `norm' for our eating;
• We should not weigh ourselves every day;
• We should select foods and set of eating habits that we can live with;
• We should not feel pressured to eat or drink differently when in social situations;
• When we predictably slip up we shouldn't disparage or be self-demeaning;
• When I eat the last piece of pizza (or whatever) on the table I don't rush to put on the hairshirt. 

The third task is to allow ourselves to experiment to find what works for us.  I am not a zealot of a particular `diet.'  I'm not a vegan, a vegetarian, a paleo, etc.  I don't have a set of hard and fast rules.  The `third' task is to be me ... just less so :)

Currently my food and eating regimen is as follows:

I typically don't eat breakfast.  Never have.  I like a cup of black coffee in the morning.  But if I expect to be up and active (not training) in the morning I'll have a can of Ensure with a scoop of whey protein even if I'm not hungry.  Because I know that a) I'll need energy later, b) I may feel hungry later. 

I like sardines.  Me and that other guy on the planet are the only ones who like sardines.  So when early afternoon arrives I'll have one or two tins of sardines.  Maybe some ketchup to moisten it up. 

For dinner I eat a salad.  The term `salad' is elastic in our culture.  I used to pile all sorts of stuff in the salad making it into a 1200 calorie absurdity: raisins, Feta cheese, lots of different kinds of nuts, etc.  I've slowly fessed-up to this game.  Now I eat more leafy stuff, carrots, vegetables.  No raisins.  A few nuts.  No-cal salad dressing. 

I may, even, have a glass of wine.  The jury is still out on that.  If what I'm doing is not working I'll experiment. 

If and when I wake up at night I don't graze.  I'll get a `taste' of lemonade or something. 

Finally, many people know more about weight and training than I do.  I am solicitous of their thoughts and experience without being `defensive.' 

Training:

I don't do `ultra' training anymore.  I have learned that putting in all of that time (many hours almost every day of the week) on the bike only left me flat and without motivation to do other important things in my life: be a husband, a neighbor, have the energy to read without falling asleep, etc.  I also found that doing ultra training had me alone for long hours: I was getting lonely, if not actually squirrely.  I didn't cultivate my friendships.  I became distant from intellectual interests and activities.  I had two speeds: Full On and Full Off. 

These days I train for shorter distances, faster.  I live in the mountains and there is a `penalty' for being heavy, chubby, etc.  You climb more slowly and it impacts your overall speed. 

So, spending less time on the bike but putting out more intense effort works for me.  I can participate and even enjoy those other things.  I have more time for people.  I am getting more (and more satisfyingly) active in my work, my profession. 

When I train I make sure that I have had something in the way of `fuel' before I take off.  For me that means liquid nutrition.  One scoop of maltodextrin mixed with one scoop of whey protein.  Drink it down.  And I carry one 12 oz bottle of water and/or a bottle of the liquid nutrition I had as a pre-ride drink.  Depending on the weather (hot) I may bring more water.  I take electrolyte pills. 

After my workout I have another `hit' of maltodextrin and whey protein. 

--

The goal is to comfortably get to a lower weight in a reasonable time.  The parallel goal is to do so in a manner that is congruent with a healthy and non-severe lifestyle.

The other important goals are:

• to be fast on the bike (competitive, set records, exceed my expectations);
• to do my work and my job really well;
• to cultivate a better relationship with my family members;
• to have a social life.

SKULL VALLEY LOOP CHALLENGE 2014: Results and Analysis

The three (3) mile `parade escort' by city motorcycles probably took about 3 minutes off everybody's time so comparison of this year's results to previous year's results is probably `off' by that much.

• Though I stashed two bottles of water and electrolyte fluid along the way last night I didn't stop for them.  I don't think that impacted my performance but at the very end I did begin to feel my `dehydration' muscle begin to cramp up;
• I also forgot to eat a solid breakfast which certainly had a consequence.  That was just stupid forgetfulness.
• On the way down from the last big hill, with two miles to go to the finish, I got stuck behind three cars doing the speed limit (25).  I think I gave up a minute or two there, as well. 
• I started my Garmin a minute early so I didn't have to diddle with that at the same time I was clipping in and trying to stay in the lead pack.

All things being equal, I probably did between 2:57:00 to 2:59:00.  About 9 minutes short of my best time (PB).

Looking at the stats comparing this year and my PB year ('12):

• my HR averaged higher: 146 bpm v 140.3 bpm; 
• I spent more time in the HR Zone 4 (150 - 159 bpm): 55 min v. 22 min;
• I climbed a 9.6 mile section of road about 6 minutes slower: 52:59 v 47:11; 
• my average speed was slower: 17.5 mph v. 18.6 mph.  

A number of veteran racers/riders reported that they were slower this year v. previous years, and that they were surprised and bummed. 

I have a few hypotheses:

• the parade escort took about 3 minutes off our time;
• descending Iron Springs (12.2 miles) there was a variable (SW / SE) head and crosswind of probably 10 - 12 mph;
• heading east from Kirkland to KJ (4 miles) there was a steady East headwind in the 10+ range;
• climbing the 9.6 mile section from KJ to MP 298 a gusty East wind slowed us down.

I think that the only way for me to emphatically (despite the weather conditions of the day) beat my '12 results will be to drop more weight (from 175 to 160 lbs) and train harder. (Duhhh!).

2012

2014

An Odd But Familiar Source of `Release'

A friend described an upcoming cycling event as an `A' event.  It had been a while since I had ranked cycling activities in terms of priority and relative importance but his description seemed to fit.  At least, and especially, given the emotional energy I had been experiencing as the event date had approached. 

An `A' event is one where you focus your time, energy and other resources.  And expectations.  Doing well fades into the distance as your determination to demand all-out performance results sucks all the air out of the rest of your life.  And that is where I am at the present.  A sort of narrow minded focus. 

I'm not good company.  Haven't been for several days.  Perhaps weeks.  Edgy.  A coiled intensity that makes me feel selfish.  If not actually a little crazy. 

I'm suspicious and critical of such an intensity over a `sport.'  From serious to `grave.'  The kind of trap I've seen many people fall into that has only a small relevance to reality.  And it is a very dangerous thing.  It leads us to behave, relate and take risks that are out of proportion to any benefit to be gained. 

`The definition of a fanatic is that of a person who redoubles their effort after they lose all sight of the objective.' 

So, in less than two hours I'll be sitting on a bicycle with the conscious intent of going batshit crazy for a few hours. 

Why? 

It strikes me as not much different from the mania and desperation you see in religious/political/military/sports people.  All the normal, round and textured edges in a complex and nuanced life are hacked off leaving the semblance of a bloody stump.  And that bloody stump is propelled forward knowing that it is damaged and has the likelihood of doing actual damage. 

Well.  I had better suit up and get ready for this well considered, deliberate destruction.  I don't understand it.  I disapprove of it.  I'm blind to reservations about it.  And I intend to exercise conscious violence to rationality for the next several hours.

Weight: Training With It and Competing Without It

All things being equal, I train with four and a half pounds of fluid, six pounds of tools, tubes, etc, and about three to four pounds of body weight I won't have when I compete. 

My best time up a 9.6 mile section of hill climb is 47:12.  That was done two years ago without weight.  (But I think I weighed about 5 lbs more then than I do now). 

Today I did that same 9.6 mile segment at 53:52.   I did it with weight and without any competitors. 

Next Sunday I'll compete again.  My descending times are better than two years ago. 

Cycling is one of the most understandable complex things I've ever done.

So ... Another Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

Not the kind of training ride I'd recommend.  But ... y'gotta look at the bright side.

 

Got a 2 hour late start at 9:30AM due to world responsibilities.  

 

Training `with weight.'  Three bottles and a pack full of worse case gear.

 

Then stopped off at the chicken coop to let the girls out.

 

Rode the back way, down Montezuma and on to Iron Springs.  Had an `errand' at a place I had to run.  They didn't mind the bike, cath, da-glo bike wear.

 

Sep 11 Skull Valley Loop

 

Took off up Iron Springs and kept it at a challenging pace.  Sliding down to Skull Valley into a whippy headwind.  Kept the speed down.

 

A `no stop' training ride.  Except for the elephant near Kirkland.

 

I'm halfway up to Wilhoit and I needed to redo the sunblock.  Starting back up I tried and tried and tried to clip into the Speedplays. Only to discover that the left pedal ... wasn't there.  The `round' section of the pedal was completely absent, leaving only the 1.5 inch metal post that screws into the crank.  Can't clip in if there is nothing there! 

 

Seems that when you adjust the pedal it compromises it's ability to handle the `pull' part of the push pull complete circle pedaling process.

 

Resolved to carry on to the end of the route anyway.  Got to MP 298 and felt the rear wheel `spongy.' A flat tire.  As I'm slowly descending the hill, assessing the spongy tire, a `desperado-bandit-outlaw-renegade' hygiene-challenged motorcycle `2-by' (his fat ass rolling over both sides of the saddle) screams by, purposely hitting the noise in annoyance of me. 

 

I flip him the bird knowing this is sort'a like a death wish.  For one of us.  Never know when linoleum needs cuttin'.

 

Rolling down the hill I reached for the Hammer Gel squeeze bottle to get some necessary nutrient only to discover that ... it had somehow slipped out of my jersey some place `back there.'

 

I shortly found a shady place to switch to a new tube.  Tire fixed I'm back on the bike, climbing uphill. 

 

It was getting mighty warm and I was feeling the fact that the additional time on the bike made me short of fluids.  I knew I had `stashed' two bottles of water up about a mile ahead.

 

Got to the water stash ... not there.  Somebody somehow located the bottles and they were gone. 

 

Pushing on a thin rod for a pedal makes the foot scream with pain.

 

At least four vehicles went by with the driver waving `Hi Dan.'  Too fast for me to identify.  But there is some notoriety in being the only recumbent guy.

 

Finally got home.  A 5+ hours training ride with 60 miles and close to 5,000 feet of climbing.

 

The bright side?  I kept calm and considered it just another wonderful day in the neighborhood.  It could have been worse.  The pedal could have disassembled as I was descending Iron Springs at 50 mph, crankin' it. 

 

 

 

Doing Garbage Duty on A Section of Training Road

I did `garbage duty’ on the Spars (MP 299 to MP 300) today.  The last time I did that section was about 6 weeks ago.

Two full Hefty bags of beer cans and bottles, wine/whiskey/vodka bottles, big gulp cups and lids, candy wrappers, dental floss items (?), 5 Hour Energy containers, Rx med bottles, wheel hubcaps. 

• To the guy who drinks dozens of cans of Keystone Light beer: THAT is a sissy beer.
• To the folks who slosh down dozens of `Big Gulp’ drinks: THIS is for you.
• To the guy who drinks Popov Blended Vodka: Careful with that stuff.  If you lose that last I.Q. digit you’ll have nothing left.  Which, in your case, may not be a fate worse than death.
• To the folks drinking whiskey and wine: my only solace is that you won’t be around to collect your Darwin award. 
• To the pyromaniac who left a 32 oz plastic bottle of Kingsford Charcoal Lighter Fluid on a guardrail post: WTF?!!
• To the person who stashed an empty prescription drug bottle for Oxycodone in the sleeve of a guardrail near a steep cliff drop-off: nobody will think to look for your there. 
• To the guy in the sports car who took one of the switchbacks too fast and lost his hubcap: I have it and I’ll make you a good deal to get it back.
• Dental floss?

Help. Precisely what muscles (leg, back, etc) are engaged on a recumbent?

I'm almost always distracted when on a longish ride, training or otherwise, by this question.

The three primary pedaling actions seem to include:

1. pushing
2. pulling
3. ankle pedaling

And then there is `bridging.'

My specific question applies to a high racer, front wheel drive recumbent.  For example the Bacchetta CA2 and Ti Aero. 

I would really appreciate a reference and/or explanation.

Training As the `End' Itself.

This blog has been up and running since 2009.  By and large it has remained true to the experience of `training' on the bike.  As my cycling evolves so does the `notion' and process of training. 

The biggest change in my cycling over these past five years has been the switch from `ultra' and long distance work to shorter and faster work.  I made that change this year.  After I completed the Joshua Tree Double Century last March the `point' of long distance cycling evaporated.  I was bored and I spent too much time alone training and doing long distance events. 

I want more `results' from my cycling and I want more time to do other `work' in my life.  I've referred in earlier blog entries to the actual ways in which my training for shorter and faster cycling has changed so I won't go into it here. 

So how is it going now that I have more time?  Frustrating.  Somewhat anxiety producing.  And I think that THAT is the way it is supposed to happen. 

`Work' and `job' are not the same thing.  Work is inherently meaningful and worthy.  A job is something that generates money to pay for stuff.  Sometimes we have both in the same thing at the same time.  And when that happens we're fortunate and we feel productively and creatively engaged. 

Cycling has become more of a `work' thing over the past few years.  It has been invigorating.  I've learned and am learning many things along many dimensions.  But it isn't enough.

I now have more time.  And it would be easy to just spend my time doing what happens to appear in front of me.  Actually, no it wouldn't.  I've never been that way.  I've thrashed around ... and thrashed and thrashed some more ... testing things out to see if they engage me in a meaningful way. 

So what I'm doing now is necessary `thrashing.'  As I said earlier, it is frustrating and anxiety producing.  But when I look at this experience from the perspective of a psychologist (me), with some objectivity and remove, it is a good process. 

Training teaches me stuff.  Without it I wouldn't really know `meaningful' if it came up and bit me in the hind end. 

 

Speedplay pedals

 

Probably not an equivalent problem on recumbents, but ...

A few weeks ago a buddy (a physician) told me about a serious injury he received when clipping into his Speedplays on his DF.  The cleat didn't completely clip in, he pushed down hard on the pedal to get started.  Instead, his foot slipped off the pedal, he literally catapulted over (to his left), landed hard on his head and his left shoulder.  He was knocked unconscious for more than 20 minutes.  Given that this was a concussion he suffered proximate memory loss and serious shoulder injury (but, fortunately, no broken or separated bone).  Wisely, his own physician recommended against open road cycling for several weeks to be certain that there wouldn't be sudden dizziness or disorientation.

Yesterday, I was starting out on a training ride with a few buddies and the exact same event happened.  Fortunately there was no loss of consciousness.  BUT my buddy's helmet was cracked in half.  Imagine if he hadn't worn that helmet.

My own issue has more to do with the SIDI shoes I wear ... when I wear them.  (Another reason I wear sandals or shoes with recessed cleats).  The `plastic' bottom of the SIDI shoes slips on the pedal when I try to clip in.  In very hilly terrain, when starting uphill trying to clip in ... I have to be very, very careful not to slip off the pedal with the shoe.  If I `miss it' I usually tear some skin on the ankle and have to scramble fast to recover my balance on the bent.

Mountain `Road' Racing on the Bacchetta Carbon Aero 2.0

The Skull Valley Loop Challenge for 2014 takes place on Sunday, September 21. 

  

This is a short (53 miles, 4,000 ft of climbing) `ride' that many of us use as a `race.' Some screaming descents and witheringly long climbs. (vid of descent)

 

My current training schedule is probably too aggressive. (below).  But ... I can revise it as things evolve / develop.  

 

I had earlier planned on using both an upright bike and the recumbent on this year's race.  But, as it turns out, I am climbing faster on the recumbent.  So it'll be just the Bacchetta Carbon Aero 2 recumbent.  Gearing is 58/49 upfront and 11/36 (10 spd) in back.

  

Most of my training is done with my two good friends and neighbors, Forrest Holly and Dave Dornbush.  We've formed a `mutual annihilation society.'   

 

I'm also attaching the training routes, miles and climbing feet for each training route.

 

TRAINING SCHEDULE: Aug 28 - Sep 19: With Ridewithgps.com links

  

I've not assigned discrete training tasks for each day but I'll use the Bacchetta Ti Aero to train on for all but one Skull Valley Loop circuit and I'll incorporate the following training methods: 

• intervals
• tempo
• strength training (climbing in high gear, keeping HR Zone 3 or below)
• low and slow (aerobic)
• bridging
• ankle pedaling
• bike handling on fast descents

Given that my `ready to ride' weight is currently hovering around 175 I'd like to get it down to 165 on race day.  Dicey.

 

Annie, my wife, will meet me at the top of Iron Springs Road (MP 7.5) with a bottle of water with electrolytes.  Then she will meet me at MP 298 (mile 40) again with another bottle of water with electrolytes.  I'll `preload' with a liquid formula of maltodextrin and protein powder.  During the race I'll consume Hammer Gel from a 4 oz plastic squirt vial.  No solid foods for two days preceding event.  External catheter (oh, get over it!). 

 

I don't intend to stop during the `race.'  I'll be using the `blue bike,' i.e., the CA2.  I'll be carrying no tools, no extra tire, no extra clothing.  If I get a flat or a mechanical ... I'm over.  Cooked.  I'll sag it to the end.   

 

My PB on this course is 2:49:00 in 2012.  I'm going to try for 2:30:00 this year.   

 

As you can imagine I'm over-involved in this craziness.  Why else would I be cathexing like this in such a public manner?

Goal # 1

175 lbs.

Accomplished.

Am I a cynic? Or what?

The more I attempt to improve my performance the more I find I have grimy little pockets of self-deception that I have to deal with. 

Only recently have I conceded that I have to drop to no more than 165 lbs to cross the barrier from `finisher' to `wiener' (uh, I think I mean `winner').

Intervals.  I've avoided them.  I actually restricted my cycling to `ultracycling' so as avoid intervals.  Intervals are uncomfortable, hard and sometimes just really scary. 

Sandbagging.  I'd carry the kitchen sink on training rides.  The deceptive rationale was: "I can't go fast because I'm carrying too many tubes, tires, clothes, tools, too much water, food, etc."  And then I'd find cover in "but I'm an ultracyclist and you don't want to be caught out on the Mongolian Steppes without at least four gallons of Hammer shit." 

Today I read about a fellow who managed to do a sub-4 hour 100 miler.  I'm purposely going to not name the fellow or the bike because I'm trying to be less of a prick these days.  Most of the time. 

The sub-4 guy attributes his accomplishment to the wonders of the bike he rode (he owns the company, as it turns out).  Claims the bike is special, remarkable, brilliant, etc. 

It's not.  But it is different. 

`Different' is like the right shoe is different from the left shoe. 

`Special' is when the right shoe also works on the left foot. 

His bike ... it's good on the flats, with few intersections, with little vehicular traffic, with a tailwind, is really aero ... and is mechanically reliable as long as you have a pro mechanic or two to keep it working. 

Hype. 

So. 

• I'm a inveterate rationalizer. 
• A wiener (I mean `winner'). 
• I procrastinate. 
• I make up excuses. 
• I'm not as much the prick I used to be. 
• And I have less patience with creepy generalizations. 
• Maybe, too, I'm a cynic. 

Nah.  I'm not a cynic.

I'm a sharp-eyed, no-bullshit skeptic. 

BOOJWAH!!

(Boojwah: Something distasteful. A replacement for the swearword "bullshit" Can be used to describe something stupid or annoying.  Source.)

Be suspicious of things when they go well. 

The `addiction' voice says: Wow!  If you've made such progress with the current level of effort think what you could do with 2  X the current level of effort.  

--- 

What is the definition of a fanatic? 

A fanatic is a person who redoubles his effort as soon as he loses sight of the objective. 

But what is the `objective?'

---

Only through error, mistakes and wasted effort have I learned that the effort to `be the best that I can be' regarding cycling .... it isn't worth it. 

One surefire way to live a life of thin gruel is to `hide out' in the few areas in which we excel. 

And then we find `WHAMMO!'  Life has passed us by while we've been diligent in burying our head, seeking blindness, numbness and order.

---

Standing near that precipice, that slippery slope of `doubling up' my training I'm chuckling now and saying:

"Oh bullshit!  Ha!  This is just another trap."

Boojwah! 

Life's too short. 

Screw pouring all of my energy into `performance.'

Too many other interesting things.

• Friends
• Family
• Reading
• Napping
• Work (not `job')
• Things I haven't tried yet.
• Especially things I haven't tried yet. 

TURBO TECHNIQUES: Full Power Circle Pedaling and Ankle Pedaling

Yesterday I completed an out-and-back 100 mile course with 7,300 feet of climbing.  "Double Trouble Century"

I was the only recumbent cyclist among the nine of us.  Since it was a circular out and back course riders had the option of just doing one loop (50 miles).

This course is a very difficult climbing course.  Even more so given that we rode it counter clockwise.  The last half included 19.5 miles of unremitting climbing with the grade of climb increasing (7-9%) the last 4 miles. 

Physics and aerodynamics give the advantage to the recumbent on descents.  Less wind resistance.  Somewhat the same on flats but a very good upright bike cyclist can reduce or even eliminate these advantages (especially if several upright cyclists form a paceline and rotate taking the lead). 

I chose to live in this terrain (Prescott, AZ) because, in fact, it is mountainous.  Perhaps a consequence of my personality (adversity builds resilience and capacity) it is an even more demanding cycling terrain for recumbents.  Hence the fact that I am the only recumbent cyclist out here.  (There are a few other recumbent cyclists but they stick to the few flat areas and ride short, short distances for recreation). 

It is an oft referred to prejudice that 'bents can't climb.  To challenge this popular premise I've spent the past 3 years doing almost nothing but climbing (650,000 feet of climbing with 7,000 miles in '13).  The assumption on my part was that my climbing speed would improve the more climbing I did. 

I've learned that that is the `lazy man's' assumption.  My speed did NOT improve.  My stamina for climbing improved, of course, dramatically.  (I would always be the only recumbent finishing cycling events ... and almost always the last to finish). 

In 2014 I accepted the gentle and persistent advice of two outstanding recumbent cyclists: Jim Verhuel and Dennis Johnson.  Both advised me to deal with the fact that there is no way to cycle faster without building power.  And the way to build power is to a) get a power meter, b) do speed intervals and climbing tempo, c) carefully lose body weight (speed is a function of the power to weight ratio). 

Without much surprise my climbing speed has improved using these principles.  A careful training regimen to accomplish this outcome meant that I actually spent less time on the bike.  Instead of taking off for 11 hours every other day on long, slow endurance training events I would do 3 - 4 hours of short, fast and intense training.  The added `pain' of intense workouts was sufficiently mitigated by the fact that I had more time for friends, family and reading.  An unexpected (I don't know why it would have been `unexpected') benefit has been the fact that I'm much faster.  Very satisfying outcome. 

TURBO TECHNIQUES:

Along the way, this year, I rediscovered a `turbo' factor to my training to ride faster.  I call it `turbo' simply because there seems not to be another name for it.  The `turbo' factor is comprised of two pedaling techniques.  The first technique is `full power circle pedaling (FPCP).'  The second technique is `ankle pedaling.' 

Full power circle pedaling is nothing more than `pushing' with one leg while `pulling' with the other leg.  (This can be done only if the foot is attached to the pedal with a cleat or cage).  The `cost' of FPCP is the expenditure of more energy, i.e., increased heart rate and increased respiration.  Makes sense doesn't it.  Almost double the effort is rewarded with improved performance. 

Ankle pedaling seems to add another 10-30% to performance while not increasing the effort (some time in another blog entry I'll discuss this odd fact).  Feels like cheating :)  Getting something for nothing. 

Ankle pedaling recruits the shin and calf muscles.  The shin and calf muscles can be very strong in some people.  Use or overuse of these muscles can also cause painful splints, tendon damage and cramps.  Fortunately for me I have experienced none of these problems; quite likely because I have actively used them (without overuse) in many years of cycling. 

This year I have emphasized both FPCP and ankle pedaling in my training.  Lots of intervals and tempo.  For example, I would engage FPCP for 100 pedal strokes multiple times per training.  As well, I would `metricize' (i.e., 50 ankle strokes multiple times per training) ankle pedaling. 

I can understand why FPCP and ankle pedaling is received with mixed report by ultracyclists.  Anything that stresses or increases steady low-level effort results in compromised performance on ultra events.  Only so much juice in an orange.  Better to roll along at an average speed of 11.5 mph for 20+ hours than to `hammer' at 13 mph and burn out in 17 hours. 

This leads me to an increased appreciation for the accomplishment of Jim Verhuel.  Two years ago he broke a course record (perhaps a world record) for the most miles covered in a 24 hour event (Sebring 24 Hour).  Jim has been both an advocate (coach) and a practicing athlete in the use of the power meter (recumbent).  He has combined both power training and ultra cycling.  In my estimate, this goes beyond having been `gifted' the genes for athletic accomplishment.  It takes dedicated and disciplined training. 

So, on yesterdays `Double Trouble Century' I was able to finish the first lap `first'  (besting second place by 10+ minutes).  The other cyclists having dropped out or been slower.  No small accomplishment, I admit, for a cyclist on a recumbent.  It is more notable given that I was the oldest cyclist among us. 

NOTE: (That others dropped out does not mean they were incapable of being `first.'  They could simply have had something to do or someplace else to be.  Cycling has been, for me, a `humility training machine.') 

This result is attributable almost exclusively to the effect of focused training using the FPCP and ankle pedaling techniques. 

Train fast to race fast. 

On the second (`back') loop I did not have the stamina to maintain such a high level of performance.  I am concluding that with more training I would develop the essential stamina to maintain a high level of performance for the second loop. 

Ongoing Learnings From Training on Both Recumbent and Standard Upright Bike

Certainly, I've been very vigilant to not overtrain.  Rest is almost as important as planning and executing a smart training plan.

I use sections of the Skull Valley Loop for training tasks.  Long climbs, steep descents, numerous mountain switchbacks, desert heat, mountain cool air.  And, today, thunder, lightning and rain. 

The most productive training is on some of the shorter (4.3 miles of 6 - 9%) climbs and longer (12.5 miles of 2 - 9%) climbs. 

On each chosen segment I ride either the bent or standard bike.  I carefully track time, distance, average and max heart rate, elevation gain and loss.  I then compare each training event on that segment. 

Within the past six weeks I've been using `full circle pedaling' with both bikes.  Apply force pushing with one leg and pulling with the other leg.  Lots of `ankle pedaling' to engage the entire leg. 

To my surprise I'm climbing faster on the recumbent.  Much faster.  Which is interesting to me because the recumbent descends much, much faster than the upright bike.  So, if I can continue to develop strength and stamina on the recumbent using the full circle and ankle pedaling methods I may not further consider the upright bike for shorter (less than 100 miles) competition.

Today I rode the upright bike over the mountain on a 22.7 mile circuit.  It took me 13 minutes longer than on the recumbent bike two days ago. 

Along with careful data collection from my training rides it is becoming clear to me that a) the DF bike is agony to ride, b) my 'bent legs allow better stamina, power aand balance. 

And therein lies an incentive to emphasize full circle pedaling while climbing on the recumbent: riding the upright bike for any distance beyond 25 miles is an intensely painful experience. 

Yesterday (45.5 miles out and back on the upright).  My wife asked me on my return from training: "How was your ride?"  I replied, grimly: "Agony. Pure agony.  Shoulders, neck, wrist and hand numbness, arms, glutes, lower back, hamstrings.  All so painful halfway through the training that I'm sure it sucked energy from my performance." 

Upright Bike v. Recumbent Bike: Further Discoveries

Over the past few months I've made good headway on adding the DF to my cycling habits. It's taken some real discipline to do so because, as most of us know, DFs simply hurt.  The usual suspects: neck, shoulder, wrist, back, saddle sore.  

I've mitigated the discomfort by adjusting a few things:

• adjustable stem to lessen my `leaning' over the handlebars;
• double padding of the handlebar where my wrist presses down;
• tilted the saddle so that the only part of my butt that touches it are the seatbones; (this dramatically reduced the friction that was beginning to cause tissue soreness);
• raised the seat post so that I could get good torque on the pedals both when in the saddle and when pedaling out of the saddle.

Other things improved simply as a function of time on the bike:

• less severe shoulder and neck pain;
• stronger arms;
• better bike handling skills (muscle memory returned after a month).

But a few things remain problematic: 

• glutes and hamstrings are muscle and tendon that are both strengthening but need to be watched so that reasonable stress doesn't become abusive strain and injury;
• even with the `Gutr' the sweat pours down over my face and messes with my glasses (in the reclined recumbent position the sweat just rolls down my neck);
• I'm slower on the descents and flats simply because, no matter how I scrunch myself, I'm a bigger wind sail (less aerodynamic) than on my Bacchettas.

I go anaerobic faster primarily for two reasons:

• the heart has to push blood vertically more so than on the recumbent;
• the discomfort of being in the saddle, the sore glutes and hamstrings make standing on the pedals, out of the saddle, a relief.  This results in me being tempted to `hammer' more.  (I could just reduce cadence and lean / relax when standing but ... I haven't allowed myself to do that -- yet).  

---------------
There is no question in my mind that the DF is fun.  

• I'm faster when climbing;
• it is a more dangerous position (endovers are worse than full body road rash) and that affords me a completely stupid sense of thrill (call it a death wish if you want);
• I find myself `racing' other DF riders --- simply because there are no other recumbent cyclists out here to race on a pick-up basis.

BUT ....

• The DF is ungodly uncomfortable;
• I would never consider riding it more than 60 - 80 miles in one `sitting.'
• There is no comparison of the `enjoyment' factor between the DF and the recumbent.  
  • I look forward to the recumbent as a form of pleasure, giving me the opportunity to see the world around me when I'm riding.  Comfortably.  Can't do that on the DF.  
  • On the DF I'll always be aware of the discomfort factor.  Not so on the recumbent.  

Crotchrocket to Heaven - OR - Natural Selection in Action - OR - Another Road Shrine on the White Spars

Forrest and I decided to ride over the White Spars today.  Nothing intense or fast.  Time for a nice, slow, leisurely Sunday morning bike ride.

On the way back (just south of mile 20) I saw a firetruck, an EMT vehicle, a police car and three motorcycles off on the west side of the road  One of the motorcycle's front end looked like it was made out of clay and had been mangled.  All the motorcycles were of the `crotchrocket' variety.

The EMTs, fire personnel and police were standing deep in a ravine off the side of the road.  Below I noted a person laying on the dirt, on it's back, with a sheet over the top half.

That particular section of the road,(crotchrocket) when traveling south, is a steeply descending switchback.  Apparently one of the `rocketeers' chose to ignore physics and thermodynamics.

I'll Settle.

Tonight I pronounced, thoughtlessly, that I was `happy.'  And I immediately checked myself. 

All my life I've skirted around declaring `happy' about anything.  `Meaningful.'  `Useful.'  `Can't complain.'  But ... happy?  Nope. 

I'm refitting my upright bike so that it works better.  Since I've not used the upright bike for years the components were worn out and pretty much a hodge podge of incompatible parts. 

The right Ultegra shifter is a really banged up 9 speed.  The big ring up front is worn to the nub.  Shifting is sloppy. 

All my newer inventory parts are 10 speed so I bought a new Shimano 105 10 speed right shifter.  Replaced the big ring with a new one.  I've got a dozen nearly new rear 10 speed cassettes in inventory.   

Looking online at rear 10 speed derailleurs meant putting out anywhere from $65 - $110.  So I started digging around my derailleurs bin and found five almost brand new SRAM and Shimano 10 speed rear derailleurs. 

So I `felt' really happy.  I can finish the job tomorrow in half an hour with great drive train and shifting parts. 

It isn't so bad being an `inventory' freak.

HOPE

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HOPE

I'm a Slow Learner

The motivation for athletic accomplishment is complex and multifarious.  My own motivation has been fundamentally to stroke my own ego.  There are other motives that are less vain and perhaps more reputable.  Introvert.  Health benefits.  A sense of control over the simple mechanical aspects of bicycles.  Ego.  And ... more ego.

RAAM.  Race Across America.  Several years ago this annual event was sponsored and run by a non-profit organization and then sold to a profit based private party.  Before the sale RAAM was apparently on the ropes because the non-profit organization did not have the resources to pull it off. 

I'm disenchanted with the RAAM organization.  It seems that it is nothing more than a marketing organization that holds a party on two coasts every year. 

I'm not disenchanted with a race across America, though. 

Is the `RAAM organization' worth it?  I don't think so. 

Its sort of like a new religion that sets itself up with rules, rituals, promises and entry fees.  History is littered with examples of people who convince themselves that `nothing' is really `something.'  The RAAM organization is not something that takes place between two coasts.  It takes place between two ears. 

Once the race starts it is literally `out of business.' 

For hundreds and thousands of miles there is no presence of the organization. 

Check points are mostly intersections on a map with nobody there. 

Racers are to call in when they get there ... the honor system. 

The organization has marketing and media teams that take pictures, videos, produce short internet bobbling head youtube videos. 

Data reported to the organization for presentation to the public via internet is late, slow, after the fact, rarely current and often inaccurate. 

So, admittedly, I don't get it. 

At least NOW I don't get it.  Because I was swept up in the race `hoopla' myself.  So that I could publicly scratch my ego. 

I can publicly scratch my ego for a lot less money and with a lot more validity without the organization. 

So ... it's a marketing and media organization.  Except for recording when the racers start and when they stop it throws parties on both coasts and ... is like a cult of true believers. 

I guess bowling is like that, too.  But a lot cheaper and without the hype. 

That's nothing new, though, for me.  I mean, being a `slow learner.' 

Slow, but I usually come around.  Often with a spongy sounding `thud.'