GETTING YOUR BELL RUNG

I'm a glass half full kinda gal...

Hell, to be honest with you... For me and probably for many of you, the glass is damned over flowing most of the time! Come on.... Think of it....

Most people “our age”... whatever that age may be... 


They get up, go to work... probably barely tolerate what they do for work. 


Then they go home... cranky as hell, grab a beer and TV remote and then channel surf, while trying to decide what they'll eat for dinner. After dinner they'll hang out awhile doing something mindless, watch more TV... maybe play something on their computer... go to bed and start it all over again the next day.

Repeat... Repeat... Repeat.... UGH!!!! 


SHOOT ME NOW!!!!

So... maybe you don't love your jobs... but... folks like you and me have SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO AFTER WORK!!

Yup, you got it... we are the anti – couch potato/TV junkies... 
We immediately take the after work hole shot!  We go outside and play, until we squeeze the last second of daylight out of the day... often running well into the night, (that's why man created head lamps!).  


And once we drag our butts home from playing during the week... we're busy planning our WEEKENDS!!!  YEAH BABY!!!

But!!!!  


Not, to be the proverbial wet blanket!!!  Yes, you guessed it... I'm taking a left turn and we're going on to a less than fun topic... Time for the sad face... 

When you play long and hard enough, you will get hurt.  And, every once in awhile... you will even ring your bell.  


I have found from personal experience  that the big bulbous thing perched on top of your shoulders, that is intended to protect our tiny brains... doesn't bounce very well.  And when we bang it hard enough to get that "dazed and confused feeling"...  That's officially when you have been entered into the: 


You Just Got your Bell Rung Fan Club, and when that happens... it's now in your best interest to follow some very clear guide lines.  And those are called the:  Return To Play Rules
  
Of course, you can be a total boob... and choose to ignore the guidelines (like I did)...  Be a hero, hop back on your bike and start racing around like a wild man (or wild Peanut in my case) ... and see if it bites you in the ass later....

It's a well documented fact that I'm a boob... and here's how it bit me in the ass back in 2009!

The timing was, January 2009... exactly one week before the World Master Cyclocross Championships, which were being held in Belgium. I was racing in a Cyclocross race in Germany, as a final prep...  for Worlds.

I was the reigning Master World Champion at the time and I was hoping to defend the title.

The course I was racing that day had some really tricky sections on it, but that's not where that crash took place. The crash happened in an open section of the course... where the grass was surprising short, the ground was smooth and there was no traffic. My speed was high and I was taking a large sweeping arcing turn to the left... It was late in the race and I was tired. so my concentration was off a bit and I swung too wide... I never saw it coming...

In Europe... for the smaller races, course builders use close line in place of course ribbon and large wooden landscaping stakes in place of plastic bendable stakes... it was cheaper and I guess that was the material that was donated by the locals.

So... when I swung wide... my bars caught onto the taut close line and that drove me right into the stake... when my bike hit the stake, I did a Super Man style launch over the bars and hit the ground head first... lights out...next thing I remember, I was waking up in a heap on the ground.

I never had a chance to get my hands off the bars. I went down so hard, I landed right on the top of my head and totally blacked out... I must have been out about 10-15 seconds.  When I came too... I tried getting up on wobbly legs... looking through this fuzzy tunnel vision and listening to a weird ringing in my ears and immediately puked... I'm trying to locate my bike... I actually trying to get back into the race... I clearly was not thinking straight!!!


At this point, a crowd had gathered and the spectators had totally take charge... They gently disengaged me from my bike and were busy getting the medics... They've seen this thing before and they were not going to let me get back on the bike... I puked a second time on my way to the medical tent... I could hardly walk, they had to half carry, half walk me to the tent.

They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I fast talked my way out of a trip in the ambulance by telling them Tom Stevens (my coach) was my husband and he would keep an eye on me... (Kathi, his real wife would have been thrilled)... My greatest fear was being taken to a foreign hospital and not speaking the language.  

There was no doubt I was suffering a concussion... the million dollar question... was if there was any bleeding in the brain???  Tom's wife was a sports Doc at the time... so we spent several long distance calls consulting with her during the night... confirming that we did't need to go to the hospital... but it was still a bit of a tricky situation. 

Fast forward to today...

I dodged a major bullet that day... It turned out, I suffered a fairly significant concussion from that accident...

I did race that following weekend (against better judgement)... and won my second Master's World Title... but at a cost... 

To this day, as a result of the crash... I now suffer from migraines, and  will be on medication for the rest of my life to manage them.  I have never had a migraine before the injury...never understood them... but I have total respect for them now!

For anyone who suffers from migraines... they'll totally get it when I say... when a full blown migraine hits... I sometimes consider, driving a nail through my hand... just to take my mind off of the pain.   So...

What do you do if you get your bell rung??? And... what can you do to minimize any potential long term injury.

First...

#1. Any crash that results in you smacking your melon on the ground... is serious.  SERIOUSLY!!!


#2.  If  you make contact hard enough with your head... to lose track of time... even for a few seconds...


That means you might have blacked out, and that is serious... not something to mess with...



DO NOT...  get back on your bike!!!  Call it a day.  Pack it in Skippy.  End of story. 


If you have someone with you, have them drive you home.  You might consider calling someone to come get you.  This is no time to play hero.  So... Don't be a boob!


Not to be an alarmist or anything... but according to the 

The all seeing eye aka GOOGLE...  states:

If the following happens...  



If you suffer from nausea, dizziness, loss of memory of the event (smacking your melon), vomit more than once (guess they allow you to vomit free the first time before you are penalized... hmmm... who knew),  restlessness or agitation, increasing pressure in your head, disorientation, or if you are getting a headache that is getting worse over time... Then...

BUT GET YOUR BUTT TO A DOCTOR ASAP!!! 

 

#1.  You are not allowed to do any activity until you are at least a full 24 hours head ache free... Then... 

Sooo... What did I do wrong???  


2 major things....


1.  After the accident the head aches were so significant... once I got back home, I should have gone to see a doctor, end of story.  I thought I could address the headache with regular over the counter stuff... but in reality, the headaches became immune to them and just became stronger and they turned into migraines... after 6 months I finally broke down and went to a doctor... it was too late, they had already set a pattern. 


Learn from my mistake... if you ring your bell badly enough... go see a doctor right a way. 


2.  I blew rule #1... I raced Worlds with with a screaming head ache... I wanted that title so bad I could taste it.  


Would I do it again????  Yes, I would... It was a calculated risk and I accepted the consequences but If I could change history, I would have gone to see a doctor as soon as I got back.  I'm not saying it was the right decision...  because I clearly broke the rule :)... so I'm clearly still a boob.



It goes without saying...  If you smack your head... and ring you bell... your helmet is toast.  Even if it looks fine, the basic structure is fractured and you need to replace it.  The helmet did it's job... it protected your head.  Now do yourself a favor and get a new one.  Many helmet companies will give you a crash replacement rebate if you return the helmet with your story.

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

The Blame Game                                                                                   

                                                                                      

I know it's been a few months since I contributed to the blog but after 5 weeks of our Tuesday group ride getting rained out I thought this would be a better idea than fashioning a hangmans noose.

First things first, Peanut laying blame on the Big Pit for entering the Weeping Willow MTB race.  I guess when you dehydrate and do an endo on your warmup in addition to losing a quart of blood and a pound of flesh in the actual race it's always a good idea to blame someone.  When these things happen to me I always blame Senor Jorge , our resident Mexican national MTB Champion.  It's worked for me for years. Jorge is also the originator of MTB orienteering, you haven't experienced mountain biking until you're lost in the woods at night without lights in the pouring rain and Jorge is nowhere in sight.  All you have to do is find your way out before the mosquitos consume half of your blood.   So I guess what I'm saying is Jorge talked all of us into our first MTB race in 25 years, thank you Jorge!

I don't know about you but I was on the floor reading Peanuts blog about the Hobo stick.  I find it interesting how the little things that happen to us when we are young manefest into much larger things as we age.  Peanuts Hobo stick is one such thing.

This is Peanuts Hobo stick at age 5.....

and this is Peanuts Hobo Stick at the X-Nationals 2012....

BTW can anyone spot Tom aka The Mad Scientist in the above picture?

When we first decided to go to the X Nationals Peanut kept telling us to bring two of everything 'cause you never know what to expect.  Boy was she right, years of experience will do that for you.  We just didn't realize that she meant two of every friggin' thing that you own.  And by the way don't forget where you left the keys when you have a Hobo stick that large.

I know it seems like I've been taking a lot of shots at Peanut but truth be told the Flea and I have endured,  I mean,  benefited immensely from Peanuts wisdom born from her years of cross racing.  Racing  every weekend with people who share a common love of their sport has been an immeasurably rewarding experience.  So anyone out there who is contemplating cyclocross get off the fence and come check it out at Peanuts Cross Clinic at the end of this summer. You just may be glad you did.

                                                         Thanks for listening
                                                              "The Big Pit"

YOUR HOBO BAG aka TRAVEL KIT

I wasn't a bad kid... let's just say I was a very active child...

I mean... I was never arrested, never set the house on fire, never joined a gang, never threatened the lives of my brothers or sister 

…uhhh.... check that... 

Not that my parents found out about anyway...

My father was prematurely gray at 30...  I'm pretty sure that, in large part... was due to me.

I would bet... The initial idea for the Speed Pass for the tolls...started when I was around 4... due to my frequent visits to the Emergency Room. 

They probably realized, it was easier to give my poor mother a scan card vs. having her fill out the reams of paperwork for the casts, stitches, dog bites or the occasional marble extraction from the nostril procedure...

Just like any of you, many of my childhood memories are fuzzy.    But... a few select memories do stand out so crystal clear, it could have happened yesterday... and this particular memory will stay with me until my dying day...

I was about 5 at the time and my sister and I were still sharing a bedroom. I don't recall exactly what she was doing to bug me... but whatever it was she did... caused me to haul off and punch her right in the eye.

This is NOT my sister!...  But this is a really good illustration of the shiner I gave her.  :)

I have to say... for a 5 year old... I had a pretty nasty right hook and I landed that baby square center on target! My sister's eye started to slam shut, even before she opened her yapper and got out the first howl... and that's when all hell broke loose!!

For the most part, I did my level best to stay out of what qualified as "BIG" trouble... and my mom did more than her fair share to cover for me,  but... there were times that I would manage to get myself into a pickle that was too ugly... even for my mom to smooth over... and that's when DAD WOULD FIND OUT.

This was one of those unfortunate incidents, that my mom wasn't  going to be able to hide... 


This was major and it was going to require a “pre-call”,  from my Mom, to my Dad at work... to give him a heads up...


Brother...  The "pre-call"!!!   

There was a chance, I was not going to see the age of 6...

So... now that the call was made, the whole damned family was on high alert that the World was going to come to an end, for little Kath...  

The day went into immediate slowwwww motion...We were all waiting on Dad's arrival from the AAAARRRRMY!!!!! 

First, we would have dinner.  In TOTAL SILENCE! 


THEN!!! We would be sent upstairs..... until he was ready.... only to be summoned downstairs later...

We all knew who the prisoner was... ME!!! 

First... the speech, then It was simple... I was going to get killed!!!

When we were finally called downstairs, my father was standing in the hallway with a stick and attached at the end of the stick, was a Hobo bag!!!! 

My Mom was standing next to my dad, and she was pale as a ghost and fighting back tears!!!

My Dad took one look at me... and with no expression on his face, advised me that in the Hobo bag was, one pair of underwear and one pair of socks... AND...  unless I apologized for what I did wrong, I was going to be sent out into the darkness of night, never to be allowed back into the house and further more... and I would never have a family again!

Now... in my short little life... I had never had a stick with a Hobo bag, and the threat of family exile, ever been offered out as punishment.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of it!!!

The entire household stood in total silence!!!

My Dad is Hungarian and Mom is French Canadian...

The Hungarian's are incredibly stubborn and the French Canadian's are a bunch of wise guy's... and when the DNA was cast... in my cell split at inception... I apparently got more than my fair share of the stubborn/wise guy blend...

So to my father's surprise and my Mom's shock, I apparently took about 2 minutes to collect my tiny little thoughts, blinked a few times and then launched into a farewell speech that would have been suitable for a Grammy Award Ceremony.

And to top things off.... It seems that it closing, I even had the nerve, to ask if I could take Tony...  the dog with me, for protection of course!

Of which my dad quickly shot back with a flat out “NO”, in hopes of breaking my spirit.

At which point, I grabbed the stick and Hobo bag and marched out the door... slamming it behind me.

I will tell you this... halfway down the block... I burst into tears, I was mad as hell they didn't let me take the damned dog!!!

It seems the second I left, the house went into a full on panic.

Mom started to cry and then shouted at my Dad to go find me... how could he let a 5 year old roam the streets, in the middle of the night with nothing but a Hobo bag, for GOD SAKE!!!!

Dad was still standing there in shock, he never expected me to walk out...

My sister... and her newly appointed seeing eye dog Tony, had already rocketed upstairs... she was busy rearranging the bedroom... She figured I was gone and the room was now all hers!!! OH BROTHER!!!

My little brothers are both crying cause my Mom was crying... They actually were too young to have a clue about what the hell was going on...

Me... I was busy walking down the street with my stupid Hobo bag, wondering how long it will take before I was either captured by Zombies or eaten alive by a pack of wild dogs.

About 5 minutes later, my father rolls up... in the station wagon... I'm of course, trying to ignore him... I'm just marching down the sidewalk with my damned underwear and socks in the stupid Hobo bag.

"Kathy... Get in the car”

No answer....

"Honey... Please, get in the car... or Mom's going to kill us!”

This is Dad's version of an apology... even to a 5 year old... I get that.

I hop in the car, burst into tears... mumble an apology and hug my dad! At 5, I know that I love my family... yeah even my sister... it's totally worth the apology, to go home.

We both learned our respective lessons... I won't punch my sister in the eye... at least for awhile, ... my Dad understood he was looking into a mirror of himself and to be careful for what he dangled in front of me, because he might get what he asks for.       

My sister was pissed... She had to rearrange the entire bedroom back to the way it was....  She had a very cool shiner for about 2 weeks... there is a God!!! 

So... Your Hobo aka travel kits.

If you are planning on taking to the air to race, or traveling somewhere with your bike on vacation and planning on taking your bike on a plane.

There are some things that you should absolutely pack in your Hobo kits.


In other words... These are the things you should take on the plane with you... in the event your luggage gets separated from you, when you arrive.

What should go into your Hobo Kits??? Welp... it's the stuff that you can't easily replace when you get to your destination for a ride... Just the basic essentials.

Underwear and socks... my preference is 2 pair of each :).  My Dad was a minimalist.

Saddle height jotted down on a piece of paper.  This is important, you don't want to WAG (wild as guess) your saddle height.

Helmet

Shoes

Pedals

1 Jersey

1 Pair of Cycling Shorts

Sun Glasses
Your Garmin... I wouldn't pack this baby in my luggage and risk losing it or having it stolen. 

In a pinch... the rest of the stuff... you could probably borrow, rent... whatever. But the stuff I've listed above are easy to pack... easy to carry and easy to take on a plane and in a pinch.. can make the best out of a bad situation... even if you bike and luggage doesn't make it... you have some of your gear to get in a ride and all is not lost.


So... there you have it.  

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

PAY BACK IS A BITCH

I blame Big Pit, for roping the Flea and I into it...

“Hey! It's an easy Mountain bike race! A bunch of fire roads and easy, none technical single track.  Come on you guys... we'll go do an easy race, play in the woods, have a few laughs... it'll be fun!!!!”  

Sure... maybe to a bunch of super fit Mountain bike riders!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me start out by saying, including this past weekend,  I've done a total of 3 mountain bike races in my entire life.   My last 2 mountain bike races, were 20 years ago...

Mountain bike racing is as far from Cyclocross racing as hmmm... let me see.....

A Proctologist vs. a Brain Surgeon... 


It's coincidental that they they work at totally opposite ends of the body...  


The only thing they really have in common is they both went to medical school, wear surgical gloves, and use lots of the same instruments... 


But if you send a Proctologist, in to do brain surgery... the patient might have an issue, don't you think??!!!  Not to mention the Poctologist doing the brain surgery would probably have a full on  panic attack...  

Anyway... you get my point...

So, the morning of the race, started out at 7:30 with Andy Gould, taking us out on the course... since none of us had a clue as to, what we were getting ourselves into...

Anyone who knows Andy, knows 2 things about him... he's a Expert Mountain bike racer and he has huge legs!  He's a relatively normal sized guy... with the exception of his legs... which are the size of tree trunks...   

As you can well imagine, 15 minutes into the warm up ride, even though Andy is doing his best to go at a snails pace, I've already bumped into 2 trees and I'm way in the deep end of the pool, without a set of water wings on!!

So, we're riding along and everything is going just ducky until .....   

This was me, (minus the pink dress of course!!!)

 
I was descending a gnarly section of single track when a large bug landed directly on my nose, I took a swat at it and that's exactly when my wheel grabbed a rut and I shot over my bars.... like I was fired out of a freaking cannon!!!

Lesson #1. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CONDITION... REMOVE YOUR HANDS FROM THE BARS, WHEN DESCENDING A GNARLY SECTION OF SINGLE TRACK!!!!  

EVEN IF A PYTHON... WITH FANGS, DANGLES FROM THE TREES AND WRAPS ITSELF AROUND YOUR SCRAWNY PEANUT NECK!!! 

I had to take a 2 minute break... to collect myself... which is code for, I stood there, swore a lot,  inspected my bruised kneecaps and shins and made sure I didn't break anything on my bike.  

30 minutes into our slog into the woods and well after my crash, the Flea looks over at me, with sweat dripping off of her hair and this look imprinted all over her face... nnnnnneeeeeed waaaaaattttteeeeerrrrrr!!!!

As you can imagine... I wasn't in the best of moods... considering my previous airborne episode... The fact that I was now sporting skid marks on both knees, was already covered in bug bites, and was thirsty as hell....
 
I simply muttered... “next time... we're gonna bring the freaking water bottles!”

Not to confuse the story by back tracking... but....

Before we took off for our 7 mile warm up loop, which for a bunch of road and cyclocross STOOGES doesn't sound like a big deal... the Flea and I “briefly”, contemplated taking a water bottle... but quickly dismissed the idea... by saying “naaaahhhh... it's, only 7 miles... we'll be back in nooooo time”.

Lesson #2... 1 mile in the woods, translates to approximately 3 miles on the road... never leave your water behind.  What a bunch of morons!!!

After our not so little course check out... Andy gave us some tips on how to properly tie our number to the front of our bikes and then the most important tip of the day... water bottle staking/stash tips!!!!

You see... up to this point, I was under the impression all Mountain bike racers wore some sort of hydration systems... It seems they do to train, but not to race... seems that the hydration systems are too bulky or heavy. 

Very interesting discovery!!!... 

Upon further investigation... I came to the conclusion that as the level of the racer improved... so did their jury-rig, staked water bottle set up device.

And here's how they broke down....

PRO MOUNTAIN BIKE RACER (PIT TOOTSIE)
This person stands around and looks pretty, and when the rider racers by... if she's in the mood... hands up a water bottle

EXPERT MOUNTAIN BIKE RACER.... has several water bottles to choose from, depending on the flavor they want... or alcohol selection

SPORT CLASS RACER... Easy in... Easy out

NOVICE.... low cost, but effective

BOOB RACER.... Uhhhhh.... No comment (this was my category)

 
Even though there are several disciplines within the world of cycling...  it seems more and more often, riders are crossing over from one discipline to another and expanding their horizons.

As we lined up for the race last weekend, I recognized many faces from the "my" world of Cyclocross but this time, I was in their World and I was the rookie... this was clearly not my World... this was theirs, and pay back is a bitch.  

As I was bouncing around in the woods trying not to hit every tree in sight... I realized that I was out of my element and they were not.  

Good job to all you Mountain Bike Racers!!  Nice Work!  I learned loads and had a ton of fun.

Good job Flea... you done good!

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

 

ATTITUDE CHECK!!!!

Okay!!!! OKAY!!!!! 

I realize it's been a bit of a tough start to Spring... but it's time to buck up Sports Fans. 

I mean... come on. If being a rider was easy... everyone would be doing it... right??? :)

So... I have to admit. Over the past week or so, I've been suffering from a bit of an attitude problem myself.  Not that the rain was bad enough... but then...

I came down with a sore throat, that turned into a head cold... and not your garden variety head cold, mind you.

OOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOO!  

I came down with one of those raging, snorting, gotta blow your nose every 2 seconds, or you're gonna drip all over the customers, kinda head colds.



Trust me... I sure could have used these!!!

And theeeeeen... the coughing started...   And THAT, was almost enough to put me over the edge.  Because every time I coughed... my nose exploded... 

So... I've sniffed through the past 9 days like a 4 year old... with a faucet for a nose.  Customers have had to deal with me, snorting though conversations.  All the while, I'm telling them, I'm no longer in an infectious state... attempting in vein not to contaminate the nation ...  

And to make matters a little worse..... I was a grouch, I was trying really hard not to be a grouch... but I'm sure I was grouchy...



UGH, the poor customers...  
 
Dear God!   I hope I didn't infect anyone!!! 

Wow... I feel so much better now that I've shared that, with all of you!!! :)

BUT NOW I'M STARTING TO FEEL BETTER... SO, LET'S RIDE!!

I know it's tough to get yourself motivated to go out in the rain and ride... it means both you and your rig get wet and grimy. But that's what rain gear was invented for... plus you won't melt, the bike will survive, and it's getting warmer... so don't be a bunch of babies.

Plus... you don't want any of that early season fitness to go to waste, nor do I need to remind you, that you are beginning to bug the hell out of your families and co-workers... because you haven't gotten your endorphin fix in awhile and you are WAAAAAY over due!

One way to mix things up a bit, is to go out and do a sprint work out... Why you might ask???
  

Well... 4 reason, actually:

#1.   It can be cranked out in an hour... not a lot of suffering in the rain or mist... or whatever mother nature is tossing our way.

#2.   It's a great way to shake out your legs... and get your body out of a rut, if you haven't ridden in a few days.  It's also a nice little wake up call, without totally shocking your system.

#3.  It's a great skills exercise... 

#4.  It's a cool way to break up the routine... aka, get off your butts and do something different. Not saying you're getting stale... but... just saying... 

Here's a sprint workout for you to cut your teeth on, if you don't have one in your hip pocket;

10 - 15 minute warm up.... start out in your little ring, then get in the big ring, top of the cog in the back.  

You will be doing a total of 8 sprints...  Each sprint will be no longer than 15 - 20 seconds in time...  after each sprint... you will take a 2 minute rest.  Not a... lay in the grass and take a nap rest!  But a noodle, go really slow, let your heart rate drop to the floor rest.

The goal is to be totally rested in between each sprint!!!  You can mix and match these sprints as you like. 

Then... you warm down for 10 - 15 mins and your are done! 

3 x spinners -   The idea is to spin out the gear at a super high cadence while staying the saddle the entire time.  

Yes...  I realize your butt will be bouncing like a rubber ball... all over the saddle, but that's not my problem! 

So, you will be in the big ring in the front... but stay near the top of the cog in the back... and wind it up and spin the hell out of it.  And, let those legs  burn!!!!

  

3 x seated sprints - You can shift gears for these sprints... but stay in the saddle!

2 x jumps - These are full out sprints!  Anything goes... you can get out of the saddle, stay in the saddle, stand on the handle bars... I don't care... just do them all out. 

Remember... take you full 2 minute break (the break translates into you just noodling around) in between each sprint... or...  the next sprint is garbage!  

  

Here are a few motivating photos to get you off your butts and out on your bikes! 

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

DEAR DIARY

As a kid, I never kept a diary....

However, my sister did...  and once I realized that my sisters' deepest, darkest secrets were going to be documented in the diary....  well I made it my life's mission, to torture her with it.

So, Here's how the game of  Dear Diary worked...   

My sister Liz, was about 15 at the time, I was 13...  Liz was like any typical swooning, love struck teenage girl.  So... just before she went to bed... she would write in her diary and then hide it somewhere in her room. 

Now... I wasn't much interested in what was "in" the diary... Candidly, I figured it would be filled with mush and a bunch of dribble.   I was totally focused on the reaction of locating the diary, and threatening her with exposure... to MOM!!!

So... I waited a few weeks and then went looking for said diary... it really didn't take long at all, my sister wasn't really that clever at hiding stuff. 

Once locating the diary.... I waited for the perfect moment...  

I appeared in my sisters' bedroom doorway,  holding her prized diary by the corners, as if it were a stained pair of underwear and said 4 simple words....

"Has Mom read this???!!!!"  

 

As you can imagine this incited a Sarajevo level meltdown ...

 

My sister puffed up like a cat that came face to face with a pack of wild coyotes.

Then she went into a full blown grand mal, high pitched screaming fit, followed by a blubbering waterfall of tears.  Wow... even better than I imagined!!!!

Ultimately my little plan back fired.  The whole house went into a complete up roar!  My brothers came racing to the scene and wanted in on the fun, my Mom got involved and I'm clearly the bad guy, my Dad kicked my butt for "invasion of privacy"... I'm grounded for 2 weeks and not allowed within 50 feet of my sisters' room for life!!!!  Wow... can't anyone take a joke!!!  

The funny thing was... I never opened her diary.  I never told my dad, I never read the diary... what was the point,  I still deserved the butt kicking.   I shouldn't have touched her diary...

But... I have to admit one thing to all of you.  To this day... I would do it again... It was well worth the reaction at the time.  :)   I still torture my sister to this day... just in different ways.    

Even thought I didn't see much value in keeping a diary as a kid... I see a huge benefit in keeping a training log as an athlete and here's a few reasons why.

I don't know about you... but I count on my memory a lot.
As time passes... we forget some stuff around a certain event, then our brains tend to rationalize certain details, and before you know it, what happened.... takes on a new face.  Let me give you a brief example.

I planned an out and back commute (40 miles each way) from home to work and back.  I had done it before and didn't remember it to be such a big deal. BUT... I hadn't noted it in my training log, so I was going blind (in other words... based on my memory)

The ride in  to work was fine... I felt great.  Sure... I was fresh!!! But the trip home was a totally different story.  After 10 hours on my feet... 6 miles into my commute home... I knew I was in trouble.  All of a sudden, the memories of the last time I tried this stunt came flooding back!  All of a sudden, I remembered (too late!) at time of day, I was heading into a stone head wind, not to mention there were lots of rollers heading to Lake Sunapee.  My legs were toast, my feet were on fire and by the mid point, it had  turned into a death march home.... I was not happy!!  The only humorous moment in the ride... was when my "fart" ring tone on my phone went off... and that was fleeting at best. 

If I had noted those details in my training log... I wouldn't have considered the out and back!!!   

Per:   http://grahamstoney.com/mindset/practical-guide-brain-works   
 

I was surprised to discover that there isn’t any one centre of memory in the brain; memory is distributed throughout every neuron in our brain and central nervous system. All neurons have a simple biochemical mechanism for remembering what stimulus they fire in response to, and this mechanism is reinforced each time they fire in response to the same stimulus. 

In other words.... Our memories are triggered by patterns.  As you all know, our brains are very complex..when we come across something new, our brain tries to find something in our experiences that have a similar "pattern", in which to connect it to... that's why we have those ah ha, moments from time to time... our brains are busy, connecting patterns.     

So... understanding the above... here's what I track in my training log and why I track it:

Annually 

Goals -  At the beginning of the year or the season you should put down some goals.  Even if you don't share them with anyone else.  Goals are important, they help us get better, they help us test ourselves, they hold us accountable for something.  It's more important to have a goal and not meet it, than to have no goal at all.

Good examples of Goals:  

* Race 10 Cross Races in 2012

* Finish in the top 10 in your age group

Total miles for the year:  This is a fun number to keep track of 

Weekly(Summary):   

Weight (I weight myself daily... but some folks consider that over the top)

My weekly Training log starts on a Monday and Ends on a Sunday... just like the week  

Total hours ridden

Total Miles ridden    

Daily - This is the meat and potatoes of my log and takes me 3 mins to jot this info down at the end of every day.

*  I do weight myself every morning - The reason... my training weight is normally 3-5 lbs heavier than my race weight.  So I keep an eye on where I'm at as the season is progressing.  In Cyclocross... the lighter you are... the faster you are.

*  At the end of the day, I make a quick note of my workout, how I felt (physically and mentally). I make a note of everything!!!  Be it a cold, saddle sore... everything!!!  

One thing I have discovered... is that colds, illnesses, etc... are cyclical.  As strange as that may sound.  Now that I am keeping a training log, I am finding a pattern in when I can expect to get sick in my training cycles.  It may be a combination of seasonal elements as well as physical breakdown due to training... but at least I can try to head it off at the pass by trying to load up with vitamins, etc.  I wouldn't know this without a historical log.

Noting how I'm feeling mentally is important as well... If I'm feeling a little down.... I can look back in my training log and see if this is a pattern consistent with this point in time last year... is it possibly a indicator that I'm coming down with something???  Another clue???  Another pattern!!!!

So Sports Fans... if you are not keeping a training log.  Hustle your butts out to your local bookstores and find a nice leather bound, lined journal and start keeping track of your training.  It makes a difference!!

But... Be sure to hide it well!  You never know who might get their hands on it and show it to Mom! :)     

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

 

My 2 Greatest Personal Cycling Discoveries

As we go through life... we collect information... lots and lots, of information.

Some of it is valuable, some of it... well... not so much.

I started out as a runner. Cycling was not my first sport... I wish I had discovered it sooner... it is without a doubt, my greatest passion.

I was forced out of running at the late age of 30.  After foot surgery I was put on a bike to rehabilitate and the rest as they say... is history.

Some of the valuable information I learned early on was....

• If you wear underwear under your cycling shorts.... that's a total Rookie move. You are suppose to go commando in cycling shorts. That's not only how the short are designed to be worn... it's by far, best for your body and hands down most comfortable! 
  
  
  Plus... you'll be ridiculed by everyone you are riding with... and who the hell needs that?? The ride is hard enough, without getting crap from other riders! 
  
  
• Remember when your mother use to tell you to leave the house with clean underwear???  The same holds true with a clean kit! Wear a clean kit every time you ride. Never ride in the same set of shorts or jersey, regardless of how short or easy the ride may have been the prior day.... it's not healthy.  The chamois in a pair of cycling shorts is a bacteria play ground after you've ridden in them... need I say more???!   If you don't have access to a washer... hand wash your shorts in a sink for God sake! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   Bacteria waiting to hang out in your chamois
  
  
  
  
  Plus... the folks down wind in the pace line from you, would appreciate the fact that you washed your kit the prior day as well.... BROTHER!
  
  
• A T-shirt is a crappy base layer.  In the Summer, it turns into a sponge holding perspiration/moisture and later in the ride, it translates into a mosquitoes magnet.... HOW FUN FOR YOU AND THOSE IN YOUR CYCLING ORBIT ?!!

The "not so valuable information", I learned was...

• Since I totally suck at bunny hopping... I have learned to never try to bunny hop anything twice the size of my head or larger.
  
  
  
  
  
  This is a new variation on the game of limbo.. I plan on going to bunny hopping school some day!
  
  
  
  
• The game of “Identify that road kill”,  is a useful means of entertaining oneself on a long training ride... If you are in a group ride, keep score of how many you ID.. the winner gets a beer at the end of the ride (after the 30 minute window we discussed last week of course!). 
  
  
  If you want to make the game particularly challenging.... Try  to ID said road kill, by only the body parts available... for example... just the flattened tail.  The body parts gets double points, but only if you can all agree on what animal the part belongs to!!!! :)   
  
  
  
  
  
  BTW... This would qualify for 10 points!!!  Ok... I'm taking a Mulligan for showing bad taste in posting this picture!!!

         This dude clearly didn't brake for the squirrel.   Opps... I'm taking another Mulligan.  For lack of 
         empathy... sorry!!!  Anybody got any spare Mulligans... I seem to be running low on them????!

• The dilemma.  Sitting on a good wheel... but that person is in pair of cycling shorts purchased in 1990... and... the shorts are so thin in the rear end... that you can actually see the riders.... uhhhh.... button hole!!!!! 
  
  
  The dilemma... do I sit on a great wheel and stare at their, YOU KNOW WHAT FOR 30 miles or get on a sketch wheel?????  I normally sucked it up and stayed on the good wheel... I just tried to avert my eyes as best I could.

In all seriousness. Let's talk about the 2 things I've discovered, that have had the greatest impact on me to date.  

After 10 years of competitive racing, I found that I felt a bit flat. 

Up to that point in time, I had won 1 National Title, but that was a few years earlier and I was getting thrashed by my competitors and was consistently coming in either 2^nd or 3^rd at Nationals and didn't see another win in my future.  I knew I needed to change something in my training.

So... discovery #1....   I hired a coach. Yup... up to this point... I was self coaching or getting assistance from friends, no formal coaching.

I wasn't training with a HR monitor, nor did I have a written training plan. I was just going out every day and riding... sometimes alone, sometimes with others.  Translation...  I was a ship without a sail.  

 

A coach gave me that critical outside, unbiased and unemotional, perspective that I needed in my training.  My coach turned my riding life upside down.  I'm still with the same coach to this day.... over 15 years later!!!!   

Yes... even though I have enough experience at this point to coach myself ... I still want that critical outside, unbiased perspective in my training... and I'm willing to pay for it.

Discover #2

LISTEN TO YOUR COACH

TRUST YOUR COACH

TRAIN & REST

The 3 toughest lessons for me to learn as a athlete, training under a coach were:

#1. Trust my coach

#2. Follow the training plan to the letter (no more, no less)

#3. Rest when I'm suppose to rest

It's funny... we pay a guy (or gal) to train us... then we second guess the hell out of them by asking everyone and their brother their opinions. WTF???? 

If you hired the right coach... you don't need to second guess them!! But it's hard not to do that... I know, at first I did the same thing.  But I don't anymore. Now...Whatever my coach says, I do... without question... 

The training plan... is the training plan. No cheat training, no skimping either. If you monkey with your training plan or your rest... the only one you are hurting, is yourself!!!

REST IS A CRITICAL PART OF YOUR TRAINING... get that into your heads!!

That was THE HARDEST thing to get through my thick head at first... but then, it was like magic.   I learned that rest is part of the critical rebuild process that allows us to get to that amazing next level... so, now I embrace my rest period.

Finding the right coach is key... keep in mind, results don't happen overnight. 

The coach is your guide and will help get you there...but, you are the one on the pedals.

Have Fun Out There, Ride Safe



I'll Talk With You All Soon

The Peanut Gallery