The Suitcase of Courage

Rest Day Writing

 

January is the month of New Year's Resolutions and many of us promise ourselves to be better, do better, live better.  We want to lose weight, get fit - both financially & physically - do more of what we enjoy.  But as the days and weeks go by and the new year isn't so "new" anymore, we discover that the success or failure of our good intentions often depends on our time and motivation.  No time after work to exercise?  Are you motivated to wake up earlier to workout before work?

 

I'm lucky in that I have plenty of motivation for exercise - I can't let down my teammates.  And I make the time for it, especially this time of year, because my first race is March 4(!).  But I'm much less successful finding time and motivation to write posts for this blog - especially when there's no racing to write about.  Finding time and motivation for our resolutions is critical - but sometimes a solution is staring you right in the face.

 

Enter "Rest Day Writing"

 

I've posted before about the 12 step week program I follow for winter training.  It's a series of varied trainer workouts which is ideal given the vagaries of New England weather and, if I start on time, it takes me from the first Monday of the New Year right into the heart of the Bethel Spring Race Series.  It's a periodized training schedule and always includes at least one rest day per week - Monday.  Since my workouts are usually after work, Monday evening includes a time slot when I'd normally be on the trainer, but ain't (sic).  So I just discovered the perfect time to wash my cycling clothes and memorialize (even if only for my own benefit) my training/life from the previous week.  So while these posts may not always be terribly exciting, I hope at least that they'll be more regular and help me meet my New Year's Resolution to "Write More for my Blog."

 

In that spirit, I'll bring us up to speed.  I just finished my first month of training and it's had its ups and downs, but - fortunately - mostly ups.  After my first workout - which is supposed to be "easy" I just about passed out.  Yes, I know - pathetic.  I even skipped the REAL "first workout" which was supposed to be a "Threshold Estimator".  I've never been quite able to figure out how hard "hard" is.  Which comes first - the threshold number at which you're supposed to ride, or the ride during which you're supposed to estimate your threshold number?  It started to make my head hurt, so I decided to do the first - "easy" - workout.  And promptly bonked at the end.

I was beginning to think I had my work more than cut out for me for 2012.

Added to that, part way through my second week of training, I had a bad reaction to some antibiotics and ended up in the ER.  Fortunately, I wasn't there for long and just had to wait for my system to clear out, but I ended up having to repeat that second week.

But since then, things have been going much more smoothly.  My weight isn't coming down as quickly as I'd hoped at all, but at least I'm starting to feel better on the bike.  And I did my first threshold test on Saturday, completing my first training cycle.  The first test of the season is always the toughest, especially mentally.  I always psych myself up wondering whether I'll be able to do it again this time.  Thankfully, I was and did.  My threshold HR is actually up a couple beats from this time last year, but I'll have to do a little research to figure out whether that's good or bad.

Main thing is, I'm 1/3 of the way through my winter training.  My first race is under a month away and I'm getting my miles in.  Mostly indoors.  339 for the year so far.  And I got 40 of those miles in yesterday during my first outdoor ride since Thanksgiving weekend(!)  The days are even getting longer.  Go figure.

I know it happens like this every year, but each year I get older I'm a little more surprised when things start coming around.  Each year, that seems to happen just a wee bit later than the year before.  Maybe I shouldn't lay off the bike for so long around the holidays.  Thankfully, I have a whole wonderful year of riding and racing to look forward to before I have to decide that.

How are your resolutions going?  Finding it tough to get on the bike, whether indoors or out?  Spring will be here before you know it, so think creatively about how you can shoehorn in a little extra time and motivation.  Like rest day writing, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Motivation Monday:So-Called Setbacks & a "New" Bike

It's been 3 weeks - almost a month - since my last post, but it seems even longer.  For bike racers, July is the height of the season, with the Tour de France and a full calendar of races to choose from.  I could have raced both days of every weekend in July, in addition to at least two midweek races every week.  Then, it all seems to stop.  The TdeF finishes, the racing calendar begins to thin out, and even a race or two gets cancelled.  My last big target of the year - the Fall River Crit - was supposed to take place Aug. 28.  Now it's not going to happen.  Between that and the super hot & humid weather, motivation to get on the bike has been at a low ebb.

I think I must have hit bottom at last Tuesday night's Rent' Race.  I didn't get dropped, but I only saw the front a few times.  Most of the time, I was near the back, flitting off the end of the pack.  The previous week, I'd only ridden my bike twice for a total of 55 miles.  47 were during one great road ride with MSL, the other 8 on a railtrail with a MTB.  Hardly "training."  And it showed Tuesday.

I certainly don't want to give the impression that there weren't consolations :^)  The rail trail ride was with my brother, visiting from overseas, and some of my lack-of-riding was due to spending time with him.  A great trade-off, I'd say.

 
And Mrs. SOC and I got to go to the beach a couple of times too.  We have one right in our town, so it's especially inexcusable if we don't get there at least a FEW times during the summer.  HOB & Dorothy joined us one Sunday afternoon for a trip to the Book Barn.  And I went with friends Randy & Charlie to the Cape to meet with an old friend about railroad stuff.  In addition to the regular work schedule and various/sundry things, riding time has been neglected.

I decided to change that last Friday with another ride into work.  It's been getting harder to gin myself up for that commute - it's early, long and on very busy roads.  But all the planets lined up and it got hard for me to refuse: I'd start with our Friday Morning Throwdown ride, MSL & Shawn would join me for part of the way up, then friend Jeff would join me north of Middletown.  With the FMT ride tacked on the beginning, and the return ride home, I was slated to get in over 100 miles Friday.

Well, on the way in - and just after texting Jeff that I was on schedule - I got a flat.  MSL had commented on the state of my tire as I was changing the tube, but with his help, I was back up and running quickly.  I'd need another tube to have a spare for the ride home that evening though.  Unfortunately, I learned too late that the shop I'd planned on visiting on my way home was closed.  So I had to take the bus.  No ride home (though, in a strange twist of irony, the bus had to take a detour that took the same roads).

 

I figured that worn rear tire would last at least one more ride, so Saturday morning I and seven other "Saturday Morning Crew" members did a nice 45 mile loop along the shore to East Lyme/Niantic - with a planned stop at Ashlawn Farm for (iced!) coffee and biscotti.  That's the obligatory group photo in front of the silo (we're all "fodder" of some sort, right?).

But on either side of this photo, that rear tire was giving me fits.  I got the FIRST flat of the ride (second in two days) just north of Niantic...

 

(pic courtesy TimA)

And after our coffee stop, I got ANOTHER flat on the big descent on Rt. 156.  Fortunately (considering the speed we were going) it was that rear tire - again.  Unfortunately, I'd already used my spare tube - I had no others - and everybody'd already blown past.  Thankfully, KimC circled back and gave me her tube (saving me a patch job - or a long walk!).  Gratefully, the rest of the gang was still waiting for me at the bridge so we were able to finish the ride together.

First item on Saturday afternoon's agenda: CHANGE TIRES

And that's what I was in the middle of doing, when our washing machine started banging.  LOUDLY.

I figured all the clothes had shifted to one side and unbalanced things, but in less than the time it took me to drop my wheel,  jump up and get to the washer, it had stopped spinning, was whining loudly, and I detected a faint smell of something burning.

Uh oh.

 

Suffice it to say, this is what I did for the rest of the afternoon.  I'd never fixed a washing machine before - and it remains to be seen whether I'll fix THIS one.  But thanks to the internets, I found some instructions on how to take it apart at least.  And I discovered that the coupling between the motor and the transmission had sheared off in four(!) places.  Soooo.... during lunch today, I hope to find the part I need and tonight I hope to remember how to put everything back together.

If it actually works again, I'll have saved enough money to replenish my stash of tires, tubes, & CO2 cartridges.

But in the midst of these setbacks, I found my motivation to ride & race again.  Being out with friends (and very patient and understanding friends at that!) is a big motivator for sure.  But what sealed the deal was taking some time to give my bike the TLC it was clearly demanding.  Three flats in two days certainly sends a message.  And during all those tube changes I saw how much I'd been neglecting my bike - not just the riding of it, but the condition of it.  It was pretty filthy (and no fun to work on).

But a thorough cleaning (along with a long-overdue inspection for frame cracks, etc) and new tires makes the bike look brand new.

Sure, Fall River is cancelled, but there's an exciting new race scheduled on Cape Cod in a couple of weeks.  As a Pro123 race, I don't have any expectations at all, but it'll be a blast to race around downtown Hyannis.  And of course, there are four weeks left of Rent' Races - and I may even do a few Wednesday night races at Ninigret.  So there's some racing left this season.

But most of all, my "new" bike - like any (actually) new bike - just makes me want to go out and ride.  And that's what I'll be doing, just as soon as I finish fixing the washing machine.

Motivation Monday:Riding = Weight Loss

Can't think of a better visualization for motivation to ride:

 

The Bethel races go from March into April.

I haven't raced since April 18.  I haven't ridden all that much either.

Notice a correlation?

So do I.

Motivation Monday: MOVE Music

I bet we all have songs that go through our heads to get us motivated.  With the advent of the iPod (or, for us oldsters, mix tapes - remember those?), we probably even have a playlist or two that we put on when doing intervals, whether on the trainer or on the road.

While I'm not a big fan of headphone use while road riding (mostly because I can't hear the cars OR the music - just wind), there's a few songs that pop into my brain, providing a soundtrack for my ride.

And with YouTube, if you're on your trainer, you can find some REALLY great music videos to inspire you visually as well as aurally.  Here's my latest favorite.

If THIS don't make your booty move, your booty must be DEAD!

Yeah, I'm out of it.  This song is over 10 years old and I just discovered it.

And I didn't know FatBoy Slim was just one guy.

I need to get out more.

Motivation Monday:Birthday Cake Intervals

Happy First Month of Spring!!  Today has been a day of firsts that are also Signs of Spring:

• 1st Day of March
• 1st sound of bird singing this morning
• 1st big bugs splattered on windshield on the way home from work
• 1st sighting of a ROAD bike on a roof rack
• 1st daylight past 5:45p (equivalent to "6:45" in just a couple weeks when DST hits!)

With Spring in the air - and at the risk of jinxing things and not being able to post again until June - I'll say that this blog is about ready to jump head-first into the 2010 Racing Season!  So start getting back in the habit of checking in regularly - I hope to have more content, race reports, book reviews, tips and more in the upcoming weeks.

With any luck, my first race report will be posted a week from tonight.  My first race of the year is less than six (6!) days away at the Bethel Spring Series.  I had a minor panic attack yesterday thinking I hadn't done enough training - that I wasn't ready.  This despite the fact that I actually started my 2010 training a month early on Dec. 1, 2009.  Andm for the first time ever, I completed my Workouts In A Binder program before my first race - instead of one month into the season.

Of course, my panic may have had something to do with the fact that yesterday I was literally laying on the couch, surfing the internet and eating not one, but TWO, large pieces of birthday cake - when I should have been out riding.  Saturday was Mrs. Suitcase's birthday and - well, let's just say that it usually falls to me to "take care of" any leftovers.  Especially of birthday cake.  And I take that responsibility very seriously.

The inevitable sugar spike and later let-down had me doubting I would ever race again.  Weird how buttercream icing can alter your state of mind.

The antidote?  Why, riding of course!

I decided - with a little encouragement from my Twitter and Facebook friends (in response to my increasingly-desperate-sounding tweets) - that I couldn't lose 3 months of training in a day.  Yeah, I may get my butt handed to me next Sunday, but that's no reason to throw in the towel before the fight even starts.

So tonight after yet-another late night at work, I got on the rollers.  Everything you hear about cycling/workouts being good for the soul and mind, as well as the body, are true.  They're cliches for a reason.  I felt MUCH better after a nice moderate spin.

I'll be back on the trainer tomorrow morning before work - provided I can get out of bed that early.  I can't let these late worknights derail my training, but I need to be sure to get enough sleep too.  They say you don't get stronger during training - you get stronger during recovery.  Well, you have to have something to recover from.  Where I strike the balance will vary from week to week depending on work/personal schedules and level of exhaustion.  But one of the best things about racing is that it gives you definite feedback on how you're doing.

If nothing else, staring Bethel in the face is giving me much-needed resolve to take a pass on any more birthday cake.

For the time being at least.

Motivation Monday:A Roadie Goes Off-Road

Those of you who follow my Twitter feed know that I saw the Leadville movie the other night and have been tinkering around with my old (1996) Parkpre, converting it from a city/cruiser back to its original mountain bikeness.

Well, the combination of those two facts got me out in the woods yesterday afternoon, despite a pretty bad cold/allergies.  It was a totally different experience than riding on the road, for sure.  I climbed rocky "walls", I went down a technical descent - without endo-ing, I bunny hopped a log, I fell over a bunch of times, I got muddy.  I almost got lost.

But that's getting ahead of my story.  Before I hit the trail, I had to finish the bike.

Other than removing all the "surplus" items (bags, rack, etc), the main thing I wanted to do to my Parkpre was install a new drivetrain.  Unlike my road bike, I have no clue how many miles I have on this bike.  I've only changed the chain once, and the cassette and 'rings (as well as the tires!) were still original.  So, with a little help from SDC on cranks/rings and a little money for cassette & chain, I was in business.

Pretty new chain and (7spd!) cassette (pie plate now removed)

Showing the whole new drivetrain & old C'dale stock Fizik Poggio saddle

After an aborted attempt to raise the saddle a little bit, involving a pipe wrench and a lot of elbow grease (let's just say that despite the now-marred seatpost, things didn't budge), and reinstalling the tires, I was in business.

Old school MTB, all ready to go off-roadin'!  Crank Bros. pedals courtesy TJ.

I got the last piece of the puzzle Thursday night on our way to the movie when our sponsor shop hooked me up with new MTB shoes.  I'd never been off-road while clipped in, so this was going to be a totally new experience.
 
Yesterday afternoon was a beautiful, relatively balmy, late fall day.  Nevertheless, given my cold, I put on a base layer & long sleeve jersey, stowing a jacket in the back pocket just in case.  In keeping with MTB style (in my mind anyway), I kept on my Levis (though the ankle straps likely canceled out any coolness factor), and hit the trails just across the street from our house.

Right away, the different feel compared to road riding was obvious.  Much longer wheelbase, straight bar, ROUGH road trail.  I realized immediately why folks prefer to have at least front suspension (the Parkpre is a full rigid hardtail).  And I got a new appreciation for how grueling a 100 mile MTB ride/race like Leadville must be.  I'd only gone a few hundred yards and my upper body was already getting tired(!)

Part way in, I came across a dirt bike rider and ATV-er who gave me the low down on some of the trails ("We've been lost out here for a couple hours; and the trails are either muddy or hard to see with all the fallen leaves")  and I hit my first real climb.  Not until then did I fully appreciate the granny gear - and climbing in the saddle.  Every time I stood, my rear tire lost traction.

When I got to the top, I had to shed my base layer.  I'd only been out about 20 minutes, but didn't know how far I'd gone (in my haste to get out, I'd forgotten to start the Garmin).  I knew it wasn't far though, so I kept going.

The guys had said that if I "keep turning right you'll hit the powerline" and sure enough I did.  I decided to follow that north a bit, keeping the railroad track out of sight to my right (but within earshot of the steam locomotive and its echoing whistle).  Despite a few falls - none too bad - and one ill-chosen line through a puddle that turned out to be MUCH deeper than expected (and got me my first street MTB? cred, er, crud), I ended up here:

Pretty sight, but I should have taken a picture of the sign behind me which read something like: "Private Property: Wide Trails for Senior Citizen Use Only"  I'm not kidding.  My knarly off-road riding led me to a set of trails that were more suited to the senior set.  They weren't too technical.

Not wanting to cross the private property - and unsure exactly where I was - I got out the 21st century equivalent of my Boy Scout compass: My Google-maps-equipped iPhone with the cool "My Location" blinking dot GPS.  Sure enough, it showed me at the fringe of Essex Meadows senior center - about as far north as I could go in this wilderness.

I set off to the southwest, but found fewer and fewer trails that headed in the direction I wanted to go.  Consequently, I ended up doing more hiking than biking.  But I did surprise myself a couple times with how steep I was able to climb, over rocks, without dismounting - or falling over.  One time, near the top of a particularly nasty climb, I got that "do or die" feeling where I HAD to keep pedaling, or else fall over and maybe crack my skull.  I pedaled frantically, rear wheel spinning until it FINALLY gained traction, giving my best imitation of a hamster stuck on a wheel.

But that wasn't the most embarrassing part of the ride.  What was worse were the descents.  Just about every time the trail headed down - at least when I didn't chicken out listen to the voice of inner reason and dismount, you could hear the scrEAMing of my brakes echoing off the hills and trees, sending chipmunks, squirrels and other potential predators running for cover (assuming they weren't laughing hysterically).  Toeing in my pads is job #1 before I ride again.

By this point, the shadows were getting longer and the light was getting weaker.  According to my handy-dandy iPhone/GPS, I needed to get back to the powerline and follow it to the road.  Only problem was that every trail I came across went away from the power line.  So, I blazed my own trail - riding when I could, walking when I couldn't.

Problem with not following a trail, is that you don't really know where you're going.  Problem with GPS is that it doesn't show terrain.  Those two problems conspired to lead me here:

 
That's about an 80 foot drop about 10' in front of my bike.  Unfortunately, to get to the powerline, I had to go straight off this cliff - or find a way around it.

Not having highly-developed freeride skills, I decided to try to get down some other way.  By this time, I was getting pretty tired of walking/carrying my bike and just wanted to get to the powerline, to the road, and home.  When you're out in the woods and can only see a few dozen yards around you, it doesn't matter that you're not out in the wilderness of the Rockies - you can still get a little disoriented, especially when the sun goes down.  It's been a long time since Boy Scouts, so I was glad the GPS got me - finally - to the power line.

That was the good news.  The bad news was that following the powerline meant going either straight up, or straight down.  More hiking rather than biking.  But I didn't dare stray too far from the open sky of the 'line - at this point, the woods were getting pretty dark.

I knew from looking at the map that the "wilderness" area that I was romping around in wasn't all that vast, but I was relieved when - after what seemed like forever - I finally made it to the road.  Not the road I was expecting to make it to, mind you, but at least one I was familiar with - if not quite from this direction. 

With the terra firma of asphalt under my knobby tires, I hunkered down to time-trial home.  Going by road, I was further away from home than I expected to be, but when I checked my Garmin, my off-road adventure had been less than 5 miles.

Despite my first-time experience, I'm actually itchin' to get back out in the woods.  Maybe next time with someone who knows the trails and can give me some direction, literally and figuratively.  It'd be a little less scary then, I figure.

I've discovered, as many others have, that off-road riding is a nice change of pace for a roadie and provides some additional motivation to ride during the off season.  Mountain biking is certainly less fussy than road riding- from being able to just go out in jeans, to being able to resize a chain by just snapping on/off the "easy link", to just hosing off the mud for a couple minutes and pronouncing the bike "clean."  And nothing could prepare me for the difference between riding in the woods, and then having to ride on the road with cars.  The feeling - not to mention the noise - was profoundly different.  No wonder so many folks forsake the road for the trail.

I'm not going to set any distance records - not at an average speed of around five miles per hour - and I rue the day I didn't opt for at least some suspension on the bike - other than my arms and legs.  So I won't be hanging up my road bike anytime soon.  I'd miss the speed and being able to cover much, much more ground for the time I'm out.  But my "new" mountain bike provides a nice change of pace, helps me develop my handling skills (not to mention my tumbling skills), and motivates me to ride in a way the road bike doesn't.

And if it means more riding, that can't be bad at all.
 

Motivation Monday:Need Some Motivation

I'm not asking you - as in "Need Some Motivation?" - cuz you ain't gonna get any here, unfortunately.  I can't give what I don't have.

I'm telling you - as in "I Need Some Motivation."

I have my last race of the season two weeks from today - the Jamestown Classic Road Race - and for some reason, over the last couple of weeks, my motivation has tanked.  Actually, it's more like a black hole of motivation - sucking all surrounding motivation into its vortex.

Beware.  You've been warned.

What do you do to motivate yourself to ride this time of year?  I know - many of you race 'cross and that gets you through.  Don't tell me.  I'm not doing 'cross.  At least not now.

One encouraging sign on the horizon is mountain biking.  I'm building up my old Parkpre, full rigid MTB from 1996.  But it's not done yet - I still need some parts for it.

And that won't help me between now and Columbus Day.

So send me a comment letting me know what you do to get yourself out on the bike - or at least on the trainer - after the inevitable post-road season burnout hits you.  Hopefully together, we can keep each other going a bit longer . . .

Motivation Monday:Finding New Hills to Climb

My "training plan," such as it is, leading into the Fall River Crit this Sunday, was to overload last week and reduce volume for this week, concentrating on speed.  The graph above shows the resulting mileage - a record at almost 260 miles for the week, including an incidental benefit of breaking 3,000 miles for the year so far.

"Reducing volume" will likely be relative.  All I was planning on riding this week was tomorrow night's race and Wednesday night's group ride, with rest days for today and the remainder of the week (maybe an easy ride Saturday morning too).  But the forecast is looking good to ride into work on Wednesday.  And I may get a good hilly ride in Thursday morning too.  So while volume will be "reduced" (i.e. I'll definitely have fewer than 260 miles for the week), it won't exactly be a rest week.

And I've discovered something about myself the past couple of months: I'm actually seeking out hillier routes.  Now, don't get me wrong, I haven't become a hill climber all-of-a-sudden, and I still hate'em when I'm in the middle of'em.  But between where I live (which is relatively flat/easy rolling) and crit racing, I get plenty of flat speedwork.  If "race your strengths and practice your weaknesses" is the goal, then needing to climb is the motivation.

This is especially true if I plan to ever do actual road races.  And I plan to do my second-ever road race at the end of this month.  So I'm logging in the miles, and embracing the hills when I find them.  I may not ever like road racing as much as crits, but at least hills don't scare me as much as they used to - and fast descents are at least as fun as racing.

What has this to do with motivation?  While I offer no earth-shattering insight, I can attest that the old advice remains true: Continue to challenge yourself with new goals to keep motivation high and avoid getting into a rut.  For me that challenge is riding my bike over 40 miles into work and back when I can, and checking out topo maps for new hills to climb.

Finding "new hills to climb" may be a too-obvious metaphor for motivating oneself, but it's been working for me lately.  What "hills" are you challenging yourself with this summer?

Motivation Monday:Clean Bike

 

Is your ride feeling lackluster lately?  I don't just mean your ride, as in your route.  Your ride - your bike.

Maybe it's time to give it a little TLC.  Washing your bike - especially getting your drivetrain all nice and clean - not only gives you a chance to see whether there are any safety issues (cracks in the frame, worn chain, etc), but it'll make your bike look like new.  And don't we all like riding around on a new (even if only new looking) bike?

And this time of year, you can do it outside.  But you can, um, do it in your shower too.  The result is the same.

So if you're feeling "meh" on the bike, give it a little love.  It'll likely pay you back with a little additional motivation to ride.

Motivation Monday:Coach Rainy

 

Every serious cyclist needs a coach.  Here's mine.  Meet Rainy.

We have three cats, but for some reason this demure little torty becomes a tyrant when it comes to training time in the basement.  If I'm at the kitchen table eating what she thinks is one too many brownies, she'll go over to the basement door, get up on her hind legs, and start banging on it.  I kid you not.  And since the door doesn't latch very tight, she can make quite a racket.

When I finally open the door, she runs right down into the cycling room and will sit there and wait for me to get ready.  She'll even start hollering if I'm taking too long.  You can't make this stuff up.  It's weird.

But *very* motivational.  She's kept me company through the long winter of basement training.  And as long as I keep her little bottle caps filled with water from my bottle(!), she's content to let me do my intervals without too much distraction...

 

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Had quite a weekend.  Didn't end up racing since the Ronde de Bethel was cancelled.  But I was able to get out on the new wheels for a nice 50 mile ride.  Well, actually, not too nice since the roads were full of sand and we did a lot of hills.  And I had my racing cassette on.  I'd never tried climbing so much with a 23 cog and by the end of the ride my legs were toast and my right hip is still sore for some reason.  May need to refine my fit.  Or maybe I should just do a better job of ramping up my miles, instead of doing very little riding and then expecting to go right out and hammer 50 miles of hills.

Strangely, despite not working out as often as this time last year, my YTD miles are only about 50 miles short (see left column).  Must be because, while I'm not getting out as often, when I do get out it's for long distances.

Remains to be seen how that will translate into race fitness.  Fortunately, I'll get another chance to find out at the Ris van Bethel this coming Sunday.  Hopefully it won't get snowed out.

Speaking of snow, we got about 12" last night.  The guv actually delayed us 2hrs, but I was already on my way in.  Happiness despite the weather is an attached garage and 4WD.  But I'll have lots of shoveling to do when I get home.  Good thing it's a "rest" day . . .

 

(No, this isn't my driveway.  It's here)