When you know, you know

Yoga girl and I were having coffee the other morning and getting into some deep stuff, that is deep for me at that hour and before my cup of Peets. She was telling me how some people like to learn all the asana's and none of the philosophy behind it while others will  learn the asana's the rest of their lives but to learn the philosophy from someone close to the source is really a great gift.
That jogged the old memory and I remembered that way back in the late 1970's I had taken Qigong from Kenneth Cohen. As we practiced diligently Sefu Cohen would explain the history, reason for the movement and desired effect it should haveon a practitioner. To me  this is why I get so esoteric, I want to know what the outcome is suppose to be and how I can correct any minute details to mirror my teachers results first hand.
In most disciplines and arts, they being one and the same, it is said in order to have a consistent outcome one must do the same procedure at least a thousand times. Only then will you know every way you can fall short of the desired outcome and how to fix it. Just Google Auguste Escoffier. That's why reading a book by a great  Cyclist, Chef, Yoga teacher (fill in blank) is so important.
To me and others like me, we want to have the process of elimination removed from our own daily life and distilled into fact that is digestible and useful immediately. Plus the added advantage of light shed upon something that could save  frustration about some obscure detail which can only be derived from a series of tests done in a multi-million dollar sports facility. The internet, blogs and all the reference material, has made our lives so much richer because we can read the facts from people who have done the home work for us.
After a good read and practice of that technique,  I can go out there and ride knowing that I have a solid foundation in the mental game and the physiological alignment of my systems. Letting everything else fall away I can enjoy my ride to the fullest. The only thing better is to learn directly from someone who has done that discipline with success and nothing can ever replace that. But as Sefu Cohen said, '...a teacher can only give his student 60% of his knowledge..." This in it's self is a riddle for the student to understand.
As you can see from above picture this is my favorite asana and it's well, done for me all I have to do is put legs to my discipline...or fingers if you will.
Remember if I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Trek, week six

Week five saw me chasing my tail in many ways. Last week I decided to ride 18 miles round trip to work twice week but little stuff got in the way and I  completed the trip only one day. My regular work out at lunch time in the gym was again preempted by just stuff that pulled me away from my goal. But the worst part of my scheduled rides last week was the fact that I bonked on my 4 hr ride at the 3.5 hour mark. Wow, that was a trip not to have enough juice left in the legs to turn the crank in granny gear!

Yep, I pushed the envelope on my ride yet again and wound up fully depleted for the rest of the day and part of the next one. The ride I had been planning for a whole two weeks now, A plus personality for sure right, was to leave my casa and take an out of the way route that doubled the miles one would drive to get to the pier in Naples. Round trip was low in the 50 to 55 mile range but  the time of being in the saddle for about  4 hrs was the goal.
In his 1987 book, complete book of bicycling, Greg Lamond said that when you start to get serious it's time spent in the saddle and keeping your legs churning that counts, your body will get used to bigger and bigger work loads as you get stronger and faster. I have to agree that to create a baseline first is, for me, the way to go. This philosophy has worked in all my endeavors so why change a good thing. I constantly tell people that just because it's old doesn't mean it doesn't work.
So any way I was tired when I started but you know how that is, once you get going everything checks out and your on your way. As I got to the 15 mile marker I stopped at a red light and felt pretty good, no since of turning back, onward as Lance would say. I have to insert here that I really believe that Accelorade was part of the problem, I just never felt hydrated drinking that stuff. If it works for you though don't stop using it. Long story short I cut my ride short and met 'the wife' at about the 40 mile mark. She was great to pick me up and I was crispy. Thanks Yoga girl.

The upside is I now know my weakness and it's not KRYPTONITE! I'll keep pushing until 4 hrs is a doable century. Naw, I'm not an A plus at all, just a b type hiding out with the fast crowd.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Whats working so far

As a former chef and official former fat guy I find that food is still in my thoughts when I plan my day and my rides. No matter what I do sitting in the office or working my butt off in the gym or on the bike I have to know I'm prepared for what ever the day brings.  It's a curse but if I plan it correctly it's my safety net and I don't give it another thought.
Another reason for being so fastidious with food is having being so over weight  I need to control what I eat and when I eat it. As an example my body responds with the routine of a green shake in the morning, next up my morning break I eat a salad with lots of organic veggies, after work out I have fruit, afternoon break soup or tuna and a light to med size dinner depending on the work out load. Not very much meat nowadays and the bod is doing much better with digestion.
Having been a chef for many years I love good food and if I splurge once or twice a month I find I can be good with my diet the rest of the time...except for chocolate but that s another story altogether.  Even in the picture here in the middle of the table, as you can see, is a big honkin salad when I'm splurging.
As far as food on the rode I'm still working that out. As I said earlier food is a big issue with me and there has to be a safety net. So finding out how far I can ride and at what points I need to refuel is taking time but that to is good. I have talked to a couple of trainers who cycle and each had a clear message,' what ever works for you is best'. So then back to the alchemist mind set of following basic programs and tweaking it to suit my body type and training load.
So far whats worked for me has been the electrolyte replacement by GU. It absorbed quickly, carried my nutrition quickly to my muscles and quenched my thirst. Accelerade on the other hand did not suit my digestive track as it just wallowed around in my stomach. I don't know weather it was the kind of protein used in it  or how the stuff is combined but it didn't work. I used it several times in different venues and all I can say is I'm not gonna do it again.
The chews, gels and bars I used are: GU chomps and FRS for energy, Power bar gels and bars for carbos as well as Gu, Cliff bar and Hammer gels and a varity of bars .  I think the Gu's worked best when combined with GU sport drink, go figgure, but a winning combo to be sure.  The Hammer gel I did use sat in my gut like a giant cheese burger, wow harsh, especially on the last 12 miles of my ride. The other gels are more or less good, I do like the fact that the Cliff gel is organic and it tastes like a raspberry pie filling which is a fun plus.
Of all the bars I have eaten the raw organic ones seen to be the most moist and don't turn to sawdust in my mouth. The also assimilate into my blood quickly and I can fell the energy in my legs within a few minutes just like the gels but is a little more of a complete food source.
Bottom line is it's only the beginning of week six on my Trek and there is lots of prep to do to get my diet, training and head dialed in before May of 2010's ride. So I'll keep working on it and keep you posted.
Until then if I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Shoes

My shoes are like the hats some people wear, each has it's own story and purpose; each has or had glory and defeat; each has known rigor in it's day and each has known leisure.
I'll start at the right.  This is my current work shoe, casual I know but just enough style and comfort to do my job with honor and dignity. That is how I conduct my life every day to my family, my fellow employees and also my customers.
Next is my flip-flop. I live in a beach town that is boasted to be one of the beast beaches in all the US. Yes they are well used and well loved by me, the beach is the place to unwind and drink a good cold one, or two.
The third one is my current cycling shoe. what a great shoe it is but it was only two years ago I threw away my first pair of cleats that I had bought in 1983, they were Victoria jrs, I think. The jrs fit so tight  the first 3 or 4 weeks, before they stretchered out, that I thought my feet would forever be asleep when I rode. They never wore out in the 5 years of hard riding. My new ones, garneau er-go-air, are good but only a few years will tell the tale. They take me where I can dream to go.
Ah my running shoes, lots of miles on these but my knees won't take the pounding any more, I still love to run. There was not the pleasure on the tread mill as on turf, pavement or beach so I stopped and enjoy the pleasure  ( a guilty one) of the road now and again. By doing whats right for myself I have lengthened my bodies ability to be mobile for years to come.
Those funny looking high-tops with the red laces are my rock climbing shoes from 1979 and their named "EB'S", I could never bare to part with them. The personal growth I had in these is with out question the beginning of my awakening as an adult. I learned to free climb on the basic practice rock in Berkeley that had a little bit of all the levels one needed to go and do big faces. Try it you'll like it is all I gotta say. Read "looking down" for more on this.
Hiking boots, self explanatory and thank G-D for the great northern California, Yosemite and the John Muir trail. For those of you who have not had the pleasure you are missing out. My teen years were brought to  fruition hiking, backpacking and general misbehaving in the out doors as well as other places not specified.
The big orange and green boots are just exactly what you think they are, hunting boots. I haven't gotten so much as a Nat in 4 yrs but I have enjoyed sitting in a forested area just before dawn and watching the sunrise and the earth wake up.  I love the taste of Venison no matter how it's prepared and I know lots of ways to cook it, but that's another story.
The last pair is a muck boot. I have worked on a farm, in a slaughter house, as a janitor, a cook, a chef, a restaurant manager and lots more. But all in all the many shoes I've worn cannot all be covered here nor would it be very interesting.
Each shoe tells a story about it's owner and some people have one or two kinds of shoes while others have many different kinds for varied and specific tasks. I  had the opportunity to try more shoes than I care to but the end product is I love my life and have been fortunate to do so many things that require different  shoes. As I said earlier, some people like hats and as the saying goes, walk a mile in my shoes not my hat.
If I see you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Kids

I have great kids. They are not kids anymore they are adults but to me they will always be 'my kids'. Like all parents who love their kids I know mine are the best.

My 25 year old son is an officer in the Navy. D, my son,  is good at his job. In fact he is one of the few who has found his place and he thrives in this environment, in his universe that is always changing, more to learn, new deadlines to meet going mock two with his hair on fire, officer and manager/coordinator. I think he learned that from the wife.

Kiddo, my name for him since he was a handful of diapers and colic, is a fan of the outdoors. You know surfing, camping and sports of all kinds. He also kicks butt in the kitchen, not like Steven Segal for those of you who know my reference,. He is a real A+ type person. I wonder where he gets it from, must be the wife.

I also have a fine daughter who has excelled in management at Mickey D's. Her ability is that her heart is for the people she works with which makes them and her strong alike. Both she and her staff enjoy the fruits of their labors.  Although she is not exactly like her brother they share deep resolve and desire to succeed with those they are in a team with, she in her own perfect way.  I think she got that from the wife too. Unlike her bro she is not so outdoorsy.

I love both my kids to pieces, their sense of humor is deep and rich; their joy for life is infectious to all those around them and they are both darn good looking...I guess they get that from me.

Thats why I don't just want to hang with them I want to have fun and challange them as they challenge me.  Usually we get together for vacation and cook, watch movies, go the the beach and the like. As you know, if you have been reading, we are cycling up the coast of California as our vacation together. What a great time we will have and the memories we will make as a family and friends. It should be a great ride!

Tell Arnold if I pass him on the road to stop at Peets, because he's buying...or not.

What's that, huh?

Yeah sure I like to enjoy life as much as the next average guy but did you know that our America is in the middle of a huge crisis as a nation. The elected representatives of the people think by giving 2 trillion to the banks the people would benefit by these institutions, who in turn after receiving our money, would give that money to the people...what idiot thought that up??? Also those wacky representatives  think that by giving billions, that we don't have,  to other countries we will be once again be saved financially here. Another idiot solution!
Next we have our government setting standards for size and shape of people, like we all fit the same mold and can all be the 'brother hood of traveling pants' or some science project. Who are these idiots?  And yet again these poor dolts in office consider the drilling for oil to be taboo but don't really allow any real ideas from private citizens to take wing, they smash these moments of brilliance like a bug at the urging of the oil companies, whose side are these idiots on?
And my last soap box of the day, whats wrong with being proud of my country? When Mexico wins a soccer match don't the people wave flags and cheer for their countrymen? When the tour of Italy, France and Spain is underway isn't their a show of patriotism and cheering the home town boy evident in the photos and on TV? Then what is wrong with me being glad to be an American? I have traveled in Europe, Japan, Canada and the like but I'm always glad to come home.  I do love the Japanese culture for theirs is one of service and  strength in humility, but coming home to the US is still, well, home.

 I like the US the way it is. A nation with one goal: unity in the achievement of helping each other to realize our individual goals. Togetherness in the defense of each others rights to the 'pursuit of happiness', not a guarantee but the opportunity! To be a member of this club you have to want others to achieve their goals and be there to help without sacrificing you own stability. In other words not a hand out but a hand up. That's my America!
I 'm going to leave you with a quote from Lance Armstrong and I feel the spirit is appropriate here,"...You play by the rules, you have the highest ethics, you  F _ _ king win the bike races, then you shut up. I think that's best."
 Remember if I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Yoga & Medtion , it does a body good

Yep, thats what it's like every time...only it's me and the wife, I don't know who those crazy cats are! Not really, just like anything else you have highs, as you can see, and lows. Somtimes you don't 'get it' sometimes you don't want to come back. It's just like falling off a bike, right?
As you know the wife is a teacher of Yoga which is convenient if your a student of yoga. I love to practice whats called Yin Yoga which is basically a slow stretch through the different asanas or poses without the intense workout.  When I practice Yoga it is outcome based and the outcome I want is to stretch the muscles which are in those deep, hard to reach places.
Yoga gives my muscles the snap I need in the ride or workout while keeping my whole body aligned and elastic therefore making me a more resilient rider.  Hey, it's tough work to have a strong and flexible body, but in the long run all the hard work has it's payoff in the moment you call on those tired muscles to push farther and harder. Don't get me wrong, a massage is a great thing and a skilled practitioner can get to a sore muscle and bring relief but it cannot do what Yoga does for you and that is knowing the potential of your body more intimately. This knowledge will give you the confidence that whenever you need to dig deep for that outcome you want you have all the tools to do so.
On other hand meditation is to bring balance and peace to your more subtle bodies. The subtle bodies I'm referring to are your nervous system, heart, breath and chi or energy circulation...I just lost some of you didn't I. The nervous system is chemical/electric power that we generate and therefore can be imbalanced by fields of energy around us or our own bad days. The heart radiates energy and keeps time or rhythm for our whole body to DANCE to. The breath must be in harmony with the previous two subtle bodies in order to do it's part in the in the flow of oxygen which brings life and carries away death without our control. Lastly the energy that  harmonizes everything is that spirit inside all living things on a soul level, chi. Having each system at peace and in harmony is like getting high octane fuel in that Ferrari of ours.There are books that exhaust these subjects and more but I'm not trying to be definitive I just want to bring your attention to what can unlock mine and your potential.
Again, greater peace, greater harmony and greater personal knowledge also brings greater strength and greater abilities to your ride. I don't know why so much is stressed in every area of athleticism and nothing said about improving your inner strength and making you a complete athlete. And the cost? A few hours a week and it can be part of the training so it's not like it's taking away from your personal time.
I will never be a pro anything at the age of 51, but I will compete in events, mostly called life, and I will need to give more than I think I have and at that time I know where I can find that little something-something.  If you need a good Yoga teacher I personally know one, the wife. If you want to try meditation and see what all the fuss is about, write because there are alot of not so straight shooters out there and going off the road or down the wrong road is as bad as never getting to the starting line.
As usual, if I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.Peace.

closed today, come back later.

Peace to you all, Mark

Prepairing for the ride

I have been working out since Feb of 2007 with my original goal of losing weight and getting in shape. As goals go I have attained 80% of that goal. Each step of the way, as I have developed tone, I have refined my routine until it has served me better. My routine has developed from the very basic free weight training to some very specialized routines targeted at specific areas. The special routines I have learned help to strengthen my core, balance and physical alignment. All of this focus means more power to the bike and as for me it means endurance in a more physical ride.
In the first picture I'm doing a pull over with a 45 pound weight on top of a half ball. I keep my body well aligned, feet shoulder width apart and slowly raise the weight from belly height, over my shoulders behind my head and back again until fail, three sets.
In the second picture I am using two 20 pound dumb bells twisting for that core and as you can see my leg flexed in order to maintain balance, These half ball work outs will really test your concentration and as a reward you will get a strong core and better power for your ride not to mention the mind set that allows you to dig deep when you need it and confidence that your body has the power on tap.
At left this routine is for muscle confusion that teaches muscles to multi-task so when you are hard at it in the peloton you can respond with out fearing muscle memory confusion under stress.
 Last of the pictures shows the lateral  lunge. Keep yourself aligned over the leg you are shifting onto, kinda like speed skating. Go as far into the bend as you can putting pressure on the glutes as well as  the thighs. With all of these routines keep the weights low and go for failure each of the three sets.
Because there are no hills in SW Florida I have a very intense routine that I do once a week . It evolves heavy weight in super sets to keep muscle fatigue up and  yet rested just enough to really blow out the mitochondria and add muscle definition.On my ride I get all the muscle-fiber-binding to the tendon I need from a high rep exhaust workout. In the gym I need to build bulk in targeted areas.
The routine is as follows, remember three sets till exhaust: hamstring curls @150pounds; leg press @ 360 pounds (3 times toes out & and 3 times toes in); leg extensions @ 170pounds and finally lever donkey calf raises @ 400 pounds (3 times toes in & 3 times toes out) press with heals. I know that when you come to that favorite hill you have a love/hate relationship with you will be glad you prepared for it in the gym. The reason I do this only once a week so it  keeps my legs fresh and I don't want to bulk up so much that I have extra body weight to slow me down while cycling.
Non of this stuff is meant to replace your time on the bike, it just can't. But it will add power and confidence to your next ride and that means you can concentrate on more important things like technique or even winning.  I know this to be a fact!  Don't forget rest days, just as important as workouts.                    
Remember if I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying!                                                                                                                     

Making calories count

That was me in the grey shirt @ 242 pounds Thanksgiving 2006. I hit my high of 255 pounds new years 2007, what a porker. You know I never knew I looked like this nor did I ever feel I was out of shape.That is until I  got sick twice that year of 2007 and spent 20 days in bed. I really don't think I have become a crusader for health addicts, I just want to be here with my family for another 20 years, OK I'm an addict.
You know how I did it? HARD FRACKEN WORK! That doesn't mean I didn't like it every week day for 2 1/2 years, I loved it. Watching the pounds melt away and the muscle tone-up on my body has been a big draw that kept me going back for more. There is lots of help at my gym in all aspects of training including diet. I don't mean going on a diet I mean a daily change for the better and keeping on track .
For me who has struggled all my life with weight and eating right this has been a good journey. The fact that I have  been active most of my life is a real good base line to start with and having a good gene pool to draw from doesn't hurt either. Yes it's taken me 2 1/2 years to lose fifty pounds but doing it slowly means I will keep it off. At each step of the way I have hit a plateau and in doing so did not let the frustration make me binge eat. Instead I allowed my body to get comfortable with the current calorie intake and work produced to keep tone at that level.
I must say it has been hit and miss in the food/calorie intake department though. For example: protein drinks just made me bloated and I felt milk saturated all the time like I had just eaten a half gallon of ice cream. The minute I stopped doing whey or soy protein I lost 12 pounds from my body. Next, all the little things I do to keep my energy level going for a workout or a ride has to be fine tuned for me, what works for someone else doesn't always work for me. Some of the energy drinks have more garbage in them that hurt you in the long run versus the promise of short term gain, read the labels.
But any way this is me at Ave Marie, a favorite ride, weighting 205 pounds. I want to lose 20-25 more pounds but I'm happy with my progress so far and I haven't been at this weight for 17 years! I know I'm at a plateau so I won't complain or get frustrated and binge eat...maybe a Five Guys cheese burger, mmmm.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

More than just good pancakes

I am in a good position to talk about food and fat because I used to be a heavy weight. Yeah I like average guy stuff like fried chicken, good cheese burgers and pizza but if that was all I ate I'd still be a big guy.  So what the wife and I have agreed to do is to focus on eating a healthy low fat organic diet most the time that are mid carbs and mid protein meals.We have cut out the pork, shellfish, and are eating red meat only once a week. We like the average American meal once in a while so we don't go on the diet train and make a round trip back to blubber ville.
I can't take anything extreme because it doesn't ever work for me but I do eat a lot of salad by choice, so much so that I think I qualify to be a rabbit in 13 western states. Something I've learned from all the diets I've done is " it's not counting the calories but making the calories count" yes I said it first as far as I know. Go ahead use it, just tell'em where you heard it.
Anyway I have a friend Zack, he's the GM of the local Naples IHOP,  he introduced me to the new menu and I was happy to see some good solid low cal choices. IHOP now carries turkey bacon, order it crisp, turkey sausage and some great healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner items in a section called "IHOP for me".The food not only tastes good but fits into a healthy lifestyle. At the same time you feel like you eating like a normal person, which to me is very important, more so than staring a diet down when I'm out with friends! The best part of it is if you just happen to be doing a dawn patrol and IHOP is the only restaurant open you don't have to just drink coffee instead sharing a meal with your friends. There is actually some great other menu items for people who are not crazed about this stuff like me.
The only thing I don't understand is why IHOP is not going after the people who eat well by expanding the 'IHOP for me' menu? And what about advertising the choice of turkey bacon and sausage, egg substitutes for those who don't want real eggs. Then to bring it home for the really intense there is the chicken and fish choices that can be cooked with out oil or fat of any kind.
As a side note, in the fall of 76 and winter of 77 I moved to South lake Tahoe to ski all season.  I got an apartment at the base of Heavenly Valley ski resort. Guess where I found a job? Thats right at IHOP on Hwy 50. I worked a great schedule in order to ski allot that season, from 10 pm until 6am I was a short order cook. After work I napped for a couple of hours and then hit the slopes for the remainder of the day. At least that was the plan. There was no snow that season because of the drought. So much for the perfect ski season, right! Anyway that was then...
 I would like to suggest that IHOP sponsor a American Pro team to race all the American Tours because cycle racing is becoming very popular in the US and it would be a great way to attract this segment of population.Talk about taking it your target group in a grassroots campaign. Naw, this would mean  IHOP corporation would have to enhance their already good start at a healthier menu. That would be to easy. Bon appetite!
Remember, if I pass you on the road, stop at Peets because your buying or maybe IHOP for lunch, this time!

 PS, I haven't met a pancake I didn't like...yet!

Dream Bikes

There are only a handful of bikes I would love to spend time with let alone own. But really, if I had a loaner for a week would I be so spoiled by the ride, the handling and the component package that I would shun my daily ride the Trek 2200?

I know that as the time/miles are spent in the saddle each week the more acutely aware of each nuance of the ride I become. Then again the drool factor of a pro bike is, for me a recreational road cyclist, more of a dream and enigma and not in the realm of possibilities.

But for the sake of putting down in writing my short list of pro bikes I would 'give my left n _ _ for' here goes:    #1 The Trek Madone 6  #2 Pinarello Dogma 60.1  #3 Merckx EMX-5   #4 The BH G5
 #5 The Cannondale Supersix hi-mod  and  #6 The Specialized Tarmac SL 3 Superlight

 All the component packages like the Campy Super Record, Scram Red or the Shimano Dura Ace are equally bullet proof and is matter of personal preference. The cool thing about these bikes, besides being well engineered,  have the sweat and blood of the pros testing them every step of the way to prove them, is that they are the dream machines of all who use them and all who covet them.
These bikes are all very sexy and are Tour tested. This is a big plus since the price tag for the cheapest one is EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS! For the average guy this is not in the budget but I really can't believe it's not outside the desire factor. I think if I had one of these in the house I would be on it and out of the house all the time, I would never get off the bike. Hey, where can I rent one or will they take my Suburban in trade?

   If I  pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Now for a personal note about my training. I had a great week last week and rode 74 miles in peak performance. Today however after two days rest I sucked in a 10 mile TT. SUCKED HARD! But I have had solid improvement up to this point and for all of us that are in the beginning stages of training I'm taking this as a set up to improve not a set back to quite. After all isn't it only right that a failure or several failures leads to better understanding of how to train? I hope this helps you, thinking this way helps me, be patient and the answers will come.

Far Out

I'm planning my training schedule for October, November and December. My current rides are now, after this last weekend, 10 mile TT style (time trial) to 40 mile long rides. The long rides are to build endurance muscle and push back the lactic acid threshold and the bonk factor. I'll also throw some heavy spin classes in later, yes there are some beat the crap out of ya till you can't take no more and pick up the remains and work harder than your lungs and legs can with out popping like balloons and snapping like old rubber bands classes. I'll start at the beginning of November to get my Vo2 maxed out by December 1st.
Then I should be able to put in 100 miles at a 5 1/2 hour pace by late December. I do know myself very well, I'll plan a slow ride but kick till I bonk 50 miles out ('b' type personality for sure!).  And the reason for me to plan and calculate the rides?  The boredom factor of the same old rides. This factor is not an option unless I just want to sit home and blog, all the time, about riding my bike, when I should be turning the pedals and not sitting at home and blogging. See, b-o-r-e-d-o-m.
So any way on my drive in to work I started to think of the possible rides and I got excited because in my minds eye I had found a good route with lots landscape variety and blah-blah-blah. At that point I realized that half the ride was so remote should anything happen no one could get to me for an hour. At my current ability it is way past my physical, emotional and physiological comfort zones and man I am drooling at the prospect!
There is a very cool website named 'Plan my ride'  that can help you plan your route with accurate mileage and it can also be your online training log. It's a very well thought out website that asks you the miles you want to travel and gives you route option maps.  I don't know about you but that is a slick and useful website. My Trek shop also has some well planned routes with maps already xeroxed so all I have to do is choose one and go. Thanks guys.
Bottom line for me, like the body builders I want to bulk up on the muscle and miles, ya know the old fashion way. Then when I'm confident I can handle it I'll shred up the way Chris Carmichael teaches.  I also have to keep an eye on the calender, I don't want to peak or burn-out before I have a chance go to the 'Big Ride'  on the California coast this May. I really think the joy is to go as far-out as possible being able to complete the journey...as fast as I can!
 And remember, if I pass you on the road, stop at  Peets because your buying!

The Weekend

This weekend was the ride for breast cancer and everyone who had a bike could come, enjoy and support a good cause. The really great part was that at 10 am all over our great nation there was the same kind of rides and it was supported by none other then Trek, very cool right.
Trek had set up two kinds of courses and they were the 10 mile for a fun ride and the 25 mile for those a bit more serious.  My goal was to just do the 10, maybe a fast 10 but a 10 mile none the less since this was my re-entry into any organized cycling event. I also have not ridden that far going as fast as a peloton goes, so I was playing it safe.
When I arrived there were definitely two groups of riders present: the pleasure riders and the " we are club riders with matching jerseys" group. To be clear I have nothing against the later group, in fact I think it's cool that people get togehter once a week and kick each others butt and then have a cold one and laugh about it...unless your the one who's butt is getting whipped! Any way, I digress.
Around 9:45 am the organizers gathered everyone up to the start area and explained the routes which differed for each class of rider. Not knowing more than if I hung at the back of the group I would be forever lost with the slow riders and the effort to overtake and pass this long line of people would consume hugh amounts of energy and really be a pain. So I lined up in the second row,  I guess I have a high opinion of myself sometimes.
As soon as the gate opened, the gate being the Trek truck, I not so smoothly cleated into my pedals and caught the first wheel that had a little juice on it and away I went with the first group at a good warm up pace.

So happily I went like a lamb to the slaughter just then chosing the 25 mile ride with this strong group of fast movers. GOOD CHOICE.
As we turned onto the main road I could see the group of twenty or so starting to break into two groups. Ever since I've watched the pros on TV I knew I didn't want to get dropped from the front group in the first mile, this can spell certain death especially to a new rider .  Quickly I gaged the pace, did my testicular check being a beginner again and I went for it. Passing the group that was staggering I bridged the gap and just made the light on a left turn to join the front breakaway.
I was feeling very comfortable in this group as we cruised down the boulavard at about 20 mph. You know it never makes a lot of since when you hear about being protected in the pace line but with a head wind of 5 to 10 mph I was able to rest. Wow what a differance 7 people in front of you makes! When it was my turn to pull I dorpped a gear and got the train moving, that is until my legs started catch on fire. I drove us to about 23mph for a mile and as the line passed me they accelerated and I was dropped wth 3 other people.
We kept a good pace and picked up another rider along the way who needed to grab onto the back and rest. A head wind, when your solo, can just beat the crap out of ya.
There was a lot of other things that happened, getting passed, catching up, taking to big a mouthful of energy bay and having it turn to sawdust in my mouth and all the stuff a beginner has to learn in order to race with the big boys and girls. But really the biggest lessons that I needed to look at were: Never stop pedaling even when your out of gas, others are hurting also, so reach down to get that next energy flow. 2nd just refuel, rehydrate, be patient  and keep going! 3rd one is somtimes your good luck and some one else's bad luck plays a bigger part than just being good, although being prepaired is the best way to go. I never want anyone to flat or break a spoke or crash, not ever but it happens and it will happen to me eventally, I know this.
It was a great ride one which I never expected to do but was rewarded with a time of around an hour and being the tenth person back from the long ride. Although this didn't count as a 'RACE' it had some of the same elements in it and valuable inner strength was drawn from it not to mention doing something for a just cause! Now I know where I stand in my training and how to improve and that I've got what it takes and yes I still think I'm a 'B' type personality...with attitude of course.
Remember this, if I pass you on the road, stop at Peets because your buying.

The Sublime and the ridiculous

I know that not all of the statements I will make will be either sublime or ridiculous but it seemed like a fitting way to point out the absurd things we find in our daily lives. I also liked the title so much I had to find a way to fit it in. I will be using it from time to time as a catch-all for random stuff that comes at me sideways.
Sublime: cycling on narrow country roads and cars pass you leaving plenty of room and wave at you.
Ridiculous: cycling on city streets with bike lanes and cars honking at you as they pass to indicate that you should ride on the side walk.
Sublime: NFL wearing pink armbands, having pink ribbons mixed with the NFL logo on the playing field and some players having pink cleats in support of Breast Cancer awareness month.
Ridiculous: 100 people or less showing up at a fun ride for Breast Cancer awareness month in a metroplex of half a million.
Sublime: Cyclist being proud that they commute to work and are green machines, especially in the US.
Ridiculous: Bicycles made in China whose plants spew chemicals into the earth, water and air, not very green.
 Sublime: My 3 year old Trek 2200 with a 'proudly made in the US' all over it.
Ridiculous: US bike manufacturing in foreign countries when states like Texas and Michigan will give tax incentives, find the land , finance the green manufacturing plant and train the US citizens and legal residents to make a quality product in this country where we need the jobs!
Sublime: Watching the entire Tour de France in the US on Versus channel and getting the cycling bug in a big way.
Ridiculous: Not being able to watch any other Tour, even the one in Missouri, on any tv staiton including Versus. This sucks in a BIG way.
Sublime: Riding in SW Florida during the summer with warm rains making  it perfect for cycling.
Ridiculous: The sun comming out and turning the steets into steam baths that melt you and the bike into a puddle of gew
Sublime: Peets coffee, blond.
If you want to add your comments to this please do.I always like to see somone eleses perspective. And remember, if I pass you on the road, stop at Peets because your buying!

Looking down

 When I learned to free climb the advice given to me was 'don't look down'. Good advice for a novice and it probably saved a few harsh landings. For those faint of heart looking down  is not a good thing if you want to free climb. You see your out there on your own no matter how many people are on the face with you.  It's just your soul willing your arms and legs to strain past there limits father and father each time until your soul meets the rocks soul.

Each time you approach the rock face you pray for harmony between your self and the rock; you pray for peace in your limbs so you don't shake with adrenalin at the start or quake in frozen fear 40, 50 or 70 or more feet off the ground; you pray your hands are strong and your fingers have 'eyes' to find the smallest of rock lips to hold onto and lastly you pray for a good day, not to conquer the rock but to ascend to it's heights in communion.Cycling is that same anticipation, rush and finality with which I try to be in rhythm with my body, my bike and the road. Sound weird?
Ask a Samurai what his soul is and he will tell you unflinchingly that it's his sword. Ask a free climber he will tell you the rock is his soul and to me it is my bike. This is esoteric I know but why do something that is not satisfying to your soul and if it is, is not your soul wrapped up in the vehicle which you are closest to?
Therefore I say look down, drink in the beauty of this soul-bearing event one moment at a time and you will be the richer for it.
And if you are so fortunate to share this passion with others then 'mores the better'.
When you get to that place of ascension, look well at all you can see around you and savor the heights with those who have fought the good fight to continue"onward", good day or bad, it's all good. Look down and have your soul refreshed.
Always remember: if I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying!

On the road to Monterey

It's getting real now. Dylan, my son, Tom his best friend, Emily my niece and 'the wife' are all on board for the first ever Pedal Project annual ride. The inaugural ride, in mid May,  will be from Santa Barbara to Monterey California on Hwy 1.
I have been all over the coastal Hwy from Washington down through Oregon into northern California down to San Diego many times. A bad day full of torrential down pours and hammering wind is still a day on the west coast of the US...beautiful. Many times I have actually been with my family camping on the beach in Oregon, off Hwy 1, and it was gusty, cold and perfectly refreshing. You just get used to it and enjoy the being there.
On the other hand this is not the recipe for a great cycling trip of bonding and camaraderie.  Being pelted by sideways rain sizzling into your face like an icy cold bullet can really dampen the spirit of even the best riders. Then with the wind pushing back against each pedal stroke it will add hours to what would have been only minutes of your ride or so it seems.  Even your death defying will, sags in this elemental onslaught which is aimed directly at YOU!
I look forward to this test of friendship and strength between us, those hardy few. But it is really about seeing some of the most awesome scenery on the planet. Big Sur for instance should be a destination in and of itself with to much to even write about, I don't know where to start.  Santa Barbara is idealistic in her blend of ancient and modern influences simultaneously. And you don't wont to miss Monterey at all. We will spend at least 1 day just taking in the sights, both natural and man made,  on our journey into this shared experience.

But still that is a long way off, 8 months. Between now and then is the real work in order to enable me to keep up with the 'bucks' and their fresh young legs. Right now I'm watching the Worlds road race championship to get an added push to my training mindset and I'll watch every thing else I can in the next 8 months to keep me juiced in the depth of my soul.
This is not a race or a competition of any kind. It's a friendly ride with those who want to share something out of the ordinary in this day and age.But we do have time pressure and miles to achieve in order to to spend time on the beach with a good California wine or in the forested Big Sur communing with nature.
Whatever happens it will be great and 'we will suck the life out of it, even to the marrow', to paraphrase an author who understood the human condition and soul lust for giving and getting the most out of  life.
With all this said and so much more I could say I'll leave you with this:  If I pass you on the road, stop at Peets because your buying!

The Wife and me

Marriage, as it turns out, is really a partnership of two people who enjoy each others company and in some cases even get along...alot, weird right? The other side of this coin is trust. I trust her to be an individual and in being one she allows me to be one also. Once again weird.
What revitalized our life is going off the map, going to Japan, "finding ourselves" in the things we enjoy, she in Yoga and me in all kinds of stuff, therefore we have freshness in our stories when we find time to hang together.

So how does this fit into a cycling blog you ask? Hmmm, could it be trust that allows your partner to be him or herself and in doing so in return you get to spend time cycling a few hours a week which makes you a better person. Then as it keeps going you get to feeling better and the upward cycle drags you to a new place in your marrige.Your happy and revitalized, your partner is happy because your out of the house for a few hours a week and come home full of endorphins, everyone is better off and have fresh prospective on each other. At least that's how it's worked in my life, LUCKY ME!
The wife has been a good partner to me always though, she has not understood all my eccentricities, she has allowed me to delve into them with little restraint...except where good judgment is needed. I won't blow smoke,  we are both human and have had our things, but given room we can actually get whatever it is between us straightened out in short order. The wife uses a big stick, works for me.
All kidding aside, married or not there are people in your life you care about and if your not a professional cyclist then there is no excuse to spend every waking moment cycling. You must respect those who love and care for you and spend time with them. In that way you show them you care and in turn you get room to grow in your cycling and they grow in their trust for you. Like I said that's how it works for us and I hope thats how it works for you.
Remember, if I pass you on the road, stop at Peets because your buying!

Acid Test

When I was growing up and something wasn't quite right in politics or taxes  the 'old guys' would say' "it doesn't pass the acid test'. Now being a kid I had no idea how acid could prove a problem or question in any arena of life to be right or wrong. I just couldn't see it. Then many years later I  read a book called the electric kool-aide acid test"  (ya I'm getting up there in years to know this book) and I was really confused because I knew the 'old guys' had no idea about this book. This puzzle itched in my brain for years.Then finally I learned  what a 'bench mark' is and it all came together.
An acid test is what a metallurgist uses to determine the metals structure and denseness derived from a standard set of  protocol using a certain kind of acid. If you set a reference, or ground 0 if you will, making everything equal then you can  judge any and all metals and know that the outcome is a proven fact and not a guess. This method is used in all things of science, industry and now, for the last 30 years, athletics. It's called a benchmark.
As an athlete this benchmark is our bodies and our minds and it/we can defeat us or be the golden ticket to our best performance. It's all worked out in weight to work ratios and lactic acid thresholds and V02 uptakes and the like.  For me it is more Alchemy in that I 'm turning the lead in my a_ _ in to performance gold in my muscles.
My alchemical transformation has a benchmark of performance and weight and the target date in which to attain is the intersection where they all meet. The target date is May 1st  2010, my physical goal is 189 pounds of body weight; performance goal is cycling 25 mph over a 4 hour period, terrain and weather not to be a factor. My benchmark started as an ideal, a target I guessed upon, and now is a starting point reset every time I go out and do just a little better, everyday I dial it in just a little closer. The acid test will be if I attain these goals or not.
I know I had stated that I would have daily training logs, caloric intake and weight, I have not refined my day to that point...yet.  I do welcome news of your progress, the diet your using and even your bench mark, we are in this together.
Just remember one thing,  if i pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

And now for something completly differant

Cycling is a passion and the reason for this blog albeit it doesn't encompass my full thought process. I have lived on the West Coast, the Pacific NW, South West, the Rockies and now the South East over the last 51 years and where the road has taken me I've met some pretty remarkable people.  The road has taken me to Europe, Canada, Mexico and Japan.
Of all the viewpoints that has been shared with me from the over 60 generation back in the 1960's, which means they were born in the 1880's, to the present generation of 20 somethings there is one common thread amongst all of them. This ideal has no political party, is not limited to the USA, is not ethnocentric and has no claim on race or religion:
       People who love their families, friends and community want to live in peace and  prosperity,
      and  all with out micromanagement from some sort of governmental  hierarchy.
It wasn't stated exactly this way, to be sure, but in essence this is the bottom line. It seems like a simple theme but it is deep within all the souls around the world. Is this what you want?  I know I want that for all the people but I have to start with me, then with my family, then my community, then my country and so on.
Only happy people can effect those around them and I know no better way to be happy and at peace than to ride a bike, run, do yoga, for goodness sake do something. When you do then you see everyone and everything in harmony around you first hand. Heck go out and see the
community and take a few friends, like them
maybe!
I've always wanted to be part of a community and have found one here SW Florida. As Naples grows so does her  people in many ways and qualities. We have great yoga teachers, fresh produce, beaches, trainers, restaurants, gyms etc.  Now our work begins just by coming together and doing our part to help our families, friends and community.
So it may not be rambling this time it could be more like borderline psychos but that's the  beauty of my blog, I'll never know which is which and if I do no one  will know but me!
If I see you on the road and pass you, stop at Peets because your buying!