Back in the Saddle--Have my work cut out for me.

Hey my friends and welcome back!  There has been a lot going on at the MB&B home, with moving to a new state, getting settled in a new home and environment and it has thrown my entire workout schedule out the window.  Have you ever been in a spot where there is so much upheaval in your normal schedule that you no longer have a solid foundation or recollection of what that looks like?  That's where I am right now.

In the not so distant past I was going to bed early (early for me, anyway) and getting up to start the day off with a 5AM workout at my CrossFit box or getting on my bike trainer and putting in some miles to prep for the weekend for a Friday or Saturday morning ride with friends and family.  It wasn't a tight schedule, but a schedule nonetheless.

My home CrossFit Box

My internal clock has been completely out of whack and getting up early has been a challenge as I have been staying up later than usual to spend more time relaxing after the kids are put to bed.  The last several weeks, working out later in the evening has been the only way I have been able to fit in time at the home gym and riding my bike took a toss out the window until a few weeks ago.  It never fails that after watching some pro cycling, I get excited to get out on the road and explore.  Mind you, I am in no way close to the level of fitness of a semi-pro cyclist, but a person can dream...and work toward being a better version of themselves.

I must confess, for several months, I have been hesitant to get out on the road in this new town.  The roads are unfamiliar and rarely have a shoulder and I am unsure of the driving habits of the local motorists.  After working up the nerve and scouting out several roads, I decided that I would venture out and explore.  I did my usual bike safety check and made sure I had my emergency information handy (driver's license, insurance card, credit card, cash, Road ID) and informed my wife of the route I was taking and struck out on the open road.  I must say that once I got rolling, the exhilaration of being on the bike came flooding back and it was fun once again.

False flat heading into the climb

To read my last post about how I drove the fun out of my cycling, click here.

Top of the one of the "hills".

For several years, I have been riding super flat terrain at or near sea level and now the elevation is slightly higher, which isn't a big deal, but the terrain is full of rollers and some are far steeper that I have ever had to ride.  One particular climb started as a false flat and gradually became a segment of several hundred feet of 5% to 8% grade incline, which as a flat lander could have been the base of the Rockies.  Thankfully, the lessons I learned from my Cyclo90 training workouts and the heavy emphasis of squats, walking lunges and explosive movements learned in CrossFit aided in keeping my head clear of my objective and gave me the leg strength to keep turning the pedals over, even though it still was a very rough climb and I know I wasn't in shape enough to climb the hills as efficiently as I would like.    I definitely exposed a weakness and have my work cut out for me.   Exposing a weakness, acknowledging its existence and making it your focus to overcome it will lead to far greater success and gains than ignoring it or rarely addressing it.  That's the trick folks, if you want to call it a trick.  It's self awareness and realizing that you're not perfect.  Becoming a better version of yourself is not just for improving in a sport or level of fitness, but can be used in every aspect of your life that will increase your wheelhouse of abilities.  I hope this was helpful and mostly entertaining.  Stay tuned for more cycling progress as I work toward rounding out my weaknesses.

Until the next time,

Keep your mind sharp,

 body fit, and pedal hard 

MB&B

Tri-County Ride-know your limits and when to push them

Good Day my friends, I had the opportunity to meet up with John, a fella I met during the Magnolia Miles event some weeks ago and he brought another friend, Morné, to join us on a ride this past weekend.  Morné originates from South Africa, which I thought was pretty cool and we hit it off immediately.  Morné is what John called a skinny rider, which spells doom and suffering for us heavier set guys as he kept us pushing our limits just to keep in pace.  To be good at anything, you really need someone better than you to push beyond your comfort zone and give your muscles a quick (and sometimes severe) wake up call.

Half-way through the ride, John decided he was going to attack at every climb while calling us a bunch of pansies (or some other expletive that was a direct attack on our manliness).  John threw down the gauntlet and Morné happily accepted the challenge as he exploded off the line, tucked into John's slipstream for a few pedal stokes and powered ahead to win the sprint to the top. 

What is it about the male species that we constantly test each others machismo by calling each other a derogatory name?  It's all in fun, but it never fails to bring laughs and challenges as we attempt to keep our dignity and pride in what boils down to a name calling contest.  Alas, I too fell into the trap and attempted to battle it out after John took off at the bottom of a short steep climb followed by Morné.  I'm no climber, but I thought, "Let's see what I can do!", so I shifted gears and hammered on the pedals.  I remember looking at my bike computer and seeing 27.5 mph (HOLY SMOKES! THIS IS FAST & IT'S UPHILL!).  I was feeling strong, even as my legs were screaming at me to stop pedaling.  I looked up expecting to be close to the attack.  I was dead wrong.  I saw Morné passing John to the top of the climb about 20-30 yards ahead of me.  It was amazing to see them battle it out like that!  It went on like this for at least 5 or 6 climbs with me bringing up the rear.  I tried to match the attacks and speeds these guys were hammering out just to keep competitive (this came back to bite me in the arse).

Summer 2011 Wildfire

We were at the 45 mile mark when we headed back to with 22 miles to go.  I took my turn at the front and set the same pace as John and Morné had with the wind in our faces.  I made it 4-5 miles before I had to peel off and make an attempt to recover.  From mile 50 to the end of the ride I was bringing up the rear trying to keep my pedals turning.  I was cooked, suffering and trying to keep up.  It was then that I kept thinking about how I should have conserved my energy early on so I had enough in the tank for the end.  Thankfully, it was a no-drop ride and the guys were sticking with me and encouraging me to keep pedaling.  There were still the occasional attacks that I was unable to match, but they were kind enough to keep it short so I could catch up.

Summer 2011 Wildfire

These types of rides reinforce the need to know your limits and how to plan your workout.  It's not just about finishing, but finishing strong and having a great support group to keep you moving when your mind and body want to stop.  I'm thankful for the group I was with and the lessons learned.  After a few days of reflection, I've come to the conclusion that a S.W.O.T. Analysis would be a great tool by laying out a plan of action to sharpen your current skills and develop and identify areas for improvement.  For those not familiar with the strategic planning method, a S.W.O.T Analysis identifies your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.  Think about where your fitness goals fit into these four areas and where/what are the areas that you need to work on.  S and W are simple enough, but the Opportunity could be something along the lines of making better use of your time in order to have a more effective workout and the Threat could be allowing your stomach to dictate your next meal by not making healthy food decisions, especially right after a workout. 

Post a comment or send an email and we can share our experiences and grow our support group as we fight on to be stronger, leaner athletes. 

Until the next time,
Keep your mind sharp, body fit, and pedal hard

MB&B

Tailwind, Good...Headwind, Baaad; Wheel-Suckers Not Welcome!

One is the loneliest number until you find another one to hang with or they find you...Wheel-Suckers beware!

The Magnolia Miles ride was one of the best event ride experiences to date.



There were over 700 participants in attendance taking part in the 25, 36, 53, and 64 mile routes. It was a staggered start based on average MPH.  I was in the 3rd group of riders averaging 15-17 MPH, right behind the 20+MPH and the 17-20 MPH group and ahead of the 15 MPH and under group.  The weather started out cool and gradually warmed up to the upper 70's to the low 80's.  The chatter among the riders was the forcasted winds were expected to reach 20MPH coming in from the South/SouthEast, which the riders would have to face on the way back.  Mother Nature didn't disappoint as the 53 and 64 mile riders met the headwind with more than 20 miles to go.


This being the first time doing this ride and unsure of the terrain and route, I began thinking of ways to keep myself motivated so I could keep going when my body wanted to stop.  That's the hard part of riding solo or working out alone is the only person to keep you going is you.  If you're really psyched about the ride/workout, you can keep pushing yourself further and further while you still have the adrenaline pumping and the power in your legs.  The real test comes when fatigue sets in, the hills get steep and the wind starts to howl in your face saying, "Ah, Ah, Ah, you're not going to go that fast!  The harder you try, the harder I'll blow in your face and slow you down."  However if you happen to find another solo rider that is willing to hook up and share some of the work, you stand a better chance at putting the smack down (however great in your mind and slight in reality) on the obstacles that are facing you.  


At about mile 9 after the first rest stop, a rider saddled up next to me and using the unspoken language cyclists tend to use at times, began taking turns at setting the pace and doing some of the work when the winds got bad or the climbs got steep.  He and I struck up real conversation and decided to hang together for as long as we could, which was for the rest of the 64 mile ride.  Partnering up had us challenging each other, pushing harder and riding smoother.  Up until mile 42, he and I were blessed with a tailwind and we used it to our advantage with us averaging 17.33 MPH (a personal best for that length of time).  Once we made the turn into the wind, our average for the remainder of the ride, being approx. 23.5 miles to the finish, dwindled down to 13.74 MPH.  This serendipitous meeting of two lone riders turned into a synergistic machine of 4 wheels working to keep each other moving forward.  He would pull and I would tuck in behind him and recover while in his slipstream and then he would peel off and I would pull so he could recover.  At one time two or three other riders tucked in behind us to get in the slipstream and when we tried to rotate them into the pace-line, they refused.  These riders were going to suck on our wheels while we put out the effort and not reciprocate?  Unacceptable!  I took my turn at setting the pace and began to hammer it down to the best of my ability with the headwind still coming on strong somewhere after the 50 mile mark.  A few miles down the road, it was just my cycling partner and I while the wheel-suckers were left behind us.



We made it through to the end without collapsing or calling the SAG(Support And Gear) vehicle and have agreed to meet up on a regular basis to ride.  Having a partner for this ride made the event more enjoyable, challenging and fun, not to mention that it opened a door for future opportunities to ride non-solo.

Has there been a time that you could have used a partner to help get you through a hard workout or difficult ride?  I'd like to hear about it.  Post your comment/experiences below and I look forward to reading and sharing with you all.



Many hands make little work!

Until the next time

Keep your mind sharp, your body fit and pedal hard

MB&B

Raven's Revenge Bike Ride - Update!

Well MB&B friends, as I feared, the thunderstorm chances have not dwindled and because I view my safety far more than getting a ride in, I will not participate in this ride.  With the rain bringing a damper to outdoor riding, I am thankful to have the option to train indoors, which is what I did Thursday night and again Friday morning.  For all those that are going to stick it out tomorrow, I wish you the best of luck and the safest of travels.

Cheers,

MB&B


Gearing up for the Raven's Revenge Bike Ride this coming Saturday, March 10, 2012 starting in Huntsville, Texas.  There are several rides for everyone.  I hope to see you there.  This will be my first time at this event and I will be taking on the 61 miler which will roll through the Sam Houston National Forest.  Best of luck to all the participants!


Raven's Revenge Bike Ride-Huntsville, Texas

Individual Ride Names

• 10 miles - Remember the Alamo!
• 20 miles - Sam Houston (The Raven) Statue Ride
• 33 miles - Come and Get It!
• 51 miles - The Ride for San Jacinto
• 61 miles - The Ravens Revenge

Until the next time

Keep your mind sharp, body fit and pedal hard

MB&B

2012 Gold Rush Cycling Classic

 Howdy MB&B Fans, 


I rode in a charity ride that had three routes and wanting to challenge myself, I elected to ride the 60 mile route on an overcast, cold and very windy Sunday morning.  I survived and had a great ride.  The winds were coming out of the N NW at 14-15 mph with gusts from 20-23 mph and it seemed to follow me through the entire ride.  I have a few takeaways or lessons-learned, if you will, that I will be sure to remember for future rides:

1. Always, always wear eye protection.  I missed the start time and was rushing to get on the road.  When I grabbed my gear out of my car, my sunglasses fell onto the floorboard.  It wasn't sunny out, but the wind was hard on the eyes, especially when wearing contact lenses.  After the ride, it took me 5 minutes to peel them off my eyeballs, and that was with a heavy dousing of saline.  I could have used tweezers and it would not have made a difference.
2. On long rides, invest in chamois cream.  Saddle sores are just no fun especially when you still have half the route to go.  
3. Keep you wits about you when clipping into your pedals.  All of my falls (3 and counting) have been a result of thinking about something else and shifting my weight as I'm clipping in while standing still.  At a rest stop, with about 25 miles to go, I was at about to start out, clipped my right foot in and stood on that foot with no intention of pedaling.  Needles to say, I ended up on my back with a lot of support folks and fellow riders looking at the poor helpless person on the ground.  Rather than try to brush it off, like it didn't happen, I embraced the incident and requested for more refreshments before getting up and starting out again. 

Click the link to see the route and my stats.

Gold Rush Cycling Classic at Garmin Connect - Route



                          Dacus, Texas

                          Apolonia, Texas

                        Richards, Texas

                 Montgomery, Texas

Until the next time

Keep you mind sharp, your body fit and pedal hard

MB&B