Training Update

Well, it’s been over a month since I’ve started this (insane) journey to race my mountain bike again. It hasn’t been easy but I am happy to say I can tell I’m making progress.  Philippians 4:13 (my life verse) says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I’ve really had to hold strong to that verse a few times when I was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged with this whole process. But now, something amazing has happened. I did a squat (yes, 1 simple squat) and IT DIDN”T HURT!

You need to understand that I have bad knees. Really bad. Some days I have a hard time walking up and down stairs. But I did a squat without pain. I can feel that my knees are stronger than a month ago. I can ride longer, climb harder and SQUAT!!!! I know I need to keep taking baby steps but I can’t help but be excited a little by this.

I have been struggling with some new pains though. My feet in particular. Since my knees have been so bad I haven’t been able to use “clip-ins” when I ride. I wear my running shoes on platform pedals. The pressure from pedaling is transferring to my feet and causing pain. Since the knees are feeling a little better I’m going to purchase new cycling shoes and have them professionally adjusted to minimize the impact on my knees. I’m excited and looking forward to my Tuesday night ride. Maybe I’ll shoot for a full loop on the bike trail. Wish me luck!

Still Riding (and shopping?)

Well, so much for consistent posting.

It’s been a few weeks since my last post. Not much has happened since. I’m trying to get out and ride at least 3 times a week. This last week I’ve made it out twice. Tuesday was a real good, hard ride with some hills thrown in just to punish myself for not riding more. Last Thursday was a miserable ride. It was raining and windy. I managed about 5-6 miles Thursday and maybe 12-15 miles on Tuesday.

On a more positive note, my lovely wife convinced me to buybought me an AMAZING jacket for my 41st birthday (yeah, 41. BUMMER). Now you need to understand something. I hate shopping. HATE IT!!!! I’ve been looking for a jacket that’s insulated, windproof, waterproof and light enough for cycling in the cold. I spent hours online, driving around to different stores, comparing prices, getting back online. I thought I finally found the perfect jacket online. Only 1 problem, NOT MY SIZE. The more I looked online the more I realized that nobody had the jackets I was looking at in a large. Small, some medium and maybe an extra large, but no larges. Not one.

So the Saturday after my birthday I went shopping. I drove to Scheels and found 3 amazing jackets. But they all cost more than the annual budget of most small european countries. I couldn’t justify it. I decided to try the mall. (I must be desperate…) I looked at JC Penney, Kohls, Yonkers and everything in between. Nothing. I found a couple that I could settle for if I had to, but I really wanted something specific and just couldn’t commit. I went to Spoke ‘n Sport. No Jackets. Two Wheeler Dealer. No Jackets. Feeling discouraged, I went home.

Once at home I got online again. The more I looked, the more I was disappointed that I couldn’t find what I wanted for what I was willing to spend (read that as I’m Cheap!). I decided to head back to Scheels to see if maybe I missed something. I spent another 45 minutes there being chased around by the same salesman- boy I tried to avoid earlier. I continually tried on 3 jackets, each time the salesman-boy would say “What do you think of that one? It’s exactly what you’re looking for. It’ll be perfect for you.” Each time I replied “I’ll have to think about it” and then I would walk away.

I went home empty-handed again. My lovely wife kept telling me to get what I wanted. That if it’s something I needed then I should get it. She finally came with me (back to Scheels and the waiting salesman-boy). “Back again” he said. “Have you made a decision yet?” I politely tried to ignore him, showing my wife the jackets I had found and the obscene price of each. After a little prodding, I made a decision on an Under Armor jacket. Simply Amazing.

Maybe in the next few weeks I’ll write a review of the jacket….as long as I don’t have to go shopping for another year.

Cycling is FUN (eventually)

Ever notice how much easier thing are when your good at them, or prepared for them. I enjoy riding my bicycles. I really enjoy riding them when it’s nice out. I have to force myself to ride when the weather is questionable. Last Thursday night I got out of missed my ride due to dinner guests and an online chat date with my daughter.

The weather was cold and rainy. I was still planning on riding after dinner. I ate less than half a portion (i can’t ride after eating) and sipped my water while I politely waited for the guests to get bored with our exchanging of stories about our children. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed them coming over and would like to have them over again soon. I just have a schedule to keep and get mad at myself if that gets disrupted.

So anyway, as things were winding down I received a couple of phone calls and texts. My daughter (away at college) wanted to talk online. She was sick with a cold and sore throat, so I had to talk to my baby girl. As soon as our guests left I hopped online. It was after 8:30. Missy chatted a bit and went to put the babies to bed. I chatted with the sickly child until almost 9:30, at which time I gave in and decided to call it a day. I was so mad at myself for not riding but hey, what are you gonna do. I was tired.

The work week ended and Saturday came. I decided to make up for my disappointment from Thursday with a 2 loop ride of the local bike trail. A paved loop of about 20 miles. As I looked outside I noticed the weather looked perfect. A little cool, but no wind (remember that) and no rain. I texted JR (my friend & riding buddy) to see if he was up for a ride. He was ready to roll.

I geared up: bottom half – socks, bike shorts, fleece tights & shoes. Top half – bike jersey, fleece jacket & wind breaker. I put a do-rag on my head, grabbed my gloves  & helmet and was off. From the time I decided to go riding until the time I left the wind had picked up a bit. Not bad, but noticeable.

I hit the road and took the “easy” way to meet JR at the bike trail. As soon as the road turned west I got blasted by the wind. Within 45 minutes we went from no wind to a steady hurricane force blast that was like riding straight uphill (ok, maybe only a stiff breeze, but it was cold and I was riding uphill).

JR and I circled the city on the trail until we hit the back half which is a very open stretch that put us riding directly into the wind (which had increased as we rode). I was dying. My legs burned, my lungs strained for air, my heart nearly bursting from my chest…then JR saved my life with 3 small words. “Let’s turn around”. OK…IF YOU SAY SO…I said. JR suggested we head back a different way to get out of the wind and maybe ride some hills. I wasn’t crazy about the idea of hills, but at that point anything was better than this unrelenting wind.

We changed course, got on the streets and hit some hills. The first one was tough. JR dropped me right away. I caught up towards the top, legs burning and running low on water. One of my character faults if my inability to admit when I need help. I’m determined to do it myself (whatever “it” is) and cannot admit defeat. This ride was no different. We turned east and started on a couple of miles of rolling hills. Ride hard down, coast a bit, steadily pedal uphill, down shifting as necessary to maintain a consistent cadence. I was doing good and feeling better. As we came closer to the end of the ride JR made the comment that he really enjoyed mtn. biking and wanted to do more. I told him I enjoy it too, but I REALLY enjoy it when I’m in shape.

And that’s my goal. To get into shape so I can enjoy mtn biking again. The race next summer will just be icing on the cake. Until then…with a little help and encouragement from my friends…I’ll just keep riding.

Splat . . .

Ever get the urge to just shoot someone? Really? Get some help buddy….(but you can still be on my paintball team).

Last Saturday was every sadistic morons dream. PAINTBALL Saturday!

Twice a year we have a group of men from church that get together for a day of fellowship, faith building and comraderie….oh yeah, and Shooting Each Other! I know it sounds strange. But unless you’ve tried it….don’t knock it.

Paintball is a sport(?) where the object is to killshoot you opponent before he killsshoots you, while trying to accomplish a preset goal as a team. Versions of “capture the flag” or some type of real life “shooter video game” are some of the games we play. Running across a field, diving for cover behind a barricade of old pallets, crawling through trenches, making your way through old abandoned trailer homes or holed up in the “alamo”. All the while a constant spray of paintballs rains down on you. It gets pretty intense.

How bad could it be…little balls of paint? These little ball of paint are shot from a gun using compressed air or CO2 somewhere in the range of 250 fps to 300 fps (feet per second). For comparison, my old compound bow shoots my carbon arrows at just over 300 fps.

Thankfully not me!

This outing was a little different for me. I decided to be more aggressive and attack rather than being cautious. It sounded like fun anyway, but boy do those paintballs sting!

We all had numerous hits, welts and a possible broken foot (Ryan, don’t kick walls…no matter where you get shot). I personally discovered that a shot to the inner thigh is extremely painful and leaves a very large bruise. Could have been worse though…right Timothy!

Well, after 6 hours of shoot’em up fun it was time to call it a day. A van full of very tired, stiff & sore men came rolling home (to little or no sympathy from our loving wives).

As the stories are told and retold of the bravery and sacrifice that took place that day, the excitement builds and anticipation grows for the next installment of PAINTBALL Saturday.

LOST: One set of used lungs.

Since I’ve decided to do this mtn bike race next summer I’ve been riding 2-3 nights a week to try and get into some kind of shape (right now my shape is round). I enjoy riding by myself most times, but it gets boring and a little lonely after a while. I have a friend that I work with (JR) that logs a lot of road miles cycling to work and around town. We’ve been trying to find a time that works for us to get out and hit some trails together. Saturday was the day!

I sent JR a text to let him know the plan. JR owns a couple of road bikes, but no mtn bike, so I hooked him up with one of my rides. He came over. We loaded up and hit the road.

Years ago, when I could ride most trails and still be somewhat coherent afterward, I loved hills. Hills are what separates the “men from the boys”. You can’t be a professional mtn bike racer if you can’t climb (a former fantasy of mine). I would purposely take friends riding on trails with monster hills just to make them hurt. (Yes, they really were my friends).

The trail we rode on Saturday has one of the most difficult climb in the world (my world anyway). As we rode and got closer to the hill my trusty steed did its best to try and buck me off. I hit a bump and my seat did its best catapult impersonation. The back dropped and the front launched itself up directly into my . . . . yeah, you get it. OUCH. I regained my composure and beat on the seat to try and get it into a rideable position (can you say REMEMBER YOUR BIKE TOOL NEXT TIME!!!!). No luck.

JR and I started riding again. We rounded the corner and there it was. Mt Everest. Rocks the size of small houses, ruts rivaling the Grand Canyon. A small ribbon of dirt winding up the deadly slopes. Razor sharp rocks on either side waiting to rip the flesh from our limbs if we should falter the slightest bit. (ok, maybe i’m exaggerating a little) It was a big hill though. We started up. With my seat pointing directly up into space, it was a little difficult to get comfortable and into a rhythm. I faltered, hit a rut and had to stop. JR made some progress but suffered a similar fate. I took us a few tries to finally make the top at which time I flipped my bike over and beat it on a bench to try and level the seat. It squealed and gave a little bit and was rideable again.

We caught our breath, bombed the descent, and continued to ride the other loop. After a few more climbs it was obvious that something was wrong. The more we rode I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something.

JR and I rode back  to the descent of the first hill. We attempted to ride up the reverse side. 50 yds. – stop, 50 yds. – stop, 50 yds. – stop. Then it hit me. My lungs were missing! I couldn’t breath. I made breathing noises. My chest was rising and falling. I was pulling air in, blowing it out, but my lungs just wouldn’t take it. They were gone! Wow, what a feeling. I attempted to walk up the hill to a flat spot so I could re-mount. My legs burned.  I made the plateau, re-mounted and continued the climb. We rested at the top for a few days hours minutes, took a few pictures and decided we’d had enough for the day. The ride back to the car was quiet and slow (for me).

We had a blast. I can’t wait to go back in another week or two. I know if I keep riding that hill I will eventually find my missing lungs. At that point maybe I can get a few more friends to come riding with me. I know of a trail with a few “little” hills that would be a fun leisurely ride!