Don't fool with mother nature.

Alright.
Training plan..... check.
Mileage goals.... check.
Diet plan in place..... check.

Alright! Spring is coming, mid 50's in the forecast for next week -- you got this one in the bag, eh, Dude? Don't ya? Yeah.... helll, yeah....


You ain't got CRAP figured out, sit down!

Flu, baby! IN-FLU-ENZA, baby! That's right, lay down and don't do NUTHIN', boyee!
I got you now. Sucka.

Now, I don't know exactly when Ice Cube and Mother Nature melded into one central character, but that how my brain works. Ice Cube is back, 6'2" with a fly doo and bright blue kicks standing over my shriveled corpse, laughing meniachally while polishing the GSR off his gat.
Boom, beotch, you got the flu now. Stay down, honky.

So, I took a few moments out of my haze, brought to you by Nyquil, Tamiflu, Mucinex, Tylenol, Advil and Sudafed -- hey, we fight hard -- to type a few words of discouragement to the blog universe. While outside, new snow falls and re-coats the roadways and sorta solidifies that whole "you ain't riding SHEET, homes", feeling I've got. Whooo.

Gimme about five days, and we'll be toe-to-toe with Ice Cube, readdy to put the smack down on any more illnesses and get back in the saddle. Ta-dow!

Alright, seriously: don't fool with mutha nat-chuuh, ho.
If I was ACTUALLY toe-to-toe with Ice Cube, I'd scream like a little girl and ask for an autograph. He could bitch-slap me and I wouldn't mind.

Yes, sir, I'll lay back down. Sorry. Clutching my signed copy of Straight Outta Compton, and that rare hidden track, "F* your immune system."

I'm gonna go back to bed now.

Weak three, street-walker!

Week three draws to a close, and I’m really starting to see and feel some results from the changes made to my attitude, spirit, and training style so far --- they say it takes at least two weeks to begin to see changes, and it’s true. So, if you’re out there trying something new and getting discouraged, keep at it!
Anyways, for me, the yoga is helping tremendously with flexibility, extending my usable range of motion, my balance on the bike, and has released the tension in my shoulders and face while I ride. This has resulted in far less fatigue than I remember from indoor training sessions – and the TdF videos are surely helping that solution as well, as the hours (yes, hours!) are flying by as if I was only doing a quick 30 minute session. This is a good thing, because the road conditions and weather have been less than stellar this winter, especially compared to the easy time we had here last year. The road flat suck right now – snow pack and sleet underneath this morning. Last week was barely better, a roller coaster of temperatures and weird precip. Week three, after training indoors, has begun to produce some positive motion in the speed department – even though that is not the goal yet. Pathetic as it sounds if looked at with a REAL racer’s point-of-view, I finally have re-emerged into the 15’s for average speeds on the TOTAL days commute, where last week I was languishing in the 14’s. Last month I was lucky to average out of the 13’s, seriously. My fitness was completely flushed since the injury in October – and compared to year’s past, there was not much fitness there to begin with, even though I was consistently averaging in the 20’s during the Saturday Casey’s runs over in Grandview, one day in the low 22’s! It’s amazing how fast you lose it. Now, however, the numbers are beginning to creep up – which on a commute is amazing in itself, with regards to traffic, hills and the desire to be less-than-sloppy upon arrival at the office. It’s hard to speed-train and keep the stank at bay, ya know. Funk! Whooooo! Wait until August, beotches. Riding consistently in the house at night, however, with the motivation from the Tour DVDs, I can feel it in the hills on the real roads during the days I am able to ride in. The cadence is coming up, the breathing coming down, and the pain is minimizing. Helping all of that is consistent weight loss, as well – while I’ve only been on this new plan for 12 days, I have already lost my first 6 pounds! Before long, I’ll be able to kiss the 170’s goodbye for good – well, at least until the pumpkin pies come back out next November. If all goes to plan, I’ll have reason to indulge a little. I miss pie, and beer, and rifling thru a bag of chips – well, maybe not that last part. I like fitting into my pants and being able to see my feet better than I like chips. This year, in October, at the Tejas 500 start-line photo maybe I’ll look like I belong in that elite group. It was bad enough that I rode the ride like a club-racer wannabe, but to LOOK like a middle-aged pretender that stretched himself into the only jersey that still fit and planned on riding 500 miles in less than 48 hours? I looked a little out of place next to those that would spend that same 48 hours breaking records! One guy in his mid-50’s finished in 29 freaking hours. It’s time to get serious, or it’s time to save the entry fee and just be a pretender at the local training ride. I’m not dead yet – it’s time to get real. Week three in the bag, and I feel REALLY good about the direction things are taking… unfortunately, the weather still refuses to cooperate – and again as I type this the roads are horrid, and the temperatures will be in the single digits for the evenings. So, another week of getting my base mileage in front of a television… sure beats riding the couch and feeling bad about it, like last winter!
Let’s get this season started already!

A few quick thanks: Scott Matthauser, for at least mainstreaming the advent of iron oxide impregnated brake pads, and thanks to Kool Stop for still offering the salmon-colored beauties for road bikes. Otherwise, I’d be typing this from a laptop in the recovery room of a local hospital after having careened over the top of a Pontiac G6 sedan that turned in-front of me last night on 123rd St near Antioch in the rain. Whew! I love it when things work.

Also thanks – and HURRY UP – to the city over Overland Park, Kansas for announcing the construction of a new overpass for Us-69 at 132nd street, which should break ground later this year. That will finally get me AWAY from 123rd and Antioch, which continues to be the high-point of my day. Kinda like getting a root canal without novacaine is the high-point of my day. Yeah. I mean, you’d think there was only ONE way for all these people to get over the highway….. oh, yeah, that IS the only way. Nevermind.
BUILD IT.

By the way… we got Death Star.

Brings me to the LINK-o-the-week: http://www.atomfilms.com/af/content/gangsta_rap_se
Enjoy, freaks. Stay tuned for week FORE! Four. Whatever.

Week Two - 2007

Week Two came to an end last night in the saddle of the Cannondale inside the relative warm comfort of the basement exercise area, with the bluish light of the TV painting images of the 2001 Tour De France across my eyes while I pedaled. Eight miles was all I needed to round out the week’s mileage goal, and with the temperature outside in the low teens, it just wasn’t worth suiting up for. I despise training inside, but the visual motivation and constant Phil & Paul commentary helped pass the time, while my extra wireless computer on the rear wheel clicked off the miles. This might be worthwhile, after all! Pedaling along with Beloki and Francios Simon while they pursue Armstrong certainly is better than staring at the walls or listening to music. I play Ullrich, jersey unzipped and jaw agape for air on the long col. I reach down and add more resistance to the trainer.

Freshly cleaned up, barely touched since October, the Cannondale was gleaming happy below me, fresh lube sklooshing past shiny chainwheels, and taut cables flicking smartly with each gear change as we climbed to the ski station atop Pla d' Adet. It was a time of forgiveness for the Cannondale and I, as I wiped clean the whitish gritty film left over from passing over wet pavement near the cement plant on the loop at Tejas. Wiping off the pedals, re-lubing cables and pivots, pressing air back into long neglected tires; with each polishing stroke, I wiped away the pain, the hardships of the ankle injury, and the tarnish of a season ended short. Mounting up, all indications of mal-adjustment were absent, knees meeting just shy of elbows in the drops, and ankles pulsing properly – nothing over, or under, extended. Only a half-hours task, but enough to feel that this is a very different bicycle than the one I’d ridden in October. As if anxious to prove itself to me, the shifting was crisp, the saddle forgiving, and the handlebars felt like home.

It was a rough week; Monday proved cold – but serviceable, Wednesday proved a serious challenge in varying states of traction and harsh winds and snowfall, and Friday with its torrent of hard headwinds no easier. It was good to be inside – and with a differing outlook compared to last week, I was feeling purposeful on the stationary trainer, instead of feeling tasked with the impossible like in year’s past. My arms are changing, my midsection still needs work but feels better than usual – more engaged – and my legs feel as if they are holding back, ready to snap into a heated sprint… is that the Warbird I see on the horizon??? With focus and purpose, I up the tempo as Armstrong breaks Jalabert’s grip in the last 5km of the climb.

In only four short weeks, February will be gone and the first brevet will be looming. The 200K, hopefully with the promise of warmer temperatures, will set the stage for the entire rest of the year. The cardio base will nearly be complete, and the slow steady rise to “fast” will begin. Two weeks later, the 200K in Liberty will begin the hill-climbing training in earnest, and consequently build strength and speed with it.
After that, the controlled excitement of a tailwind from Liberty to Albany on the 300K, and the long slog back south – my favorite brevet of the series; long enough to be seriously challenging, but still only taking one day – and a steady stream of hills and good scenery. That and the mystery of April in eastern Kansas – it could be cold, hot, windy or calm, dry or soaking wet. In two barely months time I will set the stage for the entire season, and set my gaze long towards Tejas 2007, and redemption.

These thoughts flash past my mind as I fly free to the finish line, prompted on by Phil Liggett’s cries of exaltation and the roar of the fans lining the streets. Yes, a short training session – but all big things must begin small. Week three begins tomorrow, and the weather doesn’t look good – at all. Mentions of freezing rain, flurries, and roller coaster temps are making it hard to keep the motivation high – but my eyes are on the prize, and if I have to do it indoors, so be it.
Stay tuned!

Taking back winter

I tell you what, a few - maybe a week ago - I was talking about transcending my suburban existance to maybe romanticize myself into the saddle -- and it worked. I have since logged my first major mileage of the 2007 season, most recently today on my commute to work. Today's ride started normally enough, with cold temps - but a welcome tailwind pushing me to the office. This afternoon, however, true images of riding across a frozen lake on my way to a remote settlement became easier to visualize. Kansas, winter, and thick snow showers blanketed the network of roads with an inch-thick slurry of slushy pudding - an 11-mile challenge lay ahead, and as I set forth from the relative safety of the work parking lot onto the nervous streets of town, loaded with 5:00pm cars, I was surprisingly relaxed. The only thing I focused on was staying loose, riding the ruts, and staying textbook - read: "as far to the right as practicable". It was working, and the hundreds of cars that passed me on the way home this evening were very accomidating - though I feel it neccessary to apologize to anyone whose way I might have inadvertantly gotten in. It's one of the few times I was sympathizing on the side of the drivers around me, as news of 30-car pileups and gridlock was fresh on everyone's minds, tense shoulders and nervous applications of the accelerator, only to be complicated by a bicycle on the road ---- in THIS MESS????!!? While *I* know my skill and my experience will keep me upright and secure, the driver passing me doesn't know this. Sadly, the last cyclist they might have passed on a NORMAL day might have been one of those non-signalling, running-the-stop-sign riders that might have been abrasive, or hard to predict at best. It's hard to tell what they expect from me - and I'm certainly not perfect, either. It made certain sections harrowing, but the tenseness was short-lived in each case. In fact, only one mal-informed teenager, safe and secure in his (parents?) Jeep Grand Cherokee used his power-window controls to lower the passenger-side window just long enough to shout "get on the f*ing sidewalk" before rolling it back up and regaining his cushion of recirculated heater-air. Poor bastard. I simply, as always, grin and keep my eyes front, with the sincere hopes that in a fit of rage in his "right" mind he quickly arrived home to fire up the computer and search for "bicycles on the road", perhaps refining his search to include our fair city - only to find himself in the wrong. Sweet justice, only a few clicks away.

Meanwhile, on the slush-covered roads amid the evening rush-hour I carefully make my way.
In the residential maze, in relative seclusion, I slowly make my way past driveway after driveway of amazed citizens, some waving, some just staring with confused looks, snow shovels in-hand, watching as I pass. I offer a quick quip to a mother watching her child play in the new snow near the road -- "Don't try THIS at home, kids" - she laughs, and retorts with a friendly "be safe!" It's a nice evening ride in the snow, no biggie. Miles tick away, twice as slowly as normal, but it's all good. The steady pelting of snow has slowed, and the winds are barely worth mentioning as the sun finally is hidden behind the horizon. I've been on the road over and hour, and still many miles to go -- my average speed must be horrible!

With each passing mile, I try my luck - using a careful ear, I ensure there is no-one coming up behind me and then I guide the front wheel into the thicker snow nearer the shoulder/curb line -- hmmm... seems to stick better here. I abandon the slushy soup for the fresh powder, and suddenly my attempts to stay "as far to the right" are more productive. Passing cars still give a wide berth, likely helped along by the steady and intense flash of my taillights. I make the final turn homeward and enjoy the last of the snow, turning confidently into my driveway without even putting a foot down for insurance -- a good lesson, while probably not as intense in the cardio or hill-climbing department, but still a good time on the bike for a lot of reasons.



More than that, a big smile across my frozen face lights up -- I've done it, I've arrived at the settlement, a warm fire awaits, and supplies for the weary traveler across this frozen wasteland. Romantic, indeed -- Yes, spring, summer and fall are favorites, of course -- but winter, especially episodes like today, are simply unmatched.



On many a training ride LAST late-winter/early-spring, I remember riding along with Ort(of Texas, ya'll) and talking about how miserable the conditions were -- one ride, rain and about 40 degrees, we were passing the miles by tossing back and forth sardonic remarks about the conditions, etc., and a "certain kind of misery", and I remember myself saying something to the effect of "I've never been on a ride in July or August and said to myself "man, I'm sure glad I did all those horrible rides back in February".

I take that back.

Front derailluer logged with snowpack, and spokes, tubes and fenders hanging onto a little, too.

It was a messy commute!

Week One

Welp, the year-long chain of self-checks begin here, man --- time for public accountability!

Week One: yeah, it's Friday, and technically in my new plan the weekends that follow are still part of the week in question - if that makes sense: ok, the weeks run Monday to Sunday for cycling purposes. So, I have ridden to work now Monday and Wednesday this week, and will probably go outside for a cold 10-12 mile spin to test out the new tires in the next two days.
Flurries are expected tomorrow, so maybe Sunday. No longer concerned with the cold temperatures -- fully acclimated again, and have suffered thru the first two days on the bike by being UNDER-dressed for the conditions on the rides home each evening. Miserable headwinds and cold, moist air made the evening portions of these two commutes especially brutal -- but I survived. Wednesday, the new-tire purchase was prompted by a flat tire (usually is) - but it may have been a "panic-purchase". The Pasela TGs have done GREAT, in a myriad of conditions, but I think I'm saving them for brevets, simply to not have to worry about flats at all, especially during the winter. Wednesday's flat tire was a sharp rock chip that worked it's way into the tube, but the tire - in Panaracer's defense - had 2500+ miles on it, was quite flat and thin in the middle where the rock chip worked thru, and winter here is especially bad because of the nature of the material they treat the roads with - which, has a lot of rock chips and sand in it. The chances of this kind of flat go WAY up, and so here was my first flat in a WHILE. This time, however, the wind was cold and the hands were cold, and upon flipping the bike over to better-access the rear wheel, I accidentally dropped the front end and proceeded to try and recover the blunder by grabbing hte first thing I could - which this time was the outer chainring, sans-chain. Nice move. 7 puncture wounds and a lacerated pinkie-finger later I've elected to make THAT flat tire my LAST winter flat. I'll put the Pasela's back on ater the first spring storms wash the roads clear of all this crud. Until then, a pair of heavy-but-sturdy Schwalbe Marathon-Plus tires will take their place. As I type this, careful not to double-hit keys with my excessive bandaging on my left hand, I remind myself that the extra weight is TOTALLY worth it.

Week two begins Monday, Jan 29th, putting the countdown timer on the first 200K brevet at 5 weeks. wow. ONLY five weeks and I'll be riding 125 miles -- that first one, as Thursby quipped this afternoon, is gonna HURT. (Was good to run into you today, by the way). Week two will be the first major step - besides week one, of course - towards being more ready than I am as I type this. Week Two: 74 miles, probably divided between three commutes to work, and a very short weekend run of 4 or 5 miles. Very short - almost not worth it, but it will help the training, so I'll make it a FAST five miles and hope to count it as a positive step back towards speed-training again later on this spring.

I've got a pretty good list of goals posted now, for more public accountability, including one non-cycling goal, the endurance portion of which the sysling SHOULD take care of: I'll post those goals here, too - just for fun and ridicule! Enjoy!

(Oh yeah - that's not my hand, by the way. Thank goodness.)

Another round

Another round of winter weather is headed straight for the metro area, and yet - this time - I'm not discouraged. I spent this morning over strong coffee, looking out the back window at the clear roads and the whiteish haze of salt treatment left over from the last round of wintry weather, and grinned. It will get sloppy again, but this time it won't be as bad. This is when winter really gets fun -- the common motorist looks upon the winter cyclist as a nut, a crazed fool with no other alternatives for transportation - when in reality the roads underneath are just as traction-providing as they are in spring-time. This is gonna be a good week to get back into the swing of things. The fears of getting cold, getting wet, loathing of discomfort, are fading - and as I prepared my laundry for the coming week I also took the time to dust off the thick gloves, the rain pants, the tights, the thicker wool socks and the long un-used winter headcovers and wool caps. I haven't ridden to work for months now, really. Aside from brief rides and the VERY fun New Year's Day ride, I have barely been on the bicycle. I ache for a ride - and I desperately want to break the "car" habit.
The sun is rising again on a passion that has long been buried under the ashes of personal tragedy and borderline depression. It's time to stoke these fires once again, brush away the ashes of despair and toss a few fresh hardwoods on these waning embers.
I see myself, the winter warrior once more suiting up for the challenge at hand. It's not un-usual to mentally transcend my own suburban existance and fancy myself at Vostok, suiting up to check the telemetry settings on a perimeter wind-speed sensor. Perhaps a Canadian Mounted, pulling on heavy boots and lining his pockets with provisions for a midnight patrol along the Trans-Canada #1 in deep January. Not just some cube-jockey on his way to work to create another meaningless spreasheet, but something harder, more romantic. A Norweigan military policeman, looking out over the harsh Arctic waters, monitoring Russian patrol boat activity, as the winter sun barely peeks its head over the horizon behind me - perhaps putting thumb to pipe tobacco to pass the hours, waiting for my captain to return with a pot of hot tea. Certainly not "just" in Kansas, riding along a safe two-lane road. Perhaps to the motorists around me my mission is daring enough; to hold one's head defiant and walk past the car with its promise of speedy transport without icy winds and exposure, with the promise of heat and entertainment and a soft chair - to walk past all that without a moment's hesitation, to put instead metal spikes into icy slush, to play among the steel beasts at intersections and precariously defy convention, to travel as the harder peoples of only 100 years ago would have. Perhaps fantasy isn't neccessary. Perhaps abject refusal to subscribe to the notion that the human race has become soft by taking up the handlebars and putting my chin to my chest in a frigid headwind, facial hair gathering ice along the way, is enough. A noble choice, or a foolish one - it is mine to shoulder, and my own story to create. Whether making my way across the tundra with medicine for my family, or simply making my way to another day at work with a laptop - however I choose to describe it, it's DAMN good to throw my leg over the top tube again, and set off into the challenge. If it was easy, everyone would do it - and because not everyone does I can hold my head strong with pride in my own personal demonstration that this nation's men have NOT gotten soft. There are still some of us that would have it the hard way. Regardless of the freedoms we have earned and the luxuries we can afford, we choose to suffer, to remind ourselves what life is about.
Bring on the snow - I will not waver.

A new look -- sorta

Just got finished uploading new pages to the Commuterdude.com website, so take a peek when you get time -- the look and feel is nearly the same, as I don't have time to get everything into Flash animation and java applet format, etc. I just don't care THAT much, ya know?! Someday... But, for now, the menus have been updated with location markers to make navigation easier, and most importantly the Gear and Logistics pages have been changed to the HOW and WHAT pages, and the former lighting page has been absorbed into the new WHAT page. Explore, and enjoy -- the texts have also been updated and corrected to be a little more up to date, considering the last time I updated ANY of the content on commuter gear and lighting was August of 2001!!!! Yeesh. Anyone with a handlebar mounted LED headlight knows how out-of-date THAT page was. Yeesh.
Anyways -- I'm slowly re-emerging from the shadows, and back into the role of Team Captain, and you should also note that the Team and Ride update page has been updated a little as well -- the focus taken OFF the team itself, and placed on the RIDES that are coming up. If you scroll down, the team photos and info are still there -- just not as apparent as before. Now, you have one less click to get to the upcoming ride information, which is what most people are visiting that page for these days.

Our next team ride is Feb. 27th, a Saturday -- technically, the new year's day ride was out January edition -- so if you missed that one, too bad! Sorry!

Talk to you all soon!

from the depths...

MAN -- it's been over a month since I've written here, and what a month. Very little riding. I can't begin to describe for you what it means to lose someone you care about. Only those that have gone thru it before can know. It's tough...and that's a gross understatement of the truth. I've had little motivation to even get out of bed somedays, but I've still been doing it - thankfully. My health is good, I suppose, but my goals of losing weight have slipped by the wayside. I'm picking the pieces up, slowly. It's amazing how we "run back to momma", sometimes; I'm re-finding comfort in things I've learned to avoid over the years, like food. I guess they call it 'comfort food' for a reason. Other long-forgotten habits have made temporary returns, and have since been abandoned as well -- only human after all, I wish I could say that I'm stronger than all of this, but I can't. Fallable, for sure - but congnizant enough to recognize the reasons; more importantly the reasons to stop again. Time to lift myself up from the depths, and find the sunshine again.

I've begun Yoga classes, and I can honestly say that I had been sceptical, but am now - in only a short time - a believer. While this has not only helped with the obvious, like breath control and balance and flexibility, it has also refocused me mentally on my goals. I can see the pieces falling back into place; the jigsaw puzzle of my life that I'd had so carefully constructed and then let be tossed into the gale of life's difficulties over the last 40 days. I scoured the endless fields of my past for the pieces, sometimes in the darkness of my dreams, and have finally placed them all back in a large pile in front of me. I can see the patterns, and I can see the finished product coming together once more.

Bicycling is a large, easy to find piece - but it's been hard to get it to fit back into the puzzle. I find myself staring at the bikes - still upsidedown in their hooks in the garage, tires still holding on to the last bit of pressure, and a thin layer of neglect collected on the surfaces facing the ceiling. Often with a careful finger I've wiped some of it clean, only to sigh heavily and walk away again. Many a cold morning, where I knew that the path to a good day lay at the END of a nice, long ride, I've found myself still stuck at the beginning only half-dressed for the ride, collasping back into the chair and reversing the process by retreating to my every-day clothes again. I have found myself packing my Carradice for the next day's ride, only to unpack the next morning and retreat to the car. The voices of motivation haven't grown silent - they're simply drowned out under the growl of doubt and "blah". It's true what is oft said about getting back into something you've set aside. Despite the strength of my previous passions, simply STARTING again is proving harder than the act itself.

There is always tomorrow. Lately, while driving here and there, I've been catching myself once again regarding certain roads by their grade of "ride-ability" - and that's a good sign. Trainspotting the other evening, watching the action on the Emporia sub just west of town, I found a myriad of "new" roads that are ripe for a good gravel ride. When the mind starts leaning that way, it's time for the body to follow.

I have a clear vision of myself putting fresh air into neglected Pasela's, stuffing work clothes into a lonely Carradice, and warming up a shirked saddle. Surely it will do my soul some good, and provide the neccessary warm-up for New Year's Day, where I *am* commited.
I'll not let the shortcomings of late this year cloud the promise of the one coming.

Besides, it is only ten short months until 500-miles looms once again.

With head held high, we move forward

First let me say that I appreciate all the kind words and thoughts that were sent to our family during the last month - they mean a lot, and will be cherished forever. Having said that, it's time to move forward - as he would have wanted it; not to dwell or linger in the past for too long. So, I have removed some of the more personal effects from the blog - and we now, as they say, return you to our regularly scheduled programming...

Marching back towards regular cycling is one step I can now take, as the clock finally ticks down on my time as a member of the injured reserve list. With only four days left to go, and a lot of baggage to unload, I took the bikes down from the rafters last night, aired up the tires and took a few laps around the neighborhood. I'm happy to report that the pains of the last month are gone, and practically forgotten during daily life these past few weeks. Yard work, playing with the kids, lifting, stretching and general walking around haven't produced any tightness or flaring in the ankle or tendon area. While this injury had become FAR less important over the past weeks, it has popped back into importance as I've looked for ways to occupy myself, and maintain fitness.

While it will take some time to get back to a level of competitiveness, it should also be noted that I really haven't been at a competitive level for some years now. Since 2003, I have really taken a laxidazical approach to riding and eating and health in general. Only recently have I been motivated to do something about that, and by rejoining Weight Watchers this past month, I have lost a total of 10.2 lbs -- however I must admit that Thanksgiving was tough this year, for obvious reasons, and I may have slid backwards a touch; but I can restart and correct for that easily - which is the plan. A solid upper body program has turned into habit, and also while it's been hard to keep that up over the past week, I'm anxious to get back into it, and get more results - some of which have already begun to show. Looking back on HOW I made 2003 such a solid season, it's clear now what's been missing - hard work. It was NOT easy before, but sometimes looking back it seems so impossible -- this time, and for all of 2007, I'm prepared to do the work that delivers the results I have waxed philisophical about.

The first steps, however, are in the form of slow rebuilding. Cycling remains a strong passion, but jumping back into action with a metric century is NOT in the cards. It's almost December, after all, and big miles are really not in the cards -- even though as I write this it's nearly 65 degrees outside! Not bad for the day after Thanksgiving. As much as I'd LIKE to get right back into the thick of riding, I know that I can't, and it will take some time to build up even to a COMMUTE to work! Last night started with approx. 3.5 miles. Today, later this afternoon when the heat of hte day peaks out, I'll go for about 5-7 miles. Then, 7-10 miles. After that, 10-12 miles, then 12-15, then 15-20 -- after reaching a successful 20 mile ride, I'll be ready to start commuting again, sporadically. Rest days will be important, too. After commuting for a bit, the weekends will hold more distance. It will almost be like starting over: though I likely haven't lost THAT much, six weeks off doing ANYTHING cardio-related will certainly have some sort of consequence attached to it.

Reaching 30 miles on the weekends may have to come as early as NEXT weekend, however, with the last CommuterDude ride of the year - this will be a 34 mile ride, at a REALLY easy pace. Hopefully, nothing will prevent me from doing that ride, but I'll have to be cautious. Worst case, I can drive support for the ride, and let others enjoy it - but we'll see. I'm NOT going to reschedule it again!! Promise!

After the 35-mile marker, things will start to get easier, I imagine. Strength and endurance will come back, and hopefully with no reminders of the injury. Knocking on wood!!! The next goals will be the metric century, and that may well be the extent of mileage training until things begin to turn around in late February. After that, serious ramping up for the brevets will have to begin, and I may see my first full century ride in early March (pending the brevet schedule).

After that, a full schedule of 200, 300, 400 and 600K rides ensue - once again with the 600 holding up the scepter of "longest ride ever", since Tejas didn't go as well as planned. I still have yet to break the 300 mile mark in a single event, so I'm looking again at early May for the personal record attempt. With that in the bag, Tejas 2007 will likely hold far fewer surprises.

All in good time... Stay tuned! We're on our way back, baby!!!

Taking stock of the situation

I've learned a lot over the past week -- once injured or something happens, I turn into research-boy - scanning the net for clues, hints, tips... a glimmer of hope. It's been interesting. First off, it's REALLY hard to find CYCLING SPECIFIC information on Achilles tendinitis (or tendOnitis, which I learned is also an acceptable spelling in medical journals...) -- most of the information out there is for long distance runners. But, most of the information is adaptable. So, I learned some stuff on how to heal correctly.

Also broke down on Wednesday and visited the doctor's office - just in case. Each morning the pain and stiffness has been getting progressively better, and also it is taking longer into the day for things to flare back up again - so that means that it's probably healing well. However, I *AM* glad I went to the doc, because a set of x-rays put my mind (and his) at ease about the nature of the injury. No calcifications, no frays or tears, nothing permanent - which is good - but defintely a little stress.

Over-use injury -- no doy.

Let's see; number one was not riding a single weekend between the MS-150 in early September until Tejas in late October. Body not ready for the massive jump in mileage, ya think? Strike one.

Walking to the tent in the dark? Strike two - stumbled on SOMETHING, but not sure what. That irritated things and pushed it over the edge.... but what is "it", in this case? "IT" was saddle height! Strike three.

"What??? I thought the dude was all tape-measury and stuff????"

Well, I know -- I SHOULD be... but on the most recent of my builds I have been using the tape measure only sporadically, and the saddle heights were all adjusted on the trainer "biomechanically" -- specifically, the "heel test".
What's that?
Get on the bike, pedal a little to settle in, and then unclip one foot from the pedals and try to touch your extended heel to the pedal when it's furthest away from you, at the 5 o'clock position or thereabouts. The way it reads is, you should be "barely able to touch it, but are NOT able to plant your weight on it - if you can, your seat is too low." Okay, cake... so I got the saddles in a good starting place, and then took it from there. They always felt fine, no issues, no knee pain, etc.

HOWEVER, I forgot a critical thing: "barely able to touch it" is VERY VAGUE. Sure, I was barely able to touch the pedals with my heel - but compared to WHAT? Like, you can only MAYBE touch them, or you simply can't get your whole heel on there? And what if you drop your hips a little to one side? What then? We're talking full centimeters here, potentially!

Cut back to today, and my specific injury. Possibly caused by over-extending the ankle downward, putting undue stretch on the achilles tendon -- multiply by however many pedal strokes it takes to get to 220 miles. Yeesh... toss in a hobble on a rock or something on a dark walk back to the tent, and then ride AGAIN, yeah - that might do it. But were the saddles too low all this time? And if they were, how come I didn't notice any knee pain???

Well, there was no knee pain because I *WAS* able to "barely" brush the pedals with my heel... that only means that it's not too high OR too low for my KNEES. What about joints that don't have such a broad sweep of range like the knees do? Like the ankle? It's a pretty tight arrangement down there.

So, I dug into the toolbox and got out the old tape measure that I'd used in the past to get all anal about saddle height and handlebars and such. There, upon it's surface, was the old tick-mark that designated the seat-height on my original road bike, the orange Schwinn. The benchmark.
Lets see how close the "heel test" got me...

Yikes.

First, the Kogswell --- survey says...... >EAARRRRRNNNN!!!!<
WRONG! Close, but no banana. The saddle was indeed low - by about 3/8 of an inch!
That's a LOT, dude. So, I got out the allen wrenches and got it spec'd exactly how all my older bikes had been in the past. After re-centering the saddle and tightening everything up, I threw it into the track-stand and mounted up....and performed the "heel test"...

THIS time, I truly was only *BARELY* able to brush my extended heel on the pedal -- I mean **BARELY** --- maybe THIS is what they were talking about! That explains the mild, but manageable, knee pain after the MS-150 this year (done on the Kogswell).
DUDE, sometimes your dumbness amazes me... talking to me. Wow.

So, not low enough to hurt the knees, obviously - but low enough that the over-use injury itself was probably brewing a lot longer than just this recent Tejas weekend -- it was probably brewing all summer long on commutes on a saddle that was just about a centimeter too low - but, at only 11 miles at a time I would never have revealed it.

Not even on a century, perhaps. But it was indeed causing heel-drop at the bottom of each pedal stroke, and giving the achilles a slight tug. The twisted ankle probably sent things over the edge at Tejas, and then riding on it just made it worse.

But wait --- I wasn't ON the Kogswell in Texas... I was on the Weapon... the Cannondale. Could I have screwed up there, too?

Well, probably so, foolio.

I then took the tape measure to the Cannondale and found the same issue - just not to the same degree. The saddle was actually fairly close - but still about 1/4" too low. While this might not have been enough to cause the initial injury, it was certainly enough to make life a little less comfy. Still, it probably saved me from having to bow out of Tejas after only 100 miles, instead of 220. Who knows... but again, the revised "heel test" after adjusting the Cannondale proved the same as it had minutes before: It was much more apparent what *BARELY* meant in those instructions. The Cannondale is now the same as the Kogswell, and now BOTH bikes are the same as the old Schwinn had been - which was PERFECT at MV24.
I tossed C'Dale into the trainer next and spun for about five, pain-free minutes -- of course that's probably the ankle wrap, ibuprofen and Flexoril talking... I'm still taking the doc's advice -- no riding for 4 more weeks: but I can't WAIT for December 1st to get out and ride a short 15 miles and see how things feel - based on that short trainer session, the bike feels more "dialed" that it has since I bought it.

Why I didn't notice this sooner is beyond me, because it could have prevented a LOT of hassle and pain. I'm very glad I read that piece on saddle height relating to tendinitis: Otherwise I would've jumped on the bike on December 1st and started the injury process all over again on the Kogswell with too-low a saddle. Now, the position, and the way my legs are behaving in that new position, everything feels neutral, efficient, and fluid. I never felt like my knees were coming up too high before - but now, it's clear that something was "off" -- both bikes not only feel identical to each other, but they both also seem to fit me better now. I'm really disappointed that my stickler-ness didn't catch THIS important detail.... but, hey; at least all my crimp ends are color-matched.

Dummy.

So, there ya have it --- saddle height is not something to be messed with, and not only from a knee perspective. Now my heels don't drop -- my toes have to point a little to make it to the bottom of the stroke, and that relaxes that tendon nicely... this is how it SHOULD be. No hip rocking, no pain; nice and smooth.
The only reason I didn't have this issue at Tinbutt is likely that the Cannondale's saddle WAS closer than the Kogswells - but also, I didn't stumble on any campsite debris, either.

The mystery is solved: A combination of too much mileage on a bike with too-low a saddle all summer, the transition to a bike with a slightly different saddle height, a 12-hour drive in a car with no cruise control, a stumble/ankle-twist on a walk to/from the tent, a hilly course, and a jump in mileage from 110-per-week to 220 in less than 24-hours, and not ramping-up with weekend rides of ANY distance for over a month leading up to it.

All that equals a painful mistake that didn't have to happen. But that's life.

Man, this is gonna be a LONG month.