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Lessons from an inanimate object

When we are young we are taught by our parents we should be nice to every person, place or thing. They may be different from us but they are the way they are. It isn't worth trying to change those that don't want or don't need to be changed. We are taught that one's true beauty lies beneath the surface despite the immediate attractiveness or lack thereof. One which requires a true meaning of the word acceptance to fully see. A true friend will not only open your eyes to their beauty but in return their friendship will teach you the lessons of acceptance. The lessons of appreciating the beauty of people and things you previously may have thought didn't deserve your acceptance and understanding.

In the past four months, I have developed a new friendship. One that over the past twelve years I would have previously crossed the metaphoric street just so I wouldn't have to speak to or about the idea of spending any amount of time with this person. Only on the worst of rainy days, when no one else wanted to come out to play would I give this person an opportunity.

His name, Kurt.

Four months ago, I would hem and haw about the thought of working out with Kurt. It didn't take long however, for me to gain the trust in Kurt for what he was doing for me. He has tirelessly spun to help prepare me for my goals of this upcoming season. He hasn't asked for anything in return and doesn't complain when I drip hours of corrosive (to both metal and your nose) sweat on him. Like a dog who wants to run, he thrives on a little bit of my time and attention. As I prepare for the longest ride of my training block before heading to Texas in a few weeks, I find myself looking forward to spending another long night watching documentary after documentary once again with him.

Alice Walker once said, "No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow." Through my acceptance of him, he has never asked me to be quiet despite his intent to make the choose to continue throughout the night harder rather than easier. I no longer see the "evil" that others swear he possesses. I see the inner beauty of which he is comprised and that he spreads onto others. I take away from his friendship, a mind which is even more open than before. A mind that tries to understand rather than judge. For this, I am indebted and incredibly thankful for.

Christmas Calculations

Eggnog, carols, advent calendars, too much good cooking and family are all reasons why I love Christmas time. I like to think of myself as being a traditionalist when it comes to the Christmas which is why this is my favorite time of the year. My favorite thing about Christmas however, is that it holds the power to bring everyone home to be together even if it's for the shortest of days. Christmas to me means family and that will never change.

With friends, family and acquaintances all coming back home at some point during the last couple of weeks, I have been asked frequently why I like to do ultra endurance races. For the longest time, I didn't have an answer that even I believed. Sure I love to ride my bike, but that couldn't be the sole reason as to why I would want to put in as much work on the bike as I do.

Last Sunday, my family all got together and celebrated "Welch Family Christmas". This is the weekend when both of my siblings and their families come home to avoid the chaos of running around on Christmas Day. After watching my niece and nephews open their gifts with such honest excitement, I had an answer as to why I enjoy racing.

As I mentioned earlier, I define Christmas as simply "family". That is also how I will now define the reasoning behind my racing. You see, I couldn't race without the support of my loving wife and family. They are there to ensure I stay safe in the chasing of my dreams all the while cracking the whip to get the most out of me. They haven't missed a single race since the beginning. For that, I am grateful.

For the longest time, I hadn't realized that I was blessed more so than others. Instead of having just one Christmas a year, I can now use the following formula to calculate the number of Christmas' a year I get to celebrate. (1+X) where X=the number of races I enter in a given year. And that is all the motivation I need to put in the time on the bike this coming year.

The Night for Suede?

The day has come and tonight is the night.  As I sit here going over my presentation ten or eleven last times, my mind took a turn.  It is now questioning whether or not I can make it through an hour at the front of a room speaking to friends, family and strangers.  Will my legs buckle underneath me or will my normally cast iron stomach turn south robbing me of my dignity and ruining a pair of new suede shoes which belong to the unlucky soul in the front row who decided to wear them out on the town tonight?

After a few minutes of wearing a confused look on my face as the voices in my head debated all the possibilities, calmness returned.  After all, ultracycling is not only about having the power to turn the pedals over a hundred thousand times or the ability to sit on what some perceive to be such an uncomfortable seat for so long.  No, the hardest part for the rider is having the mental strength to know that everything they have done in the times leading up to the race was the work and now they can race the race while enjoying all that comes their way.  Having faith in the preparation will keep you calm when the time comes to do what you do.

I am honored to have been asked to do so and look forward to introducing the sport of Ultracycling to those who are able to come out to Endorphin Fitness (8908 Patterson Ave) tonight at 7pm.  The weather forecast isn't calling for rain so your shoes might even be safe.

400 for 3000

Monday December 3rd at 7pm, I will be giving a presentation on my experiences while preparing to qualify for the Race Across America. We will touch on training, nutrition, the Ohio Challenge and the ultimate goal of RAAM. This presentation is open and free to everyone so invite your friends to come out to Endorphin Fitness (8908 Patterson Ave) with you. You can RSVP by emailing register@endorphinfitness.com

Thank you to Endorphin Fitness and Powerbar for hosting the event. I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday night.

The Timing has Me Thinking

It's funny how things tend to fall into their places when they do.  When a string of things fall together at a seemingly unrelated time, it certainly makes believing there is a higher power involved with our lives very easy to do. 

A month ago, I returned home from Ohio where I qualified for the Race Across America.  Since then, I have spent a week relaxing, a week riding and two weeks of being sick.   I once worked for a gentleman who would preach "Failure to plan is planning for failure."  I am not sure who originally said this but it has stuck with me over the years.  As I began to feel better this week and my body was beginning to feel incredibly antsy, I started to look towards next year's training and racing.

Now, it's unrealistic that I get all my ducks in a row to take part in the RAAM in 2013 but I do plan on racing more and putting the training in so that 2014 isn't so unrealistic.  2014 would also be the last year of my current two year qualified status.  One night earlier this week while I was trying to put together a preliminary list of races I might have the slightest bit of interest in doing next year, I got the craving for a cold glass of juice.  

That is when the first of two signs arrived that would make me believe 2014 would be the year.  I reached into the fridge for the pitcher of juice and saw there was not enough left to fill my glass.  No worries, we always have an extra can of Dole's delicious 100% not from concentrate pineapple juice on hand.  As I was opening the new can, I couldn't help but notice the stamp on the top.  (Reminder that RAAM takes place in June every year.)

After letting that little nugget sink in, I went back to meticulously, putting together my extremely tentative race calendar.  Then on Thursday, after a long day of power testing and halloween hayrides I received a letter from the Executive Director of RAAM.  The second sign in as many days that 2014 should be the year.  It was something I had been dreaming of for a long time, my official invite to participate in the Solo Division of the Race Across America.

How all of these things could happen within days of each other is beyond me.  With the exception of one of us, the timing of these events was certainly out of our control.  Whether 2014 becomes a reality or not, only time will tell.  One thing we can be sure of, is they have given me an incredible amount of motivation to continue working hard down this path.  And I intend to do so.

Sinking In

A week ago yesterday, I was able to finish a chapter of a long time dream of mine when I crossed the finish line of the Ohio Challenge.  By crossing the line in less than the allotted 34 hours, I became qualified to race in the solo division of what is renowned as the hardest race in cycling, the Race Across America.

As I sit here now, I am still taken back by the outpouring of support I have received from not just friends and family but also from complete strangers.  People who I have never met and seemingly had nothing in common with were sending motivating messages throughout the day and night.  The phone ringing throughout the night despite my inability to press the correct  button which would allow me to actually talk to the caller. Instead I denied 90% of the calls and just kept riding through dark cornfields repeating to myself over and over again, "Hello? Hello? Helllloooo?"

Combine all of those messages with the handful of conversations and emails I have received who have made reference to how my racing had inspired them to do more with their lives not only in a fitness sense but to lead a more fruitful life in a general everyday sense, all have me reevaluating the reasoning I was reintroduced to a bicycle years after I stopped riding one as a kid.

When I started this journey, I had nothing but selfish reasons to attempt and complete the qualification process.  I am humbled in knowing that I am not alone when I am on the bike.  I am excited to see what is to come in the future as I prepare for racing lots of shorter and even a few longer distances next year.

The question I am asked the most "When will you be doing RAAM?" is a tough question to answer as I am not completely sure when the right time will be.  The one thing I do know is that being surrounded by all of the best coaches in endurance sports, the best of friends who continually inspire me on a daily, the most loving wife who accepts and tolerates every crazy idea that passes from my brain to my mouth and a family who are all willing to go to the end of the earth to make my dreams come true there isn't an easier answer to give.  Soon, very soon.

Mixing Concrete

Over the last few months, I have been sharing a lot of my other hobbies and passions with all the interwebs to see both here and over on the book of faces.  Most of the sharing comes in the form of pictures of food I am either about to throw on a grill, something already on the grill or something just off the grill.  I very rarely share the recipes, only drool inducing photos.  Today, I thought I would share with you a recipe I have been perfecting for years.  A recipe so good, it could win a blue ribbon at any local 4H competition, how to properly mix concrete in your legs.

Anyone who has swung there leg over a bicycle either recreationally or competitively has at one time or another either experienced heavy or cramping legs.  Legs that just don't want to move.  Legs that have been set into concrete.  Follow these easy steps for your very own DIY concrete legs or do the exact opposite if you aren't the following type.

1. Prep work is key.  If the area in which you are mixing the concrete isn't cleaned out properly the concrete will not settle and harden as it should.  The day before you are scheduled to pour the concrete, go out for a long hard ride.  This will ensure your leg cavities no longer have any toxins in them.  It also helps tear the muscle fiber in the tiniest of bits which allows the concrete to properly adhere to your quadriceps.  Proper rehydration is not suggested.  Have you ever tried pouring concrete straight into a lake?
2. The morning of the pour, you may start to take in some fluids.  I recommend one glass of fluid in the early morning and that is it.  Be careful though, too much fluid and you will ruin the consistency of the mix which prevents the concrete from setting up perfectly.
3. Follow that up with a long day in the hot sun.  You do not have to be doing anything active, just be out there.  This is when the pouring actually takes place.
4. After a long day in the sun and the temperatures start to fall outside, you may have your first and only bite to eat for the day.  This bite needs to be in the form of pure junk.  Something with a good bit of sugar in it but with nothing of good nutritional value.  Gummy Bears, Mike & Ikes and vegan cupcakes all work well with two of the three tasting much better than the third. Certainly, nothing with protein.  Protein will start to speed up the body's attempt to repairing your torn muscles fibers which you worked so hard to rip in step one.  You might as well be breaking out a jackhammer!  
5. The sugar you just took in will give your body just enough energy to keep the concrete from freezing overnight.  Frozen uncured concrete will crack a lot easier than if it cures fully.  Now go to bed.
6. After waking up, go for another ride and reap the fruit of your labor.  If you followed the recipe exactly, you will be blessed with legs too heavy to move and your friends will think they are getting faster because they can actually keep up with you.

Swimming in Cyclist Style

When working in a shop you are often asked many of the same questions on a daily basis. Being surrounded by triathletes, one of the most common questions I hear is "Do you do triathlons?" My response is always a coy "No, I swim like a rock."  Which isn't necessarily true as I can swim well enough to not drown in the first 3 minutes of being in the water but that's about it.  Jenn has a standing offer to work with me on my swimming when I want it to truly learn but for now it doesn't fit into my long term plans which means it gets no short term love.

Yesterday, my body was more tired than I it was letting on.  I know this because the plan was to pick up the bike and gear from the shop, eat some lunch and then go for a ride.  The plan was derailed when I fell asleep on the couch after eating lunch and didn't wake up until 3 hours later.

At that point my normal routes from the house would have me playing in traffic during rush hour so I opted to head across town to Westcreek and head a bit west from there.  After being on the bike for a few miles, I had come up with a route in my head then it donned on me, I was about to go swimming in a pure cyclist fashion.  I would ride towards all the roads which are named after some form of water.  

I started in the creek and road towards the river (River Rd).  Like most rivers, the road tends to really flow especially after a lot of rain.  Well the rain on this day was rush hour and I decided to save the splashing around in the river for another day.  

Instead, I thought diving into a Shallow Well would be a bit safer.  After all I was wearing a helmet and there aren't any no diving warning signs posted or flashing in my head. With no fear of spinal injury or head trauma I jumped in just deep enough to get my leg hairs wet while keeping my chamois dry.   

The route was beautiful, the flow was steady and I think I am now a believer in this thing people call swimming.  But for now, my swimming and your swimming will continue to defer ever so slightly.

Naughty List

Today was the perfect day to get out on the bike and just enjoy the ride.  With just a couple of days left before Christmas I spent the majority of my ride taking in the decorations.  I was flying high with the spirit of Christmas.  Somewhere about 35 miles or so into the ride I came up behind another rider.  We were heading the same way so now I company for the next 10 miles or so.

People ask me all the time about run ins with cars but I cannot honestly remember the last time I was honked or yelled at.  Today that changed.  We stopped for a red light and once the light changed and we started back up, we were passed by two cars with no problem.  The driver of the third car came by with the horn blowing and window down.  He let up on the horn to yell to us "Get off the ******* road!"  I usually just let stuff like this go without response but I replied "Merry Christmas!"  He then gave me the early present of the finger.  I know one guy who's stocking is going to be full of coal.

Island therapy

This past week was supposed to be a relaxing getaway full of sun, sand and saddle time.  I keep telling myself, two out of three isn't bad.  Looking back to recent history, I cannot remember the last time I had been so relaxed.  Not a worry in the world once I stop worrying about my level of fitness and health.

The first day down here, I did some running on the beach.  This wasn't your typical "let's go for a run" type of run.  You all know I wouldn't say or do such a thing. Instead, it was just a few short pain free minutes (maybe 20) of throwing the frisbee with Todd.  The following morning was a different story.  My right hip flexor started to yell obscenities with my every attempt to move it.  I tried to reason with it, explaining this was a family beach and those kind of words would not be tolerated. I even tried smacking it around a bit.  That didn't work either.

With this slated to be a heavy mileage week in preparation of the upcoming ADK 540, I got on my bike and headed out for the better part of the morning.  I wish I could report the ride was a success but it was anything but.  I quickly became frustrated as I attempted to break the world record of completing the most missed turns in the first half of a ride.  At the same time, the hip pain had now stretched all the way down the outside of my leg.

At one point it was bad enough to bring me 79.9% of the way to mentally breaking.  Instead of crawling into a ditch to cry, I turned the wheel towards home and bagged the rest of the ride.  The ride ended up, being less than 5 miles shorter in that direction.  The original route would have been more scenic but without the mental fortitude it certainly wouldn't have been more enjoyable.

Fast forward through two days of extreme hip therapy consisting of hours upon hours of sitting on the beach perfecting all my amazing tan lines. What most people try to avoid, I usually excel.  My crisp, sharp lines of differing color on my skin would make any cyclist proud.

Yesterday, I awoke and my hip had stopped yelling at me so I decided to take a few laps around the island.  The plan was to ride for as long as I could go without feeling any pain in my hip.  That lasted close to 4 miles.  Frustrated, I finished up 2 laps of the island which are similar to extended loops of Westcreek but without any sort of change in elevation just flat, mind numbing miles.  And yes, I do realize Westcreek doesn't have any real elevation change but it does require me to use the rear shifter twice every 6 miles.  So I went back to the self-prescribed beach therapy.

Like my new do?

It looks as if I will be giving it one more crack this morning when the other 8 members of the house take to the road for a few laps of back and forth action.  If only the superpowers of the flat, straight roads could be used for good (hip numbing) instead of evil (mind numbing) my world would be perfect.

Getting Hitched

Last week while Jenn was out of town, I had ordered a hitch to be mounted on the back of the Highlander. It arrived but was too heavy and awkward for my little man arms to lift, hold and bolt into place all by my lonesome it had to wait.  Yesterday, the weather was extremely nice for a Saturday afternoon in August and it was decided today was the day to get hitched once again.

Now the reason I decided to have one delivered to the house and not "professionally" installed by a local dealer was the labor rates.  More than one company quoted me ~$150 to have it installed.  I stopped calling after that and watched a Youtube video.  How hard could it, I just watched it on youtube.  

The instructions provided with the hitch stated a professional install would take approximately 20 minutes while a novice install would take 40 minutes. After crawling up and under the rear of the car to make sure I knew which were the appropriate holes to be filling with my bolts, I decided 20 minutes was certainly achievable.  I laid out the toolbox to find I had misplaced one of my ratchets.  Of course it was the one I needed to install this hitch in 20 minutes or less.

A quick run to the local Home Depot store was now necessary.  I entered the store with a very short list of needs and a long list of "needs."  Some of you may call those "needs" "wants" and I could get go on to explain to you the differences between "needs" and "wants" but its a losing battle.  You just wouldn't understand if you don't already get it.  Somehow, I left the store with only those needs and nothing from the "needs" list.  This was a first for me.  One that must mark a new level of maturity or just an extreme amount of focus on the task at hand; install in less than 20 minutes.

Once back at home with all the appropriate tools in hand, Jenn was summoned to come out to help and the timer was started.  From there, the job went by in a flash.  We crawled under the car, lifted it into place, started the bolts in the holes and tightened those bad boys down.  12 minutes and we were done. 

  

We didn't even have to use a 2x4 like the "professional" in the youtube video.  Jenn's joking reply was that we obviously did something wrong if we didn't have to use one.  With the utmost confidence in my ability to do simple tasks, I offered to go out and hit the hitch with a 2x4 if it would make her feel better.  Having seen my mad pinata striking skills and not wanting her vehicle dented, Jenn asked that I not swing a 2x4 in the vicinity of the hitch or car.  I can't say that I blame her.

New SRAM drivetrain or lunch?

Shifty bits it is

Now its time to figure out what's for lunch

Ramping it up

With the ADK 540 quickly approaching, almost one month away, the miles and saddle time are really starting to add up.  Well they should be increasing if I were following anything that may resemble the slightest bit of a training plan.  But I'm not and neither are the miles.

With Jenn in Washington (the state not the district) until Tuesday with her mom, I have been on pup sitting duty.  Wednesday Sage, Petra and I were joined by our good friend Dusty aka Doodle aka Dustball aka ... I'll just stop there.  Just like all of our beloved pets he has a million nicknames and answers to only one of them.

Dusty and Raven staring at each other through the gate

Dusty has been having some issues with the strength in his hips and cannot walk up stairs very well.  This didn't bode well with me because I have been having some issues with the strength in my back.  I woke up Thursday morning with a very tight lower back from trying to pick up Dusty's massive 100+ pound Husky self and carrying him down the stairs so he could relieve himself in the lawn and not on the carpet.  Knowing my back would not hold up to 5 more days of that, I built a ramp leading off the front porch.

Yep, its our old front door.  Works like a charm

Thursday afternoon, I got in a short ride across town.  I had to ride over and provide a lift to the airport.  My lower back had tightened up to the point where everything in the back of my legs were also quite tight which is why I decided to not take a ride yesterday.  At this point in the game it's also probably best that I rest any injuries so they do not become long drawn out nagging ones.  They say with age comes wisdom, could this be the start of it?

Like a leaf in the wind

Two weeks ago, Jenn and I ordered a new bike TT bike for her.  It arrived last week which meant she would most likely be spending a lot of time on "him".  Yep you guessed it, it's a boy.  Nope, I'm not jealous.

If you remember, 23 months ago (you can tell there is a baby in the house because all ages are communicated in months) I drove off after a ride leaving my front wheel in the parking lot.  Despite my attempts of having an Amber alert dispatched, it was never seen again.  The arrival of Jenn's new bike (name still TBD) meant there would be a set of matching wheels going unused inside the house.  I decided to switch them over to Le Antique for a ride or two.

The first ride on them was pretty rough.  Wind blowing me all over the place had me feeling like a new rider all over again.  I was a bit impatient when I mounted them up and didn't switch the cassettes over from my wheels to the new ones which lead to some chain skippage not only at the misopportune times but all the time.  Her used cassette didn't mate well with my worn chain.  Sad really but that's the reality sometimes.  Once home, I made the ole switch-a-roo and prepared for a ride the next day.

I now have three or four decent rides on them and I have to say, the new gear has me excited to not only get on the bike but once I am on it, the ride hasn't been long enough.  I just don't want to stop riding.  Like a leaf in the wind, I just want to cruise thru the air.

My Wish

As you all know, Jenn and I have been working alongside with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for the past couple of years.  Over that time, we have both gotten to know many fortunate people who have benefited from the research and treatment opportunities provided to cancer patients and their families by the LLS.  With all things in life, with the good comes the bad.  Thankfully, today I have no bad news. 

I recently watched a series on ESPN called My Wish.  They featured a story of a young man named Brendan who just like all of us had a sports hero growing up.  That is one of the two things he and I have in common.  The second is how we both pretended to be Landon Donovan while playing soccer in the backyard.

After watching the video, please help Jenn and I in our quest to help find the cure for Leukemia.  We are hoping to raise another $1300 by Sept 11th. You can help save another young boys dream by clicking this link and following it to the "Donate Now" button on the right. 

Three Thousand

The number 3000 has always had a significant meaning in sports, particularly cycling and baseball.  About 2 weeks ago, Derek Jeter reached the very select and illustrious 3000 hit club.  Not as amazing of a feat, I just noticed about the same time as he reached that milestone, I crossed over the 3000 mile mark for this year.  I found this to be pretty exciting because I haven't been chasing the long rides or miles which means only one thing, I have been riding my bike and riding it often.  In case you missed Jeter's hit here is the highlight video.  Sorry for not having video coverage of me crossing over the 3000 mile mark where ever it was on the road.  Maybe next year I will hire a film crew to follow me around, but probably not.

This past week was full of work, stress and riding.  It was nice that the stress only came from work and not from any particular ride or lack thereof.  In the end, I finished the week with a couple more than 250 miles.  It has been awhile since I got over 200 and today my legs are feeling it.

On Saturday, I started the morning off with a 4am wake up call.  After a quick breakfast and shower, I jumped on the bike and heading over to Westcreek to meet Jenn and other Team in Training members for the Silent Mile proceedings.

After the Silent Mile, a few of us headed out to Goochland and parts of Hanover for a nice leisurely ride.  Once back to the cars in Westcreek, I grabbed a handful of donuts which were left over from the Silent Mile breakfast, filled up my bottles and headed for home.  For the second ride in a row (Friday's ride through P-town) my feet felt like they were broken.  The pain made it quite undesirable to put any sort of pressure onto the pedals.  With the feet feeling the opposite from great, I just cruised home.  All in all, it was a great day in the saddle which leaves me full of confidence as to where my fitness levels are for the ADK540. 

Ignite it like the 4th of July

Last week, I tweaked something in my lower back which had me laid up for 4 days.  I am up around again which is a relief to me and everyone around me.  Sunday was Jenn's birthday and to celebrate it, we got a couple of our closest friends together to have dinner on the lake before watching the fireworks. 

 Just like with everything else fun, Mother Nature had to have her opinion heard and tried to scare us off the dock by passing a couple of thunderstorms over the lake just missing the restaurant.  We must have upset her by not heeding her warning by remaining out on the dock.  She soon sent a nasty storm across which sent us all scrambling for cover.

A short 2 hours later, the storm had passed and the DJ was pumping the jams once again.  If only the back was feeling better I would have thrown my "So You Think You Can Dance" audition routine out there for all to see.  Maybe next year.  Shortly after the sun was set it was time for the fireworks to begin.  The evening couldn't have possibly had anymore fun packed into it.  Here is a bit from the finale.

Tell him what you want

Last week after another discussion with a friend who just switched over to a compact crank I started to think once again.  The ADK is coming up in a couple of months and I may need all of the help I can get while up there.  The race will have ~31,000 feet of climbing if/when I make it to the finish.  On the way home, I stopped by my parents house to pick up a 50 tooth chainring I had purchased a few years back and never installed.  It just sat there new and unused.

I got the new smaller ring mounted up and decided to take it for a spin.  I could feel a difference almost immediately but I didn't know if it was a good difference or not.  With the smaller ring, I will have to increase my cadence in order to achieve the same speeds which my hips have not liked in the past.

Fast forward to that evening when I got a laugh while reading the local mountain bike forum.  There was a guy who announced he was looking to purchase a used bike.  Another user offered up one that was one size smaller than what the original poster was looking for and was denied due to it not being big enough.  Possibly offended by the denial he replied, "My wife has always told me that one inch does not make a difference."

The following day, I took Le Antique out for another ride when that comment came back into mind.  Now I understand his wife was just trying to protect his ego but I can tell you that anything that is round and an inch bigger will always generate a more pleasurable experience.  Case in point the smaller ring.  After a week of riding around on the smaller ring, I am beginning to lean more and more towards the fact that the smaller experience isn't all that others have made it out to be.  I'll give it a couple more days to see if I can get used to it but more than likely I will be going back to the larger ring.  Why?  Because bigger is better...