I Hate following my own advice! (week 2)

A Diary of Injury Recovery II

I’m posting this series in the hope that it will be helpful and instructive for others.

So, the first two weeks of this weren’t a lot of fun.  I didn’t need to work too hard at not overdoing it.  Just about any time I tried to do much of anything, it turned around and bit me.

I wasn’t doing any training.  My usual routine includes morning stretching and core strengthening and toning exercises.  Those were just out of the question.  Yes I did ride, but at a very easy pace, and for much shorter intervals.  My morning spins or rides were dropped from my schedule too.

None of this took a lot of discipline.  Frankly, things just hurt too stinkin’ much to allow for more.

Basically, in this, the second week post-injury, I was kind of probing at the edges of the thing.  I was testing.  I know that exercise promotes healing, but…  too much, or too soon and the effect is to aggravate the injury, prolong the recovery period, possibly even do more damage.

I was testing, attempting that third step in the injury recovery process

“During the healing period, maintain light, healthy, non-aggravating exercise.”

I was trying to determine if I was ready for step three, and just how much was “light” and “non-aggravating.”

Below is the timeline continued.  This is the second week of the whole thing:

 Wed 24 April:  No riding.  The usual evening Path Ride was rained out, and I was Thankful!  Not doing much more than going to work and hurting.

Thurs 25 April: I led the easy part of this year’s first weekly Novice Road Ride.  It was a pleasant ride of about 17 miles, but I was being nagged by low level back and rib pain throughout.  I caught a ride home.  By the time I got home my back was on fire.  By this point I was getting really tired of taking NSAIDs.  My stomach wasn’t liking t much either.

Fri 26 April:  NO RIDING!!  I can take a hint already.  Took the day as easy as I could, and did nothing that was not absolutely necessary.

Sat 27 April:  I slept a bit later and drove down to Peachtree City.  I was able to ake the Saturday Morning Path Ride out.  It’s a very mellow, recreational paced, short ride.  It didn’t seem to trigger any kind of bad result.  This was my Saturday off for the month, so I didn’t need to work.  I spent the day resting, with the occasional NSAID dosage to reduce pain.

Sun 28 April:  I was feeling better for the rest day on Saturday.  I wanted to get out and move around a bit.  Of course the weather was pretty awful.  So I geared up for the rain, waited out one strong thunderstorm, and went.  It rained.  A lot.  I got soaked and a bit cold.  The ride was only 19.5 miles, and I took it easy, spending one hour and forty minutes.  I felt “okay” while out ther, but after I got home and cleaned up my rib and back went into extreme pain again.  Okay.  A bit much right then.  Clearly I needed to back off more.

Mon 29 April:  I went to work, was careful about lifting and moving, and went home.  I wasn’t comfortable, but things were showing an incremental improvement.  No riding and no training of any kind.

Tues 30 April:  After work I went out for a gentle and short road ride.  It felt goo to get out, and the short duration, low effort ride of 11.9 miles in just over an hour  didn’t trigger any unpleasant side effects.  Good!

Your First Three Years ~ Part 14:

Dealing with Fear

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

Fear is a part of our makeup.  There are all kinds of things that we fear.  Some fears are rational, such as the fear of falling off of the roof while cleaning the gutters.  Other fears are irrational, such as the dread of the monster that hides under the bed.  In both cases there are tactics for comprehending fear, dealing with it, and removing it.

Cyclists face fear.  I’m not talking about the fear of falling over on the bicycle.  Presumably, if you have read this far, you’ve managed to get past that one.  But there are other fears. 

We can break things down into two categories.  There is the anxiety kind of thing.  We’re afraid we won’t be able to perform well, or that we’ll disappoint someone, or ourselves.  We’re afraid that someone will think we look strange, or that our riding will somehow be seen as frivolous.  There’s the “what if” variety of anxiety fear too.  “What if I have a flat?”  “What if the chain falls off?”  “What if I get lost?”

These anxiety fears can be dealt with.  First off, the center of anxiety related fears rarely materializes.  Second, with just a bit of easily attained training or preparation, anxieties can be resolved.  We can learn to repair a flat, deal with a derailed chain, bring a map or a GPS.  We can anticipate and take appropriate actions to prevent or minimize the situation we worry about.

But then there is the other kind of fear.  We’re talking about the 100 proof bottled in bond, FEAR now.  The kind that makes the pit of your stomach feeze, that puts that awful copper taste in your mouth.  The kind of fear that grabs you by the throat, glares into your eyes, and yells into your face  “I OWN YOU!!!”

What are we to make of this, and how do we deal with it?

It’s no secret that I often ride in traffic.  Sometimes it’s pretty heavy traffic.  On fairly frequent occasions I get asked,  “Aren’t you afraid?  There are so many really really bad, crazy drivers out there.”  I usually reply that no, I’m not often afraid.  I know what I’m doing,  I’m very conscious of my environment.  I ride assertively but not aggressively.  I look for the signs of drivers who are not well controlled.  I ride to always give myself an “out.”  Mostly I’m too busy to be afraid.

At that point in the conversation, I seem to get the facial expression that says,  “You are insane!”    Might I add, the very question, the one that asks,  “Aren’t you afraid?” says more about the questioner than it does about the situation.

But that said, it is rational to fear a close altercation with a motor vehicle.  The difference between a rational fear and panic is information, practice, and gradual acquisition of skills.  Learning to ride in traffic, and to do so well and safely removes a lot of the fear.

It starts with an admission of reality.  There is no such thing as an accident.  There are collisions and crashes.  But these things don’t “just happen.”  They are caused, and it usually takes the participation of more than one individual.

Safety does not come from armor.  It comes form avoidance.  Want a good statistical example?

Intuitively one should be safer (and therefore less fearful) whilst riding in, or driving an SUV.  Riding a bike should be dangerous.  But if one compares injuries and fatalities on a passenger miles traveled basis it become apparent that an SUV occupant is seven time more likely to be killed or injured than is a cylist.

It is healthy to consider the possible consequences.  But it is not healthy to harbor a morbid fear of them.  Just like the anxiety cases we mentioned above, training, preparation, gradual exposure in a controlled fashion, and good practice remove most of the causes of the “Big Fear.”

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention where that kind of training could be had.

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign sponsors and teaches classes in safe practical vehicular cycling.  For more information see This Site

Or pick up a copy of John Forester’s Effective Cycling .  Read it and see if this doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Ultimately knowledge is power, and knowledge removes fear.

                        

Next Week: Goals?  Next Season Starts NOW

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This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

~//~

A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.

First Bike Buy: Or Don’t “Under-bike” Yourself!

Case 1:  “Used and cheap”

$400 internet bike.  Doesn’t fit, isn’t comfortable, doesn’t work

$300 repairs (still doesn’t fit, or work right)

Shipping (both ways) $200

Sold in six months

Sell for $300

Cost = $600

Replaced with…

$600 used bike (local purchase)  Doesn’t fit, isn’t comfortable, needs work and tires.

$150 repairs (Still doesn’t fit, and the shifting is never right)

After five months has major mechanical

$300 repairs

Sold in one year

Sell for $500

Cost = $550

Replaced with…

$2000 used bike (local purchase.  “Bike was $5000 new, but I got a deal because this racing team was replacing their bikes.”)  Doesn’t fit, and the shifting isn’t right.

$400 in repairs (still doesn’t fit, and feels funny when ridden)

After three months rear wheel goes out of violently out of true.

$800 for new wheelset

Two weeks later the rear derailler jumps into the new rear wheel and destroys it.  Bad crash ensues.

$1500 Med bills

$450 wheel

$150 derailler

Sell for $1200

Quit riding

Cost = $4100

Total cost of not becoming a rider = $5250!!!!

Case 2:  The “Work your way up” plan

$450 hybrid.  Inadequate to purpose in 6 months.

            $100 in repairs (necessitated by using the bike in ways for which it was never intended!)

            $200 in “upgrades”

            Brings $250 as a trade in on the next bike.

            Cost = $400

Replaced with…

$700 entry level road bike.  ($450 after trade-in.)

“Outgrown” in one year.  Components worn, tires shot.

            $150 in repairs

            $300 in “upgrades

Brings $350 as a trade in.

Cost = $600

Replaced with…

$1000 low mid-level road bike

            Outgrown in one year.  Components worn, tires worn.

                        $150 in repairs

                        $200 in “upgrades

            Brings $550 as a trade in.

            Cost = $450

Replaced with…

$1500 mid level road bike.  Happy riding for the next three years.

            $300 Maintenance

            Cost = $1250

Total cost of riding for five and a half years = $2700

Case 3:  “Get it right the first time” plan

$1500 mid-level road bike.  Happy riding for six years.

            $520 maintenance

Total cost of riding for Six Years = $2020

The moral here is obvious.  Buy the right bike.  Buy enough bike.  There are no “short cuts.”

I know I know.  You know about some guy who was related to the sister of someone your wife used to work with; who bought a perfect $8000 bike; online; only paying $17.92 for it; and the seller paid the packing and shipping; and the local shop unpacked it, re-assembled it, and tuned it for only $2.16; and it’s always worked perfectly; and he’s had it for just years.  I believe it.  I do.  I also believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

The whole “used bike gold strike” thing is something I treat with a lot of skepticism.  I will grant that it can happen, but I tend to play the actual odds.  Hey!  We all know someone who goes to Vegas to gamble a couple of times a year.  I know one of these guys.  He never boasts about “breaking the bank.”  But, to hear him talk, every time he goes, he wins enough money to pay for the entire trip, airfare included and to put an extra $5,000.00 in the bank when he gets back.

Okay, it’s just barely possible that someone could do that.  Once.  It’s not likely.  The people who run the casinos are not in the business of handing out large amounts of cash to random strangers.  They stay in business by taking cash, in large amounts from everyone who goes there.  Fine mathematicians have calculated the odds of pulling off a “streak” like the one my acquaintance boasts of.  Those odds are something like 1/300,000,000.  Since more than three hundred million people have gone to Las Vegas, it’s close to a certainty that at least one of them has had a run like that.

But my acquaintance goes twice a year, on average.  And, according to him, the same thing has happened every time he’s been there.  The odds of this happening twice to the same person are 9,000 trillion to one.  Since fewer than 12 billion humans have ever lived on the planet, and most of them have not been to Las Vegas, this is extremely unlikely.

Look!  I got taken in by a used bike once.  A “deal too good to be true.”  For the full story on that, please see this coming Friday’s post.

Thursday Thoughts: Thoughtless?

A couple of people have lately remarked on my posting pattern.  “What happened to Thursday Thoughts?”  One asked.  “Seems you’re posting later, and missing some weeks altogether. 

Another kind lady was a bit more direct.  “Have you stopped thinking on Thursdays?”  she asked.

Thank you for your concern.  The simple truth is, I’ve had a bit of personal turmoil lately.  Nothing major, understand, but there has been enough to impact my posting patterns.  I shall endeavor to do better in the future.

In that vein, here’s a thought for this day:  If you fancy yourself an “athlete,” and you “train” on your bicycle, please give some consideration to those around you.  Yes, going fast and hard is a good thing.  (If that’s what you want to do, cool.)  But your athleticism does not confer some special status upon you.  You are not immune to criticism, nor above observation of the social compact.

Last night I was leading a purely recreational ride, on the local multi-use pathways.  

Please note the careful wording.  That’s multi-use.  That means that these paths are shared by folks in golf carts, pedestrians, children in strollers, dog walkers, cyclists, cats, wild geese, and all manner of other creatures and conveyances.  To do this peacefully requires a bit of give-and-take, a bit of compromise on the part of all parties present.

Back to the story.  The ride I was leading was unusually large.  Nice weather, more evening daylight, happy people out on bikes.  I was particularly pleased with the way my group was interacting with other pathway users.  Courtesy and friendliness were being exhibited.  And then…!

A lone bicyclist overtook my group.  He shouted,  “On your left!  Coming through!” and charged up through my group.  The level of disregard was very high.  Several of my recreational riders are very new to riding, and none too stable.  There were a couple of near crashes.  But the overtaker was bent over his bars, and “training” in dead earnest.  He’s getting ready for the annual cross-state tour, so it’s necessary for him to get out on the paths and ride in a flagrant and menacing fashion.  Or so it would seem.

Order was restored.  Adrenaline leached out of systems.  Calm again prevailed.  And we, my group and I, were approaching a fairly popular and congested area of the trail network.  And then it happened again!

This time the overtaker was really cooking right along.  He was on his mountainbike, dressed out in full racing kit.  He shouted out the obligatory, “On your left!!” and barreled through my group.  At that particular moment in time there was a small family walking toward us, and two golf carts in the process of overtaking them.  The “human cannonball” rushed through my group, and forced his pass through the oncoming traffic by exercising a simple expedient.  He charged at the pedestrian family, forcing them to jump aside, and then cut hard back into the front of my leisurely paced pack.  This let him narrowly miss the leading oncoming cart.  Of course it forced the cart driver to run off the path, and almost took down me and two other riders, but he was under power and gone.

Special Note:  In both of the cases described above, I know who you are.  If anything like this happens again, I will reveal your names in a most public fashion.  Promise.  Count on it.

Back to a general discussion:  There is a time and place for everything.  Yes, you all have a right and privilege to ride fast and furious.  However, there’s this about liberty, it is never uncompromised.  Our liberty to act extends only as far as the next person.  We do not have the freedom to act with flagrant disregard for others, nor should we expect them to “get out of our way!”  None of us has the right to endanger others through negligent or purely selfish actions. 

Please also note, when you are on your bike, you represent us all.  Be a good ambassador for our sport.  Please do your hard riding in isolation from other users, and with respect for the safety of others.  Honest, you are not that good at it!

Just a thought.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ How to End a Cycling Career

I believe in competition.  More I believe that everyone should enter some kind of competition, at least every two to three years.  Yes, that’s pretty general, and it could mean anything, but I’ll get to cycling specifics in a moment.

I like the idea of “Formal Competition,” on a somewhat regular basis.  It’s good for us.  We learn things in the contest that we could not learn any other way.  And win, lose, or draw, a good race can be a lot of fun.  But…

Please note, I used a term, “Formal Competition.”  I’m much in favor of this.  The “formal” means an organized, sanctioned event.  One with rules.  One that has impartial officials, and one that takes place in a controlled venue.  On a level field, the contest has real meaning.  It’s kind of important too, that all the participants know that a race is on.  I’m not in favor of street racing, or “secret racing,” or “charity racing.”

There is something about cycling that brings out the competitive in us.  I don’t know why this is, and I don’t understand it.  I’m put in mind of something Faulkner wrote, to the effect that, if there were two horses in a county, one could be assured that there would be a race.  Maybe that’s part of it.  Certainly a lot of the marketing of the cycling industry centers around competitive sport.

However, we should all remember one thing.  Cycling is a pastime.  It should be fun.  Wasn’t it the element of Joy that brought us into this?  I would guess that most would answer yes to that question.

And therein is the problem.  You see, we got into it for joy.  And at some point most of us start to be competitive.  Whether that competitive urge is expressed formally, or not, it tends to get expressed.  Then comes the part that can be corrosive.

I see this scenario play out far too often.  An individual in early to middle adulthood returns to cycling.  Usually there is the excuse of needing to recover fitness.  But the bike is chosen as a means to this end, because it is fun!

Then, after the suffering of returning to fitness, the individual drifts toward the contest.  There are some mixed early results.  Then comes some form of success. Next thing, the now not so new rider is “training,” and doing a lot of racing.  Racing becomes an obsession.  “Fun rides,” vanish.  It’s “march or die!”

This individual doesn’t know it, but their days as a cyclist are numbered.  Racing rules!  But racing is an extremely harsh mistress.  And one day the results begin to diminish.  So, urged on by various bicycle-specific “beauty magazines,” the obsessed competitor begins to ride harder, train more, and have less fun doing it.

The day will come when this person will “hit the wall.”  It might be an injury that does it.  It could be a crash.  It could be just one lousy race too many.  But the adult-child who returned to this delightful pastime, grows weary of it, and walks away.

What’s the cure?  The only thing I can figure is, don’t take yourself, your bike, or your racing too seriously.  And when it starts to get intense, leave all the training tools at home, and go for a long, slow ride to the grocery store.  Look at the world!  Maybe invite some folks who are really slow along for a ride, and make sure you are at the back the whole way.

It’s a thought.