Monday, November 4, 2013
Productivity
Some days my motivation comes from deep within me, others I need to search outside of myself to find inspiration. Life is hard, cycling is hard, and I love both, but sometimes I need help and this video is one of ways I slap myself in the face to get my mind right. Hopefully one day I'll be able to live up to it's message.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Change of Seasons
Like most, I'm a creature of habit. My life tends to follow a well worn path of passions from the warmth of spring and summer cycling to the comfort of cool fall days sitting in a tree stand with my bow in hand. I love the holiday season and think back to so many great days with my family here in Arkansas. My mother was especially fond of Christmas, and, no matter how much money we had, she always found a way to make that day, and season, magical. I still get butterflies on Christmas morning.
Once Christmas is over, and it will be sooner than I'm ready for, I hit the doldrums of my year, winter. I'm not a fan of cold weather and I don't like training when the temps get below 70. I get cold easily and have a tough time warming up when the mercury drops below 50 deg. And while I've learned how to dress and prepared for winter riding, it still takes a toll on my motivation. Before the weather starts warming up in March, I have a limited supply of "get up and go" to draw from to get me through the coldest months of the year. I rode yesterday in a light rain and about 55 deg., and while it wasn't a bad day to ride, it got me thinking about the amount of mental energy it requires to stay fit during the cooler months. My emotional bank account is filling up right now while I take it easy on the bike and do a little hunting and also spend some time in the gym getting strong and healthy again. By December I'll start getting serious for our first big race of the year, Rouge Roubaix. It's a very delicate balance for me to stay fit right now while also replenishing my emotional batteries. Ultimately, I'll tire of the easy days of fall and that little part of my brain that likes to suffer and punish, will begin to wake up again and start having it's way with me in the cold, dark and wet days of January and February.
But for now, it's my Strength and Conditioning season and I've set some lofty goals to be achieved by the end of the year. My strategy in the gym evolves a little every year, this season is no different. I've noticed over the past few years that ex body builder types tend to be very fast on a bike, at least once they've lost a lot of their muscle mass above the chest. I always wondered why this was until my coach sent me a study that linked absolute strength as a key factor of performance in endurance sports. The article simply suggests there is an economy of movement the stronger one is as well as a lactic acid benefit for longer duration efforts. They both sound good to me! With that I set out to be the strongest skinny person in our gym this fall, at least in the leg area. Not sure how I'll prove it one way or the other, but I have an idea that if I can leg press over 1000 lbs 6 times, I should be pretty close. I'm not too far away now but those last 200 lbs are a real bitch. I'll keep the blog updated on my progress and maybe throw in a pic or video as proof.
Top secret tree stand location.
Once Christmas is over, and it will be sooner than I'm ready for, I hit the doldrums of my year, winter. I'm not a fan of cold weather and I don't like training when the temps get below 70. I get cold easily and have a tough time warming up when the mercury drops below 50 deg. And while I've learned how to dress and prepared for winter riding, it still takes a toll on my motivation. Before the weather starts warming up in March, I have a limited supply of "get up and go" to draw from to get me through the coldest months of the year. I rode yesterday in a light rain and about 55 deg., and while it wasn't a bad day to ride, it got me thinking about the amount of mental energy it requires to stay fit during the cooler months. My emotional bank account is filling up right now while I take it easy on the bike and do a little hunting and also spend some time in the gym getting strong and healthy again. By December I'll start getting serious for our first big race of the year, Rouge Roubaix. It's a very delicate balance for me to stay fit right now while also replenishing my emotional batteries. Ultimately, I'll tire of the easy days of fall and that little part of my brain that likes to suffer and punish, will begin to wake up again and start having it's way with me in the cold, dark and wet days of January and February.
Overlook Hill, 55 and drizzly
But for now, it's my Strength and Conditioning season and I've set some lofty goals to be achieved by the end of the year. My strategy in the gym evolves a little every year, this season is no different. I've noticed over the past few years that ex body builder types tend to be very fast on a bike, at least once they've lost a lot of their muscle mass above the chest. I always wondered why this was until my coach sent me a study that linked absolute strength as a key factor of performance in endurance sports. The article simply suggests there is an economy of movement the stronger one is as well as a lactic acid benefit for longer duration efforts. They both sound good to me! With that I set out to be the strongest skinny person in our gym this fall, at least in the leg area. Not sure how I'll prove it one way or the other, but I have an idea that if I can leg press over 1000 lbs 6 times, I should be pretty close. I'm not too far away now but those last 200 lbs are a real bitch. I'll keep the blog updated on my progress and maybe throw in a pic or video as proof.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Catching Up
I've had a few requests lately to start to writing in my blog again. I guess it has been a while since I posted something. Thinking back to last year and my last post, a lot has happened... mostly good stuff, but as life can be, it's the typical roller coaster scenario. However, as the title of my blog says, I'm a very lucky man to be living the life I do, so no complaints from me.
To summarize what's happened since last summer... had a great fall of archery hunting with my good friend Hunter and his family and friends. Worked hard in the gym all fall and early winter and set some new personal strength records. Trained very hard in the cold and rain all winter. Raced poorly all spring. Finally started coming back to life in May, and have been racing two to three crits a week for the past 6 weeks.
Now that all the details are out in the open, I'll start writing more regularly with hopefully something interesting to say every now and then. In the spirit of keeping this article short, I'm going to sign off and leave you with a bitchin' picture of me by one of our local photographer/cyclist, Addie Teo. I've never liked seeing myself in photos much but this one actually makes me look half good, a true testament to Addie's skills. Thanks Addie!
To summarize what's happened since last summer... had a great fall of archery hunting with my good friend Hunter and his family and friends. Worked hard in the gym all fall and early winter and set some new personal strength records. Trained very hard in the cold and rain all winter. Raced poorly all spring. Finally started coming back to life in May, and have been racing two to three crits a week for the past 6 weeks.
Now that all the details are out in the open, I'll start writing more regularly with hopefully something interesting to say every now and then. In the spirit of keeping this article short, I'm going to sign off and leave you with a bitchin' picture of me by one of our local photographer/cyclist, Addie Teo. I've never liked seeing myself in photos much but this one actually makes me look half good, a true testament to Addie's skills. Thanks Addie!
JD McCay & Peter Beland (in blue)
Wed night Ronde Van Burns Crit June 12, 2013. Peter Beland and I on a flyer for the first half of the race. Photo courtesy of Addie Teo
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