Getting comfortable with discomfort

Evo finishing a road race and letting the hurt escape vocally !

I am transitioning from what I would characterize as “Recovery” and getting back into a real training routine.

I’ve been doing leg weights twice a week for three weeks with a focus on strengthening my knee.  I have seen some dramatic increases in strength which is rewarding.  My pathetic starting point also demonstrates how much fitness I lost and the distance of my road back to competitiveness. I’ve been steadily increasing my mileage, living in zone one, two and three. I’ve been watching my knee and ribs and proceeding with measured caution.

I’m getting to a point where I can up the intensity of my workouts as well as increasing my mileage.   Today I returned to spin class after a long hiatus. While I didn’t turn myself inside out or anything, I did find myself pushing harder than I have for some time. 

It was a strange sensation and it made me realize something that had become so normal it was hard to see during my normal training.

My friend Geoff was teaching the spin class and if I omit his instructions, the conversation in my head during one of the harder drills was something like this:

Okay pick it up now…This feels okay so far….I can feel that I’m going harder… Now I’m getting uncomfortable…I should back off…..Don’t back off….How much longer? ....I can keep this up a little longer…Hey, this is really starting to hurt….I am still recovering, I should back off…. Push it… Lactic acid is building…Shut up legs…I really want to back off…My quads are screaming!! …Embrace the pain, keep going….Geoff, this is enough…. Count down already….Man, I forgot how much this can hurt…This is all I got….A little longer…..Finally…. Time to slow down....It feels good to catch my breath….Again?.......Okay…..

It is a strange balance of listening to your body, yet at the same time ignoring some of what your body says.

It is easy to put out hard efforts in short chunks.  You’re fresh and a short burst makes your legs feel snappy.  In training as you increase your level of effort and it starts to hurt you have a decision to make.  Do you back off and get comfortable again or do you push on and live with being uncomfortable.   Then after you decide to accept a certain level of discomfort, what do you do when the hurt increases even more? 

At some point it gets ridiculous, but to be competitive you have to be willing to spend time in the pain cave.  How deep in the cave you decide to go is your decision.   There is a correlation here that goes without saying.  Except I just kind of said it…

I remember that near the end of one of my first cross races my legs were cooked and I got out of the saddle to accelerate and I had nothing left.  It took all I had not to collapse onto my top tube. I was lucky to get my butt back onto my saddle. 

As I close the door on the recovery chapter and embark on the hard training chapter I am reminded that in addition to having a willingness to invest the time and effort into training there is a toll that must be paid for racing success. That toll is a tolerance and acceptance of discomfort. 

Koobi, a company that makes some awesome saddles has a tagline: Speed = Comfort.  I would not disagree; but I would add that sustained speed is often the result of sustained discomfort.  I’m not saying we should look for pain, but I will say that if we want to be fast then when pain comes calling we can’t close the door, or turn and run.

At work later in the day I went up some stairs and almost stumbled on my first step because my legs were sore.  I just smiled.

Giro Monaco fingerless glove Review

 

After black lycra bike shorts, few things are as iconic to cycling as fingerless cycling gloves. When the parameters have been unaltered for generations, it boggles the mind that we have such a plethora of options.  Gloves should have a grippy palm, padding at the heel of the hand and a breathable backside. That pretty much sum it up. 

In addition to the basics outlined above, we have come to ask even more.  We like it when they keep our hands cool on hot days.  We want them to fit like a glove, yet come off easily when we stop.  I like them to dry quickly and survive frequent washings.  Style? Sure.

Like so many products it is easy to find something that scores high in one category but then they tend to fall short elsewhere. The Giro scores high across the board and that makes it a winner.

The Giro glove fits well and is made well using excellent materials. It dries well and has survived many washings.  I’ve got a seam that is starting to unravel, but this glove has been to hell and back with me, so I’m still giving it excellent marks for quality and durability. 

The padding is right where you need it and isn’t so thick that it gets in the way.  For Cyclocross I like little or no pad and this glove is my one and only if it is warm enough to go fingerless and rough enough that I want some padding. 

I wear these mountain biking, trail riding on my cross bike and road riding when the temperature allows fingerless gloves.

I recently bought a second pair, in white for summer use.  The new pair had some refinements and has settled in for a long career with Evo. The later version of this glove has two tabs on the backs of the middle two fingers that are supposed to make glove removal easier.  Everyone else seems to have better luck using them compared to me, but since everyone else seems to love it, I guess I do too.

Some types of products are harder to evaluate subjectively than others.  When you ride a bike you notice the stiffness. For most clothing products the highest compliment you can give them is that you didn’t notice them.  If you have a bibshort that works perfectly on a six hour ride you don’t notice them for a second.  When a short chafes you, you notice it, when it doesn’t you don’t. The same applied to shoes, helmets and gloves.  Not noticing means they are doing their job and letting you enjoy the ride without distraction.

I have never looked at these and thought, “Man these gloves are super padded!”  I have thought that with a pair of Castelli gloves that have other shortcomings. More importantly, I have never thought, “I need to wear something different tomorrow” after wearing the Giro gloves.  I feel kind of weird giving them five Evos when I haven’t had an epiphany that I can point towards.  I can tell you I set a high bar and these have never let me down.

Months after you buy a product your subconscious reveals all you need to know.  The stuff that gets pushed to the back of the drawer and stays there is what you don’t like. It no longer matters if it was expensive or cheap, it is all yours now.  The stuff that you pull out without even thinking about it is what you like.  

I have looked down at my hands and wondered, why did I grab these Giro gloves today?  Why? Because they are the working man’s glove, that’s why!  Think Ford F-150, think Dickies or Carhart; these are tools for your hands.

When my luggage was lost on my cycling trip to France in 2012 I had a chance to contemplate what I would replace and what I would not.  On my short list were these gloves. (As it happened all my clothes made it back to my house so I didn’t have to replace them) BTW, what kind of friend is Big John?  When I was in France and depended on the goodwill and spare gear of my brothers in brown, John loaned me his Giro Monaco gloves.

A couple days later we were in a town with a bike shop and I was able to buy my own gloves.  When I gave John back his gloves he was happy as he had developed a blister on the palm of his hand wearing something else. What kind of friend is John?  What kind of gloves are these Giro’s?  Same answer to both.. The best

Five of five Evos

Actions Speak

Here are some words about action..

If someone wanted to know what is important in your life, all they need to do is follow you around and observe when you think nobody is looking.  You could figure out that I like riding a bike because I spend time every week riding.  

If someone followed Hottie they would see her volunteering at the greyhound rescue facility bringing some happiness to traumatized dogs in transition.

You would learn I love my family because I do things for them that you can observe (actions). Hottie and I do things for each other every day. We frequently have family over and we do stuff.  We take them places.  

We invite parents, children and grandchildren to go to the zoo, the park, dinner or just to come and hang out. We load them in our car and head off to a National Park or take them on vacations.  We bring them to bike races, fairs and pumpkin farms.  These are actions you can see. 

Back when I learned English using antiquated methods like constructing sentences; the definition that stuck in my head was that a verb was an “action” word.  It was something you could observe happening.  Unlike a noun, which was a person, place or thing; a verb “did” something.  A person ran, a place smelled and a rock rolled. The verbs were “ing” words.  Could you put “ing” at the end of the word? Running, smelling, rolling, etc..

Because love is a verb, you can’t have love without action.  Saying you love someone or something is nothing but hot air if you can’t point to ongoing actions that manifest your love. 

Listening is an action.  It meets the “ing” criteria. Listening shows caring which is part of love.

When someone says they are a bad listener what that generally means is they really aren’t that concerned about other people so they don’t really care what others might have to say.  They pretty much just care about themselves. Another measure is if they spend ninety percent of any “conversation” doing the talking.  A lot of people would label that as being selfish. They would be correct.

Some people have limitations, be they physical, emotional or financial that may impact the ways in which they can express love and caring.  Barring these limitations, if you love someone or something the true measure is action. 

They say actions speak louder than words.  I’m not sure who “They” are but at least in this case, they are right.  Actions or lack thereof, don’t just speak louder than words, they marginalize words.

Coffee and Lies #57 Back on the saddle

My idea of fun may be different than yours.

I went for an easy ride yesterday and by chance hooked up with local legend and all around good guy, Mr. Wick. We hung for a few miles then went our separate ways, his way was fast and my way; not so much.

Today was the traditional Sunday morning Coffee and Lies rendezvous.  In a rare show of prudence we started an hour later due to freezing temperatures and enough ice to justify the delay.  I joined McWoodie, Big John, Feral Dave and the Pirate as we made our way around Mercer Island.  

We weren't in a hurry, which meant my lack of fitness wasn't as noticeable as it could have been.  Still Feral Dave and I opted for a pace the revealed our lack of insecurities. 

We didn't set any records and for everyone else I am sure this was just another winter ride, but for me it was special.  I've been on the sidelines for longer than I ever thought I would be and the ride and companionship was sweet.

As we finished an hour later than usual (remember the delayed start due to ice?) we got lucky and secured a table for pastries, coffee and lies.  The day had finally warmed up but we were still glad to be in a warm place with hot drinks. 

We discussed a range of stupid stuff including the upcoming super bowl.  Before long life's obligations summoned us in different directions and we parted. 

I am out of shape and my legs are tired.  It feels good to be sore again.

SealLine ECase 9 Review

 Good looking and durable ?  Awesome !

Aside from when we are racing, we almost always carry a cell phone.  Those phones have increased in value from essentially free to more than I’ve paid for drivable cars in my long and storied life.  Moisture from rain or sweat can damage those phones all year long. Ziplocks and baggies aren’t just tacky, they have severe limitations.

The SealLine electronics E-Case is the perfect solution.  You can go swimming with it and your phone will stay dry.  You can swipe or push a button to answer the phone with the phone in the case.  How many times have you or a riding companion worked frantically to fish a ringing phone out of a pocket then struggled to pull off a glove or untangle a ziplock to answer before a call goes to voice mail.   If you are like me, you won’t miss skipping that fire drill.

If you need to send a text, you’ll want to remove the phone from the case but that is an activity best done with two feet on the ground anyway.  The case isn’t promoted as providing any shock protection, but it is stouter than a ziplock and does afford some security.

Working the buttons, including swipe functions with the phone in the case !

It is well built and durability is excellent.

Without sounding too much like a beer commercial; I don’t always carry my phone, but when I do I carry it in this SealLine Electronics ECase.

Five of five Evos. It can NOT be improved on.