The memory remains vivid like it happened weeks ago instead of decades back. It sticks in my mind as a watershed moment, one of those incidents in which your worldview shifts and will never be the same again. I was watching the movie, Rocky, on TV with my father. It was during the part where …
At the start of your last open water swim you jumped on your training partner’s back and started making whooping noises because a fish touched you. A satellite image of your half Ironman swim track spells out the word: potato. Yes it was a point to point river swim. You are feeling the groove, …
Whether you are a runner, cyclist or triathlete looking for a change of pace or preparing for an off-road race, mountain biking is great addition to your outdoor activities and the off season is a great time to try it out. Getting out on the mountain bike offer several advantages. You get new scenery, meet …
Getting Started Mountain Biking in the Off Season Read More »
You still won’t talk to strangers on an elevator but you will strip naked in a changing tent with 100 other athletes. You actually brag about your ability to pee while on the move: swim, bike or run. You were once found passed out next to your bike in a public park. To this day …
During your last group ride you blew a snot rocket just as the wind shifted direction. You are banned from the group for excessive slime. You get lost so routinely the group repainted markers on the road with raised neon orange paint. They include your name. After one particularly bad unclipping incident you come back …
This post is based on a couple excellent articles in Outside Magazine by Alex Hutchinson and scholarly papers linked in the articles. I’ll let you read the articles and papers if you – like me – want a look at the science behind this information. The articles are pretty straightforward. Hutchinson did a great job …
Tips to Maximise Strength Gains for Endurance Athletes Read More »
1) After your last angry outburst your scale tried to escape by riding off on your Roomba. 2) Your computrainer class is having weigh-ins for accountability. In an effort to gain an edge you inhale helium before stepping on the scale. It doesn’t work but you have a new nickname: sugar quacks. …
While out running with your training partner you sight a tornado, and they insist on running at least three more miles to stay on their training plan. Your training partner plans summer runs and bike rides around the ice cream truck schedule. Your training partner signed you up for a group exercise class that involved …
Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence by Gary Mack with David Casstevens This off season I’m reading books about sports psychology looking for techniques to improve my mental game. I started with Mind Gym by Gary Mack, a sports psychologist, who worked with teams such as the Seattle Mariners and Phoenix Suns. …
People ask you to demonstrate your ability to touch your ankle bones to the ground Your running partners chipped in and got you elbow pads and shin guards for Christmas. Your nicknames include root sweeper, tree checker and thud. (Yes I borrowed some trail names from Medoc Trail Races.) You get lost so often that …
