Sunday February 8, 2009
" I don't fail to finish because i am not physically up to it, but because i am mentally tired"
Mario Cipollini
" I don't fail to finish because i am not physically up to it, but because i am mentally tired"
Mario Cipollini
I am mentally tired this week. Work got the best of me. I was in Rochester NY, where there are no signs of global warming. The ground is covered with snow. As a cyclist, i am glad i don't have to deal with that kind of winter. Traveling took its toll on me, and i didn't cycle very much cause of that. Resting now and looking forward to a better week.
I read Lon Haldemans Blog. (you can find it on the PAC Tour Website, www.pactour.com, then click on "Lon's Blog" This week he Introduces David Rowe in his blog. I quote from Lon's blog
The most interesting passage in the interview Lon has with David is this
Yes, i plan to buy and read the book. What is really exciting to me is that David Rowe is going to be at PAC Tour Coaching Week when i am there! Whoooo Hooo!. If you have been following my blog at all, you know i am most concerned about mental preparation. I see this as an amazing opportunity....
Till next week...
Craig
Tip 1: Crashing is better than eating right. Eating right makes you feel good about yourself. This is the last dang thing you want. You want to feel absolutely shitbag about yourself. Your self-esteem should be lower than a snake's belly at the bottom of a Deep South penitentiary septic tank.
When you have the appropriate base level of self-esteem, you'll want to inflict the grinding horror of your mind upon all around you. Appeasing the torments of your mind by ripping people's legs off in a bike race so you can be seen kissing the podium dolls is the best path. Eating right is bettor suited to actresses who've guzzled so many lies getting movie roles that their digestive enzymes have been vaporized.
Now, crashing, on the other hand, gives you scar tissue, and scar tissue tells a story no idiotic tribal barbwire tattoos ever will. And as the stories of your scars are retold, you'll get hungry for sour mash and pork rinds. It is almost impossible to eat a macrobiotic salad while picking at your scabs and describing your ass-over-tits, auger-into-the-gravel-pile-moving-into-sprint-position in the last corner. Self-hate propels the bicycle faster than all the 30/30/40 ratio flim-flam, phin-phen scam artists combined. Let retired generals, Enron satanists, Juan Exxon Valdez, and Guantanamo bay-detained Islamic Jihadists eat right. It is way better to crash hard and eat wrong.
I read Lon Haldemans Blog. (you can find it on the PAC Tour Website, www.pactour.com, then click on "Lon's Blog" This week he Introduces David Rowe in his blog. I quote from Lon's blog
"Lots of riders dream about what it would be like to “go long.” Most will attempt a century and stop there. Those that want to ride through the 100-mile barrier learn that physical conditioning can only prepare you to a point. The challenge of a multi-day, ultra-endurance event is mostly mental."
A few weeks ago, author and road cyclist David Rowe released a new book called “The Ride of Your Life.” His goal in writing the book, he says, is to help others achieve great things on the bicycle and in life."
The most interesting passage in the interview Lon has with David is this
"The key to success in long distance cycling is knowing why are you out there in the first place. If you have that squared away, then you're going to be prepared for the mental challenges. You will just keep on searching for a way to get your head and your heart pulling in the same direction, toward that finish line of the ride of your dreams."
Yes, i plan to buy and read the book. What is really exciting to me is that David Rowe is going to be at PAC Tour Coaching Week when i am there! Whoooo Hooo!. If you have been following my blog at all, you know i am most concerned about mental preparation. I see this as an amazing opportunity....
Till next week...
Craig
Training Tips from Bob Roll....The Bobke.....(i give credit here to the blog www.soquoted.blogspot.com for this wisdom. Sorry for the length but i found this hysterical and had to share it...don't take it too seriously!)
Tip 1: Crashing is better than eating right. Eating right makes you feel good about yourself. This is the last dang thing you want. You want to feel absolutely shitbag about yourself. Your self-esteem should be lower than a snake's belly at the bottom of a Deep South penitentiary septic tank.
When you have the appropriate base level of self-esteem, you'll want to inflict the grinding horror of your mind upon all around you. Appeasing the torments of your mind by ripping people's legs off in a bike race so you can be seen kissing the podium dolls is the best path. Eating right is bettor suited to actresses who've guzzled so many lies getting movie roles that their digestive enzymes have been vaporized.
Now, crashing, on the other hand, gives you scar tissue, and scar tissue tells a story no idiotic tribal barbwire tattoos ever will. And as the stories of your scars are retold, you'll get hungry for sour mash and pork rinds. It is almost impossible to eat a macrobiotic salad while picking at your scabs and describing your ass-over-tits, auger-into-the-gravel-pile-moving-into-sprint-position in the last corner. Self-hate propels the bicycle faster than all the 30/30/40 ratio flim-flam, phin-phen scam artists combined. Let retired generals, Enron satanists, Juan Exxon Valdez, and Guantanamo bay-detained Islamic Jihadists eat right. It is way better to crash hard and eat wrong.
Nice entry. For what it's worth, i agree with "The challenge of a multi-day, ultra-endurance event is mostly mental." "The key to success in long distance cycling is knowing why are you out there in the first place." When I've cycled long distance - across the US twice, across Australia, etc - the knowing why was pretty simple. I just wanted to conquer a continent on a bike. I always started a trip by putting my back tire in the ocean at the start of the trip (the Pacific when I crossed the US, the Indian when I crossed Australia) and my front tire in the ocean at the end of the trip (the Atlantic when crossing the US, the Pacific when crossing Australia) The goal was simple, but made the mental part much easier and kept me going on tough days. It made me get up each day and say,,, ok, gotta get that 100 miles in today so i can get that front tire in the ocean. Set simple clear goals, and it'll get you up each morning and get you on the machine.
ReplyDelete