PBP Mini-Panic: Sore Knees

Ouch! My knees were hurting. Mostly my right.

Knees are important to cyclists, and I've come to understand that cycling is generally knee-friendly. And though I've had some knee issues over the years, I had come to a place where me knees were doing just fine.

But knee pain has struck again, and not at an opportune time just a matter of weeks prior to Paris Brest Paris. I visited the Physical Therapist this week, and we made a few tweaks. I've also been off the bike for a week, so things are settling down.

But I did panic a little. Knee pain now? Right as I'm trying to get a little faster, push a little harder?

Well, I've moved through the panic now, and I anticipate getting back on track soon. It is a good reminder though to stay focused, stay calm, and work through potential setbacks. We shall see.


Keep it bent, but not too sharply,

CurioRando

The things we do for...

Why exactly am I doing this again? My physical therapist, she whom we call TheHealer, told me to shave my left, lower leg for my next visit. And so I did. Wow, is that weird.

Next visit, she taped it into what she called a "fibular lift". It seems that my Fibula isn't allowing my Talus to slide fore and aft as smoothly as we'd like. My theory is that this is the result of an injury from a little race over twenty years ago. I had taken my son to a dude ranch for a weekend of horseback riding and hiking in the foothills of the Rockies.

We had just had a grand day hiking those hills and sneaking around spying on a herd of Bighorn Sheep. We were tired, but having fun. At day's end, I remember clearly seeing my old, green Jeep across the gravel parking lot and saying "race you to the Jeep!". And so we tore off across that gravel lot. Just a stride away from the Jeep my tired ankle turned under and I heard that distinct "pop" as a tendon pulled a bone chip off of my outside bone on the foot where it connects to the fibula.

I never put weight on it as I hopped my last stride on my "good" foot, hauled myself into the Jeep and drove us into town to the ER. I wore one of those goofy walking casts for a while, and that was it.

But on my last brevet, the Nighttime 200k, I ended up the last 50k or so with very mild pain down my left shin. I had issues here before, though not often. TheHealer theorizes that this rough fore/aft motion of my talus causes the muscles in front of the shin to work harder, thus the pain.

Well, we'll find out. Meanwhile, I'm still getting over the crud...again, and I'm a little frustrated. I had planned to do my 400k this weekend, but this recurring sinus crud isn't helping me along. I'm showing restraint, and a passage from the book I've been reading, Base Building for Cyclists by Thomas Chapple, has helped:

The athlete with a commitment to her long-term goals also knows that skipping a workout when her body is not up to the task will not set her back but will actually keep her moving forward. Committed athletes know the benefit of maintaining balance in their lives. When the committed athlete asks herself, "What can I do today to make myself a better athlete?" the answer may be "Rest." The athlete who attempts to train through an injury rather than adjust his goals always believes he is committed, but he is not. He is acting obsessively rather than remaining committed to his objectives. Remaining injured is not the way to progress, and by not resting he only creates long-term setbacks. This is when obsession is mistaken as passion or commitment.



The very athletic Bighorn Sheep, per Wiki.



Keep it shaved and wrapped,

CurioRando

The Times They Are a Changin'

The times aren't really changin'. It's the sunlight at the particular times that's changin', and boy, you can really feel it now. As Dr Codfish told us Northwesterners at the beginning of this past weekend, we had great weather. Translated, that means it was sunny!

When it's dark and gloomy, a few more minutes of end-of-the-day light goes unnoticed. But when it shines, it's great, and you're reminded of how much later it remains light.

On Monday night (Presidents Day), I took off from the house at 4:30pm and returned just before 6:30pm. It was light until just near the end of the ride. I'd have never done that same ride a month ago. It wasn't like that soft, sultry June evening ride at 9:30pm, but it was delightful.

And that got me to thinking about how it was February 21, this evening ride of mine. When is it that our time springs ahead again? I know they've been messing with that (in our favor) for a while. And guess when it is this year?

March 13!

Yippee!! And the first day of Spring is March 20. Wow, this is getting great.

And on Presidents Day, the day of my evening ride, it was exactly 180 days until Paris Brest Paris. The clock is ticking, and the days are thickening!

I guess the times they are a changin'...on March 13, ready or not. I, for one, will be ready to spring ahead!

Chart courtesy of Wiki.


Keep it changin'

CurioRando

Training with LSD: Long Slow Distance

Joe Henderson wrote a treatise in 1969 promoting the promise of running long and slow and for long distances. Go slow to get fast was the idea. That's Joe, above, from his website where you can find his treatise--complete with a revised Introduction--all in one place.

Wikipedia summarizes the theory thusly:

Long slow distance (LSD) is a form of aerobic endurance training in running and cycling.^[1][2] Physiological adaptations to LSD training include improved cardiovascular function, improved thermoregulatory function, improved mitochondrial energy production, increased oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle, and increased utilization of fat for fuel.^[1] Ernst van Aaken (1910–1984), a German physician, is generally recognized as the founder of the long slow distance method of endurance training.

The theory certainly has its detractors, but I like the notion of fewer injuries and focusing on the enjoyment of one's sport rather than the pain-for-gain approaches. I'm not saying it's for everyone and certainly not claiming any proficiency about training, but I do assert it is an attractive approach.


One of the runners that Joe writes about is Tom Osler, about whom I posted here a while back. As with Tom, I was turned onto to Joe Henderson by Ian Jackson, but again, that is a story for another day.


Given that I'm of a certain age, I also enjoy the context of Joe's writing. It was a time of change, rethinking, and shatterings of the status quo. It's refreshing to me to capture that sense of all thing's possible again. Not that Joe gets into that, more that if you went through any of that time you can catch a whiff of it. Those times were certainly a counterpoint to today's days of retraction.


Joe, like Tom, writes about endurance running, but all is applicable to endurance cycling, at least I think that's true.


I'm also just now getting into this book that came out in 2007 titled Base Building for Cyclists: A New Foundation for Endurance and Performance by Thomas Chapple. He also argues that if you build your anaerobic system up by going hard all the time, you do so at the expense of your aerobic system. This is too bad, he says, because you can build and build and build your aerobic capacity over years. And once you do that, you train your body to burn fat, so that when you really need to burn carbs for anaerobic performance you've got some available to burn.


Or at least that's how I'm getting it. My response is to go even slower instead of striving harder. At least for now as I work to build that base. Again, remember I am a neophyte when it comes to all this training stuff, so use your own judgment.




Keep it challenging, but slow, man, slow,


CurioRando

I, Cyclist, Go for a Run to Cross Train Again

Here's our crew, my son Mike, DartreDame and SingingCyclist at the World Wraps after our respective runs. Dartre did the most she's done. The SingingCyclist had a fine run, and Mike and I did a walk/run combo to ease me into running.

What a beautiful, sunny day we had in Seattle today. Game night with the VARK's this evening!

According to the chart on introducing running into a cyclist's base training, I'll be doing 50% running with my walking next week.

Mike and I got new running shoes at Jock and Jill's so we toured around the Green Lake area. All the Seattlite's (two and four-legged) were out for a shot of Vitamin D today. Lovely.

Keep it sunnified,

CurioRando

I, Cyclist, Go for a Run to Cross Train

I did it! I ran!

All that talk with Duane Wright on my recent 300k and running inspiration from DartreDame got me out there running along Lake Washington. And it was good.

I liked the freedom, and the physicality of moving different muscles than I'm used to moving.

I won't go into all the reasons why cross training is alleged to be so good for athletes excepting the most popular: injury prevention. That alone is a pretty good one, but if you'd like to read a little more:

• Runner's World
• About.com Bicycling
• Easy Cycling
• Runner's World again

A few of my previous posts about cross training opportunities:

A post of mine on wood chopping.

A post of mine on Snowboarding.

A post of mine on Snow Skiing.

A post of mine on Snowshoeing.

A post of mine on Firewood Slinging.

A post of mine on Weight Training.

Wow, I had no idea I'd drilled down into this cross training idea so much. Problem is looking at that list, the only ones I have done more than a few times of late are the ones that have to do with firewood and double as chores.

Well, at least I keep my aspirations crossed and varied.

Photo courtesy of Wiki.

Keep it injury-free,

CurioRando

My Valentine: Our Cross Training Coach



My Valentine, Pramila Jayapal, with my second-favorite Cross Training Coach, Cornel West.


My Valentine is of course my wife, Pramila, also known here as DartreDame.

I call her our Cross Training coach because she trains us to synthesize what we might initially believe are disparate disciplines into a greater whole. Take her Seattle P-I column published today titled The Root Causes of Immigration. In it she links poverty, the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA, agriculture, global and village economics, immigration, unionization, and our very humanity...because in fact they all are linked. I commend this column to you with enthusiasm. There is nobody putting this all together like she does.

Many find Pramila's writings, speeches and organizing inspiring. And it truly is. This ability to translate what's going on, break it down and put it back into a whole that causes folks to act with passion for the greater good is a unique gift. It is Cross Training Coaching.

But, since she's my Valentine, Dartre's also my inspiration. And for me, Dartre inspires in many ways far removed from this cross training of our intellects with our souls I've just been alluding to.

Her latest inspiration for me comes out of her recent taking up of running. It's been a trip sharing the running pains--of all kinds--that she's been dealing with as a re-athlete, much as I have had to deal with in my re-athleticism via cycling and randonnering. But every day Dartre runs, she comes back more excited, rejuvenated, committed. It is fun to be around.

So it got me to thinking...maybe I should incorporate some running into my cycling base training. No sooner did I get to thinking that very thought than I turned the page in the current book I'm reading, Base Building for Cyclists by Thomas Chapple. What did I find? Nothing other than a chart for cyclists who want to begin adding running into a cross training program.

Very practical. And humbling. Check out how slooowly Chapple encourages you to go. A whole lot of walking before ever really running much. Probably smart advice.

Well, truth be told, she did inspire me, but I haven't run at all yet. I think I'll start tomorrow. OK, by the chart that means it will be walk 5, run 3-5, walk 5, run 5. OK, got it. I'll report back later on how it went.

I am very proud of my Valentine. She is taking on tough stuff. Convincing a world that barely ever pauses that we better take stock and take action for our collective welfare. And, she's conquering her own inertia by taking stock and taking running action. Both are inspiring.

Now, I just have to keep an eye on Cornel West. He sure is holding my Valentine pretty darn close. If he weren't my second-favorite Cross-Training Coach, I'd be worried!

For more on Pramila and the organization she founded and leads, see the OneAmerica website.

Photo by Jack Storms. Check them out, great Seattle photographers!


Keep it crossed,

CurioRando

Paris Brest Paris: intuiting and relaxing.

When I decided to engage randonneuring and set the 2011 Paris Brest Paris as my objective just shortly after the 2007 edition of PBP (and my first learning that such an event existed) I had a mental image of myself surviving--barely--an event for which I had very little perspective. In fact, reviewing my first post on this blog I find two photos of PBP 2007 participants. One is of a smiling finisher looking pleased but not beaten. The second is of a cyclist asleep on the floor of the gym at the conclusion of that same event. While I bravely posited the question as to which would be me in that post, the truth is my only real objective at the onset was to finish. No matter how I survived, I just wanted to finish. I'd be thrilled to be the guy in the fetal position. And given how I fared on my longest ride to date--the Surf City 600k--I have a pretty clear image of what just surviving feels like.

Today, I here declare that I want more than to finish only. I want to enjoy PBP as an experience start-to-finish, and I want to be comfortable and relaxed in my overall pace. And to do so, I am going to follow in the footfalls of the gentleman above. Well, sort of. Tom Osler is apparently well known to those in the know among the running crowd, but I won't be running my way to Paris. I will, however, adopt Tom's training philosophy because...I intuit that it will suit me and my relaxed PBP finish visualization just fine.

I won't go too far into explaining Tom's approach because the links below to excerpts from his little book, The Conditioning of Distance Runners, speak for themselves. I will expand a little, however, on this notion of relaxation.

I've never really physically competed. Once I was chosen to compete in a track & field endeavor in elementary school and I failed superbly. The only accomplishment was breaking a basement (what we called cellar) window practicing the shot put with a soft ball! Another time I got put into the final minutes of a high school hockey game, and not because I was a clutch player. Nothing to rave about there either. I think that about covers my experience in physical performances.

Nor have I performed artistically. I don't sing or play an instrument. About the only thing I can think of that relates is public speaking: as a panelist, speaker, leader of a meeting. One thing I've learned about that is that being prepared and being relaxed are key, and they are linked. Breathing plays an important role in speaking too.

Another instinct I'm drawing on is my reaction to a book I bought to read on the plane as I went to India last month: Chris Carmichael's The Time-Crunched Cyclist. I know Chris is pretty much the guru cycling coach of the day, and I know that I probably qualify as a time-crunched cyclist, but I reacted pretty stiffly to Chris's prescription. In some ways though, Chris really ratifies what Osler contends. Chris's idea is that you can cheat by putting in less time, but just don't expect the results to last over time. I guess I don't disagree so much with that conclusion, but the notion of intervals, kilojoules, and overloads in a compressed time program put me off. It doesn't feel like it will have me very relaxed, either in training or in Paris.

Too, I am paying attention to my homeopath who winces when I describe brevets or permanents which leave me feeling spent. Spent is a warning word for him, and I listen to his winces. And when I described my intention to my physical therapist (the one I call The Healer) to begin to engage in interval training to build speed for PBP (this is prior to discovering Osler) I heard her silences. And she is an ultra-runner so her silences run deep.

All of this, combined with my bodily intuition that I want to pursue relaxation at a faster cadence, have led me to Osler and perhaps to some breath work as well. So what is Osler's prescription, written in 1967 for endurance runners?

Here is the link to Part 1 as reprinted in Runner's World in 1984.
Here is the link to Part 2 as reprinted in Runner's World in 1985.

The photo above of Tom running more recently is from his own website which is also worth pursuing. There you'll discover Osler's prolific and successful running career and rather astounding mathematics career. One glance and you'll see Tom Osler is not some goofy uninformed weekend athlete. Nope, he is that rare character that is wondrously athletic, analytical and intuitive all at once.

I thank Ian Jackson for turning me on to Tom, but Ian is a story for another day.

All this is not to say that I wouldn't be grateful just to finish PBP. I would. But my visualization is grounded in randonneuring as ambling, faster ambling. And to get there, I am going to eschew the frantic and the rigid, favoring intuition and relaxation instead. That previous sentence is not just about my cycling, it's about my visualization for my life.


Keep it visualized,

CurioRando

Coup de Torchon Cycling

Coup de Torchon is simply french for The Dish Towel Technique as put forward by Ian Jackson of BreathPlay. The idea is that instead of pushing down into the bottom bracket we pull the pedals away from one another as if we're trying to keep the dish towel taught and straight.

Or, as you see in the photo above or in the video, if you imagine you're holding a dish towel between your hands, your hands represent the pedals.Then, to keep the towel straight you must push each pedal away from the other with equal and opposite force.

I discovered this technique in another podcast by Terry Bicycles owner Georgina Terry.

Ian posits that even as we contrive to push down on the down stroke and pull up on the up stroke or "wipe mud from the bottom of our cleats" we are still engaging in essentially centripetal pedaling rather than centrifugal pedaling. Coup de Torchon is about pulling around the circle rather than pushing into the circle we all hope to pedal. I'm certainly no physicist, but I am intrigued by the visualization.

I've tried it--not yet for long rides (tomorrow will be first longer test)--and I like it. I can tell I am recruiting some new muscles and my stroke is smooooothing out.

Let me know what you think.


Keep it smoooooth,

CuriooooRandoooo

Yoga and Cycling

I took Yoga classes in India, and progressed really well. After two weeks I was able to walk down this uneven staircase on my hands.

JUST KIDDING! While I did take my first ever Yoga class yesterday (here in Columbia City, Seattle), this photo is from an early morning walk that the SingingCyclist and I took. We were taking a three hour long guided tour of the trees of Lal Bagh Botanical Garden in Bangalore.

It was a wonderful tour. As we were beginning the tour with about 20 other folks, the guide began describing the history of the Garden with his back to this giant rock. A number of folks were hanging out meditating, exercising, practicing various breathing techniques, etc. Then this guy, pictured above, began to do all kinds of extreme poses...and then proceeded to walk down this staircase on his hands while our guide waxed on about the marvels of Lal Bagh.

I was just mesmerized by this guy. Afterward, he held himself in a pike position on an old water pipe. Wild.

Below is a tree tour from Lal Bagh.



Fire Ants on bark.



As for me and my first Yoga class, I loved it. DartreDame turned me onto it, and it was just the right thing to get me going after the sinus crud. I plan to do more. As my Physical Therapist (aka The Healer) told me: You might not be able to cycle when you're 80--then again you might! (as she spied my countenance)--but you certainly will be able to do Yoga when you're 80.

Good advice.

For a perspective shock, that giant rock that the hand walker was coming down is 8 Billion years old. Half as old as the Earth itself. So said our guide. Therefore, it was formed as the crust and such was still cooling. Our guide struggled with describing just how old that is and he used 8000 million years to describe it. However, you describe it, it remains unfathomable. The Garden is magnificent.

My breathing is as old as that rock. I am exploring Yoga and Cycling and Breathing. Here's a look back at Heart Forward Cycling.


Keep it magnificent,

CurioRando

Heart Forward Bicycling




This photo is from the Yoga Flavored Life blog.

My Physical Therapist has helped me a great deal on this randonneuring journey of mine. As I have pushed my body, mind and spirit farther and wider than anticipated, I have found that physical therapy has helped me learn about my body, mind and spirit. I am way more tuned in than before. Even my daily posture has improved! Well, sometimes.

I've got all kinds of exercises she's recommended for this or that ailment: Achilles, shins, back, knees, neck, other assorted body joints and parts.

But one piece of advice I really like and that applies every time I saddle up is the heart forward suggestion. It isn't a pose like the one above exactly, though that pic captures the feeling. The idea is that when I mount the bicycle I am to lower my torso toward the top tube further than I will when riding in the drops. Then gradually ease up into the riding position instead of starting up and coming down into it. And, importantly, I am to embody a heart forward posture of peeling my heart away from my backbone. It is a gentler alternative to arching my back, and I find myself relaxing into heart forward, not pushing into it.

It's also good later in the ride, when I might be tensed up, shoulders up to my ears and such. By adopting heart forward in my mind, spirit, body, I loosen up.

And most of all, if my neck is sore and I adopt a heart forward posture, my neck pain disipates. I can be down in the drops and pained in my neck if I'm not heart forward, and voila!: with heart forward my neck is all good. Try it.

Looking down the road from a dropped position with my heart forward doesn't strain my neck. Looking down the road from that same dropped position but with a sunken back does strain my neck. I'm repeatedly amazed at how well heart forward works, but it does.

And you knew this was coming: I love the way the two words capture the journey I'm about to begin as I saddle up: heart forward!


Keep it forward,

CurioRando

Physical Therapy: A Cyclist's Best Friend

Wiki ankle diagram.

So, no more shin pain after yesterday's 200k brevet (post forthcoming)! Could be that it was half the elevation of the Mt. Rainier Sunrise Climb. But I think it is mainly because of my physical therapy session this week.

Here is how Dartre's and my PT, Betsy, describes what she did:

I did a basic subtalar manipulation (traction).

Sometimes that joint can get slightly off causing there to be decreased dorsiflexion range of motion which causes the anterior tibialis and or posterior tibialis muscles to overwork. It often makes the ankle feel stiff and we will try to get motion wherever we can in the rest of the foot/leg complex.

All I know is I'm happily pain free. She described it to me at the time as there are some techniques that you know whether they work immediately. This, a rapid tug on my ankle on the exhale of a deep breath, seemed to work right away though I was less sure due to the residual inflammation.

Yippee, is what I say!

Keep it tugged,

CurioRando

I'm Trying Out dailymile.com to Log My Training

My Profile shot from dailymile.com.

I wasn't able to do a screen shot, so this is all you've got. I just joined up on the dailymile.com website. It is a training log website where you can log your training sessions, comment, share photos, etc.. It's essentially a training version of Facebook.

Here is the link to my Profile page of dailymile. If you like it, you can roam around to the other pages. So far I have zero friends on dailymile so if you do join, how about being my friend?! I sound pathetic, huh?

I joined as a way to encourage myself to take the training more seriously. The drag now is that I just injured my right shin, and it needs a rest.

But check it out, and if you know of better online logs--I'll bet there are plenty of training logs out there--please let me know.

Meanwhile, I put a dailymile.com widget in the sidebar to the right. Feel free to give me an attaboy when I'm training well and a poke when I need...poked!

The photo is from Dartre's and my ride up to Mt. Rainier last Saturday. A full post forthcoming.

Keep it logged,

CurioRando

Ooh My, What Lovely Scalenes You Have!

Well those may not have been my physical therapist's exact words, but she was impressed with my scalenes. Well frankly, who wouldn't be, right?

She told me my scalenes were highly toned, even waxed on to say my scalenes might be the most well-developed scalenes she's ever seen! Concerned she might swoon, I offered her a seat on the PT table. She declined.

But come on now, my neck muscles? I would  love to hear about my highly developed hammys (I wish!) or my quads (Nope) or even my calves (uh uh), but no such luck in the actually-making-a-bicycle-travel-forward muscular department.

My physical therapist (she's actually the substitute PT, so what does she know anyway?) hypothesized that it might be that cycling and keeping my head up is what has sculpted (my word, not hers) my lovely scalenes. My wife (DartreDame when she posts here) postulated a different idea. She claims that when I am stressed out or put on my stubborn pants, that I "set" my jaw in that certain way, and that it requires lovely scalenes for proper "jaw setting".

The only consolation I have drawn from this is that at least I now know that with proper training (holding my head up or stressing out) I do have the ability to tone my muscles. That is news, and from that I will draw hope that even my muscles are potentially toneable.

When I was about eight years old or so, my older brother started a gym club in our basement. From a few Weider weights, a whole bunch of muscle mags, "Willie's Gym" tee-shirts, and a healthy dose of imagination my brother launched his endeavor. But to give you a sense of our family genes, my brother drew a picture of an arm attempting to flex its bicep right under the words "Willie's Gym". The bicep, however, was completely flat and the tricep drooped down pathetically, the antithesis of a sculpted arm.

We were building our "mushles" we claimed. We had enough self awareness, even then, to know we'd never be mesomorphs, so like ectomorphs the world over we tried to make up for our wimpiness with wit of the self-deprecating kind.

But at least I have muscles to be admired, and I don't even have to take off my clothes. Just get those scalenes in the right light and with a little jaw flexing I'll be admired by all those with discriminating tastes in muscular elegance.

As for my substitute PT, she is a good one. As with my regular PT, I gain a great deal of knowledge and...well challenging exercises. Everything but neck exercises. Come to think of it, if I extrapolate from all the body parts for which my regular and substitute PTs design exercises...let's see now...yes, my neck is the ONLY muscle they haven't tried to improve! And as for my butt...my regular PT tells me repeatedly that my butt is underdeveloped. Great! Underdeveloped butt, and overdeveloped neck. Sheez!

Pictures courtesy of Wiki. The lower pic actually features the scalenes in red. But according to Substitute PT, my scalenes are even better than the Wiki guy's!

Keep it sculpted,

CurioRando

Still More Randonneur Cross Training: Woodchopping!

Here is my stepson, Janak and SingingCyclist when he posts here, learning to split some kindlin'. Good stuff that woodchopping. Better be bending the knees. Twisting. Core. Like cycling, you've got to be moving from a stable platform or core. Otherwise, much energy goes wasted instead of into the pedals or between the woodgrains.

As you can see from the reproduced page below, we've even invented an exercise called the Woodchopper since fewer folks chop much wood these days. The page is from the book Cycling Anatomy which I reviewed here. There is also a previous post where I referenced the Medicine Ball Throw from the same book.

Keep it trained on that precise point where the grains meet,

CurioRando

More Randonneur Cross Training: Snow Boarding!

Now this was a first for me: Snowboarding. Had it not been for my son, Mike pictured below, I'd have never tried it. We took my stepson up to Snoqualmie for his first ski lesson, and Mike and I decided to take a Snowboarding lesson.

Wow! I can tell you I am sore today. I bet I fell at least 30 times! By the end of the day I was getting the knack of it. Not competent, but clearly getting the idea of it and the feel of it. What fun! I gotta imagine it is good for the legs. I like skiing too, and DartreDame (my wife, Pramila) skiied with my stepson, the SingingCyclist or Janak, after his lesson.

Mike was visiting for the holidays so it was great to get him out despite a rather dismal day of snow sports in the rain. Apart from a few brief moments of snow, it pretty much rained constantly. Not great for Mike who lives in Colorado. As one guy on the lift told me: you can pretty much dust the snow off of you in Colorado, but here it just soaks you. But wet or no, it was good to be outside with Mike, home for the holidays!

Wet we were, but whetted were the appetites too...for more adventures in the Winter season. And if you canted your head just so and squinted at just the right time, you could even discern the slightly longer daylight. Ah anticipation!

Keep it leanin' uphill,

CurioRando

Skiing as Randonneur Cross Training

 

 

 

Keep it aimed downhill,

CurioRando

Snowshoeing as Randonneur Cross Training

Fox? Saw a Red Fox nearby a while back. Later I found these tracks crossing rabbit tracks. Cross Training?

Keep it crossed, and who knows where you'll end up,

CurioRando

Slinging Firewood as Randonneur Cross-Training

Not much is more satisfying than a pile of firewood all stacked up. I'm not kidding when I say I could sit back with a beer and just gaze at this fine woodpile. It doesn't just stack up there by itself however.

For Thanksgiving, DartreDame (Pramila my wife and riding partner) and I created this woodpile. Below is Dartre shouldering her share of the burden. Guaranteed to make her a stronger randonneur!

As for me, check out this action series that Dartre captured. True photographic inspiration.

It may not look like randonneur training, but I can tell you it was work. And according to our physical therapist, it was dynamic exercise as opposed to static exercise. Much better preparation, she contends.

Still a skeptic? Check out this diagram from Cycling Anatomy below. I posted my review of the book here.

The Medicine Ball Throw is uncannily similar. Only problem is I forgot to switch sides until I had two logs left to throw! Next winter!

All is not for randonneuring, however. How about this for sweet reward?!

Dartre lounges in the wood-fired hot tub. Aah.

Keep it slingin'

CurioRando