Wednesday 31 March 2010
What should have been
With Metcheck being hijacked by me it kindly predicted a day of snow and hence the first ride of the year was postponed! Another weeks prep for those a week behind. Whatever the weather next week be prepared to ride!
Thursday 18 March 2010
We are nearly there..........
I was cycling home last night and I knew by the sweet smell in the air that Spring is nearly upon us. I nearly pulled down my arm warmers, nearly but no I restrained, I like blue skin too much. That smell, fresh cut grass no, daffodills....no, warm sun baking the moisture out the ground, no it was shit! The warm smell of freshly spread manure that has been baking away during the winter! Thus I can confirm spring is here and hence forth our mid week jollies will start soon. See under for The Rules of Engagement, kindly submitted to me by one of the riders.
1) If you want post-race peace, be ready for war. You must prepare accordingly and carry out what the race and your race goals demand of you. As it is in the original Art of War, the will to win means nothing without the will to prepare. Victory belongs to those best prepared. Come to terms with this before you come to blows, or you will blow your chances.
2) Be sure you have secured the proper army of supporters to back you: confidants, guides, medics, scouts, and the like. Though racing is contested amongst individuals it is generally those with the greatest support network who rise to the top. Build your forces to the utmost or you will be fighting a losing battle.
3) Concern yourself only with yourself and your forces. Disregard the politics of war or what your adversaries claim to be doing, except when it furthers your cause (rarely does it further your cause). Utilize scouts if groundwork is deemed essential; focus upon your personal responsibilities.
4) Strive to be ego-free and humble. Laugh at yourself more than you do at those arrogant souls who take themselves too seriously and incessantly sound their battle cries. Then, so as to obtain the last laugh, be sure to quietly kick their ego-ridden ass. Let your performance stand on its own ass-kicking legs as you batter their battle cries into them.
5) Divulge nothing (e.g., training details; race plans; secrets; beliefs; principles, practices, etc). Reveal only that which returns to assist your cause. If a training partner can be of benefit, forge an alliance and share with them as they do unto you, and not a scintilla more. If not, abstain from the "assistance", as he may be an infiltrator.
6) Be intimately familiar with your competition, particularly that which lay inside you, but also in others. (This may sound incongruous with Rule #3 but it is not; you must know your competition's capacities and believe them to be comparable to yours.) Cultivate relationships in accordance with the aforementioned rule (Rule #5), with the understanding that ours is an 'every-man-for-himself' affair once the cannon is fired and war is waged on the Westferry.
7) Whether you win, lose or draw, respect read again respect your rivals, because beneath everything we are friends who have a common interest in this, so show a little respect. For it is when you least respect them, so too is it when you least expect them. In a historical perspective you must also respect those who've fought the hard-fought battles long before you (consider young Schleck). (This relates to the first seven words in the last line of Rule #9.) Moreover, you must absolutely respect those who will come to replace you; for if not, they will come to do so that much sooner.
8) Be intimately familiar with every element of the battlefield: the rules (written and unwritten........ and the ones David makes up on the night), the wind, the potholes, the layout of the land, the finish line, the element of surprise, the potential problems, the possibilities...or you may end up a casualty.
9) Nourish yourself accordingly: nutritionally, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and cognitively. Put the "stud" in study; be a student of the sport and all that it entails. Learn from those who have "been there" and from those who have not.
10) Choose your battles carefully. Fight when all your reserves are in place. Entering a war ill-equipped to defend yourself may precipitate your demise, if not engender post traumatic stress disorder. Know precisely why you are fighting and what you are fighting for.
11) Choose your weapons wisely. Be intimately familiar with each of them, but do not overestimate their need. Use your internal weaponry and aim high.
12) Play fairly when winning or while being monitored by race marshals aka David. Humour aside, you must strive to fight the good fight, both in deliberate practice and on the battlefield.
13) NEVER apologize for waging war. Whether victory is all but lost or completely secured, be sure to fight for all you are worth. The corpses of your enemies always smell sweet. Pummel them all.
14) Limit your mistakes, for they may be fatal. Understand too that he who has committed no mistakes has not fought for very long; exploit him.
15) Finally, you must come to terms that the war will not---and does not---last forever. It is an ephemeral affair, and one day (soon) you may come to miss fighting the good fight. Fight hard. Fight well. Fight to the bitter end. (Do all this and there shall be no bitter end.)
1) If you want post-race peace, be ready for war. You must prepare accordingly and carry out what the race and your race goals demand of you. As it is in the original Art of War, the will to win means nothing without the will to prepare. Victory belongs to those best prepared. Come to terms with this before you come to blows, or you will blow your chances.
2) Be sure you have secured the proper army of supporters to back you: confidants, guides, medics, scouts, and the like. Though racing is contested amongst individuals it is generally those with the greatest support network who rise to the top. Build your forces to the utmost or you will be fighting a losing battle.
3) Concern yourself only with yourself and your forces. Disregard the politics of war or what your adversaries claim to be doing, except when it furthers your cause (rarely does it further your cause). Utilize scouts if groundwork is deemed essential; focus upon your personal responsibilities.
4) Strive to be ego-free and humble. Laugh at yourself more than you do at those arrogant souls who take themselves too seriously and incessantly sound their battle cries. Then, so as to obtain the last laugh, be sure to quietly kick their ego-ridden ass. Let your performance stand on its own ass-kicking legs as you batter their battle cries into them.
5) Divulge nothing (e.g., training details; race plans; secrets; beliefs; principles, practices, etc). Reveal only that which returns to assist your cause. If a training partner can be of benefit, forge an alliance and share with them as they do unto you, and not a scintilla more. If not, abstain from the "assistance", as he may be an infiltrator.
6) Be intimately familiar with your competition, particularly that which lay inside you, but also in others. (This may sound incongruous with Rule #3 but it is not; you must know your competition's capacities and believe them to be comparable to yours.) Cultivate relationships in accordance with the aforementioned rule (Rule #5), with the understanding that ours is an 'every-man-for-himself' affair once the cannon is fired and war is waged on the Westferry.
7) Whether you win, lose or draw, respect read again respect your rivals, because beneath everything we are friends who have a common interest in this, so show a little respect. For it is when you least respect them, so too is it when you least expect them. In a historical perspective you must also respect those who've fought the hard-fought battles long before you (consider young Schleck). (This relates to the first seven words in the last line of Rule #9.) Moreover, you must absolutely respect those who will come to replace you; for if not, they will come to do so that much sooner.
8) Be intimately familiar with every element of the battlefield: the rules (written and unwritten........ and the ones David makes up on the night), the wind, the potholes, the layout of the land, the finish line, the element of surprise, the potential problems, the possibilities...or you may end up a casualty.
9) Nourish yourself accordingly: nutritionally, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and cognitively. Put the "stud" in study; be a student of the sport and all that it entails. Learn from those who have "been there" and from those who have not.
10) Choose your battles carefully. Fight when all your reserves are in place. Entering a war ill-equipped to defend yourself may precipitate your demise, if not engender post traumatic stress disorder. Know precisely why you are fighting and what you are fighting for.
11) Choose your weapons wisely. Be intimately familiar with each of them, but do not overestimate their need. Use your internal weaponry and aim high.
12) Play fairly when winning or while being monitored by race marshals aka David. Humour aside, you must strive to fight the good fight, both in deliberate practice and on the battlefield.
13) NEVER apologize for waging war. Whether victory is all but lost or completely secured, be sure to fight for all you are worth. The corpses of your enemies always smell sweet. Pummel them all.
14) Limit your mistakes, for they may be fatal. Understand too that he who has committed no mistakes has not fought for very long; exploit him.
15) Finally, you must come to terms that the war will not---and does not---last forever. It is an ephemeral affair, and one day (soon) you may come to miss fighting the good fight. Fight hard. Fight well. Fight to the bitter end. (Do all this and there shall be no bitter end.)
Tuesday 9 March 2010
New bike
I have been thinning my bikes and still have a few to go on ebay this week, but I have started commuting a bit again as I have taken an office in town so bought this new singlespeed frame to build a bike.
I am thinking of running it as a reverse mullet!
A "mullet" in terms of biking is slang for traditional up front - being a rim brake and party out back, like the haircut, with a disc on the back, so I am going to try and run a disc up front and a rim brake on the rear!
Pictures by Friday if I get my finger out!
Should be nice :-).
B
I am thinking of running it as a reverse mullet!
A "mullet" in terms of biking is slang for traditional up front - being a rim brake and party out back, like the haircut, with a disc on the back, so I am going to try and run a disc up front and a rim brake on the rear!
Pictures by Friday if I get my finger out!
Should be nice :-).
B
Tuesday 2 March 2010
New Cross bike anyone?????
Is it just me or is this one of the nicest cross bikes you have EVER seen?
Monday 1 March 2010
Protocol for establishing over training
With my increased training load I have become concerned about over training. Whilst clearly not my speciality I thought I would use a two bout exercise protocol to make an objective, immediately available distinction between non-functional overreaching (NFO) and overtraining syndrome (OTS). Essentially it would allow under performing athletes who were diagnosed with the suspicion of NFO or OTS to be included in my study. Recovery of the athletes was monitored by a sports physician ish (Ogg) for me to retrospectively distinguish NFO from OTS.
Two under performing athletes started and completed the protocol. A two bout maximal exercise protocol was used to measure physical performance and stress induced hormonal reactions. The male reaction appeared worse.
I was seeking to establish if the maximal blood lactate concentration was lower in OTS compared to NFO, while resting concentrations of cortisol, ACTH and prolactin concentrations were higher. However, sensitivity of these measures was low. The ACTH and prolactin reactions to the second exercise bout were much higher in NFO athlete compared to OTS and showed the highest sensitivity for making the distinction. I managed to capture these results in one simple test and you can view the results on line at the links below.
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