Archive for the ‘cycling’ Category
Door2Door Fitness
Jul.13.2010
Started my first session with a personal trainer last night.
Yes, I am in great shape. And no, I am not in great shape.
Years of cycling have made an incredible difference in my overall condition. I have lost a lot of weight and, more importantly, I have maintained my weight. However, I have struggled with lower back pain for many, many years. Although I approached cycling with a high degree of intensity, I did nothing around the cycling work to build up my core strength. Nor did I do anything to stretch my muscles.
At this time, the major leg muscles — calves, thighs, quads, glutes — are rock solid. So are the forearms, biceps, triceps and shoulders. No surprise as these are the muscle groups that do most of the work when riding.
Midsection? Flabby. No surprise there either. I just haven’t performed any conditioning for the midsection.
Several weeks back, significant back pain emerged. Different class of back pain from previous years. Lower right side with a numbing pain traversing down my right side from the hip to around the knee. Really painful first thing in the morning. I am not able to sit for any length of time and it is really difficult to drive a car for much longer than an hour. Really difficult.
Although it is hard to say with certainty, I suspect this happened due to an aggressive cycling program and misalignment of my pedal cleats.
What my muscles are doing, in effect, twists my body out of shape. The muscles are so tight and the midsection so underdeveloped that I am experiencing pain when I do simple things like walking, sitting or raising my right leg off the floor.
Nino from Door2Door Fitness came over last night and took me through a series of routines to assess the current state. Bottom line: very tight, limited flexibility, and imbalanced development of muscle strength.
I have signed up for 16 sessions to start the process of core conditioning. That, along with a refit on the bike, should help to address the lower back pain issues. I hope. I may need to get things checked out to rule out any other contributing factor.
Nino said that I won’t need a lot of coaching: “You strike me as a highly self-motivated and very disciplined person.”
My wife thought that was an understatement.
The Machine
Jul.02.2010
Back on the bike two days running. Still taking it easy but it does feel wonderful to be back on the machine and to be relatively pain free. Looks like stretching and crunching will be a permanent part of life from now on.
Back On The Bike
Jul.01.2010
After a layoff due to back issues, I got back on the bike today. I was a bit fearful. Would I wind up doing more damage to the back?
I went easy. More of a recovery ride really. Kept the cadence up. Kept the heart rate aerobic. And I tried to get used to the new bike position, saddle and cleat position.
First observation? There is no back pain. The pain in my right leg has subsided significantly. At least for now. I could tell that the cleat alignment had made a significant difference to the pronation of the right leg. Before, I would look down and I would see the right heel angled out by quite a margin. Not now.
New saddle seemed to be a good fit. The adjusted height of the saddle and the elevated angle of the hoods also seemed fine. I also think I warmed up properly on the bike. 2 clicks out from the house and my heart rate was still below 120. I’m usually pushing 130 or more within the first 2 clicks.
Getting off the bike, I felt awesome. Unlike previous rides, I took time to stretch and crunch, before and after.
Back Attack
Jul.01.2010
Back pain.
I’ve struggled with periods of back pain throughout most of my adult life. But usually the episodes are fairly brief. A few days of very tight back muscles that gradually release and then things get back to normal.
I miss normal.
A few weeks ago, I began to experience a different kind of back pain. Lower right. More like at the hip. The fun part of this back pain is that it travels down my right leg. Oh, and I cannot sit for any period of time without experiencing significant pain. And, for most of the day, my work involves sitting.
Yesterday, I drove to Ottawa. Although only two hours each way, it was sheer torture. For now, I cannot drive any longer than 30 minutes without the onset of significant pain.
So. Did cycling cause this condition?
Knee and hip pain are the most common cycling injuries. The most common cause of knee and hip pain in cyclists is iliotibial band syndrome. The iliotibal band is a thick fibrous band of tissue, which runs on the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee. Pain is caused when the band becomes tight and rubs over the bony prominences of the hip and/or the knee. Tight inflexible lower extremity muscles may worsen the condition.
The most common causes are:
- Faulty saddle height or position
- Crank too long
- Pushing excessively high gears (slow cadence in cold weather)
- Too much leg work
- Cleat alignment
- Individual cyclist anatomy
But this condition may well be lower back pain. And muscle imbalance. If there is little development of the mid-section, trouble will emerge. Riding with undeveloped abs is something like riding a bike with a cracked frame – all the energy gets dissipated in flexion, and doesn’t get you down the road. Low-back pain can result from a lack or imbalance of mid-section strength.
I was riding pretty hard this season — although I have been off the bike for almost two weeks now. How much time was I spending stretching and building the core? Uh, that would be zero. I know better but I wasn’t taking the time to stretch and crunch.
I am now doing 200 plus crunches a day and a variety of stretching exercises. At this point, it is hard to say whether things are improving. The condition eases at night and I can sleep without any discomfort.
The mornings are tough.
I also went back to get re-fitted on the bike last week. My cleats were definitely out of alignment. Way out. I had changed them the end of last season and I did not bother to check alignment. Oops. We also changed saddles and brought the angles of the hoods up a few degrees. Position on the machine looks good.
Should I get back on the bike? I might try an easy spin today and see what happens. I have signed up a trainer to help me build out my core. And, if the condition does not improve, I might well have to seek out medical attention.
For now, I continue to hobble along.
Dangerous Rides
May.17.2010
Two recent incidents in Quebec highlight the dangers of cycling.
The first incident involved six cyclists from the Club de Triathlon, St. Lambert. The cyclists were entangled in a scene of carnage on a Quebec highway last Friday. Three women died. A pickup truck hit the group of riders along a dangerous section of Highway 112 in Rougement, just south of Montreal.
And another cyclist, a 57-year-old male, was killed after a collision with a car driven by a 44-year-old drunk drive. This happened on Highway 117 near Val Morin.
Eleanor McMahon, Founder of Share the Road, had this to say about the recent tragedies: “We really do have a shared vulnerability. Do you know of another pastime where you pack ID before you head out on the road in case you get run over and don’t see your loved ones again?” Her husband, OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart, was struck and killed by a vehicle in a cycling collision.
I know it sounds morbid but I carry my contact information in a couple of places when I ride: on a label inside my helmet and on a card inside my saddle. I let my family know which loop I am riding and about how long it should take to complete the loop. I always carry a cellphone with me when I ride. And when I ride, I am very aware of my surroundings and I practice defensive riding. Most cars will provide a generous and wide berth when passing however, on every ride, there will always be at least one driver intent on cutting as close to my left side as possible. If there is a strong headwind, I may not hear that car coming up behind me. Fortunately I ride loops where there is generally little traffic and the shoulders are pretty generous. But I always focus on keeping a true line as close to the side of the road as possible.
I am confident on a bike. I do not worry about the potential danger when I am out on the road. I know that cycling at the speed I ride requires an elevated level of skill and a particular focus and attention to detail to ensure a safe ride. However, there is little that can be done to safeguard against a drunk driver or a driver so intent on talking on their cellphone that they are swerving all over the road. I see far more of the latter than the former these days.
How Much Longer
May.05.2010
On Sunday, I did a 50 kilometer loop on the bike. Good solid pace. Beautiful, sunny day. Very little traffic.
Basically, a perfect ride. And what was I thinking about as I was riding? How much longer. Not how much longer until I finish the loop. No. How much longer will I be able to ride?
The crazy part of being in your fifties is that mortality is no longer an abstract concept. I hope to ride for at least another 20 years. But that might not happen. I hope to play guitar just as well as I do today for at least another 20 years. But that might not happen. I hope to remain active in life, healthy and involved in my faith, my family and my community for at least another 20 years. But that might not happen.
In a way, knowing that time is limited heightens the awareness of the special moments in life. When I finished the ride, I lifted my bike to my shoulders to walk the thousand feet or so up the hill to the house. I told myself to remember this moment, this feeling. The feeling that you get when you finish a ride. The sense of accomplishment and the sense of well being.
And although I am way over-committed right now with too many things on the go, I have to remember that no matter how much longer, I need to stay in the moment. To remember the wonderful people and experiences I have in my life today.
How much longer really doesn’t matter.
Today matters.
Windy
Apr.28.2010
Tonight’s ride featured winds gusting up to 50 km/h. Tough. But the winds are usually up in this area. Most days above 15 km/h.
Grinding into strong headwinds is not a lot of fun and if the wind is from the northwest, it is in the front for most of the ride. I did 30 kilometers and I think 25 of them were against the wind. Even though we are at the end of April, I am still wearing the long johns and jacket. Windy and cold.
Looks like it might be just as bad in Texas. This post inspired me to get out tonight despite the strong winds. Thanks Andy.
Flat Tire
Apr.07.2010
The outdoor riding season has started. I was out last week on a freshly tuned road machine and a new rear tire.
Except that the tire is now flat. After four rides. Although I had noticed something different about the tire when it came back from the shop. The ride was not as smooth for some reason. Maybe time for a different brand of tire?
First Outdoor Ride
Apr.02.2010
Summer weather in early April.
The first outdoor bike ride was a 30.25 kilometer loop. Total time on the loop was 1 hour, 8 minutes and 27 seconds. Average speed was 26.53 km/h with maximum speed of 44.79 km/h.
Cadence averaged 89 rpm with maximum cadence of 112 rpm.
Average heart rate was 140 bpm. The maximum heart rate for the ride was 155 bpm. Time spent in the recovery zone was 2 minutes, 59 seconds. Time spent in the endurance zone was 42 minutes and 34 seconds. And working a bit too hard for the first outdoor ride, 22 minutes and 43 seconds in Zone 3.
I burned 753 calories.
Lots of interesting data points. Surprisingly enough, my first outdoor ride last year was also at the same date. And it was almost as mild. I started with a shorter run last year. The loop was shorter by 9 kilometers for a 21.25 loop. Total time on the loop was 49.24 minutes. Average speed was slower at 25.82 km/h. And the maximum speed was also slower at 43.44 km/h.
Cadence was also down a little. Average was 87 rpm with a maximum of 110 rpm.
The heart rate was also lower. 137 bpm average with a maximum heart rate of 147. Only 556 calories burned.
Training indoors during the winter helps to maintain overall fitness. And I was pleased with the numbers for the first ride. Although not in the A range for average speed, the first ride held a solid advanced pace in the B range. Cadence was about where I would expect for the first outdoor ride. I generally pace around 95 rpm and I had no issues keeping the cadence high on the flats.
Heart rate was a little higher than I expected. However, last year, I spent over 70 percent of the time in zone 3. Not this year. Most of the time was in zone 2. That is a great indicator of progress. Faster pace, longer distance, better conditioning.
The saddle was the only thing that got to me. About 40 minutes in and I was struggling with the saddle. Might be time to try a Fi’zi:k Arione.
I have collected pictures of some of the most stunning recording studios in the world and you can travel through the set by clicking 
