Hi folks, Cycling on the roads is dangerous, as is Mountain Biking. Almost everything worth doing is dangerous, so don't stop, just adjust your approach for a (hopefully) long and (definitely) happy life. Even the most experienced cyclists have crashes, but there are ways to improve your chances. If you read this blog you are probably not an elite cyclist, but just a 'regular dude' like yours truly. As an ... Read more
Two Triathletes Die In Swim: The Issue Is Training, Not The Rules Of The Game
Hi folks, I was very sad to hear of two unnecessary deaths in the New York City Triathlon. I say unnecessary because of my experience in triathlons as an ex-water polo player. I have completed the Lake Placid Ironman five times, which has an extremely crowded swim start. This year I completed the race with an abdominal aortic stent graft, and at no time did I feel threatened in the water. The start of these ... Read more
Accidents Happen When You Are Tired Or Distracted
Hi folks, Have you ever had a serious training accident? I have experienced several, and each one was at least to some extent my own fault. I was tired or lost my focus every time. These accidents included the following: (1) A severely injured knee at the end of a long day's skiing (mistake - full day ski pass on the first day of the season), which resulted in surgery. (2) A bad bike wreck that ... Read more
Do You Want To Fix Your Health Problem, Or Do You Just Want It To Go Away?
Hi folks, I often encounter people with health problems or training injuries who complain about them, describe them in great detail or the symptoms at least, provide a litany of health specialists consulted and so forth, but when I suggest that they might actually work on the issue themselves they look extremely confused or nod their head and continue in the same old way to repeat the story to me a month ... Read more
Sports Injuries: Are You Looking For The Wrong Thing In The Wrong Place?
Hi folks, Whilst staying in a motel on the Interstate recently, I was awoken at 2:00 am by a cyclic buzzing sound, which I immediately assumed was an alarm clock in the adjacent room. You know what they say about, 'ASSUME.' Makes and ass out of you and an ass out of me. I just could not get back to sleep, so off I went in search of the offending noise, with the assistance of the night clerk (a nice ... Read more
Training As A Journey Of Self-Discovery: How Much Is Too Much?
Hi folks, The real art to training safely comes down to knowing what to do and becoming aware of how much is too much. Too much what, you might ask? Let's consider a few key variables. Impact: Recently I sent out a tweet, via Twuffer to Twitter (brave new world), providing a Chez Ollie in the TheRollaDailyNews.com website concerning the value of exercise for Baby Boomers. There was a statement in this ... Read more
Zen and the Art of Body Maintenance Revisited
Hi folks, Training Tip: How to address an injury close to a planned race. In a previous post, I referred to that important book, 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert Pirsig, which addresses the issue of quality, using motorcycle maintenance as a metaphor. This is how I remember his story, which I read about 30 years ago. Robert Pirsig presents the relationship between two couples, who ... Read more
Changing The World One Person At A Time, Starting With Your Run Mechanics!
Hi folks! Whilst reading an interesting post from a link received via twitter, entitled 'The Power of One Connection: How Word of Mouth Works Online,' I was reminded of a conversation I had with Nick, Deb's 13-year-old son. I was driving Nick to his friend's house and during the trip he said "Me and Jared are going to ...," a form that drives Deb crazy. I also consider it to be impolite, but it is now ... Read more
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