Been a while since I was here and the end of an era has come to pass.

It's often difficult to think of things to write about on the blog, because I believe some of the subjects are somewhat redundant and boring.  However, this day, I have a few ideas. 

I love to be creative and think about things and draw them out on paper.  It's fun to go back to the old ways of doing things and just draw with a pencil and a paper!  I'm working on a project that is proving to be quite a challenge.  A friend of mine has had a hardshipn in which he lost the effective use of his right hand.  So, I've taken it upon myself to design a mountain bicycle control setup that is completely done on the left hand. The brakes and shifters are proving to be the toughest part of this!!!  You might say, "DUH!" But, the principal problem is that bikes just aren't designed to be ridden with one handed controls.  My goal is to change that.

I'm not going to discuss that any further, because it's private intellectual property...

Today, my lovely bride bought an Albuquerque Journal and I thought it might be fun to peruse the sports page.  Tucked in the middle of the third page is a picture of Bobby Cox, the soon-to-be retired manager of the Atlanta Braves.  After 25 years with that organization, he's hanging it up.  It made me sad for a minute to think that we will likely never see those squared sunglasses glaring onto the diamond at Turner Field after the end of this season.  The article mentioned the names of former and current players-some of whom I believe were/are the greatest players of my time-David Justice (C), Greg Maddux (P), John Smoltz (P) Mark Lemke (2B) and no less than Chipper Jones (SS).  I can only imagine how it must feel to see a legacy come to pass and how it must feel to have legends see the end of an era in Major League Baseball. 

I lost interest in baseball when Ted Turner sold the Braves and we couldn't get the games on the southwest feed, anymore.  Therefore, I haven't watched but two Braves games in the last three years and I refuse to switch my team loyalty.  So, I'll just search out the standings on ESPN and look at the recaps and highlight reels. 

On to my favorite subject: CYCLING!  I didn't ride today, because my stomach hurts from eating way way way too much green chile: a common hazard this time of year when the chiles are really showing up all over the place.  With that said, let's talk about sports nutrition and how it affects your ability to perform.

I've been losing a lot of fat lately, but not a ton of weight.  My clothes feel better and I'm a TON stronger.  We have been working on improving the quality of the food we intake around here from just avoiding fatty foods and eating leaner proteins and smarter carbs.  That means that a lot of the foods we've been eating are really old fashioned good food!  Salads, Vanilla flavored Ricotta, salads, salads, salads and Ricotta, cheese, celery, turkey rollups and crap like that just don't add up to smart eating.  Those of you who have ever done that Beachy Diet know exactly what I'm talking about.  Humans were not designed to eat that much ruffage. 

That said, the weight thing is not tantamount to how you feel and how your perform largely on a bicycle or swimming.  But, here's where weight hurts: running and walking.  I'm going to keep working on it, though, but I'm afraid to lose that muscle.  In college, I lost about 70 pounds by starving myself.  I only ate a little meal one time per day.  I can remember feeling like I was going to pass out from lack of nutrition.  It's a wonder I was able to go to class and function.  So, that's a great way to lose weight, but not be healthy and I gained all that weight back and then some.

Nevertheless, let's talk about technique: Hill climbing for big guys is hard, I don't care who you are, if you're over 200lbs, you're not going to be a great climber. Period.  So, there are some ways to beat the odds on climbing.  People-I mean a lot of people-have written books on how to climb faster if you're big like me. You don't need to read a damn book to climb better, you just need to listen to your body and do your best when you climb.  Here's how to do that:

First, don't look at the whole hill.  If you're doing blast climbs, like rollers or short hills in a series, the best way to handle this is let your wieght be an advantage.  gain as much momentum as you can when you're going downhill.  Spin the pedals, in a big gear and gain as much safe speed as you can and get a cdence going.  When you reach the bottom of the hill, try to set your pace and keep it there.  DON'T SPRINT on the downhill, you'll be sorry you did later in the ride.  So, now what you want to do is keep as much momentum as you can, but stay out of the muscle and just spin up the other side with as much momentum as you can maintain.  Then, you won't be mashed up when you get home.

Second, don't look at the whole hill.  Set a goal and make it to the goal and then set another goal.  Just keep climbing until you've cleaned all the sections.  Keep your goals short.  If you're on a highway, make up some points along the way, like road signs, the next reflective marker, the next crack in the road or the next passing zone-whatever you can see.  When you pass those goals, just keep setting small goals until you reach the pinnacle of the climb.  If you think in short terms, you'll reach the top much faster and keep your brain from slipping into a rut.

Third, listen to your body.  If you're creaking up the climb, you need to reevaluate your method.  If you feel pain in the joints, something isn't right and you can hurt yourself.  Muscle pain is totally normal.  If your shoulders are rocking back and forth and you're having to punch the pedals and pull on the bars, you're wasting a lot of energy and that hill is winning.  You're likely in a too hard of gear or your bike isn't geared for a nhill that steep, or you're pooped.  To combat this condition, set a pace you can handle.  If you like to stand on hills, you better be committed to it, because it's hard to break the cycle once you get going.  If the hill's not that steep, don't stand up, because you'll be torched half way up. 

Fourth, set the pace.  The majority of cyclists I know are NOT Iban Mayo, Lance Armstrong, Marco Pantani and the like.  You can't climb like them, so why try?  When you set pace, you need to do what you can handle to avoid the energy suck.  SPIN.  Think about turning the pedals and let the bike go up the hill.  Remember, it's geared to climb.  You should be working hard, but not so hard that your mouth is open and your body is swinging back and forth on the bike.  The pressure on the pedals should be constant over the entire part of the stroke so you get maximum efficency.  If you don't use clipless pedals, you should if you want to do this thing right and you're committed. 

Fifth, just climb the hill.  Watch your breathing and just let the bike go up the hill.  Easy?  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  But, practice makes perfect and if not perfect, it'll make it a little easier as you focus and work.

Lately, my rides have been focused on hill climbing.  So, instead of a two hour spin on the flat, I go out and do an hour and half of climbing and I focus on all disciplines of climbing: standing, spinning, sprinting and descending-my favorite part. 

I'll say this as a final thought for you: braking and descending is a skill, just like anything else you do on your bike.  The front brake is there for a reason and you should use it.  Learning the essentials of braking is your responsibility and you need to control the bike.  I can do 60mph on my bike and be in total control.  I trust it and I trust my skills and I trust in God, because He takes care of dumbasses, like you and me who go too fast on their bikes. 

Have a wonderful week!