T.A.P. – The Athlete's Potential

What does it feel like to try hard? Not everyone knows. Lots of people, I would go so far as to say most people, don’t really know what it feels like. So many people with enough talent to make a mark in this and so many other sports, just don’t know how to give a great effort.

I was talking to my wife about it last summer. She asked me if I could help her get in cycling shape. She wanted to ride faster. My first thought was, no, I can’t. I’m not going to get suckered in to training a spouse. That’s the kiss of death! She should ask someone other than me, so I gave her a few suggestions. But she wanted me to help her. So I gave it a shot. After all divorce isn’t the end of the world. It’s no big deal anymore.

I asked her what it feels like when she tries hard, and she did her best to describe it. After her description I thought to myself, she’s never tried hard. So I suggested the next time we ride, she add some 90 second all out intervals.

Now all out intervals are bloody awful to do. I did a few of these a month or so earlier to get ready for my first bike race, and it was hell! But I thought I’d let her have a go and see how she handled the discomfort.

A couple of days later we went for our usual 75 min loop and about 15 minutes in I suggested she try holding 24 mph along Salazar Road, a very slight downhill, not very smooth road heading south from the Square in Taos. She took off like a maniac, right up and over 25 mph. About 45 seconds later she stopped pedaling and had a wonderful panicked expression on her face. There wasn’t enough air!

I remembered this feeling from my first attempt at short very hard intervals. It feels like a horse has kicked you in the chest, and if you’ve never felt it before, I’m sure it’s scary. Fortunately I’d told her about my experience earlier and warned her about what to expect.

30 seconds or so passed and she lost the panicked look. She swapped it out with a glare. The kind of glare that has been turning men to pillars of salt for years. You know that look! A few minutes later she was actually proud of herself, and a smile started to appear. If you’ve never seen my wife’s smile, well let me just say, it’s been making men do crazy things for over 20 years.

I told her the second one wouldn’t be such a shock, because our bodies (in this case it’s as much the mind) adapt, and she should try it again. I suggested she go for at least 4 of these today. The second and third ones went very well. She started out slightly slower and held it for the whole 90 seconds. By the midway through the fourth one though, she was pooped! Legs had gone to mush. You know that feeling? If you don’t, maybe you’ve never really tried hard!

She was laughing by that point, because she just couldn’t push the pedals anymore. It does make you laugh. Once the panic has passed, and there is no more push in your legs, there is a certain amount of relief that bubbles up. Intervals like these are a little intimidating. When you’ve never done them before they are even scary. The feelings are all new and you don’t know if you’ll come out the other side unscarred. The answer is you don’t. You are scarred in a way. You are a little harder. Like it or not, you’re not the same person anymore. You’ve pushed past the first level of discomfort and lived to talk about.

Yes, this is only the first barrier that needs to be explored, and there are others. Each one presents it’s own challenges and rewards. Each one gives you greater insight into your own athletic and mental potential. How far are you interested in pushing your own will, exploring this part of your mind? When I was just starting my triathlon career, I was extremely curious to explore the feedback my body would give me in these situations. Not so much anymore!

Every time you push to this point you have to wonder, what’s beyond this. What’s next. And, once you get comfortable enough at this effort, why not check out what’s next? I mean it’s not like it will kill you! We aren’t like horses, and capable of running until we die. So give it a shot, it’s kinda scary fun! You never know, what’s beyond may even be easier to deal with. It may even feel peaceful and quiet.

Today is the anniversary of my friend John’s birth. Forty-eight years ago he was born and two and a half years later he moved across the street from me. We have been friends ever since. On this wonderful day, he likes to call the most important day of the year, I’m going to write a bit about cycling responsibly. After all, he is a cycling commuter in the scary gigantic city of London, home of the 2012 Olympics, where Simon Whitfield will be getting his third Olympic medal. Congratulations in advance Simon, oh and no added pressure…

I see cyclists get angry at motorized vehicles all the time. I understand cyclists have rights, but is it worth exercising those rights if it just creates more anger in the world? Aren’t there enough drivers who dislike cyclists already? How about we change the attitude cyclists have toward cars and in turn (maybe) that will change the attitude drivers have toward us cyclists! After all you are on your bike for enjoyment, aren’t you?

I propose, never getting angry at a car. Never flipping them off, spitting on them, screaming at them, or anything else that can promote unnecessary conflict with them. How about when someone drives too close, you wave and say, “Hello, I’m here.” – with a smile on your face. Because after all you are still alive and they could have run you down without even knowing it. This may seem rather passive to some of the aggressive people out there, but I promise you, in most cases, there will be a positive outcome. In most cases the driver will be made aware of your presence and pay more attention in the future – as opposed to screaming at each other and making one more driver think cyclists are jerks.

Wave and smile, perhaps a “Don’t forget about me”, or “Hello?” will go a lot farther than going berserk at each other.

Smile and wave at other cyclist too. We are a community of two wheelers. There are no classes. Yes, some of you are better than others, or faster, better looking (although not better looking than me) or whatever, but we are all part of the cycling community and the more the merrier. I smile and wave, or at least give a nod if I’m suffering a bit, at everybody on a bike –  and kids in cars. I might be recruiting a future cyclist. What’s the big deal? It might make someone else happy. It certainly won’t make anyone hate you or want to drive you off the road. And since we decided a few days ago that trying to be tough was ridiculous (see post),  and being happy and nice was the way to go, this turns out to be truly appropriate behavior.

Let’s move on the to mindset on the bike. You are invisible, unless it’s bad to be visible, like in front of the police, then you’re visible. So rolling through lights or stop signs is a no no! Proceed accordingly. Cars, truck, semi’s, they can’t see you. It’s up to you to pay attention and avoid them. Keep your head up, look around, most accidents can be avoided if you pay attention. If one of them is kind enough to slow down for you, then make sure you wave and thank them for sparing your life.

Yes, there are a certain number of collisions that will happen no matter how well you’re paying attention. But let’s eliminate the ones we can.

Riding on a narrow winding road, for me, is the the most fun, unless cars are coming of course. What I do in these situations only, is claim my space. I ride in the middle of the lane when I feel it’s not safe for a car to pass me. I make sure they can’t pass. You might think that this will enrage the driver, but it doesn’t seem to. When there is a straight section, or the road becomes wide enough for a safe pass, then I move over and wave them by, with a smile saying, “Thank you for waiting.” I always figure that 5, 10, 15 seconds of their time isn’t worth as much as my health or life for the matter.

City riding is tough at the end of a long ride when you’re tired and bonk’ish. But that’s no excuse for not paying attention, you need to expect drivers to pull out in front of you, stop suddenly, cut you off, among other things, at any moment. In most cases they are not being malicious, they just didn’t see you! Remember you are invisible. It’s up to you to avoid these collisions. And if you have a close call, remember, no one cares more about your safety than you do! You must be responsible for your own safety. Accept that responsibility, and enjoy your ride.