Twin Cities Spoke of the IC3

of the International Christian Cycling Club

THE TWIN CITIES SPOKE

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Steve's Blog

Focus

Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour

1 Peter 5:8 (GW)

Watching Tour De France this morning my wife looked at me and said, "Riding in a pack like that cannot be safe!" I will have to admit things can happen and quickly in a pack like that. You have to stay focused not only on the wheel in front of you but also those up ahead and to the right and left. It is intense; it is part of what I like about racing.

Also some wheels are easier to follow than others. I have a group of friends I ride with regularly who I have come to know and trust. I know that they aren't going to make any quick moves, hit the brakes or swerve when we are riding tight. I can trust them.

It is kind of the same in our spiritual lives. We need to stay focused on what is going on around us lest we get sucked in to a "crash". That focus involves daily prayer and Bible time. I know on my long rides I will pass the time praying (and not for a tailwind or the ride to end ).

We also need to be in the company of Believers' we trust and can confide in. People we know who won't lead us astray and we can count on to be there when it gets tough, people who won't swerve or brake but will reflect God's love for us. I have had some of the deepest conversations with my friends, spinning down a road or trail in the rain and cold talking about what is happening in our lives.

So the whole point is this: stay focused. Stay focused Who has saved us. Riding Jesus wheel is the perfect place to be!

Progress

One thing I have learned over the years is to not get worried about where I want to end up but to monitor my progress in that direction.

In the last week I have watched my mileage for the same trainer ride steady go up which means the drills are working. I can feel my pedal stroke smoothing out and I definitely feel stronger on the bike.

Last night's swim though was a real marker.

First of all it was after a very hectic stress filled day at work. Then you add in the traffic due to a little snow and wondering if I was even going to make it to the pool in time for lap swimming (6-7). Then as I slid into the pool I could feel the water was warm (the water aerobics class must have complained). That normally means a pretty sluggish swim as I just over heat.

From the very start I felt great. My form was good and I felt strong. No shoulder pain to work out just flat out swimming. I knew it was going to be close getting my mile in because I was late due to traffic but I figured I would swim until the life guard kicked me out for the water aerobics class.

I finished with an all time best time and a minute faster than when I started swimming again in Nov. Now that is the kind of progress I am looking for!

End of Week One

With the beginning of the new year I have started my High Intensity Training Program (13 weeks) and have moved to Phase 2 of my strength program (more weight and less reps) I am very determined to enter the season in good form.

As I drank my morning coffee this morning out of my "Pain Is Temporary" mug I began to wonder - is it really when you have another hard workout today? :) I guess temporary doesn't have a time factor to it does it?

Slapping Water

For a guy that swims as much as I do I really don't like it. I don't like the cold locker room, the cold water, and then the really cold locker room afterward. But given my joint issue swimming is a very good exercise for me so I do it.

I had a very rough day at work yesterday. Then my drive home and to the pool was slow due to a very small amount of snow (which annoyed me) so as I slipped into the pool (behind schedule) I was not in a very good mood.

The first lap my right shoulder was giving my some pain (welcome to pushing 50) but I just kept slogging away. Eventually I slipped into my rhythm and started to just glide along.

I found the quiet of the water sliding by relaxing as I started to stretch my stroke out. The tension was slowly releasing from my body. I was warming up and not so cold. I actually was almost enjoying myself.

I could hardly believe it when I hit the lap counter and it said 35. It was time to quit. I noticed the water aerobics instructor laying out their equipment so I knew my time was up.

Now if I can only find a way to conquer the freezing locker room :)

The Battle Begins

The last couple of years have been a struggle for me and I lost my discipline. You could blame it on health issues in my family and the demands of a changing job but the real bottom line was I lost sight of my goals, let fear take over and quietly drifted away from my cycling passion.

Sure there were bright moments, Greenwood and the group I worked with until I blew and the Dock Out Weekend with Tim (which my wife has changed the name on the calendar to Dock-in and biking with Tim :). But I can't help but think what could have been if I would have stayed disciplined like have been in the past.

So that is part of my focus the next three months - to get that discipline and structure back. To find a way to make it work and to not lose sight of the goal.

I have found some new training videos from a place called Sufferfest. I LOVE THEM! The footage is of real races and the music is better than the Spinerval elevator music. You can download them for $10. These guys are on to something.

Yesterday I did the Downward Spiral. After some warm up stuff you do two sets of "downward" intervals. 2minutes on 2 minutes off 1:45 on 1:45 off, 1:30 on 1:30 off etc finishing at :15 on and :15 off. There is a 5 minute recovery ride (set to a mountain bike ride) and then you do it again.

The effort on the hard intervals was to be a 9.5 out of 10. With my max heart rate being 179 every interval I did I was up in the 170's.. During the "off" interval I dropped only into the 150's. The sweat was running like river off of me, the quads would burn but I kept forging on.

I could feel the fight coming back into my body. I was starting to get that silly little grin I get when I start to go mad. The Gerb of the past was returning. He is still there and dying to come up and play. I am forward to playtime this year :)

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