Mental Preparation

Four days until the ride ! Today a dreary rain falls across northwest Ohio. This is a much needed rain during a rather dry, hot summer. The weather seems to match the training goal of the day - "renewal". The next four days are rest days. At least physically resting as I prepare for a drive to Cleveland to join the other Pan Hope riders who will embark with me along the 300 plus mile journey to Cincinnati. Renewal means eating right, getting plenty of sleep, packing what I need and reflecting upon the marvelous support I've received from donors and friends who have cheered my training on through sharing their cancer stories. This morning I wrote thank you letters to donors and added more names to my bike jersey. Names of people who have or are battling cancer. Names given to me by donors who want to honor or remember their loved ones who have faced cancer and either won or lost their physical battle. I ride for them!

Training on the Run

Would you be surprised if I said that sometimes life gets in the way of training? I'm traveling for work. Four days away from home and my road bike with only eight days remaining before the ride. I would not consider this to be the best of circumstances as far as training is concerned. Of course, had it occurred earlier in my training I would have been even more concerned. This week and next are "taper" weeks. At this point I should be ready to ride 300 plus miles and my focus should shift to being rested. That doesn't mean taking time off from the bike, but it does mean scaling back my miles so that I am not stressing myself, but maintaining the level of fitness I've achieved. So, what to do while I'm gone? My only choice is a stationary bike in a hotel's fitness center. While I miss the beautiful outdoors, peddling indoors will have to do. Training has many parallels for life. Sometimes we just do not have the most ideal conditions or equipment to address what life throws our way. So we make do with what we have available. The cliche - when life hands you lemons, make lemon aid - has some value. I can not control all of the circumstances in life or people's responses to me, but I can control my response and do what I can with the resources I have available to me. So, life like training, can be approached with a clear goal in mind, guiding principles to focus the journey, and resourcefulness to make work what you have.

EIGHT DAYS BEFORE THE RIDE!

How do you train for a 300 mile ride?

How do you train for 300 miles? I received much advice raninging from "just ride as much as you can" to "train like you would for a century". Either way it means I am spending many many hours on my bicycle. Generally my training includes two "short" rides during the week (20 miles) and a long milage day on the weekends (50 to 70 miles). Today was my long milage day. Sixty-two miles completed in 3 hours 45 minutes averaging 15.9 MPH. The last half was ridden into a head wind. The excitement when I finished was wonderful! I DID IT !!!! Accomplishing a goal feels good.
I am training in northwest Ohio. Northwest Ohio includes some of the best farmland in the nation. And it is flat. I use to live in central and northern Michigan where rolling hills often made up the route. You may be thinking "the flatter the better". At first that may make sense. But a flat route requires that I supply all the power. No coasting down hills along a flat route. Of course, no struggling up hills either. Training on one type of terrain doesn't mean I'll be prepared for all types of terrain I may encounter between Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Life is similar. If life didn't contain some bumps in the road I wouldn't be prepared for all types of situations. Life is not always smooth (anagolous to flat) and if it was I would have to provide all of the motivation (power) to move through each day. The trials in life have taught me a great deal and strengthen me in a number ways making me better prepared for life. Just like hills are necessary for training so are trials necessary in life.