Thin line between discipline and idiocy

Pendejo

I think most of us straddle this line as a matter of course. Like yesterday. Mid-90s. As a concession to the heat I decided not to do intervals, but rather do a moderate 25-miler instead. At about 15 miles I could feel myself starting to wilt. The water in my bottle was hot. I was passing by my driveway on the out leg, and had a decision to make. Pack it in or complete the ride. I went through the usual calculations and internal debates. I kept going and finished the ride. When I got back I was definitely blown out, but no harm done. This time.

Or when we feel like we're starting to get sick. Do we ride? How about when we're recovering from illness - when do we get back out? How about that nagging little pain in the knee? Ride through it? Rest for a few days?

I must admit that as I've gotten older I'm more apt to give caution its due. It also comes from taking a longer view of fitness. I guess now instead of beating myself into fitness I'm more willing to nurture it along.

Maybe to the point or not, I just read today that one's organs begin to decline at age 30.

CAMPYBOB

I just looked at the weather website. It's 93 degrees outside and the humidity is about 70%. Even though i whine about it I'm accustomed to it.

There's no danger in doing the 40 miles on schedule this afternoon...other than the decreased vision as a result of sweat streaking my glasses. Tonight is a hill workout so there will be plenty of sweat!

Stay hydrated and keep wiping the glasses off...I'll be fine.

Minor injuries and pains? I've ridden thru them and colds for 35 years now. It hasn't hurt me yet and I'm far from a hardass. Bad flu...serious crashes? Yeah, those will get anyone off the bike for a few days or weeks. No brainers.

At 54 my organs may have their best years behind them, but I don't care. There's still miles ahead of them left to ride.

Everyone is different and I think we all develop a way of listening to what the body is telling us. Hopefully, we're smart enough to listen and act accordingly.

And congrats for finishing your ride. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger!

D.F.L.

I tried a training ride the other day with a 109 heat index and 100% humidity. When I finished off my first water bottle in half the miles it normally takes, I said screw it. I love riding, but passing out on a country road next to a soybean farm where maybe 5 cars pass all day just isn't worth it. I was supposed to go 25 miles then run 2. I rode about 13 and ran about half a mile. Sometimes mother nature wins.

As for being sick? From personal experience, I've found that excercise tends to make me feel better. This is with little things like colds and sinus infections. I don't think I'd go out and try to excercise away bronchitis or anything.

As for the pains? I ignored some knee pain a few years ago and now I've got three screws, a donor ligament, and a graft holding my knee together. Not to mention embarassing memories of a face plant on a tread mill when my PCL and MCL decided they had enough. I don't mess around with those little pains anymore. I let 'em heal.

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azul_fahrrad

This past Saturday I was participating in annual ride organized by the county fair. We started out at 7:30 am. We have had a record setting heat wave in the area this summer but at this time of day, in the shade of the hills and trees it was fairly nice out.

About 15 miles into the ride this guy falls off his bike and passes out. SAG picked him up and met an ambulance 5 miles away. He was dead before they got to the hospital. He was 45 years old, a long time cyclist and in far better shape than me. He died of a heart attack.

With the bulk of the distance, the hills and the oppressive heat ahead of me, I considered packing it up and going home. It could very well have been me.

I finished the ride but I didn't push nearly as hard as I would normally.

Since then I have been riding more but pay more attention to what my body trys to tell me and make sure I stay hydrated.

alienator

Wow. You obviously know, then, the dead rider's medical history behind his heart attack, don't you? When did you get your MD? Are you aware, at all, that there are many things that can lead to a heart attack.

Only an idiot makes such stupid assumptions. Ooops: I guess that might describe you.

Bro Deal

If he kicked off at fifteen miles in the morning then it could have happened at any time. His number was up. It happens to everyone--eventually.

Training through injuries or pre-injuries, where you can feel something coming on but it hasn't blossomed into something more serious, is always a difficult decision. I tend to take the better safe than sorry position most of the time. Where it gets dicey is when you have a big event coming up and injuries are preventing you from training the way you want to. Being forced to rest instead of training makes me stir crazy.

I am in that situation right now. My goal for the year is in two and a half weeks but I have an issue with one of my achilles tendons. (Not to self: Good idea to slow down in the middle of a forty mile training run if you encounter tendon issues.) Resting while scarfing down vitamin E does not build confidence. Luckily it's only affecting my running so I can compensate with cycling.

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Freehub

Anybody else's family or friends trying to talk you out of riding during these hot days of Summer? Well, mine are. I just try to tell them that I take plenty of water to drink and pour on my head. I also have loops which have either a murdock or a beverage machine. These pit-stops also so give me a chance to stretch; it helps the siatica. Today, when I pedaled away from my house it was 100*F, so on the tarmac, it was hotter. I'd rather have it hot like this than in the singal digits. I try to pay real close attention to what my body's telling me and slow down accordingly. I think the heat affects my brain negatively because I did something out of character today on my ride. Part of my loop today took me to a stretch of devided highway for 2 miles. Exhibit 1: riding on a State highway. It's 4 lanes devided by a wall. I ride in the birm which is a lane's width.
Most of it is covered with all sorts of grit, gravel, bits of glass, medal, and road kill, except for about 3' on the left. Of course this is where I like to ride. So, I figure the drivers should cut me some slack and go into the left lane, when feasable.
I'd say about half do, but the other half wizzed by me within my "comfort zone". Exhibit 2: Thinks he deserves some slack from drivers.
So I started getting pissed. I think it was heat indused. At least that's what I'm sayin.
So I decided to spit into the air and time it so it would hit the windshield of a vehicle going approximatelyh 60 mph. "That'll teach em"
Exhibit 3: Thinks he can teach a motorist a lesson
Well, the first two spits were pretty weak. Then I saw a jeep coming from behind and it was pretty close to the white line so as it came into spitting distance I let one go with the best of my ability. It' more than likely didn't hit the Cherokee in any perceivable way. But as it turns out the Jeep gave me a friendly toot, toot from the horn as it went by which made me recognize that it was driven by Billy, a coworker of mine. That's when cold reality hit me and I realized what a total and complete IDIOT I was being. I mean, I knew if that was all that happened, I would've learned from the experience. I've always tried to be respectful to motorists except for the occasional curse word after being severly wind swiped or cut off, I think those are normal.
Anyway, about a minute after Billy passed me, waving, I had a blow out. So I got to spend a little more time at the scene of my idiocy, to think about it.
That's what I call "Instant Karma".

TrekMan07

I have a question to ask. Ok im 21 years old and i have a heart condition but im able to do anything anyone else is able to do... also my O2 sateration is 85-90%.i know biking is a great workout and i like it cuz its not reall a contact sport well intill you crash...but i can tell my heart has gotten stronger cuz i couldent even hold a steady pace and go the distance of ther rides, but now i can do that and more. i guess what i want to know how hard do i push and how far? well i like the Saying"That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger!"

And i live by that.....

Powerful Pete

Young man, re-read what you just wrote. You know you have a medical condition which could (I assume) be potentially life-threatening. And you come on an internet forum and ask a bunch of guys how far you can push yourself.

I would strongly suggest you track down a cardiologist (hopefully the one who is already following you and is familiar with your medical history) and ask him/her this question.

How did the world ever function before the internet, when people ask cycling forum participants how hard to ride with their heart condition?

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Strumpetto

I just went to get an Electro-Cardiogram today because I fear something is up with my heart. I'm only 22, but you can never be too safe. I would not be pushing too hard with a known heart condition. If it turns out that my heart is bad, I don't know what the hell I'll do. I suppose i'll start drinking again.

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limerickman

Meet and discuss this with your doctor.

DO NOT ACT ON ADVICE HERE IN RELATION TO YOUR MEDICAL CONDITION.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

limerickman

Agree 100%.

It is ludicrous that anyone would seek, or indeed act, upon advice given here,
especially in relation to a serious medical condition.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

azul_fahrrad

Do you not have anything better to do? If you don't like me, ignore me.

What I didn't mention, specifically because it was not neccessary to make my point, is that although I didn't know him personally, I know and ride with people who did. He is one of the founding members of the club that I sometimes ride with.

I spent some time with a group of people who knew him well as they talked and reflected on their time together with him. According to them, he had been competing in triathlons and races in this area for several years, maintained a healthy diet, got regular exercise and recently had an annual physical exam. It was a complete shock to everyone, his wife, his brother and all his friends.

If he were still alive and standing next to me, everyone would make the same assumption about who was in better physical condition.

The bottom line is this: I saw the dude laying there near death. As a result I reconsidered what I was doing, how and why I was doing it. I will continue to ride but will be a bit more cautious when doing it. If that makes me an idiot, then fine, I am an idiot.

azul_fahrrad

I think that is it exactly. Considering that, I think I need to squeeze some more miles in before my number comes up.