I’m in the middle of an elimination diet. Even though it’s thoroughly irritating to execute properly, I’m learning great things. Have you tried an elimination diet? What did you learn, and how did it affect your cycling?
Flow
Somehow I managed to have one of my worst rides, and one of my best rides, all within a span of a few days. The second ride got me into the blissful state of “flow” and I forgot just how good that could be.
Ride Across Iowa in a Day, Part 2
A group of 9 intrepid cyclists headed out in the extreme heat to tackle riding 300 miles across Northern Iowa in under 24 hours. Did we make it?
“Don’t do anything stupid”
I have an upcoming crazy / stupid / bad idea ride coming up. It’s one of those rides that makes people pause and say “wait, you’re doing WHAT?!” and I couldn’t be more pleased. This comes on the heels of my one year spinal fusion anniversary, and it seems like a fitting celebration if you ask me.
Ludicrous but Reasonable
Time flies when you’re busy. On some level I knew that the spring was quickly evaporating, and work travel combined with general life had kept me off the bike. Once we hit June I realized that my epic-stupid-crazy ride was less than a month away. Uh oh. Time to start training, or tapering, or give up, or something.
Let’s Talk about Depression
I have been hiding for a few weeks, and it’s time to talk. One of my goals of this blog and my Facebook page is to talk honestly about the highs AND the lows of life. I feel like it’s isolating and dishonest to only publish the good things when you’re publicly chronicling so much. That said, it’s high time I wrote this post about depression. The news of Kate Spade’s suicide was another reminder of how all too often we suffer in silence. I hope she had friends to support her in challenging times. Hopefully talking about depression a Read More
Make America Flat Again
Unbeknownst to me, I had chosen to ride a route that contained a Strava segment called “meth teeth” in southern Missouri. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?! I was coming off of a great 115 mile ride earlier in the week and felt invincible.
Comeback Ride
I had been itching for a long ride for months, maybe even a year, and I decided it was time to test the systems and strive for a comeback ride. April has been a great time of testing out my body and its limits. Calf surgery to remove a muscle and release an artery was in early March so I’m quickly moving away from that fiasco. My spine and core muscles have been feeling solid with all the extra physical therapy. A few early tests went very well, so I planned a series of rides to further push my body Read More
Disaster Zone
I bet a lot of you don’t know that 5 years ago I had back to back right foot surgeries (yes, I’m aware my body is a disaster zone). I had survived one surgery in February, only to discover that the tendon didn’t reattach and I had no ability to stand up on my right tippy-toes. The calf wouldn’t flex that way and pull up the heel because it was unattached at a critical point in my foot. I was completely devastated, wrecked by the thought of another surgery. Living alone with half time custody of my toddler, being helpless Read More
Onward and Upward
I’m a little scared to say it out loud, but my first attempts at actual training are going really dang well. I feel like I’m finally able to train, add intensity, and PUSH my body without something failing. I’m cleared from a calf and spine perspective! I still have a wheezy cough which makes me sound like a dog’s squeaker toy, but thanks to nebulizers and albuterol I can still get rides in without dying. This Week This week brought about 7.5 hours on the bike. The rides included sprints, a difficult outdoor group ride, and a 2.5 hour Read More