Don't Play it Again Sam (No Replays)

I've had many fine adventures thus far in my life - be it by bike, foot, climbing, traveling across the USA on $3/day, etc. Some of these trips are firmly engraved in my brain cells for life.

And I have gone back to repeat some of these trips in an effort to re-capture that great, initial experience. I got news for you sir, it can't be done.

Don't try to relive it. Leave it alone.

I am not sure why this is the case. But I think it's due to the fact the you are always comparing the "repeat" experience to the "initial" experience, and that in itself ruins the "repeat" trip.

As they say, "the end of one adventure is the beginning of another adventure."

Trail Running - Lake George Style

Up for a nice 20 mile or so trail run overlooking The Narrows of Lake George (ADK, NY)?

Sure you are, then check out the Tongue Mountain Range (TMR).

It's a great loop with super views of the lake. The mountains are not real tall, but lots of ups & downs.

But be careful because during the warmer months there's a good chance that you may step on a Timber Rattlesnake.

So hop in your car, drive North & enjoy the trails

p.s. - About 6 yrs ago, my buddy & I hiked this loop during one long, full-moon January night, that was fun - well sort of - until the stove died. At least there were no snakes.

http://www.naturepanoramas.com/03961112.html#top

Grab the Bull by the Horns

Aero vs. bullhorns

I know that aerobars are faster.

I've tried aerobars in the past & I just can't get used to them. It just doesn't feel right. And plus, aerobars don't look right on the bike either.

So, what's a struggling triathlete supposed to do?

Slap on a pair of narrow bullhorns & ride'em cowboy/cowgirl.

There's something special & traditional about grabbing onto bullhorns as opposed to resting your elbows on the bike. Bullhorns just want you to crank & go.

So for tri's/TT, I get low, stretched out & narrow with my DYI (flipped & clipped) bullhorns. These bars are very narrow (less than 40 cm). My buddy calls them my "goat horns".

I do OK with this setup. I'm sure a wind tunnel test would tell me to go aero, but it wouldn't be the same.

Bullhorns are classics.

May be I'm just a traditionalist (actually I am), but whenever I watch an old film clip of a rider flying on a TT course with bullhorns, I say to myself, "man, that's cool."

Grab life by the horns as they say & enjoy the ride, especially as you pass a cramped up, hunched over triathlete.

Alternatively, riding some narrow track bars on the drops may also do the trick for you.

Helmet Hair

I did not wear a helmet from age 5 to 22 years old. I only started to wear a helmet when I began to race in 1985.

I know wearing a helmet is the right thing to do, especially on the trails & in the traffic, but lately I find myself leaving the brain bucket home, at least for the short bike trips to town & back.

Remember the 1989 TdF, Greg vs. Laurent? Greg won by 8 seconds. He wore an aero helmet, which helped for sure. But who could forget Laurent flying thru Paris with his ponytail blowing in the wind behind him (note: Laurent did post the 3rd faster time)

Now that was style.

Bike Snob NYC made a good point last week:

"Helmets have pretty much killed style in road cycling anyway. Not that I have anything against helmets, mind you, but let's be honest. Cycling looked better before helmets." (http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2008/02/burden-of-being-bsnyc.html)

Anyways, wear your helmet for sure, but we can dream about the good old days when your hair cut meant something in road racing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyvwtOQYQ-E

Toe Clips

I didn't buy my 1st pair of clip-less pedals until 1999. I was late getting into the game because lack of greenbacks, but more importantly, I liked my pedals & toe clips. I know clip-less pedals are the right way to go, but toe clips are just plain cool.

It's like saddling up on a horse and slidding your feet into a nice pair of stirups.

Also, flying by someone who is riding this year's model on one of my low $$$/low tech bikes gives me such great pleasure.

Lately, I've been looking at toe clips once again.

Maybe I'll outfit Gelato with some nice, new toe clips. Ride 'em cowboy.

How (not) to Rate a Boulder Problem

John Gill Now
John Gill then

Saying that I like bouldering is like saying the Queen enjoys her afternoon cup of tea. Bouldering is like riding a fixed-gear bike on the track - it's the sport boiled to its core.

When John Gill elevated bouldering into an art form back in the 50's & 60's, a very simple rating system existed. It was the "B" system (B1, B2, B3). Pretty easy to use.

Me, I just rate boulders as "easy" or "hard". What else could it be? In fact, I usually don't rate my problems.

Why? Because bouldering is often a solo journey into self-improvement . And you can't (or shouldn't) rate an experience that's so personal. Bouldering is like dancing. You work on the moves throughout your life, aiming for perfection along the way.

A while back, the V rating system (V1, V2, V3, etc.) got started somehow. This open-ended rating system is similar to the 5th class rating system (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, etc.).

Why now the V rating system? Competition and ego.

Joe wants to say that he's better than Jim, and so on. The conversation would go something like this: "Dude, I just climbed a V9, and you can only climbed a V5, you suck".

Look at surfers - they don't rate their waves with numbers. Surfers just go out and ride, and enjoy the water

Bouldering - it's personal. So leave the V rating system in the trash and just focus on the moves, and more importantly, the experience.

Boys' Night Out

Here was the plan.

Hike into the Great Gulf, camp out, climb up the Great Gulf to the summit of Mt. Washington (NH), slap on the boards & ski down the auto road (~ 6 mile run), then a pint of the good stuff.

Saturday morning: it's real cold.

Mistake no. 1: we have no snowshoes or skins for the boards (we were young & poor).

Lots of snow on the trail. We don't make it to the Great Gulf. We set up the tent along the trail and get into our sleeping bags.

Sunday morning : very cold. The thermometer says - 40 F. Plus the winds are gusting up to 100+ mph.

Mistake no. 2: we head towards the summit/auto road via a steep & seldom used trail (hey, we were young & dumb).

So here how the day goes: walk 5 feet, then sink up to your waist; walk 5 more feet, then get knock down by a 100+ mph gust of wind.

It's now 4 pm. We are still way below the auto road. Decision time - keep going or bivy out.

4:01 pm: We are digging into a snow drift.

The local news station reports that tonight will be a rough one. Our lady friends are worried since we were supposed to home hours ago.

Monday morning: it's a bit warming & no wind. We pack up and make it to the auto road by noon time. The boards are on & pointed down hill. About 2 hours later, 3 of us are eating 2 large pizza pies.

Traveling lighter and snowshoes would have been key.

Don't You Forget About Me

• Ever since Chouinard and Frost revolutionized ice climbing with their tools, the level of difficulty keeps going up and up.

• The current level of mixed climbing is way beyond me. It's amazing.

• You see, I'm just an old fashion ice climber who loves motoring up moderate snow & ice gullies.

• So while all these mixed climbs are totally rad, don't you forget about the ice gullies.

• If you are a Northeastern, this means a road trip to Huntington Ravine on Mt. Washington, NH.

• Trust me on this one, Mt. Washington is the home to the worst weather (http://www.mountwashington.org/). The weather here is down right dangerous. Usually about 1 - 2 people die a year here due to falls and/or exposure.

• Bad weather + a long history of accidents + relative remoteness = a recipe for FUN. It's always an adventure on Mt. Washington.

• So put away your mono points and leashless tools. Grab your 12-point crampons and curved ice axe. Don't forget your bivy bag, map and compass.

• And head towards these historical gullies.

• Pinnacle Gully is the classic NEI 3 climb - enjoy it.

• There is only one bad thing about climbing in the Mt. Washington Valley. I can never find a decent slice of pizza anywhere. Oh well, you can't have everything in life.

• One last thing, if you have some spare time, hit the backside of Wildcat with your backcountry boards.

BODY HEAT

Your body has a "set point" for weight, i.e., most folks stay within a certain weight most of their lives.

Your body has a set point for happiness. You're happy or you're not.

I have no facts or clinical trials to back this up, but I believe people have a set point for body heat (aka internal body temperature).

For me, it's 45 - 55F. At these temps, my motor hums like a well-tuned Lincoln, be it by bike or foot.

Some of my buddies prefer hot days. Some prefer cold days, and that's all right, too.

So what's the point Roman?

Well, here's the deal: plan your training & races (i.e., your peaking cycles) around your set point for body heat.

The cold folks may do well at CX. The hot people may excel at a summer time road running marathon.

Find your set point and stack the odds in your favor.

There Is Still Hope

In these days of overprotected kids, there's still hope.

I was walking my dog last week and I looked up a big hill, and saw two boys (~ 13 y.o.) with skateboards. This hill is long & steep with traffic, and a busy intersection at the bottom. The kids had no helmets or pads on (just like the good old days).

The first kid pushes off and comes flying down the hill, carving some big "S" turns. He makes the intersection no problem. The second kid thinks about it for a few minutes, sucks it up and launches down the hill. He has a lot less control, but makes it down without crashing. He also clears the intersection (barely).

I'm all for safety, but it's great to see kids go for it every now and again.

I gave them the thumbs up as I walk away.

100 x 2 = 200 miles

About 10 years ago, I was seriously thinking about doing a RAAM style / light weight bike ride across the USA. A credit card & fanny pack type of a ride. I even began to train for it.

I signed up for a somewhat hilly double century (200 miles) to test the waters.

Bike: My 1985 triple crank touring rig (now a single speed) - heavy, but reliable as heck.

Well, how did it go?

It took 13 hours & 20 minutes to cover the 200 miles. I was solo for most of the ride.

I broke the 200 miles down into 50-mile segments. For the most part, I felt pretty good up to about 170 miles. Then I met the "Man with the Hammer". The last 30 miles took me over 2 hours to complete. I could barely keep my head up.

I was like, "please someone hit me with a car & put an end to this suffering". It was rough.

After the ride I felt OK, but about 3 weeks later, my right knee blew out during one of my training rides.

Was it worth it?

Yes & No.

Yes - I realized that I'm not a RAAM type of guy. I'm into short & fast type of rides/races.

No - my knee still bothers me every now & again.

Did I learn anything?

Ultra distance events require lots of homework. You need the miles under your belt for sure.

But more importantly, it's one big mental test. If you got the brains, the muscles will follow.

Give ultra distance a try, at least once in your life.

The Beach Boys Revisited or Skateboarding on Eastern Long Island in the 1970's

I was driving to work one early Monday morning and a string of Beach Boys' songs came on the radio station. If you grew up near the ocean like I did, your first cassette tape was most likely The Beach Boys (or KISS).

I grew up surfing and boogie boarding like a mad dog. I was the first kid on the beach with a boogie board that I ordered from Surfing magazine. And of course, your skating was a reflection of your moves on the waves. This meant you spent tons of hours carving your way down big hills. Then as surfing became more aggressive, we took to the pools & backyard ramps.

Then hardcore punk hit the scene and "skate & destroy" type of skateboarding took to the streets, hell bent on breaking the rules and pissing people off, which is good, I guess.

But I miss the skate - surf connection.

Things are changing though. More long boards are now out there, ripping up the pavement in true surf style.

Snowboarding was the same way. Early snowboarders were just surfers & skaters who couldn't afford to go South in the winter. So, surfers and skaters took to the snow-covered hills in the winter. Then snowboarding got a "screw you" attitude. But like skateboarding, I think, more boarders are moving out of the park/half pipe and experiencing the joy of curving down the fall line.

I love the ocean. I love the waves. I always wanted my skating & snowboarding to have that connection to the water.

Read up on Gerry Lopez (soul surfer). He's the real deal.

Good vibrations everyone.

LiveStrong

Last week I did my Hospice clinical rotation, a very humbling experience indeed.

I spent about 45 minutes talking to a patient named John, who was a year younger than me and dying of cancer. John will not see November.

John was wearing a LiveStrong bracelet on his left wrist. It's kind of funny. When these bracelets first hit the scene a few years back, I think most people wore them to be fashionable and in their mind, be linked to Lance somehow.

But right in front of me was John, the real deal. A man who lost the fight.

I'll wear my LiveStrong bracelet with a little more thought from now on.

"The ones that you take for granted the most are the ones that you'll miss the most when they are gone."

The Tie that Binds

The tie that binds; the cord that connects.

Climbing partners are life-long friends, especially one's early partners.

The climbing partners that survived the "apprentice" years with you remain your closest buddies even if you don't climb with them any longer.

People who climb together have a certain connection that's difficult to explain to other folks.

Sure, climbing rock & ice is great fun. Traveling together to the mountains, the first beer after a tough day at the cliffs, seeing a woman on the rocks (in the early days, ~1980's, that was uncommon), all add to a strong friendship.

But it's the tough times that seal the deal.

Holding a long leader fall, surviving a 100+ mph winds/-40F below bivy together, wondering if the belay anchor is going to hold, down climbing in the dark with no headlamps or moon, this is what makes climbing partners stay "roped up" thru life.

So give your old climbing buddy a call sometime.

SLABS

May 1982 - "Catharsis" - 5.6 - Pok-o-moonhsine - New York

They say that you're a product of your 1st climb.

I love climbing slabs because it's all about technique. Solid technique leads to a strong mind, which needed for the long run-outs (a common feature to most slabs).

In other words, the little (& weak) guy can be a star on the slabs. No big arms needed here, just some strong calves that you already have from cycling.

Technique:

If you lean in and reach high for the holes, your heels will come up and it's "good bye baby, got to go." You'll be in for a nice downward slide for sure.

So it's simple:

1) lean away from the rock

2) heels down

3) don't over reach for the holes - think baby steps.

Also, slab climbing is all about keeping your rhythm.

"Objects in motion, tend to stay in motion."

In order to find your groove, you definitively need to climb with your eyes. Look at your feet & keep motoring upwards. Don't worry about the pro, it just slows you down.

Less Gear!

Another reason why I love slabs is because less gear is needed. Most slabs lack good pro, so just carry a light rack, which is always a good way to travel.

As I always say, "Faith in equipment replaces faith in oneself."

Finally, check out John Long's "Face Climbing" book. John is one of my favorite writers. He's has tons of great stories out there (check him out).

Have fun on the slabs & remember - heels down.

USE IT or LOSE IT (Part 2)

Yesterday I wrote about slimming down to increase speed.

Here's another tip -> have your bike go on a diet, too. Strip it down to the bare bones and convert it to a one-gear bike (fixed/ss).

More math:

Skinny rider + 1-gear bike = FAST (and cheap, too)

Roger that!

USE IT or LOSE IT

"I get embarrassed when I see how slim I was." - Eddy Merckx

In search of a light weight bike, some folks may spend $2000, $3000, $4000 or even $5000. If you got the cash and can buy a nice SEVEN or IF, God bless you.

But if you are like me, "baby needs new shoes" and you can't depart with 5 bills from your wallet.

No problem, I got you covered man.

It all comes down to basic math, or New math, depending on when you went to Grade school.

The equation is:

Total weight = wt. of bike + wt. of rider

The weight of the bike is a constant; the weight of the rider is the variable.

So no need to buy that new S-Works, just lose some weight.

This year I made a big effort to drop some pounds. I went from 165 lbs to 152 lbs.

Did my performance improved? Heck, yeah!

I was able to climb hills like I was wearing the polka dot jersey (not really) and run thru the woods like a deer being chased by my dog (not really). But I was faster for sure and felt better, too.

Look at Lance.

Pre-cancer: ~ 170 lbs and some change
Post-cancer: ~ 158 lbs or so

Enough said there.

How did I do it?

Well, I had a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch... (just pulling your leg).

This was (and still is) the plan:

1) I drank lots of water to feel full.

2) I cut back on my weekly intake of Pop Tarts.

3) I eased up on my beloved dark beer.

4) I ate only 1 P&J instead of 2 P&J's for lunch.

5) I swim lots of laps in the pool and rode Gelato (my Pista) most weekends.

You know the story: burn more calories than what you eat.

Output > Input

However, there is one downside to being mean & lean. Since I have yet to buy a wetsuit, I usually exit the swim leg of a tri shaking like Little Richard. But that's OK. I usually catch up to the wetsuit people somewhere on the hills.

Ease up on the ice cream this winter and you'll be 1 step of the pack come Spring time.

It Ain't so Regular (Route)

Every beginning rock climber needs a great first lead. One that's within their ability, but also has a good "sharp end" factor attached to it.

If you are a Northeaster like me, look towards the Adirondacks (ADK) for such a route.

The Regular Route (5.5, 700 feet, protection OK for a slab) is such a route. It's located on Chapel Pond, Keene Valley, ADK, Upstate NY.

Why?

Well, it's a nice long slab climb that's not too hard for a beginner, but the protection in some places is lacking. So, you get some fun run-outs along the way to keep you on your toes. And getting down from this route takes a little route-finding skills.

Slab climbing is all about technique. No strong arm bull crap climbing here. Keep your heels low and lean away from the rock. And when the pro is not there, keep your head together.

"Free your mind & your ass will follow."

At the height of my climbing ability, which wasn't much, I climbed this route by myself, only dragging a 9 mm rope & some webbing. What a great experience for a young kid that I was at the time. To this day, I still love this "regular" route.

So, pick up a copy of Don Mellor's guidebook (Don was my original climbing instructor way back in 1982) and hit this route, beginner or not. Make sure it's in the Fall when the leaves are bright and the air is crisp. Weekends are a bit crowded these days, so be there on a weekday.

And don't bring a big rack. A small rack of nuts, hexes & some Friends will do. And like any ADK climb, bring lots of webbing.

Towards the top, I recommend you follow the left facing corner.

And if you are not a beginner and have some experience under your chalk belt, this is a great girl friend (or boy friend) route.

Enjoy.

Blurred Vision

Be it a local mt. bike race or blowing thru rush hour traffic in mid-town on your fixed, racing is a blur. Your little world becomes fuzzy as you are flying thru trees or passing cars. You're not making the best decisions. You're like, "screw this, I'm just going to bomb this hill without hitting my brakes" or "I'm going to past all of this traffic by blowing up the double yellow line." You're taking risks and you just don't care if self-damage occurs.

May be your brain is starved for O2, so it's not functioning properly. Who the hecks knows?

I personally love that "racing blur" sensation. That's why I race.

It's like you are almost in another time zone. You don't remember much about your surroundings. All you remember is the hard, physical effort of pushing yourself.

I'm not sure if this makes sense to most people, but if you race or try to outrun the traffic, you know what I talking about.

Just keep your head up.

Freedom

One of the great pleasures in life is the joy of being fit.

Fitness is freedom.

It's the freedom of setting the pace during the Sunday morning group ride.

It's the freedom to attack on the hills.

It's the freedom of traveling great distances.

Fitness doesn't cost you a dime, but it don't come cheap my brothers and sisters. You need to invest time and hard labor into your craft in order to soak up the rewards.

The old school of thought was to have an off-season, mostly during Dec. thru Feb. But I say, one should strive to maintain fitness throughout the year. Yes, your fitness levels will be higher during your peaking cycles, but try not to get into that off-season mode of non-training.

"It's better to burn out than to fade away." Neil Y.

Yes, burn out is a real concern. That's why it's important to have many tricks up your sleeve.

What's my favorite sport/activity? It all depends on the season at hand. When the sun is high & bright, I'm on my bikes. In the cool Fall months, I'm running thru the woods & climbing on boulders. And when the snow hits the mountains, the boards are out of the shed. And all throughout the year, I'm swimming endless laps in the pool.

Fitness is a hard fought battle, so don't lose it during the so called off-season. Keep sharp throughout the year and mix it up to avoid burn out.