By guest KIT blogger, Dave Andersen The off season for us roadies is in full swing. For me that means my weekly exercise consists of 6-7 hours (100 miles) of cycling, 3-4 strength training sessions, and 25-30 miles of walking…yes, walking. I walk year-round (my commute to work) although I do more weekend hikes and beach walks with my girlfriend this time of year. If we get some snow, these weekend walks will turn into cross country skiing. I’m a working man so I’m lucky if I can get outdoors on the road to cycle and when I can, it’s typically during the weekends. otherwise, the “cycling” is on the trainer…indoors. The strength work is a combination of weight lifting, core exercises, and stretching. It’s fun to see and feel the effects. As I get older, I consider it insurance for my body. I know that some of my friends and competitors do less training, some much more. I think no matter how much you do, CONSISTENCY is the most important thing. Even though its the off-season for many of you, it’s important to find time in your day to incorporate fitness. Don’t let the short winter days get the […]
By guest KIT blogger, Dan Butler Breathe deep, hold it, then explode. Three seconds to the turn, two seconds to the next straight, three more seconds to the next turn, two more seconds back through the finish line. Lap one is done. Just twenty-nine to go. That pretty much describes the first lap of an indoor inline short track speed skating race. The track is a one hundred meter flat oval with four small orange cones denoting the turns. Oh, and you have driven six hours through a snowstorm to get up at five a.m. in order to race. The rink is still cold and there is still the remnant of the odor from the public session the night before. As you breathe deep in order to hurl yourself around the track you can sense the Chucky Cheese atmosphere and orange and blue carpeted walls around you. Yet, you are there to race and you focus on the next turn instead of the Sour Patch Kid you stepped on that almost brought you down like a Ferrari on a road made of banana peels. Twenty years and three months of training for this event makes you persevere through pain that […]
By guest KIT blogger, Dave Andersen Motivation. Where the hell does it come from and how come some folks have so much? I’ve been in the endurance and racing game since 1977. I can vividly recall many times throughout my athletic career where I was so motivated to achieve my best shape and results. At times my motivation to athletically succeed had consumed me, for better or worse. During my high school cross country and track years I was thoroughly driven and wound up with 72 races under my belt. My childhood American heroes, Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter, were on top of the running world and a beacon to my younger self. After high school and some wayward years I was back running. In a 2 year span I raced 35 times and set most of my fastest running times from 5K to the marathon. I trained with other young like-minded athletes and recall we all derived motivation from each other and the group dynamic. Alas, an injury and the desire to do other things squelched my motivation. A few years later it was back. And it was back with a vengeance! From 1990-1995 I raced 153 times, everything […]
By guest KIT blogger, Dave Andersen Here we are in mid-August and I can feel a “peak” coming on! Many of us that race (tri’s, marathons, or cycling) have big races coming up. I’ve been racing for 35 years and many of those years have culminated in a big season-ending goal race. This year, for me, it’s the 4-stage, 4-day Green Mountain Stage Race and I gotta tell you, I’m ready to PTHD. The cycling season in New England started in April and it’s been a long and steady progression of fitness for me. Amazingly, at my age, I’m still setting personal records in my interval sessions and hill repeats. This is not only a result of this year’s training plan but from an accumulation of a lifetime of endurance training. You might say, I possess Old Guy Power. I’ve competed in 25 marathons, 6 Ironman triathlons, many multi-day bike races, and about 500 races in all. I’ve done about all I can do to devote time evenly to my fitness, family and work. Bottom line is: It’s an exciting time when the big end of season races roll around so enjoy it to the max! Unfortunately, all good things, […]