Despite the fact that my training has not been all I want it to be as of late, I feel like my plan for this year’s events and fitness has really been coming together. For example, even without optimal training, I had a better than expected result at the Ford Island 10K, and I just […]

I’m anxious. The Haleiwa Metric Century, my first really long event of the season, is next week. While cycling is lots easier on the body than running, most running events–save the marathon–don’t have you out on the road for hours on end. My own training–low “recovery” heart rate running–keeps me out there longer on ten […]

I haven’t focused on it too much recently but I need to: Livestrong Philadelphia is coming in August. I’m not ready. Between now and then I have to make travel arrangements, housing arrangements, bike shipping arrangements, and train. All of this to fly across the country and ride an unfamiliar course with people I’ve yet […]

I’m winded, but I’m not giving in. It’s been ridiculously windy during my recent rides, sometimes sending me on very modest hills down under 10 mph on my rides. The speedometer is sometimes discouraging. The truth is, I focus on speed too much, in part because I’m not fast–even when I enter races, I’m not […]

While not part of the RICE method of dealing with athletic injuries, stretching is an essential part of any athletic repertoire. And flexibility is one of the great weaknesses of cycling. Doing the same motion over and over and over again without full range of motion is not helpful to flexibility, so stretching is even […]

I’m feeling okay but a little worried. The weather, my sore ITB, and my schedule have conspired to get me less training time than I’d like–although admittedly, that didn’t hurt me in the Ford Island 10K. The one event coming up at the end of the month is one I haven’t ridden since two years […]

I must get into the practice of this: ice down my knees for twenty minutes every night. It’s tough for me to do because I don’t like sitting still, and I like taping stuff around my legs even less. Yet, the practice of icing down my knees is helping me keep the ITB that limited […]

I’m wavering. I’m having success with some of my results, even though my training and diet have been mixed. I keep starting on a better diet or a more diligent training program and I get derailed by poor weather, other commitments, or my own laziness. This has got to stop–again. Life, to me, appears to […]

From everything I can tell, I have iliotibial band syndrome, also known as ITBS. What I know for sure is that it can hurt–sometimes a lot–and is what had me limping through the only marathon I’ve ever done. The details on the ITB can be found here. It’s inflammation, and it can be caused by […]