Slow Richard

Biker stops biking, weight balloons to 1,901 pounds

April 7, 2016 By Slow Richard

In December, I hit my goal for the year: 2,000 miles ridden, and 200,000 feet climbed, all logged on Strava. The next day a major snowstorm hit and I parked my bikes in the garage for a nice winter’s nap. And with my bikes parked, I parked my exercise regimen. I read somewhere (maybe I heard somewhere, or maybe I just thought it up somewhere) that after a big season, it’s good to take time off from the bike. Give it a rest. Take a vacation. Your body will be stronger for it when you resume.

So I took some time off. I caught up on some sleep, I got some extra office work done, and I even enjoyed the extra hour each morning for a couple of months and I wrote a book. Well, the other day I hopped on the scales and I was shocked.

10 pounds! I had gained 10 pounds!!

I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t changed my diet, or frequency of eating. I hadn’t gone crazy with ice cream or donuts. The only thing I had changed was riding my bikes.

I came to a profound conclusion: Biking helps you lose weight.

And if you think about it, there’s an even more profound conclusion: Not biking makes you gain weight!

So, I started doing the math. 10 pounds gained in just 3 months = 3.3 pounds gained per month. 10 pounds in 3 months. I pulled out the spreadsheet and did some math. And here are the results. The numbers don’t lie. It’s just math.

Summary: Without biking, I will gain 3.3 pounds per month. After only 36 months, I would weigh 270.5 pounds. I’m glad I went to MBA school. These realizations will probably save my life.Continue Reading

Goal! Accomplishment

February 27, 2016 By Slow Richard

It’s February 27. There are 2 more days left of the month (yes, it’s leap year!) And I just got my first ride in. I’m already a month ahead of where I was last year. And last year was a really good year. Here’s my last ride of the year, and my last ride, really, until today.

This was a big ride for me. Not so much that I climbed 1,200 feet in an hour, or not so much that it was about 35 degrees outside. It was a big ride for me because I finally hit my goals of 2,000 miles, and 200,000 feet climbed for the year. That wasn’t an easy goal. It took work, patience, diligence, and long-suffering, but I did it.

I remember a pivotal moment of the year in the first part of September. I was sitting in the dentist chair and pulled up my Strava stats. I had only climbed 100,000 feet. Dr. Murdock came to drill on me and noticed a look of concern on my face. “How are you doing?”

“Not great.” Are things really ever going good if you’re sitting in a dentist’s chair? But today was even different. Today was about soul searching. Today was about Strava. “I set a goal of 200,000 feet this year, and I’m only at 110,000.”

Movie-Script, Cinderella Season

August 31, 2015 By Slow Richard

The whistle blew and our much anticipated season was seconds from beginning. Body armor was in place, new blue uniforms looked fabulous, and cleats had been checked by the referee at midfield where he gave them final instructions on the freshly cropped, late summer pitch. We quickly reviewed our game plan, assumed our positions and got ready for kickoff. This was my personal coaching debut. I was a little nervous, but mostly excited for a great new season.

As the Red team kicked the ball off, one of their forwards took the pass, and with the determined face of a warrior, broad shoulders of a gladiator, and the resolve of an M1 Abrams tank, single-footedly dribbled through our first, second, and third lines of defense, then teed up the ball and kicked it through the back of the net while my Blue team looked on in shock, unmoved from their opening positions.

Goooooooooooooooallll!

Those little girls were good. I looked at my watch. Only 16 seconds had transpired. My rosy outlook changed as I realized that this could be a very long game. I swallowed. Heck, this could be a very long season! What had I signed up for?Continue Reading

People and Pelotons

August 29, 2015 By Slow Richard

On the final day of his incredible 50 50 50, they pulled James out of the water. They posted on social media that he was having a very difficult day. He had severe cramping, he was exhausted, and he was sobbing. The air was thick with tension. From the looks on his handlers’ faces, you could tell that it was serious. They hustled him to the motorhome to rehabilitate him and tried to act composed as the crowd of cyclists waited. Finally, the Iron Cowboy emerged on his bike. He didn’t look like an iron cowboy. He looked like a haggard, beat up, exhausted man who had just about drowned, and they were now strapping him to a bike.

Drowned Cowboy — Photo courtesy Iron Cowboy facebook page

In reality, James Lawrence in the previous 49 days had just completed 49 complete Ironman distances in 49 days in 49 states. Incredible. Unbelievable. Inspiring. Amazing. Unthinkable. Crazy. Today he would make history, completing his 5oth.

Having just completed his final 2.5 mile swim, this time in the open waters of Deer Creek Reservoir, James got on his bike and addressed the group of about 60 riders. “I’m overwhelmed. I can’t even say anything or I’m just going to be crying all day long.” Knowing what he had accomplished, we all looked on in awe at the Iron Cowboy. He smiled, and I guess I was expecting him to say something profound. He looked up at the group assembled to accompany him on his 112 mile victory lap, and he said, “Let’s roll.”

Appropriate.

His trainers had addressed us saying “unless something catastrophic happens, like a major bike accident, James will complete the #505050 today. Please keep a safety pocket around James, and let him be the first rider down the canyon.” I certainly didn’t want to be that guy who ruined everything! So, I found a spot in the peloton a few lengths from the front and started riding. This was my first ride in a legitimate peloton. It was amazing.

10 pounds! I had gained 10 pounds!!

Goooooooooooooooallll!

Search