Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts

Riding and Running Selfish?

How to keep your Spouse and Family Happy (whilst you’re training hard)

If you have not already noticed your partner may not be so supportive when you disappear for hours on end on the bike or you talk endlessly about your love of riding. So here are some tips to keep them happy and how to manage your cycling addiction whilst not creating world war three in your lounge.

Noel Carroll in 1981 highlighted that there was a ‘selfish runner syndrome’. He suggested that

‘Runners (change this to cyclists in our case.) may make better lovers, but sometimes lousy spouses: that is the problem’.

He stated that runners/cycling are an introverted lot. They like to keep their thoughts to themselves. Their behaviour is at best anti-social, at worst utterly selfish… It can create an atmosphere that does nobody any good, and certainly not the runner’.

Unless we are competing at a very high level and earning an income from cycling, we should aim to keep a good balance between cycling and the other areas of our life.

Tim Noakes in his brilliant book ‘The Lore of Running’ adds further to this with some helpful tips. The following is from his book.

1. Limit serious running to every second year and then to only a few months of that year

2. If you work in an office, run to and from work if at all possible. Alternately, run in the early morning or during the lunch hour or both.

3. Don’t allow running to affect the way you carry out your household responsibilities. Doing so provides your family with a tangible reminder that they come second.

4. Be aware of the ‘danger times’- you will know what these are in your household. At these times, be at your most attentive and, at all costs, do not open your mail to see if your running magazines have arrived, discuss running, or worst of all, go out for a run. Weekends too must be handled carefully to ensure that running conflicts as little as possible with the family’s weekend recreation.

5. Don’t get overtired. As a runner with a family you must have to accept that, for the sake of your family, you simply can’t train hard enough to run at your best. That is the price that must quite realistically be paid.

(Noakes, 2003)

Noel Carroll also stated that you should

· Never complain of being tired

· Don’t always want to go home early on evening out

· Don’t talk running all the time (have other topics of conversation)

· Always play down the importance of running in your life.

(Carroll, 1981)

at Friday, January 15, 2010 0 comments

Labels: Rides, Thoughts, Training

Got Blood?

from Vimeo.

Ive got to dedicate this to myself..paying my dues..5 crashes on the same knees this year.

at Wednesday, November 11, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

The One Car Theory

Imagine you could have any automobile of your choice. That auto would be your only auto and would have to last you for an entire lifetime. If it wore out, it could not be replaced. Once gone, you would be reduced to other methods of getting around, or borrowing rides from other people. One car and only one for your whole life.

Would you take care of your car, or would you abuse it?

Would you change the oil regularly, keep it clean, park it in a garage?

Of course you would take the best care you possibly could of your vehicle. No going out to the drag races on Friday night. Only premium fuel for your motor. Tune-ups, antifreeze, lubrications, maintenance — always you would choose nothing but the best for your automobile.

Would you let your auto sit idly for a year? Never.

Would you push it to the limits to find out how fast it could go, or what the roughest terrain is that it could possibly handle? Absolutely not.

If you were given only one car for a lifetime of use it is clear that you would never abuse it, you would always take the best care of it you possibly could. You would provide all the necessary maintenance and care your car needed and deserved. Right?

What if you had only one body?

at Tuesday, September 22, 2009 1 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Emo Support

This the reason why sports person huddle together for emotional support as the non-sport person will never understand the sport person's waves of heighten sensation & crashes of emotional senses. Enduring the serotonin, adrenalin and endorphin blasting vs performance expectation vs ego.

at Sunday, May 03, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Arrogant Smack Talking Bikeshops.

...... there is a time and place for everything and with times like these i'd like to give my "50 cents".

more later.

at Monday, April 27, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Arrogant bike shops, Thoughts

You choose...

Found this gem. No wonder some are still the way they are...

You go to a fast food chain restaurant. You look at the menu board and notice that they have recently revised their offerings to include a new side salad. You place your order for a $10 restaurant style McBurger and the person taking your order asks you, "would you like a fries, a baked potato, or a salad with the burger?"

You choose:

(a) the salad
(b) the baked potato
(c) the fries

The correct answer.. let me just say that according to some recent research in the Journal of Consumer Behavior it isn't the salad.

In the article Vicarious Goal Fulfillment: When the Mere Presence of a Healthy Option Leads to an Ironically Indulgent Decision researchers maintain that having a healthy item on the menu may make you less like to choose it, and more likely to choose the worst thing on the menu.Here's their explanation: The most common way that people perceive progress in attaining their goals is to actively pursue them. If, however, you have made some progress toward your goal, you may be tempted, at least temporarily, to choose some alternative that is not necessarily in line with your end goal.

The authors give the example of people who have just finished working out. They may feel that they have successfully satisfied their goal to be healthy (at least for the day) and therefore allow themselves to indulge in dessert at their next meal.What's even more interesting is that just intending to reach your goal makes it easier to indulge.

So if you take today off from training but you tell yourself, "tomorrow I have a long run scheduled" you are more likely to eat dessert tonight, even though you've done nothing today toward your goal. The authors' call that "vicarious goal fulfillment." Or, as the researchers put it, "when individuals have the opportunity to engage in a course of action that is consistent with healthy eating goals, as they do when a healthy alternative is merely present in a choice set, the consideration of this option will satisfy the goal—at least temporarily—and, in turn, license them to indulge".

The researchers set up a series of experiments in which participants were given a list of food choices. Some lists included healthy items. Some didn't.

If the healthy choice were present, the unhealthiest option was chosen. In addition, if you were a "high self-control" person -- someone who was very self-disciplined -- you were more likely to do so. The researcher's bottom line: ""Just because we consumers want to see healthier items available does not mean that we are going to choose them."

The bottom line for athletes: Stay out of fast food restaurants -- especially those that offer salads with their fries!

and still the way they are...

at Friday, April 24, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Coming to Consciousness

There is no coming to consciousness without pain.

It seems so dark and nihilistic were it not for the fact that pain , as much as we cushion it in modern society is still pure and intense affirmation of life.It help us shape our world , and when we step away from the comfort of air-conditioning, two-ply toilet paper and other social tranquilizer. Whenever we strap down/ ratchet those uncomfortable shoes tight on our feet.Hunched over the handlebars and stomp our whole body one leg at a time on the pedals with every fiber of being screams in agony.

We know we are completely alive.

at Thursday, April 23, 2009 0 comments

Labels: screw ups, Thoughts, Training

Danny Macaskill is the next Hans Ray...

freaking amazing.. i feel like i am shit on a bike..

at Wednesday, April 22, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Roller Cool...

The darn LBS here got to install one of these...babies..

at Thursday, April 16, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Valverde Spanish Dope to Puerto

Ever notice not one euro footballer , tennis player etc etc ( but cyclist ) got busted?

Aint saying that it is a good thing but heck, its just a merry go round musical chair playing. That one does not get a chair , gets busted.

wait till Gene-doping comes in...

at Thursday, April 02, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

FTAAA got what it deserve

You reap what you sow.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Sport/2472280/Article/index_html

In ever changing times where runner are looking for more distance, support , peak experiences during and after the event. Where revenue comes in from both sponsors and the participants is bound that you FTAA will only lose your hold once runners starts talking after the event.Well aware of the quality of FTAA planning and also the resources of not putting enough thoughts for the runners.

I had an experience of being shouted at and being in an argument with a representative for me stepping into the path line to support my frends in the last KLIM 08.

Lets be clear here , if your goona let your whole family tree and village to run the event. Be prepared for you will only have such event fit for your own pride and not for the runners.

at Friday, February 06, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Bang for the buck groupset: Rival

Was looking through the current list of componetry , in such frugal times one will need to decide on a groupsset , I'd choose Sram Rival. over 200 gram lighter than Ultegra Sl ,using the same braking and shifting mechanical ( zeroloss) internals as the Force. With Force only 100gram lighter.Just by up-rating the crank and pedal , you;d be able to close the gap on the 100 gram differences, and that is on rotational weight.

i'd think its a good groupset for an entry/mid level bike with some good weight property there.

at Thursday, January 08, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Parts Review, Thoughts

It began in Afrikaaa....KAAa...kAaaa...

Okay so i have been a lil sloppy on the updates, putting on lot's of kilometer for IM this February .

What i am trying to post up now is the fact i have missed something that was spreading through the internet like wild fire.

its about these duo...one shoe shiner and one biker taxi...its about time..cycling has some heroes from the ghetto and because you can't bullshit your way up a mountain..

...and apparently garmin chipotle is interested. So it began in afrikaaaaa.kaaaaa.kaa updates here

at Friday, January 02, 2009 0 comments

Labels: Event, Thoughts

Continuous Improvement

You dont lower your goals so that your ability can reach it.

You improve your ability so you reach your goals.

Compartmentalize. Make sure everything that you need to attend to before, during and immediately after the race is taken care of. family friends , relationships , work , bills , etc etc.

Manage your worries effectively. Committing to your race plan is the best way to do this. Now is not the time to make any major changes.

Focus on process not outcome goals.
"Outcome goals have their place, but the closer an athlete gets to a big event, the more outcome thoughts can create stress, anxiety, and distractions." Task goals, also known as process goals -- how to win -- are the best object of your attention during the last days before a big event.

Practice staying in "The Present." From here on in it's all about "The Now." Time to practice staying out of the past and not getting lost in the future. There are many techniques to do this, from focusing on your breathing, to setting the timer on your watch or cell phone to beep every so often to remind you to refocus on The Present (just in case you drifted off!). Remember, this is all about practice. No one (well maybe the Dali Lama) does this perfectly. So now is the time to get used to being present.

"Simplify. Simplify. Simplify." By the time you leave for your big event it's too late to to make any major changes in your life -- and probably too late to make many minor ones. So why stress out over something you can't control? Time to start cutting out anything that might be a distraction and keep it simple and focus on one thing at a time -- no multitasking.
While multi-tasking may feel like the right thing to do in today's complicated world, it is a recipe for mediocrity."

at Tuesday, December 16, 2008 0 comments

Labels: Deep Thoughts, Mind Body Soul, Thoughts, Training

Too much training

Training has become too much when you tell your guest on your sister's wedding to stay "hydrated"

at Monday, December 08, 2008 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Everybody's Free..To

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everybody's_Free_(To_Wear_Sunscreen)

Ride Streamlined.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, streamlining would be it. The aerodynamic benefits of streamlining have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your glutes. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your glutes until they've faded. But trust me, after a 200 km ride, you'll think back to the first hill you sprinted up and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much pain lay before
you and how fabulous you really felt.

You are not as fast as you imagine.

Don't worry about a puncture. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to convince a mtber that a roadies can be faster and more comfortable. The real troubles in your ride are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, like running over a bunch of nails at
4p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Blow past one roadie every day who dares you.

Spin.

Don't be reckless with other people's ride. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Lube.

Don't wash your tires with gasoline.

Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with the same fellow who kicked your butt last time.

Remember "cool bike" comments you receive. Forget the laughter. If you succeed in doing this, you should get your ears checked.

Keep riding that hill. Throw away your old bike shop bills.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what kind of bike you want to build. The most interesting people I know didn't know 20 minutes before they started paying what they wanted to build. Some of the most interesting buyers still don't know.

Get plenty of grain and nut bars.

Be kind to your LBS that doesn't stock much food. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll race, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll win, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll do the 200km at 40, maybe you'll win the Carnival at 45 kmh.Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. You'll get beaten by Lance anyway. So will everyone else.

Enjoy your bike. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Train, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, but don't follow them.

Do not read normal bicycling magazines. They will only make you feel superior.

Get some new brake pads. You never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your chainrings. They're your best link to your power and the part most likely to stick in the door of the next car to cut you off.

Understand that riders come and go, but with a precious few you should draft. Work hard to bridge the gap between you and the pack of roadies up ahead, because the older you get, the more you need people you can wheelsuck.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Shimano will be rumored to have a 11 speed. You, too, will get a 11 speed. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, parts were compatible, potholes were smaller and Campagnolo ruled the planet.

Disinfect your Camelback Bladders.

Don't expect any narrow tires to support you. Maybe you have a tubular. Maybe you'll have a thorn tube. But you never know when either one might run out of air.

Don't mess too much with your seat or by the time you've ridden 40 it will feel like 85.

Be careful whose bikes you buy, but be a pain to those that ship late.

Grabbing an old bike from the dumpster is a form of nostalgia. Dissecting it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, welding it up, painting over the ugly parts and riding it for it's worth.

But trust me on the streamlining.

at Thursday, November 27, 2008 0 comments

Labels: Deep Thoughts, Humour, Thoughts

Bike shop in Delft Neatherland

nice...but expensive... kogal miyata. cube, merida, gaints. but not one campagnolo...nor a tubular wheel..plenty of robobank jersey tho...must say they have very nice messenger bags..

at Thursday, November 20, 2008 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

The things i got to say and do...

Firstly i have tell my frends i got training to do for Ironman langkawi 09.(so please forgive me if i cant hang out)

Then I had to forgo a relationship so i can focus on my goals.

I have to focus on my work as i really need it. Working in KL isnt easy when it comes to travelling, especially KLCC a pretty demanding place.

Its very expensive to do this even more now, counting in the cost of living with a voracious appetite together with every peice of equipment increasing.

Sometimes it just doesnt makes sense, does it?

i ask my self why and for what...

I guess its what i do. Anyway I've got a race tomorrow.. :)

at Friday, November 14, 2008 0 comments

Labels: Thoughts

Without you......

Dedicated for those who are alone tonight...or decided to be alone tonight.

PS: lets straighten this , its not me, kay :) its HINDER K..a cool rock band.!