Week of 07/22/2007 - 07/28/2007 (Recovery Week 5)

The Combativity Award

It was mentioned in passing last week, that Linus Gerdemann the winner of stage 7 was awarded a mysterious "Combativity Award", and my curiousity was instantly piqued:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combativity_award

Apparently there is a formal award to recognize people who show a propensity to attack constantly. HOLY CRAP, THAT IS SO AWESOME!!! It is mentioned that the winner of the award is typically not the winner of the Tour in recent history, but see, that is precisely what I find so appealing about the award. There's something really heroic and courageous that resonates for me about those who just go ahead and challenge stronger and more accomplished competitors, even knowing they made pay for it in the end. I see in that instinct the quality that is the makings of the next generation of champions. Just a few people whose stock has gone up in my eyes:

Vino
Linus Gerdemann
Eddy Merckx

I think Richard Virenque won a whole bunch of them too, but I think he turned out to be a drug cheat. And since I'm on the topic of the TdF:

1) I'm rooting for Alberto Contador. I think its really cool that he's going after the whole show, challenging the yellow jersey and not being one of those "I'm young, winning a stage is really a big accomplishment and I'm happy with just that" types. Also, he gets extra points for surviving brain surgery and having a long painful road back after that. Good heavens its hard enough to come back from a foot problem... though sometimes I do wonder, it would almost be better to have stitches in your head, than to have a defective foot, bah.

2) I'm also rooting for Vino and Andreas Kloden, they are in such a tough position this year. I think I'd find it really challenging psychologically to be on a team where you have two strong people and uncertainty as to who is the strongest GC contender (well, at THIS point that is clear) but kind of having to deal with that dynamic must have been really stressful. Then there's all of the crashing, Kloden crashed a second time in his time trial, and its like, being on the bike for 6 hours isn't exactly comfortable WITHOUT bruising and a cracked tail bone--I really admire the perseverance to stick in the top 5 despite all the pain, physically and psychologically.

As for Vino, he already had my admiration for enduring the controversy about moving up in the GC on the final stage (but we've gone through THAT debate already...) but like, a stab of something bordering on physical pain shot through me when I read that he won the ITT. I had this sinking feeling he was going to pay for it in the mountains, but that fierceness in the face of adversity and defeat is one of the top qualities that stir my emotions. Its like a symbolic "fuck you" to all of the injuries and all of the people who would write him off. Its saying, this is what I'm really made of, you remember my name, cuz some year if not this year, I'll win the whole damn thing. Its the same quality about the younger Lance who wasn't afraid to attack and go, even if it meant that he faded out at the end. I feel like you can teach race strategy, you can teach someone to calm down and make smart decisions in a race, but ferocity and competitiveness are essential assets that are not learned behaviors.

Sunday 07/22: 41.7 miles, 2:30 ride time, 16.5 mph average. River Trails to the Santa Fe Dam and back. Was planning a longer excursion, but unfortunately this was thwarted by the inability to put down Harry Potter and the impending sunset. Made a large effort to pedal "roundly" or throughout the entire pedal stroke, rather than my usual mashing the pedal down with enough force to push the opposite leg up, then rest, repeat.

Set out like an idiot with my mismatched shoes... after a bunch of experimenting, I finally accepted that because my feet are so mismatched, the most comfortable combination was the 39 shoe on my right foot and the 38 shoe on my left. At least this decreases my Fred Index... Even after the rest day, my hamstrings complained loudly right off the bat about the technique change. It was extremely exhausting not to have the ~150 degrees of float time on each leg associated with the weakness to not be able to pull through the whole pedal stroke. I found though, that being vigilant about pedaling smoothly tremendously decreased the pressure on my forefoot, alleviating a lot of the first metatarsal pain from yesterday.

I realized that the tiny increase in fitness for me that has resulted in the existence of a slovenly pace that I can now ride without huffing and puffing has set me free emotionally. Pushing weak and untrained muscle through hours of repetitive motions is without doubt my greatest strength... I crumble emotionally from the pain of injury and the pain of cardiovascular incapacity, but this muscular pain is the sort that I can bear beyond reasonable means. There's now something motivating and freeing about churning out correct pedal stroke after pedal stroke, my legs burning and aching prematurely despite a low heart rate. It makes me feel like I'm actually training, and improving, instead of limping listlessly, suffocating under the strain of dragging a weakened heart and lungs like dead weights behind me.

Monday 07/23: 30.1 miles, 1:45 ride time, 17.2 mph average. Oh, mondays... did not get up in time in the morning due to schedule messed up by Harry Potter. Then was kinda late getting out the door in the evening... headed to the RB for lack of time and a better plan. This was another one of those easy rides that get ruined by chance and lack of discipline. Rode 4 easy laps concentrating again on proper technique before running into some of McKeen's friends, and ended up keeping up, partially for the conversation (makes going around in endless circles a bit less boring) and partially cuz per usual, I did not want to seem weak :). Big toe hurts a bit still, icing... gonna try for a real slovenly, easy ride tomorrow.

Tuesday 07/24: Stressed out, did not wake up in the morning, not enough time afterwards, so no ride. A bad day. Lots of crying at my desk... oh, Vino, say it ain't so... I feel like my conviction that there are some ones that are clean left is quickly crumbling...

Wednesday 07/25: 35.8 miles, 2:38 ride time, 13.5 mph average to Clear Creek via short way home. Failed in getting on the bike early enough, ended up picking my way home gingerly through the dark. Feeling kind of stressed about work, conflicted about the Tour, uneasy about my big toe... even though I knew it was kind of a bad idea, I just really needed this ride today... to get away into the mountains. Managed base to top in ~70 minutes and 10 bpm less than last time. Still need to lose 10 minutes and 10 bpm off of this route... but generally pleased with the progress. Made it pretty safely to the top this time without huffing, felt kind of impatient last few miles, so picked up the pace a bit.

Thursday 07/26: 32.2 miles, 1:58:30 ride time, 16.2 mph average to Encanto Park by the River Trails, and back. Mostly chill ride, felt distracted by philosophical ponderings, which seemed to cause me to pedal harder when I stopped concentrating on form and keeping the HR low... but didn't feel bad. Feeling pleased that I can now handle 30+ mile rides on a daily basis without the accumulation of fatigue. Progress feels *painfully* slow, but at least it appears at least to be happening :).

Friday 07/27: Did not feel like I needed a day off, but it happened anyways, due to busy-ness... Having a hard time with exhaustion... the "I haven't gotten a good nights sleep in a really long time" kind, not the athletically overextended kind. Can't get rid of low level headache...

Saturday 07/28: 21.6 miles, something like 90-95 minutes. ARGHHHHHH... intended: Red Box and back, actual: turned back only a mile or two into the climb up the 2... every so often there's like a workout that blows up in your face for no apparent reason. Was expecting to feel fantastic after the unplanned off day, but just felt like complete crap today. Legs felt like lead, everything else just felt like running on fumes. Decided it wasn't worth it to slog through a climb, so headed back feeling irritable.

Totals: 161.4 miles at 10:22 ride time. Disappointing given how good I felt until Saturday, but something about an exercise in patience... also something about a down week soon.