The Zone

The human body is a strange thing to figure out. Some times it works great, sometimes it really gets in your way. For most of the riding season, my body has gotten in the way.

First, the new teaching career got in the way a bit. My low back, hips, and hamstrings were too tight from standing all day and running around the classroom. (Note to self: it's ok to sit down every once in a while) Next, the work with the kids at PEAC. Take all that teaching stuff, and add the ankles and knees to it from running, and some hands and arm pain from holding the kids up on their bikes. Third, excess weight. I really hadn't been eating well: N0 breakfast, woof down lunch, etc. I think I was up at least 10 pounds from the prior summer. All of this makes for a slow bike.

So in August, I went back to my old favorite health kicks. One was a stretching/strengthening routine called Callanetics. It really helped me limber up those tight muscles. I ripped the sound off the videotape and stored it on my MP3 player so I don't have to actually watch the video to do the routine. Second was getting back on a diet called The Zone, by Barry Sears. I don't follow it to a tee, but the principals of getting protein at every meal, and cutting way back on the carbs have helped.

The results have been dramatic. I feel strong and loose. I've lost 10 pounds, and I feel like I've got some real power on the bicycle. Tonight's ride, two of us averaged 22mph over a 30-mile stretch. The bike felt light and fast, and I my body could provide the extra power whenever I called on it.

It was one of those nights where everything was working well. I had great energy, no pain, the bike was even working well. In other words, I was in the Zone. Hopefully, I can return to this place sometime soon.

The Speed of Frustration

So, can you exercise out your frustration? Can you turn your anger into adrenaline, which in turn makes you faster? Can you achieve speeds that you have never achieved before using the power of emotion?

Well, here's the perfect experiment.

Let me first explain what's got me all cranked up. I applied for a job at east middle school in Plymouth, MI. The job was math teacher, replacing the teacher I student-taught with last fall, and replaced for the remainder of the year this past spring. Nobody complained about the work I did, and in fact, I got rave reviews from the parents of my students and quite a bit of compliments from the school principal.

So anyway, even though I spent a year at the school, did a good job, and wouldn't require much training or familiarization to start in the fall, the hiring committee passed on me. I suspect two things: (1) Confident older male vs. an all-female hiring committee and (2) In-fighting between the committee members. My mentor teacher was very high on me. The other teachers didn't get along with her - thus they didn't hire me to stick it to her.

Let's add insult to injury. I did a simple Google search on the unknown person they ended up hiring (Fendrick). One site that rates teachers mentions her previous job in the Farmington district. A rating in early May asks why she was fired from the high school job. Why would a student think that their teacher was fired? hmmm. Next, a post on Xanga.com - "I remember being in stats class with Ms. (who was fired cause she made out with a student)" hmmm. OK, so not only did they pick someone out of the air just because they didn't want to hire me, but they didn't call the previous school. That'll get the adrenaline going.

So I decided I needed to get out and relieve the tensions of the news today. I went out for a club ride in the evening. I joked with the riders on the AABTS ride tonight that I was going to break the chain riding. Emotion and frustration produce adrenaline, which stimulates the muscles, which pull on the handlebars and push on the pedals, which makes the bike go faster.

So I hit the small hill at Wilcox Lake on Hines Drive with an attack up under the railroad truss. 18-20-25-28 over the crest. I sat down to change gears and spin down the hill...28-30-33...Not good enough. Out of gears, I stood up and ran the cadence as fast as I could spin it. 33-35-36...Sit and spin...38-39-40! Now the adrenaline ran out, the legs started burning, and I calmed down into a nice quick pace. The chain wasn't broken, but the frustration started working itself out. Let the record show that this disappointing day was rated at 40mph.

Mountain Biking?

I'm not a mountain biker! But after today, I'm willing to learn. PEAC took us out on the last day to Island Lake State Park for a ride on the trails. Road biking is my thing...I've always been a road rider, so this type of riding seemed foreign to me.

I've become a better bike handler through my work at PEAC, but I wasn't used to the bike getting upset by bumps, tree roots, rocks, loose dirt, etc. The bike slid a bit, which usually spells bad news on a road bike. But, eventually, I got comfortable with the slipping and sliding and bouncing. As soon as I embraced the new conditions, I started riding faster, almost looking for new obstacles.

No wipeouts today. Big Pat, the Mud Puppie launcher, did wipe out trying to switch lanes on a fork. It looked like he crashed in super-slow-motion. Thank goodness for helmets!