Open water swimming

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

PP TransitionThe goal this past weekend was to do my first legitimate Sprint Triathlon in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. We drove up on Saturday to participate in an open water swim session so that I could practice the day before the race. The weather was hot as heck and the water was 79 degrees. Too hot for wetsuit legal conditions.

So the gal conducting the pre-swim clinic encouraged us all to do the swim sans wetsuit. But the murmurings from within the bunch, most of whom were there for the same reason, to gain confidence in the water, were not enthusiastic about giving up the wetsuit.

“You should not use your wetsuit as a flotation device,” the clinic instructor warned us. And one could hear the air going out of lungs throughout the group.

Becoming a swimmer

This was a key moment for me and probably the rest of the bunch too. Becoming a swimmer and learning to relax in open water swimming is a rite of passage for all triathletes. We all tend to start in a 25-meter pool, doing laps. Then comes an outdoor pool and maybe a bigger outdoor pool without lane ropes and buoys. Then comes a regular old lake and possibly a bigger lake.

Cleveland.WetsuitIn our area, the transition in types of water ultimately leads to Lake Michigan. I’ve watched enough triathlons and realize that the lake can throw a lot of interesting conditions at you. There is always water temp to consider, which in Lake Michigan in summer can still hover in the low 60s through June and July. Then there’s wind and chop, which can mess with your breathing options. There are also swells and actual waves, which can mess you up.

Big Shoulders

Two years ago my girlfriend Sue came home from an event called Big Shoulders that scared the bejeezus out of every participant. Lake Michigan was pissed off or something, and the waves and swirling backwash from the concrete shore made swimming in open water a nightmare.

So I know to respect the water. But there’s a fine line between respect and fear. Respect is good. Fear is not.

The previous weekend in Cleveland I’d gotten a chance to swim into the open water of Lake Erie at Lorain, Ohio. The chop coming in from the lake through the inlet was mild. Yet the experience of swimming back and forth between the buoys 200 meters apart was a really good intro to this summer’s open water swimming.

But it still did not involve my swimming 750 meters continuously. That was the goal of the Sprint Triathlon in Pleasant Prairie. To be honest, I vacillated between the duathlon and Sprint Triathlon this weekend. I was not actually scared, just respectful that I’d not really done enough swimming to be totally confident.

Within ten strokes in the water however, my confidence surged. It felt good to swim. Yes indeed. It did. I wasn’t getting left in the wakes of the other swimmers either. So I swam along with an occasional sight check to make sure of my direction. The giant smokestack for the power plant along Lake Michigan was a good reference point as well, because the lake at Pleasant Prairie is some sort of cooling pond for the facility.

Laughing at fear

At the first buoy, I felt like laughing out loud. This open water swimming was fun. Seriously, I was actually having fun. This was an unexpected emotion. I liked open water swimming better than the pool. I didn’t have to stop, for one thing. And yes, the wetsuit helped that area of confidence.
Cleveland.RockHallUnderstand that open water swimming is a bit of a cathartic experience for me. My life over the last 10-15 years has had a lot of changes in it. I lost my mother to cancer in 2005, my wife to cancer in 2013 and my father to natural causes this past October. Through all that, I’ve been the primary caregiver to all of them in some way. There have been many times when I’ve felt like I was doing nothing more than treading water. Trying to stay afloat in the emotional depths of circumstance. From the depths of caregiving and anxieties to the shallows of financial challenges, it took willpower and some frantic swimming to get through it all.

Waves of grief and love

I’ve tried to be a good parent to my grown children in the wake of my wife’s passing. Both of them have faced emotional challenges. Losing your mother is such a singular event, yet it has manifold effects. Waves of grief can come from many directions. Past. Present. Future. The open water of the big world cares not what you’re going through.

When I began a relationship with the woman to whom I’m now engaged after three years of dating, there was some confusion in our family over my needs or intentions. Yet through conversation and time we have all come to understand ourselves and our family in new ways.PP Sue Numbers My son and daughter are amazingly sensitive, intelligent people. Perhaps I hurt them in some ways through all this transition. I’ve tried not to do that. I’ve asked their forgiveness if I have.

It remains. We’ve all been in open water, you might say. Siting our way through life’s events.  What we have discovered is that the love within our family runs incredibly deep.

Delicate operations

To this point, I will say that my fiance Sue is an incredible person. It can be a delicate operation being in a relationship with a man that has lost his wife to cancer. But we talk openly as possible about our feelings, and our respective families. She’s had to navigate the ripple effects of her divorce as well. We support each other like coaches do, you might say. Only coaches who love each other.

And while she’s an actual swim coach, and soon to be a certified triathlon coach, I have gotten coaching in other places when it has come to swimming. She’s good with that because she also gets coaching in running and riding and triathlon from Joe LoPresto at Experience Triathlon. So you see, we all resource and find our way from buoy to buoy in life. What I do ask from her when it comes to swimming is perspective on my technique and progress…how to do workouts and how to incorporate them in my own meager swim routine.

Travels and trials

Sue and I have done many training trips together and races too. She knew that it would be good for me to get into the water the day before the race in Pleasant Prairie. She didn’t make a big deal out of it but served as a guide just the same.

Last year during my first attempt at a Sprint Tri in Naperville, the water was too warm for wetsuit legal swimming. She’s purchased me the sleeveless wetsuit for my birthday last July, so I’d practiced in it. But knowing the day was not wetsuit legal, she sat by the shore and watched me sweat in my increasingly hot wetsuit while trying to make a decision whether to wear it anyway and give up a chance at an age group spot.

I watched wave after wave of swimmers embarking on the 400-meter swim in Centennial pool. None of them looked any better at it than me. So I walked over to Sue, peeled off the wetsuit and said, “I can do this.”

She said, “I know you can.” And I love her for that.

Bigger water

Since then I’ve not gotten much (any) additional experience in a bigger lake. So Saturday was the day. I came out of the water beaming and happy. The backs of my arms hurt and were cramping a bit, but I was really happy and proud about my effort. I gave her a big, wet hug and said thanks for encouraging me to do all this. Together we’ve both been open water swimming these past few years. She’s been guiding her kids through late teen and early 20s challenges and I try to be there for all of them too.

But what should happen the next morning? Thunderstorms came roaring through the area and the swim portions of the triathlons were canceled. The entire event turned into a duathlon. To Sue’s credit, she rocked her running segments, both the 2.3 intro section replacing the swim and the 6.2 closing run as well. Plus she kicked ass on the bike. She was 8th in her age group and in the top quarter of all International distance finishers. Nice job honey! In the Sprint I was 2nd in my age group and 21st overall.

More plans

But I was disappointed not to get my first full Sprint Tri under my belt this past weekend. Coming up there’s another opportunity in Lake Zurich. Then I might do the Olympic distance as well. That’s my plan for the summer.

At some point, you simply learn to love the feel of the water around you as you move along. The depths are not the concern any longer. Your simple goals are keeping your ass up at surface level while making sure you keep your arms moving at the right angle. And rotate like a smart little fish. And breathe. And exhale. And you swim. Because you can. And you must. And you always will.

TRAIN HARD. COMPETE WELL. LOVE LIFE.

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The vital connection between vanity and performance

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

 

Chris Running.jpg

Not happy about the weight around my waist. So it’s time to let vanity go to work.

Admit it. You like to look good. As good as you can, anyway. Millions of people spend billions of hours working out in the gym so that they look good. Those of us who run, ride and swim like to look good too. You could call it vain. Or you could call it vital.

 

Because there’s a vital connection between vanity and performance. It hearkens back to evolutionary fitness. That is our sense of what it takes to survive. With human beings, fitness melds a set of visual standards upon which we base our sense of worth and preparedness, so to speak. Some people argue that the standards we’ve set for ourselves in terms of appearance are often ridiculous. The demand for women to be thin as supermodels is unattainable when those visuals are often photographically altered. But fashion players know that setting the ideal well out of reach is a powerful way to drive human desires. People always seem to want what they can’t have.

So what can we have?

That is absolutely an individualized question. Each of our personal genetics defines a good part of how we look. And yes, there are people who go to extremes to change that. Bodybuilders pump themselves up with protein and tanning salons and strut about the stage. Their vanity is on full display. To some, that’s a joy. To others, a horror.

The “performance” aspect of bodybuilding is so tied to the vanity aspect it is inseparable. Within that culture, there are standards to achieve that may seem insane to those who don’t abide by them.

 

Strong Woman

The world of Instagrammers is highly vain. And people seem to love it.

Those of us that run and ride and swim have our standards as well. And to people outside that culture, some of those seem extreme. If you’re the only fit person in your office, it is easy to almost feel out of place. Even the mention of participation in an upcoming triathlon can make the donut crowd squirm in their seats before a departmental meeting.

 

Fortunately, health and wellness are becoming more of a priority for many companies. Health insurance programs often promote participation in fitness activities because there is a perceived link between better health and productivity. Healthy employees also tend to reduce absenteeism.

Both the sponsoring company (and I use that term specifically) and health insurance companies seek the goal of reduced claims and costs among healthier employees.

Well, except for the physical therapy and rehab…

There’s also a feeling of corporate “fitness” and a certain vanity that comes from being on a team of people that is participating in physical activity. The bonding that occurs is real and profound.

Absent that team feeling in the workplace, many people seek out clubs or teams that encourage their fitness habits. But it still comes down to individual preference. The work you do in the gym or out on the roads is often hard effort. Something needs to drive you. Motivate you. Get you out the door.

Frankly, there’s nothing more powerful (and perhaps vital) to your self-image than how you feel about how you look. So there’s nothing wrong with a bit of vanity in all this. We all want to feel desirable. For some of us, that means losing a bit of weight around the middle. For others, it might be building strength in the arms, legs, or abs. All these appearance issues happen to tie in well with overall performance. The fitter we get, the more we can expect good performance metrics.

So our biology is telling us that it’s okay, even desirable in some respects, to be a little vain. There are entire Instagram accounts based on this brand of vanity, each with thousands of followers. So it’s apparent there’s a market for vanity as a personal brand.

But vanity alone won’t make you faster, that’s for sure. That takes work. But if your vanity gets you out the door to do the work, then half the battle is won.

GIVE FULLY. TRAIN HARD.

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Rolling with the Axemen

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

IMG_5561While driving home from a visit to Cleveland on a section of the Ohio turnpike, I noticed a band of motorcyclists wearing classic black leather jackets and riding Harleys. Curiosity about the group made me follow them for a hundred miles or so. I watched them signalling to each other about road debris, and how wisely they moved through occasional bouts of traffic.

IMG_5559There’s an obvious relationship in how motorcycles and cyclists move on the road. Yes, the speed dynamics are different. Lane positioning too. Cyclists need to ride on the side of the road, not in the middle like a motorcycle.

But the similarities remain. There are stickers out there that read, “Start Seeing Motorcycles.” That’s because too many motorists fail to keep an eye out for motorcycles.

The website AccidentDataCenter shares this information about the dangers of motorcycle riding. “While motorcycle accidents occur at about the same frequency as passenger vehicle accidents, the seriousness of injuries is much greater. Motorcycle accidents occur for many of the same reasons as car accidents, but are much more likely to result in serious injury or death. According to a study done by the federal government, motorcyclists are 35 times more likely to die in an accident than passenger vehicle drivers.”

That’s some pretty grim stuff. And there are reasons why it is so grim.

“This is because motorcyclists have to worry about all of the same risks as people in cars…but because motorcycles are small and there is so little padding between the driver and the road, an accident on a motorcycle is more dangerous than on any other vehicle. In a crash, a motorcyclist risks being crushed or run over by other vehicles, skidding across pavement at freeway speeds, having their motorcycle pin them to the ground, and any number of other injuries that are amplified by their lack of protection.”

There are other similarities between motorcycles and cycling.  “At least 25% of motorcycle accidents are caused by fixed objects and road conditions. This means the driver hitting a pothole, an object in the middle of the street, a light post, or the road being wet or icy. While these risks also affect other sorts of drivers, people on motorcycles have to be especially aware of things in the road or weather conditions that will endanger them because of their unique vulnerability.”

cud-racingI’ve been thinking about the more intimate relationship motorcyclists and cyclists have with the road. A significant pothole or road crack can throw a motorcyclist or cyclist off their machine in a heartbeat. Yet a car or truck sails right over. So one can see why people that have never ridden a bike have so little sympathy.

Yet the encounter with even a simple road feature like a tarsnake can cause a painful or even fatal accident for a cyclist.  Those of us who pedal on the edge of the road see these things and are forced to swerve. In an effort to be safe in our riding, we indicate by hand signals to riders behind us that there are dangers ahead. Thus riding together is a cooperative venture. Just like those motorcyclists on the Ohio turnpike.

When the Axemen pulled into a rest stop I followed them and struck up a conversation with a couple of the members. It turns out they were participants in a fundraising ride for firemen in need of financial assistance due to job risks. I’ve seen many such rides in the motorcycling community. These are people trying to enjoy the road and do some good in the process. Just like cyclists.

Sure, the differences between motorcyclists and cyclists may seem profound. The vision of a sturdy motorcyclist with tons of facial hair, a black leather outfit and a bandanna on their head might seem like the polar opposite of the cyclist pedaling along in a lycra kit and a skinny tire bike. But there are far more similarities than differences where it really counts. All have a right to use the road, and there are far too many people driving motor vehicles who either refuse to acknowledge or forget to respect that fact.

SHOW RESPECT.

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Steph Curry shoes and aging ungracefully

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

Steph Curry Shoes

These are Under Armor Steph Curry basketball shoes.

They are bad. Real bad. Not bad in a good way. Bad in a bad way. Bad bad. They have been roasted on Twitter for looking exactly like the style of shoes old people wear to do mall walking.

And let’s talk about that for a moment. One can hardly argue that mall walking is bad for elderly people. But we can also talk about the lifestyles that lead to mall walking. Do we honestly have to stop running, riding and swimming as we age? No, we do not. Granted, not everyone can run, ride or swim their way to healthy aging. However, you can also tell the difference in people who never try.

 

Steph Curry Shoes faux

New Balance offers a massive selection of Dad Shoes common on the feet of the elderly.

This is a delicate topic I know. Everyone deserves encouragement for taking their personal health and fitness goals seriously. I once managed a Sports Complex where all types of runners and walkers came to do their laps in the winter months. I set up programs for all these people and shared advice to help them find success. We were the site of choice for heart rehabilitation centers for the regional hospital. Heart disease is a serious damn issue. It runs in my own family and millions of others.

 

Watching those heart patients walk their way back to wellness was, in its way, quite inspiring. So I’m no snob about all this. On a regular basis I have conversations with people who tell me they cannot run, only walk. Many share news of bad knees or hips. And you know what I say? “Walking is the best exercise of all, they say.” 

Walking it back

There have been times in my career when walking was the only alternative I had for exercise. A torn ACL required months of rehabilitation. During the first few months following the surgery it was a significant triumph just to be able to walk the three miles to the riverfront and back. It still stung to straighten my left leg. My right leg bore the weight and the Achilles on that side got sore. It was tough going.

Eventually, it got better, and I started to run a little bit at a time. I wanted to run again because I love it, and always have. Plus I was not yet willing to be “that guy” that cannot run. Not yet. Not so early in life. Not in my forties. Perhaps not ever.

Riding through life

The same goes with the bike. You know, there are bikes that are effectively the equivalent of those Steph Curry “dad” shoes. Bikes designed only for comfort, not speed. And I’m not going to say anything bad about people who better themselves by riding those bikes.

There are also people who ride perfectly fast bikes, but choose to go really slowly. And to them I also say, more power to you. That mirror on your helmet probably works swell. But I am not ready to be that guy. I still want to race. I like to race.

Run. Ride. Swim. As fast as I can.

Not giving up

And do not want to go around wearing shoes that look like I’ve given up on doing any of those things. Shoes that say I’m reduced to walking. Maybe someday, that will be fine. But not now.

Now I still compete and enjoy it. I’m still faster than all but the top people in most race, finishing in the top 20 and even the top 10 overall. And while there are still a few pounds I hope and plan to shed this summer (still) I’m happy that guy in the mirror can look back and say “Go for it.”

Conquering fears one at a time

Sure, I’ve got my trepidations about my first real open water swim this weekend. I haven’t practiced enough yet to be confident in how it will go for 750 meters. A part of me says I should “Do the Duathlon” until success in swimming all 750 meters is achieved in practice. That’s the prudent, more conservative approach perhaps. It’s all part of the process making these decisions. There is no shame in building confidence or testing yourself… before the real test …is a wise way to go. But a part of me says “Just Do It” and the fears will crumble. So we’ll see.

No thanks to Sansabelt pants

I’d rather have a bit of manufactured fear than live in fear that my Sansabelt pants are going to explode in public. And I’m not going to wear Steph Curry “dad” sneakers and go doddering around in public.

So maybe yes, I’m a form of snob, and perhaps a total prick. But you know what? We all have our standards. I’m no better or worse that all those people on Twitter who think Steph Curry’s “dad” shoes are for losers, and proven right when the Cavs, not the Golden State Warriors with their regular season record of 73-9 who won the NBA Finals. Lebron James was not wearing “dad” shoes.

So excuse me while I go run. And ride. And swim. In anything but shoes that look like dad shoes.

BE ORIGINAL. SHOW RESPECT. BUT NOT FOR THOSE SHOES.

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Feeling for a friend

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

EMPTIESPerhaps you know someone with depression. I know I do.

A friend just walked in the door of the coffee shop where I’m writing this morning, and I could tell in an instant he was in the midst of a deep battle with his own mind. He’s a talented guy. Right now he’s sitting seven feet in front of me. “I have so much shit to do. It’s like I’m a broken machine.”

He turns to me and smiles. But it’s a painful smile. The smile that says, “Nothing is gonna make this a whole lot better now.”

Depression is exhausting. For creative people like my friend, and for great artists and politicians and recent mothers forever, depression kills the spirit and makes even simple obligations a misery. You just don’t care. Life itself feels like an affront. The rising sun feels like a smack upside the head. You’ve got to do this “thing” again. This life shit.

So I am going to try to get my friend some help. Because he deserves it. For twenty years or so (he shares upon my asking) he’s fought this thing on his own for the most part. “Once in a while, people give me an ear. But I’ve worn out my welcome with some people,” he says.

It’s so hard.

Those who run and ride know that exercise can be a salve for depression and anxiety. It can even be a release from the day to day emotional shackles that depression clamps on your wrists and mind.

People try everything to get out of the pain. Yet God even seems out of reach. You can’t always pray your way out of depression.

But people have learned that you can exercise your way out of emotional jam. That’s a fact, not a slap in the face of religion. And once you get going, which is the hard part, the running and riding and swimming becomes a prayer of sorts

We all need a release from the manic reality of the world that often does not give a shit about you or me or anyone else. So we go running and riding and the world steps aside for a bit. The road ahead becomes the focus. By the time the movement is in full swing the world can even open up a little. The fields go rolling by. The birds on the wire suddenly appear in your consciousness. The song of a meadowlark reaches you from out in the grasslands. And you are saved, for the moment.

Perhaps you’ve never experienced real depression or have never known someone that has. But it’s hard. And real.

You might find this post a bit depressing on its own. But depression is not just the product of people trapped in their own negative thought patterns. But it’s subtle. Cognitive therapy can help with some aspects of depression, sometimes.

It’s important to realize that the likes John Lennon and Winston Churchill each fought depression. That’s why it’s important to give consideration to the idea that the human condition has a broad range of responses to this world. It’s not losers or weak people who experience depression. Some of the strongest people you will ever meet in the world fight this brave fight every day. And that’s just to feel normal. Not full of angst, fear or dread. And they still lead productive lives. That’s something to be admired, not despised or denigrated.

I’m going to try to get my friend some help. And if you or someone you know fights depression or anxiety, know that there is no better time in the history of the world to come forward or find the resources and support people with depression can use. Today’s medications are better than ever. They typically don’t destroy your personality or your creativity.

It can take a little work to find the right chemistry, but until you do, if you’re lucky enough to go running and riding, it’s the best first response in this world.  It is not just your imagination that this stuff works.

GIVE FULLY. LOVE LIFE. EVEN WHEN IT’S HARD.

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Rocking and rolling on the Cleveland bandwagon

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

Cleveland.SkylineFor Father’s Day, I spent a weekend in Cleveland with my son and had a really great time. We visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Basically, the entire museum is a giant admission that without the creativity and genius of black people, rock and roll and virtually every other form of American music would never have come into existence.

Well, perhaps that’s not the case with country music. But let’s get something out in the open here. If Blues music captures the soul, then country music captures what happens when the soul gets lost. There’s an old joke, “Do you know what happens when you play a country music song backward? You get your wife back, you get your house back, you get your dog back…”

Certainly country music is a uniquely American genre as well those invented and popularized by black musicians. Those would be jazz, rhythm and blues, and yes, even rock. Perhaps especially rock.

The Beatles were just one band that tapped into all three of these sources to write their own music. The Rolling Stones came to America to record at Chess Records, a primarily black record label based on the southwest side of Chicago’s Loop. I’ve been to that building and it makes you realize how much the likes of Chuck Berry brought life to the music of the world.

A mess of roots

Cleveland.RockHallSo it was interesting to tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and see all these rock roots funneled into a series of roughly categorized exhibits. But it wasn’t until we reached the 5th and 6th floor that some of rock music’s most important aspects were celebrated. These were the floors where rock’s political commentary was documented. One video illustrated the many ways that rock music has been used, and misused, as anthems for political purposes.

And so much stupidity was chronicled. For example, when the Ronald Reagan campaign chose Cleveland.LennonSGTPepper“Born In the USA” as a political rally song, apparently no one in that campaign stopped to examine the fact that the lyrics were an absolute indictment of the My Country Right or Wrong philosophy of the neo-conservative movement.

Springsteen sent a cease and desist order forcing Reagan to stop using the song. The same thing happened with John McCain and a long line of politicians that have been told to stop using the work of rock artists to promote their causes. In almost every case, the lyrics contradicted the public platform of the politicians seeking to use the songs for their campaigns.

It does illustrate how easy it is to create a bandwagon and ask people to jump on board, and for the shallowest of reasons. Of course it is still happening to this day.

Still, the Rock Hall did offer some wonderful moments. Getting to see the faux military band outfit John Lennon wore on the cover of the Sgt. Pepper album was fascinating. So were the many examples of song lyrics as written on everything from legal pads to napkins by so many artists. In some cases I knew those lyrics by heart. Words from Jackson Browne that had affected my life in some way. So to see them at their source was a fascinating thing. And I sang them quietly to myself. I’ve been on some of those rock and roll bandwagons a long, long time.

Sports bandwagons

Cleveland.BigBlueBirdThe other world in which rock music is used to recruit people to the bandwagon is sports. The opening sequence of an Alan Parsons Project song was used for years to psyche up the crowd at Chicago Bulls games. Music has a lot of power to incite the human spirit.

And thus it was interesting to be in Cleveland during the runup to the NBA Finals game held last night. One could almost feel the music of human emotion building before the game. There were signs everywhere rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and my son purchased a pretty chill Cavs cap to wear to a party he was attending on Sunday.

The fact that the Cavs won after being down 3-1 was a marvelous sports story, and very inspiring. After my long-time reticence to root for LeBron James because he seemed like such an egotist, I’d recently changed my opinion through his humorous acting performance in the movie Trainwreck, starring Amy Schumer.

His acting humanized LeBron in a good way. So seeing the man bent over the court crying after the Cav’s triumph last night, and realizing the hopes of an entire city sat on his shoulders after all these years? Well, that was pretty moving.

Sucking up to Cleveland

 

Cleveland.WetsuitThe day before our trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I parked my Subaru in Lorain, Ohio next to Lake Erie. I needed swim goggles since I’d left them home in Illinois, and decided to pedal 10 miles west to Vermilion to a shop called Bicycle Bills. I’d picked up a tourism brochure about Vermilion at an Ohio Turnpike rest stop and the shop was listed, so it sounded like a good place to visit.

The wind was at my back the whole way out, but the scenery along Lake Erie between Lorain and Vermilion was not as nice as I had hoped. The map showed the “lake road” better known as Highway 6 tooling along Lake Erie. But mostly what I saw was Rust Belt ruins and railroad tracks. The shore of Lake Erie is getting a makeover here and there, but the job is not yet complete.

In Vermilion there was a town festival taking place. So I pedaled slowly down the closed streets, navigating between dogs and wayward toddlers, until I arrived at a main stage where music by the band Steely Dan played quietly over the loudspeakers. People were milling about like they do at town festivals, waiting for some kind of entertainment.

It turned out that a pageant to name the town’s Cleveland.Princessnew beauty queen was about to take place. So I stopped to take a selfie with the outgoing “queen.” She was more the age of a princess. But you don’t always get to choose the royalty with whom you associate.

Then I found Bicycle Bills and purchased their last remaining set of Tyr swim goggles. Then I spent a few minutes chatting with Bill, soaking in the friendly vibe of a place that is like so many good bike shops across America. Bill and I commiserated about the tragedy of the Michigan cyclists recently killed, and he counseled me to “ride careful.”

Wings and things

That is always good advice. And three miles up the road that advice came to full light. For some reason, a guy driving a classic Chevy with big wings on the back of his vehicle did not know how to get around a cyclist riding legally on the edge of the road. He swung in fromt of me with his oversized fenders and nearly clipped my front wheel.  I could see him looking into the rear view mirror. Was he scared that he almost hit me or checking to see if he’d sufficiently given me a scare? One can’t always tell.

Cleveland.GiantDuckAs I pedaled back east toward Lorain into the wind, I focused on the pleasures of riding in a somewhat different place. Passing through Lorain to the east, I paused for a photo with the giant duck some organization had hired to promote an upcoming event. The duck and I exchanged kisses because I was loving the day. And why not?

Back at the beach, I threw on my wetsuit and slid into the waters of Lake Erie. After about 600 meters of swimming, it was time to get out and drive East to visit my son.

There is simply not a better way to feel part of a place than to run and ride on the streets, or swim in the water. It’s a connection those of us who run, ride and swim know and love. It made me feel a tiny part of Cleveland, and happy to jump on the bandwagon for their night of triumph. Such is America, where jumping on bandwagons is a sport all its own.

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And what remains

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

Parents Remains.jpg

ALL OF US experience days when we’re out running or riding or swimming and we just feel dead. The legs are heavy. Even the mind can feel like it’s sinking down into the abyss of the neck. We drag ourselves through a workout and slog through the shower. “Thank God,” we murmur to ourselves. “That almost killed me.”

Well, that’s the rhetorical version of being dead on your feet anyway.

This weekend I’ll be driving east to Cleveland to visit my son and attend a graduation party for my niece, who is graduating from high school and will play college volleyball with her sister before the older sibling graduates next year.

So the time is right to rally with family and get another job done in the process. My father passed away last October and by his own directives was cremated. The same thing took place in 2005 for my mother. It was my father’s wishes that they both be buried in a cemetery in Upstate New York, the region where they were both born and raised. So my brother who lives out east made a couple trips to the Bainbridge area to secure a beautiful spot on a hillside cemetery. My father and mother’s remains will be buried there.

On the way to Cleveland, I’m planning a little stop on the way to ride the Cuyahoga bike trail. I may ride thirty miles or so and jump off the bike for a run too. It looks like lovely territory for a workout and getting a taste for the natural areas of Ohio.

Urn For DadWhen I get back home there will be yet another matter of cremains to attend. I’ve had discussions with my late wife’s family and we’re considering a burial place for her with her father in the cemetery of the church where she was raised. She’d never really indicated any other plans beyond the directive to be cremated. It seems strange to say that we didn’t discuss ideas beyond that, but really her reticence was the product of her unwillingness to give into ovarian cancer, the disease that took her life three years ago.

I’ll confess to the fact that carrying all these remains around has had an effect on me. In some respects, it has fueled an ire. Life itself feels absurd in some ways. And politically, there’s almost no excuse for people to devalue others and to do the stupid things they do, including murder and the taking of life so casually or willingly.

All my life, from the youngest memories I have, there has always been a sensitivity to social justice in my soul. Even from my earliest years as a little kid I fought back against bullies and sometimes paid the price. But I don’t regret those fights, on the ones in which I engage to this day. I don’t think I’m wrong to do that, or to care so much.

I recall a period in the early 1980s when I was working hard to become an even better runner than I had been in college. The results came, but the drive was so deep within me that I was in some ways maniacally joyous and at the same time profoundly unhappy. The drive to do better fueled both emotions. That is life in a capsule if you ask me, and what remains for each of us to figure out whether the joy or the unhappiness is the true reality.

I am conscious of this duality every time I go for a run, ride a bike or slide into a pool. I am alive, therefore I do. It’s not much more complicated than that, and yet it means so much to be conscious and grateful for these or any abilities.

In this ashes to ashes world, the bridge between the simple act of being alive, which we too often take for granted, and the “I do” choices we make in our existence define our will to live, and how to do it best. What remains is history; be it personal, perpetual, or whatever we can make of it.

LOVE LIFE.

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Take a knee, or something else, seriously

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

Me Too.jpgWay back in the early 2000s I tore my ACL playing soccer. It was a sudden injury and a shocking incident given my lifetime of playing ballistic sports such as basketball, baseball and other activities requiring hard cuts and sudden stops. I triple-jumped in high school, which involves three consecutive jumps at full speed down a runway and into a sandpit. And I didn’t tear my ACL doing that?

So the last thing I ever expected was to feel my knee crumble under me while chasing down a ball on the indoor soccer field. That year I had surgery on the ACL and chose to use a cadaver part. Mistake. Two years later, it tore again.

However the strength training learned through physical therapy for the ACL rehab protected the knee in the ensuing years. Ballistic sports are now out of the question, but that’s okay. Basically, life told me to “take a knee” on those childhood activities and stick to grownup sports such as running, riding and swimming.

Only none of us ever really likes to be told to “take a knee.” Usually, it means some sort of punishment or harsh instruction is about to take place. I’ll admit there have been times when it has been a struggle to stay away from the soccer field and other formerly fun sport. A certain sort of grief kicks in about that.

Acting funny

Recently my left knee, the one without the ACL, has been acting funny. It produces a clunking feeling, like a bone is protruding, when I’m in an off-balance situation.

That’s not a fun feeling. In fact, it scares me. So while getting stretched out on the Athletico sports table after the duathlon I mentioned my “knee thing” to the trainer. He told me his company offers free injury screening. I’ve actually been to Athletico for physical therapy and strength training for the knee before. Some of the things I still do for strength work were exercises I learned there. But I’ll admit to a bit of laxity about those exercises of late.

So I dropped in to inquire about the injury screening and came back for an appointment. A physical therapy specialist did some short tests on my knee and hips. I could feel the relative weakness in my left hip and glute.

After a consultation with John Honcharuk, who runs the facility, I signed up for some refresher training. It’s time to invest in my “resilience,” as John put it so aptly. I’m confident the investment will be well worth it. We love to think of ourselves as these educated creatures who run, ride and swim. Yet we’re often ignorant or lazy or avoiding the truth about our own bodies. Our weaknesses are not fun to think about.

Dollars and sense

Me at MusclemakersIt will cost me a little money to get the training and become more dedicated about my strength training. It’s frankly overdue. Neglecting your strength training is like making minimum payments on your credit card bill. It feels like progress is occurring, but actually, it’s not. Sooner or later the principle actually comes due.

The truth is often converse to how we are accustomed to thinking. Turns out there is more than one way to “take a knee.” Just add a word and the meaning changes. As in: “Take a knee seriously.” That’s the advice I’m giving all of you. If you have a recurring problem with any part of your body it’s a sign to which you should pay attention. It might be soreness or weakness. It might be digestive or urinary. It might be your teeth or your eyes, you toes or your butthole. Get it checked. It’s far better to find out the source of your problem and find a possible cure than simply hoping it will go away. Good athletes take care of their whole body. We shouldn’t ride our parts until they are bone on bone.

You may not always find the exact answer to your questions and concerns. It may take a couple opinions to decide  the right thing to do. But it is far better to take a problem seriously than to wish it would simply improve on its own. Yes, we all get lucky sometimes. Some pains or problems do heal on their own. But not all. These are “traveling injuries,” a natural part of training and racing.

We’re talking about the bigger picture here. Chronic or congenital issues need to be addressed, not ignored. So: Take a moment. Take a knee. Catch your breath and figure it out. You’re in this for the long run, aren’t you?

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Jens Voigt in person is the real deal

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

 

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Jens Voigt stayed to sign autographs and pose for pictures for an hour after his interview session.

He was much taller and even a bit leaner than we all anticipated. Jens Voigt stands 6’3″, and even in retirement from pro cycling, his athletic frame shows no trace of fat. Yet he had a confession to make during an hourlong interview at the Trek Bicycle Store in Naperville, Illinois. “When I was racing I was down to 4% body fat, and 8% at most. Now I’m in double digits!”

He admitted that his transition from pro athlete to life as a “normal human being” included some prescient thoughts after breaking the world record for an hour bike ride. “I stood in the shower and looked at my body,” he related. “And realized this was it. This was as fit as I would ever be again.”

Changing game

Such are the challenges of once being one of the world’s elite bicyclists. Yet Jens Voigt always approached his career with an open mind. Today’s cyclists, he relates, are much more controlled in everything they do. Cyclists on Team Sky, he shared, even receive their food in little packets. “They are measured to the pea,” Jens joked. “And during races, the riders are numbers,” he intoned. “The team director says, ‘Go ride 20 minutes at 485 watts,” he shared. “I’m not sure I would fit in the world of cycling anymore. With me, I looked around and said to myself, “If the sun is shining, it is a good day to attack.”

Yet the master of the breakaway also related that his mind worked in visionary ways at times. “There were times, every couple of years I’d say, where I would get this idea in my mind, and see the whole attack like it was a movie, a picture in my mind. And then I would go do that. It did not come every year, but there were several races like that where I had the idea and made it happen.”

Crashes and doubts

Voigt was asked about the worst crash he’d ever experienced. He recalled the day that he went down to the tarmac at 55 mph. “Later, I saw myself on TV and I thought, ‘I look dead.’ ” But the worst part of the experience was the fact that television commentators speculated that he might indeed be dead. That left his wife and family back home wondering if his life was indeed lost.

 

Russ and Jada Jens

Our friends Russ Bauch and Jada Hambry-Butler getting gear signed with Jens Voigt

The comeback from the crash took months and a bit of soul-searching. it was a solitary decision in some ways. Yet he also recalled a bit of encouragement from an unusual source after the life-threatening crash. “When I came out of surgery hours later I had a note there from Lance Armstrong,” he said. “He was the only cyclist that took the time other than my team members to wish me well. I know what people say about Lance, that he is a monster or something. But it’s not true. The world is not black and white. There are many gray areas. Lance has done some bad things but he is not an all-bad person.”

 

Murmurs among the crowd of listeners at that point intimated that Jens was confessing to being part of the doping culture of cycling at the time. That’s how cynical the fandom of cycling can be.

The Hour Record

Yet listening to Voigt describe his experience in the one-hour time trial vanquished those considerations. “The first five minutes were not that bad,” he joked. “But then everything started to hurt. And at thirty minutes I was thinking ‘This is really hard, and it’s not going to get easier.’ ”

After the effort, Voigt said his body hurt for days, all the way from his neck to his butt to his fingertips. “It really was a total effort,” he observed.

The idea for the hour record came about as he raced in his final season in a career that included 17 rides in the Tour de France, which included wearing the yellow jersey. That’s 39,000 miles of competitive racing in some of the toughest conditions in the world. Voigt won Tour stages three times and made the racing interesting in many events around the world. His favorite place to ride in the world is South Africa, he said, because around every turn is a “picture postcard moment.”

Behind The Wall

 

Jens Speaking

Voigt is an avid storyteller with an honest take on his own successes and challenges in life.

Voigt was raised in communist East Germany. He lived in a secluded world behind the Berlin Wall, a structure that was breached at times, but always reconstructed until the wall finally fell for good. Yet five years after the wall was gone his father still raced to turn off West German radio  whenever he saw police or other authorities driving by the garage where he liked to tinker on cars and such. “Those habits die hard. You had to be careful,” Voigt related.

 

In the oppressive environment of communist East Berlin, Voigt was lured to cycling by the opportunity to ride in a government/state program in which kids could ride and get a free bike. That idea appealed to young Jens, who happened to win his first race, setting him on a course for training in an academy where dorm life was austere and highly competitive. He learned early to be tough and self-reliant.

Coming of age

His first pro team was a bunch of Australians who apparently loved having a good time. That was an experience Jens characterized as eye-opening for his relatively sheltered, innocent worldview. Yet his performances led to invitations to join Continental and then World Pro Teams. That’s where Jens Voigt earned his reputation as a hard man, and his personality became legendary. His famous Shut Up Legs philosophy is now featured in a brand of appealing Trek and Bontrager clothing.

That’s the purpose of Jens visiting a string of Trek stores across the country. Jens also has a book titled Shut Up Legs. Ironically, he forgot to plug the book until a visitor asked him about it during a long and personal autograph session. “Oh yeah!” Jens chirped to the crowd. “I do have a book called Shut Up Legs!”

Still a cycling fan

Peter-Sagan-Foto-Flowizm.jpg

Such is the humane and honest personality of one of the best bike riders the world has ever known. Yet Jens is a fan of some of his fellow cyclists as well. “I really like Peter Sagan,” he related. “He is so smart, and he’s honest. When the peloton caught me on a breakaway Peter rode up and said, “Jens, I’m sorry…”. Voigt may admire the counterculture and breakaway mentality of the still-maturing Sagan, who seems to defy the conventions of modern cycling on so many fronts.

Riding on a team with Fabian Cancellara was also a treat for voigt. “He’s so tough and strong,” Voigt related. “But one day he comes out of the shower in the team bus and says, ‘This water is hurting my skin!”

Jens also had words of praise for the Trek cycling company for whom he works. “There are a lot of great bikes in the world,” he said. “But riding for Trek was different, because they would talk to the riders and listen. You weren’t just a ‘muscle’ in their eyes. We would give them ideas and they would come back with new bikes. It was really collaborative.”

He also shared that Trek takes the relationship seriously. “Yesterday, I learned that back home in Germany my child was getting tested for a problem with her heart. Trek told me, “Jens, we can fly you home right now.’ But I found out they are doing an electrocardiogram and things will be okay. So I said, ‘No, I’ll stay.’ But it shows you they care about the people that work for them.”

Best and Worst

Voigt was asked to share his best and worst races of all time. The worst he cited as an eight-hour day on a stage of the Tour de California. That was back when the race was held in February. “We rode 120 miles into a headwind the whole way,” he groaned. “And it was raining so hard. My fingertips did not thaw out for three days.”

His favorite race was an opportunity pull his former teammate Bobby Julich to a victory and the yellow jersey in the Tour. “People asked me if I did not want to pull away and win the stage for myself,” Voigt smiled. “But when I saw his family and the looks on their faces it felt so good to be part of that. That was my favorite day.”

The Character of a character

 

Jens signature sock

Voigt gave it a go signing all sorts of gear.

Such is the character of a great cyclist, a father of six and a man figuring out the meaning of his life and legacy. Jens Voigt is the real deal, both passionate and humble, circumspect and amusing. He could have talked for hours and people would have stayed to listen.

 

Even when his handlers offered to cut off the autograph session,  Jens was having none of that. “I want to stay for everyone,” he gestured to the 20 people still standing in line. And that, my friends, is a world-class human being.

A blush with fame

When it became our turn to step on stage for autographed pictures and photo with Jens, the great cyclist glanced at Sue and asked, “Are you a triathlete?”

She was taken aback and said, “Yes.”

“I can tell,” he said, flexing his arms. “You have a body like an Amazon Princess!”

Sue almost folded into herself in embarrassment at them moment. Then came an abashed blush and a thank you for the compliment. Jens signed our Shut Up Legs summer cycling caps and we all posed together. We walked out of there appreciative of the opportunity to meet a genuine hero. Those are few and far between in this world.

TRAIN HARD. COMPETE WELL. LOVE LIFE.

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The numbers really do lie sometimes

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Christopher Cudworth

RACE NUMBER.jpgAt the race packet pickup last Saturday, the guy handing out the numbers gave me a weird smile. “I hate to tell you this,” he grinned. “But your number is 666.”

Okay, I laughed. The Mark of the Beast.

However, when I wore the race number, my eyes did not spew blood. Nor did I sprout devil knobs on my bald pate. Or, secretly have to hide a tail that grew out of my coccyx.

Instead, I ran a healthy, happy duathlon and finished fourth in my age group. It went so smooth and enjoyable that I was actually able to “be in the moment” at a number of points along the way.

Did it mean that I did not suffer? Well, one has to define that term. I ran 6:42 per mile for the first segment and 7:42 for the closing four miles. Nothing spectacular there. But I was feeling it to some degree. I ran 13:45 last year for the opening two miles last year and T 13:43 this year. Rather consistent there.

In 2015 I ran 30:27 for the closing 4.2 miles. This year, 31:33. That part of the course was changed for 2016. One never knows how the measured distances compare. I ran a minute slower perhaps? I rather doubt it. I was running much smoother this year than last, when rain had filled my shoes with water during the bike.

This year the bike segment was quicker by 20 seconds on the same course. There was a fierce northeast wind in our faces in the open country.

Transitions? I still need work. Last year I was 1:54 and 2:01. This year, 1:44 and 2:04. Too much dawdling still. The top guys in my general age bracket of 50-59 are all close to one minute in transitions.

I chuckled at the comment of a running associate Tom Spadafora. We passed each other during the race a couple times. He’s running faster these days but I caught him on the bike. Then he passed me again during the second run and said, “We’re getting too old for this stuff.” He’s kidding. No one loves running more than Tom. “All I wanted to do was get off that bike,” he later laughed.

Enjoying the race

For me, the kicker was the feeling of enjoyment this year. I had fun last year too, but perhaps it was the cool weather and the lack of a driving rainstorm during the bike that made things a little more fun this year. So there was no dramatic performance improvement year over year, but there was a qualitative feel to this year’s race that I really liked. I think there’s something to be said for competing comfortably or better at the same distance. Is it a sin to actually enjoy the sensations of what you’re doing?

The numbers to me are interesting, but all very relative. When the chip results were first listed, there were guys behind me in the standings that had faster overall times. The name Christopher Cudworth was also listed twice in the standings. That made me wonder if I had sold my soul to the devil without knowing it? Perhaps that number 666 had come back to haunt me after all. But it all settled out once the results hit the actual website. Such are the vagaries of data.

Hand in hand

What mattered most to me was the most wonderful circumstance of all. In the last half mile I spied my fiance Sue headed into the finish. I caught up with her about 200 yards out and suggested we hold hands going into the chute. Well, I’m the nutty romantic of the pair but she agreed and we got a few “awwwwwww”s as we ran across the finish line together, hand in hand.

I say that was super cool. The odds of our finishing exactly together were pretty slim considering she did the Triathlon and I did the Duathlon. She finished second in her age group after a good swim and a good bike.

It was a match made in heaven despite my devlish race number. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

LOVE LIFE.

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