Tag: cyclinganxiety

I am a cyclist? I AM a cyclist.

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I’m coming clean: I’ve been a hypocrite. I’ve talked a time or a dozen about how central our thoughts are for influencing the way that we act. While I walk this talk in most aspects of my athletic life, there is one area where I’ve clearly been lacking – yes, even hypocritical. I’ve said some pretty negative things about cycling. For example, I take credit for the hashtag #BikesArePoopy. More specifically, I’ve said some not-so-nice things about myself as a cyclist. I may have said a time or a dozen that I suck on the bike. I consider a compliment about my …

(Not) Just Like the First Time: The Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course

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As we drove north to Lake Placid last weekend, and the one-dimensional terrain of southern New Jersey gave way to the peaks of the Adirondacks, I could feel the flapping of those butterfly wings in my belly. It was a mixture of both excitement and anxiety as we returned to what I consider to be my “home” Ironman course. We were heading to Lake Placid for a long training weekend. John would be running Mt. Marcy in preparation for the VT100 on July 20. I would be joining the Fireman Ironman training camp for a swim-bike-run of the course in anticipation …

A little help from my friends

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If you cycle or if you’ve seen cyclists, then you know that cyclists typically ride in groups – sometimes of only 2 or 3, other times of 20, 30 or more. And, then there’s me. I don’t ride with other people. Ever. I do all of my training rides solo: just me, the velo and miles of open road. Oh, if it were only that romantic! But it’s not. In reality, it’s holding me back from reaching my potential. While going solo is good for mental toughness, solitary cycling for every ride is not necessarily the road to success, particularly …