Friday, June 5, 2009

How to be fast

First let me say that fast is a relative thing. Compared to some, such as small children, three-toed sloths, or a two-legged dog, I am fast. Compared to many others, I am not.

Allow me to illustrate. A couple weeks ago on the weekly Friday morning Alpine Loop ride, Jon J set a blistering pace all the way up the canyon. At least it felt blistering to me. Then we got to the top and everyone starts talking about how slow the time was. I just sat there quietly, because it was a personal best.

This morning we rode again. We didn’t even try to stay together. I got to the top five or so minutes faster than two weeks ago even though I’d been dropped by Brad, Rick, Brandon, Adam, and Aaron pretty early on. Another new personal best.

Which leads me to the simple conclusion of my post. And it’s no secret either. If you want to be fast, ride with fast people. If you keep waiting until you’re faster before venturing out with the fast people, you’ll never get there. Join the ride and don’t worry about embarrassing yourself. Nobody cares. If you get dropped, vomit, or just suffer until your eyeballs pop out and your ears bleed, so be it. But you will get faster.

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9 comments:

  1. ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! My cinnamons exactly.

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  2. You are right.

    And the best part is that on any given day one of the "fast guys" is going to be the one bleeding out his ears.

    I thought today that the pace was furious. Even on the lower slopes when we all stayed together. Once Brad and Rick went I figured..."may as well go also."

    I feel an AF canyon TT blog brewing. Pay gate to the "elevation" sign.

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  3. Yeah, what ever happened to the unwritten rule that nobody got dropped before Tibble? The pace at the bottom was a frightening foreshadowing of things to come.

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  4. Aaron, if today is any indication, and especially if Adam creates a TT, I have a feeling things may get furious right from the guard house hereafter.

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  5. i didn't even know there was anybody else riding this morning until elden and i got to the top and saw y'all.

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  6. Sort of.

    If every ride you do is with the fast guys it won't be long before you become very, very slow.

    If you race and spend the rest of your time with fast guys again, it's just a matter of time before you get really, really slow.

    I would argue that riding with slow guys (or sitting on the couch, taking a nap, watching a movie, etc.) is what actually makes you fast. In other words, you get fast when you rest. But for the rest to work, you must first have beat yourself up which is what riding with the fast guys do.

    I'm just glad I'm slow enough to never have a shortage of fast guys to ride with!

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  7. UTRider, recovery is important. But you have to have something to recover from. Otherwise you're just being a couch potato.

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  8. And by "you" i really mean "me." Not that I would accuse anyone else of being a couch potato. Though laying on the couch all day does sound kind of fun. Especially with a big bowl of popcorn.

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