The Challenges of Part-Time Study

Well and truly into data analysis and it is the stuff of dreams!!! NOT!!! Almost finished accumulating categorized interview responses from 30 interviews!! Yawn Yawn!! And yes I will wake you when my rant is over.

ANyway just a quick couple of lines to thank the family for being so supportive. I almost 'threw in the towel' post-RAAM but now I am glad I did not. The end is close and I can hear the turbo, the long miles on the roads, the running tracks, and the races all beckoning me to get back into a structured training programme.

The Challenge Fuerteventura looms ever closer, and our team of 3 is now just two. I can see a pattern emerging, my dear Holmes!!

A Great Training Tool

It has been some time since I blogged. Lots has been going on since the RAAM 2010 and we are moving into new territory with some really exciting new projects and challenges. Maybe more on that later....

In the meantime, I saw the Copenhagen Wheel, fairly topical given the recent success of the Challenge Copenhagen Iron Distance Triathlon, where www.Trips4Tri.com went to attend the Expo and have some very productive meetings with key people in the Copenhagen Tri scene.

So what is this the Copenhagen Wheel....can the UK embrace it...can the infrastructure finally be configured, re-designed, and laid out so that cyclists have access to cycle lanes, and can use the training devices appropriately.

Havng spent a weekend in Copenhagen, I was amazed at the accessibility to bike lanes, in fact bikes probably outnumber cars in the capital city of a country, who charge 3xtimes the price that we brits would pay, the result of which is people don't buy 2, or 3 cars per family!! They just can't afford it, and people are literally forced to look for alternatives. Also the public transport system is very good, and well-used. The bike lanes are extremely popluar, proving the point that if you give people a choice to use their bike, and make it safe to do so, the will use the bike paths. The Sustrans in Lincolnshire is a case in point. It is a fantastic way to move around the county. If it were linked up to other networks and towns that had integrated bike paths, we would be in a much better position than we are now. Still consumer behaviour is not going to change dramatically in this country, unless the Chancellor triples the cost of a car!! Come on Mr Chancellor, do us cycliest a favour!!!

Rant complete.......for now ;-)

Speaking of training devices, I was delighted to see the other day that Polar and Look have collaborated to produce a set of pedals which measures Power and gives feedback to the rider! Hallalujah!! We have been faced with so many options for so long now, each of which offered a compromise in one form or another. Get a glimpse at the new pedals here

Signing off now. I will be back soon with more exciting news about Trips4Tri and also the latest Challenges for yours truly.

Race Across America Race Report

As I sit and reflect on what has been one of the most memorable moments of my sporting life, I find it hard to find the words that make me so proud to have been a part of a hugely successful team that overcame adversity at every turn. I also think about the tougher times of the race when I hurt like I have not hurt before, the endless (or seemingly) climbs of the Rockies with the altitude making my lungs scream for oxygen, the brutality of the Appalachians, the unbearable humidity of Missouri and Illinois; and I think of what it was that got me through those moments.

I recall choking with emotion as I thought of my family back home, who have been a huge inspiration for me, and who have sacrificed a lot to allow me to fulfill a dream of a lifetime; I remember the dark moments when I heard that JC was out of the Race, and, in a bizarre way, that was a huge inspiration for us all to persevere for him; JC and I had worked really hard to make this a success for both of us and the team. I was gutted when he went off to hospital.

I recall meeting the only guy in the 60+ Solo age category (Dex Tooke), shortly after crossing the Mississippi, and how humbled I was to have the good fortune to chat with him. What a true hero he was, and living proof that the human is capable of almost unimaginable feats. And the regular thoughts of crossing that RAAM Finish line, were at the forefront of my mind during the long, monotonous roads of Kansas in the beating heat of the midday sun, where you could make out the curvature of the earth, and Annapolis seemed like a lifetime away!

The support team that helped us also need a mention. Without them, we would have got stuck in California. They worked so hard, toiled with the sleep deprivation that must have been tortuous, and yet kept us safe on the road (despite a few close shaves!!). Thank you to everyone. Below is a copy of the Race report that I submitted to the WashingMachinePost (a cycling blog).

Please feel free to donate to Help For Heroes as we wind up our RAAM Dream. We did it for the real Heroes out there who so need our help. Donations can be made through our website at www.raf-ultra.co.uk

A final mention must be made of the sponsors, without which this event could not have gone ahead. Notably The Royal Air Force Sports Lottery, Survitec Group Ltd and EPIC Performance Ltd. We are indebted to you for your kindness.


RAAM Report

It is difficult to accurately surmise and to describe the emotions, the events, the pain, the sweat, the tears, the setbacks, the highs and the lows of this, the toughest bike race in the world. The Race Across America, or RAAM, is a 3000mile bike race the route of which traverses 14 States and has over 100,000 feet of climbing. It's not for the faint-hearted. And this race is more about the logistics of getting the riders ready and rested, about navigating successfully, than it is about the riding of a bicycle. That said, the RAAM tests people's resolve to push themselves through agonising pain, sleep deprivation, and heat exhaustion. It is a battle of great magnitude, in which the mind will play tricks and convince you that you have got to stop. The RAAM has been described by a solo finisher as being similar to a gladiator being thrown into a pit of lions.

We set off from Oceanside on Saturday 12th June and in spite of all our previous discussions about how 'easy' we were going to take the first part of the race, the proverbial hammer went down right from the off! There was an electric atmosphere at the start line, as the teams gathered and wished each other good fortune on the journey ahead. There was lots of friendly banter between ourselves and our American Military colleagues from Team 4Mil, with whom we were competing for the RAAM Military Challenge Cup. We knew that the statistics did not add up in our favour, as the four of us would have little chance of beating an eight-person team. Nevertheless we did our best to suggest to them that we were not going to roll over and accept defeat, rather that we were a serious force to be reckoned with.

All the teams were introduced to the waiting crowds, and at 14:21 local time, we were sent on our way to traverse one of the largest continents in the world, 3005 miles in the shortest possible time. We had no idea how things were going to pan out for us, and we simply focused on success at every turn. The weather was kind at the start; a steady breeze blowing on-shore meant that the first riders on the road would be whistling their way along the Californian valley floor before commencing the lumpy ascent, then the descent of the 'Glass Elevator' to take us into the desert. The following wind picked up through the night, and when taking over my shift, we were averaging 38mph for one 90 minute stretch. We were flying and quickly settled into 3rd position overall.

It was foolhardy of to think that our positioning was secure. This race presents riders and support crew with so many challenges and problems that we were navigationally challenged many times costing us vital minutes. When you put it into perspective, driving along a 3000 mile route and expecting not to take a wrong turn at any point, is perhaps not a realistic aspiration. There was plenty of jostling for positions in the first 24 hours, and dawn brought the realisation that there could be another seven sunrises to get through before the race was complete. Once the adrenalin had dissipated, the role of the riders was superceded by the organisation of the support crew, how they planned to run the show, and arrange to put riders in position so that we could exchange with one another and maintain our pace. This was going to be the challenge for us all, as it transpired. The crew got less sleep than the riders, maintained our morale and made decisions under some intense pressure. The riders meanwhile, were able to focus solely on getting themselves ready for riding.

Our strategy was to split the four-man team into two smaller elements of two riders, only one of which would be on the road at any time. We had practised doing between 15-30min pulls on the road to maintain a high average speed, and to ensure that the riders got plenty of rest. This worked extremely well for the racers, however it took its toll on the support crew who were constantly on the go.

Our second day took us through Arizona and into Utah, cycling through Monument Valley in the middle of the night, all the while gaining elevation as the Rockies approached. We as riders became accustomed to spending up to and in excess of six hours in the saddle each day, and most of the riding was in the big ring. The big climbs of the Rockies were particularly challenging; the temperature at night would plummet to 3-4deg C and the long descents required us to be appropriately dressed to cope with the cold. The highest recorded speed was 56mph during a night time descent. These were 20-30 mile ups and downs, the like of which some of us had never experienced before.

The lush green pastures and beautiful hills of Colorado gave way to the flats of Kansas. We spent hundreds of miles on long straight roads in the soaring heat, and it seemed that the most significant landmarks were the grain silos which popped up every 20 miles or so. We were fortunate with the winds in Kansas; one of our fears had been whether we would be battling into a howling head wind for days on end.

Kansas came and went, and the heat and humidity soared as we neared Missouri and Illinois. The quantity of wildlife also increased. There were plagues of frogs on the roads, and the night sky was alight with Lightning bugs, making the scenery look more like a Christmas card scene with twinkling lights in the trees. Fluid intake and dehydration became a big issue. I can recall losing so much fluid, that I was soaked in sweat from head to toe after only five minutes on the bike. The humidity made life uncomfortable in the Winnebago, where sleeping was a challenge; the mosquitoes bit at every opportunity, and the bike did not generate any cooling airflow effect either, meaning it was impossible to escape the heat.

The crew and riders were holding up reasonably well and we were destined for a six day finish as we reached Illinois. The RAAM has a knack of testing a team's resolve to the limit, and none more so than when resting at a time station, we received a call to say that John Crewe had collided with Mat Stephenson, that JC had landed heavily, and damaged his collar bone. We were devastated to hear that news, and as JC was taken to the nearest hospital we were left to re-assess how and if we would continue with the race. The RAAM clock does not stop. Steve and I put our heads together to figure out how our riding strategy would change with only three riders remaining. We opted for a three hour rotation for each rider, allowing six hours of recovery. Our riding style also changed from a pretty aggressive, to one where we conserved energy as best as possible. The Appalachians were still a day away, and we had been warned that they were leg breakers.

The support crew rallied round, re-organising themselves to work with the three-rider rotation. They did a marvellous job, and given that they were getting less sleep than the riders, their resolve and tenacity was noteworthy. With 48 hours or so to the finish we now focused on finishing within the seven day target. It was going to be tough; the support crew were literally on their last legs due to sleep deprivation.

During the race we were in frequent contact with a two-man team from Denmark. The Biking Vikings were super strong riders, and we set our sights on beating them to the finish line. This raised the tempo somewhat and inspired the whole team to work even harder than before.

So let's put things into perspective. Most people would class a three hour ride as a good training session, after which they would take the day off to recover. Such is the nature of the RAAM, we were having to ride for nine hours each, when we were down to only three racers. A real feat in anyone's book for sure. Approaching the Appalachians, the weather got hotter, the humidity rose, and the gradients steepened. The RAAM book mentions the steepest hill, describing it as one where most people get off their bikes and walk. What were we in for? I went out for a night time session, with a 39/27 gear, and was quickly working hard as the first of three five-mile climbs kicked in. Thankfully one of the Vikings came up to me but did not have the legs to pull away, so we turned the gears and chatted as best we could, given our hypoxic state! That was a great way to take your mind off the task at hand.

As I came off my shift on the last night. I was really starting to tire. Steve said he felt good in the hills and Mat went flat out, and buried himself. By the time I came back on shift to take over from Mat, he was down to a walking pace, and he looked exhausted. We were racing both clock and Vikings now, and the terrain had drained us of all energy. Nevertheless we re-fuelled and hit the road again. Our final morning and the end was in sight. The Vikings pulled away, and we couldn't keep up.

The maths told us we needed to average 13mph for the last 100miles, not a problem to anyone with fresh legs on the Lincolnshire flatlands we thought. The terrain, however, was still rolling and a cheeky headwind had picked up. We re-grouped and rotated every five miles due to fatigue, ensuring that our average speed stayed fairly high. I'm not sure what it was, perhaps the adrenalin of seeing that finish line, but we were averaging 20mph! A slight miscommunication at the last time station cost us a few vital seconds, so we then decided to put three riders on the road for the last 40 miles. We were flying! The end was in sight, and we were scheduled to finish well within the seven days. We cruised at a steady 22mph, not bad given that we had just cycled 2950miles without stopping. The crew sent one vehicle ahead to guide us in and make sure the navigation was accurate, while the other vehicle protected us from the busy roads of Maryland.

With 200 metres to go, I saw two random riders come onto the road and start weaving themselves in amongst us. I shouted for them to take care and give us room, but then recognised them as Roy Collins from the US Team4Mil gang with his son. What a delight to see him. Roy and his eight-person team DNF'd at Durango after their Winnebago rolled off the road. Thankfully no one was seriously injured but their RAAM ended in the Rockies. Roy escorted us to the finish line three miles away from the pier in Annapolis. We celebrated with our support crew; lots of hugs and a few tears. The relief of finishing the World's Toughest Bike Race was incredible. As we awaited our official Race Escort to parade us through the streets of Annapolis to the Atlantic finishing point, we looked at each other in sheer disbelief. What had we just done? We also thought of John Crewe. He was instrumental in making this project a success, dedicating a lot of time, effort and money and unfortunately his race ended prematurely.

I can safely say that I felt an overwhelming sense of pride to have been part of a team that was so successful in the face of continued adversity. The support crew were outstanding, and their 'can-do' attitude ensured we were able to keep going for the whole race. We finished the 3000mile Race Across America in under seven days and we had won the inaugural RAAM Military Challenge Cup. That is what we came for.

Truly Outstanding!!

Now as all good events come to a natural conclusion I feel it is important to mention personally all those that made this event someting to remember for a lifetime. Here are the 'credits':

Mr John Crewe - RAAM Racer
Mr Steve Duffy - RAAM Racer
Mr Mat Stephenson - RAAM Racer
Yours truly - RAAM Racer
Mr Paul Dunning - Crew Chief
Mr Max Seaman - Comms/Photo Expert/No sleep required driver(!)
Mr Phil Kelly - Ad hoc Crew Chief/All Round Top Bloke
Mr Mike Burgess - Sports Massage Therapist/ Crew Organiser/Top Bloke
Mrs Louise Parr - Sports Massage Therapist/Nutritionist/Trojan Worker
Ms Claire Birch - Navigator & Driver
Mr Nick Freaks - Bike Mechanic/Navigator/Driver/Top Guy
Mr Ed Nockles - Civvy in the group/brilliant guy and very relaible
Mr Jamie Simmonds - Media coord/Speed Policeman

RAAM Hard as Nails!!!

Well, less than 24hrs to go now, and this may be the last blog for a wee while as we depart Oceanside tomorrow at 1400 local time (10pm UK) on this epic adventure! We had an extremely busy day, and given that I did not sleep much it did not feel any longer than normal (hope that makes some sense). Body clock was 'clued' into a 0400 Reveille for some reason and I kept a track of the solo riders as they went through the 700mile point!!

Then the fun began, with a brief call to BBC Radio Lincolnshire to feed into them everything about the race and give out some info on the local riders to Lincoln!! We had a very productive 2hr team meeting to discuss logistics, 'actions on', rider prep and care and almost everything else under the sun to get us all focused on the work that is required to get 4 guys out and ready to race at 1400 tomorrow.

We then had a spot of lunch, bought a few additional bike racks and tools, went for a recce of the unsupported section of the route, and then back for the official race brief!! About 50 teams in the 2-, 4-, and 8-man divisions were there and we were all given our instructions on how to behave and on how to participate in this RAAM community to make it a world wide success! We paraded on stage, and as we were the only team in riding kit, I think we attracted a lot of attention, and we did our best to intimidate the US Team (in a friendly way of course!!).

Post-brief was followed by a Nail-painting session to match JC's efforts to look as chavvy as he possibly could with his chav St George flag on each middle finger!! People took great amusement though in him deomonstrating the effects of giving them the 'bird'!! Clearly Mat, Steve and I had to match him (excuse the pun) and we went for something with a bit more style, finesse and class!!! LOL ;-)

Anyway getting back to the race, this will just be the best thing in the world for us all. The support crew have done a magnificient job in getting things ready for us, and now we have the challenge of matching their professionalism to make this a huge success for us all!

Roll on tomorrow, and au revior jetlag please, as I need a good night's sleep!

What's Next?

Yesterday was a frantic day full of some great moments. Notably the day started with a visit to meet Former World Duathlon Champion and RAAM Finisher in 2007, Kenny Souza. Anyone who has been around triathlon circles, duathlon and RAAM will most certainly have heard the name associated with the likes of Mark Allen, Spencer Smith, Jure Robic etc.Kenny was sharing with us some of his experiences of when he completed the 2007 Race Across America. He said 'it was brutal' at times when his speed on the bike was reduced from 27mph to 10mph on the flats!!! When Kenny Souza mentions that he was reduced to a 10mph average speed, he must have been working hard! He was the consummate gent, and gave us a box of tricks from his RAAM Adventure which will help the Support Crew to configure the vehicles. We thank Kenny for the link to Clifbar and for the nutritional products which he kindly donated to us.

Race registration was followed,by photographs where we met briefly with Sir Steve Redgrave. The Americans, bless them, had no idea what a legend he was and what he had achieved. By his own admission Steve has mentioned that he was built for rowing and not for biking!! I guess he will be the big engine on the bike on the flats of Kansas.

I managed to hook up with a Spanish Team, who were shocked that a blue skinned non-tanned Brit (Actually an Irish Man) could speak Spanish. We had a laugh as they explained that their return flight to Spain departed on Day 8 of the race! I guess they will be hammering it down the road, if nothing else but to catch that plane!!

We have been given lots of advice about keeping it slow at the start. Someone (I am sure his middle name was Sherlock) mentioned that 'it was a long race'!! No SH*t!! :-)

24hrs to go and we are off to recce the Route this morning and load up the RAAM Cargo Truck with our empty bike bags and kit we do not need! A radio interview at 1720 UK time will precede a team briefing which we intend to run with Military Precision!!

Race Prep

We have all re-grouped in Oceanside and set to focusing on the race prep. We saw the solo riders and the Race Across the West (RAW) Riders off from the start this morning and they will be into their first night of possibly 12 days on the bike!! Wow, that is just insane!

We also met up with our US Military Colleagues who have formed an 8-man team. We had lots of healthy banter about how we were going to edge past them in the first day, and then simply ride away from them from that point on!! Or maybe the converse is closer to the truth.

Our Support crew have a busy day tomorrow, sorting out the vehicles and getting their heads around the logistics of the event and how they are going to get the show on the road, literally. They have told us to go and just ride our bikes and not to 'interfere' which we are happy with, and it gives us a great opportunity to take advantage of the good weather.

Race day minus 2 days....more to follow as we get closer!!

RAAM Almost Upon Us

Well after a year of planning, I cannot believe that I have 2 bikes packed up and am waiting to catch the plane to take me to the start of the 2010 Race Across America!
This time 12months ago I had barely heard of this race, what was involved with the Team Selection, the Support required to complete it, and just how many challenges and life experiences one can have from what is, in essence, the purest and simplest of bike races: you start at one side of a Continent and you finish up on the other side, having ridden non-stop (!!!), in the shortest time possible. That is 3000miles in under 9 days for us, and the other people in either the 2-man, 4-man or 8-man divisions.

We are ready to take on whatever the next 2 weeks has to throw at us, be that sand and dust storms, snow in the Rockies, soaring heat of the Arizona deserts, sleep deprivation, and possibly more, in order to conquer and complete this race. It will simply be the Race of a Lifetime, and we have the best possible team we could have come up with, that will ensure that we enjoy, endure and leave with lasting memories for some time to come.

We are also supporting our chosen Charity, Help For Heroes, and we will be competing for the Military Challenge Cup against an awesome 8-man US Military Team. Please donate whatever you can to this really worthwhile cause. The JustGiving Link can be found at the Our Team's website which is

Lastly a big thank you to my lovely wife, Rachel, and kids for giving me this opportunity to train and participate in this event. Without their support this would not have been possible. And the promise to Fraser (4yrs) that I will take part in the Race Across America with him one day (soon)!!!

Watch British Forces News | British Forces News

Watch British Forces News | British Forces News

Just spent the afternoon being looked after by BFBS Radio and TV. Many thanks to John Knighton for taking such good care of us. Look forward to catching up with the team during the race. Please feel free to help us in our bid to raise funds for Help For Heroes as we compete in the 2010 Race Across America.

Help For Heroes

Please donate generously to this extremely worthwhile cause, as we raise awareness for Help For Heroes during the World's Toughest Bike Race, across 12 States of America from the 12th June 2010.

Many thanks for your kindness.

Inundated with Replies of Help!!

WOW!! The last 10 days have been incredible. We have been completely swamped by folk within the RAF, offering to help us, and join the Support Crew. I have now lost count of the numbers, but I now know what it must be like to be in the personnel selection in charge of recruiting. What a tough job it is! From my perspective, this project started as a simple idea, and a conversation in the gym with JC, on the back of an email suggestion. I really did not appreciate the interest something like this might have, and the motivation that people would have to want to participate in the World's Toughest Bike Race.

Some of the offers, although very genuine, were from individuals who simply had never been to the States, and wanted to complete a road trip. That is all well and good, however, we have only a few slots available, and this is a race. So we have to think of who will be the most suitable candidate in terms of their ability to work as a team to keep the racers on the road, and also what extra they could offer the team, so that the event could give them something they will not forget.

I am almost there now, and three of the four slots have been allocated. We are really pleased with the people we have chosen and they will certainly enhance the team's chances of making this race a successful one in many ways. They are independent enough to be trusted to take the initiative when it matters, and also extremely adept at following (and there will be a lot of that during the 9 days in June) and collaborating. Not only that but we also have a team mechanic, another sports therapist, and a physical training instructor who has a great appreciation of cycling.

We are very excited that we have the makings of a great team, and we welcome those that have come on board. We are sorry we cannot offer more people the chance to join us, such are the constraints of sleeping space and money on the team, and we wish all of those people who put their name in the 'hat' all the very best, and thank you for your kind offers of assistance.

Now over to the Crew Chief to do what he does best, and we are all looking forward to getting together in May for our training weekend and chance to practice our skills and changeovers.

What do you tell your 4-yr old son when he says "I want to do the RAAM with you Daddy"

Twice now, my son Fraser has asked if he could join me on the Race Across America. How do you tell a 4yr old that he can't come. His eyes light up when he asks the questions, in the hope that I will be saying 'yes'. Why would he think anything else? America is just a small blob on a pictorial map, so why would it be so hard to ride across a map??!! Seems like a sensible question you would think. Such is the purity of a 4yr old's thoughts and the strength of his desire to be with his dad, it is a true inspiration, and that is understating the power of that inspiration and influence.
I will dedicate this race to Fraser, who is the happiest boy in the world, who is the best in every way. He believes he can do the RAAM at 4yrs old. It is my responsibility to try and nurture that motivation, that determination to do the toughest of races on the planet. He has the ultimate belief that he can do anything on the planet, effortlessly and easily. Let's embrace that desire, encourage it, and help it grow. Someone once said that "you are never too young to have a happy childhood". Fraser is in the midst of a happy childhood, and life is great.

Fraser, one day we will do the RAAM together, and share that dream and bliss as Father and Son, finishing the world's toughest ultra-endurance event.

Exploring our limits

Do we constantly search for the ultimate source of our existence? What exactly is that source? What are the limits of our own potentiality? Will we ever be able to explore the potential that lies within us, and if so how do we do that? And further, when we go there, how do we know that we we cannot go even further. Deepak Chopra discussed the origins of our thoughts, in his book Quantum Healing. He said that our thoughts come from nowhere, because before we have a particular though, there is a void, and in that void there is nothing. So if we consider our potential capacity, then before that consideration begins there is a pause, and in that pause there is a void, and the potential is in that void, and the void is endless and without limit.

As one solo rider commented "RAAM is nothing, this is something out of this planet" Fabio Biasolo (RAAM Finisher). If RAAM is out of this planet, then it is somewhere in the universe, and how do we define the universe? To do so we must put limits on it to be able to define it. The universe is still being discovered, and thus could be defined as limitless, just like our potential. So in order to compete in RAAM we need to eradicate all boundaries in our mind, to uncover that potential that lies within us. No one knows the potential that lies inside each and every one of us. It is up to us all to attempt to exercise the opportunities to try to define that potential. At each and every turn Western lifestyle is becoming easier and easier for us. Yet we still take extreme measures to challenge ourselves, to push ourselves beyond any such pre-defined limit that we may have set ourselves. Bring on the challenges, and let's encourage those as fortunate as us, and those less fortunate than us, to pick up the gauntlet and rise to whatever challenge we set ourselves.

We are a small team of racers, who are ordinary people, attempting to do extra-ordinary things. We are intent on pushing ourselves and, in the process, taking a support crew with us to help them make a difference to find that goal and unleash the desire within us all. We are walking the tightrope rope and for us that rope is endless, and we are ready for that walk.

What a response!! It is fantastic!!!

What a difference a week makes!!

This time last week we were 2 slots down on the support crew due to work commitments, and change of employment arrangements. We were also attempting to expand the size of the support crew to give us the additional flexibility we might need in the event of any sort of incident, whereby the progress of the race could be in jeopardy. However some smart work on behalf of the team, has resulted in a monumental response for help and assistance. The team are completely gobsmacked by the sheer volume of the offers of help and assistance. I have had a red hot phone and email trail for two days, with folk who are sooooo keen to help and give their time to our success, it is just incredible. People from all walks of life, from the police, the RAF and the Royal Navy and the Army, they all appreciate that this event defies all barriers and is a tremendous leveller to the ordinary racer.

The challenge when I started this project was all about how to make this event the most meaningful event to as many people as possible. We are aware of what the team needs, and we are fully aware that we would like to help other people achieve their dreams of crossing the States as a member of the support crew. The places are not unlimited, and it would be great to take everybody with us. I do hope and pray that those that we cannot bring can understand that we simply do not have the capacity to take everyone, and that we need to prioritise the needs of the team. That being, communications, nutrition, sports massage, sports psychology, physiology, bike mechanics and driving. We also need folk who are confident in driving super-long US-sized Recreational Vehicles (everything in America surely starts with super- !!)))

Further we need to be aware that this event is not about the bike (Lance Armstrong). We will each be spending a lot of time couped up in hot environmental conditions in a close confines, and with not a lot of sleep! Bring on the RAAM. How do we select those people we need on the journey, without seeing them in the flesh, without the beauty of a training weekend, or a team development event! Also how do we bring those people on a journey that will be one of the most incredible journeys of their lives, and bring as many as possible, and how do we turn those other people down? Aaarrrgh!! Help ;-)

The cycling is almost the easier part of this whole adventure!!

Recovery Fuel

I had a great week on the two-wheeled treader last week for lots of reasons. The weather was mild (not warm) and that enabled a fair few miles to be clocked up in the great outdoors. 210 miles to be precise. The sun came out which cheered up the nation no end, and I was met at the end of a long day (70 miles) with the best possible (well therein lies a debate) recovery fuel, the Great British Fish 'n' Chips in a wrapper.

Not only does the smell conjure up mouthwatering images of splashing lots of salt and vinegar all over the recently-fried chips, but the taste of hot freshly-cooked fish when I had been out in the cold for 3 hours, was almost indescribable. Now clearly from a Sports Science perspective the content of said Fish N Chips may not have been the type of food a strict nutritionist may prescribe, however I did supplement it with a High Protein Energy Drink (brand shall remain unnamed) to even the balance a little. I must stress that this is not a typical recovery fuel for yours truly, however it does highlight the fact that occasionally the body simply craves the strangest of things when blood sugar levels may be low, and after prolonged exercise.
I am not sure how many long distance triathletes and cyclists are out there that have pedalled past a bakery in the early hours of the morning to smell the sweet smell of freshly baked bread, and may have felt the urge to buy the odd crusty loaf. In fact, on my normal commute there is a very popular butcher's shop that sells hot bacon sandwiches for breakfast! That smell almost forces you to stop and indulge!!
I can recall finishing an Ironman Event, and whilst I was capable of holding things down, the only thought I had was of savoury food! And lots of it! Surely the body must be telling us something. And as all good athletes we listen to our bodies, right?!

My triathlon coach used to say: "Pete, everything in moderation, including moderation". Fish 'n' chips (light on the chips) does not go amiss from time to time, and life is for enjoying the moment.

Physiological Adaptation for RAAM

I have just finished a fairly intensive week of training for the Race Across America. Thanks to the half-term break, a very considerate and understanding wife who took the kids away for a few days, and a welcome break in the weather, I managed to squeeze in 270miles. I have to say that I felt pretty good too, which may sound surprising, or indeed, it may sound like the sort of comment that a RAAM competitor ought not to be mentioning. Regardless, I am focused on the one thing that counts with my part of the race, which is my performance.

I opted for a couple of days rest, and then I did a TT test on the turbo. A 20-minute turbo session first thing on Monday morning. I might say (and this is not an excuse!!) that I was not as well rested for the test as I could have been, so whilst it was not true textbook test I typically conduct the turbo sessions at the same time of the day, and generally after a night of less than 8 hours sleep. I would love to be in the position that I only had the RAAM to consider. Such are the choices I have made, I have opted to leave my job, finish my MSc, be a RAAM competitor, organise the team for the RAAM, and most importantly be an integral part of the family. Whilst I do admire the talents, the tenacity, the toughness, the resilience and the other qualities that make up an elite athlete, I do take my hat off to the amateur athlete, who has to cope with the interuptions to his/her training that everyday life presents. In many respects the schedule of an amateur athlete is somewhat tougher than the elite athlete. The amateur has a long day at work, with no time for a recovery sleep in the afternoon; they may train in the morning, at lunch and in the evening again. "all in a day's work" you may hear them say. They have the challenges that life outside of work brings too, which distracts them from their training. And whilst they may get the opportunity for a good night's sleep, many have very young families that 'love' to wake up in the middle of the night, thus interrupting the recovery period that is essential for physiological adaptation. Okay, okay, a critic of this may say "well they should have worked harder at school, then they could have been a successful elite athlete etc.."

Mad Alchemy

Franny Embrocating from j. dunn on Vimeo.

I have just been out with some embrocation applied to my legs for the first time. I bought some Hot Qoleum from ZipVit. At first I hardly noticed anything at all, perhaps due to the fact that it may have been cooler outside than I thought. However the longer the ride went on, and the harder my legs worked, the more I could feel that tingly, burning sensation like someone was surrounding my legs with mild nettles. Now I should say that I could have gone for the super hot tub of embrocation, but having heard from JC (see JCs sprockets Bolg) about how he purchased some super hot Mad Alchemy, and how he got some of it on his private parts; I thought I would ease myself in gently. After three and a half hours on the bike I was still tingling, and the capsicum was clearly at work! Then I popped into the local bike store to buy some brake pads, on the way home. When I entered the shop my legs went ballistic!! They felt like they were on fire. Needless to say I did not do any window shopping, instead opting for the cool winter's breeze to chill my pins again!
2 hrs later post-riding I am still feeling the burn! Truly good stuff this embrocation thing!

How Many Days Until the RAAM Now??

I am getting well and truly stuck into a solid training regime again. I have made a commitment to ensuring I am getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night, as opposed to what was becoming a customary 5 hrs a night. I have to say that the additional 2 hours of sleep is making a huge difference to motivation, mood, the intensity at which I can train, the volume of training I can absorb and also my ability to recover (most importantly).
Last week I started to introduce training slowly again: I did 3 hours in the gymnasium doing strength and conditioning work including lots of stretching; 9.5hrs on the bike and one hour in the pool. I quickly realised that the break from swimming has taken its toll on my pool fitness. I felt fine for the first 1000m, after that my forearms, hands, triceps and shoulders were all feeling the burn. I stopped after 1500m which was a good point at which to stop, for fear of completely demolalising myself.
I got out for 5hours on biking on Sunday and clocked up about 85miles or so. I seem to be having a battery functionality issue with bike accessories. A fantastic bike light putting out 900 lumens failed on me and I had to resort to a town commuting light. Not good given that the roads are now full of potholes and it is essential to be able to see them on the commute home. I am awaiting the delivery of an Exposure Joystick as a replacement. My speedo battery has failed as well, so I have very little feedback on the bike apart from how my legs are feeling. Who needs gadgets??
All-in-all a good productive week back on the road and on course for a good RAAM in a few months time. How many days is it??? :-)

Back on the Bike!!

Well I have fully recovered from the little bug I caught a few weeks ago. I am fully rested and I got back on the 'horse' yesterday after a short break. Why the short break? Well a couple of reasons, I was starting to feel extremely tired, the result of some late nights (understatement of the year) due to University work, and partly my own lack of appreciation as to how long the MSc Thesis can be!! So as I had a submission deadline on Mon 8th Feb, I decided that that would be a great time to start training again, give myself a chance to recover, not be too concerned about thinking I should be training, and time to concentrate on the Thesis Proposal. Sunday night was a bit hectic, and I was up until 0330 putting the finishing touches to the proposal!! I decided to leave the final proof read until the morning, when a relatively fresh pair of eyes (which did look like proverbial p**sholes in the snow - to coin a relatively popular military phrase) could go through it in detail.
I must admit getting to sleep on Monday morning was difficult, my mind was buzzing (probably the whirr for the laptop being the causal factor) and the fact that I was going over the document in my head making a mental note of anything that I might have missed, for inclusion in the morning! Relaxation, concentration and meditation exercises were all used to allow me to get into a frame of mind where I could think of nothing, or even just one thing and one thing only! All to no avail, and I fell into a coma like state just after 4am!

We have a pair of alarm clocks which arise anywhere between 7-8am typically, which was fortunate for Pedro, as I got up showered and went straight back to the laptop to start work on the proposal. How to career academics do it I frequently asked myself?? The whole process of devising a MSc topic, writing the proposal, doing the data collection, data processing, the literature review, the drafts, the final write-up is perceptively endless!! I did have a few ideas of doing some further research after this topic, that has now been well and truly quashed!! ;-)

I must mention some help I received from the WikiEducator Community, albeit due to a last minute post by me to their mail group. I was confused over the types of statistical tests I should be using to examine a sample size of only 10-12 participants. I am still not convinced there is a 'right' answer out there. The statistics books appear confusing, to me anyhow, and do not give a definitive answer to the question!!
So back to RAAM training. I managed to squeeze a 'refresher' session in on Monday afternoon, whilst Fraser was cruising around the road on his bike. Thankfully for the cold weather he got pretty chilly and then decided to go inside, which was perfect timing as I had only strapped a head-torch to his helmet and it was getting dark outside!! 30min was enough as my legs were feeling it, after the layoff I had just had.
Yesterday I planned to do 2x1hr in the morning and afternoon/evening with a weights session at lunchtime. I did the morning session (40min sweetspot) and the weights at lunchtime. However the evening session fell off the plot as I fell asleep at 7.30pm and did not wake up until 5:30am!! Perfect time to get back up and onto the bike. The temperature must have been about -3-4degC, think ice outside on the roads, and I was just relieved that I was not cycling into work. I did 45mins at sweetspot power, after a good warm-up and some one-leg spins. Lunchtime was filled with a swim (1500m) which was plenty as I have not trained properly in the water since August!! I really felt it, and that is an understatement.
I will do another hour tonight. It is evident that even in a week, my power output has dropped slightly. I am not concerned as it is just a temporary hitch and I will recover provided I listen to my body, get sufficient rest and eat properly.

Speaking of which I am about to start the Paleo diet for athletes. No dairy and limited carbohydrate products, with plenty of protein from fish, lean meats and nuts and seeds. I am looking forward to it. Joe Friel, the triathlon coach, contributed to the book (The Paleo Diet for Performance Athletes) and tweaked the diet to include a little carbohydrate.
More to follow on the diet stuff!!

RAAM-Getting Organised

Since I started this project back in late June 2009, following a throw-away comment by someone unbeknown to me in a rival (it's very friendly rivalry!) cycling club when I was scratching around for a locally-run Time Trial before Ironman Switzerland, the journey to where we are now has been fascinating.
Firstly there was the challenge of finding 3 other head-cases who would be suitably motivated to train through the winter months for the 'pleasure' of riding across 14 States in under 9 days. I use the term pleasure with caution, as I am sure our contact points with the bike will be reminding us of exactly how pleasurable it will be to sit on a bike for 6 hours per day through the blistering heat of the Nevada desert, the chill of the Rockies and across the plains of the USA.
Then the task of compiling a support team consisting of individuals who were mentally strong enough to know that whilst they were going on a whistle-stop road trip they had an incredibly important role to fill in supporting the riders in the team and also looking after themselves as best they can. Fortunately for us there have been no shortage of volunteers and the offers of help are really appreciated by myself, who has had the unenviable task of 'vetting' them to ensure that they had something/qualities from which the team would benefit, be it nutritional expertise, sports therapy experience, sports science experience, sports psychology experience, knowledge of running and training for cycling events, and/or medical skills. I believe we have an extremely strong support team who is up for the challenge and is highly experienced in other equally important aspects such as people-management, organisational skills, having effective communication skills, and/or a high degree of emotional intelligence.
The third task was that of logistics. This is a pretty big undertaking. For example I was on the phone the other day to a guy in Annapolis trying to sort out our accommodation, and explaining to him that we would need accommodation for 10 people but we don't exactly know when we will be arriving!! The Americans, being Americans, said that that was no problem and that we could just let them know as we progress the States and approach our final destination. Would we get that level of service anywhere else??
Having done the majority of the team selection, planning, organising, negotiating deals and then liaising with the team, which has been a great learning experience, the time has now come for me to off-load that onto our Crew Chief, Paul Dunning. I am slowly bringing him into the decision making process so that he can take up the reigns, with the foundations of the trip in place, allowing both him and myself to concentrate on the key aspects of the race i.e. the responsibilities of being a crew chief and that of training and focusing on a race of a lifetime respectively.

So are we organised??? Yes we are getting there and there is more work still to be done which will really hone our race specific skills such as handovers both by day and night, and race strategies. More to follow.

It's a deal!!!

Here's the deal. We take two cyclists of equal ability, and one cycles endlessly in one direction, while the other watches and actively engages in the thoughts of cycling. When the first one is exhausted and cannot continue, we swap the cyclists over. While cyclist number two pedals, the other one actively thinks about and creaes images of himself back on the bike. I wonder who would be physiologically fitter, or who would make the biggest gains in physiological fitness at the end of this test?
Well one way to find out is during the Race Across America in June. We will be 4 cyclists of different builds, heights, weights but of similar power to weight ratios, and I wonder who would fare the best at the end of the racein a pre- and post evaluation. Also worth considering how sleep deprivation will affect one's ability to think positively so that vicarious learning can take place.
Less than 140 days to go now to the RAAM, and things are hotting up. We had a re-schedule in logistics at the end of last week, and thanks to British Airways we were able to change our itinerary so that we will stay one day more in the States, to allow the team to return the RV to New Jersey, and then return to Annapolis. It also means that the team is not under undue pressure at the end of the race to de-kit, especially when we will be pretty fatigued!!!
Training is going well, with 3 hrs in the bag today, 2 hron the bike and 1hr in the gym doing strength and conditioning work. Plenty of time on the commute to practice sports psychology techniques, so no time is wasted!
I have a spin with AlitheIronman on Fri, which will be great, and we may even find a wee cafe. More to follow!!

Race Across America

This is an intro into the RAAM and some of the things our team will have to deal with over the 9 Days in June 2010 (or maybe fewer!!).

Comments welcome.

Work Work!!

Back into work this morning. A freezing cold day in the SHIRE. Got a 45min turbo session in the garage done before the family got up. I was half asleep though as I went to bed at 1am, having spent the time reading up on literature for my dissertation. I was trying to understand all the terminolgoy associated with Self-Regulation (according to Zimmerman) and how this topic is relevant to some of the Mental Skills Training that I coach with aspiring pilots. Boy oh boy could I do with about half the number of research papers having been written on the subject and on other related areas, such a Deliberate Practice (Ericsson). Still it is an interesting mountain to climb and will help to scope out a sound methodology for future Applied Sport Psychology and Mental Skills Training.

"IADIP" It's Another Day In Paradise Bob Breedlove