Diversification & Simplification

Rode my bike early this morning - 12.5 miles easy steady ride, nothing to hard with a nice light breeze, sunshine, took some pictures and thoughts of me, to me...

One big goal that I've had for several years now has been to diversify my income and simplify my life in order to enjoy my diversified income. Simple! HA...

Anyways, I have been battling depression for some time now - Depression, what a ugly sounding word, in fact the word itself is downright depressing. But on with my tale.

I have my good moments and other times I sink real low. I have been racking my brain out trying to understand what I'm depressed about and why. It bothers me because each day gos by and I seem to do less and less while my depression grows more and more - like the catch 22 theory.

This morning during my bike ride, I think I came to the answer - since my time off from any cycling this last year or so - I realized I basically substituted it with added business ideas, ventures and schooling. In other words more Diversification.

Now I find myself trying to add more (cycling comeback,etc.) to an all ready full plate which had me thinking this morning that I have over-extended myself in diversity only to find that I've eliminated the simplistic part out of my life. In other words I am running around like a chicken with it's head chopped off, going here and there and not accomplishing much except running around...

Not accomplishing anything has now back loaded me which in turn has me depressed and when under depression I lose interest in doing things which causes more back-up in my life...

So I have decided I have to change that part, NOW! eliminate some business things, focus on the business parts I really enjoy and regroup and simplify...

You all have a wonderful day...

Knobby

Cycling in Amish Land

Hey there! why not join me and some others this coming September for a 2 day cycling event in Northern Indiana Amish land - Shipshewana-Lagrange-Howe and even through Stugis and other parts of Southern Michigan...

MCC Bike Michiana
September 18-20, 2009

Cycling with Knobby

Another addition to the Bucket-list

I figure if I come up with big ideas for me to do, one I won't be bored, two I'll have something to shoot for and three I enjoy reading what others before have done..

So on that note I leave you with this link to The 10th Annual Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell

Shane Keatings Bicycle Trip

The other day I came across this site about a guy by the name of Shane Keating who apparently travel by bike from Boston, MA to Churchill, Manitoba back in 2006. So far I have only read up to like day 21 or so - very good writing and the pictures are nice also.

CLICK HERE


How I came across this was I scroogled cycling to Churchill, because that is another thing I would find fascinating to do, so I added to my Bucketlist.

Have a good Day,

Knobby

Wizard of Oz & Porcupines

Allergy pills, what a knock out.

Some years I can handled these seasonal allergy setbacks by just overdosing on Vitamin C and 125mg B-complex pills but, this year it seems like it's going to be one of them that kicks at me like a wild bronc, because I've needed to resort to the 'pill' (antihistamine tablet). These are the type that within a hour of taking you're raw meat for the dogs and you don't care.

Now go ride a bicycle...

Mid-morning - 3 miles into my ride, fighting my way through the dull headache, the drowsiness, eyes on fire and itching with every spin of the wheel. I stop at a large party store to get a couple bottles of water because in my half awake state I forgot mine. I walk through wearing my black fully padded mountain biking shorts. Most times I don't think twice about these, but walking around in the store this day, I feel like I'm wearing a full diaper with two long rubbery, hairy legs attached.

Outside again and on the bike, I pedal off down the road, heading towards what's call around here the 'Farley Ride'. A ride I INVENTED and MAPPED 4 years ago, that takes place on local dirt roads, go's for some 12 odd miles, contains numerous small hills and 2 - 200 to 300 foot high hills that are graded at 15 to 20 degrees and at one point on the 2nd one, you go about the last 100 feet that I swear has to be a 30 degree angle. Yeah , right! 2 - 2-1/2 years ago I would do the whole route between 50 - 55 minutes, fly up them hills and feel like Rocky beating Apollo, today it has taken me all of a hour just to pedal the 5 miles from my house.

As in the words of Phil Liggett in reference to Chiappuci! - "He's crazy. He's always been crazy, and what on EARTH is he doing?"

What am I doing? I'm going to break myself from my slump or break me. I hate myself for getting in this shape, I hate the world, I hate my bike, I hate my dog and I don't even have a dog so I hate myself for that too...

I pedal the roads, the first small hill I come too (we're talking small ^) I end up pushing my bike up half of it, Oh God, what am I doing??? I'm panting already and my legs burn.

I keep telling myself, get on the damn bike and ride. I try to remember what that John Wayne saying was "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." What does he know he rode a stupid horse...

I try to relax by focusing on my breathing, telling myself over and over slowly breathe in, slowly breathe out, relax. My bike computer tells me I have about 7 miles left. OH MY GOD! I thought I was done already... I breathe faster.

Ok another 2 miles and the first big hill looms just in the distance - so far 6 miles and my jersey and shorts are as wet as a pile of seaweed. I stop at the foot of the hill, first mistake! HA! What do I mean first mistake... I go about 30 feet and walk the rest of the way up. My legs are still rubber and I scream out at no one "I'm not dancing in my pedals" here Phil!

Zooming down the backside and onto the second one. I start to become dizzy and my head seems very heavy - I didn't bring any energy bars with me. I'm pedaling at 7 miles a hr!!!! on flat road!!!!!! a chipmunk out races me to hill #2.

I start calling everything into question, all my strength shrinks. Just call someone to come pick you up, stupid... I get off the bike and walk it.

Hill #2 - houses on left and right of it and it winds uphill in a S shape, finishing near the top with a lazy J shape




you can't see the end of it from the bottom of it. I stand at the bottom and drink some water...

My stomach throbs and aches, I'm exhausted, I'm insane! I start singing to myself the Wizard of Oz song.

I ponder and think of the 3 ways out of this, one is to turnaround and go back the 15 odd miles I just came, the second is to walk through peoples yards and state woods to the main road 3 mile East. The third way is to climb somehow, someway. I must have been crazy 4 years ago to think this route up and yet many a local cyclists have rode this roads since then and have told me they never knew these hills were here. Some people just don't get out much, I assume...

A truck comes by and stops to ask if I'm alright, I wave yeah and their on their way. I laugh, I must look really BAD!

Getting on my bike I head up the hill and pedal, I am completely burnt! A look at my computer tells me I'm climbing @ 3 miles a hr. Laughing and thinking to myself that there's no reason to rush into hell.

Hell will have to wait for me to ride to it, a third of the way I get off and walk, pushing the bike up the hill... I try once more getting on and I pedal for about 20 feet and get back off...

At the top I throw the bike down to the side and sit at the edge of the road, complete toast. My diaper feeling shorts weight 10 lbs. My jersey has turned from light blue to dark purple. Panting, short gasping breaths and my legs are killing me, I'm delirious, I remember reading somewhere about porcupines that steal shoes, I look down at mine to see if their still there - I still have to ride home 3 miles! But the good news is 200 feet of it is downhill. LOL "we're off to see the Wizard"

After 15 minutes I struggle up from the ground and get on my bike, zooming down the hill, the fast rushing breeze chills me through my wet clothes. I ride the rest of the way back to my house at a snails pace, looking down at my shoes...

♫ Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My! ♫

Sounding like a fog horn

Again this morning the blowing and honking and dripping, the headache...

Stupid Allergies!

Problem I have is if I take a antihistamine than that blocks me up and stop the mucus flow which then builds up inside and causes me to get sinus infection which leads to heavy doze of antibiotics... Never ending battle !

Motivation

My life sucks!

OK maybe that's a little strong but, something, someone or some force is against me here...



Between hurting my back, and my brother sickness, my sickness, truck problems and graduation and grad parties, money is starting to disappear faster then I had planned and now I'm focused on that more than my damn health and comeback...



I just don't know how the top notch amateurs do it, to be able to train and race all day and keep a place to live and maintain a home life while being pulled this way and that way and trying to keep the money flowing... Hard, very hard...



I'm trying accomplish something here for me personally in my life and it seems around every corner there's a wall... Yes, I know I'm BOOHOOING here but it's starting to get to me.



Need better motivation, not enough. Plus the tough part is I don't have to do this, I want to do it but, that wee little part in the brain is always there when something gos wrong or comes up, it's always there saying skip your training, no one cares! - you're not doing it to make a team or win a championship, you're just a old fool trying to ride a bike in the mud...



Hard, very hard

Losing my motivation...

Knobby

Training days and Pomp & Circumstance

Why is it that every time you want to start something and get already to commit to do it, something always pops up in your way... Happens to alot of people, but this time it was a pleasant something, as you will...


Anyhow, I did my basic routine Saturday morning again which included the same thing I did on Thursday:

Did some stretching exercises and than went for a 5 mile bike ride at speaking pace.After which I did 20 windmills, 25 jumping jacks, 5 push-ups, 5 back extensions, 10 sit-ups and concluded with 10 bench presses, 10 barbell squats, 10 arm curls and 3 rope weight curls...

Rest of day was spent on rushing here and there...

Later in the week I'll write more on how my diet is coming along - LOL but I feel good about what little I have accomplished just in these few days, at least I out doing it...

Sunday was a rest day which actually played out perfect because it was also my Daughter H.S. graduation:

And Yes, Damn Right I'm Proud!

First Serious Day of Training

I woke this morning feeling pretty good, just a slight twinge in my back so I decided to go for it.

First I did some stretching exercises and than went for a 5 mile bike ride at speaking pace.
After that I did 20 windmills, 25 jumping jacks, 5 push-ups, 5 back extensions, 10 sit-ups and concluded with 10 bench presses, 10 barbell squats, 10 arm curls and 3 rope weight curls...

Not bad but I was feeling it afterwards and my back is twinging again more... so we'll see tomorrow - got to struggle through this and ride on...

Have a good evening,

Knobby

Not what I had planned

This is not what I had planned for the start of my return to exercising and MTBiking...
Sunday while working on my truck, I strained my back something painful, enough that in the middle of the night trying to turn over in bed it actually bought tears to my eyes...OUCH!!!

I doing better today, so I'm going to let it rest for another day and hopefully by Thursday I'll be ready to go...

Sunday also brought bad news from one of my MTBiking friends who was on a tour ride out by Coldwater, mi. and crashed and as it stands their knee is fractured and maybe torn ligaments...

The moon must not have been in the right quadrants Sunday...

I did manage to get my measurement taken Monday though, which I have boxed out on the side of the blog under Starting Body Measurements...

You have a good day & let's be careful out there...

Knobby

Monday, June 1st activies

Since in all actuality this coming Monday although it being June 1st is a off day, but I will be doing other things for 'My MTB Comeback Adventure'

I have a photographer (who is donating their time and camera work) coming to do before pictures of me. I will be up-dating these every 3 mths.

I will also be taking measurements of my neck, waist, thighs, calves, biceps, etc. these will be up-dated every 3 mths also.

I will weight myself and up-date weekly.

I will be setting up kitchen area (actually have started this already) for ease of making my energy drinks and pure fruit smoothies and cooking.

Making sure my weight room & exercise equipment, chart board is set and all ready.

The hardest part of any dream or adventure is getting started. The other hardest part is following through. Anyone can talk about climbing Mt Everest or jabber all day about how they would like to kayak around Greenland or even race in the Transrockies. Most don't realize what it takes to make a dream/adventure come true - sure some wishing, some prayers but besides that the countless hours of planning and re-planning, the training, the money, overcoming health issues, the sponsorships (if any), TIME! and then the mental part of getting yourself psyched up and attaining the motivation and keeping it during the failing parts, the loneliness and the drudge parts ( 2 hrs on rollers). Did I mention TIME!

Most people only see the after effects of things. They will watch Tiger Woods and say how lucky he is to do that or 'Man I wish I could be him or do that' or read about Warren Buffet and say how fortunate he is to be so rich. They do not see the struggles, the failures, the trials and errors. They have no idea of the sacrifices they have made, the steadfast efforts they have put forth or the faith they have exercised, so as to conquer the unconquerable and realize the dream of their hearts.

The idea you toss around in your head, the dream that keeps your heart beating rapidly every time you think about it - this you will construct your life by, this you will become. Not by chance, although a small percentage of some do make it this way, but by effort which builds into results. The measure of these results - success, admiration, honor, power, material possessions, intellectual ownership, etc. are the fruits of those efforts. They are plans completed, goals accomplished, dreams realized...

Have a good day & let's be careful out there

Knobby
_______________________________________________________

I'll give up cycling when they pry my cold, dead fingers from the handlebar.

I Luv Climbing ___/\/\/\___

Soon to start!!!

June 1st is getting close and as we all knows that starts 'My Adventure' back to MTBiking and possibly new and better things. I want to thank all who so far has join in to follow and/or commented... Keep the faith!

Knobby

Life Rest Days - Spiritual Rest Days

Good morning all! Did a short 3 mile ride this morning, with a misty rain in the air and some light basic exercises ( push-ups, sit-ups, wind-mills, jumping jacks)

Several people have questioned me as to what I mean by Life/Spiritual Rest days, so I figured I would write a little about that, while eating my oatmeal, a cup of yogurt and drinking some green tea.

Life rest days -I classify them as physical rest days from everyday life routines. Most people see these days as away from their regular 'day jobs' or schooling like as in 'the weekend' or 'my vacation' or maybe just a Sunday.

We all need these type days or else physical burn-out begins and soon stress builds and then BAM!, we're done for and nature forces us to take rest days by way of physical sickness and fatigue.

So it is when exercising - rest from doing everyday strenuous bodily workouts provides the opportunity for the body to repair its muscles and aid in their growth. As our body's grow older and if during this time period you are also active physically, rest and recovery are very important. Over training at any stage of exercise will not only kill the enjoyment but possibly you too.

So rest days from life's normal routine things and from everyday exercise is necessary and what I call my exercising rest days (not my everyday routine rest days) during June, will be Mon., Wed. and Fridays of each week.

Spiritual Rest Days -I classify these as times for me to kinda center myself mentally & physically with nature, others and the universe. I combine these days with physical rest days as well. I am not a religious person and by that I mean organized religion and all it's gatherings.

I am a spiritual person, I believe we were created by forces that we can't as puny humans, even come close to totally understanding, at least not yet. We are part of the natural Earthly environment. Our bodies are made up of 100% all natural Earth elements. ( except for them darn Hostess Susie Q's I eat, but I figure hey, my family will save insurance money because they won't need to embalm me) So part one of our make-up as humans is a physical Earth form made from parts of Earths elements, which is taken care of by physically resting it as wrote about above.

Our other part is the spirit part, some call this the soul, I call it the invisible mental part of our brain, (thoughts). Whatever human name you give it doesn't matter, what matters is that in reality it's a part of our being, it's the part of us that comes not from Earth physical elements but from invisible Universal elements (cause & effect) and just like our bodies we need to care for it.

Getting wrapped up in the everyday material world is a 24 hour job and we need to conduct ourselves in a noble manner towards other and other things, so that we can ascend spiritually to Divine Perfection. We do this by the choice and administering of right thoughts to our lives, (cause & effect). I take stock of these right thoughts by taking spiritual rest days.

I chose when my spiritual & physical rest days will occur by the moon phases, (full, quarter, new). If you look you'll see that most months a certain phase of the moon occurs anywhere between 6 to 9 days apart, so for me it make perfect sense to use Earth and Moon planetary cycles to attach my rest days to, as they are by nature perfectly spaced apart. (maybe by universal design for us humans?) Another part of my Spiritual rest days is what I call 'retreat days' which I do for 3 days during season changing time on Earth.

What I should be doing and what I have been doing on rest days has been highly changeable lately and starting June 1st, I will be trying to apply more of my being and thoughts into them. But I haven't minded the changeability too much, as that also is part of our human make-up, adapting to changes we might have to make to our plans in order to serve a better purpose for someone or something else. It's just that I now am feeling out of sorts lately and if I want to focus myself on achieving my MTBiking comeback than I am going to have to seriously take my spiritual rest days.

I will write more on what constitutes the make-up of my spiritual rest and retreat days later, but life's duty's are calling me...

Have a good day...

Knobby

The Plan

OK, I rode 5 slowww miles today and didn't feel bad, I was huffing and puffing. My shoes were a little tight, might have to get me some new ones or smaller feet.

Anyway here's my workout plan for the month of June as I have it so far:

Mon, Weds. and Fridays will be rest days from workouts, and also the 7th, 15th, 22th and 29th of June, them being my regular monthly spiritual rest days.

Tues., Thurs., Sat. I have scheduled 1-1/2 hr workouts and on Sun. a 2 hr. workout.
These workouts will be about re-establishing my pulmonary & cardiovascular fitness base. Being 57 years old and having had a long battle with a collapsed lung, chronic pneumonia / Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Depression, I am in need of getting my body use to training consistently while building my immune system up again.

This will be accomplished by long easy rides, which will include 3 or 4 - 4 minute LT intervals. Along with these rides I will be doing minor strength exercises too. Over training is one matter I will have to be careful to avoid in the coming months of workouts.

Depending on how I feel, etc. later in the month I will throw in some alternating power intervals and try some VO2 intervals, while increasing the time of my LT intervals also.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for other riding plans. I am planning that between June 2nd and Nov. 30th of this year, I want to concentrate on just re-establishing my fitness and health, with maybe one or two local MTB races come Sept./Oct.

For Dec. 2009 - March 2010, keeping shape and health as much as weather will permit and not trying to lose to much base or fitness that I have established from earlier year.

April 2010 - Nov. 2010, train, ride, race different venues (maybe going out to Durango,Colorado and ride with Ned) with all of it leading up to doing the TR3 in August and then the Iceman Cometh in Nov.

Well that's it for now, have a safe week and check back regularly...

Knobby

_________________________________________________________

“I'll give up cycling when they pry my cold, dead fingers from the handlebar.”

I Luv Climbing ___/\/\/\___

The Adventure

I love riding my bike, there is nothing like competing in mountain bike races or just traveling the countryside, but due to a long illness I have not been riding much or even at all for close to a year and a half now.

I have set a date of June 1st, 2009 to get back to doing it and seeing if I can reach the goals I have set before me for the next 2 years.

So join in, follow and help encourage this old, out of shape cyclist as I try to transform myself into a lean, mean cycling machine and maybe, just maybe help others along the way during my adventure back into the cycling world...

Thank you for visiting my blog...

Knobby
___________________________________________________________

“I'll give up cycling when they pry my cold, dead fingers from the handlebar.”

I Luv Climbing ___/\/\/\___

New Blog

Hello,

During the course of this year I will be posting my adventures of cycling Michigan and Amish/Mennonites communities so stay tune...

Thank You