Lance Armstrong Suspended From WTC

Just as Lance was starting to blow apart the field in triathlon, the USADA opens another investigation.  I strongly agree with Dan Empfield's assesment - we must respect the process, but there should be a little more proof than heresay.  If you have proof he did it in the way of test results, then ban the Hell out of him.  If not, then, well, you really can't.

I was a little surprised to see WTC (Owner of the Ironman brand) ban him from competing for the time being.  Lance tends to remember things, and if he escapes from this investigation unscathed, he won't be too kind back to the WTC about it.

I also strongly agree with Dan's opinion, and that of many Zen practitioners, that people aren't entirely good or bad - we're a mixed bag.  All of us have done stupid, mean, criminal, rude, and hurtful things, no matter how great we are on the whole.  To think somebody is a terrible person because of one aspect of what they've done in life is common, but not a very useful way to function in the world.  Embrace the good, work on changing the bad, and move on.

I greatly enjoyed the time when Lance retweeted our Ironbaby triathlon - helping a lot of people get help at the hospital.  He didn't have to do that.  That was nice!  And if he doped, then we need to help him realize that was wrong, take his punishment for it, and move on.

As an aside, I found it pretty funny that the person I first heard the new from was Macca on Twitter. Take from that what you will.  :)

Quick Tip - Fast Distance Conversions

As triathletes, we are always trying to convert yards to miles, miles to kilometers, and solve other various conversions.  Many people don't know there is a fast way to do it right at your finger tips!

Go to Google.com and start typing in your conversion problem.  You have to word it correctly, and what works best for me to remember is like so - "1760 yards in miles".  Before you finish typing, Google converts it for you without you having to even hit enter.

As a bonus, you can do the same thing in the URL bar of the Chrome browser.  You don't even have to go to Google's home page.  Nice!

Why Higher Cadence Works

When you do a low cadence, you are recruiting more use out of a shorter list of muscles for an up and down motion.  When you do a higher cadence, you are "spreading the load" to more muscles to do a rotary motion.  And with less load in one area, your blood and lungs can more effectively fuel the engine because there are more input points.  So instead of 10 muscles doing 90% effort, you have 18 muscles doing 50% effort, and you also don't get a bottleneck of fueling to those muscles.  Output is still 9 units, but at only 50% effort, you don't fatigue as fast.  

Get on your bike and check it out for yourself.  Go a really low cadence and you can name every single muscle as it's being used, and you're using it hard.  Go at 92 rpm and you can't begin to name them off because they are picking up and transferring load so quickly to each other.  Not only that, but you'll notice that you are using more of your full body and lots of extra muscles to get the job done.

In addition, because you're at a higher rate of continuous motion, each muscle is just pushing along an object that is already in motion.  If you are tossing sandbags down a line, it is easier to keep them in motion than each person stopping the bag in place and then picking it up to move it again.  When you pump up and down, that's like lifting a bag of sand and setting it down over and over again.  When you "spin", that's more like holding the bag of sand and spinning around in circle.  If you measured watts of output and made them equal, you could spin in place much longer than you could lift and drop repeatedly.

Wanting It

Excess cable wrapped around rear derailleur.

If you want something bad enough, no problem can stop you from getting it done.  When a kid is destined to be a stand-up comic, he holds court anywhere, even telling jokes in his father's funeral home parlor (true story).

Conversely, if you don't really want it, then problems seem to keep stopping you from getting there.  Not training for your race because it's raining, or you can't stand treadmills, or it's too cold outside, or you just can't find the time?  Then you don't really want it and should do something else with your valuable time instead.

When my shifting cable broke this weekend during a training ride, I didn't think about quitting.  I didn't call somebody to pick me up.  I didn't flag down a truck and get a ride home.  I spent nearly an hour re-routing the rear derailleur to the left shifter so I could continue my ride.  Emily asked how hard it was to get home.  "Home?" I said. "I was only halfway done with my training ride.  I kept going."

Front shifter cable tied in square knot to rear shifter cable. Front derailleur removed to allow chain to stay in big ring.

If I did have to quit, then it would have just been long enough to get home and finish the ride on the trainer anyway.

When you read this and think it's a little extreme or silly, remember that Chrissie Wellington didn't stop winning at Kona when all her CO2s were gone.  Overcoming problems in practice make it that much easier when it counts.  I now know even more about shifting cables and derailleurs than previously, and it could help me or somebody else someday.

The point is, do what you love.  When you do, nothing stops you from getting it done.  Not only that, but you will enjoy overcoming the obstacles that seem to stop others that aren't so motivated. 

Smoothing the Motor

Lots has been made of Armstrong's 100 RPM cadence on the bike during his races.  People find it so fascinating, theres even "spotters on the course" to verify the rumors.  For the most part, it looks to be true.

When you bike at a low cadence, say, 75 RPM, you are essentially grunting your way through the pedal stroke.  This is much like trying to run 100 yards in giant leaps.  Yes, you made it across the field in fewer steps, but now your legs are fried.  Do that for the 5+ hour Ironman bike ride, and now you know why so many people have to walk the marathon.

100 RPM is not unattainable.  The first few times you try it, you will be exhausted.  This is because your motor isn't smooth.  Little sideways motions and timing issues get amplified as you spin faster and faster, eventually shooting your heart rate through the roof.  But, the more you do it, the better you get at it.  Much like playing the same song on a guitar or piano, the more frequently you do it, the faster and faster you can get it done with no mistakes.

For a good example, the real difference between a cheap blender and an expensive one is in the motor.  The manufacturer spends more money on making sure the tolerances on the mechanical parts are tighter, bearings run smoother, and materials are of higher quality.  In the end, you can buy a $500 Vitamix that spins at 5600 RPM easily.  Try to spin a $30 blender at 5600 RPM and it will explode into pieces all over your kitchen.

The first day you try to spin your own "motor" at 100 RPM for an hour on a trainer, you might not be able to do it at all.  The second day, you'll be able to do it, but it will exhaust you with the resistance set to zero.  The third day, you'll be able to spin at 100 RPM no problem, possibly 110+.  Once you get over 100, stay there and just up the resistance a little bit workout after workout.  Soon, you'll be putting out more power than before you started and your legs will be fresher for the run.

Enjoy!