Why Cyclists Break their Collarbones and How You can Avoid it.

Avoiding colliding with cars while cycling is a good idea, but sometimes you can still get taken out by a little girl.  We see lots of pro cyclists and triathletes breaking collarbones when they wreck, and there's a simple reason; they don't do exercises that strengthen bones.

While cycling is an awesome low-impact sport, you still need a little bit of impact to keep bones strong.  People can spend many hours per week getting fit, but still have the structural strength of a wet box of Kleenex.  Hit a pebble on the road and smack your shoulder into the pavement and you're busted to pieces.

To keep your bones strong for the inevitable crash on the bike or run, push ups are highly recommended.  The action toughens up the exact muscles and tendons you use to catch yourself when you fall.  Throw in some pull ups and some punching bag work or something similar, and the jarring action will create great bone density and greatly reduce the risk of things snapping when you hit the pavement.

Fatigue and Sleep - How Hard it Hurts.

I am watching the Epic5 live updates today, witnessing the fatigue throw things off schedule.  Doing some serious backseat driving, I am deducing that the majority of the issue can be attributed to the bike problems on day two.

But it is not really that the bike problems that hurts. It is that during the delay, everybody is stressed out and exhausting themselves trying to find a solution to the problem.

As many experienced athletes can tell you, stress and time on your feet can be nearly as tiring as the event itself.  Scouring a small island and looking for a replacement bike part can suck the energy out of you, big time.  Just spend an hour looking for your own keys, turning your house upside down, and you'll be wiped out as well.

These two athletes are truly giving the rest of us a gift by being so transparent with what is happening and the timeline involved.  They are showing us what they are eating, where they are going... it is great stuff.

Even though the preparation for the E5 was meticulous, things still happen, especially with something this complex.  And these things will happen to you as well when you race.  Everything going right is the exception, not the rule.

Rich is an exceptionally mellow person, so I can just imagine him relaxing and munching on an avocado sandwich while the whole crew is literally buzzing around, trying to get things straight, and that's a good approach.  Stay cool, because getting worked up will just wear you out.

The lesson here is not, "Sh*t happens."  We all know that.  Actually, it is "Look at how tiring it is when you have to conduct emergency ops to get back in the race."  It is like tacking a whole extra 10k run on top of the Ironman itself.  On one hand, Rich and Jason should immediately lay down and sleep whenever there's any delay.  On the other, both Rich and Jason are the experts on what needs to get done and have to participate in the "fixing" to make sure it works!  

As a coach, this is exactly why I stress to my athletes getting the details of the race and the gear it will take to do it straightened out a week ahead of time.  Have a plan B, C, and even D.  And don't spend all day on your feet the day before the race checking out the vendor booths and the race course.  You will wear yourself out far more than you realize.

Still, it is not fair to compare the E5 to a typical triathlon.  This beast is supposed to be nearly impossible to execute, displaying the willpower of those involved far more than just the fitness.  The E5 is a lot more similar to summiting Mt. Everest than doing a triathlon.  Mountaineering requires staging, planning, support crews, delays, and repeated days of attempts.  Yep, the E5 is definitely like trying to climb Everest.

Rich and Jason are willing to go to these lengths to motivate you to donate to the NeverStop charity, so take a minute to visit the NeverStop site and check it out!

Transition Goodness

I came across this photo on the web (Triathlete Magazine's site) of an interesting T1 setup.

Notice the arm sleeves already pre-rolled and on the bar ends for easy access.  Smart.  Sleeves rock, but getting them on your wet arms while pedaling a wobbly bike is a bit of a chore.  A great technique is to put them on before the race, then roll them off into a donut shape.  They will roll back on with very little effort.

Epic 5 Starts Today

Rich Roll and Jason Lester launch on their Epic 5 journey today.  They will be attempting five Ironmans in five days, each one on a different Hawaiian island.

You can follow them on their live athlete tracker at http://epic5.com/live/, and you definitely should.  The map shows the terrain profile and their status as near-live as possible.  This stuff is way better than TV and as inspirational as you can get!

Good luck, guys!

Hungarian Bike Culture

I'm so confused.  But it feels good.