You are hereForums / Preparation / Training / Enjoy your fitness.
Enjoy your fitness.
A good friend of mine once said to me: "most people will never know what it feels like to be truly fit". This statement had a profound effect on me - it's a staggering fact when you think about it. I was reasonably fit at the time, but I had certainly spent the majority of my 30s being quite unfit. Of course there are degrees of fitness, but if you're reading this post, chances are you're way fitter than the majority of people your age.
My last race this year was the Highland Fling, and I trained pretty hard leading up to it. So at the moment I'm probably the fittest I've ever been. Not to say I'm super fit or anything, but I'm doing ok. So having worked hard I'm taking time to really enjoy my riding now. Yes I still smash myself on a few hills here and there going for Strava segments (I know, it's a bit of a wank, but I enjoy the challenge) but on the whole I'm riding for fun. And let's face it, mountain biking is a whole lot more fun when you're feeling fit. You can ride further, go faster and generally have a blast. I had a fantastic Sunday morning ride with Tristan (@tristania) last weekend. Just enjoying the local fire trails and singletrack, riding at a reasonably fast but social pace, and having fun for about 3 1/2 hours. Apart from the occasional painful hill, it never felt like work - it was just a great morning out on beautiful trails in fantastic summer weather.
So what's my point here? My point is, if you've worked hard to get fit, remember to take time to enjoy your fitness and have fun on your mountain bike. You deserve it, and it's a great time of year to be out there.
See you on the trails.
JP
PS: Brian and Dicko - please ignore everything above. You guys need to work your butts off over summer so that you absolutely smash the cape epic!
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
I totally agree. I love my riding more and more the fitter I get. I've just been doing social rides since the Fling which has been great. It helps recharge the batteries for the next training block
Good point, I think it's also worth appreciating the fact that we can ride a bike and afford the time and money we put into it.
A couple of thoughts.
What is fitness? To me it is the suitability for the task. Thats probably close-ish to what you will find in the dictionary but if you give it more than passing thought, its absolutely true.
If you're good at mostly sitting on a bike, maintaining low to medium levels of abdominal bracing, cycling your legs at "X" leading to an exertion that results in "Y" percent of your maximum cardiac output with occasional more intense muscular requirements raising your HR further, whilst maintaining prolonged cervical extension, well then thats what you're good at. It doesn't mean you'll be good at running, swimming, explosive leg drive, upper body endurance etc. It just means, in this situation, that you have better than average conditioning for riding a particular bike in a particular manner.
But this "fitness" means nothing if it come at the expense of standard physical functionality. Our sport (whether the on road or off road variety) places us on an unnatural position and an unnatural position to perform physically at a strenuous level. I have come across a great many people who suffer ailments due to cycling such as lower back pain, knee pain, neck pain, bursitis etc. Its all very well being able to bust out a 20 min lap of Manly Dam but if you are driving so much effort into becoming better at such an endeavour whilst creating other issues (short or long term) then your "fitness" is awfully nearsighted. If you can achieve a KOM on Strava but are unable to pick up a heavy object off the floor or even maintain optimum posture when walking, well you might be "fit" in one sense, but you will also be extremely "unfit" for so much more in the correct meaning of the word.
So as much as I would say enjoy your bike fitness and enjoy the challenge, hardship or "sufferance" of your toil, please don't neglect the most important aspect of true fitness which is your ability to carry out everyday tasks, optimally and without the risk of long term injury or incapacitation.
I am less than 8 months from turning 50.....scary thought, BUT, I have kept myself fit for most of my adult life, and not just on the bike. I can say without hesitation, it has given me confidence and a ture sense of achievement, the confidence to do/or try most things that many people my age (and also gender being female) would not even consider. Being able to try/do things that are way out of your comfort zone makes you grow and become a stronger person and gives you that wonderful sense of achievement. For me, being fit gives you freedom knowing that you are able to explore all those wonderful adventures/expereineces that the world has to offer.
Sure, fitness is physical, maintaining a regular training regime, BUT the rewards are 99.9% in your mind!
On injuries, yes I have had neck pain, knee pain, back pain and even toe pain so bad I couldn't walk for a couple of days. Some of these problems were caused by riding and falling off my bike. At one point my GP said I should consider backing off a bit "at my age". I was 42.
But I visit a Chiro once a month. He says that these sorts of pains are generally caused by something being out of alignment, which he can fix. And in my case he has been 100% successful - at 46 I am pain free. Each month I tell him if I've crashed or if anything feels wrong, and he corrects it. Each treatment takes about 3-4 minutes.
It's pretty simple - if you fall off your bike, you're likely to knock something out of alignment. Your body won't correct itself. The pain will probably subside, but after years of falling off and not correcting it, you will at some point suffer more chronic or recurring pain. Don't just put it down to age and let it hinder your riding, which is so beneficial to your overall health.
I know there will be people with injuries that can't be fixed by a Chiro, but chances are there is someone out there who can help you. Mountain biking is a demanding physical sport, so we need to take care of our bodies accordingly. Find someone who you can see regularly who will get to know your body, know what problems you tend to get and correct them for you. It might be a Chiro, physio or massage therapist. But it's very likely there is someone out there who can help you - you don't have to live with recurring pain.
I agree.
A good old social ride after beating yourself up training for weeks/months are always some of the best hours on the bike ever.
Damn you Strava!
Is a great question, our modern lifestyle has really leads us to lower the standard on weight and fitness. As a new convert to lower weight and fitnessin my 40s I was fascinated to hear (on Radiolab recently) about Ötzi the Iceman found frozen in the European Alps, where he lived 5000 years ago. He was aged in his 40s when he died, and his fitness was assessed as equivalent to that of an olympic athlete. I suppose that kind of fitness was essential to survival at that time whereas now you only need your right foot to function to get things done in a car.
I was out enjoying my fitness this morning. Just cruising thru the puddles, over the rocks, up hills, down hills... All in the rain, thinking how good is this? I'm on holidays! No need to rush back for a shower then off to work. I was enjoying my fitness! My bike on the other hand has indicated it is now feeling unfit and in need of some loving...
Couches have caused more chronic injury and illness than bicycles ever have or will.
Enjoy your fitness.