Some of the places I’ve lived and trained on a bike:
The flag tells it all for a cyclist.Seriously, there’s some $$$ around here
Savannah, Georgia, Easton, Maryland, and New Hope, North Carolina, are all coastal cities. The cycling there is primarily flat. There’s wind, but there are no hills. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania there’s not much wind, there isn’t a level road in the city. In Pittsburgh you are screaming in pain on a climb or screaming in terror at 48 – 52 miles per hour going downhill. Cleveland, Ohio, where I lived near Lake Erie is flat. Kennesaw, Georgia has rolling hills and not much wind. Augusta, Georgia and Statesboro, Georgia had some hills and were easy on the wind for cycling.
Athens is unique. Athens has nice rolling hills with some decent climbs – nothing of the Pittsburgh caliber. What is unique is the wind. There’s always wind. The wind here is practically coastal in nature.
On some rides, you just have to stop and smell the cow sh.t. We’re surrounded by cattle. (Better cows than cars)
Wind is an environmental element that anyone who plays outside must deal. The only times, it seems, when the wind is calm are at times like these when I’m typing, glancing out the window, and see no limbs or leaves moving. Of course!
If you read posting on this sight you know that I am keen on health and fitness. Everyday I do some form, often multiple forms, of exercise. For example, aside from archery practice today, I stretched, ran, and did a time-trial on a bicycle. It’s that time-trial that flopped.
Now, I did get through the course I’d planned. The idea was to break a prior personal best on the 11.7-mile course. No, 11.7 miles isn’t a long ride. It is the course that makes it tough.
For the first 3.6 miles the ride is all uphill. Then, it levels, dips a little, and climbs some more. The backside has a steep short downhill, then a gradual climb for the next several miles. The final 2 miles intersects with the start of the course. It is hard and I’ve been trying to break 30-minutes on the ride.
The plan was to use a triathlon bike. On an easier try the day before I’d done the course in 32 minutes using a tri-bike. There was, along with the climbing, a heavy wind. Usually, I’m on a road bike, the tri-bike using a tucked position helped in the wind. Without much effort I’d come close to the 30-minute time.
The bike I’d planned to use
When I picked up that Cannondale Slice tri-bike today the rear tire was flat. Perfect. I grabbed a road bike and planned to go for it anyway.
Let me say, I’m no meteorologist, but it seems unlikely that there can be a headwind at every turn and in every direction. Yet, today it happened. As hard as I pushed the wind pushed harder.
At 8 miles I thought there’d be a chance. I thought I’d get out of the headwind and have a tailwind. I was wrong. I didn’t get that sub-thirty minutes.
I often mention the number of archers that I compete against that appear, in my expert opinion, to be taking beta-blockers. They’re taking the drug, a PED in archery, to manage their hypertension.
I spent a solid decade studying hypertension and methods of treating it. During that period I published research, sponsored the research of others, and helped develop methods to improve the health of people that have hypertension.
One of the best ways to combat the typical hypertension I see is through diet and exercise. I worry about hypertension and the impact it could have on me. Personally, a stroke would seriously limit my activity.
With that in mind, I exercise a lot. The exercise aids in keeping my weight down – I do enjoy a good meal. I admit I have exercised a lot all my life.
Picking up archery later (at 58 years old) than most archers being fit has not hurt me. If I stopped shooting a bow tomorrow I’d still run and ride a bike. In fact, I run almost everyday and ride a bike at least 4 times a week.
Wear these once then wash them. Fives days worth this week
I used to ride more when I raced bicycles. When I picked up duathlons and triathlons cycling became another element of the sport. Of all the sports I’ve done cycling is my favorite (no offense to archers). Actually, football is my second favorite sport and had it not been for cycling I’d have played in college.
Lots of nice open roads here in rural Georgia to enjoy cycling
In my junior year of high school I’d been scouted by a few college teams. My high school coach had all but guaranteed my parents I’d get a chance to play in college. To them that meant college tuition they’d not have worry about.
But, I got hooked on cycling and thought I’d give it a ride to see if I’d make an Olympic Team. It is impossible to keep weight on while racing bicycles. So, my football opportunities dropped as fast as the weight.
Cycling didn’t pan out either. Just out of high school I did have a chance to race in Europe but passed and gradually migrated my attention to academics then a day job. Through out it all I stayed on a bike. And I eventually raced in Europe.
ITU Long Course Duathlon, World Championship – 2007
Decades of fitness are paying off now that I’m in my mid-60s. I take no prescription drugs. My blood pressure runs around 117/68 and my percentage of body fat is in the single digits.
Where fitness pays other dividends is in archery. Over a long two-day tournament I am far more bored than fatigued.
I thought I heard someone yell, “Get him!.” So I ran like I stole something.
The hardest thing for me in archery is to remain in the game. During a 4-hour 100-mile bicycle race or a 5-hour 70.3-mile ½ Ironman, I can stay focused. (The young professionals are much faster than those times.) During a marathon or ½ marathon focus isn’t an issue. During a long archery tournament my mind becomes numb.
That lack of focus might be assisted by a PED. Certainly, those early end jitters would be reduced. But, it is better to be fit and get through an event without the aid of a hypertension support medication. It is even better not to have high blood pressure.
Want to get fit? Check with your doc before you run around the block.
Before I left the house on Saturday morning, aside from stretching and eating breakfast, I took River for a run. We ran a short mile. I kept it short because I needed to get on the road. I had a 5K race at 0900.
The race was really a nice run. Over half of it was off road. There was a good crowd even if the weather was a little sketchy.
Interestingly, the collection of subsets of runners on this Saturday is becoming more defined by my observations. I’ve been noticing this evolution of the running collective over years. It breaks down something like this:
There’s the young crowd of local track team members. Then, there are women and more mature men. By mature men, I mean the population of men over 50.
Here’s the thing about this group of runners at the 5K, some male age groups were totally unrepresented. There were no male runners from 19 years old to 24 years old. There were two male runners between the ages of 25 and 29 and zero male runners between 30 and 34. The age groups didn’t get populated for men until the 45 years old group. From 45 years old to 75 years old the grey haired male runners were abundant. Not only were there plenty of mature male runners those in attendance were fast. The second fastest time of the day came from the 70 – 75 year old male group with the old fellow pacing out sub-7 minute miles.
After the race when I read the times I wanted to meet the 70+ year old man that ran sub-7 minute miles. So did another runner or two and we searched for him looking for his bib number. We didn’t find him. Obviously, he’d won and headed home, back to Snellville. We all assumed he ran home.
I won my age group and did well overall. I’d noticed the medals and wanted one so I stayed for the award ceremony. Sometimes I see the award medal decide it isn’t worth the wait then head home skipping the award ceremony. But, this medal was clearly unique and a fair amount of thought had gone into its design. I wanted it so I waited.
The wait wasn’t long – they started with the higher age groups and I’m in the third from the oldest group for this race. When they called my name I walked to the awards area. They’d handed the 2ndand 3rdplace finishers the cool looking medal each with a bronze or silver finish. I received a water bottle!
To be fair, it is a nice metal water bottle. I’m sure it cost more that the medal. The water bottle has nothing on it to represent the race. It’s a water bottle with a local middle school logo – the school whose grounds were used to host the race. I am disappointed. If I’d known, I’d had held back for second.
What I do know is there seemed to be percentage-wise few young adult males in this race. When I first began running, then racing, the male population was by far the largest percentage of a race. Not too long ago at major marathon the women, for the first time in that race’s history, outnumbered the male runners. Since then, not knowing the exact count, I think the races I’ve entered have been at least even based to gender and if anything the higher number of runners appearing to be female. Certainly, in this 5K the female population was greater in number than the male population.
I’ve read and been told that archery is the second safest sport. It really depends on the reference. No doubt, archery is a safe sport. Running on the other hand, while it seems safe, can be hazardous.
If you do a lot of trail running you know where I’m headed. Sure, you might get attacked by a mountain lion and need to fight for your life. You might run up on a rattlesnake, copperhead, or other poisonous snake. That’s when you sprint away while doing the hopping chicken dance. Heck, in some places there’re bears to worry about.
Most likely all of those animal intersections with a runner are limited. The more likely trouble comes from something that doesn’t even move – the root. In come cases a root might be a rock, stump, or other obstacle that just sits there waiting to trip you.
If you run trails it will happen. You’ll cross paths with that non-moving hazard and eventually the impact will be just right to create a face plant.
Run trails and a face plant is just a matter of time
I’ve had more face plants mountain biking than running. I still have a fair share of running tumbles. Yesterday, I ended up face down on a trail. It wasn’t a bad fall. Nothing has broken; there was a slightly scraped nose and a little frustration.
I was running with my dog, River, and I swear when she saw what had happened she laughed.
In a recent paper sport champions and athletes were asked what they thought it took to become a champion. The group had a large sub-set of Olympians (medal winners and participants), world Champions, State and Regional Champions as well as a sub-set of “chronic” athletes that had, at the time of the survey, not earned a Championship. The group had spent a significant portion of the lives competing and training. This of course makes sense because achieving a sport level of performance to reach a major championship takes years of preparation.1
The group seemed in general especially bright mentally as noted by their responses to the survey. This wasn’t too surprising because the mean of the group is 53.8 years with a range of 26 to 78 years of age.1Nevertheless; there was an air of vitality among these athletes.
The survey was not done face-to-face with the athletes. However, a large percentage of the athletes were seen face-to-face as part of typical social interactions. In addition, after the survey a number of the athletes felt compelled to discuss the work by phone. At times one or more of them were present at different gatherings. Among those surveyed there remained a competitive presence as well as a high degree of verbal and body language mild posturing that could be considered friendly yet slightly aggressive regardless of age. The overall impression a bystander might of noted is that these people appeared extremely healthy and engaged. Certainly, the group is physically fit regardless of age.
An important observation is the general health of the group. At a mean age of nearly 54 they are generally not overweight. A few are overweight. An archer is obese (but currently on a strict diet to drop the weight), there’s an overweight ex-football lineman (thought not obese) and in that category there is a PGA golf pro, and one ex-major league pitcher who are heavier than during their playing days. In general, the group was not overweight. This may be attributed to; overall the group continues to exercise to a large degree.
Coaching Tip
Exercise is a relatively easy why to remain in good health both mentally and physically. 2,3As we age we can hope to die young at a very old age. In that vein exercise can be an adjunct to prolonged health and mental compacity.4Aside from clearly obvious physical attributes associated with aging and exercise, exercise decreases the degradation of our brains.5
Being physically active isn’t the sole method to engage our brains as we age. One study showed that individuals who played chess were cognitively engaged and had better health than a control group.6The same study, which compared the chess players to master level track and field athletes, revealed the athletes had more injuries than the chess players.6For those injuries the athletes gained a lower prevalence of chronic disease.6However, the chess players and athletes had a lower incidence of chronic disease compared to a control group.6
As we age, exercise can be modified to account for slower recovery times.7, 8Even with modification exercise among the senior population can improve quality of life and independent living.9As a measure of successful aging, exercising among the older population may be a model to support concepts of best health over longer durations as exercise works to protect the body including the brain.10, 11
Through active engagement in sport and exercise we can prolong better physical health and mental health. This becomes clear to an observer in the presence of chronic athletes.11By adding a regime of exercise to activities of daily living we can improve our quality of life.9
References:
Lain,D C; What it takes to be a Champion.In review, NFAA Publication, Archery, Nov. 2018
Tseng BY1,Uh J, Rossetti HC, Cullum CM, Diaz-Arrastia RF, Levine BD, Lu H, Zhang R.: Masters athletes exhibit larger regional brain volume and better cognitive performance than sedentary older adults. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2013 Nov;38(5):1169-76. doi: 10.1002/jmri.24085. Epub 2013 Mar 21.
Patelia S, Stone RC,El-Bakri R, Adli M,Baker J.: Masters or pawns? Examining injury and chronic disease in male Master Athletes and chess players compared to population norms from the Canadian Community Health Survery. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act. 2018 Nov 30;15:15. doi: 10.1186/s11556-018-0204-z. eCollection 2018.
Spirduso WW1,Cronin DL.: Exercise dose-response effects on quality of life and independent living in older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Jun;33(6 Suppl):S598-608; discussion S609-10.
Often you’ll read at this website that I post articles about fitness. Many of those posts include stories about running. While cardiopulmonary fitness isn’t essential to pick up a bow and shoot it, it does improve one’s health and ability to maintain an athletic posture during long archery tournaments.
During hunting season I wear orange every time I run trails
Among the exercises I do as part of my training regime, running is a major element. One manufacturer of running shoes once had an advertisement that read, “Athletes Run.” Whether or not archery is part of my life, I believe running will always be a part of it.
One of the running pleasures I find most appealing is trail running in the dark. In the winter months running in the dark is easy – it’s dark when I get up to run. In the warmer months this isn’t the case.
A head lamp is a must for running in the dark. River, my lab, has a little read clip-on light on her collar.
For some, the thought of running through the woods in the dark might bring to mind some scene from a horror movie. Not the case for me. I do run with a light – getting smacked by a tree or limb isn’t on my bucket list.
Some mornings we finish running just after sunrise
Running in the dark is peaceful in my mind. The woods are quiet and calm. Occasionally, I run in the direction of some critter and that can be startling, but never horrifying. I do run with my dog, River, who’s a big girl who provides a sense of ease when I cross paths with an unexpected animal.
Find this at night and you’ll wake right up
There’s a 1.3-mile loop behind my house that cuts a perfect trail to travel whether running or hiking. Sometimes I’ll run it in the morning and hike it in the afternoon. I try to cover a few laps each time, more laps when running.
I understand not everyone that reads this site runs beyond being chased. If you do run and have access to trails try running in the dark it is an entirely new experience compared to running during the day light. Oh, carry a light, bring your dog, and watch how you plant your feet. Also, let someone know where you’ll be running and when to expect you home. Plus, carry your cell phone just in case. Before you run a trail in the dark run it several times during the lighted part of the day to learn the trail. If you happen to get off the trail it isn’t difficult to get turned around. If you happen to get lost, wait where you are until the sun comes up to regain your bearings. Clear lens running eye glasses are ideal for not getting an eye poked out by a low hanging pointy limb. Now that I think about, maybe you shouldn’t run in the dark – you’d probably get hurt.
Ever read any of those self-help books currently on the market. Most of them are over 70,000 words. That is a lot of reading.
Decades ago I became interested in longevity. That is, why do some people live longer than others. Certainly, genetics and in today’s world some luck, play a part in how long we live.
But, what I reasoned is that there are 5 simple things we can do that can help each of us get the most years out of what we were born with. And, yes this is a self-help book.
It’s a self-help book of the old style self-help books published during the beginning of the genre. It means this book is only around 10,000 words. If 10,000 words seems like to many flip to the summary at the conclusion.
I’ve also, just dropped the price to the lowest available on Amazon, $2.99.
It was a pretty exciting day. It was cold and it started with stretching an indoor activity. It wasn’t long before River, my lab, and I hit the trails to run. By then, it had warmed to a toasty 28°F.
There are some big mushrooms in these woods. (My shoe is a size 10 for reference)
For sure, I’ve run when it has been colder. When I lived in Cleveland during the winter temperature around 0°F wasn’t uncommon. Still, I got up and ran.
Lake Erie in the winter
Running here, back home in Georgia, temperatures are as rough in the winter. Heading out on single track or animal trails through the woods is plain fun.
But, archery outside in 28°F isn’t a lot of fun. You just don’t work up enough internal combustion to stay warm. Wearing everything you own to stay warm while practicing is too cumbersome for me. The other night, after league shooting, a fellow and I were heading to our vehicles. It was around 8:20 PM and already getting cold. He bragged about the temperature not being cold to he – being from Boston and all.
For seven years I had an office in Boston, I lived in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Baltimore. I worked for extended periods of the winters in Sweden. In all of those places, I ran in the morning before work. I understand cold. Spend a winter or two in Uppsala, Sweden and Boston winters seems cute.
Uppsala, Sweden
After running it was off to Ace Hardware is Social Circle, Georgia to use their indoor range. Yep, Ace has an archery pro shop and very nice indoor range. They are also the major sponsor for an archery club, where I am a member, in this area.
Mornings at the hardware store archery range often mean the early risers can have their choice of lane to use. I try to get to the shop as soon as possible. I’m never entirely alone, other shooters come in, fling some arrows, and leave. As a rule, I do have a solid place to practice away from the cold.
Perfect for winter practice
On this morning I used a new target after the first 50 or so arrows. I moved it higher on their archery butt to take some time shooting the top target with a bit more elevation. On my second end on this new target I screwed up.
My shoulders were all wrong, my anchor felt off, my peep had rotated, so I needed to let down and start over. As I was becoming aware to let down I blinked. It seemed that something hit me in the eye. Naturally, with my eyes closed and my braining thinking, “Ouch” the arrow launched away.
All I could do was wait to here the arrow crash into the wall above the target. But, that’s not the sound I heard. I was lucky I heard the arrow hit the archer butt.
Looking for a five at best I didn’t immediately notice the arrow. Looking off the target entirely I still couldn’t find the arrow. Then, no, that is too lucky – the arrow hit the X. Not only hitting the X but it couldn’t have landed more perfectly. It was probably a one in a million shot.
The top arrow, eyes closed, the arrow got away, but seems like a well trained arrow
The weather “person” promised rising afternoon temperatures. So, after the morning at 18-meters I hoped to practice at 25-meters in the forecasted warmth. Sure enough, after a short cold afternoon bike ride, the temperature peaked into the 40s. On top of that, my new target arrived.
The sad, old, poorly repaired, block targets on my range could no longer do their jobs. Sure arrows slowed down, but there was no stopping them. I’d resorted to shooting a bag, which isn’t a great butt for a 3-spot. On the bag I use a vertical 3-spot is too long and the Vegas style target has only on sort of flat target. It was time for a new butt.
Target are expensive. It is one of the items on which I hate spending money. I know that before long the purchase by using it will end up wasted. You can shoot a bow over and over, you can use arrows over and over, but anything you shoot an arrow into eventually is gone.
What I’d been looking at for a replacement cost over $300. The same item was available on Amazon for $260. Amazon also had another brand that was a little smaller, a few inches, but a third the price. I figured for around $100 I’d take a chance.
In this case, that chance paid off. The target is very high quality as good as or better than the more expense products. The bonus is that it arrived about 30 minutes before I was planning to practice 25-meters.
Found on Amazon for around $100. It is heavy, 70 pounds.
During 25-meter practice daylight began to fade. The range is on a cleared area in the woods behind our house. In those woods, off not too far, I could hear coyotes howling. Usually, I’ll carry at least a pistol with me on the range; particularly in the summer as defense against rattlesnakes and copperhead. During winter months I don’t always bring a pistol. Those coyotes were too close for comfort even though I had a bow.
The coyotes marked the end of a fun day. There was running and riding and shooting. Granted, it was all part of training to do well in archery, which is sort of like a fun job.
There have been a number of “studies” published stating individuals that have poor sleep who don’t exercise may get better sleep if they exercised. Seriously, that has been studied. Another way to look this is that if you complete a day of hard labor or exercise you are likely to sleep more soundly than if you lounged about all day. Scientists study a lot of topics that are pretty much common sense.
An early run is a nice way to start your day
People are frequently talking with me about their sleep problems. Not because I’m a good listener (I am) but because I have a background in sleep medicine. The most common complaint I hear relates to a poor night’s sleep. Some of the folks have a condition called obstructive sleep apnea, which needs a medical intervention. Some folks’ sleep issues are related to poor sleep hygiene and a lack of exercise.
Archery isn’t the same calorie burn as a run, but shoot enough and you’ll get some decent exercise
Without getting too in-depth an example of poor sleep hygiene refers to lounging in bed while watching television hoping to become sleepy. A some piece of advice – If you have a television in your bedroom take it out.
Having a gym membership can provide weights to support muscle mass as well as treadmills or other cardio machines. Nice to be able to go inside when it is raining.
A lack of exercise is, as a rule generally, understood. Running for example is considered exercise. If you run you exercise. A video game played seated would not be considered exercise.
Some folks are runners and prefer cycling. Mountain bike riding can get you out of traffic and into the woods
When you exercise you’ll need to rest for recovery. Sleep is a method of recovery. You do enough exercise, moving around versus playing video games; you’ll find that you can sleep well.
