injury and cycling medicine Archives - Page 2 of 2

Stress, Training and Real Life

Stop and think for just a minute: how long has your season been? 6 months? 7 months? 8 months? Here in the northeast, we were blessed (or maybe cursed) with a lack of winter, so we've really been riding and training since December of last year. That's a LONG season, especially when you consider that many cyclists are just now gearing up for the impending cyclocross season, which will extend through December in most places. Imagine a periodized training plan with peaks and valleys, builds and tapers, for NEARLY A YEAR!! That's a LONG season, and it's not easy to pull off. In fact, I found that to be the case in recent weeks.

Why do I bring up this topic? Well, today I spent quite a bit of time thinking about it while on a training ride. I had enough time to think through the last few weeks and gained some insight into my training and life.

Maybe you'll gain some insight into your own training and stress as well….

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Tags: Coaching, injury, planning, training|

Dealing With Saddle Sores
Dealing With Saddle Sores

general cycling discussion, injury and cycling medicine

Dealing With Saddle Sores

Saddle sores.

At some time in our cycling lifetime, each one of us will be visited by this demon that lurks in the darkness of our chamois. Steeped in tales of horror, deeply personal and sometimes utterly disgusting, this little pest can derail the most dedicated of cyclists, grinding their riding, training and racing to a complete halt. To top it off these devils are often incredibly difficult to treat and get rid of.

There may be many causes of saddle sores, plenty of confounding elements, and a lot of closely inter-related issues behind the development of one of these pests, and you have to look at each and every one of those aspects if you want to finally be free of that pimple on your nether regions.

That being said, let's delve into your shorts and see what's cooking (or boiling, as it may be.)

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Tags: cycling, injury, Recovery|

Keeping Cool in the Heat
Keeping Cool in the Heat

Coaching discussion, injury and cycling medicine

Keeping Cool in the Heat

With spring here in full force and summer right around the corner, most cyclists are switching gears from cold weather preparation to warm weather preparation. While warm weather certainly has its own challenges, one of the biggest (aside from remaining well hydrated) is keeping cool to prevent heat-related illness. Keeping cool can often mean the difference between ground breaking success and crushing failure on rides, races and gran fondos.

If you're finding yourself wilting in the sun, check out my top tips for keeping cool in the heat after the break:

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Tags: Coaching, road bike|