Keeping training partners healthy...

Monday, June 3, 2013

John was coming over for a ride but I had some extra time and hadn’t done my Survival Workout since Friday, so I headed for the park to complete the first leg of a double.  I hit it hard, doing 23 stations and feeling like I was ready for some bounding and sprinting, but decided to leave something in the tank for the ride.  Though I’ve not ridden with John since last summer when he had the accident and I know he’s not in the best cycling shape, he is riding ‘The Rocket’ again and that bike does 20 mph all by itself.

“I can maybe go an hour before my back starts bothering me,” he said when he arrived.

He’s been struggling with back and neck issues for the past few years and the crash did nothing to improve either.  “I can’t go to the state meet on Friday because I have to get an injection in my back that day, too,” he said.

We headed out with me in the lead and setting a decent, but not punishing pace.  Whenever we came to slight inclines, he seemed to struggle and dropped off considerably on the climbs.  We rode for a little over an hour and were approaching Kim’s place when I noticed he’d dropped way off.  When we stopped, he said his back had reached its limit and was affecting his right leg and the ability to put any pressure on the pedal stroke. 

“If you were a horse, we’d have shot you years ago,” I said.

We let Kim know she should come over in an hour to watch ‘Dances with Wolves’ with us and was welcome to join in the spaghetti dinner, too.  The last couple of miles home were slower.

With all my aches and injuries, I consider myself a lucky man when I start comparing issues with John.  Through it all, he perseveres because he loves to ride, camp and be in shape.  I don’t know if I could have done so well and admire him for it.  He’s been my training partner for years and I’ll continue to do my part to egg him into shape.  A good training partner…and friend…are hard to find.  You hang onto them when you do.

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.  Bike duration:  90 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm for SW and 120 bpm on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  600 for SW and 1250 on the bike.