The Art of Rest and Recovery

Hi 

After completing 3400+ miles on our cross country ride,  I thought it would be appropriate to offer some insight on rest and recovery.  They key factor is rest.  I have spent the last 5 days reclining on a polar bear skin rug in a temperature controlled room:

The only times that I move is to go to the bathroom and to receive my twice daily deep tissue massage.  Every morning I review the day's meal plan with my wife,  and then she is off to shop and cook for the remainder of the day.  She was shocked that I was gone for 5 weeks,  she finally realized I was missing when I called from Topeka.

Fluid replenishment is very important.  During the day I stay with our chocolate milkshake routine.  At night I prefer beer (only from microbreweries).

After a week you should start with mild exercise, such as walking to the jacuzzi.  Under no circumstances should you get involved with housework or other menial labor, it will ruin the recovery process.

Week 3 is the first week you should return to the bike.  The rides should be flat, if there is wind your wife needs to provide a draft with her SUV, van, or other large vehicle.

You should be ready to return to your regular routine in week 4, stronger than ever.  You will dominate your club rides.

Oh, by the way, if you have a job all bets are off.  If you need to return to work after this trip, you will never recover.

All the best.

Tom

Boston MA

Multiple choice:

A) I dress to embarrass my kids
B) I am moving to Miami Beach
C) I want to look like a german tourist
D) I was naive enough to believe Dr. Westerman's advice on compression socks

Random Random Thoughts

Hi

I am Logan airport waiting for the LA flight.  Harvard final exams were over today, so the coffee shop in Cambridge was littered with Ritalin (got them through TSA, so call me).  Thus, more random random thoughts:

3410 miles
18.5 avg mph
184 hrs 21 min on the bike
906,876 pedal strokes per leg (1,813,752 total)
1,349,000 heartbeats
198 bananas consumed
4 tubes chamois cream
54 Starbucks canned double shots (my secret weapon)
16 gallons gatorade
18 gallons water
6 close calls for indecent exposure- peeing on side of road
1 close call for felony - peeing on side of road (across from elem  school violtaing terms of my probation)
1 crime against nature - applying chamois cream  in public on side of road
2 pulled stomach muscles laughing at Floris quoting dialog of "Pulp Fiction" in its entirety
2 pair queen sized panty hose ruined (control top)

Hi

Floris and I are sitting in a chic coffee shop in Cambridge enjoying the local culture.  It is an interesting combo of nerds, hipsters, and the calculated Ivy League disheveled careless affluent.

Some random observations post-ride:

No significant rain!!!! Being the superstitious type, I never wanted to mention the weather for fear of the dreaded jinx.  I hate riding in the rain.  But we were lucky.  When you purchase $600 worth of high tech rain gear I guess it helps repel the storms.  We had significant rain several nights, and it is raining today.

Worst Fall   Again being superstitious (and given my ninja-like bike handling skills) I never wanted to mention the dreaded bike crash.  Now that the ride is over, I can tell you about the worst fall that I took on the trip.  It occurred in Dunkirk NY.  I woke in the middle of the night to close my window.  In the dark, without my glasses, I tripped over my luggage and bruised my lower back on the coffee table, causing both thighs to seize up in cramps.  My first thought was not having my medic alert bracelet
(Help!!! I've fallen and I can't get up).  But i rallied and made it back to bed.  The two 24 oz beers (designated"Brutus" size at Applebees) were  definitely not a contributing factor.  This is actually the second worst bike related fall this year.  The worst was when I fell off my stationary bike in the garage.  The bike's seat post bolt broke, I stayed clipped in, and ended up flat on my back on the floor with the bike on top.

The rain has let up, we are getting motivated to see the sights.   I will grab a ritalin to from one of the Harvard kids so I can come up with more random thoughts.

Tom

The End 

Hi

I finished the last leg of my coast to coast ride today,  117 miles from Keene NH to Amesbury MA.  Final stats are 3410 miles ridden in 31 days at an avg. speed of 18.5 MPH.  I am off to our closing banquet now,  but I will provide some pithy commentary in the next few days.

Tom

Atlantic Ocean

Hi

The second to the last day of our ride was one to remember.   The route took us from Amsterdam NY into southern Vermont.  We rode Rte 9E,  passing through Bennington VT,  and had a couple great climbs accompanied by screaming descents.  Bicycle descents are commonly rated on the white knuckle scale; a rating of 1 white knuckle equates with the mundane (riding down my driveway), up to 10 white knuckles being "oh shit, I did that and lived".  We had 2 descents which were solid 8.5's and a  couple of 7's.  The scenery was great,  and going through Vermont brought back a lot of good memories of the time we lived on the East Coast.   We had a solid ride, averaging 18.3 mph, and 186 watts for 125 miles with 7700 ft of climbing.

We have our last day tomorrow,  and we will have ridden over 3300 miles.  I will have to come up with some profound thoughts for my final blog.  I bet you can't wait for that.

Tom  

Day 32 Amstedam NY - Keene NH 125 Miles
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/316690990

Hi

We have had 2 great days cycling through upstate NY, and passed the 3,000 mile mark.  On Monday we went through the finger lakes region which was spectacular.  We had the best view of Seneca Lake as we passed through Geneva NY, than paralleled the Erie Canal to Onondaga Lake which is close to Rochester NY.

On Tuesday rode along the Mohawk Valley, and had some good climbs with great views of the valley. We ended up in Amsterdam NY.  Amsterdam is a former textile town which has definitely seen its better days.  It is home to the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.  I was really bummed it was closed,  I'm a huge fan.

Tom

Day 30 Batavia NY - Liverpool NY 125 miles
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/315806033

Day 31 Liverpool NY -  Amsterdam NY 120 miles
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/316253425