Team San Angelo: 3/22/09

Thursday, March 26, 2009

There’s a lot going in right now related to cycling, running, multisport, fitness, and health. We all need to retire early so we can concentrate on these “important” things instead of work. The real question, however, is how does everything fit together?

As you look around San Angelo, you see multiple groups that are working hard to expand and improve fitness events. There are approximately 22 running events on the 2009 Road Lizards calendar, the cycling club has a ton of group rides, tours, and time trials scheduled, and there will be four multisport events in out community this year. San Angelo is hosting a State Championship running event for the 3^rd straight year, and both the university and the community have wellness initiatives underway. This is all great stuff.

The problem is that we have to engage the folks who are not currently active. This is the key … we need to all become grass roots mentors who are willing to go the extra mile and become disciples for fitness. To paraphrase what Lance Armstrong said, “It's Not About The (bike, or race, or how many miles) … it’s about the experiences and the lifestyle.

Speaking of lifestyle, I‘m getting to experience an injury affected change in the sports that I do. I’ve been a cyclist and runner for a long time, with only a few injuries on my resume. In January I injured a knee (no trauma, something just popped), and ever since I’ve been unable to do much running. You don’t know how much you miss a specific activity until it’s taken away. Even worse, I’m currently progressing through the “Mis-managed Health Care” process (athletic trainer – primary care doc – referral to specialist – X-ray – referral for an MRI – specialist again) … you get the picture. If the doc decides to drill holes in the knee, the goal will be to have all rehab completed in time to train for cyclocross season this fall.

To help pass the time while on injured reserve, I’m building up a new Kuota K-Factor carbon TT frame. The final product will (I hope) be a logical compromise between a dedicated TT bike and a road bike that has aero bars. I took it out on a maiden voyage yesterday afternoon, and pictures will be posted when the de-bugging process is complete.

In addition to all of the normal cycling club and running club events on the schedule, there are some upcoming events that you don’t want to miss. Check the club calendars for listings of all events, but here’s my “A” list:

April 2: Mountain bike TT series begins

April 5: Burma Road TT

April 9: Road bike TT series begins

April 11: HOT ride in Brady

April 17: Desiree Ficker presentation, 12-1 CJ Davidson Center, Angelo State Univeristy

April 18: ASU PT Run (individual or relay)

April 19: Striders Duathlon

April 25: Ballinger Bikefest

April 25: YMCA Kidz triathlon

May 2: Spillway Hill Duathlon

May 16: Run in the Sun (State 8K Championship)

July 12: Lake Nasworthy Sprint Triathlon (flyer coming soon!)