Skip to main content

They say.....

Whenever anyone prefaces a statement with those two words, I always wonder about the validity of what is to follow.

But today as I was watching Le Tour de France,  a statement made during a Take Back the Tour commercial really struck home.
... the mind is stronger than the body, and that's a danger, because sometimes you can push your body too far.

I had never really thought along those terms before, but as I think about the past week, and the last 6 years, 3 months and 28 days, there's no doubt in my mind, there is a lot of truth to that statement.

When I was first diagnosed, I set a goal to ride more miles, and at a higher intensity than I had ever done before. I was going to push my body to the extreme, with the ultimate goal being to exercise my MCL into remission.

While I obviously haven't achieved my ultimate goal, I believe the increased training has helped to keep my MCL from progressing at a faster pace, and it has enabled me to reach a level of fitness I had not achieved prior to my diagnosis. And there in lies the problem.

I don't think of myself as a 60 year old man. In my mind, I'm 30 years old, and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to compete with other 30 year olds.  I know what I am capable of [or at least what I was capable of], and when I can't keep up, my mind just tells my body to push harder.

I know I did that last Friday on Glendora Mountain road, and I paid for it the next day, because sometimes no matter what the mind says to do, the body just won't, or can't comply.

I'm just hoping the last three days, off the bike, has provided enough of a recovery for my body to start listening to my mind again.

Tomorrow will be the moment of truth!
Labels:

Comments

Claude (France) said…
Hi Marc from France,
I think your method is the good one, because even it doesn't work, you have had good time with your bike for 6 years.
I have had problems with my knees, but i'll try to ride a few but not like you with hard and long difficulties. In 1983 i rode "La marmotte" it is from "Bourg'Oisans" to "L'Alpe d'Huez" with These passes : "Glandon" "La Croix de Fer" "Le télégraphe" and 'Le Galibier" and the last "L'Alpe d'Huez".

I didn't climb L'Alpe d'Huez, but with only 250 miles of training (ridiculous) i found the mental to close the round, all my friends couln't climb the last pass too, and some gave up after the "Croix de Fer". (and without Doping products !)
It was very hard for me, but is was really a pleasure too !
Keep riding Marc !
3:39 PM
Marc said…
Even without L'Alpe d'Huez, what you did was impressive!

Knowing how long and high all of those passes are, I doubt I could do all of them, even in as good a shape as I think I'm in.

Thanks Claude
10:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History IS repeating itself

I didn't grow up during the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany, so for me to claim it feels like those are the times we are living in now, must be taken with a grain of salt. But I have seen enough movies, and read enough history to know, if the times we're living in now are not akin to the rise of a Nazism and Facism in Europe in the 1930's and 1940's, then we're not far off. If you can't see the parallels with Nazi Germany, then you must be living in a different country than me. Republicans and other right wing extremists will stop at nothing to subvert the will of the majority, forcing their beliefs, that they are the superior race and have been appointed by God, to impose their will on America, while they blame all our problems on immigrants, blacks and Jews. As I speak, Mitch McConnell, and his minions are raising roadblocks to all legislation designed to help average Americans under the guise of fiscal responsibility. They condone violent and verba...
Post a Comment
Read more

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

There is still hope

Who knows what the future will bring with Donald Trump as President of the United States. I'm sure there'll be lots of speculation, and the stock market will go through it's usual gyrations, but the truth is, no one can know with any certainty. Trump may walk back his rhetoric, and embrace true populist ideals. He was an enigma from the beginning, and now he has the ability to build on that, and possibly become one of the greatest presidents and world leaders in history. Let's just hope he doesn't squander that opportunity. One good takeaway from yesterday's election, Democrats did gain 3 seats in both the Senate and the House. It won't change the balance of power, but............... Either way, [Judy and] I will be OK, but as I've discovered throughout my life, it's not all about me! Stranger things have happened, right?
Post a Comment
Read more