carleton

So, I just realized after playing Tennis for 2 days straight: Moving laterally sucks.

I haven't done that in a long time

That's where all of the fatigue is coming from.

DMC707

I came into cycling as training for motocross ---- I am still an MX fan and dabble in off road, enduro type events --- but i dont envision ever dropping a gate again --- but who knows - maybe

WhatsYoCadence

I rockclimb. Have been for 4 years- It definitely helps with upperbody strength.

taras0000

Back in Uni, When I was still track racing at the Elite level, my two cousins were playing varsity football. One a Defensive End, the other a Linebacker. They wanted to get into better shape in the offseason, but didn't wan't to run miles, or lose their reactions time. So we played Squash that winter. Soon enough we had about 10 starters from the team playing with us, and I ended up becoming their personal trainer in the off-season. Ever see 250+lb guys play Squash? It's like watching that Hippo Ballerina from Fantasia.

carleton

Hahaha.

That's pretty much how I look on a bike

skysurfer

I did Ballet for 7 years and I ain't no stick figure. From my next to last show in 2009 was ~170lbs.

carleton

That's awesome.

To put things into perspective: I was 195 when I graduated HS at age 17. I was a 2 sport athlete and probably the fittest and most trim I've ever been in my life. I've always been a big guy I was always the biggest guy at every tennis tournament, hahaha.

taras0000

So do you only do activities that involve the wearing of Spandex?

Dalai

I did a couple of semesters of adult ballet classes when I was still climbing. Found it really enjoyable, even though I wasn't very good!

Huskey

Did swimming, track, road and cyclox riding as a kid till i was 12, then moved from the uk to aus and stuck to road and track till i was 17 then i dropped all sports really, track and road complimented one another obviously.
When i started track again a few years ago i was doing a bit of gym work and 3 days of matrtial arts. I found that the martial arts affected my riding badly, hard to do sprint efforts with big bruises on your quads... and everywhere else lol. Ended up dropping the martial arts as i had a falling out with the owner (wanted me to pay for classes while i had 2 months off for my wedding and to pay an extra fee)
Now im just doing track full time, even got my wife into it and im assisting coaching (about to do my coaching course next month)

skysurfer

It gets worse...


Even after several months of lifting and being back on the bike that first class was a killer felt it for several days. When I was "on the level" the teacher told us miss a class you'll know miss 2 classes everyone will know, at the time I was a company dancer in class from 1-4 hours a day 4-5 days a week plus rehearsals.

skysurfer

I fall under the category of stalky rather than viking huge at only 5'8". The "ideal" dancer (stick figure) was somewhere around 5'10" 140.
Had my ups and downs over the years, on the pudgy side as a kid played around with gymnastics (girls program) baseball and a season of swimming before embarking on a 13 year long career as a short track skater. Cycling was training, as much as I enjoyed group rides and such I hated road racing, did take part in the every other week 10 mile time trial put on by one of the local groups PR was 28:10. When I hung up my skates in 2003 the lazy streak only lasted a few months, I was complaining about how I gotta do something and a coworker talked me into going to a ballet class. Thus beginning the plunge into performing arts that took over life for the next 7 years, ballet and circus arts. All good things must come to an end, my trapeze partner left me for NY and coming up quickly on a rough schedule with the ballet I burned out and called it off in 2010. For the first time in 20 years I wasn't on someone elses schedule and took full advantage by sitting on the couch for the next 5 years. Like most I blew up, from 170 to 235, tried to rally a couple of times with little success... until recently.

Getting back on the track this weekend was closure to the last 5 years of darkness. I went through the beginner course in October and it was a disaster, made it through but it wasn't pretty. I revisited it this weekend for review and hopefully have a better go at it. I'm calling it a success and looking forward to going racing.

carleton

Wow, man. You look very different in those photos.

Track racking will trim you up quite a bit.

I've heard that there might be a direct relationship between speedskating and track cycling.

gtrob

I know 2 people that went from national level (jrs) track to skating. Ive always wanted to try long track, but it always seemed like a difficult sport to get into.

rensho3

I did both long track and short track speed skating when I lived in Michigan. I was 5'6" and 160. In reality, I was too small to be a good long track racer, but I was the right size for short track, and did Ok, placing 5th when I was 35 years old in elite 500 meters. I didn't get to try track cycling until I moved to Los Angeles. When I started, I was still doing short track, but I fell in love with track cycling (my, that's a lot of "tracks" going on there) and quit skating. As a skating sprinter, I found the training definitely prepared me for track sprinting, lots of weight work, a lot of what we called dry training which included cord work, box jumps etc. Here's an ancient (1981) picture of some dry training.

carleton

I dabbled in competitive defensive pistol shooting late last year (IDPA). It was fun. I became classified as a "sharpshooter" (middle rank) after a few weeks of training. I liked the speed and precision of it all. The only way it relates to track racing is that they can both be expensive

(Not me in these videos)
POV:

3rd person POV:

FUTBOL26

I have played soccer almost all my life, and still currently play. I did a year of tennis and a few years of volleyball in high school.

Dalai

Interesting to read all the different sports others have done or still doing.

Some I expect would be geographical I.e skating? Although the Australian Bradbury won the short track Olympic gold - doing a Bradbury actual joined the Australian vernacular it's not a big sport here. Indoor iceskating rings here are almost as rare as velodromes in the States! We have one indoor ring, maybe still two in a city of 4 mill...

wens

I swam through college, and hopped in the pool a couple times over the winter for a change of pace. Xc skiing is a mental health life saver around here during bad winters, so nice to get outside and actually move around some. Other than that, bikes and weights, all the time.

Baby Puke

Awesome story, thanks for sharing! And good luck on the track. As far as slimming you down, I find it's not super effective (as a sprinter). If you want to get skinny, it seems like the endurance side of track, or road/cross/mtb would be better. There are a lot of reasonably fast sprinters who are straight-up fat. And strong. Being strong, fast and also fit seems to require either awesome genetics or a pretty disciplined approach. It's easier to do a few 7-30 second efforts and then just sit back and eat the fried chicken/ice cream/pick your poison. I struggle with this as well.

skysurfer

Just some friendly plate shooting at the sheriffs range. Then a real competitive shooter showed up and schooled all of us. My carry gun a stiff triggered SW9.

carleton

Nice!

I really thought about making it my new hobby. But, when I started doing the math, it got expensive. Even if I bought a press and started pressing my own ammunition.

skysurfer

Reloading is a good skill to have although I haven't gotten much use of it lately. I picked up a LEE turret press cheap from a local competitor that changed over to RCBS. Not for any cost savings but to be able to keep going to the range during the dry spells. At the time 9mm and .45 were not to be found anywhere. But primers and bullets got in short supply also, not sure if that has changed much as of late.

skysurfer

It's been an adventure the last 5-6 months, dropping weight was a part of just improving general health, the doc has been unhappy with me for several years. Not dragging around an extra 50 pounds seemed like a good place to start. Last official check I got to 180 at ~16% from 235 at ~43%. Was shooting for 170 to give a respectable VO2 and stay within a reasonable (maintainable) fat percentage, I seem to have settled in at 180 though, which is where I was when I changed from health/fitness to performance training in late January.

The big focus as of late has been getting Lt up, if you're above like I probably was just getting around the track forget about any kind of showing on the sprint. Sprints and 1K had an appeal to me early on, as it turns out my tolerance for ridiculous efforts and quick recovery are ideal for those events but not so much for endurance. As an engineer all the tools and data now available to the average joe makes it interesting. It's all subject to change as I progress but nice to be able to put numbers to what I'm feeling and look at changes over time. Gathered data over the weekend I have a good idea where I can make rounds all day, where I can push a little harder and where I need more work. The hardest part right now is keeping control and not getting carried away when I get on the track.

At this point in life it's all for fun but doesn't mean I'm not going to make the most of it, the competitive spirit is still alive and well.

carleton

Pro Tip #1 of Masters Track Racing: Don't be Fat

That will make you faster than any frame, wheels, helmets, power meter, or any other equipment.