Road ID for the win

From time to time I’m going to throw a product review into the mix here. All the items will be things I personally use regularly on my rides and runs.

One of the best safety products I know of for folks who run and ride would have to be the Road ID. You can chose two different types of IDs.

The Original Road ID can display up to six lines of information like name, hometown, several contact phone numbers in case of emergency, and a personal slogan. You can customize all 6 lines to meet your needs. 

The other option is the Road ID Interactive. In case of emergency the Road ID has a phone number First Responders can call or they can log onto the Road ID website and enter a pin number on the back of the Road ID to get your pertinent medical information and contact numbers. You can update your personal information any time you need to keep it current.

There are several different wristband versions to meet any fashion need. I’ve begun to wear mine all the time since my latest version is the stylish Elite band. Those of you who know me know what a slave to fashion I am. Not really. I’m actually a member of the fashion unconscious…maybe fashion comatose.

They are reasonably priced but ultimately any price would be worth it when you’ve been in an accident on the road and can’t speak for yourself.

I have to admit I didn’t buy my first Road ID. I won mine during the 2010 Virtual Tour de France sponsored by I Map My Ride. More on that when I ride the Virtual Tour next summer.

Drizzle, Rain, and Fog Oh My!

Turkey Day Eve, yep that’s a real day now. I just made it up. TDE, as I like to call it, presented a less than stellar version of itself to me as I peered out the window. Drizzle, rain, overcast, and fog. I thought, “Heck, I’ve ridden in that stuff before. How bad can it get?”

I’d planned on a great hill ride (like we really have much else here in southern West Virginia). I drove to my usual starting point and got out of the car to unload the bike. The weather had turned  even worse than when I left home. To paraphrase my favorite movie, it was fine Scottish weather, raining straight down...well, slightly to the side. Just as that scene finished playing out in my head, the wind gusted and blew my coat out of my hands and across the parking lot.  Well played Mother Nature, well played. Ok, so apparently it can get worse than drizzle, rain, overcast and fog. I forgot all about wind.

This kind of weather requires a certain level of gut check to even get out the door for those of us who aren’t professional athletes. You run through the checklist in your head. Long bike pants, full fingered bike gloves, shell to keep the rain off, shoe covers to keep the piggies warm, and maybe a hat. Even with all the right gear it’s a challenge to get motivated to run or ride in this kind of weather.

When you do get out and train in weather that can only be described as rude you can take several things away from your time in the elements:

1.      You’ve accomplished something that a majority of your neighbors would probably consider downright crazy. That’s a…umm…hmm…good thing, right?

2.     You’ll see things that will bring a smile to your face like that dog that always chases you but today will only bark from the porch because it’s just too darn rainy out there.

3.     You toughen up mentally so next time that run or ride in less than perfect weather becomes just another day logging some miles not a missed day.

How do you get motivated to get out the door on a crappy weather day?

How? Why? Ah, crap…

How did I get here? I didn’t use to be this way. I was a soccer player in high school, played collegiate rugby, was a professional whitewater guide and avid kayaker. I was a runner. I was a rock climber. Then over the years I became, as my youngest son used to call me, pudgy daddy. (it was kinda cute at the time). I’m that guy who doesn’t wanna be the guy I am.

In my own defense, there are gloves in that front pocket!

Ah, crap. Now I’m a middle aged guy trying to get back some semblance of my lost youth and health. You know how hard it is now? All the commercials tell me belly fat is almost impossible to lose unless I buy their product or their machine or their device whatever it may be. Don’t you have to just love TV? It’s so comforting sometimes!

Ok, so I got myself into this mess. What am I gonna do about it? Well, I’ll have my midlife crisis now thank you very much. No not a trophy wife and a shiny new Ferrari. I have a great wife and family (even that wise cracking youngest son of mine). Nope just give me a couple of nice bikes and some running shoes to help carry me to a different version of me. 

Did you find yourself in the same boat that I did? What did you do about it?

Who the heck is this guy?

They call me Tiny, hence the title. Through this portal into my world I hope you’ll get me as I get tiny. 

What will you find here? The saga of a middle-aged man who wants to get his health and life back through running and biking.

Biking began my journey a couple of years back. The remembered freedom of a long ago youth, flying down the back roads of Ohio on my week long summer bike tours. My Specialized Allez led me back to what life is supposed to be like and might be once again.

Then I found the book… Born To Run

I’ll be the first to admit I’m late to climb aboard the Born To Run bandwagon but the book has begun the process of changing my life even further. As an oft injured former runner and someone who still runs in his nightly dreams I’ve been given hope. Hope is a powerful thing, capable of bringing someone up from the depths of despair but also capable of crushing their very souls with disappointment and disillusion. Which path will hope lead me down?

This blog will be a journal of my journey back to running, biking, and health. I don’t claim to be an expert on any of the many topics I’ll be waxing poetic about but I’ll promise to give my honest opinion, in-depth feelings, and occasionally totally off topic rants on whatever catches my fancy.

I hope you enjoy getting tiny back as much as I do. Stay tuned…