Ceaselessly Calibrate

We held our first CompuTrainer Multi-Rider Madness in March tournament match this morning after a 60 minute spin session. Wisely, none of the four riding the first heat did the 60 minutes as a warm up. Because, by design they aren't warm ups, they are the real deal. We go hard, attempting to maximize our brief allotment of pre-dawn time. Even on a Leap Day. I had everything pre-set and ready to go, or so I thought. The ten mile event was conducted and ran smooth. Until I pulled up the report and took a look at the data. Seemed one of the riders (the last finisher) rode the entire race with a rolling resistance of way less than the others. .46 to 2.70 to be exact. Nobody said anything but I knew the results were affected by this set up error. Adding additional concern was the fact that I went through the standard calibration process with precision and attention. The unit in question was calibrated properly. And then something happened. Rendering everything after of debatable validity.

I suppose considering how things have been going of late that I shouldn't be surprised by this. In the big picture, it is meaningless. In the smaller picture it is everything. People make sacrifices to get to the club and race. They expect it to represent their concept of enjoyment, value, fun, social interaction, competition, and fairness. In a word, it is about the experience. It is my job to ensure that they receive value greater than the cost. Much greater. One of my early mentors insisted that we, "under-sell and over-produce". I want everyone to walk out of that room feeling like Lance after a Tour win. Needless to say, I was not pleased with the morning's results.

We came up with a solution and will make amends. I have done the research and will troubleshoot the fix this afternoon. Through that process, I kept seeing parallels and metaphors (this happens to me a lot). Finally, the dots were connected and I set forth to journal their path.

The issue was resistance. There was an insufficient amount. It was too easy. There is no way to generate power, force or inertia with nothing to press against. One simply spins as fast and as hard as they can and that is it. No room for growth. No challenge. You are Max. Apply the proper resistance and it's a whole new ballgame. You are tested and encouraged to become stronger and more efficient. You have physics, as reality, to use as an ally. There is mass. There is energy. Somewhere in there is the velocity of light squared I am quite sure. All of this meaning?

That we are only as strong as the force and resistance we set. Want it easy? Stay in your comfort zone. Set your calibration low. Don't challenge yourself. Create a series of default excuses and avoid work, sweat and anything out of the mainstream.

However, if you desire change, improvement, growth and an endless series of tests to ensure your positive adaptation in the intrepid search for self, dial up your resistance setting and calibrate for challenge.

Resistance is stress. Stress is good. As soon as you see it as such, it is no longer stressful. You have passed THAT test.

Or, ceaselessly calibrate.