Chris Werner

"If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."  Vincent Van Gogh

I saw a man today raise his arms above his head, and reveal a tattoo across the inside of his bicep.  It read in cleat black block letters, "believe."  At first it didn't strike me as anything radically different or unique.  Sure, the placement and bold lettering was unique, but nothing struck a cord deep inside...

...eventually it would.

"Beleive."  I have been having a real hard time training lately.  My life is going fantastic, I am quite literally, living my dream, but the downside is, that I have 24 hours in a single day, and that I have only limited experience both as an athlete as a business professional in the multisport world.  It's tough waking up each day, getting in the pool, or heading out to run or ride, or setting up the trainer to get an interval workout in.  It's tough coming home from a long 10 hour day, and having to fit in a second workout.

I live eat and breathe triathlon, multisport, ultra-endurance.  I spend my days training, and heading right into work, were I get to interact and help athletes of all levels.  I fit a man today in a wetsuit who dropped over 60 pounds training for his first Ironman.  I rode with Chris Lieto yesterday, 6th in Kona at the Ironman World Championships and on the cover of this month's Triathlete magazine, I utilized my fit training to set someone up in an aggressive, yet perfectly comfortable and incredibly efficient bike position...and I ended the day following up with some plans for my May USA Triathlon Coaching Certification Course.  By the end of may, I will be:

• Slowtwitch/F.I.S.T Certified Bike Fitter
• USA Triathlon Certified Coach
  

And that was my day, but it was draining, tiring, satisfying, all that into one.  I do not sit at work, I am all over the place...when I train, before and after work, it's tough.  I am realizing that lately, doubts creep in about performance on the racecourse, or how training will effect my business performance...

...when in fact, that are so beautifully intertwined, how could I ever have dreamed to have anything more!!! I truly am doing for a living....what I love to do!  It a "seamless transition" from ultra endurance training to work, and back out there....

But there's one mental road block, in fact, road block is to simple to explain...in order to succeed, forget visualization, forget luck...forget just about everything, just Believe...simply believe, fully and completely  that not only can you do what you set out to do, but you will do what you set out to do.

I have to get to sleep.  Ironman Arizona (April 13th) is rapidly approaching and I have a 6,000 yard swim in the morning, and a tough workout after work in the evening...as well as a stacked day at work.  It's going to be an other epic day for me....but I need to believe (again, BELIEVE) my own mantra... I BELIEVE I can and will do this.  

Is this heaven? No, it's Xantusia...

I'm just giving a quick update tonight, I'm at Xantusia this week getting fit-certified for triathlon/time trial bike fitting. 

Xantusia...the endurance "compound'' deep in the San Gabriel mountains.  Xantusia is the home and headquarters of Dan Empfield, the former owner of Quintana Roo bikes, the founder of the "triathlon bike" and the current editor of Slowtwitch.com and the F.I.S.T. Bike Fit Certification program (of which I am participating in this week).  I'm also here to train with some professional triathletes, and have some fun steeped in all things ultra-endurance for a week.  

It's incredible 10,000 foot snow capped peaks surround us, and we are in housed amongst the rolling foothills of the high desert, tall cacti and brush, with miles of trails and roads winding there way throughout, and of course an endless pool, a training pool, and the weights...

It should be amazing... 

"Pressure makes diamonds."  General George S. Patton

Furious wind, intense sun, the 100 miles on the bike required long periods of continuous focus, each pedal stroke, each muscle contraction...patience, patience, just keep this pace, this cadence, this power output, just hold it...after climbing 4,000 vertical feet...hell awaited me inland...

I came in as the very last glow of twilight disappeared below the horizon...the stars shown above...my stomach was aching with hunger, yet still I had to brick this workout...hop off the bike...and run HARD off the bike.

I woke up this morning...another 13 miles.  Tough, it was tough, my legs fatigued, I held the pace, focusing on the trail below me.  Keeping my mind on the cadence, the turnover of my feet, covering ground, balance in my body position.

 ...and then off to work I went.

The peak phase is starting to set in, and it's truly a testament to the will, not just physical ability and what the body can do with disciplined training, but what the will can accomplish.  It's amazing conceptualizing a marathon...where 2.4 miles of swimming and 112 miles of biking proceed it!  But that's what draws me to this, the challenge, the belief in myself and my abilities, and the fact that I can't quite explain why such a passion burns inside of me with ultra-endurance sports, and Ironman in particular.  It's a mirror to the soul.

 ...a little intense, but living like this , day in and day out, allows for a certain kind of sanctity to set in.  When I was off on my bike on Sunday, there was a long stretch, a strong headwind at my face, my legs like pistons, firing in sequence, and slowly, my mind was at ease, and somehow, my focus went inside.  Sound, pain, sensation, it all was irrelevant, it was meditative and healing, and my confidence afterwards was just that much stronger.  I had tapped into that rare well of energy we only get when we put out bodies through such endeavors.

 It's amazing, it's hard to describe.  As the clock ticks towards Ironman Arizona, I realize I have a lot of work to do, but that what I get out of training is as much part of the process as actually racing and crossing that line.

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”  Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 - 1959)

10 miles this morning, work...and a tough day at that...and then 4,000 yards in the pool...and I just finished off a bunch of work, shooting out emails, etc.

It's tough, to describe, and I'm in an interesting time in my personal and professional development.  I literally live my passion.  My training moves right into work and back into training, Ironman/triathlon...and it's amazing, sometimes it's hard to believe I found it...I FOUND IT...all those years cooped up in a cubicle in Chicago...cooped up in a law library studying Property...law of perpetuities...years in corporate risk management....dreaming of somehow finding that place, that career....and I'm here.

 ...but it's still hard, the life is as intense as I make it out to be!  Both physically and mentally.  I am a sponge for knowledge...

In working with Forward Motion Sports, I'm lending my experise and experience to launch a revitalizedbike business, solidifying our presence in the East Bay as the premier, full-service multisport shop.  We will fill a void in Nor Cal, which desperately needs a true, full-service multipost shop that caters to both the elite...and beginner triathlete.  What I bring to this business each and every day, is an intimate knowledge of  triathlon both from a technical perspective, but also as a year-round triathlon and Iron-distance competitor...and with that I also bring...energy and enthusiasm...two highly contagious elements!

But as my day continued, it presented me with new and fascinating opportunity to meet and interact with all sorts of customers.  Mid-day, I found myself discussing nutrition products with a customer, a back-country heli-skier who happened to be in the food industry and had intimate knowledge of the various carbohydrate products and blends that go into the products we all know so well.  I I was making suggestions based on my Iron-distance training and racing...which might help with his long, taxing days out in the backcountry.  It amazing, in retrospect, to see two people interact, who share one thing in common, a passion for pushing the limits of what their bodies can take.  This customer could, and on occasion does, head out to some great ski areas, but he takes this trip deep into the Canadian Rockies each year to heli-ski...and that drive...I totally understand it!

What really capped off my day was a customer I worked with whose experience with triathlon thus far captured exactly where I was a couple years ago...finding himself intrigued by triathlon, but as a beginner, totally intimidated as he walked into bike shop, multi-sport shop, and super-stores....

Intimidation...that has no place in the business model we are introducing to Forward Motions bike/tri business, in fact...as it's the beginner, not the elite, who is the ...THE LIFE BLOOD OF TRIATHLON!  No one should feel intimidated...I know I did, and it such a shame...I am committed to building a business where I we can share in the customers development in the sport of triathlon, and watch them grow...that's what inspires me from a career perspective in this industry...getting an athlete in the right products, with the righ fit...and with the right training..and seeing what I can do to get the most out of their bodies.  Whether it's losing weight, or breaking a certain time in a certain race...it's inspiring to see that happen!.  There's a shop with that focus!

 If I had to sum up my passion as regards cycling and triathlon, and the intricacies of the fit process...it's taking a beginner, and seeing how a series of fits on the right bike (not the most expensive, the most hi-tech, but the right bike) can do to maximize what their bodies can do on that machine...and make them comfortable, increase their fit...AND MAKE THEM FEEL STRONG AND CONFIDENT!

That's what I would like any every one of my customers to feel after working with us.  Unintimidated, strong, confident, and knowing they have someone to come to with questions and concerns...

It's tough right now, taxing, physically and mentally.  Training 25-30 hours per week, and working 50 on top of that (10 or so out of the shop just doing what it takes to get things done!).  Training, working, training, and eating a sleeping!  But honestly, it's a labor of love, and I'm in it for the long haul! 

From the movie Days of Thunder, Cole Trickle’s fast, he might be the fastest driver our there, but he’s losing races because his car’s not set to run correctly for his style of racing…however…he can’t communicate this to his manger/mentor Harry Hoage…Cole doesn’t know much about racecars…he just hits the gas and for some reason, he’s faster than most any driver on the track…So Cole needs to learn a little bit about mechanics…

Harry Hoage: We've got to talk.

Cole Trickle: All right, talk.

Harry Hoage: On the radio during the race...You've got to tell us what's going on with the car.

Cole Trickle: You want to change the way I drive. Set up the car so I don't have to change.

Harry Hoage: Tell me how.

Cole Trickle: What do you want to know?

Harry Hoage: Is she running loose or tight? A turn here, take some wedge out, we'll win some races.

Cole Trickle: I can't do that. I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

Harry Hoage: How do you mean that?

Cole Trickle: I don't know much about cars.

Harry Hoage: Neither does any other driver.

Cole Trickle: No, I really don't know. A turn here? A wedge there? I don't know.

Harry Hoage: How can that be?

Cole Trickle: They told me to get in a car and drive. I'd like to help out, but I can't. I don't have the vocabulary.

Harry Hoage: Well... we're just going to have to figure one out.

Whether you're new to any sort of bicycle riding at all, be it triathlon, cycling, mountain biking...even just coasting through town on a beach cruiser...CHANGE YOUR CHAIN ON SCHEDULE!

I'm using a Dura Ace chain, which is a softer, less durable Shimano chain, but even so, if you're on a road or Tri bike...1,500 to 2,000 miles is the MAX. for $30-$40 bucks, you're saving the replacement cost of a new Cassette, and Chainrings. At full retail could go well over $200...and you're bike will ride smooth, shift nicely...and you're power output will be even and even a bit enhanced!

My big chainring (53 tooth)...it's been WORKED!I should be changing it every 900 miles (and if you're a competitive athlete logging in 250+ miles per week, you're right with me) that's every 3 to 4 weeks. I did at 2,000 miles...and it caused a domino effect in terms of complete-and-total wear to my chainrings (the two gears up front, by the crank) and to the cassette (the set of gears in the rear of the bike)...this truly is the  result of my lack of attention to preventative maintenance.

...and as I spoke with my mechanics, and as I sat in front of the solvent bath cleaning out the various components making up my drivetrain...I realized that my expertise in bike-fitting needed to be matched by near-equal experience in bike mechanics.

Note: my shop uses some of the best bike mechanics in Northern California, which in turn means they're some of the best in country...so I will not call myself an expert on their level, nor do I have the knowledge and instincts Chuck and his team possess!

But I digress...last season, when I made the jump from an amateur, more week-end warrior type triathlete, to a year-round competitive Iron-distance athlete...I did so with a ton of knowledge and some amazing coaching, but with some gaps, and this included bike mechanics. I know a bike fit inside-and-out, the science behind the aerodynamic positioning, the trade-off between efficiency and comfort, and raw power...but even simple bike mechanics and maintenance I simply ignored, or left until something went wrong.

Given, Bike-fitting and Bike-wrenching are two separate sciences, but the athlete must know the connections between the two to truly maximize his or her performance.  In my case, my fit is getting more and more aggressive, and more efficient, but if I'm not keeping up on some of the bike maintenance, I'm actually loosing quite a bit of efficiency and performance on the mechanical side...make sense?  

If I gain a 5% increase in power output on the bike based on fit...but loose it on a stretched chain and poor shifting, then it's all for naught!

So in conclusion...I can be a certified, expert bike-fitter, but if I'm not essentially a very knowledgeable mechanic as well (even if I have mechanics far more experienced to handle that work for me), I'm not going to maximize my performance or that of my clients!  So I've become a student in the "Art of Bike Mechanics"...