Update from the Gimp, coaching front…

BY KENNETH LUNDGREN

Hey Guys,

I’m getting better (I’d hope!). The right leg healing well, still all scabby but no longer bleeding. The risk of infection has greatly diminished… In the ER, the surgeon guy really spooked me when he said with deep lacerations like this, they’ve seen it get infected and they’ve had to amputate parts of the leg. I’m all sedated on morphine and I still couldn’t get it out of my mind! All I could think about was then Johan Museeuw got an infection in from a Paris-Roubaix crash and they almost had to amputate his left leg! The doctor said an infection in the leg was one of my biggest concerns. So, I’m a bit relieved to be somewhat out of those waters… I won’t be doing any modeling anytime soon, but it is what it is! Will make for interesting tales for my kids…

My left knee is feeling less and less broken with each day, but I still really can’t do much. I’m getting better sleep now, not waking up everytime I move a millimeter, and can get up, travel through the house easier. I can walk on crutches much better, put some weight on it. But I can’t do much more than that. In my future I see nothing but REST! Gotta rest it up… The doctor said maybe in six weeks I can do some light spinning, but he said the joint will not be fully recovered until about 4 months from now. It is what it is.

Been busy behind the computer, working on ATPs, reading what’s out there. Had ample time to renew my subscriptions to Cycle Sport, Velo News, and Bicycling!

I’m starting to coach a bunch of new riders who seem to have immense potential. One rider has been doing time trials and has already placed 4th in a Cat-5 criterium. I get huge joy from helping new riders, getting them on track right from the beginning and seeing what they can do… I expect some big things from this kid!!!

Another rider, Ben Lesnak, has been winning time trials left and right. We didn’t have a great ride at Somerset, but that wasn’t a great course for him and he didn’t have the best day… Still, to tie for 1st ain’t so bad!!! I can’t wait to see how he does at the New Jersey State Time Trial Championships, an event that really suits him and where he’ll be on form…

Laura is back from Ecuador and placed 3rd at the Greenbrier Challenge in Maryland. This was part of her first peak of the year, screwed up a little by travel, etc. For the first week, she was still in Ecuador, then did a full-day trekking trip up this colossal alp, then did Chimborazoo, the biggest race in Ecuador, and took 2nd. No warm-up, no pre-ride, no recovery ride the day before. She really hauled ass and mentioned feeling stronger than ever. That certainly was reassuring. Then she came home two days before Greenbrier, drove down there day before — yeah, not ideal prep, but she still nailed 3rd. So, two peak races with subpar prep, but we did allright… Now she’s notching the training down, prepping to come back for NATS in July. She already placed 4th in the pro field in Waywayanda, a very strong result considering the training she’d been doing prior to the event…

I’m also coaching a new mountain-biker who took 9th out of 23 at Single-Speed Waywayanda event… He’s new to mountain bike racing and I look forward to progressing him through his training plan. He has some big goals, wants to rip the H2H events and also do the Ultra-Endurance 100-mile events, so it should be interesting. I finally got him on a brand-new road bike, so it’s game on!

I’m also coaching an athlete from Youngstown, Ohio. One of Kelly Pavlik’s friends is doing a triathlon in August, so we have him on a training program. The training thus far has gone very well… I’ve started him slower than usual, as he doesn’t have huge experience with endurance sports (although very athletic). The slow start seems to have helped, as now he’s banging out the workouts with ease, reporting faster times, higher energy levels, etc… The prep so far has been ideal, and he’ll be competing in a tri in June and July before the big Cleveland Triathlon in August. The timing of these events are pitch perfect and I hope to help Mike enjoy some terrific form!!!

This month, a few non-racing athletes also contacted me, not to race but just to get in shape. I’m coaching a woman who is a new mother, wants to get active again, etc… She’s on a new diet and training program chock full of aerobic walking and jogging, and so far the training is having an effect. She’ll be banging out tempo intervals in no time!

I’m also coaching a doctor who wants to prep for some charity centuries during the summer, and he’s just gobbling up the specific workouts. It’s like a new world to him and already, within a month, he says he feels like a new rider. As a coach, this is music to my ears. As I say, I enjoy this job much, much more than I thought I would.

That’s pretty much it for now. Thanks for reading and I hope to see y’all on the road sooner than later.

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Coach's Diary | Friday, May 15th, 2009 | | |