Walden’s Race Rules « JohnKCoyle’s Weblog

Enhance Your Weaknesses! Vol 4 1/2: A parody

Posted on February 7, 2009 by johnkcoyle

A parody of my last post by my friend, Eric Hankins – teacher extraordinare and one of the funniest people I know. Too bad I can’t post the original – alas here’s the toned down version. ————————————– Enhance your Weaknesses, Vol. 197 As time goes by, I find myself contemplating what it takes to be [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: cycling, dave dohnal, deadbeat parents, eric hankins, john coyle, marek koterly, Mike Walden, parody, race your strengths, sprint finish | Leave a Comment »

Race Your Strengths! Vol. 4

Posted on January 30, 2009 by johnkcoyle

(Vol 4: Rewind – this post is the latest in a long sequential story: Parts 1 through 3 chronicled my testing failures as an aspiring Olympic athlete in my first full time training camp in 1990 with the national speedskating team. As a reminder, here were the “tests” and my “grades.”) Test #1 – [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | 4 Comments »

Race Your Strengths! Vol. 3

Posted on December 7, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Next up, Tests #4, 5, 6: Max Squats, Vertical Leap & Max Power (Wingate Test) Flashforward – 1 year to 1991. Back at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for another camp. The Junior World Cycling Championships are taking place at the same time, and I catch up with cycling friends Jessica Grieco [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: 1986 north american championships, absolute suffering, Bonnie Blair, cycling, Dan Jansen, How do I, How do I determine my strengths?, how do i test my max power?, Max power testing, Mike Walden, passing out on the bike, Racing your strengths, Speedskating, wingate power test, wingate test | 2 Comments »

Race Your Strengths! Vol. 2

Posted on November 27, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Colorado Springs, July 1990 continued… Tests #2 & 3: Body Fat & VO2 Max Over the coming days I eventually recovered from that initial breakdown from the heavy training and started to rejoin the competitive fray in the workouts. Sprints, jumps, reaction drills, low walks, lunges, hamstring curls, hip sleigh, bike rides, inline skating, weights, [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: athlete testing, colorado springs olympic training center, cycling, discover your strengths, george hincapie, How do I determine my strengths?, how do I race my strengths?, how lance armstrong finds girls, jessica grieco, lance armstrong, marcus buckingham, Short Track Speedskating, Strengths Finder for athletes, vo2 max test, Walden Rules | 1 Comment »

Race Your Strengths! Vol. 1

Posted on November 20, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Race Your Strengths! Vol. 1 THE core principle of the Walden school of thought: more than just a ‘race rule’, this is the essential philosophy of my coach Mike Walden’s approach to training – and to life. What I didn’t know is that this refrain would serve as a protective layer from the good [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: Dan Jansen, dave besteman, eric heiden, how do I race my strengths?, I want to race my strengths, john coyle, john k coyle, Mike Walden, race your strengths, Speedskating, train your weaknesses, training for cycling, training secrets for athletes | Leave a Comment »

Walden Race Rule #4: Get into Position to Win.

Posted on September 27, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Walden Race Rule #4: Get into Position to Win. This principle is really the predecessor to Race Rule #3 – “Win it at the Line”. You can’t ‘win it at the line’ from 60th place. So, what are the key mechanisms that enable the Walden rule of “Get into position to win?” 1) Shift down. [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: bike cam, getting into position in a criterium, helmet cam, john coyle, john k coyle, Mike Walden, setting up for the sprint, Walden's Race Rules | Leave a Comment »

Walden Principle #2: Racing is the best Training (Sleeping in a Haystack)

Posted on July 31, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Racing is the Best Training – or, Sleeping in a Haystack Spring 1990. Life was golden: A senior at a northern California University , I was enjoying the sun and elegant architecture of campus life in California and reveling in my lot as an upperclassman close to graduation. I was [...]

Filed under: 2008 Race Reports, Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: Add new tag, cycling, grasshopper, Mike Walden, racing is the best training, sleeping in a haystack, Speedskating | 3 Comments »

Walden Race Rule #3: Win it at the line!

Posted on March 22, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Race Rule #3: Walden says: “Win it at the line!” Translation: in a sprint finish, master the timing required to come around or just get caught at the finish line. The Science: 1) As the level of competition increases – from local to state to national to international, the differences in abilities between riders becomes more compressed, [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: criterium, cycling, drafting, finish at the line, finish sprint, how to use a leadout, how to win a sprint, john coyle, john k coyle, leadouts, Mike Walden, race rules, sprint finish, Wolverine Sports Club | 1 Comment »

Walden Race Rule #2: Shift Dammit!

Posted on March 19, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Race Rule #2: Walden says: “Shift down at the bottom of the hill, Shift up before the top!” Translation: always, (always!) “be in the right gear.” Another shouted Waldenism full of meaning. The Science: 1) shifting under massive torque results in mechanical failures (translation – shifting while pedaling hard may result in dropping, breaking or [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: acceleration, Chris Boardman, crank arms, efficiency, john coyle, john k coyle, Mike Walden, most efficent cycling RPMs, pedaling, rotational energy, rpms, shift up at the top of a hill, shifting, shifting strategy, torque, when to shift, Wolverine Sports Club | Leave a Comment »

Walden Race Rule #1: Get on a wheel!

Posted on March 19, 2008 by johnkcoyle

Race Rule #1: Walden says: “Get on a wheel!” A variation: “Close the gap!” Translation: Always, (always!) “Be in the draft.” (unless trying to break away, or trying to win the final few meters of the sprint). Like all of Walden’s pithy phrases, there can be an entire art and science to discover the full [...]

Filed under: Walden's Race Rules | Tagged: coaching, drafting, get on a wheel, john coyle, john k coyle, Mike Walden, not drafting, physics of drafting, Rules for racing, squandering energy, tour de france, Walden rules of racing, wheelsucking | Leave a Comment »

	Christine H on The Sprinter’s Guide to …
	Paul Burns on 2007 Race Report #1, The Count…
	Experiences With Mik… on About
	David Teall on Mike Walden
	John Fitzgerald on About

JohnKCoyle’s Weblog

Email Subscription

Categories

Top Posts