RAW 2026 Training: Weeks Six and Seven
The Misogi Challenge lives up to its name.
No other way to say this: the past two weeks have been rough. My confidence in completing Ride Across Wisconsin has been shaken.
Week Six: Difficulty Breathing and a Major Fall
Coming off of my birthday week, I felt great! That changed rapidly though. On Monday, I attempted a 45 minute Peloton ride. I could only manage 20 mins! My energy was very low and more concerning, I had difficulty breathing. It felt like a cold was coming on. All I could think was, “Ugh! I hope I’m not sick again!”
The next day, I felt a bit better. Wondering if my breathing trouble was a fluke (and I really wanted to try my new Shimano bike shoes!), I decided to go on an outdoor ride. The shoes felt very comfortable and I had more energy. I practiced breathing through my nose - not only because of my difficulties the day before but some advice that came up that same day from Dan Go caught my eye:
Nasal breathing filters your air, boosts oxygen uptake, and produces nitric oxide, enhancing lung function and cardiovascular health. It reduces stress, improves sleep quality, and strengthens the immune system, all contributing to increased longevity and overall well-being.
From the perspective of improving my biking performance, this is awesome:
Nasal breathing also has another important advantage: It improves your physical performance through the release of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is a molecule that plays an essential role in increasing circulation and delivering oxygen into cells.
Nasal breathing alone can boost nitric oxide by up to 6x, which is one of the reasons we can absorb about 18 percent more oxygen than by just breathing through the mouth.
I’m not sure about my performance, but breathing while biking felt OK. However, after finishing the ride, I developed a rough cough. After speaking with my trainer, I decided to take the rest of the week off to recover. Given how rocky the past few weeks have been, I begrudgingly agreed to rest.
Saturday arrived. My Monday Men workout friend invited us to see Rodd Tuff Curls and the Benchpress, a high energy cover band, at the wonderful Seven Acre Dairy outdoor venue. My friend Patrick proposed riding our bikes there and while I was trying to save energy for a long Sunday ride, I agreed since it’s a flat trail that I’ve ridden many times before.
Simple Shortcut, Tough Fall
The show was a ton of fun. On the ride back, we decided to take a shortcut off the main paved bike path that saves a bit of time. Big mistake! As soon as my tires hit the gravel, I slipped and fell down hard on my right leg, arm, and shoulder. It happened so fast I didn’t realize it right away.
If you’ve followed my RAW training series, you know I’m no stranger to falls and scrapes. My leg and arm were badly scrapped, with gravel pieces stuck in them. The wounds stung but that was nothing compared to my shoulder pain. It took the brunt of the fall and hurt like hell!
A few moments after the fall, my thoughts were all over the place: Did I break something? Can I ride home?
Did I just ruin my chances of completing the 100 mile RAW ride?!
Fortunately, I appeared to have full range of motion. I gingerly climbed back on the bike and rode the ~10 miles back home. It was difficult to fall asleep that night and I resolved to go to urgent care immediately in the morning. Candidly, I was an emotional mess thinking about the RAW ride. Hurting myself on a causal ride was so upsetting.
Some Relief
A sigh of relief - an X-ray showed nothing was broken! My shoulder was likely badly bruised internally and maybe some tears.
Once again, I’m back to resting. Painkillers and ice packs are my new friends. Besides missing exercise, the hardest part has been being cautiously lifting my kids. My two year old in particular still loves to be held so holding him on the left side or not at all has been frustrating.
My men’s workout group was supportive while delivering some tough love:
Injuries are setbacks, not finality. When I had my fractured ankle I still showed up at MM. I just didn’t do running stuff. Keep the mindset and habits around self care.
Welcome - you are officially a “cyclist!”
Hopefully you can still walk … continue your training for the century or for your mental being. Don’t just give up and sit on the couch.
They are right, of course. This is just a setback and one that I can and should get over quickly - at least mentally. I can still train. I can just focus on other areas like lower body, walking, hiking, etc.
Officially a Cyclist
My favorite Substack writer recently wrote about Misogi again:
With only a few weeks to go before the big event, I definitely am living up to the misogi definition. I’ve lost several weeks of training due to illness and injury. I’m nervous that I won’t be able to complete 100 miles, especially since I’ve missed a bunch of my long Sunday training rides. I’m certainly not worried about dying - but the shoulder injury’s reminded me that biking can be dangerous and accidents can happen suddenly.
Ultimately, I need to rest my body, mentally reset, and get back on the bike ASAP so I can make the most of the remaining training opportunities I have before RAW.