Today was the first evening spin class held for North Bay Cycling Club members at GoodLife. At first it was hard to get into, by the end everyone was working pretty hard. Interesting idea but I think I prefer riding on the roads, it’s hard to tell how hard/fast everyone else is working when on a stationary bike! I guess it’s supposed to be about individual efforts in this case… Hard to quell the competitive spirit though!! The secret to competition is of course – efficiency – thus, why should I work hard if nobody else is (or I can’t tell if they are!!). Anyway, great workout, here is a HR profile for the 45min workout. Right in the zone!

^{Stephanie Rees (BA, BSc, MA, PhD-ABD), currently working out of the University of Ottawa, is a freelance writer with experience in many disciplines who contributes to Northshore XC on a variety of topics. Hailing from the Northshore Region she has had many years of experience with competition in cross country skiing, running and mountain biking.}

As this is my first column, I would like to establish a few points before beginning my career as an expert columnist. First and foremost, I am not a clinical psychologist, nor am I a medical doctor. As such, some of the information in this column is pure conjecture, based on an educated opinion. Most of the information, however, is based on research that is available to me, and references will be given when I think they may be of interest to the reader. Of second importance, any advice that I give in my column or in response to questions from readers is to be taken with a grain of salt, or, in other words, advice should be considered like that you receive from a friend: fallible, but supportive.

 
So… for my first column, I have decided to address an issue that may be of interest to readers and that pertains to current events in the cycling world. During stage 15 of the TdeF, we saw a courageous and determined win from Lance Armstrong after many attacks from other riders, a horrifying fall, and a post-fall falter. Rather than panicking or giving up after his fight with a "musette," Lance was able to channel his energy and refocus his attack to a very inspiring win. One thing that Phil (or was it Paul?) mentioned during Lance's subsequent recovery and attack was the surge in his adrenaline caused by his fall. In today's column, we will explore the issue of adrenaline and how it can help and/or hinder the performance of a lifetime.

(NOTE: It is common to hear about adrenaline in connection with sports… "surge of adrenaline"; "pumped full of adrenaline", etc. The newer more technical term for adrenaline, however, is epinephrine and will be used from now on.)

So what is epinephrine?