Winter is Here!

Last week I mentioned that Winter was coming so it was time to brush off some tricks I use to stay motivated throughout the Winter. I set my sights on some big goals and filled in my skeleton plan. Now this week, Winter is definitely here in RVA in the form of light snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. 

Just look at the dreariness as seen from my balcony. 

Thankfully, I enjoy riding my trainer in the winter which is what I did this morning. I had a spirited solo ride on Zwift where effort is gamified in the form of timed sprints and climbs as well as the one of the best motivators, "Social Facilitation." 

Screenshot from Zwift

I first learned about Social Facilitation in a Social Psychology class at Roanoke College back in the late 80s. I found it all fascinating. From what I remember, competing with people who are like you and maybe slightly more proficient (faster, stronger, better at violin, etc) can often increase overall performance. I would argue it is more fun too. At least for me.  

Here is a brief overview of the concept of "Social Facilitation" and who coined the term. This is an AI result but it ain't too shabby. Another day, another dollar! Enjoy. 

The first significant paper on social facilitation is widely attributed to Norman Triplett in 1898, where he observed cyclists rode faster with others and conducted experiments showing children reeled fishing lines quicker in pairs than alone, establishing that the presence of others affects performance, even if sometimes impairing it, laying groundwork for later theories by Zajonc (1965) and others. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Details of Triplett's Work (1898):

• Observation: He noticed competitive cyclists performed better when riding with others (pacing/shelter) compared to cycling alone.

• Experiment: He designed a lab study where children wound fishing reels, finding they often performed faster when working alongside another child (co-action) than when by themselves.

• Early Insights: Triplett noted that while many improved, some children worked slower or showed no difference, hinting at the complexity of the phenomenon, which later researchers like Robert Zajonc would expand upon with drive theory. [2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8]

Later Developments:

• Zajonc's Drive Theory (1965): Robert B. Zajonc's article in *Science* proposed the mere presence of others increases arousal (drive), enhancing performance on simple tasks (dominant responses) but hindering complex ones.

• Other Theories: Subsequent research explored cognitive factors like evaluation apprehension (concern about being judged) and attention. [2, 7, 9, 10]

In essence, Triplett's 1898 work, though observational and experimental, stands as the foundational paper, marking the birth of social psychology and its study of social facilitation. [2, 5]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/psychology/social-facilitation

[2] https://acs.ist.psu.edu/misc/dirk-files/Papers/AppraisalTheory/Social%20facilitation%20as%20challenge%20and%20threat.htm

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n7zODMZf00

[4] https://www.thoughtco.com/social-facilitation-4769111

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Triplett

[6] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-25608-x

[7] https://docs.rwu.edu/fcas_fp/219/

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3CEPdR3rUo

[9] https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.149.3681.269

[10] https://psycnet.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/1089-2699.5.3.163

Winter is Coming

Winter is coming, that's for sure. Winter can be challenging for those of us who enjoy spending time exercising outdoors. In case you did not know, I fall into that category. I am the kind of person that needs recess every 2 hours at the minimum. Otherwise, I get easily bored, distracted, and generally less happy than when I get fresh air, elevate my heart rate, and explore the great outdoors. 

For me, my acceptance of the freezing cold weather, shorter days, and biting wind often depends on my attitude. If I have epic activities scheduled, I seem to have more energy to mitigate the cold grip of winter that can easily cause exercise paralysis. Let's face it, it is much more comfortable to simply stay indoors, eat comfort foods, binge some TV, and maybe try to spend some time on a creative project that does not involve gloves, hats, buffs and the delicate balance between being properly dressed, under dressed or over dressed. 

As I get older, the cold seems to be more daunting. One thing I do to fight back is to commit to some big hairy goals, make the intention to properly prepare for the events, and to remind myself of the Swedish saying: "Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder," which translates to "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing". It is a common proverb that encourages people to dress appropriately for the conditions so they can go outside regardless of the weather, and it is often taught to children from a young age.

As I mentioned, part of my process for staying active in the winter is committing to big goals and building a training schedule based on successfully attaining said goals. Also, I thought it would be fun to bring back my Blog for a while in oder to stay more connected to my intentions. 

So, here we go, what's on tap for next year? These are some of my big hairy goals. I have committed to some of these events already. Before I dive in too deep, I am going to be continuing my recovery from the November 15th RVA marathon and start preparing my body to take on these adventures. 

Date	Event/Activity	Type	Distance/Notes	Location
January 4	Snowy Owl 10 Miler	Trail Run/Hike	10 Miles	York River State Park
March 21	Dogwood Dell Ultramarathons	Trail Run	10 Mile Loop	Twin Lakes State Park
March 30 -April 9	Great Smoky Mountains AT	Backpacking	Week Long	AT/Smokies
April 11	James River Trail Runs	Trail Run	50K - also options to drop back to 50k or even just 10 miler	James River State Park
May 8	Cap2Cap with Bill	Long Bike	110 miles	RVA
May 10 - May 17	Trail Days	Festival/Backpacking	Multi-Day 40 to 50 miles	South Hosten Parking to Damascus
June 20	Night Train Ultra	Trail Run	Half Marathon	High Bridge Trail State Park
Jun 28	High Bridge Time Trial	Gravel Time Trial	19 miles	High Bridge Trail State Park
July 12	Seven Bends Acqua Blaze	Run and Paddle	7 mile (4 run/3 paddle)	Seven Bends State Park
September 12	Odyssey Trail Running Rampage	Trail Run	50K	Douthat State Park
TBA	Vermont Long Trail	Backpacking	Multi-Day	Vermont
October 3	High Bridge Half Marathon	Run	13.1 Miles	High Bridge Trail State Park
October 4	Pocahontas Trailfest	Trail Run	10K	Pocahontas State Park

Big Day Out: How To Take A Day Off

We all need some time off to ourselves now and then. For me, a day off from work can be like a little vacation. If I am able to do whatever I like, on whatever schedule feels right to me, I feel like I am treating myself. Afterwards, I usually feel pretty happy, content, rejuvenated, and ready to go back to the grind. 

Recently, I took a Friday off from work and had some little adventures. Nothing too earth shattering but I ended up with 9 Strava activities over the 3 days. Some of these activities were short but I managed a pretty active weekend. I thought I would summarize it in pictures here. 

Friday, June 14th

4:40 AM wakeup and drive from Richmond to Vienna, VA. Met up with my friend Bill at 8 AM on the W&OD Trail and we did what I like to call, "The Kessel Run".

36+ Miles with Bill

At the end of the Tower Climb

After my ride with Bill, I put my bike in my car, made my way to Anita's in Vienna and got some breakfast burritos to go. I chowed down while driving out to Great Falls where I had my first legit gravel ride on my new gravel bike. It was quite fun. 

After my fun but sometimes sketchy gravel ride, I decided to go for a hike and take in all the sites Great Falls has to offer. 

After my Great Falls excursion, I returned to Vienna, got cleaned up, and then went out with some family. We spent some time at Caboose Brewing and walked around Vienna a bit. We even ran into some long time friends and watched a few minutes of live music before heading out for dinner. 

Saturday, June 15th

On Saturday, I woke up before 5 AM as I usually do. Even if I wanted to sleep in, my body usually says otherwise. I ended up hightailing it back to RVA. I made good time getting out of NOVA but hit mega volume between Fredericksburg and RVA. 

When I got home, Melissa and I walked to the Farmers Market to get some fresh veggies. 

After bringing our groceries home, we decided to go for a short trail walk so Melissa could break in her new hiking shoes. 

Sunday, June 16th

On Sundays, I run with the Sportsbackers Marathon Training Team. After another early morning wake up, I ran with MTT. 

After MTT, I refueled and then headed to the park for my recovery walk in the woods. 

I love walking next to the water and listening to the birds. I had a very pleasant walk and then my usual trip to the grocery store. I had plenty of time left in the day so I decided to walk to the movies, watch a movie, and then walk back home.

All in all, it was a very pleasant long weekend of activities, contemplation, rejuvenation, and general fun. I am sure somewhere in there, I also took a hot bath. Maybe.