I am thinking about using an underpad...

In my travels this past week, I struck up a conversation with a head mechanic at one of the bike shops I visited.  This gentleman does very long rides, even in the winter.  It is not uncommon to ride 4 hours in below freezing weather.  He shared a few secrets on how he stayed warm.  Most of the things I had heard of, but one thing he mentioned, I thought, was ingenious and I had never heard before.

He buys underpads from Walgreens, cuts them in half and then puts this pad against his chest, underneath his base layer.  The layer provides 2 functions:  It first wicks sweat to keep the rider dry, especially when the rider is going with the wind.  Next, it provides addional insulation and wind protection.  For him, after 2 hours, the pad is wet and he needs to change it.  So if you are going for a long ride, make sure you bring the other half with you in a ziploc bag.

I look forward to trying this trick.

Neti Pot

As I promised, here is the solution to your problem if you have sinus issues.  If you told me 5 years ago that I would be proponent of pouring water in one nostril so that it could come out the other one, I would have though you were nuts.  I think I am like a lot of people.  I have allergies and at various times during the fall and winter, I am prone to having sinus infections.  I did like most people...  I would try to take care of myself and if the sinus infection got too bad, I went to the doctor and got antibiotics.  Most of the time, I would be able to get rid of the problem with decongestant, antihistamine and lots of water, but more and more of the time, I needed antibiotics to get rid of the infection.  Or at least I thought I did.

A couple of years ago, I became aware of the neti pot and thought it would help, but I couldn't bring myself to try it.  Then a friend of mine kept nagging me to try it.  She kept telling me that it would really helped and how much it had helped her.  She was kind of out there with alternative medicine, so I really started to doubt it a bit.  But I finally relented and tried it.  I committed to using it to attempt to rid myself of a minor sinus infections and it worked.  I was sold from that time on.

It takes a little practice to get it right.  You need to have the correct head tilt.  Too far one way, the water runs down your throat, too far another and it runs into your ear and worst of all, if you tilt your head too far forward, the water runs into the sinus cavities.  You DON'T want that.  It only took me a couple of times to figure it out and I only put my head too far forward ONCE.

Give it a try.  You won't regret it.

Sinus Infection (& Exercise)

I have been struggling with a sinus infection this past week and it has been getting worse.  Of course, am I doing anything about it?  Well, off and on, but not as much as I should be doing.  Now it is worse than it has been all week.  I know the recipe to get rid of it, but I haven't been doing it consistently.  The recipe I have used in the past that works is:

- neti pot
- decongestant
- lots of water

I am prone to sinus infections, usually getting one or two every winter, so what is my trigger for getting them?  I always suspected that my allergies were the problem as mold in the house increases starting in October, but I did some reading today and discovered that my suspicions were correct.  So I have added:

- antihistamine

to the recipe.  What I was really looking for this morning was whether I should exercise with a sinus infection.  I saw many suggestions:

- exercise is fine if you are sick above the neck
- cutback to 50% effort if you are sick above the neck

Since I had been feeling a little dragged-out with the sinus infection, I have been laying off exercise for most of this week.  One article I read that really surprised me was one that talked about 2 little known studies.  In these studies, the participants had colds and exercised.  What they found was that exercise has no effect on how fast someone gets over a cold.  While a sinus infection isn't exactly a cold, it is similar in its symptoms.  One thing I read in the article that really struck a chord with me was that "during exercise, the sinuses expand".  With this information, I am going to add this to my recipe:

- exercise followed immediately by using the neti pot

If you don't know what a neti pot is, keep your eyes on my blog as I will be writing an article regarding it soon.  Probably later today or tomorrow.

I love my Garmin Edge

I am in my 3rd week of the 90 Day Fitness Blaster at Cyclo-Club.  I was looking at the Forums and someone mentioned programming the workouts into their Garmin Edge.  I always knew that this was possible but never bothered to do the programming.  This guy had actually done the programming and posted them for download.  That was really nice of him!!  Only problem was that he was doing a different plan than I was.  I am doing the Advanced plan.  Should I be doing the Advanced plan instead of the intermediate plan?  Probably, but that is for another discussion.  But I digress...

So, I thought I would try programming in the workouts and see how they worked.  Wow!! It really helps make the time pass by and make sure I stay on track with my workout.  It is also impossible for me to extend out my recovery like I would do if a little computer wasn't making sure I stayed on track.  "I'm not ready for the next interval... (pant, pant or my legs are too tired) just 15 more seconds and then I will start the next interval."

Anyway, if you have a Garmin Edge, give it a try.  It is really easy to program the different parts of the workout.  You can even schedule the workouts on the Garmin.  It has become a very effective training tool, especially while on the trainer when riding miles on end can get very boring.

Oh, and one more thing... Yes, I have had to have my Garmin replaced twice.  I got mine right after they came out, and the first batch evidently had some connections that would eventually come loose.  Not sure about the next one, but in both cases Garmin replaced them at no cost.  While your mileage may vary, I have been very happy with the way Garmin has treated me as a valued customer.

Now time to go put it too use this morning.

Definition of Insanity

Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting something different.

Albert Einstein

I have found so many applications of this quote since the beginning of the year with regards to my weight, training, business and many other things.  Here are some examples:

- Weight - I have used LeannessLifestyle.com to lose weight and have been very successful while using.  In this case, I want the same results so I should do the same thing.  I have looked into other ways to lose weight but just recently decided I should just use what I know works!

- Training - Let's see... last year, I figured out that not riding much was bad for my fitness and bad for my weight.  Ok, that isn't rocket science.  The year before, I didn't workout much in the offseason and my in season fitness wasn't as good.  So I determined that working out in the off-season was going to happen this year to make riding and racing much more enjoyable.  Also, when I did workout in the off-season 3 winters ago, I had my best season, but I feel it could have been better.  This is why I am doing Cyclo-club this year which focuses more on improving strength than my previous off season plans.

- Business - unless you have been living under a rock, the economy isn't doing great and many businesses have been affected including the bike business.  I have been encouraging my shops to try something different.  Whether it be social networking, email marketing, off-season indoor workouts at the shop, sales (clean-out or close-out), or seminars, many shops are trying something different to increase their business.  Still others are improving the way they do the things they do by improving their stores or doing more of something that they have found success with.  Still others are not doing anything different and are hoping for different results.

So what is important to you and you want to change or have better results?  Are you doing anything about it and to improve your results?

Training Tools - Cyclo-Club

As you can tell from my previous posts, I am making a personal "comeback" this year... comeback for me to get back to my fitness/cycling level of 2 years ago and hopefully, beyond where I was at that time.  One of the tools I am using is Cyclo-Club.  I have actually been a member for quite some time, but I hadn't really used the tools much.  This off-season is a different story.  While I have been mainly using the Cyclo-Core and Cyclo-Zen exercises, I plan on using its many other features like Cyclo-Spin, -Speed, -Core on the go & -Fuel over the next couple of months.  On top of those features, there are 7 day bootcamps for climbing and weightloss to jumpstart those areas.  There are so many resources.  I am currently using the advanced 12 week offseason training program and the 90 Day Fitness Booster resources.  Especially helpful is sharing the experiences in the Forum with others on the same journey.

The person putting this all together is Graeme Street.  While some may think he is "quirky", the bottom line is that he is passionate about what he does.  I also enjoy that this is coming from an Everyday Cyclist who can relate to what is required to improve for the majority of us that are not as athletically gifted as an elite cyclist.

Anyway, I am really enjoying being part of this online community and all of the cycling resources it offers are helping make me stronger this off-season.  I can already tell it has made a difference.  I still have a long way to go, but my fitness and strength have already improved.

I am looking forward to continuing the training plan and being in great shape come April.  Should be perfect timing for a Spring training trip that includes quite a bit of climbing.

Last but not least, Graeme is going to be available to anyone who calls in to his hotline tomorrow from 7am - 10am EST to answer your questions about training and nutrition.  Here is the information:

  Everyday Cyclist in Need HOTLINE!

Got cycling questions? Need some help with a goal? Ask them LIVE this coming Thursday from 7-10 AM EST. Ten minutes per caller. Please call prepared. (860-767-7558)

"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse."

I heard this quote a few weeks ago and it really made me think about what is important to me.  I know that I want to be in better shape for racing my bike this summer, so why do I find it difficult to fit my workouts into my busy day?  Why do I find it easier to make bad diet choices rather than better ones?

It all comes down to focusing on the present vs. focusing on the future benefits of my decisions.  I realized that I need to remember how much better exercise makes me feel and how much more fun group rides are during the summer when I am in better shape.

I have been a member of LeannessLifestyle.com and one of the things that they say is very important in realizing one's goals is to have a very strong "why" and reviewing it often.  I always knew that a good "why" statement was important, but I now realize that it is extremely important.  The more realize what is important to you and review it, the more likely you are to make better decisions to reach your goals, no matter what they are.

Does this mean that one won't have set backs and make bad decisions?  No, but it gives one a better chance of making a better decision more often.

How is this affecting my life?  I am making better diet decision more often; not all the time, but more often.  Still a work in progress.  Also, I am exercising more.  I need to do more and more consistently, but it is progress.

Good luck to everyone else in making better decisions in 2010. I am going to get on my bike/trainer right now!

Doctor sentenced to 5 years in prison for assaulting bicyclists in Brentwood

Well, the drama regarding the two cyclists and the doctor in California is over after over a year. The doctor after apologizing to the cyclists was sentenced to 5 years. Considering he was convicted of basically assault w/ a deadly weapon, battery and reckless driving, this was a stiff sentence and a big win for cyclists rights.

When reading the comments to the article on the LA Times website, it makes me sad that there are still extremists on both sides of the issue. Some people complain that it is outrageous that he was given such a heavy sentence for braking hard while others complain it was too light for "attempted murder". Both statements and statements like them are completely ridiculous. This was a fair sentence to a man that had a prior incident involving cyclists showing a pattern of this behavior.

One thing the good doctor did say that made sense was that anytime you escalate the hostilities, things get worse. Would he have done this had not the cyclists given him the bird? We will never know, but it couldn't have heard. I understand what it is like to get mad when you are almost run off the road or almost hit. It gets your blood boiling, but it is up to us as cyclists to respond in a way that won't escalate the issue. Get the license plate... call the police... have a conversation with the person if you can. Unfortunately, the only way we as cyclists will get the respect we deserve is to be the bigger person. When confronted with an irate driver, I have made it a habit to smile and wave. You acknowledge that you understand the driver is not happy with what they think you did while not escalating the situation. When the driver throws something at you or comes extremely close to hitting you, get the license plate and report it to the police. If you come across an officer that is unsympathetic to cyclists, ask for another officer or their sargeant. Most of the time, you will find an officer willing to take a report.

With all that said, cyclists need to realize that over 99% of all drivers are considerate to cyclists. How many cars have passed you vs. how many have almost run you off the road or honked at you? Cyclists should not generalize that car drivers are bad. At the same time, drivers need to realize that most cyclists are considerate to cars.

Let's all sing Kum-ba-yah.