CYCLO90 Day Challenge

CYCLO90 Day Challenge

I just signed up for this.  I am looking forward to starting my challenge.  I think of this as P90X for the bike.  It is the fastest way I know of to train on minimal time with maximum effect.

Hopkins Park Cross and Asthma

2011 new Verizon phone - which one should I get?

I have been using a Blackberry for over a little over 3 years now and have been relatively happy.  With that said, as with many things, the grass seems greener on the other side sometimes.  With the iPhone coming to Verizon (or so the rumors say) and the Android coming of age and with 4G here with new 4G phones on the way, what phone should I get for 2011.

So, what do I like about my current Blackberry Tour:
- The keyboard.  I have tried other touch screen keyboards, but I never felt comfortable with them.  Also, I never liked the slide out keyboards, except the Torch (which isn't available on Verizon).
- The notifications.  I like the ability to look at a glance and see if I have new email, gmail, facebook or twitter messages in the notification bar.  I also like the flashing led which tells me when I have a message.
- I have it set up like I want it.  I have my work and personal email separate which I like.  While I don't have push email, I also don't have to pay an additional $15 a month to have that feature and I have still been able to receive calendar entries wirelessly through emails.
- The simplicity.  What the Blackberry does it does well.

What don't I like about my Blackberry Tour:
- The hour glass.  When I really need it to work, it hangs and locks up.  Honestly, if this wasn't happening, I probably wouldn't be writing this blog entry.  So you say, get a Bold and it will solve all your problems.  This is probably true, except technology has come a long way since the Bold came out and if I am going to make a change, might as well consider my other options.
- GPS, again, when I really need it to work, it seems to stop working.  I use Google Maps all the time for my job to get from point A to point B the quickest way possible.  Also, I wish Google provided more of a navigation app for the Blackberry like they do for the Android.  I don't want to pay 9.99 a month for VZ Navigator.
- Flash:  it doesn't have it at all.  This isn't a huge deal, but it is a nice to have if I could show flash videos on my phone when they are sent to me.
- Touch Screen:  while I am all about short cuts, it would still be very helpful if I could just point to navigate instead of a roller ball or track pad.

So, why not just get an iPhone when it comes out, you say?  There are a couple of reasons why I won't get an iPhone:
- no removable battery.  With all the things I do during the day, I need to make sure my phone is always available.  Also, I sometimes forget to plug in my car charger so my battery goes dead.  I won't give up the peace of mind of having a back up battery available.  Also, when the battery does give up, I do not want to be without my phone for a couple of days and $89 to Apple)
- no expandable memory.  This is unacceptable to me.  I don't want to pay for more memory than I currently need just because I might need it someday.  Memory is constantly getting less expensive.  I want to pay for it as I need it.  Also, I want to be able to swap out my microSD cards as I see fit.

I can't get past those 2 items.  I believe that both design decisions were made by Apple as built in planned obsolescence.  From my engineering background, this is unacceptable.

So, basically it is either Blackberry or Android.  What is attractive about the Android:
- Flash
- widgets
- more applications
- Mi Fi (or whatever you want to call it)

I can't wait for what devices get announced at CES this coming week.  Based on those announcements, I will be making a device change sometime later this year.  Looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time.

I know all 3 groups have the advocates and dissenters.  Chime in with your opinion.

Take 2... New Year's Resolutions

Good morning to everyone.  It is 1/1/11 and time for New Year's resolutions.  This year, I have decided to keep it real simple:  get on my bike more.  I signed up for a goal of 4022 miles on DailyMile.com and will make that goal a priority.  Just trying to keep it simple.

Another priority for 2011 is to lose weight, but I will not be making a significant effort to lose weight until February.  I want to make the riding thing a habit again.  Also, I am sure I will lose some weight with the increase in exercise as the amount of riding I will be doing should cause me to lose a minimum of 1 lb a week.

A distant 2nd priority is to provide more entries in my blog this year.  I got off to a good start last year, but only for January.  I will broaden my topics here to go beyond cycling and training.  I expect my next entry to be about my next smartphone choice.

So what are your priorities this year?

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.

Re: I got hacked --> Gmail fix

I just got a very helpful suggestion.  There is a way to make sure that every session of Gmail is secure.  Make sure you use https instead of http at the start of the web address.  You can change a setting in Gmail so that it defaults to this.

 

Hope that helps someone else.  It helped me.

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 8:42 AM, Scott Van Maldegiam <vanmald@gmail.com> wrote:

Sorry about this email.  My email account was hacked by a guy in China.  I have since changed my password and other settings that should help prevent this.

 

DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK IN THIS EMAIL.  I haven't tried, but since it is from a source I don't trust, I wasn't going to risk it.

 

If anyone has any specific instructions on how to prevent this in the future, other than changing my password, please let me know.

 

Thanks for your understanding.

 

Scott

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 3:39 AM, Scott Van Maldegiam <vanmald@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi!
Dear friend:
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,bag,chanel,Lv,HandBags,Wallets,Belts ,Scarf,Jewelry,Watches … … Let
you enjoy to 100%satisfactions! Our website is :
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I got hacked --> Re: Please check your e-mail

Sorry about this email.  My email account was hacked by a guy in China.  I have since changed my password and other settings that should help prevent this.

 

DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK IN THIS EMAIL.  I haven't tried, but since it is from a source I don't trust, I wasn't going to risk it.

 

If anyone has any specific instructions on how to prevent this in the future, other than changing my password, please let me know.

 

Thanks for your understanding.

 

Scott

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 3:39 AM, Scott Van Maldegiam <vanmald@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi!
Dear friend:
We are business is selling all kinds of famous brand
,bag,chanel,Lv,HandBags,Wallets,Belts ,Scarf,Jewelry,Watches … … Let
you enjoy to 100%satisfactions! Our website is :
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Hosting Aaron's Pro Cycling Team

My family and I had the great pleasure of hosting the Aaron's pro cycling team this weekend for the National Criterium Championships. This is the third year my family has done so and we really enjoy it. They are very enjoyable to be around, socializing with my whole family including my young son and daughter. A teammate of mine hosted a few of the riders from the team and they really enjoyed their family's dog. They share their stories and enjoy our stories, as well. It is a rewarding experience and one that we will continue year after year. Thanks Carmen, Brian, Kat, Meredith, and Erica for staying with us. Also, thanks to Rebecca, Carmen and Anna who stayed at my teammates house.

So, in summary, we had a blast this weekend!! So... how do you get started hosting a team? I am not sure the best way, but I can let you know how we did it. When Elk Grove was planning their first cycling event, I found out they were looking for host families. I talked to my wife about it and we decided to take a chance. We were given a choice on hosting 2 couples from different teams or to take 6 people from one team. We decided to take in 5 riders and 1 director. It ended up being only 5 because one of the team members stayed with a friend. It was a great decision we made. We had a wonderful time. We have continued every year since.

I know that Superweek was looking for host families this year. I would imagine there are still opportunities to host teams for Elk Grove and Downers Grove. I would suggest contacting Special Events Management and/or Elk Grove Village Hall regarding being a host family if you are interested. I have yet to hear of someone having a bad experience.

Please feel free to leave your host family experiences in the comments.

Thanks!!

Quite a few of my fellow cyclist friends have congratulaged me on my job with Giant. Thanks; it has meant a lot to me. Obviously, I am very happy about the opportunity, but others who know my love of cycling seemed more excited about my opportunity than I did and that is pretty hard to do.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who threw a "congrats" my way. I really appreciate it.

2 more things... Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Giant bikes and No, I cannot get you deal on a Giant bike :-). I will appreciate you patronizing your local Giant Dealer, thought :-).

New Job

I am so happy... I got a new job. I now am the Chicago Account Executive for Giant Bicycles. This is a job I have wanted for a long time and I am so excited to join a great company. I will try not to make this blog an advertisement for Giant, but it will be hard especially given their 2009 road bikes. They are awesome.

I am currently at "The Link" which is Giant's bike dealer event. I have had the opportunity to ride a few of the new bikes and I was blown away. Every road bike wants stiffness, comfort (compliance), and light weight. Comfort was the most evident, but stiffness and weight were also obvious benefits. For those of you that know me, I can't climb worth a damn. I went up a 700 ft. climb with an average 8.5% grade and made it. It was still hard, especially being at altitude, but I don't think I would have been able to do it on my current bike.

Needless to say, I am very excited about Giant's products, people, and my new responsibilities.

Fantasy Cycling Team - I didn't win but...

I played the Tour de France Fantasy Cycling game on the Versus website sponsored by Kenda. I spent a pretty good amount of time selecting the right combination of riders in order to maximize my results while staying within their spending limit. In retrospect, I may have put too much focus on TT riders, but my overall results exceeded my expectations!!

From over 20,000 people who played, I finished 66. I didn't win anything, but I can at least say I beat all the Versus announcer guys. If you played the game, you can view the top 100 finishers of each stage as well as the top 100 for the tournament period (stage 5-21).

If they do it again, I will play again next year, but I think this year's result will be hard to top.

Landis Decision preannouncement

CAS has announced that they will release their decision regarding Floyd Landis on 6/30/2008 at 10am CDT. I am very interested to find out what their decision is and what they have to say about it.

Back on the bike

I rode for the first time in about 2 weeks and it felt great to be back on the bike. The shoulder was sore, but the pain was muted by the joy of riding again. I rode 67 miles in my first ride back. I wouldn't recommend doing this for most the first ride back after an injury, but it worked for me.

Anyway, it is great to be back on the bike. I won't be racing until the end of July due to the injury and family commitments so I have plenty of time to train to be ready for the heart of the season.

Also, you should be seeing a few more blog posts from me from articles I have been reading.