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.

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.

Crash and Wound Care

Well, as they say, it isn't if, it is when.... I crashed today on our club's group ride. I won't bore you with the details. The basics are someone crashed up ahead of me and it caught my attention and the person in front of me moved to the left and slowed down to get away from the crash and crossed my front wheel. Down I went and in a hurry. Shoulder hit first and then my head. I have a bit of road rash, but the shoulder is the worst as I know I at least sprained it. I don't know when I will be back on the bike but I expect to ride at least easy rides in a few days, but probably won't race at Sherman Park like I expected to. Anyway, it could have been a lot worse and my bike seems to be no worse for wear. I will take it to Spin Doctor Cyclewerks on Monday to get a full check to make sure there isn't any damage.

With that out of the way, one of the guys in the club has a lot more road rash. My wife helped him get acquanted with the more recent advances in wound care. He only had gauze on the wound which isn't the best. Anyway, here is a rundown in what I use for road rash based on personal experience as well as doctor care and my own personal research.

- If I have a very deep road rash wounds, I start by using non-stick gauze and silvadene creme. Silvadene is by prescription only, but doctors usually have no problems prescribing it. On top of being effective, the creme feels GREAT going on.

- If you aren't concerned about changing bandages often, you can start with Tegaderm, but normally I wait until my road rash isn't seeping a ton so I only have to change it every couple of days. The bandages aren't cheap, but there is nothing like them for effectiveness and simplicity. Tegaderm looks and acts like plastic wrap. It keeps the wound clean and moist which is what you want.

Remember that road rash is nothing but a burn and burns should be kept moist. Also, polysporen and neosporen should not be used. I forget why but it has something to do with killing not just bad bacteria but also inhibiting some of the body's normal healing processes.

By keeping the wound moist, you also minimize the scarring. If you let it go to scab, scarring will be dramatically increased. Speaking of letting it scab up, it will take a lot longer to heal if you let it go to scab, not to mention that the scab will get ripped off at some point and have to reheal itself at least once.

One drawback to Tegaderm and products like it is that you see the wonderful secretions from the wound. Some people can be grossed out by this, but I suggest either wearing pants and/or long sleeve shirts if that is the case.

One product I have tried that many people like is Duoderm. I found that Duoderm leaks too easily. I find with Tegaderm, you can tell when it is time to change the bandage (if you can call it that) to alleviate a "leak". The more margin you have when applying the initial Tegaderm, the longer you can leave it on.

Lastly, you can also find Tegaderm with a gauze pad in the bandage. I don't really think this is anymore effective except that they cover up the secretions so others aren't grossed out.

Please feel free to comment on this post with your own suggestions or comments.

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 3

Wow... Today was a great day! It could have been better, but I am happy with the results and what it could mean for the rest of my season. Also, we could not have asked for a nicer day to race.

This course had about 40 feet of climbing ever lap which was about 3/4 of a mile. The course had 6 turns. The first turn was fine, turn 2 was a bit hairy if you took the wrong line or too fast as it was off a down hill and the exit of the turn had a concrete wall. Turn 3 was also downhill but a much easier turn. Turn 4 and 5 came one right after the other off the downhill. After turn 5, the road turned up with varying grades, with the steepest grade of around 8% right before turn 6. The surprise came after turn 6 going up the false flat to the start finish.

With the hill on the course, I wasn't expecting too much as I am not the lightest rider at about 195 right now. The race started at a pretty easy pace, but it sped up pretty quickly. I concentrated on staying in the top 10. After a few laps, a prime was called. With where the start finish line was, I had no thoughts of taking a prime, but I thought I could help pick up the pace, so I went to the front for the downhill. Well, in turn 2, I learned that you didn't want to take that turn too fast or start the turn too early. I thought I wasn't going to make the turn. I did make the turn, but I had swallow as my heart was up in my throat. On the brighter side, I had a lot of speed that I carried down the course. After turn 6, the guys going for the prime went around me and I tagged on to a few guys that went around.

Pretty much after that, I was just trying to hold position by taking agressive moves on the downhill and just spinning up the hill without giving up too many positions. Over the course of the race, we cut the field down to 12 riders. Mid race, I found a good line to take down the hill, but somehow lost the line as I got more tired. Also, I learned that spinning it up the hill in my 53/23 or 53/25 was the best way to conserve my legs, especially after the previous 2 days of racing.

I ended up coming in at the end of the 12 person group. Considering I felt it was a possibility that I might get dropped, I was happy with the result. I was disappointed that I finished 2 spots out of the money. It is hard to have great results when you have such low expetations and negative thoughts. One guy watching the race noticed that I was actually making up ground on the hill. If I approached the hill with more confidence, I would have been more relaxed and possibly finished better.

With my racing this weekend, I didn't get great results, but I got in great intervals and it gave me a lot of confidence going into the Winfield race weekend.

Wii - great offseason workout??

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!! My family got a Wii for Christmas!! I am not sure who is enjoying it more... the kids or the parents. I played it quite a bit on Christmas, especially perfecting my bowling. I couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning and had a limp. My left butt cheek was really sore. I felt like a wimp and figured it is just because I haven't been working out enough. Then my wife said she had the same issue except her right quad was also really sore (I guess with my biking, that muscle is in better shape than hers). Also, I worked up quite a sweat boxing and playing tennis. I played golf when I wanted to take a break, but then I remembered why I gave up golf: It frustrates the hell out of me although my scores were much better than on an actual golf course.

Also, when you get a chance, take the fitness test. It grades you to a age of your fitness. I got down to my actual age on my second try. Feel free to post your fitness age in the comments.

Anyway, if you need to do a lot of lunges for your off bike work, get on your Wii and start bowling. Just make sure that you learn how to bowl with your weak hand also so that you can do your lunges on your other leg, as well.

Yes, this is somewhat "tongue and cheek", but if it is the only thing that gets you off your butt, then it is better than nothing.

The Psychology of setting goals

In case you haven't figured it out yet, most of the stuff I write about in my blog comes from articles that I read about cycling that really make me think. Today, there was another good article by Josh Horowitz of Liquid Fitness about psychology and setting goals.

The part I found most applicable to me is the part about positive self talk. I think most people who know me think I am a positive person, especially when it comes to cycling. That doesn't mean that I don't have issues with negative self talk. I am a poor climber; I just am. That is my personal belief. Does it have to be that way? No, but if I don't believe I can improve, then it won't happen. This is something I need to work on. Same thing goes for winning a race. If you don't believe you can win it, then you most likely won't. There are exceptions to that one. I won a race once when I thought I was chasing down a one man break with pack in tow in the last lap of crit. I caught the breakaway guy and kept going fully expecting to get passed. I didn't believe it until I crossed the line. A teammate of mine won a race this past year in a downpour. He attacked halfway through the last lap because he didn't want to be around anyone going through the last turn which was an off-camber turn. When he crossed the finish line, he wasn't even sure he had won. But I digress...

Positive self talk does work!! Sure, you feel goofy doing it, but if it works, aren't you willing to look a little silly in order to improve your cycling or any other part of your life?

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5533&status=True

Enjoy the article.

Winter Training: High Intensity vs. Base Building

I was reading an article about high intensity training in the winter at pezcyclingnews.com and it got me thinking about the right way to train over the winter.

The vast majority of cyclists and many coaches believe that the old way is the best way: Lots of base miles in the off-season. Of course, if you live in a warm or moderate climate, than this is a great way to work toward the next season. If you live in a cold climate, the thought of putting in long base miles on the trainer can be a hard pill to swallow. Also, if you are short on time, putting in high intensity work can be a good alternative.

There have been many studies, but the one I found most interesting was the follow up study done by Gibala in 2006. He tested a high intensity training regimen of only 2.5 hours with a more traditional endurance based training of 10.5 hours at 60-65% VO2peak. The result was that both training regimens produced similar results. They determined this by measuring muscle glycogen levels and the concentration of key enzymes in the aerobic metabolic pathway.

More work is required in order to adapt these results into real-life training plans, but it does indicate that using high intensity workouts in the off-season can provide some of the same benefits that base building does. The key is to use the high intensity workouts in moderation.

You can find the article here: High Intensity Training 2007: Latest Evidence

Good luck in your off season training!!

Finding Time to Workout

Do you have trouble finding time to workout this time of year? I know, the holidays, kids activities, work, etc. keep you really busy, but that is no excuse to not finding the time to workout. It is a matter of time management and prioritization. Here are a few suggestions:

• Do you watch a lot of TV? If so, substitute a bike ride for TV watching or watch TV while riding your trainer.
• Is work 15 miles or less away? Consider commuting to work by bike a few days a week. It will take a bit to learn (clean up, routes, clothes, etc.), but once you do, you will wonder why you hadn't done it before.
• Do you spend a lot of time on the internet? Get on the trainer!!
• Schedule your ride time into your day and don't miss your appointment.
• What else in your daily routine is less important than you health and fitness?

The bottom line is that it is up to you to prioritize the important things in your life. So, if you think you are too busy to get on the bike, reevaluate. I bet that there is time during the day to at least get on your trainer for 30 minutes. Remember, cycling is a sport of momentum; the more you ride, the more you WILL ride.

Lastly, if you are working toward goals for next year, then it is imperative that you start your training for next year NOW. Don't wait. I am speaking from experience of doing it both ways. Last winter, I didn't workout much at all and I wasn't as good as I should have been come summer. I was kicking myself the whole year, not to mention, my confidence wasn't there. If you start now, you will be impressing your riding buddies come spring and you will have the confidence to have your best year ever on the bike!! Good luck in your training.

Cold Weather Riding: Why are we slower?

If you remember my first post about Cold Weather Riding, it originated from a USA Cycling Coach that was posting the question. It talked about why the rider was slower.

Since then, I have noticed the same phenomenon and just attributed it to being a little out of shape at the start of the off season workouts. While that is partially true, it is not the biggest reason. I stumbled across a thread on Bike Journal that referenced this article:

Slower in Winter?

Basically, due to increased wind resistance from wearing more clothes and the higher density of air at colder temps, we have to work harder in order to achieve the same speed. The factor the article states is anywhere from 15 to 30 percent. For me, I think the difference is less than 15 percent but more than 10. Check out the article; it is an interesting read. It certainly makes me feel better about my recent workouts.

Also, check out the Cold Weather Riding article on my club's website:

32 Suggestions for bicycling when it’s Thirty-two

Lastly, check out another tidbit about Cold Weather Riding that is especially important to those looking to lose weight:

Nutrition for Cold Weather Exercise

The crux of the article is that fat utilization is decreased when riding in cold temps. The article describes why. So, if you are trying to lose weight, consider using the trainer more than outside rides in the winter in order to maximize fat loss.

Gatorade - they like me... they really like me :-)

Sorry, I couldn't resist being goofy with the title to this entry. Anyway, Gatorade let me know that they accepted me into their pool of cyclists available for their studies. I am excited about this since it seems like a lot of people who come in to be screened don't pass a part of the stress test. On the day I was tested, there a few other people scheduled (I think 3 others) and I was the only one to pass the stress test. Also, I know of one other person on a different day where the stress test was stopped in the middle because the person became slightly hypertensive (increase in blood pressure above normal). And this person is the last person you would have thought wouldn't have passed; very lean and in great shape.

So I post this information for 2 reasons: One, because I am very happy to be, what seems to be, one of the few that gets approved and two, I don't want anyone who is thinking about going through the process to get their hopes up.

Since Gatorade has a non-disclosure, I most likely won't be able to share my experiences of the actual testing with all of you. On the other hand, I will ask so I might be able to share some info.

Cold Weather Riding: How is it different?

Over the last week or so, the USA Cycling Coaching yahoo group has been discussing cold weather riding. It all started when one of the coaches presented a question about a junior rider who said that he didn't feel as powerful riding in the cold. There were many good possibilities as to why the rider was feeling this way as well as solutions to each of these issues. I will summarize a number of issues that come up with cold weather riding.

- Clothing / Staying Warm. This is the most obvious thing that is different when riding in the cold. Most people can figure this out. You must dress in layers and feel slightly cold when first starting on a ride. Also, keeping hands and feet warm are the biggest challenge. See my previous post on my new winter gloves. Here are the things I hadn't thought of:

- Wear bib tights. This prevents bunching of tucked in layers around the waist. With reduced bunching, sweat doesn't gather thus not causing a rider to get chilled. The dryer a rider is, the less chance of getting chilled.

- Go out on a ride and get cold. You know how in the spring a lot of people start wearing shorts when it barely turns 60. This is because our bodies have been conditioned for the cold over the long winter. Cold weather riding is the same thing. The more you go out and ride in the cold, the more your body will get used to it.

- Line your helmet with something to keep the wind out. Along with a good skull cap or balaclava, lining your helmet with plastic or covering it with tape, will help to keep the air out. Those vents are used to help you stay cool so if you cover them up, it will help you stay warmer.

- Focus on nutrition. In the winter, our bodies don't receive the same amount of Vitamin D due to less sun exposure which can lead to a deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency can cause overall achiness, muscle soreness and the feeling of decreased power. Also, Vitamin D is related to Calcium absorption so Vitamin D deficiency can lead to other problems. The best way to alleviate this is to take a good multi-vitamin, especially in the winter.

- Focus on hydration. As we head into cooler weather, our thirst mechanism seems to be turned down a bit. I know I have trouble making sure I drink enough in the fall on and off the bike. While the amount you drink while riding can be reduced a bit due to lower sweat rates, the amount you drink off the bike should probably be increased a bit due to the low humidity environments in the winter.

- Increased chance of getting sick. Riding outside in the cold has its own set of problems. In the Fall, riders with asthma and/or allergies tend to have more problems. Also, as the temperature drops, some riders tend to have noses that run all the time. These problems can lead to Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI). If you have any of these problems, make sure you take care of your sinuses. One solution that has worked is a neti pot. Decongestants can help also once you feel a URTI coming on.

- Looser fitting tights. Some people develop knee problems because tights or leg warmers do not allow the knee to move the same while cycling. This is caused by increased pressure of the tights on the knee cap. If you have this problem, try looser fitting tights or make sure your tights are not pushing the knee cap up or down.

- Appetite. You may notice that you are hungrier while riding or after riding. This is due to 2 things. Generally, winter rides are not the hammer fests that you may be used to in the summer. Also, in the summer, your body doesn't want to waste time digesting food because it is too busy keeping you cool and keeping your muscles working. In the winter, your body isn't worried so much about keeping you cool and thus your appetite is increased.

I am sure I have left out some issues, but hopefully this will help you to keep riding through the winter. Feel free to add thoughts in the comments.

Cornering and Other Skills Info

I was contemplating what I wanted to talk about in my entry today. Yeah, I know I need to write up my last race report of the year, but I will do that tomorrow. Today I was looking at the Chicago Bike Racing website and the latest entry was a riding tip. BTW, that website is full of great information and tips for beginning and experienced riders. Check it out.

Anyway, I started thinking about the skill that made me a better racer and that was cornering. Once I learned the David Phinney way of cornering, I was able to corner much faster. In short, his technique is basically tucking in your inside knee toward the top tube. That was the piece that was missing for me. Evidently, this tucking of the inside leg turns your hips which helps to counter steer the bike. I was already putting my weight on my outside foot and pushing in with my outside thigh. So, where did I read about this technique? I am not sure where I first read about it, but the easiest way to get a full description about this technique is by signing up for the roadbikerider.com email newsletter.

If you sign up for this newsletter, they give you a pdf file that contains 29 pro secrets. I wouldn't exactly call them secrets, but the document is full of valuable information about training, sprinting, cornering, etc. The document details the cornering technique and gives examples of some drills that will help to reinforce the technique.

So, what is this newsletter? It is a weekly newsletter that provides an update on all things cycling including everything that went on in pro racing over the prior week, a couple of articles on training and equipment, and an comedic article that, to me, is the most entertaining article in the newsletter. I really enjoy it; I read it every week. They also have a premium site that you can subscribe to if you are interested.

Anyway, if you sign up for the email newsletter (did I tell you it was free?), you will receive the document that has the info on the cornering technique. Or you can search the internet under "Davis Phinney Cornering Technique". I know their is at least one more entry that describes the technique.

Here is the link for subscribing to the Road Bike Rider newsletter:

http://www.roadbikerider.com/

Key Off-Season Objectives

Flexibility, Core Strength and Leg Strength. These are areas that every serious cyclist should be looking to improve in the off-season. So what will each one do for you:

1. Flexibility - increase your power output - especially when TT'ing, reduce the risk of injury.

2. Core Strength - increase your power output, improve bike handling.

3. Leg Strength - increase your power output.

As you can see, increasing power output is common to improving in all these areas and isn't that what we all want. Three is a no brainer except for maybe the most elite level of cyclists. Most people know about #2, but may not do anything about it. With #1, most people understand the importance of stretching, but may not understand that lack of flexibility will hamper our muscles ability to operate correctly and thus, produce less power.

Anyway, this is what my athletes will be working on for the last few months of the year while still getting in their share of miles. Here are a few links for core exercises and other off bike work:

http://training.active.com/TransactionManager/viewPlan.do;jsessionid=537108FCFD7AEFC4E69B431A9F3F8C25?tpId=146 (be sure to click on the "strength training" days to bring up more detail)

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1138272038/bctid958475643 (from Fit Chick at Bicycling Magazine)

http://www.coreperformance.com/eodArchive.php?p=1&s=3 (Exercises of the Day from Core Performance)

These three sources should give you plenty of exercises to choose from to constantly challenge your body to adapt.

Group Rides... help or hinderance?

This is a question I have struggled with for a long time. I have a structured training plan, but I enjoy my 3 group rides every week. I have a hard time getting in the workouts I am supposed to riding these 3 group rides every week. I am a coach so I know what I am supposed to do, but that doesn't mean I always do what I should. As my parents used to say "Don't do as I do; do as I say." :-)

The problem with group rides is that the are unstructured and impossible to accomplish the specific tasks that your training plan calls for. Of course, there are some exceptions like when the group ride is a recovery ride and you need that. Also, there are "training" rides where a group of riders get together and agree on a specific purpose for the ride that agrees with their training plans. Training rides have structure while group rides do not.

For me, I need to make a change next year. While I will continue to do my 70 mile Saturday Club Ride, I will need to think about what I will do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I really want next year to be a break through season for me, so I need to make some changes.

You may ask, why I am thinking about this at the end of the season. I read an article on Pez Cycling News that talked about this very subject. That article can be found here:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5336&status=True

Let me know what you think about this topic.

Gatorade Sports Science Institute

A couple of weeks ago, I was told about an opportunity at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). They were looking for competitive cyclists for a number of studies. If you were accepted, they would pay you $25 an hour to participate. Hmmm... "I am going to workout anyway, but they will pay me for it? How can I lose?"

So, today I went in for my stress test. Their facility is in Barrington right accross from Barrington High School on Lake Cook Road. A 30 minute drive from Bartlett.

So, I went in, got changed into my shorts and filled in some paperwork. After taking my blood pressure, they wired me up for the test. I should mention that if your BP is too high, they won't even conduct the test. Mine was 130/80. I am not sure if this disqualifies you completely or if you can come back, but if you can't complete the stress test due to a high BP, they won't accept you. But I digress...

Once they wired me up, they had me hop up on the treadmill... yes, treadmill. I haven't run for a workout in... I can't remember when. My thing is cycling; that is what I like to do. This made the test pretty darn hard considering I was using muscles I haven't used in a long time. Anyway, they start you out easy. Every 3 minutes, the treadmill speeds up AND the incline gets higher. The speed I could handle, but the incline was killing my calves as they are really tight. By the time the treadmill got to a speed to run, my calves were on fire and it felt like I was running up the Hideaway Hill. For those that aren't familiar, this hill averages about 14%. I am sure the treadmill was closer to 6-8%, but it didn't feel that way. It reminded me why I don't like to run. Anyway, I got through it and had decent results. Most importantly, I was ok'd for participation in their studies. I have one more test. I have blood work that needs to be scheduled since I indicated that my last cholesterol test was a bit high (around 240). That test was taken in March after 6 months of eating bad and sitting on my ass all winter. I will be curious to see what my new test says.

A couple of final thoughts: I think this is a great opportunity for anyone who has the time to participate in the studies. I just got a free stress test which gave me a clean bill of health and I will end up getting a free cholesterol check because of my disclosure of high cholesterol. After all that, they are going to pay me to test their product while working out in their lab. Sounds pretty cool to me. Plus, the Linda who sets everything up, the Linda who helps run the test and the other woman (sorry, can't remember her name) who takes your blood pressure are all extremely nice. I really had an enjoyable experience; at least as enjoyable an experience as you can getting your butt kicked during a stress test.

If you are a competitive cyclist and are interested in participating in the GSSI studies, send me an email at vanmald@gmail.com and I can put you in touch with Linda from GSSI.

Patellar Tendonitis - Jumpers Knee

After the ride last night, a few of us were discussing one of Spin Doctor Cyclewerks Cycling Club's (SDCCC) member's knee problems. I remember coming across this article that I figured would be helpful to those struggling with knee pain. Patellar Tendonitis is pain in the front of the knee and the pain mostly occurs after the ride when soft tissue tightens up.

I had this problem when I played basketball. All the pounding I took would gradually wear on the tendon so near the end of my seasons in high school, I would have to ice my knees after practices and games. It was manageable mostly because there was an end to the season so my knee could recover.

A few interesting observations from the article, they mention cleat allignment as a possible cause of the pain. If you have free float pedals, such as Speed Play, you reduce your chances of having knee problems. I know Speed Plays solved my knee problems.

Also, bike fit is mentioned as a solution. Greg at Spin Doctor Cyclewerks has a Fit Kit and a Waterford fit bike. If you are having physical pain from riding your bike, go get a bike fit.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5310&status=True

Added 9/22/07:

Greg from Spin Doctor Cyclewerks was mentioning he read my blog and also mentioned that he has a special tool that will align your cleat to maximize efficiency. The device shows if you are moving your foot a lot during your pedal stroke. He will modify the cleat alignment in order to minimize your foot movement. This will also help keep your knees nice and happy :-).

Your Mind: Nutrition & Training

I recently came across a couple of articles on the mind of an athlete. One focused on nutrition for the brain and the other on training the mind.

With regards to nutrition, the article talks about all the different vitamins, minerals and fats that are important to the brain. What I basically determined from the article is that taking a good Omega 3 supplemnet (salmon fish oil is supposed to be the best, but flax is also a good source) and a good multi-vitamin are important to maintain top brain function. When training, your body is using a lot of the nutrients you take in so a good multi-vitamin is important. I take Premium Insurance Caps from Hammer. This pack of multivitamins also supplements your Amino Acids. I covered the importance of that in my previous post.

With regards to training the mind, it is important to be able to control your stress and anxiety levels and also to work at eliminating negative thoughts. I can relate to both of these issues. I am working at keeping my heart rate to a manageable level at the start line because it has a tendency to increase well above my physical exertion level. Also, while I am generally a positive person, I also find myself with negative thoughts. For example, I didn't do as well as I would have liked in a recent race and I said after the race to my teammate "I suck". I said it kidding around, but I half meant it. Negative thoughts like that do not help and need to be eliminated from your mind. The article takes you through a process to help eliminate these negative thoughts. One of the techniques used is positive affirmations. When I think of positive affirmations, all I can think of is that Saturday Night Live skit. You know the one... "Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, dog gone it, people like me". As quirky as that skit made positive affirmations out to be, they have been proven to work.

Anyway, here are links to the interesting articles:

http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/13178.0.html

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5287&status=True

The Importance of Glutamine Supplementation

I have been using the products EFS and Ultragen from 1st Endurance. Ultragen has been great, but the first few times I used EFS, it gave me what I would call "rot gut". The last few times have been great so maybe my stomach has adapted. Anyway, in my interest of their products, I subscribed to their newsletter which I found to be very informative and reinforced many of the things I have learned from Hammer's website.

In 1st Endurance's latest newsletter, they discuss the importance of Amino Acids. Also called Branched Chain Amino Acids, or BCAA's, these are very important to the body during and after exercise. Of particular importance is Glutamine.

Glutamine is especially important because it fuels our immune system and can be significantly depleted during prolonged intense exercise. Most of the time, the three Spin Doctor Cyclewerks group rides each week could all be classified as prolonged intense exercise. Keeping adequate glutamine levels in the body is especially important to preventing Over Training Syndrome (OTS) and upper respiratory trace infections (URTI / sinus infections).

Over the past 2 years, I have experienced both OTS and URTI's, but especially the URTI's. It didn't seem to matter when I started my training, but just about 3 months after starting serious training, I would get a sinus infection. I think part of this was due to inadequate glutamine supplementation. I also have had OTS at times which were more related to the addition of stress outside of cycling, but I believe glutamine supplementation would have been beneficial in order to prevent my issues with OTS.

So, what should you do? The recommendations from the article are:

1. Supplement with 5 – 10 grams of glutamine during a pre-exercise meal approximately 1-2 hours before a long exhaustive training session (e.g. greater than 3 hours).
2. Supplement with 0.5 - 1.0 gram/hour during training (included in a carbohydrate, electrolyte drink).
3. Supplement with approximately 5 grams of glutamine immediately post-exercise (included in a recovery drink).

Seems like a lot of glutamine, right? Well, I like to keep things simple. Supplementing with glutamine immediately post-exercise using a recovery drink is going to give you your best opportunity to supplement with glutamine. This supplementation will help prevent the greatest threat to your training and improvement: getting sick or OTS. Another point the article makes is to supplement with a full complement of BCAA's in order to keep a balance of BCAA's in the body. Both Recoverite from Hammer and Ultragen from 1st Endurance are good products for immediate post-exercise recovery as they provide adequate amounts of glutamine while many other recovery products provide glutamine in lower amounts.

The article also spends time discussing the benefits of BCAA supplementation during exercise to increase performance. While I agree with their conclusions, I think this is not nearly as important as supplementing during recovery and the article admits that the research is not as clear in this area.

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.firstendurance.com/newsletter_aminoacids_vol5_9.html

Comments are welcome.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog!! You will find 2 main topics of conversation: race reports & cycling. Feel free to post comments. I welcome open debate, constructive criticism, and positive comments.