Training Summary - May'11

This month the weather was weird, it still hasn’t really settled down into a nice warm period. We even had more rain!

I clocked a few more miles on the bike this month. I have started changing my short rides to 18 miles during the week as I build up my long rides on Saturdays. I managed to do a 28 mile ride with some different hills, I really need more hill practice as it was brutal! My legs were tender afterwards and I was expecting to pay for it the next day. To my surprise my legs felt good the following day.

I’m still only managing to get out for one run a week but I did make sure it was a 5k run weekly, I need to get myself out and run more. I ran a nice race at the OC Wahoo’s 5k to start the month off, only a few minutes away my personal best. You can see my race report here.

Summary:
May Bike Miles: 109 Miles
May Running Miles: 10 Miles
May Fitness Workouts: 7 workouts

My plans for June are to run in the Northgate Market Downtown 5k Run in Anaheim on June 11^th and hopefully set a new PR! I want to run at least twice a week for this month and do at least one ride over 30 miles.

Basic Bicycle Maintenance

I’ve been trying to learn how to perform the basic bike maintenance procedures. I want to keep my bike in good condition and make it last as long as I can. So far I’ve come up with the following routine for maintaining my bike.

Weekly


Tires

• Check tires for damage
• Check tire pressure

I do a visual of the tires making sure there are no signs of damage. I use a Planet Bike Dial Air gauge. I use the recommended setting on the tire for PSI.

Chain

• Degrease
• Clean
• Lube

I use Park Tool’s Chain Cleaner with a diluted mixture of Simple Green and water to degrease and clean. I do two passes through the chain cleaner. The first pass is to remove all of the built up gunk and the second to give it a good cleaning. I then lube the chain with Finish Line’s Dry Lube. I use the dry lube as I only ride when it’s dry and it can get quite dusty where I ride.

Clean Bike

• Wipe off dirt with a rag
• Spray bike with diluted washing soap and water (avoiding moving parts)
• Clean the rims of the wheels
• Dry off with a rag

Fortnightly

In addition to my weekly routine, every other week I will also do the following:

Front Derailleur

• Brush off any dirt/particles
• Lube pivots & springs with a little dry lube

Rear Derailleur

• Brush off any dirt/particles
• Lube pivots & springs with a little dry lube

Monthly
This is my main maintenance routine. Once I month I will do all of the above plus:

Brake & Shift Levers

• Squirt some dry lube into the levers as I open and close the brakes
• Squirt some dry lube into the levers as I change the gears

Brake Pads

• Inspect them for wear and/or damage

Feel free to let me know how you maintain your bicycle or any tips you have for keeping it it good condition!

Take A Seat: Sharing A Ride Across America

Last night I was watching the Giro on Universal Sports and left it on in the background. A show came on following the coverage called “Take A Seat: Sharing a Ride Across America”. I was instantly glued to the screen and couldn’t stop watching this.

Dom Gill, a Climber, Videographer, Adventurer and Jack of all trades takes a modified tandem bike ride across America. Beginning in Santa Monica, CA and finishing in New York, NY. During each leg of the tour he is joined by someone with a disability.

The show was inspired by a planned trip with Ernie Greenwald. A man Dom had met a few years ago on a tandem trip from the states down to Argentina. He was sick with Lymphocytic Leukemia. He wanted to cycle across the states but prior to the journey was diagnosed with stage one prostate cancer. They started off on the trip but unfortunately he had to stop to go get treatment.

Dom continued the journey and decided to invite people with disabilities to take part. The show does a great job of showing how inspiring people can be; despite their disabilities the riders show true grit and determination to live their life to the fullest. It’s a true example of people embracing life no matter what challenges come their way.

In the first of the two episodes I watched last night he picked up a man by the name of Kelly Lane, a 59 year old with Parkinson’s disease. It was incredible to see the struggle and determination of this man. The more he pedaled the more determined he was to be able to ride 100 miles. Despite the flare ups of his disease and the complications of his medicine regime he was able to complete five days of cycling including a ride of 100+ miles to finish it off.

In the second of the two episodes he picked up a woman name Rachel. She has Cerebral Palsy. Rachel was only able to talk via a voice machine and using a word card. At first she was unable to reach the pedals on the bike but Dom made some nice adjustments and she was able to get to them. This woman was awesome. She pedaled like a champ and you could see how thrilled she was to be able to do this.

I’m looking forward to catching up on this amazing show.

If you ever come across a time when you think you can’t do something. Watch this show.

You can see more about the show at

http://blue-ant.tv/domandernie/01/index.htm

http://www.universalsports.com/take-a-seat/index.html

This is the site for the original documentary
http://www.takeaseat.org/

AMGEN Tour of California Stage 7 - My Photos

Here's a slideshow of all of my pictures from Stage 7 of the tour of California.



Click here to go to the album instead.

AMGEN Tour of California Stage 7 - Sprint

After enjoying the start festivities I headed over to Glendora so I could catch the sprint. The riders came through Glendora about 2pm after being up Glendora Ridge road and coming down the 39.

I took a few pics and vids of them as they came through.

It was a great day watching the race. After this we headed home to catch the TV coverage, spotted us in the highlights of the sprint on TV too!

AMGEN Tour of California Stage 7 - Start

Today was stage 7 of the Amgen tour of California. The start kicked off in Claremont, a city not too far away from me. I've never been to a pro race before so I decided to check out the start festivities.

I got into town early so I could get a nice spot to park then heading toward the start festival to check it out. They had various booths around but nothing too special. I picked up a t-shirt from the merchandise store. I was hoping to get a cycling cap but all they had were baseball caps. They did not have many t-shirts left and didn't have the one I really wanted.

About 10am the team cars and trailers started filling in. I took plenty of pictures of them. Below are just a select few.

It was cool to see all the bikes close up and see the top of the line gear on them and the difference between all the bikes. As a brit I had to go check out Team Sky as the British team. It was cool to hear some familiar accents! I was lucky enough to get a picture with Ben Swift.

I checked out Team Radioshack too and got a really nice free t-shirt! I love their bikes. There are some awesome details on them. I like the bears on the frame.

I also spotted them filming a quick little ad for the awesome Road ID!

After all that I went to pick out a spot on the road. I decided to watch on College Ave as I would be able to see them come by twice and then just a short walk up to see them head north towards Foothill Blvd. Apologies for these pics, I forgot to change the camera speed but I did catch some video too!

After that I head back to the car to pick up the wife so we could head over to Glendora to watch the sprint up Glendora Ave.

Rethinking the Gym

Today I thought I would share some thoughts on gym workouts. I’ve been going to the gym on and off for several years. I’ve been trying to pin point why I can’t keep going regularly and came up with the following excuses:

1. Not wanting to do cardio at the gym
2. Bored with the routine
3. Overcrowded gym

This year I’m finally overcoming the above excuses.

I find that doing cardio at the gym means I am mentally thinking about how long I’ve gotta be in the gym for before heading home. I think it was putting me off as I would think “If I got to the gym I won’t get home till late”. I was getting in the habit of skipping on it too often. I decided to stop doing cardio indoors. It’s extremely boring and no amount of music or book reading on the cardio machine will change that for me. If I must do cardio indoors then I make myself do intervals.

I now do all of my cardio work outdoors. I get out on my bike at least three times a week and go running twice a week.

Secondly I started researching more routines online. I’ve never been a fan of personal trainers. I don’t see much point in having someone right by me while I am working out.
I used to go to an excellent gym in the UK that assigned you a trainer as part of your membership. When you joined they met with you, set you up a routine and then you would track it on your own for six to eight weeks. You then met with your trainer who would then review what you’ve done and your results. They would then create a newly modified routine. Of course they had more traditional trainers if you needed it. I recalled how much I enjoyed that method and decided I could re-create it myself.

I started reading through the two men’s health sites that I like Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness. Both of these sites have a wealth of information in their archives. I eventually settled on the Men’s Fitness’ 30 Minute Chest workout. I liked this one as it focused on the upper body which for me has always been weak. I complimented it by adding some squats and lunges for my legs and following it up with a core routine.

To prevent boredom settling in I am keeping a track of my workouts. This way I can make sure I am progressing the weight up as needed. I am also sticking to one workout for eight weeks and then I will switch to a new one.

Dailyburn Home Screen

I track all my gym workouts with www.dailyburn.com and its companion iPhone app ‘Dailyburn’. You can create your routines online then access and record them via the app. They have an android app in the works but it’s only available to “Pro” account holders as of this writing.

Dailyburn Workout Tracking Page

Thirdly, I needed to think of some way to tackle the overcrowding that can happen at the gym, particularly on Mondays when all the people flock in feeling guilty after a weekend of over indulging! It’s really frustrating when you have a plan and can’t get to a bench, dumbbell or machine because they are all being used.

My tip for getting things done in an overcrowded gym:

Alternatives – For every exercise in your routine learn an alternative.

1. If a bench is taken, look up the free form version
2. If a barbell is taken, do the dumbbell version
3. If a machine is taken, do the free weight version

Knowing the alternative has really helped me get my workouts done with 100% completion at the gym. I don’t waste anytime waiting or thinking “It’s busy in there today, I’m gonna skip it”.

Hopefully you find some of this useful. Feel free to share your own tips and advice in the comments section. I’d love to hear some other points of view.

Essential Gear: Road ID - Awareness

A few weeks ago I posted an essential gear blog for Road ID. Today I got their e-mail newsletter and saw a request to help spread the word to first responders about looking for and using Road IDs.

The information contained on a Road ID can assist first responders greatly when needing to assist an someone in distress. We should all know where to look for a Road ID on a runner or cyclist.

The common locations to find a Road ID are:

- On the wrist
- On the ankle
- Around the neck
- On the shoe

At the very least first responders will have a number to contact someone in case of an emergency. If there is an interactive id then there is even more information available to first responders and medical teams. They can log into the road id site with your serial number and pin they will have access to:

- Your name
- Your home and work address
- Your medical information such as insurance, primary doctor and blood type
- 5 emergency contacts with both home and cell contact information

As you can imagine this information is vital in being able to get you the help you need as soon as possible!

We all should be encouraging our cyclist and runner friends to invest in a Road ID. This small investment could help save your life or that of someone you know. I often see and hear people ask what can I give as a gift to my runner & cyclist friends. The answer is a Road ID.

If you ever come across an accident involving a runner or cyclist be on the lookout for a Road ID and point it out to first responders. If you know anybody that is a first responder be it a Police Officer, EMT, Fireman, Forrest Ranger let them know about your Road ID, show them it and tell them about roadid.com. If could save someone’s life.

Road ID have even made these great flyers we can all share with family and friends who are first responders to spread the word.

You can download them here:

Debora’s Story

Gina’s Story

Lucas’ Story

AMGEN Tour of California Stage 7

I'm currently following the AMGEN Tour of California. I'm excited that it is coming to Claremont as that's not too far for me to go and check it out.

As it's my first time seeing it I am planning on heading to the start area to see all the festivities at the start and watch them loop around downtown Claremont to begin with. I will then head over to Glendora to watch them again as they pass through on the way up to Glendora Mountain Road.

Check out the Stage 7 website here

For a map of the planned route click here

For a log of the route with ETA at each point click here

Hope to see y'all out there!

Mileage Tracking - Good riddance mapmyride

After getting continually frustrated with the cluttered mess that is mapmyride.com I decided to try some other tracking websites.

The first one I tried was mapmytracks.com and their iPhone app ‘Outfront’. Their website is really nice and clean. The app was very easy to use and similar to many of the others out there. The cool thing about the website is it replays your ride for you so get a visual of how it went as you continued. You can also compare one ride to another. As for the app, you can use it for almost anything running, hiking, dog walking.

The second one I tried was strava.com. Their site is the most professional looking. You can use it for free but are limited to 5 uploads a month or if you get the iPhone app ‘Strava’ you get unlimited uploads. To remove all the restrictions it’s $6 a month or $59 for a year. I got a promo code for a free three month trial (let me know if you want one too).

I have to say that I really like the site. I was able to upload gpx files for the history from mapmytracks but not mapmyride (most likely mapmyride’s fault). One cool feature is Strava autocorrects the altitude readings on the gps trackers without altimeters in them with data from the USGS.

Another excellent feature is it gives you little awards and notifications when you set records or personal bests on popular routes.

You can also hide start/finish locations so your start and end points are hidden from people. This is really useful if you start your rides at home, work or the same point every time. There is also the option to restrict your profile to community members only which is always nice.

As with pretty much every site out there now you can choose publish your rides to Facebook/twitter. You can either auto publish or pick and choose which ones to share.

It also allows you to create these awesome posts of your rides like the one below!

I’m going to stick with Strava as it’s got everything I need

Essential Gear - Cycling Jersey

Sweet! My new cycling jersey arrived!

Front

 Back

It fits real good, not too tight across the stomach and it has three deep pockets on the back.

You can't see it in these pics but it has the Flower of Scotland Lyrics written on the inside of the collar. I'll try to get a pic of it to update later.

2011 OC Wahoo's 5k Run

This was my second race of 2011. After my disappointing race at Angels stadium I wanted to perform better this time around. I've done a better job of training since my last race so felt I was better prepared for this one.

I went down to the expo on Saturday afternoon to pick up my race packet. The set up was pretty good and I sped through the whole thing. The goodie bag was disappointing, not sure why they call it a goodie bag when all that was in it was flyers. Some of the sponsors really need to step it up for items they donate for goodie bags!

My bib for the race!

The nice t-shirt!

On Saturday evening I got all my stuff ready as I had to get up early. The good thing was I picked up pre-paid parking so I could avoid the wait in the morning. I got up at 5am and jumped in the shower and had a quick breakfast.

The freeways were quiet but I did hit an unexpected delay as part of the freeway was closed. After a wee detour I got down to the race venue about 6:45 am.

I walked around and did some warm ups to keep warm. It wasn't too cold so a slow walk around was able to keep me warm. My goal for this 5k was to run it all. My last one was horrible and I had to walk quite a bit of it.

There was a little bit of a wait in the coral to get started and I didn't even hear them start the race. I walked slowly toward the start line and then as soon as I crossed it I started running.

It was crowded at the start as the walkers had decided to bottleneck it by starting from the front so I spent the first quarter mile moving through the crowd. Once I got passed the first mile it opened up and I was able to enjoy the run.

The weather was perfect, nice and sunny and it wasn't too cold for that time in the morning. I kept a pretty steady pace up for the entire race. I really liked this course as it was nice and flat and only had a couple of bottle neck areas. The one downside to the route was a tight u-turn to head back towards the finish.

As I passed the third mile marker I picked up the pace. I like to finish strong so pushed myself all way the till i crossed the line. They gave me my medal and then a bottle of water and some much needed snacks!

The medal is really nice! I like the ribbon on them, it's a nice touch rather than the usual red or blue.

I checked out the finish line festival for a little while and checked out some potential future races.

I was pleased with my result. I ran the entire race and felt good the whole time. I didn't get a stich for a change as I have been focusing on my breathing while I run.

My official time was 28:05. I am happy with completing another 5k in under 30 minutes. Now I need to focus on getting a new PR. Next up will be the Downtown Anaheim 5k in June.