Is That Tobacco Juice on My Leg?

So today was a tough training ride.  I had to ride painstakingly slow to maintain a low HR for endurance training.  The reward for 40 miles of this (other than frozen fingertips):  A Tobacco Juice Shower.

Now I’m exaggerating a little bit. It was only on my leg.  Although, it did surprise me when it happened.  And of course, as a cyclist, this is all my fault.

Yes, I was riding on a single-lane road at a slow speed and taking up a few inches to the left of the white line (although as far to the right as possible on this narrower stretch).

Yes, I must have forced the SUV of fellow citizens to slow down as they passed me (only to turn right seconds later into a school parking lot).

And yes, I know that I have a legal right to share the road, but I guess that doesn’t matter.

And I am sure the driver was unaware of a nationwide push to enact a “Three Feet” Law that already exists in Tennessee.  The driver may have forgotten that those few inches between his side-view mirror and my head may be inches I decide to use in the last second to avoid a piece of glass on the road.

With all this in mind, I’m sure the passenger felt it necessary to teach me a lesson in bicycle safety and throw a cup full of tobacco-laden water at me.  I’m sure he was aiming for my legs as just a subtle reminder as to who “owns the road.”  Certainly he knows that if it had hit my face I may have lost concentration and swerved into the lane in front of the next car.  Not sure, I would have learned a lesson that way–maybe my fatherless children would have.

Since it was all my fault, I did not follow the SUV into the school parking lot to apologize for my transgression (after all, I might have been misunderstood and gotten pummeled in the process).

Since it was all my fault, I didn’t go into the parking lot and wait until they left the car unattended and let all the air out of the tires (after all this would ignite their simmering dislike for cyclists and maybe they’d do something worse next time).

No.  Instead I thought, there must be something positive I can do. Since it was all my fault after all.  So I decided to give a friendly wave to every driver who had to wait even a second (due to oncoming traffic) to pass me using a three-foot clearance.  I gave a friendly wave to all of them hoping positive reinforcement would help build a more positive relationship between drivers and cyclists.

I won’t mention the kind of wave I provided my tobacco-chewing friend.

Training for Your First Long-Distance Event

I had someone at the gym today ask me about training for a MS150 ride as a novice cyclist.  This is a great goal for cyclists around here because it is 160 miles over two days (and it usually includes some serious wind and sometimes rain).  It is a very popular ride and benefits a great cause. 

The advice to this cyclist is the same for many who are trying to increase their mileage.  There are some key concepts that MS150 recommends:

Keep Track of your Mileage.

A key part of training is assessing how you’ve improved. Adding an inexpensive speedometer to your bike is a good step. You will want to see how your average speed is improving along with your distance.

Start with Short Rides.

Take a week to work up to a moderate day of 15 miles. Don’t worry about time or speed on these rides. Take it easy and finish the full 15. The purpose is to gain and maintain basic cardiovascular fitness.

Sometimes Double Up Miles.

After working up to the 15 mile moderate day, attempt an endurance day of double the mileage once a week. Try to maintain the same pace established during moderate days, but slow down if it is necessary to make the full mileage. The purpose is to gain distance, confidence and grow cardiovascular fitness.

Do Hills and Intervals.

After mastering the basics, challenge yourself with more advanced training. After warming up with a moderate day ride, find a hill you can climb without totally exhausting yourself. After riding up the hill, recover on the way down, and then go up again. As your fitness improves, add more repeats. The power and stamina developed with hill work will assist you in tackling the larger hills on the route. Interval training works the same way. During a regular moderate day ride, pick a distance (for example, a city block or the space between two telephone poles) and speed up to a sprint. Start with one each ride and then add more and longer sprints each time you ride. Sprint for one lap and then slow down for a recovery lap, repeating the process as needed. Interval training and hill work will improve overall speed, endurance and ability to recover from challenging parts while still riding.

More thoughts from About.com expand on this topic in an article on training for a century ride.

The main principle of training for a century is to increase your mileage gradually over a number of weeks. By doing it that way, you help avoid injury, burnout and over-fatigue. Plus you will also be able to detect any issues with your body or your bike that you want to discover before the big day.

To set in motion your training plan, pick a known date for your century ride and count back from there to determine your start point. This ten-week training plan below assumes you are in shape at the start to be able to ride 20 miles comfortably. That’s a two-hour ride at a very easy 10-12 mph pace. If this is more than where you are, consider a metric century (100 km/62 miles) as another potential goal.

As you prepare, aim for the targets as laid out in the table below to get you ready. It shows the distance of your longest ride each week(typically on a Saturday or Sunday) plus a cumulative mileage total for the week that you reach with your other riding.

Century Training Plan

Week   Length of Long Ride    Total Miles/Week

1                      25                             55

2                      30                             65

3                      35                             73

4                      40                             81

5                      45                             90

6                      50                             99

7                      57                            110

8                      65                            122

9                      50                             75

10             Century Ride                    Yeah!

Bike Whisperer’s Goal Post Challenge is Underway!

You may have seen info on the web page above called “Share Your Goal.”  It is a program I started to help people commit to their 2010 Health and Fitness Goals.  After all, this is the time of year New Year’s Resolutions start to die.

So NOW is the time to recommit to that goal and be held accountable.  Like the Apollo 13 Mission, failure is not an option.

With the support of the Bike Whisperer and all the other Goal Posters, you are on a team that wants 100% achievement of everyone’s goals.  A little scary?  Maybe.  But, the rewards are great, the risk is minimal.

Email your goal today to bikewhisperer1@gmail.com.

By the way, here’s a snippet of the email that went out to the first 14 goal posters today:

Hi Bike Whisperer Goal Posters,
You are the first to be on the “Share Your Goal” page on the Bike Whisperer’s Web Site.
Now, you didn’t expect to just send in your goal and simply report back when you accomplished it, did you?
Not a chance.  If you know the Bike Whisperer, you know he is all about accountability to a goal (see his post in the blog).

What does this mean to you?  I’ll tell you.

I’ll be checking in on you, or better yet hearing from you first every once in a while and will share your progress on our Goals page.  Yep, you are accountable to not only the Bike Whisperer (and yourself, of course), but all the others.

So, as you embark on your 2010 Journey to Greatness, a few questions to consider:
1 – Do you have a plan?  It should include mini-goals and milestones.  Perhaps shorter and easier than the penultimate goal.   If you’re all about weight loss, how are you going to do it?
2 – Do you have the support of your family and friends.  If not, get it.
3 – Do you need to remove certain barriers to success?  Get certain foods out of the house.  Buy the right equipment or a gym membership.  Get expert help, if you need it.  My wife is a big advocate of Weight Watchers (even more accountability there).  I hired a professional coach for my goal.
4 – Have you thought of why you are doing this?  A casual goal is nice.  A cause is better.  Is it for personal satisfaction? Health reasons? Can you raise money in the process for charity?  Think about it.  Give your goal more meaning.

If you have friends who should join us, tell them to email me.

You will succeed.  You will feel great about yourself.  You will look back on the experience as an inspiration for future greatness.

If you ever need to chat in between emails on progress, feel free to send in a note or tweet me @Bike_Whisperer. Or write on the Bike Whisperer’s Wall on FaceBook (www.facebook.com/thebikewhisperer).  Or leave a comment on the blog Goal page.  Lots of ways to find me and for me to find YOU!

So, here we go!  You excited?  I am!

Remember.  Set it and get it, don’t forget it!

I’d wish you luck, but you don’t need it.
The Bike Whisperer

Another Kid is Riding!

Ron is almost 10 years old, the same age I was when I learned to ride a  bike.  He hadn’t been on one for a while.  But like the kids before him, he  overcame his fears, learned that he was going to succeed, and by the end was riding on his own.  A bright kid who shared with me the role inertia plays in keeping him balanced.  We even had to brave the wind and, for a moment, some sprinkles.  Ron persevered like a champ.  The biggest gift of all–when leaving he said, “That was fun!”

My Goal for 2010: Cross the U.S. in 40 Days

This year’s goal is really a culmination of many years of smaller goals.  In 2004 or so, a friend of mine crossed the U.S. in an organized tour, and I thought, “Wow, I could never do that.”  Since then, I have unintentionally taken steps towards becoming able to consider it.  Miles, trips, more miles.  So with the right training, I feel this is the year to do it.

I practice what I preach (see The Secret is Setting Goals). So this month, I have put down my deposit and hired a coach.  I will join a small team of avid cyclists and Trek Travel in September to launch into this amazing journey. The “official” training starts Feb 1st.  Yes, it takes that long to be ready for an average of 92 miles a day for 40 days (with 4 rest days).  As my coach has already told me, her goal for me is not just to bike all 3,300 miles, but to feel ready to go every morning.

I’d say wish me luck, but luck has nothing to do with it (except for avoiding flats).  If you’d like to follow the training throughout the year, I’ll be sharing updates through Facebook.

What’s your goal for 2010? 

For some, a century ride is a milestone.  For others, just starting a healthy habit and keeping to it is a big deal.  It’s all relative. 

Just set it, and get it!  If you want to share it, see the Share Your Goal page.

Is Weather Your Excuse Not to Ride?

There’s an old expression in biking circles: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing.”  Believe it or not, there is some truth to that.

When the weather is less than ideal for a ride, it is easy to postpone your ride for the day.  Unfortunately, this can lead to a string of days off the bike.  And we know what that means.  For some, it takes double the time you took off to regain the level you were at when you stopped.

Instead of taking the day off, consider having the right clothes.  Experiment with different combinations of jackets, vests, Under Armor, arm and leg warming sleeves, toe covers/booties, and long-fingered gloves.  Oh, and don’t forget something for your head–a lot of heat escapes from there.  For really cold days, a balaclava is a must (it’s the one that looks like a burglar’s mask, and it is great on a cold day).

You’d be surprised how warm you can be once you get going.  A good rule of thumb is if you’re still cold after 20 minutes of riding, you are not going to warm up with the clothes you’ve selected.

I have found that my tolerance for cold weather has improved each year.  Not long ago, I wouldn’t even bike outside in temps lower than 65.  Now I ride in short sleeves and shorts at 62.  The other day, I even rode in 5 degree windchill (just to see what it was like–guess what, it was really bitterly cold).

Understandably, everyone has their limits.  You just need to keep pushing those limits.  And there’s always stationary bikes at the gym or a trainer in the house.  No excuses!

More info: Winter Cycling Tips

A Fast Way to Slow Down: Dehydration

During the dog days of summer, one of main reasons for losing the pace on a ride is dehydration (greater than 1% loss of body weight in fluid loss).  The obvious solution seems  pretty simple:  drink water.  However, there are a few key points the experts agree on that will help you drink the right amount of water (and sports drink).  During your cycling season be sure to consider these guidelines:

• Drink plenty of fluids while off the bike, especially the day before a long ride.
• It’s good to know your sweat rate per hour (weigh yourself before and after a ride, a pound lost is 16 fluid ounces). 
• Counter fluid loss with an similar fluid intake during the ride.  The sweat rate tells you how much, but generally, 4 to 8 oz every 10-15 minutes is required depending on temperature.  If it extremely warm consider drinking 20 oz of cold water two hours before and 8 to 16 oz 30 minutes before (nothing inside of 20 minutes).
• If you wait until you are thirsty to drink–you’re late in taking in fluids. Some riders set a timer on their sports watch to remind them every 10 minutes.
• Just drinking water during long rides is typically not enough.  Sports drinks have sodium, potassium, and electrolytes.  For very long rides on very hot days, I carry a CamelBak of water and two bottles of sports drink (one frozen).
• There is also a needed balance between sports drink and water.  You can drink too much water.  You can dilute the much needed electrolytes in your sports drink (watch out for hyponatremia in very long rides).  I like to alternate between the two until towards the end of the ride.  Then it’s sports drink to the end.  Again, this is for longer rides.  For shorter ones less than 2 hours, it is not as critical.  You can put a pinch of salt in your water or carry salt pills, too.
• You can drink more than you system can process (not comfortable to ride with a stomach full of water).  Remember your sweat rate.
• Keep drinking after the ride.  Water and sports drinks are best, of course.
• Picking a sports drink that works for you is important.  Taste and “after-effects” can have a lot to do with it.  Also be cautious of drinks with fructose.  A sugar high often comes with a crash.

How do you know if you’re not drinking enough during your rides? The tell-tale signs:

• urinating less during the rest of the day
• dark yellow urine
• headaches
• losing more than two pounds during the ride

Yes, it’s a little bit art and a bit science to find the right balance.  Experiment until you find a good balance.  How you feel at the end of the ride is the best indicator.

The Secret is Setting Goals

Whether learning to ride for the first time or elevating performance on a road bike, the secret to getting there is setting goals.

Fortunately, goals come in many forms.  You can set a goal to ride three days a week for a season or you can set a goal to achieve a certain average speed on a certain route.  You can even set a goal to pull your buddies for an entire ride.  No matter what the goal, there is a path to achieving it.

Unfortunately, like many good intentioned New Year’s Resolutions, goals can easily fall away.  If you want to achieve a goal in biking, you need to consider the following:

• Build an action plan to achieving the goal.  This might include taking out a calendar  and mapping out the mini-goals or objectives along the way.
• Tell everyone about the goal.  Several will ask you how you’re progressing.  Who likes telling their friends/family they gave up?
• Tie your goal to an event:
  • For some, riding is about weight loss.  Try setting a goal to be achieved around the time of a high school reunion or bathing suite season.
  • For others, riding is about speed or distance.  Try setting a goal to work up to an average speed/distance in time for one of your favorite annual, organized rides.  And beat that speed/distance during the ride!
  • Some cyclists are all about climbing hills.  Schedule a trip to Colorado (or the Alps) with your buddies.  You’ll train hard for that, or will suffer the consequences.
• Make sure your goal is realistic.  Talk to those who have achieved similar goals.  Burning yourself out (or over-training) in the process can easily lead to putting the bike in the corner of the garage for a long, long time.
• Prioritize and be flexible.  You might have to get up earlier or adjust your schedule to make time for training.  If the goal is truly important to you, maybe a little less TV time is a small sacrifice.
• Think about a reward for achieving the goal.  Is there something you’d like to do or receive if you hit the mark?  For some, achieving the goal is reward enough.

Many have good intentions about developing good habits around biking.  Start off on the right foot, and the likelihood of achieving the goal improves dramatically.  And keep in mind,  the goal should be exciting so you have fun getting closer and closer and then ACHIEVING your goal!  Which leads to one final point. 

Maintain a good attitude about the process.  There will be set-backs, but in most cases, this leads to a leap forward.  Thomas Jefferson once said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

Starting Down the Road?

If you’re thinking about road biking and need a friendly push, let me know.  I’d be happy to answers questions you might have.

You might be wondering:

• How much will it cost to start this new hobby?
• What will I need?
• Once I start, how do I maintain a good program for steady improvement
• Why should I get into biking?
• What resources are available?
• How does my current health play into getting started?

As an avid biking enthusiast, I can provide a lot of insights from being a part of the biking community for a while.  Feel free to follow me on Twitter and start up a conversation or send me an email!

The Bike Whisperer Strikes Again!

On the same day Lance Armstrong faced his toughest challenge to date in the 2009 Tour  De France, the Bike Whisperer had his own uphill climb.  Today I was challenged with a (almost) third-grader who did not want to learn to ride a bike.

Although adept at using his scooter, he had skipped right past the joy of riding his bike on only two wheels. Today’s lesson required more psychology than mechanics.  His was comfortable right away at balance, he just needed to relax.  He has seen a few crashes in the Tour and needed to know that’s another world compared to his street and bike.

Within an hour, Matthew was riding the whole block, turning, stopping, and starting!  He didn’t think he could do it.  But that’s before he met The Bike Whisperer.