National Bike Challenge – getting to the end
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rcannon100.
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August 20, 2012 at 4:07 pm #911924
dbb
ParticipantJust a reminder for everybody to log all those miles that have been ridden but not recorded in the tracking system. The National Bike Challenge ends on 31 Aug.
Locally the Bike Arlington teams are 1, 2, 3 and nationally the B team is 13th, the A team 22nd and the C team is 30th.
There are over 2,600 teams registered, so we are doing reasonably well.
Let’s finish strong!
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August 21, 2012 at 4:53 pm #949227
GuyContinental
Participant@4st7lbs 28928 wrote:
Assuming you use one, would you mind sharing what pannier and rack setup you use? I usually have to lug a laptop between work and home (I have two offices) in addition to food and some clothes and need a decent pannier setup.
There are a bunch of threads on this one (and I’m the wrong guy to ask- I don’t carry anything other than a seat bag, clothes are at the office and I have a VPN/Cloud lifestyle that keeps me from carrying a laptop). When I did have to carry both clothes and a laptop everyday I used a smaller than should be (it’s my wife’s) travel bag with flat back and eagle creek clothes envelopes. For me, light and fast is the way to go.
August 21, 2012 at 5:15 pm #949232Dirt
Participant@4st7lbs 28933 wrote:
My goal this year is to hit 2,500 miles and right now I’m at 1,200 miles so I’m going to have to put in some serious saddle time (~100 miles/week) to make that.
Bravo! You’re doing it the right way… setting a long term goal and doing what you need to do to get there. I know that isn’t easy. My last bout with repeated injuries had me sidelined and way heavier than I wanted to be. I’m now about 50 pounds lighter and, as most people will say, I wouldn’t mind losing another 10. I have a small idea how difficult it is dealing with health issues while trying to be more healthy. It really sounds like you’re doing the right stuff. Spending time on a bicycle is really a great way to not only improve your health, but also prevent a lot of other problems…. It is good for the body, mind and soul. Keep it up.
Rest is important… really important. Eating right helps too. That’s my big downfall… that and beer. Trying to keep things in balance is the best way to go. When I go too far to the “healthy and virtuous” side, I tend to hit saturation and plow my way through a bottle of rum and half a gallon of ice cream. Finding the right balance to keep me moving toward a goal without triggering bad reactions is what I try to do all the time.
Rock on! Hopefully we can help along the way.
August 21, 2012 at 5:31 pm #949239GuyContinental
Participant@4st7lbs 28933 wrote:
My goal this year is to hit 2,500 miles and right now I’m at 1,200 miles so I’m going to have to put in some serious saddle time (~100 miles/week) to make that.
Something Dirt said really resonated- having a fast bike and fast legs is a great way to get miles. However, IMO it isn’t a direct corollary for fitness or dedication. For example, I average near 20mph on a nice 17lb bike so 20 miles is one hour of exercise. I’ll hit ~4500 miles this year (didn’t ride much until April) which is 225 hours of exercise, 4.3 hours a week. If you are cruising at 10mph on say a 30 lb recumbent bike at your reported size it will take a heck of a lot more effort and twice the time to ride that mileage. Your 4500 miles would be 450 hours, 9 hours a week but at half that mileage you would have worked out every bit as much as I did, just not as efficiently! Perhaps as you are building up to a goal you might want to think of subjective goals for hours in the saddle or even calories burned vs miles.
August 21, 2012 at 5:50 pm #949243Certifried
Participant@GuyContinental 28952 wrote:
Something Dirt said really resonated
@Dirt 28945 wrote:
plow my way through a bottle of rum and half a gallon of ice cream.
yep, resonated with me too
August 21, 2012 at 6:14 pm #949251eminva
ParticipantHello — I don’t put in thousands of miles a week, and I’ve never notched into the obese category, but I had major health problems in 2009 that had me off the bike for nine months. When I returned, I was overweight with a compromised immune system and zero in terms of conditioning and fitness. I started out very gradually — I rode less than 500 miles during the last four months of that year. I rode between 1000 and 2000 miles in 2010. Last year I rode about 3400 miles. This year I am on pace to ride over 5000 miles. I guess you just have to be patient. A bike that fits well helps avoid injuries, too. Good luck and you are already having a great year, even if you end up having to adjust your goal.
Liz
August 21, 2012 at 6:22 pm #949253NicDiesel
Participantcreadinger wrote:Anyway, I certainly do not want to be discouraging, but maybe just say that missing an annual goal isn’t the end of the world and in fact if you kill yourself to do it, you’ll likely ruin at least part of next year too.If I don’t hit 2,500 miles in 2012 I’m not going to be disappointed, trust me. Just getting on a bike in January and riding the half mile to work when I started has been the biggest success I’ve had in a long time. I agree with you completely that burning yourself out to meet a goal is not only destructive to growth as a cyclist but also detrimental to the progress and recovery I’ve made over the past three years. When I get mad because I have to take a break 45 minutes into a ride I remind myself that not that long ago I wasn’t able to walk 100 feet, fit into a regular airline/stadium/restaurant seat and would have laughed had you asked me to ride a bike 10 feet. It’s all about perspective and progress.
@GuyContinental 28952 wrote:
Perhaps as you are building up to a goal you might want to think of subjective goals for hours in the saddle or even calories burned vs miles.
No doubt, right now I’m just trying to get in as much time as I can riding. If you have any recommendations as to sites, people, or books to checkout to build a good cycling training plan I’m totally game. I have “Ride your way lean” and like it but I’m still in the “let’s just try to ride 20 miles without taking a break” step and not quite ready for the 15×15 action.
August 21, 2012 at 6:41 pm #949257consularrider
ParticipantI also don’t ride “thousands” of miles a week, just between 200 and 300, and that’s been just the past four years. While I’ve always ridden a little, I had a period where I had been off my bike for about five years in part due to poor riding conditions where we were living and lack of interest. My weight was up and I was having issues with my back and knees, so I was a little concerned about get out and riding. We had bought a recumbent stationary bike, so I combined some early morning spinning with a regular weekend ride that got longer as I got back into the habit. I would say that a little over a year I was averaging about 200 miles a month with this combination. Then we moved to the DC area and I decided to start daily bike commuting again. At first I was just riding my ten mile most direct and safe round trip route with an occassional weekend ride. Then I found a couple of online bike sites/fora (mostly bikejournal.com, before BikeArlington existed) and started tracking my miles and participating in some online challenges. One thing led to another and within a year was pushing myself to ride more distance.
I’m not particularly fast and don’t ride the lightest bikes. I split my miles almost evenly between a 35 pound hybrid that I use for commuting/errands/casual rides and a 20 pound steel road bike that I use for for longer or faster rides. My basic target these days is to try and get a 25 mile ride in most days and a 50 to 100+ mile ride in at least once a week. While I probably should take rest days, I don’t. For me a rest day is a day when I am only on my bike about 30 minutes to an hour, and that’s generally one day a week. I’m still slightly overweight because I don’t plan my diet and just eat what I feel like at the time.
August 21, 2012 at 6:50 pm #949261vvill
Participant@GuyContinental 28920 wrote:
I sure don’t do “thousands of miles a week” (talk to Dirt, Vvill, Ccrew and Consular Rider for that)
Honoured, but I’m not in their league. I have been doing more lately but it’s not going to last, and is definitely atypical for me. A normal week for me is around 100miles commuting and maybe 50mi at most recreational/sport. Last year I had less than 1500mi (I don’t actually know – never kept mileage records until mid last year).
I definitely agree with all the points made though, from having a social aspect, a prep routine (I also line my stuff up the night before, including sometimes, a banana), ramping up your miles gradually, getting rest days/sleep, etc.
August 21, 2012 at 9:19 pm #949277PotomacCyclist
ParticipantI don’t even log many of my off-season (winter) workouts. Since I’m not in any formal training period then, I just try to stay active. For the first few weeks after my last big race of the year, I only have a couple rules. No super-long workouts and no super-hard speed workouts (run or bike). I just go out there and enjoy the scenery. I try to limit my runs to under an hour during that period. Most rides will be an hour or less but maybe the occasional ride will be a little longer.
After that active recovery phase, I might get back to some base building, with low-intensity work to start off. I might toss in some drills and spin-ups (and strides on the run), but no true speedwork at that point.
It’s nice going through at least part of the year without worrying too much about training for something specific. If we get some actual snow this year and my budget allows for it, I might try some cross-country skiing to break up the routine. It’s great aerobic exercise and it’s made for winter conditions.
As for the National Bike Challenge, my enthusiasm for logging the rides is waning. I passed the minimum mark to be eligible for the grand prizes a long time ago (just like most of the regulars here). I won’t be winning the local contest or even hope for a podium spot. Since I’ve kept up with it, I’ll keep logging the rides until the end. But after Aug. 31, I won’t log any more rides on the NBC website.
August 21, 2012 at 11:19 pm #949289KLizotte
Participant@4st7lbs 28968 wrote:
When I get mad because I have to take a break 45 minutes into a ride I remind myself that not that long ago I wasn’t able to walk 100 feet, fit into a regular airline/stadium/restaurant seat and would have laughed had you asked me to ride a bike 10 feet. It’s all about perspective and progress.
Errrr, having to take a break at the 45 minute mark is NORMAL for most people, if for no other reason than to give the hands, butt, and feet a two minute shakeout. Plus, you are carrying a lot of extra weight around so being able to bike with your heart rate up for 45 solid minutes is actually very impressive.
I’d caution against getting too caught up in mileage per se. A ten mile hard effort is much different than a ten mile easy effort. Also, please be sure to read up on how to keep yourself safe while biking and not to ride while so tired that your judgment is impaired. Biking is great fun but it does pose real dangers so going slow in the right conditions will pay off in the end. A place like Hain’s Point is a great place to ride hard with very little danger.
Lastly, as the weather cools you will probably find it easier and more comfortable to be outdoors biking or doing anything physical for that matter. DC’s summers make it hard work for everyone.
August 22, 2012 at 12:04 am #949296PotomacCyclist
Participant@4st7lbs 28933 wrote:
My goal this year is to hit 2,500 miles and right now I’m at 1,200 miles so I’m going to have to put in some serious saddle time (~100 miles/week) to make that. One thing that’s been difficult is staying healthy – not having an immune system tends to sideline me for days at a time if I get a simple cold/infection and being this large inflammation and strains and sprains happen far too often. It’s getting better thanks to my diet improving and my body recovering faster (thank g-d) but it gets frustrating taking time off just to be safe when you’d rather be out there racking up the miles.
Not at all, that was really helpful. You actually answered another question I was going to ask – outside of being tired/run down how do you know when your body isn’t getting enough rest? Obviously lugging around 150 extra pounds makes it hard for me not to feel tired after doing what most would consider short rides (~20 miles) but I’m finding I recover much faster now then I did when I first started riding back in February. I definitely need to start paying attention to my waking heart rate though. Regardless, I really appreciate the feedback!
Though I’ve never been overweight, before 2004, I didn’t do much aerobic exercise at all. (I did have a few extra pounds on my midsection before I got into triathlons in 2008, maybe 5 or 10 lbs.) I rarely got sick during my school years. But in the early 2000s, I noticed that I started getting a cold every winter. Those would last for about a week or two. As I started with aerobic exercise (casual swimming in 2004 and then triathlon/running/cycling from 2008 to now) and focused even more on eating a healthy diet, I’ve now noticed that I’m back to my school-age health. I don’t really remember the last time I had a cold. Could have been 3 or 4 years ago. Maybe 5. I’ve even worked in an office with people who had the swine flu but I didn’t get sick.
Exercise helps but so does diet. Keep your immune system strong with plenty of whole fruits and vegetables. Nuts, fish/fish oil, olives, avocados, etc. too (for unsaturated fats). And lean protein. All of those good vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are great for your immune system. Drink water throughout the day and avoid sugary sodas.
As for the strains and sprains, that should get better as the weight comes off. But you may also want to add a moderate strength training routine. It doesn’t have to be hardcore, but it should include some core work and compound exercises (multi-joint) that work the large muscles like the quads, hamstrings, hips, glutes, back and chest. Do what you can and learn proper technique. Start off very easy, perhaps the easy version of some bodyweight exercises like bodyweight squats. And always warm up before doing any strength exercises. You could ride the bike easy for 15-30 minutes first, or add some strength exercises to the end of a moderate bike ride.
Everyone recovers differently. And the same person will recover differently as a beginner than as an intermediate athlete. A beginner might get worn out by 3 moderate workouts a week, whereas an intermediate exerciser can do quite a bit more. An advanced athlete can work out almost every day, although that will include some very easy days too. (For a beginner, a complete rest day or days each week is probably a good idea. If you need another day, take one. For an experienced athlete, a casual bike ride or recovery run will probably be better for them than a complete rest day.)
August 22, 2012 at 2:31 am #949328NicDiesel
Participant@KLizotte 29007 wrote:
Lastly, as the weather cools you will probably find it easier and more comfortable to be outdoors biking or doing anything physical for that matter. DC’s summers make it hard work for everyone.
Oh yeah, I only did maybe one ride a week for most of July and August due to the heat. I’m pretty driven and boneheaded but I knew 200 extra pounds + insane humidity and heat + strenuous activity = recipe for disaster. Bring on the fall!
PotomacCyclist wrote:But you may also want to add a moderate strength training routine. It doesn’t have to be hardcore, but it should include some core work and compound exercises (multi-joint) that work the large muscles like the quads, hamstrings, hips, glutes, back and chest. Do what you can and learn proper technique.I actually started working with a personal trainer a few weeks ago (I’ve been weight training since December) to get some pointers on form and to add some additional exercises into my routine. Here’s a quick breakdown of what I do the three days a week when I hit the gym:
Cybex machine (5 minute warm up)
Upper Body
Curl-Rows-Overhead Press [one after another] (55lbs) 10x10x10 (2 sets)
Bench press (150lbs) 10x9x8x5
Balance ball Flies (70lbs) 10x9x8x5
Back Cable Flies (100lbs) 10x10x10
Front Cable Flies (60lbs) 10x10x10
Lat Pulldown (150lbs) 10x9x6
Tricep Cable Extender (80lbs) 10x8x8Lower Body
Incline Leg Press (630lbs) 12x10x6
Calf Raise (135lbs) 10x8x8
Body squat (24lb bar) 10x10x8
Dips (70lbs) 10×10
One leg squat (35lbs) 10×10
Standing Cable Stretch [hamstrings] (20lbs) 10×10Core
Leg raise crunches (flat backed) 10x10x10
Balance ball crunches 10x10x10I haven’t gotten to the point where I spend a day at the gym on one area, but I’m working toward getting there. Right now this takes about two hours from start to finish and I do it three days a week whenever I’m not traveling, sick, and/or injured. I’d really love to get to the point where I’m spending an hour at the gym working on a specific body area (i.e. legs, back, chest) and an hour in the saddle doing laps.
Right now I’m just happy that I’m getting into a groove with hitting the gym and hitting the bike. I always keep in mind that I didn’t get to 500lbs (my heaviest weight) overnight, so undoing it is going to take a while. I’m ready for the challenge, just have to get into the groove.
August 24, 2012 at 8:53 am #949563PotomacCyclist
ParticipantAnyone else locked out of the Endomondo site?
August 24, 2012 at 9:57 am #949565dbb
ParticipantIt worked fine (well as good as it ever did) about 0515
August 24, 2012 at 2:39 pm #949602vvill
Participant@PotomacCyclist 29291 wrote:
Anyone else locked out of the Endomondo site?
Once, last night. I hit refresh and it worked again. *shrug*
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