Training Tips

A friend is getting into running/cycling/etc. and asked me for some pointers on training & nutrition. Here's what I wrote. *I added a little in after thoughts since.

As far as running:

#1 Listen closely to your body. Know the difference between good pain & bad pain.
If you are running for distance, you should increase your mileage incrementally.
Figure out your lactate threshold--that can help you fit your training to your goals. (There's easy & sophisticated methods)
A heart rate monitor is mandatory equipment, but you don't need to buy anything fancy. $90 should get you what you need. It will help you gage your workout intensity, and establish your limits.
Make sure that you are running with proper form. The expert say to either a)run as if you're falling forward, or b) run as if you'll being pulled by a string that's attached to your belly button. This will help you strike with a flat foot, knee slightly bent.
Run alot in terms of frequency. The more you run, the better you will become, and your body will become acclimated to running--it is tough on joints.
If you're sore from running, cycling is a great cross training substitute.

Cycling:
If you don't already have one, go to a reputable shop, and buy a bike that fits you, not the one with "curb appeal". Don't be afraid to spend your money--I feel like I could've bought a better bike.

A sore butt is usually a product of poor cycling shorts--not your bike seat. The saddles with the slots in them are often marketing gimmicks--every rider in the Tour de France wears cycling bibs, but you'll be hard pressed to find one that uses a "slotted saddle."

Don't just push down on the pedals. Your power stroke should encompass as much of the revolution as possible. Some people liken it to scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe--but remember to pull up too. Cycling shoes and clip-in pedals are like a dream come true when you first try them--not 100% mandatory, but they really add efficiency to your pedaling, and are just very very very very nice to have.

When riding, focus on your pedal cadence. 90rpm will give you higher efficiency and better power transfer. Many cycling computers have this option, but you can always count them off over a given time.

Side notes:
a)PLEASE WEAR A HELMET! Head injuries often have life long side effects. Ask my sister if you're not convinced.
b)MOTORISTS DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO CYCLISTS! BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Remember on your driving test, where they ask you about how far away you should follow busses? how about where they ask you how much you can legally drink? or where they ask you where to put infant seats?......How about when they ask you how to pass a cyclist???????? They don't. Drivers aren't given instructions on what to do. There are 2 types of cyclists: those that have crashed, and those that will.

As far as food:
I guess it's obvious that you should eat "good food." Just about anything at restaurants these days has large proportions of junk calories, and the portions are astronomical!

My staples are (in no particular order) yogurt, salmon, almonds, arugula, couscous, strawberries, raspberries, apples, lentils, hummus, black beans, olive oil, and clif bars.

Drink lots of water. That recommended 8 glasses a day will suit normal bodily functions. You will need more when you add the exercize. An important side note is to recognise the difference between hunger and thirst--try drinking a few glasses of water every time you think you're hungry--you might be surprised.

It's important to have some carbohydrates about a half hour before you train(I like yogurt), and immediately afterwards. There are special sports drinks that cater to "recovery" such as Endurox R4, but chocolate milk is a close (and waaaay cheaper)equivalent.

Protein is an overrated nutrient, and it's pretty easy to get what you need if you're not a vegan. Protein supplements are a waste of money in most cases.

You will also need a meal within 2 hours of a training session. Don't skip eating, even if you're training for weight loss. If you don't fuel your body, you won't have energy for your next session--it might even be damn difficult to even get out the door.

Avoid alcohol--it's loaded with empty calories, and more importantly, avoid alcohol within a few hours of a training session. It will dehydrate when you need hydration.

Learn about serving sizes. It's difficult to gage how much you're actually eating, and how much you need. Fitday.com is free and can help you figure out exactly how much you're eating.

Would you believe it?

Would you believe it if I told you that my heart rate monitor and one of my kitchen table chairs broke this week?

I'm really hoping the squeak on my road bike is nothing.

Milestone

Yesterday I ran 3.55 miles at the gym. This, in and of itself was no big achievement. That's not the point of today's entry.

The point is......... that I've ran over 100 miles since January 1st, 2006.

I've been keeping track of all of my mileage in the gym, and I'm fairly pleased, given that I've been away from the gym for 2 weeks this year during my ski vacations(which did not keep me conditioned, somehow), and out for yet another week feeling under the weather for working out.

Unfortunately, about 90 miles has been on a treadmill. I hate treadmills. There's such little inspiration to work hard on one--like watching Jeopardy and Ricky Martin videos could inspire anyone. True inspiration is being 3 miles from home and telling yourself that you wouldn't dare walking home.

My longest run yet this year was 8.26 miles....mapped out for you right here. I pulled this off on saturday in a little over an hour.

I hope to reach 365 miles this year on foot. That's a good number, no?

Hey you! New Years Resolutioneers!

Get the hell out of the gym! I'm not paying all this gym membership money to wait in line for you to career off the treadmill squirming with angina. FYI, It is not necessary for you to go to the gym everyday, and working out everyday could probably instigate an occlusion in your cheeto-lined coronary arteries. To drive my point home, last week a man collapsed at my gym as I was leaving and ended up following the ambulance out of the parking lot.

New Years resolutions are hogwash, humbug, and bullshit. The fact that we have completed a revolution around the sun will not ease your laziness. Although people do change, today is the same as yesterday, and the only way you can make changes in your life is overcome your weakness of self control.

Billy Corgan was quoted as saying, "If you're not doing what you want right now, you never will." I'm not sure I completely buy into that extreme, but I do know that you cannot change unless you really want it. Without an ample supply of motivation and commitment, your attempts to create change will be futile. Unfortunately, those qualities are pretty scarce in our society.

When I decided I wanted to stop smoking, I threw my nearly full pack of Winstons out my car window and drove to the local Cub and bought the patch. I was taking an inventory of my life and decided that I needed some serious changes to enjoy life more. That's how you make a resolution. These insipid resolutions (NewYear-ian, Lenten, et al.) are destined to fail if you're making one because "that's what you're supposed to do." You have to do it for You.

but I think anyone with three digits in their IQ should already know this, so I'm going to discuss something else more fun. 2 blogs for the price of one.

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Isn't the MP3 player just the most awesome workout tool, EVER? There's just something about some songs that make me feel like I'm an invincible titanium machine. Like a Terminator on a treadmill.

Do you understand what I'm talking about? Is there a song, or even a part of a song, that instantly soaks your muscles with adrenaline, raises the hairs on your back, and makes you bare your teeth like a wild animal? I've been through many iterations of a workout playlist, and although I do get sick of some songs, there's a few that are absolutely mandatory for a workout playlist.

Maybe you'll think so too.

Super-Workout tracks---

Ted Leo - Me & Mia
Ted Leo- Shake the Sheets
Audioslave - Be Yourself
White Stripes- Hardest Button to Button
Soul Coughing - $300
Soul Coughing - Miss the Girl
The Beta Band - Dry the Rain
The Vines - Get Free
The Vines - TV Pro

also good
Death Cab - Sound of Settling
Spoon - Jonathan Fisk
Spoon - I didn't come here to die
Sage Francis - Slow down, Ghandi
Radiohead- Planet Telex
White Stripes- Girl, You have no faith in Medicine

Anything YOU'VE found to work? I'm waiting....