tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41508646129855212692024-03-05T13:14:40.040-06:00Team San AngeloA blog style newsletter for cycling, running, multisport, and wellness in the San Angelo, Texas region. New blog posts are typically added once a week unless something really important happens sooner than that.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-73158111756614067772017-04-18T21:13:00.000-05:002017-04-18T21:26:44.360-05:00Who Do I Follow On The 'Net?<span style="font-size: small;">The response from readers regarding my final newspaper column in the San Angelo Standard Times (which several people referred to as the "Substandard Times") has been amazing. I've heard from people of all walks of life, including many that I would have never have guessed were readers of my column. Quite a few of those people indicated that they would continue to read my posts on this blog now that I'm no longer a columnist for the paper (or, as one nice person stated ... "continue to read the musings of an old athlete.").</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Several people posed questions when they responded to the final column, with one of the questions being "Who/what do you follow on the Internet related to cycling and who are some of the authors who publish stuff that you like to read?" That's a great question and here are several answers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCxvR5iOvFkmehhXN0Soxip0Ehx6FN5oY-Rkiyqjv5K45RHKQGsjehbOFxT8ZCOvmErATfeVxy3C0gXZ5OcwZAxK9vm9_HZKxDiiqHDktwjENhbefhbzB9cAdWMTiZ-Pp1UIp0b9TBrD4/s1600/Fast+After+50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCxvR5iOvFkmehhXN0Soxip0Ehx6FN5oY-Rkiyqjv5K45RHKQGsjehbOFxT8ZCOvmErATfeVxy3C0gXZ5OcwZAxK9vm9_HZKxDiiqHDktwjENhbefhbzB9cAdWMTiZ-Pp1UIp0b9TBrD4/s200/Fast+After+50.jpg" width="155" /></a>One of my on-going favorites is Joe Friel's blog (<a href="http://www.joefrielsblog.com/">http://www.joefrielsblog.com</a>/). Joe is a serious Grand-masters athlete, a coach, author, researcher and more importantly - someone one who practices what he preaches. He is an authority on training strategies for older endurance athletes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I also follow Lance Armstrong via Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/lancearmstrong/">https://www.facebook.com/lancearmstrong/</a>). You may hate or love the guy (your opinion on that issue doesn't matter to me), but he's arguably the most talented endurance athlete ever to come from Texas and he still has an obvious passion for cycling and running.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There are two ladies who I currently find interesting (actually, there are a lot of ladies who are interesting), but these two are both articulate and can ride most people into the ground in totally different ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcs1Jq6a1dbbe8ZEF8-9paoBSxStP8KZa2-bTizs8VLnZBgwZJ4410-zxwmIZtEMz8A6Nsq0YJGgjzSQ0K8VPlGTeR0oK4ZBE7Fx_cNdjJ_QRqn3UDB-sbqCTvH9ZI1NMXPv9RpBMzVxIU/s1600/Hera+van+Willick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcs1Jq6a1dbbe8ZEF8-9paoBSxStP8KZa2-bTizs8VLnZBgwZJ4410-zxwmIZtEMz8A6Nsq0YJGgjzSQ0K8VPlGTeR0oK4ZBE7Fx_cNdjJ_QRqn3UDB-sbqCTvH9ZI1NMXPv9RpBMzVxIU/s320/Hera+van+Willick.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> One of these ladies is Hera van Willick (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HeravanWillick/">on Facebook at facebook.com/HeravanWillick/</a> and she also a great blog at<a href="http://heravanwillick.nl/en/blog-3/?lang=en"> http://heravanwillick.nl/en/blog-3/?lang=en</a>). She's a cycling tourist and speaker who has pedaled and camped through much of Europe, across Iceland, through Alaska, Canada, and the West Coat of the United States and is now rolling through Mexico on her way to South America.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqctdMsF9kruI1hafIfDb7HIibsshUhARJjj_GOgnptGttE9YhYUSKen2eY-aovWfum6N-rXMLETS-47r2XiQk0n0q_0khztSuRovdeDbutqouGbAhM2npFb-KJaaS3lp81WsP_L4HA8vr/s1600/Emily+Batty+on+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqctdMsF9kruI1hafIfDb7HIibsshUhARJjj_GOgnptGttE9YhYUSKen2eY-aovWfum6N-rXMLETS-47r2XiQk0n0q_0khztSuRovdeDbutqouGbAhM2npFb-KJaaS3lp81WsP_L4HA8vr/s200/Emily+Batty+on+bike.jpg" width="200" /></a>The other lady that I follow is Canadian mountain biker Emily Batty (<a href="http://emilybatty.com/">http://emilybatty.com/</a>). She's already an accomplished professional mountain bike racer (and, I should add, a former Canadian cyclocross national champion) who has been on the podium both in international World Cup races and also in the Olympics. This young lady seems to have a rare combination of athletic ability, drive, and the ability to communicate well, so I predict she'll do well when her racing career is over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Last of all, I enjoy the Facebook posts by Cyclocross Magazine (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/Cyclocross/">www.facebook.com/Cyclocross/</a>). Although some of their posts are clearly driven by advertisers, it's usually a good read and a way to keep up with the equipment, events and news related to cyclocross.</span></div>
<br />Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-64727821087993292332017-04-14T14:07:00.002-05:002017-04-17T20:45:34.587-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you found this blog because you read the link to it in my final newspaper column that ran in the Standard Times, you're at the right place. Starting next week, I'll be posting information related to activities, events, and other items related to cycling, running and multisport in the San Angelo area. You can subscribe to this blog so that new posts are automatically pushed out to you. Also, if you use Facebook and are interested in cyclocross and/or dirt road riding, I maintain a FB group page that's focused on those activities at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/179600455439317/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/179600455439317/</a>. In the meantime, glad to have you on board and welcome to the blog!Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-36112873051597379412016-03-12T20:22:00.000-06:002016-03-13T17:30:46.642-05:00Loop Group<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKdW9hB1pUSJUqicIe1b73IqbTdofNyn_-NgwAnkH2WzUoLmH_NInjGbJMa1Uhx4KxbWhBT9aPFw4LQyGh5fOg5O3zJ3T7Tud_nfwvDQG9o6l5ukxojIoiZIphYvZkegVx-P8Xpta2xpl/s1600/Loop+Group+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKdW9hB1pUSJUqicIe1b73IqbTdofNyn_-NgwAnkH2WzUoLmH_NInjGbJMa1Uhx4KxbWhBT9aPFw4LQyGh5fOg5O3zJ3T7Tud_nfwvDQG9o6l5ukxojIoiZIphYvZkegVx-P8Xpta2xpl/s320/Loop+Group+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Every city has cycling traditions that define the sport in that area, and San Angelo is no different. We have the infamous Loop Group rides (or at least, we had until they became small and not-so-infamous).<br />
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These group rides have taken place for years every Tues/Thurs evening during daylight-saving time, starting from the TxDot front parking lot (Knickerbocker Blvd and Loop 306) at 6:30 pm (usually 6:00 early in the season). Be there on time or you’ll get left behind.<br />
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Loop Group rides are not organized by an individual or club - instead, riders just show up. There is no event permit from the city, no police support and no overarching event insurance. In past years the group size was often 30-40 riders each evening, although that's dwindled down to 6-10 on good days over the past couple of seasons. Like groups rides everywhere, these rides allow riders at all ability levels to test themselves against other cyclists and enjoy the camaraderie. Everyone is welcome – but please wear a helmet, ride safely, and obey all traffic laws.<br />
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Group rides have always been an integral part of road cycling. Teams and groups of individuals train together, cycling tours are usually large groups of cyclists, and most races start off as a group (“peleton”) until the action heats up. Leaning to ride safely in a group is an important road bike skill and isn't something you'll learn on Google.<br />
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For some local riders, these twice-weekly Loop Group rides are the “Tuesday/Thursday World Championships” where they compete for bragging rights and less skilled riders just take pride in trying to keep up with that lead group for part of the ride. For other cyclists, these rides are a biweekly social event. They meet at TX DOT on group ride evenings, enjoy the company of other riders and pedal around the route at a moderate pace.<br />
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On any given group ride evening, you’ll might find male and female cyclists ranging in age from teenagers to folks well over 70, an occasional couple on a tandem bike, and representation from all social classes and occupations. Some of the local triathletes have been known to bring their running shoes and go for a transition run after the ride. The common thread is these people all enjoy cycling, and the Loop Group is the place to be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.<br />
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Let’s take a virtual ride through a typical Loop Group evening. You want to show up early enough to unload your bike and get “kitted up” (cycling shoes, helmet, gloves, etc.). Go through the checklist: rest room visit (check), tires aired up (check), spare tube or patch kit (check), water bottles full (check), sunglasses (check). You’re ready to ride.<br />
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At start time, the pack starts to form and at we roll out headed east along the Loop 306 frontage road toward the Concho River. Experienced and steady riders take the lead positions and (for now) the pace is easy, friendly, and relaxed. New cyclists ride near the back of the pack and learn from those with more saddle time.<br />
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The group passes Foster Road and rolls across the South Concho River bridge, veers back onto the frontage road, and crosses Ben Ficklin as we head toward the Old Christoval road overpass. The pace is starting to pick up, and (as usual) we’ve got a side wind from the southeast. We turn left up onto the overpass (watch for oncoming traffic!), go over the bridge, and then make immediate right and left turns to get onto Fairview School road. This is a tricky corner – watch for traffic and potholes in the road.<br />
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The anticipation starts to mount as we head down Fairview road - this is usually where the attacks start. We’re all riding hard to stay “on the wheel” of the rider in front of us to be in the draft and conserve energy. Like clockwork, it happens – a few strong riders sprint off the front and pick up the pace up from a leisurely 18-19 mph to 25+. The strong cyclists in the group accelerate and catch up with the break, while the rest of us get left behind. Most of us are “OTB”, cycling talk for Off The Back.<br />
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From this point on, the initial Loop Group pack fragments into multiple smaller groups as people ride at a pace they can maintain. Occasionally some new rider will get dropped by everyone and left alone to find their way back to TxDot (hey, that’s part of the Loop Group indoctrination tradition).<br />
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The hammerheads (fast folks) will go on to east Loop 306, then right onto Susan Peak Road, south to Waling Pecan Road, and work their way back into San Angelo via Mikulik, Schartz, and Country Club roads and then back onto the loop 306 frontage road as they complete a 35 mile loop.<br />
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The rest of us will turn right will turn right onto Mikulik shortly after passing under the Eden highway overpass and complete a 20 mile ride following Mikulik, Schartz, and Country Club roads. We all end up back at TxDot before dark and spend a little time bragging about how fast (or slow?) we were this evening.<br />
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These Loop Group rides are a great way to meet other cyclists, improve you bike fitness, and test yourself against other riders. It’s a San Angelo cycling tradition, so come out and join the fun. Ride On, San Angelo, and remember – the Loop Group rides are not organized events .... riders just show up.<br />
<br />Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-76253818755958739212016-02-10T19:14:00.000-06:002016-02-10T19:14:43.326-06:00Places to Bike, Run and Walk in San AngeloCycling and Running Routes<br />
San Angelo, Texas<br />
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<b><u>Road cycling</u></b><br />
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1. The Knickerbocker Loop from the Mary E Lee Park swim beach to town of Knickerbocker and back, 26 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219937395">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219937395</a>.<br />
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2. Out and back on Arden Road from Liquor City to County Road 411 and back, 34 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219941479">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219941479</a>.<br />
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3. The Loop Group long course, 31 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219949563">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219949563</a>.<br />
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4. FM 2288 from Liquor City to HY 87 at Grape Creek and back, 20 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219952185">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219952185</a>.<br />
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5. A great loop around the Bluffs subdivision circuit (4.5 miles per lap – if you hammer through four laps you’ll get a hard 18 mile workout), <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220053265">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220053265</a>.<br />
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6. A flat route that includes Jamison Road from Liquor City, 16 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219960265">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219960265</a>.<br />
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7. A San Angelo classic - Burma Road out and back from the old Liquor City location, 46 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219969249">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219969249</a>.<br />
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8. Susan Peak Road from highway 277 and Waling Pecan, 52 miles, nice hills in the middle part of the ride, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220038655">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220038655</a>.<br />
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9. A flat loop that circles the east side of Lake Nasworthy, 12 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219957275">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219957275</a><br />
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10. A flat loop that goes from the swim beach to Highway 277 and back via Spring Creek Park, 20 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220056721">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220056721</a>.<br />
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11. The San Angelo Bicycle Association time trial (TT) course, Susan Peak road, 12 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220058723">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220058723</a>.<br />
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12. OC Fisher Dam, out and back, 14 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220061105">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220061105</a>.<br />
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13. A rolling route that goes through Knickerbocker, Tankersley, and Jamison Road from Swim Beach, 41 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220068259">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220068259</a>.<br />
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14. The Seven Sisters loop from the Swim Beach, 39 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220071789">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220071789</a>.<br />
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15. The Loop Group short route, 19 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220077825">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220077825</a>.<br />
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16. River Road loop, near downtown San Angelo, ~ 14 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/river-road-loop-route-23270662">http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/river-road-loop-route-23270662</a>.<br />
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17. State Park road loop, 14 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220084343">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220084343</a>.<br />
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18. A flat route that starts at Fort Concho and goes out Paint Rock Road, 27 miles, <br />
<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220049079">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220049079</a>.<br />
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19. Swim Beach to Door Key Road out-and-back, 20 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220087789.">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220087789.</a><br />
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20. The Almost-to-Bronte” loop, 58 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220090609">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220090609</a>.<br />
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21. Need more of a challenge? Try the San Angelo Grand Fundo route (combination of pavement and dirt roads), <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/235844785">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/235844785</a><br />
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<b><u>Cyclocross and dirt road bike routes (can also be ridden on a mountain bike)</u></b><br />
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1. State Park lake loop – a complete circle around OC Fisher reservoir, combination of paved roads and dirt roads/trails, 23 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/278912579">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/278912579</a><br />
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2. Twin Buttes lake loop, a complete circle around Twin Buttes reservoir, about 50 % pavement and 50% dirt/4WD road, 30 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/twin-buttes-lake-loop-with-dam-crossing-route-18139500">www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/twin-buttes-lake-loop-with-dam-crossing-route-18139500</a>.<br />
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3. An interesting loop that starts in Middle Concho Park with some dirt road and options for additional distance on 4WD roads or trails, 14 miles, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219944467">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219944467</a><br />
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4. A dirt road ride through ranch and oilfield country on CR 411 & 412 north of Mertzon. About 34 miles if done as an out-and-back, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/226310267">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/226310267</a>.<br />
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5. Guinn Road (pavement and then gravel), out and back 29.5 miles total, <a href="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/944650499">https://connect.garmin.com/activity/944650499</a><br />
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6. Eola gravel grinder loop, combination of pavement and dirt, 28 miles but can easily be extended, <a href="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/797137636">https://connect.garmin.com/activity/797137636</a><br />
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7. Middle Concho cyclocross practice course, Middle Concho Park, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/mid-concho-cx-training-loop-route-152193331">www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/mid-concho-cx-training-loop-route-152193331</a>.<br />
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8. State Park cyclocross course (somewhat biased to mountain bikes), <a href="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/928171288">https://connect.garmin.com/activity/928171288</a><br />
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<b><u>Mountain biking (or trail running)</u></b><br />
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1. Spillway Hill (Middle Concho Park) mountain bike or trail run loop, distance will vary depending on how much of the motorcycle trail loop is used. The dirt road and 4WD tracks are good routes for new or casual cyclists, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/spillway-hill-ride-route-18828500">www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/spillway-hill-ride-route-18828500</a><br />
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2. San Angelo State Park, miles and miles of trails with multiple possible routes, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/san-angelo-state-park-south-to-north-loo-route-83619741">www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/san-angelo-state-park-south-to-north-loo-route-83619741</a>.<br />
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3. Powerline loop (or out-and-back), a short but challenging area near Lamar Elementary that follows the power lines. There are some short but steep hills, good for mountain bikes or for a short trail run, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/281662935">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/281662935</a>.<br />
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4. Twin Buttes – Spring Creek out-and-back. This is part of the 30-miles Lake Loop ride but includes only the 4WD roads between the Equalization Channel and the crossing at Spring Creek. Mostly flat-to rolling, great views especially along Spring Creek, suitable for cyclocross or mountain bike, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/281676781">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/281676781</a>.<br />
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<b><u>Running and Walking</u></b><br />
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(There are literally hundreds of routes in the San Angelo area, but the listing below highlights some of the most popular and routes that are used for events or general fitness activities.)<br />
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1. Twin Buttes access road (also know as the infamous Dirt Road from Hell). This road was formerly used for the Wool Capitol triathlon and Striders Duathlon long course. Starts in Middle Concho Park - this is a GREAT training run on soft surfaces. Can also be accessed from highway 67 south. <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/257740231">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/257740231</a><br />
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2. Run in the Sun 8K route (a nationally certified course), <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/run-in-the-sun-2007-route-441709">http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/run-in-the-sun-2007-route-441709</a><br />
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3. Trail run in the State Park, 3.8 miles but can easily be lengthened, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/238846685">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/238846685</a><br />
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4. Armydillo 10K (formerly used for the Marine Corps Bulldog Run), <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283430321">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283430321</a><br />
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5. Red Bluff Road out-and-back, <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283431299">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283431299</a><br />
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6. ASU Turkey Trot 5K course (on the campus): <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/new-turkey-trot-route-24705746">www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/new-turkey-trot-route-24705746</a><br />
<br />
7. East campus loop 5K: <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283274905">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283274905</a><br />
<br />
8. KOA loop: <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/koa-mar-2-2011-5-53-pm-route-29033108">http://www.mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/koa-mar-2-2011-5-53-pm-route-29033108</a><br />
<br />
9. Spillway Hill Trail Run (can easily be lengthened or shortened): <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/brownwood-tx/spillway-hill-trail-run-route-4153291">http://www.mapmyride.com/us/brownwood-tx/spillway-hill-trail-run-route-4153291</a><br />
<br />
10. Crazy Desert trail run (half marathon), San Angelo State Park: <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/244860612">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/244860612</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Triathlon-specific workout venues and routes</u></b><br />
<br />
1. Lake Nasworthy swim beach: Swim around the no-wake markers, ride out-and-back toward the town of Knickerbocker (<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219937395">www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219937395</a>), and run on Fisherman’s Road into Spring Creek Park (<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/us/brownwood-tx/spring-creek-park-from-swim-beach-route-7448249">http://www.mapmyride.com/us/brownwood-tx/spring-creek-park-from-swim-beach-route-7448249</a>).<br />
<br />
2. Middle Concho Park (Wool Capitol Triathlon transition area): Swim in the Middle Concho inlet of Lake Nasworthy, bike on Red Bluff Road and then Knickerbocker Blvd toward the town of Knickerbocker and back (<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283435263">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/283435263</a>), and then run on The Dirt Road From Hell (<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/257740231">http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/257740231</a>)<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>C</u><b><u>opyright © 2015 by Bill Cullins</u>. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, posting on another web site or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author / publisher.</b>Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-60808686192390983052015-12-20T20:30:00.000-06:002016-02-23T18:37:24.881-06:00Putting On Races Is Hard Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iolDnqtuIDKaOQFjroxlMYp7VfF05ID3W_G6ov9GFre8d5O0WzxRZLIhWyS71Sxp2rzXbZlDNwI4u82dZ1GrfFkzKEubLA9957CoXVpNnIWniwA8zukKcB6uDMRuphmjeFHxnBmdJfwz/s1600/TRiathlon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iolDnqtuIDKaOQFjroxlMYp7VfF05ID3W_G6ov9GFre8d5O0WzxRZLIhWyS71Sxp2rzXbZlDNwI4u82dZ1GrfFkzKEubLA9957CoXVpNnIWniwA8zukKcB6uDMRuphmjeFHxnBmdJfwz/s320/TRiathlon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Someone told me a few months ago that "there's really not much work involved in putting on a race."<br />
<br />
It was obvious that this person had never organized or directed an event.<br />
<br />
Those of you who have actually directed or helped organize events know the opposite is true. Doing a good job of putting on an event (even a small race) involves much more than just lining up the racers and saying 'Go'.<br />
<br />
Properly done, the job of planning and directing an event starts weeks or even months before the actual race date with the overarching goals being to put on a fun, safe and well-planned event that attracts participants and also brings them back for future events.<br />
<br />
Anyone who has competed in cycling, running or multisport events has probably seen both extremes - well planned and properly executed events that you really enjoyed and then other events that left you wondering what idiot organized this mess. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxiaSvi3kFFi0BJDgNeOCp8RG1yBkKcJoiL2r0jRP1MvbkgGK3hQDK_qZNKniqJJSBGtdh3leBMcWzLMmWvScR5n3ibqn5bA9J_UEYwjNyG9_IoX_wGpS9-0kElGfIS5t0m6yRhbGaskK/s1600/checklist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxiaSvi3kFFi0BJDgNeOCp8RG1yBkKcJoiL2r0jRP1MvbkgGK3hQDK_qZNKniqJJSBGtdh3leBMcWzLMmWvScR5n3ibqn5bA9J_UEYwjNyG9_IoX_wGpS9-0kElGfIS5t0m6yRhbGaskK/s320/checklist.jpg" width="320" /></a>A race director's pre-event checklist will include selecting a date weeks or months ahead of time, creating an event budget, deciding on race categories, entry fees and start times, obtaining permits and insurance, developing the course (or courses), marketing the event via Facebook, web sites, and hard copy flyers, designing a logo and event T-shirts, ordering awards, setting up on-line and day of event registration, ordering portable toilets if other facilities are not available, assembling bike racks for multisport events, getting commitments from volunteers and answering 1001 questions from possible participants.<br />
<br />
On race day, well-planned events will have barricades and/or course marshals to ensure participant safety, police and EMS support if needed, a well-marked course, an efficient day-of-event registration system (including change to accommodate the people who show up with a $50 bill to pay a $20 entry fee) and a process to quickly tabulate results so that racers don't wait forever for the awards ceremony.<br />
<br />
Ideally, the scoring system will also be something that allows posting for overall results shortly after the event concludes.<br />
<br />
Does all of that sound like "there's not much work involved"?<br />
<br />
I asked some experienced racers (including several who have also directed or organized events) to list the top three things they expect to see in well-organized races and also what they feel are the most effective event marketing methods.<br />
<br />
Angie Sonnenberg, a top competitive runner and former president of the Road Lizards running club, says she likes to see races start on time, reasonable entry fees and awards ceremonies that happen fairly quickly after a race ends.<br />
<br />
"Event shirts and events that support a worthy cause are pluses," says Sonnenberg. " I'm also drawn to races that are family friendly but also like the ones I can go do without my kids. I think Facebook is a great for marketing."<br />
<br />
Katherine Garrison, a runner and former event coordinator for the ASUFit program at Angelo State University, agrees on race start times, T-shirts and awards ceremonies. <br />
<br />
"Races that start on time, cool t-shirts, a reasonable price, and an efficient awards ceremony are <br />
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important. Races with multiple events are a plus. I'd say a good Web site or general online presence (news outlets, Facebook, emails through local running club, etc) is what generally grabs my attention. Cool t-shirts get me excited too - they provide motivation when I wear them during workouts."<br />
<br />
Cyclists Lance Bowers and Mark Durkay noted that the start time for a race is something that race directors should give some thought to in addition to other aspects of an event.<br />
<br />
"Later start times allow those traveling from out-of-town time to make the trip and avoid traveling the day before," says Bowers. "Having a well organized check-in area, making an effort to welcome everyone and giving competitors a quick thank you for participating also goes a long way. FB is a great way of getting the word spread and having a complete flyer with all the needed information is a big plus."<br />
<br />
"Having results posted quickly makes everyone happy and swag drawings keep people around after the event and gives them a great chance to meet new people and network regarding other races."<br />
<br />
Terry Shaner, a long-time runner and 'President Emeritus' of the local running club and Brian Tillman, a local runner and triathlete, both agree that a quality event shirt with a good logo design is something that enhances a races popularity along with common-sense items such as starting on time, timely/accurate results, a well marked course, a friendly event attitude and a reasonable entry fee.<br />
<br />
"Start within 10 minutes of posted start time, timely and accurate results, a well marked course or one that is easy to follow and an affordable price," says Shaner. "I will pay more for a cause I support or longer distance events."<br />
<br />
"A friendly, welcoming event is a big plus - most of our local events fall into this category but I've been to some out of town triathlons that really turned me off with the egos involved," notes Tillman." I also understand that fees get high with a fundraiser or multi-sport event where lifeguards, EMS, etc. are required, but 10 to 20 bucks is about my limit for a 5K or 10K run."<br />
<br />
"One comment on t-shirts," says Tillman. "I like getting a shirt for an event, but if you plaster the sponsor advertisement REALLY big across the front and the event name kind of small on the bottom or back it's probably going in the rag pile."<br />
<br />
Remember - there is a lot of hard work involved in putting on races ..... if you do a good job.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Upcoming Events<br />
Jan 9: Resolution Run, roadlizards.org<br />
Jan: 16: Trail Running Series, roadlizards.org<br />
Jan 30: Trail Running Series, roadlizards.org<br />
Feb 20: Trail Running Series, roadlizards.org<br />
Mar 12: Crazy Desert Trail Run, roadlizards.orgBill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-55279467656870579112015-10-31T20:18:00.001-05:002015-10-31T20:18:12.807-05:00Cycling History in San Angelo<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz33yDXKvoc41iS8C7kjGuuF2RhkMDx2tyQpNdwNhjIxjNpxWMmsEHtKj9FO85EI-13lReTWIHUVr490UDMdbJZjTE-PDEN-sxliTtLKMT1rmXZE5SpvEcTTK74KezOV84q1wrI5u6ExDV/s1600/High+wheel+bicycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz33yDXKvoc41iS8C7kjGuuF2RhkMDx2tyQpNdwNhjIxjNpxWMmsEHtKj9FO85EI-13lReTWIHUVr490UDMdbJZjTE-PDEN-sxliTtLKMT1rmXZE5SpvEcTTK74KezOV84q1wrI5u6ExDV/s320/High+wheel+bicycle.jpg" width="250" /></a>Cyclists have been riding the roads in and around San Angelo for the last 130 or so years. The modern bicycle was invented in 1861, and by 1885 bicycles were getting to be quite common on San Angelo streets. <br /><br /> In May of 1888, the Standard-Times reported that bicycle fever was spreading throughout the city. Riding a bicycle during the early days resulted in numerous incidents or questions about bicycles. The newspaper reported that on February 20, 1886, a Mr. Frank Harris ran his bike into a horse drawn phaeton owned by a Dr. Early, causing quite a bit of confusion and uproar. The San Angelo city council voted to ban bicycles from sidewalks in 1892, and Mr. J. Harris suggested in August of 1892 that he felt cowboys would have a hard time rounding up cattle on bicycles. <br /><br />Competition has always been a part of cycling, and that was certainly the case in the early 1900’s. Activities during the Concho Valley Fair in 1891 included bicycle races, and San Angelo native Rhodes Baker won both the 5/8 mile and 1-mile cycling events at the Brownwood Fair in 1892. These early cyclists also competed informally for bragging rights. A report in May of 1888 stated that M.N.Burgess completed a ride from San Angelo to Ballinger in seven hours, and the Standard-Times noted that in April of 1892 Rhodes Baker did a round trip ride from San Angelo to Knickerbocker and back in less than three hours.<br /><br /> Early cyclists, like those of today, were prone to do long rides that took several days and covered a lot of miles. One of the most intriguing early cycling trips involved San Angelo residents Rhodes Baker and George Allen, who completed a twelve day, 425 mile trip on their bicycles that took them from San Angelo to Sonora, to Del Rio, across into Mexico, and back through Rock Springs to San Angelo. This ride was done in hot July weather, on rough wagon roads, with all of their gear (including fly fishing rods) strapped to their bicycles. <br /><br /> Bicycle clubs were popular back then, as clubs organized across the nation during the 1890’s. The first San Angelo cycling club, the San Angelo Wheelmen, was formed in April of 1892, and a newspaper report in May of 1892 noted that a Miss Itena Patch had mastered the art of riding a bike so local ladies were considering forming their own bicycle club. The legacy of the original San Angelo Wheelmen cycling club continues today with the San Angelo Bicycling Association (SABA).<br /><br /> A lot has changed since the early days of San Angelo cycling, and yet — just like the early local pioneers of our sport — we still push on the pedals to make the bike go, curse the windy days, and enjoy the feeling of rolling down the road as we complete another two-wheeled adventure.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-58954526426261710862015-10-19T19:37:00.002-05:002015-10-19T19:37:38.935-05:00Train Like A Spartan<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgelTM7FRcQH5APlBOCTL7rsQd8ZwlLNMGHw33akxmcTuDzpWRBfSWGKXEqXCNZeD41yhYtwkyAskDCOze92Kr0wFcKRlrY8c9zwMXGqwzoxxZxvaER-N4bNAuQurZcDZo6DE5Ca1DzMEt/s1600/Spartan+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgelTM7FRcQH5APlBOCTL7rsQd8ZwlLNMGHw33akxmcTuDzpWRBfSWGKXEqXCNZeD41yhYtwkyAskDCOze92Kr0wFcKRlrY8c9zwMXGqwzoxxZxvaER-N4bNAuQurZcDZo6DE5Ca1DzMEt/s320/Spartan+fire.jpg" width="320" /></a> Do you think your daily fitness workouts are hard? Most of you who bike, run or go to the gym on a regular basis would probably respond 'Yes'.<br /><br />If so, try to keep up with Bridget Runion as she does workouts to prepare for an upcoming Spartan Race she'll be competing in on Oct 31.<br /><br />Even though Runion is a petite 30 year old lady who probably weighs around 100 pounds soaking wet, her workouts would make most pro football players cringe.<br /><br />She's a female version of the Energizer Bunny with extra high-voltage batteries installed.<br /><br />Her workouts include hanging from overhead bars and doing what appears to be endless repetitions of ab-strengthening leg lifts (toes up to the overhead bar), chin-ups, and running up and down a flight of stairs while carrying a heavy medicine ball.<br /><br />She adds strength-building workouts that include hard sets of tire flips using big heavy tires, does fast endurance runs on a treadmill, and 'cools down' by teaching various aerobics classes at Community Health Club.<br /><br />This isn't her first experience related to sports and fitness.<br /><br />"I started gymnastics at age three and continued for the next 12 years", explains Runion. " Once I entered high school I played volleyball, basketball and softball in addition to competing on the power lifting team. I was also a cheerleader in high school and my first year of college."<br /><br />The event she's training for is the Spartan Race Beast schedule for Oct 31 at Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose, Texas.<br /><br />She and other competitors will face a grueling 12 mile race against the clock that includes 25 or more obstacles such as rope net climbs, carrying heavy rocks, tire drags, spear throws, wall climbs/jumps, barbed wire crawls and other fitness tasks that the seemingly-sadistic race organizers dream up.<br /><br />All of this will take place on rugged off-road trails that include steep hills.<br /><br />Competitors may not know what specific obstacles they'll face since course instructions are announced verbally during the pre-race briefing by the race director or at a specific obstacle.<br /><br />If a competitor fails to complete an obstacle section they are must complete 30 'penalty burpees' before continuing on to the next part of the course, with one repetition of a burpee being a full chest-to-the-ground pushup followed immediately by a feet-off-the-ground vertical jump.<br /><br />Runion says she wanted to do a Spartan race instead of a marathon, a triathlon or some other event because of the unique challenges involved.<br /><br />"Spartan is a mixture of strength and endurance. The challenge of the obstacles is what appealed to me more than the running alone."<br /><br />Her personal goal is to finish the event without having to 'pass' any obstacles with the alternative option of 30 burpees.<br /><br />Runion says there are many reasons why people sign up for events such as Spartan races, mud runs and 'boot camp' activities that emulate military training.<br /><br />"There are several different reasons why people would sign up for such events. Some do it for the social aspect while others choose to simply challenge their ability. For me, it is a test of not only my physical strength, but my inner strength."<br /><br />If you want to test your inner strength and physical ability, go find Runion at Community Health Club and try to keep pace with her during her Spartan-prep workouts. Be sure to bring your 'A' game if you try to do her workouts - you'll need it.<br /><br />You have to train like a Spartan to prepare for a Spartan race.<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Upcoming Events</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Oct 21: </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Longhorn Cyclocross Series race #3, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/longhorncx">http://tinyurl.com/longhorncx</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Oct 24: Come Run For The FUND 5K, 10K, and half
marathon, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/BronteVFD">http://tinyurl.com/BronteVFD</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Oct 28: Longhorn Cyclocross Series race #4, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/longhorncx">http://tinyurl.com/longhorncx</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Oct 31: Dinosaur Run, </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San Angelo</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">State
Park</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.roadlizards.org">roadlizards.org</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Nov 14: Masochist Run, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.roadlizards.org">roadlizards.org</a></span></div>
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Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-46013434182814970082015-10-05T19:53:00.001-05:002015-10-05T19:53:22.346-05:00Earning A Ph.D. in ‘How to Hurt Yourself by Being Stupid’.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyErzQaC794gtnGnVvireYwpQ6pyZ3gbJS54xBNhHnJONFoOeC677_R0S9txD6WeAn8hd_8u2J1dS-lq8MwRRJYKTKOQrX44cAuvl7lfGSWZ_aCqq4Faj1s8Ds8JUkSfxPWNEHQJm2aLK/s1600/Knee+Injury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyErzQaC794gtnGnVvireYwpQ6pyZ3gbJS54xBNhHnJONFoOeC677_R0S9txD6WeAn8hd_8u2J1dS-lq8MwRRJYKTKOQrX44cAuvl7lfGSWZ_aCqq4Faj1s8Ds8JUkSfxPWNEHQJm2aLK/s1600/Knee+Injury.jpg" /></a>Although many people think of ‘getting injured’ as being some type of physical trauma such as a torn muscle, sprained ankle or a broken bone, the most common cycling and running injuries are actually due to overuse.<br />
<br />
I consider myself to be an expert on overuse injuries. During my 35-plus years of cycling, running and multi-sport competition, I’ve racked up enough overuse injuries to have earned a Ph.D. in ‘How to Hurt Yourself by Being Stupid’.<br />
<br />
Overuse, defined as repetitive micro-trauma to tendons, bones and joints, is usually the result of doing too much exercise without appropriate recovery. If you have pre-existing conditions related to previous physical trauma such as an injured knee or poor bike/run biomechanics, overuse will often further exacerbate those conditions.<br />
<br />
The most common causes of overuse injuries are increasing the intensity or duration of workouts too quickly, doing too many workouts without taking recovery days, not doing enough flexibility and strength exercises or changing equipment without allowing for a reasonable period of easy adaptation.<br />
<br />
Most athletes (at all levels) tend to be highly motivated individuals with set goals they want to accomplish. To reach those goals of biking or running faster and further, we often fall into the trap of ‘no pain, no gain’ and try to do hard workouts day after day.<br />
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If the athletic improvements don’t come as fast as expected, we’ll usually chalk it up to not working out hard enough and increase the duration or intensity of our workouts even more.<br />
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The inevitable end result is some ‘weak link’ in our body breaks down and we develop overuse injuries such as rotator cuff tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis, shin splints, patellofemoral pain syndrome, iliotibial band friction syndrome, iliopsoas tendinitis or painfully tight lower back muscles.<br />
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Medical terminology aside, overuse injuries are a pain for cyclists and runners (pun intended) and they are almost always self-inflicted wounds.<br />
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The good news is that overuse injuries can usually be prevented if we follow common-sense guidelines related to both our workouts and to the selection/use of sports equipment.<br />
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The first line of defense against overuse injuries is to accept that our bodies gradually adapt to new training stresses (the key word is ‘gradually’). We get faster and stronger by applying a small overload stress to muscles and then allowing the body to adapt to that overload by resting or doing easier workouts until the muscles have recovered and become stronger.<br />
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We then continue the improvement process by applying a slightly larger stress, recovering again, and continuing this gradual improvement process over time.<br />
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The most common mistake (and what leads to most overuse injuries) is trying to increase the workout load too quickly without taking recovery days or continuing to push hard even though your body says it’s time to ease off for a while.<br />
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Using myself as an example (and also proving that years of experience doesn’t automatically make me smarter), I recently wrapped up an eight-week period during which I trained for and raced an off-road half-marathon, a 50-mile road cycling race, an epically long bike workout that included a hilly one-hour time trial race and wrapped things up by competing in a tough 100-kilometer dirt road cycling event.<br />
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Instead of responding to the signs of doing too much without rest and recovery (i.e., constant aches and pains) I continued to ‘train through the pain’ with the end result being a severely inflamed iliotibial band that makes even easy bike and run workouts painful.<br />
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Another trigger for overuse injuries is changing equipment without allowing the body to gradually adjust. New running shoes which may alter your foot strike, a new bicycle that may or may not fit your body properly, or adding items such as aero bars or different pedals to your bike can all lead to overuse injuries because of the new stresses placed on muscles, tendons and joints.<br />
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The bottom line is that most of us will develop some type of overuse injuries, so the key to getting past them is to identify the root cause, correct it and then follow the RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) until you’ve recovered.<br />
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A proper recovery plan for an overuse injury should also include strategies such as walking instead of running, icing sore muscles and joints, resting more, running on soft surfaces, spinning in an easy gear on your bike instead of mashing a big gear, stretching after every workout, warming up well before workouts, and focusing on strengthening the muscles that stabilize joints.<br />
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Those same recovery plan strategies will also help preventing overuse injuries, so work them into your routine and listen when your body tells you to back off for a few days.<br />
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Remember — doing too much without appropriate recovery will result in an overuse injury.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-21279205802689267702015-09-15T14:20:00.002-05:002015-09-15T17:31:26.962-05:00Your First CX Race<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruKw3xIdncsRsA0_Na2DR8h8Zfz-A8ddksKLmggpGS9qAYm_1Zp9I2duhnl4WAsQIraZbRujBiEtlXAonwksEq64HxyVIAKF66qTXM7GffJPjCD1MWIP3pMGbBnYqN5BeoDu0WmcFIqS-/s1600/CX+race-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruKw3xIdncsRsA0_Na2DR8h8Zfz-A8ddksKLmggpGS9qAYm_1Zp9I2duhnl4WAsQIraZbRujBiEtlXAonwksEq64HxyVIAKF66qTXM7GffJPjCD1MWIP3pMGbBnYqN5BeoDu0WmcFIqS-/s400/CX+race-1.jpg" width="400" /></a>Cyclocross season is getting underway and the local Longhorn CX Series starts in three weeks, so some of you are getting ready for your first-ever cyclocross event.<br />
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Even if you've done other types of races such as mountain bike, road or triathlon events, you'll quickly find that CX is a different beast. The good news is that there are some things you can do to make your initial cyclocross experience better.<br />
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Let's start with training. Although three weeks isn't long enough to significantly improve your fitness if you've spent the summer doing easy social rides, you can develop skills and start upping your fitness over the next few weeks. Three workouts that will make you faster (or at least reduce the pain level of a CX race) are big gear accelerations, threshold repeats and running (yep, I used the dreaded 'R' word).<br />
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Big gear accelerations (pseudo sprints) are simple and can be done during a ride on a practice course or as part of a road/trail ride. After warming up for 20-30 minutes, do 6-10 30 second repeats in a somewhat hard gear where you dig hard to get the bike going as fast as possible during the 30 seconds. Recover for a minute or two, then repeat ... and repeat ... and repeat. The objective is to train yourself to get the bike up to speed quickly after a corner or after a dismount/remount.<br />
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Threshold repeats are longer and also somewhat painful. After warming up, push yourself to ride at almost-maximum-sustainable effort for 5-10 minutes at a time (build to 2X 20-minute intervals over time). The effort level is best described as 'throw-up minus about 5%'. These efforts will train your body to maintain a hard pace during the course of a 40-50 minute race.<br />
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If you're really feeling masochistic, combine the two workouts described above and do a hard 15-20 second sprint at every one or two minute point during a threshold interval. This will simulate the effort required to maintain a hard pace during a CX race with repeated hard accelerations after each corner or barrier.<br />
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Running is the third piece of the 'prepare for CX' puzzle and the good news is that - just like strong whiskey - it doesn't take much to really have an effect. Here in The Desert, most of the running you'll do during a cyclocross race is either (a) to the restroom just before a race starts or (b) short dismount/run sections over barriers or through sandpits.<br />
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If you're a dedicated non-runner, start by walking fast and then adding 15-30 second intervals of easy jogging followed by a minute or so of brisk walking. Wear good shoes, stay on soft surfaces and try to do your running AFTER a bike workout when your muscles are warmed up. You multisport athletes will recognize this as being a brick workout (bike, then run). A good starting point is to (after a 30-60 min ride) do 5 minutes of easy run/walk and then 5 minutes of fast 30 second strides followed by 1 minute of brisk walking.<br />
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After doing these short post-ride running workouts for a couple of weeks, start combining them with cyclocross practice by warming up on the bike and then doing 15-30 second barrier, sand pit or uphill 'runs' while carrying your bike. This will let you combine a little run training with dismount, barrier and remount practice. Remember to mash the pedals hard after each remount to get back up to speed before coasting and recovering.<br />
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Let's shift the focus to race day and doing workouts that simulate race day. Having a good first cyclocross race means that your body is ready, you have a routine that you have practiced, your equipment is ready and so you're relaxed and ready to have fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTN1O0A_fS_425iCppiN4-2yH8MFoFIJ0R880snFzKRVgLXqO_ZoO4JQ4YxrkPQq1VgCUVaDioQjsOZZQds55AUDJtehXABtMVn_qEfVrWKnhMefhgDnGtn06AZ-DF0vN79cT8QDZgWlK/s1600/CX+race-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTN1O0A_fS_425iCppiN4-2yH8MFoFIJ0R880snFzKRVgLXqO_ZoO4JQ4YxrkPQq1VgCUVaDioQjsOZZQds55AUDJtehXABtMVn_qEfVrWKnhMefhgDnGtn06AZ-DF0vN79cT8QDZgWlK/s320/CX+race-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Getting the race-day routine down is important. As a general rule, you want to arrive at the race location at least one hour before the race starts (sooner than that if possible). Get registered, pin your number on, air up your tires and then do a gradual warm-up on the actual course, if possible. Make sure you have a pump, spare tubes and water/energy drink in the car.<br />
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As a general rule, try to warm up for at least 30 minutes before a race with the last few minutes being several 1-2 minute fast 'jumps' to elevate your heart rate and wake the body up. Try to simulate this routine before hard workouts to dial in how long and how hard your warm-up should be.<br />
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Course inspection is important, so pre-ride several laps to get a feel for the course, identify good vs. bad lines through corners and to determine where you'll have to dismount and run. The pre-ride is also where you want to adjust air pressure in tires. If you're bouncing all over the place try lowering the pressure and conversely - if you're bottoming out the rims on every bump add a little air. <br />
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As you pre-ride the course, identify areas where you can grab a sip from your water bottle if you're a drinker, look for areas where you might be able to pass slower riders and hopefully find those sections where you can soft-pedal and recover for a few seconds.<br />
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You'll also want to find out where the restrooms are - trust me.<br />
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Last of all, you'll want to practice your 'cross the finish line' move. Will it be a one-arm jab at the sky, a two-arm victory salute or a stylish dismount-and-run across the line? Remember that whatever you do will be on social media a few minutes after you finish.<br />
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That's it. The keys are to prep your body, prep your mind and have a good repeatable pre-race routine. See you on the race course !Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-14263913866073206062015-09-10T17:55:00.000-05:002015-09-10T17:59:54.252-05:00Killing Mesquite Trees With CX Bikes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZc2f6EwuCuZMFTtT7W5Vcb-JakDX4lG07fCf1cjdcYNWhkioOVrkr2pgGeD1P3hmm66wd2ls38QxrB8AFLkvP16c26FJ9J4uVZACT-1cSpJq7gpn26zAN-ZngkNsLD98K9xhTPQeqRgB/s1600/Mesquite+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZc2f6EwuCuZMFTtT7W5Vcb-JakDX4lG07fCf1cjdcYNWhkioOVrkr2pgGeD1P3hmm66wd2ls38QxrB8AFLkvP16c26FJ9J4uVZACT-1cSpJq7gpn26zAN-ZngkNsLD98K9xhTPQeqRgB/s400/Mesquite+trees.jpg" width="400" /></a>The <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/01/news/cyclocross/commentary-nationals-disaster_358091" target="_blank">CX Nationals tree fiasco</a> from last January is behind us and here in West Texas, we're taking the lessons learned from that weekend and putting them to good use for the upcoming cyclocross season.<br />
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We've partnered with a rouge group called 'Leave No Mesquite Living' to design the course for our local CX races and - based on the obviously superior research conducted by <a href="http://www.austinheritagetreefoundation.com/Tree_Alerts.html" target="_blank">Austin's Heritage Tree Foundation</a> - we fully expect every dammed mesquite on our course to be dead by the end of this year's racing season.<br />
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It's a win-win. Race CX and kill bad trees at the same time.<br />
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The course design included the obvious best practices - a long starting straight, off-camber corners, steps to run up, a sand pit and some up and down sections to test climbing and descending skills.<br />
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We also added 'tree kill zones' as an important course design goal.<br />
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Before the actual course was marked we identified all mesquites that would be targeted as part of the 'eradicate by bike' initiative. The course was then routed directly over the primary feeder roots for the condemned trees to ensure that the soil becomes compacted causing the mesquites to experience loss of growth, spread of decay in the root system and hopefully - a premature death.<br />
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Baby mesquites have also targeted by routing the course directly over them in hope that repeated abuse by CX tires will not only pluck small thorns from the sprouts but will also alleviate the problem of having to hand-chop the little bastards.<br />
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Although we don't doubt the tree damage claims made by the Austin experts, there are some who doubt that our cyclocross season tree eradication program will work. Local experts point out that even in the midst of a multi-year drought the mesquites (and other trees) that line area mountain bike trails are flourishing.<br />
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Let's hope the 'kill mesquite trees with CX bikes' initiative works as planned - if so, it'll be a lot cheaper than using chemicals and bulldozers. Our goal is to have every rancher in the region clamoring for us to ride through their pastures and kill off mesquites.<br />
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Ride on, and remember - the only good mesquite is a dead one that's been repurposed as fuel for a BBQ grill.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-63633362695308462652015-08-24T21:31:00.002-05:002015-08-24T21:31:08.934-05:00Will Summer Ever End?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusw2LJo0BijYtyhDfkkodIMpM0hTc8Kf6ILlXkCPkrkGMdGEwl9XufxNYOPLwn3hVosmbcqJMJxNJB7db3kDCuKL7_VoTSYuGUWoQntM56sqzyVonA-taoDrS8i1l_djIuHqhnTG5rZnt/s1600/Dog+On+Ice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusw2LJo0BijYtyhDfkkodIMpM0hTc8Kf6ILlXkCPkrkGMdGEwl9XufxNYOPLwn3hVosmbcqJMJxNJB7db3kDCuKL7_VoTSYuGUWoQntM56sqzyVonA-taoDrS8i1l_djIuHqhnTG5rZnt/s400/Dog+On+Ice.jpg" width="400" /></a>Will the hot weather ever end?<br /><br />As I write this, the temperature is a balmy 102 degrees and headed up toward the 105 we saw a few days ago.<br /><br />Although we were tricked into believing the ‘cooler and wetter’ El Niño forecast because of the great weather in May and June, we’ve had dry and oven-like conditions since mid July.<br /><br />Cyclists and runners have been subjected to four consecutive weeks with most daily high temperatures soaring to 100 degrees or above and a few days exceeding heat advisory criteria.<br /><br />People doing bike or run workouts have coped with rivers of sweat leaking through saturated sweatbands, salty sweat obscuring vision and stinging sunburned skin and routinely losing 3-5 pounds of fluid during long workouts even when hydrating constantly.<br /><br />Some athletes have avoided the heat by getting out early in the morning when the air temperature is (comparatively speaking) cooler at 80 degrees or so, while others have suffered through workouts later in the day in 100 degree or higher temperatures when readings on road surfaces are 110-120 degrees.<br /><br />One local cyclist training for an upcoming event has sacrificed sleep to get up at 4 a.m. and do his workouts before daylight, while other people have strategically planned running routes so they can stop at friendly houses along the way for a cool ‘water hose shower’ and drink of water.<br /><br />Post-workout time has revolved around rehydrating with a cold fermented beverage (or two) while dreaming about relocation to a cooler mountain climate.<br /><br />Micheal Decker, a staff meteorologist with the local National Weather Service office, said that although temperatures may “moderate” slightly over the next week or so, the hot weather isn’t going away soon.<br /><br />“The area of high pressure that’s parked over our area is typical for this time of year,” said Decker. “The heat could stay with us on into September until the hours of daylight get shorter and cold fronts start moving through.”<br /><br />There may be hope on the horizon, noted Decker, but not for the near future.<br /><br />“Although the eagerly-awaited El Niño weather pattern hasn’t had much of an impact on summer temperatures and rainfall, the long range forecast suggests that we’ll possibly see cooler and wetter than normal weather during November, December and January,” Decker said.<br /><br />Cooler and wetter than normal? Bring it on, please.<br /><br />Athletes training and competing in the hot weather of the past month may have also noticed that in addition to copious amounts of sweat and the associated dehydration, you have to work harder to maintain a given pace while biking or running compared with doing a similar workout in cooler conditions.<br /><br />Several heat-related issues contribute to that feeling, but the most significant are increased skin blood flow to aid with cooling (moving body heat to the surface), reduced blood volume because of sweating and less oxygen due to lower air density during hot weather.<br /><br />As the body works to reject heat and stay cool, there is increased blood flow to the surface of the skin to carry internal body heat to the surface where it can dissipate via sweat.<br /><br />This shift of blood to the surface combined with loss of total blood volume due to increased sweating means that less blood is available to working muscles and vital organs such as the heart, making exercise more difficult. Decreased blood volume to the heart decreases cardiac filling and stroke volume, so the heart rate increases to sustain the workload. The net result is that a moderate level of exercise in cool weather may feel significantly harder at higher temperatures.<br /><br />In addition to reduced blood volume and a corresponding higher heart rate, the high temperature air we breathe during exercise also has less oxygen (for a given intake volume) than cooler air due to the density altitude.<br /><br />Density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature, so as temperature increases the air density will decrease. Decreased air density (or a higher density altitude) during hot weather has the same effect on an athlete as being at a higher altitude<br /><br />As an example, the elevation in San Angelo is about 1,850 feet above sea level. If we calculate density altitude for this location based on hot mid summer conditions of 102 degrees, a barometer reading of 30.05 and a dew point of 54 degrees, the effective altitude that our body feels is almost 5,000 feet or close to the same elevation as Denver.<br /><br />The effect of the higher density altitude due to high temperature is that less oxygen is taken in with each breath, so our muscles produce less power.<br /><br />So, getting back to the initial question — will summer ever end? It always does (eventually) and so we can all look forward to that perfect bike or run day when the temperature is around 50, there’s no hot wind and a light mist is falling.<br /><br />Until then, we’ll all suffer in the heat, drink copious amounts of fluids, struggle with the higher density altitude and look forward to the promised El Niño.<br /><br />
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<br /><u>Upcoming Events</u><br /><br /> Sept. 19-20: Fort Davis Cyclefest, pbbatx.com/cyclefest/<br /> Sept. 26: Armydillo Run, https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=122340<br /> Sept. 26-27: Texas State Championship road race, txbra.org/events/event.asp?EventID=229<br />
recently.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-55951058871927639432015-08-11T21:02:00.000-05:002015-08-11T21:02:01.301-05:00Bike Paths (or the lack of)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Although Greeley, Colorado and San Angelo, Texas are about the same size and have about the same demographics, there's a world of difference between the bike and pedestrian infrastructure in the two communities.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I'm very familiar with both </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San Angelo</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">, having lived here until 1982, then in </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> through 2000 and back here for the past 15 years.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Through 1982, both </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San Angelo</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> had exactly the same bike-pedestrian infrastructure -
almost nothing. Since that time, Greeley has developed an impressive and
expanding network of bike-pedestrian lanes and paths while San Angelo lags far
behind with very little non-motorized transportation infrastructure.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The two cities have very similar demographics. </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San Angelo</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">'s population is approximately 97,000 with 56% between
the ages of 18 and 65, 14% over the age of 65 and a median household income of
$42,385.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The data are similar for </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> with a population of just under 97,000, 66% of the
population between the ages of 18 and 65, 11 % over the age of 65 and a median
household income of $46,272. Both cities also have very similar ethnic
distributions. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYau-u2J9uRy-KpLeqTc8lfrUGuy7hLGQ9Yw5hOKUK5RY9fK9LJAZDvBtnX0FxTCAyBxYH_DljvTq8_Gt6Mo8GnCB8ERvSu4hDr3OxYFleeg7bJWstHZqrr2GzBApGT8hUsQto7vDkjuV/s1600/Greeley-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYau-u2J9uRy-KpLeqTc8lfrUGuy7hLGQ9Yw5hOKUK5RY9fK9LJAZDvBtnX0FxTCAyBxYH_DljvTq8_Gt6Mo8GnCB8ERvSu4hDr3OxYFleeg7bJWstHZqrr2GzBApGT8hUsQto7vDkjuV/s320/Greeley-2.jpg" width="212" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">There are more similarities - both cities have
bike-pedestrian plans, they are both located in an area surrounded by flat-to
rolling agricultural land, neither city is located on an interstate highway,
rivers run through both communities, and both Greeley and San Angelo are home
to a junior college and a university.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">In two important areas, however, these communities are
vastly different. While </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San Angelo</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">
has an estimated obesity rate of about 30%, </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> comes in almost 10 points lower at 20.5%. That
obesity rate difference can arguably be attributed at least partially to </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">'s philosophy regarding bike-pedestrian infrastructure
vs. what exists in </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San
Angelo</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San Angelo's Bike-Pedestrian Plan as initially developed
back in the mid 2000s, but there has been very little significant implementation
of the plan. Other than a few sidewalks near schools or around parks and an
update of the area along the downtown River Trail, the amount of (and quality
of) non-motorized transportation and recreation infrastructure our community
hasn't changed much since 1982.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Our city officials would argue that the 3.9 million
dollar Red Arroyo Trail currently being constructed will provide four miles of wide
concrete multi-use paths, but even when that project is completed our oasis in
the desert will have very little 'real' bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
such as off-street bike paths throughout the city, sidewalks and marked bike
lanes on streets.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">In contrast, </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> has an extensive network of paved off-street bike and
pedestrian trails include 21 miles of paved trails that parallel the </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Poudre</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">River</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> and connect to similar trails in neighboring cities, 6
miles of paved trails through the Sheep Draw area and 85 miles of marked
on-street bike lanes.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzV5M7vgpLFoqtxQuRbdE3XwAfyINagPSHWPgUB7B3u15c3YzKh_ttJaTYc-VxgFo65f7ra8senbk_H11woOEyG-AXRy_50ibwDj4YCOSZqYjUcD1Ekjaf1NMSBSURVl5b4UjwmXwIJhB/s1600/Greeley-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzV5M7vgpLFoqtxQuRbdE3XwAfyINagPSHWPgUB7B3u15c3YzKh_ttJaTYc-VxgFo65f7ra8senbk_H11woOEyG-AXRy_50ibwDj4YCOSZqYjUcD1Ekjaf1NMSBSURVl5b4UjwmXwIJhB/s320/Greeley-3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">These trail and bike lanes meander through
subdivisions and connect many key locations such as schools and businesses, and
bike routes throughout the community are marked with both signs and on-street
marking making it possible to easily find a route for commuting or exercising.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Wesley Hood, a traffic engineer with the City of </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">, says many major streets in that city have been
developed to conform with '</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Complete Street</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">' design criteria that allows for safe travel by those
walking, bicycling, driving automobiles, riding public transportation, or
delivering goods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"The trend
in our area is for more non-motorized forms of transportation", says Hood.
"In </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">, this includes both wide sidewalks and marked
on-street bike lanes along many major arterials enabling residents to safely
make their way across the city on a bike or by foot."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Hood also notes that the city has seen a significant
reduction in accidents involving cyclists or pedestrians on the streets that
have been redesigned to serve cyclists and pedestrians in addition to serving motor
vehicles.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So, why the difference? What prompted </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> to develop a great network of bike-pedestrian
infrastructure while </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">San
Angelo</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> continues
to simply update a plan that's been on the shelf for years?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The best answer to that question may lie with the
respective goals of each city's Bike-Pedestrian plans and more importantly, </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">'s philosophy of serving local residents' needs
instead of focusing more on infrastructure to attract out-of-town visitors.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Although San Angelo's Bike-Pedestrian plan (<a href="http://www.sanangelompo.org/plans.php">sanangelompo.org/plans.php</a>) uses
terms such as "improving bicycle access, mobility and safety, improving
pedestrian access, mobility and safety and enhancing San Angelo for tourism,
economic development, and as a healthy place to live", the real focus on
infrastructure upgrades in San Angelo appears to be focused on the 'tourism and
economic development' aspects of the plan.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">In contrast, </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">'s plan (<a href="http://www.greeleygov.com/activities/greeley-bikes">greeleygov.com/activities/greeley-bikes</a>)
is based on a philosophy that focuses on their residents. Their plan states "Build
a safe and efficient bicycling network and support facilities that serves the
needs of all types of bicyclists, connecting residential Greeley to the
University, recreational trails, downtown, retail centers, and local services,
promote bicycling as a healthy and inexpensive transportation alternative, and
establish a city division under public works to maintain and expand the city
bicycle program." It should also be noted that almost all of their
'bicycling network and support facilities' also serve runners and walkers. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUWt_3N_2D32pspu9gCjEcQtrghtnezmXiBVLQ6vJ_cu8tLw8pP__G6FU7U9W4PEAHKKqVNRL6PllHndwY9ZlKhnuNcMoDmI58GM4C45NJspsKfX2UnKOBgUXmXQNl6EWdJVg9JcH1UyM/s1600/Greeley-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUWt_3N_2D32pspu9gCjEcQtrghtnezmXiBVLQ6vJ_cu8tLw8pP__G6FU7U9W4PEAHKKqVNRL6PllHndwY9ZlKhnuNcMoDmI58GM4C45NJspsKfX2UnKOBgUXmXQNl6EWdJVg9JcH1UyM/s1600/Greeley-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUWt_3N_2D32pspu9gCjEcQtrghtnezmXiBVLQ6vJ_cu8tLw8pP__G6FU7U9W4PEAHKKqVNRL6PllHndwY9ZlKhnuNcMoDmI58GM4C45NJspsKfX2UnKOBgUXmXQNl6EWdJVg9JcH1UyM/s320/Greeley-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> has followed through on the goals in their plan
recognizing that bicycle and pedestrian-friendly communities attract new
businesses, residents, and visitors alike and help to combat many trends such
as obesity and heart disease.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">A recent report titled 'Building Bike-Friendly
Communities Is Good for Economies' <a href="http://tinyurl.com/oa6arkt">http://tinyurl.com/oa6arkt</a>)
notes the important of having infrastructure that supports healthy lifestyles:
"Cities whose residents ride, run, walk, and participate in other
activities have increased economic growth and productivity compared to areas
with more sedentary citizens. These bike-friendly communities also have higher
levels of mental health and wellbeing."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I hope San Angelo's city leaders will read that report and I
also encourage then to take a summer vacation to </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Greeley</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> to examine what that community has accomplished.</span></span></div>
Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-39977549672258236952015-07-27T20:06:00.000-05:002015-07-27T20:57:30.490-05:00You Can't Judge Age By Looking At Butts<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I raced the Tour de Gap event this past weekend which was
a fun but hard 'T-shirt' ride sponsored by Abilene's
Biketown shop . Unsanctioned events such as Tour de Gap are sometimes derisively
referred to as T-shirt rides by egotistical USA Cycling racers because the
organizers hand out T-shirts to all participants and because this type of
race/tour is typically not sanctioned by USA Cycling. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sanctioned or not, the field that lined up for the 56 mile race
distance included quite a bit of cycling talent and saw some hard racing at
every age group level. The overall winner was Abilene's
Luke Allen, a strong young cyclist who races for the Matrix/RBM team and also
for Midwestern University
at the collegiate level. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Allen completed the tough hilly 56 mile loop in 2 hrs 20 min
(a 24 mph average) narrowly edging out Chaparral Cycling Club's Kelly Brown who
finished with the same time and Midwestern's Cameron Lowery who took 3rd place
in a time of 2 hrs 23 min. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race started in finished in the small town of Buffalo
Gap, which sits a few miles south of Abilene.
Riders followed an undulating course over mainly small farm-to market roads
that included almost 1,400 feet of climbing along the way. Riders rolled out of Buffalo
gap on a narrow town street, turned onto a small farm road and the race was on
with the faster cyclists ramping up the pace from the gun. Shortly after the start I managed to latch
onto the 2nd group on the road which consisted of about 15 riders of mixed ages. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This group rolled along averaging 20-22 mph for the first
30-35 miles with most people working well together and taking pulls as each
rider rotated to the front. The differences in ability and experience,
however, were evident as some ramped up the pace when on the front (almost attacking the
group) while others slowed down noticeably as they pulled and slowed the group's pace
down. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_tjMldEdRm5uHY2vqEVn2wqNRwoQT00nJ2Ka3H0gUdVLWqRH3PTplgsthJzNTNhI6K62hjzjH-m0SSnmIPTvCoHaPZRFaU7vuNhdTULwQ4snrgfs0smNejZnlE0c1T-oMTALnDYr04bq/s1600/Tour+de+Gap+profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_tjMldEdRm5uHY2vqEVn2wqNRwoQT00nJ2Ka3H0gUdVLWqRH3PTplgsthJzNTNhI6K62hjzjH-m0SSnmIPTvCoHaPZRFaU7vuNhdTULwQ4snrgfs0smNejZnlE0c1T-oMTALnDYr04bq/s400/Tour+de+Gap+profile.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time we reached the day's biggest climb
at about the 33 mile mark, I mistakenly thought I had identified the other 60+
riders in the group and decided to mark them rather than race against everyone in
the group since the combination of hot weather and being near my threshold heart rate for almost 2 hours was starting to take a toll on my legs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we started up the six miles of the day's longest climb, I
noticed that who I thought were the other 60+ racers were starting to struggle
with the uphill pace just like me, so I decided to back off, let my HR come
down a bit and hope that they would blow up. That plan worked as they faded and
I reeled them back in further up the climb. I immediately put in a hard effort
for several minutes, moved ahead of them by 30-45 sec and then settled into a steady tempo pace planning
to conserve energy and maintain the gap to the finish. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best-laid plans don't always work out, however as I
found out when I crossed the finish line and learned that another 60+ rider,
Bill Minter of Abilene, had crossed the line a few minutes ahead of me. My hard
effort to finish in 2 hrs 54 min placed me 27th overall out of 72 in the 56
mile event, 2nd in the 60+ age group and - most importantly - reminded me that
'it's hard to judge a rider's age while looking at their butt in a
pace line'.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuqD-5k9NGmj2VHK3wUPo9Dmq5cC54DRvf871itLf2o_1-e30GddWQbFCOkItaY-TfdRrMPSyOrw4GYWL5NhkfCnHrz-9T8f9bzVyBNsuTzOgcEYba6IPCnlDWBuDZTkaCzq0lJYqlTwh/s1600/Crux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuqD-5k9NGmj2VHK3wUPo9Dmq5cC54DRvf871itLf2o_1-e30GddWQbFCOkItaY-TfdRrMPSyOrw4GYWL5NhkfCnHrz-9T8f9bzVyBNsuTzOgcEYba6IPCnlDWBuDZTkaCzq0lJYqlTwh/s200/Crux.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div>
There was one consolation, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I raced the event on my Specialized Crux
cyclocross bike (with fat 700 x 28 road tires mounted) and since I did not see
any other cyclocross bikes in the field, I awarded myself 1st place in the 'CX
Bike in a Road Race' category :) Full results are posted at <a href="http://www.cadencesports.com/eResults.php?raceid=976&event=56%20Mile%20Results">http://www.cadencesports.com/eResults.php?raceid=976&event=56%20Mile%20Results</a>.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-73021616518545894022015-07-15T21:02:00.001-05:002015-07-15T21:14:21.769-05:00Lake Nasworthy Triathlon Race Report<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzJkBNbEJTJXXSgUe1cawy5UCaHST6wl1MSYGJ5eII_Ckf-uuvZAn_Ld1GJIzvdbV9aOdvjLa56c2xZf9EVjnwA1_qZD-uQDuuI8Wutl8Atpd7eAAb68V-IJewtyIQtE5umyymBWVbcj8/s1600/Nasworthy+triathlon-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzJkBNbEJTJXXSgUe1cawy5UCaHST6wl1MSYGJ5eII_Ckf-uuvZAn_Ld1GJIzvdbV9aOdvjLa56c2xZf9EVjnwA1_qZD-uQDuuI8Wutl8Atpd7eAAb68V-IJewtyIQtE5umyymBWVbcj8/s320/Nasworthy+triathlon-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo courtesy of Barry Kleypas)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Air Force service members took top overall honors in Sunday's Lake
Nasworthy Triathlon with Major Jeff Dierdorff from Dyess Air Force Base
winning the Men's division and Goodfellow's Morgan Diglia racing to the
overall Women's division win.<br />
<br />
The race started with a 300 yard open water swim with ASU Physical
Therapy student Ryan Ruh posting a fast swim time of 5 min 24 sec to
lead the field out of the water and into the transition area. Ruh went
on to finish 6th overall and 2nd in the Men's 20-29 age group.<br />
<br />
Dierdorff took command of the race on the bike leg and held on during
the run to take the overall Men's win with a time of 46:49, edging out
Goodfellow AFB intelligence school instructor Brian Lemaster who crossed
the line in 48:49 to finish 2nd overall and 1st in the 40-49 age group.
Mertzon's Brian Tillman leveraged a fast swim and strong final running
leg to place 3rd overall and round out the Men's podium/<br />
<br />
In the Women's category, eventual overall winner Diglia and San Angelo's
Dionnie Hoelsken raced a close back and forth battle with multiple lead
changes before Diglia pulled away for the win in the second mile of the
final run leg. Diglia lead coming out of the water, then Hoelsken took
the lead during the bike leg and led during the first half of the run
until Diglia retook the lead for good to win in a time of 1 hr 43 sec.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilddaKy4-tSSqW6-6PMMSwvKDJQvVN1_pWw90RxloH6Hap1aAOr5sCER2HK1qRhWKareR2CClP8TBonnqHIxNfuyNlqi0vD2zch0mcReo9iW06-5LmkWzxdVBJqY1IiWAAHIo8JuDqewPK/s1600/Nasworthy+triathlon-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilddaKy4-tSSqW6-6PMMSwvKDJQvVN1_pWw90RxloH6Hap1aAOr5sCER2HK1qRhWKareR2CClP8TBonnqHIxNfuyNlqi0vD2zch0mcReo9iW06-5LmkWzxdVBJqY1IiWAAHIo8JuDqewPK/s320/Nasworthy+triathlon-3.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo courtesy of Barry Kleypas)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hoelsken finished 2nd overall and 1st in the 30-39 age group with a time
of 1:01:55. Former collegiate volleyball player Stephanie Starnes
put together strong swim, bike and run legs to claim 3rd overall in the
female field and 1st in the 20-29 group in a time of 1:06:58. <br />
<br />
San Angelo athletes Lenny Christo, Sebastian Haynes and Sam Spooner
('Team Randy's Bike and Run') took home top honors in the team relay
category with Christo doing the swim leg, Ironman triathlete Haynes
racing the bike leg and Team RWB's Spooner bring it home with a strong
final run.<br />
<br />
Although the competition was fast and furious at the front of the field,
the Lake Nasworthy triathlon also welcomed a number of beginner
triathletes who were racing their first multisport event. One of those
athletes was San Angelo resident Amanda Razani who said she normally
does just running events.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt8HdEpFkIZa5uOcteyo7-N3nS5W4hGSqRiZlP22KtMNUNnkVJF7NF7Th963pAUiOsWcCfdnSO98UGQJDDD5qyrS32ivG6Tk9jmR7oQYBx2Tmi2bHGEibfXbOBNEFNPB0SLB_NQI6uFrv/s1600/Nasworthy+triathlon-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt8HdEpFkIZa5uOcteyo7-N3nS5W4hGSqRiZlP22KtMNUNnkVJF7NF7Th963pAUiOsWcCfdnSO98UGQJDDD5qyrS32ivG6Tk9jmR7oQYBx2Tmi2bHGEibfXbOBNEFNPB0SLB_NQI6uFrv/s320/Nasworthy+triathlon-2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo courtesy of Barry Kleypas)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"This was my first triathlon," said Razani. "I was a little nervous
going in but the friendly attitude of everyone and the lifeguards in
kayaks during the swim leg helped make the race fun. Before my next
triathlon, I need to do more multisport training and hopefully upgrade
to a better bicycle."<br />
<br />
The triathlon action in San Angelo will continue on July 25th with the
Goodfellow triathlon and then on August 9th with the San Angelo
Triathlon. For full results and flyers for up coming events visit
roadlizards.org. <br />
<br />Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-3083393878671336962015-06-16T19:15:00.002-05:002015-06-16T19:15:45.333-05:00Tour de Trash<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kg-v9lWtNebJRPy3uScgQ__wgEYdUmktta_z20gVTbzhuTzzxzvUI4Y2ZIBl-c33unG5aEOQLam92WsIyQ53ki8QAs9-JiVVF9F1h-QhC7367PwdTTMgORhSZSHoDruT2-xaQgU61JEu/s1600/Trash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kg-v9lWtNebJRPy3uScgQ__wgEYdUmktta_z20gVTbzhuTzzxzvUI4Y2ZIBl-c33unG5aEOQLam92WsIyQ53ki8QAs9-JiVVF9F1h-QhC7367PwdTTMgORhSZSHoDruT2-xaQgU61JEu/s400/Trash.JPG" width="400" /></a>This is the season for large multi-day cycling races such as the Tour of California, Tour of Italy ('Giro d'Italia'), the upcoming Tour de France and similar events.<br /><br /> The regions and towns these events pass through take great pride in showcasing the beauty of their areas to the millions of potential tourists who watch these races in person or on television.<br /><br /> Unfortunately, San Angelo does not have a large televised multi-day cycling event and that's probably for the best.<br /><br />If we had a local cycling race of that type, the only logical name would be the 'Tour de Trash'.<br /><br /> The amount of intentionally-discarded litter that decorates many roadsides, parking lots and open space areas around San Angelo is amazing - unlike anything I've ever seen in other locations I've cycled through.<br /><br /> It's almost as though signs are posted everywhere that say "Please litter here to decorate the landscape".<br /><br />A scenic Tour de Trash route would have to include Mary E Lee Park (the swim beach) on Lake Nasworthy. Although the view looking west across the lake to the high peaks of the Twin Buttes is nice enough by itself, San Angelo residents go to great lengths to decorate the parking lot and beach area with colorful trash such as beer cans, 12-pack boxes, plastic water bottles, fast food containers and dirty diapers.<br /><br />The area around the Wal-Mart on Sherwood Way would also be a key area for scenic views during the Tour de Trash. Shoppers in this part of town decorate bushes and mesquite trees with plastic shopping bags that seem alive as they flap gently in the prevailing southerly wind.<br /><br />After leaving the Wal-Mart area, the scenic tour would roll through southwest San Angelo to Twin Buttes Blvd just south of Lamar Elementary.<br /><br />Most people don't see the really scenic sections from the street, but just a few yards into the undeveloped land under the power lines south of Twin Mountain is one of the most scenic trash areas in San Angelo - an area that would be a 'must-see' during the Tour de Trash.<br /><br />Riders, spectators and television viewers would get to view piles of household trash, old mattresses, cans and bottles of all types, discarded furniture and mounds of tree branches laboriously hauled to the location by San Angelo residents.<br /><br />It's a gem of a trash location that would undoubtedly attract scores of photographers and spectators as the tour rolled through.<br /><br />The final leg of Tour de Trash will be follow Red Bluff Road from Knickerbocker Blvd to the finish line in Middle Concho Park on the banks of Lake Nasworthy.<br /><br />This section of the tour route might be the most 'trash scenic' of all areas, with both local residents and out of town visitors contributing to the decorate-with-trash efforts.<br /><br />Despite the negative efforts of city employees who constantly patrol the roads and parks removing decorations, you'll see open space areas and roadsides beautified with items such as beer and fast food containers, cans, glass bottles, shotgun shell casings and occasionally a special decoration such as the loaded Smith &Weston pistol that I found on the roadside a few weeks ago.<br /><br />When the tour enters Middle Concho Park, participants and spectators will be treated to amazing views of litter decorating the landscape.<br /><br /> Although trash containers and big trash bins are located throughout the area, park users understand that out-of-sight trash is not as scenic so they go to great lengths to pile rubbish next to campsites, in the ditch next to roads and in some cases - on the ground adjacent to dumpsters.<br /><br />When viewed on a Sunday afternoon at the end of a long weekend, the trash viewing in this park rivals anything that you're likely to find world-wide.<br /><br />Remember - bring your camera to capture the stunning route decorations when you watch San Angelo's Tour de Trash cycling event.</div>
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Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-87701105428130928612015-06-12T14:56:00.003-05:002015-06-12T14:56:35.648-05:00The Perfect Bike For A College Student<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlRgHPktrMBgQ1qnnMMPjE2j4AoLsHowAuwZM_7RukRQs1vjY_p73BJl6MnCPhcqUEHsq-7AcDF1iVWC_lVqcWYwvXzPiJ3I6xRduUotJ7O-P0o6lbkpRTeDa0oQsQFSvFaCsWZFVGwp3/s1600/Discus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlRgHPktrMBgQ1qnnMMPjE2j4AoLsHowAuwZM_7RukRQs1vjY_p73BJl6MnCPhcqUEHsq-7AcDF1iVWC_lVqcWYwvXzPiJ3I6xRduUotJ7O-P0o6lbkpRTeDa0oQsQFSvFaCsWZFVGwp3/s400/Discus.jpg" width="400" /></a>I recently spent a few days in in northern Colorado delivering a very special bicycle to my youngest granddaughter, Stephanie, who graduated from high school that week.<br />
<br />
She will soon be attending Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, where she’ll study nursing and also compete as a member of Mesa’s track and field team.<br />
<br />
In high school, she competed in field events such as the discus and shot put and was also a<br />
competitive swimmer, earning several trips to Colorado’s state high school championships.<br />
<br />
Competing in fitness events has been a big part of her life, so part of the criteria for the perfect campus bike was that it needed to be something that would encourage her to continue fitness activities through college and after graduation.<br />
<br />
You would think that selecting a bicycle for a college-bound student is easy — just grab whatever is on the shelf at the Walmart or Academy and be done with it.<br />
<br />
It’s not that simple, however, if the intent is for the bike to serve both as a campus commuter vehicle and also as a ‘training partner’ that supports an active lifestyle.<br />
<br />
When she mentioned that a bike for college would be the prefect graduation gift, I asked her how she intended to use the bike and what specific attributes were important. Her answers to those questions helped me zero in on what I hope will be the perfect bike.<br />
<br />
Her first requirement was that the bike be easy to maneuver around on campus while carrying a loaded backpack. Not a problem — that meant that a bike with flat bars and a somewhat upright position would work better than a road bike with racer-style drop bars.<br />
<br />
Requirement No. 2 was that the bike be something that could be ridden on dirt roads and easy trails while exploring the Western Colorado hills around Grand Junction. Again, not a problem — a sturdy frame, 29-inch mountain bike rims, a triple front chain ring and a wide range 12-32 rear cassette will provide the strength and gearing needed for occasional off-road excursions.<br />
<br />
The next criterion was one that I added to the list hoping that she would possibly take part in a bike tour or give triathlon a try at some point in the future. Although in theory any bike can be used for a cycling tour or a beginner’s first multisport event, it helps to have something that will roll fast on pavement when needed.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5kmKx1LdF38ufV3buDRXuzaEULPK-c2On1-W7oQjOUegRi7wldWTp7KiyTPEEUK74GPA1uXwrvbk7zW2PlyR1lXuVsSePNKfSBGiVaTkQzaU-ZCE1hG8Vp_gy7kCs10ig74unby3dO_n/s1600/Stephie+bike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5kmKx1LdF38ufV3buDRXuzaEULPK-c2On1-W7oQjOUegRi7wldWTp7KiyTPEEUK74GPA1uXwrvbk7zW2PlyR1lXuVsSePNKfSBGiVaTkQzaU-ZCE1hG8Vp_gy7kCs10ig74unby3dO_n/s320/Stephie+bike.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This requirement suggested that while the tires needed to be wide and tough enough to use for casual off-road rides, they also needed to be a design that would roll fast with low resistance when inflated to a higher pressure. I decided that 35 mm-wide (1.4 inch) file tread tires would fit the bill, with sealant tubes inside to help prevent flats.<br />
<br />
The last two requests were for the bike to have a simple shifting and braking system and to be one of three colors (green, purple or red). Color was addressed by selecting a Diamond Back Clarity frame painted a rich magenta color and then adding to the ‘style points’ with a white saddle and matching handlebar grips.<br />
<br />
Shifting/braking issues were taken care of by selecting Shimano Altus push-pull shifters with integrated mountain bike levers that connect to tried-and-true linear pull brakes. These brakes provide good braking power and require less maintenance than disc brakes.<br />
<br />
College life will be a new and exciting experience for Stephanie, and I’m hoping that her “very special bicycle” will become a close friend and adventure partner while she attends the university.<br />
<br />
Remember — selecting the perfect bicycle for a college-bound student takes some serious thought.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-76440275503862818342015-05-22T20:01:00.002-05:002015-05-22T20:01:26.494-05:00Build A Bigger Bike Motor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbTyMnqaUEzTnBRpz9qbKdmSZWxH_RYwg3J6XN1V61m61OXZfjothvmsI5KMIaBdFfiO1uUrrVc92BCeQBwcg31R_gYWasVAl3_LaTeEGBuZpNhohprsBemPqam8za07rutpTh2dW5yqt/s1600/Rocket+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbTyMnqaUEzTnBRpz9qbKdmSZWxH_RYwg3J6XN1V61m61OXZfjothvmsI5KMIaBdFfiO1uUrrVc92BCeQBwcg31R_gYWasVAl3_LaTeEGBuZpNhohprsBemPqam8za07rutpTh2dW5yqt/s400/Rocket+bike.jpg" width="400" /></a>Over the past several weeks I’ve had cyclists ask how to train for a summer cycling vacation in <br />
the mountains with others asking what they need to do to simply become stronger and faster on their bike.<br />
<br />
The answer to both issues can be described in three words: strength, threshold and hills.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, many recreational cyclists avoid doing bike workouts “with a purpose” and instead just go ride at the same easy and comfortable pace over the same familiar route every day.<br />
<br />
The problem with consistently easy and comfortable rides is that the human body becomes very proficient at doing things it does over and over, so if you pedal along at 12 miles per hour for 45-60 minutes on flat roads day after day your body develops into a world-class 12 mph “motor.”<br />
<br />
When you increase the speed to 15 or 20 mph or if you try to ride hills, that well-tuned 12 mph motor bogs down like a low-power compact car trying to pull a camper trailer.<br />
<br />
What you need is a bigger engine with more power and — repeating the key terms — that is accomplished by focusing on strength, threshold and hills.<br />
<br />
It’s also important to note that developing more power on the bike isn’t just for competitive cyclists. Both casual Saturday morning riders as well as serious racers will benefit from increasing the amount of power that can be applied to the pedals.<br />
<br />
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Strength on a bike is simple — it simply means you’re able to apply more force to the pedals. However, unlike strength in the weight room where the goal is to simply lift or press a certain number of pounds a few times, strength on the bike refers to applying a somewhat high force 70-100 times per minute during a ride and having the muscular endurance to continue that force application for extended periods of time.<br />
<br />
Threshold, the second key term, is defined as the maximum sustained effort that can be maintained for one hour. It’s a general indicator of how fit you are in that a higher threshold means you can sustain a higher heart rate or power level for an extended period of time.<br />
<br />
Although most recreational cyclists (or even professional racers) will rarely ride at their threshold for long periods of time, improving (raising) your threshold means that it becomes easier to go faster or climb hills even at sub-threshold heart rate levels. In other words, easy becomes easier and hard becomes not so hard.<br />
<br />
Hills are the third magic component of becoming become stronger and faster on the bike because riding up hills increases power-to-the-pedals strength and also provides a great workout to improve threshold.<br />
<br />
If you do nothing else to become stronger and faster on your bike, just adding one or two rides per week that include sections of going up hills will yield positive results. If hills are not available, you can simulate them by doing 5-15 minute interval repeats at a slow 50-70 rpm cadence in a hard gear on a flat road.<br />
<br />
So, how do we include strength, threshold and hills into a workout schedule so that by midsummer we’ll develop that powerful motor we need for bike rides in the mountains, the bike leg of a triathlon or the local group ride?<br />
<br />
As noted above, building strength in the gym will translate to more power on the bike (and, as an added benefit, help burn more calories). Some common exercises for strength include walking lunges, step-ups onto a box, hamstring curls and leg presses. Do several sets of these exercises twice per week, gradually increasing the repetitions and weight used if on a machine.<br />
<br />
After a few weeks of in-the-gym strength training, start adding “big gear intervals” to one or two of your weekly rides. Warm up for 15-20 minutes, shift into a much harder gear than normal and pedal at a slower 50-70 rpm cadence “muscling” the pedals around in a circle. Start with two five-minute big gear repeats with an easy five-minute spin between and gradually work up to 15-minute intervals.<br />
<br />
Hills also help to increase functional leg strength. The workout is similar to big gear intervals, but instead of relying on a hard gear to provide increased resistance you’ll ride up a nice hill, coast down to recover and then repeat the “go up” fun several times.<br />
<br />
Traveling to a location with big hills such as Burma Road or the south end of Susan Peak Road isn’t necessary. I’ve done a lot of uphill repeats on local hills such as on 2288 between Highway 67 and Arden Road and also on the short uphill next to the Nature Trail at the end of Spillway Road.<br />
<br />
Concurrently, dedicate parts of one or two weekly rides to increasing your threshold. To avoid getting into detailed specifics of heart rate zones, assume that “threshold pace” for your current level of fitness is significantly harder and faster than what is comfortable for you (breathing will be labored, legs will burn a little and you’ll be cussing the idiot who suggested this).<br />
<br />
Just as with big gear repeats, you'll want to warm up for at least 10-15 minutes, then accelerate up to speed and hold the harder threshold pace for 5-10 minutes. It will be uncomfortable, so focus on a smooth pedaling cadence, keep applying pressure on the pedals and try to maintain the hard pace for the duration of the interval. Spin for five minutes in an easy gear to recover and then repeat the fast interval. Start with two 5 minute repeats and build up to 20-30 minutes of maintaining a hard pace.<br />
<br />
Remember — strength, threshold and hills are the keys to developing a more powerful “motor” for your bike.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Upcoming Events</u><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">May 30: <strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">ECVFD Stop, Drop and Roll,
roadlizards.org</span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">June 5:
Relay for Life 5K, roadlizards.org</span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">June 13:
Run in the Sun, roadlizards.org</span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">July 12:
LakeNasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org</span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">July 25:
Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org</span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Aug 9:
San Angelo Triathlon, permianbasinevents.com/san-angelo-tri.html</span></strong></span></div>
<br />Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-9854739487998704542015-05-08T19:52:00.001-05:002015-05-08T19:52:24.449-05:00Overuse Injuries Are Self-Inflicted Wounds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqhTK9yoV-tBYmZ-1Y3USGUhfb8Q9riwonbzacEiatBMxBQzG71NrUqZIYfkPWysgq9K01U0So4Fso0D2Pmt02gLXMQbl8WDCHDkEJDN545iUvNnkZgCeb9PXreFlXS2Of2LXPlFeZZk9/s1600/Sore+knee-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqhTK9yoV-tBYmZ-1Y3USGUhfb8Q9riwonbzacEiatBMxBQzG71NrUqZIYfkPWysgq9K01U0So4Fso0D2Pmt02gLXMQbl8WDCHDkEJDN545iUvNnkZgCeb9PXreFlXS2Of2LXPlFeZZk9/s320/Sore+knee-2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Although many people think of ‘getting injured’ as being some type of
physical trauma such as a torn muscle, sprained ankle or a broken bone,
the most common cycling and running injuries are actually due to
overuse.<br />
<br />
I consider myself to be an expert on overuse injuries.
During my 35-plus years of cycling, running and multi-sport competition,
I’ve racked up enough overuse injuries to have earned a Ph.D. in ‘How
to Hurt Myself by Being Stupid’.<br />
<br />
Overuse, defined as repetitive
micro-trauma to tendons, bones and joints, is usually the result of
doing too much exercise without appropriate recovery. If you have
pre-existing conditions related to previous physical trauma such as an
injured knee or poor bike/run biomechanics, overuse will often further
exacerbate those conditions.<br />
<br />
The most common causes of overuse
injuries are increasing the intensity or duration of workouts too
quickly, doing too many workouts without taking recovery days, not doing
enough flexibility and strength exercises or changing equipment without
allowing for a reasonable period of easy adaptation.<br />
<br />
Most
athletes (at all levels) tend to be highly motivated individuals with
set goals they want to accomplish. To reach those goals of biking or
running faster and further, we often fall into the trap of ‘no pain, no
gain’ and try to do hard workouts day after day.<br />
<br />
If the athletic
improvements don’t come as fast as expected, we’ll usually chalk it up
to not working out hard enough and increase the duration or intensity of
our workouts even more.<br />
<br />
The inevitable end result is some ‘weak
link’ in our body breaks down and we develop overuse injuries such as
rotator cuff tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis, shin splints,
patellofemoral pain syndrome, iliotibial band friction syndrome,
iliopsoas tendinitis or painfully tight lower back muscles.<br />
<br />
Medical
terminology aside, overuse injuries are a pain for cyclists and runners
(pun intended) and they are almost always self-inflicted wounds.<br />
<br />
The
good news is that overuse injuries can usually be prevented if we
follow common-sense guidelines related to both our workouts and to the
selection/use of sports equipment.<br />
<br />
The first line of defense
against overuse injuries is to accept that our bodies gradually adapt to
new training stresses (the key word is ‘gradually’). We get faster and
stronger by applying a small overload stress to muscles and then
allowing the body to adapt to that overload by resting or doing easier
workouts until the muscles have recovered and become stronger.<br />
<br />
We
then continue the improvement process by applying a slightly larger
stress, recovering again, and continuing this gradual improvement
process over time.<br />
<br />
The most common mistakes (and what leads to
most overuse injuries) are trying to increase the workout load too
quickly without taking the recovery days or continuing to push hard even
though your body says it’s time to ease off for a while.<br />
<br />
Using
myself as an example (and also proving that years of experience doesn’t
automatically make a person smarter), I recently wrapped up an eight-week
period during which I trained for and raced an off-road half-marathon, a
50-mile road cycling race, an epically long bike workout that included a
hilly one-hour time trial race and finished things up by competing in a
tough 100-kilometer dirt road cycling event.<br />
<br />
Instead of responding
to the signs of doing too much without rest and recovery (i.e.,
constant aches and pains) I continued to ‘train through the pain’ with
the end result being a severely inflamed knee that makes even
easy bike and run workouts painful.<br />
<br />
Another trigger for overuse
injuries is changing equipment without allowing the body to gradually
adjust. New running shoes may alter your foot strike, a new
bicycle that may or may not fit your body properly, or items such
as aero bars or different pedals on your bike can all lead to overuse
injuries because of the new stresses placed on muscles, tendons and
joints.<br />
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The bottom line is that most of us will develop some type
of overuse injuries, so the key to getting past them is to identify the
root cause, correct it and then follow the RICE protocol (Rest, Ice,
Compression, Elevation) until you’ve recovered.<br />
<br />
A proper recovery
plan for an overuse injury should also include strategies such as
walking instead of running, icing sore muscles and joints, resting more,
running on soft surfaces, spinning in an easy gear on your bike instead
of mashing a big gear, stretching after every workout, warming up well
before workouts, and focusing on strengthening the muscles that
stabilize joints.<br />
<br />
Those same recovery plan strategies will also
help preventing overuse injuries, so work them into your routine and
listen when your body tells you to back off for a few days.<br />
<br />
It's actually very simple - doing too much without appropriate recovery will usually result in an overuse injury.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-45004578997055707682015-04-17T19:14:00.000-05:002015-04-17T19:14:27.119-05:00Start Triathlon Training Now<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbdrfugCYdNUZNkMtNF87_9KIBM5LCDltX4d6HzGg3BfAFJ4hDoaIgPY4mlxGhIzoFibPZ4kTdHsJFVIlNWLWNeJJmjIIeFtfi5HedILmDjVuCIQXEPgjEg_cyuY8CdFD4sCb-V2aTmXw/s1600/Trithlon+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbdrfugCYdNUZNkMtNF87_9KIBM5LCDltX4d6HzGg3BfAFJ4hDoaIgPY4mlxGhIzoFibPZ4kTdHsJFVIlNWLWNeJJmjIIeFtfi5HedILmDjVuCIQXEPgjEg_cyuY8CdFD4sCb-V2aTmXw/s1600/Trithlon+image.jpg" height="243" width="320" /></a>The first of three local triathlons in San Angelo during the 2015 season will take place on July 12, which means you have less than 90 days to prepare for the event.<br /><br />Although a few individuals may already be doing some form of a structured training, the majority of people seem to wait until the last minute before beginning their tri-specific workouts.<br /><br />If you wait until a few weeks before the event to start, you might as well resign yourself to the fact that you’ll be one of the stragglers limping across the finish line near the back of the pack.<br /><br />On the other hand, you could start training now and be ready to have a great race come mid-July.<br /><br />Most single-sport athletes (i.e., cyclist, runner or swimmer) have good aerobic fitness in their primary sport. That’s a decent starting point, but preparing for an event that combines three unique disciplines requires a different approach compared to a single sport.<br /><br />The hardest part will be adapting your body to doing progressive quality workouts in all three sports during each training week.<br /><br />You’ll also need to identify your weak disciplines and improve technical skills in those weak areas while concurrently building fitness.<br /><br />Using the above-mentioned 90 days as a framework, a good approach is to structure your training program into four distinct phases: adaptation, endurance, intensity and peak/race.<br /><br />Phase 1 (adaptation) takes place during the first 3-4 weeks of your program. During the first week or two, you should do a baseline assessment of what your fitness and skills are in each of the three disciplines to identify strengths and weaknesses, and begin doing one or more workouts per week in each area (bike, run and swim).<br /><br />The first phase of your training program is when you should start developing skills in your weaker disciplines. If you are a poor swimmer, then now is the time to start working with a coach or swimmer friend to improve those swimming skills.<br /><br />You’ll also want to gradually increase the length of each workout by 10 percent or so during Weeks 2 and 3, and then take a ‘recovery week’ with total weekly volume reduced by 25-30 percent compared with Week 3.<br /><br />Your weekly schedule should include easy days to let your body recover from hard days. For example, your schedule might have a long bike workout Sunday; a shorter ride Wednesday; running workouts Tuesday and Thursday; low-impact swimming sessions on Monday and Friday; and then wrap the week up with a bike/run combination (brick workout) Saturday.<br /><br />Bricks are important since they help prepare for the difficult bike-to-run transition at the end of a triathlon. These can initially be a normal bike workout followed by a short, easy five minutes or so of running, but as your training program progresses you’ll want to start doing longer off-the-bike transition runs that mimic the run distance in your selected event.<br /><br />Phase 2 (endurance) will take place during Weeks 5-8 and will be a continuation of Phase 1 with the goal being to gradually increase the length and pace of workouts in each discipline. Ideally, by the end of Phase 2 you should be comfortably doing the races distances for the bike, run and swim of your target event at an easy to moderate pace.<br /><br />You can also substitute occasional single-sport cycling and running events to get in good hard-effort workouts.<br /><br />Just as in Phase 1, the final week of Phase 2 should be a recovery week with reduced volume and more recliner time.<br /><br />Phase 3 of your triathlon training program (intensity) will cover Weeks 9-11 with the last week also being a recovery week. During this phase, you want to start doing at least one
bike, run and swim workout each week at a faster pace. The goal will be
to develop your ability to go faster, tolerate a higher heart rate, and
improve your body’s ability to process and clear lactic acid.<br /><br />These faster workouts are hard but also more fun since you’re simulating ‘race pace.’ You don’t have to go hard all the time — try starting with two 5-10 minute intervals in each sport with a five minute easy-pace recovery between hard efforts and then increase the interval length the following week.<br /><br />The final two weeks are the ‘capstone weeks’ of your 90-day training program. Two weeks out from your goal event you need to reduce your workout volume by 25-30 percent while keeping the intensity high and making sure that you are fully recovered before the next hard session.<br /><br />The final week before your event should have even less volume — cut back to only about 50 percent of the previous week. During this final week, concentrate on short, fast intervals every other day with full recovery between efforts. Take a complete day of rest (no workout) two days before your race and then do a very short session the day before your triathlon to ‘open’ the legs and lungs.<br /><br />If you start now and follow a program similar to what is described above you’ll be ready to rock, roll and splash come triathlon season. <br />
<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Upcoming Events</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">April 25: Lone Wolf Run, roadlizards.org</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">April 25: Ballinger Bikefest,
ballingernoonlions.org/pages/bikefest.html</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">May 30: <strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">ECVFD Stop, Drop and Roll,
roadlizards.org</span></strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">July 12: </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Lake</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Nasworthy</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
Triathlon, roadlizards.org</span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">July 25: Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Aug 9: </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">San
Angelo</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Triathlon, permianbasinevents.com/san-angelo-tri.html</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></strong></div>
<br />
Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-69617222655772403232015-03-13T20:44:00.002-05:002015-03-13T20:44:48.744-05:00The Spring Classics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzEMjoVDNZFARznzZawKNaC-xRbD2NYC4f0c0hyphenhyphenkT9cP9mtMhQQ299SQfNjpiC3I4PuIluzYemvbNfZXKH4Rhhvz4Rm0d30LllWgnQw3tcQ2240FdNffGh6MuXUoTb0UyfGu9zwfvjyk-/s1600/PR-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzEMjoVDNZFARznzZawKNaC-xRbD2NYC4f0c0hyphenhyphenkT9cP9mtMhQQ299SQfNjpiC3I4PuIluzYemvbNfZXKH4Rhhvz4Rm0d30LllWgnQw3tcQ2240FdNffGh6MuXUoTb0UyfGu9zwfvjyk-/s1600/PR-2.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></div>
If you consider yourself to be a tough cyclist who can excel no matter how difficult the course and weather conditions, take a spring break vacation, head
to Europe and ride some of the infamous ‘Spring Classic’ race routes.<br />
<br />
Take pain meds with you for after the rides — the Spring Classics are arguably the most grueling one-day cycling events in the world.<br />
<br />
Although multiweek stage races like the Tour de France capture the attention of the general public, the eight early-season classics held during March and April of each year are events that determine who the real ‘hard men’ are within the ranks of professional cycling.<br />
<br />
These early season single-day races are held on brutally long 155-165 mile routes through Europe’s narrowest, most difficult country roads with sections of rough cobblestone pavement, mud, dust and unrelenting short steep hills on some routes.<br />
<br />
The long race distances mean that cyclists will be in the saddle racing for 6-7 hours in unpredictable spring weather that may range from dry, dusty and windy to rain, cold, sleet and snow.<br />
<br />
Although these races are for top-level professional cyclists, thousands of amateur riders test themselves each year by riding tours over the routes the day before actual races.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHDvwCVcTWPVNN7ACT2UpPq7-TWM2o7il-qgtTrBpGWxUKPvQQqyOiDBNXDOm1GzskrC4B68jwXnMrbB7cFTVckZ1gbXzSJAunRhxs5qLCC3NucAUkP2YY7f60iaPbxCjy3qnmSE2EVom/s1600/PR-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHDvwCVcTWPVNN7ACT2UpPq7-TWM2o7il-qgtTrBpGWxUKPvQQqyOiDBNXDOm1GzskrC4B68jwXnMrbB7cFTVckZ1gbXzSJAunRhxs5qLCC3NucAUkP2YY7f60iaPbxCjy3qnmSE2EVom/s1600/PR-3.jpg" height="224" width="400" /></a>One of the most challenging of the eight spring classic races, Paris-Roubaix, will take place on April 12 this year. This 157-mile race, sometimes referred to as the Queen of the Classics or the Hell of the North, was first held in 1896 and is considered to be the hardest ‘cobblestone classic’ because of the 27 sections of cobbled roads (32 miles total) included in the route.<br />
<br />
Paris-Roubaix is so demanding that many top professional cyclists skip the event. Those who race will be on specially equipped race bikes that may have stronger frames, wider tires with less pressure that normal, extra padding on handlebars and strong wheels to withstand the jarring impacts from bouncing over cobblestones.<br />
<br />
Where possible, racers will often ride on the ‘smoother’ dirt adjacent to cobblestone surfaces in an attempt to avoid the roughest patches of rock-paved areas.<br />
<br />
Team cars loaded with spare bicycles and replacement wheels follow the racers to deal with the inevitable flat tires, damaged wheels and broken bike frames.<br />
<br />
Even though the cobble sections in the Paris Roubaix are much like riding over river rocks in a dry creek bed, the racers still manage to go fast. Recent winners have averaged over 27 miles per hour.<br />
<br />
After surviving Paris Roubaix, the Spring Classics racers will turn their attention to Liège–<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRfbV8e7N1BU6NvZbb7twpXDtDJx0PsDzZMfdFHjPeoZrkmy_s90m40mJvWgPs-Nm2dpYb27huSpSzzanikhWJWx2F5WKfd0tl1SOByRUx40DNKl3T2UkgEV1I3BMoqHGD2Jq3Q4MlqWU/s1600/PR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRfbV8e7N1BU6NvZbb7twpXDtDJx0PsDzZMfdFHjPeoZrkmy_s90m40mJvWgPs-Nm2dpYb27huSpSzzanikhWJWx2F5WKfd0tl1SOByRUx40DNKl3T2UkgEV1I3BMoqHGD2Jq3Q4MlqWU/s1600/PR-1.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></div>
Bastogne–Liège on April 26, one of the oldest classic races that was first held 1892.<br />
<br />
The race starts in the town of Liege and goes through the areas around Bastogne, made famous during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge, before heading back north toward Liege through the challenging hills of the Belgian Ardennes.<br />
<br />
Racers competing in Liège–Bastogne–Liège will encounter rough roads and a few areas of cobbles, but the biggest challenges during this 160-mile race are the 11 tough climbs in the Ardennes.<br />
<br />
Some of these climbs are so viciously steep and narrow that riders must compete for a position at the front of the pack just before an uphill to avoid the congestion as riders are squeezed onto uphill roads where only two or three cyclists can ride side by side.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, most of us will never have the opportunity to ride one of these classics routes, so the next best thing would be to ride our own West Texas version over a course that simulates some of what racers face in events such as Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/644403384" target="_blank">A 150 mile simulation course</a> might start in downtown San Angelo, head east on FM 380, south to FM 765 and then east on 765 until reaching the first unpaved section of Gesch Road (FM 1520) and then continue on narrow rough back roads to Paint Rock.<br />
<br />
From Paint Rock, the route would go north to Ballinger, then across to Bronte and on to Robert Lee with occasional short ‘cobblestone’ sections over rough gravel roads.<br />
<br />
After leaving Robert Lee the course would continue on to Carlsbad, then south over the Burma Road hills to Arden Road, back into San Angelo on Arden and then into downtown for a high-speed sprint finish on Concho Avenue.<br />
<br />
Pick a day when it’s cold, windy and wet and go ride this route at race pace on your narrow-tired road bike to fully simulate a classics race.<br />
<br />
Although the route as described is less challenging than the Spring Classic courses in Europe, you’ll still get a feel for what the pro cyclists face as they race the classic events.<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Upcoming Events</span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt;">Mar 21: Habitat for Humanity 5K,
roadlizards.org</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt;">Mar 21: Steam-N-Wheels cycling race,
bikereg.com/26622</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">April 11: Castell Grind cycling ride,
castellgrind.com/home.html</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">April 25: Lone Wolf Run, roadlizards.org</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">April 25: Ballinger Bikefest,
ballingernoonlions.org/pages/bikefest.html</span></div>
Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-8118502822769644282015-01-30T13:12:00.001-06:002015-01-30T13:12:55.065-06:00The 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRaxYIE_bn4iyFJpg6uhL31CIIWFAwNqpGSkc1fRypLcnZxyFuHljpiwIYI-w9SCG112oj-jsFZCpPMYAOBzsVM90iT9uSeDyvwm8gS1kqPYj-jGCgvb-D7pu4bhZV22Osaj2sRucnNZz/s1600/Bicycle+Corps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRaxYIE_bn4iyFJpg6uhL31CIIWFAwNqpGSkc1fRypLcnZxyFuHljpiwIYI-w9SCG112oj-jsFZCpPMYAOBzsVM90iT9uSeDyvwm8gS1kqPYj-jGCgvb-D7pu4bhZV22Osaj2sRucnNZz/s1600/Bicycle+Corps.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a>Do you think you're a strong cyclist, able to ride long distances in
harsh conditions over rough <br />
terrain? Could you do a long bike tour
carrying camping equipment and food on your bike?<br />
<br />
If so, try replicating the ride that a group of Army soldiers in the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps did in June and July 1897.<br />
<br />
As
part of a "field test" to determine the effectiveness of bicycles for
transporting infantry troops long distances, this group of hardy
cyclists rode, pushed and carried their bikes 1,900 miles from Fort
Missoula, Mont., to St. Louis.<br />
<br />
The Bicycle Corps officer who led
the expedition was Lt. James Moss, a West Point graduate and avid
cyclist. His volunteer soldier-cyclists were all Buffalo Soldiers from
the 25th Infantry Regiment.<br />
<br />
Their route went from Fort Missoula
to Yellowstone and then southeastward through Wyoming, South Dakota,
Nebraska and Missouri to St. Louis.<br />
<br />
The "two-wheeled forced
march" took 41 days to complete with 34 days of actual cycling. The
soldier-cyclists averaged almost 56 miles per cycling day with an
average speed of 6.3 mph.<br />
<br />
Rough and unpaved dirt tracks made up
the majority of the route, with roads being so bad that the soldiers
often dismounted and pushed their bicycles on railroad tracks. Expedition reports indicate that the soldiers pushed or carried their bikes for almost 400 of the trip's 1,900 miles.<br />
<br />
Conditions during the trip included cold and wet weather, deep mud, strong winds and heat exceeding 110 degrees.<br />
<br />
One
of the bivouac points during this cycling expedition was at the site of
the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which took place 21 years earlier.<br />
<br />
The Military Specification bicycles they rode were manufactured for the military by the AG Spalding Co. Each of the heavy and cumbersome steel-framed bikes weighed 32 pounds.<br />
When fully loaded with blanket roll, tent, rations and extra clothing, the total weight of each bicycle was 59 pounds.<br />
<br />
In
addition to the bicycle and field gear, each soldier also carried a
10-pound Krag-Jorgensen rifle with 50 rounds of ammunition.<br />
<br />
The
Spaulding military bicycles used by the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps had
only one gear (single speed), with a gear-inch ratio of 68 inches. That
gearing would be about the same as a modern single-speed bicycle
equipped with a 36-tooth front chain ring and a 14-tooth rear cog.<br />
<br />
On
July 24, the infantry cyclists completed their trek and rolled into St.
Louis. The St. Louis Star newspaper noted that the soldiers had
completed "the most marvelous cycling trip in the history of the wheel
and the most rapid military march on record" at that time.<br />
<br />
This experiment by the 25th Infantry wasn't the first time that bicycles had been tested by various military units. Both the United Kingdom and France had experimental bicycle units as early as 1886.<br />
<br />
The
first documented combat use of bicycles occurred in 1895-96 during the
Second Boer War, during which cyclists served as messengers.<br />
<br />
The
use of bicycles continued during World War I with bike-mounted infantry,
scouts and messengers being used by the Italian Bersaglieri light
infantry as well as in the German and British armies.<br />
<br />
Japan used
an estimated 50,000 bicycle troops during its 1937 invasion of China,
and the Finnish army deployed bicycle units as the spearhead of its
attack during its 1941 campaign against the Soviet Union.<br />
<br />
In
1997, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funded the
development of a tactical folding mountain bike designed for use by
airborne rangers. This bike, manufactured by Montague, had a 500-pound
load-carrying capacity and would quickly fold into an air-droppable
package.<br />
<br />
Although the military use of bicycles today hasn't
changed significantly from what the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps did back
in 1897, the next military bicycle evolution may be about ready to
happen.<br />
<br />
A researcher in Japan has modified a small bipedal robot
and configured it to ride a bike just as a human would (Google
"PRIMER-V2 robot"). The future could include ground-based robotic "surveillance cyclists" pedaling through combat zones performing military tasks.<br />
<br />
Remember, bicycles are a part of military history.Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-60205776613990153982015-01-10T14:53:00.002-06:002015-01-10T14:58:45.099-06:00Cyclocross Nationals Postmortum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I raced my third Cyclocross National Championships this past Thursday in Austin, Texas, joining<br />
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2,000 other racers who came to test their fitness and technical skills on the challenging course in Austin's Zilker Park.<br />
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2,000 other racers who came to test their fitness and technical skills on the challenging course in Austin's Zilker Park.<br />
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The fitness was there, but my ability to maintain speed and apply power through the technical sections of the course was sub-par compared to the top racers in my category.<br />
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After turning in a poor performance in last year's icy and snow-packed race in Boulder, Colorado my year-long goal was to finish in the top 10 in this year's event.<br />
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With that goal in mind, I spent most of the past year focused on training for this year's Nationals, doing base miles, tempo rides and strength training during Feb, March, April and May before transitioning to a structured cyclocross training program in June.<br />
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The structured program included many miles of 15-20 minute threshold intervals, trail rides on my CX bike, some running, skill work such as barriers and run-ups, VO2 max efforts and endless miles of hard race simulation laps on a practice course.<br />
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Unfortunately, I did not accomplish the top 10 goal, finishing 16th in the Master's 65-69 field of 22 racers.<br />
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I was positioned to achieve the top 10 goal, but two critical mistakes during the race coupled with a less than stellar job of keeping the speed up through the technical sections dropped me down a few places.<br />
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Although I was staged in the back row of my field since I didn't earn many USAC points during the season (only two races), I moved up to mid pack by the time we hit the first dirt section with my heart rate 'comfortably' just a beat or two over my threshold.<br />
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Shortly after that, I made my first mistake by running into a rider who stalled in front of me on a short hill. The resulting dab and loss of speed let several racers pass me.<br />
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Later in the race, I completely biffed a right hand off-camber corner and ended up falling into the course marking tape. Again, I lost several places while getting upright and then having to run up the short but steep climb that followed the corner.<br />
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My gut feeling is that unless I figure out how to improve my technical skills, I'll need a flat and fast course with the only technical sections being off-the-bike run-ups to crack the top 10 in my age group.<br />
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I can also keep racing until I'm in the really old age groups that have less than 10 racers :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqjhtok_trhJwjeggJ7vE4XYermdpmPXaGWpvhedUEy5wZi2UAJ09EoWNdBDfHSbdJ4sfX02O52xzPOyRk3dOb0YB-XlZygAJByhcqr0oC6YyujgvXU9XpB1KtMNmrG_Yb_m1mVqNcTMY/s1600/CX+Nats+27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqjhtok_trhJwjeggJ7vE4XYermdpmPXaGWpvhedUEy5wZi2UAJ09EoWNdBDfHSbdJ4sfX02O52xzPOyRk3dOb0YB-XlZygAJByhcqr0oC6YyujgvXU9XpB1KtMNmrG_Yb_m1mVqNcTMY/s1600/CX+Nats+27.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
Speaking of older racers, I had a 'race encounter' with the ageless Walt Axthelm of Durango, Colorado who won this year's 80+ category.<br />
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His field started 20 seconds behind my 65-69 group, but by the 2nd lap of the race he had bridged up to my wheel and was telling me to " Go - go- get off the dammed brakes" as we traversed through a section of off-camber turns and steep ups and downs in a ravine.<br />
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Axthelm continued to stay right me through laps 3 and 4, rolling faster than me and some other 65+ riders through the technical sections. The only places I could gap him were on the flats and run-ups. He says his normal training partners in Durango are all fast racers in their 50s.<br />
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During the Thursday open pre-ride of the course, the weather was sunny and 70 degrees. That changed dramatically Tuesday evening as a cold front ushered in frigid temperatures and a forecast for rain, mud and sleet for the Wednesday through Sunday championship events.<br />
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When I started warming up at 7:30 am on the morning of my race the air temp was 23 degrees with a reported 16 degree wind chill. It did not warm up much by the 9:00 start time.<br />
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My race kit for the day for the day was double socks with plastic bag over the toes, duct tape over the vents in my cycling shoes, medium tights over thin tights, two long sleeve base layers under the bike jersey, polypro liners inside wind shell gloves and an insulated skull cap under the helmet. During warm-up I also had wind pants over the tights and a down jacket.<br />
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The Zilker course was a challenging 3.5 kilometer per lap loop adjacent to Barton Springs pool that includes pavement, rolling sections through rough grass, run-ups over limestone outcroppings and plank barriers, and challenging descents that drop 75-100 feet down the face of the park's ridge line.<br />
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The starting stretch was a 400 yard gradual uphill on pavement that veered off onto a bumpy up-and-down grass/dirt section with multiple 90 to 180 degree corners in loose dirt and numerous 'curb ramps' where the course crossed streets.<br />
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After reaching the flatter high part of the course, the route headed back down toward the start area<br />
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with multiple descents that terminated in sharp off-camber corners leading to immediate short steep climbs back up the hill.<br />
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Most corners on the descents had frozen mud ruts and rough washboard areas making bike handling skills and a 'no-fear' attitude important while riding on narrow 35 mm or smaller tires cyclocross tires. Since I lack both great technical skills and the 'no-fear' attitude I lost quite a bit of time through these sections.<br />
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There were two longer descents including a rough and rutted dirt downhill and an interesting wooden ramp that bridged down over a 6 foot limestone cliff. Each of the descents terminated in a 180 degree turn back uphill into dismount and run-back-up sections.<br />
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There were three dismount/run sections and several more run-ups if riders who failed to stay upright through the rutted off camber corners that preceded short up-hills. Two of the run-ups were over rough natural rock outcroppings that climbed 15 to 25 vertical feet up the ridge with the 3rd section being a double set of 16" high plank barriers situated on an uphill stretch of grass.<br />
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One of the things that I've done for many years (in every sport I've competed in) is to do a post-season and post-race analysis to determine what I need to improve on for the next event or next season.<br />
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My list is long this year, but there are also a few bright spots such as an improved threshold based on field test heart rates, no crashes this year that resulted in injuries, and no difficulty with steep run-ups.<br />
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Here's the 'to do' list that reflects what I need to improve on during the off-season and the strategies I'll use to make those improvements.<br />
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<b>1. Improve technical skills on corners and descents:</b> Do more mountain biking, ride my CX bike more on mountain bike trails and (whenever possible) do these rides with other riders who are more skilled than I am.<br />
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<b>2. Improve 'no fear' attitude:</b> This is largely related to #1 above since better skills will improve my confidence in sketchy situations, but ... I'm also considering enhancement surgery to see if some bigger 'brass boys' will help :)<br />
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<b>3. Improve power on short steep climbs:</b> Do more hill workouts (especially big gear uphill intervals), spend more time in the weight room, and find a practice course that has more difficult uphill power sections.<br />
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<b>4. Regain running fitness during the off-season:</b> This one sounds strange, but my best cross seasons happened during a period when I was training for and racing duathlons and running events during the spring, summer and early fall. I'm going to add in more trail running and duathlon workouts (bike/run bricks) this year to see if that results in a higher fitness level and more overall strength and agility.<br />
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<b>5. Build a stronger endurance base:</b> This involves all of the above, but I suspect that that increasing my miles and total workout hours during the off season will let me train harder later in the year and - as a side benefit - will help me lose a little more weight. I'm currently around 184 and think that I would race better at about 175. The mileage goal for this year is 5,000 or more.<br />
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That's it ... the season is over ... time for a few easy weeks and then time to start training for the 2015-2016 CX season.<br />
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Upcoming Events<br />
Jan 17: Trail Running Series 10K, roadlizards.org<br />
Jan 31: Trail Running Series 12K, roadlizards.org<br />
Feb 21: Trail Running Series 15K, roadlizards.org<br />
Feb 21: Funnel Cake 5K, sanangelorodeo.com/events/2015/funnelcake5k<br />
April 11: Castell Grind cycling ride, castellgrind.com/home.htmlBill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-10550086636995942462015-01-04T14:11:00.000-06:002015-01-04T14:35:48.600-06:00Losing Weight in 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Old Guys Who Get Fat in the Winter, Patrick O'Grady)</td></tr>
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Many of you made New Year’s resolutions that involve losing weight and getting back into shape.<br />
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You’re not alone — most Americans need to make (and follow through) with that same resolution. Statistics indicate that 69 percent of people over the age of 20 are overweight (BMI of 25-29.9) and within that group 35 percent are considered obese (BMI over 30).<br />
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The good news is that — over time — overweight individuals can lose the flab, increase muscle tone and reverse the effects of too much food and not enough exercise.<br />
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Simply put, weight loss means burning more calories than you take in and it takes approximately a 3,500 calorie deficient to burn one pound of fat.<br />
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Eat less food, cut back on high-calorie drinks such as beer and soft drinks and increase the amount of exercise that you do.<br />
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‘Calories burned’ is the sum of exercise calories plus your basal metabolic rate with basal metabolism accounting for approximately 70 percent of all calories burned. You can approximate your base metabolism using a calculator such as the one online at <a href="http://bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator">bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator</a>.<br />
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Your base metabolism will stay about the same or even decrease somewhat as you age, although you can ramp it up with cardiovascular exercise and strength training that builds muscle.<br />
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Increasing the amount of lean muscle is good because it burns more calories than fat, thus increasing your base metabolism.<br />
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Lack of exercise intensity is one key area where many people fall short related to burning calories during exercise.<br />
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Short slow walks with your dog or those twice-weekly ‘no sweat’ 20 minute workouts in the gym, while still beneficial, will not accomplish what’s needed if you’re trying to lose weight and tone muscles.<br />
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Instead, you need to consistently exercise long enough and at a high enough intensity to really make a dent in those fat cells.<br />
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Aim for at least 60 minutes of exercise per day, five to six days a week, with a combination of low intensity aerobic exercise (60-65 percent of your maximum heart rate), some high intensity (75 percent of max heart rate or higher) and several days that include strength training.<br />
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You can get an estimate of your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 and then use a heart rate watch to make sure you’re ‘in the zone’ during workouts.<br />
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One good way to structure your fat-burning exercise program is to do at least two days per week of higher intensity interval sessions (body pump, spin classes or interval workouts on gym equipment) with one or two days of lower intensity aerobic exercise between each of the high intensity days.<br />
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Fast walking or walk/jog is also a great way to get your heart rate up and burn calories. Start with 20-30 minute sessions on a treadmill or on a soft dirt/grass surface (avoid pavement). Warm up with a brisk walk for a few minutes, then alternate one minute of fast walking with one minute of easy jogging. Gradually increase the length and speed of the ‘run’ segments (i.e., two minute run and one minute walk; three minute run, etc.).<br />
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You can do the same type of interval workout on an indoor or outdoor bicycle. Warm up with easy riding, then go harder for 1-2 minutes, relax and spin easy for recovery and repeat that cycle for 20-30 minutes.<br />
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Add in strength exercises on several of the days and you’ll have a solid program that, when coupled with smart eating habits, will result in a slow erosion of the pounds that you’re wanting to lose.<br />
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One additional suggestion is to keep a workout journal. Write down the minutes per day of exercise, note what the workout(s) were, track your daily weight and then calculate your average weight for each week. The data in the journal will keep you honest about what you’re actually doing and it also lets you look back and see what worked based on weight and fitness improvements.<br />
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My final tip is to set some goals with a time line. Establishing goals means you’re working toward something instead of just working out. Goals can be something like ‘lose five pounds by May 1’ or ‘complete a 4-mile walk in 70 minutes by June 15.’<br />
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Last but not least, be sure to consult with your physician before starting any type of new exercise program.<br />
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Remember — the best weight loss formula is to eat less and exercise more.<br />
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<u>Upcoming Events </u><br />
Jan. 10 (rescheduled date): Resolution Run, <a href="http://roadlizards.org/events/ecvfd-resolution-run-2015">roadlizards.org/events/ecvfd-resolution-run-2015</a>/<br />
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Jan. 7-11: Cyclocross National Championships, <a href="http://usacycling.org/2015/cyclo-cross-nationals">usacycling.org/2015/cyclo-cross-nationals</a><br />
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Jan. 17-Feb 21: Trail Running Series, <a href="http://roadlizards.org/">roadlizards.org</a><br />
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April 11: Castell Grind cycling race, <a href="http://www.castellgrind.com/home.html" target="_blank">castellgrind.com/home.html </a>Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-53694053355757724042014-12-27T20:06:00.002-06:002014-12-27T20:07:49.870-06:00A Recap of 2014<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uvQ2yB1h1pW3o06iNTOMqXJs_Dvt_mHtDI0y42E-qHlYRCKaV4Jo94i45JNDmyzin-pzcMpDic1ZRs9FN11llQijM8LBIDh1YHeS3trOgLgxAJEk2mUkWRcaaWmFpzClC3mc6kMHB1qy/s1600/2014+Calendar+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uvQ2yB1h1pW3o06iNTOMqXJs_Dvt_mHtDI0y42E-qHlYRCKaV4Jo94i45JNDmyzin-pzcMpDic1ZRs9FN11llQijM8LBIDh1YHeS3trOgLgxAJEk2mUkWRcaaWmFpzClC3mc6kMHB1qy/s1600/2014+Calendar+image.jpg" height="320" width="280" /></a>Another year of San Angelo fitness activities has come and gone.<br />
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Overall, the trends this past year were more people taking part in run/walk events, a decline in road bike cycling and fewer local cycling events.<br />
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There was increased participation in local triathlon events during 2014 with the primary increase being people taking part in the shorter ‘sprint distance’ events.<br />
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As noted above, running continued to be popular with most of the same events from 2013 taking place again this year. Several new events were held, including the West Texas half-marathon, the Christoval Vineyards half-marathon and 10K, and the Goodyear Race for Celebration.<br />
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Trail running continued to grow in popularity with the Shannon Trail Running Series, Dinosaur Trail Run and the Crazy Desert Trail Run being some of the popular running events during the past year.<br />
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On a down note, several of the running events that had previously been held on the Angelo State University campus either did not take place in 2014 or were significantly smaller than in the past.<br />
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Triathletes had three local events to enjoy during 2014, including the Lake Nasworthy sprint triathlon, the Goodfellow triathlon and the new San Angelo triathlon last August.<br />
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The San Angelo triathlon, which included a sprint distance event, team relays and an Olympic distance race, was a welcomed reincarnation of the former Wool Capitol triathlon that was canceled in 2013 after being a mainstay on the local calendar for over 20 years.<br />
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Organized cycling activities in San Angelo declined during 2014, continuing a trend that started several years back. As noted in a previous column published back on October 17, the 6-Hour Dinosaur mountain bike event and the small time trials put on by the local cycling club were the only competitive cycling events in San Angelo during the past year.<br />
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The ASUFit cyclocross series that was held on the Angelo State campus through 2013 did not take place this year, ending a four-year run for an event that attracted quite a few local cyclists and some out-of-town racers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJSIajTiNaLE6z7Um-sfO2-KUC6zA6IgQLGbc15fuI87VhckhcsySMN3xvg7pwPWxxEG3SYAAjDTO3WPUEXp8PgGU7Aiz94Um7wX564bogrjcybdfaMtDPAYQ_TBbCzwfkEq-t7gQW9He/s1600/Social+ride.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJSIajTiNaLE6z7Um-sfO2-KUC6zA6IgQLGbc15fuI87VhckhcsySMN3xvg7pwPWxxEG3SYAAjDTO3WPUEXp8PgGU7Aiz94Um7wX564bogrjcybdfaMtDPAYQ_TBbCzwfkEq-t7gQW9He/s1600/Social+ride.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>Smaller numbers were also evident this year for the twice-weekly Loop Group rides, with only a handful of cyclists showing up each week for what once was large enough to be jokingly called the ‘Tuesday/Thursday World Championships.’<br />
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More San Angelo cyclists opted for casual small-group ‘social rides’ on mountain bikes or in areas around the lake parks with fewer people venturing out to ride onto the busy area roads.<br />
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The increase in traffic on area highways, rough chip-sealed roads, the lack of in-town cycling infrastructure such as bike lanes and off-street paths and the higher cost of bicycles and related equipment compared to running shoes and clothing were all factors that impacted local cycling activities.<br />
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So what can we expect to see during the coming year?<br />
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All indicators suggest that the trends from 2013 and 2014 will continue with running remaining strong, triathlon growing somewhat and cycling remaining at about the same level as during the past year.<br />
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More cyclists will sift their rides to low-traffic rural roads or mountain bike trails, although the construction of the Red Arroyo trail may encourage casual cyclists to ride in town on the Red Arroyo’s paved routes.<br />
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Triathlon participation is expected to grow locally during 2015 with the growth being driven by having three local multi-sport events and also a strong social media marketing campaign by the San Angelo Triathlon promoter. There are also rumors that suggest an off-road multisport event such as a run-bike-run duathlon may be organized.<br />
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Remember — 2014 is about to end so it’s time to start training for 2015 events.<br />
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<u>Upcoming Events</u><br />
Now-Jan 4: Texas Cup cyclocross series: <a href="http://txbra.org/events">http://txbra.org/events</a><br />
Jan. 3: Resolution Run: <a href="http://roadlizards.org/events/ecvfd-resolution-run-2015/">roadlizards.org/events/ecvfd-resolution-run-2015/</a><br />
Jan 7-11: Cyclocross National Championships: <a href="http://usacycling.org/2015/cyclo-cross-nationals">usacycling.org/2015/cyclo-cross-nationals</a><br />
Jan 17-Feb 21: Trail Running Series: <a href="http://www.roadlizards.org/" target="_blank">roadlizards.org </a>Bill Cullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792150285541896261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150864612985521269.post-60498956570888087142014-12-21T09:39:00.003-06:002014-12-21T09:39:35.054-06:00Gift Socks For An Athlete<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWpPo4a6PdetD4PQYHFhB5Jd5PTEb7iCFC2-hcDFB9RxJPSGehaCZjGNpIcxk90dEzi-6lf6rboLs_W516yvgNUonsAMo46LS_SAJG1iu2ZyTnRrWWpiwX1XHHqnYWodO6_xkxYo1QvRK/s1600/Colored+socks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWpPo4a6PdetD4PQYHFhB5Jd5PTEb7iCFC2-hcDFB9RxJPSGehaCZjGNpIcxk90dEzi-6lf6rboLs_W516yvgNUonsAMo46LS_SAJG1iu2ZyTnRrWWpiwX1XHHqnYWodO6_xkxYo1QvRK/s1600/Colored+socks.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a>There are only a few more shopping days until Christmas, and you may still be unsure of what to get <br /><br />Don't despair — just give those athletes socks.<br /><br />Depending on their sport and the "style rules" your athletes adhere to, you can select from tall socks, short socks, bright colored socks, compression socks, wicking socks, windproof socks or socks that carry a printed message such as ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/SockGuy-Dopers-Suck-Sock/dp/B003UWARBW" target="_blank">dopers suck</a>.'<br /><br />Selecting workout socks was easier back in the day — you just went to Target, Kmart or Sears and picked up a six-pack of white "athletic" tube socks. Today's athletes are a little more choosy about what covers their foot, so you have to match the sock with the sport and the athlete's personality.<br /><br />Let's start with cyclists. To make an intelligent decision, you'll have to determine if the person on your list is a mountain biker, road cyclist or a cyclocross racer.<br /><br />Road cyclists are the most concerned about image and style, so make sure to select socks that won't damage their ego. In general, stay away from short ankle socks (too much of a tennis look), go with black socks only if they are a Lance Armstrong supporter, and above all try to color-match a road cyclist's socks with his/her team colors.<br /><br />Mountain bikers are generally a more down-in-the-dirt group and thus don't worry about style as much. In fact, some off-road cyclists have been spotted wearing hunting socks from non-cycling vendors such a Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops.<br /><br />Cyclists who train for and race cyclocross events usually have the most eccentric taste in socks. For this deviant breed, get socks that are tall, funky, garishly bright in color and — if possible — that have patterns to match the cyclist's leg scars and tattoos.<br /><br />If you're still confused about socks for cyclists you might want to read "Fashion Trends in Cycling Socks" published by Cyclingtips (<a href="http://cyclingtips.com.au/2012/10/new-summer-fashion-trends-with-cycling-socks/">cyclingtips.com.au/2012/10/new-summer-fashion-trends-with-cycling-socks/</a>).<br /><br />Triathletes deserve a mention although they are not real cyclists since cycling events are never preceded by a swim or followed by a run. Most multisport athletes have serious love affairs with the tall calf-height dorky-looking compression socks that help squeeze blood from the lower legs back up to their brain.<br /><br />The good news is that you can save money by just buying those athletes a pair of long <a href="http://www.brightlifedirect.com/therafirm-core-spun-support-stockings-20-30mmhg.asp?gclid=CjwKEAiA_NmkBRCe3ubC1aWAtEcSJACxkkbq3Sg2cYBzzexFGzAX0XJpg97UCzaeebVXt633YoGNDBoCwYTw_wcB" target="_blank">varicose vein compression stockings</a> from Walgreens or similar medical supply stores. They'll never know the difference.<br /><br />Runners are somewhat picky about what's between their feet and their running shoes. In general, they'll prefer something ankle-high or shorter that looks fast and saves a couple of grams of weight. Long-distance runners may prefer socks that have a slightly thicker padded underfoot to compensate for the thinly padded ultralight distance running shoes they race in.<br /><br />Trail runners are a different breed from normal runners and may like slightly taller crew-height socks that are pre-stained in trail dirt and mud colors.<br /><br />To be honest, most of the difference between the various subcategories of cycling and running socks is the product of great marketing by sock companies.<br /><br />When in doubt, just ask the salesperson at your cycling or running store. Believe everything they tell you — maybe.<br /><br />Remember — it's important to select appropriate gift socks for an athlete.<br />
for the athletes on your list.<br />
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<br />
<u>Upcoming Events</u><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Now-Jan 4: Texas Cup
cyclocross series: http://txbra.org/events</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">January 3: Resolution Run, roadlizards.org/events/ecvfd-resolution-run-2015/</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Jan 7-11: Cyclocross National
Championships, usacycling.org/2015/cyclo-cross-nationals</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Jan 17-Feb 21: Trail Running
Series, roadlizards.org</span></div>
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