Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Launch Day

Today is an exciting day for me. The Ride 2 The Rescue donations site is done and looks great. I will be sending out the link to a select list of friends and family for starters. I want to thank Jim at EMCC Design for his volunteering to take on the project -- I owe him a pint (or two)!

My massive bike case came in last night along with my Park Tool repair stand. Now if I only had a bike with two tires! The shop apparently lined my tires with the kevlar band inside-out allowing it to flat. The real inconvenience is that it put me behind my training schedule. I'll just have to work a little harder.

Keep the training tips coming!
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve,

Congratulations on the website. It looks great. Best wishes for success on your rides.

Well, I got quite a surprise this morning @ 5:30 spin class when my toughest instructor was subbing for the easygoing one. As Shakira would say, 'hips don't lie'...but in this case, I am feeling more like Floyd pre-hip transplant. This leads me into the topic of recovery...

Not sure how well you guys recover after pushing it, but I have found that I don't as well as when I was younger. So, to optimize recovery, I have turned to altering my nutritional intake post-ride.

After about 2 hours of endurance training, the body starts to get catabolic. That is, it turns on itself and starts to break down muscle. To limit the damage and speed recovery, it is vital to replace the calories/carbs/fluids/electrolytes/proteins, etc. that are burned up during the ride. The caloric loss doesn't stop when you stop riding either. You body continues to burn as you cool down.

Apparently, there is an optimal window of about 30 minutes post-ride for replacement/recovery. One of the many benefits of supplementing post-ride is that you gain the maximal benefit of the workout. That is, if you limit the muscle breakdown, you optimize muscle build and efficiency. So, if you are going to do all this hard work on a ride, get a gain instead of setback.

Currently, I tend to refuel with foods and amino acids (AA). Probably the most important AA is glutamine. You can buy this in any health food store. Glutamine, like other amino acids, is a building block of protein. If you take AA post-ride, you will notice a significant reduction in muscle soreness and fatigue, thereby letting you get back on the bike quicker. AA are readily found in foods as well. My personal preference is PB with banana and/or raisins plus a few glutamine tablets.

If you would prefer a liquid supplement, many of the supplement manufacturers (Gu, Hammer, Cytomax, etc.) make 'recovery' powdered formulations. These formulas typically give you good carbs, protein and amino acids.

I have put myself through some experiments with different supplement products over the past year. The most important aspect of supplementing is to take something that is compatible with you.

Proper recovery is also going to keep your immune system intact. Have you ever noticed that you get sick (flu-like symptoms) after pushing it? I am not suggesting that it is abnormal to push the body with endurance efforts, but we are exerting a stress on the body with consistent physical effort. This can have a cummulative effect on the immune system causing you to potentially have a major setback and zapping your strength. Proper recovery limits this.

Please comment on any recovery rituals you have found to be helpful. I am always up for trying something new.

Future topics for discussion:

-proper hydration
-supplementation during the ride
-glycogen stores and proper intake pre-ride
-electrolyte replacement during the ride and cramping

This is enough for now,

BB
Director of Doping

July 3, 2007 at 12:12 PM
Petit Chèvre said...

I also heard about the need for increased protiens after a ride, within about 20 minutes. I bring a cooler with water and an Atkins Mocha shake. Rich in protiens and vitamins, even a little caffeine.

July 3, 2007 at 12:53 PM

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