Training

Acupuncture Beats IT Band Syndrome Hands Down

Submitted by Amy Thompson on

News Item: 

IT Band Syndrome, or “runner’s knee”, plagues runners, triathletes & cyclists alike. It is so common that many athletes believe it is something that just has to be endured, however Acupuncture has many ways to approach this issue with outstanding results.

IT Band Syndrome can occur for multiple reasons. One is that the TFL muscle, Tensor Fasciae Latae, gets overly tight or even spasms. This pulls on the IT Band (tendon) shortening it & causing irritation as it rubs over the lateral epicondyle of the femur (bony protrusion on the lower lateral end of the femur). This chronic rubbing causes irritation & damage to the tendon compounding the problem. The tendon itself then gets inundated with waste byproducts & inflammatory fluids & has difficulty dispersing them, as tendons notoriously have terrible blood flow innately.

As this progresses, it causes increasing pain as the muscle tightness increases & the inflammation worsens. The domino effect is then in full swing as the athlete (often unconsciously) changes their running gate or the cyclist’s hip & leg alignment in their pedal stroke. Now the problem escalates at it is being transferred along to the lumbar, QL, hamstrings, hip flexors, etc.

Using Acupuncture for Recovery and Performance

Submitted by Amy Thompson on

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by Christina Roy of Premier Acupuncture in Boulder

Cycling Recovery & Performance Enhancement = 2 Sides of Same Coin

In Boulder & all over Colorado right now road races, crits & time trials are in full swing. Including training times, a mind blowing amount of miles are being chewed up & elevation conquered.

While training to improve sprint speed, climbing power & overall endurance, the muscles are being broken down while tendons & ligaments are being stressed.

Neurologically & chemically we are always either in the Sympathetic or Parasympathetic mode. During strenuous training & racing the Sympathetic system is in full swing (Fight or Flight mode). A cascade of hormones are released (Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Cortisol) increasing our power output, enhancing response time, diverting blood from our gut to our extremities, etc. At those moments we are literally hard-wired to perform at our very best. Nothing is free however, all this comes at a cost.

It is only after, IF we allow ourselves to enter the Parasympathetic mode (Rest & Recovery) that progress can acutely be made out of our training efforts. Only then is our body is able to refuel our Glycogen stores, repair & build new muscle tissue, repair tendons, & abolish byproducts & toxins. Then & only then are we ready to perform with true genuine “performance enhancement”.

Most tend to jump the gun in recovery. Just because we feel that we have the energy to hit the road again doesn’t necessarily mean our body is ready, especially our tendons & ligaments. Muscles have incredible blood supply naturally, which is a main reason that they repair quickly. Tendons & ligaments however have very limited blood supply. So with excessive training or chronic over use Tendonitis easily develops & is very stubborn to recede unaided.

Training Product Review - Ride with GPS

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

News Item: 

GPS tracking is all the rave this year and today we check out another player in that market, Ride with GPS

Submitted by an avid 303 reader and bike junkie

Ride with GPS is a great site for any cyclist. They've got a top-notch route planner, powerful tools for digging into your GPS data, and easy ways to compete with your friends and foes. What really ties it all together is that the interface is intuitive and really fast - it feels like an app, not just a website.

Mapping a route

Plan your next bike ride with Ride with GPS

Planning a ride on Ride with GPS is really pleasant. Just click around on the map, and you'll see a route appear, following roads or bike paths between your clicks. The elevation profile updates instantly in full detail, which is really nice if you want to consider a few different routes quickly. The tool is really easy to use, but still has all the features you might need (adding POI, customizing the cue sheet, export to Garmin unit, upload photos, etc).

Ride with GPS has been around since 2007, so there are already routes mapped out all over the world. You can
search for routes
by location, length, elevation gain, keyword, and more, and find just what you're looking for.

Analyze your data

How do you cope with Mother Nature's Evil Winds

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

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It's never good when the temperature and wind speed are equal

Warm nice temperatures and strong evil winds entered the front range area yesterday with winds exceeding the temperature by reaching 88mph in Boulder. This turned the weather NEvil (nice + evil) Over the years I've heard some odd ways people deal with this beast. Below are some recent quotes and I'll add I few I think I remember.

"Imagine the wind puffing energy into you" (or something like that, Heather Irmiger.

CrankyMommys
"Crazy windy. Dodging trash-can lids and flying cats, BUT worth it. Rode with a vest, and NO HAT OR GLOVES. I have HANDS!! With FINGERS!"

Catherine Johnson
"wind skills are useful around here especially in the Spring. relax and let the wind push you around, but when you are about"

One great thing about all this wind is the 'wind face' people make. so cool, really.

Bicycle Labs

Starting your training off right in 2012

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

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By now you have probably broken at least half of your new years resolutions and the season of cycling is still months away. Not good. If you are serious about getting fast this year you could go to the grocery store and pick up one of those bike magazines that tell you "10 ways to get lean and fast this year" (or was it the hottness of the model on the cover that made you buy it?). I'm no cat 1 rider but I'll play one now. Want to get fast?

Get a Coach

The Winter Season Transition

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

News Item: 

By Brenda Moczygemba ToughGirl Cycling Team

The cold weather is well on its way and some of us begin to wonder, “What am I going to do now?” Cyclocross season will soon taper off, leaving a barren race calendar until spring. However unhappy you may be when the snow flies, I feel the winter season is an important transition in every cyclists' life. It is beneficial to take this time to reflect, recharge, and make time for friends and family that can fall by the wayside when weekends are filled with race travel and training.

First things first, you spent a lot of time this season training, traveling, and racing. Next season, you want to make sure you build and learn from those very experiences. Take a half-hour or so writing down what worked and what didn’t -- what your goals were and if and how you accomplished them. For example, you may have raced your first race at the Yeti Beti Bike Bash. What did you do to prepare? What did you eat before and during the race? Did any of these things help your performance? Did you perform better or worse than you had hoped for? Jot down other race prep lists – like things you packed for a 12- or 24-hour mountain bike race. It may seem silly at first. I always think, I’ll remember to do this differently next year, yet as I prep for a race weekend months down the road I find myself racking my brain, “What was that thing I needed to remember to do?” By having lists of what worked and what didn’t over the 2011 season, you can build on your strengths and train your weaknesses as you head into the 2012 season.

Next, reflecting on how you felt and performed this past season, make goals and a set down a generic schedule for next season. That doesn’t mean you jump straight into interval training, but having some goals and a handful of Spring and Summer 2012 races in the back of your mind will help keep you on track and motivated when the snow is blowing sideways and the holiday celebrations have taken the place of race weekends. From your rough schedule, you can start to count backwards to know when to start logging base miles, when to transition back into intervals, and how to reach your goals. The key here is not only to setting goals but to setting yourself up to meet those goals.

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