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.

Photo Credit: http://stephanieliles.blogspot.com/

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

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.