Tri Bike Shoes vs. Road Bike Shoes

My new ride!

It has arrived!  Visiting our son in Winona and stopped into a bike store to buy a part I needed to complete my custom road bike build and came across this.  I had no intention of buying it and NEVER make those types of impulse buys but Ann said "Happy B-Day" and said I deserved it.  Hmmmmm, who am I to argue with such a smart woman! 

How to build your own foam roller inexpensively!

We all know that foam rollers help us runners and triathletes prevent injury to our tendons and muscles but the cost to buy some of these products can be quite costly.  I saw this article on kineticloop.org and thought I would repost it here for everyone!

How to Build a Foam Roller

As everyone knows the craze for foam rolling has taken off. If you haven't heard of foam rolling you can go to www.kineticloop.org . On our site Kinetic Loop Training System we have a free article called Rolling the Hot Spots using the Kinetic Foam Rolling Loop method with step by step instruction on full body foam rolling. 

How would you like to learn how to make a foam roller for under 20 dollars??? You will need the following items below:
1. Blue camping mat from Walmart (8.00 dollars)
2. 3 inch diameter by 20 inches in length PVC pipe from Lowe's or Home depot(cost 3.00)
3. Super adhesive Spray number 77 (3.00 dollars )
4. Duct tape (3.00 dollars)
5. Razor blades (2.00 dollars)

Instructions:
Roll out camping mat and measure 12.75 inches in height and 21 inches in width.
Cut measurements with razor blade.
Wipe off any dust on the PVC pipe and spray with adhesive.
Wrap mat around the PVC pipe
Make sure the mat wraps up evenly on the PVC pipe and both ends touch.
Take the duct tape and wrap around the camping mat.
Wrap and cut the duct tape a section at a time.
Make sure to pull firmly.
Now you have your very own home made foam roller.

Ann's racing bike is done!

Put new 10 speed shifters, new cassette, new chain, new rear derailleur in additin to the already upgraded 105 compact crank, racing rims and tires.  All 105 or higher end components.  Only thing left that's original is the frame, fork and seatpost.  Should really help Ann in her time in races!  

Lunges!

If you want to build a "balanced" leg that will help in all areas

 of your fitness then lunges are a great workout!

Bodyfat and weight coming back into line....

After my "bulk phase" in the winter I added a fair amount of muscle mass.  Along with it I also added a little bodyfat which is very common.  At the height of my bulk I was up to about 13+% bodyfat and a weight of about 165Lbs.  Since I've started a "cut phase" about 6 weeks ago I have now dropped my body fat down to about 9.5% and weight to about 160.  My race weight during the summer last year was around 145 to 150Lbs. at about 9% bodyfat so the additional 10+ pounds this season are mostly in the form of muscle this time around.  I would like to drop maybe another 5 or so pounds just to make running and swimming a little easier but I really don't want to drop all the weight because that will mean I've lost muscle.

Diet is similar to what I was eating during my bulk phase but with less calories and around 2100 per day.  I used to eat an additional meal in the early afternoon consisting of a vegetable, wild rice and some type of lean meat and have replaced that with 1/2 cup of oatmeal.  I've also try to avoid a lot of carbs in the evening because if you have a surplus of carbs at night it tends to turn into fat storage (at least on me).

Goals will be to lose another 1 to 2% bodyfat and drop another 5 or so pounds in the next few weeks.

Chris

Healthy Ice Cream

One of the things that I find a fun challenge is to take an unhealthy recipe and turn it into a healthy one.  My latest attempt has been to recreate a good tasting ice cream that is healthy and not full of artificial chemicals.  I think that I have done it!

Cut up a banana into 6-7 chunks and freeze it in a freezer-safe container.
When frozen, place chunks into a food processor/blender and use the pulse mode to grind them up.
Add whatever other ingredients that you would like.  I suggest other fruits (frozen is better), cocoa, powered peanut butter, nuts, or whatever else strikes your fancy.  Feel free to add a natural sweetener if you so desire.

The banana has a very mild flavor which blends with the other items.  Last night I made chocolate peanut butter, and the banana flavor was hardly noticeable.  The texture out of the food processor is similar to a soft-serve, but you can refreeze if you prefer a hard ice cream.  It tastes like ice cream with little to no fat, how awesome is that! Give it try the next time you have that sweet tooth!

Feel free to email me with questions or unique combinations that you have tried.

Ann

First outside time trial run.....

Well, I did my first real time trial run outside today.  It was good in some ways and not so good in other ways.  I was able to track my heart rate with a used heart rate watch we picked up for $20 and it surprised me that my heart rate was stable and in a good range for the whole run considering I haven't ran outside since last fall.  On the downside, I could tell my legs felt "heavy" compared to last year and thus my time reflected that.  I do have more size (muscle) on my legs and body since last fall so I expect that I will gain speed as I get a little smaller over the next couple months.  I highly suggest that anyone that runs or does cardio to pick up a heart rate watch/monitor and the type with a chest strap.  I found out I can use this on the treadmill and the treadmill will pick up the signal and display it on the machine!

This is what we bought.  Brand is Oregon Scientific.  Measures heart rate continuously, you can set an upper and lower alarm for training, has a stop watch, alarm and time.  Does not have a GPS for distance but for $20, we couldn't complain.

Chris