Mantra.  We’ve heard the word.  We’ve all heard of the mantra “Om”. Ommmmmmmm.  A spoken mantra, or a silent mantra, is frequently used as an aid to meditation, focusing your attention.

Mantras are also useful when you’re out on the road or up on one of the Keiser M3s.

One phrase I hear every now and then at Global Ride is “Always Finish Strong“.  Dig deep, and Finish Strong.  For whatever reason, that phrase resonates with me.

You’re in minute 18 of a 20 minute power threshold test.  Your heart rate is edging close to Zone 5.  Only 2 minutes left.  Dig deep, and Finish Strong.

You’re wrapping up an outdoor workshop.  You’re almost to the top of Edgecliff (what a name for a road.  what a hill!), with your chest about to explode, but Gino is riding next to you saying “There’s always a little left in the tank.  Finish Strong.”

You’re doing Yoga and Kelly decides we’re going to do a sequence of Sun Salutations.  The arms are screaming, but we’re almost done.  Finish Strong.

You’re at King’s, and there’s an Angry Mob dessert in front of you. Finish… er, you probably don’t want to finish that one.

I’ve talked about a lot of stuff that I’ve learned during my first five months at Global Ride:

* Show up, and then keep coming back
* Be in touch with your heart
* Pay attention to your power
* Combine the indoor and the outdoor.  Combine the heart and the watt.

But all that work and application of technology has to be for some reason.  It can’t exist in a vacuum, otherwise you get bored and move on to the next shiny thing.  These are tools that exist for a reason.  It’s like collecting hammers, but never nailing anything.

Having a goal, a goal that is out of your immediate reach, is a great motivator.  It gives a direction to your activity.  I want to ride a MS 150.  I want to lose 40 pounds.  I want to climb Edgecliff.  Using these tools will get you to the goal.  It won’t happen immediately, it’ll take work, but you will get there.  The last bit is always hard.  So you have to dig deep, and Finish Strong.

And then when you Finish, it’s time to smile and take pride in your work.  Then pick the next Goal.  We wouldn’t want life to get boring.

Totally opposite, Power & Passion vs Grace & Style, but fused in friendship, making the sport better, TOGETHER!

Gino blogged his progress in the Giretto, that 415 mile ride in Italy that happened during the Giro d’Italia race.  These blogs were posted at CyclingFusion.   What is this Cycling Fusion thing?

Like most everything involving human interaction, it’s easy to form, for lack of a better term, walled communities.  The outdoor cyclists look down on the indoor folks, saying “why Spin for an hour when you can just go outside”, and the indoor folk similarly go “there’s no way I’m going outside. I don’t like  bugs or traffic.  And  I’m having way too much fun inside.  I dig the music”  *Every* community sees this.  I make animal balloons for stress-relief, I see similar schisms in the balloon twisting community.  Yeah, those clowns.

Cycling Fusion is about building a community to bridge the gap: bringing outdoor cyclists indoors for targeted training and hooking them on the fun of a high-energy indoor class. Teaching indoor riders many bike skills, such as good pedaling form, being aware of your cadence, and proper standing form, for transfer outside.  By mixing the two, you can reach your goals faster.  Getting fitter.  Going farther.  And maximizing the fun factor.

A similar schism exists in the training community.  There are heart rate proponents, many who dismiss power, and there are power proponents, many who dismiss heart-rate training.  Gino’s also working hard to help bring those two worlds together.  Ultimately, by combining the best of indoor and outdoor, and the best of heart rate and power, we’ll all be unstoppable. Or at least a lot fitter and having more fun outdoors and indoors.

How could someone not love heart zones?

Heart rate training has two main problem.  First, your heart rate lags your effort.  You turn up the resistance 5 gears and it takes several seconds for your heart rate to catch up.  You might be exerting yourself in a high Zone 5 (remember that’s where you’re generating muscle waste faster than you can clean it) and not realize it until 10-15 seconds later.

Also, heart rate is very sensitive to your overall body condition.  Depending on your mood, life stress, recent diet, and overall training load, you may be doing less work but still be in higher heart rate zones.  It’s not an ideal way to measure effort.

How could someone not love power zones?

Similarly, the main problem with power has been the difficulty of measurement.  Power measurement in scientific labs is complicated.  You can equip your bike with expensive gadgets to directly measure power output on the road.  Even the Keiser bikes don’t actually measure your power output, but instead calculate it using the power formula based on your current gear and cadence.  Power only measures the energy being put into the pedals.  There is no direct connection between the power being produced, and the condition of the person generating it.  The display may say 200 watts, but it doesn’t show whether you’re whistling along with the music or drenched in sweat gasping for oxygen.

So which one is better?  Yes!

Rather than arguing about which is better, why not combine them?  That’s where true awesomeness lies. Huh?  How is that awesome?  Your power tells you your performance.  Your heart rate tells you how your body is reacting to generating that power.

Let’s say you weigh 180 pounds, and you want to ride outside in western PA.  You’ll need to generate that 1 watt/lb.  You come to an indoor class, and start cranking 180 watts (after warmup).  If you’re hanging out in heart Zone 3, you’re good to go.  You know you’re replenishing your muscle’s fuel from your fat stores.  If you notice your heart rate climbing, and climbing, and eventually hitting Zone 5, then you know your body is just not generating power efficiently enough. You need to work on your fitness awhile before you try again.

Similarly, you can track your fitness by seeing what wattage you can generate while staying in a particular heart zone.  Say Zone 3.  One week it may be 140 watts.  The next week it might be 150.  You can track your average wattage and see your fitness improving.  And if you notice your heart rate is higher than it has been, or you’re generating fewer watts in a certain heart zone, then you know you may be getting sick (take a rest!) or overtraining (take a rest!).  There’s no shame in spending a class in an easy recovery mode.

We’re almost to the end of my little series of articles, and you’ll see how it finishes next time.  Stay tuned.

Come dear, we need our power workout now.

July 1 was a huge day for Global Ride.  All of the first generation Spinning® bikes were retired and replaced by those fancy Keiser M3 bikes with Power.  Since then, you’ve probably heard a lot about power, and some of us have been invited (subjected) to participate in various power tests during classes.  Power power power!

But what *is* this power thing?

Power is how much energy your muscles are applying to the pedals of the bike, making them go around and around.  That’s pretty simple.  It’s measured in watts.  You’ve heard of watts, in terms of light bulbs and heaters.  It’s the same thing.  It’s a measure of energy

In physics classes, they teach the “power formula”, which is “work x distance”.  For the Keiser bikes this means “gear x cadence”.  Keep the same gear and increase your cadence, you increase your power.  Keep the same cadence and increase your gear, you increase your power.  It’s possible to reduce your gear and increase your cadence and stay at the same power output.

Ok, great, we now have yet another new number to look at on the bike computer.  What good is it?  There are two ways to use your power reading:

* Track your progress over time
* Give yourself a goal.

Let’s look at that first one.  As you get fitter, your muscles can generate more power before tiring.  Your muscles will complain if you try to generate too much power, usually by burning and eventually refusing to work.   During classes you can find your comfort zone for power, and then push that envelope to develop strength.  Before you know it you can crank out higher wattages.  You can see your improvement by recording your average watt numbers after each workout. To see your average wattage, stop pedaling for 5 seconds and then look at the bike computer.  It’ll blink the average watts on the display.  Record it and watch it over time.

The much more interesting tool, at least for me, is using power for goal-setting.  Gino has calculated that for doing outside riding on the Western Pennsylvania hills (not rail-trails), you need to be able to produce, and sustain, at least one watt per pound of body weight (plus weight of your bike, tools, water, snacks, jewelry, small dogs, etc).  This will give you enough power to lift you and the bike against the force of gravity.

I have a ways to go before I can sustain one watt per pound.  The ways to address this is to lose weight, so I have less to lug up hills, and also to generate more power.   I’m working on both of these.

Remember the Zone talk from last time?  There are Zones for power stuff too.  This is new exciting stuff that Gino is building here at Global Ride, taking the Heart Zones principles and applying them to power.  He’s come up with three zones, called Sustainability, Climbing and Explosive.   The Sustainable Power Zone is what you should be able to maintain for 20 minutes or more.  The Climbing Zone is what you can sustain for about 5 minutes, and the Explosive Zone is for really working yourself hard.   As you progress through these power zones, generating more power, you can handle more outdoor cycling situations.  You can track your progress from flats, to rail-trail, small hills, rollers, and so on.

Periodically some of Gene’s regular classes  become “threshold tests”. These help identify where your current fitness lies in the Power Zones.  You start with a 20 minute warmup, then choose a target wattage and see if you can sustain it for an amount of time.  It’s no fun doing math in your head (so what is 60% of 1 watt per pound of your particular weight), so there are little printouts that show the actual wattage numbers for each Power Zone for your weight.  There are also little clipboards to hold the printouts, and little lights to help you see the little clipboards.

Taken independently, the heart zones and power training are pretty powerful.  But when you combine them…  Well, that’s the subject for next time.  Stay tuned.

Last time I  mentioned losing about 12 pounds, increasing my fitness, and that I am actually becoming able to ride non-trivial distances on rail-trails.  So, how’d I do it?

Aside from just plain work, that is?  Tools.

When writing commercial software, there comes a time where you need to optimize your code.  You need to figure out why it’s slow.  Long experience has taught me you can never trust your gut instinct, since it will be wrong. You have to take measurements.  You use tools to isolate the problem (and it’s always a surprise).  Then you fix it, and then measure again.

Likewise, I knew that getting reconditioned would require some tools.

You may have seen the the Heart Zones Training logo in the Cycling Room.  I’d seen the wall charts filled with numbers, having no idea what any of it meant.  Then I saw the Sally Edwards “Heart Zones Training For Cyclists” book lying around the Smoothie Bar and flipped through it.  I saw something interesting on every page.  So I went to Borders up in The Mills and got a copy for myself. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I’m an information sponge. I love learning new stuff.  Especially if it’s nerdy.

Global Ride offers a “Threshold Heart Rate Testing” workshop.  It condenses the book and makes the Heart Zones concepts very approachable.  It’s nice being able to ask questions and get immediate answers.

It requires a heart rate monitor.  But I like electronic toys, so this was a good excuse to get a new one.  You can borrow a heart rate strap and see the display on the Keiser bike’s display.  I have a Garmin unit that talks to a wristwatch.  I put the watch on the handlebars so I can keep track of my heart rate.

So, having devoured that book I knew what to expect from the workshop. It takes about 2 hours. You start with a half hour going over the basics of Heart Zones training, then an on-bike “threshold test”, which involves a warmup, then reciting some text, increasing your heart rate, reciting the text again, until you can’t recite it any more because you’re breathing too hard.  Sounds weird, but it works.  Afterwards, you take the numbers from that test and figure out what your Heart Zones are.

OK, so what *is* this heart zone stuff?  It all about how your muscles are  fueled.

huh?

Your muscles basically run on sugar.  There is a finite amount of sugar that’s actually stored inside of your muscles, going by the scary name of “muscle glycogen”.  You burn this fuel when you turn the cranks of the bike.   As you exert yourself, body fat gets converted into glycogen and replenishes what you burn.  You can conceivably continue indefinitely,  converting fat to glycogen and burning that in your muscles.

As you work your muscles harder, though, there comes a tipping point where you’re burning the muscle glycogen faster than you can replace it.  Once you run out of that stuff, you “bonk”, and just can’t go forward.

Also, our bodies are not 100% efficient systems.  Biological processes generate waste products.  In this case, “lactic acid” (another scary name).  Your bloodstream carries away this waste.

Ok, enough with the anatomy 101.  What’s this heart zone stuff?  With the threshold test you took earlier, you can calculate a series of ranges of heart rate.  These ranges, also known as zones, are numbered, and have definite behavior:

Zone 1 is an easy, low-intensity zone, handy for warming up.  Working out in this zone helps reduce stress, improve your blood pressure, and gives your hair that healthy glow.  You’re burning your muscle glycogen, and it’s getting replaced by converting fat.

Zone 2 is more intense, but still fundamentally easy.  This is a good recovery zone if you hammered yourself recently.  Similarly, you’re burning your muscle glycogen and it’s getting replaced by converting fat.

Zone 3 is where you start getting aerobic improvement.  You’re still burning fat, but you’re training your body to burn more of it.  It also helps your circulatory system, causing it to grow more capillaries and improve the efficiency of what you have.  You could work out for months in just Zone 3 and see vast improvements in overall health.

Zone 4 is where it starts to get interesting. You’re working harder.  This is where you start to build cardiovascular strength.  You’re burning fat, but you’re also burning more muscle glycogen than you can replenish, but you can still sustain this Zone for an hour or two. You’re generating lactic acid, “feeling the burn”, but it gets cleaned out pretty efficiently.  You’re burning a lot of calories here.

Before we get to Zone 5,  let’s talk about waste a bit.  Those of you with kids at home (or live with a kid-at-heart) know that sometimes mess can be generated faster than you can clean it up.  Likewise, as you work your muscles harder, these biological waste products build up and can’t be cleared fast enough.

Zone 5 is on the other side of your “threshold”.  This threshold is the point where your circulation cannot clear out the metabolic slag from your muscles fast enough, so it builds up.  As the waste builds up, your heart beats faster to try to clear it out. You can’t sustain Zone 5.  Eventually you’ll either fill up with lactic acid, or your cardiovascular system will cry Uncle and force you to take some recovery time.  That said, time in Zone 5 can really improve your cardiovascular fitness.

If you’re really deconditioned, you’ll want to spend a lot of time in Zone 1 and Zone 2. Build up a good fitness base. As you get in better shape, you’ll want to spend more time in Zone 3 to improve your aerobic capacity and teach your body to burn fat faster.  Spend time in Zone 4 to get stronger, and teach your body to clear out the lactic acid more efficiently.  Spend time in Zone 5 for maximal strength, and to build endurance.  And, frankly, to teach your psyche to endure exertion.  I won’t mention the term “suffering” (oops, I said it) but you know what I mean.

This is how I use the heart zones.  If I’m in a recovery mode, I stay in Zone 2 or 3, even if everyone around me is working really really hard.  But I’m also working on my overall strength so I can climb hills, so I spend more time in Zone 4 and occasionally Zone 5 to improve both leg strength and cardio capacity.

In addition to using  zones to direct your training, you can also use these zones to make sure that you’re being honest during your workouts.  If Lorraine says during a class “you should be working pretty hard now”, and you’re in Zone 1, then you’re probably just slacking off.  You should push yourself to Zone 3 or 4, either by increasing your gear, or cadence, or both, or doing some standing.  Likewise, if she says “this is a recovery song”, and you’re still up in Zone 4, then you need to ease off on the gear or cadence until you get down to mid Zone 3 or high Zone 2.

You can also use the zones to judge your improvement over time.  You may be in Zone 4 while pushing Gear 10 at 90 rpm, and then the next month, you’re in Zone 3 pushing Gear 10 at 90 rpm.  Congratulations! You’re now fitter, and can generate power more efficiently.

Power?  Did I say Power?  Yes!  That’s what I’ll talk about next time.  Stay tuned.

Hi.  My name is Mark, and I’m Deconditioned.

“hi mark!”

About 15 years ago I was actually in non-horrible shape.  I lived right next to a 50 mile rail-trail in Northern Virginia, rode most weekends, and bike-commuted occasionally.  Then I  changed jobs and stopped commuting.  The work got crazy and I rode less.

After moving  to Western PA some years ago, I stopped riding altogether. Between the hills killing me, and the inconvenience of attaching the bike rack to the car and packing up the bikes  to go to a rail trail, it just wasn’t worth it.  15 years and 50 pounds later.  I was growing out of my 38″ waistband pants.  Clothes just weren’t fitting any more.  Woof.

Now that we have a vehicle that can easily hold two bikes inside (a Honda Element  – we really like it),  I  decided that this would be the year of getting back on the bike.  My wife Sharlotte’s bike did not fit her well, so I said “find a bike that fits and we’ll get it for you”.  In the course of researching a new bike, she stumbled across this “Global Ride” website.  Hey!  Lower Burrell – That’s close!  After poking around the site a bit, we decided to take a Yoga class to check the place out.  We’d always wanted to try Yoga, but it’s hard getting started with just books and video tapes.

We showed up on a Saturday morning in mid-April.  Before the class, Gino gave us a tour of Global Ride.  We were impressed.  An indoor facility geared for “real bikers”, and not a bunch of yuppies clad in spandex doing aerobics. We’re also Mac people, and  all of the Macs sitting around were comforting.

I wouldn’t say that first class was a disaster. Kelly was so very patient with this new blob that showed up  for Yoga One in the Sun.  I was actually able to hold many of the poses for a short period of time.  But some of the balance-related things just didn’t happen.  Tree pose.  Oy!  I was sore for days afterwards.  Luckily my sister, who has done the Yoga thing for years, said that was OK, and would soon pass.  She was right.

That next Monday we showed up for one of Gino’s Acclimation classes.  I had heard about spinning and indoor cycling, and the usual mass-media stuff looked and sounded kind of bizarre.  I was nervous.  We got there early and went upstairs to the studio to be fit for the bikes.  I was impressed when the leg angle gauge and the plumb-bob came out.  “These guys know what they’re doing.”  I strapped down the toe-clips and started spinning.

It was so much fun.  I liked riding outside.  The indoor experience, while not identical to the outdoor experience, was close enough to make me remember 20-30 mile trips up and down the W&OD trail in Virginia.  Plus it was nice not having to worry about sunburn, headwind, or bugs.

I think we started with a cadence drill.  I can do cadence.  I’ve always spun the cranks quickly.  Then partway through we had our first “standing song.”  I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t find the right resistance to counterbalance my weight.  My muscles couldn’t hold me up for more than five seconds.  Gino was also so very patient with this new blob.  I was totally done after 20 minutes. And I hurt afterwards.

But I also felt good afterwards.  It was weird.

The first rule when doing anything important is “Show Up.”

The second rule is, “Come Back.”  Seems simple enough.

So I came back.  And came back.  We took classes from other instructors.  Tried Pilates.  Tried the core strength class.  What was amazing is that all of the instructors were kind, patient, and helped guide me through the work and do what I could.

The third rule is, “It’s just work.”

Playing a musical instrument well takes a lot of work.  You’ve gotta learn your scales and arpeggios.  Programming a computer well takes a lot of work.  (I’m a professional programmer).  Gotta learn your data structures. There’s no reason why losing weight and getting to a reasonable level of fitness won’t involve a lot of work.  There’s no reason why getting ready for a 40 mile MS ride won’t involve a lot of work.  It took 15 years of concentrated deconditioning to get to this point, so it’s crazy to expect it to all go away in a month.

At the time we joined Global Ride, Gino, Nina, and Jennifer were just about to go to Italy for the Giretto.  It was mind-blowing that a guy in his 50’s, with two artificial hips, was about to do 415 miles of climbing in Italy.  That’s quite the inspiration.

Now, four and a half months later, I’m down 12 pounds.  I can stand for every standing song in a class.  I’ve taken a 50 minute Gino “Strength” class and lived to talk about it.  Shoot, I’ve done back-to-back  classes with Bill.  I can ride rail trails for 20 miles.  I am shocked and amazed at the progress.  This is with 3-4-5 indoor biking classes a week, along with a weekly Yoga class.

OK, so how did I really do it?  What’s the trick?  A lot of work!  But along the way I learned to use a lot of new tools that helped out, and focused my effort, to get to where I want to go more quickly.  And I’ll start talking about them next time.  Stay tuned.

Barb rewards herself with a trip to the beach

The Beginning:

Who hasn’t looked in the mirror at some point in their life and disliked something that they saw?  If we are true to ourselves, we can all say – yep to that one.  Either the tummy, the butt, the legs, neck, chest, arms, lips, even the ankles could be on the list of things to change.  On one day this year, well, in truth, many days this year, I saw in that mirror, my mother.  I love her dearly but she is 28 years my senior!  I’m 55 so you can do the math.  Not a pretty picture.

I had only myself to blame.   After the passing of my love, I had tried to find happiness again without much success.   I was wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing.  My poor habits were numerous.  I had become a workaholic, working 12 hour nights 4-5 nights per week and sleeping when not working.  I ate in bed when I got home in the morning right before sleeping , in the car on the way to work and  in the middle of the night at work.    The only exercise I got was the walking up and down halls at work and the lifting, moving of patients.   I was  on my way to being one of those patients!

It was well over time to get my life, my health back!  And being the typical female I am, with whom did I commiserate?  My girlfriend.  She talked me into trying yoga for starters.  She loved it and to this day continues the stretching and holding.  Me?  Well, let’s just say  I’m more of a mover plus the torn tendons, ligaments of my rotator cuff, knee and foot just made the kneeling and positions of yoga unbearably painful.

Here’s where those who believe in fate would say – twas destiny!  The yoga class was in the most fabulous place with a fantastic spinning area – Global Ride – and wonder of all wonders; it was 10 minutes from home.   Needless to say, one session spinning with that wonderful heart pulsing music sold me and this frugal minded, couch potato signed up for more!

The Initiation:

I started my first week doing a couple of Acclimation classes – 30 minutes of spinning to 60’s, 70’s and 80’s music.   And, beat still my heart; the promise of tunes from various musicals and singers near and dear to my heart were listed for the next week’s schedule.   I was in a surround-sound heaven!  It gave a new meaning to “the Richard’s” saying: sweatin’ to the oldies.   I signed up for all those Acclimation sessions a couple more times during the next week when my work/sleep schedule would permit.   Low and behold, my heel spurs and plantar fasciitis pain disappeared!   And I kept on spinning as much as possible in hopes of losing many, many pounds/inches and getting a semblance of ‘the old me” back.

On the first day of the 2009 Gino wrote: “It’s time to pick a goal so big, that once accomplished, we will never let the hurdles of life loom larger than we see our legs leaping.”  I can say, yes, I did that!  My goal?  To ride, to peddle, myself from Butler area to Lake Erie in June for the charity ride, the MS 150.   That would be 75 miles per day on the back roads of PA.  Seeing that I had never ridden more than 16 miles at one time and had not even been on my bicycle for over 6 years, this, I believe, could qualify as a “hurdle of life.”

Moving forward:

I knew without help I would never, ever be able to accomplish such a huge endeavor so I figured a way to attend a 3 month, intensive training for cyclists being held for 3-4 hours Saturday mornings from January to March.   I notified my Unit Director and coworkers of the fact that after my 12 hour Friday night shift I MUST leave on time to make it to the training sessions.  Every Saturday morning I’d slam into my cycling attire, put my vehicle in “low fly” mode and get to Global Ride to spin, exercise and study on how to track heart thresholds, increase endurance and speed and much more.   Keeping track of my progress was fun because I actually had progress!  I could feel myself getting stronger, spinning with more ease, and increasing the amount of time I could keep my heart rate at my max threshold and over!

The spinning was great but my attempts at core strengthening – well – let’s just say I tried.  There were days afterward that I hurt to move but I kept going.   Hey I had to get ready for that MS150!  I would have no trouble falling asleep those days but having to do another 12 hour those 13 Saturday nights was sometimes excruciating.    The saying,” No pain, no gain” comes to mind.   Everyone at Global Ride was terrific.  Gene didn’t even mind if occasionally I got glassy eyed and accidentally dozed off during the class part of the program.    And I signed up for every spinning class I could logistically work into my schedule.   Of course I signed up for as many as I could that used my favorite sing along music and there were many.

The time flew up quickly.  I dusted off my bike and gave it to a friend who is known by many as the “bike doctor”.  If he can’t fix it, it isn’t fixable!   He looked at my poor old mountain bike (bought over 15 years ago), shook his head and took on the task of getting it ready.   On the side, he told me to start looking for a new bike which I did.  The prices were beyond my pocket so I just kept praying that it all would work out.  Yes there were setbacks like when the old shifter broke apart and he had to find replacement parts.  Not an easy task for something that old but he got it ready for road riding and I started riding outside.   After two trips outside I took it for the official inspection. It immediately failed and back to my friend’s it went who now in my mind is not just a bike doctor but is a bike wizard!   At that time I had one week before the MS150.  I was in better shape than I can remember ever being.  I could spin non-stop for several hours without hurting but still didn’t have more than 27 miles of road riding under my belt.    I got my bike back and it rained constantly on the only days left I had to ride outside.  Ugh!

The day arrives:

I kept thinking – silly me – what in the world am I doing!?!?!?!?  I’m just not ready.  I need more time to train.  But the day came.  I was doing this!   My friends and coworkers could believe I could/would do this and actually finish and I was going to show them!  The gang at Global Ride were so supportive.  They actually believed in me!  And with their blessings I packed up my vehicle and the next morning started out for the Starting Point.  It was a foggy day but the hour drive went quickly.  Looking around I saw no one I knew which was good.  I figured if I messed up, no one I knew would ever know!  That last hour before the official start dragged and then the word came down – due to the fog the start would be pushed back!  Lordy!   I talked with those around me.  There were others that had never done this before and had their doubts but we all were determined!  I will always remember one smiling little man looking at me and saying, “Kiddo, I’m 76 years old and if I can do this, so can you!”

The Ride:

Well, it is quite a sight to see so many bikers, over 1700, all trying to get going at the same time on the same narrow roads but we all did it.  After the first couple of miles I got my stride.  I had purchased a pair of Oakley sunglasses with an MP3 player.  All my favorite tunes were keeping me going at a decent, not the fastest, but decent pace.   I was doing it!!  That first day I found out quite a lot.  First off, there are some really wonderful people out there!!!   Second, all that training really paid off.  I rode 8 hours, 88 miles and my legs didn’t hurt!!  Granted after that long, I felt truly exhausted and funny walking again but there was no real pain.  By switching from sitting to standing when I could, my “sit bones” didn’t give me any trouble.  I got a good laugh many times as I would pass the same folks going down the hills and then they in turn would pass me going up the next one.  My bike was definitely too heavy for this kind of ride.

The only really major concern was the 4^th and 5^th fingers on both of my hands.   After the 50^th mile, they went numb!  I switched positions, flexed and unflexed them to no avail.  The feeling was gone!  By the 75^th mile, the feeling in parts of both hands had gone from that horrible tingling feeling to numb!    Well, that kept my mind occupied for the last 13 miles.   Eighty eight miles total that first day.  I was drained.  Seeing the first day finish line was tremendous.  I had made it!!   If asked that night which was tougher, this first 88 miles or labor, I’m afraid at that point I would have said the first 88 miles.  I rushed as best I could to get to the dorm room, change and go soak in the pool.  And then had a massage with special attention paid to my wrists and hands.   The feeling didn’t come back and I decided that was it.  Half way is better than nothing.

When I got to my dorm room, I checked for any messages on my phone and laptop (I go nowhere without both!)  God bless my coach, Gene.  He left me a tremendously uplifting message.  And I slept soundly.   That next morning I again listened to his message.  What in the world was I doing?  I’m not a quitter!  I could hear myself in earlier years encouraging my sons to not be quitters and here I was quitting – giving up – throwing in the towel!   I knew I couldn’t quit.  I’d hate myself and what was worse I would “condemn” myself to doing it all again next year because I hadn’t finish!   I went to the gym, got my bike and got back on the road.   That whole day was mind over matter for me.  I couldn’t feel my hands and that scared me terribly but I was not quitting!   I could hear in my mind, one of my friends/trainers at Global Ride, Bill, saying to me, “You’re gonna make it.  It might not be pretty but you can do it!”  And by George, I made it!!!  The MS 150 was actually only 148 miles.  LOL   And, for those thinking of attempting it next year, the last 12 miles are the easiest.     I was exhausted, had no feeling in most of both hands but was ecstatic as I rode under the balloon arch at the finish line and down the hill to Lake Erie’s beach.    I kept thinking I can’t believe I did it, I can’t believe I did it.  What a feeling!

It’s been 2 months now since that ride, it still seems like I dreamt it.  Was it worth it – yes!  The feeling in my hands came back completely after about 4 weeks.  I believe I can run rings around many people half my age.  I feel better about myself than I have in a long time.   I feel healthier.  My feet don’t hurt anymore.   I’ve lost 17 pounds and 7 inches — so far.   And some now ask, “Will you do it again next year?”   My answer —- ask me again in six months!

Hi. Jeff here. Of course, I’m usually the one here – but I’m calling myself out for this post so you don’t get a false impression of someone else’s lifestyle. Anywho, this post is about a lot of things. It’s about the mission of Global Ride and our virtual spin DVDs. It’s about motivation and exercise. It’s about technology, the future, and how they relate to everyday sports and fitness. And finally, it is to bring that all together. At least I hope that’s what it’s all about when I’m done writing it.

If you’ve ever read this now rarely-updated blog, you know that I was a person that never exercised for any reason. In fact, I’m probably still that person, but because Gene and Lorraine are nice enough to let me Spin for free before my work day, I can’t pass up the offer. That and if I were to stop doing it, Gene would no doubt cast a stank eye in my direction for quite a while (and his stank eye is staaaaanky – it often comes out when he’s on hold with FedEx). But that’s not the point – the point is, I have always hated working out with the fire of a thousand suns. I’d rather be beaten in the eyebrows with bamboo reeds than lift weights. Running makes me wish for the cool hand of death to give me a firm high-five. And yoga? Well, I’m as flexible as the Statue of Liberty. But now, things have changed. Since becoming involved with Global Ride and our video projects, I’ve been given a means to tolerate exercise… and sometimes, dare I say with ample hesitation, even enjoy it.

I’m also a geeky computer person. Thick plastic glasses and all. But guess what! Sports are slowly but surely being tailored to me. Technology is getting involved. Sports and exercise are evolving. I’m not the only one put off by all forms of physical activity – that’s why we’re known as a country full of fat, out of shape people that are ironically obsessed with all things healthy. Nobody wants to do this crap. But the fancy high-paid geeky computer people in science labs are working to bring technology into fitness, making me happy and giving me a chance at exercise. It’ll make things more enjoyable, more interactive, and more, well, virtual – as if fitness is a game!

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check out this website, which is full of articles about technolifying sports and exercise. I just coined that word, by the way. Don’t use it. If you do, royalties can be sent to my paypal account.

From virtual bikes to digital track and field, virtual soccer, Wii fitness and virtual handball, we’re all going to be buffer than Jean Claude Van Damme in a few years, and we’re going to have fun and score points getting that way. It’s all coming together. Excuses to not exercise are disappearing, so you might as well get on board – or get more clever with your reasons to keep slacking off. Lord knows I’ll try my best to come up with some.

So how’s this connect to Global Ride? Well, kiddo, while we might not be strapping a set of virtual reality goggles to your face and sending your conscious mind into a digitized land of athletic splendor, we’re taking technology and applying it to exercise in an accessible, realistic way for today’s average person. We can get you on a bike, burning hundreds of calories an hour, and make it seem less like work and more like fun because you aren’t staring at the wall, a sweaty butt, or a clock. You’re in Hawaii. You’re in Italy. You’re journeying through exotic locations that you’ve probably never been to in real life. Your mind is in a more comfortable place, distracted, but focused on the ride and the adventure. It’s entry-level virtual reality that anyone can understand, use, and benefit from. It’s one step towards the eventual full-blown fusion of sports and technology, and we’re happy to be on the cusp of that movement. We want to combine the indoor and outdoor worlds of cycling, convincing each group that the other has its benefits, and we want to do so by creating the best product in a blooming field.

It’s all doing its best to convince me. And trust me, the fact that it’s even remotely close means it’s worth trying.

Now all we need is you. I’ll end with a plug: Buy a DVD, punk.

Wow, where have I been? December 23rd was my last post? Really? A lot has gone down since then. Actually, a “lot” might be a stretch, but at least a few things have…

On the evening of December 23rd I got engaged, so yay for me. Though that’s totally irrelevant to this blog as a health/fitness thingamajig, on with it!

I have graduated from the world of Acclimation classes to the not-so-different world of Base Building. An extra 10 minutes of the grind, but otherwise the same. I’ve been fairing well, doing more and requiring more from my body to reach the same heart rates that previously came quick. I seem to be recovering a bit swifter as well, which is a real highlight of the training. I used to walk up a flight of stairs and be winded for 24 hours. Now I catch my breath in 18-20. My next metabolic/heart rate test is scheduled for a week or two from now, so once that goes down we’ll really be able to see if I’m progressing or whether I just feel like I am. Or maybe I’ve been lying about the whole thing…

On the work front, we’ve officially received our shipment of Global Ride Virtual Cycling DVDs and launched that new site to tell the world all about their majesty. They really do look good and are a nice product, so we’re pretty excited about everything that is going on. Pick one up. I’ll come give you a hug. (1 mile traveling limit applies)

Please check out Global Ride’s online store here. Our virtual cycling training DVDs kick the pants off the competitors. Literally. Try one, see what happens to the pants of the other DVDs you have. Try one in a class setting and pants will be flying every which way. Virtual cycling DVDs will never be the same, oh no – not after the quality we offer.

So anyway, I missed a day of Spinning thanks to the fantastic stomach flu that paraded around in my body for a while. It caused me quite a lot of grief, caused me to vomit at the table of one of the nicest restaurants in Pittsburgh and caused my girlfriend to catch it from me. That’s a lot of cause. The effect is when I did return to the old stiff saddle yesterday, I wasn’t quite as rigorous as the few days before it. Unfortunately for you, that means this post is over.

The only thing more difficult than an out of shape person Spinning is an out of shape, inhumanly inflexible person following Spinning with a heaping dose of ball class. Attempting to keep balance and stretch out on stability balls is something I originally didn’t want to try, but the persistent ladies of the MWF Spin class forced me into it. Thanks to their nagging, I can say I don’t regret it, and will be back next week.

Some things were harder than others, obviously. I should include a picture of this, because it’s hard to explain, as my previous adjective “inhuman” is fairly accurate. When I sit, or position myself on my back, I can hardly stick my leg out straight because of my super tight hamstrings. Attempting to lift my leg in the air to any degree results in a bend at the knee. The further I attempt to raise, the further it bends, until it’s past a 90 degree angle. I’ll have to get some pictures up here for sure, because I need you to really see what I’m talking about. All this inflexibility made the ball class surprisingly challenging, but I can see how it will provide future rewards if I stick with it as an after-Spin routine.