My Fitness Pal

Not sure how or where I came upon My Fitness Pal, but I like it.  In fact, I like it so much I paid $49/yr. to become a premium subscriber.  What's nice about My Fitness Pal, other than it's one of the best calorie counters I've ever seen on the internet, is the charts and printouts.  You can see your daily, weekly or monthly ratio of Proteins, Carbs & Fat.  This ratio should be different based on your age, weight and whether you are training/racing.  If you're training and/or racing you want your ratio of Proteins/Carbs/Fat to be more like: 25/60/15.  If you're not training you might want your ratio to be more like: 20/45/35.  Again, it depends on age, weight, and training.  If your goal is to drop some weight, then you want to reduce your carbohydrate intake.  If you're over 50, you want to increase your protein intake to help stave off sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass).

What really shocked me is the amount of sodium in the foods we eat.  Just the other night I went to Perkins for dinner (2 for 1) with my wife.  I thought I'd order something healthy to I picked out the chicken w/ rice and asparagus marked "ff" Fit Friendly by Perkins.  When I got home, I looked up my dinner in My Fitness Pal and found out that my "ff" meal had over 2000mg of sodium in it.  Are you kidding me?  And Perkins calls it "Fit Friendly".  The average recommended daily sodium intake is 1500mg max.  Just this one meal took me over my daily sodium goal.  And, today, at lunch, I ordered shrimp egg foo young w/ rice.  Can you believe 2300mg of sodium?  I'm hoping that's because it includes gravy which I had less than a tablespoon of.

Another shocker was my sugar intake.  It seems as though sugar is in everything these days.  Although I don't normally exceed my daily recommended sugar intake, it just amazes me how much sugar is in things.

Don't take my word for it, check out My Fitness Pal www.myfitnesspal.com  I think you'll like it as much as I do.  Perhaps you'll even upgrade to their premium subscription like I did.

Power ON!  Coach Rob

Too much Sodium?

It wasn't until I started using MY FITNESS PAL did I notice that I was consuming too much salt.  Yeah, I knew there was sodium in lunchmeat, soup, potato chips, etc. but I didn't know that my breakfast cereal, peanut butter (favorite snack) and lunch bread was loaded with it too.  Just two slices of my  healthy multi-grain bread contain over 300mg of sodium..not to mention over 350mg for my breakfast cereal.  That's almost half of what the FDA recommends for daily sodium intake.

They say the average Joe consumes close to 3,000mg of sodium per day.  That's 2x the recommended daily intake of 1,500mg.  No wonder there are so many people out there with high blood pressure.  What does sodium do to your body and why is it so bad for you?  In short, if you eat too much salt, your body stores water.  The extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure (because the heart has to pump harder). So, the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure. The higher your blood pressure, the greater the strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, dementia and kidney disease.

What to do?  Look for low sodium alternatives.  Instead of buying any old lunchmeat buy Boars Head low sodium lunchmeat.  They also make low sodium and low sugar peanut butter.  I had some the other day and can't tell the difference between it and regular peanut butter- which is a good thing.  As far as cereal, I'll have to do some research.  I like my Honey Nut Cheerios in the morning.  I know the sugar is not that good for you but that's just about all the sugar intake I have all day.  But, I didn't know about the high sodium.  Maybe I'll try Kashi's Honey Toasted Oat.  I hear that is a good alternative.  The sugar and sodium is much lower than Honey Nut Cheerios.

Power ON!  Coach Rob

My Fitness Pal, Strava, Golden Cheetah and Garmin Connect

For those that know me well, know what a geek I am when it comes to new technology.  I've been a tech geek my entire life.  Science and engineering have always appealed to me even as a kid.  I guess that's why I'm an engineer.  I have a Bachelor's Degrees in Physics and Mechanical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Engineering.  When it comes to cycling, I'm all about analyzing the metrics of any ride- whether it's a trainer ride in my basement or a ride outside. 

There are three "must-have" post-ride software programs for analyzing a ride.  The best part- they are all FREE.  I'm not going to go into any detail on each at this time, because I'll dedicate a blog to each of these programs in the not too distant future.  For now, however, I'll tell you a little bit about each and how I use them post ride.

The first thing I do post-ride is to download the ride from my Garmin Edge 510 bike computer into Garmin Connect software (Free).  The Garmin Connect software will tell me just about everything I want to know about the ride: Heart Rate profile, Power profile, Speed Profile, Cadence Profile, and a GPS route map.  I'm particularly interested in my HR vs Power profile and my Normalized Power for the ride.  Here's an example:

The second thing I do is open Strava.  I'm a premium subscriber to Strava.  You pay a little extra for premium features like Power Curves, Form, Fitness & Fatigue Charts, etc.  These features are similar to those found in Peaks Software WKO 4 that costs close to $200.  Here's an example:

The last thing I do is use an Open Source software program called Golden Cheetah if I want more data/details.  Golden Cheetah tells you everything you want to know about the ride.  It gives you just about every metric you can think of and plenty of charts, graphs, etc.  I don't use Peaks Software WKO 4 anymore.  Why should I pay close to $200 when Golden Cheetah does everything for FREE?

Another must-have software program is My Fitness Pal by Under Armour.  My Fitness Pal has the most comprehensive food database I've seen online.  Just type what you ate in the search box and it will find it.  At the end of the day it will tell you how much protein, fat, carbs, sugar, sodium, etc. you ingested..as well as total calories.  It's a great program- for FREE!  If you pay a little extra it will give you more information.  I think everyone should know what their average daily caloric intake is and how many calories they need to ingest to either lose or gain weight.  You need to know your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR).  RMR is the number of calories your body burns while you're sedentary..either sitting down and relaxing or while sleeping.  I believe my daily RMR is 1500 calories.  So, if I eat 1500 calories and sit on my ass all day I will neither gain nor lose weight.  Naturally, if I eat 2000 calories per day, and I continue to eat 500 calories more than what I burn off I will gain weight.  When you exercise, you burn that many more calories.

Stay tuned for more in-depth descriptions of these products in future blogs.  Power ON!  Coach Rob

A lesson in rolling resistance (re-visited)

It was almost 2 yrs. ago that I got dropped on a night ride by a bunch of old farts (50-60ish like me..ha).  Not only was getting dropped demoralizing it was also embarrassing.  I'm glad none of my friends saw me.  It was truly a low for me.  After all, when I was in cycling shape, I would have dropped everyone on the same ride.  Since that time, I have changed my Mtn Bike tires to a less aggressive tread and inflated my tires higher to decrease rolling resistance.  Also, since that time, I've gotten into better cycling shape.  Last night, I went on the same ride with pretty much the same people that had dropped me two years earlier.  However, this time it was MY time to do the dropping.  Except for 2 other guys on cyclo-cross bikes (which have less rolling resistance than my Mtn Bike), the three of us dropped our entire group of 10-12 riders.  Where two years ago I could barely maintain 12 mph average speed on the flats, last night I was averaging 16 mph at a much lower average Heart Rate..i.e. I was in much better cycling shape.  I was also able to maintain 18-20 mph speeds for periods of 10 minutes or more.  I can't tell you how good that felt (to drop the same group that dropped me 2 yrs. ago), granted it was only a bunch of old farts that I dropped not some young riders.  Nonetheless, it felt good.

I'm still not in the cycling shape I want to be in..so I'm optimistic I'm only going to get stronger this Winter.  My goal is to get my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) back up over 250w by next Summer.  I know I'll never get to 275 or 280w which was my best FTP when I was 55 yrs. old, but that's ok.  I'll settle for 250w.  With my current weight of 162 lbs (74 kg), a 250w FTP will give me a 3.4 w/kg power-to-weight ratio.  That's mid Cat 4 Power which isn't anything to write home about but for a guy that's almost 60 yrs. old, it will keep me riding with local B group rides...and definitely stronger than most 60 yr. old recreational riders.

My goal for 2017-18 is to get a group night ride in during the week, combined with an indoor high intensity training interval on my Computrainer and a longer 3 hr. group road bike ride on the weekend.

POWER ON!  Coach Rob

Share the Road

I'm not a big fan of group bike rides but they have their purpose especially if you like: safety in numbers and some company when you ride.  They also keep you up-to-date on cycling equipment and news...that's if you're the social type and you like to talk to the people you ride with.  So, yes, I like that about group rides.  What I don't like about group rides are primarily two things: 1) cyclists that shouldn't be on the ride (and I'll get to that in a minute) and 2) cyclists that don't obey cycling laws.

Let's talk about the people that shouldn't be on a group ride.  If the group ride is designated an A ride, and you're not a true "A" rider, you're a strong B rider, expect to be dropped.  Or, if the group ride is designated a C ride, and you're a "B" rider, don't expect to push the pace of the C ride.  It's not fair to the true C riders in the group.  I see that all the time and I absolutely detest it.  If you're a B rider, then ride with the B group.  Don't try to be the macho rider of the C group.  If there are no B group rides in your area, then ride alone.  If you're overweight or out of shape you're going to be the first one dropped on a hill in any of the groups you ride in.  So, get in shape on your own by spinning on a trainer or at your local gym and get in shape and LOSE THAT WEIGHT.  I hate to say it but cycling is not a sport for fatty Patty's.  Yes, you can cycle when you're fat, but it's no fun.  Been there, done that. Also, if you're new to cycling then start out in a D group.  Hopefully, they group leader will teach you how to ride in a group (which is the topic of my next discussion).

Ok, now onto obeying cycling laws and that is sharing the road.  You see these road signs almost everywhere you go now- SHARE THE ROAD.  But, what exactly does that mean?  Does that mean as a cyclist I have every right to ride in the middle of a 45 mph speed limit road that a car does?  HELL NO!  And, I know a lot of cyclists will disagree with me on this.  They'll tell you that's exactly what sharing the road means, that cyclists can ride in the middle of the road regardless of the speed limit.  That is not true.  Here is an excerpt from Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes that contains the laws which govern the operation of vehicles on Pennsylvania roads. In Pennsylvania, a bicycle is considered a vehicle and, as such, is governed by a general set of rules (common to all vehicles) and a specific set of rules (designed for bicycles):

[3301(b). Vehicle proceeding at less than normal speed. Upon all roadways, any vehicles proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place under the conditions than existing shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into an alley, private road or driveway. This subsection does not apply to a driver who must necessarily drive in a lane other than the right-hand lane to continue on his intended route.]

I've put in bold font what I believe is the most important takeaway- as close as practicable to the edge of the roadway.  Just yesterday I was on a group ride on a busy road that had a 45 mph speed limit.  We were single file in a pace line moving at 20 mph.  All of a sudden I hear a car laying on the horn and buzzing less than 2 ft. from me.  I got the SUVs license plate number.  I was thinking of reporting the driver, after all, I had 20 witnesses on my ride.  Then, I come to find out that some jackass in our group was riding two abreast and hanging almost in the middle of the lane which caused the car driver to lay on his/her horn.  That's wrong- to ride two abreast on a busy road.  I told the group leader that they should have a word with that rider.  When I did, another rider that overheard me said, "that guy has been riding more than you and me combined".  I said, "that doesn't make it right, and more importantly, he's ruining it for the rest of us and giving our sport a bad name".  It's true.  There are a lot of car drivers that don't even think we cyclists should even be on the road...and that's never going to change regardless of what the law says.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know somebody is going to say, "but it's legal to ride two abreast in PA".  I know that and I get that.  It's also legal to drink in PA too but that doesn't mean I have to spend the rest of my life in a drunken stupor just because it's legal and I can.  There's a time and a place for everything.  And, riding two abreast on a busy highway is not safe and it's not smart.  Be smart, be courteous and learn to be respectful of others and SHARE THE ROAD.

For a .pdf copy of PA Bike Laws..click here: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/docs/pamanual.pdf

Power ON!  Coach Rob

Garmin Connect

Garmin Connect

Whenever I ride, I ride with my Garmin Edge bike computer.  I like it because it's quick, easy, and simple to operate.  I switch it from my Mountain Bike to my Road Bike in seconds since I have a similar mount on each bike's handlebar.  And, the Garmin Edge gives you every metric you could possibly want for a ride: power, speed, heart rate, elevation, distance, temperature, cadence, etc.  Why do you need a Garmin Edge?  You need a Garmin Edge to measure your performance..to see if you're getting fitter/stronger/faster.

Today, I rode my Mountain Bike 40 miles non-stop.  I think that's the furthest I rode my Mountain Bike non-stop.  I've ridden my Road Bike 125 miles non-stop and climbed close to 10,000 feet of elevation on that ride (in Colorado).  But, that was almost 10 years ago.  I'm getting close to 60 yrs. old and I don't recover/recuperate like I used to.  I don't have the endurance I used to have either.  After today's 40 mile Mountain Bike ride, averaging 13.5 mph (moving average) along the route, I was cooked/toast.  I couldn't ride another mile at that pace. The 13.5 mph moving average includes all the times I was stuck behind someone riding 8 mph, and slowing down when crossing underneath bridges or passing people walking.  So, that's not too shabby for only 2-3 months of riding.  Had I not had anyone in my way, I probably would have averaged close to 15 mph.

Paired with the Garmin Edge is free software from Garmin called Garmin Connect.  Just click on the link above and you'll see the metrics from my ride from Pt. Pleasant, PA past Reigelsville, PA.  Garmin Connect also allows you to see a monthly map view of your rides.  It stores the rides in a database.

Don't have a Garmin Edge?  Go buy one.  Buy a good Heart Rate Monitor too that is compatible.

Power ON!  Coach Rob

Get Fit!

Are you still riding?  Are you fit?  Are you getting fit?  For me, I just got back into riding in late June.  In 2 mos. time, I went from struggling to average 10 mph (for 2 hrs.) on my Mountain Bike (on the flats) to averaging close to 15 mph (for 2 hrs.)  So, I'd say I'm getting fitter.  Am I as fit as I used to be, a few years ago?  Hell no, but that's ok.  I'm seeing good progress right now and that's all I can ask for.

If you're not fit and want to get fit, the first step (if you haven't already done so) is to lose weight.  Trust me when I say this.  It's MUCH easier to get back into shape when you're not overweight.  In fact, getting back into shape when you're overweight is a recipe for disaster.  It could even lead to a heart attack if you're older and really out of shape.  The 2nd step is just ride.  Ride until you get tired.  I highly recommend wearing a heart rate monitor and let that be your guide.  In the first couple of months I'd keep your heart rate (HR) in the Tempo or L3 Zone only.  Tempo zone is normally an easy to moderate zone where you can hold a conversation when you ride.  If you don't have a HR monitor (buy one) it's about a 3 on a scale from 1-10 in rate of perceived exertion.  If you do have a HR monitor (good for you) it's normally 70% of your HRmax (maximum Heart Rate).  So, if you're HRmax=190 bpm you want to keep your rides in the 140-150 bpm range...no more.  After a couple months you want to move into the Threshold or L4 Zone.  When you ride in the Threshold Zone you should only be able to get out 3-4 words at a time in conversation.  Threshold Zone is normally 80% of your HRmax. You don't want to stay in the L4 Zone for more than 10-15 minutes for at least a couple weeks.  Theoretically, you should be able to ride in your Threshold Zone for about 1 hr. before bonking (giving up).   You want to mix up L3 with L4- where you're riding primarily in the L3 Zone.  At the end of 3 months, you can ride for 1 hr. at L4 or instead, do 2-3 intervals of 20 minutes at L4 pace with 5 minutes rest in-between intervals.

Trust me when I say this, it's no fun getting back into shape after a long layoff of not riding.  It sucks. You're going to feel like crap and it's very demoralizing.  You're going to have little old ladies pass you on the bike while you're riding 10 mph.  Get used to it.  Hey, it happened to me.  But, it won't last for long.  Just tonight, on my ride, I had some younger guy try to hold my wheel on the flat canal path near my home.  I was riding my Mountain bike and I was averaging 15 mph.  When the younger guy jumped on my rear wheel I cranked it up to 17-18 mph.  My Heart Rate shot up to the L4 range.  I knew I could last about 20 minutes at this pace.  The guy stayed on my wheel for 10 minutes.  After that, I looked back and he was gone.  I like to think I dropped his ass.  He probably turned to go home.  ha.  Regardless, it was fun being able to crank it up and not have anyone pass you.

So, Get Fit and Stay Fit.  Power ON!  Coach Rob

End of Summer nears..but don't put that bike away!

For me, the Fall is my 2nd favorite time of year..Spring is my favorite.  But, just like the Spring, Fall is just too short.  What is there not to like about the end of Summer:
1. Heat and Humidity are gone and great cycling weather.
2. Grass goes from brown to green.  Everything gets green again like the Spring.  Golf courses look good..and play well.
3. No more air conditioning and you can actually sleep with your windows open at night and get some fresh air.
4.  The days are crisp and clear (mostly).
5.  Football starts! Yeah!
6.  Kids are back in school! Yeah!
7.  Fishing gets better.  Yeah!
8.  Leaves start changing to beautiful colors.
9.  New programs/series on TV.
10.  blah..blah..blah

The only negative about the end of Summer is that the days are shorter and there is less light after work to ride your bike.  But, don't let that stop you...you can ride at night.  You don't have to ride on the road at night you can ride on a bike trail or on a path like I do.  I ride my Mountain Bike on the canal path adjacent to the Delaware River.  I put a miners light on my bike helmet and another one on my bike handlebars and I light up the night.  Both lights are high lumen output and last 4 hrs. on 2 lithium batteries- even in the coldest temperatures.  I'll do a blog in the next month or so re: my setup.  I'll tell you which lights I recommend and why.

So, instead of thinking your mid-week riding days are numbered start looking into group rides at night.  I think I'm going to lead a group ride at night along the Delaware canal from Pt. Pleasant, PA to Reigelsville, PA and back.  I believe the total miles will be close to 30 miles and the average speed will start at 13-14 mph and probably increase to 15-16 mph in the Winter- depending on conditions.  I don't like to ride too much faster than that because if you make a wrong move, or turn, touch a wheel in front of you, slip on snow/ice/mud/gravel/etc., you got the Delaware River canal on the left and the Delaware River on the right.  And, some of the canal embankments to the river are steep..so it's a long fall into stones/trees/etc.- and eventually the river- in the dark.  Not good!  There are also low bridges that you have to go under where you MUST duck/lower your head or it will knock you clear off your bike and earn you a ride in an ambulance.  That's if the ambulance can get to you.  Some of the canal path trail is not easily accessible to a road.   Maybe on some safe flat stretches we'll be able to do some intervals where we crank up the speed to say 16-18 mph.  BTW, those speeds are pretty good on stone/mud/gravel (which is what the canal path from Pt. Pleasant, PA to Reigelsville, PA is) with Mt. Bike tires like I have.  I would think the equivalent speed on a road bike on flat asphalt would be 20-22 mph.  I'd say NO road bikes on the ride.  The tires are just too narrow for the stone/gravel.  Only Mountain Bikes and Cross/Hybrid Bikes with wider knobby tires on the ride.  The other nice thing about the ride is that it's an out and back.  That means if you get dropped (can't keep up) or have a mechanical, the group will be coming back the same route to make sure you get back safely to your car at the start.

This ride will most likely be with the Central Bucks Bike Club (CBBC).  I know there is a CBBC night ride from Washington's Crossing, PA to Lambertville, NJ and back, but I don't want to travel down to Washington's Crossing nor do I think the people that live North of me near Lake Nockamixon..it's just too far to drive to get there.  That's almost a 30 minute drive (with traffic) in my car to get there from Doylestown..  Pt. Pleasant, PA (on the Delaware River) is only a 10-15 minute drive from my house and no traffic getting there.  I also think I'll start the ride at 7pm so it gives people that have a long commute from work to grab something to eat and to get there in time.  7pm-9pm seems like a good time...2 hr. workout.  Get home after the ride, shower and in bed.

I'll keep you posted on this blog.  Until then, Power ON!  Coach Rob