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Sunday, October 17, 2010
Training schedule
Tour de Francis Castaic Training Schedule This
is my training schedule for the upcoming TdFrancis in December. For those who plan on or would like to do the TdFrancis I
recommend developing a similar training program. I know that a lot of you are strapped for time, so If that is the case I
would at least try to mimic the Tuesday and/or Thursday workouts and do them during any day of the week whenever possible
(doing at least one and/or two total weekday workouts). These workouts can also be done on a trainer in which you can use
bigger gears to simulate hills when needed and even get a 2 hour ride out of 30 minutes if you increase the intensity to your
absolute limit when doing the intervals.
Workouts are described
as such: First is the length of duration and overall intensity. Next is the ability that is being worked. Then the targeted
zone that the workout will be done in. Zones are gauged by either knowing your critical power profile or lactate threshold
heart rate (LTHR). Since most of us do not have power or know our LTHR it can also be done by knowing your maximum heart rate
(MHR). This is not as accurate as using the other two but better then nothing. So I list the zones under the percentage of
max heart rate. The last few things are where the workouts are done (or can be used as an example to determine an alternative
place), which specific ability being worked out, and description of workout such as intervals, hill repeats, and group rides.
And I've listed the actual routes that I plan on riding on Saturdays which will be building in miles and elevation.
All workouts/rides are done with a 30-45 minute warm-up and 10-20 minute
cool down (which are part of the total duration of workout).
Duration: Short = 1-2 Hours Zones: Recovery 1 = 59-74% of MHR Medium = 2-3 Hours Aerobic 2 = 75-80% Long = 3+ Hours Tempo 3 = 81-83% Subthreshold 4 = 84-88% Superthreshold 5a = 89-91% Aerobic Capacity 5b = 92-94% Anaerobic
Capacity 5c = 95+%
BUILD 1 AND 2 Every
Wednesday: Long Duration, Low Intensity Endurance: Zone 2 Every Sunday: Long Duration,
Low-Medium Intensity Endurance: Group Ride
BUILD
1 Week 1 and 2: 10/18-10/31 Tuesday:
Medium Duration, Medium Intensity Strength: Zone 3 through 5a (Slower Cadence) Thursday: Short Duration, High Intensity Anaerobic Endurance: Zone 5b Fiesta
Island: Intervals. 3-6 minute work intervals with recovery intervals equal to or half of work interval. Total interval duration
30-90 minutes. Saturday: Medium Duration, High Intensity Muscular,
Anaerobic Endurance: Solo/Group Ride
BUILD 2 Week 3 through 5: 11/1-11/21 Tuesday:
Short Duration, High Intensity Anaerobic Endurance: Zone 5b Scripps Poway: Intervals. 3-6 minute work intervals
with recovery interval equal to or half of work interval. Or 30-40 second work intervals with recovery interval at half to
a third of work interval. 3-5 sets using descent as rest in between sets. Total interval duration 30-90 minutes. Thursday:
Short Duration, High Intensity Power: Zone 5c+ Kirkham Way (off Scripps Poway Pkwy): Sprint Intervals.
8-12 second work intervals with recovery interval 10 times as long as work interval. 3-5 sets of 5 sprints with 5 minutes
rest in between sets. Total interval duration 20-90 minutes. Saturday: Long Duration, High
Intensity Muscular, Anaerobic Endurance: Solo/Group Ride
PEAK Week 6: 11/22-11/28 Tuesday: Medium Duration,
Low Intensity Endurance: Zone 2 Rolling Route Wednesday:
Short Duration, High Intensity Muscular Endurance: Zone 4 and 5a Inside/Outside Torrey Pines: Hill
Repeats Thursday: Long Duration, Low Intensity Endurance: Zone 1 and/or 2 Flat
Route Saturday/Sunday: Medium Duration, Medium Intensity/Medium Duration, Low Intensity. Can be interchanged,
both days are Medium Duration, choose one day as Medium Intensity and the other Low Intensity. Endurance/Muscular
Endurance Group Ride
EVENT Week 7: 11/29-12/05 Tuesday:
Medium Duration, Low Intensity Endurance: Zone 2 Solo/Group Ride Wednesday:
Short Duration, High Intensity Muscular Endurance: Zone 4 and 5a Inside/Outside Torrey Pines: Hill
Repeats Friday: Short Duration, Low Intensity Aerobic Threshold Ride Solo/Group
Ride Saturday: Tour de Francis - Castaic Sunday:
Short Duration, Low Intensity Recovery Ride
So the described
training plan is actually a lot more complex then shown. I tried to simplify it and make it as general as much possible. Weekday
rides can be done anytime and interchanged as long as High Intensity workouts are not done on back to back days. This is also
a good reference to what a training schedule can look like before a race or event and after you achieve a solid base (general
easy to moderate rides, building in distance and elevation) early in the season. If you have any questions or are interested
in more training information in general feel free to ask via Shoutbox or e-mail at dnahtanoj@hotmail.com
- Jon aka JD
Monday, June 7, 2010
Post Exercise Meal
We always think that to get better at cycling we have to ride a lot and that is true. But to keep us going for
miles and miles, we need to put in some fuel just like a car. We all have our own favorite fuel during a ride - gel,
banana, soda, PB&J, energy bars, etc. However, once we get home from our ride, clean up, and get back to reality,
our body will need to keep on refueling and rebuild our body from the strenuous riding. When we put in those
long hours of riding, our bodies are subjected to a lot of stress and the by product of which is toxins. Energy required
to propel our bikes requires a chemical reaction called oxidation. Hence, there are products out there called "anti-oxidants"
to clean out all these toxins and help repair damaged cells. Although oxidation of cells is part of reproducing cells
it helps to prolong the life of a it. One of the best or "the" best natural anti-oxidant are berries
(blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.). However, one of my favorites and quite refreshing after a ride is pomegranate
juice. Pomegranate is rich in anti-oxidants and helps prevent a lot of common diseases (various cancers, Alzheimer,
even erectile dysfunction). Here's an excerpt from Livestrong.com about the benefit of pomegranate in cycling. Strengthens
Sore Muscles The ellagitannins in pomegranate fruit may help you exercise more. A 2009 study
in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" showed that men who developed muscle soreness after being subjected
to strenuous exercise recovered within two to three days because of the ellagitannins in their pomegranate extract.
In addition to the anti-oxidant property of pomegranate, the natural sugar of the fruit helps replace the glucose that
we just consumed during those anaerobic bouts. Note that the "glycogen window" (ability of the body to absorb
and synthesize carbs into glycogen) is only about one hour after an exercise. Now what about a couple of hours
after our ride? Most of us don't feel the urge to eat immediately after a ride but in a couple of hours, we can probably
eat mounds of carbs. To keep my hunger at bay, I have already prepared my food prior to the ride to save time in preparation
and keep me disciplined on what I should, instead of want, to eat. Anybody heard of quinoa (keen - wa)? I just
discovered this couple of months back and it actually is now a basic staple for me aside from rice. Quinoa is an amino
acid - rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and somewhat nutty flavor when cooked.
What are the benefits of quinoa for us cyclists? Aside from the protein rich grain to feed our muscles, it is a carb
rich food that won't give us the extra pound we're trying to get rid of. 
COOKED QUINOA I mix quinoa with spinach, tuna (in a can in water), grated
parmesan cheese, sliced onions, and balsamic vinegar with olive oil for dressing. Tuna, as we all know, is rich in protein
and Omega-3 fatty acids which helps regulate and lower cholesterol as well as improving the HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL
(bad cholesterol) ratio. Spinach on the other hand is rich in vitamins (vitamin A, C, E, etc.) and minerals (nitrate,
iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc.). So what are the benefits in the nutrients of spinach for us? Aside
from making your mom happy that you are eating your greens, if you will look at the nutrition label in your electrolyte drink
some of the ingredients are or may be calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Calcium aids in muscle contraction and keeps
our bones strong. Potassium can be found in banana which we like eating during exercise. Potassium helps regulate
blood chemistry (Ph level) and improves carbohydrate metabolism by helping the muscle at efficiently. Without potassium,
your muscles stop "firing" (i.e. cramps). Magnesium is also required in muscle contraction and the production
of ATP (more on ATP next time). Bottom line, exercising depletes our body of minerals from sweat that we need to replace.
There are more benefits why spinach is good, but one thing I want to point out is Iron. Iron helps hemoglobin carry
oxygen to exercising muscles and plays a role in energy production for working muscles. 
QUINOA WITH SPINACH AND TUNA SALAD Feel free to use other ingredients
with quinoa. You can eat it as a replacement for rice or you can also mix it with rice. Preparing/cooking quinoa
is just like cooking rice in your rice cooker. I sometimes cook it with chicken or vegetable broth instead of plain
water to give it some flavor. Bon a petit!
Monday, May 17, 2010
MMCC meeting May 16, 2010 minutes
Thank you for all those people who came out to attend our first club meeting. For those who who had prior engagements,
below were the topics discussed. - MMCC jersey/kit for 2011. Cast your votes
- Mira Mesa Cycling Club - San Diego, CAMembership dues needs to be given to Al. If you have not paid for your dues, you will not be allowed to order a jersey/kit.
- Club
fund and its breakdown.
- MMCC bike trip and club picnic. We are going to have a club cycling trip and venture
out from our normal riding route to experience other places in San Diego county. This ride will have SAG support and
a picnic at the end of the ride. Date and location of the ride is TBD.
- Miscellaneous
- Bike safety
- let's all be courteous when riding our bikes and follow traffic signs accordingly.
- If you plan to ride why not post
in the Shoutbox? You might find someone to ride with you. It might turn out to be a regular weekly ride!
- We
still have some MMCC kit that are available for sale. Please contact Al to determine what we still have available.
- Training
rides. We will try to develop weekend rides that will build up slowly to our planned bike trip / picnic. However,
due to other priorities and responsibilities it is encouraged to partner up with some riders to ride during weekdays if you
can.
- Fun rides. We'll have a random ride where everyone stops for coffee or even breakfast! Just chill
Thank you to Joe for ordering and bringing the donuts!
Friday, December 18, 2009
"Turning Over the Keys" by Mango Mike
Fellow MMCC Members: Two years ago you elected
me as President of MMCC, and what a "ride" it has been! In the course of the last couple of years I have watched
this club grow into what it is today - a group of fun, determined, talented and PROUD riders who have proven themselves in
many challenges from the Bulldog Bike Race to the Tour de Francis. I am proud to have been your president, and now it
is time for me to turn over the keys to the "Orange Train" to our new president, Edgar. I hope that I have
left the group in better condition today than it was a couple of years ago. There have been some challenges along the
way, but as in any fledgling group we have figured out how to make things work. Despite the challenges, we have had
a lot of fun on our Sunday rides on our hometown roads, as well as everywhere else we have ridden. The founders
of MMCC, Chairmen Sammy and Roger, probably had no idea several years ago what they had started, and to their credit they
started with a great group of guys riding to have fun and to share their passion for cycling. I was fortunate to have
eventually met them at an event ride early in 2006, and since then I have enjoyed riding hundreds and hundreds of miles with
this great group of friends! MMCC is made up of good people who attract more good people, who happen to enjoy riding
bikes, too! We're not necessarily the fastest or the strongest riders out there, but we do as much suffering as anyone
else, and we do it PROUDLY wearing orange! As president I did my best to listen to all of you who had something
to say, because I know that those of you who gave me their input were genuinely interested in the betterment of the club.
I thank you for your contributions no matter how big or small. It wasn't the president who made this club work - it
was the members who: showed up for the Sunday rides; rode SAG for those who weren't as strong; came to the potlucks; graciously
opened up their homes for our get-togethers; kept us informed of the condition of other members good and bad;
were good ambassadors to our guests; helped with flats and other mechanical problems; and the list goes on. This
is what MMCC is about, and I am proud to have been the leader of this group for the past two years! Now it is time
for someone else to lead the Orange Train, but I will continue in the VP spot offering my assistance to Edgar and my "2-cents"
whenever he asks. I will be turning my attention to other endeavors, including some off-road riding! I
would like to thank all of you for helping to make this club a success as it continues to grow, and for your friendship and
company on our many Sunday rides and event rides. There's no other group I would like to suffer with, and I look forward
to riding many, many more miles with you all in the future. I wish our new president and my fellow officers much success
in the coming weeks and months, and I hope to see our MMCC members continue to make positive contributions to the club as
well as to our cycling community! Thanks again for all of your support! Mike
6:16 pm pst
Saturday, December 12, 2009
22nd Annual SDBC Toy Ride
If there's one thing that's not fun, it's riding in pouring rain.
However, there are some things I think are worth doing, especially when I spend 99% of my life in the comfort of my home,
office, car, or out doing something fun in nice weather! The SDBC Toy Ride is one of those things worth doing no matter
what.  Once a year a dedicated bunch of cyclists from all over San Diego,
young and old, hop on their bikes to haul toys of every kind from UC Cyclery in La Jolla Village Square through Rose Canyon,
Mission Bay, Old Town, Mission Valley, and down University Avenue to the Ray & Joan Kroc Center where volunteers eagerly
await their toy donations.
This year three kids in elf suits returned to brave the cold,
rain and wind to participate in the ride. I asked a little girl - maybe 8 years old - "Are you having fun?"
The answer was already written on her face with her huge smile that went from ear-to-ear as she happily pedaled her little
road bike through the rain. "Yeah!", she replied, upon which I asked, "Is it more fun in the rain?"
"YEAH!!!" she answered excitedly. She and the rest of the participants were on a mission - as they are every
year at this time - to deliver a little something that will brighten up the life of a less-fortunate child they probably will
never know. That's what the Toy Ride is all about, and that's why it's well worth doing!  
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