Tuesday intervals are very important to teach your body how to ride hard when you need to. For each interval you have scheduled for your training ride, ride 1 mile at a hard, fast pace. You should be riding as hard as you can while being able to push all the way to the 1 mile mark. If you push hard and have to stop after 3/4 of a mile, you need to scale it back a little. Time yourself for that mile. However long it took you to complete, give yourself the same amount of time to recover and ride easy and then repeat the 1 mile interval again. Keep repeating that until you completed all the intervals planned for that ride.

Mark Izhak, RD

Wrong!

Here’s a common mistake that’s made by both novice and experienced riders. Riding too many miles before you’ve built up to it. All of a sudden you’re in severe pain. Your knees hurt. Your neck is killing. You’re wondering what foods you need to eat to help you feel better sooner.

Your Tour de Simcha training program is planned out so that your body recovers and repairs itself after you go a little out of your comfort zone. The training program is planned to progress as you get closer to the ride.

This is especially important to newer cyclists. If you’re experienced, you may get away with riding more than you’re currently used to. But beware, especially if you do extra long rides that are even faster than you’ve been doing. That combination is a quick way to overtrain, which will only delay your training and improvement.

Follow your training program and you’ll hands down be ready to ride into Camp Simcha.

Mark Izhak, RD

Tour de Simcha Coach

http://greatist.com/health/how-do-i-know-if-im-dehydrated

“Dry mouth, headache, and dizziness may occur.” Sounds like the fine print warnings on a medication bottle, right? But these symptoms can also indicate dehydration. Yikes! Dehydration occurs when the body loses too much fluid and can’t adequately replace it. This can happen for a number of reasons, but it’s most commonly due to fever (more water evaporates when body temperature goes up), diarrhea, vomiting, or long periods of exercise with excessive sweating (especially in hot or humid climates). When fluid levels get low (no, not like Lil’ John), the body goes on high alert. Read on to find out what signs to look out for, and how to avoid the dry-time blues in the first place.

BODY OF WATER — THE NEED TO KNOW

The body is approximately two thirds water, and losing some of it throughout the day in sweat, tears, and urine is totally normal. That lost water can be easily replaced by sipping on some good ol’ H2O or other drinks (sorry — not the alcoholic kind!) and many foods.

But when the amount of water drops too low for normal body functions (like maintaining temperature, protecting organs, and getting rid of all the bad stuff in the body through urination, perspiration, and… other things), it can lead to dehydration.

Especially as summer approaches, it’s essential to be on the lookout for the commonsigns of dehydration (or what’s medically referred to as “volume depletion”):

• Dry mouth. The mouth may be first on the scene by becoming dry or sticky.Saliva is 99 percent water, after all.
• Lowered blood pressure, headaches, and dizziness. Blood may be thicker than water, but it’s actually about 83 percent water, and less water circulating around the body means less blood, too. This can lead to lowered blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, and even a rapid heartbeat as the heart needs to pump faster to make up for having less blood.
• Muscle fatigue. Lean muscle tissue contains about 75 percent water, so when the body’s short on water, muscles are more easily fatigued.
• Dry, cool skin. When the body’s dehydrated, it does what it can to hold onto to whatever fluid is left — even stealing water from Peter to pay Paul. The skin is the first place to be robbed of water, resulting in dry, cool skin.
• Thirst. Duhh…
• Feeling lethargic and irritable.
• Lack of urine. When the body’s short on fluid, no wonder it doesn’t want to expel even more! If the yellow tide (too much?) stops for more than 12 hours (or there’s only a very small amount of dark yellow urine), something’s definitely wrong.

EAT, DRINK, AND STAY HYDRATED — YOUR ACTION PLAN

The surefire way to beat dehydration? Start hydrating before that thirsty feelinghits. Drink plenty of fluids every day, and even though everyone is a little different when it comes to water requirements, 1.5 liters per day is a good rule of thumb [1].

Mild and moderate dehydration can usually be cured by drinking fluids to replace lost salts and fluids [2] [3] [4] [5]. And while getting enough fluids during the day is important, not all beverages are created equal. Water is always a good go-to drink. Juice, milk, and coconut water are other great options [6]. And after intense workouts or activities, sports drinks are a good choice too, not only to replace water loss, but also to replenish electrolytes and sodium, which are just as essential to replace [7] [8] [9]. Don’t be afraid to eat salty foods after a hard hot-weather workout, either — serious athletes can suffer just as much from low salt levels as from low water levels! Two things to definitely steer clear of are alcoholic and caffeinated beverages (such as coffee, teas, and sodas), which tend to pull water from the body and may actually fuel dehydration.

As far as avoiding dehydration, the proof is in the pee. Clear, pale, or straw-colored, urine is good. If it’s darker, keep on drinking.

It’s important to drink more during hot weather, but even humid weather, high altitudes, feeling ill, and even cold weather necessitate some seriously hydrating action. And don’t forget to hydrate during exercise and activities! For every hour of strenuous activity or exercise drink one additional liter of fluid.

EXPERT’S TAKE

We asked two of our experts to weigh in on the topic. Here’s what they had to say:

Dr. John Mandrola:

“If I had a dollar for every case of heat-related heart problem that I have seen over the past two decades… well, I’d have plenty of money for a new Retina MacBook. As our summers grow hotter, heat-related illnesses are becoming more commonplace. People, even young healthy people, need to take the summer heat seriously. Here are a few tips.

1. Start the day topped off: One morning a few years ago, I had to drink 30 oz of water for a kidney ultrasound. It was hard to drink that much water, but I learned something that has stuck with me. I felt so good that day. My workout went better and I had better energy through out the day. Most of us don’t get enough!
2. On the dangers of caffeine: Though it is true that caffeine may help exercise performance in some cases, I have little doubt that caffeine impedes exercise in the heat. Not only is it a diuretic, which promotes fluid loss, but also, caffeine’s stimulant properties increase body temperature — a real negative in the heat.
3. Pre-workout hydration: Not enough summer exercisers start the workout topped off. Before I leave for a bike ride in the summer, I usually chug an entire bottle of water. Again, it’s hard to drink that much fluid, but when going out in the heat for a few hours, your body will thank you. One negative side effect: An early pee stop.”

Dan Trink:

“As critical as hydration is for regular, day-to-day activities, it is even more important when exercising to optimize athletic performance and body composition. As little as a two percent loss in hydration will affect performance in the weight room, so you want to make sure that you hydrate before and during your session.

A good general recommendation for both weight training and endurance athletes (assuming they are fully hydrated before training or the competitive event) is to drink 7 to 10 oz. of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes. If you are someone who perspires more than average or if you are competing in extreme climates or altitudes those amounts should increase.

Finally, keep in mind that hydration effects muscle growth, recovery and weight loss in a big way. As mentioned above, approximately 75 percent of muscle tissue is water. So it’s not hard to see how critical proper hydration is to gaining lean muscle mass. Water is used for countless metabolic processes, many of which effect recovery. From muscle repair, to protein synthesis, to nutrient absorption (digestion), water and hydration levels play a huge role. To put it simply, you cannot recovery properly without adequate hydration. Lastly, staying hydrated is a key component to a smart weight loss plan as it flushes toxins out of your system, keeps your digestive tract healthy and can even help you feel fuller, cutting down the risk of binge eating or consuming excess calories.”

This article was approved by Greatist Experts Dr. John Mandrola and Dan Trink. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

And this would be the easy way out…

Business networking

Cycling is the new golf

Apr 26th 2013, 11:21 by G.D.

TRADITIONALLY, business associates would get to know each other over a round of golf. But road cycling is fast catching up as the preferred way of networking for the modern professional. A growing number of corporate-sponsored charity bike rides and city cycle clubs are providing an ideal opportunity to talk shop with like-minded colleagues and clients while discussing different bike frames and tricky headwinds. Many believe cycling is better than golf for building lasting working relationships, or landing a new job, because it is less competitive.

“When you play golf with somebody you have to decide if you’re going to beat them, or let them beat you,” says Peter Murray, a former architect, journalist and chairman of the NLA centre dedicated to London’s built environment. “If they’re a client and you don’t want to beat them you have to sort of cheat in order to lose. That seems to me not a good way of doing things.”

In 2005 Mr Murray, who is a keen long-distance rider, founded the annual Cycle to Cannes bike ride. This six-day charity event brings together architects and developers who want to cycle 1,500km from London to the MIPIM property fair in southern France each March. It now attracts around 90 riders and has raised £1.5m for a range of charities in Britain and abroad. This year Mr Murray has also founded a more ambitious ride called Portland to Portland. A team will depart Portland Oregon on April 27th and they are due to arrive in Portland Place, London, 76 days and 6575km later. Along the way they will visit cities to discuss the benefits of urban cycling and raise money for several architectural charities.

Group cycling, and especially long-distance riding, is a shared experience, Mr Murray says. Riders often collaborate and help each other out, taking turns to be at the front so that the riders in their slipstream can save almost a third of the effort needed to travel at the same speed. Some riders selflessly volunteer to stay in the front earning them the awe and gratitude of the entire group.

How someone rides a bike can give you a real insight into what a person is like, says Jean-Jacques Lorraine, founding director of Morrow+Lorraine, a young architecture practice in London, and a regular participant of Cycle to Cannes. “Some riders are very single-minded, others more collaborative; some are tactical, others an open book. Some don’t mind being soloists whilst others prefer alliance and allegiance.” A day in the saddle, racing uphill and downhill, creates a bonding experience that endures. “If I walk into a meeting and somebody says ‘I’ve done Cycle to Cannes’ it’s a done deal really,” says Mr Murray.

Mr Lorraine estimates that as much as 75% of the practice’s workload (around 45 projects) has come directly or indirectly from contacts made on the road while cycling, in particular on the Cycle to Cannes ride. Why does he think cycle rides lend themselves so well to networking and making professional contacts? “Grabbing a quick lunch or drink after work, whilst great for different reasons doesn’t give you long enough to get to know someone,” he says. Mr Murray believes long rides break down conventional hierarchical barriers. “A younger rider can be cycling along with a chief executive and take their wind or help them in some way and you get a reversal of the relationship. This changes the relationship when they are off the ride too.”

Many long-distance bike riders say cycling, especially over long distances, simply makes them feel good; it lifts their mood and concentrates things down to the essentials. “The pattern of fuelling, riding, fuelling, arriving, celebrating, sleeping and fuelling again puts all the focus on riding and the company of your fellow riders,” says Simon Mottram, chief executive of Rapha, a premium cycling-clothes brand. The simple repetitiveness eases the stresses and pressures of normal life, making it a powerful counterpoint to our sedentary lives, he adds.

Mr Mottram believes it is easier to get to know people while cycling than in other situations. “There is an easy rhythm about conversations on a bike.” Mr Lorraine makes the point even more strongly: “The adrenaline rushes, the serotonin pulses and the surges of endorphin create a kind of high, a sense of euphoria. I feel open, honest and generous to others. I often find I’m saying things on a bike which I wouldn’t normally say, and equally I’ve been confided in when I wasn’t expecting it.”

Perhaps the most compelling reason why cycling is a good way to network is because, for many professionals, it’s a passion and a way of life. “Getting out on the bike is what we’re all dreaming of doing whilst we’re sitting at our computers,” says Mr Mottram. And a shared passion is a fantastic way to start any relationship.

“Cycle to Cannes” happens each March. “Portland to Portland” leaves Portland, Oregon, on April 27th 2013

I received yesterday a red light ticket, and the cop was kind enough to let me know that they were ordered to crack down on bikers this summer more than the last few years.

So you have 2 options:

1) Obey the law

2) Or don’t ride in the city

Whatever you decide to do. Ride safe.

Have a seat!

Other people give your bike a weird look. “How do you sit on that seat?”

Road bikes are notorious for having small narrow seats that make people wonder how we ride “comfortably” for hours on it.

Are you having trouble on your seat? You need 2 things to make your ride more pleasant.

First you need a good pair of bicycle shorts. Remember when you were a kid and your bike had a nice cushy seat?

That’s gone in your big boy/girl bike. All that padding is now built into the shorts. Bike shorts are expensive. I’ve always found the ones around $65 and up to be comfortable enough. You’ll find some for $20 but they don’t usually hold up long enough or come close to the comfort.

You also need some chamois cream. The chamois is the padding in your shorts. You put the cream on the padding where it’ll touch your skin to prevent irritation. Brands like Assoss or Butt’r are great options.

Take these 2 steps and be comfortable in all the riding you do!

Mark Izhak, RD

Tour de Simcha Coach

Planning the route
Hawks NestArrival at camp SimchaNew bunkhouses being built