Goodbye Warm Day...

Today was the last official warm day before the brutal cold winter for the next four months. It was really nice but an emotional day at an above normal 70 degree temperature. It is the last day to wear a t-shirt and shorts outside. Then from tomorrow and then on until my St. George mountain bike race on March 2nd, 2009, will be a chill. So, I tried to enjoy the day when I could, of course, I went on a bike ride, a road ride. First I went along Witch's Knoll then rode from Ephraim to 5 Mile Junction and back and on the Witch's knoll again at a total of one hour and five minutes. It was a good little easy ride without killing myself this time. A lot of people were out on their yards trying to enjoy the day by raking leaves. The weather forecast looks like it's going to be in the 50s and start raining and snowing starting tomorrow. It is also time for daylight savings time change. Fall back, spring forward. The good old days are gone until next April, according to Ephraim.

Winter Training Program

After a month of transition of my training year this month, I will be starting my winter training program this November. The program consists of weight lifting, aerobic cycling on a resistance trainer, core, and jumping exercises.
On the weight lifting, there are four different phases, the first is Anatomical Adaptation phase(AA), the second is Maximum Strength phase(MS), third, Power Endurance Phase(PE), then last, Muscular Endurance phase(ME). The Anatomical Adaption phase is what I should do first starting in November, this is the time to prepare the muscles and tendons for the greater loads of the ensuring Maximum Strength phase. The repititions are very high(2-5 sets of 20-30 reps) and the speed is very slow. The purpose of this phase is improved general body strength, so more exercises are done at this time of the year than at any other. So it should take more time than any other phases.
In December is when I will start the Maximum Strength phase. The purpose is the ability to lift heavier loads to teach the central nervous system to easily recruit high numbers of muscle fibers. There are fewer exercises included in MS than in the AA phase. The number of sets are 2-6 at 3-6+ reps at a slow to moderate speed. This should be done 2-3 times a week.
January is the Power Endurance phase. The purpose of this phase is to convert the raw strength developed in the MS phase into the ability recruit many muscle fibers, and to briefly sustain their use at a high power output. Examples of this in a race situation might be attacking short, steep hills or long sprints. Should be done 1-2 times a week with 2-3 sets at 8-15 reps with fast speed.
Muscular Endurance is taken place in February. ME is at the heart of training for endurance sports, and ME phase lifting greatly benefits riders whose race endurance is a limiter. The purpose is to extend the ability to manage fatigue at high load levels by increasing capillary density and the number and size of mitochondria--the energy production sites within the muscles. Circuit training can be used in this phase. This phase should be at one session a week with 1-3 sets at 40-60 reps at a moderate speed. Jumping exercises twice a week can be included during this phase.

Exercises (in order of completion):
1. Hip extension(squat, step-up) AA, MS, PE, ME
2. Lat pull-down AA guideline all winter
3. Hip extension(lunges) AA, MS, PE, ME
4. Chest press or push-ups AA guideline all winter
5. Seated row AA, MS, PE, ME
6. Personal weakness(hamstring curl, knee extension) AA guideline all winter
7. Standing row AA, MS, PE, ME
8. Jumping drills(long jumps, jump-ups, bounces, single leg hops) during ME phase
9. Core(nine different exercises) AA guideline all winter

There is one other phase available which I don't focus on because I am 29 years old, the Strength Maintenance phase is for women and masters. Some athletes, particularly males in their twenties, seem capable of maintaining adequate levels of strength, and may not need to continue weight training throughout the Build, Peak, and Race Periods(bicycle training in the cycling season). This phase is all during the cycling season with only one session per weak with 2-3 sets at 6-12 reps.

During the winter, I don't want my aerobic fitness to decline. So the indoor trainer is the key. I should ride for 45 minutes with 30 minutes at 70-80% of maximum heart rate twice a week. I should do it on the same days I do on the weight training so I can have days in between to recover. Never do exercises on consecutive days.

Caffeine and the effects it can have on humans

I got this paper about caffeine from my nurse today and this is what it says:

For regular Coffee Drinkers trying to cut back
Regular caffeine consumption reduces ones sensitivity to caffeine. When caffeine intake is reduced, the body becomes oversensitive. In respnse to this over sensitiveness, blood pressure drops dramatically, causing an excess of blood in the head (though not necessarily on the brain), leading to a headache. This headache, well known among coffee drinkers, usually lasts from one to five days. It is reversed only with caffeine intake or Aspirin. Many People who are reducing caffeine intake report being irritable, unable to work, nervous, restless, and feeling sleepy, as well as having a headache. In extreme cases, nausea and vomiting have also been reported.

What it does to the body and who it effects faster?
Caffeine increases heartbeat, respiration, basal metabolic rate, and the production of stomach acid and urine, and it relaxes smooth muscles, notably the bronchial muscle. These symptoms start anywhere from fifteen to forty five minutes after caffeine is consumed, except the central nervous system which is hit between thirty and sixty minutes after ingestion. But these times depend on the person's hormonal status, whether he/she smokes or takes medications, or has a disease that impairs liver functioning.

How long do the affects last?
Caffeine is absorbed through the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream. The amount of caffeine in the blood reaching the brain determines the severity of its effects on the body. Caffeine is metabolized by the liver and eventually its metabolites are excreted in urine, although caffeine can also be secreted in saliva, semen, and breast milk. Caffeine will continue to have an effect on the body as long as it remains in the blood. The time required for the body to eliminate one-half of the total amount of caffeine consumed this varies from several hours to several days. For the average non-smoking adult the effects last about five to seven hours. Several factors can lengthen caffeine's half-life, such as some medications, liver diseases, pregnancy. The half-life of caffeine in a pregnant woman is 18-20 hours, the half-life in women taking oral contraceptives is up to 13 hours. Other factors, such smoking and age can shorten caffeine's half-life. For example, in children and smokers the half-life averages about 3 hours.

What are the effects of Caffeinism (caffeine overdose)?
As you have learned before Caffeines stimulates the central nervous system and can produce other effects through out the rest of the body. The symptoms of a caffeine overdose ("caffeinism") varies according to individual differences and the amount consumed. Doses ranging from 250 to 750 mg (2 to 7 cups of coffee) can produce restlessness, nausea, headache, tense muscles, sleep disturbances, and irregular heart beats it can also cause Anorexia. Doses of over 750 mg (7 cups of coffee) can produce a reaction similar to an anxiety attack, including delirium, ringing ears, and light flashes. These amounts of caffeine may come from a single dose from many doses in a short period of time.

What are the long term effects that Caffeine can produce?
Ulcers is believed to be caused partially by Caffeine because Caffeine increases the secretion of acids and pepsin in the stomach, which could increase an already existing ulcer. But it isn't definite that Caffeine is responsible for this, tests were done that proved that both caffeinated and decafeinated coffee inflamed ulcers.
Heart Problems more seriously can be caused by Caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to cause cardiac arrhythmia's (irregular heartbeats) in certain people; often people with heart disease are told to avoid caffeine altogether. However, no evidence shows that caffeine is a causative factor in the development of heart disease.

Soft Drinks

12-ounce beverage milligrams

Red Bull 80.0
Jolt 71.2
Pepsi One 55.5
Mountain Dew 55.0
Mountain Dew Code Red 55.0
Diet Mountain Dew 55.0
Kick Citrus 54.0
Mellow Yellow 52.8
Surge 51.0
Tab 46.8
Diet Coke 45.6
Shasta Cola 44.4
Shasta Cherry Cola 44.4
Shasta Diet Cola 44.4
RC Cola 43.0
Diet RC 43.0


Note: My nurse also said that giving a regular coke to your child is like giving an adult a Red Bull or Monster drink because of the child's size.

Priorities...

$2,859

The cost of the Klein Attitude mountain bike that will last up to four years of fresh air and no people.

VS

$2,400

The average total cost of membership for Gold's Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, or Snow College Fitness Center for four years with no adventure whatsoever.

Mesa Verde

The Mesa Verde was a good site seeing place and the weather was really perfect. Thanks for the perfect schedule Mike and Laura. Glad you there Tony and family. I really enjoyed the visit.

Durango, Colorado Trip

The top of Animas City Mountain Trail

Animas City Mountain Trail
View of Durango after just a mile of brutal steep climbing.
The trail is very rocky.
View looking north towards Silverton and Durango Mountain Resort from the trail.
Ponderosa Pine trees covered most of the trail.

Mountain bike legend Ned Overend's autographed bike jersey in Olde Tymer's Cafe where we ate in downtown Durango.
Olde Tymer's Cafe
The only and last telegraph pole in world. It is at the train station museum, the tour guy said if any of the workers at the train station bumps into it, should not come back to work the next day.

Durango was very fun, especially the bike ride. When we got there we ate at Steamworks Restaurant, I had a good steak there. The next day we took a tour at the Train Station Musuem with a lot of working steam engines, it was really neat. Josh and Andrew really liked it. While I was on my bike ride, everybody else saw the train coming back from Silverton and watched them put it away and everything. Go to barlowbuzz.blogspot.com to check out more about it.

After we went to museum, we went to Olde Tymer's Cafe and I had a really good burger, that was my favorite place to eat. Then I went on my mountain bike ride on the Animas City Mountain Trail right outside of town. The first three miles was a very steep and rocky climb then there is a fun downhill with a lot of jumps back to the trailhead. This is the third time I have ridden the trail in my life, the first time when I was thirteen or fourteen. I did the climb to the top in 50 minutes from the trailhead which is a whole lot slower than Ned Overend, mountain bike racer legend that lives in Durango. He does it in 25 minutes(from the "Mountain Bike Like A Champion" book by Ned Overend). Now he is fast and that trail is really rocky and especially steep, no wonder why he's good. If I was 30 pounds lighter, I would probably shave off maybe 10 minutes of my time and that would really help. There is another popular trail just right outside of town but at the other side of the town from the Animas Mountain Trail is called Horse Gulch. I will have to try that next time I go to Durango. It is a lot easier and not as rocky or steep. There's also the Colorado Trail and some more trails in Durango Mountain Resort. After my ride, we ate at Mama's Boy with good Italian food but it's not my kind of Italian food, I like mom's better. Then went to bed and went to Mesa Verde the next morning.

Storage room upgrade...

I just finished the shelves on the west wall of the storage/laundry room in mom's basement so it looks pretty dandy to me. I made a space for grandma's old fridge and then there is a 32 inch space for the future new upright freezer on the left of the fridge then 16 inches left for the plastic shelf thing we have down there. Now I have to finish the east wall sometime pretty soon, when mom has more money. I will be putting three 4 foot sections for that wall. I'll be turning this basement into a very nice food storage area. I'll take more pictures of the room when I get the whole thing done and what I did to the bikes, that part is pretty interesting. Guess where the bikes are? Wait and see.