<p>cardinalfang…wow, I didn’t know that about the seats. I don’t have a gel know but was thinking of getting one. I guess I won’t. Honestly I don’t have any trouble even on long distances so my current bike seat must be fine. I must say I hate those shorts and pants with padding though…caused me BIG trouble last year (no details needed). </p>
<p>Lots of folks coming for brunch. Sick of cooking…taking a break! Tried to keep it healthy but we have some very fatty traditional stuff ( I feel like I need to serve it in honor of my dead parents). I’ll just try to stay away!</p>
<p>tone- What kind of distances do you ride? Rides under 25 miles or so without much climbing I think of as shopping distances. For rides like that, especially if I am in fact shopping, I often don’t bother with cycling shorts. But for longer, tougher rides, I find cycling shorts are a must.</p>
<p>With or without cycling shorts, if chafing is a problem use A&D ointment or some other diaper rash cream. Smear it on before the ride. And without going into much detail, I’ll just mention that hygeine is important and yeast infection medicine is available over the counter.</p>
<p>At the risk of TMI - I will also second the importance of showering immediately after exercising. Sitting around or doing some other outdoor job after exercising is not a good idea. Fungal infections can be very resistive to treatment - so I have become fanatical about using tea tree soap in the shower after exercising.</p>
<p>I can’t do the elliptical. I have arthritis and just a few seconds on the elliptical my knees start really hurting. Has anyone ever used one of the Arc trainers? I have just started going to the Y and trying to get fit. The first time I tried the Arc was after 30 minutes on the treadmill and 25 on the bike and I only lasted a minute and my legs felt like jelly. So yesterday I decided to try the ARC before anything else and I forced myself to stay on longer - made it to 2 whole minutes!!</p>
<p>I have a question for the 50-something swimmers here. Am finding my graying hair is more fragile and gets really wrecked by chlorine. But swimming is my favorite form of exercise. Have tried lots of different caps but my hair still ends up soaked. Any clever tricks out there?</p>
<p>Sewhappy, I may have dreamed this, but I thought one time I read to put leave in conditioner on your hair before putting it in cap. Or are you trying to keep hair dry so you don’t have to shampoo afterwards?
When my kids were on swim team, they used ultraswim shampoo and it did seems to help. That was years ago, so not sure if it is still manufactured.</p>
<p>I also read that wetting your hair thoroughly with non chlorinated water before going in the pool helps your hair not absorb as much chlorine. My daughter also used clarifying shampoos that helped removed chlorine when she was on a swim team. it has been a while, it may have been ultra swim. I think there are other shampoos that work as well.</p>
<p>My watergirl liked Malibu C shampoo. It woked well for her hair type, and the Vitamin C (a powerful antioxidant) in the shampoo took care of the chlorine smell.</p>
<p>Check this site for other swimmer’s shampoos:</p>
<p>I was also told that shampoos for color-treated hair have antioxidant additives and will protect brittle hair from harmful effects of chlorination.</p>
<p>On the issue of bike seats, Specialized has an interesting system for getting the right saddle. They have a high density foam pad that you sit on at the store. Your bones make an impression in the foam and then you measure center to center. That gives you the proper width of the saddle so that you are supported by the “sit bones”. Specialized’s saddles all come in 3 widths, pick the model that interests you and get in in the right width. I changed all my bikes over to new saddles using this system and it has worked great for me and those of my riding buddies who have tried it. Also critically important is to make sure your saddle height and angle are right for you. Believe it or not, as little as 1 millimeter too high can start to cause numbness as can as little as 1 degree off on the angle. If you are not sure how to make these adjustments yourself have a reputable bike shop accustomed to dealing with serious riders help you.</p>
<p>Took 3 novice bike riders out yesterday for an 18 mile ride on an improved path in a park (a very large park that has a path that goes 10 miles in 1 direction). What a great way to spend the day, helping 3 new riders learn the skills necessary to really enjoy their bikes.</p>
<p>Did a 52 mile hilly ride today with my bike club. What a great way to beat the crap out of my self after spending the winter spinning in my basement. ;). Indoor cycling is great for maintaining basic fitness (even if it is wattage based training) but nothing beats getting out on the road and putting the miles in. Ah, Spring is here.</p>
<p>shopping ride…lol. I am not even close to a Lance wannabe…although perhaps my my H would qualify. He’s out on his expensive road bike doing hills every day. Me? I have taken to recreational biking with dh on the weekends. We have hybrids and do off-road trails. Some are hilly, most are not. Usually no pavement so the ride can be bumpy. We usually do anywhere between 20 to 40 miles. Our favorite trail is the C&O, which is lightly traveled so we don’t have to do much passing (we’ve taken to going pretty fast). It’s a fun activity, enjoyed with my DH, with great views of the river, historic stops, even some towns that offer…shopping :). Given how fast we go, it’s also pretty good exercise, although I’ll never qualify for a real bike race. No problem. We see lots of those “pro bikers” in their fancy colorful spandex outfits…so there must be something to it. </p>
<p>I do shower after these bike rides. They are long though.40 miles can take a while, even going fast. And no, I won’t wear those padded shorts again.</p>
<p>Well I got my workout just getting the tires on three bikes pumped up after my electric pump appears to have died. My wife took off one direction and I went another, which was a good thing.</p>
<p>I did a six mile ride. What a moron. I got the front gear and rear gear confused and ended up climbing the steepest hill on my ride in the next to hardest gear. I’m like, “wow, this hill’s killin’ me!” Doh. Heart rate hit 97% by the top of the hill. Had one near disaster when my shoe lace loop got caught in the pedal sprocket. That could have been ugly. All in all, I was correct in my assessement that I should do some rides on back roads to work out all the kinks, get used to the toe clips, changing gears, etc.</p>
<p>Seat was fine. I had a big cushy gel pad seat cover. Racing handlebars, not so much. I think my arms are more tired than my legs.</p>
<p>idad…that’s funny. I’m thinking of writing a book called “Romantic Rides for Two” - I guess I won’t be getting any stories from you! I’m serious, we have so much fun on our long rides…and we’ve tried so many trails in PA, NJ, WV, Maryland, VA - even NY. The scenery is gorgeous, lots of great places on the water for picnics, and I just love stopping at a place like Harpers Ferry. See the sites, pop into a few shops (usually sans h) and then head home. Earrings fit REAL nice in my bike bag :)</p>
<p>toneranger - We love to walk the C&O canal across the river from Harper’s Ferry. We pack a picnic lunch and eat on a rock on the water or right beside the water. Then we cross on the RR bridge and go into town.</p>
<p>Hopefully, I am getting a bike this spring so we can ride it together. There is also a rail trail that in in Maryland. It is asphalt. Haven’t been on it yet, but looked it up on the internet.</p>
<p>eddieoddessa…are you anywhere near the Allegheny Trail? We went from Cumberland MD to Meyersdale PA - about 35 miles (mildy uphill)…and stayed in a great B&B there. Beautiful trail…it was fun to race the train (lol…it goes slow). Next leg was rained out… (POURING RAIN) oh well. Would love to do that whole trail (all the way to Pittsburgh) maybe 50 -70 miles per day. I’m ready to kick it up a notch. </p>
<p>And yeah, lots of us were pigs today I didn’t stick with my usual diet - that’s for sure.</p>
<p>Her ride would have killed me. I think she did about 12 miles and that would have been stupid for my first bike ride in 20 years. My 6 miles was gracious plenty – my second hardest workout of the week in terms of heartrate (although that may have been boosted by the moment I looked down and realized my shoe lace was caught in the sprocket!). That is not a good situation.</p>
<p>At least I was able to pedal up the hill back to our house and complete the ride on the bike all the way into the garage. My wife said she had to get off and walk it up the hill. Truth be told, she probably went a bit further than she should have. I knew she would. It’s like when I told her I walked a mile for the first time and she says, “That’s nothing, you should be walking four miles”. I could see where this bike thing was heading. I’m just gonna keep doing my tortoise thing. I worked out for 300+ minutes over the last seven days, at an average of 77% of my maximum heartrate. I’m happy with that. I don’t need to simulate a Tour de France segment on Easter Sunday!</p>
<p>I was pretty good. I had egg rolls for lunch (250 calories) and a grilled filet mignon with grilled sparagus for dinner. Even with the damn jellybeans, I probably stayed under 1500 calories. Still haven’t opened the Breyers Ice Cream or the Reeses Peanut Butter Bunny (which is going to torment me in my sleep).</p>
<p>Good for you, idad. Keep that peanut butter bunny till it petrifies.</p>
<p>I did OK on food today. One small piece of crab quiche and half a small cinnamon roll at church. Brunch: one deviled egg, two pieces whole wheat toast (with butter!), crab/shrimp salad, and for dessert…half an order of amazing tiramisu. No Easter candy, just the tiramisu, thank you. You do have to have some treats on holidays.</p>
<p>I can admit that I wasn’t particularly good this weekend. No Easter baskets at our house, but definitely more food than usual. Grilled fish Friday, grilled chicken on Sunday. Certainly different from past years but felt better as a result. I made a giant trip to Whole Foods Friday and ended up with a whole bunch of stuff that must be eaten- vegetables and the like. I just can’t say no to produce. Or fruit. So much fruit in the house right now!</p>
Ah, Spring is here.</p>