<p>BB - good luck tomorrow. "My mind and body fuse together creating an energy source that empowers me "</p>
<p>ohiopublic, are you riding road bike, hybrid, mountain bike? A bike designed and set up for triathlons will not have you more upright nor take pressure off your wrists. To the contrary, bikes used in triathlons are set up to achieve aero efficiencies and can range from high performance road bikes with drop bars to full bore time trial machines. Very often, a tri bike is a high performance road bike set up with aero bars and wheels and to the casual observer looks like a time trial bike (although the frame geometry for true time trial bikes is highly regulated by sanctioning authorities).</p>
<p>If you are not riding a high performance road bike with drop bars, switching to one that is properly sized and fitted would achieve an instant increase in your riding performance because of the weight and efficiencies as compared to a hybrid or other upright bike. Sizing and fitting are critical to achieve comfort, pedaling efficiencies and to avoid problems such as wrist pressure which is often caused by fit imbalances. If you already have a road bike, find a local shop that can evaluate fit and observe your positioning on the bike. Once all of this is covered, it becomes a question of how you train. Throwing in intervals that push you outside of your normal speed envelop will greatly help you become a stronger, faster rider. Learning more about cadence and power production and how to use your gears to stay in your sweet zone will also help you improve your speed.</p>
<p>Bunsen- that’s a very respectable half marathon time for your daughter! I’m sure she’s fine. People do that (should not, but do) all the time! Hope she isn’t too sore!</p>
<p>I managed to have NO diet colas all through Lent- complete success. Now I’m trying to decide whether I can reintroduce them at a reasonable level (3 a week or so) or if I should stay totally off them. Frankly, it is extremely inconvenient for me to never have one, and besides that, I like them! They are really bad for my bone density, though.</p>
<p>MKat - I have a. 20 year old specialized sirrus road bike. Nice bike in its time! Suicide gears. I was thinking the aero bars would be much more comfortable and less pressure on my wrists? Guess I could outfit a road bike with aero. ? Just don’t want to be crouching all the time and the times I’ve been on a bike with aero bars it just seemed more comfortable. </p>
<p>Looking on Craig’s list for a carbon fiber? In your opinion what bike gives you a more forgiving ride? Carbon or aluminum. </p>
<p>I only go out once or twice a week 20-25 miles. Beginning of season I start off at. 16 mph and get close to 20 mph end of summer. Pretty consistent pace entire ride . I use the riding as a cross -train routine to supplement my (track) running. Although I do think that I might consider triathlon if I improve my swimming (and cycling.) any suggestions you might have to change my cycling routine would be appreciated.</p>
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<p>Lustig highlights four interconnected hormones that regulate appetite and energy balance:</p>
<p>Ghrelin is produced by the stomach and signals the brain to stop eating when the stomach is full. It’s the hunger signal.</p>
<p>Neuropeptide Y is produced when food reaches the end of the small intestine and signals the brain that you don’t have room to eat another bite. It’s the satiety signal. This one is the reason Lustig advises to wait 20 minutes before seconds. Give the digestion time for this signal to occur before eating a second plate of food.</p>
<p>Leptin is produced by fat cells in direct proportion to the amount of stored fat. More fat, more leptin. Leptin signals the brain that the body has plenty of stored energy and can eat less and move more to stop storing even more fat.It’s the eat less/burn more signal. Something blocking the signalling of leptin to the brain is a primary cause of obesity.</p>
<p>Insulin is produced by the pancreas and sent to the liver when glucose levels in the blood rise after a meal. It tells the body to quickly burn glucose to lower the levels by signalling the brain to stop eating and signaling the entire body to stop burning fat so that the glucose can be burned. When insulin is high, the body is signalled to push excess energy into fat cells and lock it there. Insulin is the fat-storage signal. More fat storage increases leptin and should signal the brain to stop storing more fat, but insulin blocks leptin signaling to the brain. Lustig’s major research contribution was a series of experiments at St Judes in Memphis that demonstrated that you could cause weight loss with spontaneous reduction in hunger and increase in activity by administering a drug that blocks insulin.</p>
<p>Becoming insulin resistant means the pancreas produces more insulin after every meal, which further blocks leptin signalling the brain to eat less and move more and drives more fat storage and less fat burning. This is why insulin resistance is so closely associated with obesity.</p>
<p>Insulin is supposed to block leptin twice in the life cycle – during puberty and during pregnancy. The two times when humans must gain weight to perpetuate the species. The problem is that insulin resistance means that insulin is blocking leptin when it is not supposed to. It breaks the finely-tuned regulation of “calories in” and “calories out”.</p>
<p>Lustig estimates that 80% of obese people and up to 40% of normal weight people now have some degree of this insulin resistance related metabolic damage. He believes that chronic overconsumption of sugar (fructose) is the most likely cause and that, for many people, it can be reversed by cutting sugar out of the diet. He makes a compelling case based on the unique way fructose is metabolized by the body (only by the liver).</p>
<p>This 90 minute video is a real eye-opener for anyone struggling with weight, high blood sugar, high triglyercides, etc:</p>
<p>[Fat</a> Chance: Fructose 2.0](<a href=“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceFyF9px20Y]Fat”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceFyF9px20Y)</p>
<p>It really is a complete reversal of the paradigm to see that behavior (eating too much, exercising too little) is not the CAUSE of weight gain, but is, instead, the RESULT of weight gain. The hormonal regulation drives the behavior. Rather than fight it, it’s probably more productive to use our limited “willpower” to shift the hormonal odds in our favor. It’s especially relevant to us “middle-age” folk because the hormonal balance naturally tilts out of our favor as we age – for both men and women, but especially for women during menopause.</p>
<p>Got my luggage last night–only 3 days later. I have been doing lots of walking. Went to yoga class with D on Saturday.
Enjoying some new foods here in Chapel Hill–they aren’t carb free, except for okra, which wasn’t my cup of tea.</p>
<p>Bromfield:</p>
<p>Watching the carbs while travelling and eating out can range from challenging to impossible! The sides of pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, etc. with every entree really drive home how much several hundred calories of starch is expected to be a part of every meal. My hat is off to people who can still fit in their jeans while eating restaurant food all the time. that’s a tough challenge.</p>
<p>I’ve got my Easter dinner well underway. Made Argentinian Chimichurri sauce (olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and a ton of garlic). Marinating a ridiculous rib-eye steak that will go on the grill, then topped with the sauce. Grilled yellow squash on the side. </p>
<p>Grilling some boneless chicken breasts the same way for the fridge. I’ll figure out something to do with them, almost certain to include some kind of grilled chicken salad one night. </p>
<p>Yuummm… </p>
<p>Yummm, iDad. Sounds great. We had steaks, mashed cauliflower and roasted asparagus. Daughter (Episcopal priest) is pretty wiped out by the end of Holy Week, so we keep it simple. Lots of wine, too. Nice night to be out on the deck.</p>
<p>ohiopublic, the Sirrus was a nice bike in its time but as with so many things, the advances in technology have profoundly changed the bike industry. Twenty years ago sub 20 lb bikes were high tech and 7 or 8 speed rear cassettes were for racers. Today, if a performance road bike is over 17 lbs it’s considered heavy and race ready bikes weigh 14 - 15 lbs. drive trains are 11 speed rear cassettes at the upper echelons of componentry with 10 speed rears universally available on everything else. I think you would find yourself riding much more efficiently and faster on a more modern bike.</p>
<p>In considering aluminum vs carbon fiber frames, here are some things to think about. Once upon a time, aluminum frames were harsh riding because of the need to have thin walled large diameter tubing to keep the bike light but make the tubes sufficiently strong for a bike frame. Today’s modern aluminum frames have to a great extent overcome this shortcoming through sophisticated tube shaping and butting. While there are many good aluminum frames out there, Cannondale makes the best state of the art aluminum frames with the most refined ride available in aluminum. Look for a CAAD 10 frame model. All of the CAAD 10 equipped Cannondales have the same frames and the differences are in the level of the components. Do not buy anything with below Shimano 105 group set components or SRAM Rival components. Carbon fiber frames will offer superior dampening of road vibration and small road imperfections. As a general rule, they will be more comfortable than aluminum frames but are more pricey. At a given price point, you will get higher level components on an aluminum frame than a carbon fiber frame to compensate for the greater cost of the carbon fiber frame. Carbon fiber has become the “rage” and there is quite a range of cf frame designs out there. Performance oriented comfort frames like Cannondale’s Synapse line with more upright and relaxed frame geometry in what is still a performance oriented road bike, mid level race like performance geometry frames like Cannondale’s Super -Six line and full bore race frames like Cannondale’s EVO bikes. Companies like Specialized and Trek also make an array of cf bikes to suit the spectrum of purpose similar to Cannondale. In my view, however, of the major brands you are likely to see in a bike shop, Cannondale and Specialized offer the greatest variety and best designed high quality cf bikes. If you can, test ride as many models of aluminum and cf bikes as you can to get a sense of what the different frame designs have to offer and what you like or don’t like. </p>
<p>If you are considering buying a used bike privately, I would strongly urge that you have any used cf bike you are interested in checked over thoroughly by a local bike shop that sells high end bikes. CF frames can develop stress cracks from impacts which may not be apparent. And a crack can lead to frame failure. When cf frames fail, there is no warning, the affected tubing just breaks and the results can be catastrophic. That is the one down side of cf frames. On an aluminum frame, look for dents and dings. If you see any, again have the bike checked by a bike shop. Damaged aluminum and cf frames, unlike steel and titanium frames, can not be repaired. If the frame is compromised so as to render it unsafe, it is toast.</p>
<p>As to your riding routine, maintaining a consistent 16-20 pace is great. You indicated that you ride on paths. Are these mostly flat? If so, try to find some hills to do hill intervals on. Pick a gear that allows you to maintain a 70-80 cadence and spin up the hills in the saddle. If on flats, do intervals of 2-3 minutes duration that make your legs burn. Recover for 2x the duration between intervals. Speed on a bike is all about power to weight ratios and muscular endurance. Doing hill and interval drills will assist in developing those strengths.</p>
<p>Good luck BunsenBurner! I’ll have my D cheer for you at the Wellesley Scream Tunnel! I think you’re familiar with it 
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<p>Found it easy to get back into the groove after gaining 4 pounds with my many world travels (Asia, Europe, Russia, Brazil in the last 6 weeks). Saturday, did pilates, strength, hot yoga, and a 2 hr bike ride. Today I did a cardio class and a yoga class. And, a studio opened near me that does pole, burlesque, aerial fitness - the studio I’ve gone to in the past for this kind of thing is 30-40 mins away so I hadn’t gone in quite some time. So a new thing to investigate! </p>
<p>Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates. </p>
<p>MOfWC, thanks for the reassurance - I’m still worried about D, but much less so. I was shocked that there were more than 200 female runners in D’s half. This is the country where women would not take out the garbage without putting their makeup on. Running and sweating is not very popular among ladies there. I looked at the marathon results - out of 28 females, only 10 finished. Ouch. D texted me that she was icing her knees with a bottle of vodka from her friends’ freezer, since no one has ice. Yikes! </p>
<p>A little ice, a little vodka … She won’t feel any pain either way! </p>
<p>Good luck!!! </p>
<p>BTW ohiopublic, getting a set of aero bars is not a good solution to the wrist pressures you are experiencing. They present their own set of issues not the least of which is the need to install derailleur and brake controls at the end of the bars in order for you to have ready access to those systems. Moreover, aero bars present control issues and risks to other riders when riding with a group. They are not designed for maneuvering in a pack and can impale other riders in the event of a crash. If you are having wrist pressure problems, the far better solution is to have a fit assessment to find the cause of the problems. Wrist issues should not occur if your bike is properly set up for you.</p>
<p>Hey BB, sendin ya the mojo fir a great race today!</p>
<p>Thinking of BB and all the other Boston racers today - start strong, finish strong! :)</p>
<p>Thanks MNKat. My wife showed me the Dicks Sporting Goods flyer for the $179 bike and can’t understand why I would spend 2 grand on a bike. I’m blaming you.</p>
<p>Have a great race today, BB! </p>
<p>Thinking of you Bb, good luck!</p>
<p>I’m looking at buying a used airdyne, since I can’t run and to get the same aerobic benefits from walking it would take me all day.
Anything I should remember to look for?</p>
<p>ohiopublic, that’s $2,000 for just the fancy carbon aero wheels, right? 
Actually, if $2 grand is your budget, there are a number of Cannondale CF bikes that are well equipped and have list prices hovering right at that price range. Cannondale has merged their EVO and Super-Six lines so if you are interested, look at the Super-Six EVO 6 and Super-Six EVO 5. In their more relaxed geometry Synapse line, look at the Synapse 6 and 5. </p>