IronBoomer    A guide to a Healthy, Active, and Fit Lifestyle    by IRONGEEZER

ABOUT US CLIFF & TATJANA Cliff & Tatjana Eggink retired in January, 2010 as USA TRIATHLON Level I Certified Coaches. Cliff also retired in 2008 as a USA Cycling Certified Coach. Cliff "Irongeezer" Eggink was born in 1936 and is a six time Ironman triathlon competitor.  He has earned two Ironman podium finishes in the 65 - 69 age group, and two Ironman podium finishes in the  70 - 74 age group. Tatjana is a professional educator, an American Senior Fitness Association Senior Personal Trainer,  and has completed several Ironman Triathlons. They are avid triathletes, hikers, kayakers, swimmers, cyclists, runners, and cross-trainers.

CYCLING

IM KONA WHAT CAR? DAVE WATTS Cycle: General Nine Month Novice Plan for Your First (Century) 100! Month Weekly Miles Longest Ride in Miles Days Per Week 1 10 - 15 10 2 2 15 - 25 15 2 3 25 - 50 15 - 20 2 - 3 4 50 - 75 20 -25 3 -4 5 75- 100 25 - 40 3 -4 6 100 - 125 45 -55 4- 5 7 125 - 150 55 - 75 4 -5 8 125 - 165 75 - 90 5 9 125 - 175 100 5 In addition to cycling, cross training is vital to prevent overuse injury. Adjust all training schedules to your ability. Speed, distance, heart rate, endurance, pace, and intensity will be different for everyone. Set an agenda and workout schedule that you are comfortable with. If you haven't been active and want to start, start out slowly and don't overdo it. This plan will be posted here thru 2011, refer to it as often as you wish. Always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program, or increasing your present activity. ________________________   Cycling 200? Suggested Training Plan for a Double Century! Week  Week Goal Midweek Saturday Sunday 1 90 30 50 10 2 110 20 70 20 3 110 30 50 30 4 130 40 70 20 5 120 20 80 20 6 140 40 70 30 7 190 50 80 60 8 160 50 90 20 9 160 30 80 40 10 180 40 90 50 11 190 50 110 30 12 200 30 140 20 13 210 40 100 50 14 150 30 80 40 15 120 40 60 20 16 220 20 200 Rest This chart will be posted here thru 2011, refer back to is as often as you need to. All of the plans on this Web site are samples only. The training plan that you choose is up to you, your coach, and your doctor.

General 100 Miler Plan for the Experienced Rider. A milestone in the life of a cyclist is riding the "century;" 100 miles in a day. It is a right of passage that many cyclists long to attain. While riding 100 miles in a day may sound extreme to a non-cyclist, it is not unthinkable. Almost any casual cyclist can complete a century if they follow a comprehensive training routine. There are several things to consider in order to have a trouble-free century. They include: The right equipment The right training The right food The right attitude Equipment The right equipment means comfort. Your bike should fit you well and should be familiar. If you aren’t sure, have your local bike professional provide a fit-assessment. Don’t plan to ride a new or a borrowed bike on your first century. Consider having a tune-up before the ride, and carry a spare tire and patch kit, tools, a pump and knowledge of how to use them. Other essential equipment includes: A properly fit helmet Water bottles and cages Cycling clothing, including shoes, shorts, gloves and rain gear Sunglasses Training The core of your training should be endurance training. If you start your training at least 12 weeks before the ride, you will have ample time to prepare for the century. If you already ride more than 7 hours a week, you will need far less time to prepare. While most of your rides will be at about 65% of your maximum heart rate (MHR), add two days of interval training, where you push hard for several minutes - up to 85% MHR. Hills are a great way to add interval training to your ride. And don’t forget to allow one day per week for recovery. A sample training schedule may look like this: Saturday: 1-2 hour ride with 30 minutes of hard effort Sunday: 1-2 hour ride at steady pace (65% MHR) Monday: Rest Tuesday: 1-1.5 hour ride with hills Wednesday: Rest or 1-hour easy recovery ride Thursday: 1-1.5 hours with interval training Friday: Rest or 30-minute easy recovery ride More Training Tips Maintain a cadence of around 90 to 100 revolutions per minute. Gradually increase your milage as you get closer to the century, increasing no more than 10% at a time. Plan a 50- or 60-mile ride at least two weeks before the century Taper your mileage a week before the century. During that week you may even reduce your riding to one or two days of an easy five to ten-mile spin. Also, try to get plenty of sleep. Nutrition As the ride day approaches, food becomes the critical component for a successful century. A few days prior to the ride you should start hydrating. Drink water frequently, cut back or eliminate caffeine and alcohol, and add carbohydrates to your diet. On ride day, eat a light breakfast of high-carbohydrate foods and drink lots of water. On the ride drink before you're thirsty. Water or a sports drink should be your first choice. Eat easily digestible, carbohydrate rich-food such as energy bars, bagels, fruit or granola. Don’t try something new on the ride. You should eat things you know agree with you. Attitude Ease into the ride pace. This isn’t a race, and if it’s your first century, the goal is to finish comfortably. Here are some more tips for an enjoyable ride: Change your position often. Mover you hand position, get up off the saddle, stretch your arms, shoulders and neck, arch your back and stretch out. Avoid staying in one position too long. Take short rest breaks off the bike. An organized century ride will offer regular water and food stops. Take advantage of this time to get off the bike and refill your water bottles, stretch, and use the restroom. Keep these stops to 10 minutes or less or you may risk getting stiff. Unless your are a non-drafting triathlete, find a companion or two. The ride will go faster and feel easier with a friend or two. Also, skilled riders can take advantage of drafting and save some energy in the wind. Attitude is everything. If you have prepared yourself well, there isn’t much more to be done on ride day than sit back and enjoy the scenery (and maybe plan your next century). Source: Elizabeth Quinn - Aboutus & TriRenaissance This 100 miler plan will be posted here thru 2011. Refer to it as often as needed. Tell a friend. click here for more information about CYCLING Prepare for a Long Charity Bike Ride? Training Schedule. 6 Months Prior to Event Get into a routine of exercising regularly. Take the time to get your overall fitness levels up either walking, swimming or cycling Aerobic Train 3 days a week , 30-35 minutes per session 1 x 5 mile cycle rides (per week) 1x 15 mile cycle ride in the month 5 Months Prior to Event Building a strong foundation of fitness 3x 40 minute aerobic sessions every week 1 x strength training 2 x 5 mile cycle rides 1 x 10 mile cycle rides 4 Months Prior to Event Build your endurance and strength 3 x 45 minute aerobic sessions every week 2x strength training 2 x 7 mile cycle rides, including hilly terrain 2 x 20 mile cycle ride 1 weekend of cycling in the month – 2 hours on the Saturday & Sunday 3 Months Prior to Event You will be focusing on training both mental and physical aspects of yourself Try to cycle to and from work each day (5 hours in total) or workout for 4 hours a week 2x cross training, resistance training or spinning class evenings per week 2 x 15 mile cycle rides 1 x 25 mile cycle rides 2x Strength training 2 Months Prior to Event Continue to build you mental and physical endurance and strength 1 weekend back to back cycling, 4-5 hours on Saturday/ 3 hours on Sunday Other weekends 1-2 hour cycling on each day Continue cycling to and from work each day (5 hours in total) or workout for 4 hours a week 1 x 35 mile cycle ride 1 Month Prior to Event  Maximize your training to give you that extra endurance and strength which you will need 1 weekend back to back cycling 5-6 hours on Saturday AND Sunday Other weekends 1 x 4 hour cycle on one day Total 50 miles in one cycle ride 2x cross training, resistance training or spinning 1 Week Before Departure Take it easier 3 x 10 mile cycle rides Training Program Explained • Aerobic Training – can include running, cycling, swimming, cross-country running, speed walking etc., for a minimum of 3 minutes per session • Strength Training – should include exercises working mostly on upper body strength. Include exercises for arms, shoulders, back and abdominals. Each exercise should include 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions (reps) sp that muscle failure occurs on the last set. You do not have to join a health club to get a good strength work out – you can do sit ups and press ups at home. • Recreational Exercise – is any form of fun exercise that you enjoy. Can include climbing, trekking, dancing, canoeing etc. • Spinning – Indoor cycling using a stationary bike in a class setting. Instructor leads the class through routines including hill climbs, sprints and interval Training Achievement 6 Months to go…………… I have successfully completed 15 miles (24km) of cycling 5 months to go…………… I have successfully completed 20 miles (32km) of cycling 3 months to go …………… I have successfully completed 25 miles (40km) of cycling 2 months to go …………… I have successfully completed 35 miles (56km) of cycling 6 weeks to go………………. I have successfully completed two days of cycling, of at least 25 miles (40km) each day 4 weeks to go ………………. I have successfully completed two days of cycling, of at least 35 miles (56km) each day 3 weeks to go…………………. I have successfully completed 50 miles (80km) of cycling 2 weeks to go…………………… I have completed two consecutive days of cycling 45 miles (72km) each day. If it is no practical to ride to work, try to pick up the mileage some where else during the week. Source: cyclecoastarica.com Now, if you are looking to increase leg strength and your ability to accelerate fast and sprint, then low-cadence, high-resistance intervals are important for your training. By demanding more power against a big resistance, these intervals are similar to weight lifting on the bike and lead to neuromuscular adaptations that lead to increased recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers. In the end, you'll develop the ability to accelerate and sprint faster.   Sample Workout: Muscle Tension Find a gradual climb (5 to 8 percent), shift into a big gear that you can only push at a cadence of 50 to 55 rpm. Stay seated and relax your upper body, and focus on pulling your feet back through the bottom of the pedal stroke and pushing forward over the top of the stroke. Continue grinding your way uphill for five to eight minutes, rest ten minutes, and repeat for a total of two or three intervals.   High-cadence cycling received a lot of attention during Lance Armstrong's first Tour de France victory in 1999 because his pedal speed in the mountains and time trials was notably faster than his rivals'. During his comeback from cancer we discovered that he could produce more power, go faster, and maintain that speed longer by pedaling faster instead of harder. Cancer peeled 17 pounds of muscle from his frame, and mashing big gears with that remaining muscle led to fatigue very quickly. As a result, it made sense for him to purposely shift as much work as possible from his leg muscles to his aerobic engine.   Pedaling faster puts more stress on your aerobic system, but with training, your aerobic system will adapt and you'll be able to sustain a high pace on flat ground and hills for longer periods of time. Sample Workout: Fast Pedal On a relatively flat road, shift into an easy gear and bring your cadence up to 15 to 16 pedal revolutions per ten-second count. This equates to a cadence of 90 to 96 rpm. Stay seated with your upper body relaxed, and try to pedal even faster while keeping your hips from bouncing. If your hips start to bounce on the saddle, you're pedaling faster than you can control, and you should back off until you can pedal smoothly again. Intervals should be five minutes of continuous pedaling, separated by five to ten minutes of normal cruising cadence riding. Source: Chris Carmichael  CYCLING Glossary Attack- A sudden acceleration to move ahead of another rider or group of riders. Big Ringing It - The chain on the big chain ring, going for maximum speed. Bonk - Total exhaustion caused by lack of sufficient food during a long race or ride. Bonus Sprints - On each stage, race organizers designate several intermediate points along the route where bonus points are given to the first three riders that cross the line. These sprints are a “race within a race” during each stage. Break/Breakaway - A rider or group of riders that has left the main group behind. Caravan/Race Caravan - The official and support vehicles in a race. Circuit Race - A one-day race that laps around a circuitous route. Classic Race - A one-day race in which the route travels between two separate points, instead of a circuitous route. Criterium - A multi-lap, one-day race on a closed, short course, typically one mile or less. DNF - Short for Did Not Finish. Domestique - A team rider who will sacrifice his individual performance to help a designated teammate. Duties can include giving up one's bike for another rider, supplying refreshments to teammates, and catching breakaway riders. French for “servant.” Draft - To ride closely behind another racer, saving energy by using that racer as a wind break. Riding in front is very strenuous but affords a great energy-saving advantage to the rider behind. Drop/Dropped - When a rider has been passed by another, or left behind. Echelon - A staggered, long line of riders, each downwind of the rider ahead, allowing them to move considerably faster than a solo rider or small group of riders. In windy sections where there are crosswinds, a large peloton will form into echelons. Feed Zone - A designated area along the route where riders can grab “musette bags” filled with food and drinks as they ride by. There is an unwritten rule in the peloton that riders should not attack the field while the riders are going through the feed zone. Field Sprint - A mass sprint at the finish among the main group of riders in a road race. Gap - The amount of time or distance between a rider or group of riders and another rider or group of riders. General Classification (G.C.) - The overall leader board in the race, representing each rider’s total cumulative time in the race. The rider with the lowest time is number one on the G.C. Grand Tour - Refers to three-week major cycling stage races: Tour de France, Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy), and Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain). Hammer - To ride hard. Also, to “put the hammer down.” Jump - A quick acceleration, which usually develops into a sprint. KOM - King of the Mountain. Award for the Best Climber. Lead Out - To intentionally sacrifice one's chances in order to create a windbreak and creating an opening for a rider behind. A racing tactic whereby one rider races at high speed to give a head start to the rider on his/her wheel. Mechanical - Slang for a mechanical problem with the bicycle. “He had a mechanical.” Mountain Climb Classifications - Large mountain climbs are normally classified according to their difficulty. Category 4 is the easiest, followed by Categories 3, 2, 1, and the Hors-Categorie (which is the hardest). Mountain climbs are classified according to their length and the average gradient of the road’s incline. Off the Back - When a rider or riders cannot keep pace with the main group and lag behind. Off the Front - When a rider takes part in a breakaway. Paceline - A string of riders that moves at high speed with each individual taking turns setting the pace and riding in the draft of the others. See also Train. Peloton - The main field, or pack, of riders in the race. Peloton is French for a group moving forward. Prologue - One type of beginning for a stage race, which is a relatively short time trial. Popped - Blown. Had it. Knackered. Stuffed. Lots of words to describe the legs just going all weak. Loss of power. Puncture - Flat tire. Road Rash - Skin abrasions resulting from a fall or crash onto the road. Saddle - The bike seat. Sitting up - When the rider is no longer tucked, or riding in the most aerodynamic fashion. Slipstream - The area of least wind resistance behind a rider. Stage Race - A bike race held over successive days, with a different course each day. Stage races can last anywhere from three to 25 days. The rider with the lowest total time (or accumulated points) after completion of all the stages wins the overall race. Team Leader - The rider for whom the team rides in order for the leader to win a stage or race. Time Cut - Mostly applicable to the Grand Tours. On each stage all riders must finish within a certain percentage of the winner’s time to remain in the race. Those who are unable to make the cut are disqualified from the race. Time Trial - A race in which riders start individually and race against the clock. The fastest over a set distance is the winner. Riders can pass each other on the course but they are not allowed to draft off of each other. Also known as the “race of truth.” Train - A fast moving paceline of riders. UCI - Union Cycliste Internationale, the international governing body of cycling. Wheel Sucker/Wheelsucking - Someone who sticks to a rear wheel ahead of him or her and refuses to go to the front. USA Cycling - America's governing body of cycling. USA Cycling supervises the activities of all cycling disciplines (road, mountain, track, cyclo-cross), and establishes criteria for the US Olympic Cycling Team. Velo - French word for bicycle. Abandon - When a rider quits during a race. Thank you to dailypeloton.com  for contributing to this glossary. Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise activity, or increasing you present activity.  WEIGHT LIFTING Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise activity, or increasing you present activity.  RUN - 18 Strength Exercises Runners Can Do at Home by Jay Wind Runners need strength, including the upper body, abdomen, and lower body. Strength keeps you going longer, faster, and . . . well, stronger. You need arm strength to push you along, chest and abdominal strength to carry you when you’re tired, upper leg strength to climb hills, and lower leg and foot strength to push off on each stride. Both short distance sprints and longer distance races (mile, 5K, 10K, 10M, marathon, ultras) require strength. Many runners ignore strength-building exercises, to their detriment. I’m certain one factor that’s kept me going all these years is that I’ve been lifting weights since I was 14.   You can buy dumbbells or disk weights, or fill a couple of plastic jugs with water or sand. A gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds.   Here are 18 strength-building exercises you can do at home.   1. Forward Swing. Stand upright with a weight in each hand. Alternately swing each arm from the center line forward, emulating a running stride.   2. Reverse Swing. From the same position, alternately swing each arm from the center line backwards. This arm swing is more efficient for faster running.   3. Upright Fly. Stand with your arms at your side. Bring the weight up with your arms fully extended. That’s harder, yes? Work on it until it isn’t harder.   4. Chest Fly. Stand with your arms fully extended. Bring the weight toward your chest. That’s hard, too.   5. Waist Curl. Stand with your elbow tucked into your waist. Bend your arms slowly toward your chest, one at a time. After the two harder fly exercises, the curl is actually fun.   6. Military Press. Stand with the weights at shoulder height. Raise one at a time or both as high as you can. Since strength is built by contracting or extending a muscle against resistance, stretch into the sky to increase the strength- building effect. 7. Overhead Curl. Stand with the weights overhead. Curl your arms backwards and forwards. You can go all the way from behind your neck to between your legs. Go slowly, keeping the trajectory under control.   8. Bench Press Without a Bench. Lie on your back with the weights at your shoulders. Lift the weights high. Stretch into the lift.   9. Lying Flying. Lie on your back with your arms extended. Lift the weight a little above the floor and explore your range of motion from high above your head to near your knees, all in the plane of your body.   10. Bent-leg Sit-ups. Lie on your back, feet together and flat on the floor, knees up, back flat. With the weight on your chest, raise your head and chest about 30 degrees -- not all the way. Relax. Repeat 25 to 100 times. Now bring your knees to your chest and do 25 to 100 more. Now extend your legs and point your feet toward the ceiling and do 25 to 100 more.   11. Oblique Sit-ups. Put your legs down, back in sit-up position. Raise your head and chest about 10 degrees. Twist to the right; re-center; twist to the left; re-center; and repeat 25 to 100 times.   12. Squats. For runners, perhaps the best strength exercise of all. Stand with legs spread wide. Balance the weights on your shoulders. Scrunch straight down towards the floor. Rise up. You should feel the burn in your thighs. Repeat 10 to 20 times until fatigued.   13. Lunges. Stand upright with one foot a long stride in front of the other. Balance the weights on your shoulders. Strain forwards. Strain backwards, shifting all the weight from front to back. Repeat 10 to 20 times until fatigued.   14. Splits. Stand in the squat position, upright, legs apart, weights on your shoulders. Lean all the way to the right, stretching the tendons on the insides of your legs. Re-center. Lean all the way left. Re-center. Repeat 10 to 20 times until fatigued.   15. Toe Raises. Stand upright with the weights on your shoulders. Raise your whole body from your toes. Repeat 10 to 20 times. The first few repeats are easy, but they get progressively harder.   16. Dips. Use two banisters or other fixed supports at arm level. Support yourself with two arms. Now let yourself drop and pull yourself up. Your resistance is your body weight. If you can find bars high enough so you can lift yourself clear off the ground and dip, even better.   17. Chin-ups, Pull-ups, Clasp-ups. I have a chin-up bar at home, don’t you? Put both hands around the bar and enclose it with your thumb. Raise your whole body from the floor until your chin is level with the bar. Drop down and do it again. With your hands pointed away from you, it’s a chin-up; with your hands pointing toward you, it’s a pull-up; with your hands together and the bar in the middle between both thumbs, it’s a clasp-up.   18. Push-ups. Back on the floor, face down. Put your hands directly under your shoulders. Touch toes to the floor. Push up in one smooth motion, with a straight line from your nose to your toes. Repeat until fatigued.   Note the three classes of weight-lifting workouts.   1. Doing large numbers of repeats with light weights and not much break is essentially an "aerobic" workout.   2. Doing two or three sets of 10 repeats at each station is a "toning" workout. 3. Doing three repeats of the most you can possibly lift, then adding a rack until you can lift no more, is a "catabolic" or "breakdown" workout. Body- builders do breakdown workouts about once a week and take 72 hours to recover afterwards. After aerobic and toning workouts, most runners need 48 hours of recovery--every two days. The statement "No Pain, No Gain" is literally true. The pain of a strengthening workout means you are pushing your muscles to their maximum. Don’t go beyond the point of pain; find the edge where you can work uncomfortably but acceptably. Then take a full two days to recover before lifting again. The recovery process makes you stronger. Jay Jacob Wind, 58, has been running races since 1978. He has completed 113 marathons and more than 2,000 shorter races, with lifetime bests ranging from 4:44 in the mile to 2:27:25 in the marathon. He coaches for Potomac Valley Track Club (www.pvtc.org) and Marathon Charity Partners (www.MarathonCharityPartners.org) and directs 15 races and 3 track meets each year. IronBoomerSays: “No pain, no gain?” In Irongeezer’s opinion, the maxim “no pain, no gain” is only applicable, if your goal is the catabolic workout. Most of us, including me, benefit from non-catabolic workouts. If you are new to weight training, you can benefit from these exercises, even if you are only using your own body weight as resistance. This runners workout will be posted here thru 2011, refer to it as often as you like. RUNNING

ON DVD Getting The Most Out Of Short Run's Craig Binkley, CTS Resident Coach   Between a busy personal schedule and uncooperative weather conditions, there can be days when running for an extended period of time doesn’t seem very appealing. Rather than just completely taking the day off, you can still gain physical benefits by doing a shorter run or workout. Sticking with a consistent running routine, even if some runs are shorter, will be more conducive for fitness gains and help you achieve the goals you may have set for yourself. When you have a day where it’s not going to be possible to run as long as you planned, you can still accomplish something by shortening the run. Getting out for a short effort of even just 15- 20 minutes will benefit you more than having your training interrupted by skipping a few days. If you are looking to cut back the full duration of a specific running workout, it is better to focus on doing the main bulk of the specific task (i.e., a tempo run) and reduce the general endurance time. Emphasizing the time spent on the intervals, the most focused and productive time, will provide the main physiological benefits that will allow to you further improve your fitness. Consistency is the most important piece of every training program. It’s the one thing - perhaps the only thing - that every coach, physiologist, and medical expert agrees on. With out consistency, you’re not going to get faster, run farther, lose weight or achieve any other running goals you may have. What can you get done in 15-20 minutes? Many athletes are skeptical that they can really accomplish anything worthwhile in a simple 15-20 minute run. However, doing these short runs will still help your overall fitness because they contribute to heart stroke volume, muscle capillarization, general circulation, and running economy. There are also short workouts that can be done to directly enhance your running performance. A workout that I use and recommend to athletes I coach involves 12 minutes of continuous running, including surge intervals of 2:00, 4:00, 3:00, and 2:30 with a 1:00 “float” recovery between each interval. The intensity of the first three intervals should be done around 80-85% of your maximum sustainable effort, while the last effort of 2:30 will be 90-95% of your max sustainable effort. A “float” recovery involves running at the fastest pace that you feel will allow you to aerobically recover enough to complete the next interval at the appropriate intensity. If this workout is done correctly, it will enhance your pace at lactate threshold and develop your speed. Many people struggle in their quest to become fitter, faster runners. More times than not, individuals fail in the attempt to become better because they feel they do not have enough time to train consistently, and hence drop out of programs. Completing shorter runs allows you to still gain some physiological benefits while also making the notion of maintaining a regular exercise routine seem achievable. Craig Binkley is a Resident Coach for Carmichael Training Systems, Inc. (CTS) and an experienced collegiate cross-country competitor and coach.

Policy - iRONbOOMER.COM We do not sell or share your personal information, nor do we contact you, unless you have requested us to do so. Ironboomer.com does not give medical advice. Always check with your doctor before starting any new activity or increasing your present activity. We and/or contributors to these Web sites will not accept liability for any injury, illness or death which results from application of advice or information contained in these pages. It is the viewer's responsibility to ensure that they are in a state of health which will enable them to safely undertake any strenuous exercise. The viewer is personally responsible for ensuring the safe application of any information described in these sites. We do not claim to possess the professional or academic qualifications of subjects presented on these sites. The information results from our own experience, or experiences we have read or been told about. IronBoomer™ and IronBoomerSays™ are Trademarks of Cliff & Tatjana Eggink. © 2004 - 2010  All rights reserved.