Posts by njmattes

1aprilfool: When I was running, I found that only way I could really increase my overall speed was to do intervals. Just trying to run faster never did anything for me. I didn't do them on a track -- just around a half mile square park here in Chicago. No stop watch or HRM, just progressive intervals with long cool downs.

Fartlek runs also helped out, and I think they're much more fun. Just program in some 45 second or minute long sprints into your runs. Every 7 minutes or so.

I think part of the strategy is to get your fast twitch muscle fiber working. I'm short on fast twitch fiber myself (I was more of a distance runner, and I certainly prefer distance cycling), and those 2 runs helped me. I did one of each every week.

Welcome, cegdoodles!

For those of you who want to start biking again....

I started biking as an adult when I was (I think) 25. A friend gave me an old Peugeot road bike. I hadn't been on a bike in many many years, and I had to navigate my way through the city streets of Chicago. Maybe not as terrifying as San Fran, Boston, or NYC -- but dang.

1. See if your city/county has bike map. Maybe even the state (or provincial) Department of Transportation. The city of Chicago publishes a map of streets that they recommend for cyclists. I find that if you stick predominately to those streets, you're in the mix of traffic with other cyclists. And the motorists are a bit more aware of your presence than they might be on other streets. In Chicago, cyclists can report potholes, request bike racks, etc. through the city's website. Many cities are encouraging cycling these days -- particularly in the wake of these crazy oil prices.

2. Always ride with traffic. Some folks feel as though riding against traffic (on the left) is safer because they can see the cars. But the cars need to see you, and they can see you better -- and respond to you better -- when you're on the right, with them. Also, if you don't have headphones on (and IMHO you should never ride with headphones), you can hear the cars coming behind you. And if you're uncomfortable at first, you can pull over and let them by you.*

3. Get some cycling underwear. Mine are made by a company called Andiamo. They're like cycling shorts (with the big piece of foam covering your nether region), but they're thinner and fit more comfortably under your street clothes, if you're commuting. Getting used to being on a bike saddle again can be, um, traumatic. But the mild pain you might experience goes away after about a week. You might take an extra day off while you get used to everything again.

4. Make friend with your local bike shop (LBS). A good bike shop is indispensable to most folks. They'll show you how to fix flats, tune up your bike each spring, etc.

5. If you ride a mountain bike, get 'slick' tires. Slick (road bike style) tires actually give you more traction on asphalt. The 'knobbies' on mountain bike tires are designed to give you traction in dirt and mud. On asphalt they actually decrease traction, especially around corners. Not that you have to buy road tires that are less than inch wide -- they make mountain-bike-sized tres with no  knobbies.

6. Ride a lower gear than you think you should. A lot of people seem to think that riding in a really high gear is better for them -- because they can feel the burn in their quads. But it's awful for your knees, and it wears you out. Try to ride in a lower gear, and pedal a bit faster. You go farther and get a better workout. Of course, you can crank up hills and such to get a little anaerobic activity in as well.

And if anyone is getting back in to cycling -- especially in an urban situation -- feel free to PM me if you want.

*In the interest of full disclosure, I've been hit 3 times. But that's been in the course of, literally, tens of thousands of miles. I think that a lot of motorists are more scared of cyclists than we are of them.

WHEN I exercise, I lose weight really fast...at least, I do for now.  But I'm starting to really fear that looming metabolism wall.  I am running out of time.

Boy do I hear ya. Every summer I drop my winter 'coat' pretty quick. But the past 2 summers I haven't been as active as usual and the winter coats are adding up. I'm 33 as well -- and, like you, hoping that my metabolism hasn't hit the wall just yet.

I bike to work as well (seems that it's finally beginning to burn this excess garbage off) -- my trick is to add a couple miles onto my ride. In other words, not ride directly to work, but take the 'scenic' route. It can be really hard to find time to ride other than these commuter trips (for me anyhow), so the extra miles make a big difference each week.

Also, I'm no fan of prescription meds, but I briefly took Ambien when I was in school and not sleeping. It's no substitute for falling asleep normally, and staying asleep for eight hours -- but it helped out back then. And it beats tranquilizers which are awful. You might ask your doc about Ambien (or one of the many other new sleep meds out there).

Anyone else seem to need more food to lose weight?

I've only been on CC and tracking my calories for about a week, but I think I've encountered this dilemma. I didn't see the scale budge at all, despite having 2000 calorie deficits some days (due to cycling, not undereating). Then the other day I ate more than I intended (a friend's 40th b-day), and I seem to have dropped half a pound.

But I'm also having trouble sorting out whether or not I'm losing fat and gaining muscle from the cycling and light weight training. I have a feeling I'm gaining some muscle and THAT'S why the scale's not dropping. Which I'm totally fine with. My crazy Tanita electro-magical-scale tells my I've dropped my body fat 2% and raised my water weight 3.5% -- which I assume is due to more muscle.

would HIGHLY recommend going back for a visit, and the food is absolutely fabulous there

Mmmmmm. Thailand. I'd love to go back to Thailand. If anyone happens to go, be sure to hit Chiang Mai -- everyone seems to go south to the beaches, and not north into the mountains. There used to be a slew of incredible restaurants along Suthep road, but my friends tell me that an influx of Western shops have put some of them under. Darn shame.

The night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is pretty cheap too. And super comfy unless you're tall like I am (you can sleep the whole way).

I'll bet you'll be at your goal in no time-

God, I hope so! Thanks for the encouragement!

you already sound like you're in pretty good shape!

Eh, I used to be. I like to relive the glory days ;-) I'm hoping my body has some memory of my fit 20s that it'll gravitate towards. But I'm afraid it'd rather gravitate back towards my tubby childhood.

My wife's been doing ballet for a couple of decades. She swears by it -- particularly regarding how it shapes the body. She won't run or bike (my 2 exercises of choice) because of how -- she says -- they bulk her legs up. Apparently ballet, if done correctly, strengthens the entire body without bulking anything up. And, so the wife says, actually 'un-bulked' her legs from running cross-country when whe was young.

I know little to nothing about it personally, but maybe dancing would be worth looking into. For what it may be worth, my wife does classical ballet, Russian style training I believe.