April 7 — 73 days to go – Unbalanced kettlebells

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Travis

Here’s an training tip from Alison that will improve your balance, core strength, and leg strength all in one exercise. Take two kettlebells of different weights — say, five pounds and ten pounds — one in each hand.  Then do ten squats.  Then switch hands and do another ten.  Then do ten bends (touch your toes with the kettlebells and then stand up).  Then switch hands and do another ten.  Do three sets of each.  The general idea is that one side is working harder than the other.  To compensate, your core muscles have to kick in to keep everything in balance.  You build strength in your legs but also improve your balance and core — especially your obliques.  I did a bunch of these and I’m a much more balanced person now.

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April 6 – 74 days to go

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Travis

Here she is — Alison Eichten — my personal trainer at the University of Denver health club.  Alison has taught me everything from dynamic stretching to weightlifting technique to what the IT bands are and why they’re important to cyclists. (More on that later).  I’m a lot stronger and more flexible since I began working with Alison.  Alison also teaches classes in exercise physiology to aspiring personal trainers.  She’s invited me to guest lecture on persuasive communication.  It’s a whole new market for me.  Just think: persuasive personal trainers, what could be better than that?

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April 5 — 75 days to go

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Travis

Back home — from thousands of shades of green in Sonoma to the browns, tans and golds of Colorado.  Denver is about three weeks behind Sonoma in terms of spring flowers. Our pear tree is just showing its first blossoms; in Sonoma they were in full bloom, perhaps even past their prime.  Today is a rest day — so long walk with Bella but otherwise taking it easy and preparing the Persuasive Communication Tip of the Week.

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April 4 – 76 days to go

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Travis

Up early again and back to the ParkPoint club with Suellen — nice club and very friendly staff.   Younger crowd on a Monday. Did 45 minutes on a stationary bike, 15 minutes on the rowing machine, and a variety of core exercises and stretching.  Will do a little tourism this morning, then back to Denver, arriving just in time to watch Butler play for the national championship.  Then on Tuesday night, we’ll watch the Texas Aggie women do the same.  Gig’em Aggies!  (What did the Texas Aggie do when he heard that his wife was having an affair with his best friend?  Went home and shot his dog.)

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April 3 — 77 days to go

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Travis

Up early in Sonoma and went to ParkPoint, a sweet little health club on the outskirts of town to work out.  I’m sure I was the youngest person there – a sexagenarian among septuagenarians and maybe even a few octogenarians.  Spent 30 minutes on a spinning bike — while learning that every ESPN analyst believes that UConn will win the NCAA basketball championship — then 15 minutes on the rowing machine and three sets of four different core exercises. Then we went touring in the Sonoma and Napa valleys, including a nice hike in the Jack London state park.  Magnificent forests, including the cedars in the sunlight shown here.  Go Butler!

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April 2 – 78 days to go

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Travis

We’re in Sonoma with our friends Laurie & Andrew.  Mainly we were car tourists today, driving down to the Pacific coast through the delightful town of Occidental.  Also stopped for a picnic at Dutton vineyards where they make an excellent pinot noir and syrah.  Long walk at dusk to keep the legs and heart moving. Now this is training.

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Training Table – The French Laundry

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Travis

So I need to gain ten pounds to get ready to bike across America. Where better to do it than at The French Laundry in Yountville, California?  Suellen and I dined there on Friday (no, this is not an April Fool’s joke) with our friends Laurie & Andrew.  We all had nine-course meals.  I had the selection with meat and fish and they had the selection that was essentially vegetarian (though sea urchins don’t count as vegetarian do they?).  Also a 110-page wine list that’s brought to the table on an iPad.  Our consensus favorite dish was the salmon tartare cone (see pic) — fresh salmon, creme fraiche, and some light spices, all in a small ice cream cone.  I also loved the oysters and caviar in tapioca — one of their signature dishes.  Great food, great wine, even better service — all in the name of better biking!

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March 31 – 80 days to go

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Travis

Big winds today so I decided to stay inside and work the kettlebells with my trainer, Alison Eichten. Mainly worked on core exercises. For instance, take the plank position and then lift and move a kettlebell with one hand while maintaining the plank position with the other hand.  Also, burpees with the kettlebell. Then sit on the ground, lift your legs up and haul a kettlebell from your right side to your left and back again.  All this strengthens my core which helps me hold myself up on the bike instead of slumping forward on the handle bars.  That helps me control the bike better and not get tight shoulders, back, etc. It also wears me out.

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March 30 – 81 days to go

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Travis

Serious cross-training day — starting with an hour of power yoga. I almost got the crow position right.  Followed up with an hour of weight lifting — arms and upper body.  Then pilates to get my core stronger so I can sit up better on the bike.   Then I walked Bella about four miles.  My nap was a little longer than usual.

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Too skinny?

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Travis

The ride across America is one of the most challenging physical activities I’ve ever undertaken.  So I started working out last September — giving myself plenty of time to get in shape.  I also shifted my diet — eating more fruits, vegetables, fish, and grains and fewer big steaks and fries.  The result?  I lost about a pound a week for 20 weeks or so.  I look better and I have a lot more energy.

The problem is that my trainer, Alison Eichten, says I’m too skinny.  The body burns carbohydrates first and — when it runs out of carbs — starts to burn fat.  Alison says that I won’t be able to eat enough carbs on those long, long days on the bike so I need to have some fat reserves to fall back on.  She’s telling me now that I need to gain ten pounds (4.5 kilos).  So it’s back to the steak frites!

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