Monday, December 21, 2009

Russell is an Athlete

Russell from Survivor didn't win the title "Sole Survivor" but he definitely earned respect on the playing field. However it all went down... props to Russ.

Who is SuperGo Sam

A husband, a friend, an entrepreneur, a guy who used to be quick.
As I'm entering a new city's cycling community; I'm doing my best not to name drop, or rely too much on past experiences... but there was a time when I was an individually sponsored athlete who had a little respect on the start line. And as my training dipped a little this week; this blog is to remind myself who SuperGo Sam really is; an accomplished competitor, dedicated, disciplined racer :)

Once upon a time, I thought about placing my race resume on here because somebody called me 'inexperienced'...However googling "Sam Dumcum Duathlon" reminds me that that's not the case;

US National Duathlon 20-24 Grand Prix Champion
8 World Duathlon Championships (U/23 & AG)
45 Top Ten finishes... and many more to come!

"SuperGo Sam" also reminds me about how much fun I had getting into the sport.

In 2004, my first job after the US Marines was working at SuperGo Bike Shops, in Oceanside, California  and I loved it!  We carried everything from house brand Scattante to TdF brands like Cervelo and Cannondale in the road section, kiddie bikes, BMX bikes (that I NEVER touched), and a host of mountain bikes that took me a couple years to get a handle on.  It was such a great experience helping people get their first bike, or change their first flat or upgrade because they wanted to go faster, be more comfortable... I loved it and talked to everyone about what I did because I had so much fun.

And I had SuperGo everything, bottles, cages, tubes, locks, computers, shorts, jerseys... I was a walking billboard and thought it was the greatest thing ever.  "SuperGo Sam" actually came from our name tags; it said "SUPERGO" on the top and then there was a spot to write your name beneath; and thus SuperGo Sam was born.

It wasn't just about the bikes, it was the community and the people - hopefully that's what this space can be about a bit to; discovering the joy of cycling 'with' people again.
















































































































































































































































































































































































Saturday, December 19, 2009

Day 41: Dec 19, 2009 - Grossness

OK, so I complain about MY gym a lot - I guess I should be counting my blessings because the one at a local mall is way worse. At least I feel my is clean; where-as the gym I went to today was dirty, sketch, and didn't have spin bikes. Instead of being completely bummed, I swallowed hard, turned up my headphones to drown out the disgusting music and construction workers and managed to bang out a decent weight workout.

Super Sets:

1) Leg Curls & Seated Row
Start with base weight, + 20 lbs each set (target of 15 reps)
As it got closer to the end I was dying and could only do 10 reps but I made it through 4 sets.

2) Leg Extensions & Pull Over Weight Machine
Start with base weight, + 20 lbs each set (target of 15 reps)
Usually I like to do individual legs on the extensions but today I did them together. This worked well as my left had to try and keep up with my right.
Pull Over - lean forward a little more than the guy in the picture and it really rocks your core.

4) Calf Press & Butter Fly
Calf press is always fun and kind of confusing but the sting came. Maybe because it was the end of the work out but you just have to grit through it.
Butter Fly - okay, I don't want to be big and bulky; but I do want to be able to throw my bike around on the hills and lean into the corners with sprinter power... And I can't stay a skinny white boy forever :P

Even though I spent 1/2 as much time in the gym as I wanted to - I burn
And as I write this blog 28 hours later; I still have a bit of soreness.
Note to self: Always remember to warm up doing a bit of cardio and stretching before hitting the weights, even if the gym is disgusting.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Day 38: Dec 16, 2009 - Gym, Spin, Die

Today I did my 'fitness assessment' at Premier fitness.
The numbers I remember are:
Body Fat Percentage: 16.8% (YIKES)
Weight: 186
Height: 6'1.75"
Biceps: 11.5"
Calves: 15"
Quads: 36.5" (hmmm I must have remembered this # wrong)
Chest 37.5"
Resting Heart Rate: 45 - WHAT? I think it's 66 and the guy just got it wrong.

Strength Test:
16 push-ups
I was actually almost happy with this after not having done them for so long. I felt a twinge in my shoulder at 15, but I think that's something that should go away. Definitely need to build back up some upper body core strength.

27 static sit-ups (chest to knees)
This was surprisingly good. I used to be able to do 120 crunches in 2:00; but these are a different ball game. I felt pretty good and maybe could have squeezed 1 more but...

Leg Curls: 15
(I'm not sure what the weight was but this was a max effort)

Leg Extensions: 15
(I'm not sure what the weight was but this was a max effort)

Leg Press: 42+
Mild fatigue - I don' think the trainer guy expected that.

Sit back against the wall:
:35 seconds

This was a super set - upper and lower body - kinda crazy

Took a little break - 10 dips / pull ups with 70lbs of help x 2

Off to the bike.

Premier Fitness has a selection of Reebok and Spinner NXT bikes. I like the Spinner bikes because well; it's spinning and I think Johnny G knows what he's talking about. The adjustment suites me well and the WTB looking saddles aren't to bad to sit on.

Work out:

5:00 easy spin - after the exertion in the gym I needed to catch my breath
5:00 - 1/2 turn increase.
5:00 - 1/2 turn increase.
5:00 - 1/2 turn increase.
5:00 - 1/2 turn increase.
2:30 - 1/2 turn increase.
2:30 - 1/2 turn increase.
5:00 - easy spin (3:00 backwards, 2:00 forwards)

Now this is the thing with spin bikes; you can't see your watts, but you can feel your output, so by adding 1/2 a crank on the 'resistance' knob, I don't know how many watts I was increasing my watts by, but it was definitely working 'something'.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Day 36: Dec 14, 2009 - gym, spin

Today I decided to get back in the gym and work more than just my legs :):

Shoulder Press (15 reps @ 75% of max) x 3
Seated Row (15 reps @ 75% of max) x 3
Arm Curl: (15 reps @ ____) x 2

Leg Extensions (15 reps single leg at x, x+20, x+40, x+40)

Then it was off to the pull-up / dip machine (with assistance)
10 pull-ups / dips
1:00 rest
x 3

I don't really remember what I did on the bike because I don't have my heart rate monitor here today; so I'll have to update that later; but my legs were pretty smoked the next day.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Day 31: Dec 9, 2009 - Spin HARD (1:50)

Well today was the last day of my 'first month'.
There's a "guy" who calls himself "the bike guy" and says its hard to stay on a trainer for more than 90 minutes... You'll see me quote this "guy" a lot and do a LOT of his workouts. Most of the workouts I already know and do because they're good workouts; but its nice to know other comebackers are on the same page. None the less, my goal today was to break the 90 minute barrier.

Anyhow, today was 110 minutes on the bike.
Read: 12 mins
Music: 50 mins
I wanted to do the majority in silence because I needed to do this, for me.

There wasn't a real 'plan' but I wanted to work, hard.
Plan not to burn out, but plan to accomplish some serious work. There's no hills, no coasting, just you and a bike, you can do this. Get into your head. Forget about the boredom. Think of attacking a hill, think of bridging a gap... If you're having a tough time getting into it, STAND, burn your legs off for a few seconds, sit down, recoup and do it again.

Sunday drive on Sunday; today is NOT Sunday. No scenery; nothing pretty to look at, just you, a bike, a wall, and a stuffy gym - GO RIDE!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Lance, Logos and Team Radio Shack

Now that I've officially completed my first month of 'getting back' into cycling... I re-instated my free online subscription to "RoadBikeRider" e-zine. For signing up, you get a free e-book, "29 Pro Cycling Secrets for Roadies" which is full of good info.

This week was a pretty entertaining issue as there was quite a bit about Lance Armstrong. I know I'm on my own 'comeback' starting a point way behind where Lance was when he left the sport (obviously) but he's almost TEN YEARS older than I am. Surely if I train my butt off for 10 years I can get close? Don't think so? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Anyhow - here are some smiles for your day courtesy of Lance:

NBC Philadelphia - Lance Can't Stand "StillerStrong"
Stiller and Armstrong are going head to head in a YouTube war. Who knows, maybe it will end in a walk-off like the LapDogs Christmas party for 'best legs'...

Looks as though Team Radio Shack has been pretty busy this week. It almost looks like they've only published their fan site within the last couple of days. This is one of the best cycling team sites I've seen. It's seriously excellent; easy to navigate, relevant information, user feedback all over the place... The bust is I don't think they bought enough bandwidth as when I tried to go back on a few minutes after finding it via google...

Here's some fresh photos posted within the last THREE HOURS (Dec 10, Lance Armstrong, Livestrong and Team Radio Shack release previews of the new Trek Madone). There's a place on their forum to vote. While requesting a "Thumbs Up" or "Thumbs Down" vote - I voted "TD for design and TU for parts. Why?

In a drive for branding and sponsorship; "Team Shack" shows just how many logos you CAN fit on a bike.

Seriously, how many R's do you have to put on a bike before it's too many? (How many are on there now -10, maybe 15?) And get off the wheels! Lance's yellow discs were a think of beauty; true design. If they need "Radio Red" make a cool design that makes your eyes bug out when the boys are flying by at 45mph.

We all talk about how it's the 'clean' bikes that are the beauties of the tour. Radioshack, if you're listening - EVERYBODY will know that you're sponsoring Lance and an incredible team; you don't have to splash it all over the bike. "Quality not quantity", I think a little more class would be nice.

Parts - great kit set-up. Worked well last year! (I just wish I could get a set of Pro Team SRAM Red cranks; I'm hoping to swap my retail version for a stiffer set of Dura Ace 7900s). I recall the guys at Toyota-Fuji United saying the Bontrager wheel's were the stiffest out there. Everyone knows tours can be won on Trek's Madone model... Don't think you can really go wrong there anywhere, well except for the design.

You can vote on the bike design yourself here and see more photos here.

Online Info:

www.teamradioshack.us/ (amazing interactive fan site)
www.teamradioshack.com/ (ad spalsh page)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_RadioShack
www.facebook.com/TeamRadioShack
http://twitter.com/TeamRadioshack (official twitter)
http://twitter.com/team_radioshack (fan twitter)

Monday, December 7, 2009

Day 27: Dec 5, 2009 - Track

Today is the day.
As we wind down the first month; I made the 2 hr drive out to London Ontario to get back on the track. Forest City Velodrome was hosting a Level 1 Track School, and with it being my first time on a track bike since my accident, I was a little excited and scared.

My weapon of choice was a 57 cm KHS Flite. Once I connected my Look Keo's, we were instantly friends and away we went.
Rob from Ontario Cycling was there running the clinic and he did a great job.
1. Starting & Stopping
Some guys were ambidextrous but I wasn't able to unclick my right foot, so I was left dominant.
2. Cones on ground level.
3. Riding on the track / cote
4. cones on the Cote
5. Cones on the track
SHOULDER CHECK! Up and Down
6. Group work

Feeling the speed and fluidity of the track was so refreshing.
Even though this little KHS loved me; if you're going to get a "base level" track bike; you NEED a Fuji Track Comp. Not only does it look fast; the rear wheel cut out and aero downtube help you cheat as much of the wind you're cutting through as possible. Fuji sports their own three piece isis bottom track cranks and 30mm deep wheels. For 'base level' you get a whole lotta pro built into it; no doubt with a lot of input from Advanced Sports Pan Am Games track girl. One day one will be mine!

In the skills session I was a little uneasy taking my hands off the bars; but that was because my collar bone was still a little sore from the other day, and the guy behind me went down. By the end I was okay to ride with my hand behind my back but it was still pretty unnerving.

I just wish it wasn't so far away - I can't wait to go back!

(there were three separate track classes - but here's the curve from the last one)


Day 17: Nov 25, 2009 - bike

With yesterday being a bit of a full day (with a bike and a run) I took it a little easier today.
I biked back to my buddy's house to get some air in these tires!
WOW did the bike ever ride differently. 30psi makes a huge difference. One thing I'll say for the Lightspeeds - they don't always feel the snappiest; but dang do they have great 'road feel'.

Got lost for about 10 minutes on the way there. There was a huge police check point in this small residential neighborhood (and I'm talking huge - 15 cops minimum, cars getting towed; INS on the scene, it was a pretty big deal) - anyhow it got me a little turned around. This made for a big negative split. That and I now had some proper air pressure in my tires.

Either way - my legs fell off on the big wall on the way home - check this out:
23.8km
1:03:39
HR 144 / 174
Speed: 22.8 / 68.1
(avg / max)

Day 16: Nov 24, 2009 - Bike & Run!

Ahhh Atlanta
Home of the 2003 National and World Duathlon Championships. Well, Alpharetta was, but I doubt many folks would know where that was. I made a great friend here who's an assistant coach of the Emery Woman's Swim Team. Amazing guy, even after all these years he still had a bike for me to borrow to get some training miles in!

It was a beauty trainer, a 56 Lightspeed with Campy Daytona shifters and a Maciv Cosmic Elite front wheel and CX 32 rear. It was great for the rides I was going to be doing. The bust is when I picked it up... I didn't have a pump so I rode home at 80 psi :P Safe enough for the tires; but a slug fest for the legs. This was really exciting for me though as this had been my FIRST ride on the road since my accident that cost me my collarbone and bike.

And then in the evening there was a run, with my best friend Billy. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have been able to push it this much. I know I know, I USED to be a duathlete, but now it's all WORK. Not that it wasn't fun; but check out those hills. I think my legs started screaming after 15 minutes. Lungs were working over time; but we're getting somewhere. Check out the elevation change - love it! Check out the heart rate - yowza.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Day 26: Dec 4, 2009 - Run in High Park

Last week I ran in Atlanta at my pace, where I didn't know where I was going, at whatever time I wanted to. Today was very different. Running with my buddy Ryan who's training for TPS is much quicker than running with Billy, who's an APD guy. I don't know why I only run with cops; maybe because they have time for it.
Either way, this pushed and pulled me outside of my comfort level and the heart rate was working again. Even with the frigid temperatures; I still had to take my top off because I was melting.

This is a great beginning to a Toronto Training Regime.

Day 25: Dec 3, 2009 - Spin

Today was a bit of a time crunch.
Bad day at work - politics in the office - hate it. I got out of highschool 10 years ago, seriously people.

Alas that left me 40 minutes so I went for a little spin.

10:00 warm up
7:00 single leg drills (left 1:00, both :30)
5:00 spin
10:00 spin more
(I broke this into 5:00 segments just to feel like I was ging somewhere and to track my hart rate better. I wanted to kind of ramp up, but wasn't too bothered because I had a crap day at the office and wanted to leave some of it at the gym before I went back.)
5:00 spin backwards

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Day 23: Dec 1, 2009 - VOMIT IN MOUTH

Yup that's right.
There's working it; and then there's throwing up in your mouth.
Now understand that's not quite as rough as spewing chunks; but today I graciously made up for yesterday.

5:00 - row - nothing too drastic, but the blood got pumping.
10:00 - Superman Sets -
5 pull-ups (feet start on box/ground)
focus on negative resistance
10 Spiderman pushups
Push up - when in 'up' position
raise right knee towards elbow
raise left knee towards left elbow
(down / up - repeat)
15 Body Weight Squats
:30 second rest between sets

Repeat as many sets as possible in 10 minutes.

When doing pull-ups; I like to alternate between 'overhand' and 'underhand' grips every set. I find this helps out balance out the shoulders and back a bit more in this work-out.
I've taken it easy on the upper body and core since breaking my collarbone; so this was no joke.

10 Spidie push-ups were too many for my shoulder as I started to feel the stress where the fracture was. Instead I did 6 push-ups, followed by the body weight squats, and then 4 more push-ups; rest, start over. This really reminded my arms, shoulders and back that they were part of my total body.

As for the 'leg lifts' during the push-up... this is for your core. Kind of combining everything. I'll do more research and get back to you; but for not having done crunches for three months; they reminded me just how deep my abs were burried. I would recommend 'lift-hold-lower', really squeeze your leg at the top. This not only gives you a bit of stretch, but your muscles a chance to really get into the work out and support your weight.

And then it was on to the bike.
It was getting late; and I hadn't really had dinner but I wanted to get something good in.

20 minute warm-up (12:00 reading)
1:00 hard
1:00 soft
2:00 hard
2:00 soft
3:00 hard
2:00 soft
2:00 hard
2:00 soft
1:00 hard
4:00 soft (2:00 reverse)

sweat on floor, vomit in mouth.
Wrecked, shattered, lungs burning - what a feeling.