Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Trainers, Food Logs and Skipping a Race

As we are approaching colder months and darker, shorter days, I was thinking about getting a bike trainer so I could ride my bike inside in front of the tv or while reading a book.  Spinning is about the only thing I have consistently done inside at the Y so I figured I might actually do the biking at home too if a bike trainer was all set up for me. 

Since I really know nothing about trainers, I'm looking to you all for some help.  A friend of mine mentioned that her husband has the CycleOps and has used it for about 10 years.  I really don't get how these things work, but apparently you cycle like you would on the road and you can even shift gears!  I have no idea how you get more or less resistance--do you turn a dial like the spin bikes? 


I have another friend who has a barely used CycleOps that she wants to sell so I think I'll go that route first and try out a used one before buying a brand new one.  Maybe the used one will be just perfect and I'll get a good deal.  It is a Fluid2 CycleOps that she has.  It sounds like the fluid ones are better than the magnetic and wind ones, but honestly, I don't know what I am talking about.  I just read the reviews on the site.


I just started logging all my food intake on LoseIt, which is an app for your phone.  So far it's pretty handy to use.  It's only been one day and already it's a eye-opener.  I somehow seem to 'forget' the snacking I do or I don't think about grabbing a piece of cheese here or a handful of chips there.  I don't really have an issue with extra pounds but doing this log really keeps you aware of what you are putting into your mouth and just how many calories it is. 

You put in your height, weight, age, sex and what your goal is.  It calculates how many calories you should be eating each day to achieve your goal by whatever date you set.  As you add food into your diary, it subtracts off the appropriate amount of calories so you can see what you have left for the day.  You also plug in any exercise you do and it accounts for that as well.

You can add friends to your circle and see what everyone else is eating and how there are doing with their goals.  I think it's going to be a really good tool for me and anyone else who might be struggling to lose that last 5-10 lbs. 


Oh yes, then there's that little race thing this weekend that I signed up for 4 months ago.  The Maine 1/2 Marathon.  It was so shitty out last year (50's and rained the ENTIRE time), that I wanted to run it again with nicer weather and possibly break the 2 hour mark.  Last year I missed it by 2 minutes.  Mind you, this race was kinda an afterthought--not my A race this year.  But I figured I would be pretty well trained after the Rev3 tri so I signed up anyway. 

Here it is, race weekend already and I am really not feeling it this year and really don't care about going or not.  And then look what comes up on the weather this morning:

Exellent.  50's and rain.  Again.  I'm thinking No Thank You.  I hate to wuss out and not do the race but between the crappy weather, my heel, our crazy schedule and my minimal training, I'm sure not it's even worth it.  I do have a bunch of friends from high school that are heading down to do the race so I'll probably just get up and slog through it anyway, just to see them.  We'll see.


Do you have a bike trainer?  Which one and are you happy with it?

Have you ever skipped a race you signed up for just because you didn't feel like doing it?
Is that totally lame?

5 comments:

Teamarcia said...

I researched bike trainers last winter then never pulled the trigger since our winter was so mild. That one sounds good though! I went to a race and left at the first crack of thunder. Definitely didn't feel like doing that one.
You're right I am not overweight but I'm over the weight at which I run my best.
Good luck with the race if you decide to do it!

brg said...

I'd say jump on that Cycle Ops Fluid trainer!! The magnetic ones suck! I'm an avid mtn biker and typically train through the winter on either rollers or my Cycle Ops Fluid trainer.

First I tried the magnetic one because it was cheaper, but it had a terrible feel and you couldn't "coast". So I took it back to REI and got it Fluid one and I love it. It allows the free wheel to spin and it feels the most like being outside.

I like the rollers too, but it's different kind of workout - more for smoothing out your pedal stroke and balancing.

For years I've been using Fitday to track my calories and weight. It really helped a lot when I would go on my yearly 5 pound weight loss plan every Spring to drop the Winter weight.

Recently, changed my diet to more of a Paleo-esque style and no longer count/track calories and somehow have managed to drop 8 pounds in 3 months.

Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's Blog said...

I haven't been a big bicycle person until just lately and was thinking of getting a trainer for the winter to so it is good to see what people have to say about them.

I haven't not done a race I signed up for but have been tempted before.

carolyn mejia said...

I want a trainer too, so bad. I asked my gurus at my local bike shop and they recommended the cyclops you are looking at. They let me try it out and it's nice.

I've never skipped a race, but every single race I've ever done I've had 2 very definite moments. The first is when the alarm goes off and I REALLY TRULY want to skip the race and go back to sleep. I have to make myself get up. The second moment is about 15 minutes before the race. I think to myself... I REALLY don't want to do this. It lasts for about 30 seconds and then it's over... lol. Weird.

Don't sweat it... there will be more races. Races should be enjoyed not dreaded. :)

..:danielle:.. said...

i was SO confused when i was trying out my friends bike on his trainer. good luck, im sure it will be very helpful on rainy/snowy days this winter! and dont worry about skipping the race :)