How to Train for a Century Ride

Want to train for a Century Ride?  Here's how...

A long long while back, Bicycling Magazine posted a typical training program to ride a Century ride.  The approach may be a bit outdated, but it works.  I made a spdsheet to match their program's mileage ratios and saved the results as a PDF. 

You can get that here: http://dimensia.com/TeamRed/Century_Ride_Training_Program.pdf

If you follow this program, you'll be ready to ride a strong Century by August.  But note that you should train on similar terrain (hills, etc.) as your target Century ride.  And note that this program assumes you can ride 25 miles today, and builds in a 10% per week increase in ride volume. 

If you need different parameters, I can send you the spdsheet to play with.  You can plunk in faster mileage increases, different Day 1 mileage, etc.

Also, if you have questions, just contact me at kevinhorio@yahoo.com.

Cheers,
k

Order Your Team Red Jerseys & Shorts!

Go here to order your Team Red kit today!

The Team Red cycling kits look great and you'll  look and feel more like part of the team - order you cycling kit today.

The ADA has gotten great prices on these kits for Team Red, please see the Primal  Wear Team Red site for current prices.

Whatever you do - make sure you have your kit for this year's ride and our team photo!

New Captain & Co-Captain for 2014

Charlie Johnston (left), Larry Lukin (right)

First of all I'd like to congratulate Larry Lukin (2013 Team Red Philly Captain) and Charlie Johnston (2013 Team Red Philly Co-Captain) for a great Team Red experience at the 2013 Philadelphia Tour de Cure!  All the numbers are almost tallied and we'll send out the final update soon.

Planning is already starting for 2014, and we're hitting the ground running!

For 2014, Charlie Johnston will lead us the 2014 Team Red Philly Captain! 
 

John Alberta

Joining Charlie as Co-Captain for 2014 is an energetic and passionate new member of Team Red Philly, John Alberta!


Look for great things as Charlie and John take the helm for our 2013/2014 season!



Cheers,
k
   Team Red Philly Web Guy
    2013 Philly Red Rider Chairperson
    2011-12 Team Red Philly Captain
    2010 Tour de Cure Philly Chairperson

2013 Tour de Cure - HUGE Fun! GIANT Success!

The 2013 Tour de Cure was a the best yet!  Great people, great day, great food, great music, and a great cause!

Looks like we're close to hitting out Tour de Cure goal of $400,000.

Team Red raised over $22,000!

Big thanks to Lois and Larry Deckelbaum, Lee Maloy, Molly McGlinchey, Julie Heverly, and Lauren Hunter, the rest of the ADA organization committee, staff, and volunteers!

Also - huge thanks to Team Red Captain (and top fundraiser), Larry Lukin, and Team Red Co-Captain, Charlie Johnston.

And thanks to my Red Rider Co-Chair, Andrea Deutsch.

We couldn't have had such a great tour without all of your dedication and help!

More details to follow when all the numbers are in...

Until then, we'll see ya on the road!

Cheers,
  Kevin Horio
  2013 Red Rider Chairperson
  2011-12 Team Red Captain
  2010 Tour de Cure Philadelphia Organization Committee Chairperson

How to Fuel On Rides When You Have Diabetes

by Joanna K. Chodorowska, BA, NC, TPTH -- April, 2013
www.nutrition-in-motion.net

 

You Have Diabetes - Can You Really Ride Carb-Free?

The one thing I keep hearing from people with diabetes is that they don't (or think they shouldn't) take on any carbs when they're riding.  They'll go out for a 3, 4, 5 hour ride of anywhere from 50-100 miles and they won't eat anything! They're conditioned to be afraid of carbs - but you need fuel on those efforts.  It's a matter of knowing how much to ingest and how often, as well as which kind of carbs to take in.  It is confusing - everyone reacts differently and has different needs.  I will try to review some basic sports nutrition issues that apply to cyclists with diabetes, as well as every day cyclists.

The Basics

 First off, you need to balance the blood sugars all day long with eating regularly spaced meals.  You want to include in each of those meals a little bit of high quality protein, a little bit of high quality carbohydrate, a lot of green vegetables and some fat.  You are like a wood burning stove, and we need to find the right kind of logs to put into your fire.  If you don’t put in any ‘carbs’, you won’t get that fire to burn.  If you put in too many, then you will spike the blood sugar which also results in a sugar crash within 60-90 minutes later.  While you exercise, this mechanism of releasing insulin to lower glucose levels is impaired even in athletes who do not have diabetes.  So you want to make sure you do not spike the blood sugar by eating too many simple carbohydrates while riding, but even during your regular day.

Fueling Options

The key with the carbohydrate intake is to realize that there are many sources of carbohydrates. We need those carbs for our brains to function, and we need our muscles to be able to endure hours of exercise by consuming them.   

There are many forms to choose from: grains (bread, pasta, cookies, etc), root vegetables (sweet potatoes, potatoes, beets, celery root, turnips, rutabaga, etc), fruit and beans to name most of them.   

Then there are the simple sugars which are the candy, the cookies, the processed foods, some sports nutrition bars, gels, etc which may be things you do want to avoid as they are the things that can spike that blood sugar and put you in harm’s way while riding.   

If you can learn to balance the blood sugars better when not exercising, then the body will start to use more fat for fuel than carbohydrates; this means you can use less carbs but it does not mean NO carbs.  

Fueling Guidance

When starting an exercise plan, be sure you do have some of your fueling options handy.  You may want to stock your pockets with a few baked sweet potatoes sliced up with peanut or almond butter in between.  This is actually a much better option than most of the store bought bars.  A basic granola bar is better than some of the sports bars!  You may want to bring at least ½ potato per hour of riding.  There are a few bars that are low in sugar like Vega Sports’ Endurance bar.  This is the bar I personally use.  You will also want to make sure you have some kind of electrolyte replacement drink in your water bottle, but I would not suggest any store bought Gatorade (or similar) unless you dilute it by half (for more info on hydration, see "Hydration - Don't Cramp Out!").  But also steer clear of the artificial sweeteners in your drinks. 

• You will want to get about 150-200 calories per hour from carbohydrates during your rides. 
• Less than that, and you will run out of energy. 
• More than 300 calories and you will get stomach upset. 

So there is a happy balance, but you need to test out several options to find out what works best for you.

Listen to Your Body, Fuel Up Safely

As a sports nutritionist, I work with athletes to help them use real foods to perform at their best.  For those with diabetes, the challenge to balance the blood sugar is more important.  We help you learn to listen to what your body is telling you and know what to do when it says it needs food, hydration or something else.  Don’t be confused, and please do not go riding for more than 2 hours without taking any carbohydrates with you.  Choose your carbs wisely so you won’t spike the blood sugar.  But please avoid the no-carb plan - you might not make it as far as you wanted.  And we want cycling to be enjoyable and healthy especially if you have diabetes!

-----
Joanna K Chodorowska, BA, NC, TPTH is a sports nutrition coach helping athletes improve their performance, reaction time, and faster recovery using real foods. For more information how to balance your blood sugar and how to lose body fat and other sports nutrition related topics, please visit www.nutrition-in-motion.net .  Joanna provides her clients with realistic, real food options that fit into their busy lives.  As an athlete herself, Joanna understands the real food needs of other athletes.  Among the other services Joanna provides is Nutrition Response Testing (NRT). NRT provides insight into the absorption of food and supplements to determine their input strength or weakness. For updates on other sports nutrition programs, lectures, and events with Joanna visit www.nutrition-in-motion.net regularly.

2013 Red Rider Jersey Deadline - March 13th

If you have diabetes and ride in the Tour de Cure, that makes you a Red Rider.  All Red Riders receive a FREE Red Rider jersey to wear on the day of the ride.  But to ensure that you get the size you need by ride day, be sure to register for the 2013 Tour de Cure by March 13th, specify that you have diabetes on the registration form, and specify your jersey size.

Go here to register: 2013 Philadelphia Tour de Cure Registration

Go here for a sizing chart: Red Rider Jersey Sizing Chart and refer to the "Men's" size for all orders.

Also if you aren't on a team and would like to join the "house" team, register to join Team Red.  If you join Team Red, you can also have your registration fee waived.  Just email me (kevinhorio@yahoo.com) and I'll send you the promo code for registering on Team Red.

Cheers,

  Kevin Horio

  2013 Red Rider Chairperson

2013 Kickoff Party - March 19th!

Come join the big Tour de Cure Kickoff Party!

Date:    Tuesday, March 19th

Time:    5:30 - 7:00pm

Place:    PF Changs in Plymouth Meeting (510 West Germantown Pike - click for map)

We're joining Team Red and Red Rider festivities this year to make our Tour de Cure experience bigger and better!

• Come join us and get to know all your Team Red and Red Rider riding buddies.
  
  
• Meet Larry and Charlie - our 2013 Team Red Captain and Co-Captain.
  
• Meet Cate Mars - our 2013 Youth Ambassador.
  
• Learn about our 2013 Ride Calendar and our Mock Tour rides - when we'll practice on this year's Tour de Cure route.
  
• And much more!

But most of all - just come out and have some fun!  Spring is just around the corner, time to get ready for your best Tour de Cure yet!

Please RSVP to Molly McGlinchey by March 12th.  Email Molly at MMcGlinchey@diabetes.org, or call at 610-828-5003 x4629.

New Team Red Philly Captains for 2013!

Team Red Philly will be sporting new captains this year!

Larry Lukin will be our 2013 Team Red Captain.  Larry was the largest fundraiser on Team Red in 2012, raising nearly $4,400!  He has been a consistent presence on our Team Red leadership meetings, training rides, many of our monthly Featured Rides, and has hosted Larry's New Hope Ride.  He's made appearances on morning television and our BALANCE episode of the new web reality show "Charmed for Life" promoting Team Red.  And if there were a "Most Improved Rider" award for 2012, Larry would have won it.  ; )

Charlie Johnston will be our 2013 Team Red Co-Captain, in preparation for being 2014 Captain!  Charlie brings a lot of experience as the 2012 Chairman of the Delaware Tour de Cure, and the 2011 Team Red Delaware Captain.  Charlie leads the Saturday Team Red Ride in Ambler, which is targeted for beginning riders to get them comfortable with riding in groups on open roads, and he's done a fabulous job getting new riders ready for the Tour de Cure.





Join me in welcoming Larry and Charlie, our new 2013 Team Red Captain and Co-Captain!



As the 2011 and 2012 Team Red Philly Captain, I have enjoyed promoting Team Red in the Philly area and I will continue to work with Larry and Charlie to meet our Team Red goals.  It was a lot of fun working with both of them over the past 2 years to build a solid foundation for Team Red.  In 2013, I'll be helping out as Red Rider Chair for Philadelphia, and I'll be striving to join the forces of Team Red and Red Riders to create a bigger and more festive Tour de Cure experience for all of us.

I'll see you on the road!

Cheers,
  Kevin Horio

Team Red Highlighted on Web Reality Series - Charmed for Life

Last Fall, the new web reality series "Charmed for Life" covered Team Captain Kevin Horio's fight against diabetes, highlighting Team Red and what we do to help the ADA and how we help others fight their diabetes.  "Charmed for Life" was just released to the general public last week and you can see the episodes online, just follow the links below.

Our Team Red episode highlights our 2012 Team Red Century Club Ride, where Team Red got together to ride the *hilly* 100 mile route of SCU's Lake Nockamixon Century! 

See Kevin's "Charmed for Life" episode here: http://charmedforlife.tv/balance-a1/.

Be sure to see all three segments by clicking on "See More..." or "Bonus" at the left under the video window.

And see the four other compelling "Charmed for Life" episodes here: http://charmedforlife.tv

They're all great, life-affirming episodes covering folks fighting their ailments and living life to the fullest!

Thanks to everyone involved in Team Red's "Charmed for Life" filming, including special appearances by Larry Lukin, Bob Carter, my old friend Mike Dulligan, and my precious wife Joya Kabel.  Also special thanks to those who took the time to record video segments but didn't make the final footage - Charlie Johnston, Frank Morrone, Andy Poole, and Scott Peck.  Thanks also to Simon and Lou Montella for joining us in the century ride.  And especially to Chris Emmanouilides and his crew for doing such a wonderful job on the shoots, and for helping everyone feel relaxed.

Join us in 2013 as we grow Team Red to help more people fight their diabetes!  Everyone is welcome to our training rides, the rides we schedule on our organized rides calendar (soon to be announced for 2013), and our especially be a part of our 2013 Century Club!  Checkout out meetup for ride postings.

Tour de Cure Philly 2013 OPEN for REGISTRATION!

We're starting early for next year - the Philly/Ambler Tour de Cure site is up and running for 2013!

Team Red was the first team on the site and we're the first on the fundraising board with $25!

Lisa Caramandi and Larry Lukin were the first to join Team Red for 2013.  Be one of the first, too - register now for Team Red!

Since we all did so well last year, beating our $20,000 goal and raising over $28,000, all Team Red members will receive FREE registration!  Just use the promo code I emailed out yesterday and you'll have the $15 registration fee waived.  If you can't find the code, email me at kevinhorio@yahoo.com.

• TO REGISTER: Go to our Team Red Fundraising Page and click on the "Join This Team" link near the upper right.
• For details on the 2013 ride, go to TDCPhilly.org

Our goals for 2013 are to build Team Red to over 100 riders, and fundraise over $30,000! 

We can do it with your help.  We had 84 members last year, if we all recruit a friend we'll be well over our goal.

Also, think about becoming a champion this year!  If you raise over $1,000, you become a Champion for Diabetes.  We had a SEVEN champions last year - that was great!  Lets shoot to have 10% of our riders as champions this year, that's at least 10 champions and maybe more if we surpass our membership goal.

It'll be another big year for Team Red, get on board early!

And don't forget - keep riding!  Join us for our Century Club ride on August 25th!  We're going to be on the web reality TV show, "Charmed for Life"!