Reddit mentions: The best individul sports books

I think some of your questions are subjective and open to personal opinion. So take my response as such.

1. I think your bike is worth it to you and that's what matters most. (Honestly I think it was a good deal and a good bike.) What's more important, do you feel comfortable on it? Do you want to ride it? Than it's worth every penny. If you have a bike you don't want to ride, well, then the reverse is true.
   
2. YouTube is your friend for maintenance. There are some things you can check without tools, such as chain stretch, checking the cassette for wear, seeing if your cables stick or are frayed. Give the bike a good wash, clean the chain, cassette, frame. Make sure your brakes don't stick or don't grab properly, shift through all the gears, front and rear. If they stick you can put some oil into the cable housings or consider changing out cables. Bike maintenance isn't hard, it's just getting past some of the black magic of making things just right. That can be the difference that a bike shop can bring. But honestly, if you know how to do it yourself, I think you gain confidence in your skills and can easily tweak something without relying on a shop.
   
3. Anything is possible. It's a hard question to answer without knowing your current fitness level, but I'd say in a few months you can be ready for a century. Will you be breaking land speed records, probably not, but you will be able to do it. Just keep riding a bit longer or a bit harder each week. You don't need to do a century ride before actually doing one officially. You just have to find a pace you are comfortable with that you know you can ride for a long time. That's the pace you will need to finish a century. It's that "I could do this all day pace" that you are looking for in a long ride.
   
4. I can't answer this one as I've picked up most of what I do with a few books and fellow riders. One book I enjoy is Time Crunched Cyclist by Chris Carmichael. http://www.amazon.com/The-Time-Crunched-Cyclist-2nd-Ed/dp/193403083X
   It's great for those of us who may not have the time to train like a pro.
   
5. This is a subjective question again. A good cruising speed is what you are comfortable with. 32kph would be very respectable for a century and a good pace for any day to day ride. You'll need to get a feel for what you can handle however. Might have to build up to that, might find you can easily blow that speed out of the water.
   
   Good luck and have fun!

Jack Daniels in Daniels' Running Formula on why easy running is benifitial:

> Easy running does a good job of developing the heart muscle, since the maximum force of each stroke of the heart is reached when the heart rate is 60 percent of maximum. As you run faster, the heart rate and the amount of blood pumped with each heartbeat (referred to as stroke volume) increases minimally. So fairly easy running is a good developer of the heart muscle, and although it doesn't feel as if you are working very hard, your heart is.

> Another benefit of Easy running is an increase in vascularization (opening of more tiny blood vessels that feed the exercising muscles) and the development of characteristics of the muscles themselves that are involved in running. Even during easy running, your heart id developing a good amount of blood and oxygen to the exercising muscles, and these muscles respond by making changes in the muscle fibers that allow the muscles to accept more oxygen and convert more fuel into energy in a given period. In fact, many of the benefits gained as a result of this process are a function of time spent stressing the muscle fibers. You will no doubt spend more time accomplishing this goal by running easily because it is easier to last longer at a comfortable pace than it is at a hard pace.

You will want to make sure you are doing a body weight routine that includes more difficult movements and not just ricidulous volume on basic exercises.

/r/bodyweightfitness is a good starting point to get you rolling but if you already have great lifts their routine might not be advanced enough for you. Overcoming Gravity is a great resource with writeups and progressions for exercises although through some extremely advanced gymnastics exercises such as planche pushups.

It should be very easy to keep your size for your upper body with BW exercises. Lower body is a bit harder, especially if you have a very big squat/deadlift. Still doable, but for the most part you still will want to add weight, and will be doing things like weighted pistols and weighted shrimp squats.

Dominik Sky and FitnessFAQs both have youtube channels with a good bit of information.

A place to do pullups is all you really need for bodyweight exercises. I would recommend picking up a set of Gymnastics Rings at some point or another though as they are extremely useful for bodyweight training.

I would increasing your flexibility training a bit. A lot of bodyweight stuff benefits hugely from increased flexibility.

Also lastly, I don't know how advanced of a lifter you are, but if you are a very advanced lifter be a little with some of the very advanced straight arm body weight exercises. They require a lot of tendon strength in addition to muscle. Even if you have a 2x body weight bench for example you will want to still do some tendon conditioning before jumping straight to an iron cross to avoid injury.

You need to get on Instagram, brotha.

I feel like I'm rehashing a lot of what's widely available on the webs, but you probably need to start by thinking through the complexity of your question.

Yes, you can train at low rep ranges with bodyweight. That's the goal, in fact, if you train that way. But it's a unique pursuit in that the leverages required of training with maximal intensity first require what we might call an intermediate/advanced mastery of technique, form, balance, and all that jazz. In the bodyweight-training community, the top-end movements are all considered skill movements: only after mastering handstands, planches, levers can you implement the patterns dynamically, i.e. handstand pushups, planche pushups, front lever rows, one-arm chinups.

Here are some good resources for you to explore:

• Jason Ferruggia writes about this a lot, but this is the best intro article.
  
• Al Kavadlo isn't a "power" guy, but is a great entry point.
  
• Baristi Workout is fantastic, and will direct you to tons of other people you should explore (like Frank Medrano, Barstarzz, etc)
  
• Battle of the Bars = badass
  
• Christopher Sommer runs the Gymnasticbodies.com training service, but this is the article that started it all and is highly informative.
  
• The /r/bodyweightfitness/ subreddit is a gold-mine resource, but beware the Crossfit-esque insider attitude.
  
• Overcoming Gravity is arguably the most comprehensive bodyweight training book around.
  
• I'm currently obsessed with Ido Portal's training methods - they're among the most unique on the planet.
  
  Ahhh, there's so much to explore. The problem is that there ISN'T (yet) a cohesive system for developing maximal power with bodyweight movements. IMO, Ferruggia has done the best job, merging bodyweight and barbell training for maximum development. In the end it just becomes an issue of personal preference - though you can develop immense strength and power with bodyweight training, it takes infinitely longer than barbell training. If you're a coach, and raw power is the goal, then BW training almost necessarily gets reduced to supplemental training.
  
  Good luck to you, have fun, and definitely consider reposting this on r/bodyweightfitness. They'll sort you out something proper.

For shoes, you need to go to a real running shoe store. They will analyze your gait, and show you the type of shoes you need. They should give you a handful of the "right" (for you) shoes to try on, and let you spend some time on a treadmill in each pair, allowing you to ask plenty of questions. The shoes should be pretty big, since over a long run your feet will swell. You should at least be able to press your thumb (width) between your toes and the end of the shoes.

Regarding stretching, there ARE a lot of schools of thought out there. I am sort of lazy about stretching beforehand, but I recommend doing dynamic stretches (not the static kind) ... marching in place, jumping jacks, body twists, things like that.

I also recommend (strongly) stretching afterwards ~ these can be static.

For your first marathon, I can't recommend strongly enough this book. I used it, and know at least 5 others who did, as well. Every single person finished their first marathon injury-free.

If you DON'T get the book, the rules I consider to be unbreakable are:

• good shoes
  
  
• excellent hydration
  
  
• good nutrition
  
  
• good recovery (rest or do light cross-training the day after a long run. Refuel. Rehydrate. Start getting a good night's sleep if you don't already.)
  
  
• FLEXIBILITY (in terms of your schedule. If you are "supposed" to run, but sick or more sore than just achy, then wait a day. No point in setting yourself up for injury. Also, if you are supposed to run, say, 12 miles, and you start, and then halfway through you are out of water and it's 90 degrees out, then STOP. Don't be an idiot in your training.)
  
  Breakable rules, but still good to follow:
  
  
• train your brain. Mantras, positive thinking, etc., are great
  
  
• learn what works for your GI system. Don't change anything on race day, and only make small tweaks throughout your training.
  
  
• practice hydrating with whatever they will provide on the course.
  
  
• try to find a friend or group to run with, at least sometimes.
  
  
  Good luck and have fun :)

From Page 436 of Overcoming Gravity:

> There are some interesting correlations among the pulling exercises. The back lever, front lever, one-arm
chin-up/pull-up, iron cross, and many other pulling exercises have similar levels of strength that carry over
between each of the strength progressions. Here are some estimates on the translation of one to the other:

> Straddle Front Lever = ~50% Bodyweight Pull-up = ~ Full Back Lever
> Front Lever = ~70-80% Bodyweight Pull-up
> One-Arm Chin-up = ~80-90% Bodyweight Pull-up
> 3 One-Arm Chin-ups = +15 lbs. One-Arm Chin-up = 3-4s Iron Cross Hold
> * 5 One-Arm Chin-ups = +25 lbs. One-Arm Chin-up = ~10s Iron Cross Hold

> Referring back to the progression charts, some of these associations are on the same level on the skill and
strength charts. This is what makes the skill and strength progressions charts useful; they allow identification
of skills that are at a similar level of ability

> Regarding the translation to the full back lever, it is a bit more variable. The full back lever can be achieved
more or less around the straddle FL progression. The straight-arm pulling variations build the shoulder
strength to execute the one-arm chin-up, but the front lever does not build bent-arm pulling strength due to
the high level of biceps stress, whereas the back lever does.

> Of course, there is still some level of specificity needed to achieve each of these skills, even when they are
ranked at similar levels of strength. Practice what you want to achieve, but in doing so know that supplemental exercises from all of these categories have some carryover to each other.

In general, there's definitely carryover from pulling strength to straight arm pulling exercises... but you also have to practice the movements as well. If you've never tried straight arm work then it's going to be more awkward and less efficient.

Also, note that even IF you have the strength for a movement, you may not have the tendon and connective tissue strength for a movement. I've seen people get injured trying back lever and iron cross because they have the strength but they don't have the elbow/shoulder connective tissue strength to support the straight arm movement. Be wary, and build up gradually for straight arm movements.

So, I have done Vancouver to Tijuana and used almost exclusively this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Vicky-Spring/dp/0898869544/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323197410&sr=1-1

I ended up hating it, some things are wrong,it's hard to use a book while riding, etc. but it got the job done.

Another alternative that is really useful are the adventure cycling maps:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/pacificcoast.cfm

Or like fayette said, ditch the preplanned route, it honestly is way more fun and feels more like you are on your own adventure. A lot of areas will have free bike maps of the region, like the Discovery Trail on the Olympic Peninsula. And you can just use road maps bought at a gas station. The downside to this is that many times you will take a big highway when there was a barely used country road that you could have taken.

Luckily for you there are hiker/biker sites in most campgrounds all the way up the coast. They normally cost around $5 a person and will have warm showers. Or, what it took me forever to learn was to bush camp. Go to a park and find somewhere hidden, get out your sleeping bag and sleep. Not having a car really helps hide in the park and it ends up saving a lot of money.

Also, I would consider taking Highway 1 up as far as you can. The grades are a little steeper and the shoulders a little smaller, but it is much better riding than the 101. Once you hit California(from Oregon), highway 101 turns into a highway, 4 fast lanes, wide shoulders and shallow grades. This comes at a cost, it is hotter, dustier and less scenic. While this doesn't sound so bad, it gets old quick.

For food I'm not sure what your plan is. I highly recommend getting a backpacking stove and lightweight pot. It will save you a lot of money and make you much more flexible. Usually you can go to most places and they will fill up your water or you can fill it up at their soda machines.

*This is from a layman's perspective on exercise science and physiology as it relates to amateur cycling training

I'd rank ways to measure the training load of intervals like this from least to most helpful:

4. Distance at RPE or Speed
3. Time at RPE or Speed
2. Time at HR

1. Time at a specific Power Rating
   
   My understanding is that Time and Intensity are what matter for training for specific physiological adaptations, so the more accurately you measure those two factors, the better quality your training will be. Distance tells you nothing about time it takes to complete a specific interval. It's related to time in that at a given speed on unvarying terrain different distances will take different times to complete, but we can't control for those variables on the road. On a track or a very flat course with no wind....maybe.
   
   Speed tells you very little about intensity because of the same factors as well as your level of rest and recovery.
   
   Rate of Perceived Exertion (how hard am I working on a scale of 1-5 or 10 or whatever) can be a really good training cue for yourself, but until you have something more objective to measure it against (heart rate or power) it doesn't necessarily tell you much.
   
   Heart rate is influenced by a number of factors outside of the intensity of a specific workout, including rest, hydration, health, recovery, etc. It does, however, control for a lot of environmental variances (gradient, wind, etc.)
   
   Power is probably the most accurate way to measure intensity, and when coupled with heart rate and RPE you can draw some pretty profound conclusions about physiological responses from your body.
   
   I train with heart rate since I'm too much of a peasant to own a power meter. Typically I try to do my intervals at different heart rate levels based on what I'm attempting to train (muscular endurance, power, etc.) and try to return to a baseline heart rate within a designated resting interval. If I can't recover in time, typically it means I'm not rested enough for the workout or I haven't done enough base training and I change my plans for the day or the week.
   
   I'd recommend the Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel
   https://www.amazon.com/Cyclists-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1934030201
   
   It certainly helped me.

I did pretty much this same trip last summer (a few months ago) except it was from Seattle to Santa Cruz. It was so awesome.

Here are the pictures: http://itsbiggerontheinside.imgur.com/all/

If you have every backpacked before, you just need the essential gear that you would bring backpacking. I camped everynight (about 5$ a night in california/oregon and then it gets ridiculously expensive ~$15 a night in Washington) so I brought my camping stove, hammock to sleep in along with a rain tarp, warm clothes... The essentials.

You say you're training on that bike, but not riding on it? And you said it's a fixed gear... It's not a fixed gear, it has gears. Do you know how many? I did my ride on a 1984 Miyata 1000, and it held up great. If your bike has good enough gears, and eyelets for paniers, you should be fine on it.


I don't know your route, but if you are going to go along the coast (which I recommend), there's a great book called bicycling the pacific coast. It tells you where campsites are, things to see, and it suggests how long you should travel for each day.

You said that you are planning on doing it in 2-3 weeks. I did it in 24 days, and that was about 50 miles a day with a few rest days. If you are walking at all (im a little confused about what you're really doing) it will take you longer.

I think that you have some superfluous things that you are bringing as well. A backpack, hiking shoes (if you aren't riding clip less, you should be fine without hiking shoes). You didn't mention that you are bringing rain pants in you packing list (unless i skimmed over it), and you may want to bring those in the spring months for the Northern Coast. It can be cold, and wet.

I hope you have a great time! I looks really rad. If you don't have your bike yet, check craigslist! You'll find some awesome deals for awesome bikes on there.

Also, feel free to ask anything.

In reference to your edit, I think a great beginner/intermediate running training book is Jack Daniel's Running Formula. Some stuff in it may already be familiar to you, but if you want to know enough about running training to plan/understand your own workouts (which I assume you do as a former good cyclist) it's a really good start.

I'm not going to go too indepth on training (that's what the book is for, plus I wouldn't even make a dent in really talking about training) but I will make a few points just from what you've said here.

> I've been doing around 3 miles a day for the past two weeks and can usually hold an 8 min pace for a 5k effort. My heart rate is through the rough and it doesn't seem like it is going to get any easier.

Slow down. I know, it's going to be a blow to the ego, but running is a fairly specific activity and it's going to take some time for your body to adjust. You'll still see improvements without grinding every single run. The good news is with your background, you should see quick improvement as your running economy begins to improve, as a lot of the cardiovascular base is already there. This will be a nice change after being elite at cycling (where so much work is required for even a minuscule improvement). If you want to go fast, set specific workout days, and even those should have an easy warmup and cooldown.

>rack up some serious mileage in the future months/years to come.

Just a warning to not do too much, too fast. A huge difference between running and cycling is the amount of wear that the impact of running can put on your body. Slowly ramp up your mileage over time, giving the joints and tendons time to adapt, or else you'll end up hurt (like me....). It's tempting to pour yourself into this new sport with as much intensity as you put into cycling, but you can't be running 100+ km weeks right off the bat.

>been doing around 3 miles a day for the past two weeks

I'd take a rest day once a week. Maybe go for a swim or bike on Sunday's instead. Even when I was running 8 times/week I still took Fridays completely off.

Feel free to ask if you've got any other questions I can try to help with!

You are going to need to increase your power (FTP) and introduce long intervals into your training. I"m talking about specific rides where your only goal is something like 3x20 minute intervals at 85-90% of your max power or heart rate. These are rides done by yourself, alone, and in some degree of pain towards the end of the session.

There's plenty of information on the internet on increasing your FTP, but essentially you want a decent (20 minute) warm up followed by 3 x 20 minute intervals at 85-90% of your max power or HR with 5 minutes of rest (riding super slow). You can start at 10 minute intervals first if you like. This has always worked very well for me in the past and I'm old school before Power Meters so it does work using HR, but most modern training is now done with power meters. It will still work with a heart rate monitor, but you need to know a few things about your heart rate zones, max hr, etc.

A good book that will probably get mentioned here is "The Cyclist's Training Bible" and it is highly recommended. Good luck, getting faster is hard work, but the rewards are worth it.

The New Rules of Marathon and Half Marathon Nutrition by Matt Fitzgerald is a good book that talks mainly about nutrition. Some people say it was written as a marketing ploy by Matt Fitzgerald, however there's still some great info in there about nutrition for training and race day.

Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger is also a great resource for all things training. Ignore the training plans in the back as they're likely too advanced for your first marathon, but the rest of the book has amazing information about physiology, cross-training, recovery, nutrition, types of workouts... Highly recommend. Then, if you get to a point where you want to take your marathoning to the next level, you'll have some great plans to work off.

Another great online resource is fellrnr.com (i've linked you straight to the marathon section) -- this guys has compiled A LOT of data if you're a data nerd, and there's also a lot of good info in there.

Just a note on using different resources -- you'll see that sometimes they can contradict each other. For example, Matt's book and fellrnr both speak to the benefits of fat loading during your pre-race carb load phase, but Pfitz's book writes this off as not necessary. This is normal, and don't get too caught up in what's right and what's not. The point is that everyones different, and you need to find what works for you.

This sub-reddit is also a great trove of information, with many people willing to answer specific questions about anything running related, so never hesitate to ask!

Good luck with your training and race!

Level 1 Squats require quite a bit of balance and upper body strength to maintain the position. While it is still beneficial to work on it, having that hold you up from progressing in actual squats doesn't make sense. I would suggest starting off at level 2 in the Squat progression, but still working on Level 1 when you can; it is nice for the mobility, balance and flexibility, but it's going to do very little for you strength-wise, at least in terms of the Squat progression.

Level 2 Pullups, as described in the book, are just ridiculously hard for most people who would be at that step in the progression. What I found worked for me was something I think I read on the Dragon Door forums: instead of working with a bar/table that is waist height, find a bar/table that is more sternum height (the bone between your chest muscles). That will make a huge difference in the level of difficulty and is a more natural progression between Levels 1 and 3.

Most of the other progressions should be good and slowly build you up to where you need to be for each step. Some here believe the number of repetitions is too high; the numbers the book has you do at times will have your muscles focusing on endurance more than strength. But I was starting it from a relatively low level of fitness, so I didn't have a problem if I mixed a little endurance training in with my strength training.

I also had a rule that I had to meet each Progression Standard three times before I actually moved on. It keeps you from moving too fast through the progressions, assures you didn't just have a fluke day or get any cheat reps, and makes sure your form can be nice and stable before moving onto the next step. If you are still feeling like you are making gains at a given level, don't be in a huge rush to jump ahead. I like to look at all the bodyweight exercises as a more long-term thing.

Also, feel free to add things to the exercises if you are interested and able to later on; I did the routine about 3/4 of the way through (getting to level 5-8 in the various exercises) before I started over with a weight vest for added difficulty. After going through back to the beginning with the vest, I'm now back to level 8-10 in everything but pullups and HSPUs, which I'm at 7 and 6 in HSPUs, and now I have been mixing it up with the gymnastic stuff from moderator eshlow's book: Overcoming Gravity

I definitely think you can get it or come pretty close. You clearly have some solid natural talent and those lifetime miles always help, even if its been a while. Plus the fact that you haven't put on weight helps too.

I think it depends on what type of training you respond to best, but from reading Daniels and Pfitz books recently, there are sort of the 4 types of training that are important for the 5K. Easy aerobic runs/long runs, tempo(about what you could run for an hour or so), interval/V02 max(3k-5k pace) and repetition/speed(about mile pace or so). I think tempo and V02 are more important than the speed in the 5k so those should be the focus.

For a 5k time of 17:00 you want to be hitting tempo workouts around 5:54. Things like 4-6x1 mile with 1 min rest, 2-3x2 mile with 2 min rest, or a 4 mile tempo run. For the V02 stuff you want to be at around 5:25 mile pace or 2:42 800 pace. Workouts like 8x800 with 2 minutes jog. 6x1000 with 2-3 min jog. 5x1200 with 3 min jog. The shorter faster stuff is around mile pace. so 75 and under for 400 or 37 and under for 200. Workouts like 200 repeats with 200 jog or 400 repeats with 400 jog.

Maybe try to do any two of those workouts each week and a long run and you can get there I think. One week do a tempo workout and speed. Then the next week V02 and tempo. The week after V02 and speed. Try to get all those systems working. I would say try to make sure you can get your long run up to 10-13 miles or so.

These are what you should be running for a 17 min 5K, so its fine that you work into it. If it means slower pace or less reps, cool. These are just some benchmarks that to shoot for as you get closer to the race. Obviously if you can't handle the 2 quality sessions and a long run right now, back off a little and stick to the tempo and V02 stuff once a week and alternate them maybe. You can always do strides after runs or 200s after tempo workouts to keep some turnover going.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a book if you are serious about it so you can understand why you are doing these workouts instead of listening to me on the internet haha.

http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-3rd-Edition-Jack/dp/1450431836

http://www.amazon.com/Faster-Road-Racing-Half-Marathon/dp/1450470459/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456842179&sr=1-1&keywords=pete+pfitzinger

Good luck. Keep us posted.

I'm a bit rusty on the science and don't have my trusty copy of Advanced Marathoning with me but I'll give it a shot!

>But what's the point of that mileage? I prob don't reach the fat >burning (over glycogen) point that I would from a long run
>(17+miler).

Becoming more efficient at burning fat can be important but it's not the purpose of most your long runs because if all goes well, you shouldn't have to burn fat in the marathon.

Really, marathon training is getting your body storing as much glycogen as possible while burning it at efficiently as possible. That's because when you run out you start burning fat (requiring a lot more O2) and you hit the wall.

>It's also not helping with speed.

Real speed work is barely featured in marathon training. In the last couple of weeks leading up to the marathon you'll see some 400s etc as a sharpening workout but otherwise it's pretty useless because you'll never see it i the race. Longer intervals like mile repeats, 2 mi, 5k are useful to improve aerobic efficiency. I'll usually do one workout a week like this.

>And intuitively, I would think that taking a day off would be better for >recovery than doing a short and easy run.

>Wouldn't I run better/smarter if I prioritized each of my workouts (my >long runs, intervals, tempo) and gave it 100% rather than struggle to >complete them b/c of fatigue for instance?

Ah but marathon training is about running when you're not fully recovered. How else do you teach your body to recover more quickly? How else do you encourage it to store more glycogen and use it more efficiently? How else do you learn to run on tired legs? Don't take me wrong, you shouldn't be struggling to complete them but you shouldn't feel fresh either.

edit: Check out the weekly marathon training thread over at LetsRun to see what type of training people are doing. You'll see guys who are OT qualifiers and others who are like you shooting for Boston. Pay attention to the easy mileage they're running compared to the workouts.

I'm not an expert on 5K plans, but generally speaking, I like running 5-6 days a week, with 1 workout day, and 1 long run day. The rest are easy runs. For my schedule, I do workouts on Tuesday and long runs on Friday, but you should find what works for your schedule. So you don't want to suddenly increase to 5-6 days, but see about adding one easy day to what you're doing already. Make sure the effort is easy and I'd probably start it shorter than your normal runs. Sustain that for a few weeks and make sure you're doing ok, and if so, then either add another day (if needed), or start adding a little mileage on your easy days.

I saw someone say the other day that there are three key areas to think about when increasing your training...total volume, speed, and number of running days. At most, only increase one of those things each week as you build up. And feel free to hold for an extra week if you don't feel you're ready for another increase.

If you really want to get better answers and structured plans, I'd look into getting this book

Holy moly, 30 pounds since February is awesome!! That is absolutely awesome and I look forward to hearing about your continued success!

I hear you on meditation. Perhaps not meditation per say, but a few months ago my girlfriend convinced me to go to bikram yoga and I found it to be tremendously helpful for all the fitness stuff. Not really because of anything physical as much as the mental fortitude and discipline it requires. I actually REALLY enjoyed how the meditation/introspection of those sessions trickled into my every day.

Honestly, my view on running is that it is 80% mental. I remember training for my first half marathon, someone told me "if you can run 6 miles, you can do a half marathon" which sounded insane to me. But I think they were absolutely right-- those remaining miles are a mental hurdle far more than a physical one. Right now I am training for the NYC marathon and honestly most of my training is on regulating my attitude while working out. I know you're doing the 5k program, but you may enjoy the meditative aspects of the book I am using to train-- The Non Runners Marathon Trainer. It's ALL about how to approach running from a meditative, psychological standpoint. While the physical program is for a marathon, the mental training program is (I think) 100% applicable to anyone who slips on their sneakers and hits the pavement :)

The purpose of long runs is to build mitochondria and capillary beds. This takes time. You won't see immediate results. How long have you been running and how long are your slow runs?

A general rule of thumb is that 80% of your running should be at a slow pace. But this rule applies to runners who have built up their base mileage. You need to go base to square 1 and continue building base mileage by strictly running easy runs. Probably your 10 min per mile pace, but as long as it is in heart rate zone 2 (aerobic) or lower, you're good. These easy runs are critically important for building aerobic capacity and strengthening your skeletal system (including tendons/ligaments/joints). If you skip this base building phase, your risk of injury can be dramatically higher. All new runners should be running all of their runs at an easy pace. I can't stress to you how important this is. If you want to get faster or be a lifelong runner, the month or two this will take is a drop in the bucket in terms of time.

Speed work during this base building phase can be done as strides. Add them into your easy runs once or twice per week. Strides are 15-20 second bouts that are run at mile pace. They are NOT sprints. You won't be running on the balls of your feet. After each stride, you'll recover over the course of 90-120 seconds. Long enough that your heart rate settles. Then you can start the next one. Do the strides at the end of your easy run. Start with 5 strides once per week. You can begin increasing the number and frequency that you do them each week. These will help improve your running economy and get your body accustomed to running at faster paces.

You can safely add 10% more miles each week. Get your mileage up to 25 miles per week for a couple weeks, then you can begin doing other speed work like intervals and repetitions.

I'm speaking to you as someone who followed these rules to a T since May of this year. When I started in May I was slow. Frustratingly slow. But I stuck with the plan and got my miles up. Then I added speed work. Here's my progression since May.




Month | Mileage | Avg Pace (min/mi)
-----|--------|--------
May | 24| 11:18
June | 51| 11:02
Jul | 91| 10:22
Aug | 119| 9:44
Sept | 162| 9:43
Oct | 103| 9:01

Note that the average pace listed is the average for all miles run during that month. I just ran a 5k over the weekend in 19:46 (6:22 min/mile). I'm not young either, 36.

Be patient. Slowly add miles. Train smartly and you won't get injured.

If you want a book to follow, get Daniels' Running Formula. He lays everything out that you need to do. Once you get your base mileage down, he has speed workouts in there that will kick your ass and make you faster.

There are a few ways to determine it.

Personally I go by heart rate, using a chest strap (the wrist based are too inaccurate to rely on IMO). Once you do a max heart rate test, you can use that to set zones 1 (easy) through 5 (hard). Zone 1 is too easy to really be used much except for recovery runs. Zone 2 is where I do the bulk of my training. It's a somewhat easy, conversational pace. For me this works well because I like to run on trails most of the time, and pace will vary depending on hills, sand, grass, rocks, etc. This way I can run off effort rather than a specified pace. My Z2 trail pace ends up averaging around 10-11 min/mile, even through my road 5k pace is 7 min/mile. On the road, my Z2 pace is around 9:30 min/mile. Z3 doesn't get used too much. Z4 is a threshold/tempo or other "comfortably hard" effort. Z5 I really only hit during intervals or a 5k where I'm going all out.

The other way would be off pace, if most of your running is done on relatively flat roads. Jack Daniels VDOT calculator gives some estimates of training paces. Based on your most recent 24 min 5k, assuming that was pretty much all out:

Easy: 9:48-10:46 (bulk of miles)

Workout paces:

Marathon: 8:44 (can be used for long run efforts)

Threshold (5-15min efforts): 8:10

Intervals (3-5min efforts): 7:31

Reps (1-2 in efforts): 7:07

Notice the big gap between easy runs (9:48) and the start of the workout paces (8:44). Between that are sort of "junk miles" and because they aren't targeting any system in particular, they don't increase fitness as well as other paces.

Keep in mind, these numbers are going to change pretty fast as you increase your race performances.

Lots of great books out there on running, and most tend to follow the same general approach, with the small details being the difference.

Matt Fitzgerald 80/20 - a good primer on why slower running mixed with hard efforts can work really well https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451470885

Jack Daniels - A much more specific book on figuring out a good training plan. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1450431836

Cycling training, as you can imagine, is complex and there are many opinions on how to best train for races. I'm no expert on coaching/training but I have been a serious cyclist and racer for 25 years.

Today, the most common approach to training is to use 'periodized' training. The idea of periodized training is to structure your year so that you build a foundation of fitness over the winter (after an autumn break) and then tailor your workouts carefully in the spring and summer such that you peak in time for important races.

It is called 'periodized' training because your year is broken up into periods (and those periods are, in turn, broken up into smaller periods). The first of these high-level periods is a rest period around this time of year. Then, over the winter, you'll be in a 'base period' during which you develop a foundation for peak fitness next summer. Your spring and summer will have multiple 'build' and 'peak' periods designed to build your fitness ahead of important races (build) and then to taper off just a bit to reduce fatigue just prior to important races (peak).

Today's training methods (as opposed to training from 2 decades ago when I first started racing) is very scientific and prescriptive thanks to technologies that provide us with metrics on our performance. Specifically, heart rate monitors and, more importantly, power meters. Data from these can be used to maximize your workouts' impact and can be fed into physiological models of how bodies respond to and recover from workouts in order to predict and manage what's called your 'form' during the racing season. Because these model quantify your body's response to workouts, 'form' can be quantified and is defined as: form = fitness - fatigue.

Your goal is to maximize form on race days (so-called 'peaking'). But because your fitness is always dropping when you are not doing workouts and your fatigue is increasing when you do work out, managing your form is a dynamic and not so simple. Furthermore, each person is different and, as we age, our response to training changes. And, to add more complication, each type of race also demands different skills and abilities and so it all becomes complicated which is why coaches exist. Frankly, I find this fascinating though.

For amateurs like us who don't have coaches (or limited coaching), there are tons of online tools and books which can help. Book-wise, I recommend that you get a copy of a The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel. Check out www.trainingpeaks.com for nice training/planning tools including - if you get the paid version - preplanned workouts. And, for sure, get a power meter (I can't recommend one as I have Vector pedals which, although I like very much, are (too?) expensive and, for some reason, not widely liked) along with a hear rate monitor. For winter training, get a trainer whose resistance you can adjust from your handlebars. You can also get rollers too but don't unless you also get a trainer because a trainer is more versatile.

Frankly, equipment doesn't make a huge difference as long as your bike is reasonably light (and then, this is only important if your races have lots of climbing) and your wheels and components are at least reasonably decent. A Scott Foil 15 and Specialized Allez are both fine bikes.

One last comment. When doing your workouts be sure to follow the planned intensity. Especially in your base periods, many workouts will be at a low level of intensity which will be boring. Don't be tempted to go hard during these long, boring, low-intensity workouts as they really do pay huge dividends in preparing your body for the heavy-duty 'build' workouts that will come a few months later. The metaphor to a building's foundation is not just a trite description - it really is true.

Hello Aron156,

I noticed that you're still in high school, which means you've got the benefit of youth on your side. So it really comes down to what you want to get out of cycling.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to follow the three rules of the French.

1. Ride the bike
   
2. Ride the bike
   
3. Ride the bike
   
   If in doubt, check the rules again.
   
   The problem you're going to run into is that most cycling trainging programs are focused on road cycling, because that's where people make money.
   
   If you're serious about racing, then fitness should be your #1 priority. This site has some good information on nutrition and training, so you can get started for free.
   
   robbyking's suggestion is pretty good, but if you think you might want to make a career of cycling then, The Time Crunched Training Program will only get you started. TTCTP focuses on high intensity interval training, and that's good, but there's more to it than that. A more complete book on training and nutrition is The Cyclists Training Bible. This covers several of the techniques the pro road riders that I know use for their own training.
   
   Personally, I do HR zone training, but I'm a bit older, and I work in a job where I have to sit all day (read: I need fitness more than performance, and I get the most benefit from HR Zone training). A decent HR monitor can be had for relatively cheap. Get a heart rate monitor that can track your Max HR and Average for a ride. They can be had for about $50USD. Then you can start to figure out where you're at fitness wise.
   
   Hope this helps. :)
   
   *edit: formatting and clarity

Just got back from a Portland-SF ride, 14 days, 797 miles. I rode a Kona Dew commuter, my dad rode my Specialized Tricross, and we had zero bike issues whatsoever - not even a flat tire. The roads are in good shape, so you can do that ride on pretty much any bike. Just make sure its comfortable.

For breweries - we weren't as concerned with them as you seem to be, and didn't spend time at any of them, but would have if we had planned them out a bit more in advance. The North Coast Brewery in Fort Bragg is easily visited from Highway 1, they did tours and had a taproom and pub. If you can book in advance, the Anchor Brewery in SF offers tours for free on weekdays.

You'll meet lots of great people in the summer time. Most of the state parks along the coast offer hiker-biker campsites, $5 a head, which is great for catching up with other bikers. If you want an extremely detailed guide to these places and a route, you want Bicycling the Pacific Coast as your guide. We met a few others with this book and those who didn't have it were envious.

The Oregon coast was beautiful. Fog usually hung around until at least 11am. One night we went to bed under clear skies and woke up in a 2" deep puddle - the rain can hit at any time. The north California coast was all fog. When we split from 101 to follow hwy 1 along the coast, we didn't see the sun for three days. No rain though. Good luck!

I was in a similar position four years ago. For some things I regretted not going lighter, for other things I regretted not getting something more durable and functional. But for the most part I was and am happy with my gear.

Some random tips I wish I knew 4 years ago.

• Get a quilt slightly warmer and wider than you think you'll need. It's better to have a quilt too warm than a mummy that's too warm. Mummy's don't ventilate well and are really meant for Winter use.
  
• Get a good sleeping pad to go with that with atleast an R-value or 2-3. Heavy and reliable is better than light but fragile for this one.
  
  
• Get a Tarptent with bug netting and side entry. Their Products Page is super useful in helping you find what you need.
  
  
• Get some MSR groundhog knock-offs and extra long guy-line. You can pound groundhogs in with a rock or use the extra long guy-lines to tie off to trees or boulders.
  
  
• Get some cheap but light carbon fiber trekking poles. Lots of recommendations in this Sub.
  
  
• Dig some water bottles out of the recycling bin to re-use. Aquamira Droplets are what I use, but Sawyer & Katadyne water filters have gained a lot of popularity.
  
  
• Comfort is king for trail runners. Durability, tread, and other features are secondary.
  
  
• Goldtoe 100% nylon dress socks are cheaper,more breatable, and more durable than wool socks. I wear them doubled up.
  
  
• Follow Andrew Skurka's Core 13 Clothing List. And while you're at it, buy his book as a resource.
  
  
• Get a backpack that can carry it all. The backpack is what you buy last. Make sure it's fitted well and set-up correctly. I used my Ohm 2.0 for years before realizing that I hadn't set-up the straps properly. It made a night and day difference once I followed ULA's video on backpack fit.
  
  
• Get out there!

> as opposed to 700 watts for a few seconds

Sprint training is difficult to plan and hard to improve, so it's more valuable to get to the finish fresh than to train your sprint. Sprint power is very dependent on genetics. /u/carpediemracing has written about this in a comment recently. Ultimately if you want to be a better sprinter then timing and positioning will benefit you more than raw Watts.

> I hear the weight room is the best place for developing that.

To an extent yes, but remember that the force production during a sprint and the force production during your 10rep max are leagues apart. If you're sprinting at full tilt then at best you'll produce the equivalent force of an equivalent 1 rep/sec (rounded and assuming 120rpm). For this reason it's generally recommended to do plyometrics off the bike and focus on technique when on the bike. Weight training can help with your initial jump if it's low speed, on a gradient or from a standing start, but the nature of power production means you'll never attain huge force production like you would off the bike. You'll never actually attain your best possible force production unless pedal velocity (cadence) is 0. Coggan has written about this with regards to quandrant analysis of the pedal stroke.

If you haven't picked up a copy of Training and Racing with a Power Meter I'd recommend it, even if you do not own a power meter. In fact I'd say he should change the title at this point since it's a better general training utility than it is a power meter handbook (although power is important to understanding your ability).

The short answer is no, I would say that is not how Judo is usually taught. It could be that the instructors are inexperienced, or they may not try to invest too much time into new people until they are sure that you'll stick around. It's unfortunate but sometimes clubs do this because this sport is difficult and rough physically, so the turnover rate is a little high. That said it probably isn't grounds for leaving the club, as it may have a lot to offer. Try asking the instructors specifically what you want to work on, maybe they'll be more likely to help you.

Here are some resources to help you along. If you find a technique that looks interesting, write down the name so you can ask your instructor in class on how to do it.

The Difficult Way is a blog that has some really helpful stuff for beginners/intermediates.

JudoInfo Has a few basic resources such as lists of throws, descriptions and pictures of techniques and etiquette.

Here's a section on Basic gripping from Mike Swain, though the whole video is good. If you want more advanced gripping techniques, you should check out Jimmy Pedro's Grip like a World Champion DVD.

Edit: Also if you want more help in Ne-Waza (Ground Play) I would recommend the book Jiu-Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro, as it's very comprehensive.

Bona fides: I'm running 15 marathons in 12 months this year, including Chicago and NYC myself (with MCM in-between). But I also run 63-100 miles/week. I ran my marathon PR in Feb (3:08, previous PR was a 3:12). The vast majority of my training miles have been recovery pace, for me that's 9:05/mi. The second bulk of my miles are general aerobic, typically 8:20/mi. If it's enough time between marathons and I'm feeling recovered, I'll do an 8 x 1K session @ 8K race pace w/600M RI. I occasionally do some marathon pace running as part of my medium and long runs. I'm doing very few tempo runs.

My approach for each race has been a game-day decision. I generally go out aiming for 3:25'ish (7:49) and if I'm feeling good a couple miles in, pick up the pace. Most of my races I've finished 3:15 +- 2 minutes. One race it was exceptionally warm, so I ended up pacing another runner to a 3:42 finish. Another race I blew up and ended up at 3:32.

So anyway, I'd recommend that she prepare for Chicago using her choice of marathon training schedule, including full taper, as if it will be her only marathon. If everything feels great that day, weather is good, etc, then she should go for a PR at Chicago. Then she should use a multiple-marathon schedule to prepare for NYC, and just run NYC for fun. Advanced Marathoning has a bunch of multiple-marathon schedules depending upon weekly mileage and time between races. I can post one later today for 4 weeks.

edit: 4 weeks between marathons schedule - scale mileage as appropriate. Or she could just run all recovery mileage, getting in one 15 miler if possible if her only goal for NYC is to complete it after a successful Chicago.

OTOH, if things aren't right for a PR at Chicago, say it's warm, or she missed a week or two of training, etc, then she should use Chicago as a long-run. She should run well below her marathon pace, possibly using a walk-run scheme. For example, in the past I've set my watch to kilometers, then run ~ 9:00/mi for 1K, walk for 30-60s, repeat. You'll still end up below 10:00/mi doing this, which is around a 4:20 marathon.

Then, she should go for a PR at NYC. There's 4 weeks between the races, so she could run all easy/recovery the first week after Chicago, then follow the last 3 weeks of her schedule again to prepare for NYC. I did something like this in 2013, using Grandfather Mountain in early July as a long-run, finishing around 4:20, then getting my first BQ in early September (3:12, prior PR was a 3:22). I realize that's 8 weeks instead of 4, but it's a similar idea.

BTW, sub-4 is ~ 9:09/mi. You write that she running most of her miles at that pace. Easy miles should be 15-25% slower than MP, so she should really be running her easy miles at 10:25-11:20/mi. Her volume is also low for a marathon that's 13 weeks away. And she likes to cross train. You might look at the Run Less Run Faster schedule which is 16 weeks, using NYC as the target marathon, and just fitting in Chicago as an over-distance long-run, going easy there as I described, then possibly skipping the speed work the first week after Chicago and just doing equivalent easy mileage.

• http://www.furman.edu/sites/first/Documents/The%20Less%20is%20More%20Marathon%20Plan.pdf
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Faster-3-Run-Week/dp/1609618025/
  
  (I've used RLRF + Crossfit successfully. That's what I ran my 3:22 off of. But I think I padded the mileage by about 10-15 miles a week with additional recovery miles.)
  
  $0.02.

The easiest would be to just go to a local bike shop, ask them what needs to be done, and have them do it.

It sounds like you are interested in getting your hands dirty and doing the work yourself. In that case, the usual advice would be to get to your nearest bike coop, take one of their bike maintenance classes or rent space in their shop and have someone help you out figuring out what you need to do and how to do it. But it looks like your closest bike coop might be in Sacramento, which is a bit of a hike. There is apparently a guy in Chico who is in the process of starting a bike coop, so you might want to try contacting him.

Beyond that, you can try striking out on your own. A few good resources for learning about bike maintenance are Sheldon Brown's website (ignore the crappy 90's style design, he has tons of good information on his site) and the Park Tool website (they have lots of good repair info, and they will sell you all of the tools you might need). If paper is more your thing, then good beginning books would include Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, or the Park Tool book. And I know you've already been redirected to /r/bicycling from AskReddit, but for bike repair questions, /r/bikewrench might be more helpful (check out the sidebar here on /r/bicycling for links to FAQs and other relevant subreddits).

As far as not riding like a douchebag, if you ask 10 cyclists you'll probably get 11 different answers (and if you ask non-cyclists, you will probably get a lot of dangerous advice). There will be endless debates as to whether it's OK to run red lights, whether you should pass on the right or split lanes, whether bike lanes are a good thing or not, whether you should wear a helmet, etc. Some of the more universal tips: ride with lights at night. Don't ride on the sidewalk. Don't be a bike salmon (riding the wrong way in traffic). Be predictable. I find that BicycleSafe.com has some practical tips on safety without getting too much into the endlessly debatable points.

And finally, welcome to cycling! I hope you enjoy it; it can be a lot of fun, get you some exercise without even really trying, and is so much cheaper and less hassle to deal with than driving a car.

I can only tackle a few of those questions - I'm entering my second season on a team, but I joined the team a month after buying my road bike and only did one race last season so may not be the best source on all of this....

1. First, where do you live? I live in northern California, and the Northern California Nevada Cycling Association (NCNCA) posts a pretty good calendar of races here. There will be time trials, road races, criteriums, and circuits posted once the calendar finalizes and different events announce their schedules. Time trials are classically solo events - you start off and ride by yourself, and ride against the clock. There are team time trials, but you're not going to see that as a starting racer (though i may be wrong about that). Road races are your longer races (the one I did last year was 49 miles). Criteriums and circuit races are shorter, much faster races (quick and tight turns, requiring good handling skills). I'll let someone else give details on those, though, since I havent raced in either type myself...
   
   
2. You'll start seeing some races in February, but I think the season in chief starts around April and will end in August or September. This is purely based on the calendar of races I'm looking at this year, though, so grain of salt. There's other bike racing events in the off months (namely, cyclocross) if you can't keep yourself off two wheels...
   
   
3. I cant speak to other races, but the road race I competed in (Cat 5) was won by a racer going an average of 18 mph over those 49 miles.
   
   
4. I think in the Cat 5 races you can probably be competitive riding solo... You'll have riders working together despite team affiliations, and it's not like youre going to see Cat 5 teams forming leadouts in the final stretches to launch their sprinters. Unless theyre taking it reaaaaaally seriously.
   
   Unsolicited, but think its helpful: read up on how to train up... Last season I rode when I felt like it, usually one long ride on the weekend and then a few commutes to work (28 miles roundtrip), and was in decent shape so thought I'd do okay. Racing was faaaaar harder than I expected. I picked up this book and read it cover to cover for this season, and am working on building up a base to start out this season stronger (and it's already made a big difference). You can also find a lot of the information in various locations online, but it'll help lay out the transition/base/build/peak cycles that are helpful in training for a race, and what kind of workouts to do to reach your goals.
   
   Beyond that, just enter a race or two and see how it goes and if you enjoy it - theres no need to go insane without knowing whether you're going to like it.
   
   But that being said, enjoy your first season!

A tool kit (or a good bike multi-tool) is fairly inexpensive, and is incredibly useful for maintaining, repairing, and upgrading bikes. It's not going to directly affect your ride to and from work, buthelp you keep your bike in top condition so that your ride is easy and safe.

Something like this kit, or this one would be a good place to start, and supplement with individual tools as you need them.

A fairly comprehensive multi-tool like this one would also work for infrequent repairs, though they can be somewhat cumbersome to use at times.

Lastly, a good repair book might not be a bad idea. I like Lenard Zinn's Zinn and the Art of (Road/Mountain) Bike Maintenance. However, there are also man great websites and youtube tutorials (park tools has some excellent guides on their site) that will fulfil the same role.

>Do you think my initial goal (3:10) was unrealistic based on my mileage in training?

This question is based on the individual, however increasing your weekly mileage safely will not hinder your performance. There are plenty of people who run much faster on less mileage, but this does not mean that you can.

>Did I simply go out a bit too eager and pay the price?

The marathon is hard. Each race day is different, and with longer distances small things like a few degrees temperature difference take a toll later in the race. General consensus is that if you're running the second half slower than the first you went out too fast.

>If training could have yielded better results, would you put performance drop down to slight illness?

I'm sure getting sick didn't help, but knowing how much it may have slowed you is impossible to know.

>For next marathon, what would you recommend I do differently? I suppose more smart mileage.

Your previous PR times seems to scale pretty well, so I don't know what specifically you should do differently outside of the normal advice that more miles won't hurt.

The Higdon plans are pretty good and I've used them myself in the past. You'll find that many runners here in /r/AdvancedRunning "move up" to the plans in Advanced Marathoning , and Daniel's Running Formula. Advanced Running focuses more specifically on marathons, while the Daniel's book pretty deep into explaining the science being training.


Edit: spelling

Sure! I just picked up this book: https://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-3rd-Jack/dp/1450431836/

I read through most of it (there is a ton of information in the book), but the 40 mile 2Q marathon plan was the one I ended up choosing. It seemed to fit best with my current commitments and was also challenging for me without being too intimidating.

This also seemed like a good comparison between marathon plans: http://fellrnr.com/wiki/A_Comparison_of_Marathon_Training_Plans

I don't have experience with many of those plans, so I'm basically taking the author at his word. I assumed I would fit into the "Improver" or "Enthusiast" category and went from there (even though I had never run a marathon before).

Good luck!

Power2Max. I was holding out for the Garmin Vector but gave up waiting. They ended up shipping 6 months after I got my Power2Max. Still, I'm very happy with it. The other bonus for me with the Power2Max is that I was already running a Rotor crank and just needed to replace the spider which kept the power meter to about $1,000 taxes and shipping in. However, replacing the spider on the crank was a feat in and of itself. Brutal. Turns out its something Rotor does not support. - i.e., if you screw up your crank while taking the factory spider off, they won't support you. In the end, it turned out OK. (key: Use a hair dryer to heat the spider up)

It is completely justified. Just for the ability to use it indoors using TrainerRoad makes it worth it by itself (for me). Also, after upgrading my Strava account to premium, all of the additional training features that require a power meter are great.

I've just started reading/following the Training & racing with a power meter as well which I hope brings positive results...

*edit: spelling

Ones I have read and recommend:

Jack Daniels
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0X7U2S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Pfitz
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Marathoning-2nd-Pete-Pfitzinger/dp/0736074600/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544635&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=Pfitinger

Yessis
https://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Running-Science-Kinesiology-Performance/dp/0809298996/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544911&sr=1-1&keywords=explosive+running

Noakes
https://www.amazon.com/Lore-Running-4th-Timothy-Noakes/dp/0873229592/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3QK52ZDHZVX4K6QW383Q

Fitzgerald (one of several)
https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Training-Runners-Revolutionary-Endurance-ebook/dp/B000VMHHBW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544985&sr=1-1&keywords=brain+training+for+runners

Ones I have not read but have heard good things about:

Hansons
https://www.amazon.com/Hansons-Marathon-Method-Your-Fastest-ebook/dp/B01C6FBGHW/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544663&sr=1-3&keywords=hansons+running&dpID=51L6b5-M7OL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


Bill Squires
https://www.amazon.com/Speed-Endurance-Bill-Squires/dp/0977250504

Peter Coe
https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Running-Successful-Racing-Training/dp/1852239972/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510544703&sr=1-1&keywords=peter+coe&dpID=51lmDYFDyLL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

There is also an out of print (I think) book by Arthur Lydiard that is really good. And for that matter, I am not sure I linked the correct Bill Squires book. One is really good, while the other is an awful, watered-down version.

I have a pretty similar background. I ran in high school, then DIII in college, quit running for many years, got back to it as a pre-masters/masters runner. People kept asking me questions, so I started coaching for free. Then on a spare weekend, I got certified as a USATF level 1 coach, which is really fun. I really recommend it, since you're a T&F fan.

So - some of these are out of print but you should be able to find all of them on-line:


75 Classic Rides Washington Mike McQuaide


Biking Puget Sound: 50 Rides from Olympia to the San Juans Bill Thorness


Bicycling the Backroads of Northwest Washington Bill Woods, Erin Woods


Bicycling the Backroads Around Puget Sound Erin & Bill Woods


Bicycling the backroads of southwest Washington (OOP) Erin Woods


Bicycling The Pacific Coast Vicky Spring, Tom Kirkendall


Bakeries by bicycle: A guide to Puget Sound's Best Bakeries (OOP) Fred Wert


Biking the Great Northwest: 20 Tours in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana (OOP) Jean Henderson


Cycling Sojourner: A Guide to the Best Multi-Day Tours in Washington Ellee Thalheimer

Best Bike Rides Seattle: Great Recreational Rides in the Metro Area Gene Bisbee

Welcome!

I think discussions on power meters fit right into the purposes of /r/Velo. Why don't you tell us a little about your riding and training background? How long have you been training, and what sort of goals do you have? Have you read Friel's Training Bible or Allen and Coggan's Training and Racing with a Power Meter?

As far as power meters go, there are a few different types on the market right now (and others will chip in here if i'm forgetting anything, because reasons). Here I'm sorting them from closest to power generation down the driveline:

• Pedal-based meters measure at the foot, and can measure left and right separately (not a useful measurement...yet.). Examples here include Garmin's Vector pedal system and Look/Polar's Keos. PowerTap will be releasing their P1 pedals this summer as well.
  
• Crankarm power meters are newcomers at a lower pricepoint. Stages Power is a left-only power meter that pulled prices down with their introduction of power for $749. Additionally, 4iiiis has released a power meter that is just hitting the market — this is priced insanely competitively, like $350 or something, and it'll be interesting to see if it's a useful player.
  
• Next up is crank-based power, and there are a lot of players here. SRM has been considered the gold standard of power, with a price to match, but that is changing. Quarq (from SRAM) is also well known, Power2Max seems to be highly regarded and is very competitively priced, Rotor has a system, and Pioneer Electronics has a new model that's a little pricier but also quite advanced. PowerTap is also releasing a chainring power system this summer.
  
• Finishing up is hub-based power with the venerable PowerTap hub, which has been around for about forever and is a known quantity and still a solid value proposition.
  
  Head on over to DC Rainmaker and check out his reviews, because his is the gold standard on incredibly detailed information on all things electronics. His reviews are excellent, and he's getting a 4iiii unit to review so we'll know how it fairs. That'd be the best option if you're really price sensitive because their pricing promises to massively undercut all the other players on the market.
  
  So this should be a start.

Two books to buy:

1. The Supple Leopard. It is the best thing anybody involved in physical activity can own. You will get your money's worth x10. He says 10 minutes a day of mobility work is what you need.
   
   One of the best things you could probably do for yourself is start increasing your motor control and mobility. It helps tremendously to learn how to brace your spine and position your shoulders into a stable position. Once you learn that you will understand how to create the most force off your movements through torque and maintaining tension in your body.
   
   A lot of "good technique" in bjj or lifting or any sport starts with good bone/joint/spinal/body positioning. When you start practicing these proper body position and maintaining them through a full range of movement (i.e. the basic squat), you learn where your joints/muscles/spine need better range of motion and how to train that--your bjj technique will probably improve. An understanding of basic human movements translates into any physical activity through better performance.
   
   
2. Jiu Jitsu University Saulo Ribeiro breaks down the foundations of learning bjj in steps. Aka, learn how to survive first.
   
   That being said...I would say you don't really need weights or kettlebell swings until you've built a good base of physical strength/conditioning. Start with some general physical preparedness (GPP), bodyweight squats, pushups, situps, planks, chinups and pullups + add a little bit of good form running.

I bought an old 12 speed racing Peugeot 3 months ago and I am delighted with it.

Since I live on a steep hill and had not done any kind of exercise in years, I asked a LBS for a solution and they put a mountain freewheel on it. I changed the tires (got bigger tires, good quality) and brake pads, cables and housing myself (some googling and checking my new knowledge at the LBS did the trick).

In other words, I went for the second hand, vintage (but a good make) bike because I was not sure I would stick to biking. With the tires I have, my road bike can handle gravel but certainly not trails with rocks and the likes.

Maybe the friend you borrowed the bike from could help you with a second-hand purchase.

If money is not an issue, put the money into a decent cyclocross bike but go to a reliable shop and discuss your options with them.

Oh... and I bought this book, it has got everything on bike maintenance (it is no rocket science... what is hard is to figure out components compatibility when you want to upgrade an old bike. If you are just maintaining your bike, it is pretty basic).

Unless you live in a very hilly area, basic biking is not that hard: the bike carries your weight. Essentially, you have to keep in mind that you should strive to pedal at a regular cadence and use your gears astutely. Increasing the length of your rides is probably what you are aiming for, if you enjoy the touristy aspect of riding. If you are more into fitness/cardio, well... I don't know (pedal faster, probably).

The only problem I encountered is finding a good saddle (it seems my last purchase might do) and finding raingear that does not make you feel like you are sitting in a hot bath.

Hey, I know I'm late to the party but I wanted to help. I highly recommend two things:

1. Purchase... or "find"... a copy of Daniel's Running Formula. There's currently a 3rd edition out, but there isn't much new stuff from the 2nd edition that would benefit you. So, if you can get a cheap 2nd edition, just roll with that. This will help you TREMENDOUSLY with your training.
   
   
   
   
2. Check out r/running. It's a great community and there are tons of posts that will help you with these kinds of problems.
   
   
   
   Good luck!

I've done this route before. The Northern section is really great, but it can get a little hairy once you get into California. Take all the detours you can, it can be pretty heavily trafficked. The lost coast section near Klamath is really cool if your bikes can handle it. Stop off at casinos for free coffee. Bring a kite, they're a lot of fun. Get lost in the redwoods if you can, try to plan a couple days. There's a great swimming hole (or at least there used to be) along the avenue of the giants near Miranda with a big tree sticking out of the water that you can dive off of. You've got to be a little more serious about planning your days as you get south, it gets more built up.

There's a great book that lists routes, good hiker-biker spots, local history, and activities along the way.

Adventure cycling makes some maps with milages and elevations that list campsites, etc. They're expensive new, but you can get used copies.

I'd recommend picking up a few books. Ultralight Backpackin' Tips by Mike Clelland, and Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide by Andrew Skurka for starters. These will help you a ton.

Then, what was just said, ask yourself with each item, "Am I packing my fears?" "Do I really need this?" and "What would realistically happen if I left this at home?" I'm seeing a ton of unnecessary and/or redundant stuff, not to mention all the heavy stuff.

For example, paracord, multitool, lantern, lots of heavy stuff sacks, an ultra-heavy water reservoir, full bottle of soap (you only need a few drops of that stuff), 3 heavy knives (a tiny swiss army classic or even a razor blade would do the trick), tons of excessive, heavy and redundant clothing (use a simple, versatile layering system with no redundancy), etc. Your first aid kit weighs almost 13oz! You can easily make a good one for under 3. You have a space blanket and two redundant fire starters (emergency only items) when you are carrying a gas stove and a sleeping bag (actual versions of the things your survival kit is supposed to improvise). The list is quite long.

Also, I'd take a serious look at some of the UL/SUL hammock guys on YouTube and get some ideas from their videos on how to dramatically simplify and lighten your hammock system. It seems incredibly complicated and heavy to me, esp. based on what I've seen online from other Hammock guys. For instance, a +6oz gear pouch? A suspension system that weighs more than your actual hammock? Yikes. Definitely take a look at lots of the lighterpack links you see in people's flairs on here too and just get some ideas for how to simplify, reduce, and eliminate items in your gear list. YouTube is your friend. There are tons of UL and SUL guys on there who camp in Hammocks. Learn from their experience and save yourself from having to re-live their mistakes.

Good luck and have fun! I know it probably seems overwhelming now, but just whittle down one thing at a time and you'll get there. You're already off to a good start with having all your gear in a list online to create accountability and show you the true weights of everything. It's fun to see how light you can go with your gear list and your back will thank you for it!

I would agree with what people have been saying here. I just rode the Astoria to SF portion, and even in August the weather is pretty mixed.

As someone else posted, this is definitely the bible: https://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Complete-Canada/dp/0898869544

It maps out every day for you, with most rides being between 45-65 miles, which always felt manageable. The campsites are social places and cheap, which will be a nice start to your ride, but I imagine they will be a lot quieter at that time of year.

You could save this ride for the end of this world tour, if it has an end. It might be a nice way to see it out in spring/summer. Most people tend to go south to north, I met quite a few going the other way too. The winds aren't as bad as they are made out to be, though I believe the shoulders are often a little better heading South.

Maybe consider checking out Japan/S.Korea after Australia. That will be decent to ride from March going forward, wild camping is easy, scenery is beautiful, both countries are very safe (aside from the occasional low flying missile from North Korea...).

Have you heard of the Hansons Marathon Method?

Hansons First Marathon: Step Up to 26.2 the Hansons Way https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937715795/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_F-b2CbYJDP0PT

Hansons Half-Marathon Method: Run Your Best Half-Marathon the Hansons Way https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937715191/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_w1b2CbF4SNEZR

Hansons Marathon Method: Run Your Fastest Marathon the Hansons Way https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937715485/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nSb2CbR4V7518

Once you get into the longer distances, it's worth buying a book on the program you will use. You can find the plan online for free but it's best to understand the ins and outs of a program so you are following it correctly. The hansons marathon method is amazing. The book is structured to help you understand what running does to your body, how to adapt your body through the various workouts (how to do the workouts and which paces) and the concept of cumulative fatigue. It goes over goal selection, the workouts, schedule modifications, diet, rest, cross training, etc.


Luke Humphrey has online community forums (Facebook and elsewhere) as well as blogs and podcasts that help to reinforce the content of the book.


I was amazed at the quality of the program and I'm a full believer in the program. I used this program for my first marathon and I'm starting it again in July for the Philly marathon.

Congrats on taking the plunge to Marathoning! I am new too, but I wanted to suggest this book, The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer (used, loved, and suggested to me by a 5x marathoner) it's pretty much a 5K to marathon 16 week starters guide with excellent tips on nutrition and hydration, stretching and cross training, mental strength for the long runs, and of course the mileage plan, goal to finish without injury. It suggests 4-day per week running (Mon, Wed ,Thurs, Sat for me) starting at 15 miles (3,4,3,5) and increasing 1-2 miles a week until week 13 where you start to taper. Week 12 and 13 are 5,8,5,18.

It is not a 4 hour plan but is pretty much guaranteed to get you to the finish

Run a marathon:

http://www.amazon.com/Non-Runners-Marathon-Trainer-David-Whitsett/dp/1570281823/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

(Just to be clear: I am in no way affiliated with the authors.)

It's one of those things that you think that you can't do, but this book shows you that you CAN do it. It teaches you to think positively. It teaches you to keep your goals realistic - yes, they make running a marathon realistic. I just ran my first 10 mile run today and I feel that I can do ANYTHING. Doing this course has helped me with work, with my personal life, you name it. I've started eating better, sleeping better... I know I'm sounding like an informercial, but an endorphin rush does that to you.

It sounds to me like you need an experience of persevering and succeeding. So run a marathon :)

First, congrats on the babies. Double the fun!

Second, it sounds mostly likely that given your times, age, and 40 mpw, you can get below 40:00 for a 10K in 3 months. Mostly. You may need to change up your training a little bit.

You definitely need some VO2 workouts, track repeats. That's probably more important in a 10K training than tempo runs, but you want a healthy mix of both.

The most recommended books around here for generic training plans (which would suit you well I think) are either Faster Road Racing or Daniels Running Formula. You could probably tailor one of those workouts to your time/mileage needs and do very well.

This is all very generic advice though, I second /u/lostintravise's questions. Knowing where the 19:49 and 41:30 times came from, mileage/workouts/how recent, is the biggest indicator. That said, if you weren't following a structured plan, they were recent, and less than the mileage you want to hit, there's pretty good chance you can get to where you need to be.

> So, couple of questions before I get going. Can one build sufficient muscle mass through just body weight exercises or do I need to be lifting too?


Yes, I build for example 8kgs of muscles + 3kg of fat/water over the past 6 months. You will never/hardly get to look like a bodybuilder. You will have lean muscles with a aesthetic look.


> Is some of this even achievable by mere mortals or is the truly impressive stuff out of reach for a guy who until recently, was in some pretty rough shape?


Yes, everything is possible. It's all about staying active and working on it regulary. If you want to learn a handstand for example, you just have to keep working on it. There are progression videos/tutorials wich explain you, how to approach to a new move, to learn it steady and slow and to have a good form.


> How does one go about building a routine around it?

• Check the Beginner Routine
  
• Read the Book Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low - The first chapter of the book is about, how to build the routine that fits to yourself - The author is also very active in this subreddit with /u/eshlow so he can even answer your questions, related to his book.
  
• 3rd possibilty: Here are some Routines , I have build before some time. Feel free to take a look at them.

Your legs will adapt to the stresses of running if you give them time and don't demand effort levels that they're not ready to provide yet. I agree with the "slow down" advice that others have posted. If you are a total beginner, you cannot expect to run with Meb Keflezghi levels of endurance. If you are feeling tired, slow down a bit to a sustainable pace. Mix in walking breaks if you feel like you need it.

However - and this has been really useful advice for me - slow running has its place, and fast running has its place. I'm going to take a page out of Coach Jack Daniels' book here: whenever you go for a run, you should know the purpose of the workout. Is the point of your run to develop a base for further training? to develop the heart muscle? to develop resistance to injury? to adapt to the stresses of running? Then run slow and easy. Is the point of your run to develop the ability of your aerobic system to utilize air? or to develop speed? Then run fast and hard (in a controlled way, of course).

The point is that running at an easy effort is very good for you and not something to be looked down upon. It is also a good idea to mix easy effort runs in with quality workouts (i.e., high-intensity interval workouts).

Given what you've said, it sounds to me like you're at the point where most of your running, if not all of it, should be at an easy effort level. Consider doing some sessions where you walk for a few minutes to warm up, then alternate running for a few minutes and walking for a few minutes to recover. After a while, that will get easy. Then you can gradually increase distance, pace, etc. Just build up slowly.

A lot of people around here recommend Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning. I just started one of his plans so I can't speak too much on how much improvement I've made personally.

He lists specific heart rate zones for every type of workout that you will do on his plan. It takes out the guesswork of always trying to run a specific pace. Basically, your heart rate dictates the pace you run each workout.

I've noticed that I have to run slower than usual to keep my heart rate in the correct zone (just like OP says in his blog.) After just 4 weeks I've noticed that I'm running faster at a lower heart rate and my resting heart rate is almost 5% lower.

As far as I know there are two programs that you should really consider. Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low and the Gymnastics Bodies series by Coach Sommers.

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnastics-Bodyweight/dp/0990873854

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/

I'm doing the program by Coach Sommers currently but I have experience with Steven's program as well since I have the first edition of his book.

I like Coach's program because you don't have to mess around with details, you can just buy the program (or borrow it from a friend) and get to work. Also, the mobility sections are absolutely amazing! The bad parts are that Coach himself isn't very friendly in my opinion and most of his experience is working with children. This is potentially not good because training children and training adults is totally different.

Steven's book is fine too and I believe the new edition tackles things not in Coach's program such as the Human Flag and some other cool skills. In my opinion, the first edition isn't really put together that well compared to Coach's product in terms of content and design. But the 2nd edition may have fixed these issues. He doesn't have as much experience as Coach but he is a much more friendly character and helps people out on many different forums.

Hard choice since both will get you to a planche but choose wisely! Have fun!

The first rule of being a jiujitsu beginner- and make no mistake, I am still very much a beginner- is to make your parameter for success showing up to class.

I cannot emphasize this enough. If you make it to class, great! Everything else is gravy. I would probably try to keep this outlook through to your blue belt, although it will definitely be a difficult attitude to maintain (but hey, you're in this to learn discipline, in my best Eric Cartman voice, right?).

Part of the reason for this is because you've got a long, frustrating road ahead of you, and you want to make the long haul. On the wall of my gym are HUGE letters spelling out, "a black belt is a white belt who never quit." At first I thought that was kind of cheeky, because, like any gym, my not quitting is lining someone's pocket... but now I get it; training is always frustrating, at any level. You think the frustration ends at blue belt? Well, now you have purple belts kicking your ass in ways you don't even understand yet. You think after purple the road is clear? A black belt will LOL at you. Part of what makes the experience and the journey so incredible is learning to deal with the frustration.

You'll have great classes, where you walk out with a goofy smile on your facing thinking, "I'm finally getting it!" ... and then the next class you feel like it's your first day again. You'll have to endure long periods of stagnation, or seeing people who joined after you progressing faster. But did you make it to class? Mission accomplished.

Even in the short time I've been at my school I've seen guys come and go within the amount of time you've been training (three to four weeks). I totally understand this; one month is just about the honeymoon period where you've picked up the basics, feel a little shine, and then see the long road ahead of you and say FUCK IT.

This will not be you. Why? Because your parameter for success is getting to class.

Try to find value in your shitty moments. You get thrown around for a half hour by a college wrestler (cheating bastards, that's NO FAIR lol), and a judoka who started BJJ to kick even more ass- which was my Friday night- embrace it. In the very least, getting your ass kicked makes you a tougher son of a bitch in the long run. Can't get a new technique down? I'm just starting to feel confident in my arm-bar/triangle/omoplata skills and it's been six months and 5-6 classes where we covered it. Very few people learn a new technique once and can implement it in rolling, much less remember it the next day.

Here are a few odds and ends off the top of my head:

• Rolling for you right now is learning survival and feeling comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Learn how to survive in mount/side-control, and even if you can't get out, you're developing a comfort in being under someone and having their weight on you.
  
  
• Buttttt, if you want to get out, start by learning one go-to escape for each position: mount, side-control, half-guard, and guard. Not that you shouldn't know more, but be sure to have HAVE really solid escape for each position in your arsenal.
  
  
• A good, highly regarded book for this is jujitsu university, but there are also countless YouTube channels like Chewjitsu (I happen to like his style).
  
  
• Tap often and early, which is a kind of meme on this subreddit for a good reason. At this stage in the game, the most you can do is defend, so you'll feel inclined to tap only when it's your VERY LAST OPTION- or, you know, rolling will be all of 30 second spurts of brutalization. I felt the exact same way, and kind of wanted to "earn the respect" of my partners by toughing certain grey area submissions out. This is stupid- for one, you earn their respect by showing up to class, and two, you will get injured that way. Whomever said this is "the injury free martial art" is clearly unfamiliar with BJJ, and since injuries are going to happen anyway, you don't want to encourage them. I usually tried to make my partner earn their choke on me, and if it wasn't under the chin, sunk in deep, I'd tough it out, and now there's this weird click when I open my mouth wide. Is that a huge deal? No. But it was my own damn fault, and totally avoidable.
  
  
• Get to class early and drill with your classmates. BJJ is all muscle memory, and being diligent with your submission/escape drills will pay off huge in the long run.
  
  
• Keep a journal. Seriously. Write down how your class went, what you did well with, what you struggled with, questions you may have, and the techniques you did that night (if you can, a step-by-step "how to" for each). I'll admit, I don't do this as much as I should because when I get home from class I'm usually wiped, but it really will pay off big time.
  
  I hope this helped! Good luck, and feel deep, horrifying shame if you quit! :)
  

thank you very much for your detailed response, this totally sounds like me and wow your race times sound fantastic to me, I will be giving the 18/55 a try I think for my next serious marathon (phuket in June) perhaps I can cut the first week of the 18/55 plan to make the timeline fit.

i am assuming you are talking about this book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Marathoning-2nd-Pete-Pfitzinger/dp/0736074600

I will get that and have a read and then probably do the 18/55 first before trying the 18/70

1 More question on a practicality side, I have tried plans from books before and have never found a simple system of transferring everything into a readable format that I could pin on the fridge. do you tend to create a excel spreadsheet of simply copy the page in the book (I am assuming sometimes dates and rest days have to be shuffled around cause life gets in the way) or do you not keep a log that way?

thanks again for your help :)

Hi from the US!

Have you dropped by a local bike shop? There might be some one more experienced with the route for this race and be able to give you a more specialized answer so you can be better prepared.

Make sure to check out /r/mtb and maybe /r/velo.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/275683-racing-bikes-vs-mountain-bikes/

My friends and I like to do uphill sprints, and intervals on a couple times a week, at least, in addition to a long road or gravel rides.

Honestly, I wouldn't hit the gym up much this close to a race- I'd focus on riding, with a long ride once a week plus a couple smaller ones later in the well, separated by intervals. And then a good full week of recovery before the race.

But, in general, medium intensity-medium volume (6 sets of 12) squats, deadlifts, leg press, never the same day or day before a long ride or race, worked best for us during the off-season.

I'd pack several snack bars, a first aid kit, a rear derailleur hanger, multitool with chain breaker, extra chain, tire levers, tubes and patches, paper currency, toilet paper or wet wipes, plenty of water. Maybe an extra tire.

Rest as needed. I wouldn't worry about time, so much as finishing and navigating the route.

There will be more races! Wait until you discover enduro... Until then, have fun, check out "The Cyclist Training Bible" and http://www.ridethedividemovie.com

It is important to note how they explain the paces for each of the runs. There are mixes of easy/hard runs for a purpose and you should make sure your easy runs are actually easy. Use a recent race to determine your training paces using a calculator like VDOT or McMillian Running.

• Higdon (I would advise on selecting one of these for a beginner, probably novice 2)
  
• Hanson
  
• Pfitz (probably too advanced for you right now since it is designed for people that have finished a marathon)
  
  Another option is to join a running group. Many running stores such as Fleet Feet or Jack Rabbit offer marathon training programs. They will provide you with their own plan, running routes for the plan, and coaches and more experienced runners to gain advice from which is valuable for things like knowing your paces and learning about fueling. Plus it is much easier to run 20-milers when you are talking to others.

There are a few bodyweight-based programs, all of them are fairly similar, but they take a different slant on things.

You Are Your Own Gym is built around military-style calisthenics. There are variations of all the different movements that are based around making them easier so you can do fifty of them and experience that brand of misery, or to make them more difficult and strength-focused. YAYOG has a very nice set of apps that go with it as well.

Convict Conditioning is another bodyweight program based around six different movements (handstand, pull-up, push-up, leg-raises, back-bridges, pistol squats). The progressions are pretty nice, but the way it's presented is like it was written for fifteen year-olds. 2edgy4u, and such.

Overcoming Gravity is a gymnastics-based program, but is also a huge firehose of information about fitness in general. It's a great resource for designing your own program, but if you're a beginner, I don't think the sheer volume of information would be helpful.

All of these would require a pull-up bar. There's the classic Iron Gym, or this thing if the Iron Gym ends up being too low, and if you can screw something into a wall somewhere, I suggest this one.

The best way to think of it is this, you can judge your fitness based on a few things: Speed, Heart rate, or watts.
Speed is the simpliest(I'm getting faster! I'm not getting faster.) but it can be effected by a lot; wind, terrain, drafting, aerodynamics, ect.
Heart rate is the next when used with speed(I'm getting faster and my heart rate isn't exploding!) but like speed it can be effected by alot too. Are you sick today, not rested, to much caffeine, along with all the things effecting speed. There is also a lag between effort and heart rate(If you do a 30sec or less effort your heartrate will only see a change near the end or after.
A power meter or watts is the most effective. In short if you are producing more watts, you will be going faster, longer or both. And the things that effect speed does not effect watts. And unlike Heartrate there is little to no lag since it is measuring the effort you are doing.

I'd suggest reading Joel Friel has some great books about using power meters: Training and Racing with a power meter or Powermeter Handbook

The important thing is to spend a lot of time training at a moderate heart rate... basically an intensity you can maintain for over an hour that is difficult but not actually painful. Lots and lots of hours riding at roughly that level (and harder) will improve your aerobic fitness which is the most important factor.

If you want to be more serious about it buy a copy of The Cyclist's Training Bible and put together a long-term training plan based on that.

Also for a climb like Ventoux make sure you've got some easy gears on your bike. A compact crank (or triple) will make it a lot easier.

I have this book and it has everything I wanted to know thus far. Plus it is pretty easy to read and understand. Good number of pictures as well if that helps you.
I have found that this channel is a great source also.

There are a few basic tool kits out there that should do the trick for you. Of course, I had to get a few additional tools along the way. I am just starting to learn how to do my own work as well, good luck!

1. Books - Bought Faster Road Racing a few days ago. Hoping to gain some wisdom from the pros.
   
2. Training programs - In the past, whatever I found online that fit my schedule.
   
3. Reading - A while ago I read Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. I was amazed at how he made the best of whatever little he had growing up. Lots of good info about food and running.
   
4. Podcasts - I don't listen to any running related podcasts. I did listen to episode RA068 of Runner Academy podcast only because it featured Peter Sagal from NPR. I'm a big fan of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.
   Edit: Words

Gotcha. Well, you have the benefit of not having a hard deadline to meet these goals, so that pressure is off!

1. Recommend you look into a book such as Daniels' Running Formula or something by Matt Fitzgerald. They will have plans and workouts you can follow to help you bring your 5k time down; these guys are life long professional coaches and, while I think some of their theory is overly complicated, the workouts are awesome. The Daniels' book has sample plans and weeks in there as well.
   
   
2. See above.
   
   
3. Check out this guide to swimming to 1 mile with no stops. I'm using this to build my initial swimming base for a half iron later this year. Despite having zero swimming background before this year, I'm up to week 5 and this plan is working for me even though I'm only swimming 2 days a week. Doesn't seem hard to add another week or two to extend to 2k, and there are links at the bottom of that page for workouts that you can do to increase your strength and speed.
   
   Hope that helps.

Sounds like you're ready for Pfitz. Many runners on here have used his book, myself included, to excellent results. Additionally you mention wanting longer runs than 16M, the backbone of Pfitz's plan is a LOT of long runs. He's known to drop "medium-long runs" on a Wednesday that are like 12-15 miles and then throw an 18-20 miler at you on the weekend.

The workouts aren't insane, but he definitely gets you with those long runs. If you stick true to the plan, choose the mileage that's right for you and come into the plan with the right base...you'll crush with Pfitz.

Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger

Fun fact, I chose the name for this subreddit based on his book which I first read when I was 17 and training for the Marine Corps Marathon. Also a fun fact, I do not recommend getting into marathons at age 17. :)

I think the first order of business for you would be to work up to a frequency of 5-6 days a week and 25-30 MPW. Don't worry about higher intensity running until you have a base established.

Then you would benefit from finding a 5k program that you like. All of the stuff you are wondering about would pretty much have clear answers if you found a good program. A solid 5k program would improve both your 5k and your mile time. And it would also answer questions like how long on your long run, how to get your E mileage, when do to hills, how to do interval work, how fast, etc.

I'm a fan of Jack Daniels, and if I were in your shoes I'd be running one of the 5k plans from Running formula. Pfitzinger is also popular here. And Hal Higdon has some 5k plans posted online.

> I am not sure if just running 5km each day and slowly getting faster is the best way to go?

This is a common mistake, since it seems like it should work. It won't. Training like this will lead you to plateau very quickly. If you do break 18 using this method, you probably could have gone much faster with smarter training.

Check out Pete Pfitzinger's Faster Road Racing: http://amzn.com/1450470459. Follow the section on building up a base and then choose a 5K training plan based on your goal mileage. Get a heart rate monitor and follow Pete's advice on run pacing. It's a lot of information to digest, but sub-18 is a pretty big ask and requires smart training. Even if you don't break 18, you'll know more about running and racing than most people.

Good luck!

Fantastic post, in-depth but not baggy, nicely written.

Have you read Lion's Pride? It's a great book, very easy to read but with a wealth of information about the history of NJPW and it's quirks. I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in the history of the company or Japanese wrestling in general.

So it really depends on your goals. Did you calculate your VDOT from your 5K time? Are you trying to run a marathon? Perhaps that indicates that you have speed, but aren't trained as well in endurance (in which case, you'd emphasize long runs, making sure you can complete them and less emphasis on pace for long runs).

I'd say work out a schedule (perhaps by reading a sample schedule), and try it out for a week or two. If you can easily complete the different types of workouts, then adjust it up. If you want a scientific way of making sure you're in the right zone, then you'd have to calculate % of maximum heart rate.

But yeah, maybe every few months or so, retest your VDOT number and readjust.

I highly suggest picking up a good book such as "Advanced Marathoning".

Nah man, just get the tap if you can get it. Just don't over think it. As a white I also tapped a lot of people who, as a blue now, I can't tap anymore. They lowered their game to allow me to develop my own. No more playing now, however.

When I started out, the first 3 months were hell while rolling. If you are doing better, that's good for you man! I just remember from my own experience that I had to survive against everyone but the higher belts gave me advice to get better. You should not give up on offence but you should also built a great foundation of defence. http://www.amazon.com/Jiu-Jitsu-University-Saulo-Ribeiro/dp/0981504434 Is a great book. The white belt chapter is completely about surviving. I like it a lot. I believe Slideyfoot (look at the faq) has a complete review.

For a derailleur hanger, go here: http://www.derailleurhanger.com/

I've ordered from them in the past and they were great. They even worked with me to exchange a hanger since I ordered the wrong one. Very painless.

For other parts, I just shop around via Google. Generally I go with Amazon since I have a Prime account but other times shops will pop up with better prices. I've ordered from most of the places /u/TallBobbyB listed (for the US) and have had good results. Probikekit is based in the UK but they usually have pretty great prices too.

If you want to learn how to fix stuff, you can find just about everything you need on Youtube or the Park Tool Website. If you want something to hold in your hands, Lennard Zinn wrote the bible.

I haven't read it, but I would check this one out: https://www.amazon.ca/Koerners-Field-Guide-Ultrarunning-Ultramarathon/dp/1937715221

I have read "Daniels' Running Formula" which is very very good: https://www.amazon.ca/Daniels-Running-Formula-3rd-Jack/dp/1450431836/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469153523&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=Daniels+runnnig

I also recommend "Advanced Marathoning" which is a better all purpose "how to be a runner" book than Daniels, but a bit less scientific.

Both have training plans for beginners. And like people mentioned: getting good quickly is easy... it's not getting hurt that is tough!

Some questions in regards to the no stretch and no cool down: how are your performances? How much have you improved since you started running? Do you have any justifications for not? Also there is some research on the less is more theory. There is actually a whole book on it.. called [Run Less. Run Faster](
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1609618025/ref=mp_sim_p_dp_3?pi=SL500_SY125&qid=1347257908&sr=8-1)


I think this article is great. The author asks a lot of interesting questions. Then he postulates some theories around what is known and what is practiced. I'd love to see some research on the cool down effect planned over a periodized season. I would think the people who put in cool downs after intervals, tempos, races, etc will be more prepared for end-season tapers and championships than their non-cooling down counter part.

Depending on what she means by "slight idea of what's going on", that can be completely normal. Unless your academy has a special beginners program, it can often feel like you are being thrown in the deep end of the pool. With blinders on.

How do you keep going? Well, if you find it fun, that's a son enough, even if you have no clue what's going on. However, it might also help if you treat it a bit like a mystery where you slowly uncover clues and piece the big picture together in your head. Each little revelation can be a little reward in itself.

It may also help to pick up a book like Jiu Jitsu University so you can do a bit of study at home.

Welcome to the dangerous world of road bike racing. It is a deep hole and how far down you go depends on you.

A few tips below:

• Come check out /r/velo.
  
• Find a few local group rides and get used to riding in a pack
  
• Meet people that know more than you and ask questions
  
• Sign up for a race or two
  
• Get dropped in said races
  
• Start doing some intervals. An even simpler way to look at it is ride hard one day, ride easy the next.
  
• Maybe join a team, maybe ride unattached for now.
  
• Check out The Cyclist's Training Bible. Disclaimer: I still haven't read it.
  
• Look at TrainerRoad or get a coach (I can't afford a coach so I use TrainerRoad plans)
  
• Do more intervals
  
• Hang on and finish mid pack in race
  
• Repeat
  
  Hope this helps some :)
  
  Edit: Sponsorship. If you're racing road you'll end up joining a team if you choose to. That team will have sponsors and will get you deals. My current team has Specialized, a local shop, Stages power meters, Castelli, Selle Italia, Sidi, and a few more. Everything is pretty much 20-50% off. We put together a packet of why they should sponsor us, who the riders are, and what we plan to do to promote their brands. If you're looking to join a team then find one that you get along well with. Having people that will answer your dumb questions, that show you what a paceline is, and are focused on having fun is way more important than 20% off a tire.

Awesome you'll do great! The two books I used to get an idea of my custom training plan were https://www.amazon.com/80-20-Running-Stronger-Training-ebook/dp/B00IIVFAEY , Runner's World Run Less, Run Faster: Become a Faster, Stronger Runner with the Revolutionary 3-Run-a-Week Training Program https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609618025/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_tgoNybD4BWG66 and you could use the running chapters from Be Iron Fit: Time-Efficient Training Secrets For Ultimate Fitness https://www.amazon.com/dp/1599218577/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_AhoNybMDF2E54. I'd recommend reading and then blending to make a plan that works for you. I didn't agree with all the run fast tips so blended with others. Also try and get these in paperback as there are charts and such that are hard to read via ebook version.

Good luck!

It all depends on the kind of shape they're in. This included my own mother when she was sedentary and wanted to get into shape like the people I coached. She was overweight and about 60 at the time. In one year she went from couch potato to finishing a half marathon in 2:45ish with no injuries and maintained that on her own after for several years.

For someone who is healthy, active, and only 23: read up on the best way to race a 5k, then go run the 5k. You should feel like you are about to vomit and fall over right after you cross the finish line. From there you can put together a good baseline.

Check out Daniels Running Formula for a chart/graph that you could then use for all sorts of paces. It's one of the best books for medium distance I found. If you want to specifically go for marathons, after you've done your first transition to Advanced Marathoning for some amazing training schedules.

First of all, congratulations! I'm not sure it's necessary to take an entire week off, but it might be helpful to reduce your mileage and throw in some slow recovery runs for the next week or two.

Depending on what your goals are, it might be helpful to further build up your base level of aerobic fitness by increasing your weekly mileage before you begin training for your next half. I just bought a copy of Faster Road Racing by Pete Pfitzinger, which has a number of great training programs for building up base mileage (as well as for specific race distances).

the bible

Your mileage may vary with that.

Perhaps a better option, I've always liked the idea of hanging topo-maps on my walls when they aren't in use, just never got around to buying an actual map (so much more convenient to print it from caltopo).

Most of the stuff you mentioned will depend on the hiker's personality and what they like - I don't have a use for keychains - even if they are cool, they will end up in a drawer and I won't feel bad about that. On the other hand, I would adore a book thats simply pictures of various trails around my area, doesn't even have to have words (though a rough idea of the area they were taken at sure helps for when I see those amazing views and want to go inspect up close). Still, my hiking buddy is the exact opposite.

^^You ^^seriously ^^can ^^never ^^go ^^wrong ^^with ^^park ^^passes ^^though

The best $10 you’ll ever spend on gear is https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hikers-Gear-Guide-Second/dp/1426217846/

Mostly because it’ll teach you how little gear you really need, how common things can suffice, where to put your $$ when you do buy, and avoid making poor purchases.

Buying the latest is always expensive but the last model or two is often 95% as good and 70% less, if patient and you hunt across the entire Web.

Sometimes the super cheap AliExpress is the way to go, other times it’s best to save up for that Katadyn. With the book, plus seeking specifics in r/ you’ll know

Try rollers instead of a spinning bike or stationary trainer. They're a lot more interesting to ride, and like any indoor trainer, is great for structured training sessions with a power meter because you can hold a certain power level very consistently (compared to being outside on a real bike).

But yeah, it sounds like you are itching really hard to jump into the deep end. In that case, the power meter will be the best thing you'll ever buy for your bike :) And the FTP test will be one of, if not THE most miserable things you will do on your bike, so learn to embrace the suffering.

EDIT: Here is one of the authoritative books on the subject, and is what I used to learn about all of this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Training-Racing-Power-Meter-2nd/dp/1934030554/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467250018&sr=1-1&keywords=training+and+racing+with+a+power+meter

What's your normal training schedule like? Are you comfortable running 30 miles a week? 40? Do you want a plan to finish a marathon or a plan that will kick your ass for 18 weeks and set you up to race a marathon to the best of your ability?

The two most common plans are found in books (check your library): Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning 18/55 (18 weeks, peak mileage of 55 miles in one week) plan always gets solid reviews but if you've run once I don't know that you're ready for it.

Haonson's Marathon Method has a few differences but their beginner plan is effectively 13 weeks long and goes from 39 miles up to 57. Technically it's 18 weeks with the first 5 taking you from 10 -> 39 miles of easy running per week but I've yet to hear from anyone who relied on that.

In the just getting it done department, there is always Higdon check out his intermediate plan for something that runs from 23 -43 miles per week if the Novice looks too easy.

I've collected a few guides and stuff over the years and bookmarked them, here they are if you want them...

Guide to different Japanese styles - https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/2xzbgx/guide_to_japanse_wrestling_styles/

A really great video on the rise of Puro in Japan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLyqDSXgYQI. I'd say this is honestly the best direct answer to your question.

Another great video on how puro fits into Japan nowadays, another great watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7fZTuR5bgU

How to sign up for New Japan World (Puro's biggest promotion's streaming service - https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/2nxb1q/how_to_sign_up_for_njpw_world_compliments_of/

Recommended viewing for NJ World - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZsZCBTpKjHzdbCpKZ1No1KAdpmOd2OcgSMfC1-oa7pI/edit?pli=1#gid=0

A book on the history of NJPW - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lions-Pride-Turbulent-History-Wrestling/dp/4990865812

A couple of podcasts on puro/New Japan...

• http://lawradio.proboards.com/thread/2187/japanese-audio-wrestling - Japanese Audio Wrestling, two westerners living in Japan, talking about puro (and one of them wrote the aforementioned book!)
  
• http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/phoenix-plex-review - Another good 'cast
  
• http://newjapanpurocast.com/
  
• http://wrestlingwithwords.com/podcast/puro-in-the-rough-2716/ - a podcast on more indie style puro.
  
  Both Wrestling With Words and Voices of Wrestling are great sites who do reviews and occasional features on puro. In particular, check out Voices Of Wrestling's features on how to understand Dragon Gate(Dragon Gate is the no.2 promotion in Japan right now.)
  
  A guide on four of Japan's biggest wrestlers ever, from the All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion - https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/4ebhia/the_four_pillars_of_heaven_mitsuharu_misawa/
  
  And another legend from puro/AJPW, Jumbo Tsuruta - https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/3iqsgy/jumbo_tsuruta_an_introduction/
  
  I could go on longer, but lastly, the r/NJPW and r/PuroresuRevolution are great subs for more info.
  
  

Pfitzinger Advanced Marathoning is what I base most of my training on. The first time I did one of his plans is the major turning point from me being "meh" to actually kind of decent at marathons.

Daniels' Running Formula is a staple, with a wider focus. I tend to lift specific workouts/weeks from his plans.

Hansons also has a great reputation, but I haven't used it personally. They mainly approach it as trying to train you to run the last part of the marathon.

Hal Higdon has good plans if your goal is to just finish and not die.

Most of these guys have plans for various levels of runner. The "easiest" Pfitz plan peaks at about 55 miles per week. Daniels is more "you pick your peak mileage, and then adjust according to a % for each week". It is pretty important to not bite off more than you can chew. As you learned, the most important thing is to get to the start line healthy.

This isn't going to be a popular answer: don't buy upgrades.
Ride your bike and save your money. Then replace your existing bike with something better later.

If something breaks/wears out, by all means, replace it with something a little better. But, the bit-by-bit upgrades thing doesn't dramatically improve the bike.

Instead of buying a power meter, how about finding two group rides a week that are vaguely competitive and reading Joel Friel's book? http://www.amazon.com/The-Cyclists-Training-Bible-Friel/dp/1934030201

The simple act of trying to go faster a couple of times a week will improve your performance. Friel's book will give you an idea how to structure a week. Remember that the number of hours/week in the book is very high for most.

If you really want to train with power, once you have a plan using Friel's book, find a stretch of road that you can easily and safely ride hard without stopping for about 5 minutes and has two landmarks to start/stop a stopwatch. Ride the stretch of road the same time in the week every other week and log the times. Over time, (many weeks) you should see increases in performance. There's your power meter.

I'm not saying power meters are useless. I'm saying there's quite a bit to learn before using one has definite benefits.

I'm no expert mechanic but this is a really good book.

Regular maintenance mostly includes stuff like lubing your chain, keeping everything clean, checking bolt tightness, and making minor adjustments to keep your drivetrain and brakes working smoothly. Occasionally you'll need to do something more in-depth like bleed your hydraulic disc brakes or replace suspension seals - your local shop will be happy to do that stuff if you don't want to mess with it.

i've heard that coaching really helps you improve, but it sounds kind of like a book would be sufficient for your needs.

I have made great improvements using http://www.amazon.com/The-Time-Crunched-Cyclist-2nd-Ed/dp/193403083X

perfect for me because i don't have lots of time, and that book aims for about 7 hours a week max except for the endurance mtb program. and, this book has a cyclocross specific workout plan. i have gone from finishing bottom 25% of 4/5 to being competitive 3/4. i have also learned what my strengths and weaknesses are and am focusing on those before getting back into mtb season.

When I first started riding I was in the same position. I was good friends with a guy who'd been riding his whole life. (1) I asked him to teach me. (2) There was a bike shop that did free workshops and I would go to those. (3) Lastly I watched a lot of YouTube videos. (4) I'd also get a book like Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance. It will be trial and error at first, but eventually the basics become second nature and the more advanced repairs can be done with reference material, patience, and luck. Good luck.

Two great books with excellent marathon training plans are:

• Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas
  
• Hansons Marathon Method
  
  Both have good intermediate plans in the ~50-55 mpw range that take 12-18 weeks. They also both contains tons of good info for a new marathoner.
  
  Good luck!

You are right. SO MUCH OUT THERE.

The training bible is a great start/must read - https://www.amazon.com/Cyclists-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1934030201

From there, I'd think about what worked for you as a rower and try to build out a plan that makes sense for how you individually enjoy training. Success is heavily tied to your happiness during the activity/training grind (as I am sure you know from rowing).

I am happy to try and give you tips as questions come up, feel free to DM me. I am not the best rider, but I've been fortunate enough to learn from some very smart riders.

If you haven't noticed yet, you'll see this reference mentioned everywhere. Because it really is that good. It's exactly how I got started with my first build, and I know at least two others that started the same way. You need to know nothing more, and nothing less than what this man has written. I found that even the parts I didn't understand at first, later made sense after building a bicycle. It's wonderful. Next, check and see if there are any community bike shop cooperatives near you. They're bicycle goldmines, and nearly anyone involved will be happy to give you a hand. Most of them are ran by volunteers. If they didn't want to help you, they wouldn't be there. If you have access to a cooperative shop, and read through some Sheldon Brown, building your first bike is going to be awesome.

If you prefer paper references, I would also suggest this. Another very well written, knowledgeable guide for first time builders/tinkerers.

Saulo Ribiero and Kevin Howell's Jiu Jitsu University is almost required reading. Click on "Search inside this book" under the book's cover pic to check out the contents.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Theory and Technique (by lots of big names) is also very well done.

Online, Stephan Kesting's Grapple Arts BJJ Techniques are very diverse and broken down incredibly well.

Cane Prevost's 20 week curriculum is some of the best fundamentals instruction I've seen. The focus on and details about posture alone are worth it for people of any rank.

In the end though, ask your instructor. He/she can explain it and then hopefully tell you how to drill a technique to integrate it into your game.

Side Note:

>Ari Bolden is a proven fraud

His early videos were a source of controversy. His newer videos feature big names (Keith Owen, Piet Wilhelm, others) and good technique breakdowns. I'm not defending his earlier actions in the least (I do not like people who misrepresent themselves either intentionally or through a smoke-screen), but I'm also willing to give him a some credit if his recent material is honest and productive for the community as a whole. The BJJ community never forgets, but that shouldn't get in the way of Keith Owen sharing his immense knowledge to a large existing audience. I'll defer to Keith if he has made the decision to give Ari some leeway.

/Side Note

Side Note 2: I just had a delicious sandwich.

Copy pasta of a comment from another thread about intervals:

> If you're really interested in doing intervals check out the Time Crunched Cyclist. It's meant to get you race ready only using different types of intervals three times a week. There are plans for newbies and advanced riders, as well as for specific types of riding like long distance or for cross.

> I've been riding for three years and just did the beginner block over the winter and spring. I definitely got faster from it...which is expected as I've never followed a strict plan before.

I'd really recommend starting with the beginner plan and swap in at least 30 mins of dedicated skills work on the Sunday easy miles ride. Most peoplebeginners don't/haven't put a lot of time in practicing barriers, dismounts, and run ups and you can really put the hurt on them if you're even halfway decent.

As I said above, I started with the beginner block and I felt like I started noticing results at about 7 to 8 weeks in to the plan...which fits with the planned 'peak' the training block is supposed to provide. So figure out what your important races might be and plan to start training 8 weeks out.

Races count as workouts, just make sure you're getting enough saddle time though. Eg, if your race is 30 mins and the day calls for 90 mins total, make sure you're getting that extra 60 between warmups, pre-riding, etc...go for a short ride when you get home if you have to.

What age are you? Officially masters start at 30 or 31, I forget. If you're going to a bigger race with a masters category you're going to get destroyed. You'll find lots of racers that used to be hard core Cat1s in there who are just looking for a win, along with a few people in the same situation you're in. I'd really recommend staying in the beginner category this season. If you haven't made the podium in the beginner category you're in no way ready for the masters. (Even if you had, I still wouldn't suggest it)

The Pacific Coast bike tour is one of the most traveled bike tours in America. I'm a huge proponent of it. If you google pacific coast in this subreddit, you'll see a ton of results and information.

Not only that but there are maps and a book.

The maps: https://www.adventurecycling.org/

The book:
https://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Complete-Canada/dp/0898869544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517787322&sr=8-1&keywords=bicycling+the+pacific+coast

I recommend the book. My GF and I did the full tour in 6 weeks about 2 years ago - and we took our time. Many of the folks we met were doing it in 30 days. It's about 1800-2000 miles. We started in Vancouver, many start in Seattle.

I've ridden bits and pieces of the same route several times now. Feel free to ask me any questions - I love discussing the coast tour/best campsites/best routes, etc. (see my profile, that's all it is :-)

Get this book Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer. It will take you from couch to marathon in 16 weeks (I believe) and I used it to complete my first marathon- granted I probably started off in better shape than you but I recommend it highly.

Cheers for wanting to do a marathon- and good luck.

A superior book to CC and BtGB IMO is Overcoming Gravity.

To address the post, for upper body I believe bodyweight and weights are fairly similar in effectiveness. However if you are looking to strengthen connective tissue, it seems to be done better (and in particular it is necessitated) by straight-arm bodyweight holds.

In my experience, benching HAS carried strength over into bodyweight movements (planche and handstand pushup) which I did not expect given that many bodyweight training proponents state that this does not happen.

For lower body movements, free weights are just better. You just can't really disadvantage leverage sufficiently as far as I know to get a decent stimulus.

Two pretty popular programs around here are from Daniel's Running Formula and Faster Road Racing. As for philosophy it is pretty similar to good marathon training, a little less speed work and a longer long run. You can get away with less, but personally I think it is good to take your marathon mileage and hone it with the extra speed work in a 5k-10k program. Hope that helps!

I'm not sure how flexible your itinerary is, but I'd highly recommend reversing course and touring from Vancouver to LA. There are two main reasons, 1) Wind! Winds typically blow north to south during the best touring season and this can severely impact your milage. I can cross Oregon comfortably (not going for any records here, I'm an old man) in 5 or 6 days (but more is more fun) heading north to south, but I'd expect it to take at least 10 days in the other direction.

The second reason is that you'll get a very different experience with other people on tour. Especially through Oregon, where there are established hiker-biker camp sites at intervals designed for bike tour (always $5, no reservation necessary). If you are touring from North to South, you will inevitably meet many other folks touring the same route. The option to cycle solo and avoid the other tourers always exists, but if you are going the wrong direction, then you'll miss out on meeting some of the most interesting bike tourers I've met anywhere.

And a final bonus consideration, the view! If you are traveling south, you've got the ocean on your immediate right and the views are unimpeded by the road.

I found this book of limited use when I was actually on the road, but I got some great advice from it while I was in planning stages: http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Vicky-Spring/dp/0898869544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393962849&sr=8-1&keywords=cycling+the+pacific+coast

haha. welcome to the grind my friend. there is so much to learn. yes, your experience is totally normal. get a copy of BJJ University.

it's a great book to help you get started.

A bit off-kilter for this sub, but for anybody who actually wants to train to race competitively, Daniel's Running Formula is invaluable. It covers training (speedwork, intervals, long runs, hills, fartleks, strength training), nutrition, and recovery for everything from the 800m-marathon. Chances are you won't have many clients seeking a sharp 800m or single mile time who didn't also run in high school or college, but the speed training info is invaluable, and substantially better/more detailed than the vague notion of "HIIT sprints", which I'm pretty sure 95% of beginners are doing at high injury risk and with terrible pacing anyway. Also, Jack Daniels and Steve Pfitzinger are leaps and bounds ahead of Hal Higdon for half and full marathon plans catered to people who actually want to have a competitive finish time.

Sure, I'm biased, but unless you're going to specifically be a strength coach, you might want to broaden your knowledge into fields that future clients might care about. You also might want to do some research into agility work (American football drills, soccer drills, sprinter/jumper plyos, etc.) in case some clients also have an interest in that. I vaguely know some sprint drills, but I'm mid/long distance so it's really not something I'm super knowledgeable about.

• Walk. Seriously its like it flicks the on switch of your metabolism. Your energy levels go up and your appetite goes down. Do it regularly, for at least half an hour at a time (but any walking is good). Getting a pedometer and aiming for 10,000 step can really motivate you.
  
  These three books are about doing strength training at home. They are a fantastic to build up serious strength in a way that's actually better than doing it at the gym in a lot of ways.
  
  
• Overcoming Gravity
  
  
• Enter the Kettlebell
  
  
• Convict Conditioning

As a newb, and with slightly different goals (more interested in motocamping, than backpacking, personally), I may be mistaken, but I don't think there is a list. Identify your goals and your needs, and that will inform your gear decisions.

I'd recommend checking out Andrew Skurka's book. It's well-written, and informative. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hikers-Gear-Guide-Second/dp/1426217846/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1505101910&sr=8-1

There's also some good info on his website if you want to save a few dollars (I haven't looked too much into the site, so I don't know how much the site and the book differ).

The sidebar here has some links that look really promising, and there are plenty of shake-down requests you can read to get an idea of what you might want.

Buy this book - Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. it's under $20 on Amazon. Couple of points:

1. Amazingly comprehensive. Includes old stuff and new stuff.
   
   
2. A book is great for having when actually wrenching. Way better than trying to scroll on your phone with greasy hands.
   
   
3. All tasks are broken into three levels of difficulty. The first level is for people like you, and you'll be pleasantly surprised how much that covers. Has tool recommendations for each level.
   
   
4. Most tools don't need to be bike specific. A set of Allen keys, needlenose pliers, and an adjustable wrench will get you further than you think.
   
   Good luck!

I rode from Newport, OR to San Francisco a few years ago. We used a book called "Bicycling the Pacific Coast."

I highly recommend it. I lays out some easy ride days (50-60 miles) and has useful information about the state camp grounds, and even some restaurants and stores along the way.

On a personal note, if you find yourself with some time in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, make sure you see Fern Canyon. It was unbelievable. One of the highlights of my trip for sure.

Have fun and hydrate!!!

I personally think that the best way to be a better crossfit athlete is to gain as much knowledge of specific sports - gymnastics, weightlifting, track, powerlifting, etc. On that basis, I'd recommend https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnastics-Bodyweight/dp/1467933120

I think Supertraining by Yuri Verkhoshanski is a great (super dense) read for any training.

Kelly Starrett has two notable books, most specifically becoming a supple Leopard.

I did seattle to Santa Cruz, I can tell you a bit about my trip. I did it a little differently than Ben I believe, by going along the coast the whole time.

• I really didn't plan my trip, and I liked it that way. I knew I was going to visit a friend from high school in Seattle, and visit a friend in Humboldt, but that was it. I bought a map for each state I passed through, and carried a book with me called 'bicycling the pacific coast': http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Complete-Canada/dp/0898869544.
  
  
  -I mainly stayed on the 1/101. Sometimes you have, or want to, veer off onto smaller highways, just look at a map.
  
  -I used a jetboil, a handy backpacking cooking thing. Good for heating up liquid substances, bad for stir-frying and stuff like that. A common meal for me was bread, beans, and avocado.
  
  -I camped every night. I use a hammock for backpacking, and I love it because it is very comfortable and keeps you completely dry when it rains. For biking, it is a godsend. It stretched out my legs while I slept so my knees felt good in the morning. I slept one night on the ground, and it was awful.
  
  -Sunglasses, rocks and bugs are scary.
  Even thought these fit into the 'spare parts' category, bring extra screws. I never would have thought of that, I there were times where i was.... screwed.
  
  -Do it!

It sounds like you're taking enough recovery then. If I were you I'd also look into buying the Dr. Jack Daniels running book; https://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-3rd-Jack/dp/1450431836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502830279&sr=8-1&keywords=Jack+Daniels+running+book . This will give you a good idea of what splits should look like for certain paces across most workouts and races. Just seeing the runners world plan means you're just seeing basically one out of 70 plus columns from the book with no reference of what your splits are actually suggesting you are capable of. This book is truly a running bible and will help you better understand your training now and into the future.

First change is you need more variability both in your pace (easy runs should be A LOT easier), and you should vary your weekly mileage as well. Every 3rd week or so do a week of lower mileage to let your body recover.

​

Plug your most recent 5k into this calculator https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/ , and you'll see your correct training paces.

​

I'd keep ht monday 5miles with 3 at tempo (your tempo pace is close to where it should be based on your 5k time), but for sure add in some much slower easier runs (perhaps on non-recovery weeks you can do 1 longer (10+ mi) easy run and a few shorter runs instead of a bunch of moderately hard runs in the 5-8 mile range).

​

Check out a book like Faster Road Racing (https://www.amazon.com/Faster-Road-Racing-Half-Marathon/dp/1450470459) for programs, or even an online program like Hal Hidgon if you want to do a half marathon with a training plan

​

Just take up another hobby and try not to obsess about mat time you're missing out on. I started playing DnD, that is a great time. I read BJJ University. I've been back about 2 months now. Just being patient and diligent about physical therapy is tough. I've since transitioned to more of a overall strength and conditioning focus. There is this magical time after you get going at physical therapy where you'll feel really good. You'll be back to drilling and it'll be going great, you'll have all your range of motion back and you'll probably feel like you can do a light round. Just take it slow dawg.

PS. The time off actually I think has helped my game. Time off isn't so terrible.

Hi!

I am new to this as well. I've found a few different websites that have been very helpful for me.

Andrew Skurka's blog - Has a lot of great information in it. If you have some extra cash I highly recommend his book The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide

Paul's blog - Gives a different perspective on things. Has budget friendly lists to work with.

I also have really liked the reviews from Man Makes Fire it has helped me tremendously with my gear selection.

Got it. A one mile effort is run basically at your maximal oxygen capacity, or VO2max. To increase your VO2max, you need to incorporate some kind of interval training to your runs. This stimulates your cardiovascular system to adapt, increase your maximal aerobic capacity, allowing you to run at faster paces for a longer period of time.

For specifics, both for your goal and running in general, I recommend Daniel's Running Formula, or if you don't want to buy the book, there are tons of summaries online. It's a well validated, evidence based approach to running and training. PM me if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help in any way I can.

Source: Am Exercise Physiologist

Enjoy, I rode this section early April 2015. Should be even more beautiful in June, too! Consider getting this book before you go: https://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Complete-Canada/dp/0898869544

Note that some specific details are beginning to be outdated. Still, it is basically the bible of the west coast bike route!

P.S. If you can ride like that in training you're good to go. I find a pace of 50 miles a day while touring to be my personal favorite amount. Everyone is different though, so you'll find your balance after a few days. Consider a day off halfway through your first week to let your body catch up to the new lifestyle.

Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance for a book. Sheldon Brown for articles. Against the chainring or crank arm? If chainring, then it sounds like you just need to lube your chain.

In general, it's good to wipe your chain down after a ride using a rag and just pedaling the bike backwards with your hand. When the chain is no longer quiet, it needs lube. Different lubes last different lengths of time, so I can't really give a schedule for this. Riding in the rain is a good way to make the lube go bye-bye. Eventually the chain will need to be cleaned. Some people clean it on the bike with something like the Park Tools contraption, and some take it off. I take it off, clean it, and lube it before I put it back on (unique to the lube I use)

I personally feel that visualization and a positive attitude go a long way. If you dread it to begin with...it's going to suck. Sounds silly and simple but it works for me. Other than that, I totally agree with increasing your mileage. Not only will you hit your stride later on, but you will enjoy once you do and that will make you look forward to your next run. I recommend a fabulous training book (even if you're not training for a marathon). It got me past the initial "this sucks" period.

http://www.amazon.com/Non-Runners-Marathon-Trainer-David-Whitsett/dp/1570281823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314227232&sr=8-1

+1 to the library (that's how I first got a hold of the plans), but FWIW, I've had great success with Pfitz's training plans and think the $18+ for the book is well worth it, given the price you'd pay for other quality training plans out there.

Whether or not you hit the wall not only is a matter of training but also having and carrying out a solid in-race nutrition plan. The wall hits people because their lower bodies run out of glycogen, and they haven't sufficiently re-fueled those stores with carbohydrate during the race.

Matt Fitzgerald and the Hanson brothers are among the few experienced running writers who seriously get into fueling during races, and they may be worth a read for finer points.

But in general you need to work on fueling during long runs. Thankfully, Chicago's drink stations use Gatorade (which contains carbs; low-cal drinks like Ultima do not), and if you prefer to fuel that way you can practice hitting the Gatorade every 1.3 miles during training runs. You could also practice with gels or gummy-style fuel like Shot Bloks, but that gets a lot more pricey than Gatorade, and Gatorade has the added benefit of also rehydrating you.

Again, others get into the finer points of marathon fueling much better than I just did, but that's a place to start if you want to avoid the wall.

i started on hal higdons and ended up not liking it. too much just running, not nearly enough quality to make me feel like i was improving.

i picked up Jack Daniels Running Formula and really, really like it. it has plans from general fitness to 800m to full marathons. i recently PRed my half after doing his blue fitness into an HM plan, all the while i was getting faster on my easy days. the book teaches a lot about programming weeks, which i consider to be the most important thing one can take away from this book. its worth checking out imo.

Get a good book on bicycle maintenance. There are lots out there but I like Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. If you're new to the whole thing it might feel overwhelming. Start with simple things like cleaning your drive train. You're probably also short on tools and all the specialized bike tools can get expensive. I'd recommend a starter tool kit from Park Tool. While you're there check out the Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair. If you think you'll really get into it think about buying a bicycle work stand. It makes working on a bike a whole lot easier which will make you want to do it more often.

Personally I used this guide book to find both our route and our nightly campsites: https://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Vicky-Spring/dp/0898869544, but it looks like it hasn't been updated since 2005. Like https://www.reddit.com/user/tony3011 mentioned, it would be prudent to call ahead. You might also be able to get some good, up-to-date info by looking at some trip journals at https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/locales/?locale_id=51157&doctype=journal.

Edit: Also, I would guess that the Adventure Cycling Association maps have fairly comprehensive and up-to-date info about hiker biker campsites.

Not sure if this is applicable, but Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance is really good. I just picked up a copy and have been slowly making adjustments to my bike. It's really helpful.

There is also one for Mountain Bikes as well, which may better serve you.

Since you have the running background and are interested in improvement, I'd recommend picking up a book from one of the better known coaches. Two very well-regarded resources are Pete Pfitzinger's Faster Road Racing or Jack Daniels Running Formula. For more information on different training plans, check out the Summer Series from /r/AdvancedRunning.

Not only will you find training plans for various distances, but you can read about the philosophy behind the training: What is the purpose of each run you do? How do you structure a training plan for optimal performance?

Edit: And now that I see what the bot linked, I HIGHLY recommend reading /u/itsjustzach's Bicentennial Race Report.

Came here to make sure this was mentioned. Derp, of course it is. It's a nice big book, textbook size with clear photos and great techniques.

Good deal on Amazon, 22 bucks and change. https://www.amazon.com/Jiu-Jitsu-University-Saulo-Ribeiro/dp/0981504434

I find that my new coach's look like a deer in headlights when I ask them to scale simple moves. You'd be shocked at hard this for some people (in least I am shocked.) You are referring to this book http://amzn.to/2kJBxy2 right? Do you (or anyone else that would like to chime in, please do) think it's better than Free+style http://amzn.to/2lgZ39l. I've taken crossfit gymnastics cert, but I like to have good references available for my coaches.

Speaking of which, here's a link to list of our favorite books.
https://www.sandandsteelfitness.com/top-personal-training-books-crossfit-nutrition/

There is no best routine for everyone. It all depends on your goals.

The RR is not the best routine for everyone. It's just a pretty balanced good routine for a lot of people.

But honestly, you already sound intermediate/advanced. You can look at the RR as a good structure (paired exercises, push-pull, vertical-horizontal) and try to borrow it's structure but modify for your strengths and goals.

If you really want to learn, I would recommend you read Overcoming Gravity 2nd Edition. https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnastics-Bodyweight/dp/0990873854 That will teach you how to make your own body weight routine.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Pacific-Coast-Vicky-Spring/dp/0898869544

Not sure this book has the area listed because I don't have it downloaded anymore, but its useful for finding the best sites on the west coast. Highly recommend it.

I agree with FastFreire being successful in bike racing is much more than power to weight ratio at FTP. (Although yours is a good start) You may want check out this post on power profiles.

http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/power-profiling

Also I'd recommend checking out a few other resources on bike racing and power.

https://www.trainerroad.com/podcast


https://www.velopress.com/books/reading-the-race/


https://www.amazon.com/Training-Racing-Power-Meter-2nd/dp/1934030554



If you have the funds you may also want to look into getting a coach to help you interpret your power data and lay out a training plan.

The Zinn books are a great hard copy reference, as well. I keep the Road and MTB editions in my garage near the tools. Great resources with excellent diagrams and descriptions.

1 - I'd say your times are pretty decent. For reference a sub 20min 5k is quite good and a sub 17min 5k is elite.


2 - For training tips, I recommend this book: Daniels' Running Formula

It has training programs from 800m to marathon and it is a very useful resource.

Or you can simply just add speedwork into your weekly routine to get better at sprinting.

Well here are two great places to start. The first is all free online stuff and if you really get into it and want to learn more OG2 is an awesome resource you can ask someone to buy you for Christmas.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine/

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/0990873854/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

To put it in perspective... I can go 16 mile long runs in the 5:50s, but I can't go sub 4:30 in a mile.

So, try and get to at least 40-50 miles perk week. Buy good shows. Get new shoes every 300 miles. Log your miles on your shoes. Try to get your regular training pace below 7min. A GPS watch is amazing. Then, once you are at 40mpw, which could take a new runner a few months to get to (try and add a few miles per week), then throw in workouts like tempo runs, fartleks and intervals. You can google those and find out what they are. Want a book? http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-3rd-Edition-Jack/dp/1450431836

>Zinn and the art of mountain bike maintenance

Ha! There is such a thing!

https://www.amazon.com/Zinn-Art-Mountain-Bike-Maintenance/dp/1934030597

I honestly thought it was a typo for Zen, and there is a billion "Zen and the art of something..." out there, and just figured that was one of those. And I was going to pass on yet again, another philosophy of life outlook. Read one, read them all. LOL.

Cool. Thanks.

Wrt when you have gym access again.

My current program is split into 2 phases, Phase 1 (Growth) and Phase 2 (Recovery), the prior lasting 4 weeks and the latter 2 weeks. Each week has a Day A and a Day B (Wednesday and Friday for me) in which I go to the gym and work on a specific routine. Both days focus on lifts/exercises which are targeting key areas and muscle groups that are utilised when cycling.


>Day A Routine

> * Pre-Lifting Stretches

• Squat
  
• Lying Leg Curls
  
• Leg Extensions
  
• Deadlift
  
• Lateral Pull Downs
  
• Push Ups
  
• Inverted Rows
  
• Ab Wheeling
  
• Post-Lifting Stretches
  
  
  >Day B Routine
  
  >
  
• Pre-Lifting Stretches
  
• Squat
  
• Lying Leg Curls
  
• Leg Extensions
  
• Deadlift
  
• Overhead Press
  
• Dumbbell Rows
  
• Leg Raises
  
• Post-Lifting Stretches
  
  In Phase 1 I'm always building on what I did on the previous Day, so either adding weight to the bar, or doing more reps in a set. So it works out that in terms of sets/reps and weight I'm doing this during Phase 1:
  
  >
  Day A
  >
  
• Squat (3x5) +2.5KG each day
  
• Lying Leg Curls (3xN+1) N = # of reps done last time. Starting at 3x5 working to 3x10, then adding 7KG and going back down to 3x5
  
• Leg Extensions (3xN+1) same progression in reps and weight as Lying Leg Curls
  
• Deadlift (3x5) +5KG each day
  
• Lat Pull Downs (3xN+1) same progression in reps and weight as Lying Leg Curls
  
• Push Ups (3xN+1) N = # of reps done last time
  
• Inverted Rows (3xN+1) N = # of reps done last time
  
• Ab Wheeling (3xN+1) N = # of reps done last time
  
  > Day B
  >
  
• Squat (3x5) +2.5KG each day
  
• Lying Leg Curls (3xN+1) N = # of reps done last time. Starting at 3x5 working to 3x10, then adding 7KG and going back down to 3x5
  
• Leg Extensions (3xN+1) same progression in reps and weight as Lying Leg Curls
  
• Deadlift (3x5) +5KG each day
  
• Overhead Press (3xN+1) N = # of reps done last time. Starting at 3x5 working to 3x10, then adding 2.5KG and going back down to 3x5
  
• Dumbell Rows (3xN+1) same progression in reps and weight as OHP
  
  So that's 4 weeks of progression in each of those lifts/exercises either amounting to an additional 8 reps or 20KG. I should probably note here that I'm only on my second round of Phase 1 so progression is still coming easily.
  
  Phase 2 as I mentioned is all about Recovering and is essentially my deloading week(s) in terms of lifting. So I will drop the weight on the bar, and halt the progression in the number of reps. Below is what happens in terms of sets/reps and weight during Phase 2:
  
  >
  Day A
  >
  
• Squat (3x5) -NKG. N = 1/4 of the final weight lifted in Phase 1, i.e. if I lifted 80KG in my final day of Phase 1 I'll drop the weight by 20KG
  
• Lying Leg Curls (3xN) N = # of reps done last time. -7KG in weight
  
• Leg Extensions (3xN) same as Lying Leg Curls
  
• Deadlift (3x5) same as Squat
  
• Lat Pull Downs (3xN) same as Lying Leg Curls
  
• Push Ups (3xN) N = # of reps done last time
  
• Inverted Rows (3xN) N = # of reps done last time
  
• Ab Wheeling (3xN) N = # of reps done last time
  
  > Day B
  >
  
• Squat (3x5) -NKG. N = 1/4 of the final weight lifted in Phase 1
  
• Lying Leg Curls (3xN) N = # of reps done last time. -7KG in weight
  
• Leg Extensions (3xN) same as Lying Leg Curls
  
• Deadlift (3x5) same as Squat
  
• Overhead Press (3xN) N = # of reps done last time. -2.5KG in weight
  
• Dumbell Rows (3xN) N = # of reps done last time. Weight remains unchanged
  
  
  After Phase 2 is complete I simply start over again with Phase 1 and repeat it all over.
  
  As I mentioned I just finished my second round of Phase 1 and I can't believe the leaps and bounds I've come on since starting. I mean both in terms of my lifting ability, and in terms of my cycling. And not just specific areas of my cycling, but across the board in all aspects of my cycling. From impressive gains in my sprinting (both in speed and technique) to my hill climbing (again both in speed and technique). My overall fitness and stamina has also seen the upside to adding some gym work to supplement my cycling programme. What I thought were big strong legs at the beginning turned out to be relatively weak things, as evidenced by the numbers I was lifting at the start 4 months ago, and the numbers I'm lifting now.
  
  This all supplements my current cycling plan which is a 4/5 day plan of; Day 1 (Medium Cycle), Day 2 (Short Cycle), Day 3 (Bonus Cycle), Day 4 (Short Cycle), and Day 5 (Long Cycle). The lengths equating to:
  
  
• Short = 10 - 20 miles
  
• Medium = 30 - 60 miles
  
• Long = >60 miles
  
• Bonus = either Short or Medium
  
  
  During Phase 1 of my lifting I tend to stick to the lower to middle end of those distances, whereas in Phase 2 I tend to be in the upper end of those distances.
  
  This leaves my week looking like the following:
  
  
• Monday - Rest Day
  
• Tuesday - Day 1 (Medium Cycle)
  
• Wednesday - Day A & Day 2 (Short Cycle)
  
• Thursday - Day 3 (Bonus Cycle)
  
• Friday - Day B & Day 4 (Short Cycle)
  
• Saturday - Rest or Bonus Day
  
• Sunday - Day 5 (Long Cycle)
  
  Hope this provides some insight into potential directions for you to go in terms of your training to supplement your cycling. For more Joe Friels "The Cyclist Training Bible" is definitely a recommended buy from me.

Hey, I'm 43 and just got into running last year. It's been an amazing journey and the benefits in my life are innumerable. I have done a couple of half marathons with the same mentality as you... not fast or anything, just get through it. But I really caught the bug and now want to see how much I can improve but without going full on Pro athlete regimen.

I picked up the book Run Faster, Run Less

What appealed to me was the idea of only running 3 times a week. I found when I was trying to do a lot of KM's I was getting some niggling injuries because my legs still weren't up to it and let's face it, I'm getting older. This book has given me a bit of focus and I know I can trust the speeds I run at won't injure me (hopefully) and the rest between runs gives my body time to recover nicely.

It has plans for 5k,10k, half and marathon distances and explains the necessity for Speed work, Tempo runs and slower long runs. There's a ton of stuff out there and it can be quite mind boggling but this one has some science and real world experience behind it that appealed to me.

Get ready to feel like you've been dropped in molasses. But once you get over the initial frustration you'll hopefully start enjoying the technical gripping game, and the chokes of course. Gi training is also helpful if you train with self defense in mind.

Book wise, Saulo Ribeiro's Jiu-Jitsu University is a really good blueprint.

1. Join a local cycling club. Here's a big one in Chicago
   
   
2. Build up your palmares so that you can ride something more than CAT5. Cycling racing demands that you move up categories based on your experience. Mostly to keep people who have never raced in a bunch sprint or a paceline from hurting competent racing cyclists. Having never raced before you're likely to start for a season or so at the lowest level (CAT5).
   
   
3. Start racing in local centuries or cyclosportives. I don't want to stomp on your dreams, but unless you're clearly (I mean solo to victory 10+ minutes ahead) then you're probably not pro level. Here's a list of rides happening this year in Chicago.
   
   
4. Commit this winter to doing Joe Friel's program, race a few races in the spring then get your personal physiological characteristics measured (VO2max etc). See how you compare to others.
   
   
5. Start sending out packages (palmares, physio stats, any other value you'd bring to a team) to development squads.
   
   
6. Hope that you got the stuff.

Sure, probably should've included that. I have been running competitively since 1992, and have raced every distance from 400m to marathon. From 2004-2008, I was coached by Jack Daniels in Flagstaff, AZ. I draw heavily upon that experience and Daniels' Running Formula in my training. When I'm physically sound, I train 80-100 miles per week.

My training has been sporadic the last three years as a result of a sports hernia. Surgery last summer left me slightly improved, and a follow-up surgery last Wednesday will hopefully put me in a position to be more competitive. Leading up to last week's surgery, I was training ~60 miles per week.

Last month, I ran my first race in 3 years - 5k, 17:02. Not where I want to be, but I was satisfied given the circumstances. PRs at other distances: 2:51 marathon; 1:17 half; 34:22 10k. I'm not setting any records out there, but I worked hard for those times and I'm proud of them.

I have no formal experience as a coach, but I have provided training plans and guidance to many friends, family members, and coworkers over the years. Also, I recently went through a program offered by NFHS and USATF, and am now a certified track and field coach.

I went vegan this time last year and have since run 3 marathons. I don't take any supplements, but I recommend Daniel's Running Formula. I was surprised to learn that training for a marathon entails more than just packing on miles. Good luck.

Two resources that helped me, and continue to help me are:

Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro: When I started out, I read this a few times a week to make sure that my defensive posture was right, and it's helped prolong a lot of my rolls. Even as a blue belt my sub game is still pretty dire, but I feel confident in my ability to defend against people at my level.

Blue Belt Requirements by Roy Dean: This probably won't be of much help for someone starting out, but this helped supplement what I had learned in class in an easy-to-digest video. I bought this as a rough guide for training after my first comp at white belt, and it helped me realise some holes in my game to work on.

Finally, something I can answer:

I have two books in my repertoire:

Bike Science 3rd Ed. - This breaks down the physics of what's happening. It goes in depth about materials, history, really everything bike related. It doesn't go into detail about makes and models though.

Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance - Where Bike Science is the why, Zinn gets down to brass tacks and gives you useful information on how to fix a bike (note that there is also a Zinn book for Mt. Bikes and triathlon bikes which I haven't read yet...). This is my go-to reference when something goes wrong with my bike.

BikeForums.net - So I don't know everything about anything but this is the place to do research. SRAM vs Ultegra? Trek vs Cannondale? Someone has already asked the question and it's on BikeForums somewhere. I trust people who've actually ridden/owned a bike I have a question about far more than some online review that was vetted by the manufacturer.

Hope it helps.

> What YouTube channels/books do your recommend/trust?

The holy bible of Jiu Jitsu

/u/StephanKesting has run GrappleArts and is a /r/bjj fan favourite around here - his blog and videos are very beginner-friendly.

Just be careful about devouring new stuff at the beginning. It's not easy to filter the good and the bad stuff at first.

> Would it be better to go bottom and work on my guard?

Honestly, when you're training with upper belts, you won't get much of a choice haha. Focus on learning proper movement, how to survive and control each position, and transition between them. Saulo's book has a phenomenal preamble to the white belt chapter that talks about how it's all about learning survival, and it rings very true.

I have the Shimano A530 on my city/rain bike and they're great. It's nice to have the ability to ride in regular sneakers as well as being able to clip in. Installing pedals is simple as well. No need to bring it to the shop. All you need is a 15mm wrench and some grease (which you can buy at the LBS).

For the most part I work on my own bike with the help of youtube and this book.. I think as long as you're somewhat mechanically inclined, the hardest part about working on your own bike or car is having the guts to just do it. You're likely not going to screw anything up beyond repair.

While the Hal Higdon plan is certainly workable, I would recommend that someone who is going to do a serious half marathon to spend the effort to get a full book on the subject. Pfitzinger's or Daniels' are both good options. You're probably going to spend more than 100 hours training, it's worth it spend more than 15 minutes developing your plan. These books do a good job of explaining the theory which will help you adjust your plan to your lifestyle, schedule and injuries.

This book is good to help you learn about more about the science and ways to measure progress. It also includes some workouts and training plans. I believe that once you understand the "why" behind your training plans and runs, it will help you be a more focused runner. Advanced Marathoning

The Hansons Method is great if you have time to run up to six days per week. Even if you don't follow their plan exactly, the book is an excellent resource (Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning is also a great book.)

Generally accepted cadence for aerobic focused pedaling is between 80-100. Any less than 60 is considered grinding. Bradley Wiggins won the hour world record with a cadence of 105, shorter cranks have higher cadence typically.

The generally accepted book for cyclist training is: https://www.amazon.com/Cyclists-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1934030201

The next step is attending local group rides. Guys will tell you what you're doing wrong quickly if they're anything like me and they'll drill good habits into you. Hanging with them will make you cycle longer and harder than you're used to and bump up your fitness.