What does not kill you makes you stronger

What does not kill you makes you stronger. This is very true.  Over the past month and a half, I have been pretty much riding my rollers at home.  Inside the house or outside in the driveway while I watch my kids play outside. 
I went out on the road for a ride on Saturday afternoon, a quick out 7 miles and back 7 miles.  I can definitely say that working out on the rollers has helped me in many ways.
The rollers, like a treadmill, might be boring, but with them I have been able to improve my strength on form on the bike.
I have the bike set up on the rollers with my Miowatch Quest, a GPS enabled heart rate monitor, which while riding I have placed on the handlebars. I have the alarm set on the watch to help tell me when I am in my training zone I need to be in.

I could feel my form on the bike was more efficient, even though it was only a short 14 mile ride. 

The Lazer Tardiz

The Lazer Tardiz is an impressive helmet all around. The aerodynamic helmet has some great features built into it.  The fit is very nice and easy to slip on.  With it's Rollsys a wheel on the top of the helmet can adjust the size easily and comfortably.  Adjustments can be made while riding. The air channels at the front of the helmet allow for great airflow.  Aerodynamic helmets can often be hot without proper air flow.  To help with keeping cool, the Tardiz has an Aquavent at the top of the helmet too. This is a great feature, and one I have used a lot living in Arizona. The Aquavent work along with the Perfopad to help distribute the water all over the the top of the head and not in just one spot. The buckle is magnetic and goes together really easy.  It takes a little getting used to when removing, but is a great feature of this helmet.  The weight of the helmet is about 395g.  

New tunes to keep me moving

 So hear it is, pun intended.  Whether I am running, riding the rollers or swimming wearing my H2O Audio set up I will be listening to some great tunes. The playlist is almost 50 minutes long and consists of

• Headlines                      Drake  
• Brighter Than the Sun  Colbie Caillat   
• Ass Back Home      Gym Class Heroes  
• Blackout                   Breathe Carolina   
• I Like It Like That    Hot Chelle Rae   
• Ni**as in Paris          Kanye West & JAY Z   
• Turn Me On               David Guetta & Nicki Minaj   
• International Love      Pitbull   
• Right Above It           Lil Wayne & Drake  
• What's My Name?    Rihanna & Drake   
• Not Afraid                Eminem              
• Rhythm of Love       Plain White T's
• 4 Minutes                  Madonna               
• Crushcrushcrush       Paramore              

With the shuffle option on the iPod the order will never get old.
I tried looking at old CD's, yes I said CD's I purchased over the past 15 or so years but nothing seemed to keep my interest or sound good.

ProGold Lubricants and cleaning products

 So lets face it, you spend enough money on good bike equipment (chains, gears, carbon frames) so why not use the best stuff out there to keep it working properly and looking great. Prolink Chain Lube is a thin lube reduces friction for smooth shifting and quiet chain operation. The lube does not build up or become sticky while shedding dirt and mud. The Prolink Chain Lube I find great on lubricating cables with their Luber Pens for precise applications. Find yourself out on dusty or muddy mountain bike trails or putting in a lot of miles, then you need to use Xtreme Chain Lube.  I use this on both my road and mountain bikes.  It bonds to metal surfaces and also does not build up or become sticky and also sheds water.  After getting your dirty from all the miles out on the road or on the trails ProGold's Bike Wash is great for cleaning your frame, spokes, and components. It is safe for carbon frames too.  Find yourself with your bike just a little more dirty in between uses with the Bike Wash. I use the Degreaser+Wash to work on getting that extra grime off  just a little easier.  When your all done fixing and lubing your ride, ProGold has Pro Towels, an 8"X12" dual textured disposable towel is your answer to clean up your hands and get out on the road faster. The lightly scented towels, come in canister with 90 of them inside. Keep your ride clean and lubed properly.

RecoFit Compression sleeves

I am very impressed with an would highly recommend RecoFit Compression sleeves for both your calves and arms.  Let me begin with the calf sleeve.  I trained with and used them during the second half of last season.  They helped my legs during training keep up with the numerous running miles I was putting in.  I was super impressed with how I was able to wear them under my wetsuit on race day and they stayed in place and caused no issues during the swim or bike segments.  Each calf sleeve is marked either right or left leg as they are leg specific for the proper fit.  Next on to the arm sleeves with Icefil fabric.  On race day the temperature was in the high 90's with the sun out in full force, I was glad I had these on.  For one to block the sun, not putting any sunscreen on and second was the feeling when they were wet, each one was it's own evaporative cooler. They have a 50-plus UV protection factor and are white. The elastic on both ends kept them in place and didn't have to worry about them slipping up or down.
To help my recovery after the race I wore the calf sleeves around under my clothes for a few days afterword to help with circulation.  Of course I washed them and hung them to dry before doing so. If you are in the market for compression gear RecoFit will not let you down.

Sportique active body skin care

All these products can be used at anytime, before, during or after working out.  No one is going to kick you off the course for wearing an after work out cream before a workout.  Sportique creams work, and the smell is very pleasant with natural oils and herbs.
1 Get Going Cream -  This cream warms your muscles ever so slightly, with a great scent to get your mind into your workout.
2 Warming Up Cream  - This cream is exactly like the name says, it packs some very stimulating heat.
3 Cooling Cream - This cream is recommended for after working out to soothe tired muscles, has an up lifting minty smell.
4 Joint & Muscle Gel - This cream helps relax those muscles over worked.  I have used this on my neck and back to help relieve head ache pain.
5 Warming Up Oil -  I compare this a lot to the Warming Up Cream, but in oil form.
6 Body Deodorant - This uni-sex deodorant is a must for the work out bag after a shower at the gym.  It's a spray and goes on fast.
7 Foot Powder - Your family will love you and your shoes will last a little longer after shaking some power in them after working out.  The powder is deodorizing and antifungal.
8 Lipguard/ UV Lip Protection - With the harsh sun of Arizona lip protection it's a must.  It has an SPF of 30 and can be applied to the lips and nose and used as often as needed.
9 Road Rash Remedy- Disinfecting Balm - Helps cuts and scrapes heal.  I have used this on scrapes and cuts from razors.

All these products and others made by Sportique have the athlete or those living an active lifestyle in mind.  Made from natural ingredients and great stimulating scents.

**For those who are looking for products where the final products are not tested on animals these are them.  Unless you consider yourself an animal out on the course.

Swiftwick Socks put to the test

I have worn and tested three pairs of Swiftwick socks over the past two months, training (running and cycling) and here are my findings.  First of all, they are all great socks and are all antimicrobial.  To break it down,  here are the socks that were part of my test.  I wore them all equally.

Up first was the Performance "The Four"  (blue writing on package) -  Very light and well ventilated great compression.  This sock uses olefin an impressive fabric for wicking sweat away.
Next up was the Aspire "The Twelve"  (red writing on package) -  These were similar to the Performance in the ventilation and compression, however with these being "The Twelve"s they offered and delivered support about to my mid calf.  I only wore them while working out, but these would be great recovery socks too with the nice compression, also uses olefin an impressive fabric for wicking sweat away. 
The last of the three was the Pursuit "The Four" (green writing on package) - I need to explain first off that these were my favorite. They are made with merino wool which has great wicking properties. Unlike regular wool, merino wool is not itchy like one would think wool is,  and helps regulate temperature. Like the others, the Pursuit provided great compression support throughout.  They offered a little more cushion along the bottom of the foot but not to much to make them thick and bulky.
 
All three socks performed perfectly, no slipping or gathering and offered great compression and breatheablity.  The socks can be rolled down or cuffed if the wearer does not like to pull them all the way up. The conform to your foot giving support all around.
I look forward to wearing the Pursuit with merino wool this summer on some of the hotter rides and seeing how it performs then. The moisture wicking compression socks are made in the USA and offer the wearer a guarantee to perform to your satisfaction. 

The Mio Quest, another look

Here is a video looking at the displays offered on the Mio Quest.   I use the watch for all my workouts, indoors and out, with a chest strap for showing me my heart rate.  The information captured by the watch is able to be downloaded with the Mio software and then uploaded to MapMyRun.com

Different "Sticks" for different athletes

I have had some followers of my blog who viewed "The Stick" video ask what is the difference with the colored handles.  That is a great question and I have an answer.  The red stick I use is a "Sprinter Stick" smaller and mainly used on the legs and with its small size is very good to  travel with.  The blue and yellow handle stick I use is a "Marathon Stick" once again primarily used on the legs, but I use it also on my lower back and neck.  And lastly the black handle stick I use is the "Power Stick" which is recommended  for users who are taller than 5'10", in which I am.  This stick is what I use on all major muscle groups,  and with its length, it is easily used on my back.