Did it, but barely.

I finished the 100 miles of cycling I had set out for my goal last week.  With about 25 miles to go, I came down with a cold, so the rest of the goal was tough. 

I did 12.5 of the miles on mountain bike.  

On an evening road ride, I was 8 miles into what was planned at 10 until a severe rear flat. The flat was a pinch flat or blow out, I can't tell exactly. The ride ended abruptly having me walk home about  a mile. I was in a good groove and pace and the weather was cooling off from the daytime heat. 

I turned around the next day and finished up the last day with an easy three mile ride around the neighborhood on a different bike. 

The summer heat is for sure here.  I have a series of four videos coming out, and will link them back to my blog here.  The videos are about different products that will help keep riders cool in the summer. They keep you outside and on the road as opposed to riding indoors on a boring trainer. Stay tuned.  

Arctic Cool for the holidays!

Looking for the perfect gift for yourself or for someone on your shopping list?  Keep them cool during their workouts indoors and out. They will love the feeling of staying cooling during their hot workouts by wearing the Arctic Cool, cooling shirt, with HydroFreeze X. The shirt is very comfortable and stretches very well. The more a person sweats, they more they are cooled off. Mist the shirts fabric with water to start your workout with the cooling sensation or just let the fabric do the work and wait until you start to sweat. The fabric wicks sweat and moisture from your skin, leaving you cool and dry.  I have used and love using Arctic Cool’s products especially living here in Arizona. The cooling effect is more noticeable when you are moving through the air, but with a fan blowing on you at the gym will have the same cooling effect. The fabric material is made of 94 percent polyester and six percent spandex while treated to be anti-microbial.  Wash and care of the fabric can be washed in the machine with cold water and like colors. Arctic Cool says it can be put in the dryer but with all my technical clothing I prefer to just hang and let air dry.

Arctic Cool’s fabric with Hydrofreeze X Technology wicks the moisture away from your body and in turn uses it to activate the fabrics cooling properties. The shirt will reduce your temperature by up to 30 degrees. 

Get Arctic Cool wear for the golfer, runner or any athlete in your friends or family circle. Sure there is the popular crew workout shirt, but they also have polo shirts and tank tops made with the same material and various colors to choose from. Keep them cool during their workouts. I know it may be cold outside, right now where you are,or even snowing, but the summer heat is guaranteed to be back. 

Arctic Cool is the fastest growing apparel company that

incorporates cooling technology into it’s apparel. Arctic Cool is an American company, and is owned and

operated from the United States.

The Heat is Here! Combat it NOW!

Summer has arrived and it's time to attach the Spruzza Mist unit back onto my ride. 

It is a misting system that is mounted and used on my bike. The bracket can be mounted to the underside of the stem on any bicycles handlebars, road bike, tri bike or even a mountain bike. Summer is upon us here in the Sonoran Desert. 

Spruzza is a misting device you squeeze the trigger and allows you to angle the head of the unit so the mist hits your face, neck, or chest, cooling your body down.  The five ounce water reservoir can provide up to 300 squirts of the water mist, so there is plenty usage before having to refill.  After initially setting up the Spruzza on your handlebars, which is very quick and easy to install and comes with all necessary parts to do so. The Spruzza can be removed quickly if you decide you don’t need it for the ride you are going on.  A small “cleat” still stays on the bike with the zip ties attached to it, but the water reservoir and trigger sprayer come off.  The water reservoir is also easy to remove and refill.  The Spruzza delivers a two to three inch diameter spray pattern. 

                       

Check back, as a group ride, with the sweet option to test drive one of these units is right around the corner.  

Get a discount on your purchase of Frozen Peaz!

You’ve seen my blog posts as well as Twitter mentions of the Frozen Peaz to help speed my recovery after running and cycling. Cryotherapy is one of the best ways I know to recover after a tough workout.  Not only are Frozen Peaz great for cold therapy but also can be used for heat treatments. Take advantage of this discount code and order your own Frozen Peaz. 
I've even used the Frozen Peaz wraps to help relieve pain from terrible migraine headaches.  

The discount code

“timhakr" 

(not case sensitive) will give you 15 percent off of your purchase. The Frozen Peaz offer flexible, 360 degree, cold compression therapy. 

to order simply go to www.frozenpeaz.com 

Building confidence out on the trail

I've been pretty busy, so I need to catch up on my posts.  Summer is right around the corner, well technically it never really left Arizona this winter.  Allergies have had me feeling run down, but not anymore.  Summertime brings, head and earlier sunrises. 

Had a great ride out in the desert early Easter Sunday morning.  A lot of desert creatures are also on the move with warmer temperatures.  I'm glad I did not see it, but did hear a rattlesnake out on the ride along with tons of prairie dogs and quail running around.  Building my strength and confidence. 

Heat for relief

About ten years ago I received a corn filled heating pad to help relieve aches and pains.  It works great.  Last summer it had a rip in it and had to throw it away.  A few weeks back, I picked up some jean type fabric and rice and had my wife sew me up a new one, well actually four of them.  This time we used rice inside the pad instead of the corn.  We throw them in the microwave for up to three minutes and there you have it.  The heat stays good for about 10 to 15 minutes sometime longer.

Now what is a pad used for you may ask. It can help relieve pain from muscle strain. It dilates the blood vessels around the are of pain increasing blood flow providing oxygen and nutrients to help heal the damaged muscle. It can be used all over the body, feet, neck, lower back, knees, you get the picture. 

I like to use them to warm my cold toes after a bike ride or run out in the cold.  My kids love to use them under their pillows in the their beds to keep warm with on cold winter nights. 

Checking in....

I feel I am getting stronger in the pool going at least 3 times a week.  I have set aside for a week the paddles and fins, but will get them out next week to work on some drills in the pool.  My rides this weekend, which were a little longer in awhile, were very hot and sticky.  Even though I was drinking a lot of water, I still was feeling a little dehydrated.  I was thinking for the next few weeks of getting out of the house even earlier than I do now to avoid the sun. Training is going great as I look forward to October.