RAGBRAI

If you have registered for the 2010 RAGBRAI then it isn’t too early to start getting ready.  By getting ready, I mean three things:

1) Get (or better yet Stay) Active.  Keep moving regardless of the type of exercise. If you live in a northern climate you know how hard it is to get out and ride this time of year.  But you can swim, run, go do cardio and weight machines at the gym.  Anything you can do to get active this time of year, the better.

2) Start riding.   If you are blessed by living somewhere that doesn’t have an ‘Iowa winter’, then get out and ride.  Those of us in Iowa would kill to have a 40 degree day right now!  But if you do live up north, there are a couple of options.  One is to put your bike on a stationary trainer or rollers and ride away indoors.  Not the same as riding outside but better than couch training.   Spin classes are a great way to maintain and gain fitness in the winter.  You can do these as hard or as easy as you wish because you are in charge of the resistance level on the bike and how hard you pedal.  But guaranteed you will work up a sweat. 

3) If you wish to lose some weight by RAGBRAI, then now is the time to start.   Granted, losing weight this time of year can be difficult. You aren’t riding as much so you aren’t burning calories.  But the good news is: you aren’t riding as much, so you don’t need to eat as much as you do when riding 2+ hour rides.  Cut back gradually but try to exercise at least 30 minutes per day to create a calorie deficit.  It doesn’t have to be much of a deficit.  A 500 calorie deficit (250 from eating less and 250 from a half hour of exercise) will amount to a pound of fat lost per week.  A pound per week doesn’t sound like much, but keep in mind you have about 26 weeks before RAGBRAI begins, so that’s 26 pounds.

Anything you do now is fitness in the bank for next summer. It’s never too early to start preparing!

Coach David Ertl

David Ertl is a USA Cycling Level 1 Coach and NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, located in Iowa.  He coaches individual cyclists and teams.  He is the author of ‘101 Cycling Workouts’ and owns Cyclesport Coaching (www.CyclesportCoaching.com).