Dr. Pasternak and I have had a fantastic few days on the meet and greet circuit.

Kicking off on Thursday night with the final Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Relay 101 – helping participants fine tune their final weeks of training, recovery and nutritional strategies before shoving off on their Odysseys.

Friday night we enjoyed the casual setting of Petra in the Village at Northstar with the Girls on the Run supporters. The informal atmosphere was perfectly paired with delicious wines and small plates. I provided a 30,000 foot perspective on effective training – based on big picture themes I have taken-away as a competitor and now coach.

I so believe in and appreciate the GOTR mission – the organization marries the eqaully importance of physical and mental aspects of life – and as a result of the program are mutually benefited. Seems generally speaking  youth sports today are so performance pressured, and focus so heavily on sophisticated physiological training and technique, but miss respect for and training of the central mental piece.

In my experience – athletics provide a microcosm of life magnified, crammed in to a determinant amount of time, where we experience, the extreme emotional highs and lows . When I was racing – even at the elite international level, I valued the personal growth opportunities it afforded maybe even more than results. I think this positive spin and perspective equated to a long, successful, positive career – and unlike many past competitors – I still love partaking in the activity.

Results and physical sensations are fleeting – the mental values and lessons lasting.  There are bunch of factors in bike racing – many outside our control. But for the most part I felt I had raced a successful race, irregardless of the results if I – stayed mentally intent and present during the race, controlling anxious anticipating thoughts of what lie down the road; replaced negative thoughts and self-talk with positive thoughts resulting in positive physical outcomes (it was amazing to experience the immediate cause and effect of the mental thought process on physicality – it was transforming physically) and rode with absolute conviction, determination, abandon – leaving all my best efforts out on the road, crossing the finish line with nothing left and no regrets or “should haves. “ 

 To me – athletics are an expression vs a proving ground. This perspective relieves the sense of pressure, provides the opportunity to blow past self-imposed limited scenarios, and human outlining. 

 The on-bike competitive values and characteristics extend to daily life – maintaining composure and calm amidst chaos; displaying grace when things don’t go your way; setting goals supported by focus, discipline, tenacity and persistence to achieve them.

Lesson learned - Seize the day, ride with abandon.

Dr. P and I finished our presentation circuit with the Giant- NOrthstar Mountain Bike Team on Saturday. I presented on effective training strategies including the physical and mental aspects. And Andy helped the team riders understand the importance of lactate threshold testing in order to provide tools to better fine tune their training and maximize training time. We finished the day with the team mountain biking the Sawtooth trail and barbecuing burgers – thanks Justin Swett, Andy Buckley and Whitney Wall for a fantastic day.

I learned the benefits of massage for recovery and injury prevention, firsthand as a professional/US National Team cyclist specializing in European stage races. These races take place over a rigorous consecutive 14 days, averaging 150k/day, punctuated by intense competition and epic courses. Needless to say, efficient time management and effective recovery is paramount. And for those of us clean racers not caving to the unethical assisted program, proper nutrition and massage is our medicine of choice.

Dr. Andy Pasternak, MD, (my partner and owner of Silver Sage Sports Performance Center in Reno) and I conduct presentations for events, including the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Relay and the Tahoe Rim Trail races, on effective training, injury prevention and recovery strategies. For this purpose we have researched studies on the effectiveness of massage. Some studies on untrained subjects indicate no definitive effect, however studies conducted on trained individuals prove massage reduces pain and helps muscle recovery.

It has long been asserted that massage eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. This contention has recently been scientifically confirmed in a study published in the Science Translational Medicine. This study is significant because it is the first to directly link massage to reducing pro-inflammatory factors leading to pain.

Intensive exercise creates tiny tears, leading to an immune reaction we refer to as inflammation, resulting when the body works to repair the damaged cells. In this study, researchers found, “Massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glycogen into the energy essential for cell function and repair.” The study quoted Dr. Tarnopolsky, who said, “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis.” This process allows the body to adapt to demands of exercise duration and intensity.

Conversely, many doctors, including Dr. Pasternak, who also acts as the medical director for the Tahoe Rim endurance trail races, are advising endurance athletes discontinue use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other anti-inflammatory drugs to address inflammation and pain. In extreme circumstances the use of these drugs during endurance activities combined with excessive hydration with water versus electrolytes, contributes to hyponatremia and in severe cases kidney failure.  The NSAIDs and other anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce inflammation and mask pain – but ultimately slow healing. Studies indicate that massage, on the other hand, suppresses inflammation and enhances cell recovery.

Kelly Carducci, Kelly Carducci Massage Therapy in Auburn, works with a significant number of endurance athletes from runners to cyclist ranging from recreational weekend warriors and amateur competitors to elite professional athletes. In response to the benefits of massage for injury prevention, Carducci says that, “ Massage keeps muscle tissue, ligaments and tendons loose, pliable and free of adhesions. Where there is scar tissue or chronic tightness the tissues are more likely to tear or re-injure. Deep tissue massage is effective for changing cross-fibered scar tissue back in to smooth, linear patterned tissue, which is stronger and more pliable.”

Consistent massage is the key to reaping consistent benefits. Carducci says, “Massage once a month provides a good maintenance plan for most endurance athletes to maintain balance and biomechanically efficiency.” Scheduling massage ultimately depends on the demands and stress placed on the body – for some of Carducci’s professional, elite athletes that means massage once a week. For those addressing an injury for example a frozen shoulder, sciatica or piriformis syndrome, Carducci recommends massage once a week until the pain is resolved.

For a majority of us – weekly massage may not be justifiable or financially realistic – but we can individually implement strategies to provide muscular maintenance to contribute to recovery and overall injury prevention between massage visits.  These regenerative strategies include consistently taking a roll on a tennis ball or foam roller or snuggling up to a massage stick.

We had an exhillarating team tactics training session in Penryn on Wednesday night. The spring skies cleared to provide ideal conditions. In the first session – the agenda included:

Discussion overview of concepts and on-bike race tactics clinic.

Below is a an account Wednesday’s Tactics Training  from Rio Strada Women’s team manager, Bev McInnis…

Last night we had a great first session. We had 10 people in attendance with two last minute cancellations for last night only.

Coach Julie Young spent the first half hour leading an off-bike discussion about racing and tactics and answered several questions from everyone about different race tactics and scenarios. We then hit the bikes and started riding our, about 2.5 mile square course. We did the first couple of lap on cornering. Then we acted out some attacks. We split into two teams, each team having two attackers and two tempo riders. Once we were at a decent pace, an attacker from each team would attack together. They would let up after a certain distance and the tempo riders would pace the group to the attackers. Then once they were about to be caught, the second attacker (counter attackers) would attack. We did this scenario for about 4-5 laps changing up the people who attacked. It was great training for those to feel what it’s like to not only initiate an attack, but understand exactly when to attack and when to counter attack. It was learning the rhythm of racing.

We also honed some or our pack riding skills, pace-lining, spinning more instead of pushing the big gear which many people seem to do, we talked about why you don’t want to push a big gear, how to corner in a group, etc.

Next session we will work on breaking away and staying away, where to be in the pack, leading out for the sprint, among other stuff.

Our next session is Wednesday April 18^th. Starts at 5:45pm or when everyone is there and no later than 5:45pm. We will also have more guys out there next week.

So thanks to all of those who attended last night making it a great first session. Everyone did awesome!!!

Huge thanks to Julie Young for training us all.

I am psycehd to work with the Kaiser Healthcare Professionals – Thrive Cycling Team. We will be conductinng a series of clinics through the summer in preparation of the team’s September cycling goal. Our first session – tomorrow, starting at Victory Velo at 10 am with start with chalk talk covering…

• Importance of bike fit - performance, comfort, prevent overuse injuries
• Bike fits individual vs body fit bike
• Optimize knee as a fulcrum
• Optimize/balance muscle tension – glutes, quads, hamstrings
• Balance performance with comfort  
• Sit bones and trunk support body weight vs arms/hands
• Neutral fit to allow for adaptation of intensity and terrain changes
• Complement with off-bike strength – glute activation, hip mobility and stability, core stability –       ultimately improve position, pedaling efficiency and power

• Posture – neutral spine relatively level pelvis – pillar of strength
• Strong platform/base from which to move, and generate movement and power  
• Pedaling leverage
• Sit back in to glutes, chest high
• Importance of developing and following a dynamic core workout – hold thru movement demands
• Challenge, engage stability, mobility, coordination, balance, fire neural system
• Generate, transfer power to extremities
• Facilitate efficient deep breathing

• Efficient pedal technique – clock
• Explanation
• Optimum ankling – find the tangential force  
• Vary based on individual’s pedaling style and load
• Terrain and intensity 
• Heavy load – climbing, lower rpm – drop heel
• Flats, less load –higher rpms – heel remains high – reduced movement

We will then hit the Auburn foothill, roads less traveled for on-bike skill building, including…

• Bike handling –
• Stay alert
• cornering
• descending
• drinking/eating on the bike
• Group riding protocol and etiquette
• Pointing out objects
• Overlapping wheels

Endurance activities are repetitive, linear and utilize a limited range of motion. These ingredients are a recipe for excessive stress on specific muscles, joints and bones. As a result our bodies teeter toward imbalance and manifest asymmetries – common culprits of injury.

Yoga (speaking generally rather than specifically about particular disciplines) provides a range of benefits from muscular strength and flexibility to mental stamina and empowerment.

The practice trains functional strength through flowing movements and static poses utilizing gravity and body weight for resistance. Yoga employs many single leg standing poses honing balance, strength (major muscle groups and stabilizers), stamina and mental focus. In our endurance pursuits – we want each leg to be independently and effectively deliver power. Training single legged postures improves stability and core strength, while also reducing asymmetries. These poses are mentally and physically challenging yet rewarding when consistent practice reveals tangible improvements in symmetrical strength.

Our repetitive endurance activities use the same muscles over and over, strengthening certain muscles, neglecting others. Yoga poses help maintain muscular balance through flexibility, allowing muscles to harmoniously function as units. Improved muscular flexibility facilitates gains in strength, range of motion, mechanics and recovery. A consistent yoga practice elongates musculature facilitating improved blood flow – resulting in better nourished muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Endurance activities’ limited range of motion shortens and stiffens muscles. Tight muscles lead to poor body alignment and imbalance. Yoga resolves stiffness and provides an opportunity for us to develop a body awareness to discover and employ a fine balance of muscular suppleness and strength.

Joint mobility and range of motion is of equal importance in injury prevention and positively affected by yoga. Properly functioning joints allow proper muscle recruitment contrasting with improper recruitment and tendency toward overuse injuries.

Through the many single leg balance poses, yoga heightens body awareness and proprioception, This translates to efficient controlled movements in our endurance world. In running for example – it is a tool to enhance our ability to safely anticipate movement changes, smoother, quicker and with less impact.

Ryan Bailey with East Wind Yoga in Auburn says, “Yoga improves the overall consciousness of the body. This mental work and resulting deeper mind-body connection helps endurance athletes stay better connected over long endurance events. This fine tuned awareness helps athletes more efficiently react to what they are feeling.”

This heightened awareness – helps us tune in to our bodies on a constant basis. I have found this especially valuable, when for example, I increase the intensity, running or cycling, and feel my body’s tension increase. Yoga engrains an instantaneous ability to resolve tenseness with relaxation.

The practice brings awareness and effectiveness to our breathing – it connects movement to breath, improving circulation and more efficient oxygen delivery to working muscles. Bailey feels the breath work is especially pertinent to athletics. He says, “Yoga teaches us to control and work with breath, we learn the rhythm of breath guides the movement. It also teaches us to breathe through challenging sticking points in our yoga practice and we can effectively extend this to endurance activities. We learn the breath controls how we react – in yoga and in life. ” We learn that breathe can provide a sense of calm and composure or the opposite effect of fight-flight franticness. When we stay calm – as applied to endurance injury prevention, we stay present and make sound decisions with resulting skillful actions.

Consistent yoga acts as an effective recovery and regenerative strategy. Susan Whitaker of Canyon Spirit Yoga in Auburn says, “Yoga instills that value of rest and rejuvenation providing uninterrupted time to slow down, stretch, prioritize restoring the body and connect with the mind. It fills the gaps that may arise from single-minded pursuits, and provides a healthy mental and physical perspective.”

Besides the injury prevention benefits of balance, range of motion, flexibility and strength, yoga delivers mental empowerment allowing us to overcome self-imposed physical limitations and improve performance. The yoga practice leaves us with powerful mental mantras that mentally boost us, with the body in tow, over perceived physical hurdles.

Yoga offers a mental and physical retreat – providing that rare protected opportunity slow down, and develop awareness. As an endurance athlete – I appreciate the slowness, gentleness and calmness that balance other aspects of my athletic life. I am not necessarily looking for another workout, but relish the complete escape to focus on mind-body connection, breathing and deep relaxed stretching. The trick is to take the benefits off the mat, out the door and into life, activities and athletics.

A common issue amongst endurance athletes is pain resulting from postural weakness. This weak link in our body’s kinetic chain inhibits performance, leads to imbalances and potential injury.

Does this sound familiar…

While cycling, have you experienced lower back pain as a result of rounding at the lower back, due to fatigue from duration, intensity or increased resistance? This rounding contrasts with the proper strong pillar-like posture which provides leverage, stability and access to glute power.

Runners, do you hyper-extend your lower back in an attempt to find speed, either as a result of over-striding or incorrectly trying to find what we feel is a faster forward position. Or feel this same loss of stacked postural integrity while descending? This loss of posture may result from weakness and an inability to maintain a neutral spine and  level pelvis. This sway back results in an anterior pelvic tilt and contributes to high hamstring strains at the insertion point on the ischial tuberosity (sit bones)  – ouch. (Of course there may be other contributing factors, for example tight hip flexors, dominant quads and weak glutes and hamstrings.)

How about those of us who, while running fall victim to hinging at the hips, especially when ascending. This results in low back pain and inefficient technique with the mass of the body -  hips and glutes falling behind the feet forcing us to fight gravity. Conversely, an efficient stable posture is characterized by a neutral spine, maintained by drawing up on the pelvic floor and in with the transverse abdominus, securing a level pelvis. While the upper abs draw down insuring the ribs stay in a line with the spine. When we lock in to this posture we stabilize and efficiently utilize the mass of the body, falling slightly in front of the feet pressing on to a bent, dorsiflexed ankle creating leverage and a forward shin angle.  

And finally a show of hands from swimmers who experience lower back issues?  A stable pillar, among other reasons, equates to performance by creating a streamline position with minimal drag. When swimmers lack that postural strength, for example in that pelvic floor they experience anterior pelvic tilt, hyper-extending the lower back, creating pain and producing drag.

Consistent practice and practical application of Pilates can help resolve these scenarios. As with past articles – we communicate in absolutes and make them relative to our individuality, the same goes with our Pilates discussion,  much depends on specific postural habits… everybody is different.

As endurance athletes the core – glutes, hips, abdominals, back and shoulders – constitutes our foundation. We want this foundation to resemble a pillar versus a wet noodle. The core is the center of the body’s kinetic chain – a strong core efficiently and safely generates movement and power to the extremities while stabilizing.

Paula Smith of Full Circle Movement Pilates studio in Truckee commented, “Pilates is ideal for injury prevention because the exercises focus on the deep stabilizing muscles of the body. The small deep muscles are necessary for healthy spine and joints. Pilates is also helpful to balance muscle strength. Often bodies rely on few muscle groups to make movement happen. Pilates is technique for overall muscle strength and length.”

I was thinking about the importance and application of a strong stable core the other day while running intervals on the trail – maintaining a neutral spine and level pelvis demands strength, especially with increased intensity. While the undulating, inconsistent terrain demands stability. Pilates effectively reaches, trains and strengthens those deep stabilizing core muscles – key word being deep.

A consistent pilates practice can help us build deep abdominal strength as well as increased body awareness. Pilates moves us beyond the sit-up and crunch and incorporates exercises that emphasize proper alignment. In our endurance activities – as mentioned, we strive for a pillar posture, and do not want to crunch and bend as we move, but rather maintain stability while moving our arms and legs. A Pilates program starts with exercises like the plank and bridge and then progresses to more dynamic ones that challenge deep stabilization while introducing movement.

The demanding, precise Pilates exercises utilize for example a variety of bridges, which ingrain that braced abdominal and stable level pelvis, while teaching us to deeply fire our muscles and effectively engage our extremities. This variety of exercises also trains us to deeply engage the core while strengthening the glute medius to establish correct muscle-firing patterns. Other Pilates maneuvers effectively ward off patellofemoral and IT issues by training a stable pelvis, engaging the glutes while extending the hip flexors.

Personally I have benefited from Pilates by the emphasis on the deep muscular work to achieve greater hip and femur independence – think Barbie or Ken doll. This helps facilitate a more efficient biomechanically sound hip, knee, ankle relationship. Smith comments, “The first step in achieving independent movement of the femur is pelvic stability with a strong pelvic floor/transverse abdominus. Then focus on balancing leg strength by stretch/release rolling the piriformis and strengthening deep external rotators. We continue working toward muscular balance by stretch/release rolling the rectus femoris and quad as well as strengthening deep hip flexors, the psoas and upper hamstrings.”

The hard-to-reach, running relevant piriformis muscle, found deep in the glute is responsible for external rotation of the hip joint. When the piriformis tightens it can lead to sciatic issues which in turn inhibit the lower extremities motor and sensory abilities. Pilates exercises loosen the piriformis facilitating that hip-femur freedom, resulting in improved joint range of motion as well as improved muscular flexibility and circulation.

The deep Pilates abdominal stabilization exercises train postural musculature endurance and better mirror endurance specific demands than the traditional crunch-centric core programs. It fine tunes and heightens our body awareness, training us to lengthen from our tailbone to the crown of our head, maintaining the stacked, stable pillar posture. Ultimately Pilates balances the muscular load between the back of our bodies, glutes and hamstings and front, quads and hip flexors, strengthening the glutes and simmering hyper-active hip flexors improving muscular balance and effectively warding off injury.

This winter I have partnered with the Cedar House Sport Hotel to develop four day Nordic Camps. The Cedar House provides a unique, one-of-a-kind model in the Truckee-Tahoe region, where corporate conglomerates are king. The sport hotel offers a truly boutique experience characterized by a refined, sophisticated yet personalized and warm atmosphere. The Cedar House with its all-inclusive lodging and dining offers Nordic Camp participants the ease of a fully integrated, seamless experience. After returning from an eventful, exhilarating day on the trails, participants will relish the relxation of this wonderfully restful retreat. 

Below is an article by Nicole Cheslock, that appeared in the Sierra Sun

This winter I attended the SPECIALIZED BODY GEOMETRY FIT BIKE FITTING CERTIFICATION – what a blast and  invalauble educational and professional opportunity.

The Body Geometry FIT program is the most comprehensive bike fit education in the industry. Working with Dr. Andy Pruitt and his team at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, the BGFIT process has been refined into a step by step fit method to deliver personal, hands on bike fit to help cyclists ride longer, faster and in greater comfort.

The BG FIT intensive certification included:

• Fundamentals of fit

• Pedaling biomechanics

• Cycling anatomy

• In-depth physical assessment techniques

• Advanced cleat, saddle and handlebar positioning

• Z-plane fit techniques

• The proper use of arch supports, wedging, and stance width adjustments

• Triathlon positioning

• Positioning for specific medical conditions

The certification provided an understanding of neutral bike fit philosophy, comprehensive physical evaluation skills, and the ability to conduct advanced fits.

As a BG fit bike fit technician I first take you through a 20-point physical assessment in order to tailor the bicycle to your unique physiology. The BG fit protocol offers a systematic approach to the traditionally subjective approach allowing us to achieve your most anatomically sound and biomechanically efficient fit. As a Specialized Body Geometry Bike Fit Certified Technician, I blend this science-based protocol with my years of bicycle racing at the elite national and international level to professionally fit your bike to your individual biomechanics.

In addition Silver Sage Sports Performance Center’s comprehensive bike fit employs Dartfish video analysis to capture your pedal stroke frame by frame to insure and confirm proper measurements of key angles. You are provided with a Dartfish mediabook to review your key pedaling positions, and if needed prescribed corrective/strengthening exercises to further improve your biomechanical and performance efficiency.

Bike fits available for road, hybrid, mountain, time trial and triathlon bikes.

In addition to performing professional bike fits at Silver Sage Sports Performance Center in Reno, I have recently been hired by Victory Velo in Auburn as the lead bike fitter and resident coach.

I recently completed Athletes’ Performance Educational Mentorship affording a unique opportunity to learn a highly successful methodology and integrated system. This experience has provided an effective system of tools to train the avid recreationalist to the elite athlete alike.

The comprehensive five day Athletes’ Performance Mentorship instructed methodology through cohesive theoretical and applied learning. This unique methodology and reasoning presents the foundation of the system that has assisted the top athletes around the world continually succeed at the highest level.

The Performance Training Mentorship provided the opportunity to learn from the coaches who use the same methodology and systems that help the top athletes in the world achieve their performance goals. Whether training elite athletes, young athletes or the athletes of everyday life, learning the unique methodology of Athletes’ Performance refined my coaching and training practices.

The Functional Movement Screen certification training was included during the mentorship, as well as

• Athletes’ Performance Methodology
• Pre-habilitation & Pillar Strength
• Plyometrics
• Acceleration
• Absolute Speed
• Multidirectional Speed
• Strength & Rotary Power
• Energy System Development
• Regeneration
• Nutrition
• Testing Protocols

The Phoenix Training Center where I attended the mentorship was state of the art and far out-classed the Olympic training centers where I have lived and trained. My experience at Athletes Performance was inspiring and stoked my fire to strive for the highest level of professionalism in my coaching and training practices.