By Kevin Kolodziejski Today’s title could’ve just as easily been “Thank God for Crackpots: Part 2” since another crackpot gave me a second successive jump-start for this column. You may remember Crackpot Number 1, 57-year-old Kevin Maginnis who’s attempting to lose 50 pounds in 100 days on a McDonald’s-only diet. His infamous folly led to…
QUESTION: I have a 58-mile cycling tour in a couple of months. Two years ago I barely finished in the “platinum” group by riding it in just under two-and-a-half hours. Now the organizers have lowered the platinum time to 2:20, an average of 25 mph. How can I train in the next 8-10 weeks to…
QUESTION: In a report I saw, five different interval programs were studied, ranging from 4 8-minute intervals at race pace with one-minute recoveries to 12 30-second hard intervals with long recoveries. The conclusion suggests using the 30-second interval program in the final three-week tapering period before a time trial. This approach is unique compared to the…
QUESTION: I’m 45 and have been riding for 12 years. I recently did a 25-mile time trial and improved last year’s time by 2 minutes. My average heart rate was 184 compared to my maximum of 205. Did I do my best? Should I use my heart monitor during competition? — Steve J. RBR REPLIES:…
By Arnie Baker, MD Consider for a moment a typical American workday: You work three hours in the morning, have a 15-minute coffee break, take 30 to 60 minutes for lunch, and work for four hours in the afternoon, with another 15-minute break. You consume 500 calories for breakfast and 1,000 calories during lunch and…
