Finding the right cycling workouts to help you lose weight, how a year of training and no racing will affect your performance, the most common cycling myths debunked and more in Episode 268 of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast.
I might add to the first aid section that getting formal training so that you know how to use the medical tools effectively is really important. You can take formal weekend wilderness first aid classes or even more intensive wilderness first responder classes and they’ll show you so many things that are useful and how to deal with injuries in the field. Really boosted my confidence that I could help myself or someone else if there was a bad injury.
Like training, we were told that medical best practices are also always evolving so it’s good to stay on top of it!
I can’t agree more some training in the field of minor emergency medicine is priceless. Even just knowing what is or is not worrisome is unbelievably helpful. Also having a way to call in the troops if something goes bad wrong is crucially important. Some of us live & ride in areas with lots of cell coverage. If not can’t can’t say enough good thing about the garmin inReach mini as a cyclist, backpacker, backcountry Skiier and in anesthesia ( seen a lot of really bad stuff) this thing is worth its weight in gold.
Always looking forward to hearing more about strength training, metabolism and weight loss. I recently started focusing more on strength training after getting a bit burnt out on biking. When Chad says he looked at himself and saw some fluffiness - I can totally relate (I’m sure I’m way more fluffy). Looking at my the workouts (strength and cardio) I’ve put it over the last months/years I can’t believe the % of body fat I’m still carrying around my mid-section. Time to rev up the metabolic engine for sure cause I don’t want to run a caloric deficit - I barely have enough energy as it is. I also wonder if not fueling enough over a period of time can increase body fat.
@Jonathan could have used a spoiler when it came to the discussions of the artery being cut, I’m a wimp hearing about stuff like that and all of a sudden got a bit light headed on my run.
Few ideas for adding to your first aid kit are: Triangle cloth bandage - They are typically discrete and can be used for many things including slings Old tube- cut the stem out of your punctured tube. It can be used for Slings building a splint or a tourniquet Self Adhesive Tape - You are likely going to be sweaty so getting normal tape to adhere will be tough Ziplock Bag - You can rip this in half incase you end up with a Sucking chest wound. Tape there sides leaving the bottom open so that the blood can drain but when you breath it closes the chest cavity.
At a recent first aid course I was recommended to carry a half roll of cling film (gladwrap) as a ‘do-all’ item. It can be used to stop bleeding, snakebite compression and splinting injured limbs. It’s apparently reasonably sterile. I’ve thankfully not had to use it yet!
The 1972 study on the physiologic effects of placebos was literally mind blowing. A whole show ( or another one?) on the power of placebos would be most appreciated.
They are excellent but in my experience working in the ‘Search & Rescue (SAR)’ world, you are always better off going for a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) device (something like the link I have attached, which is what I personally carry) rather than a ‘Spot Tracker’ or equivalent due to the fact that there are no on going subscription related costs and the device connects to your national SAR network, meaning you are going to get a coordinated and timely response. Happy to provide more info about these if @Jonathan or any of the TR team wants to know more.
Apart from sticking (extra) food with me I also always carry caffeine tablets (and 1 caffeinated gel somewhere along with some money). I also reckon ducktape might come in handy which I carry along with a small knife (and a compass). Lastly I have some anti-histamine tablets (for others) and some leftover oxycodon (for strictly personal use I suppose).
Also, very important… do some emergency medical training. At least learn how to do CPR and how to stop a major bleed.
MyMedic Solo Advanced is $100. When you go to their site, you can sign up for emails and get an 11% code (TISBUTASCRATCH).
There seem to be a huge array of first aid kits out there, from $20 to $200. If you’re cash rich and time poor, then the MyMedic The Solo seems great (I’m very close to just pulling the trigger, although hearing more experienced user feedback would be nice). Alternatively, many of us have a heap of first aid supplies that just need to be sorted out and put into a bag. For those following that path (I’ll do that this week regardless), this is the contents of the MyMedic kit. I’ve got most of these, and a trip to Target or similar will get me most of what I’m missing.
For the InReach vs PLB, thanks for the link. We have young children, so haven’t been getting as far off the grid as I did as a young man, but that is starting to change (going multi day hiking in wilderness in two weeks!!). @arjn Can you comment on if the linked PLB is just “the one to get”, or should I research more? I do a few trail runs into Montana wilderness areas (where Grizzly’s live, apparently), and the lack of monthly/annual fees is really appealing. Size/weight were my only concerns. Anything InReach Mini size, but a PLB without subscription costs you’d suggest?
I’m sitting at 69 kilos with a tummy (on turbo I get a sweat line when folding over for example) and quite frankly it’s getting me really down. I’m getting faster (on turbo that is, UK lockdown and gf has limited my riding to nothing more than 90mins) so it’s not holding me back and the bit about not having to look a certain way resonated.
Thanks for not only talking about how to get faster, but also keep some sort of sanity in my head, and also not to pigeon hole myself as a climber/sprinter/punter.
If it helps I personally have gone out and bought that exact one for myself for my rides where mobile coverage is scarce or non existent due to it’s size and capability. Feel free to do your own research but in my personal research I did not come across any issues with the device. Like all PLB’s if you do get it, and I tell everyone this, please, please make sure you register it and included as much contact information as possible so that if it does get set off, then the rescue agencies are not wasting time trying to track down who it belongs to and whether it is a false alarm or not.
Thanks, I will grab one shortly. Just makes a lot of sense when something like this is available, and not crazy expensive if there’s no monthly fee.
As a side note, I ordered the Solo medic kit (basic, not the advanced). I reassembled my kit, but was still missing some items, and it was just easier to order the whole kit.
(and 1 caffeinated gel somewhere along with some money). I also reckon ducktape might come in handy which I carry along with a small knife (and a compass). Lastly I have some anti-histamine tablets (for others) and some leftover oxycodon (for strictly personal use I suppose).
