Combination time!

So just a little reminder of my situation and why I am using Power Cranks! Unfortunately like so many athletes (especially female but not exclusive to!) and have been cursed over the last year with the dreaded stress fracture. Roughly 2 1/2 of them! (one was a stress reaction and yes there is a slight difference!) So action needed to be taken number one to get me to a healthy place but number 2, I want to be back racing, back doing what I love most! Sure, you can water run but honestly I can only do so much of that! My doctor then recently suggested using Power Cranks not specifically for my cycling but as a substitute for my running! Why? Because there is an emphasis on your running running when using them (hamstrings!) as well as improving your efficiency on the bike. So, every other day I have been riding with my Power Cranks as a substitute for the pounding of running and so far so good!

This week I began a combination PC/run. It was time to increase my long run and rather than increasing the actually run time I am riding the PC's first then jumping off and finishing off with my run. Yesterday was a 30 min PC ride then a 45 min run for a 75 min total long run.

I know I have only been using them for 3-4 weeks but the theory will be put to the test next weekend when I compete in Longhorn in the 70.3. With only 3x30 min runs a week and the rest on the PC's it will be interesting to see how I go over 13 miles!

I am also trying to increase my cadence now to emulate my running cadence more. This has been the most difficult part so far and requires a little more work!

Another Pro to train on PowerCranks

Sergio Marques will be starting his off season with a new training regime. In 2008 Sergio had the fastest run split in Kona. We hope that his new training regime will bring new found speed in his bike splits for 2010. We had the opportunity to meet with Sergio personally and to answer all his questions and share your stories with him.

Mahalo from Kona

Out on the Road!

I have now officially ventured out onto the road with session number 3 using my power cranks. It is okay if I don't have to stop for any traffic lights, stop signs or cars while I am still getting used to clicking in with my feet at the bottom of the pedal stroke rather than at the top! My ride was only about 10 minutes to Jeff's house where I used the trainer to ride the PC's for 30 minutes then rode home again. I am definitely starting to feel a lot more coordinated after only a short amount of time and can really feel my hamstrings and gluts doing work they normally would not. In other words, I am working my running muscles while cycling! Yah! That is exactly what I was after!

I am still riding at a relatively low cadence as I feel this is easier at the moment but next week would like to increase the time as well as try and do a few intervals of a higher cadence to supplement my training.

Time for a good stretch of those tired muscles!

Limited movement Power Cranks

This was my third and longest ride on the LM PC's. I went at least 80 miles in 5h and 22m and did two very long climbs(one 10 miles and one 6 miles) that varied between 6 percent grade up to about 10 percent grade with short stretches of 11-15 percent at times. I am finding that I can keep the click/clack to a minimum as long as I am in the proper gear. For me that is usually a lower cadence of about 60 but will know for sure when I get my cadence sensor for my new bike computer. Uphill is generally much better for keeping the click/clacking to a minimum and I usually get the feedback when going fast down hill or accelerating fast uphill. I am going to ride these cranks on the White Mt. Double Century on Sat, 26 Sept. even though they are killing my hip flexors. Currently I have about 130 miles on these cranks between three rides. Soon, I will be using both traditional PC's and LM PC's on back to back rides.

Alex Roberson

Session number 2!

Yesterday was session number 2 using the power cranks and I was able to reach my target of 30 minutes on the trainer after only lasting 10min on Monday. I found that by increasing the resistance it made it a little bit easier to keep the momentum going and avoid my horrible single leg cycling action that was happening earlier.

I definitely under estimated what it would be like to use them and I am fascinated reading other peoples blogs and how much they use them. I will have to build up to that over time, but this week plan on sticking to the 4 x 30 minute sessions on alternate cycling days.

My quads get tired from the pushing action, but you are forced more than usual to actually "pull" so the hamstrings get a descent work out, like they would if your were running. It is muscular fatigue more than anything the I feel.

In my situation, yes, it would be fantastic to see improvements in my cycling, but my sole purpose is to assist my running, or the lack off, due to injury. I am using the power cranks on my alternate run days to continue to work those muscle with out the pounding of road running.

Tomorrow I will use them again for session number 3 and hopefully again see some slight improvements in my efficiency more than anything else, which in the end will allow me to use them for longer.

Ouch! That was tough!

After not being able to complete Ironman Canada recently it was time to make some changes! I have unfortunately suffered from the dreaded stress fracture my fair share over the last year and was looking for another way of working those running muscles other than water running, x-trainer, you name it, I have tried it! What was going to work!!

After talking to a number of athletes who have used power cranks and my doctor I determined this may be the saviour I am looking for!

Not only to help improve my cycling, but aid in making me a more efficient runner and prevent that excess pounding when it seems at this point in time my body can't take it!

The truth is I have nothing to lose so why not!

So here I am day one, the bike was set up yesterday and today I attempted to ride with them on the trainer, just to be safe!

Oh my gosh! What a work out!

Thank god I had only set myself a target of 10 minutes!

I could feel muscles working that I never normally feel when I am cycling and I had built up a sweat after only 5 minutes.

This is going to be tough!

My plan is to use them on alternate days to when I am running and slowly build up the time.

It will be interesting to see how the legs feel tomorrow but it is obvious I have a lot of work to do on my pedal efficiency.

I am looking forward to the challenge!

77.6 miles on standard PC's today

Hi everyone,

I am new to blogging here about Powercranks. I am very exicted about using PC's and have recently gone greater distances than I had previous achieved last year at this time. I actually stopped using them for about 6 months while I was in Texas as I loaned my trainer bike to a friend and removed my PC's when I did it. I only took my "good bike" to Texas and did not install the PC's because I was intimated and was afraid I would not be able to get in the distances I wanted to go while there. I got my trainer bike back last month and put the PC's back on it and rode it frequently. I felt that it was time to do a major ride last month and did a climb with the local group up to the summit of Mt. Lassen in N. California. All told, I rode 73 miles and did at least 6000 feet of climbing on a bike that did not have a front deraileur so my easiest gear was compact 50 chainring paired with a 23 tooth on the rear. Two weeks ago I participated in a 25 mile, 4500 feet of climbing, circuit race with the same 80's Cannondale with a steel fork in the same configuration. I placed 6th out of about 9 or so local club racers.

Today, I did a double hill climb. One was up to Cohasset, East of Chico, Ca, and the other was back up to Paradise, CA where my ride originated. It was approximately 5000 feet of climbing involved for the whole day. I was really able to concentrate on pedal stroke and get up to the top of Cohasset fairly quickly without too much one legged pedaling if any at all. Of course, my climb up Honey Run to Paradise was considerably slower as I was getting very tired and my legs were feeling like jello. I did stop twice momentarliy but kept a fairly steady pace with some one legged pedaling as needed. I achieved a new maximum distance today of 77.6 miles on the PC's Overall, I feel the PC's have helped me tremendously even though I was not using them for six months. I was able to get right back on and ride them fairly comfortably and my current consistancy with them is really beginning to pay off.

Tomorrow, I will be riding hills with the limited movement prototype PC's. I will blog more about that after my ride.

Alex Roberson