UPDATE: Read this news story about the ride  http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2011/jun/30/dallas-kidney-recipient-david-landsberg-505050/

David is taking a unique approach to spread a valuable message about the need for increasing the number of registered organ, eye and tissue donors this summer when he will ride his bicycle 50 miles in all 50 states, finishing his ride in 50 days.

David is partnering with Donate Life America and on July 4, he will begin his “Donors Rock Ride” in Austin, Texas and complete his journey on August 23 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His mission is to educate individuals and raise awareness about the need for more donors and register new donors in every state. The ride has never been done before by any cyclist, let alone by a kidney transplant recipient.

Kick-off Party – July 3rd

David is kicking off this incredible ride at RBM (Richardson store) on July 3, 2011. RBM is going to give everyone who comes out and signs up to be an organ donor a Free Tube and a 15% off coupon to RBM.

Your support of this event and thoughts & prayers for David along his journey are MUCH appreciated!

In studies, most (even seasoned) athletes underestimate their need for water, typically not self-terminating a race until they got 7% dehydrated & Performance is affected at 2% dehydration.

It is important to pay attention to your Pre-exercise, During Exercise & Post-exercise Hydration.

Pre-exercise: General guideline is to have 2-3 cups of water, 2-3 hours before exercise and Hypotonic solutions are absorbed most rapidly (<4%) for hydration purposes with 110-165mg sodium/8 ounces.

During exercise: General guideline is to have 2-4 cups of 6-8% sports drink per hour.

Post-exercise: General guideline is to have 0.5-0.9g carbohydrate per pound of body weight as soon as possible and repeat every 2 hours until a normal meal is consumed. Here are a few recipes for homemade electrolyte drinks to aid in hydration:

From Hilary Warner, Nutrition Works!

2/3^rd cup lemonade mix

2.25 quarts water

¼ – ½ tsp salt

8oz contains: 65 Cal  /  15g CHO (6%)  /  65-130 mg Na

From Nancy Clark’s Sport Nutrition Guidebook, 2nd ed.

Yield: 1 quart

4 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c boiling water

1/4 c orange juice (not concentrate) or 2 Tbsp lemon juice

3 3/4 c cold water

Dissolve sugar and salt in hot water. Add juice & cold water, chill.
8 oz. contains:  50 Cal  /  12g CHO  /  110mg Na  /   30mg K

Quadricep Stretch

Stand. Pull your ankle towards your backside, keeping your knees together. Holding a support if needed. Feel the stretch on your quads. Hold for 30 seconds.

Hamstring Stretch

Place leg on a step. Tilt foot up keeping knee straight. With the back straight, bend your chest forward. Feel the pull behind the knee & hamstring. Hold 30 seconds.

Hip flex

Stand in walking position. Place hands on waist. Keep the rear-leg almost straight. Push hips forward & down, keeping the back straight. Feel the stretch in your hips.

Neck stretch

Pull chin back & up. Hold chin with your hand. Gently push backwards & hold for a minute. Feel the stretch in your neck.

Lower Back Stretch

Lay down. Place hands shoulder-length apart. Push up, straightening your arms. Let your abdomen hang for 20 seconds.

Lying Piriformis Stretch

There are many different ways to stretch the piriformis muscle in the glutes (buttock). A good stretch for cyclists is this stretch, that also relaxes the back.

1. Lay down on the floor on your back.
2. You can put one foot up against a wall (as shown) to provide additional support during the stretch.
3. Cross the left leg over the left, with the left ankle resting on the right knee.
4. If not using a wall for support, slowly move your right thigh toward your chest as you apply gentle pressure to the inside of the left knee.
5. You should feel a deep stretch in your glutes (buttock) and hip.
6. Breathe slowly and deeply from your belly.
7. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, and repeat on the other side

Seated Calf Stretch

Do stretch one and then if you can, do the second calf stretch. However, make sure to BEND the knee of the leg you are stretching. You should feel the stretch deeper in the calf, possibly in the Achilles more and also possibly in the bottom of the foot!

The first piece of tape is the one that does all the work but it needs to be held in place by the other three. Roll out the tape and step on it, then bring it up the back of your foot and tear or cut to length and smooth to your skin.  The angle you put you foot during this part is critical to the support.  What you need is just short of where it will put your foot in a bind when you pedal. 

When your done with the entire taping it should not feel like it will even help you but it is right there holding if you drop your heel any more than normal.  It is also very important to flare your leg and foot while putting the pieces of tape around them to hold the first piece of tape in place. 

The ones around your foot and ankle need to be just short of loose or you will end up with blood blistering.  Make sure your hands feet and ankles are dry, no oil or sun screen on them or the tape will not stick.  Try to put the tape in the same spots that I have them but in proportion to your feet. 

The distance up the back of your leg should be just short of where your calf muscle starts. If your toes reach for your pedals at the bottom of your stroke more than just a little you should lower your seat about 1/8 inch (this is about all you can tolerate for an adjustment just before the race without it being worse for you).
 
Add each piece of tape in the order of the pictures (look over all the pictures before starting).  You will need to try this a few times to get the right tension.  When you get it right you will forget you have the tape on and your Achilles Tendons won’t hurt.  Most likely since your feet are much smaller than mine your tape will not have the gaps that I have, the tape will cover that entire area of your foot.

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Plantar fasciitis can be caused by or aggravated by overuse, walking barefoot on hard surface, increasing walking mileage too quickly, increase of pace, an increase in body weight, shoes that are worn, shoes that are new and stiff, etc. So these are a few things to consider.

I personally try to always protect my feet wearing good supportive shoes all the time and even in the house I wear a well-cushioned sandal.

Plantar Fasciitis Stretching Exercises

Routine stretching is very important to healing plantar fasciitis. Most of those affected by plantar fasciitis have decreased flexibility and tight Achilles Tendons.

Towel Stretch

Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Loop a towel around the top of the injured foot. Slowly pull the towel towards to keeping your body straight. Hold for 30-60 seconds then relax – repeat 2-3 times.

Plantar Fascia Stretch

With a bent knee:
1.Sit in a chair or the edge of a bed.
2.Place palm of hand over the toes and ball of foot.
3.Keeping the leg steady, pull the foot towards you so that the bottom of the foot is stretched. Hold this for 30 to 60 seconds and release, repeat 2-3 times.

Frozen can roll

Roll your bare injured foot back and forth from the tip of the toes to the heel a plastic water bottle. This is a good exercise after activity and you can freeze the water bottle and this way you get a stretch to the bottom of your foot and it provides cold therapy to the injured area (do for 5-10 mins).