Posts

Posted on

Using Strava Segments for Fun and Motivation

One of the things I love about Strava is the “Segments” feature. Segments a time trials of various lengths built into the places we run, ride and recreate every day. They have their own leaderboards which makes it very fun to track your progress against your rivals. The is a way I like to use segments that has nothing to do with other people. I love using it to gage my current bike/run fitness level against my former self. This is a story about Current Ralph versus History Ralph.

Let me give you an example I am actually quite proud of. There is a segment here in Pleasanton California called the Marilyn Kane trail. It is a 1.5 mile, L shaped paved path that is pretty flat. I have been running this trail for many years and I have now done it 99 times. My personal fastest time on this segment was set back in 2011, I was 48 years old. As my fitness has improved this year and I could see my mile splits getting faster, it was looking like if I really busted my butt I had a realistic chance of beating my former self.

Last week I decided to go after it. The trail start is about 3 miles from the house so I used that as my warm up to get my heart rate up a few times before I hit the start. Here we go 1.5 miles of pain, lets see if I can do it.

The Segment

Yes! I did it, I was able to beat a PR on a segment I ran 13 years ago. I think we assume, that as we age, we are just automatically going to be slower and that is just not the case. If I didn’t have this history and all the data that goes with it I would have not had any idea this was possible. I find it very empowering and motivating to have this information. This has nothing to do with anyone else, this is just Today Ralph versus History Ralph. My goal is to stay as close to History Ralph as long as I possibly can.

Segment Map

Remember, everyday you workout you are laying down new history for future you and giving yourself a better chance at a powerful and strong life. So, Strava Segments are not just about being competitive with other people, they can be so much more.

Here is my advice – Find a few segments in your general area that you can use as your fitness tester. I have several for running and cycling. Some are hilly and others flat. Make those your fitness gage and use all the great tools provided in Strava to measure and track your fitness level. Thank you Strava for creating such great tools. I am not compensated to pump up Strava, I actually gladly pay for an annual membership because I think it is so good. You can follow me on Strava @RalphRajs

Post Segment Video – I was pretty psyched.

Posted on

Planning Your Weekly Workout Schedule

Probably the biggest key to my workout consistency is having a weekly routine that I don’t have to think about from day to day. I have had this routine for at least the last 15 years. Depending on race preparation, I have made some adjustments but the main structure has worked through it all.

My point isn’t for you to adopt this particular plan. My point is when you thoughtfully layout your week, knowing where the challenges are, you are much more likely to stay on plan. Here is my thinking for my schedule and the reasoning behind it. I have found with this schedule I don’t get bored because every day is something new and I have managed to avoid injury logging 1,200 miles running and 5,000 biking annually the last 15 years.

Saturday and Sunday I have the most time available to workout. Saturday I do my long bike ride and Sunday I do my long run. Three hours on the bike, that’s 50 miles (give or take 2-3) and 9-12 miles running on Sunday depending what I am training for. The weekend workouts covers about 45% of my weekly volume.

Monday and Friday are active recovery and strength days. I lift weights on those two days emphasizing upper body with a little bit of lower body mixed in. I ride my city bike for an hour around town just having fun being on the bike. I keep my heart rate fairly low and focus on spinning and recovery.

Tuesday and Thursday are intermediate run days of 7 miles. I will mix in interval days, hill days, or just keep it chill depending how I am feeling.

Wednesday is intermediate bike day, typically about 30 miles. It’s a great way to break up the run days.

You can scale this how ever works for you and for the sports you enjoy. The point is to have a plan that you don’t have to recreate every week. It will make being consistent so much easier. I did a TikTok and Instagram video on this if you want to check it out.

Posted on

The Joy of Family and Exercise

One of the things I believed I am called to do is help people enjoy the benefits of exercise in their lives. I also believe many of us in the fitness industry feel the same way. For me there was no better place to start than within my own extended family. Yesterday was a huge day for us out at the Surf City Half Marathon and 5K in Huntington Beach CA. We had six family members participate in the 5K who had never done an organized event before. My wife Elizabeth, my daughter Hannah and I did the half marathon.

This all started back in October when I organized a Walktober Step Challenge for the family and has continued to blossom. We now have 11 people in our Family Strava Club where we can recognize and encourage each other daily. About half of us are on MyZone so we can encourage there as well.

The link between physical health and mental health are well documented. Getting regular exercise you enjoy, being out in nature, and having a strong social network are key components. We can do so much to help each other’s mental and physical health with just a few simple steps, like inviting friends and family to participate in an event you are doing. The 5K group went to breakfast after and started planning their next event and how they want to improve their times. The ball is rolling and that makes me very happy. We have the opportunity to help each other make this the best year ever.

As for me – I ran a 1:46, which is OK but it was top 10% in my age group and top 9% overall out of 8,200 runners. I haven’t raced since pre-covid so it’s nice to be back. #fitness Myzone® Strava #runner #mentalhealth #mentalfitness #fitnessmotivation #fitnessinspiration

Posted on

Approach Your Fitness Like Beating a Video Game

I was talking to a friend the other day who is an avid gamer and also happens to work in the video game industry. When I talk to him about his gaming and leveling up, or acquiring new items in a game he just lights up. He was in San Francisco for a work trip and I was telling him all the cool places he should go while visiting. He said he would have to walk like five miles to see all the things I had on my list.

In my head I am thinking that’s a pretty cool 5 mile route. In his head he is not sure he could make it.

That got me thinking how being fit gives you access to places and experiences that others don’t have. The fitter you are the more ground you can cover in a given period of time and the more you get to see and do. Much like a video game, the better you are the more in the game you get to experience.

As people’s fitness improves as does their confidence to explore and try new things. This opens up all new worlds of life enriching experiences IRL- in real life.

Just start, you never know what you will discover even in your own neighborhood.

Crissy Field

New Year’s Day Hike at Crissy Field and Fort Point
Posted on

Apple Rings for Motivation

Apple does a great job of creating a series of motivational awards and badges to help people stay on track. Personally I like the monthly challenge. Last year I made it 10 of 12 times.

Monthly Challenge

In the past I haven’t been 100% focused on this, but this year I’m going to hit it.

Yeah Jan Achieved

Some months are easier than others, this one I had to pay attention to. My challenge for you is to also see if you can collect all 12 too. There is still time in January, check your Ring app on your phone to see how you are doing. #fitness #motivation #health #fit

Posted on

Winter Cycle Workout

One of my favorite things to do is to create new workouts that are challenging (hard) but still fun. On a recent rainy Saturday morning, the day I usually do my long bike ride outside, I was relegated to the Stages stationary bike in the garage. It’s a great, I would just rather ride outside. 

This cycle workout was inspired by two friends Jarod Cogswell and Yancy Culp, who together created the DEKA Competition under the house of Spartan Racing. I linked it so you can check out their format which is very creative and cool. I knew I wanted to ride at least 2.5 hours and I wanted to shake it up with some additional conditioning. So here is the imagery. I did a 30 minute warm up, get things flowing ride before I got into it. Then I used most of the DEKA stations and adapted the best I could. The idea is you do a DEKA station off the bike, then jump on the bike and ride 3 miles to the next station. 

I like to do distance as an interval rather than time because it rewards hard work. Each of the 3 mile bike segments also became its own unique mini challenge. Below I outlined each of the strength stations and each of the bike sections.

End of the ride I had 41 miles, 2.5 hours, and a really good overall, whole body workout. Don’t be afraid to mix things up. It makes for fun workouts where the time flies by and you get a little butt kicking along the way.

#DEKA #MyZone #Cycle #Stages @MyZone

Posted on

2023 Year End Numbers -Celebrate Health

2023 was a big year for me celebrating my 60th year on the planet. I’m particularly proud of last year’s numbers because I took measures to stay healthy and it paid off big time.

I focused on stretching, rolling, and vibration therapy on the recovery side. For strength I really emphasized core and ab work and some basic whole body strength training.

My Strava Year End

Run Miles- 1,221

Bike Miles – 5,022

Not everything I did was captured on Strava. There were quite a few walks, a few hikes, and none of my strength workouts. That’s ok, you get the gist. Let’s keep working hard on our health and fitness, there is no better ROI out there.

Posted on

Boise Workout Adventure

I had the opportunity to go to Boise this week for our quarterly Black Box VR meeting and I will tell you this is the time of the year when Boise shines. It’s light early and late, it’s warm but not too hot and the trails are clear and ready.

Day one I decided to get up to Table Top Rock, where the giant cross is that overlooks Boise. I used Strava maps to calculate my route from the hotel down town.

Find it on Strava @ralphrajs

I ran in a clockwise location running as much trail as I could on my way out and took the faster street way back.

The climb to the top is no joke, 1 mile at 10% average grade. Yes there is a Strava segment for it.

The view at the top is well worth the effort. I was very pleased with myself because I didn’t walk any part of the climb, which was a mental challenge.

I took a moment to say a prayer of gratitude for the opportunity to experience this wonderful adventure.

I highly recommend this trail when you get to Boise. It’s very well marked and well kept. I was out there early on a Tuesday and there were a lot of friendly people and dogs out there.

The final approach

Stay tuned for Day 2 workout fun