FOOTBIKING PAGE

No footbiking today, kicksledding past the Lake Mohawk boardwalk

Kicking in early snow storm (left photo) ~ Footbike racing in New Jersey, the Dogwood 50 mile Scooter Challenge 2007 (right photo)

 2/13/10 Rare snow storm Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Should we Surf? boogie board? footbike? or melt?

Leave with 16" on the ground at home in NJ to have 4 " follow us to the SE coast of  NC.! Can spring be far behind?

Contact person Bob Schutz  at the gym 973-579-9400  or footbiking@gmail.com

Welcome to our footbiking page.  A resource for anyone interested in what footbiking is all about.

If you arrived at this page from footbiking.net click on the link to the main gym page for more information about us.  www.schutzgymnastics.com

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Bob and "scooter dog Sam" footbiking downhill on Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXPQuZYHnFw

Dogscootering at the Sparta Glen, through the trees:           www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSczNr2t6PI

footbiking and fitness photo gallery

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We are pleased to join the footbikeusa team as a dealer representative for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. We are looking forward to sharing in the mission of reaching as many people as we can, to introduce them to the world of footbiking.

If you are at all curious about how footbiking can complement your fitness training, provide you with fun and enjoyment, or become your primary sport, you owe it to yourself to talk to us, email us, or come in and try one out free of charge.  If you would like to buy one, you can order  online direct from    www.footbikeusa.com

If you have a dog that you would like to harness to train with, we can show you some harnesses, tuglines and attachments that I have used. We don’t sell any accessories, but I can show you what I have used.

Don’t miss the first wave, as footbiking continues to spread on the east coast. Join us, become a fitness pioneer!  Contact Bob to set up a demo ride or to come to the gym and try one out there.
Somewhere in the 90s, I started using a 12” scooter off road, actually I bought two scooters and tried to make them into off road rollerskis to train for cross country skiing, but that is another story. Then I discovered that adult scooters/footbikes existed. I have regularly footbiked since 2000. You can get a sense of my own personal footbiking evolution from some of the articles below.
I am also a member of "team footbikeusa" and I am looking forward to racing for them and representing them at whatever events I can get to. For more information on my fitness and footbiking experiences, you can see my bio on the team footbikeusa section of their website.
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS: SCROLL DOWN TO READ ARTICLES

# 1 FOOTBIKING/MOUNTAIN SCOOTERING ( date: in the beginning)

# 2 FOOTBIKING

# 3  STOP IN AND TRY OUT A FOOTBIKE

# 4 A GREAT WORKOUT WITH OR WITHOUT YOUR DOG:

# 5 DETERMINING FOOTBIKING INTENSITY:

# 6 REVIEW: DIGGLER MOUNTAIN SCOOTER, FOOTBIKE STREET AND KICKBIKE CITY.

# 7 THE FOOTBIKE: from footbikeusa  10/09

# 8 SUMMARY OF MY FOOTBIKING EXPERIENCE 10/10/09

# 9 DOG SCOOTERING THOUGHTS

# 10 MY DELAWARE RIVER TO HUDSON RIVER, NEW JERSEY FOOTBIKE CROSSING EXPERIENCE, 72 MILES

# 11  PALM BEACH MARATHON FESTIVAL 12/6/09

#12 A BIOMECHANICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE EVOLUTION OF OUR FOOTBIKING TECHNIQUE . NEW 1/14/10

#13 JANUARY 16, 2010 THE SUNRISE MOUNTAIN FOOTBIKE IDITAROD? NEW 1/16/10

ARTICLES;  SCROLL DOWN

# 1 FOOTBIKING/MOUNTAIN SCOOTERING ( date: in the beginning)
 
Looking for a variation in aerobic training coupled with fun similar to a downhill snowboard or mountain bike run? Try mountain scootering or a street version of footbiking!
If you would like to find out more check out the websites below, or see Bob  to find out how you might incorporate footbiking into your personal fitness program.  
SOME REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER FOOTBIKING
For cross training – has the largest hip range of movement of any land endurance sport. If you are a runner, consider that footbiking might be considered low impact running.
*Train on a footbike while a slower training partner rides a bike
*Train on a footbike while a faster runner jogs or runs.
*Take the impact out of downhill running after an uphill run, walk, or jog.
*Dog scootering is a European adventure sport, it is starting to grow in the USA. Check out www.dogscooter.com
*Track coaches are using them to train sprinters in developing the “claw” technique.
Check these web sites:
www.footbikeusa.com (**)
www.mountainscooter.com for information on the Diggler scooters.
www.kickbike.com
Information about the international scene
http://www.iksaworld.com/welcome.html

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# 2 FOOTBIKING
 
What is it all about? Most everyone is familiar with the scootering motion. Anyone who has ridden a small kick scooter or kicked a skateboard, or kicksled has successfully developed the basics of the kicking motion, and probably has developed a relatively efficient method of propulsion. The same could be said for walking, jogging and running. Can we refine these methods of propulsion? Yes we can. We have tremendous resources to improve training in these techniques, coaching, speed clinics, running camps, video media, books, as well as a plethora of scientific research available.

The action that somewhat resembles the kicking action is probably the diagonal stride in nordic skiing, or roller skiing. In the area of Nordic skiing there is a wealth of physiological and biomechanical information available.

Footbiking can be done at a pace that is like walking, jogging, running or sprinting. As such, the demands on energy production will vary accordingly.
As the intensity of propulsion increases so does the intensity of muscular effort. Energy production requirements and force of muscular contractions change just as they do in transitioning from walking to sprinting.

If you train for endurance running, or sprinting, your body will make the necessary adaptations.

The kicking action involves one of the largest ranges of motion in the hip joint.

The major players in the kicking action are the gluteus maximums, hamstrings and gastrocnemius on the kicking leg, and the quads on the support leg.  I find there is a strong extension action, in the shoulder joint similar to a straight-arm pulldown with abdominal flexion on the recovery portion, upon shifting the weight forward after the kick.

Generally, when kicking on the flat you can change feet every 3-5 kicks. The large deck on the mountain scooter makes this very easy. When approaching an incline, increase the frequency of the kicks and the foot switch. A quick hop switch with both feet being off the deck simultaneously for a split second, can easily be mastered. When the incline becomes too steep you now become a walker, jogger, or sprinter, like pushing a bobsled to crest the hill. If you give it your all, you now get to recover on the descent. This is where you now feel a thrill like you are riding a snowboard down a mountain trail, only you have brakes. I have descended a particularly technical trail on the  mountain scooter 30 seconds faster than on my mountain bike. Rocks, not a problem, the skid plate lets you slide over them. I am by no means a hard core mountain bike racer, but I have mountain biked for 29 years, and I have found trails that I can go down without stepping off the mountain scooter, that I can’t ride my bike down. I haven’t found a trail yet that I can go down on a mountain bike, that I can’t go down on the mountain scooter.

One important feature on the mountain scooter is the skidplate. When I first started riding down technical terrain littered with boulders and logs, I was rather apprehensive about bottoming out. However, what is great about the skidplate is it lets you literally snowboard like slide over the obstacles until the wheels touch and roll.

On the road the footbike’s speed is similar to a road bike’s speed with similar tires, but because of the reduced ground clearance extra vigilance is needed for speed bumps, potholes, etc especially on unfamiliar roads.
 
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# 3  STOP IN AND TRY OUT A FOOTBIKE
 
Check out www.footbikeusa.com for details on each model.  Come in and try one. You can try out the Street model or Track model, at the gym, or go for a  kick with Bob. Call  or email for  a convenient time.   You can order directly from footbikeusa from their website.  www.footbikeusa.com
 
  
# 4 A GREAT WORKOUT WITH OR WITHOUT YOUR DOG:
 
One workout, after a 5-10 minute warm-up, is to scooter the same mountain bike trails you bike on. On the flat you will kick, alternating sides to balance local muscular fatigue, as you approach a hill continue to kick, increasing the frequency. when speed drops where running becomes more efficient, dismount on a run. At this point you may choose to sprint or jog until terrain allows you to scooter kick, or if steeper to hop on and ride it like a snow or skateboard. The difference is you have brakes! I can usually descend hills faster on the scooter than on my mountain bike, assuming you cannot gear up off your small chainring and pedal. This workout can be as intense as you could want with heart rates running the same uphill as running, or all out on the flat. The easy and fun part is the recovery on the downhill.

Usually my dog Sam, and I will do 5-8 miles at a speed between running and mountain biking over the same course. Sam has figured out he can run all out on the flat, pulling me, he has to hold back on the downhill switchbacks, and makes me do the work uphill.
 
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# 5 DETERMINING FOOTBIKING INTENSITY:
 
It may be difficult to quantify the the actual energy expenditure while scootering/footbiking, compared to running or walking with any degree of accuracy. There are several considerations that may impact performance and effort.

One is that different footbikes/ scooters have different weights, such as the mountain scooter categories compared to the road versions. This can become a significant factor climbing or pushing it uphill. A second consideration is terrain, including surface composition, the amount of vertical, and the rate of change being another. A third consideration is descending hills. Nordic skiing, roller skiing or biking is much less energy costly than running downhill.

I believe the best way to get an approximation of your effort is to use a heart rate monitor. The best situation is to have one that can give you a minute by minute recording. Pick a measured course and footbike it. Take your time for that distance and find your average heart rate. On another day go to a running track and run at the same heart rate for the same amount of TIME.

You burn about one calorie per kilogram of bodyweight, per kilometer walked or jogged. Take your bodyweight in pounds divide by 2.2 for kilogram conversion, that is how many calories you burned per kilometer for the time you ran. That will give you an approximation of your calorie burn for the same amount of TIME that you footbiked, even though the distance will be different.
 
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# 6 REVIEW: DIGGLER MOUNTAIN SCOOTER, FOOTBIKE STREET AND KICKBIKE CITY.

The models reviewed below can be checked out on www.mountainscooter.com,  www.footbikeusa.com  and www.kickbikeusa.com 8/09
 
I have ridden my Diggler mountain scooter, in the last few years over 15000 miles, almost all of it off road, and completed 50,000 feet of vertical in the last six months. It has been a large part of my aerobic conditioning, along with mountain biking, mountain trail running with ski poles, and roller skiing.

To expand my footbiking experience a few months ago I had the opportunity to ride a Kickbike. The basic model, on flat paved surfaces with no elevation changes. I did about 5 hours, total, of riding.

One of the things I liked about it was the lower deck, allowing a more horizontal motion then on the higher deck mountain scooter, probably several inches difference. Also the weight, which is several pounds lighter. I felt like I could move faster, but that is a qualitative assessment, since I did not have a speedometer. With street tires on the OMS scooter or on the smaller Dirt Dawg Diggler models, I suspect the performance difference would be reduced.

Two downsides, to the the kickbike, for me, is the low clearance if you encounter speedbumps, or other slightly raised or recessed hazzards, potholes, etc., you may bottom out or come to an abrupt unplanned stop, as I experienced, testing the limits of my upright gymnastic skills. The footboard is also narrower on the kickbike than the Footbike, which requires a little more precision switching feet.

Shortly after riding the kickbike, I had the opportunity to purchase a used road model Footbike manufactured by Footbike usa. It is similar in looks to the kickbike with a standard 27” road wheel and a smaller rear wheel. The deck seems a little higher than the kickbike. It appears to be a very well made piece of equipment.

Since I have owned my footbike for several months I have been able to make comparative, qualitative, and quantitative performance assessments.

On an 8.4 mile round trip course, on smooth pavement, 474’ total vertical, 3% average climb, 13% max climb on my Diggler OMS my best time is 42:37 on my Footbike, 39:17. I believe the differences are probably due to weight difference in climbs, width of tires, 2.25 on the Diggler and 700x32c on the footbike, and possibly less vertical variation of the body’s center of gravity, when kicking on the footbike because of the lower ground clearance.   Both footbikes feel stable on turning descents about 28 to 30 mph.
I pretty much use the footbike for road training now and my Diggler mountain scooter for everything offroad where it is rugged and rocky.

To sum it up, from my personal experience, for rough roads and trails, jumping over logs, riding over rocks, the long deck, front suspension , and design of the Diggler OMS is my choice. For the road, with the lower ground clearance, and light weight, I choose the Footbike. One caveat. When descending a road on a bike at high speed I never worried much about bumps and the like, but on any footbike you have to pay extreme attention to surface irregularities on an unfamiliar road, because of the low ground clearance. On the Mountain Scooter, it is not much of a problem because of the higher ground clearance and the skid plate.

Both Kickbike and Footbike USA make an offroad model, neither of which have I ridden. They also have models designed for racing.

Whether you try the road or off road, footbiking is a great exercise, you need to give it a try!

If you would like to try one call the gym, ask for Bob and try it out.
 
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# 7 THE FOOTBIKE: from footbikeusa  10/09

I have had my Footbike for a few months now, as I mentioned earlier. I like everything about it, and use it exclusively for on road training. I have the street model, with fenders, which keeps the road juice off, you know the stuff of animal origin that sprays in your face  when riding on wet pavement. The footboard is wide enough for my size 12s, and I haven’t missed a jump switch yet, knock on wood. The weight and size makes it easy for a one arm lift to the high bike rack on my truck, and placed upside down and a little ingenuity, it will fit on any bike rack, or I think inside many trunks without disassembly.

One great part of the Footbike’s design is you can swap out most components with standard available bike parts. Want a full suspension fork? Have you got a second mountain bike? If you are mechanically inclined, just switch the fork to the Footbike.

I have ordered a few models and I am looking forward to sharing the experience. If you go to www.footbikeusa.com you can check out the particulars on each model. I am looking forward to my association with footbikeusa.
 
I am looking forward to the expansion of the local footbiking community, and possibly a future collective happening of some sort.
 
 
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# 8 SUMMARY OF MY FOOTBIKING EXPERIENCE 10/10/09
 
I started footbiking on my offroad scooter somewhere in the fall of 2000, mostly off road. It soon became one of my primary methods of training along with roller skiing, mountain biking and what I call mountanin goat running, which is trail running, either up or down hills with almost no flats. When snow arrived I pretty much switched to cross country skiing. Over the years I have logged in most of my off road miles on the same up and down terrain that I have run, and mountain biked , most of the uphill is pushing rather than kicking, since the average grade is about 9% with the steepest sections being around 35%. This type of terrain is great interval work, with short steep sprints, 4 to 5 minute steep jogs, walks, some kicks and a blast on the downhills. I have kept logs of most of the activities I have done for the last 40 years, so I checked my odometer and logs and I figure I have gone over 15,000 miles since 2000. Last year, I added the altimeter and set out to get 50,000 feet of vertical in six months. Not spectacular in itself, but almost all of it has been off road, and just one of my modalities of training. I checked the altimeter for the year, and I have gone over 87,000 feet. Since I use the footbike pretty much in the same places, if I extrapolate that altitude over 9 years, it comes to 783,000 vertical feet. I enjoy setting challenges like these for myself, and enjoy the journey. I still look forward getting on a footbike and cruising on a wilderness trail workout, as much or more, than I did 9 years ago. However, over the past few months I have started to emerge from the woods and come down from the hills. Several months ago, I purchased a Footbike street model, and began to evolve into a different kind of footbiking animal. I couldn’t believe the ease and different feel of the Footbike on a road. With each kick and glide I began to feel more at one with the road. I now spend more time kicking along on more rolling back roads, where having to get off to walk or jog is rare.  
 
 
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# 9 DOG SCOOTERING THOUGHTS
 
I have been dogscootering for about 9 years. I started first with my long legged mixed lab Bubba,who could run while footbiking at a max speed of between 20-24 mph. for short bursts. I ran him with a collar and bungee lead since he really didn't care to pull that much. After he died in 2001, we got a dog from a rescue shelter who was 1 and half. He was a lab viszla mix and could run all day. Sam can sustain 19-20 mph if motivated for a couple of miles, but usually will just keep a slight pressure on the tugline and keep pace ahead of me. He is mission oriented and is intent on working and staying on course. 

I run him with both an urban trail harness and an x-back, with a retractable lead.  The reason I prefer a retractable lead is that too many times I caught the slack in the tugline and wrapped it around my wheel. What I do is take a carabiner and attach it to a belt around my waist as in skijoring. This way any change in our speed differential is taken up with the slack, and if I need to it gives me about 12 feet to stop without running into him or tangling the slack. You need to know your dog and be able to stop and jump off without him pulling you over. We can run over the most rugged terrain and average 8-9 mph for an hour or more without ever getting tangled or yanked. The other advantage is that if you encounter other dogs or have to be on a busy road, you just call the dog to heel and lock the lead at your side. Most of the people that I have gotten started in dogscootering seem to prefer this method.
I love footbiking off road with Sam and of the 15,000 miles I have footbiked, Sam has done probably between 7500 and 8000 miles with me. We also completed the 2 day Dogs Across America event and contributed 40 miles off road.

Here is a website with trails in the New Jersey Skylands area with information on bike trails http://www.njskylands.com/odbike.htm. Most of these trails can easily be done on a mountain scooter or the footbike street.

You can check out Bob and Sam on a downhill run at Kittatinny Valley State Park on Youtube.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXPQuZYHnFw 
 
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# 10 MY DELAWARE RIVER TO HUDSON RIVER, NEW JERSEY FOOTBIKE CROSSING EXPERIENCE, 72 MILES

Highlights

DATE: Friday November 20, 2009
 
START: Dingmans Ferry Bridge, Delaware River
 
FINISH: Alpine Boat Basin, Alpine, NJ., Hudson River
 
STATS: start elevation: 396’; finish elevation: 20’? Max.elev.:1300’ average climb: +3%; max climb:19% ; total elevation gain :4082’; total trip road time: 6:49, with stops, 7:03 ; max speed :35mph; total road carnage requiring evasive maneuvers= 6 opossums, 2 squirrels, 1 mouse, 2 birds, 1 fox, 1 coyote, and 3 unidentified remains.
 
OBJECTIVE: To complete the trip with the intention of it being a journey to celebrate the gifts that have allowed me to be fit enough to embrace the challenge, without making it into a  race. I planned on monitoring the intensity with a heart rate monitor to prevent too many excursions near or above my (LT) lactate threshold.
 
ROUTE SELECTION: I initially picked the route that was somewhat familiar, would avoid most heavy traffic, be scenic, would pass by my home, had places to purchase food, water, and provide a bathroom if needed.
 
WEATHER: Wet roads, rain ending, cloudy, temperature 48 at the start. It became sunny and temperatures reached 54 and  it became windy later in the morning. Toward the end of the trip temperatures dropped to  the upper 40s.
 
NUTRITION/FLUID REPLACEMENT: 10 hours before and up to start, no food.  I feel well hydrated.  At 10 minutes prior to start I took 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and about 4 oz. water with green tea extract. I took one bottle of 16 oz. of water with green tea extract with me. I intended to rehydrate, 21 miles later at home. During the course of the 72 mile trip, I ate 2 oz. of raisins, 3 dates, ½ orange. I drank a total of 48 0z of fluid, mostly water with green tea extract. Within the first 1 and ½ hours or recovery I drank 8 oz. of vegetable juice, and 20 oz of a mixture of water with 10 gms. Of protein powder, non fat plain yogurt, 500 mg of vitamin c, 500 mg. of magnesium glycinate, two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa, and a teaspoon of coconut oil.
 
RESULTS: No crashes; almost taken out on an uphill by a sprinting deer; 12-15 miles near the end,  I had to reduce speed because of gridlock traffic, using sidewalks, traffic lights and road construction delays. Tested the limits of my wife’s patience with regards to me involving her in the logistics of my adventures, since she got lost coming to pick me up.
 
 
The Long Version of the trip
 
Since my early teens, the pursuit of fitness has always been an important part of my life, though for different reasons over the years.  I now look for physical challenges as a celebration of the stewardship of the physical gifts that I still retain. I can’t run as fast, jump as far or lift as much as I once did, but look for challenges doing something new that I have never done before.
Since celebrating a level of optimal fitness is the central focus of my physical pursuits and no longer trying to attain a level of super fitness, as it was when I was much younger. Now, for better or worse, most of my challenges are not trained for, to any great extent. I just figure if I am the product of my abilities and everyday training than I believe I can just set out and do it. Fortunately, for others, I am usually the only consequence of my choices.  

On Friday November 21, I set out on my Track Footbike, to cross the northern portion of New Jersey, beginning at the Dingmans Ferry bridge, on the Delaware River, and finish at the Alpine Boat Basin, in Alpine New Jersey, on the Hudson River, a total of what turned out to be 72 miles.  I planned a route that would minimize the amount of hill climbs, avoid most of the more heavily traveled roads, take me by my home and pass by potential rest areas and places for fluid and food replacement, though it would be a few miles further than the most direct route.

Part of the plan was to enjoy the scenic beauty of the trip and to monitor my heart rate to limit crossing my lactate threshold and keep my average heart rate around 70% of my max. However, shortly after I kissed my wife goodbye at the Dingmans Bridge, and started off on my adventure, I was faced with the first hint that my plan might need revising.

Faced with a 19% climb in the first mile, my heart rate quickly climbed above my LT, not a good place to be in the very beginning of a several hour ordeal. I walked a bit to get things under control and realized I was also over dressed for the effort.

After the first climb you get a slight reprieve as you lose about 200’ elevation into Layton, where the terrain flattens for a bit. At about 4 miles, you start another climb to about 500’ above the start elevation. This was my second major excursion above my LT.  At the top of the hill I figured I would  multitask an try and drink while kicking. I removed the cap with one hand, while my glass bottle, ( I hate plastic) was still wedged in the bottle carrier. I got the cap off drank a little of my green tea water mixture and tried to replace the bottle into the carrier. That is when the glass bottle popped from the carrier and began to roll across the 3 lane highway.  Friday mornings at 8:30 AM, on route 206, has all the commuters coming from Pennsylvania into New Jersey in that portion of the state. As the glass bottle continues to roll into the center of the highway, cars are coming to rather quick stops and making lane changes, as I quickly demonstrate my agility and speed to retrieve the bottle. Success! I retrieve the bottle and wave to all the smiling motorists that are waving back, though not with all the fingers on their hand. There are a whole lot of commuters that now recognize a footbike.

My fluid replacement now gone, pushing a higher heart rate than planned, and still 20 plus miles to my first planned stop at home, I reluctantly pull into a convenience store to  purchase a bottle of vitamin water and a bottle of water. My original plan was to perform at a lower intensity and drink just water, but now realized I needed to begin replacing the fluid with some carbs. As I leave the store I meet a young man who asks me about the footbike. I talk to him a bit about it, give him my card, mix my fluids and start kicking again.

At least now I do not have any significant hills until Sparta. I also fear that my longer scenic route may have to be altered, since I now realize I may hit severe traffic when I get to Bergen county later in the day. So I opt for the shorter, more high speed and traffic filled roads. Route 206-rt15-rt.181 into Sparta and home.  I reach home, quickly run in and change to lighter weight clothes, grab some dates, raisins, an orange, green tea water mix and stuff them into my cargo pockets, drink the rest of my earlier concoction and head out.

Right from my house, I begin the 5 plus mile climb to the highest point in the trip. Over the Sparta Mountains at about 1300’.  One of my primary fears of freewheeling it down long steep descents in this area of the state is deer. Almost every time I go out I will be in close proximity to them either on the road or offroad.  Always aware of their presence,  I rarely if ever can descend a hill without braking most of the way which really eliminates the advantage of speed and inertia from the downhills.  Just before cresting the hill, at bout 7mph, a deer runs across in front of me, collides with a car coming from the opposite direction, disoriented spins and races back across the road right in front of me.

Rather apprehensive about the approaching descent, I refocus. I brake on the short steep downhill, but still hit 32 mph. I quickly reminded myself that looking at the speedometer might be a bad idea.  I lost all the altitude I gained after leaving my house, as I approached route 23, 13 miles later.

The traffic isn’t so bad and there is a wide shoulder for the next 4 or 5 miles. This is the first long stretch where I can easily coast and kick along  at 15-20+ mph, since you are losing altitude gradually, even though the altimeter is reading 0% and occasionally a minus 1 or 2%.

Uneventful, the trip is mostly flat and downhill, and I stop briefly to buy some water in a deli in Riverdale. I continue on and hit the only significant uphill in the last 15 miles, in Oakland on Franklin Avenue. I pace myself, not going too anaerobic since I still have about 20 miles to go before I hit the last big climb at the Palisades, above the Hudson River.

As I approach Ridgewood, the traffic encounters begin. Jammed up with piles of leaves near the curb, I drop to a snail’s pace as I maneuver slowly around the piles, and alongside cars stopped at traffic lights. As I wait at the lights, I notice drivers looking at the footbike with curiosity.

I pull into the Saddle River County Park by the Ridgewood Duck pond for a quick stop. I call my wife to tell her that I should be at the Alpine Boat Basin in about 1 ½ hours. Taking a different route we should arrive at about the same time.

Still dealing with the traffic challenges, forced to ride on sidewalks, stop at lights and generally kick along at a snail’s pace, I take a 1 plus mile gravel path, peaceful kick around the Oradell reservoir with no cars.

A few more miles and I start the last climb to 9W. The climb is sustained at around 7-9% in sections with a few lesser grades thrown in and some approaching 12-13%. I try and use the curbing in spots to elevate my kicking foot and stay out of the narrow traffic lanes. I receive a few minor sticker bush lacerations from trying to keep away from traffic. I reached the top and headed north on 9W to the long 425’ drop on the Henry Hudson Drive to the Alpine Boat Basin.

I have arrived! 6 hours and 49 minutes, with stops, 7 hours and 2 minutes. My average heart rate showed about 75% of my max.

I sat down, looked at the New York skyline across the river, and gave a prayer of thanks.

I finished ½ of an orange, drank 4 oz of vegetable juice, and the rest of the dates.

My wife finally arrived to pick me up, after being lost for over an hour, and several cell phone communications. I was informed that this would be the last time I would involve her in this type of logistical support. At this time, I thought it best to retrieve my post exercise recovery drink from the car by myself.

My 20 oz. recovery drink consisted of : water, plain non fat yogurt, protein powder, unsweetened cocoa, magnesium glycinate, vitamin c and coconut oil.
 

Lessons Learned:

• Avoid Bergen County on weekdays

• Choose lightly traveled roads with wide shoulders and good visibility

• Give your wife better directions

• Ask yourself why you are doing this

Physiological after effects:

• I have chronic intermittent back issues from occupational and sports injuries, and overuse. After the trip it is no worse than after a normal workout. Surprise.

• I have an arthritic wrist which will require eventual fusion, and chronic tendonitis in my thumbs, all of which bother me after using my hands extensively. After the trip, not at all worse. Surprise.

• After two days I have not experienced and significant limiting muscle soreness and did a light intensity mountain jog/walk with ski poles the next day.

• I have some central fatigue and don’t seem to have a great deal of enthusiasm for any extended workouts

• In conclusion, I am glad I did it. I probably would not do it again, but I will probably do something of the sort, but different.

• The purpose of this extended dissertation is to help someone who might be looking for a similar challenge, whether on a footbike, foot, skis, bike or whatever, some insight into the considerations that I experienced.

• If you are contemplating a similar challenge or would like to discuss information on places, routes, preparation or whatever, feel free to contact me.

The start at Dingman's Ferry bridge, leaving the Delaware River

Off and kicking

Alpine Boat Basin and the Hudson River

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# 11  PALM BEACH MARATHON FESTIVAL 12/6/09

This weekend I had the opportunity to footbike in one of the events at the Palm Beach Marathon Festival in Palm Beach, Florida.  It was a three day event, culminating on Sunday with a 10 and 26 mile bicycle tour, and the running of the half and full marathon.

I attempted to enter the marathon tour event on my footbike but I was told the requirement was to maintain a 15 mph pace and finish under 1:45, or you would be removed from the ride, so I decided to enter the 10 mile event with a minimum required pace of 10 mph. It appeared the reasoning behind the rule was to keep the participants of the handcyle, running and riding events from interfering with each other, since the start times needed to have a set interval between the start of each event.

The bike tour began first at 6:00AM. I decided to start at the back of the pack, since most of the riders seemed to be doing the full marathon distance and I didn't want to be in the way of faster riders.  It really wouldn't have mattered, since it was a tour and not a race, all of the 350 riders eased out of the start and onto the road heading south along the shore of the intracoastal waterway.

This was the first time I had kicked on a totally flat course and found it easy to keep a steady speed and intensity for the entire distance.  It gave me a chance to experiment with different kicking techniques and see how it affected my speed in relation to the group of riders in front of me.

At mile marker 5 the 10 milers had to turn off to return to the start.  I looked at my watch and saw I was at 21 minutes, and thought I should have attempted the full marathon, since by time my pace was close, I was well within my comfort zone, and I had passed several riders that said they were doing the full marathon distance.  I don't know if they got pulled out or not.

I finished the ride with an unofficial time, on my watch, of 42:02.  Unofficial because it was a tour and not a race and not timed.

I had always wondered how my time on a flat course would compare to my usual varying combinations of elevation changes.  Averaged out my times were  faster at every distance, from one mile and up compared to my previous single distance best efforts.

Some technical considerations, stride and  frequency: During the ride, I experimented with a longer leg swing through and higher knee action before the kick compared to a more flexed lower leg recovery and a higher kick frequency.   I still can't tell for sure which works best for me, but I am leaning toward the slower frequency.  I believe we each have a natural frequency that we are comfortable with for efficiency and sustainability.  Each can be tweaked, but I think, at least for me, frequency is a harder variable to change. 

Another thought about stride and frequency.  Most research that I have read on ageing in runners, is that frequency remains relatively unchanged but stride length becomes measurably shorter.  Perhaps if we apply that logic to kicking it may mean that if we have well developed kicking technique, the greatest variable subject to change, as we age, may be working on developing greater kick force.

Getting back to the tour, I would do it again.  If anyone would like to footbike and take a vacation in south Florida next December, give it a try.

#12     A BIOMECHANICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE EVOLUTION OF OUR FOOTBIKING TECHNIQUE  1/14/10

 Enhance neural drive by using techniques for over speed training.

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#13 JANUARY 16, 2010 THE SUNRISE MOUNTAIN FOOTBIKE IDITAROD?

Climbing the Sunrise Mountain road                                                                    We made it! at the top                                                                 Okay. How about I ride and YOU pull!

January 14, 2010 Sunrise Mountain footbike Iditarod?