Fun Facts For Today

In Cleavland Ohio, It is illegal to catch mice with out a hunting licence. During The average Lifespan, Humans consume about 60,000 pounds of food. That's the weight of about 6 elephants. The First Coast to Coast Telephone line was established in 1914. The worlds largest amphibian is the giant salamander, it can grow up to 5 feet in length. In Athens Greece, a drivers licence can be taken away by police if the driver is deemed to be unbathed or poorly dressed. 23% of a photocopier breakdowns worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocoping thier butts. Farmers in England are required by law to provide their Pigs with toys. Pepsi Cola originally contained a chemical called Pepsin, thus it's name. The Main componet of human hair is keratin, which is also found in gazell horns, reptile scales, tortoise shells and, very probably, the definsive armor of dinosaurs.

Exercising In The Cold

Exercising In The Cold

The biggest concern for exercising in the cold is hypothermia, or too much heat loss. When you exercise in a cold environment you must consider one primary factor: how much heat will your body lose during exercise?

Heat loss is controlled in two ways:

1. Insulation, consisting of body fat plus clothing.

2. Environmental factors, including temperature, wind and whether you're exercising in the air or in the water. 3. Each of these factors plays a role in the body's ability to maintain a comfortable temperature during exercise.

Insulation
Although many people aspire to have a lean figure, people with a little more body fat are better insulated and will lose less heat. Clothing adds to the insulation barrier and is clearly the most important element in performance and comfort while exercising in the cold. One study showed that heat loss from the head alone was about 50 percent at the freezing mark, and by simply wearing a helmet, subjects were able to stay outside indefinitely.

Clothing is generally a good insulator because it has the ability to trap air, a poor conductor of heat. If the air trapped by the clothing cannot conduct the heat away from the body, temperature will be maintained. Unlike air, however, water is a rapid conductor of heat and even in the coldest of temperatures, people will sweat and risk significant heat loss. With this in mind, you want to choose clothing that can trap air but allow sweat to pass through, away from the body.

By wearing clothing in layers, you have the ability to change the amount of insulation that is needed while many new products can provide such a layered barrier, it is important to avoid heavy cotton sweats or tightly woven material that will absorb and retain water. Because these materials cannot provide a layer of dry air near the skin, they can increase the amount of heat your body loses as you exercise.

Keeping the hands and feet warm is a common concern when exercising in the cold. Lower temperatures cause blood to be shunted away from the hands and feet to the center of the body to keep the internal organs warm and protected. Superficial warming of the hands will return blood flow to prevent tissue damage. Blood flow will not return to the feet unless the temperature of the torso is normal or slightly higher (.5-1.0 degree Fahrenheit (F) above normal). So, to keep your feet warm you must also keep the rest of your body warm at all times.

Check with the weatherman
Always check the air temperature and wind chill factor before exercising in the cold. Data from the National Safety Council suggest little danger to individuals with properly clothed skin exposed at 20##F, even with a 30 mph wind. A danger does exist for individuals with exposed skin when the wind chill factor (combined effect of temperature and wind) falls below minus 20##F.

That can be achieved by any combination of temperatures below 20##F with a wind of 40 mph and temperatures below minus 20##F with no wind. If you are exercising near the danger zone for skin exposure, it also is advisable to warm the air being inhaled by wearing a scarf or mask over your nose and mouth to warm the air being inhaled.

Rules for exercising in the cold

• Check the temperature and wind conditions before you go out and do not exercise if conditions are dangerous.

• Keep your head, hands and feet warm.

• Dress in layers that can provide a trapped layer of dry air near the skin (avoid cotton sweats and other similar materials).

• Warm the air you are breathing if temperatures are below your comfort level

Remembering Stefanie

Remembering Stefanie

Stefanie Spielman, wife of former Ohio State and National Football League star Chris Spielman, passed away Thursday (11/19) after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer. The following is the official statement from the family followed by a special request from the family.

Stefanie Spielman, who waged a courageous, public battle with breast cancer for more than 11 years, died at 6:15pm this evening at her home in Upper Arlington, Ohio, surrounded by her family. She was 42 years of age.

Survivors include her husband of 20 years: Chris; and their four children: Madison (15), Noah (13), Macy (8) and Audrey (7); mother, Myra Belcher of Upper Arlington; sisters Sue (Bill) Fitz of Upper Arlington, Sandy Belcher of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Cindy Belcher of Bangor, California. Stefanie's father, Richard, preceded her in death in 1987.

Stefanie's husband Chris released this statement a short time ago. "Stefanie has gone home to be with the Lord. And for that we celebrate, but with broken hearts. I want to thank everyone for their support over the last 12 years. Together with your help, hopefully we made a difference in this fight."

Public calling hours will be Monday November 23, 2009 at the Longaberger Alumni House on the campus of The Ohio State University from 1-8pm for those inspired by Stefanie's life and her service to the community. A celebration of life memorial service will be held Tuesday at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grandview.

Official release and memorial information (PDF)

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In July of 1998, when she was just 30 years old, Stefanie Spielman was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, she not only worked to overcome the disease within her own body but sacrificed her privacy to prevent and fight breast cancer in others. The fame of her husband, former Ohio State Buckeye linebacker and NFL great Chris Spielman, gave the couple a unique advantage in what they felt was their responsibility to use their personal experience to create a positive impact on others. Therefore, even though she was exhausted by chemotherapy and tried to cope with what was happening to her, Stefanie stepped into the spotlight determined to raise awareness and encourage funding for research. Through the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, the Spielmans have so far raised over $5 million for breast cancer research.

Stefanie's public fight has encouraged women never to skip breast self-exams or mammograms that could save their life. Stefanie always kept her attitude positive, and was always grateful for the blessings she felt life had given her. A breast cancer fighter, mother, daughter and friend, Stefanie Spielman is a champion for women everywhere.

2009 Fall Fast Laps & 6 HR Race at John Bryan State Park

There are a few changes for the fall series. Awards will be given at individual races for the top finishers as well as for the series. The race series awards will go the best combined total time for all 3 races. Awards at the final race will be announced but mailed to the finishers. In addition we will have prizes & snacks at the last race. This series is a fun way to try some competitive biking in a non-threatening environment. The cost will be $5 for MVMBA members and $7 for non-members. We've kept the $5 fee for the past 6 years - thats pretty good. We want to encourage folks to join MVMBA and support mountain biking in the state of Ohio.

There has been a lot of input on the divisions but no clear trend so we will keep the race categories the same.

So, what is Fast Laps? Fast Laps is an off-road time trial series consisting of a lap through the trails at John Bryan State Park. Riders go off every 20 seconds and its a race against the clock. Lap times vary depending on your experience level but are typically around 45-50 minutes. We have shorter laps for the kids and beginner women. A full lap is usually around 8.5 miles while the shorter laps are around 5 miles. Sometimes we run the laps clockwise and sometimes counterclockwise just to mix it up - per KWH

Team Radio Shack 2010

RadioShack announced it will be the primary sponsor for Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel's new cycling team.

"Lance Armstrong will compete for Team RadioShack as a cyclist, runner and triathlete in events around the world, including the 2010 Tour de France," the company said in a statement.

Armstrong is currently riding for the Astana team and was third overall in the Tour de France after Thursday's time trial.

"To be able to compete for an American team comprised of the world's top cyclists, supported by the best coaches and staff -- I couldn't be happier to partner with RadioShack, a truly iconic American brand," Armstrong said in the statement.

The Web site domain teamradioshack.com was registered by Capital Sports & Entertainment, Armstrong's longtime management company based in Austin, Texas, on July 20.

RadioShack has been involved in NBA and MLS sponsorships and is currently a NASCAR sponsor.

Tour de France Team Time Trial

Armstrong erased all but a sliver of his 40-second deficit to leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland in the fourth stage. The only thing separating him from the yellow jersey now is a fraction of a second.

"Boo-YA!!!" Armstrong wrote on Twitter. "Well, what can I say? The team was simply awesome today. Consistent, fluid, mistake-free. We love this event ... and are stoked to win."

The performance was reminiscent of Armstrong's dominance in the team time trial for the last three years of his string of victories from 1999 to 2005. This is his comeback year at the Tour after 3½ years of retirement.

The 37-year-old Texan plotted strategy with star teammate Alberto Contador before the stage to weed out potential rivals.

Astana was timed in 46 minutes, 29 seconds for the 24.2-mile ride in and around Montpellier. That was 18 seconds better than Garmin, with Saxo Bank third, 40 seconds back.

Armstrong entered the day 40 seconds behind Cancellara of Saxo Bank, meaning ownership of the yellow jersey came down to split seconds.

At the last intermediate time check (19 miles), Astana was 41 seconds faster than Saxo, putting Armstrong in the lead at that point and setting up the tense finale.

Armstrong and Cancellara share an overall time of 10 hours, 38 minutes, 7 seconds, although the Swiss rider was deemed a fraction ahead. Organizers examined Saturday's opening time trial in Monaco that was won by Cancellara. Those results were calculated to the thousandth of a second.

Tour de France 2009 Stage 1 & 2 Preview

Stage 1 Analysis/ Stage 2 Preview

July 4 update: An on-form Fabian Cancellara won today’s opening time trial stage of the Tour de France. The former World Champion trailed Bradley Wiggins at the top of the Côte de Beausoleil, and it looked for a time as if the British rider from Garmin-Slipstream would wear the first Yellow Jersey of the Tour. Spanish time trial champion Alberto Contador of Team Astana then blasted over the côte with a still faster time.

Stage 1

Radroute 220559 - powered by Bikemap

Course Preview

The 2009 Tour begins in the principality of Monaco with a time trial. The course climbs into the foothills of the Alpes Maritimes just outside the city before descending to a flat finish between high-rise hotels and the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean. At 15.5 kilometers, the stage is too long to be a prologue, and will offer an early indication of who has brought race-winning legs to this year’s Tour de France. The course includes one category 4 climb, the Côte de Beausoleil, literally “beautiful sun,” which reaches a maximum elevation of 205 meters. The second half of the course descends to a flat finish along the beach on the Boulevard Louis II near Port Hercule.

Fun fact! An average person could walk the length of Monaco in less than an hour. The country is surrounded on three sides by France, and lies not far from Sanremo on Italy’s Ligurian Coast. For portions of its history, Monaco has come under both French and Italian rule, and is currently the second smallest independent country in the world. Vatican City is the smallest, for those of you keeping score at home.