I know that we have thousands of visitors from around the world who access the site using an iPhone or iPad. So if you don't own either device this will be of no interest.
On the other hand, if you do own an Apple device and use it to help navigate through life, this may be like an early Christmas present – it was for me!
Google Maps are back!
When I updated to OS6 last summer the little Google Maps icon was gone – replaced by Apple's new mapping application. No big deal, I thought… it's an Apple product, so I'm sure it's as good, if not better than what it replaced.
Boy was I wrong 🙁
If you search around you can find that the whole world thinks Apple's map sucks. I couldn't find anything with it. Type in simple search terms like “Chinese food” or “auto parts” would typically return “no results found”. Really?
I often needed to humble myself and ask if I could use Amy's Droid to look up an address, then hear about it for the rest of the day.
Just in time for Christmas I saw that Apple has finally approved the new Google Maps App! So I downloaded it, turned it on… and it didn't work.
Apple wasn't going to let me make the move easily. When I first clicked the little “where am I?” arrow at the bottom I got this error message saying I needed to turn on my Location Services.
But they are on you stupid phone – I use them all of the time.
I wouldn't have even considered creating this post until I spend 10 minutes trying to find how to turn on something that appeared to be on everywhere else. So I thought you might appreciate not having to fight through this yourself.
Each application has it's own toggle. Google Maps has one as well that you can find under:
Settings > Privacy > Location Services 🙂
(The old OS version had an easy to find toggle on the main setting screen)
It is of course free and after a short time playing with it, I really like it.
Gary Hawkins from Ride Fit contacted me last week about a new virtual cycling training video he had produced. Except this video doesn't feature typical cyclists – it's designed for people who train indoors on an ElliptiGO.
If you've never heard of an ElliptiGO you can join the club – it was completely news to me. But they are supposedly getting popular and they even have their own World Championships.
Now why am I asking if this could be the next big thing?
When I first watch the video I have to admit I thought they looked a little goofy to me. An elliptical for the road? Who would want that?
I called Gary and asked him; “who's buying these ElliptiGO things?”
“Mainly runners.” “They really like how low impact they are to ride.”
The indoor/outdoor cyclist in me started to say something snarky about people who choose to punish their bodies because they aren't smart enough to use the wheel… but I caught myself and asked Gary; do you know how many runners there are, compared with cyclists?
“Not sure, probably a lot more.”
So I checked and after a quick search it looks like committed runners out number committed cyclists by something like and an order of magnitude = 10 times as many runners.
Many of us are trying to build our classes by attracting cyclists. What would happen if we offered a group class that appealed to all those runners?
If you watched the free screening of the documentary; I'm Fine, Thanks, you met Steve Kamb. Steve's journey really spoke to me. He went from thinking; my dad's in sales, my mom's in sales, so I should go into sales… to I hate sales. I'm going to do something I'm passionate about (fitness and being a Nerd) > which lead to nerdfitness.com
Hi. My name is Steve.
I’m the rebel leader here at Nerd Fitness. I help desk jockeys, nerds, and average Joes level up their lives.
Maybe you’re here because you’re overweight and frustrated because you haven’t found success quite yet. Maybe you’re here because your doctor told you that you’re in danger of some serious health issues if you don’t make changes. Maybe you’re here because you just had a kid, and the reality that you being unhealthy could make THEIR lives more difficult just hit you like a ton of bricks.
Maybe you just want to wake up, look in the mirror, and feel better about yourself.
Whatever reason you have for being here, thank you.
My goal is to inspire the Hell out of you to make positive changes and live a better life. I want to educate you on how to work out properly, cook a decent meal, and consistently improve your health and well being.
The tagline for this site is “Level up your life, every single day.” If I do my job right, you’ll wake up every day a little healthier than you were yesterday — eat a little better, get a little stronger, run a little faster, and feel a little better about yourself.
Amy and I want to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving!
We were spoiled today with what started as a reasonably nice day. Our buddy Randy (far left) convinced us to try one more ride outside before hanging up “The Bus” in the garage rafters for the season.
One word of advise for any of you trying to sneak in a late season ride. When the Weatherman says; “on Thanksgiving Day the temperature will plummet from 55° to 40° at one o'clock and the wind will go from naught to 20 mph in your face at one o'clock, believe him and plan your ride accordingly 🙁
When Tom Scotto told me he wanted to lead the opening ride at the conference last year using a live band, I was a bit skeptical. “How exactly will that work?” I asked him. “Don't worry about anything John… I'll take care of all the details… this is going to be awesome” was Tom's response.
And awesome it was and take care of the details he did!
Tom planned this ride to perfection – he even jumps in with the band to play drums at one point as he lead all of us on a journey through a series of towns based on different musical genres. I have to say I was very impressed as we rode from Funkville to Rockville and followed the intensity profile from ClassBuilder on the screen. Be prepaired to take notes as Tom has a bunch of great cues that you can use in your own class.
I knew that the crew from Cycling Fusion was filmed the event, but we never offered it for you to watch and learn from. So Gene's making the video available as a sort of reward for taking this short survey – you'll be taken to the video after completing the survey.
Joining Tom on stage are a very attractive front row made up of ICI/PRO Teammates; Stages Indoor Cycling Master Trainer Cameron Chinatti,The Senior Group Fitness InstructorAmy Macgowan, Spinning Instructor and Studio Design expert Barbara Hoots and of course Gene Nacey from CyclingFusion.com. There's also crowd shots that include many of the participants 🙂
ICG® believes the brand Be Your Own Hero® represents a way of liberating ourselves and raising our quality of life through service. It’s possible for everyone to be heroic. To live life as a hero — and view yourself as doing so — is not ego. It’s a personal commitment to helping others with your unique talents, day in and day out, while making an occasional statement that commands attention on their behalf.
Anna Mei is an Italian schoolteacher in her 40s, married and helping to raise two children with her husband Stefano. She lives her life heroically. Her talent is ultra-distance cycling. On top of family and job, Anna chooses to ride her bike incredibly long distances, day in and day out, to support, and raise money for, the Butterfly Children — children who suffer with Epidermolysis Bullosa.
This is how she shares and helps others, using what she was given at birth. That’s being a hero, and it’s not always easy. Anna gets tired, hurt and injured like everyone else. Her life has ups and downs. Being Her Own Hero simply means she reminds herself every day that living life as a hero obliges her to get on her bike and call attention to the Butterfly Children.
Early this year, Anna set a new world record for miles ridden on a track by a woman — 441.55 miles in 24 hours. Riding in circles. When you speak with Anna, she rarely mentions the record. Instead, she talks about the Butterfly Children.
This past weekend, ICG® sponsored Anna in the 24-Hour World Road Championships in Coachella Valley, CA. I was her crew chief and honored to be part of her team. It was a tremendous display of heroism on Anna’s part.
The event began at 6:00 p.m. The cyclists would race through the night and then the next day in the blistering desert heat near Palm Springs. Starting at night means you’ve already been up for 12 hours prior to the race start, making the final 12 hours during the day even more challenging.
The race started with great promise. Anna was racing alongside legendary ultra-cyclist Seana Hogan, who had surpassed Anna’s 24-hour world record in June by riding 445 miles. Six hours into the race, Anna suffered a crash during a handoff. For a handoff, the rider must ride dangerously close to the support vehicle to take fluids and food while riding. The lacerations on Anna’s legs were extreme, but she had no broken bones, and the bike was not damaged.
Any cyclist who has crashed and gotten back on the bike understands the pain of riding with road rash. Only an ultra-cyclist can understand what it means to have to do it for 18 more hours.
After dawn the route changed, and support vehicles were no longer allowed to follow the riders. We had to remain at the Start/Finish line as Anna repeated a 30-km loop. We saw her every 55 minutes or so. During her third lap, Anna called me. She had been driven off the road by a car and crashed into a ditch of sharp stones and broken glass. We raced to the scene and saw that the lacerations on her arm were more extreme than those from her earlier crash. These would require stitches. Again, no broken bones, and the bike was still ride-able.
Stefano, an ER nurse, cleaned the wound and applied temporary bandages. Without hesitation, Anna got back on her bike. She had 6 more hours to ride in near 100-degree heat.
Anna finished the race, totaling 349.2 miles, enough for 3rd place. She’d put in an incredibly brave 24 hours. What was most heroic about Anna was that, after the finish, there was no thought of how well she might have done if she’d had a better day and hadn’t suffered two crashes. This race was a cry for people to pay attention to the Butterfly Children. That’s all.
Living life heroically is a quiet, personal experience. There’s no want. It’s a simple choice to use attributes you were born with, or developed in life, to help others and occasionally to make a statement that draws some attention.
If you tell Anna she’s an inspiration, she’ll thank you. But that’s not what she’s after. She’d prefer that you support the cause to which she has dedicated herself. That’s why she heroically rides her bike every day.
Living life as a hero has a personal cost. Stefano’s anguish and fear as his wife got back on the bike after her second crash made that clear. He understands, though, that this raises his wife’s quality of life — and, through her efforts, that of others.
Anna is truly a hero from within. She wouldn’t be happy living life any other way.
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To learn more about Epidermolysis Bullosa, “the worst disease you've never heard of”, and help the Butterfly Children, please click here.
