Warming Up, the true test of real men

yeah, that's right. Real men warm up. The ones who don't aren't real, and the one's who you don't see warm up probably do.

This past weekend I got schooled in the value of the warm up. I played ultimate frisbee for the first time in a couple years or so, and by the time I finished I could hardly walk. Oof. I'm getting old.

Besides this though, I have noticed that anytime I go out for a ride the first 20 minutes or so seem much more difficult than they should. My interest was piqued and I couldn't help but keep track on a few rides this fall. It seems that the ideal amount of warm up time for me is somewhere between 21 and 22 minutes. Weird, huh?

I don't really know very much about why warming up helps. Perhaps I'll investigate more in the future and report back. However, I do know that it makes a big difference. The best analogy I can come up with is like the motor on your car. Now if you aren't from someplace with cold winters you may not actually know what I mean. But growing up in Minnesota can teach you a thing or two about what to do and what not to do when the air outside is cold enough to freeze your spit before it hits the ground. When you are going to drive in weather like this it is critical to let your engine warm up a bit before starting. Everything cold is a bit more rigid and constricted. Heat helps this loosen up.

The same is true about your body, to a point. We know that too much heat causes problems as well. Your body at rest is just kind of hanging out maintaining function of important organs like your brain. When you start to exercise your muscles need a little time to turn on their engines. This is why warming up is key. Warming up tells your body, "Hey wake up! It's time to move." Your body then has a change to start burning energy in the appropriate way for whatever activity you might be doing. Kind of cool really. If you start out too hard your body takes a while to catch up.

This is why cyclists who are about to ride time trials frequently spend what appears like a ridiculously long time on the trainer. They need to make sure when they start their ride that the machines in their body are already humming right along. I always thought it looked insane to sit on a trainer and ride for an hour or so before getting on the starting platform and riding all out for 30-40 miles. But it really works.

see? all the cool kids are doing it.

A visit to the ER with Brian Regan

After spending the past 2 years working in an ER I think this sketch is hilarious. Not to mention a good reminder of what it's like to be a patient in a hospital.

BORING. with a capital B!

Currently, I am in what would be considered a transitional phase of training or a resting period. It's BORING. I decided that from September 15- October 15 would be my "transitional phase" after that I'll get back to general fitness training before getting back on the bike in January to build base for the upcoming season.

Let me tell you wHat. It stinks. For a guy like me that is just made to play this is the guarantted way to drive me nuts. Now, just to clarify, this period is different than a true Rest phase in a training calendar. Thankfully transitional just means that I am not supposed to have any structured training plan or goals. Other than to not structure my training and goals...oof.

The good news is, though, that it still means I get to be active when I want to (or when I can). The hard part now is squeezing that into a full week of Biochemistry, Human Development, Gross Anatomy etc. It's well timed--I suppose--given the fact that I am adjusting to a full schedule of medical school.

My body, though, is going a little nuts. It says GET ME OUT THERE. And I just have to sit back and say, "Just be patient, the time to grind you into a pulp with tempo rides, lactate threshold tests and anaerobic intervals will come soon enough." Surprisingly my body seems to have already forgotten how much work that was and it wants more.

In the meantime, though, I can live vicariously through some of the end of season racing going on. Just this weekend, Ben King won the US National Championship road race. While his teammate Taylor Phinney took the US National Championship time trial title. Not a bad day's work for a couple of young bucks in the US peloton. Both are under 23.

Coming soon will be the World Championships in Geelong, Australia. I don't know if he has a chance, but I'm pulling for Tyler Farrar. He's just a different kind of sprinter. A little less cut throat than the rest, which is refreshing. And he's coming off a good run at La Vuelta. We'll have to see if he can hack it against the likes of Fabian Cancellara and Philippe Gilbert. The course might be a little more to their style. Nevertheless, I'm still hoping to see another triumph for US Cycling.

Until then, though, I'll just be chillin' (if you can call a full class load in med school chillin') while my body harasses me about the transitional period. Hopefully I don't waste away too much. I'd hate to end up like George Costanza during the Summer of George [see 5:00 min] "in a state of advanced atrophy due to a period of extreme inactivity."

Adventures of a soon to be commuter

In an effort to squeeze as much bike time into my busy schedule as I can, I recently made the investment in a "new" commuter bike. It's a 1979 Motobecane Super Mirage. It's in pretty good shape and looks like the last time is was ridden was some time during the summer of 1980. However, the front wheel is not quite true. I figured I could handle that and spent some time researching instructions on how to true a wheel.

The best instructions I found were on Park Tool's website. They have all sorts of great "How To" articles for guys like me who are too cheap to go running to a bike shop anytime you need anything done.

Just a sidenote: I've always been intimidated by the thought of doing any mechanical type stuff on my bike. I mean what if I mess it up? Then one day I had this revelation. So what? What's the worst that's going to happen? I mean, it's not like it's going to explode. And if I don't feel comfortable with the work I've done, all I have to do is undo it. Plus, I figured that if I have the possibility of working on people someday as a physician, I better be able to handle something as simple as a bicycle.

After reading the instructions and thinking it through conceptually I convinced myself that it had to be a simple process. It's not like I was reinventing the wheel or anything. (please feel free to groan at that one)

Unfortunately this weekend my best efforts were more or less thwarted. After lots of trial and error this weekend, I don't know that my front wheel is really any more true. I'm going to chalk this up to a few different factors. 1) I don't have a truing stand. I remedied this by hanging my bike from the ceiling in the garage or flipping it upside down. It kind of worked. 2) I've never done this before and 3) I kept forgetting which way to turn the wrench to tighten and loosen spokes. [IMPORTANT: when tightening a spoke from the outside you have to turn it counter-clockwise which in my opinion is fairl counterintuitive] However, I'm prepared to give it another shot at my next available opportunity.

Until then I'll do some more studying. And if you're interested and like me don't have a truing stand of your own you can check out this video.

Whoa. Now that's crazy

yes, that's right. Bike Polo. It actually exists. I stumbled upon this a couple days ago just by accident and it was too good not to share with the world. I have no desire to participate, but it would be awesome to see.

Take a gander if see if you have the guts to give it a try. I sure don't...