Monday, December 18, 2006

<p><em>Life</em> is Training</p>



Carl_in_gtnp2



Mags and I just got back from four days of cross country skiing in Grand Teton National Park.  Her father came with us.  He is fitter than most 33 year olds I know, but he is about twice that age.  He may not be as fast as he used to be, but he more than makes up for it with enthusiasm. 



This morning when we woke up it was 22 degrees below zero.  It had warmed up to 12 below by the time we started skiing.  That’s the kind of weather that gets my father-in-law nostalgic for his childhood on the farm.  He tells stories about milking cows and baling hay that make my childhood chores seem like mere nuisances, something to get out of the way so I could watch Saturday morning cartoons.  There is a common theme in all his stories: work and play weren’t separate activities.  Both occurred at the same time and in the same place.  He still has that farm boy approach to life.  He’s never done a ‘work out’ in his life, but he’s still fit enough to ski with us at 6,000 feet and in subzero temperatures. 



Most of us didn’t enjoy the luxury of growing up on a farm.  Instead we have something called free time.  Some people fill that time with fun activities that keep them fit, but most still separate the two.  There are others who just sit on the couch.  Exercise has become work, and entertainment has become sedentary. 



This is the time of year that a lot of my cyclist buddies are starting to get out their trainers.  These are the little contraptions you attach to a perfectly good bicycle to make it immobile.  It allows the cyclist ‘work out’ to his heart’s content, while getting absolutely nowhere.   He never has to leave the house or the comfort of his television.  Pedaling on a trainer lends itself to lots of clichés; spinning one’s wheels, going nowhere fast, an exercise in futility, and a hamster in a cage, are four that come to mind. 



Here’s another: It seems as much fun as watching paint dry. 



The reason anybody would want to do this is unclear to me.  I suppose they haven’t learned the art of layering their clothing, or haven’t discovered the thrill of both wheels drifting through a turn on an icy road.  Maybe they just don’t have any cross country skis. 



Even more baffling to me is that some cyclists find they need some sort of outside stimulus while ‘riding’ on their trainer.  Well duh!  When you take away the mobility of a bike all you’ve got left is a machine that makes you move your legs up and down in a repetitive motion while you work up a sweat that drips all over your drive train.  Sounds like a medieval torture device to me.  Fatty wants suggestions for movies to watch when he’s on his trainer.  I suggest that watching the miles go by at 20 mph and 20 degrees F is more exciting than anything out of Hollywood. 



As an alternative to riding a trainer to maintain your fitness through the winter, I have a few suggestions: take up cross country skiing and keep riding your bike.  In fact, here is my complete winter training program.  It’s also my summer training program. 



1)    Ride to work. A bicycle is first and foremost a conveyance.   You should be riding yours to work.  If you live too far from work, consider moving.  Your health and well-being depend on it.  If you lack motivation, sell your car.  If you there isn’t a car around, you can’t be tempted to drive it to work.  Ride everywhere else you go too.  It the past two weeks I’ve ridden my bike to the video store, the hardware store, the library, out to breakfast and to a birthday party.    I even made a trip to Costco on my bike.  If you live close to some cross country ski trails, ride your bike there too. 



2)    Eat right.  Eat a whole grain hot cereal every day.  I’ve got a special blend of grains I’ll tell you about some day, but in the meantime steel cut oats will do.  Sweeten your gruel with local honey.  Oh, and drink chocolate milk after a long ride (carbs and protein), but make sure there’s no high fructose corn syrup in it.  And nothing slakes a racer’s thirst like an ice cold Cock’n Bull Ginger Beer. 



3)    Make it fun.  Even though Ryan owns a trainer, we still have a standing Wednesday night appointment.  It doesn’t matter if it’s road, mountain or choppers, if it’s Wednesday, we’re riding together.  Sometimes we even plan discussion topics for the ride:  “Have I got a story for you…but it’ll have to wait ‘till Wednesday.”  It’s not training if you’re having fun.  The closest thing to training we allow on Wednesday nights are one-legged races.  Try it sometime, unclick one foot from your pedals and seed how fast you can go. 



I should be charging you for insights this good. 



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