Don't be a slave

Slave to what, Brian? Funny you should ask. Well, for starters, how about your heart rate monitor? Or your power meter? Perhaps your cog set or your speedometer. Your training program can certainly enslave you. What do I mean? First of all the devices. They give us feedback that tells us something about our performance at any given instant on any ride. We then internalize this information and decide how we're going right then. Is this the usual gear I ride this hill or am I killing it? Why am I going so slow right here? I'm usually pushing 30 watts more on this stretch. God, I can't seem to get my heart rate up. I'm supposed to be doing threshold hill repeats today but my legs feel like shit! Any of this sound familiar?

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Intensity News

I swear I did not plan this or somehow "scoop" the news but this is an article I just read on Yahoo News about interval training. Surrendipidous to be sure. Crazy how it works sometimes! Too bad I can't get paid for putting this stuff out there, eh? 

You know, this brings up some old frustrations for me concerning how our society has dumbed down exercise. I actually had a rant rolling around in my head about this but I will spare you all for now. But I will say that it makes me crazy that somehow walking is now considered exercise.

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Yoga Ski Conditioning...NOT!

Okay, I can't take it anymore. I have a post all teed up in my head about lactate training in the weight room. I mean, the kind of piece that is the tenderloin of this site. I know readers come here looking for it and those like it. However, I've been smacked in the face a couple of times too many lately by these ski conditioning flyers on the notice board at my coffee shop. I get this little twitch after reading them and all they imply and my mind starts reeling. Then I figure, hey, wait a minute. I can write about this stuff and maybe stop getting all uppity each morning. Why, just starting this makes me feel better. So, with your permission...

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My "America's Freaking Fat!!" Rant

It's been awhile since I posted and I needed a little ditty just to get something out there to let you know I'm still breathing...and thinking.

I traveled by plane to New York to the in-laws this past weekend for a few days of eating, sleeping, talking and not much else. I made one pathetic attempt at a work out on day 3 but pretty much resigned myself to a short rest cycle before leaping back into training full-on after the holiday. I feel fat. Even more annoying was having to navigate the sea of human blubber while moving through various airports to connecting flights. It probably would've been better if we were going west to L.A. or some other epicenter of overwhelming narcissism but we were going east. Let's face it, the fewer number of days during the year where one is compelled to take their shirt off because the weather is so nice, the less people give a shit how they eat and, thus, look. Holy crap! America is FAT!

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Data Overload

Following the last article on cardiac arrhythmias, a reader wrote in with a question which I think many recreational athletes may also harbor. I thought it would be helpful to answer it as a mini topic.

"...do you think a weekend warrior like me should invest the $150 or so to have a LT and fuel efficiency test? I don't really compete, but am curious about training heart rates. I just use general guidelines and a monitor. I am also not worried at all that I am overdoing it! Your opinion is respected and appreciated." - Ralph

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