02.18.2010 | 8:42 am
A Note from Fatty: If you read my post on the H2O Audio headset from a couple days ago and are considering buying one, you can get a 20% discount on anything from the H2O Audio website – including the Interval 3G Waterproof Headphone System – including the by entering the discount code FatCyclist20 at checkout. (Full Disclosure: I do not get any of the proceeds from any of these sales — this is just something nice the H2O Audio people are doing because it looked like a lot of you were interested.)
For the first few years of my cycling life, I wore bike shorts with an elastic waist. This was OK, though I never really cared for the way the elastic cut into my waist, while my belly flopped over the band.
And then I tried my first pair of bib shorts, after which I quickly discarded all my elastic waist shorts.
Yes, bib shorts are really that much better. For one thing, they keep the chamois snug against your nethers. For another — much more important — thing, they keep your stomach compressed, giving you the same benefit William Shatner had in the first Star Trek series. Which seems only fair.
Also, they look dapper.
And in short (ho ho!): I love bib shorts.
Which means that I’m exactly the right person to answer the following email:
On my ride the other day I spied something I’d never seen before. A cyclist riding in bib nicks only. Of course I quickly checked his bike for signs that he was a triathlete, that strange sub-set of cyclists which you’ve quite rightly pointed out in the past are dangerous and to be avoided. But there were none. So it’s quite obvious from that comprehensive check that we can rule that option out. So there you have it. Someone riding in bib nicks only. OK. And shoes and helmet – he wasn’t totally crazy.
As you can well imagine, this left me somewhat confused. Like most people, I feel much more comfortable when I can pigeon-hole people in accordance with my own misconceptions and biases. But here was someone who defied all classification because I realised that I didn’t have any rules of thumb, codes or standards to apply.
In such a disturbing dilemma and time of distress you are the only one I could think of to turn to. A kind of Agony Aunt, or as I’d prefer to think of it Modern Guru. At least for all things cycling, but more probably for everything, such is your insight and breadth of experience.
So, dear Fatty, what is the correct dress for a road cyclist? Is it acceptable to only wear bib nicks when it’s really hot and steamy? If so, does that mean it’s also ok to ride just in regular nicks with no jersey?
Is wearing no socks the start of poor cycling dress – the first step on the slippery slope to cycling dress purgatory?
Help me oh wise one. What is the correct etiquette?
Regards
Paul
Thanks for your question, Paul! The short answer to your question is that this rider was exactly right to be wearing nothing but bib shorts (or “bib nicks” as you Australians adorably put it) on his ride. But the circumstances in which bib shorts — and nothing but bib shorts — are appropriate goes much, much further than merely on the bike.
I shall enumerate.
For Cycling
Let’s begin by addressing the question at hand. The truth is, bib shorts are so attractive that it’s a shame to cover them with a jersey. And really, why would you want the extra weight? Besides, if you have a hairy chest (and / or shoulders and / or back) you ought to share that with the world.
One caveat, however: bibs do not provide quite as much protection as a jersey in the case of an accident. Not that a jersey protects you from a hard impact, but it can reduce road rash to a degree.
For this reason, you should always wear a jersey over your bib shorts during the rides where you expect to crash, much as you should wear a helmet during those rides.
For extra-attractive awesomeness, I especially recommend wearing a Camelbak over your bibshorts when mountain biking. I guarantee an interesting set of tanlines.
For Swimming
What many people do not realize is that bib shorts also make terrific swim suits! And in fact I think you might find that you would not be the first person to wear such an outfit, as demonstrated in the below photograph.
Really, all you need to complete your look is a parasol, and perhaps a waxed moustache.
Note: Be careful of the chamois, which can hinder movement and become somewhat uncomfortable when soggy.
For Eating
Something most people don’t realize about bib shorts is that they are awesome for more than just athletic activities. I hope that it is not revealing too much to say that I also wear bib shorts when I eat, especially when I am sitting on a couch, eating chips and drinking a favorite beverage.
Why? Simple. By pulling the front part of the bib short forward, I have a ready-made kangaroo pouch of sorts, one that will hold at least 3/4 of a bag of chips. Depending on my mood, I will stuff the bag into the pouch, or simply pour the chips down into the opening.
Either way, I’ve got easy access to my chips, and the chips stay with me when I move.
Let me make it clear, though: the pouch is not the only thing the bib shorts will hold. Consider, for a moment, Twizzlers. Or Red Vines. (I don’t want to get into an argument right now over which is better.) You can easily stick several of your favorite red licorice into each shoulder strap, giving you unprecedented access.
And really, this is just the beginning. With all that lycra, the places to hold your favorite foods and beverages close to your body is only limited by your imagination. And by how tight your bib shorts are to begin with, I suppose.
Try eating and watching TV with your bib shorts on. You’ll thank me.
In Triathalons
One place where I do not recommend wearing your bib shorts without a jersey, however, is when participating in a Triathalon. The reason for this is simple: triathaletes have their own clothing rules and customs, and it is important that we observe and obey these.
Hence, if you are going to wear bib shorts when participating in a triathalon, you should also wear a half-shirt. That’s what I’m going to do in the St. George Ironman in May, and I am going to look hot.
Here’s what I’m going to look like:
Nice, huh?
In the interest of accuracy, I want to point out that my bib shorts do not do quite as good of a job in holding my muffin top in as shown in this photograph.
And my quads look about thirty times as awesome.
Other Questions Answered
Paul also wanted to know whether it is allowable to wear regular shorts without a jersey. The answer is — again — “yes,” but with a few caveats: it is permissible to wear regular shorts without a jersey only if
- You have 8% or lower bodyfat
- You have no hair on your back or shoulders
- Your skin is not so pasty white that bystanders must wear special eyewear or risk damage to their retinas.
I should point out that owing to one or more — or all — of the above criteria, I have never worn cycling shorts without a jersey.
Comments (93)
02.16.2010 | 7:42 am
There was a time when Superman was my least favorite comic book hero. His problem is that he has so many powers that it’s difficult to even enumerate them all. Strength, speed, flight, a whole raft of vision-related powers, cold breath, and nearly invulnerable.
“I swear,” I used to think, “his biggest challenge must be in deciding which combination of powers to use in a given situation.”
But lately, I’ve come to identify with Superman more and more, as my own arsenal of superpowers continues to expand.
Namely, in addition to being able to eat prodigious amounts of food, in addition to being able to eat food right after a hard event while everyone else is clutching their stomachs and fighting nausea, in addition to being able to recall the complete song lyrics to any and every top-40 song from the 80’s, I have yet another power:
I am a remarkably good giver of gifts. Seriously, if you ever get a gift from me, you can count on it being a good one. Better than you expect, and probably better than you deserve.
This power — like most superpowers, actually — comes with a caveat, however. In order for me to exercise this power on a person (i.e., in order for me to give someone a really great gift), I must have some kind of contextual similarity with that person. For example, because my Dad and I both love the outdoors, I have given him the extraordinary gift of excellent wool socks, and a GPS.
Similarly, since pretty much every one of my friends rides a bike, I have gifted them with Fat Cyclist apparel. Yes, sometimes my powers are rather self-serving, but I never vowed to use these powers for unselfish purposes.
Because of this caveat, until last week, any presents I have given The Runner have been bike-related. Bike clothing. Bike food. A bike.
But then — upon finding that I am going to be doing an Ironman in less than three months — I started swimming. By doing this, I quickly gained a new appreciation for this sport.
By “appreciation for this sport,” I of course mean “an exquisitely painful insight into the remarkable tedium and soul-crushing isolation of this sport.”
Magical Gift
And then, magically, I got a call from H2O Audio. Would I, they wanted to know, be interested in trying out their Interval Waterproof Headphone System?
In other words, would I be interested having my swim time be less awful?
Why as a matter of fact, I would.
“You know what,” I said. “What would be really great would be if I could get a couple of these, because my fiance is also punishing herself for no good reason getting ready for an Ironman.”
“And it would be really, really helpful if you could overnight them, because, um….”
“Yes?” H2O Audio replied.
“Because Sunday’s Valentine’s Day, and I got nuthin.”
This, evidently, was sufficient, though first the H2O Audio rep asked whether I had a Third-Generation iPod Shuffle, which is what the Interval 3G system is made to work with.
“Yeah, thanks to my middle-aged memory and a washing machine, I do.”
“I beg your pardon,” she asked, not unreasonably.
“Well, I had the previous generation iPod, but the battery went dead during one ride, so I put the iPod in my vest pocket, with a very stern mental note to myself to be sure to remove the iPod after the ride.”
Kindly, she did not ask for additional details.
Big Improvement
So The Runner got the Interval Waterproof Headphone system for Valentine’s Day, and my pride at giving this to her was not even remotely lessened by the fact that it had not been my idea, that I had not paid for it, and that I kinda got her a set as an afterthought to getting a set for myself.
The important thing is, The Runner — who, I might point out, rocks out quite a bit louder and harder and more often than I do — was basically being given a reprieve from her thrice-weekly sentence of solitary confinement.
And yesterday (Monday) morning, we tried them out. She was listening to Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days Grace. I was listening to Social Distortion, Alien Ant Farm, and Oingo Boingo.
The headphone system was easy to set up. Open up the little compartment, plug the iPod into the jack, then close the compartment and attach the thing to your goggles. There are three easy-to-find buttons to adjust volume, change tracks, and select a playlist.
The system comes with an enormous number of earplug inserts, in varying sizes. I’d be amazed if anyone couldn’t find a set that fit well (as a perfectly average-sized person, the set that were on the earphones by default fit me just right).
The construction seems simple and solid: rigid plastic with a hinged door, a gasket sealing the iPod off from the water. And since the headphone system costs more than the iPod itself, I’m guessing it’s well-enough built that it will do its job. I know, that logic makes no sense at all except inside my own head.
(Full Disclosure: H2O Audio sent both these sets of headphone systems to me at no charge.)
The most important thing, though, was that 40 laps went by like that. (Imagine me snapping my fingers as I say “like that.”)
I brought a camera along to take photos of The Runner, and was told, in no uncertain terms, that I was not to take photos of her wearing a swim cap and goggles.
And — for some reason — I was reticent to include photos in this blog of me in nothing but a Speedo and goggles. Because you’d never be able to un-see it, that’s why.
Anyway, I’ve only used this headset for one swim, so I can hardly call this post a review, but my impression is that this is going to be one of those things that I really rely on. And which prevents me from having pool-related nightmares and from breaking into a cold sweat whenever I get a whiff of chlorine.
If, for whatever reason, you — or someone whose sanity you care about — must swim for a long time (more than three minutes, for example), and with great frequency (more than twice per year, for example), I’m going to go out on a limb and recommend you get an H2O Audio Interval setup.
It could well save your sanity. Or — if you want to emulate my superpower and give one of these as a gift — your loved one’s sanity, which may be even more important.
PS: For my next swim — acting on a commenter’s suggestion from a couple days ago — I’ve added an audiobook to my iPod; it looks like I can switch from the book to music and back without losing my place in the book.
PPS: If you’re looking to buy, the Interval 3G Waterproof Headphone System for the iPod Shuffle is available at the company site for $99.99. Or if you’re a bargain hunter, they’re also available for $86.63 at Amazon.com (standard shipping is free).
PPPS: Big thanks to Ben for pointing H2O Audio toward me! Ben’s on a noble quest himself; check out his “Becoming Timberman” blog to see what he’s up to.
Comments (70)
02.12.2010 | 12:49 pm
As a Triathlete, it is essential that I be athletic in three ways. This is actually what “triathlete” means! I’ll break the word down for you, because etymology is kind of a hobby of mine.
“Tri” is greek for means “three,” as you probably know. What you may not have known is that “at” is Bulgarian for “completely unrelated sports” and “hlete” is Ninevan for “merged into a single activity, with an eye toward completely consuming all of your free time.”
Ninevan, by the way, is both an incredibly compact and surprisingly expressive language.
Like most triathletes I have met, I am good at one of the sports (cycling in my case), passable in one (running), and terrified of the other (yodeling).
What? The third event is now swimming? When did that happen? I’m even worse at that than I am at yodeling!
Fortunately — and very, very coincidentally — I went swimming yesterday, for the first time since I got my Swimming merit badge thirty years ago.
These are my findings.
- One mile is very far. On a road bike on flat ground, it takes me about three minutes to go a mile. On foot on flat ground, it takes me about nine minutes (at least for the first ten miles or so — after that it takes quite a bit longer). Swimming on flat ground, on the other hand, really chafes my stomach. Ha ha! OK, honestly, it took about 35 or so minutes for me to swim a mile in the pool. Which leads me to wonder: is there any slower way in the world than swimming for a human to travel? Like, suppose a one-year-old had started crawling a mile and a breakdancer had started moonwalking a mile at the same time I had started swimming. I’m pretty sure I would have come in last, depending on how often the one year old stopped to eat some dirt, and how many times the breakdancer paused grab his crotch.
- I love cheating. At the end of each length of the pool, I would compress my legs against the wall and push off, hard, underwater. I would shoot underwater like a torpedo a very great distance. This was, in fact, my very favorite part of the swim, and the only part that I would call “fun.” Which leads me to think that I’ll actually be just fine during the Ironman, as long as the reservoir has walls I can kick off every 50 feet or so.
- I have been injured. With cycling, a fall can injure you very badly indeed. With running, your entire lower body is subject to fractures, sprains, and torn ASPCA ligaments. But with swimming, I thought that at least you can’t get injured as easily as you can with the other two events. Boy, was I wrong. Here’s what happened: After being in the pool for 28 laps, I was so incredibly bored that I wanted something — anything — to alleviate the boredom. So I intentionally poked out my left eye. The pain was intense, but it was in fact an improvement over what I had been experiencing up to that point.
- Swimming is Soma. I confess that I am middle aged and that my memory is not what it used to be. However, until yesterday I would have thought that I could at least remember a number for a minute. However, at least five times during my swim, I arrived at the beginning of a new lap and found that I could not remember whether I was starting lap X or X+1. In the interest of not rewarding my brain for its forgetfulness, I always chose X. So it’s quite possible — probable, even — that I swam quite a bit more than a mile.
- My massive quads are quite dense. While I am certain that my swimming form is admirable and darn close to perfect, I couldn’t help notice that my legs tend to sink a little bit. This was most noticeable when the tops of my feet started dragging on the bottom of the pool. I ascribe this to the fact that muscle is very dense — much denser than water. And so, with the magnificent quads that I have earned over the course of fifteen years, how could I help but have my lower body drag a little bit?
- The smell persists. No matter how long I showered and soaped and rinsed and soaped and scrubbed and rinsed, I smelled strongly of chlorine the rest of the night. I probably still do, but just can’t smell it myself anymore.
- The itch persists, too. Another really great thing about chlorine is how awesome it makes my skin feel. Specifically, it feels almost 20% less itchy than if I had rolled in poison sumac for twenty minutes.
- The exhaustion. Forty minutes of swimming left me completely cooked. Wiped out. Beat. Knackered, even. Frankly, until yesterday, I would have thought I am currently in good enough shape that 40 minutes of anything wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Wrong.
I can hardly wait to go swimming again tomorrow!
PS: Like most United States-ians, I’ll be spending Monday deeply contemplating our presidents. I’ll be back on Tuesday.
Comments (94)
02.11.2010 | 8:39 am
As I become more and more important, I find that this blog is no longer merely a blog. It is a business. With hundreds of employees. With every word I write, I am generating cold hard cash and a working wage for all the people who depend on me.
In other words, I consider this blog a business, and I like to think that anyone who reads this blog depends on it for whatever kind of thing I write that day. And since you depend on me to write something, I feel it is not a stretch to claim all of you as dependents on my taxes. Which means I am going to get a huge refund this year.
As the proprietor of this business, I sometimes have items of business to conduct. As a lazy business proprietor, I like to let these items accumulate until it’s almost too late to do anything about them, then spring them on you all at once.
Today is such a day.
However, I am happy to announce that all five items of business I need to conduct have something in common: they are all good things.
Let’s begin.
Item The First: There will be a 2010 100 Miles of Nowhere
Many people have emailed me recently, wondering if there would be a third annual 100 Miles of Nowhere, since last year’s was a huge hit.
The answer, to my great joy, is “yes.”
I’m working on the date, but am planning on it being in April. Here’s the thing, though: I need sponsors. Companies that are willing to do something a little unusual for some good publicity, and are interested in the fight against cancer.
I don’t need money from these companies. I need stuff to give away — stuff that is exciting and compelling and will make people feel like they must join this race, if only to get that cool thing that you’re putting in their schwag bag.
If you work at / own / have a good friend at such a company, get in touch with me, OK?
Item The Second: I Am Apparently A Sponsor of Team CarboRocket
My good friend Brad Keyes invented an incredible sports drink: CarboRocket. And then he got together with some other great companies — Ibis and Ritchey Components — and launched a new bike team: Team CarboRocket.
And then Brad asked me to also be one of the sponsors. I was confused because, well, exactly what do I have to contribute to a bike team?
But then I learned about how Team CarboRocket is really, truly different from other bike teams and I got on board, fast. Because I want to be a part of this.
Here is the press release. You should read it. And maybe you should apply to be on the team.
Team CarboRocket is looking for a few good, ordinary folks who are on the verge of doing something extraordinary. You may not even know what that extraordinary thing is yet, but you can feel it burning inside of you. Hopefully, you already enjoy cycling, be it on the road or mountain.
Team membership is open to anyone who’s interested in doing something big. You may be a total novice or a seasoned veteran, we care not. What we do care about is that — whatever your extraordinary goal may be — there is an enormous gap between where you are now and achieving that goal. Maybe you are overweight. Maybe you have never ridden even a tenth the distance you’re hoping to ride. Maybe you’re missing a limb or two. Whatever hurdle you have to reaching your goal should make you dig very deep.
If this isn’t clear here’s an example: You are currently an expert level mountain biker with a resume stacked with impressive finishes and maybe even some sponsors and you want to finish the Leadville 100 mountain bike race because you’ve never done it. Sorry, not digging deep enough, no need to apply.
If, however, you’re a sport-level mountain biker and you’ve been thinking that the Great Divide Race is a little bit too short and you think it’s about time somebody rides from Canada to Mexico and then back, well yeah. We’d like to hear more.
What’s in it for you? You will be supported and sponsored by none other than Ibis Cycles in conjunction with Bingham Cyclery, CarboRocket sports drink, Ritchey components and the ever humble FatCyclist.com. We can’t divulge exactly what awesome deals and swag you will be getting from each of these sponsors because we are still trying to figure out what Fatty is contributing. Maybe he’ll publish your stories. Maybe he’ll give you his super-secret recipe for quiche. It’s hard to say for sure. But we will say that you will like being sponsored by us. A lot.
What’s in it for us? We love a good story and we want to follow yours, from ordinary to extraordinary. We will be there when you fall down, first, to laugh at you and then give you a hand up, a dusting off and a gentle push onward. You will keep us apprised of your progress and ultimately your attempt at completing your extraordinary goal by updating your story at regular intervals on the team blog.
We want at least half the team to be women and total team members to be 10. We don’t want your entire story just yet, only 150 words or less. You need to tell us a compelling snippet of your story including who you are, what extraordinary thing it is you want to accomplish and why it will be so challenging. Email your 150 words to Brad@carborocket.com. The sponsors will then pick 10 people with the most compelling stories to make up the Team.
And then we’ll come up with a cool secret handshake or something. We look forward to hearing your outrageously cool idea. Oh yeah, there is a one week deadline for consideration. You have until February 19, Midnight to submit your snippet.
Love,
Team CarboRocket
I tell you what: I’m one of the sponsors, and I’m still hoping I can make the team.
Item The Third: Free to a Good Home
Some of you may remember that there was a time when Susan couldn’t walk easily, but still wanted to get around. I got her this cool Revo electric scooter:
This retails for around $2500, if I remember correctly. Obviously I don’t need this anymore, but I’ve felt distinctly uncomfortable about selling it. I don’t know why.
Then last night it occurred to me: there’s bound to be someone out there who really needs this, and probably does not have the money to buy it.
I’d like that person to have it.
If you know who that person is, email me. You should know that I need to either give this to someone local or to someone who is willing to come get it. Because I just have no idea how — and don’t have the money (things are a little tight right now) — to ship this.
[Update: The scooter has been spoken for. ]
Item the Other Third: The Winner of the Michael Rasmussen Memorial Water Bottle
Eight or nine years ago I conducted a little mini-contest: come up with a good alternate use for water bottle lids. DSPBrian had the following idea reply:
The water bottle top is the ideal cookie cutter.
Perfect circles and if the dough gets stuck you can simply blow into the pre-purposed mouth piece.
It’s an idea that appeals to me because it is both elegant and completely ridiculous. Brian therefore wins the Michael Rasmussen Water Bottle:
Lucky, lucky Brian.
Item the Fifth: Love and Rejection…On a Plaque
A little while ago, I asked you to check out my sister Lori’s site — she needed six-word stories about love and rejection.
Fat Cyclist readers came through in spades.
And now Lori has posted photos of some of her plaques, illustrating your tales of love and sorrow. You should go check it out.
PS: Item The Sixth: I’m going swimming for my workout today. You know what’s sad? That nobody will be there to catch the hilarity on video.
Comments (49)
02.8.2010 | 3:42 pm
I neglected to mention a very important thing in my post about “running” the Death Valley Trail Marathon yesterday. And that thing is that, as The Runner dragged me across the finish line, I thought to myself, “This was really easy and I bet I could have done this after swimming a couple miles and riding a century.”
And it’s fortunate I thought that.
You see, evidently I didn’t make it clear that I was totally joking when I said I could easily do an IronMan. Because Timex — one of the major sponsors of the Ironman — has contacted me and said, “OK, Fatty. You’re in the St. George Ironman. Let us know how it goes for you, OK?”
Which is awesome, for several reasons:
- Timex is going to give me some awesome schwag to give away and is going to help with my LiveStrong fundraising efforts. Huzzah for Timex!
- The threat of an Ironman gives me something to write about during the winter months, which is when this blog is generally pretty short on material, leaving me staring at the blank screen for hours at a time before I actually start typing something.
- I’ve been meaning to learn to swim for several years now, and this is excellent motivation to finally go out and do it.
- I’ll be able to check this off my Life List and finally be able to move “ride a recumbent” to the top.
- I’ll be able to demand that people begin addressing me as “IronFatty.”
- I’ve always loved triathlons.
But hold on. The race isn’t over. Not yet. In fact, I think it may be safe to say it hasn’t begun. Further, it may even be safe to say that I’ve got some work to do before I’m ready to do an Ironman.
Serious work. Serious work that must be conducted very, very seriously.
Here are a few of the things I am resolved to do, so that I will be able to execute this race with the seriously intense humility it requires.
- Learn to Swim: I have, as of a couple days ago, become a member of a gym. This gym has a swimming pool. I believe that is sufficient, though I may — from time to time — even go swimming in that pool. Well, “swimming” may be the wrong word. I intend to frolic in the pool. Eventually, I plan to be able to frolic for two full miles.
- Buy a Wetsuit: The secret to completing the swim portion of the Ironman is to have a good wetsuit. I am given to understand that these wetsuits make a huge difference in your swimming ability, floatability and technique in general. Let us just say that I am counting on this being true. And while i’m at it, i think i’ll also hope that my wetsuit will propel me forward, with no effort whatsoever on my part. That will be nice.
- Investigate Legality of Snorkels: Are they really not allowed in an Ironman, or just generally not used? Cuz I love snorkeling. I think I’ll check into swim fins, too.
- Buy a Bento Box: I will buy a Bento Box and put it on my bike. I will buy another and will use it when I am not on my bike. I will now eat all of my meals and snacks from a Bento Box.
- Investigate “Win Over The Crowd” Techniques: Specifically, I need to find out if it would be considered extremely cool or uncool to throw out handsful of candy to spectators, as if it were a parade. I suspect that with a $25 investment in candy, I could easily become the single most popular guy on the course.
- Get Proper Attire: I of course want to wear a Team Fatty jersey during the race, but am concerned that I won’t really fit in. So I think I’ll look into having a Fat Cyclist jersey custom-altered to be a half-jersey, perhaps both sleeveless and exposing my belly. This will really help me in the race, because I love to scratch my belly, and now I’ll have unfettered access.
- Always Wear Proper Attire: I will have all my shirts altered to be half-shirts, so I can become very, very comfortable with the idea of showing off my stomach to the world.
- Stop Socializing: I will stop talking to people or waving when I am riding. I will ride alone, and will delete my friends from my phone.
- Have My Sense of Humor Reconfigured: I will stop thinking that triathlons are bizarre and hilarious. I will instead start thinking that whatever triathletes think is funny is actually funny. Provided triathletes think anything is funny.
- Work on My Transitions: In order to fully assimilate the Ironman way of life, I will minimize my transition times between everything I do. Even this moment, I am wearing my pajamas under my street clothes. And under my pajamas is my swimsuit.
- Do Bricks: An essential part of Ironman training is to do two events back to back. This is called, oddly, a “brick.” Because I intend to embrace this race wholeheartedly, I will do bricks in my everyday life, too. I will have a breakfast-lunch brick, where I will eat both meals consecutively. I will have a Dinner-bedtime brick, where I will go to bed right after eating dinner. Yes, this is all very intense, but I am willing to sacrifice for my “sport.”
- I Will Forget How to Ride A Straight Line. And I’ll forget how to pedal circles, too. And buy clip-on bar ends and adopt a much less comfortable riding position, hoping that it buys me a few seconds of time, thanks to my much improved aerodynamic profile. And I will develop a more menacing game face.
Is there anything else I need to do to prepare for my first Ironman? No, I can’t think of anything else, either.
Comments (137)
« Previous Page — « Previous Entries Next Entries » — Next Page »
