Obligatory comment on swimming post: Ogged returns!
I don't think she works at Steinford's pool.
Swimming is particularly tiring for people just starting up, but gains come fast. The most important gain is, of course, one's tan. And the justification for eating ravenously right after.
Strong work! You'll be bronzed by the end of summer!
Pain is weakness leaving the body. Now rock fifty pushups while I pile toddlers on your back!
I went biking in Montauk (la di da, I know) and now have sunburn on the back of my hands, which is making it hard to give compliments. Also though it was a seven-mile ride with not exactly Alpish hills and I had to get off and walk here and there. I am in the worst shape of a life not exactly marked by athletic excellence.
The six-week Hundred Pushups program continues, seventy-five weeks in. I hit my personal best exhaustion test today, 67.
I recently started honoring the one-minute break times instead of just waiting until I felt ready to continue, which has made it impossible to finish a whole set, even dropping back to Week 5 Column 2 Day 1.
We did 90 minutes of sparring tonight - continuous rounds with 30 sec breaks - on what was a really sticky night. Felt completely great at the end. Great, but like I'd run a marathon on a treadmill in a sauna. Turns out the human body can be converted directly to liquid form.
I "played tennis" (hit a tennis ball aimlessly and ineptly around a court with three other people) for an hour or so this weekend, and am still sore. Troubling indeed.
On the other hand, I rode a bike nearly as fast as I hoped I could for a distance that was satisfying. So that's good.
I looked at bike ads on Craigstlist.
I played some basketball last week after almost a year off, and felt less sore than I expected, but my conditioning was worse than I expected and I was basically useless on defense.
Swimming is exhausting.
I biked 5 miles in to work this morning and am now dreading the ride home. Not so much for the aerobic pain, but for the weird top of the thigh/hip flexor strain of lifting my feet at the top of the rotation. The squat work I've been doing seems to have eliminated any pushing issues.
13 Inspired by you, I just did the same. Damn is there a lot of overpriced junk there.
I played almost an entire 90-minute full-field game of soccer on Saturday. Aerobically it was fine, but my legs got a bit wobbly and weak in the second half.
16: I'm often a role model for people's fitness routines.
I read the results from the Race Across America. Damn! I could never do that (8.33 days to bike across the US). So, I felt OK eating a pint of ice cream.
A pint with chocolate syrup, maggot. And don't forget the cherry.
I took my bike for a ride in the back seat of my car.
Why yes. It was Cherry Garcia with chocolate syrup and whipped cream (because butter fat is good).
I wish all my clients had your drive.
I went for a run at very good clip (in part because I was pressed for time). Then I watched Friday Night Lights where they made it to the state finals, which probably shouldn't count, but I feel I participated emotionally in their achievement.
Turns out the human body can be converted directly to liquid form.
Indeed. My yoga teacher doesn't believe in using the AC, and she ran us all the way through the primary series tonight, and it is rather sticky here as well.
I'm still doing those stinking core exercises.
Just seconds ago, Snarkout and I had the following conversation:
"I feel like I've been getting a bunch of exercise lately. I must have been wearing Jane more."
"You have been wearing her more."
"Just look at my abs!"
"Have you been activating your core?"
"Not consciously, but evidently."
So that's the awesome core muscle regime I can recommend: strap a 21-pound child to your torso and walk around town that way at least a few miles a day, and bam! Core.
I too was in a pool today, feeling all "holy shit am I out of shape". In my defense, though, I am currently at an elevation of 8500 feet.
moving giant pieces of furniture around seems as if it should be some form of exercise, because it's exhausting. with the new arthritis thing I'm not supposed to do some stuff that I sort of end up having to do anyway; I am in exquisite pain right now. weakass non-narcotic painkillers don't work for shit. I may go the the expensive pain specialist and get those fucking fentanyl patches. I'd have to tell him about my history obviously. then I could do more.
separately, the kurt vile song "jesus fever" is the greatest thing since 25mg of morphine sulphate sliced bread. and I am eating attap seed ice cream in my cool store...mmmm. my life is amazingly good over all, but pain is very present to the mind and makes enjoyment difficult. better than nausea though!
I'm hella tan because my physical therapy is running in the pool. I love being tan, love the sun, even though it's allegedly not good for my immune system. it makes you look thinner! this is one of those things where I listen to my body and not the doctor. I love to lie in the sun and feel like my body is a clear vessel filling with golden light and energy. I got a nasty bit of coral rash on lombok though so I can't go in the pool till it heals. my husband has got weights for me to do leg lifts inside. so fucking rational and disciplined and preparing for things. motherfucker. it's an expression of love, though, like when he takes my computer and backs everything up, and downloads all the updates that I've said "later" to. adorable in its way.
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I don't think anyone expected the Democratic leadership and the president to walk away from their own hard fought health care reforms before they even had a chance to be implemented. And I didn't think this because I believed the Democrats and the president were good hearted folk who just want to help the poor. I have no idea what's in their hearts. But I did think they would have wanted to give their legacy issue a chance to be implemented in full at the beginning, so they could continue to brag about bringing health care to 30 million uninsured Americans if nothing else. I suppose they'll continue to say it, but if they approve these changes it won't be true.But as the president says, in these tough times the government has to tighten its belt just like all American families. I guess he must realize that one of the things American families have had to cut out is their health insurance. So much for that legacy.
Oh, and by the way --- the only way this gambit saves any money is if they cut people off. Medicaid is the least expensive health care in the country.
No, Digby, that is exactly what I was expecting. I believed the long slow implementation was exactly so they could have the big media victory and chip away at the benefits little by little under the radar while keeping the mandates and other corporate giveaways. I never thought the ACA would be fully implemented by 2015 or whatever. I always thought this was the plan.
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I went biking in Montauk (la di da, I know) and now have sunburn on the back of my hands, which is making it hard to give compliments.
I think you're confusing "compliments" with "smacks to the face".
Smacks to the face are down with one's glove, no? And in a way that ensures one's monocle doesn't fall out.
alameida--have you tried something like acupuncture for the pain or massage-type stuff? One of my clients has a lot of pain and was able to get a lidocaine patch. She has fibromyalgia, but a lot of her pain is localized in her shoulder. She also got cortisone shots at a speciality pain clinic. Those, however, can fuck with your sleep.
even though it's allegedly not good for my immune system. it makes you look thinner! this is one of those things where I listen to my body and not the doctor.
Sunlight just makes me happy. Plus, I spent my entire childhood sunburned or tanned, and I figure any melanoma seeds have already been planted.
I grew up next to the beach and it seems like I spent my entire childhood very tan and covered in salt. 18-30 however was spent cultivating what my brother called my "Soho moon tan." I'm sort of in between now, but in any event there are no spots on me that concern the dermatologist. So yay, I suppose.
this is one of those things where I listen to my body and not the doctor.
I am fortunate to have a doctor who prescribes being in the sun and tanning to me -- Vitamin D! (Good for the immune system, by the way, in that Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to autoimmune problems.)
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Hey Moby: Blume found you a bike, cheap.
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I ordered a refurbished bike Saturday; alevai, Thursday I'll start regularly biking to work. 2.5 miles, mostly flat.
38: I'm 5 ft 7.5 inches. Is 55cm going to be a bit tall? The online size chart I found seems to think so.
Hm, yes, probably. You should probably be on a 52?
55cm should be fine. Might be pretty close to perfect, actually.
That was a cheap bike and very close to me. Thanks for looking.
45 to 43. 44 is something maybe you two should work out among yourselves. I could probably look at it fairly easily as Bloomfield is right down the street. Can you test fit without being able to ride it? There is no tube for one wheel.
Panasonics are supposed to be one of the nicer bike-boom Japanese bike brands.
You could at least see if the standover height works for you. Tire size and bottom bracket height make a difference in that too, so it can be hard to go by just the frame measurement.
I think the last Panasonic item I've owned was a VHS player.
I did hot yoga today. First time for me. Lots and lots of sweat. I loved it.
Sadly, it conflicts with a new swimming group that starts next week. Boo.
I think this is in the FA, but by "hot yoga" you mean yoga in an alarmingly warm room?
46: I think you should trust me on this one, as I also have a 30" inseam. But yeah, as Blume says, you can stand over it, you can see if the reach to the handlebars seems really long; that kind of thing.
One thing to note is that people are often over-concerned with standover height; the frame shouldn't be, like, jammed into your crotch when you're standing over it flat-footed, but other than that it mostly doesn't matter.
How do I know you don't wear your pants too high or too low?
That's true. I could be one of those rappers.
I'm going to the inlaws for the 4th so I'll at least try the free bike they have before I buy one. I'm fairly certain it will fit because I'm the same height as my FiL.
the frame shouldn't be, like, jammed into your crotch when you're standing over it flat-footed, but other than that it mostly doesn't matter
The rule of thumb I heard was that it's okay if your dangly parts are touching the frame a bit when you're standing over the bike flat-footed, which might feel disconcerting.
Another bike related question. If I had a MTB/hybrid can I swap the bars for 'north road' or similar type bars? Will it throw the distances completely off? It has very flat/straight MTB style bars at the moment.
56: That would vary by temperature.
58: Right. That's a feature, not a bug: built-in thermometer.
Since this is now the biking thread: was it essear who recommended that I pull the trigger and buy a Townie? If so, thanks! Got one and I LURVE it. Haven't had a bike in almost 20 years, but I have biked every day since getting it.
57: you might end up needing a shorter stem, but you might not. The position is so different that it can be hard to tell. That said, stems are cheap; no reason not to go for it.
57: You could do that if the handlebar diameter is the right size for the stem, unless, as Tweety says, you don't mind replacing the stem. (You'll probably also want to make sure that the existing brake levers will work as well.) It would give you a very upright riding position, though, and I expect the off-pavement handling would be poor. My dad had a mountain bike set up with north road/cruiser bars, and it always felt unwieldy to me.
51: I think you are correct. I would probably die of heat stroke doing it. I've been looking at nearby yoga places, since many of the exercises I do for my back are basically yoga, and it might be nice to expand my repertoire. The common theme seems to be that the websites could hardly be better designed to scare away beginners. Don't show me the hyper-athletic woman bent into some sort of Möbius pretzel, dammit! Show me the slightly plump middle aged guy in a pose that I totally could have mastered when I was 15 and would love to have a snowball's chance in hell at doing now. That'll get you my money, you bendy weirdos.
What's wrong with pictures of bendy, hyper-athletic women?
re: 61 and 62
Yeah. I'm just trying to slightly 'roadie' the bike a bit. I switched to higher pressure road tyres, which was a big positive change. I find the riding posture a bit heavy on the wrists and my weight a bit forward. I also need to move the saddle back a bit, as I think it's slightly too far forward for my leg/torso length. It's possible I need to look at the saddle position and stem length/height and just keep the existing bars.
The other thing which is a bastard is getting V-brakes setup properly. I seem to need to do it all the bloody time.
The trick is to make it so that the brake pads don't touch the wheel's rim until you squeeze the lever and so that they do touch the rim when you squeeze the lever.
It's possible I need to look at the saddle position and stem length/height and just keep the existing bars.
I can say that I've had good luck with the combination of getting more rise in the stem, and riser bars with as much sweep as possible. You can get significantly more upright that way while still keeping the basic MTB feel.
69: if you have v-brakes you'll have to be careful (when switching the bars) that you can use the right kind of levers; v-brakes take different ones (and are, indeed, annoying to adjust).
re: 73
Yeah. I get them centred, and the distance from the rim and so on set fine. No problems, and then it drifts, or otherwise starts to cause problems. Prob. need to take them apart and clean/lubricate. When I had road bikes standard side-pull cantilevers were much easier to adjust.
re: 72
Yeah. I think what I'd like to do is have the seat back slightly and the position of the bars slightly closer to me, hence the interest in bars with a bit of backwards sweep. I don't think I particularly want the bars to dramatically increase how upright I am, although a few centimetres would be fine.
http://www.rivbike.com/products/show/nitto-albatross-crmo-bar-55cm-254-clamp/16-205
Maybe.
You could put north road bars on upside-down.
Albatross bars are super nice. We got some for my mom for her new bike. They are extremely comfy, but definitely sit you back and up the way they're set up on her bike.
I've liked the Easton riser bars, though you'd have to look around to see if you can find a good price on them.
But definitely play around with different stems, you can improve the fit of a bike significantly by changing stems.
Or something like: http://store.somafab.com/nib3allro.html
I don't want to have a completely vertical 'sit-up-and-beg' posture, though. I'm just not convinced by the completely straight bars I have a the moment in terms of comfort.
I probably need to find someone who can take a look and knows about bike fit. Mine isn't an expensive bike, and I don't do enough riding [I just got it out again for the first time in ages a week or two back] to justify spending a lot of money. But it'd be nice to have a slightly more comfortable ride.
You could just get riser bars (e.g.). That would be a much milder change.
Pwned, pwned. Actually, pwned long ago. But still. I contribute nothing.
Yeah, riser bars maybe, or touring style bars. Or even a moustache style bar? [which I'd never heard of until Sifu mentioned it]
I'm not sure you can get v-brake levers that will work on moustache bars, which do seem like they'd be a lot of fun. Some people also swear by these crazy things.
The albatross bars put on upside down are very handsome, but yeah, would still probably sit you up too high for your liking.
Is there anyone we can convince to get some lauterwasser bars?
I was thinking that Moby would be much bigger than 5'7.5". Possibly all the talk of killing things.
I usually say I'm 5'8", but if the bike is measured in cm, I figured I'd need more exact figures.
Is there anyone we can convince to get some lauterhundertwasser bars?
Actually, those lauterwasser bars look kind of nice and if I were getting a new (to me) bike you'd probably have a good shot.
They look so snazzy, but I don't think I'd like the riding position for all the time. And I like their looks without brakes or shifters, which also isn't practical for me.
From upthread, it was both: yoga in a hot room and hot people doing yoga.
I brought the hotness factor down significantly. But, I was very warm.
Hey, bike thread: here's one for the mens. What kind of seat do you use? I've become slightly paranoid about preserving comma um comma functionality.
92: I was just reading about that in the NYT or something. If I like riding a bike, I'm going to get one that doesn't harm the hydrolics.
92: The NYT just had an article about bike cops somewhere using noseless seats ("My bike seat has no nose." "How does it smell?" "Terrible!") for reasons of genital function preservation.
You beat me. I couldn't find it that quickly, but that's what I read.
From the article:
"The Rigiscan is a machine the men wear at night that grabs the penis about every 15 seconds to see if it's erect."
Sexist. If a woman did that, they'd say she was too demanding.
I've found the E3 Form saddle (photo) to be quite comfortable. It has a nose that's so thin that it's clear you aren't supposed to ride on it -- it just allows more flex in the saddle.
One important caveat, I don't do many long rides. I'm mostly a bike commuter and my commute is under 20 minutes each way.
Also it looks like it may be hard to find now. It was an extremely cheap, light weight, flexible saddle but I think it's out of production.
Loss of functionality isn't going to be a problem unless you're doing Pro Tour-level training on an ass hatchet, and probably not even then. In the event you were to notice any issues, a short break from riding would resolve things promptly.
I have a bunch of saddles on various bikes--probably the most comfortable is this Specialized mountain bike saddle that I found for pretty cheap. Not sure if the perineal cutout is actually effective, but at least it serves to assuage any worries one might have.
(101 cont'd) I should add that chafing due to riding in baggy shorts or jeans is a much more pertinent concern, especially on longer rides. Proper cycling shorts (or better, a bib) with a chamois lining are highly recommended!
If you must ride in street clothes, then briefs > boxers. Laydeez.
I use a regular seat, with a cutout. I had some issues on a different bike, tried a different seat; didn't work that well. Got a bike that fit me: worked good.
It's all very individual; a saddle that one person finds appallingly uncomfortable will fit another like an ass-glove.
The Times article was about cops, who are a sort of unique population, in that they tend to go from not riding very much to riding for many hours a day, on stock bikes that may or may not fit them well, while carrying a bunch of weight (in accessories, not in flab, necessarily). That seems like an excellent candidate market for noseless saddles, but in general with a little patience you can figure out a regular saddle that's perfectly comfortable.
Merganser, I think that was me. I'm glad it worked.
