The Skinny on Fatbikes
22 Thursday Dec 2011
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Running transformed
17 Thursday Nov 2011
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I have never enjoyed running. I’ve done it as an occasional complement to cycling (especially in preparation for cyclocross in the fall), and as a way to spend quality time with my wife, who actually likes to run. The thing I don’t like is the feeling of running. I know it’s about as natural a form of exercise as there could be, but it doesn’t give me the sense of smoothness and efficiency that I get on the bike.
This has a lot to do with the construction of my feet. Anyone who has seen my feet knows what I mean. Here’s one of them:
Some people have low arches. I have no arches. More than one podiatrist, upon seeing my feet, has said, “wow”.
These are not the feet of a runner. They were meant to be hidden inside stiff, carbon-soled cycling shoes.
Despite all this, I’ve always wanted to like running. It’s a much better workout than cycling for a given amount of time. In fact, I’ve lately been running during my lunch hour on days when I know I won’t have the opportunity to ride. Plus, Kelley and I occasionally like to put Caleb in the baby jogger and pound out a six-mile route around downtown Wauwatosa.
I’m a confessed gear junkie, so the one dimension of running that appeals to me is the shoes. When the Journal Sentinel ran a story about Revolution Natural Running Center, a “natural running” shoe store that recently opened in Wauwatosa, I was intrigued. I paid them a visit a couple months ago and spoke with a guy named Hans. He was very friendly and enthusiastic, and didn’t have any of that “I’m smarter than you” attitude that you often see in specialty stores. I described my feet and my history with running, and he had me run on a treadmill in a variety of different shoes. I left with a pair of Altra Instincts. They are considered a “zero drop” shoe, which means that the thickness of the sole is the same under the heel as it is under the forefoot. This aids in a more natural midfoot strike.
The shoes and the technique Hans recommended (shorter strides, more upright posture) have transformed running for me. I’m running with far less discomfort – both during and after my run. In fact, my third time out was a 10-mile run with Kelley. It’s probably been five years or more since I’ve run that far. I was tired when it was over, but not sore, and I felt fine the next day.
Thanks for helping me to enjoy running, Hans. Your store is aptly named.
Caleb the Crouper
04 Tuesday Oct 2011
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The ER at Children’s Hospital is not a place I want to be real familiar with. Unfortunately, though, we’ve had to make a few trips there – enough that I’m starting to recognize people. Our latest trip was took place this past weekend.
Caleb developed a barky cough very abruptly on Saturday, and it kept him, Kelley, and me up most of the night. In the morning, when I noticed how hard he was working to breathe, we called his pediatrician and headed off to the ER. Diagnosis: croup.
As always, the people at Children’s took great care of Caleb, and the female nurses made a big fuss over him. Because his croup was pretty severe, they sent him up to the intensive care unit. We spent the night there and waited for his steroid treatments to take effect. They did, and by morning he was feeling much better. Well enough to repeatedly remove all the wires that had been connected to him and to eat six cups of Jello, applesauce, and pudding. To our relief, we were discharged by noon.
Thanks to everyone who prayed for us, and especially to Kelley’s parents who stayed with us most of the afternoon/evening (and who brought supper from Cafe Hollander). I hope this will be our last trip to the ER, but if it’s not, I know we’ll be in good hands next time.
I will put my hope in God!
20 Tuesday Sep 2011
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Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again — my Savior and my God!
-Psalm 43:5 (New Living Translation)
These are troubling times. I try to keep a glass-half-full outlook, but it’s a constant battle to keep that glass from springing a leak. Thankfully, the verse above came to mind today as I was listening to some gloomy news on the radio. I realized that if my hope is in money and worldly security, then there is reason to despair. But if my hope is in God, I have every reason to rejoice.
Jesus told his disciples:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
– Luke 12:22-22 (NIV)
Kelley and I have both been moved to consider how well our priorities are aligned with the verses above. It’s encouraging to think that God may use these “troubling” times to free us from the worries of the world and to draw us closer to him.
Lunch run
15 Thursday Sep 2011
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Family bike ride
22 Sunday May 2011
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From third to second at Masters Nats
10 Sunday Apr 2011
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I learned this weekend that the guy who won the 30-34 division of the 2008 Masters national time trial championship has admitted to taking performance-enhancing substances. I placed third that year, so his forfeiture means that I’ll now be awarded the silver medal.
I have mixed feelings about this. I was thrilled with my original result because I knew I had done my absolute best. I couldn’t have gone a second faster. Of course, I was happy to have placed so well, and I’m happy to learn that I’ve gained a place. On the other hand, it saddens me to do it in such a fashion.
What motivates a 30-year-old cyclist to dope? It’s not like we’re going to get picked up by a pro team and sent off to the Tour de France. And a couple hundred bucks in prize money surely doesn’t offset the cost of the drugs these guys are taking. So what does that leave? Can there really be any satisfaction in beating people when you know you’ve done it not through ability, training, and determination but through drugs?
For contrast, here’s how Eric Liddell, the Olympic gold medalist and the subject of the movie “Chariots of Fire” described his motivation: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” That’s how I feel about cycling. God made me reasonably fast, and I feel pure joy when I’m riding as hard as I can, whether it’s in competition or on a solo ride.
My favorite mugs
18 Saturday Sep 2010
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I love drinking coffee on Saturday mornings. This is my favorite mug:
I bought a set of four in 2000, the year my cycling team was founded. There were four of us, so I kept one and gave the other three to my teammates. They were the “official” team mugs for drinking out of while watching the live (text) coverage of the spring classics on Cyclingnews.
In the ten years since I bought those mugs, Carl has passed on, Scott has moved to North Carolina, and Mark and I have become dads, so we don’t ride together as often as we used to. This mug reminds me of how much I still love those guys.
Art ride on the Polyvalent
24 Monday May 2010
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This past weekend, I installed a set of polished aluminum fenders on the Polyvalent and took it for a leisurely cruise down to the Milwaukee Art Museum.
New commuter bike
10 Monday May 2010
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I’ve been commuting on a Surly Long Haul Trucker for about a year. It’s a well-built, well-designed touring bike, but since I don’t do much (any) touring, it’s not ideal for my 5-mile commute. The oversized steel tubes and undersized, 26″ wheels make for a somewhat harsh ride over the rough Milwaukee streets.
Before the LHT, I commuted on a Surly Cross Check cyclocross bike. Compared to the LHT, the Cross Check was smoother and livelier, but not as stable with a rack and panniers. Plus, it had long horizontal dropouts, which made it difficult to remove the rear wheel with fenders installed.
Tomorrow, my new commuter bike will arrive – a Velo Orange Polyvalent. The Polyvalent is a traditional city bike (a porteur, si vous plait). It has 650B wheels, skinnier frame tubing, and geometry that’s optimized for carrying its load up front. I’ll assemble it with parts from the LHT, plus some new stuff. The part I’m most excited about is a dynamo front hub, which will power a headlight that never needs recharging.
Denny Yunk 