The Morning Ride

Climbing out of bed is never too difficult when I know the upcoming order of events will go something like this:

1) Put on clothes
2) Turn on furnace
3) Pee
4) Wash hands and face, brush teeth
5) Get coffee going
6) Fire up computer
7) Drink coffee

I don't mind 1-6 too much, but it's No. 7 that drives the process. It's stupid how much I want, need, no love that cup of coffee in the morning. I'd roll over on the floor if the reward were the morning cup of coffee. I'd balance a rawhide bone on my nose and spin around (saw that on Dave once) for the morning cup of coffee. It's very important.

But some mornings, it has to go like this:

1) Put on clothes
2) Turn on furnace
3) Pee
4) Wash hands and face, brush teeth
5) Make coffee
6) Fire up computer
7) Drink coffee
8) Get on the bike

These are the hard mornings. Like this morning. I woke up a little bit before the alarm, around 5:10. My intention was to be up by 5:20 and on the bike no later than 5:30. From 5:10 until 5:20 I stayed under the covers, the oh-so-warm covers, and a battle raged in my mind: It's So Nice Here vs. You'll Hate Yourself If You Don't Ride. It was like Gaza, with It's So Nice Here playing the part of the Israelis, running roughshod, having their way with an overmatched foe. And yet: I made it out of bed just in time, much in the manner of a guy finally jumping in the pool. Suddenly, I just leapt.

The muscles aren't ever very cooperative for these straight-out-of-the-sack rides. Coffee before getting on the bike would undoubtedly help fire me up—but in all likelihood it would derail the whole morning. Coffee at 5:30, into the bathroom for business at 5:50, and next thing you know it's 6 a.m. or so, and with work closing in, thoughts of crossing the ride off the list begin to creep into my mind. No, I've got to get on the bike quickly, without delay, before the forces of sloth can make me their slave

The Computrainer requires calibration before each workout, which turns out to be a good thing: it forces me to do an easy 15-minute warm-up. My mind is all foggy. The legs are covered in a layer of frost. Steve Inskeep is bothering me on NPR. I'm yawning. I pedal. Damn! I'm irked that I have to stop and get off the bike to fetch the water bottle I left in the kitchen. I get back on and resume pedaling.

Eventually, the fog begins to lift. The legs thaw. Time to ride.

Today, the plan was to accumulate 15 minutes at or above 90 percent of maximum heart rate—that's 170 on a max of 185—in pursuit of the Haldeman-prescribed one hour per week, the key to wintertime fitness, the elixir. I found a five-mile Computrainer course with four steep climbs interrupted by brief flat intervals. That ought to make for some good blood pumping, thought I.

I rode that five mile course three times. I got my heart rate to 170 five times. I held it at 170 for three minutes. Only 57 more minutes of 90+ to go this week!

Clearly, I've got work to do.

But that's OK. Pursuing the Haldeman Rule (while also doing some long, steady rides, of course) will if nothing else provide a way to gauge the progress of my bike fitness over the next few months.

Later, in the afternoon, I ventured out into the blasted Gorge wind which has been roaring since late last week. More on that breezy run—call it "Adventures in Stride-Tinkering"—tomorrow.