TDD Part 5: Duplex Cookies

Humping out to races every weekend takes a toll on the body, mind, and if you're on the MassPike, also the highway. It always seems that keeping up with maintaining one's bike, getting adequate rest and shuffling around all the rest of the stuff you could have been doing while you were trying to make your heart explode all day Sunday always forces something to fall through the cracks. In my house, most of those things end up under the burners on my stove:


Some also find their way to the floor of my room:


...and as my house slowly falls into disrepair, my training plan tumbles along behind. The fact is, race season consistently defies me to stick to any sort of workout schedule that effectively addresses my weaknesses. I don't want to be in the gym, I want epic rides. I don't want to slog along the road solo, I want to hang with my buddies in the woods. Thus, as the season progresses, my fitness stagnates, and everyone with "discipline" gets faster than me. Lame.

Since I'm not one of those guys who will ditch out on the group ride to be "pro", and I'm certainly not going to devote any MORE time to cycling. I devised an ingenious plan to make every minute on the bike count:

1. Identify all the things that make my race bike fast
2. Build a bike that omits all of those things (suspension, multiple chainrings, light weight)
   
3. Ride the new bike all the time

With the "resistance bike" you effectively double the number of people you can ride with for a reasonable workout, and if you're a weakling like me, you can build a little muscle heaving the silly beast around.

The RB, as it will henceforth be known, is great for improving the workout value of rides, but I already like riding bikes. What about that other stuff I know I should be doing but aren't? The core workouts, weights, etc?

Two words: Duplex Cookie.

The plan is simple. Take one or more things that you indulge yourself with--cookies, TV, compulsive email checking--then pair one good thing with one annoying one. Example: A Duplex Cookie costs me 2 pull-ups. A TV show 10 pushups, etc. Best case, I do a lot of calisthenics. Worst, I watch a lot less TV. Win win.

Anyway, gotta go race...