Running Terminology

I know I mix up words all of the time, and can't carry on a conversation about most sports... including some that I actually participate in! So, I googled running terminology in an attempt to find the best resources. One of the first websites I came across was this one, which is probably the most comprehensive list I've seen. It contains everything from distance equivalencies, to supplement names, to famous runners/coaches, and even some running slang. Better start brushing up on my vocab (and math too so I don't screw up pacing again)!

2/26-27 Race Reports

Coming off an injury, Tim G. decided to "take it easy" in the New Hope 5K, winning in a time of 18:03. I wish (A) I could win a race on my "easy" day and/or (B) ever run an 18:03. Combined with our teammates from RRO (Ralph Smith, Jennifer Curtin, and Carolyn Micheels)... 1-2 overall for both men's and women's... CONGRATS (results)! Dave added another tick mark to his 2011 schedule of never-ending races, grabbing 4th in the Torch Run, and John Flynn finished 4th in his age group too... WAHOOO (results)! And, after a tough week of triathlon training... Bri Gaal won the 8K at the Gasparilla Distance Festival, and Marty Gaal ran a 1:34 in the half marathon... NICE JOB!

The rest of us enjoyed an "action packed" weekend of training. On Saturday, we ran the first (of many I hope) unofficial IHOP half marathons and 10ish-milers. The run was good, and breakfast was even better (and I'm pretty sure that the thought of pancakes swimming in maple syrup was the only thing that got me up that last hill to RRO). On Sunday, we ran 40x400m @ MP on the track (aka 10 miles at marathon... or maybe a little faster... pace). And, well... we made it, we made it, we made it... WAHOOO (yes, even me, as hard as that might be for some of you to believe)! And, in continuation of things that are hard to believe... the 32oz energy drink that Dave gave us at the end of the season... not awful when divided among 8 people (well, the red one at least)!

Weekend Outlook

We've got some 5K's on the schedule for this Saturday. I think Tim G. is running in the Green Hope 5K (9AM at Green Hope High School), and others are racing in the Law Enforcement Torch Run 5K (9AM at Centennial Campus). And, for those of us not racing... IHOP BREAKFAST RUN (I have been super excited about 4 types of maple syrup since someone mentioned the RRO - Shelly Lake - IHOP plan on Monday). So, GOOD LUCK if you're racing, and HAVE FUN eating pancakes if you're not. Hopefully by Sunday we'll know the outcome of the robot marathon!

And, for World Record Friday... the tallest free-standing stack of pancakes included 672 of the delicious maple syrup vehicles, and topped out at 2.5ft. It was made by Krunoslav Budiselic in 2008... I really wonder if he did use maple syrup as mortar?!

BQ Standard... Revisited

So, I decided to do my own analysis. Sean had mentioned that it would be interesting to look at the difference in finishing times for the top athletes in each age group. So, I did. I chose the 2010 New York City Marathon to analyze (there is a qualifying standard in place, but there is also a lottery system). I averaged the finishing times for the top 25 athletes (elites included) in each age group (well, that's a lie... if you're 70+ and still running, then you deserve to run a marathon). This first graph shows the average finishing times for the top 25 athletes in each age group.

Not too exciting... no surprise... men are faster than women. However, this appears more pronounced at either end of the "age spectrum" (this may result from the fact that there were more men running in these age groups compared to women... the standard deviation was much larger in the case of the later). To get a closer look at the difference, I graphed the difference in the average finishing times between the two genders for each age group (again the top 25 athletes were used).

So, we were right. In fact, the times are not so different between males in females ages 25-29... and that half hour BQ difference is looking a bit suspect until, well, 50+. And, just for kicks, I plotted the difference between the 2013 BQ standards and the average finishing times (again the top 25 athletes were used).

So, my analysis confirmed my gut instinct... the BQ standards for males aged 20-34 is proportionately more difficult than for females in that same age bracket. In fact, the 30min difference really shouldn't be applied until the 50+ age bracket. And, well, I really think 3:05 is a bit crazy for males aged 18-34... so I feel that knocking this back up to 3:10 would be appropriate. In fact, leaving the "old" standard in place for males aged 18-44 would work well to "even up" the time difference between the BQ standard and the average finishing times, as graphed below.

I hope you have enjoyed my analysis... take it for what you will... my worst grade in grad school was in statistics!

Running (and swimming) Out of Time

Yup... according to Chang and Baek, elite runners and swimmers will reach their performance potential somewhere between 7.5 and 10.5 years. To come to this conclusion, they performed non-linear regression analysis for 61 running and swimming events (from 1900 to 2009). What this means... if you're planning on getting your name in the books, the 2012 Olympics may be your last chance for a record-breaking performance! Lets hope they start changing some policies...

Ok, I'm going to have to go ahead and KIND OF agree with Michael Phelps on this one. Forget the "if we put our mind to it, we can do anything" line of reasoning... we'll stick with more concrete facts... don't these people know that you can't reach a limit, you can only approach it as time goes to infinity!?! Ok, all kidding and dorkiness aside, I agree with the researchers that the pace at which records are broken will slow. And I hypothesize that this will be more pronounced at shorter distance compared to longer ones due to physical limitations (I can't figure out what races they analyzed). However, I feel that a lot of "record breaking" performances depend on more than just biomechanics. I mean, they've already showed that things as simple as your position on the line can influence results. And, I have a sneaking suspicion that the people running/swimming with those "record setters" can have a large effect. I mean, the researchers do acknowledge that their model doesn't take into account everything, but I think it is a tad doom and gloom to say the least.

However, as a backup plan, I say we just start making up new races. I mean, the local "race circuit" has already adopted this strategy, I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving the IOC some tips. Or, maybe we could switch from m/km to yds/miles... or add some "obstacles" to things (always thought the steeplechase would be a lot better race if it was 1000m)... or or or

Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter?

Cereal

Aside from being one of my favorite foods, it is also good choice for runners. And, I don't know about y'all, but I "categorize" my cereals. By this I mean that I have certain cereals that I think of as "meal cereals", while others that I think of as "snack cereals". My "meal cereals" are the ones that I usually think of as being "healthier", and generally contain some type of fruit or nut or yogurt covered something-or-other in addition to a whole grain base. My "snack cereals" fit more into the "kid's" variety. However, my Lucky Charms vs. Raisin Bran comparison got me thinking... why not combine both?!? So I googled the "healthiest children's cereals". Not surprisingly, Cheerios, Kix, and Life ranked highest... boring. However, my favorites like Lucky Charms, Golden Grams, and Cocoa Puffs scored well. So, I guess I just need to throw some trail mix into these, and I'll have created the ultimate cereal! 

A Bag for Any Occassion

With weather.com's forecasts being somewhat less than spot-on, I often leave the house with enough workout clothing options to accommodate just about any condition. Essentially, this requires two bags, with my "best guess" clothing being stored in my backpack and my "Plan B" clothing in the secondary bag. I won't even try and explain how I decide on this, and I honestly feel like I'm playing a cruel game of Tetris most days.

I came across this article that reviews different gym bag options (they also include luggage). Some of these bags are really... wow, 50lbs in the Lululemon bag?!? As bad as I am, I don't think my gear even weighs 1/5 of that. And the metallic Adidas bag would definitely be easy to spot, although I think Barbie might own something similar. The Puma and the Nike bags sound the best for storing a whole bunch of stuff, with my "favorite" being the Nike, which works for everything from a day in the lab to hiking the trails of Umstead. Honestly, I find this kind of cool being that one day this past summer I could have written a grant or raced a triathlon when I left my apartment (my backpack looked ridiculous, and I almost fell off my bike when I unclipped at a traffic light and my bag "built up momentum"). Plus, it can adjust 8 ways, which I didn't even know was possible for a backpack (and would definitely prevent the pendulum effect described above).

2/19-20 Reports

In his 28th marathon, Kirby ran a 3:07 at Myrtle Beach for 4th in his age group... CONGRATS (I want to be just like you when I grow up). Our friends Brandon and Jarrett ran the half marathon. Brandon ran a 1:16 for 4th in his age group, and Jarrett ran a 1:17 for 2nd in his... AWESOME JOB GUYS! (26.2; 13.1)

Weekend Outlook

It's going to be an AWESOME weekend. Weather.com has fixed the "Fitness and Comfort" index squarely at 9 - Comfortable for the next three days... I haven't seen it this high in a while! Not sure if anyone is racing this weekend (if you are, let us know... and have fun... and good luck... and wahooo... and the like)... think it's going to be a steady training weekend for most.

For World Record Friday (this is totally random)... the longest jump by a guinea pig is 8.07". This was set by Diesel in 2009... wonder what "jumping drills" for guinea pigs consist of?!?

Raleigh PFT Challenge

Check it out:

http://ultrabrad.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-race-series.html
3 event series

May 30th at 0800 the Air Force PFT
June 14th at 1800 the Army PFT
July 9th at 0700 the USMC PFT

Contact me with any questions!

-Brad

Yum Yum Yum

You can sleep, stretch, and apply all the heat and ice you want, but if you don't give your body the nutrients it needs to recover, then your efforts were for not. Within a half hour after intense and/or long workouts, eat (or drink) a snack. But it's also important to make sure that what you eat for the rest of the day is "good". While every athlete's nutritional needs differ in terms of their optimal protein : carb : fat ratio, variety is key. However, and I'm just throwing this out there, you don't have to combine all of that variety into one bowl. It's okay to eat your banana separate from your roast beef and kidney beans... in fact, I highly recommend doing so!

Breaking News from Boston!

The BAA has finally announced its changes to qualification times and registration processes for 2012 and 2013.  BQ times will stay the same for 2012 but will be decreased by 5 minutes for the 2013 race.  Also what they call a 2 week "rolling admission process" will be implemented.  This means that over a 2 week period registration will be opened to runners based on how much faster than their BQ time they qualified.  Registration begins on September 12, 2011 for runners who met their BQ time by more than 20 minutes and progresses from there for until the end of the first week at which point registration is open to all.

[thank you Keith for sending this out... here's the original story (if you can read it... why the heck the BAA chooses gray on gray is beyond me!)]

Active Recovery

While sleep and complete rest are sometimes necessary, active recovery is worth considering on occasion. Active recovery is a fancy way of saying "easy day"... you can do what you usually do, just shorten up your workout and slow down the pace. For swimming, drill and pull sets save your legs while building upper body strength. Also, hydrotherapy is an added benefit! If you bike, "spin" easy to keep your legs moving through a range of motion. Running is a bit trickier... trail running provides a good option for making sure you keep the pace relaxed. Regardless of the activity you choose, active recovery can help prepare you for your next hard workout by keeping your muscles loose and flushing out metabolic waste products (aka what makes your muscles hurt). Yoga is another good option for both stretching and increasing core strength. Personally, I like to use my active recovery days to cross-train!

Ice vs. Heat

The rest of the week is going to be devoted to talking about recovery (note: these videos are from competitor.com's race recovery series).

One of the first things to consider is when to apply ice vs. heat. Sage Rountree stresses that people react differently to each, so what works for your teammate may not work for you. That being said, ice should be used to reduce inflammation caused by repetitive training or acute trauma. Heat, on the other hand, should be used to increase circulation and loosen stiff muscles. Both should be applied post-workout (not right before). And, neither should be applied for more than 20min as there is no additional benefit and you might actually be doing damage (like freezer burning your skin).

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

So there are a whole bunch of stories related to people proposing to their significant other at some race (actually, we witnessed this during last year's Valentine's Day Massacre Relay). However, of all of them, this is by far the most ridiculous:

Fiancee Will Say 'I do' If Boyfriend Completes Ironman

And, just to be clear, it was ONLY if he FINISHED (which he did)! Wow, now those are some conditions... I sure hope he beat her time so he can swim/bike/run away fast! 

2/12-13 Race Reports

AWESOME weekend of marathoning, be it solo or split up among 4-people! Brad B. ran a 3:08 at the 26.2 with Donna, which is not only a huge PR, but also qualifies him for Boston (CONGRATS)! And, it was total FAST Coaching - RRO domination at the Valentine's Day Massacre Relay, with "team us" beating "team them" and taking 1-2-3... WAHOOO!

Valentine's Day Massacre Relay Report:

FAST Coaching - RRO was well-represented at the race this year, fielding three teams of four runners. For those not familiar with this race, it is a "relay" style marathon meaning that each person runs four 1.6-mile legs (well... the first leg is 2.2-miles to make up the extra distance). The first 600yds or so is basically a long straight-away (and this year featured a decent head wind). The course then takes a turn and you head up and up and up a pretty long hill. Then a nice little downhill, before the back "rolling" section. Finally, you turn a bend, head downhill, and finish about a quarter mile later.

The starting gun sounded promptly at 10AM, and Brian, Jennifer, and Oyler took off. The course is nice because you can begin to see runners through the woods when they have ~1/2 mile left. A few minutes later, we heard the announcer say that the first runner had been spotted. It was difficult to tell who it was, but then we saw a second runner hot on his heels... this was definitely Brian. The two came crashing out of the woods, and then we saw Jennifer and Oyler not far behind. The exchange between James and Brian went well... and James quickly caught the other runner. Jennifer and I handed off next, and I caught two runners on the first "straight-away" (the top two runners on these teams must really have been banking time for the rest of the legs). I assume the hand-off between the Daves went well too, as Meyer was out in a hurry. James handed off to Keith, securing a sizable lead over the next runner (who I didn't know at the time was me), which this team only added to in the remaining legs. I handed off to Rita... Dave handed off to Sean... Keith handed off to Gavin... Rita handed off to Laura... and Sean handed off to Rusty. This is pretty much how the relay unfolded. After all of the first legs had run, someone checked the results and happily reported that we were the top 3 teams... AWESOME.

Ok, I'll spare you some of the details of us running in circles for 12 more laps. The "young guys" team lapped all of us somewhere around their 12th lap (our 11th)... not much else really happened in terms of exciting news. Each lap seemed to get harder and harder... the wind seemed to be picking up more and more... and the hills seemed to grow taller and steeper. It was hard to judge what pace you were running because there was no one really to pace off of, it was more of a game of see how many people you could pass and try not to get passed by any of the fast legs on other teams.

The "young guys" team, anchored by Gavin, was the first to finish. However, the announcers didn't realize this because they were so fast that their chip failed to register on one of the laps (and no one except us realized that they had lapped everyone). The "girls" team was the next to finish, with a nice sprint across the line by Laura. The competition between the master's teams was a bit closer, however. We went on a "scouting" trip for our cooldown (aka we ran the course backwards so we could cheer for our teammates and let Rusty know how close the other runner was), but thanks to Sean's blazing fast final lap, the "older guys" team secured first in the master's division (and third overall). So, to summarize:

• "Young Guys" (Brian, James, Keith, Gavin): 1st male team (1st overall)
• "Girls" (Jennifer, Meghan, Rita, Laura): 1st female team (2nd overall)
• "Older Guys" (Oyler, Meyer, Sean, Rusty): 1st master's team (3rd overall)

... so if running with your friends is FUN, that means that 1-2-3 is like FUNfetti icing on a FUNfetti cake! (overall results; division results; detailed results) :-)

Happy Birthday!

Today is Darwin's birthday. I wasn't sure if y'all were aware of this all-important holiday, but 2/12 is it! So, I googled Darwin and running just to see how we should most appropriately celebrate. I came across this site for Darwin Runners and Walkers Inc. Unfortunately, quite to my chagrin, this was not a Galapagos Island based running group, but Australian (I mean, I'm sure they're really nice people and all, but...). So, this got me to thinking about how cool it would be to run on the Galapagos Islands... and and and there's a 10K, half marathon, and marathon on May 15th!

Oh, and Edison's birthday was yesterday. My Thomas Edison and running search produced some more hilarious results, with my favorite being this (I like Kevin 10's addition)!


And, by "chance", funfetti cake mix was on sale at Harris Teeter...

New Era

Great run with the new mates at Raleigh Running Outfitters last night. Awesome bunch of folks! This looks to be a great season. sk

Weekend Outlook

Exciting weekend coming up... the Valentine's Day Massacre Relay is on Sunday! This year, we have three 4-person teams competing (male, female, and masters), and the NCSU Club XC team and some of our other friends will also be out there. Wahooo... this is one of my favorite races!

In other news, Rita got her Krispy Kreme trophy the other day. And yes, that is a real doughnut. How [insert your adjective of choice] is that?!? Also, Lululemon is hosting another yoga session on Saturday at 10AM. I have been practicing "being a flame" all week long, as well as "child's pose" (since I am apparently incapable of even relaxing correctly), and savasana (not really... I can only sit still for 3min once every 7 days).

And finally, for World Record Friday - Stefaan Engels has just recently set the record for the most marathons run in a row - 365. Yup, he ran 26.2 miles every day across 7 countries, averaging about 4hrs (with his fastest time being 2:56). And, what's even cooler, he did this despite being told as a child not to run because he had asthma.

Coconut Water

I've been hearing more and more about Coconut Water lately, and finally got around to looking it up. Coconut water itself is, well, the water found in young coconuts (it's replaced by the coconut meat and air as the fruit matures). Although it is now being toted by many manufacturer's as "nature's energy drink", it has been popular in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands for a while.

So, what makes this fruit water so special? It's main selling point is that it's really high in potassium, with one serving containing nearly twice that of a banana and 10x that of most sports drinks. Additionally, it is low in calories and fat-free. However, many nutritionists don't recommend relying solely on Coconut Water for longer, more strenuous exercise. Basically, it does not contain enough sodium to replace what you are losing. Plus, the whole low-carb thing becomes less of a selling point when that is what your body needs! Therefore, it's best to drink it pre- or post-exercise (or during for "less strenuous" days and if you can stomach the taste).

Lucky Number...

The results of my "lucky number" Google search surprised me. I was expecting a bunch of stories about lucky number myths, how people pick them, etc.; instead, a Wikipedia article entitled Lucky number was the first hit. So, I clicked on it expecting that someone had made a fake entry and it hadn't been caught yet. But no... THERE ARE "REAL" LUCKY NUMBERS! Apparently, in number theory, a lucky number is a natural number that is generated using a "sieve" (I'll leave you to read the procedure on how to construct it). And, not to worry if your race number is not on the list because... THERE ARE ALSO FORTUNATE NUMBERS! Unfortunately, all of these numbers are odd, and I really prefer even ones. So, I found this lucky number generator (dang it... I do not have any chance of wearing bib #974 in Boston).

... ok, this post was pretty random :-)

High Visibility Colors

While watching TRON Legacy (which I would definitely recommend going to see), I realized that they all looked like they were ready to go for a nighttime run/ride. This got me thinking about the "best" color choice for such an occasion, so I decided to do some research. "Neon" was a popular choice, with yellow, green, and orange making the list. Most people on this forum noted that yellow and green stood out the best in headlights (I'm confused by the "lime yellow" description... limes are green), while traffic-cone orange stood out best when driver's are looking into the sun. Contrast was also important, and many people have seemed to embrace the "funfetti" neon color scheme (aka combining all 3 with black/white/gray contrast). I also came across an interesting site related to the effects of color blindness on daytime visibility (the main conclusion... blue and yellow are best).

Lucky Charms vs. Raisin Bran

As I stood there trying to decide which one to pour into my bowl the other morning, I realized I hadn't done a "product comparison" in a while!

A one cup serving of Lucky Charms weighs in at 142 calories, with 1g of fat, 29g of carbs, and 2g of protein. It contains 7% of your dietary fiber needs, as well as 14% of your calcium and 36% of your iron. It's also a very good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc and Manganese. The only "bad" thing is that a large portion of the cereal's calories come from sugar... not surprising with all those magically delicious marshmallows!

On the other hand, a one cup serving of Raisin Bran packs 190 calories, with 1g of fat, 46g of carbs, and 5g of protein. It contains 26% of your dietary fiber needs, 3% of your calcium, and 42% of your iron. It's also a good source of Folate and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Iron and Manganese. Again, the only "bad" thing mentioned was that a large portion of its calories came from sugars (this surprised me a little more... guess they're counting all sugars and not just the refined ones that the raisins are coated in)!

Hmmmm... both cereals fall in the "nutritious but calorie dense" quadrant, but Raisin Bran is right on the "nutritious and filling" line (with a "fullness factor" of 2.1 vs. 1.6). On the other hand, Lucky Charms has a higher "optimum health" score (4 vs. 3.25) and is apparently more nutritious (3.9 vs. 3.2)... WHAT?!? I'm guessing this is because Lucky Charms is heavily fortified, mainly because I have a hard time believing that marshmallows are a good substitute for fruit. All the same, I no longer feel quite as "unhealthy" for choosing Lucky Charms. And, I believe I might be on to something with "my Raisin Bran" (aka Frosted Flakes with raisins... they're even grrrrrrreater)!

2/5-6 Race Report

Terrible, awful, disgusting, freezing cold rain nastiness = good results?!? That's the way it looks! On Saturday, Rita and Erica dominated the Krispy Kreme Challenge, placing 2nd and 5th (females challengers) respectively. Dave and Tim also ran and did quite well, with Dave earning the fastest doughnut eating split of the group. Ok, and I have a question... is it doughnut or donut? Either way, I don't know how y'all ate a dozen of them! Brad Smythe also took 2nd in the Uwharrie 40-miler (for the 3rd year in a row), running a time of 6:46... that's crazy! And, in anticipation of our new team "merger"... Laura Frey was the 2nd female overall in the Goldsboro Heart and Sole Half Marathon! CONGRATS EVERYONE.

Krispy Kreme Update

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post this... RITA WAS THE 2ND FEMALE in the Krispy Kreme Challenge this AM!!! And and and... ERICA WAS THE 5TH FEMALE!!! However, Dave had the fastest doughnut eating split of the three...and Tim G. ran despite having a boot on his foot for the past two weeks. Y'ALL ARE OFFICIALLY MY HEROES. (male results, female results)

Upcoming Weekend

This is an interesting weekend in terms of race diversity. While Rita, Dave, and maybe others will be sprinting 2ish miles, inhaling a dozen doughnuts, and then surviving 2ish more miles at the Krispy Kreme Challenge, Brad will be competing in the Uwharrie Mountain Run (40-miles). There's also a yoga class being offered at Lululemon at 10AM on Saturday... so come on out and run, cheer, eat doughnuts, do yoga, or some combination of those four!

And, for some doughnut-related records...  Lup Fun Yau ate 6 sugared jam doughnuts (without licking his lips) in 3min. Christopher Boykin ate 5 powdered doughnuts in 3min, earning him the record. Both records were set in 2007... honestly, I'm surprised they aren't higher (guess glazed doughnuts are easier to consume)!

Strength Training

Although strength training definitely improves performance, many runners are guilty of neglecting to do so (jeez, my ToDo list keeps growing, I need to start crossing things off!). And, while going to a gym probably offers the greatest variety of exercise options, there are some things you can do at home. For portability, you can't beat the CoreSliders (or at least according to Runner's World). You can apparently do a variety of workouts to help strengthen everything from your abs, to hip flexors, to biceps. I also found this article describing two workouts you can do at your home using only dumbbells, a chin-up bar, and stability ball. Or, you could abandon all equipment and stick with plyometrics! #20

... I used to get yelled in undergrad for not taking strength training seriously. In all fairness, the trainer made us do sets of frog jumps. We looked like we were playing a giant game of leapfrog down the hall. How did he expect me not to laugh? I mean, I needed something to keep my spirits up when the soccer players laughed as I struggled to pick up the small bar... I think they could have bench pressed me!

"Stuff" for Yoga

Tank top, shorts, water bottle, towel... or maybe a little more clothing if the room doesn't feel like a tropical rain forest (aka hot yoga). There's also the whole yoga mat issue. While a lot of places will allow you to rent a mat for the session, it might be worthwhile getting your own if you plan to make yoga a regular habit (which I highly recommend for increasing flexibility, core strength, and general injury prevention). And, until I started this blog post, I didn't realize how many different types of mats there were, and that color wasn't the only selection criteria. When choosing a mat, it's important to know the type of yoga you want to practice, as thicker mats are generally recommended for more strenuous forms of yoga. It's also important to check the dimensions of the mat to make sure it's not too small or narrow. Some other things to consider are sturdiness, personal preference, and how easy it is to clean. This article provides a good summary of everything... I also found a review of a bunch of different yoga mats.

So, in the spirit of "selecting the best mat for your practice", I think I got mine at K-Mart (and it hasn't torn yet). Having said that, I can barely touch my toes on a good day, and chose it because it was yellow and bright and cheerful... probably not the most soothing of colors though... but I don't think even a gray mat would put me in a calm state! #20

Bike Trainers

I am going to do my best to review some of the basics of bike trainers (not that I usually know what I'm talking about... but I know even less about this... so, if you do, PLEASE leave a comment). That being said, there are basically 3 types of bike trainers: fluid, magnetic, and wind. This article does a good job of explaining the pros and cons of each. To summarize, fluid trainers are the quietest and provide the most realistic ride (i.e., exponentially increase in resistance), but also cost the most. Additionally, older models tend to leak (fluid trainers work by spinning an impeller through fluid). Wind trainers are the simplest and least expensive. However, they can be rather noisy and have limited resistance options (but, you can always just change the gears on you bike). Magnetic trainers are kind of the middle ground between the two. They are quieter than wind trainers and have a few more resistance options, but the ride quality is no where near realistic. There are also computerized bike trainers that allow you to program workouts to simulate courses, etc. While these are really cool, they cost a lot more and require a power source (something which seems trivial until you try and ride in a parking deck).

There is also the roller option, and I recommend reading this article if you're trying to decide between the two. Rollers are good for practicing technique, provide a more realistic ride, and don't wear down your rear tire. However, they are not exactly "beginner" friendly, and require a fair amount of balance (and coordination in general) to, well, not injure yourself.

So, while really serious cyclists might want to splurge for a fluid trainer (or someone who is less of a spaz might opt for rollers), I'm cool with the less expensive options (I have a magnetic trainer that suits me just fine). Some other things to consider... a climbing block or travel block (although my perpetual plunge downhill was fun until Nicole "caught" me and we put her Dynamics book to good use). And if your looking for some workout ideas, you can try one of these: 2 Indoor Trainer Workouts, Killer Workouts, 2 More Workouts. #20