Bad day for a broken shovel ❄️
🚴 Updating my indoor bike setup
Over the past three years, I’ve traveled more than 7,600 km through the virtual worlds of Zwift (adds up to a ridiculous 11 days and 11 hours on the saddle). This has all been on my main racing bike in a somewhat awkward setup that I described earlier:
I don’t have enough space in my house for a spot fully dedicated to cycling. So, I’ve got the bike trainer tucked in a corner of the basement and then I slide our basement couch out of the way and move the bike in front of the TV when I’m riding.
The whole setup is a nuisance, especially for some of those really early morning starts. Moving furniture around while in the dark and only half awake isn’t great. So, I’m considering the new Zwift Ride.
I think the pros are (in order):
- Always ready without any setup required
- Stays inside, so stays clean
- Preserves the racing bike, avoiding all the indoor sweat (so much sweat 🥵) and wear and tear
- Optimized for indoor riding and for Zwift specifically
While the cons are:
- Only works with Zwift. What do I do with it if Zwift goes away or I want to switch to a different platform? (Although, there are developments)
- Riding it doesn’t build up comfort and familiarity on my actual racing bike (although after close to 12 cumulative days on the bike, how much of this could be left?)
Given all of this, I’m leaning towards getting the Zwift Ride. There’s a spot in the basement with enough room for it and I like the idea of just getting on and riding. However, the recent tariff nonsense seems to have cleared out the Canadian inventory. So, I have some time to think this over, before making the investment.
For more on the Zwift Ride, DC Rainmaker has a good video.
Finished reading: Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern is a lot of fun 📚
George had a busy day
🏃♂️ Winter wonderland on today’s run. Slippery and uneven conditions helped keep the easy pace on target while adding in extra ankle and calf work.
🎵 We Didn’t Know We Were Ready by Ólafur Arnalds is a lovely song
🎵 Afterlife - Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory is setting the right mood for me today
I found a great place to deposit my $200 bribe. I’d like the money to go somewhere helpful and to counter some of the nasty rhetoric and actions around LGBTQ issues 🏳️🌈
Finished reading: If you like creepy, weird books (and I do), you’ll enjoy Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer. But, you have to read the great Area X trilogy first 📚
It may seem priggish to say it, given the current “vibe shift,” but we really can’t give up on personal integrity just yet. The day we celebrate our children for their selfishness and cruelty will be the point of no return.
I can’t believe that I’m about to type this sentence: Now that America is threatening Canada with economic ruin and potential annexation as the 51st state, I think it is very important for Canadians to stay well informed. To that end, I recommend two great sources: Paul Wells and The Line. Both are high quality, independent journalism with important voices in the True North, Strong and Free 🇨🇦
A fun episode of The Incomparable on my favourite fiction book of 2024
🔗 What Aging Can Teach Us About Sustainable Success
With that in mind, here are a few lessons I’ve learned as an aging athlete who can still run pretty fast, but is having a lot of doing it.
- Stop short. Almost always.
There’s an old adage in running that you should have one more rep in the tank. It’s also called the no hands on your knees rule. Both get a simple point, the risk of pushing to get that final repeat is seldom worth it. The benefit is small, if it even exists.
I’m tempted to write this on my shoes. Good advice that I followed this morning: the workout called for 5–8 reps and I stopped after 5 good ones.
Required viewing
Eleven miles later, I stopped my watch — satisfied, yet aware that my run was a castle constructed out of lies. I never intended to stop early, but I told myself that I would. I think I believed myself in the moment. As a moral philosopher, this gives me pause.
We had a great two-day family ski trip to Blue Mountain. After a few years off skis, great to be back.
🔗 The "near abroad" comes home // Paul Wells // paulwells.substack.com
I’ve believed for many years that Canada’s national bird was a chicken coming home to roost, except this one looks like an eagle.
🖖 Outline of a short story, starring a Star Trek fan:
- New episode of Vulcan Hello podcast arrives
- Realizes there’s a new movie: Section 31!?
- Stops listening to avoid spoilers
- Starts watching Section 31
- 20 minutes in thinks: “uh oh, is this the only Star Trek movie I’m not going to finish?”
- Goes back to podcast. Is convinced to finish Section 31, eventually
- Has at least five other good Star Trek movies to rewatch first
Yoga with George
☕️ Consistently tasty coffee
I’ve been a happy AeroPress user for many years now. A few weeks ago, I was gifted the Flow Control Filter Cap. The cap acts as a pressure activated valve that prevents any drip through the filter, until you press on the plunger. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much of a difference it has made to the consistency of my coffee
Before trying the flow control cap, I would not have said the AeroPress was unduly inconsistent. So, this isn’t a complaint about the original design. Rather, I now have fewer errant grounds making it through to the mug, can hold the brewing longer for a more robust flavour, and am less likely to make a mess while brewing. I can also reliably generate a nice foam at the end of the brewing.
The only small downside is that it is more challenging to get the used filter and grounds out of this cap. The filter tends to stick to this cap much more than to the original.
To complete my transition to coffee influencer, here’s an unnecessary, slow-motion video of making coffee 😀