Let intervals clean up your mind

Well good afternoon fellow cycling lovers!

Today’s been not so much about riding as about sitting on my pity consultant ass in what seemed to be a never ending stream of meeting. You new guys maybe don’t know but I work as a pipes and conduits coordinator (but i’m sure there’s a better term for that one). Anyway, the main part of my job is to bring together different pipe owners, landowners, constructors, consults, client representants and other interested parties and to make them agree with each other regarding technical solutions in huge civil engineering projects in Stockholm’s area. I really do like my job but my head’s usually a mess after one meetings or two and today I did three and a half so my head’s a triple mess.

Then thank god for intervals! Don’t you agree that intervals is the single best remedy for the messy head (but not the messy hair though, my hair just gets messier after each indoor intervals session)?

For me, there are three stages of cleaning my mind by intervals.

The first stage is an easy one. You lycr’up yourself and you get on you stationary bike. Here in Sweden, we’re fond of stationary watt bikes called Monark but I also interval at simple spinner bikes or one of the Stages bikes available at my nearby gym Friskis & Svettis. So, when sitting on your stationary bike, you feel a sting of happiness. Hey look at me, all cool, sitting on my bike, starting to pedal with my shiny newly shaved spires!

The second stage is the bloodiest one. Your puls is rushing up, your legs are sore after yesterday’s gym session and your shiny spires start to lactate. The endorphins are still trapped somewhere deep down inside your troubled brain. Your thoughts are still in your system, messing with your effort, disturbing your pace. It’s all mental and physical pain. You’re thinking about how to give up without your neighbours noticing how you screw down the resistance handle.

But you don’t give up and the stage number three is here, shooing away the demons out of your mind, causing your legs to feel a different type of pain, bringing you endorphins, making you feel strong and invincible. Now, your thoughts are small and concentrated and you’re enjoying yourself and embracing the pain.

It’s pure athletic beauty.

Actually, there’s stage four as well and that’s about when you’re too properly tired to even get off your bike in a graceful way but let’s not talk about that one.

My commuter train is almost arrived in Västerås. Soon, I’m all cool and shiny getting myself through the mind rinsing process of short flat out intervals.