I really just wanted to write about contacts, but coincidentally this "If steroids are cheating, why isn't LASIK?" piece came across my desk today, so I'm tweaking the headling to reflect its presence here. Very interesting. Now, on to contacts...

This post will be useless to many of you, as I assume most glasses-wearers out there made the shift to contacts years ago. But in case you are like I was—in short, an ocular Luddite—here's my experience.

Growing up, I had terribly sensitive and allergic eyes, and the thought of purposefully sticking anything in them was repellent. So for years and years I just wore glasses. For something ridiculous like 14 years of Ultimate the prospect of tournament rain would put me in a funk, because there's nothing worse than trying to play through rain-spattered and fogged glasses. Finally, a few years ago when I decided to try to get my game back, get back in shape, etc., I decided to bite the bullet. No way I was going to train hard only to have key tourneys ruined for me by capricious northeastern weather (leave the ruination to my capricious ankles).

Y'know what? Contacts are easy now. Back when I was a kid watching my mom deal with version 1.0 of contacts contributed to scaring me off. I took note of all the fussing and cleaning, and I remember how long it took her to adjust to these hard plastic discs floating on her corneas. Now the one-day models are so flimsy and wet they almost feel like they are made out of eyeball material (my eye doc says they're actually mostly water). Once they're in, there's no irritation at all, even on your very first wearing. At something like $0.60 per lens they are relatively expensive, but still dirt cheap if you just want to wear them for tourneys, as I do.

So these days tourney rain just makes me grumpy because I'd rather be dry, not because I can't see. Improved peripheral vision is a nice bonus as well. Anyway, if you've been holding out, you should definitely make the switch.

Oh, there's a catch. Isn't there always? You'll have to get an eye exam, so that might be a bit pricey, depending on your insurance. I think I paid like $150-$200 with no insurance. Also, your contacts prescription is only good for a year or two (might vary from state to state) so you'll have to keep getting exams every couple years to replenish your supply (you can get refills for as long as your prescription is good though). More information here on why this is necessary.

Homeless James from Virginia:

i took to james immediately. he is friendly, open and warm. he says he'll have my back if i should ever need him. he introduced me to his friends as he walked the street looking for a fix. he says he has "a lot of hatred and a lot of happiness." he agrees it's a strange mix.

he doesn't mind people taking his picture. "people say it's stealing your soul; but my soul ain't worth nothing."

but he says he thinks he has goodness in him. "i'm a motherfucker, but i'm good to women and old people. i always give up my seat on the bus. and i'm good to my friends."

James is dying of colon cancer. More on the clickthrough. Speechless.

(Except for some fitness stuff at the end, you can safely skip this post if you [a] don't care about Ultimate, or [b] don't care how my team did at Masters Easterns.)

Whenever it rains at my first tournament of the season I wonder, "hmm, will this be the year where it rains at all of them?" Easterns this past weekend makes it two for two, and if you count The Biblical Regionals Deluge of '05, I've gotten pretty thoroughly soaked at three of my last four tournaments. It's not nearly as troublesome since I started wearing one-day disposable contacts for tourneys (a move I highly recommend for any glasses-wearers still holding out), but still annoying as my wet flick is relatively sucky. But enough about me and the relentless rain...

Masters Easterns, five teams, by seed: Above & Beyond (NY), Big Ego (Boston), ICU (PA), Chop Shop (largely VT, Western MA), Grotesque (other Boston). Format: Four rounds on Saturday, final pool play round at 8:30 (!) Sunday, then a 4-5 play-in game, then semis and finals. The Chop Shop perspective...

Saturday

Round 1, ICU (three seed): If everything else goes to seed, this is the must-win game for both teams to stay out of the 4-5 play-in round on Sunday. They have a much more organized warm-up than us, which I have to admit is always a little worrisome. Happily, we catch them sleeping and go up something like 11-4 before they wake up. Game ends with momentum in their favor, but we take it 15-10. The big shift comes when they start playing underneath to an almost absurd degree, and our deep game never develops in response.

Round 2, Grotesque (five seed): It feels like we're asleep, but I think actually they play pretty well. They put up a lot of big throws and come down with a good number of them. We were never threatened, but they hang around (and hung around with at least ICU as well - not sure about their other games). I think we won 15-8 or so.

Funny aside: I got into this very minor argument with this guy (no stoppage of play, so we're just sniping at each other as we run), he catches it near the goal line, he pivots to break at the same time as I'm stepping to stop the break and I bump his shoulder with my chest as he's throwing. I shout "foul" as the throw is released, and it's caught for an easy score. My guy turns on me outraged until I clarify I was calling it on myself. That is not the first time that has happened to me. I really gotta remember to immediately say "on me".

Round 3, Big Ego (two seed): Ex-DoG. Probably the closest any team I've ever been on has played these guys. Y'know the old saying that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water he'll jump right out, but if you throw him in cold water and gradually apply heat he'll swim around unaware until he dies? Well, that's kinda how I feel about their defense in this game. They start off very loose and poachy and wait for us to make mistakes. We immediately go down a couple breaks (sigh), but otherwise hang, losing half 8-6. Imperceptibly, the water has gotten hotter, but we (or at least I) keep thinking the D is just as loose and poachy as it was to start. It's still poachy, but not as loose. Before we know it we're down 11-6. We then show nice resolve to claw back to 13s, but they finish us off 15-13. Nonetheless, a strong showing for us, I thought.

Oh, another funny aside: I'm covering Alex d. and I hand-check him 1.5 times. The first time there's a light touch, but I really gain nothing. The second time it's also a light hand-check, but I definitely get a little bit of help. He says "watch the hand" and I apologize. A few points later he pushes me off with what felt like the exact same amount of force and gets open by an extra yard or two. I think I said (good-naturedly, as it appealed to my sense of justice), "hey, that time it was you - we'll call it even." I like to think it was intentional, and illustrative of the big difference the tiniest push can make. You probably had to be there.

(In my defense, I really try to NOT hand-check. I keep my hands pretty close by my sides, but when the first step comes so close to me that we're shoulder-to-shoulder and my hand is just there my instinct is to provide resistance, not to jerk my hand out of the way (and if we're shoulder-to-shoulder I'd literally have to swing my arm behind my back to get it out of the way). That's the way I rationalize these occurrances anyway. Of course, it's possible I'm subconsciously cheating. How would I know? It happens very rarely though, so it seems more likely it's my hand being run into rather than my hand actively seeking out a hip to push off against.)

Round 4, Bye: Thank goodness, as the hardest rain of the day happens during this round.

Sunday

Round 5, Above & Beyond (1 seed): We hang for a half, but they take it 8-6. We feel pretty good going into the second half, quickly trading points to 9-7, but then the wheels come off. I can't decide if we melted down or if they made us melt down. Probably a little of both. I'm not sure if we scored again. I personally collapsed as well, which pisses me off...

(TO on a long-ish curving flick to an in cut on one point, then like three TOs in the next point (thankfully I didn't spread them out), then on another point a ridiculous inside-out backhand huck on the flick side that didn't go inside out at all, so you can imagine where it landed (I think I made that exact same throw against these guys at Regionals last year - what goes through my head?!))

...Can't tell if my meltdowns drive the team meltdowns or if the team meltdowns drive my meltdowns - I don't even like to contemplate it, really, as the former ascribes more importance to my role than is realistic, while the latter smacks of blaming my teammates for my sucky play. It's probably just a smidgen of both that plays into a massive feedback loop. The more we play together the less frequently these meltdowns occur, but we haven't flushed them all from the system yet. Anyway, good first half. Also fun to play EO and Keebler again, as the last time was all those Albany summer league games many years ago when we had just graduated from our respective schools (Arnold and Adam too, but I've played them a bunch in the intervening years).

Meanwhile, in the other round 5 game, ICU beats Big Ego in a nail biter! Pretty big surprise there. I did note the lack of Barrett, Bickford, de Frondeville, and Mooney in that game (and Seeger, who didn't show until semis), but nonetheless, those guys aren't easy to beat under any circumstances so kudos to the ICU guys for a nice win. This makes us, Big Ego, and ICU all 2-2, so the seeding comes to points. I believe it worked out us, Big Ego, then ICU, so ICU had to play the 4-5 play-in game. We get dry in a Dunkin' Donuts during that game, as we wait for the semis.

Semis, Big Ego: I wonder if those guys draw straws to see who gets to sleep in until semis? Some changes from Saturday: No Bickford, Cooper, or Mooney, but Barrett and de Frondeville are back, and as noted they've added Seeger (I've never played him before - man, he's good, but aren't they all?). No surprise, but they are a different team on Sunday. Their D is similar, but of course they throw us by coming out in a straight man rather than junk, and like yesterday get a break right off the bat. Their offense is much crisper, however, and they don't give us nearly as many opportunities as they did on Saturday. Like yesterday, they take half 8-6. Like yesterday, they grab the first few points of the second half. We then trade it out and end up losing 15-11.

Finals, Above & Beyond vs. Big Ego: Sorry I can't report on this; I had to run some friends to the airport. Anybody know how this turned out? Thank you to "samth" from the comments for pointing out that George Cooke reports Big Ego beating A&B in the finals. Quick check shows Jim's write-up is in as is Alex's.

Wrap-up

Alas. Still, a very good tournament for us, and I continue to feel like we play better in each and every outing. Our victory gaps are widening, our loss gaps are narrowing. Also, the tournament was very cleanly played. The calls were rare, and even during those few that drew heckles it all felt fairly good-natured. Had a blast, despite the weather.

This is a fitness blog though, so I'm contractually obligated to talk conditioning at least a little... All in all, I was pretty pleased with the way I felt. I'm no longer exclusively an O player, which feels good, and I played a lot of points in the A&B and both Big Ego games. Ran just as hard in the semis as in game 1, so that's good, and even played downfield a fair amount in the semis, probably the first time I've done so in like 13 years. I think the training strategies I've adopted continue to pay dividends. Except for height, I consider myself to have pretty sub-par genetics, athletically. In high school I was woefully uncoordinated and was only allowed to play basketball because I was the tallest kid in the school and I could block shots. I was hopeless at everything else. Without lots of training I'm pretty damn slow, and even with lots of training I'm not particularly explosive. Chronic ankle, shin, and knee problems. But with all this stuff, I think I've managed to work my way into the middle of the pack, athletically. I usually work out around four days a week, but the only running I do is during pickup, along with a set of Tabata sprints once or twice a week (sometimes I'll sub in Tabata jump rope or burpees, depending on how my legs feel). It's probably obvious by now, but I'm finding my training strategy boils down to this:

• Tabatas are huge. You still want a well-rounded regime, but if you aren't doing these already, work in a set or two a week and tell me it doesn't make a difference. Remember, each 20-second work period is all out. As Ross Enamait says, "run each one like my pit bull is chasing you." What this means, of course, is that your last 20 seconds will be much slower than your first 20. But that's okay, as long as you're going as hard as you can for each and every interval. Totally, totally sucks. Since your last few sets will be so slow, might be worth doing some speed work on a different day once in awhile (especially if you're like me and you aren't naturally speedy).
• Speaking of Enamait and a well-rounded routine... Absolutely essential reading for any athlete (except marathoners and the like). I don't know how to convince you of this if I haven't already through my other posts.

Results come pretty quickly at the prescribed intensity. Six weeks 'til Log Jam, three months 'till Sectionals. That's enough time to get into pretty killer shape. Get started! Unless you are a potential opponent. In that case I encourage you to watch as much TV as possible, ideally while eating something. Potato chips are an excellent choice.

Here's a quick workout I made up and really like:

First, Tabata something. I skipped rope last time, but sprints or burpees would also be good. Then do 3-5 runs through this core circuit:

• 12 V-Ups: See the link. Nice demo and explanation.
• 20 Grasshoppers: That's what Ross Enamait calls 'em, anyway. Assume a pushup position. Tuck your right knee in towards your chest and sweep your leg up, attempting to touch your laces to your left hand (your hands stay on the ground throughout the movement). Now the other side. Keep alternating.
• 20 Crickets: I made up the name, as they are kinda a backwards Grasshopper. Watch the trailer (WMV, 1.6MB) for The Art of Strength: Newport DVD. The exercise is at 1:10 of the trailer. Note the knee flexion. Try to get your foot up near your opposite hand (a guy on my team can touch his foot to his hand doing this movement).
• 30-second Waiter's Walk, each arm: Hoist a dumbell locked out overhead and start walking. Keep walking the whole time. Make it heavy enough to challenge yourself, but note that if you change direction it'll be harder to keep the weight balanced up there than you think. Don't let it come crashing down on your head. That would be bad. I feel compelled to include the "I'm not responsible if you try this and injure or kill yourself" disclaimer. There.

Remember, that's 3-5 runs through the core circuit (you only do the Tabatas once, but you're welcome to do them at the top of every circuit if you feel up to it). Try to keep rest between exercises to 30-45 seconds, and rest between circuits to a minute. Feel free to up the reps if it's too easy.

Report back, let me know how it feels. Be nice to know who's reading, and if you are trying any of this stuff. Thanks!

I really liked my Fisher Space Pen, the key attribute being its size: it fit comfortably in the side pocket of my jeans. After I lost it, I really liked my second Fisher Space Pen too. After I lost that one, I thought for a minute before buying another. Did I really care about anything but the size? Had I even once used my Space Pen to write underwater or in the cold vacuum of space? No. To the tune of $15 a pop, did I want to go $45 in the hole to Fisher? No. So here’s what I did:

Got myself a dozen of these Bic pens (something like $0.35 each):

Took one apart and cut off around two-thirds of the barrel (cut through the “d” in the “med USA” part of the label):

Lined up the ink sleeve with the remaining part of the barrel to see how much I’d have to remove, then snipped it off (even cutting through the inky part, I’ve never had any leakage - YMMV):

Assembled, it’s as small as a Space Pen, and not as smooth and shiny, so it’s less likely to slide out of your pocket (and if it does, who cares?):

With the cap on the back it’s long enough to hold comfortably, even with big hands:

I’ve gone through four or five of these, and have never had a leak. Even though you lose some ink when you trim ‘em down, they still last for a good long time.

True, the next time I’m on a top secret mission and my nemesis tries to kill me slowly in a vacuum chamber and my only hope is to write a note on a piece of paper and hold it up to the plexiglass telling my trusty sidekick how to turn off the machine I’ll be completely hosed, but I’m willing to take my chances.

I've been enjoying Vern Gambetta's Functional Path Training weblog recently. Just a few of his recent posts:

• Carson Palmer Rehab. Interesting knee rehab observations.
• A sampling of youth sports and training posts:
  • Last Boy or Girl Standing - Training or Abuse?
  • Childhood Obesity or The Epidemic of Overuse and Orthopaedic Injuries
  • Youth Sports - The Profit Motive
• The Garage - Driveway. Gambetta just started posting pictures of his home setup. The stone-stepping game looks like fun.

Lately a handful of us have been doing a mini-workout after pick-up. This one is fast becoming a "favorite":

Start a clock. At the top of every minute, do 10 burpees. Said another way, however long it takes you to do 10, you have the remainder of the minute to rest. Repeat until you can't do your 10 in during a given minute. Go until only one player's left standing.

Here's a burpee refresher. We tend to do 180-degree jumps to enforce a minimum performance on the leap.

So far we have yet to do the true "last player standing" challenge. After two solid hours of good pickup in the heat this past Sunday, we all quit by mutual agreement after six minutes (sixty burpees). I don't know how much better we would have done had we all been fresh, but I know that I personally don't have 100 in me at that clip (yet).

I've linked this in passing a couple times, but now I have to go for a dedicated post: around half-a-year ago I heard about this ultrasonic teenager repellent. Then, a few days ago, read that teens started using the sound as a ringtone their teachers can't hear. Now Wohba! links up the sound itself!

If you're over 30 you'll hear some street noise. If you're under 25 you'll hear an obnoxious squeal. If you're in between, or abnormal, then who knows what you'll hear.

I'm 36, and what I hear is a really high pitched tone that throbs a bit. It's faint enough though that it doesn't really bother me.

What do you hear?

The Economist on sleep, new drugs:

...a new, contrarian school of thought is emerging. The eight-hours mantra has no more scientific basis than the tooth fairy, says Neil Stanley, head of sleep research at the Human Psychopharmacology Research Unit at the University of Surrey in Britain. He believes that everyone has their own individual "sleep need" which can be anywhere between three and 11 hours. "If you're a three-hour-a-night person, you need three; if you're 11, you need 11." To find out, he says, simply sleep until you wake naturally, without the aid of an alarm clock. Feel rested? That's your sleep need.

I can't imagine the new drugs are healthy, but boy, I would love it if they could someday "cure" me of sleeping. When fantasizing about which superpower I'd like to have, the ability to make sleep optional is always a dark horse candidate (but not one you'd ever base a comic book around).

Lots of fitness experts tout the benefits of copious sleep for workout recovery and fat loss, but I don't really have any information on that, nor do I know how it would relate to the idea of individualized sleep needs as described above.

Thanks to What Do I Know, I watched this amazing presentation by Dick Hardt on Identity 2.0 a couple days ago. At the very end, he credits Lawrence Lessig with inspiring his presentation style. Coincidentally (?), Jason Kottke mentioned Lessig's powerful PowerPoint mojo, so I had to have a look around. Turns out there's a whole blog dedicated to presentations, with a whole post on the "Lessig Method" of presentation. Since everything converges, the post references Hardt's talk. And Lessig's presentation? Also amazing.

Damn, the "injuries" section of this site is getting long! I should call it "Limping & Whining Fitness". Anyway, in the interest of sharing every little thing, I am quite prone to pain behind the kneecaps, a condition that worsens the more often and vigorously I exercise. I've generally been able to control it with diligent icing, but lately it's been getting worse. Doing that thing I do, some quick Googling turned up a likely candidate "Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome". I realize this is a fancy way of saying "it hurts behind the kneecap" so wasn't too optimistic about finding a cut-and-dried cure. This review by Mark S. Juhn for the American Academy of Family Physicians was very interesting nonetheless. I'm going to choose to believe it's this rather than chondromalacia ("actual fraying and damage to the underlying patellar cartilage"). Still a bummer though, as it's impossible to get a good lower-body workout without lots of knee flexion.

Ah yes, the vaguely defined condition and treatment. Just like my other bugaboo, shin splints. It's probably the same biomechanical problem (whatever it is) hitting me two different ways.

Too rich for my blood, but I think the Walkstool might be the ultimate Ultimate chair, mostly because it folds down to nothing (here's one clipped to a photographer's belt). A buddy of mine had a knock-off I envied. Not that I'll be trading in my $6 K-Mart special anytime soon, but I would if I had money to burn.