I'm trying out new software (Trainerroad.com) to work with my Computrainer. I'm not completely sold on it, but it's not bad. While I was using our old desktop to run my CT, I would need to bring in my laptop if I wanted a distraction. The new software didn't work very well on the desktop, so I loaded it onto the laptop. Then I plugged the monitor into the laptop, so I had a bigger screen. Worked pretty well last week, so I tried to add Netflix to it this AM. One of the pluses that the software has is that you can run it while watching streaming video on the same screen (vs. two different screens which is what I was doing previously). I had gotten into the habit of watching MacGyver while training, so that's what I did this AM. Since each episode is about 40 minutes long, my workout lasted 1.5 MacGyver units today.
Why do I like MacGyver? There's always some action, always some humor, and MacGyver always manages to creatively figure out a solution to a problem. Plus, it's pretty cheesy. Previously, I did a lot of my AM riding while listening to the news or my iPod. When I was using the CT software, I could stare at the Spin Scan and be mesmerized by it, all the while listening to the news; however, the news kind of repeats itself. In an hour, you hear about the top news stories, the traffic, and the weather several times. With the new software, since there really isn't much to watch, the news isn't enough of a distraction.
The good part about the software is that you can't cheat and it's brainless. No matter what gear you're in, the wattage (resistance) remains constant. And you simply enter in the program you want, and the resistance changes as the stage changes. So, today's 2 x 20 with 5 minute recovery was non-thinking. The bad part (to me) is that the wattage remains constant, no matter what gear you're in. So, while I could previously adjust wattage by changing gearing and cadence, I don't have that option with the new software. Is that good or bad? I guess it depends on your perspective. I like the idea that you can't cheat. But I like the idea that by manipulating gearing and cadence, I can keep wattage constant while allowing my body to react in different ways, similar to a race situation. Knowing that 53 x 16 at 90 RPM and 53 x 15 at 85 RPM are similar wattages (and are right at threshold for me) is helpful information when I'm racing.
I'll probably use a combination of both of them for a little while longer, and then see if I want to keep the Trainerroad subscription.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
A brain addled by the cold water... or how coordination and riding straight are affected by a cold-water swim
The title of this entry may be the longest blog title in the world but you get the idea. The Race Director had sent out an e-mail earlier in the week saying that the water temperature was in the low '60's, and the expected air temperature on race day was 65. And now you know why being a meteorologist in the PNW is like playing darts with your eyes closed after a few beers. The trip over to Moses Lake was uneventful. We saw a very pretty sunset behind the windmills above Vantage. I'm not sure whether you call those things windmills, but you get the picture. It was fun traveling to a race with my son. He's quite a bit more laid-back than I am.
It was a bit strange having a race start at 10:00. It was nice to sleep in and have a nice leisurely breakfast before the race. As David and I sat down to breakfast, I noticed that the wind was picking up and it was overcast. We were able to see the swim buoys on the other side of the lake; funny how the distance always looks greater from that viewpoint.
We drove the 1.5 miles to the race site, and, as we were unpacking the van, saw Doug, then Alycia, Hill heading out on the bike portion of their Olympic distance race. Doug was wearing his old-school sweatshirt, and since Doug dislikes the cold even more than I do, I understood why he was wearing it. But still, my first thought was, "Not a very aerodynamic bike outfit." As we were setting up, we saw Ali and Monica Rios, who were both doing their first triathlon. In fact, they were the reason that David and I were there, so that we could provide support for them on their adventure. After warming up on my bike, I headed down to the water's edge. My first thought as I swam out to the first buoy was that it was not low '60's in the water. I later found out that the race official had measured the temperature at 58 degrees. Even though it wasn't exactly warm, my hands and feet never went numb. David's last words to me before the race started? "I'll see you somewhere on the bike." (we both knew that he would beat me out of the water)
The swim was fairly easy. By the first turn buoy, I had clean water. I was in no-man's land: in front of some people, but too far back to get on faster toes. I'm not sure if the cold water was messing with my equilibrium or if the wind was affecting me, but, after the turnaround, I would be swimming in a straight line, and then look up and be swimming nearly perpendicular to the course. I ended up sighting a lot more often because of this.
After getting out of the water, I ran up to transition and saw David just starting to run out with his bike (he was 5th out of the water). I grabbed my bike and headed out of transition. It took me a few more seconds than normal to get wetsuit off and helmet on, because I wasn't really thinking that straight. After mounting my bike, I tried to get my shoes on. The right went on fairly easily, although my fingers weren't working that well, but when I tried to get my left shoe on, it came off in my hand. I stopped to put my shoe on, and nearly fell over. That's when I realized that my equilibrium was a bit haywire. My neck also was a bit stiff. And that's when I remembered that I don't like cold weather. By that time, it had started to sprinkle. Great. After getting my shoes on and remounting my bike, I headed out on the course. We had a pretty stiff headwind, and there were a couple of gradual turns in the road. Not trusting my bike handling, the roads, or my equilibrium, I was off the aerobars for the turns. Yes, I'm still very skittish from last year. I tried to settle into a rhythm, but was working hard to go pretty slow. I looked down at my SRM as I was climbing up a little grade and my power was in the 250's and I was going 16 MPH. Sheesh. I passed David after a couple of minutes, and shouted out some encouragement to him. As I was nearing the turnaround, I saw the leaders coming back the other way. They were a long ways in front of me. As I made the turnaround, I felt the tailwind, and was able to fly on the way back.
I reached T2 in 6th place and headed out on the run. Somewhere when I wasn't looking, someone poured wet concrete on my run course... or at least it felt like it. Maybe it was the cold weather, or maybe I'm just not in very good shape at the moment, but boy, did it feel slow. I saw David on his way out, as I was heading back and gave him another shout of encouragement. I finished the run where I started, still in 6th, but having given up some time to 5th and having 7th breathing down my neck.
Was I satisfied with my race? Well, an age-group win, no crashes, no disasters, and I got to race with my son (who also won his age group). I also saw two first-time triathletes, Ali and Monica, finish with the euphoria that one gets when one accomplishes something for the first time. I later heard that Ali was the first woman out of the water, and she ended up winning her age-group; she's anxious to do another race. So, yeah, I am satisfied. I'm hoping that my fitness will improve as the season progresses. We'll see.
It was a bit strange having a race start at 10:00. It was nice to sleep in and have a nice leisurely breakfast before the race. As David and I sat down to breakfast, I noticed that the wind was picking up and it was overcast. We were able to see the swim buoys on the other side of the lake; funny how the distance always looks greater from that viewpoint.
We drove the 1.5 miles to the race site, and, as we were unpacking the van, saw Doug, then Alycia, Hill heading out on the bike portion of their Olympic distance race. Doug was wearing his old-school sweatshirt, and since Doug dislikes the cold even more than I do, I understood why he was wearing it. But still, my first thought was, "Not a very aerodynamic bike outfit." As we were setting up, we saw Ali and Monica Rios, who were both doing their first triathlon. In fact, they were the reason that David and I were there, so that we could provide support for them on their adventure. After warming up on my bike, I headed down to the water's edge. My first thought as I swam out to the first buoy was that it was not low '60's in the water. I later found out that the race official had measured the temperature at 58 degrees. Even though it wasn't exactly warm, my hands and feet never went numb. David's last words to me before the race started? "I'll see you somewhere on the bike." (we both knew that he would beat me out of the water)
The swim was fairly easy. By the first turn buoy, I had clean water. I was in no-man's land: in front of some people, but too far back to get on faster toes. I'm not sure if the cold water was messing with my equilibrium or if the wind was affecting me, but, after the turnaround, I would be swimming in a straight line, and then look up and be swimming nearly perpendicular to the course. I ended up sighting a lot more often because of this.
After getting out of the water, I ran up to transition and saw David just starting to run out with his bike (he was 5th out of the water). I grabbed my bike and headed out of transition. It took me a few more seconds than normal to get wetsuit off and helmet on, because I wasn't really thinking that straight. After mounting my bike, I tried to get my shoes on. The right went on fairly easily, although my fingers weren't working that well, but when I tried to get my left shoe on, it came off in my hand. I stopped to put my shoe on, and nearly fell over. That's when I realized that my equilibrium was a bit haywire. My neck also was a bit stiff. And that's when I remembered that I don't like cold weather. By that time, it had started to sprinkle. Great. After getting my shoes on and remounting my bike, I headed out on the course. We had a pretty stiff headwind, and there were a couple of gradual turns in the road. Not trusting my bike handling, the roads, or my equilibrium, I was off the aerobars for the turns. Yes, I'm still very skittish from last year. I tried to settle into a rhythm, but was working hard to go pretty slow. I looked down at my SRM as I was climbing up a little grade and my power was in the 250's and I was going 16 MPH. Sheesh. I passed David after a couple of minutes, and shouted out some encouragement to him. As I was nearing the turnaround, I saw the leaders coming back the other way. They were a long ways in front of me. As I made the turnaround, I felt the tailwind, and was able to fly on the way back.
I reached T2 in 6th place and headed out on the run. Somewhere when I wasn't looking, someone poured wet concrete on my run course... or at least it felt like it. Maybe it was the cold weather, or maybe I'm just not in very good shape at the moment, but boy, did it feel slow. I saw David on his way out, as I was heading back and gave him another shout of encouragement. I finished the run where I started, still in 6th, but having given up some time to 5th and having 7th breathing down my neck.
Was I satisfied with my race? Well, an age-group win, no crashes, no disasters, and I got to race with my son (who also won his age group). I also saw two first-time triathletes, Ali and Monica, finish with the euphoria that one gets when one accomplishes something for the first time. I later heard that Ali was the first woman out of the water, and she ended up winning her age-group; she's anxious to do another race. So, yeah, I am satisfied. I'm hoping that my fitness will improve as the season progresses. We'll see.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Finally!
When I started doing triathlons all those years ago, I had a friend whose teenage son started riding with us. I thought that was pretty cool at the time, and, this year, have had the opportunity to do some riding with my own son. Last year was supposed to be the year that we started doing triathlons together, as it was his first season. Unfortunately, that never happened, since I managed to start and end my season on the pavement during a Fort Lewis triathlon. So, I stood on the sidelines and watched David race, taking pictures but not being able to race.
This weekend, we finally get to race together for the first time at Moses Lake. I'm really looking forward to it. Why? Maybe it's because David really seems to enjoy something that I really enjoy doing. Whether he continues to do triathlons or not, I hope that I've instilled the good feeling that comes with exercising hard, regardless of the outcome. He already enjoys the feeling after a good hard swim workout. Speaking of this, we went for an open water swim last weekend. We got in the water together, and he was gone. I couldn't even stay on his feet. We ended up swimming together, but that was because he slowed down to keep me company. I'm figuring that he will beat me out of the water by a minute or two on Saturday (we're in the same wave, and I told him that he better be out of the water in front of me!). He fully expects me to catch him on the bike (I'm expecting it, too), but I don't think it will be too long before that is no longer a forgone conclusion.
I once posed a question to my friends: if I'm racing and my child (I didn't have kids at the time I asked the question) is in front of me on the bike, and I see him/her stopped on the side of the road with a flat, would I stop? The answer everyone had was a resounding, "No!" I answered this by saying that, if it was my daughter, I'd stop. If it was my son, I'd make sure he had everything and could change it before I left him. Since he is riding tubulars, and doesn't know how to do change or fix one yet, if he flats this weekend, the answer is that I will stop.
This weekend, we finally get to race together for the first time at Moses Lake. I'm really looking forward to it. Why? Maybe it's because David really seems to enjoy something that I really enjoy doing. Whether he continues to do triathlons or not, I hope that I've instilled the good feeling that comes with exercising hard, regardless of the outcome. He already enjoys the feeling after a good hard swim workout. Speaking of this, we went for an open water swim last weekend. We got in the water together, and he was gone. I couldn't even stay on his feet. We ended up swimming together, but that was because he slowed down to keep me company. I'm figuring that he will beat me out of the water by a minute or two on Saturday (we're in the same wave, and I told him that he better be out of the water in front of me!). He fully expects me to catch him on the bike (I'm expecting it, too), but I don't think it will be too long before that is no longer a forgone conclusion.
I once posed a question to my friends: if I'm racing and my child (I didn't have kids at the time I asked the question) is in front of me on the bike, and I see him/her stopped on the side of the road with a flat, would I stop? The answer everyone had was a resounding, "No!" I answered this by saying that, if it was my daughter, I'd stop. If it was my son, I'd make sure he had everything and could change it before I left him. Since he is riding tubulars, and doesn't know how to do change or fix one yet, if he flats this weekend, the answer is that I will stop.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Riding shouldn’t be a pain in the butt!
(Note: I originally wrote this over 18 months ago, as one of my columns for FLATS, but never sent it out. I have updated it several times, as there have been several different tries (tris?) at finding the best saddle. Read on...) Or numbness for that matter. A very good friend of my once said that sitting on a bicycle seat is not comfortable… sitting in a La-z-boy recliner is comfortable. But I definitely spend more time on my bicycle seat than I do in my recliner. So, what do you do to find a (relatively) comfortable bicycle seat?
You could get lucky. My first bike had a Selle Italia Flite saddle. During the 1990’s, that was THE lightweight saddle to have. Fortunately for me, it fit me very well. I didn’t have to try a bunch of different saddles to get comfortable. In fact, it fit me so well that, until 2005, that was all that I rode. Yes, even for triathlons. Yes, even for Ironman distance. And yes, even with just a swimsuit on. I was told that, once you found a saddle that worked, you should use it on all of your bikes. So, with the exception of my current triathlon bike, all of my bikes still have Flite saddles on them. Sadly, Selle Italia, just like most running shoe manufacturers, decided to “upgrade” their Flite saddles a couple of years ago, and they appear to be nothing like the original Flites. If I ever need a new Flite, I may have to do a lot of shopping.
Well, then, why does my tri bike have a different saddle on it? Okay, I’ll be honest: riding a long-course triathlon on the Flite was not the most comfortable I’ve ever been. So, I decided to change my saddle when I changed my bike. After trying a bunch out, I ended up with a Fi`zi:k Arione Tri. That seemed to work pretty well for me. Even with that, though, I kept wondering if there was a Holy Grail of saddles. So, I am now on a Cobb V-Flow Plus. I’m tweaking it, but it seems to be working out. I’m not sure that it is the Holy Grail, and we’ll see how it pans out.
Where am I going with this? Riding a bike should not be painful. Nor should it be numbing. And you should be able to get back on your bike on back-to-back days without dreading it. Some of that is saddle time. You just gotta get your butt in the saddle for awhile to toughen it up. I know that after I’ve taken time off, it takes a while to get back into shape where my behind doesn’t hurt during/after a ride. That’s not what I’m talking about. If you are not comfortable on your saddle, you are going to be moving around a lot. In a triathlon, staying in a clean aero position will save you precious time; however, the best aero position is worthless if you cannot stay in it. So, if you are finding yourself constantly squirming or standing up, or if there are certain parts of your anatomy that are numb after you finish your ride, you may want to look at a change in your saddle.
UPDATE: After trying out the V-Flow Plus for an extended period of time, I’m sending it back. I found myself squirming around continuously trying to find the right spot. While it has been very good for some people, it wasn’t right for me. For me, the answer seems to be the Fi`zi:k saddle that I have been riding. To paraphrase Regis Philbin: Final answer? Maybe it’s not the Fi`zi:k, but the Fi`zi:k is the best one so far.
What have I learned from this latest experience? Other than that my butt may not be like the majority of triathletes out there. I think I’ve finally drilled into my mind that the cut-out type saddle just doesn’t work for me. I have no idea why not, but each one that I tried, bothered me more than those that didn’t have a cut-out. When I look at the saddles that have seemed to work out best, they all appear to be more of the minimalist saddles as well. While the Arione Tri does have more padding on the nose than the regular Arione, it is still a bit spare in terms of size and overall padding. I think I’m done looking for now.
ADDITIONAL UPDATE: I first penned this approximately 6 months ago when my behind was unhappy with sitting on a trainer. Since then, I spent the majority of my time on my triathlon bike outside, and I stopped having issues with the saddle (Fi`zi:k). BUT THEN… I went back to my regular road bike after the season ended. And I’m now complaining about my aforementioned Flite saddle. When I rode a different Flite saddle 1 month, I wasn’t as uncomfortable as I am on this one. It makes me wonder if I need a new one. Interestingly enough, as I started to write this, my first comment was that it seemed odd that it would become uncomfortably hard after 15 years of use. As soon as I wrote that, it started to make sense. Perhaps the support has gone out in it, and I am now getting pressure points in the wrong spots. Or, maybe I just need to spend more time adjusting to the road vs. tri postion (this was my original thought, but didn’t quite make sense as I had just ridden the same saddle without any problem). So, my first plan is to change to a different Flite saddle. And my second thought is that my saddle needs have changed in the last 15 years, and that I need a different shaped saddle. I always heard that things started heading south as you got older, but maybe it’s actually true!
Update May 2011: I’m back on the Cobb V-Flow Plus. After making the rounds on most of the Cobb saddles, I went back to the Arione Tri. (yes, after the first update, I decided to give the Cobb SHC-170 a try. I KNEW this was not the right saddle immediately) And then I realized that the Arione Tri wasn’t feeling right for me. Even though the Cobb saddles didn’t work out very well, I did notice that there wasn’t any numbness with them that I did experience with the Arione Tri. That got me thinking that maybe I needed to look at another saddle. I even briefly thought of one of the ISM saddles, but I decided to call Cobb Cycling and talk about my experience with their saddles. After speaking with Warren
Update March 2012: I bought a new saddle. After a long trainer ride on the V-Flow Plus saddle, there was a problem. While I do have the ability to give you a pretty graphic description, I’ll just say that the issue was “down there.” I wasn’t sure if it was due to the saddle/short combination on that day, but it was a problem I didn’t want to repeat. Since I haven’t been ecstatic about the V-Flow Plus anyway, I decided to try an Adamo. Now, I have resisted trying one of these, because they are… well, frankly, they’re hideous-looking. But I decided that I’m not looking at it, I’m riding on it. So, after looking at the website and being thoroughly confused by the fact that all of their saddles look similar and there’s no good explanation about the differences, I decided on a Breakaway. This saddle wasn’t supposedly designed initially for triathletes, but, when you look at it, it’s hard to understand why it wasn’t. It certainly seems like it should have been. While it’s not a La-Z-Boy recliner, it’s definitely better than any other saddle I’ve ridden on a tri bike. And it gets me wondering: have I really been uncomfortable for 16 years? And do I need to see if an Adamo will work better for me on my road bike? What is different? Well, there seems to be a definite position where I’m comfortable and nothing seems squished, constricted, or otherwise out of place. And after riding on it for around two hours, I felt fine. The acid test is extended time on a trainer, and I’m going to try it this weekend.
Update April 2012: And now we’re back to the V-Flow Plus. After a weekend of riding on the Adamo, I came to the conclusion that it is too wide. The recommendation is that if you think it is too wide, you need to move it further back and sit farther forward. The problem is, if I sit any farther forward on the saddle, I’ll be on the very, very tippy tip of it. And I actually found a sweet spot on the saddle that I kind of just settled into while riding. Better? Certainly than the Fi`zi:k or the Adamo. Maybe I’ve found “the one.” I’m more convinced that the previous problems that I had with the V-Flow were due to the confluence of overly padded shorts and sitting in the wrong position for too long.
I think it’s finally over. By “it,” I mean the quest for a saddle. After getting fitted at BikeFit and trying out a variety of saddles, I ended up staying on the V-Flow Plus. I retried the V-Flow Max, SHC-170,
ISM Adamo Road
and Breakaway, and the Plus was the best. And after getting my position changed and riding on it for a little awhile, I might have finally found the sweet spot of the Plus. Interestingly enough, for a career “nose rider,” the best spot on the Plus is much farther (or is it further? It’s farther) back than I’m accustomed, but, hey, if it works, I’ll take it. A long ride is in order to find out if it will really work.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Post-Wildflower thoughts or The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
It has now been nearly 2 weeks since Wildflower, and I'm still not fully recovered, I don't think. I swam this morning, and felt really good in the water (read that last phrase again, and realize how bizarre that is coming from me), but my run yesterday felt very sluggish. Both of those were the first time I had done either activity since the race. I'm scheduled to have a bike fit next weekend at Bikefit.com. So, some broad assumptions can be made from this paragraph:
1. I think a combination of a very hard race, and not being in great shape is why I am taking so long to recover
2. Something is not quite right with my bike position
Wildflower is a definite race to do for any triathlete. I find it hard to believe that you can pack 7500 triathletes in a weekend of races and still make it seem like a small race, but Wildflower manages to do that. Maybe it's the fact that it is not really corporate (read: WTC). Or maybe it has to do with the mentality that pervades Wildflower. But having unofficial aid stations along the route that are offering hot dogs and beer or a beer bong, and having them remain rather than have some corporate no-fun rules enforcer telling them that they need to leave? Yup, I want to go back to Wildflower, but maybe when I'm better trained.
The Good: my swim was good. While I do think the course was short, I'll take the fact that I didn't get beat up and had fairly clean water. Taking Dave's friend's advice about riding the flume was key. I basically felt like I body-surfed out to the first buoy. 33:19 is by no means fast, but I'll take it. I like the fact that my swim exit picture has me coming out of the water in front of a few people who were in the previous wave. When I passed people who started 10 minutes in front of me, I realized that, no matter how bad I think I swim, there are others that are hurting worse than me.
The Bad: I rode the bike course very conservatively. My time was slower than I expected, but I was worried about burning too many matches while climbing. And I now descend like an old lady. I guess a bad crash one year ago can make anyone a bit skittish; I'm hoping that I'll get more confidence as long as I stay upright. Of course, seeing a guy lying on the road at the bottom of the steepest downhill on the course with his bike in a ditch and pieces/parts littering the road can also make one a bit nervous. Flashback to IM California 2001 when I passed the first fatality in an IM on the road. It does make you realize your own mortality.
Even though I went easy, I still started to feel my quads tighen up at mile 36. Hence, the bike fit plans.
The Ugly: Getting off the bike and having both quads and my left hamstring cramp was no fun. And I couldn't run uphill because I would cramp whenever I tried. So, I walked uphill. And there's a lot of uphill. The back half (miles 3-6) is a killer with its hills.
The Funny: I can never do a race without having something comical happen. Almost crashing into the fencing as I pass the grandstand just out of transition because I'm looking down at my watch qualifies. I abraded my right shoulder on the netting, locked up both brakes, hit a sandbag with front wheel, coming to an abrupt stop with my rear wheel leaving the ground. Yup, that was me. Of course, I had to do that in front of the grandstand where everyone was watching.
Final thoughts: There was carnage on Beach Hill, the first steep uphill which occurs within the first 2 miles. I saw broken derailleur hangers and broken chains. I'm not sure how you this is possible if you are taking care of your equipment, but it was kind of crazy to see at least a half dozen people whose race was over within the first 2 miles due to equipment failure.
And my sunburn is nearly gone now.
1. I think a combination of a very hard race, and not being in great shape is why I am taking so long to recover
2. Something is not quite right with my bike position
Wildflower is a definite race to do for any triathlete. I find it hard to believe that you can pack 7500 triathletes in a weekend of races and still make it seem like a small race, but Wildflower manages to do that. Maybe it's the fact that it is not really corporate (read: WTC). Or maybe it has to do with the mentality that pervades Wildflower. But having unofficial aid stations along the route that are offering hot dogs and beer or a beer bong, and having them remain rather than have some corporate no-fun rules enforcer telling them that they need to leave? Yup, I want to go back to Wildflower, but maybe when I'm better trained.
The Good: my swim was good. While I do think the course was short, I'll take the fact that I didn't get beat up and had fairly clean water. Taking Dave's friend's advice about riding the flume was key. I basically felt like I body-surfed out to the first buoy. 33:19 is by no means fast, but I'll take it. I like the fact that my swim exit picture has me coming out of the water in front of a few people who were in the previous wave. When I passed people who started 10 minutes in front of me, I realized that, no matter how bad I think I swim, there are others that are hurting worse than me.
The Bad: I rode the bike course very conservatively. My time was slower than I expected, but I was worried about burning too many matches while climbing. And I now descend like an old lady. I guess a bad crash one year ago can make anyone a bit skittish; I'm hoping that I'll get more confidence as long as I stay upright. Of course, seeing a guy lying on the road at the bottom of the steepest downhill on the course with his bike in a ditch and pieces/parts littering the road can also make one a bit nervous. Flashback to IM California 2001 when I passed the first fatality in an IM on the road. It does make you realize your own mortality.
Even though I went easy, I still started to feel my quads tighen up at mile 36. Hence, the bike fit plans.
The Ugly: Getting off the bike and having both quads and my left hamstring cramp was no fun. And I couldn't run uphill because I would cramp whenever I tried. So, I walked uphill. And there's a lot of uphill. The back half (miles 3-6) is a killer with its hills.
The Funny: I can never do a race without having something comical happen. Almost crashing into the fencing as I pass the grandstand just out of transition because I'm looking down at my watch qualifies. I abraded my right shoulder on the netting, locked up both brakes, hit a sandbag with front wheel, coming to an abrupt stop with my rear wheel leaving the ground. Yup, that was me. Of course, I had to do that in front of the grandstand where everyone was watching.
Final thoughts: There was carnage on Beach Hill, the first steep uphill which occurs within the first 2 miles. I saw broken derailleur hangers and broken chains. I'm not sure how you this is possible if you are taking care of your equipment, but it was kind of crazy to see at least a half dozen people whose race was over within the first 2 miles due to equipment failure.
And my sunburn is nearly gone now.
Monday, April 9, 2012
All dressed up and nowhere to go
What's worse than waking up before the crack of dawn to go for a swim? Waking up before the crack of dawn and finding out the pool is closed! I had good intentions this morning to swim, but it turns out there was an "issue" with the Lakewood Y pool. Rats. Wasted a good extra 1+ hour of sleep.
Last week was a trip, both literally and figuratively. I was in Bend, OR for a few days and went for a swim. Even though it's not a tremendously high elevation, Bend is at altitude. I have enough trouble swimming that I don't need to be sucking air because the oxygen molecules are farther apart. But at least it is a great pool and I had a good swim, 3600 meters' worth. Other than my legs feeling a bit like concrete, my run in Bend wasn't bad. I ran along the Deschutes River Trail, and it is quite scenic. It's nice to be in the middle of town doing this, and feeling like you are a million miles away from civilization. I also had a rude awakening, as I was passed on my run. I'm not the fleetest of foot (never was, but I've gotten slower), but I am not used to being caught from behind when I run. So, whenever that happens, it suprises me. And the guy was not one of the lean, runner types either. He just was a pretty fit regular-looking guy that was moving faster than I was. Time to play more golf.
4 weeks 'til Wildflower!
Last week was a trip, both literally and figuratively. I was in Bend, OR for a few days and went for a swim. Even though it's not a tremendously high elevation, Bend is at altitude. I have enough trouble swimming that I don't need to be sucking air because the oxygen molecules are farther apart. But at least it is a great pool and I had a good swim, 3600 meters' worth. Other than my legs feeling a bit like concrete, my run in Bend wasn't bad. I ran along the Deschutes River Trail, and it is quite scenic. It's nice to be in the middle of town doing this, and feeling like you are a million miles away from civilization. I also had a rude awakening, as I was passed on my run. I'm not the fleetest of foot (never was, but I've gotten slower), but I am not used to being caught from behind when I run. So, whenever that happens, it suprises me. And the guy was not one of the lean, runner types either. He just was a pretty fit regular-looking guy that was moving faster than I was. Time to play more golf.
4 weeks 'til Wildflower!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Uh-oh! 5 weeks 'til Wildflower
Um... Yikes. Several months ago, I signed up for Wildflower, figuring that it would be a good way to motivate myself to get back into shape. Now, I'm less than 5 weeks out (33 days as of today). I think it's going to be ugly. The weather has not been very cooperative here. The rain has been a constant, and it has been cold. Saturday, I was going to ride for 3 hours outside, but when I woke up, it was pouring, and 39 degrees. Not wishing to relive the Great Hypothermia ride, I chose to spend 2.5 hours on the CT, riding the Wildflower course. It's hard! I have ridden the CT course several times before, but found an updated one, which looks like the course profile on the website, so I uploaded it on Friday.
Right now, I know that the swim is doable, but won't be in record time, and the bike is doable, but also not in record time. My concern at this point is the run after the bike. I haven't felt much like running in the cold rain, so haven't been doing enough of it. I'm planning to try and put some miles in while in Bend this week, and see if I can get a bit of confidence off of that.
Right now, I know that the swim is doable, but won't be in record time, and the bike is doable, but also not in record time. My concern at this point is the run after the bike. I haven't felt much like running in the cold rain, so haven't been doing enough of it. I'm planning to try and put some miles in while in Bend this week, and see if I can get a bit of confidence off of that.
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