Wednesday, I went for a "professional" bike fit over at Source Endurance. They use the retul computerized fitting system to get you into the optimum position on the bike. It was interesting to say the least. I learned that my left leg is somewhat shorter than my right leg. I know, this is a common occurrence in most folks, but it's always a bit unsettling to get confirmation that your a mutant. :0 Anyway, I was told that my bike set up was such that I was not getting the most bang for my buck so to speak. My left hip was a bit too far forward which made it difficult for me to engage my hip flexors and use my hamstrings and glutes through the pedal stroke. The solution....a rather large thick shim underneath the cleat on my left shoe. This brought my hip into line with my right. Next up was the saddle height. When we were all done, my saddle height had risen approximately two centimeters. We lowered the front handle bars a bit which did not feel uncomfortable or seem to interfere with sighting down the road.
I tested the new set up this morning at morning spin class at T3. I feel somewhat "taller" and in line on the bicycle and I feel like I'm getting more extension through the pedal stroke. I really felt it at times in my hamstrings and glutes. Maybe this bike fit thing holds water. I'll let you know. I feel like it was money well spent. I recommend it to anyone looking to dial in their bike position for maximum efficiency.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Back from New Orleans Ironman 70.3
I'm back. A little sore, plenty sun-burned, and recovering from Sunday's Ironman 70.3 in New Orleans. It was the inaugural race in the "Big Easy" and they put on a nice race. They had over 4000 volunteers on the course and the crowds at the finish line were great.
We had awesome weather on Saturday with sunny skies and coolish temperatures and very little wind. That was Saturday. I awoke Sunday to a light mist falling and high humidity. 99% humidity to be exact. The skies were overcast and the winds were supposed to pick up as the day progressed.
This is the largest 70.3 race in the world according to race organizers. As such there were wave starts. It took 1 1/2 hours to get everyone in the water. My wave was the second of three waves in the 40-44 age group. We left at 8:12 am, an hour and 12 minutes since the pro waves departed. I figured I'd give McCormack et al a head start.
The swim was in the salty water of Lake Ponchartrain. It was a point to point swim that progressed down the sea wall to transition at the University of New Orleans. The water was really nice. It was cool and smooth. I felt like I was making good progress, but my watch said 37 minutes as I got to the end. Not what I had hoped for. After wading ashore and crossing the timing mat my "swim" time had ballooned to just over 39 mins. GRRRR.
The transition area was huge, I decided to take my time at my bike, making sure I took everything with me. I did a quick search for the sun-screen I had forgotten to slather on my white-assed body, but couldn't find it. Still not sure where the sunscreen went. By this time the heat and wind were picking up.
The bike course was an out and back to East New Orleans. The wind was across us and slightly with us on the way out. We followed the hurrican protectin levy along the lake, a concrete paved road with lots of seams and bumps. I saw the pro's returning from the bike course at this point. I gave a shout out to Macca as he went by and saw Natasha Badman. She wasn't smiling. There were a couple of climbs over a draw bridge and overpasses, other than that the course was pretty flat.
We were warned at the mandatory race meeting that we might encounter wild-life out at the far east end of the course. The road travels through the marshes, and it is not uncommon for travelers to see wild pigs, nutria, snakes, and.....alligators. Not the small "cute" alligators" that you see as "pets" or that sometimes find there way into the plumbing in Florida. We're talking Gators!!! Eight, ten, twelve feet in length. One of the locals said they hit them like we do deer here in Central Texas. There was something to look forward to. I'd dodged tumbleweeds in Arizona. Now gators in LA. Unfortunately, there were no gator sightings.
The race course passes by a Folger's coffee roasting facility. So for about 1/2 mile we were treated to the smell of roasted coffee. Not bad. The wind was in our face coming back in. All the same it wasn't the type of wind we've been dealing with here the past month or so. The new Felt B2R sliced through the wind nicely and I was off the bike in 2:38 (21 miles per hour avg). I can live with that. Now off to the run.
I left transition for the run, a point to point course that finished at Jackson Square in the French Quarter. As I came down the chute, I was greeted by my lovely wife, Diane and our son Benjamin cheering for me. Our hosts for the weekend, Angela and Darran were there as well. That gave me a boost. In the first mile, I saw a guy applying sunscreen to his wife/girlfriend as she ran. I came along side and asked if I could have a squeeze (no...not of his wife). He gladly agreed. I now had some sun protection.
I went through the first mile in a little over 8 minutes. That's good, I usually pick it up as I get my legs under me. The legs never responded. I continued to slog along at 8:30 / mile pace. The miles seemed really long. We got a little shade in the city park and some more coming down Esplanade into the French Quarter. A turn on Decatur and on to Jackson Square. I didn't have much left at this point, but managed to run it on in. Finished in 5:16. 42nd out of 283 in my age group. 344 overall. Top 15%. I had hoped for closer to 5 hours, but considering I ran 20 miles the weekend before, I'll take it.
Now we continue on to Idaho.
We had awesome weather on Saturday with sunny skies and coolish temperatures and very little wind. That was Saturday. I awoke Sunday to a light mist falling and high humidity. 99% humidity to be exact. The skies were overcast and the winds were supposed to pick up as the day progressed.
This is the largest 70.3 race in the world according to race organizers. As such there were wave starts. It took 1 1/2 hours to get everyone in the water. My wave was the second of three waves in the 40-44 age group. We left at 8:12 am, an hour and 12 minutes since the pro waves departed. I figured I'd give McCormack et al a head start.
The swim was in the salty water of Lake Ponchartrain. It was a point to point swim that progressed down the sea wall to transition at the University of New Orleans. The water was really nice. It was cool and smooth. I felt like I was making good progress, but my watch said 37 minutes as I got to the end. Not what I had hoped for. After wading ashore and crossing the timing mat my "swim" time had ballooned to just over 39 mins. GRRRR.
The transition area was huge, I decided to take my time at my bike, making sure I took everything with me. I did a quick search for the sun-screen I had forgotten to slather on my white-assed body, but couldn't find it. Still not sure where the sunscreen went. By this time the heat and wind were picking up.
The bike course was an out and back to East New Orleans. The wind was across us and slightly with us on the way out. We followed the hurrican protectin levy along the lake, a concrete paved road with lots of seams and bumps. I saw the pro's returning from the bike course at this point. I gave a shout out to Macca as he went by and saw Natasha Badman. She wasn't smiling. There were a couple of climbs over a draw bridge and overpasses, other than that the course was pretty flat.
We were warned at the mandatory race meeting that we might encounter wild-life out at the far east end of the course. The road travels through the marshes, and it is not uncommon for travelers to see wild pigs, nutria, snakes, and.....alligators. Not the small "cute" alligators" that you see as "pets" or that sometimes find there way into the plumbing in Florida. We're talking Gators!!! Eight, ten, twelve feet in length. One of the locals said they hit them like we do deer here in Central Texas. There was something to look forward to. I'd dodged tumbleweeds in Arizona. Now gators in LA. Unfortunately, there were no gator sightings.
The race course passes by a Folger's coffee roasting facility. So for about 1/2 mile we were treated to the smell of roasted coffee. Not bad. The wind was in our face coming back in. All the same it wasn't the type of wind we've been dealing with here the past month or so. The new Felt B2R sliced through the wind nicely and I was off the bike in 2:38 (21 miles per hour avg). I can live with that. Now off to the run.
I left transition for the run, a point to point course that finished at Jackson Square in the French Quarter. As I came down the chute, I was greeted by my lovely wife, Diane and our son Benjamin cheering for me. Our hosts for the weekend, Angela and Darran were there as well. That gave me a boost. In the first mile, I saw a guy applying sunscreen to his wife/girlfriend as she ran. I came along side and asked if I could have a squeeze (no...not of his wife). He gladly agreed. I now had some sun protection.
I went through the first mile in a little over 8 minutes. That's good, I usually pick it up as I get my legs under me. The legs never responded. I continued to slog along at 8:30 / mile pace. The miles seemed really long. We got a little shade in the city park and some more coming down Esplanade into the French Quarter. A turn on Decatur and on to Jackson Square. I didn't have much left at this point, but managed to run it on in. Finished in 5:16. 42nd out of 283 in my age group. 344 overall. Top 15%. I had hoped for closer to 5 hours, but considering I ran 20 miles the weekend before, I'll take it.
Now we continue on to Idaho.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
If there's one thing you can count on, is that your training plan will go awry at some point. Maybe at many points. Work, family, logistics and simply time can all play havoc with the schedule. That was the case this weekend.
We were supposed to get 100 miles in on the bike and 20 miles running. I know, I know, and no I'm not f---ing crazy. The weather was the culprit, yet again. It's seems like every weekend lately has had at least one crappy day, if not both days. Crappy weather is not such a big deal if you're trying to get in a run. Biking is another story. The weather, once again was extraordinarily windy, due to a late season winter storm that's blanketing the mid-west with snow. Wichita, KS my wife's hometown got two feet!!!
The only day I could ride was on Saturday, they should change the name to Wind-day. I rode the Rosedale Ride, a charity ride that supports special needs kids here in Austin. I set off to ride the 62 mile loop and follow that up with 43 more to get the 100. After it took us 3 hrs, 45 min to get through the first 62, we were collectively "done." My riding partner Laura went home and did two more hours on the trainer. She's a champ. I vegged and ruminated on what a crappy cyclist I am. OK, pity party OVER. It was just a tough day to be on a bike with a steady NW wind between 20 and 30 mph.
I made up for it today with a 20 mile run. We started at 6:30 and got through the first ten, feeling good. We met up with some of our training partners and set off on the last 10. I felt great up through 15 miles. Then it got a little tough. It doesn't matter how good an athlete you are, or how in shape you are, anything beyond 15-16 miles, hurts. I stayed steady, even on the final two miles and finished 20 miles in 2 hr 36 min. My Garmin said I average 7:49 per mile. Not bad for a one-eyed fatman like me. :) (If you get the movie reference, give yourself a gold-star)
All in all a good training weekend. Next up is New Orleans Ironman 70.3 next weekend. I can't wait.
BTW: Congrats to all the Cap 10K finishers, ya'll looked great out there today.
We were supposed to get 100 miles in on the bike and 20 miles running. I know, I know, and no I'm not f---ing crazy. The weather was the culprit, yet again. It's seems like every weekend lately has had at least one crappy day, if not both days. Crappy weather is not such a big deal if you're trying to get in a run. Biking is another story. The weather, once again was extraordinarily windy, due to a late season winter storm that's blanketing the mid-west with snow. Wichita, KS my wife's hometown got two feet!!!
The only day I could ride was on Saturday, they should change the name to Wind-day. I rode the Rosedale Ride, a charity ride that supports special needs kids here in Austin. I set off to ride the 62 mile loop and follow that up with 43 more to get the 100. After it took us 3 hrs, 45 min to get through the first 62, we were collectively "done." My riding partner Laura went home and did two more hours on the trainer. She's a champ. I vegged and ruminated on what a crappy cyclist I am. OK, pity party OVER. It was just a tough day to be on a bike with a steady NW wind between 20 and 30 mph.
I made up for it today with a 20 mile run. We started at 6:30 and got through the first ten, feeling good. We met up with some of our training partners and set off on the last 10. I felt great up through 15 miles. Then it got a little tough. It doesn't matter how good an athlete you are, or how in shape you are, anything beyond 15-16 miles, hurts. I stayed steady, even on the final two miles and finished 20 miles in 2 hr 36 min. My Garmin said I average 7:49 per mile. Not bad for a one-eyed fatman like me. :) (If you get the movie reference, give yourself a gold-star)
All in all a good training weekend. Next up is New Orleans Ironman 70.3 next weekend. I can't wait.
BTW: Congrats to all the Cap 10K finishers, ya'll looked great out there today.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Mother Nature won't let winter go
Well, for the last couple of weeks we've been training hard. Those who have been through this before take some of the day to day crap in stride while some of the newbies worry about every little thing. A good lesson for all of us given the mishaps of the previous weeks and the rather, shall we say, unsavory weather conditions we've been treated to.
Two weeks ago, we had a 70-ish mile bike ride planned. Rosedale course. Flat to rolling terrain. No big deal. The weather was supposed to be a little cool with a 20% chance of light rain. We left early to get a jump on the crushers (19+ mph group). I was with Jim Opre and his band of angels. The ride started well and we had no mishaps. As we finished our first loop the skies opened. Not much, but just enough to make the roads treacherous to say the least. I also noticed that the front fork and headset on my bike was extremely loose. As we debated the wisdom of going out for another loop I attempted to tighten the headset on the bike, but then thought better of it. I'd do more damage than good. The headset was so loose I'm amazed I made it back without the entire handle-bar assembly and fork popping loose. Check your bikes before you ride kids. By this time the north wind had picked up to about 20-25 mph. The cold front had arrived. We slogged through a 40 minute brick run alternating between fighting the wind and having it blow us down the trail.
We also received word that Logan had gone down in a crash. He apparently was following Maurice and touched wheels. When this occurs the following rider almost without fail, goes down. This was no exception. A real bummer, because Logan's training had been going so well. He said as much on more than one occasion. And to be taken out by your coach, the cruelest cut of all.........hey......wait a minute....Hmmmmm. But I digress. Fortunately, Logan suffered fairly minor injuries that have him sidelined for a few weeks.
We also got word that Jeremiah broke a spoke, so he and I and Logan were both done cycling for the day.
Laurie, who hadn't ridden long the previous week, decided to go out for another loop on the bike. I suggested she lower the pressure in her tires to put a little more rubber on the road. It's what the pros do, I swear. At any rate, Laurie had a particularly nasty spill on Melber Road and ended up in the hospital with bumps and bruises. She posted the pics on the T3 website. Not good. Fortunately, no broken bones and she was back at spin practice by the following Thursday.
A day of carnage, to say the least.
This past week built on the Character 101 I referred to in an earlier post. The weather, once again wasn't going to cooperate. High winds were expected on Saturday, (a gust of over 50 mph was recorded in the area). Maurice and Chrissie changed the run to Saturday (18 miles) followed by 80 miles on the bike for Sunday. We were to do two 7 mile loops and a 4 mile loop at the Town Lake trail. First loop was to be easy, with a stronger second loop, and a final four miles being our strongest. I arrived early to get a jump start on the run. I met up with Robert and his friend Lisa from AustinFit and they joined me for the first loop. I went 8:20 / mile on the first loop. Dropped the pace to 7:45 / mile the second loop and finished the 4 mile loop around 7:30 / mile. With two miles remaining, I met up with George Schmitz. He was cruising along at a 7:30 pace and looked effortless. He said he was hurting. I couldn't tell. I rode his coattails the final 2 miles to finish off the 18. Did I mention the wind was howling???
Sunday's forecast was for less wind and cold temps early rising into the 60's. It was 34 degrees in the morning. I broke out the poor-man's feet warmers and bundled up. I departed with the early group, hoping to get about 4 1/2 hours on the bike. We pulled out on to Loop 360 and our plan changed. The wind was right out of the north, blowing steadily at 15-20 mph. Some of our group made it on traffic light and turned around, opting for 4 hours on the trainer (ugh). I put my head down and forged ahead. I rode with the group for about 100 yards and that was it for the rest of the day.
My thought was to ride ahead and then wait on them to catch up. As I pressed on the wind never let up. I averaged around 14 mph the first hour and that included some nice downhills. The second hour was worse. I saw 10 mph, 9 mph, 8 mph as I climbed hills that would normally require minimal effort. I then thought about turning around. Map my ride said the road ended at Parmer and CR 286. (36 miles in). 72 miles in these conditions wouldn't be bad, I thought. I arrived at the intersection only to find that the kind folks at Roads and Bridges had extended the road. I was going to get my 40 miles in afterall. Good times. All told, it took just under three hours to get out to the 40 mile mark.
Now for the trip back. After slogging along at 15 mph, I was suddenly doing 20 + mph. Cruising along at 25 mph. I saw 30 mph on one stretch. This was much nicer. I saw my group still on the way out. I think I had 3-4 miles on them at that point. I decided to press on. The trip back, including a stop at the convenience store for some much needed Nutter Butters took a little over 2 hours. I averaged a scorching 16.6 mph for the entire ride. Disheartening at best.
I glad I got out there and did it, in hindsight. It seemed nuts at the time. If I can ride in those conditions, I can handled just about anything. Mother Nature's made her point. Maybe we'll get a break by race day.
Two weeks ago, we had a 70-ish mile bike ride planned. Rosedale course. Flat to rolling terrain. No big deal. The weather was supposed to be a little cool with a 20% chance of light rain. We left early to get a jump on the crushers (19+ mph group). I was with Jim Opre and his band of angels. The ride started well and we had no mishaps. As we finished our first loop the skies opened. Not much, but just enough to make the roads treacherous to say the least. I also noticed that the front fork and headset on my bike was extremely loose. As we debated the wisdom of going out for another loop I attempted to tighten the headset on the bike, but then thought better of it. I'd do more damage than good. The headset was so loose I'm amazed I made it back without the entire handle-bar assembly and fork popping loose. Check your bikes before you ride kids. By this time the north wind had picked up to about 20-25 mph. The cold front had arrived. We slogged through a 40 minute brick run alternating between fighting the wind and having it blow us down the trail.
We also received word that Logan had gone down in a crash. He apparently was following Maurice and touched wheels. When this occurs the following rider almost without fail, goes down. This was no exception. A real bummer, because Logan's training had been going so well. He said as much on more than one occasion. And to be taken out by your coach, the cruelest cut of all.........hey......wait a minute....Hmmmmm. But I digress. Fortunately, Logan suffered fairly minor injuries that have him sidelined for a few weeks.
We also got word that Jeremiah broke a spoke, so he and I and Logan were both done cycling for the day.
Laurie, who hadn't ridden long the previous week, decided to go out for another loop on the bike. I suggested she lower the pressure in her tires to put a little more rubber on the road. It's what the pros do, I swear. At any rate, Laurie had a particularly nasty spill on Melber Road and ended up in the hospital with bumps and bruises. She posted the pics on the T3 website. Not good. Fortunately, no broken bones and she was back at spin practice by the following Thursday.
A day of carnage, to say the least.
This past week built on the Character 101 I referred to in an earlier post. The weather, once again wasn't going to cooperate. High winds were expected on Saturday, (a gust of over 50 mph was recorded in the area). Maurice and Chrissie changed the run to Saturday (18 miles) followed by 80 miles on the bike for Sunday. We were to do two 7 mile loops and a 4 mile loop at the Town Lake trail. First loop was to be easy, with a stronger second loop, and a final four miles being our strongest. I arrived early to get a jump start on the run. I met up with Robert and his friend Lisa from AustinFit and they joined me for the first loop. I went 8:20 / mile on the first loop. Dropped the pace to 7:45 / mile the second loop and finished the 4 mile loop around 7:30 / mile. With two miles remaining, I met up with George Schmitz. He was cruising along at a 7:30 pace and looked effortless. He said he was hurting. I couldn't tell. I rode his coattails the final 2 miles to finish off the 18. Did I mention the wind was howling???
Sunday's forecast was for less wind and cold temps early rising into the 60's. It was 34 degrees in the morning. I broke out the poor-man's feet warmers and bundled up. I departed with the early group, hoping to get about 4 1/2 hours on the bike. We pulled out on to Loop 360 and our plan changed. The wind was right out of the north, blowing steadily at 15-20 mph. Some of our group made it on traffic light and turned around, opting for 4 hours on the trainer (ugh). I put my head down and forged ahead. I rode with the group for about 100 yards and that was it for the rest of the day.
My thought was to ride ahead and then wait on them to catch up. As I pressed on the wind never let up. I averaged around 14 mph the first hour and that included some nice downhills. The second hour was worse. I saw 10 mph, 9 mph, 8 mph as I climbed hills that would normally require minimal effort. I then thought about turning around. Map my ride said the road ended at Parmer and CR 286. (36 miles in). 72 miles in these conditions wouldn't be bad, I thought. I arrived at the intersection only to find that the kind folks at Roads and Bridges had extended the road. I was going to get my 40 miles in afterall. Good times. All told, it took just under three hours to get out to the 40 mile mark.
Now for the trip back. After slogging along at 15 mph, I was suddenly doing 20 + mph. Cruising along at 25 mph. I saw 30 mph on one stretch. This was much nicer. I saw my group still on the way out. I think I had 3-4 miles on them at that point. I decided to press on. The trip back, including a stop at the convenience store for some much needed Nutter Butters took a little over 2 hours. I averaged a scorching 16.6 mph for the entire ride. Disheartening at best.
I glad I got out there and did it, in hindsight. It seemed nuts at the time. If I can ride in those conditions, I can handled just about anything. Mother Nature's made her point. Maybe we'll get a break by race day.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Character Building 101
In my other life, I coach beginning marathoners through AustinFit, a subdivision of USA Fit. Since I've run 12 marathons and two ultras (50K), I feel I have a good depth of experience to draw on. Translation....I've made all the stupid mistakes and can warn the others to do as I say and not as I do. The Austin Marathon was earlier today. I saw a lot of people I know, and a lot more that I didn't know. They all were an inspiration in their enthusiasm and energy. Whether is was your first marathon or your 30th, well done.
Now that AustinFit has wrapped up for another running season, I was able to join my T3 brethren for a bit of ridin' and runnin' this weekend. Saturday's menu included an out and back 60 mile ride on Fitzhugh Road, a lightly traveled Ranch Road that meanders out to Johnson City, a small town west of Austin. Picture a ride that feels like it is uphill in both directions. Good times.
I had never been past the intersection of Ranch Road 12 and Fitzhugh, at least not for any significant distance. This was going to be uncharted territory. The weather this week in Austin was great. We had a little rain but the temperatures had come up nicely. I woke up Saturday and the temp was 53 degrees. By the time I left the house, it was 51. This did not bode well...surely it would warm up into the 60's. I searched around the various clothes baskets strewn around the house, looking for my leggings. No luck. Oh well, it'll warm up. Or so I thought.
My plan was to ride with the 18-19 mile per hour pace group for this ride. We weren't supposed to hammer it. Coaches orders. I was looking forward to a day in the saddle with my training buddies. I reached our jump off point and quickly threw on another layer and some gloves to keep out the chill. The temp in my car dipped into the high 40's on my way there. It'll warm up, no worries.
To my dismay, when I arrived, the 18-19 mile group had already left. All that remained was the crushers. We set off, into a steady north wind that would be in our face or cutting across us most of the day. I took my place at the back of the pack and tried to hang on. That lasted about 10 miles. They gradually rode off into the sunset, leaving me and Brian to fend for ourselves. At least Brian and I could catch up. Then at 20 miles, Brian turned back. Bummer. I was all by myself, to deal with the remaining hills and wind on Fitzhugh.
I was aiming for the 30 mile mark so I could turn around. I'd already been softened up by a few testy hills on the ride so far. Mile 25 came and the hills became truly disagreeable. I watched my odometer kick over to 29 miles covered and I saw the crushers returning from the turn around. Only a little further. We were supposed to turn around once we reached a cattle guard in the road. That's great, only it's at the bottom of a screaming downhill. That means...that's right genius, you've gotta go back up the way you came.
I've gone slower on a bike than I did climbing outta that hole yesterday, but not by much. I saw 9 mph, 8 mph, 6 mph...this was gonna be a long one. My Garmin told me later that there were some sections that reached 15-16% in grade. A thigh burner. I tried to find a gear I could spin and tried to stay in the moment and deal with the next obstacle...good training for the many expected and unexpected things that can happen during an Ironman.
I climbed out and kept working. I actually past a few of the early group riders. The going got easier after RR 12. I had hoped to cover the 60 miles in a little over 3 hours. I reached my car in 3:35. Discouraging to say the least, but that's Fitzhugh. Coach Mo called it a character builder and it was. The temperature never got much over 50 degrees. Mark Murray's got's some splainin' to do.
To wrap up the weekend, I treated myself to 14 miles on the Town Lake Trail today. Two 7 miles loops. With the marathon going on, I had the trail to myself for the most part. I managed an overall 7:35 pace for the run. Pretty respectable after the previous day's ride. Hopefully this weekend's training "deposit" with pay off come June.
Now that AustinFit has wrapped up for another running season, I was able to join my T3 brethren for a bit of ridin' and runnin' this weekend. Saturday's menu included an out and back 60 mile ride on Fitzhugh Road, a lightly traveled Ranch Road that meanders out to Johnson City, a small town west of Austin. Picture a ride that feels like it is uphill in both directions. Good times.
I had never been past the intersection of Ranch Road 12 and Fitzhugh, at least not for any significant distance. This was going to be uncharted territory. The weather this week in Austin was great. We had a little rain but the temperatures had come up nicely. I woke up Saturday and the temp was 53 degrees. By the time I left the house, it was 51. This did not bode well...surely it would warm up into the 60's. I searched around the various clothes baskets strewn around the house, looking for my leggings. No luck. Oh well, it'll warm up. Or so I thought.
My plan was to ride with the 18-19 mile per hour pace group for this ride. We weren't supposed to hammer it. Coaches orders. I was looking forward to a day in the saddle with my training buddies. I reached our jump off point and quickly threw on another layer and some gloves to keep out the chill. The temp in my car dipped into the high 40's on my way there. It'll warm up, no worries.
To my dismay, when I arrived, the 18-19 mile group had already left. All that remained was the crushers. We set off, into a steady north wind that would be in our face or cutting across us most of the day. I took my place at the back of the pack and tried to hang on. That lasted about 10 miles. They gradually rode off into the sunset, leaving me and Brian to fend for ourselves. At least Brian and I could catch up. Then at 20 miles, Brian turned back. Bummer. I was all by myself, to deal with the remaining hills and wind on Fitzhugh.
I was aiming for the 30 mile mark so I could turn around. I'd already been softened up by a few testy hills on the ride so far. Mile 25 came and the hills became truly disagreeable. I watched my odometer kick over to 29 miles covered and I saw the crushers returning from the turn around. Only a little further. We were supposed to turn around once we reached a cattle guard in the road. That's great, only it's at the bottom of a screaming downhill. That means...that's right genius, you've gotta go back up the way you came.
I've gone slower on a bike than I did climbing outta that hole yesterday, but not by much. I saw 9 mph, 8 mph, 6 mph...this was gonna be a long one. My Garmin told me later that there were some sections that reached 15-16% in grade. A thigh burner. I tried to find a gear I could spin and tried to stay in the moment and deal with the next obstacle...good training for the many expected and unexpected things that can happen during an Ironman.
I climbed out and kept working. I actually past a few of the early group riders. The going got easier after RR 12. I had hoped to cover the 60 miles in a little over 3 hours. I reached my car in 3:35. Discouraging to say the least, but that's Fitzhugh. Coach Mo called it a character builder and it was. The temperature never got much over 50 degrees. Mark Murray's got's some splainin' to do.
To wrap up the weekend, I treated myself to 14 miles on the Town Lake Trail today. Two 7 miles loops. With the marathon going on, I had the trail to myself for the most part. I managed an overall 7:35 pace for the run. Pretty respectable after the previous day's ride. Hopefully this weekend's training "deposit" with pay off come June.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Poor-man's feet warmers and 620 @ 15 mph
I'm a notorious wimp when it comes to biking in cold temperatures. For me, anything below about 50 degrees seems cold. Mainly it is my feet and hands that get particularly cold and make the entire bike ride miserable. I have toe-warmers that cover the front of my cycling shoes, but they don't block the wind effectively. Enter the poor-man's foot warmers.
I was on the verge of buying shoe covers or booties so I can avoid another marathon session on the bike trainer, climbing the walls. Jack Murray (Jack And Adams Bike Shop Rules - Shameless Plug) suggested a simple solution that would get me through to spring without having to spring for the booties.
This morning I geared up for my cold weather ride (it was 48). I had a long-sleeve heat shirt, a jersey, arm-warmers, leggings and gloves (I told you, I'm a wimp). To keep my feet warm I put on thick socks and then stuck my feet into an plastic HEB bag. I then put the shoe on over them. Wah-lah. Instant warmth for the feet. I rode 53 miles and I could feel my toes the entire time. Thanks Jack. That brings me to the second part of my post.
I intended to do an out and back from my house down 620 to Anderson Mill and then out Parmer for a little cruise, nothing hard. My plan was to go out about 1 1/2 hours (Approx 25-30 miles) and turn around. The ride started off pretty tough. There's good hill coming out of my neighborhood and my legs were a little dead from yesterday's run. But the hill was a little harder than it should've been. At the top of the hill, I checked my bike, the front brake was rubbing. DOH!!!
The wind seemed very calm and I was cruising along nicely, a little too nicely, I was to learn later. Going out Parmer was a snap, I was cruising up the hills at 22 mph, boy those indoor T3 cycling classes are really paying off, I thought. The only wind seemed to be blowing in from the west. I made my turn around at 26.5 miles in a little over an hour and twenty minutes. This is great. Then I turned around.
I was greeted with a fairly strong Southwest wind. It became clear in short order that I would beat up against the wind for the entire 26 miles back to the house. When you're in a constant headwind you just have to find a gear you can spin comfortably and deal with it. I made it down Parmer and Anderson Mill over to 620. The wind was coming down 620 like a wind tunnel. I was dead into it at this point. Rather than spinning out in the small ring, I decided to try grinding it out in the big ring, my thought being that the wheels will go just that much further with each revolution of the pedals. I looked down at my speed....14 mph...a little downhill..17 mph...flat....15 mph. It was a disagreeable experience. I ground it out and got back to the house right at 3 hours. It took an hour and 40 minutes to get back. I averaged 18 mph for the day. Good times.
I keep telling myself, I've ridden in worse conditions. Like Ironman Arizona 2007 when the strength of the wind dislodged a "tumbleweed" the size of a Volkswagen and took out a rider. More of a tumble-bush. So keep your head's down and keep riding.
I was on the verge of buying shoe covers or booties so I can avoid another marathon session on the bike trainer, climbing the walls. Jack Murray (Jack And Adams Bike Shop Rules - Shameless Plug) suggested a simple solution that would get me through to spring without having to spring for the booties.
This morning I geared up for my cold weather ride (it was 48). I had a long-sleeve heat shirt, a jersey, arm-warmers, leggings and gloves (I told you, I'm a wimp). To keep my feet warm I put on thick socks and then stuck my feet into an plastic HEB bag. I then put the shoe on over them. Wah-lah. Instant warmth for the feet. I rode 53 miles and I could feel my toes the entire time. Thanks Jack. That brings me to the second part of my post.
I intended to do an out and back from my house down 620 to Anderson Mill and then out Parmer for a little cruise, nothing hard. My plan was to go out about 1 1/2 hours (Approx 25-30 miles) and turn around. The ride started off pretty tough. There's good hill coming out of my neighborhood and my legs were a little dead from yesterday's run. But the hill was a little harder than it should've been. At the top of the hill, I checked my bike, the front brake was rubbing. DOH!!!
The wind seemed very calm and I was cruising along nicely, a little too nicely, I was to learn later. Going out Parmer was a snap, I was cruising up the hills at 22 mph, boy those indoor T3 cycling classes are really paying off, I thought. The only wind seemed to be blowing in from the west. I made my turn around at 26.5 miles in a little over an hour and twenty minutes. This is great. Then I turned around.
I was greeted with a fairly strong Southwest wind. It became clear in short order that I would beat up against the wind for the entire 26 miles back to the house. When you're in a constant headwind you just have to find a gear you can spin comfortably and deal with it. I made it down Parmer and Anderson Mill over to 620. The wind was coming down 620 like a wind tunnel. I was dead into it at this point. Rather than spinning out in the small ring, I decided to try grinding it out in the big ring, my thought being that the wheels will go just that much further with each revolution of the pedals. I looked down at my speed....14 mph...a little downhill..17 mph...flat....15 mph. It was a disagreeable experience. I ground it out and got back to the house right at 3 hours. It took an hour and 40 minutes to get back. I averaged 18 mph for the day. Good times.
I keep telling myself, I've ridden in worse conditions. Like Ironman Arizona 2007 when the strength of the wind dislodged a "tumbleweed" the size of a Volkswagen and took out a rider. More of a tumble-bush. So keep your head's down and keep riding.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Avoiding burnout and the 100 X 100's
One of the keys to staying fresh and energized while training for the Ironman or for any endeavor is to incorporate variety into your routine. As much fun as swimming, biking and running is, it can get a little monotonous if you don't mix it up. You should be flexible and be prepared to alter your plan as your available time and conditions fluctuate. By varying your workouts and not being totally in thrall to a given prescribed training session is OK and, in fact, should be encouraged. Otherwise training becomes a chore and burnout is close at hand.
That's where the 100 X 100's comes in. On a "normal" week, my brethren and I at T3 will have a long bike ride on Saturday followed by a long run on Sunday. This past Sunday was different in that T3 held it's annual 100 X 100's swim workout. This involves 10 sets of 10 one-hundred meter swims (two laps in a 25 meter pool). You can swim as much or as little as you like so long as you do it in 100 meter increments. To keep it fun and interesting, our coaches mixed in a variety of drill sets, pulling sets with paddles and sets with fins. The total distance is 10,000 meters or 6.2 miles of swimming.
We descended on the pool at 7:30 am and started swimming. Two hours later, I bowed out, having covered 6000 meters. By this time my shoulders felt like they belonged to someone else and my mouth was parched from the chlorinated water. It seemed I had stuffed and entire bag of cotton balls into my mouth and then chased it with a box of saltine crackers. No amount of water or sports drink could cure it, until I got out of the water. I know what your thinking....so where's the "fun" part of all this?
Truth be told, triathletes are a strange breed. The tougher the workout the more we like it. Oh, we'll complain the whole way, but when it's all said and done we've enjoyed ourselves more than you can know. If the conditions are tough, we're happy. If the hill is steep, we want to tell people we climbed it. If the distance is insane, we want to cover it and tell our non-triathlete friends about it, just to see the looks of abject horror on their faces when we tell them what a blast we had. So the prospect of swimming over 6 miles, early on a Sunday morning is like manna from heaven to our sick and twisted species. Oh, and there was bacon...
That's right, bacon. As alluring as 10K of swimming is, you can't go wrong by throwing a little bacon on top of it all. Coach Maurice (Mo) was poolside most of the morning whipping out flap-jacks, eggs sunny-side up, and yummy crispy bacon. Some of us made pancake, egg and bacon fold-over sandwiches to...ahem....refuel after the workout. It was a nice team building experience, and it was fun to finally see some of the really good swimmers "struggle" as they pushed through the last few 100's. Keep in mind their "struggles" still looked graceful and almost....almost effortless to those of us who swim in the lanes way on the other side of the pool.
To all who participated, it was great to see you. To those who swam all 10,000 meters, well done and......are you freaking nuts!!!!???? Cheers.
That's where the 100 X 100's comes in. On a "normal" week, my brethren and I at T3 will have a long bike ride on Saturday followed by a long run on Sunday. This past Sunday was different in that T3 held it's annual 100 X 100's swim workout. This involves 10 sets of 10 one-hundred meter swims (two laps in a 25 meter pool). You can swim as much or as little as you like so long as you do it in 100 meter increments. To keep it fun and interesting, our coaches mixed in a variety of drill sets, pulling sets with paddles and sets with fins. The total distance is 10,000 meters or 6.2 miles of swimming.
We descended on the pool at 7:30 am and started swimming. Two hours later, I bowed out, having covered 6000 meters. By this time my shoulders felt like they belonged to someone else and my mouth was parched from the chlorinated water. It seemed I had stuffed and entire bag of cotton balls into my mouth and then chased it with a box of saltine crackers. No amount of water or sports drink could cure it, until I got out of the water. I know what your thinking....so where's the "fun" part of all this?
Truth be told, triathletes are a strange breed. The tougher the workout the more we like it. Oh, we'll complain the whole way, but when it's all said and done we've enjoyed ourselves more than you can know. If the conditions are tough, we're happy. If the hill is steep, we want to tell people we climbed it. If the distance is insane, we want to cover it and tell our non-triathlete friends about it, just to see the looks of abject horror on their faces when we tell them what a blast we had. So the prospect of swimming over 6 miles, early on a Sunday morning is like manna from heaven to our sick and twisted species. Oh, and there was bacon...
That's right, bacon. As alluring as 10K of swimming is, you can't go wrong by throwing a little bacon on top of it all. Coach Maurice (Mo) was poolside most of the morning whipping out flap-jacks, eggs sunny-side up, and yummy crispy bacon. Some of us made pancake, egg and bacon fold-over sandwiches to...ahem....refuel after the workout. It was a nice team building experience, and it was fun to finally see some of the really good swimmers "struggle" as they pushed through the last few 100's. Keep in mind their "struggles" still looked graceful and almost....almost effortless to those of us who swim in the lanes way on the other side of the pool.
To all who participated, it was great to see you. To those who swam all 10,000 meters, well done and......are you freaking nuts!!!!???? Cheers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
