This was the first race of the season for me. Albeit more of a training interval since it was not really an ‘official’ race. This would be the second year that the club has done this event and it looked like it might be a tad chilly. Upon arrival, it seemed like there were very few people showing up at all. But as the morning progressed, cars started arriving. I have to say that when I woke up and saw that it was 23 degrees, I knew that people might be a tad nervous. But I also now that there are a lot of people who say thay will do a race, and then look for every and any excuse not to do it. I have this feeling come on when my feet are in the water at the start of a race. I knew it would warm up, but 8:00 is still pretty early.
By the time the race started, there were 7 of us. Mostly bundled up for the temp. it was… not what it would be. Fortunately Mark held the start a few minutes (40 to be exact) before firing the start gun, or saying ‘go.’ Once 8:00 came, it just kept warming up. Each 15 minutes the temp seemed to climb a few degrees. So by the time we started it was probably about 35 degrees. Granted, still cold, but the race was only going to be about an hour, and ½ that was running. So I layered up with some lycra and a scull cap for the bike. This would be the one and only race I would be able to wear my new TIMEX skin suit since it was from last year. But it had the most leg coverage and was a little bigger on me which allowed for an extra layer. Not to mention I think I sold everything else on ebay. The only parts I get a little concerned about are my hands and feet. I wore some cotton gloves on the hands and I put some socks on the outside of my cycling shoes of the toes. I just wrapped them around the toes and as much as the pedal and they just stuck there. I was very surprised how warm my feet stayed by doing this. I think it blocked the wind just enough and created enough dead air space to maintain some heat. Regardless, my feet stayed quite warm on the bike.
The field lined up on the start line… we all got in the front row with plenty of room. Mark did a countdown from 5, but had to stop at 3 because of some technical difficulties. But then maintained his count. And then the first ‘GO’ of the season came. We all took off and the 2nd Annual WWC was underway. Now, I have to say that busting your butt in a training race with 7 people is a tall order. I was wondering if I would really go at my race pace. But I really wanted to get some idea as to my current fitness. I knew that this illness had taken some out of me, but jut how much? Would I mentally be able to push myself hard enough to get some good information? I took off pretty quickly and settled into a pace that felt pretty close to a race pace for me. Granted, I did not have someone in front of me that was pushing me to go a bit faster, but I was working. I hit the 1 mile mark and started coming back. The way back is mostly a gradual downhill so it feels pretty good and fast. I was able to maintain a high intensity the entire run, but did not know my run split.
I came into T1 and things just seemed to come pretty naturally. But then again, it is a duathlon and all you need to do it take off your shoes and put on a helmet. Not too much to remember. But the mount went well, the shoes went on fine, and off I went. This I have to say was the one leg that I was most interested in because it’s a new bike and your position on the bike changes a bit when you train and race. Again, I knew that I was not at 100% of what I was before the flu, but I knew that I would get a good idea of power output and intensity. My new Trek TTX with the new Bontrager Aeolus wheels were ready to go at whatever speed I wanted to. I took off a little hot and my legs let me know. But I finally settled into a good pace. I have to say that the River Loop road was pretty beat up with frost heaves and a couple potholes that you would need to be rescued from if you hit them, or went ‘into’ them. But I managed to make it around those hazards. Initially it was supposed to be 10 miles, but I think it had always been 12 miles. So when I hit the turnaround and saw my split, I knew something was off. But it really did not matter, I was wanting to get some power data that I could use for future training.
As I was heading back I saw the rest of the racers cruising at what seemed to be a good clip. I saw Jessi in the lead group which was pretty neat to see since she has seemed to be riding well. As I rolled into T2, I was already thinking about what I was supposed to do. Get the feet out of the shoes, hope that my hands worked getting my running shoes on, and take the helmet off. All which went well with a few verbal exchanges with the people volunteering. It’s always hard to start the second run in a duathlon, or even the only run in a triathlon, when you come off the bike. You go from going 25 mph on the bike where you feel the wind against your skin and get used to that sensation. So when you start running, no matter at what speed, you feel like you are going so slow. So I try to focus on leg turnover and effort (HR). Once I settle in, I am a better judge. I never really pay attention to what my mil splits are, more on how I am feeling… and I never seem to ‘feel’ good on the run at that point. I still wanted to run a hard effort and get a good split. I made it to the turnaround and started the downhill trek back. I started to see the rest of the people and cheered them along as they were nearing the turnaround. That is one thing about these races, or any races that your friends do, is that it’s so great to see them on the course… it takes your mind off the pain a bit.
I finally saw the finish and kept it steady to the end. Now it was time to cheer others on. I knew they were out there working as hard as I was and I wanted to recognize their efforts. I ran back along the course and saw Erik and he seemed to have a pretty good clip going. Then there was Steve and Tim and then came Jessi. I started to run with her and I really did not say too much initially since I could hear the song that was playing on her iPod… it was that loud. As we got closer I gave her some words of encouragement and told her to elevate the pace here, and she did. She was truckin’ for the last 200 meters. I know she was excited to get one of these under her belt too so shake off the cobwebs. She had a great couple of runs and a solid bike. I think she was pretty happy with the day. Jim came in and so did Tracey. I think that was everyone.
Mark did a great job getting this together and pulling off another great event. I know that there were a lot volunteers that helped out too, and Kathi got a lot of supplies together and arranged to make things happen as well. Mark, and his fancy watches, was able to give each participant an accurate run, bike, and transition times, which was nice. I was not too sure where the transition ‘zone’ was, but I don’t think it made a huge difference. The splits were even posted the same day! How good is that? I guess there were not any protests, so that makes things go a bit more smoothly.
Great day, great data, and great people. Now on to the races!
Header
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Power, it’s what keeps you going
I have been asked a lot of questions about power. From what is it, to why use it, to how do I get more of it. Having used power in my training since 2004, I still feel like I have only scratched the surface of power in my training. But I can tell you that it is the one thing that has truly been a measure of what I do on the road when I ride my bike. Everyday I ride, is a little test, you could say. That does not mean I go all out every time I rode, quite the opposite.
I know that most people use their heart rate monitors and think it’s the same. But you have to remember that power, or watts, is the immediate work you are doing. Your heart rate responds to that work. And it takes your heart rate a few minutes to respond. Power, or watts, is immediate feedback based on the work you are doing. For example, when you start climbing up a hill, you generally start to produce more watts because of the increase in grade and power required to get your ‘weight’ up it. Your heart rate does no respond until a couple minutes up the hill, but you have been working at that effort since the bottom. It has just taken your cardio that long to respond. So you could be above your lactate threshold on many climbs and not really know it because you wait for your heart rate to tell you, whereas power would tell you instantly.
Power is a measure that is not impacted by health, rest, or sunny days. It is what it is. If you are producing 200 watts by drafting someone… then that is what you are producing. If you are producing 200 watts on a climb, then that is what you are producing. If you are producing 200 watts going downhill…It is what it is. So when you go and do interval training, you can immediately get into a ‘power zone’ rather than waiting for your heart rate to respond to a certain heart rate zone. Again, power is immediate, heart rate is not.
Probably the most common question people ask me is, “How much power do you generate?” or “What is your LT power?” That’s like asking someone how much they weigh and determining how fast they can knit (might be more of a positive correlation there than I think). One of the easiest ways, and commonly accepted ways, to ‘compare’ power is to divide your LT power by your weight in kilograms. There are some charts that compare this, but it does not mean you are a great cyclist or a poor one either. Just another number to compare. Because if a 100 pound cyclist produces 150 watts at their LT, and a 250 pound cyclist produces 350 watts at their LT, does that make the bigger person a better cyclist because of an increase in watt production? Not necessarily. The 100 pound cyclist produces 3.3 watts per kilogram. The 250 pound cyclist produces 3.1 watts per kilogram. So the power to weight ratio is similar, but will they ride the same speed? The lighter athlete will probably climb better and ride into headwinds better. But the larger cyclist will probably motor on the flats better and obviously go downhill better too because they do not have to deal with gravity and once they get their weight moving, they can produce a higher wattage. But turn that flat into an uphill… different story. You also have to factor in wind drag, and the bigger person obviously has more drag. But I don’t have a formula, that I simple, for that.
Now you just have to go and buy one... don't ask.
Power on…
I know that most people use their heart rate monitors and think it’s the same. But you have to remember that power, or watts, is the immediate work you are doing. Your heart rate responds to that work. And it takes your heart rate a few minutes to respond. Power, or watts, is immediate feedback based on the work you are doing. For example, when you start climbing up a hill, you generally start to produce more watts because of the increase in grade and power required to get your ‘weight’ up it. Your heart rate does no respond until a couple minutes up the hill, but you have been working at that effort since the bottom. It has just taken your cardio that long to respond. So you could be above your lactate threshold on many climbs and not really know it because you wait for your heart rate to tell you, whereas power would tell you instantly.
Power is a measure that is not impacted by health, rest, or sunny days. It is what it is. If you are producing 200 watts by drafting someone… then that is what you are producing. If you are producing 200 watts on a climb, then that is what you are producing. If you are producing 200 watts going downhill…It is what it is. So when you go and do interval training, you can immediately get into a ‘power zone’ rather than waiting for your heart rate to respond to a certain heart rate zone. Again, power is immediate, heart rate is not.
Probably the most common question people ask me is, “How much power do you generate?” or “What is your LT power?” That’s like asking someone how much they weigh and determining how fast they can knit (might be more of a positive correlation there than I think). One of the easiest ways, and commonly accepted ways, to ‘compare’ power is to divide your LT power by your weight in kilograms. There are some charts that compare this, but it does not mean you are a great cyclist or a poor one either. Just another number to compare. Because if a 100 pound cyclist produces 150 watts at their LT, and a 250 pound cyclist produces 350 watts at their LT, does that make the bigger person a better cyclist because of an increase in watt production? Not necessarily. The 100 pound cyclist produces 3.3 watts per kilogram. The 250 pound cyclist produces 3.1 watts per kilogram. So the power to weight ratio is similar, but will they ride the same speed? The lighter athlete will probably climb better and ride into headwinds better. But the larger cyclist will probably motor on the flats better and obviously go downhill better too because they do not have to deal with gravity and once they get their weight moving, they can produce a higher wattage. But turn that flat into an uphill… different story. You also have to factor in wind drag, and the bigger person obviously has more drag. But I don’t have a formula, that I simple, for that.
Now you just have to go and buy one... don't ask.
Power on…
Back from the Dead
First off, I have to say thak you all for the prayers and heart felt comments while I have been down and out. It was a tough battle, but one that I knew, in time, I would emerge from. I stayed away from medications (other than ibuprofen) as much as possible and tried to let the flu run its course. On Friday I visited the ER, and was told to hang in there. Then, 3 days later on Monday, I visited Group Health, where I was told that it still looked viral. Then again on the following Friday I went to Urgent Care after work where I was told that it looked like it had gone into a secondary bacterial infection and I was put on antibiotics. In a couple short days, I was feeling better. Over the weekend I was able to get in 2 rides and one long run. It felt good, though I was quite sore from the run since I had not run for 2 weeks…same goes for swimming. So, I am a little behind in my training, but way ahead in my recovery.
It is so important to take care of yourself when you are sick and not try to get in a little training which impedes your body from recovering. I know many of you have heard me say this, but I was told by one of my great cycling coaches back in 1986, Calvin Jones, who said, “For every day you train when you are sick, it adds on 3 more days of recovery.” Now, I don’t know how scientifically backed that is, but it seems to hold true.
So this time around, I did nothing while I was sick… not that I had a choice to. But once I was on antibiotics, I thought I might be in the clear. However, I would be lying if I did not say that I did go for one ride on my new bike at the end of my flu. I don’t think that helped at all, and I think that spawned the coughing that just would not go away and a few more days of illness... ironic huh? But I was able to ride my new steed. I was a little concerned that I would have a bad experience since I was recovering from being sick, and I would feel weak and slow. Nope… just wanted to go faster.
So now I am back in full swing, getting in all my workouts and feeling pretty good. I swam for the first time in 2 weeks today and I have to say that it did not feel all that welcoming. I did not even take splits because I did not want to know how much swimming fitness I had lost. I just did the workout and was happy to be in the pool again. Fortunately a guy, with knee length Bermuda shorts jumped in the lane next to me that kicked like a ferry boat. Needless to say, he was not going very fast, so that made me feel mentally better. Or at least I was moving faster than him.
I was able to sneak in a short run too that did not feel too great. Second run in over 2 weeks. I am still sore from my Sunday run. But that will come back eventually.
So, that is where I am. 2 weeks out from my Team Timex camp debut, missed 2 races (congrats to Ben and Michael for two amazing performances at 2 different races), and the rest of the season ahead of me. I am a little disappointed with getting sick, but that’s just a part of life. I really felt that I was making some HUGE progress in my swimming and running. And now I feel like I have lost quite a bit. But I had it once before, and I will have it again. It’s just about getting out there and doing it… and that is something that I know I can do. Well, most of the time.
Hope all of your training is going well. The race season is here. Let the fun begin.
It is so important to take care of yourself when you are sick and not try to get in a little training which impedes your body from recovering. I know many of you have heard me say this, but I was told by one of my great cycling coaches back in 1986, Calvin Jones, who said, “For every day you train when you are sick, it adds on 3 more days of recovery.” Now, I don’t know how scientifically backed that is, but it seems to hold true.
So this time around, I did nothing while I was sick… not that I had a choice to. But once I was on antibiotics, I thought I might be in the clear. However, I would be lying if I did not say that I did go for one ride on my new bike at the end of my flu. I don’t think that helped at all, and I think that spawned the coughing that just would not go away and a few more days of illness... ironic huh? But I was able to ride my new steed. I was a little concerned that I would have a bad experience since I was recovering from being sick, and I would feel weak and slow. Nope… just wanted to go faster.
So now I am back in full swing, getting in all my workouts and feeling pretty good. I swam for the first time in 2 weeks today and I have to say that it did not feel all that welcoming. I did not even take splits because I did not want to know how much swimming fitness I had lost. I just did the workout and was happy to be in the pool again. Fortunately a guy, with knee length Bermuda shorts jumped in the lane next to me that kicked like a ferry boat. Needless to say, he was not going very fast, so that made me feel mentally better. Or at least I was moving faster than him.
I was able to sneak in a short run too that did not feel too great. Second run in over 2 weeks. I am still sore from my Sunday run. But that will come back eventually.
So, that is where I am. 2 weeks out from my Team Timex camp debut, missed 2 races (congrats to Ben and Michael for two amazing performances at 2 different races), and the rest of the season ahead of me. I am a little disappointed with getting sick, but that’s just a part of life. I really felt that I was making some HUGE progress in my swimming and running. And now I feel like I have lost quite a bit. But I had it once before, and I will have it again. It’s just about getting out there and doing it… and that is something that I know I can do. Well, most of the time.
Hope all of your training is going well. The race season is here. Let the fun begin.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
It's been one long week...
Fortunately for me, Jessi has done a great job of keeping most of you updated on my health, or lack of. I has been one long week for me. It all came to fruition on Tuesday when I felt this little 'scratchy' throat. It did not really feel all that bad. Normally when I get sick, my throat get quite sore fast and then it runs its course. This time, I was not feeling 100% motivated on Sunday, took Monday off of training and came home and took a 3hr nap, and then came straight home on Tuesday and went to bed knowing I was getting sick quick. Fortunate for me, Steve Miller agreed to substitute for me for the rest of the week. I knew that this flu bug has been a tough one, so I wanted to respect that. I also needed to be ready for the race in Canada that I was supposed to do on Sunday... silly pipe dream.
Wednesday came and went without much notice to me because I was in so much body pain with a headache, sweats, chills, couldn't sleep or rest. It was one of those days that I honestly wondered what people did that are 'single.' Without a support system... because I would have called the ambulance for sure.
The downer of all of this is that Tristan Brown, the Team Timex manager, busted hi hump to get me my bike and some clothes to race in for this weekend. And to be honest, I could not be further away from that with how I was feeling. I knew I was sick when I did not even want to look at my new steed and wheels and some really slick Timex clothes. I appreciate it now of course, but then, I would have old it for $10, figuratively of course. Tristan 2 Day aired it to me so I had is asap. And when I finally opened the box, it glowed with some many great things. A post for another time. I just feel so fortunate to have the support of Team Timex. They have been so good to me in such a short amount of time.
Thursday eventually came and I thought it was time to start taking some kind of medication. I went with Ibuprofen just to reduce the chills/sweats and hopefully enable me to get some fluids in me and maybe some food. In less than 12 hours, I lost 6 pounds. On Thursday, I was down 7.5 pounds. Things were not progressing at all. I called Group Health and they were booked... called the Lidgerwood GH, booked too. So I thought I would tough it out one more day. I had to start getting better.
Friday came, and I did not sleep well. I tried to rally and 'pretend' I was better. But all I could do is muster a off balanced stagger to the bathroom where I just sat on the toilet because the seat was cold and I did not think I could stand much longer. I put my face in my hands and closed my eyes thinking this might be a good place to sleep. Ya, I know, really clear thinking. Then I stumbled into the closet and laid down again. I just knew this was not good. I finally made it back to bed.
Jessi came home at about 9:00 and said she had called my dad and he was coming to get me and go to the ER. Wasn't too sure what that meant, but I went back to the bathroom to get ready.
My experience at the Sacred Heart ER was pretty humorous. You can read Jessi's blog because she posted some texts that I sent here while I was there. But in a nutshell, I checked in at 10:15am and left at about 3:15pm. In that time frame I had all my vitals taken, two q-tips rammed down to the back of my throat, 1 q-tip rammed up my nose to the base of my eye socket, gargled numbing solution, had 3 x-rays, 1 cup of liquid motrin, and 2 Styrofoam cups of water because I was dehydrated. The diagnosis? Not too sure. No strep, no flu, and no pneumonia. So what's wrong with me? Doc said that I probably had the flu, but it's probably gone. But I should be better by Monday. So I spent all this time to find out I need to wait until Monday to see how I feel? I m not feeling too confident in the medical field. I know they do their best, but I think they see so many people with the same thing that they quickly diagnose things and move on and really not taking the time to figure it out.
Saturday came with the same excitement, except I was not taking more Ibuprofen and a antihistamine as well. That helped me sleep better and I have been really trying to stay on top of that... and that has really helped. I was able to get out of the house for a short bit to watch Jessi, Steve R. and Matt C. ride out Hwy 2. It was a lot of fun to drive along and take some pics. I never was in a position that I wanted to be riding. These guys were going pretty fast, and I was out of breath just getting out of my car.
Later Saturday the Huskinsons (Jay and Michelle) stopped by and dropped off some chicken noodle soup and a very sweet card. It was so great o have that little treat. I ate it while they were here and we chatted and shared some ER stories. What a kind gesture from them.
That brings us to Sunday where the morning was pretty rough but I steadily got better as the day went on. I decided to join a small group riding from Tim S. house. They were Tim, Phaedra, Jennifer, "Tim's Friend," Steve, and me. I only wanted to test out the bike and ride easy for about an hour. These guy set a pretty stiff pace from the start, and I was just trying to figure out my positioning and trying not to get dropped. I think I ended up riding for about 1:30 and it was a gorgeous day. We'll see ho I feel tomorrow, but I was blowing my nose and spitting up quite a bit of stuff on the ride.
I got home and retreated to a hot bathtub. Then I took another nap. Still not feeling too well. But it's pretty promising when it' 6:30 now and still light. Good feeling.
A big shout out to my lovely wife who has been picking up the slack that has been created by my physical and mental absence. She has also been leaving me little snack bags near the bed with bottles or fluids and snacks for the rest of the day since she knew I would never leave the bedroom. Also for dropping off Emma and picking her up, not to mention all the other activities she has got going on not to mention training. I has been real blessing for me to not really have to worry about too much. I'm not a good patient, I tend to think I will just gt better somehow, but she is the one that ends up picking up the slack when I am sick.
Hope none of you get this bug, or one similar. It has dusted me pretty good. I hope to resume a few workouts this week, but I don't want a relapse either.
Wednesday came and went without much notice to me because I was in so much body pain with a headache, sweats, chills, couldn't sleep or rest. It was one of those days that I honestly wondered what people did that are 'single.' Without a support system... because I would have called the ambulance for sure.
The downer of all of this is that Tristan Brown, the Team Timex manager, busted hi hump to get me my bike and some clothes to race in for this weekend. And to be honest, I could not be further away from that with how I was feeling. I knew I was sick when I did not even want to look at my new steed and wheels and some really slick Timex clothes. I appreciate it now of course, but then, I would have old it for $10, figuratively of course. Tristan 2 Day aired it to me so I had is asap. And when I finally opened the box, it glowed with some many great things. A post for another time. I just feel so fortunate to have the support of Team Timex. They have been so good to me in such a short amount of time.
Thursday eventually came and I thought it was time to start taking some kind of medication. I went with Ibuprofen just to reduce the chills/sweats and hopefully enable me to get some fluids in me and maybe some food. In less than 12 hours, I lost 6 pounds. On Thursday, I was down 7.5 pounds. Things were not progressing at all. I called Group Health and they were booked... called the Lidgerwood GH, booked too. So I thought I would tough it out one more day. I had to start getting better.
Friday came, and I did not sleep well. I tried to rally and 'pretend' I was better. But all I could do is muster a off balanced stagger to the bathroom where I just sat on the toilet because the seat was cold and I did not think I could stand much longer. I put my face in my hands and closed my eyes thinking this might be a good place to sleep. Ya, I know, really clear thinking. Then I stumbled into the closet and laid down again. I just knew this was not good. I finally made it back to bed.
Jessi came home at about 9:00 and said she had called my dad and he was coming to get me and go to the ER. Wasn't too sure what that meant, but I went back to the bathroom to get ready.
My experience at the Sacred Heart ER was pretty humorous. You can read Jessi's blog because she posted some texts that I sent here while I was there. But in a nutshell, I checked in at 10:15am and left at about 3:15pm. In that time frame I had all my vitals taken, two q-tips rammed down to the back of my throat, 1 q-tip rammed up my nose to the base of my eye socket, gargled numbing solution, had 3 x-rays, 1 cup of liquid motrin, and 2 Styrofoam cups of water because I was dehydrated. The diagnosis? Not too sure. No strep, no flu, and no pneumonia. So what's wrong with me? Doc said that I probably had the flu, but it's probably gone. But I should be better by Monday. So I spent all this time to find out I need to wait until Monday to see how I feel? I m not feeling too confident in the medical field. I know they do their best, but I think they see so many people with the same thing that they quickly diagnose things and move on and really not taking the time to figure it out.
Saturday came with the same excitement, except I was not taking more Ibuprofen and a antihistamine as well. That helped me sleep better and I have been really trying to stay on top of that... and that has really helped. I was able to get out of the house for a short bit to watch Jessi, Steve R. and Matt C. ride out Hwy 2. It was a lot of fun to drive along and take some pics. I never was in a position that I wanted to be riding. These guys were going pretty fast, and I was out of breath just getting out of my car.
Later Saturday the Huskinsons (Jay and Michelle) stopped by and dropped off some chicken noodle soup and a very sweet card. It was so great o have that little treat. I ate it while they were here and we chatted and shared some ER stories. What a kind gesture from them.
That brings us to Sunday where the morning was pretty rough but I steadily got better as the day went on. I decided to join a small group riding from Tim S. house. They were Tim, Phaedra, Jennifer, "Tim's Friend," Steve, and me. I only wanted to test out the bike and ride easy for about an hour. These guy set a pretty stiff pace from the start, and I was just trying to figure out my positioning and trying not to get dropped. I think I ended up riding for about 1:30 and it was a gorgeous day. We'll see ho I feel tomorrow, but I was blowing my nose and spitting up quite a bit of stuff on the ride.
I got home and retreated to a hot bathtub. Then I took another nap. Still not feeling too well. But it's pretty promising when it' 6:30 now and still light. Good feeling.
A big shout out to my lovely wife who has been picking up the slack that has been created by my physical and mental absence. She has also been leaving me little snack bags near the bed with bottles or fluids and snacks for the rest of the day since she knew I would never leave the bedroom. Also for dropping off Emma and picking her up, not to mention all the other activities she has got going on not to mention training. I has been real blessing for me to not really have to worry about too much. I'm not a good patient, I tend to think I will just gt better somehow, but she is the one that ends up picking up the slack when I am sick.
Hope none of you get this bug, or one similar. It has dusted me pretty good. I hope to resume a few workouts this week, but I don't want a relapse either.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sunday Feb 17th
Today was a pretty good day starting off with the traditional Mornings With Martin swim. It was pretty fun this morning because I can see each person that swims in the same lane as me getting faster. I don't know if I am, I like to think so. But the improvement everyone els has made is very impressive. We swam some longer sets today, and people all hung in there and no one got lapped. Which I have to say is the 1st time we have incorporated 200s and no one got lapped. I know people were bustin' their butts not to get caught, and I know people get faster because of that. Granted, sometimes they look like a friggin' steamboat in the water spinning their arms as fast as they can, but they do get stronger.
We ended the swim today with 12 50s which always seem to go pretty fast because the rest interval is so short and it feels like you just keep going. But the people in my lane rotated in the position behind me. I kept it steady and swam what I would normally swim steady 50s at. And every person was able to hang in there. They were touching my toes going both directions. I was really impressed. I know some of the people really pushed it and swam harder than they ever probably wanted to, but I think it was a lot of fun and people realized what they can ‘potentially’ do, and are capable of doing. Now it’s the choice of weather or not to do it. Fun swim.
Then of course I normally run on Sundays…as do so many other people. It was a beautiful day today… probably 45 degrees and sunny. I stayed inside most of the day doing projects and cleaning bikes up. Jessi went for her run and I was going to run when she got home. But instead, I got hungry and made Emma and me some big ass blueberry pancakes and bacon—at 3:30pm. Not the ideal time to put that kind of carbs in the body, but I wanted to and Emma agreed. I figured I would have 1 hr before I would need to leave to be able to still run in the daylight. Well, Jessi came home talking about how beautiful the weather was and how it seemed like Spring. I was feeling like a stuffed whale, but I figured in an hour I could still bust it out. Instead of running, I fell asleep. When I woke up and mustered enough energy to get going it was 5:15pm and the sun was disappearing. So, it turned into a typical weekday winter run. I grabbed all my warmer clothing (clothing for weather 35 degrees and below), my reflective gear, and headlamp and off I went. My legs felt a little fagged (had to throw that word in). But they eventually started to rebound about 45 minutes into the run and I started to feel better. It would have been easy to postpone the run until tomorrow, but I knew I would be frustrated that I procrastinated so much.
We ended the swim today with 12 50s which always seem to go pretty fast because the rest interval is so short and it feels like you just keep going. But the people in my lane rotated in the position behind me. I kept it steady and swam what I would normally swim steady 50s at. And every person was able to hang in there. They were touching my toes going both directions. I was really impressed. I know some of the people really pushed it and swam harder than they ever probably wanted to, but I think it was a lot of fun and people realized what they can ‘potentially’ do, and are capable of doing. Now it’s the choice of weather or not to do it. Fun swim.
Then of course I normally run on Sundays…as do so many other people. It was a beautiful day today… probably 45 degrees and sunny. I stayed inside most of the day doing projects and cleaning bikes up. Jessi went for her run and I was going to run when she got home. But instead, I got hungry and made Emma and me some big ass blueberry pancakes and bacon—at 3:30pm. Not the ideal time to put that kind of carbs in the body, but I wanted to and Emma agreed. I figured I would have 1 hr before I would need to leave to be able to still run in the daylight. Well, Jessi came home talking about how beautiful the weather was and how it seemed like Spring. I was feeling like a stuffed whale, but I figured in an hour I could still bust it out. Instead of running, I fell asleep. When I woke up and mustered enough energy to get going it was 5:15pm and the sun was disappearing. So, it turned into a typical weekday winter run. I grabbed all my warmer clothing (clothing for weather 35 degrees and below), my reflective gear, and headlamp and off I went. My legs felt a little fagged (had to throw that word in). But they eventually started to rebound about 45 minutes into the run and I started to feel better. It would have been easy to postpone the run until tomorrow, but I knew I would be frustrated that I procrastinated so much.
Saturday Feb 16th
We received about 1-2 inches of snow overnight that was a little disappointing. But I figured that it would probably melt overnight… it didn’t. Sara, one of our club members was hosting the BAT (bikes and trainers) at her house and many people realized that getting out on the road might be a little tough. I thought that I would eventually be able to get out, but it might be a little sloppy… or some might actually call it slushy :) I received multiple calls that day saying that there was no way that I would be able to ride on the road. Got one call form Rick P. that said he was going to ride for 4 hours and that I could join him since there was no way I could get on the road. Had another person call and ask if I had seen the roads… it would be impossible. And then the call of calls came. A person actually said, “You can’t ride in this weather.” Now, there are a few things that spur me on… ask anyone that knows me. One of those things is the statement, “You Can’t.” The list is pretty long of things that I was told I could not do. Mark could probably tell you a dozen of them off the top of his head. Maybe a post for another time. We have all heard the standard saying that there is no such thing as can’t, and, don’t use that word, or, yes you can… whatever motivates you… great. But I think I might be motivated to prove people wrong. I had a short conversation with a mom of a past student of mine recently. I will write a post on that one. I felt like all I was saying is why you can, when she was trying tell me why I couldn’t. Not to mention the challenge that it poses when someone says you can’t.
Anyway, I posted it on the tri forum that I was planning on riding outside, and people were trying to call my bluff. Mark never did. Of course he comes from a cycling background and knows some of the weather we did 3-4 hour rides in when we were 15 year olds. Wet roads really never deterred us at all. Watch the European races. They go over mountain passes while it’s snowing… and accumulating on the roads. And guess what? There is a winner. Someone does finish first and finish last. And every person has a story that they will never forget. Besides, I will take a ride in the cold and wet over a ride on the trainer any day.
As I got all of my riding gear on, I emerged from the basement. Jessi was working on the computer and looked up to see something that resembled a snowmobiler and a cyclist. It was the typical cold weather riding gear... nothing special at all. She just looked at me and smiled. So you're going to go huh? I said of course. It looked like a good day for a ride. She called my bluff and said, "You are going on this ride out of spite aren't you?" I said, "Maybe a little." but deep down inside me, I am a cyclist. And cyclists ride on the road. I love to race in the rain, the wind, and the cold weather... always have. So to go out and train in this was simply an opportunity. An opportunity to know that I am out there getting in quality miles, and so many others are not.
So Jessi got up and grabbed Emma. I asked what she was doing. She said that she was going to go and take pictures because only the people who really knew me would believe you rode today. She just needed a few pictures to document it for those people that wouldn't.
So off I went and had a nice 2 hour ride.
Friday, Feb 15th
The weather this week has been pretty amazing. The snow is receding and the dry roads seem to be emerging. I was able to get out on the road for the 1st time this year on Friday afternoon. It felt so great! I rode a bike that a friend loaned me. Well actually, he bought my Felt DA, and the carcass of his old bike lie idle in my basement without pedals or a seat. It was all but retired. Probably a market value of $250. It was pretty dirty and needed a good overhaul. So absolutely perfect for a ride on the silt covered roads. So I threw on my $3000 power meter, pedals, and saddle. Made some minor adjustments (or should I say removal of unnecessary parts), and it looked like a newborn bike. I could hear it smile. I am sure the bike’s spirit thought for sure it would never see the road again… left to a life sitting in the back of a garage, and then eventually in a garage sale for $45. But it made a comeback that Friday and it ran well. I rode about 25 miles and it felt so great to be on a road bike again… no aero bars. I was excited at the opportunity to ride outside on Saturday and skipping an early morning BAT.
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