Saturday, June 28, 2014

The Power of Placebo

It was a new day. There were miles to be ridden, but only so much time to do it, so there was no time to fool around. I hopped right out of bed and dressed quickly, making sure to snap my copper wrist bands into place - no sense letting arthritis get the better of me. Looking around my room lovingly arranged in feng shui energy gathering patterns, I found my ginseng pills. They were difficult to swallow, as were the 15 different athletic supplements I took. Then it was off to breakfast.

My Stewart Smally tapes were a welcome relief to the tension I was feeling... "I AM worthy, I AM a good man, and darn it, people LIKE me!". Ahhhh... nothing like a little personal affirmation. My vegan breakfast cleared my system of toxins, much like my Asian foot waxing I did the night before. I suppose the only thing that relaxes me more is acupuncture followed by the little Japanese girl walking up and down my back.

I returned home, aired up my tires, then it was out the door and to Parkview to meet the guys. They were there; I instantly recognized all their faces and Rand's rump sticking out of his Tracker. We planned to ride down to Mitchell and meet Allen on the way. From there the day was up in the air, other than we had to be back by 11:30.

After meeting Allen, we continued south. There still wasn't much direction in the group, but I figured until the columns of group direction had their summit, that wouldn't change. So Jimmy, Allen, and Scott put their coconuts together and hammered out a plan. I will try to share this amorphous concoction as it developed, morphing from one shape to another from moment to moment.

The original plan called for heading to Leipsic. It turns out there are a variety of ways of getting there, some of them involving going in the complete opposite direction, and I know this because that's what we did. Ah, the joys of following people that live off the frantic excitement of changing directions and plans every few minutes! We headed down the Super 2, cut over to Huck's, crossed 37, then onto 337.

It's fair to note that no less than three times in this span the group busted up. I don't mean a little, I mean a LOT! I tried to rotate front to back over and over, and that gap got harder and harder to cover over time. None of this was done maliciously of course, but it sure made it a different ride depending on where you found yourself. Unfortunately for Allen, it was a tough ride.

With Neil's wedding hour approaching, the decision was made to go ahead and break the group up for good. Troy and Allen went their own ways, the rest of us planned to ride to Livonia and return home. Once again, no plan today seemed to last longer than 15 minutes, and this one was no different. Rand needed a relief stop at the county line, and Jimmy resumed his petition to shorten the ride. Not taking no for an answer, he called for a vote. The majority voted to go back, and so Jimmy ignored that and went to Livonia. So much for democracy! At this point we lost Rand, who had some deal with a cat. Now we were down to five.

As we turned for the return, I jumped on the front. My plan was to ride it on in to Orleans, and if anyone wanted to lead, they could take it from me. I wasn't going to tap though. Everyone seemed up for the line, so I took it up a notch. When we hit the county line we were already going 30 mph; it settled down to between 26-27 mph average, which is where we finished. I couldn't believe it, but we didn't lose anyone along the way. I figured we might, but every time I asked if all were still there, I could hear nothing but "yes!".

We took a short break at Huck's, and we headed home. Scott took forays to the front and still looked very strong despite the distance. Really everyone did. The cloud cover undoubtedly made the ride a lot more comfortable than it otherwise might have been. We retraced our steps back to Bedford, culminating in the final long climb, the Cut.

Roy led out, Miller next, and I was in third position. Roy was doing a fine job, but as we entered the ramp to the Cut I decided to go around and use the placebo effect one more time. Keeping a steady effort, I topped over 19 mph and nearly a 21 mph average. I know it was all in my head and stuff, but that sure felt good.

The rain was upon us, time was running out, but we did do three loops around Hillcrest to guarantee 70 miles. I was going to ride all the way back to Parkview with the guys, but halfway down 19th Street the rain started to come down, so I turned for home and 71 total miles. Moments after I was in the house, the rain dropped in buckets from the sky.

I've made my decision on the chain ring; it's a slam dunk. The 337 segment today was in neutral to (in places) adverse conditions, and even without going all-out I was able to hold very good speed. The ride up the Cut was icing on the cake. I feel better riding on it, and whether or not that's in my head makes no difference.

Run in the morning, swim and ride in the afternoon. That's the plan!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Running, Swimming, and Dodging Storms

Thank goodness the weather broke a bit. It's still humid, the dew points are still high, but at least the combination isn't as brutal as last week. Or maybe it is, and we've gotten used to it. Either way, things seem easier.

The team did an Indian run today. I broke them into two groups, which worked well. Focus was strong throughout, and the effort was there. The mileage is a bit less than we were doing last year at this time, but you know what? If this keeps them from being hurt at the start of the season and we are able to do quality right away, we will deal with that. All I know is we can't continue doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result.

It was a slow run for me. Who cares? I knew I'd wind up getting out again later. Anyway, I was moving back-and-forth between groups, so my pace went up and down the whole run despite the overall slow average. I guess I'm saying the numbers are deceiving.

After that, Galloway, Allen, and I went to BNL to swim. Allen did 2000 yards without stopping! That's a big deal, folks. Galloway also looked in good form. I did my mile, and that was that.

Storms were coming sooner or later today, and I knew if I was going to get a ride in it would have to be sooner. I decided to get my lunch in quickly and head right out to Mitchell. My plan was to do the regular Tuesday ride, only earlier, and alone. It was a good call. By the time I arrived in Mitchell, pop up storms were appearing on radar. I told Allen I had two hours at best to ride, and if nothing went wrong, that would be about the right amount of time.

Wind was mostly from the south, so the way out was a bit more challenging. I laid down in aero from the jump and ground it out. All the way to the county line I kept an even up-tempo pressure. This was definitely going to affect my time on the return, but there was no choice. This was the only way the ride could be completed.

A quick turn had me back on 337, going pretty well. The hoped-for tail wind really didn't come through. The air was pretty turbulent, and it seemed at times the wind came from all directions. This was no doubt due to the gathering storm clouds ahead of me, and as I got close the winds shifted to pretty much into my face. I wound up with better than 26 mph average, slow for me, but it was what it was.

Now I had to get north, because the storm was upon me. I opted to cut the course a bit and made for 37. If I could get there before the rain I had a chance to ride a tailwind back to Mitchell. This part of the plan did work pretty well. Before long I was rolling into Mitchell, packing up my bike, and just as I closed the car door the downpour started.

I decided to run again later. At first I thought that was a mistake, because when I stood to leave, my quads were blasted! I'd averaged something like 21.5 mph in the ride, and I think it took more out of me than I expected. No matter - once we started running it straightened out, and I thought nothing more about it.

I opened the pool for Jimmy, Rand, and Roy, then off to Wendy's for our Tuesday supper. It was a full day in spit of the weather. I'm sorry we missed the team ride, but there was nothing to be done for it. Maybe next week!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Solstice Warriors and Rotor Q Ring Ride #2

Today is the summer solstice, the official beginning of summer, and the longest day of the year. It also happens to be the day scheduled to ride long, a century, the first in a month. After a week of heat and weight loss, would it be possible to complete the ride? Would the heat build again today as it has every other day for a week? Nothing to do for it  but to try!

My plan was to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and take Enduralytes every hour on the hour. I also made sure to take some food in every 90 minutes or so. Finally, I did not rush anything for the first part of the ride.

Allen, Roy, John T., and Scott were the ones I followed early on. Scott was the most surprising of all - his trademark pull the group out move was notably absent. I asked him about that, and he replied, "I didn't want to pull the pace up for the guys going 100." I appreciate that very much! I knew for certain John T. would make the whole thing, was comfortable Roy would, and was only 50/50 I would.

I probably didn't approach the day with the best lead up plan. Today would be the third day in a row riding, and to top it off, I'd made a major change to the bike just yesterday. I'm known to be an "all-or-nothing" sort of guy, but this was foolish even for me. If I suddenly developed a problem because of the chain ring experiment, I would be in a world of trouble.

Since Scott and Allen, the two purveyors of paths, were only going to about 25 miles with us, I decided to pitch my idea for the course. Roy really liked the Salem/Palmyra course, John T. hadn't seen it yet, so why not go that way? It had some good stretches for aero, some hills (more like long grades), and ample water stops. True, if it got really hot out we ran the risk of baking on the road, but I thought it was worth it. Besides, both Roy and John T. are extremely steady riders, and I had no fear for them on Highway 56.

John T. pulled the 337 leg at a steady 20-21 mph. We dropped off Allen and Scott, then southeast we went, through Livonia and onward to Salem on 56. I pulled this leg, steady at the 20-21 area John T. had done. I had to be careful of the climbs - the Rotor Q Ring is particularly effective there, and I didn't want to break away. It's not as if the guys couldn't keep up, but I wasn't having to work as hard they did, and they were trying to play it smart.

It seemed like no time before we were in Salem. We stopped for some fluids, then wound our way through the back streets to exit the city on the south side, heading south on 135. This portion begins with a couple of long semi-steep grades, nothing unmanageable, and we got through them with no problems. The road flattens a bit after that into a pleasant rolling terrain, and all too soon we hit the turn point.

There was a bit of a headwind coming back, which was actually a good thing, because a north breeze is always cool. Puffy fair weather cumulus clouds were also cropping up all over, which gave occasional breaks from direct sunlight. This would go a long way to keeping us cooler and on the road.

<BREAK>
I've spent the last few minutes lying on the floor staring at the ceiling. Seems I had some nice hamstring spasms that had me screaming at the top of my lungs, and the only thing that helped was to slide out of my chair, fall heavily to the floor, and lay outstretched on my back. It's over for now. I can resume my post.
</BREAK>

We hit Wendy's on the way back through Salem, and it was a nice break. A cool room, food, and best of all, cold drinks. Maybe I should have been concerned about eating and continuing into the heat, but it didn't seem to bother any of us. We wove back through town, hit 56, and before long were following Roy back to Livonia. He kept the average above 20 mph all the way. In my opinion, Roy has never looked better as a rider.

On 337, I carried the line duties until we turned off. It got out of hand at first, but I slowed it down after a bit. The truth is, I've done the road so many times I go into autopilot. Once rolling northwest, it's time to work. The Q Ring made this so easy to do. Sometimes you get lucky and find a tweak or device that seemed like it was designed just for you, and I think that may be the case here.

We decided to make one final stop in Mitchell for fluids, which left us with 12 miles to go. Though no one really wanted to do Rabbitsville, it was the only sure way of getting the full 100 miles without doing some silly loop around town (hate that). John T. began leaping out more and more - he could smell the barn. As for me, I was cruising in. It had been a great ride, and I didn't want to mess that up now. Besides, it was time to start thinking about tomorrow's workout. I urged John T. and Roy to go on if they wanted, but we stayed together.

Finally it was time for the cut. By now I could finally feel my quads. My legs had been anything but rested before we left, so my only surprise was that it had taken so long to feel them. Once again, I attribute that to the Q Ring. It saved me from having to pound the quads throughout the ride.

We did indeed finish, and I must say those guys both looked like they could turn around and do it again (though I know from their conversation they wouldn't want to!). I rode home and put it all away for the day.

Rotor Q Ring Summary #2:
This thing is really working out. I know my good buddy Allen is convinced it's placebo, and who am I to argue with his vast experience with them? What I do know is I climb better and cruise easier. The best way to describe the feeling is it's like drafting off someone all day long. I seemed to be able to hang with John T. in climbs better than I normally do - of course he obviously could have been taking things easier. Still, I feel faster.

Run tomorrow morning? Probably!


Friday, June 20, 2014

General Heat, and the Q Ring Initiation

7 lbs. That's what I've lost so far this week to the heat. No matter how much I drink, I can't get it back on. I hate to see June close so hot, especially after such a cool and wet May, but it's Indiana, right? Here's hoping for some moderation in conditions after the weekend.

My riding seems okay at the moment, but my running has wilted. Forget about running fast - how do I cover any distance? My hip continues to linger as an issue, no surprise there. Add to that the high humidity/dew points, and there is no joy in the Sauconys (Sauconies?). I will get what I get and not worry about it for a while. No use in getting down about it. I have at least been able to run with my cross team, and I will be happy with that.

Today was the day I went to get my bike set up to use the Rotor Q Rings, an oval chain ring designed to be more efficient. There is plenty of documentation out there describing the concept, so I won't belabor that point. The thrust is the oval shape allows less stress when your leg stroke moves off the power portion. This in turn reduces stress on the leg at this point, supposedly dropping knee pain and lactic acid build up. Many triathletes are beginning to migrate to them because the transition from run to bike is much easier due to lower lactic acid build up.

So after getting the main ring on (there was no small ring to sample), I went out for a spin. It would have to be a quick one due to the storms building to the west. It was risky, but who ever accused me of being smart? The following would be a list of my quick-hit thoughts based on one (1) ride:

  • I had expected some sort of oblong pedal stroke, where I would feel a pulse. In fact, I didn't feel a thing. To me, it felt like a regular ring. I am a pulse-pedaler though, and other riders might notice it more than I did.
  • I very quickly noticed an increase of 1-2 mph on climbs. 
  • I never felt an ounce of burn in my legs. At times my heart rate was pretty high due to the stress of the week, and that was more a limiter on my performance than my legs. 
  • My average speed bumped up in the 1-2 mph range overall. This can be attributed to better climbing, though even on the flats it seemed I could just smoothly crank the pedals. Had I been fresher I could have really had a go at some segments, which would have been interesting because there wasn't wind enough to be favorable or unfavorable in going either way on the out-and-back course. 
Disclaimers: 
  • This was ride #6 on this bike, and the truth is, I will notice speed increases as I get used to it and it's tuned in better. 
  • I don't believe I put in any harder effort for this test than I ordinarily would, in fact, I would say probably the opposite. As I'm physically pretty tapped right now, I would want to look at several rides over time to see what it does when I'm a bit more normal. 
Summary: If my ride experience continues as the first ride, this purchase will be a no-brainer. 1-2 mph increase in average and in climbs? Riders spend thousands in wheels to get the same increase. At $260, this would be a bargain. 

I do wonder though... once a rider acclimates to the reduced stress in the off-power portion of the stroke, well... does one lose fitness? Weird analogy... the moon has 1/6 the Earth's gravity, and astronauts can jump vast distances while there. HOWEVER... when they return to Earth, their muscles have atrophied because of reduced stress. I guess what I'm wondering is, in the long haul, do the rings actually WEAKEN a rider?

Food for thought...

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Hot and Windy Tuesday

I needed a longer ride today, and I wanted to ride well with the guys. That was a tall order, because the heat index was near 100 degrees when the humidity and dew point were factored in, and I'm no hot weather athlete. Life is nothing without risk, so it was head first into the deep waters.

The plan was to get at least 13 miles before the guys showed up, and when totaled with the 37 miles of the regular ride would result in a 50-mile ride. That seemed doable, so long as I stayed on hydration and electrolytes. Holding the pace down early wouldn't hurt either.

I'm glad to say the early part of the plan was executed flawlessly. I wound up with something like 16 miles before the group showed up, managed a bit faster average than I thought I would considering the wind, and hadn't put out any really hard effort. So far, so good.

The next phase called for a steady push out to the county line. My original plan was for 21-22 mph out. The wind played a part here as things unfolded. It was out of the south/southwest, and pretty much laid across us most of the way out, occasionally quartering in from the 2 o'clock position. The official average was 23.2 mph, which I heard about right away! Those guys should know by now I'm a liar! Truth be told, I wasn't pushing a bit. I laid down and let it go, and it was pretty much just steady cranking. I wouldn't rate it above 65% effort.

Backing up a bit, I raised my saddle a bit before the second jaunt, and I felt it was a definite improvement. I felt as though I couldn't quite take advantage of leverage scrunched up as tight as I was. I worried about hip movement, though I couldn't detect any myself. I'll leave it there a while and see how things go.

We had 10 guys with us, and with the gusty conditions I recommended we be prepared to have an echelon formation, placing strong riders beginning and middle. The idea was to be able to set up secondary lines within the main line, as it would be impossible to get all 10 guys in one echelon on the smallish road. Instead, six of the guys opted to do their own thing, five of whom made their own line, one struck out on his own, and the remaining four of us made a second group.

Troy pulled first, and despite his trepidation, did a fine job. We never intended to blast this; most of us participated in the Jim-N-I on Saturday, and some were still feeling it. We just needed a hardish steady ride. Troy did that successfully.

John T. had the next pull, and somewhere early in the pull Troy dropped off. That left the three of us. We could see first Allen, then the first group coming into view. John T. gobbled up Allen and seemed intent on getting the other group. We were drawing closer and closer, and suddenly John T. tapped.

I had the next pull. No way I was going to let that line of meat dangle in front of me unmolested. I raised the pace enough to settle the issue quickly, and we passed decisively near the Pumpkin Center turn. Now it was time to get ready for Lost River and the hill.

I called back to Miller, "If you guys decide to go for the segment on the hill, do so, but call it out before you jump". There were only three of us, so if someone jumped out, it wouldn't be a big deal, so long as all of us didn't jump at once. I knew I didn't need to jump, I was on the front; I was simply trying to think ahead to keep them from wadding up.

Miller did call, he did jump, and he topped way ahead of John T. and me. I clawed my way back to him once over the top, and John T. clambered in behind. Miller had waited, which was kind. From there he took a short pull through no fault of his own, because as we guessed, the wind was now directly in our faces. This was the toughest piece of the entire course.

I never dropped to the end of the line when Miller jumped because technically I'd never tapped. This meant I came up next in the rotation, and I made up my mind I would finish the line regardless of what happened. I didn't think anyone would complain about it since everyone had pulled at least once. John T's pull had been a long one, so I was pretty sure he was okay with it.

Anyway, it was nothing spectacular. I settled into something like a 24-27 mph up-and-down affair until the final stretch, then held a steady 27 mph. From here I waited for the inevitable, and sure enough Miller flashed by. I never gave a thought to giving chase. I really thought John T. would be right on his hooves, but I think he was still feeling Saturday.

In the end it was a great workout, a solid ride, and another opportunity to get to know my new baby. On the ride back to our cars Allen asked me what I thought about the new bike. "See those?" I asked, pointing to my cassette. "Know what that is?" said I, baiting the trap. He gave me his typical "Here it comes" look. Then I delivered the punch line, "11 flavors of death!". Good for a chuckle. Kind of catchy, too.

Run tomorrow, probably no ride. I need to lift as well. Looks like another swim/ride combination for Thursday.

Monday, June 16, 2014

It's down to it

Though the weekend was great, and though my hip is getting better, the time has come to make a final decision about racing this summer. The fact is there isn't enough time to recover enough to go for either Ironman or Nationals. It's too much money at the wrong time, weighed against commitments of higher priority.

Instead I will look at picking up a couple more sprints, which should be attainable. Maybe I won't do very well, but they are cheaper and will help me sort out what I need to have a better season next year. I have a new bike to get tuned, running mileage to build, and I've always been a guy that likes to plan way out for racing. This would take a lot of the rush off the rest of the summer.

That said, my first target would probably be Eagle Creek. That's a month out, and with only a 3-mile run, I should be able to make that work. It also gives me a bit more time to get familiar with my new ride. I'm toying with going with the oval crank rings, which I'm sure would be another adjustment.

I am thankful despite missing some big events for the year. I am able to run with my team, which is my #1 priority at the moment. I am able to walk normally for the most part, and up to a point, I can run pretty normally. Yes, it will take a while before I am off medicine and can really stretch my runs out, but I can see it will happen in time. Overall I am very fortunate things worked out as well as they did.

We have our pace line ride tomorrow night, and I think the weather, though warm, will allow us to hold it as scheduled. The winds will not be favorable, but what difference does that make - we want to work hard, right? I plan to ride out in the 20-22 mph range, turn around, and come back a bit faster, God willing. Whether we pace line or time trial makes no difference to me, that's simply what I plan to do at this point.

Also thinking of swimming tomorrow morning at 10 AM. I would do that again on Thursday, unless I have to go to Bloomington. I am still sorting things out on my bike, and this looks like the likely date.

Jimmy is starting his longer runs on Wednesdays. I overheard tonight he's planning on 10 miles this week. Just giving you a heads up if you are interested. 

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Jim-N-I 2014

It wouldn't be hard to guess my confidence has been shaken over the last two weeks. That's normal, and for the most part I've tried to shove those thoughts back and be positive. Thursday's workout got me really worried about today's event, enough so I didn't know what to expect.

Thursday I bonked. It could have been the 5-mile run, or the swim, or the ride the night before, but after about 30 miles or so riding on Thursday I was quickly fading. The bad part of that was I was supposed to meet Allen for a ride - another 20 miles, plus the 12 I'd need to get home after that. I've bonked/crashed several times, and I know the symptoms. I might be able to finish Allen's 20, but I'd never get home afterward. I had no choice but to ditch him and look out for #1.

I did run yesterday, though not hard. Other than lifting, that was the end of the exercise day. I laid around the rest of the day doing as little as I possibly could. Could I recover enough to complete the Jim-N-I?

We had some things going in its favor. It was cooler than normal, much cooler. Though a bit windy, this factor alone would go a long way to maintaining hydration. I brought plenty of Enduralytes, planned to take them at regular intervals, and for the first time this year, packed Gatorade in my drink system. If I didn't get too crazy, the ride should be okay.

The run? That would have to be whatever it was. The previous attempt at bricking this week was disastrous; hopefully a few more days to recover from the wreck would improve my chances.

That left the swim. I've recently picked up the swimming substantially, and you might say I'm in a slump. Again, that's normal - the muscles are re-acclimating to the activity. I was simply a victim of bad timing, though it was my own fault. I knew I couldn't press it too hard, or the rest of the day would be in jeopardy. Best to cruise the early part of the day.

Greg was there, and clearly the better swimmer. Nothing I could say would urge him to take the lead - so much for drafting! I pulled lead for the swim for nearly the entire distance, and I will brag about my sighting, which was absolutely flawless. (No applause, please, wait until the presentation is over) Of course Greg could have left me anytime, but was content to swim by my side to the end. It had been a little rough through halfway, though really more mental than physical. After I changed up my breathing pattern, things settled down to a very sustainable pace. I could have gone down and back three more times with little effort.

Biking was next. We didn't have that long of a layover this year, no more than 15 minutes, which was nice. We did our parade loop out to 41, and after we crossed, it was game on. I knew we were in for a quick start. Steve had his P5 mounted with a rear disc, and the wind was to our backs. If we weren't alert, he would have dropped all of us on the spot. Sure enough, we lifted over 30 mph in nothing flat. This was the typical initial burst - Steve is strong, but tends to burst higher for the first minute or so of a pull, then settles down to a more reasonable pace. You just have to be tough on the front part.

One after another we took turns. Most of the pulls were around 5 minutes, which was plenty once we got into the headwinds. I wanted to test myself, so I doubled that to 10 minutes. I wasn't the fastest guy on the day by a wide margin - that would belong to Steve, Greg, Miller, or John T. - but I held my own on strength. That's kind of been the story of this whole year. I'm not unhappy with my effort at all, but to be frank I'm just not very fast.

We stopped after 30 miles for a SAG, then finished the ride with another 15 miles or so pace line followed by the return parade lap. There were minor detours along the way because of trains and blocked roads, but on the whole it was a great time. The only bad thing that happened was when Bob's new Torpedo drink system fired without warning and hit the road, puncturing the tank. On the very first ride. Sorry, Bob!

Now it was down to run. Of all the legs, this one terrified me most. (Kinda sound like Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Future, don't I?) I had no illusions I would run this quickly at all, because it wasn't possible. What I wanted most of all was to simply cover the distance. There was going to be pain, but could I manage it?

Our group quickly split up, and in the front there was Greg, Jimmy, Miller, Rand, and myself. I was happy to find the first few steps didn't bring agony. And, moving toward the first SAG at 3 miles, nothing felt like it was building. So far, so good. Greg peeled off a little over 2 miles in and headed back. Now it was just four.

My Garmin said we were going right at 8 flat, which was faster than I felt I should under the circumstances. I felt comfortable about getting to 5, but 9 would be much harder, as it was roughly double the distance I've run in any single run for quite some time. On top of that, the Sullivan run is just ugly. There is really nothing to look at to take your mind off what is going on. Every time I'm on the course, I'm just thinking about how badly I want to be off of it.

I decided to skip the stops and only grab a water bottle. The guys followed my lead, and we kept pushing along. My fear was if we took even a 2-minute break I could seize up. It was far better to keep going and get it over with. This also lead to a bit of self-inflicted trouble - I was the guy pulling the pace. I was positioned on the front, so I was responsible for how fast we were going. I complained, but there was only one person to blame for it.

Just before the 6-mile stop, Rand began complaining loudly. I could also hear his breathing increase. I rotated to the back and told him to set whatever pace he liked. This would be as helpful to me as it was to him. I was after the finish, not the time. This plan was immediately foiled because he had to stop at SAG #2 to let his heart rate drop. I couldn't stop and wait, nothing had changed. Miller had opened about 40 yards, and now I had to either run alone (Jimmy had also stopped), or catch him.

Rats.

I ran back to him, and realized I'd just chosen to suffer much. Miller is a machine, and even though he raced 100 miles just a week ago, what we were doing was a joke to him. The only good thing about all this was I would be done sooner. Just when it looked as though it would just be us, I heard Jimmy's characteristic foot slap on the pavement. Turning, I saw him trying to get to us. I asked Miller to ease up to let him back on, and then we were back to three.

The unfunnest part of the course was upon us - the small hill at a little over 7. It isn't huge, it's simply poorly placed. By this time of the day, and after hours of working out, that little hill feels like a mountain. I cruised over, though my heart spiked on it. Shortly after we hooked left, then right, and there was only a mile left. This is where I really began to work on the other two. They were trying to be kind to me by waiting, but the truth is I didn't want that. I kept telling them to go, I had this, my day was made. When we made the final turn onto Steve's road, they went. It didn't much matter - my Garmin told me we were already at 7:40. It only went down from there. They put about 40 yards on me in the end, but I didn't care. I finished every step of the run, and indeed, finished the entire day. Victory.

Now technically Jimmy finishes as the winner - again - though I'm not sure how that works out when you consider place in the other two legs. But let's not dwell on that, take your stinking victory, Jimmy. In my mind there were two unheralded studs of the day that substantially raised their games. Rand and Allen, take a bow!

Both guys had outstanding swims. Rand finished very early, and probably had one of the best swims I've ever seen him do. Allen went the whole way, never flinched or hesitated, and best of all, did it without a wetsuit. That's a huge deal, and really no matter what the rest of the day brought, it was a major victory.

Both rode well. Rand stayed with the front group all day, something he's NEVER done before. Once again, that's a big deal. Allen was broken off early, as was inevitable, but what is noteworthy is being isolated made for a much harder ride, which he completed.

Finally, the run proved a struggle for both at some point, yet they both finished the whole thing. Rand was there for 6 miles, and I think if he'd taken care of hydration a bit better early on, he might have gotten farther. Allen is coming off a bad hamstring pull, so anything he did was a win.

There were individual great efforts all day long. Greg in the water and on the road, Steve on the road and the grill, Jimmy taking the victory, Dennis riding 30 miles and running 9... it was a great day. I was sorry to have to leave early (unavoidable), and I can't believe such a wonderful part of the summer has already come and gone. 

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

The Hornet Takes Flight!

It's been a long wait... okay, maybe not. Less than two weeks after the accident that took my lovely Airfoil, I finally took possession of her successor. Airfoils cannot be bought new anymore - they have long since been discontinued - but the next iteration of high-end Kestrel racing bikes offers more than a glimmer of hope for continued comfort and speed.

I kept Steve and Eric (Bicycle Doctor) over normal store hours today, and for me the wait was worth it. The bike was nearly completely finished, only missing the pedals and one small modification that will be added later. That aside, I would be taking my Precious home to do as I would.

She's a thing of beauty. Carbon fiber frame, Ultegra shifting, slotted saddle (for comfort), and perhaps my most difficult decision, HED Jet 5 23 cm aero wheels. The wheels take advantage of recent wind tunnel testing that (supposedly) prove a wider tire can be more aero. The idea is the wider front section reduces drag by forming a more airfoil type section, reducing turbulence. It sounds good, and actually resonates with my personal experience as a pilot and model aircraft builder. So, taking a leap of faith, I went for it.

The weather was spotty, but you know I had to ride. I found my window of opportunity and headed south in the early afternoon hours. The radar showed rain around the area, but the immediate area was clear - for a while. If I didn't dilly-dally, I could probably get through unscathed.

I'll try to break down the first ride by components.

Frame: carbon fiber absorbs road vibration, and after a week or so of riding aluminum, I instantly remembered why I love carbon so much. It's just so much more comfortable. I didn't notice any flex, and power delivered from my pedals instantly transformed into usable speed.

Flight deck: though made from cheaper aluminum, the base bars and aero bars were placed in a similar orientation to my previous ride, so there was no real discernible difference between the two. It was easy and comfortable to lay across the bars and ride for distance. Moreover, when I did need to apply power, a firm grip on the bars helped stabilize me so I could really push on the legs.

Brakes: this is perhaps my least favorite part of the bike. Cheaper quality Oval brakes are used, employing scissors (rather than calipers). It will likely be okay, but on something this expensive it looks cheap, kind of like putting a bucking sow pig hood ornament on a Cadillac. You could do it, but... Anyway, the braking action was solid, so I suppose I shouldn't worry about it too much.

Wheels: the first thing I noticed was the hum. This is not a pure carbon wheel, rather a box set with a carbon shroud. It wasn't distracting, just different from what I normally hear. The second thing I noticed was acceleration seemed better than on my Airfoil. Is it the wheels? Possibly, as they are lighter than the Mavics. They aren't as deep as the Mavics, a fact that was brought home by their complete indifference to cross winds. They seemed to hold speed well. Overall I'm quite pleased.

Shifters: Shimano has a distinctly crisp shifting pattern, and the Ultegra group here performed well. It's 11-speed, and I wondered how the geometry might work out. I did notice clicking on the outer 3 cogs on my cassette. I'll chalk that up to being a new bike and needing to be adjusted. It will probably just be a couple of twists on the barrel adjustment to get it right. That minor aspect aside, I never felt like it wanted to throw a chain, nor did I think I couldn't get any gear I wanted. Just a little tweak necessary, I think.

Helmet: I went with the John T. recommended Giro Air Attack Shield. I'm absolutely glad I did. I was able to use the magnetic shield over a pair of prescription glasses, meaning I don't have to take my sunglasses if I don't want to. This works better in warmer weather because I like to be able to go without the glasses if I sweat too much. With the shield, it's a non-issue. The helmet is considered a compromise between a regular helmet and an aero - that seems fair. I lucked out another way too... I've never tried one on, but I ordered a large. I pulled it out of the box and put it on. Perfect fit. and it was set almost as if it had been made for my head. Can't beat that.

I took the combination out on the regular route, though I added a side trip to a particular segment - Mill Creek Hill. It's a pretty good test of a combination of factors. It is a big hill both going down and up, so with speeds reaching nearly 50 mph I'd know if the frame felt twitchy at speed. The following uphill is steep, so there would be the ability to measure sustainable speed and climb. The Hornet came through with flying colors. I dropped 2 seconds from my best time, and the bike really isn't tuned in yet. The top speed is nearly a mile an hour faster than my best attempt. The frame felt stable throughout the speed range.

The rest of the ride was pretty much a joy, though I did notice a bit of hip pain around 20 miles in. Interesting thing happened about then... I sat up to relieve the pain and the saddle moved nose up a bit. I stopped and reset, this time going a bit more aggressively nose down, and rode home. No more hip pain!

For sure there will be more adjustments, but I believe things will be just that - adjustments. The bike itself is a solid offering and at the very least a good lateral movement from my Airfoil. Potentially it could be a leap forward, though it will take some time to tell for sure. 

Monday, June 9, 2014

Maybe it wasn't smart, but...

More than anything at the moment, I'm desperate to get my running back to where it was. It's not like I was doing high-level stuff, but it was improving, and with the possibility of Ironman looming, I can't realistically hope to enter if I can't run. I've heard there's this marathon thingy at the end of the Ironman race, so I guess I should be able to run at least a bit. I can't delay that decision forever, either.

I was able to run some the last couple of days, so this morning I set a goal of 2 miles running with the girls. I had a three new girls planning to show, so that would fit well into the plan. I would run 2 with the newbies and get a chance to see the whole team for at least a mile. It's always so much easier to get a feel for what kind of runners I have when I can actually see them run, assess their running forms, competitive levels, etc. You just don't get that from a car.

The run wasn't difficult at all, in fact I had to wait on one of the girls. I could feel some pain in the left groin, but it didn't intensify. At the end of the run I felt great. Sure, it ached a bit, though much less than in the last couple of days. There is hope after all, it seems.

Galloway and I were scheduled to swim today, and I had some time to kill. The best use of that time was to go ahead to the gym and get my lift done. Between upper body and core the time worked out perfectly, and as I finished it was time to go to the pool.

It would be great if I could tell you the swim was all easy and smooth. It wasn't. Swimming is like that. Some days everything clicks and it's easy, others it's not. I struggled in the middle of this workout to find my rhythm. I can't say why exactly, I only know it felt sluggish in the middle. In the final third or so things began to gel again, and I was back in the groove. The overall time reflected my difficulty, and though it wasn't a terrible time, it was slower than normal. This may be a reflection of my sudden increase in swimming, so for now there's no panic.

The next step was to try for another run in the afternoon. I set my sights on Jimmy's at 5:15, and three miles. If I could get those three miles, I would have five for the day, the most I've run since the wreck. That would be a victory, however slow the miles might be. With trepidation I walked (I usually run) to Jimmy's. I just couldn't bring myself to run there for fear I might hurt from the start, or if I started and stopped I would hurt. Better to go "all-or-nothing".

The early part took a little concentration to keep controlled, but before long I was holding my own. It was lucky for me the guys didn't get in a hurry, or they would certainly have left me behind. As it was I was able to hang in there for the first three, comfortably enough so that I pushed ahead for the final two miles. I don't think I could have run faster, but I did the whole thing. And, as of this writing, I feel just fine. Maybe, just maybe, the worst is over.

I will run with the girls again tomorrow. I don't know what will happen after that. We are scheduled to ride, but the weather forecast is ominous. I'm hoping to get a little something done. I'm also hoping my new bike comes in. I think only one of those things has a realistic chance of happening...

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Maybe things will finally come around

I hate that I had to miss Cicero, but it's not the first time. This race always seems to be a problem for me ever since it moved to June. In fact, I don't know that I've ever gone to the June version, now that I think about it. This year it was because of being hurt. What really hurts is it was a perfect race day!

Scott and I made the most of it. We rode, starting at 7:20 from Parkview. We were both on backup bikes, and so the ride was largely a sit up, side-by-side affair. Sure, it was only a bit over 17 mph, but we didn't stop, not once. We clipped in and didn't clip out until we were done.

That's lucky for me. One of the things I'm still really struggling with is my flexibility. Getting my leg over the saddle to mount is still quite painful. I can do it, it's just an ordeal. I'm thankful we didn't stop because I would have had a lot of people staring at me as I got off/on.

We wound up with 60+ miles, a nice medium length day. That was 3:30 in the saddle, which for me wasn't a problem at all until I tried to bunny hop the railroad tracks on the way home. Bad idea! I felt the tug inside my leg right away, and little spasms the rest of the way home chided me ever so sternly.

I laid around for a while after the ride. I wanted the leg to rest because I still needed to lift. There was also the possibility of doing elliptical while I was there. After a couple of hours it was time to go lift. As I got dressed, the urge to run came over me. Pulling on the shoes and heading out the door, dread filled me. If I started and the leg hurt just as bad as the last time, well, it would be crushing. If only there could be some improvement...

The first few steps were the best news I've had in a week. I could manage an almost normal gait, at a somewhat ridiculously slow speed. It mattered not at all. It was running, however slow, it was running. It took a lot of focus for me to relax muscles that shouldn't be tensed, to lay the foot down the correct way, to move the balance where it should go. I felt as if I were balancing on a beach ball, afraid to make a wrong move. But I was running! My goal was to get to a mile then stop. This I did.

As I was turned to come back, I walked maybe two blocks and started running again. I ran for a quarter, then stopped. Walk a block, run a couple, each time focusing on the form. Sure, there was some strain in places, but it was manageable. Things were and are definitely better.

I don't know where it leads from here. I'd like to try to run again tomorrow. I'll have to think about that one. Mornings find me very sore; by afternoon I usually feel ready to try to run. That's likely what I'll do for a few days. I sure would love to run in the morning Monday with the team, as dumb as that may be...

Thursday, June 5, 2014

First full day in a while


There has been discussion as to what to call the new bike. It's black with accents of orange, a scheme I'm not overly fond of, but in the spirit of making lemonade out of lemons, I'll at least spin it into something positive, if a little sinister. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you "The Hornet". 
I like it. They're fast and agile, and if you mess with them, they pack a mean punch. Oh yeah, there are a lot of angles to work on this one. "Don't poke the Hornet's nest!" and "Got stung by the Hornet!"... it could be fun...
No running again today. The hip is still in bad shape, though riding is easier. Allen, Galloway and I went out for a 32-mile roundabout today, leisurely pace, and the weather was nearly perfect. Only the strongish northeast wind marred the morning, and even that's putting it too harshly. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. 
After the ride, Allen and I went to Wendy's, which is only fair since we both missed Tuesday night. That put me in the mood for a nap, which I took for a brief time. Man, I have to love summers off! 
Jimmy planned for a Kenray swim tonight, but I'm not ready to go into lake water just yet. I have cuts that are not healed and Kenray isn't the cleanest lake out there. With that in mind, I headed to BNL a bit earlier. Galloway joined me. I swam 2 miles, and two parts of the day were done. 
I decided to go out to Kenray anyway in case Jimmy needed me to watch KJ. Besides, I needed to ask him about his Zipp 404s and HED 3 wheels. He's one of the few people I know that own both, and I'm trying to decide which of the two I'm going to get. I'm not sure he convinced me one way or another, but I value the input. 
One final step... the elliptical. I did 30 minutes again, totaling 3 miles. I'm not sure if this is helping or hurting the hip, but it is cardio, and that I need. If I feel sore again in the morning I may skip it tomorrow. I'll wait until then to see. 
Wish I was going to Cicero. Good luck to those that are! 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

...and in the end, the sun shines all the brighter...

This morning's cross practice had to be canceled; since Jimmy wasn't there, the luck was also absent, resulting in an ill-timed thunderstorm. It wasn't much, but it doesn't matter - rules are rules. I sent the girls home. The good news is it's only the first week of conditioning, so they won't lose much. Better safe than sorry I suppose.

I tried to run - no dice. I got about a quarter mile, which on the brighter side is 10 times farther than I got yesterday, but it was still nonetheless hopeless. It isn't joint pain at all, it's a building spasm. The first few steps are fine; beyond that, the tension in the leg builds until I feel something is about to pop. I waited until later in the day, hoping being on the legs more during the day may help the stretching, ergo help the running. Again, about a quarter mile in the tension built and I had to stop.

That's when I had an epiphany - I have a gym membership, and they have elliptical machines. Why not give that a shot? It's no impact, and while impact per se isn't really the problem, the constant pressure would prevent the tension issue. I haven't had any problems biking as there is no pressure/release pattern as severe as when I run, it's more constant pressure. That seems enough to keep anything from triggering.

Well, I'm happy to say it worked. I did a cautious half hour on the elliptical, working up a decent sweat. I'm not going to kid myself into believing it's an absolute substitute for running, because it isn't. It might be enough to sustain me until I can run, and that's what I need.

More good news came in the form of insurance. My company is going to cover the bike! My 2014 11-speed Kestrel 4000 Pro SL Ultegra is on its way, and with any luck I will be riding that early next week. That's great news, because the Cannondale is really rough on my hips over long distance. Up to 30 miles or so it's okay, but after that point it gets awfully hard on me.

There is a ride scheduled for tomorrow morning, Mitchell Church of Christ, 9:30 AM. All welcome!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

"You aren't going to talk me out of it, Allen."

Tried to run this morning. Got a whole 40 yards before I called it quits. The hip tightened immediately and I felt the spasms coming on. I hope in a couple days I'll be able to manage some running, but for now it's starting to bum me out. I need to be running, if only to run with my team.

Galloway, Allen, and I met at BNL a little later and swam. At least this went well! I swam a mile, and thought it was one of my slower efforts, I could do it. That's a blessing. Between riding and swimming I should at least be able to maintain some fitness.

Allen and I planned to start riding a little earlier tonight. He had a conflict with the later ride, and I wanted extra/insurance against the impending rain. I felt there was a good chance the ride tonight would get canceled, so my plan was to get at least 30 miles in before that time.

I was close to right. When I arrived, Allen was in his street clothes. This meant he had no intention to ride, so I turned my attention to unloading my bike. The clouds were gathering in the northwest, and I had little time to discuss the issue with Allen. He came over, hemmed and hawed over what I already knew he would say. "Don't worry about it, Allen. Don't go. I'm going." I said. I didn't care he felt it was a bad idea and didn't want to go - in fact, that was a bit of a relief. I couldn't have Kedra mad at me again! Now the whole thing would be on me and me alone, and if this was to be my end, so be it.

Allen tried to talk me out of it. He kept asking if I'd seen radar (I had), if I knew where the storms were (I did), and if I knew how bad they were becoming (I did). I'd already made up my mind I was going and that I'd probably get wet, and nothing was going to change my mind. However, if I was to have any chance of staying dry, I had to stop talking about it and take off.

"You aren't going to talk me out of it, Allen." And with that I left.

Now don't let the preceding paragraphs be taken to mean I felt Allen was wrong - I knew he was right. I just didn't care. This whole bike thing has me pretty depressed at the moment and I'm sick of inaction. I worked all winter long for tremendous fitness and all that time appears to be wasted on a summer in which I'm not going to manage any more racing. Frankly, I'm about as bummed right now as I've ever been about this whole thing. Even if the Cannodale hurts my right hip the whole time I ride it, even if it's slower than the Kestrel, at least I can train. The bike's been wet before, it will be wet again. The cost of going out might be high, but the cost of not going out just might be higher.

I headed deep south. For a while I considered going to French Lick, but the storm was growing, spreading south faster than I could go. That option was out. I went as far south as Wesley Chapel Church, then turned east. This allowed me to outrun the rain for a bit. I crossed 37, went a bit east, then dipped south again. Briefly it sprinkled, but soon stopped, and I was dropping down toward Highway 57. About a mile north of that point I turned east, then north, and it was back to 337.

Now it was decision time. I had an hour and fifteen minutes until the main ride. Storm clouds were gathering west and south, and the thunder and lightning was starting. I briefly went east on 337, considering a run to the county line, but I knew as I moved along that was foolishness. The storm was getting stronger too quickly to make that a viable option. I turned north at the next road, headed past Liberty Church, and back to the car.

Back at the car I wiped the bike down and stowed it in the car. I felt tired, really tired. It was probably the swim, as I've done little else. I had time to kill, so I went to the gas station and got a snack. By the time I got back the guys were showing up. The clouds still hung in the south, but they all seemed willing to go. I considered going again, but I'm pushing my leg already, and thought the better of it. Thirty-four miles of biking is not a bad day.

Tomorrow I need to both swim and bike again, assuming I can't run. I will give it a shot with the girls, but I'm not holding out any hope...

Monday, June 2, 2014

"Die Dachshund Lebt!"

Translated, the title means, "The Dachshund Lives!"

Allen contacted me by noon today wanting a ride. I was planning on going anyway, and since I had no hurry, there was no reason I couldn't wait for him. We agreed on 3 o'clock from the church, which was good because I figured our course would take us by the crash site. I needed to get the address for insurance purposes (more on that later), and if the opportunity presented itself, perhaps even a talk with the owner.

It was raining lightly as we left, but neither of us cared. At nearly 80 degrees and high humidity, the rain actually felt refreshing, and wasn't hard enough to cause serious risk of wrecking. The farther south we got, the lighter the rain, and before long it stopped altogether.

Our meandering course did indeed take us past the crash site. Allen and I had been talking about it, about the insurance and such, and our consensus opinion was I shouldn't talk to the owner directly - why risk a confrontation? I was however determined to get the address.

I stopped at the house, pulled my camera, and snapped some photos of the mailbox with the address number. A little girl was standing there, and I thought, "Why not?". "Can you go get your mother?" I asked. In she ran, retrieved her mother (her whole family, in fact), and it was game on. I was either on the right track or a complete fool.

I asked about the dog, which I'm sorry to say is alive and well. It's actually a mixed breed, combining boxer and dachshund. It was quite a bit larger and beefier than a normal dachshund, which is likely why it survived. I told them I was the guy who hit the dog, and I wanted to touch base. I told them about the emergency room trip, the broken bike, and that I reported it to my insurance company. I gave fair warning my insurance company would likely come after theirs, and asked if she had homeowner's. "We're renting" was her reply. Uh-oh. The owner probably does, and I'm not sure how that's going to work out, but it sounds like a fight coming.

After that, I caught up with Allen (he'd pulled up the road a bit to avoid being collateral damage) and we headed for the church. We luckily avoided most of the approaching rain and finished a very nice ride. My leg felt fine the whole way, and though I miss my Kestrel, the Cannondale performed adequately.

Speaking of bikes...

I spec'd out a 2014 Kestrel 4000 SL today, which is the Ultegra version. For wheels it will have Zipp 60's (instead of Mavic Cosmos) and I'm rolling the dice and going with the Rotor Q rings for the crank. It's a very similar setup to the one I had, and though pricey, it's fair.

There is only thing I don't like; the color scheme. Check it out:


Not in love with that at all, but it'll be worth it, I guess.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Going Nuts

It's only been four days since the wreck, and I'm going nuts. It was unbelievably difficult to watch everyone ride off yesterday morning, and the sun shining outside has me seriously jonesing for a ride.

I got the Cannondale ready last night, tried to throw my leg over and shrieked like a little girl. I'd overlooked what a pull does to the body, and those groin ligaments are tender! Once on the bike it was no trouble at all. Getting on and off is another matter.

When I got up this morning I was really sore again. I even needed a crutch to get around, something I was hoping I was over. My plan had been to get up and ride, but that was washed away by caution. I think I could have toughed it out, but that would only delay the recovery process.

So I layed around for most of the day. About 4 o'clock I decided it was time to give it a shot, even if only a short ride. My plan was to stay in town. Even if I hadn't been hurt that would have been necessary - there was a line of storms just to the southwest. I could see the clouds gathering as I left the house. I headed down to Hillcrest and starting circling.

At 10 miles the rain started, so I wound my way home, finishing with 13 miles. It felt just fine. I don't think I can stand on the pedals with a great deal of pressure, but aero position is a snap, feeling about as normal as it can on my backup bike. With this in mind, I will be trying to ride a bit every day. Running is still out, so I will have to compensate with swimming and biking. With that, I should be able to keep my fitness up.

Girls' cross training starts tomorrow, and I can't run!