The Iron Geek

My personal journey of going from an overweight IT leader to an Ironman.

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16 posts tagged bike

I got 99 problems and a bike is one…

A very though day on the bike today.  I had a 6 hour bike ride and 30 minute run scheduled for today.  I’m coming off being sick for over a week, and this is my first ride since Augusta.

So I only made it 94 miles (I had hoped for 100) and it seemed like I had 99 problems:

  • I got a late start this morning and found myself struggling to get out the door quickly so that I could finish before sundown (which is a funny thing to be thinking about after finishing breakfast)
  • I had a flat tire a Mile 1
  • I got massive gas and other GI issues starting at Mile 40 (likely because of my genius idea to have a snickers bar at my Mile 33 pit-stop).  I had top stop several times throughout the day.
  • My bike decided that it didn’t want to shift into the big ring starting around mile 50 (the cable was just to tight to move)
  • Around Mile 60, I just started yawning and couldn’t stop for about a half hour
  • I was unable to do the run, because I ran out of daylight.

With only one more weekend with a long workout before my taper (I’m trying to convince my coach to add one more weekend), I really would have liked to hit 100-102 miles.

Tomorrow, a 3:00 run is on the schedule.  Hopefully the stiffness in my legs lightens up before then.

A shout-out to Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington for epic wins at Ironman World Championships in Kona today.  Goodluck to @mcmironman!

A flyover of the Ironman Florida Bike Course.  I found this on mapmyride.com.  It requires the Google Earth plug-in to see.  

I think it’s pretty cool to get a glimpse into the ride before actually going there.

I’ve never been to Panama City, or that part of  Florida before.  I am surprised by how much of this ride is in farm country.  I didn’t really know what to expect, but it is somewhat different that I had imagined.

You’re Only As Strong As Your Weakest Spoke

My long bike ride for the weekend was cut short by a broken rear spoke.  While at first I didn’t think that one broken spoke would be a very big deal, I discovered that it makes your wheel out-of-round and it starts to rub on the frame/brake.  Not fun. (Picture not of my actual wheel)

My friend from Masters Swim that I was riding with also had a broken spoke (strange), which actually caused more havoc on her bike.  We had to take off a break shoe in order for her to get back to the car, as it was rubbing really badly.

Somehow I still managed to throw down 65 miles (versus the planned 100), with the first 56 miles coming in at a personal best 3:08 (not counting bike maintenance time).  There were times where I felt very strong.  Down on the aerobars, legs pumping like pistons and the bike flying down the trail.  Every once and a while I feel like I might actually pass for a bicyclist.

Even though this was the first time I rode with someone else, I made sure not to draft at all.  While I was worried about biking with someone else for the first time (I’ve never done a group ride) it was fun and did help pass the time.

Yesterday was a 2:00 run that covered just over 11 miles.  I focused on keeping my heart rate down in the high 140s and still managed to keep a good pace (considering my AT is 158).

Today is a much needed day off.  My triathlon coach (who apparently did not take today off) just sent me my next the training plan for the next 4 weeks.  Oh boy.  It includes 6 hour bike rides, 3 hour runs and 6.5 hour bike/run brick.  With less than 3 weeks until Augusta and less then 9 weeks until IMFL, it’s starting to get very, very real.  He included a nice “note” at the start of the plan…

Todd,

We will have a few more big days and then transition right into our crisp 9-day taper to have us rested, sharp, and race-ready. We will arrive at the Augusta starting line well fueled, well hydrated, and mentally ready for an amazing racing effort. Let’s use this race as our Ironman dress-rehearsal…same pre-race and race routines, same pre-race and race fueling and hydration, same race equipment, and same race clothing. Stick with exactly what we did in training…race day is not a day for experimentation.

Let’s race safe; race smart; and let’s cross the finish line in good health and good spirits. Following our race we will transition into our most challenging four weeks of the year. It’s crucial that we complete this training as planned. Take it a day at a time and hit each day’s training as perfectly as possible. Use all of our longer weekend sessions to practice our pre-race and race fueling and hydration routines. Listen to your body and get extra sleep. Let’s be consistent; train safe; and train smart!

The key to the next several weeks is consistency.  I need to hit all of my workouts.  

I’m excited.

Handlebar Palsy

I can’t fully control the movement of my pinky finger or my ring finger of my left hand.  I can barely hold anything in my left hand and I cannot bring all my fingers together.  It is the oddest sensation.

It started last week after my epic long bike ride when I was having problems with the strength of my grip, and my pinky acting a little funky when I tried to type.  It got better throughout the week.  I figured it was just one of those things that happens after a close to 6 hour bike ride.

But after this week’s long ride (68 miles), I have lost a lot of the motor function in my left hand.  A little research online and I have discovered a condition known as Handlebar (or Cyclist) Palsy.  It’s caused by too much pressure being placed on the wrist and part of the palm, typically from long or rough bike rides or a poor bike fit, damaging a nerve.  

It’s so weird for my brain to tell my hand to do something and for my hand not to respond.  The good news is that it will heal in time.

Anyone out there ever experienced this?  If so, did you go to the doctor or just ride it out?  I read that ART therapy can help, but I would need to get a referral from my doctor.  I just imagine that my doctor is unlikely to start with the right diagnosis, even if I help.  Not sure it’s worth the hassle if it’s going to heal with time.

Obviously I need to get with the bike shop and have my fit adjusted.  From what I read, a poor fit is the number one cause of this issue.  Considering that I started right out with long rides on this bike, I’m not surprised that I need a fit tune-up.

I still managed to get in a 2 hour run today, even though I could barely open my Gatorades.

I feel like a rented mule

85 Miles In 5 Hours and 41 Minutes

So today was my long bike ride.  After a great ride last week, I decided to try and get back on track with my original training schedule, even though I had missed 5 weeks of rides in July.  It was supposed to be a 5:15 ride, but lets just say my way out went faster than the way back.  =)

Last week I did 50 miles in 3:33.  Today, the I covered 50 miles in 3:10.

At mile 38 the trail that I ride (Silver Comet in GA), goes from a long, flat, former railroad track to a town-boardwalk/sidewalk.  There are some killer hills that I was completely unprepared for.  I turned around at 42.5 miles at 2:38.  So you can see, it took me 33 more minutes to make the return trip to go out.

The hills put a hurting on me.  At 50 I was starting to feel it.  Then I drank a Redbull and got a second wind.  By mile 72 I was feeling it again and my calves were auditioning for “So You Think You Can Dance” (visibly twitching).  By 78 I was dying.  By 80 I was ready to cry.  The last 5 miles were brutal.

I am way more sore from this ride than I was after my marathon.  I can barely type on the keyboard.  My lower back hurts when I move.  My quads and my calves are pretty thrashed and I’m very tired.  

To think I have to add 27 more miles of ride, 2.4 miles of swim and 26.2 of run in 13 more weeks.

OH BOY…

I’m back in the saddle again!

Literally.

After 6 weeks of not getting on my bike once, I finally got back in the saddle and took her for a ride.  (This is my new bike, I might add, that I had only ridden a total of twice).

Saturday was scheduled to be my long ride.  Two weeks ago, I had a conversation with my coach about my “off time” and he had updated my plan to take a small step back for two weeks before getting back to normal.  So I followed that plan.

I rode 50.2 miles in 3:33 minutes

Surprisingly, it felt great.  It was probably the best long ride I’ve had to date.

I pretty much took it easy the whole ride.  I stopped every thirty minutes to take a gel and catch up on liquids.  I stopped at the half-way turnound for a full 6 minutes to rest and just take it all in.  I stopped for 5 or so minutes to refill my bottles with water.  Even with all that, I still managed a respectable 14+ mph ride. 

Normally when I finish those rides, my quads are thrashed.  Not this time.  My quads felt perfectly normal.  I felt great.   I felt good enough to easily add a 30 minute run at the end, but didn’t want to risk injury.  The only thing that hurt was my thighs.  

I shoulda grabbed some Butt Buttr.  Oh well, I was starting to miss those huge bruises on the inside of my thighs anyway…

I got in the car after the ride and checked my email.  There was a response from my Triathlon Coach, Don, about my workouts.  I had sent him an email the night before letting him know that I actually missed the last two weeks of workouts that he had put together and explained why.

Let’s just say that he was NOT HAPPY.

My journey to become an Ironman that started about 15 months ago has had a lot of ups and downs.  It was last August that after another bike crash, I also fell off the training wagon.  Several weeks of not working out, and I decided that it was burnout and I made the decision to focus just on running (with the goal of competing in the Georgia Marathon in March).

There have been other ups and downs too.  He basically gave me the “take a look in the mirror and decided if you are serious about this.” speech.  He’s right.  The timing around this was not good.  I am putting myself at risk of being injured, either training, or during the race.

While I needed to hear it, it really took the wind out of my sales.  After such a great ride, a note like that completely changed my mood.  I don’t want him to blow smoke up my ass, and it was something that I needed to hear.  But I don’t take criticism like that well in general, so that really hit me hard.

But this morning I decided to focus on the goal.  Become an Ironman.  I was in the gym on the treadmill at 5:30 a.m. this morning.  I also spent some time in the pool.  Okay, it was with my kids, but I did practice some flip turns.  =)

13 weeks and 6 days to go…

It’s Alive!!!

I just got my bike back from the shop.  Sweet!!!

Thankfully the new fork didn’t set me back too much.  I still ended up paying less than half in total of what the bike would have cost me new.  All the guys in the shop commented about what great shape the bike was in.

Decided to go with a white saddle and white bar tape.  While it sucks that they will show dirt faster than other colors (choices for saddle were red, black or white).  I made the decision that the white made the copper stand out less.  If I went with black, your eyes were drawn to the copper color (which I do not particularly like).  So white it is.

This bike is light!!!  With carbon frame and carbon front-end, this bike is surprisingly light.  As my wife said “Wow!  Kendall (our 5 year old) could pick this up.”

I went for a quick spin tonight and I am so far very happy with the purchase.  I’ve decided to bring it with me to the race this weekend.  While it’s risky to use a new bike for the first real ride at a race, I’m too pumped up to leave it home.  Besides, it is a warm-up race so if things don’t go well, it wont be the end of the world.

Does anyone else think it’s funny that I own a bike called Blue with no blue on it?  =)

Things I’ve Learned This Weekend…

Here is what I’ve learned this weekend

  1. When you order a bike used on the Internet, it’s important to check to see if the steer tube has been cut too low for your ideal fit.  Because if it has, that means you have to buy a new fork, and that’s expensive.  The whole reason that I bought a new bike was because my current bike can’t be made “tall” enough.  If I have to buy a new fork, my “great deal” could good to “good deal” or possibly a “okay deal”.  I’ll know more on Monday after the manufacturer and the bike shop talk.
  2. If you do not get enough hydration, it will suck the will to live out of you during a race.  After missing my 10K on Saturday because I got started late and couldn’t find a route that got me to the starting line (because of closed roads), I made the decision to enter a Sprint Triathlon today.  It was a 200 yard swim, 10 mile bike and 3.1 mile run (Finished in 1:11:23).  My big mistake was not bringing a cage bottle for my bike.  This left me very thirsty while on the bike and dying on the run.  It was a very “loosely” organized event (to say the least) and the first water station was not until about 1.3 miles into the run.  I ended up walking a large portion of the first half of the run, but then after downing 3 cups of water and dumping one on my body, I felt like a new man.  I ran the last mile in 8:40 pace and the last 1/2 mile was probably a 7:00 pace.  I have been bonking at all my triathlons this year when I get off the bike.  I’m now convinced that it is hydration related.  I will have a much better hydration plan in place for my Sprint next weekend in Savannah.  (This is huge.  This will have a dramatic impact on my results from here on out)
  3. I laughed more during my 5-year-old’s dance recital today than I did while watching the Hangover 2.  That’s not to bash on the Hangover as much as it is about the recital (I liked the movie, just not as much as the first one).  Those little girls (3-7) were too cute.

Now it’s about having a solid training week (tapered) for my race next weekend.  I can’t wait!

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My New (to me) Bike I finally took the plunge and got a new(used) triathlon bike.  It is a Blue SL - Carbon Fiber, outfitted with Shimano Dura Ace groupset. While I hate the color scheme, I could not pass up on deal (less than 100 miles on Ebay for less than 50% of the price of a new one!)  Weeks of watching Ebay finally paid off! Note: The triathlon bicycle scene is ridiculous!  The prices that they want for a middle-of-the-road bike are just outrageous.  Do you want carbon fiber? How about components that wont break after a month?  I hope you qualify for a 2nd mortgage!  Going used was the only way to go. This comes after the discovery that my current bike could not be adjusted any further in attempt to make it more comfortable.  My body composition calls for a bike that is a lot “taller” than most triathlon bikes, and this is one of the tallest ones on the market.  I’m already spending 5-6 hours a week on the bike, and it will only increase as I get closer to November.  Being uncomfortable for hours at a time is not fun… This was a hard lesson learned about purchasing an already assembled, on-sale bike at the local bike shop.  While it was a good deal, it wasn’t the right bike for me.   Now, my bike does not have those snazzy Zipp wheels on them, but that’s okay.  I’m not looking for a land-speed record anyway. It should hopefully be here near the end of the week.

My New (to me) Bike

I finally took the plunge and got a new(used) triathlon bike.  It is a Blue SL - Carbon Fiber, outfitted with Shimano Dura Ace groupset.

While I hate the color scheme, I could not pass up on deal (less than 100 miles on Ebay for less than 50% of the price of a new one!)  Weeks of watching Ebay finally paid off!

Note: The triathlon bicycle scene is ridiculous!  The prices that they want for a middle-of-the-road bike are just outrageous.  Do you want carbon fiber? How about components that wont break after a month?  I hope you qualify for a 2nd mortgage!  Going used was the only way to go.

This comes after the discovery that my current bike could not be adjusted any further in attempt to make it more comfortable.  My body composition calls for a bike that is a lot “taller” than most triathlon bikes, and this is one of the tallest ones on the market.  I’m already spending 5-6 hours a week on the bike, and it will only increase as I get closer to November.  Being uncomfortable for hours at a time is not fun…

This was a hard lesson learned about purchasing an already assembled, on-sale bike at the local bike shop.  While it was a good deal, it wasn’t the right bike for me.  

Now, my bike does not have those snazzy Zipp wheels on them, but that’s okay.  I’m not looking for a land-speed record anyway.

It should hopefully be here near the end of the week.

He’s a Brick…HOUSE!

Here is the data behind my 3:30 brick workout (3 hour bike ride, 30 minute run, back-to-back) from earlier today. You can click on details to see my speed, heart-rate and other data…

I covered just over 44 miles on the bike and almost 2.5 miles on the run.  To say that I am tired would be an understatement.  I have some EPIC bruises on my thighs (grossed my wife out by showing her)

The bike ride felt better than the last.  A new saddle helps.  My right knee started bothering me at the end of the bike, but didn’t hurt at all while running.  I had a hard time keeping my heart-rate within the right zone when I did the run.  It didn’t help that I started out to fast (something like an 8:00/min/mile run).  

In other news, I competed in the Schlotzsky’s Bun Run last weekend.  This is our charity 5K race that is held in Austin every spring.  The Bun Run was the first race that I had ever competed in last year, and my time was 39:20.

I have mixed emotions about this years race.  While I easily set a Personal Record (PR) at 28:05, I could have done MUCH better.  It was so HOT and HUMID that I ended up walking several times near the end (after going out of the gates with a 7:54/min/mile to start).  I suppose that I should be happy considering that I had ridden 47 miles the day before, and I had no taper associated with this race.

I am excited for this coming Saturday, my first triathlon of the season: The Peachtree City Super Sprint.  This is a 300 yard swim, an 8 mile bike and a 2 mile run.  A perfect warm up for a busy triathlon season.

Giddy up!

Banging Away

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog, but that is because I have been too busy working out!  I have hit every one of my workouts for the last three weeks.  That streak came to an end tonight when tornado warnings in the area kept me home with the family.  (I actually tried to ride first.  I got less than 50’ before the wind had me headed for a ditch.)

To catch everyone up:

  • My run is getting faster.  I have found that my “steady” pace has been increasing over the past few weeks.
  • My bike is getting longer.  I covered over 40 miles last weekend on my long ride.  I managed to do so with a 15/mph, which is a big increase just over the past few weeks.
  • My swim is getting swimmier.  My swim is still struggling.  I have been working with a swim coach on the mechanics, which are improving, but I haven’t been able to pull it all together.
  • My weight is going down.  I have adopted a calorie counting approach given by my triathlon coach that has gotten me over the hump.  I am at my lowest weight in 15+ years.

In other news, after my long ride last week, I made the decision to go through an extensive bike fitting by All3Sports.  I have now ridden the bike for long enough to know that it wasn’t configured right for me.  Plus, having lost almost 40 pounds since it was initially fit, I expected things to be different.

The fit process was pretty intense.  I had computer sensors hooked up to my various joints that measured my movements on the bike (just like the picture above).  I got to watch a stick-figure representation of myself move on the tv screen while I rode.  The whole process took over 2 hours.

The good news is that there were several configuration changes that dramatically improved my fit on the bike, but not without some costs.  The bad news is that my bike will not be able to go “all the way there”.  For me to get the most comfortable as possible, I would actually have to get a different bike.  

The short story is that there are two main type of bike configurations: “Long and Low” versus “Tall and Short”.  My current bike is one of the “Long and Low” bikes and to best fit me I would need a “Tall and Short” bike.  

Funny thing about how All3Sports works, they fit you FIRST and then tell you which bikes you can choose.  With my current bike, I bought the bike first and THEN did a fit to try and make it work.  Obviously, that All3Sports has the right approach.

So now I am faced with the decision of investing a lot of money into my existing bike to get it “better” or spending a ton of money on a new bike to get it right.  Frankly, I don’t like either option.

For anyone thinking about getting a triathlon bike, GET THE FIT FIRST!  That is all

As I look at refitting my bike (or even getting a new one), it is interesting to see what the pros do when it comes to bike fit.

The Last Time I Rode My Bike, It Bit Me

My minor bike crash last August left me with this lovely scar.  At that time I was feeling overwhelmed with my training and decided to focus on my run in preparation for my marathon.  As a result, I hadn’t been back on my bike until 2 weeks ago, when I started my long-haul training for my Ironman in November.

The first thing that I noticed was that “area” on my thighs that connect with the bike seat get real sore, real fast.  I forgot just how tender that area is.  I’m looking forward to getting enough time on the seat for that to harden up some.

I also noticed that shifting is as much science as it is art.  At certain points on the ride it felt like I was shifting every 15 seconds.  I’m sure that get’s easier the more time that I spend on the bike.

Two weekends ago I did 60 minutes at about 14.1 mph average.  Last weekend I did 90 minutes at 14.4 mph average.  This included stopping for Gatorade breaks as I wasn’t comfortable grabbing it from the cage while riding on the busy Silver Comet trail.  Not bad for the first couple of times out, but it needs to improve dramatically before November.

It also included my Zone 4 workouts (high heart rate).  In each workout I was scheduled to do 5 minutes of Zone 4 near the end of the ride.  On the first weekend I got 2 minutes, 1 minute of rest and another 2 minutes of Z4.  The second weekend I was able to do 3 minutes, 1 minute of rest and 1 minute of Z4.

It’s fun to ride the bike, but it’s really fun to go fast.  =)

It is all a matter of perspective

Weight: 227.2

You’re so fat, your BMI is measured in acres (Overheard on the trail)

Ahh, the ups and downs of triathlon training.  I had a very tough training week last week.  Per my earlier post, I had committed to really nail what was a very tough training schedule.  But in the end, I did not do so well.  I missed several of my workouts, mostly due to work dinners that somehow involved a late nights and beer, which made if very difficult for those 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls. (Yes, I blame you Childers)

I guess the good news is that this morning I managed a 26.2 mile bike ride, my longest to date.  It really felt good (well, everything except my “seating area” did).  My fitness and legs both felt fine after, which was awesome!

It did however put some things in perspective:

  • 26.2 miles is the same distance as a marathon (the run at the Ironman).  I now know exactly how far that is, and let me tell you, that is a long damn way to run!
  • I then remembered that I have to do that run, AFTER biking for 5x as long as my ride today!
  • And then it hit me, I have to do that AFTER swimming 6x as long as my evening swim!
  • DOH!

Just for giggles, I went through a little exercise to see just how far 140.6 miles takes me.  With this online tool, I found that travelling 140.6 miles “as the crow flies” from my house in Roswell, GA, I could be in:

  • Birmingham, AL
  • Knoxville, TN 
  • Greenville, SC

Now that is some perspective!

Is that Wilfred Brimley???

Weight: 229.4 (Awwwww Yeah)

Do you remember the scene from Cocoon with all the old people in the pool?  I’m pretty sure that they filmed that at my YMCA.

I managed to over-sleep my Masters Swim class last Thursday (yes Childers, I blame you).  So I was forced to do a make-up swim at the YMCA at lunch time.  As I peered through the glass at the pool coming down the stairs, I knew I was in for a time.  There were about 15-17 senior citizens floating around the pool, taking up all but one lane (which was filled with about 10 little kids).  

As I got into the pool, I discovered that they were mostly heavy-set Russian women with shower caps on, with a few skinny white men, who were barely moving (that didn’t talk much).  

I’ll spare you the long version of the story, but I’ll give you the high-level summary:

  • I was asked by the Russian woman that I was splitting the lane with “Why you stop and rest so much?  You sick?”
  • Every time I stopped I half expected to be tapped on the shoulder and have someone talk to me about die-ah-beat-tis.
  • I got out of the pool after seeing my 3rd band-aid on the bottom of the pool.  Have I mentioned that I swim with my mouth open?
  • Gotta love those YMCA prison showers.  I’m pretty sure the producer from Borat was taking a shower.  I’ve never seen a hairier, fatter and more wrinkly body than the guy singing to himself in the shower that day.  I walked into the shower and he was bent over, covered in suds, washing himself.  I threw up a little in my mouth.

I have to say that that might be my last trip to that Y.  I’m trying to figure out if I bail on all the local Y’s and switch to a different gym, or what.  The Y is convenient to the office, to my house and to our Austin office.  They also have big pools.  That was the draw in the first place.  All I can say that was disgusting.  I ended up skipping lunch.

Some other (much better) highlights of the week:

  • On Thursday night I ran a full 5K without walking or resting.  That is the first time that I have ran longer than 1.88 miles in a single stint.  Running 3.2 felt awesome.  I did it just by running.  I didnt look at my watch, my heart monitor or anything else.  I just concentrated on my breathing and taking rhythmic steps.  In the end it worked.  I was very happy about that.
  • On Sunday morning I had a 21 mile bike ride.  That is also my longest ride to date.  I could have easily gone farther, but got a late start and just ran out of time.  I needed to get back to the house to get my work done for the weekend.
  • I took the advice of a friend and have purchased some additional workout clothes (to keep the frequency of laundry down) and I stopped weighing myself everyday (the watch pot never boils).  I had gotten pretty frustrated with no real weight loss in about 2 weeks.
  • I have put my shorts sized 40 (and 42) in storage.  They just fall off me now.  I am back in my 38s.  I will be doing the same with my dress pants later this week.
  • I have been looking for several weeks for a good bike jersey. I found a perfect jersey today, and it was on sale.  (Boooh-yah!)

Oh well, the Celtics just took a 3-2 lead in the NBA Championships, I guess it’s time to head to bed.  Good night!

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