Blood, sweat and beers

For those of you who just tuned in, I am still on my blogular holiday, so for now all you get is some pictures to keep you entertained.

Today's theme is blood, sweat and beers. There is no blood (thank goodness) but plenty of sweat, and a great beer called Saison de Dottignies. Dottignies is a town that is also known as Dottenijs near Kortrijk -but just over the language border. The beer is actually brewed in the Flemish region by Brouwerij De Ranke in Wevelgem, but is in the Walloon style. I love it. I like it even better than the Saison Dupont I reviewed earlier -and which may be more authentic for all I know.

What is also ironic -at least for Europeans- is that these are seasonal brews (saison means season) meant for late summer refreshment but I am drinking them in winter.

Sweat on the floor. Also notice the rust on the roller frame. Hard workouts!

A good brew to rehydrate!

Finally, this shot of people waiting outside the Apple store for the iPad2. They had been there for over 6 hours already and there were at least another six to go.

The umbrella line

Oakland

This defunct furniture was dumped on Marlborough Terrace in the Oakland hills yesterday. It was witnessed by a neighbor who told the offenders she would call the police. She did but nobody cares or maybe the City thinks this is a suitable art nouveau installation? That is Oakland for you.

I took a break yesterday. Unfortunately, it is raining today. Kreitler Rollers of course: 1hr 15 minutes, 1,205 calories.

art installation on Marlborough Terrace

Also tried this Belgian beer recently: St Feuillien. It is now pretty big in California. A Tripel much like Tripel Karmeliet but I prefer the latter. 

St. Feuillien in a generic glass

Finally, congrats to Thomas De Gendt, a big victory in Paris Nice! Alberto also showed his mettle in the Tour of Murcia.

Thank Kreitler for rollers!

What do you do when you have a separated shoulder and a cracked rib? You can't swim or run because you can't lift your arm above the vertical or endure the rocking of your shoulder when you run. This type of pain is not very amenable to conventional pain killers, and who wants to run while being on codeine anyways? I am surprised opiates are on WADA's list but that just goes to show you that, either they are bureaucrats who never exercise, or, their real intent is not unfair competition but just to be an extension of the war on drugs. 

Identical to my setup, except for the bike

Riding is possible but only if you ride easy -no heavy breathing here, no coughing, sneezing or laughing.  Also, no sudden stops or grabbing the brake. What is left is ride to on rollers and that works well as long as I ride easy. The forkstand helps but it  is not absolutely necessary. For now, the bike is on the stand and I don't want to take the trouble (and endure the pain) to undo it.

I found that a Lidoderm lidocaine patch on the rib helps to dull the initial pain. I put it on 10-15 minutes beforehand and then I hop on. Once I get going things are Ok as long as I control my breathing and don't stop. I can't ride very fast because breathing deeply is pretty painful, but at least I can get some exercise in. My hip -apart from the skin- is completely back to normal and spinning actually feels good. So I spent 50 minutes on my rollers today, pumping out an easy 190W average. I still managed to burn a good 500 calories.

315 W

I ran on a treadmill at the Westin in Boston last week and it estimated my power output to be about 315 W while I was running at 9 mph. 9 mph is a speed I can hold for about 30-35 minutes on a treadmill. I can run a bit faster outside, even though the consensus is that running on a treadmill is easier than running on the road.

As I mentioned before I agree with that statement, for short distances. I can certainly run at a faster speed on a treadmill for short periods of time, but I cannot hold this for very long. The reason I believe is lack of cooling. I am probably relatively inefficient in that I tend to generate a lot of heat and sweat a lot. I certainly sweat a lot more than other people around me, and it is not uncommon for me to leave a sizable pool of sweat behind after a long stationary workout.

Yesterday I rode on my rollers and I held 325W for 30 minutes (in aero position). I would not call it maximal effort but it was up there. What I like about this is that numbers are nicely consistent. It appears that something in the range of 315-325W is what I can hold for about 30-35 minutes. According to the lookup tables that would correspond to a speed of about 40 km/h (24.8 mph). The real speed is likely higher since this was done in a deep aero position.

My speed on the rollers was lower but it is a rather arbitrary quantity and depends a lot on the setting on my Kreitler "Killer Headwind" fan.

On the standard 20 minute test I can get a power to weight of 4.2 or better (mid Cat 2 range), but so far I have never gone all out on such a test so it is possible that I would do even better.

On Saturday and Sunday I rode a 35 mile loop through Orinda, Moraga and over Pinehurst. On Monday I rode on rollers, including the 30 minutes at 325W. Today I ran to Montclair and back for 8.8 miles. All I can say is that this time I felt a whole lot better than last time I did that run.

Tubeless

It is not often that one meets a new innovation that is truly innovative. Most improvements are nothing but a new layer of paint and a ton of hype. Not so with tubeless tires. These things are truly a step forward when it comes to riding pleasure and peace of mind.

For several years now I have been riding tubeless on my mountain bike and the benefits are more than obvious. You very rarely get a flat and when you do, a bit of superglue is all you need to get home safely. If all else fails you can always use a tube. There is a minor price to pay in that it is harder to remove a tubeless tire (or install one) but proper technique goes a long way here as I found out recently.

The myth about not being able to pump the tire or not being able to form a proper seal is also just that. I have never had any problem and believe me, my upper body strength is not there. I also never used soap or sealing liquids or any other messy substance. Just mount the tire and pump it up. Easy as hell.

I get flats a lot less often on my mountain bike than my companions do. As a matter of fact it took almost two years before I first had a flat and by then the tire needed replacing anyways. So far I have had only three flats in all the time I rode my mountain bike.

The first time, it took me a long while to remove the tire and insert a tube but most of that was due to inexperience. I also messed up the valve and lost some O-rings but that too is a thing of the past. I have made enormous strides in properly installing and removing tubeless tires. The key is to use the palm of your hand and not your fingers!

Now after all these years I switched my road bike to tubeless as well. It works like a charm. I used Hutchinson Atom tires and they ride as well as any other tire I have ridden. I read somewhere that tubeless was nice but not ready for prime time yet. I wonder who wrote that and why, because I certainly can't tell the difference. The Atoms ride as well as my Michelin Pro Race 3's or any tubular I ever tried.

I think the hoopla surrounding tubulars is largely just that. Tradition! Sure you feel a difference. Who wouldn't when you suddenly ride a tire pumped to 145+ psi? The pressure difference is very noticeable on your bottom parts.

But why use an air chamber, which is supposed to give you cushioning and comfort if you are going to pump it up until it feels like a steel wheel anyways? Maybe for a short Cat whatever race, such things may work, or if you are a pro and have a butt of steel, but why sweat it? A tire is supposed to give a bit. That is why we use tires.

Just remember that many pros suffer saddle sores and other bottom bruising ailments and these sometimes force them to stop racing (at least for a while). The enhanced shaking also takes its toll. You are more fatigued when riding such high pressure contraptions. And the gain? Less rolling resistance? According to carefully controlled tests that is illusionary too. Clinchers have less rolling resistance than tubulars. It appears that whatever you gain from less tire flex you lose from stretching glue.

Tubeless is the best of both worlds. You can ride normal pressures and you won't get pinch flats. If you do, you can fix it as easily as fixing a flat with a clincher. I have not read any reports about using superglue but I do plan to test it should I get a flat. If that works, things are even easier. In any case, when you get a tear in a tire, any tire, you will need to replace it anyways. And a good tubeless is as inexpensive as regular clincher.

Yesterday I rode a 2X20 on my rollers. I averaged well over 350W during the efforts, and things went very well. Last night my right knee was a bit sore, but nothing too bad. Today I went on a 8.8 mile run. My timing was perfect and I managed to find the optimal weather slot in between two nasty rain bouts.

Roller derby

We had an exciting week here in Northern California. After several days of 72F/22C degree weather, an Artic storm blew in and suddenly we had snow, icy wind and freezing temperatures. The water on top of our rain barrels froze, and there was snow on Grizzly Peak when we woke up on Monday. When the ice finally cleared, a series of rain storms brought wet weather from Vancouver to Tijuana. I don't think I have ever seen a weather map like that. Storms along the entire Pacific coast.

Fortunately I had just completed a couple of hard weeks so now was a good time to take it easy. On Monday I rested. Then on Tuesday I ran for 8.75 miles in the hills. Snow, sun, and extra bright fall color on the trees were mixed together. it was an awesome sight.

On Wednesday I rode hard on rollers, averaging 276 W for the hour. The garage was freezing cold. On on Thursday and Friday I rode for 1:30 concentrating mostly on a smooth fast cadence. On Saturday and Sunday I ran, first 8.75 miles and then 7.25 miles. Saturday was fairly dry and much warmer than earlier in the week, but Sunday's run quickly turned wet and foggy. Visibility was less than 10 yards on Grizzly making the run quite dangerous in spots.

When I got back I had to go out and find Alistair, who had gotten lost on a bike ride and was out there without much light in the driving rain. It was more than a bit worrisome as the fog was thick with practically no visibility, and most of the turns were deeply flooded. I was quite relieved when I found him near Fish Ranch Rd. Fortunately the rain jacket had done a good job and he was warm albeit a bit tired. Riding the Berkeley hills in this type of weather is not advised. Cars go off the road all the time, and in the past month alone, we have seen two go off the road, down the side of the hill.

a solid week

On Monday and Tuesday I rode 40 miles, all at a very good pace. On Monday I rode to Orinda, then Moraga and over Redwood. On Tuesday I rode down Wildcat, over the backside of Papa Bear and Happy Valley and then back to Wildcat. Both rides burned in excess of 2,000 calories -with my newly calibrated power meter. On Monday I had some trouble with the speed readout as it turned out the pickup unit got mangled between the wheel and the chainstay after I had a flat on the Specialized team ride.

On Wednesday I ran 10.5 miles in the hills (i.e. the Montclair-Shepherd Cyn, Loop). On Thursday I ran 7.25 because I did not have time to go longer. I had originally planned to run 10.5 twice. There was a nice symmetry to my plan. Two days of 40 mile rides and 2 days of 10.5 miles running.

Friday I rode on rollers (without the forkstand) for 1:15 and burned a good 1,033 calories in the process. Today I rode 42 miles completing the South Loop of the Grizzly Century. That took 2,122 calories. Tomorrow I want to ride another 40 and then on Monday I will take a rest day.

In case you wonder, I am not training for anything in particular, but I would like to keep my fitness high so I can attempt a long distance cycling event early next year. As long as the weather cooperates -and if anything it is too hot now- I want to try to ride and run as much as I can.

I am still debating whether or not I will sign up for Boston. If I do it will probably be the last time I go there -it is too far really- and three is a good number. On the other hand, I am already stuck with another Lake Placid and so I am not sure I want to add another remote race to my calendar while I should be focusing on distance cycling.

The other problem is that both Placid and Boston coincide with a major cycling event that Alistair will take part in. Boston is on the same date as Sea Otter and LP happens during Nationals. This year I missed Sea Otter, which was a shame, and I only made it to part of Nationals, which was a hassle and quite expensive to boot.

Added on Sunday: rode 60 miles with Alistair. We rode the "fruitstand ride" starting from our house. Added a few sprints here and there and kept a good pace overall. We stopped in Danville to get some fluids and then again in Moraga. Total time was 3:45.

A dull and boring week

I can't say I enjoyed this week much. The weather was so-so, cold, overcast and generally miserable. Temperatures below average, drizzly nights, and fog-ridden days. It felt like winter. I ended up spending most of the week indoors, hiding from nature.

On Monday I rode 1:15 on rollers burning 1,133 calories in the process. On Tuesday I tried another long run on the treadmill, but I could not keep going at 8 mph without taking a break. I ended up running for about 1:35 and covering 12 miles, but I stopped twice. Later that day, I felt like I was getting a cold. Not good.

On Wednesday I swam 2.5 miles in two sessions. In the morning I swam 120 laps, pretty fast, and in the afternoon I took the kids to the pool and swam another 100 laps, for a total of 220 or 2.5 miles.

Yesterday things were a bit better and I rode for 1:25 on rollers, burning 1,331 calories. I spent most of my time putting out in excess of 250W. That was better.

Today is another miserable day, but I decided to go out anyways. I rode 20 miles on my mountain bike, now outfitted with new Hutchinson tires. The ride went very well and I felt pretty good.

Hopefully, next week will be warmer and sunnier.

Rollers

Alistair has a time-trial this weekend so we focused on riding on rollers this week. I rode on Sunday, on Wednesday and once again on Thursday. The above graph is from Thursday's session. I rode pretty hard for about 56 minutes and then took a little break (see the drop in power and the slight dip in cadence). The first 56 minute were recorded in aero position and the goal here was to keep my pace and output steady. After the break I pedaled some more sitting upright -which is a whole lot easier- and using a smaller gear. My cadence stays the same pretty much throughout. I burned 1,111 calories on that ride.

Wednesday's ride was a bit longer but my power output was slightly less. I burned 1,001 calories then.  On Sunday I rode hard for 30 minutes and took it easy the rest of the time. All riding was done in a pretty warm garage (72 ambient). The heat stress is part of the training for me as most ironman races take place in hot environments.

On Tuesday I ran on the treadmill for 1.5 hours keeping my speed at 8.1 mph after a short warmup. My overall average was 8 mph and I finished 12 miles with a few seconds to go. Most of it I ran at an inclination of 0.5. Since my treadmill broke, I run at the club, where the ambient temperature is always well above average (74-75) and cooling is hard to find.

On Monday, I swam slightly more than 2 miles (180 laps) in 1:15, all freestyle. That is slightly slower than my (very slow) "race pace."

The fundraising for Lake Placid is going a whole lot slower than I thought it would. I have sent out almost as many requests as I did for Arizona, with very little to show for it. I guess the economy is taking its toll.

Too tired

Yesterday I took Alistair to the Jr. Crit. in Livermore. I signed up to do the masters 35+ 3/4. It felt like the right thing to do. As soon as the race started however, I knew it was a huge mistake. First, I fumbled and could not get my foot in the pedal, causing me to have to chase right from the start. Even then I could feel that my legs were trashed. I did get on but I was stuck at the end of the pack. I was not able to move up and a few laps later I lost contact -blame it on my poor cornering skills. I rode one lap alone and almost caught back up (a mere two bike lengths), but it was useless. So, five minutes into the race, I called it quits and went home.

I went to the pool and swam 2,000 yrds instead. That felt better. Livermore was also my second experience with RockTape (a Kinesiotape lookalike). I cannot say it did me much good. It also came off in the pool. 

On Friday I rode my mountain bike for 22 miles and the superglue held. I was just about to start bragging about superglue and tubeless tires, when I noticed -this afternoon- that the tire is flat again. I would say that superglue is a great temporary measure, something that will get you home, but once the tubeless tire has a hole, it is history. So much for a $50 brand new Michelin XCR Dry. I think it lasted for all of 75 miles (being patched twice with superglue to boot).

On Thursday I ran on the treadmill for an hour. I ran 8.3 miles, matching my best time and a confirmation that I can hold 8.3. It may not sound like much but I run all of it in a hot room with little cooling and most of it at a slight 0.5% incline to simulate the road. 

Today I rode on rollers for an hour. I warmed up and then rode 16 minutes at high speed, followed by a ten minute easy roll. Then I did another 10 minutes at speed, and I finished with some easy spinning. It was a good workout. Alistair did the same workout in preparation for next week's time trial in Davis.

Swim, spin, swim

For a while we were thinking about driving to Monterey and do the CCX cross country race at Ford Ord. But neither Alistair nor I managed  to produce enough enthusiasm to make it happen. It is possible that the weather had something to do with it, because Sunday was cold, cloudy and rainy. After sitting around all morning, I decided to go to the pool and swim 3,000 meters.

After a good strong start, I slowed down considerably midway and near the end, it turned into a slog to the finish. Not fun. Seems like I will never feel my best in the water.

Yesterday was even worse. After spending the whole morning on a conference call, I couldn't get started and by the time I did there was barely more than an hour left before I had to pick up the kids. I ended up riding my rollers and that too turned into a drag. Without a functioning power meter, or even a speedometer for that matter, I had no idea how hard I was working. All I know is that it felt very hard. After an hour, exhausted, dehydrated, and ready to cramp up, I called it quits.

Today, the weather finally cleared up and the sun reappeared. I spent the morning writing and after lunch I decided to give the pool another try. I swam 160 laps, with only a brief pause at 80 and 120 to clear my mask. Overall it felt pretty good and I think I was doing well. I did not time my effort exactly but it appears I did the 160 in a little over an hour. For me, that is an excellent swim pace.

Eating and racing

Today is a rainy day. Totally overcast here in the hills with on and off showers. Good day to ride rollers. I rode for 90 minutes, more or less even with some moderate efforts, keeping my heart rate below 165 all the time. My average power was slightly over 200 with an NP of 220. I burned 1,221 calories doing this, which once again shows that the stationary bikes at the club are overly optimistic when it comes to calories.

Many people are confused about eating before a race. Personally I have gone back and forth on this but now I feel that eating -and drinking- less is probably best. Unless you are competing in stage race or multi-day event. It is also best to eat at least 2 hours before the race and if you can't do that, just skip breakfast altogether and eat a candy bar.

For marathons, don't eat much at all. Especially when the race starts early in the morning. Races like Boston, that start later give you time to eat a normal breakfast and have most of it cleared by the time the race starts. I found that the less I eat the better. I also found that I need to cut back on coffee or tea, because otherwise I get too wired and start out too fast. I make sure not to drink too  much before the race, and not to drink at all during the first 10 miles. That avoids potty breaks, sloshing liquids and other stomach trouble. 

For a 50+ mile road race on the bike, I tend to eat normally. Since most races start around 10 AM, I eat a normal breakfast of two slices of toast with peanut butter and jelly, coffee, and some banana. On the bike things are easy and if you get hungry or feel sluggish you just eat a candy bar (I prefer Clif) or pop a few gels.

For Ironman I eat early, around 4:30-5:00 AM for a 7:00 AM start. Normally I eat a bagel, some banana and a candy bar, with some coffee and juice. I try not to eat too much beforehand. I may consume a gel half an hour before the swim start, or munch on some candy bars, but overall I try to keep things light. Experience has shown that this works best, by far.

I also found that the better prepared you are, the less you need to eat or drink. I also recommend that you avoid eating big dinners the night before. Especially so-called carbo-loading dinners. These events do no such thing and are usually just an excuse to overeat and binge.

Lost a nice day

Another perfect day, warmer than yesterday. However due to a series of complications and outside events I was unable to go out and ride. Too bad really. I ended up riding about 1:15 on my rollers instead. I rode the first 20 minutes at a 250W average and the total at a 233W average. That is pretty good and it made me wonder why I am not doing better in bike races.

I have often thought about how good I could have been, had I started earlier. I never really exercised until I was 33. I am still improving year over year past age 50, so I clearly have not ever hit my top performance.

This year I set two objective PR's. The first was the Boston marathon, the second IM Arizona. I ran a marathon that was age-equivalent to 3:01. That is not super great but it is not bad either. Especially considering that I am a pretty poor runner. I also think I can run faster, and a 3:10-15 should be do-able. That would be age equivalent to a 2:50 or so.

I rode the Ironman at 215W average for 112 miles. That too is pretty good. It would be even better if I were lighter or more aero. Neither my weight nor my position is optimal. I am pretty heavy compared to an elite cyclist and at least 1o lbs heavier than I was in my 30's. As for aero: I am not even close to being aero when you look at the pictures. I sit straight up, and even in aero position I am high. I have this picture of myself riding with a pro triathlete. It was taken at IM Canada in 2006.  I sit up and he is flat. You can judge for yourself.