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.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of summer. This year, it felt more like winter. There was fog all day on Saturday and Sunday, and temperatures dropped into the low 50s. Not fun. On Sunday I went to the club and ran for 1hr on the treadmill. I ran 8.3 miles, which is about as far as I have ever run on a treadmill in one hour.

On Monday, the weather was better and I rode 30 miles to the top of Redwood road. I averaged a normalized power (NP) of 288, one of the highest NP readings ever. I rode quite hard.

On Tuesday I ran for 9.3 miles on the trails around Grizzly Peak. First I ran up to the "Steam Trains" and then back down and on the backside trail to Sibley. From there I went home over Grizzly Peak Blvd. The weather was much better and it felt quite good to be out.

Today I swam 160 laps in the pool.

Sad day for cycling, triathlon

Friday, May 22 2009, was a sad day. Steve Larsen, the only pro road racer, mountain biker, and ironman triathlete died at the age of 39. He collapsed while on a training run. The cause is as yet unknown but a heart attack has apparently been ruled out by autopsy -not as easy to do as you might think. Attention is now focused on the breathing problems Steve developed over the past week. 

Steve Larsen, who used to live in Davis, where he had a bike shop, recently moved to Bend Oregon and had a real estate business there. He retired from pro racing but kept competing at the amateur level. In the early 90's he raced for the Motorola team alongside Lance Armstrong. He also won Ironman Lake Placid, and came in a respectable 9th in the Hawaii Ironman. He won the National XC title twice and competed in XTerra events. He leaves behind a wife and five children.

The kids were off from school Friday for the Memorial Day weekend. Alistair and I rode 50 miles on Mines road around noon. It was quite warm at 84F and surprisingly windy. We rode out past the county line and over the first climb (midway to San Jose) to mile marker 23. The road continues as San Antonio valley road and then Hamilton Rd. The markers go up from San Jose and climb to 27 at the county line. Then they count down from 20 to Livermore. We took only one water bottle each and were quite dehydrated by the end of it. We also rode hard in sections and that may have added to our water deficit.

Today I swam 166 laps or 3,000 meters in the pool. I started out strong and fast -certainly as compared to the other two pool users, but faded a bit near the end. I took a brief stop at 106 (half ironman distance) to clear my goggles. Then I swam until 152 when I had to stop for a cramp in my foot. I continued on for another 14 laps with breaks in between.

More superglue

Superglue on the inside of the tire seems to be working. It is a bit of a hassle but filling the gash from the inside makes more sense. The glue forms a little patch and when it is situated on the outside it tends to get rubbed off. Also the outside is under stress when the tire is inflated and that makes it more likely that the glue patch will give in other ways as well.

I rode 20 miles on Wednesday, most of it on the trail and the tire held up. Then I ran 7.5 miles on the treadmill -6 of which at a good clip and with some elevation. Overall a very good workout.

On Tuesday I swam two miles and some extra laps (180 in total). Today I rode 33 miles on my tri-bike. I rode to the top of Redwood and noticed several cars driving at excessive speeds on both Redwood and Pinehurst Roads. The area is already pretty dangerous due to motorcycle morons and now it appears the car-racing crowd has discovered it too. I am afraid this will not end well.

Superglue

On Sunday I drove Alistair to the Panoche Road Race (Junior State Championship). I rode in the follow car with Andrew Lanier Sr. and got to watch the race. Even though team Specialized carried the day (1-2 in the 15-16, win in the 17-18, and a masters win too), the Junior "team" did not ride like a team. It is quite clear that Specialized wins because they have the best riders, not because of any team strategy. I guess juniors have a lot to learn. It was quite interesting to watch.

Afterwards, I rode my mountain bike, but when I got to Redwood park I flatted. There was a large gash in my tire and I had nothing to fix it with. A friendly guy took me home and I replaced the tire-which was quite worn- with a new one and set out again. Would you believe that I rode to Redwood and flatted on the same spot? Another gash, this time in a new tire. I called Barbara who took me home. So much for training;)

On Monday I rode 22.5 miles on the new tire, now superglued to perfection. Or so I thought? Because as soon as I got to Marlborough Terrace (about 0.7 miles from home) the tire started losing air again. I quickly rode home. Not wanting to throw out a new tire, I took it off and superglued the inside of the gash. So far, it seems to be working. I need to ride it to find out. As for the superglue -I took it with me on the 22.5 mile ride- it made a nice mess inside my saddle baggie. Apparently, my "superglue strategy" needs more work.

Today I swam 180 laps or a little bit over 2 miles. It went pretty well and took me about 1:15. Not a record setting pace, but all free-style and all non-stop. Probably the longest I ever did freestyle.

Nothing better than a cold beer

After Ironman Switzerland we were offered cold beer. Here in America, where recovery drinks reign, that would be considered heresy. But I have found that nothing tastes better or is more satisfying than a cold beer after a hard race. Especially when it is hot.

Please spare me the lectures that will say how alcohol dehydrates the body, or some other non-sense that is really trying to cover up the fact that you do not approve of anyone having a beer. I say, if it feels good there must be a reason why. That is, in general how biology works, and things that feel good are good for you (in moderation of course).

After Coeur d'Alene, I walked by a bar where a number of students were drinking beer from a pitcher. One started talking to me, and I -in my post-race high endorphin state- thought nothing of it to ask him if I could have a glass. To my surprise he promptly obliged and they filled a glass for me and the whole group toasted to my race. Man, that felt good.

Today it was quite hot and I ran 10.5 miles in the hills. That after having spent three hours this morning working in the sun. I was quite dehydrated. I drank several cups of water, all of which tasted so-so, some nuun, which tastes better, and even a Rockstar energy drink. But nothing really satisfied my thirst or ended my craving. In the end, I drank a beer and that really hit the spot. It was just amazing really how good it felt.

Cheers to all of you! Keep up the good work.

Stroke? Try muscle

Another image to make the same point: what counts in swimming is muscle. Take a look at those deltoids. Michael Phelps in the pool.

Today I rode 56 miles at an average speed of 16.8, which is not bad given all the hills. I got a flat in Alamo, but fortunately there was a bike store nearby. I was a bit shocked at having to pay $5.40 for a tube, but the store people were quite nice and they helped me change my tire.

Yesterday I rode 20 miles on my mountain bike, essentially the redwood loop except that I went straight back on the West trail instead of making the extra loop that follows Redwood Rd. I was a bit pressed for time so I had to make concessions. The straight trail however, makes up for lost distance by inserting a lot more climbing.

On Wednesday, I came home early from the Neurotech meeting and took the kids to the pool. I ran 8.5 miles on the treadmill while they swam. On Tuesday I swam 164 laps or 3,000 meters. On Monday I took a rest day.