Charlottesville International RR

In preparation for Timberman I returned to Charlottesville, VA to take a crack at what is known as a tough and hilly course. I rode the course last October and squeaked out an average of 18.8 mph, which didn't include the two stops I made for food and pictures. My goal for the race was to see where my fitness stood by testing out the race paces I intend to keep in New Hampshire, now only a month away. I had some concerns about how my recent hip injury would respond to the hill climbing but everything seemed to work out.

.9 Mile Swim - 21:42 (1:30/100m)
The water temperature was 80 degrees so it was time to test my open water abilities sans wetsuit. I was eager to see what I could do and had a pipe dream about posting a top ten time. Reality set in about 400 meters into the swim and I decided to hang back and follow some feet. When I popped out of the water my watch only said 21:00, which was much lower than I was figuring. Turns out everyone had that thought. I calculated the course was 300 meters short.

T1 - 1:09
Not having to fight with a wetsuit was nice. I was going to try to grab the bike with shoes already clipped on but the course jumped into a serious hill right away. I figured the situation was better suited for a traditional approach.

23.5 Mile Bike - 1:08:15 (20.7mph)
I perfectly hit my mark of 20.5 and did so being somewhat reserved. I attacked a few of the steeper climbs early and noticed lingering fatigue from Friday's 25-mile ride up the Custis Trail from Rosslyn (had to test the hip). I watched my average and kept the cadence high over the last ten miles. The 41mph decent to the race site certainly helped the average. As I approached the dismount line I began to slip out of my bike shoes. In the process I felt the right shoe come unclipped so I reached down and grabbed it. I set the shoe on my aerobars but that lasted all of two seconds before it flew off, ironically landing next to my car.

T2 - 0:47
I tried the stretch laces for the first time in a race and it wasn't too much easier. I think I need to loosen them a bit.

10K Run - 41:56 (6:52/mile)
The most exciting part of the race was the trail run. I had never competitively run through a wooded course before and could not wait. I quickly realized its dangerous to run full speed over roots, mud, rocks, hills, and streams, right after you biked. I almost ate a tree when I attempted to turn at the bottom of a hill. I decided to keep a pace that seemed safe until my legs rebounded from the bike. My splits were: 7:10, 7:08, 13:56 (two miles), 6:38, 6:26, 0:38.

Total Time - 2:13:47
I was pleased with the results, especially since I swiped my first AG win! It was a small race of 101 men so there is only so much cheering I can do. I placed 7th OA so that was nice too. But more importantly, I know where my fitness stands and I can now gameplan for Timberman.

Rest Sucks

The past month I've been able to log some good training. I've hit a few long rides, runs, and even an open water swim. Last week I had planned to go easy so I could start my hard speed work weeks before the big taper for Timberman. I felt great recovering with the slower paced days.

The Tuesday of the slow week I had an opportunity to play softball with a friend and I jumped on it. The next day my hip flexors were sore like I had lifted weights. When Sunday rolled around I rode one loop of the Kinetic Half course hard. During the ride I felt a slight pull in my hip but didn't think much of it. A few hours later I had a tough time walking. On Tuesday my hip felt 90% so I opted to play another doubleheader of softball instead of training, figuring it would be easier on the hip. Wow I was dead wrong. The muscle quickly knotted up and I limped through the games.

The injury forced me to chill on the couch and watch the Tour de France all week. I kept wishing I could be tap dancing my way up those mountains. After watching Contador take yellow this morning I felt well enough to try some easy riding. I managed a meager 27 miles at 15 mph before I called it a day. Don't think I'll take any stages with that kind of effort. I probably could have gone further but what's the point. It looks like I'll be taking a forced taper this week for Charlottesville International. Bummer since I had planned to train through. Oh well, I hope to be healed and able to race respectable by next Sunday. We'll see how the week goes.

UPDATE 7/23/09: Had a decent tempo run yesterday but still experienced tightness and pain. Probably brave some bike training tonight to see if its a go for Sunday's race.

Keeping Rubber on the Road

After my spill a few weekends ago I started to wonder why I had fallen so easily. Certainly the combination of rain, fresh asphalt, and right-angled corner were the major contributing factors. But I wondered, at 5 mph or so, could I have avoided the accident all together? An investigation of my Trek Equinox's tires uncovered I had zero tread left. I bought the bike used a year and a half ago and haven't paid much attention to the wearable items since.

This week I decided it was a wise investment to purchase a new set of tires instead of ending up with a broken wrist/arm/thumb somewhere along the way. After some online research I decided to roll with Vttoria's Diamante Pro Techs for roughly $55 a piece at the local bike shop. The manufacture boasts they're good in wet weather and puncture resistant. Works for me. I strapped them on, pumped them to 100 psi like normal, and rode to work the next day. What a completely different feeling from before.

The new tires seemed to zap power and felt squishy, like I had a flat. Now worried about dropping $110 on junk, I did further research about road tires, specifically about pressure, weight, tread, rolling resistance, and Threads Per Inch (TPI). Prior to the purchase I had read plenty of consumer reviews on tires, much geared towards the ability to resist flats and wear. A new search turned up studies on the rolling resistance of certain tires and the watts required to overcome them. In some cases, a pair of tires might require an extra 5 watts to move at the same speed as another. The resistance factor is largely based on the width, tread, material, weight, and inflation. I didn't see my Diamante Pro Techs on the list but I knew it was harder to hit 22 mph on the new tires then on the old and bald Rubino Slicks. I wasn't happy with my new purchase since I was trading speed (estimated 1.0 mph) for safety. I then noticed I purchased 220 TPI tires, which means higher internal pressures allowed, which means I can achieve less resistance with more pressure. I went back to my bike and pumped them up to the recommended minimum of 115 psi instead of the 100 psi I was using. The next test ride I felt strong and more in control with less squish, but still some of that flat tire feel remained. I'll have to keep playing with the pressure to see if it makes a difference.

If you want to learn more about tires I recommend checking out this guy's site: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html