Bike Tires and Stuff

    A friend (a very knowledgeable bicycle-geek friend) told me that there is a huge difference in bicycle tires. That the weight and rolling resistance of tires varies greatly and can make a huge difference in how much energy you expend getting from point A to point B. Honestly, I had never given this much thought, thinking a tire was a tire, y'know? Now, as the season begins to ramp up, his words are coming back to me, and I knew that research was needed. The internet is an amazing device, a marvelous mine of information if you can wend your way through the blah blah blah and get to the nitty gritty. I started with reading reviews of racing tires. Three names lead the pack: Continental, Michelin, and Vittoria.
    My bike, my beloved Joshua, was built by a guy that really knew his shit. Joshua has a Bridgestone Mile 112 frame, a "high end Century" frame, which is classed as vintage, but still gets great reviews online for weight, durability and comfort, as well as its basic engineering. The rims are Mavic CXP22 which are nice aluminum alloy rims, with decent aero styling, and given great reviews for durability and for not contributing to flat tire issues. It has the Shimano 105 Groupset (crankset, derailleur, cartridge, click shifters) which ranks pretty high in durability, light weight, crisp and fluid shifting, and overall functionality. Yes, you can spend another $500 on the Ultegra and save 8 ounces, and get a little stiffer cranks, but the 105 set is pretty darn fabulous.     Now, all that being said, and acknowledging that Joshua is pretty damned awesome, I come to the part I have been researching: Tires. Joshua sports the Vittoria Rubino, considered to be a fantastic "training" tire. In other words, it is durable, decently light, and with okay rolling resistance. But, it could be better. After reading multiple reviews from a myriad of sources both high-end mainstream and underground forum, I have decided on the Continental Grand Prix 4000 S. Everything I have read and heard about it class it as a great all around tire: lightweight, low rolling resistance, grippy tread, durability, aerodynamic. It is said to make a great endurance race tire because it is puncture resistant due to its Vectran Belt, which is 5 times tougher than steel. It is a bit spendy, about $70 each, but to me that seems a very low price for what amounts to free speed. Anything that you can do to your bike to make it roll easier is going to save energy and increase speed, hence, "Free Speed." I for one know that when I am on a 100 mile or more ride, anything I can do to save energy is a bonus. And if I don't have to worry about a flat every time I hit some debris on the shoulder, so much the better..
    Now, off the subject of tires, I recently picked up some "gently used" FSA RD-250 ergo handlebars for a super low price on eBay. They have the comfy flat spot in the drop which is going to save me a lot of discomfort on long rides. They weigh next to nothing. I want to get a new, shorter stem before I install them, to shorten my reach just a bit. I do love Joshua's height, which suits my long legs, but the reach to the bars is just a wee bit longer than I would like. I would like to get it done sooner rather than later, but I have to find the right stem. I also have in a bid for a different set of aerobar clip-ons. I currently have the cumbersome, one piece style that are too wide for where my hands want to be. The set I am bidding on are individual bars, so I can adjust the width. I am not confident riding on the aerobars for long distances on unfamiliar roads, they are too unstable, which is a definite criticism of the clip on style. Since Joshua is not a Tri bike, he really is not engineered to be stable with aerobars of any kind. But, he is engineered for comfort, which is of extreme importance when you spend more than a few hours in the saddle.
    I am excited for long summer rides and have already mapped out a few. I've also been keeping tabs on a few local riding groups, so I can get in on a few longer rides with them. I think having witnesses will likely keep me pushing through a long ride a little better than on my own. All this talk of new components makes me want to clean and lube Joshua, but I just did that last weekend.

Creature of Habit

    It is no secret that I am a creature of habit. On the plus side, this is the driving force behind my often envied ability to workout daily, and train as hard as I do (though I know I need to be training harder). It really is not so much motivation as it is sheer habit. I have been working out almost daily for most of my adult life, and especially the last 15 years. Another plus are my eating habits. I am inclined to find small, specific set of foods and eat them almost exclusively. This saves a lot of time and energy when grocery shopping, or deciding what to eat.  Yes, it borders on the obsessive. The downside is that it is very difficult for me to shift gears, especially where my workouts are concerned. My new work schedule has thrown me for a loop on so many levels, and I am having a tough time readjusting all my habitual behaviors back into their tidy little lines.
    One simple, yet important shift I am having to implement is the banal aspect of when to eat, and how much. For the last several years I have eaten a late, large lunch at about 2:30 or 3:00, which has given me about 2-1/2 hours to digest before swimming. Lately, I am in the pool at about 4:30, which has meant swimming on a fairly full stomach. No, I am not concerned about stomach cramps making me drown, that is an old wives' tale. But do any strenuous activity, especially one that really fires up the core muscles, on a fairly full stomach and one thing that is certain, you will likely feel like puking at some point. No, I haven't puked in the pool, but g'damn it has been a close call a few times. I have finally managed to readjust how I am eating, even if it means eating a full meal, standing at my shipping area, while ass deep in work so I can have a few hours to digest before swimming. This may seem like no big deal to a lot of people, but for a creature of habit, like myself, this is a major undertaking. I don't mean to seem inflexible, but my habitual nature has saved my sanity on a multitude of occasions.
    I am also having to shift my workout schedule. I'm having a tough time putting in the daily hours I need. Just a few weeks ago I was managing a solid 60 to 75 minutes cycling several mornings before work, so I was regularly able to do a two a day workout plan. Now that is reserved for weekends. So, once again, mental shift.
    I am beginning to get a grip on it all. I did have a spectacular swim Thursday night; 2 miles in 70 minutes. Then came home for 75 minutes of cycling, doing two power pyramid sets. Last night, I admit, by the time I got home and mowed the lawn, and had a quick snack it was already 8:30 before I got to my workout so I kept it to an hour of grinding at lower rep, higher gear. This morning was a solid 2 hour cycling session, maintaining decent cadence in higher gearing. Tonight I slipped in an upper body and core workout. Hopefully tomorrow starts with a cycle to run to cycle set before I start the day's festivities of painting my shed.
    The changes at work are driving home my need to get a calender and plan out my training schedule. Time is passing all too quickly, I have goals and deadlines looming and I need to be able to get back on track, realign my habits, I am a creature of habit, after all.

New Normal

    My new work schedule is kicking my ass. I am starting at 7:00 am, which has effectively halted my pre-work workouts. In theory, I should be getting off work at 3:30, which would give me a nice, long evening for extended Break Through workouts, but so far I haven't been getting off work a whole lot earlier than I used to. Yes, it means some nice overtime on the paycheck, which I can definitely use, but the fatigue factor is cutting into my ability to train at the level I need to. The one discipline that has benefited is my swimming. I can get to the pool 30 to 45 minutes earlier, which means more mileage. My regular swim has increased from 1-1/2 miles to 2 miles twice a week, and one longer swim of 2-1/2 to 3 miles. I have been managing to increase my speed a notch or two as well, so no complaints in this arena.
    I keep telling myself that I just need a few weeks to adjust to the new schedule and added responsibilities, then I can settle into my "new normal." This is all good and well as long as I can manage to start increasing my training time, especially on the bike. I need to make 2 to 3 hours 3 or 4 times a week be the new gold standard, bumping that up incrementally until I can do a solid 125 miles as a Saturday ride (oh-dear-gods-what-am-I-thinking?). If I can't manage that by, say, mid July, I will likely not be able to complete the Epic 250K. So, how to find the training time? I really can't eke out much more than 2 hours a day during the work week, so that leaves weekends as the main asskicker.
    As you may have surmised by my babbling, my brain is scrambling around ineffectively, trying to figure out how to increase my training volume when I already feel like I am burning the candle at both ends. I do know this; it is time for me to move from the winter base building workouts to the preseason, event specific training, including increased volume and mileage. Somehow, I also need to manage to wedge in a bit more strength training, which has fallen by the wayside the last few weeks. If I can just get my work schedule to settle down and let me get off work at 3:30 like I should, that would give me a solid 5 to 6 hours of daylight every evening between now and September. Gah! My brain just can't wrap itself around how I can squeeze more hours of training into my life, but I will have to, the countdown is on, days are ticking past with alarming speed. I won't allow myself to disappoint me. I can do this, I just need to find my New Normal.

Limiters

    Limiters are the weak links, the areas that need the most work. Of the three Tri disciplines it is no secret that running is my Limiter. Hell, I can swim two miles almost easier than I can run two miles, and theoretically, swimming 2 miles is the energy equivalent of running 8 miles. Within each discipline we need to identify the Limiter particular to that sport.
    In swimming, my main Limiter could be said to be my weak kick, but when swimming a long course Tri it is best to use your legs as little as possible because the energy expenditure is far greater than the benefit. So, with that set aside, my next Limiter is my speed. I am not a fast swimmer, although I am getting faster. I am a decently efficient swimmer, and definitely a strong swimmer. So my training focus is and has been continuing to improve my technique to increase efficiency. In swimming Efficiency = Speed.
    In cycling, I would say my limiter again is speed. But, here again, speed is not really what you are aiming for in long course Tri, at least not at my level. Next I would have to say my limiter is lack of raw power. I have good endurance for high cadence cycling, but less muscle endurance for hard grinding, lower cadence riding.
    In running, my Limiter is... where do I begin? Basic endurance would be the starting point. The difficulties I run into (no pun intended) boil down to a few things: Having to run at "asthma threshold" which is neither fast nor long, and arthritic knees that get unhappy with me whenever I start to try to increase my running. I don't know that I can do a whole lot about either of these fundamental issues so I try my best to ignore them and work around them. I am trying to slowly, very slowly add time and distance to my runs, letting my knees dictate how much, to a degree. Same with my speed, I have to allow my asthma to dictate just how fast I can run. I will keep at it, doggedly, because this truly is my weakest link. Mostly, I think I need to work on my mental game, teaching my mind that "I am a runner."
    As my training continues, and as I slowly begin to narrow the focus to race specific training, I will address each of my Limiters. I will continue to work on swimming efficiency: long smooth strokes, proper breathing, streamlining, muscular endurance. On the bike I will continue to work on my power, soon getting out for hill training and long, steady state rides. Running, I will work on every aspect, but mostly just building my base, slowly and surely, and letting myself believe that I am a runner.
    It all comes down to endurance, mindset, and racing strategy. In other words: Swim Smart, Bike Strong, and Run Tough. And work on those Limiters.

Geared Up

    My mind is continually looking ahead to September, trying to look at the event from all the angles. One thing that I have already started plotting out is the gear that I will need. This will be somewhat different from 70.3 event I did last fall. That event was held just a few hours south of me, in the same climate and terrain that I live in. The 250K is in Central Oregon, high desert, and the bike leg is two laps around Mount Bachelor, over the pass twice, long climbs, and long descents. In September the weather can be a crap shoot. It could be 80 degrees and calm, or it could be snowing. I will need to dress for cooler weather and hope I don't either cook or freeze. No matter what the weather, the combination of long climbs and long descents always makes for chilly riding: Get all sweaty on the climb, then chilled on the on the down side. I am leaning towards Under Armor Cold Gear as a base layer. During the 70.3 I wore Under Armor compression leggings under my wetsuit, knowing they would dry quickly as soon as I was on the bike. Since the 250K is at high altitude and the swim will end around 9:30am, I can be pretty sure it will still be a bit chilly. Do I want to risk being in wet leggings? Or struggle to get into them in T2? It is something that I will have to practice and decide on. Getting into any snug fitting gear when you are even slightly damp is always problematic, if not downright boa constrictor-like. More than once I've been trapped in the vise-like grip of a sport bra or compression shirt threatening to strangle me and cut off blood flow to my arms as I've wrestled it down over sweaty shoulders. And trying to do this after a 3 mile swim, in the middle of a race is not another stress point I really wish to add to what is going to be a long, arduous, potentially stressful day.

I do know a few things about what clothing I will need:
It must be comfortable for the long haul, because this will be a long haul.
It needs to be moderately warm without the threat of causing overheating.
It will need to wick moisture and dry quickly (hence, the Under Armor Cold Gear).
I need to be able to get in and out of it relatively easily.
Honestly, it all boils down to comfort. I want to minimize chafing, blisters, and sunburn (sunburn is NOT allowed with my history of melanoma). I want to be able to maintain a decent body temperature, not too hot, not too cold. I need to be able to take it off and put it on in a hurry while possibly being a bit trembly from fatigue. So much to consider, but I have 5 more months to dial it all in. 5 more months?!! Only 5 Months?!! Shiiiiit! That does not seem like enough time.