Thursday, October 28, 2010
Jumping on the WTC Bashing Bandwagon ...
This is in response to Patrick's post at The Road [A Mulit-Sport Blog]. I started to write this in his comment section and ran out of space so decided to finish it up here. As opposed to me paraphrasing his words check out Patrick's Post to give you some background. This in not really a dissenting view from his, just a little different:
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Title: Perception is Reality
As a business person and someone who understands the value of a brand AND the painstaking hard work that goes into branding - I found WTC's initial announcement of the Access Program utterly baffling.
Let me explain.
For the bottom line of the P&L statement the Ironman Access Program makes financial sense to WTC. They are a for profit business and have a right to charge whatever they want or implement anything they think will make them profitable. But a savvy company knows that the value of the brand is also linked directly to the perception of that brand. And this is where I take issue with what WTC did with the Access Program.
The IM brand is synonymous with terms like community, hard work, and determination. The access program does not align with any of these perceptions. Part of the experience of doing an IM is the story of how you registered by volunteering at the race or by hitting refresh a hundred times when Active registration opens. Seriously, ask an Ironman the story of how they registered for their race and they undoubtedly will have a colorful story!
Back on point, the Access Program creates the perception of cheating the system. If I have to wait in line a year before a race than dammit so should you! Heck, what other sport has regular Age Groupers like us racing right next to the pros? None. We are different. We are special. WTC attacked this foundation and the consumer responded in kind. Like it or not a successful business will remain successful by reflecting the values of the consumer - P&L Statements be damned!
Now the Access Program was just the proverbial nail in the negative press release coffin. With the onslaught of changes (5150, price increases, new venues, IM branded products ..etc) that WTC has announced lately I found the access program to be not only poorly conceived but also poorly timed. They are changing things t0o fast and too dramatically. We are okay with minor changes but big changes like these are tough to swallow - if you don't believe me look at how well Change is working for Obama and the democrats.
What I mean by the last paragraph is how could a company that does Triathlon have no idea what the reaction of the Triathlon community would be with the announcement of the Access Program? How could they not have a finger on the pulse of their base? No consumer surveys? Focus groups? Really?
Well, WTC found out the hard way when the community went nuts they pulled the program as quickly as it came out. For us consumes it is sort of like biting into a spoiled piece of food - you realize it is spoiled and spit it out right away, no real harm - except for that awful aftertaste!
For me and many other triathletes the perception is that WTC doesn't give a crap about it's consumers - the apology video was a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the reality is that they are not going to stop doing things like this until a viable competitor surfaces. (Time to step up Rev3!)
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Online Swim/Bike/Run Links ...
Thanks to everyone for leaving your favorite online s/b/r shopping links.
I have went ahead and compiled the entire list and you can access it by clicking on this button below:
Happy Shopping!
Jeff
I have went ahead and compiled the entire list and you can access it by clicking on this button below:
CLICK HERE |
Feel free to copy & paste this button for your own blog!
Happy Shopping!
Jeff
Monday, October 25, 2010
Unleash Your Geek ...
We are all a bunch of geeks. Yes, admit it, you are a geek. I read your blogs and this, without a doubt, has been verified. But being a geek is not a bad thing my blogger peeps. Quite the opposite. It is actually an awesome thing!
Okay here is the idea: Since we are all blogger internet geeks, let's pull together our collective internet shopping knowledge and compile a list of awesome websites that offer incredible discounts.
Let's no longer keep these little gems all to ourselves, it is time to share!
List of Websites to Get Good Deals on Swim/Bike/Run Gear:
BonkTown.com - This site lists a different product every 30 minutes. It has everything from cycling components and parts to jerseys and bikes. This site is like the internet form of crack. You will be compelled to check it out multiple times daily in search of a great deal.
Nashbar.com - Bike gear at extremely low prices. They have tons of clearance and deeply discounted gear. This is probably the first site I visit when beginning my internet shopping. Be careful here because this site always seems to find things I didn't even know I needed until I bought it!
ebay.com - You are probably all thinking, "Duh, Jeff!" I know this is obvious but the fact is many of us are to damn lazy to search ebay for deals. Take the time to check ebay and in most cases you will be glad you did.
RunningWarehouse.com - This place is great for finding the perfect shoe. It has side-by-side comparisons and breaks shoes down by running type. A lot of times they will give away Tech Tees or other freebies and shipping is free.
PerformanceBike.com - Mostly bike gear. Tons of discounted clothing. Good prices on nutrition. Have lots of one or two day online only sales.
Amazon.com - Okay people. This is the mecca for find cheap Tri gear. Any piece of Tri-related equipment you can find will be found on Amazon. If I find a great deal on one of the above sites I will then check Amazon and see if they go lower. If not then then other site has a great deal!
InfinitNutrition.us - This is the site that make my liquid nutrition. They allow you to create your own formula. I primarily use infinit for long course races and long training days.
That is my list. Please go to the comments and add in some of the sites you go to and I will add them to the list. Then after we get the list I will post it on the header tool bar and we can access it anytime one of us needs to do some online shopping! Thanks for Playing!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Friday, October 22, 2010
Crash and Burn ...
Continuing with the TOP GUN theme this week ...
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
... "Crash and Burn" pretty much describes the majority of my training over the last couple of days!
On Wednesday I did a 10-mi run with the LifeTime Fitness Run Club. Only myself and my friend Bobby did 10-miles and the run started off very well. We kept the pace around an easy 9min/mi but something I did not prepare for was the return of the 90 degree day. Yep, it was 93 degrees when we began our run at 6pm. The humidity wasn't bad but 93 degrees is still pretty darn warm. By about mile 8 my body was beginning to feel some fatigue. By mile 10 I was extremely happy their would be no mile 11. It was hot.
Thursday I woke up at 4am to go to Master's swim and my legs felt like hell. I immediately turned off the alarm and went back to bed - rest was more important that a swim at this point. On Thursday afternoon I jumped on the trainer and did an easy spin for a little over an hour while watching, "Red Dawn" - which this movie deserves a separate post because of it 80's awesomeness!
The spin really made the legs feel good so I figured it was time to go for my scheduled tempo run. Well, the tempo run started out decent but did not end that way. I like to do a one mile warm-up before the tempo and did my first mile split in 8:32. Then I kicked it in and did the second split in 6:40. The third split in 6:42. The fourth split was a complete BONK and the fifth mile split was a slow jog back home with my tail tucked between my legs.
The weird thing is that I was not struggling aerobically at all. My heart rate was barely even in the anaerobic zone when my legs just said, "Stop, Now". Frustrating.
So what is going on? Well, it is pretty obvious that the 10mi run in the heat took more out of me than I expected. Also I think my body is having trouble acclimating to last weeks 21 hours of volume and the entire 17 weeks of hard training. Because of this I have decided to back-off and give myself some time to recover. Normally I would try and push through this wall but with my race in 15 days that would be unwise because the chances of being flat on race day would increase. So, I am skipping today's bike ride and just doing an easy 2000yds in the pool after work. Then I will begin full taper on this coming Wednesday as opposed to next Sunday. Hopefully these little fixes will get the spring back in my step!
I'd like to thank Jon and Scott for their sage advice. Jon helped me decide on the appropriate day to start tapering and Scott told me to back the hell off or I was going to get hurt - Thanks Guys!
Ramblings:
- Would like to wish a BIG GOOD LUCK to KC who will be competing in her first 140.6 Iron Distance tomorrow at the Great Floridian. Let's all come together and send KC positive race vibes through out the day tomorrow! She is going to do so awesome! Go to her blog because she has posted ways we can follow her throughout the race.
- Election day is almost here! If you support the current administration and believe the congress has been doing a good job, please stay the hell home and don't vote. HAHA, just kidding (not really). Back in 2008 I wrote THIS about politics and this blog:
"Election Day: This isn't a political blog so I will not express my personal opinions about the candidates but whoever you like get out and vote. Many have fought and died for your right to vote - do not waste the opportunity!"
- Considering the vast number of political issues that have been blogged about since 2008 I'd have to say that at least my blog has undergone some significant CHANGE from that post 2 years ago!
- Speaking of issues: Hows 'bout NPR firing Juan Williams over some comments he made about Muslims on airlpanes. Here is Juan Williams quote from his appearance on the O'Reilly Factor:
"I mean look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country, but when I get on an airplane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they're identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."- The Pres and CEO of NPR released a statement saying that Juan Williams should be expressing his opinions to his Psychiatrist. Wow, IMO, that is a lot more offensive than what Williams said about Muslims on airplanes. Whether you agree or disagree (75% of Americans polled agree with Williams comment, btw) he should not have been fired for expressing his opinion on an opinion show on another network. The Politically Correct police are completely out of control in our country to the point that special interest group appear to have absolute power. We need to man the hell up and quit being a bunch of thin skinned wimps. Election Day is coming people and shit like this has become common place. Remember that when you vote.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
... Like an Old Tired Dog
Yep, talking about my ass because my ass is dragging like an old tired dog. I think that quote was from Goose in Top Gun?
Speaking of Top Gun, what the hell happened to that cast?
- Tom Cruise became some crazy Scientologists. I have trouble even watching any of his movies anymore because all I see is him jumping on Opera's couch and calling Matt Lauer "glib".
- Val Kilmer used to be awesome. He went from the guy that made Jim Morrison cool by playing Jim Morrison to a straight to video phenomenon. He was the quintessential cool dude that has eaten himself to the quintessential fat guy. Proof:
- Kelly McGillis completely disappeared for years. Then one Saturday morning last year I click on my favorite SyFy channel and see her as the lead role in a made-for-Sy-Fy movie called Supergator. Now don't misunderstand what I am saying, Supergator was full of pure SyFy B-flick awesomeness - Kelly McGillis was not. I was excited when her head was ripped off by a supergator.
- Goose went on to ER fame, Meg Ryan has had a great career (if you like crappy chick flicks), and Tim Robbins still throws like a girl - sorry, he ruined Bull Durham.
NOW the reason I even bring all this up is because this is the conversation I had with myself while suffering through 15 + miles running on Sunday morning. I was so mentally exhausted that I was completely incapable of rational or coherent thought. I was 5 minutes into the run and thought, "Dammit, my ass is dragging like and old tired dog." This triggered the who said that? This triggered the answer of Goose? And then this little 1986 pop culture moment occupied my mind for the next 2 hours. Seriously I was keeping a mental checklist of every movie that every actor in Top Gun made after Top Gun. Does anyone else ever have benign exchanges with themselves while training or am I nuts?
Okay here the Week 17 numbers:
SWIM: 4 Trainings - 5h 55m - 12,100 Yds
BIKE: 4 Trainings - 9h 43m - 177.40 Mi
RUN: 4 Trainings - 5h 16m - 37.40 Mi
--------------------------------------------------------
Totals: 12 Trainings - 20h 54m
Longest Ride - 88 Miles
Longest Run - 15.1 Miles
This was my biggest volume week YTD and I am feeling it right now. I was feeling very strong going into the weekend with an 88 mile ride Saturday morning. I came home and relaxed in the afternoon and then went out for the scheduled run which included lactate intervals of 6x3min with 3mins of active recovery. The total run ended up being 7.41 miles with an average pace of 7:32/mi. I actually felt great after the run but when I woke up Sunday morning I was beat - with a planned 2h 30m run still to be completed.
This run was probably one of the most difficult training runs I have ever done. A groove was never found, not once. About mile 12, both my right knee and my left ankle began to bark. By mile 15 I decided to continue would be stupid because I was going to injure myself. So I walked a dejected mile back to the car, but it was okay because I knew that the right decision was made. Total run was 15.1 miles in 2h 09m @ a 8:32/mi pace - fail.
After two days of compression, ice, and swimming the legs feel much better and the knee and ankle are back to normal.
So this week the volume comes down to a more reasonable 17 or so hours with a lot of high intensity workouts and another long weekend but the long run is on 1h 20m!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Speaking of Top Gun, what the hell happened to that cast?
- Tom Cruise became some crazy Scientologists. I have trouble even watching any of his movies anymore because all I see is him jumping on Opera's couch and calling Matt Lauer "glib".
- Val Kilmer used to be awesome. He went from the guy that made Jim Morrison cool by playing Jim Morrison to a straight to video phenomenon. He was the quintessential cool dude that has eaten himself to the quintessential fat guy. Proof:
- Kelly McGillis completely disappeared for years. Then one Saturday morning last year I click on my favorite SyFy channel and see her as the lead role in a made-for-Sy-Fy movie called Supergator. Now don't misunderstand what I am saying, Supergator was full of pure SyFy B-flick awesomeness - Kelly McGillis was not. I was excited when her head was ripped off by a supergator.
- Goose went on to ER fame, Meg Ryan has had a great career (if you like crappy chick flicks), and Tim Robbins still throws like a girl - sorry, he ruined Bull Durham.
NOW the reason I even bring all this up is because this is the conversation I had with myself while suffering through 15 + miles running on Sunday morning. I was so mentally exhausted that I was completely incapable of rational or coherent thought. I was 5 minutes into the run and thought, "Dammit, my ass is dragging like and old tired dog." This triggered the who said that? This triggered the answer of Goose? And then this little 1986 pop culture moment occupied my mind for the next 2 hours. Seriously I was keeping a mental checklist of every movie that every actor in Top Gun made after Top Gun. Does anyone else ever have benign exchanges with themselves while training or am I nuts?
Okay here the Week 17 numbers:
SWIM: 4 Trainings - 5h 55m - 12,100 Yds
BIKE: 4 Trainings - 9h 43m - 177.40 Mi
RUN: 4 Trainings - 5h 16m - 37.40 Mi
--------------------------------------------------------
Totals: 12 Trainings - 20h 54m
Longest Ride - 88 Miles
Longest Run - 15.1 Miles
This was my biggest volume week YTD and I am feeling it right now. I was feeling very strong going into the weekend with an 88 mile ride Saturday morning. I came home and relaxed in the afternoon and then went out for the scheduled run which included lactate intervals of 6x3min with 3mins of active recovery. The total run ended up being 7.41 miles with an average pace of 7:32/mi. I actually felt great after the run but when I woke up Sunday morning I was beat - with a planned 2h 30m run still to be completed.
This run was probably one of the most difficult training runs I have ever done. A groove was never found, not once. About mile 12, both my right knee and my left ankle began to bark. By mile 15 I decided to continue would be stupid because I was going to injure myself. So I walked a dejected mile back to the car, but it was okay because I knew that the right decision was made. Total run was 15.1 miles in 2h 09m @ a 8:32/mi pace - fail.
After two days of compression, ice, and swimming the legs feel much better and the knee and ankle are back to normal.
So this week the volume comes down to a more reasonable 17 or so hours with a lot of high intensity workouts and another long weekend but the long run is on 1h 20m!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Come Here Weekend, Come Here ... Good Boy!
Ahhhh ....
We are so close to the weekend, just one more little Friday to go.
Why am I so pumped for the weekend you ask? Well, because it is going to be a MASSIVE training weekend and I love that shit!
Okay, actually it has already been a big week but the real volume kicks in on Friday. As was mentioned in an earlier post this is the largest volume week (#17) of the 20 Week training program. After this the volume goes down gradually until taper time. Here is the weekend schedule:
Friday:
- AM: 2 hours on the bike with 2x8min Intervals and long hills.
- PM: 3200 Yds in the pool with a bunch of intervals.
Saturday:
- AM: 5 hours on the bike (about 85-90 miles).
- PM: 1 hour of running doing lactate intervals - 6x3min with 3 mins active recovery, all at Zone 5 (OUCH)
Sunday:
- AM: 2h 30m Long Run. This will probably be around 18 miles (8-8:15ish pace).
- PM: 3400 Yds in the pool. Moderate paced, recovery.
Time to Get. It. On.
Many of you might remember the few weeks leading up to this training plan I was actively trying to fatten myself up. The main reason was that I wanted a little layer of fat so I'd have something to burn off once the crazy volume of the training plan kicked in. I gained about 10 lbs and and was sitting at 164lbs with 14% body fat on June 20th.
Well, I am happy to report that as of this morning my current weight is 148 lbs with 10.5% body fat. Yes, I am skinny right now. Our friends are starting to pull my wife to the side and tell her they are concerned about my weight loss. This is awesome - means I need to only lose about 3-4 more pounds to be at optimal race weight! I'll get some pics up in the next couple of days so the blogosphere can conduct a comment intervention on me!
Also, in the next few days we are going to play the Critique My Aero Position game. I'll toss up some pics of me in aero position on the new bike and you all can comment on what the position looks like to you and if adjustments are needed. No experience in bike fitting is needed, this will make it more fun.
Don't worry, I got my LBS guys to take care of me before the race, but I am experimenting with some more aggressive positions right now and figure I can pull from all the knowledge out there in blog world!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
We are so close to the weekend, just one more little Friday to go.
Why am I so pumped for the weekend you ask? Well, because it is going to be a MASSIVE training weekend and I love that shit!
Okay, actually it has already been a big week but the real volume kicks in on Friday. As was mentioned in an earlier post this is the largest volume week (#17) of the 20 Week training program. After this the volume goes down gradually until taper time. Here is the weekend schedule:
Friday:
- AM: 2 hours on the bike with 2x8min Intervals and long hills.
- PM: 3200 Yds in the pool with a bunch of intervals.
Saturday:
- AM: 5 hours on the bike (about 85-90 miles).
- PM: 1 hour of running doing lactate intervals - 6x3min with 3 mins active recovery, all at Zone 5 (OUCH)
Sunday:
- AM: 2h 30m Long Run. This will probably be around 18 miles (8-8:15ish pace).
- PM: 3400 Yds in the pool. Moderate paced, recovery.
Time to Get. It. On.
Many of you might remember the few weeks leading up to this training plan I was actively trying to fatten myself up. The main reason was that I wanted a little layer of fat so I'd have something to burn off once the crazy volume of the training plan kicked in. I gained about 10 lbs and and was sitting at 164lbs with 14% body fat on June 20th.
Well, I am happy to report that as of this morning my current weight is 148 lbs with 10.5% body fat. Yes, I am skinny right now. Our friends are starting to pull my wife to the side and tell her they are concerned about my weight loss. This is awesome - means I need to only lose about 3-4 more pounds to be at optimal race weight! I'll get some pics up in the next couple of days so the blogosphere can conduct a comment intervention on me!
Also, in the next few days we are going to play the Critique My Aero Position game. I'll toss up some pics of me in aero position on the new bike and you all can comment on what the position looks like to you and if adjustments are needed. No experience in bike fitting is needed, this will make it more fun.
Don't worry, I got my LBS guys to take care of me before the race, but I am experimenting with some more aggressive positions right now and figure I can pull from all the knowledge out there in blog world!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Sunday, October 10, 2010
When NOT to Train?
Once again I sit here not believing it is already Sunday night? The weekends just seem to fly right by anymore? Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday this week!
Well, this was Week 16 of the Matt Fitgerald Level 10 Half Ironman training program which means that it was a scheduled lower volume recovery week. This was also the week that I picked up my new TT Bike so it was the perfect time to be on a recovery week.
As for training here are my numbers:
Swim: 4 Trainings - 5h 40m - 10,750 Yds
Bike: 3 Trainings - 3h 29m - 65.39 Mi
Run: 2 Trainings - 2h 58m - 21.23 Mi
-----------------------------------------------------------
Totals: 9 Trainings - 12h 07m
Long Ride - 22.50 Mi
Long Run - 13.11 Mi
You are probably thinking the volume was way down for me this week and you'd be right. I am embarrassed by the bike volume. It is actually 6.5hrs less than last week. The plan called for right around 14hrs so I missed the volume goals by a little less then 2hrs.
The reason? I needed an extra rest day. I wish it was something more elaborate or compelling but the bottom line is that I was exhausted. On Saturday Annie got up at 5am to go meet her running club and she reset the alarm for 6am so I could eat a quick bagel and jump on the bike. The alarm went off and I rolled out of bed but my legs did not want to work. I mean they were just dead? And they actually hurt a little too. I decided to check my work numbers from Friday and drink some coffee and start a half hour later. This didn't work either because by this point my legs actually were sore.
By the time 8am came I decided that the scheduled brick for the day was not going to happen. I spent the rest of the day sitting on my ass watching Kona on the live feed. Best decision I have made in a long time!
The reason it was a good decision is because I woke up this morning and felt like a million bucks. I drove to the center of town for my weekly long run and had a great training run. The plan wanted me to run for 1h 10m in HR Zone 2. I felt so good I ended up running for 1h 42m and did 13.1 miles - that is a 7:47/mi pace.
The take away for all this is that when your body is REALLY hurting that you need to listen. I am not talking about the days you just do not want to go for a s/b/r - I am referring to the days that your body cannot handle a s/b/r. These are distinctly different occurrences. Write that down.
The other take away is that I cannot wait to taper! If my legs responded this way to just one day off imagine how they will respond to an entire week of taper?
Well, this was Week 16 of the Matt Fitgerald Level 10 Half Ironman training program which means that it was a scheduled lower volume recovery week. This was also the week that I picked up my new TT Bike so it was the perfect time to be on a recovery week.
As for training here are my numbers:
Swim: 4 Trainings - 5h 40m - 10,750 Yds
Bike: 3 Trainings - 3h 29m - 65.39 Mi
Run: 2 Trainings - 2h 58m - 21.23 Mi
-----------------------------------------------------------
Totals: 9 Trainings - 12h 07m
Long Ride - 22.50 Mi
Long Run - 13.11 Mi
You are probably thinking the volume was way down for me this week and you'd be right. I am embarrassed by the bike volume. It is actually 6.5hrs less than last week. The plan called for right around 14hrs so I missed the volume goals by a little less then 2hrs.
The reason? I needed an extra rest day. I wish it was something more elaborate or compelling but the bottom line is that I was exhausted. On Saturday Annie got up at 5am to go meet her running club and she reset the alarm for 6am so I could eat a quick bagel and jump on the bike. The alarm went off and I rolled out of bed but my legs did not want to work. I mean they were just dead? And they actually hurt a little too. I decided to check my work numbers from Friday and drink some coffee and start a half hour later. This didn't work either because by this point my legs actually were sore.
By the time 8am came I decided that the scheduled brick for the day was not going to happen. I spent the rest of the day sitting on my ass watching Kona on the live feed. Best decision I have made in a long time!
The reason it was a good decision is because I woke up this morning and felt like a million bucks. I drove to the center of town for my weekly long run and had a great training run. The plan wanted me to run for 1h 10m in HR Zone 2. I felt so good I ended up running for 1h 42m and did 13.1 miles - that is a 7:47/mi pace.
The take away for all this is that when your body is REALLY hurting that you need to listen. I am not talking about the days you just do not want to go for a s/b/r - I am referring to the days that your body cannot handle a s/b/r. These are distinctly different occurrences. Write that down.
The other take away is that I cannot wait to taper! If my legs responded this way to just one day off imagine how they will respond to an entire week of taper?
- This afternoon Annie and I went to Lake 288 with our friends Suzie, Todd, and Eric for an Open Water Swim. This is a SCUBA practice lake that they allow us triathletes to practice swimming. I have not been in my wetsuit since early May and wanted to get at least one OWS in before Ironstar next month. I forgot just how much help a wetsuit really is -- feels like cheating. Annie tried on Suzie's wetsuit and did a few hundred yards. This was her first time in a wetsuit and she was amazed at how it lifted up her legs! It is very cool to have a wife that will just go and jump in a lake with you. The lake water temperature was 82 degrees and the air temperature was 85 degress - just a perfect day for an OWS!
- I had such an awesome time watching the Kona broadcast on my computer yesterday. Most people would probably think it is pretty darn boring to watch but you endurance peeps can appreciate how incredible it is to watch. Can't wait to see the NBC coverage in a couple of months. Congrats to all the finishers!
- We saw "The Social Network" last night. It was a pretty good flick. IMO, the story itself was just okay. Interesting but not compelling. But the directing and screenplay were excellent and so was most of the acting. It is worth seeing in the movie theater.
- The upcoming Week 17 is the largest volume week in my training program. It calls for 22 hours of training this week. Tomorrow (Monday) is my scheduled rest day and then Tuesday begins the carnage. I am actually really looking forward to getting started and seeing how my body responds!
I hope everyone has a great week!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Friday, October 8, 2010
The Maiden Voyage, Race Plans, Training Plans, and Shout Outs ...
First Ride:
Last night was the first real ride on the new Felt B14.
On the day I got the bike a little put-zing around the neighborhood was done and about an hour on the trainer but it was time to get her out on the open road!
Decided on a local 22mi route. It is flat but has a few stop signs and intersections so it isn't super fast.
After a couple miles of screwing with the gearing and positioning I dropped down and hammered. The ride was amazingly smooth and the DuraAce shifters are incredibly precise. The fit I received is just about perfect because I stayed in aero the vast majority of the ride with zero discomfort.
A couple of changes are going to have to happen. The aero bar handles need moved in about an inch as I feel like I need to reach too far for shifting. Next the back ends of the aero bars will need to be cut off and then the cables can be shortened. I am going to wait until after next weekend's long ride to get these minor changes taken care of just so I am 100% sure of the fitting.
Final tally was 21.89 miles in exactly 1 hour. That means my average speed was 21.89mph - not bad for the Maiden Voyage. Love this Ride!
Future Race Plans:
#1 - IronStar 70.3 - November 7th, 2010. This is 29 days away and is what I have been training for over the last 16 weeks - it is my "A" race for 2010. I've ridden the course a half dozen times and will post up my goals when it gets a little closer. Yesterday we received and email from the race organizers and they changed the run course from a single-loop 13.1 mile course to a 3-loop one that stays within the grounds of the Resort. IMO, this is a good thing as the single loop crossed some high vehicle traffic roads and I believe this leads to a safer run for all athletes. Also, my parents, sister and 3-yr old niece are all flying down from Pittsburgh to watch the race and this means I will get to see them 3 extra times on the run!
#2 - Sugarland Half Marathon - January 16th, 2011. This is an alternative run to the Houston Marathon. I did not get into the Houston Marathon because it moved to a lottery system this year. My wife and her friends are currently training for the Houston Marathon and none of them got in either. This left us with an option of going to New Orleans or buying a $465 Charity slot for Houston. Well, figuring NO would be much more expensive with hotels, travel and food the Charity slot was purchased for just Annie. Leaving me to run in the smaller Sugarland Half - which I like small races better anyway so it worked out well and a Charity received some help! This race is just going to be used as a long run day during my Ironman training and I will bike the day before.
#3 - Gateway to the Bay Olympic Triathlon - April 3rd, 2011. This Oly falls exactly 7 weeks before Ironman Texas. It really does not fit well into my training plans but I did this race last year (the sprint distance) and absolutely loved it. They take you out on a boat in the Kemah Bay and drop you off in the saltwater 1500 Meters from shore and you swim straight in (assuming a shark doesn't intervene ..hehe). This is just a very cool race. Last year was the first year and I am concerned that registration will be lower this year and I figure my slot will help ensure a 3rd year of the race. The reason registration may be down ...
#4 - Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 - April 10th, 2011. On the 9th a sprint race will be held as well. This is the weekend after Gateway so I will be racing 2 consecutive Sunday's. This is exactly 6 weeks from Ironman Texas and I figure this is an excellent opportunity to dial in my nutrition and get in a long workout. As of now my plan is to not "race" the 70.3 - just use it as a nice long training race. The course is superflat and superfast so I might have trouble reeling myself in - guess it might depend on how my fitness level on race day is as to how hard I go!
#5 - Ironman Texas - May 21, 2011. This is the big boy "A" race of the the year! My first Iron Distance! It is also the reason why my race schedule is so light over the next 8 months. Last year at this time and through the winter I was doing a running race every other weekend - from 5k's to 50k's. This year winter and spring everything else is taking a backseat to training.
Post Ironman and remainder of 2011 - TBD (Thinking of the Rev3 Cedar Point Half, a 50mi Trail Run someplace in the fall, or maybe trying to BQ. So many options?)
Training Plans:
Ironman training begins on Monday, December 6th, 2010 - approximately 2 months from now. After the Nov 7th IronStar HIM I am going to take 4 weeks off to let my body (and mind) recover. During this 4 weeks I plan on only doing s/b/r around once each per week and doing some P90X workouts to try and find the upper body strength that has recently vanished. Right now I weight 149lbs (down from 164lbs in June) and this is an excellent race day weight. The downside of being at goal race weight is I look like Tom Hanks towards the end of the movie Philadelphia.
The IM training plan that I have decided to use is the Matt Fitzgerald - Level 7 - Ironman Training Program. It is very similar to the Level 10 HIM Program that I have been using and the results from this program have been stellar so I figure stick to what I am comfortable with. The IM Training will be a 24-week program requiring 4 weekly trainings each of swim, bike, and run for a total of 12 weekly work outs. The volume begins around 12 hours a week and tops out around 22 hours per week. It has 3 different phases of Base, Build, and Peak all lasting 8 weeks each. IMO, it is pretty much the same plan I am doing except 4 weeks longer. Psychologically this should help me going into the IM training since I am fully aware that my body can handle the volume that is required.
Shout Outs:
Have a great weekend and Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Last night was the first real ride on the new Felt B14.
On the day I got the bike a little put-zing around the neighborhood was done and about an hour on the trainer but it was time to get her out on the open road!
Decided on a local 22mi route. It is flat but has a few stop signs and intersections so it isn't super fast.
After a couple miles of screwing with the gearing and positioning I dropped down and hammered. The ride was amazingly smooth and the DuraAce shifters are incredibly precise. The fit I received is just about perfect because I stayed in aero the vast majority of the ride with zero discomfort.
A couple of changes are going to have to happen. The aero bar handles need moved in about an inch as I feel like I need to reach too far for shifting. Next the back ends of the aero bars will need to be cut off and then the cables can be shortened. I am going to wait until after next weekend's long ride to get these minor changes taken care of just so I am 100% sure of the fitting.
Final tally was 21.89 miles in exactly 1 hour. That means my average speed was 21.89mph - not bad for the Maiden Voyage. Love this Ride!
Future Race Plans:
#1 - IronStar 70.3 - November 7th, 2010. This is 29 days away and is what I have been training for over the last 16 weeks - it is my "A" race for 2010. I've ridden the course a half dozen times and will post up my goals when it gets a little closer. Yesterday we received and email from the race organizers and they changed the run course from a single-loop 13.1 mile course to a 3-loop one that stays within the grounds of the Resort. IMO, this is a good thing as the single loop crossed some high vehicle traffic roads and I believe this leads to a safer run for all athletes. Also, my parents, sister and 3-yr old niece are all flying down from Pittsburgh to watch the race and this means I will get to see them 3 extra times on the run!
#2 - Sugarland Half Marathon - January 16th, 2011. This is an alternative run to the Houston Marathon. I did not get into the Houston Marathon because it moved to a lottery system this year. My wife and her friends are currently training for the Houston Marathon and none of them got in either. This left us with an option of going to New Orleans or buying a $465 Charity slot for Houston. Well, figuring NO would be much more expensive with hotels, travel and food the Charity slot was purchased for just Annie. Leaving me to run in the smaller Sugarland Half - which I like small races better anyway so it worked out well and a Charity received some help! This race is just going to be used as a long run day during my Ironman training and I will bike the day before.
#3 - Gateway to the Bay Olympic Triathlon - April 3rd, 2011. This Oly falls exactly 7 weeks before Ironman Texas. It really does not fit well into my training plans but I did this race last year (the sprint distance) and absolutely loved it. They take you out on a boat in the Kemah Bay and drop you off in the saltwater 1500 Meters from shore and you swim straight in (assuming a shark doesn't intervene ..hehe). This is just a very cool race. Last year was the first year and I am concerned that registration will be lower this year and I figure my slot will help ensure a 3rd year of the race. The reason registration may be down ...
#4 - Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 - April 10th, 2011. On the 9th a sprint race will be held as well. This is the weekend after Gateway so I will be racing 2 consecutive Sunday's. This is exactly 6 weeks from Ironman Texas and I figure this is an excellent opportunity to dial in my nutrition and get in a long workout. As of now my plan is to not "race" the 70.3 - just use it as a nice long training race. The course is superflat and superfast so I might have trouble reeling myself in - guess it might depend on how my fitness level on race day is as to how hard I go!
#5 - Ironman Texas - May 21, 2011. This is the big boy "A" race of the the year! My first Iron Distance! It is also the reason why my race schedule is so light over the next 8 months. Last year at this time and through the winter I was doing a running race every other weekend - from 5k's to 50k's. This year winter and spring everything else is taking a backseat to training.
Post Ironman and remainder of 2011 - TBD (Thinking of the Rev3 Cedar Point Half, a 50mi Trail Run someplace in the fall, or maybe trying to BQ. So many options?)
Training Plans:
Ironman training begins on Monday, December 6th, 2010 - approximately 2 months from now. After the Nov 7th IronStar HIM I am going to take 4 weeks off to let my body (and mind) recover. During this 4 weeks I plan on only doing s/b/r around once each per week and doing some P90X workouts to try and find the upper body strength that has recently vanished. Right now I weight 149lbs (down from 164lbs in June) and this is an excellent race day weight. The downside of being at goal race weight is I look like Tom Hanks towards the end of the movie Philadelphia.
The IM training plan that I have decided to use is the Matt Fitzgerald - Level 7 - Ironman Training Program. It is very similar to the Level 10 HIM Program that I have been using and the results from this program have been stellar so I figure stick to what I am comfortable with. The IM Training will be a 24-week program requiring 4 weekly trainings each of swim, bike, and run for a total of 12 weekly work outs. The volume begins around 12 hours a week and tops out around 22 hours per week. It has 3 different phases of Base, Build, and Peak all lasting 8 weeks each. IMO, it is pretty much the same plan I am doing except 4 weeks longer. Psychologically this should help me going into the IM training since I am fully aware that my body can handle the volume that is required.
Shout Outs:
- Joel at TriMadness has gone and done it again and posted and excellent interview with ProTriathlete Matty Reed. CLICK HERE to read the entire interview and let me know what you think about Reed's response on Draft Legal races -- cracked me up!
- Mark at Journeys of a Triathlete Father of Five has one of the most hysterical photo-shopped Triathlete pics I have ever seen. CLICK HERE and check out the dude rubbin' up on Chrissie!
- Also, if you haven't already, go check out the new 201Ironman site. Some good positive energy coming of that site right now.
- Lastly, a BIG SHOUT OUT to EMZ @ If I Can't Convince You -- I'll At Least Confuse You. EMZ raced a 50miler last weekend (her first) and put up one of the best race reports ever. Do yourself a favor and CLICK HERE to check this sucker out.
Have a great weekend and Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Meet the New Girl ...
As promised here is the new 2011 Felt B14 (Click Pics to see larger view):
Drive Side
(Yes, this is my lawn and it is fabulous)
Passenger Side
Front View
(Yes, that is a brick Troy Polamalu figure on the porch)
Indoors
Vision TriMax Crankset - 52/38T
Full DuraAce Comps
Full Carbon Cockpit!
40mm Aluminium Aero Wheelset
With the Red-Headed Stepchild
Here are all the specs in case you were curious:
Frame: | Felt Aero TT/Tri UHC Performance MMC Carbon Fiber Frame w/ 3KP Finish. Full Aero Tubeset w/ Front & Rear wheel recesses, Internal Cable Routing, Forged horizontal dropouts |
Fork: | Felt Aero UHC Performance TT/Tri Carbon Fiber Fork w/ 3KP Weave; 7005 Aluminum 1 Steerer tube, Carbon Fiber Crown, Blades, and Dropouts, 434g |
Drivetrain: | 10 speed Shimano Dura-Ace compatible bar end shifters w/ TRP Aero brake Levers, Dura-Ace braze on Front derailleur, Dura-Ace Rear derailleur, Vision TriMax Aluminum 2 piece w/ Integrated MegaExo BB, A6061-T6 cold Forged solid Crank Arms, 110mm BCD, 52/38T, Shimano 10 speed chain, 12-25T cassette |
Components: | SuperLight dual pivot brakes w/ Cartridge brake shoes, Stainless hardware & Teflon bushings, Felt Bayonet 6061 T6 base bar w/ integrated Adjustable Length 7005 Aluminum Æ’ Bend Tri-position extensions & Aluminum arm rests w/ gel arm rest pads, Felt SL 6061 Aluminum 3D Forged stem, Felt Aero UHC Advanced Carbon Fiber Standard Offset Bladed Monocoque seatpost, Felt SL Tri/TT saddle w/ Carbon injected base, gel Nose, custom waterproof cover w/ Cr-Mo rails |
Wheelset: | Felt TTR-3 700c 40mm deep Aluminum w/ CNC machined braking surface, 24H Front/28H Rear w/ Aero Bladed |
Accessories: | n/a |
Finish: | Gloss Clear |
Sizes: | 700c x 52, 54, 56, 58, 60cm |
Weight: | 18.75lbs/8.52kg So there she is - wipe that drool off your keyboard! Thanks for Staring, Jeff |
Monday, October 4, 2010
Week 15 Review
Extremely strong week! The cooler weather has made me feel like a running and biking machine this entire week. I guess all the training in the soup this summer is finally paying off!
Swim: 4 Workouts - 5h 30m - 10,150 yds
Bike: 4 Workouts - 8h 43m - 162.50 mi
Run: 4 Workouts - 4h 33m - 32.14 mi
-------------------------------------------------------
Totals: 12 Workouts - 18h 46m
Long Bike: 84 miles
Long Run: 16 miles
Couple of cool give-aways going on:
First one is over at Big Daddy Diesel's blog he is giving away a plethora of nutritional supplies.
The next one is at Mark's Blog and he is giving away a really cool Lazer Helmet.
Make sure to check them out!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Swim: 4 Workouts - 5h 30m - 10,150 yds
Bike: 4 Workouts - 8h 43m - 162.50 mi
Run: 4 Workouts - 4h 33m - 32.14 mi
-------------------------------------------------------
Totals: 12 Workouts - 18h 46m
Long Bike: 84 miles
Long Run: 16 miles
Couple of cool give-aways going on:
First one is over at Big Daddy Diesel's blog he is giving away a plethora of nutritional supplies.
The next one is at Mark's Blog and he is giving away a really cool Lazer Helmet.
Make sure to check them out!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Post Tosh, um, Post
Wow, I cannot believe it is already Sunday night this weekend end just flew right by? My brain is pretty much toast from the last 15 weeks of training so up until the IronStar HIM the entire blog is going to be in bullet points. I really cannot do more than one thought at a time.
Have a great week everyone and thanks for reading,
Jeff
- Seriously, all this training is making me stupid. Conversations with people about anything other than training and/or triathlon is very taxing. Some one even tried to get in a political debate with me the other day and I just didn't have it in me?
- We have like 10 smoke detectors in out house and one of them is beeping because of a low battery. I cannot figure out which one is beeping? It does one small beep like every 10 minutes and I cannot figure out which one it is? This is awful.
- On Tuesday I will be getting my new bike. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.
- My 35th Birthday is on Wednesday - hence the bike. It will be celebrated with a morning Brick (on new bike) - 27mi bike followed by a 6mi run.
- Our weather has been incredible. The mornings have been in the hi 50's to lo 60's and the afternoons have been in the low 80's. BUT the humidity is a thing of the past right now which is why it is so glorious!
- The IronStar HIM is 33 days away. The last time I checked the water temperature at Lake Conroe was 90 degrees. Hopefully it will get down below 78 so the swim will be wetsuit legal. Don't get me wrong, I am not afraid of the swim sans wetsuit, but I'd rather use it to help save some energy for the bike and according to the race reports I have read the swim course is about 200M long. The bike course for the IronStar is not considered a fast course at all. It has over 2000ft of climbing and some of the roads are chip sealed. Now the chip seal isn't that bad but it does slow you down some so a few minutes of time saved on the swim because of a wetsuit would be okay with me.
- We saw Daniel Tosh from Tosh.0 do Stand Up comedy last night. It was pretty damn funny. He is very different from the Tosh.0 show when he is live. His humor is much more dark and morose than it is on his show. He is still completely offensive and insults every race, religion, and sexual orientation possible. Not a single one of his jokes can be posted in this blog with out me changing it to and "adult Content" site. The eclectic group of people in the crowd was almost as enjoyable as the show. He has a very diverse following and the fact that they were serving mass quantities of alcohol before and during the show made for quite the entertaining evening! Some of the people we saw ...
- Since we didn't get to bed until 2am I decided to move my rest day to Sunday and do my long run on Monday morning. I might change the schedule permanently because it is nice to have the rest day coincide with all the NFL Pre-Game shows. The weather is supposed to be a crisp 49 degrees at wake-up (4am) and I am supposed to run for 2h 20m -- should be a lot of fun!
- Week 16 of training is upon me and it is a recovery week!!! Really looking forward to the reduced volume this week because my right knee has been barking. It is nothing serious just a little bit of tendinitis. Which is to be expected. Usually ice heals it up but surely some reduced volume will get it back to being 100% healthy!
Have a great week everyone and thanks for reading,
Jeff
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