Ups and Downs of Triathlon

My thoughts are with the families of 3 local cyclists who were seriously injured yesterday by a distracted driver.  One cyclist from my team was out with 2 of his buddies riding single file in the bike lane and were hit by an SUV sustaining life threatening injuries.  This hits us all close to home and reminds us that we can only do our part in staying safe when we are on our bikes and strongly urge your friends and family to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the steering wheel.  It is also a very strong NOTE to self to assess your own driving skills to keep other cyclists safe.  As a cyclist, you see a different perspective of modern day drivers and I was in a bike clinic where we were discussing maintenance and safety right before we learned the news.  Many athletes are contemplating if it is worth the risk to continue what we love, but I don't think backing down is the answer.  Be pro-active in your community, starting with taking responsibility for your own actions when you are behind the wheel and then reach out to drivers even if it is one driver at a time.

Unfortunately this is one DOWN that could be your last.

Now for some UPS!  I had a follow up visit with my bike fitter on Monday.  We did some additional work on my pedal stroke as I was still dropping my heel and losing power.  His video technology really provided good feedback along with some hand over hand guidance of my foot.  It is finding what learning strategies work for you.  Then, he retested my power and I had to race the ghost dummy on the computer again for 4 minutes on a hilly course.  This time with my new set up (shorter cranks) after a month of practice and a little more instruction, I was able to utilize the same amount of power as the dummy (Last time I used 30 Watts more power than the dummy) and my right and left legs produced equal power (last time I was asymmetrical).  The bad news is that I still need a lot of work on my foot position and technique, but the good news is that with the shorter crank I now have the ability to do this.  It is still a matter of undoing the old motor program and getting the new one to stick.  Out with the old and in with the new!

The best news this week is that we came to a decision about a bike and it is a Scott Foil 20 Carbon Road Bike that we are putting shorter cranks on, shorter stem and different bars to give me the proper reach and stack and optimal position for creating power when I pedal.  At this time, Jeff did not feel I have the ability to ride in an aero position and he reassured me that at my speed, I am not losing any power and that I have potential to gain length in my muscles and conditioning with my training and then we will add clip on aero bars if there is any benefit when my body is ready.  Jeff is really a bicyclologist as his methodology is evidence based.  He likes to teach and show me a lot of graphs and data.  It all makes sense when he explains it, but I am not as eloquent in repeating it back to others.  All I can say in the bike world is that everyone has their opinion (very strong opinions).  I am finding out that every person who shares their knowledge with me, has different ideas about what the "right way" to do things is.  As an objective athlete, I chose to take it all in and then find what works for me.

This week I found myself waking up with energy and having good workouts, but then dragging in the afternoon and passing out in the early evenings.  Then I would wake up late at night and have trouble sleeping through the night.  My brain is very confused between fatigue and early morning workouts.  I like that I am waking up early, but I need more solid sleep.  I seemed to be better by the end of the week for the hard workouts.

Friday we had a hard swim going all out at different distances.  Saturday we had a 2 hour bike ride on part of Ironman course and the Marquee Triathlon that is on my schedule for next week and there was an  Open Water Swim Event in Tempe Town Lake and I did the 2000 meter.  Lastly, a 6 mile run this morning and once again I finish up the week, so happy to be done....thirsty for rest!

The Swim was great.  I am taking advantage of any opportunity for open water swim practice and especially in Tempe where most of my races including Ironman will be held.  It is really a calm lake on a typical Arizona Day.  The water temp was 63 and the air temp was in the upper 80s.  The water had lots of cool and warm spots.  The swim was very pleasant and I ended up finishing in 36:40 taking 5th place amongst the women and 3rd place in my age group.  I even won a nice glass for a big Smoothie (most people will probably drink beer out of it, but that is not my thing).  It was a pretty small event so just do a small happy dance, but I was very pleased with my performance, though I knew that my left arm was dragging and I did not feel fully conditioned as my distances in practice are short right now.

So those were the UPS and DOWNS of the week and I expect the hilly ride to continue.  I guess I better start thinking of a name for my new bike.  She (or he) should arrive within 2 weeks.  Suggestions for names are welcome.  I may just stick to the name on the bike "Scott" as that is my oldest brother and one of my heros (he is training for his 3rd Ironman).

Preview for upcoming week:
Thursday:  Splash and Dash at Tempe Town Lake 1500 m swim and 3 mile run
Sunday:  Marquee Olympic Distance Tri at Tempe Town Lake

Happy Training and PLEASE BE SAFE whether you are on 2 wheels or 4!