Bike 12/18

It was sunny, clear, and relatively warm for this time of year (55 degrees F), so I took my bike outside for a ride on the Sammamish River Trail. I stayed in the 39x17 or 39x16 trying to keep a high cadence the entire time.

21.3 miles in 1:32, which works out to averaging 13.9 mph.

It just felt good to ride outside for once!

Run 12/17

Ran a very easy 3 miles with friends from ESR. The goal was to see Christmas lights in a neighborhood. Of course, I forgot to stop my watch afterwards, so I can only guess the run took 30 minutes (?).

On a side note, I don't think my Illuminite jacket works worth crap. I will look into getting something that really is reflective for future runs.

More people

My friend and coworker C stopped by to ask about bike rides next year. Yesterday, at our Christmas party, I told C about my ironman plan. Much like JHS, C was very excited and enthusiastic for me! This of course makes it easier to share the secret, and in general gets me excited to train.

Anyway, C will be out of town for the Cascade Chilly Hilly ride. Despire this, we'll bike together depending on our schedules, starting in January. Of course, I know C doesn't like the cold so it may be tough to get C outside that early. ;)

Bike 12/16

I was all set to do a workout on the CompuTrainer, but I wound up on my regular trainer. That's because I ripped a cable on the cadence sensor - one runs from the control unit to the trainer. I just let it dangle rather than fasten the cable to the bike, because then I'd have to undo it when I switch bikes. After a few minutes, the cable got tangled in my cranks and it ripped. I think next time, I'll get some twisties and use those.

So, I order another sensor and also an extra long stereo cable (which I will need to eventually connect to the computer). And, I got on my regular trainer and rode for 40 minutes.

Road bike update

I talked to my bike mechanic Chuck, and have an update on my bike. He's got the parts in and is claiming the bike will be finished on Friday. We'll see.

He's recommending the all-new 2004 group of components, which means 10 gears on the cassette. Since I've waited so long, he'll toss that upgrade in. The only catch is, due to crank shape differences, I'd either need to use older model cranks, or switch bottom brackets to change the power cranks in and out. He said he'd be happy to set me up with the tools and even show me how to change my bottom bracket.

So, this is very tempting. Upgraded components, plus learning to do more bike work on my own. Of course, swapping bottom brackets will take a lot longer than just popping the cranks off, and I'd really like to be able to switch the cranks around quickly. My friend TW, who helped me build my Cervelo, showed me a few things, but in reality I could always use more pointers on doing mechanical work on the bike.

I think what I'll do is have him do the work, and show me how to swap the bottom bracket. Honestly, part of my motivation is to simply get my bike back, and then possibly take it to another store and get another opinion on the situation I really want: one bottom bracket that works with regular cranks and power cranks. Surely that can be done with minimal fuss?! I don't think Chuck is misrepresenting anything, but on the other hand it seems odd that it isn't easier. But, I do know bottom brackets have changed in recent years: splined, tapered square, octalink, minor differences between the various levels (sora through dura ace), and of course differences between the big two families of Shimano and Campagnolo. The problem might indeed be the power cranks need just a slightly different spacing or width, and thus the bottom bracket juggling is required.

The other thing I could do is just get another bike, and make it exclusively for use on trainers. In this configuration, I'd get my Trek back with the regular cranks on it, and leave them. I'd get another cheap bike and put the power cranks on it. Then, I'd use the Trek for outdoor rides and for trainers, and the new cheap bike for power crank training. This feels a bit wasteful because I already have two bikes - a race bike and a road bike. But, the race bike can't really fit fenders, and for general cruddy winter weather and trainer usage, I would prefer to use the road bike.

I guess it boils down to how often I think I'll swap cranks. Ideally, I'd like the flexibility of riding either regular cranks or power cranks every day, depending on weather and time. With one bike, this could mean changing configurations every night, which could become a major pain. If I change the cranks that often I'll soon be able to do it with my eyes shut. ;)

My friend TW supposedly has 7 bikes, and I know T2 has at least 4. Maybe the extra bike is the way to go - I need to catch up, hehe.

Fundamentally I know bike strength isn't about the bike - it is about the engine (me). I just want to get to an equipment configuration where I can ride inside/outside with regular/power cranks, spend a minimum of time getting from one setup to another, and just train.

Strength 12/14

I was fairly unmotivated to hit the gym this evening, but I went and did a 40 minute upper body workout. I mostly wanted to show up just to start getting used to going once a week, to imprint this into my routine.

Swim 12/13

I'm finding Mondays work well as a swim day rather than a recovery day. Part of the reason is conference calls at work - because my group's HQ is on the east coast, many conference calls are scheduled between 11 and 1 my time. So when I don't have one, and I usually don't on Mondays, I take advantage and go swim.

I'll juggle around my schedule.

Anyway, 1500 yards in about 42 minutes. I did 8x200 followed by 1x100 very easy cool down. It might look like I'm getting faster, but I think what is happening is I waste less time in between laps by swimming longer sets. Since endurance is the whole idea, I think I'll stick with the 200 yard set for now, and work up.

Swim felt good - slow and practicing form the entire time.

Base Week 6

Dec 6 - Dec 13

	Time
Swim	0:45
Bike	0
Run	2:07
Strength	0:45
Weight	? lb
Body Fat	?%

I looked back over my blog and found I left this out. I don't remember what my weight or body fat was at the time.

Bike Thoughts

OK, I've been slacking on the bike. We're not quite at crisis stage - there is plenty of time to correct the problem.

I am not nearly doing enough bike workouts each week. I must change that!!

Run 12/12

I did the Jingle Bell 5K in about 32 minutes.

During the run, I found JHS and E. They mentioned meeting for breakfast, which sounded great so I agreed. After breakfast, we were all talking about ironman. E did IMCdA so I asked a few questions, particularly about when E started to train, and E helpfully said and mentioned various interim events E did on the way. JHS asked if I had signed up for an ironman for next year. I managed to deflect the question, explaining I tried to sign up for IMC but didn't win a lottery spot. Which is true... but not the whole truth!

As I was driving to drop JHS off near JHS's car, I fessed up, and told JHS I was in fact signed up for an ironman - not IMC (like E is this year), but IMCdA.

NOTE: I didn't tell JHS about any blogs or that anybody is signed up for IMAZ.

JHS was supportive and asked if I just wasn't mentally ready to commit to the IMCdA since I hadn't told anybody - a big thing for JHS was to tell everybody and then have that motivation. I said that training quietly and then not doing it, if it doesn't work out, sounded better. ;)

Anyway, JHS knows I'm signed up for IMCdA, and it will be fine. I might even tell E if I get E's email address, and probably try to pick E's brain a little bit more.

JHS, E, T2, T1, all of us, are about the same abilities and have the same goals - FINISH. Well, E did one already, so we can all admire E's accomplishment.