Cascades Edge Sprint 6/11

Unlike last at last week's oly, I decided it would be OK to put in a moderate effort - letting my heart rate rise to 85% on the bike and run. A did a good job of hitting that goal:



I finished in 1:27:17:

• Swim - 17:39
  
• T1 - 4:18
  
• Bike - 39:50
  
• T2 - 2:52
  
• Run - 22:38
  

Not much to say about the swim except I felt like I sighted decently. It was cold of course, so it took a few minutes to settle into a rhythm.

The bike went well. I had a bit of numbness/discomfort, and without going into too many details, lets just say that at IM, I'll definitely take my time through transition and put on bike shorts. The race shorts with the thinner pad just isn't quite enough. Perhaps a different saddle would help, but I'm not changing that out with such little time. Besides, this same saddle was fine for the Kirkland Century; I am convinced it is all about more padding for me. It is possible the new pedals are thinner than my previous ones and may require me to move my seat down just a touch. Anyway, this didn't strike until about mile 9 or 10 out of 12, so I sat up a bit for the remainder of the ride. One thing different about a sprint is that I wasn't passed for 3/4 of the bike course - at an olympic I am used to getting passed all the time. ;) I think this has more to do with a combination of things: 1) more serious athletes do the olympic, 2) the better sprint athletes are out of the water before me. When I was passed, it was a group of 3 or 4 in quick succession.

The run went well, I felt strong and I had good turnover. Mentally, it helped that I was also passing lots of people. I managed to turn in a 7:40 pace, which I am happy with.

One thing I am totally lazy about is transition - 4:18 at T1 and 2:52 for T2. I could have placed 2 spots higher in my division by shaving off a combined 1 minute from transition. On the other hand, I was making no effort to move fast. At IM transition time will be lost in the noise and I haven't worked on it at all. Also, T1 should probably be 30 to 45 seconds higher, and my bike time 30 to 45 seconds lower, because I was fiddling with my bike gloves at the dismount line.

Bike 6/10

Took it easy on the SRT with my race bike and race wheels. Rode for 51 minutes, and TOPO estimates 13.3 miles. I am unsure of how to fix the computer magnet to my race wheels...

Afterwards, I tightened a few nuts, washed off the drivetrain, and cleaned and lubed the chain. It was getting a little dirty so I thought a quick cleaning would be good.

Swim 6/9

I got to Martha Lake early today, and swam a lap to the near shore before the main group got in the water. I swam two more laps with them, so a total of about 1.5 miles in 50 minutes of swimming.

Bike 6/9

I rode with CB at lunch today - we went to Sammamish Valley Cycles, and then hit Subway on the way back. 6.2 miles in 24 minutes.

I think I've gotten comfortable with the new pedals. They aren't that much different a system than the SPD pedals, the only thing I notice is there isn't really an audible click with I clip out.

Swim 6/8

A quick ~0.5 miles in Martha Lake, which was very chilly today. I am so glad I bought a full-sleeved wetsuit, even though I likely won't need it again once I move to FL. In the meantime, it is making my workouts a bit more pleasant.

I got jammed up today with all sorts of stuff (busy busy) so I didn't arrive early enough to do extra laps - I only swam 18 minutes. Tomorrow my goal is at least 1.5 miles.

New Pedals

Finding out about the pedal float issue with my SPD pedals is good news, because it explains the minor knee pain I get every now and then. My only concern is that it wasn't too wise to switch pedal systems 2.5 weeks before my event. On the other hand, riding with a slightly misaligned cleat/pedal is probably a worse idea. I've gotten by this long, but I don't want to risk a permanent injury. Or, having it flare up at IMCdA.

After thinking a little, I asked CP (who works at the store) what she thought. CP uses Speedplays as well, is a multiple IM finisher, and she thought I had plenty of time to get used to new pedals. Also, I know that T2 and CB (and CP and probably many more people I know) use Speedplay pedals and really like them.

My main purpose was to find a solution to the intermittent left knee pain, and I hope this is it. Part of me wants to kick myself for not doing this earlier, but then the knee pain was always minor and didn't always present. I think my left knee needs just slightly more float than my former pedals can give. Say SPD allows 9 degree float, maybe my left knee needs 9.5 degrees. Anyway, I am glad I did get this looked at.

Run 6/8

I did a nice, easy run at the Redmond Watershed before lunch. 3.5 miles in 42 minutes. Heart rate was well below 70% max.

Rest 6/7

I planned to swim or bike today, but didn't do either. Now it is late and rather than stay up to force out an hour on the trainer, I'll just rest. Tomorrow I am planning an easy run and an easy swim. After all, taper doesn't mean complete rest. ;)

IMCdA Race Number

The race numbers are up. I am #678, a nice easy to remember number. The event feels more and more imminent now. ;)

T1 stopped by to give me a gift - some cool looking socks - Pearl Izumi Attack Socks, the Hammer design. Sweet!! I'll wear them at my tri this Saturday.

Pedal Fitting

Every once in a while after a ride on my race bike, my left knee is a sore. Just a little bit. I felt fine after the Hills of Kirkland Century ride, but on the drive home from Blue Lake, I could feel just a slight twinge on the top on my left knee and on the outside. Today it is gone.

When it happens, I try to think of what might have caused it. I think getting off the bike for a few minutes and stretching helps, which is why I was fine after the Hills of Kirkland Century. Naturally, I didn't do this at Blue Lake.

Anyway, instead of guessing, I setup a pedal fit at Sammamish Valley Cycles, for June 8th. I am hoping they'll discover my left cleat or left pedal needs just a touch of adjustment, and thus explain this. I can see why people really like Speedplay pedals, because they offer a nice amount of float. I'd consider getting Speedplays for next season - getting them now for IMCdA wouldn't be too wise. Much better to adjust the current system I have (Shimano) and then make big changes in the off-season.

If nothing is found, I should be OK for IMCdA anyway, because I know I'll hop off the bike every hour or so, to hit a restroom and briefly stretch. This strategy worked at the Hills of Kirkland and as I mentioned, I felt fine.

Week 22

First, an interesting article on the benefits of speed training.

May 31 - June 5

	Time
Swim	1:22
Bike	1:25
Run	0:56
Strength	0:00
Weight	140.6 lb
Body Fat	15.2 %

Times include the Blue Lake Tri. And, what a nice weight: 140.6. That just happens to be the total distance in miles of an ironman. :P

Cumulative Training

	Time
Swim	24:50
Bike	134:43
Run	37:38

Blue Lake Oly 6/5

The race went well - I finished in 3:05:52:

• Swim - 34:10
  
• T1 - 6:12
  
• Bike - 1:24:52
  
• T2 - 4:23
  
• Run - 56:15
  
• Total - 3:05:52
  

The weather wasn't so good: chilly (mid 50's), overcast, light rain here and there. Not horrible, but it made for a cold bike ride. I had a long sleeve jersey, jacket, full-fingered gloves, and was OK. I'd see others with finger tip gloves, short sleeves... and think holy crap I'd get pneumonia.

The swim was tough due to winds and churn. M30-39 started together, and I had to hang back, move to the side, and it still took me a few minutes to find a nice bubble to swim in. The winds caused short waves which made breathing hard - I sucked in more than a few mouthfuls of water - and it took a while to calm down and find my rhythm. I got out of the water around 32 minutes, but the official time is higher because the timing mat was 50 yards away, on the other side of a small hill.

Speaking of the transition zone, it had really long chutes to/from the bike start/finish. I made the tactical decision that since this wasn't my A race, the grass was wet and uneven, I would just walk it. So both T1 and T2 are a bit slower than normal.

The bike was windy and wet. I settled into the 39x17 or 39x19 and spun along. The race wheels make a cool whirring noise! I feel lucky I didn't have a bike issue given I was messing with my wheels and shifting the night before. Plus, before the event started, I topped off my front wheel with a little CO2.

I started the run feeling pretty good considering I've only done two bricks in all my training - both with JHS doing one of her crazy coached workouts. I felt a side stitch come on so I eased up to let my heart rate fall to about 75% max heart rate and ran the first 3 miles like that. On the way back I pushed a little harder, but not too much.

When I finished, I had the usual contradictory thoughts: I could have done better; I don't really train to do better because I'm generally unwilling to suffer. I just about only train and race at a moderate/easy pace, so I can hardly expect that my volume alone will make my moderate/easy pace noticeably faster! JHS called during the drive back and we chatted about this very topic, and how we are similar in this respect. As an aside, we both find the volume required for IM to be high enough that next year, we might actually consider suffering via speedwork (for shorter events), in order to have variety from our suffering through volume. ;)

Still, it was a good outing - no bike mechanical problems, no cramps, left foot feels good, decent times considering the effort I was racing at.




From my heart rate data, you can see the swim was uneven, as I fought the chop and churn before settling down. When the elevation data suddenly kicks in is where the swim stopped. Then, my HR spiked as I ran up a hill to the transition zone. At this point, I decided to proceed slowly and calmly through transition, and my HR drifts down.

On the bike, the general trend is that I took it easier as time wore on. I don't remember doing this consciously, perhaps I just stuck with a particular gear ratio, stayed with it, and since it was an "easy" effort, my heart rate could drift down.

T2 is also obvious, and the sudden dip following it is... when I had to visit a porta-potty. Just as a note, I'd much rather have bathroom trips count towards transition time, but alas, they were outside the transition zone. ;) Anyway, in a slight reverse of my bike effort, I increased my effort slightly over the duration of the run.

On the whole, I feel like I paced this pretty well - I didn't "hammer" and burn myself out before my main event.

As for the results, I generally improved as the race unfolded. I had the 318th fastest swim, 312th fastest bike, and 282nd fastest run. Comparatively, the run is my "strength"! ;) I finished 47th in my division out of 53, which is a nice improvement - I'm nearly always last or second to last at an olympic triathlon.

Rest 6/4

I'm glad I'm doing an event before IMCdA because it has been crazy.

This morning, I spectated the Issaquah Tri, because I had two friends doing it. Afterwards, I did my shopping (lace locks, CO2 cartridges) and messed around more with my race wheels, and as a result I didn't leave for Blue Lake until about 2 pm.

The deal with the wheels is the cutout for the valve stem - my floor pump doesn't fit. I bought another one at Sammamish Valley Cycles, and it doesn't fit either. I think I need some pump with a flexible hose attachment in order to use a floor pump with the HED wheels. So with the short valve stems, the only pump I have that worked was a Pocket Rocket, a mini pump.

I also bought a small CO2 inflater and several threaded cartridges, and these worked like a champ. This will be fine for events (although I'd prefer not to have a flat at all!) but I'm not sure I'd like to spend $6 everytime I need to inflate my tires. I guess I wouldn't use too much just topping them off however.

Anyway, in my hotel I got around to putting the race wheels on. The front was fine, but I realized I didn't have a way to fasten the spoke magnet, so my bike computer won't work. The rear wheel took a little more work - first I had to tighten the rear brake, a good maintenance item to do anyway. Then, the wheel wouldn't fit quite right and I traced that down to the cutout screws. Of course, my bike tool didn't have a small enough philips head screwdriver, but fortunately my leatherman micra sorta worked enough so I could get both screws level. After this, the rear wheel fit on without rubbing the seat tube.

Then I tried out the shifting and found it was a little off - it would stay in one gear an extra time. This happens constantly and I now have a method for systematically dealing with it. First, I shift into the smallest cog (i.e. highest gear, furthest out, whatever you want to call it) where the rear derailluer isn't under any tension. Then I tighten the shift cable. This alone has fixed the last 2 or 3 shifting problems I've had. If that doesn't do it, then I adjust the limit screws. Unfortunately, my system here is merely trial-and-error: turn one screw a half turn, if that makes it worse, undo it and try the other direction. Repeat with the other limit screw.

Anyway, tensing the shift cable fixed my shift problem.

The moral of this story is: get the bike ready WELL in advance... don't be adjusting it the night before. :) Basically, this is a training event for me, and I realize going into it there is a chance I'll have a bike mechanical issue tomorrow during the race. If so, I'll try to remain calm and tell myself to just make the best of it, but certainly have the bike ready to go (as best as I can) a few days before Cascades Edge.

Obviously, this is why I'm getting my bike tuned up on June 20th, and will arrive in CdA on the 22nd. That will give me plenty of time to ride it and work out little kinks. I'm sure there will be plenty of bike help in the days before IMCdA if there is something above my head.