First off, I wanted to say thank you for all the kind get-well wishes. One of the most notable traits I have encountered in my tri training is the extremely supportive nature of all of the athletes. We are all so lucky to be among such caring people. My throat remains slightly off but nothing so bad that it is going to slow me down.
Last week, due to my sickness I cut back on the workouts a bit. It seems to have paid off as I had the opportunity to feel better and enjoy myself a bit as well.
My busy Friday I had planned got changed around since my husband ended up with the day off as well. So instead of my long workout and house work I had intended to accomplish, we ended up getting some house work and some shopping done. On our shopping trip, I re-purchased our patio table and umbrella that broke in a fall storm which I was excited to finally have again. I spent Friday evening putting the table together before enjoying our first beer can chicken of 2006....and it was sooooo good!
Saturday morning, I went to the Cleveland Triathlon Club's (CTC) Duathlon training race day out at the Towpath. It was a gorgeous morning and everytime I run on the towpath I enjoy the scenery and the crushed limestone surface so much. After some debate I decided to just wear shorts and a tank top which was actually warm enough for me surprisingly. The event was well-run (of course!) and there was about 20 of us that participated. My splits were 2 mile run (14:27), transition one and 13.2 mile bike (42:18), transition two and 2 mile run (16:07) for a total time of 1:12:52. Many thanks to the club and volunteers for such a great time!
Reflecting on my "race", I still could improve my transition times. Judging from my competitors' splits I lost ground on the bike. Prior to my race I only had 44 miles on my roadbike, so clearly I need to spend more time focusing on my bike. I know I have not exactly figured out where I should target as far as the gears and the cadence rate which is most effective for me. The second run felt somewhat painful (as expected) but it was not too bad and I managed to pass a couple people. I have decided that I enjoy these du's. I don't have to swim which is good for me. I wonder how I will feel if I do the long course which is double (4M run -26.2M bike -4M run). I know it would really challenge me and I think I will do it on 4/29. I figure it would be a good training session for the Olympic tri I plan to do in July.
Sunday morning based on Saturday's bike performance I mapped out a 20 mile country road loop to take my bicycle on. It was somewhat challenging with at least 4 substantial hills. This weekend was the first time I used my aerobars. I find that at this position, my back is a little sore and the seat is also causing me some (to put it mildly) pain in the frontal region. Maybe I should angle the seat down or try to move further forward on my seat, I am not sure??? I had a proper bike fitting, so I am not sure if this is something that may just take some getting used to or what. From this point on I am going to try to do all bike training on my real bike (no more stationary and recumbent bike training if possible) as I think that should be extremely helpful.
The remainder of the weekend, I continued to remain outdoors as we drove our motorcyles back out the Valley and Hinckley area for some twisty roads with gorgeous scenery and also grilled out and enjoyed the weather with family.
This morning, I ran 6.5 miles outside in the buggy lane as the sun rose. What a perfect way to start the week!
Monday, April 17, 2006
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7 comments:
Great job on your Du! Ok what is
"first beer can chicken of 2006"?
I would take the bike back for minor adjustment. You shouldn't have pain. Also core exercises really helped my riding in the aero position. I do not have any pain at least up to 1 hour in the aeros.
Our Beer-Can Chicken was inspired by Stephen Raichlen, who is an award-winning author, cooking teacher, and syndicated columnist who has published more than twenty cookbooks on a variety of subjects. He is most famous for his "Barbecue Bible" and "Beer-Can Chicken," where he delves into America's newest passion: cooking a whole chicken upright on the base of a beer can filled with beer or any variety of liquids for flavoring.
The resulting chicken will undoubtably be extremely moist and have amazing flavor!
Glad to hear that you are feeling better. I too am a big fan of cooking the beer can chicken. Could those two events be related? Now I add it's healing powers to the list of reasons I like it.
Glad you are feeling better! Sounds like you had a great weekend!
Beer can chicken - yum!
Great job on the Du!!!
I have a weak core and still don't like staying in the aero position too long. If you think it is too aggressive of a position, and you have the traditional road handlebars, try spending more time in the "drop" position first. As you become stronger and more flexible in the core, the aero position will become easier to handle.
I still think beer can chicken is a waste of a beer.
Now that Boston's done we can start getting our bike on together! I feel like I am way behind already!
You can try doing a 'pelvic tilt' while on the bike which over time will relieve pressure and develop a stronger core from which to apply the power in your legs while pedaling. Think about contracting your lower abdominals so that you slightly lift off the front of your seat. Your weight should be on your sit bones, not on the 'frontal region'. A special seat or adjustment is not going to relieve the pressure if you're pushing down on the area anyway.
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