Bike fit update

After my "I'm fit...." post detailing my visit to see Matt Lodder - the "Cary Cycle Surgeon" to have my bike properly fitted several people asked for an update on how it feels and what difference it made....

Here goes....

It's way too early, of course, to make any "before and after" direct comparisons re:  speed etc.  I need to ride a regular course several times before I'm ready to make that call.   I did, however, take th bike out yesterday for an hour and can make some observations.

Firstly a reminder of the major alterations that were made:

Position of cleat on shoes was moved forward slightly
Saddle was raised quite considerably (2 cm plus) and tilted very slightly further forward
Stem was lengthened by about 1 cm and stem angle was increased to 17 degrees
After handlebars were moved "up and forward" based on the new stem, the aerobars were adjusted back again slightly

I went out for 60 mins on a flat road (in somewhat blustery conditions) and simulated 8 x 2 mins of hill work by slamming it into the highest gear and pushing hard.

The big general observation was that it felt great!  Definitely felt more "powerful" at the 12:00 position at the top of each pedal stroke.  Had no great problem pushing things along at 20 mph plus.

At the bottom of each stroke (6:00 position) I could clearly feel that my toes were more pointed downwards - a fairly obvious one I guess based on the increased saddle height.

I felt very much less "confined", especially when riding on the drops and on the aero bars.  Felt as if my legs had more room.   This made me happy!   :-)

It was noticeable, especially when riding on the hoods, that my face was more "over the handlebars" than previously.   I also found that my arms found a more natural slightly bent (and, hopefully relaxed) position.  this is something that The Puppeteer has me working on. 

A minor thing, but previously when riding up on the hoods a few people have commented that I ride with my hands relatively far back (further from the brakes).  In the new set-up I felt that my hands went much more naturally to the front of the hoods.

Importantly, it felt comfortable.  No issues with the....ahem....  under carriage and nothing unusual after the ride.

All-in-all, based on just the one short outing, I'm pleased any feel that I am in both a more powerful and aerodynamic position.   Hopefully this will translate to a couple of mph on the road - I'll keep you posted!

I'm stripped........

.....and ready to be primed!

I worked from the coast today as we are re-modeling our kitchen and needed to be present when old work surfaces were removed and templates made for new ones.   As part of the project we are refinishing the kitchen cabinets and part of the work involves a lot of sanding.  Well.....   I know now how those cabinets must feel!

The Puppeteer scheduled me for a 1 hr 40 min run today.   I waited for the contractors to leave and decided to head out later in the afternoon.   I knew that it was windy and that it was basically blowing from a southerly direction so, being smart (or so I thought) I decided to run five miles south on the Old Oregon Inlet Road (basically into the wind) and then head back north again on the beach.

Holy crap!  It was an "interesting" run!   On the plus side, it was pretty mild - 70 F (about 20 C for my European friends) and the thunder showers that came through earlier were already heading off towards Bermuda somewhere and the sun was out, but boy, it was REALLY windy!   I checked the weather channel when I got back and apparently the winds were sustained at 30 mph plus with gusts of between 50 and 60 mph!   It was very difficult to find a rhythm going south and at one point a really strong gust caused me to trip over my own legs and I came very close to wiping out.  I struggled south for five miles and looked forward to getting onto the beach for the return leg and getting a little bit of shelter from the dunes......

Well, the dunes did provide a little bit of shelter but, rocket scientist that I am, I completely forgot to factor in....   sand blasting!    It was like being in the middle of a sand storm out there!I was very pleased that I had dedcided to wear running tights and not just shorts - my legs were continuously peppered.    The wind turbines on the new Jennet's Pier were turning so fast that I thought that the whole structure might take off.  To add insult to injury there was an unusually high tide that forced me to run the entire 5 mile return leg on the soft sand - brutal!

By the time I got back my left arm was very red and my neck was coated in sand which was stuck to the sweat.  The last couple of miles felt like running in treacle and I was struggling to maintain even 11 min mile pace!

On the plus side, I did get in my 10 miles and I got a lot of fresh air!   Best of all, for most of the return leg, mine were the only foot prints on the beach.  Nice!

I'm fit.....

.....well, I guess that I'm slowly getting fitter, but what I really meant to say is that I'm fitted....

I went today to get a bike fit from Matt Loder - the "Cycle Surgeon" http://carycyclesurgeon.com/Home.shtml   and I can very highly recommend him.

I have known or a while that my bike probably needed a good tune-up, but I have also suspected that being properly fitted for my bike would help my riding.   When I purchased the bike I was given a basic fitting and this was adjusted slightly when I added clip on pedals/shoes, but I have never been particularly confident that these were "good" fittings.  For a while now I have felt that I have been cramped in my up stroke and, of course, (see previous Quasimodo post!) The Puppeteer has been working to get me to loosen my arms and engage my core when rididng and these can also be affected by "fit".

The Puppeteer receommended Matt and I was very impressed. 

Started with some stretching and measurements and then adjusted my cleats slightly.  Next was on to the saddle, which was the biggest change.  I have thought that it was probably too low for a while and Matt agreed.  Raised it by about an inch (which is a huge amount) to make a more efficient angle at the knee at the end of the down sroke.  Then went onto the handle bars and increased both the length and angle of the stem before re-adjusting the aerobars. 

By the end of the two hour fitting I felt much less "cramped" and am confident that the fitting will improve performance.   Matt is also giving the bike a tune-up.  Can't wait to pick it up next week and get out there and try it! 

Matt doing his thing.

At least as interesting as the fitting was just chatting to Matt about pedal stroke; positioning; wheel types; components and all manner of other cool stuff.  It's obvious that he has a huge amount of knowledge and experience and I enjoyed picking his brain.  I think that he has to become an official member of the team...   hmmmm...    a name?   How about "The Peddler"?

DIY Blood Transfusion...... Really?

It was with some bemusement that I read today that an Italian professional cyclist named Riccardo Ricco (nickname "the cobra") is seriously ill in hospital with kidney failure after allegedly giving himself a DIY blood transfusion with a blood sample that was three weeks old......    the idiot apparently told medics that he was concerned that the blood was "stale"....

For the uninitiated, the reason for this bizarre undertaking is almost certainly (innocent untl proven guilty I guess) because he is "doping".  As I understand things the athlete "dopes up" with whatever PED or stimulant they are using and then when approaching an event basically replace the "doped" blood with a "clean" sample which has been drawn earlier and (usually!) properly stored.  Either that or they simply add back blood with an artificially high hematocrit to boost hemoglobin levels and oxygen capacity.  This same guy was previously banned for 20 months in 2008 because he tested positive for epo during the Tour de France.

What kind of dumb ass self-administers a blood transfusion?   What kind of even-dumber ass self-administers blood that hasn't been properly stored?   I guess professional cycling is in a mess!

No, doping's not for me, I would never......   no......   wait a minute........   now that I think of it.......    there is a product that claims to be full of iron that I frequently.....     no, not transfuse.......     infuse........    in large quantities..........
 
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Better not tell The Puppeteer!  :-)

Products I Like: Nuun Tablets

I thought that I might occasionally give "props" to products that I like.  I will only do this if and when I have used a product for a good while and can genuinely "endorse" it. 

We all know (I think) that it's important to stay properly hydrated, not only if working out or undertaking exercise, but also in every day life.  There's a good general article here:  http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/nutrition/hydration.html

I have historically not been particularly great at drinking water.  A good deal of my liquid intake used to come from coffee, alcohol etc. (thankfully I have never been a big soda drinker!).  Given the rigors of the plan the The Puppeteer is putting together, I knew that it was important that I start to take in more fluids.  I started pouring glasses of water at work, but they would often remain "un-drunk" for hours.  Then I discovered Nuun Tablets.  http://www.nuun.com/#/?exn=whatisnuun

Nuun tablets are electrolyte tablets that rapidly dissolve in water.  They are lightly flavored (or flavoured for my Brit friends) and also gently effervesce, giving the water a slight fizz.  Sold in tubes of 12 tablets, they are formulated to provide the correct osmolarity for rapid absorption.  They are not a sports drink as they contain a careful balance of electrolytes but no carbohydrates.   For each tablet dissolved in 16 oz water (~8 calories), the components are:

Active Ingredients	level (mg)
Sodium (carbonates)	360.0
Potassium (bicarbonate)	100.0
Calcium (carbonate)	12.5
Magnesium (sulfate)	25.0
Vitamin C	37.5
Vitamin B2	500mcg

Other ingredients: citric acid, sorbitol, sodium carbonate, natural colors flavors, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, polyethylene glycol, magnesium sulfate, sodium benzoate, calcium carbonate, acesulfame potassium, riboflavin-5-phosphate.

Available flavors are:  Kona Cola, Bannana, Citrus, Lemon-Lime, Triberry and Orange.  I can only vouch for the last three, but all taste good to me.  I have a slight preference for the lemon-lime and orange over the triberry.  Don't expect a "taste explosion" - these are all very light flavors when dissolved.  Just enough, in my opinion, to make the water more interesting.  There's also a more exotic "natural hydration" line. but my understanding is that these are not formulated the same way.  The flavors sound interesting though!

The bottom line is that since I have discovered these babies I have been drinking a lot more water and tend to have my water bottle with me most of the time.  Every little helps!

Get Yer Mitts Off My Java!

So, I had a swim session with The Puppeteer yesterday.  A really useful session at the Homestead Aquatic Center in Chapel Hill.  It turns out that perhaps my freestyle isn't quite as bad as I had imagined, but I have lots of good things to work on.

Much more alarming than the swim assessment was the chat we had before starting with some stretches.  The Puppeteer came in holding a cup of coffee.....

Me:   Did you get me one?
TP:   No, do you want some of mine?
Me:  No thanks, just kidding
TP:  How many coffees do you drink a day?
Me:  I guess I pour about four good sized cups, but after the first one I rarely finish a cup before it goes cold
TP:  Make it three tops!  It interferes with your calcium absorption......

Gulp.....    do I really have to cut down on my precious coffee?  Quel horreur!

I know that The Puppeteer loves me really and has my best interests at heart (she also asked me about my sleeping; eating breakfast etc.), but my coffee.....    really?

Now we'll see how serious I really am about this whole training thing!   I have happily been prepared to cut down on the alcohol, but coffee as well?  It's just not civilized!  Cruel and unusual punishment!

Ah well, I guess I'll give it a go and keep you posted, but this one may turn into a fight.   Given that a lot of people think that all this training is "stupid", surely I should be drinking MORE coffee?.....

Did the Earth just move for you?



Reflections....

The Puppeteer scheduled me a 1 hr 30 min run today and, despite being pretty congested and having sinus pressure (ugh!), I was actually looking forward to it.   I didn't push too hard and ran nine miles plus over very hilly terrain without any problems and was barely out of breath when I got home.  Could have comfortably gone much longer.

While I was running I reflected on what an interesting couple of years (year and a half really) it has been and how far I've come.   Nine miles on hills without blinking?  Actually looking forward to it?

I well remember, just after I got the crazy notion that I might like to try to finish the 2009 Outer Banks Half Marathon in around May of 2009, that I went for a quick run with my friend Jeff on the beach road in Nags Head.  We walked a mile north and then turned around and ran the mile back.  We completed it, but we were out-of-breath and couldn't have done much more. 

Sometimes it seems as if I'm not showing too many signs of improvement, but I guess when I stop and reflect, I realise that  I've come a long way!

When looking for a "reflection" image I came across this one.....   what is it with you ladies?  :-)

Juggling....

Well, it's Friday night (Saturday morning actually) and I feel pretty good about my workouts this week.  Not because I ran faster, felt better or achieved some new level, but simply because I finished all of the workouts set by The Puppeteer!

It has been quite a week.....  SWMBO has been sick, meaning that I have been helping out more with school runs and so on.  On top of that it has been quite a work week - on line by 6:30 an every morning (one of the joys of working for a European company) and several late evening conference calls with Asia.  All of this on top of a work week which, for some reason, seemed busier than usual.

I didn't do all of the prescribed workouts in the planned sequence, but I did somehow manage to fit them all in.  Squeezed a couple in at lunchtimes and pulled a couple of late nighters.  I have built up to somewhere between 7.5 and 10.5 hours of training a week and have immense respect for those who put in the training hours necessary to complete "Ironman" distance while at the same time juggling busy personal and work lives.

I'm pretty tired, but at least The Puppeteer can't play the wuss card!