On Becoming a Fish...

Anyone remember the Japanese cartoon "Marine Boy" from the late sixties?   The English dubbed version was apparently screened on television in the US, UK and Australia.  In this series Marine Boy (with a friendly dolphin whose name escapes me and "Neptina" the mermaid) patrols the oceans and can swim for hours with the aid of "Oxy-Gum"......



Well, today I must have had a little Oxy-Gum in my breakfast cereal, as I had what I am thinking of as a breakthrough swim workout of 3,200 yards, including a 1,000 yard freestyle continuous set.   Nothing spectacular for many of my triathon friends who think nothing of ripping out 2.4 mile open water swims, but for me this was a big milestone!

This time last year I was just starting to get "back in the pool" and struggling mightily.   I was in no danger of drowning, but my freestyle form was average and my endurance was lousy - the two are related of course!
My swim struggles at the White Lake Triathlon have been well documented in this blog and, to be honest, going to the pool to workout felt like a chore. 

Going in to this season I was determined to improve and I have been taking my swim sessions much more seriously.  Basically I told myself to "HTFU" and do the work needed to improve.  Discovering Raleigh's Optimist pool instead of having to go to the dreary Millbrook Exchange has certainly helped.   The Puppeteer had me doing two sessions a week (typically 2,000 to 2,400 yards each) until recently, when I asked her to add a third.  I have workd hard on my drills and am definitely "longer" in the water and stronger in my catch and it's finally paying dividends!   I did a pool session with The Puppeteer a couple of weeks back and was very encouraged about what she said about my stroke and form.

It felt great to complete the 1,000 yard set with good form today.  Not only that, but I ripped off 2 x 500 yard sets with swim paddles immediately afterwards and felt strong.  Perhaps, as The Puppeteer is fond of saying, I'm "becoming a fish" and "growing gills".   She told me that it would come if I kept at it and so will from hereon be known as "Doctor Fate".... 

Race Wheels!

Some time back I posted that I had picked-up a second hand Zipp 808 wheelset.    For the unitiated, these are carbon "race wheels" that are lighter and have better aerodynamic properties than standard "training" wheels.  In theory they should allow you to generate a little more speed and shave some time in races.   If nothing else, they look cool and make you "feel" a little faster!

They are typically (perhaps "potentially" is a better word?) a little more fragile than other wheels, so they tend to get saved for use in races.  There is also a bit of a "dork factor" in the cycling and triathlon communities if you use your race wheels all the time.  To be honest, I'm not sure why this is, but it just is.  The Puppeteer described using race wheels for training as "like wearing Prada to the grocery store" (to which I say, if you can afford it, why not?).

Anyway, I have shown great restraint and avoided using them so far, but race season is getting close and, at the very least, it makes sense to have at least tried them out to get used to them.   On top of this, when I bought the wheels the seller threw in a Wheelbuilder Aero Disc cover for the rear wheel and I wanted to try this out too.   This is basically a plastic cover which clips over the spokes and makes things even more aerodynamic.

So one evening this week I fixed the disc cover to the rear wheel and, to earn brownie points with The Puppeteer, I duly affixed TriStacey stickers to each side. 

The istallation was very easy - much more straightforward than I imagined!

Next step was to re-attach the gear cassette and to mount this rear wheel and the "deep" Zipp 808 front wheel to The Slut.   Here's what she looks like in all her glory:

I should have remembered to take the bag with spares etc. off the back of the seat post before I took the photo - another rookie triathlete party foul!

Personally I think she looks pretty hot!

Yesterday was an absolutely glorious day here in central NC - sunny and 80 F - not at all bad for the first day of March!   I was scheduled for a 75 min ride with 6 x 4 min hard intervals, interspersed with 4 min recoveries at high cadence.  It sounded like the perfect excuse to take the new set-up for a spin!

What I didn't bargain on was the wind!   It was extremely blustery out.   This was far from ideal on two counts:

Firstly, I was looking forward to seeing if I could notice a speed difference with the new wheels.  This is all but impossible when riding into head winds and cross winds.  What I can say is that in aero position I was able to hold around 20 mph directly into a strong head wind and I'm not sure whether I would have been able to do that previously.

The second problem with the wind is that the disc on the rear and the deep rim on the front make a great sail!  Handling the bike is much more difficult in gusty winds when riding with this type of set-up.  I guess that I can take some positives away from this, as I was able to control the bike even in yesterday's very gusty conditions.

I did make a few other observations:

1.  The sound that is made when riding the disc wheel is awesome!   :-)
2.  I need to adjust my gears - there was some slippage with this set-up that I haven't noticed before.  Could be the way the rear cassette is installed?
3.  It's very difficult to maintain a very high cadence recovery interval directly in to a strong headwind without either getting blown off or starting to move beckwards!
4.  The wheels "free wheel" really well!  Noticably different to my "normal" wheels.  I'm not sure if this is because of the improved aerodynamics or because the Zipps have really good bearings, but either way if felt great.  Even more speed on the descents - yeah!

Not convinced that I could keep up with this lady though!

Exercise Junkie??

Have been "radio silent" on the blog for a while and it comes down to "just too much going on"!    This past week was a classic "perfect storm" of everything coming together at the same time...     something had to give and it was workouts!

In addition to it being winter break for my girls, I have been pulled in to a corporate acquisition diligence exercise at work that has involved spending long hours in electronic data rooms and four regularly scheduled conference calls every day.  It's an international thing, so calls have started early and finished late.  I narrowly missed having to be on a plane to Switzerland on Sunday evening.   Let's just say that it has been more than a little busy.

Although SWMBO sometimes questions it (!), I have always said that family>work>triathlon, and I stand by that, but boy is it hard sometimes.  I managed to get in just one swim early on Monday and one session on the trainer, but absolutely nothing else this week.   I guess that I'm at peace with that - I'm not training for the Olymoics after all - but it's amazing how "itchy" I have been to get out there and do something!   I guess that what they say about the endorphin rush is true - exercise has become a bit like a drug!   Can't wait to get out for a short run this morning and take the girls for a ride on the American Tobacco Trail this afternoon!



Talking about drugs, I can also give a quick update on my "give up booze and lose a few more pounds" initiative.  I started on Monday  and....   so far, so good!  Not a drop has passed my lips and, to be honest, it hasn't been much of a problem.   Have taken to drinking flavored sparkling water in the evening as a "displacement activity" for that wine glass tipping that I had become used to and I quite like it!  The only issue I'm facing is that I'm getting "the munchies" in the evening and am having to fight the urge to snack.  I have managed to win that fight so far.  I haven't seen much evidence of improvement on the scales yet, but that could well be coupled with the lack of exercise this week as detailed above!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's card from my eldest daughter.....       I guess she has me pegged!   :-)

Yep...    that swim stroke looks a lot like mine!  
My bikes are marginally cooler that the one she drew (and my seat is too high!).
But my run form looks awesome!

I like him, I like him not.......

I just can't make up my mind about Lance Armstrong......

This past weekend he did his first half ironman event as a pro. in Panama and, to the great surprise of many, put in an amazing performance, coming in second by under a minute.   He swam well and, of course, did well on the bike, but on top of that he put in a 1:17 half marathon at the end at the age of 41.   Pretty damned impressive - he's undoubtedly a freak of nature!   Hats off to New Zealander Bevan Docherty who ran an amazing half marathon split to become the only pro. who could catch Armstrong off the bike.

Crossing the line yesterday at Panama 70.3. Not sure why he got to break the tape for second place?
 Just another promotional photo op. I guess.

Lance seems to be an incredibly polarising figure (at least in the cycling and triathlon worlds).  Take quick look at forums such as http://www.slowtwitch.com/ and you will see dozens of threads about his performance and almost all of them will feature a heated debate about whether he "doped" or not when he was a professional cyclist.  It seems that you have to love him or hate him, but there's very little middle ground.
I so want to believe that he raced clean, but I just can't.   So many of his peers have been "busted" for drug use and blood doping and several (including the disgraced Floyd Landis and the more believable Tyler Hamilton and, apparently, George Hincapie) have implicated him.   Just this past week both Alberto Contador and Jan Ullrich (two of the recent greats) were banned and fined.   It really does seem that "everyone was doing it".  Yet a two year case against Lance Armstrong was dropped by federal prosecutors this week.  No reason was given.   The US Anti-doping Agency (USADA) continues to investigate and cycling great Greg LeMond is on record as saying that he believes that there is "overwhelming evidence" againts Armstrong.

Doing his thing in the Tour de France with admitted doper Jan Ullrich in tow.

Could he have come back from cancer to win seven Tours de France without "pharmaceutical assistance"?   I doubt it, but what do I know?

This brings me to the point of my post....   Is it good news for the sport of triathlon that Lance Armstrong is getting involved?   He has a business arrangement with the company (WTC) that puts on the Ironman branded events and there's no doubt that he will bring huge amounts of publicity to the sport.  It's also very difficult to fault Lance's Livestrong organisation and the huge of amounts of money it raises and good it does for cancer sufferers and survivors.   Yet he's undoubtedly in my mind a flawed character (just read his book "It's Not About the Bike" and think about some of the things he said when he wrote it, now that we have the benefit of hindsight with respect to his personal life etc.).   What happens if he starts winning races (including, perhaps, even the Ironman world championships in Kona - it's not completely beyond the realms of possibility) and he's subsequently shown to be doping or to have doped previously?   What does that do for triathlon?  

Even though Lance Armstrong is undoubtedly an amazing athlete and quite possibly one of the fittest guys in the world, I also think about what it says about top current triathlon pros when he starts smoking them on not only the bike, but also quite possible the swim and the run as well?  What sort of message does that send about the current state of the sport?  He is undoubtedly freakishly gifted and he has trained hard with the help of the best coaches, equipmet etc. that money can buy, but "Joe Sixpack" won't see that....

So, is he a hero that is good for the sport of triathlon or some sort of pariah that will be hugely detrimental and bring the sport in to disrepute?  There are well known Angels and Devils on the pro cycling tour:  which one will Lance Armstrong most resemble on the triathlon scene?

I guess that time will tell!

No Taunting Coach!

So I'm trying to lose a few more pounds and get down to my target "race weight" for this season.  Fitter legs carrying less weight = more speed!

I eat pretty sensibly and (obviously) work out, but I seem to have hit some kind of plateau on weight, so it's time to take it to the next level.  Workouts will ramp-up over the coming months, but in the mean time I need to cut out a few more calories....   what to do?

The very obvious target is wasted calories through alcohol.  I really enjoy my red wine and it's very easy for "just one glass" over dinner to morph in to two or three (and, OK, in the spirit of full disclosure, occasionall four or five!).  That's a lot of unnecessary calories!   There are (according to caloriecount.com) about 85 calories in a small (3.5 oz) glass of red wine and let's just say that my glasses of red wine are typically a bit more that 3.5 oz!

So.....    perhaps rashly (we'll see) I decided that I will give up alcohol for lent and see how it goes.

Bye bye red wine...

Now this is certainly not in any way a religous sacrifice (I would have to remain very alert for lightning bolts if I made that claim!).   It's just good timing and, in addition to cutting out the calories, there are a few other good reasons too:

•   Cutting out the alcohol itself can't be a bad thing
•   SWMBO has had to stop drinking because of a drug she is taking to prevent migraines.  I can show support or, at the very least, prove to myself that I can do it too!

So, you heard it here......   after our neighbors' awesome annual Mardi Gras party next weekend, I will go cold turkey on alcohol until Easter.   There, I said it!

But the main reason for making this post is to tell you about something The Puppeteer did yesterday.   I mentioned in a post script to an email message to her that I was thinking of doing this and her response was...

"Hahahaha, yeah right!"

What?   I call a 15 yard taunting penalty!

15 yards for taunting on The Puppeteer!

If I was wavering at all on this decision, that response sent me over the edge.  The Pupeteer will learn never, ever, ever, to challenge me by taunting.  I immediately threw out the possibility of a wager, but as yet she has been too afraid to respond.....     Game on Puppeteer!   :-)

So remember coach:

.

.

We Were Young and Carefree

As mentioned in my most recent post, I have read a lot of books recently about the classic years of the grand tour races and the one day classics from the 50s through the 80s, including biographies and autobiographies of some of the greats:  Coppi (Fallen Angel); Tom Simpson (Put Me Back on My Bike);  Jacques Anguetil (Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape) and Slaying the Badger, the story of the rivalry between Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond.   I've also read probably too much about one Lance Armstrong - perhaps I'll write my feelings about him one day soon...

Perhaps my favorite of these biographies is We Were Young and Carefree, the autobiography of Laurent Fignon (translated into English by William Fotheringham).

Cover of the English Language Version

...and the original French

Fignon was born in Paris less than a month before I was born and, sadly, passed way of pancreatic cancer in 2010.   I never really liked him when he was riding to his two Tour de France victories in the early eighties or when he famously lost the Tour by a mere 8 seconds to Greg LeMond in 1989 when LeMond used "aerobars" for the first time [can you imagine riding 3285 km around France and losing by just 8 seconds??].   He was well known for being intensely private and was seen by the media as awkward and often aggressive.  Consequently, he was frequently awarded the "Prix Citron" by the press for being the least likable rider in the Tour.

In many ways then, reading this book I had the opposite experience of when I read Dana Torres' "Age Is Just a Number".....   in that case I started with a positive opinion of Dana and ended up liking her less; in this case I had a relatively low opinion of Laurent Fignon and ended up liking and having a lot more respect for him.  The primary reason is simply that the book comes across as straightforward and honest.   Fignon doesn't sugar coat things and is at least as hard on himself as he is on rivals, coaches, and so on.

Shadowed by LeMond in 1989

 Fignon (rightly in my opinion) points out that he rode in the last great era before epo and growth hormone started to rot the sport of professional cycling to its core.  That said, he doesn't shy away from discussing amphetamine use (including getting caught once himself) and some of the darker sides of pro. cycling. His insights are fascinating, insightful and often biting.  He was clearly still bitter at the time he wrote this book (published 2009) about LeMond's use of technology that he believed to be illegal and even more vocal about how the Italian Cycling Federation prevented him from winning the Giro one year via all manner of dirty tricks - great stuff!   The politics and antics of the Directors Sportifs in French teams make todays Republican Presidential candidates look positively genteel! 

I really enjoyed this one both as an insight into the professional cycling tour in (primarly) the eighties and also as a human interest story.   The often maligned Laurent Fignon lays it all on the line and still comes across as an honest and decent guy.  I give this one an "A".

When Laurent still had hair!