A month and a half with no blog update - shame on me! In my defense things have been crazy busy. We've been training between four and six days a week; Katie and I both got sick in the last month that kept us from going full throttle, but we're both over it now. We've stepped up the swim distance (2000m last week, twice!), the bike distance (20 miles in Palos Verdes and 18 miles in Malibu), and the running (up to almost an hour). I'll cover a couple of the more significant practices since my last post.
The ride in Griffith park I talked about in my last post was definitely hard, and it was harder than it should have been. A number of us were separated from the team leading the ride, so we ended up backtracking up a huge hill that the other riders bypassed. My biggest problem was the rear gearshift on my bike kept popping out of the tallest gear when I was trying to power up the hill, so I lost a lot of efficiency and had to work harder than I should have. Despite taking my bike in to the shop, I had similar problems plague me for the better part of a month until I had the service tech show me how to fix the problem myself. The issue was the tension of the cable to the rear gearshift kept stretching and needed to be re-tightened several times. A couple of trips up Amalfi Drive (an elevation change of 400 feet in less than half mile) of popping gears had me cursing, but I managed to stick with the intermediate bike group every week.
I also stayed with the intermediate group for all of the swim practices, with the toughest being a swim containing two 400m stretches back to back. It was important to start doing these longer distances, as it forced me to find my all-day pace. When I was only doing 50 or 100 or even 200 meter stretches, it was too easy to push myself too hard and catch up during the break times. It takes me about 45-60 seconds to swim 100 meters, so when we're doing 400 or more meters I hit the break point where I can't cheat my way through it anymore. Despite having a strong swim to start the season, I've gotten more consistent and I can integrate some kicking in to my all-day pace instead of relying just on my arm strength.
By the time we rode in Palos Verdes I got the rear shifter cable set just right. If you've watched shows like Shedding for the Wedding (Katie DVR'd it, don't look at me like that) or other places that have filmed at the Terranea resort or the Trump golf course, that's Palos Verdes. It's an amazing rolling coastal road that runs along some of the cliffs and is basically the picturesque California coastline that isn't a beach. Unfortunately, I was paying very little attention to it as I was struggling with my ride up the long hills. I found out after the ride was done that the seat on my bike had slid down almost six inches from my original fitting height, which was playing havoc with my pedaling mechanics. Friends, do not screw around with the fitting of your bike. My run immediately following was very hard, my hips hurt for two days afterwards and I was having some serious doubts about my ability to do the bike leg of the race without stopping.
I got sick after the PV ride and stayed home the following Tuesday. I took a few hours and went to the bike shop to get clips put on and my bike re-fit, and it made all the difference in the world. Clips are just what they sound like: they're bike shoes that have cleats on the bottom that allow you to attach yourself to the bike. This gives you the advantage of being able to pull "up" when you're riding, as well as not having to worry about repositioning your feet constantly. The next weekend we hit the rolling hills of Zuma, on the north end of the city of Malibu. Between getting my seat at a better height and forward distance and putting the clips on, I turned in a pace just over 4 minute miles which was a personal best by a big margin on any ride involving hills. My confidence came back and the following week of practice we hit it hard.
This Saturday was our first open water swim, which was supposed to be when we broke in our wetsuits. I say supposed to, as there were a couple of us that didn't have our wetsuits ready in time. Including me! Fortunately, the swim was inland at the Hansen dam rather than in the frigid ocean (upper 60s water temperature vs. mid 50s!). Despite this the water was cold to swim in with no extra warmth, and the first 100 meters or so I was gasping for breath. The temperature shock had my body overcompensating and it took me a half a lap to get settled in on my pace. I completed three laps for a 1500m swim with no stops and got out of the water and then went for a three mile run with Katie and Judd. It was really important for me to get that full distance, as the swim leg of the race is that long. By swimming the race distance I showed myself I capable even in less than optimal conditions, and I felt good enough getting out that I was sure I'd be able to do the bike without much trouble either. The hardest part will be powering through the run at the end of it all, as it's still the most taxing of the three activities.
We're now 47 days out from the triathlon and I'm going to need every one of them for training. I feel like if I had to do the race right now I could do it, but it would be really miserable and I wouldn't finish strong. I really want to acquit myself well, and I need to focus more on my fundraising as I have a long way to go. I've got some events after work coming up, and hopefully an eating contest versus coach Nate next month. As always, you can visit http://tinyurl.com/RunLittleBuddy to donate and help to fight blood cancers. I will try to stay a little more current with updates in the last few weeks before the race.
