GMR TT and 5K Open Water Swim Weekend

A weekend in the heat. Saturday, the club did a little TT up Glendora Mountain Road (frontside of GMR). There was a pretty thick set of clouds on saturday morning, but it was at least 80 degrees at 8am. Also, it was very humid. I was dripping on the 7 mile or so easy ride over to the base. The ride up was good. We had some hot dogs in the group in the 40-43 minute range. Then a bunch in the 49-51 minute range and then another larger group in the 60+ minute range.

By the numbers:

Duration: 50:04
Work: 761 kJ
TSS: 89.3 (intensity factor 1.035)
Norm Power: 259
VI: 1.02
Pw:HR: 4.98%
Pa:HR: -6.64%
Distance: 8.588 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 483 253 watts
Heart Rate: 112 156 147 bpm
Cadence: 48 147 75 rpm
Speed: 6.5 29 10.3 mph
Pace 2:04 9:17 5:50 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 626 292 lb-in

This compares to rides on March 7th [50:39 and 260W) and on May 10th (50:40 and 255W). The pre-op knee was killing me on both of those rides. This weekend, knee felt great, no swelling, no nothing afterwards. And better by 40 seconds.

After the ride, had some lunch in downtown Monrovia, then headed home to get cleaned up. I headed back across town to meet The Wife at her race rehearsal transition around 2pm. It was 93 degrees. She was doing a 112 mile ride and 60 minute run, and is now 6 weeks out from Kona. She looked hot when she got off the bike. Brutal headwind on the way down the path, and not much help on the way back.

After seeing her sweaty body leave for the run, I headed back to the aquatic center for a little warm up swim--an easy 1500--in preparation for Sunday's 5K open water swim down in Long Beach. No clouds on sunday. Just hot, even down at the beach.

Placed 7th overall and 1st in my age group in the 5k swim. It was a 3 loop swim where you swim through a corall each lap. They had chip timing, yet couldn't post the results until the following day. I started on the right, but quickly noticed some fast people on the left (Alex and Dawn), and decided to move over towards them. I caught the tail end of their little group, and got on a UCI swimmer's feet. He pulled me nicely. I settled in and my strategy was to swim smooth for two laps and then put the hurt on this guy on lap 3. He must have been thinking the same thing as he would accelerate after each turn around for the last lap and and a half. I almost had him at the end, but just didn't have the speed or kick to blow by him. He came in 5 seconds ahead. Overall time 1:05:17 (avearage pace of 1:18.3/100m). IM equivalent time would be 49:36. I wore a new blueseventy nero swim skin. I forgot to put the lube on, and I have a nice rash/gouge on the right side of my neck; it must be from lifting the head for sighting purposes. This happens to me every time. When will I learn to not forget the lube.

Bitch ate my Oakleys (Again)

The beeyatch ate my Oakleys. 3rd pair. This is an expensive dog. Doesn't go for the kids $20 surfer sunglasses or the Wife's Oakleys. No, she likes to pay me special attention. Does she look remorseful? No, she's just tired from all the swimming she did the past two days.
To top off the taste of plastic, she then ate four scoops of infinit, 2 gu's and some salt tablets that I had on the counter (way back on the counter) for my saturday ride. Time to break out the shock collar. "Lola, NO." Shock. "Lola, NOOOO." Shock. She'll never learn. Shock. Shock. Shock. My finger hurts from pressing the shock button. Time to turn up level. Just kidding. Maybe just a few corrective disciplinary actions...

Pirates at the Cool Breeze Century

Team Pirate rode the Cool Breeze Century in Ventura on saturday. Are those some cool jerseys, or what? I saw a couple on a tandem with a pirate flag on it. Awesome. it was a Great ride. We did the double metric last year and that sucked. I don't even want to talk about that flat riddled day in '08. This year the weather was great for the 1900+ riders out there.

We put the hammer down the whole way and after awhile I couldn't keep up with Team Wheelbuilder and of course got dropped. We started strong with PTC and a huge crowed on the bike path. Finished the century in 5:23 of ride time. We rode into a headwind going north right up the coast for about 20 miles, then headed inland into some slight hills until the first rest stop at mile 30. Then it was about 20 miles of hills and ridge riding up above Santa Barbara and Goleta. Rest stop at Mile 52 for lunch and then down to the rest stop at Mile 83 for Popsicles. got a flat at about Mile 72. The ride back takes you through Santa Barbara right past the Pier. We were surrounded by some unbelievable homes, both up in the hills and along the coast. After the popsicle stop, we rode about 5-6 miles on Hwy 101 (yes, on the freeway). Fun ride and good food and beer (courtesy of Brent's 5th Wheel trailer) afterwards.

Entire workout (193 watts):
Duration: 5:23:14 (6:18:45)
Work: 3740 kJ
TSS: 431.9 (intensity factor 0.895)
Norm Power: 224
VI: 1.16
Pw:HR: 16.5%
Pa:HR: -0.32%
Distance: 99.467 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 689 193 watts
Heart Rate: 69 156 129 bpm
Cadence: 30 246 85 rpm
Speed: 2.2 36 18.6 mph
Pace 1:40 26:49 3:14 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1100 200 lb-in

August Assessment

As I head into the Cool Breeze Century this weekend and think about doing the Malibu Olympic and the LA Triathlon over the next 8 weeks, its time to assess where we are 2 months after the knee scoping.

But before I go into that, let me go off on a little rant here...

I apologize in advance to all those athletes and nonathletes who are true asthmatics. It would totally suck to have no power to breath. So, now let me go on a little rant. What is up with Inhalers in competitive sports? Check this out. He won the Half IM race, and I take it he didn't have an attack. I guess I should huff on one of these before a race instead of the model glue. What do you think. I guess this is all the rage in endurance sports and swimming now. At the pool at the Beijing Olympics, the deck was littered with more inhalers than discarded oxygen bottles on Mt. Everest. Come on guys and girls, are you really suffering from Asthma? I think this is b.s. Didn't someone crash badly at the Malibu tri last year while reaching for an inhaler? Maybe you should try something a little less taxing on the cardiovascular system. Huff. Deep Huff. Now I feel better.

Okay, back to the August Assessment.

Swimming - Hasn't been better since I started triathlon in January 2006. Did a little 2.4mile TT swim this week in 51:50 in a long course meter pool. A couple of club members joined me, but we're only doing a 1500m swim in prep for Malibu Olympic. I took it out easy and descended each 950 thus doing a nice negative split. Would like to see what I'd do in a wetsuit. Since I haven't been running (yet), I entered an open water 5k next weekend. I picked up a BlueSeventy Nero swimskin--can't wait to swim in it.

Cycling - been getting in some mileage. Knee is doing great. I rode up to Mt. Wilson last weekend. It's a 20 mile ride up to the towers with 4500 ft of climbing. 1200 at base to 5700 at top. Overall, was only 3 minutes slower than a year earlier when I was riding a lot and running a lot. Here are the numbers from (these include the ride up 1:59:30 last year versus 2:02:30 this year). I know this year I rode up a lot easier and was not fatigued. Also this year was a solo ride where I rode straight with no regrouping.

One Year Ago (ergomo power meter):
Entire workout (149 watts):
Duration: 2:47:55 (3:26:28)
Work: 1506 kJ
TSS: 166.7 (intensity factor 0.772)
Norm Power: 193
VI: 1.29
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 39.253 mi
Elevation Gain: 4606 ft
Elevation Loss: 4931 ft
Grade: -0.2 % (-325 ft)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 313 149 watts
Cadence: 32 101 74 rpm
Speed: 1.2 36.6 14.0 mph
Pace 1:38 50:49 4:17 min/mi
Altitude: 3 4177 2137 ft
Crank Torque: 0 523 174 lb-in

And then from last weekend (using a Powertap):

Entire workout (171 watts):
Duration: 2:55:53 (3:03:40)
Work: 1808 kJ
TSS: 203.5 (intensity factor 0.833)
Norm Power: 208
VI: 1.22
Pw:HR: 22.82%
Pa:HR: -97.62%
Distance: 40.451 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 485 171 watts
Heart Rate: 54 146 118 bpm
Cadence: 30 239 73 rpm
Speed: 2.2 38.2 13.9 mph
Pace 1:34 26:49 4:19 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 877 207 lb-in

20 minute pead was 230 watts a year ago and 231 watts this year. My assessment is that my bike fitness is good. Wouldn't want to power through a 112 and do a long run afterwards, but things are looking good. We'll this weekend at the Cool Breeze Century.

Set of the Week

The week went by fast. Work was busy and got in a lot of swimming and some biking. 13,400m of swimming in 4 workouts and 105 miles in 3 rides with the latter two rides climbing rides up to Mt. Wilson (more on that in a later blog).

Swim set of the week was from friday ---- 12x200 long course meters. Interval was 3:00, 2:55, 2:50 and 2:45 (1-4) three times through, no break. Descended each set of 4 in the 2:38-2:35 range. Whole work out as follows:

500 swim warm up
500 easy pull
12x200
100 easy
8x50 pull on :50
100 easy
4,000m total

Great article about Rich from WheelBuilder in NY Velocity.

Next weekend is Cool Breeze Century in ventura county.

We don't want Ironman or Long Rides to Interfere with the Club Saturday Ride?

Did the club ride this morning. It was a 78 miler from Sierra Madre to Long Beach. This would be my longest ride in 2 months, and the last 20 were hurting. Knee held up, just probably pushed it down there a little too much, didn't drink enough, as it was a little overcast on the way down, and then it heated up to 90 degrees on the way back. I was worked on the way back and team Pakistan left me in the dust in the last 2 miles. :-o

I noticed a few people missing who definitely need some long rides right now as they are training for IM Canada, and I learned that they asked to post on the message board a different ride to accomodate their distance and ride profile and were DENIED. Apparently, there is an opinion that offering rides to club members that are not the club ride is off limits--read that as "you IMers go do your own thing, and don't poach our people." Given a whole 15 people showed up the ride today (usually about 25 on saturday and about 30+ on wednesday bricks), I doubt any of those individuals would have chosen a different ride anyway. After all, we were putting in a tough 78 miles. The Saturday rides are typically social rides with one of every four being a distance ride or a mountain ride. Okay, maybe two out of five. Anyway, I think more new members would be attracted to the club if they saw more variety, and more support of those going long. I wont' get off on a rant here, but I'm sure there's a better balance than an outright no--you can post any saturday rides that might steal our people.

I also learned that the filtering for the message board has been increased (we must live in a third world country that blocks the internet from its citizens). It's also taking longer and longer for posts to be posted, sometimes making them meaningless, as timeliness is sometimes relevant. I think my post about pirating the Hermosa to Manhattan Beach Pier 2 mile swim tomorrow has been "filtered". Maybe I'm just paranoid.

After the ride, had a smoothie at the finish with the club members, then got home, watched Burn Notice, had a salad, and then took the dog for a swim at the parent's pool (they are in Vegas). See above. I'm not sure if you can tell in the picture (the camera on the iphone is a Piece O Crap) has two tennis balls in her mouth. She is friggin obsessed when it comes time to play ball.