Last Workout of the Year

Last nights swim was AMAZING!!   I took a warm shower and really took the time to warm up my body and activate my hips, shoulders, and core. After a 50m breaststroke warm up I began 500m of continuous freestyle bliss.  Hopefully a sign of  higher quality swim workouts in my future..

Data

Duration: 22min

Distance: 500meters

Pace: 04:24/100meters

New Training Plan

Christmas kinda sucked. I'm glad to be back. As of Monday I'm using a beginnertriathlete.com 16 week training plan.I will take me through base volume needed for a sprint triathlon. I chose a swim focused plan as its my weakness. This is my second day on the program and its going well.

With the long run (30min) I actually went further by .14 miles than I normally do. Today was a short bike and short swim. I did the swim as sprints with breaststroke for recovery.  My upper body was pumped afterward. The bike felt was kinda mediocre.  I kept the cadence between 80-90 but in the lower range.  It's just boring on the stationary bike.. 

Here's my rest of the week:

Wed: Swim 30min (long)
Thurs: off
Fri: Bike 50min (long)
Sat: off
Sun: Swim 26min (med), Run 22min (short)

IM 2008 mashup

Peter Canyon: Mountain to Sea Trail

I decided on a bike ride instead. It was hard to focus with the wind chill and strong gusts. Despite my best efforts to warm up it was too cold for me. On the return I took pictures.

Sorry, no food here!

I love this trail! Always full of surprise..

 

The End

 

Here is the portion I ride (The map is interactive):

Peter Canyon (Mountain to Sea)

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Here is the full trail map:
http://www.irvineranchwildlands.org/mountains_map.asp#

Holiday Workout Adjustments

I'm out of town so this will be tricky along with weather issues. The weather forecast of my Nor-Cal suburb read 57,35 w/ rain on Sunday. FREEZING!! I think this is the best adjustment:

Tues: swim,run
Wed: swim
Thurs - Sat: resistance tubes
Sun:(long car ride home) evening swim

About Me

I'm the guy that comes up short in the 9th; a generic, anonymous desk jockey fading through his existence. I don't know how I got here, but one step at a time, I'll figure out how to get my life back. This blog is the start of my "reform".

It started with my recovery from a motorcycle accident in 2008. The accident itself wasn't bad. The lashing from my family, gf, and ego hurt more. I fell into a cocoon of self-loathing for nearly 2 years. My true physical deterioration started very recently. I had an extraordinary weight gain of nearly 30lbs(155-190) over the summer, mostly due to a radical drop off in activity combined with poor diet choices. I sat on my ass all summer, feeling sorry for myself. Sitting on my ass I starting getting spasms down my leg - couldn't even sit or sleep on my left side.

Eventually I developed resistance to sleeping aids, so I'd stand awake at 2am watching the tv. Filtering through the slog of infomercials I discovered IronMan. The stories, the passion, the pain, the carnage - it was beautiful & beautiful how masses of people could derive so much depth from this experience.

My goal is to collect myself. With the help of counselors, forums, friends and family - eventually the sun will set and I will know what it means to experience something beautiful.

REVIEW: Dolfin Jammer

If I can visualize myself as a swimmer, I will get better. My first step was buying swim gear. I started with this Dofin Jammer and have used it 4 lap sessions now, hence the review!  This is my first experience with jammer type swim wear.

I went for the jammer because of the longer leg. I felt less naked compared to a swim brief.  The material is lycra/polyester blend; and is fairly tight and form fitting.  Unfortunately, the crotch has enough extra fabric to get saggy during the "leaving of the pool"moment and can be very topographical - so not very modest after all.  Someone suggested wearing a swim brief under neath. To me this defeats the purpose.
 
The leg grips are not noticeable and stay in place.  A drawstring keeps accidents from happening. The jammer sheds water and dries within minutes.

While it does lack "support" I did not notice any "movement" and I do breast stroke and freestyle. A higher end jammer would have more panels for support.  Those were out of my budget.

The jammer is also versatile as quasi compression shorts. I have also jogged 10 miles in them (3x3mile sessions) with a jock strap underneath,  and finished a 10 mile bike ride. If I was doing brick workouts I would splurge on padded tri shorts with at least a crotch panel.  However the high end materials get thinned out faster by chlorine. I guess their are always trade offs.

Article: Triathlon in 18 weeks via Slowtwitch.com

Slowtwitch.com has an excellent series of articles for the beginning triathlete. Its an 18+ week "training guide" with suggested mileage, but most inportatnly words of wisdom and encouragement. I've read all of them and found them inspirational.

The only problem I forsee with following this program is that

• its not clear how many weeks its spans 18? 19? 20?
• huge gaps between publication. Article 1, Jul 13 2009 & Article 18, Dec 15 2009

People are busy I get it

Article Index

Training Plan - 13 week base

I read a number of the beginner training plans, before making up my own plan.  I enjoy cycling the most and that's the focus. Swimming is the most difficult for me.  The fighting, the sinking, the cold.. so difficult. I even skipped swimming the first week, unless hot tub recoveries count.  I actually plan to switch swimming to the run days once my cycling mileage ramps up. I'm currently at the end of week 2.

Times

Run: 32:40 for 3.5 miles
Bike: 1:27:11 for 20 miles
Swim: 4 laps haha!!

My Bicycle: Trek 820 Antelope

Here she is!!  I am the original owner beginning in 95 (maybe earlier). This bike has gotten me through everything - Steel is Real!! 

The bar ends are inboard for comfort. I replaced the grips and shifters while I was at it.

I bought new cantilever brakes without realizing that v brakes seem to be the new vogue.  No disk brakes her future.

Overall its a great fitness bike.

Tofu Chili

While I'm not very knowledgeable on tofu, I familiar with it being a popular meat substitute.I made pan of corn bread but some greedy person took all the left over bread to work. Maybe I wanted some too??

1 big can Kidney beans - rinsed
2 cans Stewed tomatoes with juice
1 Tofu block(firm or extra firm) - cubed
1 onion - cut into strips and caramelized
 2 chili seasoning packets

Mix it all together, put it in a pot and let it simmer for 20min.  I eat mine with pasta. Rice always seems to have bugs in it.

4am Craving

I woke up at 4am for no apparent reason. I sifted through the pantry and fridge. This is what I came up with.

Cubed veal with caramelized onions and garlic
Stewed tomatoes and corn - canned stuff
Brown rice
Mango green tea
Vitamins  - mulit, B complex, and potassium

I wonder how many calories that is?

Crank Brothers Egg Beaters - Cleat Installation

The following is a installation guide for the Crank Brothers Egg Beater C cleat. The pedal installation is here. The shoe is Shimano M086 and its review is here.

The pedals come with standard issue brass cleats.

After 2 weeks of wear

There is also a premium cleat available. I think its just a replacement cleat, not necessarily "premium".

Premium Cleats $19.80 10% off $22 msrp

The first step is locating the shoe plate. Its one sided and will mount flush to the inside of the shoe.

By removing the insole you will see the slots where the plate lies. On the sole of the shoe is were the cleat is mounted.

The cleats have round dots which indicate the amount of free play before disengagement. With dots on the right, the cleat disengages early at a 15 degree heel twist in either direction. With dots on the left the cleat diesngages at a 20 degree angle. The earlier the easier. If you are duck footed or have stiff ankles it can be a problem because the release angle is not manually adjustable.

The egg beater came with screws which fit perfectly into the sdp plate. The longer screw is for using the shim.

If your inexperienced with clipless then installation try positioning the cleat in the center of the shoe. It's a neutral position and can be adjusted later. If you are using your old shoes it would be smart to mark or measure where your old cleat position was. The green line is supposed to indicate horizontal free play.

Take the 4mm allen key and screw the cleat into the plate. There are torque settings available in the paper work, should you happen to own a torque measuring device. Make it nice and tight because if the cleat comes loose its difficult , if not impossible to clip out. I had this problem!!

Now the hell fun begins. With 6 degrees of float, the trick becomes to get comfortable without hitting the crank. Once you find the sweet spot, place the waterproof cover over the sdp plate and you're all done.

Week 1
I made 4 cleat adjustments and 2-3 seat post adjustments before I was satisfied. I still cannot easily clip out with my left foot using outward rotation. Although I just remembered I broke that ankle when I was in high school. I think duck feet is more the issue. An adjustable release angle would remedy this.


Month 1
I installed the pedals on a taller mountain bike and I'm having zero clip out issues on both sides. The Trek is 19' & the taller bike is 21'. I can clip out at any point of a pedal stroke; thus I conclude with this being a geometry issue more than a duck foot issue. I also oiled the bearing for the first time.

REVIEW: Shimano M086 MTB Shoe

The M086 is apart of Shimano's Mountain sport range and should be acceptable for "competitive riders, off-road enthusiasts, touring cyclists and fitness fanatics". They are a non-carbon sole. If weight and stiffness are a premium for you, I'd upgrade to the Mountain Competition series.


Mountain Sport Range Shoes

M076 MTB SHOE '2009 - $79 - 12% off	M086L MTB SHOE '2009 - $109.99
WOMEN'S SH-WM50 MTB SHOE '2010 - $99.99

 
I purchased the M086 shoe last week. I originally was going to buy triathlon cycling shoes as an "upgrade up front" into the sport. Instead I decided to have my MTB fully set up. This is my first clipless experience. The shoes will go with the Crank Brothers Egg Beater pedals I purchased.

Out of the box

I like the black and white leather. Since I'm commuting and trail riding the black can pass for a normal shoe and hides dirt well.

The red dots are a non-removable plastic toe cleats. The toe box is not too wide or too narrow and not very tall. The mesh is just enough for California weather. In the morning I wear thick socks. As I get more experienced clipping in and out I think an overshoe or toe cover is formidable cold toe solution.

1 week later


I've ridden about 20 miles in the shoe. Very comfy and easy to walk in. Not so warm in the morning, but definably warmer then my running shoes and toe clips.  Sprint, bunny hop, so far the shoe is great!

1 month
So far still enjoying the shoe. I've been having  toe numbness spells on longer rides and  began using toe socks and this is working. I have yet to notice any flex in the sole during climbs.


Suggested Links:
Crank Brothers Cleat Installation
Crank Brothers Egg Beaters Pedal Install and Review

REVIEW: Crank Brothers Egg Beaters C

The egg beater petal featured 4 sided entry and being a clip-less newbie. These pedals have more entry points then any other pedal. I was fearful of bruising my ego during a spill, so the more entry points the better. The are light weight and the trade off is a lack of platform.

Sexy versions in titanium

TI PEDALS $216.00 10% off $240 msrp	2TI PEDALS $292.50 10% off $325 msrp

Last week I purchased some goodies. The Crank Bros. Egg Beater C and Shimano M086 mountain bike shoe. This is my first experience with both clip-less pedals and Crank Brothers products. I chose the pedals based on price and other online reviews. This review will cover installation, first impressions, and will be updated as my use progresses.



Out The box

The pedals come with cleats, shims, and screws of different lengths (longer screw for shim). Note the blue anodizing has already worn off a bit. I purchased the display at a discount. The C or chromoly version also comes in gray for less visible wear.

Installation

The tools required are an adjustable wrench, 5/8 wrench, mallet, thick rag,  gloves, and grease. Installation took less than 30 minutes.

The first step is to remove the existing pedals. I used the 5/8 wrench and a hammer because the pedal was practically cold welded on. I probably should have used a mallet. Righty tighty, lefty loosy, Don't chip the paint off your bike silly goosey!

Clean out the threads with a degreaser.

Identify the left and right pedal - they are marked.

Then grease the threads on the pedals and guide them into the crank with your hands. Go slowly so you don't get any cross threading action. Again, we are hand tightening at this stage. Repeat with the other side.

I didn't get a picture but I wrapped a denim rag around the blue anodizing and did the final tightening of the pedal with the adjustable wrench. This will keep the color from scraping off. If you have a torque wrench then the packet comes with specifications for that. I just make it nice and tight.

Tada!! Justice is served!

Day 1
I was excited and did a midnight practice a empty lot. Clip in was easy and straight forward. I had mega issues clipping out via outward rotation. Inward clipout is an issue because a) I'm duckfooted, and b) the frame, wheels, bottlecages are all in the way. I added the shim but probably didn't need to.

Day 2
Inward clip-out still an issue. I went on a 14mile ride. At a stop light I couldn't get out and made an "emergency" right turn. The cleat bolt actually came loose. I tightened it and it hasn't been an issue. The anodizing has come off a bit more from my mis-queues.

Week 1
I lowered the seat post to get more leverage and its solved the clipout issue. However, for my left ankle I'd prefer an even earlier clipout angle. That's the trade off for non adjustable pedals.




Suggested Links:
Cleat installation
Shimano Shoe Review