Minor Adjustments (You Learn Something New) August 27, 2008
Posted by postalblue in Cycling.add a comment
Check out my Radiohead (Thom Yorke) style blog post title! I’ll have to write’em like that more often.
This morning marked my final ride in Ohio. I didn’t have the time to make it an extra long one, so I simply tried to cram in as many hills as I could. For those of you who aren’t from the Dayton area, I use the term ‘hills’ very loosely. Quantitative minds will want to know: I rode 51.3 miles with an average of 19.6 miles per hour and incorporated all of the area’s major lumps for a grand total of 2,300 feet of climbing. Not too shabby for an Ohioan!
You’d think that cycling would get old after a while. Riding the same roads, day in, day out. You know what? It doesn’t. I’ll tell you why.
Every time I go out, every time I hit the road, I learn something new, bike related or no. Today was no different. I’m climbing a bump on Wilberforce-Clifton Road and I came up out of the saddle and stiffened my back. Never done that before! Tightening my lower back and core allowed me to pull with a ton more power than before. Whereas normally I find myself pulling up on the pedals with my quads, I found I was able to actually use my glutes and lower back to complete the top of the pedalstroke.
That probably doesn’t sound cool to you, but it’s awesome to me.
It’s those kinds of tiny discoveries that you make every day and every ride, and they make you into a faster cyclist. And sure, it even applies to life. I always thought that swimming was the most technique-driven sport out there… It is! But cycling continues to surprise me in that way. There’s so much more to it than simply sitting in the saddle and turning the pedals over.
On a move related note, they [the movers] are coming tomorrow to pack all of my stuff into a tiny truck and drive it to the Pacific coast.
GBC Sprint Update August 25, 2008
Posted by postalblue in Cycling, Life, Running, Sports.add a comment
Good news! They posted the results today and guess what? I placed twelfth out of 208 competitors! Not only that, I but I placed first in my age group: Men 25-29. Kick ass.
I had the 6th-fastest swim time and my bike and run times both ranked around 25. It’s a shame, though, because the results on the site don’t account for the four-plus minute wait time between when the dualthetes started racing and when my heat finally launched.
1000 meter swim: 17:54 (though probably more like 12:54).
22 kilometer bike: 39:37 (20.7 miles per hour).
5 kilometer run: 23:12 (7:29 minutes per mile).
Transitions: 1:38 and 1:25.
Total time: 83:48 (adjusted to 78:48).
GBC Sprint Report August 24, 2008
Posted by postalblue in Cycling, Running, Sports.2 comments
I woke up extra early this morning to head to Springfield, Ohio for the Great Buckeye Challenge triathlon. I haven’t been training specifically for the event, so it was probably a good thing that I only signed up for the sprint (or shortest) distance. Ever since the stress fracture in late July, I haven’t been out for a run a single time… and I haven’t been in a pool since June.
I haven’t exactly been resting, either. I got home Thursday evening and went out for fairly aggressive rides on both Friday and Saturday – including some hill repeats near Central State – for a total of 75 miles. Yum.
As you can imagine, I wasn’t so much interested in performing at this event. I don’t even know why I bothered waking up… but after paying $65 for the event, there’s no way I could skip out.
Anyway, I get out to Buck Creek State Park only to find out that this particular sprint triathlon isn’t a traditional sprint, in that the swim’s 1000m instead of 750. Okay, I can deal with that. Sorta wish I had done some swimming first, but that’s fine. My heat hit the water around 8:15 and it felt like a long 1000 meters. My sudden inability to swim in a straight line definitely didn’t help, but I am happy to report that even after absolutely zero minutes in the pool, I was still fifth out of the water!
The bike was good. Twelve miles is nothing on a bike, even after 75 and hills. I didn’t even bother with my Garmin, so I have no idea how fast I was going. I did pass a bunch of people and very few people passed me, so I think that’s a good sign. I’ve said it before, though, and I’ll say it again: you cannot be competitive in a triathlon without aerobars. I’ll get’em some day.
The run kinda sucked. Again, I don’t have split times so I couldn’t tell you for sure. I was worried my fracture would make running impossible, but I didn’t really feel it. A very good sign. I did, however, feel how out-of-running-shape I was after not even logging a 5K during the month of August. I might have been moving at a good clip for the first 1.5 miles, but the last 1.5 were not fun. I took two or three thirty-second walking breaks to rid myself of a pesky side-stitch and clawed my way to the finish line.
The clock at the line read 1:23.33 and I’m going to guess that my heat started between four and six minutes after the timer began. That’ll put me squarely in the 1:17 to 1:19 range, which is, well… it’s fucking awesome for a guy who’s done nothing but three rides a week for the six weeks leading up to it. Just confirms my theory: anyone can do a sprint triathlon.
Friends and Friendship August 19, 2008
Posted by postalblue in Life.add a comment
I’ve been thinking about friends a lot lately. Probably because I’m moving far, far away. It doesn’t make sense, really: I already live nine hours away from most of my friends. What’s another thirty-six? I only see them two or three times a year as it is. I don’t foresee that changing, either.
I am not very good at making friends. This is quite obvious, considering I’ve lived in Dayton for two years and still no know one there. I don’t have a lot of friends, but all of my friends are close ones.
On the flip side, I like to think that I am very good at keeping friends. I speak to most of them on a daily – or at least weekly – basis. I try to keep up with everyone, stay as involved as someone who lives on the edge of a time-zone can stay. I think that’s pretty good!
My closest friends can be divided quite conveniently into two groups: high school friends and college friends. It’s amusing to think about the many ways they are alike, how they are different, and how I fit in to both groups.
The ‘high school’ friends are creative, open-minded and diverse. They are the left-brainers, early adopters. They constantly seek the new experiences, new information, new kinds of music, new films. They are excitable. They will try anything. They are also restless. They know what they want, but they don’t know how to get there.
My ‘college’ friends are almost the opposite, right brainers. They are comfortable enjoying the same alternative-rock standards they listened to in high school. They don’t need to see any crazy movies. They are grounded and, for the most part, satisfied. At the same time, they have no direction. They are on a road – making money, being ’successful’ – but do not know (or want to know) where that road will take them.
Please understand, these are extreme stereotypes. Individuals fall somewhere along these two scales. I feel like I fade between these two groups often. At times, I will be in right-brain mode. Others, left. I’ve always been chameleonic in that way.
If I’m with college friends, I blend with them – though I make a point to stand on the opposite side of most discussions, just to keep them from becoming too comfortable. When I am with my high school friends, it’s the same. I try to balance being in accordance with being at odds. They keep me in check; I keep them in check. I think it works.
I’m rambling, but what really matters is this: regardless of the ‘type’ of friend, California seems like it’s going to feel far away. I probably won’t see or speak to them any more or less than I do now… but I know I’m going to miss them all the same.
I’m in love. August 16, 2008
Posted by postalblue in Work-related.add a comment
This bike makes me feel like a pre-teen girl at Miley Cyrus concert.
The '09 Cervélo S3 in special Olympic paint.
Material Possessions August 10, 2008
Posted by postalblue in Cycling, San Francisco.add a comment
I have a ton of stuff to beg, borrow or buy before my move to San Francisco. It’s really quite daunting. I need everything from shower curtains to spatulas, shelving to screwdrivers. Allow me to focus on the most interesting items on that list right now: bike gear.
Gearing up is probably the most fun part of cycling outside of actually riding. That said, I’m trying to make the most of this opportunity.
The Facts: San Francisco can be chilly, but it’ll never drop below 50 degrees. It can rain a bunch in the winter months, but that’s about the worst I’m going to get. Oh, and it will be windy as hell 24/7. San Francisco and the surrounding lands are also incredibly hilly. I was driving around out here last week and drove up a road that averaged 6% over 15 miles. That’s kind of intense.
More Facts: I am going to be living smack in the middle of the city and working not far from there. I want to commute by bike to work every day of the year. I’m not even bringing a car, so driving is not an option.
So… here’s what I need:
- Waterproof and/or water-resistant jackets. Not only for rainy weather, but for chilly mornings, too. I have some how put together an arsenal of them and may return one. I’ve got a rather heavy Performance Transformer, a mid-weight Sugoi Zap and an ultralight Pearl Izumi Optic. They are all spiffy.
- Long-sleeved jerseys. I have one of these, but I’d like another.
- A trainer. There are going to be some days where it’s either A) too dark to get a good ride in or B) too rainy. For this reason, I wouldn’t mind killing an hour on a stationary bike. Along with a trainer comes: a sweat guard and a trainer mat.
- A commuter pack. Based on some of the reviews I’ve read, I have my eye on one of the Chrome roll-top bags. They look pretty freakin’ cool and they’re 100% waterproof.
- A commuter bike. I haven’t decided which way to go with this yet. It’ll depend on how hilly my route to work is, but I’d really like to get a fixie/single-speed just so I can be hip and ‘with it’. Also, my commuter bike needs to have [detachable] fenders. Leaning toward an ‘09 Specialized Langster at the moment.
- I may need pedals for the new bike. Or better yet, new pedals for the old bike. I’ll take the existing pedals and shift ‘em down.
- New cycling shoes would be nice. My Nike Poggio III’s have always been just a little bit too big. Don’t get me wrong: they kick ass. I doubt I’ll be able to afford another set of carbon-soled shoes.
- A bike rack of some kind. I need to keep all of my bikes in my studio apartment, so I need to find myself a vertical solution for my bike-storage problem. Only have one bike now, but the stables are about to expand significantly as I add my commuter, a ‘real’ road bike… and maybe a TT bike in the Spring.
- Tools and a pump. Also, spare tubes and CO2. But I just went to Performance and bought all of that crap. Cost me a fortune. Sigh.
- Lights. I won a $20 set of semi-decent lights from Bicycling Magazine last year. Now I get to use them! I doubt I’ll upgrade, as I think the streets in the city will be fairly well-lit… I just hope other drivers can see me. Another thing: they are so heavy. So many graaammmmssss. Ugh.
- Flat-resistant tires. See my previous post. I want to commute on something reliable. Specialized makes a set of good, beaded tires that boast a reflective band along the side. That might not be a bad investment.
- This hat. Just ’cause.
- A clear lens for my M-Frame. I want to have something in front of my eyes in the the dark and the rain, and I don’t always want it to be tinted.
- And finally (for the moment): gloves. I haven’t ridden with cycling gloves all season (except when there was snow on the ground) and I have no idea where my thin summer gloves are now. So… guess I gotta get a new one!
Bontrager RaceLite Hard Case August 9, 2008
Posted by postalblue in Cycling.add a comment
I don’t do this often, but I’ve got to give some serious props to the folks over at Bontrager. In July ‘05, I bought a set of RaceLite Hard Case tires for my Pilot 5.2. Hard Case is their line of ‘puncture-resistant’ tires – they have some sort of kevlar bead within that prevents pinch-flats and whatnot. Anyway, they work.
I’ve put countless miles on these tires in the past three years. No, I don’t log 250 mile weeks… but I log 125+ mile weekends, which isn’t too shabby. But in those three years, I have never, ever had a flat tire.
Of course, three years’ worth of wear will catch up to any rubber object and the sidewalls were wearing thin, so I decided to swap them out today. Unfortunately, all we had were regular Bontragers and I probably just jinxed myself hard-core by mentioning my three flat-free years.
