I emailed Lin-Mark today about why my name hadn't appeared in the results of the duathlon on Sunday. I was amazed that I received a response in minutes of my sending the note, giving me my time for the three mile run and first transition (17:22 pace 5:48 and 0:37 trans.). You can see my out of format entry alone at the bottom of the page. I'm a little surprised to think that I was the only DNF of the entire race, so I'm wondering if Lin-Mark just didn't bother with any others there may have been. Schmeck had some good commentary on the results, which I posted as a comment to the raceday entry. Please, comments are welcomed, just click on the link at the bottom of the day's entry and tell me any thoughts you might have on how things are going.


Cane Creek Brake Pads 

I don't think I've mentioned the details here before, but I should explain that we've got a bet going in the office between Pat and myself. Any day that one of us rides in from Arlington on the bike that the other doesn't, $5 changes hands. We've been doing this for about three weeks now and mostly we just hold serve. I'm up $10 overall. Today, I drove in knowing Pat was planning to drive. I'm hoping to use that as recovery so I can finally get a run in this evening.

I did manage to put in three miles before supper today. I ran down into Rosslyn and across the Key Bridge to Georgetown, where I picked up the C&O Canal Trail for just a bit before turning back. It felt good to be running again in regular running shorts. The potato chips I woofed down before going out on the run, however, weren't too tasty when I finished.


TM-1 

I brought home the truing stand and Pat's TM-1 Park Spoke Tension Meter in hopes of getting my wheels just right, but I didn't get around to it. Looks like I'll drive in tomorrow and do it at work. Then hopefully I can get at least three miles in before my violin lesson.

3 Miles

For some reason I had a lot of trouble getting my seat set correctly this morning. I stopped a few times to get it right, but never really felt comfortable. I was comfortable with the increase in speed that I'm feeling due to the new wheelset, however. The computer doesn't usually lie and the average of 30 kmph seems to suggest that my old hubs were costing me at least 2 kmph.

The big news from this ride in though was my flat tire going up the hill at Hwy. 66. As soon as I heard it pop, my heart sank. The same sound I heard on Sunday was not a welcome addition to my morning commute. I found the hole and it looked identical to the one I had yesterday--a small pin hole in the middle on the outside of the rear tube. It seems like I may have something in my tube that I can't find because yet again I was unable to feel or spot anything that would suggest it was causing a flat. I patched the tube, but made a bonehead mistake in putting the tube back inside the tire. I pumped it up not noticing a spot where the tire hadn't seated properly and when I reached a good pressure, the tube exploded. That's the second time I've done that and I can say that both times have been startling. The sound is just like a gunshot. Luckily, I had a spare tube with me this morning and so I correctly installed it and was on my way--hoping not to get another flat.

I stayed a bit late at work today to tighten the spokes on my front wheel. It was really simple to do. I tightened each nipple a half turn and checked the adjustment with the office truing stand. No extra adjustment was needed. I decided to ride home with Pat and he guaranteed a slow ride. That allowed me to recover a bit. Unfortunately, with the way I ride and run, that's usually what it takes to get me to recover. We only picked up the pace on a few of the downhill sections and mostly just relaxed. The pace was a bit higher than he usually rides, I believe, and near the end of the ride I had to wait a few times. I can definitely understand now how being light helps climb hills.

Pat showed me his stash of bikes he has out in the garage. Recumbents, electrics, a tandem, and old road bikes. I think Jess and I will have to take out that tandem and get it tuned up sometime soon. I'm sure there'll be plenty of laughs to have when we try that one. I rode the rest of the way home at a subdued pace, only really hammering the final quarter mile to Courthouse. It was late when I finally made it home so it was just pizza and a movie rather than the usual Monday night ultimate.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.86 / 1.15.49 / 30.0 / 45.3 / 1145.2
38.27 / 1.27.37 / 26.2 / 50.3 / 1186.0

Raceday! We woke up at 6a this morning and made our way over to the start area to pick up my packet. They weren't really ready for us and I was the thrid competitor to pick up the information. I asked a few brief questions about the course layout and then we headed back to the car. The packet had my bib number, bike number, timing chip (ankle band), as well as a nice looking t-shirt, water bottle, and hand towl. Jess took charge of cooking breakfast and I woofed down some cereal while she fired up the Dragonfly on a nearby picnic table. I went to to the car and got dressed in my bike shorts and dri-fit jersey.



My bike needed a few last minute adjustments. The chain, I noticed had taken on a bit of rust from the night's rain and damp air, but it was mostly on the outside--only cosmetic rather than affecting the function. I lubed each link of the chain with a drop of Finishline lube. I made sure the front derailleur wasn't rubbing the chain in the highest gear of the middle chainring, then rode a bit and shifted through the gears easily. Boy did that bike feel great! The hubs were silky smooth and I felt ready to fly. I don't think my bike has felt that good under me since I pedaled it away down Newbury St. from Back Bay Bicycles. The excitement was a bit overwhelming. I felt about the same way I did the first time I ran a 5K road race. I did have to adjust my seat a few times to get things just right. My tire pressure was fine, so I rolled my bike over to get it inspected. The inspection was just a check of my brakes and hub adjustment.



Jess had oatmeal ready when I got back and that tasted delicious. I went for a one mile warmup and my legs felt solid. I had plenty of pop in my stride and it felt great to be warming up for competition. I did the usual buildup stride, then stretched while listening to the pre-race talk about rules, etc. I wetted down just slightly and did a few strides off the line--something that seemed foreign to most of the other competitors. I toed the line and once the starter gave the command, we were off!



I got out well, with only a handful of folks in front of me. One guy gapped the pack by a huge amount. Having no feel for who is good and who is running beyond their means, I stayed very conservative about passing or pushing the pace. The pace was obviously slow by typical running race standards, but I could tell I haven't been running. I was slowly realizing that this first leg would be more mileage than I had run in a month! Absolutely ridiculous. I made many mental notes to put in more running mileage. I hit the first mile not feeling all that bad and right on my intended pace of 5:30. During the second mile, I started to worry about my fitness level and I was definitely pressing. I managed to hold my position fairly well though. Unfortunately, the second mile marker must have been off because my watch gave a split of 7:00. We slowed during the second mile but nowhere near slow enough to run 7:00.



Coming into the transition area I got pretty excited. I was finally getting to race my bike! Jess was standing beside the racks and I quickly asked her whether she had reset my bike computer. I didn't want to be fiddling with it while trying to ride. She had, and after my helmet was on I almost tried to ride through the area before remembering to walk my bike out before mounting.

I stood to pedal and got up to speed pretty easily. Boy did it feel good not to be running! An older guy who was exiting the transition area told me to move off to the right because he was going past. I obliged as I must to obey the rules on drafting. I settled in at 38 kmph and maintained the same distance behind him. I could tell he was faster and his bike backed that up and he slowly began to increase that gap. My quads were really working hard, but I was pleased to note that my new wheels were allowing me to turn 38 kmph without it seeming impossible. The bike course is a ten mile loop over the base grounds, so all the roads were totally clear. The asphalt left a lot to be desired as it was quite rough. After coming out of a sharp turn, I stood out of the saddle to get up to speed and felt terrific powering back to 38 kmph.

Not more than 200 yards down that road, I heard a horrible horrible sound: the psssssssssssssssst of my back tire going down. I was immediately trying to think what to do. Could I ride on? Could I do . . . ? It didn't take me long to realize that my day was over. I yelled a few loud cuss words into the woods and contemplated throwing my bike into the trees. Only the hard work I done the day before getting it tuned perfectly prevented me from doing that. My frustration and disappointment was overwhelming. In a few moments, riders started passing me. First a few, then more and more. I kept walking in the race direction for a few minutes trying to compose myself. Once I started thinking again, I turned around to walk in the direction I came from. What an awful feeling that was to walk against the line of bikes racing towards me! I felt so embarassed--like an exposed rookie. I was convinced I had installed the tube incorrectly and caused the flat and not hearing of any other flats only supported that theory.

I finally made it back to the sharp turn where a couple firemen were standing. One of them radioed in to get someone to come pick me up. I was probably about three miles out from the start of the loop. No one showed up to get me for a long while, so I just stared at all the passing cyclists just knowing that I could crush so many of them. I had been in great position! Clearly I had been winning my age group. I gave up on getting a ride after a while and started jogging back holding my bike by the headset. I was less than a mile away from the start when a van finally arrived and took me the rest of the way in. Jess was waiting for me when I arrived and she knew something had gone wrong. All I had to do was point to my back tire.

We walked back to the car, past the transition area where people were now exiting for the final two mile leg. I started seeing guys I had been aiming to beat and that made things worse. I put the bike on the car rack and took off the tube to find the leak. It was a small pin hole on the outside tube right in the center. I was pleased to know that it hadn't been a pinch flat and therefore probably wasn't my direct fault. I am still not convinced of this because of Jess and I's Annapolis experiences and the fact that no one else went down. I couldn't find any sharp objects inside the tire, so for now, it must go unexplained. I grabbed some clothes from the car and changed in the bathroom after dropping off my chip. I made sure to enjoy the bagels they had provided for post race consumption.

One guy asked me if I had been the one walking his bike back. I nodded and asked him what he does about flats since he seemed more experienced than I. I said he carries an extra tube and CO2 gun. I'm basically of the notion that if I get a flat, then the race is over because I cannot perform to my maximum level. To me, the closest equivalent would be taking a wrong turn in cross and finding yourself a mile behind everyone. Continuing on in that situation would be purely for experience. Jess, being far less competitive than I, is of the impression that I should carry tubes and fix things so that I can finish the race--no matter how slow. Being caught miles away from the start line really isn't a lot of fun, so next time I think I will carry my trail pump and an extra tube. At least then I can get back. I figure I could change the tube and be on my way definitely under ten minutes--perhaps five even? That would probably still let me place in my age group if I performed well the rest of the way. Still, a flat really ruins the day. Short of crashing, it's the biggest disaster. To a runner, it's such a foreign concept to be unable to continue even though you your body is fully capable.


The awards were surprisingly excellent. I saw boxes with Lenox labels and I think the overall winners received small Waterford crystal pieces. Alas, I will have to wait until next year to bring home any hardware. But I will definitely be back at this event. The event was run incredibly well and the course is excellent. The competion level seemed high and I have plenty left to prove in Lakehurst, NJ. I wanted to leave before the awards, so we drove out past a few of the slower competitors still toiling away on the run and headed East on Highway 70. I will try to post more of my thoughts about what I can take from this experience as the week continues . . .

I spent all day today getting my bike in tip top shape. I took off the old wheels, the chain, and completely disassembled my brakes. I cleaned and greased all the threads in the brake assembly and installed new Cane Creek brake pades I installed rim tape on the new Mavic wheels and attached the cassette body to the freehub. I pumped up the tubes and installed the wheelset. I soaked my chain in Simple Green and removed all grit and grime. I was pleased to find out that this SRAM chain has a master link, which will make cleaning the chain off the bike trivial from now on. I also removed my saddle and cleaned and greased all the adjustment bolts. Of course I cleaned the derailleurs and the overall frame as best I could. I did feel my spokes were a bit too loose, so I rode up to Revolution Cycles to see a mechanic. I don't have a truing stand or spoke key, so any adjustment is beyond my capabilities. He said that they were low in tension but he wouldn't have time to finish it before they closed at 6p. He said that racing on them should be ok since it was a road bike and not likely to see many hard bumps. When I finally finished all that, the day had passed me by.


All systems go. After installing a new wheelset and brakes, this shiny new machine is ready to hit the road. 

By the time I made it home, any thoughts I had of touring the course beforehand were out the window. I packed my sweats, singlet, shorts, shoes, etc. I made sure I had all the necessary tools I might need as well as extra tubes. We loaded up the CR-V and were on our way at 7:45p.

We made one mistake in directions, but otherwise made good time. The only damper on the trip was the constant rain that pelted the bikes. I was a bit worried that all my hard work would be ruined, but after the rain stopped, the bikes dried well and I checked the adjustment at a gas station just outside Lakehurst. We pulled into the base just after midnight and had no problems thanks to Jess being an Ensign and the DOD tags on the car windshield. We drove around a bit before settling on parking the car in the parking lot of the base hotel and hitting the sack in the back of the car. The sleeping conditions left a lot to be desired, but it was well worth it to save the $130-$160 that hotel rooms more than twenty miles away were asking for a room.

I should talk first about why I'm headed for Lakehurst, NJ this weekend. I'm going to compete in my first duathlon, the 15th Annual Lighter than Air Duathlon. The race consists of a three mile run, twenty mile bike ride, and two mile run. This being my first ever race on a bike, I intend to respect the race early on. I think twenty miles of bike racing will be excruciating if I run those first three miles like a 5K race. My goal is fairly simple and I think attainable: win my age group of 20-24. There aren't many entrants in the group. My second goal is to bike at least an average of 35 kmph and run a mile pace of 5:30. I'm not sure exactly how realistic either of these goal are.

As for today's training, it was only the typical biking. I rode mostly very easy with the exception of one terrific stretch in the usual powerhouse section. I spotted a guy riding a tri-bike pull onto the trail just past Maple Ave. He looked like a lot of guys look with expensive bikes. I wasn't moving all that fast, so I settled in right behind him. All of a sudden, he dropped the hammer and we were really flying. He gapped me a bit at the beginning because I couldn't believe I was going to have to use the third chainring to keep up with him. With the air being as cool as it was, when I really stomped on the pedals and pulled back into his slipstream, I could feel my quads just radiating heat. Taxing myself like I did probably isn't the smartest thing to do a few days before the race, but I was so happy to have someone to ride with I couldn't help myself! I think we rode together from about mile 11.5 to just past 14.5. That means we were riding above 40 kmph for three miles. Of course, when we hit Hunter Mill Rd., he was done and turned around. No hills for him. He said something to me that I didn't quite understand and I just told him thanks for pulling me along. I chilled out the rest of the way, enjoying the cool air and just being out getting a great workout before starting my day.

I had to take my clothes back home today, so I rode with a backpack full of old underwear, socks, pants, and shirts. I didn't have any luck picking up riders on the way back home to ride with and that was very disappionting. I didn't feel like riding all that fast anyways and I was back using my iPod for music. Today the soundtrack was Big River, probably my favorite musical.



It should be noted that Jess rode in to work today, so together we are avoiding the high gas prices. How unfortunate it is that we won't be biking to Lakehurst! I forgot to mention that yesterday I cracked the 1000km barrier. One fifth of the way to shopping for a new bike.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.65 / 1:23:14 / 27.1 / 47.2 / 1053.0
38.04 / 1:21:15 / 28.1 / 46.6 / 1091.0

Boy did I not want to get out of bed this morning. I've been going to bed around midnight and getting up at 6:15a isn't what the doctor ordered. Surprisingly though I was able to get on the road at 6:30a. I usually drag around the apartment trying to wake up. It makes sense that my statistics this morning were the slowest since I started keeping track.

I did have some very lucky news today around lunchtime. I was about to get out the broken key and the pin to go and use a vice in the shop when what fell out of my saddlebag but the original pin! I have no idea how I missed seeing it yesterday after going through all the stuff in such great detail, but there it was. I was easily able to take off my wheels.

That said, we weren't able to get to Performance Bikes to look at replacement wheels because Ken was out today and Eric and Pat (holding serve) both rode in. We were stuck eating in the Orbiteria. Getting my wheels off the bike was solace enough. What I did notice was that the bearigs in my front hub seem to also be grinding. I'm not sure what might have cause my sealed bearings to fail like this, but I'm really hopeful that a new wheelset will add quite a bit of speed. I have noticed a few comments on bulletin boards or review websites about the Sirrus' hubs failing. I'm hoping to write a bit about my machine in an upcoming post.



After lunch I called Georgetown bike store about a new wheelset. They told me it would be about $100 per wheel. I decided to check out Bike Nashbar and a few other online retailers instead. Since I'm not looking to break the bank on this bike with a set of spectacular rims, I went with the Mavic CXP22 / Shimano 2200 Road Wheelset. I was able to order the set and some new brake pads and get it shipped to me by Friday for cheaper than one wheel would have been at a retail store. The only downside is that I continue to ride on crunchy bearings. The new wheels can't come soon enough.

I kept the pace solid but relaxed on the way home today. I've been riding sans iPod ever since I got these wonderful dri-fit shirts. I'll most likely be back to my podcasting ways shortly, but riding without a backpack is quite nice. I arrive dry and not all that disgusting or smelly. I did leave late today at around 5:45p and there were a lot of folks out on the trail. I'm continually frustrated that it seems all the competitive riders are headed in the opposite direction. One of these days I'm going to have to ask them if there's a club to join.

I guess tomorrow I'll have to get around to explaining what's happening this weekend . . .

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.51 / 1.24.07 / 26.7 / 46.4 / 976.8
38.01 / 1.17.35 / 29.4 / 49.3 / 1014.9

Well, here goes . . . my first entry on this, the return of my training log. I'm a duathlete now it seems, so there will be lots of cycling to report and lots of gear too. I continue to bike to work everyday, which is about 38km both ways. That puts me on the bike for about three hours each day with all the stops.

I did finally pick up a couple dri-fit shirts today at Target. So no more riding in cotton t-shirts. One is tight fitting ala Under-Armour and the other is more like a traditional t-shirt. I figure the tight fitting one will be somewhat of an aero advantage.

I don't have stats for this morning's ride, but it was pretty typical. I felt a bit slow as I have lately because of all the problems I'm having with my rear hub. The bearings have gone bad and my cones are too tight. This is causing me to have to exert more energy than I should have to. I attmepted to get a new wheel at lunch, but Murphy ruled and the key I use to unlock my wheel broke! Instead, my coworkers and I spent time at Lowes attempting to find a pin that would subsitute. Alas, my efforts getting that pin down to size with a hacksaw weren't quite good enough. The groove you see in the photo is all I have to show.



My ride home was fast again for the second day in a row, despite the hub problems. I felt good on a lot of stretches, but not great on the hills. I stopped at Pacers, a running store on Wilson Blvd. in Arlington to look at racing flats. I didn't see anything I loved and decided to forgo the additional $100 they would have cost. When I did make it home, after locating my running shorts, I laced up my brand new pair of Adidas Supernova Controls and went for a run.

I ran up Wilson away from the District to catch Jess coming home from her piano lesson. We met up just in front of Pacers and she rode alongside me as I ran back home. The total run was only thirteen minutes or so--barely good enough for two miles, but that's the first running mileage I've done in about a month. I really need to take it easy this week, but the bet (more on that later) keeps me getting back in the saddle everyday.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.28 / 1.13.27 / 30.4 / 49.7 / 938.7