Austin Yellow Bike

I volunteered for the first time last night with the Austin Yellow Bike Project. It's a great place to learn about bikes and how to keep them riding smooth. It was so much better than sitting in a hotel room all night watching TV.

USADA v Armstrong - Charges

The USADA report list six charges against Lance Armstrong:

1. Use and / or attempted use of prohibitive substances
2. Possession of prohibitive substances
3. Trafficking of prohibitive susbstances
4. Administration and / or attemted administration of prohibitive substance to others
5. Assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up and other complicity
6. Aggravating circumstances

The difficulty I have with charge one is that testing should have caught it. According to the report, from 1999 - 2005, 20 of the 21 Tour podium finishers have been linked to doping and that from 1996 - 2010, thirty-six of forty-five have been linked.

Hopefully the report will give some insight into how Lance Armstrong could have avoided detection during that time when so many others were caught.

USADA v Armstrong - Introduction

The introduction of the USADA report summarized that the USADA interviewed multiple team members and that several of those team members are quite prominant. It also stated that financial records had been obtained. The USADA requested to interview Lance Armstrong and that he refused and based upon that refusal, the USADA published their reasoned decision.

Since Lance Armstrong chose not to cooperate with the USADA, they were able to review the information they received and reach their decision. I'm assuming it's called a reasoned decision since the information was not initially reviewed by a nuetral arbitrator.

USADA Report

I wasn't going to read the USADA report against Lance Armstrong but after being asked what I thought by several friends, I decided to take a look. First, a little about where I stood at the start. I am someone who believes that Armstrong did it clean. I wear the yellow band. I find it hard to believe that anyone could consistantly beat the system. It would have to require inside knowledge of when testing was going to be done. It would require having access to doctors around the clock to help beat the test.

That's where I start from. I hope to read a few pages a day and write what I find and think.

Computrainer - Super 6 - Week 2 - SP33

The first couple weeks of the Spinervals Super 6 program is focused on building your aerobic base with a weekly higher intensity session. Today's workout was the intense session for the week and is based upon Spinervals 33 The Pain Cave.

The Super 6 plan is being offered through Training Peaks so in order to take advantage of their many features, I converted Spinervals 33 into an ERG workout to be used with the Computrainer coaching software. The workout is pretty intense and went really well until I decided to mess with the heart rate sensor and reset the entire workout. Not a good move, especially when you are in the last set.

One feature that I'm using in Training Peaks is the charting function. By exporting my workout from the coaching software, I can upload it to Training Peaks and chart my performance.

The pink color is watts and I am real consistent with the workout. During the long interval set starting about minute 21, the power is steady for the entire ninety seconds.

Harvest Moon - Post Race Report

It's been a month since Harvest Moon and I've had a lot of time to reflect on what when wrong. The first thing that was wrong was the mental game. I don't know exactly what it was but I think all the solo racing just played on my mind too much. Racings a lot of fun but it's always been more fun when it's with friends. The sharing in the struggle and accomplishments make the day much more fun. For 2013, I've got to either talk my friends into more races or make more friends at the races. Either way, I've got to put the fun back into the race.

The second thing that went wrong has to be run training. Prior to Harvest Moon, I spent some time trail running in Durango. While it was fun, it was a lot harder than my normal running with lots of steep ascents and descents. I think this put a lot of stress on my calves and I didn't give them time to adjust and recover.

The last thing that went wrong was the cycling. When I returned from Durango I did back-to-back seventy mile rides. Prior to that my previous long ride was near forty and it wasn't back-to-back. While the long rides were fun, they put too much strain on already tired legs. It was definitely a violation of the ten percent rule.

As a result of the two training errors, what I thought on race day was a cramp was probably a grade two strain of the soleus. It's been four weeks and I'm barely able to run three miles without pain and that's after three weeks of no running. It also cost me two races, Crescent Moon and Panerathon, both of which I really like doing.

Next year, leason learned. Keep the training increases reasonable and stay within the plan. When I have spare time, take a longer nap, not a longer ride.

Harvest Moon Race Report

Harvest Moon Half Iron has always been one of my favorite races but this year, maybe I should have sat it out. The season had been really good through the triathlon in Estes Park but lately it seems I lost my motivation. I've been racing and most of the time, my usual friends have been absent.

When I showed up at Aurora Reservoir, Steven was there set up ready to go. The swim sent really well for not having much motivation. I set a good pace from the start and swam pretty straight considering you have to swim staight into the sun. It would be really nice to not have to swim into the sun but I guess that's what you get.

The bike course had a small modification at mile one; the exit from the reservoir was modified and now exits like Rattlesnake. The first ten miles were typical eastern Aurora with the rolling hills to the turn around. The northbound leg to Watkins had a nice tailwind and I literally flew. Somewhere along the course, I had caught up to Steven and for some reason, I just settled in. I don't usually settle in on a race but for some reason today it seemed like the thing to do. Overall, the bike was ok, not a great performance, not a bad ride, just ok. I know it didn't take too much out of me so I should have had plenty left for the run.

I was in and out of T2 pretty smoothly and onto the long out and back that is Aurora Reservoir. The initial pace felt pretty good so I tried to dial it back a little. I know 13.1 is a long way to run and going out too fast at Harvest Moon is a recipe for disaster. The course has some small steady climbs but it has almost no shade and by the time the run starts, the temperature has climbed. About three miles into the run, I had to stop for a pit stop. Something had been bothering my stomach since mile forty on the bike and it was time for a stop.

I was running really well through the turnaround and heading back when the wheels or left calf literally fell off. One second I was running nice and smooth and the next the left calf was starting to hurt and then I was walking. I tried to stretch a little but nothing gave me any relief. With six miles to go, a short run turned into a long hike. After walking a couple miles, I was able to shuffle for a minute and then walk for a minute. It was the best I could do and it got me to the finish, not pretty but still a finish.

Computrainer and Spinervals

Last year at this time I decided to change up my training with the Performance Improvement Guarantee (PIG) plan. This year I've decided to change it up using the Spinervals Super 6 plan. To do the plan with the Computrainer is going to require a little prior planning.

For the aerobic base building sessions, I think I can either use a Spinerval DVD and manually set the resistance or I can just pick a Computrainer course and hold the target power for the duration of the workout.

I think the best way to handle the interval workouts will be to build ERG workouts. My reasoning is that interval workouts involve changing resistance quickly and sometimes within short intervals. I don't think that this will work as well with a DVD and manually changing resistance.

The plan starts, like all good plans, with an assessment of your current ability. Like the PIG, the Super 6 starts with a threshold test. I was able to hold 247 watts for the test which was a little lower than the 253 I held for my final PIG test. I'm pretty happy with that since I'm coming off a three week rest period.

Computrainer - Vittoria

My Continental trainer tire suffered a blowout last week so I replaced it with a Vittoria trainer tire and so far I'm loving it. It's a little quieter than the Continental. I ride Vittoria on the road so I'll see how it holds up on the trainer.

Computrainer - Flat Tire

Cruising along on a nice tempo ride when I feel a little vibration in the rear tire. That's not normal but I'm almost done with the tempo portion so I keep riding. A minute or two later, the vibration gets worse and then blam, thump, thump, thump. Now that's definitely not right. I jump off the trainer and smell rubber burning. That's really not right. Taking a look at the tire, there's a one inch slit in the tire.

I guess Computrainer is the closest thing to riding outside, it even has the occasional flat tire.

Evergreen Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Racing Underground brought back the Evergreen Sprint Triathlon and it fit into my schedule so I thought I would give it a go. I thought racing at elevation would also make it a little more exciting and difficult.

The race takes place in the Evergreen Town Lake and is a great venue for a race. The parking is somewhat limited but there is plenty of grass and trees for after the event. The lake normally doesn't allow swimming but Racing Underground was able to get permission as long as everyone wore a wetsuit. The water temperature at the start was around 68 degrees which is warm for the lake. The shore of the lake wasn't conducive to swimming with the lake bottom being pretty soft and descending quickly. The swim start was in water so you have to either be up near the shore or out treading water. I had a very good start and was able to get near the front of my wave by the first buoy. I was caught by a two people at that point but I wasn't able to hold their feet so I had to continue on my own. I had a form break from about 250 meters to 350 meters. Once I got back on form, I was ok, but it took a little work.

The bike course was one of the most challenging courses I've ridden. After a flat mile, the climbing begins and it doesn't end until about mile eight. There are a couple false flats but that's what they are, false hope that the climbing is over. I know people think Old Stage at Boulder Peak is tough but Stagecoach at Evergreen is harder in my opinion. The average grade isn't as steep but it's averages eight percent and the climb is close to seven mile where Old Stage is less than one.

The descents at Evergreen are also a little more technical. Boulder Peak has nice long sweeping curves but the curves at Evergreen are shorter and sharper.

Just like Boulder Peak and Loveland, you have to be on the lookout for wild life. One the last descent coming back to transition, I saw three elk and one was right on the course. A little breaking and quick manuevering got me around the elk with no injuries to either one of us.

Before the race, I walked the first 200 - 300 meters of the run course. Most run courses go around the lake and Evergreen is no exception. It did go around the lake but it also took a little detour through a neighborhood which included a very long and steep hill. It also had two sets of stairs, one down and one up just in case your quads weren't sore yet.

Overall it's a very good course and as always, Racing Underground put on a great event. I continued to do well with second in my age group and top fifteen overall. The overall is slightly skewed since four of the people faster than me are professionals and one was a bronze medalist in Athens.

Computrainer 3D

A few weeks ago, I created a course map for the Evergreen Sprint Triathlon. When I rode it on my Computrainer, I thought, there is no way the course elevation and climbs are right. Well, I raced Evergreen last weekend and although the climbs might have been slightly easier, it was every bit as tough as the Computrainer course.

Computrainer - Vanishing Contest

Was it something I said? The blogging contest on the RacerMate site seems to have vanished. I wonder what happened. Several of there links seem a little dated too such as the one where you have to sign up for Coach Rob by January 29th.

Oh well, what's one to do but get on the Computrainer and ride.

Computrainer - Beating the Heat

They say if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen but when it heats up outside, I beat the heat with my Computrainer. We've been over ninety degrees for I don't know how long and with the smoke from the fires, it's easier and safer to train indoors on the Computrainer.

Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon Race Report

With fires outside of Ft Collins and road construction on the run course, L2L had some tough issues to overcome. The fires were burning near Horsetooth Reservoir and the road construction closed one lane of the run course. The race director really stepped up, developed new bike and run courses and put on a great race.

The swim course was slightly different than previous years but it was still a swim and 1500 meters. My goal was to try and swim with Chris who was slightly faster than me in Greeley. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find him before the start so I just picked a good line and set out on my own race. The swim went pretty well except for the sighting on the east-bound leg. There were two buoys but I couldn't see anything. I just had to swim with the group and hope the person out front went straight.

Out onto the bike course, I was trying a new wheelcover. Would it really make a difference? Would I be faster? Since the course is different from previous years, I wouldn't be able to compare bike splits so this one had to stand on its own. I was passed on the bike by a couple people in my age group but other than that, I held my own pretty well. On the bike, as we neared the foothills, you could feel and taste the smoke.

With temperatures expected to rise into the low hundreds, I was glad that the new bike course was shorter. I also carried two bottles on the bike loaded with Gu Electrolyte tabs. I wanted to make sure I was overhydrated on the bike so that I wouldn't get too dehydrated on the run. By the time I finished the bike leg, I had finished both bottles and didn't feel bloated.

At the start of the run, I knew there at least three people in my age group ahead of me, the two who passed me and Greg who's a former pro. I don't really have a chance to catch Greg so I had to focus on the others in my age group. At the start of the run, I passed the first person in my age group but he didn't look familiar so maybe I was farther down the leader board.

With the temperatures climbing and not exactly sure of the run distance, I took the strong and steady approach. I wanted to go hard but not too hard, leaving something for when I made it back around the course and knew I had only a couple miles to go. It turns out that the new run course wasn't the same as the really old course and was only 5.1 miles. I caught another age grouper with about half a mile to go and made a strong move so that he couldn't stay with me. Turns out that there was another two runners up the course.

Overall, I had a good run and good race. With the new course, smoke in the air and high temperatures, a lot of people had trouble racing. My hydration strategy worked really well and I didn't have any cramping issues off the bike. Even the next day, my legs still felt good and I didn't have the usual post race stiffness and headache. Lesson learned - more hydration with electrolyte replacement.

Computrainer to the Rescue

Due to the Hyde Park forest fire, the bike course for Loveland Lake to Lake had to be changed. Without a chance to preride the new course, I turned to my Computrainer. Taking the turn by turn directions and Map My Tri, I created a course layout. Using Cycling Peaks Real3D, I converted the layout into a 3D file and loaded that into my Computrainer.

It's not as good as riding the course but now I have an idea on where the hills and turns are.

Computrainer - Nutrition

During my first two triathlons, my nutrition has consisted of: one gel with water prior to the swim, one gel with water on the bike and water on the run. On the run I've been getting tight calves with some cramping. As near as I can tell, I think I'm low on electrolytes. The hydration is good and the energy levels seem fine but I think the cramps are electrolytes. Reading the labels of the gels and there isn't a lot of sodium or potassium.

For this week's race, I'm going to try something a little different. I'm trying Gu Electrolyte tabs on the Computrainer. They have a lot of sodium and a lot of potassium. The drink mix hasn't bothered my stomach on the Computrainer so it might work during racing.

Life is an experiment and triathlon is the lab.

Computrainer - PIG Improvement Comparison 2

I ran the numbers for Greeley and the bike portion was right where PIG predicts. I still don't know if the 10% improvement in power translates to 10% in speed but at Greeley it was pretty close. In 2011, the bike course took 26:34 and in 2012 only 24:19 which is a 2:15 improvement. That's an improvement of 9.25%. The run also improved from a 20:01 to 19:24, an improvement of 3%.

At a time when I should be slowing due to age, I'm improving with Computrainer.

Greeley Computrainer Impact

I was talking with Chris after Greeley and he said that my run at Pelican and Greeley had been really strong and surprised a lot of people He then said that I must have worked hard on my run. My reply was that I worked on my bike hard using my Computrainer and that had made my run so much faster.

The PIG progam helped me improve my bike by two minutes and my run by forty seconds. Overall, my total time went down just over 2:20 seconds. Not too bad for a sprint triathlon.

Greeley Triathlon

I chose the Greeley Triathlon for my second race of the year, just like last year. Greeley is a great sprint with a time trial type start and the regional championship for the juniors. It's a great chance to watch the potential of the young triathletes and always motivating.

Due to high winds the previous night and during the early morning hours, the race was on hold while a decision was made. After forty-five minutes, a decision was made and the race was on. The race director made the swim optional for anyone concerned but since the wind had died down, I thought the conditions were safe. I was concerned about the smoke from the forest fires but since they were far enough west and north, Greeley wasn't too impacted.

The swim is a time trial start in reverse age order with men and women starting together. I think mixing the men and women was a good improvement from last year when the women's field had to wait for all the men. I like the time trial start and had a good swim. At only 500 meters with two ninety degree turns, the swim is quick. I swam pretty straight and only had trouble sighting the exit. The rubber duckies were quite big enough for me to see. I remembered the exit from last year and knew to swim up the exit ramp as far as possible.

Coming out of the swim and into transition, I noticed a racer in my age group had caught me. From his number I knew I started before him so I lost fifteen to twenty seconds to him. I would have to close the gap on the bike. He had a faster transition since he didn't wear a wetsuit and that meant I had to get back even more seconds.

The bike course is similar to last year's course but the start had a new out and back with a round about. I thought we went to the second round about but we were supposed to u-turn at the first round about. Since I wasn't quite ready, I overcooked the turn, almost came to a complete stop and had to accelerate hard.

The major out and back was also moved to the front half which enabled me to get a good feel for how far back I was. At only ten miles, I would have to work hard to close the lead down. On the back half I finally caught my competition and made a hard pass. I didn't want him to think  he could pull me back so I jumped around and went hard. I was lucky because after my pass, there were a couple turns and then a climb. I pushed it and used the corners to hide. It worked out well because when I made it back to transition, my chaser was gone.

With two climbs and two u-turns, the run is tougher than Pelican but it's still only a 5-k.The run starts with a downhill so I let it fly. After the first climb and u-turn, I could see my competition and I knew I had a good gap. I kept the pace up knowing that based upon my Pelican performance I would have a good run.

Overall, the race went really well. I had good splits in all disciplines and held a good solid pace the whole way. Of the age groupers, I finished fifth and won the age group. My strategy for nutrition and pacing were both good and I think that Loveland will be a good test in a couple weeks.