Bike FIt, running long and logging it

Hey,

in my last post I mentioned that I would be getting a professional bike fit. It gone done but I was a little disappointed with the process but not the result. Firstly the guy I wanted to do the fit had the day off. I made the booking with him knowing that I wanted him to do the fit as he had been recommended. Secondly the the guy who ended up doing my fit, although getting a good result for me, wasn't really up there for customer service. I had to wait for 10 mins past the booking time while he chatted with some dude in the shop and then on numerous occasions had to wait while he served customers. The guy didn't even introduce himself to me, pretty weird when you spend 2 hours in the shop pedaling etc.

Well, now that is off my chest, the changes to the bike.

• seat raised by 15mm
• seat forward by 10mm
• major readjustment of the right cleat
• 120mm stem replaced with a 80mm stem
• aerobars shortened
• seat angle set to 0%

I have not had a chance to get on the road since then due to weather and prior commitments but have had a couple of trainer sessions. The first one was a low HR 125-130bpm session @ 90 rpm in the aero position for an hour. This was completed reasonably easily and the position felt pretty good for the whole session. The big test will be on the road.

I have been putting in quite a few kms with my running but have really changed my training style. All my runs now, except for the Jogger's World races, will be in my low HR zones, basically below 139bpm average for the run period. This is proving very hard to do as I have been going way to hard in my training prior to this, so half my training is in my head, whipping my ego and gaining awareness especially when I am going up hills. I have readjusted my training zones on my watch and bike computer and have set the alarms. I hope to see some good aerobic gains over the next couple of months.

Have found a great triathlon community for information with a really easy to use training log. Triathlog. The info is amazing and the main posters seem to be very happy to give advice and share experiences that will help others. I think that this site will help me finalize my training plan and avoid the need for a coach. The only thing I think I really need is some swim training as after looking at others swim training and times, I suck.

If anyone is reading, leave a nice comment if you want to leave one or just be plain rude, I am not really fussed.

Cheers

Long Weekend Recovery Fortnight

Too long in between posts methinks. If anyone ever reads this I don't want to piss them off by only posting once every few weeks.

I can't believe that it has been two weeks since my last post. The weather here has been pretty crappy and the days are quite short, dark at 5 PM and sun up at around 7.30 AM. Having to work makes getting in any training difficult on top of the winter weather.

I have been attempting to build a good base of fitness with some long rides, around 100kms, and runs, around 15kms; and have just bought a 20 session pass at an indoor swimming centre. I managed to get in 2.2kms in the pool today at lunchtime. The other child got sick after the long weekend which meant another long day at home. Sick kids are not happy kids and looking after them is a lot harder than going to work. A few trips into Adelaide for work has also eaten into any training as most of my training is done either in the morning or at lunchtime.

The stationary trainer has been used quite a bit for some 1 hour steady state HR sessions and also some high RPM interval sessions. The last one I did was this exercise and I could not believe how hammered I was at the end of it. I use an Elite brand Mag Resistance trainer on level 3 resistance. I much prefer being on the road but I really dont have too many options this time of the year, as I am not keen on riding to and from work in partial darkness. Country roads, cars at high speeds and unused to cyclists doesn't fill me with confidence.

The swim today was good, but the pool is a little warm for my liking. It was great to get some laps in. I concentrated a lot on my position in the water and trying to keep my elbows high, extended my arms, rotating my hips, head looking down etc. So much to think about! I think I will always be a MOP swimmer doing about 1.50 100s. I am using workouts from here and going for the weak (C) workout at the moment. Firstly as time restrictions make it difficult to complete the higher distances and my swim endurance needs some work and 2.3 kms is all I can do and still function for the rest of the day.

Running has been nice although a little chilly to begin with. I am even considering joining the world of base layer wearers. It was 5 celsius the other morning when I began my run and a balmy 7 an hour and a half later. Bits of me, not just my fingers, were pretty cold at the end of the run which has prompted my thoughts of tight shiny pants.

The most exciting thing though is that I will be getting a proper bike fit on Wednesday. Steve Nash at Corsa Cycles in Adelaide is renowned as a good fitter so I have taken the plunge and will get a professional time trial set up done. I feel a little funny taking my cheap, Tiagra bike into a fancy bike shop with beautiful Italian Dura-Ace and Campag Super Record bikes all over the floor and walls. Anyway I am paying good money for it so Steve will just have to grit his teeth and work with what I can afford. I am intrigued to see if it will make much difference to how I feel and perform on the bike and how wrong my own set up has been.

I will add more after the set up on Wednesday.