Today is my last ride before race day. It was a short course just to keep loose and not lose ground without tearing down.
- Bike 9.76 miles – 41:42 (14mph, 442 cals) Hilly course
Category Archives: Fitness
Tri Shorts Testing
Today was my last big ride before the race and the official wet test of my new running shorts. There are actual tri-unitards that the pros use. I personally don’t like them A) they run well in excess of $100 B) they have a bike pad in them. Bike pads are great for biking – not so great for running. I recently added true bike shorts to my workout arsenal. I have learned that once you cross about 20 miles on a bike, better shorts become more necessary. So while I use bike shorts for long bike rides, they don’t work well for multisport – at least for me personally.
Anyway my new running shorts featured a very breathable tech short with a pseudo-spandex compression short underneath. In order to simulate race conditions I thoughly soaked the shorts before my ride today. They passed with flying colors – by mile 2 they were as dry as my sweating would allow and induced zero chaffing. They are made by Asics, cost $40, and come in a few colors. Check your local running shops for them.
I tried several different clothing solutions, but this was by far the best and I wholeheartedly recommend them to tri-beginners not ready for the unitard duck waddle running. I was glad to find them as my race is only a week away.
- Bike 21 miles – 1:26:08 (14.7mph, 968cals) a hilly course was choosen as the race course is hillier than most.
Tri Training Concerns
As race day is beginning to loom large, I set out to do another full prep day. My goal was to average 15mph on the full bike length and see how well my run would stack up after that. I happily exceeded my bike speed goal and started off the run well. I was staying just ahead of my virtual partner which I had set at a 12 min mile pace up until mile 4. At that point I experienced some bad leg cramping that slowed me to a not to fast walk. After a mile at that pace the last loop of the trail was abandoned. This cramping incident has me worried about race day as I will also be swimming for 30+ minutes in addition to the bike before the run. Some walking mixed with the run is fine, but painfully slow walking (ha ha) will really hurt my overall time.
- Bike 26.77 miles – 1:42:36 (15.7mph, 1225cals)
- Run 5.37 miles – 1:15:07 (14min mile pace due to cramping, 536cals)
Tri Training Update
I’ve had several people comment on my lack of preparation for my upcoming triathlon event. Truth is the lack has actually been in the posting not the training so here’s a recap from my garmin training buddy:
June 11th
- Bike 16 miles – 1:12:25 (16.0mph, 671cals)
- Swim 34 minutes continuous* (396cals)
June 14th
- Bike 27.73 miles – 2:03:28 (13.5mph, 1175cals)
- Run 2.23 miles – 24:49 (11:09pace, 262cals)
June 17th
- Bike 26.57 miles – 1:47:40 (14.8mph, 1193cals)
- Run 2.17 miles – 26:23 (12:10pace, 249cals) run cut short due to leg cramp
June 22nd
- Bike 19.14 miles – 1:20:12 (14.3mph, 810cals)
June 25th
- Swim 40 minutes continuous (466cals)
- Run 6.2 miles – 1:35:53 (treadmill intervals)
*Since the swim course is down river, actual swim distance is difficult to calculate accurately. By looking at previous race data, I estimate my swim time should be in the 30-35 minute range. This is at a conservative pace since my main goal for the swim is not speed but efficiency. (Online references have breaststroke at 700 calories an hour at my weight range)
Bike Record
Well I set a new personal record for bike distance yesterday. My brother and I went out with some leisurely MT bikers and then we went for another 20 miles after they left. That’s right a total over 35 miles in a single ride. The worst part was that I got a cramp in my right quad at about mile 30… but what are you gonna do when the car is still 5 miles away?
- Bike 35.25 miles – 2:43:34 (13 mph, 1542 cals)