Pledge Week 10: Some Good, Some Bad and an Aero Helmet

Times eaten fast food this week = 0
Total pledge amount this week = $35 (7 days * $5)
Total pledge amount to date = $360 ($250 contributed this week)
Funds raised to date = $2150

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These last two weeks have been a better effort from a diet standpoint! I got back to eating zero fast food and only had a few "cheat meals" that weren't healthy (like pizza). So that's the good news!

(Photo credit: http://forum.kingdomsatwar.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=170865)

The bad news is that I had tried to start a "Sober September" effort which I hoped to continue into October. The goal was to kick as much alcohol as possible in order to keep on top of the training and hopefully lose some more weight as well. Unfortunately, by Labor Day (Sept 5th, 2015), I officially had failed. I went to Vegas for a bachelor party, had too much FOMO and needed it. Then it just continued every 2 or 3 days as various things just came up and I couldn't resist having one beer.

(Photo credit: https://amuseless.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/in-which-real-life-gets-in-the-way-of-things-yet-again/)

Yes, a "facedesk" is appropriate! So here we go again hoping that I can restart what was a 4 day valiant effort that never was...

I did want to show off some new swag though... As mentioned in my last blog post, triathlon coach Ian Murray recommended an aero type helmet as "free speed." Free speed really isn't free since you're paying for the gear. But it is free in terms of no real additional effort or training required to instantly gain some time (potentially as much as 3-5 min every 40km depending on how long you can stay in aero).

And if you don't know me, any excuse to get some sweet gear is one I'm going to take! After some browsing, I decided to go with the awesome Giro Air Attack Shield! It's a multifaceted helmet that can be used for normal riding or time trial like courses. It also comes with Giro's shield setup which includes 3 magnets attached to a Carl Zeiss glass shield which eliminates any need for sunglasses on the bike! Plus I got it in a really SWEET highlight yellow color!!! It doesn't match my bike or my tri suits, but it's unique and will make me easily recognizable on the course!!! W00T!!!!!!!

READY TO GO AND HAPPY TO GET INSTANTLY FASTER!!!!!!

Ian Murray Bike Fit Experience

One benefit of being part of a triathlon club is the access to many, many resources and discounts and coaches who can offer their advice (although not always for free). The last two weeks, I took advantage of a couple such perks.

First, I went to a bike clinic focused on tire changing. Why was this important? If you didn't read my previous post, I had a few flat tires racing at Castaic Lake Series 1.

And in addition to those troubles, I took the bike to a shop to get tuned up and checked out for any debris. This was no help as I flatted immediately on my next very ride. So to the clinic I happily went!

At the clinic, certified Tri Coach and Bike Mechanic Ian Murray was present and giving us all the tips on changing out a tire. This was really helpful and gave me a lot of confidence in changing both the front and back tires. But the biggest help was finding this small shard of metal lodged in my tire that lined up perfectly with my flatted tube. I was SO RELIEVED!

But part of that experience was Ian introducing himself, helping me out and then asking me about my racing, comfort and speed. When he found out that I had been having some discomfort in aero and that I was doing IM FL, he immediately said I needed to come in and see him. He apparently could tell that the bike was not adequately fit just from looking at the bike, not even with me on it!

So the second perk I took advantage of was seeing him to get fitted to my bike! Now, this wasn't cheap ($225 with the LATC discount), but it would actually prove IMMEDIATE and HUGE dividends. While Castaic Series 1 and Series 2 were not the exact same course, my avg bike mph went from 13.1 mph to 17.2 mph! A 5 mph increase over a sprint!!! That ended up with a 10 min faster bike split! I can't wait to see what it'll do to my bike times over longer races!

Not only was the speed a benefit, but I definitely felt more comfortable and fresher for the run (although the heat really killed that freshness feeling haha). The comfort is a benefit that will really pay dividends as I get on my bike more in the next month and a half.

But here's a snapshot of the changes Ian made:

It's a very slight and small difference, but every little change can be potentially huge! So things that were pointed out to me by Ian include:
-Raised and forward shifted seat give a more aggressive aero position and angle
-Shortening the seat to handlebar distance puts me in better comfort for aero
-Shoulders above elbow (allowing for right angle in arms) means less effort in aero
-Dropped handlebars help achieve more aggressive aero position
-All adjustments together create a flatter back which is optimal for long term performance

Ian summed it up with the following post:
Joshua Izumigawa was in the TTS Fit Studio today in preparation for IM Florida. Comfort achieved! Seat height up 5mm, seat angle 3deg steeper, Saddle to arm pads 1cm shorter, handlebar elevation 3cm lower. My prediction he just got ~30min faster in one fit.

Another benefit of having 1-on-1 time with a great, chatty coach is that I was able to soak up a lot of additional information for my IM prep:
-Take it easy, pushing at any point during the race will hurt... It's a long race, respect the distance
-Take your time in transition, but don't dilly dally if you'd like a good time
-Stay in aero as much as you can, but get out every once in a while to stretch the muscles
-Try to eat real food on the bike if possible, it'll make stomaching gels for the run much easier
-Get an aero style helmet that's normal (I chose the Giro Air Attack Shield), no need for the silly tail
-Wheels help with time (particularly for Florida), but aren't necessary for the cost
-Take the run easy at first
-Having a good race means running the last 10k
-Enjoy it, take it all in and be proud of what you've trained for and hope to accomplish
-But most of all, RESPECT THE DISTANCE!!!

Race Report: Castaic Lake Series 2 (Sprint)

I forgot to get to this earlier, but just wanted to post a race recap for Castaic Lake Series 2!

Race details:
Lake Castaic Park
Swim: 0.25 mi - open water, lake
Bike: 10 mi - road, unique course out to Castaic Prison
Run: 3 mi - loops near lake



Course Recorded Finish: 1:00:58

Garmin Splits:


AG Finish: 3/10
OV Finish: 17/86
AG Race Factor: 1.13
OV Race Factor: 1.18

Race Factor is a metric I came up with. It's basically my time divided by the winner (AG or OV) time. So if I won, the RF would be 1 and if the winner got half of my time, RF would be 2. And so any amount separating me from the winner scales based on the winner's total finish time. It's better barometer of performance than place or time alone. NERD ALERT!!!

Race Analysis:
Transitions:
Really slow T1 for my standards. I will say that I probably pushed it a little bit hard on the swim because I thought I saw Dave way ahead and was chasing him, although he would admit later that he was chasing me. There was also a run uphill, which is never any good for me. So I def remember taking some extra time in T1 to catch my breath and get ready.

Swim:

Really solid swim. The start was a mass male start with everyone going on the gun. That resulted in getting caught in the pack and getting kicked, whacked and everything in between from people just trying to get going. I somehow managed to fight thru that, make it out to the edge and then just drop the hammer and blow by people! I wish I had course recorded splits to see how many people beat me out of the water, but it couldn't have been many...

Bike:

With Ian Murray's help (and I'll have to also write a post on that bike fit experience), my bike split was significantly better and I also got my cadence sensor working again! I'd say that my cadence was generally on point and around 100 rpm with exception of the downhills after the prison, which makes sense. The speed was generally good but really suffered on the climb uphill to the prison, standard for me. The heart rate is troublesome, but it makes sense for this race as it is a sprint and I was trying to chase Dave down after he passed me on the bike.

The best part was feeling so much more comfortable in aero and then just doing great with the bike split! Should lead to better performances going forward!

Run:

The run was okay. I settled my heart down just a bit from where the bike left me, due to sipping some water in T2. There was a funny moment right after T2 where I tried to take in a Honey Stinger going uphill. I coughed and then the sugary goo went mostly down the throat, but partially up my nose. That definitely burned... But it generally ramped up as expected for a sprint as I again tried to chase Dave down. My speed was pretty solid, but I would have liked it to be better. 7:48 min/mi average isn't terrible, but it's def not fast. Oh and I had a hilarious moment where I saw Kim after the first loop (about mile 1.2ish) and just screamed out "shiiiiiiiiittttttt" to her haha. Luckily for me, she didn't catch me. Thank goodness for that 10 min head start!!!

All in all, I had a good race, I generally paced myself well and pushed it the right amounts!

Silly race pics below:

Pre Race Night Meal (fish, guac, rice, etc homemade goodness + affogato (ice cream, coffee) + brownie)

 Race site

Finishers

 Bling O'Clock

  

Post Race Meal