One foot in front of the other.
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Racers Against Childhood Cancer (RACC)
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After a very public doping scandal following the 2010 Tour de France, Alberto Contador has officially been stripped of his title and suspended from competitive cycling for one year. Since being provisionally suspended by the UCI this past August, the Contador case has been in a kind of limbo while the cycling powers that be decided what course of action to take.
Contador’s suspension is the result of testing positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol, which is used to promote muscle gain at the same time as weight loss. Contador maintains his innocence saying that the chemical, which is also used in cattle, showed in his system as a result of eating tainted meat.
Contador has ten days to present evidence and appeal the decision.
[Contador suspended one year, stripped of 2010 Tour de France title]
Continued from: 2010 Ironman Louisville: Race Report Part 2 – Race Day
From the second I entered the water (and when I say the second, I mean right at that instant, not before and not after I began to swim) I got a cramp in an intercostal muscle on my right side just below my pectoral. I took a second and took a few long-ish strokes to stretch out that area. As soon as that cramp subsided, I felt my right quadriceps get a bit tight. From this point forward, I was dealing with some form of a cramp.
The swim itself began ok. I felt that the downstream current which had not been that noticeably present the day before at the practice swim, was about the same. I had worried a bit about this because the area in between Towhead Island and the shore could have caused the usually lazing current into something much more significant. There was quite a bit of people traffic to deal with, though it spread out fairly quickly and after the first half mile or so, I only occasionally came upon another racer.
Once I got to the turn-around point of the swim, which was about 1/3 of the way through, the course headed back downstream. The current did pretty much nothing for me (or anyone else that I noticed) in terms of speed. It was at this point however, that my cramping from earlier began to become a bit more regular. I was able to stave off the quadriceps cramp mainly by straightening my leg as needed. When I got to about the 300 meter to go point, my entire right leg seized. From gluteus, to toes was one big cramp. I compensated by using my left leg a bit more and by putting on the steam with my arms.
Since my right leg was essentially acting as a drag anchor, and due to the fact that my left leg was being worked a bit more, eventually, my left foot cramped up. As I approached the swim exit, I was truly unsure how I was going to get out of the water. As I came to the first volunteer on the steps, I said, “Both my legs are cramped and I can’t walk.” She and another person assisted me out of the river and onto the steps. Fortunately, once I began moving my legs let go enough for me to jog/run into transition.
Once inside the changing tent and with everything else on, I sat down on a chair to put on my shoes. As I did this, BOTH my hip flexors cramped. I immediately sat stark upright in order to stop the cramping. It took a couple of tries, but I did eventually get my shoes on, and headed out the door.
About my mental state at this point; To say I was panicked would be incorrect. I was concerned and knew that something was going on with my body that I had not expected. Unlike Ironman Wisconsin in 2009 when I had simply made MASSIVE nutrition errors, this time I was completely lucid and thinking clearly. I knew that something must be off with my electrolytes and in turn, my hydration. So, my plan was to take in my first hours worth on my Infinit blend in the first thirty minutes. At the same time, I would be taking two bottles from each aid station; at the first station, 2 waters, at the second 1 water, 1 Ironman Perform. I would alternate that pattern as long as I could in an effort to get as many fluids absorbed as I could.
I picked up my bike, ran to the mount line and got on. My very first pedal stroke was met with a quad cramp. To be completely honest, I cannot remember as much of the bike as I would like to because all I could focus on was getting rid of my cramps.
The bike course, is a good one but hard. After the first few miles, the challenges of constant rollers came often. Scattered among the rollers were many hills that were pretty significant and caused the heart rate to rise. The aid stations that I saw were all well manned and had plenty of everything I needed. I did hear later that several of the stations began to run low on water, even to the point of running out, but I didn’t experience this.
My goal for the bike was to maintain a speed of between 22 and 22.5 mph. This did not happen. For the first two bike splits, I held an average speed of barely under 21 mph. Every time I would ask more of my legs, they would cramp. My heart and lungs were feeling fine and were really itching to do some harder racing, but my legs simply would not let them. At about mile 70 of the bike, I began running over scenarios in my head of how to deal with the unrelenting cramps. At this point some part of my body was cramping at all times. Among the places that cramped were:
I’m fairly certain I even remember my eyelid doing a weird flutter/cramp thing at some point.
By the last twenty miles, I was a cramp. I mean that; I WAS a cramp. My energy was being sent fighting against my own body. My speed had dipped drastically to around 17 mph. Also at this time, the heat of the day was beginning to truly set in. The high temperature for the day turned out to be 96° F with 60% humidity. I wish I could blame the heat for what was going on with my body, but I cannot. I’m sure it didn’t help, but it was not the cause of my problems. I fought through the last stretch and after what seemed like forever, I made it to transition.
As soon as I dismounted and handed my bike off, I saw Trevor (@indianabackdoc). He and Kristine (@KGIRLTRIS) had volunteered to catch bikes from racers at the entrance of the second transition. Trevor recalls our conversation like this:
“Brandon, you gotta go man.”
“Dude, I am done.”
“What?!?! No way man. You are doing this!”
” I have cramped since I jumped into the water.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah, I think it’s over.”
“No it’s not, suck it up buttercup. Get your ass moving and finish the race. It’s gametime man, nut up or shutup. It’s go time.”
I hobbled my way into transition and to the changing tent. I found a chair in the tent and sat down. As soon as I did, everything below my waist locked up. I took several deep breaths and tried stretching my legs as much as I could. My legs eventually went from being seized to just cramping constantly (I still don’t know how to accurately define this, but the two are different). A volunteer came over and asked me what he could do to help me get changed. I asked him if he had a phone I could borrow, and he was so kind to bring me his.
I called Danielle is pieces and asked her to have Jeff call me back at that number. Jeff promptly called me. We went over and over and over again what was going on and it made no sense. Had the cramps begun somewhere on the bike or even after pushing hard on the swim it would make sense, but this did not. I was an absolute mess emotionally and mentally. None of what was going on made one ounce of sense. After much discussion and agonizing thought, Jeff advised to pull out. His main concern was that since these cramps were not exercise induced that if I continued, I could wind up in a serious medical emergency. In speaking with Laminator after the fact, he explained that out of control and persistent cramping like that can eventually spread to your diaphragm and then you have a medical emergency for real.
I asked the volunteer with the phone if he could help me to the medical tent as walking wasn’t something I was very good at at that point. He helped me to the tent, reminding me that just because I was going to medical did not mean that my day was over. I was given a cot to lay on and my legs were rubbed out. I was also given ice (truthfully I was not that hot because I was unable to exert myself as hard as I wanted to) and a cold bottle of Ironman Perform. Jeff had told me to get and IV of fluids, but apparently if you do that, they are required to pull you out of the race on the spot, so being hard headed and stubborn and hoping that I would still be able to get up and move, I stuck with ice and drinks.
The medical staff was amazing in asking if I was ok every couple of minutes. I lay there allowing my legs to cramp over and over. To give you an idea what it looked like, imagine being able to see hundreds of bugs crawling under the surface of your skin; that’s what I was seeing. It flt like each and ever muscle fiber was firing off at random non-stop.
As I lay there, many more people in the same shape as I was and worse were being brought into the tent. I eventually gave up my cot for a chair as there were many who needed it more than I did at that point. Sitting there, I began to take a hard mental and emotional look at the events. I will admit that I was at first extremely ashamed and embarrassed. However, that eventually gave way to acceptance and disappointment; not disappointment in myself, but for those (including me) that had given so much to see me have a good race that day.
After a while Trevor, who had been on the phone with Jeff off and on since he saw me come in, came over to the medical tent. We sat and discussed everything and I made the call. I hended Trevor my chip and he turned it in for me. My day was over. My first ever DNF.
To be continued…
There are so many tips for beginner cyclists floating around the internet that to cover them all could be a complete website unto itself (and probably is!). This list is the top ten things that I think every beginner cyclist should know (assuming you’ve already got a bike). Please leave your own beginner cyclist tips in the comments!
Again, this list is by no means comprehensive. Please leave your tips in the comments!
While I am an admitted fan of Google Maps and an avid Apple supporter, I have to admit that Microsoft really stepped up its game when they created Bing Maps. Now, Bill Gates & Co. have given us an application that will give you the dirt on each and every stage of the 2010 Tour de France.
Not only does this app give you the obvious in the form of pretty satellite pictures of the route, but they go several steps further. You can automatically zoom in to both the beginning and end of each stage which will get you a lot closer than sitting in your living room will! You can also see the results of each stage (information for the app data provided by Podium Café)
To see the app in it’s full, yellow jersey wearing glory, click the link here!
To me, about three years ago, the Tour de France was just this bike race that took place in France. Lance Armstrong was really the only cyclist I could name off hand. Then I started getting increasingly involved in endurance events, along the way falling in love with Le Tour (and other races as well).
This coming Saturday, July 3, 2010 marks the beginning of this year’s Tour which promises to be one of the most intensely contested races in a long time. One of the main reasons for this is the intense rivalry that developed last year as then Astana teammates Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador exchanged words, looks and mental gamesmanship. Since that time, Lance has walked away from Team Astana to form Team Radio Shack, taking along with him eight out of the nine members of the 2009 Team Astana (the same team that won the team title in the 2009 Tour).
Apart from the most watched rivalry is the the vast field of strong riders with widespread talent and teams that hope to guide their leaders to the podium on the Champs-Élysées. Perhaps the most watched among these riders is the second place finisher in the 2009 Tour, Saxo Bank rider, Andy Schleck who, along with his brother Frank, gave an amazing performance in last year’s Tour and promised to be at the front of the cycling world for many years to come.
If you’re not a fan of cycling because you find it boring or tedious, this year promises to be an incredible race to watch. Whether the Armstrong/Contador rivalry truly plays out or if the real challenge come from one of the new teams hitting the road in this year’s Tour, such as Team BMC or Team Sky, you can be sure that cycling’s best will be throwing down the gauntlet every single day between July 3rd and July25.
You can follow Tour coverage online at: http://letour.fr as well as on Versus. Additionally, Versus will be playing each and every stage live on it’s television channels and replaying it throughout each day. The Tour begins with the Prologue in Rotterdam tomorrow.
Salinas Valley Half Marathon ($5 off with discount code: “IronBrandon”!!)
Pittsburgh Marathon Bomb Scare
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From the New York Post
By LACHLAN CARTWRIGHT and BILL SANDERSON
A helmet may not be enough to protect cyclists from Google Maps’ latest feature.
The search engine rolled out a “bicycling directions” option yesterday that is filled with potentially fatal flaws, including routes that cut across Central Park’s treacherous tranverse roads and steer cyclists to truck-riddled thoroughfares.
A Post reporter rented a bike on the Hudson River Greenway at 42nd Street and plotted a course to Hunter College — and quickly discovered the hard way that Google has a lot to learn about the streets of New York.
After a traffic-snarled ride up Eighth Avenue, our intrepid cyclist was sent on a semi-circle around Columbus Circle, and soon found himself holding up a line of 15 angry motorists — many leaning on their horns — on the narrow and frightening 65th Street Transverse, which does not have a bike lane.
Google overlooked the far safer Park Drive that loops through the park.
In Brooklyn, Google steers cyclists into the path of anti-bike Hasidic Jews by designating Bedford Avenue between Division and Flushing avenues in Williamsburg as a legitimate bike route. The city sandblasted away that street’s bike lane last year after protests.
Google mappers owned up to the woes. “The team does know about some of the problems in New York,” said spokeswoman Elaine Filadelfo.
There were more problems with the parks.
Inside Central Park, Google shows The Mall and some footpaths south of 72nd Street as bike paths — although park rules make them definitely off-limits.
“The parks are one of the things we need to work on,” Filadelfo admitted. “We don’t have great data for them.”
Among the other problems: Google directs New Jersey-bound cyclists over the north path of the George Washington Bridge, even though the bridge’s official bike path is on the south side.
From Midtown to Yankee Stadium, Google Maps sends cyclists up Central Park West and then on a hazardous 30-block stretch of Frederick Douglass Boulevard to the Macombs Dam Bridge.
A safer pick would have been up St. Nicholas Avenue and eventually over the Madison Avenue Bridge.
Bike advocates like Google’s effort, and say it will help recreational cyclists find safe paths.
“The fact that Google is taking it on brings it to millions of mobile devices and computers,” said Wiley Norvell of Transportation Alternatives. “We’re enthusiastic.”
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Nytro Complete Triathlon Package
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From Triathlete Magazine
After challenging each other to a time trial through twitter while the two were training separately in Kona, Lance Armstrong and Chris Lieto finally met up today on Lieto’s last day on the island. The pair named it the “Twitter Time Trial” and according to Armstrong he beat Lieto by 15 seconds. Armstrong also joked that the two may be battling on the Queen K in a real race again some time in the next couple of years. See the video below for more.
Before the race:
After the race:
By Bertrand Boucey - Reuters2/15/2010
PARIS (Reuters) – A French judge has issued an international arrest warrant against American rider Floyd Landis for suspected hacking into an anti-doping laboratory computer, French anti-doping agency head Pierre Bordry told Reuters on Monday.
In an interview, Bordy said the judge Thomas Cassuto believed Landis, whose 2006 Tour de France title was stripped after he failed a dope test, wanted to prove the laboratory where his samples were tested was wrong.
“French judge Cassuto from the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Nanterre informed us that he had issued an international arrest warrant on January 28 against Floyd Landis, who tested positive for banned testosterone during the 2006 Tour de France, after our laboratory computer system was hacked,” Bordry said.
“He was summoned by the judge, he didn’t come so he’s now under an international arrest warrant.”
The French anti-doping agency launched legal action against unnamed persons after they found their laboratory computer system had been hacked into in September 2006.
Landis, the first rider to be stripped of a Tour victory, has continually denied any wrongdoing but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected his assertion that his positive test was due to procedural mistakes by the laboratory.
Landis, 34, said last year after his two-year ban ended that he was trying to decide whether to follow fellow-American Lance Armstrong’s example and ride again in the Tour de France.
“It seems that (Landis) made all he could to enter into our computer system to try to prove the laboratory was wrong. He showed many documents he got by hacking to numerous sporting instances,” Bordry said. “The judge traced a network of hackers back to the ringleader.”
Date: 2/13/09
Consecutive Days Run: 44
Runner: Brandon Wood
Shoes: Newton AW Trainers
Location: New York, NY
Type of Run: 20 minute transition run (off a trainer ride of 3.5 hours)
Time of Day: 5:24 PM EST
Distance Run: 2.80 miles
Time Run: 00:21:04
Average Pace: 7:32 per mile
Weather Conditions: Cold (33 degrees Fahrenheit), Windy
Disposition: Good
Link to Run Detail: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24616900
About the Run: As you may know, from my post yesterday, I had a bit of a spill during my run. So, today when I went out I decided to go on the same route I always do which is also the one on which I fell last evening.
My workout today was actually one that I’ll be writing about more often as the triathlon season gets closer, a brick. A brick workout, in triathlon terms, is one that consists of a medium or long ride followed by a run of varying distance. Today my scheduled brick was three and a half hours on the bike, which meant inside on the trainer today, followed by a twenty minute run.
Admittedly, my legs were a bit tired, but not nearly as much as I expected. For the first half mile or so, I could really feel my ride, but after that point, my pace felt better and my legs began to forget the time they had just spent strapped into the bike. After that point, I decided to push it a tiny bit, even over the same snow and ice I dealt with yesterday. When I reached the turn where I fell last night, the same patch of black ice was still there and looked like nothing more than a wet spot on the sidewalk, but it was not. Overall, a very good run that was surprisingly lively once I flushed the lactic acid than had built up on my legs.
I would like to take one second to mention the incredibly unfortunate passing of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian luger who lost his life during a practice run for the Vancouver Olympic Games. I will say that, while it may be no consolation to his family, teammates and countrymen, at least he died doing what he loved to do. My prayers go out to his family and all those affected by his passing.
Felt has partnered with Garmin on an exclusive new promotion. A limited edition Felt AR5 model—unavailable until now and available only through this promo—will be offered as a special package that includes the new Garmin Edge 500 GPS-based cycling computer at no additional price. Felt and Garmin are both key sponsors of the Garmin-Transitions ProTour road racing team. “We came up with this idea of a limited edition bike to help Garmin launch the Edge 500,” said Felt National Sales Director John Georger. “We wanted to showcase our Aero Road frame design and match it up with the hottest new technology from Garmin.”
Featuring an aerodynamic High Modulus carbon fiber frameset, a Shimano 105 drivetrain and a deluxe package of Felt parts including the Aero R4 wheelset, the AR5 has an MSRP of $2999.
The Edge 500 is Garmin’s newest lightweight GPS-based cycling computer. In addition to all the standard cycling computer features, it allows riders to track elevation changes and provides access to the online service Garmin Connect, where riders can review and share GPS data. The base version retails for $249, but the special upgrade version included in this promo also features cadence and a heart-rate monitor, and retails for $349.
As part of the promo, Felt is offering reduced-rate consumer financing for 6 or 12 months.
For more information, or to inquire about availability, please visit your local Felt retailer.
Now that the “sport” is catching on they have decided to throw open a challenge to divers for the fastest person who can cycle a mile underwater. It sounds completely daft but there is a serious side to the challenge, participants who enter pay a fee 100 British pounds which goes to the charity Sports relief.
Participants must meet minimum standards for scuba diving and complete a medical questionnaire prior to entering the challenge.
During the London School of diving mile challenge competitors will be timed and supervised by an experienced safety diver who will be closely monitoring all aspects of the challenge. The challenge is not as straightforward as one might imagine, as the winner must not only complete the distance in over 10 minutes but is also judged on how much air is consumed during the challenge or rather how much air is left in the tank. So it could be a hare and tortoise scenario of the slightly slower cyclist actually winning on a combined time and steady use of oxygen.
The cycle Mile challenge runs until 21st March.
The British have invented football, cricket and extreme ironing, now there’s a new sport : underwater cycling.
2/11/2010 1:27:38 PM
Feb 09, 2010 – IMG today, in partnership with Sky, Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Development, the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, Clare County Council, announced details of the country’s first closed road cycle event.
The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia will take place over an 80-mile (approx) course in scenic County Clare on Sunday, August 22nd 2010.
The event organisers expect to attract 2000 entrants from throughout Ireland and abroad this year, bringing significant economic benefit into the local economy, with numbers increasing considerably over the next five years. The mass participation event, which is being marketed internationally and nationally, is open to all standards of cyclists, aged 18-80. The cycle will start and finish in Ennis and travel through County Clare, taking in part of West Clare’s spectacular coastline.
Sky, the UK and Ireland’s leading entertainment company behind the Sky Ride series of events, is the title sponsor of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. The sponsorship supports Sky’s aim to encourage one million more people of all ages and abilities to get cycling by 2013. Sky Ride consists of a range of initiatives to get people back on their bikes, with activities like mass city cycling events on traffic-free streets through to local group rides.
As well as Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, IMG have extensive experience organising mass participation events including the internationally renowned events the Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia, Tour de Suisse, Melbourne Marathon, The London Triathlon, Triathlon de Alpe d’Huez and UK Challenge
Speaking at today’s event launch in Spanish Point, County Clare, Jo Dytch of IMG said: “The popularity and growth in road cycling is very exciting. Along with our partners we are looking to lead the way in providing a prestige event for cycling in Ireland and to establish a major fixture on the Irish sporting calendar delivering a significant boost to the local economy. This event will bring a welcome boost to the tourism in Clare annually and will see the most scenic parts of the County and its coastline exposed to the world’s cycling enthusiasts and media.”
Ms. Dytch continued: “Sky Ride Etape Hibernia is Ireland’s first closed road cycle event and is open to the general public. It affords cyclists with the unique opportunity to cycle safely on closed roads, whilst rising to the physical challenge at the same time. We expect to draw enthusiasts, the health conscious, challenge-seekers, charity fund-raisers and lapsed cyclists. For the inaugural Etape Hibernia, we hope to attract as many as 2000 entrants and plan to grow this number considerably by 2014. IMG are grateful for the support of the title sponsor Sky, and regional sponsors Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Development, Clare County Council, and the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, without whom staging this event in Ireland would not be possible and we look forward to making it a legacy event for the region”.
Mark Deering, Director, Sky Ireland said, “We are proud to be the main sponsor for the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. Our Sky Ride initiatives last year encouraged thousands of people to get on their bikes. We hope, through events and sponsorships such as this, that 2010 will provide more opportunities and inspiration for people to get cycling.”
Speaking about today’s announcement Keith McCormack, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Business and Sports Tourism, emphasised: “As a national tourism authority, we are glad to be ‘in the saddle’ for the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. This event is a perfect fit for Fáilte Ireland’s sports strategy and our commitment to promoting all of Ireland’s regions as tourism destinations. This event allows us to harness the growing popularity of cycling to the natural charms and allure of County Clare and the Mid West. As well as bringing visitors and revenue to the area, the event will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the Shannon Region as both a cycling destination, in particular, and a tourism ‘must see’ in general.”
Welcoming the event John King, Assistant Chief Executive of Shannon Development said, “Shannon Development, along with its partners, is delighted to have helped secure this very prestigious event for the Shannon Region for the next five years. Winning this event helps us build on our campaign to promote the Region’s growing reputation as a leading sports and events destination. Etape Hibernia is one of a number of international events we are working on this year to bring additional visitors to the Shannon Region which have the potential to generate 10 million euro in new revenue for the Region. This new cycling event complements our strategy to secure more mass participation events, in particular sports events, which can be firmly rooted in the Shannon Region for many years to come.”
Mr. King noted that the Lonely Planet ‘Best in Travel 2010’ guide’s inclusion of Clare in its top 10 list of ‘Super Cycling Routes in the World’ was a great endorsement of the County’s cycling product. “This endorsement is a testament to the amount of work that has gone into the development of the tourism cycling product in Clare in recent times. We look forward to working with IMG and our partners to ensure the success of this event in terms of delivering additional visitors and revenue”, concluded Mr. King.
Karen Brosnahan of the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau noted: “Sports Tourism generates approximately 60 million euro for the Shannon Region annually. We, along with Shannon Development and Failte Ireland, have recently launched a Sports Ambassador Programme to capitalise on this lucrative market even further by getting local people involved in sport to help bid for events like Etape Hibernia that can become legacy events for the entire Shannon Region.”
Mayor of Clare Councillor Tony Mulcahy said the economic and tourist benefits associated with the event for County Clare and the wider region were significant. “I have no doubt that the people of Clare will support the event by joining Clare County Council in welcoming thousands of cyclists to the County, which will allow us to showcase all we have to offer. I especially welcome IMG’s commitment to working with local people to maximise the economic return of the event for all local people”, stated Mayor Mulcahy.
The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia was launched today at an event in The Armada Hotel, Spanish Point, Co Clare, which was attended by media outlets from throughout Ireland the United Kingdom. A number of attending journalists also took part in an arranged cycle of a 10-mile stretch of the proposed event route.
Details of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia are available from www.etapehibernia.com or info@etapehibernia.com.
A while ago, I wrote a post following the saga of “Finman” aka, professional douche-bag, Frank Cardia. Frank is a cheater because he used fins to complete the swim leg of an Ironman. The article I wrote got quite a few comments discussing what difference cheating makes, as well as what exactly defines cheating.
One of the things that came up several times was the practice of drafting during the bike leg of a triathlon. Drafting is the practice where a cyclist rides close behind a fellow cyclist in an effort to save energy by allowing the leading cyclist to create a “hole” in air resistance. This gives the cyclist in the drafting zone an energy savings of approximately 33%, and thus, a huge advantage. USAT defines the drafting zone as follows:
Definition of Drafting Zone. The term “drafting zone” shall refer to a rectangular area ten (10) meters long and two (2) meters wide surrounding each bicycle. The longer sides of the zone begin at the leading edge of the front wheel and run backward parallel to the bicycle; the front wheel divides the short side of the zone into two equal parts.. With respect to a moving motor vehicle, the “drafting zone” is a rectangular area extending one meter to each side of the vehicle and fifteen (15) meters behind the vehicle.
There are such things as “draft legal” races where professional athletes are allowed to draft in a peloton style of racing, much as you may see in a race like the Tour de France. However, an Ironman does not allow drafting in any form.
All that being said, the following video was taken during this past weekend’s, Ironman Florida. To be fair, I do believe that the person doing the filming would probably have been penalized under the rules as well, but this is about the drafting.
I commented on this video asking what could be done to prevent drafting and got the following response.
You can set it up so it’s certainly more difficult t draft: (a) Time trial start (they do it at IM Lou, so possible) on flat courses or (b) Wave starts; (c) more marshalls; (d) as noted by someone on ST, forget the time penalty. Have a “penalty loop” out of T2 where drafters run 1 extra mile out-and-back to T2 for 1st offense and 3 miles for 2nd offense. That alone would make most folks think hard about drafting.
While I don’t want to discount this persons opinion, I think that the idea of a “penalty loop” is patently absurd. Any added distance, in any type of triathlon, would negate the prescribed distance of the event and therefore render it pointless. As for wave starts, as I noted in my race report from this year’s NYC Triathlon, drafting was rampant! This also created the additional problem or ridiculous traffic issues due to the fact that after the professionals went, the waves then went with the older (and no offense at all, but mostly slower) racers working backward to the younger racers.
I think the best solution would be a few more and more strategically placed officials. However, it will still happen. This is not to say that, with the right traffic jam we don’t ALL get stuck in some accidental drafting from time to time, but this is just blatant!
What do you think?
I came across an article today that brought up the subject of bicycle insurance and I found my interest piqued. Before I began reading the article, I did what most of us do in such a case, and attempted to divine what “bicycle insurance” is, just based on the headline.
My first thought was that it works like car insurance; your bike is damaged in an accident or some other ill befalls your carbon fiber darling and the insurance company takes care of the repair (with the obligatory deductible coming from your pocket, of course). Then I read the article.
Firstly, while the headline says “bicycle insurance”, it become clear in the first paragraph that this “insurace” is in fact, “bicycle assistance insurance”. So, my hopes and dreams of a cover-all policy for my bike went out the window. So, now knowing that this was just roadside assistance, I visited the site linked in the article and was taken to Better World Club.
After about two seconds of reading the information page, it seems that this is little more than a glorified cab ride. The details are (from Better World Club site):
Bicycle Roadside Assistance Services
Bicycle assistance is available up to 30 miles in total (per covered member) for annual membership programs.
Bicycle membership covers only one individual, however you can upgrade to cover your entire family (up to 4 cyclists total) for only $17. As with our auto assistance, associates may be: spouse or domestic partner, dependent children living at home or at school between the ages of 16 and 24.
Bicycle Plus memberships are eligible for four service calls, and single Bicycle memberships are eligible for two service calls, per year. If you have a combined Auto/Bicycle membership, you are entitled to a total of 4 services calls per year that can be split between your car and/or bicycle.
If you’re in need of emergency assistance on your bicycle, simply call the emergency roadside assistance number provided with your membership materials. A service provider from our network will be dispatched to transport you and your bicycle to your desired destination.
Due to the variations between car and bicycle ownership, we cannot guarantee ownership of the bike before a lock out would be performed. Therefore, if you’re bicycle is rendered immobile by lock, we will not dispatch service to free it. However, if you have organized service to free a locked bike, you may submit a claim for reimbursement up to a limit of $50.
If your vehicle is rendered immobile due to a flat, we will not deliver new equipment. We will, however, dispatch a service provider with commonly available tools upon request.
Now, let’s say I am on a typical ride of 50 miles (+/-) and I need roadside assistance. First, the majority of the cycling community is gracious and well-equipped enough to help get me rolling again. Second, this policy on covers thirty miles a year, so do I get dropped off somewhere in Englewood, NJ on Route 9W? On the FAQ page for Better World, there is no mention of bicycles, specifically, at all. So, I have to assume that the miles beyond your allotted thirty per year are at the same rate as towing miles for a car, which are (according to BW, typically $2-$3/mile up to as much as $8-$12/mile).
I encourage you to click on the links I’ve provided and see if you can figure out something that I can’t (which, believe me, is more than possible!). I must say, that it seems as though I would be paying $39.95 a year for a taxi.
I did put in a call to both Geico and to Progressive to see whether their renter’s insurance (I am a renter in NYC) covered a mishap with my bicycle outside the home (cracked frame or broken component). With Geico, they do not cover any incidents that take place outside the home without a special rider (didn’t get the price on that). As for Progressive, the gentleman I spoke to didn’t quite know how to answer. What I did get out of it was that, should my bike be stolen, it was covered (with deductible, of course), but he was not sure about damage to the bicycle itself.
What are your thoughts on bicycle insurance?
10% Off All Orders at Bike Nashbar. Enter Coupon Code 37492 at Checkout. Shop Now.
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It is my opinion that events such as Ironman Wisconsin serves to teach us more in what we did NOT accomplish rather than what we accomplish. This is true, I think, for most things in life. If we truly strive to better ourselves in any discipline it is important to focus on correcting the missteps we have taken in the past.
I should note that I am not disappointed in myself or my accomplishment of becoming an Ironman. With these things in mind, I thought it important to go through and make some objective notes on what I will do differently in the future, and some things that I thought I got right this time.
Swim
First Transition
Bike
Second Transition
Run
I have referenced the volunteers from Ironman Wisconsin several times and said “more on that later”. Well, now is later. I cannot possibly say enough about the amazing job done by the people staffing the course and the rest of the event. Not only were they incredibly efficient and knowledgeable, but they were so amazingly kind. When I was breaking down and getting into my own head emotionally, I met a woman on the course named Karen. Karen was a volunteer at one of the turns whose job it was to point the way. Karen is in a wheelchair. At a moment when my body was telling me know and my mind was issuing the same proclamation, Karen was there smiling ear to ear. She was telling me that I looked great and that I looked strong. She read my bib and said to me, “Brandon, you better come here and give me a high-five!”. I was overjoyed to oblige. Later when I passed her again with only about four miles left, I did the same.
The next morning, I went by the lost and found to check for my pump which I lost on the bike course (no dice). Karen was there, having been on the course until the last racer passed and probably well after. Her smile was just as bright, and her demeanor just as kind as ever. I told her thank you for being there the night before when I really needed it the most. To Karen, and to all the volunteers of the 2009 Ironman Wisconsin, thank you. You are all amazing.
Once again, I am not disappointed in myself, I am merely a student. I will be back to Wisconsin to defeat that course one day, and I will smile the whole time. Ironman Wisconsin will always be where I became an Ironman.
NYRR Achilles Hope & Possibility 5 Miler
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Over the past couple of weeks, and to be honest, before that, people have been writing in to ask and comment about finding the time to train. I have to assume that the recent number of these questions and comments is directly related to the fact that it is now “event season”. It’s probably also related to daylight hours being more plentiful (in the Northern hemisphere, sorry Oz!!), and yet we still cannot find the hours in the day to do what we need to.
This week, I find myself in a particularly interesting situation. As you may know, I am an opera singer (tenor) and this week, I was fortunate enough to pick up a gig at the last second. The gig itself is not until November, but the rehearsals are/were Wednesday through Sunday of this week. On top of that, I do have to work during the day to pay the bills in between away jobs. So, my days this week begin at 6 AM and I can usually be in bed by 11PM. To further complicate matters, I have come down with what seems to be a cold. I think I am now over the actual “sickness” part of it (headache, chills, runny nose, etc.) but I am dealing with the after effects, which I find can quite often be far worse than the illness itself. I will get back to my schedule in a minute.
I have come to realize that it is very important to differentiate between a “workout” and “training”. I believe that the difference is largely mental in nature. For me, the term “workout” conjures up an image of doing something as maintenance, while training is done with a very specific end-goal or event in mind. Also, for many people, “training” involves a very specific program that is leading them in the direction of said event. While “workouts” may be very specific and laid out, I look at them as something that is less taxing, simply by virtue of the fact that you can allow yourself to be more flexible with what you are trying to accomplish (in my opinion).
I am “training” for Ironman Wisconsin, which takes place on September 13, 2009. Along the way, I will also be competing in the New York City Triathlon, and maybe a couple of other events. On a recent episode of the Running with the Pack podcast (Episode 49), one of the hosts, Allan Gyorke asked me if I was following a training program on my way to IM Wisconsin. Although I answered his question in sort of a rambling “yes and no” kind of answer, the real answer is no. For me, I find that programs make me feel very “locked in”, and if I can’t get in the workout that is scheduled, I get upset or angry with myself and the situation, which leads to me just being more annoyed and then onto bad “training”. That being said, I do read many training programs to get a feel for where I am relative to where they say I should be. Which brings us back to time.
Here in New York City, this June, we have had rain 23 days out of the 25 days so far in the month. This is CRAZY. Of course, that doesn’t really mean that it’s either a soaking rain or an all day event, but it still affects my plans. For instance, I like to ride in the mornings. I wake at about 4:45 AM, have some breakfast, allow myself to wake up for a few, and try to be out the door by 5:30 AM. This has not been happening. Because of the way my day works I rarely get to sleep before 11 PM and when I can manage to wake up and get ready to go, it is always raining. Some of you may be wondering why I am scared of a little rain. I am not. What I am scared of is the usual training route that I ride from Manhattan to Nyack and back is a very heavily trafficked route from the suburbs into the city. When it is raining, not only are my tiny little road tires difficult to handle, but so are the tires on the, much heavier than I, automobiles. That combined with New York’s recent #1 ranking in for most aggressive drivers, and bleary-eyed mornings does not make me want to risk it.
Now, back to this week. I will most likely only be able to ride one day this week, on Saturday morning. Due to my cold, I MUST rest my body or I will be pushing myself through an insurmountable obstacle. As someone reminded me before the Brooklyn Half-Marathon a few weeks back, I need to trust that my cumulative training will do the trick. From now, I have almost exactly one month until the NYC Triathlon, and a little under three months until IM Wisconsin. Once this weekend is over, I will make a real point to get home and get to bed earlier. I will also make a much more significant point of running in the rain if I need to. As for swimming, that is the one thing not affected by weather, and I have not had too much of a problem getting in the water. In fact, that’s where I’ll be this afternoon, in between work and rehearsal.
So, I think the answer to all this is balance. I think it’s taking stock of the time that you have, and realizing that time is finite, and the only REAL necessity in your training (or workout) regimen is REST and RECOVERY. So, maybe you have to make a couple of sacrifices on things that you want to consider as necessary parts of your day, but when you look, you realize that they’re actually indulgences (I mean, do you HAVE to take an hour to watch “America’s got Talent”, or could you be in bed an hour earlier?). Keep training, keep working out, keep sane. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I went out this morning for a ride from my place to Piermont (see right sidebar) which is about 50 miles. Firstly the South side walkway on the GW Bridge is open again, THANK GOD!! The route I planned to ridewas the one that took me left as I came off the GWB, going downhill about a mile or so and then into the Pallisades Park, which then loops back and North along the cliffs over the Hudson River.
Just before I got to the biggest climb of the many climbs on this piece of the trail, I arrived (for the second time) to a closed gate. Not wanting to risk a ticket from park rangers, which they are more than happy to give, I turned around and headed BACK the several miles that I had already gone, looped BACK past the GWB and got on my way on Route 9W.
It was a decent ride overall, but my legs felt a bit tired on the first half of the ride. Once I got to Bunbury’s Coffee Shop in Piermont and had a nice skim latte, the light rain began coming down.
On a good note, my legs really woke up on the way back, and the long climbs felt pretty good. I actually caught some other tri-riders ahead of me that worked well as bait and pushed me on the hills more than I might have been able to on my own. Now, I am not opposed to riding in a little bit of rain, but as I got closer to the end of the ride, the rain was a bit stronger. It was at this point that I learned, the hard way (almost the REALLY hard way) that my tires don’t handle so well in the rain. I have Bontrager Race X Lite Aero TT right now and, while I haven’t had a problem before, I had to really watch the handling once I got closer to the GWB due to the traffic picking up a lot.
Overall, a good ride, but DAMN was it a bit touchy there at the end!
Yesterday was my first true attempt at a two-a-day in my training. I got up at 5 AM and met Jason at the GW Bridge at 6 AM. For some odd reason, I assume repair work, the walkway on the South side of the bridge, which is the usual crossing, was closed. So we made our way around to the North side.
The problem with this crossing, the North side, is that, while the South side crossing is a walkway which you can ride the entire way without getting out of the saddle, the North side goes as follows. You come to the entrance, go up two, rather steep flights of stairs, walk over a roadway, go down one flight of, again, rather steep stairs (all of the stairs are steep, so I’ll stop mentioning that now), then cross under another roadway and then up one more flight of stairs to the road deck of the bridge where you can get on your bike. Once to the Western side of the bridge, you encounter anothertwo flights of stairs going down to the road. BOO.
The ride itself wewas awesome. it was a good temperature, and I had managed to dress perfectly for it. Nice and cool, but not too much. For some odd and very welcome reason, I was really feeling it on hills! I’m not too sure why, and this is saying something because the hills which we rode were some real ball busters. We only went as far as Piermont rather than going all the way to Nyack, because it was after all a work day and we both had to get to the office.
In the afternoon, though feeling a bit tired from the ride and being up so early, I headed over to the pool. i got in a really solid 2500 meters, and my triceps are FINALLY starting to feel solid again after that class from last week. On that note, from here on out, I will be doing my own resistance training. That class, while amazing, set me back far more than anything else.
So, that’s my first two-a-day, there will be more to come, especially as I get used to getting up early. It’s a good thing I got it in too because this weekedn I am driving to Virginia on Saturday, SUPER early in the morning for my Grandmother’s 80th birthday party and then back early on Sunday, so workouts will have to take a back seat. I do hope to get home early enough on Suday to be able to go for a ride or at the very least a good run. Have a great weekend!!
BW
YouTube Video’s using a foam roller
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Brandon’s Marathon on YouTube!
Sentara New Year’s Day 5K Results
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So, my buddy Jason gave me this really cool page that shows a visual elevation comparison of several major Ironman events, including my race, Ironman Wisconsin. I have tried my darndest to insert the working chart into this post but I cannot for the life of me get it to work. So click the link below to check it out!!
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A few days ago I posted what I want my new workout to be. Well…I may have been a bit ambitious. It turns out that, while I am capable of doing that workout, I am not getting anything from killing myself with two workouts a day, almost every day.
As proof of this, on Wednesday, I began my hour run (after an hour of lifting) and had to stop after 23 minutes. I think this is partially because I didn’t eat enough, but also because I was starting to crash a bit. Then yesterday (Thursday), which should be my day off (which I opted out of because I didn’t get to ride Mon. or Tues. morning), I got home and went for a ride. Going downtown, the wind was a bit in my face and so I decided not to push it too hard and just ride hard coming home with the wind at my back. WELL, that did not happen! Upon arriving at Battery Park and turning to come home, my body quit.
I felt myself beginning to drag and so I chugged a bottle of Gatorade and hoped for the best, which never came. This was the worst ride I have ever had. It took me a full ten minutes longer to get back to my starting point than it took on the way down, and on the way down I was riding INTO the wind.
So, now I need to reassess my workout plan. I do think that I am fully capable of doing the workout I want to, but I need to 1. Eat more and 2. Give it time. I have added a workout journal of sorts to this site, where you can go and follow my workouts day by day. To see it, either click the “Workouts” tab at the top of the page, or click HERE!
Since I did my first triathlon a few weeks ago, I have become addicted. Yes, it was a singularly painful event, but it was such a rush. Now that I am back in NYC and I am looking back on the event, I have done some analysis of what I can do in and out of the race to make myself better. The first of these things is slimming down a bit.
Right now I weigh about between 207 and 210 lbs.. Ideally I would like to get down to about 185-190. However, as you may or may not know, I a fairly muscular guy and I refuse to lose mass, so my goal is to make the mass I have or will gain, more lean. This will take stress off of my legs and joints and make every event I participate in that much easier, even the Richmond Marathon. Here is the rough outline of the workout I will adopt beginning today:
Monday: A.M. 2 hour bike ride down the west side bike path (this always takes about 2 hrs.)
P.M. 1 hour lifting; 1 hour treadmill run (this will change to road running once I get back into it.)
Tuesday: A.M. 2 hour ride, down to 70th St. and then to Central Park to do “The Loop” no fewer than 4 times.
P.M. Swim, no fewer than 1400 meters (building 100 m a week.)
Wednesday: A.M. West side ride.
P.M. 1 hour “light” lifting; 1 hour treadmill run.
Thursday: Off
Friday: A.M. Central Park ride.
P.M. Swim (1400+.)
Saturday: Saturday Morning Clown Ride (to Nyack, NY and back, approx. 55 mi.)
Sunday: “Hard” lift; 1 hour treadmill run.
I am sure this will change, based on how my body reacts. I will also fine-tune it to get the most out of each workout. Check back in the coming days for details of the workout. I will try to do a post on each portion that includes all the nitty gritty.
During the Redondo Beach Triathlon this past Sunday, in the bike leg of the race I drafted for about 30 seconds. It has since been brought to my attention by Jeff of Road to nowhere that drafting may be illegal in some triathlons. So, I checked the official USAT rules (USA Triathlon) and Jeff is correct, at least for age group racing.
Drafting is basically where one rider rides very close behind another. The advantage of this is that the front rider creates a “hole” in the air and the rider or riders following fit into that “hole”. This makes for a smooth and easier ride for the rider in the back.
Drafting is not only allowed in cycling, but is, in fact, the norm. In triathlons however, the USAT states that only athletes in Olympic qualifying and professional races may draft, thus allowing them to ride close together in packs. In age group racing, which is what most races are (like Redondo), USAT rules say that riders must maintain a distance of at least three bike lengths between them and the rider in front of them.
I would like to say that I was not aware of this rule prior to being told by Jeff (Thank you!!) and I am really sorry that I performed an illegal maneuver, no matter how brief.
Here are the details:
First; about 3 days before the race I was riding a bike to the store. The bike has SPD pedals, but I was wearing flip flops because it was just to the store and back. Somewhere along the way the pedal rolled and I cut my the high part of my heel (almost near the bottom of my achilles). No real damage, but there went any hope of not wearing socks.
Days before:
I kept up regular, but lesser workouts up until the Friday before the race (race was on sunday). During the day on Saturday, I went to the check in/clinic they had for the event. Got to take a look at the course and so on. On Saturday night I had a big plate of penne with pears in a gorgonzola cream sauce. Went to bed at 10 pm.
Race day:
I woke up at 5 am, had two eggs with cheese and a banana. I wanted to be checked in and in the transition area by 6:15, but made it at about 6:20. I had plenty of time to set up my transition area just right. I was wearing a one piece tri suit by TYR, and a Zoot Fuzion, full wetsuit (which I will never do again, I’ll explain later). I had two bottles of water set to hose the sand off my feet and everything ended up working out just right.
The start:
The day was overcast, so not so hot and the water was about 62 (f-ing cold). I was in the 3rd wave, which I think was the biggest (34-14 y/o). I got near the front of the group.
The swim:
Had a clean start and got into the mix right away catching multiple feet hands and elbows to my face and other parts. I am sure I also returned the favor. It took me about 5 minutes to pull out in front of the big pack. There was one guy that just took off and ended up out of the water about 30 seconds ahead of me. I pulled way out and I think I was third out of the water for my wave. The reason I will never wear a full sleeve wetsuit again is that it created resistance to my stroke. I had to work harder to get my arms out of the water and this ended up killing my breath. And let me tell you, I am feeling it today.
Coming into the breakers was fine. I caught a couple nice wave that gave me a great push, but I also caught one that broke under my legs and almost flipped me. Once i was standing, I had about 20 yards of water to run out of, which was SOO hard. Once out of that, I had about 75 yards to go to the transition. The real problem was that the entire run up the beach really was UP the beach. By the time I hit the boardwalk into T1 I was in so much pain. I got to my area ok, took a drink of FRS and got my socks and shoes and helmet, etc. on. I then tried to get on my bike before they reminded me that I had to run out of the transition. All in all, I think I was in the transition for about 45 seconds to a minute.
The bike:
I was riding a Cannondale R5 with Look Keo Sprint pedals. It is a road bike and not a tri-bike per se, but it did a great job, and since I train on my own road bike anyway, it is what I am used to. I did rather well on the bike and I believe I only lost about 4 places to guys that were definitely seasoned triathletes and riding $5,000+ tri-bikes. I took advantage of drafting and using it even passed one of the guys that had passed me. I made it into the transition very well and got my cycling shoes off and my running shoes/hat/glasses on in about 30 seconds.
The run:
I was using Yankz for my shoe laces so I saved a lot of time with that and the fact that I had socks on made my shoes go on even faster. The run was a 2 mile course, that was on a lot of boardwalk, which was nice and easy on the legs. However, running is by FAR my weak point and I lost probably about ten or so places to guys that were crazy fast. At mile one there was a set of about 5 stairs that burned like hell. Just beyond that was a water station. It was at that water station that I discovered the bad side of drinking water from a cup while running (I choked). I also dumped the remainder of my water on my head, forgetting the fact that I had a Nike Dri-fit hat on and it would push away any water that hit it! Oh well. The final 30 yards included a hill (up) which sucked and then a nice sidewalk.
My official time was 52:48 and I finished 6th in my age group. I am not sure about my overall place, but I will let you know once they post that info (if they post that info). Overall, I was extremely pleased with my performance. I need to work on my running, no doubt, but I hung in there and it felt awesome to finish.
THE ARGYLE AVENGER!!
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SO,
Sorry for my extended absence, but I am now back and running…literally!!
After taking three weeks off I began running again on May 6th. I think that was a day later than I had planned but, I was traveling all day on the 5th and thought that I would give my body, which was still recovering from TWO simultaneous infections, the day off.
That being said, I have been riding pretty consistently during my running hiatus and thank GOD for it. What I have figured out, which I may have mentioned in my last podcast episode, is that it was my shoes that were hurting me. Not my running shoes, mind you, but my every day shoes.
I became very fond of my Vans slide-ons. They were easy and comfortable. They also had ABSOLUTELY NO ARCH SUPPORT!!! Thus, my arch was collapsing from being on my feet in those shoes for so many hours in a day. So, once I figured that out, I began wearing stiff soled shoes with plenty of arch. I don’t have a particularly high arch, as a matter of fact it’s pretty much right in the middle of flat and high. Since my change in footwear, ALL of my problems are either gone, or on their way out the door!!
Today will be my third run back and I am excited to get to it. It will be a treadmill run (gotta take it easy to get back) and I am aiming for about 35 minutes.
Check back soon for BMP: Episode 6!!
Spinning, in case you don’t know, is basically a class where everyone is on an exercise bike. Sounds kind of wimpy right? WRONG!
I went to my first spin class yesterday and WOW was it fun. Firstly, I have rarely sweated like that. I was dripping within 10 minutes of the class starting. Second, if you are a biker at all and are kinda bummed out by cold, wet weather then you should definitely check out spinning. It is a great replacement for the true road and a good instructor will give you a quite realistic feel with increases in resistance representing hills and such.
When I woke up this morning, however, I expected my legs to be like jello, but they were surprisingly fine! The real problem, which I noticed as soon as I even thought about moving, was my back! It wasn’t an injury type of pain, but merely soreness, which as you know I love!
Anyway, today is a swim day, so off I go!
Thanks so much for visiting my site! My name is Brandon Wood and I am the social media manager and a customer service rep for Newton Running. This site and podcast follow my adventures on the way to competing in and training for all kinds of endurance events, especially triathlon and running. Click the "About Me" tab for more info!
Who: This contest is open to anyone and everyone in the U.S. and Canada (also APO)! Tell your friends!
What: Stuffitts! I have spoken about these simple yet awesome shoe savers in the past. Click here to read more about them. I cannot say enough how great they are!
When: Starting NOW! This is an ongoing contest that will be every month, or until every person on the planet has nice, fresh smelling shoes!
Why: Because Stuffitts are awesome! The folks at Stuffitts are being SUPER generous and I also want to give you guys something that I think is a great addition to any athletes arsenal!
How: On the last podcast episode post of each month (example: Episode 99 on June 28 HERE) entrants should leave a comment (however long you'd like). On the following week's show (the first show of each month) I will draw, by random number generator, one winner! That's it!
Good luck!
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