My Bad Day

The crash happened so fast that my first sensation was hitting the ground. I will never forget the instantaneous thought, Wow. I just hit the road really effing hard.

It was loud and violent. At the same instant I felt my head hit the ground, I also had the thought, Damn, these helmets actually work!

In this pic, you can see the left rear of the helmet crushed in. If you could see inside, the material is fractured and broken all the way to the front.

I have road rash, bruises and a snapped collarbone. Surgery is next week on 9/18, the day I was planning on driving up to register for the race. In the olden days (when we were kids) these were left to heal as-is, and it ended up a nasty mess. Plates and screws are an option, but leave a different kind of mess -- a big zipper scar and plates+screws visible through the skin.

I am fortunate to have an ortho surgeon in my town that does a newer procedure where a flexible rod is run down inside the two pieces (well, three in my case) of bone, then locked into a stiff state. Couple small incisions and quicker recovery. This will cost me a bit more out of pocket -- I have a high deductible health plan. But I'm an active guy and I want to be 100% when this is over.

Besides, I didn't repair the ACL in my right knee when it blew out, so I'll spend that money now.

This mishap occurred as I was coming down Pinehurst Road on the backside of the Oakland Hills. On a gentle downgrade, I was in my biggest gear. After slowing a bit around a sweeping curve, I stood up to regain speed. As soon as I stomped down, the chain came off the big ring. It's like walking down stairs carrying a heavy weight and then suddenly one step is missing.

My body weight slammed down onto the bars; I started to lose control; hit the brakes to slow down and found myself hitting the ground. Don't know if I went down on my own, or ... did I get hit?

Unfortunately, a guy had come up to draft off me a moment earlier. He went right over top of me, and I understand that he has an AC separation. Every cyclist knows the risk of drafting at high speed. Well...should know the risk. This guy seems to think I should be responsible for his medical costs. Not in a million years.

So, my season and quest is over. But, if you've read much of this blog, you know how much I got out of it. My health, my confidence, my entire well-being. This is just the start of the rest of my life, and I will carry on.

I'm Done

Details to come, but I did this last night on my bike. Surgery today or tomorrow.

Race Bike Testing

I've been riding my road bike -- a classic geometry steel Holland frame that I had made in 1990. It's just so nice to ride that I didn't want to switch over to the race bike till I had to. Well, I have to.

Took the TT bike out last night for a shakedown ride after completing the build. I have the 11sp Shimano drivetrain with bar-end shifters. Chainrings are 50/34 compact-style, with the big ring being one of those oval-ish Q-Rings. I like the Q-Rings since the crank speeds up very slightly coming over the top. When riding in a tuck, it makes the pedal circle feel smoother to me. I don't believe that the ring does anything for my power output, but I like the feel of it. The inner ring is a stock round 34. Largest rear cog is 32. That will allow me to stay in a nice cadence rhythm on the climbs, while keeping power down in the <180w range where I need it to be.

The biggest adaptation moving over to the race bike is the low front end. I ride the road bike with the bars about an inch below the saddle. On the race bike, the bars are a good 9 inches down. The armpads on the bar extensions are 7.5 inches down. In addition, the saddle moves from 8cm behind the bottom bracket on the road bike to 5cm in front on the race bike.

Initially, it feels horrible. Like I'm falling on my face over the front wheel. My head is in front of the steering tube; I have to look backwards and down to see my bike computer. But, once I got into a little rhythm, I remembered why I like this setup so much.

It's FAST. It's both aerodynamically fast, and it's power-output fast. I have to consciously back off to keep from riding too hard. The forward tucked position just invites aggressive riding. Cruising along at my goal 155w power level feels like hardly pedaling -- just keep the foot circles going and let the legs fall down. Of course, it does take effort and fatigue will build the same as riding the road bike. But, it takes no mental focus to keep the pedals going. Very easy to ride like this.

The downside to the setup is that I can't see up the road very far. It's unnerving and not entirely safe. My neck started getting sore after an hour, and my deltoid muscles hurt a bit from having my weight on my elbows, with the elbows close together. The safety problem is why I don't ride like this all the time. In races, the roads are closed, it's not pack riding, and it's not an issue. But in real life, I limit riding like this to the final few weeks before an event.

I'll get in 4-5 rides the next two weeks and will have adapted my neck and shoulder muscles just fine. I'm excited to be back on this bike. Saturday's ride in the wind up at Tahoe would have been a lot easier on this bike than on the road bike with the more upright position.

Weekend in Tahoe

I went up to Tahoe for a couple of days to do some swimming, riding and running. Mainly to do a shakeout of gear and to get a feel for effort levels at altitude.

I've been insisting on the forums that the altitude is a non-issue if you're pacing properly. IOW -- you don't "feel" the altitude. You're not out of breath or light headed or any of that...provided that you pace properly. That means to go roughly 5% slower than at sea level. The 5% figure is what the NCAA uses to adjust qualifying times for events at altitude. They didn't just make that number up -- it was derived based on actual athlete performances. USA swimming adjusts swim times by about 3%.

And that's about exactly what I found. I swam, I rode and I ran. In all three disciplines, I just went a little slower/easier than at sea level and felt no effect of altitude. For swim, I kept turnover slightly slower than in the pool. Just a split-second extra glide each half stroke and I could just cruise. On the bike, I sat on my goal power (155w on flats; 175w uphill; 140w downhill up to 30mph). Never felt pressured or out of breath. I didn't clock my run splits, but went on feel and felt smooth and comfortable. Based on past experience, I was probably running 20-30 sec/mile slower than down here.

The other goal was a gear shakeout. I rented a wetsuit from Sports Basement, and it fit and performed as expected. I have the right size and it does what it is supposed to do.

I didn't get my race bike built up in time to take with me, but I altered the road bike to mimic the race bike body position, just slightly more upright. That all worked out great except for the saddle. I had an Adamo TT race saddle lying around so I put it on the bike. The Tower of London guards couldn't have come up with a more tortuous saddle. That thing is going in the trash and I'm putting my old trusty Specialized 2001-era saddle back on the bike.

The good news is that I felt smooth and comfortable riding in the aero bars for a couple hours, something I've not done in several years. I have two weeks of riding the race bike before the event, and I'll be adapted just fine.

All in all, things are on track. My fitness remains woefully meager. After riding the bike course, I've reassessed my estimated split. I'm now thinking more like 3:20 or so. It's an awful lot of climbing and I am a relatively weak climber (low power/weight ratio).

Swim easy, ride easy and don't walk on the run leg. That's my race plan and I think I can do it. Best guess right now is...

Swim 35-40
Bike 3:15-3:25
Run 2:06-2:15

Total: 6:15-6:30

That should be roughly in the middle of the 60-70 guys in my age group (50-54).

Swim Benchmarking

I finally have enough masters sessions under my Speedo to get a feel for fitness. I will still improve my stamina between now and September 21, but I am very happy with where I am right now.

Today's main set included 6x200y, on 3:30 for my lane. This was after the kicking sets and pulling sets. I was able to comfortably finish that swim set, touching in 3:00 to 3:05 each 200. That is a great pace for me, about as quick as I've ever done a set like that. If I can hold steady 1:30 per 100y in the pool on a little rest, I should be able to hold 1:30 with a wetsuit on.

At least, I have in the past. But that wasn't at altitude and I was 8 years younger.

But, I'm going into the swim pretty confident. I'll hit the masters swims 2x per week each of the next three weeks. I will also have a chance to swim at Lake Tahoe this weekend. Planning on 3x 15 minutes open water, with wetsuit. Should give me a good feel for the appropriate effort level at altitude.

Right now, I'm mostly worried about my bike fitness. My goal of riding at 165 to 170 watts is, I think, overly optimistic at this point. I'll probably dial my expectations back to 155w. Ride all the way to the Rte. 267 climb under 150w, and then stay under 170w on the long climb. Finish at steady 150-155. I'll get a feel for what kind of bike split that will produce this weekend by riding one lap of the course.

I don't normally think riding a course ahead of time is very worthwhile. I wouldn't go much out of my way to do it. But I have a chance to meet some friends up there this weekend, so I'm going to do it.

A bike ride is a bike ride. The course doesn't matter. You're going to sit on a power number all day anyway (+/- 5%). Who cares if the road goes up or down or left or right? I'm doing it simply out of curiosity -- a game I play where I try to predict my finishing time.

Swim Update

I've done four masters sessions since my last swim update. It always amazes me how fast basic swim fitness can come around. I've already moved over one lane (to the 2800-2900y lane) and can keep up with everyone. Yesterday's session felt strong. I'm going again tomorrow morning, then a long ride.

Another advantage to masters is that you can get some actual instruction. The instructor gave me some very good tips on my arm positions and how to use a two-beat kick better. I immediately felt faster and smoother in the water.

At this rate, maybe I can be optimistic about swimming around 35 minutes at altitude. I'm not going to push it certainly...I will go out very slow and easy and see how it feels. But I should be able to be under 40 minutes without hardly trying.

Thoughts on Weight

Over on the tri forums, questions about weight come up a lot. First, what is the "right" weight?

I'll paraphrase Dan Empfield:

When your family and friends start asking if you've lost weight, you're not even getting started.

When they ask if you've been sick, you're within maybe 10 pounds.

If they start whispering to your spouse/partner and asking if you have AIDS or cancer, you're within 5 pounds.

If they actually stage an intervention, you're about done.

I am merely at Stage I of this cycle. Dropping to 170 pounds leaves me with ample love handles, and I won't be posting any beach pictures of myself on my Facebook page. But, a few people have noticed I lost weight.

I've been down another 10 pounds -- to 160. At that weight, people thought maybe I was sick, and a few even asked my wife if I was OK. But I still did not have a "six pack" and had plenty of healthy body fat. I was simply smaller than I used to be. Not even what I would consider "lean." When I think of "lean" I think of a rock climber or gymnast or ultra runner. Those folks are lean. At 160lbs, my 5'11" frame is not even close to lean. Simply healthy.

Is there a tipping point? Of course there is, and my suggestion is to get familiar with your own body and be realistic about how much body fat you can drop. Pinch at your waist. If it's just skin, you're pretty lean. If there's a half inch or more of fat pinched in there, you could still go a little lower. The limits of race weight are far lower than what the modern developed-world adult holds as the "norm" for healthy weight. Only you can decide if you want to go really low.

Now, how to do it...

No matter what you read or hear or think, it always and everywhere comes down to caloric balance. If you take in less than you burn, you will lose body fat. Period. No other rules apply. At all. Ever.

But, what about cutting sugar, or wheat, or eating "paleo"...? Those are strategies to accomplish caloric deficit. The simplest steps are to cut out foods that are calorically dense. And...that means processed foods that contain a lot of added sugar, as a starting point. So, does cutting sugar help lose weight? Yes as an initial step. But it's not because sugar is some special force of the apocalypse...it's because foods with added sugar are engineered to get you to eat a lot of it.

Rather than cover all the detail here, I'll keep it simple. Eat food you have to prepare. Vegetables, lean meats in their natural form, some legumes and grains. If you eat grains, stick to the whole versions that you cook yourself. Nothing wrong with bread -- just get whole grain.

A great resource is the website, books and blogs of James Fell. His main website is www.bodyforwife.com.

I like his stuff because he really gets it, and he gets it right. Funny, irreverent and well-researched. Probably the best popular-media guy active when it comes to diet and exercise. No shortcuts, no bullshit, no marketing lies.

Remember, so long as you stay above the "intervention" level of race weight, losing body fat is the best and most cost-effective way of racing faster. People spend multiple thousands of dollars to lose a pound off their bike (which barely makes any difference) when they won't take an extra 10 minutes a day to eat right and lose 10-15 pounds over the course of a few months. Those 10-15 pounds make a heck of a big difference in your run split -- far more than any expensive bike parts will make on your bike split.