Good time, and a Good race.

Well, my primary fear going into this was coming in dead last. I had never done a multi-sport race before and this was completely new to me. So, with a little trepidation I warmed up and approached the finish line. Because it was also a swim event I not only wore my number but had it written on my hands in sharpy marker. Kind of funny later as my number was "21" and everyone was wondering what I had been doing last night. Anyway back to the race. I was a little concerned over the run as I hadn't been running for too long and just barely had had a workout at a 10 minute mile pace last Tues. I started in the back of the line since I figured that is where I would finish. I had a lady behind me and a guy and a lady in front of me. I passed the lady after about a quarter mile and I passed the guy at the halfway point as the climb over the pedestrian bridge at university had taken it out of him apparently. Anyway, I almost caught another guy before the pool but not quite. About 5 minutes before getting to the pool I popped a gel and started to think about the swim. I managed to swing through transition in a few seconds and was in the pool swimming in no time at all. I wanted to stay ahead of that guy I had passed. After the first lap I noticed he was just getting ready to get in the pool. A lap or two later I noticed a guy not too far behind me but not gaining. I thought wow that guy really caught up quick but it turns out unbenowndst to me I had passed several people in the transition area who took more time.
The swim was nice as it was a good cool down. That being said the legs didn't want to kick as they had just ran a 30 minute 5k which was faster than anything I had done in training so I concentrated on the upper body and kicked lightly. The first 400m were a bit of a drage but not to bad. the last 400m my legs came back to life and I started passing people on the turns. None of them were doing flip turns so I would flip turn underneath them and move on. I actually managed to gain a lot of ground on some of them (not that it matters, I just had a really good last leg of the race). Anyway, climbing out of the pool it was nice to know I wasn't dead last (but it would have been OK if I was, I mean someone has to be last once in awhile). I had a good race and my time was almost bang on the dot what I expected it to be. Not bad for a first Aquathlon.

Bike and swim.

Good day of workouts today. I biked into work in good time, not great time, but I was kind of saving something for the afternoon swim. I have a Swim/Run race on Saturday (not racing to win really, just for experience and fitness, might even come in last). Anyway, mornings are still a little cool which is nice. Usually this far into summer it is hot in the mornings.
Lunchtime swim was nice. I did 800m of swimming with only one stop to make sure my lap timer was working good (ok and a bit of a breath recovery but I didn't stop for more than 30 seconds). I averaged 2:20 for each 100m and finished the 8 in 18 minutes or so. Not a great time but since I have only been training seriously in swimming for 3 weeks I think that is not bad for me. Anyway, it was a nice swim over lunch and put me in a nice position for weightloss for the day.
I just hope I don't look too stupid Saturday. If I do though I guess it doesn't matter anyway. At least I will know where I need improvement the most.

This is your brain, this is your brain on Heat Exhaustion...

Well, I kind of new I would be riding home on the old steed, and I knew it would be hot. What I see in hindsight is that I shouldn't have swam a mile over lunch. The legs were jello this afternoon and the temps were in the 105+ range which is usually a pretty hot ride. Anyway I had a pretty good tradewind heading east through Chandler. I had ice water, and a tailwind it was nice, if only the legs had more juice! I made it to the freeway in good time but that is where I started to slowly lose steam. Around here things got pretty nasty as I was getting hot and having wierd skin sensations so I knew I had to do something soon. I spotted a bikeway on the side of a canal around gilbert and took it thinking it might cut some distance off. It didn't cut any distance off but it did spit me out at an intersection and where the trail ended there was a water fountain with hot water. Now I know that hot water may not sound too appealing but when the humidity is low, even hot water will quickly chill when a wind is applied to it so I doused my helmet and my jersey and started pedaling into a few miles of evaporative cooling bliss. It wasn't too long before I dried out though but the cooling had boosted my energy so I was able to keep better time for awhile. When I finally got out into the farms the temperature dropped near the fields. I still had to douse myself a few times with the waterbottle I filled at the fountain. The last 3 miles were a real struggle. I found myself struggling to pedal up the street to my house. I did arrive just after 6:30 so I could watch the kids but man what an effort to make it! One hour and forty minutes in the blazing sun. Knowing I wasn't exactly in the best shape at the moment I went in and filled the tub with cold water and sat in it. One the cold water helps get the lactic acid out of the muscles, two, there is no better way to help the body shed extra heat than to submerge it in cold water. After the bath I drank another quart of water, ate a bowl of Ice Cream, two bowls of frosted flakes, and another quart of water. Looking at my Diet diary program on my palm pilot it says after all I have ate today and all my excersize, I can still eat 2000 calories before I go over today's calorie goal! Bring on the cheesecake!

My first brick.

Well, today was the day to do the first brick workout! What is a brick workout you might ask? Well, it is a workout where you bicyle for a bit and then switch to running for the second half. Why would you want to run you may ask? Well, I have got this crazy idea to do a triathlon in my head. I figure I will be a bit like a fish out of water, or a fish in water, Or a fish in water and then out of water on a bike and then running, whatever. I am training for a triathlon. I figured it was probably the best way to take off this extra weight I have and make me a lean mean randonneuring machine (who also swims and runs on the side). Anyway, to do this I am getting back into running and am spending a few lunch hours a week at the pool working on my freestyle technique (amazing how much faster better technique can make you go).
Anyway! Today I drove over to the corner of Crismon and Signal Butte to do my Brick. I drove because I figured I would need some place to stash my bike while I ran. Of course when I was pumping up my tires just after 5 am I noticed a wobble in the back wheel. So off came the wheel, out came the chainwhip and I adjusted the bearings in the hub. Putting the wheel back on my smallest sprocket was rubbing the frame! So, more than an hour later I finally had the thing working (dang that sram cassette!) and I was off!
On the bike I was off at a good pace and down in the aero bars again. In no time I was at the turn up to Usery Pass. I was very pleased to see that I was able to hold 11 to 12 mph all the way up even if I was on the edge of being out of breath. Usery pass is a long climb and has many fake tops so it is a good one to train on. As I do more of these workouts I will probably build up into repeats when I get better at managing energy while running. Turning around at the top I cruised back down the way I had come up. I really like descending this hill as you can maintain 25-30 mph for a long time descending it. At the bottom I had to stop briefly to wait for a car to clear the intersection before turning and heading down to my car.
Having heard that the transition from bike to running does a real number on the calfs I started spinning and doing on bike calf stretches on approach to the car. It seemed to work as I had no cramping or pain in the legs when I started running. I just had tired legs to deal with but I get that feeling whenever I start running. The trail I had chosen was uphill so ocassionaly I had to walk a bit to get the heartrate down. All told I did 8 hilly miles on the bike and 2.5 hilly miles running on a pretty hot morning. Next time I want to get out earlier (assuming no mechanicals).

Map of my Commute

Well, I thought that since nothing is particularly special about the commutes this week I would post the map of my commute below. I haven't been commuting as much this week as I have been working running and Swimming as well as cycling to try and shake up my metabolism a bit and shake off some pounds. Today I was back on the bent though and have to go both ways thanks to my Father inlaw taking a vacation in Alaska. Fortunately temps are low this week. Anyway, without further ado here is the map of my commute:

Paul's Commute

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The Cyclist Noir

Somewhere in the sweltering sandy city streets rides a bike commuter head to the wind and legs like giant sweaty pistons rising and falling in ceaseless rythym. It's not easy but then again, what is easy? Thats me, Crank Noir East Valley Commuter.
It was a warm morning in the tired old city in the east valley we call the big cheesy, that's right, Mesa Arizona. It's kind of a dry desert town where a neighbor would sooner call the HOA about your mailbox color than wave hello. Changes have been happening in the Big Cheesy as of late. With the longer days and harsh sun, the fairweather residents have packed up and left leaving behind the kind of scum like me that can stand this heat.
Leaving my driveway I was hailed by a big sweaty walrus type of fellow building a mailbox for the local neighborhood watch. I waved back, wondering if he approved of the color of my mailbox as I turned down a nondescript road that looked like every other nondescript road in this nondescript town. I wondered why he was spending his days building mailbox's? Why didn't he have a job? Why did he care about our mailbox's so much? So many questions, but I am a cycle commuter not a detective dang it!
Then, rounding the corner onto a slightly less nondescript street (it had a park) I saw her. She had a physique like Marianne on Gilligans island if only Marianne had been built like a ken doll and was 80 years old. She waved hi to me and I waved back. Apparently she too was one of the unfortunate scum unable to make the migration out of this sweaty sweltering city we called home.
Heading south I ran into a headwind that felt just like a speeding freight train would if it was moving at 10 mph and was made out of air. Doggedly I tried to get more out of my legs like a sleazy detective beating a source. Unfortunately the guy I call Mr. Exhaustion had got to them first. I figured he must be working for the crime boss we call, Mr. Headwind. Yes, it had his feel.
Knowing the ways Mr. Headwind works his victims and minions alike I made a quick right down a less nondescript but dirty road with scores of mediocre people streaming to the dusty city to sit all day at nondescript desk slowly eaking their life away one day at a time. Their cars frustrated the efforts of Mr. Headwind for now. Many questions flooded my mind. Why was Mr. Headwind getting involved in this from his southern dominions? What did he have against my poor legs? and why was my butt hurting? So many questions, so far left to go.
I was lost in these thoughts when suddenly I was caught by a hooker! She was a dizzy dame with the attention of a 4 year old who has just sat in a car for 8 hours and is suddenly let loose in Disneyland. Headwind must have let on that I was headed this way. Pretending to talk on a cell phone she made an illegal right turn just in front of me. I slammed on the brakes which engaged exactly like a properly adjusted brake wouldn't! Dang! I had forgotten to close my back brake after the last flat! Fortunately for me Ms. Hooker (first name "Right") had misjudged her distance and left me enough room to avoid her.
Turning south again I was again accosted by Mr. Headwind who had obviously been briefed on my direction by the deplorable Ms. Hooker. I could feel Mr. Exhaustion beating the life from my legs as Mr. Headwind asked for more and more. I passed another poor soul whose legs had been beaten into submission by the deplorable Mr. Headwind and his grungy henchman Mr. Exhaustion. Then I pulled my ace card! I made my last turn and an old friend I knew lived around here moved me out of the way of the despicable duo. Yes, that beautiful dame with the figure of a Barby Doll if they made Barbies like a supermodel, a voice like a whisper and a refreshing presence on a hot day. Yes, I had been saved by Foxy Tailwind. Together we sped along the dusty byway called Chandler Boulevard, free of the assaults of Mr. Headwind and his mercenary force. Yes, gentle readers, it was another Commute in the dusty town of the Valley of the Sun, a sweltering city in a dirty desert where excersize is hot, the handlebars are wet, and the sweat drips in your eyes. It's not easy, it's not even always pleasant, but it is what it is and I take it. After all, I'm Crank Noir, bike commuter.

Ok this week features something a little different. I have been on vacation in the hive of Politics, Law, and Death this week (Washington D.C., The first two are obvious, the last because there is a rather large amount of monuments to dead people in this down). The purpose of the trip was to see my brother graduate from Law School but since we were spending a whole week there a few perks were in order. I did a lot of running out on the old Mount Vernon Trail until one day it occurred to me that my running shorts were really triathlon shorts, and my Brother’s bike was just sitting alone and forlorn in the front room of his condo. So with my brother’s blessing and a hybrid bike betwixt my legs I set off into the early morning light to ride to Mount Vernon and back on the Mount Vernon Bike path.

The trail features quite a few wooden bridges that are very picturesque as they cross swampy inlets and bogs. I could not believe how green it was here. I had to keep reminding myself I wasn’t in Arizona anymore. Due to having a hybrid as opposed to a road bike I got passed a few times by some roadies but kept pretty good time. It felt kind of funny to ride around in a near vertical position without clip in pedals, but as the trail was beautiful I didn’t think about it too much.

The trail crosses several parks along it’s path. I saw numerous runners and if you can believe it dozens upon dozens of commuters. Of course, I think if we had a trail like that in Arizona more people might consider commuting.
The morning I had decided to ride (the last one possible) was just a stellar morning. The temps were perfect, the sky was clear, and the trail was not too crowded owing to the fact it was Monday and everyone else was either going to work (the other direction from me) or were already there. I decided not to push things as this was my last day in DC and it was time to breath in the last deep breaths of the experience and I was bound and determined to enjoy the ride fully.
I paused to get drinks everywhere I could as I had no waterbottle, fortunately there were water fountains all along the trail. Riding this trail was a vacation in itself as it was quite different from my usual rides. Most of the trail was forested and within earshot of the nearby road but a few sections went by houses. I had ridden the whole trail expecting the last mile to climb up some sort of mountain seeing as it was called MOUNT Vernon after all. I also had read that the last mile had a bit of climbing and had to laugh when the climb turned out to be about comparable to well, hmmm, it was comparable to, …. Well, that is to say, aah, hmmm, well It was such a small climb that there really isn’t anything to compare it to except a medium size roller perhaps. Anyway, imaging my surprise when I passed a sign that said there was a hill behind me that was steep enough to require dismounting! Well, I thought that funny enough to take a picture so there you go. The ride back was even slower due to a desire to drink everything in fully and to make the moment last. In a few short hours I would be back in the desert and riding my bike down hot dusty stinky roads with faded buildings and cracked parking lots filled with faded (but rust free) cars.

It amazes me the amount of effort Washingtonians have gone to to make decent bike paths to ride on. There were multiple spots along this trail that just took your breath away for beauty.

Much of the trail went right along the shore of the Potomac river. At this point I can kind of see where the easterners get their mirth when we point out the San Pedro River or the Agua Fria river as rivers.

Here is the house next to President Washington’s swanky digs

Here is the sign in front of Washington’s swanky digs. The digs didn’t open until 8 and I didn’t have $13 so I had to be content with seeing the wall around Georges Mount Vernon Estate. Incidentally, there is nothing Mountainous about Mount Vernon. In fact, it is not even the height of a decent roller back in Arizona so perhaps we could say that westerners know their mountains and easterners know their rivers.

Here is the mighty trek hybrid! Not a pinarello but surely not a roadmaster either! It offered a very pleasant and comfortable ride!

OH NO Mr. Bill! We’d better watch out for that STEEP hill! We want to make sure we dismount in time like the sign says.

OK we are going to hit the steep hill anytime! Better be ready!

We must be getting close now! Keep the hands near the brakes folks! Prepare to dismount!

Hmmm, Now where did that STEEP hill go to? I know it has to be around here somewhere. Otherwise why would we have a sign warning about a steep hill?

This was kind of a cool little section of windy trail several miles down the trail from the “STEEP” trail sign.

Here is a swanky neighborhood on the way back. Politicians and judges and lawyers OH MY! Politicians and judges and lawyers OH MY!

Um, be sure to be careful of sliding sideways on your bike in a wiggly pattern

The Jones point lighthouse (kind of small don’t you think? You think think the federal government is compensating for something?)

I think this guy is a bicycle tourist stealth camping due to the bicycle on the other side of the stairs but he might have been a bum. I wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to wake him up and ask him though.