GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 172)

SteveB again,

I keep thinking about the 6 triathlete's that got hit in Quebec. I don't recall the route right off but if it was the route from Hull/Gatineau (whichever that city calls itself) to Montreal that is a 2 lane road with a 90kph (55mph) speed limit, I've been on it many times driving to Tremblant in the winter.

An early report I read said the driver believes he fell asleep. Truly horrible.

Has anymore come out about this after the weekend it happened?

I think we can all understand (and to some extent) expect to hear of cyclists (or runners) being hit due to careless/drunk drivers but taking out 6 almost sounds like someone playing double dog dare...I could see a lot of triathlete's going after an eye for an eye here and I try to separate myself from that but still, I'm not sure QC has a harsh enough penalty for this.

Really makes me kind of sick thinking about it and sick to a point when considering riding on open roads vs the semi closed off and you have to pay to be on ones I ride on.

Peanut gallery chiming in.  (By the by, if you're sensitive about cars and bikes, just skip on ahead to the next post).  The incident in Quebec is a good reminder that no matter how well "protected" you are, you're never really protected.  When we do the Nautica race, they always make a point during the briefing of saying that there are cops at every intersection, cones, etc., but if there is a driver who is drunk, asleep, or just selfish, none of that will help - so be sure to look all ways entering an intersection - and this is on a relatively closed course. 

I like to believe that no driver is intentionally reckless when cyclists are around - but it's human nature to become self absorbed, distracted, tired or unaware.  The guy that almost hit me yesterday saw three riders come to a stop at the intersection, and assumed that there were no more bikes coming, and took the opportunity to try to turn left when there was no opposing traffic.  He didn't mean to cut in front of me - he just didn't think I'd be there. 

Anyway, I hope I can get my bike back soon, as I want to get back out there quickly.  Yesterday afternoon, I tried to sound very calm for Maggie - "If you ride long enough, sooner or later, you're going to crash - sooner or later, a car's going to pull out in front of you and you'll have to react.  Just part of the process - just a little banged up, but nothing to worry about."  But since then, every time I see that car out of the corner of my eye in my memory bank, I'm loosing a little more nerve, and realizing it's the car I don't see - perhaps the one coming up from behind me - that's going to be the big problem 

I guess there's something to be said for those XTerra races!  At least the rocks are stationary - if you hit them, it's your own fault!  LOL. 

STEVE -

Oh, jeez, that sounds like a very close call you had, and as with all of them --- as long as you more or less wlak away, it could've been much worse. Please take the possible concussion seriously, and if there are any lingering headaches, get to a doctor. (I'm sure you're right on target with that; I'd just feel remiss if I didn't remind you.) (And if you did truly get your bell rung....who knows what you're thinking! )

The president of the triathlon club to which all six of the Quebec riders belonged stated after the accident that cyclists must also be the drivers, as the drivers can't be counted on to do the right thing. I am paraphrasing him slightly wrong, but his message is that the onus is on us to watch out for ourselves.

The lighter side of my crash last year involved the driver who backed out in front of me, and his immediate responses. The quick summary of the event was that it was a long straight road with few houses, I was flying along with the wind at my back, aero for all I was worth, and looked up just in time to see a car backing out from the right. I hit the brakes, swerved to avoid broadsiiding him, made it around his back end without him plowing me into the farmer's field to my left.......and I guess in trying to correct back, I slammed down hard. I felt my head hit, heard all the noises, and then just lay there on my back, knees bent and eyes closed. I heard a male voice ask if I was okay, and I said I didn't know, I couldn't tell, I wasn't sure. The voice then asked if I needed help getting up, and I said No, not yet, I wasn't sure I was ready. The there was a pause before the voice said "My bad." I was cogent enough to think "What the____ kind of thing is THAT to say??", but i just lay there. A few moments later the voice said "I'm sorry. My bad.", and there was enough sincerity there to make me realize it was just a "kid" using a common locution. But "My bad." Sheesh.

But he and his girlfriend (in front of whose house it happened) were very good about helping me, and even offered to drive me home, which I declined. But at least they were there, and they were accepting blame, and that's good enough for me. I'm sure they were fully freaked by this old guy doing a fall-speed slam to the pavement, and the resulting mess I was in. The young woman saw it all unfold in front of her, and I doubt it made her day at all. And at the time they didn't even know about my shoulder -- which was probably good for all of us!

Beyond you, how is the bike? Any assessment of it yet? It is a minor miracle that mine emerged with only some scrapes, as my body dis a great job of shielding it form full contact. And as is oh-so-true, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan has me covered, but there's no coverage for my bike. So.........better me than it, I guess!

Please let me know how you are feeling over the next few days, okay?

STEVE again -

One of the advantages of my style of crashing was that I couldn't see it coming. One second I was up, the next millisecond I was down. That was my first-ever crash, and for years I had worried about (and still worry about) being tall enough to be quite high up, and that's a long way to fall, and going into a crash and realizing that I was in for it. I suspect that's what happened to you, and I'm sorry you had to go through it that way.

SHAUN -

Not much follow-up, but I red the Ottawa Citizen seldom, so I might've missed some of the coverage. However, the following day a solo cyclist was hit near Morin Heights, and I believe he was also killed.

I cycled on Quebec roads on Sunday, and was impressed with the wide shoulders. Quebec drivers still drive way too fast, in general, but at least with shoulders there is some buffer zone of protection!

STEVE once more -

And now, 50.5 weeks after it, i am still a more cautious rider than I was before the crash. I am generally more heads-up, and I try to be more aware of my surroundings. The road where it happened is one I have cycled on literally hundreds of times, and I know where all (there are very few) houses are, and I just assumed.........well, i'm not sure what I assumed. That no one would be pulling out? That is someone was pulling out, they would see me? This is where the comments of the Quebec guy rang true to me -- that we need to look out for our own safety, as we can't count on the drivers doing it for us.

SHAUN again -

It happened just east of Montreal, as they were on their way to Sherbrooke. I think the town is Rougemont, but as I type that out it doesn't look right. But it is east of Montreal, it has no shoulder, and people drive it very hard and fast.

It must;ve been terrible for the driver, as he is a fireman with paramedic skills, and he stayed there and tried to help with the victims. I cannot imagine going through that, with everything then becoming so up close and personal......

OMG, Steve, I am SO glad you are safe.   That was a terrible thing to happen to you.   The thoughts of you flying over your handlebars and landing on your head just freak me out.  

NEVER TRUST THAT A DRIVER IS PAYING ATTENTION - is what I live by.   I just don't go through intersection fast anymore if there is vehicle traffic around and always make eye contact with the driver's and I have even gotten to the point that I give them a little thank you wave as I am approaching them, to make sure they see me and  hopefully won't enter the intersection and running me down.  

Look after your head and hope the bike is an easy fix.  

Yep, that sounds pretty damn horrible.  It's amazing what the reflexes can do!  I'm glad I was able to walk away from mine in pretty good shape.  Yours sounds pretty damn horrible.

I'm sure more will  come back, but I don't really remember much other than seeing the car out of the corner of the eye, and then it was just reflexes.  I had wrongly assumed the car was stranded in the crosswalk area - and only last night in bed realized that the reason I didn't see him is he was on my right, turning left. 

I hear what you mean about memorizing driveways and such.  I know every crossroad on PCH where I ride, and spend most of my time with my head far higher than would be aero, just because I refuse to let it drop and lose my peripheral vision.  By the end of my longer rides, my neck is pretty sore and tweaked, but I feel safer.  On a "closed" course, I will put my head down more. 

I suspect that for a while, I'll feel the same way I did while OWS after watching shark specials on Animal Planet.  Not quite at ease. 

I'm praying it's just the wheel.  The brake looks tweaked (I hit those things HARD) and I suspect that bent the wheel and or standing the bike up with all the weight on the front wheel might have tweaked it.  Replacement Felt TRR-2 wheels would be $599, but I'm sure I could find comparable wheels cheaper than that.  God only knows what a new carbon fork would cost.  Probably less than the football shoulder pads I'm gonna go buy to train in.  LOL.

Thanks for the link! I have been going nuts trying to find one of those things!  Yeah, I am that girl who tightens things too much...I also am the one who takes things apart when they are broken to try to "fix" it...

STEVE A!

SO glad that you are OK (mostly) - I hope your bike is OK soon too.  That is scary.  I totally understand about losing your nerve a bit - I almost got nailed by a guy rolling through a stop sign texting or something...it took me a long time to not be jumpy at intersections (I still am) AND I didn't even get hit or fall or anything, just came super close.  So I bet it is way worse for you on that... Good luck.  You never know...Again, glad you are OK.

Mandy

Attention all Red Sox Fans (and anyone who cares)

I AM GOING TO A SOX GAME TOMORROW! 3RD BASE LINE - 4 back from the field.  Yeah.  I had to pull off a sick day at work for it, but who cares.



Mandy

I am so grateful to be living where I do when I hear all these stories about roads with no shoulders.   I know bike lanes can't protect you from drunk and careless drivers and those who fall asleep but I am grateful that almost all of our regional roads in Waterloo have WIDE bike lanes and also in the City of Waterloo as well.   I can go out for over 100km rides and always have a bike lane.  

TRACEY -

Your plan looks both doable and appropriate. As for switching up the Thursday and the Friday to accommodate doing it with me, think of yourself first and foremost. After all, the race is the following day, so you want to feel fresh and relatively rested for that. After a few of the bricks you have scheduled, though, you should have a good idea of how quickly you recover from more elaborate sessions.

But my biggest thought is for you not to run on the Friday. A swim would be fine, and so would a leisurely ride, but keep the run in for the Thursday, okay? And it is with optimism that I see a 40-minute run in there! Does that mean the neuroma is doing quite well, obeying itself just fine? Hopehopehope??

Ah, two runs back-to-back....hmmmm. Can you do the longer one on the Tuesday, and switch the Tuesday swim to Wednesday?

As for my plans, I'm fixing to leave here at abouut 5:30am, which will get me through Montreal befor it gets absurd. i will dilly-dally on the way down, but could land in your neck of the woods by mid-afternoon. What time would you like to get some stuff in (earlier being better).....and what time is the pasta feed??

Again, though, think of yourself and making Friday work in a way that will be best for you on Saturday morning. Just think of me as a small speed bump, trying to not het in your way too much!!

And.....no accoms yet. I will probaly be swept away by guilt and end up in Myles Standish, but the upside of that is that I will feel righteous and Lynn will approve of it. Win-win!!

TRACEY again -

I left you with two misconceptions last week, and here goes the clarifications:

(1) In OWS, I sight somewhere between every 4th and 7th right-arm stroke. Being more specific, it is most usually every 4th or 5th.
(2) My wetsuit legs come about 3/4 down my calf, not the 1/2way I mentioned before. I must be thinking of some previous suit.

And related to #1, my drifting is improving of late. I figured it would....but one never quite knows, does one?

Finally, yes --- neither is paired with nor, and either goes with or. Hoity-toity types like neither/nor, while the hoi-polloi goes for either/or. In England, it must be one of thsoe class things!




Edited by stevebradley 2010-06-02 7:27 AM

MANDY -

And primo seats, too! How did you snag those babies?

Are you spending the day down there, or just scooting down in the afternoon? Well, if you feel a bit of weight on your shoulders, that will be Tracey on your left one and me on the right one.

ENJOY!!!!

SteveB:

Hey you're the expert, so if you say to skip the run on the day before the race, I'll skip it. The neuroma is about the same. It always kicks in at about mile 2 but usually feels better if I remember to take an anti-inflammatory beforehand.

I put the 40 minute run in there because that takes me just a bit beyond the 5k distance required of the sprints I'm doing this season, so I figured it's good training. I'll take your advice and switch the run and swim so that I don't do back to back runs.

In the end, I don't think I'll get out for as many OWSs before the race as I had hoped, but a few is better than none.

The pasta dinner is 5 to 7:30! Let me know if you want to meet up there or if you'd rather grab dinner elsewhere. There are a few good seafood places around in case you end up in the mood for that. I'm around all day Friday if I end up having the desire to squeeze in an extra practice.

Thanks!

So you're sighting every 8 to 10 strokes then, if it's every 4th or 5th right arm only stroke? I think I'm going to play it safe and try to sight every 4 strokes. My form will suffer I'm sure, but as this is my "practice" race, it hopefully will give me a feel for what I'll be able to settle into later on.

My wet suit legs could actually go below my ankles if I didn't pull the legs up as much as I do. Speaks to my short stature!

SHAUN -

The metamorphosis in you in nothing short of astounding. Were I to dig back into your first 30 or so posts here, I'm sure I would see what I think I remember -- lots of fear and trepidation, wondering where and how to take those first steps. But since then you've clicked with the swim, your running pieces fell into place, and you got the P2K ---- and as you say, you're ready to go NOW!

You had a few quick questions, and I'll address them here:

As to when to show up, that would be first-thing......as early as possible.....15 minutes before they say transition will be open. The two most important reasons for this are to grab good parking and, if rack spots are not assigned, a good rack spot. Bigger races will have them asssigned -- if you'e number 83, there is a designated spot for you. Some smaller races might have that system, too, but more often it will be either any space on a given rack or two, or wherever you want on a first-come, first-served basis.

For choose-your-own-specific-spot races, I always go for an end, and that will be the end closest to the flow of movement. So if there is a large central "runway" with rows of racks running down it, I will choose my spot right next to the runway. That requires making sure that my gear will be out of people's way, but that's better than having to move past other people in the row.

Most transition zones are designed to be "fair", which in this context means that bike in and bike out are at one end, and swim in and run out are at the other end. I usually choose to have my spot closest to bike in and out just because it is a bit more cumbersome to run with a bike, and so I want to minimize that effort.

For new races to me, I will show up and make a very quick assessment of the scene, and rack my bike where I think it might be best. I will then prowl around and study the site more closely, and about half of the time I end up moving my bike from its original spot. But the key thing in what I just said is to carefully scope out the whole site, and ask questions if necessary! You want to be very comfortable with the flow of the race, which means knowing the location of:
1) the swim exit
2) where you go to enter transition (Swim In)
3) where your bike is relative to Swim In
4) Bike Out, and the best way to get there (some transition zones are more like mazes than neat farmers' rows)
5) where the mount line is, once you leave the confines of the t-zone
6) where Bike In is, and as well the location of the dismount line
7) where your bike spot and run gear are at, and the quickest way to get there from Bike In
8) where Run Out is....and the quickest way to get to it!
If necessary, walk through this a few times, or wander over to those various portals and sight back to where your rack spot is. Just try to get the layout all fixed in your mind's eye!

Another reason to get there early, and I think this definitely applies to you, if so you can dig the vibe and socialize. I have the strong feeling that you are a very sociable person, as am I, and I love yakking and kibbitzing while getting set up and wandering about.

Other reasons for arriving early are to avoid lines: race registration, chip pick-up, body-marking, port-a-potties. At any given race you can see people who are in long lines 20 minutes before the start of the race, and they are stressing like maniacs. That you sure don't want!

Hit a port-a-potty first thing, even if you don't really need to. Then if you have some loose time on your hands 20 minutes later, and there are no lines, hit it again. Keep doing this as much as your system requires, just to reduce the need for it when the lines are long and/or your swim wave is going off in six minutes. (Two alternatives to this are to find a wooded area...or to pee when you're in the water [don't feel sheepish about this -- as you are wiating for the horn to blow for your wave's start, there will be about a dozen people dutifully peeing] )


As to what to wear........what are your choices? What sort of apparel do you have now? The photos you've seen of me says it all, which is a tri-top with wider shoulders (reduced worry about burning) and standard tri bottoms. But some people like tops with thinner shoulders, and so go with that if you are one of that group. I never bother changing going from one discipline to the next, and I never dry off after the swim -- just hop on the bike, dripping. But some people like the modesty aspect of running in conventional running shorts, so they will slip those on in T2. For socks, well, I know you have experimented with running sockless, and with mixed results in terms of blisters. What is your thought on that for Hawk Island?

Last, you ask what to expect. Um, "controlled chaos"? There might be a sense of feling "herded", or maybe even wanting to BE herded; that is, "Where do I go, and in what order?" Start with the registration tables, and go from there, and as I said before, don't be afraid to ask questions. As you leave your car for the first time (if you're like me, there are many trips to and from the car!), bring your bike with you so you can get it to the best spot as soon as possible.

Part of the controlled chaos is the part I love best -- the vibe, the energy level, people in all the degrees of being psyched and full of nervous energy. You'll see all the rah-rah types, and the bravado crowd, and the ones who are tucked into their headphones and never look up or crack anything resembling a smile. The music will likely be blaring (this part I can do without....), and there will be countless announcements and instructions over the loudspeakers; it can be quite the assault on the senses!

Does that answer some of your questions? Fire away if you have more!

To summarize:
-- arrive early
-- get your chip and be body-marked
-- walk the site, know the flow........X3 wouldn't hurt!

Finally, the most important sleep you can get is Friday night (H.I. is Sunday, right?), which is good for triathletes who tend to sleep poorly the night before the race, and wake really early anyhow. So plan on a good sleep Friday night, and then you have permission to wake up ultra-early Sunday morning and get to the race site........15 minutes before they say they will be open!!

ANNE -

Did you see my rather long-winded comments on hills? The post is on page 212, I think.

Were they at all helpful....or even remotely on target?

The Quiet Joys Of Improv Training!

So there were those plans yesterday about bricks........and seeing as how I'm the boss of me, I have adjusted that pland already.

During the first ride, which was supposed to be the 10-miler, I decided to make that the 14-miler in case I didn't feel like riding again after the run. Then I thought that maybe I would make the 5km run plan into a 4km run actuality......but kept it at 5km. And then I ended up doing the 10-mile ride afterall. So it turned out to be 14/3.1/10, the reverse of what I had set out to do.

As for three more bricks, each separated by a day, I have decided to do just two more, and each of those with two days between. That will be bricking on Friday and Monday, then. As those days get upon me, I will figure out what the parameters will be.

As with improv theatre, there is a basic shell of a plan that then gets fuddled with according to pecrceived need (or whim?). That is pretty much how I do my training. Eaxh week I have some idea of how things will unfold, but were i to write down a "plan" from Monday through Sunday, and see on Sunday evening how it all transpired, I would see lots of little tweaks along the way, along with a few wholesale additions and/or deletions. Mostly, this works well for me. (We hope! )

TRACEY -

If you can get in two decent runs earlier next week, definitely skip the one the day before. In general, I try to allow for complete S/B/R rest the day before, just so I feel as fresh as possible on race day. But sometimes, if I haven't done anything two days before the race, I will add a small swim or ride the day before.

A good rule of thumb for day-before efforts is "drive the bike, and ride the run". What that means is to drive the bike course in your cr, and ride the run course on your bike. I have done just that many times, and it is both prudent and helpful.

For the day-before swim, it;'s more of a mind-settler than anything else. It helps me feel active and involved, and when I do it is always more langorous than anything -- looong, fuuul strokes, easy body roll, almost just playing in the water. I will try to figure out where the swim start and exit will be, just to scope out rocks and other submergibles. Maybe 10 minutes in the water is all I need to feel satisfied and tickled too!

But if you were up for an actual ride of the bike course, I would love to do that. Ten miles will tax neither of us, and there are no hills that will drain our systems. Sounds perfect. (And if I wanted to play around with that sentence to use neither/nor, I would say "We could actaully ride the course on our bikes, as there are neither a long distance nor formidable topography to drain us so close to race day.")

I'm happy with the pasta dinner, especially since seafood the night before a race might exact a ferocious revenge during the race, probably about mile 2.34 of the run. Oh, my!!!

Any thoughts about going to Fenway this evening and trying to identify Mandy and mug her for her tickets? Just checking.

STEVE A, so sorry to hear about your accident.  Sounds like it could have been much worse.  I can't believe the guy didn't even stop to check on you.  How is your head feeling?  It's been two years since I was knocked unconscious in a biking accident and I am still wary on my bike.  For several days, I felt like my head was in a fog and I just couldn't quite pull things together.  Hopefully, it won't take too long to get your bike back (or too much money) and you can jump right back on.

STEVE B, good job on the improvisation!

I'm off to the Ozarks on vacation on Thursday afternoon.  My husband's sister and her husband own a resort in Mountain Home and my niece (who I've run the St. Jude HM with the last 2 years) is getting married on Saturday.  Not sure how relaxing it's going to be with all four of my kids, my daughter's best friend, one of my son's girlfriends, and my daughter's boyfriend all staying together in a nice cozy cabin.  Should make for an interesting few days.  The resort is on Lake Norfork which is a lake clear enough for scuba diving (not nearly as clear as the lakes in MN!) so hope to get several OWS in while we're there.

I know there are several people racing this weekend ... TRACY and STEVE B, and SHAUN (hope you have a great time!).  Anyone else?

LISA

TRACEY again -

As for sighting, if you get the chance try to do it "off the top of your head". This is hard to explain, but it is an alternative to fully lifting youir head and sghting straight ahead.

Think of it as kind of "tossing" your head -- as you turn to breathe to your right, instead of looking stright out to your side as normal, toss or roll your head so youir chin line is about 45-degree to your body axis, and as you are doing that try to get a glimpse from the top of your right eye.

Can you picture any of that at all?? If not, that is fine for now, but I will try to find time to demonstrate it for you down there. It really helps with maintaining body balance and overall position, and it especially works well if the buoys are big.

I should also say that the rason I am mentioning it now is because it sounds like the buoys at Escape will be at both our "back" sides -- which for a right-side breather is to their left. You will be in great shape at Timberman, however, where the bouys are to the right AND the first leg of the swim goes out diagonally towards them, allowing you to keep an eye (as it were) on the whole swim course -- at least initially. (And I'm assuming Keith will keep the course as it's been for the prevoius nine years.)

LISA -

Sounds wonderful....aside maybe from the numbers in the cabin! If two is company and three is a crowd......what exactly is NINE? (A convention? A baseball team? A tri of tripods?)

This weekend is just Shaun, I think. It's the following weekend for Tracey on Saturday and Mandy on Sunday, and me both days.

Have a great time in the Ozarks, and enjoy the family madness!!