Dirk's Junkie group - CLOSED (Page 43)

Thanks all.  Haha, this is my 25th, 25th birthday!  Feeling very loved, wife and kids especially were awesome.  Moving up to the 50-54 AG, but those old fogies are just as fast it seems.  I celebrated with a great long run - 11.8 miles in 1:50.  Let it hang out a bit for 3 miles (miles 8, 9, 10), in 8:57, 9:00, and 8:34.  All three felt very smooth and not too hard an effort.

Happy Birthday, Warren! It's Still Saturday here in California so I didn't miss it entirely. I hope you had a great day today.

I woke up today with a very sore throat. I honestly felt horrible and considered skipping the run altogether but I went out and ran the Frosty Fun Run anyway. I had a cough drop wedged between my gums and cheek the whole run so I could swallow every once in a while and sooth my throat.

Today's race was a 6k and it is a pretty flat 2 loop course. I'm trying to maintain my place in the points even though it's really just for bragging rights at this point. I figured I'd follow the guy who is next behind me in the points and just try to keep him in sight to minimize the damage. He went out really fast though and I couldn't hang with him, so I just did my best while the crowd thinned out. By the half mile point he was a good 100 feet ahead and seemed to have settled in there. When I reached the first mile I could see that I was slowly gaining. For the next mile and a half I slowly reeled him in. With a bit less than a mile to go I caught up to him but I was feeling pretty wasted by then and I just matched his pace for a bit. With a quarter mile to go there is a short up hill then it flattens out until 150 feet from the finish and it is downhill from there to the line. As we started up the hill he started working really hard and pulling away. I tried to pick it up again and keep him close but he pulled away a bit. On top I stayed within about 30 feet all the way to the downhill. Once we hit the downhill I went full sprint to try and catch him. It was everything I had left but it wasn't enough; I finished one step behind him. The way the points are calculated, and because I finished so close to him, he wont gain any significant points on me. I felt good about that but physically I felt terrible after the race.

When they posted the results online this afternoon I didn't believe my wife when she told me my results. I had run a 7:36 pace for 3.72 miles! I still have a hard time believing it. That's faster than my 5k pace was in December.

Unfortunately the sore throat has only gotten worse through the day and now I've got the headache to go with it. I just hope the "gallons" of water I've been drinking all day help fight this off works; I have more training scheduled for tomorrow. 

Johnny - great race! That is an excellent time! I love your recap of the chase too. Take care of that sore throat.

Starting to get back in the swing of things!

Yesterday I put in my first run in months. Though it was only a 10 min. walk with a 20 min. run and a 10 min. walk it was good to be running. I have a love - hate relationship with running. I have always been a sprinter. Back inhigh school and college I rarely ran any long distance. Just 100m, 440 relay & long and triple jump. Now, I need to take it slow (going to run every other day to start) keep my focus on form and build up slowly. Other than the damn cold and snow it was good.

Today I hit the bike hard. Just 17 miles, but I wanted to put some real effort into it. I almost hit a 19mph average. I know it doesn't sound like much, but up here in the mountains that's pretty good. I sure would like to bike some flat land and see what I could really do. I probably could have nailed it harder, as I still had some gas in the tank, but I have to work too.

The wife is doing good. She is still kind of out of it. I believe some of it is emotional. I think she is really doing a self evaluation of herself. I hope! I didn't bust her balls. I felt she needs time to find herself in all this and wait to see what comes of it. Really tough to watch.

Anyway, good to be back. Even if it's on a limited basis. I want to be all gung ho, but I know better.

 Oh, Vero. Great race!

Here is a link for some pics from the Fanny Freezer 5K that Dirk and I ran: 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.331963130179772.76583.171730692869684&type=1

I am in pictures 7-26 all the way to the left in the light purple shirt, and I believe Dirk is in pictures 43-51 in the red shirt.  My kids even sort of made the pics- #41-42 in the jogging stroller! 

Johnny - that race rocks!  Unbelievable time.  Looks like you nailed it.

Stan - Great news on the run, just stay patient.  As far as biking in hills - I have plenty of loops I can't even reach 19, so it sounds great to me.

Cool pics on that 5k.  We miss snow around here, it's really weird to have a completely snowless landscape in New Hampshire in late Feb.

Looks like everyone has had a good weekend with several races, I wish there was a 5K in this area soon I am starting to miss the race atmosphere.  The pics are a nice touch looks like it was a lot of fun, although I was wondering what had Dirk so distracted in the pictures, good thing there wasn't a pot hole in front of him

Warren: nice birthday run, thats the best way to celebrate teh day.

Stan: nice work on the run, its rough to go slow but the time builds quicker than you think, I still can't believe this time last year I could barely run a mile and now I am trying to figure how I am going to get to 45mpw!  It Just takes patience and the will to get it done!

I was able to survive the partying of a weekend pool tournament and squeeze in a 11.76 mile run today.  But after a long day of sitting in a pool hall drinking Capt & coke there was a lot of stomach turning.  Thankfully my Sunday run group was nice enough to once again push the pace past my comfort zone and made sure I suffered for my indiscretions.

I am back in town and ready to hit the grind again, so much so that I have already run 5 miles and I am about to get on the drainer for an hour and ten minutes of pleasant torture.  I moved the workouts from last week to this week and shuffled everything ahead one week for the remainder of the 16 week plan.  I will also have to this again because I am not planning on taking my bike with me to Wyoming next week when my brother and I head out there for his move.

Vero,  That was a very nice race last weekend!  It sounds like a really close race at the end.  Way to attach yourself to someone and let them challenge you for the race.  Apparently you knew this guy, or at least knew who he was to be able to stay in tight to keep your points close.  Sometimes I just have to find someone half way through a race that looks like they are going to make me work hard to finish strong.

Allison, thanks for the pics.   I wouldn't have seen them had you not posted the link.  BTW, the distraction was me looking at Ryan and trying to figure out if that was he and your kids.  It's kind of funny because it didn't seem like I was looking as long as I apparently was.

Warren,  KEEP the snow if you like!  I ran in shorts twice over the weekend and I am not anxious to see temps that will allow snow.  I say let the spring come!

Took off with the family today and headed to Indy. We visited the Children's Museum which was really neat but soooooooo crowded it was hard to get around. It was free day, we didn't know any better. We just went because my husband was off work.

Also had a MAT therapy session while I was in town. He worked on both my back and foot. Wish I lived closer, I really think he could straighten me out.

Now, my deep thoughts for the day. A local guy who races triathlons just had a bad bike accident over the weekend. He broke his pelvis and messed up his shoulder. He hit a patch of sand/gravel and just wiped out. I only mention this because I'm going to admit - I'm still not confident after my bike fall from September and that was MINOR compared to this. I wouldn't say afraid but just weighing the risk vs reward. The roads out here are low traffic but patches of gravel and dogs chasing cyclists are common - as in things we encounter with every ride. In fact, the same day I wiped out in the gravel I actually hit a dog. Weird day.

Anyway - the trainer is becoming more and more appealing to me. I love to ride, don't get me wrong. I'm just weighing the risk vs reward. Does anyone else ever think about this stuff?

Dina: thanks for note - ice and compression wrap seemed to help - easy 3 miles tonight to test, and rt ankle held up fine.

Schedule issue: HS class reunion now scheduled for Aug 4......and Tri Indy is Aug 5th 7:30am.....may not be the best timing to do a first OLY..........a July or Aug date will work, my concern was/is the swim, and an option to "stand up" during the swim......any options out there?  I hear Muncie is a good place to complete an OLY???

O.K.

So I have a question for all you bike techs/junkies.

I have a 2010 Vilano Tuano Road bike I picked up a while back (the bike I currently ride). I want to upgrade the the shifters. currently they are bar (lever) shifters and I want to upgrade to the integrated shifters (brake and shifter in one). I need help in selecting the right shifters and what else I need to upgrade (front & back derailers). I don't want to spend a fortune on it, but need reliablity and smoothness.

• Model: TUONO 2010
• Speeds: 21
• Weight: 24 lbs.
• Frame:6061 Aluminum Double Butted
• Fork:Chromoly Steel 700c
• Shifters: Shimano A050 (on handlebar)
• Front Derailleur: Shimano
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano A050
• Crankset:170mm Vilano Forged Alloy 52/33/28
• Bottom Bracket: Shimano
• Cassette: Shimano MF-TZ07
• Chain: KMC Z
• Hubs: Assess
• Tires: 700c x 25c
• Brakes: Promax
• Headset: Neco
• Handlebar: Promax.

I could also use some advice on what else you might see that could use some upgrading. Currently I'm going to change the handle bars, stem, and seat post. Looking to lighten the bike a bit (below 20lbs.).

Making a quick post this morning because I know I won't have time until this evening.

Dina,  Ride your bike as you feel comfortable.  There are a lot of pro athletes that train almost exclusively on the trainer.  As Brenda indicated, she didn't lose anything on her bike when she did that and I would even dare to say there may have been gains instead.  That said, I think you still need to spend some time outside to learn/maintain handling skills.  Obviously you would get pretty rusty if you don't use the skills.  I would suggest doing as Brenda has done and find a group to ride with.  Last summer was the first time I had ridden with a group and it really was an awesome time and I picked up a lot of fitness and learned to ride better.

Paul,  I can't believe your going to miss Tri-Indy.  That's a really great race and I was looking forward to meeting you down there.  Muncie is a great place to race.  I have done only one race there but the race director seems to really try to put on a good race.  Right now I am trying to decide whether to do a Oly in Muncie in May or a HM.  I need help on this front.

Stan,  I am going to let the bike techies hand out what to do with your bike.  But I will say getting the STI shifters are going to be much better than what you are using.  There is much less effort involved in shifting.  Lightening the weight of your bike will also have immediate benefits too.

I'm also glad to see that you were able to get a run in.  Hopefully things will go well and you can stay on track and be ready for your first race. 

John,  I remember hitting new, longer distances a couple of years ago and it was so motivating to see the individual runs get longer and my MPW get higher.  It gave me a huge boost in confidence and skill and the run fitness I gained from it shows in my races now.  You'll have the HM down pat by the time you toe the line.

Brenda, I hope you are able to get some good, quality WO's in.  I know you're at your peak for work right now and I've noticed time for training has taken a pretty big hit.  If you can get a few key WO's in each week you'll maintain just fine.  Race season is right around the corner.

Dina, are there any rail-trails in your area?  I prefer to ride on them.  I feel a little silly putting the bike on the car and driving to a place to ride, but I am definitely more comfortable there, and if my daughters are coming with me, then we're definitely not riding on open roads. 

Its interesting because I used to do several thousand miles a year of road riding, but I'm sure I have a greater sense of my own mortality than I used to have.  Even if you have to commute a bit to find a trail, I find it much more enjoyable than the trainer.

Dina, don't hesitate to ride inside if you prefer that.

Also, riding outside doesn't need to be given up.  For instance, gravel is a threat at corners and for training purposes it really doesn't hurt to slow down and crawl your way around the corners.  It will give you a better workout because you have to work harder to accelerate again.  You can learn to anticipate the areas where gravel will be because there is a pattern to it (corners, perhaps curves, always at the bottom of gravel driveways...)

As for dogs...well that's something I can't help you with.  I deal with dogs all the time, but have no fear of dogs.  The only 'fear' is that they will get in front of my wheel and take me down.  So as soon as I see a dog is going to be able to cut me off and get in front of me I just slow on down to 5mph and roll on by.  I will usually pull out my water bottle and spray it at them.  I haven't met a dog yet that isn't very frightened by the water heading their way.

Riding in a group setting seems to keep the dogs away.  They see a group of cyclists as a dangerous pack rather than a thing of prey.

You will also have someone there should anything ever happen to you so you're not so vulnerable.  If you simply got out on a weekly ride with a group as your only outdoor riding then it would be all you need to keep your bike handling skills sharp.

STI and 7 speed don't go together.  So you will have to upgrade to either 9 speed or 10 speed.  I recently searched ebay for 9 speed stuff thinking it would be cheaper than 10 speed, but that's no longer true.  So you would probably be upgrading to 10 speeds (30 total).

That will mean a new rear wheel so your hub can accept 10 speed.  Also a new 10 speed cassette.  You will then need the STI brifters (short for brakes/shifters).  I would buy used for all these items on ebay.  Because if you bought all of this stuff new, you'd be halfway to the price of a new road bike anyway.  (new road bikes in your current bike's quality range might start at $600).

Your front brifter needs to be the 3-speed variety to support your triple front chainrings.

Your rear brifter needs to be the 10-speed variety to support that.

The entry level for SRAM is Apex I think and for Shimano is Tiagra so search on those in ebay.

When you go from 7 speed to 10 speed you need to realize that the chain is now a thinner chain because the extra gears get added not by increasing the total width of a cassette (much), but by packing them together tighter.  So you need a 10-speed chain.

If you use a 10 speed chain with your current crank, those chain rings are set apart from each other assuming a wider 7-speed chain.  The 10 speed chain could occassionally drop between chainrings and get stuck.  I ran a 10 speed system on a 6-speed bike for a while and it worked OK, but I did drop the chain from my chainrings a couple of times each ride and just dealt with it.  You may not want to deal with it....so you may need a new crankset too.

The front derailleur might work fine, but it will have a wider opening where the chain runs.  That may make for goofy shifting in the front.  So you might opt for a 10speed front derailleur too (but a triple variety...they are different from doubles).

Now, the rear derailleur....sometimes the older derailleurs work just fine.  It's really the shifter that determines how far the derailleur moves.  If you have a shimano derailleur and get shimano brifters, the actuation ratio is likely to be compatible and it might just work fine.

If you have a shimano derailleur and tried to get SRAM brifters, they would not work because they use a different actuation ratio.  So if you don't want a new rear derailleur you will want to limit yourself to the Shimano brifters.

So the list of mandatory and optional upgrades are:

• set of brifters
• rear wheel
• rear cassette
• 10 speed chain
• front derailleur?
• crankset?
• rear derailleur?

If you want your wheels to match then you will need a front also.  Plus if you want to drop 4 pounds from this bike you will need to do that by replacing the big bang items (in weight terms).  These are:

1. Wheels.  You pay a lot for light weight!
2. Crank
3. Seat
4. pedals
5. seat post, handlebars, stem
6. brake calipers

Not sure how far down the list you would need to work to make your 20 pound goal.

My guess is that if you are serious about the 20 pound goal then you'd have to spend $1500+ on the components above to get there (since they would have to be really light weight to offset the other heavy parts).  If you bought a whole new bike with a 20 pound goal you would probably be looking at $1000.

Thanks for the discussion everyone. Lots of good ideas. I live in farm land USA. Miles of country roads but no rails to trails system or anything like that. Sometimes I take my bike to a state park and just ride around in circles. It is 6 miles around the whole park. I have a training friend that I ride with pretty frequently when the weather straightens out and sometimes we can get a group together. The hard part with that is the group likes to meet in town so I have to pack my bike, drive to town and then we all turn around and ride to the country. The whole time I'm thinking I just came from the country LOL!

Jeff I totally agree about slowing down for the dogs. This is exactly what I do. I've tried speeding up but that just seems to set off their instinct to chase even more. When we see dogs on our group rides I always hang to the back. The dogs are off chasing the fastest rider and leave me alone!  There was a long thread in tri talk about this issue last summer. It got totally carried away with several people saying they carry guns on their bike rides! Other suggestions were a small air horn and pepper spray. I tried the air horn - it didn't scare off the dogs but it did make the owners come outside and see what was going on.

I'm sure when summer rolls around I'll forget about it .

I tried messing with the 2 beat kick while I was swimming today. I read a thread on BT about it over the weekend. Does anybody swim with a 2 beat kick or have you tried it before?

Kind of interesting.