GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 73)

  

Too bad you didn't live closer.   We would make great running partners - similar pace and neuroma!     Hopefully we can still motivate each other.    

FWIW - I have a Fuji Aloha 1.0 that I got used. I have found it to be a good bike. I haven't had any other Tri bikes to compare it to for performance, but I have not had any mechanical problems, just the usual maintenance needs. I still remember the first time I rode it, after using a hybrid bike for training up to that point. I took 10 minutes off my 12 mile ride time and felt less tired. That sealed the deal regarding the money spent.
Mark

Hey all, and Happy Friday!

Learned another lesson this week:  work out in the morning.  I  didn't sleep well on Wednesday night, so I decided to sleep in and hit the bike after work instead and push my swim/run to this morning.  Ended up having to stay late at work, so it was too late to ride when I got home.  Missed that workout.  No worries on that, just learned the lesson. 

STEVE B - quick question before I start rambling:  I have Showdown at Sunset on March 27th.  One of the few weekends left to go back to St. George and do a longer brick is either the weekend before, or the weekend after that HIM.  That brick will likely be something like a 70-mile (4 hour) effort and then somewhere between 8 and 13 miles running.   It's not all that much different than what the regular schedule calls for.  All that being said, if you had to pick one of those, would you do it the week before the HIM and then a solid 1-week mini-taper, or do it after?

Now, the rambling:
I also think I have a line on why I'm so tired lately (aside from all the training).  Big upheaval at work the last few weeks, some of our leadership team got pushed out, including my boss.  I'll be assuming his role now, so there's a lot of pressure and anxiety around that.  Plus, the new board has very specific ideas how they want things done, so there are a lot of political/power issues at play.  Anyway, it hit me last night that the compounded stress from that is likely contributing to the fatigue I am feeling.  Something to keep in mind over the next few weeks. 

Weekend trip to St. George for Course Recon Part Deux is now in jeopardy - rain is now in the forecast and I'm not inclined to ride that course when wet.  The downhills on highway 18 could be lethal in the rain, as there is very little shoulder and if it's raining and windy, it'll be hard to hold a line on the descents.  Yesterday, it looked like a 10% chance of rain, now its 40%.   Not sure it makes sense to drive the 7 hours to get rained on.  One upside of not making the trip is that I can sleep in both Sat and Sun and get my long sessions in here - more recovery time - maybe get a massage.  I'm due for a massage in the worst way!

Anyway, good swim/run this AM. 

TRACEY -

Everything okay with you?? I understand there was some wild and wooly weather in MA last night, and I hope you weren't too terribly affected. I will watch the WBZ news in about 10 minutes and see where the damage was.

And I owe you some neuroma thoughts!

BELATED BIRTHDAY WISHES, MARK!!!!!!

I realize I am now 8 days late ---- so sorry! I hope it was a good one for you. And by the way, how is your early b-day present -- the trainer-- working out for you?

Gang! Only 357 more shopping days until MARK's next birthday!

TRACEY again -

Okay, I see that most of the bad stuff happened well north of you, NH and around my parents' last residence in Rockport. (There was no specific mention of Rockposrt, but coverage from Beverly and Gloucester.)

NICE run! Nothing wrong at all with 22:41. Howa da noives in your feets feelin'?

ANNE -

Yes, I saw your post about the Fitz book, but I got caught up in bike comments to Tracey and Kasia and it just zipped right through my consciousness.

I am very glad that it will work for you! To my thinking it is a great compromise between having a coach, or following a pay-for program, or winging it on your own. It is actually amazing how much information he gets in there, and I have yet to see anything that makes me scrtach my head. But who am I to say, anyhow? He's the guru -- surely not me!!

The yoga clinic sounds fun, and actually a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You get to swim with the big fish, trying to follow him AND the really hard-core, exquisitely-experienced yogafolk.

Nicely done on the run, especially following the longish ride. Heavy legs, though.....now there's an "occupational hazard"!

After yesterday's day off I swam for 43 minutes, ran for 56 minutes, and did a junk 35 minutes at high spin on the trainer. All went well, although choreographing the heavy snow the past few days finally got to my back today -- lower back, right side. It is not pleasant right now, but should improve in short order. And it was stupid doing shoveling this morning, as high winds and warm sunshine led to a lot of sublimation and I should've just allowed Ma Nature to choreograph the snow for me. Doh!

DIANE -

It's great that you're enjoying the bike so much, and that your body seems to be adjusting so quickly to it. If shoulders, hands, and sits bones are all copacetic, that's good news indeed! Give your bike a hug from me, okay?

I still owe you a summary of shoulder recommendations for swimming, and I will try to remember to get to that soon; I think it's about 5 days late as it is!

MARK -

Mercy! That's a HUGE time-savings, going from the hybrid to the Aloha. The next best thing to sprouting wings and flying, eh?

Yeah, it's always nice when there is something patently obvious to justify the money spent doing this stuff. Over the years I have made a number of smart purchases.....but also a probably-equivalent numbers of blockhad ones so - alas and woe - it unfortunately all balances out. These days I'm just trying to eliminate most costly expenses, an efoort to cut my losses before they are almost even conceived!

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-24 9:19 PM

STEVE -

Stay home!!! You've given a number of great reasons for not going, and with that forecast there is little to be gained from the trip and a wet and hazardous rain. And even though I said the other day that suffering is good as a component of iron-training, this is a case where the potential probelms vastly outweight the benefits. Long Drive + Dangerous Ride + Soaked Bike = Stay Home! Sleep in! Get the massage!

That is a lot of stuff you ware dealing with at work!! to think that it all is noot having a toll on you....well, I can't imagine how it wouldn't have a significant effect. It doesn't sound as if things will ease up much in the coming weeks, especially with a new board having a vision that might require lots of adjustments by just about everybody. But I also have the impression that you excel at compartmentalizing, so hopefully that ability (gift?) will allow you to navigate all the various currents.

Another thing you seem to excel at is being a Functional Morning Person, so stacking your workouts in the early hours should be a win/win -- no pressure for p.m. workouts, and you do well in the a.m. anyway. I think i've told you that I also have a strong history as a morning person, and back in my working days I found it pretty easy to knock off runs before I went to work.

As for the $64,000 question, I'll get back to that shortly. In the meantime, though, a couple of questions:
(1) Which is most important to you -- the recon or the race?
(2) Have your goals for the race changed any, in terms of competitiveness?
(3) If Showdown is not going to be a competitive effort, which aspects of it are you planning to focus on? (Swim and/or bike and/or run and/or nutrition and/or transitions?)

I shall return!

Too bad you didn't live closer.   We would make great running partners - similar pace and neuroma!     Hopefully we can still motivate each other.    

Hi STEVE:

Thanks for thinking of me! We just got lots of rain and wind in my area. Washed all the snow away so there were lots of puddles out there on my run this morning. Personally, I'm ready for spring!

Tracey

STEVE:

Eh, the neuroma is pretty much the same. It's funny though, just for the heck of it I threw on my old Adidas Bounce sneakers for my run (I never really used them for running - just for kickboxing and aerobics classes). They felt pretty good!

M -

You're lucky if you are a natural-born "floater"; I am not. And being one has nothing to do with "blubber", it's really all about the distribution of body mass. Now, don'task me to explain that, cuz I can't. But I've read it in several places, and believe it for lack of any other explanation. (And there are lots of people who do have "blubber" who can't float.)

I know I mentioned the following way-back-when, but I'm sure it was to Tracey and not to you, so I'll say it again:
Focus on exhaling fully while your face is still submerged. A common error is that people start their exhale too late, and so when their head turns to grab some air, they are still exhaling. That results in getting only a fraction of the air that is available to them, and if they do this every breath cycle they will quickly go into oxygen deficit. That could well be what's behind the panicky feeling you experienced.

It sounds like you did what I would recommend, which is stand in the pool bent 90 degrees and breathe out. A refinement of this (which you may have done) is FORCIBLY exhale -- aim for an explosion of bubbles! When I fiddel around with my breathing patterns and try every 4th or 6th or 8th, I have to consciously make an enormous exhalation -- every molecule released into the pool! And then I am ready for a big gulp -- even though my head is out of the water for the dame amount of time as it is when I breathe every 2nd stroke.

When you say you are "still buoyant although not at that surface", what are you feeling? (Sounds like therapist-speak! Seriously, though -- where are you feeling the buoyancy? As an not-naturally-buoyant person, i'm always interested at where other people feel their own buoyancy!

Part of the litany is okay, and that part is the "you're not breathing" mutterings. Believe it or not, I still sometimes forget to breath adequately when I breateh to the left, and I have to keep saying the same thing to myself -- "you're not breathing!" (Except I pepper my comments with a few choice expletives! )

As for the other parts of your litany -- work at minimizing or eliminating them. I mean, I understand all of them, but I have to tell you that:
you are the only one who is noticing how you look in your swimsuit, and
at this stage of your progress there is no such thing as being "too slow", and
at ANY stage of progress it is wise to acknowledge when you are getting tired.

For the last one, tiredness rapidly leads to a deterioration of form, and that is anathema to swimmers. Bad habits in swimming can form in a heartbeat, it seems, and it is a bugger to undo those bad habits. I mentioned to someone else last week that whenever I feel my form falling apart (and that is usually the result of fatigue), I will either leave the pool or do something completely different -- kick sets, or mindless breast-stroke. BUT.....for years I would not do that, and just plowed along to complete long sets with crappy form, and I think I'm still paying the price for those chowderheaded decisions.

So whenever you feel tired, that's fair and honest, and recognize it, and either bag the session or switch things up. And if you like the sauna and hot tub, go there for a while, unwind, and then you might want to have another shot at a swim! You're the boss of you!

Glub, glub!

Thanks Steve.  I'm with you - thinking I'm almost 100% staying home this weekend.  Will long run tomorrow (likely in the rain here in LA) and long ride Sunday (they call for sunshine).  Woo-hoo.

As for the other questions:
1)  I think the recon.  Having had St. George kick my butt a little on the prior trip, I want to have a solid effort the next time out, as I think that will help instill confidence on race day.  I think it'd be easier to justify a tough day at Showdown if I did a hard brick the weekend before.  But it'd be hard to overcome the mental hit of two bad sessions as St. George prior to the race.  So ADVANTAGE RECON BEFORE.
2)  Depends on which race.  For Showdown, I'm really trying to treat that as a long, hard brick day, and for experience in a mass swim start.  I think the mass swim and the long brick off the bike will be good educations for me and help me refine nutrition.  If I have to back off the intensity because my legs aren't there after the recon, so be it.  Again, ADVANTAGE RECON BEFORE.
3)  Lot's to focus on during this race.  SWIM:  handling the mass/floating start, sighting and pacing.  Making sure I simply "manage" the swim to minimize effort.  BIKE:  Pacing - I won't have ridden this course before, so my key here is to try to be as aware of possible of RPE and to manage my climbing as much as possible.  I need to practice riding my vs. the clock and not other riders.  Pacing, pacing, pacing.  RUN:  And then, of course, there is the run transition.  This is the thing that makes me most nervous about IMSG - how will the body respond off the bike?  Here I just want to try to get into a rhythm as quickly as possible, focus on a quick turnover, and monitor my pacing, especially in the first 3-4 miles where I feel like I go out too quickly.  I'd like to try to force a negative split, so if I can do the first 3-4 miles at a 9:30 or 10:00 per mile, and then hopefully accelerate from there. 

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-24 9:20 PM

M -

Feeling like a waterbug has GOT to be good!

When you're using the kickboard, where exactly is it, relative to the rest of you?

I think that if you are feeling yourself just under the surface without the 'board, that's pretty close to where you can ideally expect yourself to be. And I'm decidedly envious of you if your legs want to float up when your'e mroe relaxed, as the situation for me has always been that whenever I try to float, my legs sink. They did that when I was 6, they still do it at 61. The good news is that when I have been videotaped I display good position in the water, in this instance meaning that my feet aren't kind of hanging down, creating drag. But I'm sure that I have to work a bit harder to keep myself that way than if I had to ability to float, as does about 98% of humanoids.

Glub!

And speaking of humanoids........where did everybody go? I see my last post was the first post of the day, and it's 6pm here in the east.

I know that Mandy is off traipsing through Baxter State Park in north-cnetral Maine, but what about the rest of you? For me it's been a swim this morning and a 1'40" trainer ride, and not much else. It's quiet here with Lynn gone to Toronto for the weekend, and apparently none of you are coming out to play. Boo-hoo.

And as for Steve, I trust he is in hour five of a massage marathon. At this point the majority of his soft tissue is just this side of being liquified, and he couldn't be more blissful.

And speaking of Steve.........(next post)

STEVE -

Oops! Wasn't clear! The race I was referring to was Showdown, and you gave me a great answer as to your more up-to-date plans for that. Merci!

All things considered, yup --- fdo the SG recon before Showdown. Really, there aren't many questions that that's the way to go. many trainingplans would have you doing a long ride and a longish run a week out from a half-iron, so there you go!

I had forgotten that the SG had somewhat imposed its will on you, and what you say about the hit your psyche would take if that happened twice......I'm with you on that one!

All the points you raise about the Showdown foci are brilliant; you've obviously thought those out really well. Not only are they smartly with a eye clearly towards IMSG, but they are all doable - nothing way out there at all. That doesn't mean that stuff won't happen at Showdown, but in a weird way you almost want something to get snafued a bit just so you have an inkling of adversity. I think there is a good chance that the swim beginning will be a bit wild, and the fact that you have to control that and then continue working for 1.2 miles will be a valuable experience.

So...........Did you get that much-needed massage today? And did you sleep in?

Steve,

Looks like you need something to read...so here I go.

I spent the better part of my afternoon test riding bikes and I'm pooped, both physically and mentally. There's so many choices and things to consider when you're dropping that amount of cash. I'm indecisive as it is, so major decisions are killer for me. Anywhos, I think I found what I like and it just happens to be the most expensive bike I rode today, so yeah, I don't know how I feel about that. I've been reading a lot of about bikes lately and people seem to say that fit is super important and once you find that perfect bike, you'll know as soon as you get on it. That wasn't working for me at the beginning since all the bikes felt the same (which is mounds better than my clunker, so really, no good frame of reference there) UNTIL I got onto my baby:

Trek Pilot 2.1 WSD
http://www.trekbikes.com/women/wsd_products/bikes/road/pilot21wsd/
Aluminum frame, Shimano 105 front and rear derailleurs, Shimano R-553 triple crank (50/39/30), Shimano 105 10-speed cassette 12/27

It felt so comfortable and perfect. The other bikes kinda stretched me out too much when riding (my back may have been sore from all the dancing I did last night, but details) which I know can be adjusted with a shorter something-or-other. I just felt the Trek had a great angle for my comfort (probably why it's considered more of a "comfort" bike than its sister Trek 2.1 model).

Other notable candidates were as follows...
Specialized Dolce Elite
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45719&eid=4951&menuItemId=0
Aluminum frame, Shimano Tiagra front and rear derailleurs, Shimano Tiagra triple crank (50/39/30), Shimano HG-50 9-speed cassette 12/25

Felt ZW95
http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2010-Product-Catalog/Fit-Woman/ZW-Series/ZW95.aspx
Aluminum frame, Shimano Sora front derailleur, Shimano Sora read derailleur, FSA TEMPO Triple crank (50/39/30), Shimano 9-speed cassette 11/25

Felt ZW100
http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2010-Product-Catalog/Fit-Woman/ZW-Series/ZW100.aspx
Aluminum frame, Shimano 2303 front derailleur, Shimano Tiagra read derailleur, FSA VERO Compact crank (50/34), Sunrace M50-series 8-speed cassette 12/28

Giant Avail 3:
http://giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/avail.3.sangria.black/3881/36265/
Aluminum frame, Shimano 2300 front and rear derailleurs, FSA Tempo triple crank (52/42/30), SRAM PG 850 8-speed cassette 11/26

Giant Avail 1:
http://giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/avail.1.white.silver/3881/36263/
Aluminum frame, Shimano 105 front and rear derailleurs, FSA Gossamer MegaExo triple crank (50/39/30), Shimano 105 10-speed cassette 12/27


They didn't have the Avail 1 in my size at the shop, but they're bringing it in from another location, so I should be riding that by mid-week.

Is there anything I'm missing? Like, other major brands worth mentioning? My head is swimming with information and I feel that right now it's about fit and the Trek was PERFECT. The components on it are also good, which is kind of why I'm willing to go with the higher price tag, so it'll last a while and be quality.

An issue I'm somewhat having with the Trek is about the chainrings. They only had a triple, but it does come with a double (compact, I think is what it's called). But they didn't have it in the store and don't generally carry it. They did say they'd order it for me if I decided to buy it, but I'm wary of buying a bike without test riding it first.

Most of the bikes I rode were triples because apparently that's standard for entry-level road bikes, but I did try one with a double and I really liked it. I'd even say that I prefer that over a triple simply because it's easier to shift (at least in my head) due to less choices (see a pattern here? Too many options leaves me completely confused). But I don't know if that's a good thing and if I should just learn to use a triple.

I forgot to get the specs for the compact from the LBS guy, but I googled it and came up with this:

Trek 2.1 WSD (not Pilot though, like the triple):
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/women/road/21wsd/
Aluminum frame, Shimano 105 front and rear derailleurs, Shimano R-600 compact crank (50/34), Shimano 105 10-speed cassette 12/27

I know the Trek bike I rode today is a Pilot 2.1 since I specifically remember copying the name down straight from the tag, but when we looked online for a compact 2.1 with the LBS guy at the shop, I'm not sure if he was looking at the Pilot or the regular 2.1 when he said it also comes with compact gearing. The Pilot 2.1 and regular 2.1 don't look too different specs-wise (at least to me), but again, I don't want to buy something I haven't ridden.

The LBS is closed now, so I'll just have to go in again or give them a call tomorrow. I was planning on going in to check out some of their cheaper stuff since I forgot to do that today. By that point I had visited 2 bike shops and rode way too many bikes, so I'm not surprised I forgot. Even so, that Trek was like riding on clouds.

Ok, this is super long, so let me summarize my questions:
1) Should I go for the compact Trek 2.1 (or at least try it out)? They have to wait for their distributor to get it before they can order it (it's out of stock in the region, so who knows how long I'll have to wait). Or...

2) Should I go with the triple and maybe eventually switch to a double (just buy a new chainring/crankset/whatever the technical term is) somewhere down the line?

3) Are the components on the Trek Pilot 2.1 worth shelling out the extra couple hundred bucks? For example, is the Shimano 105 that much better than the Tiagra? In theory, I could keep going up and up in price to get better and better components, but this madness has to stop somewhere for the sake of my wallet. I'm sure I can find a cheaper bike with as comfortable a fit as this Trek, but sacrificing the quality of the components. Would it serve my purposes of long rides, doing tris, and commuting? Probably. And that's what makes me feel like I'm buying more than I need.

4) Am I missing any other bikes I should try out? Other brands/models?

That's it (for now!). And thanks so much for all the info you've already given me,
Kasia

Edited by augeremt 2010-02-27 10:03 PM

DIANE -

That's a really nice account of the ride and the entire day. It sounds like you have a beautiful area in which to ride (and run, too, I suppose), and not only do I envy your landscape, but also of course your weather. Where I live is mile and mile and mile of mostly flat farmland, with the odd forested area thrown in for good measure. And the weather, well, it's Canada, so there you go. With luck I will be able to start sneaking in the odd outside ride within the next couple of weeks, and then add on to them from there. I know there is solace to be had not too far ahead, as it gets wondeful here for several months while you all bakd and broil down there, but for now the winter is just draaaaaaaagging along.

Don't be too concerned about lacking full confidence on your bike. It took me a while to get to a reasonable degree of confidence when I picked up cycling in '00, and in my case it was just a matter of saddle time. There also wasn't any derring-do for several weeks, just keeping an easy pace and becoming increasingly familiar with the beast beneath me. In relatively short order I just became comfortable with the whole process, and moreover, any aches or sorenesses in various places just went away. You'll be there soon, too, I am sure!

Your thoughts on base fitness are excellent. Everything you mention is very reasonable and - barring injuies - maybe even downplayed some. But for ANYone, triathlete or otherwise, to be able to run and bike and swim at the distances you mention is laudable. Very, very few people can do even one of the three goals you have set for yourself, but I am sure that you will achieve all three - and then some.

Trinity Trails.......along the Trinity River? I seem to think I know that the Trinity runs through the DFW area, but I'm not sure where it comes from and where it goes. Does it empty into the Red? Time to get out a map and figure this out!

As for you, where exactly are you? Is it around Denton, or am I just inventing that out of thin air? Texas is big and my mind is small, so it all gets so confuising!

KASIA -

Wow! I've got my work cut out for me, I see! I will get to those later, but it might be much later - hopefully by tomorrow, anyhow.

Several years ago I had a superb fitting from FitWerx, in Vermont, and was told that not all bikes are created equal and that for any given person there will be bike companies that fit them well, and others that don't. This is all by way of saying that Trek might be one of the ones that works with your particular physiognomy, and you should not treat it lightly. I'm also not saying that you should take it to the bank quite yet, but respect it and play with it some more. If you can, get on a few other Treks just to see if their general structure continues to feel really good to you.

I understand what you're saying about not wanting to buy a bike before you test-ride it, but my quick thought is that having a compact should work and won't affect the ride quality at all. The bike itself seems to fit you like a dream, and that's 7/8 of the battle right there. And as with cars, a test-drive really doesn't tell much -- you need to get it out on the road in all kinds of conditions to see what it can do. I mean, buy a car in May.....and you have to wait seven months to find out how it performs in snow and on icy roads. Similarly, even if you could test-ride the Trek with the compact cranks, you wouldn't be taking it on such a variety of terrain so as to determine exactly how it will be when you really need it to PERFORM. So, a lot of this comes down to an act of faith --- and how much you trust the LBS guys. If you can look them in the eye when you ask "Will the bike accept a compact as well as the triple it was born with?" and can read their face when they answer, then that will help a lot. (I am poor at reading faces, so that doesn't always help me.) But if they are already entertaining with you the idea of switching out the triple for a compact, then that suggests they feel confident about that. Just curious though -- can they also not switch out the triple for a conventional crankset - say, 53-39? That might be worth asking, anyhow? And try to nail them down about how long it might take to get in the compact. I think most bike shops will be really honest about this, but just try to get in clear as to whetehr it's six days or six weeks or six months!

And that might be the answer to your question #2 -- if it will take a long or uncertain amount of time to get in the compact, then maybe you'll be best served by going with the triple and then doing the switcheroo later. People can upgrade their bikes until the cows come home, so you might view the triple/compact switch as one of a number of upgrades over time.

As for question #4, um, yes and no. There are oodles of bike companies out there, but right now you've got a decent cross-section. Felt has a great reputation these days, especially for tri bikes; but I suspect this applies to all of their bikes. And Trek and Specialized and Giant are all huge companies that have massive distribution networks, and that is maybe a god thing in terms of service and all.

Question #3? As you are learning -- yup, you sure can keep going higher and higher and higher with componentry and everything else (wait uintil you start looking at wheels! )! I am not familiar with Tiagra, but what I think I know is that at the higher end of Shimano, 105 is good, Ultegra is better, Dura-Ace is best. So unless Tiagra has been snuck into the kix when I wasn't looking and sits between 105 and Ultegra, it won't be as good as the 105.

However, as I thjink I mentioned to Tracey of Diane, my most excellent bike shop discouraged me from getting Dura-Ace instead of Ultegra on my Cervelo P2C. When I bought it there was that option, and when I asked how much better the Dura_ace would be, Ian told me that for the extra $500, it wasn't worth it. I hvae since hesard that elsewhere, and so it makes me think that thre differences between these systems can be great in terms of money, but not so significant in performance. So, it might be that Tiagra is not as "good" as 105.....but maybe good enough, regardless.

I've really got to leave now, and I haven't looked at a single one of the bikes you cited! I will get to that later! In the menatime, though, if you are off bike-viewing again today, ask about this stuff from the LBS guys. They are the real professionals, and as a non-tech kind of person myself, at some point I am pretty limited with what I know. The whole thing about triples was an education for me a few days ago ------ and the first I ever heard of Sunrace (on the Felt ZW100 you mention) was during that search. I guess it was on one of those forums (www.bikeforums.net, maybe?), and it was a new one for me! That might be another approach to take. Register on one of those forums and just fire off a few of these questions. I think the world is full of bicycle gearheads who look for any chance to talk about what they love most, and any one of them will have more knowledge in their little finger than I have in my entire head.

Happy shopping!

(And I think you have made great strides over the past few days in becoming a gearhead yourself! )