Bridgeland Triathlon - Race Week

This event is the best sprint only race in Houston.

With that being said the best racers in Houston make it out for this race and the competition is tough. Last year I raced my tail off and only ended up top 10.

I have been using my races so far this year to test things. So, far through my three tests I am still not satisfied with the results. So, Bridgeland is going to be another one test.  My goal going in is the swim my normal swim and then bike with the higher avg/normalized power than my last two races and see where that leaves me on the run.

The run so far this season was good two races ago but I did not bike hard enough and last race I had a bike PR but ran terribly.  I think my terrible run was more a factor of lack of sleep than it was fitness or my bike effort.  This is why I am trying to bike hard again.

Main focuses this week are to hydrate enough and get some medium duration and intensity workouts in to keep the legs ready for the effort on Sunday.

Saturday I will go out and ride and run the course not hard but again just to keep the legs moving and to scope out the course again.

Fingers are crossed for a good test.

Cobb Saddle Reviews - V-Flow Plus and SCH 170

I installed and ran the V-Flow Plus on my tri bike. I was running the Adamo Road previously and was experiencing some slight chaffing issues due to the split nose design and width of the seat.

The V-Flow plus lived up to its billing as helping relieve any numbness issues as well as being narrow enough to reduce chaffing.  I had zero chaffing and zero numbness. The only downside is trying to get the tilt right which is not an issue with the seat but just getting it dialed in.  www.cobbcycling.com gives suggestions on tilt and I need to go back and follow those.

I installed the SCH 170 on my road bike.  I was running an Adamo Podium previously and was experiencing the same issues as I was on the tri bike with chaffing.

First day on the bike I took the SCH 170 out for a 3hr ride to really test it in the saddle. Got a little bit of everything that day as the wind was howling.  All in all I loved it just like I did the V-Flow Plus as there were no numbness issues and zero chaffing. If I was on the Adamo for 3hrs chaffing would have been a huge issue. Same as the Plus I need to go to the website and get the tilt dialed in and I will be set.

Thanks goes out to John Cobb and his team for making excellent saddles that are meant for racing and provide comfort for an enjoyable ride.

If you are interested in any of the Cobb Cycling saddles let me know at www.apexendurance.com or jeff@apexendurance.com and we can see what we can do for you.

New Ride Time A Success

Well, I tried a new ride time this morning to get my training in without disrupting my family life.

I woke up and was on the bike by 4:15am. I put in a solid 90min Interval Ride and was done and able to spend the morning with the wife and newborn.

MY TORTURE CHAMBER

Lactate Interval Ride:
Warm Up: 10min Zone 1
Main Set: 11x(3min Zone 1, 3min top of Zone 3) then 1x(3min Zone 1, 1min top of Zone 3)
Cool Down: 10min Zone 1

This workout was perfect to end my strict Zone 1 rides as it was not too tough going above Lactate Threshold but did push me to work a little.

Best part is though the fact that the ride time was a success and I should be able to do that twice a week without too much trouble.

Now, trying to find some swim time is the next hurdle. I talked to our baby sitter aka my mom and she said she can probably come earlier once a week or so and that would probably allow me to go get a swim in.  We will see next week if that will fly as well.

Related articles

• How training above your lactate threshold can teach your body to push harder for longer periods of time. {www.progressionfitness.com.au} (progressionfitness.wordpress.com)
• Understanding Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Training by Marty Gaal, CSCS (deltatriathlon.wordpress.com)

2.17.11 Bike and Weights

Another Z1 Base Build Bike Ride

This was not as painful as the other because I was ready. I set up a TV and XBOX 360 so I can play video games during my long Z1 rides. Worked out great and made the time pass by soo much faster. I am almost looking forward to my Sunday 90min ride now as 80 min was not enough for 3 games of Madden.Image via Wikipedia

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Weights

I did a full body circuit workout that I got from www.onurleft.com and it was pretty tough and involved some things I have never tried before. I went easy on the legs exercises though as to not put too much stress on the knees.

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