A Bike Obituary

(My recent foray into bike commuting has come to an end - after some idiot stole my rig.  I'm pretty sure, whomever it was, won't even know how to use the shifters.  I thought it only appropriate to give my late, great, commuter bike a proper farewell)

7 year old 'Tina' - an aluminum Trek frameset, customized commuter bike - "passed away" this past Tuesday the 12th of July 2011.  She was last seen at 740a that same morning, but disappeared soon after.  After much heart-wrenching thought and introspective discussions, she has been assumed "dead". 

Tina (with customized mustache handlebars, fenders, commuter pedals, and candy apple red bar tape) is survived by her "roommates" the Giant sisters Gina (with a "long I") and Trixie. 

"She was really a quiet person", states Gina, the Trinity TT bike, who shared the one room area where they spent most evenings.  "She worked hard, and no matter what the weather she got the job done.  We're going to miss her". 

Trinity's sister, Trixie, a TCR Composite, was seen weeping quietly in a corner shortly after it was determined that Tina wasn't coming back.  "I just can't believe she's gone!  This is so unfair".  With that, Trixie was found to be inconsolable and she soon after went out for a 45 mile ride as she needed to "clear her head"

Tina will be remembered fondly.  It is unknown when a new foster-commuter bike will be brought in.  Family members state that time will be required before any such decisions are made as they don't want the memory of Ms. Tina to be discounted.  "We'll have to see what bike frames can be located - really, the right one needs to come along" stated a family spokesperson.  "But right now we just need some time to process this loss."

Gear Review - Tommie Copper Compression Sleeves

As a contributer to TriCrowd.com, I was fortunate enough to be approached to test out, and write a review for, some new compression gear.   The excellent folks over at Tricrowd.com dropped me a line and I said that I'd be more than happy to help them out. 

For the record: I was provided the product free of charge in return for writing a fair and unbiased review.  A favorable review is not / was not guaranteed due to the receipt of the free product.  Furthermore, I did not receive any monetary gift or donation to review this product.  The only compensation is the use of said product.

Now, truth be told, I'm not a big compression gear user.  At the suggestion of my physical therapist, I do have a pair of compression socks that I bought and used when I broke my ankle, to keep the swelling down when I was back on my feet and went back to work.  I have to admit, by the end of the day, while wearing them, my injured leg actually felt pretty good and the swelling in my ankle was held at bay.  Still, even as I've been able to ramp up my cycling mileage - and looking back to years past - I've never used compression gear as part of my recovery process.  I've seen lots of people walking into the transition area before a race wearing all sorts of various compression gear.  I guess it served them well or they wouldn't be using the products.  But it didn't resonate as something I needed to do.

So, I received my pair of Tommie Copper calf compression sleeves.  "Why not?", I thought.  I'll see if there's anything that this compression stuff can help with recovery. 

So, what's the verdict?  What's my impression?  To put it simply: I'm intrigued. 

I brought the gear along on our annual trek up to northern Connecticut where I'd be getting some good cycling mileage with some significant climbing and elevation gains.  I rode a couple days hard and used the sleeves for an hour or two afterward.  I then rode a couple days and didn't use them.  I have to admit, after wearing the compression sleeves my calves felt pretty good, and they seemed to help keep the "pump" that is the calf muscle working as it helps to flush out fluids from the lower leg.  This is something I've become quite familiar with after breaking my ankle.  I still get a bit of swelling after working out or physical therapy.  The compression socks I mentioned above helped flush out the fluid build-up in my ankle and I saw the same effect with the Tommie Cooper sleeves.  Even after an easier ride (still had some intensity, I'll admit) I didn't wear them and my ankle stayed a little swollen.  Hmmmm.

What I thought was also interesting was that when I first put them on I thought that I'd ordered a size too large.  I followed the sizing chart on the website and ordered size medium as the chart instructed.  I didn't feel a lot of snugness and wondered if I needed to go down a size. Just to be sure I washed them up and threw them in the dryer (they're advertised as dryer safe).  Seemed to help a little (even if it was maybe a little bit of a 'mental' improvement).  Calves felt good, ankle wasn't puffy, and I forgot that I had them on.

The best part about these compression sleeves (Well, okay, maybe not the best part, but for sure a very good reason to give them a once over)?  The price.  Other brands sell calf sleeves for anywhere from $40 - $55+.  These run $20.  For the price, you can't not give them a shot.

I've been putting these on after every ride - and will after every run as soon as I'm able to get back out and do that - and have to say that I like the way my legs feel. 

Training Camp Week Wraps Up

The week in Connecticut - in the foothills of the Berkshires - is coming to an end.  The bikes got a lot of mileage put on them, and the open water swimming was great.  We couldn't have asked for better weather either.  Every day was clear, sunny, and temperatures for the morning rides were in the high 60's (ending in the high 70's). 

Five days of good mileage on the bikes (again, with a couple of good open water swims thrown in for good measure) along with lots of climbing.  Each ride had about an average of 1,200 to 1,500 feet of elevation gain.  Not a lot when compared to the Tour de France - which is being viewed every morning after workouts are wrapped up - but these were still some good leg burning climbs that got the heart rate up near 170 on occasion. 

Personally, on a bright note, I was able to get a couple of running workouts in.  I'm still building up strength in my ankle and while certainly not up to distance and intensity standards that I'd like to be doing, I was able to get a couple of "brick" workouts in.  I pulled off 3 X 4 minutes jogging / 2 minutes walking after wrapping up the morning training ride on a couple of days.  Certainly not where I'd like to be, but I was just happy to be able to jog/run at a reasonable pace and not have my ankle act up on me. 

We're headed back home later today, and I'll most likely head off to the pool first thing tomorrow morning to keep some of the momentum going through the weekend.  It's really nice to be able to sleep in a little bit, and by that I mean sleeping until 5:30-6:00 am, go ride or swim and return back and not be rushed to get to work.  We're able to sit, stretch, relax, and recover through the rest of the day.  Well, and consume a few glasses of wine or beers in the afternoon by the lake!

A Busy Couple Of Weeks

Two of my athletes competed in triathlons / events over the past two weeks.  One is returning to triathlons after a 10 year hiatus, and his comeback to age-group racing is moving along nicely.  The other athlete is gearing up for Steelhead 70.3 and had a half-marathon in some pretty hot and miserable conditions.  I traveled to the triathlon out in Long Island, New York to support one athlete, and had a few conversations with my other athlete - as she lives in the Midwest - to talk about her race and make some changes to her swimming workouts.

I've also been working out more on the bike and in the pool.  My ankle has been feeling pretty good - my setback at physical therapy has sorted itself out and I'm able to start some jogging again.  Anyway, I've re-doubled my focus on trying to get back in shape so I can be as ready and fit as possible for an early start to the triathlon season next year.  I had some great workouts this week, distances weren't crazy long, but the intensity is getting up there. 

Equally as important, my wife asked me to write a three-part "Multisport 101" series over on her food and fitness site: JL Goes Vegan.

This series covers the basics for the individual looking to start out and get fit, or take things to the next level.  Last week's post focused on swimming.  Tomorrow's post is on cycling and I'll wrap things up in a weeks time with a primer on running.

Next week - the week of the 4th of July holiday here in the US - could be a good week for me in regards to workouts and getting some fresh content up on my site.  We're headed to our annual week away in northern Connecticut.  Last year's trip had me dealing with a few maladies but this year I'm looking to do some serious cycling in the foothills of the Berkshires as well as some good open water swimming. 

Triathlon Mania Comes To NYC

As many of you may have heard, Ironman New York is alive and among us.  It's been deemed the US Championships.  Also, as you may have heard, it sold out in less than 15 minutes as soon as registration went live online.  I love this sport.  Love it.  And I'm thrilled that New York City is getting another great triathlon.

This is all good news.  But there's a race here in the New York area that's my complete fave.  It's held up the Hudson Valley in September.  If you haven't heard of it yet, you need to get familiar with it now.  And I mean stat.

The Westchester Toughman

The Toughman is a half ironman distance race held in northern Westchester county.  It starts and finishes in Croton Point Park, in Croton on Hudson, New York, and is really one amazing race.  Why?  I'll tell you why:

Location:

Croton Point Park, along the Hudson River, is an amazing setting for the swim start, transition area, and finish line.  It's a beautiful park, with campgrounds, easy access to mass transit for those coming up from the city and is easy to get to from most any major city in the tri-state area.

Course:

In addition to the park itself, the course is amazing.  The swim, in the bay that is naturally created at the park, is mostly free of river current and provides a great location for the swim.  More importantly, for those familiar with the Westchester Triathlon, there are no jellyfish!

Once done with the swim, the bike course is fantastic.  Should you be paying attention during the challenging bike leg, it's an amazing course.  Hills, flats, big climbs, quick downhills, and rolling sections make this a course that gives you a bit of everything.  On top of that, it's an incredibly well supported course (more on that later).

The run course is just like the bike course.  Hills, flats, climbs. It has it all.  Plenty of shaded sections (some of it trail) and an amazing view as you climb the Croton Dam 

And more to the point, there are 17 (yes, 17) aid stations on the run course.  Gels, water, electrolytes, Coke, it's all there. 

Volunteers and Support:
I can't say enough about the number of volunteers and course support that's provided.  Wetsuit strippers at T1, bottle exchange on the bike.  Numerous marshals, police, and course patrols on the bike leg ensuring safe passage through every intersection.  The run course has, again, plenty of support and volunteers.  Bagpipe players push you up the climb of Croton Dam and cheerleaders motivate you as you head back home via the brutal climb at mile 9.  (Yes it is brutal, and it hurts, but it's f'ing awesome).  If all goes to current plan (per the race director) this year should see close to 1,500 athletes and almost 1,000 volunteers.

Race Director and Event Staff:
This race is put on by a great group of folks.  Most importantly, it's put on by people that have done numerous Ironman races  and have been to Kona.  They know what a race should be like.  They know what athletes need and what they don't.  They know what effort goes into competing in a half ironman  and want to ensure that you're taken care of before, during, and after. this event is build and driven by dedicated individuals who want nothing more than to put on an amazing event, give back to the community, and ensure that everyone has a great time.

Expo and Post-Race:
The expo is great.  It's held in Croton Point Park, and there are plenty of great vendors setup over the weekend.  Lots of stuff to buy, lots of new products to play with.  And equally as important, a couple tents with bike mechanics to help with any issue that you may have. 

The post-race festivities are amazing.  Full barbeque for all participants.  Yep, that's right.  When you're done, there's a killer BBQ waiting for you.  Along with a huge tent with massage therapists to help keep you loose. 

Oh, and for those of you vegetarian and vegans out there - the BBQ (thanks to my wife) provides salad and veggie burgers.  Yep, something for everyone.

And how can I forget: Toughkids:

Not only does the Toughman crew put on a top-notch Half Iron race, they also now have a Toughkids series.  Multiple races throughout the year, culminating in the the Toughkids race in Croton the weekend of the full Half Iron.  It's a complete riot watching the kids race and have a blast.

What are you waiting for?

Check out The Toughman Triathlon ....seriously.  If you live in the Tri-State area, it's in your backyard.    I've raced this event.  I've worked this event.  Not sure when I had a better time (okay, I had a better time racing it).  It's been growing every year since its inception.  $25,000 in awards for age groups and special divisions alone.  And it's only going to get bigger and better.

Check out the video here.  You'll want to sign up.  Really, you will.  So click here and do it!