Totally worth it...

The trek to Vegas was fraught with peril -- my pedals and skewers fell out of my bike case at the KC airport and then the hotel didn't have my reservation. Yikes! But I was lucky that the Ravella (which is a fabulous hotel, by the way) still had rooms available. And JT's Bicycles in Henderson carries Speedplay Zeroes. Crises averted.

Here's my bike setup, complete with the necessary replacement parts:

But getting to the start line healthy and then surviving 70.3 miles on a brutally hot course has it's rewards.

Sure, the giant finisher's medal was cool. (Look at that thing -- it's like a boxing title belt!) 

But I have to admit that my picture with Faris has to be the highlight.

Anything that cools you down is also a big plus. The people manning the hoses and aid stations deserve sainthood.

(They were polite enough to check that people wanted to be sprayed down. My response was usually "bring it!")

What a great experience -- incredible competitors, a challenging course, and a great result.  Can't really ask for more.

Next stop: Oklahoma City for my last race of the season, Redman Half!

An unlikely breakfast

People usually wonder what I eat before races. My usual routine is baked sweet potatoes at 3 hours before race time. They're especially good with tahini, or almond butter, or cinnamon.

But since I've got three out of town races in September, this could have thrown a wrench in my plans. So before today's race, I tested out my brilliant idea:

Baby food.

Specifically, two jars of Gerber #3 sweet potatoes.  120 cals, 25g carbs, and 3g of fiber each. Don't need refrigeration and travel friendly.

Granted, not the most enjoyable breakfast, but it worked great. That is a huge relief!

Finally race season!

After a long winter of road racing (Topeka to Auburn, Garmin Half-Marathon) and bike racing (the Spring Fling Criteriums and the Joseph Sheehan Road race), it is finally time to get back to swimming, biking and running.

I have enjoyed the change, however. Running races require almost no equipment! Cycling races are so low key! Both of them don't typically start at the crack of dawn and you certainly don't have to get there super early to claim your spot in transition...

But it was nice to finally get to put all that winter training to the test. I did the Kansas City 5150 race a few weeks ago and was very pleased with how much I had improved.

Next up: Kansas 70.3 in Lawrence!

AAA #2 -- Trainerroad.com

I would have to say that Trainer Road has probably been the most beneficial training tool for me over the off season.  The site offers interval workouts that are based on percentage of your threshold values, so it is really pushing you to improve.  Their "virtual power" is a neat idea, but since I don't have one of the approved trainers, I used my heart rate instead. There are even plans that cover 6-8 week training blocks, so it was like having a coach writing stuff out for you.  And the best part was that some of the workouts talk you through pedal stroke drills, cadence workouts, and strategies for riding -- all the things that I had almost no clue about.

What you'll need:
1. laptop computer
2. ANT USB stick (I had one from my Garmin 405)
3. A Garmin that supports bike cadence and distance
4. Cadence/speed sensor
5. Trainer
6. A towel, a fan, and lots of water

What an outstanding program! Highly recommended for people who want to improve their biking in the most efficient way possible.

Ann's Awesome Alert (AAA) #1

I've noticed that I probably say "awesome" too much, especially while I'm on the phone with total strangers during my workday.  Nevertheless, there are things that are really outstanding -- so I thought I'd pass them along.

So for the inaugural AAA, I've chosen my bike fitter, Mike.  You can find him at http://bicyclefitrx.com/.  If you are in the Kansas City area, this is one of the best bike investments you can make.

I found Mike on Slowtwitch, since he was the only listed FIST fitter in the KC area.  I actually first contacted him while I was still in Poland and scheduled my fitting before I even returned to the US. I wasn't in any pain while riding, but I didn't have confidence in my fit, especially given the addition of the aerobars and the Fast Forward seatpost.  (Being a complete newbie to cycling and the language barrier made me doubt almost everything.) I was super impressed when he busted out the lasers to check my kneecap tracking. So when I bought my new tri bike, I obviously called him up.  I am now much more comfortable on the tri bike during long rides.

In addition to being such a great fitter, Mike was a great resource in my hunt for a tri bike -- I could e-mail him my questions and concerns and he would respond with in-depth answers so I could make smart decisions.  It was great to have a 3rd party "consultant" who wasn't swayed by trying to sell a certain brand of bike.

So as I said, if you are anywhere remotely close to Kansas City, Mike is the man to call!

The Great Debate: Road bike or Tri bike?

Once you decide to make the leap into the world of triathlon, considering what bike to ride is an important (and possibly expensive) decision.

If you have any kind of bike already, you can certainly use that.  At the small local races you will see everything from Huffys to the top end tri bikes, so whatever is in your garage already will work.

But if you do choose to buy a bike when you are just starting the sport, should you go with a tri bike or a road bike?

My recommendation is to buy a decent, but not overly expensive road bike and upgrade with the clip on aerobars and new seatpost.

Here is my reasoning:

1.  Tri bikes can be used basically only for triathlons.  They are a very specific tool and optimally designed to go fast without stopping frequently or having to navigate things like traffic, stoplights, potholes, or roadkill.

2.  I have seen the most improvement in my riding after doing group rides that my local bike shop offers.  Group rides and tri bikes are not a good combo for various safety reasons.  So to take advantage of this great opportunity to really push yourself and learn to improve your bike skills, you'll want a road bike.

3.  A road bike is also the right bike for non-competition events like century rides.  Or make some minor modifications and do cyclocross.  There is a lot of versatility, which can't be said for a tri bike.

Don't think that riding a road bike in a triathlon means that you are going to go slow.  I've finished very well on my road + aerobar setup.  On hilly courses, this would actually be an advantage.

I did add in the Profile Design Fast Forward seatpost to move my body position farther forward and I think that was a good choice.  Just beware that this weight change will also impact the performance and handling of the bike, making it a bit more unstable at the front.  But the more you ride, the less you'll notice.

Another very important point is bike fit.  Whichever kind of bike you choose, get a bike fit from either your bike shop or an independent fitter.  (There is a list on Slowtwitch with lots of references.)  You will save yourself a lot of pain and agony by having a properly fit bike.

With two seasons of racing under my belt, I'm now looking to buy a tri bike before next season.  I've test ridden several models, but I have a few more to check out before I make a decision.  Perhaps I should re-read "The Paradox of Choice"...

Thanks for reading!

Gear Rundown -- Transitions

This is going to be really short, mostly because I don't have a lot of stuff for transitions.

I put my bike in the rack by the back wheel or nose of the saddle.  I lay out my cheapie red small towel to the right of the front wheel.  My bike stuff (shoes, number belt) goes at the front edge.  My run stuff (shoes, maybe socks, hat, Garmin, maybe a gel) goes in the 2nd row.  Helmet and sunglasses go onto the aerobars.

All my stuff goes into my backpack I got from the Austria 70.3 race.  It has a bunch of pockets, but I make sure to load it so that I can unload it quickly.  All of the "probably won't need" stuff like bike tools, extra goggles, etc. goes in the nether-regions of the bag.  I even made up a written packing list with instructions of what goes in every pocket.  Military folks would call this a load plan.

I'll talk more about my checklist and timeline later when I talk about executing the transition.

Thanks for reading!

I would advise people against the following:

• helium balloons
• buckets of water
• chairs
• tying a bunch of ribbons to your transition bag