New Bike!

Just picked up my new bike build from Go Tri Sports in Greenville today. It is a new-old-stock Guru Trilite frameset that I picked up on eBay. That means it was a frameset that was in a store that never sold, so they let it go for a steal! I took the components off my old frame and let the Go Tri Sports guys put the pieces back together.

On a side note...I drove to Greenville because I was looking for a bike store that treats you like a person and acts like you're the reason their doors are open and not like you are bothering them. I won't go any further by pointing fingers, but I had to drive 30 minutes to get that. Great bike/tri store, so I highly recommend them if you need any gear!

I love the paint scheme and look of the new frame. It is a more aero frame than the older version I was on and the geometry fits me better. Hal helped me get setup with a fitting, but we basically moved the seat up and tilted down slightly and that's it. It fit well from the start. I definitely ready to get on the road with it to see if there's a performance improvement over the old frame. Now I just need a nice set of carbon tubulars to race on and I'll be set!!!!!!!

Little River Bridge 8K Report

Rain, rain, go away...

After rains all day long, the race started about 15 minutes late but the rain cleared soon after and made for good conditions except for a few large puddles that couldn't be avoided on the course.

This is the third year I've run this event and last year was the first race I ever placed in my AG (2nd). I really wanted to go under 32:00 this year. The course is pretty hilly and knowing where the hills are helped me pace and plan very well. The first 1.5mi is basically up a long grade. I held back as best I could and took the first mile in 6:32. By mile 2 the leaders were nearly out of my sight, but I could see two guys that I thought I could bring back. Mile 2 was 6:20. Mile 3 was 6:25 (caught the first guy) and mile 4 was 6:25 (guy two is about 100yds in front). The last mile goes down a long grade and flattens out with the finish by the river. I caught up with the other guy at the start of the flat. I made the mistake of starting my final kick too soon and he ultimately pulled away at the finish. Last mile was 5:58.

I ended up 8th OA and 1st in my AG. I was happy with the speed since I haven't been doing any significant speed work over the winter.

Ahh...progress.

Alas, I see some positive results! This winter I have done a better job keeping up with my biking (sort of!) and swimming, while continuing the running base. Last two years I did a marathon and the biking and swimming got set aside for a few months. Well two months ago I hired a coach to help plan the training and keep things moving forward. Even with several rounds of colds/sinus infection in the last couple of months, I am seeing progress.

How do I know? Well, all of my run/bike workout efforts are heartrate based. So, if I'm doing the same courses in the same heartrate ranges with faster times, that equals improvement. Which I am starting to see. It's not a huge paradigm shift, but it is steady progress. If I can solidify my base some more, I know I'll have significant race improvement. See, I've survived athletically on my generally high pain tolerance and never say die attitude. It served me well through a collegiate soccer career (never was the most skilled, but definitely the most tenacious) and has showed to come in handy in endurance events as well. I think if I can get back the big base and the metal fortitude, I'll see the paradigm shift I'm looking for. Now to cut back the calories and loose 7-10lbs to get ready to race!

Here's to slow and steady producing fast and ready!