Meniscus Pain and Mashing

I have done it again. This time no illness though. I have some somewhat serious pain that is located on the left side of my knee cap. It was fairly painful while riding today. In fact it is why my ride was only for 1 hour and 45 minutes instead of my planned 2.5 hour ride. I had been out for around 45 minutes when I noticed some discomfort in my right knee. Then it got progressively worse. I had to back way off my power and sat in my small ring on the Lapierre most of the time. Spinning at a higher cadence without much stress was better, but not perfect. Hills were no fun at all.

My personal PT (who happens to be my mother-in-law) says it is probably just a strain of the Meniscus in the knee. If it were an actual tear it would be much more painful. Right now the only time it hurts is when I am riding. Walking or running so far hasn't aggravated it. The pain is from the swelling she says. For now I am supposed to take it easy and not overload it. Running is OK if it does not involve any hills or turning (which means that I am limited to the treadmill since there is not a single stretch of flat and straight roads within 10 miles of here). For the bike, I need to move away from my normal Jan Ulrich Style of riding. I am not sure that my mashing of the pedals is what caused the injury, but it won't make it better.

Speaking of the Jan Ulrich style of riding--which is basically pedal mashing with a low cadence--I just had a flashback. I remember a day when Fish and I first started riding together. I was fat and out of shape still (we were riding mountain bikes up the Alpine Loop and my granny gear was hardly low enough for me to climb it back then) and he asked if I was a spinner or a masher. Frankly, at that point I was just trying to be a survivor, but I think I answered "spinner." I reasoned that since I was stuck in the granny gear at the moment and the cranks were indeed spinning that this was the appropriate answer. I was in no shape to mash anything with those legs back then. I felt like a "Poseur" even answering that question then.

Then came my single speeding days--which I am still in--and I have grown way too comfortable just mashing in whatever gear to get up a hill. This has become a habit for road as well. I consistently pedal around 80 to 85 revolution per minute. Sometimes less. Joel at work spins at over a 100 and sometimes 120. But he is light enough that a strong wind would blow him off his bike probably. Pedalling that fast just feels spastic.

Anyway, perhaps this is a sign of things to come? Are my mashing days over? Will I have to give up the my precious singlespeed? Please no. P-l-e-a-s-e!

Misc. stuff.

I finished making changes to the Fuji Aloha CF2 today. I have only been working on it when I am on break at work or during lunch. So it took me over a week to get it done. I will post pics later this week. But in the mean time, I swapped out the integrated Vision Tech Trimax bar for a separate set up. I put on a Ritchey Pro stem with a 17 degree rise and then a Vision Tech TT base bar and then some Profile Design Carbon Stryke Aerobars. There was also a saddle swap and a brake swap. I am now running some Dura Ace brakes and a Profile tri saddle that I picked up on a special deal from the shop's manager. Love those type of deals. Sold the old integrated bar which paid for the new bar set up which is pretty nice. I think this new set up is actually lighter. It was crazy how heavy my original Vision Tech aluminum integrated unit was. But if I could have actually have gotten the old set up even close to fitting me I would not have gone through all this trouble. I think it is dialed now. I will see on Friday for sure.

The bike, with the carbon wheels weighs in at 17.3 lbs. Not bad for a TT bike.

Product Review: Performance Chamois Cream

I have to say that this is the worst chamois creme I have ever used. Not that I have used a bunch. This stuff is no better than hand lotion. It sure makes my skin nice and soft, as long as I am not riding a bike after applying it. After about 45 minutes of riding it is like I never put anything on. I would not have even purchased it except that it was recommended by a guy at work. I thought this guy actually rode a bike. Now I am questioning this. Maybe he just has someone else do the riding for him so his bike gets dirty. Either that or he has a chode of steel to be doing the type of rides he says he does with this crap. Totally a bogus product in my opinion. I will stick to the Chamois Butt'r thank you very much.

Flu Virus Benefits

Besides the fact that one gets to feel so miserable that trying to survive seems like a questionable endeavor, the flu has a positive side: It has accelerated my return to fighting weight. I was sitting at about 7 lbs heavier a couple of weeks ago. This is nice! I don't have as big of an appetite and I am trying not to increase that appetite by eating just enough to stave of crankiness that comes from my normal weight loss plans. Having the flu seems to have shrunk the size of my stomach. This is great! I could only eat half of a Muchos Gracias burrito for lunch, and prior to the flu I would have eaten the whole thing.

I would just like to lose about a pound a week for the next while. That would be sweet. Much more than that and I think I will pay for it during Vikingman, because I think I would lose strength.

Product Review: Fuel Belt Helium 4

This thing is freaking awesome. I have run with all the bottles filled on it and I don't even notice it while running. The bottles are very secure and relatively ease to get out and back in without stopping. Getting the bottles located on the backside can be a bit of a bother without stopping, but it can be done pretty quick. This is the best accessory I have purchased--excepting my shoes--for running. It has 4 bottles and each hold 8oz of fluid. 32 oz total is great. During a tri there will be refuel stations so I will be able to refill once during the half marathon portion. If I can down about 20 to 24 oz per hour I should be in decent shape at the end. There is also a pouch that is big enough for about 3 or 4 gels. Perfect. Again, I love this thing and I wish I would have had it last year.

The Proverbial 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Backward

I wa sick...for about the third time in 5 weeks. I just get back on track and then something happens. This time the flu. I am pretty much done with it now, but I have no energy. I wrote more about it here, but anyway something positive did result from this latest bout of illness. I lost 7.5 lbs in 36 hours. Now if only that would stay off. Much of it is probably water weight, but not all of it. For the past 18 hours I have been able to keep myself pretty well hydrated.

Anyway, I had planned on doing a 2 hour run on Tuesday, but that obviously did not occur. Hopefully I can get a long ride in on Friday. Anyway, being ill for 2 days is not the worst thing that can happen that is for sure, but it is frustrating.

Swimming update

I seem to have found my stroke. Or at least a better version of it. I can maintain it at least for a while. After a time it falls apart as I get tired. But on Monday I was doing consecutive 100's at about 1:50 to 1:55 with a 20 second rest in between. That is pretty good for me. I just get tired and go anaerobic about about 800 yards of doing it. It is not a secret, I pull with my arms better from the time they are stretched forward to the time that each arm leaves the water when my arm is down around my hip. So I am getting good full strokes and I have suddenly found I can rotate better to my non-breathing side. I am still trying to keep my legs from being too floppy at the knee, but I think that is getting better too. I can feel myself getting faster because the wall of the pool comes at me at a different time than I am used to--quicker and at a different part of my stroke. I almost hit my head on Monday.

I just don't have good endurance yet. My strokes--at least compared to others in the class--are long and slower. Most of those in the class are moving their arms faster than me. Not that they are all faster overall, I am faster than about 3 of the 7 others. But this means I don't take as many breaths compared to those who stroke faster than I. At 800 yards I seem to run out of air. I have to slow down for a bit to survive. I think this will improve though as I continue.

Swimming is so much about technique. Everyone says this. They are right. I have had a hard time getting the technique down. When I was recorded swimming by my swim coach about 2 months ago I thought I was swimming pretty well. At least until I finally got the video from him about a month later. Ugly stroke. I am curious as to what it looks like now. It has to be better. It seems like it should be easy to replicate the proper stroke, as seen in various books I have looked at. Um, not so much. Anyway, things are heading in the right direction here.

Health Update and Triple Triangles

I am getting better. I still cough quite a bit, but it is a drier cough. I am getting more energy, however at work I wasn't feeling too peppy. I just sort of tried to stay out of the way. I did sell a nice full carbon Fuji though, so I wasn't useless.

I ran a bit. I didn't want to over do it though. I start coughing when my heart rate gets in the 150's. Also, my heart rate elevated more easily when I was running up the hills. So if my heart rate got to 160 I just shut it down and walked until it went back down. My purpose was just to get out of the house and do something productive. I will go out again tomorrow for a similar time--maybe a bit longer.

Friday the weather is supposed to turn nice finally so I am going on a longer ride. I plan on going out to Hagg Lake and doing some laps there. The goal is a nice 40 mile ride. DTP is coming and so he will be the one that keeps me from going too fast and pushing it too much. I will still be recovering from this illness then I am sure, but I gotta get some time on the saddle.

The shop is going to start carrying Kestrel. I am not sure what to think of them. Fuji is now doing the manufacturing which means that they should be more dependable. But, I think they are sort of ugly. But the EP deal would be good. The fuji fits ok, but not perfect. It rides really nice though and I have almost fixed the fit issue. But if I replaced the Fuji, I would only do so with another carbon bike. I am sold on have a carbon bike for road. The ride is so nice. Not as good as steel maybe, but then the carbon is lighter and the tube shapes are better for aerodynamics during tri's.

GT Zaskar
Also, will someone please let GT know that the Triple Triangle is stupid, useless, outdated, outmoded, and out of style. It is at this point form over function. A fellow bought a carbon GT Zaskar today from us. Very nice except for the extra material in it used to make that little triangle at the seattube/seatstay/top tube juction. It is just stupid. It is as if they think no one will buy a GT without it. Hell, I won't buy one because of it at this point. Especially on a flipping carbon frame. The designers of a carbon frame have so many options on tube shapes and frame design shapes that they are somewhat freed from the conventional wisdom of frame design. Here they are doing the triple triangle when it makes absolutely no functional sense. It is purely a fashion statement or something used to make sure that people know it is a GT without even looking at the label, since GT is the only one inane enough to do it these days. The thing is, the bike was very smartly spec'd and will surely be a sweet ride. But I am hung up on this one aspect and it ruins it for me. That and the fact that it is a 26er instead of a 29er.

I mean, it certainly can't be for strength that they do it. The frame would be plenty strong with out it I am sure. And since it is a monocoque frame, there aren't the same benefits that come from have those longer seatstay tubes. I am not an engineer, but I just can't see any reason to continue this holdover from the 1980's. Will someone please convince me otherwise?

Another thing about the guy that bought it--he had no idea what he was getting. He just wanted a nice bike. He just put some silly flat pedals on the thing. He said that he didn't go for these "clipless pedals thingys", he couldn't see why they have caught on...yeah really he said that. He didn't know XTR from Deore. No wonder he bought a bike that still uses the stupid bike with the triple triangle.

Feedback from Sentamentality Post
Some folks were surprised and slightly sickened about the number of bikes I have had.

Yes, it is true I am the Shawn Kemp of bike owners, but in my case it has been a good thing. I mean just about all of those bikes were purchased at wholesale or EP pricing so I didn't lose much on them. And think of the joy those who bought my discarded bikes have had. They usually all got great deals and got a well cared for bike. It is like I have been performing a great service if you think about it. It is not as crazy as one might think.

I thought of a couple of more bikes that I left out, by the way.

1992 Schwinn High Plains
2004 Trek 4600 (commuter bike)
2007 Fisher Rig (how bad is it that I forgot a bike I had just last year)

Bronchitis

So I have it.

Again.

I had it for about 5 weeks last year right before the Spudman and the bar exam. It sucked. I had a cold and then it turned into Bronchitis the end of this week. I am not happy about it. So I am going to have to revamp my training for a bit. I am not sure how the swimming will go, but I will try to stick with it. I will have to back off the effort I put into my workouts until I get better. I refuse to stop training though. Last year I stopped and it didn't speed up the healing process at all.

So the plan is to drink a lot of water, sleep as much as possible and not overdue it. Man, I am bummed out though. Today I have experienced a lot of fatigue, which is usual early on I guess. Anyway, late winter and spring have historically been rough on me here in Oregon. Not sure why.

Another Cold

I got out and rode finally today. I have had to take more time off from training because I got another cold. What is up with that. I will tell you the reason--kids. They are filled with disease I tell ya. My boys were sick and I caught it from them I am sure. Luckily it only lasted a few days. I felt horrible Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday I felt fine. I waited until today to do anything as to make sure I was really getting better before I resumed the training plan.

So today I got out on the Fuji and went from our place southwest to T.V. Highway, over to 185th, north to Cornell, meandered over to Thompson, and then up to Skyline, and then skyline to Cornell and eventually home again. It was around 20 miles. I think I hucked about a pint of snot and mucus during the ride though. I felt fine, but I still have some of the residual symptoms of the cold. I should have taken something beforehand to stem the flow from my nasal passages. Oh well, I spread my virus around the streets of Beaverton and West Hills area.

I am amazed at how well I am doing with my legs though at this stage of the year. I don't have a ton of miles yet under me, but I am not having too much difficulty with my gearing. Running a 39/53 combo up front and a SRAM 1070 cassette with a 11/26 range out back. When we first moved out here I was running a triple crankset. Then I sent to a compact. Then for some reason I wound up with a couple of standard cranksets. One is one the Fuji and the other is on the Curtlo cross. The Lapierre has the pansy compact set up on it. I prefer the standard for road riding.

Anyway, if weather permits tomorrow is going to be a solid day in the pain cave. 2 or 3 laps around Hagg Lake and then a 40 minute run. DTP is supposed to come with me. I hope to make him pop.

Finally, a sunny day

What a great day for a ride. When I left this morning it was pretty cold, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I rode for as long as I had time prior to work--an hour and 45 minutes. Training plan called for 2 hours plus an hour swim. However, there wasn't anywhere I could swim prior to work so I missed out. Frankly, it was probably a good thing. Swimming for an hour, riding for 2 hours and then working for 9 hours at the shop on a Saturday would have been a little much. It was pretty busy today there.

Anyway, I feel good. No significant back or hip pain, and while I am more tired than I should be, I feel good.

Also, I gotta write about the deal of the day. I had picked up a saddle for the Fuji a bit ago, a stupid Forte knock-off of the Selle San Marco Aspide, which is my current favorite saddle for regular riding. It is thin and light and, for some reason, it is more comfortable than other more padded saddles for me. Normally, this saddle has a retail of $149, but sells at our shop for around $110. Performance has a policy that they will match any ones price. I was cruising google at work for a customer for info on another saddle and I came across a site blowing out the Aspide for $75. As an employee I get an extra 10% off the best price that Performance will sell for, or 30% off retail whichever is less. So I got the saddle for $67.50. I also returned the Forte Aspide knock-off saddle (which was ridden once, but they also have a liberal return policy, especially on saddles) for $39.99 and so I only had to pay an extra 27 or so bucks to get a sweet saddle. Another employee saw what I did, and he bought the remaining two of those saddles that we had in stock himself. Sometimes, Performance is alright.

Sick, but moving on

Got a cold, but after two days off from training to get better, I needed to get back to it. I feel pretty good--good enough to run for a bit anyway. Ran around the neighborhood. For some reason I seemed to pick all the hilly roads and trails. Still it was good to be outside and to be able to run without pain. Well almost without pain. I still have just the slightest twinge in my lower back right now, 15 minutes after I finished. But during the run, the only pain was from being out of shape.

I have an exact training plan now (too bad I missed 2 of the first four days of it because of the cold) and I have it set out 4 weeks. I could go longer, all the way to the Vikingman, but things happen so in a couple weeks I will see if I need to switch when I do certain workouts in order to do everything thing else I have going on right now.

Bulging disc--NO More!

At least I have permission to resume training. The only thing I was allowed to do was to swim and walk. I still have some occasional discomfort, but not enough to stop me any further. Tomorrow I will ride to work and see how I feel. I will take a longer route so that I ride about 15 miles. That should take about 70 minutes given the traffic and signals I have to go through in certain areas. Then my plan is to both swim and ride on Wednesday and run and ride on Thursday. I have to ride tuesday thru Thursday because of work. It is easier if I ride there than take the car away from Bridget all day. It will be good to see how it goes.

Also, Dave, who is to be referred only as DTP on this blog hereafter, is officially out of the Vikingman. If he gets fat it will only be justice. I should write fatTER, since I am sure he is starting to pack it on. Is it bad that I take a certain amount of joy in the misfortune of others? Not if it is deserved.

Bulging Discs, Wussing out, My Wife, My Mother-in-Law, & My Sister--all in one post!

I have a sweet bulging disc in my lower spine right now. Love it. I was going to go on a nice 2 to 3 hour ride tomorrow, but I have been told that will not be an option. I am supposed to have 5 pain free days before I can ride or run. No biking because of the position I have to be in. No running because of the pounding. Swimming is Ok. So I will be swimming when I have time this week. Walking is good too, but that is freaking boring.

I am going to start riding with some older guys. I know one of them through church. You know the guys that have a bit of money so they buy themselves a Colnago C 50. They don't own that type of bike because it is the best, but because it shows status. They have arrived.

I don't doubt that this fellow in particular, named Bob, can ride. I am sure of it. He will shame me. I was actually happy I rated high enough to get invited to ride with him. Now I have to call him and tell him I can't ride because of my back. Seems like a weak excuse to me. But if I ride I am going to have too people really pissed at me; my wife and my mother-in-law. My wife because she will think that I am not taking care of myself and my mother-in-law because she will think that I am not ignoring her advice as my physical therapist. My mother-in-law is a physical therapist so she knows what she is talking about. And because my wife is a blabber mouth (I mean this only in the best of ways, honey) she will tell her mother if I am being a good patient. I would go if I could. I feel only a little bit of pain right now--and with the whether finally decent I am feeling pretty itchy.

So my youngest sister is going to compete in a sprint triathlon next month. She seems to be swimming well, and running is going ok for her finally. But she is going to use a 1982 Peugeot Road bike in the triathlon. And she can barely ride. Oh, the tragedy. A sister of mine not being able to ride a bike well...so sad. Hopefully she can remedy this and become nearly as addicted as I. I doubt that will happen though. She sort of uses the shotgun method with respect to activities. A little ballroom dance here, triathlons here, snowboarding (recent concussion), and now I read that she wants to compete in a some sort of ice skating thing-ama-bob. This is in addition to the same sort of deal with respect to musical instruments, it is always something new.

Nothing wrong with this multi-tasking approach to sports, I just seem to like my ruts. I love em actually. I felt daring when I went for 29ers, or singlespeeds, or 1x9 in cross. No chance of ice skating here. Very little chance anyone is going to get me snowboarding again either. I am sticking to what I know best, sports with at least some pedalling involved.

sick

I have been sick for the past few days, so no training since Tuesday. And with Thanksgiving I have probably gained weight. Oh, well I probably needed the rest.