Sunrise Ninja

Okay, so I'm not hunting rabbit. I am being very, very quiet.

My eyes are open and I glance at the red digits on the clock.  If I'm lucky (so will my wife be) I've woken before my alarm has sounded.  On an off day it will go off once, but sometimes I'll doze off and it will ring again (three minutes later) before I'm up for good.  

Next I glide gently out of bed, the Tempurpedic mattress doing its best to isolate my subtle movements.  I softly unplug my phone taking caution to set the cable down without a sound.  I grab the flashlight off my nightstand and switch it on the low setting, shielding all but a sliver of light with my grip.  Being careful not to step on the dog I exit the bedroom; I'll return only once more for a kiss on my way out (or to fetch a towel if I've forgotten an extra).

The Heat is On (and so is the race)

“So I said to myself, “self.””  “Haste makes waste.”   “Don’t cut your nose to spite your face.” 

Those are just a small sampling of Mom’s many sayings; the combination of school teacher and Jewish mother make for a seemingly endless supply.  One of my favorites though has got to be:

“Everything happens for a reason.”

I’m not a religious guy; there was a point in my life where I felt differently (now is not the time or the place), but let’s just say that life has convinced me otherwise.  I do however like to think that there is ebb and flow to the world.  Every yin has its yang.  Every action, a reaction.  You get the point.  

Longest Ride Ever (Barely)

By about 1.5 miles today's ride was my longest and while I'm undoubtedly fatigued it was a great workout.  I got off to a much later start than I'd planned (maybe good practice for riding during the hot part of the day), but lately I've been letting myself get a bit of extra rest when my body wants it on a Sunday morning.  Gearing up for the long ride also took longer than normal; I wanted to be properly prepared and have a good plan for my day's nutrition (not to mention enough sunscreen).  I left the house with plenty of Clif Shots, 32oz of water, and 6 scoops of Carbo Pro with 20oz of water in my other bottle.  I suspected I may have been short on water and as it turned out I was right - more on that later.  

As far as the route itself, today's ride was a straight shot along the service road of the Long Island Expressway.  I don't often ride the service road (as many other Long Island cyclists tend to) because in many areas there are traffic lights approximately every 1.5 miles.  On a good day you can keep catching greens but you are bound to get hung up every now and again.  There isn't typically much traffic on the cross-streets so I can usually get through by slowing down, shifting to an easier gear, and crossing after checking that the coast is clear.  Today though I went further than ever before and as I made it further east the lights were fewer and farther between.  

Inconceivable!

"You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means." 

You're gonna do what? Why would you do that? Who's making you? How many days will it take? 112 miles on a motorbike?  You'll take a few weeks to recover, right?  How much are you being paid?  Wait, you're paying them? 

While some of my coworkers already knew that I was a triathlete the rest found out last week when I hung my wetsuit off my bike rack to dry it out.  Being that I work in a grown-up version of a boy's locker room, the comments about my aquaman suit began rolling in early and often:  I'll admit that the suit looked comical hanging there, dancing in the breeze; it reminded me of those inflatable dancing men used to draw attention to a store or car dealer. 

"So and so is peeing on your wetsuit," I was told, "wouldn't be the first time," I retorted. 

"Aren't you supposed to hide your costume and change in a phone booth?" "If your calling me a superhero, thanks."  

Gear Review: Specialized Echelon Helmet

I can't think of a better time to review my helmet than right after it saved me from what would in all likelihood have been a concussion (in a best case scenario).  Sure, "the what have you done for me lately" mentality could influence my opinion, but I honestly didn't have anything bad to say beforehand.  I actually liked the helmet so much that after splitting my old one I bought the same one again.

The bottom line is that helmets really only have one true purpose: SAVE LIVES. The rest, like looks, ventilation, weight, aerodynamics, comfort and fit (okay maybe fit is essential) are just bonuses. In most cases a $35 helmet will do just the same for you in an accident as a $250 helmet (presuming they were made at similar times and to the same safety standards).

That said let's face it, most of us do care how we look (whether going out for a night on the town or going out for a bike ride - although after a certain amount of miles any thoughts about one's appearance fall by the wayside).   It used to be the case that in order to have a good looking helmet you had to spend a sizable chunk of change.  Fortunately, helmet design has trickled down from the high-end models and there are many more options available at all price points.  

When it was time (probably overdue) to replace my helmet a few months ago I did some browsing to check my options.  I'm a sucker for matching, so being a Specialized guy (both my tri and road bike are Specialized) I wanted to stick with one of their helmets.  The Echelon is the most economical ($60 msrp) of the four models offered and is a great choice for any rider.  I'm sure the better models are a bit lighter or have better ventilation, but I haven't had any regret with the Echelon.  It breathes well, is affordable, lightweight, adjustable, comfortable and looks good (as far as helmets go).  One of the best features is the adjustable dial in the rear which makes it easy to adjust both before and during riding.  I'm also a fan of the easy-to-use side strap adjusters as well as the reflectivity built into the design.  Overall the helmet's design is well-thought out and it seems to share many features of the upper-tier models offered. 

As far as the helmet's main function, unfortunately I can now attest to its ability to cushion the blow related with a 23mph bike crash.  The Echelon did what is was supposed to do, splitting to absorb the impact, sparing my noggin from trauma.  What more can I ask for?

Overall the Echelon is a good choice for those not looking to spend a ton of money on a helmet.  If money isn't an issue go ahead and look at the S3 or the Prevail, but in my opinion I'd rather spend that money elsewhere (like on other tri-toys). 

Other Helmet Thoughts

At the risk of being labeled a curmudgeon, while I was writing about helmets I couldn't help but be reminded of all the people I see riding without head protection.  I know that people have the power to make their own choices but I struggle to see the positives of this decision.  I just can't think of any good reason that anyone would choose to ride without one. 

What About the Children

When it comes to kids, the look of a helmet is paramount to any other features. If a child doesn't like their helmet one of two things will happen: he simply won't ride their bike as much or won't wear his helmet.  Neither option is good so do you and your child a favor and let him pick the one he wants to wear (assuming you can afford it).  If I recall correctly I once tried to have my parents get me a new (cooler) helmet by accidentally misplacing my current model. Uncool move on my part, but it does emphasize the point.

Ride safely and wear a helmet

Time to Make the Triathlete: Early Morning Workouts

There is no way around it, no matter what phase of training you are in, triathlon training takes up a lot of time; time you don't think you have!  In fact, most people who don’t get a chance to exercise (or do any other activity they wish they could) will probably attribute it to not having enough time.  Fitting in your workouts, and balancing them with work and your home and social life is an exercise in prioritization, organization, and often sacrifice.  For many triathletes the key is waking up early and doing your workouts while others (especially your family) are still asleep.  

If this seems hard to you, you're not alone.  I have been a night owl for most of my life (thanks for the hand-me-down Dad) and training in the morning always seemed like a non-starter.  In the beginning it was extremely hard to pull myself out of bed, but it got continuously easier and eventually became so routine that I hardly need an alarm clock.

In no particular order here are some of the things that helped me make the transition:

Back on the Horse

Sunday's triathlon was a great checkpoint along my path to IMAZ; I'm glad I raced and had a chance to see the payoff of all my hard training.  I'm far from completely recovered (more from the wreck than the race itself) but that doesn't mean I'm not still following my path. 

Long before what happened on Sunday Coach had planned a rest day for Monday, which I gladly observed.  Tuesday it was back to the grind as I slogged through another tough (but fun) hills workout; it was far from painless but I put in some good work nonetheless.  

Wednesday morning though, was another story: with regret I had to bag my swim workout.  Instead of jumping into the pool I hit the weight room for some shoulder and upper body exercises (luckily over the winter I picked up Strength Training for Triathletes which has some decent triathlon-specific exercises). Rather than any major strength training, I focused on loosening up my shoulder (specifically trying to break up the tight, healing skin) and used mild resistance to simulate swimming motions. 

I’m always disappointed to have to skip a workout but if I have to miss one, better that it is a swim.  It seems counter intuitive that I’d be alright with missing a workout in my weakest sport but for now the swim is still something I feel I just need to get through.  I’m certainly getting faster and stronger in the water but I really just need to survive the swim and I’m starting to feel pretty good about my ability to swim the 2.4 miles (despite not having ever swam more than 1.5 miles).  On the other hand, biking and running are where I feel that I continue to make the largest gains and are what will make or break me in Arizona.  Plus I have neither ridden near 112 miles or run close to 26.2 and my long rides and runs are key to my reaching Ironman distances.

In preparation for last night’s interval bike ride I took a quick trip during lunch to buy a new helmet.  I figured that my previous skull cap (which was only about 2 months old) did a good job saving my brain so I bought the exact same one.