Week 41: Vineyards, Mountains and a New Bike

They forgot about the Triathlete phase :-) — They forgot the triathlete phase

I’m officially out of the post-taper soreness phase and have really enjoyed getting back into training mode. It was a gorgeous weekend in the Bay and spending it in the mountains and through vineyards isn’t too shabby. Life is pretty darn good.

Training in Napa

Saturday morning I joined a group of at least 12 people in “Team Cozumel + Friends” to go out for an early morning bike ride in Napa along the Silverado trail. We started before it got warm so didn’t exactly get the best ‘heat training’ in, but it was a good chance to spend some quality time tucked into the aero bars and ride in strong winds.

Unfortunately I had a pretty rough ride because the saddle that came with my new bike was absolutely the most uncomfortable thing you could possibly imagine. I was in pain and I had to grit my teeth just to finish 50 miles. I wanted to turn around at mile 2. It was slow, it felt like forever, and it hurt. Time for a new saddle, in particular one that is designed for a woman.

After the bike ride, Kit and I went out for a transition run along a pretty cool running path nearby. And then ate the most massive veggie sandwiches I’ve ever seen (can be found at the deli at Nob Hill on Trancas Rd.)

On our drive home we were lucky to have a great view of the Fleet Week air show coming across the Golden Gate Bridge. Perfect little Saturday!

Photo Oct 11, 10 18 59 AM — Beautiful scenery on our bike ride in Napa

Strava_SilveradoTrail — Strava output summary. Napa to Calistoga and back.

Welcome to the family, [Still Coming up with a Name]

Rule #12 of Velominati.com’s Rules is: “The correct number of bikes to own is n+1. While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.” Good thing I’m single 🙂

I had been wanting to get a triathlon bike for a while, but decided not to pull the trigger for Ironman Lake Tahoe because it’s such a hilly course and I thought I should stick to a bike that handles better on the hills. Plus my road bike was perfectly fine for my first Ironman.

But with a pancake flat and very windy course like Ironman Cozumel I felt like a tri bike would come in better use. So I did some research, talked with people, debated, and finally settled on a 2015 Cervelo P2! So happy!

I’ve only done one ride on it and it was miserable with the stock saddle, but once I get all the kinks worked out I think it’ll be a really fun and fast ride.

Tri bike vs. Road Bike geometry. Photo credit: bikesportmichigan.com

I don’t have much time to get used to the new bike’s geometry, so over the next several weeks I’m going to be doing almost all of my indoor interval sessions on my tri bike as opposed to a spin bike. Hopefully this helps! And if I decide that I don’t have enough time on the bike then I’ll just race on my road bike, no big deal.

By the way, if anyone has race wheels that they would let me borrow for Ironman (nothing too deep because of the cross-winds) then please let me know. I’ll pay you!

Trail run with GGTC!

I just love the Golden Gate Tri Club. Because when tri season is over for 90% of club members, everyone is thinking “what can we do instead!?” And the answer is trail running! There are a bunch of races this winter (North Face in particular) and with the sun setting earlier and earlier it’s tough to get those post-work bike sessions in.

On Sunday GGTC hosted a trail running clinic for 50 people which included product samples, shoe demos, and a 5- or 10-mile run in the Marin Headlands. I did the 10 mile route with 1300+ ft of elevation gain and had a blast.

I loved chatting with other club members, and suffering through the uphills together. Once we got to the top of a gnarly hill it was all worth it. The views!! Oh my god. Once Cozumel is done I plan to spend quite a lot of time on the trails. It’s so calming and relaxing out there.

The route we did was: Bobcat+Miwok+Marincello Loop From Bunker Rd starting at the Vistor’s Center.

World Champions — Comeback King and Queen

I spent the better half of Saturday evening watching the live stream of the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and I’ve never felt so inspired. To see Mirinda Carfrae come back from a 14+ minute deficit starting the marathon run and WIN the race by two minutes is just mind-blowingly awesome. Did you see her running form? It was seriously perfection. It barely looks like she touches the ground when she runs.

And then there was the male winner, Sebastian Kienle, who had a 3:45 deficit coming out of the swim. No one has ever won the World Championship after losing more time in the swim than Kienle did this year. Amazing!!

The lesson is, never give up! Keep fighting and digging deep no matter what! You’ll amaze yourself 🙂