Big push before Eagleman

3 weeks before Eagleman and training is going really strong. After Harryman Tri last weekend, I now have 2 weeks to really focus on my training and have high quality training.

Early bird suffer-fest on the trainer...on my rooftop, not bad! 

1st Podium of the season - 3rd OA at HarryMan Olympic Tri

Great first race of the season at Lake Welch, NY

Race Report: Click here

Race Report: Harryman Olympic Triathlon kicks off 2014

Race Report: Harryman Olympic Triathlon - May 17, 2014

This was the first tri of the season. The objective here was to get back into it, mentally prepare for it, and evaluate my fitness level. Eagleman is the main focus for now, with Zurich in the back of my mind as well.

My Stats:

Overall time: 2:17:19 – 3^rd OA

Swim: 18:36 | T1: 0:57 | Bike: 1:20:12 | T2: 0:33 | Run: 0:37:02

Course specs:

Swim: Lake Welch - Water Temperature: 58F at the beach / 49F at the first buoy - Very windy

Bike: 

58.57 miles - Hilly course with technical downhills and long steady climbs - few flat sections

Vertical ascent: 2,456 feet (Garmin knows 2,295 feet)

Run 

6.06 miles - rolling hills with a slight steady downhill in the last mile

Vertical ascent: 386 feet

Swim

The water looked really cold. The official temperature was 58F by the beach but dropped to 49F by the first buoy (at least according to the lifeguard who put the buoys in place). I warmed up for 4-5 min and felt good. The water did not feel too cold, but I could definitely feel the chill of the water seeping into the wetsuit. It was very windy, and buoys could not stay in place. The 0.6-mile swim looked and felt a lot longer.

I had a great start, quickly breaking away from the pack and sticking with the lead pack. Amazing sensations, though I somewhat forgot how chaotic the start can be. I had to wear a nose plug (go figure, I have nasal issues when swimming in fresh water only), and unfortunately, that thing kept falling off. I had to stop 3 times to put it back on. Despite that, I was still chasing the pack, not too far behind.  

I felt really well, and almost felt like I was not pushing hard enough. I still had the lead pack in sight, which gave me confidence that I was swimming well.

T-1

The key takeaways I took from this race came from swimming and T1. Very sloppy transition! I couldn’t remove my wetsuit, and took extra time to organize my swim gear…WHY? Lesson learned! This race displayed some gaps I need to work on. I knew I was rusty coming into this event, and I’m glad it showed today and not at Eagleman.

Bike

The ride was a succession of climbs and descents, with little to no flat sections. My Garmin showed 2,546 feet of ascent. I felt really good on the bike, and as the weather started to warm up, I started to feel more and more at ease. My heart rate was fairly high, but it was expected. With the rolling hills and some steeper sections, keeping a low HR was tough. 

I held back a bit on the technical downhill, as I was more concerned about not crashing than my overall time. I could have taken a more aggressive line on the turns, releasing the breaks a little more, but I did not want to risk it. At the end of the descent was a 180-degree turn. I remember crashing on that same turn on my very first sprint triathlon back in 2011. I approached it with caution. 

A long 2-mile climb awaited us after that turn. I paced myself well, getting up on the pedals, as I feel more comfortable that way. 

I kept a strong pace on the second loop, though I could feel the burn in my legs. I did not know how far

I was from the leaders, but it wasn’t important. Today was all about sensations. I felt good on the short flat sections of the second loop, a good sign that the legs were still there. After few climbs, I approached the technical descent with caution as there were more athletes going down the hill. Again, I wasn’t there to break a record or clinch a “KOM” on strava. Instead, I was focused on getting good sensations on the bike, on my biking, and on my new wheels. The bike felt great though it needs a tune up. Some squeaking that I would like to fix, and some gears skipped when I shifted. Other than that, I felt really good on the bike.

Love my new wheels! 

My new Hawk-Racing V55/80 Veyron Tubulars are amazing. They are incredibly light, yet very sturdy on the climbs. I never felt any restrictions on my riding, neither on the updhills nor on the downhills. The wheels are incredibly easy to maneuver, and ride very smooth, even on beaten roads, which gave me more confidence and control on the downhill. The fear of getting a flat dissipated quickly, only to come back when I saw people on the side changing their tires.

Well, it wasn’t all perfect…

300 yards before getting back into Transition, the spare tube I had attached onto my bottle cage fell on my cassette, quickly getting entangled in the rear derailleur and breaks. I immediately stopped and tried pulling it out, but I would have had to take the wheel off for that. I looked where I was and decided to run to T. I ran barefoot for 35-40 seconds. I was not happy at all, but that was another thing I am glad happened during this race and not during Eagleman.  

T2

It went well. I spent 33 seconds putting the bike back on its rack, grabbing my race belt, visor, and sunglasses.

Run

Distance: 6.06 miles | Vertical ascent: 386 feet

Big unknown! I remember last year where I would push hard on the bike and run on an empty tank, often leaving a sour taste in my mouth. And knowing that I pushed harder than I should have on the bike, I expected a tough 10K.

The 1^st mile had a nice steady climb for about .6 miles. I started having a breathing cramp but tried not to focus on it. The 2^nd mile was flat and with a slight descent for the most part. My breathing started to improve and my legs were surprisingly feeling good. I averaged 5:45 on the 2^nd mile, and paced myself well on the next 2 miles to average 6:14. I felt really good, with a good form. Thinking back, all my brick runs are at a much higher intensity than last year’s. Most of my runs now are done at a higher HR, pace, which prepared me well for this run. Though I pushed hard on the bike, I never felt like I was running out of gas. I was worried about it because I did not do a good job with my nutrition, taking only 20Oz of fluids, and probably 150 calories on the bike.

I could feel like I was being chased, and despite having a good minute on my chaser at T2, I did not want him to close the gap on the first half. I knew that keeping a good distance with him on the first 3 miles would give me a boost of confidence and would certainly not help him. I did just that and kept him at a good distance. I saw him being 45” behind when we turned around. 

I finished on a very strong note, with a run that I controlled from the very beginning, handling certain situations well. Above all, I proved to myself that I could be mentally strong to push hard and stay focused.

New toys for this season: Hawk Racing Tubular wheels!

With Hawk Racing kindly helping me this season with my race wheels, I had a tough decision to make: should I stay with clinchers or give tubulars a shot? It is a tricky decision to make because I have ridden with clinchers my entire life (and by life I mean in the past 4 years). Clinchers give you the comfort of knowing what to do in case you get a flat tire, it is easy to maintain and replace, and doesn't require much practice. On roads like the ones we have here around New York, riding clinchers make more sense because we are more subject to a puncture (roads are terrible!). Plus, from the wallet standpoint, clincher tires are cheaper than tubulars.

My new set of speed demon tubular wheels

Tubulars, on the other end, are a lot trickier and require a LOT more work. I am saying all this, but I don't know much about tubulars yet. Give me a few months to learn more and I'll probably laugh at how little I actually knew :)

Learning the technique of gluing a tubular tire, having the patience of going through the 3-day long process, and acquiring the right technique to glue the tire onto the rim are a lot to take on. On top of this, learning the technique of removing the tire and changing it in race conditions takes even more time...I presume. 

After asking my friends and training partners, I found myself in the same situation: what should I do? All of them have valid arguments, and neither of them felt strongly about one or the other. Both have pros and cons, but for some of my friends, learning how to replace a tubular and the daunting process of gluing a tire makes clinchers a better option. I was still curious to give it a shot, but I can't deny it, I was/am anxious about the unknown risks of using tubulars. I had the chance to "chat" with Frederick Van Lierde on Twitter (yup, you read it right, the 2013 Ironman World Champion), and he kindly gave me his perspective, saying that "............" Sorry, I can't finish this sentence... Bottom line is, he rides tubulars. 

Veyron 80 (front and rear) and 55 tubular wheels!

My discussion with Sven

Ultimately, I spoke to Sven Folmer, the founder of Hawk Racing, and his view was clear: Tubulars are the best wheels you can find out there. The rolling resistance is less than with clinchers, and repairing a tire does not take more time, if anything less, it takes less time than with clinchers. In addition, tubulars remove the risk of pinch flats since the inner tube is sowed into the tire itself, and are significantly more resistant to flats. 

The only downside is that you'll have to carry an extra tubular tire with you on race day (they are more resistant to flat, not puncture-proof), which can be bulky and less aero. It will take more practice to perfect the technique. Tubular tires are also more expensive and you'll also need glue, but as Mariesa says, practice makes perfect. 

Sven convinced me to get tubular wheels, and after talking with him, I pulled the trigger. Not only did I get a pair of Veyron 80T, but I also got a Veyron V55 in the front for the climbs of Zurich. 

I am thrilled and anxious at the same time, but I feel like you have to make those decisions sometimes. I do believe that it is a good decision, and that with practice I will be more comfortable with the idea of riding tubulars. Who knows, maybe I'll train on tubulars one day :) 

First Impressions...

Veyron V55T Front wheel glued! 

They look amazing! They are incredibly light, and the finish touches look amazing. Of course all I can say for now is about the aesthetic of the wheels, but I cannot imagine them not being great on the tarmac. Matty Reed now rides on Hawk Racing, which proves that the brand is making its way to the creme de la creme in triathlon. And not to mention, they are MADE IN USA! I cannot wait to try them out at Harryman Olympic triathlon next week. 

And of course, a huge thank you to Sven for all the swags that came with the order: T-shirt, Ipad holder, and a great wheel bag! THANK YOU! Let's play with them, now! 

You can check my first attempt at gluing my wheels by clicking on the below links...please don't judge :) I'm a rookie! 

Gluing the rim right before putting the tubular on: http://youtu.be/p8U8fwPcjYE

Finally putting the tubular tire on after 3 days:  http://youtu.be/gTFsfXcQnXk 

"Hot" and humid out today!

3 1/2 hours on the bike when it's 65 fahrenheit felt like a hot day...it's all relative of course, but compared to the 30-40F temperatures we've been having, 65 felt like 80, and it felt good! 

It was foggy this morning around 6:30am. My weather app of my Iphone indicated 100%, but no rain. The roads were wet and slippery, but that was it. I had a mechanical issue with the bike 45 minutes into the ride. The magnet of the powermeter was dislodged. It took me about 20 minutes to get it fixed, but it saved the day. No power means approximative training, and with 4 weeks to go before Eagleman, that was not the best. 

I pushed a lot more in the 2nd and 3rd hour of the ride than I usually do, focusing on getting as close to the target wattage I'll be shooting for at Eagleman as possible. Nutrition was key. I planned it and prepared it last night, and had a light breakfast this morning. I've been using Powerbar's new wafers lately and have to say that they are delicious, and they work. I tried their Chocolate-Peanut butter ones in the third hour of the ride (I am not a big fan of peanut butter), but it tasted great. 

I got home feeling great, but it was already 76 degrees out, and though the humidity dropped a notch, it still felt hot, humid, and heavy out. 

My 30-min run went well, though I could feel the impact the heat had on my body. I felt good, but it required more work from my heart to maintain a decent pace than it has in the last month. All good though, this training was great! A good opportunity to get a taste of what Eagleman in 28 days.