Few things can beat coming home when you find a big box filled with great Huub stuff in front of your door. Yes, the swimming rock is getting pimped up with state of the art swimming gear.
I got my Archimedes wetsuit and will do a write up later after I have tested it properly. But trust me, it looks amazing and the build quality is good.
I also bought a triathlon specific backpack. You may ask what is so triathlon about it? I has a waterproof chamber for my wetsuit. I think that is practical and useful.
Yesterday I tested out the last piece. My new big buoy. I have been swimming with a standard Speedo buoy for years, it is nothing wrong with it if I was a good swimmer or if my weight was 120 pounds. But I am a swimming rock around 180 pounds. The big buoy lifts my legs up so the swim is more similar to swimming with a wetsuit. Also, it looks really cool (I am a sucker for good design)
The sport of triathlon have more coaches than athletes. You can find advertising for coaches in print magazines and online. In my area several coaches have teams with their athletes, and if you search online you can find everything from fixed program to a high end customized program with a high end prize. So in this maze, how did I end up with my coach Tony DeBoom?
No not that Tony, this Tony
First I have to say something about my view of what is a good coach for me. My ideal coach will try to transfer knowledge, make me understand why I do what I do. If I get more knowledge I should be able to not only start a dialog about the training, but also give better feedback, and better feedback should give a better program.
I am 42, I am married, I have a kid, a job and triathlon is only one part of my life. I need a coach that understand how it is to be an age grouper with ambition to be a good dad also (not just to get an ironman tattoo).
I need a coach, not a dictator. I personally have never understood athletes being happy with a yelling coach, but on the other hand I am not a team sport of a guy......
So why Tony?
I had/have on goal, Norseman. I knew that it would be more practical to have an American coach, but it could be harder to find one who understood what Norseman is all about and also was a good fit for me. After I saw this interview with Tim DeBoom about his and Tony's experience at Norseman 2011 I knew I had to contact them regarding coaching.
Tony has made no promises other than that hard work is paying off, that ambitions should match what to put in, that the journey is as important as the race, that triathlon is suppose to be fun and that life will throw you curve balls.
He has given me the tools to make Norseman an epic journey. He has made me swim faster, bike longer and run happier. I have gotten a deeper understanding of how to structure triathlon training and also how to have fun.
If you bike a mile (or one hundred miles) in my cycling shoes you would be jealous and I mean really jealous. After using my old shoes for 5 years I finally went and got myself a new pair. Why did it take five years? The old pair just worked, the shoes fit my feet no matter what, socks, no socks, thick, thin, rain, shine.
So when I was going to buy a new pair the most important thing and what was on the top of my list was looks. I am 42 and not looking like a Calvin Kline model anymore so I need to have great looking shoes....... Well, I just did not want something to 2013, since it will be 2014 next year and I will use the shoes then :-)
I wanted quality, good adjustments and quite light. I ended up with Specialized new top model S-Works. You can find more information here
The shoes look great
Over to performance, the shoes are great, really great. A lot better than the rider (me). I love the BOA system, the lining is really good and the stiffness is what you expect from a top of the line shoe. And they look good in a suit, even after six o'clock.....
Last week was a big week for me. When I am talking about a big week, the hours will be smaller than for most long distance triathletes. But since I am racing in the naïve class when it comes to my abilities, it was big for me. Total hours: 17.5.
My son enjoyed time with his grandparents in Southern California so while they went to Disneyland, I went swimming, biking and running. I swam two times, biked 4 and ran three. 17 of the hours were on just six days. I could feel all the training in my legs, but it was really good to get some quality training and some hours in the training log.
I am at a point of no return when it comes to training and Norseman. With only three months left I can only build on what I have done the last year. I know I have done an ok job, hopefully with some smart pacing and eating it has been ok enough. Now I need to sign up for some spring racing.
I am a triathlete and I am coming out of the closet. Yes it is true, I am a heel striker. Not all the time, but most of the time. I did not chose to be a heel striker, I am sure I was born this way. But I have moments when I am not a heel striker, it is when I run faster.
Yes, the speed I run decides how I run. When I jog slowly I am landing on my heel, when I run fast I land on my mid-foot, and when I try to be a sprinter I land on my fore-foot. So when I was in the market for some new shoes I went with what is working for me (and most other runners), shoes with good cushioning. I bought a pair of Brooks Glycerin 10.
Every time I get new shoes I have to make them mine. The truth is that I can easily start to hurt in my Achilles if they get any pressure. But luckily I have a solution, a kitchen knife.
I bought the shoes and went on a two hours easy run with no problems. Good shoes, now the runner has to be better.
Another ok week with training and now I have only three months left to Norseman. Three months is not a lot of time, but I should be able to get in 10 good weeks before I start tapering. For me Norseman will not be a race of speed, but a race of holding back, eating and accepting the pain and suffering. It will be a race of pacing and endurance, so your head has to work and your body needs to be fit for the distance.
Last week I swam once (not good), ran twice and biked four times. Overall I had 12.5 hours of training. It is not bad, but I constantly feel I should do more. But I also constantly feel I should be at work, be a husband and be a dad. So I really should be quite happy.
Going forward I have to start practicing my eating. The goal is to be around 70 – 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour. It sounds a lot easier than it is, and I know I have to be vigilant when it comes to fueling.
I have decided on my bike frame, Scott Plasma 3. Now I have to find out what kind of wheels I want. Picking wheels is like picking my first suit for confirmation at age 15 back in Norway. I really hope my wheel choice will be better than the suit I was wearing in 1986. Luckily I do not have any picture to share but here you have Knut Knudsen looking good.
If you ever read the forum at Slowtwitch you will find an endless discussion about wheels, often a heated one. Sometimes it looks like picking wheels is like picking a sports team. But I think it is great. Equipment is fun, stuff is fun and different views are ok (as long as they agree with me ;-)
So what do I want to get out of my wheels? Well, first of all they have to work with my choice of frame, second they have to work on my main race this year Norseman, third they have to work on other races after Norseman and last they have to not be too expensive.
Even though I will have support at Norseman, I want to go with clincher wheels. If I get a flat at Norseman or any other races it will be easy to just change the tube. I have done that before and can be quite fast.
When you climb you usually also have to go downhill also. At Norseman I will have some long and at time challenging hills. The wheels have to be stiff enough to survive a big guy standing, but also be able to take the heat of all the breaking. If a wheel has been used in some of the mountain stages in cycling I am sure they can take the beating from me.
My friend Jack has made me believe that aero always trumps weight. A light wheel set maybe feels faster, especially on the climb, but if you look at the numbers a aero set will be faster even at Norseman.
So what will I chose? Where I stand today I will go with something well proven and safe, something that can give what I want from a wheel set for Norseman, but also be useful over several seasons. Currently my choice is Zipp 808.
