It's not about the Bike

Well that's definitely right.  The engine on top of it is out of shape.  I'm a fair weather cyclist so during DC winters I don't get any miles on the tri bike at all.  The last outdoor ride was in October and the first outdoor ride this year was in March.  I was also just a bum knowing that the Ironman wasn't until November so I didn't even hook the bike up to the indoor trainer but perhaps 3 times.

The one thing I do ride is the spin bike.  I ride it like 2 or 3 times a week but it's really not the same.  That first outdoor ride is a total shock to the legs.  No heavy flywheel momentum to keep things rolling sucks.  The position is totally different and so the back is sacrificed early on and even the ass is telling this seat is pretty hard and uncomfortable.

The bike is plan is just to do a gradual build until August.  In August, start doing more structured workouts and using all the base from the early summer to really speed up.  I'm struggling on just maintaining a nice easy slow workout pace when the weather is so nice.  Going fast on the bike is so much fun especially when you can keep up with cars in 25mph zones.  Patience is key or I will be totally burnt out by November.

The other key is to get the body ready to handle constant aero position for 5 plus hours.  The Arizona course is almost pancake flat so most race reports talk about struggling to stay aero for that long.  In normal, riding through town and stuff you're always stopping, standing, etc with hills and lights.  I've been scouring Google maps looking for a smooth, safe stretch of road that I can do loops or out-n-backs on.

I thought I had found one, the Clara Barton Parkway.  It's a 4 lane road with not much traffic early morning on the weekends and it's flat with 8 miles out and back.  The speed limit is 50mph but the cars have a whole lane to pass and plus there's shoulder here and there.  Well I had successfully put in two 50 mile plus rides on the parkway when I was ending my 3rd 50 miler last weekend, I was stopped.  Not totally stopped but enough of a police stop to tell me bikes aren't allowed on the parkway.  Luckily, I didn't have to play the I just moved here card which so far has been successful in getting out of a "blowing through a stop sign in a park" ticket.  Sure it's been over 3 years since coming out to DC but technically, I moved here just 3 years ago.

Anyway, back to Google for so more searching and then scouting on the bike.  My back has definitely been a problem but hopefully it will get it's act together by November.  Now the legs are slowly getting used to some outside miles and are coming around.  My pace on the bike is getting a little easier but I still haven't done any intervals or tempos just yet.

In the back of mind, I think I can average 21mph for the Ironman bike portion with race wheels and aero helmet.  It won't be a walk in the park but it won't be redline.  This puts my goal bike time at 5:15.  So the plan is do some serious bike training as the months close in to make 21mph feel like a ho-hum pace.

Stay tuned..