Race Rig is finished. All systems go.

After doing a re-fit for a more aggressive position, thanks to the gained flexibility from all the training in the off season, Ian (my main mechanic)came over and helped me set in the changes. Removed one spacer, swapped out the "R-bend" bars for a straighter "S-bend" bar, the PD T2+ carbon bars, and a wing-profile base bar. I am able to get into a more aero position with this set-up and still maintain comfort for 70+ miles (the longest I've ridden so far), and have an optimal power output.

Thanks for Ian for his excellent work on the bike! He came over for an afternoon and went through the pains-taking task of routing the cables internally through the bars and getting everything tuned in and set up to my specs, gettin 'er ready for the season!



The new bars are set up and ready to be plugged in.



Bars are plugged in, wrapped, and ready for the hydration system!



As you can see, I have a different hydration set-up. I was continually doing battle with my aero-bottle, even on the trainer, and finally chucked it and went with a water bottle cage clip made by Minoura. It's pretty slick, and it is actually pretty easy to take the bottle out, chug, and replace it all while riding and staying in aero.

Also, I zip-tied a water bottle cage underneath my saddle. Seems to me that it would be more aero, and since my longest race is a 70.3 this season, that combined with the downtube bottle and the bottle up front, should be more than enough hydration for that bike course.

We have dubbed this bike "The Enforcer" and we are ready to roll.

Thanks to Great Plains Paleontology!

I would like to extend a great thanks and appreciation to Great Plains Paleontology and Craig Pfister for taking up the role of title sponsor for my 2009 season!

GPP will be supporting me throughout the race season and allowing opportunities for me to compete that I might not have otherwise had. Craig Pfister is a good friend of mine, and we have put in hours together at Ace Hardware. He is also an avid cyclist and is very generous to support my addiction!

GPP and Craig are one of the few paleontology firms left that do all their work "from the ground up", literally. Every summer, Craig spends many months out west collecting fossils, and bringing them back home to clean and prep for sale. It is a very unique and interesting operation, and Craig truly takes pride in his work, and sports the "blue collar" work ethic that I strive for.

For more information on this gig, check out his website:

www.pfossil.com


Thanks again to GPP and Craig Pfister!

Season Schedule.

Here is my schedule for the upcoming season!


June 7th- Lake Mills Sprint, Lake Mills, WI

June 14th- Capitol View Olympic, Madison, WI

June 20th- Horribly Hilly Hundreds 100K, Mt Horeb, WI

July 19th- Door County Half Iron, Egg Harbor, WI


After Door County, we'll evaluate and go from there. Possible races include Augusta 70.3, Devils Challenge Sprint, and the Las Vegas Marathon.

New Title

As you can see, the title of my blog has changed.

Why?

It represents a change in focus and mentality. To me, blue collar represents the working class. The men and women who put their hours in, day in a day out. Hard work and earning your dollar. No portfolios, no bling, no fancy cars. They are the workhorses of America and don't get enough recognition for being the backbone of this country.

And they don't care. Blue Collar workers know that the secret to happiness in life is enjoying what you do, no matter what it is. They don't long for the roller-coasters of Wall Street, the enjoy the continuity of Main Street.

This is the mentality I am adopting to training. Day in, day out. Yes, I have a nice bike. But I don't have the cash to put on a set of 1080's with a powertap. I don't train with a heart rate monitor anymore. For me personally, these are all distractions. Volume and nutrition are all that I am focusing on these days. I think that will get me far.

Blue Collar, waking up early in the morning, punching the clock and gettin' 'er done.

Good Luck to everyone as your seasons begin!

Welcome Back!

Wow.


It has been too long. Waaaaaay too long without a post on the blog. I am chillin out on the couch watching Dane Cook on Comedy Central (kinda funny, not my favorite, though), in a reflection mode.

Coming in to the spring, I am finishing up a fairly tumultous winter, probably one of the roughest times of my life. I'll spare the details, but I've basically hit the "restart" button on life and am back to square one trying to decide my future and determine my next move.

In the meantime, I am putting in hours at the hardware store, and putting the hours training, too! Off-season training was fairly successful, I was able to tweak, modify, and improve my swim stroke (holding avg 1:30/100 pace for 2000-2500m), my pedal stroke (23-26 mph avg on no-wind flats), and my running gait (more of a mid-foot strike now, centered under the hips, 7:30 avg pace for 6-10 miles). The off-season focus turned into a more technical one, choosing to spend time analyzing video and focusing on drills to improve technique first, then laying down the base work on a good technical foundation to ingrain proper habits. On this note, this off season was a good one.

As a result, though, I was not able to lay down the "aerobic base" that I was hoping for, volume wise. Depending on who you talk to, that may not matter as much as you think. But, the undeniable fact remains, you do need volume to go long. In talking about half-iron and full-iron distance events, there is a certain threshold of volume that is critical to having a good race (ie, not blowing up and being able to finish without putting yourself in danger of injury). It takes a long time to build up this base, depending on who you are, your aerobic background, genetics, etc.

I'm not certain that I've reached that threshold. In my workouts, I am able to put forth a higher intensity for a shorter period of time (ride 50 miles in just over 2 hours), but that is my limit at the moment. I don't know if I am in need of more training, or if I just get bored too easily with a longer workout, or what. I would suspect that developing a nutrition plan for long training rides would help, too. At any rate, I feel I am stuck at a level of training volume and intensity that is between an Olympic distance race and a half-iron distance race.

I feel like I've run out of time to bump it up to that next level. Race season starts in a week for me. 2 sprints in a row, followed by an olympic, followed by a 100K bike ride, and then three weeks out from that is the Door County Half Iron, my projected "A" race. Do I have time? I don't know. Probably not.

Am I worried about my volume? Not necessarily. I think my main concern lies with my discipline. Triathlon is really my first venture into the world of endurance sports. Having the discipline to pace yourself over a long distance is hard. I can't tell you how many times I've gone out on what was supposed to be a "long easy run" only to be picking up the pace and going for an all-out PR effort, and blow up with 4-5 miles to go, and walking it in. Fortunately, it is happening less and less. I think I have a harder time on the bike. Biking is becoming my strength, far and away. Not distance, but intensity over distance. I am "fortunate" enought to live in southern Wisco, home of some great hill country.

These hills are where I go to do battle with me inner demons, and I pound relentlessly until those demons are crying for mercy.I can see myself going out hard in the half-iron race, having an amazing bike split, and then walking the run portion. Knowing this, what do I do? I have set some tentative goals for my bike splits.

The problem isn't that I'm a bad runner. Running alone I am actually fairly decent. I have some muscle mass to drop before I can be "really" good, but I am not too worried about that. The problem is my running off the bike, especially if I really put forth an intense effort.

This is most likely the single thing that separates the pros from the amateurs. Discipline. Knowing full well your capabilities and pushing right up to that limit, and having the strength to hold it right at that limit and not an ounce more.

Something to shoot for, anyways.

In the meantime, I will be re-evaluating my season goals, making sure to remember the MOST important one, HAVE FUN!!

In the meantime, stay tuned for upcoming race reports, training updates, and a new look to the race rig! I will be working with my good buddy and mechanic, Ian, to get the P2C smoothed out and set up for race day! There will be a couple of interesting changes to the bike and to the way I ride it. It is still in the experimental stage, especially of my riding style, but that is the way the season is starting to shape out. A time for experimentation and tinkering, and self-discovery.

Thanks for tuning in!!

-J

Helpful website

Ever wonder what a good method for warming up for a run is? Or a better way to carbo-load the night before a race than stuffing your face with pasta?

Check out www.ironmantriathlontips.com, loaded with useful tidbits that can answer those nagging questions and let you sleep at night!

100/100 Challenge begins tomorrow!

Every year, the crazies on the Slowtwitch forum hold a challenge which serves several purposes; help people build a base, keep triathletes motivated through the off-season, and provide a medium in which we can keep our trash-talking skills sharp.

The Challenge: run 100 times in 100 days. Simple as that. Definition of a run is 30 minutes at a pace in which both feet are off the ground in each stride. Ergo, no walking, aqua-jogging, or "elliptical", whatever that means... Running in it's simplest, purest form.

I have decided to partake in this challenge, because as I stated in a previous post, running is my weak link, and when I came across this, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to really build a strong base. Since the minimum is only 30 minutes, I can build it in with my swim and bike days as well, without overworking myself in a single day.

The nice part is that there is room for rest built in. If you need to take a rest day, or miss a day for whatever reason, you can make it up by running twice in one day, as long as the runs are 30 minutes and spaced at least one hour apart (as I understand it).

I am also taking this opportunity, since the spirit is really about exploration, to test out some new products and put them through a real test and some real mileage.

First off, the hot new Nike Lunarlite Trainer. Got to do some more research on what exactly this foam is, but it was developed by Nike in conjunction with NASA, is supposed to be crazy cushiony, while being super-lightweight. Well, they are crazy light, and in a few mild test runs leading up to the challenge, they have proved to be really comfortable for 3-4 miles a crack. And that's just the TRAINER, they say the Lunaracer is even LIGHTER! If this challenge goes well, the Lunaracer may be my shoe of choice for the 2009 season.

Next up, the 2XU calf compression sleeve. The claim is that the added support basically increases the efficiency of transporting blood back to the heart and giving the muscles support during fatigue. According to my sources, these really aren't neccesary unless you are running/walking/standing for more than an hour or two. They can really cut down on ankle swell during long flights as well. Not only will I be wearing these on the longer runs, but also during the day at the hardware store, where I am on my feet all day long, and see if they help with fatigue at all.

For montitoring hear rate during workouts to make sure I am getting the most out of my run, I didn't really want something with alot of bells and whistles, just something to tell me where I was at in my zones, and had a memory. Found the Sigma PC9 at my local tri shop on sale, and I think it will do the job, we shall see.

I used to use a whey protein drink for post-workout recovery, but since have been looking for something a bit more affordable and a little lighter-sitting in my stomach. A good friend recommended PowerAde Recovery, which has an optimal blend to promote quicker recovery.

Water. This one is kind of a joke... :)

I will make it a point to write an update every week or so and let you know how the runs are going! Since all of Madison is basically a sheet of ice right now, I will probably be doing a lot of the runs on the dreadmill, but oh well, running is running, right?

The challenge begins in 2 hours, should I do a run at 12:01 to ring it in properly? Hmmm....