Day 7: Tuesday 16/7/13
A 45km ride today with a medium-light gear at about 100 RPM.
I like to race at about 85-90 RPM so a cadence of 100 is a nice spinning pace
for me that doesn’t feel too strenuous. However, I am working on this in the
lead up to Shepparton 70.3 in November. Ideally, I will train myself to ride
fast and comfortably at a 95 – 100 RPM cadence because it produces less stress
on your working muscles, in turn, saving more energy and strength for the run
afterwards. It is argued that the lower cadence is better because you have a
slightly lower heart rate but I won’t know until I train for it and do so in a
race.
This particular ride helped me realise a couple of things
that I’m not happy with. They are my saddle and how comfortable I am feeling in
my ‘aero’ position. Firstly, my saddle is still no good. I have tried two new
saddles recently, both models from the ISM Adamo range, and I have found that
they do not suit the width of my pelvis. I decided to try these saddles because
I have had trouble with pressure on my perennial area on my previous saddle
that doesn’t have a ‘cut out’ section. The ISM saddles both have a ‘cut out’
from the mid-way point, right to the nose of the saddle and there is no join at
the nose. Essentially, it looks like to prongs sticking forward. I believe they
are very popular among triathletes these days but, as with all saddles, one
size doesn’t fit all.
I returned the ISM to the shop I had trialled it from and
went to speak to the guys at my regular bike shop http://cyclesgalleria.com.au with whom I had a lengthy discussion. They
provided me with a Fizik test saddle which doesn’t have a full cut-out but a
centre section, running the full length of the saddle, which dips inwards and
is about 2cm wide.
The guys mentioned a few other key things to me. Up until
now, I considered my bike set-up/position to be as good as it could be.
However, I will now look to adjust my saddle position, and possibly handlebars,
to find a position where I reduce the perennial pressure significantly and find
more comfort on my aero bars for long periods of time.
Day 8: Wednesday 17/7/13
I’m feeling quite tired today due to going onto early shift
at work yesterday and two nights of insufficient sleep as I try to change my
sleep pattern around to suit the early wake-up. This can often take its toll
quite quickly and set my training back for a few days. I take this very
seriously as I am all too familiar with the symptoms of being run down and
stressed. Being aware of the key signs and what damage might be done if not
properly looked after is priceless for long-term health.
I rode to work this morning and caught the train home. I had
intentions of doing an all over body weights session but I was feeling very
tired and lethargic. I decided to focus on some self-massage and relaxing
before attempting to get to sleep very early. Not forgetting to watch my
recording of the previous night’s Tour De France stage.
I put on my compression tights and then used my foam roller
along my ITB and other parts of my quads. I also used it on my calves which had
been tight since my run on Monday. I even slept in my tights.
Day 9: Thursday 18/7/13
My legs felt somewhat refreshed this morning after the
treatment I gave them yesterday and overnight. Recovery and knowing when you
need to hold back is just so important.
I will be doing the Run Melbourne Half Marathon in 3 days so
I’m easing off the bike and run training for the next few days to freshen up.
Today was a 4km mixed swim, with plenty of kicking during freestyle and
backstroke sets. My kick is very weak which causes my legs to drag a bit low in
the water and developing this will provide some valuable endurance training for
those muscles which can transfer across to running and cycling.
I am feeling fairly comfortable with the half marathon
coming up but I don’t think I have the speed to beat my personal best of
1:29.32 this early in my training. We’ll wait and see though. I am not looking
for a particular time, just out to enjoy it.
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