Water and I Still Aren't Best Friends

Photo: Arcady Genkin, Flickr Creative Commons

I mentioned in yesterday's post that knowing what to do when you panic or tire in the water is an essential skill for beginning triathletes. I know this from first-hand experience. I've never really been super comfortable in the water. As a kid, I refused to put my face in the water, meaning in fourth grade, I was still dog paddling even though I actually knew how to swim correctly. (My 5-year-old son somehow picked up this trait from me despite having never been alive while I was overly nervous in the water.) I made my mom sign me up for the swim team in 5th grade so I'd be forced from embarrassment to get over that fear. It worked... sort of.

For the rest of my adolescence and into adulthood I was able to swim face down and going under the water was okay, but I didn't really enjoy it. In fact, once I quit the swim team from being burned out on practicing after 7th grade, it was common for me to go years between visits to a pool. In fact, I'm pretty sure there was at least a decade of consecutive years in 17 years between my last swim team practice and my first day training for my first triathlon as a 31-year-old where I never had a reason to put on a swimsuit. I am, and was, a competent swimmer. My form is reasonable. I'm okay with my face in the water, although it REALLY helps to have a pair of goggles on when I swim. I forgot them once and it was the most miserable 15 minutes of training ever, but I have always had an issue when something happens to disrupt  my breathing, even temporarily. A hiccup, or a threatening burp that stops my exhalation in the water, a wave breaking on my as I take a breath, just mistiming my breath for a fraction of a second, all of these can leave me with water up the nose and a flash of panic.

In the last two years, I dealt with this the same way, pull up, switch to the breast stroke, where I feel much more confident, but it's a slower stroke, catch my break, clear my nose and then go back to the crawl. It worked, but it was frustrating and inefficient. Suddenly, this week, I'm finishing up to six-tenths of a mile (currently my longest sessions) without having to switch strokes once, even though I have those moments of botched breathing (although rarely). At some point this training season I've managed to keep that flash of panic back. I'm able to, without breaking the rhythm of my stroke, clear out the nose and get back to my breathing rhythm easily. I haven't needed the breast stroke to get my composure back. I just don't lose it to start with. That's a huge victory and a huge boost to my confidence, which is much more important (at least to me) during the swim than on the bike or on the run.

It still doesn't mean I like the water. The swim is still my less favorite and the hardest to motivate myself to practice. In fact, if I ever give up triathlons, it will be because I'm just tired of swimming. It does mean that I expect to drop at least 10 minutes off my swim split at the Bandits Challenge this year. Last year, I panicked early in the race and had a disaster of a swim. I didn't even choke on the water. I simply got freaked out by the increased distance (1.5K versus my regular 400M). I ended up resorting to the breast stroke frequently and they way I'm going right now in practice, I should be able to really hang with the pack this year on that leg.

Triathlons Can Be Expensive, but They Don't Have to Be (And Other Tips for Beginners)

Photo: Meyer Felix, Flickr Creative Commons

In less than two weeks, my third season as a triathlete begins with the Turtle Crawl Sprint Triathlon on Jekyll Island, Ga. This will be my return to my first ever race, a race I had to miss last year because of the inconsideration of a close relative getting married. Don't they know to check my race calendar before settling on dates for any important life events?

With two seasons (and six races) under my race number belt, I'm still not an expert, but I am an expert at getting started. Unlike a lot of the triathletes who like to give advice, I'm an not a very good athlete. I have to work harder than most people to achieve the same level of performance. I'm okay with that, but that also makes me unusually qualified to give advice to those who aren't abnormally athletic but who are considering trying to finish a triathlon for the first time. Here's my advice to those looking to get a start in the sport, but who aren't experienced athletes.

Show Me the Money

Triathlon can be expensive. All you need to run is a pair of decent shoes and $20 (or less) to sign up for your first 5k. Triathlon has a few more requirements. The race fees alone are usually significantly more expensive than the typical run or bike race. For example, the Peachtree Road Race is one of the most expensive runs I do each year and only sets me back $38.05 after taxes. Most of my races are small town runs that cost between $5 (including T-shirt) and $20. Contrast that with the my closest Ironman branded event, the Augusta 70.3 race, which starts at $275. That right there is enough to scare off a lot of potential competitors, especially if they're like me and not rich.

Ironman isn't the only game in town, though. Most of the triathlons around me are much cheaper (especially if you stick to the short sprint and Olympic/International distance events). A sprint race I do in the Okefenokee starts at $50. An Olympic-distance event in North Carolina is $65. You can even find 70.3 and full Ironman-distance events for a savings. The Atlantic Coast Triathlon is the same distance at the Ironman 70.3 races, but starts at $175. Sure, these are all more expensive than you'd expect for the typical run or bike race, but you're not having to pay hundreds for one race, either.

Of course, the entry fee isn't the only expense in triathlon. There's the wetsuit, which will cost hundreds. There's the bike and related gear, which can run into the thousands. There's the specialized clothes, the shoes that are made just for triathlons because they go on and off more quickly.

Except, you don't need most of that as a beginner.

Let's face it, unless you're coming to triathlon as a highly competitive runner, cyclist or distance swimmer, you're not going to have a chance at winning anything to start with anyway. Finish a couple of races with the bare-bones gear and then start building your collection once you decide if you're going to stick with it or not. Here's what you'll really need to get started:

• A racing swimsuit. Men are really the only ones who have to worry about this part as there are no aerodynamic casual swimsuits for men, at least in the US. You either wear board shorts or racing budgie smugglers/jammers. For women, if you feel comfortable actually exerting yourself in your regular one-piece/bikini, you're probably already good. Fashion swimsuits won't cut it, but you can easily find something suitable that could also serve you well hanging out at the pool.
• I'd pick up a pair of decent goggles. You want to be able to keep an eye on the buoys that mark the swim course, and if you're like me, seeing with water dripping in your eyes is nearly impossible.
• A decent road bike. You don't need the specialized time trial bikes to start with. If you're doing Xterra or other off-road triathlons, you just need a decent mountain bike. Now, I will be honest. A time trial bike will make a very real difference in your performance. It just won't make enough difference to be worth the money unless you had a chance to make the podium without it. If you're lucky, you can find someone with a bad back who will give you their road bike on long-term loan for free like I did. If not, you can get a decent bike for good money used on Craigslist,  and that's assuming you don't already have a suitable bike.
• Helmet. There is no reason to spend money on the high-end helmets unless you're also shelling out for the time trial bike.
• Clipless pedals and bike shoes are preferable. They really do make a difference, but if you're not sure you're going to stick with triathlon or bike riding in general, you could save some money by sticking with platform pedals and running shoes (and shave time off your bike/run transition).
• Running shoes. You don't have to spend a lot on these, but you need shoes that you can run comfortably in for at least 3 miles.

That's it. You probably already have some of these. The only guaranteed big money is the bike itself. You can probably get the rest for under $200 if you're careful with your purchases and buy used when that's a reasonable option. Notice the common triathlon gear I didn't mention:

• Wetsuit. I have never used a wetsuit. I do not own a wetsuit. I have actually won my age group at a small race without a wetsuit. In fact, because I live in the South and race between late May and September, most of the races I do aren't even wetsuit legal. If the water is over 78 degrees (25.5C) you can wear a wetsuit, but aren't eligible for awards. At 84 (28.9C) degrees, no wetsuits are allowed. I start swimming outside once the water temps are over 60 (15.5C) degrees and I currently feel no discomfort in water that's around 66 (18.9C). Why wear a wetsuit, then? Well, some races are in colder waters where wearing a wetsuit is a safety issue. Minnesota in June? May want a wetsuit. It also increases your buoyancy, which means you ride higher in the water, which means you likely swim faster. Like the specialized bike, this just isn't necessary unless you're competing for the podium and basically wasted money if you race in the South. Live up north? Find a race in the South and build a vacation around it (or race in August).
• Triathlon suit. You can get one-piece or two-piece suits that are designed for triathlons. I, in fact, own a two-piece suit. It's basically a pair of swimsuit jammers with a thin chamois (the padding in the crotch of bike shorts) and a top that is made out of swimsuit material as well. The advantages are that you have a little padding for the bike while simultaneously having clothing that works fine for both the swim and the run. The thing is that you don't really need that chamois for short races. Most sprint-distance races only have you on the bike between 10-16 miles. If you've been training, your butt is going to handle that without a problem. If you're doing longer distances, you may actually want a pair of tri shorts at least. The top is optional. I wear one because I'm fat and self-conscious about my gut. If you have a better body, go ahead and show off that core.
• Specialized shoes. They make specialized bike and running shoes for triathletes. If you notice, they typically have big loops or holes at the back and on the tongue of the shoe and usually have special lacing systems or straps. All of these are designed to shave seconds from your transitions. Unless you're ready for the time trial bike and funny helmet, you are definitely not ready for a pair of shoes you'll only use for the race. Don't bother.

Make Sure to Practice

Money won't be your only concern, of course. There's also the whole training issue. Triathlons are hard. That's the whole point. If you have a really good cardio base (active runner or cyclist) then you can probably get away with only spending three months of active training. If you are fairly fit, but running three miles isn't easy, you may want to give yourself an extra month. Live a sedentary lifestyle, are overweight and can't even run a full mile yet? Give yourself another month or two. Did you notice that I didn't say that last person shouldn't try? That's because if you are healthy and really train, anyone will finish. That last person may come in toward the back, but they'll finish. Find a good (free) training plan online and stick to it. I'd plan on training at least four days a week and I'd make sure to combine sessions on the days you're not doing a long day for one of the disciplines. For example, I did a 20-minute swim session followed by a 3-mile run yesterday. It's also a good idea to work in at least one bike/run brick each week. That means you'll ride the bike, usually the distance of your planned race, followed by a quick change to run. I usually do a short run on these bricks. Normally, I don't bother running less than three miles, but on these days, I'll just get in two. The goal isn't to entirely replicate the race day but to build the muscle memory for how to transition from the pedaling motion to the running motion. You'll be surprised if you don't do this how hard it is to start running after the bike on race day.

On special piece of advice on the swim: If you aren't used to swimming, make sure to focus your training on this part. If you can run 3 miles, you can bike 16 no problem. You'll be faster if you train at both, but being able to do one means you're fit enough to do the other. Swimming, on the other hand, uses lots of different muscles and requires you to be able to be comfortable in the water. Make sure to give yourself time to get the feel for it and get a little form down. Form will help. Take a masters swim class at the local pool. Spend some time on Youtube looking up video tips from various people. Finally, have a plan (and one you practice regularly) for what to do if you panic. For me, I know I have a tendency to panic if I get water up my nose. It's a phobia I've had my entire life. However, I know I'm really comfortable and confident at the breast stroke. If I get tired or panicked, I simply switch to the breast stroke until I regain my breath or composure. It's slower, but I feel more in control.

So, you still thinking of doing a triathlon? Go for it. You can do it relatively cheaply, especially if you already have the bike and stay away from the pricier events where the extra money largely goes to pay for the logo, but make sure to train. Results in triathlon, like most things in life, are entirely tied to the amount of effort put into to getting ready for it. I just wish I had learned that last part earlier in life.

My Legs Are Finally Coming Back to Me

Photo: SkipSteuart, Flickr Creative Commons

As the post title suggests, I'm finally getting comfortable running again. I'm still not where I was this time last year; back then I could knock out a sub-8-minute average pace on any run of 10k or less, but I'm finally feeling comfortable running again. The constant worry about the ITBS flaring back up is gone, and I'm comfortable running at my normal training paces. It's nice to be able to go out and run and know that I won't be frustrated by the resulting times. It's also nice to know that I can run 5 miles at a relatively easy pace (sub 9) and then still have enough left to drop a minute off the pace for the last mile. (That's run the last mile a minute faster than the pace for the previous miles, not running fast enough to drop a minute off the average for the entire run. I did that last Thursday. It was my first 10k run since last December. My thighs were a little sore because of it. It was nice.

I'm getting a little antsy, though. We only have two weeks left of school. After that, I have four days of post-planning and then we're off for two months. I don't really know what I'm doing from there, and I mean that on two levels. First, we had planned on going to Michigan to visit my sister and her new baby, but it turns out that when we'll already be in the upper Midwest, (early June) helping my mother-in-law deal with her mom's estate there may be a conflict there. Considering that late June (triathlon in North Carolina), Early July (Peachtree Road Race) and late July (next school year starts up) are already taken, we may not be able to work in much of a trip to Michigan.

Even if we do make it to Michigan, I've got my brain wandering to other trips I'd love to do. I want to start on my road bike on the bridge that crosses the St. Mary's River dividing Georgia and Florida and keep riding until I cross into North Carolina just north of Clayton. Of course, it'd be an easy trip if I started in North Carolina and rode to Florida. It's basically all downhill that way. Probably wouldn't have to pedal but twice. I also want to do some riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Give myself a real reason to use the small ring on my bike. I've never actually used it. I always leave my bike set in the middle ring, although I plan on trying to use the big ring some during races this summer. I can climb any hill I've been exposed to in the middle ring, and I can't pedal any faster on the flats than the gears the middle ring allows, but basically any downhill has me coasting faster than I can pedal in the highest gear on that ring. I'm wasting my legs on the downhills.

I'm also going to start taking my son out on his first overnight hikes this summer. I even picked him up a kid's backpack that's shaped and styled just like my big backpacking pack, but much smaller. He gets it (and his own headlamp) for his birthday next week. I'm taking him to hike part of the trail that was my first ever overnighter. I think he'd get a kick out of the boulder field on Panther Creek Falls and maybe we can find the salamanders at the top of the falls.

As for the other definition, I currently have applications out for three area schools who need media specialists. Considering the fact that I've found all of one opening that wouldn't require me to move in the previous two years since finishing my degree, that means I have the best chance I've had of leaving the classroom since I started teaching. I could be doing what I have the degree to actually do, finally. That'd be a huge change. (And a 30-45 mile one-way commute, although considering the surrounding systems usually pay significantly more and the lack of anything resembling traffic here, that means a 30-45-minute commute and more money coming home even after increased fuel expenses.) And true, I actually do want to move, but that's not going to happen until the youngest is old enough for public school. I've got to bide my time for at least four more years.

Even if I stay, I have notified my athletic director that I'm not coaching high school tennis anymore. If I don't get one of those other three jobs (or another one that hasn't posted yet), I'll probably be coaching middle school tennis next year. I'd be more use at that level, which would make the job feel more worthwhile, and the season is basically half as long. The time commitment was my main problem the last couple of years with the high school team, so I think I'd be okay with this.

I Like Numbers. Why Do I Hate Math?

Photo: snailbooty, Flickr Creative Commons

I know. I know. I said my next post would be about the bike, and it actually is out for delivery right now as we speak. I even got the shock pump and tools I ordered from BikesDirect.com yesterday. Can't say I have any complaints about their order processing speed, but that's not what this post is about.

I went on a diet Tuesday. I've mentioned in the past that last year was a bit of a plateau in my training. I peaked at my fastest back in early spring of 2012 and no matter how much I trained, I never got any faster. In fact, my fastest 5k time later that year is still about ten seconds per mile slower than my peak. Even at the peak of my marathon training when I couldn't have been in better cardio shape, I couldn't get back to that 7:09 pace. Not coincidentally, that was also me at my lightest. In other words, I don't think I can get any faster without getting lighter. And, unlike 2010 and 2011 when my weight was in a steady decline just from my suddenly increased levels of regular activity, I can't seem to drop below 204 lbs. Running 40 miles a month? About 208. Run about 100 miles a month? 206. Obviously, I can't be trusted to manage my diet just by feel because I always feel hungry and you may not realize how awesome an entire family-sized bag of Doritos sounds when you've been running and riding a lot.

This makes sense. I also suck at intuiting numbers in other contexts. Don't ask me to measure something by feel unless it's something I'm ridiculously familiar with. I do, on the other hand, really like looking at stats. I have no idea why statistics fascinate me so when I hated all of my math classes. I don't really care for watching baseball games, but I really get into keeping track of the stats and playing fantasy baseball. The only thing that could make my love of football more complete would be a rich statistical universe like baseball. (And the constant flow of rugby. Could you imagine how great football would be if the players were required to always play no huddle and commercials were relegated to halftime and before and after games?)

That fascination with statistics was why Weight Watchers worked for me back in 2003 when I was the lightest I'd been as an adult until until recently. I had numbers to obsess over. For some reason, having those numbers to look out and that puzzle of how to make sure I had enough of them left at the end of the day to eat supper made it incredibly easy for me to turn down the temptation of the aforementioned giant bags of Doritos. The only problem is that Weight Watchers costs money and I'm cheap (except rare occasions like that bike). Telling myself that I couldn't buy more beer until I got myself under 200 lbs really gave me a bit of incentive to finally get serious about my diet and I remembered MyFitnessPal. I had heard that this was a pretty good resource and in using it that last three days it's a lot like my experience using the Weight Watchers website. They've got a really complete listing of foods, and the ability to put in your own recipes and be able to plug servings of that recipe into your daily food log. You also plug in your exercise and get calories back to your pool for the day. The numbers are a bit more complex than that (you're also given goal totals for stuff like sodium, total carbs, and sugar, which are also adjusted for your exercise), but you get the idea. So far, I'm starving constantly, which I usually was before. It's just that I'm doing better about what I do to stop that feeling and so far I haven't had any problems keeping within my stat goals. Today is going to be the real challenge. I overslept this morning and missed my chance to ride the bike before school and between the rain and tennis practice, I likely won't be able to get in a good run unless I get on the treadmill at my parents' house. I did at least jump in the pond and get in my first third of a mile swim of the season. Despite that frigid March we had, the water temperature wasn't bad. I've swum in worse. It's just three weeks later in the year than when I usually get started.

BikesDirect.com: Looks Like Crap, Supposedly OK

Photo: Lαin, Flickr Creative Commons

As I mentioned yesterday, I ordered my first mountain bike through BikesDirect.com. This is not exactly a place that inspires confidence. First, all of the bikes are ridiculously cheap based on their parts. For example, the bike I bought is probably about 40% cheaper than any name brand bike with the same or similar parts. Seems fishy. Second, the web design is total crap. They spend a lot of time getting the specs for the bikes on the page (something that they do at least as well as other respectable bike retailers with online sales), but there no real way to organize or search the listing. It's just a big page of links, basically. They at least organized by levels of componentry, but that's as far as they go.

I'd like to say that before I go any further, that I did NOT make this purchase without researching the site. The Mountain Bike Review site (and their forums) were a constant source during my research on mountain bikes and their forums are full of questions about BikesDirect. The only complaints seemed to be in regards to customer service (although a couple of commenters who mentioned bikes damaged in the mail had positive remarks about speed of replacements. Several comments were on how fast the bikes were delivered. Since the majority of Motobecanes sold in the US seem to come from this site, the fact that Motobecanes tend to be reviewed very positively is also a good sign.

From what I can tell, it seems that BikesDirect.com more or less is Motobecane. Motobecane USA is not the old French company of the same name, but I think they bought rights to the name for sales in the US. Unlike other brands, there aren't really any bike shops that have deals to sell the brand in their store. There seem to be a few, but they are far from common. For example, Free-Flite is a licensed dealer of Trek and Niner. Roswell Bicycles sells Specialized and Giant. Also, they obviously aren't spending any money on web designers. My guess (since no one online complained about the frames being total crap), is that the fact they don't have to worry about undercutting their retailers, they can afford to sell o the public. I'm guessing they're trading marketability for overhead. There's no brand recognition, no bragging rights for riding their bikes, but they sell dirt cheap without being (supposedly) crap. As for those frames, they're made by the same Taiwanese company that makes most of the frames for respectable brands like Trek and Raleigh.

So, after thoroughly researching and realizing that buying a comparable bike elsewhere was going to involve a significant price increase, I decided to take a chance and buy through BikesDirect.

First, trying to find the bike I wanted was a bit of a pain in the ass. There are bikes from two years ago on there with really good prices but random sizes for midgets and giants. There's also the fact that the bikes built on this frame are like 2 inches taller than bikes in the same size built on this frame. I did finally narrow it down to the bike I wanted to buy. Good components. Seems to be low-level race-worthy, which is a minor priority for me. I want this bike partly to open up off-road triathlons like the Xterra races. The price was unbeatable. I never saw another bike, other than that Novara I didn't like, with a minimum of SRAM X7.

Despite the web design that seems to have been done around 1997, they use Paypal to handle their shopping cart and payment, so that went successfully, and I was charged what they said they would charge (no shipping and handling, no sales tax). I also ordered a shock pump because this should be an air fork (instead of a metal coil spring) and a tool set for putting the bike together. That's right. I have no handyman skills whatsoever and I'm going to try to put my own bike together. We'll see how this works.

There are a few things that worry me. One, I have no skills in putting things together (or much else in the way of practical skills). Two, because of the lack of brick-and-mortar retailers, I wasn't able to test right this bike. What if my math (or their listings) are wrong and the bike is the wrong size? Supposedly I can return it for a refund or exchange, but I also have to pay the return shipping. How much does it cost to shipped a boxed bike? It can't be cheap. UPS say the package is 30 lbs.

On a positive note, that means my bike is under 30 lbs, which seems to be good since the Trek X-Caliber I liked was 31. We'll have to see what things look like when they get here.

In fact, that will probably be my next post. When the bike arrives, I'll post about the delivery and my attempt to put it together. Wish my luck.

I Dreamed a Dream of Velo

Photo: Chris DiGiamo, Flickr Creative Commons

I dreamed that I owned a bike shop last week. Actually, it wasn't a bike shop. I just had a room with a shit-ton of bikes in it. Despite the fact that my stable was larger and more diverse than basically any local bike shop I've ever seen (excepting the Ansley location of Atlanta Cycling), I was still doing what I've been doing for most of my waking hours the last week: debating over which new bike to buy.

I've told you I have obsessive tendencies, right? Well, I do, and when I realized that I had no real reason to spend money on a time trial bike for triathlon when I don't even have a good mountain bike, I immediately started researching off-roaders. Should I go with a Novara because REI's house brand tends to already be about as cheap as you can find for a bike with a given component set? I get 20% off if I buy in the next week plus 10% on my membership return next spring. I can get a bike a bigger name in the business would charge $1,200 for and only pay about $850 after tax. That's not a bad deal. Or should I go with Bikes Direct and get an even better bike (and make my stable an entirely Motobecane affair), for basically the same money since I won't have to pay shipping or sales tax. The problem there being I'll need to do some assembly and maybe buy a few tools, but I've been considering getting more into doing my own bike maintenance anyway. Maybe I'll volunteer this summer for a week or so at Free Flite in exchange for some free training. It could be...

Wait. I'm doing it again. Ooh, look, a bike with racing-level components for barely more than a thousand dollars! Sure, it's a little over my slightly arbitrary budget but...

Seriously, I put up with that all week last week. I don't even know if I got anything accomplished at work. I have no memory of it whatsoever beyond looking at bikes. Like this one.

Dammit! That's not even a mountain bike and wouldn't be in my budget even if I had saved that much money. Wait, what was the order of the SRAM component tier again? How does that compare to Shimano's hierarchy? Did you know Shimano also makes fishing equipment? Do they let you mountain bike in a Wildlife Management Area?

Oh, and I found $250 in dividends sitting on my credit card account that I didn't realize I had. That should be enough to increase my budget enough to just buy this, right?

To finish up my week of obsessive research, I visited three bike shops this weekend. (I stopped at a fourth, but they were closed because it was Easter.) First, I hit Free-Flite in Marietta, which is definitely a shop I recommend. The people working there know what they're talking about and I've gotten good advice from them in the past. I feel guilty that I didn't go with them, actually, but I'll explain my final decision later. I tried out a Trek X-Caliber and I really liked it. It had all SRAM X7 components which was the level I wanted to get at the least and a really good racing-level fork (the shock absorber that holds the front wheel). I liked the way it rode. I liked the way it felt. I did not like the $1,500 price tage. By the way, Free-Flite had that bike listed for about $100 lower than MSRP, so they weren't gouging me, either. They didn't have any bikes in my price range that I was happy with, but I got a bit of an idea about what to look for in sizing.

Too be honest, if they had been open on Sunday, I may have gone back and asked about the 12-month, no interest financing I heard them mention. I'm glad they weren't. I didn't need to spend that much right now. It was my favorite bike of the day.

Next, we went to REI to try out the Novara Ponderosa. I was not impressed. Honestly from talking to the bike tech there and reading the reviews online, I think the Ponderosa was unfairly presented. It has the same components at the X-Caliber, but a less expensive fork. It was a little hefty but struck me as flimsy feeling for some reason. The suspension was squishy and it didn't shift cleanly. The bike tech said it probably just needed to have the air spring pressure bumped up and since this was a floor model, it's likely it just needed to get tuned up to shift better since there's no reason SRAM X7 shifters would suck on the Novara and rock on the Trek. Still, that bike kind of fell off my radar despite the preferential pricing.

We finished the day at Performance Cycle, which was a waste of time for me (not a single bike that lived up to standards in the entire mountain bike section of the store). I did at least get an idea on how sizing is affected by the 26" wheels versus the increasingly popular 29ers.

By the end of the day, I was heavily leaning toward the BikesDirect.com option. Of course I had to start modifying my plans. After learning about the sizing, I had to throw out the bike that had been my leading option on that site. All the options were too large or two small. After fiddling around and researching all of the bikes in my price range, I settled on this: the Motobecane Fantom 29 X7. I went with the matte copper option because they didn't have my size in the matte gray.

The bike has shipped and I should be getting it late this week or early next week. I'll be making a few posts as things progress about the process of buying the bike, putting it together, and riding it in the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow, using the site.

No Whining from Me this Year

Photo: andrea joseph, Flickr Creative Commons

I got the e-mail yesterday from the Atlanta Track Club that I got a spot in this year's Peachtree Road Race, so you won't have to read existential whining as I fret about getting a spot in the 2013 race. Seriously, I've gone back and read the pieces from 2010 and 2012 when I had periods where I thought I wasn't going to get to run and I can be a whiny little baby sometimes. Barring injury or other unforeseen problems, this will be my fourth consecutive running of the 10k race and probably the first where I don't post a personal record for the course. In the last year, I've just hit a wall when it comes to speed and unless I start doing something drastically different (losing 15-20 lbs, getting a running coach, actually sticking with speed work) I don't see myself doing more than matching what I did last year. I could be wrong, but at least it doesn't bother me anymore. I'm good with where I'm at as a runner, although I am hoping to lose some of that weight.

I will be starting in B wave this year. I could have used a race I ran in Feb. 2012 that qualified me for A wave last year, I just used last year's Peachtree time. Honestly, after taking two and a half months off for the knee issue, I'm not sure I still deserve A wave, especially when Peachtree is in the middle of triathlon season and I'll have stopped run-specific training months before the race. Once I achieved that goal of A wave, the starting wave assignments don't mean quite as much. It would be cool to post a sub-42 10k or a sub 20:15 5k and be able to run sub-seeded right behind the pros, but that can't be an immediate goal. I'm just not there, yet.

In other training news, I signed up for the Turtle Crawl Sprint Triathlon in mid-May. This is the same race I ran for my first triathlon back in 2011. I skipped it last year because of a wedding I had to attend (stupid family members who don't have the common courtesy of estranging themselves before getting hitched), but I'll be heading back this year. It's fairly close to home and it's at the beach, so the kids will be entertained. Plus, it's a good race. I'll also be going back to the Bandits Challenge in North Carolina this summer. Other than those two, my schedule is pretty light, and I'll probably keep it that way. Note to self: Really focus on hill training. Bandits is ridiculous with the hills.

I'm also really close to purchasing my second bike, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm going with a mountain bike. That decision has required a few shifts in my thinking. Because I've been saving for a racing bike this whole time, I had my savings goal set around $1,500. That seems to be the price where I can get a good time trial bike and the pricier bikes have diminishing returns. Sure, the $10,000 bike is better than the $1,500 bike, but not significantly more so than the $1,500 bike is over the $800 bike.

The thing is that with the mountain bike, my goal won't be racing. Sure, I'll inevitably start signing up for the occasional off-road triathlon and duathlon and may even do some mountain bike races, but I'll really just be getting this bike to enjoy riding trails. In other words, I don't need the $1,500 bike. I can actually get a good bike that will last and be safe for the money I have now.

I thought I had found my bike. REI had a 20% off of their outlet store deal and I found this. Good bike. Very good (but not top of the line) components. Twenty percent off would put it into a very reasonable price range for what it was and what I was willing to pay. The problem is that the 20% off thing was limited to the REI house brand Novara bikes. Back to the drawing board.

I did find a bike by Performance Bicycle's house brand that was an insane deal. The components are actually the bottom tier for SRAM, but then so are the components in all of the bikes in my new price range. It's an insane deal because it's an entirely carbon frame. For the non-bike geeks out there, that's crazy expensive normally, and this is running on sale for $950. It's slightly more than I'm planning on spending (and slightly more than I currently have saved), but a ridiculous deal. I am very tempted by this. Like I said, I will eventually do some racing on this and while I doubt I'll ever be competitive, this would be an ideal starter bike for that. I could always gradually upgrade the components to match the quality of the frame and have a very fast mountain bike.

Before I buy anything, though. I'm going to continue on with my research. I need to find out if carbon would be really stupid if it's going to be my only mountain bike (and it will, at least for a long while). The fact of the matter is that I won't find a better bike for that price, but if it's stupid to do anything but race on a carbon bike because they are less durable or something, why would I spend that much money on it? More than likely, I'll end up buying something with a good aluminum frame and the same level components for $100-$200 less. We'll see.

As for right now, we're heading up to Atlanta this weekend. I'm hoping I'll have time to work in a trip to the bike store (hopefully both Performance Cycling and Free Flite) to get an idea about sizing and talk to those guys about what I'd need to add to my research.