Katie's Korner

Our IronGal, Katie, checks in with a few significant "achievements" in her training, one of which we all thought she would have accomplished when she was 3 years old! Actually, its the perfect accompaniment to yesterday's post, "Reality Bites." (So now we've got #1 and #2 covered!)

Milestones...
After 6 hours and 10 minutes, I completed 100 miles on the bike....and actually felt pretty good. On the 20 minute transition run, my legs felt great. I couldn't even feel muscle soreness. The only thing was a minor cramp...but overall great.

The pre-ride meal was much better this week. Last night I had spaghetti, squash, and salmon.

Before the ride, had dried banana and on the ride had:
1/2 pb and honey sandwich
1/2 banana
1 bottle Gatorade (some serious psychic pain inflicted on Oude "Buckeye" Granny)
1 bottle of water
1/2 cliff bar
1 Trekker bar
1/2 honey goo packet

Overall, about 700 calories on the bike. I think the honey goo may be what made my stomach hurt the last few times as it was better this time.

The problem was....It was so damn windy! Let me just say that being a weatherman has got to be the best job in the whole freakin' world! They're EXPECTED to be wrong...and when they're right, they're praised! Imagine if that were your job! How sweet!!

Basically, it was supposed to be nicer today than yesterday...NOT SO! The easterly winds were absolutely ridiculous! At times I felt as though I was going backwards! And in all honesty, I rode some big hills this time and going up one of them, I was going 4 mph! I literally almost fell over! And since I can't clip out of my pedals...I would have!

Also rode with some cycling guys for a bit. Until I decided they were way too fast for me.

"See ya later guys, I'm turning back."

They tried to get me to say, but I insisted otherwise. Here they are in their matching attire with Quintana Roo everything, from long pants to long sleeves to little booties to put over their shoes to keep their toes warm!!! (as it was 45 degrees starting off). There I am, in my biker shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt! I looked like such a poser! Not saying I don't want all that fancy stuff, but, ya know.

Another big training accomplishment: I peed on the bike.

Yes, that's right. I'm sorry if that grosses some of you out but, it's all in the name of the sport. I won't go in to detail but it was another landmark...and this is my training journal!

I want to thank Len for giving me the info on the biking Chi (to imagine the movement from the hip)...it really helped.

Any advice from anyone on how to keep the neck muscles from getting so sore?

Okay folks, enjoy today!
Katie

It's All About The Bike...
With all due respect to Lance Armstrong, in Katie's case it's all about the bike. So since she's still experiencing neck pain, let's finally break down Katie's Trek 1200.


As far as triathlon/TT (time trial) bikes, Trek's 1200 is, for all intensive purposes, neither. Depending upon the year Katie purchased the bike, it would fall under Trek's Recreational/Entry Level Road Category. However, that's not to say that a road bike can't be converted for triathlon use.

According to the standard specifications (again, the purchase year of the bike is a factor), Katie's 1200 has a couple of good things going for it. The frame is made of Trek's Alpha SL (Super Light) aluminum, and it also possesses a Bontrager (Trek's in-house brand for bike parts) carbon fork. Both these elements make for a lighter bike (lighter also means faster), while the carbon provides dampening of road vibration. You can see why most of the higher end bikes are made completely of carbon (extremely light, while saving the body from road chatter).

Another aspect of the 1200 (dependent upon the year) that also helps to soak up vibration is the width of the wheels, 25mm. This width is perfect if you're into touring and long distances, but for a triathlon it's not so good. If Katie hasn't already done so, she should switch out to 23mm width tires. This will provide less rolling resistance, thereby making her faster.

In a previous Katie's Korner, we established that triathlon bikes have a different geometry and that women also have specific geometric needs. What is most likely causing Katie's chronic neck pain is either one of the following or a combination of over extension and incorrect saddle or aero bar (handle bar) height. Since she has already been fitted for the bike, it may require some fine tuning to get Katie dialed in. For the distances she'll cover riding and running, neck pain is the last things our IronGirl in training needs.

All of this isn't intended to dispirit our IronGal, or for lack of a better phrase, make her feel "ghetto," about her bike. It actually shows the mettle from which our Katie is made. After all, it's more about the human machine, and not necessarily the one underneath that will carry Katie to the finish line.