Quick Update

This will be pretty random. I'm just not finding the time to post lately.

I heard about a 1 mile or 2.4 mile swim that is happening at Spruce Run in Clinton NJ the weekend of May 7-8. I can't find anything about it online tho', which is frustrating. I want to sign up for the mile, it would be a good practice swim for Columbia & Mooseman. Water will probably still be cold enough for me to try out the swim cap I bought to put under my race cap. There are times that the Mooseman swim is cold enough to give you a good brain freeze. I figure it's probably a good idea to give this a shot. Especially if it's a cold day for the bike.
EDIT: Here is a link to the JackRabbit Jerseyman Open Water Swim at Spruce Run May 7th.
3 events .6, 1.2 and 2.4 mile

Last week as I was parallel parking the car out front, I pulled the front tire into the snow (ice) bank a bit and it completely flatted the tire. It pushed the tire off the rim. Fortunately it didn't cause any damage to the tire, I just had to take it in to be reseated. (free because I buy all my tires at Costco)

I dropped 2 pounds during the first week of this new plan. If you watch the biggest loser, it doesn't sound very impressive. As much as I'd like to think I can power through these last 10 pounds or so and make it happen in a hurry. I have to realize 2 pounds every week would be terrific. (I'll be happy with 1 every week)
As expected the low carb thing really evens out my highs and lows through the day. Which means I'm not in search of food in between meals. I'm feeling pretty good about it all. I only bonked during one of my workouts. The others aren't necessarily my best but I'm in my HR zones and that's all I need to do right now.
The one thing I'm still slacking on is food tracking. I manage breakfast and lunch well but then I figure I don't need to write down dinner because, well, I know it's not going to put me over. So what's the point of figuring it all out? I need to start doing this so if I stall, I can look to see what I can modify. Also it's a good habit for when I start changing my diet again.


I found the Polar 625x's (HR watches) selling on ebay used for good prices so I picked up a couple of them. I spent a bunch of time messing around with setting them up. It's been awhile since I've used the software and there have been some updates. I figure it will be nice to have some of these charts to see the progress. (for those days when you don't think there has been any).
So it's typically set to capture speed from the front fork of the bike. Well, I'd like to start picking up some data from my trainer rides now. So I rigged up my bike so it's reading off the back wheel. I just had to put the watch under my seat, that way it's close enough to pickup the speed.
I had my other watch on my wrist for HR, that is until the battery died. I'll send that in for a battery swap this week, Genine's as well. Once they get back, all our watches will have new batteries and will be set for the year. The extra watches will also mean we can leave one attached on the bike during the race. Much easier to see it on the aerobars than on your wrist while riding. And Ruth will appreciate that I won't have to mess with it in transition.

I had ordered a Tri jersey and when it arrived it was the wrong one. So when I sent it back instead of asking for a refund, I changed my order to a Speedfil. I've read good things and bad things about this system. I like the concept of it and figured it's worth giving it a shot. I've been considering figuring out a pair of bottle holders behind my seat as well. For the Half Iron, I've been thinking about having one with flat Coke in it. I'll have to try it out on my long training rides. Caffeine and calories in a hurry. Also if the speedfil fails, at least I'll have a place to put bottles from the aid station.

The chain on my Cervelo still drops often. I'm hoping to get to the bike shop tomorrow to have them install the Chain Catcher. I was a bit hesitant about this idea at first but when I was at the bike shop the last time, many of the guys there say they have them on their cyclocross bikes. Also they said they would work with me to get the derailleur "tuning" better.

I finally put 2 and 2 together and realized that my swim workouts have always felt rough because I've been doing my weight training the night before my swim. I'm now moving it to the same day as my swim but after going to the pool. Hopefully that will allow me to hold better form longer.

Not too long ago I said my ankle has not been a issue. Naturally as soon as I say that, it reminds me that it's still there. So I've got to get back on track with my ankle exercises. While I was at it, I went looking for some other things that I consider weaknesses of mine. This is what I found.

Exercises for Hips and Glutes.
Clam Shell exercises for Gluteus Medius.

That's what's up.