tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49591508289957465822024-03-13T19:42:25.072-04:00Becoming triathleteMy journey from couch potato to running and to triathlonskxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-83439950875244685662012-01-02T08:32:00.001-05:002012-01-02T08:32:03.466-05:00Old new inspiration for 2012<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/FcgltzDtfnIFsttGgvhrlFIcbjsIIlmAAzrcjvJsphrkCEaikbahDpzxHnfu/p34.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P34" height="635" src="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/FcgltzDtfnIFsttGgvhrlFIcbjsIIlmAAzrcjvJsphrkCEaikbahDpzxHnfu/p34.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p>Call me geek, but for some reason I felt that the best motivation to get back to regular training will be with new watch. And not just any new watch, but the one that helped me train for many successful races - RS800cx. <p>For variety of reasons I could not get consistency in training last year - well the main reasons were abnormal amount of travel (its never good sign when the stewardess know your name) and of course 4 months long injury with additional 2 months recovery period which pretty much destroyed my tri season 2011.</p><p>I felt that I need to get some outside help with motivation to get out of bed early morning each day and get the workouts done. I think this new watch I got from my wife for Christmas will help me do just that. After all this is the year of aging up to the most competitive age group under the sun. And it is not 35-39.</p><p>Have a great 2012 everybody.</p></div>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-87369058119055381272011-09-26T09:07:00.003-04:002011-09-26T09:11:50.969-04:00ChesapeakeMan Aqua Velo 2011<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/BkhlJwezBicArpEhkggaxkDuEfjkeFCtwnFypfeICaBhgpHjaxgDFcqgpGzJ/p232.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P232" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/BkhlJwezBicArpEhkggaxkDuEfjkeFCtwnFypfeICaBhgpHjaxgDFcqgpGzJ/p232.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="350" /></a> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/HfCnIHgJxAuGcsBkbkobBmyvraDlpuEoIoqdxEDGfIyuegnegAroFamwtmuG/p234.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P234" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/HfCnIHgJxAuGcsBkbkobBmyvraDlpuEoIoqdxEDGfIyuegnegAroFamwtmuG/p234.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="350" /></a> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/HulpfhtGryuzbjAHlJCnxniakFuCJlkpHmejmmoJEcahzHJwviGmAzzigChs/p236.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P236" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/HulpfhtGryuzbjAHlJCnxniakFuCJlkpHmejmmoJEcahzHJwviGmAzzigChs/p236.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="350" /></a> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/cGIHjkDcDgjbJHGbCgJiwgizBsynAalxiwpxgIHoiuIHwHfooBygsgGIblkq/p238.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P238" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/cGIHjkDcDgjbJHGbCgJiwgizBsynAalxiwpxgIHoiuIHwHfooBygsgGIblkq/p238.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="350" /></a> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/rwrkfHpmcnlhgHFDujGtJuksgGnzDyyskfzJpbtiFCIHnhbasvzgeiespHHw/p242.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P242" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/runtotri/rwrkfHpmcnlhgHFDujGtJuksgGnzDyyskfzJpbtiFCIHnhbasvzgeiespHHw/p242.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="350" /></a> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://runtotri.posterous.com/chesapeakeman-aqua-velo-2011">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p><p><div class='p_embed p_video_embed'> <a href="http://runtotri.posterous.com/chesapeakeman-aqua-velo-2011"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/video.posterous.com/runtotri/iGuEyrvvxFrGCpwFkCzsEtHJcxGIzgoyodyneHBFjkrmiCjxejvvsCCgsxpG/frame_0000.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>p240.mov</strong> <a href="http://runtotri.posterous.com/chesapeakeman-aqua-velo-2011">Watch on Posterous</a> </div> </div> </p>This was fun race on Saturday. I went into it with no expectations - just go out there swim my best and ride my best. I knew the course and expected Choptank ballroom to be choppy and bike course to be very wet. In the end Choptank was calmer than I expected and the bike route was wet, but not as much. <p>The swim was actually really good with some chop at the end of each of the two 1.2 mile loops. The bigger challenge for me were jellyfish - got stung at least 5 times on my hands (sleeveless wetsuit) and my face. But I just kept going figuring that if the stinging does not go away by end of the swim I can get checked. It got better after few minutes and all was good. I got out of the water good 5 minutes faster than 2 years ago. That was very good sign.</p><p>Well off to the bike. No worries I don't plan to outline each of the 112 miles here, just highlights in case you plan to do the race - the course is pancake flat so do not expect any coasting. It also tends to be windy, we were lucky this year as wind kept to minimum. Be ready to ride through stretches of water on the road and don't be surprised if the puddle is bigger the next time around. The tide and wind can raise the level a bit - so we too rode through some puddles the first loop and on second through what seemed like good mile long puddle. If you ride through them keep to the middle as you can see the yellow line and follow it. The loop features about 4 miles of very rough route - it feels like shaker. You will hit it around 45-50 miles on first loop and about 80-85 on second. It's not too bad, but it can mess up your back and if you are not confident in your tri bars it is better to come out of them.</p><p>The bike was fine until mile 90 which seems to be my threshold point when I feel like - get me out of this seat. So I know to just stick with it and keep pushing as the end is near ;-). My bike time was about 13 minutes slower than 2 years ago which is mostly due to me not being able to stay aero for long time as my left hamstring was limiting me a little. Still I take it given the amount of travel and workload in the office over the past 6 weeks. </p><p>The really ice thing is that my effort was good enough to win my age group. Which was the highlight of the race for me. My friend Ron scored 3rd in his group and coach Craig finished 9th in the ultra distance only few days after he completed Ultraman UK. Congrats to both of them as well as all the others that raced this weekend.</p></div>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-49563869543491228402011-07-15T16:08:00.001-04:002011-07-15T16:08:51.716-04:00To LP or not to LP - returning to racing from ankle injury<p>Some of you may know that I managed to screw-up my foot pretty badly during the race series Ohio Triple-T in May. To make long story short - during the run in second of four races I stepped on lose stone while running down the trail. I twisted my ankle and had to completely stop. After a while I was able to start moving again so I first walked and then jogged it in. While I was doing that a big softball somehow grew around my ankle so I pulled the plug and went home. Well that sounds easy, but it was not - I drove 9 hours home from Ohio and cursed myself for not being more careful.</p><br /><p>Fast forward to following Monday when I saw my dear doc in Foot and Ankle practice in Bethlehem - seriously great doc that tells it like it is which I really appreciate even though I may not like what he is saying at times. Initial analysis was that I messed it up badly and needed MRI. At the same time I got pair of crutches and a boot. After MRI I knew that it is not too good - 75% tear of ATFL and bone bruising in the ankle. Prognosis 4-6 weeks on crutches with boot and with ABSOLUTELY NO TRAINING. I tried to negotiate water running (which I hate) or swimming with pull buoy (which I tolerate - actually I love swimming, but with the pull buoy it is not as much fun). But was told that any load even minimal on the foot would not aid healing. Since I has overuse injury of the same ankle last year and rushed the return to racing I believed the man.</p><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Ankle.PNG/230px-Ankle.PNG"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Ankle.PNG/230px-Ankle.PNG" border="0" width="350" /></a></div><br /><p>I was depressed like hell since I knew that my buildup to LP was seriously interrupted and that LP race is not happening. I was up in 70-80mi long rides at that point, I just broke 1:20 for 100m in the pool and things were going quite well even with running. After 2 weeks of being completely down I resumed some light core exercises, but I could not do anything else which really sucked big time. I'm not going to bother you with all the negative thoughts that I had back then, but it was not pretty and poor Dasa and Ian had to live with me. On the positive side I had more time to spend with them and we did quite a lot of fun things - like taking Ian to the movies for the first time, cheering on Dasa as she raced in local 5k, cheering on Ian as he raced in kids triathlon, trip to shopping mall on the weekend (I have not done this in a while). So it was actually good change of pace, but I definitely missed training and racing.</p><br /><p>No I'm six, well almost seven, weeks from the injury. The crutches are in the basement since last week, boot came off on Wednesday and I have been swimming and biking for past almost 3 weeks. Training is slowly building up and everything is fine - except this thing called IM Lake Placid. In the initial enthusiasm after I returned to swimming and hand cycling I though I will attempt to 'finish the race'.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5940434569" title="View 'das boot' on Flickr.com"><img alt="das boot" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5940434569_65918c2e5a.jpg" border="0" width="374" height="500"/></a></div><br /><p>I figured I could swim 2.4 miles with no problem, bike 112 will be a challenge but it is doable and I can walk the marathon and still finish before midnight. That was the idea. After I had chance to seriously discuss this with my doctor, who understands that I'm little on the crazy side, I had to re-assess. Here is how the conversation went:</p><br /><p><br /><br>Me: What do you think about me doing the race just to finish.<br /><br>Doc: What is the race again?<br /><br>Me: Well it is a triathlon - swim, bike, run. I thought I could swim, then bike seated and then walk the run.<br /><br>Doc: Yeah that sounds fine. But what are the distances again?<br /><br>Me: Yeah it is an Ironman so little over 2 mi swim, 112 mi bike and marathon.<br /><br>Doc: Are you crazy!? I can see how you can swim and bike it, but the walk will set you back a lot. There is good chance that you will be here on Monday after the race with the very same injury. Well the chance is more like 90% that the 6 weeks after the race you will be back on crutches and with your friend boot.<br /><br>Me: OK. I really wanted to do this race.<br /><br>Doc: Sure I can't stop you, but I'm putting down that you have been warned. You really have only 1 week to go from minimal walking in the boot to walk 26 miles. That is not enough. If we had 3 weeks we could try, but one week is just not enough time.<br /><br>Me: OK let me think it over. <i>In my head it was more like 'Shit this is not going to work. D*** F*** ankle.'</i><br /><br /><p>And I did rethink it. After overcoming the disappointment of not being able to do what I wanted to I made a decision that I'll start the race just to be part of the whole thing. You will see me swim the two loops and then do one loop on the bike. Then I'm going to call it a day and cheer on my friends that will be doing the whole thing (Good luck everybody!!!).</p><p>So what lead to this change of heart? Call it a reality check. Let me explain - one thing is for sure - the 6 weeks on my butt did not help raise my fitness. While I still have pretty good power output on the bike and can move pretty swiftly in the pool (despite my left foot kicking at maybe 50%) I do not have the needed muscular endurance. This past Saturday I did 40 mi ride during which I bonked like no other time and I was pretty tired the rest of the day. Then just for the fun of it on Sunday I swam in 5k race and that was very hard. I finished about 20 minutes later than I would have expected. First 1.5mi loop was OK, but the second one was really hard and I was very sore for 2 days after the event.</p><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5941111718" title="View 'Steelman swim course (part of 1.5mi loop)' on Flickr.com"><img alt="Steelman swim course (part of 1.5mi loop)" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/5941111718_7e8f8b4a3e.jpg" border="0" width="350" /></a></div><p>It is like being splashed with cold water. I need to face the reality that getting back to the fitness I had at the end of May will take time. I need to start working on my endurance and rebuild it. So the plan is treat LP as training day and a preparation for events in September or later in the year. I will be back to T-Town doing track cycling in August and later Aqua Velo race in MD before returning to full triathlon race. And I will stay in shorter distances for the rest of the year. I'm already planning for 2012 when I will not jump back to Ironman training, but rather rebuild and take a stab at the sub-5 half that is still on my bucket list (I miss like 3 minutes so I should probably practice transitions ;-).</p><br /><p>So my friends I'll see you in Lake Placid, but do not try to keep up with me since I'm doing much shorter ride than you do and I do not need to save my legs for the run. I will definitely do a hard 56mi loop and swim hard as well. It will be blast. I'm already looking forward to it.</p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-28805431442349870532011-06-20T13:35:00.001-04:002011-06-21T17:18:23.451-04:00Polar what were you thinking? Why I'm keeping RS800cx and sending the RCX5 back<p>Polar may not like me for saying this, but the RCX5 does not seem like the winner I was hoping it to be based on the marketing materials and buzz. Over the past few days of playing with the RCX5 run package I made decision to send it back to seller. I was hoping that Polar finally has a great unit for multi-sport athlete, but they did not quite get it. It certainly is not replacement for RS800cx as it has been understood by many users. If anything it is an upgrade for RS400 users.</p><br /><p>I have been using RS800cx for over 18 months and like it quite a bit. I think that even now it is the most flexible training heart rate wrist unit in the market. I will continue to use it since the RCX5 unit has many serious shortcomings to fit my needs and to replace or even complement the RS800cx. This article is a short summary of the main reasons for this decision. I hope it helps people make decision of whether they should be keeping RS800cx or replacing it with RCX5. So lets get started with the gaps I discovered.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5853696640" title="View 'RS800cx RCX5' on Flickr.com"><img alt="RS800cx RCX5" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5853696640_b150c433bf.jpg" border="0" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>First up is lack of altitude recording - Polar designers what were you thinking? This unit is targeted to triathletes that are known for being data obsessed. Altitude data is quite important for post workout analysis and the unit that does not capture altitude is utterly useless for TSS calculations and even less advanced run analysis.</p><br /><p>Second - planned exercises have two major issues. First one is that currently the unit supports only 4 phases (that can be repeated) in the planned exercise which is just very basic and major step down from 12 phases that RS800cx supports. This may be fine if your exercise structure is fairly simple - like warmup (1st phase), intervals with fixed recovery (2nd and 3rd phase), cooldown (4th phase). If you have ladder workout then you are out of luck with the 4 phases.</p><br /><p>Third major gap is that there is no way to schedule cadence based workouts - really? How often do people perform cadence drills or hill simulation workouts with 50-60rpm in big gear - I do quite often. So this is a major problem. This can also be problem for running if you are trying to improve your running cadence. RS800cx does this with no problem. Again Polar what were you thinking?</p><br /><p><strike>Fourth - forcing users to use polarpersonaltrainer.com - while I see benefit of moving the data to cloud and generally do not disagree with this concept I do have a problem with the way Polar implements this. I have NO WAY TO DOWNLOAD DATA TO MY PC DIRECTLY and load them to WKO+ or TrainingPeaks.com. Yes there is way to load data to PolarPersonalTrainer.com and then download them back to my PC so I can finally load them to TrainingPeaks.com. Yeah that sounds like 5-10 minutes per workout file. Not interested. Hint for Polar team - look at how Garmin does this - they have a fairly simple client on the PC/Mac that is capable of storing the files locally so people can actually use them. Also having to synchronize planned exercises with the web makes it hard to make last minute changes in exercise - again Garmin's model may be way to go here - their small client lets you create and synchronize planned exercises.</strike></p><p><i>Update 2011/06/21: <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/lukenrg">Fellow blogger and Polar enthusiast</a> pointed out that I missed one feature in the Polar software that lets users extract the data files from the HRM to local files. He has <a href="http://bit.ly/klaq8l">blog post in German</a> on his site that you can read <a href="http://t.co/Dafwqp0">crudely translated to English here</a>. It shows how this can be done.</p><p>So there are really only 4 reasons for me to send the RCX5 back. When it comes to it the first two items on this list are the most significant reasons why the unit went back since I do not see how Polar can address the first one and while they can probably work on the second one I do not see that happening any time soon. So I continue to use RS800cx as it is definitely superior to the new unit.</i></p><br /><p>Fifth - lack of support for pre-defined exercises outside of the Plan. This is something that I really like on RS800cx. I do few run and bike sessions quite regularly and I see no need to schedule each one of them in my diary. I do have bunch of pre-defined exercises like pickups, on-off repeats, recovery runs with pace limits, recovery spins with HR limits stored in my unit and can use them without any additional work. With the model implemented in RCX5 it is no longer possible.</p><br /><p>These are the five main reasons for me to send the unit back. There are other, less important functions, that RCX5 leaves out compared to RS800cx. Just check the <a href="http://forum.polar.fi/forumdisplay.php?f=109">Polar discussion boards</a> for more details.<br>Funny thing is that I did not even get chance to train with RCX5 due to my injury. I just played with the unit on PC, Mac and polarpersonaltrainer.com to simulate the training needs I know I have when I'm in full training. In the end this may be a blessing since I will get full refund and not just partial.</p><br /><p>Well I must say that while Polar is not going to get my money for RCX5 they did get few things right in the unit. Here are the few things I wish RS800cx did for me that RCX5 does - HR recording during swim, heart touch function, being able to switch off HR belt for specific sport, easier way to switch between sports in multi-sport exercises. But these are not important enough for me to overlook the major 5 issues I described above.</p><br /><p>My recommendation for anyone who already has RS800cx and is happy with it - keep it and if you want something new get the GPS G5 sensor which is really small and you may also get the new cradle for S3 sensor that is for RCX5 and holds the sensor better on the shoe. Otherwise I do not see any reason to upgrade to RCX5. I hope Polar has another unit in development that will replace RS800cx and will be step above RCX5. I really wish it was more like RS800cx and less like RS400.</p><br /><p>Disclaimer - none of the units in this review were provided to me by any company or indicidual. I paid for them with my own money which I hope to get back (at least for the RCX5). I like Polar products and as their loyal customer I feel obligated to call them on products that they did not get quite right.</p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-25417092437838226182011-04-30T20:54:00.002-04:002011-04-30T22:51:57.614-04:00We are ready for tomorrow - Dasa is too<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/musiljan/BfEoJCGDEreaFlIaxwfvHCrBDxxtDbAqlgfuEIDpqnbDhBtsjGeJCxtwqkji/upload.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Upload" height="374" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/musiljan/BfEoJCGDEreaFlIaxwfvHCrBDxxtDbAqlgfuEIDpqnbDhBtsjGeJCxtwqkji/upload.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via twitterrific</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://musiljan.posterous.com/51396801">musiljan's posterous</a> </p> </div>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-41041696225502377522011-04-30T20:47:00.001-04:002011-04-30T20:47:42.000-04:00Not exactly sure how this is going to make a difference when I apply it in the most chaffed area in riding.<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/musiljan/zHjEiGmCiBeJcfCpyjaovzpgFnHsnmchobfIIEwwBHJdfrnojIpBmFDfgruf/upload.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Upload" height="669" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/musiljan/zHjEiGmCiBeJcfCpyjaovzpgFnHsnmchobfIIEwwBHJdfrnojIpBmFDfgruf/upload.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via twitterrific</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://musiljan.posterous.com/not-exactly-sure-how-this-is-going-to-make-a">musiljan's posterous</a> </p> </div>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-65683202492421141252011-03-28T12:58:00.001-04:002011-03-28T12:58:44.423-04:00Polar Wind Link vs. Polar IROn the weekend I promised picture of the two side by side. Here it is. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5568065009/'><img src='http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5267/5568065009_f290007b01_b.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5568065233/'><img src='http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5568065233_594b0a59e7_b.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Note that the silver/gold USB stick is the IR interface that works with RS800 line and the black one is the Wind Link that Polar users for the new RCX5. There is no need for the Wind Link to have clear line to the WIND sensor or watch which should make the data transfers much easier.<br />kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-21819465218489628472011-03-26T16:03:00.001-04:002011-03-26T16:03:19.757-04:00What we know week after Polar RCX5 was announced<p>It has been about a week since we learned that Polar will be introducing RCX5 between May and September of 2011. Here is summary of what we already know from the correspondence with Polar, public announcements and responses to people on social networks and discussion boards. I'm hoping to get my hands on one as soon as Polar has one for me and give it a good review. Until then I'll post any news I learn on this space or my twitter account <a href="http://twitter.com/musiljan">@musiljan</a>.</p><br /><p><br /><ul><br /><li>The watch resembles the CS500 computer unit - very similar look of the face, oversize display with 4 lines of data.<br /><li>The unit will be shipped first in black color (May-July depending on market) and then in red in September.<br /><li>It will be compatible with existing WIND sensors with exception of power sensors.<br /><li>It will allow fast switching between different sport profiles with just one button.<br /><li>Unit has hybrid HR belt that will allow capture of HR during swim and also will work with Polar enabled exercise units<br /><li>The unit will gauge your current state from your HR prior to exercise and adjust the HR zones accordingly - Polar calls this Zone Optimizer and it looks like a next generation of their Tests that are in RS800cx and other models. Only here it is not a test and it seems to be done automatically before starting workout.<br /><li>The unit will be compatible with Windows and Mac.<br /><li>The data transfer will no longer be IR, but the new Wind Link low power data transfer - I'll post how this looks like since I had one for about a year now.<br /><li>The data transfer will be possible to polarprotrainer.com site that will be updated to offer similar experience as PPT5 (including planning workouts and such).<br /><li>With introduction of RCX5 Polar also introduce improved S3+ stride sensor with hard cradle that guarantees better accuracy and much smaller version of GPS sensor G5 that will be powered with rechargeable battery (charged through mini USB port).<br /><li>The packages Polar will offer are similar to ones for RS800cx - basic unit (with HR belt, Wind Link), Run (same as basic + new S3+ sensor), Multi (same as basic with G5 sensor and pouch), Bike (basic plus bike speed WIND sensor).<br /><li>Some Polar distributors are already taking pre-orders - I placed mine yesterday.<br /><li>Polar indicated they will continue to sell RS800cx models even after introduction of RCX5 (heard on Slowtwitch). It looks as if this is additional unit in their line up not necessarily replacement of RS800cx line.<br /></ul><br /></p><br /><p>If you missed it <a href="http://runtotri.blogspot.com/2011/03/polar-dk-posts-more-detailed-video-with.html">Polar DK</a> posted great overview video in addition to the Polar official tease video posted on their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/PolarUSA">Facebook</a> page and <a href="http://www.polar.fi/en/about_polar/news/new_cutting-edge_RCX5_training_computer">corporate site</a>.</p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-36039294113116785372011-03-23T13:42:00.001-04:002011-03-23T13:42:53.111-04:00Polar DK posts more detailed video with RCX5<p>Thanks to the web users more details about RCX5 are emerging - user argmac posted this link on Polar discussion forums. It is another YouTube video that shows key RCX5 features as one triathlete uses them. Pretty neat.</p><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="400" height="255" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UY9iOqUNusw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-62667740638990911312011-03-23T12:28:00.001-04:002011-03-23T12:28:38.151-04:00Few more details on RCX5 revealed<p>Yesterday Polar posted few pictured of RCX5 on their US Facebook page (one enclosed below - thank to Polar). The unit has great design pretty much in line with the CS500 cycling computer. It looks very clean and with oversize display it looks like a great improvement.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_yUGCJGr2HLg/TYoZFrxSc0I/AAAAAAAAAco/vW4Kbr3WeeA/RCX5.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="RCX5.jpg" border="0" width="400" /></div><br /><p>Today Polar posted <a href="http://www.polar.fi/en/about_polar/news/new_cutting-edge_RCX5_training_computer">press release</a> highlighting the key features of the RCX5 unit:<br /><ul><br /><li>New Zone Optimizer feature to help fine tune the training to current level of stress/recovery status<br /><li>Hybrid HR belt allowing to capture HR data in water (also should work with<br /><li>Sport specific parameters and personal settings - I assume this will be HR zones, sensor selection per sport<br /><li>One button switch between the sport profiles<br /><li>Smaller GPS sensor (G5) with re-chargable battery - via mini USB<br /><li>Improved S3+ sensor - new cradle to hold on the shoe laces, improved accuracy<br /><li>Compatibility with existing WIND sensors (though no word on power capture)<br /><li>Planned upgrades to the <a href="http://polarpersonaltrainer.com">polarpersonaltrainer.com</a> site including training load (is this TSS?) and support for personal training programs<br /></ul><br /></p><br /><p>Few things I hope to answer once I get my hands on this unit (which I hope will be in week or so):<br /><ul><br /><li>Integration with 3rd party training sites and software like <a href="http://TrainingPeaks.com">TrainingPeaks.com</a> or <a href="http://www.firstbeat.fi/consumers/firstbeat-athlete">FirstBeat Athlete</a><br /><li>How easy / difficult it is to move from PPT5 to Polar site - what we gain/lose with this transition<br /><li>Support for legacy sensors - e.g. older S3, G3 and cycling sensors<br /><li>Ease of transition between sports - should not be a problem with weekly brick sessions or multiple brick sessions<br /><li>Do we still have the strong planning functions we used to have in PPT5<br /><li>How does the S3/S3+ work with G5<br /><li>Any new features the watch offers we have not seen in RS800cx<br /><li>Accuracy of G5 in real life training conditions - woods, tall buildings, etc.<br /><li>Real life test of HR during swimming - well back to looking geeky in the pool<br /><li>Data transfer with the new Polar Link technogy<br /><li>Using PC and Mac with the unit<br /></ul><br />If you have additional questions let me know and I'll make sure to test them out. Well assuming I have access to all the pieces required. If you send me question like this: How easy is it to mount the unit on Vision tri-bars I'll have hard time answering that unless you send me your tri bars as well ;-). <br /></p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-68351726941286271092011-03-21T14:43:00.001-04:002011-03-21T14:46:05.238-04:00RCX5 teaser on Youtube<p>Reader *Y* alerted me to this video that was posted by Polar Singapore and later announced by Polar USA on their Facebook page. It is not exactly great look at the watch, but you can catch how it looks like in better quality that what the leaked picture shows (see the <a href="http://runtotri.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-polar-rcx5-triathlon-unit-coming.html">previous post from Saturday</a>).</p><br /><br /><iframe width="400" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BHGoezSCWuw?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br />kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-17238663006469303192011-03-19T10:37:00.001-04:002011-03-19T10:53:39.254-04:00New Polar RCX5 triathlon unit coming out soon<p>The internet has been buzzing with rumors about the new triathlon unit from Polar. First discussion appeared few weeks ago on <a href="http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/polar_RS800CX_vs._Garmin_310XT_vs._New_Timex_Ironman_GPS_Unit....GO..._P3009212">Slowtwitch</a> where users Chris and wvarta from Polar noted that new products are indeed going to be announced as soon as April. It seems that the news will be announced sooner since there is new thread on Polar forums linking to leaked picture of the new watch and to <a href="http://addon.polarfrance.fr/Marathon11/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=80">French Polar site</a> that is promising announcement of new unit the <a href="http://forum.polar.fi/showthread.php?t=17916">Polar RCX5</a> on Monday March 21st.</p> <p>Good source in Polar confirmed we can expect announcement on Monday through <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FPolarUSA&rct=j&q=polar%20facebook%20page&ei=tLiETc2iMMmJ0QHw_t3gCA&usg=AFQjCNH9Ma-OmM0TTiCOSDgdTe6mFIK4tQ&cad=rja">Polar USA Facebook page</a>. So stay tuned until Monday. I certainly hope Polar listened to our feedback and added at least some of the highly requested functions to the watch.</p><br /><p><div style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yUGCJGr2HLg/TYS_gGTHvDI/AAAAAAAAAcg/imo2_TIXcIM/rcx5.JPG?imgmax=800" alt="rcx5.JPG" border="0" width="400" /></div></p><br /><p>From what you can see from the picture it looks as if the new unit has dual belt (e.g. belt that works with both W.I.N.D. sensor and the older 5kHz frequency which is great news for people going to gym often and missing their HR on the display of treadmill or stair master). It remains to be seen if the watch itself works on dual band as well which would make it able to record HR under water - common complaint to Polar, Suunto, Garmin and Times as none of these units does this so far. The next improvement seems to be with the GPS unit as Polar is introducing a new one with this line the G5 - it is hard to see what the sensor looks like, but I would expect longer battery life and better GPS sensor inside.</p><p>The next improvement is use of the new Polar WIND Link unit for data transfer which works similar to Bluetooth so there is no need to have line of sight between the unit and the USB sensor. S3 sensor seems to be slightly different shape, color and the fork that holds it in place seems to have different shape as well. So we will see what the improvement is there.</p><p>The unit itself looks like little bit of a come back to the original design of Polar watches from 70s (or it may be just the picture). And it seems that there will be different color models - orange and black are showing on the picture. The prices seem to be around the same level as for the RS800cx units today - from 299 EUR for watch with belt and WIND Link to 399 EUR for the multisport pack with GPS unit.</p><br /><p>Well that is what I can glean from the picture. Rest is to be revealed I'm sure soon. By the way if the unit is any good on the paper I'm most likely going to upgrade - especially if the GPS works well I may prune my HRM stash and just stick with one or two instead of current running count of 5+.</p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-61788868427859529442010-12-18T14:06:00.001-05:002010-12-18T14:06:17.875-05:00My own brick - real oneToday I received small, but quite heavy package. I was wondering what I ordered for Christmas only to find a brick from Savageman Triathlon I did few months ago. It is a nice addition to my collection of trophies and definitely one that is the heaviest. <br />If you have not heard about Savageman - look it up on the web or look at my posts about the race on this site. Since I'm posting from my phone I can not easily link them. It is a great race and I'm pretty sure I'll be doing it again in 2011.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5271356773/'><img src='http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5284/5271356773_bc2fd2c653_m.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Susan%20Rd,Coopersburg,United%20States%4040.508987%2C-75.413341&z=10'>Susan Rd,Coopersburg,United States</a></p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-14674188236490934932010-12-12T08:29:00.001-05:002010-12-12T11:38:32.695-05:00Firstbeat Athlete discount from Suunto and Great pricing on Timex Global Trainer on Amazon<h3>FistrbeatAthlete discounted</h3><br /><p>I just received Suunto newsletter where they advertise offer of discounted FirstBeat Athlete. Based on discussion on Suunto Forums there is no validation whether you own the Suunto T6c watch so even people with RS800cx / RS800 / CS600 / CS600x should be able to take advantage of this offer (well anyone really). Here are the details. The pricing is pretty good - 20 bucks discount (both EUR and USD pricing) over regular pricing. The catch is that you need to access the web store through Suunto's site where it says - 'Suunto t6 users can now buy FBA ATHLETE at a special discount price of €49.90 (normally €69.90) or $49.90 (normally $69.90).'</p><br /><p><em>Pull off your training shoes, switch on your PC<br />Firstbeat ATHLETE software puts a host of detailed training analysis tools at your fingertips on your own PC.<br><br />It complements Movescount.com by offering advanced training planning and analysis tools for offline use. The software, available in seven languages, includes a full physiological analysis and a Training Coach feature for optimizing your future sessions.<br /><br />And if you're a Suunto t6 user, you can now buy ATHLETE at a special discount price. <a href="http://www.suunto.com/firstbeatathlete">Learn more about Firstbeat ATHLETE</a><br />Visit <a href="http://www.movescount.com/">Movescount.com</a></em></p><br /><br /><h3>Timex Global Trainer sub-200 bucks on Amazon</h3><br /><p>If you are in market for GPS watch you may find the pricing on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P67HV6?ie=UTF8&tag=rutotr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003P67HV6">Timex Global Trainer Speed and Distance GPS Watch</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rutotr-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003P67HV6" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> on Amazon pretty compelling. It is at 169 as of this morning for HR-less version - it was as low as 120 bucks yesterday. And the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P65RVI?ie=UTF8&tag=rutotr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003P65RVI">Timex Global Trainer Speed and Distance with Heart Rate GPS Watch</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rutotr-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003P65RVI" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> goes for little over 200 buck - still a bargain. Great price considering that these babies sell for 300 bucks otherwise.</p><p>My only reason for not using this watch more at this time is Timex's decision not to support foot pod which is a real bummer for us who have to run on treadmill - PT prescribed way to recovery. Hey I can run which is amazing and run without pain which is even better. But if you do majority of training outside this may interest you. I used this unit during 2010 in few half iron races and it is a solid performer on par with Garmin FR310xt. And it looks better in my opinion.</p><br /><br /><p><b>UPDATE:</b> The Global trainer has 50 bucks promotion on top of the discounts so you can actually get one for 120 bucks w/o HR monitor or for 155 with HR monitor. That is a steal. By the way Amazon applies the discount when you order, no need to mail in the MIR that is linked in the comments. Thanks James for pointing it out. I actually bought one myself today. For 120 bucks this is an amazing unit even without support for foot pod.</p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-15686686827501038132010-10-05T00:24:00.001-04:002010-10-05T00:44:22.085-04:00More pictures from Savageman<p>This one is only with pictures from the race with little bit of commentary. The pictures published so far are from the bike course and finish line - well areas that you are probably most interested in anyways.</p><br /><p>Let's start with the Westernport wall - as I said in the race report I do not recall much about what was happening around me. I just focused on what I was doing and on avoiding any take downs by fellow racers. All photos seem to be from before pulling the handle bars. In any case if you think about this race invest in tripple ring or get easier gearing - at least 25 in the back and possibly compact crank in the front. I rode with 53 (36) x (11 - 26) I had 28 on the gearing, but was unable to use it as it is just too big to work with my derailer.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052828773" title="View 'Westernport 2' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="329" alt="Westernport 2" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/5052828773_cc0623b347.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053449684" title="View 'Westernport 3' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="329" alt="Westernport 3" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5053449684_c94ec29a36.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052828199" title="View 'Westernport 1' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="331" alt="Westernport 1" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5052828199_3ebdbe12d6.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><br /><p>The Westernport Wall continues with climb that is shown here - nothing you can call easier.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053446222" title="View 'Above Westernport' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="500" alt="Above Westernport" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5053446222_28ea7a87ed.jpg" height="330"/></a></div><br /><p>Then you get little bit of a recovery before getting to the Big Savage where it is more climbing - no pictures from there yet.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052824927" title="View 'Big Savage 1' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="500" alt="Big Savage 1" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5052824927_404fbece00.jpg" height="332"/></a></div><br /><p>Then it is a lot of descending - not really sure where these are from, but I can assure you that the descends were few and very short and fast.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053444546" title="View 'Bike 4' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="335" alt="Bike 4" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5053444546_75294b0318.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052823775" title="View 'Bike 3' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="335" alt="Bike 3" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5052823775_1d8600b924.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053443518" title="View 'Bike 2' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="337" alt="Bike 2" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5053443518_7826d47411.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052822627" title="View 'Bike 1' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="334" alt="Bike 1" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5052822627_580465a0a5.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><br /><p>And here is the first part of the Killer Miller - there is a lot of support on this climb as well - devils with forks and all just like on Westernport wall, only not as many people. I'm the one to the right just starting the climb.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052827545" title="View 'Killer Miller' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="400" alt="Killer Miller" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5052827545_ab817e8054.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>And finally the finish line - better photo than from my exclusive photographer ;-).</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052826537" title="View 'Finish' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="335" alt="Finish" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5052826537_25850be66b.jpg" height="500"/></a></div><br /><p>Few remarks about the course<br /><ul><br /><li>Forget your great tri bike it is useless on those hills and there is only few segments of the road where tri bike is of any use. It is safer to get your road bike out since it handles better and is probably lighter (well mine is anyways). <br /><li>Forget your TT specific helmet - it is easy to overheat on this course and there is nothing to be gained with tri-specific helmet since you either go 40mph for a minute or climb a hill at 10mph for next 20.<br /><li>Get arm warmers - you will be happy you did at least until you get to Westernport. Then you will be glad to take them off.<br /><li>I wrote about gearing above - definitely at least 25 in the back or triple chainring if you can. <br /><li>Plan to spend little more time than usual on the bike course - it is hard one.<br /><li>Remember that Westernport wall is just the beginning of long climbing journey. It really only gets harder from there.<br /><li>First year I recommend to go for the brick and forget about the overall time. This is the slowest half I ever did and I still enjoyed most of it (except the bonking part).<br /><li>Do not worry about walking parts of the run - most people do that even pros when they get to the edge.<br /></ul><br /></p><br /> kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-71860326277279394802010-10-04T23:32:00.001-04:002010-10-04T23:39:34.413-04:00Brick in the wall - Savageman 70.0<p>This season has been quite strange. I spent large portion of it either injured or re-building my fitness. Not ideal in many ways, but I guess the sport is not only roses and successes. This year was certainly year of few setbacks and many getting back on the horse. I was glad that I was able to re-build my fitness just before the Savageman which was my second A-race this season. And I had more than 2 weeks of running in my legs, much better than what I started with in Rhode Island. I did this race with one goal - get the brick in the <a href="http://www.savagemantri.org/Westernport_Wall.html">Westernport wall</a>. If you have not heard about Savageman before here are few highlights - as opposed to most triathlons this one is very hilly (which is understatement) and that goes both for bike and run. Bike is more brutal than run, but more on that later. If you want to look at the race details I recommend to check out the <a href="http://www.savagemantri.org/SavageMan_Half.html">race site</a>.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052503581" title="View '' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/5052503581_d2875a72f2.jpg" height="400"/></a></div><br /><p>I guess the biggest novelty of the race is the climb on the Westernport wall where you have chance to get your own <a href="http://www.savagemantri.org/2010_brick_winners.html">brick in the wall</a> if you climb the wall without unclipping and finish the race. But that really is not the biggest challenge. But let me start from the start of the race. I'll skip all the prep work, food and bathroom stops. Lets briefly talk about the swim which is quite nice - it is done in parallel to the shore which makes sighting easy and the buoys are easy to see. The interesting thing are the turn buoys which are big turtle on one side and if I recall correctly we swam by big swan and turned back at another colorful buoy on the other side before returning to the beach. Overall the swim is easy to navigate, visibility is great and in water start is what I generally prefer. The only thing to watch for are the rocks on the bottom of the lake - just be careful there are many and few are pretty sharp. My swim was very good and felt great after exit from the water. Now onto the bike.</p><br /><p>I knew bike will be challenging, unfortunately I did not have enough time on Saturday to scope out the course so I was riding it based only on what I knew from the race site and maps that they provided. Which is actually plenty compared to other races. This is one of the few races that provide video of the race course, Google maps, Garmin files and turn by turn directions (for all three legs of the race). So back to the bike - it starts with some rolling terrain during the exit from the park and then onto the first hill. It is not a hard one to conquer, but it is just a warning for what will come later in the race. The next few miles are rolling terrain which is good to recover from the first hill. Enjoy that because later you will not have that luxury. First long downhill is marked as dangerous and I caution anyone to be very careful. The descends are steep and curves pretty sharp. Combine that with loose gravel on the road and it pays to take it little easier that you would on normal road. The descend is very long and takes you all the way to the city of Westernport. There is really nothing much to talk about here other than the views are stunning and the ride feels more like your weekend ride through nice area than like race.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053123882" title="View '' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5053123882_418837f19a.jpg" height="400"/></a></div><br /><p>When you get to Westernport you have completed 18 miles and it feels like the bike is going to be pretty fine. But rememer you were descending for good portion of those 18 miles and what goes down must come up. And in Westernport it starts to come up. The wall itself is hard to climb and you really need to pace it. When I hit the bottom few kids yelled at me to "not use all I have in my legs on the wall" and little later someone yelled to make the BMC proud. It was one big party with people lining the wall and cheering on the racers. I really do not remember much about the people on the wall as I was focusing on keeping steady rhythm up the wall and avoiding other racers that could potentially take me down. As I was climbing the last segment that is 30% grade (yeah that is not typo) and I was doing about 0.5 mph my handlebars came loose. Thanks to all the track racing I did earlier I was able to stabilize the bike in track stand and resume climbing with putting very little power onto the handlebars. I was glad to be done with the wall and stopped to ask around if anyone had bike tool so I can tighten the bars. Well I could not find anyone with bike tool so I decided to keep going to the next aid station that is only 6 miles away - well 5 of these miles are uphill at pretty good grade. You can read more about the climb to <a href="http://www.savagemantri.org/Big_Savage.html">Big Savage Mountain</a> on Savageman site. My handlebars were getting more and more loose and I was really concerned if I will be able to continue since nobody I asked had the tool with them. Luckily at the top of the Big Savage the aid station had few bike tools so I stopped for about 5 minutes to make sure my handlebars are tight and secure since we were about to do some serious descending.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053125728" title="View '' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="400" alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5053125728_55861f3d25.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>While the roads from Big Savage are much better than the first descend I recommend to take them easy - there are quite a few hairpin turns and you do not want to go too fast - this is the only race course where the organizers do not lie when they say that you could get killed there. The hairpin turns are reminiscent of alpine turns with hill on one side and long steep ravine on the other. But the course is very well marked and all you need to do is read the signs and slow down when they warn you to do so. No kidding - I ran into one guy in the bathroom after the race and he has broken collar bone on the course - just saying. There are several other climbs and they come quick - that is one thing about this course - the climbs seem very long and steep and descends are steep and fast so there is very little time to recover. Next year in prep for this race I can imagine doing my own version of <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/emmaus/244864168">Emmaus 2-5-10</a> since it is very close to how you feel on those hills in MD. But back to the course. The several climbs and descends will take you to mile 38 where is the <a href="http://www.savagemantri.org/Miller.html">Killer Miller</a> - and it really deserves its name. By that time I was seriously overheating, tired from all the climbs and this one takes the cake. It is quite steep and relentless. It takes a lot of mental energy not to unclip and walk which some people did. Once you unclip there is really no way to re-start the climb - it is that steep. I ended up zig-zagging the top part of it as I was getting into the bonk zone. I stopped at the aid station on top of the Killer Miller, declined the Miller Light since I don't drink that beer and instead got more gels, salt tablets and water. I knew I was on the edge.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052506489" title="View '' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5052506489_96da42bdb8.jpg" height="400"/></a></div><br /><p>The final few miles to T2 are not really flat by any means. You will experience some hills that you will chuckle about and call them false flats since they feel like that after all that climbing. But there are few hard short climbs that sap your energy before the run. Savageman site provides this nifty table of all the key climbs which really sums the bike course well though it leaves out some smaller climbs:<br /><table class="standardlight"><tbody><tr><th width="100px">Name</th><th width="80px">Location</th><th width="80px">Length</th><th width="80px">Avg Grade</th><th width="80px">Max Grade</th></tr><tr><td>Toothpick</td><td>0.5 mi</td><td>0.25 mi</td><td>9%</td><td>16%</td></tr><tr><td><a href="Westernport_Wall.html">Westernport</a></td><td>18.5 mi</td><td>1.2 mi</td><td>12%</td><td>31%</td></tr><tr><td><a href="Big_Savage.html">Big Savage Mtn</a></td><td>23.4 mi</td><td>2.4 mi</td><td>6%</td><td>21%</td></tr><tr><td>Savage River State Forest</td><td>30.0 mi</td><td>2.8 mi</td><td>4%</td><td>7%</td></tr><tr><td>McAndrews Hill</td><td>32.8 mi</td><td>0.6 mi</td><td>9%</td><td>19%</td></tr><tr><td>Otto Lane</td><td>35.1 mi</t><td>0.6 mi</td><td>8%</td><td>17%</td></tr><tr><td><a href="Miller.html">Killer Miller</a></td><td>38.1 mi</td><td>1.3 mi</td><td>8%</td><td>22%</td></tr><tr><td>Maynardier Ridge</td><td>43.8 mi</td><td>0.25 mi</td><td>12%</td><td>23%</td></tr></tbody></table><br><br />One thing that I liked a lot on this course is how close you get to other people and you can not really be drafting since you all go about 3 mph up the hill. Second is that the bike course is simply awesome - it beats you up like nothing around here. I loved the Black Bear Half which is no longer on calendar and thought that was hard bike - well not any more. This is the new benchmark. I guess I need to check out Silverman in Vegas next...</p><br /><p>This is the second race where I was glad to get off the bike - first one was <a href="http://runtotri.blogspot.com/2009/09/chesapeakeman-aquavelo-longest-swim-and.html">Chesapeake Man Aqua Velo</a> last year. I took T2 very easy - I mean I even sat down to change into my shoes and chatted with the Canadian guy that was racked next to me. At this point I knew that I'm solidly in bonkland and I needed to do some damage control before I can really run. So the first order of the day was to get in as much nutrition as I can tolerate without overloading the system. Hard to do when your brain is not thinking clearly. I was getting in few gels, banana and plenty of water. My first 5 miles of the run were pretty bad. I ran some of it, but I just had to power walk all the hills (and there are few through the camp site) and then walk the hill on the other side. Main concern there was that it is trail with many loose stones that are not well tolerated by my ankles. I was happy that I started to feel much better once I got back on the road and had about 2 miles back to the transition area to start my second loop. On the second loop I continued to fuel with water, Hammer Heed and things continued to go pretty well. While my first loop was horrendous the second one was not bad. I decided to run all the way to the trail and I did. On the way I passed many other athletes and some of them were only on their first loop which was encouraging. As I rounded the cone on the top of the hill I ran also down the hill while paying attention to my footing since last thing I wanted was to damage the ankle. I ran all the way to the finish. It was funny since I got passed by <a href="http://jefmallett.blogspot.com/">Jeff Mallett</a> with about 400m to go. I knew Jeff was racing there along with <a href="http://www.davescottinc.com/">Dave Scott</a>. Unfortunately I did not have the pleasure if meeting Dave who was there on speaking engagement during the pre-race dinner. I do not believe he was racing.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053127748" title="View '' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="400" alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5053127748_7ec1cf6aee.jpg" /></a></div><p>So I got my brick and finished the race standing up. Lessons for next year - well first one is to plan nutrition for another 30 minutes on the bike that was a major mistake on my part that put me in a big hole. I will also need to re-think the mix of carbs and proteins for the course as well as the salt intake. The day starts cold and get warm to hot as it progresses and that requires little more salt than I planned. And lastly I'll shoot to improve my climbing time on the Big Savage - I can easily cut 5-7 minutes that I lost searching for the bike tool. That way I can get closer to time of Phil Graves who climbed the whole thing in 30.5 minutes (compared to my 43). Well not that I can compare myself with Phil. Funny note though - I was not the only one who bonked. On my first loop I caught up with one pro who was deeply in bonkland and we chatted a bit. He was really struggling to get to the finish and basically walked most of the hills to control the damage before resuming run on the downhill on the way to the finish. If you like unusual races with their own flavor in great and nice part of the country I can only recommend this one.</p><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5053128208" title="View '' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="400" alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5053128208_c4898b7432.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>After crossing the finish line - which looks like I danced a little there, I reunited with my family and took Ian to the lake where I took the much needed ice bath and Ian was so nice to give me a proper post-race massage. I really like the area - it is beautiful especially at this time of the year. We spent day on the lake in rented boat which was great. We had opportunity to see the whole area and I did not need to walk which is always concern before any long race. And family usually does not want to sit in the hotel and watch TV - well we can do that at home. What was really great on the boat trip was that you could park the boat at different places around the lake and go for lunch, ice cream or coffee. That was really good.</p><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/5052499147" title="View '' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" width="400" alt="" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/5052499147_1a65ba19a3.jpg" /></a></div><p>For accommodation we used <a href="http://www.suitesatsilvertree.com/">Suites at Silver Tree</a> which is a great place - about 5 minutes away from race site by car and close to the local stores, cinema and restaurants. The area is quite rural so do not expect many chain restaurants or Whole Foods there. It is really nice site and we will be back next year to perhaps improve on the finish time a little bit. </p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-54609610622280866792010-09-14T23:57:00.001-04:002010-09-15T00:07:19.088-04:00Last ProAm race of the season in T-town<p>What a great night to close the ProAm racing season 2010 in T-town. Racers were on fire, the weather was great for racing and the fans were there - well the core of the fans that come on Tuesdays. The entry is free, beer is cheap and the atmosphere is great. It is much more laid back in the stands than on Friday's, but on the track it is as heated as ever. We came few minutes late so we probably missed one or two races, but the ones we saw were great - plenty of 'Devil takes the hindmost', some unknown distance races, 6 laps race in which winner is determined on 2nd lap, 2nd place on 4th lap and third on 6th lap (that one is pretty hard - if you decide to go for the win on 2nd lap and do not quite make it it is most likely over), and a 10 miler which was fun to watch. I took few pictures that you can see on Flickr. Just click on the picture below.</p> <br /><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/musiljan/sets/72157624834798109/" title="ProAm racing"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/4991602687_14e9e80ae8.jpg"/></a></div><br />kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-46605651675417928602010-09-12T19:03:00.001-04:002010-09-12T19:03:24.198-04:00Great velodrome sessionToday I signed-up for 'Try the track' session at the local velodrome in T-town. It is one of the few velodromes in the US and one that is only about 20 minutes away from my house. I already did have some experience riding the track from the previous weeks when I took the AirProducts developmental program for new track riders. <br /><br />Today was different though - lots more people on the track. 22 to be exact so one needed to pay more attention and communicate more with the people around. The program was scheduled to take about 4 hours, but we lost some time to rain. Well there is no way anyone is riding track sloped 28 percent during rain. The rain delayed the start by about 45 minutes, but once we got rolling it was a lot of fun.<br /><br />First we were split into two groups by ability and rode two pace lines just like in pursuit races. Leading each group was coach who controlled the pace so the groups stayed at equal distance from each other. Then on a whistle the rider right behind the coach had to jump the gap and make it to the other group. Lots of sprinting. <br /><br />Then we did some racing in smaller groups of 4-8 people - normal scratch races with coach pacing the group for first 1-2 laps and then letting us go. I did well in the first race - knowing my strength I positioned myself at the front (first race was a 1k out of which only 1.5 lap was on our own so I wanted to ride from the front). It was good planing since nobody was able to jump on my wheel when the coach peeled off and I kept pushing the whole 1.5 laps. <br /><br />Then we did races in three little bigger groups and I was paired up with bunch of strong roadies. I did not mind it even knowing that the distance was 5 laps. Once we got into pace line we rode 1.5 laps, the coach peeled off and I was on. I knew I can hold it or if someone was on my wheel we can tag team. But there was a problem - the tail of the group was not in the pace line when we started so we basically caught up with them on 3rd lap, had to slow down and the race got restarted. Well so much for saving energy. I had so much lactic acid in my legs that it was challenging to repeat the attack. I asked the guy in front of me who was strong to tag team with me. We lead the race for 3 laps, but then I ran out of steam. That wasted sprint to make the gap in the false start was just too much to keep the pace for too long. Ended up finishing little worse than I wanted, but it was a lot of fun. <br /><br />More so with the coaches that were all very experienced track riders - well there is probably no one more qualified in T-town to talk about track racing than Marty Nothstein that was accompanied with two other coaches - Bobby Livingstone (who fit me on my road bike) and another gentleman whose name escaped me. <br /><br />We got a feel for just how good these gys are - while we were racing all out both coaches riding with us just zoomed by us and kept encouraging us to put more effort. Amazing athletes. <br /><br />I'm sure I'll be back to the track this year and next year I'll partake in the Masters and Rookies races that seem like a lot of fun. <br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Trexlertown,%20PA&z=10'>Trexlertown, PA</a></p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-39118774731279735312010-09-10T10:06:00.001-04:002010-09-10T10:06:17.002-04:00New IM 70.3 Pocono MountainsI'm super excited about the new Ironman 70.3 Pocono that has been advertised in the latest edition of Triathlete Magazine. It is scheduled for October 2nd 2011 in Stroudsburg, PA. More details and registration should be available on October 1st at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ironmanpoconomountains.com">Ironman Pocono Mountains site</a>.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4976969596/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/4976969596_a358d4c4d9_m.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-15730360519274992272010-07-28T14:25:00.001-04:002010-07-28T14:26:21.784-04:00Challenging myself or IMLP here I come<p>While my last post may sound like I'm down it is not the case. I'm actually back to regular training even with my busy work and travel schedule. I have just recently signed-up for my next big challenge. So next year on July 24th I'll be racing with about 2500 of my closest friends in one of the oldest IM races in the US. Entry is confirmed, money spent and all that remains is to train for it. I'm really looking forward to this. Until then I'll keep racing and get back on the running horse.</p><br /><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yUGCJGr2HLg/TFB1qAax3SI/AAAAAAAAAbU/3ars7URKs7g/lakeplacid.JPG?imgmax=800" alt="lakeplacid.JPG" border="0" width="400" align="left" />kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-24779823406398047712010-07-25T22:06:00.001-04:002010-07-25T22:06:05.327-04:00Two steps forward, one step back...<p>... that is how I can characterize this season. Compared to last year I've had it all - overuse injury earlier in the season that put me out of run training for over 60 days. I managed to have pretty serious crash on the bike just about two weeks before being able to resume running, luckily nothing broken. Just lots of bruises and some deep scars that are still healing. Due to all this I had few DNS races and one intentional DNF in Jerseyman where I pulled out right after good swim and great bike leg. I came back to racing few weeks ago in Providence, RI in the Ironman 70.3 where I had pretty good showing. My swim was not the best, mostly due to misreading the current, but bike was pretty good and on the run I managed to survive and not blow up. It was pretty big accomplishment considering the longest run leading into the race was 8 miles and I had been running for little over 3 weeks. So today I was ready to increase the effort and have another good race. Well it was not to be.</p><p>The day started pretty well - nice weather, little hot but not unbearable. Water was too warm for wetsuit, but that did not bother me. If anything it makes transition faster and everyone swims w/o one. I did my pre-race routine, chatted with my enmu peers and went for a short warmup swim. Water was really nice - not too hot, but warm enough not to make you feel chilly. I was ready. We lined up just few minutes before 8am and right at 8 we were sent off. On the way to the first buoy there was some fighting for positions and feet, but nothing that would shake me up. I just kept pushing and sighting. I wanted to make this a good one. The first half of the swim was pretty good. Visibility was not too good, but I managed to avoid being kicked (just barely few times) and I did not let the pullers from the back to shake my determination. If anything they realized that I have feet and can kick. Second loop was shorter than the first one and while I lost the feet I was drafting I was doing pretty good. From the last buoy I started kicking little more to help with transition to upright position and I was out of water few seconds short of 22 minutes. Pretty good for this course and I was pleased with it.</p><p>The T1 was fast since all I had to do was put on my helmet and go. I got into my bike shoes in the first kilometer or so once I got moving and passed the curvy part of the road. I felt pretty good on the bike and shortly settled into my rhythm. All was going well until I got to the first short climb where I shifted to easier gear which dropped my chain. I cursed something in my native language, stopped and thought I'm losing few seconds. Well not quite - the chain was looped around the inside of the chainring axle and also outside on the axle on the pedal side. God knows how that happened. Gently releasing the chain helped it after a while. I cleaned my hands on the wet grass and jumped back on my bike. Ready to go. At this point I lost about 3 minutes - nothing I can not make up on this course I thought. I started climbing the hill and bam - the chain kept skipping. I shifted to easier gear, adjusted front derailer position, skipping. Shifted to harder gear, still skipping. I went another few hundred meters and when the chain kept skipping I decided to go back to transition. I had spare set of wheels, but no spare chain or bike. So that was it for me for today.</p><p>I'm quite disappointed since I was doing real well and felt like I could have good race. After I packed all my stuff in the car Erica took me for a short run to calm down and chat a bit. We cheered on the other half riders as they were finishing their first loop. It was fun to see people racing and cheer them on. But next time I'm bringing spare bike to the race for cases like this one.</p><p>I'm hoping this was the last one of the little and big incidents that seem to have converged into this season. Well I'll just continue to roll with the punches and keep coming back for more. I'm ready to have a good race workout in our bi-weekly <a href="http://endurancemultisport.com/grinandbearit/index.html">Grin and Bear It</a> Wednesday race. Bring it on!</p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-33715868370971088592010-06-14T09:28:00.001-04:002010-06-14T09:28:52.011-04:00Hello new friendI admit being a HRM geek and as such I tend to test all new watches in the market. I found this unit in REI close to my home while I was there to pickup my new shoes. So far the unit is great - little large, but it is a watch with built in GPS, HRM capabilities, basic navigation, ANT+ compatibility and amazing way to configure. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4699935336/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4699935336_fdca0db2e9_m.jpg' border='0' width='300' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />I have played with it on the weekend and while the unit is not 100% there with functions I need it is very promising since Timex can update firmware just as Garmin units do. Plus this can actually be worn as a watch during the day which is what I really like. <br /><br />Ray did a first look few days ago on <br /><br /><a href=http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/06/timex-ironman-gps-global-trainer-first.html>his blog</a> and it is a very good read.<br /><br />I would recomemd the unit to anyone who likes to try new things and likes to tinker with gadgets. I think Timex is few firmware updates away from having very solid unit for triathletes. On top of my list of missing features is footpod support for indoor running and upload of courses. If those are added I can thin out my HRM collection quite a bit.<br />kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-23943877145052359012010-06-11T22:48:00.001-04:002010-06-11T22:48:20.872-04:00One from the roadWith so much talk about security at the airport one thing puzzles me - how can the vendors sell manicure sets from stainless steel in the gate area. The following pictures were taken during my recent trip to Germany. The store is behind the security checkpoint where you nearly need to strip down. Pretty puzzling.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4691778063/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4691778063_66955364c3_m.jpg' border='0' width='300' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4692409364/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4692409364_6802d3c1ab_m.jpg' border='0' width='300' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4692409620/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4692409620_7db3c33f96_m.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='300' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br />kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-36634416987076333912010-06-05T12:16:00.001-04:002010-06-05T12:16:21.363-04:00Fixing it upJust dropped off my bike at the bike shop for some love and fixes. Everything looks fine except the right brake lever that is shot. Considering the speed and length of the slide bike is in great condition.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4671562079/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4671562079_5a505f21f9_m.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='300' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4671562619/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4671562619_c204402ace_m.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='300' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4672187768/'><img src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4672187768_ea15954c9f_m.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hamilton%20Blvd,Upper%20Macungie,United%20States%4040.543059%2C-75.613725&z=10'>Hamilton Blvd,Upper Macungie,United States</a></p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959150828995746582.post-89841322622561009582010-05-30T15:45:00.001-04:002010-05-30T15:45:57.792-04:0044mph to 0 in 25 seconds or how I had my second bike crash<div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78938623@N00/4653850642" title="View 'After the crash' on Flickr.com"><img border="0" alt="After the crash" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4653850642_0554df81d6.jpg" height="400"/></a></div><p>Well the title says it all - I had second crash today - on my bike that is. I was doing a nice challenging 70-75 mile loop and I was enjoying myself until the last downhill. It was a steep one and I was going pretty good until I hit the wet part of the road in the woods and had to start breaking approaching a T intersection. Long story short in 25 seconds I went from flying down the hill 44mph (or about 70kph) to sliding on my side, arms, belly, the other side, helmet (luckily I had one) as the back wheel of the bike lost grip. It seemed like a split second, but according to my log it was a long 25 seconds slide. I'm all bandaged-up now. Luckily nothing got broken. Just many bruises and road rash. I'm seriously thinking about starting to shave my legs ;-).</p><p>I'll spare you the gross pictures of my bruises and instead offer picture of my soon to be replaced helmet. In the other news Ian had great kids triathlon race and we all got to participate - Dasa swam with him, Veronika ran by his side on the bike leg and I ran with him the two laps around the parking lot. Good times. Blog post coming soon.</p>kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.com7