No such thing as a perfect workout

I'm kind of a workout snob. The conditions have to be just right for me to do it. It can't be too hot or too cold. I have to have ample time to stretch and shower. I have to have the appropriate clothes and playlist. I have to have eaten the right things beforehand...

And then it dawned on me: there is no such thing as a perfect workout. I have lost countless workouts because I am so picky about workout conditions. I could be stronger and faster if I wasn't such a pansy.

Today my plan was to run home from school instead of taking the bus. Why? Because I thought it would be nice weather. Turns out, weather.com deceived me again and it was a nice downpour at about 2:00pm when it was time to run.

It was tempting to wait for the bus... but I didn't. I squinted and sloshed through the puddles. I was soaking wet when I got home but I felt like a champ.

So no more perfect workout condition demands from me. I'm going to fit them in where I can and just get over myself.

Romans 10:15 How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

What you see here is my foot. Ok, so its not as beautiful as Paul said it would be. But pay no attention to that kankle of mine. Is this not the coolest cycling sock you have ever seen?

My family and I are moving to Missouri in June. And I've been complaining to some of my class mates about how I'm going to miss "The Jesus Tri" which is 10 minutes from our new home because I have to be in Ohio for graduation ceremonies.

Well, leave it up to my good buddy Andrew to make everything better... he went and dug these gems up from heaven knows where so I wouldn't feel so bad about not participating in this heavenly event.

I wore them out on a 40k TT today and I swear they made me faster. And I totally would have helped a stranger with a flat tire had I seen one. Thanks, Andrew!

Miami University Triathlon

I was thinking about how I would approach writing about the races themselves that I participate in. I think the most beneficial thing to do for my own sake and maybe for other triathletes is to offer a "lessons learned" debrief. I guess some of my race takeaways will be specific to my goals and racing style but hopefully some triathlete lost in cyberspace will find something useful:

Lessons:

#1 I need to get some Yankz. The guy next to me in the transition area had them and I could save up to a minute in transition not having to tie up my laces.

#2 My strategy for the short course worked really well. That is, I gave everything on the bike. I rode like the only thing waiting for me was the couch. What I found is that a 5k is short enough that no matter how hard I go on the bike, I can grind it out without taking a huge hit on my run time.

#3 Talking trash on the course pays off in mph. I followed this guy out of T1 that looked like a stud. Tricked out bike, aero helmet and an MDot (ironman) tattoo. Given my bike strategy I decided to try to stick with him. He was a lot lighter than I was so he lost me up hills but given my gravity-friendly body type, I would always catch him on the flats and descents. We started talking trash as we would overtake each other. Stuff like, "unhook the plow!" and "take the trailer off, buddy!" It was a lot of fun and translated into a good bike split.

#4 Drafting on the run is legal and it works, if only psychologically. USAT prohibits drafting on the bike. And obviously, the benefits of drafting on the run are much smaller but again I found a strong runner and mentally attached myself to his heels. It was helpful.

#5 My swim still sucks.

Ok, that about does it. It was a fun race and while my chip wasn't working on this race last year, my unofficial time, recorded only by me, was a full 10 minutes slower than this year. New short course PR. Sweet!

Latest tri gear: Cervelo P2 SL

I am the proud owner of a Cervelo P2 SL. You can see pictures if you scroll down to the dorky studio photos I took last week. I came home on my birthday and as the garage door opened, there it was. My beautiful wife pooled the resources of family and friends in the name of my birthday and graduation to get it for me.

But as Lance used to say, it's not about the bike. This is much bigger than a hunk of aluminum, carbon and rubber. My wife has no idea why a bike would cost as much as this one does. She only knows how much it means to me.

To make sure she got the perfect one, she had a friend go with me to the bike shop to test ride bikes and then she even had the guys at the local bike shop play along to keep it a surprise.

I seriously don't deserve this woman.

This is how the pros must feel

I'm going to apologize in advance for what you are about to see. The photography and photographer were amazing... but he had very little to work with. Why was I in a photo studio fully decked out in tri gear, you ask?

Wish I could say it was to push some of my sponsor's latest gear. But the reality was that the family I stayed with in Oxford, Ohio this weekend for the Miami U triathlon has a beautifully furnished studio and is home of the very talented Henry Saas and Just Picture It photography.

So at the risk of nauseating my readers and having you seriously call into question my manhood... enjoy:


Let me be clear. I wouldn't think about posting these if I wasn't married yet. In fact, I will probably be in danger of being unmarried when my wife sees these.



You can't say you weren't warned. This next one is of my buddy Tyler.



And this next one might be the worst of all. Yes, we have matching bikes. We both swear we didn't know the other one was getting that particular model. Seriously, I haven't seen Tyler since the end of last year!



And this may be my personal favorite. When Bryce gets out of med school this is sure to instill confidence in his patients:



A couple things going on in this last one. First, what is Bryce doing? Look closely at the expression on his face. I'm concerned, as you should be. Second, yes, I'm flexing.



Anyway, good times! Certainly the first and last time in photo shoot for me. Thanks, Henry!

Wrath of the traffic gods

Olentangy Bike Trail: Columbus, OH

I learned my lesson the hard way. Once behind the wheel. Once behind the handlebars. All in a matter of one week in March.

First of all, traffic laws in Ohio are ridiculous. No U turns? Seriously? I'm way too cool, busy and important for that one. So I do it. It's illegal. The State of Ohio says it's dangerous. So I got a ticket. I could have paid for two race entries with that money!

That same week I was on a morning ride with a friend on my favorite bike trail. It was 7:30 am and the dew was still heavy. There are a series of bridges on the trail posted with signs reading 'slow: slippery bridge.'

Again, I'm too fast, strong and agile for that. Those signs are made for the lowest common denominator of riders, right? Well, maybe so. But I learned that I am a select member of that group.

My back tire came out from under me on the bridge and all 200 lbs. at 20 mph went down onto my left knee. The pain was excruciating.

So fast forward to today. I've nursed this injury along, not yet seeking professional medical help because I thought it would heal. I haven't been able to ride hard for 4 weeks and my running has deteriorated along with it. I am racing in my first sprint triathlon of the season in two days and instead of crushing my time from last year, I'll be turning in a mediocre performance.

So this is my confession and reconciliation with the traffic gods. I hereby swear to be a more law abiding and consciousness driver and rider. Now can my knee get better?

My blogging bipolarity

The Marginal Triathlete blog has had a very troubled, albeit short history. I have vacillated between keeping it going, keeping it public, keeping it private, and pulling the plug completely. I can barely make time to train. Let alone write about it.

So my blogging bipolarity continues. A friend and co-worker just said to me, "ya know, it would be cool if you blogged about triathlon (this very well might be because he is sick of hearing me talk about triathlon and he wants me to find an alternate outlet)." And that was enough of a nudge to get me back on the tri-blogging bandwagon.

This clip sums up my feelings nicely: