Monday, September 27, 2010

this-n-that

Well, as you know, from my last post a week ago, I got to ride the entire bike course for the 140.6 race I’m doing next month. The best way that I can sum this course up is by saying that it is going to be tough.  The race director changes up the route every year and this year (I think for the first time), it is a 3 lap course with 3,628 feet of climbing…ouch! Now I finally understand why so many people have commented to me or asked me why I chose to do this race being that it is such a hard course.
Here is the famous Sugarloaf mountain climb everyone talks about and fears (only have this climb on the first lap):
Let’s just say, I’ve never been one to take the easy way out of anything. Honestly, I chose to do this particular race out of convenience. It is somewhat close to home and I wanted to have the least amount of stress as possible going into it. I didn’t want to have to breakdown my bike, pack it and then build it back up. I didn’t want to have to travel a long way to get to the race either. Travelling tires me out!  

Some notables on the ride: at the half way point of climbing Sugarloaf, this young woman was walking her bike up and her boyfriend was coming back down to make sure she was okay and I overheard her ask him in a very frustrated tone, "how the fuck are all of these people climbing up this hill!?" Her words not mine but it did make me chuckle a bit. I so wanted to tell her that it is fitness and proper shifting that will get you to the top but i held my tongue and powered up past a bunch of boys huffing and puffing. Nutrition and hydration wise, I ended up eating 3 powerbars, 2 power gels, 3 aero bottles of water and 3 bottles of g-ade with nuun. I so wanted to brush my teeth sooo bad…too much sugar! We finished the ride in 6 hours, 1 minute and as soon as I dismounted the bike, my legs felt great. Although I didn’t do a run after, I do know that I could have very easily started running. The bike to run transition has been seamless in my training, which is a good feeling versus legs that feel like tree trunks coming off the bike (been there, done that).  My philosophy is this, forgive me for repeating this over and over in recent posts, but it is really a mental note to self…swim your swim, ride your ride, and one mile at a time on the run, simple as that.  

So I have 1 more 100 mile bike ride scheduled for this weekend,  1 more long run scheduled for Wednesday, and long swims scheduled for tuesday and thursday and that’s it and then let the taper begin. Ready or not, here I come! Still need to read up on the taper process since I’ve only ever tapered for marathons. Knowing me, it won’t be an easy time and as much as I understand why tapering is necessary, I still don’t find it one bit enjoyable. Pray for me, LOL!

I need to report on my experience last week with my new toy, the H20 audio for the ipod shuffle 3rd gen model. My goodness, I should have bought this gadget months ago.
I need distractions sometimes, especially when I’m doing something that I don’t like doing…like swimming. I don’t hate it like I used to but it is something that isn’t as much fun to me as biking or running. But now with music, all is good and my heart is content, filled with song and I can swim forever it seems.  Here's the craziest part of all. Many posts ago, i was ranting and raving about the ipod shuffle dying after 10 minutes even though it was fully charged. After letting sit on the kitchen counter for 5 months, i finally took it to the Apple store. Can you believe they didn't have not 1 shuffle in the store to replace mine with? They had to order one for me. All the products they have in the store and not 1 shuffle...pfff! Please. So 1 week later i go back, get my new shuffle and same shit different day. Craps out after just 7 minutes of play time. After much research on ilounge forums, i learned that Florida is just not a good state to own an ipod shuffle in. Click here for are some good responses on the forum regarding the durability of these pieces of crap. Now for the craziest part of all...the shuffle plays just fine in the little waterproof case when i'm swimming and i have absolutely no issues. go figure! at least i can use it for something. i'm beginning to think that ipods are disposable items and really weren't built to last. it's an apple conspiracy folks best summed up by this image:

Oh, something else I bought recently that I need to report on. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to figure out where I want to store my cell phone, powerbars and gels on the bike for this race. I don’t like the bag on the back of the seat because it isn’t easily accessible. I hear you asking, why not get the bento box for the top tube, right? Unfortunately, the q-roo’s frame is such that I can’t get one to fit around the top tube because it is so thick. See picture below of how my frame is and why a typical top tube bento box would not fit properly:
Thankfully, I ran in to a cyclist recently who had a TNI aerobag attached to her aerobars, in front of her aero bottle. Genius invention!! Up to this point, I was thinking that I would have to stuff all my crap in my jersey pockets. I can’t believe this was the first time I had ever seen one of these bags. I was in the right place at the right time.  Here is what the TNI aerobag looks like:
Ok folks, until next week. Only 25 days left for the big kahuna...much love and peace out!

29 comments:

  1. OMG. That hill looks like a very very bad dream! Next year sign up for IMFL :) But you will totally rock out the race!!

    And with the QR and the bento box - I had to kind of rig mine on there. But so far so good!

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  2. I'm having such a great time reading along your journey - thank you so much for sharing!! I am going to try a half ironman next year - I will have lost 90+ pounds by then and my main goal will be to FINISH!
    I can only dream to be as fit as you - but I'm striving to come close!

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  3. Great find on the fuel box!!

    Amazing century ride KC!! Way to get up that hill like a champ!! You are so fast, your hard work has totally paid off!

    Oh, and all I have to say about the iPod is...thhhhh here is my $ I bet that H20 audio makes a huge difference.

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  4. Great ride!

    Hills are generally hard to photograph. So, the simple fact that the hill looks huge in the picture must mean that it as at least 5 times worse than it looks. Yikes!

    Just out of curiosity, how many centuries (or centuries+) have you done in your training?

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  5. Dayum blogger lost my comment :(

    I break soo many Apple toys that the folks at the "genius" bar shake like a puppy who pooped in the wrong spot.

    Great ride. You will rock this race!

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  6. Yes, blogger is acting up right now with trying to post a comment.
    Apple is a big joke yet I still can't find anything else that comes close to its ease of use. Now if they could just work on the durability of their products, we'd really be in business.

    Kevin, this last century will be my 5th. And my last long run on Wednesday will be a 24 miler.

    Mandy, i catch myself trying to sing under water...it's awesome and makes the time fly by.

    Lauralynn, you are amazing! I did get to quickly skim your blog last week and you sure have come a long way lady. Keep up the good work. As soon as this 140.6 race is done, i can get back on track with keeping up on my blog reading. Thanks for reading my blog.

    Chloe, someone asked me the other day which IM i'd pick as my next one and I said IMFL. Save me a spot!!!

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  7. Maybe it's the New Englander in me but that hill don't look too tough...ok...it's tough for FLA, especially at the beginning of an Ironman. Likewise I hear you on carbon being too wide for a bag...I had to rig my seat bag with extra velco because it wouldn't fit around my seat post. Regardless good luck in your race your going to rock it.

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  8. Hill are what makes us stronger!! Woo hoo!! Great job!!

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  9. That is on badass hill right there! Had to laugh at the comment made by the little chickadee -- you should have told her to head back to the beginner slopes, she was on a black diamond!

    The aero bag is pretty damn cool (PDC). Might have to look into that bad boy!

    Getting very excited for you!!

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  10. KC, SO excited for you. You are going to have a blast running this race!

    I don't know about that bag.... I mean, it's not really that aero, is it? You might lose a millionth of a second every 20 miles or so.

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  11. All, for those who haven't seen this hill, Sugarloaf is about a 2' (200 feet) climb averaging about 15% in grade. Very steep, but not terribly long. Super tough in a race situation. Since it's on the first lap only, it's easy to overcook the climb, setting one's self up for a bad day later!

    Sounds like you had a great ride! What kind of gearing are you planning on using on race day? Me, I'm going with a 50/34 in front and an 11/28 in back. Spin to win :)

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  12. Sweet hill!! I'm having IM Louisville flashbacks...
    Nice time. It looks like all your hard work on the bike is going to pay off.
    You know you could get one of those paper boy baskets for the front of your bike and carry extra goodies to sell to other riders during the race..... just thinking...

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  13. Great that your legs felt good after the bike ride! Last yr I saw a number of folks, usually big strong guys, walking their bikes up Sugarloaf as well as many of the other hills on the course. Of course, then they whizzed past me on the downhills ...

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  14. Sounds like your on form for the bike and good timing on finding storage for your rides.

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  15. You are doing awesome! Keep up the great work and don't worry about that hill. You are going to kill it!

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  16. Can't believe it is so close now! You have been training so hard and so consistently for a long time now--you're gonna have an awesome race!

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  17. We have a hill like that out here called Red Bank, its the hill we do repeats on, I use to be scared of that hill, now its not so bad.

    I am excited for you!!!

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  18. never been able to photograph a hill like that... meaning, that was one hell of a hill hahaha!

    Keep up the awesome work! I am sooooo pumped for you!

    I hope that the aero bar storage device is pretty cool! I always need more storage on the damn bike haha. Keep up the good work KC!

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  19. GOOD LORD, That's intense!!!!! I bet the ride down is fun though! =) Good luck with your race and have fun! =)

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  20. Wow...that hill looks crazy hard! You are so going to rock your Ironman!!!
    That nutrition box thing looks cool! But, if you decide you don't like it in front of your aero bottle, one thing you can do with the bento box is just add more velcro strips to it and attach it around your tube.

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  21. I am with you on the Apple products. They really need to come up with something that is special for "sports" so that it can take a little beating. I have been through a touch and a nano in about 3 months. I love the disposable part! It just needs to be a disposable price! I can't wait to see you fly through this IM. I know you are going to BLOW IT AWAY! I am feeling for you on the taper...but train smarter right? Ha! If only I could take my own advice I be there with you right? Good vibes to you on your morning run! Peace, Love, and Running:)

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  22. Under 30 days!

    Ive been thru 2 nano's and 2 shuffles this year...and I expect my current nano to crap out soon.
    what else can I do? your picture says it all im a slave to itunes and their apple products!!

    Your training will have you ready for that course and that hill!

    Derek

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  23. Holy mountain! I would SOO be walking up that thing for sure!

    I'm glad you like the H2O Audio, I've been thinking of getting one...as much as I love staring at the bottom of the pool, sometimes its dangerous if my mind wanders!

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  24. I think that bag is just adorable...probably not something you want to hear with a huge IM coming up; your job is to perform, not look cute, but it's still cute :). Hopefully it's working well for you. I've been trying to swim more lately and I've been swimming almost all my life and I just really hate it...I think I need the water iPod, sounds like it works so well for you - yay! I'm getting sooo excited for you - are there ways to monitor your progress online on race day??

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  25. Hi there, just wanted to give you a heads up on the aerobag. I use the same one. Be careful when you go over a bump or rough road. Since there is only a small velcro piece that covers the food compartment, the contents can easily "jump" out. I hit a small bump on my way out on a half iron earlier this year and all of my nutrition came out. I had to get off my bike and dodge riders while collecting my stuff. To add insult to injury my bike leaned too far over and I lost the majority of the water out of my aerobottle. Don't want to scare, you.. just don't want the same thing to happen! :)

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  26. Thank goodness you don't have to do Sugarloaf 3x. Triple ouch! Keep it up, tough girl!! :-)

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  27. Shannon, thanks for the heads up on the aerobag. That's so crazy. I will be testing it out tomorrow so we'll see.
    Sherry, my goodness yes, thank God the powers that be didn't throw in Sugarloaf on the last 2 laps. Getting it out of the way on number 1 is a good plan, although Buckhill is times 3. Yuck!
    Maria, where exactly does your mind wander off too that can be so dangerous. You crack me up!!
    Jill, as for tracking, the only thing that they will be doing on race day is providing updates via twitter and facebook so I will post on how to do that as we get closer.
    Mccrory, i'm running a compact 50/34 and 11/27 on my bike. good luck with your last few weeks of tapering and see you out there!

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  28. WOW look at that Hill!! Good Luck!!

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  29. When you are done with the Ironman try this race (http://www.horrible-hundred.com/) It is 100mi of the worse hills in FL. I ride in that area a lot and it is tough.

    I am a old Tampa boy. I grow up in that area (Tampa, St Pete, Clearwater). Now I live in Orlando.

    Kevin
    http://halftriing.blogspot.com/

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