2-Man TT practice

Alright, the Wolfgang Frietag Memorial 2-Person 50K Team Time Trial is just around the corner (7/11) and we’re now starting to practice for it at VQ. I did this race last year and had a great time and I’m really looking forward to doing it again this year. I think we’re going to have like 15-20 teams out there this year. I don’t have an official partner just yet but I’m waiting for Noda to set me up with someone about my size & power. That’s the tricky part about 2-Man TT's, finding someone that you properly match with for your team. Last year my partner dropped out at the last minute and I was paired with a VQ coach who was a lot stronger than I was, so this year I’d like to find someone with the same amount of power that I have so that I don’t feel like I’m holding the team back. This should be a fun race!

Track workout updates

The track workouts are now in full swing and I am loving them! They're easily the highlight of my training week and I'm really digging the core group of athletes who come out to them. Our coach, Tony, always manages to keep everything fun and upbeat, which at 6:00 AM is a tough feat. Tony is a relatively new coach at VQ but he's very knowledgeable and a ridiculously fast runner/triathlete. Man I would love to have his top speed!

The track workouts started just last month and already I'm seeing huge improvements on my overall speed. I'm close to my top form from 2 years ago and I think I might even be able to beat that and go beyond my best times. Once the tri season is over I think I might take a stab at beating my 5k/10k PR times. Between track workouts and my new Nike Lunaracer+ 2's I'm starting to feel pretty damn fast!

Cobb Cycling: Excellent customer service

I just wanted to quickly post about how awesome the customer service is at Cobb Cycling. I called them this week to see how I could go about returning my Cobb V-Flow saddle (I trialed it for several weeks before switching over to the ISM Adamo Racing saddle a couple weeks ago) and was fully expecting to have to argue a little with the customer service rep who picked up in order to return the saddle for a refund.

But that was not the case. I called Cobb Cycling, Ginger Cobb(!) picked up the phone, we chatted about the V-Flow saddle and my many adjustment attempts, and I let her know that I had decided to go with the ISM Adamo saddle instead. She was very understanding and talked me through the process of returning the Cobb saddle for a full refund and that was that! A very pleasant customer experience overall.

So although the Cobb V-Flow saddle was not for me, I would highly recommend Cobb products to anyone who is looking for superior quality and a company that stands firmly behind their products. They have a 180 day comfort guarantee and I can attest to their hassle free handling of returns.

WARRANTY - 180 DAY COMFORT GUARANTEE
All Cobb Cycling seats come with a no questions asked, hassle free, 180 day comfort guarantee and a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty against defects. After you receive the saddle and ride it, really give it a fair test for several rides. These seats may feel harder at first but they will quickly break in. If you don’t like it, return the seat. All we ask is that you keep the tool set and the tape measure to help you fit your next seat choice. Cobb Cycling wants you to enjoy bike riding and good seat position and comfort are essential.

Return of the swim!

After nearly a 9 month hiatus... the swim is back! I've ventured into the pool a couple times so far just to see how bad the damage is... and well, it's bad. But never fear, I have a plan! I'm going to attack the swim in a very structured way this summer and to that end I have signed up for private 1x1 lessons with the Chicago Blue Dolphins. My swim technique was pretty flawed last year, and after such a long break I know I need to jump start my swim training in a dramatic fashion if I hope to see any improvements this summer. My first lesson is next week and I think I'm going to try and schedule a lesson for every week until the end of the season. The goal is still the same as it was last year: swim an open mile in under 30 minutes.

Outdoor rides, saddle love and cleat adjustments

I've been doing a lot more riding this month, both indoors and outdoors with VQ. I'm finally starting to feel stronger on the bike, something which I hadn't felt all throughout the off-season. My new Adamo saddle is working out really well, which helps with all the time I'm spending on the bike now. Right after the first couple of times using the new saddle I could tell this was the saddle I was waiting for. No more numbness and discomfort, even on long rides! It was seriously a breakthrough and a revelation for me. I only wish I had gotten the Adamo saddle a lot sooner!

One thing that is bugging me now though is my IT band... and I think that might be due to some cleat changes I made recently. When I was at Get A Grip to switch out my saddle we also replaced my worn down cleats. I think when we placed them back on we moved them slightly from their original position... because now my left knee feels off when I cycle and my left IT band gets really tight and painful. I'm going to try to make some adjustments to the cleat position on my left shoe and hope that fixes things.

Udder Century ride

I had a pretty bad ride this weekend at the Udder Century ride. It was partly due to the fact that it was super windy but mostly due to the fact that I was pretty hungover from the night before. I was expecting a pretty casual ride that day but as soon as we started the group I was riding with shot out pretty fast and I tried to give chase. Well, about 20 miles in I was pretty much done with the ride and I wanted to go home. I kept trudging along but eventually I cut my ride short and limped my way back home. Lesson learned: don’t go out drinking all night if you want to bike more than 50 miles the next day. I could barely generate 75% effort out there. Luckily they had plenty of food waiting for us when we got back to the start area!

Garmin 310XT

I just received my new summertime toy... the Garmin's Forerunner 310XT! I was considering buying the 405 because it's smaller but I've read some so-so reviews and heard poor feedback on the 405's touch interface. The 310XT is a little bulkier than I would prefer but it seems like the best run/tri watch out on the market. Now I just have to figure out how to use this contraption and hit the road with it.

If you're looking for an in depth review of the 310XT check out this review (possibly the most thorough product review I have ever read in my life):
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/09/garmin-forerunner-310xt-in-depth-review.html