BTC TT

A couple of weeks ago I did the Bellingham Triathlon Club's weekly time trial for the first time.  My time for the course was 42:23.  That's 47 seconds under what I predicted.  Not bad for a shot in the dark.  Last Thursday it was canceled because of rain, but today is another stellar weather day so I'm going to try and improve.  Last time I had some strange cramping in my calves about half-way through.  I was perplexed because I never have calf issues on the bike.  To figure it out I set up my video camera to record my pedal technique on the trainer.  After some analysis, I came to the conclusion my toe was always pointing down, even during the downstroke.  According to the majority of coaches, this is an inefficient way to deliver power.  Since I'm still fairly new to riding(1 year), adjusting my form was easy.  Focusing on keeping a good rhythm and staying in tune with my form is helping. 

Next day:
Last night's TT was great.  I held back on the first hill and then hammered it the rest of the way, including the long climb from the lake.  At the end I was foaming at the mouth and giving it everything I had.  I improved 25 seconds to nail a 41:58.  Even though I felt spent, Glenn, Steve and I ran one loop around the lake at a comfortable pace.  It was a solid effort, but maybe too much for a multi-sport event.  I'll have to test it out with a faster brick run next time.  I've decided Thursdays are going to be my brick days because Fridays are supposed to be rest days before big weekends.

Other than swimming, I've been putting in some solid time lately.  I'm up to 7 hours of training this week and tomorrow I'm going for a long ride(50 miles or so).  Sunday I'll help officiate the bike course at the Mount Rainier Duathlon.  Which means I better get comfortable sitting on the back of  a motorcycle real quick because I'm going to be on it for a few hours.  Good luck at the race Glenn Gervais.