Central Park Ride

Today after work I made the mistake of hitting my local gym in Hoboken for chest and triceps. I got there a little before 6:30 P.M. and it was packed to the rafters. With a bit of improvisation I was able to get through the entire workout, but I definitely made a mental note to avoid the gym during rush hour. The highlight of my workout week so far was my ride yesterday in Central Park. I took the ferry over to the city, rode over to the park, and then did three loops at a fairly hard pace. I ended up averaging 19.5 MPH for the 18 miles around the park (which I am pretty happy with given all the hills and the fact I really have not been riding much lately), and was blowing away roadies left and right (I actually lapped these two riders in matching cycling club kits, although I think they must have been doing the smaller 4 mile loop). I felt strong the entire way, and while I was definitely sweating and had a fairly elevated heart rate, the funny thing is I never really rode my really big gears. In other words, my new bike is FAST...

Just For The Fun Of It

Today I hit the gym for light chest, triceps, and legs. Yesterday I did my bread-and-butter 30 minute treadmill run. Neither workout was particularly noteworthy. That said, I did want to write about a couple of runs last week that were a bit different for me. Basically I was about to head out for a run one day and realized my Garmin Forerunner 205 was not charged. I have been using the 205 for all of my outdoor runs for some time now, tracking distance/speed/mile splits etc. While at first I was mildly annoyed, I decided to head out without any watch at all, given the fact that I knew the loop course I was running was almost exactly two miles and I planned to run it twice.

I cannot express to you how much more relaxed I ran without a watch on -- I felt like I could just listen to my body and enjoy myself, rather than worrying about my last mile split or what my average pace would be before the run was even over. Later in the week I ran four miles again without a watch, and it felt just as relaxed as the first run. I actually used to do these "watchless runs" when I lived in Chicago on a regular basis, and I think I am going to start doing them again, particularly during the "offseason" when the specific pace is so much less important than just getting the miles in to maintain a decent fitness base.

Initial Musings On The New Ride

This morning I took my new bike out for a 21 mile ride. The ride was fairly uneventful, aside from the fact it was my first one on the new bike in which I did not get a flat tire. Now that the bike is all built up and I have ridden it a few times, I just wanted to share some initial impressions:

Fabulous! As you can see from the picture, the entire bike is one of three colors: black, red, or white (BTW, I am loving the new white saddle). I personally love the new color scheme, but it is definitely going to look a bit strange when I am riding in races next year -- my tri top and shorts are black, my helmet is white, and even my biking shoes are black and red. Thus, I will likely be the most color-coordinated triathlete at most races -- that, and the dorkiest looking one (which is saying a lot).

She Ain't Heavy, She's My Black Knight. The new bike is definitely heavier than my old one. I actually weighed her yesterday morning, and she is 22 pounds. I am not sure exactly how much my old bike weighed, but I definitely notice a difference when I lift up the new one. It probably will not make much of a difference overall, but given the fact that the terrain is so much hillier here than in the Midwest, it certainly cannot help.

Oh Yeah, How Is The Ride? I definitely feel different on the new bike -- way more streamlined and aerodynamic. I was actually worried that I bought too big of a frame (58 cm, the same size as my old road frame), but I honestly cannot imagine riding on a smaller one. It is probably too early to compare performance in terms of speed/power, but I already am feeling very comfortable in the aero position after just a couple of rides, which is a very good sign.

All in all, I am really happy with the new ride. Bring on next season -- I will be ready for it!

Here She Is -- The Dark Knight!

Well I know that I have promised to post a picture of the new bike for a while, so here she is -- "The Dark Knight." I will have much more to say about her soon (only have gotten in two rides so far, and one was cut really short with a flat tire), but suffice to say, Daddy like...

The New Bike

So this morning I picked up my (virtually) new bike from my local bicycle shop. The build come out looking AMAZING -- I will definitely post pictures soon. It is funny, but I almost feel like I have a "Frankenbike" at this point -- it is a hodgepodge of sorts, with the new frame, parts from my original Klein Quantum, and other parts that I changed or replaced along the way. The following is a rundown of my new steed, "The Dark Knight":

Parts From My Original Klein Quantum

• Shimano 105 front and rear brakes
• Shimano 105 front derailleur
• Shimano 105 cranks
• Look pedals (I am not sure which model)
• Cateye CD100 Astrale computer
  

Parts I Added To The Quantum Along The Way

• Profile Design T2 Wing base bar
• Profile Design T2+ aerobars
• Shimano Dura Ace shifters
• Cane Creek 200TT brake levers
  
• Felt STS stem
  
• TNi Bento Box
• Shimano Tiagra rear derailleur
• Neuvation M28 Aero3 wheels
• Planet Bike Button Cage bottle holders (which I think are just awesome for the price)

New Dark Knight Parts

• Motobecane Nemesis Pro frameset (including front fork)
• Kalloy Uno seatpost
• Specialized TriTip Gel saddle
• Chain (I have no idea what brand or model)
  

Like I said, she's kind of a Frankenbike, but I love her already. I was planning on going out on my maiden voyage today, but it has been raining pretty much all day. Tomorrow is supposed to be much nicer, so hopefully I will be able to get my first ride in then...

The New Bike Is Almost Ready!

Yesterday I hit the gym and did chest, triceps, and legs. On the chest exercises I went with heavy weights for the second week in a row, and my strength is definitely coming back pretty quickly -- on the flat bench I put up 205 lbs four times, and I actually put up 150 lbs five times on the incline bench with dumbells (my previous best was 140 lbs). Today I knocked out another 30 minute treadmill run, with each few minutes at a progressively faster speed after the first 12. I have started to eat really well again, and my weight is down to 177 lbs, which is encouraging. If I can stay under or around 180 lbs until I start serious training again, I will be well ahead of the game.

The more important news is that my new bike build up is nearly complete. I stopped by my local bike shop after work to check it out, and it looks really sweet! They are just waiting on one new part (virtually everything else transferred over just fine from my old frame), and then I will be good to go! Fall weather is quickly settling in here, but hopefully I can get a few rides in this year. I will probably have to take my trainer out of temporary retirement this winter to get used to the new geometry and tweak the fit a bit as well. I will definitely post a picture or two once I pick her up. I already have a nickname for the new bike (dorky I know, but I do not care) -- "The Dark Knight."

Vacation And Cross Training

Last week I took a "staycation" from work and was able to get in some really solid training sessions. I ran and lifted weights twice and did a 15 mile ride on my rarely-used "back-up" bike (a Specialized Sirrus hybrid with straight, moutain-bike style handlebars). Yesterday the better half and I headed into Manhattan for a marathon rollerblading session on the West Side bike path. We started at 39th Street, went as far north as we could (a block south of 200th Street), and then turned around and headed back down to 14th Street. I estimate all in all we probably rollberbladed about 17-18 miles, which would not have been too bad, except for the fact we had a pretty light breakfast, so by the end were barely moving. Lesson learned, but still a good cross training workout. Today I hit the treadmill at lunch for 30 minutes at 7:19 per mile pace, which felt perfectly fine. Oh, and I did receive my new bicycle frame in the mail last Friday. I am excited to see how the bike turns out -- it should be ready sometime this week.

Morning Run/New Frame

This morning I headed out for a quick four mile run. I started in Hoboken, ran north to Weehawken, and simply turned around when I hit two miles. My pace was fairly fast (7:09 per mile), but I just did not feel very comfortable or fluid. I guess you cannot have great runs every day. On a completely unrelated note, I ordered my new bicycle frame today. It is a Motobecane Nemesis Pro. I first heard about Motobecane on Slowtwitch, where they have a reputation as being dependable, "poor man's" triathlon bikes. I was actually looking to spend a bit more money and get a frame from a more established brand, but unfortunately when it comes to frames, manufacturers generally only sell them for their more expensive models. The other problem I had is that nearly all of the frames I saw online were carbon -- not only is that way more money, but after what just happened to my current bike, the last thing I want is to buy a frame that is more susceptible to breaking. The frame should get here in a few days -- needless to say, I am really excited to see what my bike looks like when it is all built up! This will also be my first true triathlon frame (i.e., with triathlon-specific geometry), so it will also be interesting to see if that makes any difference to my bike and run splits next season.