Wheelbuilder.com Aero Wheel Cover Review

**Updated**
12/29/2010
As you can see, the wheel cover is still holding up. I have taken it off and cleaned it up a bit but overall it is in very good shape. I will keep it on through training and replace it if and when it begins to look too worn. I would highly recommend this as an accessory. I know a lot of people would rather spend ten times as much on a real disc but I have other things to spend my money on, like my mortgage and kids. It would be cool to have that disc sound as I passed by people, but the quiet when passing them is pretty cool too.

9/13/2010
This is an update to my aero wheel cover from wheelbuilder.com. The cover is still on my bike and is still going strong. It looks a little worn but is still as tight as the day I put it on. I have been putting electrical tape over the valve stem opening and it has been fine except for one occasion where it came loose while riding. No big deal. This aero wheel cover has been one of the best accessories I've added to my Quintana Roo TiPhoon. I recommend a wheel cover from wheelbuilder.com and if this one ever needs to be replaced, I will definitely get another one.

6/17/2010
Another couple weeks of using the cover have gone by and besides the sticker over my stem valve coming loose, no problems. I have to take the sticker off to air up my tire so it gets worn after a couple times. I will be using electrical tape now that the 3 stickers that came with the cover are used up. I check the cover after each ride and it stays solid. I am more than satisfied with the quality of the cover and happy with my purchase. I recommend a wheelbuilder cover for anyone on a budget, or not, that wants the look and advantage of a disc without the disadvantage of the cost.

6/2/2010
My wheel cover got me through another race and it is going strong. I raced a sprint and the 10 mile bike leg was a flat fast ride. I ended up with a 22.8 avg. That was my fastest bike split for that particular race. I have been training more but I can't help but think the cover makes some difference. I don't even know it's on there most of the time. Very quiet with no rattling. I still highly recommend you spend the $90 or so dollars on this before dropping over $1000.00 on a disc. At least try it. If you just have the $$ laying around, you could always sponsor a hard working husband and father of 2 beautiful girls for the race season (I'm talking about me).

5/5/2010
The wheel cover is still going strong. I got through St. Anthony's and about 100 miles since then and the wheelbuilder.com cover is still holding strong. I'll probably keep it on for a while since I have at least 1 spint a month for the next 4 months. I am very happy with it so far and it has been very durable. Great product.

3/12/2010
Well I got another 30 miles in on the wheel cover and still like it. It was another windy ride and I did feel it a little with strong cross winds. Not out of control or anything, but I did need to pay a little more attention to what I was doing.
I rode the Frogman route again with a friend Sunday and it hurt going into the wind, but we were moving at a really good pace (up to 30 mph) with the tailwind. I got in a good training ride and I'm looking forward to the first race of the season next Sunday and using the wheelcover in a race. I have a new bike this season and the wheel cover makes it look extra fast, so I hope I have built up the engine enough to go with the looks. I guess I'll know next Sunday. I'm out.

3/3/2010
I rode for the first time on the road with the disc cover this weekend. Only did 25 miles and I was very surprised with the disc wheel cover. I was expecting quite a bit of rattle from the cover but I never noticed it and even my ridng partner said he did not notice it either. Not sure if I could tell a whole lot of difference with the wheel cover on, because I have been doing so much on the trainer and spin class, I know my fitness level is improved. I do know it doesn't hurt so I'm keeping it on. We had 20-25 mph winds and the only time I felt a little sketchy was going down the bridge with a bit of a cross wind. I rode the brakes at 25 mph (I know , what a pus) because I just felt a little loose. Not sure if it was the disc or just the strong winds.

I checked everything out on the disc when I got home, and it was all still nice and tight. I plan to keep it on for a while now as I start racing this month and have one a month until October. I'll keep updating as I put on the miles.

2/4/2010
I have a few more hours with the cover on the trainer and still fits snug. No strange rattles or anything as of yet. If the weather cooperates this weekend, I will have a 3 hour road test and post how it went. Our weekends for the last month or so have been extremely windy so I hope it lets up some for this weekend.

1/4/2010

Happy New Year! I have about 4 trainer hours with the wheel cover on and it has not loosened up at all. The weather has been unseasonably cold here in Florida so I have not been on the road with the aero disc yet. I will continue to train with the wheel cover on the trainer and monitor if it loosens up or if there are any other problems.

12/29/2009
I received my aero wheel cover from wheelbuilder.com today. I was excited to try out and review this product. I have heard many people like the product and wanted to know for myself how it works. I needed to stop at my local bike shop and get the necessary tools for installation (chain whip and lockring removal tool).

I know the aero wheel cover is only for racing, but I wanted to install it and ride a little to get a feeling for it and make sure when it comes to race day, that I know how to install and feel comfortable putting it on.

When I opened the box, all the installation pieces were there and I was ready to give it a shot. Let me first say that I am not very mechanically inclined when it comes to my bike, or anything really. Removing the cassette was not all that hard and the biggest trick was getting it off without losing the order of the cogs and the spacers. I accomplished this without a problem.

I then put the wheel cover on and it was fairly easy. It did take a little adjusting back and forth once I got the fasteners on and this was a little frustrating. I put a fastener in every other hole at first, then I installed the others. I kept them loose at this time so that I could do the adjusting. After a few minutes of moving the disc around, I finally felt like it was in the right spot.

I tightend the fasteners and checked the fit. There seemed to be some warping of the cover so I loosened up the fasteners a bit and it seemed to take care of the problem.

I reinstalled the cassette and went to put the wheel back on my bike. I don't know why, but I have the hardest time putting my back wheel on. I messed with this for a little while and finally got it. I put the bike on my trainer and made sure nothing was rubbing. It seemed fine and I will go for a short neighborhood tour tonight after work. I will post updates on the durability of the product

Operation Changing Lives 5K

Click here to visit Geek Publishers by Julian Dean

November 20th was the first annual Operation Changing Lives 5K. I am very close to this charity, as the surgeons that I work for are the doctors that provide the great services for Operation Changing Lives. OCL provides surgical services to those in need in our community as well as abroad. Our doctors provide cleft palate and facial surgeries to children in third world countries and to those in need in Volusia and Flagler counties. Our annual toy drive will be helping the children in Volusia and Flagler counties this year. If you are planning to donate to a charity this holiday season, please consider Operation Changing Lives. Donations can be sent to:

Attn: Craig
Operation Changing Lives
549 Health Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114

I had not run in 2 weeks while I battled an IT Band issue so I was not sure what my pace would be or if I even was even going to make it through the 3.1 miles.
I started off easy and as I felt like I was going to make it, I picked up the pace. I ended up with a time of 21:04, so not too bad afterall. I ended up winning my age group and 12th overall, but more importantly, I was able to run the full 3.1 miles and even ran back through the course to encourage the other runners.

I am still backing down on the running until I can get my IT Band and peroneal issues under control. I have been riding the trainer everyday so I don't feel like a total slacker. It was good to see that even though I had 2 weeks off from running, I had enough cardio fitness to run fairly well.

I'm off for more PT and a swim in hopes of picking up my swim for next season and ridding myself of these aches and pains I have been dealing with. Base running will continue at a slower pace but a more consistent six days until mid January when I start training for St. Anthony's.

Half Ironman Triathlon Training Plans By Tri Geek

Click here to visit Geek Publishers by Julian Dean

Tri Geek training plans offer all levels of triathlon training for all distances of triathlon. The plans are easy to follow for those who self coach and need the structured workouts written out for them. Check out the site and what they have to offer.

Suitable for all levels of fitness.

Prerequisite before starting the plans:

1. Able to Run 1-2 miles without stopping.
2. Able to Swim 100 yards without stopping.
3. Able to Bike comfortably for 30 mins.

Be 100% absolutely confident that you will finish your triathlon race in peak state and in peak performance when you commit to train and follow at least 80% of this triathlon training plan.

Features and benefits of a Triathlon Geek self-coaching training plan:

All plans include a nutritional guide for endurance athletes.

3 athletic levels of triathlon training per sport (Age Grouper, Elite and Pro Athletes).

Triathlon specific Weight training and Core Strength routines for power and muscular endurance.

Detailed triathlon workout plans each day.

Gradual Increase in intensity and distance to avoid injuries and over training.

Balanced approach to endurance triathlon training so you do not burn out.

Start your triathlon training today. Digital (Adobe PDF) triathlon training plan sent to you via email.

5 Key triathlon training phases to achieve a peak state on race day.

2 Active Recovery phases.

Suitable for all levels of fitness including beginners.

At-a-glance triathlon training plan - one page per week.

Workouts are easy to read and follow.

Time-Intensity grid for each training day - allowing you to mentally gauge how intense or long your workouts will take.

One Day off per week.

Swim, Bike and Run drills.

Triathlon workouts include Brick, Speed Work, Endurance and Power routines.

Longer workouts on the weekend and Shorter workouts on the weekday to balance work life commitments.

Metric system (km) plans for Australia, New Zealand, Canadian and European athletes or those who prefer to train in the metric system.

Click here to visit Geek Publishers by Julian Dean

Volusia/Flagler Hospice 10K

Sunday was the Volusia/Flagler Hospice 5K and 10K run. Hospice has helped my family with loved ones and I love being able to participate in the race. This was the first year they have added the 10K so I was excited as I am building mileage toward my first marathon in November.

I have a 10K PR of 44:22 so I was hoping to have at least that time. I started off a little fast with a 6:29 1st mile and 6:31 2nd mile so I slowed down a bit. Felt good until the 4 mile mark then started to slow my pace. I was in 3rd place at that point and ended up being passed by 2 people before the finish.

My time was 44:26 so basically the same as in February. This time I won my age group and placed 5th overall. This was my best showing in a race so far so I felt great. I will continue to improve my running over the winter so when triathlon season comes back around, I will be ready to race.

Popular Triathlon Training Products

Triathlon Training Plans and Training Update

Click here to visit Triathlon Training Plans by Julian Dean

Tri Geek training plans offer all levels of triathlon training for all distances of triathlon. The plans are easy to follow for those who self coach and need the structured workouts written out for them. Check out the site and what they have to offer.



I have been using The Stick for the last few weeks and I am sold. I have tried other muscle roller products and The Stick is by far the best one I've tried. It has helped me too loosen up my tight calves and help to alleviate the plantar fasciitis pain I've been having. If you are not sure which roller to buy, please consider The Stick. It is now the only one I will use or recommend. Happy training!

I had a good interval run this morning. I am planning one more triathlon this season. The Marineland Olympic distance triathlon on October 17th. This will be my last triathlon this season, then it's back to strengthening my run with run focus and a half marathon, at least one, this winter. I plan to build a solid bike base over the winter as well so I can continue to improve my bike. My swim will have to improve this year. It is definitely my weak spot because I just hate swimming in the pool and I tend to skip the swim workouts if I need to miss something. I really hope to improve my swim so I'm not so spent getting out of the water. I usually have a decent time, but it takes a lot out of me. I hope to make decent improvements this "off" season like last year. I love living in Florida for the winter. Training year round is great. I'm ready for the heat and humidity to go away. If I can improve as much this year as last, I will be very happy next season.

"The Stick" Prevent Injuries and Condition Muscles

I have been using The Stick for the last few weeks and I am sold. I have tried other muscle roller products and The Stick is by far the best one I've tried. It has helped me too loosen up my tight calves and help to alleviate the plantar fasciitis pain I've been having. If you are not sure which roller to buy, please consider The Stick. It is now the only one I will use or recommend. Happy training!

Triathlon Training Plans

Click here to visit Geek Publishers by Julian Dean

Tri Geek training plans offer all levels of triathlon training for all distances of triathlon. The plans are easy to follow for those who self coach and need the structured workouts written out for them. Check out the site and what they have to offer.

Tempo Runs and Triathlon Training

This morning was a 5 mile run with 3 mile tempo in the middle. I was running with a fast group and it was a tough morning. I like running with them because it really pushes me. Each mile gets progressively faster. We started with a 7:01, then 6:55. The last mile was a 6:47 pace and proved to be too much for me to hold. I slowed to a manageable 7:20 pace and finished the 3 miles. The last cool down mile was nice and I was ready for it. I feel like the speed work is starting to push my speed up a bit, so it feels good and hurts at the same time.

I feel pretty good about my race this weekend. It is a local sprint triathlon with a 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike and a 4 mile beach run. The run on the beach is tough. There is always some soft sand to deal with. I'm hoping to pass a couple of the guys that always seem to edge me out on the run. This is the last local race, so I would like to do really well. I have lots of friends racing this weekend so it should be lots of fun.

I'll put up a report after the race. Happy training to everyone.

Firecracker 4 Miler in Daytona Beach

This Saturday was the 4 mile beach run in Daytona and the weather could not have been better. Of course it was warm, as it is Florida, but overcast and not too bad. There was a good turnout and the beach was not too bad as far as having a lot of soft sand. It was a low tide and pretty good conditions.

I started out a little slower so I could let some faster people by me to give me some "rabbits" to chase. Everything was going well and I felt good. I'm used to triathlons and running in open running races is eye opening to see how fast some of these guys and girls are.I was really wishing we had a bike first to tire some of them out. At the 2 mile turn around, I picked it upa bit and srated to hurt a little (in a good way). I train to finish every run with a negative split and this is why. I get an energy boost as I pass the faster runners who are now slowing a bit due to their pace and at the same time seem to suck a little wind from their sail as I go by.

I caught and finally passed a friend of mine that I have not beaten yet and that felt good. I guess the mile repeats with the 18 year old are paying off. A girl came by and tried to sprint by to the finish line, but that was not happening. I caught and passed her just before the finish. Come to find out, she is a cross country star from a local high school.

I finished with a 7:12/mile pace and got 6th in my age group. I felt good because though I didn't place, it gave me a good gauge of my pace for the next sprint tri on July 18th. The run is on the beach and I have a good idea of where I should be for the 3 mile beach run at the end. It was a great race and weekend with the family. I have some speed workouts planned for this week in prep for the next 2 triathlons. There are 2 in 4 weeks so I want to be ready.

Yesterday I had a good 25 mile ride with a quick 1 mile transition run right after. Felt good even though the legs were a bit tired from race day.

Click here to visit Geek Publishers by Julian Dean

Tri Geek training plans offer all levels of triathlon training for all distances of triathlon. The plans are easy to follow for those who self coach and need the structured workouts written out for them. Check out the site and what they have to offer.

First Sprint Triathlon of The Season : Ormond Y Tri

Sunday was my first sprint triathlon of this season. I was very anxious to race because after spending so much of the winter training for my run, I had issues come up before each one of my early season olympic races.

The Friday before Daytona Frogman, I came down with the stomach flu and was down like 8 pounds by the time Sunday came around. I had bad plantar fasciitis issues for 6 weeks before St. Anthony's and had to walk half of the run for that.

I have got back to light running with the help of my Vibram shoes and "The Stick". I felt good going in to the race this weekend.

The swim was a 1/4 mile ocean swim and there was a little surf that made the swim interesting for some of the participants. I am comfortable with swimming in the surf as I have grown up surfing and I'm used to the ocean. I came out in 8:22 (some said the course was a bit long but who cares). I felt good running up the approach to the transition area.

I hopped on the bike and took off. I was in approximately 20th position after the swim. I made a few good passes and kept the head down and gave it all I had for the short 10 mile course. I put in 22.8 mph avg. in 26:20. I came off the bike in 12th position. After a quick transition, I was off on the 3 mile run.

I started off by holding back a little to make sure the foot was going to hold up and slowly increased my pace. I had some really good runners pass me by and held on with what I had. I had a good sprint to the finish and held off a couple runners. I ended up finishing the run in 22:51. In hind sight I probably could have went a bit harder in the beginning, but since I was not sure about my foot, I felt it was smarter to test it out first.

I am in the 35-39 age group and it was tough. I ended up 6th in my age group and 20th overall with a time of 59:35. I was happy with the overall results and it was the first time I have broken the 1 hour mark in a tri. The next one is in 3 weeks and I will be looking to push a little harder and knock off a couple guys that have beaten me over the last couple years.

2Toms Blister Shield and Sports Shield

I have just bought some new shoes and have been getting blisters around the heel. I tried a new (at least new to me) product in hopes that it would relieve the hot spot in the area. I used the 2Toms sports shield before my last 2 runs and it was great. I had no irritation in the area or any other areas that usually get a little tender.

I live in Florida so even a short run gets everything soaking wet, and I can feel hot spots start to develop. With another run, I used the blister shield product in my socks as directed. Again, I was impressed with how dry it kept my feet. I did not feel the slipping around in my shoes that I normally do and had no hot spots to worry about.

I would recommend both of these products and the customer service with the company was great. They have a great facebook page where you can enter their "Worst Blister Challenge" and win some free products. I like the company and I love there products. Check out 2Toms and train blister free.

First Run In Vibram Five Fingers

I had my first 1.1 mile trail run yesterday in my Vibram Five Fingers and it was great. I actually had fun running. I have been dealing with plantar fasciitis issues as you all know, and since I've tried almost everything that was offered by doctors and therapists, I decided to try the Vibram Five Fingers approach.

My heel is actually a little better than it usually is in the morning and I do have some sore muscles that I never had before, but overall I feel good. The ball on my left foot is a little tender, but not bad.

It felt really good to run through the woods feeling like I had no shoes on. It is definitely a strange feeling, but after a couple minutes, you tend to settle in and feel like a kid for some reason. Even though it was only a mile, I felt like I got a decent workout and I felt like I could run much longer. I was cautious because I know I am suppose to ease into these and also while still having heel pain, I did not want to overdo it.

As of now I love the new shoes. I will continue to post updates as I gain more experience and mileage in the Vibram shoes.

Triathlon Training and Vibram 5 Finger Shoes

If you have been reading my blog, you know the problems I have been dealing with and Plantar Fasciitis. I have been going to the chiropractor and podiatrist with improvement but it is limited improvement. I have had cortisone shots, physical therapy, laser, botox (yes, Botox in my calf and feet), and have tried every stretch imagineable. Ice and heat help some but not as much as I would like.

After taking 5 weeks off from running and having to withdraw from my Florida 70.3 race, I decided to give the less is more approach a shot. I just bought the Vibrams yesterday so I wore them around the house last night. They definitely are different than any other shoe you'll ever wear. My feet did not hurt as much as in regular shoes and after a while, they actually started to loosen up a bit. The hardest part is getting your feet into them. My first thought was that these would be cool for the sprints this summer with a beach run, but I think my transition in T2 would be horrific. You have to get used to having your toes separated, but it's not all that bad. I'm anxious to wear them outside. Maybe after work tonight, I'll throw them on for a few minutes during my short trail run with the wife.

I will slowly get used to them before trying to run in them too much but I hope to transition to using them as my running shoes in the future. I will keep posting updates on my progress with them. If you have any experience with these, please leave a comment and share with others.

Half Ironman Triathlon Training Plans By Tri Geek

Click here to visit Geek Publishers by Julian Dean

Tri Geek training plans offer all levels of triathlon training for all distances of triathlon. The plans are easy to follow for those who self coach and need the structured workouts written out for them. Check out the site and what they have to offer.

Suitable for all levels of fitness.

Prerequisite before starting the plans:

1. Able to Run 1-2 miles without stopping.
2. Able to Swim 100 yards without stopping.
3. Able to Bike comfortably for 30 mins.

Be 100% absolutely confident that you will finish your triathlon race in peak state and in peak performance when you commit to train and follow at least 80% of this triathlon training plan.

Features and benefits of a Triathlon Geek self-coaching training plan:

All plans include a nutritional guide for endurance athletes.

3 athletic levels of triathlon training per sport (Age Grouper, Elite and Pro Athletes).

Triathlon specific Weight training and Core Strength routines for power and muscular endurance.

Detailed triathlon workout plans each day.

Gradual Increase in intensity and distance to avoid injuries and over training.

Balanced approach to endurance triathlon training so you do not burn out.

Start your triathlon training today. Digital (Adobe PDF) triathlon training plan sent to you via email.

5 Key triathlon training phases to achieve a peak state on race day.

2 Active Recovery phases.

Suitable for all levels of fitness including beginners.

At-a-glance triathlon training plan - one page per week.

Workouts are easy to read and follow.

Time-Intensity grid for each training day - allowing you to mentally gauge how intense or long your workouts will take.

One Day off per week.

Swim, Bike and Run drills.

Triathlon workouts include Brick, Speed Work, Endurance and Power routines.

Longer workouts on the weekend and Shorter workouts on the weekday to balance work life commitments.

Metric system (km) plans for Australia, New Zealand, Canadian and European athletes or those who prefer to train in the metric system.

Click here to visit Geek Publishers by Julian Dean

Nothing To Do With Triathlon Training: One Of The Strangest Books I've Ever Seen

I was watching a show the other night, I don't remember what show but it was Comedy Central so obviously mindless, and they brought up this book. I was really just listening and when they said the topic of the book, I had to look up, and rewind to be sure I heard it correctly. I know this is a triathlon training blog, but I also love to hear odd and sometimes crazy stories.

Here is a description from the book and at first may seem like a joke. It is not. You can actually purchase this book for your cookbook library (I don't know why you would but to each his own).

Semen is not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties. Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic. Semen is inexpensive to produce and is commonly available in many, if not most, homes and restaurants. Despite all of these positive qualities, semen remains neglected as a food. This book hopes to change that. Once you overcome any initial hesitation, you will be surprised to learn how wonderful semen is in the kitchen. Semen is an exciting ingredient that can give every dish you make an interesting twist. If you are a passionate cook and are not afraid to experiment with new ingredients - you will love this cook book!

I'm not sure it is for me (I'm actually very sure it is not), but I did find it interesting that there are actually people buying this. It may be a pretty funny coffee table book if you don't have kids. It would probably be a great awkward conversation starter when friends are over. Just to leave it sitting out where they could see it and then leave the room and monitor their reaction. Now that would be priceless. Especially if you came back and offered them a tapioca pudding appetizer. Bon appetite!

No Florida 70.3 for Me!!

I am having to pull the plug on the Florida 70.3 half ironman race. My plantar fasciitis problems have really hurt my training. My bike and swim is good but I have only run once in 4 weeks and that was at St. Anthony's and my 44 minute 10K time turned into an hour long jog/walk.I love writing my blog so I will continue to update with my regular training progress and report on my sprint races.

I also plan to add more funny posts that relate to my everyday life. Please continue to follow me as I rework my blog. I hope to add many more followers. Thanks again for following.

St. Anthony's Triathlon and Half Ironman Training

Click here to visit Tri Geek Triathlon Training Plans

I am so excited for St. Anthony's this weekend. I am a little concerned because my foot still is only about 80% but I'll do my best and enjoy the atmosphere this weekend at St. Anthony's on Sunday. I had a decent swim last night and good spin class this morning. I will probably do a short (very short and easy) swim, bike, run brick on Thursday with a small group of people. The run will be very easy and short just so I get the feeling of what I am in for on Sunday.




It's been a crazy couple weeks with really cutting back on the run to let my foot heal and lots of crazy work stuff. Tonight I have a soccer game for my 6 year olds soccer team. This is my first year coaching and it's pretty fun. The kids are actually getting better and learning the team concept. I knew nothing about soccer before this but I know teamwork and fitness so it was not that hard (and the fact that they are only 6 and have no real expectations didn't hurt). I'll update before the race and of course a race report next week. Wish me luck and god luck to everyone else who will be racing this weekend.

At The Gas Pump

I was at the gas pump this morning and a car pulled up next to me. A woman, not too bad looking, jumped out and approached me. I was wondering where this was going, and then I saw the pamphlets in her hand. Now, I am very open to evryone's beliefs and they have no effect on me so to each his (or her) own. She started to tellme how I could live a better life and have more time for my family and how her reading materials could help me. I was very polite and accepted the materials. I just watched the car she was riding in leave the parking lot.

I wondered what made them stop to talk to me. Maybe because I was on my way to work and was dressed up a bit, they just assumed that I needed their help with living a better life and making time for family. If nothing else, it made me think about things for a few minutes. Then I got right back to the important stuff, you know,the day ahead at work, the evening workout, then tomorrow's 5 a.m. workout, and then the afternoon workout. Saturday morning's long run before I coach my 6 year olds soccer game and make plans with the wife and kids for the rest of the weekend. Then I thought, see they don't know what they're talking about, there is plenty of time for my family. Anyway, I have to go it's time to train before going home to help put the kids bed. Another wonderful day. St. Anthony's next weekend!!

Half Ironman Triathlon Training Update

This weekend was pretty good for training. I got in my first long run in a couple weeks. I did 9 miles on Saturday. My foot was pretty sore, but I got through it. Had to stop a couple times and stretch out the foot and calf. Still ended up with a 8:24 pace so not that bad. My foot was pretty sore the next day.

On Sunday I rode with a small group that I rode with last year. It is a good group of people, but they ride at a slower pace than I have gotten used to. This is good I guess, as I can now see that my training has definitely improved my cycling and after riding with them for 25 miles, I headed off on my own for another 20 miles. There was a lot of wind so I really had to put my head down and grind it out for awhile. Coming back was great because I had a strong tailwind so I was cruising at about 25 mph for most of the 10 miles back home. The ride felt good and I felt strong. No run after because the family was waiting for me.

St. Anthony's is coming up so I need my foot to get better so I can redeem myself of last year's poor performance.

Half Ironman Triathlon Training: Weekend Plans

My foot is feeling better today and I hope to get a big weekend of training in. I have a 2 hour trainer ride planned for tonight. We will be watching my nephew tonight so it will be a little crazy around the house with 3 kids, but I'll get the ride in after they settle down for bed.



Tomorrow I plan on a 10 mile run (easy to test the foot) before our second soccer game at 9. We lost the first game (I coach 5 and 6 year olds so it was an accidental shot) 1 - 0. It is actually pretty fun to watch the kids. Maybe 8 of the 16 on the field actually have a clue. I need to get a swim in after practice or in the afternoon. I may go to the ocean for some open water training. St. Anthony's is coming up fast and I want to feel confident going in.

Sunday is a 3 hour long ride. I will probably join a small group for the first part of the ride. They are pretty relaxed and it will be a good warm up. I'll do the last couple hours on my own. I would like to do a short transition run after the bike, but I'll see how my foot feels after the ride and long run on Saturday.

Triathlon Training Update and Popular Triathlon Training Books and Products

Here are some popular triathlon training products to help you get the most out of your training:



I'm feeling better after my stomach funk and race let down this weekend. Did spin class yesterday and felt pretty good. I was a little slow to start (it was 5:15 so I usually am anyway) but it ended up being a really good workout. Planning an interval session with the wife tonight. Our plan is a 40 minute run set up like this:

10 min Warm up
3 min threshold pace
3 min recovery pace
3 min threshold pace
3 min recovery pace
3 min threshold pace
3 min recovery pace
10-12 cool down

I plan on a brick in the consisiting of 1hr 20 min bike followed by 25 min tempo run just under race pace. 4 weeks until St. Anthony's and I want to have a good race so I want to pick up a bit more. I'm counting on the fact that I'm able to keep my foot feeling at least tolerable.

Daytona Frogman Race Report

I started my weekend on Friday feeling great and ready for my race on Sunday. I was very excited to see where my fitness level was because I have been traing hard and I feel pretty strong. When my wife called me Friday afternoon and said she felt horrible, I was a little concerned (of course for her) that I may pick up some of it before the race. She was sick all night and I took care of the girls, 6 and 14 months. The youngest was the first one to come down with the sickness. I did my best to wash my hands obsessively but something must have gotten through. I started to feel the yuck at 2 a.m. When Saturday morning came around, I was down for the count. I spent all day Saturday feeling horrible. When I weighed myself Friday night I was 193. When I woke up Sunday morning, I still felt sick. I weighed in at 186. I was down 7 lbs from Friday night. Not good. I just tried to eat some toast with peanut butter and drank some water.

This race was to benefit the families of retired and fallen Navy Seals, so the race was started by the Seal parachute team dropping onto the beach right in front of us. Pretty awesome sight and gave a huge shot of adrenaline.

We got lined up on the beach for the start and were a bit delayed while they tried to get the buoys to stay set. They finally started the race and we were off. I felt good getting through the surf and was on my way. I fell behind the lead pack and was fine with that. I just wanted to keep an easy pace to see how my stomach was going to feel. I was doing okay. Water was rough and was tough to sight at times. I was between the lead group and the rest of the men, so no drafting for me. I ended up coming out at 16:42. The course was obviously shortened due to the times that were put up. It was probably more of 1200 yd course. As soon as I hit the beach and started my run to transition, I knew I was going to have a long day. My stomach hurt right away as soon as I started to jog. No problems with transition. Wetsuit off easily and helmet on.

Shoes were on the bike and no problems mounting the bike. It was about 1/4 mile when I strapped in to my shoes, no problems. I did not practice transitions as planned due to being violently ill on Friday and Saturday. It worked out okay. I dropped my chain going over the bridge. My fault, I waited too long to gear down. I put it back on mid bridge and still got over it rather quickly. I Took it easy with the headwinds and tried to reserve my energy for the tailwind portions. Started too lose my steam about half way through the ride due to my stomach funk. I ended up with a bike split of 1:10:01 (21.3 mph) so not too bad after all.

The run felt horrible from start to finish. I stopped sweating at mile 2 and got the goose bumps. Not good. I was intent on finishing, so I slogged through the miles. Every time I started to run, my stomach knotted up and was very painful. I ended walking probably 3 miles of the 10K. I was so disappointed because my run is so much improved. My last open 10K was 44 and change so obviously, I was not happy with an 1:01 10K. I watched the people pass me by on the run that I have beat all winter in the run races and I felt worse with each one. I finally got to the finish line and kept running straight to the bathroom. 10 minutes later I emerged to see my beautiful wife and 2 daughters waiting for me. My oldest said, "Great job Daddy. You finished". That brought a smile to my face for the first time all day.

I am glad I finished the race even though it was probably not the smartest thing to do. I spent the rest of the day in bed and in the bathroom. Good times. After beating myself for a little bit, I focused on the facts that were positive. I had a good swim, and decent bike even though I felt horrible. Transition times were fairly good and I got through them rather quickly. I will take these positives and prepare for St. Anthony's next month. If nothing else, this will keep the fire going to continue training harder for St. Anthony's next month and Florida 70.3 in May. I am taking today off, and getting back into training tomorrow.

Thanks for following.

Triathlon Training Plan: Daytona Frogman

Daytona Frogman is Sunday and I can't wait to race!I will go for a swim tonight and probably just rest tomorrow. I have bike check in on Saturday, so maybe a short ride to check everything out before I go. I will do some transition training tonight and tomorrow morning to get a little of the rust off. I haven't had a tri since last August so I need a little refresher. I am curious to see the results of my training this year and I hope to get a good gauge on where I will be for St.Anthony's next month. Even though I am using this weekends race as a "tune up", I want to do well because it is my hometown and I do every race as an "A" race really. I give all I can at every race otherwise I would just do a training session for free.

I also need to see where my foot is because I have only ran twice in the last week so I could take some time for my plantar fasciitis flare up to calm down. It feels better, but not 100%. I will baby it until race day and see what happens. There is an expo on Saturday and I am sure it will be fun. I'll let everyone know my results and if anything comes up over the weekend, I'll throw up an update.

Triathlon Training Schedule: Swim Bike Run Session This Morning

This morning our spin teacher, who is also a triathlete coach, decided today would be a full (not quite) swim, bike, run brick. we started with 20 minutes in the pool, ran to the spin bikes and did a full hour simulated race day, and then quick transition to a 20 minute run. There are a few of us in the class that are racing The Daytona Frogman on Sunday so this was a nice workout for us. I felt good and the foot held up pretty well (I have been fighting with plantar fasciitis for a few months). I hope to have my bike back in action today and have a good trainer ride tonight. Tomorrow will be intervals for my last hard workout before the olympic distance race on Sunday. I AM READY TO RACE!!

Weekend Triathlon Training

I had to go to plan b, literally because Plan B is my local bike shop, because I tightened my seat on Friday night and broke one of the screws on the clamp. The screw broke off in the clamp. Arggg! They managed to get the broken screw out, but they had to order a new screw. That meant no bike this weekend.

I did manage to run the 10K for Daytona Frogman on Saturday. I took it a little easy because my foot is feeling a little better and I did not want to aggravate it. Ended up with a decent 7:27 pace and I hope that I can hold that pace on Sunday off the 25 mile bike.

There was an open ocean swim clinic yesterday and we had a decent turnout. There were a lot of beginners but some experienced people as well. We basically did beach starts and swam out to a buoy that was about 100 yards off the outer sandbar and came back in. We did about 10 of these heats and it was good to get the feel for the ocean starts again. I felt good and was able to keep out in front of most of the others. I feel confident for sprint distances, but a mile swim is totally different. I'm hoping to be able to relax and get into a good rhythm for the long swim and not get out of the water too drained.



Tomorrow we are doing a 400 yard swim before spin class, then a 2 mile run after class for a nice full brick. I plan on doing a couple hours on the trainer tonight, if I get my bike back together, and then Wednesday will be an interval run. That will be my last hard workout of the week. I will do some transition practice after work this week. Probably at least 2 days at about an hour each. Transition practice is like getting free time in the race. I learned the hard way last season that transition can mean the difference between 3rd and 4th. transition training can take off precious seconds with minimal training time. Try taking 1 minute off your swim and see how long that takes. You can easily get your transitions down to at least 30-45 seconds if you train for them correctly (olympic and sprint distances). Have a great week everyone!

Wheelbuilder.com Aero Disc Wheel Cover Review

**Updated**
3/12/2010
Well I got another 30 miles in on the wheel cover and still like it. It was another windy ride and I did feel it a little with strong cross winds. Not out of control or anything, but I did need to pay a little more attention to what I was doing.
I rode the Frogman route again with a friend Sunday and it hurt going into the wind, but we were moving at a really good pace (up to 30 mph) with the tailwind. I got in a good training ride and I'm looking forward to the first race of the season next Sunday and using the wheelcover in a race. I have a new bike this season and the wheel cover makes it look extra fast, so I hope I have built up the engine enough to go with the looks. I guess I'll know next Sunday. I'm out.

3/3/2010
I rode for the first time on the road with the disc cover this weekend. Only did 25 miles and I was very surprised with the disc wheel cover. I was expecting quite a bit of rattle from the cover but I never noticed it and even my ridng partner said he did not notice it either. Not sure if I could tell a whole lot of difference with the wheel cover on, because I have been doing so much on the trainer and spin class, I know my fitness level is improved. I do know it doesn't hurt so I'm keeping it on. We had 20-25 mph winds and the only time I felt a little sketchy was going down the bridge with a bit of a cross wind. I rode the brakes at 25 mph (I know , what a pus) because I just felt a little loose. Not sure if it was the disc or just the strong winds.

I checked everything out on the disc when I got home, and it was all still nice and tight. I plan to keep it on for a while now as I start racing this month and have one a month until October. I'll keep updating as I put on the miles.

2/4/2010
I have a few more hours with the cover on the trainer and still fits snug. No strange rattles or anything as of yet. If the weather cooperates this weekend, I will have a 3 hour road test and post how it went. Our weekends for the last month or so have been extremely windy so I hope it lets up some for this weekend.

1/4/2010

Happy New Year! I have about 4 trainer hours with the wheel cover on and it has not loosened up at all. The weather has been unseasonably cold here in Florida so I have not been on the road with the aero disc yet. I will continue to train with the wheel cover on the trainer and monitor if it loosens up or if there are any other problems.

12/29/2009
I received my aero wheel cover from wheelbuilder.com today. I was excited to try out and review this product. I have heard many people like the product and wanted to know for myself how it works. I needed to stop at my local bike shop and get the necessary tools for installation (chain whip and lockring removal tool).

I know the aero wheel cover is only for racing, but I wanted to install it and ride a little to get a feeling for it and make sure when it comes to race day, that I know how to install and feel comfortable putting it on.

When I opened the box, all the installation pieces were there and I was ready to give it a shot. Let me first say that I am not very mechanically inclined when it comes to my bike, or anything really. Removing the cassette was not all that hard and the biggest trick was getting it off without losing the order of the cogs and the spacers. I accomplished this without a problem.

I then put the wheel cover on and it was fairly easy. It did take a little adjusting back and forth once I got the fasteners on and this was a little frustrating. I put a fastener in every other hole at first, then I installed the others. I kept them loose at this time so that I could do the adjusting. After a few minutes of moving the disc around, I finally felt like it was in the right spot.

I tightend the fasteners and checked the fit. There seemed to be some warping of the cover so I loosened up the fasteners a bit and it seemed to take care of the problem.

I reinstalled the cassette and went to put the wheel back on my bike. I don't know why, but I have the hardest time putting my back wheel on. I messed with this for a little while and finally got it. I put the bike on my trainer and made sure nothing was rubbing. It seemed fine and I will go for a short neighborhood tour tonight after work. I will post updates on the durability of the product as time goes on.

Weekend Triathlon Training Plan

This is the last weekend to train before Frogman next Sunday. I plan on a good brick of 30 miles on the bike and a 6 mile run on Saturday, as long as my foot holds up. I plan to take it at an easy pace on the run. Sunday there is an open water swim clinic on the beach. The water temps are still in the 50's so it is going to be chilly. I planned on a swim this weekend anyway, so I'll join them and have a group to swim with. It is the same area for the Frogman and I think they are setting up the buoys and using this as a test run for next weekend. I hope we have a good turn out. I have heard some local grumblings about the water temp being so cold, but come on. Suck it up and let's get the season started without all the whining. Save the whining for the end of the season when we're all beat up and tired. I'm out.

I finally broke down and bought a pair of CEP compression socks yesterday. I hope they live up to the hype. I will try them out this weekend and let you know what I think. Have a great training weekend, I'm out.

Nic Ebright Massage: Help With Plantar Fasciitis Problems

I got a post from someone on twitter who was offering to help me out with my plantar fasciitis problems. He gave me some general advice and then asked what my race schedule looked like and he would send me a plan that may help me. I was not sure what to expect as I had never met him before. I checked out his site and it was informative. I think he is having it updated right now so it is currently down but check back later for his updated site. Later that evening, I got an e-mail from him with a great treatment plan. I have pasted it below:

Nic Ebright LMT-CES
Web: www.nicebrightmassage.com

Location: www.awakenwellnesscolumbia.com
7130 Minstrel Way, Suite 160
Columbia Maryland 21045
410-312-9922

Please Print for Your Reference

Before You Begin Home Care Plan:


Although seeking help for an injury or condition is beneficial, it is important to realize that you may need to perform some stretches, strengthening, self-massage or cold/heat therapy between sessions.
This treatment advice is referred to as 'home care advice' and it will help speed up the recovery process, shortening the healing time and thereafter help prevent further injuries.
If home care advice is given it is important to act on it. Massage alone may not be sufficient to rehabilitate a condition.
If appropriate, you may be referred to an alternative practitioner if a different form of therapy would be better suited, either in addition to or instead of the therapies Nic Ebright or Awaken Wellness offers.
Statements are not a medical diagnoses, please see your doctor if you want an official diagnosis.


Client: Craig McGray
Date: 3/9/2010
Session Date: 3/9/2010
Session Type: Overuse Injury Recommendations

Chief Complaint:
History of Plantar Fascitis or strain

Primary Session Treatment Goals:
No treatment performed

Professional Observation:
Plantar fasciitis is traditionally thought to be an inflammatory condition. This is now believed to be incorrect due to the absence of inflammatory cells within the fascia. The cause of pain and dysfunction is now thought to be degeneration of the collagen fibers close to the attachment to the heel bone. Analogous to a frayed rope, scar tissue fibers are not as strong/resilient as original tissue. This particular tissue does not heal as fast because under constant stress. Could be result of stress on rigid arch or overpronation with flat arches. cycling can be as equally painful because of direct use of the forefoot and calf attachments. Treatment is relatively long term.

Home Care Plan:
Protect Heel and Arch with heel pad or KT Tape
RICE affected area before and after activity frequently
Manage pain and inflammation using Ice Massage Technique along heel and arch for effective cooling of the tissue
Use tennis or golf ball to break up and realign scar tissue length wise from heel to forefoot
Stretch plantar tissue and ice again.
If no inflammation, heat the area with moist hot towel.
If POSSIBLE, decrease or discontinue activity causing pain until inflammation decreases
If NOT POSSIBLE, decrease intensity or volume or cross-train or apply KT Tape to support tendon
Reduce overactive muscles with foam roll (Myo-fascial Release). Usual suspects are calf and calf and soleus muscles
Lengthen/Stretch overactive muscles (Listed above)
Strengthen lower leg muscles, foot and toe muscles. Add ankle balance exercises.

References for You:
Taping the Plantar with KT Tape video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x272_NziK2g

Other methods of treatment if condition prolongs
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/4-Ways-to-Fight-Plantar-Fasciitis.htm?act=EMC-Active&Vehicle=Running&Date=03_02_10&Edition=1&Sections=Articles&Creative=4_Ways_to_Fight_Plantar_Fasciitis&TextName=More&ArtText=Txt&Placement=2&Dy=Tue

"Be Informed to Stay In Form"

Bottom line was that if Nic cares for his clients in the same way he was willing to give me advice, he must have very happy and faithful clients. If you need advice or are in his area of Maryland, I would recommend you stop and see Nic. Thanks for all your help Nic!

I Tested The Foot This Morning

I tested out my foot this morning after spin class. I went out and did a 20 min transition run and it went OK. I did not really push it all, but put in a decent pace. I plan to take it easy on the runs for the next week until my first race of the season next weekend. It's an Olympic distance and I want to be able to make the run. I realize I may not be 100% for this race and that's ok. Next month is St. Anthony's and I really want to be race ready for that one. I'm going to try to add in some trainer rides since I am cutting back on the run volume a bit.

Swim Training Tonight

Tonight is a swim night. Daytona Frogman is in a week and a half and the ocean is still only 53 degrees. It's gonna be chilly for sure, but that's just more incentive to swim faster and get to my bike. I don't plan on being in there for more than 25 minutes at the most (Olympic distance race)anyway. I grew up surfing here, so it's not that big of a deal to me. There are some locals who are questioning whether they are going to race beacuse of it. We live in Florida and can pretty much train year round, so I can't see complaining about a little cold.

There are plenty of people who would love to train in our "cold" weather. People around here have really been slack this winter because of our cold snaps. I hope the fact that I have trained through most of it translates into some noticeable improvements this season.

I plan on an ocean swim this weekend to get a feel for the open water again before next weekend. I think we will have a group of people show up for a group swim. I have not ran since my PR 5K (20:22) on Saturday due to my Plantar Fasciitis problems. I plan on taking it easy with the run until the race and putting in extra time on the bike between now and then in order to keep my fitness level up.

I am going into Frogman with the mindset that I may not be 100% and I'll just do my best and try not to further injure myself. My main focus is St. Anthony's next month and of course, Florida 70.3 in May. That's a quick update for everyone and thanks for following. I'm out!

Wheelbuilder.com Aero Disc Wheel Cover Review

**Updated**
3/22/2010
I had my first race with the wheel cover on yesterday. I had a bad race overall (see the Daytona Frogman Post), but felt good about the wheel cover. I honestly forgot it was even on. I never heard it and the winds were either headwind or tailwind, so no real crosswinds to deal with. Not sure if it helped me much, but it definitely did not hurt. My time was faster than last year so I'll keep the cover on. I have trained hard since last year so I know that has helped. I assume the cover helped a bit too. Well worth the $90 I spent on it. I'll keep it on for the rest of the season. So far so good.
3/3/2010
I rode for the first time on the road with the disc cover this weekend. Only did 25 miles and I was very surprised with the disc wheel cover. I was expecting quite a bit of rattle from the cover but I never noticed it and even my ridng partner said he did not notice it either. Not sure if I could tell a whole lot of difference with the wheel cover on, because I have been doing so much on the trainer and spin class, I know my fitness level is improved. I do know it doesn't hurt so I'm keeping it on. We had 20-25 mph winds and the only time I felt a little sketchy was going down the bridge with a bit of a cross wind. I rode the brakes at 25 mph (I know , what a pus) because I just felt a little loose. Not sure if it was the disc or just the strong winds.

I checked everything out on the disc when I got home, and it was all still nice and tight. I plan to keep it on for a while now as I start racing this month and have one a month until October. I'll keep updating as I put on the miles.

2/4/2010
I have a few more hours with the cover on the trainer and still fits snug. No strange rattles or anything as of yet. If the weather cooperates this weekend, I will have a 3 hour road test and post how it went. Our weekends for the last month or so have been extremely windy so I hope it lets up some for this weekend.

1/4/2010

Happy New Year! I have about 4 trainer hours with the wheel cover on and it has not loosened up at all. The weather has been unseasonably cold here in Florida so I have not been on the road with the aero disc yet. I will continue to train with the wheel cover on the trainer and monitor if it loosens up or if there are any other problems.

12/29/2009
I received my aero wheel cover from wheelbuilder.com today. I was excited to try out and review this product. I have heard many people like the product and wanted to know for myself how it works. I needed to stop at my local bike shop and get the necessary tools for installation (chain whip and lockring removal tool).

I know the aero wheel cover is only for racing, but I wanted to install it and ride a little to get a feeling for it and make sure when it comes to race day, that I know how to install and feel comfortable putting it on.

When I opened the box, all the installation pieces were there and I was ready to give it a shot. Let me first say that I am not very mechanically inclined when it comes to my bike, or anything really. Removing the cassette was not all that hard and the biggest trick was getting it off without losing the order of the cogs and the spacers. I accomplished this without a problem.

I then put the wheel cover on and it was fairly easy. It did take a little adjusting back and forth once I got the fasteners on and this was a little frustrating. I put a fastener in every other hole at first, then I installed the others. I kept them loose at this time so that I could do the adjusting. After a few minutes of moving the disc around, I finally felt like it was in the right spot.

I tightend the fasteners and checked the fit. There seemed to be some warping of the cover so I loosened up the fasteners a bit and it seemed to take care of the problem.

I reinstalled the cassette and went to put the wheel back on my bike. I don't know why, but I have the hardest time putting my back wheel on. I messed with this for a little while and finally got it. I put the bike on my trainer and made sure nothing was rubbing. It seemed fine and I will go for a short neighborhood tour tonight after work. I will post updates on the durability of the product as time goes on.

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Half Ironman Training: Plantar Fasciitis Sucks!!

My weekend started off well with a 8 mile run in the cold rain. Not the best of conditions, but I had a good training run and felt good. I had a 25 mile bike ride planned before a 6 mile run on Sunday. The ride went great. We had pretty strong winds, but it made for some fast parts of the ride with a 20 mph tail wind. The head winds were pretty crappy, but oh well.

When I got back to the house where I had set up a little transition area, my foot was a little tight, but not much worse than normal. I threw on the running shoes and off I went. Sort of. I couldn't get my foot to loosen up at all. It usually takes a mile or so, but I could not get going at all. I had to bail after only about 1/4 of a mile. I figured better to get off of it before I did some real damage. I went home and iced it for a bit, then taped it up.



I took it easy the rest of the day and it feels a little better today. I'm hoping to rest it today and swim tonight. I have a 5K planned this Saturday, so I hope it's doing better. I also don't want to ruin my training plans for Florida 70.3.

I have my foot taped up today and have a golf ball under my desk to roll my foor throughout the day today at work. I hope it gets better. I have had this for almost a year now, but it is usually at least a manageable pain. This time it's a little more severe of a flare up.

My tri season starts this month with an Olympic on March 21 (Daytona Frogman), St. Anthony's in April and Florida 70.3 in May. I will probably go through the summer with 3 or 4 local sprints.

First Half Ironman Training; Sunday Long Ride and Daytona Frogman Triathlon Training

Sunday had a long training ride on the schedule. Due to our weekend weather lately, this was the first outside ride in the last 3 weeks. I was very glad to be off the trainer for this weekend. We planned a 3 hour ride and as always, it turned into a 3 hr 45 min ride and 70 miles.

This was sort of a test run, as it was the first ride since having my flat problems. For two weeks in a row, I had multiple flats and one ride I had to make the call of shame and have the wife come get me. I was using a new rear tire,Continental Gator,and hoped it would be the end of my flat streak, at least for awhile. I also put some tire liners in both tires to ward off the flats. I have been using the Continental Gator on the trainer and it has been great. No problems and I felt confident going back out on the road.

The ride went well and since I raced on Saturday, my legs were pretty well fried by the end. I am now focused on the first olympic tri of the season next month. The Daytona Frogman Triathlon is having its inaugural race on March 21. The race director has put on a sprint series for the last few years and has now added this distance. Tigershark Endurance Events puts on a great race. I am excited because it is a local race and I will be riding the course for the next few weeks in training. I can get to the course from my house, on my bike in about 15 minutes, so it will be a good warm up.

Port Orange YMCA 10K

I ran the Port Orange YMCA 10K today and ran a PR of 44:22. It got me 3rd in my age group and 8th overall. My first podium finish since I started racing a couple years ago. I ran the race last year and came in at 51:30 so I'm happy with the progress.

As I get more training under my belt for Florida 70.3, I am realizing the difference between real training and the working out I use to do. I was in shape last year when I raced but this year I feel more like I am trained to race. It is alot of hard work but as I race this season, I am seeing new PR's and realizing that it is all the hard work that makes the difference.

Looking forward to my 3 hour ride tomorrow with a small group. Our weather has been bad the last three weekends, so it will be nice to be outside for my long rides instead of on the trainer.

Sufferfest "Fight Club" Video Review and Brick Workout

Sunday I planned a 2 hour trainer ride with a 5 mile brick run. I did the sufferfest video on Friday night by itself for the first time. It was a tough workout (in a good way)and it definitely lived up to its name. It is a tough hour long session that takes you into the heart of a real cycling event.

The Sufferfest "Fight Club" training video is the one I purchased. It focuses on time trial efforts with some climbing at the end of each lap. There are attacks that are thrown in to keep you paying attention and your heart rate elevated. I found the time passed very quickly (which usually does not happen) on the trainer. For my brick session, I rode a tempo effort for 30 min., then I did the video, followed by another 30 min. that ended with some higher spin efforts to get the legs ready for the 5 mile run.

I had a great sufferfest training ride and a decent run after. I wanted to hold a pace that allowed me to finish under 8 min/mile and I did with a 7:50 pace. Not a race pace effort but I finished feeling good knowing I could have pushed harder for a race.

I have a 10K this weekend and I have not ran an open 10K race since last year, so I am hoping for another PR like I had for my 5K a few weeks ago.

Wheelbuilder.com Aero Disc Wheel Cover Review

**Updated**
2/4/2010
I have a few more hours with the cover on the trainer and still fits snug. No strange rattles or anything as of yet. If the weather cooperates this weekend, I will have a 3 hour road test and post how it went. Our weekends for the last month or so have been extremely windy so I hope it lets up some for this weekend.

1/4/2010

Happy New Year! I have about 4 trainer hours with the wheel cover on and it has not loosened up at all. The weather has been unseasonably cold here in Florida so I have not been on the road with the aero disc yet. I will continue to train with the wheel cover on the trainer and monitor if it loosens up or if there are any other problems.

12/29/2009
I received my aero wheel cover from wheelbuilder.com today. I was excited to try out and review this product. I have heard many people like the product and wanted to know for myself how it works. I needed to stop at my local bike shop and get the necessary tools for installation (chain whip and lockring removal tool).

I know the aero wheel cover is only for racing, but I wanted to install it and ride a little to get a feeling for it and make sure when it comes to race day, that I know how to install and feel comfortable putting it on.

When I opened the box, all the installation pieces were there and I was ready to give it a shot. Let me first say that I am not very mechanically inclined when it comes to my bike, or anything really. Removing the cassette was not all that hard and the biggest trick was getting it off without losing the order of the cogs and the spacers. I accomplished this without a problem.

I then put the wheel cover on and it was fairly easy. It did take a little adjusting back and forth once I got the fasteners on and this was a little frustrating. I put a fastener in every other hole at first, then I installed the others. I kept them loose at this time so that I could do the adjusting. After a few minutes of moving the disc around, I finally felt like it was in the right spot.

I tightend the fasteners and checked the fit. There seemed to be some warping of the cover so I loosened up the fasteners a bit and it seemed to take care of the problem.

I reinstalled the cassette and went to put the wheel back on my bike. I don't know why, but I have the hardest time putting my back wheel on. I messed with this for a little while and finally got it. I put the bike on my trainer and made sure nothing was rubbing. It seemed fine and I will go for a short neighborhood tour tonight after work. I will post updates on the durability of the product as time goes on.

Popular Triathlon Training Products

Here are some popular triathlon training products to help you get the most out of your training:

Daytona Beach 5K Results

Today I ran in the Daytona Beach 5K. It was great because the course is on the Daytona International Speedway. There is a portion in the beginning that brought us through the infield to make the full 3.1 miles.

I felt good and was hoping to see some improvement in my time from October when I last ran a 5K. My time was a PR of 21:56. That beat my last time of 23:33 and was very happy. I had a plan to go out the first mile at around 6:50 and I did that. My plan was to back off to right around 7:00 min. for mile 2 and run sub 7 for the last mile, of course the .last .10 is pretty much an all out sprint. I stuck with my plan and it was right on.

Tomorrow is another long ride (70 miles) and an hour trail run off the bike for a long brick. I know it's going to hurt but that hard work is what makes the improvements happen. My season starts in March with a local olympic distance before St. Anthony's in April and Florida 70.3 in May. After that it will pretty much be sprints for the rest of the season. I may throw in an olympic towards the end, but we'll see how I feel (and how the wife feels about it).

Another Long Weekend Of Training For Ironman Florida 70.3

This past weekend was another great weekend for training. I had a good swim on Saturday and was prepared for my long brick on Sunday. We were going to have a 3 1/2 hour ride, followed by a 5 mile trail run. My ride was cut short to only 3 hours due to once again, flats. This sucks! Now last weekend I got 2 flats and we checked the tire and found nothing in it after the second change. I made it back home without a problem. This Sunday at around mile 40, we stopped for a quick bathroom break, and I was flat again in the front. I used the "pit stop" (fix a flat) we had to try and make it home, but I only got another 5 miles or so. I could feel that I was flat again and had to stop. This time, I changed the tube and got back on the road. 5 miles later, flat again!! I was out of CO2 and no more tubes, so I had to make the call of shame.

To make the call even worse, I actually called my "mommy" to come and get me because I knew the wife would have to load up the kids and it would much easier for my mom to jump in the car and come get me. I'm 37 years old and still depend on my mom for certain things; kind of normal right? Anyway, I got back to our starting point sure that I missed the group run (not totally disappointed honestly), but when I got there I had Helen (an ultramarathoner who is FAST) waiting for me. She tortured me for 4 hard miles on the trail and then let me go home. I was glad she was there to push me because I was definitely deflated (get it, deflated) after my disappointing finish to the ride and the wait on the side of the road.

All in all, it was another great training weekend that I'm sure made me stronger. I will be running in a 5K this weekend at the Daytona Speedway. It is pretty neat that I will be running on the actual track in the morning and there is a 24 hour car race in the afternoon. I'm not that into Nascar and other car racing, but it is pretty cool to live here in Daytona during those events. I'll update after ny 5K and hopefully be posting a new PR to better my 23:33 from a few months ago.

Weekend Long Ride: Fixing a Bike Flat On The Road

Happy Monday everyone. I had a great week of training last week and completed all but 1 swim workout. Yesterday I went for a long ride with a small group and we ended up at 70 miles. That is my longest ride to date. It was a tough ride as I was with a pretty strong group, but it's not suppose to be easy right?

We averaged just over 19mph and though it was tough, it was doable. We had some pretty strong winds to deal with. I had not 1, but 2 flats on this ride. That sucked. It was only the second time I've got a flat while on a ride and if I recall correctly, in one of my previous posts, I talked about never getting flats and that I probably jinxed myself and guess what, I did. We were 40 miles into the ride as I have never changed a tire on the ride before, it was interesting to say the least. We were on a 8 mile stretch and we split up as a group and were to meet up at the end so when the riders behind me passed they made sure I had what I needed and kept going. I have changed my tire before without levers and thought it would not be a problem. The problem was that it is different in my garage than it was on an empty road with sweaty hands and mosquitoes the size of a sparrow attacking me. A solo rider came along and helped me out. Thanks Kirk and I will pass on the favor the next time I see a cyclist who needs a hand. 20 minutes later I was on my way. After stopping for that long, it was not easy to get back up to speed. Some of the group came back for me and got me back up to the front.

I got behind on my nutrition a bit and hit a wall at about mile 42 and lost all energy. We were stopping for a scheduled stop and I was able to catch up and finished strong. My friend (Kona qualifier) talked with me about my nutritional needs and I will now have more of a plan. Overall good training ride and I learned from it. With the schedule I'm on, I should be well prepared for Florida 70.3.

Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes - Product Review

I have been having some problems with cramping when doing my longer training runs. I asked around a few people recommended I try Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes. I found them online and ordered a bottle. I started taking them before my workouts and then actually brought them to my last olympic triathlon and left thm on my towel and took a couple when leaving T1 and then before heading out for the run.

I was able to not cramp for the first time at that distance. I tolerated them well and could tell no ill affects at all. I will be using them again this season as well as other products from the Hammer line.

A Good Idea Of A Triathlon Start

If you have not been in a triahlon yet, this will give you a good idea of what the start is like.

Long Brick Session

Today I met with a couple of friends (Kona qualifiers) for a good brick session. We did 1 hour and 45 minutes on the trainer to time trial spinervals workout and then did a 45 minute trail run. It wasn't just a trail run, they had us do hill repeats in the nice thick sugar sand we have here in Florida.

Did I mention it was 28 degrees when I left my house? Maybe not that bad for you guys up north, but for us in Florida, that is frigid. It turned out to be an awesome workout and it felt good because I knew there weren't many others in the area training. That is like an extra day of work that I did that everyone else did not. They kept telling me that these are the days that make the difference between participating and racing and I believe it. Great workout and I'm looking forward to my day off tomorrow and a warmer week ahead.

Freezing in Florida

I'm not much of a whiner, in fact I hate it, but I'm going to whine a bit. It is freezing in Florida. I know it's much colder in most of the country but that's why I live in Florida. The pool gets closed, I don't own a pair of running tights, and I only ride on the trainer when it's this cold out. I still get in good training but it's not quite as enjoyable.

On the flip side, we have to deal with the horrible heat that makes it almost unbearable to train after the sun comes up in the summer. I would rather train in the heat than the cold anytime. I'm just wanting to complain tonight because I'm sitting up, past my bedtime, hoping to see a speck of snow so I can wake up my 6 year old daughter because she has never seen snow and she would love it.