more Video and pictures WILL follow:
facebook photos: swim
The experience of participating in a first Ironman isn't necessarily about the specific race; but the journey to get there. With this journey, I was able to know more about my abilities and acquire a great training friend. My best friend and racing partner, Danny McFee, is the reason why I raced an Ironman. It all started about a year ago after completing the Hong Kong Standard Charter Marathon. Danny was getting tired of running, and decided to get a bike. I went longer on the runs and participated in ultra marathons. When I came back from Vietnam Ultra, we went to a local bike shop and I bought my first time-trial bike. I really didn't have a clue about bikes, so somehow within the few minutes looking at several bikes the Cervelo caught my eye and it looked cool. I'll admit in hindsight, buying it turned out to be a good choice, but not necessarily the best choice for an amateur doing hilly routes. Hong Kong is full of hills, steep and short. A lot of people were adamant about using a road bike for this course, but after plunking down a load of cash, my thoughts about getting a road bike wasn't high on the list. I felt a lot better when Danny bought his Cervelo and decided to race with it as well. The biggest challenge for me was the swim. As you know from my blog, my swimming is really weak. I was initially very concerned about making the cut-off time once I realized I had to complete within 2 hour and 20 minutes. Luckily, training with Ginny from 3rd move using Total Immersion techniques helped tremendously.
Registration
One day out of the blue, Danny texted me and said, we should really think about doing an Ironman. I replied that it needed to be some great destination where we can vacation after a long hard day. He mentioned Brazil and I thought it was too far. Within 5 minutes, I texted him back and told him I already signed up for Ironman France - Nice. I didn't bother to look at the course or know anything about the history. It just seemed like the right place to go. Later, it dawned on me that the course is considered tough for the bike leg. 1100m altitude with over 2600m of total climbing. I'm thinking, whatever comes up must come down. With that out of the way, over the course of several weeks, I registered for a couple half Ironman. I never had second thoughts, but I was becoming a little concerned about cycling with my Cervelo P3.
Once I landed in Nice, the weather was perfect and pleasantly cool. Unfortnately, each day closer to the race, the temperature incrementally became hotter. The registration was simple and fluid. The registration area was very close to the Promenade and within 5 minutes walk to the swim start line. I didn't go crazy on the product binging, but did walk away with a nice long IRONMAN bento-box, and Skins tri-suit + compression calves. I wanted to feel comfortable for this race; so since this race was going to be hot, I wanted to try the compression suit which had a zipper in the front and pouch in the back unlike my current club tri-suit.
Pre-race
The last few weeks before the race, I really took it easy. I mainly concentrated on the swim and bike. Before coming to Nice, I stopped over in Dubai and only did a 9km run. It was so bloody hot, that I noticed some blood pressure issues in my hands as they seemed very stiff after the run, similarly to my blowup after the HKSCM where I went into heat exhaustion. With that in mind, I would only run an easy 5km in Nice before the race. Danny and I did 80km on the bike and road some of the course to a little town which had a grade steepness of less than average of 4 percent. The total swim preparation was probably less than 600m in total. I felt ready!
Morning Check
I left 4:30AM in the morning and headed toward the bike racks with my bike pump in hand. The current inner tube tires will slowly leak air (by design) after 7 hours which was a big mistake that I learned from my Ironman Singapore 70.3 race. Knowing your equipment is very important if you want to reduce unnecessary problems. I met Danny inside the bike transition and told him I needed to return my bike pump. By the time I came back, they were already closing the swim warmup. I headed down the ramp and ensuring that my swimcap was on properly that it ripped over my head. It really wasn't a good start since I was experimenting with my new camera. Well, I placed the ripped swim cap on my head and then placed my camera head band over it. With little time for replacement, I had to make due.
Danny found me at the beach and we took pictures. I prefer to be next to the inner course edge as Danny prefers the outer. The human washing machine doesn't bother me as I know I'll be at the back and my thoughts are the further I'm away from the line, the longer my swim!
Swim
Music blaring, athletes clapping, fans cheering! What a rush. The countdown began and I now felt part of the biggest triathlon franchise sport in history and I was making my own history in the French Rivera! In the first 100m my googles got knocked off. Luckily, I trained before in these conditions, so I didn't panic and patiently waited for a good time to remove the water. The first leg of the swim was approximately 2400 meters. I made a quick estimation of 1 hour for the first and 30 minutes for the second. When I exited the water, the announcer said; "we've just went over an hour". It seemed like I was on target. But the moment I hit the water, my legs started to spasm. Luckily, wet-suits are awesome to keep the legs afloat if you have no leg power. The second segment, I had a little navigation issue, but the lifeguards were quick to point the way. Also, in a few locations the water change temperature and was certainly noticeable, it was certainly an interesting feeling. Exiting the water required extra effort as I stumbled up to the exit ramps with the help of the volunteer. I trotted under the shower overhead to slip my arms out of my wet suit sleeves. As always, I passed a couple of people to the bike rack.
Bike
Hills are my friend. I'm light and I brought my TT bike - cervelo P3 (my only bike). It'll take approximately 25km to hit the first hill. My garmin showed 17% grade. There were a few who had to disembark on their bike and walk up. It would be another 15km of light undulating hills to the next small town which I reccee with Danny. The difference on race day would be that we would not be drinking any beer and would have to haul 140km before any rest. The ride was going well and easily passing the weaker riders. Since after 40km was unknown territory, I knew whatever small decent would quickly turn into longer and steeper ascents. Each rider I saw within 50m was a target to catch up to them. Then up the first of many long uphills, I met Danny after 50km. "You must have flew up here", said Danny. We spoke about the swim and he exited around 10minutes before me. We didn't even hit the harder section, so I was actually feeling good about first part of three. Between 70-90km, the grade is averaging 6% and with switchbacks allowing you to see the riders above you and below the riders behind. This is also where I saw the name 'GUNTER' on a rider and thought.. FACEBOOK! Snap. I yelled out his name and said JOGGGERJOEL. In addition this area is absolutely has fantastic views of Nice. I'd recommend this route if you happen to look for a cycling tour vacation, or better yet, participate in an Ironman France - Nice! Once we reached 100km and 1100m altitude, the rest and fun began. Some people pulled over to get their 'special needs' bag. I'm thinking, my special need is going downhill without hitting the brakes! I also wanted to minimize my overall time, so I kept on riding and pushing the pedals passing cyclists on the down hills. With a lot of air in your face, we were faced with one more incline. The legs were getting used to light riding, but I kept on pushing knowing that I must be pulling more away from Danny. There is a section where thr route is out and back allowing you to see riders in a 10km span. The weird part of this section is that you think its going down but actually a small incline. I couldn't keep over 29km, but coming back was easier. Right before exiting the out-and-back route, I saw Danny again. I calculated the time and estimated a lead of 20-25 minute lead. Now with less than 50km left, the road becomes much more twisty. The road became very busy with cars and cyclists. I seem to spend a few times on the wrong side of the road, is it perhaps being in Hong Kong too long? Well, a motocycle pulls next to me and shows a yellow flag. I knew it couldn't be because of drafting. He said its because you were riding on the wrong side of the road. Bad luck! I would come to find out that this would cost me 5 minutes in the penalty box. I finally reached to the last 30km where its basically flat, but I couldn't push mysef to do anything greater than 31km/hr. Also, I figured why should I kill myself on the last 30 when I have a marathon to go.
Run
I estimated my run time to be around 4:00-4:15. With the heat and multiple walks through the aid station, it would be a little longer. It would require 4 loops to the airport and back. First 10km was under an hour. I was happy about that! Approximately 8km into the run, I saw Danny again and shouted at each other. 20km I was still around 2 hours. My estimated time was pretty accurate. 30km I seemed to hit the aid station too much downing cola, water, bananas and crackers. My last time coming from the airport, I ran into Danny for the last time and told him I estimated 13:15. He still had 25-30minutes more to run. The last km, I was full of energy, well not necessarily my legs; but in less than 8 minutes, I could call myself an IRONMAN finisher! The last stretch of blue mats with a cheering crowds, cheerleaders, fans, family fueled my final strtch to the finish line. I gave a big high five to the announcer and walked my daughter through the finishing line. My goal for 2011 was completed successfully!
Epilogue
I hope you enjoyed my journey of almost 21 months from not exercising to completing an Ironman. This is really not the end, but just the beginning. Feel free to drop by or add me on facebook to follow my adventures. Thanks for your interest!
- JoggerJoel
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The 8th Daegu City Mayor Cup Triathlon OD 2011 (제 8회 대구시장배 전국 트라이애슬론 대회)
It's been a while since I've updated my race blog. Most of the 'spring', I've decided to stay away from the smaller races and concentrate on going long with a swim or bike for the weekend as Ironman France is just around the corner. Now three weeks left, it's time to taper (well, maybe one more long ride/run/swim?), It's good to keep the energy but with shorter distance.
Now that this weekend happened to be my 40th birthday, I have to say it's gotta be one of the best birthday weekends I can remember. Korea seemed to be a good location for this occassion. I was going to meet my long-time New Jersey friend, Richard, who currently is staying the last year in Seoul. Since this will be his first, it's great that I can inspire him and others to try this type of sport. I was suppose to initially race last month with him in Seoul, but found that it would be a duathlon. After reviewing http://www.triathlon.or.kr/, I realized that this event would be perfect.
The night of my flight which departs at 2:00AM Saturday June 4th, 2011, I came across the idea of just riding my bicycle from Busan International Airport to Daegu's Hotel Ariana. Richard and his wife setup the hotel which is only minutes from the transition and check-in location near SooSung Lake (수성못). I've realized waiting for the last minute to gather a map of my ride is quite challenging. Fortunately, there are crazy people who like to ride their bicycle. I searched garmin and basically Korean's/ex-pats don't really upload here. I went to another site called mapmyride.com and found a map exactly for my purpose: http://classic.mapmyride.com/find-ride/south-korea/daegu-(daegu). Unfortunately, my Garmin 705 won't work if it's backwards and being in GPX format. So, I needed to locate 2 more utilities: reverse the route and convert from GPX to TCX (Garmin required format). As I was waiting at the airport at 1:30AM with literally 4 minutes to go.. I was able to locate and download the necessary requirements. The first one is: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php. Upload your GPX file and instantly reverse the route and then download it back to your computer. Then convert the GPX file to TCX using http://www.teambikeolympo.it/TCXConverter/TeamBikeOlympo_-_TCX_Converter/TCX_Converter_ENG.html. I'm inside the airplane and uploading the file to my device. Wow, talk about being close to the cutoff. There isn't really a way to access internet at Busan's Gimhae Airport.
I landed around 6:30AM KST at the airport and I located the baggage service to keep my bike box for 2 days. It costed me $20,000 Won. ($20USD). It took about an hour an a half to complete my bike setup and determine what I should carry. My triathlon bag weighed close to 10kg and I would be cycling for around 110km. I filled my water bottles and off I went to Daegu:
The bike route was perfect and technology once again prevailed for a smooth and wonderful ride. Along the way the traffic was somewhat busy in Busan, but very managable. Initially, I made a small mistake and headed up a ramp that would go across a river and realized that I needed to backtrack a bit. I then followed a cycling path led me to the route and I was smiling when my Garmin stated, "on course". Somewhere along the way, I ejected all my 3 water bottles :(. Luckily, I had another stashed in my backpack. Also, a small city, Miryang, had a 7-11. There were basically 3 major hills on this route, a 200m, 400m, and 800m. I believe the highest grade was 8% near the 400m incline. The weather was perfect and the downhills were the most enjoyable. The roads were very good except for some construction area where it became muddy. I definately would tour Korea more when I get a chance. I think Japan and South Taiwan are good too... My birthday ended with a smile as this is the first time I didn't have to go in circles (e.g. Hong Kong) to complete over 100km. At the end of my tour, I stumbled across the lake I would be swimming the next day; and rested by taking a nice shower in the hotel as I waited for Richard.
Race Pickup
Once Richard arrived, we headed toward the park to register and get a bike checkup. I only can speak about local Hong Kong races outside of some international Ironman 70.3, and I feel that Korean races are much more organized. I had to bring my identification and they located a small crack in my helmet. Although there wasn't any bike mechanic, they did test the safety of my bicycle for loose handle bars, brakes, etc.
Pre-Race
The start of the race was at 9:00AM. I felt this is kinda late.. but, during this time of the year in Korea; the humidity isn't as bad when you are running at 11:00AM in the morning. Maybe it's because Daegu city is sponsoring the IAAF World Championships this year, or it's because the Mayor is sponsoring this event. Whatever the reason, whenever I race in Korea; it always seems so ceremonial at pre-race with a warmup from some sports medicine bachelorette loosening our muscles up to the government acknowledgement ceremony right up to the start of the race.
Swim
I missed the swim warm-up window, but maybe it was for the best since an hour later it wouldn't matter since I would have to deal with the lake temperature at the moment of splash. I was in group D and each group was given 1 minute interval window. Everyone queued on land and jumped off a man-made floating dock and off you go. As always, there was quite a bit of arms and legs in the way of the initial start. To the right was rope to guide us around the quadrangle of 750m. I stayed near the right and saw quite of people hanging on to the rope. As a pioneer on active technology, my swim cap tore and filled up with water quite a bit and I had to keep pushing it down onto my head. I guess, that's the price I have to pay for to video a dizzying swim. Surprisingly this time, I didn't see a lot of breast strokers. Has my TI training paid off? Well, all I can say is once I exited the water to complete 1500m, my time was a little over 34 minutes, compared to 50 minutes 8 months earlier.
Now there are a couple factors with this time:
1. I had a wetsuit on (mandatory)
2. It's a lake, no waves
Bike
The bike course consisted of 3 laps. Going out was super fast and mostly downhill. Coming back was a easy incline. I still feel I need to work on my drafting skills and overall cycling fitness. I was only able to shave off a couple minutes.
Run
Although I passed a lot of people, my run time was a minute slower than before. I even sprinted in the last 50m to pass around 4-5 runners at the end.
Completion
I'm overall very happy with my performance given the fact that I road 110km the day before. 27 minute improvement is nothing to be disappointed with. This is a very fast course and the weather was perfect this day. Now, spending 80,000 won for entry fee; it was really worth it. They gave so many goodies. Popsicles, rice, lunch box, soju, and a handshake by some official at the end after you 'break' the ribbon line. If you ever wanted to try a different location to race whether it is running or triathlon, then I would suggest you try any local Korea competition. I believe you won't be disappointed. Just want to note that Richard finished a little more than 3 hours. I'm really proud of his performance as it is his first triathlon competition. Great Job Richard! Hope to see you doing an Ironman Race.. If you do - I'll do my best to be in the competition for 2012/13 in the states!
Now that this weekend happened to be my 40th birthday, I have to say it's gotta be one of the best birthday weekends I can remember. Korea seemed to be a good location for this occassion. I was going to meet my long-time New Jersey friend, Richard, who currently is staying the last year in Seoul. Since this will be his first, it's great that I can inspire him and others to try this type of sport. I was suppose to initially race last month with him in Seoul, but found that it would be a duathlon. After reviewing http://www.triathlon.or.kr/, I realized that this event would be perfect.
The night of my flight which departs at 2:00AM Saturday June 4th, 2011, I came across the idea of just riding my bicycle from Busan International Airport to Daegu's Hotel Ariana. Richard and his wife setup the hotel which is only minutes from the transition and check-in location near SooSung Lake (수성못). I've realized waiting for the last minute to gather a map of my ride is quite challenging. Fortunately, there are crazy people who like to ride their bicycle. I searched garmin and basically Korean's/ex-pats don't really upload here. I went to another site called mapmyride.com and found a map exactly for my purpose: http://classic.mapmyride.com/find-ride/south-korea/daegu-(daegu). Unfortunately, my Garmin 705 won't work if it's backwards and being in GPX format. So, I needed to locate 2 more utilities: reverse the route and convert from GPX to TCX (Garmin required format). As I was waiting at the airport at 1:30AM with literally 4 minutes to go.. I was able to locate and download the necessary requirements. The first one is: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php. Upload your GPX file and instantly reverse the route and then download it back to your computer. Then convert the GPX file to TCX using http://www.teambikeolympo.it/TCXConverter/TeamBikeOlympo_-_TCX_Converter/TCX_Converter_ENG.html. I'm inside the airplane and uploading the file to my device. Wow, talk about being close to the cutoff. There isn't really a way to access internet at Busan's Gimhae Airport.
I landed around 6:30AM KST at the airport and I located the baggage service to keep my bike box for 2 days. It costed me $20,000 Won. ($20USD). It took about an hour an a half to complete my bike setup and determine what I should carry. My triathlon bag weighed close to 10kg and I would be cycling for around 110km. I filled my water bottles and off I went to Daegu:
The bike route was perfect and technology once again prevailed for a smooth and wonderful ride. Along the way the traffic was somewhat busy in Busan, but very managable. Initially, I made a small mistake and headed up a ramp that would go across a river and realized that I needed to backtrack a bit. I then followed a cycling path led me to the route and I was smiling when my Garmin stated, "on course". Somewhere along the way, I ejected all my 3 water bottles :(. Luckily, I had another stashed in my backpack. Also, a small city, Miryang, had a 7-11. There were basically 3 major hills on this route, a 200m, 400m, and 800m. I believe the highest grade was 8% near the 400m incline. The weather was perfect and the downhills were the most enjoyable. The roads were very good except for some construction area where it became muddy. I definately would tour Korea more when I get a chance. I think Japan and South Taiwan are good too... My birthday ended with a smile as this is the first time I didn't have to go in circles (e.g. Hong Kong) to complete over 100km. At the end of my tour, I stumbled across the lake I would be swimming the next day; and rested by taking a nice shower in the hotel as I waited for Richard.
Race Pickup
Once Richard arrived, we headed toward the park to register and get a bike checkup. I only can speak about local Hong Kong races outside of some international Ironman 70.3, and I feel that Korean races are much more organized. I had to bring my identification and they located a small crack in my helmet. Although there wasn't any bike mechanic, they did test the safety of my bicycle for loose handle bars, brakes, etc.
Pre-Race
The start of the race was at 9:00AM. I felt this is kinda late.. but, during this time of the year in Korea; the humidity isn't as bad when you are running at 11:00AM in the morning. Maybe it's because Daegu city is sponsoring the IAAF World Championships this year, or it's because the Mayor is sponsoring this event. Whatever the reason, whenever I race in Korea; it always seems so ceremonial at pre-race with a warmup from some sports medicine bachelorette loosening our muscles up to the government acknowledgement ceremony right up to the start of the race.
Swim
I missed the swim warm-up window, but maybe it was for the best since an hour later it wouldn't matter since I would have to deal with the lake temperature at the moment of splash. I was in group D and each group was given 1 minute interval window. Everyone queued on land and jumped off a man-made floating dock and off you go. As always, there was quite a bit of arms and legs in the way of the initial start. To the right was rope to guide us around the quadrangle of 750m. I stayed near the right and saw quite of people hanging on to the rope. As a pioneer on active technology, my swim cap tore and filled up with water quite a bit and I had to keep pushing it down onto my head. I guess, that's the price I have to pay for to video a dizzying swim. Surprisingly this time, I didn't see a lot of breast strokers. Has my TI training paid off? Well, all I can say is once I exited the water to complete 1500m, my time was a little over 34 minutes, compared to 50 minutes 8 months earlier.
Now there are a couple factors with this time:
1. I had a wetsuit on (mandatory)
2. It's a lake, no waves
Bike
The bike course consisted of 3 laps. Going out was super fast and mostly downhill. Coming back was a easy incline. I still feel I need to work on my drafting skills and overall cycling fitness. I was only able to shave off a couple minutes.
Run
Although I passed a lot of people, my run time was a minute slower than before. I even sprinted in the last 50m to pass around 4-5 runners at the end.
Completion
I'm overall very happy with my performance given the fact that I road 110km the day before. 27 minute improvement is nothing to be disappointed with. This is a very fast course and the weather was perfect this day. Now, spending 80,000 won for entry fee; it was really worth it. They gave so many goodies. Popsicles, rice, lunch box, soju, and a handshake by some official at the end after you 'break' the ribbon line. If you ever wanted to try a different location to race whether it is running or triathlon, then I would suggest you try any local Korea competition. I believe you won't be disappointed. Just want to note that Richard finished a little more than 3 hours. I'm really proud of his performance as it is his first triathlon competition. Great Job Richard! Hope to see you doing an Ironman Race.. If you do - I'll do my best to be in the competition for 2012/13 in the states!
Friday, May 6, 2011
First Bike Fit
Bike Fitting Assessment Date: 10th April 2011
Name:
Joel Labelle
Joel Labelle
Riding Experience: Regular cyclist.
Goals:
1.
Ironman. June-France,
Aug-1/2 Philippines, WA full ironman
Ironman. June-France,
Aug-1/2 Philippines, WA full ironman
Height: Weight:
Type of Riding:
Comfort Sport Competition UCI
legal required?
Comfort Sport Competition UCI
legal required?
Current injuries /
complaints:
complaints:
1.
Tightness into
quadriceps
Tightness into
quadriceps
2. Stiffness/ache into back muscles during long
rides.
rides.
Bike:
Manufacturer: Cervelo Model: P3 Size: 48 cm Year:
2009
2009
Bicycle Geometry Chart | Size mm: |
Seat Tube Angle (degrees) | Initial 78° / Post fit 75° |
Head Tube Angle (degrees) | 72° |
Top Tube Length (effective) | Initial 490 / Post fit 514 |
Seat Tube Length (effective) | 480 |
Chainstay Length | 368 |
Fork Rake | * |
Trail | * |
Head-tube Length – Integrated | 110 |
Bottom Bracket Drop | 73 |
Saddle Length / Model | 265 |
Crank Length | 170 |
Handlebar Width / Model | Aero bar c-c pad initial 175mm/post 200 |
Bike Set Up | Initial mm | Recommended mm | Final for current set-up |
Seat tube angle recommendation | 78° | 75° | 75° |
Head tube length recommendation | Approx 130-150mm | ||
Top Tube length recommendation | Approx 495 mm | ||
Headstem Length / Angle° | 80 / - 17° | 80 / + 17° | |
Seat height | 650 | 660 | |
Crank Length | 170 | 170 | 170 |
Tip of Seat to Handlebar | 490 | 444 | |
Tip of Seat behind BB | +50 | 10 | |
Observations on bike before adjustment:
From Behind:
Lateral Tilting Ilia L. R.
Comment: PSIS drop. Decreased left gluteal
activation. Increased gluteus medius to compensate.
Comment: PSIS drop. Decreased left gluteal
activation. Increased gluteus medius to compensate.
Rotating Ilia (Ant./Post.) L. R.
Comment:
Comment:
Lateral Flexion of Lumbar Spine L. R. Comment:
Rotation of Lumbar Spine L. R. Comment
Thoracic Spine Rotation L.
R. Comment:
R. Comment:
Elevated Shoulder L. R. Comment:
Scapula Protraction L. R. Comment:
Toeing of the feet L. R. Comment:
Heel Dropping L. R. Comment:
From the Front:
Shoulder Position L. R. Comment: Protracted and elevated due to excessive low
position of handlebar.
position of handlebar.
Head position L. R. Comment:
Knee position. Frontal plane deviation L. R. Comment:
very slight outward deviation.
very slight outward deviation.
From the Side:
Foot position in relation to pedal: Normal Foot
too backward L Foot too
forward
too backward L Foot too
forward
Knee position in relation to pedal: Normal Knee too backward Knee too forward+++
Saddle Height appears: Normal Too High slight Too Low
Handle Bar Height appears Normal Too High Too Low+++
Thoracic spine curvature Normal Excessive
Kyphosis Other
Kyphosis Other
Neck Normal Hyperextended Other
Lumbar spine Normal Hyperlordosis Hypolordosis
Musculoskeletal Assessment Outcomes:
- Flexibility:
a.
Hamstring: Normal Tight Hypermobile:.
Hamstring: Normal Tight Hypermobile:.
b.
Calves: Normal Tight Hypermobile:
Calves: Normal Tight Hypermobile:
c.
Hip Flexors: Normal Tight Hypermobile: Iliacus+, psoas++
Hip Flexors: Normal Tight Hypermobile: Iliacus+, psoas++
d.
Gluteal: Normal Tight Hypermobile:slight
Gluteal: Normal Tight Hypermobile:slight
e.
ITB: Normal Tight Hypermobile:
ITB: Normal Tight Hypermobile:
f.
Thoracic Spine Normal Tight Hypermobile
Thoracic Spine Normal Tight Hypermobile
g.
Cervical Spine: Normal Tight Hypermobile
Cervical Spine: Normal Tight Hypermobile
h.
Lumbar Spine Normal Tight Hypermobile:L3 T12-L1
Lumbar Spine Normal Tight Hypermobile:L3 T12-L1
- Neural
Tension:
a.
Upper Body Normal Excessive
tension: Tenderness at
right infraspinatus tendon.
Upper Body Normal Excessive
tension: Tenderness at
right infraspinatus tendon.
b.
Lower Body: Normal Excessive Tension: positive in hamstring. Possible adhesions to
sciatic nerve at hamstring.
Lower Body: Normal Excessive Tension: positive in hamstring. Possible adhesions to
sciatic nerve at hamstring.
- Muscular
Control:
a.
Multifidus Control Normal Requires re-education Some excessive use of paraspinal muscles.
Multifidus Control Normal Requires re-education Some excessive use of paraspinal muscles.
b.
Core stabilization: Normal Requires re-education Abdominal control is quite good, but need to
focus on gluteal control and activation.
Core stabilization: Normal Requires re-education Abdominal control is quite good, but need to
focus on gluteal control and activation.
c.
VMO control: Normal
Requires re-education. Initaites with lateral quadriceps muscles,
needs some vmo exercises to assist.
VMO control: Normal
Requires re-education. Initaites with lateral quadriceps muscles,
needs some vmo exercises to assist.
d.
Active Hip Extension: Normal Requires re-education Decreased gluteal activation on and off the
bike. Excessive paraspinal & hamstring muscle activation to compensate.
Active Hip Extension: Normal Requires re-education Decreased gluteal activation on and off the
bike. Excessive paraspinal & hamstring muscle activation to compensate.
e.
Single leg squats: Normal Requires re-education Ankle ok, hip drop and medial knee deviation
left<R. Less stable in cycling than running position.
Single leg squats: Normal Requires re-education Ankle ok, hip drop and medial knee deviation
left<R. Less stable in cycling than running position.
4. Knee: Normal Tight lateral structures Tenderness
Photographs:
|
After:
|
Physical Assessment Summary
Riding
position directly influences the power that can be produced by the athlete,
physiological efficiency and resistance caused by wind drag.
position directly influences the power that can be produced by the athlete,
physiological efficiency and resistance caused by wind drag.
Pedal
technique + riding position = optimal cycling biomechanics.
technique + riding position = optimal cycling biomechanics.
Changes made:
1. Moved cleat on shoe forward
2. Moved saddle backward approx
60mm
60mm
3. Raised seatpost 10mm
4. Flipped over headstem to +17deg
to raise handlebar height.
to raise handlebar height.
5. Re-angled aero bar to approx 7-8
deg. Made aero pad wider to 200mm c-c
deg. Made aero pad wider to 200mm c-c
I moved your cleats on the left
side to a more stable position under the ‘ball of foot’. The ball of foot is a
more stable and rigid part of the foot to transfer power to the pedal.
side to a more stable position under the ‘ball of foot’. The ball of foot is a
more stable and rigid part of the foot to transfer power to the pedal.
Your position was much too far
forward over the bottom bracket. The forward position encourages you to utilize
more quadriceps and tensor fascia lata contribution to the pedal stroke, and
decreases your gluteal function. We have moved the saddle rearward to balance
the contribution of all cycling muscles throughout the pedal stroke, and to
discourage excessive hip flexor and psoas involvement. This forward position
but increasing tensor fascial lata contribution also increased the tension of
the ITB which you have an underlying problem.
forward over the bottom bracket. The forward position encourages you to utilize
more quadriceps and tensor fascia lata contribution to the pedal stroke, and
decreases your gluteal function. We have moved the saddle rearward to balance
the contribution of all cycling muscles throughout the pedal stroke, and to
discourage excessive hip flexor and psoas involvement. This forward position
but increasing tensor fascial lata contribution also increased the tension of
the ITB which you have an underlying problem.
Your gluteal muscles were in a
shortened position, which does not encourage the optimal length-tension
relationship of the muscle to produce optimal force. This is not only due to
the forward seat position, but also due to your inability to sit with enough
anterior pelvic tilt. This position also encourages you to overuse your hamstring
muscles. I would like for you to focus on not initiating the hip extension with
the hamstring and paraspinal muscles, but rather the gluteus maximus muscle.
shortened position, which does not encourage the optimal length-tension
relationship of the muscle to produce optimal force. This is not only due to
the forward seat position, but also due to your inability to sit with enough
anterior pelvic tilt. This position also encourages you to overuse your hamstring
muscles. I would like for you to focus on not initiating the hip extension with
the hamstring and paraspinal muscles, but rather the gluteus maximus muscle.
In order to help you to better use
the right gluteal muscle, it is important to keep the muscles at the front of
the hip relaxed.
the right gluteal muscle, it is important to keep the muscles at the front of
the hip relaxed.
I have already provided some
gluteal activation exercises. It is very important to ‘activate’ the muscles
correctly before undertaking a strengthening program.
gluteal activation exercises. It is very important to ‘activate’ the muscles
correctly before undertaking a strengthening program.
Your forward position and probably
habit is to over-activate the long back muscles called the paraspinals. These
overwork and become tired. By stretching your position over the bottom bracket
and encouraging better gluteal function you should find you can relax these
muscle better.
habit is to over-activate the long back muscles called the paraspinals. These
overwork and become tired. By stretching your position over the bottom bracket
and encouraging better gluteal function you should find you can relax these
muscle better.
Please look at improving the vmo muscle
which is on the inside of the knee. This will help to stabilize the knee and
assist the gluteus maximus to activate.
which is on the inside of the knee. This will help to stabilize the knee and
assist the gluteus maximus to activate.
Your left gluteus medius was quite
weak. This links into why your knee moves during single leg squats and
contributes to the tight ITB which is likely to become a problem in the future
if left unresolved.
weak. This links into why your knee moves during single leg squats and
contributes to the tight ITB which is likely to become a problem in the future
if left unresolved.
Please also note that we found a
tender tendon on the infraspinatus at the back of the shoulder. This is likely
to be from your swimming and can cause shoulder injury. This was on the right
side.
tender tendon on the infraspinatus at the back of the shoulder. This is likely
to be from your swimming and can cause shoulder injury. This was on the right
side.
Finally:
Bike position is an ongoing
process, as your core stabilization and muscle flexibility and function improve
we can further fine-tune your position.
process, as your core stabilization and muscle flexibility and function improve
we can further fine-tune your position.
Please keep in contact about your
new position, any aches or concerns. We may need to make adjustments. Your new
position puts you into a ‘neutral’ position within the limits of your body. Any
change to seat, handlebar, or feet will effect every other part of your body,
so take care if you change anything yourself.
new position, any aches or concerns. We may need to make adjustments. Your new
position puts you into a ‘neutral’ position within the limits of your body. Any
change to seat, handlebar, or feet will effect every other part of your body,
so take care if you change anything yourself.
Happy cycling!
Elissa Whittington
SKY BLUE BIKESNo 4 Bonham Strand West
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
+852 9669 5037
elissawh@yahoo.co.uk
Monday, April 4, 2011
AAE - Sprint Tung Chung
"Watch out for sharp barnacles." - AAE Newsletter, (You've been warned - it will turn out bloody :)
facebook photos
The run was going really well for the first 2.8km. I could see the lead pack and under 4:10/km pace. Then the little 20m swim caused a lot of grief. I thought free style would be better, but with no goggles; I became blinded by the water.. I came hard on the other side and hit the concrete stuff forcefully. Apparently there were a lot of barnacles and it ripped into my middle finger. I was bleeding profusely and 200m later I grabbed an Action Asia danger red/white ribbon (now really red) off a post to help stop the bleeding. It would require another 2.6km before I could get assistance since the gully provided little support. Once I arrived to the Tung Chung Road, the bleeding still wasn't stopping so I decided to have the volunteer call for help. Finally the medic team arrived and patched me up. GO! GO! GO! A starcraft was waiting for me up at the ascent...
I decided that I could still finish the race and not be last. So, it was 230m ascent to the top and back down. I passed a lot of people.. It's great because now they will have some video/pictures for their individual accomplishment. This blog after all is for all the Jogger Joe's and Jogger Jane's of the world. It wouldn't be not Action/Adventure racing without some blood. It's important to have the right equipment on this type of terrain. I did have gloves, but they were bike glove. I know I should be more careful on the 'ocean jump and swim to shore'...
facebook photos
The run was going really well for the first 2.8km. I could see the lead pack and under 4:10/km pace. Then the little 20m swim caused a lot of grief. I thought free style would be better, but with no goggles; I became blinded by the water.. I came hard on the other side and hit the concrete stuff forcefully. Apparently there were a lot of barnacles and it ripped into my middle finger. I was bleeding profusely and 200m later I grabbed an Action Asia danger red/white ribbon (now really red) off a post to help stop the bleeding. It would require another 2.6km before I could get assistance since the gully provided little support. Once I arrived to the Tung Chung Road, the bleeding still wasn't stopping so I decided to have the volunteer call for help. Finally the medic team arrived and patched me up. GO! GO! GO! A starcraft was waiting for me up at the ascent...
I decided that I could still finish the race and not be last. So, it was 230m ascent to the top and back down. I passed a lot of people.. It's great because now they will have some video/pictures for their individual accomplishment. This blog after all is for all the Jogger Joe's and Jogger Jane's of the world. It wouldn't be not Action/Adventure racing without some blood. It's important to have the right equipment on this type of terrain. I did have gloves, but they were bike glove. I know I should be more careful on the 'ocean jump and swim to shore'...
| Overall | Name | Finish time | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clement Dumont | 1:05:51 | M 30-34 |
| 2 | Cosmo Richards | 1:10:21 | M 35-39 |
| 3 | Mark Western | 1:11:18 | M 45-49 |
| 4 | Jeremy Ritcey | 1:12:25 | M 35-39 |
| 5 | Seth Fischer | 1:13:38 | M 35-39 |
| 153 | Joel LaBelle | 2:03:40 (01:36:11 garmin) | M 40-44 |
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Ironman Singapore 70.3
Critical Thoughts
I have concluded that when you start the Ironman series for the very first time - you really don't know any better. Thus, the first being at Phuket Thailand 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships (even though anyone could enter), I really felt except for the local traffic issue - the Phuket race was done quite well compared to Singapore. It just seemed as though the race logistics, race gift, and overall race wasn't prepared as well as Phuket.
(Friday) Race pack collection
I landed on Wednesday to take in some Singapore touring and try to be more prepared compared to my time at Phuket Thailand 70.3. The race registration commenced on Friday and it was across from my hotel at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Of course, I missed everything as I was being a tourist and spent the day at Sentosa Island. My friend, Danny, gave me the low-down on the 'Compulsory' race briefing. He also viewed that this location made his travel quite difficult since the official hotel was 'extremely' close (4.5km) to the race venue which is not the case for regisitration and bike support. He was less impressed with the Carbo loading dinner 2 nights before the race. How much does one need to eat before to keep the carb loading effect 'working' for the race day?
(Saturday) Day before race
Danny and I met early in the morning after I got lost cycling trying to locate his hotel. I went over the East Coast Parkway bridge and found myself lost near Raffles Blvd because the sidewalk ended abruptly with staircases going down from the bridge. I spoke to a security guard and asked him for directions to Marina Bay (where I just came from). I really meant East Coast Park, and he looked at me for a few seconds with a loud laugh stating that I was really lost. I met up with another early rider and still under the impression that I wanted to go to Marina Bay, he showed me the way. After crossing Nicoll Hwy, I realized that the ferris wheel was in sight and told him I was going the wrong way :(. A long story short, I ended in the Park only to cab it to Mecure hotel. Finally meeting up with Danny, we rode our bikes along the route and saw massive groups of cyclists preparing for Sunday's race. We also got in a 1km swim near the race course and even a 3km run. In the evening, it poured while we were checking in our bicycles. It was a little refreshing as the weather was quite hot and humid, I guess carbon fiber doesn't rust, but some of the screws can and gear can...
I came across Nora (ultra distance runner from Hong Kong) and was able to secure a bus full of Lantau Buffalos for the morning race. It was nice because somehow I was thinking of walking??? Of course all this information was available on Ironman Singapore's website, but it's always great to meet up with friends.
Race Day - Pre-race
Prepared for a long day, Danny and I headed over to the Buffalo herd and arrived safely to the transition area. As usual, there was a lot of noise before the sunrise as everyone was double checking the equipment and layout. We headed over to the beach as the race would begin in a half hour. The sea looked calm initially, but as the women were heading in for their first lap - a few got clobbered by the Men age grouper. There wasn't any rope to prevent the mass swimmers from the ones who were exiting the sea onto the beach start and on top of that there was a strong current. It was a sight to see.
Swim [pictures]
I'm not a swimmer! Although I've increased my speed in the pool by 10%, it's still very slow. The start of my race, I had my googles knocked off and kicked on the top of my head amoung other clawings. It took a while to finally find some space as everyone sped off except the breast strokers. Once I exited the first lap, I looked at my watch and noticed over 30 minutes. I knew it was going to be a long day, but even at the pool, I can manage 1km under 30 minutes. I got shifted around in the water a lot and probably swam a lot more than I needed to in terms of distance. The current didn't help at all as for the second loop, I found myself hitting the rope with my left arm - A LOT. While I turned back into shore for the last loop, I saw a man turn over on his back and backstroke it 'home'. I haven't seen that before and just thought when the hell am I going to be done? Once I finally arrived out of the water, 63 minutes passed. My thoughts of swimming disappeared as I past 8 people on the run to the bike transition to the transition. btw, can you believe I'm taking swimming lessons every week???
T1
It took me 1:55 minute to jog back from the swim to the bike. I then spent another minute putting on socks and race belt, and 1:05 minutes moving the bike to the start line.
Bike [pictures, more]
3 loops for this course. For the first 24km, I was roughly under 1:50km/hr. My friend kept on saying I needed to get a bike fit (sorta late 1 week before the race). My back was hurting and I had to go to the standard non-areo position for probably 80% of the course. I started to get disgusted with my performance when I saw over 2:00km/hr. After the first loop, the elites were already starting their run. I had around 2 hours more to go... Being quite slow on the bike, it was un-eventful. I enjoyed the partial course the day before as I had a few km under 1:30. I guess the swim and the back issue didn't help.
T2
My transition took longer than usual as I had to slip into Vibram Five Fingers.
Run [pictures, more]
I ran with Vibram Five Fingers KSO and my first 4km was around 4:35/km. The heat and humidity got to me again and I started to stop briefly at the aid station after 10km. I maintained under a 7:00/km for all but two kilometers. As the rain started to pour around 18km, I decided to not stop at the aid station. It really didn't matter since most of the food and drinks were gone. I felt sorry for those who were going to have a long day on the run/walk.
Garmin
My swim isn't that bad. This occurs when the garmin in on your wrist. If you put it undernearth the race cap, you'll see more of straighter line.
Top 5 [official results]
| Overall | Name | Finish time | Category | Gender position | Category position | Swim | T1 | Cycle | T2 | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kris GEMMELL | 3:50:56 | Male Elite | 1 | 1 | 0:27:45 | 0:02:25 | 2:06:30 | 0:00:37 | 1:13:39 |
| 2 | James CUNNAMA | 3:51:45 | Male Elite | 2 | 2 | 0:02:29 | 0:02:33 | 0:00:36 | 0:03:12 | 1:14:24 |
| 3 | Peter JACOBS | 3:54:25 | Male Elite | 3 | 3 | 0:02:25 | 0:02:39 | 0:00:43 | 0:01:09 | 1:16:59 |
| 4 | Patrick VERNAY | 3:55:50 | Male Elite | 4 | 4 | 0:02:30 | 0:02:33 | 0:00:46 | 0:01:42 | 1:18:23 |
| 5 | Faris AL-SULTAN | 3:56:13 | Male Elite | 5 | 5 | 0:27:58 | 0:02:17 | 0:01:04 | 0:01:08 | 1:18:13 |
Below is a list of prominent triathlon clubs in Hong Kong, (Yes, I took time out to gather this information; so I hope someone appreciates it): Hong Kong Team Color:
Tritons [blue]
Dragons [red]
Buffalos [grey]
| Overall | Name | Finish time | Category | Gender position | Category position | Swim | T1 | Cycle | T2 | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Dane Cantwell | 4:32:18 | Male 30-34 | 29 | 4 | 0:33:55 | 0:02:32 | 2:19:18 | 0:00:51 | 1:35:42 |
| WTD | Clinton Leong | 4:36:52 | Male 3539 | 0:40:45 | 0:02:33 | 2:10:34 | 0:03:12 | 1:39:50 | ||
| 55 | Oliver Baillet | 4:43:22 | Male 4044 | 48 | 7 | 0:36:09 | 0:02:39 | 2:19:12 | 0:01:09 | 1:44:14 |
| 72 | Scott Stanton | 4:49:33 | Male 2529 | 62 | 6 | 0:37:47 | 0:02:33 | 2:23:52 | 0:01:42 | 1:43:40 |
| 79 | John Pesci | 4:51:35 | Male 40-44 | 69 | 12 | 0:40:49 | 0:03:10 | 2:18:39 | 0:01:08 | 1:47:50 |
| 93 | Jason Keg | 4:56:49 | Male | 83 | 15 | 0:42:54 | 0:03:21 | 2:18:11 | 0:01:38 | 1:50:45 |
| 109 | Shunsuke Tanaka | 5:00:06 | Male 3034 | 98 | 16 | 0:40:05 | 0:03:24 | 2:22:59 | 0:02:07 | 1:51:32 |
| 115 | Sven Maier | 5:00:59 | Male 3539 | 12 | 1 | 0:44:02 | 0:02:53 | 2:27:02 | 0:01:11 | 1:46:15 |
| 117 | Laura Walsh | 5:01:23 | Female 4549 | 104 | 1 | 0:44:02 | 0:02:53 | 2:27:02 | 0:01:11 | 1:46:15 |
| 118 | Julie Shelley | 5:01:37 | Female 3539 | 13 | 21 | 0:47:27 | 0:03:53 | 2:25:03 | 0:01:10 | 1:43:26 |
| 122 | Paul Thompson | 5:02:33 | Male 4549 | 109 | 7 | 0:38:48 | 0:02:32 | 2:19:23 | 0:01:22 | 2:00:28 |
| 151 | Etienne Faure | 5:08:25 | Male 3539 | 135 | 28 | 0:47:26 | 0:03:36 | 2:31:58 | 0:01:21 | 1:44:04 |
| 161 | Liam Choen-Ruhle | 5:09:49 | Male 3034 | 142 | 27 | 0:41:56 | 0:03:29 | 2:28:33 | 0:01:48 | 1:54:04 |
| 174 | Rebecca Kynaston | 5:11:55 | Female 4044 | 21 | 2 | 0:41:23 | 0:03:19 | 2:33:16 | 0:01:51 | 1:52:06 |
| DQF | Bruno Lebeda | 5:09:50 | Male 4044 | 0:46:08 | 0:03:34 | 2:18:40 | 0:01:26 | 2:00:04 | ||
| 196 | Claudia Soldati | 5:15:22 | Female 3539 | 24 | 5 | 0:42:14 | 0:03:28 | 2:25:48 | 0:01:34 | 2:02:19 |
| 212 | Barry Day | 5:17:08 | Male 3034 | 186 | 32 | 0:41:29 | 0:03:05 | 2:35:35 | 0:01:08 | 1:55:52 |
| 238 | Sian Abate | 5:21:00 | Female 4549 | 28 | 4 | 0:54:24 | 0:03:01 | 2:38:06 | 0:01:26 | 1:44:04 |
| 240 | Paulus Schram | 5:21:13 | Male 4044 | 212 | 64 | 0:48:46 | 0:04:37 | 2:23:11 | 0:01:55 | 2:02:44 |
| 288 | Frank Marriott | 5:26:38 | Male 5054 | 255 | 7 | 0:49:02 | 0:03:16 | 2:33:25 | 0:01:11 | 1:59:44 |
| 292 | Nora Senn | 5:27:04 | Female 3539 | 34 | 8 | 0:48:24 | 0:04:24 | 2:32:19 | 0:01:38 | 2:00:18 |
| 296 | Karen Fairley | 5:27:30 | Female 4044 | 35 | 4 | 0:40:54 | 0:04:05 | 2:42:40 | 0:02:24 | 1:57:27 |
| 306 | Anders Kind | 5:29:06 | Male 4044 | 268 | 74 | 0:59:03 | 0:04:40 | 2:33:42 | 0:01:41 | 1:49:59 |
| 314 | Rudolf Fleischmann | 5:30:12 | Male 4044 | 276 | 77 | 0:55:22 | 0:03:24 | 2:38:39 | 0:01:39 | 1:51:09 |
| 324 | Christiaan Straatemeier | 5:30:57 | Male 4549 | 284 | 31 | 0:43:04 | 0:02:52 | 2:24:12 | 0:02:12 | 2:18:38 |
| 334 | Nicolas Sordet | 5:32:41 | Male 3539 | 292 | 69 | 0:44:08 | 0:04:25 | 2:31:54 | 0:03:03 | 2:09:11 |
| 338 | Alejandro Tripodoro | 5:33:15 | Male 4044 | 387 | 94 | 0:33:12 | 0:03:57 | 2:36:14 | 0:02:12 | 2:05:10 |
| 346 | Eduard Wehry | 5:33:59 | Male 4044 | 303 | 87 | 0:54:17 | 0:04:05 | 2:30:23 | 0:01:40 | 2:03:36 |
| 373 | Martin Wray | 5:37:44 | Male 4549 | 328 | 37 | 0:45:43 | 0:03:29 | 2:33:48 | 0:02:35 | 2:24:40 |
| 416 | Daryl Albury | 5:42:29 | Male 4044 | 365 | 103 | 0:50:38 | 0:03:51 | 2:40:55 | 0:02:48 | 2:04:17 |
| 440 | Danny Mcfee | 5:45:24 | Male 3539 | 295 | 84 | 0:49:52 | 0:03:52 | 2:33:35 | 0:02:12 | 2:12:36 |
| 450 | Bea Desseigne | 5:46:48 | Male 3539 | 57 | 15 | 0:53:09 | 0:04:00 | 2:47:32 | 0:01:33 | 2:03:51 |
| 541 | Hyun chang Chung | 5:55:50 | Male 4044 | 470 | 111 | 1:11:05 | 0:05:01 | 2:43:25 | 0:02:52 | 1:53:27 |
| 579 | Vincent Ypersiel | 6:01:50 | Male 4044 | 502 | 138 | 0:47:27 | 0:05:22 | 2:42:04 | 0:02:48 | 2:24:09 |
| 598 | Rob McVie | 6:03:58 | Male 3034 | 517 | 86 | 0:53:40 | 0:04:03 | 2:44:58 | 0:01:32 | 2:19:45 |
| 603 | Joel LaBelle | 6:05:09 | Male 4044 | 522 | 145 | 1:03:18 | 0:03:57 | 2:52:50 | 0:02:28 | 2:02:38 |
| 670 | Claus Schuermann | 6:13:04 | Male 4549 | 580 | 72 | 0:55:07 | 0:04:54 | 2:45:07 | 0:06:20 | 2:21:36 |
| 820 | Luke Miller | 6:29:02 | Male 3539 | 711 | 163 | 1:02:11 | 0:04:04 | 2:46:35 | 0:02:57 | 2:33:14 |
| 887 | Julia Stanton | 6:38:32 | Female 3034 | 118 | 20 | 0:50:10 | 0:05:41 | 3:15:10 | 0:08:27 | 2:19:04 |
| 901 | Sergio Fernandez | 6:39:55 | Male 5054 | 782 | 31 | 1:05:09 | 0:05:09 | 2:58:48 | 0:02:05 | 2:28:44 |
| 1012 | Lindsey Coen-Fernandez | 6:56:02 | Female 4549 | 132 | 19 | 0:55:53 | 0:04:56 | 3:07:22 | 0:04:13 | 2:43:38 |
| WTD | Richard Thornton | Male 4044 | 0:47:57 | 0:03:42 | 2:40:51 | 0:02:26 |
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