Reviv-AL

Al, On Antibiotics and Recovering Slowly, Contemplates Multisport

It seems mi compadres (Fred and Woody) are doing a lot of nothin' on the ole blog. So I'll carry the weight for a while here. I've been on my ass for the last 9 days, taking antibiotics and decongestants, so what else do I have to do? Boy these meds kick the crap out of you. I've been falling asleep at 9 pm.

Anyway, yesterday was eventful and got me FIRED up again for the tri season. I went out to the bike shop to be fitted on my new tri bike. (Check our link for Kreb Cycle...they kick ass!) As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got a Cervelo P2SL. It is kitted out with a mix of Ultegra and Dura Ace. And the package came with a set of Bontrager Race Lite wheels. I plan to use these for training, and I got a sweet set of Zipps for Race Day. The zipps are tubs, 530 in the front and a 440 rear. Back to the bike shop...I spent about an hour with Chris from Kreb. He's a Serotta dealer and does a lot of high end bike work, and he really amazed me with his knowledge about fit and proper form etc. I learned a ton in just a couple of hours with him.

The fit involved a ton of different measurements and a good deal of analysis and readjustment as I pedaled away on the trainer. (It also involved putting this expanding "fit stick" under my nuts and letting it stretch and press my jewels. I don't think this has anything to do with the fit; I figure it's a fun way for the fit guy to have a laugh at my expense.) Chris noticed right away a problem in my form. (A bit of background: I have very little bike experience. I swam in college and was a marathon runner for about the last 12 years. I only started biking about 2 years ago.) He noticed a tightness in my hammys that translated into a footstroke that was very heel high. I've been pedaling with way too much calf and not really utilizing my quads effectively. This is something I need to work on and be aware of. Additionally, I've had my set up geared towards that sort of ride. He's set me up a good deal lower than I am used to. I felt the difference immediately. All you bike guys and gals are prolly saying, "elementary, Al, you putz" (or something similar). All this is new for me, and I'm psyched. I'm thinking that as I learn, I will improve. Cool.

Well, that's all. I'll leave you with this vid, to show you where my mind is at: