TriSupporter

2011 Seasons

I've been remiss in updating the blog. For many reasons I guess...after an Ironman, I get lazy. I never did post Rianman's results from IMOO last year - but he did great (I will post on that soon).

Rianman is not racing this year. He actually wasn't planning on racing Tris this year so he could focus on cycling. But that sort of got derailed by a serious medical problem earlier this Spring which required two 5 day long hosital stays and major surgery. He's fine now and was cleared to exercise the last week of May. So he started to work out after three months of nothing. You can imagine how this will turn out.

He began with Insanity - a bootcamp-like daily DVD workout clearly not aimed at 40-somethings. After 4 weeks of Insanity and a few bike rides, he ended up in the Urgent Care when we were out of town. He couldn't move--his back had seize up. Luckily it doesn't appear to be disk related. Nevertheless, it is Rianman's first back injury. Not likely his last.

It's been almost two weeks and he sees a physiatrist tomorrow. This season isn't looking good so it's really good he wasn't planning on racing this year.

But I'm still TriSupporting - our friends are racing and we're cheering when we can. Go Bob, Kat, Monty, Marcus et al!!

Ding Ding

Huh? Huh? Is that the phone?

Rianman and Joe left at 5:30 am for a 75 mile ride. At 6:41 am I was slowly awoken by what took some time to realize was the phone downstairs ringing. I ignored it thinking it would go to voicemail. But then it rang a second 'cycle' and thought "Shit, this is it. This isn't good." and I ran downstairs. If you're a TriSupporter or a cyclist's spouse, you know what I'm talking about.

I got to the phone and saw it was Rianman's phone so I thought, "It's not that bad." It's amazing how much goes through your mind. Then I heard his voice. Whew.

So what happened? Rianman blew a tube on a manhole cover, and lost two tubes trying to change the tire - yeah who knows how that happened. He wanted me to drive down a couple tubes and a pump cause he was also out of CO2 cartridges. He was about 5 miles from home.

I rushed to brush my teeth and put some clothes on and grabbed three tubes, a towel, and the pump and was off. I was still a little fuzzy as I pulled out of the neighborhood and hoped I wouldn't hit the cyclists I came across.

I got to the guys about 20 minutes after the call and Rianman started on his tire. Notice how happy Joe looks. Can you see the pile of tubes on the ground? One was blown. One had a broken stem - who knows why. Not sure what happened to the third one--see below.

The best part was that Joe mentioned he gave Rianman his spare tube...but get this, Joe had a Shrader valve tube. He can't even use that on his tire! He has been carrying around a useless tube for who knows how long. Maybe it was like an umbrella and rain--it never rains when you have one. This is like dumb and dumber on a long ride.

 

After a quick test ride, and a pose with all those tubes, they were ready to get back to the 70 remaining miles of their ride. I learned that I'll probably need to plug the phone in upstairs.

Shouldn't you be riding?

Rianman and Kat joined about a gazillion triathletes, apparently all from Ilinois, ride the IMWI bike route yesterday. At about 11 I got this picture via text. Do you think all the others were posing with pigs? 

iPods: just another piece of equipment

On Sunday, after Rianman's 19-miler in the heat, I took his water bottles and FuelBelt and dumped them in the kitchen sink for their regular spa soak with some Dawn. I figure if it can clean oil-coated sea otters, it can get the goop off all the plastic and stink off the sweaty straps and bands and stuff.

Well on Sunday night, Rianman asked if I emptied the FuelBelt pouch when I washed it.

Me: "No. I never do. It's always got gel packs and cash--why bother?"

Him: "I put my iPod in there."

Me: "Shit."

So on Monday morning I put the Purple Shuffle in a bag of brown rice (it's better for you) in the hopes of drying it out. Here it is before we took it out today.

 

Did it work?

Nope. Another Shuffle Bites the Dust. It's becoming an annual thing lately. A Shuffle a year - just another triathlete expense. They should just start carrying them at the bike and tri shops.

TMI: Chafing

So Rianman's been wearing all things Zoot lately. Well at least the compression tri shorts, active short, socks, calf sleeves and who knows what else. He's been experiencing more than normal chafing as a result of the really long miles he's starting to put on--even around the leg band of the shorts. As a result, he's now a fan of Aquaphor for healing--we never really knew why it was in so many swag bags. Now we do.

You're thinking, "No TMI yet, TriSupporter. What's up?"

Well yesterday as we exited the Target store and walked towards our car in the 100 degree heat, he informed me that his 'frank' is also chafed--probably due to 'frank' placement in the compression shorts. Right about then I wanted to press rewind. But I couldn't. It was out there. And now, sorry honey, it's out for all the world to see.

I guess the lesson is for men to apply Body Glide or Chamois Butter to the 'beans' AND the 'frank'.

(Thanks to Lurch for providing the Frank and Beans euphemism. And no, you don't shave the Frank!)

Sports Nutrition for Women

The NYT's has an article today that I thought was particularly interesting albeit not surprising. Women are different from men! Okay we all know this but here's the catch. Most research on exercise and nutrition is done on men. So all that info on carbo loading and protein needs may not apply to women. If you're a women or your triathlete is a women, take a look at this Well: Phys Ed: What Exercise Science Doesn’t Know About Women?

 

Training in the Heat

Okay TriSupporters, it's hot out. How many times have you heard this: "Gotta train in the heat." Be sure to remind your triathlete that working out in 100 degree heat or higher is not 'cool' it is dangerous. I've had to hose Rianman down after runs or rides in the summer heat--it's more worry than a TriSupporter should have to endure. So, take precautions and know what to look for. The following is from the Mayo Clinic or check this out from the CDC.

How hot weather affects your body

Exercising in hot weather puts extra stress on your heart and lungs. Both the exercise itself and the air temperature increase your body temperature. To dissipate heat, more blood circulates through your skin. This leaves less blood for your muscles, which increases your heart rate. If the humidity is high, your body faces added stress because sweat doesn't readily evaporate from your skin — which only pushes your body temperature higher.

Under normal conditions, your skin, blood vessels and perspiration level adjust to the heat. But these natural cooling systems may fail if you're exposed to high temperatures and humidity for too long. The result may be a heat-related illness, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heatstroke. How to avoid heat-related illnesses

To keep it cool during hot-weather exercise, keep these basic precautions in mind:

• Take it slow. If you're used to exercising indoors or in cooler weather, take it easy at first. As your body adapts to the heat, gradually increase the length and intensity of your workouts. If you have a chronic medical condition or take medication, ask your doctor if you need to take additional precautions.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Your body's ability to sweat and cool down depends on adequate rehydration. Drink plenty of water while you're working out — even if you don't feel thirsty. If you're planning to exercise intensely or for longer than one hour, consider sports drinks instead. These drinks can replace the sodium, chloride and potassium you lose through sweating. Avoid drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol, which actually promote fluid loss.
• Dress appropriately. Lightweight, loosefitting clothing promotes sweat evaporation and cooling by letting more air pass over your body. Avoid dark colors, which can absorb the heat. A light-colored hat can limit your exposure to the sun.
• Avoid midday sun. Exercise in the morning or evening — when it's likely to be cooler outdoors — rather than the middle of the day. If possible, exercise in the shade or in a pool.
• Wear sunscreen. A sunburn decreases your body's ability to cool itself.
• Have a backup plan. If you're concerned about the heat or humidity, stay indoors. Work out at the gym, walk laps inside the mall or climb stairs inside an air-conditioned building.

Know when to call it quits

During hot-weather exercise, be on the lookout for heat-related illness. Signs and symptoms may include:

• Weakness
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea or vomiting
• Rapid heartbeat
• red, hot dry skin; no sweating 

If you suspect a heat-related illness, stop exercising and get out of the heat. Drink water, and wet and fan your skin. If you don't feel better within 60 minutes, contact your doctor. If you develop a fever higher than 102 F (38.9 C) or become faint or confused, seek immediate medical help.

Regular physical activity is important — but don't let hot-weather workouts put your health at risk.

Hilly Group Ride

Rianman is doing the hilly ride again but this time he'll have company on the road. Coach Ken is leading a group out to Shawnee to tackle the hills. No sherpa needed I guess. Despite the gray skies, I think the needed rain will hold off till tomorrow.

On a personal note, I'll be walking in the Trolley Run this Sunday. I signed up only after Christy Z, trisupporter to Lurch guilted me into it ;-) Do you know how early I'm going to have to wake up??? Like 6 am. I don't see that time of the morning unless I'm going to a tri or I'm going on vacation.

I guess it'll be good for me and it should be mostly downhill.

Spring Weather F*cks with Training

Last night as I was headed west during evening rush hour and Rianman was preparing to go west for a ride, I noticed the clouds darken and heard reports of hail. As a dutiful TriSupporter not wishing her triathlete to be struck by lightning, I called home and informed him of the threatening weather. The map from about that time doesn't look that impressive and it turned out that if he had gone out, he would have gotten very wet, not electrocuted. But you can't be too careful right?

This isn't the first time training was postponed for weather. This season alone has been pretty tricky what with 11 inches of snow on the first day of Spring, torrential rains on weekends, and cold weather. But it's like this every Spring. I personally can't wait till Summer when the only excuse is hot...okay and maybe a tornado. It is Kansas afterall.

Happy New Year!!

Okay so I'm back. I guess since Rianman took a few months off, so did I. But since he's training for IMOO 2010 I figured I needed to get back in the blogging saddle.

January 1 started with a very very cold run. Rianman, Steve and Andrea (visiting from Lexington KY) went for a 10k led by Coach Ken. It was 7 degrees when they left the house! I should have gotten a pic with them with all their cold weather gear on.