Another Saltair PR

Found the time to throw it down at Saltair in the bi-weekly time trial sufferfest again tonight.

Set another PR by three seconds — this time crossing the line at 15:45.

So, to set it straight, that’s six trips to Saltair and five times have resulted in a personal record. The other time I had a little stomach bug and was way off my game.

I remember thinking 16 minutes was out of reach just a year ago. My TT base is getting better and my knowledge of how to hit that racing is also becoming more familiar.

Despite all the improvement — which makes me really happy and gives me confidence — I know I’m not at my best.

Sure, I’m setting new PRs, but each time out there I analyze, pick my ride apart and think of how I could have or should have done it differently.

And I end up not satisfied.

I guess that’s a good thing in some ways. I take that analization and use it the next time out — and come back with a better time and a new set of things to work on.

Tonight, for instance, I feel I was too cautious and conservative on the first half. There was a bit of a headwind on the way to the turnaround and I held something back thinking I’d totally empty myself on the way back and take advantage of the tailwind. That was a mistake because I think there were another 10-15 seconds I could have shaved off on the first half.

The wind helped but not enough to overcome that soft approach.

On the plus side, I had my best turn ever. I got the right swing, gear change and angle and had minimal slowing down, unlike the person in front of me who might have gone into the turn too hot and had to unclip the feet in order to stay upright.

As I’ve mentioned before, I like to keep score at TT races. Plus 1 for people I pass and Minus 1 when I get passed. Tonight’s score was Plus 2. I pass three people and was not passed until the final straightaway when the person starting behind me got me by a few bike lengths despite my best effort to retake him over the final 100 meters.

CCFSS, still got it

Yep. I still suffer from CCFSS — otherwise known as Can’t Climb For Sh!+ Syndrome.

I like to blame my disease on my 190-pound frame. Truth is, I can’t climb well because I don’t climb often.

That’s gotta change.

Tonight, I got the urge, put on the fancy clothes and pointed the bike toward a mountain and started pedaling.

I eventually got to Big Cottonwood Canyon and up I went — slowly.

I didn’t go all the way to the top and actually only went a few miles past Storm Mountain. But it was good to get out and climb again. It was actually my second attempt at a climbing ride in four days. Saturday I did a similar ride but pointed the bike a little more south and ended up in Draper where I made the brutal climb up to the new temple, then swung back to go past South Mountain Golf Course and back again up to Suncrest and down the other side.

Today, I saw a pair of cyclists wearing Rock Racing kits going up BCC while I was descending. Not sure if it was actually a pair of Rock Racing athletes or a couple of Freds like me all decked out in sweat gear.

In any case, after leaving the canyon I opened up the throttle and bombed it down Old Mill to Cotton Bottom. I love that little stretch of road and pushed the pace up to 47mph at one point — at least that’s what the Garmin showed when I dared take my eyes off the road for a split second.

This is something I said I’d never do, but I’m contemplating a climb up Butterfield Canyon again. I’ll need a climbing partner because if I’m alone, it’s too easy to wuss out and cut the ride short. After bailing on a few uphill rides with friends in the past, I’ve promised myself to never do that again.

So I need to have that person there in front of me — or, gasp, behind me — keeping me motivated.

In other news, I’m tempted to register for the Bear Lake Classic 70.3 triathlon on August 29 instead of the Olympic distance race. LOTOJA is just two weeks later and a 70.3 might actually be better endurance training than a triathlon that’s less than half that distance.

A big fan of this

Typically this 195-pound dude avoids scenes like this. They hurt.

But my sissy little legs feel the need for climbing and lots of it.

So tonight, instead of racing at RMR, I’m heading to Big Mountain.

Leaving the zoo lot at 6 p.m.

Not a big fan of this

I got kind of tired of the clouds, rain and stuff from April, May and early June.

But I’ll take that over 90s any day.

That said, I understand the canyons can be nice and cool when you climb them.

So I will climb them . . . often.

Transition Rule No. 1 – don’t touch my stuff!

Here’s how my DinoTri experience can be summed up:

1: I can swim for a long, long ways. But I can’t swim fast or in a straight line. Gotta work on that.

2: Perhaps it’s because I swim pretty slowly and I have few people behind me, but I was not passed by a single person on the bike. On the other hand, I passed a lot of people.

3: Don’t think just because you get to T2 extra early and pick out the very best spot to set up your running gear that it will be there when you peddle in. Someone tossed my shoes and hat 10 feet to the side and a bike helmet was hiding them as well. After wasting two minutes looking for my shoes, I finally found them, got angry and ran as if the person who moved them was just a few meters in front of me.

It was my fastest run EVER.

I was wasted the last mile or so and still feel very happy with the pace I set.

The downside, now that I know I can crank out 6:30 miles when pissed off, I don’t have much of an excuse anymore.

Eat at Rubio’s, fight cancer

Click, print, eat

Hey kids.

CLICK THIS LINK

I’ve arranged a sweet deal at Rubio’s Mexican Grill.

On Thursday, June 25 after 2 p.m., Rubio’s will donate 20 percent of everything you buy to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation via the Hometown Hero Program.

Yep, yummy fish tacos, burritos, nachos, etc.

Offer good at the 700 East 400 South, 1100 East 2100 South and 5300 South State locations only.

Slacking off

Taking a few days off after Ironman Boise was expected. But I feel like I’ve really dropped off the training.

Time to rectify that situation even if it doesn’t need much rectifying.

• Tonight: TT bike ride with uphill intervals. Getting ready for some climbing at the DinoTri on Saturday.
• Tuesday: Easy run in the morning — it will be my first run since Boise. Yikes! Swim session while the kids go to swim lessons.
• Wednesday: 10k run in the morning. DMV Crit in the evening???
• Thursday: Long swim in the morning. Saltair TT in the evening.
• Friday: Easy run in the morning. Travel to Vernal in afternoon, check in for DinoTri.
• Saturday: DinoTri starts at 7 a.m. 1500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run. Gonna hit it hard for a change.

That ought to leave me feeling better.

My weight problem

I like to throw around the number 195 pounds when asked how much I weigh.

Usually that’s pretty accurate.

The last couple of months, though, I’ve been shedding pounds and this morning this is what I saw on the bathroom scale.

That’s right, I’m getting leaner by the day. Two months ago, I was at 197 pounds and afraid of tipping the scale at more than 200.

But the running, swimming and cycling has really burned the fat.

My love handles are decidedly less handleable.

If I keep this up, I won’t be able to use the “I’m fat” excuse for my wimpy climbing performances.

Thursday night’s score: Minus 6

I’ve starting keeping score at various TT races. Thursday night was my first time racing the Emigration Time Trial and I knew it was not going to be a happy half hour.

I was right.

The score was Minus 6.

For the record, I passed one person and was passed by seven. 1 – 7 = -6

I understand that’s not a scientific way to score yourself in a time trial — you can’t control who starts before or after you — but it’s a little game I like to play.

As for the race itself, it starts just east of Hogle Zoo and ends at the summit of Little Mountain — a brisk ~7.5 ride with ~1,200 feet of climbing.

My Ironman in photos

I’m too cheap to buy photos for $29.

But I’ll copy some thumbnails and show ‘em off no problem.

   

The swim was surprisingly hard. Not because of the distance or the waves, but because I couldn’t hold my line and added 300 meters (rough estimate) to the swim.

   

I love the way they made it look like I was leading the pack.

     

Once again, I’m ahead of somebody.

And, of course, the put a medal around your neck and pose you in front of a banner.