Here we are in sunny Florida. It’s 50 degrees and the rain is coming down sideways. We waited to start our Sunday run after it let up but it never did so we went anyway. The wind and rain made it a miserable run. We weren’t as uncomfortable as zero degrees and 6 inches of snow in Michigan but all the streets here flood (it’s so flat there’s nowhere for the rain to go). I lagged a block or two behind Jean as I felt a nature call at 4 miles. I knew if I went back to the condo I wouldn’t go back out so I waited for a bathroom at mile 8 (city streets with no vegetation to hide behind). It’s hard to run with your legs crossed.
We went to Clermont Thursday for our triathlon testing. It felt like college all over again as we spent the night before the big test at a beach bar with brother Bob, Jean’s son Robert and one of his friends. We intended to have an oxygen uptake test, lactate threshold test, swim stroke force analysis, bike fit and muscle limiter analysis. When we got there (it’s about an hour and a half away, so we left 2 hrs 15 minutes before we were supposed to be there–sound like me doesn’t it?) we had to fill out some paperwork. Chuck Wolf (the director) talked us out of the VO2 max test because, unless we are elite athletes, the number doesn’t mean much. Also the swim force analysis couldn’t be done because the tech’s father had passed away.
We both got the lactate threshold test. You run on a treadmill and every 2:30 they take a blood sample, record heart rate, ask your perceived exertion (6-20 scale) and increase the speed. As soon as your blood level of lactic acid increases over the previous reading by more than 1.0 you have reached your lactate threshold. When the girl said she may have to prick our fingers up to ten times I was reminded of the junior high joke where the patient is running out of his room followed by a nurse carrying a pan of boiling water followed by the doctor saying “No nurse Ratchett, I told you to prick his boil”, but I digress. My lactate threshold is 168 and shows a fairly classic pattern. Jean’s is 175 and also shows a normal pattern. They felt my cramping was a training issue as I do mostly endurance training and little or no lactate threshold training (20-60 minutes at 163-173) and never any VO2 max intervals (30 sec to 5 minutes at 180 with equal rest intervals).
After that we had muscle analysis and found out what we already knew; that our muscles (especially hips) are tight and they gave us both stretching exercises to do. Although the swim force analysis couldn’t be done, we spent some time with the swim coach for the USA Triathlon National Training Center. He had some good tips and drills for both of us. He had me bilateral breathing (for you non-swimmers “going both ways” is not a bad thing) in a short time. I only swallowed 4 gallons of pool water and they didn’t charge extra for that.
The bike fit was done by a young guy named Adam Baskin. He was about 5’6″ and weighed 135 (I asked). He is a Cat 1 road racer on one of the three Ford teams. He had been out riding with Shiela Taormina and had to cut it short to do the bike fit. It was 75 and sunny and we were inside all day. He moved our cleats (Village Bike had put them on backwards), moved both of our seats back and lowered our seats to compensate. Jean’s chain is stretched (I wonder how that happened) she needs a new chain, new cassette, new front rings and narrower handlebars. If any of you have Natasha’s e-mail Jean would like to see if she wanted to sell her used Cheetah. Adam asked me if my left butt cheek (he said glute) was tight because my right knee kicked out a little. That was the same thing Chuck had said during the muscle analysis so it definitely has some effect both biking and running. I’m looking for volunteers for massage therapy, preferably female but not too young as my heart couldn’t take it.
All in all the day was exhausting but well worth it (we started at 8:30 AM and walked out of the building at 2:45 with no lunch break). We’ll talk more about it when we get back. Sounds like Diane heard the same things.
We plan to be back Sat but the weather is supposed to be getting better so may delay until Monday.
Jack & Jean