First Trip with Bike Friday

Tomorrow I head to San Diego with my new Bike Friday tri bike. Last time I was there in October, I brought everything I needed to go running and do some open water swimming but I missed out on some great cycling. This time will be different!

To fit into a suitcase, my Bike Friday both folds and comes apart. The things that come off are the pedals, seat post, ti boom, stem, handle bars (which split in two but remain connected to the bike, so they're in the picture below) and the wheels. All that is needed to remove these things are an allen wrench and a pedal wrench, which were provided with the bike. Very easy, easier than fixing a flat tire.



The frame is what folds. To do that, I just use my fingers to remove a wing nut on the frame by the chain rings (see green arrow) and fold under the chain stays. Voilà!



A DVD that came with the bike shows how to put everything in the suitcase (as well as how to unpack the bike). Since I did not order accessories for touring (racks or a trailer to pull the suitcase), I have extra room in my suitcase where I can put my bike shoes, Profile Design aero bottle, energy bars and other small things. The only thing that won't fit is my bike helmet but I am bringing another roll-on anyway so no biggie.

With more practice, I should be able to pack and unpack my bike in about 10-15 minutes. It took about double that this first time, excluding the time I spent watching the video.

The Bike Friday is now ready to go!!!

Next time, I will discuss other travel bike options I considered (Ritchey Breakaway, Airnimal and the S and S Coupling system) and why I went with a Bike Friday despite its higher price tag.

Possible Serial Rapist

Warning to all females who run, jog, walk in the UCF Orlando area (my area) ... there has been another attack on a female jogger early in the morning.

This one occured just down the street from where I live (first suspect sketch). There was another similar incident back in October about a mile away (second suspect sketch), and possibly others.

News coverage about this latest incident can be found at WFTV and WESH. Though the sketches don't look too similar, the general descriptions are: hispanic male, 5'9"-5'10", 180-210#, wearing grey hooded sweatshirt, long dark pants.

I know it's hard to believe such things could happen in such a nice area but it really could happen anywhere, anytime (even in broad daylight) and to anyone.

So please, please be careful.

And the Answer Is ...

A folding bike!

Yes, MarathonChris44 and 2 others who emailed me directly were right.

But this is no ordinary folding bike ... in fact, there is no other one like it. The folks at Bike Friday built it especially for me.

What I wanted was a tri bike that I could take with me on travel easily (i.e., one that fit in a regular suitcase and didn't incur extra airline handling fees), that didn't require much mechanical skills or time to put together and take apart, and that rode like my usual tri bike but could climb nearly any hill (where I live is flat but not necessarily where I go on travel). In order to fit me, the new bike had to be small -- my QR Caliente is a 48cm size frame. And I wanted the exact same handlebars/aerobars, brakes and bar end shifters, just in case I ever wanted to race with it too.

They said, "No problem. What components do you want on it?" I then handed the phone to my husband. I did select the red and black paint scheme, though.


The end result was a modified petite Air Friday Ultegra with three chain rings.

The two very different things about this bike are the smaller wheels (451 vs 650) and the unsupported seat post. The smaller wheels allow the bike to fit easily in a standard suitcase. Performance-wise, they supposedly accelerate faster and handle better on a technical course but have higher rolling resistance than larger wheels (so perhaps not quite as fast on a flat course but not bad at all during today's 53 mile test ride, really). The titanium seat boom is a definite plus. It acts like a shock absorber going over bumps resulting in a much softer ride -- hallelujah!!!

But best of all ... no more 1-2 week long lapses in my training several times a year, no more back pain from renting the wrong size or type bike, and no more missed opportunities to cycle in some great areas while on travel.

I am one very happy triathlete!

What Could It Be???

WOOHOO! My belated Christmas present finally arrived yesterday. It is in the suitcase pictured.

Any guesses?

Here are some hints:

1. The suitcase is not big enough to hold a 700 (or 650) bike wheel.

2. The suitcase and what's in it together weigh about 35-40 lbs.

3. The suitcase is pretty much filled.

4. It is designed for people who travel a lot.

5. It will help a triathlete.

OMG, I Goofed!

Being relatively new to blogging and this blogger tool, I did not realize I had turned on Comment Moderation at some point. This prevented a number of previous comments from automatically appearing when posted. Only when I transitioned to using the new Google blogger today did I see that I had some 38 comments waiting to be reviewed!

I've just turned off this feature and allowed everyone's comments to be publicly viewed. Please forgive me for this oversight. I most certainly welcome comments and will read all those that I just found out about.

BIG news for 2007

Whew, I'm back from Hawaii and done with the holidays. But boy, have I got some BIG news!

Nope, not pregnant.

Big as in just bought a condo for retirement in Kona!!!

Let me tell you how this all came about.

First of all, you know a place is really special when every time you return you can only think of going back, even if means parking your butt on a plane for 13-14 hours.

You know you can handle the stress of making a big commitment and traveling a lot after having signed up to do an ironman and set out on a goal to run marathons in all 50 states.

You know you can make ends meet if you've been managing to do it year after year to keep your race habit alive. And now, no kids are left on your payroll.

So why not retire to the Big Island?

Since my first visit in the early 90’s, that rock in the Pacific has felt like home to me, much more so than where I actually grew up (S.F. Bay Area) and where I've lived the past 10 years (Orlando). I love the turquoise waters, ocean sunsets, black lava beds and warm tropical weather. But more importantly, I feel really comfortable in the laid-back, small town of Kailua Kona … blending in among the many Asian-Pacific Islanders and being mistaken for a local rather than a foreigner, seeing familiar Oriental foods in supermarkets, and even adhering to the custom of removing one’s shoes before entering a home.

During my recent visit to the island, the list just got much longer.

This time, as a triathlete, I noticed several excellent places to do some open water swimming, miles of dedicated bike lanes as wide as car lanes, challenging hills and wind conditions. I fit right in with all the other nut-cases -- I mean, athletic types -- swimming, biking and running around. If I need extra motivation to train hard, there are special Kona Ironman slots at the Honu Half Ironman, which are only available to Big Island residents who have lived there for 3+ years.

Besides having all the things I'm looking for in a place to retire, the Big Island is also one of the few places in the U.S. that is far enough away from everything so that workaholics like my hubby would have a chance to relax, put down the dam Blackberry and smell the plumeria. He's one of those guys who has a hard time saying 'no' at work and ends up having to do and travel a LOT more than he should, it seems.

But what about earthquakes, hurricanes, floods?

Well, I've spent most of my life living in earthquake country (CA) so occasional ground shaking doesn't bother me much. I would gladly trade a 6 month Florida hurricane season for a rare Hawaii hurricane. And since oceanfront property in Hawaii is outside our budget, the biggest threat of flooding would come from a backed up toilet. (For the record, only cold and snow would cause me to rethink living in Hawaii.)

So next month I head back over to Kona to close on the new condo. Though we won't be retiring and moving there full-time for several years, we'll have a place to call home during future visits. I promise to take more pictures and post them on my blog. Just got a cool broadband card so I can bring my laptop and stay better connected while on travel, which looks to be a lot in 2007.

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (which means "Happy New Year" in Hawaiian)

Aloha

I'm back into training now following a 12 week Winter Maintenance Training Program for Advanced Triathletes from D3 Multisports. Just completed week one but I'm headed to the Big Island of Hawaii this week and will have to do some my training on the Kona Ironman course itself. I know, life is tough ...

Should be back before Christmas, unfortunately.

November is Fun Month

It's been a couple weeks now since Ironman Florida and I'm still enjoying NOT training.

What??? Shirley not busting her butt for some big goal? Surely, you jest!

Ha, Ha ... Nope. I'm taking an official break. No miles or hours being logged right now. No rhyme or reason to what I do, or not. In December I'll start doing some off-season training to maintain fitness and work on my weaknesses. But for now, I'm just playing.

OMG, what has happened the old Shirley we know?

Nothing. It's just time for a break, mostly a mental one.

For the past year, I've been climbing a huge learning curve: learning to swim, getting comfortable riding a road bike, figuring out my nutrition needs, then putting everything together in preparation for an ironman. Before that, I was focused on 21 Run Salute, a nationwide campaign in which I ran 21 marathons in 9 months with the goal to raise $21K for charity (the latter, IMO, more challenging than the running). And prior to that, I was training for my second degree black belt, running marathons and teaching several fitness classes a week.

So, time to rest, refresh and regroup!

In the pool, I will not count strokes or laps. Maybe I'll do anything but freestyle instead, say, breastroke or float on my back and listen to the SwiMP3 I got from Simply Stu (thanks Stu!).

I'll continue to go on weekend bike rides with my husband, doing things his way rather than mine. I must admit that it's a blast to go fast without having to think about running afterwards.

I'll run mostly short distances (no more than 5-6 miles) but occasionally join my friend Chris who is running long in training for her first marathon. Coaching her and seeing her progress is actually more enjoyable than running for myself right now.

And I'll continue to help out at my local running store, Track Shack, signing up people who want to race or join a training program. This is one of those jobs that is so fun for me that I feel that I should be paying them to do it!

Beauties of Going Long

5ks and sprint tris are great for some people but here's why I prefer longer races:

• Less risk of injury - I've been injured twice while running short, hard and fast but never while running long. The most dangerous tri I've done was my one and only sprint tri. Not only did I underestimate the difficulty of swimming a 1/4 mile, some jerk nearly hit me on the bike course while trying to squeeze past on the right (he was trying to pass both me and another guy who was passing me on the left). Longer races motivate me to train more seriously and those who do longer races usually know the basic race rules.

• Longer training cycles - I enjoy training more than racing.

• I'm more competitive - Endurance is my strength. The longer the race, the better I usually do relative to others.

• They're more interesting - There are many more variables involved in just finishing a long race versus a short race, and finishing strong is yet another matter. So there's lots to work on besides improving one's physical speed. I love the mental aspects of racing long.

• Good excuse to travel - I can't justify traveling far to do a race that lasts an hour or less. But a nice weekend getaway, or even a weeklong vacation depending on the destination, sounds reasonable for a long race. And I often see more while sightseeing during a race than I would any other way.

• Your perspective of "long" changes - A 2000 yard swim, 50-60 mile bike ride and/or a 12-13 mile run do not seem long any more!

3 Things I Love About Tris

I work part-time down at my local running store helping out with their races. Everyone knows that I've run a lot of marathons and that I've been struggling with swimming in my first year of tris. After my DNF at IMFL, which is my first-ever DNF, many have asked why I'm planning to continue doing tris rather than focus on running, which is clearly my better sport.

The answer is simple: I'm now hooked on tris !!!

Don't get me wrong. I still love to run. But honestly, the challenge of running a marathon has diminshed after four years and 38 marathons. I could work on running marathons faster or start doing some shorter races, but I don't like running high mileage or doing intense speedwork (the only times I've gotten frustrating running injuries is while doing short intervals and after running my one and only 5K). I'd much rather run only 3-4 times a week, run relatively easy-paced marathons (and much more than 1-2 a year), and still have time to do other things.

Like triathlons!

Firstly, tris have been terrific for my marriage. My husband used to do them back in the 80's before he blew out his knees and shoulders. He can still ride a bike, however, and has rediscovered his love of cycling since I got a road bike. So now we go out together for nice long rides nearly every weekend. When we travel, one of our must-dos is to check out various bike/tri stores, where we act like kids in a candy store. When I race, my husband now brings his bike so he can get a ride in and pop up along the course to cheer me on instead of just sitting/standing around for hours waiting for me to finish.

Secondly, tris have made me a smarter runner. Before, I was stupidly stubborn and used to always try to run every step of the way, even if it meant passing up getting a drink or drinking enough. This strategy wasn't a problem on cold days but I paid the price on hot days. Ironman training forced me to come up with a better way of dealing with the heat. I experimented with taking regular walk breaks (a big no-no for many hardcore runners but acceptable to many hardcore triathletes) and hydrating more. I discovered how much better I ran, even after biking. So now I know what to do to run strong when the temperature rises.

Thirdly, tris are very challenging to me. Like martial arts, they involve doing different things (tris: swim, bike, run; MA: katas, sparring, weapons) so the variety in training never gets old. Some things have come easier than others; swimming and sparring have been particularly difficult for me. Both required overcoming fears, learning efficient techniques, practicing good control and balance, and the ability to adapt when conditions were different from what I was used to when practicing. In fact, as I struggled with swimming I often thought: déjà vu!

But doing "hard" things is very rewarding to me. It's exciting to see how far I've come and how much more room there is for improvement, how much I've grown as a person as well as an athlete. If I ever get to the point where I am satisfied or bored, I'd probably move on to do something else more challenging. Meanwhile, I think it's safe to say that I'll be doing tris for a while.