Foiled again...

Foiled once again! I picked up my new Superfly frame a week ago and started gearing up for a few endurance rides. After just two short rides I start experiencing a debilitating pain in my knee. After a bit of research I learn that this pain has a name. It's called Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) occurs when there is irritation to this band of fibrous tissue. The irritation usually occurs over the outside of the knee joint, at the lateral epicondyle, the end of the femur(thigh) bone. The iliotibial band crosses bone and muscle at this point; between these structures is a bursa which should facilitate a smooth gliding motion. However, when inflamed, the iliotibial band does not glide easily, and pain associated with movement is the result. So much pain in fact that I can't even complete a 3 mile jog.

This injury is the result of my own stupidity. I tried running the Disney Marathon with very little training. Approximately 20 miles into the marathon the pain in my knee was so severe that I had to stop running completely. I did manage to jog across the finish line but it was a very painful feat. I thought taking two weeks off form running might help alleviate some of the pain. Apparently I was mistaken. I attempted a 3 mile run last night but was forced to stop running after a mile and a half. I walked the remaining mile and a half back to the homestead.

I was planning on participating in 6hrs of El Legarto this Sunday but am now reconsidering it. I'd rather rest and do an easy ride this weekend in an effort to "save myself" for Ididride, which is being held on Jan 31st. I'm planning on doing an easy ride at Alafia on Saturday morning at which time I'll make my decision on El Legarto.

For now I need to start stretching, icing, and taking some sort of anti-inflammatory. Hopefully I can get the inflammation down enough to alleviate some of the pain in time for my next event.

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A Few New Goals

I am going to start keeping a list of my goals, short term & long term, as well as my achievements. Two of my goals for 2009 have already been meet, finishing a marathon and completing my first 50 mile ride. I met my riding goal on Jan 3rd 2009 during the Naked Indian Ride with a total of 56.3 miles. My first marathon was completed one week later, on Jan 11th 2009 with a time of 6:10:15. Although the marathon was somewhat unsuccessful it has left me with an unusual sense of motivation. I am going to layout a few new, more ambitious short term goals for 2009 & 2010 as well as a few longer term goals for the years to come. The new goals will all be endurance related.

Shorter term goals

• Complete my first off road mtb century.
  
• Participate in Fools Gold.
• Complete a solo 12 hr mtb race.
• Finish a half marathon in under 2 hrs.
  
• Run an entire Marathon.
  
• Complete Disney's Goofy Run and a Half Challenge.
  
• Complete in my first Triathlon.
  

Longer term goals

• Complete an ultra marathon.
  
• Complete an Iron Man.
  
• Complete a solo 24 hr mtb race.

I know I will have my skeptics but I'm going to shoot for them anyways. Wish me luck.

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My Frst Marathon

I completed my first marathon on Sunday, Jan 11th 2009! I did it with very little training. I'm very sore and very tired. It was not an easy accomplishment but it has left me with an unusual sense of motivation. So much so that I have set a few new, more ambitious goals.

The adventure began almost a year ago with a conversation between my wife, Theresa, and I. Theresa had jokingly told me "Good Luck" after I announced that I thought I could do a Marathon. So, with a few beers in me, I did what any other typical "dude" would do. I signed up for a Marathon, the Disney Marathon to be exact. Over the next year I would change my mind so many times as to whether or not I was actually gong to attempt it I lost count.

The time I took to make my decision was at the cost of my training. I ran more miles during the race than during all my training runs combined. I did three training runs consisting of a 2 miler, 5 miler, and a 10 miler. These training runs all went surprisingly smooth which gave me confidence that I actually could finish it. I made my decision to give the marathon a shot about a month before it was to take place.

Come race day morning I was having quite a mix of feelings and emotions. I was a little nervous about finishing it yet excited at the opportunity to cross the finish line. I was proud of myself for even attempting it but embarrassed that I let my training slip so much. I was worried about getting a permanent injury but confident that I would finish. I rolled out of bed at 3:00 am in order to get a shower, get dressed, and catch the bus to the start line. Once at the start line I was in for a 2 hour wait. The 2 hour wait went by fairly quickly though as most of it was spent walking to my corral and watching the pre-race entertainment.

The course led us by way of the Disney's Highway system and service roads through EPCOT, The Magic Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom Park, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and back through EPCOT before finishing in the EPCOT parking lot. In typical Disney fashion, there was no a lack of entertainment with music, Disney characters, animals, and cheer stations strategically located along the entire route. Entertainment wasn't the only thing we had though, food, drink, and medical stations were also available to us if we needed them.

My half split (13.1 Miles) was 2:36:48. I was hoping for a 5 hr finish time so I wasn't doing too bad. Unfortunately my IT band started to go around mile 18 so I decided to let up a bit. I started a run / walk routine but it wasn't long until I realized that that my jogging distances were getting shorter and shorter due to the pain on the side of my knee. I made the decision to walk the remainder of the marathon. The next 6 miles I spent trying to figure out how "Power Walkers" do it. My muscles were burning, my knees were shooting pain full reminders of my poor training, and my feet were bruised and swollen. Somehow I managed to start jogging again with about 1/4 mile left. I trotted across the finish line of the 26.2 mile event 6hrs, 10 min, & 15 seconds after it started. It took a bit longer than I would have liked ,but I did it! I finished my first Marathon.

I spent the rest of the day hobbling around EPCOT and "drinking around the world" with my family and friends. Although I felt a sense of pride in wearing my Marathon Medal I couldn't help but admire everyone I saw wearing a Goofy medal and shirt. For those of you who aren't familiar with Disney's Goofy Race and a Half Challenge, It consists of a half marathon followed by a marathon the very next day. I have decided to sign myself up for the 2010 Goofy Race and a Half Challenge. I know I'll have to train hard for this one and I can't be indecisive about participating. It's one of my goals for 2010.

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56 Miles of Broken Bike

I recently participated in my first endurance mountain biking event, the Naked Indian Ride, held on Jan, 3rd. Also known as the NK, the ride led us through some of the most beautiful central Florida country I've ever seen. The terrain ranged from sidewalks to paved trails, single track to rail road beds, and packed dirt roads to sandy power line roads. This ride truly had something for everyone. I'm not going to give a detailed description of the route, mostly because it was a blur to me. I spent most of the time trying not to get drooped or, when I did get dropped, trying not to loose sight of the group. You can see the route here.

I got the chance to ride with a couple of local mountain biking celebrities like Karlos A Rodriguez Bernart (The Naked Indian himself) and Harvey Minton, just to name a few. Check out the pictures below if you don't believe me. I of course spent most of the ride looking at their backs but it was still pretty cool to ride with them. My computer calculated a total distance of 56.3 miles. That's 16.3 miles farther than I'd ever ridden before. I figure my average speed was probably around 13-14 mph. The average speed is due mostly to the paved portions of the route where we were reaching 20 + mph.

I started the ride with a small crack in my frame. About 32 miles into the ride we stopped for lunch. I got every one's opinion on whether or not they thought I should continue riding. The consensus was about 50 - 50. So...I decided to finish the ride and deal with the consequences if the seat tube broke off. You can read more about the frame here.

Once the ride was finished we had all enjoyed some good food, great beer, and great conversation. A great time was had by all and I will definitely be riding the NK again next year.



Things I learned at the NK:

• Karlos is f'ing crazy!
• Everyone that rode was way cool!
• Terodactlys still exist.
  
• Horror movie like small cult towns do exist.
  
• Hammer Gells maintain my blood sugar levels much better than originally thought.
• I'm still VERY weak on my bike!
• I need to learn to stick to my own pace. (This ride was a bit different due to the route. I didn't want to get lost)
  
• I need to drop some weight from my pack.
• I need to ride more!
  

Click here to see all of my event results.

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A Few New Things

I've upgraded a couple components on the bike in the last couple weeks. I've listed them below.

• Crank: Shimano XT FC-M770
• Seat Post: Thomson Elite 27.2 x 410mm 16mm SB
• Pedals: Time Atac XS Carbon
• Computer: Cateye Micro Wireless

Click here to see the rest of my setup.

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Destroyed in 2 weeks

I got my new Fisher Paragon frame on Friday December 12th 2008. I was so excited to get my bike back after almost 4 weeks that, after throwing on my new Time pedals, I drove straight out to Boyette for a test ride. It rode beautifully. The pairing of the new geometry with the custom FOX fork seemed to enhance just about every aspect of the ride. I immediately fell in love.

The euphoria was short lived. The new frame started showing signs of a crack in just over week. The crack was even in the same place as the old frame, at the top tube and seat tube. I kept my spirits high and my hopes up though. I tried telling myself "maybe it's just the paint cracking from the frame flexing". I was forced to throw that theory out the window after a few more short rides. It seemed to open up a little more every time I got on the bike. 

I'm officially considering the frame "destroyed" after my last ride, the NK. I'll be posting all the details from that ride shortly. The crack now encompasses more than half the circumfrence of the seat tube. See the images below to see the progression.

I'll keep y'all updated as the information becomes available.

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