Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Holiday Hangover

What a wild holiday's it has been. Surviving two Christmas gatherings feasts on the same day was brutal, especially when everyone wants you to try something they made "just for you." Add to that the eggnog and cookies (yes...we baked cookies) and you have a recipe for a food hangover I'm still not recovered from.

I took last week off from training, and currently I'm still not back on the bike due to the recall/replacement on the Computrainer's flywheel. Long story short, if you have a blue flywheel on your CT, get in touch with Racermate and get them to send you the replacement... or you risk bodily harm. Check out the Slowtwitch Thread for more. Anyways, the time off (which has been great by the way) has given me some time to get some new projects up and running, as well as putting some of my Christmas gifts to use!

My absolute favorite gift was something the missus got for me, an indulgence I would have never bought for myself no matter how awesome I thought it was.

Can a tool be art? Silca makes a good case for it...

Let me just say, these things are the bomb. My go to Allen's have long been Bondhus, which I consider very top end. I've used a friend's PB Swiss wrenches before and although I was impressed, I didn't see the need to upgrade. These things fit that same niche for me. Initially, Too Good to Use syndrome set in and I kind of didn't even want to risk marring the beauty that Silca has produced... then reality slapped me (and a need to use said wrenches) and I gave them a go. It's hard to make praise for a tool... it's either sufficient for the job or it isn't. These are. Not only that, but they were still in near perfect shape after being put through some paces. Does that keep the bolt head's from stripping out longer? I assume it should, and that's what Silca claims, so awesome! Now that I have them, looking at some of my cheaper lower end key's is almost embarrassing. Snob points +10, thanks dear!

But what good are tools without something to work on. My present to myself (from selling my mountain bike and my Felt frame.) arrived and was in need of a few good wrenches!

It's been a Raleigh long time since I owned a bike of this brand... (badabump)

I came out very happy with this bike. The previous owner had certainly got some use out of it, but I got it at a price I figured I couldn't go too wrong with. The groupset was changed out (by the last owner) to Ultegra 10 speed (which was perfect for me) and the rest of the bike built up with that mix and some of the stock parts. The wheels are pretty unimpressive clinchers (although with Dura Ace hubs) with some decent rubber... although I hope to build a set of tubulars for racing... but they will do fine as training wheels I learn the ropes on. I swapped out the rings for a Wickwerks single 42t, and ran my old Nokon cables on it just to look cool.  I've had it out on one muddy ride already, and I'm hoping to get a few more in before the weather turns dramatically nastier in Tennessee. (Although some might argue that's the only time a cross bike is worth riding...)

As my last little bit of news for the end of the year, I upgraded to Cat 4 on the road... something everyone tells me I should have done a long time ago, but that I have been hesitant to do. We'll see what kind of winds of change this brings for my racing in 2016. At least I'll have plenty of teammates with me finally.

So, one more holiday party (today actually) and I'm done. Back on the bike on the 1st of the year... and I'm feeling ready to be there. More to come in 2016!

Thanks for reading and have a great (and safe) New Year!

- Christopher Morelock


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

It's beginning to look a lot like... well you know.

Christmas (or whatever winter solstice style holiday you choose to observe) is a little over a week away. For those of you who procrastinate and still insist on doing your shopping in brick and mortar stores... I pity you. Myself, I'm done with all my shopping (thanks Amazon!) and am only awaiting delivery of a few small things at this point.

For myself... I couldn't resist. I pulled the trigger on a cyclocross bike. I ended up with a 2015 Raleigh RX 1.0 with an Ultegra drivetrain. I plan on turning it into a 1x build, but we'll see.

I dig it... at least for now
I really like the paint scheme on this bike, along with the kit. I am timid of disc brakes and in my "get off my lawn" mindset wanted to stay in my comfort zone with a Shimano drivetrain. Most of the "entry" level cross bikes I found slapped you with 9spd Sora, which although I don't hate doesn't really excite me. This bike has been used (probably pretty well) but that doesn't bother me in the least so long as everything is serviceable. I also stayed within my budget (of the $ I got for my mountain bike and S32 frame) so Jenny will hopefully not murder me in my sleep. Of course, I immediately want to build some wheels for it... which is not how you stay in budget... but I can dream...

It's been a bittersweet month for me in some ways. There are some new opportunities I'm very excited about coming up next year, but along with them some obligations (more on all that at a later time) which required a split from my long time coach and friend David.  After 5 years of working together week in and week out, it was tough on me, like the "end" of any solid relationship would be. I know (and David agreed) it would likely be good for me, but nonetheless, change is difficult. I'm doing a couple of workouts this week and maybe a few before Christmas and then taking a week or two off to let the batteries recharge.

Speaking of training, Zwift released a custom workout designer in their "workout mode." Something that has been begged for since workout mode was released. With my free time in training I have just now started playing around with this new editor and I like it quite a bit. Paired with my computrainer it takes a lot of the mental aspect out of my training... I just plug in and push whatever watts the computrainer adjusts to.  After I've had a little more time working with it I'd like to give a little more in-depth review of Zwift now that it's out of beta.

Anyways, probably no post next week, if there is it will be short and sweet. (and showing off goodies possibly) So most likely the next update will be a bit before the first of the year.

Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it! Happy whatever you celebrate!

looking fly (is that still what the kids say?) at a group ride

- Christopher Morelock

Thursday, December 10, 2015

A year in review

It feels like the entire year has flown by in overdrive. As we start closing in on the last few days of 2015, a little reflection is in order.

2015 started in a pretty dark place. I was still in the midst of trying to recover from my OTS, hoping that I would be able to compete again. I knew that my goals for the year would have to be modified and brought back to things more attainable for someone basically starting over. (maybe that's a bit melodramatic and exaggerated, but bear with me) so for starters, just getting some time in the saddle was enough to make me happy.

My first "race" was a small Time Trial. I finished at the bottom of my category, and struggled to stay down in the aero position for even a decent portion of it. Man, to think I used to ride like that for hours, right? Nonetheless, it went about as well as I could hope, and gave me some faith that I was making a move in the right direction.

Hanging out after the return to TTing with my moppy hair

I stayed pretty secluded through the first and middle of the year, logging almost all of my miles on the trainer. It is here that Zwift really saved my sanity. Grinding with people I had never met in real life, even at embarrassingly low watts somehow felt a  little easier than with those who know me.

I went back and forth on whether or not to do a triathlon in 2015. In the end I decided I did not want to miss the West Side YMCA Tri, which I've done every year since starting triathlon. I had been biking an adequate amount at that point and figured the swim and the run were both short enough I could kind of "fake it" through them. It turned out to be a so-so choice... I actually had a better than expected swim considering my 2015 total of yards is, as of Dec. 9th, 200 yards. (All from that race) My run was painful however, and I payed for not running over a couple of miles before race day. For some reason, deep down I had kind of harbored hope that I was somehow going to be "pretty fit" still, despite training logs pointing to the obvious. In the end, I am glad I did it but not overly excited with it.

hoping not to drown

Redoubling my focus on cycling I actually ended up in fair shape by the time the Oak Ridge Velo omnium rolled around. I didn't quite have the motor built to stay with "the move" in the road race and ended up finishing with the pack a couple of minutes down. I managed to reclaim some of my TT'ing ability and finished 3rd, giving me a chance at scoring on the omnium podium. I gambled pretty hard in the crit, hoping that an early attack might give me an edge, or at least break the pack. It didn't and I very nearly payed for the effort when I dropped back and nearly fell off the group. I recovered and managed to put myself in the third spot by the bell lap. An attack by Matt on the last U turn won him the race as he was just stronger than everyone else in the field, but I managed to stay tucked and sprint my way to silver on the final straightaway. 2nd in the State Championship (even Cat5) is not the worst result for a comeback.

Trying to look pro. "trying"


Since then I've been mostly low key. Doing a couple of training rides out in the public again, not quite so embarrassed to show my face. While 2015 was not my ideal year, it has been a year that I feel I have grown considerably as an athlete. I have a much broader scope of things to help grow as an athlete in the future. I am excited for what next year holds. I plan to be a faster, stronger and most importantly, healthier athlete in the future.

So that's my little recap of the season. Three whole races. Nonetheless, I'd classify it a success.

Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Off road ideas (again?)

I've got the Cyclocross bug. I know what you're thinking, the season is almost over... but I still have the bug. I've been watching some cross the last little bit and it just looks like too much friggin fun for me to be missing out.

The 4's and 5's about to start... with me on the sidelines! :(

Those who have kept up with the blog for a while may remember I thought something similar about mountain biking a few years gone by... and I am decidedly NOT a fan of mountain biking. So, what's the difference... well, hopefully the fact that, for the most part, I'm on a road bike, not a mountain bike. Drop bars and all of that.

Here is a cool little video from Provision's Drew Bailey.



So yeah... I'm kind of sort of on the prowl for a cx ride now. Hopefully I'll absolutely love it and it won't become a wall ornament like my poor 29er.

Anyways, some big news and changes are on the horizon, but I'm not quite ready to announce them. Hopefully within the next week or two.

Until then, hopefully you didn't eat too much for Thanksgiving and are enjoying winding down the year!

Thanks so much for reading!
-Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Thanks

There are a lot of things for me to be thankful for. Probably number one is the missus taking pity and saying yes, but also my health and the ability to return to training.

I'm also thankful for all the people who I've been in contact with since my post on OTS. From the support to some of the amazing stories they have shared, I am overwhelmed. There are many out there that have gone through (or are currently going through) much worse than I did, and I will be overly grateful if my story helps (or leads to them getting help) even one of them through it. Sometimes it's just good to look online and see that someone out there "gets" what you're dealing with.

And of course... being able to train again. Nothing else like it. As a matter of fact, I'm going to go for a ride. Gotta burn a deficit for all that turkey I'm going to consume tomorrow!



Have an excellent Thanksgiving! Thank all of you for taking the time to check in. I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

The next episode

I'm not going to candy coat this post... Fallout 4 came out, and I have thrown basically all of my non life sustaining responsibilities to the wind. That's a poor excuse for not having a better blog post than this, but it should just go to show how awesome Fallout 4 is. (and what a nerd I am) We'll get back on track next week, but for now, my apologies and my suggestion... get Fallout 4. Play it. Enjoy. Goodbye free time!

I mean... you get power armor like first thing! Robot Rampage!
- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) - My Experience

It's a warm Thursday morning in August of 2015. I'm tired. The night before I raced two local criterium races, managing a break that stuck in one of them and holding onto the peloton for a pack finish in the other. It was a tough night, and my body has a dull ache from the exertion. I buckle on my Polar HR strap and set down to check my HRV, as I've been doing every day at the same time for months at this point. (I use the Elite HRV app with a Polar Bluetooth strap) Slightly elevated towards the Parasympathetic scale... today will be an easy recovery spin. (To greatly dumb down keeping up with your HRV, over a long enough timeline higher parasympathetic is usually considered good, but from day to day readings most agree a balance without major deviation is ideal.) This is the kind of detail I never thought I would sweat over in my training... but then I never thought I'd have Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) either.

There are two questions I get asked from basically everyone who I talk to about OTS. "How did you know" and "What were the symptoms." The former is a loaded question, because I didn't know. With the help of Dr. Kevin Sprouse (Provision Sports Medicine, Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling) it was eventually diagnosed, but one of the problems of OTS is that there is still not a set in stone line you can cross of "This is OTS" and "This is not OTS" (or Overreaching) which makes diagnosing it frustrating. This also leads into the latter question, which only adds to the frustration. The "symptoms" of OTS are only easy to pinpoint retrospectively, (and even then easy is a stretch) since symptoms like "tiredness" and "apathy" literally apply to basically every ailment in existence from terminal cancer to a common cold. Looking back I am able to draw conclusions and signs, but it's completely possible those are results biased conclusions.

Let's be clear here, I'm not a professional endurance athlete. When I'm "peaking" I'm decent, probably the higher end of middle of pack, but looking at my history you won't see workout logs chock full of 40, 30 or even (many) 20 hour weeks of training. I'm not an Ultra Marathoner, my biggest month of running was 100 miles (pedestrian for most "runners") and even with added swim and bike training I was still logging way less training than many "recreational" triathletes. Of course, OTS is not only caused by physical stress, but by the buildup of all stessors in a person's life. (sleep, diet, life in general, etc) Sounds great... I mean, endurance athletes are all very laid back people in general...right?

Here is my story, in a hope that it will help other's shed some light on a very real and very vague, misunderstood condition.

I'm not sure where the beginning is, so it's difficult to start there. Instead, let's pick up at the end of 2010. I had just finished the inaugural Rev3 Cedar Point Full Rev (140.6, and "Ironman" for those who aren't snobs about branding) in a little over 12 hours. Considering the training (or lack thereof) I put into the race, I was excited for the future. I had skimmed through, never running over 16 miles until race day (not that I ran much of that...) and felt like I had a long way to go to the ceiling of my fitness. After a couple of weeks off (I paid for my lax training) I hired a coach and dove headfirst into training.

If I have a *unique characteristic, it's that I can turn my mind off and just grind. Maybe it was growing up when MMORPG's first became a thing...where you were rewarded for grinding on and on through the levels, monotonous actions that would drive any sane person off the edge. Not me. As it turns out, that kind of mindset works well for endurance training as well. When normal people would re-schedule a 3 or 4 hour ride when it was pouring down rain, I would lock my bike onto the trainer and ride on. 100°+ days of high humidity and a long run, no problem... heck I generally didn't even take a water bottle with me. The only gym with a decent pool was nearly an hour away, but that didn't stop me from waking up at 3a.m. a few days a week to get my yards in. I was a machine. Holidays, vacations, births, deaths, sickness, it didn't matter, my workout was getting done, the rest (and often rest itself) be damned.

We're endurance athletes, suffering isn't just something we do, it's a badge of honor. Where the guy that beats you in the race is often misrepresented as the guy who suffered more in training. More early mornings, more late nights, more tempo, more speed, more more more. We brag about our suffering, it's part of our culture. I remember seeing a picture when I first started training of an athlete who had had a mechanical in an Ironman race deep into the bike portion (but still a good few miles from the the finish) and, being the stoic hero he was, took off his shoes, slung his bike over his shoulder and walked his bike back to transition barefoot, only to put on his running shoes and start off on his marathon. That was awesome.

Ironman Augusta 2011 was my first 70.3. I didn't know what to expect with my increased and focused training, so when I crossed the line in 4:45 and in the top 100 finishers (counting pro's) I was beyond excited. I had crushed my set goal, suddenly 70.3 World Championships didn't look like a far off goal, it was on the horizon. 2012 would be my year! I felt like I had so much potential and low hanging fruit still to be plucked.


I don't think I bothered taking a week off. Immediately I dove back into training, working on my weaknesses. I focused on running faster by adding more miles. The winter months came and went, I screwed screws into the bottom of an old pair of running shoes so I could run on the slick trails before the sun came up when it got icy out. Augusta 2012 didn't go as expected... I knew I was fit, but I wasn't firing on all (or hardly any) cylinders. I began my taper two weeks out, but despite the decreased volume and supposed extra "rest" I was getting, I didn't feel good. I actually ended up cutting my final lead up week to almost no volume due to how I was feeling. Despite better conditions and focused training, I limped in at a disappointing 4:57. We chalked it up to having a bad day. It wouldn't be the last. That may have been my first indication something was wrong. After the race I felt a lingering depression over my results. I vowed to make 2013 a "fun, no stress" year of racing. Ironically, this gave me plenty of excuse to "train through" the year and really started to ramp up my run mileage. My results continued to confuse... I was like a yo-yo of results, having good days and bad days with seemingly no rhyme or reason. In retrospect I think this is a big warning sign... training days that were supposed to be pretty easy I would sometimes struggle to complete, then a day later I'd have a threshold workout that I felt like I was breezing through. More than once I questioned my Powertap and Garmin and their accuracy. (they were accurate) Of course, in my twisted thoughts I could only reason that I was losing fitness... the solution? More.

2014 was to be my year. The fun was over, it was time to buckle down and put in some big performances. Again, running was my focus in the early season, and I had high hopes after breaking 1:30 at the Knoxville Half Marathon. (a fairly tough course to start with) and having my best finish ever at the Trideltathon sprint, (a race I had struggled with in the past.) however that was followed and soured by a very lackluster race at the Rev3 Olympic in Knoxville. My run split particularly at that race was nearly a minute and a half off of my expected pace for a 10k, even off a fairly tough bike. Then I seemed to bounce back, doing some of the best racing I had ever done in the following months. As August rolled around I felt ready for the AG Nationals double.

This pictures says a lot
While I did not expect to qualify for Worlds, I figured I had a shot if I had a good day. I certainly did not have a good day. Again, I started off feeling pretty good but quickly fizzled on the back half of the bike and felt quite flat on the run (again running much slower than my predicted pace... much slower than my 1/2 marathon pace actually) I was pretty upset, enough that I nearly pulled out on racing the sprint on Sunday.

Disappointment Evident

Sunday was like a light switch. Despite feeling pretty sore all over, I ended up racing much better throughout. Even my run pace was nearly 30"/mi faster. (Not that it was good, or that it shouldn't be faster for a sprint) I was pretty confused at that I admit. Of course there are a lot of reasons I could have a bad Saturday and pretty good Sunday, but looking back it fits pretty easily into my on/off symptoms.

Following that I raced AQ Nationals in Cedar Point, and despite the drama that ensued (I'll not rehash that story) I had felt pretty good. Only a short sprint and some foot races left for the season. Again I raced the local end of season sprint (same course as the early season trideltathon) but this time I got a real surprise. Quite a few guys I had been beating all year had dominated me in this race. It was a pretty rough blow and I didn't have a good answer to why other than they had been working hard! As my poorest performances by far had been in my running, and I had already been doing a pretty solid amount of volume, the solution was pretty simple... more intensity.

Looking back (or reading this) it's pretty easy to place blame on me or my coach for not seeing where this was leading... but really, who thinks OTS is a thing that happens to mortals. We slowly start adding speed work to some of my runs... and then... I started getting faster. I felt tired more than usual, but it was working, my 200's and mile repeats were dropping time, and I was still doing well keeping up my swimming and biking. I was excited for the local Turkey Trot, as it would be my chance to finally break 19 minutes in a 5k, something I had been chasing for a while.

As you might guess from the recurring theme of this, that race didn't go as planned. I raced on pace the first half, but the back half of the race I just didn't have any turnover. I sailed home about 30 seconds slower than my last 5k, and this time it shook me that something didn't feel...right. Generally after a 5k I am sore, but back to running (easily) the next day. This time it was accompanied by a deep cough and a lingering tiredness.  I took Friday off, Saturday easy and short and planned to get my long run in Sunday. I ran 6 of the 12 miles I was supposed to do Sunday... then I walked 6 miles back to my house.

That was the wake up call that I needed to take a serious look and figure out what was wrong. I begrudgingly took a few days off and started the search for a doctor who dealt with athletes. I was extremely fortunate that Dr. Kevin Sprouse  is local and was able to see me. After a short meeting I was sent to have blood work done and told to rest until our next meeting to discuss the results.

Those tests showed the truth that I was not taking care of myself. These results shown to most people would not have indicated they were from a 31 year old man who should have been in prime fitness. They were, to be honest, a frightening eye opener and reminder that it's not always what you see on the outside. I was given a recommendation on diet changes and vitamins to start taking and given yet another suggestion/order to rest.

Time passes slowly for an idle athlete, suddenly you have all this time that used to be dedicated to training to fill... I learned a lot about "allowing" myself to take a break in that time, but let me assure you, it went against my nature to the fullest. My house was the cleanest it had ever been, the yard was mowed, I cleaned my garage, took up painting again... it's crazy what kind of gap was left. And the worst part of it all... I didn't feel any better.

One of the scariest things (for me) about OTS became apparent only after I had already taken some time off of training. I realized I wasn't recovering. What I mean by that is, when you are seriously in a training block, you expect to feel pretty beat up... it's just part of the deal. However, I had been doing NO physical training for weeks at this point and I still had the effects/feeling like I had been putting in serious mileage. I had a hard time falling asleep, but for the first time in years I had to set my alarm to make sure I didn't sleep past time to get up for work. (My internal clock usually wakes me up before 6, but I was easily sleeping until almost noon on weekends with no alarm... and that's considering I was going to bed by 10p.m.) When I did wake up I had a "deep" tiredness. I wish could think of a good way to explain it but everything falls short. The best I can do is to imagine how you feel a little later in the day after you finish a 10 mile tempo run. Not in pain or so tired you want to take a nap, just a lingering weary feeling that reminds you that you did some pretty serious work that day. That's how I felt every day, except I hadn't done a 10 mile tempo run. Or anything for that matter. That's when I really internalized that I hadn't just toed the line of overreaching.

The next couple of months I had a lot of low points. I know I'm not the smartest guy, but I have a fairly good grip on how the body works when it comes to time off, especially extended periods. I was also becoming fairly knowledgeable about just what OTS could mean long term. Like sand slipping through my fingers, I knew that most of the work I had done over the last season (or even longer) was gone. Being a realist and possibly even a pessimist, I understood that many people who sink into OTS are simply done. Not for a couple of months, but permanently. More than a few of the limited number of OTS stories you can find online end with the athlete completely removing him or herself from endurance training and racing. Why? I don't have a good answer to that question... I'm not even sure they themselves do. If I were guessing, I would say part of it is the long term effects of OTS... not that we know exactly what those are, but one can only speculate that doing something like this to your body has some long reaching repercussions. The other part is likely the mental damage that is done. I understood that part particularly well. How many of those early mornings, late nights, long runs, tempo rides and air gasping swims were all squandered. It's a mountain that may very well seem insurmountable, especially when it's so hard to remember starting the climb the first time.

I remember talking to Kevin in one visit and I said "I don't know if I'll ever be the athlete I was." and his reply was something along the lines of "Maybe that's a good thing." I really credit that as one of the most important turning points in regards to how I handled my recovery. My job became getting healthy again, and I took it as serious (probably more so) as I had ever taken training. I learned more about my body and how it worked in those couple of months than I had learned in the preceding 31 years. Most importantly, I made myself start thinking of the athlete I was up to that point as a completely different person, someone whose accomplishments (and failings) were removed from me. I even "symbolically" deleted all my power files so that when I started again, there would be no constant reminder to compare myself to.

Finally, after another round of blood work I was cleared to start slowly training again. March 24th 2015 was my first workout. All in all my ordeal had been nearly 5 months, most of that completely inactive. (besides some yoga) That first workout was humbling despite my already being prepared for the worst. I had lost over a hundred watts from my previous threshold power, watts that had been hard work to earn the first time around. We (myself and David, my coach) decided that I would focus only on cycling for the foreseeable future, both because I enjoy cycling the most and because I could do it at home with very low impact. And while I said above I removed myself from my former self, I made sure not to forget all the experiences and knowledge he had accumulated. I was a newbie with some great advantages.

My first race (a short TT) after my ordeal. I believe I finished last
Unfortunately, if you have read this far expecting a neatly packaged happy ending, you're going to be disappointed. Every answer I get opens up two more questions. Currently I feel good, I've been racing well (I managed second place in the Cat5 TN State Criterium in July, which I think was one of the toughest races I've ever done, this life or past) and have managed to bring my FTP back to close to where it was when I was at my prime. However, I am still only riding around 10 hours a week. I still need at least a day off, usually two, and an easy day in the mix to keep from feeling thrashed. (and throwing my HRV off, which I now keep track of to monitor my recovery) I still have many self doubts to battle, and no amount of bravado can smooth over an anxiety that I am always standing near the edge of the chasm, ready to plunge back into OTS. So there is no happy ending here... but there is hope. I'm hungry to return to a high level of racing, and I plan to be a better athlete than I ever was. I am also tempered with the wisdom to now savor whatever victories I achieve, as I now have firsthand knowledge of how quickly it can go to ruin. I feel like I am now a much more "complete" athlete than I was... I have internalized that this is an important part of my life, but it is not my life. It's OK for me to allow myself a break every now and then. It was a hard lesson, taught to me probably the only way I would have ever listened, with a stern hand. I can gladly say this isn't the end of my story as a triathlete, a cyclist, a runner, a swimmer or a person. I will not be one of the stories that end with a clean break from endurance sports. You'll hear from me again. There will be more.

There always is.





Wednesday, November 4, 2015

It happens every year

It seems like somehow it is that time of year again. Time to age up. Saturday I'll be 32 years old, fortunately not putting me into a new age group. (yet) It doesn't bother me, other than a couple of white hairs in my beard to joke about I feel better than I have in a long time.  I'm really not one to make a big deal out of holidays, especially one as ho-hum as a birthday, but I usually do buy myself something nice. This year I got a great deal on a used Computrainer, something I have had my eye on for a while now. I've only been using it for a week or so now and it's pretty cool. I really appreciate that it uses as many "easy to replace" parts as possible. Only the Load Generator and the Fuse Box seem to be strictly proprietary (maybe the usb to audio cord) but it's solidly enough built that I doubt too much repair is in it's future anyways. (fingers crossed) My primary "justification" was that it makes Zwift (something I've been using a pretty hefty amount) a bit more "realistic" (well, it adjusts the resistance to what kind of grade is on the screen at least) and I have to say, so far I'm impressed.

Playing with power!

Speaking of Zwift... all kinds of new stuff is happening as we close in on the end of open beta. By the time you are reading this it is likely already pay to play. At $10/mo I'm solidly in, although I'm not sure I'll join Strava Premium to go with it. (although maybe) Workout modes are also now open in the game, and I'll have some thoughts put up on them in the near future. Oh, and keeping things spicy, here's a picture from the couple of days leading up to Halloween, which in itself was neat, but really opened up the chat to hours of some of the worst puns ever.

This ride really got the heart pumpkin

There have been some serious  preparations for the imminent arrival of the missus and our co-habitation. The most serious thing... where am I going to fit all these bikes! (We'll have 12 together...) It means my normal "Chaos Theory" of arranging them will have to go, and I'll have to get creative. Feedback sports fortunately had a nice little solution with their folding wall hangers. I should be able to get at least 5 bikes on one garage wall and maybe another two or three on the opposing wall. Here's a quick snapshot of what the setup will look like... minus the sweet pawn shop subwoofer of course!

spiffy room saving technology!

So, that's what I've been up to this week. Next week will be a special post, something I've been working on for a couple of months now. I hope you'll check it out, I'm very proud of it.

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to see what's happening in my life.

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Building a new position

My Speed Concept has been finished for a couple of weeks now, minus some small adjustments to the brakes (which again, are a pain) and going back over all the bolts with a torque wrench. And as next season starts to enter my thoughts I think it's about time to make sure the fit is dialed in.

Normally and historically I have used an excellent local fitter. I trust his judgement and he understands that fits aren't static... that they can evolve over time. Unfortunately, he has not returned my phone calls for the past couple of months. While this does sadden me somewhat, it is also an opportunity for me to work on my own fit skills. It doesn't hurt that the Cobb Mobb is run by none other than fit legend John Cobb... so I do have some pretty good guidance (even if it's not in person) to keep me from going too far astray. I also keep copies of all of my fit records, so it's not ALL that difficult to build something with my admittedly "so-so" grip on all things related to fitting. 

One unfortunate issue I ran into was not being able to get low enough using the Tririg Sigma stem. I was forced to resort back to my trusty Ritchey adjustable to get the desired drop, which is a real shame because the Sigma is such a beautiful piece of kit. The hope has always been that Nick would make a version with a deeper drop, but I've read before that he believes optimal fit can usually be found with a flat stem. (or a little rise) It is also probably a logistics problem to incorporate all the features and the drop. (tightening the "hidden" bolts might be impossible) Besides not looking nearly as slick, the Ritchey is perfectly fine and hopefully whatever watts (if any) I'm losing using it over the Sigma I'm more than making up for by being able to get into a better position.

My fit has changed a lot over the years. For the last few years (after my trip to A2) I have used a slightly modified mantis position as it tested very good for me. So the question might be why would I move away from that. The quick answer is since my focus is now shorter TT's and not long distance Triathlon I plan to focus much more on holding the "optimal" turtle position. If you've ever tried turtling... it's not pleasant for extended periods. Actually it's just not pleasant in general. So the bar setup changed a bit to accommodate so that I can focus on it exclusively. I'm still not 100% tuned, but here is close to where I expect to end up.

Well... at least it looks fast.

Now the key is lots of sets at threshold in that position. Good thing that, to quote Ned Stark, "Winter is coming."

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it. I also appreciate all the well wishes for the imminent 1+1 of the Wit household :) Our combined bikes will need a bigger garage...

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Review! Cobb Cycling HC170

I've been doing more training and racing than ever on my road bike since my "return." There were a lot of things that took some time to re-adjust myself to... some old "creaking" and some new "aches" that you'd expect from a return to endurance training. However, there was one thing I didn't have to worry about, and that was my nether bits. That's because I still had my trusty HC170.

Minimalistic doesn't mean uncomfortable

Again, full disclosure is that I'm a Cobb Mobb athlete. That said, I'm not required to do reviews, and as a rule I only do reviews on things I have tried and liked, but as always, use your own judgement to determine what you believe on the internet!

With that out of the way let's talk about this saddle. First, it's intended for roadies, not triathletes / time trialists (to my dismay, it's just a little bit off working. The SHC is a good saddle as well for those purposes though!) although it's been serviceable for me in that capacity when I've "rigged" my road bike up for short sprint races. That said, even I think it would be fairly spartan to try to ride on it in an aggressive aero position for long distances.

A short course tri setup is fine for the HC170, I would just avoid the longer stuff
Of course, as I said above, this is a roadies saddle, not a triathletes. And in that respect it excels. Feeling the saddle in your hands it's hard to imagine that it's comfortable to sit on, there is nothing there! And that's the beauty of the HC170... it just disappears. Admittedly, I'm generally against the modern trend in saddles to be much "fleshier." I have never been a big fan of super soft saddles, and I am especially not a fan of wider saddles. No worries here!

The HC stands for Hard Core, and the 170 is the weight. Even the (old) Cobb Website (the HC170 seems to have been discontinued unfortunately) warned that this saddle was for lightweight MEN who were competitive racers, not long distance tourers. I can't comment on the saddle for women, but I've logged over 6 hours on it, a couple of times on a trainer. If you've never done something as stupid crazy fun as ride on a trainer for six hours, take my word for it, you'll find out just how good or bad your saddle is for long rides. I can happy exclaim that after many of these long rides (and with no chamois cream might I add) I am still saddle sore free. It's easy to forget that despite being a minimalist design, this is still a V-flow saddle at heart. The cutout does an excellent job of relieving some pressure even with no nose padding.

The "disclaimer" to this review (and the saddle) is that it likely is only a solid solution to a certain group of people.  If you are a bigger rider or have wider sit bones, it's easy to imagine this saddle not working for you. Pretty much the truth of every saddle (and every saddle review you read) is that it will be very tough to find your perfect saddle off of someone else's experience. Most of my friends (that log pretty heavy miles) would not recommend the HC170. Of course, I can't think of any of them that have actually tried it. Most give it a look, see it's fairly minimal design and say "not for me." I'm guilty of not trying a lot of saddles myself based on looks (keep all the stub nosed short split saddles away!) and it could very well be keeping all of us from trying our perfect saddle! (I tried the Randee not so long ago and loved it on my tt bike, despite it not looking my style!)

So, if you are a racer or rider who stays in a fairly aggressive road position (I've found this saddle really shines when I'm in the drops or the Sphinx position, which generally means slid pretty forward on it) looking for a less bulky, lightweight saddle, this is an excellent choice. I would also suggest the SHC (review of it here) as another fairly minimalist choice from Cobb (the SHC does have more padding) or, use the new Cobb Cycling website Saddle Finder.

The HC170 strapped to the trainer ready for some mileage

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

The Wit +1

Probably the most excited I've ever been writing a blog post. So much cool stuff has gone on since the last time I wrote. Kona crowned us two new champions, Canyon announced they would be selling in the USA, records were set in Chicago, I went to the beach... and oh yeah, most importantly... She said yes!

Woohoo!
I admit, though I was mostly confident, the couple of days leading up as it became a bit more "really about to happen" I started sweating it just a little bit. Fortunately she was as happy and excited as I was, despite my fumbling through the whole "will you?" part of it!

That of course was the icing on the cake of an already great vacation. A chance to unplug and not think about selling cars, training, eating healthy, bikes or social media. We (again) stayed in beautiful 30a, this time in a very nice house in a development section (and I do mean development... it's a good thing I get up earlier than builders anyways...) which was entirely too big for two couples... but nobody ever complains about too much real estate, so neither will I.

The view... you can just see the ocean down that driveway!

I'll be honest, I was a lazy bum. I went on two very short runs with the missus (who was kicking my butt through them) swam in the ocean a couple of times and went on a few short bike rides on rented "cruisers." Besides that, the most physical thing I did was lift 12oz cans and walk on the beach... which was an awesome mental break as much as it was a physical one.

The "integrated cockpit" of this fine beach mobile.
Next week we'll be back to "normal" (that is, less mushy how awesome was my trip bragging and more...whatever it is you expect from this blog...) but let me take a moment to thank you all for stopping by and checking out what has been going on in my world. I really appreciate it. Jimmy told me that with popping the question it was the end of "my" life. There's some truth in that, and I hope that "our" life can be even better! 

Hurray!

Thanks for reading!

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

A short unplug

It's that time again... Time for me to pack my bags and the missus and take a few days off in the surf and sand. I know you will all miss my weekly update terribly, but I'll be back, unless they find a need for a crappy cyclist / car salesman down in Florida of course...

That said, I've been getting some good work done in preparation for my upcoming week of laziness. My FTP Test was last Tuesday, and despite considering myself much better at them than I used to be, I still allowed myself to get a little too worked up too early... leading to me completely blowing up 16 minutes in. What really stinks about that? I had to redo it on Thursday! Fortunately reason dominated my pacing on the second attempt and I managed to grind out a few watts higher than my last test. Not a bad effort considering I probably started a little on the "too conservative" side overcompensating for Tuesday. I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm closing the gap to where I was before my unscripted layoff last year. On Saturday I set a little "indoor milestone" thanks to the rain... I did a 100 miler on the trainer! Something Zwift made MUCH easier to stomach.

Even managed to take the KoM right before hitting 100

It was a big boost for my confidence in my endurance slowly returning to me. Of course on Sunday there were multiple people who rode the entirety of the men's elite Richmond course! That's some serious time in the saddle on Zwift!

Also, Ironman Chattanooga was this past weekend (and Augusta for that matter) and one of my good friends Sharon Deane broke her past Ironman PR by over an hour!

Cobb Mobb superstar
I admit, after checking in on her a few times I started to feel the pull to sign up for another big event... but common sense quickly reigned me in. I'm just now starting to not feel terrible after a few days of consistent riding... don't think I'm ready to start adding running back in yet ;)

Chatt also got the nod for the 2017 70.3 World Championships, and that's pretty exciting. I'm sure I'll have to make a trip out there to see what all the fuss is about!

For now however, thanks for reading this quick update. I'll be back in two weeks with something (hopefully) a little special to share!

Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Going Narrow

It was time for the work horse (that is, the CAAD8) to get a little TLC. It still had the Microshift cables on it from when I bought the White groupset! (And yes, I still like my Microshift White... a lot) I'm not sure how many miles that equates to, but needless to say, it was time for a tune-up.

I've gotten tired with relying on my LBS every time I need a cable or housing (as I often squander it with a bad cut or some other mishap...) so I decided to upgrade the garage once more with a full kit of Shimano fileboxes (that's 100 shifter cables and 100 brake cables, along with housing for both) which is bringing the garage one step closer to "home shop" territory.

While I was at it though, it was time for some new bars. The freebies I have been rocking the last few years are ok, but nothing exciting and certainly not as lovely as the 3T Ergonova's I have on my CR1. So the hunt for some new drops commenced. My first stop was obviously 3T, and I definitely felt the draw of the new Aeronova's... but even I couldn't bring myself to paying $300+ for bars for the CAAD. However, I did find something else that caught my eye. A pair of NOS Oval drops for women coming in at a slim 36cm center to center. That's old school aero. They were also dirt cheap and I liked the idea of slimming down from 40cm bars.

New Bars!
I have always ran 40cm because... well... that's what I was told that was my measurement. Of course for years I never questioned it, that was just the right number...right? I mean, a fitter did tell me that. And I read on the internet that you measured shoulder width (or width +2cm) for bar width... so why question it. Because... I can't leave things alone. If I had just listened to the first thing I was told about lengths on bikes, I'd still be running 175 cranks (as opposed to 160's and 165's) and keeping my bars barely below my saddle height. Nowadays, to me at least, fitting is about asking as many questions as you can, seeing where the limit is and then working backwards from there. It's worked well for me in TT positioning, so why not with road equipment as well.

Considerably narrower than my old bars. Deda Tape is actually pretty nice (and cheap) as well.

I had read that handling would be impacted, but other than the first few minutes of the first ride feeling different, I can't say that I think it's any different. Comfort seems basically the same as well, with just a little more fatigue in my hands (although that could be dialing in the brifter position or the new bar tape as well) towards the end of the ride.

Oh, and speaking of bar tape... I finally figured out how to wrap a figure 8... no extra strips of tape required. This was a big personal victory for me, as historically I have been absolutely terrible at wrapping bar tape efficiently. No more! Mechanic level up!

No Gap, and no extra strip!
And while we're talking about narrow... the Speed Concept is also running on a narrow cockpit. The Brezza II Nano's only measure out 30cm! As I mentioned earlier, I like the idea of finding the limit and working backwards... the astute and studious among you will remember a few years ago I tried an "aero or die" setup on my Cervelo. That was past the limit for me for triathlon (although I might be willing to consider it again for TT's.) and so the Nano's were the next step backwards. After a few short rides on them, I would admit I wouldn't feel terribly comfortable riding them on a crowded course full of triathletes (although it's a very real possibility that would fade with a little more time on them) but they seem perfect for TT's, where very little (180°s and starts mainly) time is spent on the base bar or braking. They also look sweet, and let's be honest, that counts for something!

Speed Concept cockpit. Not a good scale for how narrow the bars are.

It seems like there is never a day without a project at the Wit's garage, and the current undertaking is an old Nishiki steel frame that was donated to me. It's a rust bucket, but I'm hoping that some tlc will have it back up and moving sometime in the future. I would prefer not to turn it into a fixie, but restore it to something like 7 speed glory. Maybe a Shimano 600 kit or some Suntour.

More to come soon!

Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it!

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Easy Life

Taking it easy
I admit, this one is going to be a bit thrown together... I had this post ready and waiting for some proofreading, but blogger decided NOT to save it...so this is my Wednesday morning best re-do. Enjoy the smooth sailing rough waters ahead.

This week's musings are about dialing things back and taking it easy, specifically in regards to training.

"Easy" days are something I used to take for granted, things I didn't "really" understand. And I assure you, I'm not nearly an outlier in that respect. I see very few of my peers doing easy days, scheduled or not. And even the one's (like my previous self) who DID have scheduled easy days generally don't do easy work on them. So, let's talk about what "I" do differently now, and you can compare / contrast for yourself.

Easy Days
Up until I was forced to wisen up, my easy days (or the easy parts in my workouts) were never truly easy. I would run a little bit slower than my "normal" pace, or bike at a nice steady output. What I was really doing was avoiding my "easy" zones altogether. They are slow...slower than you think. My easy rides used to be around 180-220 watts (of a 300w FTP) but as I've slowly started rebuilding, my easy rides now hover around 80-90 watts. It's almost comically easy... but that's the point. Recovery, not building fitness. At a ~19 5k PR, I used to do easy runs in the high 7 low 8 min mile pace... too fast. (Of course I'm currently not running...but you get the idea) I think a big part of my nose dive into OTS spawned from my lack of getting proper recovery in my workouts.

The funny part is... training that easy isn't easy. Go try it tonight if you don't believe me. Jump on your trainer and try to spin below 90 watts (without going over) for an hour. Then tell me if that wasn't difficult... it's very easy to blow that away without even thinking about it.

Warmups and Cooldowns
These are the other things that I used to get very wrong. Warmups...sometimes I would get those right (before TT's mainly) but cooldowns...hahaha. That's what you do sitting on the couch, right?

Well, no. Kind of like a race car motor, your body doesn't really love going from cold start to pedal to the metal, nor does it like to be shut off from max RPM's. The warmup can really make or break the following effort, and the cooldown can likewise sabotage the next days effort. That's why you see a lot of interviews with pro riders done on their trainers/rollers following a stage, they need to ease their body back into the normal running state.

Speaking of easy days... that's what I've got lined up for this evening. Last night I did another Zwift Training Race through the Richmond UCI Worlds course... managed to hold on to the A group for the first 3 laps, then got dropped on the final climb (too many matches burned already) and finished 5th about a minute down. Still, I was happy, last time I did a ZTR I didn't even make the B group finish... Finally I'm starting to gain a little strength back!

Thank you guys so much for reading! I really appreciate it. Until next time...take it easy!

- Christopher Morelock

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Surviving DragonCon

It's been a few year's since I made my way down to Atlanta for a weekend of costumes, forums and just an overall party atmosphere you don't find very many other places. This time Jenny decided (perhaps due to my "rose-coloring" of the number of people who would be present...she's not a crowd fan.) to join me, along with one of my friend's and his wife. The four of us departed Friday morning...way too early... and arrived at our hotel (the airport Hilton) before 8a.m. After checking in early, it was a quick breakfast and off to start the show!

In retrospect, this year wasn't as "enjoyable" as my previous trip, primarily because I knew the futility in trying to "rush" anything (there's just too many people) but couldn't convey this to the others properly, leading to some frustration on everyone's part. Also, four different people who wanted to do different things (personally... I just wanted to find a seat in the action, get a drink and watch all the people...but I digress) is tough to make work in any scenario.

I also learned that the MARTA is a scary place. No thanks in the future.

Anyways, I did have a great time, but let's get on to some of the good pictures! (Well, ok pictures...since they made us turn the flash off a lot ended up being too dark)

Captain Morgan, a true hero

I know it's the DuckTales robot... I just can't remember his name

Jenny and Myself waiting in line (of course) to get coffee

My favorite part! The great drink names!

A Jedi!

Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal... that thing must have been a nightmare to maneuver.

Zangief and Cammie from Street Fighter

I'm not even going to try to spell his name... but the bad guy from 300

Rave Spartans?

The Average Joes

Some kind of Pokemon characters

MRS Pac-Man, seemingly waiting to use the girls room...

Some elves who turned away at the last second.

Deadpool convention... including marriage proposal (she said yes from what I heard)

A female "Ash" from Army of Darkness/Evil Dead

Well, back to the real world, at least for a little while!

Oh, if you have time, check out William Ritter's blog post about Overtraining, I even get a mention. (And William's Blog is great besides this specific post)

As always, thanks so much for reading! 

- Christopher Morelock

Thursday, September 3, 2015

The New Nightmare (Of the Trek Variety)

RIP to Wes Craven. I've always loved horror movies, and Freddy (at least the first few films) has always been on top of that list. Scream came out about the time I was becoming a teenager and re-invigorated me to watch when I said "I'll be right back," lest I get stabbed in the dark!

Best cameo ever
Speaking of Nightmares, The Speed Concept continues to prove a challenge to my mechanical prowess. After becoming a self taught prodigy on the adjustment and tuning of the rear brake, my new challenge has been the rear derailleur, or specifically, making Nokon cables work with it.

The Speed Concept (at least the 1st gen) is the only bike I've ever applauded and cursed the design of at nearly equal levels. It's clear Trek was on their A-Game when it came to making a fast bike. Unfortunately, it seems that with that seemingly sole focus they eschewed anything resembling "user-friendliness." This bike was designed for you to build and ride it the way they sent it to you (err...your dealer) preferably with Di2 I suspect.(which admittedly would have made cabling a ton easier.)

The problem I ran into with my Nokons...after of course crafting my own top tube cable holder so that the concept would even work... was that it was tough to apply sufficient tension to the housing without pulling said housing through the frame. At bottom bracket the chance of the housing getting gummed up seemed like an absolute. Numerous times I'd get it pulled to what I thought was a sufficient tension, only to have it turn out that after a cycle of shifting I'd have cable sticking out the end of the shifter. Then I'd find extra slack and the entire process would start over. Did I mention that to route a cable through the liner successfully I had to drill a larger hole in the bottom bracket guide, and that to make that sharp turn all the nokon links had to be removed from the exit of the chainstay so the cable could have enough slack to allow the tight bend. Not for the feint of heart I assure you. Many beers were consumed and curses made in the name of making it work.

However, the final outcome was never in question. I knew I would eventually get it to work so long as my sanity didn't fail me, and so now it's ready for a fitting and to be put through it's paces! Huzzah! Next project! Here's the finished pics!

Probably not the race wheels of choice in the end, but otherwise built as I wanted.

The back end ;)

There's a lot of goofy text on there... like "hold my beer and watch this"

A little view of the top cap and the continued pirate theme


I'm actually on my way back to Dragoncon on Friday, so hopefully I'll have some cool pictures to share next week! Wish me luck in surviving!

Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it!