Vellum

My bike sponsor in 2008, Vellum, is based in Asia. They are quickly setting up distributorships worldwide, and have recently done so here in the USA. This means that their suberb bikes will now be available to everyone.

I have been aboard their TT/Tri bike, the Uno, since early in the year, and train on their Elemente road frame. The stiffness on the road frame is something I value a lot, and this frame delivers. So far aboard the Uno I have had 7 Top 5 finishes, 3 of those being victories with new course records. Needless to say, the Uno has a lot to do with my increased performance this season even though my training load has diminished somewhat due to the rigors of law school. Below, the Uno:

In any case, below is a link where you may get a frame directly from the new Vellum distributor in the USA ( based in California):

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZaa6zi

You can check out their website at: http://www.vellumcycles.com/.

There is also a video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZAYRpH2VA4

I highly recommend the brand!

Riverboat Triathlon

This past weekend I raced the innaugural Riverboat Triathlon. Leland and I decided to drive up race morning and watch Batman on Friday evening. It was a lot of fun!

We got to the race, I got my packet and begun to warm up. I wasn't feeling especially frisky ( I did not taper and was quite sore, to be honest), so I took the swim a bit slower than usual. I had a small lead at the turnaround, and worked a bit harder on the way back to increase it a bit so I'd start the ride alone. I got out first and sprinted through transition as quickly as I could.

Onto the bike, I started out fast, but eventually settled into a more manageable pace, especially toward the end of the 20 mile ride as my sore legs begun to complain. I wanted to save something for the run, especially as the Alabama heat was starting to get to me. I had forgotten how quickly 95F and 90% humidity can slow someone down. :-)

My plan for the run was to start at a manageable pace, and build into a stronger rhythm. Coming from a short course background I always have a hard time doing this, but I was able to run about 25 seconds faster on the 2-mile stretch back toward the finish. I was pleased by that. It means that if I had to keep pushing a hard pace, I would be able to do so.

I crossed the line in 1:21 and change, and was glad to be done. After the race, held at the Alabama Belle, some of us went to the pool and hang out waiting for awards. It felt nice as the temps were soaring! I then held a quick Q&A, gave away some PowerBar nutrition Cds and got some good bbq chicken sandwiches, before driving back. In the end, I am glad to have been a part of the event - it was a really nice local race, and I definitely hope to be back next year!

Another race weekend ahead

I know it's been nearly 3 weeks since I last wrote anything up here. I hzve been trying hard to manage life as a student of law and as a professional athlete. Needless to say, both activities are quite time consuming. When you mix both, it becomes a recipe for busy times and little desire/energy for much else. Hence the lack of updates.

This weekend I am off to the Riverboat Triathlon. It is a first year race in the heart of Dixie Country, and being a good Southern boy, I am very much looking forward to it - will do my best to write something here quickly after the race is over.

I am not tapering much for this race. To be honest, tonight's run had a 1 hour set at 1/2 marathon pace in rolling terrain. I am sure I will still be feeling my quads come race morning, but I have a few bigger races coming up, so as part of the preparation, I will be doing the riverboat triathlon on little to no taper.