TitanFlex Ultegra Di2

I am a low-wattage athlete.  Maybe 150 watts continuous, tops, and that's with some of the best coaching and training available.  Much of this is due to my low ability to absorb oxygen: The most important and overworked muscle in most of my workouts is my diaphragm.

So I'm always looking for ways to get the most out of what I've got.  In the swim, I use the Vance method: Very long, powerful strokes, emphasizing precise form, combined with breathing on every stroke.  On the run, I wear the lightest shoes I can find that are also comfortable and don't interfere with my gait.

Then there's the bike.  I'm not able to do much grinding: The oxygen needed to support long, deep muscle contractions quickly outstrips my ability to provide it.  So I favor lots of quick, short contractions, which means I'm a "spinner": I maintain a high cadence that's able to produce good power (for me) over a fairly wide range (85-115 rpm).  I need lots of gears to make the best use of my limited power production, and that means I'm always shifting.

I've compared myself with other riders, and I think I shift about twice as often as most.  I'm really amazed by folks who forget to downshift at a stop light, and are able to pull away and get back up to speed using a single gear.  When that happens to me, I need to push away with my foot, and hope I have enough speed to downshift.

Shifting to always be in precisely the right gear is a priority with me, since missed shifts cost me so much.  Downshifting is my greatest challenge: I've broken two chains over the past 4 years due to approaching a steep hill with lots of speed, and not being able to get into my granny gears fast enough, needing to apply power before the final shift completed in order to avoid coming to a complete stop.  A broken chain definitely makes you stop.

Part of the problem was having so many gears to shift through: I'm one of the few triathletes I know who rides with a triple in front.  Switching from a fast descent to a steep hill means I may need to drop 29 speeds!  Of course, I don't visit each one individually, but I do need to shift through 2 in the front and 9 in the rear.  That's lots of wrist motion!  And that takes lots of time, which I often run out of when I don't start downshifting early enough.

But that's not the worst: On a long ride with gentle rolling hills, I'm shifting many times each minute.  By the end of a long ride, my wrists can hurt more than my legs.

I want to make each shift quicker, and also make multiple shifts easier.  I could do wrist exercises, but I'd rather rely on technology, and that means electronic shifting.  I dreamed about getting the Shimano Dura Ace Di2 when it came out, but the price of the upgrade would mean I'd need to stop spending money on things like food.

When the rumors of an Ultegra Di2 were confirmed and samples of the new gruppo, the Shimano Ultegra 6770 Di2, were shown, I was glad I waited: The electronics technology in the new Ultegra Di2 is more advanced than that in the Dura Ace Di2 (slim 2-conductor cables vs. bulky 5-conductor cables), though the mechanical technology is a bit simpler (larger, heavier) but no less capable.

The downside is that Ultegra Di2 and Dura Ace Di2 electronics don't mix:  You can't, for example, use a Dura Ace derailleur with an Ultegra shifter.  But that may change next year: Dura Ace will be switching to the Ultegra cabling system, though it remains to be seen if Shimano will use the same connectors and signaling to permit components to be mixed.

Best of all, the Shimano Ultegra Di2 gruppo costs the same as the Dura Ace mechanical gruppo!  With such a large price advantage, my next step was to talk with my bike's creator, Tom Piszkin (prolific inventor, owner of AIRO-Series,  former TCSD President, current TCSD Sponsor and Winter Track Coach, and the list goes on) to determine what it would take to upgrade my TitanFlex Al-Ti bike from my current Ultegra triple to a compact Ultegra Di2.

My first concern was going from 30 gears down to 'only' 20:  To keep my lowest granny gear, we'd need to go with the smallest front chainrings the Ultegra Di2 supports (50-34), along with the widest-range cassette (11-28) in order to keep a decent (but lower) high-end.  Well, aside from steep descents, I seldom used my top gear, so that's not much of a loss.

Another factor was the distance between gears: The steps between gears would be about 50% larger.  So if a single gear change at fixed speed on my triple caused a cadence change of 6-7 RPM, I could expect my new compact gears to cause about a 10 RPM change.  That's quite a difference, but I decided it should be compatible with my spin range, though I'd need to work on widening it even further.

After several email exchanges with Tom, we decided the TitanFlex looked to be an ideal Di2 platform, and that the risk of problems was minimal.  Tom had been wanting to make a TitanFlex Di2 for some time, but there was no way he could justify equipping a demo bike with Di2, and no customer had yet ordered one.  So Tom made me a very sweet deal to be his prototype Di2 installation, with the agreement that I would work with him to perfect the installation over time.  And I also had to do as much of the teardown and cleanup as possible before I delivered the bike.

Tom started working on the bike last Thursday, April 20th, and I picked it up the next day.  Talk about quick work!  But there was a hitch: Tom had done all the mechanical work, and since I'm an engineer, he wanted me to do the electronic adjustments.  Our agreement was indeed a partnership on this project.

However, considering that I had previously never been able to make my own derailleur adjustments, I did have some concerns.  Fortunately, the Shimano instructions, though limited, provided the information I needed.  But it was dark by the time I finished last night, so I was unable to take a test ride to make sure I did it right.

This morning I took my TitanFlex Di2 to the TCSD Saturday Ride.  I thought it would be wise to do my first ride surrounded by experienced folks, just in case I got myself into trouble and needed advice.  Best of all, Brian Long had offered to lead a slower group: Did I mention I haven't ridden my bike much since last season ended?  Yeah, I definitely needed a slower group.

Once we started on the coastal ride, I immediately had trouble shifting - the shift buttons felt very stiff.  Well, not really:  It turned out that I was used to combining force with motion on my old shifters.  The new shifter buttons moved only about 1\4", so I instinctively used much less force.  Once I corrected for this, shifting was positive, consistent, and effortless.

And the shifting was quiet:  A rapid but faint click-buzz-snick was the sound I heard, and the shift was completed before I could get my finger off the button.  Evidently, I hadn't screwed up the adjustments.  When we came to our first mild positive grade I intentionally delayed shifting until I was just starting to struggle, then quickly shifted to the right gear.  I would estimate the process was about 20% faster than the best I ever did with my mechanical cable shifters.

Another neat feature was the complete absence of chain-rub against the front derailleur:  As you switch rear sprockets, the system automatically moves the front derailleur as needed to keep clear of the chain.  That's a nice touch that I really appreciate, especially when I'm in aero and don't want take an arm out only to adjust away the noise.

When we came to the flat at the top of the grade I dropped into my clip-on aero bars and proceeded to accelerate.  As those of you who have them know well, shifting while in aero with clip-on aero bars is not a simple process: You must take an arm out of aero and reach over to the brake-shifters in order to change gears.  And you can only do one side at a time: A combination shift means coming out of aero, doing the shift, then returning.

For single shifts, the buttons made a huge difference for me: Much less wrist motion and shorter contact with the button meant my arm was back in aero a bit sooner.

I tested several shifting situations on the way to the Carlsbad Starbucks, though none of them included any serious climbs or descents.  But soon after leaving the Starbucks and starting back, I realized my experiments on the way up and my time away from riding had combined to yield some serious bonking.  My power had diminished greatly, as had my ability to spin effectively.

It was also at this point that I realized I had completely forgotten to bring water with me.  I was so focused on getting the bike ready that I had forgotten that one small detail.  Sure, I could stop at a store and buy some, but I decided to see how well my new gears worked while I was wimped-out.

The ride back went well: The increased distance between gears was not a significant issue.  I spent every moment I could in aero to reduce the effort required, and every shift was quick and clean, which was not always the case for me when riding bonked on my prior system.

Then came that last rise into Del Mar, and my legs informed me that 29.8 miles was just the distance they needed to complete their transformation from flesh into lead.  Despite being tired, the shift into my granny gear was delightfully quick, and the ratio was just what I needed to creep up the hill at a stately 6.5 mph.

So, that's the story and the review.  Now for the pictures!  Here's a shot of the whole bike (click to enlarge):

Not much is noticeably different at this distance.  The new Ultegra finish is a bit darker than that of my prior gruppo, the brakes from which I kept to reduce cost

The rear electric derailleur is a bit larger and chunkier than it's cabled sibling, but not massively so.  Rather than use the wire covers recommended by Shimano, Tom instead chose to use a transparent chain-slap guard: It disappears if you aren't looking for it, and doesn't hide my beautiful hologram-effect paint.

 

The front derailleur is huge!  My rear brake was a compact model that used to fit below the upper stay: I had to switch back to my prior Ultegra brake to make room for the new derailleur.  Notice also the gorgeous finish of the crank and chainring: Shimano is really stepping up the beauty factor.

Yes, I did keep my trusty Shimano STB pedals: They do everything I need them to do and more, for a small fraction of the cost of other pedals.  They're part of the reason I was able to afford this wonderful upgrade in the first place!

The front view of the shifter: No more shifter cable coming out the top!  They also are much narrower than what they replaced.  Taken together, my cockpit is more open and much less cluttered.

The side view:  There are two buttons, one textured and one smooth.  The brake handle doesn't move side-to-side, and also serves to protect the buttons.

The combination status display and cable junction (two shifter button cables to one frame cable).  The display shows the battery level if any shift button is held for over half a second.  It has other functions used during system configuration.

Why is this picture here?  Yes, those are my clip-on aero bars.  They are also where I will mount the remote shifter buttons Shimano will be releasing in the next 6-9 months.  You heard me right!  Coming soon to a bike near me: Clip-on aero bars with remote shifters!  Woo-hoo!

That's the tour!  You've seen everything, right?  Well, those of you who've also drooled over Di2 will have noticed there's one component missing: Where's the battery? Where is that bloated black blob that ruins the appearance of almost every Di2 bike in existence?

This is why you want a true inventor, and the creator of your bike, to do your Di2 installation:  Tom hid the battery just in front of the rear wheel.  It is masked from one side by the front derailleur, and from the other side by the frame fairing.  Here's a look from the top:  That's the rear wheel on the left, and the front derailleur on the right.

Sorry for the over-exposure, but it's dark back there and I had to use the flash.  The battery is mounted vertically, and when released drops down from the bottom of the frame.  You can see the corner of the battery peeking below the chainstay in the next photo.  It's also partly covered by the chainring.

One note about the battery:  While Shimano doesn't specify the number of shifts per charge, I've been able to figure out from several sources that I shouldn't need to charge the battery more than 3-4 times each year.

Now you've seen it all. But there's still one question to answer: Was it worth the price?

Sure, I always like new shiny things that encourage me to train more.  Heck, I just like them anyway.  But this was absolutely a major investment for me: Does the performance justify the expense?

I must admit that I do miss the tight grouping of the gears on my triple.  I would have loved it if Shimano had made a triple version of the Ultegra Di2.  But since I did fine on my first ride despite bonking, I don't think it's really much of an issue: Just something to get used to.

The system has met every one of my expectations, and I made sure that I had realistic expectations right from the start.  I suppose the lack of surprises was one of the best surprises!  Shimano delivered everything they promised, and the features I wanted most were demonstrated and proven.

So, yes, at this early point the system seems worth it.  We'll see if that changes once I ride more miles and complete some races.

One thing for sure:  The TitanFlex is an ideal Di2 platform.  Tom will soon be updating the TitanFlex web site to include an Ultegra Di2 option, and I expect that bike will represent an ideal combination of technology and function.

I know mine does!

Clip-On Aerobar Reviews Considered Harmful

I used to enthusiastically recommend my clip-on aerobars to others until I saw I was actually doing some folks a disservice: Buying any aerobars based on reviews or personal recommendations has a high risk of being a waste of money.

To get the best results, the selection and fitting of clip-on aerobars is a process that should be done with the assistance of a trained professional and true fit expert, preferably at a high-end bike shop.

There are so many factors involved that I consider myself fortunate that my total ignorance when I purchased mine didn't make it a waste of time and money.

Some of the factors involved include:

• Upper arm length: Selecting bars with the wrong pad height can be a big mistake, if the pad height isn't adequately adjustable. Otherwise, you'll need to adjust your road bar height, which can negatively affect your road ride.

• Forearm length: Proper positioning of the pad near the elbows with the hands on the bars means the pad-to-grip positioning has to be correct, preferably adjustable.

• Elbow separation: Many amateurs can't ride with their elbows tight together like the pros. While this is most efficient for reducing drag, it can restrict breathing and make riding uncomfortable if the fit isn't precise. Pad separation must be adjustable to be as wide (or narrow) as needed.

• Wrist angle: Some folks like to bend their wrists and point their thumbs into the wind. While this is highly aerodynamic, most pros do it because it makes shifting easier. But since clip-on aerobars don't have shifters, many other, more comfortable, wrist angles are possible. Personally, I like the wrist angle with the Profile Design Airstryke (no bend at all), but others hate it.

• Upper body weight: Elbow pad 'give' needs to be balanced. Too much, and control is affected. Too little, and you can be vibrated to bits. My bars initially came with plastic elbow supports that flexed too much: Fortunately, aluminum replacements were available.

There are several other very important factors involved, but I hope you understand where I'm coming from: Clip-on aerobars can easily be the most difficult single piece of triathlon equipment to select. More difficult than running or bike shoes, and more difficult than even the bike itself. It is so easy to get wrong! And so wonderful when you get it right.

It is also the very best investment you can make to reduce road bike drag. Nothing else comes close. Personally, I view aero helmets as a waste, unless you routinely ride at over 30 mph for hours at a time.  And that's the #2 factor after clip-on aerobars and a good aero fit.  A very distant second.

The best way to buy clip-on aerobars is to put them on your bike, get them adjusted by an expert, then go for a test ride. This process takes time, and is well worth the investment.

This is why bike shops seldom discount clip-on aerobars like the online retailers do: They know that some one-on-one time is needed to select and fit the right bars. Please don't ask for this level of service then walk out without buying the bars that fit best: Be sure folks get paid when they do custom work for you.

Again, the best pre-purchase step is to first get a tri bike fit. If you don't know what the "real thing" feels like, you may have great trouble getting any clip-on aerobars to be both effective and comfortable.  Be sure you get your tri bike "fit numbers", so you can use them to see how close you can push your road bike + clip-on aerobar fit.

In my case, my amazing dumb luck still wasn't perfect. My Airstryke bars came with spring-up elbow pads that permit the road bar tops to still be used. At first I thought this was an advantage, preserving all the things I like about my road bars, until I rode in my first time-trial with my clip-on aero bars. When in aero and needing to shift, the pad would pop up when I moved my arm to reach the shifters. This made it VERY awkward to get my arm back on the aerobar! My solution was to lock the pads down with tie-wraps.

Even the ideal clip-on aerobar may turn out to be less than perfect. Mine only came close after I replaced the elbow supports and strapped them down, and then experimented with my bike fit for a year.

My dumb luck got even better after I purchased my Garmin Forerunner 305:  The closed front of the Airstryke bar gave me the perfect location for my Garmin bike mount, putting my 305 in an ideal position to read while in aero.  All the other solutions I've seen aren't nearly as elegant or as visible.  Dumb luck rocks!


For this age-grouper, the net result is that I presently have no intention of ever getting a tri bike.  The investment in clip-on aerobars and finding my best fit have provided me 90% of a tri bike ride for 5% of the cost.  I wish all my investments paid like that.

YMMV, of course!

Me, I'm planning to invest my savings in a Di2 gruppo for my current bike: That will permit me to add electronic shifter buttons to my clip-on aerobars!  Plus, I've broken 2 chains during steep uphill shifts (I applied power before the shift completed), and I'm told that the Di2 shifts so quickly that it eliminates this problem.

Tri Bike, Road Bike, or Road Bike + Clip-On Aero Bars?

Spring has sprung, and it's the beginning of another triathlon season.  As athletes make their competition plans for the year, one of the most common questions asked is if a tri bike or a road bike would be better for a given race course.

We know the pros and top age-groupers all ride tri bikes.  Shouldn't we all?

First, lets review the big, fat, primary advantage of a tri bike: It permits you to ride in a very aerodynamic position for long periods of time while creating maximum power with minimum discomfort compared to a road bike.  That's it.  There is no other reason to get a tri bike.  While there are secondary advantages, they are minor, trivial even, compared to the aerodynamics.

Let's look at what a tri bike is not:

1. A tri bike is not more comfortable on long rides than a road bike:  It is built for speed, not comfort.
2. A tri bike is not as easy to turn as a road bike:  It is optimized to go very fast in a straight line.
3. A tri bike may limit your descent speed compared to a road bike: The steering can be less stable at high speeds.
4. A tri bike is a hassle on courses with frequent hills and lots of turns: Moving back and forth between the shifters and brakes, and between the aero bars and the handlebars, can quickly get annoying and can lead to mistakes.

It is also important to realize that a tri bike has disadvantages that affect amateur athletes to varying degrees:

1. A Tri bike should be your second bike.  If you ride on roads with traffic, a tri bike can be significantly less safe than a road bike primarily due to the location of the controls (brakes and shifters aren't integrated) and the riding position (more difficult to ride upright to observe traffic and to be seen).
2. It can be difficult to get enough practice time on a tri bike.  Since it is not a good idea for most folks to ride a tri bike on the road, especially in groups, the best tri bike riding is often done on a closed or limited-access course, such as Fiesta Island.  Which for most of us means loading the tri bike on the car and burning expensive gas in order to get a ride in.
3. It can take many hours in the saddle to adapt to a tri bike fit.  Maximizing performance, posture and muscle development can require lots of contact time: If you can't invest the training time, a tri bike could yield little or no improvement for a significant cost.

So, let's say you have a race coming up with a fast and flat course that screams "Hammer Time!".  Should you get the tri bike, or not?

My personal opinion is that there are lots of better ways for us non-podium folks to spend money than on a tri bike.  Perhaps spend the money on travel to a distant race.  Or get a power meter, a GPS training watch, and some rollers.

But if money is no option, then by all means get a tri bike!  Just don't expect any magic from it: It takes work and commitment to obtain the benefits a tri bike offers.

What if you could get 80% of the benefits of a tri bike for 5% of the cost?

Remember, the primary advantage of a tri bike is all about aerodynamics.  How can you improve your aerodynamics on a road bike?  There are two basic ways:

1. Get comfortable spending time in the drops.  I've never been able to do this: To me, the drops are for descents and stiff headwinds, and little else.  Unless you happen to like numb hands and aching shoulders.
2. Get some clip-on aero bars for your road bike.

Clip-on aero bars do have some functional disadvantages compared to a tri bike:

1. It is awkward to shift while in aero, since there are no shifters on clip-on aero bars.
2. It can be awkward to move to and from the aero bars, due to the geometry and placement of typical road bars.
3. The aero position using clip-on aero bars is often not as aggressive as what you can achieve on a tri bike.

Fortunately, all the above can be minimized (though not eliminated) by lots of training, careful clip-on aero bar selection, and proper fit adjustments.

However, there is one more very important negative issue with clip-on aero bars:  Weight distribution.

Your center of mass shifts forward on a road bike when in the aero position, much more than it does when riding in the drops.  This shift can greatly increase the amount of your weight on the front wheel, which in turn can dramatically affect handling.  One of the key design features of tri bikes is to bring the rear wheel as close under the rider as possible, specifically to address the weight shift issue.

If you choose to try clip-on aero bars, be prepared to also do the following:

1. Get a tri bike fit in order to learn your optimum aero geometry.
2. Select clip-on aero bars that, combined with handlebar height and stem adjustments, will bring you closest to your ideal aero position without negative effects.

I've seen folks who did everything possible to equip a road frame with tri bike components. This is not recommended!

First, it can ruin the usefulness of your bike when riding on the roads, when riding it as a road bike.  You should ensure any adjustments you make do not significantly affect the handling or comfort of your road bike.

Second, road frames tend to make lousy tri bikes.  That's why the tri bike frame was invented in the first place!

When I first got into triathlon a few years ago, I already had a good fit on my Trek Madone 5.2 road bike, and I bought a tri fit from JT at Moment for two reasons: First, to learn what a good tri fit felt like, and second, it was my initial step toward deciding if I wanted to budget for a tri bike.  I was surprised at how different the two fits were, and how differently my body performed in each position.

While I really liked being in aero, my back didn't handle hammering in aero very well.  So I figured I should wait on getting a pure tri bike, and got my clip-on aero bars as a first step.  When my back completely failed a couple years ago, I had to get a TitanFlex to isolate my back from road shock and vibration, the alternative being to give up biking, and triathlon.

Over the past year I've been experimenting with tweaks to my bike fit on my infinitely adjustable TitanFlex AlTi.  The only thing not adjustable on this bike is the wheelbase and the angle of the steering tube.  The titanium support beam permits the seat to move forward and back over 4 inches with a similar vertical adjustment on my seat tube, and I have an adjustable stem that permits my handlebars to be moved almost anywhere, along with adjustable clip-on aero bars and elbow pads.

As I evolved my bike fit in the space between my road and tri fit values, I developed what I call my "troad" (tri-road) fit, where I've adjusted my seat post angle to be right between that of a tri and road bike, which is the furthest forward I could move my body on the TitanFlex frame without affecting handling.  I also found I couldn't get quite as flat in aero as JT's fit permitted, though I did get surprisingly close.

I think I've found a sweet spot that gives me the best aero ride a road bike can offer.  We'll see if it's true as I build volume into the Spring.

If you want to buy another bike, I would suggest taking a ride on a TitanFlex with clip-on aero bars, in addition to any tri bikes you try.  Experiment with finding your "troad" fit.  Instead of buying a second bike, you may be able to switch to a single bike that will give you the best of both worlds.

Be sure to also try clip-on aero bars on your current road bike: Combined with a new fit and some careful adjustments, you may find your own sweet spot.

More On Hills

I've been continuing to examine why hills are so hard for me.  Yes, I expected a large degree of additional effort, but there's no way I'm as ill-conditioned as my recent hill runs seemed to indicate.  I must be wasting lots of energy, rather than harnessing it for propulsion.

After several more runs, I've discovered one of the reasons: Despite my best efforts to the contrary, I've been slightly over-striding while going uphill.  The point where my forefoot contacts the ground was slightly in front of my knee, due largely to the angle of the slope.  This caused me to 'step up' rather than 'fall forward', making progress more difficult.

So I made a conscious effort to get my uphill contact point back under my knee.  When I did so, I noticed two things:  First, going uphill now feels very much like running-in-place, where the contact point is forced to be under the knee.  This is a very familiar and comfortable feeling which serves as a good check on foot strike.

Second, I'm now able to run faster uphill (for the same effort) because the later strike means more of the propulsion effort comes at the end of the stride, where the leg is straighter and the muscles work with greater mechanical advantage: More forward progress with the same level of muscle recruitment

The more I run, the more I realize how important running-in-place is to the development of a comfortable running gait.

Running downhill is still an issue for me:  The downward slope means my heel contacts the ground earlier, and I've developed a small amount of continuous mild lower back pain.  I've tried pointing my toes to give my calves more time to absorb the impact, but it just caused a greater impact at the time of contact, which my back converts to pain.  I've tried running downhill in a slight squat, but that is way too fatiguing.

Well, it turns out that pointing my toes caused my contact point to once again move in front of my knee, creating more stopping force and making the impact worse rather than better.  So, again, I had to focus on keeping the point of impact under my knee.

But this shortened my stride which slowed me down, so I tried increasing my turnover rate to well over 200 bps.  This does help, some, but is too new to feel comfortable.  I plan to create some high-speed drills to try to make it feel more natural (fast running-in-place for downhill, plus some high-knee running-in-place for uphill).

I put it all together during today's 5K run, and I improved my 'hilly PR' by a surprising 90 seconds.  Minor technique tweaks can immediately yield major efficiency and speed gains.

The moral of the story so far is quite simple: No matter what the terrain is doing, always keep the point of contact under the knee, so it feels like running-in-place!

Why Run Hills?

I've been continuing to experiment with my run training over the past couple of months.  Since none of the races I plan to enter have any significant hills on the run course, I had been doing all of my run training on level ground.  (You know: "Train like you race, Race like you train.")  Unfortunately, I live in a hilly area, so I had been driving to a flatter area for my runs.

Which is really silly, when you look at the time and gas cost involved.  So I decided to start running closer to home.  On my first run, I thought I was going to die after the first hilly kilometer.

My pace on level ground has been gradually getting faster, going below 26 minutes for 5K, and 55 minutes for 10K (which is fast for me!).  But it took me 45 minutes to do my first 5K run with rolling hills, with at least 5 minutes of that spent resting, gasping for air.

Over the next three runs I was able to eliminate the rest stops, and now my average speed is slowly starting to improve, though it is nowhere close to my speed on level ground.

Clearly, my prior run training wasn't doing much for my cardio conditioning.  I was going as fast as I thought I could go while adequately monitoring my gait, and I wasn't worried too much about conditioning.  My intent was to not push my run too hard, maintain comfort and form, and build my conditioning by doing hill repeats on the bike.

Aside from the loss of breath, the main difference I noticed when changing to running hills was that my knees were taking more of a beating during the first kilometer.  My solution has been to do more of my warm-up on a small level area near my house.  I now run back and forth on my block until my heart rate just enters Zone 3, then I head for the hills.

Not surprisingly, 'comfortable running' can also be done on hills.  It's just not quite as 'comfortable' as it is on level ground!  It is certainly more of a diaphragm workout, and I'm also recruiting more quads and glutes.  Using different muscles, or using them in different ways, means I'm also using a slightly different gait in the hills.

What are the changes to my gait?  I've kept my metronome set at 190 bpm.  I've kept my body nearly vertical, with only a slight forward lean.  My decreased average speed with constant turnover means my average stride length is decreasing, which is expected.  I'm obviously doing far more work per kilometer.  This is also indicated by my having a higher average heartbeat during hilly runs.

Since my calves feel about the same after my hilly runs, nearly all the extra work and effort must be coming from my quads and glutes.  Were that happening on level ground, it would mean I'm running closer to the ground, due either to running in a slight squat or over-striding, otherwise those muscles wouldn't be recruited as much.

I expect to use more glutes going uphill, since I have to lift each foot higher to place it up the hill, meaning my quads and glutes have to do more to straighten the leg.

But I also found I'm using more quads and glutes going downhill.  Since I can't tolerate significant heel impact, by the time my forefoot touches the ground when going downhill, the ground is already close to my heel.  To avoid heel impact, I must use my quads to absorb much of my downward momentum, since the elevated ground beneath my heel means my calves will have less distance to do so.

I also find my back is a bit more tender after hill runs, which I believe means I'm not absorbing downhill impacts as well as I need to, despite increased quad and glute use.

For me, this means I'm not yet able to 'fly' downhill.  Something to work on, since this should be where I'll make the easiest improvement to my average speed.  Yet it is also where my legs are absorbing the greatest forces, meaning injury is easier.

I'm not worried about running comfortably uphill:  Keep the cadence high, take smaller steps, and improve my conditioning.  I believe staying comfortable downhill will be the real challenge.  I'm wondering if it will be possible to improve my downhill speed while simultaneously reducing impact.  That's my current research project.

Swim Buddy Guidelines

There has recently been some press about deaths occurring during the swim portion of triathlons, with the conclusion that the deaths were due to panic rather than health issues.

I thought I'd share what we do in San Diego to help beginner swimmers and first-time triathletes safely and confidently complete the swim portion of the race: We call our solution "Swim Buddies". Below I've copied some guidelines I gathered over my years spent being a Swim Buddy for just about every local race I wasn't competing in.

After the Guidelines, I'll summarize some of the reasons why I believe Swim Buddies aren't yet a universal part of all triathlons.

Swim Buddy Guidelines
Updated: 18/11/2011

Hello Swim Buddies!

What follows is my traditional Swim Buddy Info Dump: It may look large, but it should be easy reading. If you've seen it before, please read it again: I'm always updating it.

Mission Statement: The primary purpose of a Swim Buddy is simply to prevent a DNF (Did Not Finish) during the swim leg of the race. We do this by helping swimmers to: 1) Control fear, 2) Avoid over-exertion, and 3) Stay on the course.

Pre-Event Preparation:

Prior to race day, please check the following:

1. You have all your usual swim gear ready (including wetsuit).
   
   • If you already have any TCSD Swim Buddy caps, please let me know, and please bring it/them with you! It will save the club money.
2. You know the route to the event.
3. You know where you are going to park.
4. You know how to get from the parking area to the meeting location.
5. You allocate adequate time to arrive at the Swim Buddy meeting on schedule.

Race Day Morning:

PLEASE be sure to check your email before leaving for the event: If there are any late-breaking updates (such as rain or rough conditions canceling the swim), they'll be waiting for you.

At the specified time (about 30 minutes before the first wave), we will gather at the specified location (usually the Volunteer Booth) to check in, collect waivers, and have some snacks.

Next we will meet to go over these Swim Buddy guidelines, to hand out Swim Buddy caps to those needing them, and to answer any questions. The meeting will be held in wetsuits (well, you can get changed while I babble).

Please arrive on-time! Late arrivals (especially first-time Swim Buddies) mean I'll have to repeat everything, and I may not get to swim myself.

Swim Buddy "DOs and DON'Ts":

Just about all of these are common sense, but I prefer to lay them out to ensure we're all approaching things the same way.

DO:

1. Introduce yourself to your swimmer!
2. Ask about their swim ability and open-water experience.
3. Check over their equipment (especially look for bad/missing goggles).
4. Suggest they join TCSD to take advantage of our many FREE coached swim clinics.
5. Find out which side your swimmer prefers to breathe on, and plan to swim on that side.
6. Mention that we're all covered in foam rubber, so collisions are expected and are OK.
7. Describe what will/may happen (surf entry, swim, buoy turn, surf exit, goggle fog, etc.).
8. If there is a stingray warning, remind your swimmer to shuffle in and out of the water.
9. Use your swimmer's name frequently. It will have a calming effect.
10. When the wave starts, walk SLOWLY to the surf, letting the rest of the wave get well ahead, keeping things calm.
11. Encourage your swimmer to dive under waves and 'grab bottom' when the waves become too high or too strong to walk through.
12. Encourage your swimmer to swim slowly and steadily.
13. Stop when your swimmer stops, and help them rest/recover (float, relax).
14. If your swimmer gets really exhausted, recommend they float on their back. If needed, wave a lifeguard over so the swimmer can rest on the paddleboard.
15. Spot the buoys for your swimmer, and help them stay on course and out of traffic.
16. Tell your swimmer they're doing well, and how far along the course they are.
17. Tell your swimmer when traffic is approaching, and try to protect your swimmer by being very visible to the approaching traffic.
18. When reaching the exit surf zone, look back to spot the breakers for your swimmer.
19. Cheer for your swimmer as they head to transition!
20. Jog back to the Swim Buddy area.

DON'T:

1. Don't swim away from your swimmer! Stay about 1-2 feet to the side, and slightly ahead.
2. Don't touch your swimmer, except for nudges to change direction or to get their attention.
3. Don't be a lifeguard! If a lifeguard is needed, wave your arm over your head to attract their attention.
4. Don't suggest a swim stroke. Whatever your swimmer chooses will have to do.
5. Don't be a swim instructor! The swimmer is already busy enough without having to listen to a lesson. However: If your swimmer asks a question, you are free to answer it. Even if they ask for a swim lesson.

Lifeguards and Paddleboards:

1. A swimmer is permitted to hold on to a paddleboard to rest, but only if the paddleboard does not move the swimmer along the course. Be alert for tides and currents.
2. If a lifeguard thinks a swimmer should be removed from the course:
   
   • NEVER ARGUE WITH A LIFEGUARD!
   • You are permitted to ask the swimmer if they agree with the lifeguard. It is the swimmer's decision, unless the lifeguard insists.
   • The lifeguard is the final safety authority.

After the Swim Buddy Meeting:

At the end of the meeting we'll stash our gear. We will have at least three locations to choose from: The Registration/Volunteer booth, an expo exhibitor's booth, or near the swim start. The final decision will be made based on how things look in the morning (mainly on who has both space and security).

Next we'll hike to the swim start area. If you want to get in a quick warm-up swim, this will be the time for it. The warm-up area is generally located off and to the side of the swim course.

Pairing up with a Swimmer:

Before each wave starts (except, perhaps, the Pro/Elite waves), the announcer will ask if anyone would like to have a Swim Buddy. If someone raises a hand, walk on over and introduce yourself.

There are three basic types of swimmers who need Swim Buddies:

1. Inexperienced swimmers (fearful, often with no recent swimming experience).
2. Unprepared swimmers (pool swimmers lacking open-water practice).
3. Physically limited (very small or very large, very young or aged).

Determine which kind of swimmer you have! Some swimmers fit in all the above categories.

Sweeping:

Quite often, many people (mainly guys) will have no clue before the race starts that they will need a Swim Buddy. For this reason we send one or more 'sweepers' behind most waves.

If you are a sweeper and come up to a slow or struggling swimmer:

• FIRST ask: “I'm a Swim Buddy: Would you like me to swim with you?”
• Don't swim silently next to them like a shark, or just assume they will want your help.
• If they say 'Yes', introduce yourself and get their name.
• If they say 'No':
  
  1. Back off.
  2. Keep an eye on them (mainly so the lifeguards don't worry).
  3. Make the same offer to anyone they pass.
  4. If all the swimmers are doing well, and if you want some extra exercise, you can chase down swimmers who have gone off-course.

After Each Wave:

After the pro/elite waves, it can get fairly hectic as we send varying numbers of buddies out with each subsequent wave. It is important to get back to the Swim Buddy area (near the start) as soon as you can after each swim. I recommend jogging back.

If we run out of Swim Buddies for any wave:

• Shout at any Swim Buddies on their way back from the swim exit to RUN!
• Ensure there is at least one sweeper for the wave.
• One Swim Buddy may work with two or more swimmers: If they swim at different speeds, let the faster ones go ahead, and stay with the slowest one.
• Rough Surf Crew: If the surf is rough, 2-4 Swim Buddies will help swimmers for all waves through the surf entry, then swim the course with the last wave. As Swim Buddies come through the course, they will stay in the surf exit zone for a few waves.

The Last Wave:

It is a tradition for all Swim Buddies to get in the water and escort the very last swimmer to shore. It is optional, but it sure looks good in the event photos! It also lets us finish as a team.

First-Time Swim Buddies:

For you first-timers, all the above may seem a bit overwhelming. DON'T WORRY! There are at least two ways to get into this gradually, sweeping and doubling-up, and I'll describe them in detail during the meeting.

Final Notes:

Questions? Comments? Please contact me!

Again, thank-you VERY much for volunteering to be a Swim Buddy! It means a lot to me and to the event organizers. But it will mean so much more to the swimmers you assist. And I expect it will mean plenty to you as well.

Not at all difficult for an experienced triathlete to do, right? So then why are Swim Buddies not used everywhere?

1. USAT Regulations: Swim Buddies are considered "assistance" on the course. While this may be true in a very limited technical sense, in a practical sense it is false, and from a safety sense it is an insane policy.
   
   • Swim Buddies don't touch their swimmers, aside from incidental contact.
   • Swim Buddies don't lead their swimmers, so there's no assistance from drafting.
   • Swim Buddies are with the slowest and least able swimmers: Not a threat to any podium position.
2. Macho Attitude: Many race organizers believe you shouldn't enter a race unless you are prepared for it. Unfortunately, they rarely do anything to warn or help prepare first-timers, and so are, in my mind, completely culpable for all panic-related deaths, no matter what the event waiver says.

I believe Swim Buddies should be mandatory at all races that do no properly vet the experience of their field, and at all races of Olympic/International distance or less.

What do you think?

Neurology, Psychology and Pedagogy: Running on your Brain

In working with the folks in my Miserable Runners Group (MRG), and in the additional studying I've been doing, I've come to realize that there are only a few fundamental things a body must do to run comfortably. Remember, I'm talking about comfortable running here, with a stride that is merely effective, not necessarily fast or efficient.

But if you look around at all the "learn to run" methods out there, you'd think there were hundreds of different ways to run, with each one claiming the others are wrong or misguided!

Sure, there are differences, but mainly in style or order or emphasis, not, I now believe, in principal content (allowing for minor variations and additions/omissions between them).

Why then are there all these different approaches, if they all boil down to essentially the same thing? And why does each have its 'to the death' proponents and detractors?

I believe a big part of it comes down to psychology (how we think) and pedagogy (how we can be taught), both of which combine to determine how we, as individuals, will learn best. The study of learning has resulted in the description of several "Learning Modalities" ("LMs" from here on).

Depending on who you talk to, and in what context, there are up to 8 different LMs humans use to acquire skills and knowledge (just ask Google). Since running is a physical skill, we'll focus only on the LMs related to learning a physical skill, which include:

1. Linguistic/Logical/Verbal/Auditory: "Tell me what to do."
   This would be either Oral (a lecture or audio recording) or Reading (a book without pictures).
2. Visual: "Show me what to do. Let me watch someone do it right."
   Live demo, or video, or detailed images in a book or website.
3. Tactile/Proprioceptive/Kinesthetic: "Walk me through the motions."
   Literally taking the student by the hand, with continual hints and corrections.
4. Naturalist/Experimentalist/Intrapersonal: "I'll figure it out on my own."
5. Intrapersonal/Social/Observational: "Let me watch others learn it."

You'll notice I used lots of synonyms above: Each of the various communities involved with the study of learning (psychology, cognitive science, educators, etc.) has evolved its own specialized lingo, and splits hairs in different ways (mainly on how others do or don't participate in the learning process). Most groups do agree on a basic trio: Visual, Auditory, and Tactile. However, I find these three to be too simplistic to be useful in actual learning environments.

We each use all of the above LMs, but seldom all at once. We each tend to have one or more dominant or preferred LMs. However, the LMs used in any specific situation will generally depend on the task at hand, the environment, and the available resources.

If you look at the content of the various running instruction and coaching systems, you will see many of the differences between them boil down to different levels of emphasis placed among the various LMs. It can be almost comical to watch authors attempt to invoke other LMs within the context of a book: Way too often it can fail miserably (which is why there are so many DVDs and YouTube videos out there). Quite often, the author's own least-favored LMs can limit or restrict what can be taught and how well it can be taught.

When the student's dominant LMs align with the instructor's, Magic Happens! It can feel like the instructor or author or coach has climbed into our minds and bodies to directly and rapidly implant knowledge and skills. But it would be silly to have to wait for such magic before we can learn: We must be adaptable, both as students and instructors, and try to make the best possible use of all available LMs. When it comes to learning, the integrated use of multiple LMs is always greater than the sum of using individual LMs.


So then, do variations in the use of LMs account for the differences between, say, "Chi Running" and "The POSE Method"? Combined with, perhaps, a different ordering of the chapters?

To a significant extent, yes, but not completely: The LMs are mainly concerned with getting knowledge into our brains. Getting our bodies to do what our brains want them to do is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

It turns out, not only do we each use a different range and combination of LMs, but each of us has different ways of using our minds to control complex body motion. For example, if I want to encourage you to use a short, quick stride, I could say any of the following, some of which may work better for you than for others:

• Put your foot down sooner.
• Lift your foot sooner.
• Take smaller steps.
• Don't put as much weight on your heel.
• Be light on your feet.
• Swing your arms faster.

Each of the above may sound like a very different thing, since each describes a different portion of the stride. I used to think they were different things. To an elite athlete, perhaps they are. For a beginner, in reality they are different views or perspectives (not parts), of the same thing.

When watching various coaches in action, I'd occasionally see them get frustrated when advice that works for one beginner fails miserably for another with the same problem. They'd spend time teaching it using all available LMs, but the athlete would still prove unable to put that specific piece of advice into action.

I've been through it myself, while trying to help beginner open-water swimmers include key motions in their stroke. For example, if I wanted you to increase the amount of body roll in each stroke, I could say any of the following:

• Breathe by turning your body to get your face to the side, not your neck.
• Get a shoulder out of the water with each stroke.
• Get an eye above the water even on the non-breathing side.
• Roll your hips more.
• Swim "skinny" in the water, more on your side.

Some swimmers would 'get it' from one description, while other swimmers would 'get it' from another. I'd go through the sequence until finding the one (or combination) that worked best. Quite often, it seems we are searching for a 'trick' that suddenly makes the desired motion 'make sense' and 'just happen'.

What's going on here? Why do we often need to use different descriptions (within the same LM) to achieve a given result?

My first thought was that it had something to do with differences in how we each process language. But that can't be it: Neither the language being used, nor the concept being described, are complex enough to be affected by differences in language use or comprehension. Not even by those for whom English is a second or third language. I rarely have had anyone appear to be confused by what I meant by the phrases I used. They just didn't know how to make their bodies do what the words meant!

I did some reading about how our conscious thoughts are turned into physical action. It turns out, we have direct conscious control over only limited parts of our musculature. For example, if I tell you to wiggle just your little finger, it is easy. But if I tell you to wiggle just your little toe, it may well be impossible for you to do.

We have significant conscious control over our hands. Commands to the rest of the body get processed in unconscious ways before the relevant muscles get activated. While it is easy to blink both eyes on command, it is much harder to blink just one eye. And we barely have control over our arms: Try patting your stomach with one hand while rubbing the top of your head with the other. Then switch. Even such simple motions have a large degree of unconscious processing involved, and overcoming that processing can be very difficult.

This is why we often need to do repetitive drills to teach our bodies to perform new motions, such as playing a complex Bach piece on the piano. Such training processes actually lay down new neural pathways within the conscious brain, and between the brain and the muscles involved.

Repetition is not always needed: In many instances an appropriate pathway already exists, but we lack direct conscious access to it. But if we think about a thing in different ways, then different pathways get activated, and we may find that one way of thinking suddenly produces the desired action when other ways of thinking failed.

This is what I believe happens in many beginner athletes, but the extent to which this can happen appears to diminish as athletic performance improves. Simply put, as experience builds, then if a desired pathway exists, at some point it would already have been accessed. So as you become more proficient, you may find that repetitive drills are more often needed to implement even a minor technique change.

I believe beginners are poised to make immense gains from the outset, mainly because thinking a different thought can have a rapid and direct physical response.

It is almost as if the nerves to our muscles comprehend only a subset of the language we think with, and we need to keep trying different thoughts, using different wordings, until we stumble upon a conscious thought the motor neurons 'understand'. And if we fail to stumble upon one, then we need to create it through repetitive drills.

There is lots of literature about how repetitive drills work. One important aspect is that much of the processing that controls our muscles happens far outside of our conscious brains. The spine performs a massive amount of processing: If we stub our toe, our leg muscles start to pull the foot back long before we consciously feel the pain. If we touch a hot pan with our hand, the same thing happens. Much 'reflex' action occurs in the spine, not the brain.

Reflexes are, by definition, involuntary actions. We are presently concerned with voluntary actions. These, too, require significant processing in the spine and 'lower' parts of the brain in order to happen. When we walk, we aren't consciously thinking about our balance, or how we will move our feet to react to changes in balance. We do control our walking to the extent that we set the speed and direction, yet we have no conscious involvement in making the individual muscles fire, or in integrating balance signals from the inner ear with muscular actions.

This processing occurs in parts of the brain and spine that are only mildly affected by conscious thought. Many repetitions are needed before the conscious thought will be able to cause the desired physical action on command. Or, conversely, to replace one automatic motion pattern with another.

When trying something completely new, when not trying to make only a tiny refinement in an existing motion, it is worth applying the effort needed to try thinking differently about the desired motion from every possible perspective, to see if we can stumble upon an existing pathway we can use to aid our efforts.

I believe this is why you will find that some beginner running technique books contain advice that 'just works' for you, while other equally well-written books do little or nothing for you. Part of it may be due to how the LMs are used. But a significant part of it is not about how the book teaches something, but it may instead be more about how the phrases the author has chosen interact with your specific brain-body connections.

The books that work best for the most people seem to do lots of repetition, not only to employ multiple LMs, but also to say the same thing in as many different ways as possible. The more advanced a book gets, the less often repetition is used for any purpose: Elite athletes and coaches are expected to do the work of using the appropriate LMs and finding the best ways to describe the concepts.

Beginners, on the other hand, have different needs, and can respond to methods of coaching that would be inapplicable to an advanced athlete. I believe many coaches have not yet learned this, and will often try to use elite techniques (and expect elite responses) when they interact with beginners.

Elites seem to need to break things down to their smallest components before changes can be made. When optimized performance is desired, the changes have to be customized to the athlete. The elite athlete typically learns less and less as they go on: They have mastered the fundamentals, and everything else is details. They have developed highly optimized neural pathways, and repetition is needed to change them. So it may take increased effort for an elite to learn the next 'detail'. More and more work for ever tinier improvements.

Beginners need to learn only a very small number of relatively simple things. Beginner triathletes can get along extremely well with a 'one size fits all' freestyle swim stroke, and a 'one size fits all' comfortable running gait. For the beginner to find that common stroke and gait, they will need to use their bodies in ways that have little resemblance to what they've done before. Everything is big changes: Nothing is details. But sometimes the beginner can 'get lucky' and make use of an existing pathway to rapidly learn large chunks of technique. The problem is finding those pathways.

I feel very fortunate that I started helping out with coaching while I was still very much a beginner: The instinctive way I coached was very close to how I learned, and it has only been recently that I've tried to figure out what's really been happening with the beginners I've worked with, including myself.

The key, sometimes, is just finding the right words. It's not about learning different parts of a technique (no beginner needs that), but learning a single technique by focusing on various parts until one of them gets results. The end result is the same, no matter which part 'works'!

Put another way, it is pointless to get caught up in what the 'ideal' gait for a specific beginner runner should be: There is no such thing. Only elites and experienced amateurs get to search for a personal 'ideal' gait. Beginners should seek only a 'comfortable' gait, and there is a common gait for that. The terminology and phrases used in both beginner and elite books may sound very similar, though I now understand the goals are different: For an elite, there may be one phrase that best describes a needed gait adjustment. For a beginner, there may be one phrase that can make the entire gait happen almost as a whole.

That's why I said at the beginning of this rather long post that there are only a very few things the body has to learn to become able to run comfortably. It's just a single, common, simple gait. The beginner doesn't need to be taught individual pieces and details, the beginner needs only to find the right description, which can often sound just like going through a list of details.

In other words: If you want to learn from a book, be prepared to get all the beginner books! I believe they all wind up at about the same place, despite taking paths that look very different.


I'll conclude with a few side notes, each of which should probably become its own future blog post:

Side Note #1: Based on my own experience as a patient, I believe much of Physical Therapy involves not just restoring physical range, speed or force of bodily motion, but more importantly on establishing conscious and unconscious control over that motion. All Physical Therapists will focus on improving the measurable aspects of strength and mobility: Only the best Physical Therapists will go beyond this to establish new activities and new levels of comfortable performance, even beyond what was present before the injury occurred! I believe this may be a significant factor in why some PT results 'stick' and others 'fade'.

Side Note #2: When an experienced athlete is recovering from a significant injury requiring a prolonged absence from running, rather than trying to return to a prior 'ideal' gait, it may be better to become a beginner again, to quickly learn (or re-learn) a simple 'comfortable' gait, and then evolve that gait to become a new 'ideal' gait. I suspect it will permit a faster return to running with a reduced risk of repeated injury. And it may even lead to a new performance peak, rather than trying to force a changed body to perform using an unchanged gait.

Side Note #3: I believe each of us should always keep a 'comfortable beginner's gait' in our running arsenal, even as we learn advanced techniques and build ever greater speed and endurance. I call it my 'Git Her Home' gait, which I will use whenever I suddenly find myself spent before the end of the run, and stopping or walking is not (yet) an option. This has happened to me with annoying frequency as I continually attempt to maximize my performance: I will bonk by making a nutrition mistake, or I will take a hill too hard and need to recover at the top, or I get sucked into running on the shoulder of someone who is much faster than I am, or I discover in the middle of a run that I actually do have a cold, or I stumble and have trouble getting all the pieces working smoothly together again, or I realize my new shoes aren't as comfortable as I had hoped. My Beginner's Gait let's me keep running at faster than a jogging pace while simultaneously letting my body recover and sort itself out.

I am always disappointed to see top athletes suddenly go from all-out running to walking: It seems they have just two running speeds: All and Nothing, Win and Lose, with lots of suffering and little room for recovery while running. Perhaps that's what's needed to ascend to the top. I think the rest of us should have more usable gears. For us, the first goal should always be to enjoy the experience and finish without pain or injury, the second goal should be to maintain good form and avoid walking, and only the third goal should be to win or set a new PR.