Serotta Test Ride

I had a bike pre-fit (will write about that some other time) by Christopher Kautz of PK Racing. During my visit, he convinced me to consider a steel frame bike, and wouldn't you know, the Serotta Fierté Steel (46P) fits me! Today, D accompanied Margaret & I to City Cycle at Union & Steiner for some test ride action.

Lemme tell you, City Cycle specializes in some pretty nice bikes. From what I saw, the vast majority of what they sell are high end custom bikes. For road bikes, they carry Serotta, Seven and Calfee. Most of the ones in their store easily cost $3,000+.

After ooh-ing and aah-ing at all the pretty bicycles, we went to speak to Clay, the owner. I gave him my bike measurements and he immediately recognized that they were taken by Christopher. They didn't have a Fieré Steel in my size, but had a 48cm Serotta Saratoga available. In case you're wondering what that is, it's City Cycle's private label version of the Fieré Steel made to their own geometries and specifications.

I told Clay that I was primarily interested in determining the difference between Fierté Steel and Ti (titanium) frame bike. He suggested that I should make wide turns, tight turns, ride over all the bumps in the road and pedal hard. This way, I could look out for three things:

• Steering response
• Pedal efficiency
• Vertical compliance (shock absorption)

My first test ride was the Serotta Saratoga I was supposed to start by riding on the sidewalk on Steiner but I didn't feel comfortable doing that so I walked the bike down the next street and get on there. After a shaky start, I made my way up the slope and followed the route he outlined for me which had a nice mixture of gentle slopes (both uphill and downhill).

Riding a road bike was an incredibly strange feeling. All my fears and insecurities about cycling came flooding back to me. Although there wasn't much traffic, I had to slow down at every intersection every block to check for cars. Fortunately, I had the good sense to ride with flat pedals and not clipless ones in case I crashed and scratched up the bike.

I had my hands on top of the hood for most of the ride. I experimented with changing my hand position and managed to get them in the drops and back again, but I was very nervous doing it.

D was waiting for me on the corner of Greenwich and Steiner. He noticed that I was very shaky and nervous - almost as bad as when I rode my Giant. I was very frustrated and disappointed with myself. That's when we saw Margaret come down on a Calfee for a test ride of her own. I waited for her to get back and we both went back to the store.

My next test ride was the Serotta Fierté Ti. Margaret was fitted on the Saratoga and we both set off together. Actually she set out first, and I nearly ran into a parked van on the side of the rode while getting on the bike. After finally getting on, I tried to catch up with her. At the top of the hill, I saw Margaret do a loop at the intersection to wait for me. That gal is pretty good at cornering!

I felt a lot better on the Ti. Maybe it was because it was smaller, maybe it was because I was getting better at test riding or maybe it was because I was cycling with Margaret. Whatever the reason, this ride was a lot smoother and I actually enjoyed riding around.

When I pushed down on the pedals, the bike accelerated like a rocket ship. It was especially apparent going uphill because it felt like all my energy was being transferred directly into propelling the bike forward. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the steering was a little more responsive than I wanted. Almost to the point that it was "twitchy" but not quite.

When we got back to the shop, Clay sent me out on the Saratoga again, and Margaret rode the Fierté Ti. Although the bikes fit us with regards to saddle height, top tube length etc., the brakes were too massive for our tiny hands and it was tiring reaching for them. We decided that that would be our last test ride for the day.

My second ride on the Saratoga was much better than the first, and I was able to focus more on ride characteristics rather than concentrate on not falling. I noticed that the ride was more dull on the steel frame, and the bike felt heavier even though it was probably less than a pound difference from the Ti.

After our final ride, I explained to Clay that I liked the Ti for climbing but the steel for steering. He said he would be able to "stiffen" the handling of the Ti by changing out the fork for an additional $50-100. Using Shimano 105 components instead of Shimano Ultegra would reduce the price by $150. Margaret didn't have a preference for either bike. So he wrote down the prices of both bikes and we went on our merry way to lunch and to compare notes.

After much angst and soul searching, I've pretty much decided that I prefer Ti to Steel. But there's no way of justifying the price of Ti so I'm back to not knowing which bike to buy. I think I'll test ride a Trek 5200 WSD next, but that's still more money than I'd like to spend. Even though I wasn't planningo n going with an aluminum frame, I think I'll spend time investigating the Specialized Dolce line.

Indoor Cycling

Went to Becky's indoor cycling class today. D came along as well -- this is the first weekend he hasn't had an early weekend conference call. On the way home, he told me I would love the spinning classes at the Sports Club of L.A. (the one actually in L.A.). He said that there's mirrors all over the room, they blast awesome music, and the atmosphere makes you want to give 100% effort.

2nd Cardio Kickboxing Class of the Week

Taught my regular cardio kickboxing class today. Since I subbed Kim's class on Monday, this will be my second class this week. It's only all of two classes in one week, but it seemed like a lot! I can't imagine how other instructors teach multiple classes each week. That takes a lot of commitment.

Finally Made it to Dino's Class!

I left the office today at 6:05PM (cursing myself for not leaving ON THE DOT at 6PM) and arrived at El Camino Y at 6:40PM. The sign up sheet hadn't been put out yet but there were already people there who had been waiting since 6:30PM (crazy) to get their names down. I finally successfully snagged myself a bike: I was no. 7 out of 25 available slots. WAHOO! It was like winning the lottery.

Dino taught a kick ass 90-minute class. He usually does a little recovery between songs but warned us that he wouldn't do that this time. It's so much harder without breaks in between. I wore my heartrate monitor for the first time. I didn't know how to use it but there was only one button so I pushed it to start and again to finish. Whenever I looked at it, my heart rate was ~170bpm. I cycled harder when it dropped. Using the basic HR formula, that's 90% max, but I doubt I was working that hard. I should find my resting HR and use the Karvonen formula to get a better estimate.

I noticed that Dino is highly motivating even though he hardly talks during class. I'm going to cut down my verbage during cycle by 50%.

Kickbox Interval Sub

I subbed Kim's Kickbox Interval class today that's supposed to be part cardio and part weights. I did a quick survey at the beginning of class and it seemed that more than half of the participants wanted to do all cardio so that's what I gave 'em!

Ernie is an instructor-in-training, so I asked him do the warm-up. He's already taken the group ex certification and will take the YMCA Martial Arts program shortly. Ernie is currently a little frustrated with his music. He's compiled a CD with his own music, but there are 2-second gaps in between each song.

His warm-up went well overall. I've been talking to him about 32-count phrasing, but I think he's better off focusing on the 8-count for now. I should also make sure that his music is actually 32-count and has a strong beat.

I've started doing the Turbo Kick Finale as choreographed for the last few rounds, but I've been having some trouble with it. First of all, it's not all 32-count. For instance, in R13, there's a part that switches moves after 24 beats which is quite odd and forces me to count. Secondly, during the transition to switch sides, the music builds up over several phrases so it's very difficult to determine when you're supposed to restart the combos. Third, I don't find the Finale as intense as I'd like it to be.

Speaking of intensity, Bonne, one of the regular participants, mentioned that the first "Finale" I did (tap-side kick, knee-side kick, front kick-side kick) was the hardest one I've done to date. So I did that today instead of the R11 Finale. I also credited Bonnie for that great suggestion and she was a little embarrassed about it although I think the other participants enjoyed the fact that the combo made the class more challenging.

It was a really fun class with great people so I'm looking forward to teaching it again next Monday.

Sunday Ride: Descending Crystal Springs

The weather cleared up this past weekend just in time for 17 ladies to enjoy the Sunday Ride. Most people wanted to do 30 miles, but there were a few determined souls who wanted to crank out 51+ miles.

As usual, there were a few new faces, including Connie and Christiana. Connie was returning to cycling after a hiatus and had loaned her road bike to Christiana. Connie borrowed her husband's road bike.

Amy led the ride. I wanted to ride mid-pack but stayed back to make sure that everybody was okay getting started. I'm glad I did because Connie had a mechanical right off the bat: everything on her bike was adjusted to her husband's measurements, including her seat, which was way too high.

I had an allen key, but it was Alex who was the mechanical genius who made all the adjustments. We complimented her on being so handy with repairs. Alex said her bike fixing knowledge came from an incident last year when her road bike became unridable just two weeks before a triathlon. She had to personally overhaul her brother's mountain bike by cleaning and replacing several components.

As Alex was working her magic, we were joined by Rosemary, a cyclocross lass who met up with the Velo Girls at a few races. She's an energetic lady who bravely transports her bicycle in the back of her Miata. She joked that she needs a new car just to move her cycling equipment around. I'm with her there - my New Beetle sits very low to the ground, so my hitch rack scrapes the ground all the time. I'm worried that the whole thing will collapse one of these days.

Once we got rolling, we made our way down California Ave. and saw that Amy had paused to wait for us. We explained what had happened and I said she could catch up with the front of the pack while I would sweep.

I hope to lead this ride someday, and I've been trying to pick up tips and techniques from other ride leaders. I've noticed that Amy does a spectacular job of consistently circling back to make sure that everybody is accounted for. She must ride like the wind because once she is satisfied that we're all OK, she takes off in a cloud of dust to catch up with the front of the pack.

On our way to Robert's, I saw a familiar cyclist on the other side of the road. It was none other than Leilani, who had attended the same VG basic bike clinic I did (November 2003). She's will be doing the AIDS Ride this year! I remember that she was nervous about using clipless pedals at the clinic (boy could I relate). That's obviously ancient history because she was zooming along Canada like a pro. She recognized me after I hollered a greeting in her direction. She waved back and shouted happily "I've done 33 miles!" Go Leilani!

Most Velo Girls headed over to Robert's but Margaret & I first went to the bakery to buy our customary chocolate chip cookies. The ride just wouldn't be the same without it! While we rested at Robert's, I said hello to Jill, who was on her second Sunday Ride and is organizing Bike for Breath this year. She was dressed head to toe in snazzy purple cycling gear. Given that it was all borrowed, I was impressed that it was all color coordinated and even matched her bike!

I also spoke to Kati, who rides a Cannondale (I've been polling lots of people about their choice of bikes lately). She has dual entry SPD clipless pedals with a sneaker adapter on one side. In addition to being great "clipless pedals training wheels", they're also useful if you want to ride your bike somewhere close without wearing cycling shoes.

On the way back, we stopped at the end of Canada, and Amy warned us of the two tricky parts up ahead since we were going to take the regular route back (not the pedestrian footbridge).

The first challenge comes after you make a left at the light because you have to merge into the right lane as cars are trying to merge left from the right lane. Amy advised us to do that one at a time when it was safe to do so. Fortunately, there weren't any cars in sight. Unfortunately, there was sand in the bike lane nasty stuff that can make you skid.

[Lorri's feedback]: Sand won't make you skid, Lauren. You can ride your bike over virtually anything, as long as you stay relaxed and keep your wheels moving. One of the exercises I do with new riders is have them ride on and off the shoulder of the road. A good place to try this is on Canada Road, heading south, just past the 280 interchange (you know the little grade that goes up to the big tree). Try this on your next ride. Just ride off & on & off & on. You'll see that your bike can ride over just about anything. The secret is to keep your upper body relaxed, keep looking ahead (not down at the group), and make sure you're in an easy enough gear that you can keep spinning... The worst thing you can do on unstable conditions is brake -- that's the easiest way to skid or crash.

The second challenge is the 280 offramp. After clearing the onramp, Margaret & I were about to high-five each other for making it when we saw that all the Velo Girls had stopped just ahead. That's when we realized we hadn't actually passed the hard part yet. I shouldn't even say it's hard, you just have to be careful. Amy explained what to expect: as we were descending, we would pass a highway offramp on our right. Cars coming off the 280 are supposed to wait at the stop sign since we have the right of way, but that doesn't always happen for whatever reason. Amy advised us to slow down, make eye contact with the driver to ensure he/she saw us, watch the wheels of the car in case they start moving and be prepared to stop.

The group paused again at the top of Crystal Springs just before the descent. Well, everybody except me; I went on ahead because I don't like stopping. In hindsight, I should have done so (1) to check in and to listen to any words of wisdom Amy had to share (2) I'm one of the slower descenders.

Descending Crystal Springs is a nightmare. The one and only time I did this before (my very first Sunday Ride last year), I rode my brakes all the way down to avoid gaining any appreciable speed. Now that I know better, this time, I kept on pedaling, feathered my brakes lightly, and PRAYED that my brake pads weren't worn out. There were a few times where I felt like I was going to tip over because I was leaning into the curves (I'm sure it was all of 5 degrees but it seemed like a lot more). Just as I wondered how hurt I would be if I crashed at this point (Scrapes? Bruises? Broken bones?) I heard a loud "yee-ha!" (or was it "hoo-ey!") behind me. I turned around just in time to see Rosemary coming screaming past me. She's awesome.

I did not like that descent one bit. Give me the pedestrian bridge any day of the week instead! I'll even do it twice! Of course, avoiding descents isn't going to make me a better cyclist which means I need to practise going downhill MORE *sigh* Margaret said we were going down at 27-28mph. Makes me appreciate how fast the fellows in the Tour de France go. I remember Bob Roll saying that they come barreling down the mountain at 60mph. Explains why they're in le Tour while I watch it on TV.

The rest of the ride back was pleasant and pleasantly uneventful. Hope to see you next week. Margaret & I will be doing the 36-mile ride!

Step and Spin

Taught early morning (too early) 7:30AM step today at Stonestown YMCA. I tried a new combo, one that I've been formulating in my head for the past six weeks. I modified it at the last minute because there were some newbies in class and I didn't want to freak them out.

Things went fine except for the high humidity/heat situation because the air conditioning didn't seem to be working. I felt a tad sluggish and wasn't as peppy as usual. Surprisingly, several participants came up to me afterwards saying that they really enjoyed my class. That's always nice to hear.

Afterwards, I took the 8:30AM cycling class but felt completely drained and lacked energy. At the end of class, I had trouble unclipping my left foot (as usual) so I removed my foot from the shoe (it was still attached to the bike) and got off the bike. As I continued wrestling with my shoe, the guy behind me offered to help, and as he twisted my shoe it flew out of his hands and hit the lady next to me. In the face. The instructor ran to get some ice, and I went outside with this poor lady to make sure she was okay.

I apologized for the accident even thought it was the dude who was responsible for the flying shoe (I wasn't touching it when it happened). I'm disappointed that he didn't fess up and admit that it was his fault. Grr.

TurboKick: Round 11

After promising my participants new choreography for two weeks, I finally busted out Round 11. My participants are awesome. I managed to teach most of the layers and they all got it. As usual, I left out the dancey moves like speedbag-spin-like-a-top and skis. The Recovery was interesting this time. Partway through the combo, you alternate leads. I modified it to stay on the same lead each time so it was easier to follow.

The songs were great, but I'm getting a little tired of the same refrains and choruses. The first time I heard "Put your hands up in the air", I thought it was great, but it's getting old now that it's made an appearance in two other rounds. I wish they'd come up with more original stuff.

Some of the combos are looking a little recycled too, but that's primarily because there's only so many moves in cardio kickboxing (jab, cross, hook, uppercut, knee strikes, kicks), and not an issue unique Turbo Kick itself. If it were up to me to make up my own combos, I would have run out of ideas a lot time ago.

As I left the building to walk towards my car, a couple of teenagers new to my class approached me. They said, "We've decided that you're in great shape! ... FOR YOUR AGE, GRANDMA!" OK, so they didn't say the "for your age, grandma" part, but I think they may have been thinking it :-)

Tried to Spin... But Foiled Again!

Dino's Wed PM class starts at 7:15PM so I scrambled over there and arrived at 6:55PM to claim my spot. To my utmost horror, the sign up sheet was already full!

What the ****???

The front desk people say they bring out the sheet 30 minutes before class, and Dino's class fills up within 5-10 minutes. Come hell or high water, I WILL get into this class next week even if it means camping out there.

Margaret's Step Class

I finally had the opportunity to attend Margaret's step class last night. She had anticipated 8-10 participants, but the class was maxed out at full capacity! I can see why - it was a great class, and I'm not just saying that because she's my friend :-)

Here's what I liked about the class:

• Stayed on 32-count phrase
• Tapless!
• Easy to follow break down
• Easy enough for beginner steppers yet intense enough for advanced folk
• Lots of options. Accommodated all levels.
• Interesting mix of intervals sprinkled in
• Great music (Burntrax Step #18)

I am so stealing that routine for Palo Alto Basic Step (complete with warm up and cool down)! Now if I can only remember the combos...

Road Bike Window Shopping

Margaret & I went road bike shopping today. We first went to American Cyclery that carries brands such as Specialized, Bianchi and Waterford bikes. The store was quite small and they didn't have a wide selection of sizes. They don't even have the 2004 Specialized bikes available yet.

I'm torn about Bianchi. Plenty of people ride them, so I assume they're great steel bikes. But I can't get over the fact that they're hideous. That mint-green color just doesn't do it for me. I know it's superficial, and has nothing to do with anything, but I just know that I would be annoyed riding one. Every time I looked it, I would be distracted and think, "man this is an ugly bike". Apologies to all Bianchi riders there whom I must have thoroughly offended.

Afterwards we went to Avenue Cyclery down the street to look at some Treks. For various reasons, I've been leaning towards a Trek, especially since some models come in WSDs (Women Specific Designs). For 2004, they have 1500 WSD, 2200 WSD and 5200 WSD. Much as I'd love another carbon composite bike, I've been leaning towards a 2200 WSD which is aluminum/carbon with a carbon fork and mostly Ultegra components (Shimano 105 brakes, cassette and front derailleur). They had one built up in our size and it was a gorgeous shade of blue. I was ready to buy it for the pretty, pretty, color alone!

Margaret & I didn't actually test ride that day, but we did poke and prod the 2200 WSD for a while. One of the employees there showed us her personal 5200 WSD for comparison. I'm not exactly a gram geek, but I did want to know the weight difference between the two bikes: the 5200 WSD weighed 18.7 lbs and the 2200 WSD weighed 19.4 lbs. Less than a pound difference. That's negligible to me.

Looks like I'm leaning towards a 2200 WSD.

30-Mile Sunday Ride Report: I'm Using Clipless Pedals!

I've been getting progressively better on the Sunday Rides so I decided to embark on a new challenge this week: CLIPLESS PEDALS! I figure it'd be wise to get used to them while I was still riding a mtb, rather than try to do that while simultaneously trying to handle a road bike.

FYI, helpful instructions on how to remove and install pedals can be found on Jim Langley's bicycle repair webpage, along with other useful information on bicycle maintenance and repair. I'm glad I had a pedal wrench, because one of the pedals was screwed on very tightly, but it eventually came loose once I found the correct angle/lever point.

---

There were 18 women outside Summit Bicycles to take advantage of the beauoooootiful weather on 1/18/04. We split up into two groups: 6 ladies were ready to tackle the 55-mile ride, while the other 12 of us prepared for the 30-mile loop. Joy led the 30-milers, although I think she roped Sarah into co-leading it with her. Sandra and I fought for the rights to sweep. Sandra won.

I was a little nervous with my clipless pedals, but nowhere near the level of fear and anxiety I used to feel. It was more like excitement. Still, I felt it was only responsible for me to yell, "Stay the heck away from me! This is my first time with clipless pedals!" (not quite true, but close enough). In case people didn't take me seriously, Margaret helpfully added, "She's not joking!"

We took California Ave. --> Tilton --> Crystal Springs and briefly regrouped at the bottom of Polhemus/Crystal Springs. I had a chance to speak to Dita who was doing her first Sunday Ride. I overheard Sandra give Dita encouragement and great advice on how to make it up the hill ahead. Extra kudos to Sandra for schlepping all the way from Davis just for the Sunday Ride.

Unfortunately, Dita experienced chain suck around the first bend. Undeterred, she managed to get her chain back on, get on (up an incline, no less!) and didn't stop again until she reached the top. Great job!

We paused at the top of Crystal Springs where I chatted briefly with another cyclist new to the Sunday Ride: Sarah. Sarah had come with a couple of her friends who wanted to do the 55-mile ride. Since Sarah was riding a hybrid, affectionately named the "Upright Hoover", she thought the 30-mile route would be more appropriate. She was happy to see that Margaret & I were also riding heavy non-road bikes.

While cruising along Canada, I tried to take a drink without stopping. I managed to unhook the mouthpiece of my Camepak from underneath my shoulder strap, but that's as far as I got. My goal is to be able to eat and drink on the bike without stopping.

We breaked at the Bakery and I spoke more with Sarah. I noticed her backpack looked particularly full and heavy. It had a hydration unit and tools (like mine) but weighed twice as much as the bag I was carrying! It was easily 10+lbs. She mentioned that her friends had packed the bag for her, and had put extra food and supplies in it in case she did the 55-mile ride.

For once, the left turn out of the Bakery back onto Woodside and then onto Canada was easy. We made it all the way to the pedestrian footbridge before splitting off into two groups. Joy, Co-Ride-Leader-Sarah, Sandra and Dita took the regular return route, while Susan, Margaret, Upright-Hoover-Sarah and I took the pedestrian walkway.

While going downhill on Polhemus, we saw three deer. Susan reached out her right hand with her palm facing towards them as she passed. I tried shouting "Stay!" and they scampered back up the hill. Oops. I didn't mean to scare them off. But better that they run towards the woodlands then jump onto the roads I guess.

Susan led our splinter group back. She made sure that she never got too far ahead of us, and made a point of waiting at intersections to make sure we went the right way. We took El Cerrito back. It's preferred because by merging onto California Ave. at a point that's closer to Summit Bicycles, you encounter less traffic and less headwind. Here are the directions in case you're interested, since it's not the one on the official turn sheet:

• Polhemus/Crystal Springs Road (you end up here regardless of whether you return via Ralston or the pedestrian bridge
• Veer left at El Cerrito. There's a stop sign here but the turn is easy to miss unless you're looking out for it since it subtly forks off to the left.
• Turn left at San Mateo
• San Mateo becomes California Ave.
• Turn left at Burlingame Ave.
• Summit Bicycles is on your left

We all made it safely back. Not to jinx myself, but I was quite pleased with my clipless pedals debut since I returned unscathed. I'm glad that I made the transition when I did -- after taking the excellent Basic Bike Clinic in November, I gave myself a couple of Sunday Rides to ride with regular pedals and improve my basic bike handling skills first.

I hope to see y'all next Sunday... especially those of you who just attended the basic bike clinic!

I'm Running Again!

A confession: I have not run since Christmas morning. Hubby has been traveling a lot, so in an effort to spend a little more time with him this weekend, we ran this morning for about 6 miles along the Embarcadero.

It was chilly, so I donned my Sugoi MidZero running tights. I think Sugoi is a Canadian company! Yay! My tights are awesome for running cold weather. They're so much better than cotton pants. I never wore spandex before because as my brother says, "Spandex is a privilege, not a right". But I have finally seen the light and understand why it makes such great material for athletic wear: blocks wind, and keeps you warm and dry.

Just before reaching Fisherman's Wharf, a car passed us, stopped, and a guy on the passenger side stuck his head out of the window to wave at us. It was hubby's friend from work (L.A. office), also called David. David was in San Francisco for the long weekend, and was taking his family sight seeing. I commented to D, "This is the first time we've run in a month, and we get spotted. Gives the illusion that we do this all the time!".

It felt great to run and stretch my legs. We went at an easy pace that made it all the more enjoyable. On our way back, we stopped at the Farmer's Market to eat. D hasn't visited since the Market moved to the Ferry Building so I gave him a brief tour. New stores pop each time I go.

We had crab cake sandwiches at the Hayes Street Grill. Yummy. We also gobbled some baked goods from Frog Hollow Farm. I had a scrumptious apple turnover, and D had a delicious risotto. The fruit inside was outstanding. I may start making Saturday morning runs a habit just to treat myself to these snacks afterwards!

Cycling Hand Signals

The cycling headset at the Embarcadero Y is damaged, so Ray sent out an email to give us ideas on how to use hand signals to indicate what we wanted participants to do. I think it's a great idea and will incorporate it in my next class even if the mic is in perfect working condition in case people have trouble hearing me. I like cycling music to be on the loud side! Here are some suggested hand signals including my modifications:

• Get people's attention: Double-clap
• Gear up: Point finger in the air and pretend you're drawing a circle on the ceiling with your fingertip while moving your hand upwards
• Gear down: Point finger towards the ground and pretend you're drawing a circle on the floor with your fingertip while moving your hand downwards
• Increase pace: Thrumbs up
• Decrease pace: Thumbs down
• Stand: Lift flat hand up
• Sit: Lower hand down

For resistance moves, I would also indicate with my fingers what level of resistance (between 1-10) at which you'd like participants to end up.

No Shoes Again

Since I forgot my shoes last week, and brought the wrong ones yesterday, I made sure that I grabbed my black studio shoes that were in a plastic bag... only to find that I had mistakenly brought my black DRESS SHOES instead! Good thing I wore Merrells to work so I could wear those for my cardio kickboxing class today.

I had promised a new round today but I've been slammed. Plus R12 music isn't so great so I'll move onto R11. Although class was small, it was filled with regulars so I was able to teach R13 with all the layers. Awesome.

Comedy of Errors

I subbed Terri's Step II class tonight. About 2-3x the usual number of participants. That's huge! I was inspired by the crowd, but I was too disorganized to take advantage of it.

First of all, I forgot my socks. I knew it was going to be blister city. Secondly, I brought my running shoes instead of my studio shoes. Not a fatal mistake, but annoying nonetheless. My studio shoes have much more cushioning and a tad more ankle support for step. What was I thinking? Third, I forgot my music. In desperation, I used my Turbo Kick Round 12 CD, and pitched it down. It was the first time I had listened to the music and I didn't care for it at all because I wasn't familiar with most of the songs and I had trouble finding the 32-count phrase. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I discovered towards the end of class that my pants were falling down. I didn't notice because I was wearing all black (including my underwear) and I was too busy watching the participants so I couldn't tell that they had slid. Aiyah.

Just one of those days.

Triathlon Preparation List

I'm cleaning up my room. I found this scribbled on a ratty piece of paper and will finally transfer it to my blog:

• Swim
  • Timing chip/race number
  • Sunscreen
  • Wetsuit
  • Body Glide
  • Goggles
  • Antifog (for goggles)
  • Swim cap
  • Triathlon shorts
  • Swimming suit
  • 2 towels
  • Safety pins
  • Sandals
• Bike
  • Bike!
  • Socks
  • Cycling shoes
  • Cycling gloves
  • Camelpak
  • Filled water bottles
  • Helmet
  • Sunglasses
• Run
  • Race belt
  • Running shoes
  • Dryfit shirt

Hip Hop Workshop

On September 27, 2003, I took a hip hop workshop at Y-Fit taught by Ray Salahuddin. I don't remember very much other than it was a very fun class. Here are the scant notes I took, including the four tenets of hip hop:

1. Opposition, e.g., low & out to high & skinny; still to movement
2. Synchronization, e.g., normally teach chorus first because it's easiest. You'll keep participants in the room if they feel successful. Add on 8 counts a time after that.
3. Formation change, e.g., line vs. circle
4. Attitude. 'Nuff said.

Other tidbits of information worth mentioning:

• Music can be purchased at GroovyDelight.com
• Music typically 110 bpm
• Teach hardest 8-count first - it will get the most reptition
• Chorus is symmetrical and easy - cardio focused
• Last section of chorus is for regrouping

Running & Hydration

USA Track & Field (USATF) has issued new guidelines for hydration. It recommends that athletes use thirst as a guide to tell you when to drink, rather than drinking at every opportunity just to "stay ahead of thirst." This method is supposed to prevent dehydration while also lowering the risk of hyponatremia (low sodium), a condition that occurs when athletes over-hydrate.

USATF has provided a self-testing program for optimal hydration. As an alternative, it advises runners to "begin their races well-hydrated--indicated by clear urine--and then drink when thirsty during their races, rather than drinking constantly as some have recommended. A sports drink with sodium and other electrolytes is preferred."

Which reminds me, I've been lax about running lately. I should pick it up again soon.

More Clipless Pedal Training Wheels

I found another fellow triathlete in the Bay Area who documents his races: Ray Sidney. This guy is incredible. He completed his first triathlon on May 3, 2003 which was a Half Ironman. He then proceeded to build up to an Ironman four months later on September 7, 2003... crazy!

I emailed Ray to wish him well and congratulate him on his outstanding achievements. He's a modest fellow who says he isn't competitive, but his finish times are mighty impressive. I think he read part of my blog because he suggested an alternative to Nashbar Sneaker Adaptors. Based on feedback from others who have used sneaker adaptors (not necessarily those made by Nashbar), they may be a little [front-to-back] short, so I would end up pushing more with my calves than is ideal. Instead, he said I should also consider a product available at Performance Bike. Unfortunately, the link he sent me didn't work, but I suspect he was referring to the Winwood Instep Pedal Insert, which are toe clip attachments to clipless pedals. They have models available for both Shimano SPD and LOOK.

Sunday Ride Report: I Can Descend!

Sunday was a great day to cycle. Weather was cool (not cold) and sunny but not too bright. Margaret and I had an amazing start because we finally figured a way to fit her bike on my bike rack (her bicycle has an odd-shaped frame). We no longer had to take the wheel off to stick her bike in the truck of my car.

We were delighted to see a 16 women congregate outside Summit Bicycles in preparation for the ride. There were several ride leaders for the 30-mile ride: Amy and Heather were the leaders, Yvonne and Joy for the middle of the pack, and Kathy and Kathy/Cathy swept. Since I wouldn't be sweeping Margaret exclaimed, "Great! We can ride like the wind!" Me: "Uh, okay."

There were a few ladies new to the Sunday Ride. As part of the safety and intro spiel, Kathy reminded us all that there is a Basic Bike Clinic next Sunday at 11AM. In case you are interested, there will still be a Sunday Ride next week, but if you opt to do the ride, you won't get back in time for the clinic. Remember to sign up and bring lunch.

Instead of taking the backroads, our group sped along California Ave., turned at Tilton and continued onto El Cerrito. Unfortunately, at that point, one of the riders got a flat, so Joy stayed back to make sure everything was okay.

Since we had a large group, we stopped briefly at the bottom of Crystal Springs before heading up the hill. Yvonne was the last one to start cycling up the hill but I'm pretty sure she was the first one to get to the top. That gal can crank. I later found out that she rides a Trek 5200 which has a CARBON FRAME. Ooooo! Maybe the lighter frame helps somewhat, but I'm convinced that 95% of the performance is her.

Margaret is also an impressive hill climber despite the fact that she's on a hybrid clunker. I saw her rider further and further away from me and even pass some roadies on clipless pedals! That's pretty cool. I chugged my way uphill slowly and steadily. About three quarters up the hill, I wanted to see if I could spin a little faster by using a lower gear and attempted to shift into my smallest ring in the front. That's when my chain slipped. Doh! Remembering that I could recover by shifting back into a bigger ring, I tried. And failed. Turns out this method doesn't work when you're going up a hill because you lose momentum and have to stop: my legs spun with absolutely no tension and I toppled to one side but landed on my feet.

I contemplated fixing my chain ring manually, but decided to push my bike up the rest of the hill and fix it there so that the other VGs would know what happened to me.

That was a good idea because I had forgotten how to slacken the chain even though it was covered in the Basic Bike Clinic. I knew it could be done easily by depressing a lever, but I mistakenly pushed and prodded the rear derailleur instead. Amy came over to show me the correct gizmo to do the trick. I think it's called the derailleur arm, but just in case I'm calling it the wrong thing look at the diagram near the bottom that has a picture of a rear derailleur and a long red line going through it: The lever you're supposed to swing in an anti-clockwise direction is the long arm that's sticking out of the rear derailleur pointing to seven o'clock.

In case your chain ever falls off, you can put back on by:

• Loosen chain (give it slack) by depressing the [derailleur arm]
• Pull chain to hook around a few teeth in the chainring in front
• Lift rear wheel and turn the pedal with your hand until the chain catches again

Next came the descent. Instead of staying in the bicycle lane, I took the car lane and it worked wonders. I kept on pedaling, feathered my brakes only 2-3 times and sailed downhill. I was in control and was a lot less nervous because I knew that I had lots of space on either side to maneuver in case I had to dodge something suddenly. Margaret clocked us at 25 mph. Woo hoo!

We usually stop at Canada but Margaret & I kept on going when we didn't see VGs congregated anywhere. Since there no cars on Canada, Margaret took this opportunity to practice riding with one hand. I took her lead and did the same. I've been much better at signaling with my hands lately. I can do it most of the time now and yell voice signals loudly when I can't.

At the bakery, we bought some cookies and took our usual break. I spoke for a bit with Alli, who was doing her first ride with clipless pedals on her beautiful Specialized Dolce Sport! Her first ride with VG was last Sunday, and before that she had only done some mtb. She's a triathlete and is going to tackle a Half Ironman this summer. Go Alli!

Exiting the bakery is a challenge because there always seems to be cars coming at you. There were a bunch of us huddled in a group and I had one foot in my toe cage. I needed to stop along with the pack but my caged foot was at the top of the pedal stroke and I didn't have enough time or space to take another stroke to bring it back down to 6 o'clock. So I "jumped" off my bike. That would have been impossible had I been using clipless pedals. What I should have done, since I knew there would be a lot of stop and go-six-inches, is put one foot in the toe cage, take a stroke but then leave it at 6 o'clock to coast and if necessary, push along the ground with my other foot.

On the way back, I cycled a bit with Jill. It was her first ride with VG. She works with the American Heart and Lung Foundation and will be organizing the Bike for Breath ride this summer. There will be four distances ranging from 20 miles to 100K (metric century). Jill will post to the group at some point because some VGs came out to ride last year and even volunteered at some of the aid stations.

By request (OK, mine) we took the pedestrian bridge route back. I tried explaining the method Holly uses to make the ad hoc left turn at the top, and then Margaret zipped off to demonstrate it. The rest of us also made it through safely - it helps that we were a big pack and was much more visible. Margaret and Jill said that they saw a deer on Polhemus.

I got stuck at some lights but fortunately Margaret waited for me so we headed down Polhemus together. As we passed El Cerrito I signaled for her to pull over one side since that road looked familiar. I wasn't sure whether everybody else ahead of us had taken El Cerrito or kept on going on Crystal Springs to follow the Official Directions.

Even though we had taken the El Cerrito route a couple of times, I wasn't quite sure of the way back since we seem to take a slightly different path back each time. I wanted to take the way Holly led us through once that was miraculously pothole-free but couldn't remember it. So we made an executive decision to follow the Official Directions instead since we knew those would definitely lead us back to Summit. Lesson: ride with a turn sheet! It's also wise to buddy up with somebody that cycles at approximately the same speed when you ride.

After we got back to HQ, we saw Jill who had also lost the pack but followed Ruth who knew the way. I thought we would be the last to arrive but we were the first ones there. Turns out Heather sent out a search party (Amy) to look for us. Shortly afterwards, we saw the rest of the pack cruise by. Fortunately, everybody made it back safely so all was well.

See y'all next Sunday!

My First Class Teaching Indoor Cycling!

I tried a couple of indoor cycling classes last year. They were difficult and I was distracted by severe discomfort. Those classes were a pain in the ass. Literally.

Even so, I became certified in case I'd like it enough AND be a strong enough cyclist to teach it one day. That day came sooner than I thought: I subbed for Becky and taught my first class today!

I had intended to get to class half an hour early, but only managed to get there 15 minutes beforehand. Normally, that would have been enough time, but I was new to the setup, and was a little flustered. The first thing I did was save a bike for Margaret. She said she'd be in class to lend moral support, and since this class occasionally fills up, I wanted to make sure she had a spot. Next, I had to switch out the instructor bicycle because it didn't have clipless pedals. Then I realized that the stereo cabinet was locked, and asked Sheila to retrieve the key. Afterwards, I had to fill my water bottle, put on my cycling shoes... Somehow, I managed to do everything on time.

I was very nervous at the beginning of class, and gave a spiel about safety, emphasized effort not speed, outlined Rules of the Road (no talking, no headphones) and pointed out my style of cueing (hand positions #1, 2 & 3; resistance levels 1-10). "Any questions?" I asked afterwards. "Yeah, who are you?" Doh!

After explaining who I was, I launched into class. I thought it went reasonably well, even though I had mechanical problems in the beginning and had to adjust my left cleat. I also found myself hyperventilating into the microphone a few times, and pushed the mouthpiece away from my face. I also wished I had learned the music better so I could coordinate the intervals with the musical phrases. Next time.

At the end of class, I told everybody that I had a confession to make - it was my first time teaching cycling. The participants were incredibly supportive and all told me they couldn't tell, they liked my class, asked me whether I'd have a permanent class, etc. That's one of the reasons why I love Stonestown Y members: they're so friendly, accommodating and understanding. I asked for feedback and a couple of people pointed out that I should turn down the music because there were times they couldn't hear me speaking. A number of them also commented that they liked my music: Burntrax Spin/Cycle #10 CD if you're interested.

As I mentiond before, Margaret was in class but I avoided her gaze since I was kinda embarrassed. Completely irrational, I know. Originally, we were supposed to go shopping for road bikes after class but I was pooped so we lifted weights instead.

We were treated by a pancake breakfast that followed starting at 11AM to honor volunteer staff, such as Margaret. It never ceases to amaze me how much care and effort she puts into her classes even though she doesn't get paid to teach them. The pancakes were tasty, and they even had a lucky draw to give away cakes. I won a poppyseed cake! I gave half of it away to Margaret since she's the volunteer and deserves it. We also got a free T-shirts each!

Healthy Eating Pyramid

I was listening to NPR one morning, and one of the guest speakers was Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. He discussed the US Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid, and suggested the Healthy Eating Pyramid as an alternative.

Here are the main elements of the Healthy Eating Pyramid which sit on a foundation of daily exercise and weight control:

• Whole Grain Foods (at most meals)
• Plant Oils
• Vegetables (in abundance) and Fruits (2 to 3 times)
• Fish, Poultry, and Eggs (0 to 2 times)
• Nuts and Legumes (1 to 3 times)
• Dairy or Calcium Supplement (1 to 2 times)
• Red Meat and Butter (Use Sparingly)
• White Rice, White Bread, Potatoes, Pasta, and Sweets (Use Sparingly)
• Multiple Vitamin
• Alcohol (in moderation)

The NPR transcript costs money, but you can read a similar interview with Dr. Willett on ABCnews.com.

First Kickboxing Class of 2004

It's been 3 weeks since I've taught cardio kickboxing. I was a little rusty today but managed to get through class. I've been listening to R13 music so much while I'm driving that I'm getting a little tired of it. Maybe I'll learn R12 for next week.

In other news, I forgot my aerobic studio shoes so I wore my Merrell moc/slides. They were black so nobody noticed until I pointed it out and then everybody started laughing.

People ask me why I teach group exercise. I'll try to explain it with something that happened tonight: While I was waiting for our gym to become available for class, I spoke to one of the participants. She's a lovely lady who told me how much she enjoyed my class. Then she told me she had a brain tumor. My jaw dropped. She said my classes help her because she has fun and she imagines that she's attacking her tumor when she kicks and punches.

YMCA Indoor Cycling Certification Write Up

I'm teaching my first indoor cycling class this Saturday so I finally typed up my YMCA Indoor Cycling Certification notes from last June.

For additional inspiration and insight, I headed over to Dino's class tonight. I got there early at 7:05PM and the sign up sheet was already full! Gosh darn it! I bet you it was packed with annoying New Year Resolutioners who are going to drop out in less than a month's time. Bah, humbug!

Bike Fit by Chris Kautz (PK Racing)

Here are my bike fit notes that I took at a lecture given by Chris Kautz of PK Racing last year.

It's in bullet form because I was taking notes on my BlackBerry PDA and my thumbs could only move so fast! It's not as organized as I'd like because the lecture itself was relatively free form. From reading the notes, you won't learn how to do a bike fit yourself, but it will at least help you ask the right questions when you get a fit done.

Velo Girls' Basic Bike Clinic

Here's my writeup of the Velo Girls'^* Basic Bike Clinic that I attended last November 2003.

My writeup is based on the outline that Lorri handed out during the clinic, I just embellished it with tidbits I gleaned from Lorri, her two assistant coaches: Cayce & Pat, and other participants. Let me know if you spot something incorrect and I'll fix it.

If it's not obvious from my writeup, I highly recommend it. I learned a ton and significantly improved my bike handling skills and increased my confidence. There is no substitute for attending this clinic in person. 90% of the benefit was from Lorri's coaching, not from learning the facts I've posted. Lorri paid attention to every single participant there, and gave personalized feedback and encouragement. She would notice when I had a worried look on my face, and say something like "You can do it, Lauren". As soon as I heard that I would think "Yeah, I CAN do this", and go for it... and succeed.

If you are a female cyclist in the Bay Area and haven't taken the clinic before, sign up for the next one IMMEDIATELY! And join Velo Girls for 2004 if you haven't already done so.

^*I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be an apostrophe at the end of "Girls"?!

Music Piracy

I'm delighted when people read my blog and email me about it. But I was shocked and dismayed when "Instructor X" emailed me after he/she read my Turbo Kick review webpage and asked to pirate my music! I don't even know where to start as to why I thought this was in such bad taste. I'm postig the entire email exchange below in chronological order. Instructor X's comments are in maroon, mine are green:

Hi
I liked your page on TKB
I want to get the music for round 12 - 15.
Do you have this music.
If so, would you consider a burn swap of other music.
Instructor X

---

Glad you liked my TKB web page. I do have the music for R12-15 but I don't feel comfortable burning copies aside for personal use (backup purposes).

Regards,
Lauren

I thought this would be the end of the story, but for some reason I get a follow up email. Am I paranoid, or does this sound like entrapment?

Lauren,
I feel perfectly comfortable with it. Are you sure? I have some really good kickbox music I could give you in return. No names/No problem
Instructor X

---

Who are you? I don't like corresponding with people I don't know.

---

well, since burning is not totally accepted by all people , I don't want to divulge my personal info. But just suffice it to say that I'm an instructor and I just want some new music. Rounds 12 - 15 to be exact! No names needed. I'd just send you some music and you'd send me some music. I'll send first if you request. Perfectly safe.
Instructor X

OK, so this person knows who I am but is unwilling to divulge their own info. If it's perfectly safe, why don't they come out and say who they are? Can anybody say "Nigerian Scam" three times quickly?

Well you already know my name which is why I ask. Plus I'm not even sure you're a TK instructor.

---

Hi
I know your name but I have no idea who you are and that is fine with me. I really am a TK instructor. I have rounds 1 - 11 & 16. I'm just wanting to complete my set. I don't need video ...just music is all I desire. Rounds 12 - 15. I am a TKB instructor but I also do Tae Bo and other types in my class. I've taught for over 3 years. I just love the TKB music and I'd like to have more of it for the new year. I have some really awesome kickbox music from other companies and if you like, I'll burn and send you copies. I'd really enjoy having the TKB music in return.
Instructor X

"I really am a TK instructor". Oh! Well, in THAT case... Duh!

You have given me no reason to trust you, not even a token sign of good faith by revealing your name.

As I stated before, I don't burn music for any purpose other than to make backups for myself. You may be comfortable with this, but I am not. I am absolutely, 100%, positively, sure that I don't want to exchange music with you. If you have awesome kickboxing music, email me the titles and I'll buy an original copy if I like it.

---

If I gave you my name and you trusted me, you wouldn't burn music anyway, right? This is perfectly fine, I just thought you might be interested. No reason for bad feelings. I do this all the time with people that are cool with it. If you are not comfortable that is fine. I'm sorry to offend you, I just thought you may be interested and you kept asking me questions and I answered them.
Instructor X

Followed immediately by another email:

Also, I just wanted to tell you that it's only an effort to save a bit of money. I will buy my own originals too and I have spend much money with TKB. But I can't keep spending $50 plus dollars for every round. I think that is really too much money. Including my cert costs and CCEs, I've spent over $1500 for the honor of teaching TKB. My feeling is that that is way to much money. I don't end up making anything for all my work and investment. Anyway, that's just how I feel. Maybe you should put these concerns on your web page because I know hundereds of instructors that feel exactly as I do about this. Instuctor XYo

---

I didn't take any offense, but you are correct. I would not have sent you material even if you had given me your name, but I thought you would tell me anyway out of simple curtesy. I felt like I was being set up when I first told you I didn't want to exchange music and you followed up with an email asking me if I was sure since you were comfortable with it.

Trust me - I understand that you're just trying to save money. I agree that $50/round is too much which is why I won't buy any new ones without a significant discount - it's the same reason why I bought the "Elite 11" so I could stock up @ $16/round. I thought I put that on my webpage but I'll revisit it and update to reflect these concerns as required.

If you would like to continue being TK certified, my understanding is that you'll need to buy at least 2 rounds every 2 years anyway? Somebody told me that they dropped the requirement of actually attending a workshop in person because they're not offered everywhere just yet.

No hard feelings. Best of luck with your teaching.

Regards,
Lauren

P.S. I may post this email thread in my blog because I find it fascinating. The intent is not to turn you in or anything so I won't put your email address anywhere in case somebody can recognize you from it.

---

Posting my email is perfectly fine with me but I would appreciate keeping the email address private. I don't know about the elite 11, I'll go back to your site to see if it is mentioned. I didn't see it on the TKB site. Thanks for your time and info.
Instructor X

Happy New Year!

I've worked out only once since my last posting on 12/21/03. My family was in town over the holidays for MY WEDDING (yay!) so I made a point to have dinner with them every night so I didn't get a chance to hit the gym. The one time I was organized enough to sneak in a run was on Christmas morning. D & I did a brief 4-mile run. I was still suffering from my Ailment which didn't make it very enjoyable.

Today marks the first day of training in 2004. I started off the year with a bang: I taught a 7:30AM step class and then did Becky's 8:30AM indoor cycling class. Step went reasonably well. Class wasn't full - there were about four steps left over - which was surprising since I thought everybody would come in droves as part of their New Year's resolution to work out more.

I'm beginning to worry that I'm using too complex choreography; while there are definitely some participants who can do everything, I don't want to make it so hard as to intimidate beginner and intermediate steppers. I asked Margaret about this, and she pointed out that there are plenty of other beginner and intermediate classes on weekdays, and that it's reasonable to have a slightly more difficult class on Saturday mornings.

Nothing of note during indoor cycling today other than class was so full that Becky gave her cycle to a participant and just cued the entire class.

Afterward our cardio workout, Margaret & I lifted some weights. I know I'll be feeling it tomorrow.