Retul Fall Special

RETÜL FALL SPECIAL

WHY RETÜL?

Bike Fits Must be Dynamic
Most bike fit specialists fit riders in a static position. This is because the traditional tools of the trade — tape measures and plumb bobs — don’t allow accurate measurements while the rider is pedaling. Retül captures the rider’s position relative to his/her pedaling motion, and therefore creates the most realistic replication of the actual pedal stroke and body position when out on the road and trails.

Measurements must be Accurate
Measurements made by traditional tools have one thing in common: they are subject to human error and therefore can be devastatingly inaccurate. Even slight inaccuracies can completely change the rider’s feel after a ride. The general rule is that if you feel pain, something can probably be changed to eliminate that pain. Retül uses motion capture technology that accurate to within less than a millimeter, creating true objective data which can be utilized by the right fitter for the perfect biomechanical fit.

RETÜL HAS BEEN THE CHOICE OF MANY TOP TRIATHLETES AND CYCLIST FROM AROUND THE WORLD (Visit the RETÜL BLOG for more)



CRAIG ALEXANDER - 2008 IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPION

FALL SALE PRICING!

BIKE FIT: SALE PRICE $175.00 / REG $250.00
BIKE TUNE UP: SALE PRICE $50.00 / REG $80.00
COMBO: SALE PRICE $225.00

CONTACT MAT STEINMETZ (mat at retul dot com) TO SCHEDULE YOUR FIT OR TUNE UP. (Offer expires November 22, 2009)

RETÜL HAS RECENTLY OPENED A NEW STUDIO IN BOULDER (LOCATED ABOVE CHRISTY SPORTS)

Retül Studios Boulder
2040 30th Street, Ste C
Boulder, CO 80301
(Between Pearl and Walnut)
www.retul.com

Muncie Endurathon 09

Things have been going great for me over the past two months. My training has been more consistent than ever and I've managed to get all injuries under control...they aren't fixed, but with the right attention, I've got it to the point where I'm not limited in my training volume.

I raced the Muncie Endurathon this past weeked, which is the World's longest running Half Ironman distance race. It has been home to the World Championships and was a Kona qualifier back in the day. The race doesn't seem to be as big of a deal anymore, but still has a large feild and is a very well organized event. There aren't too many races that have a closed course...and by closed, I mean, you get both lanes on a major road.

My race, even though the end result wasn't much to speak of, was one of my best experience in a long course race. The swim was very choppy, probably the choppiest I've ever raced in. The chop came from the side most of the swim and I struggled to find a rhthym feeling off balance for the majority of it.

At mile two of the bike, my tire popped. The tube blew the tire off the rim and was trapped between the tire and rim, so I still had some tire pressure. I didn't write about this, but a few months ago the same thing had happened around mile 40 of a race I was leading and I was unable to get the issue resolved.

This time after it happened, I wasn't taking any chances and turned around to seek tech support (Adam Rodkey) to get it fixed right. I knew that any intentions I had of competing for the podium were gone, but I had to finish this race for myself.

I've been using Zipp clincher race wheels with latex tubes. The latex tubes are what seem to be the problem and I can't rule out user error as I must be over inflating these suckers. The clincher with the latex tube is supposed to be faster than a tubular glued the way a triathlete must glue it if he/she ever expects to get it off. However, if dissaster strikes, I feel that tubulars are a little more fool proof, but more expensive to change. I'll be rolling butyl tubes until I decide on what to do.

When I got back to the race start, Adam was helping out another lady and I just patiently waited...I wasn't in a huge hurry. About 25-30 min later I was back on the road, starting my race all over again. It was hard at times to stay motivated on the bike, but I eventually started rolling past some of the other athletes that went off in the open wave, which got me going again. One thing that I did that made me chuckle, is that I pulled over to relieve myself on the bike course. I was thinking back to when I first started racing and would take a leak mid stride during the run of a race where I was nowhere near being in contention...it went everywhere:-) So, this time, I thought..."I'm not going to mess myself for 50th place in my division."

Finished the bike strong and started getting myself ready for the run. By this time the rain was coming down hard, which I actually preferred over the hot and steamy run that normally occurs in Muncie. This run was very important for me...I needed to prove to myself that I was capable of having a good one. I've had a foot injury that has been lingering for a while now, I've not done much specific training to run a fast Half IM. The training is very high risk for me and I'm from the school of running is better than no running.

I took off at a pace I KNEW I could finish at...so, that was my safety net. Another thing I wanted to experiment with was how few calories I could take in on the run and still be strong after a properly fueled bike (350 cals/hr). I've had stomach issues in the past. Some issues were my own doing from pacing errors etc., but I've also had races where either I lack the ability to handle much at a high intensity or what I was taking in didn't agree with me. With these shorter races, I'm not going to slow down on the run so I can tolerate a gel. I either don't need it and am taking too much or need to try and train my ability to tolerate this...

...so, I set off with a small flask of Carbo Pro and a Nuun tab (about 112 cals) and just settled in. Everytime I hear the word flask I think of what my college buddies would say to that. I began catching and passing people immediately, which was a great feeling. I decided at mile 8 I was going to turn it on and battle to the finish. I had a big change in pace (probably a bit too much) and was running like I was doing a 5k and passing more athletes. I started to run out of energy around mile 12, which was all up hill to the finish, but I managed to negative split the run, finishing in 1:28.

I'm thinking that if I had taken in another 100 or so calories I wouldn't have faded at the end, but I'm still happy with the outcome. I've got a faster run in me, but this was a "must" in my ability to do so. Having a great experience by being strong at the end of a long course triathlon is a great experience that some never give themselves a chance to do (me included). Had I started out hard and died at mile 8 rather than picking it up, my experience would have been not so good.

There are better ways to race the run...like holding pace the entire way, but until you've got the endurance and race experience to do so, I like the idea of taking it easy and picking it up in the last half to quarter of the race. For Ironman, I think this strategy would be more difficult since the biggest limiter for most is their leg durability. Even if they wanted to run faster, they can't because their legs are trashed from the pounding. This can also be true for inexperienced or low volume athletes racing a Half Ironman.

That's all for now. I'll attempt to be a little better with my updates!

Mat