One veteran Ironman triathlete's venture into the ultramarathon realm where there are seemingly no limits to human endurance. Any triathlete who is interested in doing an ultramarathon should check here for tips and advice. For workouts leading to a successful finish at the Vermont 100 Mile Ultramarathon, you can find daily workouts at http://joegoldschedule.blogspot.com

Saturday, October 17, 2009

October 17 - Mesocycle 1, Week 2

This one is for bike safety. Always use top quality parts. Your life may depend on it.

One raw day yesterday. Another today. And yet another tomorrow. I'm rolling with the punches though. The hike is cancelled for tomorrow, so I'll be running agin. For today's workouts, we have a 5 mile run and a 4 mile bike.

A 4 mile bike? What is this?

Well, seems like the cable housing that serves the rear gears in the back decided to fray. This cable housing was installed last year. What gives? Well, the new cable now had this plastic farrel at the end of it. These farrels used to be metal, and I took a quick note of this when I installed the cable housing last year.

Well, it doesn't hold up well, when I shifted to a smaller gear, the cable actually ate through the farrel and sliced through the housing, screwing up the tension in the cable. No tension in the cable means I'm stuck with a huge gear without the ability to adjust.

Is it me or do I really start seeing the quality of EVERYTHING going to #$%@? This is a major concern for me when it comes to my bike, because I want to know that I am getting top quality parts for my bike for safety's sake, right down to the little farrels.

My advice to you today, always check on the quality of parts when you order parts to maintain your bike. On busy roads, you'll definitely need to count on them not to fail because your life can literally depend on it. Trust me.

As for the workouts, the 5 mile run was done on a flat and fast road course (South Ave) for a total of 44:34. The 4 mile bike? 13:02.

Tomorrow will be a 10 mile run over the Bayonne Bridge into New Jersey in lieu of the hike that was cancelled. Wish me luck.

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