Leif Baradoy» training

Run and Bike

Leif Baradoy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:57:23 +0000

Since I’ve started juggling work, work, and work, I am still finding lots of time to run and bike. Swimming, on the other hand, needs some attention. I just find is far more difficult to fit in. I commute to work almost daily by bike, so taking a long way to work and back gets me 1-1.5 hours/day of cycling. I run with the dogs a few times a week and sometimes even run in to work. Swimming is a destination workout rather than a multipurpose activity, so it is hard to make it happen.

Also, you should go browse Rapha. They have some gorgeous cycling clothes.

Tripleshot Shots

Leif Baradoy — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:24:03 +0000

My partner has been getting up early and doing the Tripleshot Cycling morning rides, so she’s been motivating me to join her.

Last Friday, professional photographer Brad Hartley was out snapping some shots. I really like his work, so I thought I’d share a couple snaps of me suffering and rocking the Oak Bay Bikes kit.

Mind Games: Finding the Joy

Leif Baradoy — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 03:39:14 +0000

I took this past week off from training to mentally regroup, focus on other parts of life, and remind myself why I do sport in the first place. I love training and I love racing. I love pushing myself but I also love the solitude of a good trail run or the presence of mind one needs to have in fast moving group rides.

Laura (my partner) has started attending the Triple Shot morning rides, so on I went to the Friday morning ride with her. Woke up at 5:00, left the house on the bike at 5:30, group ride started at 6:00. I went out with the A group and it was just what I needed (I also have to learn better sprint tactics). After coffee, I spent more time on the bike heading home the long way and then doing some extra stuff. This ride helped remind me that I love cycling, I love pushing myself on the bike, and I love training.

Earlier today, I ran at Mt. Work with my dogs. While I had more knee issues after about 30min, getting lost on the single track mountain bike trails through lush, west coast forest was a real pleasure. Again, I started triathlon because I love to run, bike, and swim. I train because I love it. I race because I love it.

The reminder of my passion puts my shitty race in perspective.

Up next: Get some physio. Keep training as much as possible while looking for work (or startup funding). Love life.

Lemond Trainer Review

Leif Baradoy — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:46:45 +0000

Thanks to Oak Bay Bikes, I’m the proud owner of the Lemond Revolution trainer. I did a fair amount of research on new trainers (and rollers) and the Lemond stood out because it can handle hard sets and accelerations and doesn’t have the same sticky or muddy feel as most conventional (tire-on-roller) trainers. Positive reviews from people like Simon Whitfield served to reinforce my decision.

After using the Lemond Revolution for the past couple weeks (during Victoria’s crazy snow/wind storm weather), I can say that the Lemond really works for me. It makes long trainer sessions far more bearable, which is good since I anticipate spending many hours on it, especially as I gear up for Ironman Arizona over the fall of 2011.

Pros

No wear on tires
Amazingly road like feel because the flywheel gains inertia. Obviously, reading about a ‘feel’ doesn’t cut it, so try to demo this trainer at your local bike shop

Cons

Weight: During the winter and in foul weather, I lug my bike and trainer around to indoor group sessions. The Lemond is very solid and therefore heavy (32lbs). Be prepared for this if you’re going to pick one up.
Noise: This thing is definitely one of the louder trainers out there, due to the large flywheel, which sounds a little like a white noise jet engine. Training solo in my garage with music or action movies is fine, but the Lemond required that my training partners raise their voices to chat with one another in warm-ups and cool-downs.

The Lemond is great if you like training more than chatting. Obviously, since I purchased it, I’d recommend this product to roadies and triathletes alike.

If you can, try to test a Lemond Revolution at your local bike store. Once you get the feel of it, you’ll be hooked! In Victoria, Oak Bay Bikes has an unboxed Revolution that you can spin on.

Cycling News also has a good review of the trainer here, although I think their rating (3 out of 5 stars) is rather low.

No related posts.

Cycling Tips: Be Safe and Know Your Rights

Leif Baradoy — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 08:16:32 +0000

Probability sucks. The longer I ride my bike to train and commute, the more likely I am to experience some sort of collision or accident. Last year I had a minor run in with a tow truck on a rainy day.

Thankfully, both my bike (commuter) and I were okay. If you follow the road cycling or triathlon community, let alone the experience of work commuters, you know how lucky I am.

I love my sport and I love my life. I’d like to continue enjoying both for years to come. Here are some tips to staying safe on the road.

Maintain your bicycle in good working order. Simple. You should be doing this already because you care about your bike . . . and you need to be able to stop. A combination of personal care for your bike with tune-ups at your local bicycle store will keep you enjoying the streets and roads.
Be as visible as possible to others. I don’t always wear hot neon, but I make sure that my LED lights are charged (especially during these gray West Coast days) and that I’m not decked out in all black.
Cycle in traffic safely and predictably. If drivers can anticipate what you’re going to do most of them will do there best to accomodate you.
Identify dangers and stay mentally focused. This might be someone in the peloton that you need to stay well ahead (or behind) of. It might be a car that just passed you that is about to make a sudden right hand turn. Staying mentally focused on safety, not just the workout, is critical. Check out bicyclesafe.com for some good reminders and stats on all the different ways cars might come at you.
Safety over training. If my coach gives me something like intervals to ride, I want to ride them and I don’t want to interrupt my session by slowing down, stopping, etc. I suspect other athletes might be geared the same way. I often have to consciously go against the part of me that wants to train hard at all costs and always ask first if I am riding safe. Of course, with proper planning, there are many safe places to do hard sets, so don’t use safety as an excuse for laziness. Most critically, don’t use training as the excuse to risk your life or wellbeing.
Know and obey the rules of the road.
Signal. I point and signal when I am turning or changing lanes. No need to surprise drivers.
If you are conscious and able, don’t panic.
Always carry identification. I often carry my debit or credit card and some photo identifaction, but I also wear a Road ID. The Road ID is a simple wristband with basic medical and emergency contact information; a bracelet that can communicate on your behalf, in the event that you’re unable. When I first heard of this product, I thought it was safety overkill. A marketing gimmick. Then I realized that, if I ever actually needed to have one, it could well be the best $20 I ever spent. Road ID is a peace-of-mind product that you don’t ever want to need.
Protect yourself legally. If you are in an accident or collision, you need to know your rights and be prepared to gather the right information for insurance, court, and other bureaucracies. Download and print the Cyclist’s Collision Checklist. Read it and keep a copy of this in a ziplock bag in your saddlebag. Hopefully you will never need it. This brochure was created by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Clinic, so it is specific to British Columbia, but I believe their advice is relevant for most cyclists.
Respect the road, respect vehicles, respect your own fragility.
Don’t be an asshole, even when other people are. This can be really hard sometimes, especially when the adrenaline is pumping. There’s times I’ve cursed, spat, bird-flipped, etc. at drivers for intentionally or unintentionally endangering my person. These reactions fail to teach the driver anything and only increase the driver’s animosity towards cyclists. Plus, these sort of reactions often fail to teach me what I could have done differently to have avoided the situation in the first place. My priority is my own safety, not teaching or telling off drivers.

I might come up with more later, but that’s it for now. Enjoy the road!

Stay Motivated in the Off-Season

Leif Baradoy — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:53:03 +0000

Off-season is here for most athletes I know, which means many of us are trying to play catch up on all the other responsibilities that we couldn’t fully invest in during race season. This goes for pros and age-groupers alike, I think. Certainly, this is the situation I find myself in.

First off, motivation is something that ultimately comes from within the individual. No one can give it to you. However every athlete goes through low periods where energy is down, focus is lost, and motivation is hard to find. During these periods, external sources can help prime-the-pump of motivation.

My life is packed with commitments outside of sport, like graduate school, which demand my attention. While I am focusing on that priority I’ve been tempted to let my fitness slide back (eg. eat/drink what I want, skip workouts, fail to take care of my body). I believe strongly in the importance of rest and the mental break that off-season provides, however there is too much of a good thing.

Here are some of the things I’m doing to maintain a solid base while my focus is shifted to my studies (which I aim to complete in April 2011).

Select my A races
Knowing what my key races are for next season is one of my biggest motivators. These races give workouts a sense of purpose because I can relate my training to the concrete reality of an event. Additionally, knowing which races are critical allows me to plan the rest of my year around those events. I strongly recommend planning your 2011 race season as soon as you can.
Be realistic and succeed
I am realistic about how much training I can do during this period. When I set and achieve realistic goals, I’m motivated to continue in that pattern. If I imagine I can do more than is possible, then the resulting failure often means that I do even less that what is realistically possible (likely because I spend so much mental energy worrying about all I think I should be doing, rather than doing what I can).
Get a coach, join a club, or find a training partner
Training with others is a great way to decrease the amount of time you’re in the downswing of motivation. Triathlon may be an individual sport, but the process that gets athletes to race day is by no means individualistic. The off-season is a great time to look for a coach or a group as they will likely have experienced some amount of athlete turnover after the end of the season. This is an opportunity to get in with that team or coach who always seems to have a waiting list. A good coach is more-than-worth the investment. My coach, Noa, certainly helps keep me working by setting expectations and adding variety to workouts. I’d likely come out of the off-season 20 pounds heavier if it weren’t for her! Of course, not everyone can afford a coach, but it doesn’t cost anything to find other athletes to train with—even if it is only one every few weeks. You don’t have to go it alone!
Sign up for some fun races
Go have some fun! I love to participate in the local winter trail race series, which I treat as enjoyable training sessions with scores of other happy athletes. These races give me something to look forward to the short term and they also allow me to try different race strategies (like starting aggressively or building into a solid pace) in an environment where failure isn’t possible.

These are just a few of the things that keep me motivated in the regular time of the off-season. Hope they provide some help.