2015 Puerto Rico Half Marathon

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this race so if you guys notice any conflicting feelings in what I write on this recap, I apologize in advance. I also apologize for not giving away that I was doing this race. It was gonna be a surprise. Being my first race of the year, I have never done a "first" race so late into the year.

Get my vote for Running Short of the Year

 I have spent most of the past week trying to put together this recap and I can tell you, it has been a roller coaster of emotion. I don't know if to feel good or frustrated or whatever so I'm just gonna try to give you the facts and maybe you can help me reach a conclusion here.

I was under-trained, that much is certain. I managed to run pretty regularly during weekdays  for the last few months but I missed some crucial long runs, including the last two, so it's not like I was expecting to PR. In fact, it sort of played into my race strategy in a way. This year is all about two things: Participating in a triathlon and training for the Goofy Challenge. Part of my strategy for the latter, is to train to the point where running a Half Marathon becomes a "normal" thing. Well, as normal as running a Half could be. In other words, I want to be able to run a Half, taking it easy and not feel like a bag of soreness the next day. So, with the lack of long runs, taking it easy was sort of a given in this case. A PR was not even in the discussion for this race. I figured that if I finished somewhere around 3 hours, it would be great and still over 20 minutes less than my first Half Marathon.

Had to wear this the entire weekend

The course for this race is as challenging as it is scenic. Full of ups and downs including a couple of pretty steep hills and one long ascent right before the final stretch, which is mercifully downhill. Again, not the place to go try stupid things.

Come to Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Marathon and Half Marathon is, for all intents and purposes, still in it's infancy. I believe this is the third year it's been done. Despite that, it is very well organized and it is being touted as a destination race to bring in tourism. Sure enough there were many people from the U.S. and plenty of locals but it is still a bit of a way away from a "huge" race like say the World's Best 10K. I believe there were less than 3,000 runners.

The start time was 5am, which meant a 3am wake up for me. Not pleasant but this ensured I finished before the Sun and the brutal heat the island is known for, was in full strength. The downside, especially for the visitors from abroad, is that you run most of the race in the dark which kind of negates the whole "Run in Paradise" tag line of the race. By the final 2 miles of the race though, it's bright enough to get some breathtaking vistas of Old San Juan and the Atlantic Ocean. Awesome stuff.

Flat Frank, and now that I notice... my wife's bra.

My stomach had been feeling weird since the day before and I was trying to get in a bathroom visit before that start just as I ran into Frankie "The Jet" and his wife Nadya. Frankie (who still owes me his recap of the Star Wars Half) was running his first full marathon. He finished in less than 5 hours so you can understand why I call him "The Jet". Nadya was running her first Half and did awesome. In fact, she kicked my butt.

After sorting the bathroom issues we lined up, the anthems were sung and we were off. I quickly settled into a pace that I felt was comfortable. After a few miles, I realized that I was going a bit fast. Not Philly Marathon fast but still fast enough. I tried to adjust my pace but I have realized that when I use the Galloway Method, slowing down the running interval is an issue for me. It's just instinct I guess. You are walking and when that alert goes off to run you just take off. Then, since you are "fresher" than you would be if you were just running and since you figure you are gonna walk in a bit, you just keep running fast. I really, really have to work on that as I increase my mileage.

For 10 miles, it was all well and good. For a moment, I was thinking "maybe I can pull a sub-3 in my home turf. That would be so great!" It was around this time that the elites running the marathon passed me at a speed that I still can't believe is possible to sustain for 26.2 miles. I was supposed to take my second gel at mile ten but there was not an aid station close to take water to wash it down so I did not take it. Then at mile 11, the wheels came off in pretty spectacular fashion. After seeing 13's on my Garmin most of the way, mile 11 showed a 14. I knew what was coming next. Even though it has happened before, I'm still surprised at how sudden it actually happens. One moment you are doing fine then "pufff!" your legs simply don't want to run anymore. By the time I reached the next station I was walking way more than I was running. By the final mile I managed to run all the way to the finish but the damage was done. 3 hours and three minutes... I didn't come in last but it felt like I did.

That final stretch to the finish was brutal. Pardon my french but I was pissed. Very pissed. I feel better now that I have calmed a bit after sitting down to analyze the positives of the whole race, which were several, but it still stings.

I was aiming to run the race "in around 3 hours" which I did. So what's my problem? I wasn't aiming for a PR and I wasn't supposed to go sub-3 on this one so what gives? What pisses me off is my inability to execute my racing strategy.

Awesome bling

If I had played it conservatively and ran slower, I'm pretty sure the bonk would not have happened. It was a totally unnecessary mishap and on top of that, I would have probably finished in around the same time anyway. Ok, ok so you might probably think "but Frank you ran a pretty good race and finished in the desired time. Better yet, you finished." Well, yes you're right but I'm thinking long term here. This is a mistake I simply cannot make at the Goofy Challenge. On this race, it just means I bonked and was sore during my goddaughter's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's later that day. At Disney, this could very well send me to the sweep bus during the Marathon. There is much work to be done. Three years I have been running, and I still can't kick the habit of running races like the fate of the World depended on it.

Still, I'm not gonna leave out the positives. The fact that I can run for 10 miles no problem at this pace, even with training issues, is a testament to progress. This is the guy who could barely run a mile and a half after all..

Done

Having said all that, I think I'm gonna start a campaign for runners to come do this Half. Apart from my particular issues, this was an awesome race with great volunteers and good crowd support. Once the Sun comes out you get to enjoy some beautiful scenery and the final stretch all the way to the finish is one of the most gorgeous I have ever witnessed in a race. The bling is the best I have seen at any race in the island. So come to Puerto Rico. Run this race and witness how beautiful this island is and celebrate with me at the finish after I obtain redemption next year. You can even take a dip on the beach right at the finish line.

...in with the new.

If you read my post about when I bought my bike, then you might have a good idea by now that big purchases are not taken lightly around here. In this particular case, I spent months reading, researching and going to dealerships. And it's not like I don't know about cars. I enjoy reading about cars and the car industry in general but still, the hard, and annoying work of going to look and drive the cars can be tedious. Anyone who has dealt with an overzealous salesperson that won't let you go knows what I mean.

When I bought our family mini-van, I literally test drove them all before buying one. But that was easy. There are not that many of those on the market. This time around, I decided to buy a mid-size sedan. Aside from pick-up trucks, it is probably the most competitive segment in America. Pretty much every brand has one and they are all quite good in their own way. Here are the cars I tested:

1. Hyundai Sonata
2. Toyota Camry
3. Chevy Malibu
4. Mazda 6
5. Honda Accord
6. Subaru Legacy
7. Chrysler 200
8. Ford Fusion
9. Kia Optima
10. Nissan Altima
11. Volkswagen Passat

Yup. Every single car. I'm sure that between this, and the bicycle post, some of you are concerned that I might suffer from OCD or something like that but I assure you, I don't do this all the time. However, when it comes to buying things that are gonna be in my life for a long time, I stress the details. After all, you are gonna have to live with your decision for a long time, hopefully.

After much deliberation, I decided the Mazda 6 was the top choice, followed very closely by the Chrylser 200. After all, both Motor Trend  and Car & Driver magazines named the 6 the best mid-size sedan (they hardly agree like that) and both also noticed the incredible improvement Chrysler made with the 200. I agree. Both drove very well and had everything I was looking for. In the end, I chose...

That's right. I went with the 200. Why not the top choice? Two reasons: First, the 200 has a much more pleasant interior and a killer info-tainment system (that's the combination of radio, bluetooth, phone, entertainment and driver info) and that was important as the car is basically going to be my office and I will spend a lot of time there.

Second, And I know this is gonna sound weird from a guy who technically doesn't live in the U.S. and even a little sappy, but I bought it because it is made in the U.S.A. America needs to build stuff again. If I want it to build stuff again then I need to buy stuff that's made there. So, even though the 200 was slightly more expensive, I went with it. By the way this isn't some political sermon or anything. Please, by all means, go buy whatever vehicle suits your particular needs and wants. As you saw in my previous post, I have owned cars from several other countries including Japan, Korea and Germany. But I had a choice and decided to support our workers. It's just the way I feel.

And besides, have you ever seen anything cooler??!! Sorry for the overly dramatic shots but the wanna-be photographer in me could not help himself. 20 years owning cars and I still can't get over how good cars look in black, even if it's a pain to keep clean. This particular model, the 200 S, comes with black accents so the blacked out effect is pretty awesome, especially with the dark wheels. Elegant, yet still feels like "me".

Looove the wheels

Huge Screen

The interior is full of goodies to make your life easier and it has been a big change to be able to control everything from the steering wheel and my voice. I'll spare you my review of the car but it rides very well. It's a bit on the firm side because of the large wheels but I don't mind as they improve handling and traction. Very happy person right here.

By the way, sorry it took me so long to reveal which car I chose but it rained the whole week after I bought it. I wasn't about to show you a brand new, dirty car. Also with this post I'm also delivering on a long overdue promise I made you guys to take pics of the "Ruta del Ciclista". That's where these pics were taken so you can imagine how terrible it must be to ride bicycles there on Sunday mornings.

Yeah... really sucks to ride here. lol

So that was it. New car. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Farewell, Old Friend

I remember my first car.

A 1989 Volkswagen Fox. My parents gave it to me so I could go to and from college. It was small for a guy my size and boxy and ugly, but I loved it. More importantly I was thankful that my parents made the sacrifice to get me this car. Besides, it had air conditioning and a cassette player to put in my well-worn Metallica tapes. It was all I needed.

Very much like this, without the nice wheels. Or the sunroof...

The car turned out to be a complete disaster. First, it had a nasty habit of burning the starter. When I mean habit, I mean it did all the time. On two separate occasions, it did it the second the mechanic handed me the keys after just fixing it. He told me he had never seen anything like that in his life. And it's not like he was making any money on this. The repairs were under warranty so the numerous times he fixed it I didn't pay a thing so he hated it just as much as I did. It got so bad, I learned to identify the problem simply by smelling the car. Yes, I know what "burned starter" smells like. A trick a lot of people were amazed of. Of course, if a car doesn't have a starter, you can't turn it on. Thankfully, it had a manual transmission so I could push it to make it turn over. Very rarely, I would have people around me to help me push but since the car was so small I could push it myself. It became kind of a game. A challenge. The equivalent of landing on an aircraft carrier. How much distance did I need to make it turn over. I would do it in front of walls, right before a cliff... fun times. I became quite good at it.

Apart from the starter debacle, the car lacked a door handle on the passenger side. Anyone who knew the trick could open it and potentially steal it, but no one did. Then again, who would want to? They probably couldn't get to turn over anyway. 

Then, there were the two incidents that finally made my parents get rid of the car. Once while returning home from college, the brakes failed. Again, because the car was a manual, I managed to get home by braking with the tranny. I still smile when people ask me why all my cars have had manual transmissions. Finally, my Foxy adventures ended in a blaze of glory. I mean that literally. The car caught on fire. The poles on the battery made contact with the hood and caused a spark and flame on! It required a complete overhaul of the electrical system and my parents sold it after that. Memories...

I've had many cars after that. Some I had for pretty long periods. Like my 1995 Chevy Cavalier and 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Both black. Both, in their time, became my signature of sorts. Something people identified with me and my personality.

Others, didn't last too long. Like my 1999 Isuzu Rodeo. My first and only SUV. I totalled it while crossing an intersection. The actual hit wasn't that bad, but it was enough to upset the balance of the Rodeo and make it flip over. Several times. I landed some 300 feet away from where the hit happened, without a single scratch and I wasn't even wearing a seat belt. (Please folks, don't do that.) I smile when people ask me why I don't like buying SUV's. All this, I should add, happened before I made a single payment on it.

Then there was my 2004 Toyota Matrix XRS. I loved that car. Loved the way it looked, loved the noises the engine made, loved to drive it. It was a thing of beauty. Loved everything about that car. What I didn't love, was the way it got stolen from a Church parking lot of all places, less than a year after I bought it. That's bad. That it happened 2 weeks before my wedding, was worse. It appeared the next day abandoned and dismantled beyond repair.

It was true love

Which brings me to modern times. In the middle of an impending wedding and a lot of stress, I bought a 2005 Mazda 3 Limited Edition. The car I have driven to this day.

Doesn't look like this anymore. Trust me.

I didn't know it at the time, but this is the car I would own for the longest time ever. 10 years. I don't hold on to cars that long. My job keeps me on the road and my cars take a beating so, when they are not totalled or stolen, I often keep them for about 5 to 6 years, but life happened. I got married, had kids... the usual. I bought a mini-van a while back but that's not my car. It's the family car. My wife drives it. I drive that on the weekends. This, was my bread and butter and it has served me well. It's pretty beat up and needs a lot of love that I can't give anymore. More importantly, it's begging me to stop taking such long trips so frequently. I have been driving it with no A/C for over a year and you can imagine how fun that is when in a traffic jam on this hot and humid island.

We have been through a lot. I have had so many flat tires with this car, the spare wore out and deflated. How many flats do you need to have to wear out a spare tire?! A lot of them. The first time me and my wife rode in a car as a married couple was in this car. First time I took my daughter anywhere(to the doctor actually), was in this car. It never left me stranded even though there were things that broke over the years, like all cars, I always managed to get home. I tried to keep up with the stuff that broke but it became too much. It's time to say goodbye to my old friend.

Last Pic at the car dealership

As you have surely guessed by now, I just got a new car. Buying a new car is a time of excitement and believe me, I am a really happy guy right now but I can't help look at the picture above and not get sentimental. I had to fight pretty hard to get some trade-in value for it but there was no denying it was pretty beat up. As I left the dealer in my shiny new car I could not help getting teary-eyed. You just don't realize how attached you get to things until they are no longer there I guess. But, new car, new beginnings. I'll reveal which one I chose (after a LOT of research) on my next post, but right now. Goodbye, Old Friend.

Galloway Method Tips

As many of you already know, I have used the Galloway Method several times during races, especially during longer races. It was a huge factor during the Disney Marathon and an even bigger one during the Philadelphia Half Marathon, where I scored an incredibly huge PR. It just works. In fact, unless you're particularly fast (like elite or near elite) I would venture to say that using this method can make you a lot faster, all while helping you avoid injury. How many things in running can make that claim?

Well, Jeff Galloway has partnered with several bloggers to share some tips with you all and guess what? I was picked, so you can benefit from these too!

I'm very excited because this method has really helped me during my running journey so now I get to pass it on. Here are some facts about the Galloway Method directly from Jeff Galloway himself:

"The training journey for a marathon or half marathon raises your body's physical performance capability and your sense of what you can do in life.

Running helps to bring body, mind and spirit together in a unique and wonderful way

In researching my book MENTAL TRAINING I discovered that running turns on brain circuits for a better attitude more vitality and empowerment better than other activities studied.

In researching my book RUNNING UNTIL YOU'RE 100 I found numerous studies showing that runners have healthier orthopedic units than non runners even after decades of running.

Training:

When a runner takes walk breaks early and often enough for the individual the muscles are strong to the end.  See RUN WALK RUN at www.jeffgalloway.com for recommendations by pace per mile.

The "exhaustion wall" can be avoided by running longer long runs up to or beyond race distance-using the appropriate run-walk-run strategy.

Marathoners tend to improve time by an average of more than 15 minutes when they increase their longest run from 20 miles to 26 miles.

To recover fast, run the long runs at least 2 min/mi slower than you could currently run in a marathon

The right run-walk-run strategy from the beginning of each run, gives any runner control over fatigue, injury-elimination, and recovery.

In numerous surveys, runners improved over 13 minutes when they shifted from running continuously to use of the right run-walk-run strategy."

I should point out that the last point he mentions here is no joke. I witnessed the improvement myself. My first Half Marathon, the Divas Half Marathon, I managed to squeeze out 3:26, and feeling like I was about to collapse at the finish line. For my second Half, I did the Philadelphia Half Marathon and did the Galloway Method in 2:1 intervals. Not only did I finish in 2:50 which is a huge PR, but I finished in much better shape at the end.

Be on the lookout for more great tips from Jeff here on the blog and my social media channels.

My Relationship With Fitness Clothing

No, I don't workout naked and I'm sure the entire neighborhood is thankful for that. But I have a problem with most fitness apparel.

Figuring out what works for you while doing stuff that involves constant motion (running, cycling...) takes time and some trial and error. There will be chafing. Oh yes, there will be chafing. And by the way, that goes for everybody. Even the elite athletes have to deal with it. The difference is they look good in that stuff. I don't.

The trick is you gotta find the stuff that works best for you. The problem is that the stuff that works for you is not always the stuff you want to wear.

Sometimes, it works

I was lucky with running shirts. When I started running, I bought a shirt that has kind of become my signature item. I don't need to make any adjustments to it, I don't need to use Body Glide. My Jets shirt never fails me and I wear it with pride. I also have three more shirts that also fit pretty well. Not as good as the Jets shirt but they give me the freedom to choose a shirt without any "I don't have a clean shirt" problems. There are others that require Body Glide in the "nipular" area, but these are my go-to shirts for sure so no big problems here.

We've been through a lot, this shirt and I

But sometimes, it just doesn't

Like most people, I began running with what I had on hand. I'm a "comfort first" kind of guy and you will see me wearing basketball shorts very often. You know the kind. Very loose fit, they go all the way down to the knee, sometimes even a bit longer. Well, they don't work for running at all and that became clear within three runs. I sure wasn't gonna buy those "short shorts" that marathoners wear. Please try very hard to not form a mental picture of me in those. You will thank me later. Not only do I look ridiculous in those, they also don't work for me and my glued-together super thighs. Wearing those, I would probably create enough friction to heat the entire northeastern US through the current barrage of snow.

Thankfully, running shorts come in various lenghts and I found a couple of shorts with 7 inch inseams that seemed to do the trick. They are light, breathable and comfy. They also don't feel like you are showing off to the entire world. But I was still chafing in them. Why?! It was the underwear. I tried people. I really tried to avoid going "commando" but it was a battle I lost. For me, the idea was insane. No underwear? You have got to be kidding me. But sure enough, it seemed to do the trick. For a while. Then, my runs got longer.

The classic look

Once I managed to run 5 miles and beyond, I began having trouble again. Now what? I didn't understand why at first. I gave up the heavy pants. I gave up the underwear. What more do you want me to do??!! Why do the fitness gods hate me so? I struggled for a bit figuring it out because I thought it was the shorts, but not really. It was me. As the runs got longer and I sweat for longer periods, the shorts got wet. As they got wet, they would stick to my thighs and viola! Chafferson City! Now, we were about to delve into something I simply refused to even think about. I had to... consider... gulp... tights.

Then it just got ugly

Now I was just plain angry. You want me to go commando and wear skin-tight shorts?! No way! Nope. Not gonna do it. Who would want me to wear something like that?! Have you seen me?! Mercifully, I found a compromise. Or so I thought.

Wear the tights underneath my running shorts. It was genius! It avoided getting the shorts wet and the chafing disappeared completely. But, now with the slippery tights underneath, the shorts were creeping up my thighs. Crap.

Maybe I can start a trend so this "creeping thigh" look becomes the "thing".

It's not uncomfortable but it is annoying. And the little dance I gotta do while running to get them to come back down... Truly a sight to behold. I'm gonna call it the Fat Runner Shimmy. I can't seem to catch a break.

Death, taxes and tights.

And here we are. This, much to my dismay, is the running out fit that works for me. Comfy and problem free, whether I want to admit it or not.

Those are compression shorts from 2XU with the shirt I wore for the Phily Half and my trusty Beasties. With this combination I can run for miles and miles trouble free.

So you're probably thinking, "OK Frank, so it is what it is. Get over it and move on." Right? Why fret over it? Well, I fret over it because this is just a preview of coming attractions people. At some point during the summer, I'm gonna have to figure out a way to get into one of these...

Source

Isn't that gonna be a pretty picture.

"My First Steps" Charity Ride

Interesting turn of events. Didn't expect my first "race recap" of 2015 to be about cycling but here we are.

Actually, this is not really a race recap as this was not a race, but it's the cycling equivalent of a race. Sure, there are cycling races but since I don't foresee me participating in any of those at this time, these group rides will serve the same purpose for me. They are a measure of where I am fitness-wise, just like when I run in races.

When it comes to cycling, I'm just barely getting my feet wet. Up until this week my longest ride had been 20 miles. While my behind might not agree with me, the miles I have put in so far have been relatively flat and easy. I try to put some effort into it and ride fast but up until now, I have been doing the running equivalent of a short, easy run.

Which is why I found it extremely weird when an old friend invited me to a group ride for charity, that I said yes.

He literally contacted me right after I had done my first (and longest) 20 mile ride. I thought about saying no. I did not know if I was ready for that. Not only the miles but keeping up with a group. He tried to ease my concerns: "Look, we are gonna try to keep the group together. 15-17 miles per hour tops. If you get tired, you can ride in the sweep van." The flyer said it was from Toa Baja (two towns from mine) to the town square of Vega Alta (my hometown). Could I stick with a group riding that fast? Could I handle the mileage? I was scared but I could tell he wanted the ride to succeed and help out this center for children so I said yes.

Captain's Meeting and registration

 Well, as it turns out, both my concerns were not a problem at all. I managed to stick with the group for most of the ride and I managed to ride the whole 40 miles without need to van of shame. The problem my friends, were the climbs.

The freaking,  Everest-like, who-the-heck-came-up-with-this-route, someone-get-a-defibrillator climbs.

See, I was invited to this thing under false pretenses. That route in the flyer was just half of the total ride and it said nothing about riding a Tour de France-level climb. Well, maybe it was not Tour de France-like but it might as well be to me. The guy who just started cycling a month ago. The whole thing started nice enough. We left Toa Baja and rode through "La Ruta del Ciclista" then headed to the town of Dorado. Riding in the peloton (the ride group) was no problem and I was maintaining 15 and 16 mph without much effort. When you see many cyclists riding close together like that, it's because they are working together to beat the wind. I couldn't really feel any difference while in the group but now I look at the data and see that where I usually averaged 14mph I was pulling out 15 and 16 mph without any effort at all.

Ready to head out!

It was a beautiful day and we were riding along the beach. Once in Dorado we climbed a pretty steep, but short hill. It was tough but it didn't last long so I put in some muscle and kept going. We crossed Dorado from east to west until we got to my hometown of Vega Alta where we turned south to get to the town square. It was in this part where I faced my first challenge. I don't know how long it was but we started to climb, and climb, and it would not end. My breathing got heavy, people where passing me left and right and I slowed down to a crawl. I ran out of gears on my bike. I just wanted this torture to end. After what seemed like forever (actually 9 minutes) I reached the top and we did our first stop.

First regrouping stop.

I looked for my friend and told him how hard that climb was for me. His answer: "Yeah, well it's gonna get a lot worse." What?

Turned out that first stop was just to regroup everyone after that climb so we could arrive as a whole group to the real stop which was the Town Square in Vega Alta. My wife brought my daughters to cheer me up. I was so happy to see them. While there, they had the official ceremony where they handed over the donation to the children's home. They were planning on donating $2,000 and ended up giving $5,000 so it was a total success all around. I was given a pack with 2 cup cakes which I ate and put in some new Gatorade bottles on my bike. I left my bottles at home. Rookie mistake.

Two of my girls cheering me on.

Before leaving the square, one of the organizers got on the mic and warned everyone about the upcoming climb and urging people to not quit. Famous last words. Not 5 minutes after starting back up we started to climb. And we did nothing but climb for the next hour and it was some of the steepest roads I have ever seen in my life. Actually I have seen them before. It's my hometown. I just always traveled them by car. I tried all I could to stay on the bike but on two occasions, I was forced to get off and walk up the hill. Not very proud of that moment but that's what you get for biting off more than you can chew. It sure didn't help to hear one of the guys in the support crew bragging about how the sweep van was full of people.

All this climbing spread out the peloton of course, so a couple of re-grouping stops were required to keep everyone together but eventually we made it out of the mountains and unto the main roads where we made our final stop at another gas station. We were 12 miles away from getting back but the climbs were over.

Final stop before finish. 12 more miles?!

After a quick descent, it was flat all the way back to Toa Baja. Would've been a lot easier if not for a bit of trouble I ran into. On the descent I was blocked by some people on the group who were going slower and I got separated from the peloton. When I reached the flats, I encountered some pretty fierce wind in the opposite direction and it slowed me down something terrible. Without the protection of the peloton I fell behind and fought the wind all the way to the finish. As if I wasn't tired enough from all the climbing. 

But, I made it. And I wasn't last either, even though I didn't arrive with the group. They were serving lunch for all the riders but I was too fried. I looked for my friend, choked him to death, then told his corpse to call me whenever they were doing it again. Thing is, I really don't feel that sore even now. It's not like after running the marathon for example where I could hardly move and instead of wishing to never go through something like that again, I'm actually angry enough at myself to go train so I can be able to do it again except better next time. Masochism is a terrible thing.

A Tale of Three Tubes

It was gonna happen. It was literally written that it was gonna happen and it did. I prepared for it and yet, got me pretty good anyway. I got my first flat tire.

You can't walk into a bike shop to buy a new bike and not have the conversation about buying the "required" gear you need to be able to ride that new bike. The helmet, padded shorts, etc... That conversation will invariably include the repair kit: Tools that, in case of a flat, will allow you to either repair the damaged tube or replace it with a new one so you can solve the issue without any assistance.

Reflective Surfaces: Always a good thing

Many people, for whatever reason, don't think it is important. Sure, the guy or gal at the store is trying to sell you something, but he/she is also talking from experience. Maybe people think back to when they were kids and don't remember many flats when they were riding or maybe they do and don't remember them being a big deal. I'm thinking that's because as kids, you never rode too far away from home. If you had a flat, you just walked back. But cycling as a sport can involve pretty big distances and if you are 10 miles or more away from your car or your house, that's a long way to walk with a bike in tow. Being able to do something about it is kind of important. If you are still on the fence about the repair kit think about this: What if you are in a race/event like a Gran Fondo or a triathlon? Get a flat without the proper gear and your race is done. It might take a bit of time to change it but I'm pretty sure a worse-than-expected finish time is a whole lot better than a DNF (Did Not Finish).

So, my budget when I bought The Machine included a saddle bag with a repair kit. Technically, it's a replacement kit I guess. I figured if I ever got a flat in a race, it would be easier (and faster) to just replace the tube with a new one instead of patching the damaged tube.

Make sure it's a snug fit. You don't want it dangling under there.

The saddle bag hangs snugly under the saddle and it was part of a kit Giant sells that also includes:

1. Three tire levers - to unseat the tire from the wheel.

2. Multi-Tool - Think, Swiss Army Knife but with bike tools.

3. 2 CO2 cartridges - To fill the tire w/o the need of a pump. Once you use one it's done.

4. CO2 Dispenser nozzle.

I threw in some tube patches just in case.

With the kit I bought 2 spare tubes. Yes, it is very possible you can get more than one flat.

So I was definitely ready for a flat if it happened and sure enough, last week I was stopping at a red light when I rode over some glass and pffffff... my front wheel deflated. I was not too far away from home so I pondered whether to spend a CO2 cartridge or just walk it back but then I figured I could use the practice. I had seen several videos on how to do it but you have to get your hands dirty eventually so better do it now.

Tubes - 1        Fat Runner - 0

It took me a while to unseat the tire for some reason but apart from that I think I did OK. After replacing the tube and seating the tire back in place, I connected the nozzle to the CO2 cartridge and it filled right back up. The kit came with some neoprene sleeves you put on the cartridges. I thought they were for grip but nope. Turns out that whatever process takes place that creates the pressure to inflate the tire, freezes the cartridge. Use them without any protection and it can freeze-burn your hand.

Tubes - 1        Fat Runner - 1

So, I packed everything up and rode home very proud of myself. That is until my next ride, when I found the front tire deflated once again. At first, I thought it was the CO2. That it's not meant to last or something like that so I inflate the tire back up. After getting ready, I go back out to get the bike and it had deflated again. Crap.

Tubes - 2        Fat Runner - 1

I take out the wheel and the tube and there is a tiny hole close to the valve. Obviously something happened and it probably involved me doing something wrong. Whatever, I took my remaining tube and replaced it yet again. I have a little electric air pump I have been using up until now and I had been noticing it was kind of hard to get the tires inflated to their required pressure (120psi) but thought it was just me. This particular time it was harder than usual and after several attempts I could not get it to inflate. After getting a little rough with the valve, I ended up breaking the valve on the tube. Pffffffff...

Tubes - 3           Fat Runner - 1

I had kept the original punctured tube so I dug that out of the trash, bought a patch kit and tried to repair it so I could at least ride that day and buy more tubes later. But, alas, after inflating it and getting ready to ride, it deflated again.

Tubes - 4           Fat Runner - 1

Trip to the bike shop. Found a shop that opens Sunday (Many shops don't. They are out riding) and the guy was kind enough to replace the tube for me. I also bought three more to have spares. They are about 5 bucks each so they are not that expensive (weird for something related to cycling). I explained what happened and he gave me some pointers for next time. Like to check that the tire is not pinching the tube before inflating it (I checked but maybe I missed something) and also make sure to not insert the tube twisted. That can also cause a flat. I think that's what happened the first time I replaced it.

Tubes - 5          Fat Runner - 1

So how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.

How do you change a flat bicycle tire? Practice, practice, practice.