Tuesday, October 17, 2006
WHAT TO WEAR, WHAT TO WEAR?
WARNING! This entry should only be read by those who really, really,
REALLY want to know what sort of convoluted thinking a twelve hour, 140
mile, three sport race can induce in its participants.
Weather report: last night it rained, a real howler around midnight.
over two inches at the airport in about 3 hours. Lightening strikes
knocked out some power south of here. US weather service discussion
online says there is no indication the usual trade-wind based weather
will return any time soon. Which is good, in some ways, as the trades
produce the horrible winds on the bike course for which this race is
noted. What we'll get is anybody's guess, but I suspect a rainbow at
sunrise, followed by a mostly sunny day with light winds until 11 AM,
then winds out of the north up to 10 mph after that. Normal temperature
of 86F, a few degrees higher out on the lava. But then again, maybe it
will rain. With west winds. Whatever.
Star Sightings: these will be the last star sightings I'll note, as
from here on out, the pros with endorsement contracts show up at
obligatory events. Two of note: while I was riding by bike out of the
condo
towards Ali'i to get to the pier to swim, Lori Bowden comes barreling
around the corner on a morning run. She's back at age 39 after a year
off for childbirth. She's a two time winner, and one mean runner. Then,
while I was out on the Queen K, riding my bike past the West Hawaii
Veteran's Cemetary, Natascha Badmann comes motor pacing along,
following her coach/partner/Svengali driving the minivan. They must be
going well over 25 mph up hill. She does a turn around at the Scenic
Pullout, for a total ride of about 45 minutes. Then in the evening, she
led the Parade of Nations, officially kicking off the festivities.
Now, the odd thing is that the two of these women have won the last 8
times here, riding on the same bike model - they are the only ones on
this unique machine, called the "Cheetah".
I'm more concerned with my attire for race day. I figure it's better to
obsess about this then to worry about the actual race itself; I'm as
ready for that mentally and emotionally as I'll ever be. My biggest
worry about attire is that nasty sunburn patch in the small of my back.
Despite some spf 50 applied there, on my long mid-day bike ride a week
ago, I got a full on 2.5 degree scalding there, shaped like a squished
diamond, a foot wide and two inches high in the middle, right where
some folks are getting tattoos nowadays. (Can tattoos protect the skin
from sunburn?) It doesn't hurt anymore, and it has just this minute
started to peel, meaning it will no longer be lobster red, but bright
pink tomorrow.
Many racers here expose various parts of their back while biking.
Remember we are at 19 degrees north latitude, which is a lot closer to
the
equator than to Seattle. Even in October, the noon-day sun seems higher
in the sky then on June 21st in the Pacific Northwest. And it's hot,
and
humid. So the riders are trying to provide some comfort cooling at the
risk of sun exposure. Men and women both wear things like skin tight
cut-off tank tops, which ride up the back in our aero biking position.
We are laid out over the bike, our backs back at about a 90 degree
angle to legs.
This is why most bike jerseys and jackets have long"tails", the front
being shorter then the back when the rider is vertical.
Anyway, my burn came because of my racing shirt, which doesn't quite
reach the top of my racing shorts. So the small of my back is exposed.
Given the new pink skin I am now revealing, I think I could put on spf
5000 and I would still sear that area.
So I considered wearing one of the two regular bike jerseys I brought,
which are quite thin, but have the drawback of having sleeves, and
short zippers in the front. Cooling is a prime concern, and covering
the axillary area prevents a major site of blood flow and sweat from
being fully exposed to the air. So sleeveless or tank top would seem
better. And the short zipper reduces the airflow into the chest and
stomach, again retarding cooling over the heart and intestines. A long
zipper (7-9" vs 18-20") again works better.
My race top met both of these requirements, but had the drawback of
lower back exposure. Even cutting the sleeves off one of the bike
shirts
I brought wouldn't fully solve the airflow problem, as the zipper would
still be keeping the fabric covering my heart.
Another option would be to wear the one piece racing suit I brought.
This has most of the main requirements, and some additional features.
It
has a long front zipper, it has very thin fabric, it is a wide tank
top. In addition, it is made out of a very supporting fabric, which
squeezes the muscles of my legs, presumably reducing fatigue. And, the
legs are long, keeping this support pressure going most of the way down
my
thighs. This is a 9-10" inseam, compared to the 7-8" inseam of my new
racing shorts.
Two more options to consider: a regular pair of bike shorts, which can
go very high up the lower back. But those have a thick chamois, which
paradoxically causes more discomfort than a thin one in this race
environment. And I have a newly purchased sleeveless bike
shirt, bright yellow and orange with palm trees and the World
Championship
logo.
A further variable of my decision calculus is whether I should wear the
same thing for the bike and run, or change. Up to now in my triathlon
career, even in Ironman long distance racing, I've always worn just one
thing, most recently my one piece race suit, throughout the whole race.
The idea being to reduce the amount of time you are
not actually moving, the transitions. Time saved in the transition is
essentially "free" time, in that you don't have to improve your speed
in swimming, biking, or running to get faster. On the other hand, there
is some evidence that resting a bit between the elements can improve
one's overall result. I had my fastest run time once after stopping for
six minutes to
change a flat. And two times in the last five years, the winner here
has
been forced to "rest" for 3 minutes in the penalty box for a drafting
penalty on the bike. In each case, they were in second place,
and able to run down the leader, possible because of the rest.
But wait; there's more! What about how this all LOOKS! Color, logos,
baggy vs. tight, etc. I had envisioned racing in an outfit which
advertises the South Sound Triathlon Club. But it was that outfit (the
clothes, not the group) that started this whole dilemma, with the too
short shirt and too low pants.
I think I've come to a conclusion about what to wear, but, seeing as
how it's only Tuesday, there's no reason to commit to it yet. And I'd
still like to try out the one piece outfit tomorrow, even though it has
no logos on it. Ah, decisions, decisions!