Schedule week of June 19

For once I actually did less than planned. Which is a good thing considering this is taper time. Tuesday's bike got shortened because I thought I had the wrong workout loaded in my Garmin, but that gave me time to remove my pedals (Garmin Vector power meter pedals) and drop the Merlin off at Dorian's so he could install the compact crankset that finally arrived. I skipped Wednesday's run because it was raining hard and I did not feel like taking chances so close to my A race. Spin class was short because Dorian delivered the Merlin and I had to install the pedals, plus Pattie's knee was acting up; better to quit while you're ahead. Sunday's bike was shortened and I changed the route, from Tantalus to Diamond Head, due to threatening skies, and I needed time to work on the seat post.

Yeah, the seat post. That thing was a poor fit right from the start, umpteen years ago. The saddle height is perfect so there is no reason to mess with it before the race. Except for shipping the bike. I have a terrific Timbuk2 bike bag that I prefer to use because there is less chance of dings and a bent derailleur hanger. Actually, my Merlin does not have a separate hanger, it's built into the frame. Bend that and kiss the bike goodby. Anyway, the frame will not fit in the bag without removing the seat post. Which is standard practice. With the Cervelo P-3 I also had to remove the handlebar, but that was because of the awkward shape. For a road bike I should only have to rotate the bars sideways. I have tried everything, so as I write this I am awaiting a call from Dorian to bring the bike and we will wrestle it together. If we can't bust it loose I will have to pick up some large boxes from UPS and construct a bike box. Onr that I can break down at the airport so that it will fit inside our rental car.

About the new crankset. I ended up with an Ultegra 50/34. Everything else on the bike is Dura-Ace so of course I wanted that, but nobody had any. I guess they all got sucked up by the pro teams. Oh well, Ultegra is nothing to sneeze at and it is a lot less expensive. But talk about down to the wire. I put in my order in late March/early April. Finally arrived last week Monday. Less than two weeks before race day. Whew!

Back at the start of the year when I created my Annual Training Plan the TrainingPeaks plan maker came up with a target CTS of 80.7 for CTTS. I started off below plan, then went well above it -- too high, probably -- then a little drop down closer to plan. As of today my estimated CTS on race day is 89.1. In other words, I got there and even did a little better. That should be a confidence booster.

Last week

ATP: 530 TSS
Planned: 590.2
Actual: 442.4

This Week

Week of 6/19 - Race week
Focus: CTTS

ATP: 530 TSS
Planned: 623.1

Mon
AM Run, 4mi + 4 strides
PM ST

Tue
AM Bike, hill cruise intervals
PM Swim, OW

Wed
Trip prep, pack

Thu
Fly to Maui

Fri

AM Bike, easy ride, packet pickup

Sat
Race, CTTS

Sun
Fly home

Next race: Tinman, Jul 23.