Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Double the pain

Date: Aug. 25
Mileage: 27.5
August mileage: 563.7
Temperature: 50


* It's impossible to recover from an interval on a climb.
* I think we have reached the season of neoprene.




  1. I face the same problems sometimes too. What I did is to run my computer through a computer check up and it was all fixed. If you are interested you can do the same at http://www.pcaholic.com. Apparantly they provide alot of free tools to help in speeding up the computer.

  2. I have a pair of brand new swim goggles you can have, chica! :) If serious, holler and I'll send to you.

  3. Get some Jill. I'm right there with you.

  4. I would bet that your 'water resistant' jacket was at the limit of it's capability. To me it sounds like you produced so much heat and sweat, it wasn't able to breath fast enough to get that sweat off your body.

    it's what we in the outdoor gear business call 'the storm inside'. It's when you end up soaking wet from sweat, not rain.


  5. OK, you asked for it and nobody has given it to you. You're a Masochist, now do you feel better?

  6. b ...

    I'd say that jacket is at the limit of its capability. The little beads that used to form on the outside soaked through and that's that. I've had a lot of jackets do this ... Gortex, etc. They're great when they're new, but that outer layer breaks down, and they start to soak through the way tent nylon does. That spray stuff helps, but it's even shorter lived, and not so cheap itself.

    I've had people give me that sweat arguement before. Forgive my skeptism, but I doubt it. Sure, I was sweating a good amount, but enough to end up as wet as if I had jumped in a swimming pool? I also have a plastic jacket, PVC material that doesn't breathe at all. In all my experience, that has been the most effective shell at keeping me dry, but even that's not perfect (water still gets in through the bottom torso, sleeves and neck, and under the arms, where the manufacturers saw fit to install breathable mesh) But the places where I sweat, my back and chest, usually stay relatively dry in that PVC jacket. I don't wear it all the time because it doesn't breathe, so it is uncomfortable if I'm working hard.

    Anyway, that's just my personal experience. Not science. But I feel like I've been a pretty good tester of the products I've owned, and I'll never believe the outdoor industry's claims that something can be both waterproof and breathable. At least not in the long term.

  7. Mallie ...

    Are you serious? Because I actually am. I was thinking on the descent yesterday that if I just had a way to keep water out of my eyes, I would be much more comfortable. I was thinking ski googles, but they fog all up in the rain. Swim goggles are watertight, and I figured it was worth a try.

    I'll send money for the shipping. Maybe shoot me an e-mail and let me know where to send it, and I'll give you my new address in Douglas.

    Thanks! You rock!

  8. Cool site. I grew up in JNU in the shadow of Thunder Mtn and when I clicked your link from DrunkCyclist, it was cool to see some familiar sites. Good pictures of what I miss about the ol' hometown.


  9. Jill, this sounds crazy but when I lived in Juneau I admired a lot of the Grunden's line of fishing gear. They have this incredible pullover shirt that is waterproof, if memory serves. A coworker bought one and reported it was the only thing that kept him dry all day on the job site. Don't know about breathability. I expect you might get less seepage at seams and openings...try Marine Supply and see what they have? Good luck. I noticed the Olympic swimmers had a new google that had temple pieces like glasses; some of them wore them. Seen them?
    You are intrepid!

  10. oh, i forgot today is the primary. maybe you could go vote for once and make up for the fact that i'm not home to vote.

  11. "At 40 mph, it is possible for raindrops to cause one's lips to bleed"
    Yikes, you are tough! I sat on the couch explaing to my dogs that it's just to rainy and windy to go for our normal walk. I bet they'd rather have you for an owner!

  12. thanks Jill, your mention of 'achy legs muscles' reminded me that when I was pushing harder and getting stronger I had the aches pretty much all the time. The fact that I don't means I'm not pushing hard enough anymore. I thought with you being in LA I would finally match you for miles in a month but as of today I'm behind by almost 100 again. Ok I'm 30 years older but then I don't have to ride in the rain all the time. I still want to match you for a month, just once.

  13. OK, masochist was too strong.
    You know what you're doing, the pain is unavoidable. You're not chasing the pain, it's just the result of your training.
    You're pushing yourself. You're testing the edge of the envelope.
    Just don't hurt yourself, don't overtrain, don't burn out.

    Not that I have any idea what overtrain or burn out mean!
    I have achy legs everyday just from riding to work.
    I call it old age.

  14. Jill,
    This sure sounds like GDR training to me. Whatever it is, Good luck! Have fun too.

  15. I was going to say that my $2.00 cheap-o goggles work better than my speedos...but it looks like you have found yourself a pair! I have been doing a lot of swimming until I can find the money for a bike!!

  16. I have some really nice zoots (i think that's what they are called). They are fantabulous for pool or open water.


Feedback is always appreciated!