I've been Retul'd

I’ve heard a lot of talk about bike fit and people have different opinions regarding what is the best way to go about being fit to your bike….

I’ve had my TT bike since late April/early May and have had 2 “fittings” since then. My initial “fitting” was at the bike shop where they put me on the trainer and said, “you look good, how do you feel?” How do I feel? I don’t know how I feel, I’ve never ridden one of these bikes before, how am I supposed to know how I feel!? I guess I feel fine? And that was that, off I went. It was alright (although after a couple of weeks I did feel cramped all around and couldn’t stay aero for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I needed to get up for fear that my shoulders would fall off! That’s probably a sign that something is wrong) for the first couple of months I was riding it, I didn’t know any better. But then I started chatting with people and almost everyone I talked to told me I wasn’t fit properly on my bike, you think!?

Anyways, November-ish rolled around and I was fed up with being uncomfortable on my bike. I know it’s never going to be as comfortable as curling up in your bed, but it shouldn’t be uncomfortable. So, one of my friends, Aaron, who knows lots about bikes offered to fit me on my bike as long as snacks were provided for compensation…deal!  I brought my bike over to his shop, I got up on the trainer, he took some measurements, asked a bunch of questions, and he made lots of changes…they were spectacular! It felt like I was riding a new bike! Didn’t feel cramped anymore (we/he moved the seat up more than 2 inches!) and was a little more comfortable aero.  I rode on this fit for a while, but still something was off. If I rode more than 30 miles I had pain in my right knee and that’s not good; also I still couldn’t stay aero for very long.

Kim has been talkin up this bike fitting system called Retul and I've heard/seen/read about it on blogs and on their website (http://www.bikefit808.com/) and have been intrigued. Only thing is, it's a bit pricey. Taken from their website: "By using Retul 3D Motion Capture Technology we are able to evaluate a rider's lateral, vertical and horizontal movements and make adjustments according to the rider's biomechanics and individual cycling goals. The Retul system allows a fitter to measure the rider while they are in motion and takes averages throughout the pedal stroke, as opposed to taking static and 2D measurements that are absed on a stationary position which may not be a rider's typical position." So this would be a much more technical fit than any of the other "fits" I have received.

I have finally gotten to the point where I am not ok with being uncomfortable riding anymore and the mount of time I am going to be spending with my bike in the next 6 months is not going to decrease that's for sure, so it was time to bite the bullet and get Retul'd.

What a cool process and experience. Andrew Tanaka at BikeFit 808 was amazing, super helpful, friendly and knowledgable. I got there and he had me do a few exercises to test felxibility and some other things. After that he set me up on the trainer and hooked some electrodes to different parts of my body so he could get the initial computer readings. Once he got the initial readings he made some minor adjustments to the bike and then I got back on the trainer to see how and if those adjustments fixed the problem areas. They did!! I rode for a bit longer and decided that there was still unecessary pressure on my shoulders so he turned my aerobars just so and it was like he waved a magic wand and the pressure disapperaed. Genius! He really knows his stuff!

How cool is this?! That's me!



Last night was my first time on the roads after I was Retul'd and let me tell you....worth every penny! I wasn't able to spend a lot of time in my aerobars as we were working a lot on paceline drills, but the time I spent in them was wonderful! I can't wait to go on a longer ride and really test them out!



I don’t claim to know a lot about bikes, but I do know that with this fit, I am now in a better, read more powerful and efficient, position and will be able to maximize the time spent on my bike! I am more extremely satisfied with the job that Andrew at BikeFit808 did and would highly recommend getting Retul’d!

2011 in Review

I’ve had this sitting in my drafts for a few days now and have just gotten around to finishing it up, so it might be a little late, but here goes.

This past year was full of firsts: my first year getting into the world of triathlon and I certainly enjoyed it, my first 100 mile bike ride, my first helicopter ride, my first time on Kauai, my first BQ, my first tri bike, my first Olympic Triathlon, my first Sprint Triathlon, my first half Ironman, my first marathon with Dave, to name a few. I can’t wait to see what 2012 will bring!

It was also my first full year working with Craig and I loved it, even when I hated it I loved it! He’s an amazing coach and friend! I can only imagine what he has in store for me when this IM training kicks off.

2011 was my second year of competitively running and it definitely gets better/more fun/challenging/exciting the more experience you gain. I PR’d in almost every road race I did! 

2011 was our second year in Hawaii and we took full advantage of everything (hiking, beaches, restaurants, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, golf, helicopter rides, island hopping (we made it to Maui, Kauai and the Big Island this year), outdoor swimming all year, outside running all year, outside biking all year, time with great new friends…..I could go on forever) the islands have to offer, since our time hear is limited.

A little recap of 2011 in months

January:

Sharon’s Ride.

Close to the longest ride I’d done at this point, Dave and I did the ride together and we decided to just make it a fun morning of riding together.

February:

Dave’s Birthday. We rented a cottage on the beach and celebrated with a few good friends.

Great Aloha Run. This was the first race I ever entered, back in February 2010. I was super scared for this race then and this year was sooo much better. First off, I was about 20 pounds lighter which makes for a much better run to begin with and I had a little more experience in running than I did the previous year. This race resulted in 7-minute PR and a great way to start off the racing year of 2011.

March:

Waterfront at Pu’uloa (sprint) Triathlon. My first triathlon! This is super embarrassing, but I never got the memo about tri suits/proper attire to wear while doing a triathlon, my bad, probably should have discussed this with someone prior to the race…sooo……. Started the race in my swim suit. Threw on bike shorts (ha!), bike gloves (double ha!) and a tank top over my suit to do the rest of the race in. Silly Lectie, I learned quickly that that was not the way to go and had this all cleared up by my next race. 3^rd AG

April:

New Tri Bike! I finally bit the bullet and got my bike and thank goodness, what a difference it made. Now, I just need to be fit properly, it’s almost been a year, I’d say it’s about time.

Haleiwa Metric Century Ride. Just getting in some more bike miles.

Lanikai (sprint)Triathlon…my second triathlon, but now I have a super cool TT bike. Amazing clear, glassy swim, still working on my biking and I had a great run. Ended up 1^st AG

May:

Honolulu Triathlon. My first Olympic distance race and my best feeling race so far for the year. 2^nd AG

June:

Honu 70.3 My “A” race. My first half. It was amazing, such a great day and a great race. I will definitely see more 70.3 in my future. I loved almost every second of the race. I had zero expectations (well, I was supposed to have zero expectations going into the race, but being an athlete and loving competing, I definitely set some goals for my self (which were accomplished)), I wanted to finish feeling happy and strong and I was able to do that!  Plus I finished 5^th in my AG which was completely unexpected and earned myself a spot on the podium.

Kailua Popoi’a Swim. Not sure I’ll do this one again, the waves freaked me out a bit, but I survived and I think I learned a little better how to swim in waves in the ocean.

Lots of visits from friends and family made for an awesome June!

The beginning of “Sunny Doom”

July:

Dave was promoted to Captain

North Shore Swim Series “Sunset to Pipeline” 1.0mi

North Shore Swim Series “Waimea Bay” 1.2 mi

North Shore Swim Series “Chuns to Waimea” 1.6 mi

About the swims, I do them because I’m a “swammer.” I can be competitive-ish, keep my feel for the water and stay in decent swimming shape. I don’t love these races, but they are fun.

Tinman Triathlon (Olympic)

I signed up on a whim and the jury is still out on this race. It ended up alright in the end, I put together a solid (for me) swimbikerun, but I’m not sure I would do it again.

August:

North Shore Swim Series “Pipeline to Waimea” 2.3 mi

Marathon Readiness 15k

September:

Marathon Readiness 20k

Waikiki Roughwater

Marathon Readiness 25k.

Honolulu Century Ride. My 1^st 100 mile ride! I sense many more of these in my near future.

October:

Marathon Readiness 30k. By far my most favorite race of the series. 3^rd OA and a 9-minute PR.

Dave got to play in "Hoops for Troops" with NBA players!

Trip to Kona to watch friends and all qualifiers compete in the Ironman World Championships! Got to meet Claire and finally saw Craig after over a year. 

November:

Marathon Readiness ½ marathon

Turkey Trot. Such a fun event. Thanksgiving morning trot with friends. Guess your time, carry a popsicle stick, no watches or music allowed…how fun is that!? Plus, I guess my time perfectly, no big deal!

Turkey Swim. Another super fun, low key event. Thanksgiving weekend at Ala Moana Beach Park, just a nice little 1.2 mile swim with friends. Definitely wasn’t in “swimming mode” for this race, but all-in-all it was a good race.

An old Age-Group Swimmer friend came to visit/get married and we were able to meet up for dinner and catch up after what's been years!

December:

Honolulu marathon “A” race number 2 of the year (marathon #2 in the books). It was a PR (11min) and a BQ 3:34:06 all in one!

Christmas on Kauai

A nice relaxing, end of the year

Here's to another great year! .