How to Prevent Zone 2 Training from Turning into Junk Miles

Since I started zone 2 training (sometimes) earlier in the year, I’ve learned a lot about implementing it as well as how it should be used and the common pitfalls of it. One of the biggest pitfalls I’ve found is letting it turn into a lot of junk miles and not quality miles. It reminds me of back when my swim coach would call it “mamby pamby” swimming if we were just kind of going through the motions without purpose.

I have definitely had to adjust my pace and expectations as far as how my workouts are going to go in order to make sure I am following my plan. Below are the things I have found to be important to maintain the quality of these zone 2 workouts.

1. Make sure your heart rate is staying in zone 2. This may seem obvious, but I found it difficult in the beginning, and I still do sometimes. Depending on your level of fitness, you may see your heart rate try to drift into zone 1 or zone 3. Some people may say that it is supposed to be an easy pace, and that’s just where they fall naturally for an easy pace, and while certain conditions may elicit following pace or perceived exertion, heart rate can also prevent you from overexerting yourself at times when you need to stay in zone 2. I have a high heart rate (200+ max), so I set my zones based on my threshold, and I while I struggle at times when out of shape, I did find based on historic data from when I trained for my full in 2016 that it was a lot of time running in zone 2 without knowing it.

2. Know your purpose when you go out to run. Zone 2 training is not about all zone 2 training. It is about doing 80ish percent of your training in that zone so you can go hard when it matters. A great example of this for me is a recovery run. It is really easy to make this turn into an easy run where form falls apart, so I know I need to focus on my form, and I even use these to incorporate terrain similar to a race course, because I prefer doing my speed intervals on flatter routes.

3. Not every workout needs to have intervals. I’m really bad about this when training on my own. I get bored easily on the trainer or the treadmill, so in the winter I want to do intervals to break up the ride. The problem is that all of those intervals are more time out of zone 2, most likely in excess of 20ish percent of my training. This can leave you fatigued when you get to key sessions. Ive found for steady state rides on the trainer a route with a good hill where I have to maintain my heart rate and power is helpful, because it gives me something to focus on, and when running I try to get outside when I can or vary the incline on the treadmill. This helps me add something extra to focus on instead of letting my mind wander and my form potentially fall apart.

4. Focus on your form. When we go slower, we naturally may change our form in a negative way, so I find it is very important to maintain form on these slower workouts. When running I am thinking about moving my arms forward instead of letting them cross my body, and I focus on how my feet sound when striking the ground. When cycling, I am watching my cadence on the flats, trying to stay above 80 rpm, since historically I’ve had a low cadence. For me, watching these cues brings these back to being workouts and not just junk miles.

5. Know that bad days will happen and adapt instead of letting the workout fall apart. Bad could mean a lot of things. The weather is wrong, your heart rate monitor isn’t working, or your legs feel like a ton of bricks. Today, my legs felt like a ton of bricks and I could not keep my heart rate down without slowing to a shuffle, which is slower than me walking. I modified my run to a run walk, trying to stay in zone 2 like it was written, and getting the workout done meant it was still a success. I’ve had long runs on treadmills when it’s snowing, and I’ve gone based on perceived exertion when my heart rate monitor is dead. The most important thing is to be able to adapt to these situations and fit the workout around them, so you’re not going out and just going through the motions because something went wrong.

Those are my five biggest tips for preventing zone 2 training from turning into junk miles. For me personally, tip 2 has been the most important. When I first heard people talking about low heart rate training, I just thought it meant everything was done at a low heart rate and a steady pace, but now I have a better understanding of how training is structured on a plan that focuses on zone 2 training.

Retiring the Cat Garmin | Garmin Forerunner 945 First Impression

In 2016 when I was training for Ironman Louisville, I bought a Garmin Fenix 3. I was looking for two main features. The first was battery life, and the second was the look of the watch if I was going to be wearing it at the time. My other options were the Forerunner 735, which lacked battery life, and the Forerunner 920, which was ugly.

Now, five years later, I decided to upgrade, especially because I get a little jealous of everyone with their training load status and other statistics from the new watches. I’ve also scratched the screen pretty badly on my Fenix 3, and I just felt like it was time for an upgrade.

My decision process was pretty simple. I basically wanted the training status features and upgrades from the newer watches, and I wanted to be able to train for triathlon and race with it. I decided the new Fenix series was a little overkill for me, so I went with the latest high end multisport watch from Garmin, the Forerunner 945. I would have considered other brands, but Garmin is the most readily available to me, and all of my historic data is also with Garmin, so it made sense to stick with it.

My first impression when putting it on was that it is smaller and lighter than my Fenix was. I knew it had a slightly smaller face, but the weight was surprising. The band has also changed. It is narrower than the Fenix 3 band, and it feels a little bit more substantial, like it will hold up better, and the tab that holds the strap in place definitely has a much stronger hold than the one on the Fenix 3 did.

My first priority was to get a new watch face. Specifically I wanted to use a photo of one of my cats, so I was able to quickly set that up on my phone, then the next time I synced from Garmin Connect it was there.

My first workout after putting this on was actually an indoor bike ride, so I just use Zwift, my smart trainer, and my heart rate monitor for that. The feature I did like was that it would sync the activity to the watch, not just Garmin Connect, when I was done. I do a lot of indoor workouts, and I don’t wear it when I swim, so I think this is beneficial for the recovery advisor and training status on the watch.

I took it for a run the next morning, and thankfully I set my zones and changed the screen settings before the run. I like to have heart rate, heart rate zone, and time on my first screen for most of my training. I train by time when building up endurance, so I try to ignore distance. I do keep the current lap distance on the second screen along with pace, but I don’t use those metrics as often. It navigates very similar to the Fenix 3, so that made the transition easier for me.

Overall, my initial opinion of the watch is good. I still have some learning to do about other features, so I will definitely post a follow-up at some point, possibly as a part of my off-season training plan wrap-up, since getting the watch was right at the beginning of this new plan. There are a ton of features I have not used yet, so I know I’ll definitely have a lot more to say.

Picking my Off Season Training Plan

A lot of people will say that since I am in the off season, I should just focus on long steady distance. I don’t 100% disagree, but I think having a plan is very important, even for mostly long steady distance. I considered writing my own plan for this off season, but I decided to buy a plan through TrainingPeaks for 12 weeks to help my off season training along. I think goals and planning are an often overlooked part of triathlon training.

I’m very intrinsically motivated to compete in triathlons, but sometimes getting out the door to train can be tough when I don’t have a plan of what I am doing. By having a plan, something goes off in my mind telling me I have to get this done. Sometimes, when there is no plan, I will procrastinate until I just don’t get the workout done that day, so having a training plan helps me get out the door sometimes.

Using a training plan also helps eliminate junk miles in training. With a lot of long steady distance work, I find it easy to get sloppy about workouts. Running slower, a lot of people find their form may begin to fall apart to an extent, so training with purpose can help prevent this. Having a plan can give you areas to focus on improving and a purpose behind workouts so things like technique do not fall apart.

I picked my training plan based on a few criteria. First, I wanted to use heart rate, because it is the metric I am most familiar with, even though I have a power meter. Second, I wanted something focused on zone 2 training, because I felt like that worked for me in the summer. I may feel frustrated sometimes with it, but I think for me it is the right way to train right now. Third, and finally, I wanted something where I would build distance over the course of the plan.

I picked one of Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 plans from TrainingPeaks for about $25 (off season plan). It is based on time for the bike and run, and I substitute my masters swim practices for the swim workouts, because I was a former competitive swimmer. I am just getting started with the plan, so I am hoping to do a more in depth review when I’m finished in January.

Overall, I think the most important thing when picking a plan is to make sure you’re honest with yourself about where you are right now. I am currently easily running 35 minutes, biking 1.5 hours, and I can swim forever, just at a slower pace than I used to be. I could have lied to myself, but then I would be on a plan with too much volume too soon, which is likely to lead to injury. Hopefully in 12 weeks I’ll be back with success stories of completed workouts and increased fitness.

Considerations when Picking a Race

After enjoying my race at the sprint in Chattanooga this summer, I began to think a lot about returning to long distance racing and training. The biggest problem I have run into was just picking when and where to race. In the end, I signed up for Ironman 70.3 Oregon, and I have a couple other races on my radar for next season. Below are my tips and considerations for when you’re picking your next race.

1. Consider the weather. I also looked at Ironman 70.3 Ohio, and a few of the Canadian races, because I would like to race below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 80 is the average in Salem, Oregon for the time of the race, so it is warm, but the date for Ohio hadn’t been announced, and I needed time to plan everything else.

2. Know what transportation you will need. I am flying and renting a car, because the airport is 50 miles away. I also need the car, because I will ship my bike. It is important to be able to plan all of this ahead of time to avoid stress. I also planned my slights with longer layovers, so I have a bigger window in case flights are delayed.

3. Know the course you’re picking. I looked to see what people who raced this past year thought about the new Oregon course, and I found while Ironman called it flat, most racers think it was rolling. Living in Nashville, rolling is ideal for me, because I can easily find a lot of climbing in even a short ride, but we don’t have long hills like some places. Instead we have a lot of rollers. The run also has a mix of trails and road, so I know this isn’t a PR course, but it should be fun.

4. Know you’ll have the time to dedicate to training. I’ve done races when undertrained, and they’re just more enjoyable when you have trained properly and can see what you’ve accomplished. I know my training is limited from early February through April 15, so I didn’t want to race anything long until at least mid June, so I have time for long workouts. I have about a 2 month window in the summer, so Oregon fit perfectly for me.

There are a lot more things to consider, but these were the big priorities for me right now. Now, I am focusing on getting my training on track and making sure I am at my best next July.

My First Race in Four Years: 2021 Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon Sprint

After a four year hiatus, I finally got back out racing, and I forgot how good it really feels. I picked the race I did, because I knew the course was pretty much flat, and I didn’t want to race at the end of July in Nashville, because I know how miserable that race can be.

I’m going to keep this race report brief. Chattanooga is a great city for a race I’ve decided. No wonder so many people race the half and full there. My parents drive down, so while waiting to check in at the Crash Pad I parked at their hotel and was able to ride my bike to transition. This is something I would never attempt in downtown Nashville.

I picked the sprint as something easy to train for in the two months I trained, and just as a little motivation for training. It worked. I’ve been more consistent than I have been in a long time while trying to listen to my body and rest as needed while building back my fitness.

The swim was short and downstream. I actually like longer lake swims, but I also tend to panic sometimes in open water, so this was good for my first time back racing. I swam a little too far into the current, but it wasn’t too bad making the turn to the finish. The volunteers were truly helpful with telling athletes to really bring their feet up to reach the bottom stair at the exit. Sometimes they want to help people who don’t need it getting out, but I thought for once they did a good job of helping when needed. Of course, helping when not needed is always better than not helping at all.

Getting to T1 was long, or at least it felt that way because of the stairs. I had a little bit of difficulty with my shoe, but once I was headed out I felt strong. I was also really thankful I bought a new aero bottle for my bike, because it allowed me to drink really easily when I knew I needed it, since I didn’t eat much pre race (1/2 of a blueberry bagel).

The bike course was fast. It took me a minute to settle into a pace, since there is one short hill as the beginning, so I took that easy to keep my heart rate from spiking, but after that I just found myself riding at a very steady pace for the remainder of the ride. I got a little irritated by people not calling out their passes, and by the potholes that need to be filled, but overall it was a really good course. The U-turn is a little tight, but I can stay clipped in for it, so it’s not too bad, you just need to make sure you slow way down for it. I was also very cautious coming down the hill before the bike finish, because it has one tight turn before you go into the straight line to the dismount line.

T2 was a little tough, just because I need socks to run, but once I started running I felt good. The run course was flat and went along the river, and it felt long, but my watch told me it wasn’t. I feel like I could have pushed the pace a little more, but I’ve always had issues with pushing through the discomfort, so I know if I race short course again I will need to work on it.

Overall, I’m really happy with the way this race went. Team Magic puts on a good race, and the volunteers did an excellent job. I’m planning to come back in 2022 to see if I can improve on my run time and get to the podium, because if I had my fastest 5k I would have been up there.

Returning to Two-a-Days

As the title says, this week included my return to two-a-days, or at least in terms of two sport specific workouts in one day. I have always done my strength training on days where I have also had another workout, so I have been doing two workouts a day to some extent.

I always found it funny the way some people react when I say I am going to do more than one workout in a day. Growing up as a competitive swimmer, I swam twice a day for a couple summers, and the more elite swimmers do this year round, so I just kind of saw it as being a part of training for a sport. With triathlon training, I also have always seen it as necessary to be able to balance three sports instead of just one. I have never really thought about it as being a big deal, but I have been intentional about slowly increasing my training volume, which is why I haven’t done two sport specific workouts in one day.

Monday - I have felt fatigued all week, so I haven’t pushed myself too much. I got on the trainer Monday, and during my ride I did some hard intervals, but I also kept everything else to zone 2.

Tuesday - I kept my run in zone 2, following some breathing advice I found on YouTube to try to keep my heart rate down without walking. I then went and did my usual strength workout at my gym, which takes about an hour, and leaves me getting home pretty late, but I like it when the gym is quieter after 7 PM.

Wednesday - I got in the pool! I feel like I need to celebrate when this actually happens, because it is five in the morning, and this workout was hard. I like my lane I swim with on Wednesdays, and I appreciated when my coach made someone else be lane leader for the last part of the main set, because I was tired.

Thursday - I did my speed workout for the week. I did a 10 minute warm up then six time thirty seconds in zone 4 followed by four and a half minutes easy until the forty minute mark. I upped my shorter runs to forty minutes this week, and they feel good, aside from the eighty-four degree heat.

Friday - I was back on the trainer due to some bad weather moving through. I did slightly longer intervals of slightly higher power. I will probably start to do longer intervals at half-iron pace once I am through this sprint, but right now I want to focus on speed for my sprint.

Saturday - I went back to swim practice! it also knocked me out, because I didn’t sleep well the night before. It was another speed workout, and I was happy with my lane choice, because one of the men I swim with is one of the most consistent people to swim with when it comes to pace and keeping intervals.

Sunday - The two-a-day I was talking about was my long run of fifty-five minutes, which had been planned for only fifty, and then I found out the outdoor pool at my gym opened this weekend (they were short staffed, so I didn’t know if it would), so I impulse decided I wanted to go for a swim. I got a pretty good night of sleep Saturday night, so I think that’s why I had the energy to go for this swim even after running.

Overall, this was a solid week of training, and based on my apps, this was my fifth solid week of training with four to go until I race my sprint. I am planning to just stay consistent between now and then, and I will probably take another rest day at some point, then the week of the race I’ll take off the Friday before and throughout that weeks my workouts will be shorter and higher intensity.

Electronic or Mechanical - The Benefits of Both

I own both electronic and mechanical shifting bikes. All that I own are Shimano (except my soon to be built tri bike), but I have also had the opportunity to work on and ride bikes with SRAM eTap as well. While I enjoy always being on the newest and best technology, I find that the decision of whether or not to ride electronic isn’t so simple.

The quality of shifting can be surprisingly similar between the two. I have Ultegra R8000 components on my Domane, and I was really impressed with the shift quality. My previous experience on my own bikes was Ultegra 6700 10-speed on my Tri bike, so this was a big improvement. I think the shifting in the end feels very similar to the Ultegra electronic shifting, and that the real difference is just being able to press a button instead of pushing the whole shifter. The place I have really seen this as a benefit has been with a customer who has wrist and hand problems who benefits from only pushing a button.

While the shift quality is similar, there is a lot less maintenance with electronic shifting. You don’t need to worry about things settling in and cable stretch, and if you’re on hydraulic brakes you really don’t have much to worry about for a while. As a mechanic, I have no fear of adjusting my derailleurs, but it is nice not to have to worry about as much maintenance.

With less maintenance though, you do have to charge batteries. With Shimano, there is one battery, and when it reaches a certain percent remaining it will stop shifting the front derailleur and only shift the rear to conserve power. With eTap, everything is wireless, so you have separate batteries for your derailleurs and shifters. The good news being that if the rear battery dies, you could swap it with the front to hopefully make it home. It would also be easy to carry a spare if needed as well.

The really big advantage of electronic shifting to me came in the form of base bar shifting on a triathlon bike. I raced Ironman Louisville in 2016, and I would have loved this feature back then. With Shimano Di2 the brake levers include shifter buttons or there are additional shift buttons available, and with SRAM eTap you can buy “Blips” or “Clicks” to add buttons wherever you want. The additional buttons are also useful for additional shifting options on road bikes.

Do I have a verdict on what is better? No. I still like my 2013 Felt B16W tri bike with mechanical Ultegra 10-speed just fine, but I am going to electronic on my new triathlon bike for the base bar shifting. I love my Madone with electronic shifting, but the Madone or Emonda I am planning to buy to replace it may be mechanical. For me, I like electronic shifting, but I can’t justify the price on every bike I buy.

Maybe Feeling the Comeback- Another Week of Training

It’s not like I’m having breakthrough workouts, but I am starting to feel like I’ve made progress. I also sometimes have to take a step back and remind myself that progress is typically slow, and while I may not feel like I am running faster, it is humid and getting pretty warm out, which means I am running slower at the same heart rates. I am biking faster though, which may have been my Madone and carbon wheels or my legs.

Monday - I started off with a run on Monday. I had to double check my workout stats to remember the workout. It was a 15 minute warm-up, 5 minutes in zone 4, 5 minutes in zone 2, 2.5 minutes in zone 4, and 2.5 minutes in zone 2. The goal was to begin to get comfortable being uncomfortable for longer going into this sprint. I have the endurance at this point that I can run for an hour no problem, but whether I can run faster for longer is the bigger challenge. I cooked dinner after the run before going to the gym to strength train.

Tuesday - I got out and rode my Madone. This was the second ride in a row that I’ve averaged over 15 mph, which five years ago was nothing, but this week it felt like an accomplishment. I’m riding 20 miles when outside, focusing on building speed before the sprint with plans to start a big (1 year) training cycle right after I’m done.

Wednesday - I felt a lot of fatigue. I decided that it was best to take a day off, since my body is still adjusting to training this much again. I haven’t been sleeping well, so I know I need some rest to make sure I’m absorbing all of the work.

Thursday - I was back out running for thirty-five minutes. I did a ten minute warm up with 5x1 minute in zone four and a four minute recovery. This is still all focused on getting some speed back.

Friday - I slept through my alarm for swim practice, and I felt like my legs didn’t need a run or ride, so I did a trail run instead. This got my heart rate up without the same impact as running on asphalt. I end up walking the hills and mostly running flats and smooth downhills. Nashville is very rocky, so there’s a lot of walking involved.

Saturday - I went for another 20 mile ride, and I tried to push my pace just a little to try to get used to being uncomfortable again. I ended up with a better average speed than Tuesday, but the important thing was the recovery estimate from my Garmin was only 26 hours. Previously when I tried to start to get back into shape I would have estimates of 72 hours, so this was a good sign to me.

Sunday - I got out for my run early, and I ended up having a little trouble keeping my heart rate down. I did a little over 3 miles with some 30 second sprints mixed in. After the second sprint I decided I needed to walk part of the recovery to make sure my heart rate came down before I went back to trying to run in zone 2. I was probably having trouble with my heart rate from a combination of fatigue and humidity as summer begins to hit here.

Overall, I feel like I had a pretty solid week. I also finished two Strava challenges for some free cookie mix and a $15 off coupon, so that was nice. I think that was about 7 hours of training with 5 sport specific hours in it, and I will probably be between 7 and 10 hours between now and the sprint. After the race is over I plan to reevaluate where I am and build a more structured plan in terms of base building and then going into next race season, but for now I feel like I am at least getting back into things to some extent.

I'm Calling this my Comeback - Last Week's Training

This past week has been a great week of training for me, and while I am still running in zone 2 primarily and keeping my pace down, I feel like there has been some progress in my running. I did make a couple changes from my prior week of training. I swam twice and only ran three days instead of four, and I ended up with only two bike rides instead of three. This is all based on making sure I have enough energy to get through my workouts and making sure I am getting adequate recovery before I go into my next workout. What I found in the prior week was when I ran three days in a row with a strength session the same day as the middle one was that I could not keep my heart rate down on the third run, even though I had planned zone 2 with just a few intervals of thirty seconds to one minute. This week, I didn’t run two days in a row, going back to my old college training plan, where I tried not to run two days in a row, because I feel like I recover most slowly from running.

Monday - I ran an easy zone 2 workout with no speed work and strength trained at the gym. My gym work is very specific to triathlon and injury prevention. I focus on compound lower body movements, like squats and lunges for cycling and running, and I focus my upper body movements around my bad shoulder, which also strengthens the muscles needed for swimming. I also limit these workouts, so I won’t be too sore to train the next day, because previously when trying to go back to the gym I would train to the point my legs would not move well the next day.

Tuesday - I rode on Zwift for an hour after I couldn’t ride outside due to work I had to get done that day. When picking my Zwift routes, I try to avoid pancake flat (like the desert) in favor of routes where I will be forced to train at different cadences and try to keep my heart rate where it needs to be over various terrain. This one ended up having one climb (the start of the epic KOM) and a lot of flat with a few rollers mixed in, which I like for trainer rides, because when I do ride flats I get bored.

Wednesday - I went to swim practice. We’re swimming long course part of the time right now, and we will switch over to entirely long course in a couple weeks. I slept kind of oddly the night before, so my neck was bothering me, and that definitely had me cutting my warm up short and not pushing too hard during the stronger portions of the workout.

Thursday - This mimicked Monday a little, except the run had hills and was an interval run. I typically make up my intervals and the workout once I have started, so on this one I was doing thirty seconds fast followed by two and a half minutes easy five times through in the middle of the run. One thing I noticed this week was that my calves were feeling tight, so I did extra stretching after the run and in the next few days to be ready for Saturday’s longer run. The strength workout was the same as the workout I did on Monday.

Friday - I was back at swim practice, and I felt better than Wednesday. Fridays are always speed work, and right now I need it, so for once I really committed to trying to go fast on the fast stuff, not just strong which is what I typically do.

Saturday - I ran “long” on Saturday, which meant a little over three miles. I stayed in zone 2 to warm-up, but starting at the fifteen minute point I did thirty seconds fast with four and a half minutes in zone 2. Going into the last five minutes of the run I kept the pace up in zone 4 until I hit the three mile point and then I stopped my watch and walked back to my car.

Sunday - I rode my bike outside after working at the shop. I took my Madone out, because after thinking I lost my Di2 charger when I moved out of my ex-husband’s house over a year ago I finally found it. I really enjoyed this ride, and I am thinking I may keep my Madone and sell my Domane, because the Madone is more comfortable.

Since I only have a sprint planned right now, I am focusing on regaining some speed over anything else at the moment. My plan is to drop some weight and regain speed over the next few months, then for 2022 I want to plan a couple half distance races where I feel like I can really perform at my best. I am also going to take some time to do things other than triathlon training. I had my parents bring down my tennis racket from Ohio this weekend, so I can start taking some private tennis lessons with the goal of eventually getting good enough I could find a group of people to play with to get out of the house more.

Building a new Race Bike

I got my first bike when I was a freshman in college. It was a 2013 Trek Lexa with 8-speed claris components. I then upgraded to a 2013 Felt B16W triathlon bike, with 10-speed ultegra components, and I love that bike. Now, I like my Madone and my Domane, but I love my triathlon bike, and I think that love has helped me begin to start training more again. The only thing I don’t love about the bike is the rim brakes, so I decided it was finally time for a new bike, and while I wanted to wait for a disc brake speed concept, with covid and supply issues, I knew the likelihood of finding exactly what I wanted from Trek or Liv was unlikely, so I looked around online and found a 2020 Felt IA Advanced with disc brakes that was new and never ridden from The Pro’s Closet.

The only problem with this bike is the mechanical shifting, because when I did Ironman Louisville in 2016 I found I would love shifting on the base bars. So, like any good bicycle mechanic, I decided to buy the bike, sell the parts, and I am going to replace them with Force eTap AXS components, except the brakes, because hydraulic brakes are expensive, and I prefer TRP or Shimano hydraulic brakes that use mineral oil. I may still swap to the Sram in the end, only because of base bar shifter compatibility.

This build so far has been interesting. The Pro’s Closet did an excellent job packing the bike, but I honestly wish none of the cables were installed, because it would make taking it apart easier for me, but I know most customers probably aren’t taking the bike apart entirely. I have some Allen keys and a set of cable cutters at home, so I was able to disconnect everything myself, but it was a pain to have to take the cables out. I also borrowed the remaining tools I needed from the shop and returned them the next day while they were closed, so no one was missing the bottom bracket tool or the little star tool you use to remove Shimano cranks.

The other difficult part of working on this bike is the seat post. It is very wide and requires a special adapter to fit in a work stand, so I have been leaving it on the floor for most things, except installing the front brake, where I set the frame in the stand, but did not clamp it. Since I am going with eTap, I don’t anticipate too much need for a stand, especially since I already removed the bottom bracket while sitting on my living room floor. The bottom bracket removal made me very nervous. The IA has an English threaded bottom bracket, so first I double checked which direction it threaded in, because I am always confused by it, and then I had to take my bottom bracket tool and rubber mallet to actually remove it. In the end I was very proud of myself for getting this done at home without a proper stand.

I like my older Felt a lot, so I am hoping for a similar fit when I get around to making adjustments, but it will probably be a while. I have the Blip Box on backorder from Sram, and it will not be in stock until September, and I have wheels on backorder that are not available until January 2022. The remaining parts will come in between now and the end of July, so I am going to hold off on doing much until I can get further along, and I will post progress as the bike comes together.