Beer Drinker Appreciation Society - Open For Business (Page 106)

Jenn - I had two beers... They were tasty. A sour from Night shift in Boston and and one from my friends brewery.

All right - Late call on the head to head weight loss challenge for the month of June. Who's in?

First race is in the books!

Morning started off good, I was one of the first to arrive, transition and packet pickup started at 6, but they let us start moving some stuff in at around 5:45. Found my assigned rack, which was grouped by age group it seemed. Set my towel and gear up for transition, and went back to my car to grab my bike and change into my racing suit. By the time I made it back to transition, everyone else on my rack had showed up...and my jaw hit the floor. The bike rack looked like a super bike catalog..Cervelo P5 Di2, Specialized Shiv S works, Trek speed concept 9.9 Di2, Felt IA, QR PRSix Di2..and me, on my little old S32. Let's just say the 5 guys I was racked with finished top 5 overall.

Morning was going great up until swim warm ups...went to put my goggles on..and they break. Spend the entire warmup trying to get them fixed, but nothing worked. Decided to say screw it and swim without. Popped a gu about 10 minutes out from race start(which I regret)

SWIM-

We started on a boat launch, found out we were allowed to wade out into around chest deep water, I decided to take the front right side, to try and keep near the lead pack. Swim was a 400m triangle route. Off the gun I was with the lead pack for the first 50m or so, then I actually pulled ahead, held the lead around the first bouy and and then until about 3/4 of the way to the 2nd. Had someone grab my foot and it threw me off my rhythm. Dropped back a little and was 4th out of the water.

T1-
Transition actually went great was in and out in 33s, was the 3rd fastest t1 of the day.

BIKE-
About 50yds after the mount point there was a brutally steep hill, had to downshift the second I got on the bike to get up it. Got my feet into my shoes and secured no problem, but I was feeling pretty gassed already from the swim..I probably went out harder than I should have on the swim. Tried to relax and little and bring my heart rate down a bit, got passed by quite a few within the first 4 miles. Just couldn't seem to get my cadence up and find my pedal stroke, left leg was starting to cramp a bit but I kept pushing. Just after the turn around, a guy rode up next to me and yelled "your rubberband is still on!", looked down and saw my left shoe never broke free when I mounted, and I had been fighting the resistance of the rubberband the entire time. Clipped out, broke the rubberband, clipped back in and got on it. Got my cadence up to where I wanted it, cramps went away, and I was finally getting the power I wanted. Put my head down, and dropped a gear. Went from 17mph on the first stretch to holding 21mph coming back. Caught up and passed a few people, including the guy who helped me out, screaming "thanks!" As I flew by him. Back half of the bike leg was night and day compared to the front half.

T2-
T2 wasn't nearly as good as t1, had trouble racking my bike because the rack was a little low, so I had to slide my bike under to hook it. Shoes gave me a little fuss with being put on...not sure what to do to fix this, the tongue on the hokas is just too thin and it pushes into the shoe..will have to figure something out. Was in and out in under a minute still, but it could definitely use some work.

RUN-
Coming out of t2, we had to run the same hill we went up on the bike, and it was brutal. Right after the hill was an aid station with cold towels and water. Cold towel was definitely nice. But I really didn't have a good run. I think between goggle malfunction and bike mishaps I was just gassed. Pace was MUCH slower than I had hoped for. Run turned into a jog, which turned into a walk. Just pass the turnaround, a guy passed me, and saw his calf marking that he was in my AG. Decided to just try and stay on his heels. We ended up running side by side the rest of the race and I knew exactly where I was going to make my move. We came down the same steep hill to turn into the finish line, we both were in a full run, trying not to slip on the hill, came around the corner and saw the finish line, I put everything I had left on the course, and went into an all out sprint leaving the other guy in the dust.

Post race-
I don't remember much for a few minutes following the race, I could do nothing but collapse on the pavement. There was sandwiches, cookies and domestic macro beers I settled for a powerade.

I finished 34th out of 248, and 6th in my AG.

Even with all the mishaps and hiccups, I had an absolute blast, and I can't wait for my next race. Although I do have bike envy to the max now...

Thank you guys for being there on this journey so far, I think I'm going to be around here for a while.

I think I need a celebratory night at my favorite beer joint.




Edited by GeauxHard 2015-06-01 5:09 AM

Check-in Did my weekend swim workout today. I felt a little better swimming today. I'm starting to get a bead on what might be throwing me off on my swimming. I'm still playing with things mechanically (head not facing downward enough), but the comment below may have been an issue too. Tomorrow is another planned swim day. I normally don't do 2 back to back, but I swapped my Saturday and Sunday workout to do the brick from yesterday.

Beer I'm starting to think that beer in larger quantities (not 1 or 2 over a dinner) has a negative impact on my workouts. Aside from any weight effects, I have been noticing that it seems to put me in the "don't want to workout" funk for about 2-3 days. I know that alcohol can bring on depression, I wonder if it's a something like that. Also I'm noticing better performance without it. I don't mean the obvious "my run stunk because I was hungover and dehydrated" events. I'm too old to get myself into that state much anymore. I mean "I drank during a picnic on Saturday so my swim on Monday stunk". I know everyone is different, but aside from any mechanical issues I've been having with my swimming, I do think that my recent swims were negatively impacted by Memorial Day and it's after effects of me trying to get rid of any beer that remained in the house. Funny enough, from the time I joined this forum until about 2 months in I didn't have any "funk" issues and I also wasn't drinking. Hmm..... I may have to only have 1 or 2 at a time during training and try to limit more than that to rewards when I achieve a goal. This Sunday I have my first official triathlon. It's a sprint run by my YMCA. No beer till AFTER the race. That'll motivate me. Nothing would be more appropriate for the BDAS forum than figuring out to to have beer drinking fit into our workouts while minimizing any negative impact. Has anyone else noticed this?

Jeez Dave - glad you made it home ok!!

Devon - Congrats!!! That's one hell of a race, esp with the goggles and the rubber band incident. Congratulations and I hope you're out having some good beer tonight!

Dave O - I'm definitely with you. I've noticed the same effects from alcohol on workouts as poor nutrition choices. You know the ones. Not the obvious 'I ate a bag of cheetos and a plate of fried cheese sticks why do I feel like crap' but the pasta with chicken and cream sauce instead of the grilled chicken and mashed potatoes choice. Same with the beer. The trouble with the beer is when you have one, you want another and your inhibition is lower...

Feeling a little bada$$ right now (ok admittedly not 6th in my AG after leading the swim for a while with no goggles bada$$)... Had my hour spin class this morning, and my mom came by for dinner to bring my birthday cake. Had a big dinner, a Founder's Breakfast Stout, (delicious!), 2 pieces of birthday cake....and then my wife looked at the workout calendar and said 'you were supposed to run today too'. Mind you, the thunderstorms were in with flash flood warnings accompanied by a 30 degree temperature drop. And I'm full of food. A year ago there is no way this workout was happening - thanks to this fine crew at BDAS I knew I had to get that workout in! 400m intervals no less... But I did it, I finished strong, and came home cold, soaked, and filthy; but feeling very accomplished.

So I just wanted to say 'thanks' to all of you for keeping me motivated.

Congratulations! As a fellow first timer, I have a few questions since my big days are getting closer:

- What were the distances? I see the swimming was 400m. Was this a 12 mi bike and 3.1 mile run?
- Wetsuit or no wetsuit? (I'm assuming no, due to the T1 time)
- What was water temp?
- Socks or no socks?
- What were your splits and total time?
- Any advice for T2? I'm running in Hokas too. Are you using the fast laces they came with?
- You lost me on the rubber band. Could you elaborate?
- Did you rely on the liquids you brought for the bike ride or did you grab some? To me that would just get in the way. I think I can do a sprint with the drink I bring.

Total newbie questions. If anyone else wants to answer with their experience that would be great too.
- When you get your bike unracked at T1, does everyone run with it to the mount point? I haven't ever done that, I think I'll smack the back of my calf with the pedal multiple times.
- Does everyone use a clip belt with your race bib.
- Is there a trick to racking the bike? I thought this would be bullet proof and haven't thought about it.
- For my Oly I'm not planning on bringing spare tubes or CO2. I was thinking that if the bike goes then I'm just going to go with it, but I could see the value in carrying a fast sealer/inflator like Slime in the back of my jersey. What do you folks do?

I'll get some transition practice this week, but any advice would be welcomed.

Enjoy the beer!

Went out for a few celebratory beers.

And one of my favorite beers is back in season..

Professor Fritz 1809 Berliner Weisse

And it's never tasted so good...

Yesterday was one of the best days in my life: finished my first HIM with family around, and died later with AC/DC in concert.

Race was 1h drive away from my city so went the day before, pick up the package and recognized the water start and bike rack.
Got up at 7am, had breakfast (2 peanut butter and honey toasts, yoghourt and coffee), dressed in racing gear and back to the sofa till 8am.
Drove to the race place, and racked the bike full of envy as Devon, as the "catalog" of tribikes there was amazing -this was a small race, 300 participants only and, as I saw, very competitive-. Met two friends from the local triclub and, unexpectedly, a patient of mine!
Water was 19C so got my swimming suit and googles -this time brought two pairs, as last time they broke and had to swim with a litlle girl pink ones...-
Race started on time at 9am. The swim was not bad, 41 minutes, with not much "physical violence" in the water apart from the inevitable, sun was up and sometimes difficult to see but was guided by other bright yellow caps. Beautiful environment in a national park where it is forbidden to swim except for yesterday.
T1 was a bit far, 400m run, not easy to get the swimming suit out, but finally managed, left everything in the box, got my cycling shoes on with no socks (not used to the rubber band, prefer to walk with the shoes on and clip them once out), and packed the bars and gels (what I had planned was to drink 1 bottle of fluid per hour and keep the sequence every 20 min of half a bar-gel-gel which worked pretty well). I dropped very soon two gels so I was worried to run out of nutrition, but could recover with the gels provided at the race. Felt extremely good at the bike leg, mean of 32km/h.
T2 was much easier, got my socks on and my zoots and run the half marathon with just one idea in my mind - not to walk, just run. I did it. Temperature was quite high by then, but pleny of water, fruits, gels and salts, plus one of those sprinklers that may you feel like in heaven when you cross it! Average pace 5:07.
Ended up 238 of 300, but had a great experience!! From previous olys where I suffered a lot in the run leg, this time I was quite conservative and had a much better race. Had a beer with the family (too hot to enjoy wine, that will be tonite) and went home to rest a bit, and do my 2nd HIM of the day: ACDC concert!
Thanks guys for being there, this is great support to keep training and enjoy our sport!

Juan





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That's awesome Juan! Congrats brother! Super jealous you got to race and see AC/DC all in the same night.

I understand why people get addicted to this sport..I was kinda blah about training the last few weeks, and it showed today..its amazing what the difference racing will do. Already planning the rest of my season out, which I'm thinking will conclude in a HIM at the venue I raced today.

On a side note, the permanent marker from the race today is still on my arms and calves, but I still smile a bit every time I catch a glimpse of it. To think, 5 months ago, I was almost 50lbs heavier, and wouldn't believe even making the distance today was possible. And now I've got an even bigger fire burning under my a$$, LOL

Well done, Juan, and all the others who raced over the last couple of weeks.

I've been away on vacation and sans computer, but now I'm back. I travelled down to SW Colorado to ride the Iron Horse Classic, and it lived up to the hype. 50 miles, 6500 feet of elevation gain, and after the weather forecast went back and forth all week, the true Colorado springtime kicked in. Sunny and clear at the start, snow and hail at the tops of the passes, and snow, sun, and hail at the finish. Even with the weather (let me tell you, hail hitting your face at 40 mph does not feel good) and the steep grades (sustained 8-9% up both passes), I felt really good. Then I saw the old geezer finish the ride on a unicycle, and I was thoroughly humbled. Yes, a unicycle.

So I got back home and was all excited for my first tri of the year, only to get the e-mail saying it was postponed for 2 weeks due to all the rain we've been getting. The same thing happened 2 years ago, only then it was because of forest fires. Go figure. The only problem is that I work weekend nights, including the night before the new race date. I went back and forth for a couple of days on whether or not to take the option of switching races or hoping to get out of work early the night before and doing the Xterra. I finally decided to switch races to Steamboat. It is one I had planned to do anyway, so at least it saves me an extra race fee. And when I say get out of work early, I mean at 3 a.m. instead of 6. Either way there would be very little sleep involved. It also gives me a little ore time to train.

So I knocked out a 63 mile ride on Friday on a route I've avoided like the plague for years, and now I know why. Five different segments with grades over 20% and one that approaches 30%. Ouch. It felt good when it was done, but holy crap it hurt going up. The U.S Pro Challenge is going up that route when it comes through town this summer. I pity them.





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Deveon - know why it tastes so good, other than the fact that it's a great beer (I loved the lemon notes)? Because you are a b@d@55 who earned it by pushing past the adversity and having a great race. Sounds like you were grouped right where you should have been in that bike rack. Next time - you will crack the top 5!

Kudos and keep it up! We are glad to have you in the BDAS!

Dave O - First and foremost - enjoy your taper. You are going to crush it this week!

As for the alcohol - I have noticed the same thing. When I'm training hard - having two beers usually results in a headache, which leads me to think that the booze is not helping my hydration levels. It also screws with my sleep. Even having one of two usually makes it hard for me to get really deep sleep - so that might have something to do with it. Good luck figuring it out!

Hell yea! Way to wear that BDAS jersey with Pride. It turns out we kick @55 on 2 continents! How was ACDC - you must have been one tired pup by the time the last encore ended! Congrats man! You have a lot to be proud of!

What's next for you?

As you should! Way to push past the excuses and get it do. It's that type of committment that will help you accomplish your goals and will make your confidence grow by leaps and bounds.

Folks - I live about 20 minutes from John - and the thunderstorm he was talkinging about was serious business and reminds me of Rule #9:

Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

Alright - some BDAS Business to take care of -

1) I didn't see anyone jumping on the May challenge where we pair off and go head to head in a weight loss challenge which involves a bet between the two based on goals they set. If you're interested - let me know and I will set it up.

2) It's the end of the month and time for a brag session. Take some time today or tomorrow to write a post either bragging about yourself or someone else in the group. Be specific - what did you or they do that impressed you.

3) Post your goals for the month - what do you want to accomplish this month and explain how we can help you.

DQ Brag Session - I finally got my in gear. Last week, I worked out as much as I had the previous 2 weeks combined. Thanks everyone for your support. I'm 75 % back to where I was mentally and physically - now I've just go to ease back into the run and I'll be in Fat City.

Congratulations, Juan!!!! It sounds like you had a blast and did so well too!!! Great picture!! I can't wait to read your race report!

Mike, you are a beast!! Holy hills, Batman!!
Stinks about the email, but at least they gave you a heads up instead of a last minute change.

Well done, Devon!!! Broken goggles....that would end it for me - contacts. Goggles and riding with your rubber band on. Geesh, giving yourself some handicaps there from the get-go!! Sounds like your opponents needed it though from the way you tore it up!
Well done and a tasty beer at the end - now that's the way to do it right. Be proud. What's next?

I attached a you-tube video on how and why to pre-clip your shoes using rubber bands. I haven't done this yet - I'm not talented enough to jump and swing my leg over. LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uarqx82pRjE

I use a race belt, I hate pinning numbers to my jersey - don't need your number until the run as your bike will already have a number taped to it and you will often get a small sticker with your number on it to put on your helmet. Last year I did the rookie mistake to wear my number on the bike for both my races - not so aerodynamic. You'll see it in my profile picture. You can pre-attach your bib to your belt and clip it on after throwing on your running shoes.
Bike racks are different so just see what others have done. I've seen some where you put the nose of the seat over the bar, some where your hook up the back of your seat, and I've been given a wooden stake to pound into the ground to lean my bike up against (this sucks).
For my Oly I used my own fuel on the bike.
Fast laces are key. My T2 time came down below 1:00 with those. I did use socks because I hadn't trained without them, but it's a personal preference. I heard the longer distances you may want to consider socks over the shorter sprint and Oly distances. I've always used socks on the bike and run.
I did run with my bike - not too big of a deal - just use one hand, it gives you enough distance between you and the bike that the pedals shouldn't hit you.
Hope this helps a bit. Don't overthink it and have fun!

Juan - congratulations and kick-a$$ race report! Still can't believe you went to an AC/DC show after your first HIM, that must have been epic. Your post race pic certainly is!

Up next I'm going back to a base phase for 6-8 weeks, really hit the weights and build into some miles. My A race for this year is going to be a HIM in November, a nice birthday gift to myself(2 days after my birthday). There's a few smaller sprints in September and October that I'm going to train through for the hell of it.

It's a local HIM distance race, I believe the bike is just a hair under 58mi, so it's actually going to be over a 70.3..we will see how I'm feeling after that race to see if I wanna make a run at 70.3 New Orleans come March of next year.

Woke up this morning ready to go, got a 15 mi ride in, legs feeling great surprisingly, and im about to head to the gym to take my iron supplements.

Crunched some numbers last night, a new bike may be in the budget soon