Hashers And Mashers - Part 3 - Open

It's hard to remember but here goes:

Name - George

Story - I was a long term couch potatoe and junk food junkie.  Never ran, biked or swam other than to play.  Then at Ironman Canada 2010 watching the athletes I thought I could maybe do this too.  I'm not fast at anything but I enjoy the workouts and I enjoy the events even if I am just volunteering.  I've lost approx. 60lbs from my peak(!) and I eat a lot better than I used to.  I've got my 2nd Oly in 3 weeks and 5 weeks after that a nice HIM plus an assortment of other events through July, August and Sept.

Family Status - Married to Ruby with 4 kids that get older so fast I can't keep up.  Daughter #1 will be 37 this year!  We also have 5 grandsons and 3 granddtrs and we won't mention the two great grandkids.

This Year's Races - Getting ready for Victoria Olympic; Penticton GranFondo; Across the Lake Swim; Calgary 70.3; Challenge Penticton Half; Cultus Lake Olympic. 

Weight Loss - Can't seem to beat the last few pounds partly because I like my own cooking (Won Ton soup, Asian type things).  Trying to get my wife's "Energy Ball" recipe - vegan and very tasty.

Training Pics - Trying to get some pics loaded to show what my workout locations look like but can't figure out how to do it. (struggling with "Source, Image location".

Feels good to be active again.

Anna - Nice pics of your area.  I was surprised to see it looking so nice and lush.  I thought it would be more like our area (almost desert here - LOTS of wineries).

I've been training like crazy lately and tomorrow I have my first OWS of the season.  Supposed to swim for 1:15 which should be interesting.  Last year we swam around the same lake (about 3200m) in an hour or so.  The water should be about 19C/66F.  It felt pretty cold today but it should be more comfortable in our wetsuits.  I really get a kick out of swimming out in the middle of the lake.

So what has everybody else been up to?

George- yes, we have a lot of trees and forestry around here, and a little bit of rain a few weeks ago greened up the grass quite well. We classify as "subtropical", summers can get pretty wet.

Training wise I finally went down and had a go at the Challenge course. Started at the oval where transition will be and rode out, getting out away from the suburbs and into the country quite quickly. I tried to get up the hill they have dubbed "the beast", the first few hundred metres were fine with an incline of 10%, but then it got rapidly steeper (18%) and about 2/3 of the way up I just couldn't get up any further. Standing up on the pedals and pulling myself down into them as hard as I could, the front end started jumping and wriggling and I admitted defeat before falling over. Sat back and rode the brakes back down, then had a bit of a breather and set off along the other part of the course, a very picturesque undulating ride along the valley (green green grass, tree ferns, rainforest scenery). On the way back I had another go at the hill, made it half way. 

Once back at the oval I put the bike away and had a nice run on the beach, made good time for me (6:20 per km for 5k). I was pretty happy with the outing, and now I know I need to do a lot of serious hill work between now and August. Good to know that now, and not in July

So, to post a bio:

Name--Anna

Story--I used to swim a fair bit in the past, nothing competitive, but I've always enjoyed the free and floaty feeling of swimming. After a long layoff (work, pregnant/child, rest of life) I was trying to get a bit fitter a few years ago and went back to swimming. That led to an open water swim, then to triathlon. I've never really had much bike strength, and have NEVER been a runner, so that was a steep learning curve. Now I've completed a few enticer tri's, 4 or 5 sprints, and numerous runs up to half marathon distance.

Family status- married, one very busy 4 year old daughter.

Current training--6 days a week, mostly one workout a day but trying to squeeze more in. 

Upcoming races--primarily training for the Gold Coast Challenge HIM distance in August, but I've got a half-mary and some other runs pencilled in along the way. Then there's the entire 2014-2015 season to look forward to

Weightloss--yes. Have lost some, got about 3 stubborn kilos to go, but I like my food too much too.

Anna - Don't be too worried about the hill.  At my HIM last year lots of people walked up a couple bad climbs.  I was strong enough to make it up without walking but I have since wondered if I overworked my legs climbing those hills then fried them for the run.  Do practice and go back to that hill whenever you can because it will tame down with experience.

I went with a friend for our first OWS of the year today.  We swam around a small lake (2640m based on Google Earth "ruler" so should be accurate distance).  I'm not sure how long it took for the swim so I guessed 1:11 but it was likely a fair bit quicker (last year we did it in 58 minutes and I felt faster today).  The water temp was 19C/66F but once we got swimming it was really nice in our wetsuits.

It was quite amusing swimming out across the lake.  As I was out in the middle of the lake I could see a very large Osprey circling above me every time I took a breath.  I think maybe I looked like a tasty fish(?).  It was also nice to think as I swam that there was nothing in the water that wanted to bite, sting or eat me except then I started thinking about the movie Tremors.

Thanks George and Mike for the encouragement re: The Hill. I was toying with the idea of getting a bigger gear, and I may yet do that, I'll see how the training goes. I am thinking walking up the hill might be the sensible option, like you George I don't really want to trash my legs right before a half marathon. 

Good to see you back in for another round too, Carlo! I didn't realise you'd only been tri training 7 months...how on earth did you manage to get 2 sprints, 1 oly and 2 HIMs in that short space of time? Smokin'!

can i play?  

NAME: marilyn

STORY:  i've been trying to get in on a mentor thread for a while but always end up picking less active ones...harrumph.  i have been fairly active on BT for about 5 years now and love the community but as the forums become less active I am hoping to find a network here, i don't have many local running/tri friends.

FAMILY STATUS: happily married with 2 puppies 

CURRENT TRAINING:  very loose plan.  i try to run at least 2 miles every day just because.  since i have no target race and no hope of ever winning, i've given up on training plans - they de-motivate me.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: in 2013 i switched to a run focus - did one spring sprint, one half marathon, and the chicago marathon

2014 RACES: still TBD - local favorite sprint in september and who knows what else, serving as unofficial companion to a girlfriend who is trying to run a half marathon in all 50 states so when i can join her i do, tend to fly by the seat of my pants.

WEIGHTLOSS:  not really something i think about or focus on.  i'm blessed to be tall with good metabolism and an appetite for healthy things, cursed with a sweet tooth and love of day drinking on beautiful summer days, but my activity level seems to balance it all out.  i wouldn't mind losing some of the softness in my tummy and thighs, but i'm not willing to do the drastic things i need to do to get there.

actually, before i got into triathlons, i competed in bodybuilding/figure shows.  i have a good deal of knowledge about strength training!  (and very strong opinions about it too...so there is your warning!)

Originally posted by strykergt

Originally posted by mehaner

Originally posted by strykergt welcome Marilyn With two season with the regulars here we have been very active. Seems to be you have extensive indoor and strength training. You can seriously contribute to the group. I have yet to figure out what strength training I need to do . Every time I have time to do strength I just use the short time to hop on the Trainer or dreadmill. We mainly do brainstorming here and help each other. Cheers and have fun!!!! Carlo

actually, before i got into triathlons, i competed in bodybuilding/figure shows.  i have a good deal of knowledge about strength training!  (and very strong opinions about it too...so there is your warning!)

Marilyn It will be awhile about 3 months before my Oly and 6 mos before my HIM, would be a good time to incorporate strength on my maintenance training. Any advice what I can do for the time being to be strong on the bike and last long on the run Thanks in advance

Squats are the be-all and end-all of leg strength.  Nothing can beat them.  So many variations on it to avoid overly fatiguing your quads though.  Look into goblet squats or front squats.  Also, the larger the muscle group, the more you build your general fitness.  Pull-ups, squats, lunges, pushups, rows are great.   

It was a pretty awesome experience.  I actually ran with another BTer.  The weather just happened to be perfect last year, and there are SO MANY SPECTATORS on the course, time kind of flies (and I was slooooooowwwww).   It was a goal race of mine for a few years and I am SO glad that is the race I did.  They know what they are doing, it's a great weekend.  Warning!  Miles 18/19ish is this little out and back that there are no people on - that stretch was the hardest part of the race.  Don't let it beat you!

Great Mike!  I actually have a few pics posted on Flickr so I'll try that route to post a few of my pics. 

Marilyn - Welcome to the group.  Nice to hear from you again.  After I read your bio I went to your Chicago Marathon race report and I'd be very happy with your time.  A friend is trying to convince me I should do the Ironman Canada (Whistler) next year (very scary) and I'd be ecstatic to come close to your time.

I know it would be good for me to do some strength training but I'm really bad about it.

Coach - How are you doing?  Getting excited about your Sprint?  I've got three weeks to my first event of the year.

All - I'm looking forward to a Swim (1:00); Bike (1:00) and Run (:45) tomorrow.  I'm not planning fast transitions but they won't be too long either.  The swim will be in the lake again.  I find it very contemplative/enjoyable.  Then on Saturday we're planning a 3:30 bike ride to climb up Richter Pass.  Should be a good ride.

What is everyone up to this weekend?

Hi Marilyn and welcome, you've picked the right group . I joined the fun in the last round and have really enjoyed the cameraderie, support and advice here.

Hi again Gary, good to see you back and raring to go now the injury has settled down.

That leads me to another thought, we need a pledge (of sorts); Listen to your body! If you think you might be in for an injury, back off! Our calves are precious, let's look after 'em

well - i did run that time after a good night's rest, not after a 6 hour bike ride!  i would be thrilled to run 5:22 in an ironman...heck....even just completing one at all is amazing to me!

OK first question to the group - this is the first week our hot weather has come out to spank us.  I went out for an easy 30 minute run and was WIPED OUT after a WICKED FAST 11:30 mile.  How do I re-acclimate to the heat - cause it's only gonna get hotter here.

Holy cow! My least favorite hill around here is a 10% grade and that takes me in the granny gear and standing to make it. Don't think I could do 18%, especially after doing 10% for awhile! (For the record, it's a sucky hill because it's so curvy. Scares the daylights out of me. Have to use my breaks, so I can't even get much momentum to back up.)

what is the grade at tavern?  that's about the worst hill i can manage and i'm glad i live in a flat land