Jnowash's Group - CLOSED! (Page 10)

Lesley's being kind about my support group -- I had overtired kids who wanted to eat 2 seconds after I crossed the finish line. Congratulations Jenny! Every time I passed a marker on the run for the HIM, I breathed a sigh of relief that I was doing the sprint. This was a tough event -- especially if you don't live in a particularly hilly area. Lesley looked completely composed at the end of the race too.

 I have mixed feelings about this race. Normally I get a huge endorphin kick that starts on the bike and continues into the run. I think I was just sleep deprived, plus using some new cycling shoes (not best fit, forgot my own, drove around Poconos for 3 hours Saturday to find replacement shoes/cleats). Despit all this, satisfied that I completed 12th in my age group. This gives me the motivation to double down in preparation for my first Olympic in 3 weeks.

 I would do this event again, just not as the first event of the year.

Good job everyone on the Black Bear.

I have a question for ya- I'm doing this Danskin on June 15th and the swim is 800 meters or yards (not sure which) in the CA Adventure lagoon. In my last (and only) two tris my swim has improved, but it's still my most hesitant of the three. By hesitant, I mean I won't "mix it up" as my husband says. If I hit someone's leg or if someone hits me, I automatically raise up and start doing breast and it takes me a bit to get back to my stroke. I certainly don't want to be swimming over someone or pushing them down. I've been starting in the back 1/4th and on the outside because I don't want to get swam over. I guess I've heard the horror stories of getting hit in the temple, goggles getting knocked off, etc. I'm definitely an endurance swimmer, so the 800 meters shouldn't be a problem. Should I try to go out early and swim hard to get ahead and in some open water or ?? I'm not the fastest swimmer, but I know if I could get into a rhythm, my swim would be much more effective and I'd be out and ready for the bike and run where I don't seem to have a problem going for it. These are fairly short distances on this one -- I think the bike is 9 miles and the run is only 2. Suggestions??

Thanks --

Lynn 

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE BIG BEAR RACERS....JENNY, MARGOT AND LESLEY!!!!!......it sounds like you all did a great job in the race and had fun, too.  Where is this race?  Is it in the Poconos?  My family has a house in the Poconos.  Maybe I could convince some of my tri friends to do that one next year.  Not so sure about me, though.  I think I really might be finished with biking, unless I can figure out how to organize myself enough to ride a bike to work.  Then I might buy one and just do it to save on gas.  My car requires premium gas and it hurts me to fill it up every week.  I am just happy that I work pretty close to home.

My goals for the month of June are to focus on running speed and do abs every day (minimum of 100 situps).  I decided not to do a challenge this month.  Instead, I am keeping my focus on those two things.  I found out that I started to not enjoy swimming when I felt pressured to do it.  And, as I already said, I don't enjoy the bike at all!

happy training everybody!

Linda

I was reading this post today and reflected back on my swim yesterday.  I see one of my errors-trying to raise myself out of the water to get a good breath.  I thought I had hit upon something last week when I found this helped me breathe a little better.  I guess it helps my breath some, but affects my speed much more than the little help. 

Bigfuzzydoug's Ten Points to Swimming

I did several 300yd sessions yesterday and could complete each in around 8 min.  This may be a long time for most, but considering I've increased my swim speed by double (or is it by half) since the first of the year,  I am making pretty good progress.  This time should do me well in the sprint I plan to do in 3+ weeks.

Can anyone offer any additonal tips to help with my swim?

Your swim description perfectly matches my race experience last Sunday. I think I should have kept wider longer . . or learn to pause in water without raising my head. It completely wrecked my rhythym until the second half of the swim. It was much harder to control panic when every 3 strokes I was bumping into someone. I used to go out fast but unable to with current shoulder condition.

I agree with Jenny -- I've always swum in all female waves and never had an "alpha attitude" problem . . . I've even exchanged mutual apologies with other swimmers during the swim. 

My goal this week is to complete all assigned training session to the best of my ability . . first olympic coming up soon. My only event this weekend is coordinating/hosting/baking a cake for my 8yo daughter's birthday party in our backyard. Plus going to host a casual dinner for my parent's 40th wedding anniversary later that day. The good news is my folks will completely pitch in -- they like the central location of our place to their friends. 

Good luck to anyone racing this weekend!  My plans are to spend most of Sat invoved in karate events and do my long run on Sunday.  We are planning to start early to minimize the heat.  It seems way too early for this heat! I really do not love the heat and humidity. I run much better in cold weather.

Happy celebrating, Margot!  Happy 8th birthday to your daughter and Happy 40th anniversary to your parents.  That's a wonderful celebration!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Thanks for the swimming info Jenny. Maybe I'm just over-thinking the whole thing, too. ?? I do think starting out really hard would not work for me at all. I'm much more of an endurance person rather than a sprinter in any sport. Probably why I'm attracted to tris.

Good luck and congrats to all those racing this weekend. I'm up for the LA Danskin next Sunday. We're going up on Sat. and spending the night and cruising CA Adventure on Sat after 4 p.m. (got evening passes) and then the tri Sunday morning and taking on Disneyland on Sunday afternoon. We live about an hour south so it's not a long trip,thankfully. Should be fun. I'll let you know how Disney does tris. If it's like everything else they do, should be pretty fun.

Have any of you done a Danskin event? Hope all is well out there in tri land.

Lynn 

Last summer I did Danskin Seattle with my sister. Very well run event and a broad mix of participants, very inclusive. This was in 60 degree rain. My only complaint was my plastic timing band snapped two kicks into the swim -- next time I would pay extra for the velcro band.

Also the transition was enormous. Recommend setting up early, then counting from the swim entrance # of racks until yours. Ditto for the bike entrance.

It was moving to see all the ages, backgrounds, fitness levels, and friendships that were completing this all together.

Here's my embarrassing tri suit (one-piece) story. After Black Bear, what's a girl to do except go shopping! So I bought a tri suit using my BT discount online. I eagerly count down the days until it shows up, disappointed when I mistake my daughter's Lands End package for mine. Finally it shows up and although I've had two workouts that day, I rally to slip it on. However, slip is not quite the operative word. The first time I miss the built-in bra and look like Houdini, contorting my arms. Do over. Then I slip my legs through the build in bra, shimmy the suit up toward my hips and come to a screeching halt. Don't you know it . . . the lower chest band of the built in bra is not going over my hips, no way, no how. I try all my tight jean maneuvers to no effect. I call TriSports and get a male customer service agent, describe my dilemma. He realizes he's outside his league and gives me a female rep. She laughs and says its not my imagination, that's why some women don't like tri suits. Plus too hard to go to the bathroom in. She recommended 2 other styles. I'm counting down the days for my next package . . .

Great story, Margot! Hope the next one works better. I love the look of the one piecers, but since I'm tall one piecers usually won't be long enough for me and if I get them bigger, they sag and bag. Let us know how the new one is. Which one did you get?

Thanks for info on Danskin. I'm getting excited. I think they shortened the swim to 1/3 of a mile, added a mile to the bike and 1/2 mile to the run. Who knows the distances we'll eventually end up with.

I think I will be able to wear a pink bib in honor of a friend who recently died of breast cancer at 41. She's the reason I got off my butt and decided to do these tris. I'd been talking and thinking about triathlons for a couple of years, but couldn't get the courage to actually go for it, until she had an aloha party before her death. The first person I talked to there had been doing tris and with her impending passing, it  seemed like a sign for me to finally do what I thought I was afraid of. Time is short and we don't know how long we'll have, but I'd like to not have any regrets when it's my time.

Okay -- onto a happier note -- Here's my plan for the week. Eat protein and get to bed early and do some nice easy swim/bike/runs (not all on the same day).

I'm going to practice my transitions -- get my wetsuit on-- get in the bathtub and then practice getting out of it and into my bike stuff. I'll probably look like a wet seal on the way to the garage for my bike. Maybe I should sell tickets and let the neighbors watch for their amusement. :-)

How did your parties turn out Margot?

T-shirts sound cool -- too bad I'd have to fly back east to participate and earn one. 

Normally I wake up thinking about my next workout. Last Saturday I woke up at 5:30am thinking I need to clean house so I will have time later to workout. When is BT going to have a sports training option for housekeeping . . . it's like yardwork is missing its siamese twin in their drop down list.

All the parties went well. Lots of good stories about my parents meeting each other, my daughter's party went well in the backyard too. I had to go to work today just to recover. I was in a fog most of the day. Hopefully it will cool off a tad and I can do a quick evening bike.