Mesteren's Group - CLOSED (Page 10)

Managed to get in a swim and a run today.

Did a 30 minute run and I managed 6.08km!!!  My first km was a little rough, working out the kinks and what not... 5:17, but then I decided to try to hold 5 min /kms for the rest... Watching a second or two drop every 200 meters (On a small track) was nice... 6:16....7:15.... 8:13....  I ran the next 5km at 4:52 min / km.  Feeling pretty good about that run!

Question about swimming... Today I did 10*100 (50 free, 50 breast) with no breaks. (So basically 1000 meters.) and then the coach had me do 6*25 with no breathing.  I believe these are called hypoxic drills... or something like that.  I know there is a debate about the safety / usefullness of them.... anyone know more???

1st Sprint Tri is in the books!  It was great and not as bad as I expected it to be, thanks to the bike portion.  Somehow I managed to be calm, except for stomach issues the night before.  I slept well too.  It was a cool, overcast morning, but the outdoor pool was like being in Hawaii, I loved it!!!  The actual swim was a huge struggle.  I always have trouble when starting any event, and then catch a good second wind and that happened here.  But the distance was just very hard for me aerobically.  I swam with just one other competitor because we had the slowest projected race times, but he ended being pretty good (he guessed on his time).  I think I still had 5 or 6 laps to go when he left.  With 2 laps left I changed to back stroke and made good time.  Wish I had thought of that earlier.  I think I had a longer than normal swim time.  I forgot to look at my actual time when I left today, waiting for them to post it online. 

The bike was awesome, surprised the hell out of me.  I haven't been on my bike a lot lately and was dreading the 4 big hills.  I was able to hang out in my lowest gear and keep moving. Dealt with nausea as I got really winded near the tops of the hills, but it went away on the down side.  I flew on the downhills.  I never tuck and go to the lower bars, but I wasn't going to miss that speed and distance opportunity today.  This is where my weight really helps.   I didn't have much issue with being uncomfortable on my saddle like normal.  Perhaps I was preoccupied? I did the bike in about 50 mins, which is about what I expected.  I felt great when I got to the transition area.  

Had trouble getting my running shoes on because I rode the last 5 miles in a complete down pour which while flying downhill drove water down my legs and into my shoes.  My socks were soaking wet, which I suppose might be normal.  Will need to get my bike computer re-calibrated...it said my max speed was 81.7mph!

I started slow in the run, my hips really hurt.  I found that running was less painful than walking, only I couldn't run for very long.  I did a lot of starts and stops and made it through.  I felt great afterwards and ended up taking 2nd in my classification (Athenas over 40).  I think I was 8th from last over all.  Can't wait to scrutinize the results when they come in.  I'm really curious to see how long my transitions were.

Overall I was pleased with my performance and know that so much of the struggle today was from lack of aerobic conditioning.  Improving that will make a world of difference.

Thanks for all the kind words, I had a lot of your advice running through my head today!

Christi

Congrats on what sounds like a very successful race Christi!  That's awesome!

CONGRADULATIONS CHRISTI!!!!

Finishing those tough races is where the character is built. Nice job. Your aerobic capacity will follow a well trained mind.

I finished a race myself this weekend. I rolled my ankle in the first 1/2 mile. It was a pretty brutal trail run that again I was not at all prepared for. The first ever trail run I have done was a race! I did finish on the painful ankle. Not sure yet it was the best idea. It is now swelled up good and very tender. Im limping and giving it a few more hours and if not better then off to the doc.

Has anyone else experienced injury during a race? Did they finish anyway? How can you tell in those critical moments when you should gut it out or pack it in?

My official time was 32:19. That was over two minutes slower than my last 5k. Although slower, the temperature was 90 degrees and on a trail with huge trees roots boulders and steps. I totally would have crushed the PB if I was a bit more prepared for the trail.

Overall im feeling a bit discouraged. I am AGAIN not able to train much because of my injury and was hoping to do well at the race. THANKS TO NEIZELS AND MENSTREN FOR ASKING ABOUT IT.

Congratulations, Christi! Finishing your first triathlon is a great thing! :-D It sounds like you pushed through some challenges, which imho should increase your pride in your finish. Press on!

Joel, serious bummer about the ankle. Let us know how it goes...I'm impressed that you were able to run on a bad ankle and be only two minutes slower on a 5K!

As for me, I had good workouts this weekend. Brick Saturday, long swim Sunday. Yesterday I didn't work out exactly, but I worked all day. It feels wonderful to be able to do construction work from dawn to dusk (which is saying something here... really we only worked for about 9-10 hours) and still have enough energy at the end to mow the grass.

A belated congrats to Christi and Joel on their respective races! I'm getting jazzed for my second tri coming up on Sunday. I've been hitting it pretty hard to make up for some lost time, but feel fairly confident for the race. Luckily, I know the terrain since its in the same location as my first tri, with the exception of the swim leg which is nearly three times as long (800m v 300m). Don't know why, but I've been hitting the pool to condition for it. 

Anyhow, just checking in since its been a while. Hope everyone is getting their swim/bike/run on into June. 

-- Rebecca 

Congrats to Christi for finishing your first triathlon. You did awesome. And it sounds like you did awesome on the bike. That totally sucks Joel about your ankle,  Ice is your best friend. Amazing you can still run with a hurting ankle. I have well done nothing this weekend, spent the weekend at my parents. So its time for someone to kick me in the . My bike is begging me to get out. So going for ride tomorrow. And I definlty need to get back in gear my first race is in like 4 weeks now. Wow thats coming fast. Goodluck in your race  rtakahashi

Mesteren - 2011-06-02 4:13 AM

DuncanQH - 2011-05-30 10:32 AM

Question about swimming... Today I did 10*100 (50 free, 50 breast) with no breaks. (So basically 1000 meters.) and then the coach had me do 6*25 with no breathing.  I believe these are called hypoxic drills... or something like that.  I know there is a debate about the safety / usefullness of them.... anyone know more???

Sorry about the late answer but here is my take on it.
I use to absolutely hate this drill. Nothing compares when you are all out of air.
What I think are the benefits are you learn to relax. You use less oxygen when your muscles are relaxed and knowing you can make it also helps. You then have to figure out what pace to swim. going slow use less oxygen but it takes longer. Pushing hard will use a lot of oxygen but the time is a lot shorter. The key is to find something you are comfortable with. One more thing where I think the drill is good, is the focus on a "pure" pull, a pull where you dont rotate to breath.

I dont think this will ever be an easy drill, but it do show you that you can swim for a while with out breathing, this is a good thing to know when you are doing OWS and keep getting hit by waves when you try to breath

That's something along the lines of what I was thinking.  I must admit, it was really nice to not have to breath from a smoothness of the stroke point of view.  Felt awesome never having to worry about rotating, just catch, pull, catch, pull, catch pull...

I didn't give speed too much thought, but you are totally right about the air thing... I know when scuba diving that you have to be very conservative with your movements to save air, but also that being able to relax underwater really extends your available air.  On the speed side... hehe, I just kinda started with nice, smooth efficient movements (well, efficient for me! ) but by the last 10 meters it was an all out splash fest trying to make it!  Next time I try I might have to try a couple just going nice and slow, and then a couple sprints and see which feels better.

Also, coach suggested I extend the drill to 50 meters (my gaping mouth in response) then she explained... do 25 meters with no air, but then immediately swim the return 25 breathing normally, when still winded.  Helps to feel more comfortable in water, and keeps your body working in a low oxygen state... hehe, not really looking forward to that!!!

I totally understand Mesteren.  I've been getting by on about 3 hours sleep most nights for the last 10 days.  Feeling way tired, and its affecting my desire to train.  The last week has been pretty brutal, and I'm only 2 weeks away from my first tri now.   Hoping this week might be a little better, I at least have Monday off (Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan) so that should help.

Weekend plans (if I right it here, I will have less excuses to skip out on something)

1. Long bike ride on Sunday morning (Looking to do 40+ km)

2. Short easy bike ride on Sunday afternoon (will be showing my brother and his girlfriend around the local bike paths, so they can use bikes to commute)

3. Sunday evening short run (might do this right after the morning bike depending on how I feel)

4. Monday - Long run (about 10km) slow pace 65 minutes or so

5. (Maybe Sunday or Monday) Tues - Wed - Fri - Lunch time swims

Wish me luck!

Well, I did it...

We only have one Oly in Alaska, and registration finally opened for it today. I registered! Hard for me to believe that it is possible. Fortunately I have two more sprints, one with OWS, before the Oly so perhaps that will help with my nerves.

Whuf. Whoda thunk it?

Hi Groupies!

    Well, according to my triathlete boyfriend, I am now officially a "tri-veteran" for completing my second triathlon. I completed the Danskin Tri Series in Austin with an overall time of 1:40:41,  211/1038 overall, 7/48 for Athenas, 20/90 AG. I had sent a VERY ambitious goal of 1:30 for myself (knowing it wasn't realistic), but came within 10 minutes. Can't complain for my first sprint tri. Thank you everyone for the inspires and continued support with this group. Schedule/finances permitting, I may do another sprint.  

Congrats Christy, Kratahashi and Mesteren on your tris!!! It's been a long time (again) since I last posted anything. We have had a very horrible weather in Puerto Rico and it has been pouring rain everyday non stop for three weeks. As for my training I finally took out my new bike for a ride to a town called Loiza, and rode for a total of 28 miles, which is a PB for me, distance wise. Have had to adjust the saddle because it hurt like hell after I got off (you know where) and still have not been able to find a comfortable position. Bought bike shorts with a reasonably thick chamois and got better but still hurts! I guess it will take some getting used to. As for running, last week I ran my first 5 and a half miles and with a solid pace of 10 mins per mile (tried to lower it but on the second half got slower). My major problem right now are my toenails. Anybody got the same problem? The big toenail and the second (index) toenail keep coming off as soon as it starts to grow. Its as if it were making contact with the runners and slightly begins to get pulled outwards. Anyway, have visited podiatrists, taken meds, and nothing seems to work. Just ordered new Mizuno Control runners for runners with pronation. Seems I tend to flex the foot with each stomp.

As for swimming, I have another question. I have been maintaining a constant pace of 20 mins for 750m races but I want to get faster. How do I do that? Interval training? I get so out of breath whenever I try to quicken my pace and end up taking breaks between laps.

My next tri is this next Sunday, June 12 on a town called Rincon. Its a beautiful small surfer town on the west coast of the island. It will be a Sprint but I wont be able to try the route first because its about a 2hr drive from San Juan and have been bashed with work all month.

Good luck to all of you who will be doing tris this weekend. I read of at least one other person that has a tri on Sunday too!

xoxo

Mónica

I checked out the course today for my Sunday race. The bike course is going to be interesting, I think. Probably half of it is flat and fast, although not much by way of shoulders on the road. The part that is not flat...wow. There is a downhill right after the start that is REALLY downhill. I've gotten up to 33 MPH on hills before but this one is steep. Then a mile or so later, after a turn off the main highway is a twisty, turny uphill that seems to go on forever. That is going to be a real challenge. Advice is welcome...

The run course is dirt, and I'll run it tomorrow just to go through it once entire before the race. The run course is a cross-country ski course and as such will probably have swales but no serious hills like the road course.