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BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! (Page 10)
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 2011-04-29 12:40 PM in reply to: #3473549 |
Champion  10618   |  Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)JEFF (part two of part two!) - Ironically, my biggest improvements in terms of better race times and higher overall and age group placements have come in the past three seasons -- all without being coached. There is one big and all-important reason for this, and a few smaller and more specific ones. The big reason is that over time I have learned how to race. I have managed to train pretty consistently (all things considered) and I have made triathlon the priority of my life. Mostly, though, whatever success I have had has come from a ton of experience, and also the willingness and courage to push hard whenever possible. As you might guess, the bulk of those last two - willingness to push, and the courage to do so - came from Erik, but having said that I think it can apply to any age-grouper, coached or not. Some peole have more belief and confidence in themselves and can get there on their own; I don't know if I could've done it on my own. A lesser reason comes from that meniscus injury in '06, and having to do aquabikes. It seemed like a lost season and was menatlly a killer for me at times, but the good that came out of it was huge -- I learned to RACE a bike! Prior to '06 I was a C- swimmer, a B- cyclist, and a A- runner. So, in order to capitalize on that running strength, I usually held back on the bike so I had maximal legs for the run. I had simply done that long enough that it was ingrained in me how fast I felt it was prudent to go, and even though I had some hard bike sessions in my training, I never really reached my potential there. With those aquabikes, though, it's pretty easy to rdie like a bat out of hell and not worry about a thing, because there's no run afterwards. And thta's what I did. One day I had the ah-ha! moment of why not push myself right to the edge....and I did that....and it taught me what it felt like to RACE the bike leg. Eureka! Then the problem became one of taking that newfound bike speed and utilizing as much of it as possible while still being able to run well off the biek....and that became a work-in-progress for much of my insane '07 season of 14 triathlons and 3 duathlons. BY 2008 I had jumped to some sort of next level, and my USAT rankings have gone from 109/960 in 55-59 in '08, to 52/570 in 60-64 in '09, to 37/640 in '10. I think I am still improving....although curent hip/groin woes have me a little concerned. The other "lesser" reaosn is thta in late '07 I began re-inveneting my running style. It had been pretty good all along, but I got swept up in the first wave of the "movement" towards a more forefoot running style, bought a pair of Newtons --- and set off on apath of near self-destruction. There is a larger story behind this, but the short one is that I was stupid about it and ended up with a bad case of plantar fasciitis, which at some point morphed into a bad case of Achilles tendonitis. Many a time I was ready to go back to my old tried-and-true, but I stuck with it and emerged as a much better runner -- to the point that the stand-alone run times I post now are very close to what I was doing 6 or 7 years ago, and my run times in triathlons have actually improved. And this has been especially useful in my age group, as many of the guys who I was close to in tri-running back in '03-'05 have now dropped below me. So, tat one I owe to Newton, and my own perseverence, I guess. Maybe more on this later, and definitely part three will follow. I ave to leave now to Ottawa for the rest of the day and evening, but I'll finish sooner rather than (much) later! |
| 2011-04-29 12:42 PM in reply to: #3473607 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....) SHAUN - I have to split the scene, but just saw yours. If I'm not back here before the 5km, have a good one. I look forward to your thoughts, and how "pack pace" felt for you -- if you maintain that resolve!   |
| 2011-04-29 1:06 PM in reply to: #3473453 |
Member 42  Concord | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....) Steve, No worries. I didn't feel "guilted" in fact it was more "relieved." I had been tryint to do 3 per week of the swim, ride and run each week. That was really hard. I am now confident that I can complete (albeit separately) the swim leg, ride leg and run leg. Now combining them is another matter... (I actually think I'm getting close to that - I have to figure out what supplements to take when in my sprint tri and start trying some of those) I'm also working on technique, for example last night I did weights (less than last time) and swim; but rather than aim for a distance swim, I worked on figuring out my kick (I think I'll be a 2-beat kicker - anything else just tired me out). This morning I ran (non-stop) about 2 miles - and but for the time, could have kept going (it wasn't that bad). I wanted to focus on my form and finding a rhythm rather than stopping and starting in the brick pattern. All that said, it is getting more fun. Now, I just need to get my bike tuned up (maybe even some new shifters), a good watch so I can start evaluating my "pace", keep building my strength in each discipline (so I have something left for the next one) and plan my meals so I eat better and lose this extra 15-20 lbs (It's creating drag in the pool - LOL Canon |
).| 2011-04-29 4:33 PM in reply to: #3435045 |
| Alaska | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Hi Big Skies Group, I copied Lisa's last group list and updated it for our new group. Couldnt get everyones link on there because we are not friends with access yet. But got most of you. And I updated the link to our forum page, that should be most helpful. I used her format because it looked like a convenient way to find everyone. It may help others to copy it also. Hope everyone has had a good training day! Veronica
Edited by AKtri 2011-04-29 4:41 PM |
| 2011-04-29 5:30 PM in reply to: #3473425 |
Extreme Veteran 624 Spring TX | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! stevebradley - 2011-04-29 11:21 AM Got the USAT magazine yesterday, and nice to see my name in it! They now only list All-American and A-A Honorable Mention, which means that I can't sit there with a magnifying glass and scan the complete rankings to see how people I know fared. For that, I need to go to the website that has everyone listed. And, yes, there is Ben Ewers at 35, and me at 37. Bah. He was 78.64204, I was 78.42225. Bah again. Beyond that, I form the center of a perfect "Steve" sandwich -- Steve Chapman above me, Steve Bell below me. I know neither, but think we ought to get together and celebrate our Steveness.
STEVE, I'll have to check that ranking out. Congrats on the great finish ... feeling sorry for Ben Ewers this year, he better watch out. The carpet was definitely salvageable. Really just acted like a dam, so just the edges were wet, into the closet and bedroom. I remember many years ago when my now 30 year old watched the bathtub overflow while he was in it! I'm really enjoying the masters group. I've been mostly sharing a lane with a 40+ year old woman that is also a triathlete. Except the other night, we had a new coach (new for me) and I was swimming with another woman who was a bit slower than I was. The coach told me I really needed to be leading (except this woman likes to be in front) and I said I really didn't mind. He promptly "promoted" me to a faster lane ... hence the oxygen deprivation! LISA |
| 2011-04-29 5:53 PM in reply to: #3435045 |
Extreme Veteran 624 Spring TX | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! A coach from my old running group is starting up a new running program. The Woodlands (the location for Ironman Texas in a couple of weeks) is just about 10-15 minutes from my house and where I run weekly on Saturday mornings when I bump up my run training. There are over 185 miles of paved running trails. The new group (Woodlands Trails Collectors) will run a 3-4 mile leg of the trails once a week, starting with the oldest trail, until we cover all 185 miles. Once we finish 50 miles, we'll get a t-shirt, with other incentives along the way. Now, I just have to get my running partner on board who hasn't run since our half mary in January! SHAUN, have fun at your 5K tomorrow, no matter what your PR ends up ... there will only be room for improvement! Might be nice of you to hold back and hang with the BOP. You never know who you might really end up being an inspiration to. Sorry to hear about your GF. Does that mean her tri season is over before it started?VERONICA, thanks for the updated list! I don't take credit for that initial list as I normally need remedial instructions on just how to get it posted. One of these days I'll change my avatar if I can just figure out how! We booked our cruise this week, so will definitely be up your way in June/July, actually in Anchorage the entire day of July 3rd ... I think our flight leaves around 8 or 9 pm. You will have to give me a list of must see things! I ordered 3 tour books today on Amazon. JEFF, in looking at your logs, it looks like will be more than ready for your race! LISA Edited by lufferly 2011-04-29 5:55 PM |
| 2011-04-29 6:08 PM in reply to: #3435045 |
Expert 1191 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Thanks Steve for your response to my question about coaching. Well thought out and written. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. I did a quick read of it after loading my workout into my log this evening. I need to spend some time digesting it. I'm sure I'll have additional questions. Hope you don't mind!! Edited by junthank 2011-04-29 6:10 PM |
| 2011-04-29 6:12 PM in reply to: #3474039 |
Expert 1191 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Thanks a bunch for doing this Veronica. Exactly what I needed. AKtri - 2011-04-29 5:33 PM Hi Big Skies Group, I copied Lisa's last group list and updated it for our new group. Couldnt get everyones link on there because we are not friends with access yet. But got most of you. And I updated the link to our forum page, that should be most helpful. I used her format because it looked like a convenient way to find everyone. It may help others to copy it also. Hope everyone has had a good training day! Veronica
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| 2011-04-29 6:16 PM in reply to: #3474149 |
Expert 1191 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Thanks Lisa. I feel like I have improved a bit from last year at this time. Hopefully I won't blow myself to pieces just past mile 4 on the run like last year!!
lufferly - 2011-04-29 6:53 JEFF, in looking at your logs, it looks like will be more than ready for your race! LISA |
| 2011-04-30 6:23 AM in reply to: #3474171 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! JEFF - WAIT! I'M NOT DONE YET!! Seriously, I still have a continuation of part two of part two, and THEN I must address the third question -- how coaching changed my approach to training. However, I will aim for greater brevity as I come done the home stretch. Can't promise I'll actually make it happen....but I shall do my best! |
| 2011-04-30 6:31 AM in reply to: #3474039 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! VERONICA - Merci! I have been aiming to do a similar list, but was waiting for the dust to settle on our numbers. A few (Bogden, Colm, I.T., Bryant) of those on the list appeared once, just an inquiry, and then disappeared; not sure they'll reappear.  A few others made one or two posts and at least submitted a profile....and then haven't come back. (But WE'VE got their profile! ) I'm really hoping they return, just becasue they took the time to think about themselves and their goals, and then make that first pretty big step of laying it all out here. So, that's where we're at! |
| 2011-04-30 6:44 AM in reply to: #3474120 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! LISA - That running group sounds great, with a fun schedule and the nifty incentive. And even if your running partner won't/can't do it, then at least you'll get to gather some new running partners! The rankings are cool because theya re prety accurate as to ability. That is, I figure that of the 15 guys on either side of me, in any given race I could beat them or they could beat me. As it turns out, I have only raced with/against about five or six of those, but skulking through results I see times and paces and know that we are all roughly equivalent in overall ability. That said, a guy a few behind me, Don Callahan, is someone I have never bested. Well, "never" is maybe three races is all, but he's finsihed a tad ahead of me each time. If we lived near each other we would be great training partners; same with good old Ben Ewers! (The contact there is that Denise and he shaerd a podium at a race once; he's from MN< and I only know him through race results.) That's a really nice vote of confidence the swim coach gave you. He was adamant that you could push yourself harder, and wasn't going to accept your humility (which was very decent of you) as an excuse. Maybe you were oxygen-deprived then, but keep it up in that lane or at that pace in your "old" lane, and you won't be oxygen-deprived for long. Have faith in that process; it sounds like you have a good thing going with that group! |
| 2011-04-30 6:50 AM in reply to: #3474555 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! LISA again - Thinking just a bit more about you being humble and kind..... I just wonder if those remarkably admirable traits slow your progress some. I seem to remember a few runs last year that didn't happen, or were shortened, due to problems your running partner was having. Do I have that right? And now there is the swim situation, which as you described it sounds like you were willing to go slower just so the onther woman might not be offended; something like that? Soooo........I'm just thinking that maybe once a week, for each of the swim* and the run, you should schedule a workout on your own that you do alone and that pushes your limits some, where you have nobody to attend to or answer to except yourself. Just a thought! *Probably the faster lane in the masters swim would satisfy that quite well. |
| 2011-04-30 7:00 AM in reply to: #3474546 |
Expert 1191 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Steve, Ha..Ha.. I look forward to reading PART 2 of 2 and more. Off to the pool for now!! stevebradley - 2011-04-30 7:23 AM JEFF - WAIT! I'M NOT DONE YET!! Seriously, I still have a continuation of part two of part two, and THEN I must address the third question -- how coaching changed my approach to training. However, I will aim for greater brevity as I come done the home stretch. Can't promise I'll actually make it happen....but I shall do my best! Edited by junthank 2011-04-30 7:50 AM |
| 2011-04-30 8:54 AM in reply to: #3435045 |
Extreme Veteran 624 Spring TX | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! STEVE, good question about the "humility", and you are right, there were several instances last year when rather than push a bit harder, I just backed off and took the easier road. However, I don't think it's "humility"! My major problem is that I really am not competitive AT ALL by nature (okay, maybe that would be called laziness, but I'm actually a very hard worker). I was NEVER into ANY type of athletics until a few years ago. When I say NEVER, I mean NEVER ... for instance, in high school although I qualified for the marching band, that would have been way too much "work" for me. I'm not very coordinated and have always been a bit self conscious (until I turned 50 and decided to heck with all that!). My 35th high school reunion is in June and I can assure you, noone would ever suspect that I would have gotten into tris and running. I remember when most in my class turned 50 and one of my classmates "boasted" online about how she had done the Houston Half at the age of 50 ... well, no surprise there, she used to be captain of the tennis team. It's hard for me to push myself beyond being too "uncomfortable" ... I'm definitely working on it (next read ... "Fit Body, Fit Soul"), but not sure I'll ever have that "competitive" urge. Now, do with that information what you will! LISA |
| 2011-04-30 9:04 AM in reply to: #3435045 |
Extreme Veteran 624 Spring TX | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! |
| 2011-04-30 1:41 PM in reply to: #3435045 |
Regular 108 Crystal Coast | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Steve, Thanks for your insights on snorkels....so much for the stocking stuffer I got you. Just kidding, you illustrated lots of potential issues/hazards with a snorkel on race day that I had not considered and also brought back memories when my brother removed his own tounsils with a blow dart toy in our younger days. JK |
| 2011-05-01 5:11 AM in reply to: #3435045 |
Extreme Veteran 996 Minnesota | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Can't sleep so thought I'd post a little mini-report on my duathlon yesterday. overall: 107/131 age group: 1/1 2 mile run (9:10), 14 mile bike (13.0), 3 mile run (10:07) 13 mph for the bike leg - Goodness - I know I'm old and slow but that was pretty terrible. The weather was horrible - cold, rain and VERY windy. All my energy went toward staying on the road. There were 210 registered and only 131 finished so I guess I can feel good that I wasn't a no-show or DNF. But - my record is intact. 9 tri/du races and 9 1st place age group awards - haha. Denise |
| 2011-05-01 5:43 AM in reply to: #3474648 |
Extreme Veteran 996 Minnesota | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! lufferly - 2011-04-30 8:54 AM STEVE, and you are right, there were several instances last year when rather than push a bit harder, I just backed off and took the easier road. LISA That's exactly what I did in my duathlon yesterday. I was cold and wet and miserable and instead of pushing myself, I just wanted to be done with it. I think part of it is - we could push really hard and probably only do a little bit better. And nobody else really knows or cares if we gave that extra push. It comes down to convincing ourselves that that extra push matters - but only to us. Denise |
| 2011-05-01 6:01 AM in reply to: #3435045 |
Extreme Veteran 996 Minnesota | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! |
| 2011-05-01 6:07 AM in reply to: #3435045 |
Extreme Veteran 996 Minnesota | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Steve, In the MN TRi news, it listed the Minnesotans that were racing in the USAT Duathlon Nationals yesterday, and Ben Ewers Jr was one of them. I looked up the results and he finished 2nd in M65-69. So I guess he'll be going to Spain. But, I didn't realize he was moving up an age group. So my dreams of you beating him will have to wait a few years. Denise |
| 2011-05-01 8:13 AM in reply to: #3475565 |
| New user 60 Swansea, IL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! nice job, Denise. it seems that it rains in every event in which i've competed over the last few years save a couple (or wind, snow, etc). it's been a long time since i've been able to ride thru sunshine. I ran a 5K yesterday and while the sun was shining, it was a typical blustery spring day. nothing like turning smack into a headwind for the last 1/2 mile. keep up the good work. JRH |
| 2011-05-01 12:17 PM in reply to: #3475565 |
Expert 1191 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Denise, You can't beat 9 for 9. Well done. Congrat's. LadyNorth - 2011-05-01 6:11 AM Can't sleep so thought I'd post a little mini-report on my duathlon yesterday. overall: 107/131 age group: 1/1 2 mile run (9:10), 14 mile bike (13.0), 3 mile run (10:07) 13 mph for the bike leg - Goodness - I know I'm old and slow but that was pretty terrible. The weather was horrible - cold, rain and VERY windy. All my energy went toward staying on the road. There were 210 registered and only 131 finished so I guess I can feel good that I wasn't a no-show or DNF. But - my record is intact. 9 tri/du races and 9 1st place age group awards - haha. Denise |
| 2011-05-01 1:56 PM in reply to: #3474868 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! JK - Sheesh, they grow tough kids in your family. So tough, in fact, that I think I will retract my offer to invite myself down to your place at some point; heaven knows what I might leave there WITHOUT!  |
| 2011-05-01 1:59 PM in reply to: #3474868 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! Oops from me, too, with a double post that I am now switching to a finger-wag at Lisa for infecting me with dreaded double-post pestilence. Oh, woe!!! Edited by stevebradley 2011-05-01 2:08 PM |
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