Gray Guy/Girls Tri--Masters Sprint/Olympic Mentor Group CLOSED (Page 10)

Just looking forward to getting home late Saturday night. I totally forgot that Monday is Memorial Day - I might just have to take it off! That cheered me up - I've been so focused on the next week / day, that I hadn't looked ahead to next week :-) I'll hope to get a good bike ride in up on the Skyline Drive one of those days and perhaps a long run on the other. No doubt I'll have some "strength work" to do... e.g. home chores that have gone undone for the last few weeks. Plus, Sunday night our band is playing out which is always a blast.

Good luck in your race Norma. Don't overcook the bike!

Stu

Best of luck on the Oly Norma!!!

I think you said you wear Nikes, what kind? I tried out the Lunarglide 4 and they were awesome. They fit like a glove (with room in the toe) and I really liked the bounce in the cushioning, very light too. They are a shoe for mild pronators to neutral and the shoes I have been wearing have been more of a stability shoe so it will be a little bit of a change but maybe that is what I need. Still going to another shop for one more opinion and then I'll make a decision. Thanks for the help!.

Sounds like everyone has great plans for the weekend. Go get 'em!

I'm doing a short sprint race on Monday (400 swim, 10 mile bike, 5k run) so that will keep me somewhat focused on NOT over indulging through the weekend. I'll post up the results Monday afternoon.

Pretty tired today, which is odd because I got busy with work and was forced to take a rest day yesterday. I had my short swim workout with my coach at the pool this morning and just didn't have much. She's got me doing repeat 200's working to maintain 40 second 50's (don't laugh Scott) through the 200. It just kicks my . The good news is my stroke is getting better and a year or so ago I probably couldn't swim one 40 second 50 let alone a 200. And then another 200. And another. So, I'm improving but progress means spending time in the pain cave and it's hard.

For me, I need to hit the next workout with a better mental attitude, dumping the negative self-talk by telling myself that I "can do" vs. that "I can't do it/I'm getting tired/I hope I can finish, blah, blah, blah." I really think the mental aspects of training/racing are overlooked.

This afternoon I'm planning a long, steady bike ride (2 hours) with a one hour run tomorrow. Rest Sunday, race Monday.

That's the plan for me. Stay safe. Be especially careful on the bike this weekend...people get careless and there are lots of visitors on the roads.

Steve

Not laughing!  I still remember my first swimming workout like it was yesterday.  Couldn't go one length of a 50M pool.  Problem was there was a diving tank at the deep end so it was 33 feet deep.  Wasn't gonna be any standin' on the bottom and walking.  You will get there.  You'll know you have arrived when your coach starts asking for negative splits - where each 50 is faster than the previous 50 throughout the 200, or the 400, or whatever distance you happen to be training at for that particular workout.

You have a 'pain cave?'  I call mine 'the dark place.'  Sometimes it is just dark there, sometimes it is VERY dark there, and at other times it is very dark, the walls are caving in, and the floor is dropping out from under me.  It took years to mentally train myself to where I looked forward to the pain and welcomed it when it came.  The pain merely meant I was achieving the goal I had before me.  Now, when it really starts to hurt, when the lights have dimmed and the floor has begun to drop out from under me, I visualize Queen Ka'Ahumanu Highway, a couple miles from the Kona finish line.  That is when I remind myself that the pain today will serve me well tomorrow and it will help get me across the finish line before dark.

I absolutely agree that the mental aspect of training and racing is overlooked.  I firmly believe that the mental component is what differentiates the FOP finisher from the BOP finisher.  If someone is in the right place mentally, they are willing to do whatever it takes.  No excuses.  If someone has not made the mental commitment, it will be impossible to make the physical commitment.  Once they have mentally committed to whatever physical goal they have set, once they are willing to put it above all else, then everything else begins to fade away.  The pain, the negativity, the self-doubt - suddenly none of that will matter anymore - the pain will hurt less, the negativity will begin to evaporate, and the self-doubt will turn into self-confidence.  Then there will be a clear path to obtain the physical goal.

Edited by k9car363 2013-05-24 4:18 PM

Shout out to Scott - Thanks again for that info on your site.

It is like I had this epiphany in the pool. I was straight arming going really deep with my stroke and working way too hard. Spent this morning working on it and Wow what a difference. It will take some time to get it going correctly but at least I think I am headed in the right direction.

Scott--Terrific feedback. Thanks for adding your input!

Steve

I'm buying some biking gloves because my hands get sore after long rides. Anything to look for/look out for in a biking glove? Do people who wear biking gloves wear them for races? They would take a little extra time to put on and take off.

I wear gloves when I bike but have not worn them racing. I had gotten it off of the BT forum that it just wastes time in transition. However, they don't take long to put on so you wouldn't lose that much time especially if they help your hands. Mine are just biking gloves that I purchased at my LBS.

Thanks so much! And you're welcome! My Nikes are a Pegasus Fitshoe. Like you, I was in a stabilizing shoe, but this Nike has a nice roomy toe box. The shoe fit was the best thing I could have done for my feet!

I've been in the middle of a bathroom redo. Getting ready for a tri, the bathroom project, and friends coming Sunday night to stay a couple of days is a little stressful.

Looks like another slow weekend at Norma's house. Hang in there. I think we can wait for your race report.

Just watched this, very informative. Thanks for sharing this information.

Thanks Scott! I really feel I am on the right track. I tell my kids when we are outside practicing baseball, if you are practicing the wrong way you are just wasting your time. Thanks again.

good luck if u race tomorrow.

as far as "sneakers" i love my NB leadville 1210. I had Brooks but the toe box wasnt big enough. The leadville is a trail shoe as I never run in the city. Super super comfy.

This weekend i had to cut back on my training a little due to a GI issue. I think i made right decision due to the intense humidity we have been having. I tend to run and swim but not bike if I am not feeling so great b/c of proximity to my car i guess. idk just a feeling that I have ! lol

My weight is 132 still but as soon as I am charted at that I bet it will bounce back to 136. I have been trying like heck to drink a lot. I am intolerant for gluten and lactose but sometimes it "sneaks in" and causes pretty major GI probs for me . I think a nutrition bar is what nailed me most recently. I rarely eat out btw.

I don't know if anyone else here is in my situation.

Lifetime cap tex tri is tomorrow. I dont do that one and because its so humid and hot im not going to spectate this year.

Well, I bought some gloves because my hands/wrists were always sore in the drops and hoods. I tried them today for the first time. The soreness was worse for the first 15 minutes and then it pretty well went away!?!? Is there an explanation for that?

my weight this week is 148.

Weighing in 178, up 2 pounds but I'll take it with not being able to run the past two weeks. Going to start to hardcore paleo next week, we will see how it goes. I do like my pasta.

Happy Memorial Day, my weight, last night, was 207.2 lbs

Not a bad day at the Moses Lake Spring Festival Triathlon. It's a pretty small race (80 people) so it's not all that competitive like the larger races. Hence, while I felt good about a 1st place finish in my age group and 6th overall, there isn't much in the way of bragging rights. But it was a fun day and I felt good about my effort.

My swim sucked. Went out to hard and then was gassed. Had to breast stroke a little to get my lungs back. The bike was solid and I felt good about the result there, especially since I put in a hard training day on Friday covering 34 miles and 3,000 of vertical gain. The run was tough and I paid a bit of a price for pushing hard on the bike. Overall, a good day.

My full race report can be seen here: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

Back to training tomorrow. My next race is an Olympic on June 8 and I am really hoping for a strong showing.

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

Steve

Ok, weight is 146.4. Finished the bathroom redo and it is beautiful! So glad we did it. Had lots of fun with our friends. Been gone all day and just got home. They leave tomorrow afternoon.

So...Sunday's race. There were 130 people - some doing the half and others the Oly. I haven't seen the actual results to know my times or number of people in my age group, but I placed 3rd in my AG. Unless there were only 3 of us in that group then I am really proud of that accomplishment. I felt really good about the race. I arrived on race day with an hour to set up transition. The only time I got nervous was when I thought I had dropped my car keys, but I had actually stuck them in my bike shoe. We were told the water was 80, but upon entering, it sure felt colder, but it was smooth so it was fine. The swim went we;; except - and this is a question for Scott or anyone else who can give me advice -my chest felt constricted which happened on my last race. I do not feel this when I'm training in the pool. I thought when it happened on my prior race, it was the wetsuit, but I wasn't wearing a wetsuit this time, and my chest felt constricted almost the entire race. It totally threw off my form as I had my head out of the water alot because I felt like I couldn't breathe. What can I do to keep that from happening? Anything? That was one problem. The other which was totally irritating was two guys kept swimming right in my path. I'dr have to slow up and go around to get out of their way and they'd still swim in my path. Is the swim portion like bike - fast on the left, slow on the right? They were not swimming any faster than me.

Anyway, got to transition. I don't think I wasted too much time. Did forget to put on the lubricant even though it was sitting right there. Got on the course and oh my but it was hilly!!! It was a continual rolling course with several big hills thrown in. My biggest problem on the bike is getting hydration/nutrition in. I carry a bottle, but I have a hard time getting to it. I put a bottle in my rack that had a loop I could grab. I actually got it, but then wound up holding it because I couldn't get it back to the rack. Plus, I was afraid it would slip out of my hand and I'd have nothing. That did wind up happening, but there were only a couple of miles to go when that happened. Getting that hydration with my Skratch mix really helped me push through those hills. I have to find a better way to carry so I can access it better. Now I know of another reason to possibly wear gloves when racing. It rained during the ride and the handle bars got slick. My hands were slipping!

Arrived back for T2. Got out fairly quickly. The big surprise? I could actually run this time. In all my other races, my legs felt like jello and wouldn't work like I needed them to. This time, I ran right out of the gate. My first 5k went really smooth. Went around the turn-around and after about 1/10 of a mile it was up a nice hill, and the first time I walked. Got up that hill and started running again. About the last mile, I had to walk/run as my stomach wasn't feeling great and I was running out of steam. It had gotten fairly humid. There were ice cold towels available which I took advantage of. Ran the last quarter of a mile onto the finish line where you ran though a breakable ribbon, someone took your picture, draped an ice cold towel on you, and you received a meal of hamburgers and hot dogs - and beer which I don't drink.

At the awards ceremony, you could have knocked me over when they called my name for 3rd place! I am anxious to get my times so I can see how I improved over the first Oly.