Asphalt Junkies CLOSED AND GETTING OUR FIX (Page 105)

I am looking forward to the RR but in the meantime I am certainly glad you had a good race over there.  The atmosphere must have been incredible to experience and a race of that size seems like it would be really something to compete in.

Congrats on the 8th run in your AG too!

John sorry about the accident but hey you got a clean bill of health...CONGRATULATIONS and the weight loss...GREAT job! 

Samantha, congrats on the race.  Sounds like it was fun and we are all so proud of you!  Looking forward to the race report.

Karl I am doing good and thanks for asking. Road rash is getting better just have two spots on my upper arm and elbow that I have covered up. My hip is still sore and I have a nice bruise there but it is feeling much better. I got a 25 mile pain free ride in on the trainer last night and will probably try to go a little further tonight. I want to go out and run so badly it's killing me not to be able to as the weather has been awesome but I think I'm a day or two away from trying. I don't want to set myself back so better to be patient and smart about it.

Don't ever hesitate to disagree.  There is enough variation in personal experience to leave room for differences of opinion.

tilting the saddle down might work and is always worth a try.  That is one of the things I tried when I was hurting on my Fizik Arione.  But to get the pressure off my soft spots, the nose had to be down quite a bit and I began to notice that I was sliding forward off the saddle and wasting energy in my thighs to try to push myself backward to stay on the saddle.  I was also pushing with my arms and it was exhausting me.

In addition to my experience, the conventional wisdom (among the smart triathlon fitters) is that this is a mistake.

But there are rare individuals that find that it works.  It is worth discussing and having Warren try though.

LOL, Karl no worries and that thought was in back of my mind the whole time I was on the trainer last night!

• I am peaking right now.  (Which would be HUGELY AWESOME because i am headed into my "A" race in a few weeks.) My efforts are lower while being able to hold the same or slightly higher speeds.  the past 2 rides have brought me in at just over 20 MPH for a 30 mile ride and a low effort/HR for both of them.
• My HR monitor is almost shot.  I have had the HR monitor for 4+ years and replaced the battery once already.  so it could also be the battery.
• I just had one last thought.  The weather has been much cooler than it had been over most of the summer and my body is able to work easier than I have been able to WO for a couple of months. 

DirkP - 2012-08-21 7:22 PM

Jo63 - 2012-08-21 2:50 PM

strikyr - 2012-08-21 1:30 PM

bswcpa - 2012-08-21 2:16 PM

JeffY - 2012-08-20 11:32 AM

bswcpa - 2012-08-19 8:07 PM Your Dirk comment made me laugh out loud, Matt. Thanks for the info on the run course. I so want to do run smart and start slow to get my legs under me but heading downhill will be tough to keep in check. Oh well, it is what it is. Lucky you with a pop up that you can push around. I know what you mean about being beyond excited for Sunday. I'll pray for your wife and kids to be patient with you as you're bouncing off the walls.

If the downhill isn't too steep you can simply relax.  Even if you are going 10 miles per hour, it will be easier than your average race pace on the flat...so you will be recovering while making great time.  The key is to relax and let the gravity move you.

then at mile 5 when you climb back up, slow down and only use the same EFFORT you were using on the flats.  At the end of that mile you are no more winded than when you arrived at the bottom.  If you do this, you will notice you will be picking people off for another quarter mile after that hill!

 

Jeff - Thanks for this. I wouldn't have thought to go about it this way. You never cease to amaze me with your helpful information and tips. Can I keep you as a friend for life even after the Junkies are gone?

X2 and I thought we all had lifetime memberships, Junkies for life!

I thought so too!!!

You are all officially Junkies for life.  It seems pretty great that friendships can be formed across miles and miles and connections can be made.  I think Jeff began the group in the first mentor session of 2011 and Warren, Jonathon and I have been hanging in there since then and obviously begun another shared mentor group that has been incredible. 

Late to the party but  count me in too!!

One roller coaster of a post John! I love the positive twist you put on the events and you never know - sometimes things happen for a reason we just don't understand. Maybe this race was not meant to be because there is something better waiting around the corner. I've got a totally sappy story that illustrates this but I will spare you all . Your health improvements are remarkable and something that you might think about sharing in tri talk to motivate those just trying to get started.

Well, I probably risk getting booted out of the Junkies admitting this but...

I have been offered the opportunity to race for free over Labor Day weekend and I think I might pass. I have a list of excuses but basically I think if I have to make a bunch of excuses then my heart is not in it! I have not been swimming at all since my last race and I actually don't miss it which is very unusual. I think I just need a break. Also the distances are an Oly or HIM. My running is not where it needs to be to compete at those distances this year so I would either have to find a team mate or just sign up for aqua/bike.

I vote for peaking!!!!!

That's how I was going into my last two races.  It was really weird.  Now I feel totally deflated with being sick with a horrible cold.  No worries, though.  I don't have anything major on the horizon so I can be a slouch for a couple of weeks.

Dirk I bet you are right and you are peaking. Either way - Enjoy! And I hope you all have a great time at the race!

Dina, yes you are at a big risk of getting booted...lol  Just kidding, hey, no one is up for all races.  I would say take a few days off and still consider it after you get rested.  You have trained enough that you will not lose much conditioning.  If you do not feel like doing it, DON'T, because your body is telling you something and you risk getting injured.

Dirk, man you are killing it, I don't think it is batteries.  It is conditioning and cooler weather.  My wife was telling me that for every 5 degrees above 60, your body will slow down by a certain percentage, I forgot what it was but it is all relative because your body gets accustomed to certain things but when there is a drop in temp, your body does feel more energized.  You have been training very hard and it is paying off!  I'm excited for you and can't wait to hear your race report when you finish/win the race!

I read an article in Triathlete.com about an Ironman training plan where the trainer never runs more than 2.5 hrs in 1 session, BUT he would come back a few hours later and bike for an hour, then run another session of about 90 minutes.  He says that works for him and he finished FAST!!!  That gives his body time to recover but not fully, give his body different food to get used to and helps avoid injury.

Well, ya'll know I've been FIGHTING this IT band thing, running just a little every day so today I just ran 20 minutes, my normal running time this week (recovery week) then I biked for 25 minutes and then ran 10 more minutes.  It actually felt good, I got 30 minutes of running in w/ no pain!!!!

Dina no risk of ever getting booted out the Junkies. I think you are doing the right thing, if your heart is not into it you shouldn't do the race. This is supposed to be fun and enjoyable not something you should be forcing yourself to do. Enjoy the time off as you have certainly earned it with performances you've had this year.

owl_girl - 2012-08-23 1:03 AM Sorry I haven't been around.  I've been really sick.   I hope everyone is doing well.  I think about all of you awesome Junkies all the time!

Tracy I'm so sorry to hear you have not been feeling well. I hope you are feeling better soon and make sure you take care of yourself and get some rest.

Karl glad to hear you are making some progress with the IT band. I know how fustrating it is dealing with that but be patient and keep doing what you are doing it will getting better in time.

Dirk I think you are peaking at the perfect time. You have been training hard all year and now is going to be the time where you are going to be able to cash in on that. I can't wait to see how you do in these two HIM's I know you aren't racing this one coming up but I sense you are going to do well at both these races. Also I think the cooler weather helps as well but certainly not the main reason for how you are performing.

Jo63 - 2012-08-23 9:05 AM Brenda....your doing Cedar Point? That's awesome Dina ...I agree when you don't feel like doing what you usually love your body is telling you to rest. Tracy...... Feel better soon, nothing worse than summer sickness. Karl....good to hear your IT is getting better. Dirk...seeing as I have never tracked my training until this year, I really can't say but...... I also have noticed the same thing with my heart rate the past couple days I was thinking it was the cooler weather never thought about peaking, maybe it s a combination of both. Went to leave for work today and I have a flat tire, my husband tried to use the compressor to fill it and all we heard was pisssssssss so he is putting on my spare as I type, looks like a new tire is in store today. Funny I was thinking better my car than my bike lol cuz I still don't know how to change that one either.

You had me laughing when you were glad it is not your bike tire...lol, you are a triathlete...

Changing a car tire is MUCH easier than a bike tire, I just take the tire off and take it to the shop..lol  bike tires, whew, I hope I never get a flat in a race or I'll DNF...

Could it be that you feel as though you need to perform to a certain standard?  If you were to give yourself permission to make it a fun, energizing, large group workout session, would it change your mind set? 

I certainly do know what it feels like to want a break from racing.  My season got a bit race heavy in June and when July came around I was glad not to have any races so I could get back to the business of serious training on the weekends.  But it was the race intensity that I was wanting to avoid, not the fun, lower intensity workouts.

Just a thought.  If you can give yourself permission to go slow and enjoy the experience and that sounds appealing, then do it!  But if not, don't race if you don't want to.