GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 109)

ANNE -

You're building what seems to be an insurmountable lead in claiming the "milestone" posts here -- your last one was #2700. GOTTA be impressed with your initiative and determination in this matter!

Just before I forget, what are your plans for Peterborough and Muskoka -- the aqbk at P and the whole thing at M?

That sounds like a good system you have in using HR to help you stay below 25kmh. And it's also good that you did 23kmh with a HR of 100, especially considering wind and hills. I'd say you're in terrific shape for the tour, and are well on your way to a fine base for the season. Cool beans!

My 60km was tough, and I was very glad when it was done. It was headwind virtually all the way back, and I had not figured it to be so potent. I really dislike those early longish rides each pre-season, as they take much of the wind out of my sails as far as thinking that my bike fitness is maybe almost there. (Of course, if I spent time with Spinervals or on my CompuTrainer instead of watching mindless movies..... )

Right now I have no advice for you about the tour, having never done anything like that myself. I guess all I'd say is that your plan is good to keep your pace down and view it as a concentrated form of base-building. As for the attainment of an average race pace of 32kmh, there's still tons of time to get there. But a great chance at grabbing a large chunk of bike base doesn't come readily so early for us northerners, so keep your focus on that.

Red Sox are getting thumped by the Skankees. Hell X8!!

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-25 7:41 PM

Lisa 

Sorry for your loss 

Thanks Anne, I hope to try this soon. Mark

Good morning Gang!  I have been AWOL the last couple of weeks so much to catch up on here.

Lisa, so sorry about your step-father although it sounds like it was a blessing that he did not suffer for long.  Good luck to you and DH on the job decision.  It would be quite a change from Houston to OK.

SteveA, big congrats on your race!  The report was wonderful to read and you did so well particularly given your concerns with running.  Enjoy that ego thing for awhile

SteveB, hope your cold is improving.

Denise, congrats on your success with the clipless shoes and pedals.  I don't think I will go that route this year but will shoot for it next year and hopefully with less trepidation.

Tracey, sounds like you had a great first ride despite the soreness.  I am amazed at your speed the first time out.  As SteveB said, fear is not factor with you.  LOL.  I had the same soreness but it disappeared pretty quickly when I relaxed my arms, hands and shoulders.

Anne,

Diane:

So glad to see you back here! I was wondering where you had been.

Don't feel depressed by your set backs! I have to tell you though, I know how it can feel when you start comparing yourself to others. I sort of switch between feelings of depression and motivation when I read the messages here. (More motivation though!) It's a little humbling to read how someone can bang out a 10 or 15 mile run, when I myself can barely do 5 (and at the end I'm toast). I'm very slowly learning to stop comparing myself to others though, and focus just on beating my own PRs and setting goals based on my current abilities.

I'm sorry to hear your sciatica is giving you so much trouble. I can't recall if you said already that you're seeing a PT or a massage therapist?

Have you tried hot stone therapy?

In addition to the pilates, I would suggest massage and lots and lots of stretching (if you're not doing it already). I don't think I ever mentioned on this board that I'm a certified massage therapist and reiki therapist (although not currently practicing), so I'm big on massage for injury treatment and prevention!

Good to hear the swimming is coming along and you're not having any issues with the shoulders. Have a great week!

Tracey

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Back to training today after 3 days off.

I had a great ride this morning. It's a gorgeous day here and I'm lucky enough to live in a quiet area with nice, long flat roads that wind through cranberry bogs and farmland. I did 9 miles at about 15.5 average mph. That's about 1.5 mph faster than my first ride last week, so I think it was just a matter of getting more comfortable on the bike. I was a little disappointed by that average though because I was hitting mostly 17 and 18 mph on the way out. On the way back though there was a strong wind so that slowed me down quite a bit.

I tried focusing on relaxing my shoulders and upper back this time, so I didn't feel any soreness there. I did have the same issues with sore/numb hands and fingers as Denise mentioned she had when she first started though. My butt wasn't nearly as sore as last time though so I was able to maintain the low position for nearly the entire ride. Yay!

I followed the ride with a nice, easy 20 minute tempo run. (It was quite refreshing to do a run where I wasn't pushing myself to go as fast as I could).

I got my Tempo Trainer over the weekend, so I'll be taking that to the pool on Wednesday.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Tracey

Hey Lisa
Sorry to hear of your stepfather's passing and all the stressors for you right now.
Mark

TRACEY -

Before getting to your two recent posts, I'll hit the one from yesterday -- which, unfortunately, I don't have in front of me. But you asked about whether I'm suggesting that week 2 should have rest days on the Su, Th, and Sa. Um, no, probably not. It may turn out that your body tells you to do that, but if that's not the case then maybe scrap the Thursday day-off. I think what you were saying is that the reason for the Sa-Su days off is because your husband is working both days, and that makes sense -- unlss, of course, you're willing, ready, and able to get up at 5am for a run before he heads off. You could be like SteveA -- all those wee-hour workouts he does!

Hey! Welcome to the worl of wind! Better check your ego at the door right here and now, because you will have LOTS of rides in which your return takes that much longer than going out, thanks to the wind. My 60km a couple of days ago? 58:07 going out, 1:02:02 coming back. And the return part features two hills that are nice fast descents -- as opposed to a slowish grind going up them on the way out. I often try to plan my trips in accordance with the winds, that is, if they are from the west I will head that way first so that on the return the wind is at my back. But then there are the ones that really get me, where the wind is in my face BOTH ways! The nerve of it!

Anyhow, it sounds like it was a really good ride for you, and that you have a terrific area to ride in. Your description sounds like the one for the bike of Escape the Cape, where they mention cranberry bogs. I guess if you live tnere, that's what you get. Here, I can offer you lots of fields - corn or soybeans, take your pick. And wind! Sweet Jumpin' Judas, the wind sure does love to whip across these vast open areas!

Nice to hear your sits bones seem to be buying into the program. Hopefully your hands and fingers will soon follow suit. (Padded cycling gloves might help?)

Have fun playing with the Tempo Trainer! Wheeeee!

Finally, what you say to Diane sounds very wise, especially the focus on beating your own p.r. and setting goals beased on current abilities. It is such a big trap to tumble into to do otherwise, and yet almost all of us have been there -- and fro many of us, multiple times. And as long as injuries don;'t hold you back, if you want you WILL make it to those 10+ mile runs. ALL of us have been where you are now -- "toast" after 5. But with time and steady, judicious practice, it happens -- the bigger mileage is attainable.

When you mention that you're learning to stop comparing yourself to others --- have I written to you before about meeting my former coach in person for the first time at Muncie half-iron, where he and I raced along with several of his very talented friends? If not, tell me and I will tell you the whole story -- it was the most instructive single object-lesson I have ever learned in triathlon.

DIANE -

Forgive me for being dense, but is your post a few above really two posts in one? I had initially thought only the top part was yours, but seeing Tarcey's comment about sciatica made me look at the smaller-print one below it - and that sure sounds like you writing that one, too!

Anyhow, as much as it's great to have you back here, I'm of course very sorry to hear that the back is far from resolved. Moreover, i'm sorry that you find the forum hear depressing in terms of measuring your progress against that of others here. It "SHOULDN'T work that way.....but I know exactly how it does.

Is there one or the other - riding or running - that seems to get to the sciatica more? My guess is running, just because I maybe think of it as being more of a runner's problem than a cyclists's problem. And as you mention something homeopathic, have you ever tried acupuncture? I don't know what kind of efficacy acupuncture has with sciatica, but my impression is that acupuncture works well with nerve-based problems. Just a thought.

If it's any consolation, my first triathlon, in 2000, wasn't until mid-August, even though I had been training for it since the end of January. So, as you look to a fall one, well, there are worse things than deferring the gratification. Or at least for me, waiting until so far into the summer ended up working out just fine.

Taking our pleasure when we can, you must be immensely pleased by your swim improvements --- not only going into the comp pool. but just having a shoulder that is withstanding the demands you are placing on it. And slow is fine, really and truly. At this stage it is all about getting comfortable and proficient, and especailly in swimming, proficiency doesn't usually come with speed when one starts out. If you saw the recent posts between Anne and me, you'll see that both of us can fall readily into swimming looong, sloooow, luxurious strokes -- and it sure feels good! (Luxurious is a key word there! )

Finally, there have been many times that I have been reduced to being a "one-trick pony" --- meaning that various injuries have me down to one activity. So, maybe my shoulder hurts and I have a bout of plantar fasiitis, so there I go, taking a break from swimming and running for a while. that depresses me no end....but I eventually realize that I still have the bike, and while that is not only better than nothing, it also means that I can focus my training on that exclusively. BONUS! Well, that's where you are now with your sciatica, in a position where you can't do two things, but one - hallelujah! - is still available. So, enjoy your time in the water! You've got that for your amusement and edification, and much more time to work at it than you would if you had to balance it with running and riding. (Yup! The glass IS half-full, the way I rationalize these things! )

Hang in there, and keep your suunyside up!

Tough question to answer from my perspective.  In the end, it's all about trade-offs.  I'll be swapping out a 12-25 for an 11-28, which means I'll have one more bigger gear for the flats/downhills (the 11) and one more for the climbing (the 28).  I'll loose some of the tightness in shifting in between (I'll lose something in the high teens/low 20's). 

My friend who was able to get the 52/36 up front and has the 11-28 in back, did St. George this weekend and said he had a ridiculous number of gears to play with on the climbs.  He'll give up some power on the downhills, as he'll run out of gears before me.  But as he's about 200lbs, he has gravity on his side. 

All a long way to say, what would you prefer to have in reserve?  More flat/downhill speed, or more safety gears for climbing?  I'll be saving my 12-25 and chain to swap back out for flatter courses in the future. 

Hey all!

Good weekend of training.  The Batan Death Ride was a lot of "fun".  First Century ride, and lots of climbing.  Route and elevation at the link:  http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/los-angeles/66912702... />
All in all, it was a good experience - except for the ride back home from Topanga - LA's surface streets are TERRIBLE and I was bouncing around like crazy in potholes, street cracks, seams, etc.  After riding for 6 hours, all I wanted was to be home, and then had to do a half hour in valley traffic and street mess.  Ugh.  BUT, the climbing was largely good and a great confidence builder for the race.  Front side of Topanga and first climb on the back was great - felt strong and confident.  Second climb was the hardest - I think second interval is always the hardest in all things.  Final climb was less physically demanding than the second, but more mentally challenging.  I really had to concentrate to stay aero on the middle portions of the climb where the grade is in the 2-3% range.  I got a good boost on the final climb from this couple that was having a garage sale on the side of the road to raise money for their wedding.  I guess they had seen me go by 5 times before and were very supportive of the suffering guy the last time up.  :-)

Looking forward to doing it again this coming weekend with the extra cogs on the cassette,  We'll see what the difference is.

Good run on Sunday!  18 miles in 2.5 hours.  Hamstring felt tight for most of it, though the pain was no longer sharp in nature - more like there is a golf-ball in there.  I kept to the flats and when it started to sing during the last hour or so, I took frequent walk breaks of 1-2 minutes, stopping to stretch it out as well.  All that said, averaging an 8:15 minute mile for 18 was a real confidence booster.  I think I had a marathon in me yesterday if I would have paced better at the first hour.  I didn't take any walk breaks during that first hour, and paid for it in the last 30 minutes or so.  Let that be a lesson to me next weekend - walk EARLY, even when I don't think I need to.  All that said, I was kind of glad to have suffered during that last 3-4 miles - that's how it will feel on race day, and I think there is value in that mental fight as long as it doesn't result in a physical injury.

Sore today - mostly the thighs from the ride on Saturday.  Brought swim gear for after work.  This is hopefully the last really hard week of training (assuming I get everything in that I want to) and then the TAPER!!!  Woo-hoo!!!

I go to even GREATER lengths to avoid the wind - if it`s an east or west wind I will pick a north, south route; a north wind, I go east, west.   As you mention, it doesn`t always work - so many days it`s a headwind no matter which way you turn.  

STEVE -

I've owed you this one for about five days; it comes from your post on the 31st. I got waylaid initially because I couldn't get access to the piece you referred to in Endurance Nation. And then I just got waylaid.

I think you're beating up on yourself too much, as the mental discipline you are talking about takes a long time to develop and maintain. I generally think I'm mentally strong, but even last year I made some of the mistakes you talk about, which essentially come down to letting others control your game. The one time I clearly did NOT do this paid off handsomely, and it was perhaps the most rewarding race I have ever done. (Both of those maybe merit accounts here as Object lessons...but not now.)

I'm not saying you shouldn't work on your mental game, but but kind to yourself in the process. My guess is that being aware of it now will allow you to avoid at SG some of those "errors in judgment" that you committed at Showdown. There is a certain reality that creeps into IM, and that largely comes from being aware of the hours ahead of you, as well as the hours behind you. If your goal is, say, 13 hours, then you'll emerge from the water at 1:15 and be on the bike at 1:25 --- still 11:35 to go. Holy moly! That will seem pretty huge, enough so that you will know that you can't go about the 112 miles letting other people pace you. Six or so hours later you will get off the bike.....and there will still be 5:35 to go until the 13th hour is upon you. Not only will that seem like a fair chunk of time, but you'll also know that you have had your body propelling itself for about 8.5 hours, and that will be enough to prevent you from trying to "reel in " runners ahead of you. Again -- just being aware of the mental game and pacing will help you hugely at SG.

I do not in any way think of your ego as inflated. far from it, in fact. There has been no bravado in any of your posts to date, and everything you have said suggests that you have great respect for the distance. You seem to have been consistently aware of your weaknesses, and have worked systematically to improve them. And even though you talk about the need to "run SMART training sessions between now and then", I haven't seen much evidence that your training sessions to date have been anything other than smart. I see few junk miles, lots of long stuff, and a serious focus on hills. I think you've planned and executed really well.

It's funny, though, that the one area - your long bricks - I maybe questioned is the one that seems to have paid off in a big way at Showdown. You're right that you have no chance of maintaining that pace at the marathon-distance of SG, but if you separate SG from Showdown you will see that you ran beautifully off of a 56-mile bike --- pretty clear evidence to me that those long bricks taught you to run well off the bike. Sure, that was maybe a "pacing error" at Showdown, but an awful lot of good came out of it in terms in what you know about yourself at the half-iron distnce. And that you did all that coming off an injury that left you right up until the day before wondering if you would even attempt the run ----- I genuflect in your general direction!

Finally, as for the blinders -- try SG without them. They'll just be an extra piece of equipment to worry about, and beisdes -- once you get to the run and need some distraction, you'll wnat to have an unobstructed view of the magnificent scenery there. Scrap the blinders!

STEVE again -

Distractions, I just mentioned? How's this for one:

The Lake Placid bike course is two loops, with the final 12 (?) miles of each loop being a long, slow climb back to the village. On the first loop, halfway up that climb, we were treated to three young women in a roadside pull-off, mooning us. Three women = six buttocks, and on threm were painted R - O C - K O - N That is the slogan for Final Kick Sports, Virginia Beach, and that was there contribution to our cause. I'm not sure how much of a boost it gave to the female athletes, but I think it helped most of the males. The Lake Placid area is very scenic.....but there is scenic and there is scenic!

(Sadly, they were not there on the second lap. )

STEVE once more -

WHOA! I thought your weekend plans were a ride 2X up Topanga Canyon on Saturday, and then a 1-2 hour ride with your wife on Sunday. When did Batan Death Ride enter the picture??

Overall and without a doubt, though, it was a fabulous weekend for you. To follow that ride with 18 miles at 8:15 --- sheesh, maybe you can sustain your Showdown pace at SG! Seriously, I think your various observations in the fianl four sentences of the run paragraph are astute and wise. Doing the important stuff (be it walking, or using every aid station) early on will postpone and maybe even prevent falling apart totally later on. As my former coach used to say, you don't want to avoid doing something that will take 30 seconds now if not doing it will cost you 30 minutes later. And forget the "falling apart" part, which is hopefully too extreme. Just think about the basic garden-variety suffering, which of course you want to experience as minimally as possible.

Nice ride, nicer run! More good training, and better yet -- more valuable lessons learned!

And then.......Tapermania, running WILD!!!

ANNE -

I have great running options for going against the grain of the wind, but not much for the bike. Wanna trade landscapes? Or at least their suitable cycling roads?

Thanks Steve.

Point taken about the wind! Makes sense, if wind is blowing and it either favors or opposes you on the way out, it's going to do the opposite on the way in. But as you mention there are some rides where you've got the wind working against you both ways...

I don't think I've heard that story about your race with your former coach. I'd love to hear it!

Tracey

TRACEY -

My further thoughts on wind.....
(1) The negative effects of wind on a run are more pronounced than the negative effects of wind on the bike.
(2) Conversely, the positive effects of wind on the bike are greater than the positive effects of wind on the run.
(3) Thinking about it some, #2 is more the case than is #1, because the positive effects of wind on the run reach a point of no return when our cadence can not keep up with how hard the wind wants to propel us -- this is when we need to put on the brakes in order to keep some semblance of a decent stride.
(4) When wind hurts on the bike, it is during longer rides -- you turn around, there's the wind....and you're 23 miles from home.
(5) It is easier to shorten the stride and "hunker down" while running than it is to do something similar on the bike -- especially for me, at 6'2", with a lot of me there to catch the wind.
(6) In general, for either running or cycling, the gains from a favorable wind will not be greater than the losses due to a headwind. That is, you lose more time going into a headwind than you gain from a tailwind. The effect of this increases dramatically when the headwind is on the last half of a ride. (Again, there is the example from a few days ago -- 58' out, 62' back.)

I guess I'm feeling long-winded (groan...... ) tonight in order to come up with such a bunch of blather. Blah, blah, blah.

Butler's hanging tough! This is good!

Also good - nay, GREAT - is the fact that the Red Sox beat the Skankees last night, 9-7. Ahh, sweet bliss!

SHAUN -

Nicely done, snagging a cross-country ski set-up for $65! It's a terrific form of cross-training, especially if you can learn to skate-ski. Alas for me, though, I only do the "classic" style, and I'm not adept enough at that to push my heart rate at all. Well, some, I guess, but not enough to prohibit conversation with Lynn, or our dog. Still, it's a bonafide fitness-maintainer, and for $65 you can't go wrong.

And it's good that you're pulling down some extra hours and the extra money that goes with it. Pretty soon you'll have enough for a $4750 bike and a $699 wetsuit --- and not even feel the shortfall!

STEVE -

Say hey! Those are some good photos of you from Showdown!

Observations:
(1) You looked fresh in most of them. A couple of the run ones show a bit of strain on your face, maybe, but your posture was good in all of them.
(2) You're a friendly cuss -- lots of waves to the fine camera folks!
(3) That climb up from the lake -- kind of relentless, perhaps? I haven't checked back on the maps, but how long was that climb? Granted it doesn't look that steep, but it sure looks loooooong. Not exactly the best way to get into your rhythm if that's the way the run begins!
(4) Related to #1, I've seen suffering (Exhibit A: many of my own race photos ), and it looks like you had it together -- right up through that finish line.
(5) Good job X2 --- having a solid race, and remaining photogenic throughout!

How do we get to see the picture?

Steve:

I went to bed when the score was still 5-1. I always miss the games with great endings, whether it's football, baseball... I give up way too easy and call it a night!

SteveA:

Would love to see those pics!