Runnerg1rl7's Group!! - Closed (Page 11)

Hi everybody,

Laura, major congratulations on the olympic last weekend. What an achievement! I was watching Hy Vee (sp?) over the weekend and was thinking, "Laura can do that!"

I had a 10K last Sunday and managed to improve my pace over my last 10K despite an injured knee. So I was pretty pleased with that small gain. I've been really taking it easy on running since the knee issue. Its not major, but I don't want it to turn into something big so I'm taking it really easy.

Other than that I've been working on swimming. Over the last few weeks I learned bilateral breathing. Also, I've asked my swim coach for some new workouts and I am increasing my distance in the pool. Today I went 1650 yds, which is the most I've ever swum. (Arms really hurt!)

I have a sprint Aug 23 that will be my first open water race. So on Saturday I rented a wetsuit and tried swimming in the lake. At first it really kicked my butt and I was about ready to give up. It seemed like I was going nowhere and I felt clumsy and had a hard time breathing in the waves. But I kept at it and at the end of the hour I was really loving it. I didn't cover much yardage, but it was a good start. And really sold me on the wet suit idea, too.

And just after I finished I realized they were evacuating everyone because there was bacteria in the water. Despite the possible infection, I was glad to get the swim in!!!

Hi everybody,

Laura, major congratulations on the olympic last weekend. What an achievement! I was watching Hy Vee (sp?) over the weekend and was thinking, "Laura can do that!"

I had a 10K last Sunday and managed to improve my pace over my last 10K despite an injured knee. So I was pretty pleased with that small gain. I've been really taking it easy on running since the knee issue. Its not major, but I don't want it to turn into something big so I'm taking it really easy.

Other than that I've been working on swimming. Over the last few weeks I learned bilateral breathing. Also, I've asked my swim coach for some new workouts and I am increasing my distance in the pool. Today I went 1650 yds, which is the most I've ever swum. (Arms really hurt!)

I have a sprint Aug 23 that will be my first open water race. So on Saturday I rented a wetsuit and tried swimming in the lake. At first it really kicked my butt and I was about ready to give up. It seemed like I was going nowhere and I felt clumsy and had a hard time breathing in the waves. But I kept at it and at the end of the hour I was really loving it. I didn't cover much yardage, but it was a good start. And really sold me on the wet suit idea, too.

And just after I finished I realized they were evacuating everyone because there was bacteria in the water. Despite the possible infection, I was glad to get the swim in!!!

Yay!  Glad to see I wasn't talking to myself here.    Can you believe it's almost AUGUST already?!!!

Mitch - Glad you're still giving the oly some thought.  I certainly don't want you to feel like you HAVE to do an oly, but since you weren't sure if you were ready, I wanted to assure you that physically you've got the training behind you to support it - but if you're not mentally ready, by all means take some more time to think it through before diving in.  That's great that you've found the Polar to be good at keeping you honest on your runs!

Marcy - Thanks!  I'd really like to get another oly in this season, but it looks like I won't have the opportunity.  There is only one other oly-distance tri in the area and it's on a weekend when I have other things going.  Oh well.  Congratulations on the 10K PR!  Take care of that knee, though - I know all too well what can happen when you try to push through when you shouldn't!

YES!  Great job on bilateral breathing - that makes a HUGE difference, and it's very handy to be comfortable breathing on both sides during a race especially in open water if there are waves (sometimes you may be forced to breathe just on one side, and if it's not the side you usually breathe on, well, that could be a problem).  It's funny, b/c just yesterday when I was at the pool I was watching a girl in the next lane swim and she was very fast but was only breathing on one side, and I thought to myself, "Boy, if she could breathe bilaterally she'd probably be even FASTER."  Anyway, I'm also glad you decided to rent a wetsuit to test that out before buying (or deciding not to buy).  It's a very different feeling and definitely good to test it out before a race!  I used to think I'd never want to swim in one, but I've been forced to here since the water for each race I've done this year has been on the colder side - and now I appreciate what a difference they make!  But YUCK hope you don't wind up with some weird jungle disease from the water!

Libby - Wow, I can't believe your time in Australia is almost up already!  (bet you can't, either!)  Hope the final exam goes well.  If you can ride the course prior to the race, do it, but if you can't, try not to worry about it too much.  I have yet to be able to pre-ride any of the courses I've raced on, but I DID at least drive the (very hilly) courses of my first 2 races this year and that at least helped so I knew what I was getting myself into.  Hills or not, you WILL finish the race, even if you have to ride slow.  Just remember that your goals for this race should be to have fun and finish, and you will be fine.

Hope everyone else is doing well and keeping busy TRAINING and/or racing!

Well, I was hoping to have a great weekend of punishing workouts...lost out on a deal we were aggressively pursuing at work and was looking forward to letting out my frustrations over the weekend....welcome to reality though.

Friday evening I started feeling a bit "off", had trouble wanting to eat my dinner.  Fell asleep early (7:00 pm) on the couch and got more miserable as each hour went by.  At some point I started to run a fever.  Saturday I was absolutely miserable...either I had food poisoning or the flu.  Slept most of yesterday and before bed fever was at 102.3.  Funny thing is the fever comes and goes.

Felt a bit better today but still running an off and on fever and still have no appetite...which is very odd for me.  I hoping to be well enough for work tomorrow and then back to the gym on Tuesday.  Can't believe that I've been sick twice this season.  Very frustrating! 

Mitch, that doesn't sound good. I hope you've seen a doctor. Take it easy.

I've been a little less focused on my training lately as I've been working on some other big stuff. Career planning and child starting kindergarten are among them. I have a super sprint coming up August 23. I'm  not really concerned about it except that its my first open water race, so that will be a learning experience. I hope to get an OWS session in tomorrow if weather allows.

Laura, thanks for all your encouraging posts!

How is everybody else?

Well, I finally kicked that bug.  Have my appetite back and went running on Thursday morning.  All told it wiped me out for about a week and I lost 3 to 4 pounds.  Legs were too sore to work out this morning and will hope to swim and ride tomorrow morning follwed by a long slow run on Sunday.  Definitely think I will run the Sprint distance in Sept. instead of the Olympic.  I think mentally I would be a wreck working up to the race as my colume hasn't been what I think it should be over the last few weeks.  Running the Sprint will let me see how much I have improved over last year (it was my first triathlon last year and the course will be the same).

Also, I think this strategy will allow me to start focusing on my first HM coming up in October.  I am actually more excited about that race than the triathlon.  If you asked me a year ago if I would be excited about running I would have laughed at you. 

What's everyone's plans for the weekend?

Hi everyone!  I just realized it had been FAR TOO LONG since I last checked on you all.

Mitch, glad you're feeling better now!  Given what you said, I agree that racing the sprint is a better option for you this year.  Especially since you'll be able to compare your progress from last year's race!  I wish I had been able to do the races I did last year again this year, but moving cross-country nixed that.  I was also oddly excited to run my first half marathon this past May.  ha!  Even though running has always been my preferred thing, a couple years ago I would've thought running 13.1 miles was just plain dumb.  Now I've completed one and am already registered for 2 more.

Marcy - Best wishes for all the big life-changing stuff you have going on right now!

Libby - Did you make it back from Australia and onto the beach yet?

How's everyone else doing?

Yes, I feel like a weight has been lifted regarding running the Olympic or the Sprint. I've resolved to get religous about my swimming this fall/winter and really get comfortable and stronger from an endurance swimming perspective.

Had a great weekend of workouts. My normally moderate to slow group ride with guys/gals 20+ years my senior (I'm 37) turned into a real shootout on Saturday. I was a little late getting to the point where I usually cross paths with the group and was surprised by them when they blew by me going the opposite direction. By the time I was able to turn around I had to chase the leaders for 2 miles before I was able to pull even with them.

Then it seemed like the two oldest guys had a bug up their butt and kept wanting to break away. I'm too competitive to let a 60 year old beat me so there was no sitting back allowed. At the Chrysler corporation HQers there's a road that goes completely around the grounds...probably 3 to 4 miles. I thought I had broken away from most of the pack...I saw one bike shadow behind me most of the way...at about 3/4s of the way through I realized that I had the whole group drafting off of me and I was pushing hard to maintain 23 mph. Then wouldn't you know the 67 year old takes off with 2 guys and 1 gal behind him blowing by me at 26mph...so I had to dig down and find that extra gear to save face. I had a blast on that ride and was pretty spent on the last two miles as I rode home by myself.

On sunday I had my longest run to date (9.2 miles) and felt great. No real pain in the knees or ankles. I've been trying to be diligent about stretching my calves before I run and then stretching and icing after I run. My avg. pace was right at 8:30 and for that distance I was almost giddy. If I can keep improving and run the half marathon later this year at 8:30 or better I'll be a pig in sh%t!

I will say I think I can feel the weight I lost while sick when I'm riding and running. Could just be that my legs were really refreshed after almost a week off. But, tell me you'll make my bike 4 pound lighter and I'll bet I can feel it.

I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am and keeps working hard!

Hi everybody,

I've been focusing on getting some open water swims in this month, and that's about it. I joined the August Challenge and committed only to 4 OWS and 10 hrs of bike riding. But that's enough chalenge for me right now. Good news is that I have taken a couple short runs in the last week and my knees and shins are feeling a lot better! If i can get back into a groove with running, I'll be a much happier person.

Other cool stuff: I've had several friends tell me recently that I've inspired them to get fit or play more sports or bike to work, etc. I've taken their words as a big compliment and also as a reminder that I'm not out there just for myself.

Mitch, I'm gald to see you're back in the game! And I also must admit I'm a little jealous of your biking group. To date, I haven't really been training with any group of people consistently although it would be really fun to do that.

John - If you're still out there, I finally got the pic from my first tri 2 months ago! 

Laura, what are you up to? Are you training for any specific events?

Hi everyone!

My parents came to CO to visit for the past 5 days, so I got a little behind again.

Libby - Are you feeling better yet??  Still planning on the tri this coming weekend, I hope?  Bummer that your mom can't do it now - though the surprise trip certainly makes up for it for her!

Mitch - I'm so glad you're up and running (well, and riding and swimming too ) again.  You're really doing some great training and I have no doubt you will see it pay off at the sprint!

Marcy - Awesome!  That you have inspired others to work on getting in shape!  That's one of the biggest and best compliments, I feel.  Currently, my primary training focus is the Denver Half Marathon in October.  To that end, I'm mostly concerned about running, with some biking and swimming thrown in for cross-training and so I don't lose too much fitness in either area.  Tri season in Colorado is already winding down, believe it or not.  I only have 1 more tri left, a sprint with a pool swim on September 7.  I was hoping to get another olympic in this season, but there just weren't any left in the entire state or within a reasonable driving distance elsewhere on a free weekend for me.  Oh well!

It's a new week - hope you all fill it up with some great training!

I don't know if you're still doing the race - I hope so! - if so, GOOD LUCK this weekend, Libby!!

Hello Everyone

Did you guys even know i was gone?  Where's the love?...lol

I was camping Sunday through yesterday with a group of Dad's and our daughter's.  Great time and a lot of fun.  Did manage to sprint up some towering sand dunes and while tubing in the river to get another swimming workout in.  Practiced open water swimming a small bit in Lake Michigan and Silver Lake (smaller inland lake by Lake Michigan). 

I need to update my logs from last week.  On Saturday morning I did my first 10 mile run.  It was harder than I thought it would be but got it done.  I'm running a Sprint tri in a week and a half and it will be interesting to see how I do.  I think I will be very well rested and and am going to try to leave it all out there on the bike and run.  Hope to improve the swim too.

Laura,

I have been great....oh wait...I almost forgot...I broke my hand in 3 places falling off my bike....no dogs caused it...just a road rage driver...waiting for the cast to come off and get back to training

Hey everybody. I completed my second tri last Saturday. No major fanfare and a few comical blunders. But it was fun and I learned something, always my top 2 goals.

I finally finished my race report. Here is a link:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=130625

Phew!  It was getting really quiet in here...glad to see some of you back!

John - YIKES!!!  Sorry to hear about the hand.  Hope you're healing well and quickly.

Marcy - Congrats on your tri!  Good report.  I'm glad that throughout all of that, you still met your goals of learning and having fun.  Great job!

Mitch - Sounds like you had a great weekend!  Congrats on sticking it out to get your first 10-mile run in.  I remember when I did my first 10-miler this past April - seemed like SUCH a huge number looming over my head, but I actually found it went MUCH better than I expected, and I felt great knowing I had accomplished that.  Yesterday I did another 10-mile run and again surprised myself with how good I felt.

Libby - What are you up to?  Back to school now?

It will be interesting to see how my sprint goes this Sunday.  With the camping trip I haven't worked out that regularly the last week and half.  Now I'm stuck in a "taper" week and trying to figure out how much to do or not do this week....I do get that additional workouts won't benefit me on Sunday.  Just trying to stay at the level I'm currently at.

With that said, I had a good ride on Saturday and great 2 mile run this morning.  I maintained a 7:30 pace or so over the distance.  What I'm hoping is that the legs are fresh on race day and I kick butt on the ride and run.  The swim...I've determined I need to get some one on one coaching/training.  More discipline and better technique will hopefully contribute to more respectable swim times.