Destination MoP is FULL (of motivation!) (Page 11)

Actually Ms. S Vision (lol), I like what yoga does (alot).  Just feel a bit self-conscious (and out of place) in class.  Something about being a 50+ guy in a group of very flexible under 30 women with a bunch of mirrors (the first two classes were with my wife which helped, but then she dropped out and I only made it to two more).  Kind of too bad, because I think us 50+ guys can *really* benefit from it (as well as everyone else).  Anyway, I've incorporated several poses into my pre- and post- workout routines and did hear about another class that might be a better fit (just bad timing).  Anyway, just wanted to clarify that I am definitely a yoga believer, especially with how it counter-balances most of the workouts for triathlons.  That pigeon pose made an immediate beneficial difference in my lower back.

Speaking of counter-balance, one thing that I do have to chuckle at though is the difference between a yoga class and a bike class at the same gym.  The bike class, there's all this rap/hip hop/rock pulse pounding loud music and yoga is like walking into a forest with the lights down, etc.  It's enough to give a guy whiplash!  (and yes, I know, I'm a middle of the road, balanced, boring kind of dude).

Namaste,

Stu

Best of luck to you and your wife, Tom.  So cool that you two can do this together!

Think of the two weeks off as a super taper :-)  Oh, and you might find it worthwhile to take an extra minute or two in T2 to stretch out the back. 

Good luck to all with races this weekend!

...and I definitely need a "like" button for a lot of these posts!

You are so right about the balance.  That *blew my mind*.  I have to hang on to the bar when I stretch my leg out :-)

Rock and roll, Andrea!

On the kink, along with asking your hubby to massage it, it may be related to starting up biking.  Check that your arms and shoulders are relaxed when you bike.  All the effort should be in your legs and your upper body should remain fairly still and relaxed (arms bent).  If you're in aero position, it does take your neck awhile to get used to holding it in that position (and your back).  Before and after your biking rotate your head and shoulders (both directions). 

Of course, it could be completely unrelated and have something to do with how you sit at work, etc., but the timing is suspicious!

Stu

Good luck to you and your wife, Tom! Who watches your little one when you're both racing?

Valerie- any decision about the compression socks?

Are they for comfort, or do you run the risk of injury if you don't wear them?

-Heidi

I don't know I've just tried the ground.  It does get gooey and sort of gelatinous so the sensation when drinking is a bit odd.  Kind of like drinking orange juice with lots and lots of pulp.  I mix the ground chia with a bit of lime juice and 1/4 tsp of stevia.  Only my third day of trying some.

Good luck to all who are racing this weekend!

I've decided that this week is a step-back lower the volume week.  I felt great yesterday morning after Wednesday's complete rest day but really ran out of gas on my way home on the bike.  Luckily hubby happened to pass me on the way home & picked me up so I didn't have to ride all the way home.  

My weight has really dropped over the past two weeks (140.5 to 136.5 this morning) so I think that has something to do with it.  Lots of volume over past three weeks and probably didn't increase calories enough.  Need to watch this. 

I'm going to drop my day of core training until my tri races are over.  Also shorten my 20 min. evening yoga sessions to just stretching & hip openers.  Some of the poses really tire me out.  So the full 20 minutes will return after all the races too.

My daughter leaves for Kenya to volunteer in a health clinic on Sunday so the focus is on getting her ready tomorrow.

I suspect that you are on to something with the biking causing my neck/shoulder issue.  There is no aero going on with my hybrid though, LOL!  The timing does seem to suggest that it's related, although it's something that I get several times a year.  I'll try shrugs, shoulder circles and some turning my head pre and post bike. Thanks.

I've found this to be a nice routine that takes about 20 minutes.  I replace the Lunge and Lunge Twist with the lunges from the Sage Rountree lunge series sequence (see her list of podcasts for the Lunge Series).  Her lunge series only takes about 7 minutes.  I did this religously 3-4 times/week for about 4 months while recovering from a broken ankle and noticed remarkable improvement in flexibility in the hip area.

I'm having a clothing dilemma, which I'd appreciate some comments on...

Our club kit arrived last week, and I was very excited to have a new tri suit in club colours.  I'd ordered an XL as from the sizing chart that seemed the best option, although I was hoping it wouldn't be too tight.  Anyway, it turns up, and when I tried it on, it's actually a little loose (hurrah!).  I checked with the club and they had a spare L in stock, and said I could try it and if I wanted to swap I could.

Today I got the L, tried it on and the size is much better, however for some reason it doesn't have a pad in the shorts!  While the pad is thin, I find it makes all the difference and, especially as the races get longer, is going to be essential.

Now comes the dilemma: do I just keep the XL, which is only marginally big and I can use it straight away, or do I go for the L, but then send it back to get the pad added?  This will potentially take a month or so, as the original order took ages to come through.  In the mean time I'll have done half my races for the season.

I know this is a stupid problem, but I have to make a decision by tomorrow, and I'm torn between the sensible part of me thinking "I'm paying a lot of money for this piece of clothing, it should be right", and the other part that's thinking "but I'm racing on sunday and it would be really nice to be in club colours".

I'd probably go for the right size.  You'll have club colors all next year and half of this year!  During your races you might end up thinking about how loose your suit feels - might be distracting.

I ponder my race day clothes for any event quite a bit -- they've got to be just right.  I even think about what earrings I'm going to wear for my running races!  Got to look just so - you know!

That's half the battle right there buddy!

@Melanie: Please continue to keep us updated on how the chia drinks work out.  I'm seriously considering ordering some.

@Stu: I've actually recently started doing pigeon pose in my stretches before biking.  I've been having trouble with one of my hips bothering me and I was thinking it would be a helpful stretch for that. 

As for yoga class, I've had problems with feeling pathetic compared to younger, ridiculously flexible people.  But what my instructor has told me again and again is 1) I shouldn't be worrying about where anyone else is at and stay focused on myself (i.e. it's not a competition) and 2) just because they're really flexible doesn't mean they're even doing the pose right or getting as much out of it as I might be.  I guess that's one of the tricky things about yoga.  Certain poses are supposed to be engaging certain muscles while relaxing others.  So just because someone can put their legs behind their heads doesn't mean they're using the proper muscles and what not.  Some of these uber-flexible people also have no muscle strength while those of us with less flexibility may have way more.  So I keep trying to remind myself not to be too impressed by others or judge myself based on others (it's easier said than done though for those of us with a competitive spirit!).

I have to tell a story from an experience of mine earlier this week that's embarrassing but I think it's too funny not to share.

So on Wednesday, for the first time, I decided to go to the pool and get in a swim session before work.  I was running behind a little bit and so was rushing to get out of the house and make sure to grab everything I needed for my swim AND for work.  So I got to the pool, had my swim, and as I was changing out of my bathing suit into my work clothes I realized . . . I forgot to bring any underwear!!

I had worn my bathing suit under my work clothes to ride to the pool but in my hurry totally forgot to pack underwear (I also forgot my lunch but that was not my greatest concern, lol).  So standing there naked I was debating what to do 1) drive all the way home to get underwear and then go to work (that would've taken over an hour) 2) go to work commando 3) I really couldn't put my wet bathing suit back on so that wasn't an option.

So I decided to suck it up and just go to work commando, lol!  I left on my hooded sweatshirt to cover up my obvious lack of support, but was so uncomfortable.  Thankfully I work right down the street from the mall so at lunch time I couldn't take it anymore and ran over to Victoria's Secret.  It was a bit of a pricey mistake (I left my coupons at home too!) but I seriously doubt I will forget to pack my underwear again in the future! LOL

Good Luck this weekend!  5K on Tuesday in Portland for me......thanks for the reminder to throw in some underwear.

@ Erin - I've done that before, although fortunately never on the way to work.  I've found it's a mistake you only make once...

Decision made about the tri suit.  It's going back to be fixed.  I'll just have to stick with my trusty black tri suit for another race or so.  It's too much money to spend on something that's not quite right.

Looking forward to my sprint tomorrow, although typically my knee's feeling a bit weak today.  Will do lots of stretches and make sure I don't do anything stupid with it tomorrow.

LOL, yes good luck to everyone this weekend and underwear for all!

@Rachel: I think you made the right choice.  It's probably a bummer not to have the new suit right away but you make a good point.  If you're going to pay good money for something you want the best product and not a compromise. 

I'm taking an unplanned rest day today.  At some point last night I went to roll over and something cracked in my neck.  Now my neck is hurting super bad when I move it in any direction.   I'm guessing I must have misaligned it somehow.  So I've taken some advil and am sitting here with a heating pad wrapped around the back of my neck and will just take today off.  Hopefully it loosens up and I can get back to training tomorrow, otherwise I may need an emergency visit to the chiro.

Good call, Rach.  I've never been disappointed by getting something right, even when it takes more time.  In fact, we have a family saying, "why do it the easy way, when the hard way would be easier"... roughly translated means get it right the first time even if it takes longer.  Now, if only I would follow that more often :-)

Heidi, I have decided to put them on in transition.  It will be much cooler in the AM than was expected and I do not want them to be wet and make me even more cold.   I will also add sock arm warmers as well in T1 and slide them off before the run in T2.

Valerie