Mndymond and Disturbed275's Awesome SBR Group--- Phase 2--CLOSED! (Page 11)

Melissa's picture looks almost exactly like my transition setup with one exception.  This is a matter of preference but I like to keep my bike helmet and glasses on the ground in between my bike shoes.  I've tried resting them on my aerobars and they had gotten knocked off onto the ground before a came into transitions.  The bikes can knock the transition rack around a lot as they are being removed so I just don't trust leaving the helmet up there.  Plus I'm bending over to put my shoes on anyway so I figure I'm not losing any time by putting my helmet on while bent over.

There's a few other things you can do to speed things up if you want to.  On the way to T1 make sure you remove your goggles and cap as you're running.  You can also unzip your wetsuit (if you're wearing one) and pull the top half down to your waist before you even get to your stuff.  Also if you are wearing a wetsuit make sure you practice removing it a few times.  It's amazing how in the heat of the moment you can really get stuck in that thing.

One tip for T2 is to just put on your shoes and grab the stuff you plan on taking with you (hat, race belt, nutrition, etc.).  You can start running and THEN put you hat and race belt on.  It took me a few races before I realized I could just run with that stuff.

Glad to hear that everyone is enjoying their weekend...  Two things:

1) I found a HIM that I could do - There is a REV3 race in Maryland in October...  Now I need to make a choice.  I figure I have a month to think about it... Either way... its all gonna be good.

2) I tried 4 new beers tonight and enjoyed one of my favorites

a. Panil Barriquee - a Flanders Red - Incredible
b. Deviant Dales - A good imperial IPA out of CO.
c. Spike and Jerome Suvee Delirante - An English Barely Wine.  Not bad but too sweet for me.
d. Gales Prize Old Ale - An old Ale out of England... Flat and too sweet.
e. Ayinger Brau Weisse - One of my all time favorite beers... 

I've got a long run coming up tomorrow.   

I think completing a HIM, whether solo or in a race situation is a great accomplishment so my hat would be off to you no matter what you decide.  Whether it would be enough for you, only you would know.

The only thing I have to add (and I'm not trying to dissuade you from going solo) is that a HIM is hard, no matter how well trained you are.  I've done five of them and have suffered in each one.  There are points in the race when you want to stop, and being in that race situation with spectators and other competitors is great motivation to keep going.  I think if I had been on my own it would have been easier to stop or take a break without that outside motivation.  It's amazing how that race atmosphere can help get you to the finish line

I'm no dietician, but the small meals thing has worked for me.  The big part of that is just portion control and that's hard when you're working out more.  My weight was up last year because I've bought into the "I'm training for an IM" mentality and ate everything in sight. This year I've been watching how much I put on my plate, cutting out the late night snacks, and limiting (but not eliminating) my alcohol consumption 

I've heard the the REV3 events are good ones.  If you choose to go that route, the race would be a good one!

Enjoy that long run tomorrow!

Best of luck at the race tomorrow! It sounds like a fun one

I would advocate small meals throughout the day compared to only eating within a 6-7 hr window. The issue with only eating within a small time frame during the day is that the body isn't stupid and knows our tricks (unfortunately). Yes, some people can probably get away with it, but eventually your body adapts to "knowing" it is only going to get nutrition within a certain time frame and then it will start storing energy for "starvation mode" which will end up working against you, making you grumpy because you are hypoglycemic a large amount of the time and it could affect performance in workouts (well actually it will) depending on what time of day you workout. It is actually amazing what we eat compared to what an actual portion size is. Smaller meals more frequently throughout the day maintain your blood glucose and actually boosts metabolism. The thyroid is a wonky gland and learns to decrease BMR if you start starving yourself for the majority of the day. 

I've been using Myfitnesspal to log my eating. It keeps me honest and physically allows me to see my caloric intake throughout the day. I'm at a 1600 cal. per day base to lose 1 lb per week. I generally net about 1200 calories after workouts though, so I'm losing a bit more than that (theoretically) per week. Lost about 7 lbs since mid-March through logging intake throughout the day. 

First race down of the season! Unofficially a 2:13ish finish for 15.5 miles of technical, rocky, and hilly Spokane River Run.  that's about 8:34/mi pace.  Setting up nicely to go 8:00/mi in May marathon.

Ninkasi Total Domination IPA as a refreshing after race barly pop.  Think I'll relax a little for the rest of day. 

Next race is a 12K speed demon in 2 weeks.  Lilac Bloomsday event here in Spokane. 

I ran into a fellow BTer at this run.  That was cool.

If solo is the only way to reach your goal then solo it is!  This is a goal YOU decided that you wanted to attain, no one else so go for it!  Make it a race and involve the famdamily; have the kids make a finish line, with ribbon or butcher paper to cross and they can cheer you on from different points of the "race".  I think its an excellent idea.  Spend a few of the $$ you save from signing up for a race on that specialty beer you never buy yourself and celebrate on reaching your specialty goal!  

Woot Woot!  Yeah Kev!  Good job...your work ethic is really paying off this year!

Ok, here's my deal...I haven't lost a stinkin' pound since I started doing training in 2010. But don't let that discourage you, I have gone down from my size 10 that I was when I started to a solid size 6.  As a matter of fact, yesterday, I bought 4 pairs of shorts, in size six, thank you very much!  

I use to weigh 70lbs more than I do, a hefty 240lbs, size gianormous and now I am 162.  How did I do it when I wasn't exercising regularly?  Every birthday I gave myself a gift of making small changes.

My first b-day gift was permission to drink lots of water!  Tons of water.  I did not want to drink my calories and figured if I was going to have something decadent it was not going to be in liquid form...ok wine and beer don't count...so drinking water made a huge difference.

I have a terrible sweet tooth and I figure if I want a sugary treat its gonna be a good one and I am going to enjoy it. IF I wanted cake, I gave myself permission to have some cake, cut a piece, eat it and savor it, hell have a relationship with it! Tasting it from the tip of my tongue to the back of my throat made all the difference in the world.  I used to never cut myself a whole piece and would pick at the cake all day long until it was gone... Now I also try to remember, if I had cake in the morning try not to have more in the evening. Works most times

I gave myself lots of these small gifts throughout the years and it has culminated into slow weight loss. However, the number on the scale has not changed in the past two years.  I suggest that you check for hard lumps in strange places...those are called muscles and they weigh more than the squishy rolls that have recently been replaced.  Taking a shower after a swim last year I found one on the back of my leg, a hamstring..hmmm who knew they could be so big?  

Watching my body change these past two years has been the best part of training.  I realized that I am not "big boned" and that I am supposed to be a teeny tiny woman.  Last year my self gift was weight training; using the weight training to not only get faster but to rid myself of this 15lb flotation device around my middle section.  Some years I re-gift myself and this may be a re-gift year.

Keep doing what you are doing, look to make changes in your life style and eating habits that are doable and sustainable for you and you will see the difference in your physique. Good luck!

Cynthia

Headed to the bike shop and jumped on the computrainer to have my pedal stroke analysed for efficiency.  I started at 64% and ended at 94%.  It was pretty cool to watch the graph change as I learned how to pedal, had my seat changed and adjusted, and a better fit.  The backs of my upper calf and hamstrings are very sore today so I hope that means I am pedaling correctly.  

Had an issue with my knee the other day so I went for a short run this morning to test it out.  No soreness while running but discomfort later today.  I will give it another try this afternoon.  The new meds the dr. has me on are affecting my endurance, (which she said would happen, I just did not believe her), and it makes me feel like I have never ran before in my life!  

I feel like I am starting from scratch and took a gazillion steps backwards.  Well if I went backwards I can always still go forwards so I am off to the pool!  

No spring here...we just went to summer and later this week we still have a little of winter headed our way... I miss So. Cal!

Nice job!  From what you said yesterday - the race sounded like a pretty tough one!  Glad to hear you enjoyed it and ran so quickly!

Glad to hear that you your trip to the bike shop was so productive.  The fact that your sore means you must be doing something right.

I'm sorry that you are battling these health issues and I hope things get better soon.  You can't be too hard on yourself.  You've got a great attitude!  Keep it up.  Fight the fight.  Finish the race. Keep the faith!

Hey Everyone - hope you all had a nice weekend!  I went out for a long run and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  As some of you know - I've been battling the injury bug since I started exercising again and the 4.4 miles I logged today was more than I logged in November, December, and January combined.  So I'm getting there.

First race is three weeks from today.  So excited!  I figure one more challenging week and then I'll begin the taper.

Hi everyone!

I just got back from an 80-mile relay race in southern Illinois.  I had been asked to join a team last minute, and only as an alternate.... They had 8 runners, so I was the 9th person; they wanted me to come in case someone got injured.  So I was surprised to go down there and find out I'd been "promoted" to an official spot on the team.  It was a super hilly course, they gave me the anchor leg-- runner #8-- which happened to be second hardest position in terms of terrain/hilliness, in addition to being the one that covered the most distance (~11 miles, split up in 3 runs of 3.65, 4.05, and 3.3 miles in length). 

My runs went surprisingly well.  My times were faster than I thought they would be, especially considering I've only been running regularly for 2 1/2 months and am not used to the kinds of hills down there.  My hip/calf/foot was feeling a little tight after my runs, so I made sure to stretch them while in the van and waiting for our runners to come in.  I had a slight limp this morning, but was able to stretch & massage my muscles during the ride home today (~6 hrs of traveling time!) so now I'm walking normally again.  I'll watch my leg in the next few days and take it easy if I continue to limp.

Aside from the race, I didn't actually get too much training done last week.  Since I had to take Friday off work to drive there (basically driving all day Friday and Sunday to go to the race & back, in addition to driving all day Saturday for the race itself), I wasn't able to get ANY biking done last week.  I had to work extra hours to make up for taking an unexpected day off, which unfortunately left no time for riding while there was still daylight (was able to get my runs in, since I don't mind running in the dark).  I got some good rides in the previous week, though, and will probably focus on biking this week since last week was so run-focused.  Pool is still closed so no swimming unless the lake warms up.

Anyways, I'm exhausted!  I'll try to catch up on everyone's posts tomorrow!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Sorry to hear about your spill but it sounds like you have made huge progress since you began the year!  Way to find ways of combining exercise with family time (which is something I think about when I'm out on the bike for 2+hours).

As far as the road rash and the pool - it depends.  If the cut is still bleeding - a lot of pools aren't too keen on having people swim with open cuts.  The rule is more to keep people from getting too grossed out since the chlorine will kill all the bacteria... So, if its really bad you might want to use one of the liquid bandaid products to stop any oozing...  However, depending on how much chlorine is in the pool - a swim might help kill of any infection you have brewing there and speed the healing process.  Just make sure that you really air out the wound because moisture can lead to an increased risk of infection. On the other hand, if the chlorine is really harsh - it might also hurt the newly developing skin...

Good luck getting better ASAP

That's awesome!  Even though you've only been running for a short time, the fact that they picked you to be the anchor should tell you a lot about how your friends feel about your progress/ability!  

Don't be too hard on yourself for not being able to work out as much as you wanted to last week.  As it turns out - you were actually tapering!  The fact that you are exhausted and sore is a good indication that you really pushed your body during the race and more than made up for any missed workouts earlier in the week.

Good luck on the bike - a perfect considering how sore your muscles were.

With it being the first week back from Spring Break (I'm a teacher) and with a BSA campout with my son over the weekend, it's gonna be a crazy week.  With my first race 3 weeks away, I want to push it before I start my taper.  So, I'm hoping to increase my biking to 3x a week.  Here's my plan - please hold me accountable...

Monday - REST
Tuesday -  Swim/Speed Workout and Bike
Wednesday - Run - Short and slow
Thursday - Swim/Endurance Workout and Bike
Friday - Long slow Run
Saturday - Shot hike with the scouts
Sunday - 40 mile bike ride.  I've tried for 3 weeks to get to 40 miles but being a dad got in the way

I'm also hoping to drop 1.4 LBS so I can hit the 60 LB lost mark.  If I do, that means a lot more smores!  What's everyone else up to?

Cool to hear about the bike diagnostics.  Hopefully that makes a huge difference as technique can combat fatigue.  Keep after it on the run.  Slow but steady, and one foot in front of the other.  You do have a great attitude, and that'll pull you through.

Nice David!  No pain?

I like your plan of one more week, then taper.  What event are you doing again?  Hope your week goes well.

It's great to read what everyone's up to! It's inspiring!

I'm still plugging along at my slow beginner pace! I have a 5K on Saturday.

Today I had my feet re-scanned for my new orthotics - I was supposed to do this over two years ago! Turns out that the arch in my left foot has dropped, and more so than in my right foot. I asked if this could be the cause for my lower back/hip pain, and was told that it definitely could be. Now, this isn't anything excruciating, and I don't think it's holding me back too much, but I am hoping that once I get my new orthotics (two weeks or so), I'll be comfortable with more running farther and faster.

Went on the treadmill today. On Friday it was 80. Today it snowed!

No - my feet were fine!  The only things that was sore were sore were my hip flexors.

The event is a sprint about 5 miles from my house.  It doesn't get any better than that!

This morning, I hopped on the bike for 40 miles of light riding (my legs are still wicked sore from my run on Sunday) and then I hit the pool for my speed workout.  With 2/12 weeks until my first race, I wanted to see where I was in terms of my swim time.  So, after a 5 lap warmup, I went all out to see how fast I could swim the 1/4 mile distance.  I finished the 750 in 9:24 which is a 2:05 100 yd pace.  For me - that is fantastic considering my goal this month was to get my 100 time down to 2:30!

Pretty stoked... Also, I'm wearing a sport coat I haven't worn in more than 8 years.  I'm rockin the plaid baby!