ASPHALT JUNKIES Summer Bronzing Crew - CLOSED (Page 110)

Enjoy your time off, TONY!  It's nice to see how much you're happy going mtn biking.  Have fun getting those last 28 running miles in to join the 1000 club.  Impressive! 

Looks like we've been archived for the year.   You leaders promised to take the Junkies into another session so I'm holding you to it!

Archived?  No wonder my allergies kicked up

Tony, all the MTB talk makes me want to ride a dirt trail!  Too bad the closest thing I have to a dirt trail is a plowed corn field!   The park has a few trails but nothing major to talk about, probably have to do about 10 laps just to start the work out.

I think I found out what diet not to follow today, Burrito for lunch, fried appetizer (pickles, onions etc) and wings for dinner and then a slice of pizza for snack.  I feel like a pile of pooh!  I did manage to run between the wings and pizza, I think my mental toughness is going to come from not eating junk, if I ever make it there! 

Same here on the mountain bike fun! I inquired in the winter weather challenge group about riding my hybrid in the snow and the verdict was.....not a good idea. And I'm sure hubby is not going to jump on board for me to buy ANOTHER bike. At least not this year .

Matt I got a belly ache just reading about all that junk food! It is hard in a work environment though. I remember when I was a teacher all the Christmas party junk food. We had a party for the Pre-K staff, a party hosted by the district, a classroom party and then lots of the parents would give me sweet little gifts of fudge or cookies. Discipline Matt, you can do it. Just think how much faster you will run if you don't eat those wings!

How'd the masters swim session go, KARL?   You better not have chickened out.    I wish we had a masters group at our Y so you have to go and kick for me.

Similar to Matt, I have not even tried to control my eating habits AT ALL this week.  We have been doing a carry-in type of morning all week and yesterday was our crews' Christmas lunch.....I have taken in more calories this week than I probably take in in 2 weeks most of the time  I have just thrown any restraint out the window via buckets.  Honestly this is the first time I have been so uncontrolled about eating in a very long time.  I have had a day or 2 strung together in the past but not 7+ days without some kind of restraint for several years.  I'll begin to control some of my insanity today but I'll still allow some of the seasonal overeating for another week and then pull back on the reigns and slow the wagon down.

News for the Junkies and the upcoming mentor session:

I sent a PM to the group of mentors the other day to get a feel for the winter session beginning in a week or so.  I knew from recent inactivity that there could have been some burnout, busy schedules or general changes in interests.  I wanted to check with everyone to see if there was a continued interest in keeping the Junkies in the mentoring ranks or if we needed a hiatus.  Truth be told, sometimes the work of being a mentor is a distraction to personal training, time availability and even family.  Over the past few years, since Jeff began his group and we turned into what is now the Junkies, a substantial amount of time has been given to many athletes who have come, gone and struck around.  Many of whom have been around long enough to move from mentee's to friends.  Maybe this is a unique group of people that have assembled, all with similar purpose, to become better athletes, yet one that has become more than just about triathlon and more about friendship.  I am thankful, again, for the opportunity to have been a mentor to each and every person who has stepped into these groups.

.......So, after a lot of explanation, I have received commitments from Jeff and Warren for another session.  We will all be renewing to be Junkie mentors.  That said, I ask that each of you take into consideration the time we put into trying to be around to answer questions and provide general feedback as much as possible.  As I have stated in the past, being social may take somewhat of a backseat in our posts to allow us to focus on our personal training, work and family activities, so please understand.  Speaking only for myself, next year will be an insane year for me, IM training, HS graduation, and a wedding will be taking vast amounts of my schedule and time may be very short much of the summer months.

I would like to thank each of you for being involved with us, training hard, working hard and most of all being great people.

For the winter session I will only be allowing 2 more people into our group.  We seem to have lost several people from the group at the beginning of the summer session but they will not be replaced in full.  Currently we have, not including the mentors, about 10 people that are either active or somewhat active, so the new group numbers will reflect a very close number to what is currently in the group.

So, who would like to continue for the winter session?

Dirk I kinda feel like I can lay low in the group and leave an opening for someone who needs extra help. I'm really not doing anything right now, I don't have any big race plans I'm getting ready for. I can keep up in everyone's training blog, pop in here to see what is going on but save the mentor place for someone who really needs some extra help or encouragement getting started.

I can understand how time consuming running this group season after season can be! You handle the group with the same dedication you do your own training. In case I don't tell you all enough, I really appreciate your efforts keeping us all together and answering our questions!

So I'll be around but don't worry about me - how's that .

Dirk - As I began reading your post I got very, very worried. I am very excited to hear that you will mentor again in 2014. Part of the reason I signed up for an IM, is b/c of the amazing support I have got from this group. For me, training carries over into balancing family, life and work. Everyone in this group has been amazing at providing input and encouragement and I am grateful for the mentorship from you (Dirk), Warren, and Jeff, as well as all the Junkies that are here!

Got a question.... I am 6 weeks out from the marathon. When I start tapering in 3 weeks, should I also back off of cycling at the same time? I will probably log more time in the pool (increase 3 -4 swims per week) leading up to the marathon.

Also, I really thought all this marathon training would make my legs look nice and lean and long.... not so much. My little tree trunks look even more like tree trunks than ever before and I cannot even wear some of the jeans I had been wearing. I ripped a fingernail off this morning just trying to pull my compression socks over my calves. I thought all this running would have the opposite effect. I am eating more, and have put on about 6 pounds.... I am truly envious of Matt's recent meal or was that meals, especially as I sit here and eat a fruit bowl with a protein bar.

I will be the one with a slightly differing view than Warren on marathon tapering.  I personally felt a little stale leading into my first run toward a BQ after taking a 3 week taper.  I feel 2 weeks can be good enough (even beneficial) provided you feel very confident about your fitness.  If you have any doubts about whether you can recover completely in 2 weeks than keep to a 3 week taper.  As Warren stated, the idea is to completely recover from all of the training stresses incurred over the training cycle and if you fall short of a full recovery you will suffer.

If you chose to do a 3 week taper, I suggest you do a 3 week  run taper and a 2 weeks cycling taper.  The reduction in running will reduce the impact stresses and allow the running muscles to recover.  Allow an extra week of cycling with some intensity rides, as you would normally have done.  Do NOT add any intensity or any extra rides unless the extra ride is an easy type of recovery ride.  I wouldn't really add any swimming unless you haven't been doing any at all.  If you have done any for a while you could do a few swims but nothing intense with less than 2 weeks remaining.

The week (7 days) prior to the race should be very low key!  Absolutely NO intensity at all!  Keep things light and very easy.  I would even consider doing only 1 bike at a very easy effort.  And make sure to begin carb loading with about 4 days remaining.

Now, diet during marathon training.  It is extremely easy to justify eating copious amounts of food during marathon training.  After all "look at all of the miles I'm running."  - Those were my thoughts as I began training.  I just kept waiting for the pounds to fall away and they never did.  I had been subconsciously justifying my over eating habits because I was running so much.  I don't know if that's something you got caught up in or not but I did.  And, if I'm completely honest, I did the same thing this past season training for HIM's.  As the year was drawing to a close I was about 3-4 pounds heavier than I had targeted, all because I wasn't considering what I had been eating.

And, I agree 100% what Warren said about the way God created us.  You are who you are and you'll look like who you'll look like.  Regardless of the outside world's "suggestions" we are all beautiful in our own way.  Well, except for me!  There's no getting around my ugly!

Dina, 

You or no one else needs to lay low, AT ALL.  I know you well enough to know you aren't offended by the lack of social commentary by any of the mentors.  You have been far too much of a fixture in the Junkies to take a back seat.  You can post as you chose (as can everyone else) and communicate as frequently as you like.......

......That's how I would like it.

Karl,  This group is for everyone!  There are no exclusions because the race distance you chose or chose not to do.  No race or athlete is any more or less important than anothers.  we are all here to become better at one aspect or another of racing and lifestyle.

You are very much welcome to stay in the group.

Nice run Karl! I didn't even wake up until 7:00 today! Are you getting ready for a marathon?

I've actually finally accomplished a decent week for training this week. I'm taking a page from Dirk's training log and keeping my runs short - 1.5 miles or so with a warm up & cool down walk, foam roller before and light stretching after. It does not sound like much I know but it is really different than my typical - I feel good, go run 3 miles, no rolling, no stretching and now my hips (or whatever) hurt. I also managed 2 rides with intensity, 2 longer swims and my strength training session with the personal trainer which included squats and lunges which I never, ever do. And my groin is still doing well! One more short ride today - just 30 min warm up before another strength workout and that will round out my week.

I am finally feeling a little more encouraged that maybe this groin thing is healing after all.

I am going to try to keep the runs the same distance next week but work on running every other day. It is hard to stop the runs at that short of a distance but I finish wanting to more and not hurting anywhere which I think is a good thing.