GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 116)

Hey STEVE B

Thanks for the notes on the taper and bags.  As  you can probably imagine, I'm becoming a Snivering, Qivering White Hot Ball of PreIM Stress and Fury!

LOL.

Weekend report:  Sucky weekend!  Woke up on Saturday feeling terrible (cold symptoms) and had a less than spirited 65 mile bike ride.  Only good thing to report is I know that 28 gear will help - on Topanga, I did the steep sections twice and was able to stay in saddle and just grind out the hill.  I figure with some snap to the legs, I'll be good.  Bagged the brick afterward, as I felt just terrible.  Sunday, went on the 37 mile ride with Maggie (Breakaway from Cancer ride on the Tour of California course).  Maggie did GREAT on the ride - she was fearless on the downhills and really fought on the climbs.  I was feeling much better than Saturday, but the ride took forever, as we were with a friend of hers who was on a mountain bike and was having trouble.  By the time we got back, it was starting to rain and was very cold (by So. Cal standards - high 50's, wet and windy), and I didn't want to risk a full-on cold from running wet, so I bailed on my long run.  UGH!!!!  Not the final weekend of the peak phase I was hoping for.

SO, here's my plan - let me know if you think I'm nuts. (Also, preface this with the fact that at any time during any run, if the hamstring starts to cause any discomfort, I'll shut it down quickly):

Week of 4/12 - 13.25 hours total work
Today:  2.5 hour run after work (goal is 18-20 miles) - I want to make up for the missed long run yesterday, and if I'm feeling strong this afternoon, I figure, what's one more day of heavy work?  Delay taper for 1 day.
Tomorrow:  Long swim:  1:15 or so in the pool - first half to be good, solid work, will spend second half just easy swimming, pull buoy, etc.
Wednesday:  60-minute trainer ride (spirited, but not hard core)
Thursday:  45 minute pool session / 45 minute treadmill with a couple of BRIEF intervals - just to keep the blood flowing.  Otherwise, 6 mph for 35 of it.
Friday:  Rest
Saturday:  4-hour cruiser ride (60-ish miles) with limited climbing (thinking gentle rollers on PCH and maybe a 30-minute max session in a canyon just to work the 28 gear on hopefully fresher legs) / 30-minute cruiser run (3 miles or so)
Sunday:  30-minute trainer ride / 2 hour cruiser run (10-13 miles)

Week of 4/19:  8.5 hours total work
Monday:  Rest
Tuesday:  45 minute pool / 45 minute cruiser treadmill
Wednesday:  45 minute spin / 30-minute outdoor jog
Thursday:  45 minute pool easy  / 30-minute easy jog
Friday: Rest (PERHAPS another pool session if I'm climbing walls)
Saturday:  2.5 hour ride / 30-minute run
Sunday:  30 minute ride / 1 hour run

Race Week:
Monday:  45 minute pool / 30 minute jog
Tuesday:  60-minute light spin on trainer
Wednesday  Travel to Las Vegas after work
Thursday - travel to IMSG register; pack course bags, - 30-minute light bike / 30-minute light run
Friday - drop off bike, 15-30 minute light swim in the lake (get familiar with water temp, keep blood flowing), REST (feet UP!)
Saturday:  KILL IT!


Thoughts???

Hi SteveB and fellow Groovers... now that I've finally started doing some training again I hope it's ok that I rejoin the thread (although I have trouble keeping up.. I have been lurking but some days don't log on the computer at all and end up with 3 pages of messages to read!!).  I've added a few races to my goals again and am debating on a couple longer races at the end of the season.

It's nice enough here to be riding outside, I've been doing my rides outside on my old mountain bike and using my road bike for a few trainer rides when the weather isn't as good.

Question:  I've been using Spinervals dvd's and find that I ride really hard in these trainer rides, much harder than I ever ride outside.  Would it be a good idea to continue doing indoor trainer rides once a week or should I be trying to push myself harder on my outside rides?

SHAUN -

Three PMs from me so far. All of 'em make it to you? (I'm never sure of my abilities at this. )

CATHY -

Yay! You're back! And of COURSE it's fine to rejoin; I never figured you had considered yourself unjoined. I view as sort of like a second-grade class -- you're always a member of it! (Lapsed, but never actually lost.)

Which races have you added? Huh? Huh? I went trawling through your log and your races, and saw Smiths Falls scratched out, but I couldn't find anything that I didn't think was there a few months ago.

Good question about the Spinervals! I will venture an answer, although I'm not sure it's 100% correct. With that in mind.....

Me too -- Spinervals make me work much harder than almost anything I do outside. In fact, I'm not sure it's possible (or wise) to try to imitate the intensity of a Spinervals workout when riding outside. I can push myself to thsoe levels for short periods on outside rides, but can't sustain that for the duration. Why is that??

So, I think I view Spinervals as great strength-builders and fine ways to feel what it's like to spin intensely or grind 'til it hurts. But seeing as how that doesn't necessarily represent a reality for me.......I'm not sure my time is best spent indoors, doing something that is almost artificial, when I can be outside doing something that better reflects my race-day efforts. But that's the part I'm NOT sure is 100% correct, and I may be saying it just as a way to justify getting off the trainer after all thsoe winter months up here!

Perhaps a righteous way to ride between now and June, say, would be to make every fourth ride a Spinervals one. That way you could work on your outside skills while still gaining the benefits of the Spinervals intensity - and discipline. Having said that, though, even in my heavier* Spinervals years, once I could get outside I dropped my inside rides like a bad habit -- and any inside benefits be damned.

Please give me an update on the races, right up through the longer ones you are contemplating.


*This was an indoor season sans Spinervals. Just me and a movie or hockey game on the TV. Maybe I should do a Spinervals next rainy day, just so I don't have to guilt myself too much about being an uber-slacker!

STEVE -

I'lll take your LOL after your first paragraph -- and raise it if you are in fact becoming what you say there. I hope that's not the case, and I sure hope those posts didn't exacerbate whatever mental instability tyou may be experiencing. In fact, the needs bags one was kind of designed to do the opposite -- to support the fact that just about anything can be included. I mean, not one, not two, but THREE Little Debbie creme pies?!?!? The guy must have the constitution of a canal horse. And it's also good to hear the refrain of them liking to have options, to play to the "just in cadse" scenario -- which I think is highly valid.

Good choices on the weekend activities, I think. (No surprise there -- by now you must know how cautious I am!) I am now in Day 16 of my cold, and while it's been pretty minor for over a week, I'm not at 100% and would be concerned were I to have an Ironman coming up real soon. That is, if you got my cold now, it would still be with you at SG! So, giving your immune system a break this past weekend was smart. What's the expression -- An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?

Great, though, that the 28 worked for you! Of that I had no doubts - unless you are a real horse on the bike with climbing legs the size of tree trunks. So it will now work for you (a) in actual fact, (b) as a source of mental easing, and (c) in knowing that most of the worthy competition will not be similarly equipped.

The plan sounds fine; I so nothing untoward about it. i will go over it again in more deatil, but I don't think I'll see anything that needs amending. I am, of course, very pleased that you say you will bag a run as soon as the hamstring starts its obnoxious whining and moaning. Just remember -- it makes a better friend than an enemy!

Oh yes, the LOL was about life in general, not the special needs bag post.  I'm pretty secure in my SN bags issue!  And, while I love the Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies, I can't imagine eating them on course.  Much less a Red Bull!!!

Funny, all you read in these magazines and such about "sustained carbohydrate energy" and the like, and the pros are eating candy bars and Red Bull!!! 

Looking forwardish to my long run tonight, then let the Taper begin!

(Aside:  I love how everyone on the boards are saying, "I've begun my FULL taper."  Example:  I just finished my last long ride, 105 miles, now, FULL taper!"  I keep picturing these people coming in from a ride, sitting on the couch, and not moving until May 1st.)  LOL.

As for the Snivering, Quivering, White Hot Ball of Pre-IMSG Fury, I'm sitting in about 4 meetings today, and in each one, someone sitting next to me is sniffling, coughing, etc.  I am seriously considering putting a sign on my door saying, "If you are even 1% sick, speak to me from the doorway!"

Ugh!!!

STEVE -

Forget the doorway - go with the conference call!

Yeah, Red Bull is another strange one. I guess? I haven't had a Red Bull in about 6 or 7 years, but maybe it's time to re-assess what all is in one.

Maybe what those oddball items tell you is that when one is blessed with truly massive gifts, they can get by eating whatever their little heart desires.

What type of work do you do? I get the impression it is fairly high-pressured.....but coming from a career as a teacher, just about ANYTHING seems high-pressured!

I'm the Marketing Director for Bosley - the hair restoration company.  We're the ones you see all the time on TV commercials.  I'm actually a patient as well - you can see me in the commercial - guy in the blue shirt before and red shirt after. 

It can be stressful.  Especially since we are absorbing our #1 competitor in the coming months - lots of integration issues and the like.  The good thing about the company is that it tends to be pretty high-stress while I'm in the office, but I can leave at 5:30 and get training done if I don't get it done in the morning, and my weekends are free for me to train and spend time with Maggie and the friends.  So, I can't complain at all really!  Life is Good!

Speaking of which, I'm OFF!  Time to do one final long run!

Hi,

Milestone: First "forgot to unclip" fall.

Denise

Hey Denise,

Ken and I ARE having a great trip thanks.   So far the weather has been perfect and the next 10 days look like sunny and 28 degrees.   It was 25 today and we found that a bit hot.  

I'm like you in regards to the wind - the only way I know it's at my back is my speed is really fast and I'm hardly working.   We managed to get a ride in today and the winds were 28+ km/hr.   I think I might be getting stronger because we were trying to keep it an easy ride and it did feel really easy, but managed around a 22 average speed. 

Didn't realize you had a couple of tri's coming up fairly quickly.   Where do you live?   From the looks of things, I think you are going to be really well prepared for them.   

Hello Everyone,

Staying in a hotel tonight so have internet access - yeah!   Having a great time and the weather is perfect.   25* and a mix of sun and cloud - next 10 days are supposed to be 28 and sunny. 

Managed to get a ride in today after 2 days of travel and then 2 days of exploring.  

Looks like the 4 days of 'forced' rest has done me good.     Legs and knees and everything else is feeling fine. 

Plan to get a couple more rides in before the bike tour starts.  

BOY is Florida ever flat.    That is a nice switch from back home but seems to be awful windy.   Every day seems to be 25-30km/hr so far.   Oh well. 

Enjoyed reading and catching up on everyone's activities, but don't have alot of time to spend on the computer now.

Hope to get computer access again on Friday,

Take care,

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-25 8:01 PM

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-25 8:03 PM

Well, welcome to the club!!!  6 years of riding now, and I forgot to unclip twice this weekend.  LOL.  I think it's just an occupational hazard. 

That sounded just like Charles Schultz would have written it! 

Glad to hear that you're not too terribly banged up though.  You'll teach that bike who's boss!

FULL TAPER ON!!!!

lol

Well, let's just say that the run portion of the taper is likely FULL ON.  Terrible run last night - hamstring is still a mess, and I think I'm going to have to pack it in as far as more running goes prior to race day.  Perhaps I'll spend some time on the eliptical trainers at the gym.

Run started off nice, first 3-4 miles were fine.  Then I could feel a knot forming in the lower hamstring, just above the hollow portion above the back of the knee.  Went from tight knot to fine and back again several times before the hamstring eventually started to "tingle" all up and down the muscle.  It wasn't really painful - it was more like pins and needles kind of feeling you'd get if your leg fell asleep, but it was all up and down the hamstring, and then it went to a kind of overall weakness in the muscle which started to really affect my gait.  So, I did what I've never done before....called the wife.  She came and picked me up at mile 10. 

Humbling experience - I've never not made it home under my own power before.  I've limped home, walked home, but never been driven home.  Ugh.

Anyway, I guess that's why they say, "triathlons aren't hard...training for triathlons is hard." 

On the sunny side of things - I think if it were raceday, I'd have been able to complete the distance.  I might not be walking the next day, but I think I could have coaxed the mileage out of the leg. 

Now, altering the plan, I think it calls for a lot more bike/swim work the next two weeks.  Nothing over race-pace (which, I have to remind myself, is slower than normal pace), and nothing too long.  Keep the sessions on the sub 1 hour side. 

When I finish this post, I'm calling the doctor and seeing if I can get into some physical therapy over the next few weeks.  Good times!

Steve..  I really prefer outside riding but I'm what might be called a fair weather rider... I don't like to ride outside if it's too cold or raining.. so I'll use those days for the hard spinerval sessions.

Updated race plans - start with a couple local running races - a trail race May 15, Beat Beathoven 8K June 6, then Smith Falls sprint, possibly the Sydenham sprint July 4, Ktown Aug 1, Toronto Waterfront half marathon Sept 26.  The long ones I'm considering are still B2B full or Muskoka 70.3 (which is kinda close to the toronto half marathon).  Of course this is still all subject to change as I'm not registered for anything yet. 

Evil! Gloating! - I laughed out loud when I read this.
Denise

I know I haven't been around much, but I plan on sticking with this group as well. Great support, advice, and motivation all around. You guys are awesome!

I think I've finally decided to register for the May 23rd sprint tri as a warm-up to the Oly in June. I've been somewhat slacking on the training lately, partially because I went home for Easter and it's so easy to just sit around and eat Mom's good cooking, and partially because I've just been feeling lazy and unmotivated. But those feelings have stopped and I'm back at it. The races are getting way too close to keep stalling with the training.

I tried the catch-up drill several of you suggested for the swim and did get my stroke count down pretty significantly, but it was at the cost of a much slower swim (I think it was a 17 sec difference for 25 m). I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen, so any suggestions for that?

I also noticed that my regular stroke incorporates the glide somewhat, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to get that catch-up stuff going.

Hope all the injuries and contusions heal quickly (and keep up with the good spirit about them) and I'm glad to hear the training and improvements are coming along. I'll try to post a bit more often, since I've been pretty silent lately.

Kasia

Edited by augeremt 2010-04-14 4:02 AM

ANNE (and other wide-hipped and large-chested ladies) -

I know we talked about this months ago (at least I think it was with you), but I don't remember the discussion. I've been looking at tri-specific clothing, mostly wetsuits and race shorts, but have found that almost everything runs extremely small. I figured that would be the case cuz triathletes tend to be smaller people, but I didn't think it would be to this extreme, which makes it very frustrating on my end.

After looking at the tri-zone.com website both Steves talked about, it seems the only brand (of the four offered) that makes shorts in anything close to my size is De Soto. And there's nothing at all when it comes to tops. So, are there any other brands you would recommend? What about wetsuits?

Thanks in advance!
Kasia

Steve,

Being from San Diego, I am a huge Padres fan, although most of the time it's something I don't readily admit to since they haven't been decent in quite some time (kinda like the Chargers, who, even in their recent "good" years, tend to choke when it matters most). Anywhos, I went to the Rockies home opener last week and it was BAD BAD BAD. I spent most of the game sulking and drowning my sorrows in beer. Well, not entirely. It was still fun and me being the only Padres fan in the section (and possibly the whole stadium) made for some entertaining banter among the people sitting around us. I did hear someone cheer for the Pads at one point, but that may be cuz they committed yet another error in their 7-0 loss. So sad...

They did somewhat redeem themselves in their own home opener, but I'm pretty sure that's not a sign of them being good. So I go back to not caring about my professional sports teams. It's healthier that way.

BOSLEY -

Bosley?? Geez, where were you about 15-20 years ago --- when there was maybe still hope?!?!

Sounds like, overall, you get the double plusses -- an appreciative clientele, and a position that you don't need to bring home with you once you leave the office. And I will have to look for you on commercials, although a small setback to this is that we seldom watch TV. Hmmm.....

You may have been humbled on needing a ride from Maggie to get you home, but at least feel very good that you made the 218% correct decision. Tingling, of course, indicates nerve issues, and that is a place to do not want to spend any time at all. That the pins and needles led to "overall weakness" is another indication that the nerves were affected.

In '01, heading down to a race in VT, I developed a real soreness in my right buttock, which I attributed to sitting funny on my wallet. Later that evening, the inner side of my LOWER leg was also sore - and with a slight pins and needles feel to it. This was what I woke up to, and made it through the race kind of okay, but the 5-mile run part of it was quite uncomfortable as I felt the right leg as not working as well as the left. By the time I got back home about eight hours later, walking was screwy; the whole medial side from knee to ankle was ache-y and tingly. By the next day, that portion was almost entirely numb, and it continued like that for about four weeks -- through several lengthy PT sessions. At its worst, running was a huge problem as enough of the nerve system between knee and foot was "down" so as to cause me to kind of hobble/lope along. The good news is that after maybe a week, each day showed slight improvement, and by three weeks the runs were more tolerable. Fortunately, it managed to resolve itself in time for Timberman, which was my first HIM. But I wouldn't wish that sort of begger-scale nerve shutdown on anyone -- let alone you, and let alone so close to the Big One!

Of course, that was me and my medial shin, and it's you and your lower hamstring, and there's no real reason why your condition needs to have the same results as mine. But any time there are nerve concerns (and what you describe fits perfectly), that's the time to immediately shut down what you are doing. Some people say that a doctor visit should happen asap, but as long as the tingling is gone by now, you're probably fine nursing this on your own. But I guess I hope that when you called the doc about getting some physio, you mentioned the tingling -- just in case!

What you've gone through leading up to SG really tests the adage about training for tri being hard. The ideal scenario for you will be that after SG you'll will know that you just went through something very difficult.......but that the training you did for it was much more difficult. (You might not realize that for a day or two.... ) And barring any mishaps, that is how I think it will unfold for you. I've commented many times about the amount of work you've DILIGENTLY put into this enterprise, and on May 1 it will boil down to "only" 11+ hours of labor --- a very far cry from the 400+-hours you've spent in SG-specific training. Talk about hard!!!

Finally, I sure do like the altered plan you mention. Nothing over race-pace, nothing too long --- perfect!!

Finally-finally, A.R.T. (Active Release Technique) works wonderfully on hamstrings. I'm sure there are about 4693 A.R.T. practicioners in the L.A. area, so find one and get to her/him. Also, A.R.T. is a Ironman Partner, so once you get to S.G. there should be an obvious tent that is filled with A.R.T.ers. And when I say "filled", that's not a stretch -- at Placid there are about 20 of them, and all very happen to work on you. I also apologize if I haven't mentioned A.R.T. for you with rspect to your hamstring problems. It should've been obvious to me all alone, and not just as an "ah-HA" moment five minutes ago. DOH!

DENISE -

Hey! Congratulations! Wasn't it Will Rogers who said "Anybody can make a msitake, but it takes a damn fool to make the same mistake twice."? And if you can stay on the one-and-out side of things, you don't have to be a "damn fool". But if you are like me, with three of them over the years, well......... (And SteveA, twice this weekend!)

On a sort of serious note, I unclip first from the right, which means that when I'm coming to a stop I have the slightest of tendencies to lean that way, which means that if I forget to unclip at least I will tumble to the right, which gets me on to the shoulder as opposed to into the road. Or at least that's the plan!

ANNE -

Good news on your legs feeling fine! Ken gets to gloat, but you get to feel good about being fully functional. Win/win!

As for Florida being flat.....
You'd be amazed at how many people decide they are going to do the Great Floridian Triathlon as their first iron, based on the "fact" that Florida is flat. And then they get there, in the Clermont area, and are destroyed by the wicked climbs on that course. Seriously. Many, many, many, many people have been annihilated on that course, and when the winds are up and the heat is in full force, it is exrtraordinarliy difficult. So, if you must sign up for a Florida iron-distance, choose Ironman Florida -- which IS flat, flat, flat!

Anyhow, it sounds wonderfull so far --especially those temperatures. I can't say I'm surprised, although things have been so screwy weather-wise it would've shocked me to here you say it is stuck in the 50s most days. But 28 is what -- mid 80s?? You must feel like you've died and gone to heaven!

Ride safe!