Eli's Getting Ready for the Season Group-CLOSED (Page 12)

Charlie, that's a nice race.  You're improving quite a bit.  It terms of the half, don't sweat the distance yet!  You've got plenty of time to let the plan do its thing.  I highly recommend at least one "race mock" leading up to the event to get pacing/nutrition down, but you'll be fine.

As far as nutrition goes, definitely keep trying different things.  Nutrition on the bike is very personal.  Some people have to go all liquid, so people can eat enchiladas and be ok. 

I use EFS and a malto/fructose/sucrose generic mix along with a tiny dash of protein powder.  It's really a home brew I've used for a while and I tweak the amounts to get the right calories.  I also break up a Clif bar into 6 pieces and eat one every 20 minutes during long rides.

Colby, sorry to hear about your knee.

Do you have any swelling or stiffness or just the pain?

Swelling and stiffness would make me think it could be a ligament. I partially tore a ligament in my knee once, and a few hours later, I couldn't even move it.

Glad you are seeing a doc. they should be able to help quickly.

I would contact the race. Race Director's often allow you to defer your race or get credit towards another race, especially when you have a medical issue.

Keep us in the loop and remember, every challenge is an opportunity to grow!

I have managed to get the swelling and stiffness down with heat and Ibuprofen in the last 48 hours, it feels much better today, and getting better as I sit here working with a heating pad on it.  The biggest bummer is i am missing a lot of my last minute training, so if i can run this weekend, it won't be as good as i was predicting, but hey, I am just supposed to concentrate on finishing my first one right?

Colby,

Don't worry about last minute fitness. It is the training you did up to the last weeks that really counts. The last week or two are just the polishing of the metal on the engine you have been tuning.

However, if you have any pain on race day, and if you haven't seen a dr. yet, sacrifice the race for your well being.

Tendons and ligaments can take a long time to heal (I write as I sit here massaging my achilles for the 18th month). Take care of it.

Colby, I totally concur with Eli.  There are some issues which respond well to treatment along with some activity, but sometimes these things can last forever if you don’t allow total rest and healing.  Seeing someone well versed in endurance athletes and their injuries can be key to knowing the difference.

And for general maintenance and quick self-diagnosis and self-help techiniques, I’ll plug this site again.  This doesn’t replace a professional visit, but it can help explain some things.

I’m racing this weekend but I’ve stopped all running besides races due to my Achilles pain – Eli is truly my mentor on this one!  I will focus on the bike until the pain is totally gone per the advice of my ART guy and Leigh (the PT and ironman/woman who runs that site).  Also, if you can find an ART guy who knows endurance athletics I highly recommend it.

Warren, please do as I say, and not as I do!

Actually, the tape and self-massage have been helping a ton recently. I even started icing after runs again, and it does help.

And....in other news......

I AM GOING TO IRONMAN NYC!!!

My wife (who may be crazier than I am) decided to give me an early 40th Birthday present. I turn 40 on on 6/13/2012 and IM NYC is my gift.

I am very excited, the ride will be on the roads I grew up riding on. I get chills just thinking about riding those in a race. Plus, with 75 age group slots for Kona, I may even get a chance to qualify (I just have to get about 2.5 hours faster).

The down sides....it is freaking HOT in NY in August.

I am at the DFW airport waiting to get back home. I am so motivated to train I am thinking of running around the airport in my vibrams and boxers.

Of course, that may delay my return home.

Thanks everyone for all the advice.  Thankfully the guys at Epic Sports Marketing are awesome, and they are allowing me a transfer of registration from this weekends race to "whenever my leg feels up to it, so don't rush to make the July 9th race".  Which should equate to the August 20th race, and they waved the $25 transfer fee, good people over there for sure.  So now I have proper time to rest up and hit the training again, a little more cautiously this time around.  I have been staying off it, went and saw a massage therapist who quickly decided that my knee problem is most likely an IT Band issue, and I need to stretch way more often and take it easy on the bike.  I am already feeling way better after seeing him, and it's only been 36 hours, he said after 72 I should be good to go.  If his recommendation doesn't happen in the time frame he suggested, I am going to go see a doctor.

Congrats on NYC Eli, tear it up!!

Colby - Sounds like a good race company for sure.  Take care of yourself.

Eli - That's awesome news.  I am thinking of going down to volunteer.  I think it would be a great way to see first hand if it is something I would want to take on or not.  It is only a 5 hour drive so it would not be a big deal to get there.

Did my 30/5 bike/run brick today.  I think I found the food I will try to use during the race.  I tried those Stinger Waffles and Bars and thought they worked out really well.  They didn't bother my stomach either.  Will need to keep practicing to get a better idea of how much and when.   I also decided I need to get a Bento box as it was a pain to constantly reach into jersey pocket to take a bit every 10 minutes as I was trying to do.

Good Night all!

Yeah but they will likely give you a comfortable cot to sleep on for a couple nights.

That's awesome news.  When I first had an IT problem, I thought I'd have to end my running life before it started.  I really thought I had destroyed something in my knee, and going down stairs especially was brutal. 

But like I said there's actually very little structurally on the outside of the knee.  My advice on IT issues -  get a foam roller and learn to love it.  Watch the videos on that website I linked.  And find a ART guy.

My Foam roller was a Christmas gift 4 years ago. Worth its weight in gold to me! We actually travel with a Foam roller and a tiger tail.

Definetly going to get the foam roller tonight on my way home.  I am loving that site, all kinds of good stuff on there, thank a bunch for that.

Cool.  I have a foam roller I travel with as well.  Don't leave home without it!  Leigh from that site is a pseudo coach for me.  She got me into this thing so she helps me out.  She's a tremendous cyclist, and her husband is a sick runner.

Eli, IMNYC!  That is way cool.  Can't wait to see how that goes.  Swimming downstream can only be a good thing.

Hey All,

Any big plans for the weekend? Me and the family are heading to California to see my sister. 2 days in San Francisco and then 4 in Santa Cruz.

I am hoping to get some running in in San Fran, and may try to rent a bike in Santa Cruz.

Racing a sprint.  It's a fun one. The bike is short but hilly, and the run is really a XC trail in the woods - lots of roots/rocks/obstacles.  It's a great course.

The swim has me a little scared since I've done ZERO swimming so far.

Sounds like a great time Eli!

Warren - Good luck on your race!  Let us know how you do.

Colby - Been watching some of the discussion on your injury.  I can tell that you are extremely energetic and just want to get out there and kill it.  I just hope that you give everything plenty of time to heal up good and that you can get out there and kill it injury free.

Just finished a 33.3 mile ride.  It was a good one for me.  Kept a good pace and felt good the whole way through.  Going to try to swim in the lake this afternoon and run tomorrow.  Next week is a taper to a sprint race on Saturday.

Not gonna do a race report but here's some thoughts from my race...

Funny things: My chip on my ankle fell off jogging out of the water (next time I will safety pin it). I ran out of T2 with my helmet on, I always forget something, people yelled at me and I threw it on the ground 10 yards out. Soon after I stepped on a GU packet and my foot slid around, then my upper calves started cramping both sides.

Serious analysis: swim went well stayed calm for the most part kept my breathing through out the course, it was a nice lake swim. T1 took longer than it should cleaning my feet off, next time I'll go back to the bucket of water to clean the feet or a bottle of water to squirt on them. Flying mount onto the bike. Bike split did good avg. 20.8 with hills, should have seen me on some of the corners I was sidways and especially on the downhill corners it was a blast. T2 super quick as always took a while to adjust to the run shoes (squishy) compared to the bike shoes (stiff). Run first mile 7:32, caught my training buddy which I was thrilled about. kept throwing in surges to keep the pace up. with .2 to go, going uphill followed a guy passing me and tried to stay with him but threw up at the of the hill with .1 to go. started walking again, then jogged, then jogged a little quicker and then people yelled that someone was coming it was my training buddy and he passed me w/ 10 yards to go.

Overall: 1:17 for a 400 swim, 14 mi bike, 5k run. Good time, good bike split decent run until I threw up. Next time no accelerade on the bike just water, will get my nutrition before the start with a banana and gu and shot blocks thats what worked last time.

All right gang, we've been in the last position for a day - unacceptable!

That's a smokin' race.  Did you literally throw up?  Like they say, if you throw up after the finish line you went too easy, before the finish line you went too hard, right at the finish line - you nailed it.

After debating my front of MOP swim finish with no swim training, I'm really thinking of going hard on the biking and running and doing minimal swimming the rest of the year.  It just seems like the minute or so I'd pick up in sprints isn't worth the hours of swimming it would take, and my running is weak enough to need a lot of work, and of course the bike is the longest event so it's always important.

Anyone racing this weekend?

Awesome Race!!!  Not sure that I want to actually throw up, but being right on the edge would be okay.

Agreed.  Sometimes just don't know what to say.

See above on the puking comments!

On the training, I think for you and where you are at that may be okay on the swim.  I am sure that you will dial in the right amount of training to just maintain your swim where it is at.  For me, I still need work on all three and will continue to do so.  I think I can improve the most on my bike.  It is time for a road bike for me.  I have been training on an older Trek 820 MTB.  It does not have any shocks so that helps.  I also put slicks on it.  They helped pick up overall speed but reduced the tire diameter a little so I spin out faster going down hill.  My run will be what it is until I lose more weight.  Anyway, been looking on craigs list for something inexpensive.  Also, I will continue to swim in the open water through the summer.  I do feel like it is helping a lot.

Sprint tri tomorrow.  2nd one.  My friend is letting me borrow his Trek 2.1 for the race.  I rode it in the last race and it was awesome.  Love that bike.  My 18 year old son is racing again also.  Maybe I can pull through again and beat him one more time.  I think that I may just be pushing the puke envelope tomorrow!