Destination MoP is FULL (of motivation!) (Page 12)

Yep! Done that before! But, I'm so uncomfortable without top support, that I've hit up Walmart for a $10 bra to get me through the day.

The things we do, to not miss a workout

Good idea! And, I love my arm warmers on the bike.

I think I'd also go for the right size- if something doesn't fit right, it's more likely to just sit in the dresser, and rarely be worn.

Good luck to every one racing today!

Looking forward to reading your race reports.

Decided to go with two days of rest.  Busy weekend and probably could use it.  Achilles tender from the Merrell Pack Glove's I think.  

Helped out at a local high school 5K finish line yesterday.  

Heading to KC this week for work.  Will have to figure out how to get the workouts in.  Looks like hotel has decent fitness center and recommended running routes.  Even has an outdoor heated pool so I plan on taking the suit & googles in hopes that it is big enough to do laps.

Waiting for race reports from everyone!

Race report (also race log here):

Cleveland Sprint Triathlon - 15th May 2011

Weather was overcast and a little cold.  Was okay for the race, except that it was easy to forget to drink because I didn't feel like I was sweating at all.  Got very cold immediately afterwards.

Swim got things off to a good start.  400m pool swim, with one person starting in each lane every 4 minutes, so there were only 2 people in the lane at a time, which was great.  Did the actual swim in 7min 45sec, which isn't super quick, but I'm pleased with it and got out of the pool feeling fresh.

There was a 200m run from the pool to transition, so you were allowed to leave your trainers outside the pool.  That meant that I did half my transition stuff there and not in transition, which means the times were a bit skewed, but T1 was okay.

The bike felt hard today.  It seems to take me quite a while to get my legs going, and today that was about 2/3 of the route.  It probably wasn't as slow as it felt, but I felt like I was really struggling.  And then just to really add to the fun, after 3 miles I snapped a spoke on my rear wheel.  I had to stop to figure out what was wrong, so I lost a bit of time on that.  I managed to tuck the snapped spoke out of the way, but spent the rest of the cycle trying not to hit too many bumps because I was afraid of buckling the wheel.  Didn't get aero very much because the route was quite bendy and I'm not confident enough on that kind of terrain.  I guess that's another thing to practice...

Remembered to shift down and spin out my legs into transition.  T2 was fine.  No disasters, but not particularly fast.

The run was completely different to last time.  Legs felt good, with everything loosening off quite quickly.  It was an out and back route, uphill all the way out, but of course that meant downhill on the way back, which was great.  I finished the run feeling really strong.

Final time was 1hr 18min 36sec, which is almost identical to the last one.  However for this one the bike was shorter and the swim and run were longer.  I was a bit disappointed with how the bike went, but really pleased with my swim and run times.  Strictly speaking my run time was a PB for 5k (26min 38sec).  It's only 1sec faster than the previous best, but the previous one was a stand-alone run, whereas this was after everything else, so really pleased with that.

I didn't have any of the problems with tightness in my back this time, so I guess my stretching has helped.  Still need to practice more aero, especially on courses that are a bit less straight, and also figure out how to get my legs up and moving on the bike a bit faster.

Final position in my age category was 16 out of 28 :-)

Kevin is very pleased because he finally beat me (by 2 minutes).  I said it was about time ;-)

Feelin' pretty yucky today, same ol story, headach, light headed, chills.  The thought of getting into a cold pool is zapping my motivation.  Yesterday was a long one, had to be at work early to help with the graduation; spent the rest of the morning helping my daughter's friend shop for bridesmaid dresses, then the life draining car buying process.  Said daughter is buying her first real, gotta make payments, car.  Her last car cost $300.  What an ordeal!  Bitter sweet day.  Where did the time go?  Seems like just yesterday the girls were having sleep overs, braiding their hair and playing on the farm.  Now one is getting married the other is making a major purchase..oy vey!  No wonder I am worn out today!

Can't wait to hear about all the races....hopefully I can garnish some motivation from reading about your races!

Cheers,

Rach-Great job! I've never had a spoke break, so I don't think I'd know what happened right away. 

I went to the Y with my niece today. She is quite overweight, so I was thrilled when she asked me to take her. We did 20 on the elliptical (her favorite), then 20 on the indoor track (she walked). I haven't done the elliptical in a few years- and I forgot that it's a great quad workout. I was set on a grade of 11, and when I started my run, it almost felt like a brick workout.

My MiL had her surgery and is home now. She is tired and sore, but hopeful.

Everyone have a great night.

So here are my results from my 1st Tri Today

Start temp 52 deg.  Finish temp 56 deg.

Valerie McAfee

• Bib #235 Valerie McAfee Rockwall, TX Total Time: 1:27:22
  Class Female 30-34
  Position 6
  GunTime 1:48:33
  ChipTime 1:27:22
•  300 Yard Swim 8:58 (my goal was 9min)
• T1 2:35 (I did stop and put on my compression calf sleeves)
• 20 K Bike 48:15
• T2: 1:30or so – was not calculated for some reason
• 5K Run 27:39 (a PR)
• Finished 6^th in my Age Division

o here is my info for my 1st Tri - today (Sunday, May 15th)

Overall Very Happy!!! I was happy I did better than I thought I would and can not wait to do another!! Note to self: C9 Compression - cool colors sports bra from Target does not dry fast.  It is almost 8pm and it is still wet. Need new sports bra to swim in.  2nd note to self: wear flip flops to race so I can set up my running shoes in transition early and not be bare foot.

@Erin - Did the same thing last week, though only forgot my bottoms... but I was wearing a skirt that day, so when my husband said he was going to be nearby later in the morning, I had him bring me a pair of underwear!  Ankle-length or not, commando is not a comfortable feeling in a skirt (for me).

@Valerie & Rach - Great job! I'm slightly less than 6 weeks away from my 1st tri, so the race reports & especially the notes to self/lessons learned are SUPER helpful for me - THANK YOU!

@Cynthia - intentional or not, you always make me laugh with your posts about family and that is just such a nice pick-me-up for my day - thank you.

@All - I got a new seat for my bike & my 1st pair of tri shorts on Fri.  Rode today & I'm definitely going to be swapping the seat again (thank goodness for a 30 day exchange policy!). Ran in them on Sat (at the gym) & had a PR for my 5k distance (39m), which puts me almost where I want to be by the end of the month.  I think the leg gripper actually may have helped my left knee, if that's possible. So all that's left is to try swimming in them & I'll have the wardrobe set!

I just knew something was wrong because of the "plink, plink, plink" noise my bike was making.  I stopped to look and there was a spoke hanging out of the back wheel!  It's gone in to be fixed and my bike is being serviced too.

Sounds like your family is doing well at the moment.  That's great news :-)

Valerie and Rach, super jobs on the races!  My favorite line was "can not wait to do another!!" - it is such a rush to finish your first one... and finish it well!

Nice of you to let Kevin win one, Rach ;-)  Next time, no mercy!

We're still in monsoon season here in Virginia.  Trying to fit everything in this week before I have to drive up to New England to pick up my daughter on Sat/Sun, which will serve as my "rest" break.  Was out late playing music both Saturday and Sunday.  Eating and sleep not so good recently.  No doubt this weekend's road trip will only help me down the path to ruin :-)  Training's been solid... building the time in the saddle the last few weeks.  I'm thinking about signing up for another Sprint in early June just to keep me motivated through this next stretch.

1am again... sheez... time for bed.

Stu

Valerie and Rach, I so impressed by your speed especially on the run.  Great job!

Stu-it's rainy here too, but not as warm as VA.  I hear it will be around 80 this weekend for your trip north.  Unfortunately my 5K on Sunday is at 1PM.  I may melt.  I may try a wet cloth or something to keep me cool.

Editted to say that the forecast now says 68.  Much better...

Had some wonderful news last night.  Talked to my sister and found out she has lost 15 lbs since Jan 1st.  She's been really overweight and always struggled with it.  I could not be more proud that she's turning it around.  She sounded great.  It's tough to keep those demons at bay.

So, how about a mid-month check on goals?  How are we all doing? I'm doing well on everything except eating, but I think my sis has inspired me!

Stu

Goals update: I'm fitting in all the workouts I want to, and so far have been doing my trainer sessions and spending more time aero, and I'm already noticing the difference.  I'm still having a bit of trouble remembering to do my stretching every day, but I'm working on it...

Today I went to the tri club track session.  I nearly wussed out because I was really tired after work.  Half way through the warm up I wondered why I was doing this to myself!  But by the end of the hard session I realised I had a giant smile on my face.  I guess all those endorphins really do make a difference. :-)

3rd OW swim session yesterday, and I finally swam out to the buoys in the middle of the lake (they wouldn't let us do it before - wanted to make sure we were okay on the shorter stuff first).  It's a loop of about 500m and I swam it twice.  Definitely getting more confidence in the open water, and starting to get used to swimming in a wetsuit.  Just need to get more used to swimming in a crowd now.  We've been practicing drafting both on the feet and on the hip in pairs, and I'm actually quite comfortable swimming on someone's hip, so I guess I just need to put that into a bigger group setting.

Mid Month Goal check....

Going well, I have completed all my planned training.

Didn't feel real motivated to ride this afternoon but went anyway.  Ended up being a very good ride, best time around my basic route and with my lowest average heart rate yet.  So I was pretty happy about that.

-Steve

Mid Month Goal Check

1.  Stick to the training plan weekly totals, and still manage to make Garrett's T-Ball games. Last week wasn't awesome, I had three unplanned days of rest, but I have made all the T-Ball games, although several have been canceled due to the rain.

1a: have one swim over 2000 m.  Completed this in the pool. Still too cold to get in the lake. 5/9/11

1b: have one bike ride + 40 miles Not yet done, hopefully the weather breaks and I am able to ride this Sunday.

1c: have one run + 13 miles Not done yet.

2.  Eat more fruits... let everyone else eat the chips. So so... I have changed my lunch habits at work, and I'm doing much better at packing my lunch every day.

3.  Get some tire changing experience. Not done yet.

4. Plant more of my garden (potatoes are already in)! Yea. Peas, strawberries, carrots, lettuce, spinach, radishes are in!

I think so far so good, I am settling into a routine, although I am nervous about the next phase of my training plan.

This weekend I am running with Erin on Saturday (headed to her local 5K) and Sunday my family and I have a local 5K. All three kids are running, although the younger two will be doing a shorter distance.

Doing well on all fronts, though I slacked on core after the 1st week, so I need to make it a focus.  I also haven't quite gotten into a rhythm, but I'm mostly getting in my workouts - it is just taking some thinking & planning each day/week instead of being fluid, so I'd really like to work through that in the next couple of weeks.

Though not an official goal, I would really like to find somewhere to do an OWS in the early June timeframe so that my 1st OWS isn't the day of my tri (Jun 25).  I may have to juggle some other things to make a Sunday swim work

Ugh, I hate when that happens...hang in there at least everyday is a new day and we get to start all over again!

Update for May goals: 

• Get those distances for the Oly down and comfortable.  hasn't happened but I am running 4 miles on run days and it feels like the way 2 miles felt months ago...so long answer short...i am slowly getting there.
• Log my nutrition. Uh, NOPE...a few times I logged the food.  Diet hasn't been terrible but I don't think I am getting enough calories.
• Study on what my nutrition should be as a diabetic triathlete. In progress
•  Get my mph on the run under 11 mins. Sweet! goal has been met! 
• Check my blood at least twice a day...right now I do about twice a week if that much.Dang it...still need to work on that.
• Get rest!  Make that a priority as I amp up my training. Yesterday, last night YES! 

Happy to review my May goals...focus again.  I am still dragging but now that I have cut the meds in half slowly there seems to be a difference.  I am not nearly as light headed.   

Sounds like everyone is basically on track and we all have a chance to make some mid-month corrections.  A couple of folks mentioned about how they weren't particularly motivated for a workout at the start, but by the end of the workout they really were cranking away.  Good thing to remember on a tough day.  Wed night we had our end of semester office party, didn't eat particularly well at it and then only had 3 hours sleep b/c I woke up at 3am.  Really didn't want to do bike class on top of that.  But, like everyone else, after doing it, felt much better... though I had a monster nap when I got home from work!

Hey, our local race series added this rather cool little post-race visual for the HIM that I didn't do last weekend.  Check it out if you have a chance, just choose the leader at watch.  Kinetic HIM

I think I'm going to do a local 5K tomorrow just as a barometer of my run fitness and then I'm off to pick up my daughter (24 hours of driving this weekend - yay!).  I'll try to check in with folks tonight and then it will probably be Monday until I resurface again.  Good luck to all the racers this weekend and if you're not racing, hope you get in some excellent weekend workouts.  We're finally supposed to have some decent weather in Virginia this weekend, which is why I'm leaving town... lol.

Stu