Beer Drinkers Appreciation Society (BDAS) 2023 Mentor Group - ALWAYS OPEN (Page 126)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA welcome to middle age!!

Seriously, I started triathlon at 32 and used to listen to people talk about recovery and how important it was, but I never had any issues. Now that I'm 45 I realize recovery is a super important part of this whole puzzle...almost like a sixth (?? swim, bike, run, transitions, nutrition...) discipline.


As for incentives to be consistent, I never feel negative incentives work (like the infamous Coors Light Penalty--nope, I'm just not gonna do that). Can you do a reward system instead? Like, if I do my XXX workout this morning, then this evening I can read my book for YYY minutes/chapters. And yes...I'm a grade A nerd...100% would reward myself with reading.

what are you reading?

I'm a +1 for the "considering the 10K isn't a bad idea" camp. This is your first venture back into competitive running in a while, right? No shame in easing back into it to avoid injury. I DNS a marathon in the spring due to injury about 6 weeks out and I was sorry that I hadn't thought to drop down to the HM.

I started checking out the weather forecast for Grand Rapids for race week this morning! Taper is coming!! Of course, it is too far out to get anything decent or accurate, but fun to start looking and obsessing!

Run yesterday afternoon went pretty well. I got new shoes (Brooks Ghost Max) on the advice of the physical therapist who did my gait analysis after my injury in February (they only just came out). They were super nice, but I really noticed the camber of the road and that bothered my hip/back/flank issue a bit. For the rest of my runs until MiTi I will go to the gym and run them on the track there, or will do them on the bike path (as bricks) to avoid the issue for now. Guess I'll have to get around to finding some new running routes. Blah....

This morning was a 3850yd swim with masters. All went well, except we kept doing 6x50 on a descending 5" interval time and by the end I was just swimming continuously at the interval pace to make it. Me tired after that. This afternoon I did a bike with 4x10' Z4 effort outside, which is a bit tricky to be able to do intervals when you can't control the turns/stops/traffic/etc. I had fun. Really pressed the intervals to get in a really good workout. Real confidence booster to see 29mph on a route that has precisely one hill, which is not very big, so at least most of that was all me.

I also bit the bullet and hired a sports dietitian. I am tired of having no idea if what I am doing is right or wrong. We won't start our sessions until the beginning of September, because I don't want to change anything now with my A races so close, but I'm hoping to at least learn how to figure out how many dang calories I need to be eating to fuel this training without 1.) being tired or 2.) gaining weight. I'm up some from last year and I don't like that at all.

Yeah seriously, welcome to your 40s, girl! 

As for motivation, I don't believe in the reward or penalty method, it's simply a scheduling thing and hope for 80-90% of hitting that schedule.  But you have to prioritize the workouts, even if you don't feel great (but it's OK to miss one every once in a while and have a donut instead).  I've been "blogging" (that no one but me reads) here on BT since 2010 and there are plenty of "man I'm so glad I got up after three hours sleep and banged out that workout" AND "nope, did nothing today, Fat Thor Day and liked it".

Edited by jmhpsu93 2024-07-24 7:07 PM

Well put me down as another one who is starting to realise that despite my best efforts, my body is not in its early 20s anymore. I'm definitely starting to find if I push a little to far my body lets me know about it for days after. Just something else to add to the puzzle. LIke Gretchen says the 6th discipline. 40's suck.

My vote, wait a bit before pulling the trigger on swapping to a 10k. Like you said before, you should have time to ramp up to a half marathon after a bit of healing. And, if your prognosis with the achilles is not good, I'm not sure a 10k is going to be much better for you. Yes, maybe a bit less overall mileage, but you'll be pushing harder, running faster so still lots of stress through your legs. A well run 10k (or 5k of that matter) hurts just as much as a well run half marathon.

Agreed with Andrew, a 10k is not easier on the legs than a marathon (then again, what do I know, never ran a marathon), unless you run it at Marathon tempo but what's the point? Better to defer I think.


haha Nicole. it's only the beginning, welcome to another chapter in your life.

I hear you Andrew but partly because of my tight achilles, I will not run until race day. I think a proper warm up will be enough to get these legs going



Edited by Rollergirl 2024-07-25 6:42 AM

Gretchen, I was thinking about that too re: taking something away, but I don't want to take away something positive that I do (like reading). So then I was trying to think of the things that I enjoy doing and don't necessarily benefit my life, but there's not much these days...lol
As for books, I just finished Throne of Glass (cheesy fantasy novel by an author I enjoy, but total guilty pleasure b/c they are well written but somewhat...immature at times I guess).
Just started Dune Messiah (second in the series)
I love fantasy and historical fiction (right before Throne of Glass I finished a book called The Reformatory, SO good), but overall have a pretty eclectic taste I think.

What do other people like to read? Any suggestions?

Oh also @ Gretchen, 1) I love Ghosts, it's all I buy. What's the difference between the Ghost and the Ghost Max though?!
ALSO! OMG I love when you're close enough to start looking at the forecast!

Yall, I am NOT 40 YET!!! I have 42 days left in my 30s, thank you!!!!

In all seriousness though, I hear you guys. I do think that my body would be completely fine doing what I did if I had been working out regularly. I think even young me would've been like, wtf Nicole. It's weird when you CAN do something even though you probably SHOULDN'T. Knowing limits when I'm out of shape is not my forte.

That being said, I did wake up and do some yoga this morning.
I also think I realized today the mental barrier of getting that first run done. Running is basically the last thing I need to do before determining if I need surgery or not. So I've been waiting for that perfect day to do it so I feel my best and maybe that means I won't need it...but if I need it, I'll be fine. My friend and I talked through it a bit today. So, I'm doing it tomorrow without a doubt!

As for consequences, I think you guys are right. It would be different if someone would be there to hold me accountable and make me follow through on the consequences. But I probably wouldn't follow through on that either! lol
So I'm taking what Mike said and focusing on planning. I also think getting back to laying my stuff out the night before will be a huge help.

Robert, I agree with Andrew, I wouldn't go down to the 10K now, just keep seeing how you're feeling! You have time!

Reading recommendations: the Legend of Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore. 43 books of science fantasy with amazing characters! (I started reading the series back in 1997...and the most recent book just came out last November)

Achilles update: saw my chiropractor/physio today: possible very slight micro tear, no structural damage, thankfully!! Rest, stretching, and some kinesio tape to supposedly support healing. Should ok to test it in a week or so.

EDIT - My primary doctor also gave me some body weight calf raises exercises to do: 2 sets of 10 calf raises (standing up on your tippy toes, basically), but three different foot placements: 1. feet straight, shoulder width apart (10 raises); 2. feet pointed out (10 raises); 3. feet pointed in (10 raises). Do twice through. My calves are on fire, and I have now discovered there are, in fact, three muscles that make up the calves! (doc says start with 2x/week, and work up to 3x/week)

Edited by robertChiefsFan 2024-07-25 8:43 PM

Well that's about as good an answer as you could hope for. Great news. A week or 2 rest then the half mary is on.

Thats a lot of calf raises. But, if it helps strengthen up your problem area then time well spent.

Swam this morning before work, same workout as last week, 3 x 5x50m, 750 total with lots of rest. 3 weeks in a row now I've done all 3 sports, officially back in multisport mode I guess. Time to start ramping things up a bit to actually get some decent workouts in.

Bad news, swimming revealed that my elbow pain isn't gone. The actual swimming was fine, but pushing off the wall I had a sharp pain on the outside of my left elbow. Damn. Dr google suggests that its likely 'overuse' which as I've done more pushups in the last 6 weeks than the previous 6 years makes a lot of sense. So, I'm going to drop pushups from the bodyweight challenge for a full week and see how things feel then.

Have a good weekend team.

And good luck for your race Nat. Past Nat is going down!

Glad the achilles should be sorted with som rest and calf raises. I do them too. I am a big fan of kinesio tape. I think it helps (if only in the head).

Sorry to hear about your elbow Andrew, good call laying off the pushups for a while. There's still plenty you can do. I am impressed with your bodyweight challenge streak. I haven't done anything since last Friday, need to get going again.

have a great weekend BDAS!

I'd love to work with a sports dietitian too but I don't know how to choose one, how do I know they're any good? How did you find yours? recommendation? Google?

I have no idea if she is any good! She was a guest on a podcast I listen to, so I’m giving her a shot. She’s based out of Australia, but works with international clients. I picked her because she has experience working with bariatric patients. Believe it our not, it is SUPER HARD to eat enough to fuel training with a tiny tummy. Www. Ultraappetites. Com (if you’re interested).

It will be interesting to hear how you get on.

So race day tomorrow. I have been comparing notes from the 3 previous times I've done this race and the goals are as follow:


Realistic Goal: beat 2022 Nat (59:52)

A miracle happens and my run comes back goal: beat either 2023 Nat (58:24) or 2018 Nat (58:29)

Robert - thanks for the book recs! I will check them out!
Also, glad it doesn't seem to be anything serious. Thanks for sharing the exercises! I might do them myself also just to build up the calves!

Mike - Yeah it's been hard to get into so far, so we'll see if I get through the whole thing before my library checkout is up (it's an ebook so just disappears).

Andrew, are you able to switch how you're pushing off the wall to avoid the pain in the pool? Sounds like golf elbow (similar to tennis elbow, but outside instead of inside of elbow). A little rest should help for sure.
Glad you're back in the pool though! Woohooo!

Nat, good luck this weekend! You got this!

Gretchen - I'm sure that's super challenging re: nutrition, so great you found someone with experience in this. I worked with a sports nutritionist before too and am happy to share her info. I really liked her, just found that I was paying money but not making the changes we discussed, so had to stop. It was a good foundation though, and she has really great recipes and advice! Nat let me know if you want her info.

I ran today!!!

I was still way too slow getting out of bed. I need to work on getting to bed sooner b/c I've been having a lot of trouble waking up.

Either way, I was NOT missing it. I did some stretches, then went to run. Ran into my neighbor and ended up chatting for 10 minutes lol so was even later than planned, but then did 15 minutes running 2 minutes and walking 1, 5 times. Felt good overall! My hip feels totally fine. Had some soreness in my left hamstring, which I strained playing vball Tuesday, but nothing serious so I'm not worried at all. Happy to have it done and dusted!

Gonna play some pickleball, then watch the opening ceremonies (and do some stretching/strength while I watch!).

Good luck tomorrow, Nat!!!

Nicole—way to go with the run!

Andrew—I push off the wall with my legs. Maybe that would help your elbow. :D

Robert—those calf raises sound great! I love the soleus muscle…it is the little one that is usually hidden amongst the two larger calf muscles.


100+ mile ride today fill lower by an hour run. Quite warm out today, but not as bad as it could have been at the end of July! I managed to get my annual slow speed tip over for the year in too on my very last turn. Sigh…nothing like going into taper with a few scrapes and bruises. Finished the ride and did the whole run with a rivulet of blood down my left shin that I didn’t notice when I switched shoes. Got a few odd looks, but I chalked it up to my TeamUSA kit.

I did the calf raises last night, just to see what I thought, and I like them so far. They aren't easy, which I suppose is the point. My doctor said to go easy, as I could be sore the next day...but I seem to be ok.

Good luck to those racing this weekend. Here's to safety and smashing of records!

We are going on an 8.5 hour drive to my in-laws tomorrow (North central Nebraska). Taking the bike with me and I'm hoping for 2-3 longer rides (20 miles, which is long for me.). Will try running a bit later next week with an easy 3.

Gretchen, nice job rocking the bloody leg while running. I'm sure you got plenty of strange looks !

Andrew, how are you pushing off the wall with your arms? I use my legs...? Very curious how you're doing it.

On the books, I would recommend looking up the recommended/chronological reading order before jumping in. He wrote the original trilogy, then wrote a prequel trilogy to build the backstory of the character who became the main character (Drizzt). Also, there is one book in the series that was terrible (imo)...(Spine of the World)...bad enough I threw it in the trash after reading it (and I'm a big book nerd who takes great care of all books). I have reread the series 4 times, and skip that one every time.

Glad you are back running Nicole! Yes please, give me your sports nutritionist details, I’ll check her out.

Also curious to hear about how you push off the wall with your arms Andrew. Even if you don’t do flip turns, it makes more sense to push with the legs..

Gretchen, glad you didn’t hurt yourself.

Robert, hope the calf raises work.

Race day morning! I am pumped up, gonna give it my best shot.