Beer Drinkers Appreciation Society (BDAS) 2023 Mentor Group - ALWAYS OPEN (Page 134)

Good you decided to go ahead with surgery, it will be so much better after recovery.

The achilles is ok, still tight but better. Went interval training with the running club yesterday and it doesn’t feel worse today. I did take it easy mind you, it was long intervals so that was doable at a slower speed than I would have done them if 100% injury free.

Next run will be on Saturday or Sunday (the run course of my race on the 31st) then no running until race day.
Off to ride the bike course now and I will swim the swim tomorrow.

Mike, that all sounds AMAZING! Very jealous of that adventure!

Gretchen, less jealous of your most recent adventure. Definitely glad it happened in recon and not the race. So nice they have a team mechanic there also!

Andrew, dodgy knee and still crushing the bike! How's it feeling?

As for my surgery, I emailed them yesterday asking if I could get it scheduled, so hope to hear soon. I'd like to do it around Thanksgiving. I think if I go into the surgery otherwise healthy and strong, recovery should be about 3 months. I'm less active in the winter anyway (read: pretty dang lazy) so figured this is the perfect time. I have some vacations scheduled for January, so hoping to at least be off crutches by then, and hopefully able to walk long distances. Sounds like PT can start pretty much right away, so I think it should be okay!

I'm talking to a friend of a friend Sunday who had this recently and should learn more then, though obviously everyone is different. I think she and I are similar in that we are similar ages, both overall healthy, and are both really active (though she's mostly a runner), so think it should hopefully be a good example of what I should expect.

I am definitely eager to be able to race again! I'm so jealous of you all. Probably won't commit to anything until ~February as I see how the recovery is going.

I've taken it easy the last 2 days to let my knee and hip rest. I went on a walk yesterday, to the library and then to find some food, but otherwise easy peasy. Gonna do some yoga tonight, and my knee exercises and PT.

Oh, I missed that! Glad you enjoyed the concert! Tell us more, what made it so WOW? Also, you’ve been to Live Aid? That’s cool

Okay...so let me see if I have the rundown correct...

Mike--back is acting up again

Nicole--hip surgery in the future, but also knee and ankle issues of late

Andrew, Robert, and Nat--Achilles shenanigans...

I feel left out!!

So...I'll add in my current issue (among many in this devil's trip!). I've been feeling dizzy/lightheaded since we arrived in Australia. I haven't really given it a ton of thought, as I figure it was a bit of dehydration, coupled with exhaustion from a 140.6/50 hours of travel combo. Problem being, of course, that it has now lasted more than a week. I finally went to see the team doctor yesterday while my bike chain was being replaced by the team mechanic (side note: I will not about the TeamUSA participation fee ever again. So handy to have both of these services available free of charge!!). We were both at the doctors at the same time! Anyway, the doctor diagnosed labyernthitis, an inflammation of the inner ear usually caused by a viral infection. My wife has been fighting a pretty nasty cough and feeling generally cruddy since we arrived. She has been sleeping about 12 hours a day, which is abnormal for her, who survives very well on about 6 hours of sleep a night (*shudder*). There was a guy coughing up a lung on our flight to Australia, so maybe that is where we got it. Who knows. Anyway, the treatment is a double dose of antihistimines, some decongestant, and gargling to clear out the Eustatian tubes (drains fluids from ears down throat). He said the dreaded words of if you don't feel better, you shouldn't race. Umm...excuse me sir? You know not who you are talking to! I'd race with one limb chewed off by a tiger shark if I had to! (another side note: there is apparently a tiger shark breeding ground between the swim beach and Magnetic Island, which is about 15 miles away. Tour guide let that slip to a friend on an eco tour of MI a couple of days ago.)

Anyway, unless it feels like I would crash on the bike and take out someone else, I'm going to race on Sunday. I won't do anything that would put someone else in danger. Fortunately, I haven't had any dizziness/lightheadedness during any of my training sessions on foot or pedal. That gives me a bit of confidence.

Bike chain is all fixed, or I should say replaced. This race can't come soon enough!!

Bright side today: Our AirB&B hostess brought us warm croissants for breakfast. Delicious!

Well technically Robert and Nat are Achilles shenanigans, I am Patella Tendon playing up.

@Gretchen, As the old cliché goes, if you didn't have bad luck you'd have no luck at all
I'm hoping you come 100% right over the next 24 hours or so and there's no tough decision needed, but damn. I know you already know, but inner ear stuff is not great for balance. And that's not a good look for getting on a bike. I also know the machine does not accept obstacles in her way, and everything will be overcome. And that's even before thinking about the time and expense to come to a race on the other side of the world.
I do not envy you having to make that call.
I know you're going to do everything you can to race. But please take care of yourself. Not putting others in danger is good, but don't put yourself in danger either.

@Mike, Glad you enjoyed London. My sisters partner used to work at London Zoo in Regents park, and they lived in the zoo keepers lodge on site. So I know the area well. You were at live aid? You know what, I don't feel so old today. haha.

@Me, Actually, I do feel old. Struggling with the 2 workouts a day plan this week. I'll get back there eventually, but I remember it being much easier at 38 than it feels at 40 :/ Getting enough sleep for a 5 am start is tough. I did manage an early start today though, and got 1,000m in the pool. Not much, but something.

Have a good weekend everyone, and good luck Gretchen. I'm sure you'll be feeling 100% by race morning.

My first thought was, well of course, you are on the other side of the earth, hanging upside down! That would make anybody dizzy!

Seriously though, I’ve had that (not the same cause but similar symptoms), it’s no joke. Hope it clears up by Sunday. Do you wear ear plugs during the swim? I am thinking water in the ears is likely to make it worse otherwise. Great you haven’t felt anything in run/bike training though, that’s encouraging, how about swimming?

No issues during swimming or snorkeling either! After a day of meds and sucking on hard candy all day (dr prescribed!), I have noticed fewer spells of lightheadedness! Hoping things continue to improve tomorrow.

Sounds promising!

Last day before the big race! Today's schedule is a bit hectic, with the swim familiarization, the team photo, bike check in, the athlete Q&A, and transition overview all on the schedule today, starting around 9:30am. I'm hoping to be back at the apartment by 5 or so, having eaten dinner already. What can I say? I’m a lot like old people...I eat, sleep, and get up early.

Yesterday I checked in for the race and packed my gear. I made the choice to forgo the special needs bags for the bike and run. The ride is only 71 miles and the run is only 18.6 miles (only being a relative term in relationship to a full 140.6 race, not a sane person's definition of what one should do on a bike or run). Both of those are less than a long training day, so I've carefully cultivated my nutrition plan around being able to carry everything I need for the bike and living off the course on the run (for the most part). At MiTi I only stopped at bike special needs for fuel and chamois cream, both of which I can carry on me in individual "serves". On the run, I only stopped for my light-up safety vest, which I won't need because I'll be done before sunset tomorrow. Emergency contingencies are covered with travel packs of sport shield. I'm taking the calculated risk to forgo the safety net of the special needs bags for the time savings of not stopping once on the bike/run. Fingers crossed that doesn't bite me in the butt.

Re labyrinthitis: yes, I also thought about the whole hanging upside down thing as a cause of ear issues!!

Yesterday I dosed up on meth-strength Sudafed, Zyrtec, and sucked on hard candies all day. I can absolutely get down with any medical prescription that calls for eating candy all day!! (it is supposed to help clear my Eustachian tubes) Fewer incidents of lightheadedness/dizziness, but not gone completely. Already this morning I have Sudafed onboard and working its, hopeful, magic. Fingers crossed this works!

We are T minus 12:16 to race time!!

Trixie is checked in. I'm fed, watered, showered, and ready for my cookies and bed. It is all over but the fun. Thank you all for being along on this crazy ride with me. It has been such an adventure over the past year. I probably could do this without all your support, but why would anyone want to? My friends, I hope I make you proud tomorrow. I am very proud to be representing by fellow Americans on TeamUSA!!

My bib number is 6507 and I start the race at 7:30am local time Sunday (4:30pm Saturday CDT). If you think of it, give me a little mental shout out from wherever you are. Cheers are like a little mental Mariokart speed boost...gives me go fast juice!

The race has a tracking app that can be downloaded here:

Apple: go to your App Store and search World Triathlon Multisport Championships
Android: go to your Google Play Store and search World Triathlon Multisport Championships

Once you have the app, you'll want to look at the Long Course (or LC) Triathlon. I'm in there somewhere!

If you are really interested, it will be streamed on https://www.triathlonlive.tv,which is a subscription service. I will warn you in advance that they will probably focus exclusively on the elites and the only way you'll see me is if I ride my bike in front of one of them while they are finishing the run.

@Gretchen we are more than proud of all you have accomplished! Even though I have only know you a few short weeks, I am extremely excited for you and will be cheering you on! You got this!!!

2 mile run on the treadmill this morning, checking out the Achilles. Seems ok so far, so that's promising. I've been working a lot more legs during my lifting, so hopefully that helps.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Good luck Gretchen! I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow morning when I get up, depending on what time I get up, you should be on the last of the run or already finished.

Just rode the bike course of my race next week and OMG, could I BE any slower?? (yes, I am re-watching ”Friends” at the moment)

1h33 to ride a lousy 40k (for comparison purposes, I did that in 1:25:49 in 2021, my first oly, when I took it easy).

Swam one lap of the swim yesterday, also a lot slower than then. Tomorrow, I will run the run even slower I expect.

So the only attainable goal I can set is to finish the race and not think about the time or I’ll be disappointed.







Edited by Rollergirl 2024-08-24 10:04 AM

Mini race report—full length to come when I can think.

My overall time goal was 10:01:24.
Swim 1:09:51
Bike 4:10:35
Run 4:20:58
Transitions 20’ combined (it was huge and far from the swim!)

Finish time 10:01:59 (28th AG of 30 starters)
Swim 1:12:05
Bike 4:04:56 (17.4mph!)
Run 4:31:59

Happy with the swim, bike and transitions. Need to work on the run (as always). More importantly, I felt the joy of racing again yesterday. There was dancing, singing, cheering, and just plain love of the sport.

32 seconds off your overall goal on a long distance is a win! Well done! Glad you had fun too!

Good luck today/tomorrow, Mike!!

Headed to the airport for my fourth marathon in two weeks. I’m totally counting travel days as marathons! Here’s hoping my body survives, as I think travel hurts more than racing these days.

Two days out I actually feel pretty good. Worst thing going right now is wearing socks over the chaffing on my ankle from my timing strap, which started to grate and bounce two miles from the end of the race.

Yeah, the biggest issue with running down here is having to hold onto the ground with our feet so we don't fall right off. And don't even get me started with needing helium in the bike tires to float is back up to the ground

Great job Gretchen! Those actual results are pretty damn close to your goals. That sounds like a well paced race to me. Doubly amazing when we remember you did a full Iron distance like a week ago. How are you still able to run.

Travel safe, and looking forward to your race report. Special request, pictures this time please