GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 145)

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-25 8:41 PM

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-25 8:41 PM

DENISE -

It's easy -- I'm the good-lookin' one!

You got it. Mark

To emend, then (but in shorter form):

May 8 --- Mandy --- Polar Bear Triathlon --- 525yards/11.5miles/3miles

May 16 --- Mandy --- Sugarloaf Marathon --- 26.2!

May 23 --- Kasia --- Summer Open Sprint Triathlon --- 750meters/12miles/5km

May 23 --- Mark --- Land Between the Lakes Triathlon --- 0.25mile/19.8mile/4.2mile

May 23 --- Denise --- Land Between the Lakes Triathlon --- ditto!

May 23 --- me --- Columbia Triathlon --- 1500m/41km/10km




Next?

Thanks STEVEA and B (earlier post),

Your comments make sense.   I sort of thought that if the goal was to work the HR zone it shouldn't matter how you get it there.   I think I have read that alot of people do these types of sessions on the trainer because they don't have to worry about the wind, lack of hills, stop signs, etc...  

I guess if he wants the zone work done on hills, and I am on the trainer or the flats, I should use a harder gear and lower cadence rather than high cadence spinning which can also get the HR up there.

We do have lots of hills here, but none that take a long time to climb; a really good mix actually -  lots of nice 2-3% rollers; some short and steep; and some good 10-12% grades.   I like practicing the efficient mechanics of hills alot.  Most of the races we do have some challenging hills.   Although everything is relataive and I know they would all probably be quite easy for you both.         

Am going out today for long ride hopefully.   Switching Saturday's workout with today's shorter ride because of cold and rain on Saturday.l   

I think, had I been smart like you, and taken the time off it may not have gotten to this point.   Looking back at my logs I see that I actualy did take a couple of days off but then the first running session I did, I ran the the stadium stairs up and down 6 times before starting my run.    In my reading on Pes Anserine, it says to avoid stairs!   

There has been a cycle of it improving then deteriorating over the last 8 weeks.   I'm probably not giving it quite enough time before jumping back into things. 

My internally rotated tiba may have played some part in the preventing a quicker 'heal', and I'm sure the 7 days of straight cycling didn't  help.   

I did apply some Traumeel yesterday a few times and also did an ice cube rub a couple of times directly on the swelling (really, you can hard see the swelling, but there is no question it is there) and it seems to have helped.   I think the topical anti-inflammatory and ultrasound should do the trick.   

For all the time I have missed running, I suppose a couple of more days will help me more than hurt me.  

KASIA -

Wonderful work on that swim -- the drill mastery, the enormous reduction in strokes, the distance, and the reckoning with yourself. Those are the days to just about kill for, just about!

As for the bike, "chickening out" is maybe one way to think about it, but the other would include descriptors such as "wise" and "prudent". There are those days in which things just don't align -- could be the weather, could be the body, could be the equipment -- and those are times at which modifying or even bagging a workout is the best route to take. This is especially true when the workout is not a key one.....and might even be true whn it is a key one, depending on how bad weather/body/equipment is.

I don't know what you were thinking of in terms of mileage for the "long ride", but at this point, with the sprint in about 17 days, you can get by with rides that don't go much beyond 12 miles -- if even that. One or two beyond that would be great, but if time is an issue for you then you can make shorter, more intense rides work for you. And it sounds like that's what you did -- pushed it harder, but for the shorter distance.

People can do anything "overlong" just for the love or the increased fitness of it, but if all races are to be shorter ones, then there is no race-specific training benefits that come from longer sessions -- especially when there are other constraints. If I had a season of sprint- and olympic-distance races only, I would not feel compelled to (a) swim more than 40 minutes straight, (b) ride more than 2 hours, and (c) run more than an hour. I would maybe go longer at times if I was feeling frisky or in love with the process on a given day, but otherwise? Nope. But within those time paramters, I would do a fair amount of speed work --- which is what I would be aiming for on race day!

So what you did yesterday - harder for shorter - was great! That is what you will want to do at times in your race, such as passing a pack of riders or just gaining that extra bit of speed for a bit. I use the "spurt" appraoch really well in races, and by that I mean pushing very hard for maybe 30-40 seconds until it begins to hurt, and then backing off for 10-15 seconds until I feel recovered, and then doing that sequence over and over. And that ability comes from times in training rides in which I have pushed harder for shorter periods. In time, you will find that for a psrint you can even push hard for the whole thing, so what you did yesterday was preparation for that! Ya done good, Kasia!!

ANNE -

Yeah, had you mentioned stadium stairs, I might've tried a bit of preventative counseling with you!

Seriously, I don't even contemplate stuff like that. I don't question the benefits that can come from it, but for me it's all just too conducive to injuries. Columbia has several murderously steep hills on the run and a steady diet of stadium stairs would help lots, but I just can't take that chance. And as long as you knees are a bit wonky....I'm not too sure you can take the chance, either.

You mention an ice cube, which is good, but even more manageable are styrofoam cups. I have a little collection of them in the freezer, and when you need them you just tear off enough of the styrofoam to expose the ice. It saves the hands from getting chilled, and it's also very satisfying, tearing off that styrofoam! (Okay, so now you know one of my fetishes..... )

Improving and deteriorating, improving and deteriorating ---- been there, done that! It is SO frustarting, and I think it's just cold comfort to know how common that is, that we are not alone. (Right now, i think Mandy is at that point with her calf.) At times i have swallowed real deep and gone with a-day-a-week extentions of downtime for a wek or two or three. That is, this week it mmight be three days off from running, then next week four days, then the following week five days. Those seem agonizingly long, of course, but it does usually resolve the problem.

It is a double-edged sword at this time of the year. The good news is that it is more conducive to riding outside and for longer, and pretty soon for open water swims, too; the bad news is that those races are fast approaching! But I'm not telling you anything new here, am I?

In the spirit of honesty, i'll also say that lots of time I have thrown caution to the wind, rolled the dice, trained through or gently around a perceived injury, and ended up okay. I am NOT necassarily recommending that route....but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. I guess that "desperately measures" can have two interpretations -- taking the time off from training, or training through a problem.

I'm just nattering at this point, so I'll stop here and now!

And ultrasound! Ultrasound is good!

STEVE -

How're you doing? It's five days later, and what are you feeling? Is the body doing pretty well, overall? You haven't come on here with comments about not being able to step either up or down a curbing, so that's a good sign!

I still don't envy you being in an airplane, but then again, my phsyiognomy doesn't allow me to EVER be comfortable in a plane, so who I am to judge for others. Still, i hope you were at least in first class. If not, and if on the return flight you can't be comfortable sitting and need to lie down, then try the following numbers to reserve a top-secret members-only (I can get you in!) accommodation:
1-800-359-3528 (FLY FLAT)
1-888-237-7663 (BE PRONE)

Tell them you want the special GrooceTime! rate, and that the GLKFB (Good-Lookin'-Kid-From-Boston) sent you. (GLKFB is my secret code.)


Oh, never mind.


Anyhow, I hope you're doing well physically, and certainly emotionally. (How is that part of it??)

STEVE again -

Some GREAT photos there!

(1) Worth spending a few $$$ on (including enlargement to 60"X48", and suitably framed) is the bike side view, with the mountains as a backdrop. Nice postion for you, gorgeous scenery!
(2) The running one, with the funky sandstone rock behind you. Also behind you are two people walking, while you are looking quite good at something much closer to a run than the "marathon shuffle".
(3) You up-close and aero on the bike -- fine photo!
(4) The finisher-posed one conveys, I believe, a sense of relief and incredulity. (You think?)

Is it still all so real??

KASIA -

Oh, nonono. HE'S the bada$$, not me. I'm sweetness and light!

MANDY -

Well, it's good if that's what's going through your head in a race, as opposed to focusing on the shiny things on the bottom!

My focus is usually on trying to find feet to latch onto, but I am a very poor drafter. Each year I tell myself I am going to make that an area of improvement.....and then it never really comes to pass. I have the odd race in which I can pull it off okay for a while, but those really are few and far between.

I think two things contribute to this. First, I always train alone, so there is a real tendency to set my own pace. So, even when I am on someone's feet, at some point I get tired on that regimentation and just want to do it on my own. Second, in the pool I am exceedingly courteous of the space of others, and I think that translates over to race swims.

Or, maybe I just suck at drafting on the swim.

Ok - I got it - Steve is the good-lookin' one.

MANDY again -

Fiddlesticks! I can't get into the Pirate site! I wanted to check and see if there were any more M60-64 registered, but I guess that will have to wait. Waaaaa!

As of last week there were just two of us; I'm hoping for at least five others.....although the war of attrition has taken it's toll on us "seasoned" guys (and gals).

At Columbia, though, there are 31 - that's thirty-one! - M60-64, which is very cool. Of course, Columbia has always been a big-deal type of race and manages to get a big pro contingent, but still --- 31 geezers ain't too shabby!

ALL POWER TO THE ELDERS!!!

DENISE -





Smartypants......

Me me! I'm doing a little ol' 5k on the 16th!

Actually the only reason I signed up for this race is the post-race food. For real.

My goal is to beat my best 5k pace so far of 11:58. I THINK I should be able to do it... If I can it will be the confidence boost I need going into the last 4 weeks before my first tri.

Tracey

TRACEY -

Thank you!

As for the food......for the love of god don't tell me it's a smelt fry! One smelt fry freak (that would be Denise) is more than more than more than enough!

But curious and hungry minds want to know -- what is the post-race feed that draws you to this one?

It's been great that there have no talks of you neuroma, so I'm figuring it is treating you well, yes? My neuroma problems, which had disappeared for about 30 months buit returned a couple weeks ago, seem to be abating agian. WHEW!!!!!!

Sub-11:58 -- good goal to shoot for!

AND ----- did the wetsuit arrive??

Steve B - I saw 2 of you still. One 67 year old, 2 60-64 women. 

I always train alone and am a bad drafter.  Not sure how to draft in a pool tri, never did one of those.

AND thanks for pointing out we can look for STEVE A in photos!  Yeah.  Steve A - hope recovery is going well!

Mandy

Hey Steve B,

Actually, I'm pretty good.  I was waking gingerly on Sunday and a bit less on Monday.  By Tuesday, I was pretty much 100% recovered with the exception of the feet - which were still a bit sore and blistered.  Turns out, as I've rested this week, the hamstring has started to feel worse - I can't tell if it just needs a good gentle workout or what. 

Pool recovery didn't take place - the photo of the pool here is much more impressive than the actual pool itself.  So, aside from doing some walking in the French Quarter at night, it's been pure recovery.  I'm back in LA tonight, and will definitely hit the pool and do some hiking with Maggie over the weekend.  Next week will depend on how I feel over the weekend.   Part of me really wants to get back at it, part of me wants to take another week.  We'll see.

Spirits are lifting though.  I think the only real "side effect" at this point is a general malaise, not quite being 100% there mentally.  If you're a Joe vs. the Volcano fan, you'd call it a Brain Cloud.  LOL.  But that is lifting as well. 

Steve,
I think your company should offer you big bucks to be in their commercials now that you're an IRONMAN.
Denise

Steve B,

In the spirit of "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop," I'm sitting in the New Orleans airport, looking for the next 140.6.  (I know, I'm an idiot, but hey, it's what I do.)

So, the only race that makes sense, logistically speaking, is Silverman.  The site says it's limited to 1500 participants, but last year's results page indicates that less than 300 ran the race - so I don't think I am under any real pressure to register until after Vineman.

I guess I have a few questions - please let me know your honest thoughts...
1)  Assuming I have a decent showing at Vineman (leg healed by then) and a two-week or so downtime - that would leave 3.5 months to train.  At that point, am I really just looking at a modified build/peak, or would that timeline give you any pause?

2)  What follows is a long-winded way of asking, whether you know of any California, Nevada, Arizona 140.6 races (aside from Silverman) that would go off before December that are not full?  Any resources to locate those?  Part of me wants to get out there and do another one of these things.  Part of me is thinking, "give it time".  The beauty of Silverman, of course, is that I can register for this puppy likely through October 20th.  So, I can always begin training August 1st, and make a decision in early October based on how my training, motivation and body is holding up.  All that said, part of my impulse to pencil this in and begin training for it in August is that, with the exception of IMSG, I don't see many geographically desirable races remaining in the next 12 months. 

Sincerely,
The Idiot

Steve B,

In the spirit of "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop," I'm sitting in the New Orleans airport, looking for the next 140.6.  (I know, I'm an idiot, but hey, it's what I do.)

So, the only race that makes sense, logistically speaking, is Silverman.  The site says it's limited to 1500 participants, but last year's results page indicates that less than 300 ran the race - so I don't think I am under any real pressure to register until after Vineman.

I guess I have a few questions - please let me know your honest thoughts...
1)  Assuming I have a decent showing at Vineman (leg healed by then) and a two-week or so downtime - that would leave 3.5 months to train.  At that point, am I really just looking at a modified build/peak, or would that timeline give you any pause?

2)  What follows is a long-winded way of asking, whether you know of any California, Nevada, Arizona 140.6 races (aside from Silverman) that would go off before December that are not full?  Any resources to locate those?  Part of me wants to get out there and do another one of these things.  Part of me is thinking, "give it time".  The beauty of Silverman, of course, is that I can register for this puppy likely through October 20th.  So, I can always begin training August 1st, and make a decision in early October based on how my training, motivation and body is holding up.  All that said, part of my impulse to pencil this in and begin training for it in August is that, with the exception of IMSG, I don't see many geographically desirable races remaining in the next 12 months. 

Sincerely,
The Idiot

Steve,

Ride was supposed to be 25 miles, but turned out to be 12.5, so exactly half of what I had planned. My pace was also slower than normal, even though it didn't feel it, so it was definitely a good call to shorten the ride. My legs feel fine today, but then again, I haven't done much but sit on the couch all day so we'll see how they hold up when I try to run in the evening.

Thanks for reasoning me through feeling inadequate. Haha. I should be fine for the sprint, and at this point, I'm trying to work up endurance for the Oly in June. I know I can finish the swim and the bike, most definitely BOP, but finish nonetheless. The run is very worrying. So I guess stress isn't helping at this point.

And apparently I had my weeks and dates wrong, so the sprint is actually the week before it's supposed to happen according to the Fitz plan. No biggie, it just got me completely confused for a minute there. The good thing is that it now gives me an extra week between the sprint and Oly to tailor my training to the longer race.

Kasia

Steve again,

Where did you find photos of the race? I can't seem to find anything anywhere.

Kasia