Baowolf's Mentor Group- Closed (Page 16)

Ah sleep. Made a point of sleeping in both mornings this weekend. Slept nearly 11 hours Friday night which for me is a real long
time. Must have needed it.

Beautiful day here and heading off to brunch in a bit for a late Mother's Day early Father's Day thing. Will do my run later today.

Should be a fun but anxious week ahead. Good sleep, hydrate, eat well, and make sure I don't forget to pack anything important.

Have a great day everyone!

Good job on the sleeping, Mike! That's what tapering is for

Mitzi, have fun in DC! Great job scouting out the workout venue. As for the swim nerves, I totally understand. But all you really have to do is RELAX, float and move forward at whatever speed doesn't tire you out too much. Wetsuit should help with the floating. We may have to send Mitch out your way to mix up a cocktail to help with the relax part. And 2:40/100 is not so bad. Ha, just look at some of my race reports . Oh, and whatever you do, do NOT compare to Mike's swim speeds. He is NOT normal .

Steve, enjoy the heat! How are you feeling about riding on the road after your accident/surgery/recovery? So is this vacation one of the Griswold variety where you pack up the family in the station wagon and set out for Wallyworld?

Samantha, how is the knee?

Short bike ride yesterday whereupon I avoided all hills of consequence to spare the glute. Came out a little tweaked anyway, but not too bad. Think I'll stick with swimming and walking for another week, and then try to ease back into running and cycling. Might as well let that last little bit of fitness slip away so I can really start fresh (where is the sarcastic font??). Tried to get in another swim today, but the pool was mostly reserved for a meet that was about to start, so got an early start on a Costco shopping trip. Yesterday I purchased and assembled a new smoker, and smoked some chicken that was quite tasty. Not training at least has me more productive around the house.

Since I last wrote in I have slept many hours and watched lots of t.v. shows via the internet. Along with that I have been icing and taking ibuprofen. I really think I am noticing a difference today. The pain is less when I am walking, but I still feel twinges. I will take the rest of today off since I have to work tomorrow and that means being on my feet all day long. After tomorrow I will have a better idea how to proceed with my taper. I'm hoping I can get moving again soon because my body is getting stiff.

Mitzi - Sounds like you have a good plan for vacation. Sometimes that's what keeps things moving forward. Have fun too!

Steve - I curious how you feel about getting out on the road again. Has your new bike seen the pavement yet?

Carol - Lingering injuries....bleh. I'm glad this wasn't shaping up to be a big year for you race wise.

Samantha - Glad to hear you are feeling better.

Mike - What a nice taper plan. It is always nice to work in those extra hours sleep too.

Mitzi - Those swim time are not so bad. A little work with the pull buoy and improving your kick will do wonders to reduce drag and improve speed and endurance.

Took the bike for a ride but the noise the LBS was supposed to fix is still there. So back to the shop tomorrow.
Then getting off the bike the right foot came out ok but the left not so much and of course was leaning left to get off.
Noticed some hip pain on the left side, along with some left knee discomfort during the bike yesterday and thought about taking a rest day.
Ok the dump explained the hip and the knee was not giving me any problems so I hit the road for 4 mile. Not the easiest but I got it done.
Funny how these pains sneak up on you! Happy training all.

Edited by Tri-solar 2013-06-09 7:58 PM

Hello again.

I finally got caught up on all the posts. It's fun having all this activity and hearing about all the great training.

It is getting exciting with all the races coming up. Samantha and Mike, I hope things heal up and you feel strong and healthy after another week of taper.

I actually woke up at 5am 3 out of the 5 days this week and got in some good training. I really need to get back in the pool tho. I wish I felt as comfortable as some for you in the water, but I suppose that would come faster if i would actually swim. Gonna work on that this week.

MItzi I was reading how it is tough for you to occupy your mind while running. I had the same problem when I started running and now 3 years later I just seem to enjoy watching everything around me after a couple of minutes, or when i have a tough day like on Friday, I play the mind games Pam mentioned. Just the next light pole or fire hydrant and then when I get there I realize I still have enough energy to get to the next one. Just keep sticking with it. Running might never be your favorite, but it will get easier.

Off to bed so I can keep the morning workouts going. Later y'all!

If you are bored running outside... run faster... soon you will hear your heartbeat, breathing, footsteps and won't worry about time so much 8).

So Ya I had to trade back to my old bike saddle so it would hold the water system I use and I have to cover the back part of the tube with some cloth so it doesn't eat the paint off the bike. In 2 weeks I will put the 10 mile hill back into my routine, so that is outside. I need to fix the dead bike for rides I will have to get in after dark, won't ride anywhere near dark anymore, just not worth the increased risk. Then I should be gtg. I have taken the new bike out of the glass box for some short rides, nothing too long yet.

So 10 mile run this morning 1900 yard swim this afternoon, 5 hours in hot scout hall for pinewood derby from heck with 30 girls chanting at the top of their lungs the name of whoever the one annoying blond girl was rooting for. Oh well.

Next week is oldest son's graduation with 5 ish family members coming up to visit and such. Thankfully it is a recovery week, as I will need both the energy and the time.

Prayers for our wounded, especially Samantha. Walk before you run.

5 days to go, and while no physical issues, had a bit of a blow on the emotional side this weekend. I found out Saturday AM someone I've known most of my life, and a member of a family my family was close to growing up, passed away suddenly on Friday night. He was only 44, has 4 kids under the age of 13, married, and never had any health issues. Apparently he had a heart attack & died at his daughters dance recital on Friday night. Can't imagine how awful that is. He's also lived next door to my sister & her family for the past 16 years, so there's always been a connection. My sister & her family are crushed.

He was a year behind me in high school, and we'd been friendly since we were kids. Kind of stunned by it all. Services are tomorrow, and I'll be going. I feel awful for his wife & kids, his parents, siblings. Just seems such a crazy thing to have happened. Its been a totally demotivating couple of days, and I'm sure the funeral tomorrow won't be much of a boost either. Guess the lesson in all this is be happy for what you have today, and be sure to enjoy it, tell those around you how you feel, and try to make every day count.

Mike - I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. That's always tough when young people die suddenly like that. I'll be thinking of you.

Good luck this weekend!

Courtney

Hi Everybody:
I'm back from a weekend at my college reunion. We had a good time even though the turnout from our class was a little sparse. We looked at the pool, but did not actually get in it!

Samantha - how is your knee doing? Rest, rest, rest as best you can... Do you have a foam roller? I know you can't really roll the knee, but when I tweaked mine, I used the foam roller on everything around it (calves, quads, hamstrings, etc). I have no idea if it did anything but it made me feel like I was doing something.

Jay - how's your wife's ankle?

Pink Pam - I have to agree about the "scary age." I think the day before I turned 40 was the worst and then I realized that it wasn't so bad after all!

Mitzi - I doubt you will be last in the swim. Just keep moving forward! As for running outside, the run is my favorite but sometimes when I'm struggling, I play games like other people have mentioned. Things like: Just run to that driveway//tree/house/whatever or I won't look at my Garmin until the next car passes me or run mailbox to mailbox.

Carol - how's the glute? Those nagging type injuries are annoying. I have a friend that's been fighting with her glute for quite some time now as well...

Hope everybody has a good week (hang in there Mike)!
Courtney

Mike, Sorry to hear about your friend.

Samantha, I know that when I am tapering, every pull, twinge, or hint of injury is magnified. Just continue to be smart and you will be totally ready on race day.

Mitzi, I understand completely about the swimming anxiety. Believe me I am in full snail mode in the pool. Just get me to the end. For every tri I have competed in, my motto has been get me to the bike. Just remember to try and relax during the swim. Easy said but with pool time you will get there.

I am slowly getting back into training. I am back on the clock for my full IM on Aug 25th. Everytime I think about it my heart just about explodes with nervousness. My current plan has me swimming 3 days a week in the pool. I think I am going to replace one and added 2 open water swims. That will make for 4 swim days half and half.

Samantha, hope work goes well today! Good job on the resting and TV watching .

Courtney, funny how kids jump in any pool that is there, and adults tend to..well..not. I can imagine even more so at a reunion. Glad it was fun!

Joe, hope the bike shop can get rid of the noise. Took me 3X to get the squeak in my bottom bracket fixed, so know how you feel. Sorry about the slow speed fall. That wrong way lean can be painful.

Anthony, great job on the 5 am workouts! Saw part of Talladega nights on TV the other day and thought of you .

Ken, sounds like you have a good plan for getting in more OWS. That should really help your swim confidence.

Steve, congrats on seeing your son through high school! Enjoy the family time. Yes, biking = complicated sometimes.

Mike, so sorry about your friend. How sad for his young family. Funerals are hard, but I hope it brings you some closure, and that you leave it more uplifted than when you arrived.

Another 3 mile walk this morning, and headed to the pool for a lunctime swim.

Mike, So very sorry to hear about your friend. That is way too soon. Sorry about all the injuries. Hang in there crew! Listen to your body.

I've been crawling under the rug wanting to just get away. Remember early on when we told a little about ourselves? I said "I tend to self-sabotage"...well that is happening right now. Nearly no training last week. None. So by the second day of no training I started to EAT. And when I eat, I feel worse..snowballs into ugliness. BUT... Im getting out of this funk. TODAY!

Good news: part of my stress last week was realizing that I wont be able to get rides in with kids being home for summer vacay. Decided to buy a trainer: Cyclops or Kinetic fluid. Called around. A couple places carried them but none in stock. Would have to drive 60 min to buy one which was fine, but just couldn't get out to make the purchase right then. Figured I'd just order one online. Then Sat &Sun my daughter had a softball tourny. On Sunday I dropped the family off at the park and drove to REI ( I had called then and they said they had both brands and several in stock). Parking lot was packed when I got there. Turns out they were having a "garage sale", Lots of returned items. Guess what the first thing I saw was! Sitting pretty under a table was a Cyclops fluid trainer!! Marked @ $140...with another 50% to be taken from that!!! Was missing the skewer and with just a few scratches!! I grabbed that thing so fast! Took it inside and had the guy set up a demo bike. Perfect. Super happy!

Question: Sales guy said the tire should be "just touching" the roller once it's clamped in. Is that right? Or should there/will there be a little bit of pressure on that back tire once its clamped in? When I set my bike in there was some pressure. Also, we may have already discussed it but what do I need to monitor my distance on a trainer? Thought my bike computer would do that even at a stand-still

Edited by EV3110 2013-06-10 10:43 AM

Mike - What terrible news and you have been through some tough times. Pull your family close and take the time you need. Not sure how you will feel this weekend but you can dedicate the race in his memory while you count your blessings.

Mitzi - There are days where the head games get you through a tough run. I find that simply finding the comfort zone and focussing on it helps the miles pass. Forget the watch and the miles. Just run your route with confidence and with in your comfort zone. Steve has had soem good tip about making the run more efficient which helped me last year. Just keep all motion forward.

Elena - What a great deal on the trainer. Not sure how many times I have been ready to throw in the towel because life stresses make me question what all this training is worth. It is usually in that moment of letting go that I realize I made it a much bigger deal that it is worth. Glad you are finding your solution.

14 days! Knee is still not 100%. I'm gonna see how swimming goes today just to keep things moving. I think my excitement is growing.

Mike- I am sorry about the loss of your friend. Death is really impossible to be prepared for no matter who or when. I liked the suggestion of running your HIM for him. Prayers for your family and his!

Mitzi- running has good and bad days. Music is a wonderful tool. I use it when I'm not motivated and not running on the street.

Elena- glad you got a trainer. I understand the downward spiral and it sucks. Tomorrow is gone focus on the steps forward of today.

Steve - I love it when taper seems to fall at the most appropriate time. Enjoy your sons accomplishment and all the work you've done to help get him to this big day! Sorry about the bike seat debacle.



Edited by anthalynn 2013-06-10 1:31 PM

Thank you for the thoughts everyone. Based on everything I have going on, the race may be the one time this week I can relax .

I think I will reach the starting line with a whole new perspective on being there, and being able to do what we do. No matter what comes of the day, I plan on making it a good day. Run, walk, crawl, skip, jump, hop, whatever it takes to get there, the finish line will mean a bit more than it may have otherwise.

Edited by Mike_D 2013-06-10 1:54 PM

Mike, I'm so sorry about your friend. Definitely will be praying for his family. I think you should dedicate your race to him. I know that my first marathon, miles 22 thru 25, all I said during that time was "Brenda, Kathy, Brenda, Kathy". Not poetic but they knew that I was thinking of them.

Mitzi, Joe mentioned something and I think maybe Samantha might have mentioned too. Don't focus on the watch when running. I did that for the first couple of years and it was only when I began running blind that my running improved. I still run with my watch because I like to hear the beeps at each mile. But I usually only look at the time at 30 min, 1 hour, etc. And for the swim, don't worry about being last. I'm usually close to last in the swim but I make it. But survive the swim with gas in the tank and then continue. You are finished before every person that didn't start the race.

Samantha and Carol, have you had a sport massage or interactive massage? Not a feel good massage. I used to think it was hokey but I've found that I have to have a massage before a big race to get me aligned again. {I've got horribly sucky form.} Just mentioning in case it would help.

Hi all. Just a quick check in. I've been so busy I just haven't had a chance to catch up on posts.

I did see Mike D's post. Really puts things in perspective. My thoughts are with the family...

Work is through the roof. the family has been sick and I had a very slow week of training last week. Feeling better this week.
Gonna sign up for an Olympic distance in Sept. Gonna get at least 1 Tri in before the baby comes. No expectations, just want to race....

I promise I will catch up on posts as soon as I can. Gotta get back to work. Life of the self employed!

Pink Pam - I would love to get a good sports massage, but not sure I can make that happen. Plus I've asked around some and there doesn't seem to be any good one around here.

Courtney - I do have a foam roller and a marathon stick. I use them as much as I can. Glad you had fun with the smaller than expected group!

Ken - The body does some funny things. I told my LBS guy about my knee today and he commented on how brutal training for IM distance races really is for the body. I currently feel confident that I will heal. You know what I like about your swim plan for your IM? You can drop one when you are feeling extra overwhelmed and still get three solid swim/week. You got this Ken!

Carol - Yay for pool time!

Elena - ya, what a killer deal on that trainer. As for the wheel touching the trainer I go with barely. I found that provides enough resistance with the use of my gears to give me all the workout I can handle. I imagine it also impacts how quickly the tire gets worn out. And there are bike computers that will measure speed, distance, cadence, etc while on the trainer. Does you computer have the magnet sensors on the rear wheel and one of the pedal crank arms?

Mitch - Good to hear from you! Excited you are signing up for a race. I hope you and the fam get healthy again soon.

Working all day went pretty well. I'm still aware of the knee because there is a faint pain, but nothing like Friday. I iced during my break and am icing right now. I also did a 700 yard VERY EASY swim. Same thing, I could tell my knee is healing, but it wasn't terrible. I just want things to get back to good so I can get on my wetsuit and get out in the water. Bought some new goggles today and straight out of the package and into the pool they fogged up. Am I doing somethign wrong? If my swim durng IM is terrible it'll be because I couldn't see...grrrrrrr. Bike is getting its IM tune up..woohoo.

Night all.

Catching up so if stuff was covered above I'm sorry.

Bike trainer, the cylinder is adjustable for tension, it should be tight enough that ifyou manually move the tire around foward with your hand and reverse direction it should slip a bit. Does that make sense? If you mount your sensor on the back tire you will get your mph and distance off the speedometer. Cadence works like normal. You probably want to buy the cheap block for the front tire that raises the front tire like 3 inches so your bike is level front to back and keeps the tire stationary right to left with a groove. You can make one, but they go $5-10 ish or did. I'll catch up with others tormorrow late here.

Some goggle have an anti fog layer on them on the inside. If it doesnt have that they will fog like the old ones. When the antifog stuff gets older it doesnt work as well.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-06-11 1:30 AM

did a quick 1 hour easy spin on the bike last night. Felt good. Another promising sign was waking up this AM with that feeling of my body yelling out "Lets go get up and do something!!! Now!!!!". For work/real life reasons, I'll do a short run tonight after I get home from work/funeral, etc.

Weather is looking like mid 70's, calm, and mostly sunny for Saturday. Should be a glorious day.

Elena - Wow, congrats on your trainer deal! Cyclops Fluid for $70....excellent!!!!! I hear you on the funk thing. Happens to me when I get overwhelmed. You know, can't decide what to do, so do nothing. We are women, we are like waves .

Mike - Can sense your excitement! I'd be excited with that forecast too. Sounds like your body is telling you it is ready.

Samantha - Awesome that your knee held up fairly well at work. Very good sign. A little extra down time will give you time to work out the kinks like goggles and such. Are you taking two pairs to the race with you?

Mitch - Congrats on signing up for the OLY in Sept. Race before baby, good plan .

Pam - Thanks for the massage suggestion. I've had ART for my IT band/glute med, so have an idea of what the deep tissue stuff might be like. Willing to do it, but I'm...um....cheap, so trying the free things first.

Joe - like your suggestions (and those of the others) for Mitzi on keeping from being a clock watcher on the run. I'll add to that....having a reward at the end often helps me. I often end my runs at the local coffee shop and have a latte (cold or hot depending on the season) after a longerish run sometimes (well...make that most of the time). I don't drink the super high cal stuff....a small latte w/ sugar free syrup does the trick.

Steve - my trainer "block" is an old Webster's dictionary. Remember the red ones that are kind of rough on the outside cover? Works great . Have I mentioned I'm cheap?

Had a really nice swim yesterday. Was my 3rd or 4th time back to the pool, and I had kept all sets really short with lots of rest. Did total of 1,500 yds yesterday 50, 100's, 200's, and the last 500 was straight through because I just felt like I wanted to keep going. Not much when compared to others or to my former self, but for where I am now it was really nice to find that "I could swim all day" feeling again. Granted 500 yards is not all day, but you know what I mean? I also think there is a post swim high -- kind of similar to runners high. Since I'm not running right now, I really noticed it yesterday and it was good . I too would like to sign up for a race...maybe a fall OLY. But waiting to get a bit healthier before commiting to anything that might encourage me to too much too soon it.

I have a VDO bike computer on my bike. There are 2 sensors- one on each tire. When riding the trainer, I only get cadence. It doesn't keep time or distance. Front tire monitors that?

Have a block! Thx

Edited by EV3110 2013-06-11 10:09 AM

You can probably move the magnet from the front tire to the rear tire and then you get speed and distance on the trainer. The trainer will eat tires faster than the road does (barring glass and such) but you can buy a trainer specific tire that will hold up well. I think I have 4000 ish miles on my current trainer tire. The trainer tires tend to be cheap ish $20. The problem is that then you have to change them out if you go outside the next day. Also, I clean my outside tire before using the trainer. Just take an old rag or shirt, whatever, with a little water and run the wheel to get some grit off. The grit will scratch the trainer resistance wheel surface.

I'm REALLY looking forward to the bike. Don't know why but the past couple of weeks, every time Im riding, it just gets me excited. Plus, just to be off the trainer and on a road in a race will be fantastic. To be out there and able to do it, I guess. I plan on enjoying every minute of this day.

Elena - As Steve already suggested, can you put the front tire sensors on the back tire? That would solve your problem I suspect.

Steve - the new goggles have the anti-fog. Maybe I have hot eyeballs

Carol - Your swimming sounds refreshing. Definitely not time to be caring about distance or pace considering your several month swimming hiatus. I'm just thankful you are out there doing some forward motion activity that isn't causing you pain. And there are usually not snakes in a pool

Mike - Amazing how one event can change the rest of your life's perspective. After all the challenges of this training season its seems this perspective change is proving to be beneficial for your race day mental prep. I'm looking forward to hearing stories of how that plays out as you go about the day.

Knee is still improving. Much less pain today. I don't have to work tomorrow so I can take some extra time in the morning staying off it with ice...yay! After my bike gets back from the shop I think I'll have everything I need. Next is getting it all together. I might need one more Glide stick and some chamios butter. Hmmmm.... Water temps are looking like they will increase and be between 62-65 on race day. The LBS guy said I could double up on my caps if I think the cold will be a problem, but since it is getting warmer I will potentially be fine. Found out yesterday that a couple friends I wasn't expecting are going to make it for the race. I can hardly believe all the people coming and I'm so thrilled. I feel like I have more to say but I don't know what it is...hahahaha. I might be posting more frequently since you are the people who understand where I am at the best.