GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 160)

Yup, all's well with Beantown sports. (At least for today!)

Hope you get good news and it's NOT a hernia!

That's awesome Lisa! How exciting. Your daughter must be psyched!

SHAUN -

Wow, I sure hope it's not a hernia! The other way to view it is the same as when you mentioned it last week -- that it's sports-related only. As I told you last week, i'm not that familiar with groin problems, but now that you mention hernia there is a special category of them -- prosaically called a "sports hernia". But what exactly this means, I cannot say. I will look that up in a while!

Like other body parts, the groin can continue to protest when it isn't happy. So, maybe it was accepting of the run, but the swim pushed it too far. Interestingly, just last Thursday I did a long pool swim with the pool buoy, and partway through it my laft groin area started aching. It continued for the rest of that effort, but then once I stopped using the p.b. the discomfort mostly went away. My only guess is that I was squeezing too hard to keep the p.b. in place.

Very well done on jumping on the case so quickly, and managing to snag a doc app't today is extraordinary. PLEASE let me know what the verdict is okay?

Good luck to Kasia, Denise, Mark and Steve B this weekend!  I'll be pulling for you all!

Shaun - fingers crossed on "down there". 

Lisa - that's awesome about your daughter.  We saw the show here a few months ago (it seems) and it was a lot of fun.

Goodish day yesterday.
45 minute trainer ride - averaged 17.5 mph (good for me on a trainer) and then a 30-minute run.  Didn't run quite as well as I had hoped.  I went as hard as I could out of the gates, trying to keep the HR up as high as possible for as long as possible.  Made it about 3 minutes before having to back off to my more normal pace.  But, I was able to manage the pace to keep running for the 30 minutes.  I think it's going to be a while before I feel "normal" again - but there is no real soreness, hamstring feels good and joint pain is normal for me. 

Two things I'm noticing right now.  1)  Heart Rate seems much higher than normal for both RPE and for what I recall being normal at various paces.  Prior to IMSG, I'd be hard pressed to get the HR up over 150 on the trainer without really pushing it.  Now, at 16-17 mph, I'm up at 150+.  But, I don't feel like I'm struggling.  Same with running - normal pace has my HR near my LT, but I don't feel like I'm struggling.  Not sure if that's normal for a body in recovery.  2)  Form is still off no swim, bike and run.  At least, it "feels" off.  I'm gonna try to get into the gym sometime soon for a treadmill run to see what it looks like in the mirror. 

WOW! Busy weekend for the Groovetimers!  SWEET! That means lots of race reports!

Best of luck to Kasia, Denise, Mark and Steve B on Sunday!  I can't wait to hear how it went.  You guys are all going to do so awesome, I have HUGE positive smiling mojo heading your way. WOOT!

Shaun - Ouch.  I hope things work out OK. How the heck did you get to a Dr so fast?  Fingers crossed for a positive, workable diagnosis!   

Lisa - congrats to your daughter - that is so awesome! You must be so proud!  When is the show coming to Caratunk?

Steve A - that is flying on the trainer, awesome ride.  Glad to hear you are easing back into it.

As for me, I am taking it pretty easy this week.  DOMs is gone for the most part, but my left leg that had the calf injury is still making me hobble and wince. I also have a new pain (OH JOY!) that is very PF like in the left foot.  I think if I let it heal and don't run on it for a few weeks, all will be OK.  And ice, massage, compression, elevation, you all know the drill...Doing some easy cycling and swimming (maybe, if I can get to the pool) this week. 

Cheers all!

Mandy

LISA, That's awesome! How exciting. Your daughter must be psyched!

Mojo going out to KASIA, DENISE, MARK and STEVEB for this weekend!!!

Best of luck folks. Looking forward to race reports.

Well....back from the Dr. appt. She suspects it is a hernia and is sending me to a general surgeon. Not the normal case becasue I have something going up in and not coming down out. Going to the surgeon on Friday morning. From there I fully expect I'll be asking to go see the sports doctor's for a further review and to figure out the best solution for my current level of activity.

Thankfully thankfully thankfully!!! I am in no pain. Some very minor discomfort but no pain right now. I was not told to stop training but no sprinting or heavy work.

So after Friday I hope to have a better idea where I stand and know whether to push forward with tri's this summer or not. I know the first tri is sold out and I can transfer to someone else. Welland I have no idea.

And seriously....the weather is starting to get nice...time to be outside running, biking and swimming and I might have to have a surgery that keeps me down and out for 2 weeks...Really? Common now...

Mandy, seeing how I live in a suburb of Detroit (which has a population about 10,000x the size of Caratunk), you have a few choices. It wasn't with my primary doc, but when they heard I think I have a hernia they made sure to get me in even if I had to drive a bit further to get it checked today.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I do definitely feel different 'down there' today. Just a little uncomfortable. So, rest time it is for a few days here. I'll keep you all up to date with as much or as little as the group really wants to know.

I won't be on much the next few days, so want to catch up responding to some posts.

Tracey - great job on the 5K PR

Shaun - hoping for the best outcome for you.

Good luck to Kasia & SteveB this weekend - I get to wish Denise good luck in person at the race, woo hoo. (Denise, got an email from the RD, water temp projected at 65 for race, double woo hoo)

Thanks for your well wishes everyone - I plan to take your mojo & GO!

Mark

Congrats on the PR, Tracey! Great job!

Denise,

I've become one of those too, mostly to make sure I won't be too far behind the last racer. I've also limited myself to just last year's results, otherwise I'd go crazy. They are quite handy, though.

Kasia

Considering yesterday's hail storm and frigid downpour, 62-63 is very optimistic. Right now I'm hoping it hits 60. Then again, it's only a half mile swim, so it shouldn't be too bad. I hope. The air temp will be in the high 70s, so at least that'll warm me up afterwards.

I still haven't gotten the wetsuit, but the plan is to go in tomorrow to try some on and rent one. I take it I shouldn't go for the sleeveless? Haha.

BUT...the RD did say that last year when the temp was 64, they had a couple crazy people without suits. So that's a sado-masochistic thought...

Lisa,

That is amazing!!! You can definitely brag about that. Seems like you'll be taking lots of road trips. Maybe combine them with tris in the area? Haha

Kasia

Shaun,

HUGE bummer about the groin area. Really hope it's not a hernia. Good luck and hopefully it's something that won't need surgery. Keeping the fingers crossed.

Kasia

SHAUN, sorry about the news. IF you're only looking at a couple weeks recovery, that wouldn't be too bad. Hoping for the best.

As soon as I know the Mamma Mia! tour schedule, I'll post it and start planning my trips.  KASIA, don't think some races at the various venues haven't crossed my mind ... at least a running race or too, like I did when we went to visit her in Aspen last summer.  Three states down for half marys ... 47 more to go!  STEVE B, Alison has a sublet in NYC now through August (she's in Astoria now but will be moving back to the upper east side in another week or so), so she'll just store her meager items somewhere and hit the road ... heading back to NYC in 6 months with a nice little nest egg for future rent.

LISA

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-29 10:11 PM

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-29 10:11 PM

SHAUN -

So sorry that the preliminary assessment is a hernai, but the good news is that you were NOT told not to workout. And with the restrictions being so minor (i.e., no speed work), there's a chance you'll emerge from this with little or no loss in fitness.

As for how many details to provide........well. my vote is ALWAYS for Full Disclosure! The again, I'm an injury-junkie, so maybe I'd just better defer to the wishes of the rest of the group!

Hawk Island might be in jeopardy, as you suggest, but I would figure that Welland is still safe. It's what -- about six weeks away?

Hang in there with this, Shaun! You've worked very hard for many months now, and don't be "penny-rich, pound-foolish", meaning don't come rushing back too soon, or do something like sneak in a fast-paced run at 3% incline on the 'mill!

KASIA -

If water temp is 65, you can get away with a sleeveless, I think. Remember, Steve wore a sleeveless when it was 55 in the Pacific and barely 60 (or maybe not quite 60?) at IMSG. So, if what fits you dramatically better than any other model is a sleeveless.......you just might be okay with it.

Are there any areas that you're far and away more worried about for Sunday's race? Do you feel kinda sorta okay about the transition process? Let me know where your head is at, okay?

DENISE -

Those referee reports!

I have received one penalty in my life, and it was at Eagleman '04-- another Tri-Columbia race. And it was a doozy, a 4:00 one for drafting. It was about 18 miles in, a meaningless flat stretch, and a guy passed me and I just didn't drop back. I then heard the motorcycle behind me....and it slowed.....and hung just behind me......and then speeded up.

That was a great race for me, too, crossing the line in 5:09, a half-iron p.r.!!!!! But then the results were posted and I was there at 5:13. Four minutes!! It looked so awful on the sheet --- 4:00. The usual drafting penalty at smaller races is 2:00, but at Eagleman it is always four minutes. That's steep! (But to their credit, Eagleman is notorious for drafting. First, it is 56 miles of flat, and second, it offers spots for Ironman Hawaii, so people get hungry and drafting becomes rampant.)

The good news about my penalty is that it cost me only time, and not a finishing place; that is, the next guy behind me was more than four minutes back, so even losing those minutes off my time didn't affect my a.g. placement. Uh, thank god for small mercies?

I last went to the results about two years ago, just for a reality check, i guess. Maybe I'm due to go back there again, and should before Sunday just so that the lesson is fresh in my mind -- at Tri-Columbia events, thre's no room for brain cramps!

SteveB:

I know it may sound silly, but I'm terrified of getting penalized for doing something dumb as a newbie.

What are some of the things for newbies to be careful of? I know you can't draft on the bike (which I think means you need to stay 3 bike lengths behind the person in front of you?) I also know that you can't speed up when someone is passing. Also, when you pass you need to allow 1 bike width between you and the rider you're passing.

What are the others to keep in mind?

TRACEY -

You've got a couple of the biggies! However, you can speed up when soemone is passing you, as the onus is on them to complete the pass within 15 seconds. After that you have to drop back, or run the risk of having a penalty as I did at Eagleman -- just having a brain cramp and staying too close after his pass.

Another one to watch out for is Blocking, which means occupying the left-most "lane" and making it difficult for someone to pass. And then there is passing on the right, a big no-no. The final bike one is crossing the mid-line of the road, but this is only enforced on closed courses, and even then mostly only when it is an out-and-back course and there are cyclists coming back at you in the other lane.

Let's see. You have to have your helmet on and buckled BEFORE you remove the bike from the rack. At the other end, you can't remove the helmet until you have the bike back on the rack. This is actually a pretty good thing to focus on if you practice transitions -- just getting used to making the helmet first thing on, last thing off.

Littering in penalizable, as is "abandoning eqipment" -- usually that's ditching a water bottle. There are lots of stories of people who have hit a bump and inadvertently launch a water bottle....and don't realize it's happened....and then learn later that they got a penalty for it!

As for littering, if I eat a gel on the bike I just stick the packet in one of my pockets. And if I have one on the run, I do it just before an aid station and put the empty packet in the cup and toss them away together.

HOWEVER!!!

All that said, most races aren't as diligent as Columbia and Eagleman. I figure that Escape will be marshalled a bit more loosely, given that it is a sprint and the thinking is that there will be a lot of newbies there. There are no regional championships or anything "prestigious" associated with it, so that's another reason to be a bit slack with the penalties. Referees are never out to be nasty, and based on the clientele, I think they often look the other way. I would be surprised, for example, if at Escape you got penalized if a bottle accidentally launched from your bike; i think most judges would be after the intent-to-abandon before assessing a penalty.

Timberman sprint might be marshalled a bit more tightly, but not as tightly as the next day at the half-iron, where people are gunning for spots at the 70.3 championships at Clearwater in November. There'll be lots of motorcycles on course at Timberman 70.3. (Mandy had better behave herself! )

As for you, don't worry -- you'll be fine!

TRACEY again -

And why aren't the Celtics playing again until Saturday? I mean, it's not like the Bruins have games there right now.

Floyd, Floyd, Floyd, Floyd, Floyd.

Sigh.