Eliwashere's spring fling mentor group!-Full (Page 17)

You were in my neck of the woods.  I grew up in Northern NJ about 30 minutes outside of NYC,  now live about an hour away.  I love NYC but man not in the hot, humid weather we have been having.  Great job on your run!

Hey Randi nice to hear from you!!

I think I am back in the game again.  My bike fit went extremely well.  We shortened my stem from 100 mm to 80 mm, put the stem on so the angle raised the bars up some instead of going down.  He measured everything and asked a ton of questions.  Maybe even the most important part of the fit was the discussion of proper bike positioning.  I didn't realize but I was bending over by curving my back instead of turning my pelvis forward. 

I have been focusing on keeping a flat back and have been able to do 2 rides since Friday with minimal pain.  Hopefully with more practice and time in the saddle I will be able to do this without thinking.

I was able to hit my planning volume last week even if it meant going a bit harder this weekend than usual.  I had a great swim yesterday hitting just over 2:00/100 yds for a 1000yd swim.  Not sure how and really hoping that I didn't miscount laps somehow.

A 2 week taper seems like too much for a sprint but that is what my plan calls for so I will be doing shorter sessions and 4 "mini" bricks over the next couple of weeks to get ready for my July 10th race. Getting excited!  As well as all my swims in open water, or at least as open as possible.  A state park has a lap lane in a deep section of the lake.  Will be able to practice getting in and out of the wetsuit.

Hope everybody has a great week!!

Fantastic news Charlie! You will be well positioned for the July 10th race. Enjoy the taper.

Charlie - 2 weeks does sounds like a lot of taper for a sprint, but tapering is a critical part of any plan so if that's what the plan says go for it.  Enjoy the time and taper with the same intensity as you train!

Randi - Great to see you posting again.  How is everything feeling?

My wetsuit came today!!  Snug fit but I think it is perfect.  The vortex3 from Xterra, holy hard to put on.  Now I just need to get some open water swims in.  Hopefully tomorrow.

That fit sounds about right Charlie.  It should seem like it's strangling you at first.  I almost can't get mine totally on without help, and I think mine is big if anything.

Definitely get some swims in with it if at all possible.  It feels much better after there's some water around you.  Good luck with it!

I'm with Warren on this one - definitely get in the water a couple of times if you can - swimming in a wetsuit is a different animal. I can't get my wetsuit on without help. Last summer I would put it on at home (with my husband zipping me in) and then drive to the pond (about a 5 minute drive) hoping no one would stop me - didn't know how I could explain it.

I have tried the nose plug for swimming and it has helped with the sinus irritation - thanks for the feedback! Now if we could stop the thunderstorms, I could get an OWS in!

Everything is feeling great and am sure it is because I have not tried running in a long time.  I am focusing right now on the swim/bike since I am only doing those two for the triathlon on July 24 and want them to be better times than last year's.  Once I am finished with that race, I figured I could get back to gradually adding in the run again. 

Since I do have my wetsuit now, bought the used one and saved a little money, I am hoping to find one or two more sprint distances for the fall and hope to be able to do the whole race, not treat it like an aquabike.  We'll see how it goes.

So I did my first open water swim with my wet suit today.  I am really hoping it was my asthma and allergies that caused me to struggle so much.  I think it was was since I am on Prednisone and and anti-biotic for my sinus infection.  Either way it did not instill a ton of confidence.  I really struggled trying to stay straight and every time I lifted my head to site I really felt like I lost my rhythm and added to my fatigue.

My suit my be a bit big for me as water was getting in and in the torso it seemed like there was extra fabric.  I have 30 days to play with it, since my race is less than 2 weeks away I will keep this one till then but will likely look at going a size smaller after.

Either way my taper may not be as little as I thought since I think I need to practice in OW more before the race.  Might take a couple of my off days and do a couple of quick 20 minute swims to build confidence.  Hopefully after the meds kick in and I feel better.

The good news is the back seems fine still.

Hang in there Charlie.  Swimming in a wetsuit is definitely different and you are probably right that being sick did not help matters.  Glad you have some time to play with it and get adjusted a bit more before the race.    If you do have extra fabric in the torso then it might not be the right size.

Good luck and am sure you will figure it all out!

Good luck with the race Charlie.  Definitely get as much swimming as possible in the suit.  I agree that if you're getting water in the suit it may be too big.  I get a tiny amount, but if I tighten the neck it's pretty much zero water.

The suit definitely feels restrictive at first but you really do get used to it.  Good luck and it's a great suit.

Charlie,
I find swimming in a wetsuit can throw me off as well. I have one of the vortex long john style, and my biggest issue is that my shoulders always feel restricted.
What I usually do now is to jump in, get water throughout the suit (pull the neck down so water can slide through) and then wiggle the shoulder up so that I feel less pressure.
This helps me a lot.
Other than that, just trying to get some more swims in the suit will help.

 

Hey All,
I just returned home from NYC again. I had a great trip as far as work is concerned, and did OK diet and exercise wise as well.
But man, I am TIRED! I can really feel the difference just by missing one or two hours of sleep if I am working out. And, since I spent the better part of the last two weeks teaching classes, I was on my feet most of the day. It can take a LOT out of your legs.
So, the rest of this week I am going to take it easy and try to stretch a little.

Plus.....20 weeks till IM Cozumel. I am about to jump into the deep end with my training!

I am excited, but a little nervous.

So...who all is doing a July 4th event? 

Eli - glad you are back home again. Back in the day - I did some corporate training...it is exhausting!

Charlie - the one thing someone recommended to me re: the wetsuit that helped me was to slowly put it on...pulling up each segment (from the ankle to the knee, then the knee to the hip, then the hip to the waist, etc) as much as possible to help give you some room in the shoulders (which tends to be where most of the binding can occur). For us girls - it is a lot like putting on full body pantyhose.

No racing for me this weekend - just enjoying a typical Maine 4th (lobster, corn on the cob, blueberry pie, small town fireworks/parade) and doing as much training as the family will allow (I'm going to try Warren's approach and ride to the beach house to meet everyone, etc.). I've got three weeks until my next race - which is also the first triathlon I attempted (and DNF'ed due to equipment failure) - and am planning on doing the route as much as I can.

Have a great weekend all!

I want lobster!!!!!

Happy 4th everyone!
I hope you all had great weekend. I did, mostly.
Went on a decent ride on Sat and late night run into early morning run.
Then, today, we got up early and drove to the everglades so my wife and a friend could do a 30 mile ride. My daughter an I rode about 10 miles, and saw 14 alligators, including about 9 babies.

However, I had a little accident. My wife wanted to brick (she is a motivator) and I had forgotten my running shoes. Since she was planning on going only 2 miles, I figured I would tag along. So I ran barefoot. I have been running some in my vibram 5 fingers, so I figured it wouldn't be that big a deal.
The running was fine, but I stubbed my toe at one point, and tore off a 1 or 2 square centimeter of skin.

I washed it there, put gauze on it and have re-cleaned it, put betadine around it and rebandaged.

My questions to you all-should I wait for a few days before sticking it into the bacterial breeding ground I call a shoe to avoid infection, or am I good to go?

Thanks!!! 

Eli,

I would just keep it wrapped with antibiotic cream.  That's what I have to do when I lose part of my toe nail due to it being in grown.  (Life Long problem)

I have had an awesome weekend as well, but not without injury.  Again!!!

Played wiffle ball (July 4th Tradition with friends) I got a little carried away and dove for a ball and ended up hurting my right shoulder pretty good.  Really sore right now, hoping it heals quickly.  Feel like a pretty big egg head now only being a week away from Tri and doing something stupid like that.  But hey we won!!

I have struggled with shoulder pain off and on for years so hopefully this will pass quickly and I can swim comfortably on Saturday.  May move my workouts around to rest it up early in the week, and try it out later.  Either way I will be swimming on Saturday even if it is Doggie Paddle.

Sounds like a rough weekend for our crew!

Charlie - I have arthritis in my right shoulder and know how sensitive shoulders can be...mostly for me - it's swimming that irritates it...gives me an excuse to do a lot of kick work in the pool.

Had a fantastic weekend (including a great day off from work today when the kids had camp, but my husband and I had the chance to go out to breakfast - how civilized!)...Got in a lot of OWS - found a really nice "route" - a local pond (about 2 and a half miles from our house) with a dock...swimming out from the dock, around an island in the middle and back to the dock is rumored to be a mile. I was able to swim the distance today pretty quickly for me...and I actually enjoyed it. I only had a bit of freak out on the way out - I saw a large dark thing swimming with me which made me squirm out of the way until I realized it was my own shadow.

Hope you all are doing well and feeling good about your training!

Yup, I have been told it is Arthritis caused by some kind of injury long ago.  Hopefully it will feel better by Saturday or I will be doggie paddling the race.

Arthritis in my shoulder here too.  Mine is right in the joint and irritates the rotator cuff when it flairs.  I even went through physical therapy for it.   Swimming is actually good for it provided your mechanics are good.  Let me know if you want me to dig up some of the exercises I do for it.

Hope you are feeling better for Saturday.  No shame in doggie paddling, coming from someone who finished a swim doing the doggie paddle!  What about sidestroke?

It is EXTREMELY hot here in NJ this week so no outdoor training for me.  I work today but am planning to get in the pool afterwards for some drill work.  Guess that is the advantage to working at the Y.  I don't have much of an excuse about not wanting to get to the gym.

The entire family went last night and I tried the jog 30 sec/walk 1:30 at a slow pace for the first time in a LONG time and about 1/3 mile in my shins started hurting.  I need to pick up the stretching again before I try doing it  again.   Definitely makes me realize that I doing the tri at the end of the month as a relay is a smart choice.  I also realized how much I HATE the stationary bike.  Looks like I will need to invest in a good, quality trainer for the winter. 

We hit the sale at the LBS and picked up leg warmers, arm warmers and shoe covers all for $5 each, not that I will be wearing them anytime soon but am all set for the Fall.  It was definitely weird buying cold-weather gear when it is 95 degrees outside.

Off to work!  Have a great day!!!

Nice move on buying the cold weather gear now!
I am trying to get organized as my IM training starts next week. I thought it was yesterday, but luckily, it wasn't.

So, I am going to chill and stretch and rest this week, or at least for a couple of days.

I can't believe it is July and the fall is just around the corner!

 

Agree Eli, time is moving on.  10 weeks until my half and I still can't swim yet!  I wish I could find some deals like that on cold weather gear.  I'm searching for more and more bike stuff to wear as the weather cools.

Enjoy your last week Eli, IM is on the way.  You'll be paddling in the Mexican water waiting for the horn before you know it.

Warren,
I am a little frightened of the mass start. And the Mexican water (but not the Ocean).
Ran 4 miles today in the middle of the day. Suffering a little for it now.
My achilles tendon is acting up again, so I am back on a rehab program trying to remember to tape it and ice it twice a day, as well as stretch as much as possible.
I am getting excited for the challenges of the coming months.
And the amount of ice cream I am going to be able to excuse myself for. 

Hey Guys!!  How tight are tri tops supposed to be?  I just got mine from Aevero and it seems a little looser that the pictures I see other wearing.  I personally prefer it loose but I don't know if there is a reason folks wear them so tight.

Shoulder is getting better everyday.  Much less sore today than yesterday.  I plan on taking the week off from swimming to get it fully rested by Saturday.  Little disappointed as I would like to have gotten another OWS in but will make do with what I have already completed.

Getting nervous and excited!!

Tri tops are supposed to be snug to avoid any drag in the water when swimming but if you are wearing a wetsuit then it does not really matter, especially if you like it a bit looser. 

Glad to hear the shoulder is getting better and taking it easy is definitely a smart thing.  At this point,  you are not going to improve on anything so not doing another swim won't hurt, only help for Saturday. 

Now's the time to mentally run through the transitions so that you make sure you have everything you need.  I love the checklist they have here on BT to make sure I have everything.  I lay everything out like it would be in transition and  go through the  motions for each.  Glad I did this for the aquabike because I almost forgot my asthma medicine, not that I ended up needing it during the race but imagine if I had.