Destination MoP is FULL (of motivation!) (Page 17)

Anyone even done (or planning to do) an Xterra event?

Xterra runs an offroad triathlon series, so mountain biking and trail running.  There is one in my area Xterra Whitewater.  Looks like some of the more difficult trails are in the event so this is not in my near future, but would like to add as a longer term goal.

I see Xterra has events in Richmond and Charlotteville, Stu?

-Steve

If you're into that kind of thing and have mountain biking experience, it looks like a blast.  I haven't done the Xterra ones in C'ville, though I believe the Charlottesville Sprint Triathlon shares a good portion of the run course with the Xterra.  The C'ville Tri was my first triathlon, and it has a fairly challenging road bike ride.  Anyway, the tri run is basically a trail run with a bit of scrambling... I took a good spill on it which was enough to convince me that Xterra wasn't for me :-)  I'm all about avoiding injury!  I will say that running in the shade (and I presume biking too) is a plus.  As an aside, one of my band mates does the mountain bike trails in the park there and loves it.  Of course, he's also been known to get pretty trashed and into fights in parking lots, so I'll just let that speak for itself!

However, if you need a place to stay if you're coming up, we can probably find a couch or something for you.  We're about 40 minutes from the race site.

Stu

I think it counts.  Of course, I train to the times in my plan instead of the distances, but it seems reasonable to me.

Valerie, I definitely count spin classes as bike workouts.  If you're lucky, your bikes will have a good display that will provide you with RPMs, watts, and an estimated distance.  Don't be discouraged about the distance as it may not accurately reflect the same output you'd do outside with the same amount of effort.  What's good about spin class:  no breaks (e.g. downhills), lots of interval work, more social, doesn't wear out your bike, good weather conditions, no dogs, traffic, etc.  What's not so good:  no handling skills, have to set up your bike each time (and get it right), no wind resistance skills, increasing resistance isn't the same as gravity.

The value of the class may depend somewhat on the instructor as well.  This year I stumbled upon one who is a cyclist and the workouts were far superior to the classes I did last year. 

In a perfect world, I'd do one spin class / week and the rest outside and the focus would be interval training.

Stu

Thanks Stu for the pro's and con's!!

I wish our spin bikes had computers but, they do not.  So I just have to Do It and take it for what it is 1hour with no data.

How'd the master's class go?  

In my area of my state USMS is very inactive.  It's a shame.  Maybe 10 years ago I swam with 2 men a few mornings a week.  I swam in a few meets, for fun.  Now those meets have disappeared.  It's kind of sad.

Hi all,

Just a few things to report.

I ended up purchasing a FINIS tempo trainer. I used it for the first time in the pool yesterday. I definitely see how it can help me with pacing. Although, the setting they asked me to start at was way too fast. I must have a really slow stroke! I believe this will help me in my longer sets, so I am excited about this little pickup.

Secondly, I finally replaced (lost the other one) my ANT+ USB that connects my garmin to the computer and thus, BT. Yea for technology. I can analyze all I want.... yea! One of my goals for this month is to wear my HRM during my bike & run workouts.

Life has been extremely busy and work has been almost unbearable. 95 degrees here tomorrow?! I thought I lived in Maine? Good excuse to find a lake to swim.

Heidi it is great to see you back. Anyone racing this weekend?

Happy Wednesday...

Christine

I need to get some new toys!  Don't complain too much about the weather; we just went over 70 this week and had chain controls over the Sierras on Monday!

christineakendall - 2011-06-08 6:20 PM New toys always inspire me! Plus I like graphs & charts.

x2

give me toys!

Cynthia- what are "chain controls"?

I just got word last night that my favorite local tri has been cancelled for this year. Major road work has made the bike and run unsafe. I'm so dissappointed.

I only do 2 or 3 tri's a year. Now I have to find a new one. I'm thinking about trying an oly, since I've been successfully increasing my run distance without injury!!

The VFF's are the best thing I ever did for my feet!

I will tell you what chain controls are if you tell me what VFF's are....

Chain controls are the mandatory chains you have to have on your vehicle when driving over Donner Pass when it snowing.  Donner Pass is the mountain pass on I-80 that runs east and west; named after the Donner Party. 

It was snowing the other day and required chains or 4 wheel drive to get over the pass.  The cold weahter has lingered here but this week it is finally warm. So we will have a week of spring like temps, mid to high 70s and then it will suddenly jump to 100+ and we will be in summer. 

Being from So Cal originally, all I can say is that there is really something to be said about one season!  Winter for me was 65 degrees in January with some rain and then the rest of the year it was no hotter than 85 along the coast!  Sure do miss that!

How cool to have a semi private lesson!

Chia seed experiment results....

For about the past month I've been having 1 scoop of ground chia seeds in a morning drink @ 8:30am on weekdays after my ride in to work.  

I mix the chia seeds with a bit of stevia, fresh lime juice, and water and drink over the course of 30 minutes or so.

I've come to the conclusion that they provide for a wonderful recovery drink.  On the days when I forget to take in my little mix but still have a snack @ 8:30am, I am hungry again by 10:00am and then again @ 11:30am.  With the chia seed drink, I'm good until after my lunchtime workout. 

So something about them keeps hunger at bay a bit longer than just a granola bar or banana even though the scoop only provides 80 calories of energy.

Good luck to everyone who is racing this weekend!  I'll be "racing" home from Houston later today... hoping to dodge the storms on my 3 connection flight... ack.

Stu

I've got a 5K tomorrow that looks like it will be in the rain.  That should be interesting.  I suspect that I'll like it more than heat, but not as much as temps in the 40s.  I've learned something from each race, so I expect I'll learn about wetness at this one.  I'll have to bring dry shirt and or sweatshirt for the drive home...

I've been increasing my long run, next week will be 5miles (5K race this weekend).  The heat (and my lack of toughness) is messing with my mid-week runs a bit, but I'll keep at it.  I find that I can run really slowly for the long run and be pretty comfortable.  It's like I've found my "conversational pace".  The problem is that I find myself settling into that pace on other runs as well.  My running is actually getting slower overall and I don't know that it's all heat related. 

If I push myself I can run .25 mile repeats on the TM at 5.0 (12minute mile).  I guess some weekly "speedwork" might be appropriate.  Would 400 at 5.0, followed by 200 at some slower paced jog, repeated for some time period be advised?  Perhaps, it's my swimming background, but it seems like short stretches of "speed" might acclimate my legs to picking up the pace a bit.