Scott's Mentor Group-Closed for training. (Page 17)

"Just Glad I got out there this morning."

Troy, your commitment to early morning activity impresses me. I try to get up early every day at 6am and just can't do it. I get up at 7 and start my day. I go train at 4:30pm usually. You are almost done with your workout by the time I get up.

I know things will change when the twins come in August. I am starting to think if I am up feeding one of them at 4:30 or 5:00, I might throw the shoes on and go for a run. I want to get a trainer so I can go for ride as well. Time management will be very important. I don't know how my body will feel if i am tired and trying to exercise.

Anyway, kudos to you and your routine.

Hi All,

I'm alive and well......now!!!  Just got off an easy 8 mile bike ride as I thought about what to post.

I must say I did not hit my section time goals.  Ironically, I did exceed my transition time goals for both T1 and T2.  Here are the stats:

Swim - 11:04 ( but I did not drown...more on this in lessons learned section)

T1  1:38

Bike   34:21(I hear scott saying ride more and do some hills)

T2  1:10

Run  25:32

Total  1:13:34

I was totally psyched to finish and actual feel really good after a range of emotions.  

Lessons learned:

1) check your bike at night

So we actually went and stayed in a hotel as I have tons of marriott points and had a nice evening.  Got all my stuff organized and pumped up my tires and went to bed.  It was dry in the room and my gal asked if I would go to the car to get her a water bottle from my supply of many water bottles.... so being the good guy I did.  As I was there I of course check my tires and was frustrated as I had just pumped them up and NOWI HAD A FLAT TIRE.  I returned to the room with my tire, a tube, some tools and a bottle of water.  The room was silent but I fixed the tire and it was a blessing as the tire was fixed and worked well.  Net net, check your bike and then I lied in bed staring out the window as I was now awake and thinking about the race and visualizing each section!!!

2) Do season appropriate open water swims OR restated try the COLD WATER 

For context, my 400 yard swims at race pace were around 6:30- 7:00 regularly.  I hopped in the water like many were doing pre race and I was fine - till my head went under.  The water was 56 degrees........I figured it may slow me down but I am a tough new englander and can handle the cold!!  So I watched the other flights and picked my starting location where I could hold the dock as it was an open water start.  As I swam out I tried to put my head under water and could but only for two seconds or so.....that was concerning but I figured adrenaline would take over.  So every one is in the water - 1:30 till start time and I am now worried as I am forcing myself under the water and can only stay under for a few seconds.  My suit is fine, it is my head.....my breath is getting very short.  I start my watch at the 10 second mark let go of the dock and I'm ready and I'm off!!!! I take 5 strong strokes as I had visualized last night to get out front I went to breath to the right as I was furthest left.....cool I'm 1 of 5 across in front but I can't suck any air in.  My head goes back down and I don't have any air so I go into a craw swim with my head above water......still can't breath...so I stop and tread water.....ok, gotta keep moving so I roll on my back and just kick my feet and think I'm being a wimp suck it up and go.  so I take a few breaths and roll and start breathing every stroke and this seems to be working but after 50 yards or so I sight and well realize I'm dizzy....hmmmm only about 1/4 of the way.....I tread water and look for safety boat....he is   back 50 yards and looking at someone else so now I am in panic mode.....felling dizzy having trouble breathing..............after some treading water, small breaths and another stint on my back I roll and finally settle into a viable rotation of freestyle and breast stroke to get me to the end.  GREAT - I'm alive......oh yea, gotta bike and run now.....

At the bike rack, breathing now as I am pulling off wetsuit after 65-75 yard run, I can't stand up. OK to be honest, I wobbled and fell over......ladies and gents I did not have control of my body, so I work on wet suit on the ground for what felt like hours.......full transition was 1:38 so it wasn't that bad...i sat there and my bike mate that I met and bonded with prior to the race shows up and yells at me - GET UP Go, Now DO IT.  Let's go, so up I go and grab my bike and off to the races.

practice open water swims is my lesson - I am a good swimmer and this scared me but I survived or so I though......the water temp monster got me again....

so on the bike, feet in shoes, make it up the half mile hill to start, going down at 35 MPH coasting I get some water....oh no, I can't swallow it, I feel like I'm back in the water and the water gets spit out or coughed out....I'm back in panic mode, I can't breath.....so I coast and put the water bottle back and ride slow.  Heading to exit park, a friend is managing intersection as elite bikes are coming back in as I head out and this guy is going wide and we almost crash....my friend is yelling at him and then gives me some encouragement.

3) have fun

So I settled in for the ride and had some fun.  It was a great ride and I started getting stronger, was getting back to my practice ride pace and then the cops and medical people are slowing us all down....as I come around a corner I see a guy on the grass his back all bloody his bike mangled and people with bandages.....ok - I hope he is okay and wonder how he crashed as we get to the next down hill I get up to 39.5 mph and think about the guy and I hold on!!!!

In my running shoes and had a nice 5 k run.  still can't drink water but I'm almost done and I just hold the pace and look forward to the finish as I run by the water exit and think I can't wait to do this again.

Next tri is in  two week with an ocean swim.....I am going to buy a head cap and practice open water swims.

I made it and can't wait for the next one!!

Hope the lessons were helpful!!  Have a great day.

Jeff

Jeff:
Thanks for the great race update.  Got me totally stoked.

My weekend was off.  I did a bunch of lawn/garden Saturday, and planned to run around the soccer field during my son's game - but it was cancelled.  Did a little running and a little biking - mostly just to hang with my 10 year old.  Sunday did a bit of walking at 5 Rivers, ate way too much. 

I plan to go long on bike the rain this afternoon. 

Ben

Jeff- Great race report! I hear you on the cold water. I"ll need to work on that myself as I swim at a community center and the pool is never less than 80-85. Apparently the Seniors complain if it gets any colder. I've seen a lot of people post that they wear earplugs in cold water to prevent the dizziness. I swim with them anyway but it might help.

Ashley-I'm amazed at people with small children who train. I barely manage to fit it in and I'm practically single as I really only see my SO a few hours a week. I don't think I'd be good at working my schedule around 1 other person much less a spouse and twin infants. I'm happy for you but you're going tomake all of my excuses invalid!

Troy and Ashley-Thanks for the support. I think it's just my thyroid acting up. I'm hypo and take meds for it already. There's a lot of conflicting information out there but I may have caused it to slow by dieting. I'm going to train like it's not and hope it goes away. I'm also going to see my accupuncturist.  

Train on, everyone! Have a great day!!

nice race Jeff ...

wrecked today at 35mph on a downhill  ... hit wet grass clippings and lost control. Wiped into the brush/trees rather than eat it on concrete.  Got unclipped but was tossed and battered.  2 bruised ribs, slight concussion and broken clavicle  ... had to rechain my bike, walk 2 1/2 miles and than 20minutes to hospital.  What was to be my final training ride before the Gran Fondo is now 4-6 weeks of nothing ... will knock me out of at least 4 events.

Follow up Wednesday with orthopedist - am hoping I can go the sling only route - fingers on my left hand are crossed.

Paul, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I know you are battling disappointment and frustration but focus on the fact that all you have are some bumps, bruises, and a broken clavicle. I hate cliches but it could have been alot worse at that kind of speed.

Get better my friend and keep us posted on your recovery. You will live to see another race. Be thankful.

Well said, Ashley. x1000

That sucks, Paul. I'm really sorry to hear it. Take care of yourself and like Ashley, I'd like to know how you're doing so keep us updated. I'm really glad it wasn't worse, though. I'm terrified at times riding downhill and looking at where I might land if the worst happens.

Paul,  I am so sorry.  That is some serious speed to lose control of the bike.  I am glad that it was not worse.  You will heal.  How's your bike?  I hope that you mend quickly and get back at it.  As soon as you are able get on a bike and ride.  Get it out of your system.  Please keep us updated.  

Thanks for a great race report.  Sounds like lessons learned.  x2 on the earplugs, especially in cold water.  Yes, must ride more.  Congratulations on a successful race.  

From what I can tell _ other than knocking my seat loose the bike is ok ... will look again tomorrow as I sulk ... I went the off road option for two reasons - I am afraid of road rash seen guys skinned up badly and my legs are totally tattooed and don't want them skinned off ... secondly my road bike is my baby (so much more than the TT bike) was hoping I could spare her damage.

In hindsight there was no reason for me to be pushing so hard on this ride - it was lightly raining and I had battled a $ 1/2 mile headwind and maintained a 19mph average - with the tailwind and the slight downhills I was pushing to make the return in half the time.  Foolish on my part especially since I was alone out there ...

Will have to get pumped off your training and results for a while ... looks like all I can do is long walks - I also need to cut 1800 or so calories out a day or I will get fat .... ugh ... thanks for the well wishes.  Hope this is my last spill off the bike.

I had to work late last night so my pool time got rescheduled for today and I did a short run instead. 

Train safe today, everyone!

Good morning, all.

Hit the pool yesterday for 200 yards. I am doing 200 minute intervals still and I am starting to see improvements. I am averaging 1:50 intervals as compared to a few weeks ago I was closer to 1:55. I was hitting the wall about the same time I needed to start over. It was frustrating and exhausting but I knew improvements would come and they have. I am constantly trying to improve my right side breathing.

I am going to hit the road today for a light 4 miler. If that goes well I will try 5 miles on Saturday. Little nervous about the groin but I have given it over a week off so it should be fine.

I keep looking for my next race but don't know if I want to invest in a wetsuit yet. I want to do open water swims so I might have to.

What is everyone doing today?

Hi all,

Sorry I've been absent. I got really sick last thursday and Friday with the stomach flu, had to take those days off..... Saturday I was feeing much better and really rested! I decided to do the race distance on the bike, I got 56 miles in 2 hours & 43 minutes. I was really pumped that I kept it under a 3 hours. There were a couple of big hills too (always fun). Really proud of my efforts. Monday I went to spin class and when I got home from practice I ran 8.5 miles. It wasnt that great of a pace but there were ALOT of big hills. This morning I swam 1500 yds in 28 mins. A PR for me....I know that im not that fast swimming!

Congrats to everyone for working hard on their goals. This group really modivates me to keep up my training when I see all of your accomplishments. keep up the hard work!!

Caleb

Quite amazing Paul!

Glad your okay - you will be back soon!!!! Get on the bike as soon as you can.

Good morning all ...

Had a nice 19.5 miler on the bike this morning. Still staying off the ankle and am actually thankful that the 5k I was scheduled to run in tomorrow as part of a team has been cancelled. One of our teammates had a sudden knee injury and is on no-run orders from the doctor. While I hope he mends quickly, I'm glad not to have to push the ankle through the speed of a 5k with only 10 days left until my marathon. I'll run easy this weekend and then once or twice next week and will continue to hope that my bike/swim is enough fitness to keep me tuned through the taper.

I hit 42.5 mph on a downhill today ... that's the fastest I've ever recorded with my Garmin. I was on the aero bars through the entire descent and felt comfortable and in control. My neck muscles still need to strengthen, but I'm holding aero through nearly my entire rides with the exception of when I stand to climb. 

Morning, tri trainers!

Troy, that is scary speed on a bike. I hit 30+ and want to slow down. 42.5!! Did you pee a little?

Paul, how you feeling today?

Scott, what is your first race?

Hit the road yesterday for a 21 mile ride. It felt awesome to be back on the bike after a week hiatus. I am wondering if I pulled a groin doing something else after my bike ride last week and didn't realize it. Anyway, felt good yesterday and am looking forward to an easy run today. Maybe the time off will do the whole body some good.

Going to get in 4-5 miles on the feet today. I'm excited to get back out there!

I still have to try the whole pee on the bike thing. 

It's a fairly straight descent. I doubt I'd have been willing to take any sort of curve at that speed, but it felt surprisingly smooth and calm. I really did feel perfectly in control. I also don't know that I would have held it in a race setting with other racers around ... I'd have probably wanted to be off the aero bars and feathering the brakes. It just feels a little safer in the morning hours with no cars around. 

It's a sprint.  500m pool swim, 13.7 bike, 5k run.  It's a nice local event up here in Stowe.  I did it last year and came in 9th out of 100 or so.  Am looking to crush some dreams this weekend.  Hoping to come as close to 1 hour as I can.  I'm guessing 1:02-1:05.  

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I've been AWOL but things have been crazy between mother's day, baseball games for my twins, work and field trips. Not to mention getting in my training, which has been taking precedent over internet access.

First off Paul I'm so sorry and I feel horrible for you. I can't imagine how frustrated you must be. I really like to push it on the downhills and get my bike up to around 40 as well. I can't even imagine taking a spill at that speed. Hopefully you'll be able to bounce back as quickly as possible. And on a good note, the clavicle, aka the body's shock absorber, did it's job. Breaking that probably helped saved a lot of other parts that would've been much worse off.

Changing over to Ashley, I can tell you from experience, when those two little bundles of joy come, you most likely will NOT be looking to go out for a run, you'll be looking to get back to sleep! When mine came it was survival! I admire your dedication to think you'll be getting laps around the course. More likely you'll be getting laps around the inside of your eyelids in what little REM you get!  The other thing I wanted to point out is that you will definitely be going to the earlier hours when they come. I saw you posted you don't get out there until around 7ish? I'm typically up by 5:15 to go get a swim in prior to getting the kids off to school, and mine are 10. This is pretty much the only way I can guarantee to get in at least some kind of training Mon-Fri. Then, since I work out of my house, I will throw in another work out at lunch (typically a 5-10K or as many miles on the bike that I can squeeze in) while they are at school. Everyone's situation is different, but that first year or so they are going to monopolize so much time you'll be amazed.

I've been getting in my training and all seems to be going well. I was one short on runs last week, so that upset me. I'll try and squeeze in an extra 10K this week. I'm also a little bummed that I won't be doing the Columbia Triathalon here this weekend. I have a family commitment that's going to have me out of town so I wasn't able to sign up. But my training buddies are signed up and I'm feeling a little blue about missing out. It's an Oly, so probably for the best that I'm not doing it as my first Tri, but it's still bugging me a little that I'm missing out.

On a good note, I was happy to get into the Army 10 Miler in October here in DC for October. The race sells out each year, so getting in can be a challenge. This is nice way to end up the season for me, and I enjoy the pancake flat course around all the monuments and the Capital.

Last thing, I'm debating having a t-shirt made up? On the front it will read "Real Clydesdale's don't TRI to transport beer..." and on the back, "...they TRI to drink it!" with a nice beer pint with the swim/ride/run icons on it. What do you think?

-Matt