Destination MoP Group is FULL (of motivated life jugglers) (Page 18)

Hi MoP,
Nothing big planned for the romance holiday. I did just give an exam and the students performed well so that's a big day for them.
Meanwhile, it's 30-35 mph winds but sunny so I'm going to do a short run and then head to a tennis clinic tonight.  I'm having a really hard time fitting in all of the runs, bikes, and swims I would like to (and need to) to prepare well for my first tri that's in less than a month! I play tennis a lot, almost every day, so it's really hard to fit in more than 1 swim, bike, and run per week. I guess my question to the group is will it be a complete disaster for me? I plan on trying a "brick" workout but it can't happen this week because I have 2 singles matches, 5 training sessions, and a tournament on Saturday. I know you are probably thinking I need to give up some tennis and focus on the tri events, but it's really hard. I'm addicted to tennis and the tri workouts have really helped me stay healthy and minimize injuries. It's such a tough balance between getting lots of excercize and not getting injured.
Hope everyone has a great night.
Joanne

Hi Joanne,

Not sure what qualifies as a disaster :-)  Will you finish - yep (barring something unforeseen).  You'll probably just be very sore the next day or two if you push it, but b/c you're in good shape from the tennis, etc. you should be fine.  I think this goes back to what your goals are - if it is to have fun and help you get in shape for tennis... you're right on track, right?  If it was an open water swim, I'd be a little more concerned, but the order of events tracks nicely with your experience.  No worries. 

Stu

Got in my first outdoor ride of the season... beautiful day - about 60 degrees.  Only problem was major wind.  Tree branches flying everywhere.  Gusts over 60mph near us... seemed to be 20-30 on the ride.  Still, it was glorious to be off spin bikes and I felt like the spin classes or the stairmaster workouts helped my hill climbing ability.  All in all a good ride.  I didn't push it cuz the friend I was riding with was having a tough time keeping up (unlike two years ago when it was the other way around... wish I could say it was all me).

Unfortunately, my wife is sick tonight... so Valentine's will have to be postponed.  Still, I made a nice dinner which we both enjoyed.

From the looks of the majority of the logs, it appears that February is proving to be a challenge for many of us.  Nothing wrong with taking a couple of days off to rest up a bit and regain your motivation... just don't forget to come back to the training... cuz... well, Lance is coming :-)

Stu

Thanks Stu. I think I'm just second guessing myself as the date approaches. Yes, my goal is to finish and have some fun. My lack of confidence can undermine my goals and I just needed a little reassurance that I CAN do this. So, thanks to your support, and the whole group, I'm back on track mentally and will stick with my plan.  My mental strength is great during activities, but it can sabbotage me during the off times when I ask myself these doubting questions. Does anyone else have these moments of self-doubt? For me these times lead to over eating, which happens at night, and I wish I had a cure to get my head back on straight.
Looks like good weather today, so going for a short run (3 mi), I'm biking to work, short swim (30 min), and 3 hours of tennis tonight.

Good question, Andrea.  I do less of this now, but when I was getting started, I would do a similar workout each week and time it (a 5K for a run, a 12 mi bike loop, a 300 yard swim).  As it turned out, that wasn't so accurate because my times had more to do with what I had done the day before or how I was feeling that day (or the weather, etc.)  But it did give me a gauge of progress.  Over time, it became less important to me, probably because I had races to compare year over year, and that was a more accurate representation of my progress (or lack of it).  Now I go more by feel... if I do a 5 mi run, how do I feel during and after?  Did I suck wind, or did I feel strong?  These wind up being pretty good indicators.

For you, improvement might be different things.  In swimming, you can probably gauge it pretty well because of your swimming background.  In running, perhaps improvement means going a longer distance, or increasing the run/walk ratio for the same distance.  If you monitor your heart rate, maybe you find that it isn't as high for the same workout as it was 3 weeks ago.  If you don't, maybe the pool of sweat isn't as deep after the same bike workout (or maybe you could do a higher level for the same amount of effort).

I'm weird.  I love measuring, but I don't take the measurements too seriously.  More of an overall gauge... what's the general trend, etc.  How about the rest of you?  How can you tell if you're making progress?

Hope that helps a bit... and good luck on Saturday... can't wait to hear how it goes!

Stu

Edited by juneapple 2011-02-15 9:26 PM

One way to measure progress on the bike, is to do a 30 minute thresh hold test. I'll try to find a link to the specifics, but essentially, you should ride for 30 minutes on the trainer as hard as you can. Track the distance and the settings you were in. Re-do the test once a month, and see if there is improvement in your distance.

I try to have a "test run route" It's a specific route that I do about once every other week. Then, I compare my times to see f there is a general trend of improvement.  It's a different route than my usual routes, so that when I do it after a couple of weeks, the improvement is more clear to me. 

HEy guys!!!!! Had a quick lunch break and wanted to tell everyone good luck with their training for the rest of the week. I habe a day off tomorrow so i'm gonna try to swim and run or bike. My goal for the rest of february is to swim atleast 2-3 times a week. Good llluuuuuuuccccckkkkkk!!!!!

Ok all I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I am still here alive and kickin'!  Had to work again this Saturday but I was able to get a ride in with the group in Reno.  They are doing a team in training for the bike ride around Lake Tahoe.  Unfortunately, I cannot commit to the training since I live so far from Reno.  Was able to ride with them on Sat because I had to be in Reno for work.  It sure was fun.  Took my first exam for pre-cal this week...I don't think I failed it but I know I did not get an A just another MOP for me! Missed my swim training this weekend; something more fun came along!  Getting back on track.  We had great weather this weekend in No. NV but today its snow everywhere and I have class tonight so Wednesdays are always my day off.  Have a great day all!

That made me laugh out loud!

My last 2 days have been sort of shot. My 4 year old has double ear infections- and has been in a lot of pain, plus my MIL has had a lot of issues from her most recent round of chemo. It's just fun and games all around! 

Heidi, I'm right there with you.  My 5 1/2 year old just had an ear infection too.  He's on azithromycin.  I had to read that from the bottle.  I hope his twin siblings don't get it, but they did last year.

Tough week for me.  My dad had a stroke last year and he's been kind of hard to deal with lately.

Hang in there Ron. I have incredible respect for people who are helping a parent who has had a stroke. The recover process with any brain injury is so long, and it's hard to stay positive through it. 

Good to see some familiar faces again!  I'm on the road again today... and another working weekend.  Will be glad when this stretch is over.

Ron - so sorry to hear about your Dad.  That's alot of responsibilities for you to juggle.  Hang in there!

Stu

Good Morning MOP's

What does everyone have scheduled for today?
I got in a 32 minute run yesterday- longest run I've done since October without a walk break. I'm feeling better than I have in months.
Today, I'll get in a bike ride on the trainer.

Foot tip of the day: (Totally unsolicited)- For dry cracked winter feet, lather Vicks on them before bed time. Throw on some socks, and in the morning they'll be much smoother and softer! 

Just be sure it's not Vicks Vapo-Rub (which is what we refer to as Vicks at our house ;-)

That's exactly what I mean! The Vapo-rub. Which is why I need the socks- I can't stand the smell of it. 

My 2nd indoor tri is tomorrow. My bag is packed and I'm ready to go. I've added an extra wash cloth that I'm going to moisten and put in a ziplock bag with a smaller ziploced bag of ice cubes. I'm thinking that a cool wash cloth will keep me cool when placed on my neck between the bike and run.The times are a bit longer than the one I did in January. 15 min swim instead of 10, 30 min spin bike is the same, 30 min treadmill instead of 20. I'm looking forward to testing myself. I have goals for each segment.

Good luck tomorrow! Let us know how you do.
 

Setting race goals:

Just curious. When setting race goals, does anyone here think in terms of 3 goals for each sport?

In one of the first mentor groups I was in, someone recommended setting 3 goals. A safe zone, a realistic goal, and a stretch goal. The stretch goal is the "pie-in-the-sky", everything is perfect and all planets aligned during the race, goal. It's sort of a fantasy goal.

The middle goal is the one that you will have to work to get, but it's within reach.

The safety zone goal, allows for all kinds of things that could happen to affect your time. Like, flat tires, horrible muscle spasms, etc.

I found that having the 3 goals for each leg of the race, really helped me to focus and stay motivated during a race. However, it also alleviated a lot of pre-race anxiety, because I was acknowledging from the beginning that things might not go as planned.
Have others made goals like this, and what do you think?

 

Back from vacation!

we walked miles and miles- one of us pushing 2 kids in a double stroller, one carrying what felt like twenty pounds in a backpack through 2 parks every day.

Did not get much running in, I was so worn out and my hips and back were shot every day!!! But we had a blast and the sunshine was glorious.

Back at it today- long run, 6 miles. Happy it's done, felt good. head back to masters swim tomorrow night, and our next round of freezing rain and snow comes tomorrow.

Hope everyone is well!

Welcome back Anne!

I'm glad you had a great time in Florida. 

Welcome back, Anne.  I'm hoping to have fun time down there in late April with my son, mother and step-father.  It should be interesting anyway. 

I completed my indoor tri today.  I met each of my goals and I feel pretty good about the day in general.  I won't know the results until tomorrow as there are start times for other athletes until mid-day tomorrow.

The swim went well.  I shared a lane but my lane partner suggested circle swimming, so I wasn't against the wall the whole way.  I swam 900 yards in the 15 minutes allotted.  I hurried and got dressed during the 10min time allowed.

The bike went pretty well.  I watched the RPM number and tried to stay at certain levels along the way.  I was ahead of 1/2 of my goal at 15 mins in, so I started alternating fast segments and some shorter segments at slower speed.  I completed 8.91 miles in 30 minutes.  This was an improvement over my previous race were I went closer to 8 miles.  (I'll check on the specifics and edit)

The run was tough.  This time it was 30 mins instead of 20 mins.  I planned to run/walk.  I completed 2.1 miles which is a bit faster than the 1.37 I completed last time in 20 minutes.

I got a tee shirt and a finisher's medal!  My son wants to take the medal to school for show and tell, LOL!

Andrea-Way to go! Congratulations! It's always nice to see improvement with each race.

I met my running goal for the past week! 3 runs in. That's the first time I've met the goal in a long time. Hopefully, this week will be easier to meet goals, since it's school vacation, and my husband and daughter dont have to be out the door by 6:45.

Andrea - congratulations on completing your 2nd triathlon.  Sounds like it went really well.

Anne - glad you had a great time, although all that fun sounds exhausting!

I've had a very tired last week.  I've kept going with my training, but I don't think I've been managing to get enough rest in, which means I'm still tired each time from the previous training session.  This week is my rest week, so I'm going to make a real effort to keep my workouts really short and get lots of recovery time in.  The tiredness isn't helped by the shifts, but I'm trying to make sure I get sufficient sleep in, and catching up when I have a day off.

Any advice on good recovery options very welcome...