GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 183)

Tracey,

At the tris I've done, they mark at least one leg too, so putting it on ahead won't work.  Also, you're supposed to visit the porta-potty several times before the race even if you don't feel like you have to.  I just made sure I had a good 15" chunk of time to put it on.  Most races have a pre-race meeting 20-30 minutes before the start - I made sure I had 15" to put on my suit before that mtg.  Steve can probably advise you better.

You won't have to deal with any of that "swimming over" stuff - not in the slower waves.  That's for the speedsters in front.  I was terrified too when I first heard about it.  What I heard is that they push you down with one arm and swim over you - Yikes.

Remember - EVERYBODY is going to be nervous - it's just part of doing something that's a challenge.  The second you hit the water, all nervousness will be gone.  Just do what you've been doing for months.  I'm so glad that OWS went so well - great confidence booster before the race.

Denise

Boy, if it's not one thing it's another.   Ended up getting a REALLY BAD sore throat yesterday, a bit dizzy and feverish.   Went to my naturopath this morning and got a remedy that I am taking every hour.   Told me NOT to swim and bike for the next 2 days, but I just can't comply.  

Getting a little freakish because I have yet to swim 1500 continuous OWS this year and Guelph is rapidly approaching.    As long as I have no fever we are going to Gulliver's Lake tomorrow to do a swim/bike brick.   I will swim 40 minutes continuous and then do a 20km ride.   

Lots of rain in the forecast for next week but race day is looking good.    

Mandy,

I hope you have a great time at the race with Steve.  I really sympathize with your bike issues - so soon before a race too.
I'm sure you'll get it resolved before race day - AND you'll have Steve to check it out since he's had experience with that tape stuff
(not to put any pressure on you Steve).

Denise

TRACEY,

As Steve pointed out, I wouldn't be concerned about anyone swimming over you.   Especially if you start at the back and to the side.    I have only had some body contact when it gets congested rounding the buoys so I try not to get on the inside corner.   When you start to get jostled it messes up your nice breathing pattern, I find and takes me a bit to get back into a rythym.    And the wet suits provide so much buoyancy that it is hard to get 'pushed under' for long.

I need a good w/u swim so am usually in the water 15 minutes before my wave start.   I like to get a few sprints done to get the HR up a bit and just get a feel for the water.   I also take a small 'stubbie' disposable water bottle with me so that I can take a gel once I get the wetsuit on and get my last bit of hydration.  

It's too late now to try this, but when I got my wetsuit a tri friend showed me how to put it on by having it inside out to start with.   You would have the zipper on the underside (not facing you).    You roll/tuck the ankles under about 1.5-2" and do the same for the arms.   I sit down on a towel and take one leg and pull the suit over my foot and up above my ankle a bit - then I do the same for the other leg.   Then I continue to alternate from leg to leg 'unrolling' the suit up my leg about 4" at a time.   It's kind of cool because you can see the stitching on the inside of the suit and it helps you to make sure you are getting it on evenly.   I continue to do this until I am at thigh level - where it starts to get tighter.   Then I stand up and am pretty much able to get the suit on right over the hips and fitting nicely into the crotch.  You have do put a bit of muscle in, to get it over the hips but it rolls pretty nicely.    Then you do the same for the arms.   The real advantage of this is that it virtually eliminates tears from fingernails and you don't sweat nearly as much.   You might, the first time, until you get used to it.  

Sounds like you are ready for a great race, to me.  

ANNE: Thanks for that tip on getting the wetsuit on. I'll have to give that a try next time. And I hope you feel better soon!

DENISE and STEVEB: Thanks for setting my mind at ease re the "swimming over!" I would hate to ever have that happen to me... And thanks for the info about not wearing the wetsuit to the race. I didn't even think about the call of nature issue (total duh!) And I also totally forgot about getting numbered on the leg (another duh.) I actually am able to get the thing on without help, it's just such a production. After I got my suit I watched a Youtube demonstration of a guy putting one on and I think it took him all of about 3 minutes. So I often wondered why it takes me upwards of 15! But I guess I'm not alone.

STEVE B, the drive from our house to my in-laws resort (www.hummingbird-hideaway.com if you want to check it out) is about 10 hours, so really too long for a weekend trip.  When I say visibility, I mean the distance I can see underwater.  Most of the OWS around here are in manmade retention ponds, dug to catch the extra rainwater as we put in more and more concrete around here.  You literally can't see your hand in front of your eyes, which is why I have a tendency to get a little panicky.  Lake Norfork is so clear, you can see the person swimming next to you or the feet of anyone treading water and down to I don't know how far (it's way too deep to see the bottom in most places, sometimes over 100 feet deep).  Thankfully, I didn't see any of the really big fish they pull out of the lake (and definitely no faces, other than my swimming partner).

LISA

Best of luck to MANDY, STEVE B x 2, and TRACY this weekend.  Can't wait to hear all about everyone's race.

TRACY, you have enough to think about without worrying about the saddle.  I'll remind you next week for a pic if you don't get the chance before your race.  Glad to hear that you were able to get a OWS in on the course ... that should boost the confidence!

ANNE, hope you get to feeling better.

LISA

Hey, Gang!

Being gone until late this evening, and then Lynn needing the computer, has me being "dropped" by you all --- and it will only get much, much worse until I return on Sunday evening. Oh my!

I'm off to bed now, needing to be up by 5:30 or so. Yikes!

So, until Sunday..........

TRACEY -

Thank you for the directions!

I will try to call tomorrow when I hove into your vicinity; otherwise, see you at 6 at the pasta feed.

(And remember - I'll be in a bright yellow running cap with Newton in red on it, and I'll be standing about 6'2" tall -- think "statuesque"!!! )


CELTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MANDY -

I will phone you tomorrow or sometime Saturday afternnon, en route to Maine.

And good luck -- BEST of luck -- with the ART person tomorrow. I fully expect him/her to know exactly what's ailing you, and the quickest way to get it all hunky-dory!

See you soonish!

Good luck this weekend everyone!!!!

Hey Tracey,

Nope, put the suit on at the transition zone - you'll burn tons of energy walking around in it if you put it on before you get there.  Along those lines - when I had a full suit, I got in the habit of using shampoo conditioner, mixed in a spray bottle with water (50/50 solution) and would spray my arms and legs with it as I put on the suit.  It made getting into the suit much easier, and, then when you're in the water, it all washes away, so there's no residue when you take the suit off. 

As for the "swimming over" thing - well, it's not quite that bad, but you will probably have people that will bump into you.  As they make their strokes, their arms might land on your back, pushing you downward.  Or they'll swim up from behind, won't be paying attention, and their arms will bump into your legs, causing a dragging sensation.  You are seldom going to get "dunked" and I'd be surprised if you get "swum over".  My best advice is to stay to the side for your first few races. When you are turning your head to breath or lifting to sight, also try to take inventory of those around you and make small adjustments to open water.  And lastly, once you are in there, swim strong.  Understand that there is going to be some contact - it's almost never intentional or personal.  You're gonna be fine!

Good Luck  Steve B, Mandy, and Tracey

Thanks for the good luck guys!!

Tire is FIXED!  Tape was the issue!  Easy to install if anyone was wondering.

STEVE B!  I don't know if you will get this or not, but there is a Denny's and a Ruby Tuesday's in Westbrook.  Want to hit one of them?

Cheers!

Mandy

Good luck Mandy, Tracey, and SteveB!

Shaun,

Great pics! Scenery looked pretty nice on the bike.

Kasia

SteveB,

I finally got a cycling jersey so I've been carrying the food around in the back pockets. Prior to that I just put stuff in my spandex on the top of my thigh. I've never had a problem with anything ever falling out on the bike and it's very easily accessible which is nice.

So I think I may go with that for the tri...just stick stuff in after the swim to eat on the ride. Although in that situation I probably won't be pre-opening anything because that would just get messy. And I also don't like eating sweaty food (gross).

I may get a saddle this weekend, or after the tri. I'm still undecided. Either way, I'll get a few rides in before the Oly or any other long ride. Otherwise, it could be a disaster.

Have fun this weekend during your races!

Kasia

Tracey?  Tracey?

Hi all!

I'll be putting up a race report probably tomorrow but just wanted to check in. The race went really well today. I'm tired but had a great time. My final time was 1:37:14. I really had no time goal for the race this time around. I just wanted to finish it and finish feeling positive about doing another one, which I did.

It was also great meeting Steve and having him there for support. He finished in 1:01 and change! As I was coming into T2, he was already done!

Oh, and as you all assured me it would, the swim went fine. In spite of all the swim-related anxiety I've been feeling the last weeks, I was totally calm the whole time. I even had my face in the water most of the time and was able to stay mostly on track by sighting only every 10 strokes or so, which I'm happy about.

More details to come!

Tracey

Tracey,

For some reason I thought today was Sunday and I wondered why you hadn't checked in yet - haha.
Glad your race went well - I remember your early swim posts - you've come a long way.

Denise

Great job, TRACEY!!! ... and STEVE B!!! Can't wait for the official report!  Sounds like you did great!  Congratulations!!

And good luck tomorrow to MANDY and STEVE B!

LISA

Good morning all. Here's my report for Escape the Cape:

So I arrived around 7:10-ish (9:00 start) to lots of bustling activity already. SteveB and my training friend Donna were already there. I was feeling surprisingly calm, given the (swim-related) anxiety I was feeling in the days leading up to the race. The weather was very nice. Upper 60's with just a few clouds.

I crashed into another woman's bike as I was swinging around my bike to fit into the rack. Oops. (She didn't mind though; I lent her my sunscreen later). After I got my stuff all situated, I chatted with Steve and Donna and a couple of the other newbies for a few minutes before I went to put my wet suit on. They allowed warm up swimming until 8:15 and I wanted to make sure I had at least 10 or 15 minutes of that (keeping in mind that it takes me a while to get my suit on!)

We all headed over into the water, which was cold but not too terrible. I would guess the water temp was somewhere around 60 or 62? SteveB is so kind, he was observing some of my swimming and complemented me on my technique, which was a big confidence booster! After the warm up I had just enough time to run back to the transition area for a last swig of water before they corralled us all to the starting area. As we started heading over, I spotted my husband and my son up the hill behind the beach (they came later than me and had just arrived). I was able to run over and give my son a hug which was very nice!

SWIM:

I was in the newbie wave, which was the last of 6 waves to go. I think it was about 9:20 or so by the time we started. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I was just totally calm the entire time. All the anxiety, hyperventilation, and water-swallowing I experienced in my first couple OWS practices were gone, thankfully! I started way in the back of the pack, as I had planned, and was pleased to see myself passing a number of swimmers. But quite honestly, I was just kind of "in the moment" and really focused, trying to utilize all the TI tools I've developed over the months. At one point, near the end of the course, I had my face down in the water and I suddenly bumped something with the top of my head. I first thought it must be a buoy or something, but I looked up and it was actually the shoulder of a woman who was swimming backstroke and was totally off course, swimming perpendicular to everyone. After that little fender bender I realized that I was very close to the end, so I sprinted to the finish. My swim time was 14:24 (2:27 per 100 yards). I'm happy with that time for my first race, because my most recent averages have been in the neighborhood of about 2:35 to 2:45 per 100 yards in the pool. So the wet suit gave me that little speed boost. I was 359/434 for the swim.

T1:

As I was jogging to the transition area, I realized how tired I was! Getting the wetsuit off was a bit of a production, as it usually is. I was hoping to keep it under 3 minutes, but my time was 4:49. It seemed to go by so fast so I was surprised to see that it was almost 5 minutes! Note to self for next time though: put some sort of lubricant on my ankles/lower legs to get the wetsuit off more easily. It might also make sense to apply a waterproof sunscreen before the race so I don't have to do it at T1. These are all little things that take seconds, but obviously they add up.

BIKE:

For some reason, I had an issue clipping my left foot in once I got going on the bike. It took me like 5 tries. But thankfully I practiced that scenario a bunch of times so I was kind of used to it. Once I got going, it took me a minute or two to feel comfortable passing. They did an awesome job of managing traffic, so that was never an issue. After I started to feel comfortable I cranked it up and gave it my best effort. I knew the bike would be the strongest event for me so my plan going in was to push myself in that segment. I knew I would be back-of-the-pack for the run, so there was no sense in holding back on the bike. Once I started passing people I got a big confidence boost, which allowed me to push faster. Passing a couple of guys felt pretty good too. One thing that was kind of a bummer was that there was a 1-mile "no passing zone" before the turnaround at the half-way point. I really should have planned that part out better to make sure I had clear space ahead of me before getting to that point, because I ended up getting stuck behind a woman going about 13.5 mph. It was killing me because until then I was about 17 or 18 mph. But there was nothing I could do, so I used the time as an opportunity to rest. I think I was sort of drafting her, but I almost couldn't help it because she was going so slow! Once we turned around and exited the no passing zone, I got by her and pushed as hard as I could to the finish. My bike time was 38:01, which was 346/434. The no passing zone thing is a lesson learned for next time, but I wonder what my finish would have been if I didn't have to slow down for that mile.

T2:

As I entered the transition area, our awesome Steve was already there, having finished the race! T2 was pretty straightforward: off with the helmet, gloves and bike shoes, and on with the running shoes. T2 time was 2:23.

RUN:

I'm not a strong runner by any stretch of the imagination so I knew this would be the toughest of the three events for me. I had walking breaks in the plan, if I ever needed it. In the end, I was able to run the entire thing, but not without pain! My legs felt like cinderblocks the first few minutes but then I got into my groove. It was like a cruel joke: ALL the people I passed on the bike course (including the woman who I got stuck behind in the no passing zone) zipped by me within the first 1/2 mile of the run! But I kinda knew that was going to happen. I just tried to keep the focus on myself. My neuroma started really acting up at around the 1 1/2 mile mark. At mile 2 I ALMOST started to walk, but I just somehow knew that if I started walking I'd probably never run again until the finish line, so I kept on going. I passed two super-slow runners, so it was good knowing that I wasn't the slowest of the slow. My run time was 37:38 (12:08 per mile). I'm actually quite happy with that result. My best 5k pace so far is 11:46. I knew I wouldn't get near that for the tri and had assumed my pace would be somewhere around 12:30, given that I'd be tired from the bike. So 12:08 is much better than I had planned. I was 421/434 for the run.

My final time was 1:37:14. My overall place was 409/434, and my place within my category (newbie females) was 72/81.

By the way, Steve finished first in his age group, at 1:01:53! Congratulations Steve!!

Official results are here:

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/10/ma/Jun12_Escape_set1.shtml

CONGRATS TRACEY!!!!!

Job well done! Sounds like you had a good time which is also good.

I'm glad to hear your swimming related worries did not affect you on race day.

Tracey,

Congrats!

Aren't you glad you weren't the woman swimming backstroke off course?

Too bad about getting behind the slow woman in the no-passing zone - it seems like at least one thing in every race goes wrong that you don't have any control over (often it's weather related but it can be almost anything).  But, at least you know what you could have done and can look forward to doing it in the next race.

I finish near the bottom overall and I always concentrate on how many people I finished ahead of instead of how many finished ahead of me.

Onward!
Denise