MightyMojoMentorGroup -- (Full House!) (Page 188)

Hey,  

Just a quick note before heading out for Bikram.   Have a lot to talk about and respond to a couple of previous posts from you.     Will check out the Wasaga photos.   Have done that race a couple of times and in good weather, it is great, but too often, it is not.      Heard about Paula.   Can you BELIEVE that with the level of support and coaching she gets, that they would miss anemia.   You'd think they would be routinely doing bloodwork.   Even most of the serious age groupers I know do that.  

Swimming lessons in the works with Sean.   FYI, they are private, so should get some good attention. 

Although I would love to see you at Buffalo, we are going to pass on that trip and stay close to home this weekend.  

Still OW swimming?  Probably a silly question.

Steve indeed as you live and breathe I will be a bit more active, both on the forums and in the exercise department Your awesome performances at all these tri's as well as of the rest of the group are whooping my back into line as we speak!

Well Redman is nine days away and I will go it looks like, to complete not compete. 5 weeks ago my wife dropped me off at the start line of a local century ride, kissed me good bye and presumably went to work. She has not been home since, and took her pay check with her. My truck was re-possessed and then recovered because this caused a missed payment. She went to California for a few weeks working then got homesick and started back but changed her mind and is now on some sort of mission to find herself. I have text communications with her and nothing but vague non specific promises with very few details or help. Nothing has been the same, my training has cratered, I am filing for bankruptcy and while she tries to "find herself" I am trying to feed myself, make her car payments and mine, pay the insurance, feed her pet pig and all that stuff on half the household income. She refuses to call it a separation though she took her money, her companionship, her support and most of her day to day belongings!

Anyway this is why I  have been detached and not engaged much here. I am all about routines, structure, predictability and goals, all this uncertainty and upheaval is really messing with my head.

She claims she wants to be back by the Holidays, I am going to stop trying or hoping for anything and just worry about surviving and staying sane.  I did learn a lesson though about depending too much on other people-it is a trap.

JEFF,

I am SO sorry to hear what you have been (are) going through.    It makes my heart sick to think of your pain and suffering.   You are a strong man to bare your soul to the group.   Just wish we were all closer to provide some support for you.    

Here's hoping doing Redman will give you something else to focus on and I'm sure it will help get rid of some of the thoughts going through your mind. 

Take care,   

Anne

JEFF -

I was wondering if something non-tri had interceded in your life, but of course never expected anything of the magnitude of what hit you.  We've been "connected" here long enough for me to know full well that you are as you describe yourself -- "routines, structure, predictability and goals" -- so I can only imagine the toll this has been taking on you. 

I know from a few (comparatively small) upsets in my life how downturns can affect training, and so when you say that your own has "cratered"  --- I have no doubts whatsoever.  I also have no doubts that what you need to do is take care of yourself, and that includes psychologically and emotionally.  So with that in mind, I will venture forth with the following.

In general, I find training to be very therapeutic, even in the smallest of doses.  My last year of teaching was a real battle with administration, and it took a toll on me ---- but the toll would've been far, far worse had I not had training to get through.  So, even though your own training has cratered, I suspect that whatever nuggets you can fit in will help you on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis.  Have you had any hints of that, in the training you have managed to pull off in the past five weeks.

I think you know me well enough to figure that I might suggest -- given the cratered training -- that you think about dropping down to the half-iron at Redman.  However, I truly wonder if it might actually be a good thing for you to attempt the full-iron, just to recover that important goal you once had.  There are certain risks to this, for sure, especially in light of the fact that you could likely do a very decent job at the half-iron..........but maybe it would good for you to just get out there and dedicate those 12+ hours to the course and the overall task at hand.  And if you keep with the readjusted goal of "complete not compete", well, my good betting money is on you to succeed at that.

Keep in touch as best you can, Jeff.  I'll be thinking about you more than you might imagine, and hope that things smoothen out sooner rather than later. 

Thank you everyone.

Whether you aim high or aim low, you will hit something so I might as well aim high and go for the full!

Yes, the training I have managed has been therapeutic, the challenge is starting and time management, an extra level of fatigue and appetite control. When I am training my appetite is ferocious and expensive ha! When I get the budget rearranged and teach myself to shop it will get better-I wish we still had chickens, I sure miss the eggs as well as the readily available meat

The local cycling club is having some sort of club time trial I thought I would butt in on this weekend and I have had a fun time "segment hunting" (Strava) basically stalking a friend of mine and stealing his segment records.

ANNE -

Yes, find the Wasaga Beach thread on ST and catch those two photos.  John Salt says it's the worst day of sustained awful weather he's ever had on a race day, as it deluged for 13 hours (3 a.m. to 4 p.m.).  The best the tri-a-try people could get in was the 5km run!  Anyhow, the two photos are a hoot, well worth a quick gander.

Fine on you not being at Buffalo -- I'm weighing that option, too!  I'm not pleased with the reconfigured bike course, although I don't blame the RD at all; as I said in a post to Dave, I believe, I've had a couple other altered bike courses this season!

I'm also not 100% I'm "oly-worthy" at this point.  I haven't done a 40km ride in about six weeks, and while SkinnyMan and Mainiaxc showed my bike fitness to be right there, well, that's for about 23 or 35 km, and not 40km.  I managed the 10km run a few days ago really well, but that was not off the bike, so there's that pesky little concern as well. 

As i have said before, i am trying to never-any-more to do a race just because, and the flip side of this is I always want to be in my best possible shape for any given race.  I'm I there with Buffalo?  Probably not, but that said -- i am quite curious as to how my fitness has held up during the past six weeks of injury-induced reduced training.  That may actually seasl the deal and cause me to show up for the Buffalo oly on Saturday........but there are other race options I'm weighing.

So, about 10 a.m. tomorrow I will make a decision between Buffalo and Cortland, NY, the latter being a new sprint.  I'm not too sure about the quality of the course, but it's closer than Buffalo and so somewhat tempting, so we'll see how my mind shakes itself out on this stuff.

I shall return!

ANNE again -

Yup, the question about still OWSing was indeed a silly one.  Of course, I am still "in the river", and figure to be for a few more weeks.  the buoy lione is still ot in all its glory, and the temp is very nice.  My dopey little kids-pool thermometer says it's about 72, but my body says otherwise. I also see that the water temp at Cortland is 68 and at Buffalo 67, so I suspect it's about that in the Rideau.  And FWIW, I have swam each of the past four days, doing 800, 1750, 1750, 1600.  It's mostly loose time-trial type efforts, which I always rather enjoy.

I am very pleased for you that you will be doing private work with Sean.  I can't imagine it can get much better than that for you, so I'll be giddy with excitement to hear how each session goes.  Lucky lady!!

With regards to Paula, i guess that was Simon's message to the world -- that her coaching failed her.  At the time, it was just with respect to her labrum and whatever physical woes she was struggling with, but these new revelations show bigger problems than thsoe dealing with injuries.  Yeah, i would expect all sorts of physiological work to be done with alarming frequency for ultra-elite athletes at the NATIONAL LEVEL, and for someone to miss that is a travesty.  By her own admission, though, she is inclined to train through pain, and so if she trained persistently through fatigue and overrriding weakness..........and maybe didn't tell anyhow how she was feeling...............some of the onus has to fall on her, too.  That's all just speculation and rumor-mongering, however, so I should quit while I'm behind!

Look at those Wasaga photos!!!!!!!!

JEFFTX - Jeez. I'm so sorry. That's horrible - I can't imagine what you must feel right now. If you're short on $ and need a place to stay for Redman, we have a guest bedroom upstairs that you are welcome to for the weekend. 

JEFF -

When did you get rid of the cluckers?  I figured you still had them!

I will have to do some research to see what all is involved in "segment hunting" -- via Strava, no less.  (Of course, I also have to figure out Strava!)  Like, is "segment hunting" one small step from theft identity?  Oh, my!

One of the big advantages to not doing distance training these months is that my appetite is not off-the-charts.  I remember those days with some warmth, when I could eat like a canal horse and never feel the least bit guilty.  Ah, the good old days!

I lost a couple to the dogs, remember my spontaneous running companions? and one to heat apparently-then my German Shepherd had her way with my rooster and that was it.

Strava is simply a service used to track running and cycling vis GPS and post the results online if you wish. A segment can be created by anyone along a predetermined route and the results of the activity over that route posted as a KOM-king of the mountain for instance. I use it on my android Phone but it will work with Garmin and others and those who wish can be "followed" including a number of pro's.

Here is a hotly contested segment near my home that I briefly owned but haven't been able to get back. The Square Dance Road Segment.

TRINA -

YES! YES!! YES!!!

Just as long as there aren't brilliant sheets of stabbing lightning, you should do it.  I'm assuming there will be safety support, so even if it's wind-whippy or chop-chop-choppy, you'll be supported AND you'll have that prep behind you in case conditions on race day are similar. 

DO IT! DO IT!! DO IT!!!

Jeff sorry to hear about your personal situation... I hope you get some clarity soon and all will be back to normal.

I've been following you on Strava for a while and its always nice to see the training routes from places other than my own hometown I must say I'm not really into the KOM hunting because I usually don't know I rode a segment until I get back and upload my ride and I'm more of a one speed kind of guy, not too much more to give on those KOMs :p Having said that, on windy days I have from time to time picked certain approaches that have given me favorable rankings

And so you are, I never even noticed!

JEFF -

What ingrates those dogs were!  As I remember it, they loped along with you for an hour or two, and then gladly took a ride back to where you found them.  And then did they return on their own, maybe following the sweet aroma of chicken-scent?  They were buggers, anyhow!

JEFF again -

The resident Luddite here has to admit that Strava looks like a pretty nifty toy/tool.  I couldn't figure it out in a month of Sundays, but it still looks pretty cool.

And when did TX adopt the use of "Farm to Market" in naming numbered county/country roads?  I don't remember that usage at all.  It sounds a whole bunch of decades old, but I swear it wasn't in place in '87!

The FM, RM and Ranch Roads have been around for ever, according to Wikipedia the first was designated in 1937, when we came here in 1976 we lived off of FM 544 which has about 6 other names now depending on where you are.

JEFF -

Thanks for confirming that I was dumb and blind back that -- but at least not certifiably deaf.  Harumph.

I remember being excited to find Ranch Road Number 1 near the LBJ ranch outside of Johnson City

Jeff - So sorry to read your news!  Thats a kick in the guts I wouldn't wish on anyone.  It also couldn't have been easy to write out that post and then to hit submit.  My heart goes out to you. 

It was a relief to post, I've kept my family out of it so far, waiting to see how long this takes

JEFF -

You need to assemble a checklist like the ones that used to come with baseball cards, and every time you meet up with a new FtM road, you check it off.  Sounds like a pasttime for one who likes driving - a lot!

Oops.  just re-reading yours I see the road near LBJ ranch was a Ranch Road, presumably different than a FtM road. 

Two checklists??

GEORGE -

Glad you're back!  For a few days earlier this week, I was wondering how many folks here had just sort of faded away into the sunset.  I think of the "regulars", it's just JOHANNE who hasn't been heard from in a while.

Do you have the iceberg tri on your sched, or not?

JOHAAAAANNNNNNNNNNE -

Yoo-hoo?