Amschrod's Group - FULL (Page 19)

Great racing Kelly!  You totally killed your previous time!!!  I hope this was a big confidence builder for you- obviously your training is going well!  Keep up the good work!
Anthony- how was your race?
Julian- are you still out there???

Have a great week
Paula

It sure is hard to "just run" when it's a race, isn't it? Well done!



I think besides running the day before, that the bike may have taken more out of you than you realized since it was hot and windy. Something about hot and windy on the bike seems to suck the life right out of me.



WOO-HOO!!! Congratulations. You rock



I know exactly what you mean. It was great for me to be at a race yesterday with all those cool people.



You're welcome!

You should be very pleased;you had a great race!! Almost 13 minutes off of your previous time is fantastic! Hilly courses are tough, both physically, and especially mentally, and you met the challenge and finished strong. All that running you have been doing really paid off. Congratulations!!



You're welcome! 

Anthony, how was your race?????

Sorry about that! I ended up having a busy day yesterday, even though Monday is supposed to be my day off and I never got back to the computer.

My race went well, and I had a great time. I didn't run very well, but the bike was really good. When I was doing a warm up run, my heart rate spiked and I felt a little woozy. My wife and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary the day before, and I had a cocktail (or maybe 2) so that may have had something to do with it. I felt OK after, but never really felt like I could really push on the run.

The bike was a blast! A lot of fast downhill at the beginning, and then a really big climb around mile 10-11. Here's the elevation profile:



I was doing about 5 or 6 mph up that hill, and was still passing people. There were a few people who gave up and walked it.

I was 9th out of 12 in my age group, and and 107th out of 154 overall. The race was a fundraiser dedicated to 2 NY State Troopers who were killed in the line of duty, and another NYS Trooper who was killed while serving in the Marines in Iraq, so it was for an excellent cause. Plus, whenever the Police are involved in an event, there are always hamburgers and hot dogs for post race food, and I love that

Anthony

Anthony,
 Congrats on your anniversary- 22years  wow!!  Sorry you didnt feel good on the run- that stinks(  The race profile looks insane-  I think that much downhill would scare me as much as the climb.  Gotta love finish line goodies eh?  The pancake breakfast last month after my tri was a great idea!
Congrats!
Paula

22 years!!  That's something to be proud of!!   Sorry you didn't feel like you had your best race, but at least you had fun!!  Have a great week.

Funny story:

I went riding today with my friend, Kristin, who is a great cyclist, and her friend, Jaimie, who is even better and faster than her (he's training for IM Lake Placid this summer).  ANyway, we had a great ride.  I definitely went faster than I have ever gone.  We rode almost 40 miles at just under 18 mph average.  So I was about 3 miles from home and we had to stop at an intersection.  Jaimie and Kristin took off and I went to go, and instead of going I just fell right over!!  I was so embarassed!!  It was so funny though.  Kristin and I could not stop laughing...I'm sure her friend just thought I was a big dork!!

Anyway, there were 2 lessons learned yesterday.

1.  I should definitely ride more often with people who are faster than me.

2.  Shift down before I clip out!!

have a great day!

Great story Kelly-makes me feel better about my spill in the parking lot a few weeks back!  Looks like you were riding fast!  I have found that riding and running with others pushes me a lot more.
   I had a last minute entry into a women's only 5k last night.  It was pretty warm out but it was fun.  I think I finished 24th or 25 out of 165 and 5th in my age group- it was pretty close for all of us I think.  I ran well- almost a PR until I realized it was only 3.04 miles instead of a full 5k.  They had great food and lots of vendors at the convention center afterwards- but only wine to drink- bummer for us non winers-
Surf kayak competition this weekend- there arent enough women so I will have to settle for being official gopher and tabluator (my usual duties just minus the surfing). 
Hope everyone has a great weekend.  HOT and sunny here.
Paula

Hello everyone. I haven't been around much lately due to a family emergency. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell you about it because some things I am very private about, but I have decided to tell you. My 34 year old neice, my oldest brother's daughter, Erica, died from a totally unexpected medical situation a few days ago. She was a lovely young woman and leaves behind a 3 year old daughter.

I am driving out to Cincinnati with my other brother and my daughter this evening for the services on Wednesday. My 2 sisters will be there as well. I don't know what we can do for my brother, but at least we will be there for whatever support and comfort we can give him.

I have been running and biking a little. I sit around a little at first because it's hard to get started, but once I do start it helps me a little. I take out some of my anger and frustration on the hills. Plus I do my best to try to appreciate the beauty out there especially at this time of year. Everything is growing, and right now the lilacs are blooming, so once in a while it will smell like the road is perfumed.

I hope you don't mind my telling you about all this. To be honest, I don't know how much more I want to talk about it. I do want to thank you in advance for your kind thoughts and prayers.

Anthony

Anthony,
   I am truely sorry to hear about your neice.  Times like these can be very difficult.  I am thankful you shared the information with us. Please know that even though this is the cyber world, there are people who care what happens.  We are here for the good times like racing and training and also the bad times such as this.
Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.
Paula

Anthony,

I'm so sorry to hear about your neice.  Please know that I will be thinking of you and your family in the coming days.

Anthony,  I thought of you yesterday while I was reading my new issue of Runner's World.  Kristin Armstrong wrote a great article about runners coming together when people need them.  I couldnt find it on runnersworld.com but if you are in the store, I recommend reading Called to Action, pg48.

I had my first Ocean swim tri yesterday.  IT SUCKED!!  The ocean was a bit choppy but I am used to that- the first 150 yards getting out were tough and tiring but not nearly as bad as the 450 to the next bouy.  I can't seem to find my rhythm while swimming in open water.  Of course my goggles fogging up from the start didnt help.  I dont get nervous or freaked out- just cant swim normaly.  Guess I will have plenty of time to work on this since my YMCA membership will be up at the end of the month and the $50/month is a little steep for me right now-
Anyway- it was a double sprint- 750 ocean swim, 4 mile bike, 2 mile run, 4 mile bike, 1 mile run.  After the swim sucked most of my energy, my first bike leg wasnt too bad, tail wind for the last 2 miles.  My first run sucked too- just dont have it in my legs anymore (aka need to train more!) 1 mile of it was on the sand- that didnt help much either, nor the stairs getting to and fro the beach.  The second bike went better- went a little faster and felt pretty good.  The last 1 mile run was also a challenge- Of course I was looking for people numbers to see how far back I was.
Turns out I won the Novice Division.  The 2nd place girl got a penalty or I would have taken 2nd.  I would not have placed in my age group but would have been competative .  I have decided that it is time to play with the big girls and not do the novice division anymore.  I signed up for these races in January so I didnt know how I would be doing and thought you had to compete in the same category all year- turns out you can go age group vs novice.
  Today my husband had the brilliant idea to ride 40 miles.  I felt like crap for the first 5 until I stopped and stretched out a bit.  We had a head wind but I was fine with that, knowing it would be better on the way back.  We had a nice first half, stopped at a gas station and got a gatorade  (rain,  ironically my favorite flavor) and a granola bar at mile 23, no worries- was feeling pretty good.  Well, about mile 25 my husband got a flat- no big deal, we stopped, he fixed it quickly.  Had we not stopped, I would not have noticed the impending doom that was nearing us.  BLACK clouds were gathering and moving quickly.  It started to sprinkle then the skies opened up.  We managed through the next 15 miles with a great tail wind but heck of a storm.  It was actually kinda cool but I was getting tired.  I felt bad for my pal Lou (Try Sports dude)  we saw him mid storm riding into the wind.  The last 5 miles were pretty tough for me but I managed to get home (of course the rain was stopping by then).  What an adventure for my first "long ride".  At least my shorts weren't sudsing Kelly!
 Sorry for the novel!  Just a good, busy weekend!
Happy Sunday and good start to next week everyone!
Paula

Paula...great race!!  I haven't attempted an ocean swim yet, it pretty much scares me to death!!  Congrats on placing again. You are definitely ready to race AG!!

Funny you mention the sudsy run...I was thinking about that this morning too.  I went on a long ride and was afraid it would rain, and that made me think of my crazy pants!

Have a great week!!

Hello. Sorry I haven't posted in a little while. I really appreciate your kind thoughts and words. I am struggling with all this a little, and it does help to know that you are thinking of me. I will see if I can find a copy of Runner's World on my way home tonight; sometimes one of the local supermarkets carries it.

The services were difficult, and I was glad my daughter was there. She showed a lot of maturity, and was a big comfort to me. She was also a big comfort to my brothers and sisters, especially my brother John, my nieces father. We rarely get to see each other because my brother has lived all over the country, but somehow he and my daughter have always had that "connection" that some relatives seem to have.

Paula, you really did great at your race. I've done 2 ocean swims, and they are definitely different. The waves just seem kind of random which makes it hard to get a good rythym. I do like the ocean swims, though and hope to do more of them. However, I can do without running in sand; I really have trouble with it.

It rained on my ride on Sunday as well, only it was like 50 degrees and WINDY here. Even with my warm wool Winter socks my feet were frozen by the time I was done. I should have worn my toe covers. I got heckled for the first time on that ride. 2 guys yelled at me something about it raining out. Unfortunately, they were gone before I could "thank" them for the brilliance of their observation

Kelly, I'm glad you noticed that I am running a little faster. I have been trying to bump up the intensity, and it feels surprisingly good.

Again, Thank You. I really do appreciate you

Anthony

Hey, guys.

Today Kel took the day off and we rode the Musselman bike course, and it kicked my butt.  It was my longest ride to date, my second longest ride was 48 miles. Today we rode for a total of 60.1 (got a little off course) for 3:42:00, and averaged 16.2 mph.  I was disappointed with the speed, but was even more concerned with how I felt at the end.  I was done!! No way could I have run 13.1 after that. 

I have been battling a bit of a cold, it was very windy and I was way underhydrated (I forgot the straw for my aero bottle), but I was still shocked at how I felt at the end.  I took in 390 cal. and about 40 oz. of water with electrolytes. Obviously, I have some work to do.  I feel like I have been very consistent with my training, but this ride today makes me very nervous.

I liked the course, only one hard hill, but the wind!!!  I really hope it will not be windy on July 19.  Also, there was a weird section that went through Sampson State Park, and the road was so rough.  Very strange...do you remember that part, Anthony??

Don't worry about it! That was a great ride, especially for your first time doing 60 miles. Your speed was fine, and as far as feeling spent at the end, remember you are in the middle of training, so you are a little fatigued. When race day comes, you will have had several more 50+ mile rides, and you will have tapered, so you will be much fresher. 



You have been SUPER consistent with your training, so again, please don't be nervous! You know what they say; "trust your training". This is good practice for race day. I would say you could probably use more calories. How did your stomach tolerate what you had for calories? I would definitely say you took in too little water, especially considering you were battling a cold and the wind. Like I said before, there is something about the wind that can just suck the life right out of you.

Hey!!  anthony, I don't know why I thought you had done Musselman already!!  I'm going to go through the cue sheet and make some notes for you, since you can't get out to ride the course.

Today I did my first brick:  52 miles/3:12:XX on the bike and 3.27 miles/30 min. run.  It felt much better than Thursday, and I took in way more calories and water, so that made a huge difference.

 I took in:

70 oz NUUN

6 Shot Blocks - 200
3 gels - 280
1 Larabar - 190

Total calories - 670

I felt like I was eating the entire time!!  Very strange.  My legs felt terrible for the first 15 min. of the run, then I found my rhythm and was able to get the rest done easily. I had no stomach issues whatsoever!!  Yay!!

Thanks for the encouragement!!

As promised, Anthony...

Musselman Half-Iron Cue Sheet (bike)
MILE	DIRECTION	ROAD
0.0	begin from Seneca Lake State Park access road Not quite sure about the start, I don't think Kel and I did this correctly and that is why we were at 60 miles instead of 56
0.0	right	onto Rtes. 5&20 East  "  "
0.2	bear right	onramp to Rte. 96A South  Rough, busy road, rolling hills, more up than down
14.6	left	onto Blaine Road Smooth, farm road - saw an Amish carriage
17.0	left	onto Rte. 414 North Flat and fast (tailwind) for all of Rte. 414
18.5	stay right	on Rte. 414 North
24.7	right	onto Ogden Road Very rough road
25.9	right	onto County Road 124 Smooth downhill to Rt. 89
27.3	right	onto Rte. 89 South Enjoy the lake breeze and view, busy, some hills ****downshift at Amish market right before next turn, hill approaching
32.4	right	onto Swick Road Steepest hill - granny gear for me!
33.8	left	onto County Road 129 From here until Rt. 96A - some hills (very windy), nothing major to note - mostly farm roads
35.6	right	onto County Road 130
37.1	left	onto Rte. 414 South
37.9	right	onto Depot Road
38.2	right	onto Rte. 96A North slight downhill
40.0	bear left	onto County Road 132 (Main St in Willard) fast through Willard/ downhill to park gate (this was fastest speed for me - over 30 mph--faster than the speed limit!)
41.5	straight	County Road 132 enters Sampson State Park at gate Very rough trail, some rocky patches (I actually walked over those - hopefully they will be fixed)  This was the weirdest part of the course, but pretty flat.
45.9	straight	leave Sampson State Park at gate, road become East Lake Road Smooths out here
46.4	straight	staying on East Lake Road - Smooth and fast (tailwind), a few hills - seemed to last for a long time, but I was tired!!
54.0	left	onto Rte. 96A North (will be coned on raceday) a slight uphill
55.6	left	onto Rtes. 5&20 West (see beginning)
55.8	back at Seneca Lake state park gate

Paula, I wish I could do the same for you!!  Maybe some of the sprint is the same as the HIM???

On another note, where are you guys staying Sat. night??  I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do.  Kel and I were both going to stay in the athlete village, but my in-laws are not going to be able to watch the kids.  Since I have to be there on Sat., I might just get a single, then Kel and the boys will drive over on Sunday morning.

Edited by kcovert1 2009-05-23 2:11 PM

That is a GREAT brick you had on Saturday!! Besides the nice long ride, and good strong run you did well with your nutrition and hydration. It is so important to practice that in training for the longer events. If you get it way wrong in an HIM you can be in for a world of hurt on the run.

I also like the NUUN. To me it goes down way easier than any kind of sports drink or even plain water. Since it goes down easier I will drink way more so I keep my hydration up. How do you like the shot blocks? I have never tried them, but I will give them a try on my next long ride since I can't really stomach any kind of Gu's or gels.

I had to google Larabars. They sound like something I would like, so I will have to see if I can find some or order them online.

Nice pace on the run also. I've gotten to the point where it only takes about half a mile until my legs feel pretty normal on a brick. Somehow, I am always running faster than I think on a brick. A couple of more bricks and you will do even better.

How are you doing with staying in aero on your long rides? I don't stay aero enough, but I am working on it and getting better.

Again, GREAT workout!!! I am sure it was a big conidence booster for you, and rightly so.

Thank you for the info on the Musselman course. It's very helpful.

Anthony

Hey guys, long time no write.  Things have been crazy busy around here. LOTS of stuff going on- details later.
Kelly, great ride last week.  You will be thankful to know the course when it comes race time.  My plans are kind of up in the air for the race and the weekend.  I need to save some vacation time so I will not be staying in NY as long as I had hoped.  I need to talk to my dad but we might have some room for you at his place or my cousin's next door on the lake if you need it.  I am not sure if my cousin's place will be available or not- it would be much more comfy than the couch that I get at my dad's!  I will do some asking around next week and see what people's plans are.  He lives about 20-25 miles from Geneva on the west side of the lake.  I plan to arrive on friday, race on sat and cheer you guys on sunday if all works out.
  I have been kinda lazy with my training lately, not a lot of energy, its getting HOT out and my YMCA membership is up tomorrow.  No more pool (  I had a nice 18 mile ride tonight with the group and it made me a little more motivated to get my butt in gear!
Hope all is well with everyone!
Paula

Hey, guys!!  It seems like we have all been working hard the past few weeks!  I'm finally in a rest week, and getting ready for Rev3 this weekend.  For some reason, it doesn't really seem like a "race" to me...I think because I am doing a relay instead of the whole thing.  I don't really even seem to be nervous...which makes me a little nervous!

We are heading to CT on Friday with the kids, and are making a mini-vacation of it.  The race is Sunday, and we are returning on Monday.

I finally went to the Dr. yesterday about my persistent sore throat, and the diagnosis was ALLERGIES!!  I've never had trouble before, but they said that allergies sometimes pop up as you get older!  The Dr. gave me some nose spray, and that seems to have done the trick...no more sore throat at least!

Paula, that is a generous offer for the race.  I'm definitely going to want to stay closer than home on Sat., so just let me know!  I can always just get a bed at the Athletes Village if I need to, so no worries if there is no room!

Have a great week!

Hey there! Sorry I haven't posted in awhil

Kelly, looks like you have a fun weekend coming up! Should be a good experience, and good practice for Musselman. I think an even bigger mistake than poor hydration and nutrition that people make in a half is they go out too hard on the bike. If you look at race reports, you will see a lot of people who say they felt great on the bike and had a really good bike split, and then they fell apart on the run. I think this weekend will give you a good feel for the pacing.

Paula, very nice of you I am not sure about my plans yet which brings me to a question I would like to ask you and Kelly. The last 2 years I made a small family trip for my HIM's, but this year I would like to go by myself. I really just want to hang with other triathletes, focus on the race, and to be honest, not have to worry about anybody else. The only thing is that my wife really doesn't like having me gone. You would think that after 22 years she would be happy to be rid of me, but for some unknown reason, she is still pretty fond of me. Do you think I'm being a little self centered about it?

Anthony

Anthony, I dont think you are being selfish at all.  I LOVE my alone time- luckily my husband enjoys his as much as I do mine.  Just thank her for her support but kindly say that you really want to focus on the race and she would be bored waiting around etc.........
As far as the housing situation goes:  My dad's place is too small for anyone.  My cousin's next door are really odd sometimes- you ask them to borrow something then they get wierd and they are hard to track down these days.  It might be better to find somewhere else to stay- SOOO sorry about this.  I was thinking of having a little party at my dad's place on sat.  Could be relaxing time to chat, get to know each other etc...  Its only about 25- 30 min from Geneva so not too far.
  I have some big news that will affect my training and ability to compete in the sprint.  Since there is no way that my family will find out, I can tell you guys that I am about 7 weeks pregnant! ( only my husband and cousin know right now- WHEW it feels good to "tell" someone!)  We are very excited but being very cautious at this point.  I got to the doctor next week to find out all the do's and dont's.  I have been cutting way back on running or doing things with my hear rate too high since I found out a few weeks ago.  I spoke with a nurse last week who asked one of the docs, a fellow triathlete, he recommened that I not do the race I signed up for this weekend just incase.  I know exercise is recommended and encouraged and I plan to continue doing the most I can but since I am not young (37 next week) I will wait for the doc to give me the OK.  Even if I cant do the mussel man, I still plan on making the trip home and supporting you guys on sunday.  I cant stay the whole week like I planned because I have to conserve my vacation time now. 
Thanks for letting me ramble.
Kelly, since you are a mom of 2 I will definately be picking your brain for things!
Keep up all the good training you guys have been doing- Y'all are awesome!
Paula

Paula....Congratulations!!!  I am so excited for you!!  I hope you are feeling well, and trust me when I say, you will not always feel so tired!  It seems to me so early in your pregnancy you wouldn't have to worry about training or competing, but definitely talk to your Dr.  My Dr. told me I could do pretty much anything I wanted as long as I wasn't going over what I did before I was pregnant (did that make sense?).  I hope everything is going well...maybe you'll have a sono at your appt, so you will get to see some little toes and fingers!!

Anthony, I totally understand your desire to go by yourself and your guilt in doing so.  Not knowing your wife it's hard for me to say either way, but if you just tell her you know she doesn't want to stand around and talk tri the whole weekend and that is what you really want to do, maybe she'll understand.  Also, the promise of a girls weekend for her might soften the deal a bit!

I think I am going to try to get a room in the Athlete's Village for Saturday night.  I think it will be fun, and then I will be right there for the race. Hopefully there are still some available.

I'm writing from CT right now...the boys are a little stir crazy in the hotel room because it's raining outside.  It's supposed to be beautiful for the rest of the weekend!!

BTW, you guys can follow my race at www.trakkersgps.com .  Click follow athlete and I should be under Kelly Covert or Team Covert-Hughes (since I'm doing the relay.) My swim wave starts at 7:23 a.m..  It will be real time tracking with HR, elevation, speed, etc.  Should be pretty interesting.  There will also be live coverage of the race online at www.Rev3tri.com .

Have a great weekend!