STEPH SPRINT FULL Let's do this thing! StephSprint group FULL! (Page 19)

Finally did a little spinning and strength training today. Trying to get my MOJO back. I think it's coming. I'm almost excited to work out again. The running season, new job, and 15lb weight gain kinda zapped my spirits. TriMiami triathlon is tomorrow. I will jog to the causeway, take some photos of my team mates and jog back home. @6 miles. Wish me luck. I've skipped 3 of my 6 5ks due to lack of fitness. What kind of mentor am I???? Honest, I guess. ;-)

Sometimes you get in a funk, you feel lousy... eventually you get back out there. That's where I am. And, after all, rest is a good thing. 7 weeks is a bit excessive however...

You guys inspire me, and I certainly need the enthusiasm!

I Hear ya about the funk. I am out of mine and ready to get back after it. I road with the team Hammerhead again this week and swam yesterday. Looking forward to seeing you out there.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.  

I  got cleared to bike, but not clipped in. So I took the old granny bike for a spin on the forest bike trail.  Felt great to be riding, but it was a tough ride.  Very windy, and the bike is old and heavy. I noticed that it was making a lot of noise while pedaling.  I looked down and saw that the chain is completely rusted.  Well, I sure got a workout. 

I too have been struggling with motivation.  It's hard to see all your training buddies heading out for rides, runs etc and you can't.  I'm worried that by the time I can join them, I wont' be able to keep up.  I took a few days off this week because I was feeling so fatigued and worn out.  Saw my GI doc on Friday and learned my blood levels weren't too good: very low vitamin D, B12 and very high eosinophils, all of which can leave you fatigued.  Having Crohn's can make it hard to absorb nutrients.  Got a B 12 shot and perhaps it's the power of suggestion, but I do feel better..

Lovey, hope you are getting pampered while you keep that ankle elevated.  Heal quickly!

Well I can cross my first tri off the bucket list.  Quite a challenge! I don't know how people can do 10x these lengths in even hotter temps!  Amazing.

Thanks to Steph and everyone here for all the great information, tips and suggestions.  I think I was well prepared mentally and gear-wise. My transitions were painfully slow, but making sure I had everything I needed for the bike and run legs was more important to me than record setting transition times.

The pool swim was pretty uneventful, except for cracking my foot on the wall on first flip turn.  My focus for the bike and run legs was mainly to complete the course, not have any bike issues or get in anyone's way, and hopefully run the whole 5k.  Temps were already near 80 and climbing by 8am, and they ran out of water at the aid station by the time I passed it going back in on the run.  I finished 12th out of 21 in my age group, and 129th out of 194 overall.  I think it was a good choice for a first tri, small size & relatively well organized.

Next up is Sherox in June!

Dumb Question - Is there a trick to getting the black marker off?  I'm starting to rub off a lot of skin. 

First OWS of the year today. 500 yards. It was really weird because a) water had a bacteria alert posted b) there were people fishing on the banks. My sighting practice was really so I didn't get hooked, not to stay on course. Almost asked my 12 yr old nephew to thrash me a little bit to simulate a race. Maybe next time.

edit: How do you post pics? 

editx2: Good job on the first tri awk.

Steph,

Thanks for this info.  One thing I have seen others do, was to bring a cheep roasting pan and fill it with water.  Makes for a quick and easy foot bath before you slip your shoes on. 

Hey Everyone,

I just posted my race report.  The race went really well.  I ended with a personal best of 21:59.  I finished 7th overall and 4th (Grr 30 seconds to slow.) in my age group.  All in all I am really happy and with my time. This is almost a minute faster than my November 5K on a course that is harder to run.  

The field was small (75ish), but had some inspirational runners.  There were a couple of 60-70 runners that finished around 26-30 minutes. I hope I can still run when I am that age never mind at that pace. The oldest was in the 70+ age group and I am pretty sure he finished under 30 minutes. 

Lovey,
I am glad to hear the surgery went well.  I wish you a speedy recovery. 

Steph,
I do the catch drill and always thought of it as way to learn how the glide feels.  Certainly makes more sense now. 

Suzi,
Great news to hear you are back out on the bike!!

Awk,
Way to go completing your first tri.  Guess they didn't tell you the marker was perminant? :-/ 

Congrats on your first tri!!!

As for the marker, wash enough so that it doesn't rub off on clothes and then wear the marks with pride!   Makes for great conversation starter at work. 

Ok, Im my worse enemy.  My second planned race is this Saturday, and I havent trained in a week and a half.  Having a hard time trying to manage all the things in my life.  Oh well, I got to get through this.  Will be able to run tonight, Wensday and Friday.

Not sure if it is a good idea to run Friday.  I havent been running enough, so I dont know if running the day before a race is good or if it can hurt me.  Any suggestions?

I know this is my only second race I have ever done, and I should not be worried about my times for my first year of racing, but no one wants to do worse then their last race.  Im so focused on beating my last time.  Was allways a competitive person, but not feeling too great with a 15min mile pace.  I was looking at last years race results, and my last time would put me around 290th place...lol.

So any suggestions about running the day before a race or any tips how to shave a few seconds off my 5k time would be great.

Oak,

Dont beat yourself up.  You are still doing way more than all the couch surfers.

In speaking from experience, training is the first thing to go when life gets hectic.  I have found that being able to see it coming allows me to plan around it, helping me be more consistent. 

I would not recommend running the day before.  I have always taken at least one day off before a race. It is most likely to hurt you more than help you. 

The more you run, the easier it gets, the faster you go.  In the end it is all about consistency, time in the saddle, hitting the pavement, making like a fish...

--Marcus 

Thanks Marcus...true about the couch athletes.  Thanks for the support.

Hey all,

It looks like I have been keeping a big secret to myself and I think it is time to share it with all of you.  I thought everyone knew this, but it seems that it may not be the case.  Ready.. 

Here it is ... I think you all can handle it.

Ok .. here it is.. you cant loose your MoJo.  Its yours and nothing can take it away.  Its what gets you out of bed on the days we just want to curl up in a ball.   It is what gets us up that extra hour earlier to sneak in another session. It gets us through the rain and the mud. MoJo is what makes us go! Dont ever forget that.  

What happens is life is a B****! and tries to make us think out MoJo is missing or lost.  We come up with our plans and our goals and we think we got it all worked out to the letter.  Then life just picks it apart, effortlessly,  makes us think and feel like we got it wrong. Questioning why we are here and what we are doing. Its just the way the cookie crumbles.  The bright side is you still got a cookie.  You still got your MoJo.  

At the end of the day, we are going to get injuries, illnesses, our families are going to need us, the job is going to get in the way and training is going to suffer. Just dont give up.  Heal up, recover from that illness, tend the family and keep on keeping on. 

HTH   Marcus 

Erin,

My swims go the same way.  Everything seems all discombobulated and uneasy in the beginning.  At some point through the workout everything settles in and the grove begins.  It might be helpful to get some open water swims before your tri.  Around here all the lakes are dark water and its a bit different to swim in them versus the nice clear pool. 

Yes, it is normal to hit a slump.  Just look at every professional athlete.  They all hit slumps at some point  and they all work there way out of it.  You will do the same and you will get through your slump.

--Marcus