MJEWEN Summer 2013 Mentor Group - OPEN (Page 19)

Race report with pics from USAT AG Nationals in Milwaukee on 8/10

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

Great report Mike.. the cold had really bad timing but still an amazing performance.

Don, Zach-- good luck today (although you've already probably finished by this time....)

Hey guys!

I survived!! I did a full summary of my race in the Triathlon Talk forums. I got second in my Age Group, and finished strongly. I have some areas where I can improve, but overall I had a great first race. I should've have actually trained though for this. I had some rough spots during the run and swim. Thanks for all the support and advice! I used it all to my advantage, and some of it was exceptionally helpful! Go check out my full report, it is quite detailed.

Thanks for all the help!!!

-Zach

I did it! I completed a triathlon.

The purpose of today's race was to find out if I like doing triathlons. I do. I do like competing in triathlons. Well, I wouldn't consider what I did today competing. I finished pretty far back. Of course I had no intention of trying for a better place. Today was survive and finish without stopping. I did exactly that.

Thanks to all of you who answered my questions and were very supportive. I really do appreciate it.

It was truly an eventful day. I learned that when people tell you to bring an extra pair of goggles, you should bring an extra pair of goggles. When I put them on right before the race I heard a crack. I took them off and looked them over and they looked fine. By the end of the swim they were full of water. It is better to swim with no goggles than it is to swim with goggles that are full of water. The biggest thing about the swim was finding my own space. I found it very difficult even though I did everything I read to do. I kicked a fair number of people. I also swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of water because someone grabbed my foot and pulled me down. I saw a couple of people get pulled out by the lifeguards. This part of the race was a cluster f#%].

During the bike portion I think I was there to instill confidence in everyone else. I was passed by a lot of people. The most interesting part of the ride was about a third of the way a guy passed me then started slowing down. He slowed way down and just fell over. I stopped to see if he was ok. He said he just had a cramp and was fine.

During the run I started passing a few people. That felt better after the bike. For the run I just tried to pace myself. I took my time and finished with plenty of energy to spare. I felt most comfortable during the run. I even had a few conversations with some of the other competitors.

So where do I go now? Who would have thought that I would become a triathlete? That's just crazy. I have one more event scheduled this year. I need to finish the beast on the bay. After that I go on vacation for two weeks. In October I'll start training again. I'm not exactly sure how to work in all of the events yet but anything is possible. I just proved that today. I think for my next triathlon I am going to do an Olympic distance. Also in the spring I want to run a half marathon. By the end of the season next year I will expect myself to ride a century, and run a marathon. At least my goals are simple.

Be safe out there and have fun.

Don

First of all...

Congratulations to Don and Zach!!! It sounds like you both had great first races yesterday. Not without some challenges - hey, broken goggles could end the race for lots of people, so good job sticking it out, Don. And despite a tough run, Zach, you did a great job and really put in a huge effort! Really well done.

And great race report Mike! Your times are blistering fast, I think, in all areas. Dang, you would clean up in our local series!

My 16 miles went really well yesterday. I was so nervous that my knee would cause me problems. I started out with just generally low confidence and not a ton of energy for some reason. I had tried a different breakfast that morning - yogurt instead of my usual PB toast - maybe it was that? But whatever it was, I felt like quitting for the first 2 or 3 miles. I just didn't see any way that I was going to be able to run for 3 hours after feeling so blah in the first 30 minutes.

We start at 5 a.m. It was humid out, low 70s, and after getting over the bridge (that's miles 2 - 4), I started to pep up a little. I had some Gu chomps at mile 5 and felt fantastic for the next part of the run. The sun started to come up, but there were storms in the area, so it was breezy and cloudy. There was a moment when a little bit of rain fell and the wind kicked up that I even felt almost chilly - what an amazing feeling in the middle of a run!! Then I had to buckle down to get serious going back up the bridge around mile 12. On the way down the bridge, my knee started bothering me - not hurting, just feeling funny so I walked a good bit of the downhill. Then had the most awesome final 2 miles - I just felt great, so was overall an excellent long run.

The weather is really nice today, low humidity and low 80's. We will definitely get the kids out to the beach for a couple of hours this afternoon.

Enjoy your Sundays!!

Congrats Don and Zach on completing your first tri! Sounds like you both did awesome.

Mike great race and report! Very nice bike split!

Zach,
I read your race report. Nice job!

Mike,
I never knew there was a Rochester MN. I live a few hours from Rochester NY. it just keeps throwing me off. Is that near the twin cities? I am considering running a marathon there in the fall.

Terrence,
I just noticed you are from Ft Lauderdale. I'll be there for a couple of days next month. I'm hoping there is a nice boardwalk to run on.

Ken,
100 miles in a week! That's quite amazing.

I spent some time today planning out next season. I am feeling ambitious. Over the winter I am hoping to extend my running and do a half marathon in the spring. I found an Olympic distance triathlon in the area in the spring as well. By next fall I plan to enter my first marathon and a century ride. The big question is... Will I also be able to enter a HIM next fall? Do I dare have three major goals in one season?

Be safe out there and have fun
Don

Don... email me at tmoons [at] alexismoons [dot] com and I''ll give you my cell phone number... call me and we'll find a place to eat and run and swim....

Don... email me at tmoons [at] alexismoons [dot] com and I''ll give you my cell phone number... call me and we'll find a place to eat and run and swim....

Don - Great job on your first tri! Now you're hooked. I think it's great you're making plans for future events and going longer. Rochester MN is the home of the Mayo Clinic about 70 miles south of the Twin Cities - Minneapolis and St Paul. The Twin Cities Marathon is the first weekend of October, is that the marathon you referred to?

Zach - Ditto what I told Don, you are now a triathlete! I read your race report in the Triathlon Talk thread. You got some good advice there. Transitions are important, you should spend some time on them. Do you have elastic laces for your running shoes? Can you run/bike without socks? You definitely should practice sighting in open water, as you said swimming straighter can be a big time saver. As you get more experienced you'll be handle race situations better. Managing your effort on the bike will have huge impacts on your run pace. Bricks (bike/run training sessions) may help but it's more about overall bike and run fitness and then pacing properly. I did not know you were in MN. I'm just down in Rochester and have done many races in the Twin Cities area. I have never done Maple Grove but I'm doing St Croix Triathlon over in Hudson WI this weekend.

Melissa - I always enjoy hearing about your long runs. Sounds like you had another good one on Sunday. Make it to the beach?

Emile - Hanging in there with your foot? It sounded like you back to normal training but with some discomfort post workout.

Yes I'm still hanging in there with my foot. I've pretty much picked up my training plan were I left off. I've had some pain but it seems to be a lot better than it was. Next week is my last week of high volume running. So after next week I will be on the down hill in training. Thanks for asking.

Question for group. Last year during my 70.3 I took in about 200 calories an hour on the bike. I used Cliff Shot Bloks but by the end of the bike leg my stomach was hurting. I dreaded everytime I had to eat one towards the end of the ride they just seemed to sweet. I used shot bloks all through my training last summer and in a marathon the year before that with no problem. So I'm not sure what caused the problem. Although this year I've changed to GU packets and I've been taking 1 every 30min on my long rides. I've only been using water and no sports drink. So this will have me taking in 500 calories on the bike leg. Whats everybody's thoughts? Is this enough calories on the bike? Or should I add more? I have 2 long rides left before taper so I still have time to experiment.

Emile - I'm with you on the shot blocks. I alternate them with other forms of nutrition because I just can't do them for very long. For my 12 hour races I like to consume Hammer Perpetuem, Gels and shot blocks. I find that if I take one shot block every 10 minutes or so I take it much better. I try to consume 200-300 calories an hour. Of course I also eat a salted nut roll, granola bar, snickers bar, or PBJ - something that resembles real food, at some point in time.

I'm still experimenting with nutrition before and during exercise. Sports drinks are too sweet for me during a race. Not sure why. After the race they are just fine. I am begining to lean towards real food rather than the gu and gels. I found some crushed fruit at walmart. They are marketing it as baby food but it is just like the gels only it is real fruit. Supposedly! It is lighter so it is easy tomstomach. It has fewer calories though. In the long run I will probably end up making something myself. I just don't know what it s yet.

I'm with Crissy... I really like Hammer Perpetuem. I supplement it with solid foods - banana, PBJ sandwich, cookies ... I keep a few gels with me but am really trying to stay away from all that. Make a three or four hour bottle and keep it on the bike with you and you should be fine.....

DON - I didn't have time to comment earlier, but GREAT JOB! I'm very happy you had a great first race. And already working on your racing schedule? Impressive.

Melissa, glad your run turned from bad to great. I like when I have good long runs. I had a training run in April of this year, it was a long run - shortly after Boston - and set my own PR for 13.1 miles - on a training run! I was in a pretty good mood the rest of that day.

Since I don't have any triathlons coming up I kind of lost motivation to workout the middle of last week and am in a training funk. Maybe I should follow some of your leads and put together my 2014 racing calendar. Perhaps it will motivate me? Denise & Ken - where and when are the local tri's in 2014?

I do have a fun urban Adventure race coming up in a week an a half (not even that is motivating me to train). It is at night and is one of the funner races I do during the year. My partner and I have won the women's division the last 3 years, so we have a title to defend. :-)

I also got roped into running the Market to Market relay race in October. It's a race that goes from the Old Market in Omaha (though I think it no longer starts in the Old Market) to the Hay Market in Lincoln - around 70 miles total and takes around 10 hours to complete. You compete on a team of 4-7 people. Each person runs from 2 to 4 legs of the race. Teams travel in a van together, and are usually in costume and some even decorate their vans. I didn't enjoy the race last year (my first time running it), and had no desire to do it again. Well, a friend signed me up on her team despite me telling her I did not want to do it. I guess it gives me something to train for.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/watch_triathalon_winner_...


so.... would you let up for the show boat or would you zip by him?

Personally, I'd zip by him and maybe nudge him a bit on the way by. Its a race not a beauty pageant. Celebrate after you've *finished*.

Zip by him. I hate showboating!

wow.... I don't think I would have been as nice as the guy that got pushed....

Ken - Brazil 70.3. I agree with the consensus, celebrate after you finish or pay the price. Especially for the pros. Be aware of your surroundings and if you have time and are so inclined maybe some pre finish celebration is OK. I high five kids during the run portion of races but at the finish line I am usually going all out. At my IMWI finish I had thought I would do some high fives coming down the finisher chute mainly in appreciation of the spectators for cheering us racers on but when I turned the corner I was burning it to the finish line for the last few hundred yards. I was screaming and pumping my fist and forgot all about the high fives.

The male consensus was blow by him if possible, what about the females? Is this a gender thing?

Emile - for my HIM/70.3 races I usually have 2 Powerbar Energy Bars (240 calories) and a Salted Nut Roll along with 2-3 gels (100 calories) on the bike. I will usually eat at least 2 of the Energy Bars/candy bar and 2 gels. I have sports drink in my aero bottle and 2 extra bottles - 1 water & 1 sports drink. I chase the bars/gels with water and typically finish both sports drink bottles. I carry a couple of gels on the run and will typically use 2 during the run portion just before the aid stations so I can wash them down with water. I drink as much as I can at the aid stations. I have mastered peeing on both the bike and the run so don't have to stop if I have to go. I feel this allows me to drink as much as I feel need without worrying about any time issues for potty breaks.

I totally would have seen that as an opportunity to pass and win.

Ken, In my head I say I would zip by the person that was celebrating before the finish line, however, I probably would have known that the person had "beaten" me all through the race, so I might feel silly winning after all. I think that's how that 2nd place finisher felt. He knew his entire race was not worthy of the 1st place, only the last few steps. However, I agree, I hate showboaters, and I do really like to win stuff, so not sure how I would react. It also might depend on if I knew the other competitor.

Emile, I am glad to hear your foot might be on the mend. I was beginning to worry that it was a similar injury like I suffer/ed. A few years back, after seeing a foot doc and getting an MRI don on my foot, I found out my left ankle had lost a lot of cartilage and I had a small amount of bone or calcium deposits that were rubbing together: bone on bone. It would be fine during my runs but ache like crazy after and all day (and night was sometimes the worst). Sometimes going up or down stairs would cause sharp pains. No amount of icing or ibuprofen helped. I did have surgery on it about a year and a half ago, but unfortunately I have been feeling some of the same pains as of late after I run. My PT friend said I should look into orthotics, as I might be rolling my ankle and just need a slight lift on that side to keep the ankle from rolling and causing the ankle to be out of alignment. I just haven't had time to get it checked out and I am afraid if I go to my foot doc again, he is going to tell me to stop running.

Don, first of all great job on your first Tri! It sounds like you really have the "tri bug." We did try to warn you that this sport is highly addictive. I admire your goal setting for future races and commend you for it. I am not ready to take the Oly length plunge yet, but maybe someday.

Zach, So proud of you with your 2nd place finish! That's awesome! I haven't read your report yet, but hope to get a chance sometime today. Most of all, I am glad you had fun!

I am back at school now, which really eats up a lot of my time. I have been continuing to workout in the early morning hours (it has been really hot and humid here: 90+ degrees all week), heading out for 4-5 mi. runs with my friends at 5 on T/Th. I started back up doing spinning class (M/W) and strength training on M/W/F. I still feel strong after taking most of the summer of from heavy lifting, but it feels good to be lifting again and I noticed I can't lift as heavy as before quite yet. I haven't been swimming at all except for the 100 yards (yes, only 100) I did at last week's mini triathlon. I had fun. My sisters ended up bailing on my group, but oh well. I still had a few new gals join us and a few that I have been doing it with for the last decade or so. It is not timed, but I did time myself. I haven't ever kept track of times from year to year other than in my head, but this year felt good. The weather was nice and it was a small turnout, so the course wasn't too crowded. It did feel different, now that I have competed in timed, sanctioned triathlons. I went into this one rather relaxed and almost absentmindedly. I did have my fastest run time on this one though. For some reason, I felt really good and just really pushed it. Was like almost 1:45/mi. faster than I normally run.

Crissy, I am not sure which triathlons I will be doing in 2014. I don't think I will do the Papillion one again. I would like to do the Omaha Women's if I can get enough training in. There is one gal that has done it for a few years and she's fairly hard core, but when I look at her times, I think I could beat her, so I might just have to try! She's about the same as me. As far as the M2M relay race, I have considered doing it, but I think I would really have to like all the people that are on my team. That sounds like a lot of togetherness with sweaty smelling people in a van all day. Just have fun, and consider it training.

Melissa, Good job on your long runs! Plus great job on your last Tri! I can't imagine running that much (and I think you also did some swimming) the day before a triathlon.

Still haven't signed up for anything yet. Might run the Corporate Cup (10K) in 2 wks. if I can get in with my sister's work group. There is also a Beer and Bagel Trail run that I have heard is really fun in Oct. My hubby and I did ride the Corporate Cup Cycling Challenge on the 18th. We went 43 mi. It is a good ride, except at the end, the course channels all the riders from all three loops (10 mi., 25 mi. and 43 mi. ) onto one single lane road that isn't closed to traffic. It just gets super clustered and there is such varying speeds and experience of bikers that it makes it rather unpleasant.

My boys are in full swing of football practices and games now (plus, my husband is an assistant coach), so we are super busy. Plus, we are having our wood floors sanded and refinished by the slowest wood finisher in town! He is taking forever! Meanwhile my house is all out of whack, with couches in kids' bedrooms, table and chairs and dishwasher downstairs, fridge on front porch (which is rather funny every morning I go out to make my iced coffee and my neighbor walks by with his dogs and he stops to chat, while I shuffle cups, ice cubes, coffee pot, creamer, and milk along my deck railing!) I had no idea it would take him nearly 8 days to get it done. He comes back tomorrow for the last coat, but we won't be able to home all day, due to fumes, etc. Oh, and the entire house has a coat of dust on everything. I am tempted to hire a cleaning person to come in and help me get things cleaned off and put back in place!

I am sorry I haven't been posting much, but know that I enjoy reading your posts about your training plans and races! I just feel so at home on this site. Have a great weekend!






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Denise great pic of you and your husband! Is he still enjoying the bike? If you decided to look into orthotics there is a lot of great over the counter orthotics that you can get at running stores such as Superfeet and Powerstep to name a few. I have used both of them for running and currently am using Superfeet yellow's in my cycling shoes. I'm currently running in custom orthotics but have had success with both I named but if I had to chose one of them it would be Powerstep for running.

Thanks for all the tips on nutrition for my upcoming race. Several of you mentioned salted nut roll what is that?

I'm planning on taking my tri bike into the bike shop today for a pre race tune up and check over. The bike store is over an hour away so I will be on my road bike for a week until I can go back and pick it up. I'm really thinking about slapping some new tires on the bike before the race. The current tires only have about 1000 miles on them but 1 of them has a small cut in the tire doesn't look to deep but worries me. If I bought new ones I would take them off after the race and just save them for race tires until my current ones wear out. What is everybody's thought on new tires? Am I just being a worry wart or would it be a good idea to put new tires on.

Results from today's 1.5k open water swim. the winning time was 18:23 minutes

Race No: 452
Gender: Male
Category: Ages 50 - 59
Status: Finished
Pace: 24:19 min/km

Finish Time
00:36:28.657
Overall : 125 / 151
Gender : 65 / 73
Categ : 16 / 18

now, I'm packing to go to the "Tour of Sebring" for a 100 mile bike ride tomorrow morning.

Terry great swim! Good luck on the bike ride today.