mixie's group Closed :) (Page 2)

Stacia,

Open water swim (OWS) was one of my biggest concerns too up until recently. I was nervous about it, I had hard time breathing in my wetsuit, I kept thinking that I am going to drown before I'll reach the shore and so on. I even bailed out on a club race (Did Not Show) because of that.

You are absolutely right about building endurance in the pool. I heard a tri coach saying that the recommended ratio is 3:1 or in other words, you need to be able to swim comfortably in a pool 3 times the distance that you are planning to swim during your OWS. This is not to say that everyone who does OWS can do this, but I truly believe that whomever can do it, does pretty well in OWS.

As Verna suggested, attend group OWS and/or clinics. Let the instructor know your concerns and don't be afraid to ask (any) questions. I learned that they add a tremendous value to your confidence. Tips and lessons learned during those sessions will stay with you forever.

Thanks for all of the OWS hints.  The good news is that my first tri is a pool swim...we have been practicing this...learning to pass people in the pool, five second delayed starts, all that good stuff.  I expect to start trying some of the OWS clinics once I have this first race under my belt.

 On a completely different note, I had a new first yesterday--I swallowed my first bug while riding my bike.  Still not sure how that happened, but bugs are good sources of lean protein, right? 

 I did a 7-mile bike and 3-mile run yesterday.  The weather in Richmond is gorgeous right now, so it was great to be outside.  I'm taking today off, in preparation for an 18-mile ride and 1 or 2-mile run tomorrow morning.

 How long will your husband be out at sea? 

Rest day for me. My body was waiting for this... 

 With the sub force, I am not allowed to say.  It's classified info.  So, if I told you I'd have to kill you.  It isn't too long though.  

 This group is already helping me.  If I hadn't posted that I was doing 5 miles, I think I would have quit at 1.  I was tired and just wanted to go home!  I am very glad I finished BUT, I'm ready for a nap! 

Happy Friday everyone!

For me, today was supposed to be a rest, but since I'm NOT doing anything tomorrow (in prep for a 10k on Sunday) I'm going to do a short, slow recovery run with my roommate and the bike up to my friend's house tonight.  Both will be slow and easy (I'm hoping!). But the ride will be uphill *sigh*

This weekend I think I'm going to hit some golf balls and then Sunday is a local 10k.  I think I'm going to use it as a time trial and base my training zones off of it. We'll see. I fear that the course is hilly so that might throw things off a bit. 

Dang you all for snapping me back to reality from my "easy recovery day"!!!

Tomorrow I have a 2100m swim with speed work -- all at a 2:00 pace or faster.  Then it's off for a 60+ mile group ride.  A hilly group ride.  However, I'm on-call and may have to go to work for a short while.  If that's the case, then I get to do three or four loops around a local lake by myself.  I hate riding by myself and would rather do the group ride, even if it is hilly.

Sunday is a rest day - yippee!!!

Welcome Melissa!  So, you are the old fart and I'm the crazy lady with all the kids!   Funny!

I too have been intrigued with triathlons since I saw a Kona race on tv about 15 or so years ago.  My goal has been to finish a tri before I turn 30 (I turn 30 in December!).  So, this is it!  My first on is June 8.  I rode the bike course yesterday and it took me about an hour to complete the 14.4 miles.    I was pretty disappointed.  I really thought I'd be faster.  Oh well, I'll keep training and get my bike tuned up. That can't hurt! 

Oh well, I'm off to make lunch for the kids.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend. 

Erica

My training is a nap today!!!

Welcome to the group, Melissa!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! It was gorgeous here on Saturday...I got in a 12-mile bike ride (instead of the 18 I had planned) and a 1-mile run. Had to cut the bike short because I had volunteered to help my church fix up a house on Saturday afternoon, and I didn't want to arrive too late.

Yesterday was rainy and gloomy--perfect day to buy a new saddle for my bike. I have also decided to get brave and switch to clipless pedals. My bike is currently in my living room, getting a makeover. Anyone willing to take bets on how many times I will fall off my bike in the next few weeks? Got any hints for me?

Hi Meilssa! Welcome to the group!

HI think that you'd be surprised that it won't be too bad. You can start off by practicing clipping in and out on a spinning bike or on your bike if you have a trainer. It will help you getting comfortable with it. Another thing that I did - when I first got mine - was to ride with one clipped in shoe and one standard (un-clipped) sports shoe (I know it sounds funny). But then, I imagined that the non-clipped shoe cannot be removed off the paddle and when I need to stop- I need to dismount the clipped shoe first. I rode that way for a while - until I felt confident enough dismounting safely. Finally, the paddle I use (a cheap brand) have an adjustment screw that controls the force required to dismount. I set it to the minimum. Now, does that mean that I did never fall off my/with my bike? No!! Just yesterday - it happened to me for the first time!

Good luck! 

Our beautiful weather in Wisconsin decided to take a major turn on Friday back to cold with a chance of snow tonight, so I am back inside riding the bike and running at the gym. The cold weather this weekend did give me a chance to get in to a running store to have my shoes looked at and they were able to make some adjustments with arch supports which will hopefully take away some of the leg and back pain I get when I run.

Yesterday I did 14.5 miles on the bike and ran 3.1 miles on the crosstrainer. This afternoon I am planning to swim 1000m. Hopefully, by the end of the week I'll be able to get back outside but it doesn't look to promising.

I am another one that has issues with my heartrate. I have not really gotten a good reading on the bike yet, but when I run I top out at 175 and have a hard time going below 160 unless I am walking. I do have exercised induced asthma and use an inhalor before each workout, so this may be causing the increased heartrate. I still plan to ask my doc about it when I see her next week.

I agree with Verna that it is always a good idea to consult with your doctor first - before engaging with high effort cardiovascular activities. Once cleared by a physician, I would identify my HR zones (which are different for running and cycling) and check myself against them at all times. When I exceed my targeted HR zone, I slow down (to whatever speed it takes) for it to get it under control. According to other's experience, after training enough, it will eventually improve overtime.

Here is an article with some of the basics. 

Hope it helps.