Experior and Slornow's Winter Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 2)

I've recently found out that consistant self massage has helped me with a slight calf injury.  5-6 times per day, just speding a few minutes with a tennis ball like object and rubbing it into my calf to get the blood circulating.  Not sure if that applies to an ITBS injury...but I was surprised at how much it helped me with my calf. 

Pick me! Pick me!  Will send more info later if any room.

Thanks

Sylvain

Sylvain-come on in.  Glad to have you in the group.

Randy 

How deep do you push it?  (Just curious.)  Is it "oh my goodness I don't think I can stand this much longer?", or just pushed but not to the point of significant pain?

I do a similar thing (with the bottom of my right foot.  I keep a hemispherical paperweight under my desk and lightly massage my foot on it.  (I'm doing it right now...)  I don't press hard, at least not to the point of pain.  But when I do the foam roller on my ITB, it is mightily painful and deep.  Maybe different strategies work for different areas?

I never pushed to the point of pain.  Significant pressure, but no pain.  Definately not a one size fits all approach for all injuries, but like you mentioned with your paperweight...it's something you can do quite easily and very often...without having to sprawl out on the floor with a roller.

If it works...bonus...if not...it's not like you wasted a lot of time and money. 

I keep a tennis ball in my car and when my hamstring is flaring up I'll put the ball between the car seat and sore spot and drive with it there. Shift around occassionally to hit a new spot.  Seems to help.  I also foam roll regularly and do some hamstring and calf specific stretches.  Right hamstring and right calf tend to be my trouble spots.  2 right knee surgeries years ago probably caused some imbalance in right leg.  Tough getting old!!

Randy 

To your and Jason's points, massage is the remedy (I hope).  Last time round I had tried a few different things with no positive results.  Then found a massage therapist, and she took one session to fix what I'd been trying to fix for almost a year.  She had a cancellation, so I'm in for next Wednesday. 

Training will look messy for the next week or so as lots of Xmas lunches, etc. at work and this is when I do most of my weekeday running or swimming.  I suck at early am workouts.

Hi Michael and Randy.  I'd love to join up again.  I see a few familiar faces from the 2010 group as well!  Bio to come tomorrow.  Might have a few joiners from the MoP group too as I've recommended you all :-)

Stu

Stu-glad to have you.  Good to have you as a part of the group...always appreciate your insight and support.

Randy 

I'm a big proponent of massage therapy, after being a skeptic for a while.  (My initial experiences were not good.)  I found a guy who has turned out to be really fantastic.   (He has worked for several professional athletes, including the Utah Jazz for a long time, but his wife is in the military and she got stationed here -- may they never transfer her again...).  The sessions are incredibly painful, but within hours afterwards (it took days the first few times, but now hours) I feel like flying to the moon.  My long litany of minor complaints has been almost completely eliminated.  

Early am workouts:  I get on 'streaks' where I'm really good at it, and then other times it is very hard.  Bottom line is that if early morning is the only opportunity, eventually my addiction to training will overcome my desire to sleep and I'll get out there, and once I do it 5-10 times in quick succession, it becomes much easier.  But those first 5-10 times often have to be driven by desperation or pure willpower. 

Hey Stu.  Great to hear from you again.  Followed your MoP Forum this past year.  It will be great to cnnect again.

Brian

Hi! I need help. Will you mentor me, please?

NAME: Blanda

STORY: I've been a soccer player for Guam and a runner for many, many moons. I'm retired from the competitive stuff, so looking for other fun, healthy ways of filling the void of training for it. One super sprint under my belt so far. My weakest discipline is the swimming. I stink at it. I'm hoping to participate in the Guam Xterra Off-road race happening in March of 2012 (plus all the regular races before then I can handle as training for it). I'm unorganized with my training at the moment, and unsure of how and when to push myself with the biking and swimming.

FAMILY STATUS: 39, married to an Airman who'll be deploying in February, so I'll really need folks to chat with about my triathletic journey. We have three children. 20 (girl), 10 (boy), and 5 (girl).

CURRENT TRAINING:  Slacking on the running. I always do this right after a distance race, then pick up again a couple months later. I'm swimming 3x a week with a swim team, and mountain biking at least once a week with my soccer teammates who are also training for the Xterra. We're all new to it, so it's the blind leading the blind with training. I try to get in at least one bike/run brick a week, but that hasn't happened a few. Holidays are killing me! Swimming is my most difficult area. I'm slow, I can't breath, I kick and crash into others, and last night I had an asthma attack, which was a reminder to always carry my inhaler.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: A super sprint, a bike/run/bike duathlon, and a mountain bike race this past weekend. Everything else I've done has been running.

WEIGHTLOSS: What is this? Haha, just kidding. I haven't experienced it in so long, I don't even know... Anyway, I'm about 15 pounds fluffier than I'd like to be. I'm hoping (after the holiday gluttony ends) it'll come off with more steady training.

2012 RACES: 3/12/12 Xterra Guam. Not sure what else is on the local tri calendar. Just getting a grip on the swimming and biking and participating in races experienced friends recommend.

Hey there, I'd love to joing this group if you will have me.  I was part of a great mentor group in 2011 (Baowolf), and love being part of an online team.

NAME: squirt (Carol)

STORY:  I'm 45, and have run (slowly) off and on for the last 5 years.  Ran a number of 5K's and 10K's, and a few very undertrained half mary's over that span.  I would normally fade in the heat of the summer and have to start over again and again.  I had several injuries/issues along the way and let them deter me instead of proactively addressing them.  As a result of that and getting out of touch with "calorie reality" for a while, I packed on some unwanted pounds.  But in early 2011, I decided enough was enough.  Our pastor talked one day about not living life with the emergency brake on, and I felt like that was exactly what I had been doing with my training (or lack thereof).  I realized I was afraid to really try hard and fail, so I always stopped short of giving it my all.  I had done one tri in 2009 as sort of a dare with a friend, liked it, and decided to go "all in".  I got professional help with my recurring injury issues, joined a BT mentor group, got a lightly used road bike, and set a goal of doing 12 races in 12 months in 2011 (tri's and running).  I did it, and now I'm ready to get better at it!!  I also have the added challenge of having type 1 diabetes (the kind the little kids get), so balancing insulin, carbs and exercise is...well...neverending.  But we all have "stuff" of one kind or another, right?

FAMILY STATUS: Married to my best friend for 23 years, 5 furkids (4 dogs and 1 very tolerant cat).

CURRENT TRAINING:  I've been pretty run focused for the last couple of months, training for a few half mary's and will probably continue to be on that track through the end of February.  A recent ankle sprain led me back to the pool, and I'm signed up for some much needed swim instruction starting in January.  Need to get something going on the bike again.  My logs are updated. 

2011 RACES:  This was really my first year of tri's other than one sprint back in 2009 (sort of a dare with a friend).  I did four sprints and two OLY's in 2011.  Also did two half mary's, three 10K's and one 5K.  Had big (for me) run PR's after tri training all summer and losing some weight.   

2012 RACES:  I'd like to do a 70.3 in Sept/Oct, and get better at OLY's leading up to that.  Will probably throw in a sprint or two as well.  I'm still trying to figure out which 70.3 to do, and will back into the rest of the schedule once I figure that out.  I would also like to do my first full mary, though may push that to Jan/Feb 2013.  Oh, and a friend has talked me into doing the MS150 bike ride in April, which seems kind of crazy given that my longest bike rides (and not very many of them) have been around 40 miles.

WEIGHTLOSS: I've lost 25 lbs in the last year and am at a weight I'm fairly content with (122 lbs - 5 ft 3 in).  I'd like to maintain that and possibly drop to 115, but am not in a big hurry about that. 

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE:  I know I have a LOT to learn, especially as I try to get faster and go longer, so I'm open to any and all help!  Having participated in a mentor group in 2011 and done a few tri's already, I also hope I can help to encourage others.  Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can!  You will also save my husband and friends from me rattling on quite as much about all this. 

Good morning all!

Blanda and Carol...nice to add some more ladies to the group.  By my count that gives us 10 (12 including Micael and myself). 

I will be tied up with work until this afternoon but will check in then to see how things are going.  Hope everyone has a great day!

Randy 

Name:  JuneApple / Stu

Stu's Story:  High school swimmer (and tennis), biked a bunch in college, but never ran.  After leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle during my 30s and early 40s, I found myself at mid-life under a bunch of stress and 50 lbs overweight.  So I decided to change some priorities, starting with health and fitness.  I started running a bit (I was really slow) and worked my way up to a half-marathon and my first triathlon (sprint) 4 years ago.  Had some injury issues along the way, but have had two solid seasons now in 2009 and 2010, including lots of personal bests (yes, even over age 50!).  I attribute much of my success to the information and support here at BT, and frankly, our two mentors.  At age 51, I'm in the best shape of my life and I'm very thankful for the role triathlons have played in regaining my health.

Family Status:  Married for 28 years with one daughter in college.  My wife gets to the gym every now and then and is generally supportive of my habits.  Our daughter was diagnosed with an eating disorder in September (anorexia) and so much of my Fall has been helping her get back on track.  It's been a huge learning experience for our family and she's been doing great.  I'm super proud of her!

Current Training:  My approach is all about consistency and balancing training with the rest of life (work, family, music). For me, tri races are the goal which helps me make better lifestyle choices each day.  Just now getting back in the pool and on the bike after being run focused this Fall.  I also know that in the greater scheme of things, losing a few weeks is not the end of the world.  It's all about the big picture.

2011 Races:  3 sprints and a marathon.  After finally breaking the 200lb barrier in March, I became an age-grouper this year.  I'm generally a MoPer (middle of the packer), but had my first podium finish (1st even), which was a strange, but somewhat motivating, feeling.  Finishing the marathon was definitely the highlight of the season.  I might even consider doing another one... it was much more fun than I expected.

2012 Races:  I have no idea!  I think for the first time in my tri career, I don't have "longer" goals.  I've done a HIM and a marathon and I can't say I have any overwhelming drive to attempt an IM.  More than anything, I just want to have fun this year.  Granted, fun when it comes to triathlons does have a semi-masochistic element to it, but I don't have to explain that to all of you!  My one thought is to focus more on Olympic length distance, but I'm still mulling my motivation plans. 

Weightloss:  Ultimately would like to get to 185 or so, and I do have to monitor my diet and avoid late night snack raids.

What will make me a good mentee:  I'll be active on the board (especially after mid-January - might be a little quiet until then).  I was a mentor in 2011 and very much enjoyed the experience and all the fantastic people in our group, but decided I'd step back a bit in 2012.  Then saw that Michael and Randy were doing a group, so I figured that was a sign :-)  Really looking forward to it and many thanks for leading the group!

Welcome Stu!  So glad to hear that your daughter is dealing well with it. My sister had anorexia for a long time -- very scary stuff.

Given your strong swim, Olympic distance would make sense.  But as you say, the real focus is fun!

No, I can't put your baby on a schedule -- it will happen, though.  The best advice I can give from our own experience is to be as utterly consistent as possible.  Bed time the same time every night, same routine every day, etc..  Eventually it works.   It won't feel like it's working, but it will...

As for training, I cannot recommend a bike trainer enough.  Since you live in West Texas, the point for you isn't so much about winter indoor training, but rather opportunistic training.  Leave the bike on the trainer, everything ready to go.  When the baby presents you with an opportunity to hop on the bike, do it!

I personally cannot stand treadmills, and I have taken a solemn oath never to get on one again.  But some people love them for indoor training.  Good ones are not cheap, however, so that could be a deal-breaker as well.  (OTOH, a decent used trainer can be found for not too much money.)  When I cannot stray far from the house because of child care duties, I run around the block.  Yes, my neighbors think I'm crazy.  One year preparing for IMKY I ran 18 miles around the block (54 times around for those keeping score at home).  Again, the point is that if you are prepared to endure the boredom, you can start and stop a workout like that on very short notice.  You can even stop to take care of some child issues, then restart.

Swimming is the tough one, as getting to the pool, etc., inevitably takes time, and it is often a little harder to go for a swim on a moment's notice.  My advice there is twofold.  First, if there is any way you can agree with your wife to block off 2 or 3 swims per week (and of course you reciprocate by offering her a guaranteed, pre-scheduled, child-free hour or so a few times a week -- these pre-arranged child-free times were pretty important for our mutual sanity in the case of my wife and me), then I would strongly encourage you to do that.  Second, you can get some help from stretch cords.  There are some decent demonstrations of how to use them on Youtube.  If anybody is interested, I'll look them up and post later -- back to work for now.

Stay strong!  Before you know it, your baby will be 10 years old, which presents a different set of challenges...