MJEWEN Summer 2013 Mentor Group - OPEN (Page 2)

so, my first ever sprint triathlon (or triathlon of any sort) is 3 days away and .  .

I have woken up with a sore throat and running nose.  this is after months of not even a sniffle 

any suggestions to minimise the impact of the cold over the next few days / on the day of the race would be greatly appreciated.  

Terry,

That's awesome... have fun on Sunday!  I'll bet that they don't get many signups on Wed before a Sun HIM

Welcome back Denise!  Also, welcome to new members Lee and Andrew. 

Lee - You've worked hard to get this point, now is the time to enjoy.  I know you're stressing out but it sounds like you have a good plan.  Time to relax.  It will get easier as you get more experience.  Also be aware things can go wrong during the race so be prepared to adjust on the fly.  A minor cold should not be an issue.  Good luck and let us know how it goes. 

Andrew - Nutrition is a key component of training and racing.  For shorter races - sprints and Olympic/International - notmuch is needed.  Sports drink on the bike maybe a gel pre-race and towards the end of the bike.  Some like a gel during the run on Olympics but it's probably overkill.  HIM and IM nutrition becomes much more important.  I'll spend some time on those distances later.

Terry - Wow, a WTC event and you can still get in the week before.  That doesn't happen around my area very often.  Have fun on Sunday.  

I will say to all on nutrition - it's a good idea to learn to eat on the bike during training rides.  Try some solids like candy bars, bananas, energy bars, even sandwiches.  Learn to eat while riding, from getting the item out of your jersey/bento box to unwrapping to eating, to storing wrapper.  Do all of this while moving.  We can eat while at a stop but to mimic race conditions you want to learn how to save time while continuing to move.  

Terry - wow! Now that's a spur of the moment decision!

Welcome Lee and Andrew!! Lee, try to use these next few days to just rest and hydrate.

Denise -  How fast did you go out after the bike? Dehydration might be an issue, too. I try to keep the first part of the run as slow as I can just to get my hamstrings and calves warmed up. I tend to have tight calves coming off the bike.

If a bunch of people are doing the OWS as a group, I would say to go for it. That's pretty expensive, actually, but I really enjoy doing stuff like that as a group. My anxiety gets the better of me when I am doing pretty much any open water stuff alone (should have seen me on my paddle board, all nervous!). So if you do it with a bunch of people, it is safer and more fun.

On that same topic, I just had a group OWS with a few people from my swim class last Monday. It was great. We went to a lake and it was very nice and great for my confidence level. I kept the pace steady, focused on a long reach and full stroke until my hand was all the way down to my thigh. We did several laps around this lake for about an hour, with lots of breaks treading water.

So my second sprint tri is this Sunday. I have not been on my bike once since the last tri on the 20th of April. That's a month. I am super excited about the swim and the run, but what is up with me and the bike!? Why am I avoiding it like this!?

The planets have aligned for me this week.... on Tuesday a friend sold me his slightly used FSA SL-K crankset.  On Wednesday HIM Florida was still open. Yesterday I received an email officially congratulating me and welcoming me as a Hawk-Racing  sponsored athlete. (Hawk-Racing, for ALL your racing needs)

Mike It was a sign... I had originally planned on this race last year, but when Rocketman Florida opened up, I opted for that one.  I have another HIM on June 1. But....I told myself, that if this WTC race was still open by Wednesday, it must be a sign that I was supposed to enter. 

About three weeks ago St. Anthony's triathlon had about 5,000 participants, two weeks ago, Rocketman had about 2,000. in two more weeks in West Palm Beach Motivation Man occurs attracting about 2,000 participants. There are some really quality events within a two month period here. The IM Florida in November sells out in literally two minutes, but the 70.3 is relatively new and has a lot of competition with other races.

Ken - I agree, I will have fun with this race...... I'll use the swim as a warm up to swim in the middle of the pack to prep for the Pan Am Masters in a few weeks, I will use the bike to get used to my new 53/39T crank..... and the run will be with some hills... I'll use that to prepare for the NYC race. (don't be fooled, I have no idea about what all the tech language means........ it just sounds pretty cool)

Melissa- I think all of my decisions are spur of the moment, some just have more time to simmer than others

Lee - I agree with mike... relax and enjoy the experience.....

My "A" races are still to come.... The NYC in July and my last HIM in Oct/Nov.