TexasMPGal's Motivated Mentor Group (CLOSED- TRAINING IN PROGRESS!) (Page 20)

It's on alright!  You shouldn't have joined the challenge if you don't want to show your assatar!    The men will win.... no one wants to see a bunch of men's butts in lycra!

I had a calf cramp while playing 3rd base yesterday... OUCH!   I had a little dribbler hit to me and I took off to get it and fell over on the ground holding my calf.  That was embarrasing - and the runner was safe at first   I haven't had a calf cramp since I was a teenager.  It's still pretty tendor today, not sure if I should rest it or go on with my bike and run workouts.  It's not like I've been following my plan very well lately anyway, but I did just reset my plan so I will be better prepared for my next race in July!  This past week has been the first time I've ridden my bike every time with the clipless pedals, maybe that had something to do with it. 

On the plus side - I'm starting this training plan 25lbs lighter than when I started around Christmas time.  Who knows, if I can drop another 20 or so lbs I won't be a Clydesdale by the time race day rolls around!

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Wes

Wes, you lost 25 lbs!!! That is awesome. I had the trail maintenance day with the scouts on saturday and hauled 100 lbs loads of mulch up and down a steep heel for two hours. I am sore! But, I really need to pick things up in the next five weeks to survive the HIM. Hoping to get back to running shin splint free too....

Erica, did you see those Sox this weekend? awesome!!!!

Okay, the delinquint mentor is back.  It has been an incredibly busy week, but I'm back in full training mode and even RAN two miles yesterday. 

Erica/Kirk: How goes HIM training? How are you feeling? As you have to balance time, etc. try to get your long bikes in...your bike fitness is huge in a HIM. 

Wes: You're still planning on CapTex right?? If so, we have to make sure we say hi in person! I should be racing all three this time so long as I keep healing in the leg and I can't wait!!

If y'all have time, I highly suggest reading this thread: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=156793&posts=100&start=1 

It has some great tips for triathletes from those who have been there, done that!

I am hurtin really bad. It seems that I cannot get into a good groove. I know that running is killing me. My feet and shins are still hurting. I had a crash today on my bike. I think after I mounted the wheel when I changed me last flat I messed up the rear derailer. It locked up on my today and sent me to the pavement. I got some nice road rash and the bike is at the LBS until at least Thursday. My kids school is closed for a week because of the Mexican Pig Flu and I have been totally tied up with them.....If so many people were not counting on me, I would probably drop out of the race. Right now I am thinking it might turn into an aquabike with me walking until they tell me they are closing the course.....

Kirk -- that's rough,  hang in there!  I have finally let it soak in my brain that I'm not 21 anymore - it takes me much longer to recover from soreness and injuries!  I hope you are feeling well enough to complete the aquabike portion, you have worked hard for it.

My kids school is not closed yet (hopefully they won't!).  There are numerous school districts neighboring us and several schools in our district that are less than 2 miles away surrounding our neighborhood that are closed until May 18th.  My wife is a microbiologist in a hospital lab and they have been absolutely bombarded with flu tests!  People coming to the ER with a headache and wanting to be tested.... wow. 

Brittany -- I'm racing the Austin Tri in September, not CapTexTri this month.  I'm not ready to race this month -- I want to be in much better shape for my next race.  It was great finishing that first sprint and getting it behind me, but I know I can do so much better and I'm not settling to just finish next time.   I doubt I will get a PR on my next sprint since the swim was very short last time.  It's hard to compare sprint races - they vary in distances too much.

Erica -- Good job with staying on top of the teacher appreciation week!  My 1st grader is taking flowers today.

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Wes

I'm "thinking" of upping my triathlon goals for this year and doing the Longhorn 70.3 in October.  I'm doing my first olympic in September and don't think I'll have a problem with that -- is 5+ months long enough to train for a HIM or will I be getting in over my head?  Maybe I should wait until next year for a HIM -- still toying with this.

The biggest issue I have with this race is that it is called "Longhorn 70.2" and says to get hooked.  That might hurt as a Sooner fan.  :-)

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Wes

To all the mothers here -- HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!

Ok.  So.  Wow.  I knew it would be special when I had to travel for work at the last minute on the Thursday-Saturday before my first triathlon.  I agreed to go ONLY if I could take a relatively early flight back on Saturday....in time to 'rest up'.  Of course, I got nothing done before I left, so when I strolled back home at EIGHT THIRTY the night before the race, I still had to pack my bag, tune my bike, and oh yes, sleep.  The elusive sleep.

Having to travel also made me not be able to pick up my race packet until race morning.  So, three somewhat reluctant males (only because of the hour) and I were up at 4 am heading out for a 6am race morning registration pick up.  We got there, only for me to look at my bike rack and wonder why and how I had managed to forget to twist the screws that lock the arms on the carrier.  They were gone, but luckily the rack (with my bike on it) had not collapsed.  Anyone know where I can get some Saris Bones 2 arm lock twist thingies :-) ?

Anyway, the bike stayed on and we got to the race site.  After spending some quality time getting used to my wet suit and probably getting too comfortable with the bouyancy, I emerged from the car to hear the race announcer saying 'the temp has warmed to a wonderful 74 degrees - no wetsuits'!  Such good news and such bad news, all at once. (It's been in the 90's the last couple of days in Texas).  I went and had a snag free registration, went back for my gear (3 males asleep in the car), got marked, got my transition set up, bathroom trip #1, went back to car to check in (1 youngest male still asleep in car, 2nd male hungry, 3rd - just along for the ride with his silly wife!).  Drank some more because I was fearful of dehydration from the plane travel - BRT #2.  Went back to transition to check my set up again...fretting over laces open or tied.  Went with open (even though I had practiced tied).  Headed back to the car.  All males awake, fed, and bathroomed!  Time to warm up.

I've worked hard on the swimming, but I can't lie, I'm a bit nervous about the swim.  The distance is short and I've done much longer, even in relative (Barton Springs) open water.  But still...  I swim out a hundred yards or so and try to play around.  The water is warm and I get a pretty good warm up. It smelled like algae I've learned during all of my swim practice that I really don't warm up well until 300 or so yards into a long swim.  That's entirely too much warming up. I'll have to incorporate some dry land warm up.  So I opt for a short run instead.  My oldest jogs with me.  I work up a nice sweat and feel pretty well settled down.  Somehow though, I didn't pay quite enough attention to the continuous uphill climb that is the FIRST MILE OF THE RUN while I'm warming up.

I check in with my boys once more and we head in to wait for my heat.  I can't figure out why even the folks that are hanging back are swimming on the right...that's got to be an extra 75 yards to go wide.  So, I opt for the inside.  DH tells me the first of the first heat gets out in 3:17....HA, told him not to look for me until at a minimum the 7-8 minute mark!

My heat is up.  We enter the water.  I'm feeling pretty decent.  I take the left side.  Only a few of us do, so I only end up behind a few women.  We're off.  I do that crazy looking half swim, half jump for the first few strokes to get lined up, then I settle into a 'not quite comfortable' but 'not too bad' stroke.  Doing pretty well, suprisingly well.  Turn the bouy, still doing pretty well. Then I start thinking...hmm, still half to go and I've pushed pretty hard, not really getting passed, passing a few, hmm.  WHAM!  Hit the wall, went out entirely too fast.  I caught a foot, swallowed some disgusting water, flipped to my back, got recollected, then commenced.  Unfortunately, I have to do that a couple of times in the 2nd to last 100 yards.  Argh. Bummer that.  But I finish pretty strong in the last 100 and get my first open water triathlon swim OVER with!

I think I was supposed to run to the bike transition, it took me a minute before I was ready for that.  Then off I went. My bike transition consisted of socks, shoes, shirt race number belt, helmet, gloves, and shades.  My new 34 year old wisdom tells me that if I had slept properly I would have remembered to put my gloves, shades, and race number belt into the pockets of my shirt so that I could put them on DURING the ride.  But alas, I forgot.  Valuable time wasted.

Off on the bike.  I thought the bike went pretty well.  I lost a lot of real road traning time between bikes and work and weather, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  I rode in aero pretty well. Made good progress on the hills. Probably took it a bit too easy on the flats.  Played leap frog with few people.  Flew down some hills.  That was fun.

Bike to run transition was better... just a change of shoes and slipping on a visor on the run.  Hmm, now why did I go laces open?  That took too long.  I had practiced just sliding the shoes on and think that I have since forgotten how to tie them!

The run.  OK.  Word to new triathletes.  No matter how many times you've practiced a bike-to-run Brick.  Do it again, and again, and again, and again.  I might as well have been dragging concrete blocks (at least it felt that way).  After clearing the ski ranch and making the turn to the road for a 2 mile out and back, what did I see ahead of me?  NOTHING BUT INCLINE!  Seriously, after the bike?  How did I miss that in my warm up run.  Oh my goodness.  Sludging it uphill.  Had to walk a couple of times, hopped up and down a couple of times, BEGGING the blood to flow.  Sludge, sludge, sludge...took a good half mile to even feel like  I really was running.  Walked the water stop and pledged to haul it back down.   Did just that.  I got passed by a 30 year old on a slight uphill  (I LOVE the age on the calf!  It doesnt take much to motivate me to compete).  I'm at the end of my age group and JUST turned 34 last year.  I kept her within a few paces and she kept checking her shoulder.  I hoped for her sake that she had a sprinting background because I planned to run her down and sprint the finish in.  She didn't.  I did!  Good race for her though,  not meaning to appear overly competitive, I just needed the pick me up and that little jostle and leap frog was a fun way to end the race.

Got to the line...enjoyed the cold towel.  Grabbed a water bottle and some fruit.  Had my fruit taken by two little men.  Walked around for a few minutes trying not to pass out!  Forgot all about the beer and burgers (who can eat after this?!)  I missed that beer a little later though!

I sense a love-hate relationship in the making.   Gotta hit the training again tomorrow.  The swim doubles + a little bit in a race in two weeks.  YIKES!  COOL!

Erica,

I had some issues with a quad when I played soccer in college. However, it was always because I took some sort of blow there (usually a knee). It is a very sensitive muscle that is slow to heal. Good news though is that you really cannot do much damage unless you are hurt around your knee. The doc always told me that as long as I could deal with the pain there was no hurt in playing with that injury. Not what you wanted to hear.....

Hey everybody!

I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long, I won't go into the details(too boring and I don't want to get negative mood)

I was able to complete my first sprint on 5/09/2009!  It felt great achieving my goal and I can't wait until I do my next one.  I was a little disappointed with my final time, but nowhere to go but up from now on.

I wrote a race report, but I can't seem to get it posted to where everyone can read it.

Thanks for all of you words of support and advice that you have given to me to help me with my goal.

CONGRATS SLOTH!!!!!  Another Triathlete!! 

22 laps nonstop..  that is great!  I still stop and rest a bit after each 200 or 400 yds!  I plan on doing some open water swimming this coming weekend during the holiday weekend.  I don't have a wetsuit yet though.  Maybe I should think about investing in one!

My tri race plans seem to be changing by the week now.  My original "A" race was going to be the Austin Tri, but now I have family coming down for that weekend for the OU/BYU football game and won't be able to get down to Austin.  Luckily there has been a new tri added to the race plan that is just a couple of miles down the road although it is a sprint.  I'm going to make the best of it and have my daughters do the youth tri, so that will be more fun.  I'm looking forward to seeing my 7 and 12 yr old do a tri!!!

I still have the Longhorn HIM on my plan, but am struggling keeping up with that training plan so far.  I'll keep pushing for it and try to get past the obstacles and see how it goes. 

Hope everyone gets over their injuries soon!!

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Wes