Amschrod's Group - FULL (Page 20)

Good luck tomorrow!!  I will be thinking of you- Race hard and kick some butt!
Thanks for the kind words.  I do have an ultrasound next friday and I will be able to get a better feel of what I can and cant do.  I am just being really cautious for now.  Of course that didnt stop me from flying all over the volleyball court tonight-  If I am able to compete still, I will get my butt in gear and be ready for the Mussel man.
Good luck,
Paula

Congratulations Paula! That is great news! Best wishes to you and your hubby.

Good luck and have fun on Sunday, Kelly. I am looking forward to tracking you, and seeing how that tracking thing works.

Thanks for the advice and support. I know it's no big deal, especially since when I'm not at work I am home being a fairly good husband and father, and I even do most of my training while everybody is sleeping, but sometimes I think and worry too much.

Anthony

Hey, guys!!

We got back from CT today, and all of us are beat!! 

The race...well...the race was incredibly hard!!  My swim time was a little over 40, which I thought was okay.  My legs started cramping up during the last 1/3 of the swim, and when I stood up, both calves and the muscles along the shin, cramped like crazy.  It was a long run to transition!!  I'm glad I didn't have to get on the bike, because there is no way I could have gotten my wetsuit off quickly!  Then I had to sit around for 3 hours to wait for the run.  I did get to see all of the pros head into T2, though, so that was cool.

The run was insane.  Over 4500 feet elevation gain...and I thought the Mountain Goat was hard.  My time was 2:11.  I have to say, I am a little disappointed.  My last half marathon was four years ago.  I ran it in 2:06 and I am in much better shape now.  It was an almost flat course, though.  Kel keeps telling me I can't compare the two, but I really thought I would have been faster.

Overall, the race was very cool.  I loved racing with all of the pros.  I can't believe how fast they go. I got a lot of cool stuff and a great finisher's shirt.  It was also fun to be a part of Team Trakkers.  The units had only spotty success tracking, and I don't think mine was working.  It was the first big test of the units, and I think a lot of the blips are going to be worked out for future races. I have decided that I am not that interested in doing a relay again...I definitely didn't like hanging around while everyone else was racing!  The kids had a great time, but Kel is totally exhausted.  He said there is no way he will be able to bring the kids to musselman...it's just too long of a day, and you can only keep them interested in the race for so long. (another reason why sometimes it's not a bad idea to leave the family at home!)

Personally, I'm feeling a little down about my results.  My swim was way slow in the field (definitely the bottom quarter).  My run was a bit better, but not much.  I don't know why I cramped up.  I feel like I have been working really hard, but haven't really seen much improvement.  I know that I can't really compare anything to this race, but I think you guys know what I'm talking about.  I just wish I could be faster!!  Of course, there is not a lot of time for feeling blue...back to training tomorrow.

I'm going to post pics on my blog tomorrow(including a picture of me with Natascha Badmann and Bree Wee!). Thanks for thinking of me this weekend!!  I hope all is well with you guys! 

Looks like you had a great weekend! I'm not surprised you are all beat. Nice pictures at your blog.

Believe me, you are not the only one who wishes they could be faster! I always feel like I could have done better after a race. I think it is part of the personality type that gets us to do things like get up and run in the dark when it is 9 degrees and snowing

To be honest, I have no idea about your calves cramping. I sometimes get calf cramps in the pool when I try to push off the wall too hard, but I have never had them in an OWS. I think 40 minutes in the swim is pretty good, and you did very well, especially for the first OW race of the year.

Nice job on the run, also. I checked the elevation profile and it was mighty hilly! You ran well, and it was a great workout for you. Remember, Frank Shorter says, "hills are speedwork in disguise". BTW, in case you never heard of him, Frank Shorter won the marathon in the '72 olympics.

I ended up having a very busy day on Sunday, and the one time I tried to follow you on trakkers, I didn't get any info.

Congratulations on a great race!!!

Hey, guys!!  Sorry I have been so out of touch!! 

Well, Anthony, we are officially less than 5 weeks away!!  How do you feel?  I'm getting nervous, but am really looking forward to the race.  I'm ready to get out there and see if the training worked!

I had a great ride on Sat.  just over 61 miles.  I didn't run after, but I felt like I could have.

Kel and I joined the local tri club here and every Wednesday night they have a little mini-sprint at a local park.  Kel has done the last two, but this week is my week, so I'm excited to actually do a whole tri for the first time this season.  It is a 300 yard (or so) swim, 10 mile bike and a 5k run.  Should be a good way to work on my transitions.

Paula, how are you??  Have you decided if you are going to race in Geneva yet?  Last weekend at Rev3 I met a woman who was 20 weeks pregnant and she did the swim as part of a relay.

That's it for now...happy training.

Sorry that I have been out of touch as well I feel pretty good, but I am also getting nervous. I'm a little worried that I sort of missed a week of training, plus I haven't swum nearly enough.



Nice long ride!! Do you find when you get to these longer distances it sort of gets easier mentally and physically than you you expect?



That sounds like a lot of fun, especially since your husband is doing some also. I sure wish I could get my wife to join me. I saw a Q-Roo tri bike in pink camo that she would look great on...



Yes, Paula, I am wondering how you are feeling also.

Hey guys, sorry I have been out of the loop for a while.  I guess when you get lazy and dont work out much, you dont write much either!
Kelly- AWESOME job on your race.  I thought you did great.  I am sure you will kick some butt in Geneva- you guys have been training really hard.  61 miles on the bike- that's a great ride.
Anthony- I am sure you have been putting in the miles too- dont worry about missing a little time.  We all fee like we dont do enough but I am sure you will do great too.
  I had my first appointment with the MD on friday,  Got a cool ultrasound pic of the little "pebble" as I refer to him or her.  The doc said it was Ok to run and bike up to 20 weeks but I cant get my heart rate up past 140 or get dehydrated.  That pretty much makes racing impossible for me.  I know myself wayyyyy to well to think that I can just "do " it and not  race but  I am still trying to decide what to do.I ran today for the first time since Memorial day- talk about SLOW!!!  I felt like crap for the first 1/2 mile but most of the kinks worked out.  I only did 3 miles but that's all i need right now.  Its amazing how fast one can become deconditioned.  I hope I can get my fitness level back to some degree.  I have put on a few pounds but not from the baby- its from not exercising like I usually do.  I feel like now that I saw the doc, I can do more without worrying.  
   I hope I was convincing enough this weekend with my fake UTI story and being on antibiotics so I couldnt drink during "girls weekend".  There is a family party in VA this weekend where I plan to break the news to my dad on father's day.  I figure being a grandfather again would be a cool gift for him.
Keep up the good training guys!!!
Paula

Another rediculously slow run this morning-  I have no desire to look at Garmin again to see the actual time- was over 32 minutes though!  How can that happen in just a few weeks????  Guess this means I am definately out for the Mussleman.  I am still going to be there but just cant face competing and sucking so bad.  Good news is that I actually slept through most of the night for the first time in a month- Sleep is VERY important to me, I know I wont get much for the next few years so I am trying to enjoy it now while I can!
Hope all is well with you guys.
Paula

Hey there! Haven't been around much because we just got new phones at the office, and the internet wasn't working until late yesterday and I don't go online much at home.

Paula, I wouldn't worry too much about running slowly. Isn't a little fatigue pretty standard for the first trimester? As far as sleep goes, just so you know, it's been about 21 years since I have had a good night's sleep Believe me, I am not complaining at all; as a matter of fact, I wish we had more kids because 3 is definitely not enough! Especially now that my "baby" will be 13 in a week, and he is almost as tall as me.

Speaking as a father, sounds like the best possible Father's Day present for your dad. I know I am looking forward to grandchildren in 5 or 10 years. I definitely want to get one of those little kid trailers to pull with a bike. Bike trails only, though!

Thanks for the encouraging words. I do have a little issue with self confidence, so positive thoughts are welcome!

So, Kelly, only 4 weeks to go!!!!   

Hey, guys!!!  Kel raced in his first triathlon yesterday, and did great.  78th out of about 350!!  We are now officially a family of triathletes. 

I also had an amazing workout yesterday.  Three hours on the trainer (I know...how could that be amazing??).  I did a spinervals video, Tough Love, which is a three hour workout, and it really helped the time fly by.  I set up in the garage and Kel and the boys would come out to visit me every now and then.  Then I went for a quick run...and when I say quick I mean quick.  I did 2.26 miles in 18:46!!!  First mile was 8:16, 2nd was 8:07, and it all felt great. (It was also my 35th birthday, and I think the fast run was the best present I got all day!)

I have the secret to a 5K PR...ride the trainer for 3 hours before the race!

Paula, don't worry about being slow...now you are just like the rest of us!!   NO really, hang in there.  For what it's worth, I know your Dr. said to keep the HR around 140, and that is what the literature says as well, but I spoke with my Dr. about it when I was pregnant with NOah, and he said as long as I wasn't doing anything above what I did before I was fine. (For me, I wouldn't have even been able to run or spin if I had to keep my HR that low.)  His wife is also a runner, and I think he has a good understanding of that "need" even when you are pregnant.

Anthony, I don't know about you, but I am so ready to race this race.  Every time I go out for a long ride, I just wish it was the race.  I guess that is good, right??

Have a great week.

Kelly,- Great workout!  And Happy Birthday!  I am jealous of you guys now- You get to put your training to the test and it sounds like you are both ready to kick some butt!!!
Thanks to both of you for the upbeat advice for the prego stuff.  Its killing me to be so slow.  We went for a nice trail run on sat am with my hubby, sister (she walked it) and my marathoning bro in law. He is recovering from some back issues so running slower than my old comfortable pace, now I cant even keep up with him.  It didnt help that it was a zillion percent humidity and the park was closed when we arrived so we walked the 1.4 miles into the park and out so a 4 mile loop became closer to seven by the time it was all done.  I took plenty of water but still ended up quite dehydrated.
We got to break the big news to my dad- had to do it Fri night- I couldnt wait anymore.  I gave him a card from "the Pebble" with a pic of the ultrasound in it.  He was SHOCKED- the look on his face was priceless-glad I was able to get the family together for it. My mom's card arrived to her on saturday- she was also shocked and pleased to be a grandma again.
 Sorry for the off topic stuff!
You guys keep training hard and kicking butt!!!!
Paula

Very cool!! So, where's his RR



3 hours on the trainer?!?!? You are truly HARDCORE! Nice run after, too. I always think that for shorter races, your warm up should be longer, but I think a 3 hour ride might be a bit much. And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!!



Interesting, I did not know about the 140 HR thing and pregnancy. But, I would think it would be like your Doc said; it would depend on where you were before you became pregnant.



I know what you mean. In a weird way, my long ride this weekend didn't feel like a big deal, so I am starting to feel ready also. And yes, it is very good that you are feeling that way!

Anthony

Don't apologize!! I really like to hear that "off topic stuff", especially when it is such good news. Your parents must be thrilled!!



Well, I am training pretty hard, but I wouldn't really call what I do kicking butt

Hey, guys...I hope the training is going well (and the baby-growing, Paula!).

Anthony, I was wondering if you might be interested in wearing a Trakkers unit for the race??  They are trying to do testing every weekend during July, and if I can get 20 people interested in testing for Musselman, we'll be able to use them!   I posted on the Musselman HIM link, but I got in trouble from Marmadaddy because he considered it to be a "commercial" post.  I was very surprised!!  I'm guessing it's okay to ask people that I actually know, though!!

Also, if you know of anyone who is racing that might be interested feel free to put them in touch with me.  My email is [email protected].

I'm in a recovery week and feel totally lazy!!  I'm doing the Jamesville Beach training tri again tonight, though, so that should get my blood moving a bit.  Hopefully I will remember my Garmin this time!

Have a great night.

I would really like to wear on of those trakker thingies. Besides you, the only people I know doing Musselman are some of the Finger lake area BTer's and 1 guy from Long Island. Marmaddaddy is freinds with all the Finger Lakes folks, so maybe you could ask him if it's OK to contact them directly. I will PM and ask my LI guy to contact you if he is interested.

Those mid week fun tris sound like a blast! Locally, the Hudson Valley Tri Club has a few mid week events each year, but the venue is a good hour drive from me, so it doesn't reallly work for me. I never joined that club, because even though it is the local club, I coud never really get together with them, but maybe I should join anyway.

I decided to race this weekend, so I am pretty psyched. I will be doing an Olympic distance in Stamford, CT.  It's only an hour and 15 minutes away, but the start is at 6:30 AM, so I will leave my house before 4. At least I will be home pretty early 

Anthony, you wont be home too early because you will have to wait around for the hardware after the race since you will be soooo fast!!  Good luck!!!!
When are you guys getting to Geneva?  Maybe we can meet up for a meal or something on saturday.  Now that my visit home is shortened, my "free time" is limited but I really want to meet you guys for few minutes at least.
Keep up the good work, its almost here!
Paula

Hey!! I responded to this last night, but I guess I didn't hit submit, because here I am again!

Anthony, good luck if your race is tomorrow...if not...I hope it went well!!  Should be a great confidence booster for the half.  Thanks so much for volunteering to wear a Trakkers unit!  If you could ask your LI friend if he might be interested that would be great.  Also, if he knows anyone else who is racing that might be interested just contact me.

Paula, I'm thinking I will be around the race sight in the afternoon.  There is an athlete's meeting at 4, I think, so I will be around then.  I am also playing in the 60 Sixty Concert Friday night at 6 pm at the Smith Opera House as a part of the ARts triathlon.  I would love to get together at some point!!

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Thanks for the good luck wishes!! I'm shooting for an oly PR, but me and hardware? I did finish 4th in my AG at a race once, but it was out of only 6



I should be there Saturday afternoon, and would really like to meet up as well.

Edited by amschrod 2009-06-27 8:23 PM

The race is Sunday, so I got your good luck in plenty of time. Thanks!!! I wanted to get a race in before the big day, just to get back in the swing of things. I plan on hammering the bike to try to get an idea of where my run fitness is after a hard ride.



 I will be happy to let him know.

Anthony,  Well.... how did the race go???  I am anxious to hear about it.
I have been kinda lazy this week.  Only ran once, ate a lot too.  I did get to the beach this am for some waveskiing.  It was sooooo nice to be out on the water again (and not swimming!).  The waves were great, the sun was warm - just what I needed.  Summertime is definately here, PM thunderstorms and HOT HOT HOT out.  It was 78 at 5 am on friday.
  I have noticed what a slacker I get to be when I am not training for something- hence my long list of races usually.  I should be motivated to just be heathly and exercise while I can but its hard to not have something to train for.  I guess Labor should be motiviating but that "race" is too far off right now.
Hope all is well with you guys!
Paula

Sorry I haven't answered sooner, but I was waiting for the official results and they have some sort of computer problem so no official results yet. I did well and am very happy with how the race went. No idea about the time on the swim because I don't wear a watch, and there was no clock on the beach. Felt solid, but not fast, and most importantly I felt great getting out of the water. My bike time according to my 305 was 1:19:48 for an average of 18.5 MPH. Doesn't sound that great but the course was pretty hilly with a few really steep spots. I am very happy with my bike. I was a big dummy for the run. I have the bike mount kit with the special wrist strap for my Garmin 305, but I couldn't find the wrist strap. No problem; I also have a Garmin 405 which I prefer for running anyway. Somehow, instead of leaving it in my running shoes in transition, I stuck it back in my backpack, so when i got back to T2 I couldn't find it. I am looking forward to the official results because I am anxious to see what my pace was. Felt 9:30ish which was about where I wanted to be, but most importantly I felt like I could keep up that pace for a while. Judging from the finishing clock, I was around 2:50, and my previous PR for an oly is 2:59, so I'm very happy.



Taking it easy and eating a lot in the first trimester is perfectly normal, so keep up the good worK



Soundslike a great time!!



Interesting. I love to train, but I also love to race, so I am not sure how much I would train if I weren't training for something. Definitely food for thought.

I finally got the official results. No AG breakdown yet, so I will wait for them to do a race report. All I can say is I ROCKED!

Swim: 27:57, not fantastic but way better than my previoius Oly swims. The best part was the swim felt smooth and easy and I got out of the water with my heart rate and breathing feeling very easy, and I felt nicely warmed up for the bike.

Bike: 1:20:08. This was a pretty hard bike with some very fast spots, but also some tough hills. Several short but really steep hills. There were some spots wher I was down to 6 or 7 MPH, but I was still passing people. Kelly, we both have done Finger Lakes, and it is hard to compare courses, but this one was definitely tougher than Finger Lakes.

Run: 55:50. This was the best part. 9 minute miles which is by far my best pace ever in an Oly, but the best part was it felt easy and like i could keep it up for a while.

My total time was 2:48:11, which beats my previous Oly PR by 11 minutes, so I am pretty psyched!!!

OMG!!!!  Anthony, what a great race!!  a PR by 11 minutes is amazing!  congrats...what a huge boost of confidence that is for Musselman, I'm sure!!