Mndymond and Disturbed275's Awesome SBR Group--- Phase 2--CLOSED! (Page 20)

Great job on the swim and the bike! Sounds like a productive weekend! What kind of elevation gain did yo have for the Donner bike ride? That couldn't have been pretty....

Despite straining my back and only getting 3 hours of sleep thanks to my son's overnight - the reward of a couple cold ones for finishing the race got me over the finish line.  

I'm exhausted but feeling good.  Will write more tomorrow.  Thanks to everyone for their support!

Nice run, especially considering you were pushing a stroller through a crazy crowd!

Food/drink always taste better after a burn a few calories!

Half marathon...pick a destination half marathon! 

You will crush this race!

Good luck!!  Enjoy your taper!

Sounds like a fun race!

Congrats on the finish!  Glad the strained back didn't derail you.  Post-race beers always taste better than regular ones, I think.

Ok, so I ended up swimming way more than usual last week.  On Thursday I was supposed to bike to track practice and then run, but was asked last minute to do something at work and ended up staying late and missing track.  Friday was that super cold OWS.  Saturday I was supposed to do a 10-mile (running) race, but it was canceled due to lightning after 2 delays.  So I ended up going home and then swimming indoors instead.  Sunday was a swim clinic with my tri-club.  

This week hoping to get back with the biking and running   Run planned for tonight.  Maybe I'll get a good ride in tomorrow before work.  Another (warmer) open water swim planned for tomorrow night.  

Sounds like you had a rough week in terms of the weather!  Must have sucked to have gotten to the race only to be sent home on account of lightening!  But the fact that you went home and swam was pretty impressive.  I hope this week works out better for you.

I looked up some inspirational running quotes because "kick some " doesn't quite seem poetic enough.  Here are my two favorites:

“We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.” - Emil Zatopek

I like this one better:

“It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys." - Emil Zatopek

You'll love this - I read up on Emil Zatopek and he was a czech runner from the fifties who won three gold medals in the '52 Olympic games.  He won gold first in the 5,000 and 10,000 but it was his gold in the marathon that separated him from the boys: He'd never run one before.  Hard core!

Not sure which part of your post I appreciated more - the fact that you went well beyond your goal, the fact that you enjoyed pizza and chocolate ice cream at the finish line (not sure if I've ever paired the two together but I might try) or the fact that you found port a potty that was clean... Man, I've got to try to sneak into one of those races.

Kudos on your race and good luck with your training.  I love the idea of a 1/2 marathon.  Good luck!

Thanks for the kind words about the race.  I've gotta say - it was pretty cool.  On Friday after I pulled my back, I committed to running the race but I thought I would be in a ton of pain.  But as it turned out - I felt pretty good during the majority of the race.  I wasn't even really tired despite not sleeping well at the campout.  

I have got to say that the swim was so cold - thank god that a fellow BTer from the area loaned me a long sleeved wet suit and a padded hoodie or I might not have finished the swim.  Every time my face went in the water, I had to suppress the reflex to take a deep breath.  Brutal.

But the bike was good - my fastest ever and the run was respectable.  I only stopped to walk for about 80 seconds... So now my goal is to work on my run to prepare for a 5K in June and then work on my swim and bike with the goal of maintaining the same pace I pulled off Sunday but to extend it to the Olympic distance I'm doing in July.

Here is my race report: New England Season Opener Sprint Triathlon 

I really don't change the setup year to year.  I did get refitted a couple of years ago, but I like my setup and it's comfortable.  Those first few miles in aero is always a little shaky

Sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday.  Nice job!

Sounds like a good time.  Glad to hear the foot held up for you.  A half marathon sounds good and doable.

Well, that's one way to get ready for a 5k swim.  Sorry to hear the running race was cancelled

Glad to hear that things went so well despite the back and the lack of sleep.  Very cool that you've already got your sights set on some goals for this season.  Keep up the good work!

I got my swim and run speed workouts in this morning at the gym. 

With a 12 minute per mile pace at this weekend's tri - I figure that speeding up my run offers me the greatest chance of improvement (I used to run 7-8 minute miles in HS.)  Running I get - swimming I don't.

Two questions - I'm looking for a free swimming workout plan that will help me get faster.  I'm using one of the free plans but it's not detailed enough.  I need a plan that will help me work on my stroke and one that will tell me actually how hard to go.  I simply have no clue.  If I have to pay, I want to know that what I am paying for is worth the money.  I checked out the active.com workouts that come with videos and the videos would be great - I just don't want to pay the $$$ if I don't have to.

I'm also continuing to struggle with my weekly schedule.  The trouble is that working out in the afternoon is tough (three kids and their homework) so I like to get my workouts in during the AM.  But that sets me up for trouble because its hard to space my workouts for optimum efficiency.  My long run and bike are on the weekends and that leads to tired legs... It's just not working.  So my second question is - if I were to move to a six day schedule - would it be better for me to have my rest day before my long workouts to give me more energy or after my workouts to promote healing?

Thanks for the help!

 Have you seen swimplan.com?  You enter in your speed and the amount of time you want to swim, and it generates swim workouts for you that incorporates drills and swim sets.  I used to use it extensively when I used to pool swim a lot (in recent years, I've mostly been swimming open water, but will probably start using it again to train for my 5k to get more efficient).  In any case, I really like that site.  They don't do videos, but maybe you could just youtube if there's a drill on there you don't understand.

I think it might just be a matter of personal preference.  Generally, I'll do my long runs on Saturdays and rides on Sundays, so my Mondays & Fridays are usually either swim, yoga, or off days.  

For my Friday workouts, it's usually a short swim (eg 1/2 mile open water), or I'll practice drills/ work on my stroke in the pool (ie not interval or endurance sets).  On Mondays, if I'm beat after my weekend workouts, take Monday as a rest day or do another yoga/swim day.  If I feel fine, I'll do a regular workout on Monday, and keep Fridays as my rest/easy day.

If I workout both Friday and Monday one weekend, I might take of the Friday before the next weekend to give myself a chance to rest.  Generally I only take a rest day if I feel like I need it, or (more often) if something comes up and I miss a workout.