GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 202)

Hey Steve,

Still in Oshawa, on the way home.   I had a really good race and am very excited.   My swim pace (not counting the 1.10 walk on the beach and the 1.40 walk to transition was 2.17 per 100 meters. 46 minutes for 2km.    

The bike  course was WAY harder than last year - different direction - finished with bike speed of 25.7 and fel t great getting off bike.   Didn not leave everything out there, but I heard your voice in my head and I did push it.   My average HR was 135 (LT is 144) so I know I can do more - legs did not give out.   I passed lots of people; flew by them on the hills and played cat and mouse with about 5 people the whole race - all younger!

My transition time was 1.21 I think.   Will tell you about everything later, including nutrition - listened to you again, and it was GOOD. 

 

Thanks for all the Mojo!   It must have worked.      I was just getting out of the water after my warm up swim.   My race report is complete but not sure how to get it over here, but you can easily get it if you would click on the race link in my blog for the 4th.   It is crazy long similar to others in the group, but mine lacks the sense of humour and witty writing of others.   Lots of detail so when I look back at it next year or whenever so that it is meaningful to me.

That's funny about you knowing Harry!   A couple of times I wondered if you might have crossed paths in some of the races.   I met him when I was starting tri's 5 years ago.   He offered to be mentor/coach to 3 or 4 of us just starting out and we would meet at his place.   This went on for about a year but he was getting really busy racing and working and coaching so we stopped getting together.   I often e-mail him for advice and met with him a couple of times to go over some stuff.

Not sure how well you got to know him but you may have noticed he isn't the most chatty person and can seem abrupt, but he is REALLY nice and caring but awfully blunt - and alot of people can't take it or just don't understand that that is Harry and he isn't trying to be hurtful.  

He was also the assistant swim coach at the U of G, Triathlon Training Centre for a few years and led some of the running and cycling sessions.   We would swim for 3 hours every Sunday morning - I can't believe we did that, but I think it really helped my swimming.   My first triathlon of 375 meters took me just shy of 15 minutes and yesterday I did 1km in 22.47. 

He has had a rough couple of years.   He had a bike accident 2 years ago before going to Hamburg Worlds, and was not feeling well that year.   Discovered he had colon cancer in September and had major surgery.   But it wasn't long before he was back at training and racing.   I think he hardly trained last year and then did Muskoka 70.3 and did fairly well and remember him saying it was an eye opener that a person could do that with so little training.

The cancer ordeal was another eye opener and life changing event for him - met up with an old girlfriend from Newfoundland who moved up here to be with him; sold his house and moved to Florida with the intent to be 6 months there and 6 months in Florida.   He has been in Guelph staying at the U of G for several weeks, doing a couple of races and said he was heading to Newfoundland if the weather improved.   I didn't think to ask him what other races he is doing but if I find out I will let you know.

GANG!

Just back from Lynn's brother's cottage. I was there Saturday until late evening, then came home, then left for there yesterday morning....and now I'm here again!

It was a good few days:
2 very hilly runs, Saturday for 10.8km, today for 11.1km
1 kinda frustrating ride of about 28km
4 swims of various distances and times, only one in a wetsuit. I LOVED the feeling of swimming in just tri clothes, very liberating!!!!

Today is terribly hot, and even though I ran between 10 and 11, it was one of those I'm-having-trouble-breathing days. Sweet Mother of Mercy!!!

Jane is still here and Lynn is sick, so it'll be a quiet afternoon just trying to fend off the effects of the heat. Looking forward to watching the primetime coverage of TdF, which I missed today due to my own activities. I caught the end, though, and the protest-ride finish, and am very curious to see how that shakes down. But huge props to Sylvain Chavenel (sp?) and his mammoth breakaway!!!!

TRACEY -

IMHO, when anyone finishes their first 10km, it is a great performance --- especially if done under duress, a la HEAT!

So, for now (but for always!) -- CONGRATULATIONS!! I anxiously await the report-to-follow!

ANNE -

FABULOUS report, and certainly worthy of being in your archives for future reference.

I cannot tell you how happy I am for you that Peterborough "worked". I have felt your frustrations for several months, and then came the comment last week about feeling lackadaisical about training, so it was in my head that a good day was pretty critical for you. Your performance yesterday should go a long way towards spiking your interest and attitude in Muskoka! Halleloo!

Some random thoughts on a first reading of your report:
-- That is a very hearty breakfast you had, and if you can fuel that way before races without any G-I issues, then you're succeeeded in getting a LOT of quality calories in your system. I have never gambled with eating that much, and just get in ebough to take the edge off my hunger. I envy your ability to eat well on race morning, and this leads me to....
-- Your last porta-potty stop was at 7, an hour before the start!!! At that time out from a start, I'm still scheming how to fit in 2 or 3 more visits to the portas! I commend your entire gastro-intestinal tract!!
-- If it makes you feel any better, I'm not always good at avoiding the inside of the buoys, and how my HR responds is the same as your response. One of thsese days I'll learn that lesson for good!
-- Yeah.....Gushe and Gumbel on the second lap while you're on the first. That's just one of the pieces of evidence why they're pros and we're just mere shleppy mortals!
-- I REALLY hope that all the photos of you makning it form the water to t-zone get posted!
-- I never thought to mention that to you, but you're certainly right about the crowd that does aquabikes in half-irons -- so many of them are prepping for somehting bigger before too long. In the pre-aqbk days they would just stop after the bike and be listed as a DNF, but now they can make it official. I would hazard a guess that at least 2/3 of the aqbk folks at P'boro were prepping for an upcoming IM or an important (i.e., Clearwater qualifier) HIM.
-- Finally, if you got to 135 and you know your LT is just a bit beyobnd that, then you did you GREAT job of pushing your limits! You sure didn't want to do it all at once, so yesterday you were at 135 and the next time maybe push the envelop a bit more and see how that suits you. It is an on-going process, but you made some big leaps through it yesterday. Superbamente!!












Edited by stevebradley 2010-07-05 2:16 PM

Race Report for Harvard Pilgrim 10k (6.2 miles)

Well, it was just a 10k so not a whole lot to report. I arrived in plenty of time so there was no rush getting ready. Just before the race I had a cup of coffee, a Lara Bar and a piece of string cheese. I was expecting my time to be in the neighborhood of around 75 minutes or more so I thought some pre-race protein and carbs would be a good idea.

Two major things: even at 8:30 in the morning, it was hot as hell. And there were TONS of people. A guy told me there were 4,000 registrants but it turned out to be closer to 3,000. But still, that's way more than I thought there would be.

Just before the start I positioned myself at the back of the pack. Once the horn went off, it took a good 2 minutes before the back started moving. I felt pretty good the first 2 miles, and my pace was steady at around 12:10, which was around what I was expecting. Given the heat and the longer distance, I had no plans to try to meet or beat any previous paces. By the start of the third mile, the heat was really getting stifling. Luckily they had tons of water stations. I want to say maybe 8 or 10. That's probably much more than they would have had if it were a cooler day. I saw a few people being treated by the paramedics during the race, and more at the finish line.

I dug deep enough to push myself to run until the end of mile 3. At that point I was just exhausted and needed to take walking breaks. I tried timing them somewhat, but by the beginning of mile 5 I stopped caring about my time and just wanted to finish. So by then the strategy was just run as long as I could, then walk until I started feeling some energy return, then start running again. I tried focusing on just "pushing" the road behind me with my feet and moving forward.

At about the 4 1/2 mile mark, a woman was standing in her front yard, spraying her hose into the street so the runners could run through it. Man, that was AWESOME! It was so crazy hot and such a relief to feel that cool water.

The finish was at the 50-yard line at Gillette Stadium. Yes, kinda gimmicky but still sort of cool.

The post-race food was sort of underwhelming. Water, Myoplex shakes, and potato chips. But then again, I'm used to races that have pasta and pizza.

Here are the results:

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/10/ma/Jul4_Harvar_set1.shtml

I finished with a time of 1:26:15. 2720 out of 2967 overall and 256 out of 281 in my age group (35-39). I probably could have performed a little better if I had hydrated more properly before the race. My morning hydration just consisted of about 6 ounces of water I had when I left my house at 7 am. Then I had that cup of coffee before the race, which probably was a dumb idea. In hindsight it probably would have made more sense to reverse the two: coffee early in the morning, then water just before the race.

As for the course itself, it was excellent. Relatively flat with very few hills, and a lot of shade. And they closed off all the roads to traffic entirely. The last mile or so had a long downhill, which was nice.

I definitely want to do another 10k, but I will most definitely be waiting until the fall when the weather cools off.

Great job, TRACEY and ANNE!!  TRACEY, congrats on your first 10K.  I think that is about my favorite distance to race.  Makes it worthwhile to get out there and gives you a feeling of accomplishment.  ANNE, glad you are feeling better and adjusting to your new schedule.

Back from NYC, and had a great visit, even though it was very hot ... 95 degrees yesterday.  Did get about a 3.5 mile run in, down to the Hudson River and through the south part of Central Park.  My daughter is living in Hells Kitchen right now ... 52nd between 9th and 10th Avenues.

STEVE B, the show she is currently in is an off-Broadway production of a new work called "I'll Be Damned".  A rather strange story line ... "the story of a friendless, comic book-loving homeschooler named Louis who receives a seemingly irresistible offer from Satan. Louis' mother is a little late in coming to terms with her son growing up, God seems lost in his vision of a perfect world, and Louis is discovering himself as he attempts to find just one true friend. This fresh new musical comedy begs the universal question: "Is there a way to make people like you without having to sell your soul to the devil?". She'll finish that up on July 18th and start rehearsals for Mamma Mia the first week in August.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  Back to work tomorrow!

Anne,

Just read your race report.  Congrats on your very impressive swim and bike times.  I am envious.

However - "poached eggs mixed into oatmeal" makes me feel slightly queasy (actually, very queasy).   

I can relate to the way you emphasize how many people you beat rather than the other way around.  I do that too.

Sounds like you're in good shape for Muskeola (sp?).  When is it?  I didn't see it under "planned races" in your log.

Denise

ps I saw your post awhile ago about getting new speed laces - I think you said you had Yankz previously.  I had gotten Yankz about a month ago and don't really like them - I just ordered some Ibungee which I hope I'll like better.  I should have asked you what you got.

That's a "musical comedy" - hah - only in NYC

Denise

Tracey,

Congrats on your 10k.  Just emphasize the number that finished after you - that's more motivating.

I, also, am one who cannot run well in heat.  Above 65 is too hot for me.

Onward!

Denise

ANNE -

Maybe yes, maybe no, but to my eyes the swim rsults across the board suggest that the course was measured long. Given the cast of characters that usually descends on Peterborough, I would've expected more sub-30 times. Was there any talk of it being mis-measured?

And how are you holding up with the heat? Jeezum Crowdogs! I did 40km on the bike just a while ago, and I was really drained upon finishing. if it keeps up like this, my taper for Musselman short might not be so short; maybe staring tomorrow I'll just rest my way into it!

TRACEY -

You'll find a world of difference between a fall 10K and what you did the other day, so start rubbing your hands togther and salivating at the thought of that!

Really fine job on toughing it through the heat for the first 3 miles, which sounds to me like another successful 5K for you! Before too long (maybe even now?) you will feel comfrtable at that distance, and can then systematically set about to improve your time each time you run/race it. And when you get a few more sucecessful 5Ks behind you, then you will find that the 10K distance is not near as daunting. Yeah!!

I don't really believe in the concept of heaven and hell, but if they exist (and I might be in for a BIG surprise myself!!) then I hope there is a special piece of heaven reserved for those people who set up hoses for racers on hot days. Bless their hearts, each and every one of 'em!

Well, maybe the finish at the 50 is a bit gimmicky, but I like when stuff like that happens. However, having said that I've never done a race that has a truly special finish. I was all set to do Detroit marathon in '99, and at that time the finish was at second base in old Tigers Stadium. But I got halt and lame less than a week out from it, and ended up bailing about 30 minutes after I left home. And there went that cahnce for a nifty finish!

Probably for the heat you had that day, sateering clear of the coffee might've helped. Either that, or what you suggest -- the coffee early, and then "top up" with water and/or an energy drink. But lots of people religiously drink coffee on race morning and do fine, so for you it might just be trial and error. Hopefully, though, you'll NEVER-EVER race in high heat again!

Fiannly, for your first 10K both the age group and the overall placings are quite good, and I think you gotta be happy with them. Very nicely done....and now on to Whaling City!!! (Abd how are you feeling about tat along about now?)

LISA -

I like that story line! I think often about whether or not I would sell my soul to the devil for improved swimming abilities; desperate times call for desperate measures??

But for years I used to think along those same lines apropos learning how to finger-pick the guitar, and I eventually learned to do it without involving my soul in any shady deals....so maybe in time my swim skills will follow the same path. (You think?)

It's been Texas-hot up here, but Jane was NOT looking forward to arriving in NYC heat this morning!

She was going to drive her dad's Jeep back to Madison (since he's not here) and keep it for a few weeks.  But at the last minute we realized one set of keys was in Madison and other in NYC with my husband.  So I drove her back - but I made a 2 day trip of it and enjoyed myself.

When I hit Minnesota, I was so glad to be driving north - the traffic going south back to the Cities was insane (it always is on the 4th).

My husband's son's wife is a dog-walker in NYC and walks the dog for the people who live in the penthouse apartment of their apartment building and they were all invited to watch fireworks over the Hudson from the top of the building.  So my husband had great views.  I guess dog-watching has it's perks.

Denise

HEY,

They didn't say anything about the length this year.   I do know it was longer than last year for sure because I could tell by where the furtherst buoy placements were.   The 3 going out were in alignment but the 3 coming into shore were way out of alignment and I was talking to the guys who took them out with their boat and he said they had a hard time and were relying on people on shore to tell them where to put them???? Sounds kind of lame to me.   I thought they used a GPS. 

It IS hot here today.   Went swimming at a local 50 meter outdoor pool we have which is really quite nice - lane swimming at 7:00-8:00 a.m.; 12:00-1:00 and 8:00-9:30.   Went at noon today and it was really packed because our biggest pool is closed for 3 months for renovations.   Guelph Lake beach is already closed for swimming, but we do have a place called Gulliver's Lake that is fed by artesian wells and very nice swimming.   Funny how I can swim 2km on Sunday and then get into the pool and wonder how I am going to go 200 meters.  

For some reason the heat isn't bothering me as it has done it past years.    I feel like going out on the bike but keep thinking I should stay out of the heat and pollution.  May or may not go out for a short 20 around 7:00.   We are biking a hilly 38km early tomorrow morning.   My plan is to do shorter stuff between now and Muskoka but higher intensity with one long ride a week and keeping it to about 70km. 

Did you see my transition time?      2/45   

I think I do have a pretty good GI tract.   I AM careful with what I eat and when I eat.   For the first few years my stomach was in total upset 80% of the time.   Seemed to be eating all the wrong things and way too close to hard training sessions or doing early morning training with nothing and being in a deficit all day long.  It can be difficult to get the proper nutrition when you are working and training alot.   Have gotten a good handle on it the last couple of years and I ALWAYS have had a good, substantial breakfast so I guess my body expects it.     I wouldn't eat that much for an Oly or a tri-a-tri for sure but it is still basically the same food - just less.

I'm not going to say that I REALLY pushed my limits.  I wish I could.   I did work hard on all the hills and didn't let up like I did at Guelph, keeping a good pace throughout.   I knew I wanted about a 27-28 km/hr avg so even when I 'took it easy' I made sure to keep the pace just above 30.   It was quite easy to keep it 35-36 on the way out.   Once I saw that my avg was above 27 at the 55km mark, I knew I wanted to give a good solid effort but in my mind knew that if the going got tough I wasn't going to push to the point of straining any muscles, although, again, I did give it my all on all the hills.   Knowing how I felt with the HR avg at 135, (when I got into transition I had a big smile on my face and said that was fun!, and some of the other athletes looked at me like I was crazy); I feel quite good about being able to do Muskoka with a 140 avg and not feel too bad.   I think after that race I should be able to say that I DID push my limits.  

I may finally get a 10-15km TT done this weekend.  I'm sure it will be an eye opener - a good one I hope.  

DENISE -


I'm with you on the heat, as I "proved" yesterday with my tough, hilly, HOT run. The heat is my particular athletic bete noir.

A person from my other group, hooslisa (who sometimes visits here), told me that before Eagleman 70.3 she made sure to do her long runs at the hottest time of the day. Her feeling is that just about everybody hates the heat and doesn't do well in it......but that getting it into your head that that's the way it is going to be doesn't help matters at all. So, she toughed it through those hot runs, and posted a terrific time at Eagleman --- which is good, because next up for her is IMLouisville, Aug. 29, which is almost certain to be a heatfest.

It was with her throughts in mind that I set out on my HOT run yesterday, but i still felt wasted and drained both during and after it. So, it wasn't exactly an artistic success, that run..........but it was one more attempt at running in the heat and convincing myself that these efforts may not be pleasant, but they ARE doable.

Looking through my sister-in-law's copy of "Away", by Amy Bloom, I came across the following Yiddish expression: "Az me muz, ken men", which translates to "When one must, one can." Next hot run, I'm going to use that as my mantra, I think!

ANNE -

Wow! How DID you pull off that transition time? Share your secrets with the masses here!

I know what you're saying about doing big OW swims.....and then flagging almost immediately in the pool. Which is why I stay out of the pools from June to October!!!

Why is Guelph Lake closed? Contaminants? It's barely July, for heaven's sake -- what's a region to do?!?

ANNE again -

Your pre-Muskoka plan sounds good. You have the distance in spades, most recently, of course, with 90km at P'boro. So working at higher intensities will fill in some blanks, I think, and I can't see any real reason to go beyond the 70km at this stage of your season, so your plan makes perfect sense to me!

Long, slow (relatively speaking) miles have their function, but if your goal is to learn how to push yourself harder in races, you won't get there unless you experience some of that in your training. So, bring on the shorter efforts at higher intensity, I say! Hear you ROAR!!!

  

Anne:

Where can I link to your race report?

Thanks Steve! I'm actually quite looking forward to a 10k in the fall. I have a couple of races planned in November (a 2-miler and a 5k) which will be repeats of races I did last year, so it'll be interesting to see how those go compared to back then.

I'm feeling pretty good about Whaling City! Having done one race, a lot of the anxiety over the whole experience is now gone. But it occurred to me the other day that I still haven't yet set foot in Buzzards Bay to scope out the swim course. So, Donna and I will be meeting sometime next week to swim it. And hopefully one more time before the race on the 24th.

It is SO crazy hot here, I have no plans for any outdoor runs this week. It's treadmill city for me!

First things first, CONGRATULATIONS on finishing your 10km.   That must have been brutal with the heat.   Did you say that was your first 10km race?    If so, I think now that you have this one under your belt, the rest are going to be so much easier.   I didn't see any mention of the neuroma which is very good news.  I'm going to be looking to you for inspiration if and when I am able to get back to running.   It will be like starting from scratch again and I will need your positive outlook and determination to help me along.  

If you go to my log and find Sunday, July 4th, there is a link that says Peterborough 1/2 Aqua/Bike and if you click on that it takes you to my race report.  

All the stars seemed to be aligned for me that day right from the beginning.     The only things I did different this time were having my wetsuit pulled down over my hip bones to the tops of my legs (just enough so the arms weren't dragging on the ground) and I think that saved me a few seconds; I also used body glide on my ankles, which I have not done in the past, and the suit came off really easily.   All I had to do was put sunglasses on, helmet on, race belt on, and leave.   I had planned to walk, but I did run out of transition.  

Beach really wasn't CLOSED - but it was posted unsafe for swimming.   It was posted last week and I swam anyway with no consequence.   But it gets really gross very early in the season - lots of geese and crap in the water.   Just not pleasant.   Gulliver's is highway driving but same distance and it is really nice to have clear water and be able to see the bottom.   They have scuba divers there.  Plus there is good cycling from Gullivers - decent pavement and very hilly.  

WOW, cannot believe how hot is "up north".  Our temp right now is a "mild" 90 degrees compared to 96 in NYC right now.  Fortunately, (or unfortunately because we have the heat all summer, and most of the spring and fall), we are much better prepared for that kind of weather.  My mother just told me the ice skating rinks in NYC are free right now for "heat relief". 

But, I will tell you that running in that kind of weather will make you much stronger come the fall!  I had the option of starting back with my running group the end of May or the 2nd week in July this year, as they were going to have two different groups (one to prep for fall races and one for winter races).  My running partner and I opted for May (we started in July last year) in hopes of acclimating to the temperatures as the weather was getting hotter, hoping to make our summer runs a bit easier.  We were so relieved when the temps finally dropped into the 70s last year, and so happy when temps dropped into the 50s.  That heat can really zap your energy quickly.

DENISE, we watched the fireworks on the Hudson as well ... we were on the street, but clear of the masses.  Incredible all of the police patrolling the subways that evening, as well as along the river and Times Square.

Hopefully you all won't have to deal with the heat for too long, although I think they said it was going to be for a few more days.  Stay cool and HYDRATE!

LISA