GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 208)

stevebradley - 2010-07-18 8:41 PM MANDY - "Class IV whitewater recovery", eh? THAT'S hard-core! Today was not a whole lot bettwer than yesterday. There was a none-too-swift 30-minute swim, then an okayish 43-minute run. About half an hour later I embarked on the bike, and just felt flat as I struggled against the wind and fought the rollers and fairly minor hills. I thought I would fare better coming back with the wind behind me, but I just didn't have any "punch" in the legs. i ended up doing 34km, which is about 21 miles, and was glad when it was over. I will only swim tomorrow, and then see how recovered I feel for a bike and a run on Tuesday. And it was yo-yoing I did , I tell you! How's the Bailster?

stevebradley - 2010-07-18 9:00 PM



TRACEY --

THERE you are! I've been looking all over for you! I was wondering if there was a big vacation that I had missed reading about, but alas and woe, just work. Yech! But --- is this the project you had mentioned at the pasta feed, something that you hoped would materialize. if so, then I guess overall it's a good thing, yes?

It is too bad, however, that your first plan isn't going to work, but keep in mind that for many people the plans just keep getting re-tooled and born again as various of life's other pressure exert themselves. So, don't feel badly that you are having to bring down your weekly hours from 6-8 to 3-5. If you can make those 3-5 hours serve as quality workouts, then you should be fine for Timberman. And, yes, i will be happy to look at what you've come up with for the new plan!

On that course with Mandy on Friday, I feel safe saying that your emphasis should be bike and run, probably in that order. The run will have you doing a gradual climb for the better part of the first 1.55 miles, and then you will be rewarded by the gradual decline for the second 1.55 miles. The bike will present you with 2-3 decent climbs going out and 2 on the return -- a good swack of which will be a sweet, long descent. And the swim, as I've said, will be nice and straightforward -- a diagonal out to the firts buoy, then staringth across, and then a 90-degree right turn for the return to the beach. Piece of cake!

As for Whaling City, i don't think you're as poorly prepared as you might fear. Five runs is pretty good, and while another ide or two might've helped, remember that it is a pretty simple course AND closed to traffic. I don't remember any mention of topography beyond flat, so it'll just be cranking away for the three (I think?) loops and then heading out on the run. And the swim is .25, or .33 at most, and you know you can do that with impunity! Have you gotten there yet to swim the actual site?

Fear not! You'll have fun at Whaling City!

stevebradley - 2010-07-18 8:09 PM ANNE - First and foremost, far be it for me to not be happy with anything that any of you do! I'm thrilled with every accomplishment -- big, small.....or even maybe just perceived -- and mostly just want to see people staying motivated and encouraged to keep working at it. NOW! That out of the way, you have every right to feel very excited! That overall bike placement is phenomenal, especially against the field of talent that is usually drawn to the Trisport races. Another bike step towards learning how to push it on the bike! Speaking of which, at least for me it was a loooong process of learning how hard to push and still have something in the tank for the run. I could probably go back through all of my 2007 races and figure out at which point the lessons of my '06 aqbks began to bear fruit in my '07 tri runs; I will do that later. But what I can tell you now is that it is an on-going process, and even at the point at which you might think you have something left.....you sadly find out that you really didn't. Or, conversely and more satsfyingly, you fear you've maybe overshot yourself ('Uh-oh......") and left it all on the bike, only to realize that in fact there was something good left for the run. Ta-da! So, you did what uyou did, and finished strong, and felt after the bike that you could've continued..........it doesn't get much better than that! I guess you must be REALLY psyched for Muskoka, huh?

stevebradley - 2010-07-14 7:43 PM RACE REPORT -- Mini-Mussel Triathlon (sprint - 750 meter swim, 16.1 mile bike, 3.2 mile run), Geneva NY, 10 July '10 PROLOGUE This is my third year here. The race began in '04 with a sprint and hal-iron, both on the same day. It became a two-day event in either '05 or '06. In '04 I did the sprint, in '08 I did DoubleMussel88.7 (sprint on sat, half-iron on Sun), and then this year it was just the sprint. For about 23 different reasons, this is my favorite event anywhere. Lynn and I drove down on Friday, accompanying heavy rain and thunder much of the way. I picked up all my packet stuff at about 6, and then we ate in a good downtown Geneva restaurant. We were in the motel about 10 miles away by about 8pm. The race didn't begin until 9am with transition not open until 7, so it was a rare chance to take things kind of slow and easy on race morning. I ate my usual - apple juice, a bagel, and tea. I got to the site shortly after seven, did all my check-in stuff, found my rack, figured out the flow of things, and just just hung out with Lynn -- as well as talking to a couple of people I had met at previous races. The only confusion was that since I was there in '08, the swim had been moved a fair bit east, so everything was differnet than it was two years ago. This added distance to the previous bike and run --- but that sort of thing always works to my advantage! SWIM I was in the 6th (55+, both M and F) of 7 waves, each separated by 6 minutes. By the time I entered the water, the first turn buoy had drifted about ten feet closer to the corner, shortening by swim by that much. Yay! I got off to what I thought was a good start, the furthest person on the right side. As the swim progressed, i felt great AND was surprised that not more people were pulling ahead of me by leaps and bounds. i managed to catch a draft off a woman for about a minute, and then she pulled ahead and stayed just about 12 feet in front of me for the rest of the swim. I continued to feel that I was swimming well and not being overtaken by others, and shortly after the first turn I started passing people from the previous wave.....and then some from the wave before that. As the swim contuinued to wind along the canal (VERY cool swim course!), I was passed by no other white cap. What the ??? I was thrilled to exit the water at about 13:40, and even more thrilled to arrive at t-zone and find most of the bikes in the area of my swim wave still there. Whoopy! 13:44 (1/13 age group, 208/868 overall) T1 Mostly okay, but had some trouble with my chip strap getting all twisted as I took off my wetsuit. And speaking of which, i should've gone sleeveless -- by about 500 meters into it, I was feeling very warm! 1:45 (1/13 a.g.) BIKE I love this bike course, which is flattish and rollerish, with just one or two hillish things. It heads south for about 7 miles, then goes east for a couple, then back north for the final 7. The wind was at our backs on the out, and in our face on the back. It wasn't real bad, though, but it played a role. I was passed by no one, and reeled in lots of 50-54. I passed one 55-59, but as I wasn't certain as to who in my wave came out of the water ahead of me, I expected to find more. There weren't, and it was a superb ride for me, finishing at 21.5mph. I arrived back in t-zone to find NO bikes within 30 feet of either side of my racking spot. 45:18 (1/13 a.g., 55/868 overall) T2 Good, but I diddled around some with my laces, making sure they were just so. I think I was feeling a bit complacent, given that there were none of my peers there. That was not wise, it's one of those habits that could come back to haunt me sometime! 1:25 (3/13 a.g) RUN The run is flat except for a 4-foot rise at the turnaround, and goes along the north shore of Seneca Lake. It is very beautiful, and also user-friendly, traveling on paved bike paths. I was mildly taxed from the hard effort on the bike, but overall felt good. I was, however, very pleased to see the first aid station shortly before the turnaround, and had both water and HEED; same thing hitting it about five minutes later on the way back. At the two-mile mark I was passed by a 55 year-old, and while I hoped to catch up with him, i couldn't do it (but didn't try too hard, either); he finished ten seconds ahead of me. Other than him, I was not passed. I went through mile 1 at 7:12, and mile two at 14:04 -- those pleased me immensely! I finished the 3.2 miles with a 7:08 pace. 23:49 (1/13 a.g., 84/868 overall. TOTAL 1:25:01 1/13 M60-64 71/868 overall finishers FINAL THOUGHTS: Probably my most complete race ever. Skimpy nutrition: a gel before the swim, ~14oz of CarbBoom! drink on the bike.....and that's it! Silly sloppiness in T2. Best t-shirt EVER!!! In goody bag were running gloves, with the intrepid mussel-dude* on each. BONUS! I love this event. LoveloveloveloveLOVE!! *I'll try to steer you all to a picture of him. Or is it a her?

latestarter - 2010-07-19 1:11 PM STEVE, MANDY,

I'm looking at what races are available for me to do after Muskoka that might allow me to get that bike goal I am after and noticed the Lobsterman says flat and fast and has an aqua/bike.    I know you both have mentioned it, but can't remember what you said.   I think you liked it?

I checked out the Burlington, Lake George and Esprit races but they don't have the a/b and Lake George doesn't sound flat.   I'm not going to start back with the running for this season at this point.  

Any other thoughts? 

stevebradley - 2010-07-19 10:57 PM ANNE - Just a couple of quick thought before going to bed: (1) Lobsterman is great, although Mandy is right about the swim being frigid. My year, '08, was maybe about 60-62, that sort of thing. The swim was measured short, which I think was just a goof rather than a concerted effort ot get us all out of the water as quickly as possible. As for the bike, it is a blast! I don't tremember any serious hills, but much as Mandy said - rollers, rollers, rollers. We satyed in a tent in the adjacent campground, with t-zone a four-minute walk. Our tent faced east over Casco Bay, and the morning was beautiful. How often can you watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean on race morning??? (2) Look in the 113 (half-iron) swim-bike at The Canadian (www.somersault.ca)!! It costs only $82 up to Aug. 23, and $101 up to Aug 29. This is the one that has six out-and-backs along a completely closed-to-traffic Colonel by Drive, and the course is kind of made for time trial efforts -- maybe just the thing you're looking for? The swim is in Mooney's Bay, which is very clean and pleasant. There is a kind of long jaunt from the water to t-zone, but in '06 with my meniscus torn (but mostly repaired by then), it wasn't too much at all. I've done the HIM here three times, the iron once, and the aqbk once. maybe I'm due for another visit this year! (Can I do two HIM in two successive weeks? I will probably sign up for Half Vermomnt Journey on the 29th.) (3) Half Vermont Journey has an aquabike.....but the cost is $179 US -- same as for the whole half-iron. It is a BEAUTIFUL venue, though, and worth considering if the price isn't too prohibitive. Let's talk about #2 and #3, okay? And now it is past my bedtime!!

stevebradley - 2010-07-20 7:26 AM STEVE again -  It seems that you treated yourself really well for several weeks, which usually should be enough before jumping bACk into things. The more I hear about IMSG, however, the more I realize it was a very "special" race in terms of exquisite torture. So whereas my ideas of post-IM recovery came out of a quite-hard IMLP and a relatively-easy The Canadian, that just may not be enough to make any judgment about how to manage recovery after St. George. Finally, there is no exact template for post-IM recovery. I guess it all comes down to trying to guage one's body as accurately as possible...............and hoping that the assumptions turn out to be correct!

Finally, your time line for reaching a decision is a good one, giving you ample time to see how you feel about your running legs --- and to see where exactly your head is at. I'm kind of on the same time line for Beach 2 Battleship, with two differences -- the half is already closed out, and I have until Oct 1 before the price increases again. Ideally, though, I would like to know by September what I might be doing in November -- especially if it's a full iron! Yup -- onward and upward!

stevebradley - 2010-07-20 10:30 AM ANNE! YEAH! Keep thinking hard about HVJ! I've been a mouse-click away from signing up for a couple of days, so if you go, I will, too. Later on I will tell you what I know about the bike course, which isn't near as bad as the compacted profiles make it look on the course map. (A better idea comes from the elongated profiles that are on the Course Description page.) But I'm back to the TdF now, and will return in a while. (And think about the vacation options, with wondeful hiking, great shopping, one of the best small cities in the world (Burlington!!), and so much more!)