Eliwashere's spring fling mentor group!-Full (Page 21)

Hey all,  I am back from vacation and finally settling back to the daily grind.  Loved reading about your simulated HIM.  What a great idea and I can sympathize with the struggling through the heat and I only did a sprint (swim/bike) in heat indexes of 110.

Charlie,  sorry to hear you had such a rough go on your second tri.  I had a similar experience on my second but like I think Jennifer said,  we can learn from every race,  even the ones we struggle with.

Vacation was amazing but LAZY.    The weather was beautiful - mid 70's and no humidity. We had an amazing campsite and were able to stargaze each night that it was not cloudy.  We were able to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower - INCREDIBLE!   The lake water was way too cold for me to swim - maybe I should have packed the wetsuit.  We did not bring our bikes, kids decided they did not want to and to be honest I was terrified of the hills.  We did not even do any hiking.  We just lazed around when we weren't doing touristy things - Ben & Jerry's factory tour, Vermont Teddy Bear factory, etc.  We all needed the downtime, even the boys.  It was a fantastic vacation.

 We did rent kayaks for the week and had a blast using them on the lake and on the channel that fed from the lake. 

I am not worried about no training since I don't have any races scheduled.  My shins are still bothering me and have a DR appt to find out whether I have stress fractures or need physical therapy. 

Warren's got a sprint on Saturday in NH...best of luck! With all of your training - this should seem like a quick workout! You will do fantastic.

Warren,  good luck on your race tomorrow!  I am sure you will rock it.  You are definitely ready.  Enjoy and have fun!

Nick,  hope you have found your "right" running shoes.   Have fun on your long run tomorrow.   I know how hard it is to find the right pair.  As for B&J,  no, we did not try the verminator.  As a matter of fact,  the place was so jammed that we just a couple of pints from the gift shop inside rather than waiting in line for easily 2 hours to get something.  We were so tired of rude tourists at this point that we just wanted to get out of there and back to our peace and quiet at the campground.  Funny you should mention Fall in Vermont.  It is actually the only season we have not made a trip up there.  I can only imagine how beautiful it is.  Unfortunately with two kids both in school,  it is really hard to get away in September/October.  I have to resign myself to the nice fall foliage we have here in NJ.  I love the Fall - the cool evenings, mild (not humid) days and the beautiful colors. 

The race was awesome.  I used someone's advice and had three goals - happy, stretch, and "if the stars align".  My stars align goal was 1:24, and I hit 1:22:58!  Gotta be happy, even it was partially due to the run being a little short (though the bike was long!).  After the swim and bike I was 10/82 in my age group, and I finished 23/82.  Running is still my downfall!  I'll work on a race report for later.  Thanks for all the encouragement.

Warren,
Way to go! Nice to hit your best goal!

No racing, and a pretty light weekend for me. I played with gear a bit. Adjusted my fit on tri bike, re-set computer settings, tried a new seat, etc.

How was everyone elses weekend? 

Awesome job Warren! All that hard work is paying off...and for someone who hasn't been training the swim much - you smoked it!

Pretty uneventful weekend here...was supposed to have done a long ride on Sunday, but family and weather got the better of me. The kids are off to their grandmothers for a week of "Camp Grandma"...school starts next week. It's oddly unsettling not having the kids around all the time. We got to go out for breakfast this morning (something we never do with the kids)...very civilized. The other part that is weird is I can do my workouts whenever I can instead of trying to cram them in the early morning/before the kids get home/after they go to bed....that being said - I did still get up at 5:15 for my run. Hard habit to break.

When do you all find the best time for a workout is? Usually for me, it's first thing in the morning with the second workout of the day at lunch time (or right after dinner if something gets in the way). The first workout is my primary focus - the one I want to spend the bulk of my energy on with the second workout just getting me out and moving. I should look at my swim performance and notice the corollary between the high frequency of swims as my second workouts...

Have a great week all - and congratulations again to Warren!

Jennifer,
I like the morning workout, as it gives me the feeling that my day is already better.
If I leave it till the late afternoon, it is much more likely that family/work will get in the way.

I like evening runs as well, but the logistics are harder. 

Race report is done.

I also work out best in the morning, just because it has less impact even if it's just me and Kathy.  And it does feel great to just get it done and get the day going.

Warren,
Nice race! Great bike. And I don't know what you are talking about, you nailed the run! 

I should probably adjust the run distance in the report.  The race advertises 3 miles but my GPS measure 2.85, so my run pace was really 7:55.  Just check my AG run finish - 37/82.  I think I was in 10th place after the bike, but finished at 23.  It doesn't matter - I'm still psyched about the race including the run!

Happy Monday people.

Warren, great run! 7:55 is a great pace! Congrats on beating your goal! Always uplifting!

On the weekends I prefer to train early to beat the traffic, heat etc... But mon-fri I train after work from about 4:30-7  I dont have any kids. Its just me, the fiance' and the dog( who's like our kid).

Over the weekend i was set on doing a long run on saturday morning. Well.. That didnt turn out good. The fiance' and i went out to dinner with some friends Friday night. I had 2 beers and a Vodka tonic over a 3 hour period and was in bed by 11. I ended up waking up Saturday with a headache and did not feel like running. I wasn't hungover, i just had a bad headache. I guess my body isnt used to alcohol. So i figured i would weight train. That didnt last to long either. So i come to terms with me not drinking the night before a planned morning. But i made up for it on Sunday with our training group. Had a FAST  .25mile swim. Had a fast, all-out 10mile TT. Avg was about 21.5mph the bike computer said 22.6mph :-). I forgot to stop the garmin at the end. The run was a nice easy cool down from the bike. I was hurting. And oh. that wasn't drafting anyone either. :-) I had someone drafting me. Ask King about it Eli.. :-D

I went out on a run today and about 1.5 miles into it, my IT band started acting up on the right knee. So i stopped and walked. Hope i doesnt turn into anything chronic.

And to make this weekend better, The fiance and i are heading to Chicago for her b-day. And luck have it. The Chicago Triathlon will be in town this weekend. Guess who is going to the expo.. This guy! Keep on truckin people!

Hey All,
Nick, Nice, Chicago Triathlon. I am looking forward to hearing how they do it up by the lake.

So, who has races left on the schedule for this year?
I still have my two big races-HIM on Oct 2 and IM on November 28. Not to mention the Marine Coprps Marathon.
Anyone else?

If not, any plans for the off season? Biking, running, couching? 

That's a full fall Eli.

I have my big race left - HIM Sept 12.  I'm also doing a sprint on Sept 25.

Wish I had races still planned - did originally but still struggling with the shin splints but they are not as bad as they had been which could be partly because I have been couch surfing for the most part.   I am thinking I will need a visit to the orthopedist if it continues or gets worse because my Dr just told me to take advil or would write a Rx for something stronger if I needed it.  It is also the start of a bad allergy season here in NJ and am suffering from Vertigo, asthma attacks and bad headaches.  Not conducive to outdoor training and think I might need to go back to the pulmonologist for something besides Singulair which made me depressed.

Meanwhile,  my boys will be doing a kids sprint on September 25 so I am focusing on getting them ready.  I love sharing the love of triathlons with them and training with them.     For me,  I have imported the couch to 5k plan and will be using that through the winter and taking it very slowly with the shins.  I also imported a basic sprint plan to use as a maintenance through the winter.  I need a written plan to follow or a flounder at the gym.  The plan I am using also has strength training which I need to do.  It will help me lose some weight and the fun part is that I can work out with my husband and older son while doing this.  I want to make sure I get yoga/pilates into the routine again, just have to  wait for the class schedule to come out at the Y or I will be pulling out the DVD's to work out to.

I also plan to do some Wii Fit since we have moved the Wii out of the kids disaster of a playroom and into the living room where we can all access it.

Great plan Randi.  Sad to see those shin splints won't abate.  It's awesome that your kids are starting to take part.  What a great legacy.

We tried the same strategy for the Wii, and then our living room became a disaster of a playroom!

Nicely done Warren!!  You should be pumped!!

I am on The Cape this week with my Family and two other Families.  This is our annual pilgrimage and so far the weather has been terrible.  I have gone running a couple of times but am really looking forward to a nice long bike ride on the Falmouth Bike Path.  Weather is not supposed to clear until Thursday though.  Yuck!!

Last week's conference and this week's vacation has put a dent in my planned training but even worse is my diet.  No biggie will have to get on the wagon again next week and enjoy the down time.

Have a great week everybody.

Got three (!) more races - an Oly over Labor Day weekend (local race - part of the run course is the run I do at least two times a week), two weeks later an Oly in Freeport (the Lobsterman - which is followed by a complete lobster dinner!) and finishing up with Warren doing a sprint the last weekend in Sept. I will also be volunteering during the only remaining weekend in September at the Pumpkinman HIM to check out the venue for next year.

Once September is over I'm going to take a couple weeks off from training, and then start the build back up...I'm thinking about doing a half marathon in the spring (which makes me run during the winter) but nothing specific in the works. My overall plan is to do (at least) a HIM in 2011...so I will spend the winter building up my base for that.

Randi - we LOVE having the Wii in the living room - the kids are very partial to Wii Ski - it's a lot of fun.

Charlie - I got to ride the Cape Cod Rail Trail (it may intersect with the Falmouth trail) a few times a couple of weeks ago when we were vacationing in the Cape - it was really nice - I liked it a lot. Now to have enough time to ride the whole way to P-town!

Nick - have a great time in Chicago - lots of good places to visit and eat. I'm envious.

Have a great week all! Last week of summer before the kids go back to school for us in Maine. Kind of bittersweet (they need to go back, but it's been such a nice summer weatherwise that I hate to see them cooped up inside)

Just wondering if any of you were on Facebook.  I am Randi Fechter and would love to have you as friends on there if you are!

Hey All,
Randi, I am Elias Papatestas in the real world!

Nick, Enjoy Chicago! I still need to get that seat to you.

So, as the "season" seems to wind down for others, mine is really getting started. My volume is about to go up, and it has me a little scared. Mostly because of logistics and sleep!
 
Looking forward to some good rides this afternoon, as well as volunteering at a sprint tri on Saturday. A couple of medium runs thrown in, and I should be ready for a nap!

Anyone else have good  weekend plans? 

I have a 3 hour TT bike on Saturday, then let the taper begin!  My legs are happily looking forward to 10 AM Sat.  Like Jennifer, my kids are getting ready to go back to school Monday, so this is our last fling and the weather looks great so lots of water fun planned.

Eli, do you still get enough sunlight as the summer ends to keep the volume up?  We really lose our mornings and evenings quickly up here in the northeast.  Even a 2 hour ride is getting harder to fit before work.  I'm rethinking my plans for a late Oct/Early Nov. IM someday.

It's surprising to me how quickly we have lost length of days...not quite bright enough to ride starting at 5am...and its dark by 7:30pm. I'm comfortable running in the dark and swimming at the pool in the dark , but I'm really squirrley about riding my bike in the dark (we have country roads up here with little or no shoulder). That and my oldest gets on the bus at 6:40 is making getting workouts in a challenge.

So, Warren - what does a 3 hour time trial feel like? Sounds like 3 hours of pain to me. I hope it went well - now enjoy that taper!

We've got a heat wave going on here - with highs in the mid eighties (which is really warm for us)...hope you all are staying cool!

Wow, a 3 hour time trial? What kind of speed can you make on something like that. It sounds rough!

Although we are losing the light a little, it isn't terrible in South Florida. 

I ride in the mornings with a headlight and blinkers and the sun is up when I get home.

Evenings....usually gym for me. Riding at night just seems to attract more crazies than the morning. Running at night is OK here, although it is dark by 7 7:30 already.

Decent weekend here. Volunteered at a sprint tri, spin bike and treadmill at the gym on Sat. Sunday I rode 2 + hours at a decent pace and then ran 8 miles in the evening with the "Raven" on South Beach. He has been running on South Beach everyday for 30 years! 

A three hour time trial feels like you're legs are gonna fall off!  I probably could have actually gone a little bit harder in the second hour, but I finished through the hills around my house very hard and actually averaged over 20 for the ride, which is surreal to me coming from where I was a year ago.  One thing that always strikes me is how the bike burns my legs, and the run burns my lungs.  Is that everyone's experience?

That run with Raven sounds like a blast Eli, is he a character?

I'm with Jennifer on the bike rides, it's a little too country around here for me to feel comfortable riding in the dark regardless of my bike lights.

Hello everyone! Sorry for being MIA for awhile. Was in Chicago last weekend for the fiance's b-day. We had a great time! THe weather could've been any better. Low 80's, full sun, and no humidity. I forgot what that weather is like. Wish i trained in that weather. But i promised her i would devote the entire weekend to her. We did go to the Chicago Triathlon Expo on Saturday. WOW That expo was the biggest i've ever seen.  They actualy had great deals on bikes and lots of other stuff. I only bought a foam roller. Ever hear of "Trigger Point Grid" roller?  Works amazing for muscles and for stretches.

I wish i had some great news about setting a new PR or something but truth is, i haven't done much training. My right knee has been bothering me the heck out of me. I make it about a mile then it starts hurting. I thought it was the IT band, but i'm starting to think its something else. No matter what shoes i wear, Newtons/ KSwiss, i have the problem. I'm calling a specialist this week to get it checked out.

What do you the rest of you do when you are "down" for an injury?