Ernesto Villarroel's Group - FULL (Page 21)

Had an Awesome open water swim in the gulf yesterday, little over a mile, and really choppy, murky, seaweed everywhere, but perfect water temp!

Ernesto, my question regarding my 2 olympic distance races, im already signed up for the Captextri, and I have a local race here in corpus the Corpus Christi Triathlon which just got an olympic distance added on to it.  The CC race is two weeks before the captextri, should i wanna race both, you think i should, do the CC tri sprint, or do it Olympic? 

Im leaning towards Oly, so i can get a feel for it. ¿Que piensa Ud.?

Thanks Alfredo! 

On the swimming.  I notice you said you can't hold your breath.  You are not supposed to hold your breath.  You are supposed to blow your air out into the water.  Try just blowing bubbles under water and come up when you run out of bubbles.  See if that helps.

You have a lot going on.  My hectic schedule seems like a walk in the park compared to yours.  Don't be too hard on yourself.  Just do what you can when you can fit it in and somehow it will all work out.

Thank you Ernesto, I appreciate your positive comments, always. It would be great to meet you here... I'm sure you'd love the place.

So you're doing IM Texas in just  over a month! Amazing year for you too! How was the course? Hilly?

Mark,

The bike course is pancake flat and smoooooooooth, which is very unusual in TX when it comes to country roads. There weren't more than three or four miles of "chip and seal" that TxDoT loves around here. That course can be a trap though, because it is an invitation to hammer too early in the race.

My strategy is to take it easy during the bike, and run my competition down in the marathon. We'll see...

Mark,

You (and Ernesto) amaze me with the volume of training you do. You make it look so easy! I hope to be at that level one day. Are you starting your taper now?

Just an update on what I've been up to. I did my first transition run on Thursday. The first 1/2 mile of the run felt really weird. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76421162

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76421166

I also ran my first race of the year. The Race That's Good for Life 5K. I've run this race for the past 4 years.

Unofficially, I PR'd by about 20 seconds over last year which I am happy with given that I'm not doing run specific training these days.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76947505

Flat, smooth with only few miles of "chip and seal"??? Sounds ideal for me! Specially the smooth part. The rough surface wears me down and forces me to slow down. I don't even mind the hills so much. Oh well, prepare for a rough ride when you come here...

Run them down, Tarahumara style!

Barry,

The volume... in my case at least, it went up when I lost my 9-5 job (Neumann Homes, Warrenville btw) and started doing my own thing. Even now I don't have a regular job and my family supports/tolerates my hobby. I can't imagine doing it without those two factors. Is it easy? Not really. Sure, covering distances is easier than it used to be, but for me getting up regularly at 4:30 am and forcing my butt out the door when it's dark requires some motivation.

Taper... as far as running - yes, swimming and biking - not yet. I usually taper out of laziness, not necessity and lose hard earned fitness... Again, I'm not there to win it or get a very satisfying time. This is a serious endurance event for me. You ran a marathon, you know.

Yep. I do know. I'm still struggling with the 4:30am motivation so I for sure know it's not easy.

Amazingly well run 5K! You picked up the pace quite a bit a the end, that is a sign of a well executed effort. About the brutal workouts we're putting, it's just the result of patience and time. Endurance is built over long periods, you can certainly do it too and this is not a joke. You just have to dare (and make lots of time to burn).

For the time being, you are progressing and that is GREAT. Stay consistent, train slow and race hard!!!

Help guys!

So today I did my first open water practice in my new wetsuit and new swim mask in one of my neighborhood lakes (not the ones that said "no swimming", so I am not in jail).  Being a scuba diver really helped because I was never uncomfortable in water that I couldn't see through.  I learned that the Thai Buffet was not a good choice for lunch.  But, once my friend Judy helped me get the wetsuit zipped and I finally got in the water, I wasn't feeling seasick anymore.

Stupid questions time:

1)  Can I use body glide on the zipper that needs lubrication or is there something else you recommend?

2)  It is supposed to zip closed DOWN the back, right?

3)  What exactly do you do with the long strip attached to the zipper while you are swimming around?  I realize it was very handy to unzip the wetsuit at the end of the swim, but it looked like a tail.  OK, I'm having fun ROTFL now.

4)  In an OW tri, are there shore references most of the time or just the little buoys in the water?  (This reminds me a little of a par 5 on a golf course where I cannot see the flag on the green from the middle of the fairway).

5)  I learned that you can use a snorkel in the swim, even in the pool.  Does anyone really ever do that?

Barry,

Congratulations on your great race.  Was it snowing??  Thanks for all your encouragement for me.

I remember the 1st time I did the brick.  It is really weird.  It reminds me of roller skating or sailing and then trying to just walk normally on land.  It takes a little while to get your "land legs" back.  This sport is really addicting, more so than just running or biking. 

Ernesto,

Time for a check in.  My next goal is an open water sprint tri. 

Unless you advise differently, I think I'm going to pass on the Rookie because the bike and the run are shorter than I've already done and the OWS is only 25 yards more.  I'm thinking about either CB&I (5/7) in the Woodlands, or CAPTEX (5/30) in Austin.  CAPTEX is a longer swim and shorter bike that CB&I.  Do you happen to know if those are usually wetsuit legal?

I can train every day this week except Thursday.  I just feel I need some direction on my training.  I want to increase my endurance/distance so that around Sep or Oct I can do an Olympic.

Your advice, please.

Hi Jackie,

Great you ventured out into the deep water! Here is my abbreviated take on your questions:

1) YES, CANDLE RUB WORKS FINE TOO

2) ??? ZIP OPEN DOWN THE BACK

3) THERE'S A SHORT VELCRO STRIP JUST BELOW THE ZIPPER TO ATTACH THE 'TAIL' TO

4) DEPENDS ON THE VENUE, BUT YOU WILL HAVE HAVE PLANTY OF PEOPLE IN FRONT OF YOU TO GUIDE YOU  (sorry, I couldn't help myself...)

5) PLEASE DON'T.  IT'S JUST NOT COOL AND WOULDN'T HELP YOU AT ALL.

I would actually try swimming some distance in the suit to find out if it is rubbing around the neck etc ( I have that problem with mine).

I love red thai curry w/ tofu and veggies!!!

Do Captex, it is wetsuit legal because the water comes from a spring, it is very chilly even in summer!! You probably need to start increasing your S/B/R distances, and I don't mean getting a longer riffle. Regardless, keep doing the speedwork during those days when your time is limited but you feel strong.

How do feel for a fast "tempo" run today? Do one for 45 minutes (WU walking briskly before and don't count it towards the 45). In case you don't know, a tempo is close to race pace but not quite there.

All the points that Mark brought up are perfect. Don't even think about the snorkel!

Thanks Jakie, It may sound like allot but I think that I meke it worse by no being more organize, I hope to develope this ability with the sport..

About the advice, do I let the air out with trough the nose or mouth? apox.., how many stokes do you take before you inhale again?

Ernesto,

Im thinking of doing an Olympic race on Sep 25, I have the Arizona schedule for Nov, do you think this is a good idea?  the olympic is very close to my location and I dont want to get to the Arizona IM with no experience..

What do you think?

Are you signed up for Ironman Arizona already?!?!?!?!

I  hate snorkels.  I wasn't thinking of using one, just amazed that one could!

Didn't make the tempo run.  Got out of work late tonight.  Only 4 hours of sleep last night and BTW I ran last night after my swim.   I can do it tomorrow and bike on Wed.  What is a riffle? 

After reading about it, I determined it could come out either or both.  I do an odd number of strokes so I can do bilateral breathing (both sides).  Depending on how I feel, either 3, 5, or 7.  It seems the more strokes I can take in between breathing, the smoother I am.  I am still a real beginner, but I have done a lot of reading and watching videos to try and figure it out.  Now I need to work on technique and more endurance.

FYI, Ironman Arizona goes out for sale the day after the race (November 21st) at noon and it ALWAYS sells out within 15 minutes (all 2500 slots). Ironman is a race very high in demand and Lake Placid, Arizona and Florida in particular are very popular within the Ironman community.

Also, if I may add, you should give yourself more time, do at least one half before you make the jump to the full so you get the taste of long endurance events.

Thanks Ernesto,  ok so I will do the olympic on Sep and a half late this year or in the begining of next year, so by the middle of next year Ill do the full. does this make any sense?