Beer Drinkers Appreciation Society (BDAS) --Always Open (Page 21)

Got in about 5.6 miles this morning. Ran with a gym friend for the first time and it was good. The pace was steady and I prefer running with people b/c it keeps me distracted if I'm able to just chat.

It's been a cold, wet week in NZ this week. So I've been struggling with early morning workouts. But I have managed some consistency.

My M-F workouts, 3 x 30 minute bikes, 1 easy in the morning, 2 in the evenings with some intensity. 2 runs, 1 short brick run after my morning ride, and 1 normal easy 5k.

I would have preferred my rides to be in the morning, and have included at least one more brick run. But such is life. Still a better effort than most of the last couple of months.

1 good thing about evening rides tho, is it's a good opportunity for Olympic watching, the time zones line up quite nicely for us. I think track cycling has to be my favorite Olympic sport. It's just nuts. Some very cool bikes, with some hilariously large chain rings. Good watching. I don' know if I'd be brave enough to ride a track myself tho. It looks like it takes some serious balls.

Have a good weekend guys, and enjoy the last couple of days of Olympics.

Nice! Good practice for an outdoor swim

I did not go swimming this morning b/c I was EXHAUSTED! I slept in and had a half day before an appointment. Then I met one of my Ragnar teammates for a long trail run. Got in 7.3 miles but I was DEAD by the end. I did a lot this week though so I'm not too surprised. This was probably the highest mileage week I've done since college tbh. Gonna try to swim a bit tomorrow but I'm also supposed to play vball so not gonna push it too hard.

Agreed! I typically only circle swim with people I know. If the pool is so full I have to circle swim with strangers I just don't bother.

Awesome about the rugby stuff btw. That definitely sounds like a tough test! We used to do one in soccer in high school called the beep test. The cones were set 20m apart and you had to run back and forth between them but the beeps slowly got closer together. Once you miss making it in time you're out. Not the most pleasant but definitely a great challenge. I might try this one you're talking about soon, as once I'm done with my ragnar it's time to focus on speed for my sprint tri in October.

Went to masters practice Saturday morning, or the first half of it at least. Got in about 1400 yards b/c we were doing VO2 max sprints, followed by some stroke work. I was dead. Then went and played volleyball for a couple hours. I'm so looking forward to this easy week! Didn't really do anything yesterday. Have vball tonight, and then am going to do a light run tomorrow and Thursday just to stretch my legs, and some yoga a couple days too.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

We did those in basketball (base line to foul line and back, to mid-court and back, to other foul line and back, then baseline to baseline).  Rest interval was another group doing it.  Soccer ones were even harder (and obviously longer), though you were doing more cruise sprinting than all-out.  We called them "suicides" because, well, you felt like dying after them.  Or you were basically suicidal to do them, not sure.

Well-done and paced speed work is so valuable to a running training regimen, it's just hard for some people to know when is enough.

Edited by jmhpsu93 2021-08-09 9:46 AM

”We did those in basketball (base line to foul line and back, to mid-court and back, to other foul line and back, then baseline to baseline). Rest interval was another group doing it. Soccer ones were even harder (and obviously longer), though you were doing more cruise sprinting than all-out. We called them "suicides" because, well, you felt like dying after them. Or you were basically suicidal to do them, not sure.”

That kind of drill is called ”the idiot” in Swedish…. That says it all really.

Had a very lazy week in terms of tri training as my sister and mum were visiting from France and we did the touristy thing: lots of walking (10k / day on average) and lots of eating and drinking too much. Managed one 5k run on my own at my pace and one with my sister at hers (slower). I also dragged her to the lake for a short swim. Other than that, just walks.

My race is 2 weeks tomorrow, so only one more week’s training and a taper week. Hopefully I haven’t lost too much fitness nor gained too much weight.

Have a great weekend!

Hi everyone!
So I've been a bit off the grid the last week. I didn't do much in terms of training at all bc work was crazy and I was taking it easy to prepare for my Ragnar. I will include a race report later, but hot damn, that was a tough race. Doesn't help that I think I had some mild food poisoning when I got there. Felt feverish at one point and actually thought I had COVID and had spread it to everyone there.
I didn't get mauled by a bear though and it was definitely an interesting and extremely challenging race!

Happy to hear that, it’s not often my first thought when I finish a race. Hate when that happens though!

Seriously, well done, looking forward to reading your report

Edited by Rollergirl 2021-08-15 8:56 AM

Very much struggling with early mornings last few weeks. Things haven't really gone to plan.

3 1/2 hours for the week, for the 3rd week in a row for me. This time, only 1 60 minute run, with 4 rides on zwift, 2 1/2 hours total. So happy with the amount of riding I did. That's ramping up nicely. But disappointed with only the one run.

My IT band physio treatments has progressed from stretching to body weight strengthening exercises (squats, lunges, dead bug etc.), so that's something else added to the mix. Managed 2 sessions last week. Aiming for 3 or more this week.

We've also had a change in routine the last couple of weeks. Now both midgets are going to bed at the same time. Which is opening up a 2 1/2-3 hour window for evening rides again. With my early morning struggles, that's making riding a lot more likely. Long may it continue.

Hope you all had a good week.

Nicole, yay on the Ragnar! I look forward to the report!

Sappho, I’m glad to hear you’re back at Rugby. Yes, I used to do “suicides” too but in basketball and soccer! Blaaaaah. Hhahahaa. They kick your butt for sure.

Andrew, I hope your evening rides come back to stay!

Nathalie, you will be fine for your race. All the walking definitely adds up.

Mike, I swim in fear during a circle swim. ??. I’m always afraid I’m too slow.

Hey all! I’ve been following along with everyone’s posts. I e tried posting a couple of times but when I’d almost finish it’s like the app crashes and the phone goes to my home page. I have up a few times.
Lots to tell but right now I need food and have to make dinner. I had a 5 hour ride today (which I painfully did on the Kick’r) and managed 90 miles. I need protein. Hahahaha. Cheers!

Okay so there's no good race report format for a Ragnar, so I did it in word and copied and pasted below. It's a lot, so I apologize in advance.

Ragnar Trail Appalachians 2021 Race Report
Big Bear Lake Camplands, West Virginia
Weather varied A LOT – high temps were pushing 100 and super humid. Lows were somewhere in the 70s.
Overall team results – We were a mixed team (4 men, 4 women). We got 36th overall (141 teams finished, but there were 162 total teams). In the Open category, we were 11/75 (other categories include military and masters), and in the mixed gender category we were 16/96.
Total time: 24:23:55
Leg 1 – Shane
Leg 2 – Rachel
Leg 3 – Erin
Leg 4 – Joe
Leg 5 – Idan
Leg 6 – Selina
Leg 7 – Brian
Leg 8 – Nicole

We drove to WV Thursday. I left around 5:30 pm and drove alone. I was stressed from work and a little stressed not knowing where I was going, but I talked to people on the phone most of the trip, and stopped to get Wawa. I almost got a hoagie, but since most of what I had to eat that weekend was sandwiches, I decided to get chicken fingers. Huge mistake.
I started feeling unwell towards the end of my drive. I got to the campground at night and it was a bit stressful trying to figure out where to go and I was worried I was not going to make the final shuttle back to my tent (we could drop stuff off but then had to park 2 ½ miles away…no one told me the shuttles stopped until I got there). Between the stress and the chicken fingers, I was feeling pretty horrible. I didn’t drink any alcohol. Stuck with water and went to bed pretty quickly after getting there.
We glamped, so our tents were already set up and we had a little living room area. It was actually pretty great. We had cots and tables and all that, so just needed a sleeping bag and pad if you had one, and pillow. There were also VIP port-a-potties that were cleaned twice a day, which was key. It was windy that night and none of us slept well at all. I woke up feeling feverish and actually thought at one point that maybe I had COVID and had infected everyone on my team (gotta love the worst case scenario your mind jumps to).
I woke up in the morning feeling pretty horrible. I drank some water with electrolytes, some tea, took some ibuprofen. Eventually I started coming out of it. My first leg wasn’t until around 5pm so luckily I had time to eat and drink more and started feeling like myself again.

Yellow loop (4.6 miles, 579.18 ft of elevation “intermediate”) – Time 52:18 (11:22 pace)
4:28pm - Temperatures outside were high 90s and humid

This trail was almost everyone’s least favorite. I felt okay starting, but the first 2 miles were roots and rocks and there was just no way to get into a groove running. It was too technical. I almost rolled my ankle a few times, and my left foot was numb for the first 2.5 miles. Once you got through that there was actually this really pretty pine tree area. The trees were planted too close together so it looks like a lot of telephone poles (the sun can’t get through to the lower branches so they fall off), but it’s pretty cool looking.
The trails are really narrow so passing people is tricky unless they move over, which I tried to do for anyone passing me. I started getting some stomach cramps toward the middle of this run, and just kept pushing and hoping it would end. I didn’t feel great. All three trails come together at one point and that is how you know you are almost to the end. Usually I have a kick but I had nothing. At the very end there is the long wooden platform that goes up, over a road, and down leading to the handoff area, and I couldn’t even run up it.

When I finished I felt nauseated and shortly after felt really cold. I couldn’t sit comfortably in a chair and people even talking about food made me want to vomit. I finally just grabbed a towel and laid down on a mat with it covering me and passed out. When I woke up I still didn’t feel well and went to my cot and passed out for awhile. In hindsight, I now know that was heat exhaustion. I was thinking it was related to the food poisoning from the night before but I think it was separate.
I woke up, went to shower, continued drinking fluids and finally was able to eat a PBJ (I force fed myself, b/c I still wasn’t at all hungry). I drank more and went back to sleep (it was probably 8 or 9 at this point and I had to run again at 1:00am).

Green Loop (3.5 miles, 426.73 ft. elevation, “easiest”) – Time 44.20 (12:40 pace) – Actual time was more like 42 min, but the runner before me was flying and I was late for the handoff
~1am – Temps were comfortable, in the mid 70s I would say (we didn’t have internet so couldn’t get exact temps)

I was thinking the guy before me would take about an hour and 15 on the red loop, but instead he ran it in 1:10, so I was walking there and heard him say my name and I had to sprint to the transition area. I had a headlamp and a flashlight but very soon found the beams were competing and my eyes actually had a harder time focusing so I just used the headlamp. It was also a bit rocky and rooty, so I took my time and didn’t fully trust my eyes. I felt okay, but rolled my ankle a couple times. I also had something come through my shoe and felt a starburst in the side of my foot, so had to take my shoe off and wiped that area and felt something fall off. Not sure what it was but the pain stopped.

Otherwise this was an uneventful run. I didn’t think about bears and rattlesnakes and just focused on finishing. Felt okay, and just went back to the tent, drank some water, showered and went back to bed.

Red Loop (6.5 miles, 1050.21 ft. of elevation, “hardest”) – Time: 1:16:17 (11:44 pace)
9:07 am – probably high 70s to low 80s in temperature

I was the anchor so this was the last leg of the entire race for us and I was just ready to be done. My legs felt surprisingly good going into it, I think because I never really got the chance to run fast on my first two legs. It started raining immediately (and stopped raining as soon as I finished, lol) but it honestly felt really nice on the trail. It did get pretty slippery so I again found myself being careful. I rolled my ankle and felt a small pop at one point but the pain went away pretty quickly. In the beginning you end up climbing over some big rocks and boulders and it is a bit slow going. I got stuck behind a woman who was deaf at one point in this area. I was asking if I could pass and realized she must be deaf b/c she did not acknowledge me at all, so I eventually tapped her on the shoulder. I felt bad b/c I startled her, but I think I would’ve startled her no matter what. Not sure what the etiquette is in this situation but plan to ask for next time just in case.

This trail had a few points you could really open up. At one point, you’re on an access road. I used this to make up some time and felt really strong. It also has some hills, especially one monster that probably goes on for almost a full mile. You think it’s over and then suddenly you are going up again. I walked a lot of this, as I was feeling really tired and didn’t want to go too hard then die at the end. Most people walked it. I got passed by one guy who ran it and just looked really strong.

After this it was a lot of downhill and I picked up my pace and made up some time. At the very end I was flying. Once the trails came together and I knew it was almost over I just used whatever I had. My team was waiting for me right before the “plank” and finished with me (mimosas in hand). I was double fisting immediately, it was awesome. I felt great and we got some pics and could all feel the full relief of being done.

Post race – I wish we had another night there so we could all just chill and enjoy being done together. Most people wanted to get back, and the Ragnar people tear down the glamping tents that day. I got back and drank some mimosa, then went to shower. When I got back, everyone was packed and some had even left already! I had to pack quick and then whoever was left hit the road and found a restaurant nearby to get some food while we tried to find an Airbnb on the way home (some of us had planned on camping but we were all pretty ready for AC and a comfy bed haha). We couldn’t find one so after eating and playing some pool, we hit the road and headed to our respective homes.

In the beginning, I was fully regretting agreeing to do this and had told myself I would never do it again. By the end I was like, okay that wasn’t so bad…lol. If/when I do this again, I’m going to make sure the week leading up to the race I am hydrating and fueling my body well, and I will prepare better food for the trip. I will also attempt to get people to commit to doing something the night after, as it would have been nice to rent a nearby Airbnb and just hang and reminisce about the race and get a little tipsy.


Edited by nicole14e 2021-08-16 10:38 AM

Wow, what a adventure! Thanks for sharing!

Sounds like quite the adventure, running at 1am through the forest, dodging bares and snakes... that's badass. It's a pity you weren't able to have post run drinkies and relaxing time tho. Would have been the perfect end. And congratulations on the good placing.

Wow, Nicole, what a race! I’m glad you were able to press on despite the bad chicken fingers. Ugh, I can’t imagine, especially in that heat. What a write up, I’m so glad you posted it, thanks for the read!

Thanks all! Definitely an adventure! My team is already talking about where we're going next year. Looking to go out west I think, either Rainier, Tahoe or SoCal. The elevation is at least double than this last one, so to say I'm intimidated is an understatement!

Played vball Monday night and went to the gym Tuesday morning. My legs were still a little fried but overall fine. Took today off but gonna get a run in tomorrow.

Went for a run this morning, but with my roommates not super well behaved dog, so only got in about 2 slow miles with lots of stops, trying to get her some activity since my roommate has been working a lot, and a little bit of training, although I am by no means a dog trainer.

Planning to go to masters practice the next two mornings. Mike, you in for either/both?! I think the indoor pool is open again so tmrw will be there, but Saturday would be outside.