jsnowash's Spring-into-action 2011 mentor group -- Full Up & Ready to go! (Page 22)

Ana, like Beth, I'm amazed at ANYONE doing an ocean swim, much less for a first tri.  Awesome job, and sounds like there are more to come for you!  Love the family involvement/recruiting too 

Todd, awesome improvement!  Hope the bronchitis improves soon too.  If you figure out what's missing re: the foot cramps please let me know.

Baowolf, happy tapers to you!  Looking forward to hear about your boston experience.  And you will definitely make a great mentor.  FYI, hate to admit it, but I think you are right about the ipod...really missed it in my tri this weekend, so need to learn to cope better without it in training.

Conan, so glad you are enjoying your bike, and the rest will come as you can devote more time to it.  Can't remember if you already said, but have you done the fitting, shoes, etc?

Marcus, sending you some snow-b-gone!  We will pay the price here in TX with endless 100+ degree summer days.

Jenny, thanks for being an awesome mentor.  I have learned a LOT from you, and hope I can pay it forward someday.

Hey to everyone else, hope your weeks are off to a good start.

Did my first tri of the year, and second ever, yesterday and had lots of fun.  The good takeaway was the improvement over the first one.  I may be slow, but I'm less slow .  

Yesterday's Tri (275, 13, 3.1)                2009 Tri (300, 12, 3.1)

 2:11/100 yds                                       2:47/100 yds       Swim

14.6 mph                                            13.7 mph            Bike

10:27/mile                                           10:59/mile          Run

My trainsition times are horrible, but I'm celebrating the good right now, and will work on that (and lots of other things) for next time. 

Congratulations, Squirt! Awesome job and so nice to see improvement!

Thanks, Jenny, for all of your advice. Really helped me think about my running and how to train for that. And thanks everyone else for comments, advice, and support!

Thanks Baowolf!  Yes, patience is not one of my best things.  I had my 5K time under 27 minutes back in 2008, but that's as good as it's ever been for me, and then a lot of on again off again (mostly off again).  Hopefully as my weight continues to drop a bit more and training is consistent, there will be more improvements in store.  I'm down 12 lbs (8% of body weight) since mid December, and seem to be able to drop it a bit faster with tri training than just the running/walking I was doing up until a month and a half ago.  Figuring maybe because I can keep my HR down w/ the swimming and biking. 

Hey, shouldn't you be packing about now?  Is this your first time running Boston?  Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you!       

Nice work, Squirt! And good luck, Baowolf!

Went on my first group bike ride last night organized by a local cycling club. They have a beginner group (and other faster groups I am not yet ready for) where they teach you rules/tips for riding in a group. It was VERY different from riding on my own. My arms and shoulders are sore from hanging on tight as I am not used to riding so close to others. It was a blast, though and great prep (i imagine) for tri riding. It also gave me some confidence to ride with traffic. I highly recommend finding a beginner ride if you have access-I found this one through a local bike shop.

Hope the nice weather is starting to show up for everyone!

Hey conanzchic, that's great about your group ride!  The thought of all that close together riding sounds like a challenge, along with the keeping up .

Baowolf, hope you have a wonderful time at Boston, both on the clock and in your heart.  What a great celebration of all the work you have put in to get there.  Will be cheering for you, and look foward to hearing about it when you return!

Thanks. 

By the way my mentor group just opened if anyone wants to join up. 

Belated congrats to Ana and Squirt on your races!

Baowolf - Best of luck at Boston!

That's great that you found a good beginner group to ride with.  When I was first starting I found that riding with other people was very helpful because I could learn by watching them (things like how they handle various situations, when they unclip and when they don't, etc.) 

It's still not warm enough outside for me! I'm a fair weather cyclist, but I am riding some on the trainer.

Well,  Tomorrow is my first race of the season and since 2007 and the 4th in my lifetime.  I can't tell you how much I have learned from and appreciated your experience!

I am headed over to get my race packet and numbers in 20 minutes.  The weather here is good, the wind has died down but the water is going to be low 50's. Ugh.  I did a swim workout on Tuesday in my sister's UN-heated pool in full gear - boy was that first 5 minutes painful! So cold and painful... My core warmed up but my arms never did, even wearing a 1.5mm titanium skin over my farmer john.  Any tips on getting pre-warmed for the water? Maybe luke warm water down the suit before entry? I am most concerned about my heart freaking out with all that will be going on.

Question: What to eat before and during the race? Please advise!  I've always hydrated with water, but  I am thinking about sipping on zipp fizz or cytomax and downing a gel during the bike.  Maybe biting on a PB sandwich after the swim as I always get super hungry after the swim.  Let me tell you that I am a clydesdale @ 261.5lbs (but down 20lbs since I started this all on Jan 31)    I did not meet my agressive goal of losing 10% body weight by race day, but I am satisfied that I'm feeling better and on the right track! (I'm much faster than the couch now!)  I'm slow swiming (20min for 800m), respectable on the bike and slow on the run (35 min for 5K).

Any more advice??

Thank you friends!

Mike

Mike said: Any more advice??

Yes, have FUN!!!!  Congrats on getting to this point, and on the weight loss.  Sounds like you are more than ready.  Let us know how it goes!

This was on TriTalk in the Boston Marathon thread...

Congrats to Baowolf!  2011 Boston Marathon Finisher 3:28:51

Mike - Awesome job for the first race of the season!  And like you said, you know what you need to work on...  A tri-top worn for the duration of the event will solve that shirt on the wet body problem (unless you are adding a shirt for warmth!).

To improve on the run, you just need to run lots! But be careful not to ramp up too fast.  Too much too soon is a recipe for injury in most cases! Have you ever considered some swim instruction?  Swimming is tricky and won't just get better by doing it more (like running/biking will) unless you fix any issues with your stroke.

So, did you figure out what to do for nutrition before/during the race (being that none of us responded before your race!)?  For most races, I have a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast several hours before hand.  At a sprint, I usually eat a pack of sport beans before the start and do one gel in the middle of the bike leg.  Just water in my bottles on the bike. 

Anyway, congrats on a great showing.  What's up next?

Thank you!  I am pleased with my results! I actually swam, biked and ran faster than the guy who took 3rd. His transition on T1 was FAST! I think that I need to buy a suit or at least a top or tank or something to wear under my wetsuit so I am not putting anything else on other than bike stuff.  I wear compression shorts already. Any suggestions?

For the nutrition, I ended up having my normal protein shake, half of a bp&j sandwich and a banana 2 hours before the start.  I sipped on water during the bike.

After the race I celebrated with my family by going to a burger place called, "Five Guys and Fries" since I had not had a burger since 1/31.  I did not eat any fries or soda - but the burger was incredible!  But,... I have had intestinal issues following even to the point that I had blockage and needed some treatment. It was very painful across the lower abdomen.  Is this common to have after a grueling race if one doesn't ease back into food? Still struggling with it...now.

I am signed up for another Sprint Tri in St.George UT on 5/21, and then another in Provo, UT on 6/18.  I never had any instruction on swimming and would like to improve that. Is watching a video and practice that very effective?

I am signed up for another Sprint Tri in St.George UT on 5/21, and then another in Provo, UT on 6/18.  I never had any instruction on swimming and would like to improve that. Is watching a video and practice that very effective?

wow 4th place Mike that is awesome! congrats!

I had one week rest from run/bike/swim not from Crossfit and started again this week because I signed up for another sprint tri in 2 wks to celebrate mother's day (is a just women tri) this one is not an ocean swim is a lake swim  and is shorter!