Jenny (jsnowash)'s Spring Guinea Pig Group - CLOSED (Page 22)

Great job, Janette!

I'm back to running at lunch (I decided I was sick of making excuses as to why I WASN'T heading out during the day); so I ran 5 km in 38 degree (celcius) heat (100F). I spent the second half of the running alternating between feeling nauseous and feeling light headed. At least I got the distance done before the thunderstorms (hopefully) hit. We need rain in the worst way here.

Happy training g-pigs!

@Janette - congrats!  it sounds like you had a great race.  thanks for the race report.  

@Mitch and Heather - glad to hear you're back running again.  But just be careful not to go to hard too fast...

Happy Monday to all.  

@Janette-Congrats!  See, you're already thinking about the 'next' race.   You should be really proud of yourself.   It's been fun being a part of your triathlon 'coming of age', so to speak.  Great Job!

To all the other GPs, those sick/wounded and those you lives have taken them in other directions.   Good Luck, God Speed and Best Wishes.

Not sure if people are still around, but thought I would check in.  I had a great day of training today - I woke up and went for a 2 mile run through the woods (still no bear spottings), then went for an 11 mile bike ride to the next town over.  The weather was incredible and my legs felt pretty good (up to the last 10 minutes or so of the bike).

Enjoy your weekends, all!

@Heather - sounds like you're getting back into the swing of things after those pesky injuries.  yay!  

As for me...last week was my first full week back in training since my HIM.  I have a couple of races later this fall, so it was time to get going again.  Did alot of running, and some swimming and indoor biking last week.  About 12 weeks to go until my A race, (and that's not that much time in terms of a training schedule...), so I'm focused on maintaining my swim fitness, and trying to improve my bike and run fitness.  It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

Happy Monday to all.

Hey, all.  Back from vacation in Denver with the kiddos.  Did the whole kid route - Zoo, Ellitch Gardens amusement park, Rockies game, Water World, Casa Bonita .... I managed to get in two running workouts while on the road; however, I am pretty dang sure I consumed many more calories than I burned!!  It is no wonder our nation's children are steadily more obese when the kid venues serve nothing but junk food in large quantities.  Well, okay, the mojitos were my own discovery ....

Brian - 12 weeks seems like a short time to be ready for an IM to me!  But, maybe it is a long time to keep focused for an A race.  Do you develop a certain written plan and follow it to the letter or just try to get in certain amount of time or distance each week?

Heather - good to see you back in the training mode. 

I am planning a little duathon this weekend if we don't go camping.  The race is in a small Montana town 2 hours away, but it is a benefit/memorial for a woman who was murdered while out running about 6 months ago.  She was a popular high school teacher and coach.  It really hit the community hard and much of Montana followed the search for her and agonized over the discovery of her body.  The race is a 5k run, 10k bike, 5k run.  I hope the organizers have a good turn out.  There are so few duathon or triathlon races in this neck of the woods that I hope some folks will come out to try it.

I am also planning a race with my 6 y.o. - it is a local charity doing a Dirty Dash 5k obstacle course - middle of August.  Mud, water guns, puddles and spectators with water balloons are part of the course.  He is super excited to "race" and be filthy at the same time!

I am planning a half marathon in September.  I am building some more long runs into my training.  My current plan is 3X 1 hour runs per week and one 10-12 mile run per week.  I am filling the other days with biking for now, but I am headed back to the pool as soon as I line up some lessons.  Any other suggestions from you running experts?

@Janette - welcome back.  

With respect to your question about training plans...to be honest, I don't use one.  I trained hard on my own (ie. without a plan) for my HIM a few weeks ago, and am now simply increasing my mileage to get me ready for the IM.  I could call it a self-directed plan, but that would be giving me too much credit.  Here's my plan (and I'm not trying to be flippant about this) - I run, bike and swim.  I rotate between the three disciplines depending on how I feel and also my work-life constraints, and that's about it.  I stretch every day to stay limber and also do some core exercises 4-5 times per week.  

So, is 12 weeks enough for the IM...I think so.  IMFL has been on my calendar since I registered last November and all my training this year has been focused on Saturday November 3.

I'm looking to complete IMFL...I'm not competing against all the type A folks out there.  Crossing the finish line before midnight is my goal, that's it.  16:59 would be fine for me...I expect to do better than that, but I'm not getting all type A for this race because that's just not me.  

All this said, I respect the IM and expect it will kick my on race day, but I'm going to give it my best.

Still checking in.  Been running very early to beat the heat.  I love that I can run right down the middle of the road on the side streets and not worry about traffic.  I ran a long route this morning which is just about 10 miles.  That is distance for me.  Endurance and breathing felt okay, but legs got a little tired the last couple miles. 

Dog days of summer ahead ....  Why is it that all the kids summer activities are crammed into June and July and then August is just blank?  My kids started the, "I'm bored" mantra this morning!

Beautiful run in the rain early this morning.  Like much of the country, Montana is suffering from drought.  It was marvelous to feel the cool air and have the rain drip off my cap.  One of my favorite parts of running and biking outdoors is the precious moments that I can enjoy in God's creation.

I hope all of you take a deep breath during your training today and marvel at the wonder of what's around you and what good fortune you have in moving and breathing.

Man, who knew that a little moisture would cause me to wax poetic!!

My run today wasn't as nice as your sounds...mine was just hot and very humid.  That said, it was a decent run - 12 miles.  6 miles to the YMCA and then back again.  I need to figure out how to carry more water with me or somehow stash some at various points, because I could really have used some along the way.  

Hope everyone is having a great day.

Brian 

Brian - quick thought that I have used for water on the road - I freeze a 1/4 cup or so in a snack size ziplock baggie by placing it wet in the bottom of rounded cup that I have.  When I leave, I stuff the frozen bag in some pocket of my shorts.  It is small enough that it doesn't bounce around a bunch and I don't even notice it.  When I have a parched mouth, I drag it out, bit off a corner of the bag and sip just that little bit of water that tides me over until I can get a real drink.  I stuff the used baggie back in my pocket and away I go.  It does the trick for me.  I have tried the strap on bottle holder around the hips, but it is too distracting for me and I do this funny thing trying to hold it on with my butt muscle and eventually get a strange cramp!

Good luck with the IM training.  I have been running all this past week, building more miles.  I figure my training distance for a half mary needs to consistantly be 7 miles with one long run per week in the 10-12 mile zone.  Legs feel pretty good, but I certainly struggle with getting a little bored. 

@Janette - interesting idea.  I've thought about a number of potential ways to carry water, but yours is probably the most practical.  Thanks.  I'll give it a shot next time.

As for my training...I'm seriously dialing-up the time and miles (or at least trying).  On Sunday morning, I biked for 2:30 on a rolling hills course and then ran 3 miles.  It was pretty humid, so it was a fairly tough brick run.  Today, I ran 12.6 miles and it felt pretty good.  The weather today was much better - less humidity and cooler temps too.  I did two loops around my house, so I had a water/gatorade stop before lap 2.  At around mile 10, I could have used some more fluids, but I was almost home, so I just pushed through.  If I had more fluids (and more time...I do have to work...), I probably could have done a few more miles at least.  I'll probably try to increase my long runs to 15-ish miles over the next few weeks.

Tomorrow will probably be a long swim.  And then back to biking and running.  

Hope everybody is doing well.

Holy Crap!

I havent done squat in a week.  I'm working soooo many hours, and the heat has just killed my motivation.  I'm heading up north for a few days so I'm hoping the cooler temps will encourage me.

Glad every one is doing well. 

I like the frozen water idea!

Another day of heat.  I read on some other posts about people that lose 7+ pounds after a workout.  OMG, is that for real?!  Yes, I sweat, but I don't think I could ever sweat out 7 pounds.

Road my bike yesterday, followed by a short 10 minute run brick.  Ran this morning my 6 mile route and had intentions of biking afterward, but alas, I sat in the cool grass and played with the dog....

Hi team,

I had a great bike ride on Monday.  I got to see a fawn and its mother on the side of the road (the fawn had huge ears and still had its spots!) and got to help a dog that was on the road get home (s/he was very friendly and came right up to me, so I walked her up the nearest driveway, which turned out to be the right one).

I also had a great 2 mile run, then a good soccer game this evening.  I'm a litle frustrated at soccer right now, because the coach is moving me around a lot - sometimes up front, sometimes outside defence, sometimes stopper.. just makes it hard to get into a good groove.

I've noticed a weird trend in my training logs - I'll have 2 weeks with a nice balance of s/b/r followed by a week of sports only (no s/b/r).  I'm not sure why that is the way it is, but its' a definite pattern...

Stay cool everyone! We're supposed to have 2 or 3 days of solid rain starting tomorrow; it has been so dry that I'm very excited about it!

@Heather - I always like your updates, especially the wildlife/animal part.  Perhaps you have some "Dr. Doolittle" in you.

I took to the pool last night and went for 3000.  I tried to focus on form and technique, and I think I did ok making a few tweaks, but nobody will look at my stroke and think, "man, that guy has a great stroke".  I'm back of MOP/front of BOP type swimmer and I'm ok with that.  

Hope to get on my indoor bike tonite and ride 90 - 120 mins.  Not sure of the movie selection, but I did just get Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol from the library, so it's either that or Dodgeball.  Action vs. comedy...we'll see.

Brian - I watched a great show last night called "The Big Year" with Steve Martin about birders.  They are as fanatic as triathletes.  It was really pretty entertaining and nice to watch something wholesome for a change.  I had it on Showtime on the TV in my basement gym while stretching, yoga and some weights.  I was done working out but ended up sitting on the bench to finish the show.

I am leaving for San Francisco this weekend to tour wine country with my husband and another couple in Napa and Sonoma for 5 days.  None of us have ever done it before so don't know what to expect, but looking forward to a new adventure.  I am hoping to get in a few runs on the road, but my husband is dead set about me running in San Francisco without knowing the neighborhoods and such.  I just hate the idea of the hotel treadmill.  Any of you ever checked out running groups or biked on a rented bike in another town on vacation?

Janette - where in San Fran will you be staying?

I was there for my marathon last October - completely on my own for five days.  Apart from the race, I did go for one short run in the area around my hotel, and spent the other days and evenings wandering the city and it was fine. You'll get a better feel for it once you are there, but I would say that it is like anything else in a strange city - just be aware of your surroundings, don't run with an ipod (just in case) and keep track of where you are relative to your hotel.  If you are in the Fisherman's Wharf area, there are some great running paths, and tons of people out during the day.. plus it is the one part of the city that qualifies as "flat"..  

Glad you enjoy them! I think that the wildlife thing is still a novelty to me - we moved out to a rural area almost exactly a year ago.  While there are definitely some down-sides to living out here, one of the benefits is getting to hang out with Bambi and friends on a regular basis..

What movie did you end up picking?

I didn't get over to Oakland, so can't be of any help.  Is the bike tour around the wineries? If so, I doubt you'll be talking (or worried) about cadence, distance, or speed for long..   Napa sounds great - I didn't get out there, unfortunately, but can't wait to read about it when you get back. Have a great trip!!

Hey all - our long lost group leader, Jenny, is racing IM NYC today.  It's about 8:45pm, and she's just about to finish the run...Ironman.com has her on mile 24.5.  I hope I'm not going to jinx her since she hasn't finished yet, but congrats to Jenny!

I ran 12.6 miles early this morning.  Felt decent - it wasn't very fast per se, but I did it.  I ran the same course on Wednesday earlier this week and I felt much better and consequently, ran faster.  It's been a big training week for me, so I wasn't expecting to break any speed records (and it was pretty humid this am), but I'm glad to know that even though my body is tired (and especially my legs), I can still run 12.6 miles at a decent pace.  

Probably taking tomorrow off, and then starting over again on Monday.  

Hope everybody is doing well.

Hey, folks.  I finally returned from travels.  I traveled with friends to wine country in Napa and Sonoma.  Oh, what fun.  I really enjoyed San Francisco too.  We did get in a bike ride tour and I ran a couple times, but just short runs. 

At the end of the trip, I got some sad news.  My sister's father-in-law died suddenly while doing a multi-day bike tour through Glacier Park.  Roger was an eye surgeon, age 68, incredibly fit and had completed numerous century tours.  He died doing what he loved and with a very full life, but wow, what a shock.  We still don't know the exact cause, but it appears to be something heart related.   Hard to believe when he spent incredible effort staying in shape and being health conscious.  It just reminds me that every day is precious and that showing and sharing love is so important to living without regrets.

I traveled to the funeral in Portland from San Francisco.  In honor of Roger, I ran a beautiful path along the River Front Park and thought about him, his achievements and his impact on so many lives.  Portland is an awesome town for running and biking. 

Hope your training is worthwhile.

Hey all, not sure if anybody is still around, but if so, hello.  

I'm still training hard for IMFL.  2 months to go, but it seems like it's right around the corner at the same time.

Anybody else have any upcoming races?

Hope everyone is well.

I am signed up for a half marathon on September 16.  It has been 18 years since I have done a half.  My training is going well, although I find myself going too hard sometimes.  I know I need the base miles, but I feel it in my knees and hips if I pound it.  I know I need to run often, often slowly.  When I do my weekly long run, I need to be sure the run the day before is light otherwise the last two miles of the long run make my legs a little jelly-like.