mcgilmartin's 2013 Mentor Group~ let's get swimming! CLOSED FOR TRAINING (Page 22)

Jenheaslip - 2013-04-21 2:14 PM

Finally did my half marathon! What a great experience. It seems like I had been training for it forever, but the work was worth it.

I am a night person, and I hate cold. So of course the race was at 8:30 and freezing. It was 38 degrees when I got there, and I think up to 40 at the start. The temp wasn't too bad, but the wind was awful. I decided at 8:28 to ditch my fleece pullover and just go with a long-sleeve wicking shirt over my "Boston blue and gold" t-shirt. Luckily my car was close to the start line and I wanted to start at the back anyway. In the end I'm glad I did it because the fleece was bulky, but the first 2 miles were really cold. They had a moment of silence for Boston and everyone got decals to wear. Sobering but a nice tribute. 

I was a little nervous about picking a trail half marathon for my first, especially since just about all of my training was on an indoor track and treadmills and the road. But I love this course and I will be back next year. We ran past waterfalls, around a lake and down an abandoned air strip with mountains for a backdrop that could have been in a painting. Made the time go by faster I think.

I took gels at miles 5 and 9 and water at 3 of the 4 water stations and overall felt good until the last mile and a half. I prepared really well for the race, tapering for two weeks, icing my knees and ankles, getting some extra rest Friday and even carboloading Thursday night and Friday. On race morning I was ready, but I put off taking my ibuprofrin because I wanted to take it closer to the start. I was a few miles from the race when I realized I had forgotten it and there's nowhere to buy any. I can't run without ibuprofrin; my hips and knees and ankles just can't take it. I felt OK in the morning though and just had to go with it. 

My left ankle was hurting by mile 4 and by mile 7 my hips had had enough. My knees actually felt pretty decent, luckily, and my ankles aren't too bad 24 hours later. That last mile and a half, all uphill but a fairly gradual one, just about killed me. It took everything I had, and some 10-15 second walking stints, to get the last half mile done. I was so close but barely moving! All of the hills just killed me, and I know what I have to work on now LOL But I made it, and two friends were waiting near the finish to take photos and cheer me on, which gave me this last hobbling burst of speed. I am sore today but it's a good kind of sore.

I learned a lot from the race and all of the training, which will hopefully prepare me for the half iron in Sept. Most importantly, don't forget the painkillers!

My question though, is where to go from here with the running in order to train properly for the half iron? Now that I can do the distance (barely), how do I maintain and get faster/stronger? I am not going to run more than 2x a week since it does so much damage to my body. 

My goal was 10 min. miles, and I hit that at 9:57, so I am really happy. Here's my race data if anyone has suggestions for improvement or how to train from here:

My official time was 2:14:03. My GPS data: 13.25 miles, 2:12:13, 9:57 min/mile, avg. speed 6 mph, elev. gain 2844 feet.

Sorry this is so long! Hope everyone had a great weekend and got in some training!

Jenheaslip - 2013-04-21 2:14 PM

My question though, is where to go from here with the running in order to train properly for the half iron? Now that I can do the distance (barely), how do I maintain and get faster/stronger? I am not going to run more than 2x a week since it does so much damage to my body. 

stevesflyshop - 2013-04-22 12:46 PM

I finally downloaded my garmin workouts including the half marathon. My pace times for the half were:

1	10:47.8
2	10:23.5
3	10:48.2
4	10:46.4
5	10:48.0
6	10:22.9
7	10:03.1
8	10:42.7
9	9:45.8
10	9:29.7
11	9:20.3
12	9:03.6
13	8:29.5

 The last .1 mile was :35.5 seconds at a 6:14 pace. My average heart rate was 141 with a high of 179 (at the very end).  My heart rate was basically below 140 through the first hour and 34 minutes, with some occasional climbs above for slight hills. Once I picked up the pace it started climbing steadily. It stayed below 150 until one hour and 55 minutes, then increased past that and kept climbing.  I can't figure out how to cut and paste the heart rate data off the garmin connect. 

I've really been trying to analyze this to see if I started too slow and could have shaved some additional time off my finish time. Anybody have any suggestions?

newbie99 - 2013-04-23 7:32 PM

Hey Jen! Congrats on your race!  I could NOT imagine running a trail HM! As far as the cold goes, I hate it so bad that I won't even consider races when there is a possibility of cold weather.  My sprint tri is about to freak me out because we are running  below average temps right now--I'm afraid the pool water will be freezing and I don't have a wetsuit!!! As far as which mud run , I signed up for our Habitat for Humanity mud run, they did the first one here last year, and it was super great with a lot of obstacles.  There was one obstacle that I think they are going to remove this year because too many people got hurt, even broke legs (it was a ladder rope that was a little over two stories high strung between two trees, but it swayed, and your teammates had to hold it down to get over it). 

 

I have recently started trying to run sprints  in an effort to decrease my time.  I hope it works.  I am such a wimp when it comes to running. If I had to report to someone what I was doing, I would do better. 

 

What good smartphone GPS programs are out there?

stevesflyshop - 2013-04-27 8:51 PM I completed the first "real" triathlon of the year today - the James O'Rourke memorial triathlon in North Platte, Nebraska. Overall I was pleased with the results, all things considerd. I don't have the splits as the results aren't posted yet. Here's my short race recap. I got up and got my Starbucks coffee and a blueberry scone. Felt good and headed there around 6:30. Race started at 8:00 with the mandatory meeting and first wave went at 8:30. I aired up my tires and the back tire swelled. I messed with it for a half hour to get it right and went for a short ride. All was good (or so I thought). I put my bike in transition, and Sheri went back to the motel. I forgot my road id in my other backpack so she brought it to me. I went for a short 3/4 mile run to warm up and went to the meeting. After the meeting we head to the pool. I'm on deck when they tell me I'm going next. I jump in the lane and the lady asks if I can be ready in 20 seconds (so I can start at the 10 minute mark). I said sure and then realized I gotta get going. I should have waited and started at 11 because I was rushed and not mentally focused. I blew out the first 200 meters and then slowed the last 300. I wasn't happy with my swim but got through it around 12:30. Not my best swim but I wasn't expecting much. My Garmin wasn't set right for the auto change and I messed it up even more leaving the pool. I got it working as I was going through the transition lane and get to my bike. Or where my bike had been. It was gone. That really rattled me. A guy came over and asked if I was #348. I'm thinking "what is going on" and he tells me my bike blew the rear tube, hanging on the rack. Somebody heard it and told the staff. They were changing the tube when I got there. I got my shoes on and they handed me my bike and I was thinking this is pretty cool - treated like a pro. I get cranking and get about a mile and a half into the ride when I flat again. I'm frustrated and start th process of changing the tube when the roving crew sees me and comes to my rescue. Patty (the best bike mechanic around) swaps out my tube again and I'm off in about 5 minutes. The rest of the ride went fine. I had to pedal into a headwind but at the turnaround I had 5 miles of pure bliss and great speed going back. I made up some time and got to transition. The run was an out and back. My first mile was around 9:50, the second was around 9:20 and the third was 8:30 ish. I don't have the Garmin downloaded so I'm not positive. I kept my heart rate for the first 2 miles of the run in e 142 range and then kicked the last mile. Overall my time was around 1:34:00. I won't know until the results are posted what my splits and transition times are but I plan to do a full race report once I get them. The race was great and I can't say enough good things about the organizers and Patty, the owner of Cycle Sport in North Platte.

jgwinn0 - 2013-04-28 11:15 AM

Finished the sprint pretty happy with my times, it was a 300yd pool swim, 9 mile bike, and ~3 mile run.  Ended up with a 5:22 swim time, 30:02 bike, and 26:48 run.  No transition timing so all the spots are as of the entry into the transition area.

Definitely felt like i overcooked the swim a bit (my back and shoulders got very tight after about 200yds, but came back into transition with what I felt was too much left in the tank.   All in all a great experience for my first time in a tri, and its got me looking forward to the next one (end of June - that ones a a little bit longer, a little bit hillier, and includes an ocean swim)

 

For a full run down if youre interested,

 The Swim (300 yds, 12 lengths) – every got numbered based on estimated swim times, and lined up by lane 1 of the pool, drop in and they fired off the next number every 10-20 seconds or so. Only downside I saw as I was lining up were the people who blatantly lied about their swim times and were doing side stroke within the first 50.   I was getting a little nervous, this was after all my first time swimming in any sort of competition, but had fun, dropped in set my goggles and waited for my 5 second count.  Nice smooth strokes on the first 50, things were going good, then the right eye got a little loose on my goggles from a push off and I was swimming with one eye L. Got a little frustrated and pushed harder, passed one swimmer on this wall at this lap and drove hard on the next one to clear some room so I wouldn’t kick him in the head by accident.  Right after the next turn my shoulders and back tightened up and swimming got a little difficult but I kept pushing and made it out of the pool.  It was a quick jog out the pool door and into the transition.

 

T1 –

Found my bike easily enough, dried my feet and threw on my shoes, helmet, and grabbed a gel.  Felt like I forgot something but couldn’t think of what it was so I headed out to the mount point and hopped on.  Don’t think I wasted too much time here, maybe a ltitle slow with the socks

 

The Bike (9 miles) – Hopped on at the mount point and figured out what I forgot, left the bike in a speed gear from my last workout, made getting the bike moving while shifting gears, and getting my shoes into the baskets (Yes… I don’t have fancy clipless pedals yet, although I did order some off nashbar last night).  After that little issue got resolved I headed out and out to the street feeling ok.  Got up to speed and moving nice along a flat before the hills came in (the course was a rolling climb for the first 6 miles, with a fast downhill/sharp turn into the last 3).  Definitely felt the hills more than I would have liked, time to spend more effort in the basement on the trainer I think.  Downed the gel and a right at the beginning of the downhill run, and made the corner without falling down at least.  It was a relatively uneventful ride,  I passed a few riders, and was passed in turn by others, made it into T2 feeling pretty good about where I was at for the run.

 

T2 – hopped off at the dismount line feeling good, about until my feet hit the ground then began to feel like I was walking on a wobbly floor at the amusement park.  (More bricks are in my future, I’d only done a couple up until now)  Hobbled over to my section of the bike rack, dropped the helmet, grabbed my number belt and got moving at a slow but steady pace to work my legs back into order. 

 

Run – (~3miles)Once we got out into the streets I was moving along ok, it was hard to figure out much since the other thing I had really forgotten to do was to press the Go button on my fancy gadget watch, which I did at this point, and happily continued the run.  A minute or so later I looked down to check my pace and cadence, only to realize the darned thing was still set for the bike and I had forgotten how to switch it on the fly.  Oh well.. lesson learned, lets get moving, concentrate or caching the guy in front of me and breathing.  I had a nice comfortable slow run and came through the finish with a .25 mile kick.  At this point I realized I felt great, and could have probably exerted a bit more on the bike and run legs, but I had been concerned about burning out early. 

 

jgwinn0 - 2013-04-29 10:15 AM

Finished the sprint pretty happy with my times, it was a 300yd pool swim, 9 mile bike, and ~3 mile run.  Ended up with a 5:22 swim time, 30:02 bike, and 26:48 run.  No transition timing so all the spots are as of the entry into the transition area.

Definitely felt like i overcooked the swim a bit (my back and shoulders got very tight after about 200yds, but came back into transition with what I felt was too much left in the tank.   All in all a great experience for my first time in a tri, and its got me looking forward to the next one (end of June - that ones a a little bit longer, a little bit hillier, and includes an ocean swim)

 

For a full run down if youre interested,

 The Swim (300 yds, 12 lengths) – every got numbered based on estimated swim times, and lined up by lane 1 of the pool, drop in and they fired off the next number every 10-20 seconds or so. Only downside I saw as I was lining up were the people who blatantly lied about their swim times and were doing side stroke within the first 50.   I was getting a little nervous, this was after all my first time swimming in any sort of competition, but had fun, dropped in set my goggles and waited for my 5 second count.  Nice smooth strokes on the first 50, things were going good, then the right eye got a little loose on my goggles from a push off and I was swimming with one eye L. Got a little frustrated and pushed harder, passed one swimmer on this wall at this lap and drove hard on the next one to clear some room so I wouldn’t kick him in the head by accident.  Right after the next turn my shoulders and back tightened up and swimming got a little difficult but I kept pushing and made it out of the pool.  It was a quick jog out the pool door and into the transition.

 

T1 –

Found my bike easily enough, dried my feet and threw on my shoes, helmet, and grabbed a gel.  Felt like I forgot something but couldn’t think of what it was so I headed out to the mount point and hopped on.  Don’t think I wasted too much time here, maybe a ltitle slow with the socks

 

The Bike (9 miles) – Hopped on at the mount point and figured out what I forgot, left the bike in a speed gear from my last workout, made getting the bike moving while shifting gears, and getting my shoes into the baskets (Yes… I don’t have fancy clipless pedals yet, although I did order some off nashbar last night).  After that little issue got resolved I headed out and out to the street feeling ok.  Got up to speed and moving nice along a flat before the hills came in (the course was a rolling climb for the first 6 miles, with a fast downhill/sharp turn into the last 3).  Definitely felt the hills more than I would have liked, time to spend more effort in the basement on the trainer I think.  Downed the gel and a right at the beginning of the downhill run, and made the corner without falling down at least.  It was a relatively uneventful ride,  I passed a few riders, and was passed in turn by others, made it into T2 feeling pretty good about where I was at for the run.

 

T2 – hopped off at the dismount line feeling good, about until my feet hit the ground then began to feel like I was walking on a wobbly floor at the amusement park.  (More bricks are in my future, I’d only done a couple up until now)  Hobbled over to my section of the bike rack, dropped the helmet, grabbed my number belt and got moving at a slow but steady pace to work my legs back into order. 

 

Run – (~3miles)Once we got out into the streets I was moving along ok, it was hard to figure out much since the other thing I had really forgotten to do was to press the Go button on my fancy gadget watch, which I did at this point, and happily continued the run.  A minute or so later I looked down to check my pace and cadence, only to realize the darned thing was still set for the bike and I had forgotten how to switch it on the fly.  Oh well.. lesson learned, lets get moving, concentrate or caching the guy in front of me and breathing.  I had a nice comfortable slow run and came through the finish with a .25 mile kick.  At this point I realized I felt great, and could have probably exerted a bit more on the bike and run legs, but I had been concerned about burning out early. 

 

jgwinn0 - 2013-04-30 8:14 PM

I ordered a set of the shimano 105 pd5700 pedals for $55, and a pair of shoes i think are the right size off ebay.

 

Thanks, it was a lot of fun, i've added a couple more races to my schedule for the summer because of it

Jenheaslip - 2013-04-21 3:14 PM

Finally did my half marathon! What a great experience. It seems like I had been training for it forever, but the work was worth it.

I am a night person, and I hate cold. So of course the race was at 8:30 and freezing. It was 38 degrees when I got there, and I think up to 40 at the start. The temp wasn't too bad, but the wind was awful. I decided at 8:28 to ditch my fleece pullover and just go with a long-sleeve wicking shirt over my "Boston blue and gold" t-shirt. Luckily my car was close to the start line and I wanted to start at the back anyway. In the end I'm glad I did it because the fleece was bulky, but the first 2 miles were really cold. They had a moment of silence for Boston and everyone got decals to wear. Sobering but a nice tribute. 

I was a little nervous about picking a trail half marathon for my first, especially since just about all of my training was on an indoor track and treadmills and the road. But I love this course and I will be back next year. We ran past waterfalls, around a lake and down an abandoned air strip with mountains for a backdrop that could have been in a painting. Made the time go by faster I think.

I took gels at miles 5 and 9 and water at 3 of the 4 water stations and overall felt good until the last mile and a half. I prepared really well for the race, tapering for two weeks, icing my knees and ankles, getting some extra rest Friday and even carboloading Thursday night and Friday. On race morning I was ready, but I put off taking my ibuprofrin because I wanted to take it closer to the start. I was a few miles from the race when I realized I had forgotten it and there's nowhere to buy any. I can't run without ibuprofrin; my hips and knees and ankles just can't take it. I felt OK in the morning though and just had to go with it. 

My left ankle was hurting by mile 4 and by mile 7 my hips had had enough. My knees actually felt pretty decent, luckily, and my ankles aren't too bad 24 hours later. That last mile and a half, all uphill but a fairly gradual one, just about killed me. It took everything I had, and some 10-15 second walking stints, to get the last half mile done. I was so close but barely moving! All of the hills just killed me, and I know what I have to work on now LOL But I made it, and two friends were waiting near the finish to take photos and cheer me on, which gave me this last hobbling burst of speed. I am sore today but it's a good kind of sore.

I learned a lot from the race and all of the training, which will hopefully prepare me for the half iron in Sept. Most importantly, don't forget the painkillers!

My question though, is where to go from here with the running in order to train properly for the half iron? Now that I can do the distance (barely), how do I maintain and get faster/stronger? I am not going to run more than 2x a week since it does so much damage to my body. 

My goal was 10 min. miles, and I hit that at 9:57, so I am really happy. Here's my race data if anyone has suggestions for improvement or how to train from here:

My official time was 2:14:03. My GPS data: 13.25 miles, 2:12:13, 9:57 min/mile, avg. speed 6 mph, elev. gain 2844 feet.

Sorry this is so long! Hope everyone had a great weekend and got in some training!

Jenheaslip - 2013-04-21 3:35 PM A question on elevation: The GPS says elev. gain 2844 feet, and the course map shows a height of just above 2800. Underneath the map there's a footnote that says elev. +1893. So does that mean an elev. gain of 1800 or 2800? I'd like to know so that I can choose my next few trail runs appropriately. I don't want much more elevation than what I ran Saturday!