stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 222)

honestly, steve, i have no idea how much of anything i consume.  counting calories, grams, etc is just beyond tedious for me.  we eat very "clean".  we only shop at whole foods (except ryan does go to a regular grocery store for jelly).  we cook at home from scratch nearly every meal we have, eat a ton of fruits and veggies, etc.  that's all i have the attention span to do.  if i start feeling run down, i'll eat more.  ryan and i were just talking about this this morning.  i coudn't even guess how many calories i consume on a regular basis.  i have no idea how many i go through in a workout.  no clue.  it just doesn't interest me at all.  i am very focused on eating foods that have no hormones/steroids in them, but that is the extent of my passion. 

i smiled thinking of luna enjoying the beach on your recent trip.  belle's first (and only) time to the beach was our wedding.  she was beyond happy.  she loved chasing waves and trying to bite them.  it really was one of the happiest i have ever seen her.  she appears to be feeling MUCH better, which relieves me to no end.  she is getting back to her old self with the exception of her leg.  she definitely injured something there.  it is causing her some discomfort and difficulty in moving around normally, but she seems much happier.  when we go back in next week for follow up blood work, we'll have them look at that too.  at her age, though, i'm not sure how much we will be able to do about it.  we've already had it repaired once two years ago.  i don't think any of us could go through it again.  she might just have to be a hop along.

i hope you are all having a great week.  we have the first of our back to back century rides tomorrow.  we are doing the reston century course.  i am so happy we bailed on tds.  aside from feeling better about belle, it will be Sooooooooo nice to sleep in my own bed after these rides.  the weather looks perfect too.  i'll turn in a full report tomorrow.

Lisa, so sorry to hear about Belle!  I know dogs are our children (better sometimes, in fact than the real things) so it's no wonder you were stressed out.  I hope she is doing better.  I love the new avatar, by the way, with your awesome helmet! 

Neil, sorry to hear about your illness.  If it really was the flu, laying low and resting is the only way to go.  Even easy exercise would likely prolong your illness. 

Hope everyone has a good weekend.  We are headed out of town (again.)  This time for my cousin's wedding, in a small town in TN about 4 hours from here.  If the weather cooperates, we're going to See Rock City! at Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga on the way home.

stevebradley - 2010-05-01 8:23 AM JESS - Are you doing Bassman? I'm very sorry that I am not. If you are, exact some revenge on that run course for me, okay? I still owe it TWO!!!

Swim: 17:20  1:44  
T1: 4:57  
Bike:  1:44:42  16.6  
T2: 2:30  
Run:   44:55 10:42 
Finish: 2:54:22

dear lord.  it's over.  ugh.

103 miles yesterday with some major climbing followed by a 2.3 mile quick brick.  i felt like complete death on the bike.  i haven't done anything approaching that distance this season so far.  i think 59 has been my longest.  i was really happy with the brick run.  i had no idea how i would feel running off a 100+ ride, but for my first time I averaged sub 9.  i was happy with that.  i think it averaged 8:45s or something like that without really pushing it.

today was just about getting it done.  100 miles even. 

the purpose of it (from my coach) is for mental toughness.  his theory is that back to back centuries make everything else seem easier.  just from this weekend, that felt true.  it's funny how it changes your perception of pain and distance.  it's april, and i ran sub 9s off a century ride.  that does something for your confidence.

tomorrow is the last big day in my hell week.  12 mile run.  that's not going to feel great on these legs that's for sure.

i'm glad your run went well.  is there anything precautionary you can do?  salt water soak or something like that?

good luck, JESS!!!!!!!

I will be excited to see the improvement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

156 JESSICA PALMER LONG VALLEY NJ   25 F  187  122 18:18  1:50   93  1:52  176 1:40:42  17.3  188  2:06  115   34:12  8:09 2:37:08

Final time - 2:37:08.  Good for 2/6 in the age group! 17 minutes faster than last year! I am pretty excited  

Comparison with last year - 

Swim - 18:18 this year v. 17:20 last year. I think the swim was a little longer this year, and I honestly haven't spent as much time in the pool, so I'm
happy with this. I am thinking about getting a sleeveless wetsuit though, because my arms still feel weighed down from the suit. 

Transition: Last year's T1 was 4:57. I cut 3 minutes off this year? I used to think transitions weren't a big deal, but that was an easy way to save three
whole minutes!! I didn't wear socks on the bike, which seemed to help me move through T1 quicker...

Bike: I hoped for more improvement that I got. Last year was 1:44:42, for 16.6 average, this year was 1:40:42 for 17.3 average. I felt good the whole way, 
and was able to take in more - I went through one aero bottle of Infinit, one bottle of water, and one Gu around mile 15. This set me up sooo much better for 
the run than last year. Anyway, I felt strong, but there is still improvement to make. I'm really considering getting a real bike fit done, because I think that could
help me. I spent a lot of time in aero, but felt pain in my neck and butt. I think a good fitting (and maybe a new, non-stock saddle) could help this? Probably
something I should do before Eagleman so I can be comfortable for the 56  

Craziest thing about the bike this year: the POLLEN. I was literally coated in a layer of green by the time I got back to the park. Trucks would drive by and 
kick up literal clouds of green dust. It was all over my face, and every time I would take a drink I would feel the pollen go in my mouth! Disgusting!
At one point I felt like I was going to have an asthma attack - luckily I had my inhaler in my bento box. Everyone was talking about the pollen after the race.

T2: threw on socks, threw on number belt, and ran! Slightly slower than last year's T2, but that's because I had to put socks on. 

Run: I am most pumped about this. I did not get passed by a single person on the run. I caught quite a few people - including two women (I think). Last year's
run was 44:55 - this year was 34:12. Fantastic  I took your advice Steve - I kept it nice and easy for that first mile on the path. I don't have my Garmin
on me right now, so I'm not sure of the splits, but I think I ran negative splits. I remember the first two miles being in the 8:20-8:30 range, and I consciously
tried to pick it up the last two miles. 

Afterwards, I relaxed in the water for a bit. Felt super good, but you could see streaks of pollen in the water! Packed up and checked the results  At first,
it listed me as "2/2" in the age group. I was going to be embarrassed to get second in the age group if there were only two of us, haha. But as they updated
the lists, they added more people to the age group. The first girl in the group finished in 2:18 and was about 7 feet tall, haha. Next came me, then the third
girl was 2:44...

So! That was that! I came home and slept most of the day, even though I meant to write an opinion   I'm just going to go to bed tomorrow and try to get 
it done in the morning...

Overall, a very successful day. I am really happy with how I did, but I think there is still more in the tank, so to speak. I want to see more improvement on the 
bike. I think that just means more more more time on the bike, especially outside. Maybe a bike fitting and a new saddle could help with comfort? Lisa -
what saddle do you use? 

Anyway, off to bed! I have a fun picture from the awards ceremony I'll try to post later. Mark took it - he was a great cheerleader 

jess, i am super excited for you!!!!!!  what an incredibly impressive improvement over a shorter distance race.  that is really hard to do!!!!!  that run improvement is just sick.  sick.  you are right to be stoked.

hmmm, my saddle, let me go check.  i have the terry butterfly titanium saddle http://www.rei.com/product/664274?preferredSku=6642740010&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-6642740010&mr:trackingCode=FD82071B-81F9-DE11-BAE3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

i would HIGHLY recommend a bike fitting.  HIGHLY.  the difference it can make is astounding, especially for longer distances.....and it is WAY less expensive then medical bills for injuries!!!!!  I was in aero for almost the full 100 miles on friday and NEVER had back pain.  in fact, i go to aero to be comfortable, not the other way around.  definitley get a fit.

..but really, awesome result.  is this your first tri podium??  awesome!!!!!

congrats.

...as for me, steve, you were completely right.  i was drafting the mean email to my coach during yesterdays 12 mile run.  he uses the vdot method of running coach, so i have different paces depending on a 3k time trial that i did.  my E (easy) pace is 9:27.  my M (marathon) pace is 8:04.  my I (interval) pace is 6:58, and there are some other paces thrown in there. 

yesterdays run was supposed to be 2 miles at E, 8 miles at M, and 2 miles at E.  the email i was drafting to him in my head was to  tell him how mean it was to set me up for failure.  there is no way after 200 miles on the bike in 2 days that M pace is achievable.  no way.  in the end, i wasn't too far off.  my 8 M pace miles averaged 8:15s.

i think the thing i am most excited about this weekend is how steady my run has been.  even with with the high mileage.  the fact that off the bike friday i was able to run 8:42s comfortably (granted only for 2.3 miles) REALLY makes me happy.  my heart rate data shows that i was at 165 avg.  that is REALLY low for me.  max effort is around 190. 

..and then, on yesterdays run, with my legs feeling like anchors, I was still able to turn out 8:12s.  ridiculous.  heart rate there averaged 164, again REALLY low for me.

this week did everything i was hoping it would do in the best case scenario.  it gave me a super amount of confidence.  ...not necessary for Eagleman, but for IMloo. 

the weather conditions also were good for a test.  all three days had highs at or approaching 90 degrees....and yesterdays run, in addition to hot was seriously humid.  great practice for loo.

i'm actually really excited for columbia.  i'm interesting in doing a race that i've done before to see what true improvements there have been.  rumpass was fun, but i had never done that course before. 

i'm really excited that columbia is still on your radar.  i'm keeping my fingers crossed!