GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 228)

Tracey - awesome race report!!  You are a rockstar!

X2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!  

All this sounds great.  Somehow I have a feeling I will have no problem spotting you in a crowd.  

Car is packed and we are READY TO ROLL.   SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!   

Hope everyone has a great couple of weeks.  

Anne

ANNE -

I'm off shortly to the garage for the various repairs, and won't be back until about 11. So, we'll leave things stand for now, okay?

There's always the phone options, but I will look for you at pick-up, and failing that it's Mister Ups at 5. And if it seems I will miss pick-up at 2 by a fair bit I will phone you just so you don't waste time loitering and waiting. Less time doing that = more time hot-tubbing!

The EMS in Burligton is on South Dorset, right near the big Barnes and Noble. It's the main Burlington exit, just go east and S. Dorset is the first main road heading south. A Friendly's restaurant is at the SW corner.

Have a good trip, see you in about 79 hours!

MANDY -

Well, that was quite an ordeal, and all my computer's problem and nothing to do with caratunkgirl! But I have now printed out your RR, and can be considered armed and dangerous.

First, itv was my pleasure to stalk you. I figure that if you can stalk the dimpled Mr. Potts, i can stalk you. So there!

I had not figured on the likely -- that by the time your wave started, the water might have developed a chop. When I first saw the swim times for the pro and elite folks, I was sure that the swim course had been measured short, but then comparing the swim times of several M60-64 with whom I am familiar, it was probably close to dead-on. So, I'm sure the pros/elites got the full benefit of super-calm at 7am.

Overall, it sounds like an annoying swim for you, and from all you said, fully understandable. But look at that photo -- you are about to stomp and splash past a yellow-capped guy! Hot damn! How many of those did you pass during the swim....and maybe even some from other waves? Given your conditions, I think your swim time is very good. And big congrats on making use of bilateral breathing, which is no mean feat when not under pressure, let alone when the pressure is on.

Wonderful transitions, both! You quick-change artist, you!!

I'm sorry the bike was a bit of a letdown for you, but it sounds like you just perservered and plugged away and finished with a prefectly decent time. I was told by former coach Erik that it takes about five years of serious cycling to actually get good at it, and give it another couple of years of the kind of hill work you have been putting into it, and the rewards will begin to appear. For now, though, it counts for a LOT that you "have no trouble climbing". With time, the "very quick" part will come. Have faith in the process!!

I remember you saying at some previous point that you draw a lot of energy from those around you, so, yeah -- last wave, and there won't be a ton of people left on the course for you to "emotionally draft" off. That is really too bad, given how important it is for you. For me, I woprk equally well soilitary and in crowds, but if you draw energy from giving it to others, and there ain't many others........

That energy at the end? Well, there's nothing to lose by turning it on. If you blow up ten feet from the finish line, then you just slither on your beelly until you cross the damn thing. But at mile 9 of 13.1, all those wise-person alarms are telling you to be prudent, so there you go. And those are the ones that make those nice finishes even possible!

As for your finish....I didn't think you'd do the roll. I thought you'd just finish, kind of awe-struck that the end of 70.3 had happened and just focused on getting that chip-bedecked ankle over the finish line. But, NOOOOOOOOO! There you are, doing the Blais across the T-man finish. You're too much, Mandy!

Finally, i wasn't about to bring it up at any point, but I was slightly worried that your winter-spring calf woes would surface somewhere along the confluence of a 56-mile bik and a 13.1-mile run, but they didn't, thank-god-for-small-mercies! So, in light of not-full run fitness along the way, i think your run time was very solid. So, along with everything else, be proud of that, too!

How are you feeling now? It's about 70 hours since you finished; any signs of DOMS? Hope not!

One last thing -- good work on the nutrition! You got a lot of stuff into you, and you were diligent about not letting chances pass you by. And REALLY well done on grabbing the water when you got sick and tired of the sports drink. I think most people would just give up and not bother re-stocking.....and pay for it later. That's along the lines of soemthing else that Erik used to tell me -- don't avoid doing something that will take 30 seconds if it you will save you 30 minutes later on. So, slowing down for the water grab cost you a few seconds, but saved you many minutes later on had you gotten dehydrated. Well done!

And the photos were the icing on the cake of your report. You just keep on having Too Much Fun!!

Love the report Mandy! How freeing it must have been to just pee and not care.

Congratulations!!

Thanks Steve.

Yes, I'll definitely be documenting my nutrition and food intake, because for all I know, that could have been what gave me what I needed to manage the run successfully.

And about the bike climb coming right out of transition, I'm sure you did tell me about it and I just forgot (very likely)!

I'm still feeling pretty psyched about a run pace of 10:49. There have been plenty of times during my training that I thought I'd never see the other side of 11 minute miles, especially in a tri. I have a 5k coming up on September 25th so it will be interesting to see how I perform there. (I don't know much about the course yet.)

TRACEY -

As for my use, last night, of the 1:37 differential as it might apply to your swim or bike or run, I'll add the following:

That 0:11 seconds between your 10:49 and an 11:00 pace per mile is also pretty significant. Just on your next run, be bopping along and pass a maoilbox and then time it for 11 seconds and see where you are --- that mailbox will be a ways back there! So to come in at 10:49 pace is a MAJOR achievement, especially in light of the fact that you worried you might never see that sweet underside of 11:00!

And getting back to those numbers last night, that gap between you finish time and doing it in 2:00 REALLY AND TRULY is substantial!!

STEVE! Thanks so much.

Re:the swim.  It was annoying - I got a lot of contact, more than I wanted.  But it was like a game of who can get on the outside, people kept shifting at the start.  Then all the folks on the outside drove hard to the right on the swim.  I shouldn't have followed bubbles, that lead me off course, but it was my fault, not the person I followed.  I am glad I worked so hard to train myself to bi-laterally breath and that it is second nature now.  I would have been screwed if I could only breath on one side on the middle crossing! 

The only weird thing that happened was a cramp at the end of the swim I didn't mention.  In my right calf (my good one).  Weird, never happened before.

Re:Transitions - THANKS! I am happy with those for sure. 2 min was my goal though!

Re: Bike - My man John said the same thing - plus, a little known fact is that I didn't even LEARN to ride a bike until 3 years ago, so everyone has a lifetime on me really.  I KNOW! I didn't ride when I was little, long story, but there wasn't a place for me to ride, and I was always fishing and running around in the woods anyway.  So I need to keep chugging away, that elusive 18mph avg will come someday.  I know I got enough volume in on the bike...maybe more intensity is needed though...

you were right though - the less crowding was a good thing.  How does the drafting thing work when there are big crowds????

Re: Run.  Yeah, stupid injury.  I think my run fitness is way down, I was holding back a little too.  I don't have the confidence to open it up like I did back in Feb (pre-injury) when I PR'd on a 10 miler with 8:30 miles.  I am kind of gun-shy of re-injuring the leg.  I need to get over it. 

RE: Fueling.  I ate too much I think.  I haven't got the nutrition thing dialed in 100% yet.  But I felt good in the race, so there!

Nothing energizes me more than helping other people out and encouraging them to keep going - and there just were not that many people around.  I have a few good stories I will share sometime...I did talk to a few folks (ofcourse) and had fun with the volunteers for sure (as always, they were awesome) and there was this one guy I was 1/2 lap ahead of that we would chat as we passed each other...

Ofcourse I rolled!!   I was hoping to get Chrissie's attention, but she was gone - she medaled lots of my friends, just not me.   Stupid last wave.  As was Andy

I am not sore today.  I think I should have pushed harder because I don't feel nearly bad enough.  Does that make me a sicko or what???  Marathons are way harder than 70.3's in my book.  I wonder how I am going to feel about that after IMLP???   I came across the line with lots of confidence in my ability to complete IMLP if I do the training.  I came across wanting more. 

Pictures are up!!

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=60063&BIB=2597&S=230&PWD=

I am kind of loving my rolling pictures!

MANDY -

I will rrespond in bits and pieces, and in random order. In this one, nutrition.

I'll look back over your RR and see if it seems too much. I have to admoit that waht I was looking for was not enough.....and it was clear that you got in the minimum, anyhow. Of course, you are the best judge as to what is too much and what is too little, although the feelings of "too much" in longer races can come for a number of reasons.

So, to add to my list of to-follow responses, there'll be thoughts of what all you ingested at Timber!

Mandy,

Wonderful pics - and you've got such a great smile in most of them - looks like you're just out having fun. And I bet you're glad you got pics of your roll - and now I know what it looks like.

Denise

Tracey,

I totally understand your being so excited about your run - but I thought your swim improvement was fantastic and you didn't even seem that excited about that.  Was it because you knew your swim would be good?

Denise

Steve,

Your post about my daughter being a "rotter" was hilarious - I mus send it to her.

Denise

You know what, I AM excited about my swim improvement, for sure. But somehow all this time I kind of knew that I'd get there with the swimming. I guess I could just sense it because I had steady, continuous improvements in my swimming ever since I started swimming last year. But for the running - well, I just kind of stayed stuck where I was, squarely at 11:45 to 12:30 mins/mile, with no real progress to speak of. Add to that the fact that I always felt TERRIBLE when I ran (but pretty good when I swam). All those things together just make it seem miraculous that I was able to get down to 10:49 min/mile, you know??

Tracey

Yay! I'm always amazed at how energized and non-sweaty you look in your race pics. They're awesome.

My race pics are here!

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=60061&BIB=1021...

You have some great ones!!  Loving the bike one!!!  

MANDY again -

"Little known fact" indeed!! The good news is that I don't think all of those hours some of us spent on bikes as kids count for much as we try to become competent competitive cyclists. When Erik told me that five year timeline, I'm sure he was counting from the first pedal strokes we took as serious adults. So, you're well on your way!

As for how the drafting thing works with big crowds.........it would be frustratingly. At IMLP you will almsot certainly be in a huge bike crowd on the first loop until the descents into Keene, and then again on the climb back into Placid from Wilmington. I am sure that at this time the refs look the other way, partially, and also try to differentiate between people who are just brain-dead and not trying to gain an advantage. If they are after anyone, it will be the faster folks at the front of the pack.

I got very frustrated at Eagleman '04, when I was in the first wave. This meant that at about maybe mile 10, a couple of tight packs of the young male hotshots went whizzing past me -- clearly drafting off each other for all they were worth. Then a few miles later a guy passed me....and I just wasn't thinking and didn't drop back.....and then I heard the motorcycle behind me.....and then it slowed RIGHT behind me.....and then it took off. Guess who got the 4-minute penalty?? * I would like to think that some of those hotshots got a penalty becasue I saw them as going for an egregious advantage, whereas I just got brain-dead and slack and didn't respond when the guy passed me.

Mostly, though, i think refs try to be very fair and give the advantage of the doubt to most obvious age-groupers. (Maybe, though, at Eagleman '04 he thought I looked like a hard-core bike stud. Or not????)


* The bad news is it dropped me from a 5:09 to a 5:13, but the good news is that I didn't lose any age-group places in the process. the REALLY bad news is that was a year in which I missed a USAT All-American Honorable Mention by - literally - something like 0.0362 points, somewthing that would've easily be "covered" had I not got the blankety-blank penalty and finished in 5:09. Humbug!!


More tomorrow!





Edited by stevebradley 2010-08-26 6:50 AM

MANDY once more -

Be very happy with those transition times - especially T1, which, if the swim exit configuration is the same as past years, involves a fair run to your bike.

For the longer distances, remember that a little extra time in transitions can save big disasters later. Again -- spend 30 seconds doing something now if it will prevent losing 30 minutes later!

Being "gun-shy" about the calf and thinking you have to get over it........tough call. There's also discretion being the better part of valor. I'm not necessarily saying that you should baby the thing indefinitely, but we both know how awful it would be to exacerbate it by jumping back in too soon. (Think of our poor friend Dustin Pedroia..... )

Are you mostly through with the season? I can't believe that's the case, but i also can't think of what you might have next -- other than your solo in a few weeks. If so, though, you have a nice, generous off-season to fine-balance the calf back into good health!

I think one moe installment to go!



Edited by stevebradley 2010-08-26 6:49 AM

MANDY, yet still -

"Yet still". Does that even make sense?

Yup, marathons are way harder than half-irons! There was a thread several years ago to this effect at Slowtwitch, and it was just about universal. But as to the marathon at the end of an iron compared to a stand-alone marathon........well..........

Of course, the difference there can all be in intensity. And, the nature of the suffereing is very different. A person can push real hard for a Boston-qualifying time and get in 3:29 and feel worse than if they do IMLP and have to walk some of it and finish the run in about 4:37. That person can end up with DOMS after doing "just" the stand-alone marathon, and yet not have DOMS after a 4:37 run as part of a 12:57 total IMLP time.

Did you guess? That was me to whom I was just referring, and it's a true story. Had I to do the two events over again, I would chosse the stand-alone in a heartbeat, the DOMS notwithstanding. I suffered there in terms of a concerted effort for 26.2 with no walk breaks and no real dialing-down of effort, but it wasn't the same as HAVING TO walk many times at IMLP. But because I succumbed to that and dutifully did the walks, I avoided more onerous forms of suffering later on -- be it at mile 17 or mile 24 or crossing the finish line or three days after.

Moving on, in both olys and half-irons I can almost always feel that I didn't push hard enough because after the race I don't feel bad enough. And for as many of these things that I have done, I don't really know where that fine line is drawn. i have never pushed so hard that I have blown-up during a race -- and never want to either. I have often pushed hard enough that I wonder how the final mile or two are going to unfold, and I have finished feeling very taxed, but it's been a long time since I had serious DOMS. There may be several reasons for that, but if one can avoid it, then that's good. I figure it's a pretty fine line between having DOMS and having more serious muscle strains and pulls and tears. So, you are NOT a sicko for thinking that you could've done more and should've hurt more!!

Finally, your final sentence says it all -- "I came across wanting more." Well, be patient -- there's only about 332 more shopping days until IMLP '11!

TRACEY -

Fabulous photos, with the run ones standing out because you look so effortless and unstrained. Love the shoes, too!

I think those are another reason for you to feel so good about the run -- not only is your time pleasing, but the photos show that you actually look as good as you felt during it. Are you ordering any of them?

(And I think any of them would be worthy replacements for the green DU TRI license plate image that you use here!)

MANDY -

In the photos from the RR, in the one with you rolling I saw the camera guy crouched down and wondered if he managed to catch any "official" ones. And he came through! Cool beans!!

I'll echo what Denise said, that you look like you're having fun -- pure and simple. Too much fun, even! And your smile, as always, is worth it's weight in gold.

Which ones are you ordering??

I know, I gotta replace the license plate with a real photo... if only I could figure out how to get beginnertriathlete.com to accept my photos without saying the files are too large! (Any tech experts here?)

I'm off soon for another round of car repairs, and then to the dentist to do something to my tooth that lost a piece of itself a few days ago. The only good part of the day will be a swim -- I hope!

The knee from two nights ago is feeling better, but a hamstring issue has taken its place. I think I woke up during the night with the hamstring twanging, but maybe it was a dream. Although, I'm feeling something there now, so, alas and woe, I think it's not just a dream.

Anyhow, I am now in one of my classic tapers where only a discerning eye can differentiate "taper" from "comatose". No more running or cycling until Sunday's race, and I will swim today and maybe tomorrow and that's it. I had planned to ride the run course on saturday, but just to be safe I might limit that recon effort to driving the run course instead.

I am in "bubble-wrap mode" --- to steal a line from the coach of Lisa (hooslisa) from the other group, who is in Louisville all set for her first iron on Sunday.