Beth and Yanti's Manatees Mentor Group--FULL! (Page 23)

Of course we here in Manatee land are very willing to share one of our wonderful leaders with the rest of the BT community.  Hey ...... we are givers like that 

 Congrats Yanti.

That was a good belly laugh. Thanks, Steve.

Thank you ALL. You have been kind enough to share your journeys with me and it helps me soooo much.

Leslie, glad you had a break on the mt.

SUPER CONGRATULATIONS TO CHARLOTTE and her husband! Eagerly awaiting RR.

Suzy, way to go on persevering with challenge despite feeling like you're not sticking as well as you'd like. EFFORT COUNTS ... without taking action, there is no result. And since you've taken lots of great action, you have FAR MORE results than you would have, had you not set the goals and started out on them to begin with.

That goes for ALL of you. Yes, Erin.

Wow what a week/weekend for everyone. So busy. I've been pretty quiet lately but will try and get my pom-poms back in action.

Positive Thought of the Day: Although I talked myself out of running about six times while I was biking Saturday, I did it anyway. It was way to hot and I was tired, but I just did it.

I actually think it's a good thing as I have no had great results in the heat. The race I did last October was a sufferfest because of how I reacted to the heat (among other things) and I had the same feelings on Saturday. I think I really need to keep working on that aspect of my workouts, so that when it happens again I'm more prepared.

Does anyone else have issues working out in the heat?

It's been pretty cold since last spring when I started this tri journey--all my events were on chilly or rainy days last summer--most training was the same.  When I was running on Saturday in the heat, I suddenly had the thought that odds were it would be pretty HOT on June 7 in central Washington, where my Oly is.  I don't know how to prepare for that, since it's already cooling down again.  I guess hydrate, take it easy, and don't be surprised by it.  And sunscreen!  I got a little bit of color while up on Mt. Rainier, which was nice, but a burn from racing is not nice!!  Any other tips for those of us in the cold north??  Or even those who often train and race in the heat??

First things first!  An excellent positive comment and even better you did it, got the run in!

I too have a tough time in the heat, I often think it's because I don't train in it all that much - I usually opt for early morning workouts before it gets to oppressive - not sure if that's a good strategy or not

My rationale has been that I'm working out about the same time that the races are so, I should be ok

When I ran on Saturday, I definitely noticed the heat (it wasn't that hot, but first time in the heat this year - and I did not bring any hydration - lesson learned!)

Leslie - sorry I have no tips for training in the cold, hate to admit it, but I am a wimp

Leslie;

Do you have anywhere you can train indoors?  As in a gym etc.  Doing a swim/spinning bike brick or a spinning/treadmill run brick is usually MUCH hotter than training outside.  It also sets you up to check your hydration.  But you have to ease into this and not do your "regular training distances".  Because of the heat, cut it back a little and build it up.

I do have a gym, and I hate the treadmill!!  I ran outside pretty much all winter, no problem there!  Biking--I either did a spin class or the trainer.  Now that spring is here, I am so happy to be outside that I don't really notice the heat too much except on the rare super hot day.  I am just going to be very aware of hydration-and now that I have a Garmin, I can watch my HR as well!

Leslie;

I don't think I explained what I meant very well.  I love to be out too but training inside is a GREAT way to acclimate yourself to the heat.  There is just no way to stay cool doing a brick indoors and that is a super way to train with your body at a high temp when the weather is so nice outside.

Believe me, I would rather be outside running rain or shine and any temp above 38-40 but if I need to get used to the heat there are not many better techniques than training inside (I hate the treadmill too...but it can be useful).

Hope that explains it better...

I hadn't thought about it that way - thank you! 

I am more than glad to do anything I can do to suck up to you, Beth, because I didn't get in the pool like I promised help.

LOL!

I know you promise Steve - but I also know that you have legitimate reasons for not getting in the pool, so you are off the hook - for now  

As a WI resident I can attest to the fact that it is difficult to train in cold weather and transition to heat right away.  When training for Boston, I did a lot of my running indoors which was around 65F, but that was out of necessity due to footing. At Boston it turned out to be warmer and sunnier than I was used to and I definitely did not drink enough.  Dehyration and cramping was an issue despite maintaining a reasonable racing HR.  In retrospect, I should have drank a lot more than I did and taken in more electrolytes through Succeed tablets or something similar.  Maybe that will help you.

I have friends who trained for IM WI last year by piling on clothes to simulate sweating like a dog outside.  Looks bizarre, but they seem to think helped them plan their hydration. 

Suzy

Terri!

How good to *see* you!  You've been in our thoughts!  How exciting that you got to do the body marking at the Encinitas Triathlon this past Sunday, what a great way to renew your spirit!

I loved your description of how you changed your focus to the beauty around you - I have found that really helps me as well!

Glad you snuck in some time at work to let us know what is going on with you - hope to hear from you in the evenings!

Terri;

Great job on the run/walk yesterday.  And SUPER job by DH for his fast race.

And I have to hand it too you.....I will bet that is the first time in the history of the world that the terms "Scott Tinley" and "splatter butt" have been used in the same post. 

MrsUSMC - 2008-05-20 11:04 AM Hey Manatees! I have been reading your wonderful progress, I promise. I am not able to get on my personal computer except in the evenings and am going to make a concerted effort to start posting in the evenings, starting tonight. I'm sort of doing a big "no-no" right now, but I'm the only one in the office and am sneaking I body marked at the Encinitas Triathlon this past Sunday and got my spirit renewed big time. I had the honor of marking the two women who ended up winning the Athena class (she weighed over 300 pounds just a year ago!) and my own AGrs. They were both extremely wonderful women and made it a point to hunt me down to let me know they had won! I also had the honor of waiting on the last athlete to cross the finish line. Mr. "Bill" is a 20-time Kona competitor and the very young age of 85. He was such a dear. If I never race in my life, I will continue to volunteer because with the exception of a minute few, Triathletes are the greatest people to be around. I have already forwarded an email to the volunteer coordinator of the Carlsbad Tri to see if they need my help. My own DH-Triathlete thinks he sucked at this race, however he finished just 10 minutes behind Scott Tinley - which I think is pretty darn good! I started my own training yesterday with a 21 minutes wralk/jog. I focused on the beauty around me instead of the pain leaving my body and enjoyed it more. I need to remember to grab my Shuffle on the way out the door. Maybe putting it in my shoe will help me remember since I'm barely awake at 5 a.m. I was supposed to swim last night but the little black and white lovely you see in my avatar had splatter butt so I ended up shampooing carpets instead

I've never volunteered at an event (shame on me), but your post makes me think it would be a really beneficial experience.  Thanks for sharing it.

When I am struggling with work-outs, I always head to the most beautiful place I can find and live  in the moment.  It always give me a new perspective on life.  Today was one of those days.

Keep up the good work!

Suzy

I need some honest feedback from you experienced triathletes about my first planned tri which is on July 13th and involves a half mile swim.  I am beginning to question my ability to do the swim distance.  I signed up for Danskin because I knew it was a friendly first tri and thought I would be further along by now. I have definitely improved over the last year, have a great swimming coach/teacher and am starting OWS lessons, but am in a quandry.  As a near drowning victim, I would hate to have a lousy experience and never go back in, but on the other hand, I want to start doing tris. It would be a huge accomplishment for this water fearing mammal.

What do you think? how should I proceed? look for a shorter distance event to get my feet wet?  keep plugging along and see where I land? Lots of puns in this sentence...

Rambling done....Suzy 

Suzy--Danskin is unique in that it has 'swim angels' that are out on the swim course, swimming with floatation devices such as noodles, etc.  They are there expressly for people like you, who have some fear of their ability to finish.  They will swim the whole way with you and encourage you.  It's a great thing, the Danskin, as they are all about feeling great just for finishing no matter what it takes.  So take advantage of the angels--I think they ask, while you are lining up to start, if there is anyone who needs extra support, and they send them to you, or something like that.  There are also more kayaks and boats watching the swimmers than in any race I have been in.  It's very safe and supportive there.

You might also find a duathlon in the meantime, to practice transitions and get into the spirit of racing!  It's awesome that you are doing OWS lessons.  The more you practice, the easier it will get, although there is nothing like the first time--it's definitely a unique experience, and I know you will do great.

Suzy 

In many ways I think that the Danskin is probably a great tri to start with, in spite of the distance.

A friend of mine volunteers every year as a swim angel and she has told me many beautiful stories of how people have faced fears and in some cases inexperience and in some cases both and swum safely through the race.

Because of the swim angels and the extra attention to water safety, I believe you will do fine!

I have found that the type of safety precautions for the water portion of the swim vary widely - everything from a few boats with little to no coverage to people in kayaks and in the water with moderate to good coverage -

So, if you decide to go for a shorter distance, be sure to ask LOTs of questions about the coverage in the water - I have participated in a couple of events that even as an experienced swimmer, I wished they had done more to ensure the safety of the swimmers (must be that ex-lifeguard coming out in me again )

So, the advantage of the swim angels and approach taken to water safety may outweigh the distance by far. You can always stop and rest.

I've looked at your logs and you are doing the distance in your workouts - you have a few more weeks to build more confidence - listen to your coach and the manatees and not the little voices of doubt in your head (I know - easier said than done )

I agree with Leslie that finding a du might also be a good idea for the transition part of it.

my 2 cents - fwiw

in other news -

I forgot to mention that Renee and I went on a killer ride on Sunday - whew!

and - today I ran, and today I paced myself - it, well, it felt pretty darn good!