Jackjack's group - closed (Page 24)

Heidi-
I know EXACTLY what you mean. My first tri was a supersprint in Chicago, and I was coming back from knee surgery. I trained for months and was really excited about it. My husband decided he wanted to try the race too, so he also signed up. I think he went for two bike rides and ran once in preparation for the race. I was taking this super seriously, since to me this was something I wanted to do for a LONG time, and he was much more relaxed than I was. The day of the race, they changed the course and cancelled the swim due to the conditions, and instead we had to run a mile at the start. We were in separate waves, so I watched him go and cheered him on, and then it was my turn. I was doing great after the run, but once in transition I couldn't find my bike! Finally I did and continued on the race. By the time I started the final run leg, my husband was done and waiting for me cheering me on. I didn't realize that everyone got a finisher medal, and when I saw him standing there with a medal around his neck, I was furious. I thought somehow he placed and found out already, so I booked it on the last run (which I beat him in by about 1 minute). I finished, and later found out that he beat my time by 40 seconds. I was a little bummed, but after I talked to him (he actually got sick in T2!) he really said that this wasn't for him. Now he acts as my "manager" and he loves coming to see me race (which is funny, I seriously think he gets more excited than me for my races). Honestly, the best advice is to focus on you for the race, treat your husband as another competitor, and make up your race plan and stick to that. A pro triathlete gave me that advice this summer, and it really helps. The week before the race I sit down and write out my plan, including everything from nutrition and warm-up, to exactly how I want each leg of the race to go (it really helps you visualize the race too). I even come up with small goals for each leg. For example, my last race one of omy goals for the swim was simply to swim the entire length freestyle. Then, on race day, you stick to your plan and don't worry about the things you can't control (other competitors, or in the case of the last race I did, 4 and a half foot waves). It really helps me focus on what I need to do. For me, I tend to be very competitive and try to keep up with someone or not let someone get too far ahead of me, and then I burn out too early on the race. But since I started with this approach, it helps keep me focused on what my goals are for the race.
I'm sure if you talk to your husband about what you need to do for you, he'd understand. Especially if he knows how much preparation you have put in for this race.
Jenny
The ankle is swollen more tonight, so I think soccer is out of the cards for tomorrow night. I'm thinking bike maybe and for sure a swim (pool swim, no 53 degree open water swims for me!)

Jenny- I hope your ankle is better. I grew up 15 minutes from Lake Michigan, and I remember that lake always being cold, even as a kid. 53 sounds pretty cold for this time of year, though.
Can you rent a full wetsuit for the race? Oh, and go buy one of those insulated swim caps to wear under your race cap- it really helps to keep your head warm.

I used to do 1/2 marathons with my hubby and he would always look like he wasn't even breaking a sweat while I was huffing and puffing away next to him. However, I do hold the household marathon PR and I will not let that PR go- ever! We are very competitive with each other, in a fun way, and it pushes us to always do our best at races. Our friends understand us, but people who don't know us look at us like we are wacko when we do races together since we holler at each other and say things just to get the other person moving faster. We did do a couple of 24 hour run relays together (on teams of 5) and those were really fun.

How are the abs coming? I have been doing them every day- yoga and basic ab work.

QOTD: What are effective means of strength training?
I just read an article in OUTSIDE magazine about ditching the gym and developing more of an overall body strength program at home. They were saying that weight machines isolate muscles which does not necessarily translate well into sports where we use groups of muscles at the same time. They suggest using stretchy bands, balance boards, and double handled medicine balls along with basic crunches and yoga-style moves to increase strength. They claim you can increase your muscular strength twice as much on this type of program.
I would love to ditch the gym weights and do more of this type of strength program if the above actually holds true.
What do you think?

Dee

Good morning

It is interesting reading all your posts about spouse competition.  My hubby is not interested at all in tri's or any other competitive sport so I cannot relate to it personally, but Heidi I think I would be pretty cheesed off in your situation.  This is your A race right?  Can't you talk to him and suggest you do a sprint or something in a month or two for fun together and leave this one for you?  I am so excited about this race for you, you have been working towards it for months.

Ah, Dee, strength training, there are always great debates going on about this one and peoples opinions seriously differ.  I have to admit I do not believe (my opinion remember) those claims about TWICE as much strength. However you do touch on a very good point that has come to the forefront in the last couple of years.  FUNCTIONAL strength training is very popular now.  If anyone doesn't know what that means then it is where you do strength training but you do it in the planes and movement patterns that you would use for your particular sport (not just triathletes but think say how a golfer needs strength in a particular way).    This really I think goes back to the specificity rule and I can see that training the movements you use for your particular sport is good.
However,  personally I think (says she who does little strength training except in winter - although that is about to change!) that you should also work muscles that you don't use in your sport particularly to keep a balance between them and overall body condition.   
On the practicalities, yes bands and body weight and medicine balls and free weights etc etc all can be used in ways at home to get yourself a functional strength routine.  There are also some systems out there that help - i like the look of the trx system but can't justify my use of it at the moment! 
I get bored easily with strength stuff (hence why I probably go and swim, bike and run instead   )so I like the machines in the gym but my winter routine also includes some free weight stuff and I use bands to add specific swim strength exercises.  I also use a medicine ball to strengthen rotator cuff (prevent swim injury) and foot exercises to strengthen my feet.

I look forward to hearing other peoples opinions. 
Today I have a swim with a 400 TT and a run where I have to practice really high cadence.  All fun stuff.

Wow there have been some really great posts.

Sorry I've been so MIA - it's my last week at work so I'm cramming to finish up my project and polish my presentation for Thursday!

Dee - marathon sounds great!  Congrats on holding your household record.  My two cents of the whole racing with significant other deal:  I've been dating a very fit, very fast long distance runner for 2 1/2 years.  He's the reason I ever started running in the first place.  And while it's accepted that I can't do what he does... he does have some... mistaken perceptions about my abilities.  For instance, when I told him my time for my 1/2 marathon I was pretty excited.  10 minute miles!  I think he said something like "10 minute miles?  Hon, that's barely even moving your legs....." 

Well thanks very much, Mr. 4 minute miler.  To his credit however, he then pointed out that he's never raced more than 8 miles consecutively, and that I did a great job.  Laughing.

We sometimes train together, however... I'll run my 5 miles or so and that'll be his warm up for his 16 miles or so.  That, I find, works out wonderfully.

Regardless - good luck Heidi!

I've signed up for another 1/2 marathon in late September.  Should be really pretty - it's in Salem, MA.  I think I'm going to try and get under 2 hrs.  I've been doing my abs, but they're so sore!  Clearly, it was a great idea!

Oh, and Cynthia - I often go dancing... I have a partner in MA and we do swing and salsa together.  We can't go every week, but when we do go it's usually for 3 or 4 hours.  I really think it MUST count as a workout.  Glad you enjoyed your weekend ; )

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Edited by usagold 2009-08-04 2:59 PM

That makes sense about using the gym to strengthen muscles that you don't normally use in your sports of choice. When I injured my knee 4 years ago, I was told that it was caused primarily to a muscular imbalance in my legs- too much running and not much else.
I admit that I am super lazy when it comes to strength training.
I am telling EVERYONE that I know to kick me out to do strength training so I can do this marathon without getting injured.
I also have a free 50 minute personal trainer session at the gym, so I may scout around for a trainer I like to help me set up a strength program to include functional strength training as well as the machines and free weights.
Since I get bored easily, that might be the ticket for me.

Okay, too much lightning and light-flickering going on here.
I'm off to find a flashlight and check on the sleeping kids

Dee

Oh yeah, Heidi- I think you should definitely ask your husband to find a different race.
There are lots of races to choose from. If he wants to do one TOGETHER, maybe you could find
a Muddy Buddy or mini adventure race to try.

yeah!  muddy buddy!

Dee, I've been thinking about my abs, and sucked in my tummy at the cabana club today while swimming with the kids - does that count?  <snerk>  I'll do some today, I swear.

As for strength training, I've mostly avoided such.  When I rockclimbed regularly I used bands and doorways for strength, not the iso-machines.  I'd be more inclined to stick with a in-home overall program than iso-machines... haven't ventured to that part of my gym yet.  The trainer did give me some floor/ball exercises to do for hamstrings and core, but I've been slack.

Di - congrats on signing up for another race!  now... how about another tri too?

DH called to say he has a business dinenr tonight... do I take the kids to sushi, eat leftovers, or go shopping and get pizza ingredients?

-Cynthia

Heidi
How about the Skinnyman triathlon in Skineateles (5th sept I think) since you can't get into Finger Lakes (worth going on wait list if you would like to do this FL by the way).  It's a sprint that you and hubby could work towards together and leave your one this weekend just for you

Thanks for the feedback every one. I've decided that I have to let my husband do his thing, and make his own decision. Ultimately, asking him not to do it doesn't feel any better than having him do it. It's sort of a no-win situation for me.

I will run my own race. And if he beats me, I'll realize that it's hard to compete on the same level as some one whose naturally bigger and stronger than me.

If he hasn't signed up already, I am going to ask him about his expectations about the race, in reference to both of us doing it. Just so we can be clear going into it that morning.

Heidi-
Good luck, don't forget to focus on YOUR race and what you do, not him. Just enjoy the day and the awesome feeling when you cross the finish line.
Jenny

You said it Jenny.  Heidi, it is YOUR day.  own it!

Thanks for all the encouragement.

Tell me what you think about this strategy: I'm thinking that no matter what, I will probably have to walk part of the run. It's a lot of uphill, and the run is my weakest leg. So, I think I'm going to go all out on the bike, really push it, and not worry about saving anything for the run.
Does that sound ridiculous? Or like a reasonable plan? What are the pro's/cons that you see?

FWIW, I say, do NOT go all out on the bike, save something for the run... My first sprint, I finally learned what "no legs" means.  None of my bricks gave me that sensation, nor did the mini-tri.  It was demoralizing to have these leaded legs.  I shuffled.  My plan HAD been to allow myself to walk the hills, but I found I was walking so much more. 

Your training paces seem to be about the same as mine.  I say plan on running.  Allow yourself to walk the uphills and the water stops, otherwise run.  You can do it.  We will all be cheering you on!

Do you know about standing and stretching your hammies and calves in the last bit of the bike?  I don't know how much it matters for our short distances, but I have done that after the first miserable tri and run is easier.

-Cynthia

In other important business - Dee, maybe I like my abs flabby!  this hurts! 


I mean, thank you for suggesting this!!

FWIW, I say, do NOT go all out on the bike, save something for the run... My first sprint, I finally learned what "no legs" means.  None of my bricks gave me that sensation, nor did the mini-tri.  It was demoralizing to have these leaded legs.  I shuffled.  My plan HAD been to allow myself to walk the hills, but I found I was walking so much more. 

Your training paces seem to be about the same as mine.  I say plan on running.  Allow yourself to walk the uphills and the water stops, otherwise run.  You can do it.  We will all be cheering you on!

Do you know about standing and stretching your hammies and calves in the last bit of the bike?  I don't know how much it matters for our short distances, but I have done that after the first miserable tri and run is easier.

-Cynthia

Heidi
Just my opinion but I say NO NO NO NO NO - do NOT go all out on the bike.  Until you reach the fitness level where you are going all out for the WHOLE of the tri (and probably only then on a sprint tri) then pacing the bike is very important.
That doesn't mean you can't push yourself a bit but make sure you keep it aerobic and controlled  - and make sure you fuel yourself.
If you have nothing left for the run you will be miserable and that's not how you want to end your day.  Pace the bike with the fact that you know you have the run to complete afterwards.  If in doubt, back off the effort on the bike a little.  6 miles is a long run after a bike.    Give yourself a strategy - the allowing yourself to walk hills/ aid stations is a GREAT one. 
You want to end the day thinking you gave it your best effort so after half way into the run then is the time if you think you have some energy left to pick it up a bit on the run and finish knowing you gave it all you had.

As an aside story, my coach who races HIMs and IMs (which in fitness level is probably equivalent to us doing oly's and sprints!!!) learned this the hard way from her coach.  She is an awesome biker - she can really push herself and get one of the top bike splits. It doesn't feel like too much effort to her BUT her run suffers.  Over the past few years she has been learning to force herself to  slow down on the bike and  her run has been much better - and overall she has had much better experience (like not wanting to throw up on the run) and her overall time is getting faster.

For the stretching on the bike - and you can do this mid ride too, but I agree and also do it in the last few miles.  Just stand up on the pedals and gently stretch by pushing your heels down in that standing position.  Then swap which foot is forward and repeat.  It prepares your muscles a little for the run ahead.  Just pedalling a few strokes in standing position may also help toward end as well if you can because that is more like running position than seated so prepares your legs for what is to come.

I also read somewhere to switch gears so you are pedaling easier at a higher cadence for the last 1/2-1 mile of the bike. It is supposed to prepare your legs for the transition.
I agree- DO NOT go all out on the bike. I think you will be much happier at the finish line if you save something for the run.

My hubby did my ab set with my last night and he looked like he was going to throw up on the rug when we were done. We did do 2 sets of plank and held it until one of us quit- he was the first to go! We lasted about 60 seconds each time, which felt like an eternity. My whole body was shaking but there was NO WAY I was going to quit first.
I am planning to do some yoga tonight to stretch out from my run today.
btw, I had an awesome run. 11 miles in 1:47 which is fast for me on a long run. It was an out and back and it took me 57 minutes to get out but only 50 minutes to get back. I am psyched and I feel pretty good right now- tired but in a really good way.

My swim was okay last night. I did 500 super easy to test my shoulder. It felt okay, so I"ll go for 800-1000 later this week and see how that feels.

What is everyone else up to today?
Dee

Wow Dee that's great! 

Heidi... not that I'm particularly experienced or anything, but I would probably agree with the others about not pushing your bike leg too hard.  I think I would make it a personal goal to run the whole leg - then no matter what your time is, you've achieved a huge personal accomplishment!  (That's somewhat more tangible than making it through another tri).  That said, it's just an opinion.  Play your game, and you'll do great.  I'll definitely send some positive energy your way.

Cynthia - I don't think I'm going to get in another tri for this summer for two reasons:  1) the entry fees are so expensive and i just gave all the money i earned all year to MIT and 2) i think i need to look into getting a bike that fits.  riding my mom's is really not healthy - i have a lot of odd pain from it.  hoping to rectify this situation and go out with a bang next summer.  But for the moment I've been focusing on running, since it's something I can cheaply and safely push myself doing. 

Today I had a really great workout.  Did five miles - 1 warm up, three at 8:15 pace (with a few minutes rest in between) and 1 cool down.  I feel amazing.

Hope you all had great days : )

Good morning! I'm taking every ones advice and will not go all out on the bike. 
 
I took a walk this morning to think about race strategies and time goals. Here's what I came up with for times:
SWIM; 440 YARDS
best: 10:30 Mimutes
Probable: 11:30 minutes
definite: 13 minutes

BIKE: 19.8 MILES
best: 1:10 (16.50 milepace)
Probable: 1:18 (15 mile pace)
definite: 1:25 (13.8 mile pace)

RUN: 4.5 miles
best: 40:30 (11:00 min pace)
probable: 52:30 (11:40 min pace)
definite:54 minutes (12 min pace)

My strategy/goal for the run is to go in 10 minute intervals with 1 minute walk breaks if needed. My brick workouts have taught me that if I can push thru the first 10 minutes, the rest of the run is much easier.

Every one have a great day! Heidi

Looks good Heidi!  Now what about those transition times?  Have you walked through your T1 and T2 process, know you have what you need?  have clean socks that don't provide blisters?  Know how you'll wear your hair?  comfy clothes for after the race?

Don't forget to wear sunscreen!


Have an absolute blast!  Cheer on others, thank the volunteers.  Swim bike and run with joy.

Walk proudly with that permanent marker on you skin!

-Cynthia

Walk through of T1 and T2 on the agenda for tonight! I've run them through my mind but haven't done them physically yet.

The hair comment made me laugh! I wear my hair short so that I NEVER have to think about it

I'm bummed because I went to get chocolate GU's at the running store yesterday and they were sold out I'll have to get to the bike shop tonight after work to get them.

Heidi
Good luck with your race.   Lots of good tips already. I'll just add a few final ones now.
Assuming race is Sunday then tonight (Friday) is the time to make sure you get a good nights sleep as nerves etc may disturb tomorrow nights.  Also get a nice high carb dinner tonight to stock up.  Tomorrow hydrate all day, eat well, eat dinner early and go to bed early.

This is so exciting and you are going to have a great time and I can't wait to hear all about it.  If anything doesn't go to plan, be flexible and just move on.  Have fun!

Jackie

Oh, I wish I read this 4 hours ago? Do potatoe chips count as a high carb dinner I mostly ended up skipping dinner tonight, which is not that uncommon for me. I eat a lot all day long, then by 5PM, I'm pretty full.  Tonight I had chips, because I had a few minutes of weakness!
Off to bed, so that I'm atleast following some of the good advise!

Hope everything went perfectly for you this morning, Heidi!!

I'll be gone for the next week - no phone service, no internet access.  Camping with my family : ) 

Can't wait to see how everyone's been when I get back!

Diana