RFP GROUP - CLOSED (Page 24)

Tim-

 Looks like a great plan! My plan is my standby breakfast of oatmeal and Perform on way down to race from Milwaukee, then set up transition, look for Crowie , and walk to the start and get used to water if necessary.  My wave is at 7:59am. 

I am not setting any time goals for myself.  I find that mentally I do better when I focus on the present during a race and not worry about time.  I also plan to start in the middle of the pack for the swim to get myself ready for IMWI. 

For the bike, I am using the Queen (my new bike) and I am still getting used to her.  Not sure yet if I will use the aero helmet or not, depends on how hot it is as the aero helmet doesn't have vents.

The run will be interesting.  I still am on the 4 min run 1 min walk thing.  That will be my strategy, which will have me average between 10:30-11:00 on the run.  I imagine it will be slower as I can't run uphill yet either, and there are a couple hills on the run course.

I am amazed at how last year I was terrified for this race, but this year it seems like nothing, like just another training day.  I was very unprepared last year for this race, but this year I feel more than ready.  Plus, after the race, I get to head to Chicago and we leave for Jamaica the next day.

Tim, what number are you?  I am #1428. 

Jenny

Tim and Jenny, good luck this weekend!  If I can I will track you guys.

Tim, you plan looks good, just remember don't beat yourself up if things don't go according to what you have planned.  I am more like Jenny and just go with how you feel.  I know this is hard but remember this is not your "A" race think of it more of just a test run for IMWI and find out what works and what doesn't.  Most importantly, Have Fun!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy! I totally agree with you and Jenny it just that I am a numbers guy and I like to have a guideline to go by.  Trust me, not one of my plans has worked with both of my 70.3's due to conditions so I am pretty good at analyzing situations and adjusting.  Basically the times I proposed are based off my training and ZONE 2 paces.  I am very curious to see how my HR is affected by the race itself.  I am fully prepared to bike 15 MPH instead of 18 MPH or run a 12:00/mile instead of 10:00/mile if that is what ZONE 2 is until mile 9 of the run because I plan to do the same thing at IMWI.

The overall goal is to finish strong yet still feel like I have gas in the tank and could have kept going!

My race number is 2056.  

The event is setup on MyAthlete and here is the link:

http://track.myathletelive.com/VEmap.aspx?name=378815

It is worth the money as my husband uses it to track my training. There has been many times that he has come out to find me to give me something and knows exactly where I am, plus it gives him my pace so he can plan on when I might be at the next stop or something.  We are still working the bugs out of it, like how often does he want updates, how long does the battery last, etc.  For me it is peace of mind knowing that he can see where I am and how I am doing without him bothering or searching for me.  

Hi Team.

Tim – sounds like the bike wipe out could have been worse – glad only our pride was injured. Great pics, thanks for sharing. I love your plan, it looks awesome. Do you have your IM plan figured out yet? I am still working on mine.

Jenn – hope you get to see your hero, awesome to have the chance to see our Pro’s up close and personal. You are going to have a great race and enjoy Jamaica.

I think I am almost caught up on life since Muncie last weekend. Lots of other things non tri related happening in my life so I am trying to keep them all straight. Still nursing my ankle but it is getting better day by day. I am heading to Northern Ontario on Saturday for a week leading into the Toronto Triathlon Festival and Olympic race on July 22. That will be my last race before IMNYC - 30 days to go

This leads me to another question for the group - when I am up in Northern Ontario, which is solely intended to be a training vacation, I am looking for your input on long rides and runs. I was wondering how many long rides (80-100miles) should I do in a week? I feel like I am a bit behind in my long bike training and plan on doing some good hill work and long rides. I know I can swim pretty much as much as I want. As far as running is concerned, with my ankle still on the mend, I will take it as easy as I can. I just feel like probably most new people heading into there first IM - under prepared.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Stay safe everyone.

KC

KC- Try not to get stuck in the make up game when it comes to workouts.  My coach is very set on how it's better to be 5% undertrained than 5% overtrained.  With that said, I have had to adjust my plans on weeks when "life" happens, like when I missed some training because I was spending time with my grandma, and have done two long rides in a week- but spaced them far enough apart.  Last week I rode 70 on Monday (wanted to get to 100 but it was 102 degrees outside), 32 on Tuesday, and 70 on Friday.  I think if you give yourself enough time recovery in between, and listen to your body, you should be ok.

This mini-taper week has been tough.  I feel lazy for only doing one workout a day most days this week.  Tomorrow I am swimming in an inland lake at 6am, and then running in the annual Storm the Bastille run downtown.  This will be a good run, since it isn't timed and is so crowded I will be forced to run slow.  Great way to get in the base run for this week though.

Jenny

KC, I believe that you are now starting your taper in preparation for IMNY.  I agree with Jennifer, do what you can but also listen to what your body is telling you.  You don't want to overdo it in the last few weeks and then be tired come race week.  My coach was telling me that the last few weeks I will be enjoying doing almost nothing but that last week (race week) I will be itching to start moving again and that is the sign of a good taper.  

My coach and I talked last night as the nerves and doubt is really kicking in right now.  One thing she kept telling me is listen to what your body is telling you, if you feel tired or just need a break, skip the workout unless it is a really long one.  Being mentally and physically ready is more important then getting in all the workouts you can get in.  

The plan I am using this weekend is basically my IM plan but just cut in half.  Hopefully it will work 

KC - I think Jenny and Kathy nailed it.  Do what you are comfortable with but don't try to do to much thinking it will help you.  Your fitness is there.  I would suggest one long ride more for the mental aspect and to work on your nutrition plan.  Kathy brings up a good point - when does your taper start?

Kathy - I checked out your logs and you are doing awesome.  You just need to realize that you have put the work in and are ready.  I figure for my post number 1000 that it should be meaningful so I will share this with you and KC as you guys get ready to taper.  This was something that I found on here 2 years ago and saved and have found myself reading a few times the past couple weeks during some of those tough times.  5 more weeks and I will be needing it-haha.  This could not be more true and after you read it you will realize that YOU ARE READY!:

(I am not the author of this...but it was passed along to me last year when I started my taper for IMWI, and I have passed it onto a couple of my pals here that are getting ready for IMWI this year. Now I will pass it on to you... this is why you cried)

Right now you are about to enter the taper. Perhaps you've been at this a few months, perhaps you've been at this a few years. For some of you this is your first IM, for others, a long-overdue welcome back to a race that few can match.

You've been following your schedule to the letter. You've been piling on the mileage, piling up the laundry, and getting a set of tan lines that will take until next year to erase. Long rides were followed by long runs, which both were preceded by long swims, all of which were followed by recovery naps that were longer than you slept for any given night during college.

You ran in the snow.

You rode in the rain.

You ran in the heat.

You ran in the cold.

You went out when others stayed home.

You rode the trainer when others pulled the covers over their heads.

You have survived the Darwinian progression that is an Ironman summer, and now the hardest days are behind you. Like a climber in the Tour de France coming over the summit of the penultimate climb on an alpine stage, you've already covered so much ground...there's just one more climb to go. You shift up, you take a drink, you zip up the jersey; the descent lies before you...and it will be a fast one.

Time that used to be filled with never-ending work will now be filling with silent muscles, taking their final, well-earned rest. While this taper is something your body desperately needs, your mind cast off to the background for so very long, will start to speak to you.

It won't be pretty.

It will bring up thoughts of doubt, pain, hunger, thirst, failure, and loss. It will give you reasons why you aren't ready. It will try and make one last stand to stop you, because your brain doesn't know what the body already does. Your body knows the truth:

You are ready.

Your brain won't believe it. It will use the taper to convince you that this is foolish - that there is too much that can go wrong.

You are ready.

Finishing an Ironman is never an accident. It's the result of dedication, focus, hard work, and belief that all the long runs in January, long rides in April, and long swims every damn weekend will be worth it. It comes from getting on the bike, day in, day out. It comes from long, solo runs. From that first long run where you wondered, "How will I ever be ready?" to the last long run where you smiled to yourself with one mile to go...knowing that you'd found the answer.

It is worth it. Now that you're at the taper, you know it will be worth it. The workload becomes less. The body winds up and prepares, and you just need to quiet your worried mind. Not easy, but you can do it.

You are ready.

You will walk into the water with 2000 other wide-open sets of eyes. You will look upon the sea of humanity, and know that you belong. You'll feel the chill of the water crawl into your wetsuit, and shiver like everyone else, but smile because the day you have waited for so VERY long is finally here.

You will tear up in your goggles. Everyone does.

The helicopters will roar overhead.

The splashing will surround you.

You'll stop thinking about Ironman, because you're now racing one.

The swim will be long - it's long for everyone, but you'll make it. You'll watch as the shoreline grows and grows, and soon you'll hear the end. You'll come up the beach and head for the wetsuit strippers. Three people will get that sucker off before you know what happening, then you’ll head for the bike.

The voices, the cowbells, and the curb-to-curb chalk giving you a hero's sendoff can't wipe the smile off your face.

You'll settle down to your race. The crowds will spread out on the road. You'll soon be on your bike, eating your food on your schedule, controlling your Ironman.

You'll start to feel that morning sun turn to afternoon sun. It's warmer now. Maybe it's hot. Maybe you're not feeling so good now. You'll keep riding. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep moving. After all, this is just a long training day with valet parking and catering, right?

You'll put on your game face, fighting the urge to feel down as you ride for what seems like hours. You reach special needs, fuel up, and head out.

By now it'll be hot. You'll be tired. Doubts will fight for your focus. Everyone struggles here. You've been on that bike for a few hours, and stopping would be nice, but you won't - not here. Not today.

You'll grind the false flats to the climb. You'll know you're almost there. You'll fight for every inch of road. The crowd will come back to you here. Let their energy push you. Let them see your eyes. Smile when they cheer for you - your body will get just that little bit lighter.

Grind.

Fight.

Suffer.

Persevere.

You'll plunge down the road, swooping from corner to corner, chaining together the turns, tucking on the straights, letting your legs recover for the run to come - soon! You'll roll back - you'll see people running out. You'll think to yourself, "Wasn't I just here?" The noise

will grow. The chalk dust will hang in the air - you're back, with only 26.2 miles to go. You'll relax a little bit, knowing that even if you get a flat tire or something breaks here, you can run the damn bike into T2.

You'll roll into transition. 100 volunteers will fight for your bike. You'll give it up and not look back. You'll have your bag handed to you, and into the tent you'll go. You'll change. You'll load up your pockets, and open the door to the last long run of your Ironman summer - the one that counts.

You'll take that first step of a thousand...and you'll smile. You'll know that the bike won't let you down now - the race is down to your own two feet. The same crowd that cheered for you in the shadows of the morning will cheer for you in the brilliant sunshine of a summer Sunday. High-five people on the way out. Smile. Enjoy it. This is what you've worked for all year long.

That first mile will feel great. So will the second. By mile 3, you probably won't feel so good.

That's okay. You knew it couldn't all be that easy. You'll settle down just like you did on the bike, and get down to your pace. You'll see the leaders coming back the other way. Some will look great - some won't. You might feel great, you might not. No matter how you feel, don't panic - this is the part of the day where whatever you're feeling, you can be sure it won't last.

You'll keep moving. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep eating. Maybe you'll be right on plan - maybe you won't. If you're ahead of schedule, don't worry - believe. If you're behind, don't panic - roll with it. Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for Ironman, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that planning for something like Ironman is like trying to land a man on the moon; by remote control; Blindfolded.

How you react to the changes in your plan will dictate your day. Don't waste energy worrying about things - just do what you have to when you have to, and keep moving. Keep eating. Keep drinking. Just don't sit down - don't EVER sit down.

You'll make it to the halfway point. You'll load up on special needs. Some of what you packed will look good, some won't. Eat what looks good, toss the rest. Keep moving. Start looking for people you know. Cheer for people you don't. You're headed in - they're not. They want to be where you are, just like you wanted to be when you saw all those fast people headed into town. Share some energy - you'll get it right back.

Run if you can.

Walk if you have to.

Just keep moving.

The miles will drag on. The brilliant sunshine will yawn. You'll be coming up to those aid stations fully alive with people, music, and chicken soup. TAKE THE SOUP. Keep moving.

You'll soon only have a few miles to go. You'll start to believe that you're going to make it. You'll start to imagine how good it's going to feel when you get there. Let those feelings drive you on. When your legs just don't want to move anymore, think about what it's going to be like when someone catches you…and puts a medal over your head... all you have to do is get there.

You'll start to hear the people in town. People you can't see in the twilight will cheer for you. They'll call out your name. Smile and thank them. They were there when you left on the bike, and when you came back, and when you left on the run, and now when you've come back.

You'll enter town. You'll start to realize that the day is almost over. You'll be exhausted, wiped out, barely able to run a 10-minute mile (if you're lucky), but you'll ask yourself, "Where did the whole day go?" You'll be standing on the edge of two feelings - the desire to finally stop, and the desire to take these last moments and make them last as long as possible.

You'll hit mile 25. Your Ironman will have 1.2 miles - just 2KM left in it.

You'll run. You'll find your legs. You'll fly. You won't know how, but you will run. The lights will grow brighter, brighter, and brighter. Soon you'll be able to hear the music again. This time, it'll be for keeps.

Soon they'll see you. Soon, everyone will see you. You'll run towards the lights, between the fences, and into the night sun made just for you.

They'll say your name.

You'll keep running.

Nothing will hurt.

The moment will be yours - for one moment, the entire world will be looking at you and only you.

You'll break the tape at the finish line, 140.6 miles after starting your journey. The flash will go off.

You'll stop. You'll finally stop. Your legs will wobble their last, and suddenly...be capable of nothing more.

Someone will catch you.

You'll lean into them.

It will suddenly hit you.

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

You are ready.

You are ready.

Hi Team.

First - TIM - amazing post and I will save this forever my friend. I think on my post #1000 I probably complained to all of you how crappy a swimmer I USED to be . I like your 1000th post much much better.

2 mile OWS this morning followed by a 15 km run - then physio for the ankle - getting better but still have to be carefull to avoid any setbacks.

Have a safe day everyone.

KC

Thanks KC - hope you are enjoying your trip.

I think my favorite line from that is "You'll stop thinking about Ironman, because you're now racing one."  What will I do with myself on September 10 when i don't have Ironman race strategy to think about -haha

Although my 7 year old son watches some Gator Brothers show on Animal Planet and one of the guys is an Ironman athlete who does Double Ironman distances so now all he keeps asking is when will I do a Double Ironman and my wife just rolls her eyes!

I swim with our dentist and he just finished Coeur d'Alene.  Evan had a cleanign this week and of course the first thing he asks him "Are you going to do a double Ironman" haha

Tim-

 That post was AMAZING.  Thanks for sharing that one!  I LOVE IT.  I realized last week when I was writing things down on my new planner that IMWI falls on Grandparents Day this year- how appropriate since I told my grandma I would race for her.

I am taking a nap before Storming the Bastille tonight- have a great afternoon!

Hi guys! I got a question for the group if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated…

My IT band is jacked from the olympic triathlon this last weekend. I’ve had IT problems for years with it being under control for the last year and it snuck up on me during the tri. Currently, I’m resting, stretching, icing, using my foam roller, had a massage last Tuesday and I’ve got one scheduled for this coming Tuesday. My question is mostly about training. I have the Boulder 70.3 in 23 days. My swimming and cycling have been on course to meet my goal of finishing but my running has not been what it needs to be. Any advice on what my training plan should be from this point on? No running til race day? Walk/run plan? Up the swimming and cycling and rely on that fitness to get me through the run? More strength training of my quads/glutes/abductors?

My goal is just to finish and dropping out of the race is just not an option for me I’ll walk the whole thing before I do that.

Jen sorry to hear about your issues.  I fee your pain as I had IT issues before I got into triathlon and was doing marathons.  I did the 2009 Chicago Marathon with crazy pain starting mile 6.  I wish I had a better answer for you but the things that got me better took time - foam roller, rest and strength training.  Not sure if you have much time before your 70.3.  My suggestion would be to just lay off the running for the next three weeks or at least no intensive running.  When I was training it would always hit me at mile 4 and be intense at mile 6.  Is there a distance for you and if so maybe just do short runs of a mile or two just to not lose all your run fitness.

You probably pushed it too hard at your race so I would definitely suggest taking the run easy at the 70.3 for at least the first half then go from there.  You don't want to push it hard early then suffer for the rest of the race.

You do have the right attitude as far as just finishing so I maybe reducing the running isn't a bad idea.  One other option is to see if some pool running bothers it?

Good luck!

Good Morning Team.

First - WTB - sorry to hear about the ITB issues - hang in there, do everything you need to do. Have you considered cortisone? I have had it in the hip for bursitis, the elbow for tendinitis and the wrist for tendinitis.

For all of the team that is racing this weekend - good luck, stay healthy and RFP. I look forward to following your progress.

As for me, I am leaving for a trip to northern Ontario to visit my sister and finish off my last week of intense training before my taper begins in a little over a week or so.

KC

Hi everyone!  I'm back from vacation, finally! We got back from Italy last Tuesday night but I had to drive to Indy the next day to pick up Murphy (my dog) and car at my parents.  Needless to say it's been a little rough trying to get back into the swing of things with some residual jet lag.  Thursday night I passed out on my couch at 8pm!

I've skimmed through the last few pages of posts, I've missed so much!  It sounds like things are going well for everyone. Tim - that post is a keeper.  I'll have to pull that one out from time to time over the coming weeks. Thanks! 

Training was good while on vacay but the last week has not been so good.  We rode about 45-55 miles and 4000 feet of climbing each day.  The last day we ended up doing  62 miles and climbed about 5200 feet.  We also met a 69 year old retired dentist from Seattle. He was the only other cyclist that week (the hotel manager said they usually have a group of about 10-15 cyclists every week).  This guy smoked me on the climbs!  Granted, he had a mountain bike cassette and is able to train where there are lots of hills.  I flew by him on the descents though.   This guy is a machine!  Back in 2003, he did a ride called America by Bicycle...basically he rode for 55 days from Oregon to Maine!  He was even going to ride for 2 more weeks in Italy and finish out the trip with the Grandfondo Pinarello, which is about 200k.  Talk about not slowing down!  It was such an inspiration to meet him.  We exchanged info so hope to keep in touch with him in the future. 

I've posted a couple pictures below from our trip.  It was an amazing experience and I'll definitely do it again.  We're already talking about biking in different regions in Italy and other countries.  Next time we'll bring our own bikes though! 

As for getting back on track with training, it's been slow.  I ran this morning but it was so humid that I cut it a little short and did more walking than running, unfortunately.  I'm swimming with an EN buddy later this evening and will get my run wko in on the treadmill since I bagged on it this morning.  There's only 8 more weeks left to IMWI so it's time to really reset my focus, which has been waning since High Cliff.  

P.S. White bike shorts are similar to red bike shorts 

Tim and KC - thanks for the advice! I've got another massage tomorrow! Rode yesterday for over 3 hours with no IT band pain so it is only localized to the run...which is good news. Gonna try some pool running on Wednesday.

Sarah - sounds like an awesome trip! And I agree the white bike shorts = red bike shorts! Ha

Sarah - glad you had a great trip.  Pictures look awesome.  Making a mental note right now to never buy red or white bike shorts -haha

Jen- Good to hear that the IT band is not affected by biking.  Hopefully you can still keep up with your fitness then just gut it out for 13.1 miles at your race!

So Racine 70.3 went about as well as I could have done.  The race plan I made was almost dead on except for the run but I think a lot had to do with the heat. I was running from 12:00pm -2:30pm the hottest part of the day and there was very little shade on the course.  The high temp was 92 (not sure what Heat Index was) but it was HOT!!

Here is my race report - http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=451046

Here is my race plan and my actual:

SWIM - GOAL was 37:00 ACTUAL 35:23

T1 - GOAL was 4:30 ACTUAL 6:11

BIKE - GOAL was Under 3:06:00 ACTUAL 2:59:07

T2 - Goal was 3:30 ACTUAL 3:21

RUN - Goal was 2:10 to 2:15 ACTUAL 2:36

Besides a longer T1 and the run I am very happy.  Now I just have t mentally get ready to double that distance in 55 days.