Athena/ Clydesdale Official Mentor Group (Page 24)

I think concentrate on your training plan execute the plan and the race.  don't worry about the weight for the next 16 days.   I gain weight when training hard and lose weight when I stop because I tend to eat less than the energy output.  When training I feel I need the fuel and those calorie laden sports energy drinks are a necessary evil.

This is a bump in the road my friend, you will get there.

Leatherneck great job on your PB's!!!

Your going faster so you must be getting stronger. If your getting stronger your building muscle, so muscle weights more. Just keep training your plan, trust the plan.

Spin day for me, not a good spin day. Thats all I will say about that.

Keep training and racing everyone, Great Work!!

Thanks everybody.  I know you're right.  My wife was telling me all the same things last night as I was in a really foul mood.  And I knew all those things too.  I guess I just wanted to vent my frustration.

Kind of hoping it's not raining after school today because I think I want to try for a 25 mile ride.  That would be a significant increase in distance, AND it would still include all my hills for training.

Meanwhile, during some significant periods of down time today (I have three periods with no students)) I am going to start drafting my HIM plan for next year.  I'd like to have some sort of plan to show the coach when I get one.

You know, if you look at it as increasing my bike distance by 30 miles over 32 weeks it doesn't seem so insurmountable.  Now, the run on the other hand, as far as I'm concerned is starting from ground zero, since I can't even run a mile now.  And that 13.1 miles is looking pretty darned long.

Freakin Foul Friday here in the North East. Cold and pouring rain outside.

Only did half my run and I was absolutly soaked with Rain Gear on.  Buy hey I was still moving!!

Hope everyones day is a little drier than mine and a good one!!!

Bike - Out - 12.36 miles - 54m 41s - 13.56 mph - AHR 145 - MHR 167

Bike - Back - 12.38 miles? - 1h 5m 13s - 11.39 mph - AHR 134 - MHR 168

I am now 95% certain that I can do this thing in 14 days.  That is two full hours of aerobic activity.  I haven't done that since I was in the Marine Corps, and honestly I'm not sure I did it then either.

Today I finally got the ride I have been trying to get since Wednesday.  From home to Walmart and back.  Both of those times include getting off my bike and walking it across 25-50 yards of construction on the bike path.  (I didn't feel like crashing again.)  The time home includes climbing those two nasty little hills.  Could have dropped off the first one and climbed Cochrane Ave instead, but I was determined at that point to conquer that hill.  I wouldn't call what I was doing up those hills spinning exactly, but it wasn't grinding either.  And they were the only two hills on the course where I shifted onto my third crank up front.  That last climb is in a perfect place too, if you're a masochist. It's the next to the last quarter mile before I get home, it completely whips my legs, and then I sort of half-heartedly try to power down a very slight incline to home.

Having lots of time to think on this ride I have devised what I believe will be a fantastic replica of the Blueman course for my next ride.  I will leave my house and immediately climb 300' in the first mile, coast 1/2 mile back to Bertin Heights, climb a little under a half mile to Hillside Drive, coast down to the River Rd and then drive for 4.5 miles around the loop to the start and then repeat a second lap, just like Blueman.  The climbs are longer and just as steep as what I'll have to face on the 13th.  And the distance ends up being a little longer too, 14.5 miles instead of 13.5.  I am getting stoked!

Brick 1 Wednesday, biked 45 and ran for 30 minutes. Did a little better on both.

Missed my long ride on Saturday that was three hours, but it was because I was watching my daughter play volleyball all day. So I wouldn't trade that for anything. Munchkins over rule training, just the way it is.

Hope everyones training is going well! Have a great day!!!!

Just keep moving.............

Walk - 1 mile - 16m 30s - 3.7 mph - AHR 127 - MHR 143

This was a CRAPPY workout!!  My heart wasn't really in it, but I decided to go anyway.  (Have I mentioned that motivation is waning the closer I get to race day?  I think it's anxiety, fear of going DNF.)  I checked my GT at the 1/8 mile mark and discovered that the distance and pace were not recording properly.  This did not improve my mood.  But I chugged along anyway, knowing that whatever my time was at the end would be my actual pace because that leg is precisely 1 mile.  I reached the turn around in 16:30 and was further disgruntled.  It should have been at least under 16:00!  Then, as if "The Gods" weren't amused enough, I kicked up a pebble and it went inside my sneaker.  Too bad!!  I'm going to tough it out.  OW!  No, I'm not.  I had to stop to take my shoe off and put it back on.

Run - 1 mile - 12m 2s - 5 mph - AHR 136 - MHR 162

I JOGGED!!  OMGoodness, I didn't believe I could do that yet.  I was so PO'd about pretty much everything by this point that I decided to punish myself by trying to do the "gravity shuffle" for the entire mile home.  And a funny thing happened.  My pace actually quickened and I found myself jogging.  I made the mile in 12:02, a 5 mph pace.  And I didn't collapse in the driveway!!  Now, if my ankles don't fail me tonight or tomorrow, I think I might just try to make jogging part of the workout instead of the gravity shuffle.

Now to revisit this whole idea of rest vs gung-ho.  I believe what I am going to try next is switching to a "two-on, one-off" schedule.  I'll do one day of bike, one day of walk/run, and one day of rest.  Probably try to throw a swim in on  the run days.

9 training days to Blueman!

Leather that's awesome!  Way to get after it and push yourself.  Remember to rest up too.

Just trying to get into a routine here alternating P90X and some runs and then trying to sneak in a ride during the weekend.  Can't wait to get the trainer so I can get some rides in during the week too.

Leatherneck awsome on the running 12 min miles are great. Someday I will get there.

Spin up day for me so now I'm trying to build some leg muscle on the bike. Yeah someday I'll have leg muscles again.

Everybody great job on the training keep up the good work!!

Freakin Free Friday!!!!!!!

Todays the day you get your free speed and endurance! Felt like there was some other people out there training with me. Couldn't see you but I know you were out there.

Beutiful fall morning to be out training in the North East "USA-For the Aussies!!" .

Wheres all my Clydes and Athena's, it gonna be a great day!!

Can you dig it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Way to get after it Yeti.

Saw some pics of my tri from the other week and all that spandex and tight stuff just looks great in pictures.  That right there will give me the motivation to get out and kick my butt day in and day out with no immediate race plans scheduled.  I even set one of them as my background to my laptop so instead of opening the computer and vegging out I'll get off the couch.

My spndex are chicken they hide behind shorts when ever I leave the house. This may be a good thing for man kind!!

Two hours and thirty minutes on the bike today and a 15 minute run afterwards. A little disappointed in the distance, but I will get better.

Have a great Saturday all, I will see you guys out there tomorrow.

Just keep moving!!!!!!!!!

Wow 2:30 on the bike and a run, that's some serious training there Yet. 

Went for a ride this morning, took out the road bike again even though it has the crack and only half the gears.  I felt like I had nothing but I averaged close to 20mph over 17 miles which was pretty awesome.  I did a 4 mile run last night and that must have taken a lot of out me too because now I'm just dead.  I believe a pizza and a few beers are in order for tonight.

20 mph is great grats!! Great biking keep it up.

Hope you enjoyed your pizza and beer!!! I'm eating pizza as I'm writing this.

30 minute 100 rpm spin on the bike and an hour and fifteen minute run. Following the plan and just keep moving!!

Have a great Sunday all!!!!!! 

Walk/jog - 2.75 miles - 44m 4s - AHR 139 - MHR 159

Next year I have really got to get a better grasp of this "taper" concept.  I just looked at my calendar and am not satisfied.  I've had more days off than training days for the last two weeks, and I don't think that's the way a taper is supposed to be done.

On the plus side, I am happy with today's workout.  It was supposed to be an easy 2 mile walk with the wife.  So I didn't put on my knee brace, didn't change into my training shoes, and didn't even change out of my jeans.  Then, literally at the last moment, she decides not to go.  So instead of only 2 miles I decided that I'd do my old 2.75 mile loop and save the 2 mile gentle walk for my last training walk on Wednesday.  I was doing okay too, until I topped Hillside Dr and looked at the GT.  Didn't like the time, tried to speed up my walk and wound up jogging the .4 miles down to Valley Rd.  (Gung-Ho needs to remember that intensity is supposed to be reduced during taper too, not just duration.)  Walked the half mile up to the end of Valley Rd and then decided to see if I could make it the 1 mile home jogging again, or was it just aggravation and a fluke.  I am happy to say it was not a fluke.  And I kept that same 12 min pace today.  (Which tells you how slow my walking sections were.)

I bricked today.

Thats all.

I just wanted to say thanks to all you guys and gals you keep me going. Keep up the great work!!

Blueman is now officially a duathlon instead of a tri.  With forecasted temps below freezing for the race start Trimax cancelled the swim.  It is now a 3.2 mile run, followed by a 13.5 mile bike, followed by a 3.2 mile run.  This will be a real test of mental fortitude.  Say a prayer for me at about 8:30 tomorrow morning (and 9:30, and 10:30, and finally at 11:30).  My prediction for this race has just jumped from 2:30 to AT LEAST 3:00.

I have mixed emotions about this because I REALLY set out to do a tri, not this.  So my next stop, after posting this, will be to search for a tri near Tampa in Dec or Jan.  That way I can get my true tri in and, just maybe, my mother can be there when I do it.  I think she'd get a kick out of that.