MJEWEN Summer 2013 Mentor Group - OPEN (Page 24)

Fantastic job, Ken! Congratulations!! It is so strange to hear that the euphoria wasn't really there for this race, but what an awesome feeling to have been able to manage that pace and still feel so full of energy! The sightseeing part sounds like a lot of fun, too. I love Chicago - it's such a cool city.

Chrissy - Awesome! I love that picture! It is impossible not to laugh at a sight like that.

My marathon is only 15 days out, and it's all I can think about... I have this plan and this hope that I can break 5 hours with my current 4:1 run/walk ratio. Tomorrow is my last long run, another 20 miler, and I plan to run the last 12 at marathon pace (9:45 min/mile pace for 4 minutes, 1 minute of walking). That equates to roughly 11:20 ish miles, which would put me right under 5 hours. If for some reason I can't hold that pace for those 12 miles, I might need to reevaluate my goal time.

Melissa... good luck on the upcoming Marathon..... since you put it that way... 11.21 miles to get under 5 hours.... I may be in the mid five hour time by December.... How do you plan on fueling for your race?

I did the aqua bike yesterday... swam the 2.21 miles in 1.38.28 ... right about the time i had wanted to hit. It was two loops in a fresh water lake with no wetsuit. It was pretty good mentally to complete that distance. The ride was a different story... I was misdirected by some cops and found myself 15 miles away from the course and spent a considerable time to get back. By the time I got back i was being lapped by the lead group. Somewhere near the end of the first loop, I missed a turn and ended up on HWY 50. Fortunately the road took right to my hotel so I stopped in, used the bathroom, had some water. watched a little college football for a while then made my way back around town to get to the start finish line. I complete all loops about half of the course. It was an interesting day for me. I'm used to doing brick workouts and the sensations that go with that, but after swimming for that long a distance and jumping right on the bike caused a completely different kind of exhaustion. It was difficult for me to focus.
I had carbo loaded a few days before had a nice dinner the night before and a good sleep. I just couldn't get my focus going.

Anyways.... it was a beautiful day, with the full moon shining on us in the morning and a clear and beautiful sunny day.

How is everyone?

I'm feeling a lot more positive now than last time I posted. Much more enthusiasm now that I've switched to doing run, bike, swim, and lifting workout rotation. I got back in the pool for the first time since summer and found out that swimming actually felt pretty natural. I guess muscle memory doesn't fade as quickly as fitness Was able to swim 1200 yards this morning... most ever for me at one time. I also setup my bike on a trainer and enjoyed that... first time I'd ever done a trainer workout on my road bike. Looking forward to continuing this for a while before I have to switch to run-focus for Boston.

Like Emile pointed out... you can keep sharpening your sharpest blade but it might be better to work on the dull ones.

Melissa - the race is getting so close! I'm excited to hear how you do.

Things are going ok here. I've tried to get back into running and ran twice this week. It puts me in a pretty good mood all day, and I've been pretty grouchy the last couple months. Forgot how much happier I am when I exercise. I need to remember to do it more often.

Still attending boot camp Monday & Friday - although I skipped this morning to sleep in (day off and I didn't feel like getting up at 5am if I didn't have to). I saw Ken on Monday - he had just got done swimming as I finished boot camp. Really made me want to jump in the pool and do a few laps. I'm missing the swims. I did a bike ride through town this past Sunday and came upon a race. My friend and I biked along the course for a mile or two and cheered on the runners. It was kind of fun. I've always enjoyed cheering on racers.

Got a new bike seat for the new tri bike this week. Haven't put it on yet. Baby steps. :-)

Melissa what day is your marathon on? How is the taper going?

Terry sounds like a crazy day on your aqua bike! Great job on your swim! That has to be a real confidence booster!

Ken congrats on the 1200 yard swim! Sounds like your swim is about to start coming together.

Crissy what saddle did you end up getting?

I ran a duathlon last week here is the race report http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

Emile... nice race report. You did very well... 4th out of 79 is impressive! I'm surprised more people don't draft during the run or try to run the tangents correctly... I think both make a big difference.

Ken I agree I always try and run the tangents. I've never really drafted for very long until my race last week. It was amazing how much easier it made the run.

Melissa how did your last long run go?

Edited by EKH 2013-10-27 6:31 AM

Hi everyone!

Congrats on a very well run race, Emile! Great RR, too.

My race is this upcoming Sunday, so exactly one week, and I am really excited. I am making lots of lists and plans for the weekend, and eating lots of healthy food so I don't come down with anything before the trip.

Crissy, I love cheering people in races, too! That is one thing that I hear about NYC marathon, that the crowds take their cheering very seriously! There is something really rewarding about encouraging runners and giving them acknowledgement for the struggles they are going through. Very gratifying!

My last long run of 20 last weekend was pretty tough. I had an easy 8 to start, then tried out my marathon pace for the last 12. It was very humid and - not really hot, but still pretty warm. Since it was mostly pre-dawn, there was no sun, but shoot, I was so pooped by mile 17 that I considered quitting. My feet hurt, my back hurt, and I just wanted to stop moving. So I took a bathroom break at some nice public restrooms, washed my face, filled my water bottle, and continued on. That must have done the trick, because I finished still within marathon pace (well, I netted out the bathroom break). A tough run, my calves hurt afterward, but I have been rolling them out, hips too.

Yesterday's 10 was amazing, though. I think we did the first 4 slower, then sped up for the rest. The temps have dropped almost 30 degrees in that week - so instead of running in the 70s with high humidity, it was in the forties with very low humidity - so nice! In fact, the temps are right about where they might be for the race!

Awesome job Emile!!

Melissa... my experience in the NYC this summer was incredible... the crowds lines=d the streets and many were cheering.... it was awesome that so many people would be out for the event. I hear the marathon is even better... it gives you that extra oomph to keep it going.

Emile - excellent job! I can only dream of running your pace.

Melissa - the weather will make a huge impact on your run, for the good. I have a hard time running in anything above 60° if it's humid. My body does not do well with heat dissipation - or I'm just a big wimp. That most likely is it. With the crowds you are going to do outstanding!!

Decided to start off with a Cobb saddle. We'll see how that works out - eventually I'll get out for a ride.

Melissa how are you feeling? Race week for a big event is always exciting!

Crissy let us know how your saddle works out. I've heard a lot of good reports on the Cobb saddles.

I've also been hearing good things about that saddle. I hope it works out for you!

I am hanging in there, thanks for asking! Feeling pretty nervous, but there is still so much to do before our flight to NYC on Friday that I'm sure I will be too busy to fret a lot.

My last pacing workout was yesterday, so just 2 more short runs to go.

Being so close to this big goal race has me thinking about what happens next. I am curious what races everyone has on their schedules for the winter and spring...

Upcoming....winter

Nov 2- RAAM Series 200 Mile bike race
Nov 9- South Florida Randonneurs 200k Big Cypress/ Immakolee Brevet.
Nov 16- Clermont, FL Horrible Hundred Bike ride.

Dec 1 - Space Coast Marathon 26.2
Dec 9 - Sebring, FL Century Ride
Dec 14- Caloosahatchee Ultra 25k Trail Run

Jan 11- HITS Series 140.6 Triathlon

Feb 22 - 50k Ultra - Everglades Ultra - Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park ..

April 19 Swim Miami open water 5k

In March and April I have several uncommitted events but will probably do two 70.3s
in anticipation of a 140.6 at the end of June.

I made the switch to a ketogenic diet. I dropped 9 lbs in eight days. My energy seems to be
really high. I saw on Saturday and did bike ride yesterday and feel fantastic. I'll run tonight
and check the changes... Apparently I did it wrong before because I ate too many carbs.
This time with the assistance of www.myfitnesspal.com I'm able to really dial in on the diet.

crissy... i hear the cobb saddle is really good. I've been getting alot of ads on my facebook for it...

Melissa... relax... you're already good to go.... the crowds will offer so much support you'll feel like
crying at the awesomeness of running in the city... it's an amazing place to participate.

Good luck Melissa... you'll do great!!!

Melissa your going to do awesome! Couple of things you might or might not have thought about already. Bring an old pair of sweats and gloves that you don't mind throwing away to wear before the race starts. It can get really cold during marathon season waiting for the race to start. Right before gun take sweats off and throw them down and run with the gloves as long as you need them. When they get to warm ditch them on the side of the road. Also pack along some compression socks to wear after the race especially for the plane ride home when blood clots could be an issue. If you don't own any compression socks you can buy some cheap ones at any drug store that work really well.

Terry I'm always in awe looking at your race schedule. Your a beast!

I don't have any races planned for this winter. In the spring I plan on doing a bike time trial series. Next tri will probably be a sprint in June. Although I plan on hitting the bike really hard this winter to try and improve my bike leg some more.

Terry is the 200mile bike race on 11/2 over 2 days or is it a 1 day event?

Melissa good luck tomorrow! Do you have your bib# yet?

I'm anxious to hear about Melissa's race. I bet she hit her goal.

I ran the Beer & Bagel race yesterday. Decided after my performance yesterday I need to start running more. I had a decent time 3 years ago, and finished in the top 8% of women, but have drastically cut back on my running since then. Yesterday I barely finished in the top 25% of my age group. I wasn't going to try that hard (other than beat my coworker), but after the gun went off, I did put in at least a 90-95% effort. I did what any respectful woman would do after the race, and that was eat a bagel and drink several glasses of beer. It was relatively cold after the race (super windy) and most people left shortly after. Then we danced for a couple of hours and headed home. Out of 2000 people only 20 or so of us stuck around to the end. Fun race. Was a kick in the pants for me, and I made the mental decision today to up my running. I might change my mind again next week.

Oh, and my coworker beat me. He somehow sneaked by me when I stopped to blow my nose. I didn't see him pass me and thought he was behind me the whole way, so I did ease up that last mile thinking he wasn't going to catch me. Oops!

well done crissy.. it's only respectable, and ladylike, to enjoy a bagel and beer after such an effort )

I posted this report on my facebook.:

As far as my RAAM experience went..bottom line is I ran out of gas around 137 miles and didn't have enough time to complete the course. That being said.... I rode into a headwind for five hours in pouring rain. I felt good on the bike, I just didn't have the legs to do what I set out to do... I kept my pace but Clermont killed me, absolutely wiped me out... I've done Sugarloaf many times before, but never at 92 miles and many hours into a ride...I did not fuel during the ride... my ketogenic diet is fantastic and the endurance experiment is a continuing learning experience... but I definitely need some carbs to push through a long ride.... Mentally, I had a few moments of not paying attention.... I didn't miss a turn, but I came close and had to pull out the GPS on my phone once to be sure.... I stopped twice for a few minutes to get water at a local convenience store...... we'll see how that can be improved this weekend in the Big Cypress 200k... and the following weekend in Clermont. I need to do some leg strength workouts and interval training to get my speed up......

Clermont is the "hilliest" place in Florida, it's where we have our mountains... Sugarloaf mountain is the highest peak and steepest grade in Florida south of the panhandle.

This weekend ride is the 200k Big Cypress/Immokalee Brevet (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1649996) in the everglades.. off of alligator alley

Hi guys! Thanks for checking up on me - I thought I had posted my bib # but must have forgotten to do that in the rush of Thursday and Friday. Long story short, I did hit my goal! My final time was 4:56:31!

I need to write up a full race report here, but just a few highlights... my start time was very late, the final wave going out at 10:55. Temps were chilly in the mid-40s but supposed to go up to 50 and sunshine, so I opted for a short-sleeved shirt to race in. I did bring the throw-away pants and jacket from goodwill as Emile suggested. In hindsight, short sleeves were not really the best choice for racing. I should have gone long-sleeve or used the arm-warmers, because there was always some wind. I did keep my gloves though, and honestly, the cold didn't really bother me so much until I was pretty tired at around 4 hours. I also ran a complete mish-mash of my usually very regimented run/walk times because when I changed the battery in my timer, I had put a dead battery in (oh, the irony) and couldn't figure out how to change the intervals on my husband's gps watch. All this was happening in the last few minutes before lining up on the bridge, so I finally just said, screw it, I'll try putting in a walk minute every 10 minutes or so, and see how that feels.
Well, that felt perfect. I just ran, spectated, soaked up the cheering, the sights, walked the water stops, stuck to my nutrition plan and threw in a 1 minute or less walk break whenever it seemed necessary. I had a pace band from the 5:00 pace group so I could keep an eye on where I should be. I think I had 3 minutes under the target time by mile 4 or 5, bumped that up to 5 minutes by maybe 8 or 10, and then lost a few, but never went below a buffer of 3 minutes. I didn't really feel like that was a safe buffer by any means, which was good, because it kept me really pushing until the end.
I think it was around the Bronx that I felt pretty tired out, but by then, it's only another 4 miles or so, I believe. Once you head back into Manhattan, I could hear people whooping for joy when the caught sight of the park in the distance, so I knew that must be a good thing! Yes, the last loop around the park feels long, but the spectators there are so supporting, it just really kept me going when I was counting down the last few miles. I was pretty proud of my effort at the end, because I still made myself stretch out my legs on all the downhills, and kept my form as well as I could. Anyway, when it was done, I was really happy with my effort. I did think "don't think I will do that again" but I'm already thinking, well - maybe.

Crissy, your co-worker is a sneaky one, isn't he? Good job, though, and well earned bagels and beer.
Terry, those bike rides sound quite tough, and fueling for something like that has got to be very challenging. I mean, that could be the end of it if you get behind on fuel, right? So the 200 mile one is over the weekend of the 9th?

Future plans, none really yet. I do think I'll try to do a Ragnar Relay with my brother, sister, a nephew or two and some other relatives. That's the Cape Cod one in May, if we can get our act together. My daughter who went with me to NY was very inspired by all the runners, and she would also like to train for the RR!

Melissa, congratulations! If you're already in the "maybe again" stage then I think you'll be running another one sooner than you think

Terry... I've been kind of slowly evolving my diet towards more fat and less carbs and might end up trying ketogenic. Its interesting reading about your experience with it, especially not having to fuel on the long bike ride.

Hey Ken... I had been in "ketosis" for about a week before the long ride. My next ride - 218k / 136 miles is on Saturday.. On that ride I intend to carbo load and intake during the ride and make my comparisons afterwards. Of course, this is only for cycling at this point. I'll begin to investigate the running portion pretty soon. As far as my ride went... I did not fuel in the normal sense.. I think I ate two slim Jim's with a cheese stick and a handful of salted cashews. Other than that it was plain water for six hours with a splash of mio for flavor after that.

The diet is great... I dropped 13 pounds (now 173.2) in two weeks and I'm very close to my targeted race weight for January. My energy is great. I sleep well. I think the 'aerobic' exercise is good with low carbs, but so far I've found, and the experiment is continuing, that carbs are necessary for a more intense workout and provide the "push" at those moments when one needs to ramp it up.... . I will begin running next week after this ride because I have a marathon on December 1 and should probably start thinking about that pretty soon

On thing I can say is that my recovery is really good. I can go out and perform without the aches and pains and other feelings of depletion. and have great energy afterwards.....

The best thing about the diet is that I get to eat lots of Avacados and coconut oil..... yum

I clipped this portion of an article for something to consider...

Thanks for the article... "targeted ketosis" might be what I'm looking for.

Melissa awesome job! Let us know when you get your race report up I'm looking forward to reading it.

I tweaked my knee last week at wrestling practice so I've been taking it real easy. I'm hoping I get over the knee issue quick because before long I want to start running with some of my wrestlers.

You coach wrestling? I didn't know that, or I read it so long ago I do not remember.

This gets me to thinking, what do you all do in your professional lives? I know some of you teach, but what do you teach (grades, subjects, etc). I'm a dorky scientist that works with bacteria for animal vaccines. Most of my work has been with various E. coli, but lately I've tried my hand at creating a new vaccine with a bug I've never worked with before (currently in it's first trial in pigs), and now I'm working on improving the tetanus vaccine. So that's my nerdy life outside of triathlon.

I'm been MIA recently. Just feeling the winter blahs kicking in. I hate winter blahs. They are just so...blah. I'm also down in the dumps because I really wanted to go race some cross in Iowa this weekend. They have a 3 day long series called Jingle Cross that just sounds like a blast. Just couldn't make it work this weekend.

Last weekend was the state meet. I was only able to make it to one race last weekend (in town). Just a quick 40 minute relay race. It was called cross prom. Each team was supposed to be a guy/gal combo. There are way more guys that race cross than girls, so some of the guys dressed in drag. It was pretty funny seeing them race in short dresses and wigs. I had to leave right after that race. I wish I had been able to race in the women's division races, but it was volleyball weekend for my girls, and they take precedent.

So all this not being able to race got me thinking that I really need to put together a race calendar for next year. But I have a case of the winter blahs and I just don't want to do it. I need to go eat some cookies or something and start putting on my usual winter weight. Anyone have any fruit cake I can eat? How about a nice glass of eggnog to wash it down. Tis the season.

Edited by crissy_jo 2013-11-15 4:38 PM