ADollar79's Group--closed and in the base building phase! (Page 24)

Hi folks! I made it safely to Scotland. I have the cold feom though but slept 12 hours last night!! Quickest recovery from jet lag ever!  Going to try a small run tomorrow or Weds! Weather isn't much different from Seattle. hahha

Will post some pictures later in the week. Hope all is well with everyone

I am kicking this question back to you all for discussion purposes...

Should you carry more or less during a race?  What elements/variables (other than people) are different in a race environment than in training?

Ok Andrew - I have a question about meals the night before a race.  What should/should not  we be eating (yeah - I know that is not grammatically correct - but whatever).  When should we eat dinner.  Should we eat a snack before we go to bed? 

I think I have all of my nutrition plans worked out except for this piece.

I have my first duathlon today.  If it doesn't rain or snow (seriously, enough is enough).

This is highly personal.  You know the foods that disagree with you.  Largely, the idea of carb-loading has been debunked.  So eating tons of pasta the night before won't get you anywhere other than bloated.  Conventional wisdom says to reduce the amount of fiber to help prevent GI issues.  Also, don't overeat on protein because the body takes longer to break it down. 

This is why it is important to practice nutrition during training.  In all likelihood, if you are racing a sprint then you will be done in about 90 minutes (give or take).  How does your stomach feel when you exercise on the weekend for 90 minutes?  What did you eat the night before?  These are the things that you need to think through. 

I personally like to eat some type of grilled or baked chicken or fish.  Before the ING the other night I had a 4 oz salmon patty (stuffed with spinach), some light pasta, bread with hummus.   However, I have done pizza and burgers before.  I did Chinese the night before Ironman.  But to repeat....these are things that I KNOW my body can process quickly and not give me problems the next day.  

As for snacking, I tend to snack on fruit the night before.  It helps with hydration. 

I personally would carry everything that I train with in a race.  Yes, there are aid stations, but you are still significantly relying on yourself during the race.   Just my opinion though, I also tend to run on the conservative side.

Ok, I have until the 15th (what a great day) to make a decision on this one.  I need all of your thoughts/comments/suggestions/whatever....

I tried to go out for a long run today, but my knee started hurting again.  Add on top of that, I heard the dreaded POP.  I have an MRI scheduled, but they can't get me in until April 17th.  My marathon is supposed to be April 27th.  The frustrating part is that it doesn't hurt when I walk or ski, so I felt like I was fine to go for a run after taking a week to rest/heal.

Do I try and still do the marathon?  Definitely realizing now that my only goal is to finish.  Do I try and do the 9-miler or the half?  Or do I rest up and hope that I'm good to go for my first tri scheduled for three weeks later on May 18th?

I think at this juncture, the marathon is out of the question.  Have you seen a doctor yet?  They can do perfunctory ACL check to see if there is a gap.  I would be pressed to believe that your ACL just snapped as a result of your run yesterday.  From skiing....maybe....but running tends to keep the ligaments in the same motion (unless you came off a curb or something).  Did you experience significant swelling or just pain?  Mine swelled up like a balloon for 3-4 days.   

As for the races...what is your priority.  If the marathon or half is just for fun with little to know expectations but the triathlon is a priority, then rest up.  Also, the doctor might trump any opinion I have on the subject.   

Kendra's question reminded me of this article.  As we all gear up and train more, injuries are bound to happen.  Some are minor tweaks, some are more severe.  This is a good article that discusses common injuries and treatments.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1438

Yeah, I figured the marathon was out, I'm just frustrated to have to make that decision.

I don't think it's my ACL, my knee hasn't given out at all.  The PT said it's probably either my meniscus or my bone bruise that never healed.  He tried to do the pull test, but since I've learned to protect my knee pretty well, it didn't give. 

Oh wel, I'll rest up and start focusing on getting ready for Silverman.  Upside...my mile swim is tomorrow and the wetsuit came yesterday.

Great running weather in Scotland just now. LOL

ADollar79 - 2008-04-06 1:48 PM Great picture.  Remind me why you can't run in that?

Because I caught a lovely chest infection   I am feeling much better though. Haven't really had time to run to be honest with the babies being born but now that they are here, that all changes. 

Sorry!! I should have showed you pics of the babies!  I went to see them on Saturday afternoon bt Ewan, the bigger baby hadn't been eating. He's back with Mum now. Don't ask me which is which. LOL. They are not identical and I guess it's just as well they are different sizes.

Rory was 5lb 13oz and Ewan was 6lbs 6oz. I'll post more pics if that's ok when my sister in law gets home.

I've had a horrible chest infection too. I know that's from the flight. I hadn't been sleeping very well because of all the coughing I was doing. I feel much better now.

Ok everyone....let's stir up some discussion.

1.  Post the approximate number of days until your next race.  

2.  Lets talk about pre-race rituals....taper, checklists of items, things to do the days prior to your race, things to do the night before, what to wear, how to prepare etc.

I want you all to start visualizing and mentally preparing for races.  

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I race on Sunday....6 days away.   

OK - it is 12 days (Check the avatar -

Since my race is so far away and requires a flight and shipping my bike - I have been at doing a list of things for a while - which has actually added to the stress a little.  last week, I did something completely un-like me, and asked some people for some help.  It was weird!!!!

Taper - I have this last week of working out at a decent level (The week we just finished was my peak week at over 600 minutes) and then the week beginning the 14th, I will just be doing some small workouts to keep me loose and to keep me from going stir crazy.

Checklist - I have three - the first is a list of what I need to get done before the end of this weeek (Condo we are staying in, ship my bike, get all supplies, etc.).  The second is a packing list to take from my house.  My wife sat down with me last weekend and we went through a list of each thing I would need for the swim, the bike, and the run, and for pre-and post race as well as things I will need in transition that don't apply to a certain portion of the race.  The third is a checklist for packing my bag to head to the race.  I found a reallly good checklist on line and printed it out on some card stock so I can have it at the condo when I pack the day before and another copy when I lay things out in transition.

I have my race nitrition worked out and planned.  I am still a little sketchy on my "night before" meal.  I will not eat in the morning before the race.  I seem to perform better in short races if my stomach is not digesting anything, and any hunger I have seems to go away as soon as I start to workout. 

The current forecast for the race location is sunny and mid - 70's.  Race time temp today was 65.  Waves are around 3' and water temp is about 70.  At this point, since the swim is only 400 Yards, I plan on not wearing a wetsuit.  My local pool is at 72 and a few degrees down is not going to affect me poorly.  The wind trend has been between 0 and 15 mph and is blowing to the Northeast, meaning that it will be across and with us for the back portion of the race (this is not normal, according to the locals).  My race strategy was to have to battle the wind on the way back in, so I may have to alter strategy (mostly on the bike) a little, but I get there on Thursday night, so I will make that decision with a short course ride on Friday. 

Otherwise - my plan is to relax on Friday until I start to freak out at around 6 PM that evening, then be a nervous wreck until race time.  Hopefully, things won't go according to plan in that paricular case.  My best friend will be there, and he is usually pretty good at getting me to calm down. 

Just as another FYI...

If you have loaded your race into your calendar, you can click on the green square and then generate a pre-race checklist.  I commonly do this for out of town races.  I then tack it to the fridge or bathroom mirror to remind me of everything I need to pack for the race.   

Since I'm not doing the marathon, I'm 41 days until my Oly. 

To pack, I do a mental checklist from head to toe of everything I'm going to need for the swim, bike and run.  I estimate the nutrition that I think I'm going to need, then throw in a couple more gels, just in case.

I'm feeling okay about the swim after this weekend.  Still have problems panicking in open water, but I hope that will just come with practice.  I probably won't be able to do an OWS in the lake before the next race, so I'll just have to deal.  So, I have 41 days for my knee to feel better, find a bike and buy a bike.  Eek!!! 

Your plan looks pretty solid.  Did you develop this from the book that you asked about?

Here are a few thoughts:

1.  I hope you look at this and think oh that is a lot of training.  It should honestly scare you a bit.   

2.  Your KEY workouts are the 2:00+ hour bikes and 1:20 runs.  These are MANDATORY.  No fudging these.  And don't be afraid to push the time limits on those.  A 2:30-2:45 bike won't hurt you.  Maybe aim for 90 minutes on those long runs.  With the half at the end of summer you can probably push the time limits (at a comfortable pace) and have it help you in the long run. 

3.  Don't become a slave to your training plan.  With weights, training and softball...your body is not going to be happy.  Don't be afraid to take a day off (and I mean do very little) every once in a while.  

4.  Each week, try to identify your KEY workouts for S, B, R portions.  While a plan is great, don't be afraid to shift things around a little so that you can enjoy life...take in a baseball game and beer, etc.  (This is key for me this year as I don't balance social life with training enough)

5.  I would recommend that you begin bricking every Saturday bike ride.  Your schedule has some bricks built in but it never hurts to do 10-15 minutes after the bike at a VERY SLOW pace.  Don't worry about time.  I know a lot of coaches who have their athletes run everytime they get off the bike.  It helps train the mind.

Other than that...you look good.   

I am not saying to swap them out for anything...just make sure you get them in.  Your long rides and runs (typically saturday and sunday) are essential to training.

All I was suggesting is to run for about 10 minutes after the bike.  I wouldn't swap anything out.  I never have that on my schedule but will just do it.  10-15 minutes at an easy pace isn't going to make or break your plan. 

If Sunday is a difficult day then focus only on the run.  You could occasionally drop your swim on most of those days and still be ok.   

Hey all.  I'm alive, but work has been crazy and then I had a race on Sunday.  Posted my race report. Race went well and it was a nice tune up for St. A's.

Had a swim in my wetsuit tonight, trying to figure out how to make the neck more comfortable, suit is loose so it's not a too tight problem, but it hits me right at my neck and makes it uncomfortable.