RunningJayhawk's Mentor Nest - FULL! (Page 25)

I just bought my first road bike this weekend from a friend, a 2005 Jamis Quest.  It's been used only 5 times and looks brand new.  I'm still waiting for my bike shoes to arrive before I can't attempt a clipless adventure.  I won't be riding it for my next tri Aug 1st.  But I'm already thinking about doing an oly distance next year.

 

I did my first all road solo ride yesterday!  I'm feeling so brave and proud of myself - big change from the start of training where I was terrified of being on a bike off the trainer.

I rode the sprint course for my next race and most of the olympic course as well to give myself an hour and a half on the bike.  Whew - hills.  Very different from the rail trail I'm used to.

I'd planned to run this morning, but there's lightning.  guess I hear the treadmill calling...bleah.

Cheryl

Hey gang...

Hard to believe the summer is flying by so fast. I always think it's going to be relaxing but never works out that way.

I spent the month of June coaching a baseball team and working in early morning swims around game nights and fitting in the bike and run training in the heat of the day a lot of times because of the evening games. Baseball season was fun but challenging since my training plan transitioned to the Olympic distance and two-a-days are the norm.

In late June I completed my 3rd sprint triathlon but hobbled through the run portion. I injured my foot a few days prior, but my stubbornness wouldn't let me not do the race. In the end, I had an awesome swim and bike portion (was 4th out of the swim), and even with the crummy run, I still managed to finish in the top half of my age group. I ended up not doing my planned race in July because of the foot...I took about 2 weeks off from running so I could heal properly. It was a tough decision and I'm really itching to get out and race again soon.

Now there's one more race for my season. It's an Olympic distance about a month from now. I'm starting to get nervous because I know I had a setback with the foot. It's also a salt-water OWS and there's a challenging bridge on the bike course. Lots to be nervous about! But since it is a new distance to me, I'm taking the mental approach I had in my very first race in May...cross the finish line with a smile.

I had also planned to do the Houston Marathon in January 2010, but it filled within 2-1/2 days. Pretty bummed about that, so I've got my eyes open for a January-February marathon that's a relatively flat course...hoping to find one close!

That's a quick recap. I'm off to Vegas next week for some fun. I still plan on running and doing as much as I can training wise. I know it won't be exactly as the plan calls for, but I am still committed to getting in some quality workouts.

Good work to all of you who are staying in touch here and sticking with your training and races!

Sorry, Alan, that you've had a frustrating year. Your plan for the next year sounds good and you still have your "A" race...stick with it and you'll get that PR!

Cheryl- way to get those "firsts" on the bike! Good job training in the elements since race day is never a guarantee. Best wishes on Aug. 2 & 18.

Dena- cool bike! Hope you have many happy miles with it. Good luck on your race next weekend.

Missy- Way to go with your swimming workouts! I can empathize with your boredom of the same bike routes. Nik and I had a great time a few weeks ago on a weekend getaway when we had a chance to ride lots of hills. Too bad it's 4 hours away from us to do more often. And go get that 1/2 mary...I love the triathlete's shirts that say "You ran 13.1? That's my cool down!"

Margot- Looking forward to your race report. Hope all was well today. I love checking out others' experiences in their races...really gives me good motivation and a lot of times I can relate to something someone else has experienced.

Erin- hang in there with the heat. It's insane here in Texas although I can say I've acclimated very well since I've lost over 50 pounds in the last year. Last summer I died just walking to the mailbox. Now I'm doing hour-plus runs and bike sessions in 94 degree weather with insane humidity. Keep up on the hydration...it makes a huge difference. Hope your heel pain has subsided...stay on top of it! If you feel healthy enough and since you're already thinking about it, I think the full sprint is yours for the taking...since you're putting in the mileage for it anyway! The distances aren't typicaly too drastically different, so you might as well get your money's worth.

Happy Monday, all.

Margot - Congrats on your race.  I love the pictures on your race report (and your T1 goal - good luck with that )

Alan - nice goal setting.  I like the idea of your having a pool swim for your tri.  I think that sounds so reassuring when swimming is your limiter.

It's so good to hear from everybody.  This weekend I got to see my brother while he visited from San Francisco.  I was explaining that one of my training buddies lives in San Fran as well and totally confused him.  He wanted to know if Margot was flying out to Cincinnati regularly!

I ran while in Evansville and really am feeling their hills in my legs.  My goal this week going into my race is to sleep enough.  I've been scanting there - which makes my husband happier, giving us more kid-free time - but I'm dragging and not recovering well from my workouts.

Cheryl

Sorry to hear about the knee issues, Cheryl.

Great job gutting it out in your last tri, though.

I'm down to exactly 2 weeks to my first Olympic. The nerves really started going full force as soon as I registered. I plan on doing this race like I did my very first sprint...focus on finishing, not an all-out effort.

For those who have done the Olympic distance, how frequently did you take nutrition and what worked well for you? I have a pretty good idea of what my body can handle, but I'd like some kind of guideline on the timing of the nutrition.

It's also shaping up to be insanely hot on race day if the weather trend continues. We're also looking at being on the run course about 9:00-10:00am when it's already in the 90s. Ugh.

Hope everyone's training is going well and good luck to everyone racing in the next couple of weeks!