Baowolf's Mentor Group- Closed (Page 25)

Back from vaca in NOLA. Awesome time! Wore the Garmin much of the time and we walked 5 to 8 miles a day. One day, hubby wanted to go to the gym and I wanted to go run. He suggested that I run the trolley tracks in the garden district. We were on the far side of the quarter so I started out on the riverwalk, ran up Canal Street, then hit the trolley tracks. Passed the garden district and then decided to get on the trolley. Went to the temp end of the line where they were working on the tracks and then the awesome conductor Kevin suggested that anyone with comfortable shoes head over to the university area. Ran past the Tara house (the owners loved GWTW so had a house build like Tara) and the wedding cake house. Then to Loyola which is gorgeous and then Tulane is right next door. Went over to the park in front of the zoo then down some other streets in the Garden District. Grabbed the trolley back to Canal St and then headed down Bourbon Street. It was such a wonderful day. I know that breaking the run into 3 different segments isn't the best "training" but it sure was fun. And after all, our fitness is supposed to be fun.

Mike, great job on the race! Can't wait to hear your thoughts that hit you during the race.

Mitzi, have fun on the retreat.

Samantha, child you have such a beautiful way with words. I loved when you said that you were the person that watched others do inspirig things but now you have a new reality after IM. Sweetie, you certainly do have a new reality because you are inspiring as all get-out. And then reading Steve's post of your April 2011, oh my! You have worked hard, you have trained hard, and you had the best mentor. Both of you are inspirations.

June's totals
Run: 16h 16m - 83 Mi
Strength: 4h 20m
NOLA non-run miles: 28.3 miles

Night, All.

Edited by Pink Socks 2013-06-30 10:10 PM

June totals:
Swim: 15250
Bike: 123 & another 6hrs 45 min on the trainer
Run: 56
Strength: 2 hr

Pam, I think it's great that you incorporated all that walking and running on your vacay! Hope it wasn't cross-canceled by a bunch of beneighs and po-boy sandwiches! Lol. Great town. Typical southern weather? I ran my first half marathon with Team In Training there in '09. Super fun. Good run miles this month!

Have to go back and ck everyone's totals. .

Elena, not too much bad food but lots of bad liquid calories. If you ever do another race in NOLA, please let me know. I'm sure that it wouldn't take a lot of arm twisting for me to join you.

Took today off to do the fun stuff after a vaca - laundry, groceries, etc. Going to go soon to pick up my puppy from boarding and I can't wait to see the guy. Our house doesn't feel normal without Fisher.

Trying to work intervals back into my training. Just got back from 4 * .5 miles. I'm gassed. Was pleased tho because they were better than I thought - 7:59, 7:43, 7:47, and 7:28. I don't look at my watch while doing them and so was thrilled to see the time. 'Course I had perfect weather since it was 6:30 am and it had just rained so the temp was in the 70s versus the 90s.

Have a good day everyone.

Yesterday was a mixed bag. The swim was a real downer as it was as brutally cold a swim as I've ever done. Despite having going in before we started, the shock of the water was very difficult to deal with. Announced water temp of 60 was widely derided as a lie, and most thought it was upper 50's at best.

Bike was super fun. Only issue was the number of folks on the course who were not clear on the 'stay right' concept, and were also riding side by side. The 'novice' wave went second, and I was in the fourth wave, so there were lots of folks riding who were not so sure what they needed to be doing. Worst was a guy zig-zagging up a hill, nearly taking out 2 or 3 other bikers when he either didn't hear the 'on your left' shouts or he just ignored them. Saw several people pass over the yellow line, which is a DQ offense, but given the bike traffic was the only safe thing to do. I don't begrudge a single person for being out there and trying, I think its fantastic, but the RD needs to emphasize proper bike etiquette on the course. I averaged 19.95 MPH on the bike, and SO wanted to get 20!

The run was better than last race, but still not great. Was very slow (the weather was brutal, even at 9 AM. Humid & hot beyond belief for that time of the day). I did more running than walking, but the usual BS of injury, lack of training, and most apparent of all, near total lack of mental toughness made it a disappointing last leg. I just really need to get a major dose of HTFU, and get on with it. Geez, it was so frustrating. I always feel in these races that "I'm better than this!" but I never seem to get that extra step ahead. I thought about it yesterday and its very apparent that for me 90% of the run is half mental. (Thanks, Yogi! ;^)). The run ended on a positive note as about 1/4 mile from the finish I encouraged a guy who was walking to run in with me, which he did. And in the finish chute, some other guy tried to pass me in the last 50 yards, but I wasn't going to let it happen and just ran as flat out as I could to make sure I made it in ahead. Hey, its still a race, even to us MOP'ers. Looking back on my AG stats, my swim was top 12%, bike top 33%, and run was bottom 10%. Wonder where I need to work??

I left the race under a dark cloud, thinking I can't run, need to shut it down, not doing any more races, need to reassess what I'm doing, need to rething doing triathlon, wondering what I could get for my stuff on Craigslist, etc. Luckily the short ride from transition back to my house was a good time to relax. Plus, my wife, who is much more level headed and rational about things, talked me off the ledge, and gave me some perspective which was helpful.

So, I'm still doing my 2 remaining races, I need to get some mental toughnss, and I really need to run with some sort of regularity, even if its short distance. In all honesty, I've not run wtih any consistency in about 3 months, so why am i beating myself up about it? Yes, my left hammy is a problem, but nothing that should stop me from trying. Sheesh, as fun as this sport can be, it can be a handful at times. I don't think I was too discouraged, though, as I still managed to get up early to day and go to Masters swim, where I managed a rather tired 2750 yards. I could use a nap.

Edited by Mike_D 2013-07-01 8:40 AM

June totals:

Swim: 3h 24m 33s - 11852 Yd
Bike: 10h 59m - 194.95 Mi
Run: 6h 06m 15s - 33.82 Mi
Kayaking: 1h 00m

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! Steve, do you have a race scheduled? #'s are fantastic!

Hey Mike, really liked your honest assessment of your race and what you want/need to work on. Frustrating re: the lack of bike etiquette. I would fault the race director more for sending the first timer wave off before others with more experience. Just doesn't seem like a good way to do that for either group.

Pam, welcome back!!!! So glad you had a good time in NO! Only been through there, but sounds like we need to actually stop sometime. Good for you for moving a lot to offset those liquid calories .

Mitzi, your retreat sounds lovely! I hope you are having a relaxing time and that you ditched the computer for a while. Long walks sound like a great idea!

Steve, nice totals....you're officially back! Very happy for you.

Samantha, you out there? How's the recovery?

Did my first brick in a LONG time this morning. Forgot how tiring those are. Got it done though, and I think between that and the OWS yesterday, I'll likely survive the tri in a couple weeks. 500 yd swim 17 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. Will not be fast, but I plan to have fun with friends and collect my Disco tri top and Disco visor . Really wanting to take my bike on our trip to Ruidoso. Not sure how the roads are for riding there, but I have always dreamed of riding my bike in such a beautiful place. Will have to see how it all fits in the CR-V. Ha, I've been having thoughts of how to get some movement in on the long car trip. I guess it would be weird to take off riding from a gas station stop and have hubby catch me in the car and pick me up and press on?

This group constantly hits the nail on the head. Samantha and Steve's words the other day had me crying and then now, Mike you are singing my song. NEAR TOTAL LACK OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS - Oh Goodness, been there, done that, and you have just put into words why I don't have a tri on the books right now. I've been trying to figure it out and that's it. But my bad areas are in the beginning (like bottom 5% in the swim and bottom 1% in the bike) so by the time I get to the run, I'm mad, pissed, humiliated, kicking my butt, and so mentally out of it.

But Mike you said it right. I used to think these sports were about physical abilities and training but it's the mental that takes us down faster than anything. So glad that your wife calmed you down. You are a great triathlete and should continue. The run will come. Follow Steve's advise of 5x a week.

Carol, I will pay to watch that situation with you running (or biking) off from the gas station and then your husband picking you up. lol. I actually had those thoughts coming home this weekend when the traffic was backed up in Mobile and I went 3 miles in about an hour. I was thinking that I could have just run and been ahead of everyone.

Steve, you are definitely back! Those are killer numbers. Killer. You are going to do a lot more than survive Tahoe. Can't wait to stalk you in that race.

Found this article today about the mental side of running, and it really made sense to me, and provided some much needed perspective. Its a quick read, but does a nice job of addressing some of the things I was talking about. YMMV, of course

http://www.running.net/read_feature/what-mental-toughness

Edited by ironjim 2013-07-01 1:37 PM

Here are my totals for the month!

Went on an awesome 30 mile ride with Mitch yesterday, our first ride together in over a year! Nice to have my training partner back!! 

Edited by ironjim 2013-07-01 2:22 PM

The rare, but amazing, triple post!

I think Jim is onto something! If I post my miles 3 times, can I triple them? Seriously, glad to hear that Jim and Mitch are training together again. Good training buddies are hard to find.

Sorry guys, don't know how that happened!! Computer getting excited to be posting in forum I guess!!

Mike- Congrats on the race! Keep it up man!

Steve- Wow your monthly results made mine blush with embarassment!!!

First OFF! Thanks for the responses about goals and making triathlons a lifestyle change! I am really enjoying it!

Second here is my results for this month.
Swim: 3h 00m - 5900 Yd
Bike: 7h 37m 45s - 132.23 Mi
Run: 2h 54m 28s - 22.32 M

Thirdly I had my race this week and I finished with a time of 1: 50:52. My Swim split for the 1/2 mile was 19: 25, my bike split for 20 miles was 1:01:36/ 19.48 mph but the run was pathetic!!!!!! I finished the run with a 27:58, 8:44 per mile.

My swim was great and I felt in control and very relaxed which was a lot different from my first Tri. The bike had a terrible amount of hills, which I must have pushed really to hard because when I made my bike to run transition I started feeling a soft cramp in my left calf. By the time I hit 2 tenths of a mile I was fighting a full on cramp. My first mile was over 10 Minutes! Finally the cramp eased down and I could get in a comfortable rhythm. I still tried to finish strong, and I had an incredible Time!!!! I love Triathlons!!!! If I just would not have had that cramp! !!!

Its Monday and My calves are still sore. It feels like that they are just knotted up or something.

So what happened? Nutrition or dehydration problem? Poor pedaling
technique? Bike fit issues?
any suggestions would be great, because I was having a great race and would have finished 2nd in my age group if it wasnt for the cramps.

Pathetic? I'm willing to swap run times.

Steve – The 400 intervals were just fun because I’ve felt a bit stale on runs. So nice to feel the feet move faster. Although I like your idea about the 800 repeats and being able to get a real LT reading.

Carol – Nice job braving the open water.

Pam – Way to live it up and get those WO’s in!

Mike – You bike speed is pretty awesome. I can understand your frustration with wanting to finish a race strong. Just remember that if you were competing against yourself from last year, you win!

Jared – Excellent race, I would take those times, cramp and all.

June numbers look good considering the bike problems. I would say the bike is my biggest drag with a long of 30 and underwhelming volume numbers. Nice improvement in run base, swim is pretty solid where it is.

JUNE
Swim 10550 yards 4h 53m
Bike 84.03 Mi 5h49m34s
Run 70.91Mi 12h09m36s

In my race last year...I cramped because I didn't take in anything on the bike...by the time I realized I needed a gel, it was too late? How was your nutrition on the bike?? BTW, 8:44 isn't pathetic...you have to realize that you swam and biked...you can't expect your usual run numbers!

Here are my numbers for June...pretty aggrivated but not surprised. Good news is I only have a few more weeks of this working 60+ hour nonsense for our family vacation...then its on me. I need to get up early to train but when you work 7A-11P and don't sleep until 1AM...4AM just comes too fast...that's just reality right now.

Swim: 27m 15s - 6150 Yd

Bike: 4h 35m 03s - 61.1 Mi

Run: 2h 27m 01s - 15.72 Mi

Strength: 1h 30m

Elliptical Training: 1h 05m

Plyometrics: 15m

Mike, 33 miles a month in the run is not gona make you fast 8), has nothing to do with your ability in the run you just need to get more of it in consistently. Coming back from injury sucks, it just does. However, it is way easier for you to fix your run than for me to fix my swim and your bike was very nice indeed. Mike you are faster than this, you just need to get back in shape. It is gona take some time.

Pam nice 1/2 mile repeats, next week you get to do x 5......

Elena yes, I am trying to get in shape for IM Tahoe in Sept. I should be able to do it if I don't tweak myself at all in the build. Not ideal going from no real base fitness to IM in 22 weeks. The build is taking a lot out of me and the speed just isn't there.

With correct training, you don't have to be as mentally tough to finish the race well. Samantha had the training in place, nailed her paces and finished her last 5 miles faster than her first 5 miles on the run. Real life does get in the way, but the better you can prepare for the race the less mentally tough you need to be on race day. Pam, you have mental toughness on the run, I think the other two events are just training, technique and gaining confidence. You don't get confidence until you see yourself improving. Those 1/2 mile repeats are definitely nice. If you were to get your run fitness up solid that is a 3:50 marathon that you are capable of right now!

Those are some decent times there : 1: 50:52. My Swim split for the 1/2 mile was 19: 25, my bike split for 20 miles was 1:01:36/ 19.48 mph but the run was pathetic!!!!!! I finished the run with a 27:58, 8:44 per mile. A very solid race to build on, but very respectable. Did you pull up on the pedals while going up the hills? It could be that you just cooked the bike too much which resulted in the calf cramping. How many bricks did you do in training? If you do a brick once a week 6 weeks out or so from your event you can get your legs used to running off the bike. I would stretch the calves daily as a preventative measure and beat them up with a marathon stick as needed.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-07-01 5:48 PM

I just signed up to be a volunteer at IMAZ!! I will be registering myself (and Mitch if you are still allowed to sign up a friend) for 2014!!

You will have to tell me how the IM AZ course is I want to hit it some day to get a fast IM time. Tahoe at 6300 to 7300 feet of elevation and 2x 1000+ foot hill to climb twice, the course is probably 60 to 90 minutes slower than CDA. I should have a fair amount of endurance for Tahoe, but my speed is just not coming back anytime soon. Still 2 months to go though, we shall see. My time on the 10 mile hill I did on Sat was 10 minutes slower than it was in the fall. I am going to have to be hitting that hill more, just not this week as my calves got pretty cooked this week.

By the way I am going with the sleeveless wetsuit at Tahoe to try to keep the arms fresh longer. The Xtera one was only $127 + tax free shipping with the BT discount on the banner above. That is a pretty decent price.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-07-01 6:01 PM

Jay- I took in some water and gatorade mix after 1 mile, then took a gel at the 7 mile marker, and took another gel and the 17 mile marker. I started feeling the cramp around 15.

Steve- Yep, I was pulling hard on the hill trying to keep up pace. Did not even think about that, thats why your our mentor!!!!! I guess pulling up on the pedals on the many hills caused my toes to stay pointed down which made my calves stay contracted through most of the bike. Then when I hit the first hill at beginning of the run thats when the cramp came on.
What can I do in the future on the bike to keep that from happening. just try to stay more balanced?

Thank yal for the posts!

My calves are still so sore when I walk. Is there any training or anything that I can do why I am waiting for them to heal.