stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 252)

NEIL -

Sheesh! ASI was a bit stingey with the photos, huh?

STILL! The ones of you are good, and I REALLY hope you've ordered a poster-sized one of you on the bike with a big old saguaro looming in the background. That is an awesome photo!!

LISA -

Before getting to triathlons and off-seasons and 2011 schedules and stuff, I've got to comment on Roo and Ryan. Only about ten minutes ago, finishing a walk with Luna, I was thinking about how Roo was working out for you; I hadn't heard mention in well over a month.

Back at the beginning, you went through a tough spell with Ryan's reaction towards Roo, especially his hostility. Initially I was surprised at that (Ryan's hostility).........but then I began to think that that is likely how it will go with me when Luna dies AND if Lynn wants to get a new dog too soon AND the new dog is not everything that Luna is. I just think I will need quite a bit of time to "mourn", and to this is added my tendency to really respond poorly to dramatic change; it will just make it hard for me to fully "accept" a new dog into my life until I am completely ready (and god knows how long that might take).

An additional fear about this is having to deal with the guilt if I didn't/couldn't/wouldn't treat the new dog with the love I knew it deserved --- and that normally I am fully willing to give. I don't know if Ryan felt guilty about those first few weeks with Roo, but seeing as how I can feel guilty at the drop of a hat, that would be a big emotion to have to deal with!

ANYHOW, I am very pleased for the three of you that it has all worked out, and seems to be getting better and better and better. I'm looking forward to the day I can meet the wondrous Roo!

LISA again -

Okay, non-tri stuff has been covered, so onwards to part one of a few.

About you!!! My, aren't we a bit secretive about our USAT Rankings position! Are you trying to be coy, or merely humble? I cannot fathom that you aren't paying attention, but if by some wild chance that's the case, well, have yourself a look!

What is really great about your results is the progression they show over the course of the season. In order, you were 77.59, 77.77, 84.93, 86.59.......and then the perfectly understandable just-did-LOO-two weeks ago 79.59 -- which, FWIW, is a higher score than any I received this season! Those are just such a fine testimony to how hard you worked and how solidly you grew as the season progressed.........wow.

To be sitting at 143/4125 is also wow. (No, make that WOW!!!!!) It's probably about comparably where I am in my "depleted" a.g., but the diff is that I will probably have too many guys drop off due to less than 3 races to keep me in the top 5%, whereas I think you will not have that much drop-off, thus keeping you in the upper 5%. At least, I sure hope that's it shakes down for you!

No surprises, but looking through the first two pages of your a.g., only a couple of names (probably FeXY!) rang a bell with me, whereas I have spent so much time over the years studying names of my peers that, well, at times I feel I one short step from sharing intimacies with them.

I love those USAT Rankings, but now is the time to just sit and wait.....and wait.....and wait......and wait some more. Last year it wasn't until early March that things got finalized, and I hope this year it's much quicker. Right now there are only 12 guys with <3 races above me, and several of them will meet the limit, so I'm likely going to only climb up a few spots, if that (given that a few guys just below me might strike it rich with their late races).

And how's THIS for an irony! For all the angst I experienced with my flat at West Point........those results aren't tabulated yet! This is the first year they had USAT sanctioning, and they had all sorts of troubles with getting the results right and figuring out who was USAT and who wasn't (it wasn't an option on the registration form). My wondering now is whether they will even submit their results to USAT, given the kerfuffles. Now, had I not flatted and had the race I thought I was prepared for.........I would be going nuts right now waiting for the results to be tabulated, and worried silly that they weren't going to be included at all. But now? Who cares? (Of course, I really do, given how many people probably compete with the rankings in mind.)

Onwards!




Edited by stevebradley 2010-12-06 3:38 PM

LISA once more -

Thrilled to hear you loveloveLOVE A.R.T.! I went to Tina last week about a crepitating shoulder, the one that was separated in thr crash and which began crpitating and hurting a couple of weeks ago as a result of -- I am 100% serious about this! -- steel-wooling a banister and, three days later, sanding a cabinet door. I even felt it hurting two days ago, using the ice-scraper on my front car window. I am fine with swimming (WHEW!!!), but have troubles with dumbeell flys).

But I digress. (And to digress further, Tina, whom you met at LP, is retiring from massage/A.R.T. within three years, just because of the number it's worked on her body. She told me that many massage therapists are out of it within five years, and this is aboutnine for her. She is currently studying human resources, part time, and when that's all finished, so too will she be with her practice. That'll be a blow. It's bad enough that our GP is retiring in less than three weeks and we are scrambling to find a replacement (serious doc shortage in eastern Ontario) -- I can't imagine life without Tina's ministrations.

As for off-seasons.......

I'm still diddling around with mine. I'm doing it one-discipline-at-a-time.....sort of.
For the bike, my last outside ride was Oct 24, then I went bikeless for 29 days before starting back with the trainer. Since then I have had eight sessions, averaging about 55 minutes.
For the run, the bunion and genrally foot mess-ups have had me run twice since Oct 29 -- 45' on Nov 3, then 35' on Nov 13. I guess it's now 3+ weeks since the last run, and I hope to make it to four before "giving in". (I see my sports doc next Tuesday, so maybe I ought to aim to make it up that far.) I have a 10km race on the 31st and I probably should get primed for that, but given the date it's not a time that is at all likely to be conducive to a full effort anyhow. So, maybe I'm just in it for the swag (nice running jacket!), and run it the best I can, conditions allowing.
For the swim, no real off-season yet. I last swam OW on Oct 13, then eight days later I was back in the pools. Since then I've been in the pool 25 times, but each swim has only been about 32 minutes fo actual swimming time. So, maybe those eight days in Oct were my swim off-season, to which I can generously add the next four days until my second pool swim. And given that the first swim was only about 24 minutes, heck, that shouldn't even count......so my swim off-season can be considered a whole 12 days. Righteous, or what?!?
I'm in the gym 3/4 times a week, and trying to commit to Pilates at home. And there is my off-season, thus far.

As for schedules.........well........I'm be back in a while with thoughts about mine. But as for you, your schedule looks great!!















Edited by stevebradley 2010-12-06 10:19 AM

LISA, little later -

Ho, ho! The light just went on over my head as I was thinking about your schedule. Correct me if I'm wrong (and slap me upside the head if it's none of my business....), but........is it possible.......that you've created such a monster schedule.........because you are maybe thinking of....uh.....doing something else for the next few years.......as you've mentioned here previously?

?

As for the "monster" part, though, that's not in a bad sense -- it's just that you have three uniquely major challenges, any one of which is beyond the scope of most average mortals. But seeing as how we know you're not just another average mortal, it all makes sense. And, thinking about it right now, I'm not even counting the marathon there, which is pretty much another day at the office for you, yes?

Anyhow, I just wanted to float my idea --- kinda curious as to the response I get!

(And, of course, hoping for a response sooner than later; you are conspicuous in your absence, sad to say! )

Hi gang,

we have been qiuet lately.

For me, I have been focusing on the run only this month.  I want to get on the bike, but I promised myself a month off then I can hit it hard in January.  Regarding running, I seem to be making some imporvements and having more fun.  I have abandoned the LSD thing, at least for now.  I went back and looked at logs and I am actually running slower than I was 2 years ago.  I think its time for me to get back to more solid efforts.  In my "rebuilding" phase I am up to 9mm pace for 8 miles so thats good.  It was still an easier effort, just not a 140bpm easy effort.  I guess you can read that has frustrated me. Just trying something new this cycle I guess...we'll see.

Looks like I may have a new bike soon.  I am contemplating either frame repair via Calfee or crash replacement.  QRoo is offering me the 2011 CD01 frameset for 1500  or I can have Calfee repair for aprox $750 total cost after shipping, rebuild, etc.

so its $750 or $1500 for the latest and greatest.  that is the decision.



OR

oh the crash...

actually i walked the bike over to the parking garage post IM and put it on the rack, with 20 ft cielings everything was great, until I got to the first floor...still high cielings but I wasn't paying attention and hit that chain thing that says what the clearance is.  Frustrating in that there was 20ft ceilings and the clearance sign was actually the lowest thing.  ughhhh

so now I am paying $ attention.

NEIL -

That is awful, and all the more support for my insistence to never have my bike outside my car - either on back or up top. I have spent all of my tri years driving smaller Ford wagons, first the Escort and now the Focus, and while the bike has always fit in okay, when I'm carrying lots of stuff it can get crowded in the car. Lisa and Jess have both seen the crammed chaos in which I travel to races, and while it may not be pretty, mostly it works okay.

It's good that you have options, and given the cost of frame replacement from QR or repair from Calfee, it might be tough to spring for a new bike - especially the one you have posted. What would that be -- about $3000? And, are you on a pure carbon-fiber bike now? I don't know how well carbon repairs, but if it's aluminum, I've been told that even small cracks are very difficult to fix properly -welding is dicey, and the integrity of the material might never be the same. That is what led my to buy the P2C in '08 when a cracked formed low in the seat post of my P2K -- my LBS couldn't find anyone who was comfortable trying to weld it, and the going rate would've been around $500. But all the above is moot if what you have a carbon-fiber. In that case, I don't know what all is involved!

Nice execution so far of the re-tooled running plan! Most people will say that swimming and cycling and running slowly will train you only to swim and bike and run slow, so it's good to get away from a steady diet of LSD runs. If you are already making serious inroads back to where you were two years ago, it sounds like you're on to something. Halleloo!

LISA -

We're getting some snow, but not as much as west of us, or east of us, or........

But it's just seeming too cold, and I'm not happy with that. As for St. George, that was a fleeting fantasy that I disabused myself of pretty quickly. I would like to think I can train heavily enough in the winter just to be ready for one of the April HIM, such as New Orleans or Memorial Hermann 70.3s, but as I have said many times, that is no guarantee!

I remain psychologically stricken by my ability to train and/or healthily do the longer stuff. There was the let-down from training so well for Kiawah Marathon in fall '09, and then having to bail on it when my ITB acted up ten days out from it. Then there was this early fall's training for the half-marathon, and while I was thrilled by going 1:37, my feet suffered afterwards with the hunion issue and other nerve-type worries. Granted, I trained AND competed healthily with Mighty Man HIM in '09 and Half Vermont HIM this past season, but I just don't know if I'm ignoring fairly obvious signs to stick to the olys and sprints.

Speaking of which........
Lake George Triathlon has now become a "festival", with the oly on Saturday and a new HIM - Big George Triathlon - on Sunday. What is especially good about this is that the race has moved from the third weekend in Sept to the first weekend, which means that I won't miss it due to our proposed trip to Newfoundland. I would love to do Big George, but for now will just be content with the possibility of "just" the original and wondefully challenging oly. The only drawback to the new date is that it's on Labor Day weekend, which makes border crossings more hellacious than usual.

And belated happy birthday to Ryan!!

NEIL and LISA again -



Either of you seen Jess or Mindy?

It's been about seven months since Patty was last here. I hope she is well.

Nathan? Trevor? Two more people I miss!

So it goes?

Woot! So happy to see this place still alive and well!

I've been busy with work/entrepreneurship and now that I'm out of the Army and running my own business, I've been obsessed with the bottom line...you know how that goes.

Last project was an iPhone game: http://santastrike.comand that's what I've spent most of my days doing. Fun, but I miss triathlon.

So I've managed to get the running bug back, and I've been running 3-5 days/week in small chunks, but I'm still waiting to get the tri-bug back. Haven't been on the road in some time, and the local pool closed up shop, so I've been stuck on that front.

However, once the holidays are over, the family and I are moving to Tampa (I'm trying for Mexico or Spain, but my wife isn't having it ) and I should be able to get back on track.

That's enough about me, I'm going to spend some time going back through here and learn more about what you've been up to  

Ok, so Neil is looking like a monster in his new pic, and Lisa's race schedule has me thinking hard about 2011...I'm glad I found my way back.

NATHAN -

INCREDIBLY glad to hear from you, for any number of reasons. "Woot" is right!

Yup, we're still alive.......but struggling, it seems, and need an infusion of new/old blood. If you look at the last three pages of posts, they might incorporate about two months; we seem to have flowed to a trickle. Up until mid-November, we were five-strong - me, Mindy, Lisa, Neil, and Jess. Along about then Mindy disappeared, and it now seems about two weeks Jess-less.

Speaking of Jess, she had a great day at Philadelphia Marathon, and has signed up for Ironman Louisville, where Lisa had a phenomenal race in August. She is doing IMLP next July. And keeping on the iron theme, Neil did well in the high winds of Ironman Arizona, but is not following up with another next year, choosing to focus more on half-irons and olys. I had a good season focusing on olys, with a half-iron thrown in for good measure. Jess did the same race, so i got to see here again, and I also saw Lisa at Columbia in May. Mindy devoted the year to runs, doing a couple of good half-marathons, but like most people south of the Mason-Dixon Line, got annihilated by the prevailing and oppressive heat of the past summer. Along with IMLOO, Lisa did a 50-miler in mid Nov, and is aiming for Triple-T Ohio next year, plus Savageman, in addition to IMLP. No Eagleman for either Jess or Lisa next year. (By the waym they looked for you there, but......)

I'm glad to hear you're getting back in the swing of things, that the bug is biting you. You were very keen and devoted in '09, but then life's little demands seem to chew you up. But it sounds like you're on top of life, and a move to Tampa can't be all that bad. At the very least, it's year-round outdoors ttraining, if ya want it!

I sure hope we can keep it going here, and the next month or so will maybe give some indication. For my part, i will be here as long as I'm not the only one --- and maybe even then, if it comes to that! But Jess has a high-powered new job, and Lisa has a high-powered new dog, and everyone seems to be quite devoted to Facebook, and it's the off-season, and....and....and......?

Anyhow, stay in touch; you've been missed! Have a sweet holiday, and I hope the actual moving process is stress-free. Bye for now!








Edited by stevebradley 2010-12-19 2:08 PM

Steve!

I'm still here, never fear I get the email updates, so whenever anyone updates, I automatically read it.

Not much to report though. Basically just enjoying my self-imposed off-season. I've been running 3-4 miles a couple times a week, and have been lifting pretty regularly. Mark and I bought a medicine ball and resistance bands, so we've been using them a lot around the house. I got in the pool for the first time since August this week, which was fun.  I am seeing a lot of toning from my lifting/medicine ball, which is good.

Anyway, I will be super ready for real training again in January/February. I think a 30 week IMLou plan starts in February? Not sure how I'll incorporate Eman... We'll see!

Nathan! So good to hear from you Good luck with the move!

JESS -

I ALWAYS fear! When things are slow here, I figure this has just become an albatross around your necks -- something old that once had value, but no longer does. I've even thought about just shutting it down and relieving you all of the obligation/duty to check in here every so often.......but I'll keep it going until there is no one left to talk to except myself!

ANYHOW, in the curious way that things work, moments before logging on here I checked my email and saw a notice from HFP Racing (the Triple-T people) announcing a new tri for next Sept 25 -- Jersey Shore International Triathlon. It will start at the coast guard station at Sandy hook, and end up at Long Branch -- your turf, right? Isn't that the stomping ground for the Sandy Hookers, with races out of both places?

My first thought was uh-oh for the Sandy Hookers, but not only are their races in the summer, but they're shorter distances, yes? So, I hope this only helps them, and proves to be a win-win for the area's triathletes overall. HFP is based out of Ohio, and for a real long time have run a successful and inexpensive race series out there. They were the creators, too, of what is now Racine70.3; I think they sold that race about three years ago. The RD, Shannon Kurek, is supposedly a super guy, so that might be one for you to look at as your first post-IMLOO race. Lisa will learn lots about Shannon as she progresses through Triple-T in May!

Speaking of inexpensive races, sigh.......
There is a new oly in Newburgh, NY, for next Aug 22. It sounds great, and when I went to Active to check fees I was surprised to see $175 for individuals,a nd then below it $75 next to relays. So I wrote the RD, figuring the two had gotten switched, and he wrote back to say nope, that relay people are $75 each. I then wrote him and said that $175 sounded high, that Lake George and Fronhofer and Harryman olys are all $100 or less. He then responded that with NYC at $300, he figures he's in the mid-range. Well, I guess he is, technically, but still -- $175 for a first-time race?? I hope he does well, and if I'm feeling real flush next year and have nothing better to do at that time, I might do it -- the course is pretty damn nice. But here is another case where race feees are getting jacked-up disproportionately high, and it is just annoying. At least for Triple-T, that is still a HUGE bargain -- a super-sprint, two olys, and a half-iron, all for $200. Can't beat that!

Good on enjoying re-entry to the pool, and also for making use of the ball and resistance bands. I just ordered a bunch of new parts for my long-neglected Vasa trainer (the original), not the erg system, so hopefully I will be getting some decent use out of that. Otherwise, i am on the bike on the trainer 3-4x a week, in the pool 3-5x, and at the gym ~3x. I am returning to running, with the bunion doing well and the neuroma stuff kinda sorta okay, but still a caution. I have a 10km on New Years Eve, but don't know how ready I'll be for it. On the other hand, there is a 79% chance that footing for it will be borderline-lousy, so it's ahrdly the situation from which PRs are created!

Thanks for checking back, and regards to Mark -- give him a big old kiss on the cheek from me!

Well, even though frequency of post has died down, it's amazing that you've made it this far. 300+ pages, if I remember right? Wow.

Really glad to see that everyone has been working so hard. Motivation for me to get back on my game (took a long run last night in sub-freezing temps, felt great). Sadly, I didn't make it to EM because I'd taken the year off, which was a very difficult decision for me. I gave a lot of money to the NCTS and to various Ironman organizations in 2010

For me, having to balance life, work, family, and triathlon is difficult. Perhaps I tried to do too much in 2009, coming back from Afghanistan with a chip on my shoulder and something to prove. I think what did me in though was not doing too much, but working so very hard and then falling flat at Augusta. I don't like failure, and Augusta left a very sour taste in my mouth.

I'm also extremely competitive, and I don't like doing something if I can't do it well, which is why I'm often inclined to do too much or none at all. Personality flaw probably, but it is what it is.

We had our 3rd child on March 17th, Noah Jeffrey, and he's been a blessing. That being said, 3 kids can keep you quite busy! It's been interesting, to say the least. I often wish I would've found triathlon before I'd become an old family man

Anyway, when I saw this place was still here, I was relieved. I need the conversation, and I'm as far from a Facebook person as you can be, so I'll do my best to keep it lively over here.  

Nathan,Welcome back!With three kids a treadmill and a trainer is probably well worth the $.

NATHAN -

The things you mention - a sub-par race (Augusta, for you), being too competitive - in the middle of your last past are common are common demons for many of us. I wish I had an easy answer for you on how to work through them......but I don't.

For me, sub-par races are best worked-through by getting back at it ASAP. My last race that way was my last race in '08, where I was DNF due to a flat on the bike. That race was strictly for the sake of USAT points, and once I flatted and couldn't fix it quickly, I saw those points just vaporize. And then along came the sag wagon, and given that I went into the race with a minor injury that it didn't make sense to aggravate (for nothing), I hoped on board and took the ride back to transition --- and beat a hasty retreat. But that sure gnawed at me, going about eight months until my next race! Plus, there was all that work that went into the season, right up to that One Final Race.......and then it was gone. Grrr!

As for competitiveness, I can't imagine doing triathlons if I seriously lost my chops in any one discipline. In other words, I can't see doing them if I'm not truly competitive. I used to think what I loved best about tri was the camaraderie and all, but that just wouldn't cut it if I couldn't race as well as I thought I was able, or in fact once was able. So, in a way, that's a sping on your attitude of not really wanting to do something if you can't do it well.

As for you becoming an "old family man", take solace from me, who didn't start triathlons until I was 50. Well before YOU are fifty, the kids will be old enough so that you will have ample time to train extensively, and then a few years after that they'll've flown the coop and you'll REALLY have time to train! Until then, I'm guessing that you'll figure out ways to get in enough decent training to allow you a few good, strong races each season. They may be shorter ones, sprints and olys, but there is so much to be said for those -- relatively inexpensive, don't chew up a ton of training time that should (maybe) be family time, and the race experience is over quickly, thus allowing you time to get back home and attend to things on the "honey-do" (as you once referred to it!) list. And as you know, I'm a big advocate of the benefits of working one's way up through the distances, developing the speed and endurance and experience to make those longer distances more potentially successful when they happen. (Of course, I wasn't quite so patient myself, which is one reason why I have "retreated" over the past 2 or 3 years to mostly sprints and olys, just so as to work on speed and learn how it feels to really push myself at the shorter distances.) ANYHOW, there's another justification for you doing whatever training you can, and enjoy the heck out of sprints and olys!

So, "old family man", there is old and then there is OLD --- and you ain't there yet. But when you do get there, it'll be a whole different world, but probably every bit as fabulous for you as it'ds been for me.

Mostly, though, for now, enjoy having those kids around you! Jane is going to be 27 in April and Peter turned 24 two days ago........and not too many days go by without me thinking how wonderful it was when they really were just kids. People say that the years fly by and one should enjoy the kids as much as possible --- and that is oh-so-true. It doesn't mean that one should put their life on hold for 18 years or so, but all I'm saying is that you're very, very fortunate to be facing Christmas in a few days with THREE wee sprouts that will love every moment of it. Have a blast with it and them and your wife!

Finally, congrats on the long run in the cold -- if you can do that with a big old grin on your face, then I'd say the motivation is coming back in leaps and bounds!

PEOPLES!

Have good holidays, one and all, eh? We're off very early tomorrow morning, and won't be home until Sunday evening. Not that I will be missed or anything, but just so that you know!

Enjoy the family frolics!