stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 254)

MINDY -

Aw, the return to reality from nirvana......must be a bit tough, eh? At least you've had a wonderful there, taking it all slow and easy while the rest of the world is scrambling to get from Point A to Point B.

I've done okay with eating during the holidays. last weekend was a stern test, but I tried to be a good boy and gained barely a pound. This weekend Lynn is away on a 4-day cross-country ski trip with canoe club friends, so seeing as how there is no one to eat with.....I'm only eating whenever the stomach starts growling. But yesterday morning i was 172 and this morning 173, and that with the 10km race last night during which I figured I would at least break-even weightwise, so who knows how this all works.

Again, very happy for you that the holidays went so contentedly!

LISA -

What's even funnier is that he keeps a residence in Ontario (albeit about four hours from me) --- he must be the glue that binds us together!

Anyhow, he seesm like a really good guy, and I'm glad you are planning to get back to him. He is hoping for some workou partners, but is very leery about FeXY, having read the blurb on the website that says something like "For FAST guys and gals" and feeling 228% certain that doesn't include him. I told him about Reston Runners and RATS.....and that's probably the gist of his PM to you.

Also, I just invoked your name to another member of that group, this one a woman doing doing her first two HIM in '11. One is Vineman, the other Soma, and she is slightly worried about the likely hot runs at both. So, I took it upon me to tell your story leading up to LOO, which involved you realizing that EVERYONE hates the heat, and rather than grouse and worry about you, you might as well meet it head-on, and so you did your long runs in the middle of the afternoon rather than the mornings, and the end result was a sterling sub-4 marathon. (Was it about 3:50 or so? Guess I should check!) Anyhow, I hope you don't mind me using you as a case study in Mental Toughness, which as it often does, resluted in Physical Toughness on race day!

I was also thinking about you about 40 minutes ago, as the Giants' season ended. I am sorry about that, i know they matter to you. And what especially galls me about them being out is that the damnable Jets are in. I hate the Jets! Although, having said that, i think Rex Ryan was really abused by the press concerning his wife's feet. A good 80% of the guys grilling him probably love seeing women with nice legs and feet wearing heels, and it's just not at all like he was live-trapping chipmunks and pulling their whiskers out one by one. His mistake was either not calling them hypocrites right at the outset of the conference, or even better -- telling them to eff off.

But does all that relaly change my feelings about the Jets? Nope! And do I truly like Rex Ryan? Nope! And do I wnat the Jets to lose 98-10 next week? YUP!

ANYHOW....sorry about the Giants! (And it's really awful when an 8-8 (St.L.) or 7-9 (Seat.) team will be in the playoffs instead. This further supports my opinion that football would be best-served by having tow big conferences without any divisions, and the best six make the playoffs. Period!)

Sorry, too, that you were so beste with the flu! That sounds well beyond nasty, and I sure hope the worst is behind you. Let's see, you wrote that this morning.....are you still managing to get progressively better?

Get healthy, and stay in touch!

Oh man, Lisa - that's super scary. I hope you're feeling better now. Don't worry about missed time - time spent getting healthy is time spent getting yourself that much closer to TTT or IMLP. Right?

Hope Ryan took good care of you!

Steve - sounds like a pretty fun run! Time is very respectable since its DECEMBER Always so impressive.

Were you the only one in shorts? Getting looks?

I wish I had been able to find a Resolution Run. I tried looking for one, but some were sold out. Also, I think one near here was canceled because road conditions were still too bad (i.e. slippery).

How's Will doing? Did "Measure for Measure" measure up?

My treadmill reading (I <3 my kindle) has been pretty much bestsellers lately. I just finished "Room" by Emma Donoghue which was - trying to find the right word - haunting. It's basically a book about a boy and his mom being held in captivity in a shed (kind of like that girl in Austria, or that girl in California a few years ago). The twist- it's written from the perspective of the 5-year old boy. Sounds gimicky, but I thought it was extraordinarily well done. Now I'm reading "Skippy must die" - a boarding school satire type book by Paul Murray. Just started it, not ready to evaluate it quite yet

Edited by ThatGirl 2011-01-04 8:05 PM

So, I signed up for a Master's Swim Class today - it starts tomorrow!

http://www.donfink.com/html/ss_masters_swim.html

It's actually sponsored/coached by the guy who wrote the Be IronFit book that I'll be using the training plan for. I signed up for 3 sessions a week - Sunday morning at 7:30, Wednesday evenings at 8 pm, and Friday mornings at 5:45.

Friday mornings may be difficult to make, haha. But the pool is at a JCC thats only 4 miles from my work.

My hope is to make training automatic through the spring/summer. So, Masters should mostly take care of my swim training needs (3 hours a week should be good? A few long swim sessions will probably be added as we get closer to IMLou). Bike commuting (once it warms up) will be good at adding bike miles during the week. So I just need to worry about running and scheduling long-weekend training sessions. I don't really have problems getting runs in, so that's good.

So I'm excited for tomorrow It'll be weird bc I've never stepped foot inside this place - it's not at my gym, and I signed up online. I'm going on faith, haha!

JESS -

I've heard great things about "Room", and almost bought it for Jane for Christmas. Nex year, then!

"Measure For Measure" IS measuring up, but it's also taking me a long time to finish. I was going through Will quite nicely in Nov and Dec, when the trade and commerce were down significantly with the two mentor groups........but then the third started and I've been pretty much buried with that. I have a few too many people, and it's an incredibly chatty group. Keeping up with them is almost anaerobic!

I left ysterday mrning when there were 516 posts and returned a while later to see 54). I thought I would never dig out from that (combined with what I was already behind by), but then I saw that most of the posts were people in the group sharing Facebook coonnections. WHEW!! I swear, I saw my life pass in front of my eyes when that 540 came up on the screen!

No! I was not the only one in shorts --- although when I arrived there I might've been, and certainly got a few looks. But then more showed up, and I stpped feling quite so ridiculous. Of the 2000 runnning, though, less than 20 were in shorts, I would say. But it was smart; I don't know how many people would've been really uncomfortable in their full winter regalia. On top I only wore my long-sleeve DeSoto Skin Coole top, with an almost-not-there-wind-vest on top, so even at that I looked woefully undressed. BUT, I figure I scored a few discretion points by wearing a touque, whereas lots of people just had running hats. I know that crowd -- lots of head-hair, and normal-sized ears. They can pull off wearing just a running hat in winter; I can't.

Good on joining the masters swim class! I think you can count of some decent improvements to your swim, especially if you have an instructor who points out flaws and make suggestions. Let me know how you find it!

Jane made it to Australia, and sent us a photo from her apartment balcony. Palm trees. The kid looks out her window and sees palm trees. Palm trees!!

JESS again -

And "That let me know how you find it" request? Today, please!

LISA -

That's a very nice and aggressive schedule......but if somebody just lurked into this site, they wouldn't see the Whole You. I mean, no mention of Triple-T, no mention of that little old race in upstate New York last week of July......

Speaking of which, i would love to come down there on race day, and hope to, but that is always a tough weekend due to Chamberfest up here. Lynn and I make a pretty big deal about Chamberfest, but it goes for 13 days and we pick-and-choose events anyhow, so maybe I just won't pick anyhthing for that Sunday. We'll see! I would love to watch you and Ryan in action, but I know how tough it is to pick people out in the masses (especially swim and bike), an besides, I can be pretty certain that you will have your "game face" on and tune out any sideline frivolity, right? Just a hunch!

No, no decisions yet, but leaning towards keeping things mostly short - olys and psrints. My feet are better, but not perfect, and I don't really want to take another break from running. I maybe could, though, having an easy January and see if that helps. On the other hand, focusing on longer stuff is not a deep desire for me ---- although it was the core of a 2-4 year plan, a couple of years ago. Looking at your schedule.....I see some fine temptations there!

I will keep you posted as to where my dithering mind leads me!

Today, today So demanding Mr. Bradley

How was it?! INSANE. I swam 2700 yards. I don't think I've done a workout that far ... ever?

So, I got there a little early. It's in a beautiful JCC - which is more like a YMCA than a "Jewish Center." I would almost consider joining the place as my main gym, because it was a beautiful building.

I found my way to the pool, was super early, so I did a few warm up laps. Then I saw a few very hardcore looking adults, figured they were the Masters Group. As we neared 8 pm, more people showed up - including some less hardcore people (thankfully!) I met the woman in charge - Mel. She was super sweet and hardcore amazing. She brings workouts to every session, a different workout for each lane. She walks back and forth and gives great feedback and comments. She spent a good amount of time with those of us in the slower two lanes, since we obviously have more to work on than those in the fastest lane!

Five lanes to the pool, I started off in the second slowest one. I probably could've been in the middle lane, since I was one of the fastest in the lane I was in (and felt pretty ok while swimming), but I'll wait until I've developed more endurance before I move myself up (I think the middle lane did a 3000 y work out).

The workout was as follows:
200 w/u
Drills: 4x100 - 50 back, 50 catch up

Main set:
4x150 @ 3:15, 200 pull
3x150 @ 3:10, 200 pull
2x150@3:00, 200 pull

Cool down: 150

The great thing is - I would never be able to pull off this kind of workout on my own - I'd really just get too bored and probably call it off somewhere in the second set of 150's.

Soooo, overall I'd call Operation Masters Swim a total success. I think I startled a few people in the lane who just assumed I was some "resolution-er" who wouldn't be able to swim

Now - getting to the 5:45 am practice on Friday? May be slightly more difficult

Edited by ThatGirl 2011-01-05 9:56 PM

Not on goodreads.com - but I will check it out? What is it?

I LOVE my Kindle. It has completely revolutionized the way I read - and the way I train. Pretty much any time I'm on the treadmill or the trainer, I'm reading. There are no pages, so they can't bounce and its easier to focus on the words. Also, if you sweat on it, you can just wipe it off (instead of messing up an actual book).

I would say part of the reason I do so much treadmill running is because I like to read when I run - which I obviously can't do outside! That 20miler I did on the treadmill during Philly training? I think I was reading Jonathan Franzen's Freedom.

I have so so so many friends who say, "Oh, I don't have time to read for fun." It's a very popular line among lawyers. I promised myself I would never make excuses like that about something I love (i.e. reading).  I honestly don't have time to train AND read separately - so I do it at the same time!!!


Too bad I can't read in the pool. Maybe that's why I find it so hard to get myself to do swim workouts (though, I have a feeling Masters will change that!)

Oh yeah, the non-color isn't really an issue for me - I really enjoy the black/and/white, non-backlit screen. I do worry that a backlit screen would be harsher on the eyes. I have the 3G version - which is incredible because I can download books from ANYWHERE.  So I'm at the gym, on the treadmill, and have 5 more miles to go and just finished the book I was reading? No big deal. Hop on to the Amazon store and pick out something new.

Kindle changed my life. No joke

JESS -

I apologize for being a horses's patootie, which I was by harping at you about swim details.....and then forgetting to check until the next day.

BUT -- it was well worth waiting for! I really liked the anecdital account, and it also heps with my visualization to see the nature of the workout itself. It's a lot of yardage for a first session, maybe, but it's quite humanely set up. Those 200s with the PB must've been very welcome, huh? Three cheers for benevolent swim instructors!!

And I agree with you 100% about not being able to do these on one's (yours....mine....) own! For three-plus years, Erik posted these great workouts for me, and I navigated 96% of them fully. Since then.......close to nothing even remotely soimilar. i still have many of the cards that I used for his workouts, as I wrote them out of small squares of posterboard from his big plans on-line, and I have a copy of both volumes of "Swim Workouts in a Binder". But I just can' bring myself to execute them. I just don't try hard enough! (or try at all?) Physically I could manage them, and probably better than I did in '03-'07, but the hang-up is all mental. And that's not a decent excuse, really!

Had to take the week off due to a lower back injury, ran today for the first time thouh and felt OK.  Looking forward to doing aprox 8-10 miles tommorow then keep it light going into next weeks 13.1.  It's a local race so logistics are easy for me.

Oddly, the back is caused from sitting in front of my computer.  I get the oddest injuries.  I once injured my shoulder digging out ice cream from a frozen container!

Haha, you remind me of myself, Neil. I once got a concussion running track (I know... how to explain that one? Basically, I accidentally ran into someone and fell down and hit my head hard on the track). Another time, I had a door close on my foot and slice my ankle so bad I almost needed stitches.

Hope the back feels better and you have a good run tomorrow

NEIL -

Be like a triathlon albatross --- just swim and bike and run and don't stop and don't do anything else and chances are you won't get any injuries and you'll grow old and be a inspiration to one and all. Amen!

The dog stepping on my foot has injured me.
Recently, sanding a cupboard door injured my shoulder.
Same shoulder hurt by scraping ice off my windshield.

I am quite safe so long as I stay within the tight ranges-of-motion of swimming and biking and running and most lifting. Once outside that range, though, it's kind of like being on a space station on the moon, and then stepping outside for a breath of "fresh air" without any supplementary oxygen. Oops!

Best of luck on the 8-10 tomorrow! Will that get you just about where you want to be leading into the half-marathon?

JESS -

Your Jets just won. My Pats are waiting for them!!

Haha - I know! I'm sitting in the bedroom reading, Eli asleep on his bed. And I heard Mark living through the drama of it all out in the living room!

We'll see, Bradley!

Went to Masters again this morning. She moved me up to the next lane, which was fun. It was mostly guys, one other woman. I was able to keep up with them stroke for stroke, until we got to the pull buoy. The sets we were doing had like 2x200 pull sessions, and I just could.not.keep.up. REALLY frustrating. The pull buoy just seems to mess up my rhythm, and I guess I rely on my kick more than I thought I did.

Can I blame it on the fact that I'm a woman swimming in a lane with mostly men? I'm not supposed to have the same upper-body strength, right? I'm really just making excuses

Anyway, I'm sure I'll get better at pull over time. And certainly I'll be stronger!

Then I ran 4 miles. Promptly went back to bed after that (swimming was early! 7:15 on a weekend!)

In other news, we have a wedding date: August 13. It'll be here: http://www.raritaninn.com/ It's a little B&B in the valley. It's really cool - the building is from the 1800s. It was completely renovated and restored a few years ago. It's completely green - runs off of solar panels, geothermal, etc. Mark is geeking out over it Basically, we rented out the place for the whole weekend, so we can just relax with friends. Judge agreed to do the ceremony. Will be low-key and fun VERY excited.

Oh, forgot to mention. This is basically my first week "back" paying attention to training and food. I logged about 7 hours this week. Also started full-on calorie counting, trying to get a handle on eating. Managed to lose two pounds so far, from 147 to 145. Would like to race Eman/IMLoo between 135-140. So not too far to go!

You all are making me jealous with your training!

I'm still running 3-4x per week, but spent the past 2 days going down to Florida and back, so I'm a bit blah. Good news is we found a house and are moving in 2 weeks. The bad news is that we're moving in 2 weeks

 

JESS -

Great work on the swim, and it must be more rewarding than you express, being moved up to the next lane. To ride on the coattails of that is the fact you were not all that strong with the p.b., which I take to mean that, as you suggest, your rhythm is off, which, as I will suggest.......suggests that you have very good freestyle rhythm. If that is the case, then you can complement it over time with other strengths, whereas if you don't have it --- it is tough to acquire further along. I relaly think you should feel good about thta!

The other reason is at least partly correct, I think, that the males in that lane probably have above-average upper-body strength. That is NOT to say that you have below-average u=b strength, just that they might be above average. Another way to view this is that what I see in pools is that men are much more inclined to use the p.b. than are women. Is this just that we are lazier than women, happy to get that floatational boost that comes from a p.b.? I wonder.

And, good run to brick the morning. Abnd then the nap -- hat trick! Swim!Run!Nap! Hooza!

I will look at the Raritan Inn later, but your wedding plans sound exactly like I hope Jane designs hers, if and when that time comes. She knows how she feels, but she runs with a fairly hoity-toity crowd who have seemed to have chosen over-the-top weddings. One of her closest friends in gettuiing married to another of her closest friends in March, and even though Trish's parents are laid-back liberals from B.C., Trish and James are going REALLY over the top! Jane says she thinks it is all quite silly.....but we'll see if she holds that line when her time comes.

Extra-super-supremo good sense in having a sensible wedding, Jess!

JESS -

If you don't easily "make weight" for Eman...I'll be a deep-fried cruller!

It sounds like you have motivation and focus galore, and in these dark days of January, that's avery good thing.

And speaking of dark days of January.......only three more days until I hit 62. Ugh? Urp? Ack?


ACK!