RunningJayhawk's Mentor Nest - FULL! (Page 26)

That is so cool that your 5 yr old daughter has already completed her first tri.  One can only hope this is a hobby she continues to pursue in the future.  More parents should be encouraging their children to get out and exercise like you have done with yours.  That is a memory she will never forget.

As for me, it is twelve days until the first Oly.  I am getting very excited about this one...the big one that I have been working towards all summer.  I want to do well, but I am also looking at it from the perspective of just finishing.  I guess I should not worry about how I place in the AG in this race...I have became somewhat competitive in the sprints!  This will also be the last tri for this season for me.

Hope everyone is doing well.  Keep pressing on through the workouts...and life when it gets in the way of training!

Nikki - Good luck.  Keep us posted as you get closer.  Have classes started back up for you?  This is a high stress time for teachers (did I remember rightly that is what you do?) plus having your first tri coming up.  Yikes!

My last tri of the season is Saturday.  This one'll be an evening (unusual time for here, at least) race and we're expecting mid-80s and sun.  I'll be even slower than usual as I baby my knee through the run.

Now I've got to figure out a BT training plan that gives me post-season training for recovering my knee while improving my bike and run segments. 

My recovery month is going to be November since I'll be in Chennai, India then.  90F and coastal humid and women don't show their legs.  Can't imagine jogging in pants even if I can talk my husband/translator into running with me at dawn.

Cheryl

Looks like our Spring mentor group is formally over now.  I plan to keep checking in as I'll miss you all.

Cheryl

Hi All!  Sorry I've been sporadic at posting and keeping up with everyone   Things have gotten pretty hectic at work, so it's been hard to pop in here... and of course after work, things have been hectic with training and summer festivities

Just a quick update.... I was debating whether or not to do another Olympic Tri on the 16th (this Sunday).  I'd basically decided I wasn't going to do it, since it's only 2 weeks before the Chicago tri, and frankly I hadn't put in as many training hours over the last few weekends as I would have liked.  However, yesterday my friend emailed me saying the person he was doing the tri with bailed and wanted to know if I was still interested in doing it.  He booked a hotel and a rental car, so he was looking for someone to split the costs with. 

Anyways, I decided to go for it.  Since everything was booked, all I had to do was pack my gear and he'd pick me up.... All the logistics were already worked out!  I figured it'd be good practice to get another race in before Chicago. 

I don't have time to read/respond to everyone's updates right now.... I'll try to do that later!!  I can't wait to read how everyone's been doing!!

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! Can't wait to read your race reports!

I had an awesome week of training last week capped off by a OWS on Friday and a 30 mile bike ride on Saturday. This week started off well with spin class and a 6 mile run, but the last three days I've been under the weather. Not actually sick but just exhausted and run down feeling. I slept 10.5 hours last night and still feel spacey and sick and out of it today. As much as I hate missing training I'm going to take it easy again tonight and see if I can bike or swim tomorrow. It sucks to feel like this just 2 weeks out from my A race for the season (Chicago) but I'm hoping that resting and taking it easy will help me feel better quickly and get back into a groove before the race.

hey everyone! man, long time, no post!  I have less than a month until my triathlon and I'm getting nervous.  I've definitely been slacking with training.  I'm finishing up school this week so I can get back on track.  Also- great news- I have a bike!!!  I got a new bike this weekend.  It's definitely nothing to write home about, i got it very cheap at a discount store, but at least it's something!! I hope to take it for a spin today but i have a huge project due today for class so it might end up being tomorrow.  Things are looking up! I haven't caught up on everyone's posts, but congrats to all those who have raced recently! 

have a good week.  

Happy Monday...

It's a busy week for me with school starting today (teacher work week)...classes start next Monday. In the middle of it all there's a little olympic distance race on my schedule for Saturday.

Hopefully being back at work will be a good distraction from the taper week. I just have to also make a conscious effort to stay off my feet as much as possible!

Hey gang,
I have been quitely sitting back recently, just seeing what's going on.  Couple of personal observations.  Once I decided to not do my sprint distance Tri my training focused more on my running.  This was good as I have gotten some personal bests.  I am sure this has to do with the cross training.  Also it made me look at the long term.  I am now looking at getting a membership at the Y as they have "Masters swim classes"!  Who knew?!  I am looking at doing this over the winter to build up my shoulder(s) and technique and speed of course. Just a thought in my head right now.
Also, my darling wife got me a Garmin 305!  Just got it yesterday but already I have seen it in action.  I went for a 4 miler today just to test it out and found myself interested in my pace.  I found that I ran a (rather random but) specific pace the I thought was good and came away with a personal best!  I friggin' killed it on the third mile.  I did not realize I was so slow on my first mile and then so fast on the second half of my runs. Still learning but it looks good right now.

Hope you are all well and I love to hear about your successes, modest and large.  Give 'em to me I can take it!

I guess on that note do you folks what to keep this thread going?  I come back quite often to see how you are doing but we have been slowing down lately.  I find it good sometimes to just type whats on my mind sometimes.  Kind of clears the mind.
Cheers,
Alan

Alan - I got a Garmin a few weeks ago too and I LOOVE it! I think it's really helpful to track your pace, I actually used it tonight on a shortish run and was able to keep sub 10 minute miles for 4 miles, which is a big accomplishment for me. Hope you enjoy it!

I'm a week out from Chicago which is my "A" race for the season and I'm getting really excited. I leave next Thursday to fly to Chicago, get to spend a few days with my best girlfriends from college, race with one of them on Sunday and then fly back here on Monday. It will be awesome to have some time off from work and get to see my friends. I haven't seen them since they were in my wedding last October and it will be great to catch up with no wedding worries.

Even though I still have two races left in the season I'm starting to think about next year and what my plans are for training and racing. I'm planning to run my first half marathon on Superbowl Sunday, which is run in conjunction with a local 5k. The 5k was my first running race ever back in 2007, 50 pounds ago and I think it will be fitting to run the half marathon and take stock in how far I've come.

I'm planning on doing the Wildflower Oly in May, and realized that with hopefully having a half marathon under my belt in February I might be in good enough shape to do a HIM during the summer. So I'm going to use the BT HIM plan and shoot for the Ironman Vineman 70.3 and see what happens! I just decided this in the last few days and it's making me really, really excited.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Ahhh!  So many updates   I haven't read that far back, so I'll just respond to the most recent ones!

Cheryl - Sorry to hear about your knee.  I haven't had knee probs (knock on wood!) so I don't have any advice   That's cute about your daughter competing in her first tri... how sweet   I hope your last tri went well!!

Tif & Nik - GOOD LUCK on your first Olympic!  I'm sure you'll both do great! 

Tif - For nutrition, I usually eat a breakfast about 2 hrs before the race, and last time I had a banana right before I put on my wetsuit :-P  I have this endurance powder called Accelerade, and I usually drink a bottle of it during the race, about 2 servings = 240 calories of carbs & a little protein.  I keep the bottle on my bike, but I haven't mastered drinking on the bike yet, so I usually only drink it in transition.  Then, for the run, I take whatever sports drink they have on the course plus a cup of water (for my last race, it was really hot, so I needed the extra fluid!)  Then I usually eat whatever they give at the finish, usually a banana and a bagel.

Nik - The competition at Oly races is so hard!  Since it's your first one, it's definitely a good idea just to focus on finishing.  Some of the people in my tri club do Olys in about 2 hrs, which is over an hour faster than I do them!  Yikes!!  Maybe some day I'll get there :-P

Erin - Awesome about the new bike!!  It's exciting starting off and getting your first few rides in

Alan - Congrats on your new pr's!  And have fun with your masters swim classes... I've been meaning to take some of those, too, but haven't gotten around to it - whoops!  Maybe I'll go in the winter.  Keep us updated on the 305.... I'm actually thinking of getting a new HRM, but am trying to decide to go with a fancy one like the Garmin so I can keep track of speed & distance too.

Margot!!  Are you excited?!  We only have a little more than a week before Chicago!  Whoo!!  Maybe I'll see you pre/post-race?  That's exciting you're thinking of HIM... I was thinking of doing Steelhead or Racine next year!  It'll be fun to virtually train together for that next summer   I'm thinking of doing a half marathon at the end of September since a few of my tri club/runner friends are heading up to Michigan for one, so I can hitch a ride/bunk with them.  I'm just uber slow on the bike, so I'm trying to figure out how to bike 56 miles without it taking me 4.5 hrs :-P

Oh!  And I forgot to mention... I did my 2nd Oly on Sunday and got a PR!  I beat my last Oly time by over 20 minutes.  I shaved 4.5 minutes off my swim, 9 minutes off my bike, and 8 minutes on my run.  That was pretty exciting   I wrote up a really bloggy race report on my blog if you want to read about it!

Missy congrats on the PR! That's awesome! I am getting excited for Chicago. Have my last OWS here in the bay tonight and my last ride on the bike tomorrow before I take her apart and box her up for the flight. What time does the Oly start on Sunday? I know the sprint which I'm doing is early in the morning, but I'm not sure if the Oly is at the same time or later in the day. My friend who I'm racing with is taking Friday off from work so I don't know if we'll head to the Expo then or on Saturday. I think it's going to be an awesome weekend!

     The 305 is working great.  Had one little glitch the other day as I started to run before it located the satalites.  Once I realized that I haven't had an issue in the last two times I ran.  I'm not sure what everything means but I can easily track my pace, speed, time, HR ect.  Many, many choices.  You can have up to 4 showing at a time. 
     And it is slick when I link it to BT.  Very simple instructions and it picks the run from today although you have the option to use what ever workout you like.  I like it because before I would use the route maker here at BT to plot my course one turn or bend at a time.  Took forever.    The 305 just does it.

I'll try to attach a link to my run today so you can see what it looks like. (It's actually from the other day but you get the idea.)
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/map.asp?routeid=105351
Cheers,

Alan

Just did a personal best because I my Garmin.  I actually paid attention to my pace and quess what?  I held it for the whole run and came in much faster then I have been in the past.  Not the fastest I have ever done but faster then I have in the last few years. I'm geting excited again!

Edited by boomer99 2009-08-27 10:09 PM

Just popping in to say hi! Got back from Chicago tonight, had a great time with my college friends. Race report can be found here:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

I don't know if anyone still checks this but I just completed my first tri! I had planned to do one in early september but I pushed it back.  I did the sprint tri in Deer Creek Park near Columbus OH. 
I still can't believe I finished and with a smile on my face.  I'll post my race report. Thanks for all the support an advice on this forum!

Good job Erin.  Looks like we are all drifting apart a bit but I bet more come to see who posted.
Take care and keep moving forward.
Alan

Yay, Erin!!!  Congrats on your first!

I'm hoping with you now in Columbus, we'll get to meet in some 2010 race.

I'm getting back into training (today) after 3 months off due to multiple running injuries.  Starting off slowly - I sure thought I'd be farther and faster for next season...

Cheryl