SWBKRUN Mentor Group-"Off Season?" What is that?!! (Page 28)

LOL, Suzy I was beat last night.  Got up at 4:30, raced, took kids out to ride their bikes, took kids to a park, went to a tent sale that had free beer, all in 90 degree weather, so I went to bed at 9:00 last night.

Race was really good, Swam 1:40/100's but was beat at the end.  Had to ditch my tri-top before the race started becasue I swam a 50 in it and it felt like I was wearing a drag suit.  Put the shirt back on in T1 so that wasted time, plus I was very disorganized there.

Got out and hammered the bike, passed a lot of people, bumpy ride, stem came loose and lol it took me a bit to realize that my aerobars were pointed down, tried to pull them up and ended up riding with them up in the air, until I hit a bump again and was able to push them down.  21.9 on the bike (nice that BT rounds me up to 22)

31 second T2, since I arrived riding on top of my shoes and jumped off the bike and was in the first rack  3rd fastest here overall.

Run was only 2 miles and my legs didn't really open up until the 1/2 way point, ended up running 8:04/miles which is blazing for me, didn't wear my garmin so wasn't getting any feedback which was good I guess but now I miss having the numbers to pour through after the race.

Lost first by 40 seconds, and the 1st and 2nd place guy ran 6:30/mile and 7:15/mile  respectively so I lost it on the run. 

LOL Suzy, know any way to knock a minute or two off my pace?  Actually I need to really take the time to go back through my BT plan and replace all the runs with a runnersworld plan.  They have much better detail on pacing, and I like their long, short, speed/tempo setup.

3rd in my AG and 11th overall, though this is out of 10 and 57 so it is a pretty small race.  My wife got 2nd in AG and 5th or 7th overall I can't remember which.

Good start to the season.

Also for everyone that is still waiting to do their first race, this was my first race exactly one year ago, and I came from no endurance background, did stuff but a long run for me was a 5k.  I took almost 18 minutes off my overall time. 

Also in 1 year this is the first time I have done a race that is the exact same distance so I finally have something to compare with.

Re: Sprin Scan.  I never set up the cadence thing since I have it on my Garmin Edge.  I guess I need to do that, huh?  Do you find it useful?

Wow... I would say that this weekend was a HUGE success for everyone!  High Fives to all.  I probably had one of my toughest training weekends ever this weekend, but a GOOD ONE AT THAT!

Chris- Awesome job on your race, and very cool pictures!  I dig the bike!

Izzy- Take care of that IT band.  It doesn't take care of itself, and as you probably now that can be VERY NAGGING!  Great race otherwise!  I don't know if you have ever tried TP massage balls, but they work wonders...

Shannon- I understand that you hate running.  That is understandable, and normal with a lot of people.  It's boring, it's hard, I don't feel like I ever get better!  All true, but can all be changed! My very 1st 5k was maybe 9 years ago, and I had to walk probably 1 1/2 miles of it!  I learned from that, and moved on.  The Garmin can be a great learning tool, and if you use the Virtual Partner as a pace setter it is pretty neat!  It keeps you moving forward!  BUT DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!

Andy- You did your ride, your stuck it out, you learned from it, and you now know what it is you need to work on... Sounds like a success to me... Focus on your nutrition.  This is probably a good indication of why you were cramping.

Roni--- Very nicely done on your race.  And you were thinking of not doing it!! BOOYAAH!!!

Suzy--- The new avatar... SEXY MOMMA!  I like it!  And yes the spin scan is a very useful tool.  Especially climbing hills, you will be able to tell that you are favoring one leg or the other.  Keeps you totally focused!

Jeremy--- What a race!  Just think you have only been on that bike for a month or so!?  Watch out for Jeremy!  And welcome to the world of one of the toughest age groups!  In order to qualify for Hawaii you need to do a sub 10hr! It's BRUTUAL!  But you are well on your way!

Tony--- Man what improvements over last year!  You have got to feel good about this!!! I think where most time can be made up in race's is the bike, and you did that!  The run is discouraging and when you see someone put up a 5:35 mile... UGH!  I did a race 2 years ago where I was 2nd out of the water, 3rd in on the bike, and finished 21st overall... That was after running a 7:10 5k... I was happy, and pissed at the same time!  It was just demoralizing watching everyone stride past me!  As for your shoes... Try out the Brooks Ghost for your longer runs.  If you are wanting racing flats for 10k or less I recommend the T5 Racer (also by Brooks!)....

Great job again to everyone this weekend.  Sorry I didn't chime in more this weekend, but both Saturday, and Sunday after my ride's I had to shower, change, and grab a recovery shake as we had to be at a dinner BOTH NIGHTS!!! I am just catching up!!!

Hey Andy IF I was you I'd at least do the churn and not the sink. 

I think you will find that swimming is all about technique. If you can get that down pat then you shouldn't have too many other problems with your swim. Kevin Koskella has a good swim DVD out on this website. I bought it last year and along with a few weeks of working with an instructor it has helped me immeasurably. The rhythm you are looking for comes with practice and if you were not a swimmer before it will take time to acquire this. Just ask Suzy. One of the major things I learned was to rotate my body with each stroke so that I was essentially gliding through the water almost on my side. (less drag on your body).  When coming forward for a stroke, drop your arm into the water at just ahead of your head and reach or stretch forward and glide a bit before pulling back with your arm. I too can actually swim at the same speed doing this as when I was churnning the water at a faster arm rate. It is much easier on your body to stroker fewer times.  Hope that helps a bit.

Great pics Chris. Again congrats.

Well I got to be part of a rely team for the Memorial Marathon on Sunday.   I ran the 12K leg of the race in 1hr/19min (which was a PB for me) and had a blast!!  The weather was hot & muggy and the wind was brutal - 20 to 30 mph wind gusts, but the race itself was great.  There were around 19,000 participants and about 4500 volunteers.  There were people along the entire stretch of the race cheeing you on.  Hardly even noticed all the wind.  Well, thats 1 down and 4 to go.  My next race is in 3 weeks - oly tri.  Can't wait!!

Congrats to everyone else who raced this past weekend.  Great job!!