Jmk-brooklyn's mentor group- FULL! (Page 3)

Just checked the justracinguk website and the start times are finally up! Seems I'm starting at 8:03 (no. 20) and Adam (no. 28) is at 8:06. Seeing it makes it all the more real!

Now to kick this cold I've managed to pick up and get some last minute training in

Completed my first tri this morning.  Woo hoo!  I survived the swim and it went as expected with me finishing in the back of the back.  I made up some ground on the bike and I was please with how that went.  The run I wish I had done better on.  I didn't fee like I was holding back but I thought it would go a little bit better than it did.  Overall, though, I am pleased with the results.  I knew that I had to really work on my swim so that was no surprise   What did surprise me though was that I thought my time as kind of not so good and then I found out that I was 4th in my age group (39 second behind the 3rd place finisher).  That's hopeful.  I mean, if I could swim a normal pace or... 

I envision a lot of bike riding the next two weeks -- century ride 5/2.

Edited by jmkizer 2010-04-10 3:48 PM

Congrats!! can't wait for the race report!

Today was all about working on my daughters bedroom. My twins decided they want their own rooms so I spent the day framing and spackling. Tomorrow I'll get out early for a run before i get back to construction mode.

I've been logging my workouts to excel the last couple of months but I'm gonna start logging on the site.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Congrats on your first race!  What a great accomplishment.  I'd loooove to be 4th.  Heck, I'll be thrilled to be 4th from last in my age group.  I can't wait to read a full report.  Let us know when it's up!

Congrats on your first tri! Sounds like you enjoyed it.

 Today was a marathon day of shopping, packing (we are going on vacation on Friday), and shuttling kids to b-day parties. Just rode 1.5 hours on the trainer while watching a movie. How's that for an exciting Saturday night!

Hope to fit a long run in tomorrow a m before my oldest's b-day party and then the Pinewood Derby. Another busy, but fun, day.

That's tremendous! 4th place is awesome. Let us know when the full RR is up!

I have a century coming up in May, too. Need to get some serious time in the saddle since then.

Yow. Hope your back gets better quick.

I wrote up the race report.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way things went.  I was middle of the pack in the bike and run and I really need to work on the swim but that is not a surprise.

I have a wetsuit question:  When removing the wet suit on the way from the swim to T1, I got the top off, got to my bike and then got the leg out.  Is that the right strategy?

I understand that there is a way to copy your race log info into your training log.  Is that right?  If so, where is the magic button?  It's probably right in front of my face but I am not seeing it.

Thanks all!

My first tri Savannah Sprint April 11th : Unofficial race report (times not posted yet)

48th overall, 13th in my age group (I'm 23).

Swim (500 yd): The Air Temp was probably by my guess in mid sixties and they said the water was 69 F. I am so glad I had a wetsuit, because I think the cold would have caused me to panic on the swim. One major mistake I had coming into the race is that I hadn't tested out my wetsuit in open water. I can swim 3000 m in a pool, but the lake was a different monster. I started out super fast noticing my wetsuit was making me super buoyant in the water. The swim got really physical as I was in the middle of the pack. I was knocking into folks, and them into me, and I kinda just started panicking. For about half of the 500 m swim, I had my head above water trying just to dodge peoples kicks. Putting my face in the water kind of just perpetuated my claustrophobia I was feeling surrounded by so many people. I finished the swim in probably the middle third of the pack, and my legs felt really tired for just a 500 m swim

T1: I read enough articles here that the transition wasn't that hard to figure out. I was just afraid I was going to forget something, I didn't but I was really hesitant probably could be faster. Mounting the bike was a little slow and deliberate, but whatever.

Bike (13.1): It was a flat course for the most part, very little cars and a few turns. It was essentially a big circle. I started out too fast, but I was pumped, and I was holding about 23 mph for about 4 miles. I think I just red-lined too long and so I dropped down to 20 mph the 2nd third and 18.5 mph in the last third. There was a stiff head wind, and the aero people def had an advantage in that wind. I passed several people and was passed by aero riders and a maybe like 2 roadies. I probably should have had something to drink on the ride to set me up for the run. I also need to work on faster turns, maintaining my speed while being in control.

T2: Super quick, no-brainer.

Run (5k): I train in 2 disciplines on alot of days, but never staked so close. My legs felt sluggish for about a 1/4 mile. My stomach on the first lap felt tense as if I was going to cramp soon. I pressed on and had a good first lap. On the second lap I had a slight cramp, which caused the 3rd place girl to pass me (the men had a 3 min headstart in the swim). She was motivating me to keep my speed but I had a little side stitch, probably from no water on the pack and not bringing my endurolytes with me, and eating at Paula Dean's restaurant the night before eating southern food. It turned out not to be so bad and I finished just behind that girl.

Big takeaways from the race: I need to practice open water swimming, and make it part of my training plan. I need to calm my nerves on the start of each discipline and control my HR (I decided against wearing my HR to save time) and save energy. I have a long way to until the olympic and the Half IM. I'm glad I did this, but I just need to match my training with the experience of racing triathlons to reach the comfort and success I'm looking for. All in all, good day, good first race!  

It sounds like you did great!

John:
Great job today. 48th OA and 13th in your AG is a brutal field! Sounds like you took some great lessons away from today's race. I usually wear my HRM in races for exactly that reason-- I'm always so amped that it's much harder to judge where my HR is based just on the way I feel. It's nice to be able to look down at my wrist and see if I need to push harder or dial it back.

Hmmm... not sure about copying the race info into your log. Maybe PM marmadaddy? He should be in your "friends" list.

Yes, you've got the wetsuit thing right. As soon as I stand up, I find my zipper cord and unzip. I yank off my goggles and cap off in one motion (when I race, I put the cap over the goggles--makes it less likely that they'll get knocked off during the swim), then, when I pull my arm out through the sleeve, I let go of the cap/goggles and they kinda get stuck inside the sleeve. Then I pull out the other arm. I push the suit down to just above my hips during the run to transition.

I read once where it was suggested that you take your whole suit off as soon as you exit the water-- something about the suit being more pliable and easier to remove when it's wet vs a couple of minutes later in T1. I tried it once and it didn't make an appreciable difference for me. You can try it though, and see what you think.

There are lots of videos on youtube for getting your suit off in transition. Basically, you yank it down as far as you can, step on it with one foot, and kick your foot out (hard!) with the other leg, then do the same thing on the other side. Make sure you soak & rinse your suit when you get home.

I found it!  If you go to your Race Log page, there is a drop down list box below your races  that says "Copy race data to training log."   Worked like a charm! 

Edited by jmkizer 2010-04-12 6:55 AM

Congrats Janyne and John! Reading your reports has (somehow) increased my impatience for Sunday to arrive!

Now I'm just wondering if I'm recovered from this cold to go out for a sneaky short bike ride tonight or wait one more day to be certain.

Here's a heart rate question for you all - How do you figure you your zones and when you are doing long rides or runs what zone should yu primarily be in?

I was wondering the other night as I dug out my HRM for the first time in 18 months or so . . .

I had mine tested for the bike.  They had me bring my bike in and put it on their special trainer and I wore a HRM and had an oxygen mask on (made my eyes bloodshot!  Looked like I had pink eye!) -- the works. 

Later -- like a year later -- I had someone help me with a treadmill test to do zones for the run.  With the actual zones for the bike we had a good sanity check to make sure we were on track with the running zones.

My LT is quite high.  220-age * % formula would put my zones waaay off.  Z2 for me on the bike is 146-159 and on the run is 160-170.

I am by no means a HR expert, but I think that for long rides & runs where the goal is to increase cardio fitness, you’re supposed to stay in Zone 2.

The best way to determine your zones is to do a Lactate Threshold test. The best way of doing this is to go to someplace that will administer the test by having you run on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike and, as your effort level increases, they will actually take a blood sample (via a needle-stick into your finger) and test the lactate in your blood to determine the exact lactate threshold.

There are ways of determining it without doing this test, but this is the most scientific.

haha!  We just come from different backgrounds.  I've been riding the bike seriously for 6-7 years and had over 6000 miles of riding last year.  I started running for cross training.  My swim, as you saw, is a little on the not fast side (understatement!).  I had two duathlons last year and I think that really helped my comfort level going into the tri because I understood transition set up to some extent.  Have a great time this weekend!

Had my very first 1000 yard swim today.  Didn't plan on doing it, just kind of happened.  Absolutely unnecessary as my sprint has only a 1/4 mile swim.  Just did it for the joy of swimming.  (Far cry from my gasping after 50 only a few months ago.)  Still slow, but whatever.

Nice job slokat! All your hard work is paying off!