login
BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! (Page 3)
-
No new posts
|
 2011-04-18 8:24 PM in reply to: #3451586 |
Champion  10618   |  Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroupJEFF - I am extremely inflexible because I am extemely poor at stretching --- as in I never do it. There have been a few periods during which I gave a decent effort at stretching regularly, but not only did I fail to see improvement, but overzealousness caused me to hurt myself. I think the last time I wnet on a stretching spurt was in '02 or '03, literally. Had it not been playing around with Yoga care of a two-week unlimited pass, i wouldn't be working on flexibility now. I am always kind of intrigued by the POSSIBILITIES of stretching vis-avis my performances, but up until five weeks ago I just didn't care enough to pay it any mind -- or concerted attention. A big part of me feels that for a triathlete (and especially a male one, and especially an older one), unless there is an innate "gift" of flexibility, that working at stretching is destined to be a losing battle --- all that muscle-shortening activity is custom-made for inflexibility. Sigh. And thank you, too, about comparisons beteeen Yoga and my race results, as given my druthers I would prefer to be less adept at Yoga than at triathlon. (Although now that I have been bit a bit by the Yoga bug, I am kind of keen to get better at it!) (But recent hip/groin woes have me wondering if maybe I have pushed things too far. Gulp.) |
| 2011-04-18 8:33 PM in reply to: #3452110 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup SHAUN - What you say about the Nike Free jives with what I have heard about them --- that they are minimalist enough to create problems for some runner and their weight and running style at longer distances. Check the literature on them and you might find a general weight/distance correlation, such as that for over 150lbs, best for sprints and olys. Perhaps a light-footed heavier person with ZERO boiiomechanical issues could push the distance limits some, but for everybody else they should look at a more substantial shoes when the runs exceed xx miles. Look into it, anyhow. Congrats on getting that Park bike stand, which I'm you'll put to very good use. One of the guys in my other group is really adept at bike-fixes, and as you know, I am highly envious of all of you of that ilk! Enjoy the 5km thisd weekend, and I think you could have a ball at that Mackinaw 50-miler. Nice option for you, that! Back to the third period of the Bruins game, which they are ahead in, 3-1. |
| 2011-04-18 9:27 PM in reply to: #3453168 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) GEORGE again (albeit a few hours later) - Have you been the aquabike route before? I had to do them in '06 due to a torn meniscus, and while the best aspect of them was that they taught me what it felt like to actually RACE a bike. I had never really done that in my previous 6 seasons of tri because of the obvious -- needing to save soemthing for the run. But lrearning my upper limits on the bike in '06 then became a matter of tweaking that skill to accommodate strong runs off the bike, once I started doing full triathlons again in '07. It took me a couple of seasons to refine that balance, but by '09 I had it mostly down -- strong bike, strong run. Had I not detoured through those aquabikes, I'm not sure I would've ever gone to that next level. Anyhow, i hope it works that way for you! Are you figuring on a few aqbks....or just the bare minimum to get you back to full tris again? And congrats on today's run! Those first few successful runs back after a lengthy layoff sure are sweet, huh? Well, not entirely, as I'm as nervous as a bag of cats that the injury will rear its head again at the next possible moment. As for focusing on shorter stuff, I'm looking the same way myself. I've had a few injuries that have seemed to just about eliminate me from future IMs, and I have several concerns about my abilitiy to train fully for HIM. I finished last season with a terrific 1:37 half-marathon that I viewed as an indicator that I still had the foot speed for serious HIM runs....but within a couple of hours of finishing I sprung a couple of pesky injuries that stayed with me for a couple of months. That gave me enough time to contemplate my inevitability and wonder if, foot speed notwithstanding, my HIM days were also just about behind me. My last two HIM were 5:21 and 5:18, and I really wanted to make a run at another in the 5:10-5:15 range.....but now I don't know. So, I'm looking at mostly sprints and olys, which in fact has been the bulk of my racing for three seasons now. I love the oly distance, and sprints are great gateways for me in terms of speed I can then access for olys. But, still and all, there is the looming love of half-irons that disturbs me to think I can't train safely enough for anymore. Bah. Just returning to aquabikes for a bit, there is a lot to be said for being forced to focus on two of the three disciplines. I have also had two periods (shoulder impingement; separated shoulder) in which I had to go swimless for a while, and it was good to have to work harder at the bike and run during those times. So in you goal to stay fit and healthy, even if the run is not as often or as long as you might like, you can still keep the activity levels high with the other stuff. (Do you lift at all?) I lived in Allen from '85-'87, and enjoyed Austin immensely whenever I was down there. I also loved Fort Woorth, at least much more than Dallas. But as you know, Austin is a very special place. Which current college QB down there is from Pflugerville? And nice win for the Bruins tonight, although the final ten minutes were pretty hairy. Whew!! |
| 2011-04-18 10:51 PM in reply to: #3453638 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) TRINA - I'll be back tomorrow, but for now I'll just say "Bud Wilkinson".   |
| 2011-04-19 6:00 AM in reply to: #3453638 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) TRINA - Think of hockey this way --- way back when, the Oklahoma City Blazers were a farm team of the Boston Bruins. That would be late 50s or early 60s; I should check that just for my own peace of mind. So, it' skind of like learning that so-and-so is an ancestor of yours, and that you've now got a few generations of people to whom you're related. Ergo ipso, you're a de facto Bruins --- have been all along, just never knew it! The two spills you mention do sound unpleasant, with the second one more mentality so with the realization that had you not gotten the arm out, you would've hit your head. But the fact that back problems eveolved from one or both of them adds even more gravity to the matter. Hopefully, the back will resolve itself in time. Are you seeing people for it? Chiropractor? A.R.T. (Active Release Technique) massage specialist? Those spills, or "tipples", are a bigger problem, in a way, because you can see them unfold and thus experience the head aspects of something not nice about to happen, and then feeling unquestioningly each part of you as it clunks down. With my big crash, I can't say I was aware of anything happening. I had a few seconds to try to avert, and then I was down --- absolutely no time to brace myself. I remember something about the noise and my helmeted head making hard contact, but none of it was in slow-motion, to be sure! ANYHOW, let's just figure that our crashing days are behind us, okay? Sound like a plan?? Having a dream (or two or three), and viewing triathlon as a journey, are the sanest ways to do it. As I said elsewhere, I had a mixed bag with that. My first five tris were either sprints or sprint/oly "hybrids, and then I went into three straight half-irons to finish my second season. In hindsight, I should've bided my time more before doing the HIMS, just so as to be more savvy with nutrition and -- well, everything involved in racing. My entry to IM was smarter, as it happened in my fifth season and turned out to be my 28th triathlon. It was also proceeded by nine half-irons, so I mostly knew what I was doing by then. That seemed right, and wise. That said, like everyone I know no small number of people who have done IM early in their "careers", and many of them have done it very well, and suffered no debilitatiing injuries in the process. But to navigate it that way is a matter of luck and good genes, inlarge part, so I just think it's smarter for the average bear to bide his or her time, learn the ropes as fully as possible.....and by all mean enjoy the journey! Let me know what your bike zones turn out to be, okay? And have a good long run today! OH! And enjoy your newfound status of being a long-lost Bruins fan. You're one of The Chosen Few!!! |
| 2011-04-19 9:47 AM in reply to: #3453866 |
Expert 1149   CenTex | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) I have not done an aquabike before, so it should be interesting. I enjoy focusing on swimming and cycling, as these are my strengths. Being a big guy, I 've never been a terribly strong runner; I enjoy it but have never been too fast at it. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity to be at the races, inside the ropes. Wasn't sure that I'd make it there this year. On the injury front, I still have torn meniscus in my right knee but have no plans to have it scoped. It is still "virgin" and I'd like to keep it that way. I didn't start to have arthritis issues in my left knee until after the surgery, so I want to avoid having anything done to the right one as long as possible. It may be anecdotal that they occurred near the same time but that's not a risk I'm taking right now. I will do a few aquabikes this year as I can find them. I have 2 planned, CapTex & Longhorn 70.3, but haven't found any other than those. (To be fair, I haven't looked.) I do lift, although I have a tendency to taper off some during the season. I enjoy the anaerobic nature of weights and strength building as much as I like getting out on a long ride or run. The only QB that I know of from P'ville is at SE Louisiana, or some place like that. None at a major school that I'm aware of. Lots of RB's around but no QB's. B's looked good but it did get a little sketchy toward the end. Good to see the Sox with a nice Patriot's Day win! C's play tonight; I hope that play a little better than last game! I agree that Ft Worth is better than Dallas. I head up that way 3-4 times a year for work and enjoy the area. My oldest is going to attend UNT (University of North Texas) in Denton next year. It's about 30 minutes north of Ft Worth, so I will be heading up that way a little more.
|
| 2011-04-19 11:00 AM in reply to: #3453772 |
Expert 1191 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup Steve, I'm with ya on the stretching routine. Up until now I'll have spurts where I do it and spurts where I forget about it (umm.. just plain ignore it). Often I'll have a conversation with myself after a long ride on the aerobars when I start my run and the back is stiff to start incorporating more stretching into my routine. So now I have a guinea pig (you) Let us know how it progresses and the benefits that you get from doing it.
stevebradley - 2011-04-18 9:24 PM JEFF - I am extremely inflexible because I am extemely poor at stretching --- as in I never do it. There have been a few periods during which I gave a decent effort at stretching regularly, but not only did I fail to see improvement, but overzealousness caused me to hurt myself. I think the last time I wnet on a stretching spurt was in '02 or '03, literally. Had it not been playing around with Yoga care of a two-week unlimited pass, i wouldn't be working on flexibility now. I am always kind of intrigued by the POSSIBILITIES of stretching vis-avis my performances, but up until five weeks ago I just didn't care enough to pay it any mind -- or concerted attention. A big part of me feels that for a triathlete (and especially a male one, and especially an older one), unless there is an innate "gift" of flexibility, that working at stretching is destined to be a losing battle --- all that muscle-shortening activity is custom-made for inflexibility. Sigh. And thank you, too, about comparisons beteeen Yoga and my race results, as given my druthers I would prefer to be less adept at Yoga than at triathlon. (Although now that I have been bit a bit by the Yoga bug, I am kind of keen to get better at it!) (But recent hip/groin woes have me wondering if maybe I have pushed things too far. Gulp.) Edited by junthank 2011-04-19 11:05 AM |
| 2011-04-19 9:01 PM in reply to: #3435045 |
Expert 801 Oklahoma City | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) Steve - Bud Wilkinson indeed! Can that be my "safe" word? If I'm running and the pain becomes too much, can I yell-out "BUD WILKINSON!" and someone will come running with a wheel barrel to push me home? I agree - I'm assuming my crashing days are behind me. Knock on wood. Given that I've always pretty much done everything to extremes, I thought it wise in my old age to approach triathlon in a not-so-extreme fashion. This sport is a very humbling one and (for me) I'm just grateful to be out there doing sprints. As George mentioned in his post, I've always been a large girl (5'10") and being fast on my feet isn't something I've been known for throughout my life. I'm slow on the run and I won't say that I'll never be fast, but again I have to stay in reality. I'll give it all I have in terms of training, nutrition, coaching, discipline, etc and see where my feet can take me. Triathlon is a very spiritual journey for me - this body that I was given can do so much for me....I'm curious as to what it can accomplish as I have never really tested its capabilities other than giving birth. On a more shallow note: I'm already amazed that at 45 I again have the legs of a 25 year old! I can actually wear a mini skirt and get away with it! Woot! Amazing the things our bodies do for us. George - I'm doing a HIM Aquabike so you're not alone this year buddy. I'm also doing CapTex, so maybe we'll see each other down there (not likely - aren't there like....5000 participants?). I notice you're from Pfluggerville - I've heard your city puts on a decent sprint/oly tri. What are your thoughts on this? I was thinking of hitting it up next year. Oh, almost forgot: Stretching is like magic for me. Now that I've made it a part of my daily training routine my back pain is so much more manageable. I see an orthopedist and a physical therapist who specializes in athletes. Both order me to stretch twice a day. Apparently I have super tight hams and quads. Have a great one! |
| 2011-04-19 9:48 PM in reply to: #3455745 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) GEORGE! JEFF! TRINA! Just back from all day in Ottawa....and just off the bed. See you in the a.m. Sleep tight! |
| 2011-04-20 6:43 AM in reply to: #3454529 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) GEORGE - In '06, when I did the seven aqbks, only two were "official" -- the others were just me entering a triathlon, and then not moving any further than my car with all my gear after T2. My emotional life would've been easier had I NOT been a runner-first at the time, as it made me crazy yo see everyone else heading off on the run. Literally, I did most of my packing-up and moving-up with my head down, trying not to view the scene around me. And I didn't bother going over to get post-race food. Keeping my head in the competitive game was important, however, so I have no regrets about doing them. And as I said before, that experience taught me what it felt like to push real hard on the bike; I would not have evolved as I did were it not for those aquabikes! I believe '06 was the first year (maybe the second) that USAT instituted them, and the ones that weren't official for me that year were ones up here in Canada. In the states they've gone from a little add-on to soemthing for which there are actual USAT rankings, just as in tri and du. So, USAT did a good job of realizing how many people either can't run, or can do it but hate it enough that they'd rather not. ANYHOW, it sounds really ideal for you right now, and remember that if there isn't a specific aqbk division at a specific race.......you just go ahead and do it on your own! "Serious" ironpersons have done this sort of thing for years -- doing a half-iron the week before their goal-iron race, but bagging it after the bike. For them it is all about getting race-sharp in the two less-impact disciplines, along with a final fine-tuning of their nutrition. Makes sense to me, although in recent years as half-iron fees have skyrocketed, I wonder how many peole are willing to pay so much for a self-shortened experience. There must be a stat about that somewhere on the internet, yes? |
| 2011-04-20 6:57 AM in reply to: #3454529 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) GEORGE again - The meniscus problem I had was a "longitidinal" tear, and my doctor stronglt recommended against any procedure. It is a type of tear that doesn't allow simple scoping and trimming, but would involve removal of about half of the meniscus. He pointed out that that would lead to early-onset arthritic symptoms, and while I might get back to action sooner, all other things being equal my "career" would be much shorter --- and I would have more years in which my knee hurt like crazy more often that not. So, I sucked it up and just played the waiting game, and it all turned out well. I live in fear of doing something stupid and re-tearing it, and at times when I have a problem with my pes anserinus on that side of that knee I go through a few days worrying that The End Is Nigh, but so far so good! WHEW!!!! As for lifting, I never did it until early '05, but can't imagine never not doing it again. I give it up every June or so, and get back to it in October or early November. I have grown to love the discipline of it, the focus and all. I never do big weights, but enough to add tone that hopefully improves my race performance. My lifting target is the swim, and so i do a fair bit for lats, traps, shoulders, pec, griceps. HOWEVER, I am pretty bad at fully engaging those when I swim, especially the lats. They should be my "big movers", but I just never feel that they are engaged at fully as they should be. If I focus on them real hard I can activate them (some), but too often my mind wanders and/or I go back to bad habits. I think I'll REALLY focus on them in the pool today!!! |
| 2011-04-20 7:07 AM in reply to: #3456021 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) JEFF - Well, I'm pleased to tell you that when I went to my A.R.T. person yesterday, she told me that my range-of-motion had improved. Hot-diggity! That was during one of the torturous manipulations that work on both the hip and the knee, so I was thrilled that Yoga might be having some noticeable benefits already. I guess I have suspected that just in the Yoga calsses themselves, but it's nice to have it confirmed elsewhere. Remember that the only stretching I am doing is what happens as a by-product of Yoga; I am still neither motivated nor disciplined enough to do regualr stretching on my own. And as for Yoga, i am only in my 5th or 6th week of it. Granted, I have now done 27 classes in about 37 days.......but it's still newnewnew for me. What I am doing is mostly the "softer" stuff, the work that is slower and less demanding. I am still learning poses, and that, combined with my innate and acquired inflexibility, make the faster or more "athletic" disciplines pretty much WAY out of my league. I would maybe aspire to getting there at some point, but right now I'm just enjoying/loving the level of Yoga I'm doing. My body craves it; I haven't been nice to my body in years. My body swims and bikes and runs and lifts because I tell it to; I never thought of it like that until I started doing Yoga. I wonder that if my body were my child, would Children's Aid Society remove it from my care due to abuse and neglect? Maybe! |
| 2011-04-20 7:25 AM in reply to: #3455745 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) TRINA - A mini skirt? "Woot", indeed! You might be surprised where your feet can and will take you. Refinenements of one's running technique can lead to huge improvements, and I mostly believe that if a person can run consistently with few injuries, there is no reason why they cannot show significant gains with hard work and focus. And, somehow, I think you have the focus and are willing to do the work; yes? Here's a few quick questions for you: 1.) Do you know your arch type (high, medium, low)? 2.) When you run, do you pronate, and to what degree? 3.) If you don't pronate, are you more neutral, or do you actaully under-pronate (supinate)? 4.) What is the wear pattern on your running shoes? 5.) What is your cadence on a "normal" (that is, not speedwork) run? I think the last one is especially important, so if you've never figured it out, do so. And it's simple -- count footstrikes for just one foot for a minute. Wait until you're about halfway through a run and on a flat stretch of road, and do a count. Maybe do a second count a mile or so later, and do this for a few runs. I won't tell you anything more right now, but please tell me what your count is right from the first time you do it; that is, don't wait for several samples before you divulge the info. Pretty-please? The short of this is that foot speed is an important part of running efficiency, and improvements in that normally result in improved running performances. And I'll leave it there for now! Edited by stevebradley 2011-04-20 7:42 AM |
| 2011-04-20 7:42 AM in reply to: #3455745 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) TRINA again - Triathlon is humbling for many people, maybe even most people. And for most people it is not a "quick study", that is, one in which they suddenly become proficient in all three disciplines at once. For most of us it is a long, slow climb up the rungs, and being multi-disciplinary in nature, requires patience and rewards determination and focus -- and also reality (as you say). I've been doing this for a long time., and I still struggle with the reality that I'm not the swimmer I want to be. I haven't yet thrown in the towel on swimming.....but I constantly have to remind myself that the swim is my weakest link, and always will be. I have certainly had my share of humbling swims (specifically my first race swim, which is a story for some future time), and it doesn't take much for me to tap into that wellspring of doubt and disappointment! On a related note, my former coach used to remind me that training is not linear, meaning that not all sessions are improvements on previous ones (if they were, we would all be Olympians within a year or two!). And, of course, the same goes with races. Now, I am great at spouting that gospel to people, but I find it oh-so-difficult to follow in my own training. Literally, I can do a run today at, say, a 7:40/mile pace.......but if the one three days from now is at a 8:02 pace, I feel as if the sky is falling. I go into paroxysms of angst about what has happened and what is means in The Grand Scheme of Things. Swim sets, bike rides...if I show a decline, I worry. I guess all of this serves to keep me feeling fully human, and a humble human at that. Humilty is a pretty nifty "concept", isn't it? |
| 2011-04-20 8:59 AM in reply to: #3456021 |
| New user 388 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) Steve, I've got a question in regards to 'bent arm lat pull downs'. Is that performed standing? For whatever reason that's the way I've always done it yet the last time I was doing it I began to wonder. I've never seen anyone else do the exercise and it seems to make sense to me to do it that way...but should I be standing or seated? |
| 2011-04-20 9:37 AM in reply to: #3456241 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) SHAUN - If we're taliking the same thing, I do mine seated, with the pad tight on my thighs. The one I like better (but for different purposes) is the stright-arm lat pull-down. It's standing, arms wider than shoulders, and pulling straight down to the thighs. It's designed for the lats and triceps, but I find it too easy to get the focus on the triceps. That is, I have to work to get the focus on the lats, which is where I really want it. You will have to play around with your feet to keep your body at a distance from the machine so your arms are straight throughout the entire range. |
| 2011-04-20 9:45 AM in reply to: #3456052 |
| Member 36 winnipeg, MB | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) good morning everyone and nice to meet you Shaun! Steve, On Sunday after you asked what type of foot I have, I realized that I do not know anything about running and very little about bicycling and swimming. I had to google about foot types and shoe types. If I want to be serious about triathlon, I have to learn not only about training techniques and nutrition but also about gears. So far, I've been in a kind of denial when it comes to gears. I did not mention it but I work facilitating money management workshops to parents and students at the University of Winnipeg, and constantly asking are you sure you need to buy this? Why? I guess that so much teaching about budgeting that I end up not buying anything. During the last 2 years that I've been cycling with the club, I barely bought anything. Just a computer and they convinced me to buy a floor pump and measure the tire pressure. Basically that is all. I also have cycling shorts. What happened on Sunday is that I went to the Y for a spinning class, run and swim. The instructor of the spinning class pushed us very hard and my regular cotton t-shirt ended up completely wet. After that, while I was on the track running, I realized that I was cold because of all the sweat on the T-shirt and the huge fans they have on ceiling close to the tracks. Guess what. On Monday and yesterday I had this terrible throat soar and constantly sneezing. Plus a new pain in the back of the knee that is still healing from the ACL injury! This week, I'll go to the Running Room store for the first time to look around and see what running shoes to buy. I'm a very bad shopper. I hate shopping. Usually I have to go 2 or 3 times until I take a decision. Wasting a lot of time and energy! I also will buy one or two cycling jerseys. But I think at this point running shoes and proper jersey is a must have to prevent future injuries and health issues. Later in May, I'll start seriously thinking about buying a newer bike and/or if I should go with clipless pedals/shoes. But that will be more associated to improve the speed. Health is first! Today is a beautiful sunny day in Winnipeg, right now the temperature is 3C degrees and hopefully later this afternoon around 8C!!!! I'll go out for a group ride after work!!! yeaahhhhhh!!!! Winter might be over!!! And I'm feeling very well. Two days of rest and I'm a new person. Steve, thanks for all your knowledge and guidance, reading your conversations with others is very helpful too!
|
| 2011-04-20 10:14 AM in reply to: #3456365 |
Expert 1149 CenTex | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) Steve, Can you post a list of our group members? I was going to add everyone to my friends list so that they can view my logs when/if I post training specific questions. Thanks. Oh, another good win by the C's last night. And a brutal loss by the Sox. Lackey pitched a gem and Okajima (who I thought was still in Pawtucket) came in to blow it all out in the 8th. |
| 2011-04-20 1:02 PM in reply to: #3456033 |
Expert 1191 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) Ha. Ha... They would get me for nutritional abuse (love my chocolate)!!! stevebradley - 2011-04-20 8:07 AM JEFF - I wonder that if my body were my child, would Children's Aid Society remove it from my care due to abuse and neglect? Maybe! |
| 2011-04-20 3:19 PM in reply to: #3435045 |
| New user 15 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters! Hi Steve and everyone, I would like to join the group. Name: Sarah Hemmer/Shemmer Story: I’ve only done one triathlon, Cascade Lake Sprint Tri, and that was last year. This year I will be doing my second triathlon. I loved everything about the triathlon last year; however, doing more races was not in my budget. I’ve been into sports since I was 4 years old, swam and played tennis competitively through collge and have been active ever since. It wasn’t until the triathlon last year that I realized how much I really missed competition/races. Family: I’m a 33 year old single mother to my 6 year old son, Dean and my 10 year old Great American Brown Dog, Kirby. I live just north of Baltimore, MD and have been here for 11 years. Current training: My current training is sporadic and I don’t really have a well devised plan. I belong to a gym by my office, and I use my lunch hour to squeeze in as much training as I can base on what I was able to focus on during my previous kid free time. The only “musts” that I have and don’t deviate from are two 20-30 minute weight/strength training sessions a week and yoga on Tuesday afternoons. 2011 Races: Right now I am only signed up for one race, Trirock Annapolis in May. 2011 Goals: Create a consisten training program and I would like to do two, or more, races this year but I haven’t been able to narrow it down yet. Weight loss: I don’t really have a weight loss goal. I’m quite happy with where I am weight wise and don’t think I need to lose anything. If I had to set a goal it would be eating more nutritious food and cutting down on my caffeine intake and sugar intake. Sugar and coffee are my weaknesses BIG TIME. |
| 2011-04-20 6:53 PM in reply to: #3456052 |
Expert 801 Oklahoma City | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) stevebradley - 2011-04-19 8:25 AM TRINA - A mini skirt? "Woot", indeed! You might be surprised where your feet can and will take you. Refinenements of one's running technique can lead to huge improvements, and I mostly believe that if a person can run consistently with few injuries, there is no reason why they cannot show significant gains with hard work and focus. And, somehow, I think you have the focus and are willing to do the work; yes? Here's a few quick questions for you: 1.) Do you know your arch type (high, medium, low)? 2.) When you run, do you pronate, and to what degree? 3.) If you don't pronate, are you more neutral, or do you actaully under-pronate (supinate)? 4.) What is the wear pattern on your running shoes? 5.) What is your cadence on a "normal" (that is, not speedwork) run? I think the last one is especially important, so if you've never figured it out, do so. And it's simple -- count footstrikes for just one foot for a minute. Wait until you're about halfway through a run and on a flat stretch of road, and do a count. Maybe do a second count a mile or so later, and do this for a few runs. I won't tell you anything more right now, but please tell me what your count is right from the first time you do it; that is, don't wait for several samples before you divulge the info. Pretty-please? The short of this is that foot speed is an important part of running efficiency, and improvements in that normally result in improved running performances. And I'll leave it there for now! Steve - I would say that I'm a pretty focused person, yes. So if that's a strength, yay! Anyway, to answer your questions: 1. Don't know - how do I find out? 2. I pronate, don't know to what degree. How do I found out? 3. I don't supinate. 4. Don't know - how do I find out? 5. Don't know my cadence, but will do as you suggested and get back to you. Thanks so much, Steve! |
| 2011-04-20 10:14 PM in reply to: #3457211 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters! SARAH - YES! Very pleased to have you as part of us! Cascade Lake -- that's a Piranha one, yes? I haven't done a Pirnaha in a few years, but enjoyed the ones I did -- Diamondman, Cape Henlopen, and I'm sure one more. Hmmmm. I'll have to check ouit Trirock Annapolis.....but thinking about it now, that's part of a four- or five-race series, isn't it? If so, I saw it in a tri magazine, I believe, and then promptly forgot about it. Maybe just as well, as I'm doing West Point Triathlon again this year, and shouldn't "jinx" that one by doing one at Annapolis! Just north of Baltimore sounds about where I did my best marathon, which was North Central Trail, which was out of Sparks; does that about describe your area? I have doen Columbia Triathlon three times, which is out of Ellicott City. I love that area, and Baltimore is a terrific city. (The Colts should still be there, too!) Tennis competitively through college? Wow! What made you give it up....or do you still do it, just not quite so competitively? It sounds like you have the things you love -- lifting and Yoga -- and the cornerstone of any successful training regimen is loving it (or at least part of it  ). I am fortunate to be retired and free to train pretty much willy-nilly, buit it wasn't too long ago that I was working AND trying to train, so I can probably help you work out some sort of balance. And if I can't, then some of the others here can, I am sure. I think I am the only "out-to-pasture" one amongst us! Sugar and caffeine --- could be worse.......couldn't it? Sure it could! I ahev some weaknesses in those two areas as well, and for the sugar one I have to be quite attentive. Mostly, I think I kinda sorta am; maybe? ANYHOW, welcome aboard, Sarah! |
| 2011-04-20 10:27 PM in reply to: #3457570 |
| Member 36 winnipeg, MB | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - WIDE OPEN ("huddled masses" welcome!) Hi Trina, I'm going through a similar thing. I couldn't answer the questions that Steve asked you. Today on my group bike ride one of the ladies that has been running marathons for a few years now, mentioned that she went to a specialist that took all sort of measures on her feet and helped her find the right shoes. I just googled here in Winnipeg and tomorrow I'll get an appointment at Canadian footwear to have my feet measured. Apparently they charge $60 to see a fitting specialist. Probably a Pedorthist, not sure. I'm very exited with all this. Hopefully by the end of this week I'll have my first perfectly fitted running shoes!!!! I'll also ask around to find out other people's experiences with pedorthist. I should do that before asking for an appointment. Just thinking out loud. |
| 2011-04-20 10:40 PM in reply to: #3457876 |
| Member 36 winnipeg, MB | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters! the weather ended up not being so nice as it was announced this morning. I went out for the group ride and even though it wasn't bad (because of the people there), it was awful. Windy,. rain, cold, and on top of that I had a flat. We froze while stopping to fix the tire. Does anybody knows when will the spring finally arrive in Winnipeg? We all keep saying next week. It seems that next week never arrives. I came back home with my feet frozen/. We did 22k. Only 9 showed up. Not bad given the weather conditions. Usually the group is around 15-20 people. But I enjoyed it anyway. Nice group, nice ride, nice people. |
| 2011-04-20 10:50 PM in reply to: #3457876 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters! GEORGE - I will do a more formal list soon, as we are still growing. (We are following the Redwood Restrained model of growth, as opposed to Ragweed Rampant.) In a brief, pretty-much-useless nutshell, we are (in order of appearance): Jeff Shaun Trina Sandra you! Sarah I expect over the next week we will add 4-6 more, and then I will close it. Based on my three previous (but ongoing) groups, I have formed a few thoughts about the dynamics of this system, and I will mention them here soon, just for general interest -- and to see how it all plays out with this group! |
|
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK