Asphalt Junkies CLOSED AND GETTING OUR FIX (Page 3)

Karl,

It sounds like you have had an interesting life.  While I am definitely NOT a fisherman, I do eat fish occasionally and I enjoy that.  However, I have slept at a Holiday Inn Express before so I am sure I could pick it up and be on the pro circuit in no time.  Seriously I couldn't realyl get into fishing much.  I have tried it and never really took a liking to it much.  Waterfowl hunting on the other hand was something I used to do quite a bit of and that was pretty awesome.

Having a 7 day a week training plan already is a solid commitment on your part.  Good job!  Not everyone has the time to commit to that this early on in their training.  It seems on the surface that you can balance that with your family time and that is the most important thing to be able to do.

You should be able to use the swim link I posted I posted for Bobby to give you a baseline look at swimming.  But I have to ask, How does a person live in Florida, be on the pro fishing circuit and not know how to swim? LOL

To add to Dirk's post about learning to swim - I used the 0-1650 (zero to 1 mile) in six weeks plan. It sounds like an infomercial, but it does actually work, as verified by myself and several others around here:

Zero to one mile plan

It sounds far more difficult than it is and it'll get you comfortable enough in the water to feel confident about your swim.

Name: Paul

Story: Long time runner - second year racing tri's. Due to a hamstring injury - I had to stop running - I dusted off my old mountain bike and had a blast - that lead to a road bike....Swimming is a struggle, but lessons this year have helped-tremendously. Reading the group swim posts have helped a lot.

Family Status: 3 boys, ages 15,17,20 - all active in sports --- hey- I can't let the kids beat the old man! After 23 years - wife decided I was not the one for her after the boys left home - I received divorce papers last Nov.  Traininng is a great stress releiver - keeps me focused.

Job: Claim adjuster - handle large property losses - mostly business related - in two states. Lots of driving.

Current Training: 6 days a week - I keep Friday open as a rest day - or if I miss workouts due to traveling - I make up on Friday. Swim 2+ times a week, Bike 2+ and run 3-4 times. During the summer - I tend to run more in the summer. Work on core 2-3x a week.

This years races: Sam Costa half marathon - 1:44 - ran a very steady paced race - basically hit 8 min/mile the whole run. Pretty happy with running this early in the year - moving from distance build up/base runs to more speed runs. Plan to hold  closer to a 7:30 up coming races.

Current Race Plans: Carmel Sprint tri 4/15; Carmel Half Marathon 4/21; Indianapolis 500 mini 5/5; Morse sprint tri 6/30; Hilly 100 bike ride 10/20-21; summer Eagle Creek sprint tris?? - Tri Indy Oly tri 8/5??(may sub another OLY) - Considering a trail marathon this year.

Weight: current 179 is longest I've stayed under 180 for 10+ years - goal is to maintain 175.

Why I'll make a good mentee? I do tend to "listen - read" more than post - but I do visit daily - and I do encourage all.

I imagine that would be an awesome place to live!!!

A little report on the tribulations of triathlon.

I was super flat this morning.  So much so that I couldn't will myself to push the pedals for more than 130bpm.  I kept at it for 2 hours, but it was a 'recovery' ride.  I probably didn't eat enough yesterday.  While on the bike I was feeling like I was low on blood sugar and began to wonder why.   I tried to tally up what I'd eaten yesterday and it probably only came to 1,000 calories.  And with 4 workouts yesterday that's too low.

So I had a big breakfast and we will see how my lunch time run goes today.

I guess the moral of the story (besides 'eat your food') is that there are ups and downs and there is a lot more value in gliding through a workout with a weak effort than I think we tend to realize.  So rather than skip a workout, or stop early, I'm glad I continued on because there's value in that.  If my hunch is right that it was a calorie deprivation thing, then the value is that I was metabolizing fat for energy the whole 2 hours helping to improve my lipolytic (sp?) energy pathway.

Long weekend baby!

I need a break so I am going kayaking with a group of friends. 3 days away and then 1 day at home before going back to work on Tuesday. I am going to be bringing my shoes so hopefully I can get a couple of runs in. I will probably try to get in a trainer ride tonight as well.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and encouragement

Huge value in it I think. Stuff like that is determination, perserverance and sometimes even outright stuborness - its what gets you to the finish line even when your body is screaming at you to stop.

And the bad part is, I also have a pool in our backyard and still don't know how to swim.  I mean I can swim 10 yards but that is is...  I am working my tail off though.  her in FL pool are not heated so i can't really get into it until May or so 'cause it is so cold...I know the northern folks are laughing..well this year we have set record highs so I have gotten in the pool a few times but it was still painfully cold and can only be in it during the sun.

yea I fished a lot but we were required to wear life jackets when the motor was running, I just got used to wearing mine all the time and yes I have been in 2 boat wrecks...so that is my problem.  1 boat barrel rolled and the other, spun out and decided it needed to run under a tree.  The tree won.

I will look at the swimming link...thanks.  I can swim ok as long as i have one of those pull buoy things between my legs...lol

Thats a smokin' first half marathon time, nice job.

I'm jealous of all of you already on your long weekend!

Welcome to the group Tracy.  I have family in the San Fran area and up in Sanoma.  Where are you actually located?  More north than that?

I think Jeff brings up a really good point here that I have been paying close attention to in the last month or so.  I think we all know that at one point or another we are going to have crappy workouts.  A good portion of the time it's going to be because our bodies are not being fuelled correctly for that particular workout.  Everyone should start taking mental notes of when they have workouts during which they feel fatigued or sluggish and evaluate when their diet could have effected it.  It's clear that for Jeff, his previous day fuel means a lot to his current day performance.  He will probably make a note of this and ensure that his nutrition on the day BEFORE his races is right on.  I have found that two days before is more important for me.  It's very possible that everyone could be different in one way or another.  Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

I'm psyched for tonight's master's swim.  This is only my second time going, but for the first time in 6 months I am excited to swim again.

Here's my bio! 

My name is Tracy.  I'm married with a cute little (almost) 3 year old son.  (He'll be 3 in a couple weeks.)  We live on some property with 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 4 free range chickens.  (We used to have more chickens.  Free range tends to mean buffet to things that like to eat chickens!  Nothing beats free range, organic eggs, though!)  We live on the northern California coast about 4 hours north of San Francisco.  It's a beautiful place to be an athlete as long as you like rain and wind!

I've been doing triathlons since 2006 so I'm not a newbie.  I began as a runner who decided to buy a bike.  I found that I was pretty good on the bike so I decided that I wanted to learn to swim freestyle.  I'm not a very good swimmer.  I really struggle.  Later this morning, I'm going to have my second swim session with a local pro triathlete.  She's helping me with my stroke.

Since I had my son, I've been focusing on sprint tris and running races.  Next weekend will be my first Olympic distance tri since 2007ish!  Should be interesting.  I'll be doing a couple other sprint tris this summer and several running races.

I'm pretty much a stay-at-home mom.  I work a little bit just to keep me sane.  I'm a personal trainer, yoga teacher, and Spinning instructor.  (I used to work with wildlife.  That's how I got the name owl_girl.)

My time to train is dictated by childcare.  Most of the time, I'm on a treadmill, trainer or Spin bike so I can use gym childcare.  I just try to make the best of it.  On weekends, I can get outside and train when my husband is home.  I DO NOT do early morning workouts!  I've never, ever liked them and I refuse to torture myself!

I'll make a good mentee because I'm always on BT.  I want to learn how to take myself to the next level with the limited time I have available.  I can't wait to get to know everyone!

Jeff, 1,000 calories.  My worms would be ticked!!!  lol

I race in most of the 5ks only to try and improve from my last time... Some event's thou I just trot along and enjoy the view and if the run is for a good cause, (cancer, kids, etc)

Super huge thanks for taking the time to post the for the video link, Hope to swim soon just like you do (I learn more by watching then reading or being told). I kinda got the hang of the swim its just the core muscles that i need to work on, and the fine tuning of things and less kicking.

I race in most of the 5ks only to try and improve from my last time... Some event's thou I just trot along and enjoy the view and if the run is for a good cause, (cancer, kids, etc)

Super huge thanks for taking the time to post the for the video link, Hope to swim soon just like you do (I learn more by watching then reading or being told). I kinda got the hang of the swim its just the core muscles that i need to work on, and the fine tuning of things and less kicking.

The single MOST IMPORTANT job on the earth!!  Hands down!! 

My wife and I decided years ago to go this route and it has paid huge dividends.  Both of our girls are pretty good, solid individuals and I have their mother to thank for the time she has spent in the home with them, teaching and instructing.

Moms are the BEST!  (And I hope dads are alright too.)

Welcome to the Junkies, AJ and Tracy! and of course welcome back all of you who were in the last session.

Tracy - you must live pretty close to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. My wife and I honeymooned there 14 years ago.

Karl - I have been a swimmer my whole life, but I just learned freestyle last year using Total Immersion. I still have struggles with breathing and discomfort after the swim, but I've been improving that quite a bit since joining this group in January.  Hang in there. With tenacity and the help you'll get from this group, you'll have it nailed in no time.

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On the training front I got a good 800 yards in yesterday at the pool. It did hail on me for my last 50 yards, but it was light. After that it turned to a heavy rain and I decided to run on the treadmill since I hadn't brought rain gear with me for my run. I wasn't having the usual discomfort after the swim, but I just seemed to have no energy left for the run. Even going easy it felt difficult. I think it has to do with my lack of sleep. Over the past few days I've only gotten 5 to 6 hours a night and my energy is down. Have to get into bed a bit earlier tonight.

I'm also planning an open water practice swim for Saturday afternoon at one of the local reservoirs. I have never swam in a wetsuit before and with this season's first tri coming up next week, I need to get the feel for it.

I really enjoy reading everyones bios!

Karl I love to fish. We have not been very often for the last few years due to the children. Toddlers and fishing hooks don't mix too well. We just went to my in-laws pond last weekend though. My son is now 6 and loves digging for worms so we had some free bait . We only caught a bunch of tiny bass but they were biting like crazy so the kids had fun.

Ok - back to training. Progress on my swim this morning. A very little progress but every little bit counts right? 6 x 50's and the last 4 were under 40 seconds (39 seconds - told you a little bit of progress). Finally. My back held up well, no worse for wear. After the 50's the workout called for a timed 200. Ha ha, that was a joke. My arms were burning, I felt like I was not even moving, I knew my time was going to be awful. 3'13" so, not great but not as bad as I felt LOL!

John, that story about your flip turn just cracked me up. My daughter wants to know why I'm laughing .

Dirk, glad you were able to enjoy a visit with your nephew. He sounds like an amazingly courageous person. I think often of the soldiers fighting for our freedom when I'm out riding my bike without a care in the world. Gets me all choked up.  

Jeff - how could you even function on so few calories with how active you are! I think I eat more calories than that for breakfast!

On the same note, sleep really effects the way I feel during training. I have a hard time staying asleep and I am routinely up for 2 or more hours in the middle of the night. Frustrating. If I get too many days like this in a row I really start to feel like I'm moving through sludge during my workouts.

Wowza!  That's fast swimming in my book.

I just got back a little bit ago from a lunch time run with my daughter.  I ran from work to a track about 1.5 miles away.  She met me there coming from her apartment almost the same distance in the other direction.

We did some speed work on the track together then we each ran back.  It was beautiful.

We did a little barefoot running, some strides barefoot, then more with the shoes on.  Then did 5 x 400 at a pace a bit faster than her threshold.  6 miles total.

And we made plans to cycle together on Saturday and run trails on Sunday! 

Dina, some times I just stay busy, keep drinking and don't realize I'm hungry.  I functioned fine for a day, but then didn't this morning! 

I felt fine just now during my lunch time run, so breakfast probably set me straight.

It's neither something I did intentionally, nor something that's bad for me.  There's a good side effect in that it does teach the body to work well with depleted glycogen.   Because I tend to do this occassionally my body stays adept at using fat and I seem to be able to go a lot longer and without bonking on the bike as a result.

I'll make sure to eat a lot today....especially ice cream!

Being a mom is a pretty great job.  I feel lucky to be able to stay at home with him.  I even get to take my son to work with me.  We do not have to put him in childcare!  He LOVES going to the gym!