Baowolf's New Years Resolution Group-Closed (if are stuck with no group PM me) (Page 30)

April is in the bank, lets see those numbers!

Swim: 10h 01m 40s - 26200 Yd
Bike: 33h 49m 44s - 643.47 Mi
Run: 23h 37m 12s - 164.41 Mi
Weight loss 5 pounds down to 147 pounds.

Eye surgery impacted the numbers some, but a slight improvement over last month.

So with triathlon being a lifestyle, any one race or day of training is not all that important, though it feels that way. IM's will always be there and it is very important to be ready for an IM as it is a much longer day than a HIM. Although the training is not twice as much, it is more like another 25% to shift from HIM to IM. The longer we are in the sport the more we learn about our body, out time and what we can and can't do. Everything is just an opportunity to learn and adjust. We can't change the past, so we let it go and adjust today for what direction we want to move in. All good. I have just had more years to screw things up.

Mitzi grats on the weight loss. With swimming though... it is hard to improve without getting wet 8). Lessons are always great for the swim, wish I could get some. I did a 4700 yard swim last night and it kicked my butt so much that my arms were sore on my run today. Hang in there.

Jay, no worries about sharing things that are important and real to you and yours. This is a family and you can share what you need to/want to here. It is ok of we slip off triathlon to real life stuff now and again, it is who we are, complete people, who do triathlons and marathons and such.

Edited by Baowolf 2014-05-01 2:40 AM

Steve - great numbers as always. Glad you no longer have to fear sweat.

Mitzi - It is funny how things can play in our heads. Last year I got extremely frustrated with my progress and do not want to get their again. That frustration was creeping in recently but I reminded myself that that road leads to darkness. Then looked at the calander realized it was only week 2 of 20 and a little rest made things all better. Don't be afraid to hit that reset button, it seems to work well for Mike D. Congrats on the weight loss. Wish I could lose a few but it does not seem compatable with keeping my energy level up.

Jay - It would be so nice to think the world was a perfect place. Thanks for the info and kudo's to you for raising awareness and supporting those in need.

Mike D - Way to set and example for your kids. They are very lucky and you must be very proud.

Numbers are ok. I took off a week at the start of the month, and even so the run totals are a low. So will increase the number of weekly runs. I actually hit the gym yesterday to get on the treadmill as there was some crazy rains around here and we did not even get the worst of it. Hope the rain treated everyone else ok. The last bike ride showed some promise too. It was a shorter flatter ride which I pushed a little to test the speed. Nothing blazing and I got up to 16.8mph without over doing it.

Swim: 5hr 45min 10500 yards
Bike: 6hr 57min 16sec 100.43miles
Run: 5hr 33min 41sec 31.77miles
Bike machine: 1hr 15min

Joe, I always enjoy your perspectives. Ups and downs are an inevitable part of workouts and life, so might as well pick up from today and move forward.

Steve, your IM build is looking great in spite of the timeout for the eye surgery. Part of your success is that you dust yourself off and jump back in quicker than most of us do.

Jay, I just cannot imagine how radically life changes when a child (let alone 3) has a degenerative disease for which there is no cure. No words, just prayers for all involved.

Mitzi, awesome on your weight loss, and on incorporating activity that works for you. I've been more and more convinced lately how important it is to work on all aspects of health.

Carl, love your attitude about learning from that HIM. Looking forward to the day when you post that you are an Ironman and I believe it will come in due time.

Not a lot on the workout front for me. Many of the "runs" are walks, but it is all moving forward under my own power, so I'm counting it.

Bike: 9h 40m 53s - 135.33 Mi

Run: 13h 36m 57s - 49.94 Mi

Today I met with my first client in my new business. Letting it build organically for now, and doing my best to balance it with my current gig as an employee, FIL duty, and taking care of all things household. Workout wise, my focus is on getting some movement in outdoors most days and minimizing time spent (thus haven't been to the pool in a while). Right now and I'm OK with that.

Carol : I can relate with the new business thing, my husband finally started his own, officially open 2 weeks ago, and it is exciting but he is not home often these days. Also a bit worried about a drop of income for a little while at first, but I believe it will get better, he is good at what he does

Also I had to make a few schedule adjustments, being a lot more at home with the kids while he is starting this thing. My numbers are still a bit higher than last month, but with less time available to train, so I'm proud of that!!

Swim 4374 yards / 2h15m
Bike 168 miles / 11h55m
Run 22 miles / 4h51m

I now average around 4-4h30m of training per week, I plan to build up to 6-8 hours/week this summer. I hope it will be enough to get me to an Olympic Tri start line, and that I'll be fit enough to enjoy it.

Isable you have a pretty decent base for an Oly, You just need to add 2-3 miles to your lonf run, 10 miles to your long bike and 500 yards to the swin and it will be go time (= +1.5 to 3 more hours a week). You could complete an Oly tommorrow, but to finish smiling just a bit more distance and you will be golden.

Just to share, I am at that point in training where I am physically very tired, emotionally drained and feeling like who needs to finish an IM under 13 hours, 14 is fine right? It is just part of the IM thing where your body is going ... um ya know we can't build like this forever right... might want to slow down a bit already.... somethiing really bad is coming soon that this is all building up to right? So it is time to just let those feelings show up, name them and let them pass through you. They will come back at mile 75 on the bike and mile 15 on the run. Just let them come, name them and let them pass. I am not looking forward to my 105 mile bike this Saturday, but am looking forwward to a rest week next week.

Edited by Baowolf 2014-05-01 4:06 PM

April numbers are below. Very, very upset about the run miles but that Home Improvement (read cleaning/painting rentals) has taken over my life. Hopefully tho I can get things going in a better direction for May. At least tho, at the beginning of the month before everything else took over, had 3 PRs during a 3 week time period. Also was 100% in the April Peach Challenge (doing some activity every day); they have one for May so check it out Folks.

Bike: 35m
Run: 9h 22m 20s - 45.9 Mi
Core Training: 4h 20m
Home Improvement: 19h 15m
Stretching: 35m

Limited time so I won’t be able to respond to all so I apologize for missing some people.

Linda, LOVE reading about your Boston experience!!!!!! I’m so glad that it was a good race for you. How in the world tho did you hear your hubby? Does he have a catch phrase, was he really loud, or was it one of those weird, quirky things that couldn’t be done again in a million years? Thank you for allowing us to stalk you, cheer for you, and live vicariously thru you.

Carl, so sorry that the HIM wasn’t the best experience but dang, you did a HIM!!!! I’ve never done one and my hat is off to you.

Mitzi and Steve, great job on the weight loss!

Carol, WTG on the new business. Hope it grows into exactly what you want.

Joe, you have the right attitude regarding the workouts. Sometimes, despite all that you do and plan, it doesn’t come together. But you plow thru those times and later the breakthrus will come.

Isabelle, so great to see your face!

Hang in there Steve!!! Thank you for sharing your feelings because to be honest, I thought for a long time that I was the only one that felt that way. Knowing that my kickazz mentor feels that way....well I wish for you that you didn't have to struggle thru it but you expressing your feelings shows why you are the best mentor in the world.

@Steve

Thanks for the nice words bro always happy to be with your group. I am in no hurry now. I was already looking to other IMs, but me and my wife had a talk my races is starting to be expensive and taking a toll in our finances. I remembered last year when i DNFed my first attempt at HIM i just lost $500 in registration and hotel.I am starting to pic my races, looks like i wont be able to do sprints and Olys unless ill be able to save up on the side .
I am hoping for the long haul of our mentor group till next year because ill be around for a long while.

@Carol
Thanks for the advice, ill keep it hows your foot healing?? I wish the best for your business too.

@Isabel
I wish the best for your husband's business venture!! I am positive about your Oly Tri!!!

@Pam

Good your still all jolly and having fun, good to hear from your from time to time.


My April 2014 Report!!!

Swim: 17h 36m 35s - 36515.53 Yd
Bike: 12h 44m 31s - 224.5 Mi
Run: 10h 12m 35s - 53.95

Have Fun Calorie Killers!!!!

Some really good looking numbers out there. Even with all the RL stuff people are finding time to get out there.

Carl - Those are some killer hours. Surprised your wife is not more concerned with the hours than the $$ but I know the feeling.It can be hard to balance it all. I am running my first HIM this year so your experience will be in my mind as I go along here. In fact I kind of chose a flat course specifically to easy my bike concerns. Great job pushing through those hills.

Pam, Carol - Thanks. I have enjoyed your perspectives as well. No one ever promised life would be easy but we might as well enjoy it along the way.

Steve - as always, amazing numbers. Have you picked up many more tricks on the bike? That is a lot of miles and time on the bike.

Isabella - Your training is putting you on a good path for an olympic race. Do you have a race in mind? How are you feeling about it?

Edited by Tri-solar 2014-05-02 7:43 AM

@ Joe

I am excited for you Man!!! good choice in choosing your HIM. If you need help about training plan options i can email you options.I gave the same ones to Jared and Phil. Planning and execution of the training plans Steve and Samantha are the best advisers.You will get to those numbers eventually as you get closer to taper week. Goodluck!!!

Cheers

Carl

Edited by strykergt 2014-05-02 9:11 AM

Linda, congrats on the great race and I hope you're recovering well! I had to google those running personailities, but they're very inspirational, especially the Hoyts!

Carl, glad you finished first of all. 2600 ft of climbing on the bike and that's amazing in itself. This week is my first week into my 20-week training plan/countdown to my first HIM, and I'm using your TP's fleshed out with a BT plan (http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/training-plans-view.asp?planid=16). One thing that the BT one mentions is 'prep' period where you get to know your course, and I'll be sure to check mine out from now on. Like Joe, I chose a local flat course for my first HIM. Your bike leg sounds a lot like the Savageman 70 race in MD, a HIM with 4000 ft climbing! I did the Savageman 30 last year, with an eye on the 70 in the future, so I can definitely learn from you! Btw, Carl, the work you put in in April is incredible.

Steve, amazing numbers, but you don't need to hear that from us!

Mike D, your kid is awesome. Which swim watch did you end up getting for the wife?

Jay, sad news indeed. Tough life and decisions for any family to face.

Numbers:

Swim: 2.86 hours, 6375 yd
Bike: 8.68 hours, 114 mi.
Run: 7.37 hours, 44.95 mi.
Strength: 0.5 hours
Soccer: 2.98 hours, 8.52 mi. (I wore my GPS watch during matches ;-)
Dragonboat practice: 2.2 hours, 8.11 mi.

23.65 hours total of activity, which is about 5.5 hours a week, an improvement over March (15.5 hrs total, 3.5 hrs/week average). Something I'm happy about and can build upon. I wish I put in more run hours to get prepped for my second HM this year, but my knees are taking a beating from soccer and the run training! I've been using everything from KT tape to knee support and Icy Hot to foam rollers, along with Icy Hot and lots of rest, to keep em fresh.

I also hit up my office gym for the first time because I signed up for a Tough Mudder event in June (if anyone has any tips for these events lmk). In a 1-month span, I'll be doing 4 events in 5 weekends (Dragonboat Festival, Half Marathon, Metric Century, and Tough Mudder). Lots of money poured into these things, so I feel where Carl is coming from with the strain on the finances. But we put it on ourselves! I poured more money into upgrading bike parts that didn't need upgrading.

So I've been super busy this month, we sold a house helped my parents pack up to move 3/4 of the way across the country and finished rearranging our house so my mom can move in with us for the next 2-3 weeks. In spite of that all my training went pretty well.

Swim: 4h 18m - 13000 YD
Bike: 21h 08m 26s - 400.11 Mi
Run: 18h 30m 03s - 123.88 Mi

Only down 1 pound this moth for a total of 20 I think

I wish there was a little more swim but oh well.

Linda-Awesome job at Boston.

Carl-you finished that's great a lot of bad races end in DNF'S and you finished.

Jay- that is truely sad but good for you to bring awareness

Mitzi-awesome job on the weight loss keep it up

5 weeks to go until Boise did my first race distance ride and run this weekend and feel great now time to get caught up on yard work

Mike

Great Numbers , Your ready Good luck and all best at Boise 70.3.

Cheers

Carl

Wow, Mike you have been busy. But it sounds like you are slaying it on the training. Great job!

The weather is stunniing here! Yesterday had a beautiful run. Today the run was a struggle but at least the weather was still nice. Going to work on getting myself up early this week and getting in something every day, even if it's short. Have a good weekend everyone.

Phil - nice improvement on your numbers. I have not been where I would like either but do see an improvement. Keep it up!

Pam - Nice plan. I was hitting the morning WO's for a while. So many activities getting in the way that I might join your early rise challenge.

It was a nice weekend. A little windy with some weird winds but nothing that affected the workouts. Saturday was a nice bike ride. My daughter had 3 hours of testing, So I loaded up the bike and left for a 2 hr jaunt from her school. I had to pick up and air filter for my car from one town over. Felt a little weird pulling up on my bike for car parts but one of the guys used to be a big bike rider and had a nice chat. All total I put in 27 miles. Today was not quite as fun trying to run on tired legs. Ended up walking a bunch but glad to get it in (3.15 mi in 38:42). All part of the base building I guess. Happy Training!

Come on Joe! We are the same time zone so 5am tomorrow? See ya then virtual training partner.

Jim?!!!! Yay, so glad to see you!!!!!!! So proud of you for continuing with your training. How is your wife's cochlear? You need to catch us all up on how things are for you, your family, and Mitch.

Ok, off to bed for me so I can make that 5am alarm. I really do hate early morn training but it's also nice to get it in before my body knows that it's awake.

Wow I see some impressive numbers, way to go mentor - and fellow mentorees!
Some of you have races closing in... exciting, can't wait to start stalking you all for race reports

Big big thanks to Steve (great advice as always) Strykergt, Pam and Joe for the positive feedback. As this is my first Oly I don't know what to expect.

Joe - For now I focus more on a 83 mile bike event I'm doing on June 14. Takes my mind off this Oly on July 20. Did that same event last year (sprint) and it was a blast and the site is spectacular, I expect it to be even better this year as they are hosting the Canadian championships and the PanAmerican Cup.

Jim - welcome back! great bike numbers hope your wife and family are doing well.

Pam - Lol. Mornings aslo helped the energy levels during the day but it might have been being half asleep that helps get those WO's in. It also takes a bit more prep the day before as you do not want to be messing around making lunch and trying to get the WO in.

Jim - You have been busy! Keep up the good work and say Hi to Mitch.

Isabella - The bike event sounds like a nice challenge. The tri event looks as if you will have plenty of time to recover from the bike as well. After 83 miles, the 20 miles on the olympic should be a breeze.

The darkness was creeping around again as I looked at the free beginner 1/2 plan here does not have a recovery week between the base phase and the first build phase. The long bike have gone well but take a lot out of the energy reserves. So WO's have been a bit slow and difficult. Top that off with weekly WO volume being a bit shy of the 7 hrs recommended and Ugh! Feeling a bit like Charlie Brown looking to kick that football. Meetings getting in the way a bit this week and..... well you get the picture. You gotta love it or it will eat you up. Happy training!

Phil,
I hope you enjoy the Tough Mudder. Have you ever done it before?

Everyone is putting up decent numbers, way to go!

Money is tough to spend on our races I agree. I personally believe it is the lifestyle and journey that are more important than the race or the destination. I know I am investing in my health and happiness but I don't do many races due to the money involved. And traveling to Boston this year will put me back for a while and that is fine : )

I hope everyone else is starting to enjoy this spring weather. It is getting better by the week.

Thanks Linda, I've never done the tough mudder or similar event, but it sounds awesome and I'm getting pretty excited.

I was talking to a friend about the cost of these races, and someone mentioned someone knowing a guy who's a "race bandit" or "race crasher": an athlete who just jumps into a race without registering! Sure enough, I looked it up and race banditing is a thing. An article that popped up was for the Boston marathon, since it has such a selective process; one bib number was taken from social media and re-used 4 times! All the races I pay for I always see value in it, whether it's the swag giveaways, or just the fact that they shut down whole sections of cities that I'd never be able to run on otherwise. Next race, I'll be on the lookout for these bandits. I won't mind that they run with me, but once they take the Gatorade and the Gu gels, that's stealing!

Hey y'all! Greetings from Texas .

Isabella - congrats on your new business! Making that leap is hard, but can be worth it. I work with a lot of small businesses and know the realities.

Steve - how is surfing the waves of the ironman prep going? I forgot until Jim mentioned it that some of you guys/gals will meet each other in CDA. That will be a nice addition to the festivities!

Carl - I hear you on the budget issues. That's one of the reasons I decided that longer distance tri's were not for me. I just don't like sinking a lot of $$'s into one thing. However, it can also get expensive racing the shorter stuff frequently. Sadly, I have two free entries from a local racing company I did some work for that I haven't used -- 1 for a HM or full marathon and another for a 5K or 10K.

Joe - when is your HIM?

Phil - I love it that your totals included "dragon boat practice" -- now that's some unique cross training!

Mike D - hope you are getting ready for some warm temps! We're heating up here in TX.

Mike - yes, moving your mom in is a big, life changing deal. My hat is off to you. I am more and more grateful for the folks at my FIL's assisted living place. His 24 X 7 care, feeding and entertainment would be more than I'd willingly bite off. Just running the errands, taking him to doc appts, visits several times a week, etc. is a challenge sometimes. Betting your mom is not 95 years old though, so hopefully she can blend into the family well.

Mitzi - how are things going for you? You mentioned something about how much money is involved in diabetes care vs. how much is put towards a cure. Totally agree that there is not a profit motive for a cure. The most promising research I've seen has had a really hard time getting funding. Go figure!

Pam - way to be the early bird! You are incredible with how you fit your workouts in. Tips hat to you!!

Linda - love your approach re: it being a journey/lifestyle!

Jim - yes, how is your wife doing? Glad you and Mitch are hanging in for CDA!

Work stuff is going well. I had a wonderful sense of calm as I worked with my first client yesterday. I'm basically doing what I already do for another company (they send me clients, take a cut, provide some infrastructure, handle the invoicing, etc.). They have a really good operation going, and I have gone to school on how they do business over the last couple years. They are fine with me taking on my own clients, so I don't have to cut the cord there and can allow this to build slowly and organically with hopes of it eventually being a retirement supplement that hubby & I can both work on.

Really struggling to fit workouts in. I went back to the pool for the first time in a while on Monday and really enjoyed it. But I have tried going back two other days and had fails on that due to a minor dog crisis, thunderstorms, and work. So I skip doing anything in the morning (prime workout time for me) thinking I'll get a swim in, and then that falls through. Anyway, I'm saying here and now I'm doing SOME KIND OF WORKOUT today come what may!

Bike experts!

I have a question regarding riding in a peloton.
I know it is not tri-related, and maybe I should ask in the Peloton forum, but I am interested in your opinion.

I actually learned on Wednesday how to ride in a group and it was my first experience. It was great! I will have other group rides once a week to further gain experience.

My average speed while riding alone is generally around 26-27 km/h (15-16 mph).
Within the group I found we were riding between 30-35 km/h (18-21 mph) but I was working less, except when I was at the front for a few minutes at a time.

I have an 83-mile charity ride (not a race) in June. The longest ride I have ever done is 58 miles in 2012. (2013 I focused on shorter rides to prepare for a sprint).
I will have to place myself in one of 3 groups (28-30 km/h, 25-27 km/h or 22-24 km/h).
The "peloton" will be 4,000 cyclists, seeded between those 3 groups. Talk about wind-breaker!!!

Which group should I choose?
Is it ok to start with a fast group and drop to a slower one if I see I cannot maintain the speed?

Isabella, well, given that your bike event is twice what your long bike distance is now, I would go with the pace that you can do by yourself. It is 25% easier to ride behind the pack than on your own.... but if the course has any hills in it at all, you will get dropped as the pack pulls away from you on the uphills and then you won't be able to recatch them on the downhills. So in general this will give you an "easy" ride with the benefit of the pack, but I am afraid that if you bank on the wind benefit for the whole day you could get dropped a lot. Also, as you are not regularly biking 75-90 miles for your long ride, you will find that after about 30-40 miles it will get harder and harder to keep up with them. Just my thoughts. Folks who have done more group rides feel fre to jump in.

+1 Have Fun Isabella

Carol - The HIM is the Shoreman 1/2 which is Sept 6th.

Isabella - I would kind of repeat what Steve said. When in a group, drafting, it is expected that you can keep up with less effort. I have very little experience in group rides. The yo-yo effect is not too fun as you start out with the group, get dropped, catch up if they wait for you and then repeat. I did this over 30 miles and was glad for the training challenge. Not sure it would be as much fun in an event. Sounds like a fun ride though. Good luck.

Phil - Race bandit? Never heard of that. Pretty funny though. I always thought a big part of the experience was to rate yourself against the other runners and it sounds like these bandits would miss out on that. Hopefully these people do not get hurt in the process...

Nice long bike yesterday on a grey cool day. Still worked up a good sweat finishing 32 in about 2:20. Want to top it off with a short run today. see how it goes. happy training all.