Baowolf mentor group is [ Closed ] (Page 32)

Ok, so I was in Vegas for the weekend.  Did absolutely nothing... including sleep! 

But my foot is maybe feeling better.  Found a taping technique form my local running store that seemed to help today.  Everyone says run on it, doctors, Chiros, running store so I will run.  We'll see how I feel later today.

Did a swim and run today.  Curious where my running is but 3 miles, pace was 8:30, 8:00, 7:30 so felt pretty good for so much time off..

Lary are you doing a 3 week taper for the HIM.  I would think a 2 week taper would be fine and that would give you 1 more build week with a solid 2 weeks to recover for the HIM... just at thought. 

Mitch, I would ease back into things with more walking until are confident in the foot.  Your slush window is smaller than it was for your training.  It is better to build slow and have things work than go too fast and go boom again. 

Thanks Steve for the motivating words yesterday.  I quoted you and sent it to my Sister in law who also is into tri's.    Very motivating for both of us. 

Today I did a HR zone 30min test. 

Resting HR: 55   Average HR:142     Maximum:181    **I did not take a split time @ 20 minutes into it.  Dont know if thats necessary or not but I plugged in my #'s (karvonen)-was this right?  

QUESTION:  when I entered these zones into my watch/HR monitor data zone limits the lower should be 118 & max at 181?  my watch wont let me go beyond 179 in Max field.  ? 

I am the "Wellness Capt" (no one will salute me though) for my company and this year I have been organizing runs to get people up and moving and we have also had almost 50 team members race their first 5k this year! It has been cool to see people get fired up about running.

But I backed myself into a corner.

In Aug, I could possibly be in a 5k in the morning, a super sprint in the evening and then another 5K the next morning!  The 1st 5k is the work one, I could sit it out, but it is the Elvis Presley 5K and you don't miss that one living here in Memphis! The super sprint is one I have been trying to get under an hour for the last two years! (it is a 400 yd swim, 11 mile bike and 2 mile trial run- really fun to redline it, but I always come in at 1:01 or so, think I can do it this year) and the other 5k is part of a road race series I have signed up for!

Funny thing is that it sorta fits into my HIM training I am doing for a HIM on Sept 8.

Anyways, thought it was funny to wonder if I could pull off 3 races in 3 days and have decent times in them all!

I think youre hardcore enough to do them all!  Seriously!!.  3miles here, 3miles there...little swim & little bike...  Youll definitlely earn the salutes then!!!   

Thanks Steve!  Looks like I now have a good plan for the summer thanks to you.  Really appreciate your help.

Hey Elena, so we were both testing today .  Probably would have been more fun to do that together.  I kept trying to imagine it was a 5K race, but that only goes so far.  For what it's worth, I used the LT option to generate the training zones.  I think lactate threshold is what the 20 minute avg HR is supposed to approximate.

Jford, well of course you are going to race all three.  Most of your wellness group probably thinks you're a little nuts anyway with all that triathlon stuff, so might as well prove them right !  That's great so many are doing the 5K. 

You have to do all 3!!  and break that hour!!

Went for a run this evening (nice to go out for a run at 8:15 PM and still have it be light out!). Nice 4.33 mile run at a pace that felt like I could have run endlessly. Relaxing way to end the day!

I saw that Carol!   Hmmm I might need to re-test.  I didnt hit "split" at 20 minutes.  So I just have the Average & Maximum heartrates for that run....  Using LT option: If I plug in my MHR (181)the data generated for zone 1,2,&3 are significantly different than Karvonen option.  hmm retest? 

Thx for the Inspire today too.  If you find that sspeed before I do, please let me know! :D

I do a two week taper for a HIM and a 3 week taper for an IM.  I think the last week of build might help ya out and you will be recovered in 2 weeks as long as you don't do a 22 mile run 2 weeks out ).  Something like a 50 mile bike 12 mile run Sat and Sunday 2 weeks out from the race will cement in that level of fitness for the race 2 weeks later.  You can certainly do the 3 weeks, but I think you need 1 more build week more.  It is your call, whatever makes you feel most confortable going into the race. In the end it will be your pacing and nutrition/hydration that will make your day  work for you.... or not. 

Me too! 

Question-  Is there a difference between electrolight replacemnt tablets/drinks and liquid "nutrition"? Are they one in the same?  I use Nuun tablets- says its an electrolight hydration (<3 cal) but would like to give something with more calories a try during long runs like today.(I ran 7.5 miles & I forgot my waistpack with gel Hammer)in it.  Luckily had my Nuun/water.  I definitely was feeling hungry @ about mile 6 or so and the Nuun wasnt cutting it!)  

I am leary to try anything else for fear of stomach issuses & have learned that  foodsthat require chewing make me gag, so leaning towoard liquids & gels.   What do you use for rides & runs for nutrition intake?    

Nutrition is usually considered anything with calories in it that you consume during a race be that liquid (Gatoraid, Heed, Infinit), gels (GU/hammer) or solids (chomps, sportsbeans, pbj sadwhich, powbar).  Electrolyte replacement can be taken as a pill, but almost any gatoraid/gel/chew has enough salt and potasium (electrolytes) in them that you do not have to supplement with additional salt pills.  Hydration is usually water or a fluid that is mostly water.  So If I use Infinit some of my hydration is in the Infinit, but not all of the hydration that I need.  I also prefer things that you dont have to chew.  I can kind of suck on and chew the chomps, but anything drier or flakier than that and I can get some stuck in my my throat when breathing hard.  I am more comfortable with chomps on the bike where I am typically not breathing quite that hard or I can ease  up on the pace  a touch and eat where running, not so much. 

You are a fast enough runner that 7.5 miles shouldn't take you more than 1:25.  You don't really need any calories during a workout that is 1:30 or shorter. You may want something, but that is up to you. 

So after a really slow week last week (for me) I am in a rest week and did a tempo run today (8:17, 7:28, 7:16, 7:13, 7:34, 7:45, 7:46)  The 4th mile should have been a bit faster and the 7th mile a bit slower, but happy with that, there was some wind. 

It is really natural and really hard to not compare yourself with other triathletes.  I mean why shouldn't I be able to bike as fast as Lance Armstrong, he isn't that much younger than I am.  The same with the other sports.  We have genetics, we have our own history with different sports or lack there of, our weight loss issues, amount of spare time to workout, etc.  The mix really makes it very different for different people.  There is a BTer who I respect very much, she trains hard, has done multiple IM's puts in thousands of miles bike and run each year etc., and finishes her IM's around 16:30:00.  Her body type is just not great for triathlon, but that does not mean she can't do it, it just means that her body does not respond in the same way that a person with average or above average physically able person's would.  As far as I can tell she works as hard as I do and her 16:30 is my 11:40 IM and my 11:40 is someone elses 9:40.  So it is really important to focus on personal developement within the lifestyle.  Some accomplishments are going longer, some are going faster.  It is hard to go longer and faster at the same time.  So stay safe, have fun and race against yourself.  If you happen to end up on the podium that is awsome, if not, that is what we get finisher's medals for.  Because just finishing one of these things is a major accomplishment.  Pat yourself on the back, pass by the couch and the icecream sunday and go run.  Then you can figure out how to reward yourself after. 

Steve – Thank you for your words of wisdom, you seem to have the right thing to say at the right time. My run would not be this far along without your tips and the groups encouragement. I may not be Lance, or Dara Torres but all these older athletes sure do inspire me to Tri and I am glad to be part of this group. You all have great stories to tell.

I just got clipless shoes and pedals and tried them out last night for the first time. The left shoes seemed to toe in a little too much which is easy enough to adjust. Are there any guidelines on setting them up properly, or is it just what feels good?

And not sure what it is lately but last week on a long ride a deer stood in the middle of downhill section and yesterday I picked up some pretty good speed on a steeper downhill when this big Black Bear appears in the middle of the road. I would have had trouble stopping in time. I hit the brakes to slow down, gave him the old Road Runner “Beep – beep” and he (she) moved to the side of the road. It is not just the traffic that can get you here in Jersey. Anyway, it worked out to be an 11 mile ride at about 16mph. The hills were much more manageable than I remember, even without the mountain bike granny gears. The average speed is also about half mph better than the last time I rode this route. My legs were feeling a little spent after this and the previous two days’ runs.

for my gels, I use E-Gel. It has a few more calories than Gu, it is not as thick and it is filled with electrlytes. here is a comparison off their website:

I like them alot and they have done me great!

(eGel-comp-2011.gif)

Mike - way to to find the silver lining in that murky, warm swim!  And always love to hear about the family involvement.

Quasi - know what you mean about the comparisons.  I joke that I have to go to races to see very many of my "kind" (middle aged ladies).  Nice job getting the kiddo's involved for you as well!

Tri-Solar - wow, lions and tigers and bears - oh my!  Well at least bears and deer.  That bear would have scared me half to death!  Do you wear a HR monitor?  If so, you probably found a new zone.  Can your bike shop help you with the shoe adjustments?  Sorry, I'd have to ask for help too .

JFord - thanks for the info on the gels.  Still trying to figure out why my legs cramp on the run in tri's.  Suspecting it has more to do with (lack of) bike fitness, but keeping the salt/electrolytes in a happy place may play a role as well.

Steve - another good reminder on the comparisons!  I posted this on my facebook page after my last tri: "Had a personal best for olympic distance at Captex Tri on Monday.  Yes, this moved me from back of my age group pack to the back of the middle (16/24).  But for me it's all about personal achievement, incremental improvement, and staying motivated to stay fit.  Missions accomplished..."  Of course I still have my moments of "why the heck am I ALWAYS last??" too.

OK, so bike shopping has become an obsession I'm afraid.  I'm down to Trek Madone 4.5, Specialized Amira, or Cannondale Synapse.  All carbon frames with 105 components.  Not enough price diff to make or break the decision.  Think I felt best on the Trek, 2nd best on the Cannondale, and last the Specialized, but really hard to tell.  Any opinions/experience on those? 

OK, it's time for me to "out" Ceril here.  She has a sprint tri this weekend.  Go get 'em Ceril!  Hope you have a day that exceeds your expectations, and that you enjoy every minunte of it!

Yes, and I'm definitely ready to get a dang bike already!  My top two have a white, light blue, dark blue paint job, and I like that.  Nice "cool" colors.  May necessitate getting a new tri top though, thx for the reminder to factor that in .