Slornow's and Wannabefaster's Summer Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 32)

Hey guys-thanks for all the support today. My time was a little slower than Texas but overall it was a good effort. Swim was 37:xx and seemed to be long. Bike was great. Very little wind on the flat bike course so I had a great split at 2:22:xx hitting my power numbers exactly. I knew the run would be tough as there was little shade on a blacktop road. Temps had hit 80-82 and it was very humid. Knew I would be hitting alot of aid stations so figured if I could hit 8 min miles including walks through the aid stations that would be a 1:45. It wasn't meant to be as I finished with a 1:48 run for 4:53 total time. Lots of struggling on the run. One of my goals for the year was to qualify fo Vegas 70.3 World Championship. Didn't happen and I'm good with that....pretty much decided that even if I qualified I would not take the slot. Just couldn't see training through the heat of the Summer to do a tough race in 100 degree heat.

Really impressed with the quality of the racers in my AG. AG winner in 50-54 went 4:19...thats unreal for an "old guy."

Good job to the other racers. 

Great job Randy!!!  It seems to me, that the older AG have some really fast people in them.  Here in WI, the 45-49 was tough, but I am finding there are some real fasties in 50-54 too!

I always find it tough to compare race results done on different courses, don't you?  Between varying weather and terrain I usually focus on my place in the AG to determine how well I've done.  Does that make sense?

Suzy-I think you are exactly right about comparing year to year times in a large race. Conditions and variations in the swim course can cause such a big difference in race times. But, in general, if you have a WTC event with 150+ in an AG the make up/quality of the racers in the AG is going to be pretty consistent. So, I often will look back to see what race splits/race splits were in previous years to see how I would have fared.

Dave-There are some amazing athletes in the older age groups. One thing I noticed yesterday was that there were very few "casual" triathletes. I think that is the case in alot of the most popular 70.3 WTC events where there are Vegas/Kona slots. For instance, at the Texas 70.3 there were seemed to bemany more people that were just looking to complete a 70.3. Yesterday most of the folks I saw were there to "compete." While I met several really nice people there I really enjoy meeting first time 70.3 racers and new triathletes at events. Guess I enjoy their enthusiasm more than the intensity of some of the more serious folks.

 I was amazed at the fitness of some of the 60+ year old athletes I saw out there. Really impressive. I also think that at 50 there is more flexibility for many athletes in terms of family/work commitments so they can become more focused on things that they enjoy or are passionate about. I am visiting with family in the Hampton/Newport News area of Virginia before heading home..probably Thursday. Will try to get RR up in the next day or so.  

Now, a break.....that's 6 races so far this season...then to decide on what to do in the months to come.

Thanks again for all the support. What a great group!

Originally posted by wannabefaster Randy, You are definitely right about the vibe at Eagleman. That is definitely a 'racers' event. People were very serious there last year (but also very friendly). I take my training and competing pretty seriously but I try to be the friendliest, happiest, most outgoing guy on the course at every event. I always try to remind myself that I do this for fun...... although it can be hard to remember that at the halfway point of the run I can't believe you have six races done already. I haven't done a tri yet. I had better get it in gear soon (13 days soon, to be exact). Jimmy, I feel like the swimmers that have good overally athletic skills make the best triathletes. They have years of aerobic engine building. They have a really good knowledge about how to train hard. Running and biking aren't necessarily skill events, just effort events, while swimming requires a very focused skill set. My best skill is the run. I do like the fact that I get to look forward to finishing with my best event. The only problem is that by the time I get to the run I am too far behind to make up all of that time. Interestingly enough, I have met several ex-rowers who have made a successful conversion to triathlon training and racing. I think that elite level rowing is a 'learning to suffer' kind of sport. That suffering seems to transfer well to triathlon.

My coach says the exact same thing.  I really envy life long swimmers, especially at the start of the race.  I'm fretting over just about anything (waves, wind, how far b ack to go, etc) and their biggest worry is getting to the front and breaking free from the pack.  Dare to dream.  Like you, my favorite part is the run. I spend a lot of time passing people at that point which is good, but it also means I am pretty far  behind at that point.

Mary-I initially subscribed because I felt like I was getting alot out of the site and thought it reasonable to become a performance member (or whatever they call it). Then a couple of years ago I wanted access to all the training plans so I could find one that fit what I wanted to do. At that point I became a gold member. In addition to access to all the plans there are some additional discounts available for performance members at some online retailers. Seems like once or twice a year they will run a membership sale where you can purchase or extend membership for I think 50% off.

Great work on the PR and podium spot!!

I see your new avatar and I like it!!  Try clearing your cache and refresh.  Voila!