Asphalt Junkies CLOSED AND GETTING OUR FIX (Page 36)

Real life has completely derailed my training for the past couple weeks.   The good news is, we have a new home.  It happened incredibly fast, and I have been working until 10 or 11 every night packing and moving.  Moving is done, so I can now look forward to the hours I will waste every day not being able to remember where anything is.  

And we moved into a lake community, so I have open water to practice my swim.  We are all so excited.  It's a huge upgrade, and I'm in the same neighborhood as my ex-wife, which will be great for the girls.  They are just thrilled with it.

Jonathan I think you should get a pass on not being around lately. Planning a wedding is time consuming and I think everyone here appreciates whatever time you have to be around to help us out. Good luck getting ready this week for the upcoming Tri this weekend.

On another note just back from another lackluster swim. The entire month of April has been up and down for me. I really thought I would be further along but it's just not happening right now and it's not due to a lack of effort. Today I just didn't have great energy and my left arm and shoulder were sore so while I was giving it a good effort I just did not get as much distance in as I wanted to. I am thinking I need to reassess what I am doing especially days prioir to the swim days. I think part of the problem has to do with getting adequate sleep so I feel rested on those days. Another thing is I think I am doing too much to soon. I think you guys were right about the strength training I am thinking about just cutting that back to a minimum and going into more of a maintenace mode a few days a week. I am also thinking this stuff is affecting my confidence as well. When I am tired or feel the lack of energy I wind up not being able to relax and get into a good rythym which results in me swimming too fast using up more energy and I just wind up stuggling even more. Not sure what else I can do but I am open to suggestions as I really need to work on my swimming. I am also not sure if this is part of the growing process or if it's some of the other factors that is kind of slowing my progress down. 

Tony, I think you need to get in the water and just have an encouraging experience.  So I suggest you schedule a swim (hopefully your next one and hopefully soon) where you simply do 2 things:

1) use a pull buoy and forget the legs completely for the entire swim

2) swim a complete, strict catch up stroke

#1 will ensure you aren't using extra energy keeping your legs up, or consuming oxygen using the legs and it helps keep your body in a good efficient position...this will enable you (I hope) to have a 'victory' experience in the water

#2 will guarantee that your stroke is slowed down keeping the tempo where we want it

As for your shoulder, I know you are doing something wrong or there would be zero shoulder fatigue from swimming.  I cannot remember EVER feeling shoulder fatigue from swimming.  I have a feeling you aren't rotating far enough at least on that side.

What I hope my suggestion does for you is to let you experience how 'zen' and actually easy swimming can be.  Granted you will be using an artificial device, but swimming without it can actually be that easy.  And the only thing needed to get there is learning technique, not some unobtainable level of increased fitness.

David, congrats on the nicer house, the lake and proximity to your kid's Mom.

But don't you know that triathlon is more important than the move?  Heck, it's more important than even HAVING a home!

So get back to training!!! 

Jeff thanks and I will give it a try on Thursday which will be my next day to swim. You are correct about the rotation or lack of rotation to the left side. I have been swimming sort of flat and not rotating as much as I should be to that side so I will try and concentrate on doing a better job of that as well. The shoulder and left arm were sore after swimming on Saturday and it was the same today. It's only been recently that I have been experiencing that soreness.

I feel like I've been offline forever even though it's only been since Saturday.  You guys are awesome.  I'll shotgun a few responses:

On cold water swimming: I'm definitely a HTFU type of person on this one.  You have to just get in and do it.  Anything over 65 is pretty much mental.  I actually hate cold water, but once I get in and get started it's usually fine unless the water is below 65.  Maybe this is personal preference, but I really think anything over 65 is manageable - physically at least.  I'd prefer the lake water be 80-85, but that has never happened.

owl_girl - That hill sounds awesome.  200 feet in 1/3 mile, that would seriously affect the pace.

john - 48:15 10k!!!!  Wow, that's smoking fast.  Congrats.

Jonathan - The cold weather race advice you've gotten sounds good, though I think it'll be a bit warmer than you think up there this weekend.  Anything over 50 is really a no-op, and I think you'll be at 50 or more by bike time.  If not, gloves are key for a safe bike, and don't forget the post-race clothing to get your core back up if it's wet or really cold.

JoAnne - for the post cruise race.  For me it depends on what you're nervous about.  If you're worrying about the semantics of pre-race preparation, as opposed to the physical preparedness, you can just prepare as if you're racing the day you leave for the cruise and then you'll be good to go when you get back.  In terms of being ready physically, that seems a lot more challenging.  I personally wouldn't want a race hanging over my head post vacation.  I certainly wouldn't train or eat correctly, and it would take away from the cruise.  But that seems like a personal decision.

Tony - When I was first learning to swim, I actually practiced massive over-rotating to learn to relax in the water.  I'm not suggesting you do that, but doing the drill Jeff suggests and learning that swimming can be “relaxing” is exactly what you should try to do.  The water actually holds you up and you don’t need to fight it as we are all inclined to do.  Of all the things I learned doing Total Immersion, this ability to relax in the water is the one thing I carry with me to all my race.

David welcome back and congrats on the new home. That's great that you have the lake right there to get your OWS in. Hope things settle down now so you can get your training back on track.

Got up this morning to someone knocking on my door at 6am. It was some of the guys I do group rides with. They told me I have 1 hour to get my a$$ in gear and meet them by the lake for a 1 lap sufferfest. This was completely unexpected. Hardly any time to get some food down & pack a few essentials for the ride. I wish it was just a ride. It ended up being one continuous interval. God I hate these guys!!! LOL

So, here I am at work contemplating whether or not to get a wheelchair and spend the day in that. I do have to say it was fun, horrible, insane, and worth it.

Ride numbers:  72.11 miles at a 20.6 mph average.

Think I will stop by their house after work at 1am and tell them it's time for a run. lol

Yeah..sorry, should have said that it was indoor pool swim.  Maybe Warren is right and it will be warmer.  I really hope so because it was 49 degrees on my bike ride I just got back from and I was cold with full legs and full sleeves and gloves.

That's a really good point Warren...gotta remember to bring warm clothes for post race for sure.

Wow....that is super impressive!  I am not sure I would have gone with them (okay, that was a lie, I definitely would have), but 72 miles at 20.6 mph is awesome.  I wish I had a solid group of guys willing to do that after work!

A lot going on today so I am going to work my way backward through the posts in a minute.

First off I want to give a little bit of fair warning to the group.  I met a guy at the pool tonight that is a pretty good swimmer and was able to stay with me while we were doing freestyle (in separate lanes).  I spoke to him after the pool closed and he is talking about doing a few races sometime.  I told him I would let him jump in the group if he created an account and threw a post up.  His name is Brady so we'll see if he jumps in.

At my swim tonight I did my second 2000 TT.  I di this tonight because I knew I would be a little short on time to get a solid WO in in just under an hour.  I did my usual WU stuff and started the TT.  Other than swallowing a huge gulp of water after the turn at 75 yards everything went kind of decent.  I ended with a time of 30:47.9 with an average 100 of 1:32.  I would like to have seen right at 30 minutes but hey, second time doing this I'm alright with it.

Riiiiight.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.  

You are lucky to have a group like this.. Iam sure I don't have to tell you.

My time came out to be around 3:30:01. If I did this on my own I would probably only be around 4:00:00. Not counting stops.lol I felt like telling them to go stuff it, but they are a great group of guys and they really push you hard. When you start to drop back (which happens quite often) one of them falls back and gives encouragement and lets me know that if I don't keep up they will stop riding with me. I know they wouldn't, but their intensity and love of riding is sooo contagious.

One of them sat down with me after the ride and we talked. He said how proud the group was of me and that they wanted me to join the local bike club. They want me to stop the Tri training and focus on riding and join them in some races. I told them I have a dream (or goal) of competing in an Ironman and maybe some day Kona. They understood, but said there is no reason I couldn't do both.

I'm really conflicted. I love being out on the bike and feeling the wind, getting the rush from the speed, and the comraderie of the group. Where Tri is such an individual sport and sooo much more exspensive (which I'm having problems with). On top of it all, this last week my boss came to me with a job offer. They need a chef to take over a failing kitchen. Which means more hours and less time to train. It does mean more $$$$. I haven't made any decisions, but my beautiful and understanding wife told me to do what makes me happy. This is really hard.

Intruders!?  Blasphemy!  

On the swimming front...that's pretty solid my friend.  You can safely remove 5 seconds/100 for your half iron swim time for sure if you have a wetsuit on.  That's awesome.  I actually don't think I have ever done a 2000 TT....I should try that.  Do you keep track of laps on that sweet new watch that I should be buying for myself, but have no money to spend because of the wedding?

JoAnne, I really hope you're right.  Right now it says high of 60 up there.  That wouldn't be bad at all...but 45 is the low and that's a chilly one.  

I'm off to bed.  Trying to keep at least 7 hrs of sleep a night on the books up until my race.  I have successfully completed day 2 of eating well with no sugar, no processed foods, and no alcohol.  Makes me feel like superman by the weekend....  We'll see if it works this year too.

Stan, that is an incredible ride.  Last year I rode 47 miles (-ish) and was at 22 MPH and I thought that was pretty good.  (The thing about that ride was that the group dragged me back the last 10 miles.)  To be able to averge that kind of speed is pretty great over that kind of distance.  It sounds like you have earned your way into a great cycling group.

Jonathon,  I am betting your weather is going to be much warmer than you are currently expecting.  I think it very wise to make a cold weather plan though, for sure. 

Also I'm glad to see you're among the living again.  I guess the wedding zombies haven't completely taken control of your life.  I'm glad to hear your able to get the planning done.  I am also very happy to say I'm happily married and not planning a wedding.

John, It sounds like you had a great race.  I think 48 minutes for a 10k is pretty good.  Now you have something to gauge a medium distance run from.  That distance requires a pacing strategy rather than a pain management race like the 5k distance.

I think this is very sound advice.  Swimming with a pull buoy is pretty relaxing for me even when I am swimming at a higher pace.  This will allow you to just "feel" much better about the swimming.  I also agree that getting a good swim in to get a more positive mental attitude back into your swimming.  Make sure you don't over use this advice though.  I would use it sparingly to get your mind back into a good place and then drop it so you don't rely on the buoy to much.

Since my Half mary last week I have been having issues with Lack of motivation.  Its been a struggle to just complete each work out.  At first I thought it was just the fact I have been pushing too hard for too many months, but ruled that out quickly because its not an energy or fatigue issue, just motivation.  Thought about it for awhile then realized what my problem is:  I had NO RACE SCHEDULED, and by scheduled I mean actually paid for and registered.  Without the race there was nothing to look forward to and think about while training!  Found an easy fix though:  HFP Racing

Its official: My money has been sent for the GREAT BUCKEYE CHALLENGE HALF IRONMAN.  Now there is no backing out! 

Cagolddigger - 2012-04-30 9:23 PM

Wow....that is super impressive!  I am not sure I would have gone with them (okay, that was a lie, I definitely would have), but 72 miles at 20.6 mph is awesome.  I wish I had a solid group of guys willing to do that after work!

Seriously: 72 miles at 20mph? Nice ride, I have years before I can pull off those numbers.......................... Someday I will figure out the proper nutrition to succeed at this sport....until then I am going to enjoy a double quarter pounder from McD's! It's only 733 calories so it can't be that bad.......right?

You are lucky to have a group like this.. Iam sure I don't have to tell you.

My time came out to be around 3:30:01. If I did this on my own I would probably only be around 4:00:00. Not counting stops.lol I felt like telling them to go stuff it, but they are a great group of guys and they really push you hard. When you start to drop back (which happens quite often) one of them falls back and gives encouragement and lets me know that if I don't keep up they will stop riding with me. I know they wouldn't, but their intensity and love of riding is sooo contagious.

One of them sat down with me after the ride and we talked. He said how proud the group was of me and that they wanted me to join the local bike club. They want me to stop the Tri training and focus on riding and join them in some races. I told them I have a dream (or goal) of competing in an Ironman and maybe some day Kona. They understood, but said there is no reason I couldn't do both.

I'm really conflicted. I love being out on the bike and feeling the wind, getting the rush from the speed, and the comraderie of the group. Where Tri is such an individual sport and sooo much more exspensive (which I'm having problems with). On top of it all, this last week my boss came to me with a job offer. They need a chef to take over a failing kitchen. Which means more hours and less time to train. It does mean more $$$$. I haven't made any decisions, but my beautiful and understanding wife told me to do what makes me happy. This is really hard.

I agree with your wife!  I tell my girls NOT to look a the money of different jobs but look at what makes you happy.  If you are doing something you hate you're going to have trouble getting out of bed in the mornings to go to work and life will become miserable for everyone around you.  If this is an opportunity that may come up again and triathlon/cycling is more important now then allow that to influence your decision.

For cycling, it's entirely up to you.  Make sure, as with the job, that you are doing what is more important to you right now.  You have definitely gotten into a tremendous group of guys to ride with and don't discount what they are saying to you.  Just do what you think is in your dreams to accomplish.

You da Man!!!! 

See you there brother!  I can't wait!  It's a nutrition planning race for me though so I'm not racing..........kinda............I hope...........Man that's going to be hard to NOT race.

Great new profile pic too.  But I think you should ditch that scarlet and grab some maize and blue!

Since I've been working with a swim coach, my left shoulder is terribly sore.  I've been changing my stroke pretty drastically so I know that is what is going on.  I'd definitely try the pull buoy.  I used one exclusively after I dislocated my ankle.  It kept me swimming and I gain confidence in swimming very long sets (for me).

On a side note related to swimming.....I swam 3X500 today about 30 seconds faster than I did before I started working with my coach!  Yes, my shoulder hurts but I'm quite pleased with my progress!  I've only been working with her for a month.