Baowolf's Beginner Banquet -Sorry all tables are full no room.. (Page 38)

Nice brick, Dennis!  Your biking is really stretching out there nicely.

Lisa, I've also seen folks put their race #'s on the seatpost if it's long enuf.  Though you've probably already figured it out since your race was today.  As for the camping, we used to camp near Lake City, and also quite a bit at Taylor reservoir and along the Taylor River.  Also spent some time in Buena Vista. Great memories of such a beautiful place!  Unfortunately, altitude does not agree w/ my hubby, and his one experience many years ago up there was pretty bad, so not likely to happen again.

Went for a group ride this morning, and the slowest group was down to two people, one of which was brand new, really slow and going to take an abbreviated route.  So I decided to try hanging w/ the big group.  I did for a little while, and then dropped back into a very distant last place after a few hills.  But they regrouped at what I gather is the normal spot, so I was able to hook up w/ about 5 others taking the shortest route of 26 miles.  Even with all that, and some park trail miles included, my fastest bike ride to date, so I'll take it.  Then hit the pool for 2K yards, and had a young lady tell me in the locker room afterwards that my swimming had inspired her.  So talk about a day of lows and highs . 

Eagerly awaiting reports from our racers!

Dennis, your brick was longer than mine today!!  I did 43 miles at 18.8 pace and then a 2 mile brick at 7:29 ish in 87 or so temps.  It was really nice to have lower winds today.  A guy at the gas station asked me how far I was biking (he was about 100 pounds over weight perhaps 150) and I told him 42 miles.  He just shook his head and said that's an awful long way to go on a bike.  I resisted the urge to tell him that I did 115 weeks ago. 

Yes I have seen the seatpost also, but it depends on the race and depends on how much stuff you have behind your seat.  I have a 64 oz water tank, spare tire, tools and spare tube behind my seat.  Up front is the bentos box, so it goes under that.  It basically needs to be seen from the left. 

Energy level up and down.  My 3000 yard swim lastnight wasn't awsome, but my shoulder should get me through the swim if not fast.  Also when my shoulder is acting up I do a 300 yard set of breaststroke after every 1000 yards of swimming to help balance the stress on the shoulder and take more breaks in my freestyle sets to stretch the shoulder  a bit between sets and don't push for speed.  A week of rest seems to help a lot also.  It depends on how bad the pain is and when it kicks in, how long it hangs around after. 

Back from my race and just chillin.  So...where to begin!!?? So there's a heatwave in NJ this week and I've been hydrating for a couple days before the race to prepare - nothing crazy, just gatorade and water.  Packed everything up the night before in the camper and took that as our Tri-base.  Morning of - got the kids up at 5AM to drive to the race - not tooo much complaining

Overall - it was a really great experience.  The energy of the place was fun, lighthearted and really positive.  I've never even been to a triathlon so that was something that I hadn't really thought about or expected.

So, the swim - not exactly what I had hoped for, but not exactly surprising either.  I did some warmup before the swim, but was really having a hard time getting comfortable in the water.  I used my inhaler before the swim, but could feel my chest was really tight.  I start off ok, near the back, still get bumped and jostled by a few people, not bad.  Pass the first buoy, the second, still not getting into the groove and I can hear myself wheezing.  I hold onto a kayak for a few minutes then continue, but, I can really hear the wheezing now.  So I got the next kayak and had them pull me.  What was comforting was that I wasn't the only one - there were about 8 people pulled in the boat with me.  And they asked me for my timing chip, but said that I could still continue the race, but my time wouldn't count.   I was really happy about that, since I wasn't sure if they would tell me that I was done.

So, I ran to T1 and that went smoothly and got on the bike course.  I was beginning to feel like I was getting really hot now.  I think temps were in the 90's at the start and the sun was brutal.  Since my time didn't count, I was really debating about quitting, but I was looking on the whole thing as a learning experience and so I plugged on.  Got passed by TONS of people and I even passed a few.  I think that it took me a little less than an hour and I was pretty happy with that on my mountainbike, in the heat.  I even managed to get my bottle out and drink a few times without launching the bottle.

In T2, I was really feeling the heat now and I was really debating about calling it a day, so I put an ice pack on the back of my neck, took off my shoes, sat in the shade, drank a cold gatorade and one of the people I passed on my bike comes running into T2 as she's racked next to me.  She commented about being impressed that I passed her on the bike and she said "I'm finishing this thing!" and ran off.  And I thought, yeah, I'm finishing this thing!  I put my sneakers on, an ice pack in my shirt and my cap on and took off to walk the 3.1 miles.  I actually felt pretty good and I poured water on me whenever I could.  At the halfway mark they had this huge water spray over the course that totally soaked you - It was really refreshing, but made my shoes soggy.

So, my total time was 2:28, which was pretty much what I expected.  I'm so happy to have done it and thought it was a great experience and can't wait to continue training for the next one.

Hey Ceril, I'm so proud of you!  Wheezing while swimming must be super scary.  I'm so glad you were able to continue on and complete the bike and run.  The atmosphere at these races IS infectious, and sounds like you have caught the bug!  For all but a very few, this is about personal victories and overcoming ourselves.  And I'd say you had a big victory today.

Steve, only a week to go for you!  Glad the shoulder is holding up and enjoying the rest (OK, rest is a relative term).

Dennis is doing longer bricks than Steve?!? That's pretty sweet!

Ceril, you are a hero. Having your timing chip pulled but continuing on in the heat when in some people mind "it wouldn't be worth it" is a real testimony to your character and strength. I do really hope you are holding your head high because you accomplished something significant today! Way to go!

I checked into today and got my first ever triathlon race number: 454. I only get nervous when I really start thinking about it, but I am also trying to prepare myself for what it will be like. 850 people are doing this sprint; I can only imagine how chaotic it will be to have that many people on a short course. I think I will have to remind myself over and over to be patient and wait while others rush, and push and pull for places and spaces. My goal is to remain non-anxious and influence others to do the same thing. I will write again after the race is over.

You get lots of credit from me for finishing the race even though you were DQ'd after the swim.  For a lot of people they would have quit, but you beat the hardest game, the mental one, and finished it.  Good for you.  That qualifies for one of the best posts to this thread ever.

And as far as being the slower person in a group ride and catching up with the main group when they wait for you.  I think that is unfair, we wait for the slower person, they catch up, we're rested, they're fatigued, and everybody goes, "Let's go" and we take off again.  I think the person catching up should be allowed a minute or 2 rest.  Just my opinion.

Who else thinks the TdF is boring as hell.  Snoozefest for me.

Dennis, you are so right!

Yes, it doesn't seem quite right re: the slow person not getting a lotta rest.  Right up there with as you get older you can eat less instead of more.  Should be the other way around!  But back to the bike ride, they were very nice and made sure I was ready to go

Ceril, very impressive.  I am so glad you completed your triathlon.  Triathlon is a great sport in that you can be completely toast and someone will take the time to say, common lets finish this, it is like everyone is competing, but everyone is still pulling for eachother to finish the race.  Nothing you could do about the wheezing.  Hopefully you can get that worked out for your next one.  You can do backstroke, side stroke, breaststroke, freestyle, whatever it takes to get you to the shore again if it helps.  You totally have the respect of everyone here and you have a heck of a strry for the folks back home 8).  Better than watching tennis on the TV!  You learned a lot about yourself and overcame... next one will be easier.   

I did the Las Vegas HIM and it got to 105F.  The water stops were 2.5 miles apart on the run and I did not have my nutrtion figured out, I took half of what I should have taken.  1 mile from the finish line I bonked and was had to walk the rest.  A guy I had been with on the run for nearly 2 hours, in my age group says to me common lets finish this one together.  It meant so much to me.  I tried to  jog with him, did for a bit and then fell back to walking again.   It was so hot, and I did finish, but I was sooo dehydrated.  The little things in a race like someone saying kind words to you mean so much.  That is why I try to do the same in every race I am in.  Chat with the vollunteers, encourage folks, smile for everyone and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

Ceril--WTG!  The heat is so hard, and especially after your experience with the swim.  I should have used my inhaler before the swim today and did not.  I finally got with the program during the bike leg, pulled it out and it made a difference.  I wasn't quite wheezing, but the breathing was pretty noticable.

The short report on my tri:

1:42:39
sex place 81/154
F35-39   19/24
overall place 154/257

swim 14:28
T1 4:36
Bike 51:28 (11.7 mph) 1106 ft elev gain
T2 1:49
Run 30:21 (9:48 pace) - 307 ft elev gain

Basically, I proved to be a middle-of-the-packer for the race.  My swim rank was slow, 210/257, and my bike rank also slow, 176/257, but my run rank was decent:  80/257.  Oh, and yes my T1 time stunk, but I have wussy princess feet that do not like to walk on asphalt that is breaking apart so I couldn't really run through transition to my bike, and then I had to spend time getting most of the gravel removed from my feet so I could get on my bike.  It didn't help that I have a healing blister right under my big toe, so I needed to get it clean enough that I could put a bandaid on before getting on the bike.

Anyhow, the tri was followed by washing diapers, hanging diapers out to dry, vacuuming, cleaning up after children, playing with children, cleaning up again, taking the diapers off the line, etc.  I'm pooped.  More tomorrow when I'm not so tired. 

Oh, and the bike thing went on the top tube.  Most people had it there, and a few under their seat, but my spare tire and such reside under my seat.  People were really confused by it though, especially the ones who weren't newbies!

We have racers tomorrow right?  Good luck!

Lisa - You did it! Biking with that elevation gain,  I would not have made it.  And then, washing out diapers?! I hope you at least gave yourself a congratulatory moment with your feet up!

Everyone - Thanks for all of the encouragement!  I'm surprised and glad that I'm not upset about getting pulled from the swim.  In the previous version of myself, it would have really discouraged me!  One of the other 8 people pulled from the water with me was crying hysterically because she was so upset.  I'm so glad that I decided to just keep going and finish - it was an amazing feeling.  I found out that something like 1380 people were competing today.

Steve - it was really refreshing and amazing to me how people went out of their way on the course to encourage me to keep going - even when people were flying by on the bike, they shouted out encouragement.  Random people giving me high fives and at the finish line I ran the last 50 yards with a woman who looked like she was about to puke.  I was told that the water temp was 88* and I was thinking of your wife turning up the temp on your pool at home.

Rooting for our racers today!!

Amazing.  I have obviously not been trying.  Today's 5k was wonderful.  It was about 85 degrees which is cool currently.  I went out hard, poured water on my head at each aid station and just kept pushing as hard as I could.  I didn't look at my Garmin at all during the race so I had no clue how fast I was going.  I did notice about half way through one of the girls from my tri club was just ahead of me.  She's really fast and once I realized she wasn't pulling away from me I knew i was doing well.

So how did I finish?  23:46.  I beat my PR from 2 weeks ago on the exact same course by 59 seconds.  I was getting near the finish, had nothing left in the tank, and a spectator yelled, "Pick it up, you can finish in under 24 minutes".  It's amazing how much energy you can tap when you hear that.  I'm very pleased with how my running is coming along. 

Dennis nice improvement in only 2 weeks.  All your trainin is definately paying off. 

Short run for me today 8 miles, held a 7:44 pace pretty constant, so I was happy with that.  It wasn't an all out day, just a steady hard with the goal of no drop off at the end.  So that leaves 25 miles of biking, 6 miles of jogging and 4000 yards ish of swimming before the race.  Time to start packing soon. 

Ok here are some numbers from my first full month of tri training in 2007.

Run: distances 3, 4.5, 5.7, 1, 6, 1, 4, 5, 2.7, 3 miles at paces 11:56, 12:26, 11:56, 11:00, 10:35, 11:28, 11:00, 12:35, 11:00

So not blinding fast on the run at all. 

Mountain bike: 4, 9, 5 miles at 12, 10, 12 mph. 

Triathlon bike: 22, 26, 13, 17, 34 miles at 16, 17, 18, 17, 17.75 mph . 

So huge improvmeent in pace from 12 ish mph on the moutain bike to 17 ish mph on the tri bike the next day.  Going faster also made it easier to go longer. 

Anyway, just thought I would throw it out there that you can start slow and get faster over time.  But moving from a mountain bike to even a low end road bike or tri bike will boost your speed significantly. 

Dennis--that's awesome for your 5K!  Also, I bet the book is interesting.  Runner's World has done a couple of articles about him, and I think one had an excerpt from the book.

Steve--don't forget that you also lost a lot of weight while improving those run times.  I'd like to be inspired, but I have no weight to lose, which means I'm not going to get a whole lot faster either.  That said, I'm faster now than I was 10 years ago when I started running, so that's good enough.

The race report for yesterday's tri is here:  http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=262153&posts=1#M3612801

Today's exercise consisted of running 8 miles with some hill repeats.  I did the first three pushing J in the jogger before dinner.  It was in the 90s but happily a breeze came up at least, and there was occasional cloud cover.  Then after dinner I headed out alone and did the hill repeats. 

Meanwhile, I think I'm going to sign up for another sprint tri next month.  Having gotten this far, I hate to lose the biking and swimming fitness that I've managed.  Next year will be focused on marathon training (no idea which one, but it will be a May/June one and it will be in Colorado) so next month's tri will be my last one for at least a couple of years. 

Yesterday was a good experience, but it really brought home the fact that I'm a runner and that's what I like to do.  I like the kind of overall fitness I've achieved but I don't like the kind of time it's taken that needs to be devoted to other things (ahem, publishing a few articles and such in hopes of landing something besides an adjunct faculty job).  I'm really chomping at the bit to do another marathon anyhow so it will be fun to devote most of my exercise time next spring to that.

I eventually want to do some biking events like the MS150 or Venus de Miles or something too. But, that will require a road bike to make it enjoyable so that might be a few years off unless I can save up enough allowance and buy something vaguely decent for around $500. 

If I go out a year from when I started (10/08), roughly 1000 miles of running under my belt at weight 140 I was doing shorter runs (6 miles) around 8:30 and longer runs (11 to 15 miles) around 10:00 to 11:00 per mile.  So now I can do shorter runs (6-8 miles) around 7:00, 5k pace just under 6:00 and moderately long runs (10 to 14) at 7:45 to 8:15, long runs at 8:30 ish.  So it is not just the weight, but also a lot of miles.  I have averaged 157 miles per month this year with up to 10 1 mile repeats at a 6:30 to 6:45 mpm pace.

So I have faith that you can continue to improve on your run, marathon, 5k, the whole deal.  Unfortunately you are not going to be able to do speedwork pushing the kids 8).  Maybe ditch them at the YMCA babysitters for your speedwork.  Anyway lots of faster folks out there, but us middle aged people can get respectible with hard work.   

Off to bed.     

Actually, I have but it sucks.  It ends up being more quality speedwork in terms of sheer exertion and I see the improvements on the race end but it's oh so miserable.  All the speed gains I made this year, including finally managing a sub-9:00 pace in various races, came from doing speedwork with the jogger.

Unfortunately, I can't really raise my mileage above its current 20-25 mark with the kids.  There's just too many things competing for my time.

A guy from my tri club finished yesterday's 5k in 20:18 while pushing a jogging stroller.

Ok then, I won't feel so bad when those folks w/ the strollers pass me now.  Amazing!

Lisa, contrats on your Tri finish!  We do need to talk about how you celebrate though .  Even if you only do one more in the next yr or so, at least you know you can come back to some or all parts of it as life morphs for you and your kiddos.  Had to laugh at your princess feet comment.  I'm the same way...don't want to have to live with anybody in your shoes for the rest of the race!

Dennis, wow, you are getting speedy AND learning how to really race a 5K!  Very happy for you.  That book sounds good too.

Ceril, so are you pumped up for the next tri yet?

Steve, thanks for sharing your stats from early in the journey.  Yes, very encouraging for us middle aged folks.  And I have definitely learned from you that it's OK to (carefully) step up the training volume beyond what I would have thought about otherwise.  So how can we track you this weekend?  You gotta be getting pretty charged up and ready to go! 

OK, so what happened to our other racers?  (taps fingers on desk) 

Yeah, I am totally impatient!! I need an update!

And Carol, yes, I'm mapping out the next step of training schedules.  My husband was pretty inspired being at the triathlon, watching everyone compete that he said he was thinking about giving it a go and training with me.  So last night he says, "Let's bike ride in the morning"  And I was ready to go at 6am, but he just couldn't stop pushing that snooze alarm!  Next time, I'm just going without him!! (So, sadly, I missed my planned workout this morning)  Just found out about an OWS swim clinic on Friday nights about 45 min from me and there just happens to be a Tri at the same location at the end of September - so that's my "end of the season" goal.  Then, after that, I have an in-gym tri in January of 2012 just a few days before I turn 40.  So, I have a lot of improvements that I want/need to make before then - but I'm looking forward to it.

Yesterday my niece asked me if I was sore and at first I was like "sore from what?"  Haha.  I guess the previous version of myself would never have made it and I would have to be scraped off the pavement.  It did make me realize why people move on to longer distances!  A sprint is hardly a workout for some people, they finish so quickly that they probably can't even enjoy it!  For me, it's still long enough to be a good workout, but my old self would be recovering for weeks!

Steve - thanks for the numbers for reference - gives me some hope that I'll improve!

Dennis - Nice job on the race! Great work on speed. And wow - pic of guy with the stroller, amazing!

Lisa - speedwork with the stroller, now I really don't have an excuse!  I've been putting off the run section of my walk run mostly because I'm a wimp and it's really not enjoyable to me.  But now that's my next big goal.  I feel like an elephant when I run - really hard on the landing, not sure how to really fix that other than to lose weight.

Still waiting for other racers to report in - where are you!!???

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=262274

Hi All! I am back and officially completed my first triathlon! Race report will share the details. If the link I provided does not work you can go to my log. Never posted a link before so not certain it will work correctly. No pics to share currently, but many of my friends came out to see me. I had people come from Montana and Washington, which was super sweet. I am happy with the race, but you will read about the issue I had with the swim start. Still dissappointed about that because I don't really know how much time I lost or where that would put me. Either way I know it doesn't matter because I would still only be somewhere near the back. It is just the principle of it.

Dennis - I knew you would break your record - Bravo!

Lisa - Pursuing your passion is a good goal. I wish I liked running and could be as fast as you ever in my life. I might get there some day, but you definitely have a gift. Glad your tri went well!

Steve - your numbers are encouraging to me. I feel like we are on similar journeys at different times. I definitely want more of a challenge. I laughed at myself yesterday and still today as I realize how much I can focus on where I am not at and be super hard on myself: there was a moment yesterday when I thought I shouldn't be too proud of myself because it was pretty easy and definitely was not an Ironman. So silly, I know.

Carol and Ceril - thanks for patiently, but eagerly awaiting the reports of the rest of us. I was slow getting it up because my whole day was busier than I expected, then i just wanted to relax and not think about it. I don't know if it should be such a big deal, but the swim start thing really bums me out when I think about it. It just seems like a really crummy way to start a race. I definitely was not the only person who missed their wave because they were starting people at lease 10 minutes earlier than planned.

Anyway, now on to prepare for an Olympic in September. Woohoo! And I have a friend who is goign to give me a tri suit - how cool is that!

I'm still waiting for my energy level to start rising above tired mode.  I am ok once I get started and my pace is showing that my current fatigue load is not really high, but I do put off finding my running shoes and getting out there.  I get an actual 100 percent, I think, rest day on Wed. though so maybe soon. 

I put off finding my elastic race laces and then decided to swap my run tomorrow for my bike today so I could just scoot out after work and get in an OWS in my wetsuit.  It will be both my first OWS of the year and my first swim in my wetsuit for the year.  So lake allergies tonight.  Its only scheduled for 2500 yards, but we see how the shoulder feels. 

I did retape the bars on my bike but still need to wash the sticky Infinit off it and clean the chain.  The new tires appear to be perfectly worn in after 300 miles or so.  I washed the tri outfit, replaced the lids on the aero bottle, have a fresh bodyglide stick and a bunch of free GU still to use up.  GU sponsored me a couple years ago and they gave me a free years supply of GU for this year just to be nice, no strings attached.  Too bad all my chews are gone. 

So ya almost into the oh my gosh where are my new prescription goggles, special rainbow transition towel, race belt, spare tube, CO2s that I only use for races....mode. 

I did crunch numbers from the previous 2 IMs and on paper this IM has PR written all over it.  My running and biking peaked much higher than previous races, swim was about the same, perhaps a touch low the past 2 weeks.  So ya entering rambling mode but not wayning philosophical yet.        

Wohooo!!! Samantha you did awesome.  Sorry about the swim start snafu.  That IS frustrating!  I wonder why they started early?  They started my last tri 30 minutes earlier than first advertised due to the heat, so wonder if that had anything to do with it?  Anyway, the sure way to get beyond that is to look at your bike time...wow....really super!  So fun that you had friends there to cheer you on.  What a great day in spite of a rough start.

Hmmm....looks like Steve is doing a little obsessing over gear, packing and such.  Don't let that trout that got away nibble your toes while swimming!

Oh, and speaking of CO2 cartridges, I finally got the stuff to fix a flat yesterday.  Got home and thought I'd play with the CO2 thing to see how it worked.  Screwed the adaptor onto the cartridge to satisfy myself that I could, and then started to unscrew it.  Yep....good thing I got two of them in my kit since that one is now part of the atmosphere in the living room.  Guess it pays to read the directions first!

And I'm back   I've been gone for way too long and I'm sorry I've missed all your achievements over the past few weeks!

Congrats on your first tri Samantha!  I am getting psyched for you Steve, even if you don't PR you are still racing in an Ironman!

That is a funny one Carol!  I still haven't fixed a flat actually and should probably practice before it becomes a necessity but procrastination is key to my success!! haha.

Hope you are all rocking it this week!

Marcus

We do need to talk about how you celebrate though . 

I know!  Would you believe that my husband took a nap that afternoon?  *insert eyeroll*  It's been like that for years.  If I do a race in the morning, I generally get to hear about how he had to take care of the kids "all morning" as if its some sort of favor to me and he continues to be crabby for the rest of the day.  At this point, I don't need to celebrate and I've long given up on the hope that he'd actually show up at the race with the kids and cheer me on, but it would be nice if he could act in a civil manner afterward.  I'm hoping that will improve as the kids get older.  (I understand that they're a handful, but hmm, I only do it *every freaking day* while he's at work, and that's true during the semester when I teach in the evenings too.  So, whatever!)

Biked a bunch of errands today, some with the kids in tow.  The most fun part was when we headed over to the local mall.  They're tearing it down to make way for one of those outdoor malls so we watched the demolition for a bit.  I'm sad they're tearing down the mall for a number of reasons, but it had also lost a ton of business in the last five years, mostly because of three other large shopping centers that have been built nearby.  I don't think the towns realize that there simply aren't enough people to support all the stores, but they all want a share of the revenue, yk?  Anyhow, it's still interesting to watch the demolition.

Samantha--congrats on the tri, though sorry about the swim.  I've heard it's good to be there 30 minutes before your wave, but I've only heard that for a pool swim.  Craziness!

Marcus--welcome back!