Slornow and Wannabefaster's Winter Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 39)

Thanks guys.  Yeah, my dog is such a good girl.  The only time she goes nuts is at meal time.  Otherwise I can keep her pretty calm.  DH is doing well.  We go to PT tomorrow and Thursday and hopefully he gets the ok to drive next week so I won't be the chauffeur anymore

It really helps to have a training plan because when I got up today the LAST thing I wanted to do was workout but I had a plan and I stuck to it.  And when I finished I was glad I did.  Tomorrow, however, I may have to sacrifice my swim due to timing.  We shall see.

Good job today everyone.  Seems like we've got a team of GO GETTERS, that's for sure - NO SLACKERS ALLOWED!  And your motivation keeps my motivation going.  Thanks!

Oh and Blanda - nice job!  Definitely write up some race reports in the future

Jamie – Happy Anniversary. 

Randee I remember when I had my blown out knee put back together.  I was non-weight bearing for four months in a cast that ran from my hip to my ankle.  Like you, my wife was my chauffeur forthat whole time.  I am not sure how our marriage survived that.  I am a horrible patient!

Jason only $5k for two knees?  Maggie’s were $5k for each. But like you said, worth every penny.  As for stretching every day, that one’s easy for me.  I feel so much better when I do and so bad when I don’t that it’s as automatic as eating.

Jamie: Happy anniversary! I hit my one year as well a couple weeks ago, and it really is about the small victories. I remember very well not making it half way through a lap without getting winded. We've come a long way!

Stuart: Wonderful thing you're doing for the Mrs. Great way to spend some QT together. You totally have that bike goal, dude. Way to go!

Rene: It is the very same Xterra race I DNF'd. Things I didn't do that I know affected my race time were not knowing how to sight on the swim, I didn't wear a watch to keep track of time, and I didn't ride the bike portion with any urgency after I crashed early in the course.

During the swim I swam wide constantly, and cut off one buoy because I didn't see it. I had to turn around and make sure I went around it before I could go on. It was otherwise a comfortable swim. On the bike portion, I was just so freaking slow. I beat my friend out of the water, but she beat me on the bike and I never saw her again. After learning what I've learned the past few MTB sessions, I was riding that course at sight seeing pace last year, especially after I crashed. I was so hesitant going downhill after, but what I could have done was gotten off the bike and run down the hill instead of hesitating so long at the top, then inching my way down.

What I would tell my kids it to do is exactly what I'm doing. I've learned to sight, I've gotten in more quality training session, more biking, I've lost some weight, I've been getting physically stronger so I can charge up the hills and throw/carry my bike around without slowing down too much. I just can't seem to let go of that disappointment. I'm going to have to deal with that.

Hooey! That was bottled up for a while, lol!

Well, got the bike and run in. Bike was slow since it was raining, but run was a quicker one tonight. No idea why. Maybe the homemade bread I've been slamming?

Have a great day, guys. Happy training! 

Oh, here's that bruise from the Xterra crash. The muscle is still scarred where that big ol' scratch is:
 

Blanda-Just keep reminding your self you're not in the same place you were last year. You've obviously learned a lot and improved a lot. You're going to get your revenge on the race this year-no need to hold on to last year's disappointment.

Just checking in. I'm really frustrated with where I'm at right now. I feel like I'm trying to dig myself out of a hole and some days it feels like all I'm doing is digging deeper. I'll get over it but I'm feeling pretty negative about it all today.

Great double day! don't forget pictures of your climbing session. I'm so interested in all that even though it scares the bejeebus out of me, haha!

Nicole: You're right, and I know it in my head, I do! I hope you can find your way out of this little setback for you. Hang in there. It will pass.

Wow....lots going on here after I went to bed. Not sure why but I was whipped last night and went to bed at 8:30. Have today off for Mardi Gras so no alarm set and slept through to 6:00am (late for me). 

So many great examples of consistency in training paying huge dividends.  We focus on watts, interval times and pace but in reality can have huge gains in performance by steady consistent training. Getting out the door and getting a workout done builds the body's endurance and fatigue resistance. I'm so impressed by the persistence of the members of our group.

Happy Mardi Gras! Bike intervals scheduled later. This morning I have a doctor's appointment at 8:15am. Have to get my colonoscopy scheduled...WOO HOO! Great breakfast discussion right? No big deal. My father passed of colon cancer at age 59 after first being diagnosed at 54. I was 31 when he died so since there is a history in my family I've been getting regular (every 5 years) colonoscopies(sp?) since age 35.  I get put under for the procedure so its no problem....the prep for the procedure is absolutely no fun. My GP says he and the other doctors in his practice are seeing more colon cancer than in the past so I would encourage folks to get tested if you have a family history or are 50+. My PSA for the day. 

Good Morning!!!!

I got up early this morning to get a good swim session in and I have to say since getting a coach and him planning the sessions for me I have seen a huge improvement. I think he likes to push my swim buttons which makes me even better. I keep on improving this little things that take off a second here and there and its awesome. I am working on one thing consistently and once its second nature I try to fix something else. I wanted to post my session or at least part of it. I am leaving out the warm up and cool down and the 50's in between sets. 

6:00 400 All out 1:30 Pace This was by far the roughest part 400 All out
2:54 200 All out 1:27 Pace I can't believe I still had that much left in the tank after those 400
2:56 200 All out 1:28 Pace This surprised me a lot. 

If I could get that kicking down to a decent 6 beat kick or a nice 2 beat kick I think I could shave off a lot more time. I still have so many things to improve but I am getting there. 

Blanda - I know how it feels like looking back at a race that you have done previously and just whopping a#$! Its a good feeling ... keep up the good work .. GO Tottenham Hotspurs

Jamie - Happy Anniversary! Awesome blog post too!

Jason/Stuart - We just adopted a German Shepard mix. She was treated very poorly and abused by whoever she was with before. I am seeing a lot of medical bills in my future. 

Randy - Don't party too much today ... :-)

I got a 1 hour trainer ride later today ... big gear work ... fun, fun!

To all - Keep up the good work and stay motivated. I know that you guys are motivating me and again to bring up the lesson I learned from Michael ... Consistency is the Key!!!

I know the feeling.  Here's another example for you. I have a good friend who has an Akita.  When I met the dog for the first time he said the dogs name was Tenji (I asked if that was the correct spelling) which made since as a Japanese dog.  He said no, two days after he got the dog it needed a major surgery that cost him $10,000.  The dog's name is TenG.

Rene don't go bailing on the swim just yet.  Everybody has a bad workout.  My run today, if you can call it that, was only 2.5 miles in 31 minutes.  My slowest run in a long time.  I know I need work but I will keep at it.

Don't try to rationalize the times.  Just swim.  As I have mentioned before, forget the times on a day like today and focus on form and rhythm only.  Slow down a bit, stretch out and get your form back in line.  It will pay more dividends down the road than trying to muscle through a bad day at the pool trying to do some arbitrary times you have set for yourself. 

I have worked with adults who have never swam 10 yards in their life.  Never have I found one that could not become a competent swimmer.  You can do this.  If you want to share with me where you are current at with your workouts I would happy to see if I can give you some advice.  Hang in there!

Rene-you have made some big gains in the last month or so on the swim.  Maybe you have just plateaued a bit as you have become accustom to seeing consistent gains. I know I have felt this over the last 2 weeks or so. Good gains over the last 1-2 months and now kind of flat. Hang in there....I've looked and there just aren't that many duathlons along the Gulf Coast Maybe we could start up a beginnerduathlete site?

Bike workout done. Another nasty rainy day here. 

Rene-I had one of those swim days about 2 weeks ago. Maybe it was the pool. I'm always slower at our local pool as compared to the one I usually use near work. They are suppose to be the same length.

I've spent most of the afternoon inputting financial info into the computer to see if my daughter may qualify for any aid. I sincerely doubt she will but you never know and its worth a few hours of my time on a rainy day. She got in at all of the schools where she applied but we are waiting to hear about merit scholarships. I think she has decided on Furman but not sure we can do it unless we can get the price down a bit. Fortunately, we began saving for the kids' education when they were born and have set aside a good bit....but not enough to cover what some of the schools charge over the course of 4 years. Glad I don't have any pets requiring surgery    

I managed to break away at lunch for a quick 22.4 mile ride.  One thing I am really enjoying about getting faster and more comfortable with longer distances is I can do rides I would never have dreamed of attempting just a few months ago.

My time was limited today but there is a rural road that I have been wanting to ride.  Rolling hills and great scenery.  Also warm enough to ride in just shorts and a jersey.  I think I wll stick this on the front end of my tri course ride as the routes intersect for my long weekend ride.

But first things first.  Run day tomorrow has got to be better than yesterday.  Pretty hard to be worse. 

Got in a 30 min swim and a 30 min run this am. It's my light day this week. I kind of tweaked my wrist climbing yesterday so I hope it doesn't bother me on the bike tomorrow. Fortunately, I can stay in the aero position most of the time now so there should be little pressure of the wrist.