Todd's Tri Turtles 7 (Beginner - Sprints, 5K, 10K) - OPEN (Page 4)

I feel like I took the day off today. Nothing seemed to click and felt like I was on the verge of injury. I am taking tomorrow off instead of Saturday and next week is a needed recovery week per my plan. I just need to keep reminding myself there are no bad workouts.

Had a rather great day this morning, even though the weather here is pure . 1200m swim (first time over 1k) and felt like I easily had another 400m in me. I decided to do all breast stroke rather than the freestyle and I felt really good for the swim, breathing went well, but I did have a cramp around the 1k points that forced me to side stroke for 25m until it released. Overall, I felt more relaxed than trying to freestyle the whole distance.

Is the breast stroke a viable option for a HIM or is it just too slow?

Back from a week of vacation in the hill country, which is why there have been no post from me. To be honest when we arrived and first saw there was no service I did like most and wondered what I’d do without my phone. Well after about a minute I realized it would be no work calls and no electronic interruptions and I was ecstatic. It truly was nice to disconnect and spend time with my family. The daughter and I hiked probable six to eight miles. I went for a run, fished, had some beer, and enjoyed the piece and quite. Well now that I’m back it’s time to get to training especially with the extra daylight!!

While they look cute they can be very firey.

Hi Turtles.

Just back from a recon trip to Safety Beach where I'm racing next Sunday. I walked then ran the run course and went for a swim. I didn't learn too much about the water as it was low tide and the race will be conducted during high tide. As it is only 40 minutes from home I'll head down there again later in the week when it is high tide to check things out properly and ride the bike course too. At low tide the course varies from knee deep to waist deep. I would have had to go out about 500 metres from shore and as I was by myself it would not have been a wise move considering Safety Beach was previously known as Shark Bay.

Rod, I wish I had your discipline to go out and do the recon you do before races. The one thing that kills me is that almost all my races are 1.5 hours away and I just can’t bring myself to drive there to do what you do. I do always show up the night before and make sure I know what the swim looks like and where everything is. I have never driven the bike course. While it would be really smart to do so I just think mentally it helps me more to be seeing everything for the first time while I’m riding.

Taking the day off today; had that biopsy performed late afternoon yesterday; supposed to take it easy for at least 24 hours. Will get a walk in tomorrow then see about a swim on Friday. No bike rides for several more days. Get results in a couple weeks.

Hey Todd,

I admit I'm in a lucky position in that most of my races are within a 30-40 minute drive so I really don't have an excuse not to check the courses out.

All the swims are in a large bay and the water conditions will vary with tides, wind and chop but knowing where the deep and shallow parts are helps me. Checking out the bike and run beforehand enables me to know when to "step on the gas" and when to conserve.

Fingers crossed for the biopsy results.

I agree 100% with all your reasons, but am not disciplined enough, which is why what you do is so impressive to me.

In there with Rods crossed fingers.

If your luck is anything like mine you will have the most perfect day for a ride happen finally and won’t be able to ride.

Todd & Rod....many thanks for your well wishes!

Rod...you have an event I believe Sunday. Best of luck!!! Checking out the location is wise!! Let us know how it goes.

Well, got back in the pool this am for a pretty good swim after missing Wednesday’s session. Elected to not do my usual strength (lifting) routine today. My wife went ahead for the lifting. I elected to take the dogs for a walk. 3.6 miles at a slightly slower pace. Good outing with them but they were still wound up for more!

We travel next Friday to do some dog sitting for our daughter and son in law. We plan to make a few stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail after our sitting duties are completed. Will likely miss several days of “training” in early April. Will have my follow up with the MD on 4/16 although I should know the results of the biopsy sometime the first few days of April.

Hopefully the spring like weather continues here. Certainly an improvement!!

Hi Turtles,

I had an enjoyable race today, another mini sprint 150 m swim, 7 KM Bike & 2.5 KM run.

I really felt the odd one out today. There were approximately 80 in the race; 60 would have been under 20, 19 would have been under 40 and me (61). I was also the only one in a wet suit but I'll take the buoyancy advantage any day. The conditions were good with clear water and a small swell. As usual I let the others go so I don't get caught up in the crowd but I soon found myself side by side with other swimmers and was going at a good pace. My wife was watching and tells me I was 9th out of the water.

Unaccustomed to being at the front of the pack I headed into T1 and had a "senior moment". I ran past my bike and took about a minute to find it, usually it's pretty easy to find as it is one of the few remaining on the racks. Once I got going I made good pace. There was a tricky part of the bike course where a road tunnel goes under a creek. It is quite steep on the incline and descent. Some chose to take a breather and coast down the hill while I gave it 100% so I could use the momentum to help me up the hill. At the top of the hill is the first turn around point so I repeated my approach re entering the tunnel. This section of the course caught a few people out with wrong gear selection and some chains slipped too. My recon of the course paid off.

The run was uneventful and predictably I slowed due to my limited race preparation due to knee soreness. Most of the people that I passed in the bike and swim passed me on the run. I did have to laugh to myself when I did pass some other runners because they had a strange look on their face because they had been overtaken by an old guy so they found a second wind a passed me again.

There was a problem with my timing chip so my times are not available yet. I'm not really too concerned about times or placings. My times will improve when my knee is 100% and I can train with more intensity. Before my next race I'm going to work on my transition skills as there is time to be save there.

Hope you all had a good weekend and I look forward to some race reports from you when your race season begins.

Edited by AussieTurtle 2019-03-24 1:08 AM

Rod...

Congrats on a fantastic race!! Enjoyed your race recap. Your description of how the younger racers reacted to the “more experienced athlete” was priceless!!! ;0)!!!!

Rod great report and congrats on another completed Tri. Your story brought back a memory for me of my first race but the opposite, which really changed the way I viewed things and I believe helped mold me into the participant I have been since. So my first ever was a super sprint around the age of 35 after having quit smoking 2 months prior after 15 years of a pack a day. I have always been skinny and showed up alright but no way ready to go none stop with my smoke riddled lungs and lack of cardio preparation. So the pool swim is about to start and I see this over weight lady with a life jacket on begin her swim. I honestly thought to myself, what is she doing here at her age probably 45-50, needing a life jacket, and at her weight. I started after her and caught her on the bike. When the run was a mile or so in I was at walk / jog and she went past me like I was standing still. My pride tried to catch and pass her but my condition did not allow it. I still may have finished with a better time but it really taught me to not judge a book by its cover. Since that race I do not judge and if anything am more impressed by someone like her. Just thought I’d share.

Missed 2 days of activity; travel and weather issues. Cold/windy walk today!!! Big change in the weather....ugh!

Hi Turtles

A very quiet week for me as I needed a recovery week after last Sunday's race.

I managed 1 gym session only. I did however volunteer at our local Parkrun. Parkrun is a world wide event where a 5KM run is conducted in a local park at 8AM every Saturday morning. I checked out their website and it's not that popular in USA but certainly is popular here. At the end of the race you are emailed your results for the day including time, PB details, where you finished in the field and how you compare to other runners in your age group around the world. It's not a race although you can treat it like one if you want. Some people take dogs, walk and even push baby strollers.

Next Sunday is the final race for the season and I'm afraid that I won't be entering as I was very sore after my last race and haven't had time to prepare. I'm very happy that I got 4 races in this summer and will spend the next week planning how I will train over the winter months.

Well I’m off to go do a charity 5K with my little sister. Just going at her pace, which she said will include a lot of walking, but I’ll be spending so time with her and for a good cause. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Todd, How was the 5K?

Taking today off to rest. Being away only activity easily done is walking; I’m actually feeling it today; amazing how “cross training” helps you feel compared to just one activity. Wished I’d learned that sooner when all I did was “run”....

dog sitting this past week has gone well; kept us busy with our 2 Vizslas and our daughter/son in law’s 2 Wiemeraners.

It was a fun run and we finished in just under 39 minutes on a slightly hilly course. Sis said she normally comes in around 41 on less hilly courses so an improvement for her. I enjoyed just going at her pace and it really made me feel good to hear her tell someone else that it made her sick to see how easy the time was for me. Years ago that would not have been the case.

It’s funny seeing Rod post that his seasons almost over when ours is just now starting. Cool thing about having people from all over the world!!

Had my first swim and lifting session this am...first for both in 3 weeks! Could certainly tell, they were both a challenge today.

How’s training going for everyone?

I have finally got to actually starting and have done 3 Strength workouts and a total of almost 6 miles running so far this week. At training so swim and bike are out.

Todd...great start!!

Really sore today from yesterday’s swim & lifting sessions. I guess that’s what happens after a 3 week layoff!! That and my age catching up with me!!!

Isn’t it amazing how we do all this work to get to a certain point and then take off a few weeks and it’s almost like starting over. I know on my runs this week it has been much harder than I hoped for.

I can relate to this. At the completion of this tri season I decided to take April off from training. While my knees thank me my energy levels are down and I have put on a few pounds. I wish I could loose those pounds as quickly as they went on.

I've just finished setting my training goals for the next 6 months so that I'm prepared for the start of next season. I estimate that it's going to take me about 10 weeks to get my fitness levels back to where I was 4 weeks ago .