Gray Guy/Girls Tri--Masters Sprint/Olympic Mentor Group CLOSED (Page 4)

Steve,

Hope you have a great visit in Richmond and congrats to your son!  I bet he knows a few of my daughter's friends who went to VCU.  What's he been studying?  How's the job market looking?  Seems pretty rough.

Those cross country flights are killers.  We went out to Oregon a few weeks ago and I head to LA on Tues.  And the legroom on planes - egad!  Safe travels!

Congratulations to your son Steve, you must be very proud. My oldest who took his SATs last week is just starting that journey and I couldn't be prouder of his work ethic.

Today I hit the pool trying to regain the little form I had before my short hiatus from starting a new job. The swimming is all new to me but I think I am doing the right thing by going to 6:00 AM master classes 3x per week because it gives me consistency and I think that is key. I was looking in to Total Immersion (TI) approach which is a bit different, anyone have any opinions on this?

Lastly, been resting that knee and icing, going to give it a go on Saturday, I hope it does the trick. Rather rest it and run my half marathon a little slower on 5/26 than injure myself and not run it at all.

Going to bed now at 11:00, as you can see I am still working on that more sleep/rest thing.

Thanks for all the great advice.

The temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit but you may be right on the dehydration thing. I wore a three bottle fuel belt (may need more on a 13 mile run) but was running low and wasn't drinking as much on the last 4 miles of my run when I was picking up my pace. I'll keep an eye on it for next time and try to make arrangement to get more fluids. Thanks!

Love the conversation about swimming, especially as I find swimming challenging.  I am going to work with a coach in a few weeks, but have a question before that. When I breathe, particularly to my preferred side, I think I lift my head up more than rolling to the side and feel my butt sink and there it all goes. I am practice the side swimming drill and that seems to help. I feel I need to roll more decisively when I breathe. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks

Les

PS Sorry posted it in wrong section Stu, the way I did it had it look like you were asking question of yourself, hence my edit on your post.  Learning about posting as well as Tri's.

Les u r right on about breathing technique. The classic mistake is to change head position to get a breath....and sinking hips is the symptom. Just last week one of our coaches caught me trying to "turn " my head to breath. After two years of swimming with on deck coaches watching i still reverted to a bad habit. I often alert the deck coach (who is a volunteer) to please watch for this ir that error in my technique so they can keep me "honest." I also love videos... verbal explanation has a tendency to go "in one ear and out the other" with me.

Did a thirty min x-c run with haley (boxer) yesterday. Her excessive panting was a que to the high humidity which i would not have noticed because it was pretty windy.

Les--I can't comment on your roll with breathing, but I did experience a similar problems when trying to breathe on my right side vs. my left.  It continued to feel totally off and would screw up my head position.  Eventually I gave in to the "old dogs and new tricks" mantra and have for the most part been a contented single-sided breather ever since.  Every once in a while I encounter a race situation where double-sided breathing would be helpful, but I'm happy feeling like I have better efficiency/economy overall by taking breaths on one side.   Just a stubborn old guy I guess, but it seems to work for me

Steve

Les, you're probably already doing this, but if not, try working with a pull-buoy on the issue.  The buoy will help keep your hips (and legs) in the proper position in the water and I think you'll have a physical cue when you try to lift your head up b/c your butt won't sink as easily.  I experienced a similar problem when I started trying breathing to my left.  Like Steve, I eventually gave up and decided that 40+ years of doing one way was too much to overcome and there were many other areas that should be a higher priority!

Stu

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Will have a pull buoy here for the weekend. Will let you know how things go soon. Really appreciate  such wonderful support.

Cheers

Les

Tempo run this morning and my class this evening!  Gearing up for a 10k on Saturday.

Has anyone used those short training fins with any success for improving their kick?

Are you talking about zoomers?  I've used them but more as a way to focus on balance and stroke.  They let me forget about my leg technique while I'm using them and concentrate on other things.  I've found them very useful.

Yes!  I have the tendancy to push my legs out (frog like)  instead of kicking properly.  So, I was hoping if I got some of these fins, it would help correct that.

Running/training question about recovery.  Did a hard hill workout Monday and have struggled with tired legs the rest of this week.  How long and what are you guys doing to recover after a hard workout?  

OK people it is time for the Portly Triathlete Weight Loss Challenge:

Is that wetsuit getting a little tough to squeeze into?

Are you asking: Do you think this swimsuit makes my butt look big?

Do you sometimes feel like 10 pounds of something in a 5 pound bag?

Well it is time for the Portly Tri Weight Loss Challenge!

I ran this by our fearless leader and he thought this was a great idea. The person with the largest percentage of weight loss by 8:00 PM EST June 30th will be declared the winner and will be awarded a NEW CAR! Just kidding, how about a coffee mug from the Black Dog on Marthas Vineyard (very cool and would be a great conversation piece) that I will donate. At first I was thinking a tshirt but that is probably the last thing we need with all the ones we pick up at races – forgive me as I digress.

This is how it works simply reply “I’m in” to the thread. Starting This Sunday night the 12th you can either post your starting weight or if you are a little sensitive to that just send it to me via PM and I will only show percentage lost. Weigh -ins are weekly every Sunday night by 8:00 PM EST, if you miss one, no big deal but try not to miss two in a row. I will try to post rankings every Monday night.

Like I said this a percentage loss contest if someone’s starting weight is 250 pounds and losses 25 pounds that would be 10%, If another person’s starting weight is 200 and they lose 25 pounds they would win because that would be 12.5 % Hope that explains it fairly well but don’t be afraid to ask any questions.

Let the quest for the coveted Black Dog Mug begin!

Who’s in?

The two other "must see" historical sites that come to mind are Colonial Williamsburg and the Lawn / Rotunda at the University of Virginia.  If you're going to Montecello, stop by Charlottesville and take a quick tour of "the Lawn" at UVa.  Jefferson was quite the architect.  Also can see one of the original printings of the Dec. of Independence at UVa's special collections.  Ash Lawn (Monroe's home) is just down the road from Monticello, and Montpelier (Madison's home) is about 30 min north of C'ville.

Probably too far from Richmond (about 90 min) and since your from the West Coast, no need to try out the winery / brewery tour at the foot of the Blue Ridge, but that's a nice way to spend a day as well, if you're into that sort of thing.  Rent a bike and enjoy a challenging workout on the Skyline Drive.

Hope the weather cooperates.  A nice spring day in Virginia is about as good as it gets.  Don't want to be here in the summer though :-)

Enjoy your travels!

Stu

You mean there are times your legs aren't tired? ;-)

I'm in (I'll do anything for a mug - coffee is my bff).  Besides, I've been creeping down to around the 200lb level and stalled so I need some motivation to break through!

I'm In ! My son got the black Dog tee last summer at Mathas .

As far as my bio...i am sitting in back seat of my car with lap top its COLD in here. its storming outside. ie I am in too much hurry to post bio.

I did yoga and pt exercises yesterday and this morning. Didnt swim all week but I will tomorow. I miss it too much. 

Good Luck with your 10k tomorow!!

My calf was always bothering me after a run and I got this thing called "The Stick" it is the best $30 I ever spent and is available at most sporting good stores. It is a hand held massage roller pin that is awesome, I got the travel size and it is perfect. There are videos out on You Tube on how to use it.

Another thing I have been doing is drinking Endurox R4 (Fruit punch or Orange) after runs of an hour or more and I think it has helped. You can sometimes find it on sale online. Some people say that a glass of skim chocolate milk is just as good and cheaper but still has the 4 to 1 carbs to protein ratio that is supposed to be good for muscle recovery. Hope that helps.

I don't drink or smoke so a man has to have one vice.

Chocolate is my weakness.