Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN (Page 4)

2014-05-31 8:16 PM

in reply to: Dominion

212

Pacific Northwest, Washington

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Troika Tri Race Report

My triathlon went well this morning. The beginning of the swim creeped me out a bit because the "beach" was mud and weeds, and it felt like wading into a giant cow pie, and there was goose poo everywhere. But once I started swimming, it was OK. Pretty much everyone got way ahead of me right away, which really surprised me. I didn't think I was that slow. I ended up being one of the very last ones out of the water, but it made it easy to find my bike.

The bike ride went well. The volunteers were great at directing and stopping traffic so we didn't have to slow down at all. By the time I was on the road, everyone was way ahead of me, so I pretty much rode by myself until the last two miles when I caught up with someone, and then I was able to cruise by him and his fancy, expensive bike. At least I got to pass somebody! I really worked hard on that ride to trim minutes.

The run went super. I actually ran about 75% of the way. Now, my "run" is probably equivalent to most people's fast walking speed, but it felt good. I've been pretty active most of my life, but when my son died eight years ago, my life kind of fell apart. I stopped moving for a few years, and I haven't been able to run since. Today was a real milestone for me. I actually had to make a point a couple of times of slowing down because I knew my body wasn't used to it, and I didn't want to push it too hard, especially in the heat. It sure felt good to run down the path to the spectator area and across the finish line, instead of just walk.

My total time was 1:57:12. My goal was to complete the event in under two hours, and I did that. I also know I was not the last person (not really important, but a nice, psychological boost), but the results haven't been posted yet. I have to wait until the results get posted to find out what my individual discipline and transition times are, too. Hopefully, that will be tonight, or, at least, by Monday. I think I may have done personal bests in biking and running, which made up for my slow swim time.

The only real problem I had today was I forgot my drivers license, insurance card, credit cards, gas card, and cash sitting on my kitchen table and arrived at the event site with 1/8 tank of gas and a 90-mile drive home. Fortunately, I ran into an angel in the parking lot who gave me $10 for gas so I could get home. She wouldn't even let me take her name or anything so I could pay her back. What a relief! I was envisioning myself driving to within 20 miles of home and having to ride the rest of the way on my bike.

I am really happy with my performance, I had a great time, and I'm ready to go again! This is fun!

Originally posted by Dominion
I have a philosophy of "train heavy." I still do almost all of my training on the used Raleigh (pictured previously in the thread) I started with. It makes my race day bike seem so much lighter and faster. I think training with the heavier/inferior equipment gives me both a physical and psychological advantage.

I love this idea! This was kind of my thinking when I bought my 33-year-old, $20 Raleigh street bike to use this year. It's old and heavy, but solid, and I should be able to get a lot more years out of it. When I get a racing bike next year, I plan to continue using my Raleigh for most of my training, especially during inclement weather.

So, onward! I have a 5K fun run this next Friday night, and then an off-road triathlon on July 5. Woohoo! I get to play in the dirt!

2014-06-01 10:12 AM

in reply to: burner2

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Great job!

It's so good to hear that you not only accomplished all your goals, but also had fun doing it, and are looking forward to doing it again! (And glad you made it home too! ) Pat yourself on the back for all the hard work and everything you have accomplished so far, then get ready for the next one.

Again, great job and proud of the progress you have made!

2014-06-01 1:09 PM

in reply to: Dominion

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: Monthly totals

Post up your monthly totals for May. Let's see what everybody has been up to!

Here's mine:

S: 16,486 yds

B: 253 miles

R: 70 miles

2014-06-01 2:28 PM

in reply to: Dominion

212

Pacific Northwest, Washington

Subject: RE: Monthly totals

May totals:

S: 11,680 yards

B: 255.2 miles

R: 24.0 miles

2014-06-01 3:13 PM

in reply to: Dominion

212

Pacific Northwest, Washington

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

OMG! I got second place! I raced in the Athena division against three other (much younger) competitors. (I'm 52.) I finished in 1:57:31, almost 31 minutes behind the 25-year-old winner; two minutes ahead of third place, and almost 14 minutes ahead of the fourth place finisher. I beat a 31 year old and a 29 year old!

Swim (1/4 mile): 16:20
T1: 4:10
Bike (10.25 mi): 45:03
T2: 1:39
Run (3.1 mi): 50:19

Compared to the first place finisher, I lost four minutes in the swim, 20 seconds in T1, six minutes on the bike, 23 seconds in T2, and 20 minutes on the run. That’s a great baseline to work from! Woohoo! Go me!

2014-06-01 6:05 PM

in reply to: burner2

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by burner2 OMG! I got second place! I raced in the Athena division against three other (much younger) competitors. (I'm 52.) I finished in 1:57:31, almost 31 minutes behind the 25-year-old winner; two minutes ahead of third place, and almost 14 minutes ahead of the fourth place finisher. I beat a 31 year old and a 29 year old! Swim (1/4 mile): 16:20 T1: 4:10 Bike (10.25 mi): 45:03 T2: 1:39 Run (3.1 mi): 50:19 Compared to the first place finisher, I lost four minutes in the swim, 20 seconds in T1, six minutes on the bike, 23 seconds in T2, and 20 minutes on the run. That’s a great baseline to work from! Woohoo! Go me!

2nd place in your first ever race...certainly nothing wrong with that! So you didn't know you got 2nd until the results were posted? If you didn't get your award at the race, contact the RD, they will usually mail them to you.

Again, congratulations. All your splits look pretty solid.

2014-06-01 6:12 PM

in reply to: burner2

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Monthly totals

Originally posted by burner2 May totals: S: 11,680 yards B: 255.2 miles R: 24.0 miles

Oh, and forgot to mention, Nice Totals! You outbiked me!

nrpoulin

2014-06-01 8:50 PM

in reply to: Dominion

595

Subject: RE: Monthly totals

May totals

S - 3h56m - 10,400 yards - 6 swims
B - 4h42m - 76.4 miles - 6 bikes
R - 6h25m - 45 miles - 11 runs

Last weeks numbers - short a swim and a bike had family visiting and moved
S - 40m - 1650 yards - 1 swim
B -57m - 15.62 yards - 1 Bike
R - 1h44m29s - 12.61 miles - 3 runs

Ran a tempo last night and stayed kept it around 7:20 for 2 miles which felt nice. Unusual to miss a swim but got to the pool and my goggles broke. I need to stop skipping bikes!

Nate

rjchilds8

2014-06-01 9:09 PM

in reply to: nrpoulin

541

North Grafton, Massachusetts

Subject: RE: Monthly totals

Wow, everyone is kicking my butt! I don't train nearly as much as the rest of you.

S - 5875 meters (I don't record my total work out times for the swim, so I only have a total distance), 5 swims
B - 45 miles, 3h 51m, 5 bikes
R - 28.7 miles, 4h 39m, 10 runs

I can see I'm going to have to step it up in June!

2014-06-02 7:05 AM

in reply to: rjchilds8

New user

178

Subject: RE: Monthly totals

May totals:

Swim: 5 swims - endless pool is impossible to track how far

Bike: 5h 4m 14s and 88.4 miles

Run: 6h 9m 51s and 45.14 miles

Will post a race report later on today! :-D

2014-06-02 4:28 PM

in reply to: scottjjmtri99

New user

178

Subject: RE:

2014 Season Opener at Holly Recreation Olympic Triathlon Race Report

Woke up at 4:15am and was on the road by 4:35. Plugged in the address into the GPS and much to my dismay it said my arrival time was 6:15! I arrive as per the GPS which is about 15 minutes later than I wanted to be there. First thing I see are the buoys and thing to myself "hmm, that doesn't look too far". I head down to registration get my bib, chip, and body markings done. Get my bike down to transition area and my area setup. Next thing I know the transition area is closing. Oh how time passed so quickly! We have our mandatory athlete meeting and then I finish getting the wetsuit on and head for the water for a quick warmup. Goggles, swim cap and then we're counted as we head into the water for the start.

Swim Start:

As we're waiting for the start I'm rather calm and just want to get the party started when I hear the count down "10 seconds" and someone behind me starts saying "oh God oh my God". I had to tune them out and stay focused. 5 seconds! And we're off. The swim goes well. I sighted well compared to a few that were swimming away from the group and finished the first loop in roughly 15 minutes and finished the swim at 32:53. Well ahead of my 40 minute goal. I struggle getting the wetsuit off but still manage to get out of T1 in a respectable (for me) of 3:26.

The Bike:

I alluded that the course was 4 hilly loops. That last 3 loops couldn't end soon enough. I struggled bussed out the 35k bike course in 1:31: 23. Had a few problems with my lowest gear and need to tune the bike again. See if that fixes the problems I had. The chain jumped off and kicked my feet out of the straps when I'd try the lowest gear.

The Run:

T2 was relatively quick. In and out in 59 seconds. Those brick runs paid off as my legs were actually ready and willing to run. The run was hilly. Not sure if I preferred to go up hill or down hill. Looking back I think going up hurt less as my quads were screaming at me going down hill and only yelling at me going up. Finished the run in 50:06 with my goal to be under 50 minutes. Not bad considering the course.

I finished with an Olympic PR of 2:58:28! A full minute and 11 seconds better than my goal of 2:59:59. :-) 19th overall and 2nd in my age group.

Overall it was a great experience. Next race is a much flatter course but has a 40k bike vs the 35k yesterday. It will probably be all I can do to be under 3 hours again. Taking it easy today with a possible easy recovery 3 mile run or 20 minute spin depending on how my legs feel.

2014-06-02 5:42 PM

in reply to: 0

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE:

Originally posted by scottjjmtri99 2014 Season Opener at Holly Recreation Olympic Triathlon Race Report Woke up at 4:15am and was on the road by 4:35. Plugged in the address into the GPS and much to my dismay it said my arrival time was 6:15! I arrive as per the GPS which is about 15 minutes later than I wanted to be there. First thing I see are the buoys and thing to myself "hmm, that doesn't look too far". I head down to registration get my bib, chip, and body markings done. Get my bike down to transition area and my area setup. Next thing I know the transition area is closing. Oh how time passed so quickly! We have our mandatory athlete meeting and then I finish getting the wetsuit on and head for the water for a quick warmup. Goggles, swim cap and then we're counted as we head into the water for the start. Swim Start: As we're waiting for the start I'm rather calm and just want to get the party started when I hear the count down "10 seconds" and someone behind me starts saying "oh God oh my God". I had to tune them out and stay focused. 5 seconds! And we're off. The swim goes well. I sighted well compared to a few that were swimming away from the group and finished the first loop in roughly 15 minutes and finished the swim at 32:53. Well ahead of my 40 minute goal. I struggle getting the wetsuit off but still manage to get out of T1 in a respectable (for me) of 3:26. The Bike: I alluded that the course was 4 hilly loops. That last 3 loops couldn't end soon enough. I struggled bussed out the 35k bike course in 1:31: 23. Had a few problems with my lowest gear and need to tune the bike again. See if that fixes the problems I had. The chain jumped off and kicked my feet out of the straps when I'd try the lowest gear.

The Run: T2 was relatively quick. In and out in 59 seconds. Those brick runs paid off as my legs were actually ready and willing to run. The run was hilly. Not sure if I preferred to go up hill or down hill. Looking back I think going up hurt less as my quads were screaming at me going down hill and only yelling at me going up. Finished the run in 50:06 with my goal to be under 50 minutes. Not bad considering the course. I finished with an Olympic PR of 2:58:28! A full minute and 11 seconds better than my goal of 2:59:59. :-) 19th overall and 2nd in my age group. Overall it was a great experience. Next race is a much flatter course but has a 40k bike vs the 35k yesterday. It will probably be all I can do to be under 3 hours again. Taking it easy today with a possible easy recovery 3 mile run or 20 minute spin depending on how my legs feel.

Great race report, Scott. Congrats on a 2nd place and a top 20 overall! Very nice job!

So did the chain actually come off? As in you had to stop and put it back on? 40k flat course should be easier than a hilly 35.

Good job on the bricks. I do a lot of brick runs, and there is a love/hate relationship going on there. They hurt, but give much satisfaction and certainly help. At the end of a hard brick run, when I am about to collapse I try to remember, "What breaks you, also makes you."

Edited by Dominion 2014-06-02 5:44 PM

2014-06-02 7:00 PM

in reply to: Dominion

New user

178

Subject: RE:

Great race report, Scott. Congrats on a 2nd place and a top 20 overall! Very nice job!

So did the chain actually come off? As in you had to stop and put it back on? 40k flat course should be easier than a hilly 35.

The chain skipped back up to a higher gear if that makes sense. From 1 to 2. I'm hoping it's just a miner adjustment. I didn't have to get off the bike to fix it at all. I enjoy the brick runs, a little more than I probably should. I always feel like I'm going way slow once I get to the run but when I get done and see the pace it's always faster than I think. My mantra when running or swimming goes "just keep running, just keep running" or "just keep swimming, just keep swimming".

whitneydsmith

2014-06-02 11:16 PM

in reply to: #4996689

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Monthly totals:
SWIM 1h 35m - 2350.00 M
BIKE 6h 33m 39s - 108.40 Mi
RUN 5h 03m 18s - 22.89 Mi
STRENGTH 3h 15m

Rough month training wise with the flu and a long vacation. This month I'll be more consistent!

A friend of mine talked to a couple local triathletes who said my Olympic distance triathlon at the end of September is a tough one. I'm thinking about adding in another sprint distance at the beginning of September for extra practice.

I got my first outdoor ride of the year in this weekend and it felt great! My chain came off so I got to learn how to put it back on the fly. I'm glad it wasn't a flat tire! I need to learn more about basic bike maintenance.

2014-06-03 7:13 AM

in reply to: whitneydsmith

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Whitney,

check out Youtube for tons of great instructional videos on bike repairs like changing tires and brake adjustments, etc.

Also sheldonbrown.com is a great resource for all things bike tech.

2014-06-03 8:07 AM

in reply to: Dominion

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Everybody's monthly totals are looking pretty good.

Keep at it!

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2014-06-04 5:08 PM

in reply to: Dominion

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Anybody racing this weekend?

I've got the Georgia Triathlon Series sprint in Tybee.

Anybody else?

2014-06-04 8:17 PM

in reply to: Dominion

212

Pacific Northwest, Washington

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by Dominion

Anybody racing this weekend?

I have the Grumpy Grouch 5K fun run Friday night. I did this same fun run last year and finished DFL. Not this year! I'm aiming to improve my performance significantly. However, I got knocked off my bike Monday night by a woman and her two little dogs (fortunately, I didn't go over the embankment into the lake!) and landed on my bad knee, so I've been doing a lot of Ibuprofen and ice. It's just a little stiff and sore, and I should be good for Friday.

I've got the Georgia Triathlon Series sprint in Tybee.

Looks like you've got some nice competition in there. Can't wait to see the results! Good luck!

2014-06-05 6:14 AM

in reply to: Dominion

New user

178

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by Dominion

Anybody racing this weekend?

I've got the Georgia Triathlon Series sprint in Tybee.

Anybody else?

No racing for me this weekend. Have a 5k June 14th that I'm looking forward to. Seems I'm finally recovered from the race Sunday. Finally got a good nights sleep. Scheduling a nice run with probably my boy in the jogger tonight.

Also looking at a few bricks over the weekend along with some open water swimming. Have a great weekend and have fun with your Tri!

rjchilds8

2014-06-05 11:22 AM

in reply to: Dominion

541

North Grafton, Massachusetts

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by Dominion

Anybody racing this weekend?

I've got the Georgia Triathlon Series sprint in Tybee.

Anybody else?

Not a triathlon, but I have a 10K this weekend. The Crowley Brothers 10K in Rutland, VT.

http://67.222.24.164/~crowleyr/?q=node/19

This will be my first 10K, so anything will be a PR. But I'm hoping to come in at or just under 1:00:00.

Wish me luck!

nrpoulin

2014-06-05 12:33 PM

in reply to: Dominion

595

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by Dominion

Originally posted by nrpoulin Quick question. What do you think the minimum and max training distance is for a sprint and an Oly. most of the programs are based on time. Of course training over is okay. Like many in this group I am tight on time. Would like to get an Oly in this season. Nate

Well that's kind of a tough question because I think there are a lot of variables depending on the individual, what their background is and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Also what their goals are, ie. just wanting to finish an Olympic, PR a certain course, or podium, etc.

Just speaking from a general perspective the majority of your rides need to be at least race distance and maybe race plus 10%, so in the 25 to 30 mile range. So time based it depends on how fit the individual is as to how fast they ride. An hour and a half to 2 hours would be fairly solid.

I would take a similar approach with the running. You can do shorter stuff, intervals, etc. like we have discussed on here before, but at least 1 run per week at race distance or race plus 10-15% so maybe a 6.25 to 7 mile run. So depending on pace, around an hour run once per week.

Swimming will vary greatly depending on background and comfort in the water. Try to get at least 2 swims in per week (more is always better if you have the time) and concentrate on quality over quantity. In other words don't waste a lot of time with long slow swims of just lap after lap. Swim some hard 100's and 200's. Push your cardio in these sessions.

I hope this answers your question, happy to discuss this more if this is not what you were looking for. To get into real specifics would be more of a personal coach type situation who knows more details about an athlete, what they are trying to accomplish and what their time limitations are etc.

Thanks. I have been trying to limit my workout to an hour largely due to time management. Don't mind running longer but biking, man that hard to get motivated for. Currently not on a training schedule, but should if I am planning on moving up to try an Olympic.

There was actually a really interesting article in Runnersworld about the benefits of only running 5K's. Perhaps it is the same for Sprints. I can walk normal after a race. It doesn't consume all my time training, or a whole day if racing. Less risk of injury.

Nate

2014-06-05 3:51 PM

in reply to: burner2

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by burner2

Originally posted by Dominion

Anybody racing this weekend?

I've got the Georgia Triathlon Series sprint in Tybee.

Looks like you've got some nice competition in there. Can't wait to see the results! Good luck!

Grumpy Grouch 5k ? That sounds interesting. I'm sure there must be a story behind that name. Anyway, with all the work you have been putting in I bet you will do great. No DFL this year! Sorry to hear about the fall, hope it gets better by tomorrow night. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

2014-06-05 3:58 PM

in reply to: scottjjmtri99

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by scottjjmtri99

Originally posted by Dominion

Anybody racing this weekend?

I've got the Georgia Triathlon Series sprint in Tybee.

Anybody else?

Also looking at a few bricks over the weekend along with some open water swimming. Have a great weekend and have fun with your Tri!

Thanks. I'm going to try to have fun. I don't have another race for 2 months so I need to enjoy this one. I have counted over 20 in my age group so far, so that is huge for a local sprint race. The race at Tybee was easily my worst of the season last year, so I am motivated to go hard and see what happens. I finished 10th last year, so looking to improve on that hopefully.

2014-06-05 5:38 PM

in reply to: rjchilds8

Veteran

1016

Deep South, Georgia

Subject: RE: Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN

Originally posted by rjchilds8

Originally posted by Dominion

Anybody racing this weekend?

I've got the Georgia Triathlon Series sprint in Tybee.

Anybody else?

Not a triathlon, but I have a 10K this weekend. The Crowley Brothers 10K in Rutland, VT. http://67.222.24.164/~crowleyr/?q=node/19This will be my first 10K, so anything will be a PR. But I'm hoping to come in at or just under 1:00:00. Wish me luck!

I saw where you did a 7+ mile run recently in training so you should be able to handle this. Just go out easy and try not to get caught up in the race atmosphere and start too fast. Going out too fast and blowing up makes for a long miserable run. The PR you set this weekend you will be crushing a year from now. Good luck!