Baowolf's Mentor Group- Closed (Page 42)

Jay- There is nothing like a quick kick to the face to get the swim on the wrong track. I got kicked in the face my first triathlon during the swim this year. I posted about it on here. I panicked moved my goggles to the top of my head. Turn over on my back for a few seconds to gain my composure. I started back slow, and was so happy to get back on land. So similar stories!!! Great finish though!!!!!

Ken - words fail to express how I feel for you. I know I would be fighting so many different feelings and the predominant ones would be trying to convince me of some awful things about myself. What I hope you see or will see soon is how amazing it is to make it to the starting line. I believe you were ready in every way you could be, but sometimes 'S@#%' happens and there is nothing we can do about it. You are a strong, committed and valuable person simply because you were created that way and that has nothing to do with the things in this world that we all so easily allow to define us. I hope we hear from you soon, but I also know I wouldn't necessarily be ready to join back in the group. I don't know you well enough to know how you respond or bounce back to things like this, so take my words with a grain of salt and throw out whatever doesn't apply.

Steve - this is your last build week! There is light at the end of the tunnel, and try not to let the 11% grade get you down. Although it would be quite a shock to me as well. That's actually how I felt when I drove the course at my HIM. The course reports I read talked about 3-5% grades and that was not true. 3-9% was the reality. At least you found out in advance, or is that worse. :-P

Jay - nice job on that race! glad the kick didn't get you down too much.

Carol - Sounds like you are having so much fun in SF! Riding a bike across the Golden Gate bridge is EPIC! My dream is to run in Central Park in NYC one of these years.

First day on the job was interesting. Got to see and hear things I've never seen or heard before and I've seen and heard a lot. It was a very long day, but I loved the busyness and interactions with the patients. And the best part of the day was when I was walking home after a long shift I talked with the lady I've been waiting to hear from who is moving out of the duplex I want to move into, and we now have an official move-out date for her. So, at the latest, she will be moving out on the 15th of Sept. Woohoo! Can't express my joy enough. I thanked the Lord over and over again.

Have a great week!

Jay, Absolutely no apology needed. This triathlon thing ***seems*** pretty simple to execute....do the training and race day will be awesome.....NEVER HAPPENS! We forget about the million and one factors that change even a sprint distance race. We just live & learn. Accept and keep striving. Keep going friend!

Ken, Im sorry about the race outcome. We do not judge. We understand that you're probably being consumed by emotion. And that's ok. Just don't listen to the super negative ones that are trying to tear you apart and convince you that you cant do this. When you're ready, we hope you'll be humble enough to let us know what happened. Hug!

Steve, I say knowing the elevation gain is awesome. Even though that's some crazy gain! Knowing that tid bit of info translate into a extra effort on your part. Excited for you. I bet that entire course is outstanding on so many levels.

Carol, sounds like you're having fun Missy! How windy was it on the bridge? Eh, probably didn't matter at the time right?

Samantha, you sound well! That's great!

I'm running. But it aint pretty! And is hasn't been very fun. Amazing how fast we lose fitness. Really need to clean up my nutrition. I know I always say that but I can definitely feel the extra weight I'm holding on to..and the muffin-top don't look so good in a bikini. Hmph!! Got in about 20 miles last week with 6 being my longest run. Will do the same this week, well , hopefully more this week. Then I really need to hop into a plan for a 26.2.

Have a splendid day everyone.

Edited by EV3110 2013-08-26 3:01 PM

Jay, just to add to the chorus, I too was kicked in the face in my first OWS tri. Lost goggles along with some confidence. But the clinic I went to shortly before that race had prepared me well with practice resetting goggles, etc. Wasn't until the end that my friend told me I had a bloody nose...I had no idea....just kept swimming.

Wow, between the elevation and the climbs, I have a feeling that there are going to be some interesting stories come out of IM Tahoe. Steve, betting you will be more prepared for both than many are.

Perfect day riding my rented bike across the golden gate, over to Sausalito, Mill Valley, and Tiburon. Crab cakes and a glass of wine on the deck at Tiburon, then a ferry ride back to the city. Doesn't get much better!

Love Tiburon! Sam's is my favorite!!! sounds like an amazing time....

Oh wow, what an awesome day!!!!

1/2 mile intervals this morn. 7:39, 7:55, 7:50, 8:04, 8:09, 8:08, 7:51, 8:02, 7:54. The sounds I was making near the end were horrible and I think that the big man with the German shepard was quite scared when he heard me behind him - until he turns around and sees an old woman half his size.

Pam, Awsome Splits there, you should probably start increasing your pace on all of your other runs now given how fast your 800 splits are. Remind me what race you are prepping for in October, I know you have 3 but what is the big one. If you can pull off consistent sub 8:00 800s x 9 I would think you could go out and run a Z2 5 mile run at 9-9:30 mpm. Don't kill yourself on your other runs, but it is time to generalize your interval gains to your other runs. Add in a tempo run and try to take at least 30 sec off your pace for all other runs this week. I think you are using 2 gears for your runs fast and slow. I want your new slow to be sub 10:00 mpm for all but your longest run (not necesarily this week but over the next month).

I went and found some steeper hills in my area, though there really isn't much time to do anything training wise. I am in that peek try to change something and risk injury phaze. That said I did add 5x hill intervals to lastnight's bike ride. Not long but a little steeper. The one thing I am contemplating is adding a compact crank to my front sprockets. Hopefully that would help me save some of my legs on the climbs but would subtract from my top end on the flats, which isn't all that toppy these days. Now to find out how to do that. I bet I don't have the right tools.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-08-27 10:47 AM

Hey Elena, I hear you on the "running but it ain't pretty". Rebuilding and trying to shed lbs here too. Glad you are back in the groove! Wind was not bad on the bridge. I crossed in the morning, and I think the wind picks up more throughout the day.

Samantha, you have such a wonderful way with words. I hope Ken reads and takes to heart what you wrote. I was encouraged by reading it too. Glad the job has launched and that the housing is not far behind.

Pam, you are looking speedy girlfriend! And not sure if our friends in cooler climates can fully appreciate how tough it is to make gains of any kind in the summer heat/humidity. Way to grit your teeth and get those intervals done!

Mitch, ah yes, Sam's it was! Ha, there's not a whole lot else in Tiburon, is there? We actually stayed at the Lodge there many years ago, and it was an awesome place to relax.

About 8.5 miles on my feet this morning. 3 X (run 1 mile, walk 1/4 mile), then walked another 5 1/2 taking in the sights. Glute is feeling it a bit, but hopefully be able to rest/stretch/massage it out. Had to leave foam roller at home, but do have my handy dandy tennis ball. Run/walk was from the Ferry Bldg to Chrissy's Field....a beach area close to the golden gate. Water was glassy smooth in an area along the way where folks do OWS, and there were sea lions playing among the human swimmers. Made me almost tempted to give it a try, but geez the water feels cold and my wetsuit is at home

Steve, thank you! I've been trying to figure out my disconnect between 11+mm on most days and 8s on intervals. Then yesterday it hit me that I'm sitting on my heels for ez runs. So more energy exerted to go slower. Duh! I've got to focus on the lean and it is more efficient, requires no more energy (or less), and faster. I promise I'll work on getting those other runs down to sub 10mm. As for my "A" race -- it will be TN Ragnar if I can find a fun team by the end of Sept. If I can't find the right team by the end of Sept, the "A" race is Oct 13 HM where I want a sub 2. The other HM in Oct is a chill out, cheer on hubby, recovery run after the "A" race two weeks before. Then, no matter if TN Ragnar or two HM in Oct, afterwards is training for Jan mary.

Steve, you are going to do beautifully at Tahoe. It's better to be forewarned about the inclines and mentally prepped then head-in-the-sand approach.

Elena, great job on getting those runs in!!!!!

Ken, Samantha said more beautifully and elequontly (sp?) than I can say but I echo her words.

Carol, I so wish I was in SF with my long-lost sister. So glad you have having fun and you are getting awesome workouts done.

Thanks. So my plan is to change out the front gears for a compact cassett which is I guess what everyone else from BT is also doing. Now to figure out how to do that.

One thing about running slower or slowing down on a longer run is that your chin comes up and you run vertically which slows you down. Focusing on just maintaining that lean and avoiding the bobble head where you shoulders and head wag back and forth with each stride will maintain forward momentum instead of side to side motion. You may benefit from making your runs Heart rate zone dependent to prevent cheating on them. Not all runs have to be super fast, but some need to be harder 8). You can totally do a sub 2 hour HM. But you have to get used to using those legs.

Ugh feeling those hill repeats from yesterday on the bike, may not do that again until Sat. Just really have to go with what I have for fitness, finish the week strong and recover for the race. A sub 13 hour IM would be really nice, but those hills and or any wind on that big lake could drop that to 14 hours. At least my swim is weakest, bike is stronger and run is strongest of the three. So if I make the swim cutoff then I gain momentum as the day goes on. However, I will have to put a headlamp in my special needs bag as sunset will be at the 12 hour mark and I seriously doubt breaking 12 hours on that course with my current fitness (or perhaps ever ).

How's everyone elses training going for the last round of races?

Yay just read that the fires are adding a lot of smoke to the Tahoe area..... altitude and smoke, nice combo. Fortunately I have been training in smoke all summer... wonder if you acclimate to that or just get crudded up lungs.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-08-27 10:59 PM

Good afternoon everyone. Today, I got back in the pool for the first time since the race. I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't apprehensive at all. I did practice freestyle and breast stroking because thats my likely combo for my next race. I did 1650 and felt really good. I was doing a combo of 100 free, 50 breast until the end; then I did 650 all freestyle. I felt like I needed to do that to prove to myself that Sunday was a fluke. I went in hoping for confidence...plan executed

Steve: You've put in the time and effort for your race; you'll handle the distance and the hills that you encounter...no doubt in my mind!

Elena: Thanks for the encouragement. Keep running, you'll get back to your old times! As far as the diet...yea, time to kick that into gear again as well!

Carol: Your vacation in SF sounds a lot like my trip to NH. The scenary your describing sounds like it encourages outdoor activity; that's exactly how I felt in the mountains! Most importantly, you sound like you're enjoying it.

Pam: Nice job on those intervals! To steal your saying; it sounds like you've put your big girl pants on and are going to work!

Jared: Thanks for the kind words as well. Can't be much longer before that little girl comes along and turns life upside down.

Jay- Great Job on the swim workout!!!!! Pulling for you next week on the triathlon. I am counting down the weeks almost 5 weeks until I get to hold my baby avery!!! I am thinking about getting her baby swimming lessons. Starting her triathalete career early!!! hahaha

That's one of the best things you can do for your baby. Get them used to the water and teach them to get on their backs if they get in trouble. We did that for both of our kids and I'm happy that my wife pushed that agenda!

Hi all. Glad everyone's still duken' it out w workouts. I checked out the "Challenge Me" forum and became part of a run-challenge. Pam, I saw you're in too! Beginning In Sept we will log our runs and the purpose for each run. This is good for me bc many times I just run to log the miles. I think it's perfect timing for my half and potential full marathon coming up! Today I doubled up w runs. The first was 3.5 tempo run. The second was an easy 3 mi simply to get me to the car dealership where my Jeep was being serviced. Felt pretty good on both!

My opinion is you prob have both - acclimatization but nasty looking lungs. But the good news is that all of the Quit Smoking commercials I see say that your lungs purge the crap soon. So sorry tho that you are going to be facing so many obstacles. But you got it, Steve. BTW, IMFL only has choppy waves going out (2 times) but then the bike and run course is flat, flat, flat and no smoke. Even a possible sea breeze and nice salt air. Interested in adding it for one of your IM qualifiers? Would even provide a Steve cheering section. Think about it.

Yep, Steve is right about my lousy form on the ez runs. Can't believe that I've been using "Run easy" to mean "Run lazy" or "Run with no mental focus". I'm going to work on that.

So glad to hear from Jay and Elena. Elena, I'll be seeing you a lot in the challenge forum.

We need to hear from the others....Ken, Jim, Mitch, Samantha (which I know is busy with the new job), Mitzi, Mike, Joe. Oh Goodness, I'm sure I've left some people out but I've been dealing with a major sinus headache today and am having trouble thinking. I'm sorry for the omissions.

Rest day on the running for me. Planked and crunched tho.

Edited by Pink Socks 2013-08-28 9:02 PM

Run easy/lazy is fine to get your base up, but your base is fine with 25+ miles per week and stellar 800 repeats. You have just gotten to the fun part where you have enough strength and endurance to take it to the next level. No harm no foul in your previous base running.

Hrm twinges in the right calf today at mile 8 in my run, not liking that. Took the bike easy on the drainer. Swim was good though 4200 yards in 1:45:00 with a break every 200 yards. So if I stop at every 3rd kayak I should still be ok as long as the winds are not strong at 6:40 am.

So here is the deal on the rolling start. It does not matter at all when you start as long as you start in the last wave. Your race time is anchored to your start time. So if you start in the fastest wave you have 2:20:00 to finish the swim or DQ. You then have a set number of hours to finish the bike based on your exact swim start time and then you have an exact number of hours to finish the run based on your exact swim start time. So If you start at 6:40 am you need to be done by 11:39:59 pm and make your bike time cutoffs. Anyway late, off to bed.

Would love to hit some other states, just not thrilled about the price of flying with my bike and that has to be a 4500 mile ish drive each way. That would take me like 3 days, well 6 if my wife helped. I bet you swim faster with the gators chasing you 8).

Steve you got this!!!!
Well I have a 100 metric ride coming up on September 29. I am also going to do a half marathon in november. I think I am going to focus on my biking for the offseason, while running twice a week, and swimming once a week. Can I hold a a decent tri fitness with that schedule

To add to that post my goals is for a couple of sprints two olys, and a HIM next season in September

Pam, I agree....would love to hear from everyone! Hope the headache is better, ouch .

Jared, I'm sure Steve will have some input for you on the frequency of the run/swim, and my bet is he will say more like 3 run/2 swim to maintain. All depends on how much time you have though.

Steve, think of the great stories for the grandkids re: IM Tahoe. Low air quality and altitude are just the start. By the time you tell it a few times, there will be riding through flames, wearing a gas mask on the run, and swimming among glaciers . Seriously...careful with the calf...you have come too far to do stupid now (I mean that in the nicest way...really).

Took a day "off" (my feet) yesterday to work. Didn't even have a swim in me. Then was back at it with my run 1 mile, walk 1/4 mile, followed by a long walk this morning. Covered over 10 miles before lunch, and have done similar a couple of other days here. So...big surprise glute pain even at rest is back, and I probably need to cool it before I do too much more stupid. This place just begs to be run/walked, and I treasure every minute of being outdoors without sweltering. Hubby is through with his conference, so we are resting up to hit the town tonight, and also have tomorrow before we reluctantly fly back to 103 degree Texas on Saturday.

Steve, be careful. Hopefully that is just one of those "phantom" pains.

Oh man, Carol, I'm so sorry that pain is back. Take care of it and try to enjoy your last day in SF.

Jared, you are definitely looking ahead and planning well. I'm like Carol and will leave the maintenance schedule to Steve.

Yesterday I was so wiped and then I couldn't get out of bed at 5am for an early morn run. So that means that I had to go tonight. I waited until the heat dropped from 100+ to 90 and thought I was so smart. Eh, bugs the size of buzzards were out and I think that the two I swallowed were equiv to a 12 oz steak. But I focused on the lean. Started out prob a little harder than I should have but dialed it back some so I wouldn't be tanked for tomorrow morn run. Splits were 8:53, 9:12, and 9:27. Not pleased with the positive splits but very pleased with the pace. Only 3.5 miles but it felt great to get to the "correct pace" (for me) by using no more effort but just more focus.

Have a great night everyone!

If you want to be bike focused ya you can do 2 runs 1 swim and be ok for tri season. Just remember to allow enough time to get the others back up. A lot of bike focused stints are 16 weeks. I would probably run 2 x 5 or 6 miles and swim 1500 to 2000 x1.

Feels like a minor tear in the calf, but I can jog carefully and bike carefully on it, so if I am careful I should be alright for race day, just slower... Got in a 10 mile jog and 40 mile bike at a slow pace today. I found a youtube of the Tahoe bike course it went kinda fast though, like 200 mph (time lapsed/compressed whatever), so I rode the course 6x (except for the closed off private road). Then I did the run course, which it turns out is uphill for the first 9 miles, down hill for 9 miles then back uphill from mile 18 to 22 before turning back downhill again for the last 4 ish miles.

Really nice pace there on the run, I would probably slow down a bit and try to stabilize at 9:30 for a week or so and see if you can hold that for your 5 to 6 mile runs. Then reevaluate from there. Your 7-10 mile runs can slip to 9:45-10:00 for now and 10+ to 10:00 to 10:30 and see how that all works for you before trying to dial it down any more.

Ok great sounds awesome!!!! I have been messing with some custom work outs plans on this site. Been kind of fun now just need to get in gear and start training!

Ok great sounds awesome!!!! I have been messing with some custom work outs plans on this site. Been kind of fun now just need to get in gear and start training!

I would check out George's bike focused training plan from BT for offseason. You can add distance to it, but it is the intensity that you want.

One more day to round off your numbers for the month, have at it.

Ugg 5000 yards is um far in the pool. Oh well longest swim is in the bank. Off to bed.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-08-31 1:28 AM