kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2012 Part 2 - CLOSED (Page 44)

Great weekend of training

Friday - Hamtrek Sprint

Saturday 4hr ride followed by 3 mile run

Sunday 1:35 run and 1 Hr Ride

I don't get the mentality of cutting the course. I want to know how I measure up against it and how am I going to find that out if I only do a 1.1 mile swim, 53 mile bike and 12.9 mile run? Seems like a waste of time and money.

Anyway it would get under my skin as well.

It's absolutely better to save it for another day if you're having issues with breathing.  That can be very serious (I have asthma, too).  Don't beat yourself up about it, Kelly.  Heal up your lungs and move on to the next race!  

Kelly - sorry to hear about the race yesterday.  I know you have been having breathing problems lately so this just adds to the frustration, but hopefully it will get better from here on out!

As for the course cutters, you can't let that get to you .. like Rizer said, you have to run your own race, that is the only thing you can control.  It would all of us off, and yes there are people out there that just want to be faster, even if that means cheating, but you are better than that.  Be pissed, then brush it off, then move on ... NY is only a few months away and that is far more important!

I'm thinking of taking the TI open water swim clinic that's offered here in June.  It's local, so I'll be swimming in Lake Erie.  Obviously, it focuses on OWS technique. I feel like my OWS times don't reflect my swim ability at all, and all that work in the pool doesn't translate to the open water for me.  It should though!  I'm sure it's due to lack of experience, and I do plan on getting in OWS practices once the water warms up.  

I had an anxiety attack during my first tri last June during the swim portion of the race because of the wetsuit.  I felt like it was squeezing my heart into a little ball.  Anyway, I did get more comfortable over the course of the summer, but I think that experience affected my performance in the other races.  I still loathe the wetsuit.  I always hold back a little because I fear having another attack.  I need to let go of that fear.

Think the clinic sounds like a good idea?  Or total waste of money?  Do I just need more practice in OW?

I'm all for advice, folks.   

Just my opinion, and I am generally totally fearless about water and stuff, I would just try and get in more time in the OWS.  If the clinic is cheap do it, but I think the more practice you get the better and more comfortable you will feel.  I know tons of people that have flip out in the water and some really good swimmers that still do in OWS.

I honestly don't know anyone that was totally comfortable in their first couple OWS, and most will probably admit to the choking or vice-like feeling with the wetsuit in the beginning, but that will go away or you will mentally ignore it as you get more practice.  I am fortunate enough that we have and OWS set up by us for every Wednesday night with guards and measured out with buoys .. then a run brick after.  So people around here can get tons of practice.  Lake Michigan has OWS too during the week, but haven't done that.

You're right.  It's not the people around me or sighting; it's the wetsuit.  I feel like it squeezes my chest, and as my heart rate climbs higher, the feeling gets more intense.  I don't even swim faster in it, so it's even more frustrating!  Thanks for the advice, ladies.

Swimming question - what makes a person a good kicker?  I'm a horrible kicker, always have been.  I watch others doing kick drills and they look effortless in the water.  I'm kicking like there's no tomorrow but barely moving forward, and they are just cruising along.  I don't get it.  (Probably no different from just swimming in general - if I sprint I'm sure I look like a mess.  Some people just look so smooth in the water.)

If I tire out about halfway down the lane while sprint kicking, do I just need to keep adding kick sets to my workouts?  Are my hip flexors weak?  Will I always be a horrible kicker and I should just accept that and move on?  Or is it possible to become an efficient kicker?

3200m ladder swim this morning.  Almost ran over a big, fat skunk on my way to the pool and wondered if it was a sign that my day is going to be stinky  Strength training later.

About the wetsuit - I found the tip from Emilio Desoto interesting (right first name???).  I guess it helps to soak the wetsuit for 5 minutes in the tub after pulling it out of storage.  It loosens it up and when you go to use it, it won't have as much stiffness to it.  I'm going to try it.  

I'm sure it's like everything else.  The more you practice kicking, the faster you will become.  Are you rotating while you're using the kick board?  I am in no place to give advice.  I did 1 x 200 kick this morning, and it's just a sad, sad sight.  I feel like I'm just plodding along.  

I figure those people whom fly along with their boards used to be competitive swimmers, so they had hours upon hours to refine that aspect of their stroke.  Right?  

4000 straight swim this morning!!! I do one continous swim per month.

As far as the wetsuit goes i know it stinks but let water in via the neck it changes the whole tight chest feeling!!

Interesting article on kicking.  http://www.usatriathlon.org/about-multisport/multisport-zone/multisport-lab/articles/kick-for-swim-050112.aspx

So I woke up late today.  Got the 45 minute Z1 run in, but need to fit an hour twenty Z1 bike later today.

Going to get my new bike sized today at 2pm, then off to Jay's to do some Spinervals on it. Should be interesting. 

My Achilles is feeling a lot better, but I'm nervous to run on it still...decisions decisions.

The issue with the race wasn't really the course cutting or the drafting or the breathing.  The issue with the race is that I'm emotionally spent and my training is/has suffered.  To make a long story short, about a year and half ago Shaun started showing signs of depression and I started to bug him to go see a therapist (he had previously seen a therapist when he lived in Florida, but stopped going after he moved to Connecticut).  Shaun resisted and things kept getting worse and worse.  He would be depressed for long periods of time, have panic attacks over simple things and be unable to focus on anything.  I spent a lot of time and mental energy just trying to manage Shaun.  This winter was particularly bad for him.

Finally, a few months ago Shaun agreed to make an appointment with the Institutes of Living and have a full assessemnt done.  He was diagnosed with severe depression, an anxiety disorder and ADHD.  He starts treatement this week, but unfortunately 18 months of dealing with him has left me completely burnt out.  I know that he is now working on getting better but its still really tough on a day-to-day basis.  Because of the emotional stress I'm having problems recovering well and staying healthy, which has adversely affected my training.  I'm incredibly frustrated.  At the moment Doug has pulled the plug on me and is not letting me train until I can deal with some of these stresses.  I'm just in a really tough position.

The DNF was just a symptom of the emotional stress. 

Kicking is really not particularly useful in open water swimming.  So long as your body is balanced and you're not dragging the lower half of your body through the water like and anchor, you don't really need to worry about kicking.  Plus with any good wetsuit, you have bubbles around your legs, which hold them up. 

What wetsuit are you wearing?