Experior and Slornow's Winter Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 45)

Stu - Some refer to the extra 10 lbs. as resistance training.  : )  Nice job on the run.  You were clicking along there for the 1st 6 miles.  I have been doing resistance training since last June and need to stop.

Ran this morning.  It was very wet out so I ran in my regular shoes.  Haven't taken my new ones out yet for any runs so didn't use them yet.  My calf is pretty sore.  I went about 5 miles this morning and the group went on.  No pulls just real sore.  I am icing now every two to three hrs.  I could feel it during the run.  I am going to get on the Olliptical for my running this week and still swim and bike on the trainer.  Keep the movement going but no impact.  I have a follow-up massage next Monday.

Looking forward to watching the 70.3 tomorrow on Ironman Live.  Live video feed.  I tracked a tri club member, his wife and his father today at Oceanside 70.3.  They had a great race. 

Take care everyone!!!

Stu-good job on the race. Sorry about the taxes....I hate those kind of surprises.

Had a pretty solid race today.  2nd in age group and 3 minute improvement over last year.  Terrible swim as I had to float and clear my leaky goggles 6-7 times.  Did my warm up swim in them and have used for several weeks.....not sure what the problem was. (9:57 for 600yards) Feel like I lost 1-1.5 minutes in the swim.  Tried to maintain about 230watts for bike.  AP231/NP236 so pretty good pacing there. Avg. speed 23.55. Felt like I could have pushed harder but wanted to have good run so had to balance bike/run. Hit the wrong button on my watch coming out of T2 and a few minutes later noticed it had stopped.  So, decided to shoot for 7:15 pace.  About 600 yards of course was trails/dirt roads and rain had made those tough.   5k run was 21.57 (7:07/mile pace).

This was the second year for this sprint and there were quite a few more racers this year including alot more "fast" guys.

Now for some couch time watching NCAA tourney.

Randy   

Had a really good long run today.  Almost a really bad start because I forgot my shoes and only noticed once I got to the park where I start at.  Drove back to my office to get a spare pair since it was closest and got my run underway.  Just a tad over 14 miles and felt really good.

That just capped 14 consecutive days of running for me...including 3 long runs...89.93 miles. 

Brian-give that calf plenty of time and TLC.  Pool running is a good way to maintain run fitness.....Michael is the master of that mind numbing activity.

Randy

Jason-really nice couple of weeks of running.  That type of run focus can really boost run fitness/speed.  You should be pleased with where you are in your training.  Looks great.

Rene-I do most, maybe 80-90%, of my riding on the trainer.  Fortunately, the dvd player keeps me company.  Still, I try to get outside at least once a week for my longer rides.  Nice numbers for the month.....glad you feel good about your decision not to race this weekned.

My April is not looking good for consistent training as I will be out of town the next 3 weekends. Plan is to do an olympic at the end of April....may drop back to the sprint depending on how training goes.   

Randy

Randy, congrats on a great result.  3 minutes (4 if you count the goggle issue) is a huge improvement in a sprint.  Well done!  And hardware is always nice :-)

Great run, Jason... people are cranking it up in here!

Brian, take it easy with those legs of yours.  Sit back, kick 'em up and enjoy watching the race tomorrow!  

Speaking of trainers, I'm looking forward to trying out mine this coming week.  I'm teaching a seminar all week and pretty much the only opportunity for training will be in the evening.  I'll let you all know how it goes... had to get a different magazine installed and put in a spacer to make it solid, so I think I'm all set now.  At least no tire wear with the Lemond.  I think I'll miss having a power meter... see how long I last without some kind of measurement.  I'm hoping/planning to do one weekend ride on the Parkway, one bike class and a couple of trainer rides each week during April.  Was a bit short in everything in March - fairly typical March for me.

Stu

Rene-its hard to beat the convenience of the trainer.  No worries about weather/traffic/darkness.....I don't see how people train consistently without one.  Also, the ability to do reproducible workouts/intervals without changing winds, stop signs and traffic.

I'm pleased with my race today since I improved over last year.  I know I left some time on the course but for this point in the season I'll take it.  Overall results were not posted so I'll adjust my "satisfaction level" after I see those. They did not do masters awards and guy that came in ahead of me would have taken masters first and I would have then been first in AG.  But, my 2012 goals include podium at all local events so I'm on track so far.

Randy

Randy: Congratulations on an awesome race even with the goggle issues!

Jason: Great job on the consistent running.

Rene: I think I would be great at aqua jogging. I'm one of those that can run forever on a treadmill or the elliptical. Can't wait to get a road bike and trainer! I'm amazed that you got the majority of your bike training done on them.

Brain: Take care of that calf! Sorry it's sore. Don't go buck wild on the elliptical. I once tried to see if I can get the same kind of pace on one as I can with the treadmill. I did, but I paid with super sore calves for the next 3 days. I think it's because I was pumping down hard on balls of my feet, rarely letting any pressure hit my heels.

Took the kids to a park to let my son get some bike laps in. Turned into a lovely evening. Biking, beach combing, and there happened to be an outdoor movie planned for when the sun went down. The movie was about Guam's history, myths, and legends.

We didn't know that they were having the movie, so I wasn't prepared with chairs. I let the little one sit in my lap and my boy sat on my purse. A lovely couple brought us a blanket from their car. The kids laid out all comfy on it. While we waited for the movie to start, we counted stars and talked about what they were made of. I was very surprised that they were totally engrossed in the documentary! I thought they'd be begging to leave not far into it. Very pleasant time together.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend too!

Blanda-Love it.  Those unplanned special times are the memories you will reflect on when the kiddos get older.  Its not always the planned events or vacations that result in the best family time.  Sounds like a great evening!

Randy 

6:16:05

HIM is in the books.  There was bad, good, ok, and eh.....  

My swim was bad, but I expected it.  Definitely my weakest link.  I think I turned a 1.2 mile swim into at least  1.5.  Sighting wasn't the best, and struggled a bit at the turn around near the mouth of the harbor where the swells got a bit bigger.  I have all the resources to really improve here, so that is an area of focus moving forward.

T1- Really slow, but there was about a 300 yard run into T1, you had to stuff all your wet gear into a bag or lose it, as there were two separate transition areas.  Also took time to put on arm warmers and a vest due to temp, and drizzle on the bike.

Bike- This was the good.  I biked according to plan and came in just under 3 hours at 2:59:25.  Conditions were slick and cold.  I was glad for toes covers and the arm warmers.  Kept it slow on first half, as the hills were after mile 30.  Feel like I could have went a bit harder on the front, and then pushed a bit on the bike.  Had a good final ten miles in.  I need to get in longer rides on the Parlee and build some more endurance in aero.  Came out of aero quite a few times, especially toward the end of the bike.  Nutrition was good, but I stopped at aid stop two to pee.  This became a theme throughout the race.  Maybe I was taking in too much water?  Felt good coming off the bike.

T2- Again a long run from dismount line to run bag.  Racked bike, put on shoes, headed over to use porta potty yet again.

Run went well.  Really wanted to negative split, but miles 6-10 were not fun, and it didn't happen. 2:15:25.  The low in the middle could have been nutrition related, but I also had to pee again, and finally gave in and hit the porta potty at mile ten.  Also had a gel at mile nine, and had a good three miles closing it out.  Legs were feeling pretty beat.  I think I need to get in more volume.  It is not that it hasn't been scheduled, but missing a 4 mile run here, and a six mile run there, just added up.

Overall I am pretty happy.  First time at a new distance, and finished feeling good about it.  Can I improve?  Sure.  But I am stoked.  Time for a beer.  Have a great Sunday everyone!

Stu - Solid run today, and I am sure your PBs are not all behind you!

Randy -  Awesome job on reaching the podium.  Way to start the year off right.  

Blanda - Awesome Island night!

Jason - I need a couple of weeks of running like that.

Rene - Wow.  Great month.  Very inspirational!

Bri - Hope the calf keeps improving!

Randy: So true about unplanned activities!

Bennet: So exciting reading about your first HIM! Sounds like overall it was a success, especially coming away from it with new knowledge. Congratulations, and job well done!

Bennet-excellent job.  Sounds like you stuck with your plan and  executed well.  Sighting is a problem for me as well as I tend to zig zag a bit.  Hydration is a tough one to nail down. In the only HIM I did it turned out to be a cool morning and I had been training in the heat.  Didn't adjust fluid intake much because that was main way I was getting calories.  Ended up having to stop 2-3 times.  I think the first time you do any new distance, especially the longer races,  it is more of a learning experience. You have identified several things where you can improve and I bet if you did the same race next weekend you would shave a good bit of time just making small adjustments.  Great accomplishment.....enjoy one or more beers at your discretion

Randy

Thought I would throw out a new topic for the group.  Jason had mentioned his last 2 weeks running and Bennet mentioned missing some runs and it got me to thinking about run frequency.  Many plans will have 3 bike/3 swim/3 run sessions a week.  I think one of the areas people can most improve their fitness and endurance is adding 2-3 more runs a week.  There is alot of discussion out there on this and there are specific plans to incorporate the additional runs. Of course you would want to gradually incorporate these runs into your training but its a great way to get in some extra mileage.

I've seen a 3-2-1 plan where you pick a distance or time....say 2 miles.  3 days you run 2 miles; 2 days you run 4 miles and 1 day you run 6 miles for a 16 mile week.  The tough part is fitting it into your training schedule but if a person is already running 3 times a week then the 6,4,4 would be your run days. Then you are left fitting the 2's in on other workout days. Maybe first thing in the morning or right after a bike or swim.

I really like running almost everyday so long as almost all of the runs are 'easy" . Looking back I've made the most gains  in my running fitness/speed while doing this.  I think running 3x a week can be plenty but I think often times people push those 3 runs and end up injured or not fully recovered before their next workout.

Anyone have any thoughts?  Done anything similar?

Enjoy your Sunday.

Randy

Yeah looks that way.  I have really enjoyed this group.  Lots of good information and support shared. Michael and I will be doing A Spring/Summer group if anyone wants to tag along.

I will keep checking in here for awhile to make sure I don't miss anything.

Randy

This is good to know coming from a coach. I have no clue how to go about training for something the size of a half IM.

Oh, winter mentoring is over?!  I'd love to join the next group. You guys are great.

Thanks so much Randy and Michael.  Can't believe the first session is done already.  Great job mentoring... learned bunches from you and from all the stellar members of the group!  Thank you, all!

I try to get in 4-5 runs / week.  Some of them are very short (usually before a swim or after a bike class).  I think it helps a bit.  I've never quite made the 3-2-1 approach, but I like the concept... was close to it when training for the marathon and that was the best running shape I had ever achieved.

Stu