Baowolf's Mentor Group- Closed (Page 45)

So ya really common to have kind of an emotional let down and loss of focus as the tri season comes to a close and we don't have races to focus our training. This is where that triathlon is a lifestyle comes into play. It is perfectly fine to take 2,3, 6 weeks off at the end of the season to get rested emotionally and physicaly, jog without a watch and just enjoy the fall colors or walk or drive a motorcycle. The thing is that the gravity of the couch is very strong and it can suck us away from all these healthy habbits we have developed. We tend to put on 10, 20, 30 pounds, get completely out of shape and drop into a mild drepression. The main thing is to consciously pick a number of days you will purposefully have no scheduled activity or minimal or whatever and a start date for when you are going to start back up again. Often this comes with picking races for next year, joining a masters swim group or simply setting a base fitness goal for winter, possibly with a specific focus, like a bike plan or whatever. The trick is to not fall completely off the wagon and give up, there in lies the dark side.....

My offseason is 6 weeks of recovery followed by 8 weeks of base building and then back into IM building 12/1. That will give me a solid 6 months to build for IMCDA. Right now I am entering the 2nd week of taper. The first week really doesn't count so much because you are still biking 100+ miles and running 33 miles, feels just like a recovery week. This week will be dropping everything a lot and then next week is when you start getting a bit stir crazy. We will be camping (35F at night) 2 miles from the finish line with reservations all set. It looks like the fires are 80% contained with mild smoke in the air today. Hopefuly another two weeks will mean even less smoke. I am more confident about those hills with the new gears and the hills at CDA won't be as bad either, I will keep the same gearing for that. Currently I spin out at around 34-35 mph on downhills. (I hit about 40mph on my hill o pain on the way down). It is pretty amazing how much of a difference going up that hill at 5 mph is versus 8 mph. At 5-6 mph I can cary on a conversation at 8 mph I am at Z4 pushing into Z5. There is some art in knowing when to leave the lowest gear to get a little more speed.

So sorry about your wife's hearing. I know the cochlear implants have helped many folks, we have some students with those. Tell your wife that we will all pray for her and you UCLA certainly has some bright folks to help yall out.

Very quick driveby because I've got to go to bed if I've got a chance of getting up early tomorrow for intervals.

Jim, best of luck to your wife and the implants. I so hate that they can't find the source of the hearing loss but I pray they can correct.

Steve, thank you for the compliment on my race pace run. I've never met you face to face but I swear your voice is with me every training. Good for you on the gear change. How cool that you were willing to U-turn on the hll of pain to go back up again!

Mike and Carol, as for motivation- well it's hard. I found that this year when I thought that I wouldn't be able to do things (because of the PF), it made my desire stronger than ever. There was nothing like trying to run and hurting like crazy to make me realize how much I needed the release. So I attacked my recovery harder than I had my training and my mantra was "Find your happy". I gave myself license to go slow, or go long, or walk, or sprint, or skip. I love Steve's suggestion to give yourself x period of time off and then start back at Y time. Be praying for you because I know it's tough. But remember the joy and the satifsaction of the finish line, the sweat, and the work.

Motivation is a very funny thing....when you have it, you don't think about it. However, when you struggle with it, it seems to lie right outside of your reach. I think we've all had struggles with motivation at some point in our training. This is where joining a mentorship group helps; we all understand, don't judge, and you do feel a little bit accountable to the group. As a new session of mentorship opens...I'm reminded that this will be my 3rd group I'll be back for (assuming Steve mentors again) and how many people join with great intentions but fall off for whatever reason.

Sorry I didn't post my race summary last night....I was very, very tired

My race day started at about 4:30AM with a bowl of oatmeal and a scoop of protein powder. I left my house at about 5:30AM and drove 45 minutes to the race destination. The race was set up where you had to park about 2 miles away from the transition area. They offered a shuttle bus to put your belongings in but you had to bike down to the pond. So I arrived at about 6:30AM, packed my belongings, chatted with the man I parked next to and headed off to the start of the race. I made sure my ride was very easy and arrived with my bike, backpack of gear, and wetsuit all entact. I then parked my bike and went to registration to get number, marked etc. All went well so I went inside to set up transitions. This is where my first example of being a newbie showed up. My first two sprints, you could just set up anywhere there was space. So I started to do that and realized that there were numbers on each row...that didn't deter me at first until the woman I was setting up next to explained that I wasn't where I was supposed to be! Oops, thanked her, and off to my correct spot I went! I ended up near the front of transition and ended up chatting with one of the two guests of honor. They had two FDNY guys who were single leg amputees (and 1 was an IM finisher) that were honored before the race and held the flag for the National Anthem. I also ended up with a local cop next to me and his buddy had a Timberman 70.3 visor on so I asked if he did it this year. Turns out it was last year but he did NYC...so Mike may have seen him at some point during that race. Anywho, the cop and I made fast friends and ended up talking shop for most of prerace. He explained that he was coming off of a major ankle injury from chasing a perp and hadn't trained much.....the training thing I understood very well! I asked for the perps name to see if he was a visitor at my place but he isnt.

Swim: Ok, its go time. I say a quick prayer to keep my wits about me and we are beckoned to the water. My first impression is the far buoy looks FAR away from me. The swim was set up oddly...we started on the left of the beach, had to swim (seemingly across) to the right to the first buoy...almost across the beach and then we basically did a triangle to get back to shore. Every buoy was the big orange balls that I was used to seeing but the first was a big triangle looking thing....I wasn't sure where I was going so I followed the crowd. The gun went off and I counted about 5 seconds and then started. I initially stuck to my plan of freestyle/breast combo but my goggles start filling with water right away. Sigh...any advice on preventing this? It only seems to happen on race day because I have to wear a swim cap. At this point, I go strictly with the beast stroke because it doesn't fill my goggles up with water. I made it to the first buoy and then head off far away into the deep water. I stuck with the bs exclusively, heard the 2nd gun go off at some point and just did my thing. I then realized that Hey Jay, you need to SIGHT things...and saw I was WAY outside of where I was supposed to be. Okay, good news bad news....not going to get kicked being away from the crowd but certainly adding distance to my swim. I do some quick geometry and do my best to start angling toward the buoy to reduce some of the extra swimming I'm doing. It worked fairly well and I eventually evened out with everyone. At some point prior to reaching the far buoy, I went on my back and got the water out of my goggles and resealed. I started to do a little combo swimming like I'd planned as I approached the last buoy before heading in and then realized that my googles had a tight seal again. I was finally comfortable with my OWS at roughly the .5 mile point! The rest of the swim in went very well. I did 5 "sets" of freestyle (two strokes, breath is 1 "set") and then 5 strokes of bs...back and forth. Two funny things happened on the way in. 1. I was in a freestyle portion of the swim and I did a stroke and as I brought my arm into the water I smacked this poor lady right in the butt! I never saw her so I guess my head was in good position I apologized quickly and got away from her as fast as possible. 2. When I breast stroke, I exhale hard when I come out of the water...dunno if thats right or not but its what I do. I get all the water away from my mouth, breath, go underwater to glide again. So, I heard a woman ask if a swimmer was okay. I didn't think much of it....I felt good! but she asked again. Oh, she must be worried because I'm loud with my stroke. So, I breast stroked and told her that I was fine...I must sound ALOT worse than I feel! I've never been happier than when my feet could touch sand! I know that you're supposed to swim until you can't anymore but I was all set! I was happy to walk in and get ready for the bike. I looked at the results...one of the slowest swims in the race...not shocked but I know I'll never bee a fast swimmer. 40:06

Bike: Transition went okay for me. I did what I had to do, got bike ready, mounted where I was supposed to mount and headed off. I had slight problems clipping in but once I did, everything was good. The ride was nice; it was on a military base and the volunteers were military people. I made a point of waving to each one...least I can do! I was shocked that I got passed alot.....I looked down at my Magellan at one point...I was doing 20MPH on a flat road and I got passed by 3 people who made me look like I was doing 10. I have to tip my cap to them...I know 20 isn't slow on a flat surface...so they much better bikers than I am....I was impressed to be very honest. At about the 10 mile mark, I started feeling cramping sensations in my adductor area....this is going to be bad. It held off for most of the bike but I knew the run was going to be hell on wheels. Near the end of the ride, I saw a guy maybe an eighth of a mile ahead of me and the soldier at that spot said something encouraging to me. I waved and asked if she wanted me to catch the guy ahead of me....of course she said yes...so I went out and did it. Not the smartest thing strategy wise but a small way of honoring someone who does much more for us. 1:22:11 16MPH

Run: Again, transition went okay. It would've been faster if I didn't change into my ChipStrong shirt...but that wasn't an option. I knew based on adductor cramping that I needed to be cautious with the run. I started out fine actually, found a good pace and went until I found some woods...stopped for a quick potty break. While pottying (no pun intended) I got charley horse cramps Really lol....seriously, who does that happen to! The run quickly became a death march....and I could think of Mike and his description of his runs....that was becoming my reality. At about the 4 mile mark, I got really scared. My achilles started to hurt.....I immediately went to a walk and assessed if this was fatigue or if it was really hurt. The LAST thing I'm going to do is quit but I'm not going to go through another surgery/recovery either. I walked it out and I really couldn't tell at first. I stayed at a walk and it started to feel better so I tried to jog...that bothered it. Okay...walking home it is I did the walk, feels good, try to jog a few more times before it finally felt okay jogging. I got to the finish line....no wonderful moments....just happy and proud to have finished and honored my deceased friend. 1:12 slow as puppy crap MPH

Total time 3:20

Overall, I really enjoyed the race. Good people, well run, felt like a real race! I'm not sure if I'd do it again becaue that two mile ride back to my car was like torture. I'm not sure they could do it differently but that ride really sucked! I wasn't trained well enough to do this but I gutted it out and made major progress on my OWS...those are huge for me! I also didn't respect the distance...something Steve has said about an IM...I didn't think it'd be as hard as it was. I need to talk to Steve about nutrition in race....I used my chia gel which worked in my Boston Marathon experience but not in the race. My stomach was growling...so if you have guidelines Steve, please share and I'll add them to my notebook of Steve's suggestions!

Fantastic job, Jay! Congrats on a great race.

I'm getting back into it. Tomorrow will be a bike ride, and I'll continue on with that, and maybe some short walks. Pool time is still tough to come by. The one place I can go is also serving as spill-over for the closed place, so time there is sparse, and inconvenient. Its killing me to not be swimming right now. PT session tomorrow, too. Leg is sore after the last one, so I may dial this one down a bit.

Jay, first off nice job on running a smart race. So just swim with a swim cap and you will get used to how to get it all situated. My guess is that you had the swim cap too low on your forehead which bunched up your eyebrows into the seal on your gogles causing a gap at the corner of your eye, probably on the opposite side from the side you breathe on. The only other issue is the strap is too loose or you had the band lopsided on your head (tight on the right loose on the lef) or the cap slid up a bit. If you warmup swimming a bit before the race you can usually work out the bugs before the race starts.

It sounds like your leg was meh not quite up to the distance, but was smar of you to walk when you felt pain, you should do that if it is in a race or just practice.

So I need to know what you ate and when you ate it. Given that your race was 3:20, and swim 40 min you should have had a gel 15 min before the swim start, within the first 15 min on the bike and (Bike 1:22) and then another 300 ish calories on the bike (350-400 total). Run 1:12 looks somethig like 2-3 gels depending on the timing of the last one from the bike. Total calories including 15 min before swim = 650 ish.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-09-10 6:08 PM

Jay, congrats on running your race and being smart about the leg! You did a great job of adapting to what happened on the course. Things like sprinting for that volunteer are what I bet you will remember a long time from now, along with honoring your friend's life. And never say never re: becoming a really good swimmer. Just ask Mike.

Well, Mike, with the pool closed, you can spend all your time doing umpteen repetitions of your PT exercises .

Speaking of swimming, not that I'm great at it, but I was thinking about how I feel about it now vs. when I first started. At first the swim part was a case of just praying I would get through it, and wishing it was not part of the whole thing. The bike was OK, but really just a way for me to get to my favorite part...the run. Now, total turnabout....I look most forward to the swim and even look at races and think "wow, it would be really cool to swim there". What I dread right now is the run...yes even the 5K in the sprint I'm signed up for. Obvious reasons for that, but I just think it's kind of funny that everything has flip flopped like that.

Quick checkin.

Jay, great job on the race!!!! So glad that swim felt better. Sorry about the run but so glad that you were smart and pulled back to a walk.

Intervals were aborted twice today - once because of my sick dog and the second time because everything just conspired against me. I'm so sorry, Steve! Hoping to get them Thursday.?

i spent 3+ hours today working on my mary training plan. Scary, fun, enlightening, exciting, and then back to scary. I can see how much I've grown since my first mary. Still intimidating (sp?) some time. Why oh why am I always at peak build at Thanksgiving and Christmas?

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I'm glad I finished but lets be real...I was a BOP for this race. I'm not shocked by this at all but as I look at my times and other times I realized I'm not too far away from being MOP. I know I can cut time off the swim just by doing more freestyle swimming and less breaststroke because I move faster freestyling.....and I can do much better on the run if I put in the appropriate miles. Motivation anyone

Steve, I'm trying to figure out if I had enough calories during my race based on what you posted. I had oatmeal with a scoop of protein and PB2 (awesome stuff for any PB lovers....powdered PB...less calories great for shakes etc!) when I woke up in the morning. (4:30/5AM) After that, I had my 12oz of chia gel at different times throughout the prerace, bike, run. I wasn't structured enough with when I ate...just ate when I felt like it. I was consistent in taking in my chia gel when I felt the urge.....but no consistency with it. Perhaps, I need to go back to my run nutrition and have 100ish calories every 30min.

As I calculate my calories I got from my chia gel....they're coming up light I'm figuring about 500ish calories from my gel throughout the whole race. Of course, I didn't use coconut water like I usually do to hydrate and I didn't add sea salt to my gel like I should've. I know the easy thing for most people is to use gels (and I've done it in the past too) but I'm trying to embrace my low carb/NSNG and avoid that. If my calculations are right, I should be aiming for about 200/250 calories an hour. Thats why I asked you to help Steve....now if my calculations are right, I have a number to aim for going forward!

Today I'll try to go back to the gym for a workout. I've felt really sluggish since the race and that has surprised me. Suddenly, I have an appreciation for the 30 days off that was suggested by Steve after completing a full IM! My left leg (side I had my AT surgery) has been really sore but is feeling better today....so I'll cautiously try to do a little lifting on my legs and see how a few miles on the TM feel.....if it hurts, I'll reduce to a walk and try to workout some more lactic acid.

Last question....directed toward the ladies of the group. My wife's BDay is coming up and she told me she wants an exercise shirt that supports her midsection. I guess she tried to jog for the first time since her abdominal surgery and she felt nauseous because she felt like he stomach wasn't supported. Any clue what she's talking about? I have no issue shopping for something but I need to have a name of what I'm looking for when I ask for help at the local sporting goods store. Thanks!

Mike: Thanks for the support. I hope your pool opens up soon so you can get back to your swimming! Carol mentioned that basketball is my anchor; swimming is no doubt yours.

Steve: As always, thanks for your insights! Much appreciated!

Carol: Swimming a strength huh...don't see that coming lol! I know stranger things have happened but I like land a lot :D

Pam: Nothing wrong with being at peak fitness around the holidays! Makes it easier for you to enjoy the food because you can go for a nice run and burn off the calories!

Jim, read re: your wife's hearing. So sorry that answers, and more importantly solutions, are elusive on this. Praying the UCLA folks can help. She must be so glad to have your support.

So Steve, you're inside of two weeks now. Are you camping or staying in a hotel?

Work, work, work is the name of the game this week.....but going to squeeze in a swim at lunch, and maybe a spin on the trainer tonight whilst watching some form of non-intellectual TV.

This came across my FB page today...if you need a laugh, check out the signs.

http://beta.active.com/triathlon/articles/20-great-triathlon-specta...

We will be camping at Tahoe. Is a campground 2 miles from the finish line/meeting areas. It will be a bit chilly at night though 35F ish. Yups inside of two weeks now. I put new race tires on last weekend and am wearing off the annoying mold strip they come with, which takes about 125 miles for the front tire and 75 or so for the back tire. So ya short workouts this week, long bike is only 45 miles.

General rule is 200-250 calories per hour run and 300-350 calories per hour bike. You start your calories 45 min to 1 hour into the race. You don't count your pre race calories like breakfast towards your race calories and you take in 100 calories (like a gel) 15 min before the race starts.

Jay, did you get my inspire today with the info about the tops? Remember, I'm not sure if this is what your wife is talking about but if so, my tops are Old Navy, Nike (I cut the tag out so that's all of the info I have on it. Prob purchased at Sports Authority but maybe my running store), and NordicTrack. They are all tanks and tighter around the stomach. Awful with heat but great in cold for keeping core warm. Also, love the signs. Already decided which one I'm gonna make for the tri that I'm volunteering for. Course it will have a different impact on the racers then when the cute girl was holding it up.

So Steve, whole family going? 2 miles from start/finish is great!

Gotta go. Told son to pick out a movie to watch and dang, he picked "Identity Theft". After my recent experience, well my blood is boiling about 3 min in.

Edited by Pink Socks 2013-09-11 5:55 PM

Steve, thanks for the calorie guidelines! As promised, they were entered into Steve's notebook of knowledge.

Pam: I got your inspire and responded back. If you didn't get that, let me know and I'll PM you again.

Got back to the gym today...weights, running, swimming. I took it easy on lifting on legs...they still hurt a little. I ran 2 miles, walked 1 in intervals of 1 mile run, .5 mile walk.....sub 9 pace on the run. Swim was a quick 8x50...nothing dramatic to report...spent more time figiding with new goggles than accomplishing much. Anyone use Aqua Sphere goggles? Having a heck of a time finding a good fit on them....only with that brand....no issues at all with the Speedo goggles.

Got the news today that a friend probably only has 3 to 9 months left. She has 2 small children. Now watching "102 Minutes that Changed America". My.heart.hurts. All I know to do is pray. One day I'll understand it all.......today is not that day.

Ouch, so sorry Pam. Our prayers with you and her.

Jay, I swam today so checked out breathing on breaststroke. I breath the same way on freestyle and breaststroke. I start breathing out as soon as my face is in the water and then just breath out harder just before inhailing as my mouth leaves the water.

I am at that state in taper where I really don't want to do any of my workouts even though they are all short. It is that getting started that is hard, once I am doing it things are fine and then they are over quickly. 18 mile bike 1800 yard swim today. Little nagging muscles as they heal up just enough to worry you. Still smoke at Tahoe, race day smoke will all depend on where the wind is coming from.

Pam - so sorry to hear about your friend.

Steve - only 2 weeks? Can't wait to track you during the race. You'll have a large virtual cheering section here on BT!


I did a nice 55 minutes of intervals on the bike this AM. And it felt freakin' GREAT!!! Yes, I was tired, and sweaty, but it was wonderful. At one point I had a thought pop into my head that made me laugh. While pedaling away, I suddenly thought "This is way better than sleeping!" (It was about 4:40 AM). I think getting into this sport/lifestyle changes you in some ways, and you have thoughts like this. Its all very good to have happen, but you change. I've been feeling like a caged animal the past few days, which was my sign it was time to get moving again. So glad I was up and did that this AM. Tomorrow may be a brisk walk (no run), Saturday AM will be some pool time, a bike, then some PT. Feeling renewed.

Pam, I'm so very sorry to hear about your friend. That is so hard in so many ways, for her, for her kiddo's, her husband, and for you as her friend. Praying for you all, because, as you said, that is what we can do. Definitely questions that cannot be answered this side of heaven. If you haven't already....The Problem of Pain (C.S. Lewis), is a good read for times like this.

Steve, camping, yay! What a beautiful place to make some memories with your kiddos. Hope you can stay a few extra days. I'm remembering Ceril (a former and still welcome group member here), and her term "glamping", which is a good description of the only kind I have done recently. Somehow I figure yours will be the real thing with tents and such.

Jay, glad Pam could help you out on the shirts for your wife. My middle is not my problem area, so I don't have much advice. I was wondering about the breathing thing as well on the breast stroke...that is if you should be breathing out under water.

Mike, glad you are finding some mojo!

Still haven't heard how Mitch's race went .

Did my swim yesterday, but ratted out on the trainer spin. Stopped working about 8, and settled in for some high carb snacking on the couch (why did the sweet boy scout down the street sell me that carmel corn?). Yeah, not good, and fought high blood sugars much of the night as a result, so not much sleep. But today is a new day!

Hiya!

Oh man. Lots of great training going on!
Pam, fantastic job w your focus of running. I am learning from you. Your friend. ...There are absolutely no words. I am so so very sorry.
Steve, cant imagine you riding a mere 45 min. lol
Mike, sounds like its all coming back! Yeah!...except for the pool closure. But that's only a few days away.
Jay, congrats on your latest race. Hey, pat yourself on the back! For most races it seems to take over half the swim to feel good in the h2o. Wise choices you made on the run. Walking during a race is better than having a lasting injury because you've overdone it on the run during a race! Tri Top: I usually just wear a sports bra w semi-fitted tank over it during races. I personally don't care for tight tops. But the few "tri" tanks that I do have--Nike- specific for triathlon and Pearl Uzumi brands-- I'd say do give some support in the middle.
Jim, sorry to hear about your wifes loss of hearing. Sure hope the implants help.

Question re: hill sprints. So yesterday I ran. 5 min warm up, 7 Hill sprints on short but steep hill: Distance for each sprint was between .11-.13 as fast as my feet could take me (55 sec, 49, 53, 54, 57, 56, 50,) With 5-10 seconds @ top, easy jog down and about 5 sec @ bottom before next sprint up. Then an easy 2.5 run home. The sprints bout killed me and I am attempting to run w a purpose. My question is: How important is the distance of each sprint interval. Is there a *magic* distance that is most beneficial? Should my hill sprints be longer in distance w less pronounced incline? or

My wife had never been camping before we met, and we've slowly migrated from 'tent in the woods' to most recently 'cabin with propane stove'. I call it "Cadillac camping" which she finds to be funny.

Good afternoon everyone! I feel like I'm heading back to the way I was post surgery when I was finally allowed to do some training. I ran once again...1.5 mile run, .5 mile walk 2x...legs felt great and speed was again sub 9...happy happy. I splashed around in the pool again...did some 100's and some 50's. Since Steve mentioned the BS, I added some laps of that and noticed something odd...I take in water when I BS...not a lot but a little and then spit it out. That explains why that person was worried about me in the water...not sure why or how I started doing that but it needs to stop! I don't do it when I freestyle...any advice/tips on this oddity??

Pam: I'm so sorry about your friend. All I'll say is you never know...doctors have been wrong before...but I say this without knowing the story so take it with a grain of salt if need be.

Mike: I'm glad you are finding your mojo again! Sounds like the bike ride was what you needed!

Elena: Nice to see you again! My opinion on the hill question...I think the distance doesn't really matter but I'd consider walking down the hill after your interval. You are working on improving your leg strength with hills on the way up but also your recovery.....jogging is working on your recovery but is it hurting your legs for the next set? I'd rather walk and give max effort on each hill interval than jog and not be able to go all out...others may disagree but that's my thought

Carol: Those high carb snacks can be so tempting Today is a new day, leave the yummy thoughts of yesterday behind you Maybe you can sneak in another swim or trainer session to burn off some of those calories!

Steve: Totally agree with Mike...I tracked Samantha for IMCDA and look forward to tracking you as well! I wish I could give you advice but the student never gives that to the master

PS- I cyber stalked Mitch...found his race...he did compete and finish! (sorry Mitch, I was too curious not to do some digging)

Have a good day all!

Edited by medeiros13 2013-09-12 1:06 PM

AAAARRRGGHHHHH!!!!!! MY POOL IS CLOSED UNTIL OCT 31!!!!!!! AAAHHHHRRRRGGGHHHH!H!!!!!!

Will need to find alternatives, pronto.

Well the ride is 45 miles not 45 minutes but ya short.

Ok hill repeats should be .25 to .5 miles uphill at that hard effort you were describing and jogging down is probably better than walking. Jogging down hill works your quads. The hill should be at least 3 percent but steeper is fine up to say 10 percent or whatever. I wouldn't have started with that many hill repeats maybe 3-4 to start with. It is like the 800 repeats you start with a low number and then add one more each week.

During a race or workout isn't really the time to go low sugar (unless you medically have to), it is what your body needs. You are not going to get fat during a race. It is before and after that your sugar intake is important diet wise.

So I researched sighting and there are some good you tubes to watch. The way I do it is you do your normal stroke, I breath right, so take that breath, move youre head back down to center as normal, then bring your head up for a quick peek, then let your head drop down and to the right to take that next breath. The swimmer describes it as letting your head drop down through and into the next breath. The one I watched recommended sighting once every 6 to 12 breaths (more if you squiggle as you swim less often if you swim pretty straight).

Other sighting techniques are more disruptive to your pace, but one can take a few breaststroke strokes while getting your bearings and then adust yoru course. You can do the same thing with a sidestroke to sight and then back into frestyle once you have your direction.

Another trick is to find a tall object to sight on like a building, tree, peak of a montain, etc. that is easy to identify as you sight that is in the direction you want to go.

So ya camping in tents. There will be outhouses, but there will be some running water at a faucet near the tent.

How far away is a pool in the next city. I was driving 100 miles each way at one point.....

Ok for stalkers my race number is easy to remember: 2222

I am shooting for 13:30, but things like how much those hills hit me and how much elevation saps strength, how much smoke there is, etc., all play into it aside from how the body responds to the race and how the calf holds up. No control over any of that at this point. So swim 1:30 to 1:45, bike 7:00ish, run 4:30 ish, t1 10 min, t2 5 min.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-09-12 4:58 PM

Hey everybody! I just haven't had a chance to check in at all. Crazy busy with work right now and baby almost here.

finished my first race in aver a year and a half. Olympic distance. Didn't expect much going in being only training for a few months. I cramped up on the swim once again. happens every race for some reason. after about 200 yds both calves locked up. So painful! didn't let up the whole time. I even had ideas of swimming to shore. Well I did what I could. backstroked, doggy paddled. It was very bad.... Made it through the swim and had a decent bike for me 17.4 mph. pretty fast considering it was a hilly ride up Pacific Coast Highway. Got to the run and my calves were really cramping... ended with a 57 min 10K. Hoping for 50 or so.... Did 3:12. was my first race other than Full and half Iron distance and I thought I would do much better but man these are not easy!!!

sorry I have not had a spare sec to read any posts but I did want to check in. I'm really hoping The new baby lets me sneak in another race this year! We'll see.

I will be around stalking you all. You have not lost me!

Steve. I've been looking at that Tahoe Course. Looks fun! So impressed with your training. I know you're gonna hit your goal.

Cramping on the swim often comes from cold water or pointing your toes too hard or random other physio thing that is unexplainable. When I get them I just let the leg flop and continue the stroke until it gives up. Sorry your race wasn't spot on, but sounds like you did a smart race for your training and leg issues.