BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! (Page 48)

2011-09-17 11:36 AM

in reply to: #3690268

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

stevebradley - 2011-09-16 11:50 PM JEFF again - (2) My biggest problem is with WTC itself.

Ahh, the evil empire.

They charge far too much for races,

Amen. But I guess it's the old supply and demand thing. Like you say, they sell out in minutes. Perhaps with the introduction of HITS and REV3 in the future there will be more supply which will help bring the price down (I think I read recently where HITS has a promotion going for the full IM distance - $450). One can only hope that the prices come down.

Personally I have never raced in a WTC event. However, I did volunteer last year for 70.3 Worlds in Clearwater. As a volunteer they did treat me well.

http://trifind.com/fl.html

2011-09-17 11:51 AM

in reply to: #3686985

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

stevebradley - 2011-09-14 7:47 PM DENISE - i am toying arund with a couple of options in Florida in Now and Dec. I plan to pick JEFF's brains about those shortly!

Steve,

I have yet to race in Nov. or Dec. so I personally couldn't give you a recommendation on a specific race. However, I can tell you if you don't mind wearing a wetsuit for the swim the conditions are fantastic for racing/training that time of year in Southwest Florida. If you are looking for a race I recommend that you look here:

or here:

http://www.altavistasports.com/

If you find one that you like and would like to get some feedback from others that have experience with that specific race post a question on the Florida forum here on BT.

If you are not racing but just want to train and happen to be in Sarasota you got a training partner in me. I'll show you all the sites. I might be able to hang on in the swim and bike (if I catch your draft) but it's a different story on the run!!

Tonight: Go FSU!!!!!

2011-09-18 8:40 AM

in reply to: #3690512

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

JEFF -

"...don't mind wearing a wetsuit for the swim...", you say?? Remember, I'm the guy who has done approximately 94 triathlons, and 6 aquabikes, and ALL of them have been in a wetsuit!

The ones I glanced at last week were:
-- Club Med (oly and sprint) in Port St.Lucie, Nov 6
-- 5150 (oly), Clearwater, Nov 12
-- MiamiMan (oly), Nov 13
-- Key West (oly and sprint), Dec 3

That's probably just my fantasy live being active, and the chances of Lynn allowing me toi go that far to rce are quite small. But her bro lives in SC, and if I needed another USAT race for rankings purposes....I might be able to cajole her into a trip. Overall, though, those are bad timing for me in that I will have stopped swimming open water by about the second week of Oct, and outside rdies bcome uncomfortable not too long after. But my OWS volume has been massive this season, so even if I didn't OWS after about )ct 12, I'd be fine enough for the first three, anyhow (well, at least the Club Med one). As for the bike, well, I guess I could bundle up and squeeze in a few late Oct rides if necessary.

As for 5150..........yeah, yeah, I iknow -- it's part of WTC now, which I ripped into a couple of days ago. Moreover, it's likely on the "old" 70.3 course, just the shorter version of it, and will probably be a draft-fest. However, i was surprised to see the price as "only" $150, which isn't all that bad for an olympic. heck, Nation's last week was $190, and I think for Chicago in '08 it was $175; NYC '09 was $225. Even a new one near Newburgh, NY, last month, was $175, so $150 isn't too awful.

But as I said, this is mostly just my fantasy life talking!

Sarasota, the old-days spring training site of the Red Sox! They were there when I was a kid, then moved to Winter Haven, and are now in Ft Myers. But Sarasota -- thinking of it makes me feel young again!

2011-09-18 9:37 AM

in reply to: #3690992

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

stevebradley - 2011-09-18 9:40 AM JEFF - "...don't mind wearing a wetsuit for the swim...", you say?? Remember, I'm the guy who has done approximately 94 triathlons, and 6 aquabikes, and ALL of them have been in a wetsuit! The ones I glanced at last week were: -- Club Med (oly and sprint) in Port St.Lucie, Nov 6 -- 5150 (oly), Clearwater, Nov 12 -- MiamiMan (oly), Nov 13 -- Key West (oly and sprint), Dec 3 That's probably just my fantasy live being active, and the chances of Lynn allowing me toi go that far to rce are quite small. But her bro lives in SC, and if I needed another USAT race for rankings purposes....I might be able to cajole her into a trip. Overall, though, those are bad timing for me in that I will have stopped swimming open water by about the second week of Oct, and outside rdies bcome uncomfortable not too long after. But my OWS volume has been massive this season, so even if I didn't OWS after about )ct 12, I'd be fine enough for the first three, anyhow (well, at least the Club Med one). As for the bike, well, I guess I could bundle up and squeeze in a few late Oct rides if necessary. As for 5150..........yeah, yeah, I iknow -- it's part of WTC now, which I ripped into a couple of days ago. Moreover, it's likely on the "old" 70.3 course, just the shorter version of it, and will probably be a draft-fest. However, i was surprised to see the price as "only" $150, which isn't all that bad for an olympic. heck, Nation's last week was $190, and I think for Chicago in '08 it was $175; NYC '09 was $225. Even a new one near Newburgh, NY, last month, was $175, so $150 isn't too awful. But as I said, this is mostly just my fantasy life talking! Sarasota, the old-days spring training site of the Red Sox! They were there when I was a kid, then moved to Winter Haven, and are now in Ft Myers. But Sarasota -- thinking of it makes me feel young again!

I have heard good things about the Club Med race series. Heather Goelnick (pro who use to be part of REV3) and her husband have some type of arrangement going with Club Med. Key West would be neat but if your driving it's a long drive even from Miami. In fact for me it's actually faster to jump on a boat in Ft. Meyers than driving. Don't know much about the others. Isn't the Clearwater 5150 the WTC championship race for the olympic distance? If so, there should be a ton of fast people there.

If you decide to do the Club Med race let me know and I'll sign up and do it.

Sarasota is now the spring training camp for Baltimore. There was a big push about 2 years ago to get the Red Sox to come to Sarasota. You know, the Red Sox's agreement with Ft. Meyers was coming to an end and they used Sarasota for leverage for bigger better facilities and $'s. Extortion at it worst!!!

BTW: At your age in Sarasota today you would still be considered a youngster!!!

2011-09-18 2:55 PM

in reply to: #3691009

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

JEFF -

Does that mean that Sarasota is full of seasoned retirees? My kind of elders!

And does your other comment mean that Heather G. is no longer part of Rev3. I think she and spouse started it, but it might be some other pro couple I'm thinking of.

As for Clearwater 5150, I only know it is the 5150 season finale -- but maybe that means the championship. Intriguing!

Sox re hgetting whumped by Tampa again, andif they lose they'll be only two games ahead of 'em. Yikes. Hard-core New England-based RedSoxNation types must be apoplectic along about now. (I'm not far from it myself.) Circle the wagons!!!!!!!!

2011-09-18 5:39 PM

in reply to: #3435045

Extreme Veteran

996

Minnesota

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Steve,

I have no idea why I thought you were done - maybe because it's so cold here. You've still got plenty on your plate, I see.

No Nickel City for me - I still have one race left and it's on the 25th - Irongirl Duathlon in Mpls. I'm not very motivated but I'm going to do it because I'm sure I'll age group place and they give "unique necklaces" to the placers and they might be cool.

This is the 1st year I've done any USAT races so I checked the rankings. I'm not a member so I'm not ranked but I am listed along with # of races after the ranked racers.

I was checking your age group. One of the Honors is Neil King. He lives about 45 minutes away from me in the small town of Nevis. That's the tri I do every year - I think he helped start it. He does a lot of the same local races that I do - I didn't realize he also did a number of USAT races.

Denise

2011-09-18 8:39 PM

in reply to: #3691289

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

DENISE -

Yo! You could always join USAT now, and that would make you officially rankable. And would you be AA or HM?

After West Point and my tumble, I was ~166. Mossman moved me up to 102, as of today. nations should move me even higher, by a fair bit I am counting on. And then Nickel City and Bassman should be even better....but I did something to both groins yesterday, possibly in Yoga; not sure. Bugger it.

I am accumulating info on rankings for Jeff, so stay tuned if interested. And did you check M65-69? Your boy Ben is currently second, having a very good year. Last year he was in the mid-78s, right now at 80, I think. Decent!

2011-09-18 9:22 PM

in reply to: #3691432

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

JEFF -

The stuff on USAT rankings can be quite complicated, especially concerning the ins and outs of how scores are tabulated. I have tried to get my head around it for years, but to no avail. It involves "pacesetters", but how many there are per race varies, and how many are actually used in the calculations depends on how many people are in the race. Beyond that, it only gets more confusing -- at least for me. You may indeed want to go to the USAT website and see if you can figure it out, but this cat is quitting the scene on it right now!

But there ARE easier aspects, and here goes:

(1) Only the best three races are included in the rankings. This is why it is kind of improtant to have a "cushion" of more than three races, and West Point is a great example of that. had my three been the three I have done, my crash-affected WP would've really hurt my rankings; hopefully one or more of my remaning three will compensate for it!

(2) Scores in a given race are age-blind --- but how they affect age group rankings are not.

(3) As an example, at Nation's I finished in 1:51:49, as did one other guy (M30-34). Finishing one second ahead of me were three guys: two in M35-39, one in M45-49. For Nation's, both of us at 1:51:49 will have the exact same score, with the three guys a second ahead having a score a fraction of a percentage ahead of us. So if my score is 79.60492, that'll be the same for the one with my same time. Those other three guys may have scores of 79.61217, but all three wil have that same score.

(4) For me, that 79.60492 wil be of "All-American" caliber....while for my time-equal it won't even be close in the incredible M30-34. In this case, age has its benefits!!

(5) All_American goes to those whose scores are in the top 5%. Honorable Mention goes to those who are between that and the top 10%. So in M60-64 last year, there were 640 USAT members in that age group. #1-32 were A-A, #33-64 were H-M.

(5) What follows are some examples, culled from last year's final rankings. The first number is the score of the #1 guy in each a.g. The second number is the number of the last person who placed All-Ammerican. The third number is the score of the last guy who placed Honorable Mention. (I have done only those a.g. between 20 and 69.)

65-69
--79.07
--74.14
--72.16

60-64
--85.63
--78.90
--76-68

55-59
--95.66
--82.29
--79.67

50-54
--94.50
--85.27
--81.99

45-49
--102.01 (one guy >100)
--87.28
--84.03

40-44
--104.36 (five >100)
--88.83
--85.40

35-39
--104.08 (nine >100)
--90.09
--85.49

30-34
104.11 (thriteen >100)
--91.11
--87.42

25-29
--104.42 (eight >100)
--93.13
--89.70

20-24
--100.98 (four >100)
--94.39
--93.26

So! Can you see some trends there? On ehtta strikes me is how many younger people re really strong nowadays. back about 8-10 years ago the studs were 35-39, I think, refleceting ones who had been around a bunch of years but still had enough youth to be strong. Nowadys there are maybe so many youth and collegiate programs that "kids" can get great really eraly in their careers. At least that's the way I'm interpreting the above.

Last year I was 37th, with a score of 78.42225. The last A-A guy was 32 with ascore of 78.9053; not much between us in terms of fractions of a point, and could reflect a slow transition, a too-long walk through an aid station, a dropped chain...... That sort of thing can make one nuts, until thr realization occurs that virtually EVERYone experiences those point-depleting hiccups. I guess it all comes out in the wash!

My score last year would've placed me second in M65-69.....but not really even close in M55-59, where 79.67 was the final H-M score. And it is incredibel to me that Steven Smith, a stud nonpereil who usually is the top one in whatever a.g. he is in, wouldn't even be in the top 18 of M55-59. Now, he was 63 last year so he has eight years on a number of those in the top 18 of M55-59, but that just shows how tough each lower age group becomes for us older guys!

So, back to my time cohort in M30-34, where 87.42 is the last-ranked honorable mention guy, he has a lot of work to do to get to that level in that age group -- nothing a coach and a few thousand dollars in equipment upgrades might not be able to help fix! (Did I say that correctly?)

So, that's it in a nutshell, sort of. I'm sure there are gaps there, but the above should provide a decent overview. As I said the other day, I find it useful because the three-race system is pretty true to one's comperative abilities, and I see that in who is above and below me. As examples, the guy at 41 has beat me in three races over the years; the guy at 46 has beaten me once; the guy at 55, once; the guy at 58, once. For the last one, he beat me by 3 seconds at Columbia '10, while I finsihed ahead of him at Nation's. As for the guy at 46, I have beaten him once, and once also for the 41st guy. There are other cases within the ranks, but those are just a few examples. It's such a fun game!

2011-09-19 8:43 AM

in reply to: #3691482

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

JEFF again -

As if the above was not enough info.......

---Between now and the finalization of the 2011 rankings, around March (seriously!), many, many people will be "eliminated" becasue they do not have the requisite three races. In M60-64 right now there are 1240 guys listed, but probably at least 400 of them will not end up the sesaon with three races. Last year finished at 640, and maybe the most that could be anticipated for this year would be 800. It will turn out that the majority of those who don't have three will be guys with lower scores, so clinging to a high spot becomes harder due to most of the drop-outs being from further down. At one point last year I was in A-A with about nine guys below me and still in A-A themselves.....but I knew that when the shake-down occurred, I would likely drop below the 5% level. And that's what happened.

---I whip myself about something like West Point and the 4 minutes I lost there, but looking at the rankings telss me that it wasn't crucial. I received a score for WP of 73.08233, and the guy with a time four minutes faster than mine was a 76.80364. And in case what i actually lost was five minutes, that persons ranking score was 77.61919. To put that into perspective, my top three races last year were 79.16, 78.93, and 78.03, so even without the wipe-out at WP I wouldn't have scored enough to help me get into All-American. BUT, if I didn't race again this season, that hypothetical 76 or 77 at WP, combined with the 78 at Mossman and what I think will be a higher score at Nation's, would maybe have been enough for H-M. Not sure, but maybe. At any rate, it makes me feel a bit better about the crash to realize that it didn't make a huge difference to how I would've scored had I managed to stay on my bike for the whole race!

---In '08 I entered one final race, Brierman in MD, as a way to nudge up some USAT points. I went there with a sketchy Achilles, I think it was, but figured I could drag it through what was, I think, an 8km (or 8-mile?) run. About 2.5 miles into the bike I got a flat and had a bad time changing it, and after about five minutes the "sag wagon" came by and I decided to just bag the race and take the ride back to transition and save my Achilles for another day. My thinking was that after about only a minute or two of "delay", the USAT points are effectively gone -- below the point I could use them as a boost. In hindsight, I did the right thing.....although it was a loooooonnnngggg nine-hour drive back home from Hagerstown, MD!!

2011-09-19 7:39 PM

in reply to: #3691802

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

stevebradley - 2011-09-19 9:43 AM JEFF again - As if the above was not enough info....... ---Between now and the finalization of the 2011 rankings, around March (seriously!), many, many people will be "eliminated" becasue they do not have the requisite three races. In M60-64 right now there are 1240 guys listed, but probably at least 400 of them will not end up the sesaon with three races. Last year finished at 640, and maybe the most that could be anticipated for this year would be 800. It will turn out that the majority of those who don't have three will be guys with lower scores, so clinging to a high spot becomes harder due to most of the drop-outs being from further down. At one point last year I was in A-A with about nine guys below me and still in A-A themselves.....but I knew that when the shake-down occurred, I would likely drop below the 5% level. And that's what happened. ---I whip myself about something like West Point and the 4 minutes I lost there, but looking at the rankings telss me that it wasn't crucial. I received a score for WP of 73.08233, and the guy with a time four minutes faster than mine was a 76.80364. And in case what i actually lost was five minutes, that persons ranking score was 77.61919. To put that into perspective, my top three races last year were 79.16, 78.93, and 78.03, so even without the wipe-out at WP I wouldn't have scored enough to help me get into All-American. BUT, if I didn't race again this season, that hypothetical 76 or 77 at WP, combined with the 78 at Mossman and what I think will be a higher score at Nation's, would maybe have been enough for H-M. Not sure, but maybe. At any rate, it makes me feel a bit better about the crash to realize that it didn't make a huge difference to how I would've scored had I managed to stay on my bike for the whole race!

I think Steve knows how to play the USAT ranking game!!

2011-09-19 7:53 PM

in reply to: #3691482

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

stevebradley - 2011-09-18 10:22 PM JEFF - The stuff on USAT rankings can be quite complicated, especially concerning the ins and outs of how scores are tabulated. I have tried to get my head around it for years, but to no avail. It involves "pacesetters", but how many there are per race varies, and how many are actually used in the calculations depends on how many people are in the race. Beyond that, it only gets more confusing -- at least for me. You may indeed want to go to the USAT website and see if you can figure it out, but this cat is quitting the scene on it right now! But there ARE easier aspects, and here goes: (1) Only the best three races are included in the rankings. This is why it is kind of improtant to have a "cushion" of more than three races, and West Point is a great example of that. had my three been the three I have done, my crash-affected WP would've really hurt my rankings; hopefully one or more of my remaning three will compensate for it! (2) Scores in a given race are age-blind --- but how they affect age group rankings are not. (3) As an example, at Nation's I finished in 1:51:49, as did one other guy (M30-34). Finishing one second ahead of me were three guys: two in M35-39, one in M45-49. For Nation's, both of us at 1:51:49 will have the exact same score, with the three guys a second ahead having a score a fraction of a percentage ahead of us. So if my score is 79.60492, that'll be the same for the one with my same time. Those other three guys may have scores of 79.61217, but all three wil have that same score. (4) For me, that 79.60492 wil be of "All-American" caliber....while for my time-equal it won't even be close in the incredible M30-34. In this case, age has its benefits!! (5) All_American goes to those whose scores are in the top 5%. Honorable Mention goes to those who are between that and the top 10%. So in M60-64 last year, there were 640 USAT members in that age group. #1-32 were A-A, #33-64 were H-M. (5) What follows are some examples, culled from last year's final rankings. The first number is the score of the #1 guy in each a.g. The second number is the number of the last person who placed All-Ammerican. The third number is the score of the last guy who placed Honorable Mention. (I have done only those a.g. between 20 and 69.) 65-69 --79.07 --74.14 --72.16 60-64 --85.63 --78.90 --76-68 55-59 --95.66 --82.29 --79.67 50-54 --94.50 --85.27 --81.99 45-49 --102.01 (one guy >100) --87.28 --84.03 40-44 --104.36 (five >100) --88.83 --85.40 35-39 --104.08 (nine >100) --90.09 --85.49 30-34 104.11 (thriteen >100) --91.11 --87.42 25-29 --104.42 (eight >100) --93.13 --89.70 20-24 --100.98 (four >100) --94.39 --93.26 So! Can you see some trends there? On ehtta strikes me is how many younger people re really strong nowadays. back about 8-10 years ago the studs were 35-39, I think, refleceting ones who had been around a bunch of years but still had enough youth to be strong. Nowadys there are maybe so many youth and collegiate programs that "kids" can get great really eraly in their careers. At least that's the way I'm interpreting the above. Last year I was 37th, with a score of 78.42225. The last A-A guy was 32 with ascore of 78.9053; not much between us in terms of fractions of a point, and could reflect a slow transition, a too-long walk through an aid station, a dropped chain...... That sort of thing can make one nuts, until thr realization occurs that virtually EVERYone experiences those point-depleting hiccups. I guess it all comes out in the wash! My score last year would've placed me second in M65-69.....but not really even close in M55-59, where 79.67 was the final H-M score. And it is incredibel to me that Steven Smith, a stud nonpereil who usually is the top one in whatever a.g. he is in, wouldn't even be in the top 18 of M55-59. Now, he was 63 last year so he has eight years on a number of those in the top 18 of M55-59, but that just shows how tough each lower age group becomes for us older guys! So, back to my time cohort in M30-34, where 87.42 is the last-ranked honorable mention guy, he has a lot of work to do to get to that level in that age group -- nothing a coach and a few thousand dollars in equipment upgrades might not be able to help fix! (Did I say that correctly?) So, that's it in a nutshell, sort of. I'm sure there are gaps there, but the above should provide a decent overview. As I said the other day, I find it useful because the three-race system is pretty true to one's comperative abilities, and I see that in who is above and below me. As examples, the guy at 41 has beat me in three races over the years; the guy at 46 has beaten me once; the guy at 55, once; the guy at 58, once. For the last one, he beat me by 3 seconds at Columbia '10, while I finsihed ahead of him at Nation's. As for the guy at 46, I have beaten him once, and once also for the 41st guy. There are other cases within the ranks, but those are just a few examples. It's such a fun game!

Thanks for the explanation Steve. One question I do have are the points that you score in a particular race based solely upon your performance versus the performance of individuals in that particular race?

I guess where I'm going with that is: Does it depend upon who shows up? If so, I guess picking your races is very important (ie... stay away from the races where all the really fast studs show up).

2011-09-19 8:39 PM

in reply to: #3692829

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

JEFF -

Yes it does matter who shows up, and yes it might help to avoid the ultra-prestigious races. As an example, Eagleman always has a tough field due to it being one of few half-irons with Kona spots.

Some people "play" the game in different ways, one of them being to get in a small local race, maybe in its first year -- like the Podunkville Rotary sprint triathlon. Thos eones usually don't draw too many studs! Another way is to pick races at addball dustances that favor one's strenghts. Me doing Bassman in a couple of weeks might count this way -- 0.5/29/4.2. There's one in MD that works the opposite with the swim a mile, but the bike 23 and the run 5. And in general, on paper, half-irons should favor me over olys, with more than double the distance of both the bike and the run, but only an extra 500 meters to the swim.

Finally, playing the rankings game means one can't rest on age-group laurels alone, as it's how you place copmpared to thsoe "pacesetters" that matters. So even when I know I am in easy shape for an a.g. win, I have to keep pushing the minimize the gaping time difference between me and the firts few finishers overall. (When I race in upstate NY, I HATE it when Paul Fronhofer and/or Kevin Crossman show up. They are great guys....but also really superb triathletes who I know will post vicious-good times.)

jrhesq

2011-09-20 7:35 PM

in reply to: #3435045

New user

Swansea, IL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Well, it rained again at Sunday's biathlon. That makes it 3 out of last 4 years. Steady rain thruout 5 mile run, then stopped for bike but course was plenty wet which made the country roads kinda dangerous. Mixture of oil and chat which gets plenty slick. Rode two of the bigger descents upright squeezing brakes the entire time. 3 enormous ascents which cause many people to get off and walk (particularly those on mountain bikes). Rode the tri bike and loved it. Broke a link in my chain the day before and one hour before heading out of town to visit eldest at school. So had to drop off at LBS, sweet talk the guy into fixing ahead of others, and had buddy pick up before I got back in to town. Gears were out of adjustment, however, which was kind of annoying. Had tendency to slip at times. I think I know how to readjust and actually thought about stopping and tinkering but I didn't want to risk making anything worse. Passed my buddy at mile 14 (he's much better runner and had about a 6 min. head start). Was only passed by 2 bikers entire 22 mile course and one I had just passed earlier ascending the last big hill.

Started to pour about 10 minutes after I finished so caught a break there. Had a couple of beers and hit the local diner for greasy cheeseburger/fries on way home. Training table of true champions. Century in 3 weeks with my first 10K the following weekend.

2011-09-21 5:46 AM

in reply to: #3694185

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

JOE -

Yeah, it's time for the biathlon people to look at a new date for their race, cursed as they are with poor weather. Good for you, though, hanging well on a tough bike and soggy/sloggy run. I remember having a variation of this conversation about 8 weeks ago, in which I boasted at loving racing in the rain....and then when it deluged at West point I wasn't sure I was truly true to those words!

Nicely played, too, with the bike shop. I am having a similar gear problem, with slippage happening at times in big ring and my 11 or 12 or 13. Unlike you, however, i have no clue how to adjust things, and I should probably go tomorrow before I head to Buffalo for my two races this weekend. Or, I can just suffer it, figuring it is more of an agitation than a liability for speed.

If you need affirmation that the greasy cheeseburger and fries was okay, I can tell you that at Lake George Triathlon this year they were taking orders for what people wanted as a post-race special treat, with the options being french fries or fried bread dough. (These were in addition to the usual post-race spread there, which includes loads of fruit and Subway subs.) I didn't do L.G. this year, but had I been able to I would've chosen the fried bread dough. YUM!!!

2011-09-22 8:12 PM

in reply to: #3694431

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

GANG?

Hello? Anybody home??

I'm off to Buffalo tomorrow morning, doing both races of the Nickel City Triathlon -- oly on Sat, sprint on Sun. I go into them under-trained, having spent the week battling my first cold in over 18 months, along with a couple of minor aches. I haven't done a lot since Nation's, and since the cold set in on Sunday it's been just a couple or three 40km rides, three mile-plus swims (water's getting cold up here!!!), and a kind of disappointing 10.1km run yesterday. Nothing today, travel tomorrow....and so what's here now is what I bring to the line in about 34 hours.

These are very big races for me for USAT rankings purposes, and it's too bad that I'm suffering on a couple of different fronts. But maybe, just maybe, everything will resolve itself by 7 on Saturday, and I might even feel relatively rested. Now wouldn't THAT be sweet!

I won't be back here until Monday in all likelihood, so have a good weekend, all. And remember, too, that TRINA is doing Redman aquabike, so send her some mojo! As for my resuts, they should be promptly up ay www.score-this.com; they're usually really good with getting stuff posted asap.

See you in a few days!

2011-09-22 8:17 PM

in reply to: #3697169

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

TRINA -

Oh, quiet one --- how are you?? I just went to the Redman site and saw no mention of no swim, so is that your notion too -- that the swim will happen?

ANYHOW, whether you swim and bike or just knock off those 55 miles of riding, I hope it goes great for you and that you can begin to fit together the pieces for a full half-iron. Have a great race on Saturday!!!!

2011-09-23 8:02 AM

in reply to: #3435045

Extreme Veteran

996

Minnesota

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Good luck Trina!

Good luck Steve!

I'll be gone this weekend also for my duathlon in Mpls. - but I'll have my ipad with me so should be able to stalk results.

Denise

kickitinok

2011-09-23 9:35 AM

in reply to: #3435045

Expert

801

Oklahoma City

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Steve, et al.... (Steve, I know you're gone and won't be reading this until Monday, but I'm replying now anyway)

Hey I'm here! Sorry - I've been hanging out at the Redman swim start staring at the water wondering if a huge catfish is going to eat me tomorrow morning (the aging man that I swim next to at the Y is convinced the middle of the lake is teaming with huge catfish and someone is likely to get bitten or stung, but I think he's just jealous he can't do triathlon because of his bum hip).

My attitude has improved somewhat - looks like the swim is a go. The lake is still very, very low so they've moved the start to the middle of the lake - which means that we have to run 200 yards on dry lakebed (which has been rumored to be littered with glass, fish hooks, etc) from swim to T1 . Trying to figure-out a good way to do this....aquasocks? Do I have time to pull-on aquasocks after the swim? Flip-flops? Flips flops will slow me down, especially if its muddy. hmmph

I also went and rode 30 miles of the bike course and it's not bad at all. Does the fact that I was dreading the hills mean I'm lazy? Probably. Anyway, I'm going to volunteer at packet pickup today so I'll get all the info I need and hopefully some pointers on how to negotiate the muddy lakebed run.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!

kickitinok

2011-09-23 9:41 AM

in reply to: #3435045

Expert

801

Oklahoma City

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I went to the doc Monday - I have a UTI! Yay! And double-yay that they didn't give me the correct antibiotics until Wednesday night, so I've been very low on energy. This may have contributed to my less than enthusiastic mood regarding the race. But anyway, I'm feeling a bit better, but still low on energy. Going to take it easy today and sit as much as I can. No training or dancing...hitting the sack at 9pm tonight.

If I had to do the run portion tomorrow I seriously don't think I could do it, but the half aquabike shouldn't be a problem. So, as Steve says..."Onward!" lol

2011-09-23 9:56 AM

in reply to: #3697448

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

TRINA -

I've got about three minutes, but a couple of maybe-important thoughts:
(1) Wear something disposable on your feet - even little anklet socks would do. Be prepared to sully the environment some by leaving them at the point in the lake(bed?) where you will begin swimming. Um, think of it as catfish food!
(2) It is incredibly easy to go anaerobic running/jogging/loping through water to get to a way-away swim start, so (a) don't go charging out there like a banshee, and (b) as you approach the place where most everyone is beginning their actual swimming, slow down to a walk and get your hreath checked and your heart beat down about 10-15bpm. Literally, at Mossman a few weeks ago following a 70-second romp through the surf. I stopped and caught ny breath before diving in and swimming.

Gotta go! Have fun out there!!!!

2011-09-23 9:58 AM

in reply to: #3697448

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

DENISE -

ACK! I'm sorry I forgot about the du, and I hope your attitude is slightly improved. Look forward toi your comments when I return!

2011-09-24 7:32 PM

in reply to: #3435045

Extreme Veteran

996

Minnesota

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Penalty??????Can't wait to hear the story. You beat him on the bike and run. That darn swim.

Edited by LadyNorth 2011-09-24 7:45 PM

2011-09-24 7:42 PM

in reply to: #3435045

Extreme Veteran

996

Minnesota

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Trina! Wow! You won your age group! That's fantastic!Denise

kickitinok

2011-09-25 8:19 PM

in reply to: #3699147

Expert

801

Oklahoma City

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

LadyNorth - 2011-09-23 8:42 PM Trina! Wow! You won your age group! That's fantastic!Denise

I did? Where did you see this?

Well I made it through the race. I started with zero energy and was almost to tears in pain towards the end of the bike. UTI and 3hrs in the saddle don't go together. I totally blew-up at around mile 40 and struggled the rest of the way - forget pushing the last 5 miles...I was in some severe pain.

The swim was so gross - the lake stank. Waded out in mud half way up my calves....fell down and then hands buried in mud. All I could do was laugh because everyone else was doing the same thing....all you could hear at start were groans of disgust. lol!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and were happy with their races. Denise, I'm wondering where you find all of these race results?? I need to know!