Tri-Z mentor group - Closed for Now (Page 5)

If you are comfortable with the camelback, go for it!  For a sprint I use the arrow bottle that Hilde recommends.  The new ones have a flip lid vs the yellow-sponge-looking-loofah  which prevents the water from splattering on you.  I have lost serveral of those yellow sponges when I hit bumps in the road.

I would just use whatever you are comfortable with.  For me, I have had issues with trying to drink and ride at the same time so the arrow bottle is safer, easier and I don't have to start peddling! 

Yeah Jen - for being held accountable for your 3 mile run today by this thread!  How is everybody else with their goals?  For me, I hit my swim today which was a little tough with the icey roads but so glad I got it done!  Hopefully weights tomorrow and maybe trainer ride (depending on knee) and Friday another swim and some PT.

So far so good... just gave up a swim workout yesterday due to icy roads. 

I have a question for those of you who are not total newbies... when you show up for a race, are you able to warm-up for the swim, I mean actually get in the water and do some yardage?  Especially for the OWS.  I know I do a 400 yd warmup everyday, but basically don't feel truly warmed up till I've hit around 800-1000, and have stratched.  I don't think it would be the same if all I could do was stretch beforehand.  I'm assuming the swim warms you up for the bike, and the bike warms you up for the run, so I'm really just concerned about going into the swim cold.

Hilde - I am just like you, I NEED that warmup!  For the most tris - there is a group meeting right before the first person (pool swim) or wave (open water) gets in the water.  The time to warmup is BEFORE this meeting, then you wait around for a bit for your turn.   As long as you plan, you can swim as much as time allows.  I try to bring a "throw away" towel or shirt to put on after I swim because I sometimes get cold and normally transition is closed. 

For most of the year last year I did not warm up, but once I started warming up I saw a huge difference in my times and will continuing to wu!

Thanks ladies, that makes me feel much better!  I sure do like to get a feel for the water temperature too.

Hey do you think we could all do a quickie bio?  I've found myself thinking of y'all by your user names rather than your real names!  I'll start and maybe you can cut and paste my answers into a reply and then post?

REAL FIRST NAME:  Hilde

AGE:  51

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?: Temple, TX  (Between Waco and Austin)

MARRIED?:  Yes, 25 years!

KIDS?:  Yes, 2, Kati is 24, Reade is 22, grandbaby Kane is 6 months.

OCCUPATION:  Elementary music teacher (somehow I turned into a kindergarten teacher on this thread?  Not sure how, but I teach music to grades PK-5)

HOW MANY TRI'S HAVE YOU DONE?:  Zero!  Can't wait till my first!!!

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?:  Can't think of anything right now...

 If you can think of anything else we might want to know about each other, put it in there!  I know that some of you know each other... I think Jenn is Jenny's sister-in-law?  And Pastor's Wife is in there too, not sure about the buff though!  And it DOES make you look rather exotic and foreign, LOL...

Hang in there girls, it's almost Friday, whooo hooooooo!!!!!

REAL FIRST NAME:  Jen

AGE:  33 currently but 34 soon

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?: Frisco, TX (north of dallas)

MARRIED?:  negative

KIDS?:  2 cats (finigan and lexie)

OCCUPATION:  medical sales

HOW MANY TRI'S HAVE YOU DONE?:  hmmm...8 sprints, 2 olys maybe and an aqua bike...somewhere around there

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?: yes, tri-z (jenny) is my sister in law, although i think of her as my sister, pastorswife (sara jo) is my cousin. pilatestri (lindsay) is jenny's cousin. we're all one big happy tri family...hahahaha.

Hi!  I kinda let myself get side-tracked by a -itchy mood and low motivation this weekend.  Part of it is the cold, snowy weather, part of it is a cold I feel coming on (zicam to the rescue) and part of it is PMS, oh, and those darn kids and their schedules!    Did a quickie workout on Monday, and I'll get back to it tomorrow.

REAL FIRST NAME: Dawn

AGE: 45

WHERE DO I LIVE?: Farmington Hills, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit)

MARRIED?: Not any more.

KIDS?: a 15-y-o daughter, Mo, and an 11 y-o son, Paddy

OCCUPATION: Attorney.  I work for the state Court of Appeals.

HOW MANY TRIS?: None!  My first sprint is scheduled for May 31, 2009.  I'm hoping to do an indoor tri at my YMCA in, I think it's April, just to try things out.

ANYTHING ELSE?: I knit, spin fiber into yarn, read and try to have fun!  I LOVE the outdoors and am a camper, hiker, backpacker and paddler.  I love to cook (I'm vegetarian) and try to garden.  Just about everything has been derailed, and I'm trying to get it all back on track!

That's it for me!!  Glad to be meeting you all.  Thanks for the encouragement!  Enjoy the weekend.

REAL FIRST NAME:  Jennifer (Jenn)

AGE:  41

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?: Hillsboro, OR  (just west of Portland, OR)

MARRIED?:  Yes, 15 years, to Mike

KIDS?:  Yes, 3 young'uns; 6 yo son - Tynan (Ty), 4 yo son - Kian, 14 mo daughter - Amelia (Hope)

OCCUPATION:  Full-time mom, see above; occasional, less-than-part-time labor support doula, Birthing From Within mentor, & craniosacral therapist; previous life (before kids) software engineer/architect

HOW MANY TRI'S HAVE YOU DONE?:  None... yet!  But I think about it all day, every day.  My first will be a women's tri here in Portland at the beginning of August.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?:  I too love to knit and read.  I sing in a women's chorus, Aurora.  Both of my sons have speech disabilities & Kian's is pretty severe, so in addition to the usual insanity of preschool/kindergarten/soccer schedules, we have to fit in 7.5 hr therapy each week.

I love facebook and twitter (@peakdogs).  If anyone else is there, add me ([email protected]).

Aaah, so now I know why I've been confused... we have three variations of Jen!!  I hope I've got this straight:

Tri-Z = Jenny

JAH = Jen

Peakdogs = Jenn

I have had a nasty flu bug and not able to work out. I'm so glad its a new month and won't have to look at all of those yellow days at the end of Jan.

Real first name: Nadine

Age: 36

Where do you live? Port Orange Fl. A small town an hour north of Orlando.

Married? Happily. I am also married to a Pastor like pastorswife. My hubands name is Tom.

Kids? Nope, none of my own. I'm a kids nurse and help with a lot of the church kids.

Occupation? I'm a full time night pediatric nurse.

How many tris? None yet. I'm paid to do one Feb 14th so I'm now commited to that one being my first.

What else should we know about you? I love theme parks/roller coaster. If I lived up north near Dawn I would so have a season pass to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. I am really excited about doing a tri.

REAL FIRST NAME:  Jenny

AGE:  36

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?: Frisco, Tx (north of Dallas)

MARRIED?:  11 years!  Hubby Todd does the triathlons too!

KIDS?:  3 - Amanda -5, Kyle -3, Trav -1

OCCUPATION:  Homemaker - that cracks me up to say that because I used to think that was a way to glamourize stay at home moms!  Are you kidding?  - there is no glamour with staying home (except how rewarding and fun it is) Hee hee!!!! So I am a stay at home mom who loves to be in comfy clothes all day long!  Jeans is getting dressed up to me!

HOW MANY TRI'S HAVE YOU DONE?:  15-20 tris.   

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?: 

•  I love running!  It is my stress reliever, time to reflect on my day, evaluate myself, and escape reality.  I am addicted to it and look forward to my long runs.   I just started to love running about 1 1/2 ago and can not wait until my knee is healed to have this again.  
• My kids play triathlon alot by doing loops around the house, acting like they are swimming, biking and running.  They love for us to cheer them on and hand out water!  So funny! 
• Jen is my husband's sister, but more like a bf!  Sara is husband's cousin, sweetest person you will ever me.  Lindsay (pilatesTri) is my cousin that I used to babysit!  Haha!
• I am getting my USAT coaching certificate this month!

REAL FIRST NAME:  Lindsay

AGE:  28

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?: Fort Worth, TX

MARRIED?:  Yes, 2.5 years to Brad who will occasionally trains with me but won't compete in a tri-i think he is allergic to tight clothes! there is some hope for mid season though.

KIDS?:  no yet, just kitties

OCCUPATION:  fitness specialist, group exercise coordinator

HOW MANY TRI'S HAVE YOU DONE?:  just two--began at the end of the season.  i'm so excited to get in a full season and put all this training into action.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?:  i live and breath exercise...i used to enjoy scrapbooking but my extra time goes to training now.

REAL FIRST NAME:  Sara Jo 

AGE:  32 (but they force you to be a year older in the body marking dept) 

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?  Wesley Chapel, FL (30 min North of Tampa)

MARRIED? Yep, to Randy for 10 years this year!  Hoping to celebrate with a hometown trip to the Niagara Falls area.  Randy is a pastor (which I think you all got from my nickname).

KIDS?  Just one.  Moriah is 4 years old. 

OCCUPATION:  This is too hard.  Pastors Wife but so much more!  I lead worship, run the media and web and I'm a graphic designer.  Oh yeah, and that stay home mom thing too! 

HOW MANY TRI'S HAVE YOU DONE?  3 (all last season and all sprints).  Perfect distance for me for now! 

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?  I'm hard on myself and have perfectionist tendencies. I love this Tri thing more than I thought possible.  I secretly wish I were as funny as the Team Hogan (that's Jenny, Jen and Todd).  I think Jenny is the most amazing Team Captain and we're blessed to be learning from her!  I love Jesus and use scripture to help me focus my training!  My husband and I started our church (True Life Center) two years ago with just the four of us (Randy, Me, Moriah and Jesus)!  I love my life and wouldn't trade it for the world!   

Hi Everybody!  I know that we have some brand new runners in the group.  Here are some thoughts on form from an article by Josh Clark. 

The basics of good form -

As a beginner, you don't need to get too preoccupied with the finer details of form, but here are some general pointers. Most distance runners land on their heels or midfoot and roll forward to the toe. Running up on the toes, by contrast, tends to be the form of sprinters. You'll find that if you try to run on your toes for too far that your shins will probably start hurting and your calves will get tight. Never fear, it shouldn't take much concentration for you to stick with the heelstrike, since most find it the most natural stride when running at an easy pace. Likewise, when you sprint, you'll likely find yourself up on your toes without even thinking about it. Our bodies typically handle this naturally without much conscious attention.

As you run, try to keep your hands at waist level, right about where they might lightly brush your hip bones. It's not uncommon to see beginners, especially as they get tired, holding their hands way up by their chest. Trouble is, this posture tends to create tension in your arms which travels up through your shoulders. You actually get more tired holding your arms that way.

Keep your hands relaxed. You might try touching your thumb and fingers lightly together, as if holding a pencil. The idea is to keep your arms and hands as relaxed and comfortable as possible while on the run.

Keep your posture straight and erect. Head up, back straight, shoulders level. Check your posture once in a while. As you get tired toward the end of the run, it's common to slouch a little, which can be a minor contributor to shin splints and lower-back pain.

Avoid bouncing. Too much up-and-down movement is wasted energy and can be hard on your feet and legs. Try to land softly on your feet, almost as if running on eggshells. The idea is to maintain an economy of motion, with every action dedicated to keeping you moving forward. That goes for your arms, too: no need for exaggerated arm-pumping (except for on the occasional hill). While some side-to-side arm swinging is natural, try to limit it -- there's no reason for your hands to cross your navel on the run, for example.

Hope this is helpful!  Have a great week-

Jenny

Thanks for the running tips Jenny... that will help when I get back on the road.  I am taking it easy one more week (from the run only!) and will do the elliptical this week, then will start back next week doing the week 1 workout from Couch to 5K plan... only I hope to up the workouts each time, rather than by the week.  Definitely feeling better this week, but want to give it one more week to be safe.

What's everyone's plan for the week?  Here's mine:

Mon:  Swim am., weights and elliptical p.m.

Tues:  Swim a.m., bike ride outside p.m.

Wed:  Swim a.m., weights and elliptical p.m.

Thurs:  Swim a.m, bike ride outside p.m.

Fri.: Swim am. weights and elliptical pm

Sat and Sun:  One day OFF, other longer bike ride, maybe treadmill.

plan for the week:

Just checking in to see how  everybody is doing with their goals so far?  

Lets add some humor, what is the funniest/ weirdest thing that has happened to you while exercising?????

I got flashed by a young man (in daylight too) when I was running almost 20 years ago.  Scared me to death!!!!

i don't think i've ever heard that story jenny...will have to ask you about it!

i was running from transition into a pool start and caught my foot on the edge of the sidewalk/grass area, twisted my ankle and hit the deck like i got hit by a sniper. it wasn't funny at the time...but looking back, it was hysterical. i DID start and finish the tri, i'll have you all know!!

i'll think of something else funny...that's all i got for now...off to dinner with the fam now. hope everyone is well!!

Jenny, you're not going to believe this, but I had a freaky flasher last year, too!  TOTALLY freaked me out! 

Probably next after that was the embarrasing moment of not having a clue about how to clip and unclip and crashing the bike at about 2 mph in my own driveway!  I blame bike store guy for that one ... he told me to unclip the LEFT, but I lean to the right ... who knew?!?   So note to the newbies, unclip on the side you lean to! 

Still holding out hope for the 5 mile run goal ... but had a great brick today and met my 15 mile bike goal!  Swim?  Not so sure ... it's SOO cold!!  

So glad you did not fall Jessica!!! 

Thought of another couple funny ones: 

1- Went with Jen almost 2 years ago to my first big group ride that met at the bike store.  Long story short: Everybody was waiting to go and I pulled up in the parking lot at the bike shop and could not clip out.  I did what Sara Jo was talking about with the lean and fell in front of about 25 people.  To make things worse: we started the ride and I tried to sit on my seat and it is totally turned the wrong way.  Jen and I went back to the shop to have them fix it and did our own group ride!  HAHA!

2- Put my helmet on the wrong way at my first Olympic and had some spectator yelling at me when I got on the bike to turn my helmet around.

Something else that is kinda funny is that at the start of most triathlons, I get those crazy butterflies in my stomach and I start cussing like sailor!  (Jen - I know how you love that)!

I really could not think of anything that's happened to me that's funny in my training or competition... I guess I just take it all WAY too seriously.  Just kidding....

I did fall off my bike in my front yard in front of traffic driving by right after I got my bike... did my ride and pulled back into the driveway and did it again!