GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 5)

DWAYNE -

For the shoes, it sounds like you did about the best thing you could --- get fitted after you were video-watched on a treadmill. I hope the Brooks end up working well for you. Sometimes, even though the video analysis is solid, the shoe just doesn't quite work according to plan. I cannot tell you the number of shoe models I have experimented with over the years, only to find after a few runs (or less..... ) thta I really didn't like them. Suffice it to say that the Shepherds of Good Hope have received a LOT of running shoes in practically mint condition!

(HINT: Some places, notably RoadRunner Sports, have very generous return policies. For RRS it used to be 30-day trial period and a full refund offer. i think they tightened that a bit recently, howeve, but I'm not sure. In fact, it used to be that for people with VIP "memberships", which cost only $25/year, they could use the shoes for 60 days, then return with no questions asked. But RRS got a lot of people who abused that policy, so I'm sure there are strings on it now. It reminds me of the stories of girls who would spend $500 on a prom dress, wear it to the prom, and then return it the next day. (For the record, I NEVER abused the RRS policy!!!)

M and DWAYNE -

Meteorologists running wild!

My teaching career actually began when I was still a grad student, being a TA to make a wee bit of money. Then I got a full-time TA position at the geography department of U. of Toronto, and one of the classes I worked was a meteorlogy class. But the prof was abig-time number cruncher, and that is not my strength at all. I love meteorology and climatology, but mostly in a descriptive, qualitative way.

I suspect that virtually all of meteorological training nowadays is based heavily on modeling, which I couldn't begin to understand, let alone master. Like many peopel my age, the scientific world seems to be passing us by.

But working at the weather station at Norman! Yowzers! That must be a blast, especially during the height of tornado season. I'm guilty of breaking the 84th Commandment: "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's weather station position"!

M -

I've been working hard at this, but I think I finally have it -- a mental image of you in a Spiderman helmet and with a SpongeBob kickboard -- and I think you look positively ravishing!

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-23 7:18 PM

STEVE,

I grew up in Raynham (southeastern Mass, near Taunton) and now live in Carver (also se mass but closer to Plymouth). Nice area - it's good to be close to the beaches, especially now that we have a little one.

Thanks for all the input! I think you're right in that breathing more frequently is the key. After all, when I'm running I'm huffing and puffing and taking in all that oxygen so I guess one would naturally also need to take in lots of oxygen when swimming.

I actually think I'm already exhaling fully in the water. My instructor drilled that into me! She taught me to forcefully blow out into the water to make sure all the air is out before turning for the inhale. I'm also trying to maximize the time I allow myself to inhale by sort of focusing on pulling my shoulder back when I come up for the inhale, versus craning my neck and lifting my head up and to the side, if you know what I mean...) I need to work on that because as I get tired I totally lose the form and start lifting my head to breathe instead of turning.

I'm definitely going to try the pull buoy. I saw a woman using one the other day and wondered if it might help me. I was actually using flippers for a few weeks sort of for the same purpose so I could focus on breathing, but then I ditched them because I was afraid that it wasn't allowing me to really build up on my endurance since I was zooming along. I think the pull buoy will be good for that reason - will help keep me elevated but won't give me that "advantage" of zipping through the water that the flippers do.

My goal is also to get more relaxed in the water while also building the endurance. Although I'm WAY more relaxed now than I was when I was first learning, I still occasionally get that "oh god I'm in the deep end" feeling. I know that only goes away with experience and practice.


Regarding the neuroma, I'm glad you mentioned the cortisone shots. I was actually considering it but I'll stay away from them now! The pain from my neuroma is limited to my third toe only, but from my description of it the podiatrist said it was Morton's.

I rarely wear pointy shoes or high heels (not anymore now that I work from home and don't have to look "presentable!"). I do have wide feet though, so even "comfortable" shoes I imagine could potentially laterally constrict my toes. I will look into those metatarsal lifts. They sound like they could be a lot more effective than the orthotics the doctor gave me. The ones I have just sit under my heel so I really don't see how they help (and so far they don't help at all).

I'll let you know how it goes will the pull buoy. Thanks again for all your help!

Tracey

Steve, USA Fit is a national training group with local "clubs". It's a 6 month program designed to prepare a runner/walker for either a half marathon or full marathon.  There are first timers with no experience running and others who have been running for years. I run with Woodlands Fit which is geared towards training for the Houston Marathon/Half in January (we started the training program in July).  Unfortunately, I was out of town without computer access when registration opened and it was full within 24 hours, so a number of us didn't get in and will be doing the USA Fit race the weekend before.  Generally we do two short runs, one day of speed training, and a long run each week working up the distance gradually.  We divide into two groups, the full or half groups, then further up into pace groups with individual coaches, and get together to do our long runs on Saturday mornings.  Some of the group meets during the week for the other runs, but that's too difficult for me, so I'm on my own during the week.  We also have various seminars after our long runs on training, preventing injuries, shoe fitting, etc.  I've really enjoyed getting to know everyone and to see the excitement of the first timers as our runs progress each week.  Can't wait to see them cross the finish line in a few weeks! 

Diane, in the beginning, I started out walking/running a few days a week. We have a pool, so when it warmed up, I started swimming laps in it.  It wasn't until I needed to buy a bike until I told my family what I was up to. Like I said, they thought I was crazy, but now are extremely supportive.  A few weeks ago, after an 11 mile run in the rain in 58 degree weather, I got home and my 29 year old looked at me in amazement and said "Mom, that is really hard core ... I can't believe you did that".  I know, if I can do it, anyone can do it.  And you are one step ahead of where I was ... you have some running background. The great thing about this is that you don't have to compete with anyone but yourself! 

I like the idea of Road Runner Sports, and have been looking at trying some newtons (since reading your post in previous group) Just curious on whether it would be feasible to try online or local running store. 

Lisa:It might be too tall but I have a Specialized transition 56cm bike that is just setting in the garage that if it would fit you would be more than welcome to use.I think we are pretty close to each other

Edited by Dwayne 2009-12-20 10:14 AM

M -

Well, those extra miles on the bike, you got more for your money's worth, anyhow!

Your race goals are wise and realistic. The mini-sprints earlier on sound like a great way to kind of kind tyour feet wet, as well as, as you, serve as benchmarks. And having a sprint in July is perfect timing for the "real deal". I will have to search that one out on-line......which is something I love to do, living vicariously through other people's races. It's not like I do enough of my own, and I should be satisfied with that, but if I had a mantra it would be something like "so many races, so little time", so my vicariousness makes some sense....I guess.

Your daughter's athletic variet is really impressive. She's got the solo stuff happening with gymnastics and track, and the team thing with volleyball, and even the steed-enhanced work with saddle-seat riding. What CAN'T she do??

MARK -

It's good to hear that Pigman is still prospering! And although I have heard of Hy-Vee, i could not have placed it. I knew it was somewhere out there in the upper midwest, but I probably would've leaned more towards Minnesota or Illinois as first guesses. Ah, live and learn!

Getting back to that 2:35 oly goal, it really is a great one to have. I haven't ferreted out any of your race results yet, but just the way you describe yourself, it seems doable. And you're absiolutely, positively right -- you'll never know if you don't try. The thing with those time-based goals is that there are those days that come along when it all clicks and lo and behold, you've met your goal!

25 seconds from the podium. Sometimes it is best to miss by a minute than by something like 25 seconds. I mean, 25 seconds can be measured in terms of fumbling a water cup hand-off and going a bit too wide on a bike turn and having to swim around someone who had stopped to adjust their goggles. There's 26 seconds right there, darn it all!

I have missed some national rankings criteria by, say, 0.1736 point, and over the course of a season I can think of literally dozens of ways I lost a second here, there, and everywhere that made the difference between my point ranking and the guy in front of me. (Realistically, though, probably he also had literally dozens of similar faux pas happenings in all of his races!)

The best-laid plans of mice and men.........

LISA L -

Yikes! Somehow I missed your big bio last night. I apologize. As for the list, that's a first one. The second will include info on experience, which is more designed for the folks who are "newbies" and feel a bit intimidated. I just want to let them know that They Are Not Alone! My sense is that there are 2-4 of them here, but in all honesty I'm not all that sure about that. I'm still scrambling to try to remember who is who, and from where, and what they've done.

And that segues nicely into what YOU'VE done, which is remarkably impressive from someone who (a) was never-ever athletic, and (b) hated running. Boy, if you can do what you've done with those "patterns" behind you, you must be phenomenal at stuff you love and have done forever!

CCU -- critical care unit, maybe? That must've been emotionally and physically intense, yes? No wonder why you're so tough and determined!

Mega congratulations on cutting 19 minutes off your half-mar time. I know you know that's great, but from my perch here I see it as HUGE, bordering on colossal in fact. And a mid-AG finish, too. Holy jumped-up! You must scorn those streetlights every time you breeze past them nowadays, huh?

Our daughter is in NYC, too! She moved there after finishing college in '06, and works in the tempestuous financial world. It was a bit hairy for her last year with all the layoffs around her, but she survived those and generally loves her job -- the specifics of which I don't understand for the life of me. She recently moved down to Stuy-Town (around 20th and 1st) and loves that village atmosphere. her first few years were on the upper east side, and she just found that kind of stultifying after a while. How long has your daughter been there?

I read your other post about USA FIt, and it sounds like a fabulous group. You are so lucky to be part of something like that ---- but I think you know that already!

Your embryonic '10 schedule looks great, a nice build on ALL you accomplished in '09. Where were your sprints last year, and which sprints are you considering for this coming season? And the oly, too - where? Have you given any thought to either of the Lonestar races on Saturday, April 24, in Galveston? The RD, Keith Jordan, is phenomenal, and I have done a bunch of his races in NH. His wife is from Houston, I think, so a year or two ago he expanded his races to Texas, running Lonestar in April and Longhorn in October in Austin. I have given some thought to either Lonestar oly or the half-iron the next day, but have to coinsider first if we can manage a trip down there, period. Anyhow, let me know the specifics of what you're planning for '10, as they begin to get more clear.

Finally, Lynn's recent blood work showed a thyroid problem, and she'll be consulating with the doc about that on Tuesday. I guess there are all sorts of things that can go awry with the thyroids, and hypothyroidism is just one of them, so will see if the two of you match up, thyroid-wise. For what it's worth, i wouldn't say her metabolism is screwy. (And no comment beyond that! )

LISA L again -

And I second M's comment about your comment about the "other moms"! Score another point for the Wise Adults!

STEVE -

Back to you about those questions, and I apologize for taking so long.

Cycling Cadence -
I will take the middle road here - not in the 95-100 range, and not in 80-85. And I mean that honestly, because by and large I'm looking at 90! But to my way of thinking, it really is a "what works for you" thing --- with the big qualifiers to that being topography, wind, and distance.
For me, I find 80-85 just too slow - unless I am on hills, or into a wind, or sitting back a bit on a longer ide or in a longer race. Conversely, for short races I WILL aim for 95-100, with the goal being to sustain it for quite a while. Beyond that, i will hit it when I need it and want it -- to escape a pack, to try to make a "statement", or just because I'm feeling that that's what I'm ready to do at that given time.
I don't know if you've ever tried the following, but it is something I try to do every race from oly on up; it works best for me for half-irons. In the final mile or two, I will alternate 30-60 seconds of fast spinning with 20-40 seconds of out-of-saddle, grinding, lower cadence work. I may do this pairing 3 or 4 times before I finish. What this does is "activate" some of those soon-to-be-running muscles that have been mostly dormant since I ran out of the water into T1. I find that the standing grind at lower cadence is especially effective for this.......which sort of tells me that I am now working muscles that are more slow-twitch, that weren't utilzed so well when I was working at consistently higher cadences on the ride. Do I have that right? Does it make sense to you? Any at all?

Running Speedwork/HR
I'm still thinking about this one!

Swimming Sets
For most of his readers, they will be stuck with pools throughout the winter - and for much of the spring and fall as well. My feeling is that if a person can fit in one long, sustained OWS each week, that that is ideal when combined with another couple of pool sessions- especially when the AAAA races are IM, or even HIM.
For me, I will never be a fast swimmer. I am mediocre at best, and even when I have worked extensively with fabulous swim sets, they have done little to improve my top-end speed (which is almost an oxymoron for me). I really don't have any top-end speed - or at least nothing that can be sustained - so my key to long-distance swims is to do lots of long-distance swimming! Another way to explain this is that once June rolls around, I am seldom in the pool until mid October. During this time I will swim 3-5 times a week in open water, and really - that's just me, piling up the distance.
BUT! If you have a good upside to your swimming potential, and if you know how to call up the speed when you need it, and can sustain it, then the swim sets become much more valuable. I'm sure you know the adage that if you only run (or ride, or swim) at a slow pace, you will only race at that pace. And I really do believe that to be true. But again, for me, I do not have that upside speed, so I'm never too convinced of the usefulness of swim sets.
Finally - and again this is just for me - if I had as my year's plan St.George and maybe Silverman, I would be looking at as much time doing long distance in open water as possible -- and definitely before the first one, St.G. in May. What I do believe is that within my slower-swim capabilities, I can get faster at 1.2 or 2.4 miles if I do it more often in training; for me, it's all about muscular endurance at that point.

Let me know what you think about this and that. And I'll keep thinking about thre running speedwork question!

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-23 7:18 PM

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-23 7:19 PM

Steve -

Is it ok if I pop over here too? I like the idea of new blood - I hope Neil and Mindy venture over too.

I'll do a formal intro later (I'm busy making cookies for my official swearing-in as an attorney tomorrow!)

But, like Lisa said, I will follow Steve anywhere He mentored me through my first tri season - he even signed up and raced in one of my first tri's, despite the fact that he's from ON it was in NJ! He also drove down for a day to meet me in NH to do a pre-ride of the Mooseman course. He's honest, smart and inspiring

Time to groove,
- Jess

PS - Good luck studying, Lisa. You're almost there!

M -

"Comes from being goal-focused and determined."

Naw, I think it comes from her mom!


GREAT move, joining the health club with a POOL. And those nifty weight- and cardio-training devices only add to the allure. Happy early Xmas!

"for any woman looking to try her first, i would highly recommend finding one that is women only. it is definitely a different, less intimidating vibe."

Lisa: I've heard the same thing and I really wanted to do the Danskin as my first this summer. But the New England one got filled up by the time I meandered online to even see if registration had opened yet. So co-ed it is!

Hi Steve & All - 
I'm Robyn and here is more info about me.

Location: I'm from Middle Tennessee. Grew up in Tx, vacation in Naples, FL

Family: I'm 39, married to a wonderful man and have three children, 17 yr old son, 11 yr old daughter and 3.5 yr old daughter whom we adopted from China two yrs ago.

Health: About a year and a half ago, my Dr tried to put me on a drug for high cholesterol...which was a wake up call for me (252 pounds at the time) I said that there was no way I was going on drug because I was too fat/lazy to do something about my weight/health. So my hubby and I got more active and the pounds melted off. I've lost 65-70 pounds and he has lost 40 or so. I have asthma, which I only recently discovered is bothering my running. It didn't occur to me that I could have symptoms without having a full blown attack, so I'm using my inhaler before exercising now and the difference is great.

Training: I only joined the gym in April...yes April 09. I started walking the track around the basketball court with the senior citizens, next I tried walking on the treadmill a bit faster. Then I tried cardioboxing, and met my best motivator, friend and instructor. She encouraged me to try bootcamp and running. At first I ran ONE MINUTE STRAIGHT...and called to brag to everyone I knew...I was so proud. Then the very next week, I ran a mile, without stopping, or dying. That was July 4th. I've steadily gotten better and better. I've run the yearly 5k that I used to only walk and run four more 5ks this fall. Now I am pretty sure I can finish the duathlons and mini-sprints I have planned. I won't ever win, but I'm *somewhat* confident that I can at least finish.

First Races Planned: all here in Mid TN
Natchez Trace Duathlon.... March 21st..... 2mi run/15 mi bike/3.1 mi run
Dairy Dash.... April 10th...5k or 10k
GJCC Memorial day Triathlon...May 24th...200m swim/8.5 bike/2 mi run
DuRunRun Duathlon......2mi run/10mi bike/ 2mi run.....June 20th                                                       
Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon......300 yd swim/16.5 mi bike 3 mi run.....August 28th
Los Locos Duathlon.....2 Mi run /15 Mibike/2 Mi run....Sometime Sept 27th      

Reason I'm here: Duh, I have no idea what I'm doing. I need expert advice. I've read and read the proper way to do things, but reading is not doing. I need help breathing better when I get winded, exercises to do to strengthen my stamina. I need someone to hold my hand.

"You're doing a Tri-WHAT-a-thon??" My mother in law (who weighs in excess of 350lbs) with 11 siblings just like her.

Ok, so that's me, thanks for letting me in at the very last minute. I had been checking every day for the new mentoring program to start...then I gave up and stopped looking. I almost waited too late to check back!

Robyn 

LISA -

Ah, you're a shifty one! I just wrote to you over at the old* group, so check for that there. I'm not sure I said anything of value, but you never know. There might be some sort of silk purse to go along with the general sow's ear!

And keep working on Mindy. I can sense that she is weakening!


*I don't like "old" as applied to that group, so I think I'll adopt the word you have used in referring to me (more than once, i believe.....), which is "seasoned". How's that? The "seasoned" group. Does that work?

With regards to the test in T-20: Illegitimum non carborundum!!!

GANG!

For those of you who need the "scorecard" to tell/learn who is who, it is 40% of the way down page 5, and I am updating as new information is revealed. Just added were details on Robyn. Check 'em out!

I'm still missing a few items on a few people.......and pretty soon I might start having to turn into a nag. My students over the years generally liked me a lot --- until I became a nag. I can do that quite well, that nagging thing. I learned it at my mother's knee, and she - poor mom - learned it in having to deal with me.

And will one of you shoulder the responsibility of remembering that the scorecard (actually, it's more like a roster) IS on page 5. That may be clear as a bell to me now, but in another few months it will be lost in the blithered choas of my memory bank. Thank you!