Vinnie´s Inspirational Group - Closed for members, open for lurkers! (Page 5)

Hi All,
Happy Valentine's Day!

Brian, glad to hear your dad is doing well. I'm sure it will give him such pleasure and pride to watch you race. I lost my dad to cancer 18 years ago. I know he'd get quite a kick out of me doing this triathlon thing.

Hey Jen, sorry about the knee. hopefully it will be nothing major and easy to treat. I went through knee issues. I just keep trading aches and pains. I figure, if I continue to run etc long enough I will encounter problems with every joint or part of my body. Oh well comes with the territory.

I had my ultra sound yesterday. I have yet to talk with the doc about the results, however the radiologist who did the ultrasound did give me a little feed back. Usually they don't, but I kept asking a lot of questions. He did confirm that the doctors suspicions were correct. (plantar plate problem exactly what he would not divulge) He too, like the second doc could not believe that I was being treated for a neuroma without the proper diagnostic scans. I asked if he saw anything really scary and he told me that he wouldn't use me as an educational study for his students. So I guess that's good. I'll wait to hear from the doctor before I feel relieved... depressed... but right now I am MAD> I trusted that first doctor. I wasted time and money, and may have caused even further damage. Lesson learned - always listen to your gut. If it's telling you something not right it probably isn't. I was feeling wrong about things after the 3rd shot, but continued for 2 more, thinking, well, he is the doctor.

I guess for the time being the swimming pool and I will be best friends. (My hair, however, will be very unhappy).
Keep ya posted.

Susie

Hi Jenn, AWSOME video, thanks for that. And good luck with the knee, keep us posted with any news.

Hi Susie, even though you are going thru a new diagnosis and everything again, its good to hear you might get things correct now, treat the foot, and get back into training. I´ll be praying for some good results, and enjoy your time in the pool, at least I still think swimming is the most enjoyable of the disciplines, damn, I love water!

Cheers,

Vinnie

Hey guys,
Suzie, I'm sorry and i can totally understand you anger. But the good part is that now you have found someone who seems really good. My fingers are crossed for you.
I do have a funny story for you: I changed GPs a year ago. The old one is still my parents' doc and he is very nice, but everytime I went for something he'd say ("wait it out", or "stretch, you'll be fine"). Anyhow, I went to my new doc this week to pick up a prescription, and in chatting I found out he's my old doc's brother in law!!!!!! so much for discretion. he he. oh well. SO you see, at least your new doc isn't related to the other one...though i'd still watch my vocab bad mouthing him, docs tend to know each other!

Brian,
Good to hear you Dad is doing well. I had an idea for you: I don"t how he feels physically or if he can, but maybe you could taking your Dad swimming with you sometimes...I take my Dad on thursdays. It's certainly not a workout for me. BUt I'm teaching him proper breast stroke and breathing. It's real hard for him but tiny little progress everytime, even though we take REAL slow really perks him up. If he can't swim, maybe just getting your Dad in the water for some water walking could be some quality time for the two of you!

Jenn,
I'm sorry about your knee, but I'm in awe of your motivation!! I'm sure a little rest will go a long way, but i'll keep my fingers crossed for you too. Keep Warm!

Sorry it's been so long, i've poped in to read but hadn't had the time to write. This past week has been really busy at work and not full of good news. I get really worried about being able to bring in enough business to keep us afloat, but i've learned that working for ridiculous hours and winding up totally inefficient because i'm over tired and stressed won't get us anywhere. I usually feel really guilty for doing stuff like training when I could be working, but this week i really tried to be super focused while at work, then I went to train and felt like i'd earned it. So, luckilly i've stuck to the training and therefore am more focused and efficient. I'll get a handle on the stress gradually...I hope.
So speaking of training, I went back to the track where I ran with one of the other guys' girlfriend. She was a bit slower but it was nice to run with some one and he was great. He semi forced the coach to tell him what we could do to do the session with them. So we did 4 x 100m targeting 1'45. We did it, though the times were a bit off (2nd one we did 2', 3rd we did 1'50 and last one we did 1'45!...the first one, I screwed up the timer! oops, newbie screw up...).
Anyhow, the coach undoubtedly surprised by our efforts, encouraged us to come back, so that's good. I'm really looking forward to it, and feeling better about it too;
Also, I was feeling really really tired, completely drained in fact (I think between the tri training and volleyball i'm going to have to really pay attention to nutrition...i think i was low on protein), which as fate would have it my vb practice wa cancelled last night. Instead, I tried going to the pool but wound up chatting a lot and helping my dad. But hey, at least I got 400m in and a whole lot of chill time, which I hadn't had in a while. So i't's all good.

Oh by the Way, some of the people at the club were saying that I have to look into rehydration stuff or isotonic drinks...um English please vinnie!!!??is that really necessary? will help me not feel so tired?

Ah yes, and I thought i'd share this info: i just found out something about the friday evening swim coach ....he has in fact just retired from the French Foreign Legion!!! Yikes, I guess he'll be taking 'drills' real seriously! Better not be late.

Take care guys
joelle

Hi Joelle, thanks for the update,

Good to hear you are finding your own rhythm, just get yourself into a routine you can cope with, and stick to it day in day out, no need to craming or overwork when you can´t sustain that.

I wouldn´t be too worried about isotonic or any drink/supplement that is supposed to recover you faster, just stick to health food, lots of fruits/saladas, lean meat, and water with that, you will be fine like this, some coffee before the workouts help too!!

As for your coach, I remember when I went to my first training camp with my new coach in Brasil, and we had a swim session in the morning, the guy just shows up in army pants and boots, green shirt…I was scared but laughing at the same time, funny situation.

Vinnie

HI all,
Joelle, glad to hear you had a better experience with the running and the coach.
As far as bad mouthing the first foot doc, I don't have to worry about that because both the second doc and the radiologist were shaking their heads in disbelief as to what had been going on. I hope to hear from the doc tomorrow regarding the official results of my ultra sound.
Vinnie, you will be happy to hear that I resisted the urge to run today. Instead I took a nice brisk walk on the treadmill. Thought of going to the club to swim, but it gets rather crowded on the weekends unless you get there early and I decided to sleep in today (8:00 am is REALLY late for me) It felt great not to have to get up before sunrise as I do 6 days a week. Nice quiet house, cup of coffee and the Sunday paper. Heaven! Tomorrow is a school holiday YEAH! I have to decide if I am going to get up and swim early then get home so my sons can get to school by 9 for gymnastic practice. OR drop them off at school and then go swim. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

Later,
Susie

Hi Susie,

Let us know the updates on the foot, I´m curious to see how that is going to progress from now on.

I suppose we are all hyperactive, train lots, don´t have time to think about it, etc, so once in a while its sooooo good just to be lazy for a day isn´t?? Even though we feel kinda “guilty” of getting a “normal” lifestyle and can´t wait to start the craziness all over again!! I´m still waiting to see a research on the mental profile of triathletes, it might have some interesting things to study!

Vinnie



Edited by vinnieds 2008-02-18 3:21 AM

Hey, everyone. Finally, a nice sunny day, even if it is still cold. It is warming up so the snow is melting and the streets are clear. I bundled up in my long underwear, bike pants and fleece sweater and went for a bike ride. (Mondays are usually my day off, but it's a holiday for my husband, so I took the chance to get out of the house this afternoon.) I did a leisurely 6.5 miles in about 40 minutes. It was nice to get out in the sunshine.

I have tried swimming without my nose plug this week, and I can't stand it! I hate the water in my nose. I decided to work on my arms and legs for now. Maybe later I can work on losing the nose plug. When I swim without it, I spend half the time sputtering to get the water out of my nose, and I don't get much of out my workout.

I had the MRI on my knees Friday. It was a little uncomfortable to lie still on my back for an hour (30 minutes per knee), but I'm glad it's done. I should hear from my doctor Tuesday or Wednesday for a diagnosis.

Have a great week, everyone. Take care, and happy training!

Jenn

Well, I just heard from the doctor's office. The good news is there's no new damage to myknees--no torn ligaments, tendons, etc. I have thickening of the cartilage due to patella-femoral syndrome. (My knee-cap rubs the femor the wrong way.) I will be seeing an orthopedist as soon as the referral comes through from my insurance company. However, the doctor did say that the pain/symptoms will not improve as long as I continue training for the triathlon

Now I have some soul-searching to do. Do I continue for the next few weeks so that I can reach the goal I set for myself or do I quit now? I don't want to quit. I want to finish the race!

Hi Jenn,

Thanks for the updates, its good to hear you are able to ride outiside now (I hope th weather will hold rom now on!), and take your time to swim without the nose-plug, once you become 100% confortable/confident in the water, you will be able to focus on the breathing only.

On the knee, now you are in an interesting position...You can either put the first triathlon on hold for a while, while you heal your knee, and get fitter on the bike and in the water, racing only in July, when the first triathlon was suppose to be, isn´t? So if you pick this, you wont be losing much, as you are still into your original plan, you will be healtier and more fitter.

But, as you have changed your mind to do a first race in March, it would be a bit frustrating for you not to parcitipate, as you said, even if you walk, etc.

It´s a decision you have to take yourself, we as a support group, can look at things from the outside and clear your thoughts, but the final take is up to you.

Just some random questions:

-Does it hurt when you ride? Does riding hinders the healing process?
-When would you have to decide on the race?ie: booking hotels, registration, etc?

i mean, take your time to decide, you gotta be 100% sure either way so you won´t regret later, talk to your doctor on the strategy to finish even if you walt the course, etc, and see what he has to say, even though goals are what keep us moving foward in life, health is always a priority, so lets work thru your thoughts

Vinnie

Hey, Vinnie. Thanks for the support. As of right now, I plan to continue training with swimming and light biking and walking until I see the ortho doc. My knees don't hurt when I bike unless I use high resistance. My knees do feel tired and stiff sometimes after biking. I know I can take ibuprofen and ice my knees, and they will feel better, but I don't really want to depend on the anti-inflammatory drugs. From what I've read, rest will help the pain/symptoms go away, but it won't fix the problem. For the most part, I only have pain when I run, but I do have some popping/crunching when I go up and down the stairs.

I have already registered for the race in March, and will not be able to get a refund of my entry fee. (The deadline for refunds had already passed when I registered.) I will wait to talk to the ortho doc before I make my final decision, but I am leaning toward doing the race in March and then taking a break from walking and possibly biking. I will still swim, and possibly train for the race in July, but will have to decide for sure later.

I've been doing some research, and there are so many causes for what I have I feel like there will be no way to pinpoint exactly what has caused the problem. I think I will have to do a lot of physical therapy to improve.

I was pretty upset yesterday. I kind of saw my goal getting further from my reach when I was getting close to reaching it. Today, I am better and I know that with hard work and determination I will still reach my goal. I just may not do it in the amount of time I want. No matter what happens, I can't be too hard on myself. I've lost 23.5 pounds since Dec. 31 with my training, and I plan to continue working hard to keep losing weight. I only have 44 more pounds to go to reach my goal weight. If I look at it in terms of what I've already done, I'm in shock. Two years ago, I weighed 248 pounds. I have lost 59 pounds since then. I am over halfway to my goal. When I reach my goal weight, I will have lost 103 pounds. Even if my dream of finishing a triathlon has to wait, losing 103 pounds and being healthy is the most important thing.

Thanks again for being so supportive. It's great to have a group of people to "talk" to. Take care, and have a fabulous rest of the week.

Jenn

Hello,
Wow Jenn, it really is hard to make that kind of decision, especially when you have mentally psyched yourself up for the race. I'm in a similar dilemma. The official word on my foot is that I have a tear in the plantar disc under the second metatarsal. This is causing a condition caused predislocation syndrome. That is where the 2nd toe slowly begins to migrate away from the rest of the toes toward the big toe. In my case, that part is very mild. My toe is only slightly separated and slightly elevated. This injury does not go away with time off from training. Most likely, I have had this for some time. It is not severe right now, however it can progress and get worse. Since that quack doctor was giving me the shots in the bottom of my foot it aggravated the condition, plus I think I was favoring my foot, changing my gait and now I have the beginnings of arthritis in several of the joints in that foot. I will be seeing the new doc on Tuesday and will begin conservative treatment. First orthotics, taping and perhaps some therapy. The doctor says that if I want to continue training for the IM he will try to help me achieve that goal, however he can not guarantee that it will work, which I realize. Of course, he is one of the majority of people who look at you as if you are crazy when you say you want to do an Ironman. But, as he is a sports doc, he is used to dealing with obsessed athletes.

At first I was majorly depressed thinking, that's it, I'll never be able to do this now.
But now I thinking that I'm going to keep on training and hopefully be able to make it. Perhaps I will not get my goal time, but I just want to finish. Perhaps I will not add additional races, or make sure if I do, I incorporate that time/mileage into my weekly totals so as to not overtrain. Time will tell for me. I have not run for a month. When I get the orthotics I will slowly begin to increase mileage.
I really hope that this works. I don't want to wait a year, as the injury will still be there. Plus, who knows what other part of my body will fall apart by then. And, there's the fact that with a kid in college (private college tuition $$$$$$$$) I won't be able to afford to do anything extra anymore esp a $500 race. I have until July 31 to get a partial $150 refund - yahoo.

Sorry to ramble on, but at least you guys understand.

Susie

Wow!

I miss reading a few days of posts and LOOK at everything that has been going on!

Where to begin?

I am bummed for you guys when I read about your injuries. I think I have been really lucky so far to have not had to deal with them too much.

Jenn, I agree with Vinnie's take on suggesting that you have to take your time and decide what you are going to do. I have to believe that with additional weightloss the issues with your knees will certainly become less severe. When I went to get checked out prior to training my doc said that the higher activity levels would actually strengthen the joint (I guess the muscles around it develop a lot). And it really has. I used to never exercise and when I would go play 18 holes of golf I could hardly walk down a flight of stairs after (the top of the knee cap on my left knee would KILL me). Now I can run 3-4 miles in the morning, play 18 holes later in the day, and still feel like I have strength and energy afterwards (and rarely experience knee pain from that). I am not a doc, but have to think that low-impact cardio will continue to bring the weight off for you, as well strengthen you, as well as develop the joints and get them accustomed to more us, which in turn should hopefully lead to fewer problems with them. You have really done an amazing thing in losing the weight you have. I am inspired by you and congratulate you on that achievement thus far.

I booked my hotel for the night before the race in galveston. I still hope to see you there even if you decide not to race.

Suzi, I hope to someday train up to an Ironman. I watched the coverage of last year's Kona again on NBC this past weekend. I cried like a baby again. I am so inspired by the stories on there. I also went to see the movie Spirit of the Marathon tonight. It was a special screening around the country. It was cool to watch. Very inspiring. But I couldn't help but think to myself that "these people are making such a big thing about running a marathon and in the Ironaman they FINISH their race with a marathon!" Hate to be an endurance athlete "snob" but I think I speak for all of us when I say we know triathlon is the REAL endurance sport!

So I have had a good training week. Had another big swim earlier this week. This morning at swim my coach said, "Brian, you have been swimming before this, right?" He said this because my stroke looks good on the drills and I am always catching the swimmers in my lane. It feels good to realize this past 9 months of training has really paid off. I realize that my half mile time is down to 15 minutes (from 20 in my race last September). That is pretty exciting for me! And Vinnie, I am with you, I am really loving the water right now. My stroke feels slow and powerful, and I have really developed a "feel" for the water and the glide when I stroke.

Today after my swim I had a 76 minute bike assigned. I went out, was halfway through it and went to turn around, and the roads were slick from the moisture and the fog and the bike slipped right out from under me and I slammed onto the pavement and slid for about 8 feet. I can now say I have "crashed" on my bike. Pretty nasty road-rash on my left shin/knee and on my left forearm/shoulder. I cleaned it well and bandaged it up pretty well. The good news is tomorrow is a rest day for me so you can be sure I will be resting! Luckily no serious injury. Scrapes and a little bruising.

Other than that, guys, I am still loving this sport, having fun training, and being inspired by the world and people around me. I think about my dad while trianing, and I think about upcoming races and what they will be like. These thoughts get me through some tough sessions.

Keep up the good work, be strong!
Brian

Hi All,
Brian, Keep on going and you will make it to the Ironman one day. I really want to make it to this race. I know I have the drive and determination, I just hope this foot thing does not get in the way.
Sorry about the bike wipe out, but I guess it has to happen to everyone. My first wipe out happened when I first got my road bike and was getting used to being clipped in. I was on the bike trail in the forest when up ahead I saw this little kid on a tiny bike all alone. I was thinking how odd that was and as I passed him he looked at me and said "have you seen my daddy". Of course I had to help. So I braked fast. Oh No. I forgot that I was clipped in! I was actually more concerned about damaging my new bike than I was about the scrapes along my arm and leg. Bike was OK and we found the kid's dad, who I had passed a while back. (Where was his common sense letting his son, probably about 3 years old, go so far ahead of him?) After that I had a few slow motion falls when forgetting to unclip, but no actually race wipe outs. I witnessed a terrible fall at the Chicago Tri. Guy went sailing over his bike. I know that I ride very conservatively because I am afraid of crashing, and it probably slows me down some. I put aero bars on my bike last summer and that took a bit of getting used to also.
Maybe one day, I will get a tri bike. (When my kids get out of college) I did see that at the IM there were predominately tri bikes, but a fair number of people did have road bikes. So, I figure I'll be OK. Vinnie, what's you're experience with different bikes?

Went to spin this moring, arrived 10 minutes early and all the bikes were taken already! Bummer. So, I went home and road on the trainer. I have set it up so I can watch TV so now its not as boring.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Susie

Hi Susie,

On the tri-bikes, you will be fine with the road bike, there is not much difference in between both, its more a marketing strategy who wants to you to have multiple bikes, one for each type of race, so don´t worry, the ride bike with aerobars will be just as effective, if not better for you as it is more confortable and handles better.

H Brian,

Once you get that feel for the water, you become addicted to the water and want to keep it going, don´t be surprised if you find yourself every week in a pool for years from now on, I think it is just great, there is something "extra" in swimming, just look at the energy that swimmers have in your local pool and you will realize the pool does magic!

Hi Jenn,

You are still doig great, don´t let the injury take you down too much, of course it is hard once we realize things won´t be as we thought, but use this to prove yourself you can work hard in not perfect situations, the swimming, some light biking and good diet, will still keep the weight off, don´t worry about that.


Cheers,
Vinnie

Hey Guys,

Sorry i've been out for a while. The big bad work monster has been ever present, plus a few other things to deal with.
Jenn and Suzie, I feel for you both. You've both been training hard and are so motivated: Jenn, losing all that weight, braving the cold...Suzie, 5 am workouts before kids taxiing, the quack ordeal... you really are both inspirations and I trust that things will workout. Suzie, you have now found a doctor you trust and who regardless of his opinion is going to do his best and help you reach your goal. Jenn, you are so right to llok how far you've come and keep the "ultimate" goal in mind. As I recall from earlier posts, your husband is pretty supportive as is your family. I'm sure they are already so proud of you and regardless of whether you do the march race (running or walking) or just the june one you will feel rather than see in stats how far you have come. Be strong!

In terms of swimming without the nose plug. It's really a habit. But you really should try to work on losing it, as it is limiting your breathing. When you swim,though you may focus on breathing in/out through your mouth, you really do both. Therefore the nose plug is a hinderance. Here are a few pointers:
I recommend continuing your regular workouts, but towards the end of each workout, (before the cool down) add a drill focused just on breathing without the plug.
For example: do 8 or 10 laps with the kick board (try to do a fresstyle kick, as it si a better workout) and alternate breathing, as you would for freestyle: every few kicks breathing in face out, then every few kicks blowing out face in the water. The fact that you have the board and are not focusing on your stroke, will allow you to focus on breathing properly. Don't worry about speed in any way, but rather regularity just like you would in running: the goal being to gradually find a rythm where you actually "forget" to blow out from your nose, but do it naturally.
Once, you feel comfortable doing that (after perhaps 5 or 6 workouts), then shorten this drill and add a few laps of breast stroke, without the plug (try to do maintain the same breathing as the noard drill: head out breath in/ head under blow out). Breast stroke is easier to breathe without a plug since you are always facing forward; Two things to keep in mind here: stretch and pull. When you start each lap, take a breath then push off the wall underwater blowing, let yourslef glide as much as possible, then pull arms as if gathering water to form a cup, which will naturally push you upwards, out of the water, allowing you to breathe properly.
Finally once you are comfortable to breast stroke without the plug, then try freestly...in fact, quite naturally by then you may already have felt the need to ditch it!

I highly recommend finding out when the swim team has practices and taking some time to watch: by seeing proper form, it'll help you reproduce it, thus improving your technique. Proper Technique saves energy, allows you to go faster with less effort. I imporoved alot just by lifeguarding and watching, watching, watching!
hope all this info will help!
ok, gotta go, but good trianing to all!
joelle

Hi guys-
Thought I would post on a couple of good workouts I have had.

Yesterday I met a friend out at for a "mini-tri." We did our first openwater swim of the year. I have a wetsuit (he didn't, poor guy). Water was 61 degrees. We swam a half mile and it went fine. The challenge was that in a wetsuit I had no sense of whether I was moving through the water. I am so used to "feeling" the water while in the pool that I really felt a bit out of sorts. The green murkiness also does not allow you any "frame of reference" to see whether you are moving. In the end, the swim went fine. It was just awkward. I definitely will continue to practice in the openwater and in the wetsuit. I will use the wetsuit in Galveston when I am racing with my friend, Jenn!

After the swim we did a 40 minute bike (about 13 miles) and then a 40 minute run (a little over 4 miles). The truth is, I was very surprised by how much I struggled early in the run. Even though I have trained a lot during the winter, combining all three events is still tougher than any one or two alone. I completed the run but I was really feeling tired in my legs and in my lungs 15 minutes into it.

When I got home I ate a HUGE dinner, and felt just fine about it.

This morning I trained with my Team in Training group. We met out the Veloway in South Austin. I rode for about 1:25 and covered about 25 miles. I wound up being the head of the pack with a couple of folks at the end of the ride commenting how they couldn't keep up with me. I wasn't trying to "win" or compete, just trying to do my best. Getting compliments feels good, but I am also self-concious about coming off as a show off. When I train, I am training for me, and not for others. I think it is better to really do my best than it is to go slower just to avoid sticking out. They are a good group and I think we are all out there for the same reasons so I hope no one was put off by my effort. I will see on the ride there was a long ascent into a stiff headwind. The flipside of that was a LONG slow descent with a TAILWIND! I stayed over 30MPH for probably 3 miles and peaked at 39MPH at one point. This made for a really fun ride.

I just love this sport. I told my buddy I was training with about you guys and how most of you are in cold weather spots and how I feel bad for you given that our winters are milder. So I reporting in to you with a preview of Spring. It is coming, and when it gets to you, it will feel SO GREAT to be outside again in the warm sun stretching those legs biking and running!

Jenn, I look forward to seeing you in Galveston! I am heading there for a week during Spring Break and will report back to you on the course.

Take care all, and BE STRONG!

Brian

Hey Brian,
Sounds like a great workout. Have you done many brick workouts or swim runs? Last summer I always combined my run with a swim before, and did a brick once a week. I think it really helped my running. I also combined my open water swim with a bike before and after. The Chicago lakefront has a 20 mile trail ( you have to get there early, before 7 am so its not crowded and never on weekends) so I would start at the north end, bike to the end, turn around and stop about half way back to meet my friends for a swim in the lake, then continue on to the end of the trail You are right, open water is really different. I was so scared the first few times. Plus, I really need to work on my sighting. I got WAY off course once. Plus, in Chi town we have to worry about high bacteria counts and dead bodies - no joke. There was a multiple drowning last summer and they hadn't recovered one of the bodies. I was worried that I'd look down and see someone looking up at me.

Keep on working hard!
Susie

Hey, y'all! Thanks for all of the encouraging words! Y'all are fantastic! I have a good few days since I got over my "poor me" complex. I've had a couple of good swim workouts, and I went for a bike ride Saturday with a stop at the gym for some strength training. It's nice to live on a military base. It's a safe place to ride my bike, and the gym isn't far away. At this point, I am still planning to race next month, but I will have to walk the running portion. However, it all still depends on what the orthopedist says when I finally get an appointment. I'm going to call my insurance company tomorrow and bug them for the referral. (I think they've taken notes when I've called before, and they don't like to deal with me. Unfortunately, I've had to be pretty nasty to them to get the company to cover my son's speech therapy needs. I really don't like to be that way, but sometimes I just have to.)

My kids are really excited about the trip down to Texas. They keep asking if today is the day we fly to Texas. I can't wait for the warm weather.

Thanks again for the encouragement and support! This group is a blessing. Take care, y'all, and have a great week. Happy training!

Jenn
:-)

Hi Joelle,
Thanks a lot for the help on the swim tips, I guess we all in this group have swimming as favourite! Keep us posted on the tri club sessions, and how those splits are getting faster.


Hi Brian,
Good pointer on the wetsuit, 4-6 times before a race should be enough to adjust your stroke and feel a bit more, and pick some random days in the swimming pool, and use a pullbuoy 100% of the time, it actually floats you like the wetsuit, and generates a harder load on your shoulder.

Even though you felt bad on the run, the training is now “in the books” so next time you will likely feel better, expect the wetsuit weirdness, etc. And there is Nothing more rewarding than going for seconds at dinner after a session like this! ?

For the “racing when training” group ride, well, I´m with you on sticking to your plan and do your own thing, but from time to time, just let it go, and go for it, have a blast with your mates, and make them hurt! ?


Ok Susie,
Dead bodies??? I´m afraid enough of getting bitten by sharks, jelly-fish, heck, when I hit a plant or even a plastic bag in open water, that is enough to raise my heart rate thru the roof, but hitting a dead body is something I couldn´t even think about! :p


Hi Jenn,

Now you are sounding like yourself, positive attitude, making it happen, good on you, focus on the good swim sessions, strength training and rides, and I´m telling you this is 80% of the triathlon, getting yourself feeling good at T2, doesn’t matter how good or bad runner you are, if you make it there, you will finish the race.



So thanks for the posting and updates guys,
Vinnie

Vinnie,
It's not like there are bodies floating around all the time, mostly just your friendly e-coli bacteria and when the water level gets low, you can see the odd shopping cart or old tire resting on the bottom. At least I don't have to worry about those things eating me.

Anyway.... I was casted for orthotics today. Plus, the doc gave me a prescription medicated patch to put on the areas that give me pain in addition to an oral steroid to take for 5 days. I dislike taking alot of meds, especially since I take stuff already for the colitis etc., but I figure for 5 days, if it gives some relief I'd give it a try. I certainly would not want to take a steroid for an extended period of time. This doc seems to know what he's taking about. After my last experience it is a bit difficult to completely trust. I ran for 20 minutes on Sunday. During the run I was OK, but after my foot hurt. I did ice afterwards and the doc said I must do this after every run. I'm anxious to see if the orthotics work. It will take about 3 weeks for them to come in.

Another big snow yesterday. (stop laughing you warm weather people) I was out shoveling and it was "heart attack" snow, as it called around here, very dense and heavy, good packing snow. Consequently, I was very tired this morning, so I did not go to spin (and felt guilty about it), but I keep remembering that rest is as important as training and I will have plenty of training time beginning in the spring.

Brian and Jenn, When is the March race again? I can't believe that it will be March already (although Feb has seems to be at least 2 months long) Brian, what other races are you planning for this season. Jenn, I hope you will be able to do the later race too.
I'm signed up for a 1/2 IM in July, and foot willing, will do a couple of sprint distances, one in June and one in July. Brian you are so right... this sport rocks! The health club I belong to sponsors an indoor triathlon in March and I told my son's girlfriend about it and I think she is going to do it. I will be volunteering, not participating.

Well, gotta go. The diving season is over for my sons. Tonight is the first gymnastic meet.

PS Jenn. Way to go getting insurance coverage for your son's speech therapy. It makes me so mad when the families I work with can't get coverage for outside therapies. Does Washington state have any 0-3 services? Also, when your son turns 3 you should be able to get speech and language services through your local school district. Speech and language is part of special education services which is federally mandated for all children beginning at age 3.

Susie

Hey, y'all. Well, we got some interesting news yesterday. My husband found out that he is being transferred in August to Molesworth RAF in England. I'm not sure that it's sunk in yet that we will be moving to Europe. Talk about a change!

I have an appointment Tuesday with an ortho doc. I'm hoping for good news.

Suzie,
Washington does offer 0-3 services, and the program would cover my son if our insurance didn't. Both of my boys have developmental dyspraxia. My oldest son is 4 now, and no longer qualifies for speech therapy. His preschool teacher said she never would have known he had a speech disorder if I hadn't told her. My youngest son is 2, and he is progressing slower than my other son did, but he is making progress. He should be eligible for services through the Dept of Defense school when we get to England. (He will be 3 shortly after we arrive in England.) I had to fight our insurance company for services for my oldest son. The medical director had the nerve to tell me, "Ma'am, not all children can be normal." I came un-glued after that. Eventually, his services were covered. For the youngest one, there was no fight for services.

I hope everyone is having a great week. Take care, and happy training!

Jenn

Hi Susie,

It sure sounds like you trust this doctor more, which is good, keep us posted on how you will feel with the medicines, I really dislike taking them tôo, but there are ocassions where we gotta take advantage of modern science (god bless the scientists who worked on synthetic insulin!!)


Hi Jenn,

That´s some interesting news! Even though we usually like a place to call home ? where we know how it all works, have the friends and family around, You should be feeling quite excited with everything new to explore! I hear there are some good triathlon races in Europe too!!

Let us know what the ortho doc said,

Happy training,

Vinnie

Hi all,
Jenn, how exciting to go to England. My brother-in-law is from Great Harwood which in northern England. There is some military housing within the school district I work for. (The base was closed, but kept the housing) One of the families I worked with was transfered to Japan. They were so excited. They had been all over the US and loved it. It is my understanding that you move every three years. Is that how it has been with your family?

I took off 3 days this week. My husband was out of town so I had to get my son to his early bird class. It would have meant getting up at 4 am instead of 5. NO WAY! Plus, I had events every night this week. Basically I came home for maybe 20, 30 minutes after work. Let the dog out, check e-mail etc. Then out the door until 9 -10 pm. I figured this was just a good week to take it easy. I was back in the pool today and it felt great. It was rather crowded today and when I arrived every lane already had two swimmers so I had to go in the family pool which does have some lap lanes, but they are much shorter, definitely not 25 meters, so you spend a lot of time turning. Bonus is that the water is warmer. But I recently learned how to do flip turns, so I got alot of practice.

Have a great weekend.

Susie

Hi Susie,

Getting up at 5am is already pretty hardcore! I remember when I was working at 8am and training for Ironman 2006, for the last 6 weeks before the race, I would wake up once a week at that magical 4am, to be out at 4h30 for a 2h30 long run, and make it to work at 8. Needless to say, I didn´t worked properly on those days!! But watching the sun rising is always a big plus...

Can´t believe we are in March already! Hope the weather is getting better for the snowy folks!

Vinnie

Hey, y'all! The weather here is improving greatly. Most of the snow is melted. I've been out on my bike a few times, and I'm enjoying the sunny days even if it is still a little cold. I went for a 1 hour bike ride yesterday and struggled with the wind. The head wind at times was brutal. I was really glad to turn the corners and get out of it! My swims are going well, too. I know I'm not swimming very fast, but I'm able to swim my race distance now without stopping (except to turn around--I haven't mastered flip turns yet.). I see the ortho doc on Tuesday, I'll post an update when I get home.

I think it's starting to sink in that we are really moving. I've applied for a teaching job at the schools on base (middle and high school math and science). We have so much to do to get ready to move. 5 months seems like a long time, but I know it will fly by, and before I know it, we'll be in England.

Brian, send me an email at [email protected], and we can exchange contact info for the race. I'm still planning to race unless the doctor says I will do too much damage to my knees. However, at this point, I don't think a couple more weeks will make much difference.

Take care, and happy training! Have a great week!

Jenn