kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2012 Part 2 - CLOSED (Page 50)

If you haven't seen this yet you need to watch (its the men's finish from San Diego this weekend):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP3JTXtHluA&feature=share

Watch Manny Huerta (who finished 9th).  After he finishes, he starts counting the other guys, realizes that he'e come in 9th and made the U.S. Olympic team.  His reaction is amazing. 

This is a great shot as well:

That's so cool.  Were you able to spectate?  

I LOVE the summer olympics.  I have watched it faithfully since I was a little girl, particularly the swimming.  Last summer olympics I was 9 months pregnant, ready to deliver my little Gordie.  I spent all those sleepless nights watching those sports that get the 1-4 a.m. air time

3000m swim this morning (15 x 200 Desc.) + strength training later.  The swim really loosened up my muscles.  Knee pain is gone, thankfully.  

When you plan a race season, do you pick races that suit your personal strengths?  Or do you pick races that you want to do because of location (also, logistics with family, work, etc.)?  

2900 in the pool speed work YUCK!

I chosse races for both aspects Location and on the course!! Or just for the Challange

That is awesome!! Exactly what the Olympics is about!

2200 in the pool this morning! First time at or above 2000! Whoot Whoot!  I decided to go with the sprint to international bridge because it worked out perfectly time wise for the Culpepper International in August.

Also signed up for the Army Ten Miler today! Big group from work is running it and I hear it is a good race to run especially the chaos so you can get a feel of what MCM will be like. At least for the amount of people running that is.

Have a great day everyone!

How much convincing do you have to do?  

**edited to add that you just need to be honest about how much training it will require!

Up at 4:50 this morning, on the bike at sunrise at 5:15am. Got 70 minute Z1 (upper end of Z1) ride in follwed by a 10 minute T run.

With that said, I have one of my more anticipated events this Sunday. The Ten Penny Ale Glastonbury Duathlon. 5k, 27k, 5k. I did this as a team last year (bike portion for me). I love this event as it brings out some great talent before Tri season kicks in up here, and the course is really scenic. My question is, how would you pace yourself for this with two runs?  Kelly?????

The bike course is quite hilly for the first half, then back down for the second half. The run course has some hills but nothing too serious. My PR open 5k is 20:30/6:30 pace. I know that don't really matter as much as what HR Zones I should be ruinning/riding in.  My concern is going into the bike and going into the second run, I don't know that I'll get my HR to come down. Thoughts anyone??

I have been honest which I know was appreciated, especially since we've been out to dinner with a couple of friends and their spouses.  My friends all seemed to fudge a little on the training days the last couple months or so.

Anyway I'd have to do lots of convincing for next year's IMTX.  I may be able to do IMAZ or see if I can get into IMFL.  Ofcourse the longer it takes us to get pregnant the better it looks for Texas.

I'll sign up for IMTX next year if you do.

New avatar!  Very nice!

Give me a couple months.  I just don't want Cindy to have to deal with a 2 month old while I'm racing or have to look at the prospect of being on a 6 hour training ride when she goes into labor or something.  I guess I'm going to wait until I know an approximate due date before making any decisions.

That is truly inspirational.  I can't even imagine what is going through his mind.  Serious question though, although it may be a dumb question regarding his celebration.   I would surely be celebrating the same way he is.  Who wouldn't, right. But do you think it was fair to run back into the last few yards of the finish area, while others are still finishing their race? I personally don't think it would bother me, but some may be irritated by it. Could you imagine if he got a 2 minute penalty for excessive celebration and missed the Olympic team??? (I know there is no such thing, just sayin')

Babysitting someone else's 2 month old?  That's brave.  Very brave

Scott - You need to find an A race for this season that gets you excited!  I'm sure it's hard when all your buddies are doing IMTX though.  

No IM for me until Freddy is in preschool.  There is absolutely no way I can swing it with babies at home all day long.  It's absolutely draining and physically impossible.  It would truly burden Kevin on the weekends, too, and I don't want our marriage to suffer.  I want to do 2 70.3s next summer (at least 1 of those will be mdot).  Maybe....just maybe...IM in 2014?    

Kelly,

I enjoyed reading you blog and opinion on Kristi Johnson toeing the line at the ITU World Championship this weekend, and whether she deserved it or not.

Although on a much smaller scale, the USAT  National Championship held in Burlington, VT, can be looked at the same. Clearly you are not racing for a spot on the Olympic team. But I believe the qualification process is similiar in the fact that you can qualify at smaller events. I am an example. I entered a small, first year Sprint Tri last August, simply because it was in my home town. Being in it's first year, it attracted roughly 250 people or so. Two days before the race, they made a last second decision to move it from Sunday to Saturday, due to Hurricane Irene coming. Point being, they lost about 50 people, giving me a 5th overall and a 1st in my AG, qualifying me for the US Nationals in Vermont. There is no way I would even compete, nor do I belong at a Championship event, and am not showing up for that reason (unless something miraculous happens to my speed this summer). Again, it's on a much smaller scale than competing for an Olympic spot, but am I correct that Kristi Johnson sort of qualified the same way by competing in an event many athletes didn't show up for????

Kristi became a pro last fall by competing at an event with a pro prize purse of over $25,000 but with a very small amateur field.  Under USAT rules there are lots of ways to get your pro card (including having a pro card from USATF, USA Cycling or USA Swimming or placing in the top 5 of your AG in Kona or Las Vegas).  One of the ways is place in the top 3 amateur overall in an event with a pro prize purse of more than $25,000.  Kristi came in as the 3rd overall amateur at the Nickel City Tri in Buffalo, New York last fall with a time of (I believe) 2:27, and thus earned her pro card.  Note just because you earned a pro card does not mean you have to take your pro card.  There are lots of individuals (Bryan for example) who have qualified for pro cards and have decided to remain age groupers.  My friend Amanda earned her pro card (3rd amateur female at IMLP) but has not taken it because she doesn't feel that she is ready to compete at the pro level yet. 

Once you have a pro card, you can request that USAT place you on the potential start list for ITU events.  Kristi put her name in for the San Diego race.  There was essentially a strange series of events that led the U.S. to get 10 slots and the final slot rolled down to Kristi.  As I said on my post, she got the slot fair and square, the rules are just really bad (for example other girls who actually had ITU points were not made aware of the roll down).  Problem is, while she got the slot "legally" from USAT she shouldn't have been there and her decision to start the race put other athletes in danger (see Hunter Kempter in Myrtle Beach last year). 

I have an A race in the fall that I'll probably get more excited about as it approaches.  It's a local half iron race.  There is something to be said for the friendships forged and the camaraderie amongst a group of people that train for an event like an Ironman together though.  Also I had planned to put in for IMTX up until a conversation about family planning with Cindy a month or two ago at which point that was put into limbo.  As the opening of registration approaches I guess I still haven't wrapped my head around the fact it's probably not going to happen.