Baowolf mentor group is [ Closed ] (Page 50)

Hey I'm back!

Steve - what a fantastic race! I thought you were doing a full IM so when I saw your time you can imagine how amazing I thought it was. Of course, it was still amazing! That sand sounds like it was a tough addition, but you still kicked it. Way to Go! I'll use the memory of your running in sand to inspire me when I am feeling tanked

Carol - indoor treadmill sounds like heaven when I think of trying to run in 80-100 degrees everyday. I would probably give up if I were you. And you don't have to move to Cananda - Idaho is really nice and doesn't always get very hot

Larry - Way to get your run in early. Hope you have a great football season.

Mike - yay for your HM! Does it feel good to have a goal and a plan again?

Weekend was great! Stopped on my way home to ride "Trail of the Coeur D Alenes", which a a 70+ mile trail that follows a river and it was quit lovely. I found out the other end of this trail has an excellent 3.5% grade climb, which is exactly the grade of the big hill I will have to climb in the HIM. I hope to head to that for some of my rides over the next couple weeks.

So yesterday was a big day for me. I did a 33 mile bike, then a few hours later I did a 10 mile run and I didn't walk the entire time. I would have been faster if I would've walked, but I really wanted to push myself. So I completed my longest run to date even after a fairly tough bike. Super cool. I'm gonna get a short run in tonight. Going through a small adjustment period switching back to day shift, but no complaints!

Hey guys, nice to see everyone is doing so great!! I have still not been able to return to training yet! I'm going nuts! Turned out my respiratory condition was pneumonia and it has taken me a lot longer to recover than I thought it would!! I am hoping to get out this weekend for a bit and really hoping to resume training next week!

I just signed up for Canyonman 70.3 in October. It's a local race and put on by my Tri club here in Murrieta! I know the bike course really well and a lot of it is part of my bike route!

I'm still planning on doing HITS full in December too!

Steve, great job on you HIM!! Hopefully we will be able to meet up in Palm Springs!

Larry, you continue to amaze me!!

Carol, I lived very very close to Canada for many years! You couldn't pay me to go back!!

Mike, my eyes suck too and I get so darn frustrated! I too will look into prescription swim goggles!

Samantha, AWESOME brick yesterday!Great job!

Samantha great to see you doing 10 miles.  Pace isn't that important on your long runs it is mostly just get er done.  You will be ready for your HIM.

Z4 on the run for 10 min is pretty tough, nice work there and 8 mpm is way faster now than it was when we were teenagers.  Very nicely done.  You will all be runners eventually 8). 

Ok the month is over lets see your numbers!!  A very good month for me numbers wize.  Now time to work more on the bike and swim while maintaining the run around 150 with some more intensity. 

You guys are great!  some great training rides & runs continuing!  And love that the kids are getting involved with these races. You are all great role models.  Its fantastic that so many of us complete one race then sign up for another.  Half Mary for me in October. 

July totals are um..sad

Swim:10,900   Bike: 137   Run:36 

Wondering what you all do with swim training once your season is finished.  Do you have a year gym/swim membership? Or do you  stop swim training then start back up in the spring?  Wondering what you all plan or usually do. 

I pretty much train in all 3 sports year round.  I will go lite for a month after an IM. 

Signed up for a half mary 10/6 just to keep me honest on the run.  I haven't done a half mary since 2008, so I need to update that for my current pace. 

32 mile bike today at roughly 20 mph (19.98).  I was on the flat going slightly down wind at 27 mph when some guy on a bike buzzed right past me.  Real cyclists are just darn fast.  And for some reason hills did not seem to affect him as they do me. 

Keep at it folks everyone is doing great.

Dang sorry about the pnemonia.  And yes I plan to go to palm springs still.  Gona be cold.

Whoa Jim, pneumonia is nothing to mess around with.  Glad you are taking care of yourself!

Samantha, awesome workout for you (33 + 10)!  I think it's hard sometimes coming back from a few days off, but you are right back at it!

Larry, zone 4 at 4:00 am.  Now that's some dedication!

Steve, take that biker that passed you out for a run afterwards and see how he fares!  OK, if he was 20 something don't do that, but otherwise, yeah.  Really like the HM distance.  Long enough to require some endurance, but short enough to really test your limits all the way through.

Mike, how did your eye appt go?  Are you able to get back in the pool? 

Elena, I think the off season is a great time to try new things technique wise on the swim.  I took a set of 6 lessons in Jan/Feb that focused all on technique and none on endurance. Good to do that when you don't have a race coming up.

Anyone been watching the olympic swimming events?  I'm blown away by what they can do.  Doesn't look like they save their kick for the run!  Interesting also how they seem to spear the water horizontally before beginning their pull.  I don't really get how that lines up with things like emphasizing the fingertip drag drill or using the finis paddles since that leads to putting your hand into the water more vertically?  Any thoughts on that?

I think July was my biggest bike volume ever.  I guess I like my new bike .  Some of the miles were slower since I've been riding with hubby who is new to biking, but it's all time in the saddle.  Run is struggling in the heat, so just trying to keep something going.  And wow, I didn't realize how little I swam!  No race on the calendar + limited pool hours + not doing everything I can to arrange my schedule to get there when I can = pathetic swim number for July.  I will swim at lunch today!

Jim -- get well soon! Sounds dreadful.

Finally got a cassette on my training wheel set last night. Yes, I've been changing the tire & tube on my race rear wheen the past few weeks when i've used my bike on the trainer. was a total pain, but I just didn't get my act together. Now I have and will put the training wheel (lol !!) on the bike again.

Here's my Month-of-Funk July totals. An embarrassment, really. Certainly my lowest totals of any month this year. Sheesh, I barely moved.  Will have more fun in August, though. Off for a 5 mile run tonigh.

Monthly totals:
S:  15200.00 Yd - 4h 22m 30s
B:  106.30 Mi - 5h 43m 11s
R:  46.39 Mi - 7h 10m 20s

Hrm 7 mile run today 2000 yard swim, still having an endurance drain from the race.  Will be driving home on Friday and leaving his place of lovely smooth pavement and people who actually ride bikes and run... and have sidewalks and bike paths.  Hrm. 

Mike ya gona have to get out there and run even fr a HM. 

Jim - Yes, please get fully healed before you hit the pavement. A second setback would be an ever bigger bummer than taking the extra time and letting the body rest. Hang in there; your time is coming!

Mike - I'm excited for you to start that training plan for the HM.

Steve - happy travels back home. Glad you AND your family had a good time. I bet it's cool to have your kids following in your footsteps and experiencing the same things as you. They did really well!

Here are my totals. I was looking at last years numbers and there is no comparison. I have more than doubled the miles I put in last year. I guess that is why I can run for 10 miles straight. When I started training last year I couldn't run for 20 minutes straight. I didn't get all the miles in that were planned for July, but I feel good about what I did get done. This month I really hope to nail every mile planned in prep for the big race. Only 44 days left...

 Today I did another OWS. It went well except my goggles fogging and not being able to see to sight, then later I got in a nice 4.8m run. Tomorrow is a 2600 swim and 8m run. Can't wait for the day when running holds a bit more joy. Though Mike's comment about running in the cold mornings made me happy!

Here are July's totals: Bike 229, run 59, swim 9000 yards. 

With football here, I am going to focus on running and prepping for a Dec. 1 HM.  I am also doing more lifting of weights.  I will bike once or twice a week for cross training, but I don't have the time to do more until December.  I'm looking forward to changing my focus a little anyway.  Eating healthy and exercising are definitely at the center of my lifestyle now, and that was my original goal!!

Hey guys!  Just wanted to check in.  I've been lurking here a bit but I found it hard even to log on to BT while not being able to train. I've been in a walking cast for the past 4 weeks.  It's been tough this year.  Had to take everything off the calender and  try  to get healed.  The good news is my foot is almost healed.  The rest of the year will be all about easing back in slowly.  Injury prevention etc... NO races, just get my body in a good place to train next year.

It's been good for my soul to read about all the awesome things going on in this tread.  Every time I checked in there was some inspirational story, or goal achieved.  It just never stopped.   I want to thank all of you even though you may not have known it you all really helped me get through  this injury.

Steve, what a great mentoring job.  You just give some very sound advice in a manner that makes people very comfortable.

Jim, I will be  down for a ride in the very near future my friend!

Keep on keepin on!

Mitch

Hey all! I got another 8 miles run in today. It was tough because I ended up bonking even though I brought a GU with me. I wondered if I had eaten enough between yesterday and today; guess not. I kept going the best I could and was able to finish the last two miles pretty strong. I added a couple good hills to my route as well. 43 days to go and I'm still hoping to get a new bike. Not sure it will be possible. Would you recommend I at least get clipless pedals and shoes? Not sure how I will do without some lower gears to get me up the hills, but I will make do with what I have. I also hope to get a wetsuit so I can train in it. But training is going well and I really enjoy the progress I see in my mental, spiritual, and physical strength. Steve, you were right when you talked about how I would cave a few months ago, but I am in a different place now.

Mitch - so good to hear from you. I know how you feel about not wanting to write in the forum. I feel that way sometimes when I only miss a couple days, but you are most welcome. So glad to hear you are on the upswing from your injury and looking forward to making your way back! Congrats on getting healed.

Larry - I ran past a football practice happening and thought of you. It is wonderful to know you are living a brand new life in a brand new body with brand new possibilities! Now when any of the kids decide to complain about how hard it is you have a great platform to talk through what it means to push themselves and choose a different way. Your ability to encourage, challenge and empathize is going to go a long way for people if they take advantage of your experience.

Carol - how's it going?

Steve - are you home yet?

Elena - how's recovery going? still on cloud 9 I would imagine!

Joe - how does it feel to be a triathlete? Cause that's what you are!

Mitch, just need to get you healthy.  Races will always be there for you, but it is really hard to not go out too hard too soon. I'll run another mentor group and we can get you gtg for next year.  Heal the body, keep those emotion in check and know that all your muscles are getting healed up in addition to your foot.  A time to run, a time to rest.  For whatever reason this is your time to rest and get that honey do list wittled down.

Samantha, you are pushing a lot more fatigue then you are used to.  Some days you will just have nothing in you for a given workout.  Look at your times and if your run times get slower over a week or a couple weeks at the same effort it means you need an extra rest day.  This season I learned that I need to have Wed be a swim only day so I can rest my legs and then friday be a mostly lite on the legs day, swim and 20 mile bike.  So there is a trick to evaluating your plan to see if you are really up to doing a given workout.  Don't blow off the long workouts in  week, but you might drop a short run or bike or both, take a full day off so you can be better rested for the next day.  You have to get to the starting line healthy and not be dragging every workout.  Sometimes 1 day off will clear things up and have you feeling fresh again.  Sometimes you have to slog through a workout, but not every day of the week. 

I am off on a 1200 mile drive tomorrow morning so will be out of contact for 2 days.  I'll be back online Sunday.  Keep at it.

Read this, and thought it said "1200 mile ride" and thought "whoa, that dude is really hard core!!"

Good run on Wed evening, And one this AM. Will update logs asap. Bike ride tomorrow will be great. Run more on Sunday.

July Total:

Swim – 6hrs 3 min

Bike – 5hrs 20min 81.82 miles

Run – 6hrs 37min 38.5 miles

This was a great month for the simple fact that I completed the first Tri. The bike speed is up, the run is better than I would ever imagine 4 months ago, and the swim is solid. Looking at the numbers the other day, I convinced myself that with a couple months more training a I could complete a HIM. Nothing seems to be close enough and fit the calendar, or have open slots. There is always next year and this really doubled my commitment to training.

I went out for a long run last night and had some GI pain 4.5-6 miles in. Still completed it and felt good by the end. My daughter has expressed interest in X country running so went out for a 3.2 mile run / walk this morning. Never would have thought to try this 2 months ago. And I proved that OWS of a ½ mile is not a problem. So the totals might be a bit low but it was a great month!

Carol – The swim action has been very interesting. Regarding the “spearing” I think what you are noticing is them getting long. The longer you are in the water, the less drag you have and you extend your pull. Staying long is a good idea but maintaining that kind of energy for a good Tri swim might be difficult.

Samantha – Not sure I would recommend changing bikes now, especially if you think you might miss the granny gears. I know it took me a while to get used to no granny gears. The clip in pedals are a good idea and if it turns out you have a hard time adjusting, you can always change back.

Mitch – Glad to hear you are on the mend.

Larry – Sound like you have a great plan. I have never been a runner an your progress is very inspirational.

Joe - actually I hoping for a new bike because I need more granny gears. I may have said it wrong because I always get high/low messed up when I talk about them. But I really need a bike that has more gears for climbing hills. Plus my bike is older and the shifters are on the down stem so using the gears is challenging. I am gonna spend the next month really getting out on some hills with this bike in case I end up having to use it for the race. Staying out of debt by learning to be satisfied with what I have already is challenging, but who knows what will happen!

Today was a brutal ride of 55 miles at 14.6mph. Either I am dealing with fatigue or I was just plain lazy today, but my legs did not want to keep pedaling and I was struggling so much with saddle soreness. I have been trying different things to help, but after about 20 miles it was terribly uncomfortable. Thinking I might look at getting a new seat. It is so hard to buy things right now when I know a new bike would come with new stuff, like a seat, but if I don't get a new bike....you get my point. Anyway, I kept thinking it is a good thing I have a taper before the race; otherwise, my experience today would leave me believing I will never make it to the finish line. I know it will be okay. I'm mostly concerned about the 3.5 mile climb at the beginning of the bike being too steep and having to walk my bike - I REALLY don't want that to happen. I'm rambling now so I will call it a night.

Have a great weekend!

Joe, looks like a solid month, and most importantly, you are committed in the future to triathlon. 

Samantha, great job finishing the 55 mile bike ride.  I took care of saddle issues with a purchase of the Adamo Typhoon seat.  It was $95, but worth every penny.  It's easy to have a great day of training when you feel good.  When you aren't "feeling it", getting the workout in is a great accomplishment.  Great job.

Back home now, late.  Samantha, your swim and bike look good at this point and run is almost there.  You have6 ish weeks, so time for this build and one more before taper.  So you can get in an 11, 8, 12, 13, 8, 6, race for long runs and that will be good enough.  1 or 2 more 55 ish bike rides and you are good (yes 2-3 would be better, but meh).  Swim get in a couple 2200 to 3000 over the next 6 weeks for long and I think you will be set.  Don't go out like it is a sprint or anything, but a steady effort all day will get you to the finish with a smile on your face.  You have your race nutrition down?

You can use some body glide down there to help wiht the saddle.  You can get a new saddle now and use it on a new bike and then just not get a saddle with the new bike, if the bike is new and not used.  Some variation in bike shorts can help, thin, thick, whatever.  I had more issues last year than this year, so there is something to just getting your bum used to the saddle. If you have actual skin irritation I hear that diaper rash stuff for babies heals it up pretty quickly. I used some last year.  I am sure there are more tricks.  Oh well have to get to bed, will catch up more tomorrow. 

Everyone else is looking good.  Love to see that training philosophy settle in.  Once that is there you can weather the illness and injury, over eating weight gain and loss without it overwhelming you and putting you back on the couch with a big belly. 

Oh 800 repeats are great.  I tend to start with 1 or 2 and then build 1 per week. For a HM I might build up to 10 and for a marathon I might do as many as 15 back to back with 400 yard recovery.  It is mostly true that if you do a 8:00 mpm pace for 800 yards x 10-15 then your training should cary you through to a 4:00:00 ish marathon and a 2:00:00 or better HM.  But you do need the supporting miles to help you have the endurance to carry you through it.  800 repeats if probably my best speedwork workout.  I can do hills and such but the 800s let you know what is what.  You just have to do it on not completely fried legs if you want a true measure of how your speed is coming along.

Have a great weekend.