Baowolf's Beginner Banquet -Sorry all tables are full no room.. (Page 51)

I'll have to catch up on posts today.  But I did a 1 mile warmup run today and then did 3.35 miles at a 7:40 ish pace 8).  This week is a feel out the legs and stuff week and then we see what to do next week. 

Dennis, I really enjoyed reading your posts and am so glad you had such a transcendent day.  You put in the training and had the patience to deal with everything that came your way on the journey.   And since I don't think a bit of divine intevention hurts...prayed that you would have a great day as I ran on Sunday morning.  You look confident and happy in those pictures.  So glad your IT band stayed mostly happy, and thanks for the link on the Meuller strap.  I hope I don't need it, but it's worth a try if it flares up.  

The addiction thing is very true.  I found myself getting angry last night when a repair person called wanting to come during "my" run time this morning.  Don't get between me and my endorphins buddy!

Steve, so glad you are feeling better!  Nice that you could get a test run in, and sounds like things went well with that.  Hopefully the kiddos are having fun with the archery range this fall.

Yes, my OLY is Sunday, and I hope to do better than last time.  I've done more bricks, and mentally preparing to be more aggressive with knocking down any high blood sugar on race day.  Looking forward to racing with two girl friends, and my hubby, mom, and stepdad are coming to support us.  Had a really nice run this morning...probably my last until Sunday.  Will do a short bike tomorrow and a swim at the lake on Friday morning, and then it's party time . 

And since we're sharing photos....here are the ones from my last OLY (#787).  No idea why there are so many of me at the coconut water stand....I really didn't stay there all day http://www.kreutzphotography.com/default.asp?LOC=%2FKPhoto%2FPhoto%5FViewTN%2Easp%3FDID%3D14%26GID%3D1507%26IMG%3D1%26PAGE%3D1%26SRCH%3D787%26TYP%3DPUB

The half or the full Dennis?  Another 4 miles today at 7:42 ish pace.  Muscles are ... so so.  The good news is that I can't feel the hamstring at all ... from back in April.  The calves are not bad... I can just feel them here and there from time to time.  It will be nice to have my lungs back though.  Still too much junk in there.  Soo tempting to just throw myself into another marathon as running is my best event, but I should work on the bike. 

Give yourself enough rest Dennis.  You recover from a HIM faster than a marathon, but you still need to give yourself a decently easy week this week and then start next week easy.  I wory about your leg with the thought of marathon training coming up. 

Oh I will probably do the Vineman again next year.  It is well run and $200 to $300 less to enter with a decent campground nearby for us to crash at.  I really need to drop to 10:15:00 ish on that course before I can think of IM qualifying on a different course.  I will be in a new agegroup next year... so maybe I will be faster in comparison to the pack.  Wouldn't it be amazing to podium an IM.... k well one can dream.  Fighting genetic limitations is what it is.  Bike yes must do the bike... tomorrow.  

Half.  Definitely half.  I'm not sure how to find time to bike train for a full.  If I do figure that out and I pushed myself, I would probably attempt Beach to Battleship which is an October race and flat as a pancake.  Decided on Houston because it is close enough for a day drive, father in law lives there so free place to stay and flat as a pancake.  I need to have goals to keep up the training.

As far as the marathon, I'm not sure what's going to happen there.  I'm definitely going to take it easy on the running.  If push comes to shove, the half runs the same time as the full and I will just run the half instead if I can't get the training in.  Not that big of a deal.  Nice option to have on race morning.

So now you've gone from addict to dealer.  Nice !

Excellent. 

Dennis - I have not been able to properly congratulate your HIM accomplishment. Way to go and push through while making decisions that allowed you to have a very successful day. I can only imagine how it feels to have accomplished this with some odds stacked against you. Thanks for detailed reports on the things you learned.

Carol- so stoked for your next race, which is only a couple days away. I am hoping you do set a PR and kick this Oly harder than the last one.

I updated my log finally and the quantity is sad, but there is some great quality. Yesterday I did a 4.26 mile run at a 9:22 pace; that is my fastest run ever in my whole life...woohoo! I was very thankful to see that kind of progress.

I have been fully involved in teaching and leading first year college students for the last week and a half. I have two more days and then things will slow down for me. I talked with my boss yesterday and he is super supportive of my pursuing triathlons. I talked to him about leaving work at 4 or so daily to get my workout in because I am not a good morning person. He was totally fine with that. So I see light at the end of my tunnel that will allow me to continue my training. Until I can figure out a place to swim I will focus on running four times a week and biking three.

Yay 4 mile run at 7:24 pace today.. not flat out pace either.   So much fun to run without fatigue load though I have lost a ton of endurance.  Oh well late have to go.

Dennis take care of that leg.

Carol you can own the race with or without a wetsuit.

Woohooo!!! Samanth is back .  Awesome that you can flex your schedule to accommodate your training.  Your job sounds like a lot of fun.  Nice run!  Have you picked out your next goal yet?

Dennis, glad the recovery is going well!

Steve, great that you are feeling healthy and rested.  Enjoy those fresh legs!

Last OWS this morning with roughest conditions I've swam in so far.  Came very close to not getting in the water at all, but once I did was determined to finish the swim.  Felt like a combination of swimming and body surfing.  I was very glad to have my wetsuit, and will likely wear it on Sunday.  Had a scary moment when one of the guys just kept swimming beyond our dock.  He's not one of the strongest swimmers, and he and I swam together last time, and much of the way this time.  Honking, yelling, etc. didn't get his attention, and he just kept swimming.  Someone brought a kayak out of their truck, but noone (excpet probably me) would really fit well in it, and I have never kayaked.  So one of the other guys ran around the shore far enough to swam out and wave him in.  Turns out he was sighting off the wrong group of cars, but he was thankfully OK.  

Been there, done that.  It was a .6 mile lake leg.  Siting using the wrong house with a red roof.  I knew it was taking forever to get there.  All of a sudden somebody yells at me, "Hey, turn left.  You're passing dock."  I was just happy to be done.  Strange the guy was in such a zone he couldn't hear you.

Alright Carol, just a couple of days.  We expect timely updates from you.  No waiting until Wednesday to post results now.

Went swimming again this morning.  Started doing a little weight training to add some meat to this scrawny body.  I found a Mark Allen routine that is light enough for me.  Went for a long swim this morning.  Decided to not count laps and just swim for an hour.  Was kinda fun not having to look at the watch to see what lap I was on to see if I was done.

Still not running.  Knee hasn't bothered me at all.  Hasn't felt this good in months.  Issue is the big toe nail on my left foot.  It should be ok by Sunday where I think I will start with a 2 mile run.  Follow that up with a 4, then another 2.  I'm going to ramp back up a little slower than I should with a marathon coming up.  But as I've said, I'm not too concerned about it.  I want to finish it, but not really concerned about time.  I've cooked the big fish this year already, the rest is just for fun (and bragging rights).

Oh Steve, 7:xx at a nice pace is called a sprint to some of us.  Like Carol and myself, you're a runner at heart it seems and until you're back to doing that, you probably feel a little incomplete.

The honeymoon is over.  The I could feel my legs a bit more today, time to start earning that speed back rather than being able to hit it without a fatigue load.  I have 20 miles in this week, shooting for 26 or 28 depending on how Sunday's run feels.  If I bog out at 6 I will just cut it short there, otherwise I will go 8.  So 4,4,4,4,4,6-8.  Then build over the next month to 5,5,7,5,5, 13 or something like that.  Doing 35 to 40 miles per week should keep the run from falling too far off the mark.  Next is building the bike back in, starting tomorrow.  Guess I need to finish moving dirt this weekend. 

Swimming in really rough water makes it soo hard to stay on line and sometimes make breathing really interesting.  Carol definately go with what makes you feel safe, swimming will come to at least a comfortable level if not a fast level.  Also, in the morning there is usually less wind than in the afternoon.   

Nice swimming sans counting Dennis!  Glad your leg is feeling so good.  And yes X 2 on 7:?? being a sprint .

Steve, nice running even though the free ride is over.

Thanks for the encouragement on the race and the swimming.  Looking forward to tomorrow, and visiting with another BT friend today.  Many of the pros will be at tomorrow's race, but I'm sure I'll never see them, nor do I know who most of them are.  Off to take Katy the dog for a spin on her terms.  Taking you guys and gals with me tomorrow in spirit!

Go Carol.

I noticed something looking at all of my race pictures that really bothers.  I was always on the hoods in my bike pictures because I realize I always stay there when riding.  I recall getting in aero early on in the race but the cross wind gusts made me unstable so I got out of them and never tried returning.

So today I went out for 33 miles with one goal, stay aero.  I did well.  I'd say I spent over 60% of the time in aero.  The remainder was mostly in the drops which is probably the next best place to be.  I spent very little time on the hoods.  Mostly approaching stops, taking off and taking 90° turns.  Mostly when I need the added stability.  It went well.  I averaged .4 mph faster.  Some because of the aero position, some because I pushed myself a little harder I think.

Dennis, at least race pics are good for something.  Most of mine make me want to run screaming, but in the pictures, it kinda already looks like that's what I'm doing.  Nice score on the trainer!

Thanks for all the well wishes on the race.  I'm still downloading the whole thing mentally.  My frame of mind is a little warped right now, but I guess overall it was a mixed bag for me.  Got to see two friends, Jackie & Becky, complete their first OLY's, which was sweet.  Jackie even got 3rd in her AG.  Several of the guys who I swim w/ on Fridays had really strong 1st OLY's, and that was good to see.  My hubby & parents came --  nice considering the 3:30 am wakeup call.  I did better than last OLY on the swim and run.  Blood sugar levels were less astronomical, and no cramps on the run.  Bike was worse, but it was a harder course both physically and mentally. 

S 41:13 (2:30/100 yds)

T1 13:06

B 1:37:40 (15.2 mph)

T2 4:26

R 1:02:42 (10:06 min/mile)

Total time 3:39:09

Bike was harder mentally because I was coming off that 13:06 T1.  No, that's not a typo.  This is the first time I had to leave my pump on a table by the swim out without anyone to hand it to me.  Well, I left it allright....forgot to pick it up after the swim and didn't realize it until was at my bike in T1, had bike shoes, helmet, etc. on, tested blood sugar and ready to deliver a quick bolus and go.  Not until reaching for it then did I realize I had left it.  Bike shoes and helmet back off, talked to an official, and ran in my socks back down to the swim out (my first foray into barefoot running...nope, not a convert).  Swim out and transition were NOT close together and there was a hill involved. 

Got back to transition, and my bike was the ONLY one on my level.  Felt kind of like one of those disaster movies where everyone is dead except for one who is wandering in the desert.  But got on my bike anyway, and fought the "yep...I'm going to be DFL" demons for the first several miles of the bike course.  Kept looking for other OLY tags, but only saw sprints.  To be honest, I sincerely thought about just riding the sprint course back to transition and calling it a day.  But I also thought a lot about why I am doing this, and about you guys and all that you have been through and shared. 

So I decided press on and finish the *&^% thing.  Eventually, just like the disaster movies, I started to see a few other OLY "survivors" and tried to encourage others along the way.  Finally got through the bike, and had a decent but not great run.  I just didn't have the mental energy to push even though I felt pretty good physically.  Basically, I walked when I felt like it, chatted with a few other folks, and tried to enjoy the rest of the event.   I told one guy who was wearing a bright neon yellow shirt that I thought maybe he was a bouy and he didn't seem to think that was funny.  Oh, and if you've read this far, your reward is to know that I actually peed in my wetsuit.  Not really much choice....cold + nerves.  I'm counting that in the plus column for the day.

Guess I sould have just gone ahead and written the race report with all of that, but I think I'll wait a bit to do that until my perspective is better.  Thanks for being there with me today....had I not thought of you guys, I don't think I would have finished today.

First off, great job no matter what the time.  Finishing is the first goal.  You did that.  Getting over the mental hump after screwing up is harder than the event. They just never tell you how much of a mental sport this is. We all worry about that 1 MPH you want on the bike, but never stress to ourselves how much we have to mentally plan.  We need to be thinking about and running transitions through our minds the last 5 minutes of both the swim and the bike.   Then when it does go wrong, you have to learn to let it go, realize there's no fixing it now and just continue.

Peeing in the wetsuit, way to go.  I was able to pull off a pee in the pool the other day without slowing down.  Gotta practice everything.  This is one gross sport.

So that's it for your tri season I think.  Just running left on your agenda if IRC.  Got your eyes on any triathlons next year?

Carol - I have to ditto all that Dennis said, and give you a giant CONGRATULATIONS!!! The mental toughness is something that seems to be missed when people are telling you how to complete a triathlon - let alone compete in one. I remember what it felt like went I swam so far off course and was in the way of other swimmers coming at me. I really did want to cry and call it quits. I love sharing the life of choices about pushing on despite some real challenges with you and the others in our group. I know what you mean about this group pushing you because it does the same for me. I think of all the time poured into me from all of you taking time to write advice and share your life and I don't want to give that up by not continuing to train. Anyway, all that is to say you really did a great job simply because you pushed on when everything in you was screaming to quit. That is a greater success than most people will have in a year.

Dennis- how is recovery going for you? I noticed Steve telling you to take it slow and give your body time; how's that working out? I love the new bike trainer. Been thinking I would like to get one as well. Can't afford what it looks likes the one you bought cost. Any suggestions?

I got lucky and caught it at a LBS on sale for $319.  Being a member of the Memphis Hightailers ($25 annual) saved me and additional 10% so I only paid $287.

How's recovery?  Good in my opinion. 

• I did nothing Monday and Tuesday.  
• On Wednesday morning I swam around 1150 yds.  I also decided to start a little weight training for the winter so I did some very light gym work that evening.
• Thurs. was a short 11 mile bike ride
• Friday I decided to pick up the swimming.  My arms were barely used during the race.  I swam a long 2400 yds. after doing another gym workout
• Saturday was a 33 mile bike ride.  I felt great even after that.

Today I decided to give running a shot.  I did a 2 mile run tonight and it was fine.  I used my new Newton Distance S shoes I picked up in Augusta.  I think I'll do my short runs in those as I try them out and see what I like.  I'm going to split my weekly mileage over more shorter runs and ramp it up more conservatively.

Off to bed.  Heading to the gym at 4:15 tomorrow morning and then on to the pool.

Carol... you finished a 2nd Oly.  You are at a place where you are setting time goals for an Oly.  You learned some really important things for next go.  Any day at a tri... better than a day on the couch.  Only about 4 people in the world know that your time was not ideal for you, the rest are like wow you did all that in one day!  Long view.  You are doing great. 

For me 8.5 mile run today at 8:10 felt alright, even pace.  Then there was archery, moving 1000 pounds of dirt, badmitten, soccer and baseball with the kids.  And church of course.  All in all a pretty good day, 28 miles run for the week.  Not sure what to do for tomorrow 3,4 or 5 miles.  I guess I see how I feel.  No time pressure, no races atm. 

Dennis, Steve, and Samantha - thank you so much for your words of wisdom and encouragement.  You are so right about the mental component being so important, and so underemphasized.  I generally try to not look back with regrets, but in the moment yesterday I did not do a good job of that at all.  Hard to explain, but just a flood of emotions.  I try not to let the whole diabetes thing get me down or use it as an excuse. It is my goal to inspire others in that way.  At the expo, I met some folks in an ADA booth in honor of a guy w/ diabetes who had died recently.  Met his caregive, and he was diagnosed at the same age as me.  They also sponsored a couple of the aid stations along the running route.  Reflecting on that and on your comments made me realize that being real about it all and then continuing on can also be an inspiration.  What would I rather demonstrate to a youngster with diabetes (or anyone for that matter): a) I trained for this race, made one mistake and packed it in, and that's what you should do when faced with a setback, or b) I trained for this race, made a mistake and continued on, and so can you.?  I know we all fight something to be out there doing this....family obligations....moves....job changes...illness or knee issues before a big race....you name it.  Along with you, I will continue to live, fight and have some awesome, and not so awesome experiences along the way.  Race report is up: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=270503.  I have one more sprint tri w/ pool swim at the end of this month.  Will be a good perspecitve since it was my first, and then yes, a few 1/2 mary's this winer.  In fact going to dinner tonight with a few other folks with diabetes tonight to discuss 1/2 marathon plans .  Not sure on specific tri goals for next year, but will include more OLY distance for sure. 

OK, enough of the "me" fest here!  Moving on.....

Dennis, your recovery is sounding really smart.  I like your running plan making the long run not as big a % of your total week.  And congrats on the pool pee....I think >  Have you settled on the Memorial Herman Ironman 70.3?

Samantha, not sure if it will work well where you live, but have you considered trying Craigslist for a trainer?  I see them here sometimes, but we're in a large metropolitan area.  I think I'd be kind of afraid to buy one on e-bay sight unseen, but you might get lucky with that.  Have you set any race or other goals for the winter/spring?  Can you do much skiing where you live?

Steve, sounds like you are settling into a nice rythm on the running and family time.  Good job on living out the long perspective.