SBR Utopia ---- Permanently OPEN!! (Page 53)

I had a really hard tempo last night. Note the use of the word hard and not fast. Man, I am exhausted this week. I am going to be soooo ready for taper.

My coach is really pushing for me to run with my teammate on Saturday. We have very similar PRs in almost all of the distances but she is (in my eyes) a much 'faster' runner and really kills the track, while I see myself as more of a strength runner.

She is running this 10K more like and 'A' and I am running it more as a workout. Regardless, our coach seems to really be pushing for it. He even sent me this long article on the advantages of running in a pack (hint, hint.)

I am a little nervous about it. I TOTALLY buy into the benefits (mental and physical) of working together. What I am concerned about is going out at the projected pace and finding (due to all the cumulative training stress from marathon training) is just too fast, dropping off and then being discouraged by the gap. I just know I do best when I force myself to be conservative at the beginning of a race and finish strong vs going out a little faster and having the guts to hold it. Maybe this is an opportunity to work on my guts-factor? I'm just not sure.

What do you guys think? All feedback is welcome. 

Ryan - those are great swim times!  Congrats on the payoff to hard work.

Jason - dude, what can I say.  Looks like a better route than Arend's street.    I can't wait to go to HI and check it out - that looks awesome!

Arend - hey, looks like a nice road to ride on… a few months of the year.  You think winter is ever going to end?!?  We ended up with just the wind - the snow line was about 15 miles east (and they got hammered).  I hope it melts quickly!

Thanks all for the comments on the hammy.  I really was trying to go back slowly, as Tuesday was the first day with intensity since the race (about 9 days), but I probably put too much overall stress (just from distance) on my legs right after.  Pretty clear, actually, as I was beat on Saturday and even took Sunday and Monday off.  Also, I looked at my paces and while the intervals were in Z3 overall, the ends of the intervals snuck into Z4.  

Good news is that the trainer didn't hurt yesterday (almost felt better after).  Might try an EASY jog today - no intervals!  Trying to figure if I can go easy and keep at least some running in, or if I will need to shut it down for a week or so.  Hoping for the former, but will do the latter (better to lose a week now than a season).

Thanks again!

Matt

So, for a swim TT, how much rest do you give yourself in between to assure it's an accurate TT? Or do you just look at those times in the context of doing them back to back.

And great job!

So did you end up inside or out?

Wow Arend.  That is brutal.  Painfully I can relate, it has been a crazy winter but we can actually see the grass now.

What's grass?  LOL.  We did finally get our road and driveway cleared late yesterday and I was able to get a 3000m swim in this morning.  Supposed to run today as well but it might be tricky to find somewhere safe to do so.

This is what the plow looked like when it finally tried to clear our road.  

Wow!  I'm a northerner (MA is as far south as I ever thought I'd live - although this winter is making me reconsider that!), but that is NUTZ!

Unbelievable that you've been able to train as well as you have this winter - good on ya'!

Matt

I don't think you will be receiving your mail today . 

I don't think you will be receiving your mail today . 

53 cm of snow.

To listen to my Cx friends, that's what every race course looks like (but they also have mud, of course).  

Serious side question - do any of you ride CycloCross in the fall?  A bunch of folks here transition to it after a late summer tri.  Just wondering if it's as popular elsewhere with the tri-set.

That's AWESOME!  Congrats - no mean feat.  

Good thing for the rest of us there's a swim and a run mixed in to tri's.  

Matt

ETA - I might have to give in and try it this year.  People go crazy about it, so there's gotta be a there there.  Seems like a really fun set of events, too (almost anything that ends with a beer with your friends is OK in my book - and it seems that packing a good post-race cooler is about as important as the race to a lot of 'em!).
M

im in your neck of the woods from late August to December, i do most if not all of the larger races in the Northeast. Cyclocross is my passion and love, all this other stuff is just to stay in shape, lol i got my cat3 upgrade this past winter!!!

Just for you Rudy...I kept it to 101 today.