Fast Twitch Tri-FULL (Page 54)

I thought I was catching up to you and would soon be able to swim and run with you but you keep getting faster.  I don't think I'll ever be able to run a sub 8:00mile/5:00km.

I had a bad ride yesterday - 42.5km in 90 minutes (the fun part) then turned around to what could only have been hurricane force winds and it took 2:24 to get back to where I started (the not so fun part) and I was pedaling as hard as I could the whole way (87.6K total).  I went out prepared for a 3hr ride that took 3:54 and I was wiped out by the time I got home.

I'm not sure if I tried to do too much on Saturday after a long run on Friday.  I do feel good today though.  Planning a short run tomorrow (5K) in prep for Bare Bones.  After yesterday I am really hopeful it will be a calm day next Saturday.

Ditto on the early approach to Newtons.  I'm still working into mine, just going up to 1.6 miles today after a couple weeks not going over 1.2.  I felt like I could have just kept going, and don't notice any soreness, but discretion is the better part...

I do notice that I feel like a superhero wearing them!  Aside from the superhero-outfit-colors (and I had orange zensa calf sleeves on, to boot), they just feel sooooo good while bounding along - hard to describe, but I feel more spring in my step with the low drop and the lugs.

Also agree on the cadence piece.  It is one of those skills (like apparently EVERYTHING in swimming) that takes a fair bit of practice, but once you get it, you can dial in a cadence as needed.  Well, maybe except in races, where mine just goes up.

Good luck!

Matt 

Fantastic!  Many congrats!!  That's a huge margin for a PR - very well done.

I've run in Pittsburg before, and all I can remember is wishing I were part billygoat, so I suspect you'll be in even better stead for any flatter races (and I've always wondered if there are more hills at the ends of races, or if we just don't notice the early one).

As for Hal Higdon, I've used his plans twice in the last 6 months for my two HMs, and am loosely following along as Kim uses one for our HM in a few weeks (I've committed to being "pace booty" for her race - now I just hope she doesn't end up pulling me along!).  For a run focus, I really like his plans and how they're laid out (used the intermediate the first time and the advanced the second time, then used his 8-week 10k for our race a couple weeks back).

Good on ya!

Matt

Wind is brutal on the bike, but those terrible days in training are what make races fun (or at least get you through the race, which then becomes fun in the retrospectoscope).

Kudos for gutting it out - the work will pay off.  Same on the run - a year ago, I wasn't sure I'd be able to run 8m/m again and was pretty sure that those days were likely in my distant past.  Consistency in running has made running MUCH more enjoyable, and I've gotten faster than I used to be as a side benefit (not the other way round, as I'd expected it needed to go - really was just putting in the miles that turned it all around).

Keep after it.  You're doing the work - it will pay off.

Matt

Apologies up front for copying a post I wrote in another group verbatim (and now mostly copying a copied post, but hey, there are only very few people reading them all!), but this one is so entertaining... 

<begin lazy-azz cut and paste here>

Weekend report:

Did a local 5k (Great Bear Run in Needham - terrific event and we used to live in Needham) yesterday that Kim and I were "training through," but at which the kids all ran the mile race and wanted to PR.

Long and short, PR's for everyone!    Kim beat my time from last year, placed 3rd in her AG and beat her PR from a few weeks ago.  I beat my 5k PR from a few weeks ago, too (20:21 official, I think - they're s-l-o-w getting the results online), by about 5 seconds per mile, placed 29th/600+ OA and 6th in my AG (the 40-44 group is just silly fast!).  The kids all hit or exceeded their mile targets (Kim and I paced two of the three, and our oldest just got after it on his own!) and got PR's!

On top of all that, we saw old friends and got to mill about in the sun on a gorgeous day! Wow, talk about good times and happy feelings (and a much appreciated gin and diet tonic with lime in the evening). 

After the race, I hopped on the bike to ride home from the race and felt good enough that I just kept turning away from home and extending.  Did about 25 miles in ~70', average power of 234 and weighted average of 243.  Not killing myself on it, but going along pretty hard - felt just terrific!

So, not a "big" weekend, but a high quality one with the family (and racing!).

Matt

Hey, it's me. I've been down and out for over two months. I had all but concluded this was a non race year, was focused on house repairs, regrouping myself personally etc but this little event in my own home town came up and sparked my competitive juices so; I'm in!

http://www.playtri.com/denisonendure

Ill just do the sprint events and have fun, hopefully get some of my 5k speed back. I gained a pant size in two months! So pool tonight, run tomorrow, get the laundry off my bike and see how much I can get back

After swimming today I went out with a fellow I've been training with and drove to Tuc el Nuit Lake.  Then we walked out into the lake and measured the water temp to be 18degC/64degF.  So Friday morning we're heading back to the lake for our 1st OWS of the season.  Last year we didn't get into any local lakes until mid-June.

I'd like to have a watch I can wear in the lake to measure time and distance.  Any recommendations?

Matt - I am slowly getting faster on the run and bike.  Consistency is so important.  Now if I could just lose some more weight.

Dave - Your elevations map is great.  How many feet of climbing?

Jeff - Good to hear from you.

GANG!!

Yo!  Just back (well, in the wee hours.....) from a week-plus away, and I see activity; guess I'm not "retired" yet!

It'll take me a bit to get settled, and then I will attend to whatever has come up here.

For nw, though:  DAVE, really well done on a bugger-mean HM course.  That was a fine time for what was thrown at you (make you think you might've run those bike-tour hills last fall instead of ride them?!?), and I will study the map, and your comments as soon as I can.

Nothing to report.  Still minimal workouts, still no plans to race this season........still struggling/suffering from these decisions.  One reaps about what one sows, yes?

Anybody join one of the new groups yet?

See you later on!

DAVE -

Despite the quick deaprture just moments ago, I am back.  Curiosity got this act, and I was rewarded by studying that "there-but-for-the-grace-of-god-go-I" map.  Good grief, that's a miserable cuss of a RD who designed that course!  I have never seen one that ends with such a rotter of a climb, and I guess anyone who did that hill well should pat themselves on the back for intelligent pacing leading up to it.  i haven't read your comments yet....but were you one of smart pacers??

Thinking about miserable race-ending hills, Atomicman in TN, which I did in late '02, was a HIM that finished with a very awful, twisting climb.  I am terrible at estimating, but I'd guess it was (only.....) about 700 meters from the start of the climb to the finish line.  that was my hardest-ever HIM, but for more reasons than just that hill.

The Pitt H-M hill, though, looks to be longer for sure, and possibly more "elevational gain".  Crimey, not for the faint of heart (or lungs) for that race!

Great work at clobbering away TEN MINUTES for a new PR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bare Bones Duathlon is sort of done.  Final results haven't been posted but I was approx 2:47 which is well over my goal to finish under 2:30.  My training was mostly ineffective and I did terrible (with minor exceptions).  I was poorly prepared at best and I have a lot of new respect for Duathletes.

The race started at 2:00pm in the heat of the day.  My 1st 5K actually went well and I ran a personal best inspite of the heat.  Even still I was all but last to my bike.  I got on the bike and headed out into a stiff headwind (I was praying for no wind at all or atleast no north wind so I got a south wind instead).  I did the best I could into the wind and finally turned around at the half way mark and pushed hard all the way back.  I even managed to make up some of the time I lost to the headwind.  I returned to the transition area in 1:30 (for 33.8km) at least six minutes slower than my training rides.  Just too slow!

I had another fast transition but then I started running out of the area and I had to laugh at myself because I had nothing left in my legs.  I wound up walking a lot and running as much as I could.  About 1km from the finish I was running/walking with two ladies who were as finished as I was until a friend came back to encourage me to the finish so with about 300m to go we got running again.  One of the ladies was having more trouble so I pulled her along with me (gently of course).  The other lady crossed the finish line just before us and I pulled the other lady across the finish right after.

So, I wasn't last by 1 second but as soon as I stopped running I felt pretty bad - lightheaded.  Fortunately my wife was at the finish line and had a chair for me and a sweet little (6yr old) girl came running up with a cup of COLD water that really went down good.  I had 3 more cups of water and two orange wedges that tasted awesome.

I was going to walk my bike home (1km) but when I stood up it didn't take long to realize I was in too bad shape (just short of passing out) so my training friend loaded my bike into my car and my wife drove me home. 

I totally underestimated the race and my training.  So, obviously, I have to do this race again next year but with more training and some bike/run bricks.

I do feel frustrated with the results.  I knew I would be "back of the BOP" and even had doubts about 2:30 but this was worse than I expected.  I'll need to look at tying everything together better.  I've committed myself to the Oli Oly in 5 weeks so I need to figure out running off the bike PDQ.

I need to get faster at climbing hills.  I expected to be some faster on the bike this year after training all winter but so far there is no improvement.

I need to get stronger at running and running off the bike.

I'm not discouraged but I am concerned that I've commited myself to several races and I seem to be less prepared this year than I was last year.

MATT - congrats on the 5K PR. You edged out my PR from last year. And I'm with you about the M40-44 AG. It's ridiculous.

GEORGE - Thanks for the comments on the HM. I love your attitude man. Keep it up. I wouldn't worry so much about being unprepared. I'm convinced that each year's fitness builds on the years before not just what you did over the past few weeks.

STEVE - Thanks for your comments on the HM. I think I paced it pretty well. It's hard to tell whether the drop in pace at miles 11-12 were entirely elevation related or fatigure due to aggressive pacing. I planned to be closer to 8:00 miles.

JEFF - Glad to hear from you.

Pittsburgh HM RR for the terminally bored.

TWITCHIES - So I did something that I'm excited / panicked about: after a year of hearing about STEVE's love affair with D3 Multisport , I signed up for online coaching through BT. I figured that would be a way to keep myself honest and engaged. What it's done so far is caused me to assess exactly how much training I've done and how (in)consistently I've done it in the past. (When Mike Ricci asks, you answer honestly!) I was surprised to see that I've only average 4:30 hours of training per week so far this year with peaks of 5:46. I think i'm going to have to go back to training in the morning in order to get the hours to fit. Getting out of bed will be half the battle!

I'm thinking about doing the same thing with the online BT coaching next year or starting later this year.  I'm 1.5 years out from turning 50 and want to do Syracuse 70.3 (my hometown) that year and be competitive doing it.  I know that if I have a coach checking on my own accountability things I'll be much better off.   I'm ok at planning out a short term training plan but need something much longer to guide me with the proper phases and all.  My last HIM was 7 years ago and my ability to recover was definitely different back then.