BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! (Page 55)

Yes JK.  Races Nov. thru Mar. are likely to be wetsuit legal.  So I'll be able to use a wetsuit in the Gator HIM and REV3 races.  The Superbowl Y in Feb. is in a really nice 50 meter olympic sized pool so no need for a wetsuit there.

Thanks Steve.  I'll take your August advise and focus primarily on my key workouts in the build up and also likely take a lot of my runs indoors. 

Hopefully things will work out in 2012 and I'll be in good shape for each of those races.  2011 was very disappointing from a racing perspective but not a total loss.  I feel like I'm a better triathlete but from the spring calf injury just before the FIT race to the case of shingles in early October I'm ready to move on to 2012.

stevebradley - 2011-11-04 11:32 PM TRINA - I am 217% on the side of the ortho guy, as swelling is never anything to mess with. Niggles and wonks and aches and pains are maybe workthroughable, but i always view swelling as let-it-go-down type of situation. It's odd, though, that he would make a call on at least 10 days without venturing an opinion as to what exactly happened. I mean, usually when there is a time-frame like that it reflects the generally known healing times of a particular injury -- hat's how it's worked for me a few times, anyhow. S, may I ask, where exactly (or even roughly) is the swelling? All that aside, however, it is a shame that you got so close to being able to do White Rock. That is often the case with longer running races, though, where all those miles have been put in the bank....and then the body has suffered and rebelled, and evrything has to be put on hold for however long. I've had two marathons quashed within the final week or two before them, and that is a huge letdown. Now, i'm not necessarrily advocating what I'm abot to say, but if you get back to feeling fine and there is still a week or more left before W.R., you could conceivably run it just to get that experience of what 13.1 feels like. Having done ten, you're maybe a mile from what a lot of people stop their H-M training at, and at that point they rely on race day adrenaline to carry them those final couple of miles. But that's juts a thought, nad needs to be considered in light of how the knee is feeling AND how devastated you will be if you can't do W.R. Realistically, probably both should be high -- like, >95% for how the knee feels, and about >80% for your degree of potential devastation if you have to bail. As for pavement and treadmills, I don't necessarily buy the concept that "pounding the pavement" is damaging. My understanding is that concrete IS potentially damaging, and by concrete I mean the grey stuff. The purply stuff is supposedly not as damaging, and I guess that is based is minute levels of...."give", perhaps? The drawback i've heard on treadmills is unless they are extremely well-maintained, they can have too much give and cause different problems for joints and the Achilles. Certainly give the 'mill a good try and see how it suits you, but I can't believe that periodic to maybe even frequent forays onto paved surfaces is going to hurt you that much more. Finally ---- "....really put my dobber in the dirt." ????? That's a new one for me! Care to explain it? (It makes me think of dowsing for a water source, maybe during times of severe drought........or possibly something a bit more prurient! )

Denise - Thanks on the advice regarding running on dreadmills and dirt only. I think that's what it's going to come down to for me.

Steve - "Putting my dobber in the dirt" - I have no idea what it means, I've just heard it said a lot since I was a kid. My hubby says it a lot, too. Must be an Oklahoma thang. I've always thought it sounds peculiar...I mentally chuckle when I say it. Anyway, the swelling was just an overall swelling of the right knee. The kneecap was swollen (doc said that the swelling was preventing him from seeing good kneecap definition), and maybe a little below and on the right side. Of course, there's the crunching sound there from when I hurt my knee *during water aerobics* 20 years ago, but doc doesn't think that the crunching is an issue. I also had some limited range of motion (bending, not extending), and a pop when I bent it. Had to push-off the pool with my left leg only for about a week during my swims. 

You are right that it is odd that the doc knew how long to stay off it without giving a definitive diagnosis. I have absolutely no experience with long distance running, so I am clueless as to his reasoning for the timeline to heal. He probably thinks it's just repetitive use trauma, or maybe even from doing squats (I broke-out my Spinervals DVD during a particularly cold/windy streak a few weeks ago that required me doing four sets of squats). Doc said no more squats, lunges, or leg extension machine.

And I'm with you on still maybe being able to do WR. I think my coach is, too. He has me starting back running this coming Monday and again Wednesday and Friday - back to three times a week, so we shall see. I'm definitely going to stay on the treadmill (sigh) for my long runs this time, and if I feel decent enough I may very well throw caution to the wind and attempt to do WR. Seriously, if I can do 10 miles without too much pain then the adrenaline will surely see me through another three, right? Or is that just wishful thinking? Currently my knee feels great. We will see how it feels after a couple of treadmill runs....and my level of devastation at not being able to do WR is directly correlated with how much I'm focused on it. Right now it's not a big deal because I've found a new love - mountain biking - but once I start running again that may very well change. I was actually starting to really enjoy running, even though I'm super slow.

So. If I get pumped by running next week I may go ahead and try to do White Rock. It looks like so much fun, and I've already paid $100 to do it.

The silver lining to this knee injury is I've discovered yet another activity that I love and hopefully will be doing for a long time

Hope everyone's having a great weekend! 

stevebradley - 2011-11-15 5:44 AM JEFF - I've had enough lost parts of seasons and years to kind of force me to be philosophical, as in there are no true lost seasons. Somewhere in the valleys and pits of seemingly lost season are lessons to be learned, and they may be no more than dealing with disappointment and patience. But even when I have been reduced by injury to just two -- or one! -- of the disciplines for a while, I have tried to emphasize what is still there and operable, and make the most of it, and try to get better at it. And read. And scheme. And just generally keep the faith. Mostly, that has been rewarded. I have had a few injuries that had the potential to be career-enders, but somehow that fate eluded me at the time, and I'm still carrying on. (However, I am always looking over my shoulder, as it were, to see if The Next Big Injury is closing in on me!) I guess all i'm trying to say is that it's always darkest just before the dawn, and that bad spells don't necessarily mean that the game is all over. At any rate, I'm sure hoping that your '12 season meets your hopes and expectations --- and it is good to see that you are planning an aggressive one! Obviously, you may be bloodied by '11 but remain unbowed, and that's about as positive as a disappointing season can be. Congrats on keeping the faith in yourself! (I didn't know about the shingles. Oh, my!)

Despite it not being a good year for race results I still enjoyed it and that is what is really important.  That and being healthy.  Recently I had a physical and just got my blood work results which were very good.  In fact, my son and daughter-in-law were visiting this weekend.  She is a dentist and understood all the blood work results.  She promptly told my son (her husband) that "your Dad is healthier than you".  I got a kick out of that!!!  Lead by example right?

BTW - your don't want the shingles.  Trust me.

Steve,

I going to join USAT for the 2012 season.  If I do it now before the fees go up will my membership run from the date I signup for one year or is it done by calendar year (i.e... if I do it in November 2011 will my membership only last thru December of 2011)?

Good.  Guess I'll signup now before the rate increase.  Thanks.

stevebradley - 2011-11-19 9:47 PM JEFF again - The best argument I have heard for a sleeveless is that for people with great swimming skills, they benefit from having that direct skin/water contact. (There's also the argument for preferring sleeveless in warm water, such as >75 degrees or so.) I have DeSoto two-piece, and have two tops -- sleeveless and sleeved. I love the feel of the sleeveless, but CONSISTENTLY it doesn't have me swimming as fast (hahahahahahahahaha!) as with the full top. So, for me, the direct contact doesn't impart any speed, whereas i guess the hydophiliac sleeves do help. Another reason for people to NOT like full sleeves is that it cna inhibit their arms and shoulders. While I can feel this to some degree myself, it is never a deal-breaker -- and, in fact, i have long arms and torso in relation to the rest of me, so if it doesn't bug me that it really shouldn't bug the average person....right? But one of the benfits of the deSoto is that the two pieces allow the top to move mostly independently from the bottom, so that helps me somewhat. That said, though, I have had one-piece suits and haven't struggled too much with my arms ans shoulders feeling inhibited, or my range-of-motion limited in any way. And this is with a few - QR, Orca, Xterra - over the years. Two cautions about Xterra: (1) If the inside is a color other than rubber-black, it migth bleed onto light-colored tops. This happened to me with one that was red inside, and it messed up any of the parts of my tops that were white; think pink!! But if the one you're looking at is basic balck, then it probably hasn't been dyed and therefore shouldn't be a problem. (2) Both of my Xterra suits have kind of fallen apart earlier than i would like, in a few different ways -- tears along seams, zipper malfunction, extra-susceptible to finger gouges. HOWEVER, I swim OWS more than almost anyone, so I cut them some slack given the amount of wear-and-tear I place on them. I swim 4-5 miles a week from late May to mid-Oct in a wetsuit, and maybe more importantly, that's 4-5 times a week they are pulled on and off -- lots of strain of the neoprene and the zipper! So, if this is your first foray into wetsuits, Xterra and their incredible prices are a great way to go. Which model are you considering?

Oops.  I ended pulling the trigger on this:

http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/store/index.php/products/wetsuit-clearance-sale/volt-sleeveless-wetsuit

Perhaps the opposite of what you proposed Steve.  My logic was it's inexpensive for something I won't be using much (in fact the only race I'll be using it in is the Gator HIM in late March).  Perhaps I'll hear a "I told you so".  But for only $99.00 I figured what the heck!!

stevebradley - 2011-11-21 7:11 AM JEFF - Nope, won't be any told-you-so from me. For your proposed usage, that will work well; really, for $99 you can't go wrong. And at the very least you will not lose any range-of-motion by going sleeveless, and for many people that is a far more important consideration than gaining extra buoyancy from have full sleeves. One thing to know, though, is that you will likely need to apply BodyGlide around the sleeve hole area AND on your inside upper arms. I do about 90% of my OWS in my full top, and when i finally get around to using the sleeveless later in the summer when the water is nice and warm....invariably I forget to BG my high upper arms and get chafed there. DOH! The other place to NEVER forget to apply BG is around your neck, or else you will suffer very painful (and unsightly) "wetsuit hickeys". Xterra has a fairly high neckline, so that increases the chances that chafing up there will happen. OuchouchouchouchOUCH!

Will do.  Where would one get BodyGlide (Walmart, CVS, local swim shop)?

Hi guys,

Still around - not doing much except some running.  My daughter and I have a 10k in a Minneapolis suburb Thanksgiving morning.  I'll just stick with the running until our Bermuda races in January and then restart biking/swimming.  An advantage to taking this break is that I am actually looking forward to resuming.

Steve - you are too obsessed with USAT - haha

Jeff - I bought 2 Xterras about 3 years ago.  I've never worn the sleeveless except to try it on - but then most races in MN don't get real warm.  The full has worked great for me.  It's held up well, no problems with range of motion and no chafing.  Xterra may be cheap but I think it's a good product.

I'm trying to decide if I'll just go with sprints next season or throw in an Olympic and a Half.  If I do a Half, it will be Door County.  We're probably moving next year and I'm a little concerned about the time commitment.

Denise

ps - I tracked a couple of male acquaintances in the Arizona Ironman yesterday - a 28yo and a 50 yo.  The 28 was ahead 'til the middle of the run - then ended up walking.  The 50yo was slower but surer and ended up beating the 28yo by about 40 minutes.

Greetings Everyone.....

I am back from my "sabbatical"....a little longer than I had planned but with a business trip and a birthday get away thrown in it all worked out with a few runs and swims just to keep things loose. However, I did kick off it off with a 15 mile treadmill run on Sunday.  That I believe is the longest run or "waddle" of my life.  I am actually tending to favor the treadmill since it is a lot easier to regulate my nutrition, water intake, bathroom breaks, and time my walk breaks which are currently 30 secs per mile until I hit mile 12 then I shifted to 30 secs every half mile. Plus I think it is a bit easier on the joints.  Currently I am contemplating a full marathon in mid Feb.  Even if I bail, I believe focusing on my run during the winter will help me next year since running is my weakest leg.  So right now it is starting to look like a marathon in Feb with a HIM in early May-White Lake, NC. 

Jeff,  I use a sleeveless and it works well for me.  My last race the water temp was 69/70 and I was a bit concerned about my arms/shoulders getting cold but that was not an issue.  Having never used a full I am not sure how much of a trade off there is on floatation/range of motion if any.  Steve is absolutely correct (as usual) on using some kind of lubricant around your arms especially in the front where the suit starts to go under your arm.  You will most likely only forget to lube up only once. Oh if you haven't got an answer yet, the USAT membership is 12 months from the date you signed up.  I just renewed mine in Oct. and it has an expiration next Oct.  In fact I sent my fee in a bit early and they automatically tied it to when my current membership expired, so you get a full 12 months along with your qtrly magazine.  Sorry to hear about your shingles, I had an outbreak about 10 years ago on the left quadrant of my head.  A bit painful along with the concern over my optic nerve which I had to have checked daily for awhile.  Fond memories, eh.

Trina, sorry to hear about the knee. I am confident things will get better.  This time last year I was in a soft boot and on crutches.  Having patience is the hardest along with not gaining 15 pounds.  I failed on both fronts.

Denise, enjoy your run.  It should make the pumpkin pie that much more enjoyable along with no guilt for adding the whip cream.

JK

Thanks Denise regarding Xterra.  That reassuring.  I just hope that their online sizing chart works well because I didn't try this thing on.  They do have a good policy about returning items that don't fit but I don't want to deal with the hassle.

JK, Good news to hear that the sleeveless worked for you.  I'm looking forward to getting mine in the mail and trying it out.  Everyone says they make you faster.  It will be nice to see if I can quantify that.  Hopefully you can buy speed, we'll see!!!

Also good news about USAT.  I thought that's how it worked but I wasn't certain.

Shingles - Just like you I had them on the left side of the top of my head.  At first I thought I had poison ivey (the itch).  Then the pain and blisters came and I thought a spider was lurking in my bike helmet and had a feast on the top of the head during a ride.  Finally the scabs, pain and itch came and I realized I had the shingles.  Luckily I had a very mild case.  Regardless, I don't wish them on anybody.  The good news (according to the doctor) is that as a result of having them my body has developed enough of the antibodies to prevent me from getting them again for a good 25-30 years.  Yes!!

stevebradley - 2011-11-22 9:13 PM JEFF - Most running stores should carry BG, and probably most bikes shops, too. And also bigger sporting goods stores, and maybe smaller ones as well. It used to be harder to find than hens' teeth (there were years in which i ordered mine from Tri-Zone), but now it's widespread. It would've been a good stock to buy pre-'05, maybe! When you get the suit, what you're aiming for is snug -- not wayway constrictive, but snug-tight. If returning is an option, then do NOT use any lubricants to help get it on and off, as many suppliers will not take back ones that have been besmirched with BG or PAM. And remember --- neverever use Vaseline or any other petroleum-based lubricant, as these substances eat neoprene for snacks. My first try-on was in a tiny change room that was lit by an overhead incandescent bulb, and I was sweating profuselfy after just a few moments. That wasn't much fun! Some retailers will allow suits to be tried in a pool, just so long as they are thoroughly rinsed before returning, if that is necessary. If you do that, prepare to get overheated very quickly -- although it will be much less onerous in a sleeveless. My times swimming in a pool in a wetsuit make me really sympathize with MMA fighters who have to wear rubber suits and sit in a sauna in order to "cut weight"!

Thanks. Will do Steve.

Speaking of sauna's.  I've been jumping into the one where I swim recently.  I'm not certain there is any value to doing so other than opening up my pores.  Are there any negative issues for triathletes?  I've never read in any publication anything good or about about them.  I did see something where Lance Armstrong was using them to help his team measure his body's core temperature when being exposed to heat.