kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2012 Part 2 - CLOSED (Page 56)

Woke up this morning feeling much better and headed to Glastonbury for the Ten Penny Ale Shamrock Duathlon. One of my favorite events of the year. Had a good race today. 63rd out of 398 Overall and 11/29 in 35-39 AG. I thought turning 35 this year and moving up in age grop was going to help me. What a joke. There was some stiff competition at this event. Either way I was very happy with my performance today. Here is my race report:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/races-edit.asp?raceid=210659

Good morning, all.  I slept 10 hours last night.  Didn't set my alarm for 5 and just kept right on sleeping.  I FINALLY feel caught up on sleep.  It's a great feeling.

My HM was certainly not a PR.  LOL  It was actually one of the worst races I've ever run - performance-wise.  I guess it was a miracle that I finished the race though.  Positives were that I nailed my HR zones, I never stopped running even when I wanted to stop, I fueled well and properly, and I never felt dehydrated.  It was 80 degrees out, and people were passing out on the side of the course.  I saw 4 ambulances (that I can remember).  The funny thing is that the heat didn't bother me for a second.  I mean, I was sweaty and hot, and I have an ugly sunburn to remind me of the morning, but it never bugged me at all.  

Anyway, my body is really broken today (not to mention my ego).  These last 2 running races have hurt my confidence and have made me think hard about my ability.  Yesterday I said I wanted to pull out of Grand Rapids in June, but I don't think I need to make a hasty decision.  I need to see how the next 2 weeks go.  

I'm going to try a recovery spin later, but if it is too painful, I'm out for the day.  

Hope everyone had a great training weekend!!!  JEN Congrads on the HOUSE!!

Outcomes & questions from this weekend!!

1. Finished a 4.5 hour ride with 4500ft of climbing and a 45 min run in 85 degress weather.  - Outcome - Confidence booster!!

2. Questions - I have beeen riding for over 20 years and have NEVER used Chamios creams - I must be geeting soft in my old age beacuse I am raw. Does anyone use Chamios creams and if so which ones?

3. I had a great fuel plan on the bike - 1 bottle of 8 Hammer gels and filled the rest of the 24 oz bottle with water. Bottle  = 720 claories , 1 Bonk Breaker bar , and 2 bottles of perform and 3 bottles of Gatorade. That worked for 4.5 hours of riding !!!

4. Question - At what speed or point do you get out of your aero position while climbing?

5. I also figured out my sunscreen issue - I used my kids +50 sprayon and it worked GREAT no problems with sweat either. The only problem is I missed one part on my back a 4 inch circle and I found out what would have haapened if I did not use any sunscreen.

Also I know alot of you followed and supported MAry Eggers as she did the kickoff vs LAnce Armstrong who crushed the Florida 70.3 this weekend.

Well MAry is not finished she challanged another unbelivable athlete 2x Ironman Champion Chris Mcormack (MACCA) and he accepeted they will be racing in Kona in Oct.

Hey Jen,

I've had plenty of those days. Do your best to move on from the event. You've had a great winter of training, don't let one event ruin your summer.  You'll be fine.

x2.

Thanks, Jeff.  I appreciate the kind words.  I'm ok, but I'm aiming to be more realistic with the goals I set for myself.  I always came within 2-3 minutes of the finishing times I set for myself last year, and then this year I've been living in fantasy land.    It's about having realistic expectations about training, ability, etc. and being happy with where you are (and not dwelling on where you're not).  I need to bring it back down to reality and then I won't be so disappointed; you know?  I will never, ever be a fast runner.  Ever.  I was not gifted that ability.  Plus, I'm injury prone, and the risks outweigh the rewards sometimes.  It's no biggie.  I've got other strengths i can bring to the table.  I just can't allow myself to dwell on the weaknesses anymore.  It's a total mental suck, and it takes away from my children when I'm in this negative hole.  

I want to become better at listening to my body, too.  I know sometimes we need to HTFU and keep pushing when we don't want to push.  Other times we need to listen.  I got injured twice in the last 2 years because I didn't heed the warnings.     

Heat takes a lot out of you. Last year was my Olympic year. I did three of them. The first was 55 and raining and I froze. The next was 85 and humid. I felt good until I didn't which was half way through the run. I crashed hard and was running 12 minute miles. The last Olympic it was 93 and humid and it was a repeat of the second only worse. When I crossed the line the two people in front of me and behind me all went to the medical tent to get IVs. They handed me a towel that had been in an ice bucket and I sat with it around my neck for 15 minutes before feeling better.

I was discouraged after both events but having had time to gain some perspective I think my plan and ego were just unrealistic. I should have paced better compensating for the heat but didn't.

I think once you have some time to gain some perspective you won't be doubting yourself.

I chose my events this year hoping to avoid the heat. My two HIMs are 6/16 and 9/9 and with my luck it'll be 95 and humid both days but last year they were 6/26 and 8/7 so at least my odds are better. Heat is tough to deal with.

I feel your pain Jen. I get into wicked mental ruts. Often. And I am also prone to injury, and can't shake the many I'm dealing with right now, without completely stopping training. As for my race predictions, I used to be really bad at that, looking at previous years results for certainevents, and trying to convince myself "if I can run that pace, bike this pace, etc...., I'll finish in this position"  It was the worst thing I could be doing to myself. I need to just run my race as best I can, and be happy with the end result, as long as I know I put the time in, and there were no mistakes or mishaps.

You're a great swimmer and getting pretty fast on the bike. Hopefully the run will come around for you.

All of this!  

I think I just need this season to fully grasp what my strengths and limitations are, and then I will proceed from there.  The second it becomes more negative than positive, is the second I need to reevaluate, because life is too short, and my kids won't be children forever.   

Yes, I think we are similar in these ways, Jeff.  

Seriously???  Stupid question, is that legal?

Nope. 

Hey Jen,

   Congrats on your finish of the HM. I have the same kinda mindset as you and luckily my wife and all of you guys here always put me back in the right perspective and I am a half full kinda of person and I was bummed a little bit by my swim time this weekend because of how hard I worked. However, overall as my wife said "You just completed your first Tri, how awesome is that?" and she was right it was awesome! On top of that my son wants to compete in the kids race next year!

I hope you don't drop out and I agree with everyone else that you shouldn't. I have learned in my short time of racing if anything that we all have bad days and it is a bummer when we do. However, we are here and alive and we get the chance to run another race and finishing is finishing and most people don't get an opportunity. I wish you could have seen the support for the disabled/physically challenged folks at the race this weekend. It put things into perspective for me. Two of them it was there first race ever and I talked to a guy that was part of the support team and they all were pleased with the awesome support of the other triathletes and they would be continuing in the sport because of the experience they had. You and other have made me know that I can do this becuase you manage a family and your training and I thank you and everyone else here for that.

Plus I need you to let me know how the Grand Rapids race is so I can decide if I should do next year

Jeff-Just read this and saw your report! Great job!

And on a training note....

Did a 35 min ZR ride on the trainer this morning. Took the time to get used to riding with my new shoes and no socks. I got the Pearl Izumi Tri Fly IV and love them so far. Hopefully will get a 30 min ZR run in this evening with the wife. She has really taken to this working out thing. She even made me eat from the healthy part of the menu for my congrats dinner last night haha! Can't complain the portion size is actually the right size and the vegetables were gooood

For some reason people freak out in non-wetsuit swims.  If you don't feel comfortable swimming the distance without a wetsuit, you should probably re-assess whether its a good idea to enter the event. 

Both Jen and Jeff -- you both had pretty significant injuries that required time off.  You're both coming back, its a process. 

After I had ankle surgery in 2005, I started a new set of PRs.  For a long time, I had my pre-surgery and post-surgery PRs.  When you have to deal with an injury you can't expect to drop back into the same place you left off, but you can start setting new records for yourself in the post-injury world.

Nice job!