brick94513-GoGoGo Mentor Group - Closed For Now! (Page 59)

Well, sadly I didn't hook up with Tim at the races this weekend.  Just too many people, and I was really busy being a mentor myself for my 8yo daughter (who took 2nd in her age group!) and her 9yo cousin (who was doing her first Tri).

Hope your race went well Tim, sorry we didn't get to meet in person!  Next time we'll have to be more specific on a place and time, I had no idea how many people would be there today!

And, btw, I CRUSHED the sprint course on Saturday!  Well, relatively speaking anyway...  finished 133/500+, and was the first mountain bike to finish the bike (not that there's  an award for that, but I was watching everyone going the other way looking for other mtb's).  I'll write a report tomorrow sometime and post it.

Thanks, dude. Didn't even think about checking on Amazon. I definitely do drink the heck out of this stuff during the summer, so I am interested in larger quantities.

Can't wait to read some RRs, people.....I need to live vicariously through you right now.

I wasn't able to train at the music festival (way too crowded), but I did a LOT of walking and danced more than I ever have in my life. I went ahead and logged the dancing in my training log  

WTG David! And a big congrats to your daughter! Very, very impressive - 2nd in her age group - I bet you are proud! Can't wait to read your RR...
 

It took me longer than I thought to get out there, so I was running late. I was still setting up transition when the kids race went off. I figured you were going to be tied up with you daughter at that point.

Congrats on your race and daughter's finish. That's awesome!

I had a good day. I think I made all my goals for the day. I had an unoffical time of roughly 2:19 on my watch. I'm waiting for them to post results online since I had to pack up right away to get the family going on vacation.

I'm really glad you have found BT and this mentor group beneficial!

Being able to see progress is awesome. That is great that you are able to swim farther with less exertion. Now, the challenge is to keep it up!

There is always something to learn from each other. I enjoy reading the race reports to see what worked for people and where they went wrong.

Nice job to the racers this weekend!!

Curt, I'm glad things are going well for you. Don't short change your progress, it's coming fast for you.

I had some good and bad this weekend.
Bad first:
1. Weather was "unpredictable" as only Chicagoland could be. I didn't get in as many bike miles as I wanted. Even if it didn't storm I don't think we would have got the miles in. One of the guys that came out for our ride hadn't ridden since last year and was clearly having some issues. Had to slow the pace down on the way back for him. I'm ok with this most of the time, but I told the guy we were training for a race coming up this weekend and he knew we needed to keep a good speed. He thought he could keep up and went anyway. I told him it was a drop ride, but I guess I'm too nice.
2. I feel like I went backwards again Masters swim. Felt like a brick in the water and didn't have the endurance. I didn't get out swimming this week as much as I wanted and it showed. Hopefully, I can get that back!!
3. Got caught in a hail storm yesterday about 3.5 miles from home on my run. It really frign' hurt!!

Good:
1. I extended my long run to 7.5 miles this weekend. Still working on building that mileage I can run using the 10% rule. My knees complained a bit on the run but seem to be recovering quicker, and my knees feel great now on shorter runs. Still taking the glucosamine and seems to help.
2. I felt great on the road bike. Slowing down, not doing hard efforts every workout, and allowing my body to recover is doing wonders for me. I feel more rested, stronger in my training and my HR seems to have more upper range on the bike. Hills that used to be brutal for me are much easier. The hill I use for drills I now can climb in almost half the time I did last year and I can do it more times for intervals. One hill on my normal route I used to struggle to carry 18mph on I was able to carry 24mph on!!!

race report posted, http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=211525&posts=1&start=1

Quick synopsis of my olympic distance race yesterday since split times are still not available. Official time was 2:19:15. I placed 40/318 overall and 10/?? in AG.

Typical nutrition plan, no food three hours prior to race. Overall, I pretty much stuck to my game plan:

SWIM

2 Endurolytes prior to swim and quick drink of water.

Eeeeww.... Water was warm! It was pushing 70 degrees. I was pretty bummed to only have a long sleeve wetsuit, but I didn't want to give up the advantage of wearing the suit either. Despite being warm, the swim went really well. In fact, I think this was my best swim ever. This was the first swim where I didn't feel like I was getting pushed around by the other racers. Instead, I was able to be more aggressive in fighting for position and getting around buoys. Another first, I was actually able to get myself into position to draft off other swimmers at couple different times. Sighting more often, every 9th stroke, kept me more direct and on course.

I was just under 26 minutes for 1640 yards which splits to roughly 1:35/100 yards.

T1:

As I came out of the water, stripped the upper body of the suit, goggles, and cap. I decided to take the lower portion of th suit off on a nice, grassy area on my way to the racks. Got to my bike, put helmet on, socks on (I like socks), and stepped into my shoes. Short run to transition exited. Opted to forego running mount since I haven't practiced this for some time. No issues here.

BIKE:

Terrain was rolling rural roads. Course was a simple out-and-back without any real climbing. Slight wind, but nothing that I'm not use to. I felt like I kept my cadence in the 92-95 ranges, good circles without mashing, and kept the effort aerobic. I stayed aero for the entire ride. Why is it such a great feeling to blow by guys riding on $3000 wheels?

Nutrition for the bike was 2 scoops of melon flavored HEED in 20 ounces of water.

Bike split was roughly 1:05, which correlates to 22.9 MPH.

T2:

As I approached transition, I got my feet out of my shoes and finished the last few hundred yards pedaling with my feet on top of the shoes. Dismounted on the fly and ran into transition. Racked the bike, helmet off, visor run, shoes on (lace locks), grabbed two Endurolytes, race belt, and gel flask, then took off for the run.

RUN:

Oh, what a pleasant surprise. The run course consisted of fire road, small paved road section, and single track. I also felt really fresh coming off the bike, but I still wanted to be cautious here. I went at an effort that I felt was slightly below threshold based upon my rate of breathing. It started to get pretty warm out on the run course. Grabbed water at each aid station to dump over my head. I had plenty left in my legs at the end of the run. I think I could of ran this pace for many more miles, which is a great sign coming off my rehab!

Nutrition was 2 ounces of Hammer Gel diluted with four ounces water in a six ounce flask.

Run splits were roughly 7:00 to 7:15 per mile. Total time was either at, or just below, 45 minutes. Considering this was a trail run, I'm quite satisfied with these splits.

THOUGHTS:

Great race! This race ended up being a nice hybrid of a traditional triathlon with trail running. Great organization, well marked, and adequate support. I will definately do this race again.

I'm very pleased with my performance. I hit all of my goals for the race. It was hard to hold back at times, but I kept my objectives in mind. This was a great confidence builder for me. I'm really looking forward to HIM at the end of the year!

I need to buy a sleeveless wetsuit.

Nice Tim!!! I bet that trail run really got you pumped up. I did my first one at Xterra and really liked it. I need to find a place to do more.

Did you hold back your effort as much as you wanted to?

I think so. I went a little harder than I was planning on the bike, but I still had reserve. The effort remained aerobic throughout. On the run, I set out to split between 7 and 7:15 and just held it there regardless of what was going on around me. This took a lot of discipline for me; its just not my nature! I never went anaerobic here, so I know I had more.

It was a super fun race! I had a great time and felt really good out there. It really has my pumped up for my "A" races coming up!

Alright... off to play some tennis with the wife. Kids are already in the pool with the grandparents. I might try to do a light run with my wife this evening.

Guys, I have some terrible news.  I hadn't seen Mark around lately so I sent him a PM yesterday.  His oldest daughter was killed in a car crash last week.  Please keep him and his family in your thoughts during this tragic time.

WOW, I have no words. Mark, you and your family will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers.

Horrible news.  Jay, thanks for letting us know.  Mark, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

OMG! I was wondering about him the other day. That's terrible! If you talk to him, send him our regards.

Holy crap!!!!  Your kids are not supposed to die before you!!!!  Worst nightmare.

Hope you & your family heal quickly, Mark... 

Mark -- May you find the strength and courage to deal with your loss.

Curt

that sounds like fun!! Especially the MTB part! I got a short road ride in with the wife last night. She's proof that a high $$ carbon bike won't make you fast! LOL Weather here kinda sucks. Raining today and looking like rain for the race over the weekend. I'll probably skip the race if it's muddy up there in Wisconsin.

I'm not sure what to do this week.  My side/back still hurts a lot, I don't think I want to run this week.  I'm thinking maybe just a few short bike rides on the rollers, and a LOT of stretching.  I don't think I'll be able to make it to a pool this week, otherwise I'd love to do some swimming.  This is the last week of school, lots of stuff going on all day long every day.

AFter this week, I've got four weeks till my next tri which is the exact same race I just did.  I'd like to beat my time!  I think my best chance is to focus on the bike for a few weeks and see if I can pick up some time there.  Realistically this week will be a rest week, then I'll have three weeks of training available, then the week leading up to the race will be light training again.  Is 4 weeks enough to see real improvements, or will I just be maintaining what I've got?

+1 I'm considering Matoon in September.

If I could learn how to F*ing swim, I'd give it a shot at Vegas, but that swim would kill me right meow.   I could drag myself through the bike/run but I definitely wouldn't be competetive.  Not sure I wanna drop 2 hundos on entry fees just to 'finish' one.

I feel I could muster through it. The swim would be hard though. I'd have to find a balance. Too hard in one event and I'd be walking on the run. Definitely, don't think I'd be competitive.