Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 59)

ALEX again -

We're still having computer problems, so I'm trying to post things before I commit too much to them and they don't get posted. (It took me several panicky tries to get the wetsuit one successfully posted earlier today!)

My first tri season had three races, from mid-August to mid-Sept. I had a long time to formulate some goals.....but didn't come up with much more than finish all trhee and learn several things from each. Well, additionally there was a nebulous goal of doing the run part of each of them fairly well, seeing as how I had come from a run background, but I didn't define it any better than that; it was more of a construct than a goal!

Overall, though, that worked for me in '00. I just wanted to feel that triathlon was something I could do happily and (still nebulous here) somewhat successfully, that it was worth devoting more energy to in the future. I could regale you with the details of each of those three sprints I did in '00, and how they satisfied my rather open-ended goal, but I'll just leave it at saying that finsihing and learning were workable goals for me.

John mentioned his goal for this coming season and his thought about a future time-based iron goal in 2012, and I'll just briefly mention my goals.

My USAT ranking is always important to me, and so I will continue working to improve that. For 2009 I was 52/570 in M60-64 with a score of 77.10338, and for the 2010 I am 39/630 with a score of 78.34689. So, I improved a fair bit, satisfying part of my USAT rankings-based goals. However, a larger goal is being straight USAT All-American, while for both '09 and '10 I was All-American Honorable Mention. In order to be straight A-A you need to be in the top 5% of the age group. In '09 I was in the top 9%, for '10 the top 6%. So, I still have a little bit more work to do!!

Using Friel's guidelines from the last post, all but #2 work with me and the USAT rankings. The problem with #2 is that how I rank depends on how others do as well, not to mention that how I score on any given race will depend on who shows up on race day. Another wy to sy this is in depends on how well the race wiinner does, as in effect everybody's scores are based on his finishing time.

Better for me are the goals I set on improving times. Two years ago it was to mostly consistently finish olys under 2:30, and I have succeeded at that. Those types of goals satisfy all four of Friel's goal-setting principles.

I always want to win my age group, but that will depend on who shows up on race day! I could give you a list of people who are "threats" to me and my desire to win my a.g., so when I see thier names on the registrants list I know I have my work cut out for me! So, that one again falls into the hazard zone of #2 -- I can have a great race, but if Chris Wren or Tim Higgins has a better one (which is likely.......), then that goal is missed.

Again, I could go on and on and on abouit this stuff, but I'm aiming for some semblance of more brevity (would you have known??) with my posts, so I'll leave it there for now!

SARAH -

Along about eight or nine years ago I mentioned to Lynn that I was thinking of getting abike that would work in ice and/or snow..........and she fixed me with such a withering glare that I haven't brought up the topic since then. So, it's just me and my tri bike, seemingly forever and anon!

David,

You can get the look cleats with "grippers" on them.

Here is a link to the different types of cleats for the SPD-SL.  There are two types of cleats.  yellow and red.  Yellow I believe have 15 deg of float and the Red have 0 deg of float.  these cleats only come with grippers.
http://bike-parts.pricepoint.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&w=spd+sl

Here is a link for the Look pedals.  The Red have 15 deg of float, the Grey have 8 or 9 deg of float, and the Black has 0 deg of float. The reg cleats are on teh top left and the grippers are on the top right.
http://bike-parts.pricepoint.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&w=look+cleats&asug=Look+

JEFF -

Good try? I hope it's better now, about 8 hours after mishap o'clock. Are you still using ice? Better to feel silly or foolish than swollen and sore, I always say. (Kind of makes a treadmill look inviting in hindsight, dosesn't it?)

Very stiff,upper ankle up the calve. No discoloration, icing for 20 minutes at a time every cpl of hours and stretching it through range of motion in between

Yikes! That sounds like no good. Rest up and hopefully it's a minor thing. Props to you for trying, though. That's impressive.

Alex,

Just finishing each event was exactly my goal last season, which was my first. Of course I wanted to have a certain time or pace or whatever, but primarily, I wanted to finish and finish happy and want to come back for more. Such was the case for my first sprint and not the case for my first Oly. But even so, I enjoyed the atmosphere and sport enough that I'm back this season.

But now I'm in the same boat as you since I've already accomplished my goal of finishing and I don't know where to go from there. I was super slow last year so even with minimal training I will set PRs so I don't know. I guess I have some time to figure this out.

Oh, and my secondary goal last season, after finishing each event, was not to be so last that they're picking up the cones after me, which I never was. Almost in the Oly, but not quite. This time I think my goal will be to stay with some sort of pack and not be one of the last stragglers. I'm pretty sure that's attainable.

Good luck!

Kasia

Steve,

Yes they do. They enjoy other people's suffering a little too much, and some of their signs just rub it in. Oh well. I guess that's what you get signing up for these kinds of things

And wow, you have a great memory regarding sporting events. I am quite impressed. So remembering 70 shouldn't be too hard, I see.

Kasia

BRENDA -

You're back! You had me worried! One minute we were talking about waking heart rates (ba-BUMP!), the next --- you had disappeared. Did you miss us in your absence?

I'm sory that didn't work for you, but if you're still curious you can aim for a resting rate. I told Sarah just this morning or yesterday that I often do a resting HR about 30-45 after I wake up, especially if it's early in the morning and I'm just quietly reading. Almost always, that value will be lower than my waking one. Waking might be 44, say, and the resting one 45 minutes later will be 39-41. This morning it was 45 waking, then 41 resting. So, you might want to try that and see if your data are useful.

Good question about bike fitting, and not easy to answer. (But I'll try anyhow.)

A large part of me says that you shouldn't mess with comfort -- that if you ride without issues now, you should be content enough with that. I have considered an update to ny own fitting each of the past two off-seasons, but have chickened-out because I am afraid of aggravating a long-dormant S-I joint problem. I think i could benefit from a slight tweaking, but seeing as how my cycling is strong right now, I don't know if the questionable benefits exceed the potential risks.

You say you are slow, but how are your bike times compared woith other women in your age group? If in any given race your bike split is in the top half of your a.g., then you have reason to be conservative about getting a potentially radical make-over. If it's in the lower half, however, and if race placement and improvement matters to you, then you might want to have a fitting that improves your position.

I can say with almost 100% certainty that you currently are not in your optimal position, and that a professional fitting could make a very big difference to how you ride the thing. And not only that, but also how you feel running off the bike.

Which brings me to my next question, to wit: How well do you run off the bike? In this case, "well" can mean a couple of things -- how comfortable are you, how fast are you? Let me know your thoughts on those, okay?

A good set of wheels will help.....but not near as much as if your position is more optimal. The same thing could be siad for a good aero helmet, which many people feel is far more cost-effective than an expensive set of race wheels. But for the helmet also, position matters. At an extreme, if one sits upright then an aero helmet will actually be far more detrimental than a standard helmet.

As I continue here, I think I am coming across more and more in favor of a fitting......and I guess thta's the case. I just sense that you are not entirely happy with your bike performances, and are looking at ways to improve on that. If you have a relaible bike shop near you, then I'd ask them what they recommend, and say exactly what you said in your post. If they look at you on your bike and see seven areas that need tweaking, then ask them to do just a couple or a few to begin with. Think of it as another type of upgrade. Most of us upgrade our equipment over time, not in one fell swoop. I guess the same approach could work for bike fittings!

Finally.........still nothing comprehensive for you on USAT rankings. Soon, soon, soon! Mentioning it passingly in a post a while ago to Alex got me thinking about it ; well, actually realizing that I've now gone about a month without responding to your questions about it. I apologze!

Soon? Soon!

ALEX --This is my first year too and my sole goal is to finish the one sprint I'm signed up for. Given that I have no background in any of the sports, that seemed reasonable to me.I also am planning on doing a 5K on a long run training day to just get acclimated to being in a race setting, but that is a nice-to-do, not a goal I'm committing to. Good luck, Adam.

KASIA -

Lynn could cite you book, line, and verse about my "selective" memory. I can only tell you that she is far less impressed with my Booby Orr memory than I am!

As I said, though, it's iconic for Bostonians -- especially hard-core Bruins fans. There was just so much suffering for so long, and then in just a couple of years a bunch of pieces fell in place and they became a great team. I will try to find a source that will tell me just how utterly crappy they were in the early 60s.

My dad took me to lots of Bruins and Red Sox games when I was a kid, and then when I got old enough to go on my own, I went about as often as I could. (I lived about 25 miles from Boston, though, so it was a difficult commute.) When I lived in Boston for a few years, though, it all got better -- especially seats in the center-field belachers for a dollar in the late 60s into the early 70s. Wheeeee!

Photos are ready to go. Pardon the smudged ones. There was mud on them.

Here we are pre-race, all clean and pretty: (L to R) Me, my roommate Maggie, and my soccer teammate Bondy





Wading and eventually swimming across the lake to Walk the Plank (you can see it in the top left corner). I'm on the far right, Maggie's in the foreground.





Climbing up to the platform for Walk the Plank. It was a vertical wall, about 10 feet tall with a rope handing down. Of course the wall was muddy and slippery so you couldn't really climb up very well.





The best picture I have of me and the mud (mile 1.5-ish). Not quite as impressive as what came later in the race.





Trying to get warm post-race. I'm on the left under the blanket. It's 70 degrees outside.





The tub after we tried washing our clothes in it:





My legs on Monday, 2 days after Tough Mudder. At least I was no longer limping from soreness.



Speaking of soreness, I forgot to add in the original write-up that I was sore on Sunday in the weirdest places: my left hip flexor and the muscle running on the outside of my right ankle, places I've never hurt before. So with both sides in pain, I had a weird limp going on. And every time we got up from sitting, we'd forget that we were sore and spring up like we do normally. Big mistake. Then all three of us would stop mid-stance and groan. It was especially funny seeing us walk up to a stair. We'd all pause, look down, grumble, look down again, and eventually hobble down. We all kind of did it in unison and everyone had the same reaction. It was hilarious to watch, but it also hurt to laugh. Oy, I should stretch next time...


And lastly, here's part of why the Tough Mudder folks are so awesome. Besides the fact that their info packet says to bring a "Hydration system - FILLED WITH WATER, not cerveza", it also states that they "DO NOT recommend you buying a brand spanking new pair of kicks for this event;
shoes get muddy, because you are running through mud. At Tough Mudder, all shoes go to heaven (or get recycled and delivered to starving/shoeless children in Africa)."

So here is said pile of donated shoes:

KASIA again -

Here we go, and worse than I remember!

60/61 --- 15W, 42L, 13T -- 43 points, last place (5th place had 54 pts)
61/62 --- 15W, 47L, 8T ---- 38 pts, last place (5th had 60 pts)
62/63 --- 14W, 39L, 17T -- 45 pts, last (5th had 56)
63/64 --- 18W, 40L, 12T -- 48 pts, last (5th had 54 -- getting closer!)
64/65 --- 21W, 43L, 6T --- 48 pts, last (5th had 52 -- closer still!)
65/66 --- 21W, 43L, 6T --- 48 pts, FIFTH!!! (Rangers had 47)
66/67 --- 17W, 43L, 10T -- 44 pts, back to last, with 5th at 58 points. sigh.

BUT!!!! From the following season onwards it was glorious for many, many years!!!!!!!

Haha Kasia... those all sound like great ideas.  Except my 'spend money on wife's vacation' budget is already spoken for this year.  With the new baby, I figured come around May my wife would be getting pretty burned out, so I've already spoken with her best friend, and am planning a vacation for the two of them.  That means I'm on daughter duty full time, no chance of racing.  Maybe when Lizzie is a little bigger, I can have a friend watch the girls while I race.

Anyway, probably healthier for me to stick with regular 'torture' as my wife calls if for the first tri season of my life... I've got many long years of racing to come!

Edited by DuncanQH 2011-02-02 8:45 PM

Kasia...Great pics from the race! Thanks for sharing...hopefully I'll be able to get some shots at the WD so I can share with everyone!

Kasia/Steve/Daniel....thanks for the info on the Clipless Pedals/Cleats/Shoes. I'm hoping to get out this weekend and begin my research at a couple of local Tri stores in the area, plus REI. I'm assuming most pedals will go on any road bike (no matter how old the bike is) ! I'll keep everyone posted on the progress and share any information I learn for others who may be crossing this bridge later on in the year!

It's been a busy week at work so far, but I've been able to get all my workouts in so far. Did some hill work on the bike today....oh man that was brutal...but hopefully it will help. My hill skillz are pretty weak and any improvement will be helpful!!!

David

Happy New Year Duncan... It the year of the wabbit (1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999).  Hope everyone has a great day..

Thanks
George

David,

I have Shimano SPD pedals on my bike and I like them just fine. One reason I got them is the spin bikes at the gym use the same clip so I can use my shoes at the gym in spin class. It is so much nicer using my bike shoes in spin. It also gave me an opportunity to get used to clipping in and out on something that wasn't going to tip over. I got my shoes before my bike so when I did get my bike I was used to getting out and I haven't fallen....... yet.

OK, Let's play amateur diagnostician.
Yesterday after my little fall on ice my initial guess was a grade 1 ankle sprain. At that time no significant swelling or discoloration, I could walk, at a limp and had good range of motion.
This morning there was swelling across the foot, not large and not discolored except perhaps a little darker in back, but noticeable. The pain is in back, near the Achilles. I have some strength and ROM but it is painful. The more I move around the easier it gets to a point, but still hard. The symptoms do not match completely anything I can find on the net but several are close.
The fact that the pain is behind my ankle and radiates up my calf instead of either side gives me reason to doubt a straight up ankle sprain. I wish I could remember which way it turned when I fell but it happened too fast and my denial system kicked in as I pretended I wasn't really falling.
 
I realize this is not a substitute for real medical care but just an intellectual exercise. I get the sense that the weather has our local ER's and minor emergency clinics very busy with real problems so I'll wait and see if I need them next week. I would have to drive myself anyway and not sure I want to hobbled down my ice covered steps.
 I am on day three off work, had very little to do anyway now I have less that I CAN do...so here I am

Kasia, I loved your pictures, thanks for sharing.  It looks like a fun event.
Melinda

I use these Look Cleats (Road Grips).  No slipping when you are off your bike and walking on hardwood floors, tile, etc.  Store owners don't give you dirty looks either.  They have worn really well so far.

http://www.trisports.com/look-keo-grip-cleats.html 

Hope you are fine!  I refuse to run on ice or snow.  Really messed up my piriformis a couple of years ago.  The cold doesn't bother me but snow and ice covered roads and sidewalks sure do!

Kasia-awesome pictures!  The smile on your face says it all. 

How was the Warrior Dash?  Any older folks doing the Warrior Dash?  I think I would probably break something!

Steve-

I gave you some info a few pages back, don't want you to miss it!

I have ran twice this week on the TM and it went well both times.  My form is improving and the 90+ cadence seems a little more natural.

Bike class was great on both Tuesday and today.  Hard workouts with lots of sweat!  Swimming tomorrow for the first time in awhile.  Not sure how long or what the exact workout will be.  Any suggestions?

BTW, Wisconsin looks like Siberia!  Drifts on the county roads are higher than the top of our Jeep Cherokee!  We received over 18 inches of snow in less than 3 days.

LORI -

If the info you are referring to pertains to wear patterns, I had indeed missed it. Oops!

Let me just re-state the wear:
1.) Outside heel (partially)
2.) Inside midfoot (partially)
3.) "Outside of the toe" ---- which toe??

When you say inside of the midfoot, would that be about under the ball of your big toe, or maybe a part further towards the arch?

I think your answer to that question, and the one about which toe, might be key. As it stands, though, you seem to be a high-arched person who does not supinate. A classic supinator (under-pronator) will land on the outside, amke contact trhough the midfoot on the outside, and exit off the front either down the middle or -- you guessed it -- the outisde (4th and 5th toes). This is not ideal, as it means the foot is too rigid and doesn't absorb shock at all well. As I mentioned to either you or Johanne, people in this category are susceptible to ITB problems, stress fractures, and hip issues - especially bursitis.

For you, however, even though you have high arches you are still pronating, which is shown by the wear of the inside of your foot at the midfoot region. So, your feet are not overly rigid, and natural shock absorption is happening because the of pronation. That's good! However, if you are pronating too much (whcih might be determined by how far along the midfoot the wear pattern extends), that is not good. Over-pronators can be more susceptible to achilles problems, plantar fasciitis, knee issues........and shin splints.

BUT ----- It might be that your feet are behaving quite well. That is, you land on the outside of your heel, and then your foot rolls inward which means it is flexible and is absorbing shock, and then it rolls outward slightly, thus becoming rigid and stable -- which aids in an effective toe-off.

So, let's let the jury be out a while longer, at least until you answer the two questions above. Okay?

As for the MTSS and uneven trails, there's not a ton of evidence that that is a major culprit. It can be for other things, such as achilles and knee problems, but not so much for shin splints. Speedwork, however, can be a factor, especially if it is on hard, unforgiving surfaces (especially concrete - the gray stuff).

Over the years I have become an abject baby about some of this stuff. That is, I don't run on trails (although I would dearly love to!), and I avoid almost all traditional forms of speedwork. I do most of my in-season runs as tempo efforts, and I will engage in fartleks, but intervals and strides are things can get my achilles going in a heartbeat. I am NOT advocating that you stop doing trails and speedwork, especially if you enjoy those sessions and get some benefits from them. Mostly....I'm just sayin'!

I hope some of this helps?

LORI again -

First swim in a while tomorrow? Just enjoy it! Don't count yardage at all, and maybe not even look at the pool clock or your watch; that is, don't swim for speed (well, if you're feeling real frisky and coltish, then some is okay!).

I like to believe that a potential benefit of coming bcak from a kind of long swim lay-off is that you can partially "wipe the slate clean" of bad habits. So, my first several pool swims in the off-season will be REALLY slow and methodical, just trying to do everything correctly -- especially my catch and pull. Really, though, I will focus on everything that seems to matter in technique, and will just take my time with each length.

I think I mentioned to Daniel, or Alex, that when I'm swimming "mindfully" I will stop at the end of each length and think a moment about what I just did, what I hoped to accomplish, and how I have to change things to do it better. I will also focus on juts one thing at a time; well, two at most. I won't try to re-invent my swimming all at once (been there, couldn't do that! ), but will attempt it in increments. Incremental increments. Incrementally incremental increments. No "immediate gratification" for this swimmer!

But, if you think you wil just enjoy do a long, leisurely swim, then will work, too. If it matters to you to rediscover the sense that you could do a traithlon tomorrwo and cruise nicely through the swim, then that is a real strong reason to just do a solid, steady swim.

Let me know what you decide, and have fun with it.

Glub, glub!!!