Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 67)

Hey everyone, I'm back after a week in Portland with great intentions to get a lot of running done..hmmm...my hat is off to all of you who run in the cold and gray.  George congrats on the great check up!

GANG!

For whatever reason, we are being hit these days by a number of power outages. Already today I have lost two longish posts to JEFF, and when I return in a bit I'm going to go with a series of short, succinct ones -- not really my style, but better than pecking away for 20 minutes and then see it all dissolve into cyberspace.

I shall return!

JEFF -

About Branson, i seem to remmebr a bunch of negatives and I will try to figure out what they are. One included a wicked killer bike course.....although that's not necessarily a bad thing!

Was part of it a crowded scene, too many tourists getting in the way? Related to that, a tacky venue? Yucky water? And of course, a a 70.3 race, the fee will be high and even without tourists, the course might be crowded.

Onwards!

JEFF again -

That was a tough little brick you did last year! Remind me to tell you about "Icks", the grandaddt of tough bricks for me. A really killer session......and one I haven't done in about three years. Maybe I ought ot do one this coming summer, just becasue. Actually, it's a stupendous session, but just not for the fialt of heart!

Onwards!

JEFF once more -

And the ankle today?

Well done yesterday, especially the swim. See? Progress is indeed happening! And if you are doing flip turns, you are a biggie up on me -- I have never done one. I rationalize that by telling myself I never need them in my races, but mostly I'm just lazy about putting the effort into learning them. I keep telling myself "next off-season"......but after about 10 off-seasons with no flip turns, I guess that's getting old..........

Onwards!

JEFF for the fourth -

Those non-refundable race fees.....

It used to be a kinder and gentler and more forgiving worls in that respect. It all changed 3 or 4 years ago when (a) races became a seller's market, and (b) Active became ubiquitous (the TicketMaster of athletics, which is NOT a good thing!).

I ate enough fees from '06-'09 that they became a food group unto themselves for me, and last season was the first one in which I really got smart about signing up for races. That's the big reason why I am so slow to get a race sched in place for this coming season -- don't want to sign up for stuff I may not be able to do! This especially pertains to the more expensive races, to which I am not going to commit any earlier than about the first of April.

Bah.

Yes it was a good swim . I began to question why. Wondering if doing most of my swims after work-8pm or so as compared to about 10 am yesterday after a run was a factor. I may try a little treadmill time this week before getting in the pool.
 I should call them "flip" turns or "roll over and push turn" I never nailed the perfect form but they do speed me up some, I think it maybe good training as far as breathing goes.

My ankle is OK, no apparent consequences. I am still favoring it and limp when I first get up. Anything weird like stumbling or jumping off a curb/steps etc is to be avoided.

 Branson was considered because it is a common destination for some of my wife's family and still close enough to us to be an easy trip. More of a "destination" than OKC. The timing of both works pretty well for me to train for. For next year I am considering either IMFL-Nov, IMAZ-Nov or IMTX in May I think as my "big race", unless we opt for the Full Redman.

Almost 70 degrees now-I need to get on my bike.
Later

ELLEN -

The Cascade race -- is that the one run by Piranha Sports? I've done a few of theirs, and they do a pretty decent job. If it's the one I'm thinking about, it's a hybrid between sprint and oly.

The only thing I can tell you about century rides is that people who do them love them, epsecially if they are fully supported. I guess that means well-stocked aid stations every 20 miles or so. Anyhow, I have never done one, although i have a vague interest in it.

As for spacing, though ---- I'll post this now and go have a look!

Onwards!







Edited by stevebradley 2011-02-13 1:31 PM

ELLEN again -

The spacing is great post-Eagle, and as for Cascade itself, it would be good to do as prep for Nations. The century the week after (which might be the 21st or 22nd) might be a problem for Nations, but not if you just do it to enjoy it. Nations is, I believe, Sept 10, so if the century is on the 21st or so that would give you three weeks of recovery -- should be fine!

If the century is the following weekend, though, that might be pushing it some leading into Nations. It's not a deal-breaker in all likelinhood, but just a caution.

Speaking of Nations, did you do it last year or anytime previously. I love the odd big-city tri, such as Chicago and NYC, and Nations has lots of appeal. Until lats week it looked as if Lynn and I would be in Newfoundland for the first couple of weeks in Sept, but that is likely to not happen, leaving that weekend potentially free for a race. There are a bunch that appeal then, but depending on what I might do on either the 3rd/4th and the 17th/18th, I just might not race on the Nations weekend anyway.

BUT! If you've done it, please tell me a few brief thoughts. I noiticed a few days ago that it is 62% full, so I still have time to dither about it!

ELLEN once more -

As for "...I may not be able to do this much longer.....", perish the thought! I fully believe you have several years more of racing left in you, just because you haven't mentioned any history of injuries.

In my own case, I have started doing less longer racing than I used to. Part of me feels bad about that, but in fact I love olys and have enjoyed the focus the past two years of working to get my oly time down below 2:30. I have largely succeeded at that (Columbia last season was 2:40 -- first in a.g., but still), and now I am shooting at 2:25 or less, consistently, for olys.

But I digress!

Well, not really, my point being that after the long stuff, there is still a universe of shorter things -- or gentler things, such as century rides.

Keep the faith in yourself and your acquired strength and endurance over the years!!

BOB -

I knew if I scratched and pawed around in the duff and humus ong enough, I'd eventually find you. And there you were!

Charles Dickens would've made a rather unforgiving triathlon father -- if the kids got in the way of his training, he would've shipped them off to blacking factories, or selling matches on the corner, or sweeping chimneys. Now, I am NOT recommending that as an answer for you; I'm just sayin'!

Your Life's Load does sound burdensome, or at least quite heavy. I am glad you are getting reinfoecements in; not Supernanny, though, is it?

And if one must be burdened, this time of year is the perfect time for it, with race seaon still (too far!) a ways away. With my tendon-truncated running program over the past few weeks, that's what I keep telling myslef, anyhow!

Don't stray too far, and you can't get too smitten by that foxy Fexy group of yours! (See? I fixed you up, and now you have no more use for me! The story of my life! )

SARAH -

Yes, definitely trying for quality, although another way to say that is no more "throwaway" races. I really was good at that this past season, for the first time in a long time. It kinda felt nice. Righteous.

I'm currently re-tooling my schedule (revision D or E, I think), based on Lynn telling me that we may not be going to Newfoundland in September after all. Plus, seeing as how I probably can't afford to go to London for Worlds, there my not be much point in doing the USAT Nationals; no point in qualifying if I can't go! A few other glitches/twists have reared thier heads, so it's back to the drawing board. Sigh.

All that me!me!me! silliness aside, on to YOU!

That would be tricky, doing training for a Sept marathon so soon after your August oly. It would either compromise the oly, or REALLY compromise the marathon. I think the only truly feasible approach would be to treat one of them as a "C"-priority race........and doing that with the marathon could be dangerous in terms of showing up on race day ripe for injuries.

The other way to do it is to focus on the marathon from about 18 weeks out, and squeeze in enough swimming and cycling to do some justice to the oly. The oly, then, would be something you do just to break up the monotony of the marathon training --- and in part to reward yourself for including swimming and cycling as very valid forms of cross-training during the marathon journey?

Let me guess -- the marathon is very close to where you live, yes? Which one is it, and are there any somewhat further away, but maybe in Oct or even (ideally!) Nov?

Gotta post before we lose power again!






Edited by stevebradley 2011-02-13 2:53 PM

Steve,

I have done Nation's twice now.It was my first and I love it.  It is very flat and the scenery can't be beat.  Well, I happen to find Washington, DC a  spectacular venue.  You swim under Memorial Bridge on a very well maked course and you ride by the Lincoln Memorial and the Kennedy Center. The ride is out the Clara Barton Parkway which goes along the canal and the Potomac River.  I guess most triathlons are like this, but it is not so crowded that you can't ride as fast as you want with the Park Police making sure there is not a car on the road.  It rained last year, which was not fun, but it cleared up and the end was just fine. The run takes you by the Washington Monument and down Haines Point which is across the river from Reagan National.  I think this is a race where you probably could go under 2:25.  I guess that means you would pass me several times.  Actually, you can only pass me once (gawd, I hope it is not on the swim!!)  Last  year the old ladies went off earlier than in the past so I finished before they all packed up and went home. 

Ellen

ELLEN -

A wily veteran of Nations, you are!

Thank you for the info, and it has suddenly become quite tempting. I did Chicago in '03 and '08 and New York in '05 and '09, so I'm due for another city-based one. If it happens tthis year, it will be either Nations or Pittsburgh; Chicago is just too clsoe to other rces that matter. I can also consider the offspring of Nations, which I think is being held in June; is it called DCTriathlon, maybe? Then there is Philly, but that one doesn't actually play around too much in the heart of Philly; I like the ones that at least flirt meaningfully with the city's core.

I have done way too many races that feature "stunning views" and "amazing countryside", as I usually don't bother to appreciate the sights. I hate to sound a bit like Ronald Reagan here, who once said something like "You've seen one tree, you've seen them all", but at least in triathlons, the more scenic ones are just kind of variations on a theme for me.

At Chicago and NYC, though, I just gotta look up every once in a while and revel in the urban landscape. And at Chicago, it is NECESSARY to look up on the bike. The way it works is long out-and-backs on Lakeshore Drive, which has four lanes each way. The outer two lanes in both directions have traffic flowing as usual, with the inner (nest to the median) two lanes each way for the bikes. Passing is supposed to be done on the RIGHT, which is not only a mindbender but also potentially dangerous, maybe being foeced into the cars on the right of you. But the views are spectacular, especially the long stretch back south after the turnaround, with the terrific Chicago skyline looming up ahead. Fantastic!

At NYC, it is like Nations -- the Henry Hudson is completely closed to traffic. Where a few zillion cars travel every day, for the one day of the NYC Tri it is boiikes only. Wheeee! And swimming in the Hudson, with the incredible current, is a real trip. I want to get this posted now, but later on I will tell a story or two about that. Stay tuned maybe later this evening!

And thanks again for the Nations information!







Edited by stevebradley 2011-02-13 4:42 PM

ELLEN again -

Here are the NYC Tri swim stories, and unlike the other baltherings from daffy Uncle Steve here, the first of these has a training lesson attached to it!

Back in '04 and '05, a fairly regular poster at www.slowtwitch.com was Doug Stern, a NYC swim guru of very high regard. He had tons of great advice to offer, and most of his posts had at the end somehting like "If you are ever in NYC and want a swim lesson, give me a call. Which is what I did, and scheduled it for the Friday before the Sunday race. He had unlimited access to a pool on the Upper West Side, and he met me there for a private one-hour lesson.

He watched me swim, offering coorrections throughout, then videotaped me and we went over that, and then I swam some more, with more on-going corrections. By the end of it, there were about seven areas on which he thought I should focus, ranging from my entry, through my catch, into the pull including body roll, and aspects of my recovery -- basically every part of my whole stroke cycle needed work (not surprisingly at all!)

Fast-forward to the race itself, with the point-to-point in the Hudson, and timed so that the tide is going out. Incredibly fast swims were the norm, with some pros and elites the year before going UNDER 10 minutes for the exact 1500 meters -- from about 100th St down to maybe 72nd (I forget exactly). It starts at a long jetty into the Hudson, and the first peolple in the water for each wave have to hold onto a rope -- otherwuise they will get swept downriver before their wave starts, and in that current even the fastest swimmers cannot get back to the start. The others in the wave wait on the deck and jump into right after the ones in the water let go of the rope when the horn goes.

For me, an oly swim is about 29-33 minutes; I've done one under 29, a few over. I'm mostly content with 30, will accept 31 --- and at NYC '05 I was hoping to shatter that mark by double-digit figures. To add to my chances, there had been torrential rains for three days before the race, so the Hudson was swollen and REALLY wild -- perfect for an asterisk PR oly swim!

Horn goes, I startswimming --- and immediately begin to implement the things that Doug told me. Each stroke, I tried to do the six or seven improvements he recommended; I was very earnest and dutiful. Worked on the catch, worked on the kick, worked on my rotation and my entry and the other things in between. I wasn't feeling too swift in the water, however, but figured that was just the uniqueness of being swept downriver. Wheee? I also figured that by implementing Doug's suggestions, I would have a great swim -- despite how odd I felt. I got to the end, was swept up onto the ramp, looked at my watch --- 30:12. 30:12!!! I couldn't believe it! I was dumbfounded, crestfallen, just felt that a glorious opportunity had passed me by for an asterisk PR.....and I wasn't even a full minute better than my normal 1500m swim times. ARGGHHHH!

Of course, what happend was that I spent so much time messing with my stroke during the actual swim that I didn't really swim at all, or at least not how I had swum for years. In hindsight I shouldn't've made any changes during the race, or, at most, just one. DOH!

SO! The big lesson there is that during any swim session we do, we shouldn't try to re-invent our swim all at once. If we have three things to focus on, just isolating one at a time is the way to go. That's a lesson to try to follow each time I do technique work in the pool, and when I fully succeed at it (no mean feat for me, to be that patient), the results usually support that approach.

The final of these stroies jumps up to '09, my return to NYC Tri, and where I entered the water with no agenda other than to swim my time-honored (??) way and work with the curent at the same time. EXACT same swim, but with slih=ghtly less current than after the rians in '05 ---- and I exited the water in 19:21. Halleloo! So, there is my 1500m (asterisk) swim PR, knowing full well that I don't nor,mally have the swim chops to even go under 28. But I'll take it, to be sure!

Blah, blah, blah..........




Edited by stevebradley 2011-02-13 5:12 PM

ELLEN once more -

Sadly, Doug died a couple of years ago, I think from some form of cancer. I don't think he was even mid-60s. He was a terrific teacher, and any of those mistakes I made during the race swim were strictly my fault for being a chowderhead. He probably figued I knew better -- and in fact that was true. It goes under the category of NEVER TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY.....but I got greedy for an advantage and temporarily lost my mind (Lynn woud say this is not an isolated occurrence..... ). Live and learn?

ELLEN -

18-20 year-olds, sure, as they're still struggling with evolving into humanoid adults. But an at-the-time 55.5-year-old?? Oy!

Truthfully, I was very embarrassed about that at the time, but it has become a story I mostly enjoy telling on myself. It's good that the mind works that way, sytematically ironing out life's little rough spots over time. It has always done well that way for me, clearing out the detritus from previous dumb things to make ample room for subsequent ones.

At some point ("another day") I'd like to hear more about you and an adult lifetime at NCI. There must have been several sea-changes in knowledge and policy and funding since you started, yes?

Ran a 5k yesterday and thank goodness the cold weather gods were nice and we got to run in a balmy 30+ morning!! Time wasn't my best but with my lack of training the last couple of weeks I am satisfied that I finished!!

Steve
Yes yes I am here!! Re: my biking issues, I am hoping the bike fitteing helps some and that's a good idea I will start making a list of questions and concerns to take along! My husband has been trying to convince me to get some clipless pedals and in the spring to start going on the group rides with the local bike club. I have been keeping up with everyones posts and have been paying special attention to the posts about biking. I was really focusing on my swimming this fall and winter and running is what I love to do, so the biking (being the least favorite and I feel like I am lacking so much) has been very neglected. As you mentioned "reading the road" and being aware of my surroundings I think is something I haven't really thought about with the bike I feel that is something I am very aware of and do while running but not while biking I am usually thinking about just getting it over with!! So putting the time in and having a more positive attitude are probably my biggest road blocks to being stronger on the bike?!
I am not mechanical at all either so having something happen while I am out on the bike is also a little scary but I do carry my cell phone!!
ok I will stop rambling now thanks for your input!!!
Shannen

George, 
Great job making such an important lifestyle change. Even better job seeing such rewarding results from the change!
Johanne 

Hello all.  been lurking again.  trying to keep motivated and moving forward.  At least the weather here in the northeast has improved a little so that I don't feel totally like hibernating.  Everyone here is doing such an awesome job!  

Bike Fitting -- I am actually thinking about having a professional bike fitting done.  I have lost so much weight since I bought my bike 5 years ago that I think that it needs some adjusting.  I know that when I spin now the saddle height needs to be a couple of notches higher so I guess I am thinking that for my road bike I should have a fitting done.  Any thoughts from the group about this?

Swimming -- I have been trying to get in the pool 3 times a week.  was successful last week but not sure about this coming week as work is going to be challenging.  One thing I am still struggling with is breathing.  I swam with the snorkel yesterday and realized that with it I tend to take much deeper inhales than without it.  How does one manage to get a deep breath in?  Should I just try and breath more often than every 4-6 strokes? I have tried the every 3 strokes but feel like my lungs don't empty so I am not really breathing effectively...  Any thoughts?

Thanks!!!  
Spring is just around the corner (or at least that is what I keep telling myself as all I see is mounds of snow when I look outside)
Alex 

Sarah,
My first marathon is March 6th. I planned it intentionally early in the season to get it done and, if I needed it, to have time to recover in case I broke myself .  For me, I'm glad I did. I've had some muscle overuse issues that have caused me to stay off the bike for a couple of weeks to allow me to get my runs in. My quads are really tight and I've had ITB problems. My chiro and I decided to stay off the bike to see if it helped settle down. I think it has. I'm not too worried about losing bike fitness since I'll have time to get it back after my race.

On the other hand, maybe a later season marathon could work well for you. You'll be stronger to begin with and the extra miles might not be a problem. The midweek runs won't take as much time as the long weekend ones when you're building so you'll have to factor that in.

Keep us posted!
Johanne 

Officially checking in as I start my taper. Yea!

I ran my last high mileage run Saturday. 20 miles. I started about 9:00 along a paved path where I wouldn't run out of trail. I mentally do much better with an out and back or one big loop for training runs. My plan was to do 3 mile runs then a walk break to drink/fuel. At 6 miles my achy leg warmed up and felt great so I was thrilled. This trail doesn't have a lot of amenities. The only drinking fountain/bathroom is at mile 9 from where I started so I refilled my water bottle there. My plan worked until about mile 12 then I just started getting tired and hot (it was sunny and 75!) so I shorted the runs and took a few more walk breaks. I averaged under 11:00 min miles for the first half of the run then my walking breaks had me average about 12:30 for the whole 20 miles. Overall I was happy with that. When I started running I used to average 13:00/mile for 1 mile so I've seen great improvements. I'm never going to be fast but I'm going to be faster

Now I have a 3 week taper! I might swap out one of my mid week runs for a bike ride but otherwise I think I'm on track. My official goal is to not get picked up by the SAG bus at the 6 hour mark when they close the course. My super secret goal is to finish at 5:00 hrs. It will be a fun, fun weekend and I'm looking forward to just taking it all in.

My friend suggested watching this movie for inspiration, Spirit of the Marathon. You can watch it free on hulu.com It's about people training for the Chicago Marathon a few years ago. I'm going to watch it a few more times

Just to let you all know, it's RAINING in San Jose! We've had the driest, warmest January and February and now we're going to get rain all week. We need it and the horses will enjoy the little vacation. 

Have a great week!
Johanne

Sorry to have been MIA.  I have some catch up reading to do I see. 

I finally got a speed workout in last week.  My first since my knee surgery and I overdid it.  I am going to take a few more running weeks off before trying again.  I have a feeling the Eliptical will become my friend here shortly.  I did the eliptical for 10 mins this morning just to get a feel for it.  This is the first time I have tried one.  Not sure if I like it yet but might have to. 

Hope everyone's training is going well. 

Very good movie if you are into Marathons.  Another good movie is called "Hood to Coast" that was in the movie threatre not to long ago.  It's about a relay race from Mount Hood to the Oregon Coast.  You have a team of 12 that takes on this 197 mile challenge.  One of the guys I run with ran the year they filmed it.  I recommend it as something you can watch while you are on the trainer or treadmill.  I don't know if it has been released yet since I saw it in the theatre but I can't see there being a big demand for it.