Holt's Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 7)

Gee everyone, it does seem we're struggling with running! I think the main thing to remember is that life-happens and you should listen to your body - if you're tired then you're tired. There are of course times when it's just easier to give it up and those are the days when you should push through. It's not easy knowing those mental-weakness times at the start though.

It's not all negative though. Look back through your training diary and see why you are tired. See whether it's workout related, sleep related or mental stress etc... whatever it is, once identified  you're that much closer to sorting it out...

Sdejan, not sure how much you've been training (compared to your normal workload) but sounds to me like you are just tired. 10 days away from a race is a stage where you shouldn't be starting your taper yet BUT if you've had a hard build up you could have 'burnt out - either physically or mentally.

Physically means rest and clever training, but if i'm struggling mentally i'll quite often get a short bike or a run in 'on the way' somewhere. Like running to the pool, or to work. Once i'm dressed and out the door, that it's i'm on my way.

For inspiration, i'll just look up "Ironman Team Hoyt" or "Ironman Nick Ruane" on youtube.

Lewis.

The race is only a sprint tri. 400m/12mi bike, 3.1 mi run. I feel pretty confident on the swim and the bike. I did end up signing up for it. It is actually on Saturday, instead of the usual Sunday race. I have already resigned myself that although I will try my best, if I must walk during the run part, so be it. This will be motivation for me more so than racing. So wish me luck!

There are a couple of things that motivate me but I think the main one is just that I don't want to go back to the person I used to be.  I was always tired, always mad about something, and just generally unhappy.  Granted, there were other factors that contributed to that, but basically I wasn't happy with my life or myself.  Now I am (I still have issues but I feel like I can handle them better now) and I want to continue to be that way.  So on those days when I don't feel like working out, I think about that lazy, unhappy person and it gets me out the door.

Good luck!  Can't wait to hear about it!

Great idea.  The Y is only about half a mile from my house and there is a pretty neighborhood around it I can run through to stretch out the distance.  I even have a small permanent locker there, so if I use that to my advantage I won't have to carry anything!

Ditto that!  I'm getting distracted by a couple of life things, one not so great, the other one happy (fostering kittens, man are they cute!), and I can feel my diet and mood slipping along with my workouts.  I do NOT want to go back to 5 sizes larger, Oreo dinners on the couch, groaning with every movement, and morbidly depressed.  I could get there easily, did it before!  I'm hoping that my race is a big motivator in itself, reminding me why I got into this craziness to begin with. 

Morrisel, best of luck on your race!  Let us know how it goes!!!

 One of my first questions to the group is "What is your it" what motivates you? What gets you out the door?

So this week has been a little tough for me, end of school year (I teach junior college), putting my dog of 8 years down and the weather here in Wisconsin won't make up it's mind.  It is so important for me to get outside at this stage so that everything becomes much more real for me.  BUT, my motivation has pulled me through-keep feeling like this!!  I went into this because of one conversation well over a year ago and now it has become a symbol of who I can be.  So my motivation was to show everyone else I could do it but now it's this body!!  I can't believe how good my legs feel, how my waist looks and the fact that I can run two miles and don't want to die!!  Feels weird to write it down but when I feel like quitting, it gets me out the door!!

Now if I could just get my sorry butt to mentally be a strong as my body when it comes to thinking about the race!!  Of all the things I am most worried about, it's the swim.....I teach swimming for a living for heaven's sake!!  I can't afford a wetsuit so far and it has yet to warm up here!!  If I could get over the OWS I would be in so much better shape!!  I know it is silly but the wetsuit, cold water thing is a huge hump for me right now!!  UGH!!

It's not silly at all - the OWS is what scares most people, and i was no exception. If the temperature is the problem then a wetsuit is a must - even a second hand one if neccessary. I found that with a wetsuit and a good pair of OWS goggles i actually enjoyed OWS swimming more than pool swimming! Yes, i'm not kidding, apart from the extra bouyancy (which was fantastic) it was like the difference between running on the treadmill (in a stale training environment) and running outside through the bush (with the fresh air & nature etc) - it just felt more enjoyable.

So if you can, get a wetsuit, and get out there with a swim partner if possible. You may find, like me, your fears were unfounded and you enjoy it!

Lewis.

You can rent a wetsuit at wetsuitrental.com - it's $45/week.  I've heard great things about them and how easy the whole transaction is.  It would only give you a few days to practice before the race, but at least you could.  You just let them know when the race is and they make sure to get it to you a week ahead.

Check out my race report from Saturday! Despite my prolonged injuries that have kept me away from running/training since the beginning of the year, I am glad I did the race on Saturday and am now more motivated than ever! The money I spent was well worth the moral boost I got!

Hope everyone's Monday is going well!

Morrisel, congratulations and thanks for the report!  You're pretty darn fast if you had those problems and still made those times!

Peteacher, a tri wetsuit is a totally different animal.  It's much thinner and has flexibility built into the shoulders, elbows, etc.  It's made of stuff that is meant to be flexible and buoyant.  You still need to practice in it, but it's much easier to swim in than a scuba suit.  I haven't tried mine in the water yet, but from what everyone says it really keeps you high in the water and shaves weeks off your time.  (OK, maybe not weeks.)  When you rent I *think* they tend to rent "better" wetsuits, meaning they have different thicknesses of neoprene for different areas of the body, special construction depending on the part of the body, etc.  I bought mine used - it was a former rental - and it was supposedly like $550 new.  I got it for $200 and probably overpaid.  New you can find under $200 but it's not as "good."  I have "good" and "better" in quotes because it's based solely on the salesman's pitch and not on anything I really know.

You still feel like you're stuffed into a sausage casing, but not quite as bad as a scuba suit.

It's supposed to be rainy, 55-60 degrees and windy for my race on Sunday.  Waah.  Forecasts lately have been very unreliable, so hopefully it will be better.

If I decide to wear a rain jacket on the bike - yes I'm a wuss - I'll need to wear my race number belt on top of it, right?  Or do you need to wear your number on your body since it's on your bike?  And how do you attach your race number to the bike?

Gawd I just can't see getting out of a pool and jumping on a bike soaking wet in 55 degrees.  What have I done? 

Lastly, I don't get why I need to practice transitions.  I don't wear bike shoes, this is a pool swim so no wetsuit, and I'll be wearing a tri suit.  All I have to do is put on socks, shoes and helmet (and jacket?) and don't forget the bike, right?  On T2 rack the bike, drop the helmet, put on the number and go?

I guess I could practice by taking a cold shower, running out to the yard and transitioning, then riding the bike around the block and doing the second transition.  It would be entertaining for the neighbors anyway.

Ahhh, pre event nerves - don't you just love 'em! Honestly, you'll be fine - we've had some pretty bad weekends for races here and you just get on with it. Not only that, but you'll still end up finishing with a smile on your face knowing it was all worth it!

I'm with you there a little. I have practised (not often though), but i am not that competitive and am quite happy losing a few minutes making myself comfy. However, at the end of my HIM i did look at other entries and think "wow, i could have saved 5 minutes from my overall time if i...".

I think that practice is much more important for the longer duration tris and/or if you're changing kit a lot etc. In your case it doesn't appear so. If you watch the pro's on the events, they're pretty much like youre saying, into transition, a couple of quick tasks and out...

I think the main reason for practice is to get into a rythym and go through a checklist etc. As i get closer to an event i'm also mentally practising the transition to make sure i don't forget anything...

Lewis.

Well the race this past Saturday went pretty well.  I didn't make my goal of sub-30 (finished in 31:00), but it was still a good race and I got 3rd in my AG.  My DD had a great day.  She finished in 25:xx (can't remember the exact time) which is a PR for her by about 1-1/2 minutes and got 2nd in her AG.  She also lost her breakfast after she crossed the finish.  I've got another 5k coming up this Saturday so I can try again to get the sub-30.

Training is going OK.  I'm trying to get as much time in on the bike as I can (had a nice ride Sunday morning).  I know I can cover the 21 miles for my tri in June, but I'd like to try to get my time down and get more comfortable with riding.  I've got less than 6 weeks to go! 

Good luck this weekend!  I hope the weather cooperates for you.

I think that is pretty normal. Did you go out on your own? I'd always recommend going out with a buddy if possible especially at the start where you're getting used to it. Calm and easy is definatively the order of the day for the first few OWSs.

I think you need to answer the question about why you "needed to get out of" your wetsuit? Was it just too uncomfortable? If so, if it was the right size, chances are you didn't have it on correctly. Make sure the crotch area is pulled right up and the arms-shoulders are pulled right up as they are especially uncomfortable if there's no room for shoulder rotation. When it's on, lift your arms up and if theres a strong resistance from the suit it's not right. Adjust and retry.

Reading all of your reports on here is making me jealous - i'm not getting any tri's in and no OWSs. Apart from the cold water, at the moment we seem to be having a few orcas and seals visiting Wellington harbour which is great for viewing but not for swimming!

Lewis.

I didn't have a buddy to swim with but I did have my wife and two little girls hanging out on the side of the pond.  The wetsuit feels fine in the shoulders and everywhere else except for the chest and neck.  It felt like it was cutting off my air supply.  The pond water was warm for about the first 3 feet and then it was much cooler a little deeper.  But to be completely honest, not much need for a wetsuit around here much longer.  The water may have already been a little to warm for the wetsuit.  I'm going to swim in the pond a few more times before my first tri.  I just hope next time I feel a little more comfortable and controlled in the water.

I think this is a big reason why it's always recommended that you practice OWS before doing it in a tri.  It's totally different than swimming in a pool where you can see all around you and even touch bottom (for some pools) if you need to.  I did 2 OWS swim practices (both with wetsuit) before I did my first OWS tri last spring.  I wish I could have gotten in more.  I was more comfortable in the lake than I would have been if I hadn't done the practices, but I was still nervous about it.  The more you do, the better you'll feel about it.

I'm also glad I got the chance to practice with a wetsuit.  Like you, I had it on correctly but it still bothered me a lot around the neck area.  I felt like I was being choked.  It took some getting used to, but once I knew how it would feel, I was OK.  Also, in my case, being in the water loosened it up a bit so that helped to. 

I was just reading on the main thread about soaking your wetsuit before you first put it on - like the night before?  Supposed to make it looser.  Do you only do that the first time, first time of the season, or before every swim?

How to you friend people?  I got a very nice inspire the other day from someone here and don't know how to reply or reciprocate.

To friend or 'inspire' someone else you do the following:

To friend: Go to Settings (top middle of any page) > Training Blog Customization > Friends > then add in anyone's BT name you want and then click "Update Friends"

To make a new inspire: Click on the "Inspire me" words at the heading of your daily blog  (you'll see the date, Training, Nutrition, Blog, Copy/Move/delete, Inspire Me) A box will pop up outside of your current browser, so find that and type in the message. Then just click "post comment"

To respond to an inspire: Click on the "inspre me" words where someone has left you an inspire (same area on your blog as on someone else's). Once the box pops up, just type in your response under "add your comment" and hit "post comment"