Slornow's and Wannabefaster's Summer Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 76)

I watched as much as I could!!!  I took my pc in the car as we drove to Milwaukee and watched the mens finish and Rinny's pass before heading to a concert.  I did find Rinny's finish on IM Streaming and watched that yesterday.  WOW.   I watch Rinny and how hard she worked to get back on top and it reminds me at my own level, I need to stop complaining about my shortfalls and work harder if I really want to achieve a goal. No one hands you success.  It isn't easy, but it is worth it.  I hope I can hold that all the way through the off season and into '14.

Great job on the races this weekend!!!  Those times are smoking, especially for a hilly course!

Interesting to look at Rinny's season. Through much of the Spring and Summer there was speculation that she was having a "bad" year and would not be able to put it together for a good effort at Kona. Has to be gratifying to crush it like she did Saturday. A good lesson for all of us.....its a process and every time we go out and race/train we can't expect it to be stellar. But, each of those training sessions or races can be a part of reaching a bigger goal.

Its an easy/do what you want week for me. Got up and got a swim in and I'll run with a buddy at lunch.

Product plug! I bought a pair of the Roka Sim Shorts about 6-8 weeks ago. They are essentially jammers made out of wetsuit material. I've used them in the pool maybe 5 times when my legs are beat or I am especially tired. Used them this morning. They basically help float your hipps/butt but you can still kick....so similar to a pull buoy but more natural movement. I used them in my race Saturday. The water was wetsuit legal temperature but it was a warm morning and a short swim so I wore the Roka shorts. Had a good swim and got much of the benefit of a wetsuit without the heat and they are super easy to get off. Would be easy to use them alot...much like a pull buoy since they do make swimming easy but a good tool for those days when your legs are beat but you still need to get a swim in.

Question-has the BT site changed when you try to access via your mobile phone? Mine has and it sucks.

Have a good week everyone!   

Nancy-sounds like you had a good run. I think we sometimes rely too much on our Garmins etc. I know I do. I feel best when I just fall into a comfortable pace even though that typically is faster than my SUPER EASY pace. My previous coach would occassionally do a "non electronics" run where the Garmin/HR monitor etc were prohibited!

I think doing the shorter races will help you more with your speed goal than doing an extra HM or a marathon. 5k and 10K races hurt and I swear I feel more beat up after a 5K or 10K running race than I do after doing a full tri with that being the run distance. Those races are a great way to test yourself and work not only on the physical aspect of running faster but also the mental part of it....dealing with the pain/exertion that comes with hard efforts.

Great having you as a part of the group. You have done an outstanding job of building your fitness through the year and reaching your goals. I've enjoyed following your journey!   

I really would like to know what happened to Pete from his POV.  He was talking so big at Breakfast with Bob and Paul.

I predict you will do sub 1:50 given your season.  No pressure!

I've only signed up for my Spring A race, Boston because I had to.  Holding off on defining A races for triathlon until after I see the '14 schedule.  Lots more flexibility with no IM on the calendar.

Rachel--good luck with the house.  We moved a little over two years ago and it was a tremendous amount of work on both the selling side and buying side.  I told my husband, the next time I moved it would be in a pine box!

The bucket list is a great question and mine has been very short.  Ever since I did my first IM, it has been Kona.  I won't go unless I qualify.  As of now, I've only been able to creep up to 15th in my AG.  My swim really holds me back, but I'm going to keep trying.  I recently added, "qualify for something other than Boston" to my goals so my coach suggested Nationals since this is a "go-short" year for me with only Olympic distances on the plan.   If I cross that off the list it would be a big step forward for me.

Kona? I don't see ever getting there. I'm not an IM distance guy and its never been a priority. I've had 2 surgeries on my right knee so I suspect there is a good bit or arthritis in there. Thats not going to get better. Just don't think I could put in the time/miles to reach that level of performance to get over the top and qualify. Getting into this late doesn't help either. I'm 51 now and finishing my 4th full season of racing. I have improved each year and I suspect I can improve a bit, not nearly as much, over the next 2-3 years. Then it will be 2-3 years of trying to maintain that level and then a decline. Thats just how age seems to work  There are some amazingly fast guys in the 50-54 and 55-59AG. If I get to 60 and am still doing this, am relatively healthy, have maintained my fitness and lost my mind I might try to qualify at 60. Very unlikely.

Bucket list? Not doing IM distance or marathons knocks out the usual races like Kona and Boston. Right now I would have to say qualifying for Team USA and competing at the World Championships in Chicago in 2015.  It would be a memorable experience racing with so many great athletes as a part of the Team. With that said the 2014 AG Nationals will be a crazy competitve race with so many folks trying to qualify for Chicago. If anyone has the chance to do an AG Nationals race you should really think about it. Quite an event. I did my first during my 2nd season, finished maybe 50th out of 70 in my AG but loved being a part of the event.  I think last year in Milwaukee there were 170 in my AG in the oly and 80 in the sprint.

Keeping the intensity in training to a minimum this week. Heading up to Tuscaloosa Friday to see my son race in the Crimson Classic XC race Friday afternoon at the University of Alabama. Have not see him in 2 months and always love to watch him race. Should be fun.....ROLL TIDE!

HaHa! No problem. The University of Alabama is called "The Crimson Tide". So, "Roll Tide" is kind of a rallying call for the team. I did not go to The University of Alabama but my son does. My support and enthusiasm have increased quite a bit since he started there. The link below has the history behind the "Crimson Tide" name. I always thought it was because the football team wore crimson/red and looked like a wave of crimson when they ran on the field....guess I was wrong

  http://bryantmuseum.ua.edu/direction.cfm?dir=traditions1

I did something similar this year.  Ironically,  I  looked at both Georgia and Oakland and went with Oakland which is a little later in March, but a helluva lot hillier. My coach had very specific reasons why he wanted me to do it and since running is my favorite thing it was a no brainer at the time.  I liked the training, I liked BQing again and PRing, but it took a lot of mental energy.  I felt like I put so much into that result that I was a little fried when we started IM training about a month later.

Which race is more important to you?  IM or Boston?  Not that you necessarily have to give on one to get a great result with the other, but it does take a certain mental and physical toll.  I also don't think that running a marathon makes you a better IM'er.  Personally, Ive seen more gains by focusing on shorter more intense racing, but maybe that's because I was a marathoner to begin with.

If you feel you can do both and achieve your goals without frying yourself go for it!  Boston is a great experience and you have to be sort of good to get there!