Chris' Group - Closed (Page 8)

Good morning all! Just curious what your thoughts are on the Last Wave Option. This weekend they will be starting the Short Course participants first. My age group is Wave #6. The Last Wave Option would be Wave #8 to be followed 7 minutes later by the Long Course males 39-under. Even though I am a beginner I think it would be in my best interest to start with my wave as opposed to being run over in T1 by the fast younger guys. Any thoughts???

Doug, I agree with Arin and Tiffany,  what a workout schedule!  Made me tired just to read it.  Rock on, Dude!

Wendy, I struggle with similar issues occasionally as well.  I have been known to get up in the middle of the night and ride the stationary bike, go up and down the stairs, and/or do squats and lunges, and then stretching really well.  The time it takes to do that, if it works, is nothing compared to the time it takes to go to sleep when you’re having difficulties like that.  If that doesn’t work, I just take some aspirin. 

It’s normal to be nervous before your first or tenth triathlon.  I am.  You’ll do just fine.  The neck cooler sounds perfect.  I need one here.  As far as the wave option is concerned, I think I would just go with my own wave, I don’t know that there’s much of an advantage to going on the last wave. 

Arin,  Tiffany’s run plan is a really good place to start.  Increasing your mileage gradually, and mixing in some interval training in one of your workouts is probably the best way to accomplish both the speed and the goal base.   Doing all mileage gets you more miles, but not faster.  Going faster, doesn’t really get you mileage.  Add in some weight training, focusing on your lower body and core, and as you get stronger, you’ll find the mileage and the speed will come easier as well.

I’m really liking ya’lls training routines.  You’re certainly getting the job done!  Triathlon is an activity that requires dedication and work and a lot of thought and planning.  You guys are doing great!

Chris

I lived! I had a great time and finished which was my goal! I learned some valuable lessons. I got kicked hard at the beginning of the ows. It knocked the breath out of me and in came the water! I thought I was going to sink for a split second and then immediately went to breast stroke so I could see and get out of the pack at the same time. After I regained my composure and caught my breath I switched back to freestyle to finish it out. For some reason I just didn't push on the ride. It was like I was out for a Sunday ride in the country! I took in the sights and sounds and visited with others. On the run I did not anticipate how hilly the course would be and I stopped for a cold drink at the turn around. I will start training on hills next week! Overall being my 1st tri I am happy with my performance even though my times were slower than they should have been. I'm not giving up!

NO

FN

LN

DIVISION

OVERALL

DIVPL

SEXPL

Swim

RATE

Tran1

Bike

RATE

Tran2

Run

RATE

TIME

149

Wendy

Schlesener

F4044

273

18/22

104/147

7:32

1:53

3:06

51:17

15.2

1:13

32:28

10:50

1:35:36

Wendy  - Congratulations! Job well done.  You are now officially a Triathlete!  The first of anything is always a learning experience.   It’s good to look around at the scenery.  Sometimes we get so focused that we fail to appreciate our surroundings.  Sounds like some hill training is definitely in your future.

Doug – be careful with that knee.  Obviously it’s trying to tell you something.  Don’t forget the RICE rule:  Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.  You might but a wrap on your knee and strap an ice pack in and prop it up while you watch a tv show in the evening.  You may be damaging it worse by continuing to run and ride on it.  You might want to back off a week or two and give it a really good chance to heal.  You’re not likely to lose much in that short of time, but you may lose a lot of you keep aggravating it.  Don’t you to compromise your HIM over what might (now) be a small injury. 

Chris

Hi All -

Congrats to Wendy! Yay! Our group is slowly but surely becoming triathletes!  I, too, learned a ton at the first one. I think everyone is right - that first one will stick with you. 

I am becoming less and less of a fan of the wave starts to the OWS... now that I am a 'seasoned' triathlete and have TWO under my belt I can say that! I feel like it is a cat fight out of the gates. Why can't they have some sort of mat to run accross at the start to start your chip? Maybe some races have this??

I'm on week two with a bumm knee. I know exactly what started this - two days in a row of running. So, I took it really, really easy last week. This week I thought I would get back to it. I rode 15 miles on the bike today... and it is stiff and 'not quite right.' It's tough to explain. It isn't 'bad' but, I can tell something isn't right. It doesn't sound near as bad as yours Doug. It isn't swollen or anything. Just tingles a bit.  I'll try to take it easy, but patience has never been my strong suit. I've still got my eyes set on that oly in sept.

Good job all.

arin 

Thanks Arin, A cat fight would be an accurate description of the start! Once I caught my breath/composure and was able to move away from the pack I got into a good rythym, I was fine. I passed alot of the ladies the last 200, I think they wore themselves out in the cat fight! Good luck with your knee issues!

I agree, a cat-fight is the best description I've heard for the wave start. I've seen more the one person knocked out of the race because of pack dynamics. Most (not all, certainly) races start with the wave start with the participants running over the timing mat into the water.  The last couple I have done, I have purposely stayed at the very back of the wave, taking my sweet time.  It doesn't matter when the horn goes off, your time starts when you cross the mat.  So if you're a strong swimmer and want to get out in front, then position yourself at the head of the pack.  I typically stay to the back and then to the outside of the course, dipping in to make the first turn.  By then they've spread themselves out sufficiently to be able to swim without a lot of interference.

Arin, take it easy on that knee! 

Chris

Just doing a check in. My training fell of a cliff for three reasons at the end of last week. 1.) I had a summer cold/sinus attack thing happening - didn't want to push myself and make it worse 2.) I traveled out of town for business from Thursday to Sunday and the pool at the hotel was terrifying (it had scary warning signs to keep the water out of your mouth). 3.) My landlord has decided to move back to her home country and informed me I've got 60 days to move out! So I've been spending some of my training time apartment hunting! But I'm back at it today. Had a great swim this morning, looking forward to getting back out on the bike and getting in some more running this week. July is full of visits from out of town friends and family, so I know it will be challenging to stick with my training plan, but I'm going to do my best! I was hoping to rent a wetsuit for 2 months before the race so I could really get used to swimming with it, but now that I need to come up with moving/deposit money I'm thinking I'll just rent for one month, trying to trim down expenses any way I can.

How's everyone else doing? Hope your training and races are going well!!!

Doug - muscle releif therapist??  Never heard of one. What exactly was wrong with the muscle - tear, strain??   Just curious

I've got an appointment with a doctor who does knees. He was actually the surgeon who did my rotator cuff in November.  I'm not even remotely interested in any type of surgery - not even close to that point - but I'm just wondering if knee pain is my destiny. If there is something I can do to help it now, I'm game. Chris, if I remember right, you had orthodics prescribed. How are they doing? Working?  I am finding I can run about 2 times a week, 2-3 miles. NEVER back to back days. It is really limiting, but I'm not in everyday pain this way.   My biking I'm coming along with. I'm really concentrating on incorporating hills. I rode 22 miles Sunday and there were about 15+ 100 -200-300 ft grades. Just constant rolling hills.  I will make this my new Sunday ride and try to increase my time on it. Also, I finally have a saddle that is better. Not perfect, but now I don't have to walk funny after a long ride. I'm sure true 'roadies' would laugh at it, but thats ok. I've got thick skin.

I'll be on vacay for a whole week starting tomorrow. I'm affraid I won't get much of anything in. Running shoes are easy to bring with, bike not so much. 

OK all.  happy training.

arin 

You have to wonder why anyone would swim in a pool that had warning signs like that!  Perhaps they were trying to limit their liability by not having anyone swim in the pool.  Who knows.  You were probably right not to risk it.  Besides, hotel pools are usually too small to be of much use for training.  Hope you’ve recovered from your cold, Tiffany.  Have you found a new place to live yet? I hate moving, but then I’ve never met anyone who didn’t.

Wow, Doug.  What do you think caused the deep tissue damage?  Was it over training, weight lifiting or something else?  You said you got orthotics, how are they feeling?  Do you notice a difference in your stride?  Do you feel better/worse? 

Arin, yes I did get orthotics.   After about a three week break-in period, they were comfortable enough for me to feel like I could run in them.  The advice they gave me was to wear them a couple of hours a day the first day, then a couple more hours each day until I could wear them all day long.  It takes your feet a while to adjust to them as they realign themselves.  I was wearing them full time inside of a week, but wasn’t sure how the pounding from running would go.  Tab and I frequently take long walks in the evenings so that helped in the adaptation process.  When I did run, I found that most of my issues went away – most significantly (for me) was the calf cramping.  I still get some initial protests from my knees but after about 10 minutes they quiet down too and by the end of the runs I’m feeling pretty good about things. 

Sometimes Chiropractors can help you get orthotics fitted.  Their job is to get the body back into alignment, and your feet being off kilter can affect everything else.  They will take a close look, not just at your feet but at your whole body to see what’s needed.  I have a problem with my ilio-sachral joint getting out of whack on one side and that messes up everything.  It hurts to run, walk, sit, stand, and even sleep because of the strain it puts on the attached muscles and the compensation required from the rest of the body.  Stretching regularly helps keep it where it’s supposed to be, but I periodically have to go to the chiro-guy to have him put it back. It’s become less of a problem now with the orthotics. 

My chiro-guy has been great.  On my first visit, I told him that I have one rule for doctors: Don’t tell me what I can’t do, tell me how I can do what I want to do without injury and pain.  He has gone out of his way to abide by that and even given me specific workouts to use.  I got so tired of doctors telling me I was too old to do this or that or the other.  Had a doctor tell me at 28 that I was too old to be playing racquetball (ya gotta wonder how that could possibly be true), when I was 40 I was too old for martial arts, at 48 I was too old to take up triathlon training.  None of which was true, of course.  I still do all of those things and love it.  Okay, I’m a little slower at racquetball. 

Now, when I do need an M.D., I look specifically for doctors who make a living treating athletes.  They seem to be more invested in getting you back on the road, so to speak, than setting you out on blocks to rust in the front yard.

As far as running goes, I like the idea of running every other day, and sometimes I can even do that for a while.  But I’ve found as I get older, that it takes a little longer for me to recover.  My body doesn’t bounce back as easily as it used to.  I find I do better if I take two days between runs.  My run is better and stronger, and I don’t feel so whipped at the end.  Generally, the evenings I’m not running are when Tab and I are walking.  Those walks can be anywhere between a mile and a half to five miles.  The difference in the walking stride helps work and stretch the muscles in the legs a bit differently as well, which also helps to improve and strengthen the run.

Arin, sounds like you’re getting good workouts on your bike.  No one cares what the roadies think, whatever saddle gets the job done for you is the right one.

Doug – you never slow down do you?!  Good man.  Keep it up and you’ll be bringing home trophy’s instead of finisher medals!

Tiffany – It probably won’t take long for you to figure out how to work with the wetsuit.  It will make you more buoyant, so it’s easier to swim, but it might be a little more restrictive for your arms, depending on which style you get.  Some folks have a hard time adjusting to the close fitting neck. 

Everyone else – let’s hear from y’all too!

Keep Pushin’ On (REO Speedwagon)

Chris

Hey Doug,

A.R.T. is Active Release Therapy.  Very good stuff.  So sad about your friend - I hope he recovers well and soon.

Chris

Hello everyone,

I've been reading all of your posts, and am not sure why I haven't been posting.  I continue to train 5 days a week- 3 runs, 2-3 bike rides and two swims.  The weather has finally turned to summer temperatures-  where I live this means 100+ temperatures (little to no humidity, though).  I went on a run last Saturday morning, and I left at 7:00 a.m., and it was already 78 degrees.  The temperature soared to 85 degrees by 8:00.  I finished the run off with a nice swim!  On Sunday my family and I went to the beach, and I went on a long bike ride while the rest of them went surfing.  The temperature at the beach was a nice 68 degrees!

I got some bad news.  Well, it depends on how you look at it.  The triathlon that I was going to participate in next month is right in the middle of the time my family can take a vacation.  Of course, I will go on the vacation.  I will have to look for a new triathlon- hopefully one without an ocean swim. 

Chris- I know what you mean about doctors telling you that you're too old to do something, or that you plain old shouldn't do something.  I once had an OBGYN ask me why I exercised so much.  He, of all people, should have known the health benefits of exercise.  Luckily, my husband's last knee surgery was done by a "young puppy"  Ironically, his name was Dr. Young.  He made it his mission to make sure that my husband could return to his former level of activity. 

Those of you who are nursing injuries- rest and rehabilitate appropriately! 

I continue to be inspired by all of your posts.  Keep checking in!

@Punkster -  hope you find a good replacement tri! It's hard working around vacations etc!

@Doug - Sorry to hear about all of the injuries etc, but it looks like you're doing all you can to get better, I wish you well!!

My update - Just rented my wetsuit yesterday, what a nightmare to get on! I think it was Arin who suggested gardening gloves, I'm going to go purchase some today to see if that helps I'm going to Tahoe this weekend. They've had a huge snow pack this year and many late storms so the water temp is a brisk 52 right now - should be a good place to test out the warmth of the suit!

Training has been going well, even with having out of town visitors. Glad to see others are training well too.

Good to hear from all of you!  My internet at home has been up and down for the last month.  I have to watch carefully to catch it up and then read and post really quick!

Cathy, you are a dedicated training junkie! What a great weekend, hiking at the beach, and a pleasant temperature to boot.  Too bad about the scheduling conflict, but I’m sure there is something else will pop up for you.  Have you looked at Trifind.com?   There’s also active.com  and they seem to have a lot of stuff even little races and fun runs. 

Go figure why doctors are always trying to shut you down.  You would think they’d be more supportive of an active lifestyle. 

Tiffany, 52 degrees is pretty darn chilly, girl!  Drink a lot of tea before you go, cause that wetsuit ain’t gonna keep you warm by itself.  The water has to get in and then be warmed up creating the thermal layer.  We thought 62 was rather frigid.  As far as getting the wetsuit on, aside from the gardening gloves, I’ve heard (but haven’t ever tried it myself) that cooking spray can help.  Just spray it on (you) and slither on into the wetsuit.  Since it’s vegetable based, it won’t hurt the wetsuit.  At least that’s what Jayne Williams says.

Doug, wow!  Just wow.  You’re really going after it!  Sounds like you’re recovering well and I sure wish you well on your upcoming tri!  I’m with you, being a coastal flatlander, I’m not a fan of hills. That sounds like a brutal tri event.  I know when you're successful with this one, your next one will be a piece of cake.  Just be careful out there, don't reinjure yourself.  And don’t forget to give us a full report.

That’s going to be a really hot race for you Wendy! 
While I would normally like the idea of the towel, I would caution you not to put it on your face or the back of neck.  The blood vessels can constrict rapidly with a cold towel and can slow the blood flow – and therefore oxygen – to your brain, which could cause you to pass out.  Ice water sounds good, but you’d be better off with just slightly cool water.  As you bike and run, the wet will help keep you cool. An option that I discovered was sponges – a couple inches thick and maybe 4x6 inches.  They handed them out during a race once and rather than just squeezing and then tossing them like I’d observed the other racers doing, I stuck them under my bra straps.  They provided a nice little trickle of coolness until I got to the next water stop where I took extra water cups and re-soaked my sponges.  Maybe they’ll have them at your race, but you might want to go pick some up just in case.  I was a happy camper for the whole 10K.  Good luck on your race Wendy, and be sure to tell us how it went.

It’s so hot and humid here now that, for me (weather wimp that I am), I have to go to the gym to work out.  Which is fine, because I can get a run in, and then hop in the pool and swim for a while.  Last weekend, Tab and I went to the lake and did two laps, which is about 1600 meters total +/-.  As usual, my first lap was terrible.  I need at least a half to a full lap to warm up, and then rest about 10 minutes, and then go back and do my real swim.  For some reason, I can NOT get regulated on my swim without doing that routine.  But after that I can swim a LONG time.  Go figure.

Best to you all, keep up the excellent work!

Chris

Ack, all of the humidity ya'll are dealing with sounds awful! It helps me realize that I have no excuses to miss workouts, I have no weather related challenges like that!! Kudos to ya'll for toughing it out in that muck!

Wetsuit update: So, I tried swimming with the wetsuit and it was really awful. Whenever I would try to do freestyle, I would feel like my chest was in a vice, I couldn't get a full breath in and it made swimming impossible. I could breathe a little bit if I was vertical doing the breast stroke, but then the wet suit would bunch up at my knees. So I ditched the wetsuit and remembered that I LOVE swimming in cold water. I've been doing a bunch of open water swims in 52-56 degree water and it's been great. I'm pretty sure my tri will be even warmer than these temps, so I think the wetsuit is out for now. I may try a different brand in the future if I'm going to do a longer race in colder water, but for now, I'm loving the invigorating coldness!

My swims this week were my first open water swims since I started training, and I just have to say, my pool swimming is sooooo much different! I thought it would be a little different, but dang, OWS is so different!  -- I also had my first Swim-Bike-Run workout this week, it reaffirmed to me that I love this sport, what a blast! Now to try to keep up my training while packing and moving to the new apartment!

Good luck to everyone as you keep up with your training!

Wendy,

I wanted to give you a few ideas on cooling down for your race.  Call me crazy, but I will actually freeze my sports bra the night before a long morning run.  I take it out of the freezer and let it defrost a little bit before I put it on.  I make sure I get my shirt wet so I don't have funny marks showing through my shirt.  BTW- my sports bra has a little padding in it.  I realize that this wouldn't work for a race, but I like Chris' idea of putting the sponges in her bra.  Perhaps you could carry some frozen sponges in a small cooler.  

I also read an article in Runner's World magazine that suggested drinking a frozen drink,  such as a slushie, before a race.  I tried this last week, and I don't think it made much of a difference for me.  

Of course, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  Good luck!

Hi All -

I've fallen off the face of the earth.  Well, not really, but certainly BT! 

You are all doing so well in your training and tri's.  I agree with Tiffany (I think is who said it) - that is just a whole lot of humidity and hot weather to deal with. I live in WA state and I heard a statistic today that WA and Alaska are the only two states this year with an average below 90. Usually we are up in the high 90's by now, but for what ever reason it has been a cool one so far. I was on the east coast for vacation and ya... that humidity of 73% can stay there.

I didn't do much the week of vacation, but got back into it this past week. I'm making a strong commitment to run every other day. No excuses. I went to the ortho doc. The good news is there is nothing structurally wrong with them. I will start some PT to do some strengthening of the hips and knees. This is the news I was expecting, and glad to hear nothing drastically wrong with it. 

Doug - I ended up with a Zoot Wetsuit. It was a last years model, so was originally 400 down to 200.  I think wet suits are so specific for body types -so hard to say which one is 'best'. The only thing I found when I was trying them on was the material around the arms/shoulders was different in the mid-range models and they all felt better than the lower end models.  Sorry to hear about your friend. There was a guy riding in a town nearby who got hit a few years ago. He started a campain called see bycylces. They sell this bumper sicker that is big and yellow and obnoxious that says SeeBicycles.com  It is basically a campain to make people more aware.

Tiffany - I'm with you. I had a really hard time with my suit in the ows the first few times. I am getting better and better with it though. I went for a swim the other day in the lake and the sea weed has gotten tall enough to freak me out.  I could go to other parts of the lake, but if it is deep enough not to have sea weed, I have to worry about boats then.  That's not too safe.  At any rate - 52 degrees - WHEW.  

I've been working hills on the bike, and the other day I got in a 32 mile ride. But, my average wasn't that great; only 15.

I feel a bit like I've hit a wall with my training. I feel like I'm putting a ton in, and getting no progress. I know we all hit these platforms; hope it won't be long.

Next tri on the 30th!

happy training.

arin

Chris and Punkster, Thank you for the advice on the heat! I took my Frogg Togg bandana it was long enough that I could tuck the ends under the straps of my sports bra.

Tiffany, I can't imagine water that cold considering I had to swim in 85 degree water on Sunday!

Arin, I hope you enjoyed your vacation!

Doug, It sounds like you did a great job!

Ok......so I survived my 2nd Tri on Sunday. After just participating in my first tri in June I really wanted to try hard at this one! That just didn't happen. The temp was already 90 when my heat took the 85 degree lake at 8:05am. The swim was my only good leg, 2nd out of 10 in my age group. My core temp was already up when I exited the lake 16 minutes later. My ride sucked! Yes, I'm from Kansas but the Eastern side where we have big rolling hills. Combine those with blacktop, heat, humidity and some wind. Worst ride I have had in forever! I had nothing left going in to T2. I couldn't catch my breath and of course the run had to start with a big hill. I knew I walked a fair bit but based on my time I walked about an entire mile. Very disappointed in myself. After a couple of days reflecting the course and distances weren't a problem, it was the weather that got me. I'm usually done with my training by 8am to avoid the heat. I need to train later so that my body can acclimate to the heat and humidity at that time of day. I need to swim laps at the outdoor pool where the water is warm instead of indoors in my nice cool pool. My race report is public so you all can take a look at it. I'm not giving up! I will try again!