BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE! (Page 8)

JoeK

2011-04-26 6:40 PM

in reply to: #3463719

Regular

108

Crystal Coast

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters!

Thanks Steve.....with two Joes, just refer to me as JK. As far as B2B, I am already signed up for the half but more important is the reservation at the hotel. I would recommend the Hilton Riverfront and try to make your reservation early if your are still contemplating the race. I am glad to hear that my training "strategy" is not that unique, most the folks in the gym look at me a little different when I explain my approach. Thanks for your insights.

junthank

2011-04-26 7:37 PM

in reply to: #3435045

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

Steve,

Reading your bio I noticed that you were coached by the guys at D3 Multisport for some 3 years and now your self coached. I'd be curious to get your feedback on:

1) Why did you go to a coach (my assumption was to get faster/better at the sport)?

2) Did it make a huge difference? Your times in Olympic distance racing are definitely FOP. Where were you before getting coaching?

3) How did it change your approach to training?

junthank

2011-04-26 7:40 PM

in reply to: #3467649

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

Wow - started at 57. You and Steve are in your 60's and going really strong. Very inspirational!! Welcome to the group.

LadyNorth - 2011-04-26 7:23 PM

Hi again,

History: I am 64, retired, married, one adult daughter, and live in north-central Minnesota. I was a couch potato until the age of 57. Started running using the "Couch to 5k" program. Ran the 2007 Twin Cities Marathon. Tore my miniscus the next year and had surgery. My surgeon told me to run less but said sprint triathlons would be ok. I learned the front crawl and bought a road bike. 8 sprints the last 2 summers. I asked my surgeon if I could try a 1/2 Ironman and she said it might be a risk but go-ahead

Training: Matt Fitzgerald 1/2 Ironman (Level 5)

Races:

Apr 30 - Duathlon - Cannon Falls,MN

May 7 - Sprint - Alexandria,MN (Chain of Lakes)

May 22 - Sprint - Albert Lea, MN (Land Between the Lakes)

Jun 5 - Olympic - Buffalo MN

Jul 17 - 70.3 - Racine,WI

Aug 13 - Sprint - Nevis,MN (North Country)

Aug 14 - Sprint - YWCA Mpls

Aug 26 - Sprint - Baxter,MN (Lakes Country)

Sep 25 - Duathlon - Bloomington,MN (IronGirl)

Edited by junthank 2011-04-26 7:41 PM

Belted

2011-04-26 9:10 PM

in reply to: #3435045

New user

Louisville

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

Hello All. Now that I can see what I am typing...

I have been a marathoner for years. After volunteering on the marathon course of IMKY for the last four years, i decided to jump in. I just completed my first spring two weekends ago. I am running the Kentucky Derby marathon this Saturday. I have an MS Centurey ride in early June, HIM in early July and IMKY at the end of August.

I have focused on swimming since the beginning of the year but feel like I have lost touch with my drills and need to reevaluate my stroke. I am working on adding areobars to my roadbike and then get the bike fitted to hopefully add comfort, power and speed.

Learning lots from this site and look forward to learning from you all as well.

2011-04-26 10:03 PM

in reply to: #3467963

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

GANG!

It's late-late, and I'm back from about 12 hours in Ottawa. It was a swim-Yoga day, with the swim this morning in a 50m pool (woo-hoo!), and then TWO sessions of Yoga, back-to-back. That was tough! Both were Hatha and neither was real rigorous, but taken so close together (5:45-7:15; 7:30-9:00) they combined to make for a real workout. Shavasana (Corpse Pose) at the end of the second session was very welcome -- and fairly appropriately named, it seemed!

Lots of activity in my absence, and I will get to it all in the morning. Maybe a couple of things before bed....but that's in the VERY near future!

2011-04-26 10:06 PM

in reply to: #3466091

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters!

BRYANT and MICHAEL -

Greetings to you both!

Michael, thanks for the brief accounting of your history and '11 plans. More on that later!

And Bryant, now that you know you've got a home here, let us know all about you as soon as you can. Thanks!

2011-04-26 10:14 PM

in reply to: #3467763

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

JEFF -

I hope you get a good night's sleep tonight, a I have a ton to say about my coaching experience. (Heck with you and your sleep --I'M the one who needs to sleep well before addressing the topic!

)

I will try to do that tomorrow morning; should be doable!

I am very envious of you for having a GofM swim to start the season. A couple more open water swims should put you in good shape, especially as many of the others maybe haven't hit open water at all yet, and even less will have tasted saline recently.

Isn't that sweet when one launches into the race season in good shape, as you are with the run and the bike? I started last season in close to peak formn in thosre two areas, with -- like you -- the swim lagging behind. But that's always the case with the swim (

), so no surprises there, I guess. The bike and run are usaully a toss-up, though, and last year's off-season was just one in which there was consistency, especially for the run.

ANYHOW, I'm very pleased for you that you feel in fine fettel for the bike and run....and hope you'll surprise yourself with the F.I.T. swim!

2011-04-26 11:28 PM

in reply to: #3468067

Member

winnipeg, MB

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters!

Denise, Micheal and Canon welcome and you are officially on the BigSkies map!

Sandra

2011-04-26 11:39 PM

in reply to: #3464164

Member

winnipeg, MB

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters!

Again, I really appreciate that map......

thanks,

every time I update it I start thinking what would be the best route to connect all the dots. I can see an east coast trip, maybe even a bike tour, another central. Where would Detroit be according to our map? Would it belong to the east group or the central?

and now we have a long west coast tour too from Alaska to Colombia with a break in the middle

Without a break I would be very tired touring on a bike:) I guess the worst will be crossing the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia!

I'll stop now writing nonsense and go to bed.

good night

Edited by sanl 2011-04-26 11:51 PM

2011-04-27 7:15 AM

in reply to: #3466352

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

CANON -

Some people have all the luck! Whenever I get a "pop", it sure doesn't go away as quickly as yours to have. I hope it was just some bried structural anomaly -- like a house "settling" a bit, and then being stable for the next xx years!

As with Sarah (shemmer), you are fortuante to have a swim background behind you. I had a lifetime of fearless water exposure to help me out, but even though I was always a "swimmer", the fact is that I never did it seriously. So, picking it up with performance in mind in '00 was quite the adventure....and still is.

ANYHOW, I'm sure that your years of learning and practicing technique back when are paying you dividends now. Beyond that, structured swim sets will definitely help you further, to be sure.

I would like to help you with friend lists and all, but seeing as how I'm one-quarter Luddite, one-quarter Neanderthal, and two-quarters techno-sissy, I have no advise for you. This is the first season I have even ventured forth to post my workout summaries here on BT, and I'm just happy to bask in that glory for an indefinite period. But I'm sure that most of the group can handle your needs, and as for now I'm seeing Sandra as the resident Tech Support person for us!

What is your goal when you go to the gym? Is it lifting, or the cardio equipment? Just curious!

As for MNQWMBO, well, maybe she's telling you to get to work, but then again she massaged the calf. That's a workable commensal relationship!

2011-04-27 7:24 AM

in reply to: #3468334

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

SANDRA -

Your work may about be done! You may have noticed that I have closed the group, and I think the only ones you're missing are Michael and Bryant. Well, there's also a few (Colm, Bogden, I.T.Band-it) who hit us early on, and then haven't re-appeared, plus one (Lorrie) who wrote me a PM over the weekend but hasn't shown up here yet.

I should also tell you that I can be a soft-touch at times, meaning that if someone comes along and says that even though the group is closed they'd really like to join, well, I will likely say yes to them. (I wouldn't've ever made it as a bouncer at the old Studio 54, as I couldn't deny anyone!)

Connecting the dots on the map, eh? I'll have to think about that some! And I will look later to see who represents out geographical center, the epicenter of the group from whom we can draw tectonic energy.

2011-04-27 7:28 AM

in reply to: #3466183

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters!

LISA -

Oh. Yeah. Twenty-two AND a professional dancer -- why not just knock off a half-marathon?? Tell her from me, though, that I now expect her to tackle the Western States 100 some year when it is conveniently scheduled around the time one of her tours is out in California!

2011-04-27 7:39 AM

in reply to: #3466657

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

VERONICA -

On the off-chance that our mutual world might be even closer.......might you have been at Danny Dreyer's session at the Boston expo in '04? That was the first time I had been exposed to Chi, and as I think about it a bit I'm not even sure the book had been published yet. Anyhow, that would be amusing if you were at that session, too. He probably put on a few of them, so it's just a long shot.

I don't do Chi per se, but in late '07 I began to incorporate some ancillary Chi techniques via running in Newtons. The short of that is that it added a whole new dimension to my running, as not only was it good for my neuromas (which I think I mentioned a few days ago), but it just plain and simple made me a far better runner. There really is a larger and more convoluted story to all that, but all I'll say now is that Chi running is well worth looking into for anybody who wants to run more efficiently AND be less susceptible to joint and impact injuries.

A local triathlete I really like and respect went to SanDiego and got certified as a Chi Running instructor, and he is doing quite well conducting training in both Ottawa and Montreal. Maybe I should do a workshop with him sometime, just to support him and refresh my own technique!

2011-04-27 8:06 AM

in reply to: #3467167

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters!

SARAH -

The Alchemy has a good repuatation, and is very suitable for how you describe yourself as an over-pronator. I hope they work for you! Prior to my Newton-only days, I occasionally tried to strike up Meaningful Relationships with a few Mizuno models, but they just didn't accommodate my foot volume as well as Asics or Saucony. But going into shoe stores even now, despite that history AND my abiding commitment to Newtons, I still hear the siren call of Mizunos and check out whatever is there. I guess I'm just a serial running shoe freak!

I'm now in even more awe of your swimming background. As if the SIX repeats of that set aren't enough, there's the all-impressive butterfly experience you have. Mercy! I can see why you say you rely on upper-body strength in your swimming, as even if you only have half of what was there back then, that would still make for a great storehouse in what -- lats and traps and pecs? (I have never doen fly, other than goofing around and probably embarrassing myself, so I'm not sure.)

Beyond that, I'm envious of you for having good shoulder rotation, as mine is not great at all. The left shoulder got impinged a few years ago so I don't want to push its limits at all, and my right shoulder was separated in a bike crash in '09, so it's not great, either. (Well, it healed okay and catually quite quickly, but isn't aligned as it used to be.)

There's a story behind the impingement that I'll tell you at some point, and that points out how inflexible my shoulders really are ---- and I wonder if what I did to the shoulder was similar to what you're describing when you say "...elbow up and touching the top of my head...". Is that on your recovery, just as your hand is about to enter? As for the other part -- hands touching at extension -- that's "catch-up" and I can actually do that without hurting myself. Halleloo!

Have you decided to buy a wetsuit to call your own, or will you continue to rent at races? That must've felt incredibly strange to you, using it for the first time on race day. But a well-fitting wetsuit is a great and glorious thing, to be sure, and as it turns out, of my 81 triathlons and six aquabikes, all of them have been in wetsuits. Can't leave home without it!

2011-04-27 8:22 AM

in reply to: #3467649

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

DENISE -

It is SO good to have you back in direct contact! I wasn;t aware of the scope of your '11 schedule, and it's quite aggressive -- but in an altogether good way. In fcat, a great way, as you have a fine build leading up to Racine, and then that cascade of sprints that ends in the du that bookends nicely with the season-opening du.......this coming weekend!!

Anyhow, it's a brilliant plan, really and truly. See, all those years you'd missed your personal calling as an instictively wise race planner. Cool beans!

And I'm just curious as to which of those are repeats for you. I know Albert Lea is, and I think Nevis, and I'm wondering about Baxter; is that it?

I'm thinking about doing more of the local races, even though I have a real hard time accepting just three splits in the results, as opposed to the more comprehensive five splits. I still want to do at least half-a-dozen USAT races, however, and that shouldn't surprise you seeing as how you know what a junkie I am fro the USAT rankings points. (Results are finalized, BTW, and I missed straight All-American by five spots, or 0.45305 points. So, it's H-M A-A again, but a jump from 52 to 37 overall in the a-g [and Ben Ewers finished two spots above me!])

Are you going to play the rankings "game" this season?

Fiannly, thank you for the kind words -- VERY much appreciated!!

2011-04-27 8:35 AM

in reply to: #3467677

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN, and looking a few more able-bodied and willing-minded multisporters!

JOE/JK -

Truth told, last year I seriously considered doing the full, and even got to the point of reserving at the hotel, which was indeed the Hilton (I often register for the lodging before the race.....and only twice have eaten the lodging fee because I never did the race and forgot I registered for a room. Oops!

) It just seemed a no-brainer to have the room so close to the finish, with the boat taxis going just about right from one to the other.

I bailed on it just because (a) it is so late in the seson for me to keep up with serious training up here, and (b) my season was very full and aggressive, and I didn't have it in me to push hat much harder to do a November iron. Noiw thta the race is moved two weeks earlier, that should help them get more people to it.....but I'm not sure a full iron is in my plans anymore.

As for the B2B half, however, I'm sorely tempted! The end of open -water swimming up here is about Oct 12-15, but I could tough it out for a few real cold swims if necassary. Similarly, cycling gets a bit nasty around that time, but really --- my season's Base is very huge by then, so I could probably bag all the longer swims and bikes at least two weeks out from it and just rely on the Base to get me there. Something to consider, I think!

2011-04-27 9:05 AM

in reply to: #3467649

Member

winnipeg, MB

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

Hi Denise,

What an inspirational story. That encourages me to keep working. I just signed up for my first Sprint on May 29th, but up till now, I only add injuries! But seeing that you even had a surgery and still kept going makes me feel that my own injuries are nothing.

AManCalledHawk

2011-04-27 9:33 AM

in reply to: #3435045

Member

Concord

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

Well, I walk/jogged 3.8 mi in 46 min without any major pain. I could feel my left calf and it was a little tender, but it didn't hurt. I'm officially calling it a cramp, a very deep, quick occurring, painful cramp.

Steve, I think I added you to my "friend" list. Let me know if you can see my training log. If so, I'll tell everyone how to do it so we can help encourage everyone else. - If people want to be added to each others logs...

My trip to the gym the other night was for weights. I rarely (like once every 10 years) lift weights. But for this tri training, I'm going to try to add some weights in on days where I only do one training event.

Lastly, (for now) what kind of supplements do people take? I take a multi-vitamin (1x a day) and 100% whey mixed with Gatorade after every workout.

Canon

2011-04-27 9:56 AM

in reply to: #3468710

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - COMPLETE!

CANON -

I second the cramp idea! Cramps are buggers at the time, but usually don't evolve into anything much more serious. So, let's raise a toast to your cramp, which is far nicer than cursing the "pop"!

I am not good about supplements; "ragged" might best describe my usage. I currently try to use glucosamine and chondroitin daily, and manage about 5/7 of the time. Omega 3 is also on the counter, and I'm righteous about that maybe 4/7 (okay, 3....). there is also Vit E, and some Vit D, but I'm way slack with those. And then there is a big bottle of Premium Insurance Caps, from Hammer Nutrition, that I really should use daily, as it is a very fine multivitamin. But I don't, and for no good reason.

You are doing well to do your won multivit, and the whey after workouts is outstanding. There's your powerful protein source, and the Gatorade will add back some carbs and electrolytes, and if you are doing tat within an hour of the workout, you've nailed that optimal window.

Whey is supposed to be most effective taken just before going to bed, as HGF (I think that's right) is maximally absorbed and assimilated while one sleeps. (I should check myself on what i just said, but I think it's close to the truth.

)

I love the discipline of lifting, but right now I am close to stopping it in lieu of Yoga. Part of this is time, part is money, and I am not real happy with shutting it down earlier than usual. Most years I go from October into June, and then not lift a thing throughout the core of the racing season. It always hurts to quit, and itvis always a joy to resume it in the fall. FWIW, all I do is upper body, as a torn meniscus in '06 scared my away from putting too much weight and strain on my knees. Lifting was NOT the reason for the tear....but I'm not taking any chances. So, it's just all upper body, with some core thrown in every now and then.

Yoga is very new for me (~six weeks), and I'm smitten on many levels. I'm pretty lousy at it, mostly, but view it as a huge open book. Can't really get enough, in fact!

2011-04-27 10:05 AM

in reply to: #3468349

Member

winnipeg, MB

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

On Saturday we went for a 52k group ride. It was a beautiful, sunny day. A little bit windy at some point but not a big deal.

We were just about to finish, maybe we had some 5-7 k still to go and riding at around 18 miles p/hr when I fell off the bike!

Probably I was tired and confident on the bike (maybe too much)

With one of the ladies we were riding side by side on a paved pathway and at some point I was a little bit behind. My front wheel was on the side of her rear wheel. She tried to grab a tissue paper from her back pocket and lost it. The tissue paper just flew right over me. Next thing I remember is that in one instant many things were going thorough my mind

I'm too close, she is distracted and wobbling around, I should warn her, I should slow down, her back wheel is coming too close to my front wheel. A millisecond after thinking all that together I was trying to get up from the ground and looking at my finger. Her back wheel, touched my front wheel. The lady behind me managed to brake, but the rider behind her also fell off her bike.

That was awful. I have a few bruises here and there, a nice big one on the injured knee that is still healing from the ligament's injury back in December. My left shoulder is soar and the worst is that almost a 1/4 of nail fell off from my left hand thumb. That one is the most painful and it is taking longer to heal.

Nothing happened to the other rider, and both bikes are fine.

So I have been walking with Gustavo around 7k every day since Sunday, which was nice. My knee is still swollen, and the shoulder a little bit soar. I'll wait one more day, and maybe tomorrow I'll go for a bike ride or run. For swimming I'll wait until all the bruises are healed. This was supposed to be my recovery week but from training, not from and accident!

I'm very upset with myself. I did not even want to write about the accident. I can feel my stomach stressed right now while I'm writing. I can't stop blaming myself. I'm going to buy full finger gloves this week. And of course, I'll be less confident, more attentive, watch what other riders are doing, and maintain some distance in future group rides.

Other than that, the ride was excellent. Not too fast, not too slow, we stopped for lunch at the midpoint. I would say it was an almost perfect ride.

Sandra

2011-04-27 10:05 AM

in reply to: #3468635

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

SANDRA -

The surgeries are the ones that get your attention, but never understimate the power and ability to debilitate of even the smallest injury. In fact, some of the small ones are the worst -- the ones that can't be operated on, but remain chronic.

The list of these is very long, and the ability of any of them to strike and settle in for the long haul is highly individual. To this end, i never do trail running just because I think that would dramatically increase MY OWN chances of twanging something. I know that trail running works for thousands of people, but at my age I'm not at all willing to risk anything beyond race-based limits -- and seeing that I never race off-road, I just lay off running and cycling off-road.

Having said all that, though, I don't want you to live in fear of every single "overuse" injury. Rather, take each one seriously, observe it, nurse it, and come out healthy at the other end fully ready to carry on. Any time one can do this, it is a big victory over pain and fear!

2011-04-27 10:28 AM

in reply to: #3468774

Champion

10618

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

SANDRA again -

The post I just wrote you was in reference to yours to Denise; I only just read your post about the bike ride!

Of course, i am very sorry that happened to you, but I am glad you chose to write about it. Not only is it probably good for you to confront it and get it all out, but it also will give you more perspective on what happened and how to avoid it in the future. Beyond that, it is useful for any of us to read it and think how it might apply to our own training.

I had a monster crash about two years ago, my first ever, and I have re-visited it many, many times. I think that has been useful, and withot boring you with details right now, I'll just say that it got me out of complacency and back to being a more observant cyclist. The bottom line for me is that we cannot police others -- be they cars, fellow riders, squirrels darting in front of us, whatever -- but we can work hard not to put ourselves too much in harm's way. For me, it is not assuming that a car won't back out in front of me; for me, it is keeping a distance between yourself and a fellow rider on any group ride.

Keep an eye on your shoulder. Mine was separated in that crash, but if your condition isn't worsening, then you're probably okay in terms of a separation. And being able to walk 7km the past couple of days is a very good sign. As for the nail -- OUCH! For all my big scrapes in my crash, i was lucky that virtually nothing happened to either hand -- it all happened so fast that I didn't have time to get my hands down! I never wear gloves, so I'm a sitting duck for hand damage; maybe something else to reconsider!

Mine happened on a Saturday, and by Tuesday I did a run; I could feel the shoulder, but it wasn't too bad. Wednesday had me back on the bike, and then I did a couple more runs and rides before deciding on the Sunday morning (8 days post-crash) that I would race a local sprint duathlon (I was away from swimming for about 4 weeks, due to the shoulder*). That was either brave or foolish, but regardless -- it helped me a lot psychologically** to get back in the saddle and feel able to compete at at least that level. So, I hope it works like that for you, and that your next run and bike work wonders for your psyche.

* The big part of this was the separation itself, of course, but beyond that I couldn't even go to the pool for kick sets because I was too road-rashed to be acceptable in a public swimming place!

** Rainy day race, and as I approached a metal bridge about a mile into the bike I could see that a few riders had gone down because they skidded. I think I saw my life flash in front of me....but I managed to navigate the bridge without hitting the deck myself. That was NOT good for me psychologically!!

junthank

2011-04-27 12:12 PM

in reply to: #3468077

Expert

1191

Sarasota, FL

Subject: RE: BigSkiesMentorGroup - OPEN (but door barely ajar....)

Thanks Steve. If I can get out of the water close to what I did last year I think I'll finish a little quicker (depending upon the conditions of course)!!

stevebradley - 2011-04-26 11:14 PM JEFF - ANYHOW, I'm very pleased for you that you feel in fine fettel for the bike and run....and hope you'll surprise yourself with the F.I.T. swim!