Tri/tbay group - CLOSED (Page 8)

Ugh, Bill, sorry about the continued back problems!  Kerry has had a few bouts with that, and it's always so hard to put your finger on a specific cause or fix.  Patience rules, but that is so much easier said than done.

Roy, yes, the midway point in the HM at Cowtown is the stockyards area.  Definitely a fun section, and last yr. they shot videos there as well as the finish line.  Brick streets have me a little worried re: the ankle, but I'll be watching my step big time there.  Glad your training is coming along well....like how you roll with the life events but don't lose focus. 

This weekend was a mixed bag of training and results.  Took Roy's tagline to heart -- "Do what you can when you can".  Saturday morning run was cancelled due to rain (and cold), so I headed to the gym.  Did the early spin class, then was planning to swim, but water aerobics had the pool by then.  Rain had let up, so headed out for a 3ish mile run.  Returned for a 1K yard swim.  Wound up being my very own unintentional sprint tri .  Today after church got the 7 mile run planned for yesterday done nicely, and then attempted a group bike ride.  At that point my body told me "enough already", and I cut it short at 10 miles.  Wakeup call about my lack of bike fitness.  Knew it intellectually, but FELT it today.

How is everyone else doing?  Mona, you still an animal on the bike these days?  Melissa, hope you are continuing to feel well.  Bill (fla) how goes it balancing the traveling and the training?  Andy, been getting any good rides in?

I did not get all my training last week.  Work seems to get in the way sometimes.  Anyhow...  I did go on the group ride on Saturday for 27 miles.  Today I am back on my normal training schedule so it should be a good week.  It is supposed to be a hard training week.

It is good to see everyone is still working hard to improve.

Later,

Bill

Hi All,

Thanks to those of you who keep the reports coming :-) I read them faithfully, but don't always have the time or inspiration to write anything new and interesting.  It's why they call training "the grind" swim/bike/run/repeat.

Last week was my recovery week and I kind of just let it all go without following much of a plan.  I had a foot problem early in the week, so I didn't run much.  Fortunately, the problem seems to have gone away. 

Some highlights:  The swim coach decided that he needed to time me ... yikes, brought back memories of when I was a kid and my dad would stand on the pool deck with the stop watch...traumatic for a 7 year old :-) I was surprised that I was able to swim 1:42/100 yards  :43/50 yards and :19.8/25 yards.  Ok, so it doesn't mean much when doing a 70.3 but fun to see where I am.  The team is gearing up for a couple of swim meets, and I can see the writing on the wall..I will eventually be talked into going and participating.   

On Saturday I had an opportunity to get a great deal on VO2 max testing..normally costs $ 185 on sale at the group rate for $ 105.  I warmed up on my bike, then they strapped  a mask on me and I rode hard while they recorded all this data on heart rate, calories burned/min, oxygen uptake..I am waiting for the official results.  I now know my training zones and I was happy to learn I tested in the "superior" range for my age group with room to improve.  The thing is, how do I compare to other triathletes? You may ask, is this necessary?  The answer is, not really :-) but for me it was encouraging to hear that I have room for improvement.  

On the down side, I only trained for 6 hours last week...feels as though I did nothing!  So this week I will make every effort to bump it up again to 12+ hours because that 70.3 is getting closer and closer every week!  I plan to ride 50 miles no matter what..even if I have to do it on the computrainer...I will have to mentally prepare for that one!  

Melissa: I am so glad you discovered the app and I am very impressed that you have lost 4 lbs! Keep it up! No worries about St A's..it's a fun, easy course.  The biggest challenge is there are a lot of turns at first, but then it's straight out and back, mostly.  It's kind of iffy finding a place to stay right downtown, but I was thinking you can stay on the south end of St Pete Beach..there are a lot of hotels there.  Then the ride to the race is a fast 15-20 min to downtown (look around the Don CeSar hotel). 

Carol: Good going on the weekend...talk about persistent!   

Bill: it's so hard to keep training while working..I couldn't do it that's why I waited until I retired to do all this crazy long distance stuff. Good luck this week!  

Bill: oh nooo...back problems, injuries, being sidelined...so frustrating!  Been there, done that so many many times. Hope your back gets better than ever soon.  

Over and out until next update,

Mona 

A Happy Tuesday to you all,

Good to read those reports, and Yes that work thing we do(except Mona) seems to be really in the way of superior results. BLAH, but in reality thats why we are known as agegroupers. And that's OK with me. Bill be careful with your back, take it day by day and don't overdue. Which I"m sure you hear about everyday at this point.

Carol, the taper is in full swing this week, we'll be rooting for you. My daughter ran the Ft. Lauderdale half marathon last weekend. She finished 13th in her agegroup, not bad for a college kid. I'm proud of her.

Mona I"m starting to get those emails blasts about Escape from Ft. Desoto which means the event is getting closer to filling. Didn't know if you had entered as of yet, but you probably should be doing so shortly so you get in the race. I like Ft. Desoto its a good event.

Have a good day everyone, I'm off to the pool in a bit.

Roy, a big congrats to your daughter for such a strong finish at the Ft. Lauderdale half!  Must be lots of fun to see her enjoying and succeeding in some of the same things that you enjoy!

Bill (wr), how is the swimming, cycling and PT treating your back?  Sounds like a good plan to reduce the work related activity until it gets better. 

Mona, glad your foot is feeling better.  And wow, you're looking great in the pool!  LOL on you getting recruited/sucked into the swim meets .  Nice bargain on the testing too.  Seems like that would really help with feeling more confident about how to train.

Bill (fla), good going on the 27 mile bike ride, and jumping back into the saddle after a rough work week.  How's the heavier training volume going this week?

Melissa and Andy, how's your training going?

Yes, Cowtown weekend is almost here!  I asked Kerry if he would rather I be his bag carrier/cheerleader, or run the 5K alongside him on Saturday, and he opted for me to run with him.  Just so happens the race will be his final day of the couch to 5K program.  I'm very proud of him.  As Roy said, fitting in working out and work is a tough balance.  As for me, I'm glad to be tapering the rest of the week.  Legs feel dead and I was exhausted for no particular reason yesterday.  Also up a couple of lbs , so time to tighten up the diet, sigh.....

Thanks Carol she was real happy. Don't sweat a couple of pounds of gain during a taper week. Pretty normal, less activity not as many calories burned, your hydrating and not losing as much fluid. So no worries, now if it is more than that yes got to watch what is going in. Best of luck for you and Kerry. Tell Kerry we would love to hear from him.

I hope the weather forcast it good for your race.

Roy and Squirt, you keep me going.  I completed my harder workouts in all three disciplines and have another mock tri this weekend.  Then its a couple work travel weeks.  With any luck I can keep up the running and swimming.

Bill, I really consider myself lucky in that I have not had any issues with my health.  I can't imagine going through what you have to just to exercise.  You inspire me with your effort.

Mona,  I started doing this so I am ready to ramp up in retirement.

Bill

Hey good going everyone

Good luck to Kerry..how exciting..his first race :-) Carol, way to go on the running. A marathon is enough of a goal for now..it's no easy task.  I ran 8 miles today and my legs were heavy by the end.  I wonder if I'll ever get back in running shape...still doing 13 min miles. Oh well, at least I am moving a tad faster than a walk.

Roy, your kid sounds very fast...congratulations! Thanks for the heads up on Ft Desoto.  I registered so I am officially "in". Can't wait to compete again.  I only did one Olympic last season.  I got my hotel reservations at the Best Western in Winter Haven for the 70.3. Not sure where it is in relation to Lake Eva, but it's closer than St Pete :-) 

Bill, a big part of my decision to retire when I did was because I had it in my mind to do an Ironman by the age of 60.  I ended up doing it at 61 because of a bike accident that threw me off for a year. Triathlon is a way of life for me now.

Bill back problems are the worst, but I've had good experiences with PT rehab as long as you do everything they say faithfully!  

I'm having a decent week, but missed a Master's swim and have a bike to make up tomorrow early am.  Then Sat or Sun I am looking forward to a 50 mile bike ride...hope I won't have to do it on the Computrainer..ugh...but y'a gotta do what y'a gotta do.

Mona

Well another weekend is upon us, looks like everyone has a good weekend of training or RACING right Carol. Hopefully the weather is going to be cooperative for everyone's planned activities.

Mona glad you got entered into Ft. Desoto, and Winter Haven isn't to far from the race site probably 30 min tops. You've got a good attitude toward your running, just stay positive about it no matter what your pace is, it will pay off in May.

Bill(s) I hope your PT will find the magic spot that is going to clear up that back issue, it's not a lot of fun when every time you go to train something hurts. But its kind of part of the deal to some degree, but certainly not to the point where you can't do it. And as long as your getting some training in while traveling your still moving advancing.

Daytona 500 this weekend. It's an exciting time of the year in Florida and for the race fan. Do any of you watch Nascar?

No Nascar for me, growing up in NY it wasn't very popular.  Watkins Glen was only an hour away though.

I have been MIA lately but its good to see everyone doing well.  I hurt my foot running on thursday morning and have been down and out since then.  The pain seems to be in the front of the arch arch on the inside of my left foot.  I am so frustrated with it since I was seeing some nice improvement.

I am starting to look at buying the rest of the essentials for race day. Hydration system (thinking torhans), tires (watching bonktown), and tri suit vs tri shorts and top (watching bonktown for these as well."

HAPPY RACING THIS WEEKEND!  

Hello everyone.  Sorry to be absent for a while.  I've been reading the posts when I can and I see some good results for many of you.  I'm very glad about that.

I ran the Cowtown 5k today and had a great time.  My wonderful wife ran it along with me, encouraging me as we went.  She's doing the half tomorrow so she used this as a warmup.  I did it in 38:32 which was a 12:25 pace.  Not great but faster than my couch.  I was worried about being last in my age group, but ended up 122 out of 175.  It felt good to do and I'm looking forward to doing my next one in a month or so.  The last 5k I did (two years ago) I didn't train for and really felt bad at the end.  Had to go sit down for a while.  This time I at least had the energy to fight the crowd to get to the beer truck.

As far as NASCAR, yeah I enjoy watching it.  We live about 20 minutes from Texas Motor Speedway (2 hours on race day) and have been several times.  Daytona is one of my favorites so I'll be watching it.

Kerry

Awesome! Great job on the 5k and best of luck to your wife tomorrow.

Just an FYI if any one is looking for gear.  As I am sure most know bonktown.com runs deals every 45 min or hour or whatever it is.  I found tonight that www.gearscan.com allows you to go back and see the deals and take advantage of left over inventory.  I just got a new $120 Orca trisuit for $52!!!!!  

Hi everyone,

Kerry, Just keep it up, sounds like great progress congratulations 

Lopadrino-----I didn't know about bonktown or gear.com thanks

Mona-------Everytime i read at the bottom of your posts i am motivated and inspired. It seems to me like a triathlon is some sort of mythical beast to be slayed and you have slayed so many.

Squirt--------I tried to run and just couldn't get it going (pain) my plan is to swim and cycle as much as possible 

Kerry congratulations on a best time. And I know it was a great help having squirt out there with you I'm sure it was motivating. Keep it up and dont' go anywhere near the couch. Oh Yea good to hear from you.

Andy, be careful with your foot. This is where plantars fascitiis gets its start. If you have a golf ball handy start rolling your instep on that foot you'll find that sore area where your knotted up and you can start to get that area to relax. But do be cautious.

Bill probably good wisdom on your part, be patient it will respond.

Hey there!  As Kerry already shared, we had a great weekend at Cowtown.  Much fun on Saturday running the 5K with him.  He did a great job pacing his race, and came out ready to train for the next one. 

Sunday's half marathon was really good too.  I had a low point energy wise last week, and was unsure if I was motivated to go hard in my race or just wanted to take it easy and claim my 4th cowtown half finisher medal.  They have a series of 5 finisher medals that all form a star/circle.  Best marketing tactic ever...hooked me right in.  Anyway turns out a little rest did the trick and we had awesome weather on race day.  I beat my previous PR (set last month) by over 3 minutes, and hit 1:55:19 (32/365 in my AG).  Long winded race report here:    http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=427652&posts=1&start=1 

Bill (wr) glad to see you are also implementing Roy's tagline ("do what you can when you can").  That's one thing I really like about tri training.  Can usually do at least one of the disciplines even if injured.

Andy, wow, that's a great wetsuit deal!  Thanks for the link on looking back at the bonktown deals.  I'm afraid to subscribe to bonktown updates...I'm distracted enough as it is   How's the foot?

How was everyone's weekend of training?

Hey Squirt,

Great race! Congratulations!  Your splits were very consistent..excellent.  There is nothing like seeing the results of all the training.

Kerry, good job..you're on your way..this is just the beginning!

As for me, I am grateful my training is going as planned.  I don't feel nearly as tired as I did when I started training in earnest back in November.  As a matter of fact, I am wondering if I am working hard enough...humm...I don't think I'll break any personal records this 70.3.  I keep having to remind myself I  just want to finish feeling relatively good t his time around even if it takes me the full 8 hours.   

Thanks for the nod, Bill

My triathlon "career" started very modestly, and in my eyes is still rather modest compared to so many.  At last count, I think I've done something like 32 triathlons, and still counting :-)  I can't even tell you how may races I have run, but I do remember finishing 7 marathons back in my running days :-) It's all fun and continues to be...so...carry on...if I can do this, so can you! Mona

Happy hump day to everyone! 

Mona, you are an amazing lady!  7 marathons in addition to your triathlon career, wow!  I agree with you that triathlons are very humbling based on the fitness levels of the competitors, particularly as the distances increase.  In the "real" world, we are all in the top tier of fitness just for being active most days.  In the triathlon world, it takes so much more to finish at all.  I guess that's part of what draws us to it though.

Thanks for the encouragement on our races this past weekend!  It really was a high point for both Kerry and me.  We are going to a social run with the running club out at the lake this evening.  They are raffling off some free race entries, and the weather looks to be perfect . 

I'm still very sore, and aborted a run this morning in favor of some gentle walking.  Got in a swim yesterday, but quads feel too shreded to bike just yet.  Next weekend is the first sprint tri of the season.  I'm OK on the swim and the run, but will be going into it with hardly any recent bike miles.  I know a lot of people do that, especially for a sprint with a short bike, but I hate not feeling prepared.

Hi everyone, I ran last night without pain and this morning feel good so i am crossing my fingers that my back and hips hold up. It was only 2 mi at 10:30/mi but its a start.

That is great news, Bill!!!  So glad to hear you were able to run. 

Kerry & I had fun at the lake last night.  We got in a 2 mile run followed by pizza and a raffle.  Got to put in tickets based on how many times you had volunteered for the club.  I only had 2 tickets, but won a race entry . 

I ran across a quote I liked yesterday.  Thought I'd share in case you guys might like it too:

"For me, endurance training is exactly like turning a Styrofoam cup inside out.
So long as you take it slowly you'll be able to do it. Try to rush things and -
rip - you'll tear the cup. You are the cup." - Gordo Byrn

Good news!!  All it takes is patience and a positive attitude...the body heals...never give up.