Scott's Mentor Group-Closed for training. (Page 8)

I had a great race! Too tired to post a lot now. I had to go to my niece's birthday party after the race and then drive 3 hrs. home. I just got here. I'll post more details tomorrow.

Ben-The more you check in here the more it motivates consistency. It's reall nice when everything starts falling into place. Keep it up and let us know how it goes!

Did my super sprint today ... happy to say I was not a DNF.

Working on my race report but will recap briefly.  Field had 378, 400 meter swim in bool, 50 meter serpentine, time trial start.  My brother and I seeded ourselves at 9:00 min average.  I led first 250 meters with my brother drafting me.  He and I passed 14 people in the pool and I had one guy swim into me head on (twice!!) and screwed up on one turn and hit ropes.  My brother passed me and I drafter behind him the final 150 meters and we passed 4 more people.  He had a 9:23, I was out next after him at a 9:36 (Swim time was 124th out of 378).  I think we should have seeded at 8:30 maybe we wouldn't have had to fight to pass people constantly and get into a rhythm.   Neither my brother or I can recall being passed at all ... I had no hip leg pain at all ... swim was good.

Ran outside - BAM FREEZING!!  Cold and overcast in NY - ran to my bike and laughed as my brother overshot his corral, only to do the same thing myself.  Put on a long sleeve tech shirt, my run number, and a jacket, helmet, socks, bike shoes and ran out ... Once again my T1 was miserably slow.  It was cold, I did not want to freeze on the bike ... 2:13 for 176 out of the field of 378.

Bike was a 2 mile oval that we repeated 3 times.  I killed on the bike; no one passed me at all the entire time I was on the bike (the faster guys were already running by the time I got on the bike).  First time I used my Rudy Project helmet - don't know that it made me faster but I felt strong and fast.   Averaged 22.59 mph, good for 39th fastest in the field.  The breaking on the tight U-turns (6 times) is the only thing that slowed me down.  Felt good coming into transition and my mom was there cheering for me as I came off the bike, pretty cool to have my mom cheer on her 40 year old boy ... she only picked me out because I was the only one in the field with fully tattooed legs :-)

Into T2 - got to my rack, misracked my bike and it crashed and knocked down another bike (most of my rack was still filled with bikes - of people that had not even finished the swim yet) ... re-racked the bikes , knocked off my helmet, peeled off the jacket and switched to my sneakers.  Seemed to take an eternity and it did ... my time of 1:39 was 296th in the field (ugh ...)

I had thought to quit here - but my mom was there and my brother was ahead of me - 2 mile run thought I would gut it out - ran it in a miserable 18:33 ... my mom said I ran pitched to one side; my right hip was hurting every step (I am an idiot) ... Finished at 47:58 ... 99th overall, 17th out of 36 in my age group.  With slightly better transitions and a "normal" run I could have placed 12th ... maybe next year ... 

Woohoo!!!  Congratulations!!! Looking forward to hearing about your race!!  Way to go!!

I have informed my brother that my half marathon for May 6th is 99% not happening ... I have an appointment for PT on Tuesday where they will work on isolating my injury - which now includes shin splints due to my sheer stupidity of running on a gimped hip and throwing my gait into shambles.  I will also be seeing another orthopedist on Thursday - sciatica is not my issue (IMO) and I want to get a second opinion.

My training for now will be limited to upper body strength exercises (that I don't have to use my hip), some hardcore cycling and continued swimming and whatever yoga I am capable of ... running is completely off the table until I get myself back in order.

Next events:

May 6th - Long Island Half Marathon - 99% not happening

May 20th - Gran Fondo NY - 100 mile bike - this is happening.

June 3rd - Great South Bay Triathlon - hope to be good for this (750m swim/11m bike/5k run) 

Nicole and Paul- Congratulations! Gutsy performances you two.

I had a nice long and cold ride outside today for about 2 hours and just got finished with a short run this evening.  Somewhere in the middle of the day I went swimming with my daughter which was great fun.  Hope everyone had a stellar weekend.  

Paul- Great race-take it easy on the injury!

Ok, so I finished my HM 2:58:47 yesterday. That probably sounds bad to you guys but for comparison last years time was 3:27:25. I was thrilled to be under 3 hours. My gun time was actually 2:59:40 and as I was getting close to the finish I saw the clock said 2:59:3x and thought I'd better hurry to make it under 3 hours. I sporinted in and they gave me my finishers medal and when I turned to look at the clock after that it was at 3:59:44-I guess the sprinting was overkill.

It's a weird experience being so slow because I'm back with the run-walk people. In the beginning of the race they are all doing more running then walking and probably going out a little fast so I got behind a bunch of them but as the race went on they started dropping back, walking more and running slower and eventually I left them behind. It can be a little maddening because they leap frog you for a while. I had to really concentrate on holding a steady pace. One girl kept passsing me like she was trying to race me. eventually she dropped back but about a mile later she sprinted past me again. She passed me and stopped at the corner to talk to her boyfriend. He asked how she was and she was like "I'm dying". We had just passed mile three. I was surprised to see her (the boyfriend walking next to her) at the finish as I was walking back to my car.

I may have been in the back but I ran every step, even through the aid stations which is a little ridiculous at my pace but I was having such a good day. I felt strong, I was passing people-I just felt good. The last couple of miles were painful but that's to be expected. One of the run-walkers caught back up between miles 10 and 11 and leap-frogged me for awhile. She was with another girl who seemed to be kinf of coaching her through the race. As annoying as it was earlier. I was glad for it late in the race because it made me push a little harder. They dropped back again around mile 12 but I was glad to see them finish a little behing me because the one girl was a pretty big girl and was really struggling. It's great to see people do things they thought they couldn't. I like to think how finishing the race might change that girl's life.

Ok. That's long enough for this post. Sorry to give you too much to read-but now I can copy paste this for my race report.

Hi

I am after a bit of advice regarding wetsuits.

I am looking to hire a suit for my race which is in May, in the UK the wates would still be cold at that time of the year. The hire company that I am in contact with have a short suit (no arms and to knees) or a full suit without arms. What would you do?

Also regarding the thickness of the suit - they only have suits that are 5mm thick, is this too much?

Really need some help here guys and appreciate comments and thoughts

Cheers

Gareth

Nicole Congratulations on a great race and on doing so much better than last time. Your comment about sticking to your pace is such an important one. It can be tempting to modify your strategy at the moments you feel good, but understanding that you're protecting yourself from feeling bad is the smart play! I've only run one half marathon, and stuck with my pace the entire race (using an iPhone App). My girlfriend's son raced with me and planned on keeping my pace, but he was so hyped up (his first race as well) he did the "see-saw" running that you described in your race. Every 10 minutes or so I would see him again, either passing me or falling behind me. With 2 miles to go his whole body cramped up and he barely walked across the finish line.

Learning that lesson on the run will surely help when it comes to swimming and biking!

I also agree that seeing so many people run a race knowing the individual challenges they overcome is inspirational -- for me there was no competition with the other runners in my race, just comeraderie. The competition was with myself.

Again, congratulations and get some rest. Andy

Hi Gareth,  5mm is not too thick.  I believe this will only help with buoyancy.  Get as full a wetsuit as you can.  Full sleeves would be best, especially if it's going to be cold.  But if the best they have is sleeveless then go with that one.  

Rock on, Nicole!!  Great race!!

I know what you mean about leap-froggers!  *lol*  My last trail race, there was a pair of guys who kept doing that sprint-walk deal.  I got a little kick out of it.  After a few times of passing one another, I started to just wave and them and say "see you again in a few minutes!"

The only triathlon I think Saipan has is in March... soooo, I guess I won't be able to report on any big race for a while.  But I'll race myself as I keep progressing, and share how I'm doing!  I think there are marathons during the year, so once I figure out when those are, I will post.

On the plus side, my parents just told me that they will plan to save money and vacation time so they can fly out here to cheer me on for that race next year since it'd be my first tri!  Plus it'll be around my sister's birthday, so she said maybe she'll just try to plan to come out then as well!!  How exciting   And extra pressure to make sure I would really do it ;-)

Paul and Nicole,

Congrats on your races this weekend.  Well done!

I also had my share of leap frogging this weekend, except it was on the bike.  The entire course was a series of rolling hills.  I'd pass several people on the descents then they'd catch me on the climb.  Funny, I thought I'd be better on the climbs and turns out I was better on the down.  Perhaps my mountain biking made me a bit more confident on the descents since the pavement was silky smooth compared to the mountain trails.

One thing I want to mention to my fellow newbs is that on the swim, you may want to take the turns around the buoys wide.  The first two turns I cut close and was literally clobbered by a couple other swimmers.  I took on a lot of water and had to swim breast stroke for a while to catch my breath and calm back down and get into my rhythm.  I think this cost me about two minutes.

Today I noticed that the youth swim team has started back up.  So much for having the pool to myself in the afternoons.  Now I'll have to swim in the evenings after they're done.

Tomorrow I have my meeting with my run coach.  Can't wait to hear what he has to say.  

Stay healthy my friends.

Craig-I'm sorry I must've missed something-Did you race this weekend?

I actually don't mind the leap frogger's in princible-It was just a little frustrating during a race. I have to wonder if the walking and running keps them fresher so they can go faster and I didn't want to let one of the beat me in the race since I felt like I had worked harder than them. That may not be nice but I think it inspired me to go a little faster especially at the end. OTOH, I do think that if that's what it takes to get people moving and help them find their way to a better lifestyle-I find that inspiring. I just hope I can get faster so I won't be running in the thick of them any more.

Nicole, I was supposed to race my Oly in Las Vegas but due to my calf injury I decided to only race the swim and the bike.  

Good Afternoon all,

    Had a wonderful ride this weekend. My wife talked me into the spin bike so we would have something she could use too.. I have a quick question I am in the market for an affordable wetsuit and am looking at the XTerra Volt that is on clearance for 99$. Does anyone have experience with this suit, and what are your thoughts. Thank you very much. -Brian

Right, I knew that. Sorry. I can be a ditz (sp?).

So Nicole - Albany - Saratoga or in between?

I grew up in Burnt Hills and loved the area.

Nicole - awesome job on the HM!

I unfortunately will have to take a DNS on my scheduled HM on May 6th.  After meeting with an orthopedist and a physical therapist - I do not have Sciatica, I have however done multiple "bad" things to my leg by continuing to run on a stressed hip.  The suggestions from both ar eto do a series of stretches daily, increase core work and do activities that do not stress the hip.  Right now this includes running and most swimming.

When I first injured my hip in late February I was trying to push mileage and pace, and I stressed the tendons in my hip.  That time I stopped running completely for several weeks and just worked on cycling and swimming.  The problem these guys think is I went right back into training at the mileage and pace I had left off on - somehow I made it five weeks and past my first HM without re-injuring myself.  But when I tried to log consecutive long mileage runs after the HM my body rebelled.

The pluses are all my "damage" is muscle and tendon strain and partial tearing.  Nothing is ripped.  If I don't stress it I should be back to running in a few weeks.  My Gran Fondo scheduled for May 20th should be fine - and now I will concentrate heavily on just cycling so should do better there.

The minuses - I have to miss my next HM (not the worst thing in the world) ...  I may or may not be able to swim - I have been told to do it if I am comfortable but if there is pain I should stop (makes sense) ... I may or may not be good for my sprint on June 3rd (I am fairly confident I will be ok).  I don't plan to run at all until after May 20th.

I spend 10 hours on my feet at work each day - sometimes carrying boxes of varying weights.  Currently I have shin splints (in my right shin) and a strained calf (also in the right leg) due to running with a modified gait that did NOT work for me.  With Ibuprofin and by wearing a Zensah Compression Sleeve at work I am hoping I will bounce back ok.

Hope I won't bore you guys with my cycling posts and injury updates but it seems that will be the majority of my "training" the next 5-6 weeks ...

I have an XTerra Vortex 4 - mine is sleeveless - I like mine but have nothing to compare it to as it is the only one I have ever worn.

I tried open water about 6 times before my first event - an open water one mile race in rough surf - was interesting and has made all my triathlon swims much easier in comparison.  I have used it in three sprint distance events with no issues.

Some men shave their legs and spray Pam on them to get the legs off faster in a race ... I don't see myself ever doing that but who knows ...

Hi everyone. The used bike I bought has both a regular crankset and compact compact. Currently the compact is installed. The race I'm training for is in November (55km bike segment) and from what I understand has 3 major climbs early on. It's been recommended to use the compact crankset during the race.

My question is about training. I'm using a trainer now indoors, and will eventually get out on some roads. Should I train on the compact crankset, or switch to the regular for training and move back to the compact for the race? Will training on the regular, especially once I am outside with some hills, prepare me like using a weighted bat to warm up in the batter's box?

Andy

Paul,  I am glad it is not worse.  It sounds as though if you take care of it, you should be good to back at it.  Be smart as you come back though.  Please keep us updated about your cycling and mending.  You are part of the gang, and we want to hear about what you are doing.  

If it were me I might do a few rides with the triple, but the majority of my rides would be with what I plan on racing with.  Logging many miles will make you a better cyclist for your race.