kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2013 (Year 3!) - CLOSED (Page 81)

Always love hearing the horror stories of swim starts - having never done one yet. How was the start for the Pumpkinman?

Pumpkinman was fine. I found free space right away and did a great job of pacing, drafting and navigating the buoys. The water was glass that morning. Patriot was the event where I got cold cocked. That's on a pond aptly named Long Pond because it's over a mile long. The wind was out of the north which is the long direction and the waves were smacking everybody all over the place from every direction. I don't think I ever swam more than 15 seconds without somebody hitting me. Pumpkinman other than some very minor contact around the buoys I don't think I touched another person after the first 30 seconds or so. When I did the NYC Olympic the waves were 1-2 ft high but they were from the same direction evenly timed. I got into a rhythm and rocked the swim. Patriot they were from every direction and you never found a groove.

In other news we watched a baby whale this morning slap his tail about 30 times over & over on the water, right outside our condo. Cute little guy. Sad to be heading home tonight - although looking forward to seeing our son, the puppies, and back to lots of veggies!

I love your attitude!  This is exactly how I feel.  It might be different if I were an elite swimmer, but I am just happy to be able to participate in triathlons.  The tris I've participated in haven't been huge so I've not experienced the gut kicking, google wrenching side of it - thankfully.

That's so cool!  So...you had a great time in Hawaii?

everlong - 2013-02-21 11:07 AM

kidtri33 - 2013-02-19 2:50 PM

everlong - 2013-02-19 2:48 PM

kidtri33 - 2013-02-19 2:43 PM Hey Scott(everlong) Looks like I will be joining you at REV3 Williamsburg. That is my new A race and after Friday I can share why I will be down there two weeks before for Jamestown International which is being held in pretty much the same area.

Awesome! I haven't made any arrangements yet but we'll have to get together. I'm bringing the family down and we'll spend a few days doing Busch Gardens, the historic districts, Go Ape, etc and then work our way back north hitting DC and maybe Baltimore on the way.

Yea we are doing the family trip for the Jamestown. I am not sure about REV3 what we are doing. May just be me and the wife for that one. We'll see. I haven't made arrangements for that either. If I do I will let you know and we can work something out.

A few things I thought of that you'll need to know. Packet pickup and putting your bike in transition has to be done Saturday. You cannot do it Sunday morning. I've had to do this once before but there were 3600 entries in that race and it was in NYC so you could understand it. I'm not sure about the justification for this one. Second if you have a Twitter account you can have them post your splits as they come in for friends and family to follow you. I think that's a great idea.

Carrie, my thoughts and prayers go up for you and your family. Glad the little guy is ok though.

As for swim starts. I don't have an opinion either way. I only did one OWS last year and it wasn't that bad just a little touching here and there the first 500m or so. Of course I was in a novice group that started last. I just sat to the outside and did my thing. It was exciting to watch everyone go out, especially the fast ones. I was amazed at them and dreamed about being that fast one day.

Also did you guys read the articles on swim starts on ST? Very interesting view and makes some sense especially about warming up. Also, I agree with getting a EKG but I have a family history of Heart disease and Heart attacks so I keep a close eye on that just to make sure. Doctor has complimented me every time I have gone in and with my blood work and told me last time he wished he had such a low resting heart rate.

I don't like TT starts for 2 reasons.  First I have no idea where I am in comparison to the competition. 

At IMs I count females on the run course and work my way up.  With a TT start, I have no idea where I stand and if i am truly passing someone.  Second seeding in TT starts is difficult. 

My understanding is that the clock will stop at 17 hours no matter when you start (as it does at IMLou) so people who are afraid of missing cutoffs tend to try to seed themselves as close to the front as possible.  At IMLou people will sleep in line in order to be first into the water.  When you put slow swimmers up front and have a tight swim course, it can be difficult to pass and weaker swimmers tend to freak out when people swim right over them.

As a personal aside I like the fact that the clock has my actual finishing time when I finish.  I really want an IM time that starts with a 10 and I'd like the picture to prove it. 

Yes they are. 

Not to mention it doesn't address the root cause.  Death by drowning, cardiac arrest, etc.  You can drown from just one gulp of water.  Not sure how starting in a group of 100 is much more safe than starting at the back of the pack.  Also don't you have more time to work your HR into a tizzy if you're waiting for your spot in the TT to go off?  Still very undecided on the whole thing.

I got to sleep in this morning because it's a rest day, and I feel wonderful!!!  I have a deep tissue massage scheduled for later this morning.  I really need to work out some of the aches and pains if I want to continue on injury-free.  I have another one scheduled for the first week of March when I am in Las Vegas.  I may do some restorative yoga this afternoon as long as I'm not too sore from the massage.  The kids love to do it with me.  I think it's great for them.  

Have a great day!  

Water was very hot in the pool this morning.  Gross.  Got my 3 x 800 in anyways.  It's Cindy's birthday.  I think she's hoping labor is on the gift list.

My sister needs some labor vibes too.  She's 41w1d and miserable!  I can't imagine being that pregnant as all my babies were early.  When is Cindy's actual due date, Scott?  

3/9. 

For jackets, check this out.  http://foxwear.net/  This guy buys technical fabrics in bulk - the same stuff that the North Face, Patagonia, and all the rest use in their products, and makes jackets custom by himself.  He'll help you design what materials to use in your jacket based on your riding style, and his prices are really reasonable.  I've got a jacket and some winter base layers from him that I'm really happy with.  

For cold-weather cycling (or even non-cycling) jerseys, I'm a huge fan of these: http://wabiwoolens.com/.  Wool is the original miracle fabric, and these jerseys are incredibly well made - light, warm, no synthetic fabric stink, and no sagging pockets in the back.  Finally, Harth Huffman, the owner, is the nicest guy going.  Pricier than the ones above, but highly, highly recommended. 

I sound like a drooling stooge, I know, but I don't have any interest in either place.  I just like both and try to support small domestic companies making good products. 

That's a good point. I'd really like to do an HIM with a 4 at the beginning but given I'll never be leaving with the front group it's unlikely I'll get a picture with the correct time.

We talked about this a little bit, but it looks like the federal government willing be joining a lawsuit against LA:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17057708-sources-us-department-of-justice-to-join-lawsuit-against-lance-armstrong?lite