Baowolf's Mentor Group- Closed (Page 9)

I need to start doing those 30/30 intervals on the bike. I couldn't handle anything more right now but maybe I can make myself get on the bike tomorrow.

Busy day for me but I'm so excited that I've got all of my tasks done for the weekend (laundry, groceries, rental, other errands). Now I can kick back and relax for the next couple of days. Got in 3+ slow miles today but I was happy to be out there so I'll take the slow. Hopefully the weather won't be 90+ after early church tomorrow and I can get another easy run and then hit the bike. Monday morn, I would like to get a 5+ miler done and then I may meet my Mom at a half way point for lunch and spend some time with her. We won't be gathering for bbq or parties during the long weekend because all of us are just so THRILLED to have a little down time. I got items cooked or stocked up so we are all just fixing plates as desired and watching baseball, scrapbooking, reading, or napping.

Hey, I found a delicous meal/snack today. One of my go-to things is to crockpot pork sirlon tip roasts (Mitzi, you could do beef). Then today I toasted crusty wheat baugette rounds and warmed some pork. Then spread spinach dip (or southwest ranch dip) on the warm baugette and topped with the meat. Yum. Ok, we do not eat snack food for our meals all of the time but on laid-back weekends, we love things like that.

Hope everyone has an awesome, beautiful, wonderful Memorial weekend!

Well tried my new wetsuit on for the second time. It went on easier, but I don't think it fits. Even pulling down on chest and arms it was bunch in the armpit area - that's with the sleeves going half way down my hand. Had a few ripples on the back.
I'm really bummed out because the weight range for the suit (a TYR Hurricane 1, female large) is 144-164 - I currently weigh 162. The problem is the height is from 5'6" - 6' and I'm 5'1".

I ordered the suit in a M/L which says it's for 5'6" -5'10"; 138-154lbs. Maybe that will help.
Will I be able to find a wetsuit?

Mitzi

Hey Mitzi, would a sleeveless suit possibly work for you? Not sure what water temps you will be swimming in, but if you could go with sleeveless, it would eliminate the too long sleeves problem.

Finally starting to feel better. Walked a couple miles yesterday, which wore me out. But walked 3 miles today and feel good. We decided to go ahead and take the week off even though we're not going anywere. Hopefully it will morph into a decent staycation, but between being sick, and my FIL being demanding of my husband's time "since he's off", it really hasn't been so far.

On the plus side, in my down time I read a book called "The Cool Impossible" (Eric Orton), and I think I'm going to drink the koolade and attempt to revamp my running. Recurring foot/it band/glute issues...all on the same side, have really made me question what I'm doing. Anyway, it will start with strength and form work (low mileage). The strength stuff starts with the feet/balance/working some supporting muscle groups, and progresses from there using minimal equipment. I see that as sort of self PT. I'll spend 4-6 weeks on that, and then move on to 5 months of (re)building a nice base, hopefully with a better foundation. Also making some diet changes that I think will help with overall health.

Happy Memorial Day to all! Thanks to all who serve now and in the past to allow us the luxury of worrying about such things as training plans and transitions.

Mitzi, wish I could help with the wetsuit issue but I'm pretty clueless.

Stud hubby is trying to turn me into studette wife. Ha, like that's gonna happen. But I did run with him to the gym, worked out, left before him, and ran home. He caught me right at the house. His weights were much heavier than mine, he did more circuits while I rested between some sets, and then he did more after I left so I can't compete in that area. But 4 years ago, you wouldn't have talked me into walking those 2.6 miles - much less working out and then repeating. Me thinks a nap is on the immediate horizon for me.

Pam I am betting that we could get you to the point where you could kick his butt in a triathlon 8). He might beat you for the first 50 miles, but imagine his surprise while he is high 5 ing the kids on the sidelines and you cruise by him at mile 140....

Edited by Baowolf 2013-05-26 12:05 PM

I just did my first 10 miller in over a year! actually 10.4. I only had 2 hours sleep last night. The pregnant wife and 3 year old just didn't seem to care that I had to run long this morn. Oh well, I just put my head down and ran. Ended up nice and slow but I did the distance!

Carol - I hope you are feeling better!

Good job everyone w the runs and workouts! Got mine in too! 11 miles on Saturday. Felt really good! Took a Gu right before mi 7& BAM!! .. Sugar hiiiiighhh! I felt like superwoman! Lol. Can barely remember mile 7-9! All was good till the last mile. It was downhill and think the pounding got to my knees.... And IT band. Pretty happy w a 10:30 avg pace. Was supposed to ride 4.5 hrs today but decided to use today as a rest day as may legs were quite tired still this Morn. (Dont know how you did your run on 2 hrs sleep Mitch! Wowzers.) Besides it was a good day for making the family a huge breakfast with all their favorites, church, sunbathing in the backyard, nap!!, watermelon, and possibly movie this eve. I appreciate those who have served or are now serving our country for our freedom. Enjoy your Memorial Day.

ROTFLMAO. I can take him on a 50K and I bet I would take him on a 50 mile run. Mary....iffy....I've completed and he has never tried but he could probably pull it out. But an IM? Well, he said that if he got to mile 2.4 of an IM alive, he would be happy.

Grats on the long runs and such guys (which means guys and galls in my region).

I am at the end of a recovery week, unfortunately. Today was just a 6 mile run, but it was sub 9:00 mpm so not too sucky, at least I finished before it rained. I still have a short swim to get in. It is funny that swimming 4 days a week even with 2 of those days around 1000 to 1400 yards has made a big difference in my swimming. I have also been doing 500-600 yards of drills a few times a week and 10;00 of straight kick a couple times a week. Still not anywhere near fast, and don't know what my sustained pace is, but I am getting faster in my 100 yards repeats. My current ladder goes 2 seconds per hundred x 8 increases and back down. This week everything jumps up moderately which means a big overall jump to over 15 hours. The plan is to start 800 repeats on the run and bike intervals after my next recovery week.

Steve, you are doing great!!!!

4 mile run this morn and now a shower and lunch with my mom. Have a great Memorial Day everyone!

Great job on everyone's long runs. I'm building slowly toward my sprint. Recovery week had me running 1.6 miles. That's my sort run this week. It's all feeling hard, but good.
Good to hear that swimming get better with repeats. Sometimes I wonder if swimming, with what I can only assume is bad form , will result in improvement, though at the beginning I couldn't imagine swimming 350 yds and now I'm up to 1150.

Before my recovery week I did the bikes and runs at a moderate, steady pace. Now I'm adding some inclines.
I might actually be ready for the sprint, though I only have three full weeks to train.

Mitzi

Hello everyone. Hope everyone's having a great Memorial Day weekend.

I have my first half iron this upcoming weekend. My Achilles injury while is better, I am still not back to 100%. I can run but not at the pace I want. But I am not complaining, at least I can run.

My biggest concern as always is the swim. I am totally panic stricken still thinking about the open water swim. I can totally do the distance in the pool but the open water has me petrified. I am hoping that I will be able to catch the draft in the beginning and get into a rhythm.

Ken

Open water isn't that bad... it just takes some practice to get used to it. Drafting is really hard for me cuz I swim so slowly. Just sight somewhat frequently (every 15 ish strokes) and relax. Even though you are fast Ken, coming off an injury and this being your first race, just settle into a rhythm and try to not swim too many extra yards. That will set up your bike and run. Don't kill the bike and get enough calories and fluids on the bike to set up the run. Take the first 3 miles at a steady comfortable pace to get your legs under you and your calories started before you worry about upping the pace or just holding where you are. Share with everyone your calorie and fluid goals, how hot you think the race will be etc.?

Thanks for the advice Steve. I am a really slow swimmer as well. My hope is to make it too the bike.

Right now the water temp is about 76 degrees so no wetsuit that is truly a bummer. We are expecting the temp to be between 85 to 88 degrees. My nutrition plan is to take in about 15 to 20 ozs of fluids per hour. I am going to use Infinit exclusively. I will start hydrating on Friday night.

I will try to define my plan more as the week goes on.

Hi all, I would like to join the group. My husband is a member & has been encouraging me to do this.

NAME: Pam

STORY: I am a 27 year old runner. I have been running ever since I graduated high school & have completed two 1/2 marathons (Madison 2010 & Seattle 2010), three marathons (Chicago 2011, Madison 2011, Twin Cities 2012) & two Ragnars (Key West & Chicago 2012). I will be running the Chicago marathon again this fall. I am hoping to get into biking more this summer & trying to swim. I'm not sure if triathlons are going to be my thing, but my husband has gotten more involved in them & I would enjoy doing some races with him. In the meantime, I am going to try to get into a better fitness routine, incorporating more strength training & stretching.

FAMILY STATUS: Married

CURRENT TRAINING: Running 3-4x/week, wt training 1-2x/week. I have been working out sporadically lately & haven't had consistent mileage.

2013 RACES: Chicago marathon, I am hoping to do a 10K or a 1/2 marathon before the marathon.

WEIGHTLOSS: I am hoping to lose 10-15 lbs.

Hi Pam! Welcome.

Updated my profile picture from my phone. I was super easy with this new updated BT. But not sure why it uploads sideways!

Well I've put off the 4.5 hr ride once again. Tomorrow!!! Tomorrow will be pedaling my little heart out! NO EXCUSES Ran 4.5 miles today and added strides throughout the run. Thought after my 11 miles on Saturday I'd feel it in the shins but haven't and didn't during today's strides either. YaY!!. Felt good.

Hey All. Happy Memorial Day! I made it back from Canada at 1am today and went to work at 7. The weekend trip was wonderful. Though I'm very thankful I made it. If you've been watching the news you may have heard about the bridge on Interstate 5 collapsing into the river. Well I was not so very far away when it happened and wonder if getting off the freeway to get gas saved me from floating in the river instead of visiting my friend.

Training definitely was light last week. I maintained my longs for the most part and enjoyed time with my friend. This is my last big week. I set out today for 65mile bike and got rained out and settled for 23miles. Next time I'm gonna take my biking pants just in case. Since I'm running on very little sleep, (although after reading about Mitch's run on 2hours I have little excuse) I decided I will get to bed early and get at it tomorrow.

Ken - Very excited about your first HIM. I enjoyed mine so very much. Definitely keep your body healthy with paces that work for where your body is right now. For the swim, it really helps me when I keep my breathing under control. I don't know how often you breath (every other stroke or every 3rd, etc.) but the few times I've felt overwhelmed I made myself breath more than usual so I wasn't dealing with that in addition to all the rest. The other thing I find helpful is to visualize the swim and cause my body to experience some of the physical changes, increased HR and breathing, general anxiety, etc. Then I talk myself through the perceived risks vs. actual risk. Basically I'm trying to figure out what is creating the anxiety and what is the truth about what I feel. I've experienced this process making a difference in anxiety producing situations. Hope that makes sense.

New Pam - welcome!

Carol - so glad to hear you are feeling better.

Pam - Big congrats to your son! Proud parents are fun to listen to.

Elena - Cheers to your long ride that you WILL get done tomorrow

Steve - 9mpm is so fast if you just compare yourself to me :D Great job! As soon as taper starts I'm gonna start asking more questions, okay.

Ken, looking forward to reading your race report.

Have been doing the slow and steady thing indoors to build a base, but with only three weeks left to my sprint I've got to step it up even if it means jumps in training, though I know it's not advised.
Did my run today - 1.6 miles. First time I'm off the treadmill and on the road. Even on what would be considered a flat road here it was really hard. I don't think I could have gone further, but 18 mins just doesn't feel like a workout, so I hit the .33 mile dirt loop in a sports park. "Sprinted" 4x .25 miles, walking in between. Felt good , but now my shins are numb. Lots of ice and compression socks. Have no idea how they help, but figure they can't hurt.

Tomorrow is bike and swim. Will take the bike out (versus the stationary at the gym) and by nature of where I live will do some hill intervals. Have found a area moderately flat that I can ride round and round on, but with only having to do 9-12 miles at a time it is fine.

Mitzi

Samantha, It sounds like you are really ready for your IM. I am sure you will enjoy your taper and then the race.

Without sounding like a whiner, what causes me the most anxiety in the open water is my fear of not being able to swim the entire distance without stopping. With the longest continuous swim being a 50 meter pool, I haven't built up that confidence. Also since I cannot tread water nor can I float, I have to be going forward at all times. I have tried with a couple of different coaches to float or tread water but none of the tricks have worked for me so far.

In the pool I can make the distance but I have the advantage of the turns where I can stop at walls. Even swimming in deeper pools I have the same "wall" option.

This morning I had a 1500 yd swim and I have an 8 mi run this afternoon. Not much of a taper built into my plan.

Hey everyone. I've found something which is more tiring than triathlon training --- lots of driving, and standing around on cold, rainly soccer fields watching your kids play. Fun to watch them, but when its 48, raining, windy, and you are soaked, its no fun. And throw in 600 miles of driving over 2 1/2 days, it can wear a bit on you

I did a short run on Saturday, but essentially nothing Sun/Mon due to RF activities (see above! ). Have a run today and the weather is starting to cooperate, which is nice. Heat wave this weekend 90+ and humid Th/F/Sa. Have my last long bike Saturday, looking at 60 miles. Will need to get out early to avoid the heat.

Ken, you can do a continuous swim without stopping at the walls at race distance if that would help you feel better. Also, if you have a backup stroke that you feel comfortable that is also good. For example I can do breaststroke all day, so if I were in need I would do that for a bit to get my bearrings and settle in, like after a kick to the face. Others like backstroke, some side stroke. Whatever keeps ya going. You can stop at a kyakk for a bit to catch your breath but as they say the race is not designed as a connect the dots from kyak to kyak. I am sure with your overall fitness that you will make it throught he swim fine. Have you done any OWS? I really recommend some taper 2 weeks ish should be fine. If you want to do less of a taper, start by decreasing run, then bike lastly swim.

Steve, I have done some open water swimming. Not enough to really get comfortable. I haven't really mastered a recovery stroke. I know I have a million excuses for not swimming but I really have been trying. And I can see a huge difference in my normal swimming.

I am not going to swim kayak to kayak, unless I have too. My goal for this race is to get to the bike. Just get me to the bike and then I will be ok and more relaxed.

Ken, you will do fine. Just make sure you get in enough calories.

Ken: yes bummer about no wetsuit. At least you have a week to mentally prepare. Sometimes that's the hardest part! You must be very special, not able to float or tread but can swim. Special indeed ??Doesn't seem possible yet here you are !! This all be your first HIM? Very excited for you. I am 6 weeks out and already having random tri-race-related dreams!

Samantha: so very glad you were on empty...

Well. Set out for that 4.5 hr ride today. At mi 11 got a flat! I've changed plenty of tires but never while out on a ride. It {only} took me 20 min to change it! Lol. Didn't notice the tire was not completely on where valve was so when I went to put co2, well obviously it didn't work out. Tried it again, same thing-I used remainder of co2. So took one side of the tire off and started again. CO2 cartridge # 2 did the trick. Had planned to do a big loop that took me way out from my usual loops but I didn't quite trust my tire change. And I didn't have another tube or any CO2. It was 9:55 am & knew the LBS was going to open. So 6 miles into town & bought 2 tubes& 2 CO2's, stuck them in my pockets and off I went. Did several loops and out' backs: Got 3:20 ride/49 miles. Eh, I'll take it. Lesson learned#1: be prepared for unexpected events #2: Always have $$ stashed somewhere in your tool kit or bento box for those unpredictable events. ??

Elena, not quite what you planned but you got the tire changed and got it done. Good job!

Ken, if it's any consolation, hubby says that I'm a cork in the water and it would be impossible for me to drown. But I still feel afraid swimming out in OWS because my mind wants something. I don't know, maybe it's the touching of the wall gives me a mental click of completion of x yards/meters much like mile markers give us in races. Just realize that it's your mind that needs the break - not your body. You will make it. Like Steve said, you can always grab a kayak if you need to but I think you'll do great.

Mike, oh boy I know the mental fatigue of driving to and fro and then watching your kids in sports. It's more taxing watching than doing. One day we began at 7am and finished at 11pm. I used breaks between games to go run and hubby took a nap in the vehicle. That evening, he was WIPED and I was all peppy. I found myself telling him that he was tired because he didn't go run the 7.5 miles that I had run. It was then that I knew I had gone to the darkside.

Pam, Welcome!!!! Glad to have another Pam. If it gets confusing for anyone, you can always call me Pink and call the other Pam by her name. Pink was my alter ego for several years and there are still people in town that just call me Pink.