KathyG's group- Full (Page 9)

We've had a fun time in South Carolina and we're headed back to Denver this afternoon.  I posted my race report.  Running through the shark tunnel was awesome! 

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=66756&posts=1&start=1

In training your body actually absorbs the training while you rest/recover. That is why taking one day off each week is important as is sleeping well and enough all the time is key. On a bigger scale having a rest/recovery week every 3rd (like I do) or 4th (most common) you are allowing your body to get stronger and recover from the hard work you did during your regular weeks.

Most all training plans you find on-line or here on BT have a rest/recovery weeks built into them.

For me a rest/recovery week has no intense training meaning super hard efforts...no intervals...most everything is done in an aerobic manner easy breathing and the longer efforts are shorter. As this is my 4th tri season, I'm doing two a day workouts on my rest/recovery weeks but that is new. A general rule of thumb would be total workout time would be about 50-70% of what you normally do and you want to do probably 2 workout in each s/r/b during the week.

Example for me this week is a rest/recovery week:
I'm swimming 4 times but all are longer set so swimming atleast 300-400 yds which means I'll be going easier.... I normally swim 50-65 minutes at a time and this weeks swims will be more 30-40 minutes

Bikes: This week I'm just doing aerbic rides which are easier. My long rides are now 35-40 miles this week if weather allows outside I'll do 20-25 miles.

Run: If I was running (recovering from injury), normal weeks I run one long 6-9 miles, 1 medium, 1 intervals and maybe off the bike, but in a rest week my long run would be 3-4 miles, and I'd run maybe 15-30 minutes two other times

Strength: Normal weeks I do 3 sets of 8-10 in most things, rest weeks I do one set and only one instead of two days of strength.

Before a tri, many folks panic and try to get in more workouts to make sure they are prepared. Best thing to do is the last week before you race do fewer workouts and have it be like a rest/recovery week but instead of doing everything aerobic, during your workouts put in a couple fast paced intervals so your body is used to going at the faster pace. Many folks taper for key races and it allows your body to fully absorb your training and peak for a big race. I do it for my A races twice a year and find it helps me do my absolute best.

The swim weight training looks good. When I hurt my rotator cuff back my first year, I did PT and then did strength training to help strengthen my rotator cuff and they look very similar, but the website you have has more things to do.

Everyone needs to check out Becky's race report for her 5K this past weekend:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=66756&posts=1&start=1

She placed 2nd in her AG, top 25% Overall and kicked butt and ran sub 8:30 miles...pretty darn impressive.

I think we have a confirmed runner in our group

Hi all,

Just wanted to check in and say HI.  Congrats again on your race Becky! 

I'm headed to New Orleans this weekend.  My husband is running his second marathon (first in 10 years) and I'll run the 5k then run around trying to spectate.  Neither one of us has ever been there, so we're staying in town 'til Wednesday... a mini vacation as I'll be on spring break from school (*YES*).  We're also really psyched about the race.... Tom has been training since my marathon (he ran a half that day) back at the end of October and I'm sooooo ready to have my man back!!    Due to all the training and a stomach issue that has since been improved he's lost about 30 pounds in the last year and is positively skeletal... totally bums me out.  I'm not into the Kenyan look, I guess. 

 Anyway, should be a good and inspiring weekend!  I hope you all have fun, too. 
jaclyn

Good luck to you and Tom!!

My brother and his wife just got back from New Orleans and had a great time. They went there on their honeymoon about 2 years ago and said everything is back to how it was in the tourist section.

Enjoy the mini-vacation and time away from school! 

I've been reading Ironman reports because they're amazing and inspiring and I"m just really curious.  I don't understand a bunch of the slang though and its really impressed on me that this is a totally new sport to me. 

What is MDot?  What are special needs bags?  Are wetsuit stripping volunteers an Ironman thing or a triathlon thing?  What else... oh yeah what is the deal with Heart Rate Monitors?  I know that a lot of people use them these days but I've intentionally ignored the hype and now I must admit that I don't know what they do and why they're helpful. 

I was getting all excited dreaming about doing an ironman one day and then I read a report and just looked at the times.  Over an hour in the lake!!  Over 6 on a bike!!  and then another 4 or 5 hours to run!! 

 wowzers.  those guys definitely deserve to be called ironmen.

jaclyn

Thanks so much for all the answers Kathy.  I kind of go through phases of obsession with new hobbies/sports... I definitely did it when I first started running and now I can't get my hands on enough info about tris.... its so fascinating!! 

So now I want a HRM.  Too bad my b-day isn't until July.   

And about the training for an Ironman... I just CANNOT fathom how people can get that much training in and still deal with the rest of their lives!!  Honestly, I am already dreading giving my life over to another season of Marathon training- that was just a beast.  And with kids, a job... seriously I don't know how you would do it.  ("you" in general, not you specifically!).  I kind of wish I could go do it now while I can (full time student but no other responsibilities for the time being).  Of course, that's how I feel about kids too, but I don't see either happening any time soon. 

Have a great weekend!
Jaclyn

How was everyone's weekend? I know someone ran a 5K, others did some long bikes...was it good?

Month is coming to a close and it is always good to look back and see what you did well and what you can improve upon.

Have fun training and enjoy the journey! 

Here's my race report:

Hi gang,
Just in from New Orleans! DH and I headed down there (flying through Chi-town *just* before the storm shut the place down) Saturday evening as he was running the marathon (his first in 13 years) and I was running the 5k and support crew.

PRE-RACE: Turns out there is a major medical conference in town this week and we got stuck waiting in line with all of them for a shuttle. Didn't get into the hotel 'till late. Tom discovered his Garmin batteries were dead & I decided I was hungry so we wandered into our fairly sketch-o-rific neighborhood (north on Canal Street) to find both. Found a Walgreens and stocked up on H20, granola bars, batteries, and gummy Curious Georges. After all that it was after 9 so we decided to order in... Dominos it is. Crashed on a full stomach.

RACE DAY: Alarm went off at 5am and we crawled out and got gear ready. Since we had arrived late we still had to go pick up our packets (which woulda freaked ME out big time had I been doing a marathon... but my man's from Hawaii and totally a *no problem* type). So- out the door to the Superdome in the pitch black. They were still just setting up the start/finish line when we got there. We got our bright purple mardigras race t-shirts (cotton short sleeve for me/high-tech long sleeve but one size too small for him and the half-marathoners). Tom realized he didn't have his knee band so we decided to go back to the hotel since there was still an hour till the marathon/half marathon start.

Ran back from the hotel and stretched, people watched near the start. It was chilly but nothing like WINTER like where we'd come from. Tom was having issues getting hooked up with a satelite for his Garmin and was lucky the start was a bit late. And then at a little after 7am they were off!! Between the race t-shirts and the substantial TNT presence it was quite the sea of purple!!

A little before 7:15 we 5k-ers lined up (the whole time the marathon & half marathoners were still starting the race which was a little odd...). I stood next to and chatted with another woman whose husband was in the marathon. She mentioned she wanted her husband to do Goofy and I broke it to her that it was full... etc. etc. Then we were off!!

I haven't run a 5k in years and years and can't even remember what my PR. The first race I ever ran in 2000 was 33 and I know in Chicago at some point I ran 27 something. After the marathon last fall, ITBS recovery this winter, Disney in Januaray and now starting tri-training I needed a break, mentally. At the start I decided to JUST.RUN. So I did and it felt really good. I barely caught the first mile marker and looked down- 8:12:xx. Okay... I feel okay, and thought I just might be able to hang on. At the same time, I gave myself permission not to, if it wasn't going to happen. I just went with it. Didn't see any other mile markers which made that easier.

The course was a lap around the dome, then down Poydras to a turn around, back to and past the dome, another turn around and then back to the finish in front of the dome. I started really huffing and I could totally feel that I was pushing but I decided to try to keep up the pace. I was hot and my shins hurt. I could see the stadium looming ahead for for-ever. Finally could see the final turn around. I passed this guy who'd started walking and cheered him on "you're almost there, man!!" but he didn't start running.

There was this other tiny little lady in front of me with Lone Star running shorts and she started in with a walking break. I passed her, did the turn around and heard her start running. Determined not to let her pass me, I pushed it into what high gear I had left and took off. I was wearing my running skirt and was a tad worried about where it was going due to my longer than usual strides!

And then I was at homestretch, with the bridge above and the photographer and there was no one else- JUST ME! And there was only 25:12 on the clock. So I booked it and flew in and finished!! My final time was 25:15. I was *13th* in all the women... not age group... TOTAL!! When my husband told me that I freaked!! There were only 193 women total, but STILL!! totally excited.

So back to the important race... I ran back to the hotel, showered in 5 seconds, got dressed, slapped a cap on and ran back to the dome to catch my man at the halfway point (he came in just under 2:01:xx. He looked good and I gave him some water and gummies. As he headed back around the Dome I walked to find a cab... that took forever too. Finally found one, got dropped off, and walked to mile 17. I only made it about 5 minutes before he did. It was in a lovely New Orleans neighborhood. Saw the man then sat down to wait for him to come back on the way back in. REALLY enjoyed cheering on the runners. It was a relatively small race (just over 1,000 marathoners) and not many spectators.

It was starting to get warm and there were sparse water stops, so when Tom headed back past me I let him take my water bottle to fill up his. He looked hot and tired, but was still running strong. He passed and I headed out to find another taxi back to the dome. Took a day and a half to get a taxi. I'd told Tom I might not make it before he finished, but I really wanted too and I got panicked when no one was stopping... and I didn't feel like walking the 4 miles back!!

Finally, someone stopped and got me there, I ran the blocks through the stopped traffic and ran up to the finish chute about 60 seconds before he came hurtling through!!! He nailed, I mean nailed 4:00. I think officially 4:00:21. He was bummed because his hams had cramped up (was probably dehydrated after training in winter/running in summer) right after I'd left him. BUT he was happy to finihs strong.

POST-RACE: We headed back up to the upper Dome and were thrilled to find: red beans and rice, a serve yourself beer truck, subway, and fruit & bananas. Unfortunately the only water and gatorade was down at the finish line... so we were forced to tank up on beer.

The medals were pretty hideous- Tom's is large with lime green enamel and mardi gras masks, mine is small with enameled mardi gras masks and both have the traditional purple, green, yellow neck bands. Okay, not terrible but the lime enamel is pretty grody.

ANYWAY, this is getting long- it was a fun, fun day and the longer post race involved a lot (too much) delicious food- jambalaya, gumbo, fish, fish, fish, crayfish, crab, beignets, etc. etc. now *I* really need to run a marathon!!

Cheers for reading, we both recommend the race.
jaclyn

Jaclyn,

Congrats on an amazing 5K!! You are fast and you beat your PB by a lot whoo hoooo!!

13th women overall, man that is awesome!

I love how you were there to support your man and how you just got to each spot in time to cheer Tom on...great time and finish for him as well.

We have a speedy group of women here!

I suspect we will see wonderful things from you this season. Cross training for tris often makes runners faster than when they just ran....and you are in the early part of the season.

Happy 18th Birthday!!!

 I'm thrilled for you that you are able to train with the TNT folks...good work they do and great way to do your first tri! 

The snow fairy has not been kind to Colorado this winter but take a look at this week's forecast ... I think we finally beat her into submission.

TODAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
Mostly Sunny Temp: 37 F Hum: 58% P: 30.32 in Wind: 5mph S	Partly Sunny High 63F Low 30F	Partly Sunny High 62F Low 31F	Partly Sunny High 62F Low 31F	Partly Sunny High 57F Low 28F
Check the Past 24 Hour Conditions
High 58F Low 29F

  Oh Happy Happy Me! 

Becky to much gloating!!

Tomorrow it is going to be high of 11 with windchill of 0. I'm supposed to ride 40 miles (not happening) and run 5k (happening).

You have had a brutal winter so you deserve it really.

Of our twin sons Kyle already was accepted to his current favorite college choice U of MN at Morris a few weeks ago.

Today Brian was accepted to U Mass Amherst.

He was awarded a small scholarship. He qualifies for free tuition as he passed state testing with High marks (tuition is maybe 20% of total cost); and he learned today as 2nd in his class he qualifies for a 10K scholarship potentially. It would mean college would almost be free if everything is additive. Of course he has applied to many other schools and may select them.

It is cool to have both our son's accpeted into places they would like to attend.