Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 91)

Will congrats to you and your wife on the birth of your daughter. I'm glad to hear that Claire is doing better and I'm sure you guys can't wait to bring her home. Maybe they'll let you set the trainer up at the hospital.

jenbmosley - 2013-03-28 11:06 AM

mambos - 2013-03-28 9:30 AM Beavers and jugs? I miss a couple of days and everyone loses it! . Good luck with your races, I'm sure you will not even notice the cold once the ice forms a protective covering. My Wednesday weigh-in came in at pepperoni and banana peppers, so no change again. on the training front, it's been a little slow this week. My running has stayed consistent but I have missed my bike and swims. I decided to take a few days off work and thought I could spend it getting some quality work-outs. But noooooo, Sara gave me a list so long I don't think I will ever see the light of day! These are supposed to be my vacation days!

Thanks Matt and to everyone else for their insight. A few folks are actually swiming at the lake tomorrow and I am going to try and join them, hopefully it turns out to be a good idea. I've offically decided not to do the triathlon in April or May, so after this weekend I will need to re-evaluate my training plan as the next tri won't be until August.

And Matt..... it was frozen beavers and big jugs just so we are clear! LOL.   

HAHAHA! Who would have thought these two things had anything to do with triathlon.

Tony- I actually thought about it before we ever came... lol.  But our current room is tiny (I'm sleeping in a chair) and I've been pretty busy helping my wife most of the time I'm up here.  The delivery was pretty rough on her and she's got some recovering to do.  Plus, we've had over 100 ppl come by to see us and the baby... so the past couple days I have had to be the tough guy and cut off the visitors so we could all get some rest.  

Best wishes for all of you that are racing this weekend.  Post tracking info if it's available.  For everyone else, use the holiday to get a little extra training in if you can... Sting like a butterfly, punch like a flea!

My weigh in this past Wednesday was favorable again.  I was at 12 pounds in the morning.  Then yesterday morning before my long run I was 11 pounds but immediately after the run I was 6 pounds.  Yeah!  I lost 5 pounds while running in an average temp of 32 degrees.  This morning I am at 9 pounds but I expect it to go up a little once I am fully rehydrated.  It looks as if my target of 10 pound before hitting the pavement at Boston is easily within sight.

About my long run........

Yesterday was my observed Good Friday holiday so I switch mt long run backward one day.  I wanted to do that so I could get to a little bit later an appointment with my ART guy and maybe catch a couple of more Z's, which worked well.  I ran the longest training run I've ever run at 23 miles in 3:10:11. 

This run was the last big run leading up to Boston and I was almost giddy before I left the house.  With every step I was thinking about how much closer I was to being in Boston running the biggest marathon in the world.  The excitement grows every day now!

I think I am physically ready for the race.  Now I have to attempt to establish realistic time goals.  And that may prove harder than normal because the lack of training I've had leading into this one is falling short of where I would have liked to have been.  With little true reflection about this race just yet, I am thinking that my best possible race time would be 3:10 but the worst case might be 3:20. 

I'll take more time in the coming days to evaluate my fitness and make a decision about what my actual goals will be.  I will use next Friday's "long" run as a gauge for my best time.  I am planning a 12 miler with 10 miles at marathon pace, roughly 7:27 or less, based on my BQ time.

Will, again congrats and enjoy.  Glad everyone is doing well!

Well today I thought I would go out for a test ride with more clothes on.  It was 42 degrees at 4:00 am.  I wore tri shorts and light weight tight running long pants and t-shirt and long sleeve tech. shirt.  I also put on a skull hat under my helmet and had on gloves too.  I was cold for the first 15 minutes, then finally warmed up, well everything except my hands.  Then I ran just a 1 mile run to keep my legs moving.

Last night, I bought a diving hoodie, one that tucks into the wetsuit.  I bought the last one except for an XXL.  The owner said that he had a lot until this week and had sold them all this week.  So today is a 1/2 at work, and I'm going to go test it out and see if I can swim in it and the wetsuit.  The shop owner said it would be restricting as far as turning my head, so I need to test it.

First off, you know you've had my prayers for all of you and I'll keep praying for all of you.  As others have said, once you get home and are able to establish a new routine things will feel so much better.  I also don't envy you, nor find fault with you for being the bad guy asking people to come back to see you all later.  I remember how tiring it can be with the nurse interruptions, guests and then the stress of the problems you've encountered.

About your HR monitors: Check your batteries is the first suggestion I have to offer.  If they are newer devices this may be less likely the issue but it's worthy of the first check.  The second thing would be to make sure the strap is wet before putting it on.  I have had readings all over the place when the strap isn't making a decent connection.  I have found when the weather is cooler that I need to moisten the strap before heading out for a work out.

Hairy chest?  I doubt this is a concern unless you're a grizzly bear.  And if so, please keep the pictures to yourself.  We'll all be very thankful that you do.  I didn't have problems with getting any readings before I began to shave my chest.  (Which, BTW, has created a more comfortable work out environment for me.  There's a lot less friction and itching once I begin sweating.)

Here's a couple of pics of Claire.  I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries Will.  (You can actually pull up your FB and copy a pic then paste it on the page.)

wbayek - 2013-03-28 4:22 PM

RunningYogini - 2013-03-28 3:28 PM

jenbmosley - 2013-03-28 8:06 AM

mambos - 2013-03-28 9:30 AM Beavers and jugs? I miss a couple of days and everyone loses it! . Good luck with your races, I'm sure you will not even notice the cold once the ice forms a protective covering. My Wednesday weigh-in came in at pepperoni and banana peppers, so no change again. on the training front, it's been a little slow this week. My running has stayed consistent but I have missed my bike and swims. I decided to take a few days off work and thought I could spend it getting some quality work-outs. But noooooo, Sara gave me a list so long I don't think I will ever see the light of day! These are supposed to be my vacation days!

Thanks Matt and to everyone else for their insight. A few folks are actually swiming at the lake tomorrow and I am going to try and join them, hopefully it turns out to be a good idea. I've offically decided not to do the triathlon in April or May, so after this weekend I will need to re-evaluate my training plan as the next tri won't be until August.

And Matt..... it was frozen beavers and big jugs just so we are clear! LOL.   

Jenn.....I'm glad you got Matt straightened out. 

Jonathan.....You were a brave soul for doing a search to find that picture! 

Search???  That's a picture of his backyard!

If this were the case it would be very acceptable for my own backyard.  I really, really don't like the Midwest.

Will, your family is in our prayers.  She's an absolute beauty!  Please keep us updated.  I understand you are getting restless.  Don't worry about the fitness though, okay?  It will come back.  Now's the time to take care of the family and yourself.

As for the heart rate monitor...yup, it's just bad continuity.  I don't have a hairy chest (because I'm not as much of a man as Dirk), but I do wet the monitor before all my workouts so it works better.

Hey, I was dead serious about it.  I even talked to my wife about it before we came... ha!  

Dirk - thanks for posting the pics.  

The past few days she's been sleeping all day and staying up all night!  lol.  I have been able to sneak away twice this week for some Jorge love... hoping to get 1 or 2 more in as well... but man, not getting any sleep in this hospital so we will see.  

Dirk great job on your long run, 23 miles is no joke and you got me by a mile as my longest was 22 miles and not even anywhere close to the pace you were running. I think you have done an amazing job in getting prepared for Boston considering all that you've had to overcome with your foot. I think a lot of people might not have tried to do it or would have deferred but not you. If that's not perserverance I don't know what is. I know you're probably not where you'd like to be but I think you've done a great job in preparing and I think you'll exceed your expectations in Boston. I also think that when this is all said and done you are going to look back at this and really appreciate the effort you've put into doing this. I'm both happy and excited for you and can't wait to see how well you do there.

Here is a picture of the munchkin in the kayak!

And here are the local elk.

Tracy those are great pics, thanks for posting. Looks like a very nice place to go swimming and glad to hear that your son enjoyed the kayak that's great. Sounds like you'll be able to do pleny of OWS this season.

I'm with Tony.  That looks like a great place to swim.  The scenery is very picturesque!  I really like the elk.  And I'll post one from my facebook from mine and Lisa's 25th anniversary trip.  The shot was taken in Cherokee NC and, well, see for yourself just how beautiful a shot these are.

First one of me and in close proximity to this herd

The bull was bleating in this shot.

Finally a shot of the herd just before the bull came into site.  This pic was taken with a standard 35-55mm lens, so no big zoom lens.  We were about 50-75 feet at the closest point.  And that was close enough for me.  I'm not going to be "that guy" on the news that has bee gored by a bull elk.

Matt congrats on signing up for the HIM!!!, sprint and Oly!!! 

Just a quick race report.  It was COLD but that wasn't the problem..I can't swim is the problem.  I just had an "off" day, bad sighting, it was a 600 yard swim and I bet i swam 700.  I bet it took 30 minutes to do that.  This is the EMBARASSING part...showing all my warts and everything...I had to hold onto 2 different kayaks.  I wanted them to take me in.  I think I was dead last in the swim in my colored swim cap.  When Iwas in the water I said I was DONE w/ tri..I was so mad.  I was stumbling around like a drunk man in T-1.  Bike and run was FUN.  No one passed me on the bike or run and i passed lots but then, the fast folks were already in front...lol

Full race report when I get the results.

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

Karl - Great job out there today.

Love those pics of the elk!

Thanks for sharing the pics of baby Claire - she is a doll.

As for Red Hills today - I was a DISASTER. I don't know what happened and am still trying to figure it out...

Since I normally freak out on the swim, I went out slowly and at the back of the pack and backstroked till I got to the first buoy. The water was cold! I passed about 5 ladies and two of them were hyperventilating and holding onto a kayak. I gave them a few encouraging words. About halfway through the swim I got comfortable enough to put my head under the water and got a few strokes in. After passing the second buoy, I was able to get next to a swimmer and draft next to her all the way home. I breathed on every stroke and just watched her feet. Though my time was NOT much better than previous race swims, I felt good about my swim and wished it was longer. Today was my first time swimming in a wetsuit, but I did grow up surfing in wetsuits, so it didn't feel that unnatural to me.  

Now, onto the DISASTER.... I don't know what happened, but I could not find my legs on the bike section. I wore enough clothes to be warm and did not feel overdressed. It was a 16 mile hilly course. I came in dead freaking last and had the joy of the motorcycle cop escorting me at the end. My speed averaged a whopping 11 mph. I have never ridden this slow, EVER. As I got out onto the bike leg, I just didn't feel it and couldn't push through anything. Normally, I get faster and faster on the bike leg and get amped a few miles in, but not today. I will admit, I am on a new bike and this was only the third time I had ridden it, so I don't know if that played a part of my dismal disaster out there. I didn't feel ltired and I know I didn't bonk, I just didn't feel strong and couldn't push without getting winded, which takes me on to the next section...

I was grateful for the run. I love to run and it showed. I ran the 5k in 27:44, not as good as I want to be, but improving with every run. I caught and passed a few ladies, but I feel like these were ladies that never should have passed me on the bike section to begin with. I was just getting warmed up and into my comfort zone when the run was over.

Knowing how awful I did, I quickly jogged over to my gear, poured my jug of warm water over my body, changed into dry clothes and did not go see how I did.

I don't know what happened. I don't feel like I overtrained, and know that I am in better shape than how I performed today. I know that I am currently training for Olympic distance and wonder if that fact affected my performance today? I've done several mountain biking sessions in the past few months that demanded way more of my legs and have done 2 hour bike sessions with hill climbs that do not in any way reflect the dismal performance I had today. What happened?    

My husband is tired of me beating myself up over it, but I don't train as hard as I do and put in the time that I do, to put out a dismal performance like that. Deep down I am grateful that I did not get a DNS, DQ, or a DNF as there were a couple of those today and I think 30 or so people that registered and did not race at all. But, I know I am capable of doing so much better.

To go from 1st in my age group in a Sprint in October, to 13 out of 15 in my age group today just doesn't make sense to me.

My short race recap:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=482767