Beer Drinker Appreciation Society (BDAS) - Open (Page 91)

Back at it early this morning, although I have no idea what I'm training for now. No more races on the calendar for me at the moment. There is an Oly in mid September I might do. I did it last year and have a time to compete against at least! Masters swim this morning. 2150yds in the pool, but not at max effort. I have mostly gotten past the sore stage, but there is a little niggle in my right ankle still. Not sure what it is, kinda feels like a soft tissue issue, not a bone issue. I'll be gentle with it for a few days and then head to the dr if it isn't feeling better by the end of the week.

My wife thinks I should write the RD from my HIM this week to point out that their website said they would have nutrition on the bike, while the actual experience was that there wasn't any (not just that they ran out, that there wasn't any to start with). I'm not sure what good that will do, but what do you all think? Should I write him?

It would be a crafted letter, not an angry ranting email.

ALan - You are a beast!

Loop one done of the course. 3:08 for 54.12 miles and 2700' gain. Came in to fill water bottles and hit the head, heading back out in a bit. That course cooks me. I came in a bit nauseous after - could be nutrition, hydration, salt, or the fact that my husband had the stomach bug yesterday when I left....
Route 117 wasn't bad at all except that one hill coming back by Conception. I didn't care for it. It felt like it would never end. I put it in the lowest gear and spun like a hamster. Forever..
Chemin Duplessis does not disappoint - patience is a virtue here.
Okay, one more loop and I'll allow myself to start thinking about taper....
Hoping to run a loop (13.1) of the course tomorrow pending my ankle is good. I'll at least walk it. Then back home!
I am now procrastinating.... :p

Races are businesses and good, constructed feedback is almost always welcomed. The only case in which it's not is when the RD and the company behind it are a bunch of jerks and in that situation - it's best not to reward them with your business.

Write the letter and tell him you hope to see changes when you sign up next year. Then again - you might be doing Lake Placid or Mont Tremblant!

I'm thrilled for you. Now more importantly, have you tried the poutine. There is a place at the bottom of the hill. Be sure to have some just to make sure you are TRULY ready for your race.

Sorry to hear you are still aching but I'm glad that for the most part you are feeling pretty good.

As for next race - what about a du or a hm? Hell - you've got time to train for a full mary if you really wanted to. Most importantly - do what makes you happy and restores your soul. You've accomplished a lot in the last two years and there is much to be proud of!

Second loop done. I cut this one a bit shorter as on the first loop I went way, way past the turn around. Over 103 miles today and my legs are CRYING!!! My quads have never burned so much. Hahahaha. The second loop my HooHaa was in so much pain I literally did an out loud cry/holler. I think that sucked some serious energy out of me. All the way back from LaBelle (only 20 miles into the second loop) I was constantly shifting.
But hey! I did what I came to do! So yea!! Positive vibes.
Tomorrow I will attempt some kind of run to check out the run course a bit, then home!

TMI, sorry!

I liked it! Nice work! I am seriously impressed at that distance.

Alan and Gretchen, great job in your races this past weekend! Gretchen, the lack of nutrition options sounds like it was definitely a huge factor, but you pushed through and finished, and that is what counts! Sounds like it wasn't the best race organization/administration wise, so I would definitely write a letter to let them know that you did read the website and expected certain things. (Pizza after a race just sounds awful to me...and I LOVE pizza)

DQ, I agree with what everyone else has said. You definitely have to find joy in it again. Positive mantras are so powerful. I realized a few years ago how real "fake it til you make it" can be. When you think in a negative way, you are fighting a losing battle, even just with self talk. I forget who said it earlier, but focusing on what is good in your life, even the small things, is the best place to start. And fun rides and swims sound like a great idea as well. Don't focus on time or distance or speed, just do it!

My tri training, which I wanted to really start last week, actually just started this week. I'm already feeling great about it though!

Monday - Hoped to get a run in in the morning but forgot to bring my stuff to the bf's. Played vball for about 2 hours after work, got home and was feeling good, so I went for a short run. I did 6:1 run:walk for 20 minutes. Ran 2 miles at about 9:30 pace. Legs were tired (I had played about 3 1/2 hours of volleyball Sunday too so they were tired for good reason), and it was quite humid, but overall I felt okay.

Went for a swim yesterday afternoon. Did 100m intervals at about 1:52/100, which is probably really slow. My arms were dead by 300m, and before yesterday I have only been able to swim about 600m. I made it to 850m (last 50 was a cool down breast stroke lap), and felt okay. Gonna try to continue increasing my distance over the next couple of weeks, and maybe try to do 200m intervals starting in 2 weeks or so. Any advice here would be great b/c I haven't really read any training books (I have the training bible but only got to like, chapter 3 or 4...really need to get back into that!).

Went for another run this morning. Wasn't sure how long I was going to try to run, but ended up going a little over 3 miles at about 9:12 pace. Did the 6:1 run:walk again (DQ, could you post that link again about the run/walk? I read it a few weeks ago but would like to go through it again and am not sure how long ago you posted it/how to find it). I felt a lot stronger and am really enjoying the run/walk program (this is the first I've really tried this). I feel so strong once I start running again, and 1 minute walking is the perfect amount of time to almost catch my breath.

The bf and I are planning to swim together tomorrow morning, and then we are at a wedding this weekend so I'm going to bring my clothes to go on at least 1 run. I have swim lessons Sunday morning so will get a swim in before or after that. The bike will come later...it's so hard to find time for that. I would have to drive to the county somewhere to get a good ride in. Mike, if you have any suggestions for rides maybe in Dundalk area, I'm all ears!

Here tis -
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/

Run walk is the way to go. Nice job Nicole!

Been there and probably made a similar noise. The only differences was I still had a marathon to run....

Funny story - but without a doubt my clearest memory of Mont Tremblant came during the run. A spectator in a chair asked me how I was doing as I approached the fifth mile of the marathon. At that point, I was hurting big time and I told the guy, "I'm really pooped." The guy replies - "Well there has to be something going right for you." I thought about it and with utter certainty yelled, "At least I'm not still on the bleeping bike." I never meant something so fervently.

Congrats Jenn on getting those laps in. You are 90% ahead of most people doing their first IM. Relish in your preperation and readiness! You are going to crush it! Any notion on your post race beer?

Good luck with that heat and those hills. There's great beer in South Carolina which was just named one of the five biggest beer states. Enjoy and congrats on getting the project!

OK - Progress Report....

First and foremost - I want to thank everyone for their support and helpful suggestions as I train for my second ironman. I remember reading somewhere on this site a quote about IM that is so true: "Of course it's hard. It's Ironman." RIght now I'm in the dog days of ironman training.

Let's start with the good -
- I found someone up here to do deep tissue massage on my right calf. She's not as great as my guy back home but I know that getting a weekly rubdown is helping
- MY trainer breaking my rides into 30 mile chunks is really helping me feel like the rides are more manageable. If he told me - You need to ride 80 this week, I'd throw in the towel. Instead, he's got me doing 3 30 mile rides in 48 hours. Still tough but more manageable. Today I did my first 30 and tomorrow I will need to do two more 30 mile workouts - one in the morning and one after dinner. It will be tough but I'll just channel my inner Jenn and I'll get through it
- my torn labrum muscle in my shoulder is feeling pretty good and all the PT work is allowing me to get in increasingly long swims. Yesterday, I did almost 1.5 miles so that's good.
- saddle sores are better

Now the bad:
- I think my biggest problem is my weight. Last year, the ride I did today took me just over and hour and the hills while tough were manageable. Today, I busted hump to finish the hill packed ride in 2:30. Part of it is my level of fitness - but the thirty pounds are slowing me down and making rides mentally grueling. I need to make it my mission to put a dent in my weight in the next 80 days. For the record, I've been on vacation for almost a month and have lost weight, so that's good.
- MY depression (thanks to my job) has really weakened my resolve and mental concentration. It has also sapped the joy from my workouts. I know I'll find a job some day but right now - it's just casting a dark cloud over my training and my ability to be mentally tough. You would think my anger at what's happened would be a motivated - but the anger and resulting energy only last in short bursts.

SO here is what I'm telling myself today. When I fist pump with Mike Riley and put on my medal - it will all be worth it. Until then, thanks for letting me unload on the forum. One of these days, I'll be back to my super positive self. Until then - just so you know, the next round is on me

Oh my goodness, I don't know if I could stomach a beer after racing that long. I couldn't have one right after my HIM either...I needed a night. hahaha If I'm back home it will probably be a Switchback. If i'm up there I'll have to scout around. I did have one at the pizza joint I ate at the night before my bike ride; it wasn't bad but not memorable either. I will scout out options in the days leading up to the race. Oh, I did not have poutine because I wanted to this morning. That stuff is good but it's a heart attack on a plate! hahahaha

DQ, motivation for you....





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Aaahhhhh, builds character! (but be careful out there!)
It sounds cheesy and gimicky but I got one of the "cool towels" from Dick's Sporting Goods just to see if I would like it and I liked it enough I got one for my husband. I soak it in the coldest water I can find, wring it out, and wrap it around my neck and tuck the ends into my shirt. It's right up on my carotid artery and does a decent job of making an incredibly hot run somewhat tolerable. I also carry a hand held Nathan bottle (even on hot, short runs) just so I can squirt water on my head and down my shirt to stay cool.
Good luck!!

Great job on getting the runs in and I LOVE the Galloway program! I didn't believe in it until last summer when I had to do it due to my knee problem and I'll tell you what...I ate my words. I basically walk through all water stops now and it's just enough rest to keep me pretty strong. If you saw my write up on my HIM in June - it was 89 degrees and I still managed a 2:07 half marathon on a hilly and very hot course where many men were just exploding. ....and I walked every water stop and 2 extra times. That 's with having my longest training run only being 10.5 miles which was also the longest I'd run in two years due to knees. It works. -at least for me it did and I will absolutely be run/walking in my IM....probably more walking than running. hahaha

Nice morning at masters swim class. We did a lot of sprints and a lot of drills.

Correction – nice job on the master swim class this morning. Hopefully you'll be able to use some of those drills to really nail a swim in A triathlon before the season ends.

By the way, just in case you forgot, you're a machine and an inspiration to me