ASPHALT JUNKIES Summer Bronzing Crew - CLOSED (Page 97)

Thanks Will!  Being there to see you start and finish was a truly inspiring experience.  Being able to assist you with your gear pick up was simply something one can easily do for another as a friend.  Helping Jeni and Claire move around the course for a few hours and see you complete this event was something I can't imagine not having done.  I know when I see Lis on my race courses I experience a boost in energy and spirits, and I knew you would experience the same.  I just hope Jeni has recovered from me starving her for a couple of hours.  And I hope she doesn't think of me as to much an ignorant man for not being very attentive to her while we drove around. 

Coach!  That's a good one!  Riding next to you on the bike was a great experience for me as well.  I got to see you interact with the competitors around you and see what it's like to be out on the course for so long and still be able to keep moving.  I loved the "power dot" sign and your response too!!  I am not sure if it's in your RR so I won't detail what it was but I still find myself laughing at that one! 

My trip to NC was a very enjoyable one because of you and some of the things you've been able to help me out with.  Making the trip to support you is something I would do again without question.  The timing of this trip could not have been better.  Things had settled down at home for a month or so and with me being out for my injury I was able to make the trip with little missed training guilt.  And!!!  I got to hang with you for a while and chat about stuff we may not be able to talk about (simply wouldn't via text or internet forum) that helped me see a little more of the deeper side of you and your calling.

BTW, you're seats to high!!  I am now a soprano.

KARL, my friend!!   WOWZA on your 13.1 PR!!   You made me laugh out loud with your "escort" comment.   Sounds like the pretty view was a good motivating factor for you.  No matter what it took, congratulations!!   Can't help you with any thoughts on your stomach issues.  When you go hard, your body takes a toll and maybe this is just your body's response to being pushed. 

I'd give a whole lotta things to be able to swim like you, DINA!  I'm entirely jealous that you have friends to push you in that area.   

Just read your RR, WILL and I'll public say here - JOB WELL DONE!!   I was cold just reading your report.   Since you didn't tell us about the sign that Dirk mentioned can you give us more details here, please?.   Sounds like a good story.  Enjoy the rest and relaxation with your girls that you clearly deserve.

I vote for DIRK to get the "Friend of the Year" award!  Without a doubt he'll get some extra gold stars in heaven for his awesome kind acts.

Glad you got a solo mtn bike ride in, TONY with no falling!  

I'll write a RR on my 50K in a few days.   The short version is that I finished - although it took me just over 30 minutes longer than my last 50K in December but with a much tougher and technical course so I can't be too disappointed.  The best thing was that Tennie ran parts of the course with me for a total of 14 miles which was amazing for my girl.    I'm so proud of her.   Any you know what she told me in the midst? .....she wants to do a triathlon!   She can't swim so that's where we'll start.  That put a big smile on my face.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! 

All of those stories are awesome.  I was laughing at the choo choo one so much while you were performing it.  There were so many people that laughed and also chimed in with you too.  That was some great sportsmanship!  All of your interactions with other athletes were funny and had to have provided them a bit of a reprieve from the monotony of 26.2 miles of "one foot in front of the other" after what had been a very long day already.

The power dot had be physically laughing out loud though.  That one was the best!!

The "Paula" stuff was one of my personal highlights though.  Jeni and I, or maybe it was just me, were so nervous you were going to catch on.  The second incident where Jeni had sent a text and I didn't respond until a few seconds after you handed her the phone back was another close call. 

I second that one! Dirk - YOU ARE AWESOME!

"I'll write a RR on my 50K in a few days.   The short version is that I finished - although it took me just over 30 minutes longer than my last 50K in December but with a much tougher and technical course so I can't be too disappointed.  The best thing was that Tennie ran parts of the course with me for a total of 14 miles which was amazing for my girl.    I'm so proud of her.   Any you know what she told me in the midst? .....she wants to do a triathlon!   She can't swim so that's where we'll start.  That put a big smile on my face."

Brenda - Congrats on finishing! I look forward to see how Tennie progresses toward her first triathlon.

Good stuff Will! Congratulations again and I'm so happy for you.

Good news on the weather there! One of my friends is racing this weekend! He is the RD who puts on a lot of the local races I participate in and one of the people who really encouraged me to tri in the first place. I think this will be his 4th IronMan maybe.

I have been participating very little recently but I have been keeping up with all of the posts.  I want to mention a couple of things I hadn't mentioned in previous posts.

Karl, your HM time is a very solid time!  You should be very pleased with it!  To say you're not a very strong athlete would appear to be misjudgement of your abilities.  The way I put it to some people when they suggest I am fast because I've placed well in some small local races; "I'm faster than a few but slower than many others."  You fall very much in line with my own statement.  Don't lack confidence to keep training and getting faster.

Also, You mentioned that you weren't very strong at the end of your race, I would argue that you were stronger than you think.  If you race like I do, you have little left to sprint toward the finish for the last .25 mile, much less increase the pace for the last 2-3 miles of an endurance run.  And of course you're tired toward for the last 3 miles of a HM, you just ran 8 minute miles for the past 10 miles.

A HIM?  Absolutely you can do one!  Dialing up to that really shouldn't be all that hard.  However, some of your normal weight training would likely have to go for the time frame you would need to train for an event.  Don't worry about your muscle mass.  You won't lose that but you would have to adapt to fewer exercises but if they're focused properly you wouldn't see any loss of mass.

Joanne,  At least the dream you had the other night is based on you still doing workouts in all three disciplines.  I am still not running and I may be the one that's not prepared to make a go of IM next year.  And eating?  I am finally becoming able to pull my appetite back to something that isn't a daily calorie overload.  I really need to be done with PT so I can at least workout a little more frequently even if it's not running.

Dina,  You're having some great swims!  Maybe taking a little time away from a few things has broken the plateau you seem to have been on.  I have been sitting on similar times for a while myself but recently I seem to have become slightly faster.  Certainly not by much, but faster is faster!  Your times look extremely solid too!

Brenda, I love that you're doing all of these ultra's.  It provides me with a little extra push to do one of them myself, and I will someday.  I would love for my first one to be Huff but it's timing is really horrible being the week after Christmas.  Running with Tennie for 14 miles is something I find incredibly motivating.  Someday I hope one of my girls will begin to run and do a race with me.  I cannot imagine how happy it would make me to share something like that with them. 

In NC with Will there was a father and son that completed the entire event together.  That was an awesome thing to witness!  What a great thing that a son would share with his father.

............Off to work.  But at least I don't have to work tomorrow!!!

I also appreciate the "friend of the year" and "Coach Dirk" comments too.  However, I would be a horrible coach!  I am very opinionated and probably caused Will more struggle than benefit by riding next to him.  My incessant concerns for his caloric intake and nonstop questioning probably made for a longer run.  

I just realized that if I knock out a short 2.5 mile run today I will make it to 50 miles running for this month. Out of curiosity I checked my charts all the way back to 2010 and this will be the most I have run in a month since way back then when I was training for the HIM. I was not actually planning to run today but now I have to!

I'm still not anywhere near 20 miles a week but maybe for now a goal like another 50 mile month would be more appropriate. Somehow seeing the chart over the course of the year has clicked with me and I know I really need to see some consistency in my running instead of all the peaks and valleys I have. How do I think I can get to 20 miles a week when I am struggling to get to 50 in a month?!

A bit enlightening this morning.

I'll just say an early CONGRATULATIONS, DINA for getting to 50 miles this month (cause I know you're going to do it)  !!!

All of you feel sorry for me...I'm getting a deep tissue massage this morn.  Unlike JOANNE, though, I have to pay for mine.  Looking forward to it hurting so good. 

Have a safe and enjoyable trip, KARL.  We'll miss your sunny disposition here. 

We're in a "tornado watch" area today so our town postponed trick or treat until tomorrow.  Hope everyone has a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Congratulations!!  This is a well deserved achievement!

Not being a routine "log checker upper," I may have caught that your running inconsistencies sooner and considered this prior to now but..........Maybe being more consistent with your running will actually help you become more injury free.  The regularity may allow better adaptations to occur resulting in more miles running than you've ever been able to withstand before.  With that said, I would still be very cautious in your approach to additional miles.  Certainly maintain the 10% rule (or less) and build very, very slowly and don't escalate your mileage as quickly following a recovery week.  (Just thoughts to consider.)

So I did my trial run last night and it wasn't the best thing I've ever done.  I was under the direction of my PT to give it a go and I ran following a swim and some loosening and warming up exercises to make sure I was ready for the challenge. 

As I began the run I could tell something was off kilter.  I knew I was not running correctly.  My form felt off for certain!  I was able to run without pain in my meniscus however I was not without pain.  It appears I have developed some other issues on the medial side of my knee near the tibial connection where part pf the hamstring muscles attach.  The pain is pretty intense when I hit the sweet spot directly and when my PT was messing with it tonight I almost kicked him when he pressed directly on it with a fair amount of pressure.

Anyway, I am still directed to run but only short intervals at a very easy pace.  3x.25 miles with a rest interval that i Determined to be about .10 miles.  Todd is good with this cycle.  He has instructed me to focus strongly on my form and stabilize my cadence to ensure a better chance of getting back to a proper running form during my intervals.  I will plan on running a couple of these intervals over the weekend and see what he says at my next PT appointment.  But in all honesty, after last nights run, I don't feel very good about my return to running anytime soon.

I am also planning to get a bike fit on my TT bike soon to see if that alleviates some of the knee issues too.  I had planned to do one prior to my IM run up anyway and now I have a much better excuse to get a Retul fit.

Hate to read you are still experiencing pain! Does your PT think it is from your form or something else? Fingers crossed as you move forward that things settle down for you.