Beer Drinkers Appreciation Society (BDAS) 2022 Mentor Group - ALWAYS OPEN (Page 22)

Originally posted by Rollergirl

Originally posted by drfoodlove I'm finally getting back into a routine of sorts! Swim yesterday (Wednesday) after an AWFUL drive home on Tuesday. Today I went for a short walk and then took my dog for an even shorter walk (she is old and disabled now...she is lucky if she can go 0.25 miles to the end of the road). I finally managed to type up a race report. It is long--and hopefully using the link below should get anyone access if they want to read it. It was too long to put in BT's report sections...or I was just too lazy to try to do it that way. https://saluki-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/gdabbs_siu_edu/ES1M8...

Thanks for the novel! I enjoyed reading it very much (and also, it comforted me in my decision not to do a full IM, ever) I enjoyed reading about snorkel man and vasectomy guy. Congratulations on becoming National champion and of course you will go to Ibiza Thanks for the mention for this little group at the end!

Gretchen -

What an amazing race report - you probably broke the BT server trying it there.  I should get you to write mine...love your writing style and you make it seem like I'm doing the race with you, which is the closest I will ever get to doing one of those mother%#$#%!! long distance races.  

Congrats again and such a great accomplishment for you - you're SO going to Spain.  I know you'll look back and think about what you can improve on, but it seemed like you more or less did what you planned to do and the run is always a crapshoot in long distance races.  I think you nailed your swim pace LOL. 

Hey, everyone - back from paradise and into a recovery week with a slew of test efforts, including a @#$@!! ramp test, a swim TT, and a 5K run race.  I got in some decent work down in Cancun, two 4 mile runs, two 5+ mile walks and a couple of short bikes and swims in the resort pool (50 yards in length, which is cool as I never swim LC pools).  40 mile ride back here yesterday with 14 miles or so targeting race pace.  Almost nine hours total.  Five weeks out to the Oly.  I'm going through Mexican beer withdrawal right now.    And my neck is killing me so I was probably grabbing my handlebars for dear life yesterday or something.

@Gretchen - you're already back training - WTF??  I'd be sitting around getting fat (-ter) for a month after a 140.6.  And skydiving SMH.  What's next on the books, space travel???

@Andrew - good to see you're getting your rhythm back and you're smartly managing the volume increase.  I know you're still smack in the middle of winter there so I know how hard it is to keep churning through the crappy weather.

@Nicole - glad to see you made it to Masters...I'm finally going to go this Friday (first practice in seven years LOL - this should be interesting). 

@Nathalie - good luck this weekend and time to crush that lady's soul!!!!  Or maybe spike her coffee.  

Have a great week, BDAS!

Sounds like a fun time, Nathalie and glad you executed your race well, including pushing through the run and not being distracted by the beer drinkers like last race.  That's a good turnout for a sprint for sure and a Wednesday race sounds fun. 

My sherpa is already complaining about sitting around for the three hours it'll take me to do the Olympic next month.   

She's a trooper though and always right where I expect her to be, standing next to transition yelling at me to hurry up while I'm in there.

We all probably should.  I really struggle getting my wetsuit off over the timing band on my ankle and damn near rip my wetsuit every time.

What's your routine (order of things) in T1 or T2?

Some really good pointers in there, Nathalie.  On the other side of the spectrum, here's my routine:

T1

• swim to touch of ground then stand up (I'm tall so this won't put me in chest deep water); instantly cramp up and wait for that to subside
• jog to transition while taking goggles, swim cap, and top of suit off
• get to transition spot (I try to pick one close to T1 entrance and along the fence/barrier, at the end of the rack...less likely to wind up in a smash up of $5K bikes and I get a little extra room)
• spread out picnic blanket and prepare charcuterie board, open wine, fold linens
• struggle to get off wetsuit over ankles (your timing chip under the suit thing might work if I can get it up that high - I have no calves anyway so probably won't matter if I have to pull it up a bit)
• lie on ground thrashing to get last bit of wetsuit over ankles; rest a minute from exhaustion (only slightly exaggerating on this one)
• socks on, bike shoes on (the shoes on the bike thing would be difficult for me as I have long legs and alligator arms - it's tough for me to even tighten my twist-lock gadget on my bike shoes)
• helmet, sunglasses on
• slice baguette and pour wine into glasses
• stand back up, grab bike and jog out of transition

T2

• jog to bike, rack
• helmet off
• switch shoes (mine have regular laces and I have wide feet so that's always an adventure getting pre-tied shoes on)
• listen to my wife yell at me to hurry up (this is not an exaggeration, and if my daughter's there it's like a chorus)
• chat with neighbors in transition who have already finished the race and offer some of my prepared picnic
• race belt on, cap on (if I'm wearing one), Go!

Originally posted by Rollergirl

Originally posted by bulfrog Good start to the week for me. Short and easy runs Monday and Wednesday before work. Zwift rides Monday and Tuesday evenings. Will ride again tonight, and then off on a work trip down the line, so no riding for a couple of days but will try and go for a few runs. Weather dependent. So far so good, hope everyone else is having a productive week.

Great start to the week Andrew, way to go! Re: transition, I only do sprints so I am always in a hurry. Being fast helped the time I won my home race 4 years ago. The girl who came second had about the same times on the swim and bike (34 secs faster on the bike, 26 secs slower on the swim) and she was much faster on the run (as most people are), 2+ minutes faster or so. I won because she did a Mike and had a picnic in transition (4:28 vs my 1:53). That's the only time being fast in transition actually meant something but I still talk about it 4 years later so it's worth it

I cost myself a podium spot in a super sprint back in 2013 - after that I got myself to MOP in transition times.  I think like Andrew said for longer course it doesn't matter as much, but the shorter the race the more it impacts your placing for sure.

Test week began today with a 1K TT in the pool with a pull buoy to simulate a wetsuit (it's WAY to warm in my indoor pool to wear one).  PR by 4 seconds, 17:13 so a 1:43/100 pace.  I did a really good job pacing with my three fastest 100s being my first and the last two.  Tomorrow is a @$#$@!! ramp test so we'll see how that goes.  Poorly and painfully, probably. 

Ink isn't my thing but that is a really cool tattoo, Gretchen.  Love the thought that went into the design and it's just stunning.

We were true pioneers here at BDAS :