Ran a 10k in June (5 Viewers)

[pmbrown_22]

pmbrown -- I would try to eat something an hour or two before you go out to run. You'll want something easily-digestible with lots of carbs. You'll probably want to avoid anything high in fiber -- no bran muffins. Bagels with jelly work for me. My wife eats a banana with peanut butter. You're right that this is a good time to experiment so you can identify something tht works for you.Edit: If "regular" food doesn't sound like it will sit well, you could always have a Cliff bar or something similar for breakfast.

I should probably be doing this, but I am already getting up at 6 or before to get ready for my run. I am not sure that I just want to get up at 5 and then eat and sit around. I can and will do it if it makes it better. I should try the powerbar thing once or twice. I think I have done that in the past and it may have worked pretty well. Back then, I was such a noob, I did not know what was good and what was not.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Here is my thoughts and questions for the masses:Usually by miles 17 or 18 is where I know I am starting to wear down considerably. Yesterday I took a gu at 17 and it did absolutely nothing for me. I took in maybe 65 oz of gatorade by that point, plus water. It was like the gu never kicked in and I did not have a good kick for the finish. I will admit when I go out for my runs in the morning, I don't eat anything before hand so this could be it too. Any thoughts or suggestions as to a different strategy for eating something during my run? Should I try and get more calories in so I have something to burn? This has been something that I have been tossing around for awhile, but I have not changed much of anything yet. I still have plenty of time to try and change something before the race in October and work out the details. I know that some of you have had to experience something like this either running or on the bike with longer runs/rides.

Just to give you an idea, for my 20-miler on Saturday, I got up around 5:30, had a couple pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, and hit the road around 6 AM. I took Gu at miles 5, 10, and 15. Hydrated like crazy, drinking 20 oz Gatorade every 5 miles or so. Seemed to work pretty well for me.FWIW, the Gu at 17 was too late. It takes a little while to feel the effect.

Just to clarify, i also took gu's at 6 and 12. I felt the surge after taking those, just not at 17.I think I am just going to have to force myself to get up earlier and eat a little something before I go out.

 

[tri-man 47]

Wraith official time: 2:47:17

He's en route to a family vacation, so I didn't think he'd mind me sharing for him. Sounds like the race went really well; he's super happy with the time.

I hope Wraith won't mind me posting this. I went looking for his splist and found the virtual race link. This has to be the coolest tri tracking thing I have ever seen (Use Bib 409).

Verrrry cool! That tracking tool might be the one that a friend of mine and his brothers have been developing. I'll ask him if that's it. It'll be fun next year if wraith and I (or others, in other races) race together.

I've already emailed 2 local RDs asking when I can expect to watch virtual me.

...with a reeeal little dot.

 

[D_House]

Six miles in muggy twilight conditions last night at 8:15 pace. Another 5K loop this evening and a 13 mile run scheduled for Sunday AM. I'mg oing to do a loop that stops at home at the halfway point so I can drink some gatorade and hopefully avoid the fatigue factor that hit me in last weekend's 12 mile run.

My 13 mile training run yesterday AM went very well. Stopping for gatorade worked wonders as did keeping an eye on my watch and attempting to pace myself. No fatigue during the run and didn't have to walk. Finished it up in 2:01:30 (9:20 pace) with no lingering effects during the day (other than a massive appetite). Congrats to all that raced this weekend, it's inspiring to read all your posts.

 

[BassNBrew]

Lake Logan Sprint Tri

Summary - First in my category. Took home my 3rd wooden coaster of the year (signature award for the race mgmt company). For those of you who only like good news or want to say congrats, stop reading here and give a pat on the back.

500 meter swim - Mountain venue for this event so the 72 degree water temp made this wet suit legal. I was using a borrowed wetsuit that I had test once with decent results. I was in wave 2 and while we were waiting for the horn a guy in the first wave is crawling to shore. We're yelling at the starter who couldn't see the guy. They only had two kayaks in the lake which seem like for a 200 person event. Well the horn goes off and I'm feeling great. I'm actually at the front of the pack and was well on the way to the first bouy when my googles completely fogged. It was a foggy early morning to begin with so I couldn't see anything. Shorty thereafter the wetsuit began constricting my breathing and I had the need to rid myself of lung snot. It wasn't too much longer and I started to panic as i made the first turn. I ended up rolling over and backstroking because i could breath better and keep a line off the the guy next to me. After making the second turn I was feeling an little better and rolled back over to resume the front crawl. This didn't last long because I had no idea where I was going so I rolled back over. This course finished with 50 meters up a creek that was problaby in the mid 50's. Strange sensation hitting water that cold after being in 70+ degree water. I finally made it to the dock and gance at my watch...14 min. I'm already 3 minutes behind my goal time. Funny thing was that I felt like I was middle of the pack of my wave. After reviewing the swim times they were a solid 2-3 minutes slower than last year and the 4th overall swim time was over 10 minutes so I suspect we swam 600-650 meters. From the dock we had 100 yards to the swim finish line. I've ran better after a 12 pack than I did after that swim in a wetsuit.

T1 - The wetsuit came off with only minor hiccups. I was in the middle of the pack for this transition.

13.3 mile bike - The course had one steep climb and descent at the beginning/end of a out and back course. But before we could getting going in ernst, we had to push our bikes a 1/10 of a mile down a grass path to the mount line. I felt like I rode strong in the flat section, keeping my speed between 22 and 27.5 mph. The finsihing hill hurt and really dented my average. I ended up with a 20 mph average which included another 1/10th of a mile bike push back to T2. I was 13th overall on the bike which was disappointing, but just two minutes of the best time.

T2 - Went smooth, top half.

5k run - I knew early this wasn't going to be my day. The past 2.5 weeks the heat has decimated my training runs, one abortion after another. I was hoping the fresh legs would carry me but I immediately had sharp pains in both sides. The first mile marker seemed like it would never come and it basically didn't with a 10:05 split. By mile 2 I was hitting my groove for 9 min split. For the first time ever i had no kick at the finish and almost had to stopped 50 yards from the finish. Once I crossed the line I almost heaved whatever was in my stomach over the finsihing chute fence. 29'34" which is four minutes slower than my last two events.

Today I have soreness in my quads, hammies, inner thighs, and calves. I've been battling soreness for close to two weeks when it's been minimal at most all season. I've got two weeks until an "A" event and I'm at a lost as to how to get on track. This heat has killed my run fitness and my swim needs major work. I going to try a slow preview run of the next event's course tonite and hit it hard for the next 1.5 weeks going inot a mini-taper.

On the plus side, my finish at this event was enough to move me comfortably into first in my division for the season series and none of my rivals had better results this weekend.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Great stuff this weekend!!!!!

Tri-man: Categorized race stalking has taken this to a new, very impressive level. I'd love to take #9837 for a mini-van "ride"

2Young: Awesome race and report. at the slow start. The dude was likely just jealous of how awesome the 2XU's look, which is why he bothered you.

Ivan: Great half, especially in those conditions = Awesome!

Wraith: I can't wait to read your full race report. That tracker is amazingly cool. I'd LOVE to have had one for my near drowning in my last tri. You could have watched 50 little dots (and the one big one that took me under) swample" (swim/trample) me while my little dot just hovered for 3 minutes.

PmBrown: Great that you got your runs in! You likely need to take an extra gu prior to start, and certainly need to take more during the run. If you are averaging 9:00 minute miles'ish, you should be taking a gu approx. every 4.5 miles (miles 6 and 12 = too much time between nutrition), or every 40 minutes or less.

D-Horse: nice 13 miler!

__________________________________________

My race/ride report:

The buddy that I was doing the ride with informed me the night before (after we'd had a couple beers) that he didn't think he could do the full 65 miles, and wanted to do the 45 mile course instead. I didn't care too much, though the 65 would have been a decent tune up for me for HHH at the end of this month. This change in plans did allow me to drink a couple extra tasty beverages before heading home to tuck my girls into bed, and then pack and get my bike ready (in bed at 11:00 pm).

My alarm went off at 3:15 am, as we had a long drive to get to the starting line. I got my bathroom business done, and got showered, hydrated and ready by 3:45 am (when the sitter was supposed to be there). At 4:00 am, I called her, and she had overslept. She rushed over and was at my home by 4:15. My buddy had his bike loaded onto my car, and we drove fast and furious to get to the race sight at 6:45, for a 7:30 start. The first thing I noticed was that there were very few people there (maybe 300 max). A great DJ pumped us up with music, and the gun went off right on time.

I rode with my buddy for the first 3 miles and told him I wanted to chase the lead group, and wanted him to try to stay on my wheel if he could. He said he'd try, and I took off after the wheel of a gorgeous tri-bike, that happened to have a gorgeous female riding atop it. I caught her wheel (and the view) within 200 yards, but my buddy didn't stay with me. I decided to sit on her wheel for a bit (averaging 23 mph'ish), then took off after another group (of 3) that was passing her. I took over the lead of that group after a couple of miles, and lost the other 3, as I then chased the lead group. I got to the lead group (4 people) and took 2 pulls (a mile apiece) when they peeled off for the 65 mile ride, and I was stuck on the 45 mile I decided to go back and get my buddy, as the course was extremely hilly, and I figured he'd be struggling.

When I found him, he was doing great! He was surrounded by people, but wasn't doing any drafting. I tried to help him out, and he finally got comfortable on my wheel and we were cruising along after about 3 miles he was wearing down, and told me to go ahead as he didn't want to slow me down, or burn out. I told him I'd race to the next rest stop and wait for him. I did just that. It was only 3 miles ahead, but I passed quite a few people, and ended up pulling three gals on tri-bikes into the rest area. One (Tammy), let me know she'd never ridden on hills like this, and asked if I'd pull her the rest of the way. Considering that her looks were mini-van worthy, I politely accepted her request. My buddy arrived at the rest stop soon after, and the three of us took off. Around mile 25 my buddy was slowing down, and again told me (us) to go ahead. I also learned during this stretch that Tammy was a bit annoying, and liked to talk way to much. Had she not looked so good in lycra, I would have dropped her, but visually, she was inspiring.

She lived off my wheel on all flats and downhills, and I lost her on all uphills (waited at the top). There were three hills in which I was able to top 40 mph which was a nice rush. We also went through a 12 mile stretch not seeing anyone else, and also didn't see ONE sign. I was pretty sure we were on course, but there was some doubt. We were, but I didn't like not knowing. I called my buddy while waiting at the top of one hill, to see if he wanted me to come back and get him. He said he was doing great, and to get a beer ready for him at the finish. The rest of the route was fairly flat in comparison, so I hauled butt the rest of the way. When we got to where I thought the finish line was (at the Intertube sponsor's place) supposed to be, there was no signage and no officials or officers (every previous turn had somebody at it). Tammy and I split up driving around the huge parking lot to look for the finish. She waved my toward her, as she saw the finish line. As she crossed it, the same DJ from the start was there and announced; and the winner of the first annual Shammies and Koozies race is "Tammy" My name was announced shortly after, and I was quite happy to find a cooler full of free beer with my name on it. I called my buddy to tell him where the finish was, and he was there approximately 7 minutes later (8th person in). It wasn't too much longer when the 65 mile riders (the real "winners") started coming in.

We then enjoyed the "free" beer, and amazing BBQ, prior to starting the second leg of the "race". We got on toobs, and floated the river for the next two hours, with a cooler of beer, that kept getting lighter as we watched as many bikinis as we could.

In all, my Garmin said I averaged only 18.1 mph, but with the hills, and a few sprints that I did, I felt like I got a great workout. Overall a great day!

Edited to add, that the temps were in the 90's for the ride, and over 100 for the float; and the whole course was basically straight into the wind, as it was a one way trip.

 

[pigskinliquors]

BnB: Sounds like a rough one, but glad to hear that you are atop the standings

 

[bostonfred]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

 

[BassNBrew]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I usually just show up for dinner late and start with desert working my way back to the entree.

 

[tri-man 47]

Nice reports, BnB and liquors! Leading the series, and leading the ladies. Nice.

BTW, I've confirmed that Zum Tri is the creation of my friend and his brothers:

ZumTri

What'll be fun with that is to load in age group competition and see how a race progresses. If anyone checks it out and has feedback, let me know and I'll pass it along.

 

[BassNBrew]

That tracker is amazingly cool. I'd LOVE to have had one for my near drowning in my last tri. You could have watched 50 little dots (and the one big one that took me under) swample" (swim/trample) me while my little dot just hovered for 3 minutes.

Unfortuately I doubt the race chips are gps enabled so the dots move based up the times recorded at the mats smoothed out over the distance between mats. Still pretty cool to check out.

 

[The_Man]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I usually just show up for dinner late and start with desert working my way back to the entree.

Great work on the races this weekend. Ivan, scary stuff about the medical needs -- good reminder to be safe and not worry so much about speed.I came to a stark realization this weekend that I need to come up with a realistic Marathon goal pace and let that dictate my training. Had been shooting for 7:40 pace as a stretch goal (and BQ). I did 6 in good conditions on Saturday at 7:37 pace and could maybe have run 2 more at that speed before shutting down - it's a joke to think I could have done 20 more.This weekend is step up in mileage to 36, culminating with a 14-miler on Sunday. In my life I've run 12 miles 3 or 4 times and only done 13 in my one HM, so I don't want to kill myself doing 7 at Marathon pace on Saturday and leaving myself nothing for Sunday. I think I'm going to shoot for 8:00 pace and see how that goes. And then, if needed, I'm going to keep revising my goal downward until I get to a pace where I can run 6 or 7 miles and leave myself feeling like maybe I could sustain it for another 20.

 

[pigskinliquors]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I only run 3x per week (every T, Th, Su), so my schedule is pretty straight forward. My long run (right now not really long) is always on Sunday, and I do speed or hill work on Thursdays. Tuesdays I do some pace work, without extending myself too much. I do all my T, Th runs prior to my girls waking up (6:30 or 7:00 am), and I do my Sunday runs whenever it fits in. Bike rides are a pain to fit in, and I do all that I can to get one quality ride in a week, and hope for a second. I've been swimming every Monday and Friday on my way home from work.edited to add: I just signed up for the Houston marathon lottery :fingerscrossed:

Lottery Registration Confirmation for: 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon Dear Pigskinliquor: You are now registered for the 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon lottery. This confirmation indicates that you have properly registered for the 2011 lottery. Your participation in the lottery does not guarantee entry into the Chevron Houston Marathon. Participants will be notified via email, if they are selected or not, for the 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon on Tuesday, August 17, 2010.

 

[gruecd]

edited to add: I just signed up for the Houston marathon lottery :fingerscrossed:

Lottery Registration Confirmation for: 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon Dear Pigskinliquor: You are now registered for the 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon lottery. This confirmation indicates that you have properly registered for the 2011 lottery. Your participation in the lottery does not guarantee entry into the Chevron Houston Marathon. Participants will be notified via email, if they are selected or not, for the 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon on Tuesday, August 17, 2010.

I better get in that effer for 2012! Damn lottery.

 

[gruecd]

I came to a stark realization this weekend that I need to come up with a realistic Marathon goal pace and let that dictate my training. Had been shooting for 7:40 pace as a stretch goal (and BQ). I did 6 in good conditions on Saturday at 7:37 pace and could maybe have run 2 more at that speed before shutting down - it's a joke to think I could have done 20 more.

This weekend is step up in mileage to 36, culminating with a 14-miler on Sunday. In my life I've run 12 miles 3 or 4 times and only done 13 in my one HM, so I don't want to kill myself doing 7 at Marathon pace on Saturday and leaving myself nothing for Sunday. I think I'm going to shoot for 8:00 pace and see how that goes. And then, if needed, I'm going to keep revising my goal downward until I get to a pace where I can run 6 or 7 miles and leave myself feeling like maybe I could sustain it for another 20.

I'm not 100% sure you're looking at this the right way. My GMP for Chicago is 6:52-7:00. I doubt that there will ever be a point during training where I'd be able to run that pace for 26.2 miles. The taper works wonders, my man. Just remember that.

 

[gruecd]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I run 6 days/week, and it's really not that hard once it becomes part of your routine. If I run in the morning, I usually just eat either some toast w/peanut butter or a CLIF Mojo bar (Peanut Butter Pretzel) before my run, and since I usually don't feel like eating until about an hour post-run, I stop at Atlanta Bread afterwards on my way to work and grab a breakfast sandwich.If I don't run in the morning, I try to leave work early so I'm back and showered by dinner time, or else I wait, eat an early dinner, and then head out for my run around 7-8:00.In fairness, I'm lucky to have a job where I set my own hours and can come and go as I please. Definitely makes it a lot easier. But regardless, it's definitely do-able.

 

[gruecd]

Slow day at work today, so I took an extra-long lunch and knocked out an 8-miler. It was HOT AS HELL out there. Seriously. Averaged 7:59s, but it felt like a death march towards the end.

I keep telling myself that all of the training I'm doing in this heat and humidity is going to pay off in spades once the fall racing season rolls around.

High humidity = less oxygen in the air ---> body produces more red blood cells carrying oxygen to the muscles

Fall weather = Extra red blood cells carrying more oxygen ---> faster times

I hope I'm right...

 

[wraith5]

That tracker is amazingly cool. I'd LOVE to have had one for my near drowning in my last tri. You could have watched 50 little dots (and the one big one that took me under) swample" (swim/trample) me while my little dot just hovered for 3 minutes.

Unfortuately I doubt the race chips are gps enabled so the dots move based up the times recorded at the mats smoothed out over the distance between mats. Still pretty cool to check out.

This is correct - each leg is based on your average time. Still, it's pretty darn cool (we just got our wireless enabled where we're staying, so I finally got to see what you're talking about). Would love to see this broken down further by using more timing mats, so you can see some relative positioning data within the legs (at least bike and run, unless you're going to have swimmers go under a mat somewhere on the course, which probably isn't the best or most practicle idea).

 

[BassNBrew]

Slow day at work today, so I took an extra-long lunch and knocked out an 8-miler. It was HOT AS HELL out there. Seriously. Averaged 7:59s, but it felt like a death march towards the end.I keep telling myself that all of the training I'm doing in this heat and humidity is going to pay off in spades once the fall racing season rolls around.High humidity = less oxygen in the air ---> body produces more red blood cells carrying oxygen to the musclesFall weather = Extra red blood cells carrying more oxygen ---> faster timesI hope I'm right...

I hope you're right too...however at least in my case early indications don't look good. On the plus side, I'm dropping weight quickly without much effort. Down to 203.

 

[gruecd]

On the plus side, I'm dropping weight quickly without much effort. Down to 203.

Agreed, I was also 203 on Saturday post-run. Ate like crap yesterday, rehydrated, and didn't run, so I gained a couple of pounds back, but I'll be stoked if I can run Chicago at 205 or so.

 

[BassNBrew]

On the plus side, I'm dropping weight quickly without much effort. Down to 203.

Agreed, I was also 203 on Saturday post-run. Ate like crap yesterday, rehydrated, and didn't run, so I gained a couple of pounds back, but I'll be stoked if I can run Chicago at 205 or so.

I can eat like crap right now and it's not an issue. What I'm seeing is that my heart rates are up during training and for 30 minutes afterwards. I think I'm burning calories with my body attempting to cool itself even when I'm sitting on my butt.

 

[Darrinll40]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I ride run on Tuesday or Wednesday, my long run(6 miles) is on Saturday, and I finish the week on Sunday. When the weather cools off I will start doing runs on Tue and Thur. Next summer when I am once again svelte I will be running 4 or 5 times a week. Great report BnB. It seems that it was a race for HTFU and you pulled it off beautifully.

 

[bostonfred]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I run 6 days/week, and it's really not that hard once it becomes part of your routine. If I run in the morning, I usually just eat either some toast w/peanut butter or a CLIF Mojo bar (Peanut Butter Pretzel) before my run, and since I usually don't feel like eating until about an hour post-run, I stop at Atlanta Bread afterwards on my way to work and grab a breakfast sandwich.If I don't run in the morning, I try to leave work early so I'm back and showered by dinner time, or else I wait, eat an early dinner, and then head out for my run around 7-8:00.In fairness, I'm lucky to have a job where I set my own hours and can come and go as I please. Definitely makes it a lot easier. But regardless, it's definitely do-able.

What time are you waking up in the morning to do this? If you're getting to work at 9, and done with your run by 8, you must have started running at 7, and had your pre-run toast or clif bar at 630? Is that about right?

 

[BassNBrew]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I ride run on Tuesday or Wednesday, my long run(6 miles) is on Saturday, and I finish the week on Sunday. When the weather cools off I will start doing runs on Tue and Thur. Next summer when I am once again svelte I will be running 4 or 5 times a week. Great report BnB. It seems that it was a race for HTFU and you pulled it off beautifully.

I choked the swim and had my worst run of the season...hopefully I don't pull off any more beautiful events.

 

[Darrinll40]

How do you guys schedule your runs? Do you build your daily schedule around them? Or just play it by ear? What about eating? I need to have something in my stomach for the run, like a clif bar or some yogurt, but I can't run after a full meal, and I need some time to digest. If I run before work, I'd have to be up early enough for breakfast, a run, and a shower. That's pretty tight. If I run after work, which is usually what I do, I have to get out there right away or I don't end up eating dinner until way later than I'd like. How do you guys work around that?

I ride run on Tuesday or Wednesday, my long run(6 miles) is on Saturday, and I finish the week on Sunday. When the weather cools off I will start doing runs on Tue and Thur. Next summer when I am once again svelte I will be running 4 or 5 times a week. Great report BnB. It seems that it was a race for HTFU and you pulled it off beautifully.

I choked the swim and had my worst run of the season...hopefully I don't pull off any more beautiful events.

I meant that you pulled through the adversity. Long swim, pains during run. You didn't quit. When I start struggling I start the HTFU mantra. Sometimes the initials, sometimes the words. It is always the bad, hard runs that teaches me most.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Wraith official time: 2:47:17

He's en route to a family vacation, so I didn't think he'd mind me sharing for him. Sounds like the race went really well; he's super happy with the time.

I hope Wraith won't mind me posting this. I went looking for his splist and found the virtual race link. This has to be the coolest tri tracking thing I have ever seen (Use Bib 409).

Verrrry cool! That tracking tool might be the one that a friend of mine and his brothers have been developing. I'll ask him if that's it. It'll be fun next year if wraith and I (or others, in other races) race together.

I've already emailed 2 local RDs asking when I can expect to watch virtual me.

...with a reeeal little dot.

:finger: At least my dot doesn't take the time to put on gloves in T1 (lame, I know, but it was all I could think of)

 

[2Young2BBald]

Lake Logan Sprint TriSummary - First in my category. Took home my 3rd wooden coaster of the year (signature award for the race mgmt company). For those of you who only like good news or want to say congrats, stop reading here and give a pat on the back.500 meter swim - Mountain venue for this event so the 72 degree water temp made this wet suit legal. I was using a borrowed wetsuit that I had test once with decent results. I was in wave 2 and while we were waiting for the horn a guy in the first wave is crawling to shore. We're yelling at the starter who couldn't see the guy. They only had two kayaks in the lake which seem like for a 200 person event. Well the horn goes off and I'm feeling great. I'm actually at the front of the pack and was well on the way to the first bouy when my googles completely fogged. It was a foggy early morning to begin with so I couldn't see anything. Shorty thereafter the wetsuit began constricting my breathing and I had the need to rid myself of lung snot. It wasn't too much longer and I started to panic as i made the first turn. I ended up rolling over and backstroking because i could breath better and keep a line off the the guy next to me. After making the second turn I was feeling an little better and rolled back over to resume the front crawl. This didn't last long because I had no idea where I was going so I rolled back over. This course finished with 50 meters up a creek that was problaby in the mid 50's. Strange sensation hitting water that cold after being in 70+ degree water. I finally made it to the dock and gance at my watch...14 min. I'm already 3 minutes behind my goal time. Funny thing was that I felt like I was middle of the pack of my wave. After reviewing the swim times they were a solid 2-3 minutes slower than last year and the 4th overall swim time was over 10 minutes so I suspect we swam 600-650 meters. From the dock we had 100 yards to the swim finish line. I've ran better after a 12 pack than I did after that swim in a wetsuit.T1 - The wetsuit came off with only minor hiccups. I was in the middle of the pack for this transition.

I have been there on the swim, every part you encountered. A few pieces of advice come to mind. Spit is the cheapest of anti fog methods. Just a bit rubbed in before the start seems to work well. When wetsuit panic has set in for me, before I resort to rolling to my back, I try to get a song in my head with a good cadence that will slow my stoke a bit, thus slowing my breathing. Its worked for me a couple of time and others, I turtled to my back like you did. It drives me nuts, as I know it is all in my head, but out in the mosh pit, it makes no difference. Lastly, I just learned that shedding the wetsuit at the beach is the way to go, versus running in it to transition. I have no clue why I've always run with it to transition, but it is far better to shed it soaking wet and run faster to T1. Nice work getting to the top of the leader board for the series!!! As corny as a coaster sounds, I like different kinds of awards and swag.

 

[BassNBrew]

:finger: At least my dot doesn't take the time to put on gloves in T1 (lame, I know, but it was all I could think of)

lol...Maybe they can get a dot that puts on socks too???

 

[tri-man 47]

:finger: At least my dot doesn't take the time to put on gloves in T1 (lame, I know, but it was all I could think of)

lol...Maybe they can get a dot that puts on socks too???

SEE?!? The sadly comical sequence of events that led to this calf injury is all 2Young's fault. "Why waste time with biking gloves and running socks?" :stillkickingmyselfactually:---

bostonfred - I'm fortunate, too, that I can comfortable exercise for an hour (or sometimes more) before work, since my university is a mile from my house. I recognize that those with 'regular' commutes - and/or dealing with young families - face a much more difficult challenge. If the timing is tough, then you might try to load up more heavily on the weekend ...use one or two of the weekdays for rest, and the others to maybe get in a run (possibly a shorter, harder run) or some cross-training (strength or core work a little while after dinner).

The_Man - remember the focus of your training runs. The long run is supposed to be slow. That run is to train your body to better process oxygen ...to make your system more efficient. It's not about getting stronger or exerting your lung power. Take the long ones slow and trust that good things are happening. Use the tempo runs for tempo work! And don't be shy about a solid run on Saturday, which sets you up for the long, slow run on Sunday. Get used to running on tired legs. Then as gruecd points out, you'll come out of a taper ready to go!

goggles - I've been using the same goggles (Aqua Sphere - those bigger, dorkier ones ) for about five years. I regularly drop some slightly diluted baby shampoo on them, roll it around, gently rinse it off (so all but a light film), and they're fog-free for several more workouts.

 

[2Young2BBald]

:finger: At least my dot doesn't take the time to put on gloves in T1 (lame, I know, but it was all I could think of)

lol...Maybe they can get a dot that puts on socks too???

SEE?!? The sadly comical sequence of events that led to this calf injury is all 2Young's fault. "Why waste time with biking gloves and running socks?" :stillkickingmyselfactually:

If you are even remotely serious, I am sorry!!!! I don't want to spend 10+ hours in a stinky mini van running though Hell, having you ###### at me!!!!As for the dots, I think we are on to something. Tri-Man, call your buds over at ZumTri and mention that customized avatar dots would be a good maker and that you have a crew of beta testers here! My :dot: is going to be bad###

 

[prosopis]

I went out with a goal of 3.8 to 4 miles. I did 3.43, I had to pull it in. 97 degrees out and I was feeling every one of them. I got a headache and I bet my body temp is over 100. Just sitting here in front of the fan drinking water mixed with vinegar.

Kinda sucks that I think if I just went down and over one more street I would have hit the goal but man I was hurting.

 

[Sand]

Easy 2000yd swim today. Was running too late to get the 3000 in. Probably needed the break anyway.

Capped it off with a 500yd TT in 6:57 in the drag suit. On Thursday the last thing I'll do for the week is an easy 1000yd with a 500 to cap it off in my fast suit. I'm hoping to dip under 6:30 as a confidence booster for this weekend.

 

[wraith5]

Race Report (Bangs Lake Olympic Triathlon, 8/8/10). 61 competitors in my age group (35-39), 500 total finishers.

Morning – Up at 4:30 for coffee and oatmeal, then out the door at about 5am. By the time I got to the race site it was almost 5:30, and there were already what seemed like a TON of people parking at the high school and walking/biking across the street to the transition area. I ended up about 5th bike on the wave 4 (M35-39) rack, near the swim in / run out corner and opposite of the bike in/out. I asked a race official about water stops on the run and he told me that there were only 2 – which I thought was odd. But since it was forecast to get hot and very humid, I decided not to take any chances and pinned my bib number to my Nathan belt so I could bring my own water along. We had to take a bus (or walk) .5 miles to the swim start, and I got there just a few minutes before wave 1 started. I had just enough time to wade into the water and… um… warm up my wetsuit… before it was time to go. No practice swim, which I think may have been a bad idea.

Swim (1500M) – 35:19, #36/61 in age group – This was significantly slower than I expected. The start was a bit slow as all 61 of us had a relatively small area off the beach to funnel through before getting to the open water. Once I got out there, I felt kindof sluggish, but I was able to spot the buoys easily and actually touched 3 as I passed them on a pretty straight line. After about 800-900 meters of straight swim, we turned about 120 degrees and headed to another beach to exit. I immediately became completely lost and experienced a significant chop in the water which slowed me further. There were other swimmers around me, so I knew about where I was going, but like my last race I had to stop and take off my goggles to spot where I was headed (I need to try one of those anti-fog ideas!). Finished strong and managed to get to the exit ramp just ahead of a guy who I had been closing on.

T1 – 3:00, #38/61 in age group – It was a pretty long distance from the water to the transition area, all on asphalt, and I decided to jog it in. I had some trouble getting my suit off my right ankle and that cost me a bit of time. Not sure if I mentioned this after the Lake Zurich tri, but I strap my bike gloves to my handlebars and put them on once I’m riding to save time. Seems to work fine (as long as I don’t yank at them!).

Bike (40k / 25 miles): 1:13:14 (20.4 mph), #48/61 in age group – Although the official results don’t reflect a short course, they emailed us that it was going to be 38k, and my Garmin backs that up. Which means I was at more like 19.3mph total. I was still faster than Lake Zurich a month ago (and more consistent on the front half/back half), on a much more challenging course – there were lots of hills. But my cadence ave was only 79. So either the hills messed me up or I screwed up on my gearing choices. Either way, it was overcast the whole way which was a very nice surprise. With the new set up I was able to stay in the drops a lot more, even towards the end when I was tired and my back started tightening up.

T2 – 2:00, #27/61 in age group – hang bike, change shoes, grab my Nathan belt / water bottle from the bike and GO. This time I remembered my Gu and ate it as I ran back out the chute (included in transition time). HOWEVER, I forgot to take off my bike gloves. Oops. Ended up stashing them in a bush just outside the chute, and got them back after the race.

Run (10k, 6.2 miles) – 53:45 (8:48s or so), #45/61 in age group. A few of the hills on the run course made the bike course look flat! I decided it was a better idea to walk up 2 of them rather than burn myself out, and I think that wasn’t a bad way to go. I also realized as I was running why there were only 2 water stops – it was an out and back route, so the 2 were in fact 4 water stops. Duh. Wish I’d pieced that together earlier and I wouldn’t have brought my own! Wasn’t a big deal regardless. The overcast skies turned to a drizzle by the time I got to mile 5, which was awesome. I was also feeling good enough that despite my relatively slow pace, I was able to pass 4 guys in my age group while only being passed by one (and was aware of it, a big improvement over last time when I just wanted to survive!). My pace was all over the place because of the hills but I was able to pick it up a bit for the last mile. With .25 or so to go, a guy passed me with a 38 on his calf – oh, no pal. Not happening today. So I dropped in right behind him and matched his (quickening) pace. With 100 yards to go, I dropped the hammer (so cool that I actually earned the right to use that phrase!) and sprinted past him. Ended up beating him by 2 seconds, and it turns out one of the other guys I had passed was 1 second behind him. All told there were 4 guys in my age group who finished less than a minute after me – after of course being the key part of that phrase!

Total Time – 2:47:17, #41/61 in age group, 185/321 men, 242/500 overall.

I really have mixed feelings about this race – I improved my time by almost 6 minutes over my last race on a much tougher course (Tho missing 2000 meters on the bike leg certainly helped that fact) and my bike and run speeds were faster. No doubt there was some improvement here. And I made it 3/3 on the swim being my best discipline , something I never would have believed back in May.

My overall placement is not sitting well with me, even though I know the quality of competition was clearly better in this race than in my last two (The median for my age group was 12 minutes faster in this race). It’s just clear to me that if I want to improve my finish times next year, I need to come up with a better plan of attack, and I’ll probably also need to put most of the pure running races on the shelf (with the exception of the Bourbon Chase, of course).

 

[IvanKaramazov]

bostonfred -- Like some of the others, I have a highly flexible schedule that makes it easy for me to work around my runs. Even during the school year, I have no problem doing a 10- or 12-mile long run during the middle the day most weeks. I'm really impressed by people who are able to do serious training, like some of our 60+ mpw guys, with regular 9-5 jobs. That takes a ton of dedication. prosopis -- Don't feel bad about cutting that one short. A half mile here or there isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. You'll get it next time. wraith -- I wouldn't worry too much about your place. You can't control how fast the field is, and if you keep improving on your times like that, the placing will eventually take care of itself. Nice race, except for this part:

and I’ll probably also need to put most of the pure running races on the shelf

 

[pmbrown_22]

bostonfred - I will tell you that it is not easy to get runs in. I have a pretty unflexible schedule as far as running goes. I can either get running in before work or after the kids go to bed. I choose to do it before work more often than not, but it is not easy. I am getting up anywhere between 3:30 and 4:40 in order to get my runs in. It does take its toll on me later in the afternoon and late in the week, but hey I am getting them in and it is my choice. I have found in the past when I ran at night consistantly, that I am more tired during the day even though I am getting more sleep. Also depends on the time of the year. Usually running at night is easier in winter time because of the heat.

------------------

As for my update, I did a core workout on my day off yesterday and I am starting to get back into this. I am hoping that it will pay off in the long run and help me out a bit. I was up early and did 6 this morning as part one of two recovery workouts today. This afternoon I will try and get out and do 4 miles at a very easy pace. It is supposed to feel like 100 out there today so I may be skipping this one or just walking a lot.

 

[tri-man 47]

2Young - no worries, mate. We're totally cool. All my bad for not adapting to that particular race and the race (sandy) conditions (...and then doing a barefoot run, and doing it for too long, and for trying to run again a week later ...).

prosopis - don't feel bad about shortening the run. You'd be doing more harm than good. On such a hot day, it wouldn't hurt to just do some 'drills' - high knee lifts, butt kicks, accelerations, etc. Stuff that helps your leg muscles and rotation, but not the constant running that overheats the body.

wraith - great report! What an excellent, competitive race (esp the finish)!

 

[El Floppo]

So as has been almost too normal for me after I do a couple of runs coming off long layoffs... I got sick. Laid out over the weekend, and dealing with post-fire things to add some stress onto it.

I'm ready to run again tomorrow- can't wait, really- but am sick of getting sick right when I start to get back into running. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!

 

[gruecd]

It’s just clear to me that if I want to improve my finish times next year, I need to ... put most of the pure running races on the shelf.

Not cool.

On such a hot day, it wouldn't hurt to just do some 'drills' - high knee lifts, butt kicks, accelerations, etc.

Between your "drills" and your damn lunges.... -----------------------

Today's schedule calls for 8 miles including 5 x 800M at 5K pace. Was gonna do it this morning, but woke up to near-100% humidity. Eff that. I'll head out there later, when it will be warmer, but at least a little less humid. Shooting for 2:55s on the 800s.

 

[Sand]

My overall placement is not sitting well with me, even though I know the quality of competition was clearly better in this race than in my last two (The median for my age group was 12 minutes faster in this race). It’s just clear to me that if I want to improve my finish times next year, I need to come up with a better plan of attack, and I’ll probably also need to put most of the pure running races on the shelf (with the exception of the Bourbon Chase, of course).

I would strongly disagree with this. The three sports don't really carry into each other (i.e. swimming doesn't help biking, etc.) except for running. Running does cross over a bit into the bike (and not the other way around).

If you want to improve, my completely amateur advice would be to maintain some biking and swimming over the winter and run. Run lots. It will pay off. When the new year hits get on the bike. A lot. Trainer sessions. Group rides. Spin classes. It is all about the bike and improvements there are much magnified over the other two. As odd as it is for me, in particular, so say this I'd recommend to just maintain on the swim. Put the major efforts into the run and bike.

 

[gruecd]

If your saddle gets worse one of the guys here told me to try this one. Works great (bought it on ebay for even less than what Performance charges).

I think I'm gonna go ahead and order this today. I hate paying for shipping, but oh well.....

 

[pigskinliquors]

Wraith: Way to bring it home in the end!!! You shouldn't worry at all about your place against others. I use others to motivate me to go faster (i.e., like you did in kicking it in!), but race only against myself and the clock. The fact that you kicked the clock's ###, and got a new PR, is ALL that you should be concerned with. Now start a plan, a better plan than you have been using, to figure out how to kick the clock's ### even harder next time.

Gruecd: I love that saddle, and would be shocked if you don't as well.

EF: Great to hear that you are ready to get back at it.

Sand: regarding training. Running is the key, as it helps two disciplines at once, and swimming is the area which is weighted the lightest in tri's. I agree with it even more, as I'm not physically able to train hard on the swim without injury.

__________________________________

My update:

I got a short swim in yesterday afternoon: 100, 200, 400, 800, 400, 300, 100 (I did a 300 instead of a 200 on the way down, as I was only about 10 yards behind the gal in front of me, and the next length had her to my left/breathing side = I did a slow, stalking pass on the next length). All laps felt pretty good, but a dude in the lane next to me was doing drills faster per length, than I was doing the crawl (humbling/frustrating).

This morning I got in a really nice 6 mile run. It was hot and over 90% humidity, so I was happy to run all miles faster than the previous, with the first being 9:03, and the last being 8:11. My HR was pretty high, though I intentionally didn't wear my monitor, as I didn't want it to dictate today's run.

 

[bostonfred]

bostonfred - I will tell you that it is not easy to get runs in. I have a pretty unflexible schedule as far as running goes. I can either get running in before work or after the kids go to bed. I choose to do it before work more often than not, but it is not easy. I am getting up anywhere between 3:30 and 4:40 in order to get my runs in. It does take its toll on me later in the afternoon and late in the week, but hey I am getting them in and it is my choice. I have found in the past when I ran at night consistantly, that I am more tired during the day even though I am getting more sleep. Also depends on the time of the year. Usually running at night is easier in winter time because of the heat.

Thanks to all of you who answered. It sounds like most of you have flexible schedules, which makes sense. I also have a fairly flexible schedule, but I've been trying to get my runs in with my wife, which makes it even more difficult. I think I'm going to focus on getting them in earlier in the day from now on. Maybe just before lunch.

 

[BassNBrew]

bostonfred - I will tell you that it is not easy to get runs in. I have a pretty unflexible schedule as far as running goes. I can either get running in before work or after the kids go to bed. I choose to do it before work more often than not, but it is not easy. I am getting up anywhere between 3:30 and 4:40 in order to get my runs in. It does take its toll on me later in the afternoon and late in the week, but hey I am getting them in and it is my choice. I have found in the past when I ran at night consistantly, that I am more tired during the day even though I am getting more sleep. Also depends on the time of the year. Usually running at night is easier in winter time because of the heat.

Thanks to all of you who answered. It sounds like most of you have flexible schedules, which makes sense. I also have a fairly flexible schedule, but I've been trying to get my runs in with my wife, which makes it even more difficult. I think I'm going to focus on getting them in earlier in the day from now on. Maybe just before lunch.

Speaking of flex and schedule, you're on the clock in Anarchy.

 

[Sand]

bostonfred - I will tell you that it is not easy to get runs in. I have a pretty unflexible schedule as far as running goes. I can either get running in before work or after the kids go to bed. I choose to do it before work more often than not, but it is not easy. I am getting up anywhere between 3:30 and 4:40 in order to get my runs in. It does take its toll on me later in the afternoon and late in the week, but hey I am getting them in and it is my choice. I have found in the past when I ran at night consistantly, that I am more tired during the day even though I am getting more sleep. Also depends on the time of the year. Usually running at night is easier in winter time because of the heat.

Thanks to all of you who answered. It sounds like most of you have flexible schedules, which makes sense. I also have a fairly flexible schedule, but I've been trying to get my runs in with my wife, which makes it even more difficult. I think I'm going to focus on getting them in earlier in the day from now on. Maybe just before lunch.

Speaking of flex and schedule, you're on the clock in Anarchy.

Anarchy?

 

[BassNBrew]

bostonfred - I will tell you that it is not easy to get runs in. I have a pretty unflexible schedule as far as running goes. I can either get running in before work or after the kids go to bed. I choose to do it before work more often than not, but it is not easy. I am getting up anywhere between 3:30 and 4:40 in order to get my runs in. It does take its toll on me later in the afternoon and late in the week, but hey I am getting them in and it is my choice. I have found in the past when I ran at night consistantly, that I am more tired during the day even though I am getting more sleep. Also depends on the time of the year. Usually running at night is easier in winter time because of the heat.

Thanks to all of you who answered. It sounds like most of you have flexible schedules, which makes sense. I also have a fairly flexible schedule, but I've been trying to get my runs in with my wife, which makes it even more difficult. I think I'm going to focus on getting them in earlier in the day from now on. Maybe just before lunch.

Speaking of flex and schedule, you're on the clock in Anarchy.

Anarchy?

It's a fantasy football league draft that Fred is historically late for and finishes in the back of the pack. Hmmm.....sounds like his weekly 5k race.

 

[bostonfred]

It's a fantasy football league draft that Fred is historically late for and finishes in the back of the pack. Hmmm.....sounds like his weekly 5k race.

Speaking of which, that's tonight. Not sure if I'll do it or not - I did a hard run yesterday with lots of hills and I can still feel it in my legs.

 

[BassNBrew]

It's a fantasy football league draft that Fred is historically late for and finishes in the back of the pack. Hmmm.....sounds like his weekly 5k race.

Speaking of which, that's tonight. Not sure if I'll do it or not - I did a hard run yesterday with lots of hills and I can still feel it in my legs.

Please do this...we need our weekly Fred race report fix.

 

[FUBAR]

I would strongly disagree with this. The three sports don't really carry into each other (i.e. swimming doesn't help biking, etc.) except for running. Running does cross over a bit into the bike (and not the other way around).

If you want to improve, my completely amateur advice would be to maintain some biking and swimming over the winter and run. Run lots. It will pay off. When the new year hits get on the bike. A lot. Trainer sessions. Group rides. Spin classes. It is all about the bike and improvements there are much magnified over the other two. As odd as it is for me, in particular, so say this I'd recommend to just maintain on the swim. Put the major efforts into the run and bike.

really? Just my anecdotal experience, but I was a decent runner before I started biking but within a month or two of starting cycling, my mile average went from just over 8 to somewhere around 7:30 for training runs. As I biked more, my running improved to just over 7s. (Now that I'm in hill and humidity country I'm slower.) My training buddy had about the same improvement. I agree with your stated plan though, swim enough to maintain or improve efficiency, but concentrate on run and bike, seasonally.

 

[FUBAR]

It’s just clear to me that if I want to improve my finish times next year, I need to ... put most of the pure running races on the shelf.

Not cool. :X

:X just me maybe, but I'm gearing more towards running at this point. I'll still ride once or twice a week but focus on running with biking/swimming being my cross training. At least until I get a better bike.

 

[pigskinliquors]

It’s just clear to me that if I want to improve my finish times next year, I need to ... put most of the pure running races on the shelf.

Not cool.

just me maybe, but I'm gearing more towards running at this point. I'll still ride once or twice a week but focus on running with biking/swimming being my cross training. At least until I get a better bike.

I wish I understood my psyche better than I do. I LOVE being on my bike. My legs feel great after even the hardest of workouts, while much of my body hurts after a difficult run. Yet, my brain wants me to run more, and I almost religiously always get my three runs in, yet I have difficulty getting more than one quality bike ride in per week. I don't get it.