Hi all....

Julie... so glad you got your ride in and that it was enjoyable!

Alicia... hang in there. Sounds like you have alot on your mind right now. I'm going through a major shift in role/responsibilities at my job right now too and it has seriously cut into my time on CR! I'm glad to be busy though and working on a great team.

Kelli... glad you enjoyed a massage. I was helping a massage student get some sort of sports certification this summer and managed to get 10 free massages! What a nice treat that was. I could get used to that!

Chris... how's the shoulder?

I can't remember all the races everyone is training for but it sounds like there are some HM and Marathons on deck. I'm excited about mine and still feel like I have plenty of time to prepare but know it will get here soon.

Last night I did 1500 yds in the pool and am so totally psyched for the pool swim at my tri this weekend. Had a nice easy run this morning for about an hour... was slow, so just shy of 6 miles. I am planning on a bike ride tomorrow but it will have to be in the afternoon since I have a VERY early conf call in the morning (sometimes I hate Mtn time zone)!!

Ok... back to work, but I'll try to sneak back and read more later! Have a great day today everyone... training or resting! It's all good.
Carrie

Hello everyone! Well after a rough day at work yesterday, my spin session only lasted about 35 minutes before I bagged it. For some reason, some of my 'bad work' days bring out the tiger in me during my evening workouts, and sometimes it just brings out the sloth, and last night I was the sloth This morning was 2000 yds at the pool, and that went a little better.

Heather - congrats on the decision to do an HIM! Depending on how my oly goes in a couple of weeks, I may want to attempt one next summer. For some reason, I've never had much of a desire for sprints (I go out too fast, can't pace well, etc)- same with running, I've always been more attracted to half and full marathons, but 5k's are just not my thing. I am looking at Steelhead as a possibility, but we'll see! I may finish my race next month and decide that I suck at tris!

Carrie - is your tri going to have a 1500m swim in a pool? I'm wondering how that works? I've seen shorter distances in the pool, but not that long!

Alicia - I hope you're feeling better! Did you eat something that just didn't agree with you?

Tamster - I'm jealous of your trip! Sounds absolutely fabulous!

Gotta run - work is still crazy, and I'm not exactly being productive by playing around on the CR boards....

Heidi

Forgot to ask. Did you guys start planning your A races for next year?
Mines would be Black Bear HIM in early June and probably Timberman HIM in late August.

I might also go for a fall Marathon.... The seed of doing an IM after 2009 is planted so I wouldn't want to get out of touch with marathons.

But for 2008, definitely a HIM!

Thanks for the input Kelli. The reasoning behind my slow goal pace is largely because of the course. It's a hilly one and I live in a very flat area. Right now I'm working on overall consistency with my runs. I may have to change my goal pace down the line, but for now I'm just getting in the miles. I used the 10min/2min strategy to finish my first marathon--it's great for long distances. As for 13:00 pace, I severely hinder my stride when I try to slow down by such a significant amount.

Future race plans...HIM next summer! Haven't decided which one, but probably Steelhead since it's fairly close. Early August will be morbidly hot, but you can't win them all. That will be my A race, provided nothing happens to hinder those plans! Timberman is tempting, but the cost of travel is the one thing holding me back. If I do that one that would be our 'vacation' for 2008...not particularly tempting.

I can't remember who asked about my nutritional meltdown, but it was completely my fault. I gave up caffeine for a while b/c it causes severe heart palpitations...then I started drinking half caf which went great for the last couple of years. During the last week with job interviews, a new class, a new schedule I was at Starbucks every single day, sometimes twice (financially this just does not make sense!) I reached my breaking point yesterday when I was completely overwhelmed by sugar and caffeine spikes/lows. It was not a good plan. So this morning, I had decaf. Time to get back on that wagon

Hey all - busy as usual over here at work:

Heidi - thanks for the info on the trainer; I might be clopping along at least with the mounting part myself, unless I can figure out a way to rig the shoes (no loops on these shoes, unfortunately)

Alicia - I hope the news is good regarding the new job!
And I'd echo Kelli's advice with one small variation - I'd do tempo runs not at race pace but at lactate threshhold pace, which is generally 20-30 seconds above your 10K pace. And that's something that you would only hold for maybe 10-15 minutes or so. The way I do them is warmup, start jogging at an easy pace for about 10-15 min, hit tempo run pace (you may want to do this on a treadmill at first so you can get idea of this pace feels like) go back to regular pace 10-15 min and then warmdown.

Carrie & Heather - I was TERRIBLE with my clipless pedals for the first few weeks (I got me some Look-style pedals myself). I actually stopped bothering and rode with an old pair of running shoes for a couple months because I figured getting my fitness was more important. Then I tried the clipless shoes again out a few weeks back and have had no issues since - weird how that happened.

Kelli - I wish massage therapists' prices were that low around this neck of the woods - I'm jealous!

Chris - I hope your shoulder isn't too serious an issue; speaking of which...

quote:<HR>Originally posted by chrisuletz:
Forgot to ask. Did you guys start planning your A races for next year?
Mines would be Black Bear HIM in early June and probably Timberman HIM in late August.

I might also go for a fall Marathon.... The seed of doing an IM after 2009 is planted so I wouldn't want to get out of touch with marathons. But for 2008, definitely a HIM!<HR>

I've got 2 "A" Races planned - one is the Napa Valley Marathon early March of 2008.

The second one is an HIM-distance event for later in the year (Vineman? Santa Cruz? Gotta' figure it out...)

Later folks!
- Joe

Heath:

I agree with Kelli. I would do an Oly plan. If the start of the Oly plan is "too easy" or "too short" for you, find one that is advanced, or start a few weeks in. I found in a lot of the plans that the first few weeks were a lot shorter/easier than I was used to.

I would then wait until you pick your A race and start the HIM plan 4 months out (at that point you won't bother with the building phase, you'll have built it). This will ensure that you don't peak too early. Also, I would do an Oly race 2-3 months before the HIM, it's a good "report card" for you and will give you some confidence heading into the really tough training.

The other advantage of doing the Oly plan is that it will give you some time to get in the gym for the weights. Weight training is really important and my coach recommends 2Xwk. During my HIM training on average I only managed to do it 1 day per week if lucky, there just wasn't time.

Me: I'm going to try a short 2 mile run this morning. Have been off the ankle for 9 days, so hoping it's ready. I've enjoyed my "break" for the last 3 weeks, but I'm ready to start the Marathon training Monday if foot is in agreement. I'll keep you posted.

ps....Joe: I would love to do that Vineyard Tri...maybe in a few years, we can combine it into a vacation.....

Hi all... yes, another ridiculously busy day for me at work. I think Joe and Heidi can relate to that. I should probably not be on CR to be honest!

Started with a very early conf call so I didn't do anything this am other than a walk with the dog. But the flip side is that since I started early, I'm planning to wrap up early and hit the bike trail this afternoon. Probably my last ride before the tri on Sunday. By the way (I think Heidi asked..) the swim is only 500 yds which will be no sweat in the pool! Last weekend, I went to the rec center where it's being held and it's a pretty nice facility!

Kelli... I'm not sure how I feel about the whole walk break thing for my HM training. I always feel like if I stop, I may have a hard time getting going again! I have stopped in races to walk thru crowded water stations and it hasn't been a problem, so I'll keep that strategy in the back of my mind.

Chris... I sure hope your shoulder is feeling better. Will you wait to decide about your race til the last minute? I know how tough those decisions can be, but I agree that you don't want to do anything to worsen the injury. And, by the way, I am VERY jealous of you going to the US Open! Hope you had a great time. Was sort of hoping Andy could take a set or 2, but RF is so amazing, no huge surprise. I actually called lines at a junior tourney years ago back in Texas for a match Andy played wen he was about 11 or 12. Tennis really is my first passion, but this triathlon thing is gaining!

Alicia and Heather... wow... HIMs next year! That's exciting, but you know... that's a whole new training thread!!

Joe... I would love to do a race in Napa. In fact, we had a long weekend there this spring and I thought it would be a wonderful place to combine a race and vacation.

Julie... glad you finally got to run. Coming back from an injury can be scary, huh? I'm a LT member at WW and trying to get back to my goal weight... I have about 8 pounds to go and it is SLOW. I still show up and get weighed most every week.. I need that accountability. I know what you mean about 'free speed' though.. I'll have to make that my new mantra!

I've decided that I'm going to have to wait for some cooler temps to try the clipless pedals so that I can wear long pants and sleeves to protect me when I fall!! I'm sure it's going to take me some time to get used to and I'm terrified of it but I'm also pretty motivated!

Have a great day everybody!
Carrie



http://This message has been edited by cocarrie (edited Sep-06-2007).