Slornow's and Wannabefaster's Summer Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 84)

Hey all, been busy with work and away for a while as always nice racing for the group. Blanda that race looks spectacular. Stuart good to here things are coming around for you. I've kept up on my running pretty good and swam a little the bike has been nonexistant but hope to change that soon hopefully these 12-15 hour days are almost over. It's supposed to be winter here in the Sierra's but I've been in shorts and a t-shirt for most of the month.

Hi Gang

Just got back from Vegas and am trying to catch up on what's been happening on BT.  Congratulations to Jim and to Stuart.  Both have reason to celebrate!!

My trip to Vegas was a reunion with BT friends from the SWBKRUN Mentor Group that I've been part of for many years.  6 of us raced the half marathon and then proceeded to celebrate for two days!    I had an ok race finished 13/948 in my AG, but I have a lot of work to do leading up to Boston.  LOTS OF IT.  

Edited by SSMinnow 2013-11-20 6:08 AM

13 out of 948?

Awesome!

You may have a lot of work to do but it sounds to me like you are crushing the souls of your competition already

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

I got called in to the hospital at 3 am last night. Work is really messing up my training schedule. It seems like days like this always come up on hard bike days. My coach probably thinks I am slacking but really, I just need some sleep.........

13 out of 948?

Awesome!

You may have a lot of work to do but it sounds to me like you are crushing the souls of your competition already

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

I got called in to the hospital at 3 am last night. Work is really messing up my training schedule. It seems like days like this always come up on hard bike days. My coach probably thinks I am slacking but really, I just need some sleep.........

13 out of 948?

Awesome!

You may have a lot of work to do but it sounds to me like you are crushing the souls of your competition already

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

I got called in to the hospital at 3 am last night. Work is really messing up my training schedule. It seems like days like this always come up on hard bike days. My coach probably thinks I am slacking but really, I just need some sleep.........

HOLY CRAP THAT'S AWESOME!

"I had an ok race finished 13/948 in my AG!"

Suzy all I have to say is WOW!!

I'm really bummed. I thought I hit 'post reply' 5 or 6 times. I only get three posts out of that. Weak sauce.

Suzy, you're amazing and inspiring!

Jason, I just don't think you're trying hard enough.

Stuart, congratulations to you too! So good to see you back at it!

I have a turkey trot on Thanksgiving day. Doubt that will even dent the amount of calories I'll likely put away at dinner, lol! I have a bike race coming up on Saipan, so training is bike focused at the moment. Getting a couple crack o' dawn runs in a week with some friends to help them get moving. It's nice!

I have a 10K Thanksgiving morning, it's a pretty big race around here about 1400 people so no hope of placing just trying to beat everyone from our tri group if at all possible. It's my first 10K so as long as I finish it's a PR right.

I ran last night near my parent's house (where I grew up). I only live about eight miles from my parents but for some reason I rarely run there. It was a relaxed run with 6 x 1 minute hard at random intervals. Quite hilly. I remember as a kid how "huge" the hills were around my parents and how I struggled to ride my bike up them (I wasn't a runner as a kid). It was really fun to fly up them on my feet and think, "that wasn't so bad". Felt very nostalgic to me.

Signed up for a 5K for the day AFTER thanksgiving. Working the over night shift on Wednesday and don't think I can make it to the start line in time on Thanksgiving day. It is a total bummer because the Thanksgiving day race is way more convenient.

I had a couple really nice workouts today. Two days in a row! This is the best I have felt since before Tahoe. Don't want to do too much but it is nice to finally feel good after a workout.

Well here is my Race Report:

Ironman Arizona 2013 Race Report

Arrived in Tempe on Thursday, giving me 3 days lead time. Checked in Thursday. Friday went for a 20 mile bike ride along the Beeline. Instant problem. Disc Wheel with 11/23 gearing would not shift into higher gears. Brought bike to a shop to get it “fixed”. The guy spent over an hour, finally telling me he is “stumped”, and that my hanger must be bent. He told me I'm good to go if I don't shift into highest gears, and that he did not have a replacement part. Well, that did not sit well with me. I went to another shop, Landis Bike shop for a second opinion. The mechanic took one look at my bike, one quick adjustment and told me “all good to go”. Lesson learned – always get a second opinion if not satisfied. Had I gone with the first guy, I would have had to order a new part (probably not have it by race day) – which in fact was not defective at all. Gave the mechanic $20 (he wasn't going to charge me at all), told him to buy himself a nice dinner or beer! He told me it was going for beer.

I did not participate in the practice swim as I did a wet suit swim 3 days prior, and I began to feel a bit “iffy” after hearing stories of people feeling ill after the practice swim. Why risk it? I knew my suit fit well, and I already swam in the water last year. I knew how cold it can be.

Awoke at 330 AM. Good sleep all things considered. Met up with my Michigan friends race morning. Arrived at transition for body marking by 515AM. Parking at IM AZ is a piece of cake as there is a large parking structure right there. Had Honey Oats and a power bar for breakfast, along with 2 cups of coffee. Had to pee once prior to the gun. Checked on bike, tires pumped, all set. The only stressful moment of the morning was my fear the line to get into the water would not get me in by the time the cannon went off. I just made it but next time will remember to get out to the water much sooner as the line to get in was bottlenecked. There were still hundreds behind me!

Water temp was actually very nice, a bit on the cool side, but really very pleasant for a wetsuit swim.

Swim was fairly uneventful. Usual bumping into swimmers, but not bad for a mass start. My swim time was much slower than last year, and I'm not sure why as I was better prepared for the swim this year. My best guess is that I wasn't sighting as well as I did not look up as much, trying to focus on swimming, and trusting my path. Even though my time was not that good, I felt strong in the water and felt the swim was easy. Overall, pleased, Would not do anything different other than sighting better.

Time: 01:24:41 pace 02:11/100m Div Rank 190 Overall 1494

Fairly quick transition to bike – I thought (7 min, 7 sec). Realized I did not put any of my water bottles on the bike. Not a big deal though as I live off the course, and there are plenty of AID stations along the way. I passed hundreds of people on the first loop, making up for my bad swim. Biking is always my strongest suit. I ate a total of 4 power bars, 4 Gu's, and lots of perform and water along the way. Never peed once. This is unusual for me. I suspect I did not take in enough fluids. I felt good though. The 3 loops were uneventful. I almost got ran into at one of the AID stations by someone who swerved in front of me. I should have known better and moved even further left. I actually felt good throughout the entire bike and by the end felt as though I could have easily gone another hour. I pushed hard only for a few minutes when passing large groups. Remained in aero 99% of the time. Compared to last year, the wind on the return loop on the Beeline was not as favorable for making up time. I enjoyed the bike as I passed over 700 people. I kept myself occupied by counting people I pass, although I lost count many times. A new PR for me!!!

Time: 05:34:10 pace 20.11 mph Div Rank 116 Overall 797

Bike to run transition went smooth (3 min, 58 sec). No muscle cramping. I felt pretty good. On to the the run. First few miles went well with the exception of my Hoka Tarmac shoes rubbing and causing burning of the feet. I readjusted them a few times. This lasted about 30-40 min then completely went away. After mile 10, I was feeling fairly confident about my goal to go sub 12 hours. Well, that didn't work. I began to experience GI issues and had to use porta potty for number 2 twice. No nausea. I drank fluids and was able to keep them down, but at times I could feel the sensation of my stomach contents “sloshing around”. Around mile 17 I felt a profound weakness and heaviness in my legs, lasting about 20 min. I thought to myself “f##$$ing A!!!!” damn A Fib!!!! Fortunately this went away, and I verified I was not in afib. The final 10 miles or so I was just tired. I did the run/walk/zombie shuffle for the remainder of the race.

Time: 05:15:06 Pace 12.01/mile Div Rank 133 Overall 1058

Final Time: 12:25

Thoughts:

I believe my run fitness is lacking. I am not convinced I over did it on the bike as I did not go much harder than I usually do in training (I actually held back a lot), and I felt good the whole ride. I am not a strong runner and my logs reflect I did not train enough. I hoped to get by without doing any longer than 15-16 mile runs in training. I need to re look at this and talk to a coach. My PR for a Marathon is 3 hr 40 min, and a 25 K is 2 hr 4 min, so I know I can go much faster.

Overall, I am always happy to finish an IM. It was a wonderful experience. Volunteers were top notch!! I'm looking forward to IM Texas this spring. I hope to go sub 12. Considering my first IM was over 15 hours, I am continuing to improve.

Thanks for reading. A particular thank you goes out to my awesome mentor group Slornow and Wannabefaster who are always helpful and supportive!!!!

Congrats Jimmy!!

My friend emailed me today with a whole plan for renting a house with a bunch of people to do IM Mount Tremblant in 2015.......LMAO hey buddy, can I finish my first HIM FIRST?! He's nuttier than I am!

Anyone got any tri related "wants" on their Christmas list?

I'm getting a new GPS watch...either another Garmin 310XT or the 910XT. Wife asks what I want for Christmas. I say "a new GPS watch." She says "go ahead and order that and give it to me when it gets here." Happy to get a new watch but I miss the mystery and anticipation of Christmas that I had as a child. Felt it again when my kids were little through their excitement. Now I guess I will just have to wait for grandchildren to feel it again.......no rush on that!  Typically my son, 20, has no Christmas list while my daughter, 19, will have a 3 page printed and prioritized list with pictures/prices, computer links to the appropriate store etc....... ......

Edited by slornow 2013-11-25 8:32 PM

I bought myself two pairs of running shoes that I am sure will be wrapped and put under the tree so I have something to open.

I want a few books. "The Essential Sheehan" looks interesting to me. I would like hardcover editions of "Once a Runner" and "Again to Carthage." They are like old friends that I go back to read again and again.

I think allowing me to sign up for IMAZ was my main Christmas present.

One of the problems that we have in our house is that my wife and I tend to go out and buy whatever we want/need as we go. That doesn't leave too much for the Christmas lists. It doesn't help that I am one of the world's worst gift givers. Any suggestions from the group on what to get the wife who has (almost) everything?

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

On the training front; I feel on the verge of a swimming breakthrough (have I said that before, over and over, every season?). I just feel different in the water than I have in the past. I have taken a couple seconds/100 off of my time but I sense that more is out there just waiting for me to get to it. Of course I could jump in the pool today and have a terrible swim. It is hard to predict.

Let me say it again how jealous I am of those who swam as kids and just have that "feel" for the water that seems so elusive to me.

This is us.

However buying for DH is pretty easy. He wants everything LOL. He's a runner and cyclist (can't get him in the water) so any clothing relating those tend to be a big hit.



Randy - go for the 910 - I love mine. Although there's a big of a learning curve.


Manchester road race on Thursday. For the first time it has sold out at 15,000 people. I'm assuming I'll just get caught up in the pack and run in the masses. oh well, should be a good time but certainly not a PR setting race.

What do you all have planned for Thursday? DH's family is coming over and I'm making the turkey et al. And pie - lots of pie!

Have a good day!

I would love to have a new Fat Tire bike to allow me to ride outside this winter. Also wondering about a computrainer or something similar. Of course, if I decide to I will simply buy it for myself. I too, am not much of a gift buyer. My boys over the years have told me what they want, and since it's usually computer gadgets/toys of which I don't understand, they will even order it for me. Now we have simply evolved into XMAS being a simple cash transaction (wireless/direct deposit). Though no more surprises, we are always very happy with what we receive.
I'm waiting for their next concept, perhaps a virtual xmas tree!! No hassle, just click a few buttons to make the lights however you want........ Maybe even a virtual In-Law program as well, whereby I can delete/remove myself or anyone else at the click of a mouse..... Maybe I'm on to something here!