Brian and the Tri Tarts Group - Full (Page 21)

Nice job on the 5K, and a PR to boot!

Blisters definitely can happen if your feet get wet and slide around in your shoes.  If possible, try not to pop them, but put a litte antibiotic ointment on them and cover them up with bandaids.  If you feel like you have to pop them because it is painful, make sure the needle is sterile and then slowly press the water (or whatever it is!) out.  I would then put on the antibiotic ointment and keep them covered so they heal up. 

I think  WW is a great idea and the race a month will definitely keep you on top of things. 

Suzy

Yeah I'm planning on not popping them.  They are really flat so I don't think there is a need.  I got the dr. scholls blister pads and that is providing a lot of cushion.  Too bad my foot hurts now, I think from the way I ran after I got the blisters.  I think I rolled to the outside on my right food while I ran to try to stop the blisters from hurting and now that part hurts, but only when I walk.  I'm resting it today and then focus on swim/bike the rest of the week til it feels 100%

Thanks for the well-wishes!!!  The race went really well.  We had great weather (60 and sunny); unlike the crap you had on the East coast.

I use body glide on my feet for long runs and races.  It really reduces the friction.  wet weather definitely makes blisters more likely.  The Body Glide did work for my rain-soaked half-marathon last fall.

I have yet to do a du.  So, no experience to tap into.  I'd say take it easier than normal on the 1st run.  Try to keep the cadence high on the bike, especially toward the end.  NO MASHING!  Then have at it on the final run!  You'll do great!

enders_shadow - 2008-04-07 7:23 AM Congratulations, everyone! Does anyone have any hints for a duathlon? I'm doing my first on Saturday...I'm assuming it's like a triathlon, only better - since I don't have to swim. But are there any tricks I should know? Thanks!

What are the distances? I have only done one du, but I would say not to start out too fast on the first run, but build into it, especially if it is a 5K or greater.  I would also say to take the last mile or two to spin down your legs before running.  Use the transition area to get your legs feelling right and then run as hard as you can that last distance (mine was only a mile so I was all out at the point).  I thought run/bike/run was a ton of fun.

Hey Brian (and all)

With only 13 days until Boston, I am starting to think about a training plan for my July triathlon. I will have roughly 11 weeks to get ready.  The swim is 750m, the bike 20k and the run 5K.  The bike and run definitely fit a sprint plan definition, but what about the swim?  Any advice?  I also feel that I can bike and run significantly more than most plans suggest so how should I incorporate that thought?

Just in case you want to feel sorry for me, it is 37F, pouring rain with occasional sleet.  They are thinking some snow tonight.  I need to move to Hawaii!

enders_shadow - 2008-04-10 2:37 PM

SSMinnow - 2008-04-08 6:51 PM

Just in case you want to feel sorry for me, it is 37F, pouring rain with occasional sleet. They are thinking some snow tonight. I need to move to Hawaii!

I don't have an answer for you, but it's 75 and sunny in Richmond. You can come visit Judi & I.

and me!  okay well i'm a little farther north..but we have beautiful weather and if you can make the flight, i can make the drive  

enders_shadow - 2008-04-10 4:44 PM

kimmitri408 - 2008-04-10 4:32 PM

enders_shadow - 2008-04-10 2:37 PM

SSMinnow - 2008-04-08 6:51 PM

Just in case you want to feel sorry for me, it is 37F, pouring rain with occasional sleet. They are thinking some snow tonight. I need to move to Hawaii!

I don't have an answer for you, but it's 75 and sunny in Richmond. You can come visit Judi & I.

and me! okay well i'm a little farther north..but we have beautiful weather and if you can make the flight, i can make the drive

Oh, yeah - I keep forgetting how close you are...sorry. I avoid going to DC as much as humanly possible. Lived there for 4 years (2000-2004). That was enough.

it's okay.  i'm in woodbridge, so i'm a little south of dc.  i wanna say around 80 miles from you guys?   i was smart enough to have a commute opposite traffic.  so i only deal with traffic woes when i have to go to maryland for work and stay there late.

I have the TI DVD and attended a two-day clinic last June. It was too early in my swimming to have it be effective.  I was with all triathletes and they smoked me.  I left dejected.  You are in a different position in that you already can swim so it probably would be better for you.  I don't think TI will teach you to be fast, I think it will teach you to be more balanced which may eventually aid speed. How do you feel about your balance? At the clinic, sweet spot was modified so that you are on your side less and more on your back.  The drills definitely take a while to master and the only way to get things like multiple zipperswitch is to see someone demonstrate it.  I never picked up on it, but I sort of gave up on the system in favor of a personal coach.

I feel like I am gaining more from my lessons than I did from TI because it is 100% tailored to me.  To gain speed my coach is incorporating short moderate and sprint sets (e.g. 4 25s :30).  It is like running, the only way to get faster is to swim a lot and incorporate some speed work.  Your form may fall apart, you may feel like your lungs are going to explode, but we both know you can get to the other end of the pool.

I am definitely NOT against TI, but think there are multiple ways to get there.

My question de jour--How does one mentally prepare for the half mary to race the distance?  My goal is to finish with NO WALKING except possibly the water stops if my water runs low or they offer gatorade and I want that...But in terms of the psychology of handling the distance-is there anything you do to prepare for it?  I believe the course is pretty flat but don't know much about it other than that.

To mentally prepare for long distance running I rely on positive visualization and mantras (e.g I am strong, I am trained, success is mine).  At first I thought it was really queer, but once you get into it, it works.  I read the the book "Running Within" by Lynch and Scott which is all about visualization and positive reinforcement.  I take it with me to every race and read key sections the night before and morning of the race.

If you don't want to read the book, here are my three basics:

1. Find a positive phrase that you can repeat over and over in your head when things get tough or doubt starts seeping in your mind.  Really try to see that phrase in front of you.  I can actually see "success" flashing in front of me like a neon sign.  I practice with the phrase a lot in training.

2. If you have pain, talk to it.  "Hey Pain, I really don't have time for you now.  I promise to take care of you later"  Like I said sounds queer, but it works.

3. If fatigue starts setting in focus on smaller segments of the race like getting to the next water stop or seeing the next mile marker.  Don't obsess on the fact you have 6m to go and you will never make it!  On that same note, if you need to slow down slightly to get over that fatigue don't freak, a :10 second slower mile may give you a faster race in the long run.

One other thing I do that is not in the book is think of a personal reward.  If I get to the finish line without walking I will get cheese corn and corona post finish.  Those are my favorite things!

Thanks Suzy, these look do-able! It's really all in the self-talk then and keeping that on a positive note as opposed to focusing on everything that could possibly go wrong (or did go wrong)

i am looking into lessons too.  i was just hoping that i would get something out of the dvd.  lessons are really expensive, so i guess i was kind of hoping to put it off a little longer.   i don't know if my balance is good or bad in the water.  i struggle with swimming on my side on the non-breathing side.  i go from side to flat to side, not side to side.   

I hear you.  My left side breathing was great and my right side was terrible which came me less than seconds to breathe.  Once videotaped my coach showed me how I did not complete my right side pull all the way down to my thigh.  Once I did that a zillion times it helped. I would never have figured that out without someone looking at me so closely.  He is also telling me I need greater rotation too and has me working with the pull.  Itl has helped me a lot.  Have you tried that?

From my last swim practice w/ the tri club, I think the end of my pull is okay. I'm good a pulling all the way back. I've been doing the triple touch drill (side, shoulder, head) to work on my entry into the water on the front. I notice that when I get a little tired, I don't go in with high elbow. The main comment I get when I swim with other are...

1. my kick is not working for me. Everyone tells me that they think my kick is holding me back, but when I don't kick, my legs drag a lot, so I have to pull harder and my arms are on fire. I swim about the same time kicking vs. non kicking for a length. when i use a kick board, I can't go the whole length of the pool. Seriously, I push off the wall and kick and then I get to a point where I don't go forward anymore.   and this point is not half way, it's about a quarter of the way.  Without a push, I can go about 5 feet.  I have to stop, stand, and re-push off the ground or push off the side of the pool. I try to practice kicking off the wall, using a kickboard, on my back (i read someone on here talking about doing that to work on kicking), ect.

2. rotation. I swim on my stomach instead of my side. This I guess is the balance in the water thing. I was hoping I could get some good drills from TI for this. Right now I try to focus on rotating to my non-breathing side, but when I get tired, I don't focus on it as much and I find myself having to think about it a lot to do it.

I e-mailed some folks this morning already about lessons or swim clinics. HOpefully I can get some help soon!

When I first went to masters I could do 25yd of kickboard in the time most others were doing 100yd; and my legs burned, lungs heaved and heart pounded.  My kick still is subpar, but its something that takes awhile to develop, like the rest of swimming.

For my "kick sets" I use zoomers, specifically Z2's.  Also, I do the sidekick with the zoomers pretty much for all kick sets.  The fins will propel you more and develop muscle and flexibility needed for a strong kick.  The benefit of side-kicking is that you also develop that body position balance while working on your kick.  Side-kicking is also called "belly-to-the-wall" or "BTW."

So are you planning on the OWS practices with RTC starting next month?

My question--Am I crazy if I consider signing up for a 1 mile river swim in June to help me over my OWS phobia?  My goal would be to finish without hanging on a kayak.

judy i don't think you're crazy.  i signed up for a quarter mile pool swim when i could barely swim 50 yards, lol.

i think i'm going to sign up for the biathlon as an individual.  i think it would be awesome do to that kind of swim distance before my full tri (the bi is 525 yards in the pool).  as far as the run (5K), i will plan to run/walk it.  i'm not doing the race for time, just really for the pool experience.  i wanted to relay, but i can't find a running partner.  so anyway, it's in a few weeks.  my foot feels a lot better so i am going to get back to a regular training schedule.  the extended time off sucked, but i think in the end, that's why my foot feels better, because i did that ya know.