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Yes, I Must Be Cray-Cray or the Trip to IM Lou

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Post  nkrichards Mon Aug 05, 2019 10:57 pm

Michele, I'm not surprised at all by your great running results even though you feel you've backed off run training.  I've always believed that cross training was pretty effective.  And, Maura, who is definitely a bicyclist first and foremost always said that biking made her a better runner.

Hope you're enjoying you summer at least a bit and not getting to overwhelmed by IM training on top of life in general.

Thanks for dropping in.
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:00 pm

Thanks Doug & Nancy.   It has been a busy summer and I did hope to update a bit more.  I know that once I get back to Atlanta, I will actually have more time believe it or not.   I'm looking forward to getting home except for the weather as it has been cool here - only in the high 70s/low 80s - the last couple of days.  We have even had a couple of mornings that dipped down to just below 60.  That is of course not going to be the case when I get back to Atlanta.  I have been doing a lot of brick workouts and generally that involves a 45-60 min run in the heat of the day here.  I'm glad that it has typically been in the mid-80s for those.  It is indeed humid, but there is a difference when the temps aren't in the 90s.  Will be interesting when I get back.

Did my first Century ride of the training this past Saturday and it went well.  Not super hilly but very windy on the back half which was a good challenge.  I also ran an hour after riding (101 miles) and it went fine.   Swimming continues to be my nemesis.  It isn't like I cannot swim the distance, but I am not making any waves (pun intended) regarding "speed" in the water.  I just do not seem to progress in that category in the pool.  I'm not concerned with not making the cutoff especially with a wetsuit and river current.  I was hoping to make some strides there - but it just might be what it's going to be.

Easy week this week - but back to the major grind on Monday.   One more week here as I'm headed back on the 26th.
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Post  ounce Tue Aug 13, 2019 4:04 pm

I guess with all that biking and a hundred mile ride, it would seem our crazy Miche1e is dipping the toes in for a full IM, somewhere.

I do have a suggestion on improving your swimming.  Don't swim in areas where the buoys have wine.  No
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Post  nkrichards Tue Aug 13, 2019 11:08 pm

Impressed that you could walk let alone run for an hour after biking 100 miles!  I can't imagine training for a full!

I'm surprised your swim times aren't improving.  You swim with a coach don't you?  I would expect him/her to make some suggestions for minor technique changes that would help.  As you said as long as you make the cutoff you'll be fine and I'm sure that won't be an issue.  You'll make up more time on the bike and run than you lose on the swim.  It's a pretty small percentage of the total event.

Take care when you transition back into the heat in Atlanta.
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:57 pm

So I arrived back in Atlanta last night - and its been raining ever since - and its not too hot at all.  Weird.  I did swim today in my normal pool and the water was actually cool because of the rain.  The swim felt pretty good, but still not very quick.  I seem to have lost my swim "speed" completely if i actually had any.  I was hoping to get in a little spin, but the wet roads prevented that.  I will ride an easy 1 hr 30 min tomorrow followed by an easy run on the flat, dirt, cinder path by the river.  It will be in the mid-70s, but I seem to have missed the super warm stuff.

Headed to Louisville this weekend to ride and run on the course.  I guess swimming in the Ohio River is not an option - which seems ok to me.
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Post  nkrichards Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:12 pm

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:So I arrived back in Atlanta last night - and its been raining ever since - and its not too hot at all.  Weird.  I did swim today in my normal pool and the water was actually cool because of the rain.  The swim felt pretty good, but still not very quick.  I seem to have lost my swim "speed" completely if i actually had any.  I was hoping to get in a little spin, but the wet roads prevented that.  I will ride an easy 1 hr 30 min tomorrow followed by an easy run on the flat, dirt, cinder path by the river.  It will be in the mid-70s, but I seem to have missed the super warm stuff.

Headed to Louisville this weekend to ride and run on the course.  I guess swimming in the Ohio River is not an option - which seems ok to me.
I'm sure that cooler weather than you expected isn't to disappointing but it's to bad it messed up your bike ride.

It will be nice to ride and run on the course.  Is the river running to high or just generally not safe without safety professionals close by?  I'll have to take a look at the course just out of curiosity.

With 6 weeks of training left are you in your peak or starting to taper off a bit.  I would imagine you need a bit longer taper for something that long but you don't want to taper to soon.

Anxious to hear what you have to say about training and the race after you've done it.

Enjoy your weekend course preview.
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Sun Sep 15, 2019 3:26 pm

Still at it.  The heat and humidity have come back with a vengeance and have no signs of going away.  Should be interesting.  A couple of more big training weeks and then taper.  I did get my bib no. which is #420 - had to explain to an milenniel that i never inhaled.

Anyway, recap of last week.  Headed for a nap.

Mon - Day off
Tues - Swim 2600 yds; Ride 25 miles
Wed - Run 7 miles (hill repeats), Easy Spin (15 miles), Trainer
Thurs - Swim 1400 yds, Ride 22 miles (intervals)
Fri - Run easy 6 miles; Swim 3200 yds (lake swim)
Sat - Ride 98 miles, Brick run 3.3 miles
Sun - Run 17 miles
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Post  ounce Tue Sep 17, 2019 9:00 am

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Still at it.  The heat and humidity have come back with a vengeance and have no signs of going away.  Should be interesting.  A couple of more big training weeks and then taper.  I did get my bib no. which is #420 - had to explain to an milenniel that i never inhaled.

Anyway, recap of last week.  Headed for a nap.

Mon - Day off
Tues - Swim 2600 yds; Ride 25 miles
Wed - Run 7 miles (hill repeats), Easy Spin (15 miles), Trainer
Thurs - Swim 1400 yds, Ride 22 miles (intervals)
Fri - Run easy 6 miles; Swim 3200 yds (lake swim)
Sat - Ride 98 miles, Brick run 3.3 miles
Sun - Run 17 miles
I don't see why you took Monday off.  Slacker!!!!
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Post  nkrichards Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:45 am

ounce wrote:
Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Still at it.  The heat and humidity have come back with a vengeance and have no signs of going away.  Should be interesting.  A couple of more big training weeks and then taper.  I did get my bib no. which is #420 - had to explain to an milenniel that i never inhaled.

Anyway, recap of last week.  Headed for a nap.

Mon - Day off
Tues - Swim 2600 yds; Ride 25 miles
Wed - Run 7 miles (hill repeats), Easy Spin (15 miles), Trainer
Thurs - Swim 1400 yds, Ride 22 miles (intervals)
Fri - Run easy 6 miles; Swim 3200 yds (lake swim)
Sat - Ride 98 miles, Brick run 3.3 miles
Sun - Run 17 miles
I don't see why you took Monday off.  Slacker!!!!
Laughing   You'd make a one tough coach Doug!

Impressive training Michele.  I can't imagine completing it especially in the heat and humidity.  Hopefully it will cool down for the race and you'll be more than prepared after training in those conditions.

I assume you registered for Boston?
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Post  ounce Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:04 pm

Oh, yes.
Yes, I Must Be Cray-Cray or the Trip to IM Lou - Page 2 70987054_10217514638372192_7471275149614907392_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_oc=AQm8N5zorGzUVmtzurAHAMWmyC7zEDOiyHje6KQ3NCoOnBwYbKGgvvOGMrnEg9FMr0M&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1

To which I commented:
"Damn, you have to train for that thing again?!
And she replied:
"I know - what was I thinking?"
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Thu Sep 19, 2019 6:00 pm

Yes all registered and accepted again.  Then I read a stoopid post on FB on the Maniacs page by some woman who thinks that those of us who have run Boston multiple times should just stop so those that haven't been able to get in (too close to the cut off as it looks like there will be one again) would get our spots.  As if.

Anyway, I get what she is saying but it isn't my fault that it has become such a popular milestone.  Shoot back in 2009, my friend and I decided to go in February, applied, found a hotel and ran.  

Last really hard week of IM training as the bloody race is only 3 wks away on Sunday.  Yikes!  My biggest fear honestly is training so hard and not making the cutoffs so that I don't finish after all of this.  Need to get that out of my head.

Carry on.
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Post  ounce Thu Sep 19, 2019 7:24 pm

You really think you won't make a cutoff? ROFLMFAO.

Carry on.
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Post  nkrichards Thu Sep 19, 2019 9:02 pm

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Yes all registered and accepted again.  Then I read a stoopid post on FB on the Maniacs page by some woman who thinks that those of us who have run Boston multiple times should just stop so those that haven't been able to get in (too close to the cut off as it looks like there will be one again) would get our spots.  As if.

Anyway, I get what she is saying but it isn't my fault that it has become such a popular milestone.  Shoot back in 2009, my friend and I decided to go in February, applied, found a hotel and ran.  

Last really hard week of IM training as the bloody race is only 3 wks away on Sunday.  Yikes!  My biggest fear honestly is training so hard and not making the cutoffs so that I don't finish after all of this.  Need to get that out of my head.

Carry on.
The flaw in her theory is that if it was easy to get in then it would loose the status and popularity that it's gained.  It wouldn't be special to get in if runners didn't have to earn it!  If she's going to ask people to give up their spots then ask the charity runners....but maybe they serve an important purpose.  I don't know but I do know that the answer is NOT asking runners who earned the right to be there to step aside so less "qualified" runners can participate.  You earned the right to be there.  Enjoy it!

Hope you enjoy taper and don't let your cutoff fears bother you to much.  You put in the work and have proven your ability in marathons and Half IMs .  Trust your training and enjoy the experience.  Can't wait to hear about your race experience.
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Post  ounce Fri Sep 20, 2019 6:00 pm

Wasn't this Augusta race the one that was cancelled, last year, for a tropical system?

As far as Boston, somebody probably HAS fallen out for either 'one and done' or unable to re-qualify, etc.  There's a natural attrition, but it would be interesting to see how many of the qualifying runners re-qualify and run the next year.

Don't get hurt before the race!
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Sun Sep 22, 2019 6:01 pm

Actually, IM70.3 North Carolina was cancelled last year because of hurricane Michael.  I ended up being able to defer to Chattanooga in may - so it worked out perfectly. 

Last hard week is done culminating with a 115 mile bike ride.  Ride was good and I could have finished about 15-20 min faster, but the women I was riding with was having a tough time from about 80 miles on, and we were not going to leave her out there.  After all, I expected to be the slow cog and it turned out not to be so this week; however, who knows next time and we don't leave our buds behind in heat and humidity.   Felt good after the ride and was able to run 30 min right off the bike.  Was a bit worried about this morning, but rode a comfortable 21 miles followed by an hour run.

Race is actually three wks from today which is kind of scary really.

Have a 5K lake swim on Saturday which should be another interesting challenge since I have actually never swum that far consecutively either in a pool or the lake.  I did swim for 1 hr 30 min (roughly 4300 yds) on Friday - so I'm really not that worried.
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Post  ounce Mon Sep 23, 2019 8:20 am

I think your swim on Saturday will go better with the strategic placement of a Wine Buoy on your route.  Or two or three buoys.  However on Race Day, don't mooch anyone's buoy.  Poor manners.

Do you have a target(s) for finishing the pieces or the whole race? 

Have I said 'good luck' for the race yet?
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Post  nkrichards Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:39 am

Why such a long swim at this point in training Michele?  Is it an event?  As you said I'm sure you'll do fine...

The group training...especially the bike rides...are the one thing I miss about triathlon training.  My training friends all moved on.  Crying or Very sad  Good that you all stayed with your friend that was struggling.  That's what training partners are for sometimes.  

Sounds like you're well prepared.  Hope taper goes well.  How does the weather look?
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Mon Sep 23, 2019 1:30 pm

The long swim is a charity swim and honestly other than the distance  - I don't think it is really much of a stretch.  One of the tri coaches suggested doing a long swim back in January so I thought I'd try it.  I actually prefer to swim longer in the lake rather than the pool as I actually get into a better rhythm in the lake - well except in an IM of course.  This is not a race, so even though there are 650 swimmers - of all ages and abilities - it will be very different from an IM.
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Post  ounce Fri Oct 04, 2019 5:28 pm

1L, in case you didn't see this on Nancy's blog:
Yes, I Must Be Cray-Cray or the Trip to IM Lou - Page 2 Empty  ounce on Wed Oct 02, 2019 2:12 pm
Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Please send a little rain to KY - at least enough to get the Ohio River running and the temps to drop out of the 90s.  Have it show on Monday and leave by Wednesday please.    Thanks.
From the Louisville office of the NWS for Oct 6-8:
Sunday - Tuesday...

Rain chances finally return to the area late in the weekend.
Overall, it`s an event that could bring very beneficial, widespread
rains. Temperatures early next week will feel more like Fall. Highs
Monday and Tuesday may be limited to the upper 60s and lower 70s.

Anything else?




Question.  If you lift weights during training, do you lift the same weight amounts throughout your training cycle or pair it down some as your goal race gets closer?  Thanks.  I'm trying to determine if I should keep on lifting, if it's not stealing ability from me running long as I get deeper in the training cycle.
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Post  nkrichards Sun Oct 06, 2019 11:16 am

Good luck Michele.  No doubt in my mind that you'll do well.  I'll follow your progress online.

Hope you get the weather you're hoping for...

Oh...HAVE FUN!
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Post  nkrichards Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:50 pm

I just read that the swim has been cancelled due to toxic algae.   Sad   That's a bummer.  

Does this mean that you'll have to do another one? 

Sounds like the bike and run are going to happen.  Good luck.  I'm headed into the mountains tomorrow and will miss your finish but I'll be thinking of you and will check on your results as soon as I get back to the "real" world.
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Post  ounce Sun Oct 13, 2019 4:10 pm

At 3:57 p.m. ET:

7:14:40 is her complete Bike time (or total time) at an avg pace of 15.30 mph.
She's in T2 at the moment.
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Post  ounce Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:21 pm

14:19 minutes in transition.

Ran 23 miles in 10:32 pace at 8:11 pm ET.  3 miles to go.  Est to finish at 8:47 ET.
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Post  ounce Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:41 pm

At mile 25.1 - 4:26:07, 10:34 avg pace.  Expected finish time 8:48 ET.
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Post  ounce Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:08 pm

Finished the run in 4:39:01 at 8:48:16 ET.

She started at 8:40 am ET, so 12 hours, 7 minutes, 58 seconds - preliminary

No places, yet.

Woohoo!  Good job, Miche1e!!
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