Dear People Who Are Smarter Than Me...

mrscoby78 · Jul 12, 2011

I raced my first Oly last weekend. It was a disaster. Excessive heat + excessive humidity + faulty inhaler = Scooby can't breathe. The legs were there. The nutrition was right. Lungs notsomuch.
 
I'm signed up for another on August 13. Still gonna be hot and humid, but I'll have a working inhaler this time.
 
I have no idea what to do training-wise between now and then.
 
Please and thanks.

AdCo · Jul 12, 2011

I would make sure the inhaler works, but you will do great

theia · Jul 12, 2011

I'm sorry your race was a disaster. <img alt="sad.gif" id="user_yui_3_3_0_8_131048484143413" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad.gif" style="width:15px;height:15px;"> Did you finish it anyway? Are your legs trashed now from the effort? I'm assuming you finished based on your post (legs were fine, nutrition was fine), so here's what I'd do.
 
(But I'm in no way an expert! So take it for what it's worth. Which is not much.)
 
I'd do this week really easy as a recovery week. Some light bike rides and runs. Easy paces. An endurance swim or two. No bricks.
 
Then I'd repeat the last three weeks of your original training plan with any tweaks you deem necessary. Then I'd taper for a week. 
 
Then I'd race the hell outta that course on August 13 and get a shiny new PR!

mrscoby78 · Jul 12, 2011

I did finish. Stubborness takes over!!!
 
I actually don't feel completely trashed. Tired, but not trashed. I suppose because my lungs wouldn't allow my legs to go as hard as they would have liked?
 
I was kind of thinking take yesterday and today to rest. Then some light workouts the rest of this week as you suggest. I'm just really uncertain with the rest.

4boysmom · Jul 12, 2011

Not sure where you raced, but there was an AIR QUALITY ALERT/WARNING where I raced. NO ONE raced well. Heck, standing on the beach waiting for our wave to go several of us commented on how hot it was already. The run was a death march. No one looked good. It just wasn't a good day for racing.
 
No idea on training. Theia's plan looks good though.

jenotter · Jul 12, 2011

Congrats on doing your first Oly!! Yahoo!
 
I'm sorry you had a tough time with the lungs/weather. Totally agree with Theia on the training plan - let your body recover this week, then resume next week.
 
On the inhaler/breathing side of things...do you drink coffee? I remember years ago my allergist telling me it can help open up everything. In fact, the time I had an asthma attack that's what pretty much kept me in check till we could get to the doctor.

mrscoby78 · Jul 12, 2011

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by 4boysmom <a href="/forum/thread/74532/dear-people-who-are-smarter-than-me#post_2006550"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a> Not sure where you raced, but there was an AIR QUALITY ALERT/WARNING where I raced. NO ONE raced well. Heck, standing on the beach waiting for our wave to go several of us commented on how hot it was already. The run was a death march. No one looked good. It just wasn't a good day for racing.
 
No idea on training. Theia's plan looks good though.
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It was here in Louisville. 

 
 <div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by jenotter <a href="/forum/thread/74532/dear-people-who-are-smarter-than-me#post_2006551"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a> Congrats on doing your first Oly!! Yahoo!
 
I'm sorry you had a tough time with the lungs/weather. Totally agree with Theia on the training plan - let your body recover this week, then resume next week.
 
On the inhaler/breathing side of things...do you drink coffee? I remember years ago my allergist telling me it can help open up everything. In fact, the time I had an asthma attack that's what pretty much kept me in check till we could get to the doctor.
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I do drink coffee, but not on race days. I've never heard of that, but I'll check into it.

Swimmerbee · Jul 13, 2011

for some coffee really helps with racing. I'd let the lungs totally recover so they dont' figure out somethign evil and chronic to do. Then I'd get 2 inhalers. Can your doctor give you a sample one just for travel/racing? Then what they said.. but really if you can have 1 and a backup they seem to jam up pretty easily. Also is there an oral med you can take if that fails? Since you know its a flaw and its not physical training maybe you coudl research and solve it while you are resting.

mrscoby78 · Jul 13, 2011

Hm. I don't know about taking something else. But I'll definitely check with my doc! 

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Swimmerbee <a href="/forum/thread/74532/dear-people-who-are-smarter-than-me#post_2006607"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a> for some coffee really helps with racing. I'd let the lungs totally recover so they dont' figure out somethign evil and chronic to do. Then I'd get 2 inhalers. Can your doctor give you a sample one just for travel/racing? Then what they said.. but really if you can have 1 and a backup they seem to jam up pretty easily. Also is there an oral med you can take if that fails? Since you know its a flaw and its not physical training maybe you coudl research and solve it while you are resting. 
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pcsronbo · Jul 13, 2011

Ok, good stuff, but not too specific on the training tips, so here is my 2 thoughts.
1. Since you went slower than ability, you didn't have a "race" you had a "long day in the suck ass heat". So, recover based on that. Like it was a peak.
2. Make sure you're recovered, I would think by today you should be feeling ok.. If not, keep it easy until you are. PHYSICALLY, not mentally. Mentally, can still be down, but listen to the body
3. Begin another ramp. You have 4 weeks. So a 4 week training cycle with this week being "week 0 easy", then build each of the next 4 weeks after if were ground hog day of the prior 4 weeks before your race. Same deal. Maybe, even, a bit harder.
4. You're gonna have an answesome race aug 13. Get that through your head now. Because mental is huge. You've got a chance to push some more fitness into that body.
5. Deal with the Docs and getting spares. Hell, I have like 10 inhalers all over the damn house. Some are old... real old... I have no clue. But I get a new inhaler every refill I can. But I ONLY use them on race days, or the 2-3 weeks post a cold. Since I don't get "sick" much anymore (my body just beats the virus ass into the ground), I just suddenly have some lung congestion. I use the inhalers to keep my lungs cleared - because naturally, my lungs suck and will take months to clear on their own.
 
DO NOT stress over that which you cannot control. Work on controlling it, maybe, but if the day goes down like this -just roll with it. Stuff happens.

Thor · Jul 13, 2011

RonBo makes many very good points.
 
A few follow-on comments...
 
I know nothing about inhaler's other than that if you need one -- your lungs closing down on you -- and you don't get a pump/squirt, you're screwed.
 
On top of that, every body (note word selection) is different when performing in heat. Some bodies perform well, most do not. The fitter you are and less body fat you have, the better you will perform, as a general rule, which is NOT to say that those bodies will perform peak. Nearly any other body will suffer. And slow down. I do okay in crazy heat, but it hurts far more, though my body can go hard. Many can't. It's a fact. If this is you, maybe you need to pick your races (like no summer races) and/or learn to live with who you are as an athlete in the body you have and how it performs. My wife doesn't do many races, but when she does it is never, ever in the summer, because she knows she melts in anything over 75 degrees or even with a trace of humidity.
 
As for recovery, if you were limited by heat, your recovery should be very, very quick for the exact reasons you supposed above -- that the heat prevented you from going so hard as to beat the body up. Walking or slogging/plodding doesn't beat up the body, or the lungs, nearly what going hard at race pace does, such as when you are racing on edge of your utmost ability. No doubt.
 
As for targeting the next race, others have you covered. Ramp up for the next few weeks. You'll be fine. Unless it's another scorcher.
 
Most of all, stay strong mentally. Know that the heat/inhaler did you in. Understand that and you'll be in a good place to drive the remaining weeks.
 
Good luck.

mrscoby78 · Jul 13, 2011

You guys rock.
 
Mentally, I feel really really good. I know that Sundays results were not due to a lack of fitness or execution. Physically, I feel great too. Monday and Tuesday, I just felt like a had a good hard workout...not that I was totally spent.
 
I normally do fine in the heat...especially now that I'm using salt tabs. Humidity destroys my lungs, but the inhaler does the trick. Am I 100% in the heat? Certainly not. But I'm not so bad that I would give up summer racing. 
 
I'm already getting excited for this next one. I KNOW I can do this. I KNOW I can make my goal. 
 
Thank you all for the tips! I shall report back!

cak73 · Jul 13, 2011

Congrats on completion of your first Oly!
Sorry to hear it didn't go as well as you'd hoped it would, but it sounds like you've got a plan in place for moving forward.
Can't wait to hear from you when you report back!
 
<img alt="icon_salut.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/icon_salut.gif">

1Topodope · Jul 14, 2011

Congrats on your first Oly! Which race are you doing on the 13th?

em73 · Jul 14, 2011

you've gotten some great advice.
 
I will just add that I kept myself out of serious asthma trouble one day by completely pounding quite a bit of pepsi (gak) when I went to a wedding and forgot my inhaler.

mrscoby78 · Jul 14, 2011

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by 1Topodope <a href="/forum/thread/74532/dear-people-who-are-smarter-than-me#post_2006754"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a> Congrats on your first Oly! Which race are you doing on the 13th?
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This one... <a href="http://www.evansvilleymcatriathlon.org/ymca-spirit-mind-body-triathlon.php" target="_blank">http://www.evansvilleymcatriathlon.org/ymca-spirit-mind-body-triathlon.php</a> 

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by em73 <a href="/forum/thread/74532/dear-people-who-are-smarter-than-me#post_2006807"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a> I will just add that I kept myself out of serious asthma trouble one day by completely pounding quite a bit of pepsi (gak) when I went to a wedding and forgot my inhaler.
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Pepsi??? Weird.

em73 · Jul 14, 2011

caffeine. it's all they had at the wedding venue. I HATE pepsi.

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