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Coach AJ – thanks for asking. I would love to tell the group all about my experiences, but I never got there.
Right after the last clinic and 2 weeks before I was supposed to start the program, I went for a bike ride and after I got home I started feeling a sharp pain that started in my back and went down my right leg into my foot (so bad I couldn’t stand for more than 5 minutes w/o pain). I went to the spine doctor and the pretty pictures showed that I had a herniated disk that was hitting a nerve. No biking or running for 8 weeks. I still swam, but was having difficulty with rhythm, so I had to give up my other A race (Bay Swim). I also went to PT (the people at Rose are great – highly recommended, particularly if you live or work downtown). At the end of the 8 weeks, I got a rather tentative OK from the doctor and still had hopes of making it to the start line (even though my window for training went from 20 weeks to 12, and any base I built up during the winter was gone). Started biking again, but had difficulty ramping up the miles (got to about 30). Running just did not happen. I kicked the tires at Colonial Beach (the same weekend as Williamsburg), but I walked the 10k and realized “That’s not fun.” I got to a point where I had to make the tough call. I knew there was no way I would do the race I hoped to do (I wanted to do a sub 6:00) and the thought of driving 10 hours and spending 4 nights in hotels to have a miserable race just wasn’t an enticing option. So I decided to bail and play for next year.
I really enjoyed reading about everyone’s experiences, and am glad that you all had such success. It is part of the reason that I did not reach out for support from the group – who wants to be the downer?
From this I learned that I need to listen to my body better. I was showing symptoms when I was training for RnR half (foot tingling, pain in hips) that I wrote off as other things even as I pushed through. Now I am continuing with PT, start riding the trainer soon, and hopefully get better for 2018.
Bob
Heidi – I have done Eagleman 3 times, so I’ll try to provide information on the bike course. I think the stops on the cue sheet are the actual stops for the race, not places that you can stop on the ride. If I recall, any stores or gas stations are towards the beginning and the end (before mile 10, after mile 46). Most of the ride is through a Wildlife Refuge, so it is pretty barren. Traffic should not be too bad. And I personally do not enjoy the ride – mainly because it is usually 90 degrees with headwind of hot air blowing in my face and sucking the life out of me, but I also find it dull. But it would probably be good training if you are doing Williamsburg.
I’m not sure where the turn is that Coach AJ was referring to – I had people pointing in the right direction. And I would also check to see if it has rained a lot before you go down – most of the course is low-lying, so standing water may be on the course (like what happened at IMMD last year).
If you have any other questions, let me know.
Bob
I’ve been doing Masters at Wilson since January 2016. I echo what was said earlier. It has not been too crowded recently, but it will probably get more crowded at the season starts. The coaches are very good. I had been an experienced swimmer but they have helped my stroke immensely (very similar to the feedback we got at the clinic). When you get there definitely introduce yourself to the coaches and let them know where you are in terms of swimming skills.
