Hello from Minnesota

Aha! Another Minnesotan!
Welcome aboard. I'm as far North of the Metro (Princeton) as you are south. I wasn't aware of a Buffalo Tri. But I'm doing the Lifetime too.
This site is a great place.

Ian

Hi Ian!

The Buffalo tri is new this year, so not many have heard of it. Check out http://www.tribuff.com/if you're interested in more info. It's geared for first timers, so I decided to do it rather than the Manitou in White Bear Lake on 6/13, but maybe Manitou next year!

With the forecasted 40s this weekend, I might actually try to run outside! A regular heat wave! A question for you, if you don't mind; do you do any open water training? If so, where and when? I'm trying to figure out where to go, and when the water is warm enough to tolerate around here. (I'm originally from the U.P. of Michigan though, so I'm pretty tough. Thanks!

Kelly

Ahh.. Swimming in Minnesota Lakes. I'm new at this too so I 've not done any lake swimming for training... Yet. I'm pretty lucky in that my in-laws have a lake place so I'll be able to swim any time. As for when its warm enough to swim. It could be warm enough by the time of the Buffalo Tri or it might not. That's a bit early. Being as how this swimming is more serious to me now than last year I might venture in a bit earlier myself

Ian

Hi Kelly, welcome aboard, nice to have you here.

I think you'll like it here, lots of helpful advice and friendly people

He's actually dressed like a pea pod for Halloween, but we'll go with leprechaun since it's that time of year!

I am trying to avoid any type of knee surgery, so I'm doing all the stretching, strengthening, icing, vitamin C, etc, but I'm not sure they'll ever be 100% again, unfortunately. I guess I keep at it and see what happens.

Thanks for the welcome!

Kelly

welcome too! 

Welcome Kelly--- glad to have your with us.

Welcome to the Trispot!

Welcome - I will have to check out the buffalo tri. For the running without injury - try looking into the web site www.posetech.com - it is to runniing what Total Immersion is to swimming. I'm actually having my local shoe stor and running pros look into posetech. So far they think it is intriguing - but ?? I would be interested in the feedback you folks may have on this. Yup 40s is a heat wave for you - 53 here today - outside bike ride - yeah!

Hi Sharon,

I don't yet have a wetsuit, but I'm planning to get one before the race. And yes, 40 is a heat wave right now! I did get outside for a run yesterday and it was great.

Thanks for the glucosamine tip! I'll have to look into it today.

Kelly

for what it's worth, I've not had any luck with glucosamine/chondroitan so my dr said to stop wasting my $$ on it. If you do have good results you'll know in a month or 2. After that, don't bother if it's not working. And yes, it is for the joints and not ligaments or tendons. Just like knee replacement, that is done because of the joint, not connecting muscle. Knees are such tricky things!

Hi there- I am a transplant to Minnesota also. I grew up in Negaunee, MI. Near Marquette. Where were you from originally? Welcome to the board although I am new too.

I'm from Ishpeming! I went to Westwood though ('91), not IHS. My ex-husband is also from Ishpeming, and both our families still live there, so we go back a lot. My parents also have a camp in Negaunee on the Dead River Basin.

I've been in MN since 1994, so 10 years now, but I still consider the UP to be home.

Kelly

Oooh, oooh, oooh! I do, I do have a little advice about running with bad knees..... focus your training on the swimming and the biking... focus least on the running. Swimming will help build your endurance, biking will help build your quad muscles and any other muscle surrounding your knees. THIS WAY, they will become better supported when you're running. I don't know if you have knee braces, but I always have to run with mine. I hope I haven't repeated any advice, lots of luck with your tris AND welcome to the site!

Milly

Well - hey dere - My family has a strong contingent of yoopers. (Seen Escanaba in da moonlight? - pasties for deer camp, swim camp, and any other kind of camp) My clan was from Calumet/Laurium copper miners way back. Anyone who can swim without a wet suit in Superior should be able to dust the open water swim!

Thanks Milly!

As I was running last night, I actually decided almost that very same thing! I am going to focus least on running in my training and more heavily on biking and swimming. I think it's like adopting the attitude that a lot of people have toward swimming--"train enough to get through it, but not more." I'm just applying it to running instead! Since I am one of those people who will not really care what my time is, this should work fine. I agree that the training for the other two disciplines along with some running should be enough to get me through the race, even if it will be slow. (At least I hope so! :-)

Hopefully by laying off the running, my knees will heal a bit and I can run better next year, but for this year, I'm simply not going to worry about it that much. Oh, and I do have those Ace knee braces that seem to help some. Do you know of better ones?

Kelly

Hey malvey,

Yes, I have seen Escanaba in da Moonlight, but I have to say that I didn't love it. It was funny at first, and they were dead-on with some of the "quirks" and customs, but when they went off on the whole mystical/magic deer thing at the end, it totally lost me. Anyway, I went to Michigan Tech, so very near your clan's homeland in Laurium. There are just yoopers everywhere on this board!

Kelly

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Kelly,

Once you're nearing the finish- your body will automatically go.... it'll be instant euphoria!!

I have a suggestion for knee braces. I tried ACE braces, but there never seemed to be enough support. I have a brace that is 4 years going strong, has been through all my races with me [including 5k's], been washed a trillion times, tortured even more... and I have no complaints. Racers that i've had the pleasure of running next to, to help me pass time; have in other races recognized my brace [not me, the blue brace].
It's made by Stardox and hopefully this link works... if not it's the heftiest of all their models they make. What I did was take the medal hinges out- you can do what feels most comfortable. http://www.kneepaincentral.com/Knee_Pain_Products/Hinged_Knee_Suppo...

I HIGHLY recommend this brace, although it's a bit expensive- it's well worth the cost. Infact, i paid more money for it back then [$60]. Again, i've had mine 4 years and it shows no signs of wanting to give up on me.

Good luck Kelly, I hope the link works.

Milly