MarkQuiet's group - FULL (Page 10)

The towel (or other indicator) on the bike is a great idea.  I have never thought about that before but will put it into my transistions post haste.  As for the socks, I presume you mean some sort of short, anklet or lower sock made of nylon/lycra for wicking purposes?  I wear nothing but.  I hate cotton when exercising (and have finally convinced texmom of the values of wicking materials).  Kirk's right.  These socks go on with less trouble (just make sure they are turned right side in and not full of holes, as I discovered my socks to be during one rainy transition).  You'll be amazed at how much preparation it takes, only to discover that your gloves/socks/shirt/etc. are inside out, buried in the bag or not where you swear you left them.  Don't forget to place your sunglasses (even when raining) inside your helmet - which, when they hit the ground, will remind you to put them on.

This is a fun thread and the best war stories will be told, lied about and made in transitions.  BTW ask Kirk about his bike helmet some day - or read his race log from the Monster tri in October.

Helmet??? Oh yea!!!

Don't EVER put your socks in your helmet. Bad idea.

One other thing I should metion that has helped a great deal - speed laces. They are elastic laces for running shoes. You lace them once. You are then able to just slide your foot in and out of the shoes. It reduced my transition time quite a bit (except for forgetting that I put my socks in my helmet - don't ask). I would recommend that if you don't have them already go get them soon. It will take a few runs to fine tune the adjustments. My first run in them I had the laces too tight and had to stop after the first mile to adjust them. But once they are adjusted they are wonderful.

Hey Sluggo (Jay), I like good beer, too.  I don't homebrew, but I'd drink a homebrew with you.  Life's too short for bad beer.  New Belgium (Fort Collins, CO http://www.newbelgium.com/) is my favorite brewery (2 below is awesome) and I just brought home a case of Fat Tire from Costco.  I also have Sam Adams and J.W. Dundee's in my fridge.  Costco's cool that way - cases of quality suds for around $20.

September is a long way away.  Go out and find a sprint tri in April or May.  You can do it.  Look for a 300-500 m swim, a 12-13 mile ride and a 5k run. 

db

Tara - good idea taking your old shoes with you. An experienced I will be able to tell a lot from them. If you walk into a running store and they have a treadmill in the shoe department - you found the right one. They will use the treadmill to assess your gait as you run. Some stores will even video tape it to show you. It has been a while since I have been to Orlando, so I won't be able to recommend anyplace. You might want to jump over to the Florida forum and post the question where to go there.

Col - great job thus far on your indoor activities. It is a smart thing to plan to get the bike early in the season to give you time to get used to it.

Frank - tri socks are socks made of some sort of wicking material. Cotton will trap the water and keep it next to your skin. This will form blister and will give you the wrinkles (not got for running). Cotton also does not allow your feet to breath therefore your feet will over heat and sweat. Then we are back to square one. The tri socks number one pulls the moisture away from your feet keeping the skin dry and free from blisters. They are also easier to put on when your feet are wet (T1). Once on the bike the socks will do its wonder and will dry your feet while you ride. Lastly the material breaths allowing your feel to stay cool in the summer, but warm in the winter. They also don't slide around while you run/bike. Bunched up socks will form blisters, abrasions, and black toenails (blisters under the nail - usually resulting in a loss of a toenail). You should be able to find them in running stores or cycling stores. Look at spending about $8 - $10 per pair, but they are well worth it.

I don't remember if I responded, but I just ordered two ProMotion wetsuits (by phone, staff very helpful, BT discount - ask for it) from www.wetsuit.com for texmom and me.  They're not the top of the line, apparently (from other BT threads), but are well recommended (same threads) and seem to be very well priced.  One word of caution.  Whenever I tried to print a page from their website, it caused my 'puter to freeze.  Might be my problem, might be their site.

Megan, I hope that you have managed to get something in the way of a workout today in your blizzard conditions. Its not as bad here, but 35F with 17mph is bad enough for me.

Frank and others interested in the sock thingy. Attached is a site that has several types of tri socks.

http://www.nextag.com/ironman-socks/search-html

Personally I use this one

http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/product/product.jsp?id=WWU102&prfc=8&sc=CDM-06008&PartnerName=Nextag&NG_urlID=9017977

And I also like using this one

http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/product/product.jsp?id=WWU911&prfc=8&sc=CDM-06008&PartnerName=Nextag&NG_urlID=10906961

The body typically will go through a lull when trying to adjust drastic changes. You may be experiencing this type of lull. Normally if you stick with the change for a week or two the energy levels will return. Based on what you provided you are providing your body with a decent amount of calories. Increasing the lunch calories may help get through this period. I would also suggest keeping an eye on the iron levels. Though not a typical problem for a man, it still be a factor.

Another thing that you might want to try is taking a power nap during the day.

I don't do math, so I don't count calories.  As for weightloss, I've consciously trimmed portions (save 1/3 of dinner for lunch the next day) at night.  I eat a large bowl of GoLean crunch and Special K Strawberry with bananas for breakfast.  I usually eat a decent lunch (going for a burger as soon as I'm done here), which always includes a yogurt, some fruit, nuts, etc.  I snack occassionally during the work day (trying - trying to avoid the cookies, but the hairy, blue, googly-eyed monster from my youth often wins that struggle).

I'm no expert, but I don't know how much muscle you were developing due to food, anyway.  Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, and for a time you'll have both, then the fat seems to melt away in chunks.  It's really pretty cool.  You'll drop 2-3, then sit there for a few days or weeks, then another chunk disappears.  The truest test (in my opinion) is how your clothes fit.  As the fat burns off, you'll expose those blanketed muscles and you'll feel more "ripped".  Then when you hit the gym for weights (something I don't do, yet) you'll have to fight off the ladies (something I also don't have to do yet).

I'm sure you WON'T have to fight the ladies off. Txmom will be there to make sure they stay away.

Best test for fat loss - how does the clothes fit. I have gone from a 42" waist 2 years ago to about 32". I love it!!

I did get something from something I ate, but I don't think it was from my peanut butter. Not sure what, but I feel like dumping out everything I have in my fridge and start fresh.

The mentor group was an experiment to help people with the "new years resolution" thing. A way to keep people motivated to keep going. I am not sure what Ron has in mind at the end of the three months, but I am sure we can keep our group going. There are few groups that seem to be successful. BTW - there is not really a need to pay to stay in the group. Personally, I am a paying member more to support the couple of guys that run this site then anything else. This site and the support they provide is way beyond most corporate owned sites out there. I know that they don't this for the money, but I'm sure they appreciate the support that they do get.

I know Kirk asked this question a few weeks ago, but what are all y'all's tri distances and dates for this season?  I've got an Oly planned in April, a sprint in May and a HIM in October.  Sound fun?  I hope so.  I'll need your support to make these happen.

db