Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! (Page 110)

I am doing fairly well with my training so far, and I am down to about 5 weeks to go.  I will add that over the last week or so, the mid week bike rides have gone to the trainer unless it is under an hour as the days are getting short enough that there just isn't any more time after work.  Fortunately Florida is relatively flat, so constant spinning in aero doesn't hurt when complimented with the weekend outside rides.

Where I live I can run in the mornings in the dark safely so that helps me with my run training.  I like the high volume low intensity so having the mornings outside is a real plus. 

My biggest challenge with the fall IM has more to do with my personal/business life than the time of year.  September is always a big meeting month for me, so I lose at least 2 weekends to meetings and the associated travelling.  My temporary bussiness assignment in Southern California is a mixed blessing, this may be important to you Fred.  Normally I would be in upstate NY and this time of year and even on the weekend the weather could be gorgeous or cold and ugly.  So the weekends could force an inside bike ride if I were home, out here it will probably always be outside.  But being away from home has been a challenge dealing with the swimming.  For example, last week I had my home Y and I put in over 10K, but who knows what this week will bring.

As far as extending the season, I am a victim of my own agressiveness.  I did the Disney Goofy Challenge (marathon and a half) in early January.  After a short break Musselman training started and Florida is 17 weeks from Musselman so it was right into that.  In hindsight, if not for my own benefit for the benefit of my very understaning wife I should have probably done something different about Musselman in July.  Maybe a shorter plan or something.  But a nice cruise after New Years and she will be happy with me again! Seriously though, she is a trooper and never complains!

To sum it up, I would do a November IM again, maybe someday an October one (Ha!).  I may be doing a September IM next year, which I think may be a bit easier but summer time always has its share of challenges as well.

Hopefully Pete will chime in on this as well. 

fantastic pic!

thanks fred!

After your post I had to go read it, and wound up skimming through the ST thread as well.  Unfortunately at this point on either thread nothing will be said that will convince some of his inonsense or others of his guilt.  Unless the race director comes on and says that there were timing mats entering the second lap of the swim and on the out and back of the bike I don't beleive we will ever know the truth.  That is short of a confession. 

I am a person that naturally gives people the benefit of the doubt, but I do agree with Bryan that some of his threads were a bit self serving. 

ST posters are getting thrashed in 2 threads today, the other is the running out of medals thread.  I couldn't waste anymore time so I didn't go to ST on that one!