left.right.repeat group -closed - Full of a bunch of winners...YEAH! (Page 112)

Ok, so I have a few awards to give out to the POYL team. 

MVP:  This goes to the person who scored the most points by themselves. 

Congrats to MSUDan.    Nice workout totals for the 2 weeks.

Most Dedicated:  This award goes out to the person with the most total hours of swim, bike, and run for the month so far.  

Congrats to AmyLeigh.  She totaled over 17 hours of training in 2 weeks beating the next person by 6 hours. 

Rookie of the year award:  This award goes out to the person who was a first time person to this group and has come the farthest since joining this group.  
  
Congrats to Lena.  Even with a newborn you put up so very impressive numbers.  I hope your legs are feeling better.  You have done outstanding in the couple of months since joining this group 

Going the Distance award: This award goes to the person that put in the most total miles for Swimming, biking, and running.

This award goes to Cardholic for getting over 103 total miles.  Great job on going the distance.

Best Coach Award:  This award goes to the person that always has great advice, helps out when needed to, and seems to have an answer for many things. 

Congrat to L.R.R.   your comments on Ipods to Rotweillers has made me laugh and cringe.  You have put together an awesome group of people here and even though everyone helps each other out on questions and everything else, you put the group together. 

It was a great competition.  I am ready for the next one.  Bring on the Olympics. 

Morning all!!

LRR - one more ruling, I can't find if we decided if spinning was an activity 2 point or classified as a riding and how we translated that to points.

Freddy - need your final distances!

Off to ride!

I took yesterday off . It was an unplanned rest day as I had a ton of household chores to attend to !
My totals were as previously posted

So....

I have a big question.

How do you balance training, family, work, etc? I am having a serious problem with it now.

Walker, it is a tough question.  With my kids a little older (9 and 11) and being established in my position at work I am able to get my workouts in (having a boss that is a runner helps also).  I give up a lot of lunches, do a lot of late night workouts, and probably don't get as much sleep as I would like.  That being said I would have had a lot harder time training 5 yrs ago.  Working 50-60 hrs week, family, house, traveling for work, etc.  It would have been much more difficult and no way would I have attempted anything other than Sprints.

Being a project manager I try to map out my times available and plan ahead.  I love the BT Planning Calendar which allows me to drag and drop workouts to accomodate life.  I also don't stress if I miss the occasional workout.  Keep it simple and set short, achievable goals and build slowly.

No simple answer, good luck!

Balancing work, family, and training is not easy.  If I don't train in the morning, I don't train at all.  I am usually up around 4am to get ready to start my day.  This is the only way I have found that I can train.  Of course that means going to bed at 10pm.  No, I don't get enough sleep but that is something that I have learned to live with.  I have to be home by 6:15 to start getting my 5 and 7 year olds ready for school.  It also helps having a very understanding spouse.  She asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year.  My response was, "time to train for a HIM".  She works out a lot as well and we just coordinate our schedules every few weeks.  We have a big calendar white board that we write everything down on. 

It's not easy.  I don't worry about missing a workout though.  Make each workout count. 

Walker,

You are correct, that is one of the toughest questions most triathletes (especially ones with families) have to answer. I agree with Gary and John, the only way I could do this sport is by using the mornings. I have NEVER been a morning person in my life. I could naturally stay up until 2:00 am every night and get up around 9:00 or 10:00 am if my schedule would allow. But with work, that is not possible. For many years I would go to bed around midnight, get up at 7:00 ish and be to work by 8:15. Work until 6:30 to 7:30 go home, eat dinner, help kids with homework (my wife is terrible at math!), watch TV and do it all over again the next day. However, that led to me adding 60 pounds since High School - although I was too thin in High School ... It wasn't until my kids got older, "middle age" (I'm 48 now) set-in and your own mortality starts hitting you in the brain. When I am attending more funerals than weddings, it really makes me think!

So 2 years ago I started this triathlete thing and still wanted "to have it all!" I don't want to give up my family time; although I am doing well financially, I still can't give up my work; we are very social and I won't give up my extended family and friends time. So the only thing I could do is early mornings. I am now a "morning masochist." On Monday mornings I get up at 4:35 am to make a spin class at 5:15; the rest of the week I get up at 5:45 to be at the gym by 6:20ish. I work-out for an hour or so, ", shower and shave" and then get to work by 8:15 to 8:30ish. I will take some Saturday and Sunday mornings too, but am flexible on those days depending on my family's needs.

I know this was a long way to answer your question and I apologize. Everyone needs to do what fits their and their family's needs, however always remember that if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be there for your family.

Good luck, I look forward to watching your progress!

I didn't realize the BT word nazi's would take out the phrase "sh it, shower and shave" ...

Finished todays workout.  Wondering who won the Feb. challenge?

Billy Who Dat McWilliams

I also have to embrace the mornings, although I do it in the other order.  I get up at 3:50 so I can be at work at 4:40 (not every day ).  That lets me get in my workout later in the day, we eat an early dinner, then my husband trains after dinner.  Or, if I don't get my workout in during the day, I ride my trainer at night while watching something on TV. 

It does mean that I go to bed at 9 a few nights each week, but it lets us both train.  I don't think it would work as well if my husband didn't work from home often, or I don't think I'd see him enough.

We also try to squeeze in most of our long workouts during the week so that we both don't have long rides or long runs to fit in on the weekends.  I prefer to have Saturday or Sunday as one of my days off and work hard when the kids are at school, but I know not everyone has that opportunity.

I think the key is to schedule.  We not only schedule workouts, but often we schedule meals.  We think about what time we're working out or who's working out hard the next morning when we decide what to have.  My stomach handles everything pretty well, but DH can't eat some things and then get up early and ride the next day.

Okay special LTL awards handed out by the coach:

Winner of the most Running miles is:  Mav!!!  (nice come back!!!)

Winner of the swimming distance is (surprisingly beating Mav) is:  Billy!

Winner of the most points for non-S/B/R is: Walker!!

Winner of the best Canadian team mate is: Gary!! Ooopps, no its Freddy!!!

Coaches award to the person with the most rounded overall workouts including strength training goes to: Nancy!!!!

Great job team!!!! Fantastic effort! 

I would like to accept the swimming award on behalf of..........................oh nevermind.

X-rays of foot looked great, cleared to start running a little off the bike.  Remember, no pain no gain....oh wait that doesnt count with stress fractures.  Dr. said if I have any pain, back it back down, and rest it a few more days.

Not a finish line but a new race to add, a couple of buddies and I are going to do the New Orleans HIM as a relay team, I will be the swim leg!  Bow Chicka Wow Wow!!!!!!!!!!! (I don't even know what this term means?)

Congrats to Gary's team for winning the competition, 276 to 266. 

I really enjoyed how evenly matched the teams were.  Great Competition everyone.  Let's do something again!  

I also wanted to let everyone know that a little bird told me it was Lena's Birthday today.  Happy 29th Birthday!  You are doing awesome kiddo! 

Is it ever going to warm up in the midwest?????????

Billy- That is awesome!!  Definitely will see you down there!  Still coming thru on Thursday?

Lena - Happy BDay!!!!  Keep up the great work!

I 2nd Johns comments on the competition.  It was great and definitely a motivator for me! 

Having a going away lunch for one of staff that is leaving.  Unfortunately its the same time as masters swim class.  Will probably have a lite lunch then do a 30 min swim (cut back week so works out anyhow).  Working late anyhow.  Tri training can be quite anti-social at times. 

Thank you, John and Gary!! I have been celebrating my 29th for 5 years now lol I'm having a wonderful Bday and DH is surprising me with some mysterious delivery which I have to be home to accept at 4 hehe... Love surprises!! Off to hang out with a gf and our kids at the mall (meh) and then sushi for lunch (YEAH!!!!)...

The competition was awesome! I do feel responsible for our loss. Had I not overtrained and were able to do the planned workouts last week, we would have been ahead! Sorry, team! Can we do a rematch?

I am all for a re-match as well! Next time I won't have a 3 day bowling tournament during the re-match. It is certainly fun an motivating.

Lena - Enjoy the Birthday - oh to be so young again (and know what I know today!) ....

Happy birthday Lena, 29 works for me.  You deserve a little rest.

Gary, not sure on Thursday's time frame yet, may be pushed for time.  I will touch base with you in the morning.  I must be in Houston by 3 pm, how long from Baton Rouge time wise?

As for the rest of you guys and gals, excuses, excuses, excuses,. If y'all would have trained harder, than we would have trained harder and still would have beat y'all (to the emergency room)!

I love competition, keeps me focused and makes me do the workouts that I would normally have ditched, so thanks to all of you.

Billy

Billy, Houston is about 4 hrs from BTR assuming you are close to the speed limit.  So you would have to be out of here 11am at the latest.  Probably earlier than that depending upon where Houston.  We can always do it some other time.

Happy Birthday Lena!  What was the delivery?  I gotta know!! Hope your day was great!

Awesome job with the workouts everyone!

That was a fun challenge. It was a great way to beat the winter Blahs!!!!!!

I am going to  run 10 K today. I have a race on the 28th and I would like to beat my past times

Its too quiet in here. We need another challenge!!!!

Morning all!

Mav - yep its a little too quiet here.  How did the 10k go?

Taking today as a SRD and resting for tomorrows 10k race.  Less than 2 months to my HIM, getting a little nervous that I won't be ready.

I agree, it's been really quiet in here. 

I have an idea for the next challenge but I don't know if it's a great one. 

The Challenge:  "Leader of the pack" 
Look at everyone's swim, bike, and run total for the last challenge.  The person with the longest swim total, will be called the leader of the swim,  The person with the longest bike total will be the leader of the bike, and the person with the longest run total will be the leader of the run. 

The idea is to catch the leader in each area.  Ah, but lets make it fair, there is no way I can keep up with Mav in the swim unless I have a handicapp (like in golf). 

For example, if Mav got 25,000 yards in the swim and I got 5000 yards, my handicapp would be 20,000 yards.  So my total at the end of the challenge would add 20,000 yards to it. 

Everyone is going after that leader at the start but the leader can change from day to day.  So you cheer and inspire all the people chasing the leader in either the swim, bike, or run.  It will be hard to keep track of everyone's total with the added handicapp though.   

I never said it was a good challenge.  Just looking for a way to cheer and inspire as many people as possible.  I am open to suggestions as well on how to make this a better challenge.  

I just like the idea of somehow keeping up with Mav in the pool.   

John, I like the idea. BTW, I was the bike lead from our team.  Come and get me folks!!

Sad day here, my FIL passed away overnight unexpectedly.  Very tough guy, expected him to live to 100.  DW is not ready for this.  1.5 yrs ago her mom passed away from cancer, not too long ago her grandmother passed away and now her dad.  Last year we went to visit her grandmother because we knew she didn't have long and we got to spend some time with her Dad.  My DS still talks about the day he got to spend with his Granddad the fisherman.  We were greatful that we could see her one last time, little did we know the trip was a double blessing.  If I wasn't tired and in need of a SRD I would be working out at lunch today.  Will have to make a decision about tomorrows 10k later.