stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 12)
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2009-02-04 7:34 PM in reply to: #1946084 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL LISA - The USAT rankings thing is a bright spot for me (dark spot later). My goal for the '08 was to achieve USAT All-American Honorable Mention, and I THINK I have managed that. Here is how that works: In order to be ranked, one needs to complete - as Lisa said -at least three USAT-sanctioned races. Rankings points are calculated for each race, and these are averaged to produce an athlete's "score". The way this is done is somewhat confusing, and is based on the times of "pacesetters" (I think that's the term) for each race. If an athlete has done more than three races (I did ten this past season), then it is the top three that count for the average. My average score this past season was 78.02679, and right now that places me 155/2308 in the 55-59 age group (I "aged-up" to 60-64 upon truning 60 a few weeks ago). For pure All-American status, a person needs to be in the top 5% of the a.g.; for Honorable Mention, it needs to be from that 5% up to 10%. So, I am currently at 6%, but between now and when the rankings are finalized, a lot of those 2308 people will be "eliminated" because they did not do the required three races. I think I am safe for HM, because even if close to 800 people below me are eliminated, I will still be within that upper 10%. And some people above me will also be eliminated, so I am very optimistic. The score one gets is absolute - that is, it does not vary according to one's age group. My results would've given me the same score if I was 27, or 34, or 46, or 89. What changes is how this score places one within his or her age group. So, my score is obviously good for 55-59, but would not be so good for 50-54, and would be WAY out of the running in, say, 35-39. (For 60-64, however, it would be good enough for straight All-American!) For women, the score gets "factored" or "weighted". So, for a woman who finishes a race in the same time I did, where I would get a score of, say, 76.2459, the woman's adjusted score would be maybe 81.8043. In 2004, when I was 55, my score was 78.2452, which was 61/595.....which any of you math whizzes will recognize as beyond the 10% cut-off for HM -- which was the 59th person. His score was 78.4861, so I finished .2409 away from HM! Where did I "lose" those .2409 of a point? Too long in t-zone one day? Chatting a bit of the run with a friend? Taking too long at an aid station? ARGH! The list is endless! So, this past season mattered, and part of this was because it is harder to do this when one is in the "top" of the a.g, as opposed to the "bottom". If it shakes down to put me in the upper 10%, I will have achieved my primary goal of the '08 season. One thing of note is the numbers of participants - 595 in the 55-59 a.g. in '04, and well above that this past season (I would guess that it will sift down to around 1500-1600 when people are eliminated). So, it is clear that triathlon is growing fastfastFAST!! Random factoid: It is with perverse pleasure that I figure I might well have been the OLDEST person in my a.g. last season. It included anyone born between Jan. 1 '49 and Dec. 31 '53, and it is relatively small odds that anybody in the a.g. was born in the first 12 days of 1949. How's THAT for putting a positive spin of being the eldest of a mob?? Edited by stevebradley 2009-02-06 6:55 AM |
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2009-02-04 7:45 PM in reply to: #1946138 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL LISA again - If you want to check your ranking, here is how to do it: (1) go to www.usatrankings.com (2) on the fill-in screen (scroll down a bit), find the spots that are for gender and age group (on the right), and season (lower left). For season, make sure you key in "previous". (3) Below this, there is something like "show rankings", and click on that. What will come up is the list of everybody who completed at least one USAT-sanctioned race, in order from top to bottom. Ah, wait! First, on the fill-in screen, do your first and last name, then "previous" for the season, and then, next to the "show rankings", there is also "show race details". Click on these and what will come up is your three races with individual scores, plus your total score. THEN go back to the above sequence, and now that you know your score it will be easy to find where you are amongst all of your age group. I will go to that site in a while and make sure my directions are accurate. Have fun with this! And, using the USAT rankings as motivation is really effective. There are fudgy aspects to it, and I will mention those at some later point, but for now you can view your '08 score and think about how you improve it year by year by year! |
2009-02-04 8:13 PM in reply to: #1946118 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL TGJESS - Now rank those. I KNOW that #1 is the pedals and cleats, but which - ap'm't or pup - is #2 and which is #3?? As for the stretches, um, ah, I don't do them before I swim. I MAYBE do them sporadically when standing in a line (I suppose this vaguely threatens people, but really - I'm harmless!), but that's it. There are three key ones I use, and I will try to descibe them. (1) Take your right arm and stretch it across your body, keeping the arm parallel to the floor. Now, with your left arm, bring it over so that the left wrist is pressing against your right tricep, just about 3-4 inches above the elbow. GENTLY press your right arm towards your chest until you feel a slight pressure on the front of the right shoulder. Do this very gradually, and don't feel that you have to get the right arm flush against your body (although if you are flexible, this might be easy to do). Anyhow, focus on the slight pressure/tension at the fornt of the shoulder. Then reverse it for the left arm, and do each side 3-5 times. (2) Put both arms behind your back, arms and hands pointing towards the floor. Clasp your hands with fingers interlocked and palms facing inward. Now, keeping your elbows locked and standing as perfectly upright as possible, gently bring your arms "up", ridsing from right behind your bottom to as high as you can get them - doing this ever so graaaaaaadually. You should feel the stretch in a few places - triceps, deltoids, front of shoulders, "wings" (scapulae). Do this one 3-5 times, holding it at the highest position for 5-10 seconds. (3) Standing straight, extend both arms above your head, biceps next to your ears, palms pointing towards each other and touching. Now, allow you right arm to pivot and drop inward and downward - it will describe an arc behind your head, and should come to rest with your right hand pointing directly down your spine, with your longest finger touching your third or fourth or fifth vertebrae. Next step - take your left arm, bend it 45 degrees at the elbow, and the hand should come to rest on your right elbow. And here comes the stretch, as you put gentle pressure on your right elbow, effectively pushing it downward -- but just by a bit. You should feel this in your triceps and along the top and front of your shoulder. Hold this stretch for about 10 seconds, maybe even "flexing" the elbow by allowing it rise some, and then depressing it again. Do 3-5 of these on each side. There are a couple of others, but I wikll have to work even harder to figure out how to explain them even half-adequately. PLEASE LET ME KNOW if any of the above is remotely useful; if not, I will try again! |
2009-02-04 8:31 PM in reply to: #1946191 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL MOOSEMAN AND TIMBERMAN HOPEFULS --- This would be Eric for the latter......and is it Jess for the former? Eric, I hope you managed to sign up, as all T-man events are now closed. This came as a shock to me, as I went to sign up for the sprint and learned it was full. Rats. For Mooseman, as of Jan 29 there were about 150 spots left for each of the races. Now that these numbers are "out there" on the forum at www.timbermantri.com, things should move quickly - especially since Moosey half has also recently been discussed very favorably at www.slowtwitch.com. Jess, have you registered for this one yet? |
2009-02-04 8:40 PM in reply to: #1896958 |
Expert 745 Bethesda, MD/Northern NJ | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Yup, I'm signed up for Mooseman 1/2. I need to sign up for a spring shorter distance - I was thinking Bassman (NJ) in late April, but I'm not sure yet. Either way it would need to be a late April/first weekend in May race to work around finals! Any recommendations? Also, as we get closer to that time (it's probably not worth worrying about in February...) I'm nervous about finding somewhere to practice open water swimming. Maybe Lisa can suggest somewhere? Also, small world - I just found out that my Remedies professor is signed up for the Mooseman Int'l! |
2009-02-04 8:49 PM in reply to: #1946191 |
Regular 111 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL stevebradley - 2009-02-04 9:13 PM PLEASE LET ME KNOW if any of the above is remotely useful; if not, I will try again! I just tried those arm stretches. They feel goooood... Thanks for going through all that trouble to type out the instructions! |
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2009-02-04 8:57 PM in reply to: #1946253 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL GRACE - Thank you for that! I'm never sure how well I explain these sorts of things in writing, so it is good to know that the stretch descriptions worked (and that the paramedics aren't trying to de-pretzelize you!). WHEW!! Edited by stevebradley 2009-02-04 9:50 PM |
2009-02-04 10:03 PM in reply to: #1946236 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL JESS - I'd say Bassman. I remember you mentioning earlier the option of Devilman, which I think is the week after Bass. I think Devil got its venue changed last year, and that's maybe good because there were complaints about the road conditions at the original Devil venue. Bass is a very nice location, and the course is 99.997% flat. I did Bass 1/2iron in Oct. '07, and thought that George Regan put on a terrific race. (He is of Greek descent, and his mom basically catered the post-race feed herself, with terrific Greek-based pasta salads!) I would love to do the April Bassman myself, but it's pretty iffy as to whether it fits in with other plans. (I have a small grudge against the Devilman people, as they were very rude towards athletes in the t-zone at Brierman in October. On the other hand, two other of their races I have done - Diamondman 1/2 in '03, Cape Henlopen in '04 - were quite good.) www.citytri.com for Bass www.piranha-sports.com for Devil |
2009-02-05 7:45 AM in reply to: #1946153 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL LISA - re: USAT rankings (www.usatrankings.com) I'm going to try this again, and be more clear about it; I think my directions last night were impossibly oblique. You're 25-29 a.g., right? I went to the complete list to see just how many of your there were, and it is a WHOPPING 3979!!! So, you will definitely have to find your own score first, unless you want to scroll down the entire list to find yourself. (And there are a lot of Lisa-named women on the list ---- although with 3979 people, ALL names are pretty well represented!) For your own score: All you need is your name, first and last. In the "Timespan" box, choose "previous". Below that, you'll see "Show Standings", and next to that a box and "Show Race Details". Click on the latter first, and then on the "Show Standings" bar. If all goes well, what will come up in a moment will be your results; for women, there is your raw score, and then next to it your gender grade. Now that you have your score, go back to the first page, and omit your name. Instead, key in your gender and your age group. Use "previous" again, but for the boxes under "previous", ONLY do "Show Standings" - NOT "show race details". After many moments you'll get the whole list of people in your a.g., and just go down it until you find your score, and you'll see where you rank out of the 3979. Voila! I was surprised to see the first two names in the F25-29 list. They - Samantha McGlone and Bree Wee are professionals, and I did not know that pros were included in those lists. Ah, live and learn! If I had scrolled further I would've likely seen many pro names, but all I was really curious about was how many women were on that list. IT'S A TOUGH A.G. YOU ARE IN!! Just whipping down the list seeing how many Lisa-names there are, I happened upon Molly Zahr, who is a VERY good triathlete from N.H., having made it to Kona once or twice. Her ranking last year was 427th, and even though she was at the top age (i.e., last year) of the a.g., I figured her ranking would be higher. (When we have done the same 1/2iron, her time is always 20-30 minutes better than mine, and maybe more.) So, you have some INCREDIBLY stiff competition amongst your peers, Lisa! Don't be surprised if your age of that list is a year older than you were during the '08 season. Even though the results are for '08, the age they have is, I think, for the age one will be competing at in '09. So, McGlone and Wee are there as 30, and I am on last year's ranking, but as 60. |
2009-02-05 4:16 PM in reply to: #1946223 |
Member 51 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL I did sign up a couple of months ago for Timberman, I thought it would give me the incentive to start training! Glad I did, sorry you didn't get a spot though. I wish I'd heard your thoughts on shoes before I went out and bought some 2 weeks ago. I'll heed your advice with the next pair. Karate has kept me moving this week, and I swim Friday and Sunday. |
2009-02-05 5:06 PM in reply to: #1947868 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL ERIC - Here are a couple of good sources for 60-day-trial shoes. They REALLY don't want shoes returned on day 59 with 273 miles on them, but within reason both places are very flexible. Check their websites at your leisure, and have a look yourself at their return policies. I have ordered many times from both, and have no complaints. www.nationalrunningcenter.com www.roadrunnersports.com The first is in n.e. PA, the second is in s. CA, so the PA one might get stuff to you a day or two earlier, if that matters. Yeah, it's a bummer about Timberman. I figured the half was full, but I hardly expected the sprint to be full as well. He who hesitates is lost, eh? |
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2009-02-05 7:18 PM in reply to: #1896958 |
Expert 745 Bethesda, MD/Northern NJ | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Hey Steve - I have a quick question - so, tomorrow I'm supposed to do a swim workout and 45 minutes on the trainer. Just like last friday, I'm already sure it will be difficult for me to fit in the 45 minutes on the trainer, so I moved it to today. So today I ended up with 45 minutes on the trainer and about 55 minutes of running. I guess my question is, how acceptable is it to move workouts around like that? I'm assuming it's more preferable to at least get the workouts in, even if they're not always in the right order, but I could see how there is probably a structure as to which days have doubles and which don't. This week was supposed to have doubles on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, but with moving the bike, I ended up with Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Is there a problem with moving things around to make sure they fit in? Hope everyone had a great day! |
2009-02-05 8:50 PM in reply to: #1948124 |
Master 1547 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL ThatGirl - 2009-02-05 5:18 PM... I guess my question is, how acceptable is it to move workouts around like that? I'm assuming it's more preferable to at least get the workouts in, even if they're not always in the right order, but I could see how there is probably a structure as to which days have doubles and which don't. This week was supposed to have doubles on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, but with moving the bike, I ended up with Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Is there a problem with moving things around to make sure they fit in?... I think we all struggle with this. For me I try to identify the key workouts for the week...the one's I must do. All the others can be sacrificed if need be. Life happens. I used to stress about it and try to make them up like you suggest but I finally just started letting them go...I figured if I missed it then oh well, just skip it. Cramming it all in on another day just leads to burnout (for me). I also like to schedule my plans with no rest days...instead I just rest when I need it. If that means twice in a week so be it...it usually is every 12 to 15 days when I need a break.
But back to my point...I think you need to ID the key workouts and make sure you get those in, but don't try to make up lost workouts. |
2009-02-05 9:22 PM in reply to: #1948124 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL TGJESS - Nope, I don't see a problem in switching things around when necessary. It can sometimes turn into a slippery slope --- do it once and it is easy to do it again and again and again. Sometimes. But, for the integrity of the program, try to keep things as they are set. HOWEVER --- As my former coach use to say, this stuff is more of an art than a science, which means that it all ends up being completely personal. That is, another coach or schedule-setter might've decided that today was a great day for you to do a ride and a run, and that would be that, right? Finally, remember that you are in a "canned" program, by which I mean you are scheduled to do the same stuff that ??? other people are doing, so by its nature it is not personal. What you did today, however, was MAKE it personal, and it worked for you, and that's very good! One more "finally", and that is that in general, you should let workouts go if you miss them, unless they are key ones. BUT --- If you are feeling strong and especially motivated the day after a missed workout, then it is mostly okay to squeeze it in - unless the FOLLOWING day is a key workout! Lots of fudge-factoring there, huh?!? |
2009-02-05 9:27 PM in reply to: #1948243 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL SAX - Ahh, I just read yours after posting to Jess, and your advice is solid. At various times I have taken your approach to rest days; in fact, that's where I've been for a couple of years now, working without an established carved-in-(soap)stone schedule. Mostly I just do what I want to do, and go from day to day to day that way. And that's how I ended up doing 27 straight days of mostly multiple workouts a day, and then took last Thursday through Sunday off while we were in Toronto. Uh, I guess it is all working okay?? |
2009-02-06 1:41 AM in reply to: #1896958 |
Member 8 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Good morning Steve, I know it seems that I fell off the face of the planet, but I had some last minute cramming to do before my promotion test. Sorry for taking so long to reply. As far as the wetsuit rental goes, it appears you can rent one for whatever purpose. The Country Music Marathon is 25 Apr 09 in Nashville, Tennessee. I am in training now for the 1/2 marathon 4 times a week, with one long run on Saturdays with the coaches. This past Sat. was my first long run of 3 miles. I ended up doing a jog/walk. Due to my dogs obedience class being early my dog also got a workout too. I have been running on the treadmill and after that run I can see that isn't going to work out. Running on the road was much harder. I have a website through The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to make donations and see updates of my training. It is http://pages.teamintraining.org/ms/cmc09/pjohnson13 . Or you can make checks out to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and mail it to me at 12177 Harmony Circle, Gulfport, MS 39503. Oh, something really cool, the gym I go to is holding a seven week triathlon clinic. I signed up it, but I will only be able to attend half of the sessions due to work. Luckily the coach said he would work with me and give a couple of one on ones for the swimming techniques and transition. I am really excited. Well back to work. Have a great Friday! Patricia |
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2009-02-06 2:10 AM in reply to: #1896958 |
Extreme Veteran 314 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Some good info being spread here, very cool.I just wanted to add that I made it official and signed up for Ironman Augusta in Sept. Anyone else going? |
2009-02-06 6:16 AM in reply to: #1948402 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL PATRICIA - Glad you resurfaced, as I was starting to worry about you! That triathlon clinic sounds great, and even if you could only attend half the sessions, the rest still represents a big boost to your training and knowledge bases. That the coach is willing to do one-on-ones with you is icing on the cake - in fact, maybe even better than the actual clinic! Clinics are good, but one-on-ones are the best. You grabbed the long straw on that one! Well done on the training for the half at CMM! With the three-miler out of the way at this stage of things, you still have tons of time to gradually ramp in all up before 25 April. Are the coaches TnT people? I'm just curious as to the ways in which you found running on the road harder than on the treadmill. I enjoy exploring the various aspects of treadmill-related psychology, just hearing how people respond to them as compared with "regular" running. Did you read the posts from Lisa and Jess about their colossal big-mileage efforts on the 'mill?? Mercy! Bye for now! |
2009-02-06 6:35 AM in reply to: #1948407 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL NATHAN - Cool beans about Augusta 70.3, Nathan! I just checked the website, and the bike elevation profile is very appealing - especially the fact that once you've done the climb at about mile 36, it's basically just rollers and flats for the final 20 miles. That's pretty sweet! Do you know what the wetsuit situation is there? I couldn't find any mention of it, and I'm not familiar enough with the area to know what the likelihood is that water temps will be under 78 degrees. Right now, it's not in my plans, but then again I have nothing in my plans yet for September. My wife's brother lives near Spartanburg, so I'll just toss this out in her general direction for something to think about. Of the 1/2s I've done, however, all of them have been wetsuit-legal, so that might be a deal-breaker for me if they are not allowed at Augusta. Cal me a chicken, but there it is! |
2009-02-06 6:50 AM in reply to: #1946069 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL hooslisa - 2009-02-04 6:49 PM stevebradley - 2009-02-02 8:45 PM 3 GOLDEN RULES OF INJURY-FREE RUNNING -- 1. The longest run of the week should never be more than half of your weekly total. -- 2. No limping. -- 3. Increase mileage by no more than 10 percent weekly. YIKES! In January, my 4 long runs made up 57% of my monthly total. I knew this wasn't good, but it is SOOOOOO hard in the winter. it is so easy to bag the smaller runs and just gut out the long one. sure way to injury, I know. I have recently made BIG changes in my routines to really focus on injury prevention. Monthly massage, regular stretching, regular chiropractor and daily foam rolling.... now to just stop begin stupid with training! these are great rules of thumb. thanks, steve LISA - HEY! Is this how you do this - citing someone else's comments by simply clicking the quote button? Is it really that easy?? (We'll see when I try to post this!) Anyhow, I should've responded earlier to your comment, just by way of saying that for you, I wouldn't worry too much about injury through the increase in long runs. First, I think you have a very solid base. Second, I think you are young enough to be supple enough to handle this better than most people. Third, you list the things you are doing for injury prevention, and your plan is incredibly wise. That kind of stuff sort of "flies under the radar", in that it doesn't confer any obvious, immediate benefits, but quietly creates a machine (that would be you) that is much more durable; thus, the benefits are long-term, and not immediately obvious. My vast history with injuries (I've got one now) shows that I can acquire them at all distances, but more often my problems come from speedwork stuff, rather than long runs. Big mileage weeks can be a problem for me, but when I do what you are doing - same rough mileage, but more of it as longer stuff - I'm usually fine. So, don't worry! Because of your focus on injury prevention, I suspect you are very attuned to your body, and you'll back off as soon as something seems amiss. |
2009-02-06 7:22 AM in reply to: #1948464 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL INJURY MINDSETS Well, here I am, once again injured. This time it is my Achilles, which is a first -- and continues my reluctantly relentless quest to be the first kid on my block to collect all the major lower-body injuries. I'm not sure how I injured it (actually, both), as there was nothing obvious, and maybe three possible culprits could be cited. It is usually best to have an obvious cause, so as to avoid it in the future, but that's not happening for me now. The problem surfaced a few hours after a short, easy run on Sunday, Jan. 25. I then went runless until this past Tuesday, Feb. 3, when I did 13 soft minutes on a treadmill. I could feel the right achilles throughout, but if anything it felt better as the run progressed. Still, I allowed discretion to be the better part of valor, and bailed at that point -- which is good, because it was sore again later, and I was back to limping the next day. At that point, I decided to give it a good rest, maybe a full two weeks rather than nine days. (I am not limping today, or last night, either.) As I evolve, I become better at looking at the bigger picture: (1) The success of my '09 race season is far more important than the runs I fit in now, in early February. (2) I know that blood flow is notoriously poor to the Achilles, so it is not an injury that fixes quickly. (3) I can use this time to work on other areas, namely the swim. (Or maybe even become a more well-rounded human!) So, gang, listen to your bodies and back off if something just doesn't seem right. I read a quote from some national-class marathoner the other day, and he was saying that what he wished he knew way back when was that taking two days to rest an injury could prevent two months of not being able to run. There have been SO many times that I have plowed ahead rather than allow for proper rest, and I just hope that all of you will be more intelligent with aches and wonks and twinges than I have been over the years! |
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2009-02-06 7:24 AM in reply to: #1948492 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL MINDY - Are you all giddy with excitement about your weekend swim(s)??? |
2009-02-06 7:28 AM in reply to: #1948496 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL APOLOGIES! Sweet Mother of Mercy, I either have to stop posting so much, or get a new photo of myself. I'm certainly getting tired of that mug staring back at me, and I'm sure for all of you there is already subtle psychological damage happening as I result of seeing it so often. My sincerest apologies to all! |
2009-02-06 7:51 AM in reply to: #1948407 |
Master 1524 Reston, VA | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL nhangen - 2009-02-06 3:10 AM Some good info being spread here, very cool.I just wanted to add that I made it official and signed up for Ironman Augusta in Sept. Anyone else going? is that a full or half?.... i had looked at that, but then I thought I saw it was a 70.3. i'll look again. |
2009-02-06 7:56 AM in reply to: #1948407 |
Master 1524 Reston, VA | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL nhangen - 2009-02-06 3:10 AM Some good info being spread here, very cool.I just wanted to add that I made it official and signed up for Ironman Augusta in Sept. Anyone else going? it does look like a beautiful race. It is also around the time of what will be our first anniversary and I thought it would be a nice getaway/race. i really want to do a full IM. I have recently decided I am ready (mentally) to commit to the training. I wish I could sign up for one now, but from what I can see, they are full. so, 2010 it is! that is also the year i turn the big 3-0! fitting I think. I still continue to be impressed that you maintain your athletic drive given your environment. You will be such a stronger athlete (mentally and physically) for it! |
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