Betsy's Tri-BAMFs (Page 13)

Betsy not sure if you got my Sunday ride but if not, add 14 miles to the bike totals and I swam 950 meters today. Don't worry, I ca't spel withot spel chek eithr.

I'm all for kicking butt and making up some ground. I'm running 4 miles tomorrow, swimming at least 950 Thursday, running another 4 on Friday, and will complete 1500 meters at swim class on Saturday. I'll try to push past these goals if possible. Come on team, let's do it!!!

OK, I got a few dumb ideas for team names:

BT Champs
Fit to Tri or Fit2BTri
B Best (B for Betsy)

Anyone else! C'mon...I am the least creative person I know so there's got to be some good ideas out there...

HEY EVERYONE!

I have the most exciting news: So, I'm not sure that everyone knows but I'm a Public Policy major at Georgia Tech...I'm also a HUGE Barack Obama fan (sorry if there are Republicans here, I'm very much for working together and working through differences so don't hold it against me ). Anyways, I have been signed up on his website to volunteer in the Atlanta area and last Sunday I got an email saying that he was coming here and that there was an organizational meeting on Tuesday night. I went to the meeting and it turns out that not only was he coming to ATL, but he would be having the rally AT my school! So, I went up and introduced myself to the staff saying that I'm a student, if they needed help with campus or whatever to feel free to call. The next day they started calling...I went to help find printers, organize other volunteers to make signs, put up directions, set up the rally, pass out tickets, everything. I worked about 30 hours on this from last Tuesday night every day through the rally on Saturday morning...I even got interviewed in Atlanta's newspaper about it! (http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/04/12/0413natobama.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13)

So, I worked hard but I was one of about 500 volunteers so it didn't seem like a big deal. Regardless, I got my shifts at work picked up, totally ignored school (and training, eek) for the whole week. Friday night at the end of about 5 hours of helping set up, the staff approached me and started asking me questions about my major, my reasons for supporting Obama, my public speaking skills, etc. Then the NATIONAL Director asked me if I would be willing to "assist in the program" (introduce someone minor) which I got Super excited about....about an hour later, they asked me if I would be willing to do the ENTIRE program. I said yes. My mom drove all night to get here to see me and on Saturday morning for a total of about 45 minutes I got the crowd of 20,000 people pumped up to see Obama. I had to do all the introductions and everything. It was THE COOLEST thing I've EVER done. He hugged me on stage.

Anyways, thats my excuse this time for my slackness but I was planning on going out of town this weekend and I cancelled my trip b/c i'm so far behind in school and finals are a week away and I want to be able to get caught up this weekend. SO--it might take me and extra three or four days to meet my goals but i'm going to try really really really really super hard to get caught up this weekend. I DIDN'T QUIT ON YALL!

Its funny how unexpected life can be...the minute you try to plan things out, a wrench gets thrown in (not that this is a wrench but you know...).

I just wanted to share this with you guys. Its so weird, i'm almost famous, hehe. I've got interviews all week with the news and papers and radio! I went to pick up Thai food and they were like "oh my god, you were so great the other day!!" lol.

Sorry I didn't tell yall sooner, I've been too busy being on Cloud-Nine.
-Jessie

Shef--- First, its not your age. Don't ever say that again.
Second, (THIS IS ALL MY OPINION AND I'M NOT A PROFESSIONAL)- I've been swimming competitively now for about 14 years and I suck so bad at the bike and run but the swim I can help with! Your breathing sounds like the biggest problem to me. Breathing every 2 strokes (or even 3 if its hurried) is what is getting your heart rate up and causing you to feel like you have to stop. I think you should do 25-50 meters at a time of breathing more like every 4-5 strokes. I know this sounds crazy but go *as slow* as you can and really concentrate on breathing out the whole time like Betsy said but also breathing out *and in* EVENLY! Don't blow it all out in one strong push and don't suck it all in like its your last breath ever.
Third- forget about doing an 800 m swim when you're in the water. What you need to do is find "your rhythm". I know this sounds stupid but if you can find it for a 25m swim and thats all you can do, thats all that matters. The point is to find it, get in it, and just go. I always know when I'm in my rhythm when I feel like I don't have skin---meaning that my insides and the water feel like they are all one...that I don't have a boundary between me and the water--i'm not in it, i'm PART OF IT...My tips to help you find this: 1. RELAX, omg relax...it will come for sure but not until you can relax in the water. 2. Try what I'm saying about the breathing... try all different patterns of stroke count: start with one stroke then breathe, two then breathe, three, four, five, and then back down, four, three, two, one, something like that...your body will tell you what works best. 3. try to ignore your body: think only about your breathing and then do the opposite: focus intently on your body: try to make kicking 90% and pulling 10% and then changing that ratio every 25m or something: 80/20, 70/30, etc. 4. This is what has worked for me the best in my life: forget about time, forget about distance, forget about swimming (only do this if you are confident in your stroke form because this *will* make you develop bad habits if you have some) Get in the water with something really big on your mind and just think. One thing that works really well for me: try to teach your self the alphabet backwards, so you can sing it...this takes INCREDIBLE concentration and this gets your body going with out your mind freaking out! Or try four digit multiplication or something...I've got a million of these if you want more, ask.

Overall, the most important thing is to KNOW, without a shadow of a doubt that YOU CAN DO THIS. Mental blocks are the worst traning problems for all of us. Let me know if this helps, this is all my years of swimming in a couple paragraphs, lol. Keep me posted.

-Jessie

Hey Jessie - that is AWESOME!!! WOW!! You should be so proud of yourself getting out there and being available for him!! And look how it all turned out! We can say "we knew her when...." I am sure you are going to do an awesome job!! WAY TO GO!!! You deserve to be on cloud nine!!

Group name - I think those were good names! All I could think of was Betsy's Babes - but I don't want to leave Eric out!!

I am in debate on my first Tri scheduled for the first weekend of May - haven't been able to run b/c of this hematoma (which my Doc thinks is infected and put me on antibiotics). Choices are to not do it - OR - do it really good for the swim and bike and do what I can for the run. Thoughts or comments are welcome...

Hope everyone is having a good week! GO TEAM GO!!

Once we get a name we can put together a real cheer!!

Jessie, this is the best advice I've gotten so far. THANK YOU. I've been told that 3 strokes and a breath is all I need to focus on but it's always felt awkward to me. I do tend to panic and then I fight the water and everything goes out the window. I'm swimming again tomorrow and I will focus on relaxing and then try some different stroke/breath patterns.

Thanks again and I too am very proud of your volunteer efforts with the campaign. I'm a stronger believer it getting involved, especially when it’s an area/cause that you feel strongly about. Differences are what created this great country and living in a democratic society is something we should all be thankful for. Don't hold this against me but I helped with G.W. Bush's re-election campaign and loved it...I had the same passion that you described. After college I was hired as a PR rep. for a lobbyist group and worked at the Texas Legislature when Bush was elected Governor of Texas. I remember how exciting I was to go to the Governor’s Ball and meet so many influential politicians. I faithfully followed his campaign all the way to the Presidency. In fact, many colleagues and friends of mine went with Bush to Washington during his first term. I'm a politic junkie but try to keep this a secret.

I love the group name Fit2BTri.

I forgot to tell you guys, I hit my goal of 4 miles in under 50 minutes. In fact, I completed it in 46 minutes total. I stopped once at mile 3 and walked for 1 minute then picked it up again. I wanted to stop few times but I kept thinking about my training log and how GREAT it will feel to post a 4 mile run!!!

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YES!! The BAMFs. I love it. teehee...

I'll be MIA until Sunday/Monday! Send good race thoughts on Saturday!

Yeah, you guys are amazing! Thanks for all the support! I'll be thinking of our group on race day! Thanks!!!

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lol...I love it! It cracks me up every time.

Cbirch, good luck!!! You're going to be awesome! We're rooting for you!



-Jessie

It doesn't quite do it for me...I would like Tri in the name somewhere. Just my opinion.

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or Tri-BAMFs! lol

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Hey group!!! I had an AMAZING RACE!!

I finished in 2:44:07.361:

1.5k swim (Black Warrior River) 28:45.135
T1: 2:46.942
40k bike (rolling hills) 1:19:09.930
T2: 1:12.527
10k run (very hilly-- mostly up! --and hot) 52:12.827


Race report to come!!

I had a BLAST!!!!! Seriously? One of the funnest things I've done in my life!

Cbirch,

you're awesome. I'm really proud of you. You would'a kicked my as$! You are an inspiration! I'm pretty jealous!

-Jessie

PS---omg, this thing won't let me say "as$"? wtf?

Edited by jesi10612 2007-04-23 12:59 AM

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Hi Everyone!

Yesterday, I had my sprint tri relay and it was awesome!!! To quote Christina, I love this sport! I'll be posting a full race report soon but we are still waiting for the split times to be posted.

I had the swim leg and panicked a little when I "tested" the water before the race but I psyched myself up enough where I wasn't that afraid by the time I was in the water. I thoroughly recommend the bottom check and a quick swim for any remaining newbies out there to get used to swimming in a non-pool environment.

Anyway, I feel confident that I beat my goal time. I think my whole team did better than we thought and believe it or not, we came home with a silver medal in the female relay category. OK, there were only 3 teams but we beat somebody!!! We were shocked and stoked!

Oh, one more thing...thanks for the advice on the wetsuits. Now that I've experienced it, I totally agree that a tri suit is the way to go. I felt like a little fishing bobber with that suit on and you can really feel the difference as you slide through the water. What I ended up doing was renting a suit to make sure; now I'm planning to buy the suit I rented.

OK, I'm going to take a couple of days off, not really to rest but to get read for a new floor to go in at my house, then I will give it all to meet our team goals in April.

For BAMFs, couldn't we say it means, Betsy's Awesome Male and Females? LOL But I agree with Shef that it'd be good to have "tri" in there somewhere.

P.S. Way to go, Jessie, for your great volunteer effort.
P.P.S. Keep up the great work, everyone!

I like Betsy's Awesome Males and Females with Tri at the end...clever and I can live with it! Ok, it's my turn to be sick. My kids were nice enough to share strep throat with me and although the antibiotics have kicked in, I'm still weak and struggling to recover. It's amazing how kids bounce back so quick. I'm od'ing on vitamin C and all other immune booster herbs I can get my hands on. I have my first competative run this weekend and I'm going to be very upset if I'm not 100%.

I do plan to run tomorrow, swim Thursday and run Friday so this should help our totals. Way to go Annecy89 and Jessie. I aspire to be at your times and endurance levels one day. Keep the posts coming, I gain a lot of encouragment from them.