Ken Axford's Group - closed and killin it!!! (Page 13)

Hey everyone.  Hope you all had a good saturday.  I was on the ski hill today with the rest of colorado and other vacationers.  Super crowded but still fun.  Mo, good to have you back.  the 4 days of work before the race will be ok, just bring your running shoes and get a few jogs in to stay loose.  Like terry said this will allow you to recover well before the race.

 John, I think your doctor friends are on the right track.  From what I've seen so far, that will be one of your biggest challanges.  (not going too hard, too soon)  As a former wrestler who was used to going all out until I puked, I can tell you it's a hard mindset to grasp, but worth it's weight in gold once you do.

 amy, Brandi and I have been to garden of the gods twice.  Once to drive through and once to hike.  It is so gorgous.  We are actually trying to move to an apartment near there since the side of town we were placed, is not all that great.  We're hoping by march 1st we will be in a new place.  Brandi's recruite is working out the details. 

 Great to hear from everyone.  I'm hyped on red bull right now (do as i say not as I do) so I'm going to do laundry and study some.

I forgot to mention something that I wanted to note.  wehn I read John's post about his bike wallet, that made me think about bike necessaties.

 As the weather gets warmer soon, we will all be hitting the road a lot more often.  (for those of us who aren't already)  Hopefully everyone has a saddle bag with appropriate necessaties in it.  if you don't, pleas do before you get stranded miles from your home.  I am a minimalist when it comes to the gear to ride with.  In my saddle bag I have:

1.  spare tube (patches don't work)

2. two tire levers

3. co2 cartridge and valve to pump up tire

4.  paper in a plastic bag with my bame and emergency contact.  This has been helpful to me in the past, so please heed my advice jsut in case.

lastly, learn how to change a flat if you don't already know how.  Hopefully we all have a friend or associate that can show us, but this video will show you the basics so you can practice.  and please practice before you're on the road. 

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1223

I have a love/hate relationship with buying tri clothes   Last year, it was a major ordeal for me for some reason.  I hated the idea of wearing skin-tight clothes in "public."  Being 30+ pounds overweight and generally conservative with my clothing, this was an issue for me.  I ordered probably $600 worth of clothes so I could find something that I liked.  Of course, I returned about $500.  However, once I found something I liked, it was a huge relief and a burden was off my mind.

I bet you will be slimmer in two months.  I'm hoping for the same, which is why I'm going to wait for May or June before going through the "outfit" search again

You can do it!!  Let us know how it goes.  I need to practice that myself.

Good for you, Mo! I love it when I can get my boss to run. And if you've got a whole group of people, that's terrific!

Here's my plan for the week.

Mo, good work on recruiting some training partners.  much mroe fun that way.

 amy, let us know how the threshold tests go.  I'm curious to see your max heart rate and LT rate.  Did you get a chance to change the tire last night ?

I can relate to that too.  If you can get over having people look at you like you're weird, then water with lemon is a great alternative   Also, remember that Alcohol dehydrates.

Darn.

Just reread Ken's LT test details, and noticed that it says hard to do on a treadmill. Might have to wait for a bit for this one, then.  And perhaps todays LT test just turned into a regular run.  I think I like the idea of outside myself. I certainly have enough hills around here to do it on.  I know JUST where I  would do it.

 Have I mentioned that I have now reached the hardest time of year for me? After Valentine's Day/President's Day Weekend- it is still VERY much winter here, with crap like today mixed in (windy, damp, rainy, melty, crappy)- until I get away for spring break (1st two weeks of April) It is by no means true spring when we get back, but once I'm fortified with some sunshine, I can carry on a bit better. Sitting here thinking of a run with dry roads. when I should be doing work. Even though it's a day off from work.

I know how you feel on this one.  What helps me train through the bad weather is the thought that if I continue to train hard inside and be diligent...     I will be in great shape once the weather gets better and I can enjoy it that much more.

who eats enough veggies ??!!!   not me !!!!!

I started buying frozen bags of mixed veggies.  2nd best alternative to fresh and a whole lot easier.  (plus no waste since they stay frozen as long as you need)  I just dump a serving or two in a pan with a little oil, salt, and pepper.  5 minutes later, hot tasty veggies.  Especially good after cooking a chicken breast since they pick up the pan bits and flavor.

GUESS WHO KNOWS HOW TO CHANGE A FLAT ALL BY HERSELF????????

It is a big day for this girl, who previously had never even put the bike on the trainer or taken the tire off (yes, I always recruited someone for these tasks- I know, I'm pathetic). I am so excited! And proud!

However, should I GOD FORBID ever get a flat in a race, let's just say adding that amount of time onto my overall time would not be pretty, so I would probably lie and tell people I just wrecked

Way to go Amy !!!!!    feels good doesn't it ??!!! 

so I have on my goal list to do an XTERRA race this season.  Well, I found a race in June that is close by.

 Why do i all of a sudden feel nervous??  It's like it's my first race again.  Kind of exciting to get that feeling again, but wierd.  Now I just need to man up and register.

Hey, that's great, Ken!  How cool that you can do something a little different and get that experience all over again.

CONGRATS AMY! Look out, world.  Nothing's safe now!

That's awesome, girl.  I'm so proud of you .

Hope the show was fun, Mo.  I'll join the consensus that it's probably good that your four days of work will keep you from running too much before your race!  Now, how to dodge the alcohol bullet...  My standard is to just get tonic and lime - looks like a "real" drink and you can almost sneak it by without people noticing that you actually just ordered flavored water!

Hey guys!  Been missing you guys.  I can't seem to come up for air at work   Two conference calls got in the way of my workout today.  Now I'm sitting here drinking a glass of wine.  LOL

My 2 1/2 year old is craving my "pattention"   He is asking me to read the "Cherrios Book" to him.  It's a funny little book where you actually put Cheerios on the pages of the book to complete the picture.  For example, there are four cars on a page, three are missing tires.  You add two Cheerios to the fourth car to "fix" it.

Amy, congrats on learning to change your tire!  You've inspired me to learn again.

Ken, good for you.  When is the XTERRA race?

Sandi, any more conversations with your boss?

Mo, still feeling good running?  Let us know how the concert is/was.

John, how are the bike "after effects?"  Any new news on the job front?

Hope you guys are all doing okay!

Terry

aquinn - 2008-02-19 6:44 PM

 

However, should I GOD FORBID ever get a flat in a race, let's just say adding that amount of time onto my overall time would not be pretty, so I would probably lie and tell people I just wrecked

 

Ahh, therein lies the beauty of a long course!

Terry, that glass of wine sounds awfully good!  Wish I could afford the mental down time to indulge in one! (yes, even one will do me in)

Sorry I've been rather inactive here.  I'm afraid it will probably be that way the next several days.  I'm starting to panic.  From my blog yesterday:

Okay, things are getting pretty crazy.  I'm leaving for three weeks of intensive training on Monday.  My new boss is arriving while I'm gone, and will be gone for two weeks when I get back.  I just accepted responsibility for writing a big grant, more-or-less while I'm in Utah.  I have to meet my ski patrol obligations this weekend.  And, I think I've been accepted into the Colorado Mountain Club ski mountaineering school, which of course starts while I'm gone and which I'm not really in shape for!  Eeek!  So much for my home improvement projects, eh?

Still need to find dog sitter, organize things at the office for when Roger arrives, pack, and try desperately to remember everything I won't be able to take care of from Utah...

John, how are things going?  Hey, are you doing good, gradual cool downs?  Something I noticed the other day, and I'm sure this isn't any great revelation, is that my HR spikes dramatically when I stop running (like at a traffic light), and even some when I go from run to walk, before it starts to decrease.  I wonder if that's why people get sick right after they finish a race (and just stop) instead of while you're really pushing.  Any insights, Ken?

honostly, no real insights on the cool down thing as far as getting sick or not.  I do know that it's better for your cardio system and muscles to gradually slow down just beacause it is not such a shock to the system.

 terry, XTERRA is basically an offroad triathlon.  The distance I would be doing is a one mile swim, 20 mile mountain bike and a 5 mile trail run.  I'm guessing about 3 hours for me so it would be no small undertaking.  i'm excited about the opportunity to do something new though.