Beer Drinker Appreciation Society - Open For Business (Page 153)

hahahaha.....do you think it is at all legal?? You could climb the Kilimanjaro with that bike!
Good luck and have fun!

Juan

Thanks Dave, will do

NAME: My Dad was always called Shakey, it is a shortening of our family surname. I'm Shakey (my brother never was,surprisingly) . My son is fondly called 'Bear' - so, here I am on here, Shakeybear.

STORY : Around 3 years ago I was completely unfit, my wife has always gone to the gym, and played competitive sports. I had got to a stage when I was struggling to run after a football in the park. I have never had a weight issue, but noticed my trousers getting tighter. So I joined the local gym. It is where my wife goes, I just went in after work and signed up. It was really difficult.
A work colleague had suffered a rather bad motorcycle accident, and was recovering, both physically and mentally. One evening he rang me and said he'd seen a cycle trip - Munich to VEnice, and asked me if I wanted to do it with him. I said yes. (maybe it was the bottle of Zinfandel talking).i didn't own a bike at the time and hadn't ridden for 30 years. But, I had been going to the gym for a couple of months, so how hard could it be?
It was really hard!
As things turned out he wasn't allowed to ride, but I completed the trip. It was the hardest physical thing I'd ever done - but I was hooked.
A trip across Italy followed, Venice to Lucca..
In January this year I signed up for my first sprint tri. I found an event the day before my 49th birthday.
First time in the pool, I managed about a length, before I thought I would die!
But, I joined the local tri club, and started to swim. After a couple of months I was almost getting it.
With great family support I set about some hard training. The first tri went okay, but what a fantastic experience.
My second followed a few months after.

FAMILY: I live in the UK with my amazing wife and two kids. I have an older daughter who lives near me.

TRAINING: I constantly smell of chlorine, I own more trainers than shoes, and non have proper laces. I swim twice a week with tri club. Spin classes are local too. I get great support from a member of staff at my local gym. I try to get on my bike once a week with a local cycle club.

PLANS: I have signed up for a mile swim in July next year, and a half marathon in October. My A race next year will be a HIM somewhere warm in September. I'll be adding some stepping stones along the way too.

I run my first HM tomorrow.

BEER. Peroni. I also have a passion for cooking Italian food.

WEIGHT: it was never about weight loss for me. It's been more about getting healthy, a lifestyle change. A challenge, and most of all friendships.

Hope this is okay DAve, and thanks for welcoming me

nice to have you shakey. I call my daughter little bear. Good luck on your HM and let us know how it goes.

Got my bib 362. This just got real

I was a few minutes out of my target time of 2 hours. But a fantastic day.
Last 3 were hard work, but I was in a place I've never been in before.
Currently have that fantastic sore feeling.

Tonight's beer of choice - Stella Artois, reassuringly expensive

Shakey, welcome!!! I would have loved that ride from Munich to Vienna - I've been to both places and love them! Now head west, pass through Linz and on to Salsburg! So pretty (well Linz isn't). Italy must have been just beautiful, I've only been to Venice there and hiking in the northern mountains near the Brenner Pass next to Austria. Amazing.

Scott! Whoop, whoop! I'm psyched for you!!

Good job, Shakey!! Stella Artois is a great way to recover your lost electrolytes

Scott, looking forward to hear your report (already enjoyed watching Kona life, I left Manchester when the pros were going out in the water, came to Madrid, movies with the family, and this morning at breakfast saw the heroes going through the finish line after 15-16h, wow!!)

Forgot to mention in LA Thursday I tried Lagunitas IPA and Sierra Nevada, first one was just great!

Juan

Both Italy trips were awesome. Some amazing scenery, food, wine and memories.
We cycled the Brenner pass, first half at the end of one day finished the second. Swimming lake Garda on a break was just amazing.

Venice is my favourite city so cycling to and from it was a no brainier. We did both trips with a specialist tour company, which helped.

Lucca was a great place to finish, very 'old school Italian'.

Thanks Juan

Hi Everyone! Glad to see you still at it. I've had some health problems that have kept me from it (and landed me in the ER). But I am also thinking to next year already.

Hopefully I can start working out again soon. I have a specialist visit at the end of the month and I hope they can figure this out and get me back up and running.

I did just find out that the top US pro at Kona was one of the kids on my USS team growing up. He lives near me now too. Pretty cool. I swam more with his older brother but remember him as a kid! He looks surprisingly similar 25 years later.

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I posted last. I've been so busy with nursing school, it's almost making me crazy! I wanted to drop in and also hope I can keep up with the group! I hope all are well. This is the next step I need to really whip me into the shape I'm hoping for. I'm a slow runner, but I have been running. I took a break from swimming as my shoulder was really bothering me, but plan on getting back into that soon.

I'm looking at getting my first road bike and I shopped around yesterday at some of the bike shops here in town. I found the two bikes that I liked that fit my budget (under $1,100) were the Giant Defy Adv 3 and the Felt Z85.

The Felt Z85 has Shimano 105 and the Giant has Tiagra. The Felt is listed at $1079 and the Giant at $980. I've heard plenty about going for a 105 setup, but was wondering if anyone would have any pros of going with the Giant? I know I am aware that the Giant uses disc brakes.

The Felt:
http://www.wgwheelworks.com/m/product/felt-bicycles-z85-213524-1.ht...

Giant:
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/defy.advanced.3/187...

Any input would be much appreciated!

Hi Michael, without being an expert, if you can go 105 with similar other components (carbon frame, nice wheels....) don´t hesitate. I upgraded my road bike (BH) from Tiagra to the new 105 and it has made huge difference in my riding (much nicer and precise shiifting). If the rest of the componentes are significantly better in the Giant, you cal always upgrade to Shimano 105 later on. Send pics!

Juan

Juan I can't post from my phone, but here are links to a picture of each bike:

2015 Felt Z85: http://road-bikes.gearsuite.com/l/6207/2015-Felt-Z85

2015 Giant Defy 3: https://d2k6j1fqfkfmqi.cloudfront.net/_generated/_generated_us/bikes...

I would go with the Felt - seems a better bike, let´s hear others from the group. Tiagra is less than precise, and disk brakes make a difference when plenty of water, mud... is around (mountain bike), but not so much -at least from my point of view- to road bikes. It is a beautiful one!!!

Juan

!!!!! Is everything okay?? What's going on? I hope you can get back at it soon!

Very cool about the "Kona kid" you know! It's nice to hear about folks you know doing well.

Beer report: UK brewery produces 'Old Poacher' i'm on my third, and it's going down well.

I have nothing further to report.

Nothin wrong with that! (And welcome by the way!)

Scott Tomorrow is the big day huh? Go get em!

me Not too much to report. I've just been running, no strength/bike/swimming at all the past few weeks. I had that PR 5k on the 4th, and will be looking for another on the 24th running a 5k for my daughter's school. After that I'm ramping up to 10k training, hopefully can find one late fall that works out. If not it'll be the Disney Prince/Princess 10k in February. At which point I'll be in the middle of HM training - I'm now signed up for the New Bedford (MA) Half Marathon, March 20th. This is a classic Boston Marathon prep race including it's own 'heartbreak hill'.

Also - to any of you who trail run - you have my respect!! While camping last weekend I had a 7 mile run scheduled, and did about half of it on hilly/rocky/rooty hiking trail and the other half on hilly dirt road. I have not been that sore in that many places from a slow run in a loooooong time. I was struggling to keep up any kind of speed. Except when nearly out-of-controlling it down a twisty rock strewn hillside trail in the late afternoon shadows!

Edited by firebert 2015-10-16 10:23 AM

This is happening

Fly!! Git 'er done! By the time you read this you will be post-race having a beer! So exciting!!

My last post was suppose to have a picture with it but I couldn't attach it with my phone. Well I did it.

Race Report B2B:

I got up at 4:30 after not sleeping very well. I had put everything I needed in my truck the night before so just got dressed in my kit and walked out the door. Grabbed a bagel with PB for and a banana for breakfast. Once at T1 I unpacked my gear for bike and turned in my special needs bags. I then staged shoes for the run from swim exit to T1 (about .4 of a mile but fairly rocky). Double checked my T1 set up then caught the 2nd bus to swim start. Sat around for a little over an hour then about 10 min before start time I got in the water. When I attempted to get out of the water I realized the water was warmer than the air so hung out in water till it was time to line up. This was my first mass start and it was interesting. I was middle to back of the mass of bodies getting in the water. Once the horn went off I waded into the channel and started swimming. I didn't panic and felt way better having my wetsuit on. I have seen MMA fights with less contact than was going on and at one point I locked arms with a guy next to me as I was taking a stroke with my right arm and he was taking one with his left lol. I forgot to body glide my neck so had some chaffing on my neck. About 3/4 of the way done the wind picked up and the water got choppy making it harder to breath. My friends doing the half had to fight this for the whole swim since they started an hour after me. Made it to the first (only) turn buoy and buildings started blocking the wind some which helped. The swim was uneventful and I made great time. 1:10.

T1 was a little ways off, and they have showers with warm water to wash off the salt water so I took my time. Wetsuit strippers took my suit off for me. I put on my shoes and off to the shower. Cleaned off then went to T1. A friend who was doing the bike for a half relay came over and took some pictures of me. I got dressed and took off. I had a 0:9:44 T1 time

About .5 miles into the bike there was a significant bump in the road which sent a bottle flying. I stopped and picked it up. There was a strong head wind for the first 50 miles of the bike and I made it a point not to look at my speed because I knew it was slow, but my legs felt good. I stopped at the first aid station to pee and refill one bottle with water only. ( I am using infinite go far and it is AWESOME). My next stop was the special needs area, the aid station between I grabbed a water bottle on the fly. At special needs I reapplied sunscreen mixed up 2 more bottles of go far and added 2 more PB half sandwiches. Now the head wind was a cross wind and at times a tail wind and my speed jumped up. I had hidden my ipod in my bike bag and turned it on at mile 70. It has a little speaker so I could hear it but it wasn't loud and no headphones so I could still hear what was going on around me. At mile 85 I realized I was now seeing new mileage for me but having saved my legs and eating well I felt great. Kept going slow and steady to T2. 6:46:29

T2 went smooth. It is inside and they have seats for changing. 0:5:36

I planned on a 3:1 run walk. I did it for the first lap of the 2 lap run and crushed it! I was on pace to PR the marathon. I wanted to save my legs and not crash so I slowed down some to avoid hitting the wall. I was shooting for a 15 hour finish, but amended it on the bike to a 14 hour finish. At the turn around to start the last leg of the run I realized that if I didn't run a single step I would still beat 14 hours. I was feeling great, tiered but happy. Rounded the last turn and my family was waiting on me. My daughter ran up to me and grabbed my hand and ran down the shoot with me saying faster daddy faster. She was giving high fives and waving to people. 13:33:22 was my official time. I'm hooked ready to do another. I tried to attach to video but don't know how. I'll try again later here is a picture of my cheering crew.


https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/931602244

Edited by b2b14 2015-10-19 2:06 PM






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Hey guys!

I know I've been MIA, got a new opportunity at work that involved a relocation and a tick up in job responsibility so something had to give. I chose to train over spend time on the computer

Just wanted to drop an update: I did make it to my target race and completed the 70.3 Beach2Battleship race this past weekend. Finished in 5:54:38 which I'm real happy with for my first race. I just read Scott's race report and I concur with everything he said about the course (except divided in half!!)

Taking a couple of weeks off and then starting to plan for next season.

Hope you all are well and that your fridges of full of craft beer. Happy training and drinking!

Edited by jhaines 2015-10-19 12:23 PM

Jeremy how did I miss you. I was 362 for the full. We should have gotten a beer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!