swbkrun Mentor Group- CLOSED FOR BUSINESS!!! (Page 159)

No racing for me... Leaving in the morning to head down to Bend Oregon for the weekend with a quick stop at Mt. Hood to do some trail running then 4 days of BBQ, cocktails, cocktails, and more trail running!!!



When I ride: Gu's, D.L, Credit Card, Cell phone, Spare Tube

Race: NADA (maybe some xtra nutrition based on race distance!

LOL!! Sorry!! How do you think it made me feel, leaving my PT's office with this guy bringing one of my bikes on the elevator for me, saying that, as I have knee pain and a race in 5 weeks!! He was also a whipper-snapper young guy (early 30's?) and I just had to chuckle and remind him (and me) that my body is not 25 and won't always act like it is (sometimes it tries though!) Just be smart and on top of things. Don't ignore little pains. Don't underestimate the importance of the right equipment, the right fit, etc. Be one step ahead of everything. And yeah, good luck with that.

If your run in your tri is going to be a mud-fest, consider wearing trail shoes if you have them. I did that for my tri and was glad I did. My feet did not stay dry by any means, but at least they didn't gather quite as much water. I had about 5 people post-race tell me they were really jealous of my trail shoes and wished they had thought of wearing theirs. I put some temporary lace locks on them to try to have a fast transition w/o having to tie shoes and it worked just fine. 

Can you tell I have a break in my day? Sorry for the multiple posts here... Just wading through.

TONY: How the heck big is your saddle bag to carry all of that? I used to use a bigger one and carry more crap but my fitter noted I was hitting it with my legs (my thighs are larger than yours, no doubt) and he ordered me to get a slimmer one. Now I can barely fit one tube, 1 CO2, tire levers, and a spare cartridge and/or tiny hand pump. 

So I have taken to carrying a spare tube in my jersey, so I always have 2. I've had waaaaaay too many flats this year not to carry two tubes. Heck, I've even ended up having to buy extras out on a ride!!

My Bento box is more of my "go-to" and "must-have" storage. There I keep my phone (worried if it's in my jersey and I crash I would fall on it/render it useless?), $20 bill, lately a credit card (as I had to buy a new tire during a ride, and was luckily able to get a cc# from my husband over the phone), and always some extra nutrition that I don't think I'll need but keep just in case. Usually that's a clif bar and some gu chomps or shot bloks. Having 300-500 extra calories is great if something happens and you end up really delayed. Or tip your bike over to change a flat and dump out your liquid nutrition.

Race day I empty out as much crap as possible. Am debating for IM -- carry one tube or two? For sure I will put one in my special needs bag. If I opt to carry 2, one ends up in the jersey and I'll need to remember to ditch it at T2.  

BAD ME: Do not have Road ID but know I should. Will order this afternoon. Promise. Ordering one for my husband as well. 

For those who do not yet have a RoadID, consider this, garnered from doctors and EMT's:

1. The wrist is better than the dog tags or ankle or shoe, as it is easier to find and less likely to be lost in a crashor cut away by emergency personnel.

2. Do not get the fancy one with the on-line data. Emergency personnel will NOT look it up! No time.

3. Put your allergies on there.

4. They will not trust a Blood type listing, and will do a blood type test. If you need blood before they can type you, they will give you the universal donor type O.

5. Information like DJ's is VITAL! The MRI could be fatal.

Be safe.


Edited by DougRob 2010-06-09 4:19 PM

I'm laughing at all the posts in my honor.  :-)

The Road ID - I have the wrist one, not the ankle. You don't expect me to put the timing chip on my wrist then hand crawl across like Julie Moss do you? No way. I have my race photos pose set in stone...I like it and I'm going to keep it that way! 

Oddly the one I wore at IronGirl was very comfortable. It's just a neoprene strap and very stretchy.

I was considering doing the Las Vegas Club Triathlon, but you have to be a member of the Triathlon Club ($65 for 1st year). I'm not, so I don't find it justifiable to join just to do two more races. It's pretty much just a triathlon club races because there's no "real" races from May until September (due to heat...duh!), so this is more of a training/trial runs to smooth out any issues for their real triathlons.   I was told it's not worth joining the club, and others told me it is. So, it's not going to be on my agenda until next year.

Hi All.....

Woke up this morning with a very bad tooth ache (been going on for a couple of weeks) and just finished the start of a root canal.  The dentist only had 30 mins so he numbed me up and scraped the offending part of the nerve out. So here I sit drooling while drinking out of a straw.  In two weeks the whole roots comes out. Fun, huh?

Doug: I saw you posted the video and I have not had a chance to try it on my bike yet.  It is definitely on my list of things to do before the weekend. I feel like I need to know a lot more about basic bike maintenace.

Dino: I think the idea of trail shoes is a good one if you are serious about killing the run.  Skavoovie wore spikes last year. Also think the phone in the jersey is a good one.  I usually put it in a Ziploc so it doesnt get sweaty.

Given that Kyla and Linda both have IM's in a couple of weeks, I was hoping the IM'ers in the group could talk about the special needs bag, especially for the bike.  How does it get handed to you? is it typically at the half way point? what should go in it?  It's all the thing outside of actually doing the swim, the bike and run that have me wondering what the heck?



Edited by SSMinnow 2010-06-09 4:54 PM

I feel sick for you.  I've been there and it is a feeling of total despair.  All I can say is there is someone out there that can diagnose the problem correctly and work with you to fix it.

When I started back running, pain was my guide.  If it hurt after the first day, I held off two days and tried again.  You could also back off on the minutes you run. I had to do that too.  To this day, I am still only running 25% of the mileage I used to do, all as a precaution.

My saddle bag and contents.







Edited by dalessit 2010-06-09 6:24 PM

Yesterday was a failure due to life and weather. Today was my normal off day and I feel pretty good. I did 11 x 50 yards at the pool. I also used a pull buoy which was nice and allowed me to get a little further and also try to focus on my form.  I made pretty good distance and pretty good time. I didnt feel exhausted afterwards but I was pretty exhausted during the exercise just not after.

Race report is finally up. I know I sound like a curmudgeon, but I'm really not. It just wasn't the right kind of event for me. I'm a nature girl at heart, and my overwhelming impression from this race was asphalt and trash. I think I'll stick with the smaller, more scenic events in the future. Big Sur, anyone?

Changed my profile picture to one my wife took last weekend:

Big Sur was a transcendental experience for me.  I did it as my 2nd marathon and the beauty, tranquility and just "incredible-ness" of it all brought me to tears at the crest of the "mountain" where there is a pianist playing the most beautiful, inspiring music! 

Okay, Jules, it is all run on asphalt/ road.  But I cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for your next marathon!  Gorgeous, and if you are lucky, a big, Freaking headwind from the start out to the coast! 

Zero spectators for the first 21 miles. So, a good chance to converse with yourself about how crazy AND LUCKY you are to be running it. 

Ok, I haven't run this race, but I have driven the course.  Twin is right, it is beautiful, but I do NOT think this is a place to attempt a BQ if that is your goal.  The course is cambered and is tough.

Like Julia, I prefer small races to large ones. I have done one in Ashland WI which is run 100% on a logging trail and another in Eagle River WI which is all asphalt, but in the northwoods with lakes surrounding the whole thing.  If scenery is your thing, these are both great.  For me, I don't look  at the scenery when I am chugging along, but I do appreciate the room to move easily.  Neither of these races have a ton of fan support, but I don't need that either.  Not sure either of these venues is an easy BQ.

Again, if BQ'ing is your goal,  I would read reviews from marathonguide.com.  The site will give you great reviews by people who have participated in the race.

Greetings from Asia.  I'm on a road show this past week in Hong Kong and Singapore and looking forward to coming home and Racing!  I have a race on Sat (in the US).  My first tri of the yr (a sprint) and it's fast.  Very flat..  I'm planning to use it for our virtual tri, that is, if I don't fall asleep during the race (don't worry team, I already have a very good time on the swim and decent times on the bike and run).   I hope that my flight doesn't get delayed..  I literally get in from a 23hr flight 10 hrs before the start of the race.  Hopefully the adrenaline of the race will make my tired body feel awake, I forgot what it's like traveling to several places in short periods of time and not letting your body adjust to the time change..  

 

ha! 

and good to see you a bit more chipper today!  

sorry guys but the color on that chair rail is just awful.  i do like the pretty pink flowers on your comforter though.

Oh, didn't realize BQ was the big goal.  In that case, there is a beautiful race that I've always wanted to do called Avenue of the Giants that is pretty flat but run mostly along/under the redwoods.  I think they only have about 500 entries and a few people I know who have done it just rave about it.  They have both BQ'ed at that race.  It is held in May, I believe.  And Suzy's right, Big Sur is probably not a BQ course but wow, I'm glad to have experienced it.  That part of our coast is one of the jewels of northern california.

Stan!  Nice to see ya!  Good luck on your race...sometimes I have the most awesome runs the morning after a long flight, so hopefully, you do, too!   
 

You look like youare trying to get somewhere fast!  Good pic!

Tablecloth.  Yeah looks funny in that picture, but doesn't look bad in real life. LOL, that pait is probably older than I am...