Meulen's 'Let's tri this Thing!' beginner mentor group-CLOSED (Page 16)

wow, that's really nice of you, Henry!!! thank you so much for asking. just waiting for a call from them so that i can schedule the MRA after it goes through my insurance.

not gonna stop running though. when someone tells me that i can't do something, i just do it better and harder. (just keep telling me i can't run, people).

what are people's training schedules like for the weekend?

i have a big work event tomorrow, but i hope to get some swimming in during the late afternoon.
sunday- possibly run or, if i can get to the gym, i'll spin.

got lots of working out to do since i will be totally eating/drinking like a 300-lb man on sunday. we're having a huge party- everyone is invited!!! GO STEELERS! whoot!

Go Steelers!

My plan is an easy run 3.5 mile run tonight, computrainer tomorrow, 9 mile run on Sunday. I'm going to leave out a swim until I'm 100% better.

That's the plan anyway. If I get on the treadmill tonight and get sick again, not sure!

9 miles. (sniff, sniff). i wanna do 9 miles.

careful what you wish for!! building mileage isn't easy. A lot of times you feel like crap afterwards. Next week Sunday I have to do 14. The treadmill will proably reset 2x before I finish and I'll be dead the rest of the day! I kinda hope I can run outside by then. The scenery makes it a little easier, but you still feel like crap after!

i hear you. good luck with that 14!  i need to go from 5 miles now to 8.1 miles by march for my next race. here's to pepto!

Got the first run in! I'm still not 100% but felt good to do something!!

Of course I end up getting sick for the Super Bowl weekend!  Today was suppose to be a good training composed of biking and swimming.  Right now I'm torn, but I still want to continue on.  Maybe it will knock all of this out of me.....or maybe I will be lying on the couch for the entire day.  I am hoping for the former

No prob! Hope the test helps figure out what's going on. I hear ya on the being told not to do something front. When I've had back problems (ran 2+ miles yesterday and no pain!) amateurs (friends, co-workers, etc) always show skepticism about my working out. But the truth is, modifying my workouts and continuing to push through with what I'm capable of doing is what has healed me! I have back pain because of years of not being active and letting my muscles atrophy, etc etc. But I did stop running for 3 months and now I'm easing back into it with better form & posture. I will keep hoping for you to find a simple solution so you can keep doing what you love! 

My 12 week plan that takes me to race day begins tomorrow with a short run. Technically it's still 13 weeks off, but because of my vacation next week I decided to start a week early, maintain while I'm in Mexico, and repeat the 2nd half of "week 1" when I get back so I go smoothly into what will be the actual week 2 (11 weeks from race day). 

I stayed up late, but had fun and slept late so got lots of sleep. Woke up with my quads feeling really sore from yesterday's run but no back pain, which is the point. I'm sure the quad pain is due to focusing on my new form/cadence & using muscles in a slightly different way. Also only my 4th or 5th run after not running at all for over 3 months. Plan on taking a very easy cycle on the stationary bike and possibly a short swim plus core work today, and then starting the training plan tomorrow. The workouts will seem very simplistic at first but aside from the swimming I plan to build slowly as the plan suggests.

Brian: I will email you those 2 plans to compare tomorrow. I'll probably follow some combination of the 2 because one focuses on time and one focuses on distance but there are aspects of each that I like. 

michael forced (for lack of a better word) me into a bike shop today. i think i would have rather gone to the dentist. it was awful and intimidating probably because i know nothing about bikes. actually, it was terrifying! i think that i would rather keep my mountain bike than ever ride a road bike because i never want to go into another bike store again. ever.... again.

I will not disagree with this blog.  If you ever do get a new bike, then it is going to be a true painstaking experience

Blasphemy!!!!!!

I spend more time in my bike shop than I do in Church. Which is probably completely bad!

You guys must not have a good shop near by. My shop knows be by name and is more of a hang out for me than a store. I take computrainer there and chat with trainers, the owner, and mechanics regularly. They are great people and an incredible source of info.

So what happened?

no, we have a ton of bike shops around us. we only went in one though and it was fine, the guy seemed nice and not pushy or anything. i had to get on a bike and it was really weird when he started measuring me. i tried two different bikes and one was fine i think. he asked me if i had any questions and i had to call for michael because i have no idea what to ask about. i felt completely stupid...it was one of the most humiliating moments of my life. but the guy probably had no idea because i had my kids there to "distract" me so it looked like i was just too busy to talk to him. i don't want to go back. michael said that i'm going to be too picky with finding a bike.

Personally, I was not very happy with this shop, but we were in the area, so I stopped by.  I love the place where I bought my bike, and I too plan to spend a lot of time there.  You have to understand Erin in order to understand why this was so bad.  She does not do very good shopping (even if it's at the grocery store), let alone at a bike shop.  We will press on next week after the Super Bowl.  GO STEELERS!!!!!!

Edited by mcommend 2011-02-05 10:15 PM

I can relate with feeling intimidated at the bike stores, but I frequent this really awesome bike co-op (so the kids that work there are part owners and communally make decisions). It's a very community based store. We have plenty of bike shops in my area, ranging from snobby racing type stores to family-geared places that cater to families with kids etc. I think it's really important to browse around a few stores in your area (not even necessarily  asking questions or getting fitted for bikes) and find a store where you feel a bit more comfortable and enjoy the atmosphere. I almost always bring my partner too, who is more savvy with bikes and even builds his own single-speeds! Don't give up from one stressful experience. Getting new gear should be fun!

hahaha! you're totally right. i just need to read, research, and feel like i half-know what i'm talking about before i walk into another store again!

Fortunately, I seem to fit into the snobby racing crowd just fine. Lol.

Seriously, a good bike shop is hard to find. I hate being told stupid crap by some kid who barely knows how to lube a chain. I build some of my own bikes too so I tend to do a lot of bike research before I even go to the store. Especially with my mtb's.

What you're looking for is a shop that is helpful and informitive. When you get a fit it should be someone that has some sort of certification. Ask them if they are certified. Simply standing over a bike doesn't fit it! Fitting is somewhat of an art since everyone has different leg verses torso sizes and different levels of flexibility. They should know how to get you a frame size that allows them to get you as low and comfortable as possible and keep the proper hip angle so you can put out maximum power in this position. What you don't want is some kid sticking a stick in your craggy and saying you need size "x"! There is more to it than that

If you guys have any questions at all about this please feel free to ask me. I'll even give you my phone number so Michael and I can talk about it it's really important to have a good fit. If you don't your going to hate being on the bike and it will be so painful you won't care to put in the miles you should be on it.

ha!  you hate yoga and i hate...bike shops! ha. thanks for the advice. i do appreciate it.

this game SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gah!

Yes but I know what's good for me and do yoga anyway.

The game is not over yet!

DAMN CHEESEHEADS! ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i am such a bad loser!!! too much testosterone is making me crazy. apparently, i'm very vocal during a football game- thank goodness the kids aren't around!

double the work-outs this week since i've eaten way too much garbage tonight!!

I know you all are in Pittsburgh but take a drive down to Morgantown and go to Wamsleys.  They are the best bunch around and as far as I am concerned I would drive 2 and half hours to get there if I had too.  I drive 1 hour and pass 3 bike shops along the way but they are a great bunch!  It is more of a hangout for me and my wife knows if we go over she can just drop me off and go shopping as I will be in there for at least an hour and a half.  Not to mention they have a great bike/running trail right out the back door of the store, and Morgantown Running Store has now moved in right beside them at the Seneca Center. 

Just a quick internet check but....

I see Biketek and Probike seem to have real certified bike fitters and might be near you guys

I live in Pittsburgh too and I really like Biketek. Biketek and Probikes are both on Forbes in Squirrel Hill. Way back last year before the thought of a road bike or triathlons even entered my mind I went to Probikes in Squirrel Hill looking for shoes to wear for spinning class. Well, I stood there for 10 minutes helplessly looking around the store and nobody even came over to help me! I guess I looked too "amateur" for them. The store was not busy, and maybe it was an honest mistake, but I felt like they were really snobby, so I walked out and a few doors down to Biketek where I was greeted right away and was treated wonderfully. Now that is the only place I go and they are always helpful and friendly!

Edited by sbux87 2011-02-07 1:23 PM