Matt Gilmartin's 2nd Quarter Group- back in the pool! FULL HOUSE (Page 16)

I thought about my prior post on the Garmin and I didn't mean that to sound like I don't like it. I'm still a bit upset that it just shut down on mile 14 of a marathon but that also helped me realize that I was relying on it too much. I learned from that experience and still use it for my runs. If I had time to be doing any biking in the 102 degree weather I'd be using it for that as well.

I went back and looked at sale ad from Runner's Roost for the Motorola Actv and the link for it is:

http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/8GB-or-16GB-MOTOACTV/79070,en_US,pd.html

The sale for the 8 GB is $149 and the 16 GB is $199. I know nothing about it other than what I saw at the Expo and the website.

I think the Garmin 110 with the heart rate strap is running around $199 now. The 210 was $249 at REI when I got mine for my wife.  Both came with heart rate straps.  I've had mine for a little over a year and except for the Seattle incident, haven't had any real problems with it that weren't user created. It does what I want it to do which is heart rate and pace and uploads easily enough that I could figure it out and review the data.

Well its been a while since I've updated where things are at with my training. In short, the training is as close to non-existent as it can be. I think its safe to say that 2012 will not be the year of the triathlon for me.

Things aren't looking up in the near future either. My wife and I bought a house for our daughter, which was a bank repo that needed "a little work."  That was an understatement. We've spent most of our free time fixing that house and are almost done. While our "remodel" was in progress, we had the chance to buy a house for us that was one of those deals you couldn't pass up. So on top of it all, we are in the process of moving during the middle of the "hottest summer on record" in Nebraska.

The bright side is that our new house has 2 garages. I have already laid claim to one as my "workout room." The treadmill, bike trainers, weight machine and punching bag will be set up along with a fridge for water/sports drinks. It helped that I offered to keep all my gear and workout clothes in there so that they don't stink up the rest of the house. I know I'll miss waking up every morning seeing my tri bike in the bedroom corner but my wife won't.

I also had a long heart to heart talk with my wife about next year, and I got the go ahead to register for any race I want to. I got that consent after full disclosure of entry fees and costs associated with travel, etc. I suggested getting it in writing from her but she wasn't willing to go that far. That will probably come back to bite me. She did understand that most of this year was spent doing things that cut into my training time and all of our purchases except for our road bikes had nothing to do with triathlons, biking, etc. I translated that into her saying it was okay for me to get new race wheels. Again, I could be wrong.

I hope everyone is getting in some great training and having fun at their races. As long as Matt doesn't kick me out of the group for slacking, I'll have more race reports to contribute to next year, as well as some serious training logs. That's the plan anyway.

Steve

Steve, you wouldn't know it wasn't your year from all your optimistic (and hilarious) posts.  Sounds like things are good in life, when that happens it makes tri-ing a lot easier.  Keep with us, we're going to have a great 2013.

This. Is. Hilarious.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/im-truly-sorry-for-this-but-youre-about-to-hear-al,28995/

Thanks everyone for the posts about the GPS watches!  It was very useful information and I'll be shopping around.  I hope training is going well for everyone!     : )

Don't be a slacker!

Hi all,

14 days to the Danskin!  I finally did a swim session of 2000 yds, twice!  I think I was inspired by all the Olympic swimming I've been watching.  I'm still not sure if I am a glider or a swinger style but I keep trying to swim smoothly and I know I am better.  Monday and Tuesday are my last chances to swim in open water before the event and the weather is great for that just now in Seattle.

Running is coming along.  I made it to 4.8 miles and today my goal is to try to round it up to 5 miles before it gets too warm.

Cycling - must practice changing my tire today!!!  I don't want to DNF because I only kind of remember how to change a flat.

One more week of hitting it and then the blessed taper!

Have fun all!

Melinda,

Great news in terms of everything!  I'd say you are well on your way to becoming an official "Triathlete"!!!!  Keep us updated, and let us know what you decide on the GPS.

Melinda - great job of training. Excited for you.

I have been on vacation with my family for the last 11 days, only 3 to go. This has wrecked my training for a tri in mid-September. Looks like I will opt to start training for a half-marathon in February (that my wife has almost committed to doing with me ) and will work on my swim for the next several months. I am going to get a decent technique down yet!

Thanks for all of your encouragement Matt et al!

Bryan

Best of luck in the race! Sounds like a fun one. Did you watch the women's triathlon competition in the Olympics? Pretty intense! I can't wait to watch the men's race tomorrow. I think I would die LOL

Good luck with the running too and changing the tire. I hate changing tires! Still can't pry the tube off the wheel on my own, not easy!

Hey All,

If any of you or your spouses are looking to join a Fantasy Football League, we've got one on BT here.  We're starting a second league due to popularity and we're short 2 teams for a 12-team format.  I believe the entry is $50.  Let me know if anyone wants in, we're going to draft last week in August.

Steve, I used that same Promo code last week to get 20.12 off Vegas.  Have fun in Denver- that is a really great race!

I just cant imagine running a marathon.  Today's long run for me was 6 miles, it was hard, I had to force myself to run and not walk.  I got to about 5.5 miles, and I was thinking "well, I can go another half mile, but how in the world am I ever going to get to 13.1?"  I know as I keep training and sticking to my plan, it will happen.  

Oh, and I really RAN the last .2m of the run, after I stepped on the baby snake all coiled up in the middle of the concrete.

We'll just put you into a bed of cobra's- I bet you could set a world record on that course LOL

Stick to it.  Trust me, when I started out my running was pathetic.  I mean that in the truest sense of the world pathetic.  I won't even tell you what my 5K times were.  Suffice to say a little bit of training, learning what works, and still managing to  have fun.  Stick to it.  You'll make it!

I know exactly what you are going through and believe me it does get better. I started running last February, and I still remember the feeling of joy that I got when I made my first 2 mile run without having to stop. I had never ran a race before and signed up for the Papillion 10k in May. I had a great time and was hooked.

The thing that I learned the most was to listen to my body. I tend to go "all in" on most of my hobbies but I did finally figure out that if my ankle was sore, it was ok to take an extra day off. I also missed runs because of work or family, but I really tried NOT to miss out on the long run. I ran a few 5k races last summer and then did the Denver Rock and Roll Marathon last fall as my first marathon. I am definitely hooked on the longer distance. I also like the look on my friends/families face when they ask how far I went on my run and I tell them "It was an easy day - I only did 9 miles."

I see that you referred to "my plan" and I didn't know if you were following a set training plan or just working up the mileage yourself. If you don't have a training plan, there are tons out there and a lot of free options. If you have a smartphone, Runners World has a really cool training app. Its called Smart Coach. You basically enter your info, your most recent race time for whatever distance you raced (or best training run, etc.), your goal race distance, how many miles you run weekly and your starting week. I counted back from my marathon to the day I started and entered that which was less than the 16 week maximum.

I am currently using the app for my 2 fall marathons, with my second one being my goal race. The Rock and Roll Denver fell in on one of the weeks that I have a 20 mile long run, so I'm counting it as my training run that week. I'm also doing a mild taper just before the race and the plan worked out that my next week is a recovery week. Its also free.

Just a thought I had when I checked it to see my mileage for today.

Steve

It looks like the powers that be here on BT aren't going to be archiving us until December  You'll all be able to listen to me complain about the trials and tribulations of training for 2 marathons! 

Besides Steve and April, is anyone else planning on a fall running race?