Prof40's Group -- Technically full but ... (Page 17)

Hey Kanders- sorry I thought you were Robb, you start scrolling and get lost.
I signed up the Minneman up after my first tri, 1/14 at the Midtown YWCA. The minneman tri people were helping out and really got me excited. But really I have no clue what I have gotten myself into.
I took a rest day yesrsrday which I needed and today I taught and swam, I was in the water for 90 min (not in mertirc) . So this week which started Monday, I have swam one mile. Very proud of myself. Now tommorw and Sudnay I need to do a 8k practice and a 1or 2 mikle run
(I can not remeber what I already did or what my running goal is for the week).

Okay, back to work, I got here late and plan on leaving early to take my bike to the shop.
HEY PROF: stay away from the girl scout mafia- those chicks are evil. I have not gone there (I am sugar free/I do some splenda). I had one kid whose mom did the ordering and she would not deliver until pay day, the kid would sit at the front desk and say, "Pay me for my coookies, I know you got paid today". I was out of control. They even have a table at the door of the YWCA, they get you coming and going.
really now back to work. BGT

Heh Robb- the June 17- Leamington- 750/20/5 race is cool- not to spoil the surpirse- but- you get.... tomatoes!!! It's the Tomatoeman race- lots of fun- well organized. Think positive- Lakseide will go well!!!!

For races- I stick (ha-ha)- with power gel- prefer the Power bar type (I think that's the brand)- the-stawberry-banana flavour. Or- the Hammer gel- the raspberry flavour (but hard to find locally)

Prior to a race- a few hrs before - I eat a Power bar or Cliff bar- don't mind them at all.

And re BR question- you guys have things so much easier!!!! Anyway- I've never had a problem- however have only done the shorter distances- just have to go the the BR/port a potty 10 -20 times before a race!!!

-Helen

Hey Sean, Thanks so much for the power systems info! Will definitely look into it! I help everyone else with their pains, but can't do a lot for myself. So mostly I just learned to not really feel pain! Mind over matter. But on the rare occasion when I do get a massage or adjustment, then I realize how many sore places I have. I do have this thing called an intracell device. It's a stick with rolling segments on it that you can use to roll over the muscles in much the same way, but it is hard to use it yourself on your back. I really realized how tight I am in the upper body, which likely contributes to the "weakness" there. I think my upper body is just chronically fatigued from my line of work. I do not have a desk job! You know, Sean, you sort of remind me of this other fellow I knew with the same initials--SP. Probably just a coincidence But he went to school in Boston, I think--red sox.....

OK folks daylight savings time is this weekend. A great time to commit to our goals. whether they be long term, short term, or little of both.
Let me begin:

Goal
1. Continue to stay healthy and gear my training to that end.
2. Push my limits but meet goal 1
3. Be the best dad/hubby i can and leave the world at the door (training should help me drain this negative energy crap)

1. Complete first sprint tri in sept.
2. complete a race a month
3. Start marathon training
4. complete marathon in october

Training/motivation tip (I stole this - like so many of my good ideas)
Every day i train i put a rubberband on my wrist. That night i add it to a rubber band ball. when i approach a big event i look at the ball and remember the preparation. and like many things in life the bigger the ball the better.

I think I heard that on an Enzyte infomercial this morning. (Okay, I know it's in bad taste, but it is Friday...)

Oh, so many posts to comment on I dont know where to start!
First: Yoga- Ive been doing it semi regularly for the past 1.5 years, about 1-2 classes/week at a very mellow yoga studio. Im not sure what it has done for me, although I now can do a handstand (in yoga they are called "Inversions") like I used to when I was a kid. Seriously, I think i have built upper body strength that I wouldnt have otherwise since I still havent got in the habit of weight lifting. The teachers I work with are very big on rolling around on hard things to lengthen your muscles, they use the mini basketballs, and we finish almost every class with this. Its like a tortuous self massage. I think the best benefit I get though is the core awareness and the relaxtion aspect. I am always going so hard at all my cardio, it so nice to be doing something with your body that is actually soothing in some ways. It can be hard too, the more intense it gets, but I always finish feeling refreshed. So- yes- everyone do it if they can!

Second: Calorie counting devices...I think I have spoken about the wonders of heart rate monitors before here, and Ill get on my soapbox one more time- They can give instant and semi-accurate calorie counts each workout that you do! When you program the watch when you first get it, you put your weight in. IM not sure if the calorie counts are based on time alone, but I would think it takes into account your heart rate too ( Anyone know?) Anyway, the first few months i had it I would wear it all the time for different activites just to see how many calories i burned doing normal stuff. It was very amusing. Im over it now,but if you are a instant gratification junkie (Phoenix???) then it is a must have inexpensive toy.

Third:
"I hate the taste of power bars but love the effects of them before and in the middle of a workout. What are you guys eating/drinking? Any good tips of a natural suppliment to take? "

It took me 3 years to try gels but when I started those longer runs when I was training for my half last year, I was starving when I got done and barely making the distance. I realized after attending some sports medicine nutrition lectures that I needed to consume more than water anytime I went longer than an hour for a training session, based on my body weight etc. So, I tryed gels and LOVED the instant effect they had. I have tryed lots of brands and personally like Gu the best, Chocolate Outrage to be specific. It has some caffeine in it but you can get them caffeine free too. They are a quick jolt, but they dont have any long term energy power. I usually eat a more complex carbohydrate bar (Cliff or Luna are my faves) before a long workout and then gels every 45 minutes during the workout with water or watered down gatorade. If you dont live anywhere that has a good variety, you can order all this stuff one line. When I do sprint tri's, I usually put gatorade on my bike and try to eat a gu about 10 minutes before I start my run and its amazing the burst of energy I get during the run. It took me 3 years to figure that formula out, its not right for everyone but it works for me. If you plan to go longer than an hour, you really should consume some calories.

Fourth: Cricket????? It was like you guys were speaking a foreign language or something. I think we'll just let you UK'ers go at it alone on that one!

Phoenix: Good luck this weekend! Just remember to have fun and laugh at yourself.
BGT: glad to see the mean walgreens lady didnt take any fight out of you!
Mike: I like the goals list. Im going to work on mine this weekeend
Everyone else: Nice lists of races and good job on all the workouts this week. I love the inspiration!

Training update: I took this week off from running in efforts to heal all my nagging injuries (currently an annoying hamstring insertion pull) and I think it was a good idea. I want to start my serious training plan in 2 weeks so I figure I better do this now. I have new aerobars and a new bike fit on my bike and its awesome! It feels a lot better and Im gearing up for longer rides now that spring is kind of here.

And my big personal accomplishment for the week is......tadah- I quit one of my jobs! I have been working 2 half time jobs and finally got the offer for a very nice full time package at the ER so now I will be a full time ER Physician Assistant! Its a big deal for me because I have wanted this since I was in school over 6 years ago and I fell in love with the ER. Its a hard gig to land though so its taken a few years. In terms of my tri life, this actually means that I get more daytime training hours since I will be working afternoons/evening there. Im excited.

I think that is enough for me- have a great weekend everyone!

Well I actually found a bar I don't hate. And its a no-name Canadian brand thats cheap. Its the generic peanut-butter chocolate stuff, but it doesn't taste like raisins and feet. Man does it ever make a difference eating one before a good workout. I also picked up some gel stuff that I am going to down on a bike ride this weekend.

watergirl, everyone will tell you you need to recover those injuries before getting back into training, and you obviously already seem to be doing that, so good job! BTW I was looking at your logs and I am very jealous at how much you can swim! You little fish you :P


Also, on my research to making running less painful, I found this video that shows some basic stretches for running. I'm sure most know this already, but doesn't help to reinforce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwlgnsg7nPQ


PS has anyone else noticed that this is the most active group of all the mentor program groups? w00t!

hey guys seems that every1 is doin well.

i bought my new training skins so far so good and i also got my running dvd in the mail is very handy on to make your running more effiecent its called "eveloution running" for any1 interested

off topic well sorta i want to tell a story

out here in Australia we have a real bad bad crim known as chopper reid not sure if any1 your way has heard of him but basicly he was a type that underworld figurs hated cos thats who he hated most drug dealers rapers and those sort of low lifes he has admited to killing like 19 people and he cut his ears off in prison!

but basicly there is now a comedian out here that does a impersonation of him and i know have a motivatinal saying for myself it goes "Harden the $#$% up" i now have a wrist ban that sez that so when im out running and tired i look down and get my motvation.

if any1 wants to have a look at the sketch it came from have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkIVvjZc9Y


****** BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DONT LOOK AT IF SWEARING OFFENDS YOU!!!!********** THE F WORD IS USED QUIET A BIT!********

thats all from me so now i must go harden up!

cheers malphh

Well, I finished. That was my minimum goal. That and get there on time and alive!

We all knew the swim was going to be bad at best. Carlos was trying to encourage me to gain fish consciousness by reminding me that we start out in the womb in water. So, during the swim, I start to go back to the womb, and it worked well for a bit. Then, because I'm warped, I reasoned that before the womb, we were half egg and half sperm. And boy, can those little sperm swim! Sperm consciousness was more than I could handle, and I started to laugh! So, I did the rest of the swim on my back, which I had planned to do anyway. The only problem was that I would slow way down when I was getting close to the wall for fear of bumping my head (which I did on Thurs. practice).

The bike was going okay, then I started to wheeze and cough. Oh yellow bike--forgot the inhaler. Didn't think I'd need it indoors, but hadn't counted on NERVES! So, I just took it really easy and had a little heart to heart with myself. It went something like this: 3 years ago I was living in flight or fight mode 24/7 with my alcoholic husband who would put his fist through the wall on a regular basis. Then my adrenals gave out and I had to inject dexamethasone into myself every other day for about a year and a half. Around that time, with the divorce mess and everything, I actually visited the suicide web site. The consensus there was that the best way to go is to get a whole bunch of heroine and inject it into your neck vein. The only problem with that is that in order to get that much H, you would likely get f***ked up the redbike by some dealer named Bubba, which would make you so pissed off you would want to live and exact vengeance! So I decided to live for my kids. And I started to lose weight, as I was all the way up to a size 18! Now my size 6 jeans are starting to get a bit loose. Not quite a year ago I started dating again and was wildly attracted to very athletic men. And I chased them, but had them up on a HUGE pedastal. Not a healthy or attractive approach. So, I decided to BE the athlete I admire so much. Six months ago I couldn't run a block and hadn't biked in years. I've had my bike on a trainer for about six months, but wasn't consistent with it until recently. I couldn't swim a single crawl stroke until about a month ago and didn't run on a treadmill until about 2 weeks ago! So, what do I expect? Miracles?

I stopped putting athletes up on a pedastal, and stopped chasing men about 2.5 months ago. Now they chase me! The ironman called me last night to wish me luck, and said he'd look up my times (oh THAT made me feel a lot better!) and said he's interested enough to try being my friend first and do bike rides and stuff together and just see where it goes. But, I have to admit, although he has a Master's from Marquette, I'm not completely wowed by his mind, and that's more important to me now than the athleticism!

Pep talk and nice even bike ride over, I bravely faced the run, which I haven't been doing long at all! And did it in my very best time ever!

Bottom line, I'm okay with it. And I challenge all of you to NOT beat yourselves up if you don't do as well as you want at first. We all have our challenges that are unique to us. Remember how far you've gone, not how far you have yet to go

Pene you are such a trooper. I am so proud of you for being able to do so much in so little time. I like the little pep talk you give yourself too, I sometimes give myself that when I am pushing that extra bit (although I haven't gone through 1/10th of what you have in your life). You should feel good about where you are in life and where you are going! Its only up from here baby!

So whats next on your list? Is it warming up where you are yet to go play outside?

WEEK IN REVIEW: MARCH 10



(Anyone else miss Jen's exuberance?)

Yep, that pretty much sums up how I felt when I started reading all of your posts. This team is amazing -- big round of applause for all of you!

And talk about motivated. I happen to mention it's time to pick out some races, and you respond with whole calendars for the summer. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm only registered for one race. Suddenly, my haphazard planning routine looks downright negligent!

You will never know how much you all motivate me. That was especially true this past week when I was in the pool. I realized that some of you (not mentioning any names, but, ehem, WATERGIRL) might hold me accountable so I did early morning swims even when I would have preferred to stay in my warm bed. This morning, when I go for my run, I'm sure Phoenix's race report will toss around in my head. Thanks to all of you for your dedication.

So enough blather. Where are we?

MARK inspired us with poetry. Then, he posted his race schedule, which is just awesome. A triathlon sponsored by Michelob! Suddenly, a race that hands out a couple of free gels and some Gatorade just doesn't seem so exciting.

ROBB joined us, and has his first race planned for June. He's also Canadian, but that's okay. (See my cold weather rant of a few months ago to understand my suspicion of all things from the Great North.)

BGT told us how tough her girl scout cookie salesgirl is. Sheesh, I can't imagine getting shaken down for cash by a Brownie. She has 7 more races -- yes, that's right -- 7 races planned for this summer.

MALPHH is showing off his body in running tights. And I don't think he's like me and Mark, who have the moral obligation to cover up with a pair of shorts over them. He has races planned in April and May.

PHOENIX did her first tri! Welcome to the club. If memory serves me right, only she and BGT have completed races so far this year. And she also has 7 more races lined up for this summer. Someone give this woman a beer and have her sit in a comfy chair for an hour or two.

KANDERS is not letting BGT and PHOENIX go unchallenged, and responded with 7 of her own planned races. Looking at her times, she'd be a perfect training partner for me, as her pace seems to reflect my own. Of course, I'd have to respond with juvenile adrenalin, just like I did the other week when I was in the pool and the swim team was in the last 3 lanes. Hopefully, the results of a one-on-one race with Kanders would not be as embarrassing as the dusting I got from the junior swimmers.

HELEN kicks off her summer with a marathon, and then segues into 5 triathlons. I don't think I've run a marathon in total miles so far this month. Yet another member who is intent on kicking my red bike in training mileage! And she shares my fondness for the strawberry/banana gels.

SEAN has 2 races, one of which is this morning! Go Sean! Let us know how you did. And he's lost 30 pounds since he started training. Which makes me remember when I used to lose weight from exercise. Okay, after I eat these last 2 boxes of girl scout cookies, I'll get back on board.

MIKE shared his goals and a motivation tip with us. He's planning on doing a tri and a marathon in the fall in addition to a race each month. Sounds like someone else will have a busy summer, too.

WATERGIRL admitted her love of chocolate GU and shared her race nutrition strategy. I do the same, so if you missed her post, you should re-read it. She really explains why, and how, you should use gels, fluids, and bars. Plus, she works in an ER. Which is just cool.

It seems like some of you are doing the same races. I'm looking forward to reading your race reports.


Then, of course, we have our combined numbers. As of last week, we were at:
Swim 5,424 yds
Bike 300.37 miles
Run 65.47 miles

MALPHH added B 10.55 km/6.55 miles and R 3.37 km/2.10 miles.
SEAN added B 44.88 miles and R 6.5 miles.
ROB added B 56km/34.8 miles, R 6km/3.72 miles, and S 480meters/525 yds.
Then add my B 103.74 miles, S 8050 yards, and Run 14.0.

As of this morning, we are at:

Swim 13,999 yards
Bike 490.34 miles
Run 91.79 miles

So, add up your numbers for the week and report in!

Have a great week.

My numbers for the week:
S 850 y
B 18.5 m
R 12.77 m

Thanks Robb and Prof for the encouragement!

Watergirl--I'm thinking you are right about the nutrition. I had a gatorade before the run and it did seem to give me a boost. I'll get some gels this week!

GOALS:

I have exactly 12 weeks before my "real" tri. Supposedly anyone can be ready for one in 12 weeks, so I have a teensy little head start. Obviously, I need to get the crawl down. Might also try to learn the Australian crawl--head out of the water. What do you all think of that? One of my biggest issues is breathing with face in water. But back and side are slower, so...maybe there's a compromise with the AU crawl?

Do the spin-a-thon and focus on speed intervals, while convincing myself I can keep going and won't collapse or whatever. I didn't know how to ration my energy with the indoor tri. When I did the swim practice, I rarely did the whole thing without stopping. I would do a length and get some critiquing, then do another. Or I'd do a length or two and switch to kickboard or try fins, etc. And when I practiced my own little tri at the Y, I found I had NO energy left for the run and had to walk most of it. I just need to convince myself that I do indeed have endurance enough to complete these things and not faint or have a heart attack! And I'll play with the gels, too.

Keep running at least 4 days a week, and work up to a 5K distance with intervals. Those really helped to push my speed up. I'm NOT fast yet, but I'll get there. I have a 5K in April.

Come up with $$ enough to take home my tri bike and get it on the trainer for now. Way too snowy and muddy right now, with nasty patches of ice all over. Even driving right now is a bit tricky, so I'm not risking it with my new bike. I don't think the track here is cleared off for an outside run, either yet. It's a nice cushy track and I'm going to start on there with the outdoor run and work up to the pavement, then cross country. Baby steps.

I'll start logging my food intake, too. Gads, I HATE doing that! Can't cheat that way. But, if I don't look at where I really truly am at, I can't very well see what I need to do to improve, right? Will do some shopping soon and stock up on fruits and veggies.

And of course, I need to keep the kids reasonably happy, make sure there is enough clean laundry and dishes to survive one more week, and not go bankrupt.

Man I just seem to hog this site. Sorry. Just a lot of enthusiasm!

Malph--tell me more about this evolution running. What do you think? Is it worth getting the DVD or can you tell us in one paragraph the gist of it? Curiosity killed the catwoman

Mark--I enjoyed the poetry so much that I picked up the Rumi and started reading again. So, here's one that I liked particularly well:

"Look carefully around you and recognize
the luminosity of souls. Sit beside those
who draw you to that.

Learn from this eagle story
that when misfortune comes, you must quickly praise.

Others may be saying, Oh no, but you
will be opening out like a rose
losing itself petal by petal.

Someone once asked a great sheikh
what sufism was.

The feeling of joy
when sudded disappointment comes.

The eagle carries off Muhammad's boot
and saves him from snakebite.

Don't grieve for what doesn't come.
Some things that don't happen
keep disasters from happening."

I've been considering what to do to keep training fun. So, I got out my belly dancing tapes again. (I sort of have this whole Persian preoccupation--Rumi, bellydancing, used to be a Baha'i'...) I started bellydancing when I had a pretty big belly--I was pregnant. It was supposed to help strengthen all those stomach/pelvic muscles and make delivery easier. Don't want to think how hard it would have been without the exercises, as it was HORRIBLY painful! (sorry, BGT, don't want to discourage you, but if you need them, ASK for the drugs! I was too stubborn to do so.) But, I had absolutely NO problem pushing the kids out--very strong that way We're all supposed to focus on core muscles, so for the ladies, check out Neena and Veena on tape. Guys--yep, they are foxy twins that bellydance--you will enjoy them just for asthetic purposes. Actually, in belly dancing countries, it used to be the MEN that did it! Then the women started and they use it DURING childbirth! There are women that support the mother by dancing for her during labor, and hold her up so she can dance through the pains. Then they used to dig a hole in the ground, put an animal fur in it and the mother would squat and deliver that way--I kid you not! The women there do NOT dance for men's pleasure, but get together for chick day and dance--even the old ladies, and ladies of all sizes! Kind of like card parties that women do here (or Tupperware). And, Rumi was a Persian Dervish, meaning he danced estatically in religious fervor! He was in love with Shams, a man. And can he write about love!!! By the way, I heard this new song by Nelly Furtado and JT called "Give it to me" that makes a PERFECT modern day belly dance song

I think the writing food down thing will work for me. It so freaked me out that Carlos and others might look at what I eat, that I was good and ate grapefruit, carrots, brocolli, cabbage, prunes, and all bran!! Okay, I had cinnamon toaster strudels, too. Darn things are addictive! I'll load up on chicken breasts later for protein. However, how do you use the nutrition program on the logs here? I tried to post a meal and got nowhere with it. Help! I'm not so good with technical stuff on the computer. Tried several times to post a picture, but the file is too big, then tried the thing to resize, but it turned out all blurry....And I don't have like hours at work to play with this stuff. (My digital camera software stuff is at work, not home).

I'm also compiling lists of IPOD songs to download when I have the time (at work again--might put my secretary on it because she's younger and better at it!). So, if you all have fav's, post them so we can check them out. Like, which song makes the best one to play when you start to hit the wall during the run, and which ones are best for increasing cadence on the bike?

SEAN--let us know how your adventure race went! Kayaking sounds really fun, and if I just can't get the swim down, maybe I'll go that way! Hey, it's a water sport!

Hey pene, just got home from a long ride and getting to ready for work (yes I am a sucker and work on sundays) but thought I would post this quick

http://www.fitday.com/

Not sure how easy they are to use on here, but I used to use this site to watch my calorie intake a few months ago. Really makes it simple and breaks down the fat/carb/protien for you.

Good luck!

Thank you Rob!!! What a cool find I think it's just the thing for me. My secretary also uses a site called Peergrouptrainer.com, a support group type thing for those watching their weight. She loves being accountable to others, but thinks the folks in her group aren't being completely honest about their intake or they would be losing faster. I think she's right. The support group thing only works if you can be honest. Anyway, she likes it. And she's a fiesty little East German girl. I sometimes wonder if I work for her or she works for me. She took control of my checkbook the other day, because I was too preoccupied with stuff to post my checks. We all need people in our lives like that at times. She even made me banana bread to take with me to my tri! Why on EARTH are you working on Sunday??? You poor thing I'm totally slacking today. Haven't even gotten into the shower yet and it's already 4pm!

Didja all remember to set your clocks ahead last night?? Or am I the only one who needed a call from my best friend, Tracy, this morning to remind me

I did the practice so that my first time running the full 5 miles would not be during the race. Half way through the run I walked some which was hard for me since I wanted to run the whole thing. But after the first 2.8 miles, I did not know how long I had been running nor how far I had to go (very few mileage signs at the lake) and that made me angry. Once I got angry, I walked more and my cadence got way off. I could go on about what did not feel good but I want to highlight is lessons learned.
1. Practice makes all the difference. What ever the event, do the distance before hand, it helps get you pysically and mentally ready.
2. When I do something new, run 5 miles instead of 3, I need to give myself a break, it was okay that I walked for less than half mile of my 5 mile run.
3. Next week is going to be hard. I need to prepare spiritually. I am going to have to use some prayer to make it across the finish line.
4. I have to remember that one year ago I walked all of the Human Race, it took me almost 52:00 min. This year I am running the 8k. I have come to far to give up now.

I am ready for next week, and if not I will do it anyway.
BGT

Phoenix, you are busy lady. You always post things I am excited to read. You even make me laugh outloud sometimes.
Dropped my bike off today for a tune up. I am going to select one day a week to commute into work. I am excited to be getting outside and learning so much. I got my husband a suprise, I got a rack on his bike. He is going to commute to work/school all 5 days casue so he is going to really like his gift.
last note- I am watching the search for the next pussycat doll. It is like a national wide stripper serach with vocals.
have a great week. Will post fitness plan for the week late tonight.BGT

Hey BGT! A new challenge for us! I'll try out for the Pussycat Dolls if you do! You'll probably whip my redbike though, cause I can sing Karaoke: Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz", Alanis Morrisette, JoJo's "Get out", and a little Tracy Chapman, but I only do imitations. Haven't really found my own voice yet, if you know what I mean. Plus, you are cuter than me But, I AM a catwoman!!! Off to Victoria's Secret to get a new stripper outfit.....been looking to quit my day job

well gang- here"s my weekly summary (Mon- Sun)
Swim- 2 miles (yups guys- have calulated it from metres to miles!!)
Bike- 12 miles (approx)
Run- 27 miles

-Helen

Have a great week everyone!!!

Holy crap, Helen, you sure are training hard! Actually, I'm in awe of all you who can swim more than 400 yards and not be DONE!

Speaking of the swim, remember my stupid Q about a swim pedometer? Well, I emailed GlobalSat about a GPS that they make that is water proof (they market it for above water sports like boating and waterskiing). I asked if they thought it would work IN the water. And the dude from there emailed back tonight and offered to send me one to try out and let them know it works for the swim!!! Saweeet!!!! I told him I'm a triathlete (cough, choke) and have a whole group of fellow triathletes that are VERY interested in this technology.....Be careful what you ask for It's model GH-601 if anyone is dying to google it.

Aw man free stuff!? Luckkkky :P Hopefully it doesn't blow up in the water and works for ya haha.

And yes I am a sucker and work some Sundays. I do IT support for a medical help line and they are open 24/7 which means my shifts are all over there place. This week I am 3-11pm so it will be the late night gym visits for me!


Today was the first day this year I have been able to get out for a good, across the city bike ride. Sun was out, it was about 32F out, and made for some nice riding.


Now, looking at some results from last year, alot of the people were doing about 30-35km/h on their bike for the race (10km). Now I don't have a full out road bike, and was actually planning to do the race on a mountain bike. The problem is that I don't think I can manage a 35km average speed and think it may hurt me.

So what is the best thing I can do to my MTB to keep up? I just picked it up some semi-slick tires which seemed to have helped alot. Also looking to changing out the front fork for a solid one.

Is there any way to be competitive on a mountain bike? I have a road bike I can borrow, but I would LOVE to beat some skinny guy on a full out road bike with my muddy sexy mountain bike. I may just have to learn to mash the peddles for 20mins and hope to have enough energy left to run 2k after lol.

Hi y'all

Well last week, on Chopper's advice (see, or rather don't see, the link from Malphh's last post that isn't about stretching-bloody funny!) I decided to "harden the *^!* up" and got back in the pool. Maths was never my strong point (hence a career as a lawyer which nobody ever says is cool) so I had a nice surpise when, on Friday, I worked out that 35 lengths of a 50 yard pool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday equalled 5,250 yard which is almost three miles.

So, totals for the week:

Bike: 230 miles
Swim: 3 miles
Run: 21 miles (as a reslut of following Satan's directions whilst running on Saturday morning and got a) completely lost and ended up running 11 miles rather than eight, and b) into deep trouble when I got back home).

I was interested in the powerbar/gel discussion. Try this for some homemade (and therefore wholesome) flapjack. We built an empire on it, don'tyaknow!

Flapjack like what my Mummy used to make. Melt butter, sugar & golden syrup in the ratio 2:1:1. Add senough porridge oats to make it into a stiff ball of just holding together oaty stuff. Press into a tin to a depth of about an inch and into the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 mins at 170 (the flapjack, not yourself). Remove and cut into chunks whilst warm.

When adding the oats, chuck in a bit of fruit or chocolate chips if you want but take care because too much will mean it will all fall apart. Hydration? Water. Or cold coffee mixed with water. Or water/fruit juice combined!

Have fun y'all.

Update on the global sat device: they are located out of Taiwan, and that fellow was SUPER anxious to work with me. However, the device is not yet available in North America. So he forwarded my request to the US office in Los Angeles and told me to request how many samples I need. Soooooo, I requested enough for all of us: Prof, Jose, Watergirl, BGT, Jen, Mark, Malph, Sean, Mike, Kanders, Rob and Helen! Plus three more for the Colorado guy, the ironman, and this other Nationals Tri fellow I know. Don't know if he will honor a request of that sort, but, ya never know! I told him there would be a HUGE market here if we were all in our races wearing the sporty thing this summer and that we would really brag it up for them, if it works! See, it pays to post on here on a regular basis!

Mark,
I have been there. 2 years ago i went for my first trail run and got lost (3 miles turned into 6 miles) i actually ran 3 miles in just over 20 minutes on my way back. awesome negative split! i got home to a slient ripping of the keys out of my hand as my wife drove to work. the best part; i didnt care because of the endorphin high and the layer of mud. ahh i love the fitness lifestyle.

Guys, free stuff AND empathy!

I'm soooo bored at work. Just killing time before I go and pick up my new bike this afternoon!

cycled in this morning and I haven't worked out quite how I'm going to get two bikes home this evening!!!