Baowolf's Mentor Group- Closed (Page 19)

Mitzi, this race is not about other people, it is about you. And kids generally don't have high expectations for their mother's athletic prowess. Kids are great in that you can do something that you think is not all that impressive and they are impressed. Only about one in 100,000 people is brave enough to do a triathlon of any distance. And just about everybody who does attempt their first or second first triathlon feels anxious before the race. Talk to Samantha if you don't believe me. She will be starting a 16 hour race with an injured leg that may or may not hold for the whole race (sorry Samantha, bring ducttape you will be fine). The wetsuit will float you up in the water, you can just slowly move forward until you are back at shore. How many yards is the swim? Anyway, if you can cover the swim distance without drowning you can finish the race. It is likely that no one you know will have any idea if your time is fast or not they will just be impressed that you completed it. Play up that point, have to get you some strategy for your bragging rights for after the race. When I was going to do the Boston Marathon a couple of years ago folks at work were all wouldn't it be great if you won. I'm all I won't win. They are all you never know. I am thinking ya right I am going to go from a 3:19:30 marathon to a 2:04:30 marathon on race adrenaline, don't think so. So take a deep breath, say your appropriate prayers and swim from kayak to kayak if you need to and get that finisher's medal!

Mitzi - dear one please don't drop out of the race. It may be hard and maybe you will be last but you will have accomplished something you worked hard for. I remember when I showed up for my first Olympic distance triathlon. As I looked around at the other athletes I knew I was way out of my league. It turned out to be a triathlon put on by a college, so there were lots of young, fit college people doing the race. During the swim I had a hard siting because of the sun glaring off the water. I swam so far off course I nearly ran into people who were swimming the other way. The kayakers had to keep an eye on me so I would stay on course, and the entire time all I could do was keep myself from crying because I didn't want tears splashing around in my goggles (I laugh about this now). I was about 3rd from last coming out of the water. I did pretty well on the bike, but I was like 3rd or 4th from last crossing the finish line. But no one cared and I felt awesome because I did it and it didn't matter how fast. Give yourself the freedom to not be perfect, fast, skinny, whatever so you can live life doing things you want to do regardless. You CAN do this race!

Steve - Yes, I find ducktape to be a very effective way to deal with injuries and other such things. As for getting some sun this week I had thought of that, so I'm glad I'm on the right track. I read about not putting sunscreen on until after body marking, I'll bring some down with me and put it in my morning clothes bag. Toenails are already clipped, and I got a new pair of socks a few weeks ago.

I'm doing well. People keep asking me if I'm ready. I tell them yes. They ask if I'm nervous and I tell them no. Today I wondered if I'm ready and not nervous because it really hasn't sunk in yet. I don't know if I really understand that I will be starting the race of my dreams in 6 days. I decided it will become very real when I'm standing at the starting line...hahaha.

Great news - I did not notice my knee at all today! I got in another OWS. The lake temp has increased to 63, which is fantastic. The current weather forecast is calling for 75 and sunny. I'm hoping it doesn't get too much warmer.

Tomorrow I'll get in a bike ride and Wednesday either a swim or walk. I'll decide about the rest of the week later. Thursday I am going to athlete check-in to get all my stuff, and then volunteering at a booth to watch athlete's gear while they practice swim. Friday is banquet and meeting. Saturday I'll get my bike and transition bags put where they need to be, then spend the day with friends from out-of-town. And I'm not sure what I'll do on Sunday..bahahaha

Oh, Happy Father's Day to all you dads! I admire each one of you in the group because it is clear to me that you devote so much to your children and love them with a love that is going to set them up for success. I hope you felt loved!

So excited for you Samantha!!!

I finally feel close to normal again as of last night. Still a bit sore in some odd spots on my lower leg (the sides? Really???) but had the forethought to schedule a nice 1 hr massage for tonight, so Im heading there right after work.

Will get back at it tomorrow with some pool time, then off for a short 4 day vacation where I'll hopefully ride a bit, and maybe get in a short run or two.

Edited by Mike_D 2013-06-18 6:00 AM

Mitzi, I totally understand your feelings. But to paraphrase Steve, after you are finished no one will ask you your time. They will see the pride on your face from setting a goal and accomplishing that. I just finished a OWS where I was completely petrified the entire swim. I swore that I was the slowest person in the water and doubted myself every stroke in the water. But when I was finished and running up the shoot to get ready to bike, you would have thought that I won the race. And after I was finished with the race, my thoughts went back to the swim. I was happy that I didn't allow that to beat me.

Remember you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Mitzi -- Don't let the doubts stop you. Get to the start, move forward, and get to the finish. You can do this!!!!!! Have everyone there to share in your joy when you cross the finish line! No one cares where you finish or your time, just get out there and make the race yours. Go Go Go !!!

Thanks everyone. I'm reading your stories and support over and over.

I'm going to try and get an emergency swim lesson (at the gym you are supposed to request one and they call you in two weeks).

I was surprised that I didn't feel any additional buoyancy from the wetsuit. I am pretty buoyant to begin with. Also, when I stopped to breast stroke and sight my legs sank till I was treading water. Do I expect too much from the suit? When I got out of the water I felt like there was extra water in my thigh area. Maybe I hadn't pulled the legs up enough? I am now squeezing into larges, down from extra larges (which is my entire wardrobe). The wetsuit is a petite large so I can't believe it is too big (it is used, could it be so stretched out?)

Feeling less depressed than last night, but having a hard time fighting the urge to kick a** in a workout today. The speaker last night said that it takes a week for the body to integrate the training and that you want to be fresh. I know I hear you all saying it too. Going to try and trust it. Maybe a mile run or a short bike ride.
Know that giving myself two months just never got my mileage up to where it should be - worried that the same thing will happen for my oly in two months

Sorry for being a downer.

Mitzi

Mitzi – When you signed up there was a plan in mind. Now that plan might have gone astray but the toughest part of this is just getting to the start line. No need for any expectations, the kids will be proud when you finish just like you are there for them. Hang in there.

Samantha – Totally with you on the not sinking in yet thing but I bet there is a small part jumping out of your skin. You have a great plan.

Mike – Enjoy your vacation! Take some time and let that hammy heal. With my bike issues, I was surprised to have some good strong rides and any recovery you get in will only make you stronger.

Steve – Think I am starting to understand something you emphasize with the run being easier to improve as I spend lots of time on the bike. Mathematically one or two miles per hour improvement means a big race improvement but that time investment to get there is huge. The swim is so short that again the time investment for significant speed improvement becomes big. Let alone the difficulty of building and getting faster.

Ken – How is your training going? Your race will be here before you know it.

I had one of the slower bike rides and also an amazing experience. The route winds through some pretty country up to a state park on top of , what is for NJ, a mountain. It was not too long of a ride at 16.88 miles but there is a 2.34 mile portion of 3.8% grade. I made a couple stops during the ascent and took a Gu. I miss calculated a sprint up one hill and had to pit stop but overall impressed that I made the climb. The total ascent was 860’. This will probably be on my weekly routine for a while. Tonight I am looking to get in a short run and swim.

Miss Mitzi, the very thing that got me to do my first sprint is the very thing that is stopping you... FEAR. You must do the the thing that scares you most. I won't even go into my first triathlon.... Lets just say it was no bueno! Swim is my weakness too and was on my back at least half the way. Let your faith be stronger than your fear and once you cross that finish line your mind won't be on how terrible the swim was... You'll be elated at finishing and searching for the next! You CAN DO THIS!!!

Mitzi -- Please, please do NOT drop out of this race. Just by toeing the line, you will be overcoming fear and self doubt, and that is a HUGE victory. Imagine how good you are going to feel walking out of the water towards your bike. Steve is so right that just by training for and participating in tri's, you are part of an elite group of people. When (not if) you are on the course, think about your team here on BT cheering for you. You don't have to live up to anyone elses standards (especially not those 20 something spandex clad folks )....just go and experience that exhiliration of overcoming. Go kayak to kayak, mile marker to mile marker until you cross that finish line. Do not miss this part of your personal journey. As for the fear of being last, I wanted to share this experience with you:

I did the US Open Olympic distance tri a couple years ago. It was a more "official" type race with Pro's and all, and I had really trained hard for it. It was my "A" race, and the only one my parents had come to watch. I completed the swim slow but OK...last wave but still had some company exiting the water. Long jog up a hill to T1, put on helmet & bike shoes, and went to check my insulin pump before hopping on the bike, only to discover I had left it at the "swim out" table back down by the water. I was so excited about surviving the swim, it didn't even occur to me until then. So took bike shoes back off and conferred with an official for permission to run backwards back to the lake. Down the hill, retrieved it, back up the hill. By this time, my "lead" on not being last was gone. My bike was the very last one in the transition area and I felt devastated and seriously thought about just calling it a day. But fighting back tears and cuss words, I hopped on my bike, and started to ride up the first hill. Passed one of the pro gals who was starting her run as I was starting my bike. She was really huffing and puffing up the hill, and so was I. First half of the bike course I saw zero other participants in my race (other than those already running). Again, almost turned back with the sprint distance race course to let it be OVER. But somewhere on the ride, I decided that I was going to enjoy it. After all, how often do they close roads and direct traffic just for me? . That thought made me smile and laugh. I did pass a few people finally on the bike (ha, probably those with mechanincal difficulties). Once I hit the run, I chatted it up with several folks, and passed a friend who had to walk the run due to a recent diagnosis. Walked with her for a bit, and continued on. It was one of the most enjoyable runs I've had. Turns out the pro gal I passed on my bike was the ladies winner of the race. I had a brush with greatness that I would have missed had I not been last coming out of T1. I'm so glad I didn't drop out. I would have missed so much and would not have much of a story to share with you today either .

All these stories are so incredible. We are all facing challenges with so much tenacity. What a beautiful group of people to be a part of.

Mike - Glad recovery is going well.

Joe - that ride sounds really sweet. I chuckled about the "mountain" you rode up because I've met people from the East coast who don't understand that there mountains aren't really very big, but they are sure they are. Have you traveled West?

Day off today. Gonna hang out and relax. I'll go for a bike ride later, then I'm headed to a Pre-Ironman BBQ where Heather Wurtele (Multi-time Ironman Champion) and pro racer Derek Garcia (who I took a swimming class from last year) will be speaking. Should be cool.

Ah Ms. Mitzi...I'm so glad others have posted before I did! I have to tell you that I agree with everything that everyone has posted to you. (loved your story Carol!!!) To be really honest with you, it makes me a little sad to read about someone thinking about giving up something they want to do out of fear. I can only speak for myself...but most people I know look back at their youth and wish they had done this and wish they had done that....and live with some regret about those things. RIGHT NOW...as an adult, you have a chance to DO something that you've wanted to do.......I don't know if this is a recent thing or something that goes back to being really young but that barely changes the point! I know you're a mom and I'm a dad so I know that we always want whats best for our children...what we forget as parents is our kids want what's best for us too. Your kids don't care if mom finishes dead last in a race....they care that you did something that not many people have the guts to try and finished! I forget if it was in this group or the last group that I shared a story about my son bringing in my 2012 Boston Marathon medal, number etc...but he did it because they were talking about the tragedy at school. He got to be the star of the day in his classroom, made him super proud of his dad, and found out that nobody in his GRADE had a parent that finished a marathon...let alone Boston. It didn't matter that I probably finished in the bottom 25% of all runners in 2012...he cared that his dad did something that nobody he knows had done. So finishing dead last is 1000x better than DNS!!!!

Stepping off of my soapbox now. Today wasn't one of my better workout days. I tried to do too much and my body reacted as you'd all expect. Having said that...I'm pissed off that it happened. I got up early and did 7 sets of 50y sprint, rest 10 seconds, 100y recovery. After that I went to the crosstrain class that my wife had been doing to work on my anaerobic conditioning and doing some plyometrics. The class wasn't too hard but it seems like it was harder than I thought. After putting the kids on the bus, I went for a 35 mile bike ride. My legs were shot from the swim and the class but they loosened up after about 5 miles...I was happy. For the first time, I brought some nutrition to take on the bike....unfortunately, my chia mix was rancid so that didn't help much. Scary moment at about mile 26.5....my achilles flared up and hurt. I stopped riding immediately and sat down for about 10 minutes. I'm guessing that it was a matter of doing too much plyometric work so it let me know. I got back on the bike and coasted the last 8.5 miles to my house. My pace was 15MPH and my goal of doing a short run after is gone. As I post now, it feels fine and it felt fine for the second portion of the ride. Logically, I understand why it happened but I can't help but be angry. I expected to be able to accomplish all of this today...so not doing it is a big failure. The only silver lining I can come up with is that my cardio was very good for the entire day...I just need this achilles to stop bothering me!

Hope you all are having a good day!

Mitzi - I think we all have had that thought during training... what separates us from the normal people is we can push the negative thoughts away and get to that starting line. Just doing the training you have done is a HUGE accomplishment. Training on vacation and such! amazing... That's accomplishing more that almost all other people will do in their lifetime... When I did my iron-man I was in the bottom 10%, when I run races I am usually in the top 10%. This stuff is not easy! Sprint distance or IM.

One of the most inspirational things I have seen in my lifetime are the people who are finishing these races towards the end. To see all types of shapes and sized cross that line is what makes me get out and train.

Get to the starting line and who cares how you finish. Think of all the people sitting on their couch... they couldn't dream of event doing one of the disciplines let alone all 3.

Mitzi -- the DFL thread in TT is pretty good, huh? Guess who has a story there (raising my hand!)! From not even a year ago, no less.

Go. Do the thing you think you cannot do. Be the 1 of the 100,000. We all believe in you.

Mitzi: You can do it! Like everybody else said go and have fun. I still don't think you will be last (and even if you are, so what?) - there will be people there who weren't at the orientation session. I did my first tri in the complete wrong type of wetsuit that wasn't even mine (husband's shorty that he wears snorkeling). It didn't fit right and I swear I pushed half the lake along with me! I did a lot of dog paddling/breast stroke/etc but I made it and you will too!

Mike: Congrats on the race. Enjoy the vacation.

Samantha: Great news that the knee seems to be on the mend! That must be fun to watch the excitement build in town. We get to watch that on a much smaller scale here for the Wineglass marathon.

Everyone else: Nice job on all the training. I like reading what you all are up to.

I actually found my way to the pool today! I only did 1000 yards because I needed to get back to work, but it was nice to be back in the water. My sister did sign us up for a tri as a relay wtih me as the swimmer. We decided on a smaller tri that is closer to home because it was significantly cheaper. It is a fundraiser for a HS swim team and does not seem to be USAT certified. The swim is in a river! I've never swum in a river before - hope it's deep enough. A branch of that river (Susquehanna) runs by here and it never seems very deep, especially in August. We'll be down in the area the weekend before for a wedding so maybe we can scout it out.

I am still planning to do a fall marathon and I've been back and forth about which one. I may have lost my mind, but I am considering signing up for Twin Cities (10/5) again. I saw a Facebook post that said they were 90% full and that this week would probably be it for registration. We'll see what my husband says.... I have an aunt and cousins in Minneapolis, so I'd have a place to stay and people to cart me around. One of my cousin's has a new baby so it would be a good excuse to go meet him. Otherwise, I'm still considering Hartford CT (10/12).

Courtney

Courtney, given where you are in run training October looks duable for a mary. I wouldn't put off deciding too long though, it will be a significant build.

Jim always welcome, sorry about your illness that just sucks. Mind your health as you build, maybe a sprint or oly in 3 months or so would work just for fun.

Samantha soooo cool that your knee is doing better. The emotional rollercoaster will continue, sit back and enjoy the ride. Glad the water is warmish for cda. That temp is awesome, it was 95F when I did CDA, a little warmish.

On longer races I like to pick a visual portion of a route I run at home. So I visualize running biking whatever, that portion with visuals that I mentally pass as I get closer to the finish line. Each visual landmark gets me that much closer and I know the route well, so I can just pass by that street, that house, the firestation, that puts me 5 miles out, down the hill, next corner, etc. Helps me through the last 6 miles of the run or whatever.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-06-18 10:56 PM

Courtney - happy decision making. Sounds like Minneapolis would be a good pick for several reasons. Decisions, decisions. Glad you got a nice 1000 yard swim done.

Jim - So good to hear from you and I'd love it if you were around regularly again. Yes, IMCDA is in 5 days. CAn you believe it? Yes I am ready and so far I have had very little nervousness to contend with.

Today was a lazy day. The weather was really crappy and unpredictable so I relaxed. The BBQ I went to was really nice. Talking it up with several folks and got to talk with a pro for a few minutes. Also got to touch an electric shifting tri bike. It had shifter buttons on the end of the aero bars and the horns. I bet it's is worth more than $5000. It was fun to see people get excited about me doing my first IM when they don't even know me.

Oh, and this is day two of zero knee pain...woohoo!

Steve - I like the idea of picking land marks to help with the last bit. I've also decided I do a run/walk right from the start. 4/1 until that seems to be too much. So do you think I'll be okay if something happened to my nurtrition if I just went with what they have on the course instead of carrying extra? Do you know the best way for friends to track me? Are there apps for smart phones? Are some better than others? I did get nervous about my planned number of calories today. What if it gets really hot will I need to worry about getting in enough salt with my planned 2200 calories on the bike. I know I can drink some gatorade on the run.

Mitzi - how are you doing?

Well happy training everyone!

Edited by anthalynn 2013-06-18 11:02 PM

Sam, with everything on your mind thanks for thinking of me. I am excited for you this weekend. You see people posting little video clips of themselves finishing, that would be great. Hope you can post the photo of you finishing running under the timer (clock?).

I'll share what I posted on my thread Thinking of Quitting.

"Thanks everyone.
I have worked hard. I spent time in the gym getting in shape to begin my training, though the two months of actual training wasn't long enough. Proud that I did 8-9 workouts/week, though missed the last, longest run - the 3.2 mile one that would let me know I can do the distance. I did up to 2.6 pretty well (on a treadmill). I am starting to feel like I can do this. I really want it - just afraid of not being able to do it. I did the trial swim, it just wasn't pretty (lots of stopping to tread water to figure out where I was) but I didn't have to be hauled out of the water.

I guess now is not the time to question why I also signed up for an oly at the end of Aug! Again just giving myself two months - got to write that down as a bad idea for next year, though I doubt I'll forget.
One thing at a time - I'm going to do the positive thinking thing, plus get in a mile run tomorrow and short bike ride to remind myself that I know how. Will shoot for two more pool swims focusing on sighting."

So many inspiring posts!

Steve - with all I heard about buoyancy and wetsuits I was surprised that when I lifted my head to sight my legs feel so that I was treading water. Am I expecting too much, for the suit to not let my legs fall. Should I worry that when I stood up out of the water it almost felt like the suit was loose around my thighs, almost filled with water. It's strange because I don't know what it is all supposed to feel like.

Mitzi, I'm behind on the posts yet again but I saw your post. No, Sweetie, don't quit. You can do this and you know what, even if if you have to pull out, we are going to love you because you were able to overcome your fear and start. My hubby left the first OWS clinic early and swore he was out. I left my first OWS clinic humiliated. We both made it thru the tri (and another one) and it wasn't pretty but it was triumphiant.

I'm going to try to catch up on all soon. Samantha, definitely know that we'll all be cheering for you and tracking you this weekend.

Oh boy, I did intervals this morn. First time since August and I had to balance working hard but able to complete the rest of my day. 4 * .35 miles with about 2 min recovery.

Have a great day all.

Mitzi -- just keep going forward. You can do this!

Samantha -- So excited for you. Just a couple days away, and the knee is treating you well. Have a spectacular day!!!!

I was back in the pool today and did 2550 yards. It was not fun, and the 'ol energy gas tank is clearly not quite refilled yet. Happy to get through it, and I feel good now, but yikes.

Steve -- whats the best way to approach recovery from a HIM? I took 3 days off completely, tried to eat well, and drink plenty of fluids. Is there a typical time lag until I feel completely normal again? I was pretty gassed in the pool today, and figured by now I'd be OK. I was somewhat, but not near where I thought I'd be. The learning continues....

Jay -- thanks for the message about the socks. I'm all in on good running socks now.

I'm off for a short 5 day camping vacation in Maine starting tomorrow AM, so I'll be off the grid for a bit. Hope to get in a run or two while up there, though. Really looking forward to it!!

Mike...I'm sure Steve will have more ideas but I know that when you run a marathon...the next day you should run a mile or two just to get the lactic acid out of you. That 1-2 mile run is the hardest run you'll do...you'll huff and puff and sweat like a beast...but it gets that lactic acid out of you. If I had to guess...that pool workout you struggled with got that done for you today.

Pink Pam - Nice work on the intervals, and have fun back on the run.

Mike - I would not expect to feel normal but like Jay says it is probably good to get moving and remind the body what normal movement feels like.

Mitzi - The wetsuite only helps float some and for me I notice the added float most when trying to breast stroke and the legs were a little too high to get a good kick. Although in free you will also notice your head getting a little lower in the water due to the legs and hips being higher as well.

Courtney - Glad to hear you signed up for the relay and look forward to hear about your choice of marathons. So much time so many choices.... I have been threatenning a HIM and must admit have not committed yet.

My swim went well last night but the run got pushed off due to thunderstorms. The swim started slow with 500 breast stroke and started to feel good as one of the other triathlete's showed up and we discussed some up coming races. I continues with a fairly easy 10x50 free followed by 5x100 free. The next 500 was mix of breast and free of 50 + yards at a time since another swimmer showed and I had to share the lane. I don't mind it just threw my timing off a bit. The other tri guy finished his set and he started talking about completing 2K continuous and started me thinking. He might be a slightly better swimmer than me although last race I beet his swim time by a minute or two. So I started wondering what I could do. 100...200... and finally pulled up at 500yards! I had 200 yards free style recently and thought that a challenge. So the swim continues to progress. I am totally psyched!

Hey Jim, welcome back! I too hope you continue to feel better, and can post in this great group!

Joe, so glad to hear you had a swimming breakthrough. They seem to come at the most unexpected times. Though I think it has something to do with spending consistent time in the pool .

Mitzi, yay, you are down off the ledge! Now don't you go back up there, or if you do, make sure it's right over the water so all you can do is jump in. As for the wetsuit fit, all I know is that when you are on dry land, you should feel much like a sausage in casing. Should fit very snug and take quite a bit just to work it onto you body. When you get in the water, as you discovered, it will definitely loosen up some. I don't typically feel terribly waterlogged in mine, so I do think it's possible that yours might be too large. Still should be OK though...just may not make you the speeding bullet in the water that you want to be .

Samantha, so glad to hear your knee is doing better! Smart girl to rest it as you did. Also glad that your nerves are behaving nicely. I just hope you have the most fun week, and get to that starting line with a big smile. Your transformation into an IronMan is almost complete. Realizing that this has much deeper meaning, but I can't help but think of this scripture for you: "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6) Anyway, that is what I am praying for you this week.

Pam, good going on the intervals! Ha, I did some too...5 min walk, 5 min run X 3. This is my return to running plan, so nothing too intense.

Jay, you crack me up. You had an awesome day of training, and are beating yourself up. This is what makes having a group like this so good. Different approaches and we balance each other out. How is your wife doing re: the diet vs. exercise?

Been doing my thing re: swim a few days a week, and now adding back in biking and the return to running plan. I'd like to sign up for something, but want to see how the return to run thing goes before I do. Off to visit my friend in prison this weekend. Have found a pool in the same town that I think may work to squeeze in a swim, and also have a friend who knows the HS swim coach there seeking out options for me. Might take my bike, but only if I'm confident there is a good/safe place to ride.

Good afternoon everyone! Today finds me at an interesting crossroads with a lot of my triathlon "lifestyle" I know that Carol finds it amusing that I have a good training day and beat myself up but....that's just what I do! My "issues" are twofold. 1. my expectation vs. reality of what I can do are not in agreement. The reality is that I'm WAY ahead of schedule with my achilles BUT I'm not able to do what I think I can do. My story of yesterday illustrates my point. I don't know when accepting that I'm not 100% and holding back is okay and when its me using my injury as an excuse. I also realize that its not exactly in my DNA to not give it all....but I've lost conditioning due to my injury...so that's where I'm at. Any thoughts would be helpful (especially from our MASH unit) 2. I mentioned this awhile ago but my low carb diet is starting to concern me. I don't have the energy to sustain the training I want to do. I either need to give my body time to adjust to this more intense training (I went through this post op) and/or figure out how to fuel my body during training so I don't get the total lack of energy I felt today.

Today's workout was fine. I did some strength training and I'm happy to see that my leg/calf strength is almost to where it was pre-injury. After that, I went on the TM and increased my run to 4 miles. I averaged slightly less than 9:30 pace...again, I guess its not a bad beginning spot to be in. I walked a mile after as a cooldown...something I never would've done pre-injury! I jumped in the pool and did a quick 10x50 set. I had aspirations of doing more but that whole expectation/reality thing reared its ugly head. Either way...that's two bricks in a row.

Quick update on my wife...she got a CAT scan to see if she really has a bone chip or if its a bone bruise. We'll find out in a few days. In the meantime, this has made her exercise/diet crossroad a lot easier!

Jim: Nice to see you back and sorry to hear about your health issues. It sounds like you were a part of the MASH unit but stayed AWOL from us.

Carol: Please harden yourself for the visitation process. Unfortunately...I know of which I speak on this. Even an honest mistake made by a visitor has set off corrections staff....seen this first hand. It is very routine for those of us who work in prison but its not routine to you....listen carefully to what you're asked and get through that door ASAP to see your friend. Honestly, I wouldnt even say hello to anyone...no need to be mean or anything but just "stay within you" so to speak.

Joe: Congrats on that breakthrough

Mitzi: I'm wondering if you're depending on your wetsuit to act almost floatlike. A wetsuit will give you buoyancy and you will get wet with it on....but you need to maintain balance in the water. I'll try to illustrate my point...when I float on my back in the pool...I can float but my hips/legs will be slightly underwater....when I'm in my wetsuit...everything is on top of the water like my chest always is. Hope that makes sense.

Hope you all have a great day!

Another odd post from me today...I have a xlab saddlewing

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Amv9ACNcVtKuIX7.ciOAHzqbvZx4?p=...

It mounts on the back of your bike...I had to take mine off because it was impacting how I got in the saddle. Having said that..if anyone is interested in it, PM me. I'd love to keep it but its not worth the back pain It is red so the picture that I linked is accurate.