Opiejoe's Group-closed & staying on page one!! (Page 2)

Question #1 - My first race will most likely be the Cascades Edge Tri (Sprint) . 6/20/09  The water temp here in Washington doesn't leave many late spring / early summer options. As it is, I'll be swimming in 55-60 degree water in June.

Question #2 - By far, my biggest struggle is the run. Followed by the bike.

Question #3 - I exercise now because I have to for health reasons. That is really the true excuse I "use" to make myself set aside work and our 4 kids for an hour every day. The truth is that I feel better physically and emotionally when I workout. I am insanely motivated by the fact that the only thing that will get me across the finish line is relying on myself and seeing how much I can make my body do. There is no one who is going to finish for me. I either have it in me or I don't. And I'd rather die than not finish.

-Danna

MERRY CHRISTMAS & GOD BLESS YOU & YOUR FAMILY

OK-time to start getting ready!!! Only a few days left til I start holding everyone accountable for their workouts. Remember, if it's not posted in your training log-you didn't do it!!! I'm off to go see Marley & Me with my girls-hope the lights are low while I'm crying  (I have a 6yo yellow lab "opie" who I consider a member of our family.

Enjoy your last weekend of eating crap & being stretched out on the sofa-

There sure isn't much talk in here. Everyone must be really getting ready for 2009. I'll be off work til Sat, so I plan to get in some bike miles if the weather stays moderate. Thank goodness my pool re-opens on Fri. Never thought I would miss a pool!

 So, to pass some time today: tell everyone what type of bike you will dominate your AG on in 2009

Myself- Quintana Roo Seduza (Black/Red) was forced to buy a new bike last year. I ran over my old Trek while I was unpacking from Florida 70.3 . No, really I did

Wife-Felt S32 (red) lovely little bike that came at a insane low price for a tri specific bike.

I will usually check our board several times daily, but I am also available for questions 24/7 (please no late,late night ones) If any of you need a quick response just email me at [email protected]

Last year, I trained for my first tri on my husband's old mountain bike. A week before the race, he bought me a new Trek 1.2 in white/silver/blue. Great starter bike. The components could be better, but it beats the 40 pound mountain bike. The new equipment took 17 minutes off my practice times. I'm so lucky to have it.

I'm looking for a trainer so I can ride indoors. Today, there is still 2 feet of snow on the ground and I went snowshoeing for the first time just to get away from the elliptical machine. Anyone have a trainer they can recommend? And what about rollers vs. a trainer??

For the record, I have no idea what AG is. ;-)

Greg - Glad to hear someone else "blew it" over Christmas week. I'm just looking to lose 1 pound a week and felt fortunate to break even this week also! Here's to next week and better food choices!

Happy New Year to All!

-Danna

Opie=Dogs name

Joe=nic name for dog

Opiejoe=this said together in a loud tone means he's done something REALLY bad!

OK, last day of 08. Reflecion time. Overall it's been a great year. My family and job are awesome. I went from a mop (middle of pack)finisher to a fop(front of pack) finisher this year. How did I do this:

1. Hired a swim instructor. I thought I could swim-I couldn't! I now have a little bit of technique. And I swim ATLEAST 2 tmes a week, mostly three. Best $$$ you can spend starting out.

2. Learned to control my nerves pre-race. Best advice I ever got was "you think everyone is watching you? heck, nobody could care less what you are doing during a race. They're  just trying to survive theirselves!!" Think about that one. I treat each swim start like a practice day. Next time your at the pool share a lane with a buddy & swim side by side. After a while a little kick or nudge won't even faze you.

3.Made a decision to eat healthy & stuck to it. Give yourself that ONE DAY each week to splurge, but starting tomorrow, eat right & include your family. After a month of a proper diet, you can eat one bite of a Mcdonalds burger & you'll spit it out-I promise. If you have food that you just can't live without. Use it as a reward. After every race, I have a HUGE serving of key lime pie (my fav all-time treat). You would be amazed if you knew how many times I thought about that stupid pie during a race.

4. Learned somedays it's not gonna happen. It's normal to push through a tough workout and break walls down. But sometimes your body will just say NO & that's when to shut it down, go home, rest & figure out what went wrong(sleep,diet,mind is somewhere else,eyc..) I have added 20 miles to a 40 mile bike workout while feeling great, but I also have turned around at mile 2 before.

4B. If something starts hurting-STOP the workout!!!!!!!! See ITBS

5.Made new tri friends. Your NORMAL friends do not understand us-lol. It's great to meet people in your area that share this sickness. And also, participate in a mentor program. Don't be afraid to ask anything. It sure helped me. If this mentor group isn't right for you that's ok-but a daily accountablity will sure get you out of that bed at 5am sometimes.

Man i'm long winded today.

OK, everyone list their #1 goal to achieve in the first 4 months of 2009. Think long and hard before you post-because I will probably remind you of it many, many times.

Opiejoe #1 Goal for Spring 2009= Sub 5:45 finish at New Orleans 70.3 on April 5th

 I try to do all my workouts that fall under the 2 hour range early in the AM. This really helps on race day. Think about it...especially the swim. I find it helps me simulate real race day conditions. I have a sensitive stomach, so I have to really dial  in my pre-swim intake. It took my body about 2-3 months to adapt. Now, I can get out of bed & be swimming or running within 30 minutes with no problem. For those of you with kids, you can have the days workout (except long bike) done before they finish their first bowl of fruit loops.

I have a similar question. It's time to sign up for the spring/summer tris. I'm looking over the schedules and wondering. Is it all about pushing yourself and crossing the finish line or getting a good time? For example, I can work on Sprints and work on better times, but I'm wondering if I should be pushing on to Olympic and HIM distances. Is it just a difference in philosophies?

-Danna

Art-you rock bro !!! Add another Opiejoe groupie to the 70.3 list !!!!

Danna-It's what you want it to be. Your finish time is all about what you want to achieve. Does that make sense? That is why we rate our season in A,B,&C races. I think everyone should have a Spring & Summer A race. For these races we pour our heart/soul into achieving a finish that warrants our 110% effort. Then for your b & c races sometimes just having fun is enough. Maybe do a race with a friend who is just starting out & support them throughout the race. I would love to see you sign up for an Oly race. I'll be doing an Oly distance 2 weeks after my 70.3 in April. This will be my wifes 1st Oly distance. I really could care less where I finish. I'll be there to share the weekend with her. As for her goal of that race-FINISH !!! (and there is nothing wrong with that mentality in my book) Plus this will be her first ocean swim race & she is convinced that there is an above average chance that SHE will be eaten by a shark