Jackjack's group - closed (Page 20)

Alright, who knows what about hot water heaters?  apparently ours decided to take a vacation too

Hey guys -

The kayaking was really fun, and a good arm workout too!  Nice job on those stairs, Cynthia

I finally managed all four runs this week!  I'm so proud!  The goal for this month is to keep that up.  Ideally, I'd also like to hit the weights and the pool twice a week... but obviously that last didn't happen this past week.

I'm looking into buying a bike.  Any advice on what brands/types/whatever else is best for your first ever real bike?  I have a friend who's a pro mountain biker, so I was going to ask her if she or her friends have any left overs they are willing to sell me (they're sponsored and get new bikes every year), but i'd like to know what to ask for.

Last - how do you know if a bike is the right fit for you?

And... how often do you guys swim outdoors?  Do you do it in the ocean ever?  What's the best way to train outdoors and still be safe with... you know... water conditions?

Laughing... those are all my questions.  Hope everyone is having a beautiful day.

Hi- I hope every one had a great holiday weekend!
Cynthia- any lock with the hot water heater?
Diana- I don't have any answers for your questions. But, I'm curious to hear what others say.

We had a great weekend here- picnics and hanging with friends/families. We went to my inlaws camp on a lake and did some fishing, boating and swimming. It wasn't relaxing for me, because my husband wasn't able to go-so I was running with Jack all weekend. Jack has no fear of the water-so he spent the weekend in his lifejacket
At one point, a bunch of us were on the dock and heard a splash. He jumped off the dock and started swimming around!He thought it was great to swim with the fish.

Di-  I used (I think) bikewrench.com (or something similar, where the website has you measure arm length, height, leg length (not pants inseam!), flexibility.  You plug in your numbers and it tells you which size is right.  Worked like a charm for me - I ordered my bike online and them had a local shop adjust fit slightly for me.

We have no hot water yet, but since we have access to showers at cabana, gym, and work the real annoyance is the dishes :P  Hopefully we'll choose a vendor today and have it installed by Wednesday.

In the meantime, my emotional energy is being sucked away -- a good friend has been at her daughter bedside these past 4 days in the children's hospital waiting for the "go" on the child getting a pacemaker.  She's 4.5yrs old.  Her 3 yo brother already has a pacer (since birth).  They are hoping to wait for the "first team" to do the surgery - the holiday weekend had the backup staff on call so for now she's being monitored with alarms going off regularly as her heart fails.  Can you imagine?  And at 4.5 years old the girl knows what to expect having seen her brother go through this, she DOES NOT want surgery, a scar, quiet recovery, and then a modified life... Hug your kids. 

On that note  ... I'm off to collect my kids and get lunch with DH.  I did have a good morning "back in the saddle" at the gym. 

-Cynthia
 

That gave me chills. I can't begin to imagine any family going through that, especially twice.
The people I work with would say ,"Let's hope you can spend your life only having to imagine it, and not having to live it."
I wish them all the best.

Good morning everyone
My visitors have gone and hopefully life can get back to normal now (whatever that is in the school vacation!)

Great job on meeting these goals you have set for yourselves.  Everyone sounds like they are doing great.  My turn to try and catch up now!

Cynthia, hope that water tank is sorted soon.  We had construction over the winter and lived in a couple of rooms so we had no kitchen or furnace and one small bathroom.  We did our washing up in the bath but at least it was hot water - most of the time anyway when it wasn't frozen. Ha ha ha.
My thoughts go out to your friend - another reminder how precious our children are.

Di, my input on your questions - from general experience rather than any great knowledge on the subject.  I rode a bike that I had bought "on my own" for many years and had a bit of back pain if I rode for longer than 30mins or so.  Thought it was part of being unfit on the bike.  Only many years later did I realise it was bike fit.  So, when I bought a new bike I went to my local bike shop and he took all my measurements and tried me on various bikes and gave me the options.  Once I chose, he also did a detailed fit adjustment on that particular bike.  When I got my second bike (my tri bike) I went though a similar procedure which took hours but was well worth it. 
My understanding is that as long as you get the right frame size then most other parts can be adjusted, replaced etc to fit (eg stem, handlebar width etc).  But I'd recommend leaving it to the experts.
If you are buying new, then bike fit should be included in the purchase at any reputable bike shop. If buying second hand I'd recommend window shopping at a bike shop to get their opinion on bike sizes and options.  Then you can be more confident in what you buy.  You can then take whatever you buy second hand to a bike shop and have them fit it for you.  Most bike shops do fittings completely separately.
I am going to add a caveat in that I do coach complete beginners.  For first triathlons, at sprint distance I always say that whatever bike you have access to, as long as it is safe and you can ride comfortably is perfectly acceptable. 

Swimming outdoors.  Hmmmmm.  Well I know some of you have easy access to open water swimming.  Generally I think in tri season, the more the better to get used to it.  I do not practice what I preach though!  I have yet to swim open water this year.  Swimming is my strength and I love being pushed in a masters workout in the pool as it makes it more interesting for me. I grew up swimming in the ocean and am extremely comfortable in open water so know that I can get in and swim in our lakes with no problem.  Having said that, now my visitors are gone I am going to try and do a lake swim once a week.

WhooHoo! Jackie- I'm so glad you're back!!

Jackie!  Welcome back!

Thanks for the input.  Right now, I've been using whatever bike is lying around (being a beginner, at sprint distance).  But my sister's frame is significantly too small for me, and my mother's is amazingly uncomfortable.  Both women are a couple inches shorter than I am, and I'd really like to be able to ride in MA... so there's the reasoning behind buying a bike.  That said, I'd rather not spend a ton of money... so second hand is definitely best.  There's a bike shop about a block from MIT, so I'll bug them when the time comes. 

Cynthia - that's really terrible news.  : (

Alright - the good news is that my friend's daughter's surgery is postponed... meaning that the person needing a heart transplant is more critical than her and is bumping her to tomorrow.  We hope that's the end of the ever-moving surgery date.  Is it good that she's stable enough to be delayed; just plays with the psychological and emotional readiness for major surgery. 

I had a good run this AM, though have a knee twinge today   I awoke with my knee feeling slightly "off" and figured I'd walk or swim if it still felt odd at the gym.  Of course it felt fine so I ran... the 5 hours since have been periodically twinge-y when I bear weight.  hmmm.  Was my biking yesterday too much after a week off?  I didn't feel like I was "balls to the wall" in my workout.  Hopefully nothing will come of this I want to race on the 18th!

I have a QOTD: how tightly does your sports bra fit?  My MIL gave me a sports bra for christmas (odd gift, yeah) which was "my size" by the tag, 34B, but I felt like I could barely get the thing on let alone breathe.  I returned it.  But since then I've been wondering if my "medium" sports bras are too comfy?  How snugly are your "girls" bound?

Di - head into Berkeley to the missing link bike shop on Shattuck (open to 7 weekdays).  They did me well a number of years ago.  Then get a deepdish pizza at Zachary's on College with a friend (I suggest the Spinach Mushroom).  Both easily BART-able

-Cynthia

I'm glad your friends little girl is fairly stable at this time.

As for the QOTD- I like no bounce! So, I'm strapped in pretty darn tight. I think if it was any tighter, I'd get some raw skin on the edges.

Jumping in on the Boston pizza issue: There was a tiny place called Pinocchios in Harvard square- so delicious that I ate 4 pieces in one night!! http://www.pinocchiospizza.net/

Edited by slow turtle 2009-07-07 9:48 PM

Sports bra - I like no bounce too.  Luckily (?)  I don't have much to bounce with so when I put on a sports bra I'm pretty flat chested
I have mine quite tight although some brands feel tighter than others to me.  It's quite  a feat to get the darn thing off sometimes when I'm tired.  Not digging in or hurting tight though.
I say strap 'em in tight.

Jackie

ever moving timeline, but she should be going into surgery NOW.  3-4 hours and hopefully it's good news.

I decided to drop the bike workout today.  knee feels fine but figured I'd give it a day or rest to make sure.  I had a nice swim instead... and kept thinking about HOW DANG FAST Di swims as I was trying to do some speedier lengths.   Di, can I have your arms?  or something?

Off to the pool with kids and friends, hmm, wasn't I just in the pool?  

-Cynthia 

Laughing.  Cynthia, that is a great suggestion!  Zach's is amazing ; )  And YES, you can have my arms... sounds like you will soon if you keep working out like that! 

My thoughts are with your friend's daughter.  I hope she does well, poor baby.

In answer to the sport's bra question - I'm a 32C, and I usually wear a medium.  No bounce, but it doesn't cut into my skin or anything.  It's tight enough that if I wear it for two long, my shoulder muscles get really tight from the straps.

I didn't make it to the pool this morning.  Maybe I'll put in a late-night swim?  But most likely I'll skip and get up early to run in the morning.  I have a 7-miler scheduled, and I'm pretty tired today.  So the rest might be a good thing.

Take care!

man, I'm HUNGRY.  I want Zach's Za tonight.  hmmm.  what can I do instead?  have some veggies that need cooking... hmm. maybe hubby gets to use the grill to make hamburgers and grill veggies.  not Zachs, but a start...

Morning everyone.
What's on the agenda today?
I managed to go for my run before hubby left for work this morning.  7.15am - not early for some of you but definite progress for me!
I found out that another BTer swims in my masters group!  Small world and such a nice way to meet people.
It is so nice to get back into some consistent training again and I'm really looking forward to getting out on my bike this weekend. 
I have a sprint tri which I am doing for fun a week from Saturday but nothing this weekend.

Hi everyone!

We are back from Indiana - the kids were so happy to see their own beds and toys. They disappeared for hours yesterday. It was really nice to see our families - my kids have 11 cousins on my husband's side alone!! I am positive that I gained at least 2-3 pounds on that trip. There was SO MUCH good food to choose from that I just had to eat everything. But, I have decided that I will get on the scale in 2 weeks and see if I can be good until then. So there is my weakness.. food.

I have a race on Sunday - the forecast looks like a high of 90 degrees and all sun. I did this race last year (Boulder Peak olympic distance) and loved the course and the venue. I am going to make sure to bring enough sports drink and some salt caps in case the temps skyrocket during the bike leg. I am chilling out alot this week. I did a swim on Tuesday (I think) at the Y near my parent's house and went out this morning on my bike for 45 minutes. My plan for tomorrow is to get up early and run 3 miles, then hang out at the park with my boys Sometime tomorrow I am going to write down my race strategy from the time I leave my house until the time I cross the finish line. I find that it helps me prepare and visualize the race if I spend some time thinking about the race and the course, logistics, nutrition, etc.

I am so sorry to hear about the little girl and the pacemaker. I had to go hug my kids when I read that.

The sportsbra question: I am a 34B barely, so I don't need much in the way of support. My sportbra is pretty comfortable and not tight at all.

Have a great night!
Dee

Good morning ladies!
I'm in Texas for a few days, visiting my sister and her family. My 6 yo is with me, so training is taking a back seat. I do have plans to do a lond bike ride with my b-i-l tomorrow AM. Its a group breakfast ride he does on most Saturday AMs. He's managed to get a bike for me to use! Running may not happen while I'm here, but we'll see.

Cynthia- how is your friends daughter?

I might flake on my workout today... oh maybe I'll simply swim today.  icky day to be a girl (If ya know what I mean) makes my initiative shot.  At least it's better this week so race day will fine me free and clear of such concerns.

My sweet little girlfriend SHOULD go home today, so long as she passes a few tests.  She on a strong pain management plan - yesterday she would let her mom touch only her feet because everything else hurt too much.  Heartache.  It will be 6 weeks or so of sitting at home while her chest heals and pain recedes.  Thanks all for your thoughts.

-Cynthia

Poor baby.  : (

Yes, poor baby.  It is so horrible to think of children in pain, and the parents having to be so strong around them.

I am doing a new workout today for the first time - as long as I can dodge the thunderstorms here.  It's a reverse brick where I run first and then bike.  Different so will keep me amused.

Have a good weekend everyone and good luck to all that are racing.

Good morning! I'm still in Texas. It's incredibly HOT here. With low temps in the 80's, that's higher than our highs in NY so far this summer.

I haven't gone for a run while here. We go home tomorrow, so I'll get back on track then. Then, it's back to working on my goals for the week.

How is every one else doing? And, what are the goals for this week?

Well I ended up not making all four of my runs last week.  I'm not sure why, but most of my body in on the tired, achy side of things.  ; (  I'm planning on lifting later today (and maybe biking, but just a little), and running tues, thurs and sat.  And I WILL make it to the pool this wed.  I'm going to say that that's the goal of the week.  That and getting familiar with the race course for the weekend after this one.  I wanted to walk/run through it this sunday, but it sounds like my parents might require my presence at home.  So it may be a drive through later in the week.

I'm getting super nervous for the half marathon.

Heidi - stay hydrated! 

Hope everyone else is doing well.

I set a PR at the Boulder Peak - 21 minutes faster than last year!
My swim tanked for some reason but at least my overall time was faster.
The race was tons of fun and I will be back next year for #3!

Here's my race report for y'all!

The Boulder Peak Triathlon was Sunday, July 12th at the Boulder Reservoir.
Distance: olympic with 1500m swim, 26.1 mile bike, 10k run

Pre-race:
- Slept in my own bed which was nice. 5 hours of good sleep is better than 8 hours of bad sleep.
Woke up at 3:15 am to drive to Boulder for the race.
- Good pre race nutrition: on the drive up, 1 piece of toast with peanut butter, one glass of orange juice
1 bottle of water
- 60 minutes before the race: 1 Hammer energy bar, 1 banana, 1/2 bottle sports drink.

Swim:
The water temp was a toasty 72-74 degrees. I wore my wetsuit for the swim. I have to say that the swim
was not my strong point in this race. I just could not get into a good groove on the swim and just felt like
I was swimming really slow.

Onto the next event:

Bike:
I loved the bike course. I had been training a lot for the bike and run this year and all the hours of biking paid off
this year. The first 6 miles was all uphill with the famous Old Stage Road and hill at the end of the climb. This is
a huge hill for anyone who has not done this race. I stayed on my bike for the entire climb and just kept pushing
my legs up the hill- at a whopping 3 to 4 mph I passed quite a few people who were off their bikes and walking up the hill.

Coming down off the backside of Old Stage is an awesome ride. There is a 35 mph speed limit with officers clocking
and dq-ing people who break the speed limit. I hit 32 mph on my bike at the bottom of the hill and that was with
using my brakes to slow down. The rest of the bike course was fast and fun- mostly flat with a few rollers along the way.

I was in my aerobars for most of the last 20 miles and was able to maintain a speed of 18+ mph for most of the rest of
the ride. The avg bike speed was around 14.5 mph for the course thanks to the big ole hill at the beginning.
I took in 2 gels, 2 bottles of Hammer Heed, and 1 bottle of water.

Run:
I felt great coming off the bike. My goal for this year was to actually run most of the run course. The sky was slightly

overcast for the run which really helped me stay cool this year. My strategy was to run one mile, hit the aid station, drink

1 cup of water, pour 2 cups of water on my head, and then run to the next aid station. I did this for the entire run course.

Overall time:
3:53
I beat my time from last year by 21 minutes!!!!

If you want a challenging fun olympic-distance course,. this is a very well-organized fun race!
I will be there again next year
Dee

Congratulations Dee.  21 minutes of your time is amazing.
Nice race report too - I've never heard of officers clocking excess speeds, that's really funny.
And it just goes to show us all that good consistent training has fantastic results!  You've worked hard by the look of your logs and you deserved this!

Jackie

Wow Dee that's fantastic!!