Manatees Roar into the 20s! CLOSED (Page 20)

Nice, very nice!  Keep it going!

It seemed that it was a "perfect storm" of things.  FB and other social media really took off.  We had some very aggressive behavior in the posts and it became a much less friendly place for beginners.  Without the beginner crowd, numbers began to decline.  Most of my "old friends" are on other platforms; but don't necessary do triathlon any longer.  As Lisa stated the changes with the site made it even more difficult to communicate and people largely rejected it.  It's taken me a long time to come back.  The spirit of this group models what the whole site was for me back in 2010.  While it takes effort to regularly visit our threads and leave comments, it is worth it with the connections that develop.  You won't find that on Slowtwich, etc.  Just my .02.

I was writing an Inspire to a friend and when I was done I thought, "Wow, I should send this as an Inspire to all the Manatees."  So here is an INSPIRE for each of you:

You know that old shtick about "you are only as young as you feel"?  Well, I believe the same thing holds true for overcoming "gymtimidation".  Take pride in the fact that you are there, focus on how great you feel when you are done, and forget about the rest of the people there.  You are doing this for YOU, not them.

I am not a Strava participant.  Back in 2012 I trained using a Timex HR monitor, can't even remember the name of it.  Don't know if I could find it among all the stuff that is packed away in the attic either.  Just learned my brother Jack (LeatherneckTN) has an Apple watch.  Don't know if I'll even go that far this season.  Like I said, this season is all about restoring my aerobic base, completing one sprint race, and completing one 62 mile ride in August.  So time, laps, and distance are sufficient metrics for me, for now.  With that said, today was my long bike, but also a recovery week, so only 45 minutes.

From my log:  Bike - 45m - 10.39mi - 13.85mph:  YEAH!! If that's not a PR for pace it has to be close. I've never ridden any course that actually had hills at over 14mph, that I know of. I especially liked that each lap was just a little faster than the one before.  These Expresso bikes are pretty cool. If I remember to log in they save all my ride info; not just time, distance, and pace. It even saves all my lap info for that ride. For instance, the Alpine Splash course that I've been riding this month (and will probably continue riding in February) is only a 2.9 mile course. I rode 3.55 laps and Expresso had full data for all 3+ laps. Sadly, this is the first time I've bothered to log in. My bad!

Weight: 368

Welcome!  We were waiting for you to have Gravel Talk!  You know, trying to be respectful of your digital detox and all that.

Wasn't the DK lottery yesterday? What's the news?

I don't know that I feel guilty about rest days or easier days, but rather that I feel that I won't be properly prepared if I'm not working harder. I know this is not true and rest days and off-loading fatigue is just as important as the hard workdays, but knowing that doesn't necessarily make taking the time any easier!  Of course for the last few months I've been slacking on everything so maybe I've gotten over the angst

Well done!

Manatees is my fourth BT mentor group in five years.   I joined my first mentor group when I was training for my first Triathlon.  It was a lifesaver in getting me through my first race.  Lots of the groups seem to go strong in the first 6 weeks then slowly taper off to where there is only one post a week with questions going 2-3 days with no answers.  I don't know why there is a tendency for many of these groups to die.  I like actives groups. 

This group has been great.  I love that there is a GoJo challenge.  Many groups have a clear start at the beginning of the year, but the ending of the group is not defined and some mentors will simply stop posting in March while the Mentees will be getting ready for their first race in April/May and will be looking for someone to answer their questions and feel abandoned.  The GoJo make goals and time frame clear. 

Most groups the mentors feel that they have learned a ton about the sport and are ready to pass on what they have learned to others and sit back and wait for questions.  There is no responsibility on the part of the Mentees and if there aren't any questions there is no responsibility on the part of the mentor either.  This group has been very different.  Janyne has required everyone to keep their training calendar up to date. She hasn't sat back and made a post asking everyone if they are keeping up with their calendars, but has been actively checking them, commenting on workouts, putting posts up on how to use the BT tools and improve our training logs, etc.   Real mentoring is happening and it is great. 

This group also extends past BT with the super-secret Strava group, Facebook, Sufferfest, etc. which is great. This group's mentor is much more complete than the groups that taper off.  So...all around this has been a very positive start for me.  I love being a Manatee.  I still am not sure what these Racing Manatee posts are, but I will go with the flow.  My wife is an Animal Lover and she was so impressed to see me checking out a website about Manatees (the Strava Group) last night instead of analyzing Triathlon data.  :-)

I'm glad to hear that the whole crew got in!

Bahahahahaha.  And this is why it is the SUPER SECRET ORDER OF THE MANATEES. Now, monies spent on triathlon can be claimed as saving the manatees.  Win-win! 

Yeah, I've already told Kevin that we need to talk about the calendar for the next little bit. For me, it gets easier when he adds after work mtb rides but February to mid-March is a bit of a rough patch.

I applied to be a Pacer for the Dallas Hot Chocolate 15K three months ago and was put on the alternate list.  I got a call back on Friday letting me know that they had a spot open up, so I will be the 8:00 Min pace on February 8th at a Hot Chocolate 15K in Dallas.  My pacer profile is HERE 

I will also be pacing my brother, David, for 20 miles of the Out Law 135 mile trail run at Robbers Cave State Park In Wilburton, OK on February 15th.  He is an Attorney in Wilburton, OK so I think it is ironic that a Lawyer is running the Out Law race. I have never done any trail running so that will be new grounds for me.  So...not races for me, but I will be helping others at their races in the next few weeks. 

My first race will possibly be the Pre-season 5K race on March 7th for the McAlester Youth Running Club that I started this year (23 people on the team roster). We will be taking the Youth Club to team races about every week from the beginning of April to the first week of May so I don't have any Triathlons planned until June.  Then I will get an Olympic race in June and Olympic race in July then offer a Youth Triathlon Camp leading up to a Kids Triathlon the end of August.  The last race will be a 70.3 in Late September. 

Welcome back Anne. Congrats on DK. Funnily enough, I am listening to a BikeRumor podcast on "The Future of Gravel Racing" and DK is  represented with a panelist. It seems to be the premier event in that realm and I would love to hear your take on it when you are done. If I get a vote, I would do the 100 and the after party. But that tells you more about me than anything else. The reason I have moved off road in most of my riding is the inclusion, fun, and all of the ancillary pieces that go into it. And the beer, which seems to be a good piece of it as well!

Busy busy!

The Racing Manatees is a weekly (we try for weekly!) list of upcoming Manatee races and events.

Anne is no DK first timer! I don't think that we have to wait for her take on it ;-)

Chris, what gravel rides are you looking at? Is there any truth to the rumor that a gravel bike may be moving in with you?

I have a "new to me" Giant TCX in the back of the truck as we speak. It has been in my possession for a couple of weeks now. The geometry on it is more CX than gravel, however, it works for the time being. I added a Cane Creek ThudBuster LT seat post, which I loved last night while rolling through a section of trail that had been abused by pigs. 

Anne,  I thought that you had done DK in the past, but I wasn't sure.  What bike are you riding at the moment? I know Hands is looking at something from Cervelo, and my wish list includes a Jamis Renegade or possibly something from Framed or Ocoee.  Anything you have to add would be appreciated. 

Curtis, I hope you have a blast. When I was running, trails were my favorite. 

Ack! I had a response but it was eaten! Let's try again.

I have a Cx bike that I can use for gravel for now.  With the amount of gravel in the area (very little, just Umstead park), I don't necessarily see a Diverge or Aspero in my future.

I'm looking at the Loudoun 1725 ride in June, It's early days.  I told Kevin that there will be wine (I hope that's not a lie!).