left.right.repeat group -closed - Full of a bunch of winners...YEAH! (Page 22)

Great pics, Marianne! (And Peter, hehe) I woke up draggin' this morning and this was JUST the motivation I needed to get going! Woot!

Thanks guys! (And you both still rock. )

sTRIve!

Mav - have yet to try my hot tub transition but hopefully this week!!

Juantita - envelope is in the mail to you now.

Dan - where are you ?????

Leston - hope those shoes make the difference for you. I know how aggravating (and worrisome) ITB issues can be. Have you been for Physio or Massage? That's what worked for me plus true rest. Hard to do but absolutely necessary.

Ok, I'm tapering this week with higher intensity, and lower distance. Is that right? Last week, I rode every day. This week I'll alternate between running and biking. And next week, I have no clue what to do, lol. (We travel Friday.) Someone give me a schedule? Dang, I'm helpless sometimes...

I ran (slow jogged) a 5K today outside with no walking! Sounds so pitiful next to this group's awesome running ability, but I'm pumped. *grin* Note: I did have to come to a complete stop once when the 3 legged dog came out to confront Spazz, and I got tangled up in her leash. Aggressive dog, that 3 legged mutt. But I guess he's "compensating", poor thing. The stress of fighting him off though, kept me from resting, so I don't think the stop hurt me much. 

sTRIve on Turtles!

Leston that's a great idea! I will definitely look to see if the arms are different. And I'll try the chin to chest, as well. Thank you! Something has got to work, hehe.

sTRIve!

Left side heavy swimmers - I can GUARANTEE you that you are tensing when you roll to that side and thinking of sinking at least somewhere in your brain....both of which end in one outcome....you sink....balance - balance - balance.......Here's another tip:  I think you are positioning yourself differently on both sides, the arm position is one thing, the 2beat kick to rotate your body may be another, how much of your weight you "push" into your armpit, how elongated your "vessel is, and a couple of others but I would also pay particular attention to neck tension as you are preparing to "race" for air....I know when I breathe on the left my rhythm gets out of whack slightly sometimes.

Mav - what great pics - you rock!

FBP - Sticks - you are such a picture geek....where are the half pics?

Flipper - you keep on truckin girl....this is not a site to compare or compete...this is a site of support and friendship which I think we are all doing quite well....so no apologies, no excuses, no other stuff like that....we are all where we are - and that is a MUCH better place than yesterday much less last year.

Leston - take care of the shoulder - NO paddles until it is fully recovered - and then my opinion is NO paddles ever....I think they are typically used to support your local orthopedic shoulder doc.....that said I like fistgloves....for those who haven't seen them, they hold your hands in a fist.  I got a pair at the TI clinic I did last year, otherwise I wouldn't have them - I figure I can hold my own hands in fists....here's a strong drill - relaxedly (is that a word) close your fists and swim a 25...this will be slow and you will definitely feel the "catch" on your forearm.  Another good relaxing drill is to open your hands and relax the fingers...keeping your fingers smashed together does not increase the surface area AT ALL. 

Leston - bike - more time in the saddle will make your hammy sing with glee.....it is just a different firing requirement due to the new angle I think.

New bikes New bikes New bikes - no issue there Dan with any of those...ride them all and make your decision on comfort first.....you are going to spend a lot of time riding her so she needs to welcome you.  That said, price is always a factor and must be considered in there too but don't go more expensive just because you can...get the comfortable lady.  Of course we all know you must also get a fast color....Mav remains the colorist here and is the FINAL WORD on color speed....

It is so good to read where you all are today.....if you want to have some fun, spend about 15 minutes and go back and read page 1 and 2 of our posts....and remember the journey and how far you have come....can you estimate the miles you have covered since then?

Flipper - sorry I forgot....tapering is a reduction in both intensity and duration....the workouts during your taper are intended just to get the muscles firing and burn off a little excess anxiety.  Don't overdo it next week.....you can only add to your finish time next week....don't do it....(you will really want to work out harder to be sure you can "make it" - don't do it)  I think next week will be a good taper plan for your sprint....your last long workout should be Sunday.....take Monday off....Tues - swim, wed - bike - thurs - short run like 15-20 minutes....Fri travel...SAT - have a blast...become a triathlete.  You can change what you do on any day except SAT....smile.

Go Flipper Go

Thank you, Bryan! Holy cow, that is JUST what I needed! I will follow your advice and schedule to the letter!

I'm so excited!

sTRIve!

I didn't carry my camera with me on Sunday so have to rely on the official finish line photographer and since they are proprietary, all I can do is post a link:

 FBP - http://onthespotphoto.ca/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=53054

Mrs FBP -

http://onthespotphoto.ca/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=53189

Note the stylish running-specific skirt that she's wearing !!

As has happened to some of you before I know, I typed a lengthy post last night and when I hit the Submit button the connection to the site had timed out - aaarrrggghhhhh !!!

On the upside, there have been a couple of more posts since then so gives me more to write about

Last night Jill and I went to a potluck supper with the group that did the Half Marathon clinic together. They started with 22, had 15 still involved by the end of the 20 weeks and 14 ran and finished the Half on Sunday. For all but 2 it was their first ever Half. One person was sick so she is aiming for a Half later in the year. Besides the great food (yum yum!!) it was really fun to listen to them all trading "war stories" about the run and to a person they are hooked now and thinking about other Halfs and a couple are starting into the Full Marathon clinic now aiming to do one sometime in the fall.

Dan - great to have you back and posting! Sweet looking rides. I think Sebastian would be jealous if I oohed and aahed too much though. He has been penned up in the garage for a week now as I focussed on preparation for the Half - hope to get him out for a short jaunt tonight after work. BTW, hilarious about the Save The Manatee race. Didn't reaalize they were native to the Detroit River and Lake St Clair

BMan - great comments about how far we've all come and I agree 100% with your taper advice for Flipper. Juantita, there's a saying that "the hay is in the barn" a couple weeks before race date. Taper period is to rest and rejuvenate not for last minute higher intensity training.

Mav - great idea about writing the date on your shoes. I am always trying to remember when I took them out of the box and started to use them.

Has anyone tried the one-footed pedalling that Coach Annie mentioned in our coaching session? I tried it the other day and immediately noticed what it felt like to pull up and over in the pedal stroke as opposed to just pushing down. Hope I can transfer that feeling now to two-footed pedalling.

Later y'all,

Sticka - a sTRIving fool! 

Uh oh! I have a pink UnderArmour tank to wear with my BLACK bike shorts and over my BLACK Speedo bathing suit! Eek! I have a white UnderArmour running cap too (wanted something to reflect the sun), but I have silver & white Asics with blue trim, the "fastest" and most comfortable running shoes I've ever owned. Oh, and my bike helmet is silver! Does that make up for the pink tank? *holding my breath*

I'm doing pretty good, Marianne. Thanks for asking! Had a great workout Monday (felt good), ran the 5K yesterday (felt awesome) and ran into muscle fatigue today, but worked through it. I picked up a migraine headache when I left the gym too, dang it. But meds finally seem to be working now. I need you all to send positive vibes and prayers my way though. I sat next to a friend in church last Sunday who went to the doctor today and found out she has the flu. That would NOT be good, lol.

Wish you could be there too, Marianne! That would make the day PERFECT!

Peter? I feel like the hay is in the barn, piled up, and falling out of the windows... but I'm still nervous. *grin* But I'm excited more then scared. I WILL have fun! I PROMISE.

Leston, I'm glad you posted that about the pool "toys" and I'm glad Marianne agreed with you. Folks at my gym love to use the eq. I've never tried using anything but the appendages I came with. I used to wonder if I should try the stuff. Now I feel better. 

Ok, maybe I'll just have an easy bike ride tomorrow?, then work hard on Fri and Sat. (Marianne could have gone another week or so before mentioning "huge" hills, hehe. But I'm so happy she can handle them! You rock, girl!)
Oh, and I fixed a flat today! All by myself! Yey! Hubby was so proud.

Man, I love this group... sTRIving on!

IMHO fast colours relate only to bikes and not to clothes Flipper so no worry about the pink top. Just make sure you look colour-coordinated

Bryan mentioned in one of his recent posts that we should all consider our progress to date. Well, yesterday I went to the pool for a brief swim before going to a departmental luncheon. My brief swim was 750m continuous - 10 times what I could've done back in January

Special weekend ahead. Monday is a holiday (Victoria Day) and my two brothers are driving from Ottawa to meet me and son Chris at our family cottage in Prince Edward Island. PEI is 3 hours drive from Freddy Beach, 12 hours from Ottawa. We call this the "May Run" and it's boys only. We open up the cottage for the season, do some work on it, watch the hockey playoffs on TV, etc. I may get a couple of runs in but sadly Sebastian has to stay here at home due to space restrictions. Was out for a short ride yesterday though and will go a bit further tonight after work.

Have a good day all,

Sticka 

Yippee - registration for my goal race - the Duncan Hadley Memorial Triathlon on July 6th - just opened and yours truly was FIRST to register !!!

Ready or not, I'm now fully committed.

FBP 

WTG, Sticka! Woohoo! Go Sticka, go!

Question for everybody/anybody and especially Bryan (be gentle!):  Is it totally out of the question to do back to back sprint triathlons? Our local tri is the weekend following the YTRI. I signed up for the one in Birmingham because they "baby" beginners and because of the pool swim, but the one on the bay would be fun too. And all the "TRIers" from my gym will be at this one. But I'll abide by what you say, Bryan. You have my complete trust. *smile*

http://www.thegrandman.com/