stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 223)

LISA -

Your weekend results are amazing. Keeping so close to the M pace is a real accomplishment, and that you did it with a great HR makes it even better. And that the performances were done when it was so hot and humid adds a whole other level to it. Your confidence must be (and should be!) through the roof!

Actually, that is coming through loud and clear in so many of your postings. I'm sure that if I sifted back through all your posts last season, I wouldn't see that at all. I think it was more along the lines of being tentative, and definitely wary of injuries, and just overall cautiously optimistic much of the time. Is that about how you remember it?

You've done everything right in bringing yourself to that New Level, and that you're doing it without injury seems to be a real testimony to your fitness coming in and his (is it David Glover?) reading of you as an athlete and as a worker (that is, the work-load you can willingly and safely take on).

IMLOO -- that's right, that should be hot and humid too, huh? One of my other group did his first IM at St.George on Saturday, and while he finished (15:24), he hasn't posted since. He is usually very active and open, so now I'm worried.

That was a killer race, i think. Water temps around 59, and a wicked hard bike and run. he had done two recon rides there, so tat certainly helped him. But.....

Here are some stats from there, based on nine age groups that had less than a hundred registrants (which on www.ironman.com is all that is flitered, the first 100 in each a.g.):
442 entries
265 finishers
77 DNF
100 DNS

Wow? For my a.g. it was 52 entries, 9 DNF, and just 27 finishers. (16 DNS; it's easy to get "us" to register, tougher to get us to the start line!)

From the stats above, in those 9 age groups the Ironman corporation "made" $55,000 clear, that is, in people who paid but required no services. I await full results being posted incuding DNS and DNF.

There were only 1634 finishers.......out of probably 2400 registrants? Someone on slowtwitch said that the DNF rate was 14+%, and that's pretty high; the DNS rate must've been higher still!

Sooooo......it's a good thing you chose IMLOO as your first iron. It'll feature nice toasty water, and no homicidal hills on the bike or run. And, I'm still living vicariously through you and Ryan gearing for IMLOO. It was so close at times to happening for me, but in hindsight I'm still not sure I could've gotten myself to the start line.

The neuromas concerns are less now. I ran 11.6km Staurday and 10.4km yesterday, and the feet were good then and atill are now. But even that has me worrying about Columbia some, and DEFINITELY is affeceting my thinking on signing up for DoubleMussel -- sprint on the Sat, half-iron on the Sun -- on July 10/11. The spots are disappearing quickly, and within a week I will have to make a decsion. Gulp.

What are your plans for Columbia (other than a p.r. for each of you )? That is, when will you be doing the pick-up, and will be staying there or returning home Saturday night? More specifically --- any lunch and/or dinner plans? As nothing is yet carved in stone here, I have nothing carved in even etched in soap for down there. Well, I have my room for Saturday night, which has been in place since November, i guess. But I haven't really even thought through when I will leave -- Friday and stay halfway that night, or leave about 5am Saturday and get there early afternoon. I will have to monitor Lynn VERY closely and see how she responds to the idea of a two-motel race!

As you can tell from my chatter here, it is looking more and more like stuff will happen next weekend, and not the Columbia weekend. That's the hope....because otherwise I really can't do a getaway.

Again, congratulations on outstanding results this weekend. And the heart rate suggests that you no longer "run hot", or at least as hot as you used to! Gotta love when the heart rates go down!

MINDY -

From the top, with the clear-day view of 14 states and 3 provinces....did you see me waving at you? I was at it steadily from 2-4pm on Sunday, and hope that you caught the glimmer of my wedding band!

Well, anyhow, i'm glad it was a worthwhile stopover for you ---- and photos would be really swell!

LISA -

Good old Vigo has done the three of us a favor -- early waves at Columbia!

There are the pros first, then the elites, and then the old buggers )which of course is me) at 6:55. I think the older women follow, and then there's the slight break before you at 7:06 and Ryan at 7:16.

So, the race within the race within the race within the race will be whether I can hold off a stampeding you and a surging Ryan! Good god almighty, I'm going to get a sore neck from looking back over my shoulder for about 2.5 hours!

Anyhow, those start times are very sweet, and it's great for the two of you that your times are so close together. I think the final wave was listed as 8:05, and that would've been lousy if one of you was 7:06 and the other 8:05.

The first year I did Columbia was '03, and it was drizzly and raw. My wave was again one of the early ones, but I felt really bad for the people in the late waves who were kicked out of t-zone and then just had to hang around and freeze.

My bike is into the shop today for its annual big tune-up. Hopefully it will be ready to ride again tomorrow!

LISA again -

Fabulous photo, too! From Bumpass??

JESS -

Ready and psyched for Devilman? I'm ready and psyched for you!

NEIL -

How's the new pad??????

Unpacked yet? And did we miss Milagros' thesis defense? If so, belated congratulations to her!

We located a house to kill for, except the distance it is from Ottawa, where Lynn still works; it is about a 90-minute drive. She works alternating four-day-and three-day as part of a pre-retirement "transition" plan, but still, those are longer drives than is desirable.

But it is a kilometer from the St. Lawrence River, with the adjacent St.Lawrence Parkway, so it is ideal for my OWS, her kayaking, and both of our bikings. It is also great for my running, as is the road the house is on itself, which actually has some hills! The land is about 6.5 acres, mostly wooded, and it eventually backs on to National Park land -- so, no threat of development. And to the north it is an extensive (both n-s and e-w) rock outcropping, really beautiful and a buffer to any noise in that direction (although the whole area is sparsely settled).

As usual, though, I'm not sure we can reach a quick enough decision to move on it in time. It is the one house we have looked at that has really resonated with me, and on several different levels. Oh well --- that's what fantasies are all about, huh?

ANYHOW, good luck with the unpacking!

MINDY -

Any Rock City photos to share with us yet? And Ivan -- how are his calves and achilles???

PATTY -

Yo?

NATHAN -

Are you still planning on Eagleman? How's the young'un doing?

I'm back baby!

All moved in...ok not ALL moved in, there are still a few boxes, but I would say we got 80% of everything in its place and we will start getting the art and photos up on the wall this weekend.

Milagros has in fact defended her dissertation and she aced it.  I had the pleasure of being invited to the event and she was amazing.  And to top it off after 3 years of 2.5 hours per day of commuting, she now has a job offer 2.2 miles from the new house.  SHe is going to decide if she will take it this weekend.

I was able to go for a run tonight.  Nothing spectacular, short 3.5 miler around the neighborhood.  Looked flat on the google map...ended up not so much flat.  It will be fun discovering all the new routes.

NEIL -

Well done on having 80% of your stuff in its place -- ALREADY! We still have a box or three that hasn't been opened since it left Texas in June '87. (If we ever get around to opening them, we might find something akin to hidden treasure. Or abject junk.....)

Congrats to Milagros on her defense and the new letters she has every right to attach at the end of her name! Also, congrats on the close-to-home job offer. Man, in that vehicle-enriched part of the world, being able to work that minimal of a commute must be rarer than being able to land such as a fine-lookin' home as your new one!

New run/ride routes sure are a fine fringer benefit of moving -- or at least it is hoped that they are. The place we saw last week that has out full attention is fortified with great run/ride options -- and marvelous OWS, in season. I can get all warm and squishy just thinking about what a great playpen that area would be!

JESS -

What do you think, Jess? Was Devil a good one for you? It sure looks good to me!

Even had you not done Bass 6 days ago, which was preceded by your double-dip run weekend, it would still look like a good race! Top half OVERALL for both swim and run, solid age group placement --- and fast out of that wetsuit and onto the bike! I can hardly wait for your report; hurry up with it, would ya?!?

But ARGH! I screwed up! I went to the website to get the info on your starting time, thinking tomorrow.....and it was all a done deal. I AM SORRY!

Jess, you've had a really impressive three weeks, and you have to be feeling great about Eagleman. You've done well in four bam-bam-bam-bam races, and now you can lay low for a few days and then gear it up for Eagle. So part of this week, then three big weeks, then a taper --- and you will be ready for the Blackwater!!

Great work, m'am!!

Steve!

I'm going to do a race report later this evening - I just got back from Atlantic City. Mark and I went straight after the race for a Barenaked Ladies concert. We just pulled in and my grandma is here for mother's day... CRAZY weekend.

Short version of the story: The wind on the Blackwater will HOPEFULLY never be as bad as it was yesterday. There was a wind advisory - sustained speeds of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 50mph. It was difficult to stay upright on my bike. Really slowed me down on the bike. I averaged over 17 for the first two hours, but the wind was terrible on the return parts of the loop, so that really slowed me down. Anyway, the wind was terrible. I heard several people say it was worse than they had ever seen at Eagleman, so hopefully that's true.

On the bright side, I felt strong the whole way (despite the wind). I am fully confident that I am ready to tackle the HIM distance, and I will be even more ready in a month This week will be a rest week, then three more heavy weeks to taper.

More details later

Also - I saw Lisa's status update on Facebook, and it looks like Belle passed away last night Lisa- all my good thoughts are with you and Ryan. Belle was so loved - she was truly lucky to have you.

LISA -

I am so sorry about Belle. She was a real sweetheart, and it was very obvious how much you and Ryan loved her. I dread the day Luna dies, as I have no idea how I will handle that. So, I can't imagine how you are managing today, and just hope you get through the worst days of this as quickly as possible.

As for turning 30.......at the best of times it is no great thing, and you did it under much duress. But, congratulations still. You are now officially-officially in the new a.g., and you keep thinking of it that way it shouldn't be all that bad. And for what it's worth, you were a very young-looking 29 in September, so you must be an exceedingly young-looking 30-year-old today!

(And mostly unrelated to any of the above,, but how is your mom doing in her race plans? Are they still in place, with training moving accordingly?)

Hang in there, Lisa. My thoughts are with you and Ryan as you deal with the loss of Belle.

JESS -

The Weather Gods were working for you at Devilman, if prep for Eagleman was the main goal. I doubt the winds will be that ornery at Eagleman; at least, they weren't for me in '03 and '04.

Beyond that, you rode really well in spite of that, it looks like. AMAZING performance, again based both on its own merits and especially of view of the preceding two weeks of racing. You've earned a race week, to be sure!

Lisa, I know its hard.  We were there a few years ago with Sport...a dog M had for 15 years.  It was very hard for her (and me).  Eventually we reached out to the community and found a pet loss support group and went to a group session.  It was helpful getting to share the memories with people who understand to help you process.  Often people (friends and family sometimes) just don't understand and its hard to talk about.  Google pet loss support in your area and see what comes up. Very sorry to hear about your loss.

MINDY -

Three cheer for Elliot, and four cheers for you for following along with him! Rah, rah, rah, RAH!

People who say they love hill sprints are either liars or masochists, so don't feel bad about not enjoying them, and perhaps even hating them. However, you and countless thousands of suffering souls have to admit that they have their performance-related benefits.......which makes it that much harder to turn away from them.

And if you are interested in your performance, then I think there must be some tri or du at which you would just love to strut your recent gains, yes?

Five days of dormancy. Sad, sad, sad....

Is everyone mostly kinda sorta okay?

I had a big training week, about my fith in a row, and now I am into the taper for Columbia -- IF Lisa and Ryan are going to be there.

LISA -- Are you gonna be at Columbia, you think? Let me know, okay? And if so, any plans for meeting? (See my post to you from about 10-14 days ago; I think I threw out some options to consider.)


Missing you all!