SWBKRUN Mentor Group-"Off Season?" What is that?!! (Page 223)

Hey Kim

If your only drawback is the cage and you are not giving up fit anywhere, I would go with the GURU.  I think the Steven is a great bike, maybe better than the GURU, but for the marginal difference who cares?  The ti Seven will look exactly like my road bike with the better geometry.  Not nearly as sexy.  You can take the money you save and use Steve for another two years plus buy race wheels!  My road bike was a fortune.

Suzy 

X2
My P2K only has only bottle holder on it as well. GURU all the way. Send the extra US money up to Canada. I'll spent it wisely. Put it towards a Texas trip maybe?

That is awful.  I know there has been a lot of talk about OWS here lately and I haven't said much but it is definitely not my favorite thing.  Although I've never felt in trouble in the water, I am very aware of the vastness and depth of OW and all of the dangers associated with it.  It's not like the road where you can get off your bike or stop running.  I've been fortunate enough to practice in very calm areas with lots of support very close by so it gives me a sense of security.  Races seem different b/c I feel strength in numbers and the adrenaline of race day helps.  But I do love the sport as a whole and I'm not fast enough to just be a dualthlete.  ;-) 

On a more positive note: Tony and I are doing a TT this Sat.  Hopefully we can kick this bug and be back up to full strength by Sat.  If not, who cares it will be fun.  I will be making my debut w/ the NCVC girls.  I just don't want to be DFL in the Women's Cat4 40K.

Hey Jeremy if you are around...on the front page of BT there is a big promo for Xterra wetsuits 50% off.

Ok, I have committed to learning how to change a tire.  Steve gave me an extra wheel so I decided to time myself, 40 minutes. Ughhhh.  I had a hard time getting the tire off, but I had even a harder time getting the damn thing back on...got about 3/4 of the way and then it took me forever to get that last bit on.  Is there a trick someone can teach me?

I have the potential to do a 1.2m race on the IM WI course on Sunday.  If I don't head to our lake house, it will probably hit the plan. It would be great practice

Holy cow Sam was sick when Doug came over, I felt fine, about an hour after our ride I went to bed and other than picking up Sam and some dinner today around 4:30, this is really the first time I have been up and moving around.

This is the 2nd time in 2 weeks I have been sick, last weeks was an inconvenience, I stayed home from work 1 day but still went for a 30 mile ride in the afternoon.  All I have done this time is sleep...

Kim, my Planet-x only has room for one cage also.  If you really needed more bottles you could put one of the behind the seat holders on as well, giving you 4 total if you include aero bottle.

Last time I practiced changing tires, I put on 2 new ones before my first race of the season.  The next morning (race morning) I had 2 flats.  UGH!!!!  I made Tony change them at the race.

Yikes, 40 minutes!  Are you using new tires?  I know my tires last year were really easy to change but the rubber was so worn down, it was good practice because I got flats a few times as they were wearing down.  My new tires (Mich Pro 3's) were hard to get on and I did have to change one once when I messed up the valve of one tube, it was definitely tougher, I inflate the tube about 1/2 way so as to keep it from getting twisted and/or pinched.  Then use your hands as much as possible, you should be able to get at least 3/4 of the tire into the rim.  then I get the little tire lever and almost scrape the inside of the rim and use your thumb to push the tire in along that edge.  Can you visualize it?  I like to go from up to down.  The videos I have watched don't really get that detailed, but I think it helps to have that leverage against the inside of the rim.  It takes me about 5 minutes now, and I'm pretty good at getting the back tire off since I switch to my trainer wheel alot.  Now, if you ask me to change the Conti trainer tire, I don't think I can ever do it...that thing is so stiff!

Sam, what you mentioned is exactly why I am so scared to even pump up my tires the night before or the morning of a race.  I am super paranoid of having it flat during the race because of something I may do! 

Thanks guys for the advice on the bike, I think I am going to go Guru.  I will find a very good rear hydration system...one that doesn't eject bottles out onto the roads!

That is that the part that is the toughest. The first few times I did it, I was quite dainty with it. I used the itre lever a bit to pop that last pieceof tire over the rim. Depending on your tire you may have to reef on it pretty good. Now that I know that, I don't need the lever I just hammer that tire over the rim. There was good video I saw here i think. I'm going to look for it now. Kids are in bed, wife's out for a run..What else is there to do?

Suzy:

I think I posted a link to this once before. There are quite a few, but this one is short and to the point.

Doug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4ZQMRT12Sg

Here's along BT link for tire changing:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1223

Long but pretty good. Asa well, some tips on the bottom of screen.

Hey Suzy, good news.....It gets easier.  I think once a tire has been changed "things" are looser and easier to get off/on.
Each time I have changed the tire it has gotten easier.  This is my biggest fear in racing .... getting a flat.

Oh, make sure you run your finger around the tube so it isn't pinched (you'll get a pich flat the next time you're out riding).  That'll make you happy...and really good at changing those tires 

I'm still living through you guys and your races!  Be sure to let us know if you're racing this weekend 

So far I see Andy (who will rock this course faster than earlier in the year) and Tony & Sam (who will be feeling marvelous by Saturday).

Anyone else????

mememe   short course 800/18/3.1  my only goal... i think i'll moonwalk across the finish line if i get there.   

suz.  you'll get faster at changing em'.  the importart thing is that you know how to change em' and it look like the MG has you going in the right direction.

Please video tape the moonwalk!  That's nearly identical to my sprint - I'll be interested in your time to compare to mine.

Robin and I are doing a TT this Sunday.  Short - 12 miles.  Not much of a race, but it'll force us to get the bikes out on a Sunday afternoon.

Suzy, you were recently worried about swimming and it looks like you've really come a long way in a short time.  Good work.  I'd like to find that breathing trough.  It's horribly unfortunate that you have been surrounded by so much tragedy in the water.  Stay strong.
And tire changing can be tough.  I haven't changed a road tire since I was 14.  But I can change a dirt bike tire in 2 minutes.  Takes longer to get the wheel off than to change the tire.

Tony and Sam, get well.  Robin and I have a rule - whoever is sick first gets to be sick.  If you get sick while the other is already sick then just suck it up.  It's a good rule in theory, but rarely works - Fortunately, Tiller and Delaney can almost run the house at 10 and 8 years old.

Kim, concerning the seat tube water bottle.  Sounds like a perfect opportunity for something like a Speedfil system.  But it would attach to the seat tube rather than the down tube.

Hate to go for three in a row, but...

If your planning a moderate length run do NOT get Applebee's Crispy Orange Chicken Bowl. 
Man I was dead last night from about .5 to 4.5.  Last mile was decent. 

If I wasn't running with friends there would have been some substantial walking.  In my defense I wasn't planning on this run, but they called and I went.

OK, I ordered the Xterra wetsuit!  I'm excited, now I feel like I owe it to myself to become a better swimmer!  I was pleasantly surprised with my last OWS, soon you can call me Suzy

Hopefully they will call you Linda instead....she seems to be the speed demon in the group! 

Reuben and all....in an effort to share the knowledge that Steve bestows upon me, here is an email and link he sent last night....it does a great job of illustrating the trough.

remember we were going over breathing in the trough....  check out this video at about 5:55-6:20 into it

http://www.universalsports.com/mediaPlayer/media.dbml?id=421587&db_oem_id=23000

I just found this link to the video on BT.com today...so timely wouldn't you say? 

then around 18:15 or so you'll see some good front quadrant swimming

another key part to watch is around 19:20 when he begins to discuss high elbows underwater.

Let me know what you think.

Wow, great video about swimming!!  Wish I would have saw this in January!

So MG runners help me out here.......
We are in the market for a treadmill. I prefer the outdoors in the winter until a certain temperature.
 But for the bride, its difficult for her to get outside during the day sometimes, and she thinks she can get some miles in with the girls playing downstairs. I have been looking around and the market is so all over the map. $200-$6000.
We are looking roughly around the 1.5K mark. Would love a higher end used one..but would settle for a newer middle of the road.
Any suggestions..Remember I ain't Suzy-size.

This one.....



Neither is the man....he weighs around 185lbs.  I have had three TMs and Precor has been the best brand thus far.  The belt system they use absorbs some level of the shock and doesn't send it back to you.  It is quiet.  You can really reduce the cost by eliminating the bells and whistles.  Personally, I would like one with no programs only manual mode and really don't care if I have a decline either.  This one was out of the $1,500 you quoted (but Precor has less expensive models), but given the economy you may be able to deal more than we were able to....and isn't the $$ stronger in Canada anyway?????