RunningJayhawk's Mentor Nest - FULL! (Page 23)

hey all!  Missy- what kind of bike is your new bike? It looks nice! 

I definitely need to be doing some bike shopping here soon, I've gone the first 6 weeks of training borrowing my moms bike, which is fine, but not when she wants to ride it too! any suggestions? I can't really break the bank on my bike but wondering if there are any must-have components.  Any thoughts/opinions are much appreciated!

I went for my firs swim in a looonnggg time.  boy could I feel it.  I also need to stop swimming after dinner..it just doesn't work for me.  In most circumstances I don't mind having a snack before a swim and then eating dinner leftovers, but my gramma came over so I couldn't miss it.   anyway, it's so great to get back in the saddle again swimming! I definitely have some endurance to regain, but it's so great to be back in the pool.

After I was done swimming I had quite the interesting experience in the locker room and drive home...this might give you all a laugh:
I went to the locker room after my swim and noticed immediately my flip flops were not where I left them.  I left them underneath the bench (not in the locker I know, which I know is stupid and asking for them to be stolen..but I've seen people do this at the rec center and never had a problem before).  So I looked around all the lockers and couldnt' find them.  I walked out (barefoot) and no one had turned them in to lost and found...definitely stolen. So i had to walk out of the rec center barefoot and drive barefoot home.  You would think that is where the story ends..but- on my drive home on a country road I saw two puppys walking down the road, one without a collar! I almost hit them and didn't want anyone else too so I pulled over in a drive way and started calling to them.. of course they didn't come to me, prolly thought I was some crazy lady.  I couldn't run after them becccccaaauuuseee, I was barefoot.  I'm sure I looked like a hillbilly on the side of the road, barefoot calling to the dogs.
to end my story I got back in my car and turned around to try and get closer to the dogs but by then they had trotted down a gravel road off the main road and heading towards a home (I hope).  I just hope those dogs are ok!

Sorry for the long post, but what a weird series of events!

happy hump day

I've been experimenting this week with not being so obsessed with triathlon.  I have a contract with myself to acknowledge and be the magnetic, joyful, committed and balanced woman that I am.  Except - my life hasn't been real balanced since I started training (other than cross-training .)  There's so much to learn and it's all so fascinating! But -- my house is a pit;  my yard's full of weeds; and I'm spending too much time on the computer at work.  So fewer posts from me this week.   I'm still working out steadily and reading all the posts.  Next week I'm taking all 4 kids camping, meeting my sister and niece.  Niranjan has gracefully declined to experience the joys of nature.  I'm planning on taking my bike if I can get the bike onto the roof of my mini-van.  Wish me luck!

Scary to hear about the bike accident, Missy.  Hope you recover totally and quickly.

Cheryl

Good evening everyone!  I'm pumped because I picked up my new bike after work!  I had to go out to the suburbs to get it, since I bought it at a cyclery near my mom's house.  Unfortunately I don't think I'll get the chance to ride it before I head out of town   Unless I take it out for a quick spin before work tomorrow!!!  We'll see how early I can wake up

Anyways, I was excited, so I took some pictures.  I'd like to introduce you all to Lucy!


Erin - It's a 2007 Trek 5000 WSD.  Since the bike was 2 years old, they sold it to us at cost because they just wanted to get rid of it.  I had to go with a women's specific bike because I'm short, and some brands don't even make bikes small enough to fit me (actually the guy at the bike shop said the reason why they had this one so long was because it was so small.  It was clearly just WAITING for me to come in and buy it :-P). 

I'd gone shopping with my friend's dad a few weeks ago since he's a bike fanatic and had lots of tips.  He really wanted me to get a Cannondale CAAD9, but I think their smallest size was 49cm which was too big for me.  From talking to a LOT of people, the MOST important thing about a bike is its fit.  My friend's dad recommended I try out a whole bunch of different bikes, test ride them, and see which one(s) I like best.  Then he said to search for it online to find the best price, then ask your local bike shop if they'd match that price for you.  Most shops will do it, he says, since they'd rather sell you the bike than just have you buy it elsewhere.  He recently bought a $5600 bike for $4000 doing that, so it works!  (That was his 5th bike, btw.  The man loves bikes!) 

In terms of components, he recommended Shimano 105's or higher, but the price point of bikes that come with those components starts around $1200-ish.  He said the lower end Shimano components aren't bad, but he suggested to go with 105's if possible. 

Margot - Maybe your sportsbra too tight?  I don't know why it would only be constrictive when going downhill...  But if I'm wearing a top (I wear tops w/built-in sportsbras) that's tigher than usual and put on my strap underneath, it definitely squeezes on my ribcage and makes it harder to breathe.  When this happens, I pull down the elastic bra band a little so that it's not sitting directly over the hrm strap.

Cheryl - I have the same tri-obsession problem!  I really should clean my place sometime, maybe cook some food, or read something not tri-related.  But then, I figure there'll be plenty of time for that once the tri season's over

I've been on vacation for the last week and haven't been able to get any swims and rides done.  I'll be at a conference in Boston Mon-Wed next week.  And we just found out yesterday that my FIL has 6-8 weeks to live.  So I'll be leaving for Arkansas for 6 days right after the conference to join my family there. 

I'll be able to get the runs done, but I don't know how to get my rides or swims done since they involve a bike or body of water.  Any suggestions from folks on what they do when they're away for business or vacations?

Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your father in law! My thoughts go out to your family.

I got in a good swim on Wednesday and took yesterday off for my cousin's high school graduation. Came home last night and the wetsuit I ordered from Xterra on sale had arrived! I cut my nails really short and followed all the tips I've seen on BT for putting it on. I still managed to put a small rip in it with my finger, so now I need to get some wetsuit repair glue. I'm glad it fits so I don't have to try to return it with a rip! I'm hoping to find some time before we leave on our vacation next week to take it on a spin in the bay.

I'm going to try to swim and run today and then head out on my long bike tomorrow.

Escape from Alcatraz is on Sunday and the race is right near our neighborhood so I think I'm going to drag my husband down to the expo to watch on Sunday morning. I wish I had thought ahead and volunteered.

I'm 90 % sure I have the H1N1 flu bug.  Isn't that the craziest thing? I have been surrounded by it and I now have the symptoms.  I thought I was just over tired but I am confident that it is the evil swine flu and not me just being lazy.
So no working out for Alan for a few days.  This sucks cause I felt like I just got back into the swing of my runs and was making progress on the swim.
Not looking for sympathy just venting a little.  Also, I worked 18 hours yesterday because of the H1N1 and watched our boss come unglued about the whole thing.
I think I will take come NeoCitron and go back to bed.
Take care,
Alan

Oh no, hope you feel better soon Alan!

Thank you my friend.
I thought you guys were afraid to talk to me.  I do feel better today.  I just have over all muscle ache.  My symptoms were only mild.  I had trouble swallowing, body ache and a bad stomache.  I am so looking forward to going for a run but I know I should not today.  But tomorrow I will be out for a short one.  It is of course a glorious 30 degrees celsius today.  About 86 farenheit for my American cousins.  A perfect beautiful day to be outside.
Hope everyone else had a great weekend.  I am sitting here at home waiting patiently for your updates.  I am living vicariously through you right now.
Cheers,
Alan
PS. I did not go to the Liberty Tri this weekend.  I wish we had a smilie that was a $100 flying away.  No worries I bite off more then I could chew but I am almost ready for my Sprint in a month.  Need to swim some more and I'll be good to go.

Glad you are feeling better Alan! I'm actually heading up to Canada on Thursday for 10 days (but to Ontario). My husband is from Ottawa so we're going to visit his family in Ottawa, attend a wedding in Kingston and spend a few days in Toronto. I'll eventually learn how to calculate Fahrenheit into Celsius!

Had a nice bike ride on Saturday and then headed down to watch Escape from Alcatraz on Sunday morning. It was my first time watching a tri in person and it was SOOOO COOL! Totally made me excited for my race next month. I was impressed with how bada$$ all the triathletes were. I took some pictures but haven't uploaded them yet, I'll share them here once I get a chance to upload. It was a beautiful day for racing.

Yesterday I did my first bike/run brick at the gym. 45 minutes on the spin bike followed by 1 mile on the treadmill. I was really happy with how the run went. I felt a bit noodle-like for a few minutes but I always find when running that the first 15 minutes hurts the most since I'm just starting to warm up, but by running when already warm I was able to get into a groove a lot faster. I hope this feeling continues during other bricks and races.

How's everyone's week going so far?

Hey all, it's been pretty quiet here on the boards lately, we must all be busy with summer, life, training, work, vacations, etc.! all exciting stuff. 

I've been struggling this week. Monday I swam in the morning and felt great. I went to get on a treadmill at my gym and they were all taken, but my gym also has an indoor track.  Well, it was terrible.  I felt like I was pounding my body against hard concrete.. So now my feet are sore and my hip is bothering me.  I've been icing like crazy and trying to be kind to it.  I'm supposed to run a 5k on Saturday but now I'm not sure, I may just walk it or sit out all together. I'm pretty pissed.  I should have just run outside instead of the track but it was convenient and I didn't want to drive home and then run.  boo.  Anyway, I'm trying to decide what to do.  we'll see what happens.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

erin

Hey Erin,
Sounds like your body is telling you something.  Either find a way to push past it or take a short break.  Your tired.  Eat something great and take a day and do nothing!  You'll feel better.  Just my 2 cents. 

I went for a short run today.  I've been couped up at home and just had to go out. It was tough but it felt great to run.  I just tried to enjoy it.

Cheers,
Alan

Hey Alan, thanks for your advice.  My conscious is telling me to sit out the race and take it easy. I have the day off of training tomorrow so that is good.  On the other hand, I've been looking forward to this 5k for months and I'm running it with friends and I just hate to miss it.  grrr.  And it was going to count as my long run for the week.

I'm just really frustrated because I feel like the past 4 or 5 weeks have been me hitting a road block and having to rest or stop one aspect of my training.  I want to do this so bad and I want to be healthy and exercise, I just get so frustrated when my body gets in my own way. ya know?

ok- thats my vent for now

Erin,
For what it's worth I say don't pass up a the 5 k.  Just build in a day off with a trip out to a good resturant the next day or so OK?  I think you'll feel great at the race.  Go fo it, and then eat the biggest bowl of pasta you can manage, or Lobster, or steak or something good.  Can you tell I have a ravenous hunger?  I just ran and then ate 1/2 a thin crust pizza with tomato sauce, a little bit of spicy sausage, pepporoni, lots of green peppers, onions and a touch of cheese.  It was awesome.  Oh, and I drank a beer. I feel great. (no not from the liqour)

I'm not sure what my eating habits have to do with how you feel but I think what I am saying is run the race, then take a well deserved day off and enjoy life.
Cheers,
Alan
PS. when my wife asks me if I wanna do a charity race (all 5k's) I just say yes.  It gets us out, we see cool stuff, sometime you get door prizes or t-shirts and you go for a run.  What's not to love?

What'd you decide to do darlin'?? Taking your health into account is the utmost important thing. Everyone hits roadblocks with training. We'll have good weeks and bad weeks. And sometimes the badones come consecutively. Which sucks. And sometimes we have to take those bad runs, the achy "I can't take one more step" kind and we have to just push right through it.

Big hugs to you though Erin. I hope things are going better for you...

I'm right there with you on the heat. I slept in yesterday and ended up running in the upper 80's/low 90's and it was the first really hot day around these parts. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty.

My solution is to get up and do the run around 5 moving forward. I'll also bring along a sponge that I can soak at water fountains. I've found that putting a cold wet sponge in my sportsbra or visor helps keep more core cool...which ultimately helps my HR.

I'm glad the treadmill run went well though!!

That noodley feeling is definitely normal for your first few brick runs. Keep at it and you'll find that the sensation subsides with practice. Often times people find that their cadence on the bike carries over onto the run and you can sometimes pull off faster run splits right off the bike! Doesn't work that way for everyone, but I'm always pleasantly surprised when it happens to me.

And the Escape from Alcatraz spectating sounds awesome!! I'd love to do that race, but I've got to get better at hill climbing before I tackle anything around SF!!

My philosophy is do what you can when you can. Whenever I travel I often ask the hotel if they have a partnership or access to guest passes at a local gym...then I use their stationary bikes and if I'm lucky, a pool. Also, some gyms offer free 1-week trial memberships you could look into as well.

It's super frustrating trying to squeeze stuff in on the road though.

Alan...I take it you're finally feeling better?! Turns out one of my teammates at work, her daughter has a full blown case of swine flu. Needless to say, we're all freaking out. Hopefully your flu has passed though!

What's the weather like up there for you these days?

I'm back from camping and a full 9-day rest week.  I only managed about 700 yds swimming while there - didn't have the heart to dump my 4 kids on my sister and run away (much as I was tempted ;-)

Now I'm going into another 1-2 weeks of 12-hr shifts, husband overtime, and teen am swim practices/pm meets).  My next tri is July 5.  I'll be lucky to get many workouts in.  I had thought I'd go in on a rest week...Looks like it'll be more like a 3-week full taper!

I'm having the same heat/run struggle.  I got an amphipod water bottle for Mother's Day.  I'm running with it, not to drink, but to dump on my head!  Not looking forward to the race day temperatures!  Friday it hit 94F by 10am, humid too.

Cheryl

Hey all!! sorry I've been MIA.  I did run my 5k and Saturday night and it went great! I'm really glad I ran it.  I ended up running with a friend who doesn't run much (she exercises and is fit, just not by running) so we walked a little bit to give her a break.  But only for a few minutes.  Anyway, i was happy I did it and I'm feeling good.  I gave myself a break on Sunday and made sure to stretch good and did the foam roller. 

I swam yesterday morning and felt good! Tonight I'm going to try and get a bike ride in. 

I hope everyone is having a good week!

Hi Everyone!  I'm back from vacation, and now I'm getting REALLY worried about my race on Sunday.  It'll be my first Oly, but I'm feeling really underprepared.  Since I hurt my shoulder and bike the weekend before I left, I haven't been able to do ask much swimming as I had planned.  Wrecking my old bike and being out of town has put a damper on my bike training as well.  So I've really mostly just been running... and not even that much since it was about 85 degrees at 7am in Florida, and hotter later in the day.  I'm wondering if my training from before the accident/vacation will carry me through, and whether my shoulder will act up when I try swimming longer distances 

Anyways tonight, I have a 1-mile swim + 2-mile run planned at the beach after work.  If I can get through that without too much effort, I'll probably be good to go for the oly on Sunday.  If I have trouble with it, I'm going to see if I can switch my registration to the sprint. 

Greetings from Canada!

I'm up here with the hubby visiting my in-laws for 10 days so I've been MIA for a bit. We were down in Toronto sightseeing and visiting friends and went to a wedding over the weekend. I didn't get any workouts in aside from lots of walking. We're back at his parents house now so I'm hoping to get some swimming and running in during the rest of the week we are here. It's actually been really nice to take some time off, I think my body is happy for the rest. Sounds like everyone is doing well and busy busy with lots of summer stuff.