stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 232)

...if you guys haven't gone to jess' facebook page, there is the cutest picture of eli post doggy dash.  so cute. 

i didn't think i would want another doggy addition to our family for a while, but i'm finding my grieving for belle has come to a halt.  i don't cry a lot any more, but it's really just a sense of emptyiness....it's the only way i can describe it.  i feel like the piece of me that gets joy from having a dog around, just isn't getting fed.  i had (what i thought to be) a brilliant idea of looking for a new dog after imloo and naming her looloo.  ryan isn't too keen on the idea.  he really doesn't want to get another until we're out of our condo.  my feeling is that belle had a great life and got plenty of exercise regardless of where i lived....and the alternative is that she would have been euthanized in a shelter.  we'll see how it plays out. 

there is a part of me, though, that almost feels like getting another would be betraying her.  ...actually getting emotional writing this.  it's crazy what those little fuzzy faces do to your heart.

stevebradley - 2010-07-17 7:10 PM LISA - Root around in your closet and find your Inspector Albrecht hat -- you know, the one you wore when you figured out who Joe O'Gorman was! Only this time, use it to figure out if ANY of the Fexy folk at Placid are "capable" of swimming 2.4 miles in around 85 minutes. I know the guideline says 80 minutes, but in the case of you and Ryan I strongly suspect more like 65-75 minutes, tops. I don't mind being the last one out of the water, but I don't want it to be last by too much. Both of my irons featured swims that were 1:25 or 1:26. Yech. I guess you've heard about the buoy line underwater at the IMLP swim course? If not, the course is the world's skinniest rectangle, going waaaaay out, and then across for about 20 feet is all, and then waaaaaaay back in. But anchoring those buoys is a continuous underwater rope, which is magificent for sighting for people who swim close to it; it's a real incentive for staying right close to the buoys! (And still, my IMLP swim was only 1:25! ) When do you figure the swim will start? And the pm run? (This is for Thursday, BTW.)

hey steve,

while the schedule might look formal, we are not uptight about it at all.  a few of the people in the house are putting together a scheduled agenda of start times for all this stuff.   i've already told them i will not be following it.  while i plan on getting training in, it's also a vacation for us. 

so, i guess what i'm saying is, anytime you want to start the swim, we'll start the swim.  anytime you want to run, we'll run.  when you want to go to the expo, we'll go to the expo.  makes no difference to me.  we'll just be happy to see you!  if it takes you longer to finish the swim, then i'll swim more or be sunning myself.  whatev. 

i have heard about the swim cable.  i'm interested to see it.

i'm not sure about the status of the internet in LP, and we are leaving tonight to head to pa and then tomorrow am to go the rest of the way, so your best bet is to call me on my cell 703.371.1540 or to email me at [email protected]  i can pick those up easily from my phone.  did you get the email i sent?  is that the right address?  if not, can you just send me a quick email so i have your email address?

thanks!!!

on the ankle front, i tried to run on friday and it did not go well at all.  i didn't make it 5 steps before i got intense pain.  i'm going to try it again tomorrow when i get to LP.  if that doesn't go well, then i'll make an appt for an ortho when i get back.  keeping my fingers crossed, but getting a little worried. 

quickly, too, on a tdf note.... i heard an announcer say a few days ago that he believes if lance tries for a stage win, it will be today.....stay tuned!

Jess, I think you can give yourself credit for beating 3:00.  Your stop to help the runner in distress clearly added a little time, so you should deduct slightly when trying to compare against other performances and not penalize yourself for doing a good deed.  I hope the runner was OK, clearly he needed assistance!

I've had 2 weeks in a row of steady running, so I hope I am back to my routine and on track to do the 13.1 in October.  We head back to the beach for the final summer trip next week, so I hope I don't backtrack too much.  I'm also breaking in new shoes, which I don't seem to like very much right now.  All in all, I'm happy that I'm starting to get my weekely mileage back where it needs to be (so I can seriously start training for th 13.1.)

Hard to believe summer is almost over.  Picked up the kids from camp this past weekend.  Head to the beach for a week, and then when we get back, Fall softball starts back up again and school is not far behind.  Summer seems too short these days.  I am looking forward to getting some relief from the heat, but we are probably a couple of months away from that still.

hey steve,

a quick update on our fexy people........

ken delraso, unfortunately, had major cramping issues on the run and did not have the day he was hoping for.

scott baldwin had a great race, but, again, didn't have the run he was hoping for and didn't K qualify.

kristin andrews, the girl i mentioned too look out for....broke the AG womens record by 10 minutes and finished 6th overall INCLUDING pros.  ridiculous.  she isn't fexy, but she is friend of fexy.  this was her first IM and her first Marathon!!!!  just silly.

Fexy teammate, Leslie Knibb, won her AG and K qualified.  i'm pretty sure she also broke the record for her AG.  ...she was a later mother too.  i believe she is 47 and has a 12 year old.  inspirational.

all of our other teammates finished and some had really break through races.  it was fun (and exhausting) to watch!!

So funny story.  you met Ernie.  he had gray hair and a mustache.  the day after the race i was looking up results on my phone and he asked me if i would look up a friend of his to see how he did.  the friend?  steve bradley.  i almost fell out of my chair.  He works with him.  the same guy from our area.  he did LP this year.  didn't have a great day.  i thought that was hilarious!! 

so, i did sign up.  i am officially registered for 2011 IM USA.  i currently have mixed feelings about it.  i'm a little nervous that i am registered for my second before i've done my first....and, i'll be honest, i'm also a little disappointed about postponing the family thing.  although, being registered doesn't mean i can change my mind i guess.  in general, though, i'm excited.  when i did the full course on wednesday, i averaged 17.6mph.  in that ride i did the second loop on my own at 18.8 mph average.  the first loop was in a group of teammates and we had to do a lot of slowing down for the slower riders.  i also soft pedaled up most of the hills.  the last women to get a k slot in my age group did a 10:46.  most intriguing was the woman who places one spot ahead of her.  she did a 10:43.  this included a 1:03 swim, 5:58 bike (18.7mph) and a 3:35 run (8:14 min/miles).  i definitely think this is more than doable for me for next year. 

the fly in the ointment is that i know 2 women who signed up for next year from my area that are stellar athletes.  it will be my focus this next year to surpass them.

....ryan just got home from grocery shopping.  i guess i should do do something to help him, eh.

oh, i did go to get ART twice while i was there.  the first treatment was really good.  i really liked the guy a lot.  between that and giving it a few more days, i had a good run today.  i'm cautiously optimistic.  i definitely felt like i had lost some run fitness, but i hope there is time to get back to at least where i was.  fingers crossed.  less than 5 weeks left!!!!!

OH!!!  since you like to marinate in your race decisions i will tell you now that since we've signed up for IM LP 2011, 2011 ohio triple t is a definite GO.  put it on your schedule!!!! 

any other takers?  Jess?