stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 247)

LISA!!!

What a nice thing to wake up this morning -- posts from you, right here. Halleloo!! Now, the big trick will be to get things out here before you disappear again for a few weeks!

Let's see.....
Glad to hear that Roo is still part of your life. I saw your Fbk post about him (?) getting up on the table and also peeing, and your thought about what you could buy with the $325, and was wondering if there would be a parting of the ways. But then there was the post about you returning to puppy-kisses, so that sounded more positive. And then there is the comment about training a dog being a lot of work, so it sounds as if you are in it for the long haul. Good news for the two of you -- well, at least for Roo!

Savageman, eh? Yes, I am definitely interested at some point. This coming season, though, will likely find me with Lynn in Newfoundland at that time, which would mean no Reston and Lake George/Savageman. I guess much of that depends on Luna -- if she is still alive, I will not go to Newfoundland; she is too old to handle two weeks in the kennel. In that case I would be "free" to do some combination of those races.

I think I have to do S-man in a year that my weight is down -- maybe even to 165 (never been there since starting triathlons). This year I raced mostly at 170, but to handle the Westernmost Wall (?) just HAS to benefit those who are carrying less weight, right? I mean, skip the crap about having weight to carry you down descents -- that is not the issue at Savageman, is it??

But, keep prodding me about this! As for you and Ryan, heck, you can order your bricks right now. You'll be at about 110 at that time next year, and what is Ryan when he gets careless with his eating -- 150, tops? Two strong cyclists who don't weigh much.....those bricks are all yours!

I saw with chagrin that Columbia has only 105 spots left, and that was as of Oct 7. I don't think i can commit to that quite yet, so that means it wil happen without me. That's not the end of the universe, but I was hoping that it would still be open by early December; I think it was last year. Anyhow, that will be another Missed Opportunity. I was sorely tempted by Eagleman....and knew it would fill fast....and it did. And then there was the larger temptation of IMLP, but that was just my active fantasy life getting the best of me for a brief spell. But as I wrote to Jess the other day, I am working towards doing IMLP in '14, when I'm 65 -- and I'm trying to make that more than just Active Fantasy.

But I digress from Columbia talk, which was supposed to segue neatly into Triple-T talk. Well, there's not much talking there, other than to say it's still in play for me. It would be that or Harryman, if Columbia slides away from me. Harryman is much closer and much less expensive, and ultimately much, much less taxing on my system. But that's a time of year in which Lynn could play very hapily in the hills of southern Ohio, so.....

I glanced at the results from Triple-T NC -- not a huge crowd there at all. No surprise, and it will never have the cachet of TTTOH. But maybe there are people who view it as I do -- "training wheels" for TTTOH -- and will do it each year with the goal of graduating up to OH the following May.

I saw your post about the "tramp stamp" (such a wickedly perjorative term!) from the fuel belt -- is that something new (the fuel belt, that is)? Is it something you are hoping to use for the 50-miler? I tried a fuel belt once, many years ago, and within about two miles I got a nasty rash around one of my hips, i believe, and never tried it again.

I haven't signed up yet for Rehoboth, but fully intend to. I will see how the half-marathon this Saturday goes, and proceed from there. R.B. will take 450 for the 1/2mar, and the list last night had 308. The next price jump happens on 11-1, so I think I'm safe on both counts for another week or so. Are you thinking of doing the half.....or maybe even the full?

I'm really enjoying this run emphasis for the fall, and just hope my body will accommodate my enthusiasm. the foot scare a few days ago was very sobering, yet another reminder that I just cannot pour on those big mileage weeks -- and mine wasn't near what you and Jess are doing. And maybe the foot worry didn't come from that mileage, but I just can't take that chance, i don't think. But careful, thoughtful training for 1/2mars --- I think i can handle that!

There'll be a 10km on 11-7, and maybe a 10-miler on 11-21, and then RB, and maybe a 10km on 12-31, and maybe another 10km on about 1-14. Those, if I can pull them off, ought to keep me perky!

I am sorry work has been a headache for you -- both in terms of volume as well as the need to move. Lots of puppy-kisses, though, if you work from home!

Is the ankle any better today? You do that so frequently....any idea why?

There are other things, i am sure, but I will post this now. I hope you hang around long enough to read it!

LISA -

That's funny about you and your collection of blond alpha female dogs. I think I'd be best-served to remember that......

I'm glad for Roo (and you) that it all got worked out, but very sorry there were some strains along the way. I can almost see something similar happening with us when Luna goes. Lynn has made talk that we will get a replacement right away (well, not too long after), but it's going to take me a while to come around to that, I'm sure. We'll see how it all shakes down -- but hopefully it is still some distance away!

With my cumbersome dial-up I have only seen the still photos of the Savageman killer-climb, but I also noticed the "switchback" appraoch being used. and maybe I read somewhere that it is almost essential to do it that way, at least to some degree.

I guess it is similar to TTT in that at some point you have to give up the quest for time just to ensure a finish. That is, you give up a lot of time winding back and forth, but if the goal is to get a brick AND finish, that's the way it's got to be.

I think Bjorn Andersson was the one who won it in '09. He is a monster cyclist, and I wonder what approach he took. Surely some Fexy would know that, yes?

Yay on signing up for TTT? Ryan too? And did you decide that solo is the way to go for you?

How's the ankle today? Hopefully, much, MUCH better.

Did you see that there wil be a Pocono Mountain 70.3 next Oct. 2. Intriguing! The website is rudimentary at present, and all I know is that it will be out of Stroudsburg, and will use two transition zones. I can't imagine the Syracuse people are very happy about the timing, with the two just two weeks apart. To get from Syracuse to Stroudsburg is only a few hours, and maybe some people will choose the Poc Mtn over Syracuse. Well, probably not many.

MightyMan might also be displeased, and also Bassman. That's three half irons on the same weekend, all fairly close geographically. Hmmm.

Finally (for now), I'm losing the battle with EFS, and you may get a package soon! I love the Liquid Shot, though, but just can't take the EFS drink, it seems. It also doesn't help that Infinit single-serve packets are available at one of my local stores, and I like that well enough. I still have some custom stuff, but fret too much about placing orders for it and making sure it;s right for me.....so I don't use what I have. How stupid is that!

The formulations for Infinit Run and Infinit Ride are attractive, as is the one for their recovery drink. I guess I just like that I can buy it over the counter -- although going the single-serving route is way too expensive. So, maybe it should just be back to my own custom model....or revert to HEED.....or hope for some miraculous breakthrough with EFS!!!!!!!

Finally-finally, have you guys tried the CompuTrainer yet? I doubt it, given your 50-mile focus, but I'm just curious. No hurry at all -- it looks like I'm not southbound any time soon! Let me know what you think when you get around to it, though!






Edited by stevebradley 2010-10-20 6:08 PM

Hey? Hello? Yoo-hoo?

It's been a few very quiet/lonely days here. Snif.

On a bright(er) note, my half-marathon this morning was outstanding;

1:37:08
4:36/km
7:24/mile
42/507 overall
1/13 expanded (60-69) age group

My hopehopehope goal was 1:40, and seeing as how I would've been okay with 1:45, 1:37 is just a dream.

Conditions were mostly okay - cold (1C at the start), but not much wind. I opted for minimal clothes, right down to no socks (but carried them with me!), and that turned out to be wise.

Maybe more later!



(I MISS YOU ALL!!)


(And if you haven't noticed, the other group is about the make "the catch" on us here. I think they are less than 40 posts behind! )

Jess has an awesome 13.1...and now Steve with a 1:37.  Those are some fast times.

I need some of that guidance on how to get faster.

In the meantime I have less than a month before IMAZ!  PLanning on a longish run today  (14-16 miles).  I hope to do a few more 16's but that's it, I don;t plan on going over 16.  We'll see how that works out come gameday.

NEIL -

How was the long run today? Curious minds want to know!

I maybe said this in answer to your big post from a couple of weks ago, but were I in your shoes and having suffered a spring with a stress fracture, i would do exactly as you are doing -- keep my longest runs safely relatively short. There may be some sloggish moments between miles 18 and 23 at IMAZ, but at last you'll be there and not sidelined!

How have you done recently with longer rides? Have they happened, or are they waiting for when your friend arrives next weekend?

As for getting faster, I truly believe a big thing for me has been my cadence. I would say that for 95% of yesterday it was over 90, and maybe even for the whole thing. (The 15 or so times I counted it out it was 90-92.) I have worked very diligently on that for the past few years, and I think it has paid off handsomely. Like everyone else who has tried it, it is impossible to see initially how it can be sustained for much more than a km or two at a time. But now it is just there, once I hit it. Sometimes that might take a couple of miles, just if I'm feeling lazy or fighting a headwind (fortunately, neither pertained at the beginning of yesterday's race! )

I have some other thoughts, but I'll leave it there for now.

Two weeks and counting!!!!!

well, a common theme with me...I got a late start and of course it got dark on me so i called it a little bit short.  There are just too many cracks in the sidewalks and it's sketchy with the cars possibly not seeing me.

Anyway, I did get in 13.22 miles.  I ran at perfect IM pace which was 10:15 pace.  No fade at all even tough I did encounter some hills.  All miles were between 9:50 and 10:32 pace, so that's good.  I am feeling good, not saying I will feel good entire marathon, but from today's run I def felt like I had 2-3 more at that pace pretty easy, even though that is completly hypothetical, since I didn't do it!  Next week I have to start earlier and get in 15.

The bike is going well. I found yet another turn off from my LA bike paths which seem to be completly secret as I don't see too many bikes.  So far I have ridden over 150 miles of perfect bike path, I still can't believe I get to do all this without having to deal with stops or cars.  All these paths go under the streets and are mostly along the river/  This was a short week for the ride but I got in 60 miles with 3.5 run brick.  The furthest I have gone so far is 80 miles but I have done that I believe 4 times.

NEIL -

I think you should feel quite good about where you're at. Those 4X80-milers are close enought to count, especially since your riding terrain is more demanding than the IMAZ course......maybe? At any rate, they are good, solid efforts, and close enought to 112 to count!

Very nice at holding your pace where you wanted, and with minimal variance. That there was no fade is an extra bonus, and I'll bet there's more than 2-3 miles at that pace at IMAZ. Granted, there'll be a bit of a prelude before the IMAZ run, but that will be counter-balanced by aid stations and adrenaline.

We really do benefit from those aid stations! I ran most of Sunday's half-marathon course a couple of weeks ago, maybe about 20km of it, and did it with no nutritionals for the full 100 minutes of running. I could feel the absence of water or anything else, to be sure, and while it didn't do me in, I knew I would've benefitted from something to ingest along the way. And then on Satirday, with aid stations every 3km or so, well, that just made a difference. I think a fair bit of that is in my head, but be that as it may, I availed myself of something every aid station -- either water or e-Load.

I also carried a flask of EFS with me, storing it in my top left hip pocket of my DeSoto tri shorts -- which I know you use. Those are so ideal for flasks, and while on the surface I don't like bulk when I run, flasks become almost effortless -- no fumbling with gel packets, no potential mess, and you can control immediately how much you want to take in.

I was thrilled when Hammer made the jump from flasks&bottles to gel packets, back around '01 I would guess, with the same feeling happening a year or so later when Lava did the same. But seeing as how I never race in anything other than my DS four-pocket tri shorts, I might come around full circle and revert to gel-in-flasks!

Finally -- Want a wake-up call next week's run? As a Full Service Mentor, I happily provide wake-up calls!

Have a great penultimate week of training, Neil!

Steve!! Crazy race 1:37 is awesome! I remember you said there wouldn't be aid stations for the last 4 miles - how did that work out?

Neil - great job with the run. I didn't get out til late for my run yesterday, too, so I also cut it a little short At least we made it out!

As for me and my post-race week, I think I played it perfectly Monday I did 4 super easy miles and lots of foam rolling - I was able to run the 4 without ITB distress. Took Tuesday and Wednesday off, just to play it safe (plus had a few other things pop up ). Thursday I got in 5 miles, and Friday I did 10.

Saturday was a crazy busy day - I did 3 miles in the morning, then went straight to "the Hunt." The hunt is exactly as pretentious and upper-class north Jersey as it sounds... Basically, it's a big steeplechase race in the hills of north jersey. People essentially "tail gate" at the race all day - tailgating spots on the hill are passed down generation-to-generation. Tail-gates are usually catered - some even had full bar service. It's just nuts. It was FABULOUS people watching though. Anyway, a lot of my friends and family go - so I figured I'd go this year. It was fun, but I was essentially standing on my feet (and drinking ) all day...

Went straight from the Hunt to my younger sister's soccer game - she plays for Montclair State and Saturday was one of her last games. Then I went home, where we were having a house-warming party.

So Saturday was crazy busy. I slept in sooooo late on Sunday. I still got in a great run though! Went out around 2:30 and did 18.5 miles through the valley in Long Valley - ohhh it was so beautiful. Warm, sunny at first, and then a little overcast. I kept the pace easy - between 9:30 and 9:50, which turned out to be perfect. I had planned on a full 20, but it was starting to get dark when I finished (a little under 3 hours), so I cut it short. No worries, that was a great long run.

I need to start thinking about my end-game training - Philly is in less than a month. I think I'm going to use a pretty short taper, maybe 7-10 days. That would give me at least 2 more good long runs. I want to do a full 20 as one of them - so maybe 16 next weekend, then 20 the weekend after that, then step it back down the weekend before the race.

This upcoming week should be busy - I have work all week, then Friday afternoon Mark and I are heading down to DC for the weekend. We're ostensibly going for the "Rally to Restore Sanity" (Jon Stewart event), but we're excited to visit DC friends we haven't seen in a while Don't know how I'm going to fit a long run in, it might get pushed to Monday morning. 

PS Steve - why did you carry socks with you? Would you really have stopped to put them on?? Haha

JESS -

Yes, that was the contingency plan -- if feet lost feeling, put on socks. And for the first 4-5km, I was wondering if it would come to pass! Remember, my running shoes are Newtons, and the tops are just an open mesh, and wide openings at that. Race start temp was 2C, which is about 36F, so it was touch-and-go. Scanning the feet of a few hundred runners before the start, there was no one without socks. Also, i was one of a very small fraction not wearing tights, so i knew I was pushing some edges. My race photos are at www.zoomphoto.ca, bib 2444 for 9RunRun. The socks are obvious in most of the photos, hanging fetchingly from the right top of my tri shorts. Zoom, by the way, is always prolific; they just keep clicking away! All the photos are from the first and last 1.5km. I like the four that just happen to be lined up under the hand (not mine) holding the medal.

As for the aid station thing, bless their hearts, there was on about 3km from the finish! It was manned by exuberant mid-teen hockey players, so it was a nice commitment for those guys to get out there. As it is on the Trans-Canada Trail where vehicles aren't allowed, they had to walk a ways from the closest road to get there -- maybe about a km of walking. It was great to have them there!

I never cease to marvel at the freneticness of your average weekend, where you manage to fit in more stuff than most people manage in a month or two! There must be no more than three degrees of separation between you ad the Duracell Bunny!

Your run sounds just about perfect, and as for your end-of-game training, I think you've got it nailed as you plan it -- just a beautiful work&glide scheme!

"Rally to Restore Sanity", eh? I'll go check that out right now. From the cheap seat up here, I see a whole lot of insanity in the U.S. these days/weeks/months, so restoring sanity sounds very welcome. (Jon Stewart is to the left of center, yes?)

I am frustrated. I woke up Monday morning feeling kind of off - I figured I was just a little unbalanced still from the long run, resolved to drink more water, and figured everything would be fine.

By Monday evening, I was feeling my cold again - I went to the gym with the plan of doing 4 miles, but only made it one.

Took yesterday off of running, hoping that it would all resolve itself. Barely slept last night, and woke up with a ridiculously terrible sinus headache. The pressure is almost unbearable

I am breaking down and making a doctors appointment... Hopefully someone can squeeze me in today... I guess I needed a new doctor anyway.


On a side note - Lisa - those shoes are AWESOME. I want a pair badly. Never mind that a) I don't wear Newtons, and b) I don't really trail run (unless you count the 'rail-trails' long runs in Long Valley). I am obsessed. I might buy a pair but of course would wait until after Philly so I'm not tempted to take them for a test-spin before that.

Edited by ThatGirl 2010-10-27 7:45 AM

JESS -

I hope you get your doctor today! You've been carrying around this malaise for a while now, and while some of these things have reputations for being two- or three-weekers, enough is enough!

So, hopefully, you will get remedied sometime today. Back in '07 I had something pretty awful for a while, and when I finally got to my doctor she quickly diagnosed it as a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics and I was feeling better within a day. I hope it works like thsat for you!

What am I missing about Lisa and shoes? Is this something over on her Facebook page? Is she using the Newton trail running shoes -- which are pretty nifty-looking? Come to think of it, she might've siad something about them when she last posted here; guess I'll go back and check.

Get well!

Best I could do is tomorrow at 12:30. So frustrating. I was trying to find a new doctor closer to work/new apartment, and most of the places I called (called 7!!) said they couldn't see me til next week. How would that help me at all? So frustrating. When I was calling around and kept getting rejected, it made me want to cry. I understand that lawyering takes a while, but I feel like doctors should be able to see you same day...

Steve - I'm sure its just a sinus infection, and that quick shot of anti-biotics will clear it up. A Z-Pack is literally all I need. Garrr.

Yeah, the shoes are sweet right?

JESS -

Aw, I'm sorry you're "on hold". But at least 12:30 tomorrow is better than next week. Are you at least at home and able to take care of yourself without having the direct pressures of work?

It has been confirmed what we have have known was coming -- that our long-standing GP is retiring. Her last day of seeing patients is Dec 24, and so we have to find a new doctor. That is tough these days, as old doctors are leaving faster than new doctors can fill for them, and this is a trend that isn't about to change.

My "sports doctor" for about ten years now is also a GP, so I'm hoping we can latch onto him officially. I have seen him about some non-sports matters, so I think he'll be able to keep me in his stable. I sure hope he can also corral Lynn, and I guess it helps that we're both very healthy and relatively low-maintenance; two bodies with half the headaches?

I was surprised when my GP told me a few weeks ago that most people have several folders of medical info, whereas I just have one. I'm not sure how that happens; I think I've had my fair share of stuff, but i guess not.

So, between now and tomorrow at 12:30, mojo coming your way for recovery all on your own!

Yeah, I do need to find a new doctor. I don't really like the woman I go to currently - she doesn't like my "running habit." In the past, when I've had to ask her for referrals, she'd be critical (i.e. if I needed to go to a podiatrist for what I thought was an overuse injury, etc). I don't know why, we just don't have a super great relationship. It's so hard to find a good doctor... But I was told today that she doesn't take my new insurance (new job = new insurance, of course), so that'll be the big factor in finally pushing me to switch! I hope your sports guy can take you on! I'm not a very hard patient - I go maybe 2 times a year, tops. You'd think it would be easy to find a doctor I like!

Anyway, yes on sinus infection. And oddly enough, yes on ear infection too? Who knew? I don't think I've had an ear infection since, like, middle school? Anyway, I got some heavy-duty antibiotics, so hopefully I'll be on the mend.

She wasn't too pleased when she heard that I ran long on Sunday, despite just being over the previous cold. She told me not to run until Monday, at earliest. Knowing her general anti-running 'tude, I don't know that I'll follow that advice, but I'll probably be off until Saturday or Sunday at earliest. Not optimal, given the proximity of Philadelphia, but I hope it'll be ok?

In other, terribly off topic, news, I purchased a pair of those Newtons.

Couldn't help myself, haha. Consider yourself an inspiration, Lisa

We'll see if I like them?

I had a 25% off code for Tri-Sports.com, so I got them for $115 shipped. Not a bad deal. They're back ordered and won't ship til late next week, which is fine because I won't be able to try them until after Philly anyway...

I hope I got the right size. I normally wear an 8.5 (womens) street shoe, and usually wear a 9 in running shoes. I got a 9.

JESS -

Yeah, given her jaundiced view of running, I'd do what you're considering -- she says Maonday....I'll return on Sunday! Sunday, Monday....it'll all be fine in terms of Philly!

It's good, anyhow, that she was able to prescribe stuff for you; here's to better living through chemistry!

Yay for the Newtons! Was it the trail model you got, or one of their conventional (Ha! Newton? Conventional? It's an oxymoron right there!) models?

For the love of god, remember to take it sloooooow and easy with them for the first several-many runs. If you missed it before, i started in them in early Nov '07, and suffered miserably with incredibly sore calves that then morphed into plantar fasciitis. It was no fun at all........but I stuck with them and feel that mnot only have they extended my running life, but that the good times I am churning out are due to the alterations I made while working with them (the shoes). I think I'm on my 11th pair now!

The Newton world was primordial in Nov '07, and some of their info at the time was very dogmatic -- kind of Forefoot Running or Bust! It turns out I was not the only person who suffered making the transition, and now thier literature is much more measured -- more of an emphasis on midfoot, and even a shoe (Sir Isaac, Lady Isaac) for people who are heavy heel-strikers and need something more transitional, even to the point of accommodating heel-striking!

My problem was that I read "forefoot" and took it quite literally -- that is, I was aiming for each footfall to be Way Out There. I wasn't even taking poper advantage of the lugs, as I was trying to land forward of them. So, if people get sore calves from landing midfoot and a bit beyond, it is no surprise that I had problems from aiming for the far forefoot -- like, the toes?

So, mistakes were made, but I'm am so happy I stuck with it! One woman is the other group had problems with nueromas (as did I), and when I told her they were cured by the Newtons*, she went out and bought some and found the same relief. But another neuroma-afflicted woman tried them, hated them, and returned them. And Mindy's husband, Ivan, tried them last winter and suffered really sore calves, and I think he gave them up. But I love them dearly, and there is no other shoe in which I can run sockless as comfortably as in Newtons!


*For me, I think the lugs separate the metatarsals, which then don't compress laterally on the nerve bundles which causes the neuroma. That's just my theory!

Get well!

JESS again -

Did you see Lisa's facebook postings about her dog, Roo, and the window blinds? If not, find it and read the whole account, including what Roo is standing on. Too funny!

I am selling my buddies bike.  Any idea if I am in the ballpark with asking $?

Cervelo

NEIL -

Is a P2C, or a P2? I ask because mine is a P2C, and it has that on the back, whereas the one you're selling just has P2. And the 3T on the fork I think refers to a model. Um, maybe a Cervelo P2 3T? No, that doesn't quite sound right. But I wonder if a P2 is aluminum, whereas a P2C is carbon.

When I went from my '01 P2K to an '08 P2C, that was the difference -- aluminum vs carbon. And what a difference, too! Mercy!

As for you being in the right ballpark....probably? It looks great and as you say, it's practically new. I think I'll go up and hug my own bike now.

Bigger matters --- How was your training this weekend??????

Lisa - so cool! I've heard of Fat (a*s?) ultra's before from my courthouse librarian last year. He was hardcore into adventure-type racing. Can't wait to hear the details! This weekend was PERFECT for running long. How was the AT-trail section? Hopefully no twisted ankles to report!

Thanks Lisa- I'm feeling much better. The wonders of modern anti-biotics. Long crazy weekend - went down to DC for the rally on Saturday, back yesterday so I could go in to work. Finally getting back to running today - it's been a full week off during, what should be peak-week for Philly. Hopefully I'll recover fully in time!

And before we talk about selling a compu-trainer to some random FeXY- let's talk about it swimming up 95 to NJ. I've always been interested in trying one. I plan on spending most of the winter (i.e. December through March) doing pretty unstructured training, mostly all on the bike/trainer. So, if it's for sale Steve, and you guys aren't taking it, Lisa & Ryan, let me know

Edited by ThatGirl 2010-11-01 7:15 AM

Oh right, and Neil- if you want to put that bike in the washer/dryer, shrink it down to a size 48/50, then you'd have a willing buyer in NJ

LISA -

I searched high.....I searched low....I looked upside-down and sideways.....and nowhere could I find anything from you that I done good on my half-marathon last weekend!

Actually, my reflections on that have me radically reconsidering how I structure my '11 season. But more on that later -- when I get a few thoughts better-ordered, i will float them here.

As for the CT, yup, most definitely I would like to sell it. First, as I told you before, I sadly have used it very seldom in the past two off-seasons. Second, I have no idea when I'll be down there to retrieve it! Third, heck, selling stuff is my only source of income these days!

There was a house we looked at back in the spring that had a room that would've been ideal for the CT; in fact most houses we have looked at have rooms that are ideal for the CT -- or at leat mor so than where it is now. Our computer room is a grotto, just about, and over the years it just became harder and harder to look forward to doing sessions here. I loved it to death for the first few seasons just because it was such an improvement in terms of variety over the trianer or rollers, but then the room just defeated me.

Don't let the wires intimidate you; I actually had them kind of neat and tidy! There are a couple of problemmy ones that attach right to the bike, but if I can figure them out, you and Ryan such can. And the magnet snsor on those always has to be fine-tuned in position, but once there it's good indefinitely.

The biggest problem I had was the calibration stuff, but then I just put less importance on the exactitude on the data and more on the killer nature of some of the rides, and I was fine. Smart techno people have no problems with the calibration, but it was just an enormous, scary problem for you favorite default Luddite here!

So, if you want to buy, or post it on Fexy for someone else, that would be great. If not, I'll juts have to make a trip down there to collect it at some point! (Kinetic comes to mind....., but that relates to how I script next season, based on the HALF-MARATHON LAST WEEKEND and Rehoboth Beach, if I can get myslef down there to do it!)

So ----- Did you in fact do the Fat Ultra? 50km and THEN a potluck? (Actually, a psot-ultra potluck is about the only reason to do an ultra, to my mind!) DETAILS!!! I want details!!!

Halloween came and went, and no kids. this is about the 8th yar we've had no kids. it comes from living out in the sticks, and also that the closest town has sprouted a few additions to its subdivisions, so kids just get dropped off there and prowl for a few hours and clean up big-time. For us, it involves parents driving kids from place.......to place......to place......to place. So, once again I bought a $5.99 bag of mini-bars, and all of them end up with me. (I always get the bags that have Reese's PB Cups or Reese's Pieces! )

Oh, yeah -- I ran a half-marathon last weekend and was very pleased with how it went. Did I tell you that already?

Give Ryan and Roo hugs from me.