kaqphin (Super Cat's) Mentor group - CLOSED (Page 27)

BunnyB - 2008-03-13 10:02 AM WTG Jeni! Thanks for posting your pics, ladies. It's so inspiring to see them.

x 2 - both of your have had so much success with racing!!!

So.... who is next? With the season starting in the USA what is everyone aiming for and is there anything yuo need help with?

There is so much knowledge nad experience in this group Im pretty sure we can find the answers to anything!

I think Dia's next on March 29th. 

how's everyone's bike challenge coming along? 

YAY! GO PAM! You're going to take some folks down for sure! Have fun!! May they eat your bubbles, hear your "on your left," and feel the breeze as you speed by them! We'll be rooting for you! Have fun!

wooowhoo. go pam, You're gonna do great!!!

you are going to do great!!!!!
 

Well its almost COB Friday here so...

Pam - have an awesome race!

Everyone else - train hard and enjoy the weekend!

Oh... and Happy Friday I guess since you are just heading that way!

I got pictures. I got pictures.  I feel like i should by my friend a big dinner or something.  She was amazing paparazzi and now I basically have my race captured from beginning to end! Plus every time I saw her I picked up my feet and pushed a little harder cause you got to look good for the camera right?

here's a taste... check out my album for the rest.

that is a seriously fantastic action shot... so clear nad perfect...

Really nice looking swim stroke too BTW!

Jeni- Check out the high elbows! Sweet--those are some great pics, same for your album! I have that tri-top too!! I have only worn it in training some!  I need a personal photographer, what a great friend!

Happy pre-race day vibes to Pam!!

WAY TO GO PAM!! I've was wondering all day, and I knew you'd rock it, and you DESTROYED IT! Can't wait to read and learn from your race report!

Wonderful!!! Go Pam Go!!!!!

 Congratulations!

Just a reminder I leave tomorrow for conference for 3 days... so if you dont see me for a few days dont worry....

As Arnold would say "I'll be back" 

I am learning that no matter what, your body always has more to give.  What's funny though is sometime people talk about looking in the mirror and seeing the fat person they used to be staring back.  for me its not the fat person, but the out of shape person staring back.  I am always totally surprised by what I can do. What seems completely impossible at the beginning is doable... and not half bad.

Today as part of a coached club ride we did:
3.5 km hill repeats at your lactate threshold up a mountain with a  7.5% grade.  it was my first time tackling something like this and we had to climb  a hill to get to this hill and man it was hard work but SO REWARDING!!! The first time I came so close to puking. The second time I found this amazing zen where I was working really hard but it all just worked.  The third time my legs were really feeling it and I fought all those negative thoughts that pop in your head and conquered it!  And the best part of going up a big hill like that? ZOOMING DOWN!!!  I hit a top speed of 67.4 kph (42mph). 

Endorphines and adrenaline-- the best high ever!!!
And I felt awesome at the end. I am amazed at how quickly my body is able to recover.  Legs are recovering well but ask me again in the morning.

Hey team!

Pam - HUGE CONGRATS on your race, that is so awesome!  I know you are so proud of yourself, that is just so cool.  You are super fast!  Rock on girl...

Jeni - Have fun with those hills!  I am envious, I am still very afraid of riding outside, especially going downhill at 42 mph.  All I would think is "crap, one pothole and I am a goner".  I do love the bike, but I getting hit by a car is pretty darn scary to me. 

Britt - Hang in there.  When I did my first race, I went into some kind of funk, stopped training and missed my next 2 races.  Not sure why that happens, but apparently it does happen to some people.  I know you will get back to it because you enjoy doing it so much. 

Yep, my race is on March 29th.  500 yard swim, 12 mile bike and 5k run.  It should take me around 2 hours.  I won't be placing in my age group.    I haven't done any major training since the beginning of Feb.  I know I can complete the distance just fine, but I will be slow.  I have a friend and we should be starting about the same time.  I am going to pace her on the bike because I am a bit stonger and she will pace me on the run, since she is stronger in that.  That is the plan, but who knows if we will be able to accomplish it.

Hope you all are doing well! 

Dia- that sounds like an awesome plan.  It must be nice to have someone to pace like that.  And you will have someone to talk to the whole time but 100 yards from the finish it's every man for them self

Alyssa- get on your own bike and get outside   No one can like biking if they sit on a stationary bike all the time.  

Britt- finding balance is so hard!!  I find I tend to lean so hard on training because a lot of the rest of my life feels out of whack. I graduate in august and currently have an option or two but no plan. So I go run, bike, swim so I don't have to think about it- probably not the best way to handle it. So I admire your determination and focusing on shifting your life towards what you want and recognizing you need to keep your tri-life and non-tri-life in check. And having just accomplished goals I know i am finding it hard to refocus and find new goals.  So what's one tri-life goal and one non-tri-life goal you want to accomplish this week? (I think I'll take my own advice on this one and decide my own two goals for the week today

Everyone-  I find, and Pam may back me up on this one.  That you have to have a certain level of trust/faith in your bike.  I used to do a lot of horseback riding as a kid and I find a kind of parallel to it.  Thinking of it more as a partner than a tool. A horse doesn't really want to throw you off. And your bike really doesn't want to let you fall (why would it want to get scratched!!).  You and your bike are a team and it wants to help you achieve your goals and have fun. 

When you drive a car you have a certain trust in other drivers.  You figure they won't cross the white line, or pull in front of you.  And you drive defensively.  you assume they will obey the road rules but you are ready to react if they don't. The same thing goes for the bike.  Car will stay in it's lane, and I will stay in mine. I am not going to assume that they see me when I come up to an intersection but they should obey the road rules  so I need to too.  On narrow roads or passing parked cars I take the space I need and let them find their own way around.  The only time I have had any nervous moments  (and every ride I go on involves some kind of traffic at some point) is when I AM TIRED and I STOP THINKING.

Flying down the hill I definitely had the thought of "pothole and I am road rash" but then I thought about how steady the bike felt right then and when I get nervous I wiggle my fingers to relax my arms and just let the bike do it's thing. It knows how to roll, my job is to keep my weight center, in a tuck and look ahead so I have plenty of time to let the bike know which way it should go. Look where you want to go and the bike gets the message. And the thought that is so much better than the "pothole" one was flying down and seeing other people watching and thinking "oh yeah... that's right... I'm A GIRL!!!!!"