swbkrun Mentor Group- CLOSED FOR BUSINESS!!! (Page 271)

Come on Suzy - we know you're ready, you know you're ready.  Don't sell yourself short!

Sorry, couldn't resist piling on the short jokes, but really - you've put in the work, time to reap the rewards.

Yeah...we shouldn't minimize all of her hard work.

Suzy's going to rock the MOO!

 

You have no idea how much I love coming back from OWS class and seeing all the fabulous posts!  Afterall, it's the "small" things in life that really matter!  

So I don't normally go to the Friday morning OWS class, but I thought what the heck.  No one told me only the fast people show up.  Today was all about contact....so the slow people (me and some other poor slob) got to line up in front, start swimming and have the fast people swim over us.  Then the slow people were behind (again me and the poor slob) and we had to swim over the fast people and then they got to repass us....crazy, but I lived and didn't even panic!  I am sure that is only a small dose of what to expect come race day.  Also figured out my seeding, far back, but on the buoy line.  Originally, I was thinking far right, but after watching enough YOU TUBE videos and talking to my OWS coach, a total mindset shift. 

Are you going to follow the EN thing and start in the middle?  I like that idea, I dont' mind people swimming over me, not a big deal because they pass and are then gone.  The problem is when you run up on people they're harder to get around.

LOL, I feel like I'm ready to race IMWI from listening to those over and over again.

I'm thinking about 2/3 of the way back which is sort of in line with EN (let anxiety and speed dictate location).  I'm slower than you and really don't think I will come up on very many people.  While today's simulation went fine, with 2911 people in the water, I want as few of them as possible swiming over me.

This is totally opposite to what Steve wants me to do, but I think going to the pole position is nuts.  Even if the first rows of swimmers leave me in the dust, I still have the rest of the pack to cream me.  We just agreed to disagree.

Playing the numbers game yet?  Here's one....
2+8=10-2=8-5=3   You will finish in the top three  

Home after meeting up with Steve, Ryan, Kyla and Tracy for a run on Cougar Mt.  It was great to put some faces with names and, as suspected, everyone was really cool.  No cougars of the native or urban variety were spotted today. 


Kyla - the route is in my training log if you want it and thanks for the Starbucks.

You forgot to Mention that FATTY was there....







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YOu cant get away that easy....tell us what each of the gang is like!

Yeah!!! Tell us what each of the gang is like!!!

I'll tell you my take-aways: AWESOME!!! And STUDLY!! It's so much fun to run and chat with like-minded peeps! Steve orchestrated the perfect run, even accomodating my schedule which required me doing my own run before meeting others -- I requested flat(ter) and nearby and Steve mapped my route for me. Yay. Met up with the crew a bit disheveled, after arriving home at 1am and getting up about 4.5 hours later to meet a friend for Run Part I. But everyone was super nice and it was great to meet Matt, Tracy, Doug, and their friend Chris, and great to see Ryan again (with no outward signs of injury from his earlier meeting with Steve's tire and then the pavement). Run Part II was on Cougar Mountain, but as Matt said, no cougar spottings (though Fatty would argue otherwise, of course). We did a great 6+ mile hilly route, and the fasties were nice and waited for the less-fasties at the tops of hills. Matt is a great data-keeper for the Garmin-challenged (thanks for the quick upload, Matt!!). Chris, Tracy, and Steve were kind on the hills. (Names not mentioned here weren't MEAN on the hills per se [there's that cool word again!], I just never saw them... chug-chug-chugging along on tired legs.) Doug is a great coffee partner, and of course a super-star-in-training spurred on by his awesome wife. Chris was very nice with a great story and it was fun to meet her as well.

Sadly, returning to our cars was not as happy an occasion, as Tracy/Doug/Chris' rental car was broken into and Chris' purse was stolen (passport, iphone, dl, credit cards, yada yada yada). We waited 1:50 (that's one HOUR, fifty minutes) for the johnny-on-the-spot King County Sherrif to get a case # to assist in a rapid passport replacement for Chris. While we waited Chris made calls, I got coffee, and we all looked around for purse evidence and just sort-of felt helpless. It was a huge downer on an otherwise awesome morning. Hope the crew makes it to Canada tomorrow. They are building stories for their memory books for sure...

I'll let others fill in the details. I got home in time to grab a shower and a trip to Trader Joe's, then hit the airport to retrieve the kiddos. Got 'em back and love 'em to pieces. They were literally fighting over who got to tell stories in the car on the way home. They're so awesome. I love their energy. But man, am I beat!! Lazy evening, and hopefully the kids will head to bed on schedule (no time change for them) so we can follow suit shortly thereafter! It's good to be home, even if I did end up running in the rain for about an hour this morning... it was the perfect welcome back to WA! LOVE IT!

Oh, and didn't get to meet Avery yet.... boo hoo.

canadians.   pfffft.

Hey now....that was in the US not up here. No blaming Canada!!!!  Hope Tracy gets up here tomorrow.

I met Sister Madonna today! Very cool lady. 80 years old. If she finishes on Sunday, its her 45 IM finish!!
Did Boston in '82 - at 59 years old for the first time.

big thanks to steve (reno8).  he stopped by the house a few days ago to say hey.  brought us some cold sweetwater, a book showing a bunch of running routes through the city and best of all a park pass to national park close by.  just went for a run there.  freakin' AWESOME!!!! 

thanks man!!!!  

I have three things to comment on......

Linda--did you actually post something or just think about think about it?

Kyla-thanks for the up close and personal on the crew. Definitely a bummer about the purse, but I have definitely learned NOT to lealve stuff like that in the car anywhere.

John or Steve--sweetwater?  Is that like H20 with some C&H in it?

Early am run went fine and amazingly so did the 2.5m swim... done for the day, except for a 3pm massage. Ahhhhh!

Chatted with Tracy and sounds like they got a new passport for her bud in like 3hrs! So they are here are hopefully we are going to meet tonight once kiddo's go to bed.
She said Steve was surprising short...

Hanging out with Steve was a little like being back at the fraternity house - lots of jokes.  Ryan is a little quieter than I expected, but I'm sure that's a quiet confidence.  Kyla - I'm pretty sure you could run 20 miles with her and not realize it, she's very easy to talk to.  Tracy was pretty much like I expected, she's her true self on here.  Mr. Tracy, aka Doug, is cool too and must have a twin running around somewhere because I could swear I've met him before.  Tracy's friend Chris is tough - the only one of the NC crew to not wear long sleeves or a jacket (Doug even wore some gloves ) and not even a tear when basically everything she needed for travel was stolen by some a$$hole.

Edited by cadmus 2010-08-28 9:35 PM

She said what???   Hello everyone.  What an eventful trip I've had.  Kyla gave a pretty accurate report.  What a nightmare.  But I have restored faith in the federal government and we were able to get a new passport for my friend.  I think I am now legally connected to this woman forever since she had no way of proving who she was and I had to sign a paper promising she was who she said she was.  That and my credit card is on fire for us both, but all is well. 

The gang up here has been amazing.  It was wonderful to meet Kyla and Matt. Kyla is just as much a wonderfully strong bundle of energy in person as she is on line.  Matt was sweet with that sharp wit thrown in there as usual.  Ryan came to our rescue with passport office information and is such a beast on the run.  I'm sure he is on the bike as well, I only witnessed the back of his legs for about 3 seconds on the run.  Steve has been a God send.  He's been our tour guide,  event coordinator, gracious host, rental car resource, clothing donor and all around great guy.   I was lucky enough to have dinner with him and Ryan 2x and got to spend some great time with their women Kim and Jill and the newest one, Avery.  She is so TINY!!!!!!

HEY GROUP, I GOT TO SEE THE MAN CAPRIS!!!  And for the record, Steve can pull them off and then some.  His calves are larger in person than on photographs!!!!!   


Linda, speaking of weather......I don't know how you cold weather people do it.  At the race expo in Penticton today there are people in tank tops and shorts (one chick was sunbathing in a bikini) and I'm wearing jeans, long sleeves and a jacket.  Just ask Matt about the run and me with temperatures.  Everyone was wearing shorts and short sleeves where I had on capris, 2 tops and a jacket.  How can you people handle training in weather that is under 75 degrees?!?!?!


I'll check back when I have an Ironman registration under my belt.  (someone take my money quick before I drive the 12mile long Yellow Lake pass........gulp)


Edited by tahrens 2010-08-28 9:37 PM

Ha ha ha!! All morning long I was wishing I had gone with the tank top instead of short-sleeved t-shirt. I was too warm. Too funny!!! Now do you see why I puked when it was more than 80 degrees for my race?! I do NOT do heat!

Sooooooooooooooo glad Chris got her passport. You are a true friend, Tracy! That sucked on so many levels, but needing to cross borders just upped the ante on the suck-factor.  

Happy registering!! That is an exercise in and of itself. I had so many butterflies the first time around when I pushed "REGISTER" on my computer. This time it was more of an "uh oh" feeling... but still good.

HAVE FUN body marking!!! See if you can find calves bigger than Steve's!! I cannot wait to hear all about the race. It would be so fun to be there.

And HI TREVOR!!! Have fun tonight and tomorrow!!

 

I am so jealous you met her, Trevor. Totally cool. This afternoon on the trails with my kids I was telling them all about her, when I was joking about being old and my son was singing my praises (that boy is soooooo good for my ego, I am never letting him go!)... He literally stopped dead in his tracks with his jaw on the trail when I told him about IM #45 at age 80. I mean, SERIOUSLY!!!!! 80!! People, my 43-year-old knees crackle and pop when I go up and down stairs. I mean, 80!! Can you even imagine doing this on any scale 35 to 40 to 50 (for you young punks!) years from now?? Holy crap!!! I hope she rocks it.

The IM energy is in the virtual air for sure. Am so excited to track KY and Canada tomorrow (lots of local peeps in Canada, of course). And then when that hoopla dies down, Miss Suzy Q steps up to the plate. WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Great job to both George and Kris on their 10k.


IMKY update:

Chris is out of the water in 1:09!!!  Go, Chris, Go!!! 

Bree Wee was doing great and then had some sort of bike mechanical and slipped back almost 25 minutes. 
Nope, make that only 4 minutes, the report was mistaken, but she did flat!  She and Rebekah Keat are about to overtake Nina Kraft.  Go Bree!!!

Edited by kt65 2010-08-29 8:14 AM