HILDEBEAST'S Magnificently Motivational Mentor Group - CLOSED!!!! (Page 29)

I used a rental last year and have a new one this year.  I hope the fit is right.  I also raced the bike portion really hard and probably was really tense the whole time.  My next race I made a point to keep relaxed arms and work a higher cadence the whole time.  That helped alot.  But the swim was cancelled so I haven't had a wetsuit swim since.

This is a good place find additional support.  Your training is also a good support mechanism.  Will be thinking of you.

Go Peggy!!!

Just stay in the porta potty line as long as possible!  Go once, get in line again, repeat until your race starts!

You will feel so incredible when you are done.  Invincible even!

peggyf - 2012-02-10 7:01 AM Thanks Hilde and Andrea.  I'm very excited about spending the weekend with Danielle.  I miss her a lot since she moved to Boston in August.  We're both kinda freaking out about the race, but we'll try to just enjoy being together. 

Best of luck Peggy!!  You're both crazy and admirable for doing it and you will certainly have my good vibes that day!  

When I ran my half marathon in Little Rock last year I bought a headband at the expo that says "13.1, because I'm only half nuts!"  

Good luck Peggy - to both you and your daughter!

peggyf - 2012-02-10 7:01 AM Thanks Hilde and Andrea.  I'm very excited about spending the weekend with Danielle.  I miss her a lot since she moved to Boston in August.  We're both kinda freaking out about the race, but we'll try to just enjoy being together. 

OMG, so excited for you and Danielle!!  I hope you girls have a great time.  What a wonderful mother/daughter bonding experience!!  GOOD LUCK!!

Glad his knee is okay!!

Janet2, sorry to hear about your week and everything you and your family have been going though.  That is a lot to get hit with all at once.  I know we will all be thinking of you and sending prayers and thoughts your way, and your son's friend's way.  Hang in there and thanks for sharing that with all of us.

Melanie, I had wondered about trying to do something with a wetsuit on dry land also.  Just got my DH a wetsuit for his birthday yesterday- a 2XU ST:3 sleeveless.  It is more constricting than the one he had (which was about 3 sizes too big) so we were lamenting the fact that you can't really take them to the pool (too many damaging chemicals).  He said he might try it out in his bath tub!

Just checked my email and they sent my swim splits from the hour postal swim.  I know it's slow, but it's official now:

 I stopped to drink a couple times the second half.  Otherwise, they would have probably been even steven.  Hoping to work on the swim this year and see how much I can improve when this rolls around again next January.

Have great weekends, MMMers!  

I just got back from an interesting run... One of my goals for this year was to volunteer at a race. An opportunity came up this week- the Spartan race is being held at a resort that's practically in my backyard, and they were looking for someone to pre-run the course to check the markings. So I stumbled around in the desert for a couple of hours, did a tiny fraction of the obstacles, saw some coyotes, an egret, smelled some javelina, and got lost a couple of times! After my sneak peek, I can say I am SO glad I am not running this race tomorrow- it will be INTENSE! Here's a few pics:

There were lots of these big mounds of dirt. I'm pretty sure that pit will be full of mud tomorrow!

See the arrows pointing toward the river? Yep, you're supposed to swim across!

Yuck! I actually lost my shoes in the muck a couple of times. Speed laces were a mistake!

Taken from in the river. At least a MILE of river wading, in three different sections! I did some of it, but got out when my feet started getting numb. I didn't have the patience for it anyway; wading is slow!

STILL in the river...

Back in the river AGAIN! (Not me, this time). I think you're meant to crawl across the netting, then it's back to wading.

Hard to see, but there's barbed wire to crawl under (of course, this will be all mud tomorrow).

The finish line area has a bunch more obstacles- huge walls, etc. I'll go spectate tomorrow and cheer on my crazy friend who's doing the race. Should be fun to watch, anyway!

peggyf - 2012-02-10 6:01 AM Thanks Hilde and Andrea.  I'm very excited about spending the weekend with Danielle.  I miss her a lot since she moved to Boston in August.  We're both kinda freaking out about the race, but we'll try to just enjoy being together. 

You'll be AWESOME!! Enjoy every minute!! *cheers you on like crazy*

Janet2, I'm so sorry to hear about your tough week-- thinking of you and your son's friend, and sending you all the good thoughts I can...

TammyTurtle, that race course looks WICKED! I bet it'll be an amazing challenge for the racers, but also a ton of fun for you to watch. Loved the pics-- enjoy!

I'm glad I got my run in early this morning, since the snow's blowing around like crazy out there now. Was planning on getting a swim in tomorrow, but got email from the gym near me saying there's been a possible MRSA contact in the pool area there and they're taking 3 hours this afternoon to disinfect the place...methinks I shall let that disinfectant 'cure' for a tad longer before returning to that pool. I'm adventurous, but not THAT adventurous!

Hope you all have excellent weekends!

Alex

Good luck, Andrea- give it all you've got!

Here are some pics from the actual race yesterday- crazy people, but maybe I'll give it a try next year!

Yep, you have to jump over it. They hose you down first (as if you weren't wet already) so you don't catch fire!

Finish line obstacles. Just after the big wall, there are two gladiators with big pugil sticks who knock you around just prior to the finish line!

Andrea - good luck on your tri today!

Tammy - love the pictures!  I'm going to do a mud run in June (nothing nearly as intense as that race) - looking forward to it.  The Spartan races look fun but I don't know if I could make it through all those obstacles. 

I volunteered at the USA Cross Country Championships yesterday.  Worked packet pickup which was right next to the finish line so got to see a lot of fast people come across.  I ended up not staying for the whole day though - it was just too cold!  Around 20* with wind chills down around 0*.  We had a lot of packets left over so I think some people skipped due to the weather.  I had to sit in my car with the heater running for about 10 minutes just to thaw my feet out enough to drive home.  I'm glad I wasn't running - don't know how those people could do it in shorts/singlets/some even shirtless.  The cold isn't too bad, but I can't handle that arctic wind. 

Hope everyone's having a great weekend.
Janet2

Woohoo!!!!  Congrats on pretty much hitting your reach goals!!

congratulations on your indoor tri, andrea! 

tammy, i looked at the pics you posted on my iphone originally and the phone did not do them justice!  when i looked at them again on my desktop computer, i couldn't get over the size of those walls and fire pits, holy cow!!!  that's a crazy race!

janet2, that's so nice that you volunteered for the USA x-country championship in that freezing cold weather.  i cannot believe that some of those people actually ran shirtless!!

Fantastic job, Andrea! You NAILED that tri!

TammyTurtle, those pics are FABULOUS. I can definitely see you doing one of those at some point, but not while you're training for IMAZ, OK?

My sympathies on standing around in the cold at the championships, too-- good thing I wasn't thirsty during my long run yesterday: by the time I got home, my water bottles were partly frozen! Hot showers really are the best parts of training at moments like those...

Hope you all have an excellent week-- I'm back to the craziness at work, tra la, but am determined to fit those mid-afternoon swims in on Tuesday and Thursday, if only for my own sanity!

Alex

That race looks quite intimidating!  I can't even imagine running it without the obstacles.

Volunteering at a race sounds like fun, but probably not in really cold or hot conditions.  Good for you for sticking it out as long as you did.

I think I've found my March competition.  It's a swim meet!  Masters is really dead in my part of CT.  The meet is at a nearby YMCA and masters membership is optional.  It is a fundraiser for kids camp and Y memberships.  Now to decide what events to do...  The longest is 200 free, but even though I'm OK over distance in tris, I'm pretty sure I don't want to be still swimming when the "real" swimmers have gotten out.  I'll probably stick to 100yard events.