Hilde - gold and silver isn't something that is easy to match with ordinary sports clothes. May look for some cycling jerseys or something though since almost every normal peice of clothing tends to ride up when I'm riding. I also have nothing that matches my shoes - which are mainly white with some pink. Oh nice jersey btw

Erin - hmm, may have to check that out

Louise - All you can eat ice cream at the end? Who wouldn't want to do the race. Good luck with the 5k and tri

Ok insert crying smiley - I'm too far away to get ice cream. That and I can't afford the travel costs, plus I'm not sure I'm willing to do a destination 5k.

Hilde - quite a shirt!  I am thinking of getting one for my commute.  I don't tend to really care about bright clothing now that it is lighter out.  But later this year before it gets too cold --- this shirt may be on order.

I have to take the car in this morning.  In just a few minutes actually.  I've decided not to rush into work.  Instead will head to the gym for a good workout.  

The plan is 40 minutes each swim, spinning bike, and treadmill.  We'll see if I can follow through!

Hilde - nice shirt!  It's a little bright for me, but sounds like it's perfect for you. 

Finally got the official results for my 5k last weekend - 30:08 like I thought.  I came in 19th overall out of 45, 7th woman.  No AG divisions so don't know how I did there, but I'm thrilled just to have finished in the top 1/2 overall!  I'm signed up for another 5k this weekend but it's a trail race and based on the results from last year, sub-30 is unlikely.  That's OK though, trail races are usually run at a slower pace so no pressure on myself this weekend - just a chance to get out and enjoy a run.  It's a new course this year and is being held at a winery.  The course is supposed to actually go through the vineyards - should be fun.

Janet 2, sounds like a fun trail race!!  Do they give you all the wine you can drink afterwards??

I use tri shoes on my bike, but not clipped in which is pain because you have to walk/run in the cleats, but I just don't feel coordinated enough to try and get them on and off on the bike!  My tranisition times are pretty good, always room for improvement, but I can't complain!  I put on socks too, but that's a personal decision...

Oh yeah, it looks like the girls are going to do the Ice Cream run!!!  Me, TTucker and her friend CRBURT (Connie)... they better have a LOT of ice cream, and more than vanilla, chocolate and strawberry!!  Bluebell makes AWESOME ice cream, I think they've branched out of Texas, but it is just awesome, so many flavors, couldn't even tell you which is my favorite!

Ok I have another training question:

Is following a long bike ride with a long run (day after) ok or not? I'm looking to do a swim alongside the long run - double day - but they tend to end up as akin to rest days anyway.

That's usually how mine are scheduled when I'm doing long rides outside - just a matter of when I have the time.  Trying to get a longer ride or run in on weekdays just isn't possible most of the time, so I'll do one on Saturday morning and one on Sunday.  As long as I take them both easy, it works OK. 

March Rotational Flavors

**Butter Crunch - Brown Rim 
Tasty vanilla ice cream loaded with chunks of crunchy chocolate peanut butter candy.

Cake and Ice Cream - Gold Rim 
A creamy vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, chocolate-coated cake pieces and a swirl of luscious chocolate icing.

**Caramel Turtle Fudge - Brown Rim 
Rich caramel ice cream containing luscious chocolate turtles with caramel centers, pecan pieces, and swirls of milk chocolate and caramel sauces.

Cherry Cheesecake - Brown Rim 
Cheesecake ice cream blended with sweetened red tart cherries and graham cracker cheesecake pieces with a cherry sauce.

Chocolate Chip - Gold Rim 
Creamy vanilla ice cream with tasty, semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Brown Rim 
Smooth, creamy vanilla ice cream blended with succulent strawberries, chocolate strawberry hearts and a rich, milk chocolate sauce swirl.

Chocolate Mud Pie - Gold Rim 
A creamy chocolate ice cream loaded with mixed-nut shortbread, a smooth milk chocolate sauce and a whipped topping swirl.

Coconut Fudge - Gold Rim 
A tasty coconut ice cream with delicate flakes of coconut and a rich chocolate fudge swirl.

**Dessert Trio - Brown Rim 
A triple treat of your most favorite desserts combined with our ice cream. Smooth vanilla ice cream loaded with chocolate chip cookie pieces, luscious pecan brownies, and chocolate-coated cake pieces all surrounded by a swirl of rich, chocolate sauce.

Mocha Almond Fudge - Brown Rim 
Coffee ice cream accented with chopped roasted almonds and a rich chocolate sundae sauce.

**Strawberry Banana Pound Cake - Brown Rim 
A delicious ice cream featuring sweetened strawberries and fresh sliced bananas with flavorful pound cake pieces and a whipped topping swirl.

Tin Roof - Gold Rim 
Vanilla ice cream with a rich chocolate fudge swirl and roasted peanuts dipped in dark chocolate.

We make our rotational flavors for three months. Rotational flavors marked with an asterisk (**) are in their introductory month.

Cookie n' Cream is for sure my fav!  Also a big fan of the Blackberry Cobbler.    Let me tell you, my time in living in California & Minnesota without Bluebell was a sad time for me.  

Janet - that's how I was doing it originally but now I've converted things to Thursday/friday rather than weekends because I usually have more time and it's a better use of my time on those days

Anyway it's a void point this week as my knee has decided to play up so I'm just swimming today.

Good luck to all you racers this weekend!  Eat lots of ice cream for the rest of us.

Suzie:  I try to get in my long runs/rides on the weekend.  One on Saturday and one on Sunday.  

No workout for me today.  I have an off-site meeting.  Really thought hard about biking there but it is 25 miles one way.  A bunch of those miles are on busy roads and I don't know my way around the area very well.  Just too daunting a task from a mental safety perspective.  So today is a rest day!

The last of my bike tri gear is ordered.  An aero hydration system (Torhans).  This is the last piece of the hydration/nutrition gear I need for my June HIM.  

Now to start trying different gels.  What do people use?  I've had good luck with Gu but am ready for a change.  I stick to water since mixed drinks don't generally set well with my stomach.  For salt replenishment, I use a salt tablet or two.

Melanie, I like the citrus flavored Hammer gels b/c they taste less sugary sweet to me than the Gu gels.  Gu gels don't settle well in my tummy b/c they are SO SWEET!  I also like the sports beans.

Ok, enough with the Blue Bell ice cream teasing!  Hell, I'm ready to hop a plane to TX for this run and to try out the ice cream.  I don't think we get Blue Bell in Mass.  If we did, I'd be all over the Butter Crunch flavor, YUM!!  We're very Ben & Jerry's focused in New England.

I actually got to the gym today!  Ran 3 miles on the treadmill and felt wonderful.  You will be seeing more peaches on my training calendar going forward, I promise.  I'm finding out that there is no tolerance for slacking in this mentor group with our fearless leader Hilde reviewing our training logs daily, haha!  That is seriously the kick in the butt I need right now, so thank you Hilde!!

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!! 

Let me know how you like it - I've been looking at aero hydration systems and am just starting to do my research, so I'd love to hear how it goes for you!  If anyone else has recommendations let me know too!!

I posted a few weeks ago about looking forward to an outside run and then posted after about how I was unable to complete it for various reasons (wind, sun, need for a potty). 

Today I was going to do a different 3 mile run at lunch, but I decided to tackle the same route instead.  The weather was sunny and windy and cool and I had a fine run including some fartleks in the final half mile.  I have no idea about my pace or HR as my Garmin was pretty dead.  (I need to make sure it is in a good position in my bag or shoe so that it doesn't drain itself.)

Now for a crazy road bike post...  I'm considering a entry level road bike purchase.

1.  Do you consider bike color when shopping for a bike?  I can't imagine keeping a white frame looking nice.

2.  If a bike comes with clips, but you don't feel ready for them will/can a LBS switch them out for cages?  Yes, I know that this is nuts...

Andrea... of COURSE you consider the color!!  Everyone says fit is everything, but if you don't like the look of your bike, and you're dumping a boatload of $$$ on it, well, that just sucks.  The more you LOVE it, the more you'll ride it!  I've been lucky enough to LOVE all of my bikes and all 3 have been different colors.  Shop for fit first, then if you have a choice, choose the one you like the color/look of the best!

Pedals... my advice is to suck it up and get the clipless.  They really are NOT that hard.  Yes, you will probably fall over, maybe skin up a knee or elbow once or twice, but to me it seems easier to unclip than get out of the toe straps if you have them tightened up.  That said, I LOVE my Speedplay pedals.  If you are unsure, they do make dual sided pedals, one side with a platform that you could probably put toe clips on, and the other has SPD style clip in ... SPD being a mountain bike type cleat, but which is what I started with and I liked them well enough.  Most bikes don't come with pedals, so yes, you can pretty much choose what you want, or they should switch them out for you.  You might want to consider the saddle while you're throwing money at them!  Can I come shopping with you???  I LOVE bike shopping, so exciting!!!!