Gnu's Group - CLOSED (Page 4)

Will, I'm really glad you did not get hurt, that sounded like a pretty nasty crash.  I can't believe no one would help you!  That's dissappointing.  Good thing the bike isn't damaged either. (See, stories like that are NOT making me any more thrilled about the biking aspect of this whole tri thing!  I need help getting over that!)

Mike, Gary put some good swim info above about getting faster.  Sorry your coach bailed on you at the last second.  Another thing I would add to the "getting faster" category would be learning to roll with your freestyle stroke.  It is SO much more efficient than not doing it, and once you learn to roll it's a ton easier to learn bilateral breathing.  Rolling helps you get more out of each stroke and reduces that feeling of "fighting" the water.  Get the hang of it and you'll feel like a knife thought warm butter before long! 

Don't let the bike scare you. Despite what happened I can't wait to get back out and start riding again. Freak accidents happen, this sport is no different than any other. We take bigger risks by getting in a car and driving down the street, and I guarantee that more people have been injured and killed in car accidents than in bike accidents. Don't let fear get in the way of enjoying something you love doing, I'm certainly not going to.

Hi everyone,  sorry I have not been around.  I have been way to busy and actually feeling sorry for myself not being able to do my training. It had become such a big part of my life since I first started in October that not being able to do anything has been really disappointing.  I am happy to say that I am getting better thanks to a great physical therapy regime and stretching.  It was a huge accomplishment to be able to ride even for a few minutes on my bike without pain and to get back to swimming some laps. I am still not allowed to run but I am able to walk and can do that without pain for longer distances.  I am definitely looking forward to continuing down the road to recovery and want everyone to make sure to get into the habit of STRETCHING!!

I do have to go back and read through all the posts everyone has made on this forum.

Thanks to everyone who posted inspires for me.   It has kept me going during those bad days.

I appreciate your guys concern. I consider myself very lucky. Luckily there are no marks on the helmet so I didn't hit my head, I caught myself with my hand and thats why it looks so bad. Thank you for the motherly advice, the EMT in me has come out as well, I've scrubbed it, put ointment on and changed the bandages 3 times so far. It is starting to look better.

I work for the fire department and called a coworker to come and pick me up. When we got to the firestation (thats where I park to go for rides) we called EMS and had them drive over and check me out. They said that with as much debris that was in the wounds it would be best to just go to the ER and let them get it cleaned out. I ride right along the beach so I had a lot of sand that was visible in my shoulder.

But once again thank you for your concern and kind words, I really do appreciate it. I feel very lucky and will be back good as new before too long. Just looking forward to getting the bike back and getting back out there. Not going to let an accident keep me from doing the sport I have grown to love.

Wow one week!  Good luck Mike!  Are you going to taper this week? 

Wanted to share my small victory today!  Last week I struggled to finish 5.5 miles on the bike in 35 minutes.  SAD!  Today, same route: 28 minutes!  Changed my pedal stroke and it has made a WORLD of difference.  Felt so good I added another 2.2 miles too!  Feel like the pieces finally fell into place for me on the bike.  

I am getting my road bike next week; I can't wait to see how having a bike that's half the weight and has toe clips does for my time!! 

You must be getting pretty excited Mike!  Hope the race goes well for you!

My bike arrived via UPS while I was on vacation.  Woohoo!  My friend is putting it together for me Saturday, I'm so excited to see how a road bike feels! 

Here's my new bike:

Got it through Bikes Direct. Totally basic, nothing fancy.  But it fits me great and is so much lighter than my beastly mountain bike!  I'm taking it for a spin today, I think it's going to suit me well!