HILDEBEAST'S Magnificently Motivational Mentor Group - CLOSED!!!! (Page 4)

That wasn't actually a long run it was one of my mid week ones but I'm not really worrying about pace right now anyway since I'm just trying to get back in to it.

Melanie - enjoy the hall pass.

Oh and it is now officially summer here - I've worn a skirt outside (normally just wear them in the house) for 4 of the last 5 days and was properly sweating on my lost walk yesterday in work pants.

No probs. I usually use my phone or an online converter - the simple equation is that 1kg = 2.2 pounds but like most basic equations it's based on serious rounding and doesn't give an accurate reading - for instance 113 x 2.2 = 248.6 but when I used a converter it came out to 249.1.

Thanks for liking it Alex. Glad the test went well.

Erin - woohoo for running again

 silverthorne - I like people to know what to expect.

Hey, not so sure...we haven't had a head to head yet..........I think it might be close........Waco 2012!!!!  We can settle it there....blood, sweat and tears.....and you better train up on Gin-n-tonics..haha....maybe some singing too...lmao!!!  And I guess after Waco we'll have to engage in hand to hand combat...LMAO...this ought to be good.....We can add all this to our video collection of Triathletes gone wild......we have a good start!!! haha

Rub it in....you are enjoying summer!!!!  It's miserable here today..haha...Don't sweat too much!!.....Turtle usually tortures us too - with her fancy Arizona desert living!!

Oh, alright, Wilson, you've got me there, I could never keep up with you on that one! You have been training at the Iron level for sure, I'm only a sprint drinker... OK maybe Olympic on a special occasion!

LMAO....I'm gonna give you Oly/HIM on the party scene..haha..don't sell yourself short!!!!  But I won't tell any secrets....what happens in Indy stays in Indy...haha....Maybe at Waco 2012 I'll bring the video for all the Indy attendees...you will die laughing!

hi all...

I've gotten quite a few questions about my bicycle commuting.  Bicycle commuting led me to triathlons.  So here goes...

I started bicycle commuting about 3 years ago.  It was something I'd always thought about but the best route to work had one really nasty area trying to get over a highway that I didn't want to mess with.  Finally, whoever is in charge of bike trails/roads built a very nice underpass - making me think I could do it.

I didn't want to go out and buy a bicycle if I wasn't going to stick with it, so I borrowed one from a friend for one month.  After the month was up, I knew I was hooked!  So I bought the bike from the friend ($50 for a 1994 Trek 1200) and have been bike commuting ever since.

I bike all year round.  Rain or shine.  Only snow and the threat of icy rain gets me in the car.

My husband drops me off at a bike trailhead on his way to work so I have a shorter ride in the morning - 5.5 miles which takes about 25 minutes.  I bike all the way home in the evening - 9.2 miles which takes about 50 minutes.  I logs these rides separately.  The ride in is slightly downhill.  The ride home is slightly uphill with two significant hills.  All in all, I think riding the bike takes about 30-40 minutes longer in total than driving the car.

My work has an area to store bikes and separate showers for cyclists.  This is really terrific.  I have a locker that I bought some shelves for so it's not a jumbled mess.  All of my work shoes are kept there so I'm not carting them around every day.

I made my own panniers from two briefcases initially since I didn't want to buy expensive ones until I figured out what I wanted.  These worked pretty good for the 1st 2 1/2 years.  I've had to replace them with a homemade bucket pannier and another briefcase one.  Once I figure out how to post photos, I'll post photos of these.  (How does one post photos?  Do I have to use a URL?)  So in one bag, I put all my work clothes, and in the other, I put my lunch, purse, etc.

I've love bicycling commuting!  If I get a full week of commuting it - the mileage totals to about 75 miles.  The last time I drove to work was November 1st.

More on winter gear later! 

So here are some bicycle commuting pics....

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Wowser, we got some action going on over here!! 

Melanie, love the bike pics, those glow-in-the-dark spoke things are awesome!!  So you are riding about 14-15 miles a day, what an easy way to log bike miles, you gotta go to work anyway!  And way to rig up your own panniers, I KNOW that saved a bunch of money!  Cool "vintage" bike!!

Erin, hope that stress fracture is totally healed and the running goes well, take is slow for sure!  I have a BT friend that had a stress fracture a couple of years ago and has gone on to do 3 Ironmans with another coming up in May.  And ask Alex about pool running, that girl turned into a prune while she was recovering from a running injury!

Wilson, age is just a number, not an excuse (at least that's what it says on the back of my T-shirt from my hubby's gym!), and you know Tammy can kick you in the arse if she wants to!!  I bet you two are pretty much head to head!!!  And I thought younger guys LIKED older women, haha!  Of course when it comes to gin n tonics, I am a virgin, or a re-virgin since I had my fair share of G&T's many, many years ago when I was a party girl. 

Suzie, enjoy that hot summer... I'm in Texas so I can't complain about the cold, (it is simply not allowed), but we have several members that live up North (to be called the FFN from here on out, for Frozen *F*'in North) and it gets COLD and icy and snowy up there, it's practically the North pole for god's sake!!  I hate sweating, especially in the summer, and the heat is a sure way to slow down your run.  I'll be cruising along fast for the rest of the winter, but once the 70's hit, back to my ever lovin' slowness, I HATE that.

So for all you newbies... last year we had an MMMer get together and met at Wilson's house in Indiana for a Sprint tri... only Wilson, Brad, and I competed (and not to brag, but I kicked the boy's a$$es!), but Tammy Turtle came, and so did Alex, as well as my daughter Kati (who is no longer tri=ing unless making a baby counts as an endurance sport).  It rained cats and dogs during the race, but cleared up enough we were able to lounge around Wilson's pool after the race and have him make us fabulous food, and got to know his wife!  SOMEONE brought out some gin, well like about 2 gallons of gin, and things went downhill from there.  Being the only sober one, well, I can't talk about it, it's too traumatic for me, I still have flashbacks, and we all agreed that what happens in Indy, stays in Indy.... it was a BLAST to meet each other in person!  This year we would like to get together at my house in Central Texas.  Unfortunately I am a lowly music teacher and don't have the mansion that working at Rolls Royce Jet Engines affords, so I can only put up one to two people and that offer goes to Wilson and Cheryl since they hosted the last one (not sure where the kids would go if you're bringing them Wilson), but there are several reasonable hotels close by and I can reserve a bank of rooms.  The race we're going to do is TriWaco... there is a Sprint and an Oly.  This is probably my favorite race to do and my best showing in 3 years was to win 1st place Grandmasters 2 years ago.  The swim is in a currentless river, very clean, the bike is flat and FAST, and the run for the Sprint is mostly flat, a few uphills to get up top to cross the river.  The Oly run, however, is holy hellacious with hills!  Not that I would know, I've only done the sprint.  The finish is running over a historic suspension bridge across the river, really cool!  It's about a half hour from my house.  Very well run race.... the date on that is.....

http://triwaco.org/   July 22, 2012

Just something to keep in mind, although it normally sells out.

My cold is feeling a bit better, so hope to get out for a run today later on... here is a cartoon to keep you motivated, you can imagine that YOU are the reindeer, and I am Santa!

Thanks for the encouragement, Suzie and Wilson.  Is it bad that every time I hear the word "Wilson" I think of Tom Hanks in all his bearded glory having his love affair with that stupid volleyball?  Or was it soccer?  lol  Anyway, that was nice of Hilde to allow someone who's "not right in the head" to partake in the group festivities!

OK, all joking aside, it's a blustery, twentyish degrees here at the family house in Minnesota.  The leg is fabulous after two miles yesterday plus an additional few miles of walking around the Mall of America (shopping complete)! However, I'm feeling a little blimpish and soft without gym access (I usually go 5x week) and an abundance of Christmas cookies.  The New Year might have to bring a change in the binge-eating of sweets. Speaking of New Year's, what are everyone's resolutions?

Happy Friday, MMMer's!!

Melanie, cool pics of your commuting "gear".  That is seriously awesome that you bike commute year-round, what an efficient way to squeeze in some training!

Hilde, I'm glad you're feeling better!

Erin, that's great that your leg is not giving you any problems today after yesterday's run.  Being sidelined by an injury must be so frustrating.  Good for you, being so patient and giving your leg the time it needs to heal!  And I'm jealous that you're finished with your Christmas shopping!

That's so fun that a bunch of you met up in Indy last year for a get together and race! 

As for specific New Year's resolutions, I really want to do an Olympic distance tri this year.  Lose 10 lbs. Be a kinder, more patient person.  This list of "30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself" has some pretty good ideas that I could follow, too! 

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/

    No hero's here my friend!! Lot's of INSPIRATION to do/be/strive for BETTER!! :-))  

Erin, so glad to hear the stress fracture is on the mend! That's SO frustrating, when you want to work out but can't!

Kristen, I like the "30 things" article. I don't really make resolutions, but this article stopped me in my tracks last week:

http://johnnybtruant.com/edgework/

"You are dying, and your world is a lie." Guy knows how to get your attention, doesn't he? It answers the question "Why am I doing an IM?" better than I even could, and it makes several good points that I will try to hold close in the coming year.

Nice pics Melanie

 Hilde - I normally go out in the evenings when it's slightly cooler so it's not so bad. I'm just really slow right now - although since it's heavy on the walk and still faster than my normal walking speed (currently 24:39 - usually 23:xx) I'm not complaining.Oh and I'll have to miss the race - I don't have the $$$ to get over there

 Erin - You'll be ok when you get back to the gym once it opens again. And yay for no more leg issues

 Kpringle - you'll do great with those resolutions

 Tammy - your quote sounds like a great reason to do an IM.

As to me:

I could probably bike commute to work (about 2ish miles) but there's a nasty hill (aka bridge) in the middle and I'm that slow on the bike that it would take me at 20-30 mins (depending on speed) to get there and from what I can tell there's no where to keep it.

Oh and the leg feels slightly better today - I'll probably just go for a bike ride rather than a run though.

I think it probably should.  I think gift wrapping should count, as well.

Not sure but I counted hanging the washing out once

I'm in!!

Erin - sometimes I feel like a volleyball..haha....sometimes I act like one.....As long as you remember me...that's all that counts..haha  Hilde has a kind heart for "not right in the head" people....haha...I can name a few others on here, but I'll let all the noobs figure that out!!!

Melanie - I like the pics of the bike too!!!  I see that in one picture your gloves match your bike....You are rally gonna get along with Hilde and the other color coordinated peeps on here.haha....My bike is all black and white!!!  Easy to coordinate..haha...I'm a guy, so I really don't care.

Hilde, I'm gonna sign up for TriWaco after the first of the year...Need to start making plans and get it on the calendar...Thanks for the invite into your home....haha....are you sure about that.....ME alone in your house at night!!!!  The mental images are going crazy..haha  Make sure you have plenty of night lights...I'm scared of the dark...and I know there are monsters in TX.....I've seen them on TV!!!!  And I also wet the bed if I'm scared...hahah LMAO!!!

Kristen....not too much into new year's resolutions..haha...I guess mine is to train smart and prepare my body and mind for my first HIM in August....part of that is to lose another 38 pounds.....Gunna be lots of hard work, but the reward - for me - will be huge!!!!

Andrea....I think gift wrapping should count as a workout....I've wrapped so many damn gifts it's not funny....and I HATE WRAPPING!!!!! Really hate it!!!  But, love to see the look on the kiddies face when they open those 20 boxes of coal and rocks....BAD KIDS!!! haha

Louise is in for TriWaco!!!!! Awesome...I'm there too - for sure!!!!  

Hey my old and new friends....In case I don't get on here tomorrow....Everyone have a very Merry Christmas - enjoy the time with friends and family and don't forget to reflect about the true meaning of Christmas.....Just got back from Christmas service tonight....great realignment!!!

Have a good christmas Wilson and everyone else in the group

What a FUN group this really is!

MERRY CHRISTMAS MMM'ERS!

Enjoy this special time with your families.