left.right.repeat group -closed - Full of a bunch of winners...YEAH! (Page 41)

TRI SEASON IS NEVER OVER.....NEVER

Leston - Helmet - never an option. Agreed...that is even more than THE LAW.

All - if I ever find out you have put your foot on a pedal without a helmet, I will come there and beat you about the head and shoulders.  Also, if you ever wreck and your head so much as brushes the pavement, GET A NEW HELMET.  No options there, even if you can't find one to match your bike, Mav....you need a new helmet after it touches the ground in a crash.  The reason is, you never really know how hard your head hit.

FBP - What an unbelievable experience.  I would love to be a guide.  I was in Dallas for the Toyota Lifetime Fitness Open Triathlon where a blind guy set a world record with a guide.  Here is the beginning of an article about Aaron...Aaron Scheidies became the first blind triathlete to finish an Olympic-distance triathlon in under two hours Sunday, finishing the U.S. Open Triathlon in one hour 58 minutes eight seconds.
The 25-year-old Scheidies and guide Ben Collins crossed the finish line 48th overall, about 14 minutes behind winner and Australian Olympian Greg Bennett. The field of about 1,100 included 41 professional triathletes.

Mav - let us know when you get your site up and running

And now for a little feel sorry for myself.... In addition to a absolutely horrid stock market - I am having a relapse of the infection that I suffered from 2.5 weeks ago.  No bike per doctors orders until I go see him again on Monday.  I had micro surgery yesterday and am recovering well.  I am free to run and swim starting tomorrow.  This really sucks.  As strange as this might sound, I was really looking forward to this long week.  I really like how a long workout makes me feel.  So I am a little wigged out...imagine that....I feel I am fine fitness wise but my nugget (brain) is trying to undermine what confidence I have.  
 
I do feel pretty good and honestly, I had no choice - there was no way I could get on a bike seat yesterday.  I am also on some nuclear anti-biotics.  The thought is I might have picked up some bacteria in an open water swim that is attacking me.  The good news is that one of the anti-biotics supposedly makes you VIOLENTLY ill if mixed with alcohol....so I am likely to lose a few ounces over the next two weeks of medication.  Also, with these meds, I am guessing that I won't get sick or suffer from another infection.

Pray for me......sTRIve.....17 days, 10 hours and counting

Holy frig Leston!! That is one scary accident description. There are lots of cattle gates around northern British Columbia and around Calgary - both places where I used to live - and I can't imagine trying to cross them on my road bike. Hope all is well for your colleague.

Bryan - sorry to read about your medical issue. Don't worry - you're going to do great at the Longhorn 70.3. You've prepared properly, over a long period of time, so a little infection at this point won't be a bother. "The hay is in the barn". Besides, you've now got radioactive blood (isn't that what Spiderman has or something?) from nuclear antibiotics.

FBP

Fortunately I have not felt like nuclear fallout this week.  I feel really good.  Just sitting around consuming bad calories.....I gotta go run.....Long runs this weekend.  Should be fun....just no bike - till next week.

sTRIve

Did a cool 10.25 mile run this morning since I couldn't do a long ride.  Felt really good surprisingly.  I will swim and run tomorrow and then the taper begins.....   Of course the taper for a HIM is still a pretty tough training week in my book.  I hope to be able to be back on the bike sometime this week. 

You all don't know how nice it is to have your support.  Start shooting the good karma this way.....70.3 miles is a LONG way......LOL!  Two weeks from tomorrow....two weeks from now I will be at the Expo - buying cool stuff I can't use at the race.....smile.

sTRIve

Good monday morning all - except for mav I suppose for whom I should write "monday mourning" what with the Pats-Dolphins debacle yesterday. I think I may have injured my hip falling off the Pats bandwagon. I hope I'm not so sore that I can't climb up onto the Sox bandwagon ...

Dan - big win over the Irish on Saturday. I even got to see the game as Mrs FBP was at the university library all day working hard on her M.Ed. readings. Ease off would you on all the trips/spa treatments, etc. for a 25th anniversary. Mrs FBP must never know how others are treated upon reaching that milestone or else she'll have expectations that can't be met.

After week 2 Chris' team is 2-0. They played an away game on Saturday so I wasn't able to go but they are at home this weekend against one of the other local schools so I'll get to see it.

Bryan - hope you had a good weekend of training.

FBP 

All - I am clear to ride again....so that is a good thing.....pounding the anti-biotics.....funny story...when they say stay away from alcohol with what I am taking they mean it....something about getting "violently ill" it wasn't quite to that stage but I did feel weird....but if you have looked at the stock market in the last week you will certainly understand....just put me back on the bike.  I ran a total of almost 17 miles on Sat and Sun together so I feel that my legs are ready....nice little taper week this week.  I can't believe ya'll are all in the Fall side of things and it is still 90 degrees here.....oh, and I only have one thing to say

How bout them Cowboys!!!

OK, now you knew that was coming....

Now, for you high school football fans....google Southlake Carroll...that is where my daughter and nephews went to school....In my daughters four years there, they went to the 5A (largest classification in TX) three years and won it two of them.  My nephew was one year behind Taylour and he played varsity for two years.  During his four years they went to the state finals every year and won two of them.  Their only varsity loss during his four years of football was the state finals his Sophomore year.  They had a record those four years of 63-1.  USA Today National Champions two years back to back.  The one final they lost - with time running out they lined up to kick a field goal.  It was wide right, that kicker is Garret Hartley, a senior at Oklahoma University and looks like he will probably kick in the pros.

Those of fun facts - BUT - for those of you who think high school football is big where you are......the Southlake Carroll Football Stadium - Dragon Stadium seats 12,500 people.  It is a home sellout every game.  There is a waiting list for season tickets and you buy a personal seat license for the RIGHT to buy your season tickets....a PSL costs 100/year/seat.....then you buy the tickets.  If you are not in a reserved seat, you must be in the general admission section by 5:30 for a 7:30 game just to get a seat....The home crowd usually ends up filling the visitors side too when it opens to home fans 10 minutes before gametime.....

Enough of that for now....it is a very unique community - there's even more football facts to share if anyone is interested....and if you want .... come visit and we will watch DVDs of the state championship games and several playoff games that I bought. . . . yes, they actually film every game from multiple angles, add in commentary and have them ready for sale by Tuesday after a Friday game.....

By the way,

How bout them Cowboys!!!

Gosh, I don't visit the LRR thread for a day and a whole page of posts about football, health, etc. etc. appears.

I knew that HS football was big in Texas but 12,500 every game is CRAZY. Chris' team might draw a couple hundred  if they were giving away free hotdogs or something . This weekend's game might have a slightly larger crowd because it is a local rival but still, it won't amount to the number of security guards you'd probably have to have for a crowd of 12k.

My Learn To Run class meets for week 2 tonight. We're up to 16 participants. We will be doing 1 minute run/1 minute walk x 10 reps. Any of you remember back to when that would've been all you could manage? I sure do.

Sticka 

FBP - I certainly remember those days of the 1 minute walk 1 minute walk 1 minute beer....LOL!  Indeed I do.

Leston - only one school uses the stadium.  There is only one high school in Southlake.  Most districts in TX have one or more stadiums depending on the number of high schools.  Most districts have one stadium per two or three schools.  Some have 6 sharing a stadium.  In Southlake, there is one stadium and one high school...they do let the freshman and junior varsity play there as well.  It is an amazing place.  It is said (Much like triathlon) that if you are there you can't explain it and if you are not there you would never understand.....

Mav - Go Sox!!!  And I wouldn't be a football fan either if I lived up there.....LOL

I also LOVE college football....I will watch as many games on TV as humanly possible.

sTRIve

OK....we have a bit of a challenge....we stand at 44 finish lines....assuming I take care of business next weekend and in my half marathon in November that will get us to 46.....

I want to be at 50 by year end or above - so that means each of you needs one more finish line this year....

Be it a 5k (wimp), a 10k, a half marathon, a swim meet, a bike rally, whatever....we just need to get to 50....52 would be better...that would be one a week for our little band of turtles....

sTRIve -- so you have now been called out...what are you gonna do about it?

Dan - those dang life things do get in the mix don't they....you can feel free to pass this along to your family and especially your daughter.  I was married shortly after college and after a long 8 years (shortly after I turned 30), went through a divorce.  No kids - according to the attorney "this is just a property settlement"....settlement nothing, I left the courthouse with less than $70 US dollars to my name.....and a bunch of bills.  I worked through that and then some friends of mine (the owners of the sailboat shop (I think I told y'all that I raced sailboats for a hobby for several years) introduced me to Debbie (I tell Helen that I owe her every day...some days I owe her good, some days less good....smile) and we have been together ever since.  This year we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and I will say she is the second greatest thing that has ever happened to me.....you might be thinking "well, you jerk, what is first?"....well, here it is...shortly after I met Debbie she brought the greatest thing that has ever happened to me into my life....you see, shortly after meeting her, she brought Taylour over to meet me...Taylour was 3 at the time....and I WAS DONE....I was in love and nothing could have kept me out of that little girl's life.  She came home last Friday from her senior year in college to celebrate my birthday....she said, "I don't know where I may be next year so I thought I needed to be here this year."  In reality, none of us know where we will be next year so I am glad she was able to be here.  I have millions of Taylour stories and I won't bore you with them here but there are some really cool ones....  She really doesn't remember life before me and I think that sometimes that bothers Debbie a little as she was an awesome single mom and it should be remembered and celebrated.....So Dan, I am sorry, terribly sorry, that your daughter is going to have to endure the pain of a divorce...that said, if it hadn't happened to me, I wouldn't be where I am today, nor would I be a tenth of the person I am (honestly, without Taylour and Debbie, I have no idea where I would be today).  So tell your daughter and your family - the sun will rise, brighter days are ahead and I hope for her the same blessing I received in my second chance - also, had I not gone through the first one, I doubt I would have been smart enough to recognize what I got with the second one.

sTRIve in life....as well as in the float, coast, stumble....

Dan - so sorry for your daughter and indeed your entire family. My younger brother went through a similar situation (we now are able to jokingly refer to it as a "starter marriage". Very tough, especially when all in the families have also become friends. After a number of years as a swingin' single though he ended up meeting a tremendous woman, they are now happily married and  have two gorgeous kids aged 3 and 1.

Bryan - as for finish lines, I will be adding a 5k to the total in early December. Not sure if the Terry Fox 5k that I did a couple of weeks ago was added - do you recall?

BTW - who says men are incapable about sharing emotions? I think it is pretty remarkable that this forum has created an environment where we can openly share things - both the good and the bad -that are going on in our lives.

On a lighter note - Bryan - my condolences. NOT. Redskins were, for some reason, the team I always cheered for when I was a kid. No reason except that I liked their uniforms

Pete

Mav - look at those pics....wow - I haven't figured that out yet.....and an avatar...you are awesome.

FBP - I really liked you until you said you were a redskins fan....oh my....but they absolutely outplayed the Cowboys and Zorn definitely outcoached Phillips....my hat's off to them.....I will add the finish line.....I don't think I did it earlier.

Mav - yes Friday was my birthday....49 big ones....that means I am in a new age group as of Jan 1.....but the 50-54s are fast too....dang it....I am just going to have to live a long time and not get slower.  As far as the market goes, as long as you don't need money for several years, I actually think there are some good buys right now.  It is just hard to have the guts to pull the trigger.  That said, it has basically sucked to be me for a few days....

sTRIve

Great pic mav!

Bryan - I feel your pain insofar as the markets are concerned. I am a trustee on the university's faculty pension plan. It's a DB plan and has been in financial difficulties for some time now. We have a trustees meeting in 10 days and I'm sure the investment managers are not looking forward to coming in to talk to us about the current state of affairs!

Very sad news yesterday - a young chap (18) that was a close friend of both my daughter and my son was killed in a horrible car accident yesterday. 5 students in a car that rolled - 2 died, 2 in serious condition. Both my kids are pretty shook up. Jill will probably take a trip over to PEI to spend the weekend with Stef so that she has something to focus on other than just the tragedy.

On a more upbeat note - I am finally starting to rid myself of a miserable cold that set in a little over a week ago. I'm also looking forward to getting together with my Learn To Run class tonight and tomorrow night.

Have a great day everyone.