Slornow and Wannabefaster's Winter Group version 3-CLOSED (Page 41)

I finally fell asleep at about 4:30 AM. Last night was a little better, though (1:30 or so).

I've had chronic sleep-related issues since 1988 -- insomnia, sleep apnea. and restless legs syndrome. For many years, I hooked up to a CPAP machine at night. In 2010, I had surgery to open up the passages in my throat and nose. As a result,  I was able to finally ditch the CAP machine. But the restless legs and insomnia have persisted. I take handful of medication at night to stop my legs from twitching. Sometimes the medication works and sometimes it doesn't. I started some acupuncture treatments a couple of weeks ago, so I'm hoping that will help. For me, sleeping is sometimes a more difficult of endeavor than triathlon...

Glad to hear the weather is finally starting to warm up for you guys!

Other places to check online include Bike Nashbar, Sierra Trading Post, Biketiresdirect, Trisports, The Tri Shop.....just a few off the top of my heads. Good thing about a size 11 is you may be able to find some good clearance deals. I really like the simplicity of a triathlon cycling shoe. Typically one strap to pull across to secure. Happy hunting.

Weather is looking good here for the upcoming week. Mid to upper 70s.  

Bryan-your shoes should last a long time. Much longer than running shoes. Since I started about 5 years ago I've only worn out 2 pair of cycling shoes. Typically because the upper starts to separate from the sole. A decent pair of road or tri cycling shoes will last you several years. Internet pricing is great but it may be worth a little extra $$ to get the shoes from the LBS to make sure the fit is right.

I have a beloved nasty pair of LG Tri shoes from 08? The cleats have been replaced so many times the holes are stripped. Last time we replaced the cleats hubby had to use liquid nail to keep the screws in. I finally broke down and replaced the shoes this year. My fitter will barely handle these shoes as they've been through 3 IM's.  My fitter tried to throw the shoes away the last time I took them to his store. Luckily, I think we've finally gotten the new shoe cleat placement to match the nasty shoes.. Some people put their tri/cycling shoes in the dishwasher to disinfect them after IM. Supposedly it works without tearing up the shoes. 

It really is worth spending the time to get the right pair of shoes for your feet. Depending on the distances and locations that you choose to race your feet may get hot and swell. I've always worn Sidi shoes on my roadie. Which is why I bought the Sidi Tri shoes last year. The strap rubs the top of my foot in a weird place when I'm in the aero position. 

IMO- you want your contact points to be very comfortable on the bike: shoes, saddle, aero bars and fit of course. More often than not you will be wearing the tri shoes without socks. You will want to try the shoes on with and without socks.  

I would also suggest going over to Slowtwitch classified to see if anyone has shoes in your size for sale over there. There are often great deals from people that have received shoes or gear from sponsors that are new or gently used. 

Good Morning!

126 this morning. Some of the weight loss may be carried over from my run yesterday.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Nice! I'm still at 161. The bag of Hershey's chocolate I ate over the weekend apparently didn't help.

Big swim done at lunch. Strength work then an ART appointment to stay on top of my calf issue later. Right now I need a nap....or some caffeine!

Woo-Hoo!!  Nice job with the scale!

Nathan--great job on the swim improvement.  It took me something north of forever to make that kind of progress so quickly.

I am whipped after two really big volume weeks.  Had one more hard day today and couldn't hit much of anything on the bike.  I did manage to squeak out my brick run.  It's technically a recovery week for me with my indoor tri on Sunday to prepare for.  Should be an interesting race.  Lots of college kids from around the Midwest are coming in so they can qualify for Collegiate Nationals so it should be fun to watch them.  I'm in the last wave so have plenty of time to do it!

Chris- My swim times are still less than lovely. I still really enjoy swimming even with my times. We don't have a good masters group in our area but it might be something for you to look into. A lot of people find swimming more enjoyable with a group.  There is a guy (Bob)  at my pool  that also swim basically every morning.  We always check in at the Rec at the same time. This cartoon always reminds me of us. Can you guess which one I am? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u3YRZb74w

Randee- how was work today?

Nathan- Congrats on the swim breakthrough. How did the energy bars turn out? You'll have to post your recipe for the rest of us.

Suzy- An Indoor Tri sounds interesting. How does the race work?

Nancy- great job with the progress on your run. Your poor dog. I always hate leaving mine for a long time when my husband is out of town.

Bryan- Did you ever get your trainer set up?

The next two days are going to be busy at work and after school. I had to switch a few workouts around to accommodate a few last minute changes. Things are still coming along nicely with my workouts.

The race is 750m pool swim, 20K CT ride of a Collegiate course and then a 5K outdoor run.  Twelve people to a heat which is the number of CTs available at a time.   I think there are  15 heats. You do the pool swim, then head directly to the bikes, etc.   Like I said, I am in the last group based on swim times and getting all college kids through the race first.  It's USAT course certified which allows the kids to then compete in Collegiate Nationals in April.  Any incoming Freshman who wants to compete has to complete a certified tri beforehand and this works for that.    I started out doing it completely for fun.  Ironically, it will allow qualification for Nationals if you win your AG.    It's been nice to have something to focus on to keep things interesting during the crappy WI weather!  So far, I am really liking short distance training.  It's been a long time since I've done it.

Good luck with the schedule!!!

Nice -- congrats!

I'm heading in the right direction, too:
2/3: 180.4
2/10: 178.2
2/17: 176.2

Glad you got to enjoy your beer, Chris!