HILDEBEAST'S Magnificently Motivational Mentor Group - CLOSED!!!! (Page 43)

Two thumbs (waaaaaay) up to Melanie and Erin today. Nice racing ladies!!! Erin, dry heaves are bad enough on a normal day, can't imagine that happening during a race - way to tough that one out - and you came in 2nd place to boot - outstanding! 

Thanks to Hilde and Tammy for the info on the Garmin. Haven't had the opportunity to try either out yet... stupid weather  .  Fingers crossed that the rain holds out. As my distance increases, I am finding it harder and harder to train inside -it is booooriiiiing!!! 

Melanie, I also wear men's tri shorts - the guy at the store recommended them after seeing how the women's version fit (or rather didn't) in the waist and the bottom thigh section. He said a lot of women actually wear the men's version of the bottoms and no one can tell the difference. 

Also, thought I'd share a recent find with the group. I  added tart cherry juice to my diet a few weeks ago because of the research supporting it as an excellent recovery drink, and am now a believer. Basically I take one "shot" in the morning and one in the evening. Considering the increases in distance over the past 6 weeks, I should be sore as hell, but I feel great. Plus it's yummy! 

I almost forgot- here's a pic of me looking like death warmed over at the finish!

Just got the race report done. I'm thrilled to report that I finally achieved my goal of being MOP!! I was 7/14 in my AG! That means a lot to me at this distance, because there are pretty much no noobs in a 70.3. Last year I was 13/17. Gender place was 34/79 this year vs 53/72 last year. All I've ever wanted to be was MOP! As long as I finish before they pack up the finish line, and paramedics aren't following me with a wheelchair, I'm happy!

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=435437

That's AWESOME, Tammy! You utterly ROCKED this race, girl!

I'm still juggling training, the show, and the end of term-- guess that's why I'm so tired today... All seems to be going well (I don't read reviews while the show is running, but I hear they're good, which is good to know), and I've tried to stay at least somewhat consistent with the training. Only times I've compromised is in the interest of more sleep: if I get home around 11, I'm NOT getting up at 4:30 for a workout, since I just won't function! I figure healthy is better for all 3 activities right now than bashing myself mercilessly in the interest of a training plan.

Hope everyone's weeks have started well: racers, ENJOY your well-deserved rest today!!

Alex

(PS: Yeah, that bonnet? Not so much with the aero, methinks...)

Great races ladies!

I've signed up for the 8 week wellness challenge.  I was assigned a team and will weighin on Friday.  Then I will get team points for tracking food, eating 5 meals a day, tracking exercise, steps per week on a pedometer, weightloss...  There are also individual weightloss percentage awards weekly and for the entire session.

I'm off for a few days to Great Wolf Lodge with my 7 year old son!  I'll be back online and exercising on Thursday.

I must share --- I just saw the space shuttle Discovery on it's final flight to the Udgar-Hazy Museum here in the DC area.

Very cool.  Very inspirational.  We can accomplish tremendous things when we put our minds to it.  

Hey all!  Melanie, Erin and Tammy - great job on your races!  Congrats to all of you!

I'm still plugging along.  I realized over the weekend that my tri is only 3 weeks away (I was thinking it was 5 or 6 weeks still).  I feel like I'm ready for the most part and as long as I can make it across the finish on my own 2 feet, I'll be happy.  I did this race 3 years ago (it was my very first tri) so I know the course which always makes things easier. 

I took my bike to the LBS over the weekend to have it checked out - wanted to make sure there were no issues, especially with the rear tire since I've been using the trainer so much.  They said everything looks good so I'm hoping to actually get outside this weekend for a ride.  

Hope everyone's having a good week!

Melanie has got it right.... we MMMers ARE pure awesomeness!!!

And Tammy Tucker, Connie and I all have about 2 1/2 weeks till our first tri, like Janet 2!!  Yikes, and here I've been slacking for quite a few days...  hope to have a heavy week next week,and then taper the following week.  Last year it was a bit rainy and the roads were wet during the bike.  This race has a GORGEOUS bike route, right along the Guadalupe River with enough rollers to be challenging.  Hoping I'll do better than last year!!  And that the water is warm/cold enough that I can swim without a wetsuit but that Tucker CAN... best of both worlds!

I think you'll be fine no matter what your decision!!  But personally, I'd probably do the du (use it as a training opportunity) and drop down to the 5K the following week.  Good luck!!

Thanks all!  I think I'm going to do it (now I'm getting really nervous, lol!).  I emailed the race director with my estimated finishing time to see if I would be out of place there - don't mind being last but don't want to be out on the course 15-20 minutes after everyone else has finished - and he said I'd have plenty of company out there.  He's a really nice guy, I've volunteered at some of his races before.  So it looks like I'll be doing my first duathlon on Sunday!

Janet2

Question:  Do folks work on the small or big ring?  What ring do you race on?  I don't know which one to focus on.  Last race I worked mostly on big ring but think I should drop to small ring and keep cadence up.

What say you?

I'm curious to hear the answers to this.  I have a triple and usually train/ride/do everything in the middle ring.  I guess I'm not really sure when I should switch - something I guess I could test out on the trainer.

Looks like everyone's doing great.

Good luck with all the races coming up.

Can I add a question to the bike discussion?

What exactly is the difference between big and small ring? And how do I know which is which?

I tend to ride the big chain ring most of the time, but will drop down to the small if I see a hill coming up.  That way I don't have to worry about shifting big to small on a hill, which could cause you drop your chain.  There is a lot of overlap in gearing between the two rings... Obviously the big ring will have a better "harder" gear for going down hills, and the small has a better one for going up!  I basically try and keep track of my cadence, or perceived effort and shift to keep it kind of consistent.  Going up and down hills will make it easier or harder, but I do go back and forth between the rings on all my rides.  As far as the triple, I had one on my road bike and only used the smallest one for the "granny" gear, going up the worst of the hills. 

Suzie, look at the rings that are around your right pedal, you'll see either one, two, or three of them.  Most bikes now come with a double, although you can still get a triple.  The biggest ring will give you harder gears, the smallest makes it easier to pedal, but you don't get as much distance out of each pedal stroke.   You should have 2 shifters on your bike, one for the front rings, and one for the gears on the back wheel. 

Experiment during your training rides, find what seems to work best for you.  That said, I will try to make it up a hill in a harder gear during training to make my muscles work harder and hopefully get stronger, but will try to spin up one in an easier gear during a race (hopefully same kind of speed) to help save my legs for the run. 

Good luck to Janet 2 on her very first duathlon this weekend!!!  I have a piddly 5K, but this is the one I've gotten my PR for that distance, so I'm hoping to do well... and for some ungodly reason it's at 4:00 P.M.  WTF?  Luckily a cold front is coming through and the temps are supposed to top out right around 70 tomorrow! 

Hope everyone has a good weekend!  I hope to wash my new car tomorrow and I'll post a pic!