GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 6)

OOPS!    My husband just informed me that I'm only 57.       

JESS -

You're here!!!!!

I missed you, lastpostlastpage, but just found you with Lisa's heads-up. (I like to think I would've discovered your post there at some point, but........)

OFFICIAL SWEARING-IN TOMORROW????? Holy-moly, how come you kept that sizeable gem from us?? That is so wonderful for you that all of that hard is finally being made official in a truly formal way. Your family will be there, yes? And Mark? (But not Eli, I suppose...... ) (Well, save a cookie for him, and he'll be none the worse for having been restricted from the ceremony.)

Have a memorably memorable day, Jess!

Denise - location - Pine River, Minnesota (small town (pop 900) in north-central Minnesota

LISA A. -

My wheel is a 700, as kt will be for 99% of largish people. 650s are usually for smallish people. But at this point he is pretty much constrained by his bike -- although do I remember correctly that he didn't manage to buy one when you bought Li'l Roo? If that's the case, then it is still an open question, I guess.

I may be wrong on this, but I think there are less 650-accommodating bikes being made now than there used to be. I think there are still bikes with smaller frames, of course, but that they are made to accommodate 700cc wheels. So, if there is even a kernel of truth in what I just said, wheel availability will be greater for someone riding 700s rather than 650s.

Honestly, though, I have never figured out the advantages and disadvantages, given that a 650 was never an option for me. Let's see -- a smaller wheel would be capable of how many more revolutions per second given the same power output and cadence.........???

I will look into this for you, as at the very least it is something I should know. (I REALLY wish one of you had asked this last year, because then now I would know the answer! )

And then there is the matter of tire size..........

....but changing around that means having to recalibrate your bike computer

....which is way beyond me and requires a sheepish-faced visit to my LBS

....who at least know I am a clutz and do nothing to further hurt my feelings.

DENISE -

Thank you for your location. It's not exactly north of 49, but close enough to qualify in Extreme Ultimate Winter Survival competitions!

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-23 7:20 PM

GANG!

Nicely done on coming forth with your vitals. Everyone's age is now accounted for (although Anne seems to be in a state of flux wih hers.......), and we only need locations for Ken (shunshun) and Arthur (Hepeoc).

WARNING: Next I'll be asking you for you birthdays, so you might want to check your birth certificates now to avoid embarrassment later!

Steve - I've gone and tricked you! I am permanently NJ as of now

JESS -

Everybody's a joker, eh?? It's been changed on the page 5 roster; now STAY PUT!!

Alright - About Me:

Name: Jess

Story: This year was a big year for me. I graduated law school in May, took the bar (NY and NJ) in July, spent the month of August relaxing on vacation in Honduras and Belgium, started clerking for a New Jersey judge in September, and found out I passed the bars in November. I am currently living at home with my parents, but as soon as my boyfriend (Mark) finds a new job and is able to move back to NJ, we'll find a new place. We have a 2 year old lab/boxer mix of crazy named Eli He is a good running partner but won't go more than 6 miles.

Training: I have a running background, having run cross country and track through elementary, middle and high schools. Stopped running in college, gained 30 pounds. Started running again in law school as a way to lose the weight and relieve stress. I ran my first marathon (Marine Corps) in 2007 - in 4:45. I ran Chicago in 2008 (4:29). 

Last year, I decided I wanted to try a tri Being ambitious, I signed up for, and trained for, Mooseman HIM.  I even pre-rode the course with Steve, so I knew what kind of hills I'd be facing. Unfortunately, 3 days before the race I came down with a MONSTER case of strep throat - and a 102-103 fever. I was not able to race

I did 4 multisport races last year: Bethesda Tri, Bassman, Long Branch Tri series, and the Philadelphia Women's Tri (which turned into a Du).  I loved them all.

On December 6, I ran the California International Marathon out in California. I ran a 4:10, which was a 19 minute PR! I am super proud of that

Planned races for this year:
- April: Rutgers Half Marathon
- May: Devilman Half Lite 50
- June: Eagleman
- July: NJ State Oly
- September/October: Marathon (haven't decided which yet)
- November: JFK 50-miler

I will throw some other races in there: shorter road races, probably the Philly Women's Tri again, the Long Branch Tri series, etc... But those listed races are the biggies that I want to focus on.

Goals for the next  year:
- Sub 4-hour marathon
- Finish my first HIM, preferably under 6:30
- Consistent and comfortable distance running pace in the 8:00's.
- Get comfortable with the bike. Pick up speed and distance.

I have come a long way since I got back into running in 2007 - then, average miles in the 10's was a big deal. I ran a 39:57 5'miler on Thanksgiving this year, with all the miles except for 1 under 8 minutes. I want to keep improving

As far as tri goes, I am really looking forward to this spring tri season. I really want to tackle the bike this year - for Eagleman, I'm going to try and find a training plan that is very bike-focused. I am a good and confident swimmer, and a very consistent runner. But I can be scared of biking (DOWNHILL scares the cra* out of me!) and I need to learn how to tie it all together!

I think that's about it - Steve or Lisa can let me know if I forgot anything

I really look forward to getting to know all of you. The mentor group was such a big part of my year last year.

Thanks Lisa - it should be a lot of fun My Judge ("my judge" ? well, the judge I work for ) will be doing it, so it's a little more personal that the mass-swearing in down in Trenton. My whole family and Mark will be there My fellow clerk (the girl I sit right next to) will be sworn in by her Judge at the same time, and we'll all be going out to dinner together.

M - thank you so much! It should be a happy/special day It's been a long year between graduation, studying for the bar, and then the wait to find out the results.

PS - Lisa, I wanted to tell you something funny! Every morning when I drive to work, there is this HUGE billboard for 'FOXY Lettuce." It has a picture of a field right after sunrise, and there is a fox running down the field.

I have no idea why, but every time I drive past it, it makes me think of you and FeXY!

OK - I just read through all the intro's! Super excited to be a part of this group

First couple of thoughts, from what I can remember

Dee - LOVE the picture of your dog! My Eli loves to sleep like that too...

Darren - I also have a 4-hour marathon goal this year! The ultra stuff you've done is incredible - I am hoping to do my first ultra this fall. How did you get into it?

Cathy - CONGRATS on the grandchild! Glad to hear everyone's healthy and happy

Steve A. - I've told this to Lisa A. and Neil (from the old group) - but I really enjoy being able to follow people preparing for their first IM. I am a few years out from making a try at it (need to get a little older, more experience on the bike, more stable in life/career), so until then I'm living vicariously through you Congrats on all your success and having a pretty awesome sounding wife Does she take good pictures during races? Mark (my BF of 6 years) can spectate with the best of them!

Mark - my dad recently did a Turkey Trot with me - it is so much fun to be able to do a race with a parent... Keep working on her!

OK - more thoughts later, but off to bed with me now. I'm going to the gym tomorrow morning (I go at 5 am - before work) for the second time since the marathon. Planning on swimming and doing some elliptical - haven't been cleared to run yet, since I got a nasty case of extensor tendonitis as a result of the marathon. Though that's feeling better now, and I'm expecting to get the go ahead from the podiatrist at my follow-up on Tuesday

Have a good Monday everyone!

Actually my first race after my second half marathon was a 50k. As soon as I heard about them I knew that is what I want to do. I am painfully slow but hope to speed up this year by doing increased volume and throwing in a small amount of speed training.

But my big goal is the 4 hour marathon, will be a stretch for me, I have never done a stand alone marathon. I am enjoying concentrating on one goal, but it is a little scary setting that goal too, you know.

My 2 cents, get a total immersion swimming book. Practice the drills. Relax.

I learned to swim from reading the Total Immersion book. Never made me fast, but kept me in the middle of the pack with a minimum of effort.

I think swimming is mostly technique, not aerobic conditioning.

ROBYN -

Your story is remarkable. There is a lot of use of the word "inspiration", and your story could serve as the working definition of the word!

Your race schedule is very nice, a great combination of du and tri and straight runs - and the spacing is generous. I'm sure that by those last two, In Aug. and Sept., you'll be more than "somewhat confident" that you can finish!

As for your comments as to why you're here, those specifics you mention are pretty attainable (and the breathing concerns seem to be getting better through diligent use of your inhaler), so toss out the specific questions whenever you get curious or concerned.

The stamina matters will come with just gradual building of your distances and speeds; you have noticed a fair bit of that happening already. For all of us who have been at this for a while, we are doing things we once felt were well beyond our abilities. All "newbies" know this, of course, but it doesn't stop them from harboring the concern that for them --- it just won't happen.

So! You've made enormous strides in several different facets of fitness in the past 18 months, and barring any weird sequence of injuries or illness, you are still well into your ascent. This is a great group, very diverse in terms of experience, and there is lot of info to be mined from the entire collective. Enjoy excavating!

DARREN -

Which is your May marathon? Is it relatively local (i.e., AB, SK, BC), or soething you'll have to travel to? And what is the nature of it -flat, hilly, rolling. Just curious!

I spent much of my first 6 months of tri doing the T.I. drills, and I still do a few finger-drag sessions each week; these help to sense a more relaxed entry. I also do their more-or-less patented closed-fist drills, although several years ago I stopped struggling with putting on and taking off the fist gloves, and now I just do it literally closed fist. As they advise, if done right the drill gives a great feeling for how and when the most water is being moved by the "paddle" of you forearm/wrist/palm continuum.

For all of the milllions of miles I seem to have swam (swum?), there is still some small technique glitch that undercuts my best efforts. I think it is in the pitch of my left arm on the pull, but even when focusing on it I can't quite get it right.

Weird story: Les Paul, the truly pioneering guitarist who died a few months ago, got in a serious car accidnet in about 1947. His right arm was badly broken, with the worst break being around the elbow. The doctors told him he would never play guitar again. He thought about this for a few moments, and then suggested that maybe, just maybe, they could set the arm so that it was at least in a permanent guitar-picking/strumming position. The doc thought this was possible and performed the surgery that way, and although Les Paul went through the rest of his very long life with his right arm permanently positioned at a bizarre angle, he kept playing guitar right up until his death.

I only mention that because it just flitted across my mind that about the only approach to solve my "disobedient" left arm would be to set it somehow so that it was always at an optimal angel for effecting a maximum catch while doing freestyle. But, i guess I'll just content myself with being a mediocre to quasi-decent swimmer!

Fianlly, T.I. used to be an incredibly incendiary topic on various triathlon forums. It was especially a hot-button item on slowtwitch, and perhaps a search there might turn up some lurid discussions. All I know is that for me, it worked to get me over the hump of those first months of serious swimming efforts.

ANNE -

(1) I'm still disgesting your history. Mercy!
(2) Is the Killarney trail you did La Cloche? And did you do the whole thing. Mercy, X2! Lynn has done a number of long canoe trips up around Killarney, and has hiked small bites of La Cloche, and says parts are quite tough.

I'll be back to you tomorrow. Don't injure yourself in the meantime!

(Oh, yeah -- I agree with you that much of what you describe seems to be overuse, rather than more chronic stuff that is skeletal-muscular in origin.)

Wow, quite the story about Les Paul.

My marathon is the Calgary Marathon http://www.CalgaryMarathon.com,May 30, 2010. No course map up yet, although the website promises one is available. Pretty sure it will be mostly flat.

And I have heard about those TI critiques....worked like a charm for me. I agree it won't make you lightening fast but I am amazed how little energy I feel like I expend while swimming and how relaxed and fresh I feel when I get out of the water.

Hello again, everybody!

Steve, thank you for accepting me into this amazing group. I haven't had time yet to read everything that has been posted, but just thought I'd post a quick bio now, so as to avoid Steve's notorious self-proclaimed nagging.
My name is Arthur, I currently live in Lisbon, Portugal. I am 31 years old and will turn 32 on the 29th of March. I am originally from Denmark, but have lived in so many different places that I've only retained a vaguely european identity. I have always been into sports.
As a kid (from 6 to 18) I mostly swam and did tour-skiing. Then I joined the danish navy for a couple of years, became an officer of the reserve, and during that time I joined the armed forces team for triathlon although I had NO experience whatsoever in the sport. As I did not have a lot of time to train (only about 6 hours a week), I only managed to fit in a sprint distance, which I won (I don't remember the time). That was 11 years ago now. In the meanwhile, I lived in London, UK, where I studied and then worked. During that period I gradually stopped exercising. I was regularly having bouts of getting back into shape by exercising a lot, but that never lasted longer than 6 consecutive months.
About 4 months ago, after a series of misadventures and having being diagnosed with depression, I decided to make a break with several aspects of my life including the irregularity of my training. I started by running about half an hour 6 days out of 7 and doing a few simple exercises in the parks of London.
I moved to Portugal in October, and I have been gradually increasing running time ( last week: 33.5 miles in 4 hours 40 minutes) and added swimming in November ( last week: 1h40 total time, 5300m distance)
Weight-wise, I have lost about 22lbs since I started training regularly again. I think I'm now at my ideal running weight (about 152lbs for 5'11), but could stand to get a much lower body fat percentage (I reckon it's about 13% now). Not sure how that is best achieved...
I am designing my own programme for the moment, and focusing on core strength, stability and flexibility, aerobic base and swimming technique for the moment. I am planning to start cycling in January. I have not registered for any races yet as Portugal has a very small tri scene (only about 1000 registered athletes) and they've only just published a race calendar.
I am hoping to fit in at least a couple of aquathlons, a couple of sprints and an olympic tri. Will keep you posted once I have worked that out.

In the meanwhile, I'll take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry christmas.

I'll add my pitch for TI as well. I am not fast either, but the drills have definitely helped my balance and efficiency as a swimmer. I feel confident I can go out and swim any distance. The "Triathlon Swimming Made Easy" book has a section on swimming faster using TI. I plan to practice it closer to my A race.

ROBYN,

Congratulations on your amazingly quick progress.   Reading stories like yours are inspirational to me when it seem like I am stuck or going backwards - it makes me remember starting out on my tri journey, doing my first tri-a-tri and thinking how great it was, but an Oly would be beyond my capabilities.   It took me over 4 years but lo and behold I did my first Olympic this year and loved it.     Best of luck on YOUR tri journey!  

Anne