Prof40's Group -- Technically full but ... (Page 67)

Prof, it occurred to me, tears streaming down my determined self righteous face while driving kids to the sitters this morning, that you know me pretty well by now, and may even be a psych. prof (although you are so private about yourself that we know almost nothing about you) and probably figured if you made me good and mad I'd see that I want this thing more than life itself right now and it will push me to dig deep and find my fight and go on out there and do it. So, thanks. I love you too. And I'm sorry for the above psycho post and pity party

Jeannette--gotta love your spirit girl. welcome back. you remind me of Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, too. I mean that in the best possible way, as she is my favorite character and the one I can best relate too

Casey, I likely will do a TI swim soon. I promise to look both you and Quiana up and I'll try to give you a heads up ahead of time. Did Mark ever go to Minneapolis and have a drink with yall??

Mark--go get em tiger. I know you will make it all sound very colorful and adventuresome and I look forward to your report

Malph--how's the training going? You gonna post a pic of your lovely gal? come on--brag a little. We are all happy for you!

Liz--what's your next race? Is it the Nike women's race? How are you feeling hamstring wise?

I have a work comp case to do this morning----ick, ick, ick--(paperwork)!

Liz

Firstly, what is not to love about a country where eating the hole out of the donut is normal. Fantastic.

The weather in Monte Carlo is looking great, if you are spending your weekend on the beach! For anyone going to race, it is looking a bit on the warm side but it will be a welcome change for me thus far this year. I have been cycling with no socks and well aereated shoes so I am hoping that I will start the run with dry socks (if I get to start the run at all). I don't know about the live coverage but I am delighted that you are interested. Added impetus to get my butt in gear and do it. Incidentally, I have started looknig at the cutoff times to see if I will actually get in under the tape! Not a sign of over confidence.

As you were the only one to respond to my question on emigration I will elucidate a little on my thoughts.

I love the idea of the Southern states but I suspect that this is largely a romantic hankering after the old colonial days (“Rhett, Rhett Whatever shall I do”) rather than the current state (“I'm gonna make you squeal like a pig. Weeeeeeee!”)! As a lawyer I will have to re-qualify if I am to practice law still although I would love to retrain to do something else (always fancied dabbling in a bit of psychotherapy) so would probably need somewhere with a reasonable centre of population and a healthy degree of angst.

That said, the most important things for me are the quality of life offered to both me and the kids; somewhere warm all year round, near the sea, good schools, balanced (i.e. middle of the road) politics and a relatively low likelihood of dying as a headline in the local paper would be great.

I like the sound of South Carolina (Charleston) or San Francisco (neither of which I have been to but both look good!). I agree about Australia (as it is a bit of a cultural desert if you ignore the Aboriginal culture (sorry Malphh)) and I guess that is one of the things that draws me to the older parts of the states.

Let me know if you have any thoughts as I am just about to sink a couple of million dollars into a house here and I don’t really want to!

Mark, my former receptionist (who was very interesting in that she was ex-military, her husband died young on her and she found Pat, a woman, to love, who was married to Phil, a Brit like yourself, and also gay, so the three of them were an interesting unit!) and some of my coolest patients (Carlos and Barb--Carlos was my swim coach) moved to NORTH Carolina! It is supposed to be a wonderful energy center. We are in one of those here in my neck of the woods--something about the Earth's energy and where peace minded progressive people will gather to help heal Her. But NC is even MORE of an energy place. Phil, Pat and Renee went to this Peace Center in NC and it has color therapy and a huge crystal globe in a circular room where people go to pray for world peace and Phil had one eye that was blind and after he went there, he could see out of it! I'm not kidding! They all think I should move there, and if I had any means, I'd seriously think about it! But there are major universities there,the ocean, the weather is nice, people are open and progressive (and not rednecks) and it has loads of parks and bike trails. I think Carlos moved to Raleigh. Or near there. I visited up by Liz when my sister lived in Washington, and although I had always thought it would be the coolest place to live, I just wasn't impressed---too much rain, the ocean is cold, Portland Oregon just didn't have a good feel to it, etc. Florida is going to sink into the ocean and it is too blasted hot for me--been there 3 times. Texas is nice, if you are a cowboy and a redneck or really old. They got a bunch of rain this year though--global warming or whatever. My area is beautiful, but cold in the winter. We do have the most triathlete ironmen per capita of any other place I've heard about (31! I still can't get over that! ) No wonder we have a velo club, a tri club and a running club--and actually UW-Lacrosse has their own tri club, too. Our lake is okay, but you can't see your hand through the water. We have the best hills anywhere though. People come from all over to practice them! So, if you are in the states, you'll have to come train with me some time. My kids can entertain your kids and we could all go on the bike trails with them (if Satan is at all like her folks who bike to France and back, she'll be way ahead of me!) and eat greasy health food on the trails!

I ran 7 miles last night. My biggest run since before hurting my leg. It went okay. I'm not fast, but I can live with it. I do the rest of the school shopping today and will get my camelbak at the bike shop for Sunday's Century ride through Frank Lloyd wright territory. I have a confirmed babysitter--yeah! So I'll swim today and try to make it a monster swim!!

So I actually made it to the pool on Tuesday...I wish I would have brought my running shoes with because I felt like hitting the treadmill afterward, but oh well....baby steps back to where I was. I've been fighting this massive lethargy which isn't related to depression (not depressed...just constantly tired). I'm going to try to get at least some good walking or dancing time every day....even if it's only fifteen minutes. I really want to get back running, especially since I haven't run since my last tri (which was Aug 5th). What I really need to do is get over my fears of being slow and embarrassing myself and actually go to group runs and the tri club training events.

*sigh* Hope everyone is managing ok!

Casey--good job moving your body! It doesn't really matter so much what you do, so long as it is aerobic and fun! I'm a very slow runner. My asthmatic or weak lungs or cardio system or whatever really holds me back, and lately so does the hamstring tear. I have to go slower to honor that healing leg. But not running for 2 months made me lose my cardio or lung fitness so I am starting all over. My miles are 13 to 14 minutes and I'm happy with that for now. At least I am back at it and progressing with the mileage again. I hyperventilate if I run in public because of the deep inferiority complex I have about my athletic (in)abilities. You can't be worse than that!! There is another gal on here, who goes by KSH. Her name is Karen and she has a mentor group that she leads. She has been very kind and encouraging to me as she also has trouble with the run. She swims like a fish, though, and bikes a little faster than me, too. She just signed up for Louisville 2008, even though she has not done a full or even a half mary. She does her first HIM in October and the farthest she has run to date is 12 miles. Right now she is finally doing 11 minute miles and she's happy with that! What she lacks in speed she makes up for in determination. Sort of like me And maybe you as well!! Keep it up, girl. I know you can do it!!

Jeanette--did you do a race report yet?? I'm curious to hear how it all went for you! Great job!

At best I'm at about 13/14 minute miles. Even in high school the best I did was about a 10 minute mile (my pr in the 2 mile race was 20 minutes and some odd change). So I'm with you :-) I'm going to try to get over my inferiority complex and go to the du training (yes, I'm intimidated....one woman running it does Ironman races, and the other one has done ultra-Irons plus super endurance cycling....like the Race Across America). They are sweeties, but I'm still intimidated. Maybe I'll just do the cycling part so I don't feel like people are waiting for me. We'll see.

Mark: I think I have the place for you, albeit a little far from the UK : San Diego! Its in the 70'sF year round, has great beaches everywhere, moderate political climate (well, liberal), and has an interesting Latino influence due to its proximity to Mexico. And its a great place to train for triathlons! You can swim in the ocean from may-october at least. And its gorgeous there. YOu should visit it at least once in your life, there is nothing like the SoCal vibe.
San Francisco is a great city, and areas around it have great weather, but the city itself is usually colder and foggier than you might like. And its ridiculously expensive for real estate, similar to Manhattan.
I agree that North Carolina or South Carolina might be nice too. S.Carolina is still definitely "the South" in terms of atmosphere, but Charleston is a beautiful city. I have never been to Raleigh-Durham, but the N.Carolina coast is nice. I drove the Outerbanks once and it was very beautiful as well. Just a little isolated.

Pene: great job on the run. Im glad your leg isnt acting up too much. My hamstring still twinges during everyrun, lets me know it doesnt want to be pushed too hard, but usually has stopped aching after the next day. Im back to getting periodic massages, it seems to help. I know i didnt respond to your plea for help about the Ironman, but I think you know what I would say as I am always the cautious voice of moderation and rest days. My feeling is just because it doesnt happen next year doesnt mean it wont happen ever. I really feel like you need to get a few more races under your belt, like an Olympic and then even a half-ironman. Just work your way up the ladder, conquer each step, and then move on. It took me 4 years to get the guts to do an Olympic even. And Im not rearing to do another anytime soon. I honestly thought I would enjoy it more;

Androgenie: just having the courage to do any workout is impressive, so dont let it psyche you out that the others are better than you. We all have our own pace, it just helps to have other people there doing the same thing, you dont have to keep up with them or even compare yourself. Remember Mark's sign off, a race for yourself...etc

Ha ha Liz. Yes you are the voice of caution. And I am the voice of throw all caution to the wind and do what you want cuz you only go round once (or at least once that you remember unless you go through past life regressions!!).

So----I did my longest OWS today--2200 yards in 1:13. I wasn't racing, I was concentrating on form, doing at least 80% crawl and relaxing in the water. I have done 4000 y this month which isn't impressive, but......I did it in a total of 2:17! That's IM qualifying time, I do believe, and it wasn't racing at all. It was just go out there and relax in the water.

I feel pretty good after yesterday's 7 mile run, and that is encouraging. I was stiff and sore in both legs this am, but it's all better now. So, I will do at least a half this fall, if not 2 or one full.

And I have a sitter for my century on Sunday, and just bought my camelbak, and am optimistic about that too!

I emailed a coach I know. Her name is Daniella Nichols, and she just did her 3rd IM in Louisville, winning the Everyday Hero award because she has survived 2 kinds of cancer and raises 2 boys herself, and is a personal trainer/coach. She emailed back and is available! She has trained 4 IM's and they just did Louisville with her (their 2nd).

Bet you can't guess what I'll choose......2008 or 2009.........

And the best news of all is super chick Trixie is postponing IMMOO til 2009. She's not a swimmer. I mean, not at all! Ha!! (yes, I am jealous of her. she's tiny, has a sixpack stomach, and a HUGE following!! And she has oodles of self confidence. I mean OODLES!!) She makes my biggest bragging day look like a suicidal depression in comparison. She is funny, though, so that's why I keep an eye on her

Well, Mark is done with the swim - 43:32 -- and is on the bike in Monaco. Suddenly, reading the Sunday paper just doesn't seem like a fulfilling way to spend the morning.

Wow...it's been a few days since I've checked in, and as I read the forum, I see we've hit new emotional peaks. I wish I could say I was off doing something incredibly athletic, but in truth I've not done much of anything other than yard work.

And thinking about next year. I haven't hidden the fact that I didn't race much this summer. Life just had a habit of intruding on my athletic plans, and my summer was marked by last minute cancellations -- including a vacation that we had researched and plotted and for which we had made a few advance ticket purchases. At least I earned the frequent flier miles on my credit card.

So why am I sharing all this? Well, (1) to refute the notion that my life is totally peachy. Don't get me wrong, it is most of the time, but there are some slight distractions. And (2) to show that I get frustrated too, but there is always another race on the horizon.

I don't know how anyone can plan AND complete many multiple races -- long, serious races, like 1/2s and fulls, and marathons, and century rides -- in one short summer season. Unless, of course, they have no family, no commitments, and are wealthy.

So, back to my own efforts. For the year, I'm down in all of my goals, and quite frankly, probably cannot do enough in these last months to hit them all. Not that I'm going to let them go without trying. That includes working on my diet, too. Last night was pizza - yum -- and today is another summer picnic -- double yum. And maybe I'll run a marathon on my birthday. Not an official one -- no race course, no huge time clocks, no finishing chute -- just me alone chugging along, listening to music, and seeing if I can do it. And if I can't? Well, I'll think about that when the time comes.

Have a great week.

Way to go Mark! Im a bit behind being over here on the West Coast, just checked and he definitely finished. I cant wait to hear what he thought about the whole thing, its pretty amazing considering where he was when we all started this forum.

Which brings me to my next point- Professor even if you yourself didnt race much this summer, you should add to your list of accomplishments this ridiculous little support group you created here. You have helped all of us reach our OWN goals with your little bits of advice sprinkled here and there and given us gentle reminders about things we tend to forget as we get caught up in our own stuff. So- thank you!

I too feel like my season is winding down, I havent swam in over a week and rode one time in the past week. I have one sprint I might do in 3 weeks but probably wont; I have my half marathon which just isnt as fun to train for as a tri. And Im looking forward to switching gears and working on my downhill ski fitness next! I met one of my goals, completed my first Olympic distance tri, but certaintly didnt loose 20lbs. Although, strangely, I am now diligently working on that goal after that binge week we had a few weeks ago, and have lost about 4lbs this week. It almost seems like it was too hard to diet and train at the same time. It could also be that I need to fit into my resort wear for my October trip to Kona

Yes I did my race report , its online

And it's a good one. Sounds like you had a great day!

Never underestimate the power of a bikini!

Good race report, J. You are a trooper!!

Mark--congrats on your Half! Looking forward to your report!

Liz, do you take some extra time when you are in Kona to sightsee? I"ve never been to Hawaii, but if I did go, I'd mountain bike up a volcano and go out scuba diving, eat at a lua and go in one of those glass bottomed boats. I'd also go find a native person and ask them the meaning of my name, as it is Polynesian.

I did my 100 miles. It wasn't easy, but I did em.

Hi

Firstly, I am really touched that you guys checked me out on the IronMan site, it made me all emotional!

Secondly, race report is here

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

I did it in 7:47:31, finishing 639 out of 689 starters (658 finishers) and snuck in about third to last in my age group.

The euphoria to depression cycle seems to have settled down a bit and I'm looking back on it with a degree of pride.

I would like to say that you have all been a huge support over the last seven months or so. I started in this forum as a recently quit smoker, a heavy drinker and seriously overweight and I end up here, a clean living fit and healthy forty year old with a huge medal saying IronMan Monaco on it!

Special thanks to Prof for putting his hand up at the right moment and volunteering for this and getting so many of us going forwards.

I am now going to read all the posts over the last few days, catch up on other peoples news and go out for a run.

BTW, I've entered for next year already. I reckon I can shave at least an hour off!

Congratulations Mark!!!!!
The City Nice is nice!

Prof-
What is better...

A. Keep training for a sprint distance triathalon and improve on time. Note: I did two this summer.

B. Start training for olympic distance triathalon and goal is to finish and not on time.
Note: I am thinking about this because next year the Accenture Chicago Triathalon is trying to break a worlds record on the number of finishers in this distance for the Guiness book of world records, and it would be really awesome to be part of something that big!

C. Accomplish 1 sprint distance and 1 Olympic distance next summer.
Note: If you train for longer distance will time automaticly improve on the shorter distance?

Have a good weekend! "Don't just go out and train, go out and play!"

PENE-

You are my hero!! 100 mile bike ride is so awesome!!! You did it

It all depends on what you want to achieve.

I've found that I like to see how far I can go...and how fast. So I train long. I like the "next level" idea.

And as for me, the longer I train, the faster I get on shorter distances. I think it's confidence -- I know I can go the distance, so it's not a matter of completing the race but actively doing it.

I say go for the Olympic distance. Chicago sounds fun, and you'd be part of something huge!

Thank You for your great advice.
I am going to the library tommorow to check out the tri training books and a running book. I was told I am running flat foot and it would be better to run on the ball to toe, what do you think of this?
Also I have heard of this new invention... It's a shoe!!!
It's called Newtons running shoe where it is designed for running on the ball of the foot and a lot less padding in the heel. What do you think of this concept?

How can I train to improve my running?

First of all- big congrats to Pene for your Century. I am completely scared of that distance but I feel like maybe if you can do it, someday I might be able to now!! Thanks for the inspiration. How do you feel??

Mark- glad to see you have some perspective on the race. It was your first major endurance event, it can only get better from here on out. Each time you conquer a new event, a new distance, you learn a new lesson. (or lots of lessonS) The fact you finished is the most important one. I read your race report; Do you guys even have hills to train on in the UK?? JK.

Jeanette: I agree with Prof= I trained for my Olympic distance from March-June this year. I did the race and then a few sprints after. The sprints felt like a breeze and I was definitely better than last year. And, once I had the really solid base training from the olympic, I didnt have to work very hard to maintain it for the sprint season.

Watergirl- Thank you.
I am going to do some research on training for this length and I hope to start training Thurs or friday. I am O.K. with the swim and bike, but concerned about runnning this distance, espically after the longer swim and bike. I really need to concentrate on the run training.

It is awesome knowing that you are training for something as grand as being a foot note in the guiness book of world records!!!

Just remember that it's ok to walk if you need to. I've walked most of the run on the three tri's I've done this year, and fully intend on walking most of the du that's coming up in two weeks (which is going to be interesting....Yom Kippur is the day before, and fasting is involved....yipes! I'll be carb loading Friday afternoon and trying to eat enough on Saturday evening!)

Thanks Jeanette and Liz! The 100 miles weren't exactly fun. It took me just over 7 hours and I learned that I absolutely hate headwinds, the camelbak is a great invention, and I need to do this distance many many many times before I will be ready to put it together with the swim and run. I'm taking a bit of a break from the bike now and concentrating on the run. Did a little 5K race here in Cashton and I forgot my watch, but my receptionist said she heard a lady just in front of me ask her time and it was around 33 so we figure my time to be around 34-35 minutes, which sad to say, is great for me! My best 5K time ever. The hamstring tear is basically fine now and I think the miles on the bike have helped my overall conditioning greatly. So I did another 5K run and bike brick yesterday and then my legs were sore! I have read it is important to run on tired out sore legs, so I ran again today and it gets progressively slower the more tired and sore my legs are, but that's okay. I need to do that more often. It did take a few days before I felt recovered from the century--I wanted to swim on Thursday and my head was still goofy and I forgot my noseplug and cap, so I just turned around and went on home and called it a day. I just can't swim in a lake without a noseplug. Someday I'll be the only person in an IM with one! That's okay. I embrace my differentness these days! No, I didn't go to the Ironman this weekend. I had decided after the century to wait. I might try to sign up for Steelhead 70.3, as it is in Michigan and I can just schlepp my bike there and not have to deal with air hassles. You jump off a pier into the water and people have good race reports about it, except for it being rather crowded. I'll be at the end of the group anyway where it will likely be much less crowded I'm training now to do a half marathon October 28 rather than the full. Unless I surprise myself and develop some phenomenal fitness in the next 6 weeks and feel like trying the full. Which could happen. I didn't really and truly believe that I would be able to complete 100 miles in one day when I signed up last April. I figured I'd likely whimp out and just do the 60 that day. Guess that's why it's important to go ahead and set goals. Some of them you just might accomplish

Casey--I don't really think attempting a du while fasting sounds like a good time. I don't even train at home on an empty stomach. But you are an amazing woman and very determined, so it won't surprise me too much if you somehow pull it off

I'm back on a diet. My goal is to lose one pound a week for the next 20 weeks. Won't be fun over all the holidays, but that's okay. I just can't carry around this extra weight any longer and be happy in my own skin. Unlike most folks, I have GAINED weight since starting tri training. Now it is time to take it OFF!