left.right.repeat group -closed - Full of a bunch of winners...YEAH! (Page 7)

We are in the midst of (yet another) wicked storm. Schools were cancelled today and the university where I work closed at noon so we could get home safely. Roughly a foot of snow and now a couple of hours of freezing rain. I'm sure that mav would agree that you ain't seen nothin till you've experienced a wild Northeast freezing rain storm!

So, couldn't get our for my run and the pool was closed so no swim lesson tonight

I was asked about how to keep legs warm on the coldest of days. I tend to wear running tights down to 25 or 30 degrees and then when its colder than that or when there is a significant windchill I add a pair of nylon wind pants (often called "splash pants" round here) over top. I HATE being cold so tend to overdress - easier to open up zippers, etc to cool off than it is to figure out how to get warmer.

Sorry to hear Juanita that you are sick. Take the time to heal, enjoy the rest and you'll be back in the groove in no time.

Happy Valentine's day to all. My wife and I are going to our favourite breakfast spot tomorrow morn rather than having a special dinner since she is working tomorrow evening. Plus I just finished hand dipping  strawberries in chocolate as a little surprise. What are y'all doin for your sweeties (where applicable) ?

Happy Wednesday Night!

 Mav,  A Felt s32 is a great bike.  My wife and my college aged daughter just got their first road bikes and the both got Felt z90s...they are several notches below the s32 but they are quality bikes.  I would feel very good about that purchase.  More on my bikes below...I put it at the end or that's all I would talk about on here tonight....smile.  By the way, don't tell your current bike you are selling it until it sells...if you try to ride while it is for sale and it knows it you could find yourself laying in the road as it might throw you off...LOL....karma you know....a bike is a very personal thing...think about the time spent trying to find a comfortable seat.  9 miles - awesome...I really have enjoyed my long runs this winter however my temp was much higher...by the way - it was 71 F here today...now I really wonder why you all live up there.  I would focus on keeping the knees and hands warm...not that I am a cold weather expert however that does help me when it is really cold.

FBP -- weather...man you are absolutely a STUD for dealing with that crappy weather and lamenting the fact you can't swim or run.

Leston -- you are a swimmer keep up the good work and by the way, 30 minutes of 50s is plenty at this time.  Even 20 minutes is fine.  Do a few drill lengths to warm up, then do the 50s, and then float/swim/paddle a cool down of some sort...maybe backstroke or breaststroke -- why you ask????  Because there are times when you might want to use those strokes to relax in a open water swim and/or the breaststroke is good to use to sight from if you need to use it.

Flipper/Juanita -- Flu -- ugh!  Recover Recover Recover...get well -- you are not losing that much fitness...don't try to come back to quickly.  As far as Rick's Crab Trap....I consider myself a fried shrimp connoiseur...I really think you will like it.  By the way, I know, I know - it's fried....and I love it....and I don't get to eat there often enough...have some for me.

Mav -- thanks for the well wishes for Sunday...I am jazzed and ready to go.  I ran the last time today - a easy 35 minute run and then a quick strength rotation.  Tomorrow is a bike ride and Friday a swim...then it is half marathon time.  Yippee!

FBP -- Man that is cold...I cannot even imagine -- me telling you all how to dress for that weather is nuts...I will leave it to you experts.  Stay warm and be sure you warm up before pushing yourself too much.

My bike -- well I have two - I have a Bianchi Vigornelli road bike and a Quintana Roo Seduza tri bike...I love them both - Just thinking about putting this on here makes me want to go ride them...it's difficult because one gets jealous when the other gets ridden. Smile.  A tip - if you are going to name your bike - many people do -- be sure you name it properly....I think a bike performs to its name so don't name it Crash or Flat or Lightning (I don't want to be struck) - that said have fun with it - hey it's your bike.

Valentines Day  --  happy Valentine's Day to all - I think Debbie (my wife) is probably going to get something incredibly romantic like a new pair of running shoes or heart rate monitor - that would seem to cover clothes and jewelry - smile.

Thank you for the well wishes, Peter! I'm resting as much as this cough will let me, lol. T
I love it that you hand dipped strawberries in chocolate for your wife! She's a lucky girl. Valentine's Day is a big day for my husband and I because our first date 36 years ago, was to a Valentine's Day Sweetheart banquet. We tend to get very nostalgic this time of year. I get a dozen red roses and a huge box of chocolates. I would normally get a nice dinner out, too, but because I'm so sick, he's taking my order for a home grilled steak. And all this when he got in late last night after a 4 day business trip. I'm so blessed!
Ouch again, for the bad weather. Just wow. I bet you are looking forward to spring!

Hey Bryan! Email is on it's way. Thank you for the well wishes. At this rate, it will be another week before I can think about getting back to my training. And, I'm thinking that maybe I WAS overtraining a bit and maybe I should cut back some. On a positive note,
Bill and I are headed to FWB this Saturday to get my bike! It feels like Christmas! I can't wait!
And I trust you on the shrimp review; am TOTALLY looking for to fried shrimp (is there any other kind? ) at Rick's Crab Trap.

Got to the pool today and followed your advice Bryan by doing 50's with rest in between. I was pressed for time so I think I did about 30 minutes worth. During the first 25m of each rep my form felt really good and very comfortable. During the second 25m portion I could feel my form deteriorating. In particular my pull seemed to be much weaker.

Stopped in at the other LBS in our small city to look at the Giant OCR3 road bike. Almost the same price as the Trek 1000. Former is $699 and the latter $650. No luck so far finding a good used bike but of course this is not exactly peak cycling season here in the Great White North!!!

Overtraining - you must be careful and stay focused.  It is very easy to get caught up in the training and feel like you need to go further and faster and longer all the time.  There are several ways to check up on yourself.  One is to take your resting heartrate before you even get out of bed in the mornings.  Do this for several days to establish a base rate.  Then from time to time take it to compare.  Another way is if your sleep patterns change all of a sudden.  Another is if you immune system breaks down....not saying you won't get sick but maybe that you get sicker than usual or it lingers longer.  Take care of yourself.

FBP -  I like the Trek - I think they make a great product.  I have never ridden the Giant but I understand it has a semi-touring geometry...so what the heck does that mean...it means it will feel different...maybe better, maybe worse.  I would definitely test ride all the bikes in your price range.  Fit is important and a longer than 1 mile ride is needed to know how the "fit" feels.  Don't be afraid to ask for a longer test ride.  You might also look into Cannondale, Felt, and Specialized as well as the other major manufacturers.  Almost all of them have an entry level model.  By the way, a carbon fiber front fork is nice to absorb some of the vibration of the road.  If any of them have a carbon seat post that would also excite me...and those parts that utilize the seat...it creates a little softer ride.  Finally on the Giant - at the risk of being accused of being sexist...I think the top tube drops down at an angle and to me that makes the bike look more like a woman's bike...not that there is anything wrong with that...my wife and daughter ride the Felt with a dropped top tube.  Again that is just my opinion and I wanted to be sure you had noticed that feature.

Bryan

By the way, I did an experiment in the pool today.  It was really math but more fun in the pool.  20 minutes of 50s on 30 seconds rest should be plenty for a great workout.  That would equate to 13-15 x 50 depending on how fast you swim them.  45 minutes at this time would be too long I think.  Keep the form as perfect as possible.  After these 50s rest for several minutes.  Then drill some lengths and finally swim a cool down - that means slow and easy with great form - of about 3 minutes (no stopping).

I probably won't be on tomorrow as we have company coming in for the marathon.  Shoot some good karma my way Sunday morning at 7 am central time.  You know I will pay it back when you need it.

See you at the finish line,

Bryan

By the way - I recently started a blog.  If you are interested, check it out at http://tri-leftrightrepeat.blogspot.com/

Leave some comments so I know someone is reading it...sometimes it is like you are having a party and no one is attending.

Bryan

Thank you Bryan! I'll keep an eye on the over-training. It's funny really... I never saw me as someone who would do TOO MUCH at the gym. LOL.

I can't wait to hear about your race! I can see you smiling from here!

Oooo, I envy you Dan! And I can't even ski, lol. What a great trip! Be safe! All of you.

Leston it sounds like your swimming is really coming along great! I know how you feel about the breathing though. I panic easily when I don't feel like I'm getting enough air. I guess that's why I push myself. I learned how to do flipturns (yeah, I know they're not needed in open water Bryan ) so I could swim continuously, hoping the conditioning would make breathing easier, and it does, but I still struggle with it. I can swim non-stop for almost 2 miles (slowly), but I make sure I relax which is the only thing that makes breathing easier.  Compared to where I was when I started though, breathing is a snap, LOL. You'll get there!

sTRIve on, Turtles!

Just back from a lovely 10k LSD. It is cold once again today but no wind and the sun was out so it felt great. I ran to the site of our city's "Winterfest" which is on this weekend. It was great to see so many people, especially families with young kids, out enjoying the crisp, fresh air. There were all kinds of activities but the main event is a GIANT ice slide. They pile snow up for week in advance and then carve out 4 or 5 tracks that look sort of like bobsled runs. Must've been 3 or 4 stories high. Would've liked to stop and give it a go.

I'm envious Dan that you have a place on a ski hill. My dream is to retire somewhere in the mountains where I can ski from November till May. While we have a small local hill the nearest big mountain skiing is in Quebec City, about 300 miles from here or Sugarloaf, Maine.

Bryan, throughout my run I was thinking about you and the HalfM. Can't wait to read your race report. By the way, I think calling a 13.1mile (21.1 km) race a "half" is a misnomer. I prefer to call them "Demi's"

I have some comments on all of your posts but I will do those later so I may now address your requests for a race report.

The day dawned very early for this kid when the alarm sounded at 3am.  I had two friends here and we were looking at a 1 and a half hour drive to Austin to the start.  We rolled out of the driveway at 4am as the race director had recommended arrival at the downtown Austin location prior to 5:30am for a 7am start.  There were 12,500 runners trying to get to the same spot at the same time.  We found parking very easy and walked about 6 blocks to the starting/finishing area which stretched 6 blocks itself.

Attire for the day: shorts, technical long sleeve shirt, throwaway gloves (I MUST have my hands warm), my Saucony shoes (now retired from a lot of miles), shades (prediction was sunny), dri-fit hat and Nike "shox" sox (I really like these socks).  I also had my fuel belt with my nutrition as I don't do anything different on race day if possible - I eat only what I ate in training.  Temperature at arrival was 45F and the expectation was to warm to about 54 degrees by my finish (the weather.com hour by hour forecast really helps).  I also hung out before the start with a sweatshirt on that I was fully prepared to ditch along the road but I ended up giving it to the greatest Sherpa in the world - my wife - before the start.  All three of us loaded Debbie down with some gear and off we went.

The first 3.5 miles were pretty much a continuous uphill climb (there is a youtube video of the course if you want to google it and watch a car drive the course).  The full and half ran together for the first 9-10 miles so that was really cool.  You were always surrounded by people, sometimes crowded.  The course was lined with bands about every 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile and the fans along the route were fun and supportive.  The we had about 1-1.5 miles of down to flat terrain and then we started rolling hills for the balance.  There were some incredibly steep hills after mile 8...they weren't that long by man, they seemed like Everest.  Also every time you got to the top of one you could see your next one.  There were a couple of hills that I literally ran from light pole to light pole to try to make it to the top before running out of gas.  My reasoning was the longer I ran, the sooner the hill would be over.

Running back into downtown was a great feeling - knowing I was going to do it.  I still had some gas in the tank so I ran the last mile or two at a faster pace.  My finish time was 2:15:37.  I really wanted to be inside 2:15 and was hoping for less than 2:10 but this was my first half and I went out very conservatively.  Considering the course I am very thankful I ran it that way.  Here's a tip - drive the course pre-race if there is any chance - Youtube did not give the hills nearly the credit or attention they deserve.

Finishing was euphoric...especially as I was in the finishing chute - getting my medal and having the chip clipped off my shoe - the first marathon finisher completed the full marathon...so I beat the first full marathon finisher by like 2 minutes....I was so proud.  That dude had just laid down some 26.2 averaging less than 5:30....WOW!

Immediately got some dry clothes on - ate a half bagel, two bananas, a couple bottles of water, a bag of Fritos and then hit the Recoverite for some easy calories.  I finished all that off with a well deserved beer - a Michelob Ultra - wow was it good!

We left the site a short time later after reveling in our success and lamenting the growing stiffness in our legs and the rising temperature for those poor folks still out on the course.  Came home to a great hot shower, with a couple of minutes of full on cold water on the backs of the legs and then caught about a 90 minute nap.

A great day.  A great finish line.  Great friends who did it together.

Here's what I want you to remember.  One year ago I had not even begun to work out.  I was in the recliner.  My back wasn't quite healed.  I tell you that for only this reason.  I KNOW you can all do it.  If I can, I KNOW you can.

My legs are stiff but feel good.  The accomplishment definitely outweighs the pain.

See you at the finish line,

B

WAY TO GO BRYAN !!!

Awesome effort. I'm giving you a cyber high five.

INCREDIBLE, Bryan! You rock! You are my hero!

Just WOW...

There is a photo album on my blog if you are interested.  Here is the link:  http://tri-leftrightrepeat.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all your support....You all do more for me than I do for you I think.

Mav,  Your finish line awaits...I think you are next, right?

Wow, Pete. Just a nice little 10k run like it’s no big deal. Heh. Wtg! One day I’ll be able to do that...    And I’m so excited about your gym tri! Woohoo! I envy you!

Congrats on your bike, Marianne! Man, it sounds like a beaut! I looked it up... VERY nice! Mine is just a used Trek I found on Craig’s list. But I can tell that, next to my hubby, my kids, and my dogs, it will be the love of my life, lol. Especially since my other racing option was a 4 year old Walmart Schwinn.  Oh, and I’m sending all the positive vibes I can muster for your race this weekend. Good luck!

sTRIve on folks!

I am out of town some this week but will try to get some posting done soon.

There should be some bike pics on here by the time I return...right ladies????...new bikes require new bike pics....also known as "bike porn" in triathlon circles.

Train smart, train well.

Let's meet at the finish line,

B

Flipper - I guess I feel the same way about you being able to swim miles as you do about me being able to do 10k

mav - saw only a few minutes of the Ironman coverage on TV - it was the bit about the double amputee. Darn allergies - I was ballin' as I watched this guy walking on his stumps out of the water!!

No bike porn to post (yet) but if you would like to see a couple of pictures from the Fredericton Winterfest, I posted them on my blog: www.petermcdrunning.blogspot.com

Peter those photos are AWESOME. (I love the ice sculptures!) I am completely blown away. As beautiful as it is, I can so NOT relate to that landscape, lol. You amaze me, you really do. I would be hibernating and praying for summer! I'm reminded of the movie, "Cool Runnings" from 1993. Did you see that one? It's one of my favorites and I looked up some of the quotes. The following is Derice trying to get Sanka to join him on his bobsled team:

Sanka Coffie (reading): "The key elements to a successful sled team are a steady driver, and three strong runners to push the sled down the ice."  Ice? ICE?
Derice Bannock: Well, it's kind of a winter sport, you know.
Sanka Coffie: You mean winter, as in ice?
Derice Bannock: Kind of.
Sanka Coffie: You mean winter, as in Eskimos and igloos and penguins and ICE?
Derice Bannock: Maybe.
Sanka Coffie: See you, mon.

Now me? I'm thinking of running as more of a spring, summer and fall sport, hehe. Yup, you are AMAZING. WTG, Peter! And thank you for sharing the pics!

~Flipper

(Hopefully I can post some bike porn when hubby gets home to help me with the pics. Oh, and Bryan! Thinking of the movie made me decide to name my bike Cool Runnings because if she's gonna carry me, she and I both are unlikely contestants. *grin*)