Gary's Mentor Group - Re-OPENED for Training (Page 9)

Go Marty!!!

Luna - Mooseman?  If you are game we are here to help!

1500 yards in the pool (250 warm up, 1000 swim, 250 cool down).  Supposed to run tonight but my mother is flying in tonight so that may not happen.

Found another race to do so will sign up tonight hopefully.

I did have to stop and think about Billy's post about the dream race.  Have to agree he has a strong point (not sure if it was the one he was making or not) that just being able to do a tri would seem like a dream to me just a few years ago. 

Felt great today and ran more than 2.3 miles.  Not a lot for many of you, but That's more than I've run in 7 months.

Going to do an indoor tri at lifetime on Sunday.  10 minute swim, 30 minute indoor bike, 20 minute running on treadmill - total distance is the measurement.  It's not a 'real' tri but the first thing close to it I've ever done.
Only problem, I haven't swam in 2 years.  That will be interesting. 

That's pretty close quarterback, never thought I would be able to any of this.  Also, I am extremely goal oriented, must have a goal to work toward or i will just sit on the couch.   Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

Just when things start going good, and get a solid week of training in. I get a call saying that my mom is sick, and in the hospital. I had to fly to Phoenix to stay with her. I figured I would get a couple of nice 70 degree runs in, but thats not working out. I will have to come back here every couple of weeks for an undetermined amount of time. I still have my races, but this is a little setback I will have to work thru. Dream race is IMFL. This year!

Morning all!
Had great plans to get up and go for a ride.  It 39 degrees outside and I wimped out.  Will try later.  So I slept in and that felt great!  I could get used to doing that.

Bert - good luck on your Tri on Sunday.  Let us know how it went.

Billy - I am somewhat the same way.  If I didn't have a race to train for I probably would stop training.  Thats one reason why I don't lift weights.  Just not directly related to a goal.

Randy - Sorry to hear about your mom.  You and her will be in my prayers.  Training and this group are great releases so keep training and lean on us when you need to.

Hey all!
A bit quiet here but sounds like everyone has a lot on their plate.  Was going for 2 hrs on the bike yesterday but just couldn't get my legs going.  Bad rides, runs, swims happen so I bagged it after an hour.  Planning on running later today.  Rainy and a bit dreary today but yesterday was beautiful here.  My mother has been here visiting her grandkids and its been fun to see her.

Hope everyones training is going well.  Do what you can and you will get there! 

Had a good 5 mile run yesterday. I'm working on running efficiency after seeing a video of myself running. Now trying to land more on my midfoot instead of heel, maintaining good posture on every part of my runs, and trying to have a steady cadence. I was going to take the Night Train on the inaugural ride this morning but it was 9 degrees when I woke up. Then we went out for my sister-in-laws birthday to the Cheesecake Factory and....well....needless to say not much is going to get done here the rest of the day.

JPF, LOL!  I managed 7 miles while my son was at choir practice.  Watched the move "Secretariet" which turned out to be a good flick. 

Hope everyone has a good training week.

balking at 39 degrees???? lol. i wish dream hope it'll be that warm here again- apparently we're getting 2 more snow storms this week. i did my 10.5 long run saturday- it was great- finally got the right pace. next weekend  is the big jump- 16 miles. it's gonna hurt. plan on doing some spinning this week and hopefully getting to the pool tonight. i haven't been in a month. bad triathlete.

happy monday

LOL! While I lived in WI for 10 years and was fairly acclimated to the cold I have now been in Louisiana for 7 years.  I readily admit I am a cold weather wimp when it comes to riding! 

Had a somewhat painful reminder last night from my run.  My shirt was quite wet from the rain and I haven't been doing a lot of longer distances running.  Needless to say my um, um, nipples are a bit tender from chafing.  Used to wear band aids for those runs but completely forgot about that issue. 

Heading off for a short swim.

25 minute run, followed by 600 meter swim...

I am soo super excited. I finally had a day to ride bikes and I went to the LBS and ordered my ride. It is a bike that I had seen and thought was totally out of my price range. Online it's listed for about 200.00 more than my max budget, and so I didn't even really entertain it as an option. It was my favorite though. Well, to my surprise when I got to the LBS today, they had it in the store and it was the exact amount of my budget. Of course it is the absolute max I could go, but at least it was in budget. I was soo excited when I realized it was an option. It was the colors I wanted and is a carbon bike and they even included some pedals. Not that they are the clip ones that I will eventually get, but this was the first store that offered any pedals included in the price of the bike. I rode about 8 different bikes but kept coming back to mine. It's the Trek Ion Super WSD. It's in the Gary Fisher series and I can't wait for it to come in. I should hopefully have it in my possession by the end of the week. Now to come up with a name for her. I'll post pics as soon as I have her home. I am just so excited.


Shelly

Iron Girl New Orleans  - Sprint Tri-- May 22

Marty - nice job!

Shelly - congrats on the new ride!  I did a quick web search to check it out, nice bike!  Time to get serious about your riding is about to start!

Okay all!

February challenge:

Declare one or more legs of an IM or HIM that you will hit for the month of February.  Rules:
1.  This must be a bit of a stretch goal but should not cause a concern for injury.
2.  Must finish by end of February
3.  Spin work does count
4.  Walking does count towards the run as long as either: a) you also do some running OR b) you are injured and cannot run
5.  Declare your distances by Feb 5th but anyone can join at any time of the month.

I will figure out some prize(s) for the winners. 

Let me know who is in!

I'm in. I'll do the bike part. I looked back at my training logs and the run and swim wouldn't be a stretch but this will get me biking more. Let me know any other info you need.

Ok- so I need a little clarification here. Our goal has to be to reach an IM or HIM distance for one of the legs all at one time? So if I chose the run portion of a HIM , my goal would have to be to run 13 miles in one session or is it cumulative for the month?, but all 13 miles have to be running (cause I'm not injured- just can't run worth a hoot- lol). Hope this makes sense. ShellyAflac Iron Girl New Orleans- Sprint - May 22

I'll sign up for the run portion- if i stick with my snowy marathon training schedule that will be doable

Gary, I'm in for the February Challenge! I declare I'll cover at least 26.2 miles of running during the month of February...

Clarification - it is a total for the month, not one workout. 

As for the run you can walk a portion of it even if you are not injured.  I am encouraging folks to run but if walking is part of your training then include it in the total.

BTW - those with shiny new bikes are automatically added to the bike leg! 



Edited by GaryRM 2011-02-01 9:56 AM

Cranked out a nice 30 minute spin on the bike trainer...P90X still to come...

Ok, Ok- I'll sign on for the IM distance for riding for the month of February. That is really really  a stretch, but I think that the HIM might not be quite enough to be considered a stretch and I want to play fair. I may not win, but I'm going to try to accomplish this one.

Thanks for the challenge. It is really going to help push me with my training.

Wishing everyone success,

Shelly

Aflac Iron Girl New Orleans - sprint- May 22

I have tons of questions coming also- lol. First of all, besides the obvious helmet and riding shorts, what gear do you consider essential for riding? Do you have any recommended brands/styles of such gear that you prefer and why? For example- riding gloves- gel or regular?, cheap or expensive?
Bike computer- any particular style or brand, necessary or not, etc.

I am a total newbie to riding so even if you think it's something obvious, please include it in your list and any recommended brands or styles and why.

I just have so much to purchase for this new sport that I'm trying to get only the necessities for now, unless something would be so beneficial that it's worth spending the money. I still need to get a wetsuit, clip on shoes and pedals and will need another pair of running shoes soon along with the almost 1700.00 I just spent on the new bike. My funds are draining by the day- lol.

So I'm turning to the experienced of our group. What are some of the things you can't live without, and what others did you purchase but wish you hadn't. Any ideas, opinions, etc. are appreciated.

thanks,

Shelly

Aflac Iron Girl New Orleans- sprint - May 22

Thanks Gary. I really don't know a ton about what I bought which is so unusual for me. I researched as best I could though and it just all came down to comfort while riding, budget, name brand and color scheme of the bike. I knew that Trek is a good brand, many of the components were shimano 105 or better, it is a mostly carbon bike, I loved riding it and it was the colors I had been saying I wanted since November when I decided to join this crazy sport. The sales guy was very low pressure and put me on bikes far less expensive and a little more expensive so I didn't feel like he was pushing it just to get a higher sale. So I hope I made a good choice but I am excited as heck about it. I can't wait to show it to my brother Gary who has been a cyclist for years. He has done IM FL and RAAM and is part of my inspiration. I'm excited to see what he thinks about it.

I feel like a kid at Christmas- lol.

Shelly

Aflac Iron Girl New Orleans - sprint- May 22

Shelly,
First, congrats again on the bike.  As for equipment, there isn't a lot you "have" to have but I will list some of the equipment I have that I use a lot:

Speed sensor/Bike computer: I have the garmin speed sensor for my garmin 405 but a bike computer will work also.  Good for tracking distance/speed and a great way to track your progress.  Should be towards the top of the list.

Clipless pedal/shoes: This should be high on your list.  This will improve your overall performance on the bike.  If you can, get triathlon specific bike shoes (but not a necessity).  They typically have a single strap and are designed for easy entry/exit.

Clip on aero bars: Not at the top of the list but once you build your bike skills you may want to consider this.

Bike Clothes: specific cold weather gear aside there isn't much you need immediately (besides a helmet).  Tri shorts work fine on the bike but you will want to get a good pair of bike shorts when you get to longer distances.  I only wear gloves for cold rides.  Wearing layers helps for the cold and go for tight fitting clothes.  Brightly colored clothes helps to be seen by drivers.

Lights: if you plan on riding in the dark make sure to get both front and rear lights.  Fronts should be powerful LED's.

Hydration systems: I don't remember how many cages you have but one/two to start is fine.  When going for longer distances you will need to figure out your nutrion setup.  You have some time on this one also.

A couple of sites for cheap but good stuff:
http://www.probikekit.com/

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/TopCategories_10053_10052_-1