Gnu's Group - CLOSED (Page 12)

Sorry to hear about your wife Mike.  Seven surgeries?  That's just brutal.  I hope things get fixed up for good this time.

I'm with Randi on the no OWS in November thing.  I'll spot you from the shore if you'd like.   Will you be in C-bus in Nov? 

Wow,  that is some undertaking.  Make sure you stretch really well and hope you are not too sore tomorrow.

Ewww, that doesn't sound like much fun Mike.  I cannot fathom a century; I haven't even gotten up to 20 miles yet!

Today I did the Cleveland Triathlon as part of a relay.  It was only the super-sprint race (as I could not talk my reluctant cyclist into the sprint distance).  So it was 300m swim, 8 mi bike, 1.5 mi run.  I did the swim.  Let me tell ya I never would have thought I would be treading water in Lake Erie at 6:50 am in my life.  The 6 ft. strands of seaweed (lake weed?) wrapping around my legs was a nice touch.  One thing that was wicked cool:  watching the sun rise as you swim a race! 

Anyways, I can't believe it but we WON!  We beat the other coed teams and the all male team, by a solid 10 minutes!  Ha!  My teammates had never raced before, but they are both in good shape.  So it was a good time.   

OK,   wow, do I suck!!  I have not been on this board in a while, but I am VERY excited that we have had a few people pop back in.  Awesome job to everybody that has been doing races, that is soo exciting.  Nice job Nichole on the WIN!!!  Mike, I have heard about what an awesome job you did on that century ride.  You also forgot to mention it was like 100 degrees and it started raining yes?  Always fun.

Well, I will make sure I am more diligent.  The wedding is no excuse not to post.  Great to hear everybody is still out busting it.

 Gnu

Mike,  please just be sure you are ready for your swim.  We had an eye-opening experience at my first triathlon last weekend. Not to be a person of doom and gloom but a man in my husband's swim wave drowned during the race and no one saw him despite the 24 lifeguards in kayaks and other support person.  I do not fault the race directors in any way and never did feel unsafe in the water. They did not even know he was missing until almost 4 hrs later. We don't know what caused his drowing but since he was a first-timer there is speculation that he was not prepared for the swim.  He was an avid cyclist and reportedly in good health.  The autopsy showed no signs of trauma or health problems. Whether he died because of his lack of experience or preparation, we will never know.  It just makes us know that we have to do everything in our powers to make sure we are as prepared as we can be.  This is why I decided not to do an ocean swim as my second ever triathlon and chose a sprint tri that is brand new and has lots of turns on the bike ride just so that I can swim in a lake - something that I have done before but also know that for this upcoming lake,  it is narrow and shallow along the edges so one could stand up if necessary.

Again, I don't bring this up to be a doom and gloom type person, but I am having a hard time dealing with the whole thing in that it could have just as easily been my husband or me. And for it to happen at an event with such incredible support in the water,  I believe that it can happen anywhere to anyone.  Bottom line, make sure you are as ready as you can be for anything you take on.

Preperation is key to the swim.  That said, if you can swim 500 yards, you can swim 1500.  The key to the swim is smooth, efficient form and not freaking out in the first 200 yards.  Keep up your laps in the pool, but also come out and do an open water.  Maybe one of these Thursday's we all go for an open water swim on the Causeway instead of running.   We get you, me, Jeff, Shaun, Bridget and maybe a few others and we will have plenty of people.  Stick together as a group and simulate a race situation. 

Right now they are having a touch of an algae problem, but when that subsides we can do it.  We will take it easy and go over some things.  Maybe do a transition clinic also and share secrets. 

We need to get you comfy and confident, that is key.  I am more worried about that than your fitness.

Gnu

Cool.  Let's plan on a swim, even if it is not a thursday, we wil schedule something.  I will not be able to make it this Thursday.  I found out today that I have to go to New York for some of the wedding stuff.  Training is going to be a luxury over the next 6 weeks.  Gonna get in what I can, but have to focus on the wedding.

Hey Gary,  I am in NJ.  Where and when are you going to be in NY? I will actually be in New York City with my son on Thursday if you are going into the city and have some free time.   He and I are going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (his request) but are not on a set schedule. I will send you a private message with my home number and cell phone.  Call me if you want to try to get together.

No problem Mike. I am just approaching triathlons with a bit of caution now.  I had heard about deaths in triathlons but never thought it would happen at my first one. The death was a big eye-opener to the risks we do take but accept those risks because I could just as easily die sitting in my living room or drying around town.   On a side note to this,  I received the newsletter from CGI who ran the NJ State Triathlon and there was an amazing article about John Hobgood (the man who died) and how many of his friends and Larry and Michele (CGI) finished the triathlon in John's memory and are raising money for charitable causes in John's name. It was very touching and I very much look forward to being part of the 2009 NJ State Triathlon.

I do understand about your competitive nature. I was never competitive but I did get a taste of it during the triathlon and can only see it getting worse now that I have completed the first one.

Wish I could join you on your group swim! 

Well guys, I am leaving for vacation tomorrow so I'll be MIA for a while.  Heading down to Myrtle Beach SC for all of next week, plus a few extra days.  Should be good stuff, I'm looking forward to running on the beach!  Won't take my bike but found a place that will rent road bikes so I might do that just for fun. 

Good luck with training and races everyone!! 

Nice job on the Century!  I think it is so mental.  How many times have all of us Bonked after the statement "I cannot believe I feel this good at..."  That said, the last 6 miles of the marathon are beyond exponentially harder.  that is a very mental point. 

Once your quads start recovering you will be amazed at how hungry you will become.  The trick is to not keep eating that much in weeks you do not do a century ride.  I will let you know how to do that if I can stop gaining weight, up like 8 pounds since I finished the IM :-)

I was thinking this very same thing!  I won't say that I will never do an IM because about 18months ago I was swearing I would never do a triathlon and look where I am now but I just cannot imagine being able to physically do that distance. 

QUOTE]Speaking of gaining weight, I'm trying to figure out how I can be training the amount that I am and actually gain weight. My hubby is down about 15 lbs since we started training in Jan and I think I am +5 and I don't like it much! I think I would run better if I was 5lbs lighter. I really have no idea how much I should be eating. It seems like if I follow general guidlines for someone my age, weight, height and activity level that I am eating way too much and the lbs start creeping on. I've dabbled in logging everything but I get lazy, particularly on the weekend. I want to eat enough to support my training but I wasn't counting on gaining. I'm thinking of getting my BMR tested so I can figure this thing out! But enough about me, how's the celebrity wedding planning coming along?

Hello all!  Made it back from vacation so I'm getting myself back on track.

Congrats on the century!  Man I feel like a slacker, 2 from our group have done a century and I have yet to go past 14 miles!  Glad you got the wetsuit, I know you'll make it through!

Vacation was nice, got to take a few runs on the beach.  Didn't end up  having time for renting a bike though.  So now I'm in crunch time til my last planned race (9/7).  And a little erked b/c my pool is shutting down 9/1 for 3 weeks.  I haven't had a very good training month, so I'll have to accept that this is just another race for the experience, not for any real improvement.

I've gotten a few folks at work into the tri thing, so that's cool.  Nice to have others to do it with.