VRBs - Week of 5/11 (Congrats, Les!)

[Elizabeth B]

Hello runners!

I thought I'd get us started with a big shout-out to Les. If you haven't checked out "Other Stuff" yet, he's been accepted to the Seminary in the fall. We all knew he was a shoo-in, but it's one more milestone in his journey to a new post-military life.

I'm dashing out the door and will check back later. Until then, take care, all!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thank you Betsy for starting and the wishes of congratulations.

I'll claim my run for the day before heading out in celebration with LW. I ran my "standard" Saturday run today - 10 miles. What a day running in the swamp too. :rolleyes: It wasn't bad when I left the house but by the time I got to the park the humidity was nearly 100% and it was foggy (from the water). Still had a good run, albeit a little slower than normal but still about par for the day. The start of the day... we came across a live Copperhead snake on the trail. It was alive and one of the ladies almost stepped on it. Luckily we were getting to a walk break so I had her stop and shooed the snake off the trail (or better just kept people away from the snake). It wasn't too big but it would have been a nasty thing to step on the snake. Oddly, we were talking about snakes earlier in the day - maybe we should stop that. :D ;)

Not sure where we're going to celebrate but we're going out for a victory dance (not really) and a celebration dinner.

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend. Now I'm off to drop my registration fee in the mail so I can completely confirm my entrance into school.

Happy trails,
Les

[Elizabeth B]

I'm back!

Les - That's great that you and LW are going out to celebrate tonight. This is her journey, too, so I hope you both enjoy your dinner.

I ran a nearby 5K this morning with some friends. We all ran the Country Music Half 2 weeks ago and need to get back in the 5K rhythm. In our defense, it was a warm morning and a hilly course. I volunteered with chip distribution and even though I didn't have a stellar performance, I had a great day with fun people.

Tonight, DH and I might be going out to dinner ourselves to celebrate our anniversary (13 years). It's actually Monday, but DH graciously agreed to move the celebration so that I wouldn't have to miss a workout. He's not feeling great though (allergies), so we may move it to next weekend.

Swim update - I think I'm finally starting to acclimate. I did 3 100's last night (until I was pulled out of the pool for a thunderstorm) and only had a little bit of a headache afterwards. I'm planning on hitting it hard next week because I don't have much time left.

Oh, tomorrow we're planning to head to the tri site to review the courses and if possible, do the actual ride and run portions on the course.

I hope all of our VRBs are enjoying great weekend weather and fun workouts!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Tonight, DH and I might be going out to dinner ourselves to celebrate our anniversary (13 years). It's actually Monday, but DH graciously agreed to move the celebration so that I wouldn't have to miss a workout. He's not feeling great though (allergies), so we may move it to next weekend.
Congratulations on your 13th Anniversary! Many happy returns of the day. I hope you do get to have dinner tonight and that his allergies die down. So considerate of him too (really - no kidding) to work around your workout schedule.

Les - That's great that you and LW are going out to celebrate tonight. This is her journey, too, so I hope you both enjoy your dinner.

I ran a nearby 5K this morning with some friends. We all ran the Country Music Half 2 weeks ago and need to get back in the 5K rhythm. In our defense, it was a warm morning and a hilly course. I volunteered with chip distribution and even though I didn't have a stellar performance, I had a great day with fun people.

I'll let her know and although I hadn't really thought about it that way you're quite right. I know she's happy that I'm making the transition and I have a sneaking suspicion that she's going to take advantage of auditing classes during my tenure at school.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend and having wonderful weather (of course thunderstorms are on their way here...).

Les

[Natasha]

Hi all! Betsy, thanks for starting us off this week, and happy anniversary!! Mine was a couple of weeks ago, so I happen to think May (one of my favourite months all around, anyway) is just a splendid time for a wedding/anniversary :D Have a great celebration. Bummer about your DH's allergies though :( My husband is also an allergy sufferer and it looks like no fun at all.

Also nice to hear that the race was fun and that the swimming was better :)

Les, more congrats and good job on your 10 miler in the swamp. I look forward to hearing about your celebration dinner. :eek: about the copperhead :eek:

I swam yesterday and today. Yesterday was really good; today was not bad but I didn't go as long. Still, good workouts and no complaints about them. The weather here has been fantastic the past week or so, and we're about to take advantage by going for another walk.

Hi to everyone else and happy trails!
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

With all the swimming going on I really want to get in the pool. That and I might just have to try to pull off one last tri before I won't have the time to prepare for one.

Betsy - It sounds like you're getting your swimming and nauesa issues in check which is fabulous. I bet you'll be fine on your tri 3x100 in the pool is decent. Are you planning on trying to swim when your away from home? I hope you had a great dinner tonight and a good ride and run tomorrow.

Natasha - Back-to-back swims, simply marvelous. (sorry Billy) I can only imagine the nice weather up your way, especially in the spring. Hope your walk with DH and Cabot was good and things held up for you. You aren't kidding about the snake, I'm not very skiddish when it comes to snakes but I definitely not into poisonous ones - they get a wide berth.

Not quite a YKYARW but...You know you're an "old married couple when" our celebration dinner was more of an excursion. I'm actually glad we didn't try to go anyplace really nice because it is Prom season and college graduation season right now so there were the requisite TONS of High School kids all over the place :rolleyes: so the event of the night consisted of a place called Jason's; a run "play date" in Bed, Bath, and Beyond (so much fun there :D - cooking things...); and a drift through Barnes and Nobles for coffee and books. Still, quality (and reasonably quiet) time together over good food is very much appreciated.

Happy trails all and Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there.

Les

[Elizabeth B]

Hello all!

Natasha - Happy (belated) Anniversary to you also! I'm glad you're enjoying nice weather up there.

Les - Last night's celebration sounds fun to me. DH enjoys Barnes & Noble, but I have trouble getting him into BB&B. I do have access to a pool while I'm in VA - MIL's condo has one. It's not exactly a serious swimming pool (and it's not heated, either - brrrrrr), but it'll be fine.

I'm sure Susan has a full schedule this weekend, trying to fit in her workouts and preparing for her trip to Germany - I hope she has a great time.

As planned, we went out the course this morning, checked out the pool (which has no water in it yet), the transition area, etc. and biked and ran the course. The bike portion was scary for me - lot of cars zipping by with some horn honking, yelling, etc. Luckily, that part didn't last too long. Even though we overshot the finish by almost a half mile, we did it under 40 minutes and I'm pretty confident I can do it faster on race day. I'm shooting for around 35 minutes. The run afterwards wasn't so bad, either - I think my legs are getting used to running after I ride.

My friend is a very good cyclist (IMO) - she comes from a cycling family, did a bike cross-country trip, etc. She's been really supportive and encouraging. I haven't had very long to get my skills up to par (and some of them aren't there yet), but I think I'm making really good progress.

We didn't get to go out to eat last night, but that's fine with me. Vanderbilt University's graduation was Friday, so typically every nice restaurant in town is full for our anniversary. I'm sure next weekend will be quieter.

That's it for now - next week promises to be another busy workout week!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for your update Betsy, it sounds like you are getting a good look at the course for your tri - a good thing to help allay any trepidation. That is nice that your friend is helping/giving pointers for your biking since she has some experience. If you're looking for a serious pool there may be one at a local Y - might be worth checking since you have a membership if memory serves me correctly. Good call regarding your Anniversary dinner - we were lucky that we were looking for something relatively quiet and that most prom kids wouldn't go to in the first place. The trick to geting DH into BB&B is get him into the seasonal stuff - especially in the spring/summer, they have all that funky "aloha" gear. :cool: That way he can plan his next pool party.

What a beautiful day after a pretty blech night. The temp was just 65 today and a fresh breeze - not your typical Norfolk May temperature really. So I went out for a trek with dead legs following yesterday's lifting extravaganza. Did just ove an hour on the road, today is another good reason to live in Tidewater.

See you later,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back-to-back... Today's workout was pretty good, no run but still good and it has led me to think I'm going to have to give up the bike on the roads around here. Tonights exchange was from a knucklehead driving, talking on his cell phone, and smoking a cigarette having the nerve to glare at me for riding in the road (like there was anyplace else to ride - no sidewalks). No real danger but I was a little unnerved when he drove just over my shoulder for about a block - that's the worst thing for a cyclist, to have someone shadowing them. I was (not unexpectedly) anxious to have him get out from behind me. After that I did another hour on the mountain bike (lots heavier than the road bike) so I'll claim another great workout day.

I found out I will very likely be going to DC for a "drive by" on Friday afternoon. I'm scheduled to be in a meeting from 3:00-4:30 :eek: that afternoon. Oy Vey! That means IF I get out exactly on time I might be home before 10 when all is said and done. :rolleyes: Fully expect 4 1/2 hours to get home leaving DC at that hour. Oh well, that's what I get paid for.

Time to think about sleep so I'll give you a shout tomorrow.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Well, I couldn't leave Les to have a back-to-back-to-back post, so here I am ;)

What a(nother) scary bike incident! Unbelievable how discourteous some drivers are re: cyclists. Downright dangerous. :mad:

Sounds like you had a fun celebration dinner, Les, and the traipsing around fun stores afterwards just to browse is something my husband and I do too. The bookstore is a natural choice and gear stores are obviously another favourite but really we might browse just about anywhere. I'm excited because DH is on his way home after a week out of town on business. Yay! My mom's been staying with me, which has been lovely, but it will still be nice to have DH back ;)

Betsy, smart choice not to go out that night given how busy everything would be. How are your husband's allergies now?

I have another swim to report, plus a planned yoga/stretching day and a massage and adjustment. I had a *great* day today in general - no workouts though. Tomorrow I don't think I can fit in a run due to my schedule, so am hoping at least for a nice long walk.

Hi to Seathyme, Kathy, Mary, Susan, Bethany, Eva, and everyone else!
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for jumping in Natasha - I'd have felt like I had virtual BO if I got to back-to-back-to-back. With all you did you say you didn't have a workout today? I'm confused... Glad DH is getting home after being away. Oh how I remember the days... I hope you do get your long walk in. Over by the lake? Darn that I didn't get up there this spring, it would have been fun to get a spin in the neighborhood again. You aren't kidding about the near accident. I think I'm going to have to stop riding in my neighborhood - the last two have been within 3 blocks of my house. :rolleyes: Everywhere else in town I do reasonably well (not always but not like here).

I didn't get a run or ride in today but I did get some upper body work pruning the trees (getting ready to rent the house and getting rid of tent caterpillars). Tomorrow will have to be a run at lunch - it's supposed to be stormy in the afternoon (it must be May in Norfolk :rolleyes: ) and I've got a "gig" at Church for Ascension Day (BTW we attend Church of the Ascension so tomorrow's a big day). Good news about my Friday meeting too - they changed the time from 3-4:30 to 1-2:30... AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING! That gives me a chance to get home at a reasonable hour even after I swing by a potential town house for the fall. I got a call that a new one opened up effective the start of the school year so I need to look at that one too and decide between 2 BR/3 Floor and 3BR/3 Floor.

Hope everyone else is quiet because they are busy running. Take care all and I'll post after my run in the morning.

Happy trails,
Les

[Elizabeth B]

Great to hear from you, Natasha! As usual, it sounds like you've staying busy. Thanks for asking about DH's allergies - they vary from day to day. They were terrible on Saturday, but fine on Sunday. I would love to have him tested at the Vanderbilt Allergy Center here (which has a great reputation), but so far I haven't been able to get him to go along with that idea.

Les - I hate to hear about knuckleheads not paying attention when they're driving and putting cyclists (like yourself) at risk. I'm terrified of cars when I'm on my bike.

Tri training is coming along well - you'd think it was an IM because I've talked so much about it! Speaking of which, my MIL asked me on the phone if we were still leaving VA on Sunday so that I could do my "Ironman". I hope she hasn't told anyone that I'm doing an Ironman, but I suspect that she has. I tried to explain the difference, but I don't know if that helped.

Swimming is going better and better, but because of the sickness set-back, I'm pretty slow - about 5:45 for 200 meters, which is a minute slower than I'd like to be. I'm hoping to get that minute back by being smart with my transitions, which are being plannd with near-military precision.

I got in a brick after work today - about 6 miles on the bike, followed by a 2-mile run. The bricks are rough, but it's getting easier to figure out how to work my legs.

Tomorrow is another swim night - I'm wearing my tri suit in the pool to "try" it out - should be interesting.

That's all for now, take care all and wishes for safe travel to our VRB Susan!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Les - I hate to hear about knuckleheads not paying attention when they're driving and putting cyclists (like yourself) at risk. I'm terrified of cars when I'm on my bike.

Swimming is going better and better, but because of the sickness set-back, I'm pretty slow - about 5:45 for 200 meters, which is a minute slower than I'd like to be. I'm hoping to get that minute back by being smart with my transitions, which are being plannd with near-military precision.

Tomorrow is another swim night - I'm wearing my tri suit in the pool to "try" it out - should be interesting.
You and me both on the knuckleheads. :rolleyes: Maybe conspiracy theory sets in... my neighbors are all out to get me for some misdeed I've done since it only happens in my neighborhood. I love the planned near-military precision for your transitions - you'll go well. Thank goodness no sand. BTW - bring a 5-gallon bucket to the transition area to sit on when you go from swim to ride. That made a lot of difference when I put my biking shoes on the second race since I didn't have to sit on the ground to put my shoes on (which wasn't the most painless thing in the first race). Not sure about tri suits - is it one that you can wear in all three events? Or is it a tri wet-suit?

Rain, rain go away... bad night sleeping... anxiety attack strikes... have to get two days work done in one because my trip to and from DC tomorrow - leave here at 8 and leave DC about 3 (oh joy... :rolleyes: ). As you can guess with that lead in - no run today at lunch.

To bed to get sleep hopefully.

Happy trails,
Les