Virtual Running Buddies - 8/29/08

[newsomz]

Hi All! Well, I haven't started a thread in some time and I have a run to report! Perfect opportunity. I got in a short & hot 30 min run yesterday. I think I ended up running just over 3 mi.

I'm still planning on running a 10K on Sunday so I can log it into the Nike+ human race. I believe Kathy ask about that on the last thread.. Basically you can sign up to run it anywhere (assuming you have a Nike+). You run and then upload your run and it counts as the race. When you sign up/upload your run Nike commits to donating $3 to one of three charities (you choose). There are also selected cities that are having a "real" race.

A friend and I have decided to run it together. We were disappointed there isn't a race in town.. oh well, it will be a race of two! I am just hoping I am not too tired to run the 10K on Sunday.. football season starts tomorrow.. so we'll be at the game all day and then probably hang out with friends for the night. Plus, DBF's family is coming in town to visit. At least we're planning on running the race late Sunday evening :)

[VictoriaL]

Thanks for starting this week, Carrie! Your weekend sounds full & fun. Good luck on the Race Of Two!

I am postponing today's run (wet grass, muggy) until tomorrow when we will be at the lake and I can run there (after puffing my way up Cardiac Driveway). This time, I will remember the shoes!

Hope that everyone has a very enjoyable long weekend! :D

[ktg0930]

Carrie, thanks for starting this week. Good luck on the 10K on Sunday and Go Gators (my PharmD is from UF).

Vicci, you finally got the Fay rain!

I did 4 miles this morning, in my new shoes. They are comfy, so that's good. I had a patient communication class at the hospital this morning at 6:30. I work there as needed and everyone was required to take the training. It was pretty much everything I knew, but I had to go and at least I got paid for the time.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

[SusanMac]

Carrie - thx for kicking off the week. I'm hoping you guys don't get any Gustav rain! Good luck in your own personal race this weekend! I have a Nike+....but not the right kind of iPod, so it's sitting in a box. Oh well.

KTG - here's to new shoes! And getting paid to attend boring meetings :-)

Today is pre-race rest day, although it's gorgeous outside & I'm itchin' to go do something active. Already walked Bode. Maybe he needs a 2nd walk!

Is Seathyme back home from the cabin yet?? Haven't heard from her in ages.

Sending good race vibes to Les, too! (don't remember if he's racing Sat, Sun or Mon)

Robyn & Nat - I'm sure you guys have a weekend planned with a billion workouts & activities, as usual.

I have a ton to do, and didn't think the Labor Day weekend would kick in so soon. But....I just might have to wrap up work early today :-)

[Kathy B]

Carrie, thanks for the info on the Nike+ race. What a great idea! Hope your two person run goes well. :)

Good job on your run, Kathy, and glad to hear your shoes are working well. Getting paid for classes/meetings DOES make it easier to sit through them, doesn't it. Sometimes I am astounded when I see how many people are at a meeting or class and think about how much that one meeting is costing the hospital.

Vicci, have a great stay at the lake, and good weather wishes for you! Like you, I am leaving my run for tomorrow. I slept in again today after a really long day at work yesterday. This week is kind of a bust for any running, but at least I can say I was not INACTIVE! Truly, I didn't quit "running" until I got in my car to come home last night! :D The cheesecake turned out pretty well, and along with the tacos we had some of the best corn on the cob I have eaten this season! Yum!

Good weekend to all, and hopefully I will be back soon to report something official.

[Kathy B]

Back to backs, but I have slightly over 3.5 miles to report (finally!) from this AM. Nice and cool out at 0730, and the dog enjoyed the walk after.

Good luck and have fun on your races Susan and Les! We will be waiting for your reports..... :)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey gang, thanks for the wishes for the race. I'm racing tomorrow and I'm a little anxious about it right now (and about 9 hours ago - in the middle of the night). I'm really not prepared for the race so I'm a little off about that. I'll try to post more tomorrow - the race starts bright and early, at 7 am (elite women start at 6:45). I think there will be a race tracking system going tomorrow at www.rnrvb.com, and my race number is 3453.

Off to do a few more odds and ends and try to settle myself before tomorrow. I'll be back later though. Best wishes to all the other racers out there - Nat, Carrie, Susan, and...

Happy trails,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Well, I've had a bit of a rough time this week. I think I'm a little burned out and having trouble finding my motivation. :(:o Hopefully watching Ironman Louisville today will help. I did about 20 minutes of spinning on my trainer a bit ago and plan to do a couple more segments of 20 minutes today. Spinning is much tougher than road riding and I'm also working on my cadence so that is a challenge. Tomorrow I'm headed back to the mountains with coach for our season finale ride from Frisco to Breckenridge and back. My gym was closed all week as well so that didn't help anything. Haha, I still have my hrm on from my ride and I looked down at it and it said 39bpm. Think it got moved a bit? :p

[Robyn1007]

Les, I hope today's race went well!

[Robyn1007]

I'm very sad, I just found out tomorrow's ride has been canceled. I find something to do but sure wish I was group riding. :(

[Natasha]

Carrie, hope the race of two was fun!

Les, I saw your race result but look forward to the official Les Report!

Robyn, sorry you're feeling burned out and that your group ride was cancelled. Hope you find something else fun to do! 39 bpm - funny!

Susan, how was your race?

Kathy, sounds like a splendid few days for you. Cheesecake - yum! That reminds me - maybe I'll go to the store and pick up ingredients for Vicci's key lime pie today.

Vicci, enjoy the lake (and good luck w/Cardiac Driveway)!

Well, I did a race too this weekend... I did my first multisport event and am now a half iron duathlete! It was tough -- hot and humid and sunny, which we are not at all used to this summer. My time was super slow, but that's just fine with me, because there were a few extenuating factors besides the weather (not that you guys care about these, but I like to state them for the record ;)):

- I screwed up on the first run, so ended up going about 3 minutes longer than I needed to;
- I am very new to riding on my newish road bike and really to road riding in general, had never done 56 mi before at all, and was the only 1/2 iron rider without aerobars;
- The hardest part, though, was suffering through GI issues towards the end of the bike and on the WHOLE run, so I had to walk a LOT and stop a couple of times doubled over in pain. Never had those issues in a race before but I think I know how I goofed so I can fix it next time.

Anyway, being my first time with the distance, all I wanted was to finish happy, upright, and smiling! I was certainly smiling... the announcer said it was probably one of the biggest smiles they'd seen all day. :o There were amazing spectators, volunteers and fellow racers -- what an awesome tri/du community. They made the race. It was still definitely the hardest race I'd ever done, and unlike my first marathon, when I crossed the line I did *not* say, "When can I do my next one?" My stomach was in too much pain for that. It was only this morning when I woke up feeling happy and refreshed at 5 AM that I thought, "Yeah... I think I'd like to do another one." :o Crazy, I know!! 24 hours ago I was still suffering.

Oh, and DH did the 1/2 Iron tri, so we saw each other out on the course a lot. That was nice. We'd never done an event together before!

We also had a really nice time visiting friends and so on (one of whom also did a shorter tri yesterday and she and her husband came out to see us finish) -- now for the at-home part of the long weekend, which concludes on Wed. for me.

Hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying the weekend!!

[VictoriaL]

Happy Labor Day, all (for those who are celebrating it!) :)

So Les, how did your race go yesterday? I hope that the new shoes made you fly!

Okay, Robyn, I'm certain that you will get back on track soon. Maybe this was a needed rest from everything which you have accomplished over the past few months? After all, skiing season is starting up soon. ;)

Kathy, Susan, KathyB hope that you all got in some run or other physical activity in amongst the other holiday weekend activities!

Nat, seriously, sometimes you exhaust me! I looked up Areobars and can see where they would be a serious advantage in aerodynamics in bike racing, but I think that my back would kill me from bending over so far for so long! But congratulations on a not perfect, but completed, race! And a half iron duathlete, no less!!!

Today is Labor Day and we shall.. :rolleyes: We will not be returning here for a month, because of our upcoming 2-week vacation, so we will spend today cleaning and packing and securing the house and hopefully returning back to the farm early enough to be able to unpack and start a little beach-packing. Oy. But we spent yesterday on our friends' boat then they came here for an easy dinner last evening, so I consider that my holiday celebration. :)

But first, a run (it's nice and cool out now, but I may not get out for another hour...). I did run on Saturday, though. It was raining a bit in the morning (totally un-forecasted!) but by 2pm the roads dried up and I went out into the hot, steamy jungle (in hindsight, I should have gone out in the rain!).

I went further than I have ever gone, found a new road that is a "loop", which was nice, but I was running for 45 minutes and saw only one person and no cars. It was odd, like I was the only one on earth. ;) Anyway, it was a great run, and I was curious as to how far I actually went, to I logged onto MapMyRun that evening. Alas, I was about halfway into mapping when I clicked on something and was plunked into the Arctic Ocean! I got frustrated and quit... :) I'll do the same route today and figure it out eventually.

I hope that everyone has a lovely day!

[Robyn1007]

Hey, Nat, now do you see why I'm addicted to multisport? I'm sorry you had GI issues but glad you didn't hate it. The spectators and other athletes at multitsport are incredible.

I'll write more late, for now I really need to get my bum moving and decide what ride I'm doing today.

[Natasha]

Alas, I was about halfway into mapping when I clicked on something and was plunked into the Arctic Ocean! I got frustrated and quit... :) I'll do the same route today and figure it out eventually.



This cracked me up! Hope your busy day today went well. The time on your friends' boat yesterday sounds fabulous!

Robyn, hope you enjoyed your ride!

ktg, glad you are liking your new shoes! Sounds like a bunch of us here got new shoes in fairly quick succession - sort of a virtual shoe shopping expedition :p

Vicci, I made your key lime pie today - yum. It's a lot like a recipe I made a long time ago, but not exactly the same. Two thumbs up from DH and me! Thanks for sharing the recipe. :)

No rides or runs to report here... maybe a hike when it cools down a bit.

[Leslie Ferguson]

I'll fly by with a quick check in.... Still trying to get through a mountain of e-mail and get to school to set up for the party that starts in 10 minutes.

Nat - I'm sorry that you had such troubles during your race and I hope that you recover quickly.

The race went well but I still ask myself why I run that race all the time. I commented to the guy I was running with as we passed the second mile marker "I've been drier in the shower." It was totally humid even though it was only 72 degrees when the race started (and 80 by the time I crossed the finish line). In all a good race but the whole report (along with the other comments will have to wait until later this evening).

Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

Les "it's not the temperature, it's the humidity", right? :) I felt the same way on Saturday in the mountain valley, next to the lake, after a morning of rain, and then the sun came out... yikes. I'm glad that you finished successfully, even with the extra water-weight on you...

Nat I'm glad that you and DH liked the pie! I have to make it again, since I still have a partial bottle of key lime juice in the fridge. Darn. ;)

I took a new route this morning on my run and really enjoyed it even though about 7 minutes were on a busier-than-accustomed-to road which I didn't much care for. This route seemed a lot shorter when I drive it! But the humidity wasn't too bad (yet) and the music I chose was a perfect tempo and kept me going. And this time I was able to map the run and it came out at 3 miles. I thought it would be more, but I've just started calculating distances so next time we are at the lake house, I'm going to try a variation on the route to get more mileage in.

Any fun stuff planned for this week?

[Robyn1007]

Les, the humidity sounds brutal! I hate humidity with a passion.

Susan, hope your race went well!

Vicci, isn't it funny how much further things feel when an engine is propelling you there?

Hi to Kathy, Kathy, Carrie, Natasha and everyone else.

Well, I did get out for a 20 mile ride today. Shorter than I normally would do on a work free day but I've been working out some issues lately and didn't really feel like pushing things. Every time I've ridden for a couple of weeks at least my left quad has been tweaked for the first 10 miles or so. Today I realized my seat felt a little low so I raised it a bit and it was like magic! Just after I did that I found a lovely unexpected STEEP climb. :rolleyes: Made it up though and the down hill on the other side was fun.

On Sunday I'm scheduled to do the Buffalo Bike Classic in Boulder county which is going to be interesting. I've registered for the 70 miler which includes a doozy of a climb but if I'm not feeling good I can turn around before that climb and only do 50. We'll see how it goes. Also, my gym is back open so I'm headed there after work tomorrow.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Robyn - I'm not a huge fan of humidity - I can live with it a little but it was brutal yesterday. I laugh at your heart rate - it might just be 39 if you do all that hill work and riding. I do remember the day... Good job on your ride today and I hope that you do get back into the gym now that it's open.

It is pretty interesting how things seem shorter when I drive too Vicci. I hope that you have a good vacation (if you read this before you go) and I hope that it's uneventful for you.

Nat - Thank you for the race report, it sounds like it was a doozy but good on you for completing it and for holding off until you had a chace to recover a little before declining to do another one.

Running out of time for this evening - the event at school went way longer than I expected and I do have to get up and start classes in the morning. But I promise I will post a race report tomorrow from school - there will be a period when I'll be free.

Happy trails all,
Les

[Natasha]

Nat - Thank you for the race report, it sounds like it was a doozy but good on you for completing it and for holding off until you had a chace to recover a little before declining to do another one.

Nah, actually it took 13 hours before I decided I would take on another one if I can (I never take races for granted after my injury so that's why I say "if I can"). Definitely too amazing overall to turn down the chance to do it again! :D Already stoked for the next one.

Good job on your shower, er, race! Have fun at your first day back - where did the summer go??

Robyn, glad raising your seat helped! On that note, while one good option is to have someone experienced at an LBS check out your fit, you might also want to check out an online tool such as competitivecyclist.com 's Fit Calculator. It takes you through a series of measurements and gives you three fit options so you can decide what works best for you. The Buffalo Bike Classic sounds fun. I had to laugh about your comment about possibly turning back and doing "only" 50 miles.

Aw, poor Vicci, having to make more pie ;)

Looking forward to hearing from KathyB, ktg, Carrie, Susan, and the rest of the gang!

Still off today - drinking coffee and deciding what to do with the day!

[Robyn1007]

Robyn, glad raising your seat helped! On that note, while one good option is to have someone experienced at an LBS check out your fit, you might also want to check out an online tool such as competitivecyclist.com 's Fit Calculator. It takes you through a series of measurements and gives you three fit options so you can decide what works best for you. The Buffalo Bike Classic sounds fun. I had to laugh about your comment about possibly turning back and doing "only" 50 miles.


Actually, I was pretty good on the fit, have had a few people check it out for me, I think my seat actually lowered itself at some point. I noticed a couple weeks back when I attached my saddle bag (it has a bracket on the seat then the velcro around the seatpost) that the seatpost attachment seemed to be hitting lower than usual but I just never did anything about it. As I was riding along trying to figure out what was wrong and why I was hurting so much it dawned on me that these to pieces probably fit together. Duh. And yea, the "only" 50 miles thing. It sure is a change from just a few short months ago. :D

[Kathy B]

Had my step class followed by some weights this AM. A good workout, and not much grumbling from my left knee, so I'm thinking it was just needing to get used to this new type of moving. Over the weekend it was pretty warm, but I did some yoga and the EB. Hoping for a run tomorrow, although it's supposed to rain.... Laundry, cleaning and maybe cooking today, then off to DD's first tennis meet (hopefully NOT rained out!).

Natasha, congrats on completing your first multisport event! Glad to hear that you are willing to do it again in spite of a few issues. Not to be too nosy, but you said you "goofed"....do you think it had to do with something you ate? I think it would be hard to know what would be best to get you through a long race and yet not cause issues. Enjoy your coffee and your day off!

Robyn, you are turning into quite the racing woman! Good that you figured out a seat adjustment was needed. Funny how little things can make such a big difference.

Good job on your runs, Vicci! I hope you got all of your chores done on Labor Day. We knocked a few things off of our "to do" list too, but I don't think we were working as hard as you all must have been.

Hope your first day of class goes well, Les!

Hi to everyone else. Hope your SEPTEMBER is starting off well! :)

[SusanMac]

Hi gang! I did a decent job of staying off the PC this weekend, and definitely enjoyed the 3 days.

Nat - Huge congrats!! You are so much better at keeping these secrets than me. I can't wait until after the race to spill the news. I can't believe you picked such a long one for your first multi-sport race. I'm so impressed! Glad you at least know what caused the GI issues. That sounds painful, but glad you slogged through to finish. Congrats to DH, too. I think that's his 2nd Half Ironman.

Vicci - I do that all the time w/mapmyrun!

Robyn - Glad your legs are feeling better. That Boulder ride sounds like a blaast

Carrie - How was your Nike+ run??

Les - Congrats on another good race. Looking forward to the RR.

My Cow Chip 10K on Sat went great!! I'm so excited b/c my 10K last month was really cruddy, slow & not good. I was afraid I was backsliding. But, Sat I was back to my old self. Very happy with my pace & finish time. Plus, I just felt great the whole time. I was pushing it, but pacing well. Came in 4th in my age group -- missing getting a medal by 13 seconds :-) Maybe next time. DH also had fun, raced well & hung out while I shopped the craft fair (which was equally successful, as I got 2 Xmas gifts for family members!)

Here's my funny race story of the week.... I was coming upon the last water stop of the race. There were a handful of adults & 2 kids offering water cups. So, of course I wanted to take water from the kids (I love it when kids volunteer!). I grab the cup....and it's empty! They cracked up so hard, and I laughed, too. I'm sure they'd been planning that joke all morning. Not sure how many others they tricked. It was pretty cute. And, luckily, there was another adult with water so I didn't have to go without.

Sun was a 22-mile bike ride w/very tired legs. Mon was a 40-min steady recovery run.

[TKay]

A quick hello from me. We are back from our week-long adventure in Palm Springs. We stayed in a time share we got cheap on eBay. Who knew? The weather was warm, er, scalding hot, but we did tons of swimming and had a great time. The kids are back to school today and I'm officially climbing back on the horse. I'll begin running again this week. I'd hoped to make it to a yoga class this morning, but the drop off and associated activities took up too much time.

Sounds like everyone's been busy. I'm inspired.

Robyn, sorry about the drop in motivation. I bet you are a bit burnt. You've been hitting it hard. Here's to gaining momentum again.
KathyB - Happy September to you! Can you believe it's here already? Good going on the workouts. You're motivating me to get back to step class. I remember being so focused on the moves that an hour would go by before I realized it.
Nat - Sorry about the GI problems but congrats on the race! Did you take any different supplements like Gu or the like? Hope you're feeling better (and it sounds like you are if you're contemplating another duathlon).
Les - Funny how (lack of) race memory is. Good going on your recent shower, uh, race. I can't believe you're back at school again. That was quick.
Vicci - I will also wish you a happy vacation. Good job on the new run route. I hate running with traffic, but where I live, that's pretty much a given.
Ktg - Ooh, I love new shoes. Enjoy.
Carrie - How did the race go?

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey gang. As promised (almost) the race report from Sunday. I knew we were in trouble when we drove to the starting line and it was foggy and warm. Even though it was a civilized 72 degrees out the 100% humidity (checked that on the official VB weather site) made things oppressive. In fact it was 100% humidity until after I finished the race and it didn't break until about noon. :( Still, the race went well given the heat. We started in the 5th corral and had a great start. We had pretty good and even splits until the end of the 5th mile (on a decent pace considering neither of us had completed any "good quality miles"). Things were really flowing and excluding the sopping sweat we were cruising. I felt good and didn't have any residual aches in my ankle. We finally took a short break (potty for me and drinking break for my partner) at 6 miles - that wasn't the smartest thing but it was reasonably refreshing. At about 8 1/4 the guy I was with decided he wanted to go a little slower so he told me to move on - I ended up "chasing" the girl who ran past and said "I have shorts like those." (Of course, she wasn't wearing the chili peppers but still... :D ) Once I was released I held a pretty good pace all the way in with only a couple 30 second walk breaks.

Physically I felt good but not much left in my legs (not surprising). I finished at just under 1:57 which was pretty much expected. I liked the change in the course this year - they took out the 2 1/4 mile run down the concrete boardwalk in the sun to the finish line. This year we only had to run about 14 blocks up the boardwalk and (as expected) directly into the breeze. There were a lot more turns but nothing that was too terrible and there are no hills to speak of (one bridge at 2 and 11 miles respectively) so it was fast and flat (except for the heat). I was surprised at how many folks had sprinklers going for the runners (which was much appreciated) and I was quite frustrated at the "Mist Fans" that were provided by the race folks - they didn't do much because there was very little mist and not much wind but a great cloud. :rolleyes:

We (the guy I was running with) swore we wouldn't run the race again - but I know we both lied. I've already made a tentative date to stay with my other running partner (the lady who broke her arm before last year's race) for the 9th annual race.

I was happy with the day and especially thankful that I came through without issue. I just wish I hadn't woken up with the knot under my right shoulder blade - never went away and made me rather sore in my right arm/elbow/hand.

Classes started today - I have classes every afternoon except Friday and only Wednesday and Friday mornings (until November when I pick up class on Tuesday morning). For now, I need to do some studying - I'm already about a week behind in my Theology class. :rolleyes:

Happy trails all and good to hear how things are going for everyone. After I read some I'll drop back by and say hi!

Happy trails,
Les

[Robyn1007]

Ugh, Les, I can't imagine racing in 100% humidity. So people can't handle cold, I can not handle humid. Nice job on the race!

Well I got in a strength and swim workout last night. I'm starting to concentrate on my swim technique more than distance right now since I don't have any events coming up based on distance. I think I've found a master's swim program up in downtown Denver that is drop in that I could do 1 night a week to help with that. Or at least until I feel like I'm getting better at my stroke. I think after this weekend I'm going to concentrate more on technique for everything as a matter of fact. I also need to work on my cycling cadence and now, when I'm not training to get a certain distance in is a good time to do that as well.

[TKay]

Les, thanks for the race report. But I'm with Robyn. Ugh on that humidity. Hope to keep seeing you around here regularly even though classes have started.
Robyn, working on swimming form sounds like a good idea. I never have gotten mine down, but rumor is it really helps. :D That drop in class sounds great. Good going on the workout. It doesn't seem like you're having any motivation issues today. True?

I got in a near-hour weight walk this morning. I wasn't sure if I'd be walking or running, but ended up going with some neighborhood friends who wanted to walk. It felt great. Tomorrow is my first run--eek! I'm looking forward to it, but afraid of how I'll do.

[ktg0930]

Robyn, I also chuckled at you doing "only 50 miles". The master's swim program should be good because I would assume they have a coach. When I was swimming many years ago in my community and HS teams, I took "swimming lessons" from my coach to improve my strokes and I learned a lot about making my strokes stronger.

Les, great job running in the humidity! I'm glad the race went well and the course was more appealing. Good luck with the beginning of classes.

TKay, glad you had a nice vacation even though it was sweltering. Sometimes, I don't think it matters where you go, it's just nice to be away.

SusanMac, good job on your race! I'm glad it went better than your last one.

KathyB, hope the tennis match was not rained out. Did she win?

Natasha, good job on finishing the race and being willing to do another one. It's good that you know what to do differently next time.

Vicci, your map my run story was funny...I logged in (it's been a while) and I'm not sure I like the new format. It didn't like the route I wanted to map. Hope you are enjoying your vacation!

Carrie, how was your Nike+ run?

this week has been pretty good, exercise-wise. I have run 3 times this week and have done some weights. It hasn't started to cool down here yet, but I'm looking forward to some cooler mornings later this month.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Flyby... if anyone wants to see them, you can get a glimpse of the wet rat in the race this weekend (http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=31332&BIB=3453&S=230&PWD=). Don't even ask where the lei(s) came from - you don't want to know. :D

Happy trails,
LEs

[Natasha]

Les, nice pics and great race report! Funny how you guys said you'd not be back but you know you will. We're all just nuts, aren't we (in a good way, of course)!

Kathy, how was DD's match? Glad your left knee behaved!

Susan, congrats on a good race :)

ktg, great job on your exercise-filled week to date and I hope you get the cooler weather you're wanting soon.

TKay, welcome back from Palm Springs! Look forward to seeing you more around here now that the school year has begun. Good luck to your kids with this year's festivities.

Robyn, good idea to work on your swim technique and cycling cadence in the "shoulder season" between now and ski season. Concentrating on improving my swimming technique and distance is one of my plans for November and December. I'm lucky that DH is a former swim coach and lifeguard instructor/coach and has a good dose of patience :p. He's already helped me a ton. Even so, I get lazy sometimes - okay, often! - about working on swimming and need some time to just train for fun before focusing on it - hence the two months between now and the plan to go swimming 2-3x/week.

The sun was so hot on Saturday that even though I slathered on the sunscreen, I still got a deep tan. I have tan lines on one arm where the number markings were! (Who knew that magic marker worked as sunscreen?) So you can vaguely see my race number in lighter face on one arm, around a patch of tanned skin. I happen to think this is way cool, and figured you guys would understand, though some people might think it odd ;)

In response to how I "goofed" on Saturday, yes, it was nutrition - not so much what I ate, but the timing and somewhat sporadic nature of it. I chalk it up to being a rookie duathlete as I'm very used to timing my nutrition while just running. Oh, well, live and learn!

Off to do some work, then go for a walk with a friend, then a massage. It's been one of those days. I didn't have coffee until almost 11:30 this morning! Got in a short ride and long stretch yesterday but today will be an off day - just no time.

Best to all,
Nat

[VictoriaL]

Wow, Less,100% humidity! That makes your run even more impressive to me. Apparently the new shoes performed well, and I hope that the soreness in your shoulder/arm/hand is no longer an issue. Hey, I want to see the wet rat with a lei but there is no link listed. Am I missing something?

I have to mention that I mapped my lake run and that it was just short of 3 miles, which disappoints me a bit but I will have 2 weeks of long beaches to make up...

Today has been a busy one and I'm sitting here just staring at the screen, unable to form more than a few complete sentences, so I think that I'll go back to my packing duties! We leave on Saturday morning. Early. Alas. ;)

This morning DH and I did a quick 10 mile bike ride before we got into the business of the day, and included in this, for lunch, was one of the best Thai meals I've ever had. Pumpkin curry! :) I guess that fall is here. Then afterward we went next door to an ice cream shop which my friend's son owns. There are many "basic" flavors and a choice of about 110 "add-ins". I chose chocolate ice cream with smoked habanero pepper and avocado and it was excellent. Alas, between the curry and the ice cream, I will be running tomorrow :D and will return for a longer post afterward.

[Kathy B]

Thanks for sharing your pics, Les. You should be proud of your "wet rat" look......what a run!

Natasha, I think I'll stick with my regular sunscreen, but still a nice tidbit to know. If I ever run out of the SPF 30, I might consider the marker. Probably not, though.... :p

Vicci, please tell me you are kidding about chocolate and avocado. I just can't see it. Hope your packing is coming along smoothly. I love getting ready for a trip!

Kathy, good for you getting all of those runs in! I hope you get some cooler weather soon, too. Unfortunately, DD's tennis meets were both rained out (one Tuesday, one today), so she is still waiting to play her first game. Hopefully next week will be drier.

Tkay, hope your run goes well tomorrow! :)

Robyn, good job on your weight/swim workout, too. A masters class sounds like it would be just the thing as we are heading into winter and outdoor rides/runs are less frequent. Are you still commuting by bike? How late into fall can you do that?

Congrats on your race, Susan! SOunds like it went really well. The water cup story was cute.....I can picture that one! Kids love it when they pull one over on adults! :p

Rained all day today, so EB for me, plus early yoga. Working tomorrow, so I'll see you all on the new thread!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Wow, Less,100% humidity! That makes your run even more impressive to me. Apparently the new shoes performed well, and I hope that the soreness in your shoulder/arm/hand is no longer an issue. Hey, I want to see the wet rat with a lei but there is no link listed. Am I missing something?
Drive by...

I went back and underlined and made the link red...


Happy trails all (more response tomorrow but now is bed time).
Les

[SusanMac]

Greetings from Gustav-rainland! Didn't think it would move this far north, but we've got rain aaaaallll day long. At least I won't pine to be outside.

Les - Glad you & your friend had fun at the race. You need to find some non-humid ones to make up the balance. Hope the new school year is off to a good start. Are you doing ultimate frisbee again this year?

Victoria - did mapymyrun put you in the middle of the lake again??

Robyn - I took a master's swim class a few years ago & it helped tremendously! I procrastinated for a long time, thinking master's swim was only for uber-competitive swimmers. There were a few of those, but I never felt like I was the uber novice, which is nice.

KathyB - so sorry about the tennis matches. DD must be frustrated! Hopefully the US Open is giving her some inspiration this week

Yesterday was our long-run day, and I put in 19.5 miles. It felt really great, so I'm definitely building up good endurance strength. Mapmyrun said my pace was slower than usual, but I think it's lying :-)

I'd like to spin today, but if the rain doesn't let up, it just might be a rest day. Maybe good incentive to finally do more core workouts?

BTW -- it's IM WI weekend here! It's weird to not be that into it this year. I do have a few friends competing. And, I"m working registration on Fri afternoon

[Robyn1007]

Susan, I've been thinking of you as I follow the threads over on beginnertriathlete.com and wondering how you were feeling leading up to it. Nice job on the long run!

Kathy, I have really been commuting to work. I don't like riding the road bike with a back pack and I haven't been together enough to bring clothes to work a day ahead of time. Hope work went well today.

Vicci, the curry and the ice cream sound incredible!

Natasha, I'd be proud of a number tan as well and probably wear sleeveless for days just to show it of. :p:D

Hi ktg and tkay!

An interesting tidbit, September 4th is the earliest that they've ever recorded snow in Denver and on 9/4/61 we got 4 inches. Guess who wishes it was snowing here today? ;) Still, it's only 59 degrees heading for a high of 72 which is pretty pleasant. If the rain holds off I'm hoping to get about an hour ride in. Not looking at distance just want the time on the saddle but it should be somewhere around 14-15 miles.

[tabbykat]

Hey guys! Y'all are so motivating- keep up the great work!
Robyn- where do you go swimming at? I am looking for a masters program to drop in on. Would be nice to have someone there to help motivate me to go. Swimming is definitely not my strong point.

I just got back Saturday from a pseuodo-vacation out west. DH and I escaped the horrid DNC and fled to the mountains of WY and Utah.

I realize I am posting late in the week, so here has been my exercise week laid out:

Sunday- biked measly 5 miles to work, but tried to push it hard to compensate.

Monday- biked 5 miles home in the morning (night shifter) all uphill from Denver. Went to bed then woke up in the evening to run on the treadmill for 7.5 miles. I am training for my first marathon in Boulder on the 21st so trying to slow down my pace...very hard to do when a good bass thumping song comes on my playlist. I just want to punch the buttons and fly....lot of mental work to slow down. Felt great most of the run, knees started to ache a bit around mile 7. Time was about 1hr10min which included my warm up.

Tuesday- another work night. As I work at different hospitals my commutes vary. This time my bike commute was 20 miles. Felt great. I have to take my cyclo-cross bike since 3 miles of my commute is on a trail and my road bike doesn't have panniers. I used to wear a backpack but found my back was killing me after 20 miles, so bought the cyclocross and put on panniers. Much better but I can't get the speed like my roadie. Pisses me off when I am cruising and giving it all I got when a roadie flies by me. If only I didn't have all this weight on me.....oh well, it is a good work out. Most of the weight is my lunch- working out so much makes me eat A LOT!

Wednesday- MY BIRTHDAY!!! Biked home from Littleton 20 miles. Was floating on air, for some reason even turning 32 doesn't crush my inner child when it comes to celebrations. Got irritable for a few minutes on the bike path when I had to pass a group of teenage school kids getting a lecture outside by their teacher. The teacher directed the kids off to the side to "please let this gentleman pass." GENTLEMAN!!!! WTF? Do I look that manly even with my hair all braided under my bike helmet. Oh well, it took a few minutes for me to shake it off but I did and smiled the rest of the way home.
Went to sleep and woke up four hours later to go to a trail running race in Lakewood. 4 fast trail miles.....not my best race but it was fun to get out on the trail and run. I had eaten some homemade chili during work last night and I paid DEARLY for it. (Poor poor porta-potty, I am so sorry.)

Thursday- have a evening run with the Denver Trail Runner group over on N. Table Mtn. Looking forward to it.....usually about 6-7miles moderately paced.

Also have an adventure race this Sunday- woo hoo. looks like it will be tons of fun.

Keep up the great work everyone!

[SusanMac]

Robyn - I thought of you b/c I just saw the dates for this year's Warren Miller showing in Madison! It's always too early for me here. We won't have good snow for several months, but it always passes through in Oct here.

Tabbykat - Haven't seen you around in a while. Thx for checking in. The Boulder marathon sounds awesome! Will this be your first? I've forgotten

[Robyn1007]

Robyn - I thought of you b/c I just saw the dates for this year's Warren Miller showing in Madison! It's always too early for me here. We won't have good snow for several months, but it always passes through in Oct here.



What the heck? I can only find that the world premiere is October 22nd and not even the location of that. Where did you find dates? :mad:

ETA: Never mind found them on Myspace.

[Natasha]

Quick check-in - tabbykat, great to read your news! The Boulder marathon sounds like fun.



Also have an adventure race this Sunday- woo hoo. looks like it will be tons of fun.



So please tell us about your upcoming adventure race! My DH is an adventure racer - not many AR folks out there so this caught my eye!

[TKay]

Les - Thanks for the wet photos. It's always fun to see somebody else at the finish of a race. ;) You don't look too worse for wear. In fact, looks like you were feeling pretty darn good.
Ktg - I'm looking forward to cooler weather myself. Here's hoping yours comes along soon.
Nat - I'd so be showing off my race numbers if I had them. How fun!
Vicci - I'm also baffled by that ice cream flavor combo. For real? It was good? The Thai meals sounds divine.
Susan - Great going on that long run. Sorry about the rain today. If you don't get out, enjoy your core work. I know I can always use more of that.
Robyn - Here's to an early snow. Enjoy your hour-long ride.
Tabbykat - Happy birthday! Enjoy your trail run and please give us a race report after Sunday.

I was planning a run for today, but opted for yoga instead. I woke up with a tight back and thought this might be better for the body. I plan to get in an easy run tomorrow (on the TM, I think, since it's still really hot here).

Hi to KathyB and anyone else I missed.

ETA: There is a beautiful yellow butterfly swooping up and down and all around my office window this morning. I don't want to leave my desk (and that's a first!).

[newsomz]

Hi all, a quick check in as I am on my way out of town... Well almost none of last weekend's plans happened except the football game - Go Gators! DBFs family ended up not coming to visit because of car trouble and I ended up going tubing all day instead of running the Nike+ race with my friend - oops :)

Anyhow, I did get in a 5 mi run on Monday and then 45 min runs on Tues and Thur. I am hoping to get in 6 min this weekend... Starting to up my milage for the 1/2... Which is good!

[Robyn1007]

Tabbykat I typically swim at the Montclair rec center but the master's thing is at the Glenarm rec center. I'll be doing the masters group on Monday evenings as Wednesdays will eventually be my spin class with my tri coach. Happy belated birthday!

Tkay The flutterby sounds pretty!

Well, I got an hour ride in as planned. Once I got to the park area I really started concentrating on cadence and found that yeah it was much easier and my speed increased a bit. So, big win and I was feeling like I could go much longer but the skies were turning very grey so I didn't want to risk getting caught out there.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Howdy tabbykat, you did have a good week. Sorry about the slight by the teacher, that mustn't be fun. Which adventure race are you partaking in? Never done one but Nat's DH has almost sold me on the subject, now all I need to do is get him to come down here so we could do one together...
Nat - I think I'd make sure that everyone saw my number tan too. :cool:
Susan - Hard to believe Gustav rain, but then we're looking at Tropical Storm Watch in DC on Saturday. :eek: Not running in humidity? Is there any other place to run? ;) Oddly, this summer would have been good to run in DC - it's been a really low-humidity summer all things considered. It must feel strange not doing the IM this weekend but nice to work registration to keep your toe in the water (as it were). I'm still doing Ultimate this year. Right now they are playing a lot and I can't play every day (and still get studies in and run/ride too).
TKay - Neat butterfly story. I wish I could have one of those but for us it is chipmunk stories (they pop their heads up on campus from time to time). I think I looked good (especially in those pictures) because I could see the end. :cool: My shower was almost over. ;)
Kathy B - Sorry about DD but never fun to play tennis in the rain (well, maybe if you are 5 years old ;) ).

Howdy to the rest of the gang... ktg, Robyn, and Carrie.

Well, another functional ride today. Took a trip to the other end of town and made a stop at the bank. Not too many cars today but still enough. I didn't mention yesterday but I'm wondering if anyone else actually gets moving fast enough to not crank at the bottom of the stroke. Yesterday I ended up going fast enough that I couldn't pedal fast enough to maintain contact (and I was in the big ring in front and the smallest ring in back). Slightly unnerving because I actually started to lose my balance - and that would have been no fun at 35 mph with a car close on my heels.

Looking forward to the end of the first week of classes tomorrow. Hopefully the rain doesn't hit until later in the day and that the storm passes as quick as they imagine.

Have a great day tomorrow and hapy trails,
Les