V R (running/riding) Buddies - w/o 7/9 TDF begins

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey friends - here we sit at the end of the first week of the TDF. It's been a wild week and I'm absolutely impressed that they can ride as far as they do day after day.

We've finally had a break in the weather and I wish I had the opportunity to run but I had a busy day today (see the Other Stuff thread) but I snuck out for about a 14.5 mile ride (a piker compared to the folks in France). It was nice to get out with the temp below 100 degrees. Probably won't get out tomorrow since I'll be at the sale for 6 hours not just 2 hours like today.

I have an interesting question for those who ride - are you able to turn one direction on your bike (left or right) better than the other? I found out this afternoon that I turn better to the left than I do to the right. I found that out when I was riding up a switchback in the middle of the ride. It seems odd that I really turn better to the left than to the right.

I may have a temporary gig in August if I don't have a real job yet. I spoke to the Rector at the church that I worked at for 2 years and he is happy to talk to me and invite me back when he comes back from the Dominican Republic (he's on a mission trip starting tomorrow) at the end of July. That will be fun to go back in my new capacity.

Anyone have anything special planned for the weekend? I hope that Susan's sprint-tri goes well and that everyone is getting a break from the heat.

Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

Thanks for starting this week's thread, Les. I hear that you're having a fabric sale... ;) Anyway, good job on the ride although I don't know how you did it earlier this week! I have no personal opinion on turning (we haven't even had our bikes out this year), but think that for a right-handed person a left turn may be smoothest, and vice versa. Just thinking about the arc and turning radius and that sort of thing.

And would anyone quit riding their bikes on roads if I asked them to? Probably not, huh? I mention this because a guy who I went to hs with was killed 2 days ago while riding (hit head-on by a car). He was my Gram's doctor for many years (he grew up across the street), a super-nice guy, and leaves behind a wife and 6 kids. It makes me sick... :(

Anyway, the party food and decor were nice (here's a temp link to the photos):
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNG7Ro4cuGLFVA
The personalities involved were quite unappreciative and there's a lot of sibling infighting going on right now for several (fairly stupid) reasons. Suffice it to say, I won't be hosting this group ever again! :o

The trip to my parents' for this holiday weekend was very much needed and enjoyed. The reunion on the 4th was a blast, and I got out for an early-morning 4-mile run the following day. Alas, that has been it for the week as we returned to temps hovering around 100 (102 on Tuesday), and our house is a/c-less.

Lots of rain (1-1/2" last evening) so I am planning a full day of weeding and hopefully will finally get that garedn planted tomorrow. With luck, I will ba able to resume my running when we go to the lake for a few days on Monday. :)

Hope that you're all enjoying your summer weekend (good luck, Susan with the sprint-tri and Les with the sale!).

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting this week's thread, Les. I hear that you're having a fabric sale... ;) Anyway, good job on the ride although I don't know how you did it earlier this week! I have no personal opinion on turning (we haven't even had our bikes out this year), but think that for a right-handed person a left turn may be smoothest, and vice versa. Just thinking about the arc and turning radius and that sort of thing.
Your logic makes sense. LW postulated that it was like turning my car - I turn better to the inside when I'm driving (I never rib the curb on the left but do on the right). I'll wait for the others to weigh in but your answer is as good as I've heard so far.

And would anyone quit riding their bikes on roads if I asked them to? Probably not, huh? I mention this because a guy who I went to hs with was killed 2 days ago while riding (hit head-on by a car). He was my Gram's doctor for many years (he grew up across the street), a super-nice guy, and leaves behind a wife and 6 kids. It makes me sick... :(
Sorry for your loss. Sadly, I don't think that I'll stop riding on the road - I actually think it is safer for me to ride on the road than on the trail - too many places I could dump my bike on a trail that would certainly be bad. In fact a friend of mine from High School (years ago) died when he fell into a canyon in San Diego off his bike. (Trail at the top of the canyon)

Anyway, the party food and decor were nice (here's a temp link to the photos):
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNG7Ro4cuGLFVA
The personalities involved were quite unappreciative and there's a lot of sibling infighting going on right now for several (fairly stupid) reasons. Suffice it to say, I won't be hosting this group ever again! :o
Love the pictures and I'm sorry about the infighting - probably better to extricate yourself from the group in the future.

It's pouring here and I'm stuck inside. :( Hopefully the temps stay down for today and tomorrow (not holding my breath for tomorrow). Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Vicci, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I always feel heartsick (and scared!) when I read about accidents between bikes and cars. :(

I looked at the photos and your meal looks absolutely breath-taking. I can't believe people were unappreciative and petty. Not only must the food have been delicious, but the presentation and attention to the finer details was very impressive! I hope the bright side was lots of leftovers for you and your DH to enjoy. Glad too you were able to relax at your parents' place.

Oh - and you yourself are lovely too! :)

Les, too bad about the rain. Hope the sale goes well. That's great news about the temporary job! How's your dad doing now?

Susan, how was your sprint tri?

Today DH and I went to a morning wedding on a little cruise boat on the lake. It was the wedding of one of my good friends from law school and I was so excited for her. She and her new husband seem perfect for one another.
The whole event was all just beautiful. During the week it was very hot, and yesterday it rained, but today the weather was perfect, especially with the breeze. The cruiser went for about 30 minutes to a nice spot and then the wedding itself took place (while we cruised). We then had brunch while cruising. The couple is from Newfoundland and while they were signing the paperwork after the ceremony, her brother played guitar and sang East Coast songs. You should have seen the cakes! The main cake was blue-iced and nautically-decorated, and there was a smaller cake in the form of a lighthouse. Both were on a bed of fake sand (not sure what it was in reality). Gorgeous. I told DH I want us to be remarried every year so we can get a custom cake each time. ;)

Also had the chance to catch up with a couple of others from law school days - very enjoyable. We got home and were pretty tired but now I'm getting my second wind and think I'll train at some point.

Hi to everyone else and happy rest of weekend!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Nat - it sounds like a great day and a wonderful wedding. It's always fun to reconnect with friends from long ago. There's something to be said about renewal of vows (but not all that often with a specialty cake ;) ). What came of your second wind? Whatever, I hope you took advantage of a nice day.

The rain finally let up about noon but then... the humidity hit. The sale... not so good. Kath said she sold less than $300 worth of fabric (although that may be something in the neighborhood of 70 yards of fabric). Kind of disappointing because the last sale she raised almost $2000 in 2 days. Oh well, you never know.

I guess I should add, as Nat, that I'm sorry for the loss of your friend Vicci. Having been hit by a car I know how scary that cars can be - part of the reason I'm so careful on the road.

Tomorrow - I'll hit church, a run (I hope), and something to do with dinner.

Happy trails all,
Les

[Robyn1007]

ACK! I just erased a nice long post! :mad:

Vicci I'm so sorry for your loss! On a better note, your food looks incredible and you are gorgeous!

Les sorry LW's fabric sale wasn't as good as hoped. How was church today?

Nat The wedding sounds so fun!

I did 9 miles yesterday and felt much better than the last try at it. In fact, I took 44 seconds per mile off my pace! I stashed water along the way and only had to walk the water stops. I even had a good long although not steep climb in there. My local running friends were impressed that I did that climb while improving my pace.

[Natasha]

Robyn, that is a whopping improvement on your pace! Nicely done :)

I watched the World Cup final with DH and a friend, over our Spanish and Dutch munchies. Very fun. Earlier I did a long spin and also some weights. I'll do some core, too.

Les, too bad LW's sale wasn't as successful as she'd hoped, but still, that doesn't sound too bad. Will she try to hold another sale? I guess there aren't that many people anymore who are as talented as she is and able to do so many creative things with fabric (speaking as one who is hopeless at sewing :eek:).

Hope everyone is doing well!

[Leslie Ferguson]

That's great work Robyn. You must have felt like you were flying. It's neat how training really does pay off. Church was great - I went to a church that my friend serves at (she was a presenter at my ordination). Lovely day. I found out that she's having comps for her PhD this coming Friday and Saturday. 8 hours of tests (9-5) on (1) Hebrew (ancient Hebrew) and (2) Cuneiform (only needs to know 600 of 1200 characters).
Nat - Good job with your spin and weights. I bet you had a great time watching the Cup - maybe I should have done that instead. Kath will try to sell a bunch more and is donating some fabric to a couple charities (Retirement home and one other place), but she'll try to sell some - probably on Craigslist (since we can't have yard sales in our complex).

I had a nice day all things considered. Church was grand; most of the 30 mile bike ride was grand (most I stress). However, I did my best TDF imitation about 8-10 miles from home. Hit a downhill right hander in a transition from sunlight to shade back to sunlight. Problem 1 - I was going a little fast; 2 - I don't turn well to the right, especially at high speeds; 3 - I figured out how to lock my back brake on the off camber downhill; and laid my bike down with me attached. Thankfully I was wearing gloves (the palm of the glove is badly abraded) but I've got serious road rash on my elbow (only a flesh wound) and a HUGE contusion on my bum. If you have a strong stomach you can see the results here Facebook photo album. (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=185192&id=654239289&l=a7b057a75c) It ends up (after a trip to the ER) that it's only a contusion (one of the largest the PA had seen) and I'll be fine (except for my pride [maybe]). Other than superficial wounds I "walked" away and rode the remainder of the 10 miles home.

Looks like a rest day tomorrow and maybe into the week.

Happy trails all,
Les

[Natasha]

Les, ouch!! Glad you are okay, all told, and were able to ride home. Hope it all heals up quickly, and that your handlebar is in good repair by the time you're ready to ride again.

[VictoriaL]

Les, I hope that you're not feeling too uncomfortable this evening (using an extra pillow, are you?). Ouch. Being squeamish, I gave the Facebook page a pass... ;) And I hope that your elbow heals quickly as well.
I also wanted to ask how your Dad is doing.
And I'm sorry that the fabric sale didn't go well, I would try Craigslist. I know that 2 fabric shops around this area have closed in the last year, and hear that our area is not unusual in that regard, so perhaps people who want fabric and cannot find it may check online?

Nat, the wedding sounded beautiful. And what a great idea to renew vows each year for the cake! DH would go for it, I'm sure.

Robyn, congratulations on taking so much time off of your pace! I want to know how you remembered where you stashed your water. More than once I've come home,then had to go back out to retrieve my water bottle which I hung on a tree branch in plain sight! :rolleyes:

Thanks to all of you for you compliments on the dinner. And on my appearance. :) I was slicing braciole and draining pasta while in my slip, I was afraid I'd splatter something on the dress! And I can't remember putting on makeup, but somehow...

Oh, and yes, Nat, we did have some wonderful leftovers! We took it all to my parents' and they enjoyed it very much, too. And they told me so!

Not a bit of exercise in the past week. Well, running, anyway. I've managed a few sessions with the weight machine, but that has been it with the heat then, as it cooled down, trying to get caught up outside (I certainly hope that 11 hours working in the garden over the past 2 days counts as something!). We put off the lake house for a day, hoping to finish outside tomorrow, so will go down on Tuesday and hopefully I'll get in at least one nice, long run while there.

Happy new week, everyone; hope it's starts out well!

[Kathy B]

Weights today and a lazy 20 minutes on the EB at the CC. Also a long walk with the dogs. 12 hour shift yesterday, 12 more tomorrow, 12 on Friday. We'll see what else I can fit in around all that.

Vicci, thanks for posting the pics from your MIL's birthday party...it looks like you made it a lovely event for her. You do so much for your family, and you are GOOD at it! Glad to hear your 4th of July was fun. Good job on the 4 miler! What are you planting in your garden?

Great job, Robyn! You just keep getting faster! :)

Glad you had a good day, Les, and so glad you came away from your crash without worse injuries. It kind of reminds me when I first learned to ride a bike and rode down the hill in front of our house. No one had explained to me about brakes and how to use them yet! :eek: :D I'm still here to tell the story, so obviously I survived. Hope you took some ibuprofen, it always feels worse the day after!

Susan, looking forward to your tri report! Hope the temps weren't too sweltering, but I suppose since you swim first it helps keep you cool?

Natasha, the wedding on the boat does sound wonderful. What a romantic setting! What were the Spanish and Dutch munchies?? Sounds interesting! Good for you getting in your spin and weights. DH was watching the final game this afternoon, too. Not sure what he'll do with all of his free time now that World Cup is over....:p

Tkay, we miss you! Hope you are well and enjoying your summer!

Off to bed, long day tomorrow!

[Robyn1007]

Vicci, this is the first time I've stashed water but since I had to drive to the spot on my way to my starting place and I was so looking forward to the excuse to stop for a moment (I was trying really hard not to stop up that stupid hill) to drink. I actually ran with it for a couple of blocks so that I could get in a bit more hydration and electrolytes (Nuun in the water) and that is also where I took my one Gu. I know there are those who would say 9 miles isn't long enough to need a Gu but I want to see what works best for me and that seemed to really help pick me up for the last half of the run. Now, after coffee and breakfast with my running buddies I nearly forgot to go pick up the bottle. :rolleyes:

[Leslie Ferguson]

Being squeamish, I gave the Facebook page a pass... ;) And I hope that your elbow heals quickly as well.
I also wanted to ask how your Dad is doing.
And I'm sorry that the fabric sale didn't go well, I would try Craigslist. I know that 2 fabric shops around this area have closed in the last year, and hear that our area is not unusual in that regard, so perhaps people who want fabric and cannot find it may check online?
I figured that some may not want to see the pix - I'm not sure I'd want to look at them (nah - I am a boy :D ). Dad - no news so far, he worked today so I figure he is "clear" to do things that don't tire him out. I'm actually hoping a lot of the fabric - if you can imagine she's already sold $2,000+ (most at $3/yd) and there's still that much left in the basement.

(I certainly hope that 11 hours working in the garden over the past 2 days counts as something!). We put off the lake house for a day, hoping to finish outside tomorrow, so will go down on Tuesday and hopefully I'll get in at least one nice, long run while there.

Happy new week, everyone; hope it's starts out well!
11 hours in the yard counts in my book. Enjoy the lake house and hopefully you get a run in.

Robyn - Always good to test a gel routine before the race. Interesting to forget your bottle but good that it's still there.

Thanks for all the well wishes too - I'm feeling better (more or less) but am still sore. I'm taking all the meds I can take - Ibuprofen is a no-no here (I'm allergic to Naproxyn, Motrin, Ibuprofen, Mobic, etc.) but aspirin and Tylenol are being consumed as well as tons of ice.

Happy trail,
Les

[SusanMac]

Happy Monday, runners! I'm still here. Very busy weekend, with low PC-activity (which is a good thing)

Race Report
I had a really great time at the tri! It was my first one of the summer, which always reminds me how much fun these races are. DH came with me to cheer & play photographer. We ran into several friends, as well. Perfect weather - temps & winds were quite low in the morning.

Here's the net-net:
I met my personal goals & had fun.
* Swim - I PR'd, which was a surprise. It was quite physical with lots of bumping, hitting & kicking. Maybe that's why I went faster, to try & get away?
* T1 - slower than usual. Argh! Took way too long to get out of my wetsuit. Need to practice that more
* Bike - felt great! I hit my 2nd fastest race pace, so am happy. Had quite a fun back & forth with a woman through the 2nd half. In the end, we literally dismounted our bikes at the exact same time & laughed about it. DH tasked me with trying to pass people in waves before me, which I didn't think would happen much. It definitely kept my brain focused, so I'll start using this approach often. I passed 19 people in earlier waves
* T2 - right on track
* Run - In tri's, my runs always feel cruddy. I'm certain that I'm barely lifting my feet, and it feels like a struggle. But, my pace was fantastic! Much faster than my run-only races from earlier this year
* End time - a PR for me for sprint tri's of this distance! My age-group ranking is lower than I like. But for some reason women of my age came out of the woodwork this year, and it was a super competitive group. Oh well. No real worries with that, as I had fun & feel really good about the day.

Vicci - OMG, that's horrible news about your cyclist friend! I'm so sorry for his family. Very scary. On a happier note, though, the birthday event looks phenomenal to me. Wow! Very impressive. How can you eat those meals & stay so tiny??

Les - Yikes! So sorry about your crash. Hope you heal quickly. I used to turn differently on each side, but I think it's evened out over the years. I hadn't really thought about that before. I agree w/others that it has some to do w/right-handedness & comfort on one side of your body vs the other. But, just as much related to crossing over a lane vs not crossing over a lane.

Nat - What a fun weekend! The wedding sounds sooo beautiful. Congrats on your World Cup party

Robyn - I continue to be impressed w/your training schedule

Kathy - I continue to be amazed at your work schedule

I would typically lay low post-race, but I had a few friends in town training for the Ironman, so I hooked up with them Sun morning. Got in a 50-minute swim (my race distance, which was great), and a 45-minute run with my GF's new husband. Was very nice to chat w/him & get to know him better. Whew! My legs are definitely ready to take today off

[Natasha]

Susan, glad you had a great time at the tri! Have fun with your friends.

Les, I was disappointed there weren't photos of the big contusion. Kidding ;) I did see the elbow pics, though. I'll show them to DH. He'll be impressed (boys and their battle wounds... :)).

Vicci, 11 hours in the yard sounds like, well, 11 workouts!

Kathy, I feel a bit like your DH. What shall I do without hockey AND soccer? :p I'm sure I'll figure something out. ;) The Spanish and Dutch munchies were very low key - Dutch and Spanish cheeses, chorizo, bread (which wasn't Dutch or Spanish), Old Dutch chips (which aren't Dutch but it was good for a laugh), crackers, Grolsch, etc. We enjoyed the spread but as the game went on I couldn't eat - I was absolutely glued to the screen! Who was your DH cheering for?

TKay, Jennifer - you're missed around here. How are things?

Robyn, how are you feeling the day after the speedy run? Might feel it more tomorrow, of course, if you're like me. Nasty DOMS ;)

Lots to do tonight but I still hope to fit in some training. Have a lovely weekend, all!

[TKay]

Hello VRBs! I'm sorry I've been missing so much lately. I can't believe how many posts I've had to catch up on. Forgive me if I don't mention everything/everyone individually.

I may have mentioned being sick. Well, it's the sickest I've been in some time. Two full weeks of it. Just as I was feeling better, I popped a crown out of my mouth. No, not a royal crown. One from my tooth. :p I don't do well with dental visits, and I've already had to have a few. It took me a while to get back into the workout routine. I'm happy to say I'm back and feeling good again. Yay!

Vicci - I'm so sorry about your cyclist friend. Horrible. There is quite a biking community around here, and unfortunately this has happened to people we know. I simply have to put it out of my mind since cycling is dh's only real exercise option (he has horrible knees and biking is essentially what's kept him walking). As for the dinner, everything looks lovely--especially you!

Susan - Great race report. I think I'd like practicing my transitions. I don't know why, but it sounds like something I'd get into. :D Congrats on the great times.

Nat - I agree with the others. The wedding/world cup weekend sounds great.

Les - Yeow! Your bum must hurt. Glad you are okay though. Wow. Sorry to hear about your dad. How is he doing?

Robyn - I've said it before. You are a rock star. Seriously, these workouts are amazing. Way to go.

KathyB - Dh used to work 12s. He'd be wrecked when he'd get home (I think we've talked about this before. He was a PICU RN). I feel for you. Get some rest and come back when you're done with all that work.

Dh and I are thoroughly enjoying the TdF. I'm really rooting for Andy Shcleck at the moment, but my mood changes. That last stage was something else, eh? Who else is watching?

Oh, running. Of course. I've been on the TM, slowly working myself back into good form. Today I did 55 minutes. Mostly slow, but I managed to get up to a good pace by the end. It felt wonderful.

[Natasha]

Checking back in to say hi to TKay and to report on my workout. TKay, nice to see you back and I'm glad you're feeling better and are back on the treadmill! Two weeks is too long to be sick. :(

I trained for about an hour today on the bike and felt great. Also got in a lot of walking and am still full of energy. Just one of those days (which I love).

[Leslie Ferguson]

Welcome back TKay - glad you're back and on the TM. Dentist visits are no fun and I've got one this week (on top of everything else :rolleyes: ). I've never been a fan of 12 hour shifts but I guess that was what I did in the Navy for all those years. Good easing back into the TM.
Kathy - I'm with TKay, get the rest you can when you can. That was what my stint at Children's two summers ago was about.
Susan - That's a darn nice race report and congratulations on your PR. Even if your transitions were the greatest. It sounds like you're having a great training season in prep for the 1/2 IM.
Nat - If DH would like to see some great pictures of the contusion (it's beautiful today) I've got a new one. Good workout today too.

Well, the saga continues with the wipe out. It seems that last night in the middle of the night I had to get up. Not a problem there per se but somehow I got lightheaded/dizzy/lost sense of where I was and fell 4 times. LW heard the first and second (the first woke her up and the second got her out of bed). She saw me fall/pass out 2 more times before getting me into bed in a cold sweat. Needless to say, it looks like I've broken my little toe on the opposite side from the contusion. It's a nice shade of purple and hurts like the dickens. It looks like I may be out of the training game for a while. :(

But that may give me more time to prep for my preaching gig on Sunday and resting up some more. But it may put my September race at risk. I'll know more later this week - probably will go and get someone to look at my toe tomorrow, even though they can't do anything about a broken little toe except to tell me to stay off it.

I hope everyone is well and keeping safe.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Oh no, Les. I'm sorry to hear the latest. The falling is scarier than the broken little toe, which of course isn't great either. I'll cross my fingers for a very speedy recovery. It's good that you can think on the bright side and know that this means you'll have more time to prep for Sunday.

[SusanMac]

Tkay - so good to hear from you! Sorry you've had a cruddy few weeks. Hopefully you can get back in the swing soon.

Les - That's so horrible about your toe! But, they way you told that story really made me laugh! I can just imagine the middle of the night bumps & LW trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Not sure you should watch the TdF today....downhills at 50 mph will make your hair stand up!

TdF - In response to each of you...yes, yes, yes, we've been following it! We now subscribe to it online, and it's really fantastic. Absolutely no commercials. It's been great so far, but esp the last few days (the mtns are much more interesting to me). Glad to see Lance falling back, as I'm really tired of the focus being on him (what's the deal with his rookie crashes on Sun? I don't buy that it's 'bad luck' -- he's too talented for that). I'm an Andy Schleck fan, too. I'm sad his brother is out, but in a way, that lets him shine a bit more. I also like Cadel Evans & Levi Leipheimer, so am watching them closely. Not a Contador fan, but his team is making things interesting. I'm also excited about this new Footon team, partly b/c they came out of nowhere, and partly b/c I think their jerseys are cool :-)

[TKay]

Nat - Love it that you had one of those great days.

Les - Ouch again! Sorry about the toe. Hope it heals quickly.

Susan - How are you feeling after the race? I enjoyed your TdF assessment. Regarding Lance, I think his crashes are signs that he just doesn't have it anymore. The Lance of old would never have made those mistakes. Did you see today's stage? I'll say nothing more about it for those who aren't there yet.

Taking a rest day. I'd like to do a combo, but think my body needs a day off.

[Robyn1007]

Les YOUCH! Hope everything heals up speedily!

Susan nice job on the race!

Natasha what is DOMS? Love those high energy days!

Tkay good job listening to your body. It's important!

To all who seem impressed with my training schedule, thank you but the real kudos go to my incredible coach. Do you remember when I talked last fall about going join a group run finally and being nervous? All of this came from getting that nerve to go do it! She writes the plan and I just execute. Fortunately thus far I've had twinges of hurt and soreness (the foot thing, currently a tight but manageable achilles) but overall I feel so good. Even my fellow runners are impressed that I don't deal with joint soreness. :D:D:D

Last night I got in an easy (ha, not really it was HOT) 3. It was supposed to be 4 but the heat got me and I called it early. Today the temps were predicted (and have) to climb near 100 so I got my rear out of bed at 5:15 to go to the early group workout at 6am. Only it's really at 6:30 so I sat in my car for 30 minutes when I could have been asleep. :( But, alas, I did my 4 mile progression run before the temps got too bad. I have, however, figured out that my body is so programmed to sleep within a few hours of a workout (evenings or naps after long weekend runs) that I dragged all day at work. I even drank coffee after noon which I NEVER do. And I could go to bed happily right now.

Off to foam roll the calves and achilles. G'night my friends.

[Natasha]

Hi guys!

Robyn: DOMS = delayed onset muscle soreness (or syndrome)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness

I know Wikipedia's not really an authoritative source, but this gives you a little description :)

Thanks for the reminder to use the rollers! Off to do that now.

Les, hope you're healing well. How's the toe? Hope you slept better last night.

Rest day today. Take care, all!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - I'm never a big fan of 50+ mph downhill. Certainly never when my body is on the bike. I'm with you about Lance, I think it's time for him to just hang up his cleats and go to something really crazy - marathoning. ;)
Robyn - Funny, a good, solid workout didn't make me tired, in fact I'm generally amped up after a workout for a few hours, part of why it's not good for me to finish a workout after ~7:00. Hope you sleep well.
Nat and TKay - Hope the rest day was good.

Well, it's official - this has been a wild week for me. I have been officially diagnosed with a "closed fracture of the left 5th toe distal phalanx with displacement." Pretty much meaning I cleanly broke the tip of my little toe between the joint and the tip. got a boot (rigid sole) and buddy taped toe. Recovery time: unknown but MedLine says 3-6 weeks depending on the severity of the break. How long I'm out of the game is still to be determined. Wish I was still a member of the Y - then I could deep water pool run.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Les - Oh, what a bummer! A boot and everything. I'm impressed you went to the Dr for the toe to know for sure. Otherwise you may have tried to run on it or something (I would have, anyway). Enjoy your rest. It might be a nice time to reenergize yourself.

Robyn - Oh, I would have been so flustered with the extra 30 minutes sitting in the car! Sometimes post-workout I want a nap, and other times I'm energized. Haven't quite figured out how to predict which one yet.

Tues - Great 30-mile bike ride, followed by 20-min brick run. The run felt smoother than it has in past weeks. And, I finished a tough hill in a harder gear than usual, so feel good about that.

Today - 45-min swim this morning. My first open water solo swim. I've gotten tired of trying to coordinate workout buddies and altering my workouts around others. So, I just went for it. There were others in the water, and I'm pretty safety conscious, and all went well. A bit of chop, too, which is good practice.

[Kathy B]

Hi, all! I ended up working extra yesterday, so nothing since Sunday. Yoga this AM, and I am about to jump on the TM. Not very motivated, so thought I'd post it...then I have to do it! :D We had 4 scheduled admissions yesterday, and ended up getting 6 more unscheduled. :eek: It was busy.

Sorry to hear about your toe, Les! Can you do any type of exercise with the boot, or are you completely sidelined? Hope you aren't having much pain.

Congrats on your Tri, Susan! It was fun just reading about it, and way to go getting a PR! That has to be a boost as your half is closing in.

Tkay, what does your DH do now? I know he just graduated, is he starting a new position or a new career? I hear you on the dental saga...I broke a tooth about a month ago, and I need a crown, but I haven't been to the dentist yet. Hey, I've had things to do! I've been busy! (:o)

Natasha, DH said he didn't care who won the World Cup final, but I think he was slightly favoring Spain. He was happy with the outcome. Hope you had a relaxing rest day yesterday.

Robyn, I can't read about your workouts right now...they exhaust me and I am already tired! :p

Vicci, Hope you had a good day at the lake!

OK, no more putting it off. I'll report back later....

[Natasha]

Hi all!

I can report a longish spin and some weights. :) Most good.

Les, sorry about the 3-6 week(ish) recovery time. How are you feeling today? I'm sure LW is taking good care of you.

Susan, nice variety of training on your end!

Following the Tour but only in a marginal sense. I like some aspects of it a lot; others not so much.

Kathy, did you jump on the TM? I'm sure you did, since you told us you would. :) You're always busy! You have a good reason to not have time to go to the dentist. Glad your DH was happy with the outcome.

Hi to everyone else and happy midweek! Off for a walk with a friend shortly, now that it's cooler.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - Good swim and it really is hard getting everything coordinated for workouts. Good to be safety conscious when swimming - there's no way to just stop and walk. Rest is good but maddening.
Kathy - I'm able to walk with my boot, it's not the simplest thing to do but I'm able none the less. But I'm still time limited in the amount of time I can stand before my foot starts throbbing. Top that off with the countless times that I've dropped things on my left foot in the past couple days and I'm trying limit the amount of time I'm on it.
Nat - I'm feeling better but not as quickly as I'd like.

Nothing more to report - swelling going down and pain subsiding but no real action to speak of.

Hope all are well and I'll be in touch - Happy trails,
Les

[TKay]

Les - Sorry about the fracture and the required healing time. Ugh. I wonder if you could ride the bike on a trainer? Maybe the boot is too cumbersome? Well, perhaps you need the time off anyway. You will be raring to go when that toe is healed!

Robyn - I understand your praise of your coach, but you are the one out there executing. You deserve a ton of credit for that. Good going on all of it. (But what is with the heat? It's too early for those temps. Isn't it?)

Nat - Good job on the spin and weights. Hope you enjoyed your walk with your friend.

Susan - The training continues to go well for you. Bummer about having to coordinate schedules. I don't have that with my strictly solo flight TM workouts, but dh does with the bike. He will go alone, but prefers to ride with someone else. Sometimes it just doesn't work out. Glad you got in a good swim nonetheless.

Kathy - You have been busy! I guess that's nothing new though. Dh still works in the hospital system, but no longer does patient care. He's currently working in IS, putting in the electronic medical records system. He helps create the right orders and train physicians and nurses to use the technology. Now that he's almost done with that project, I'm not sure where he'll land. He'll constantly be moving on to the next big thing. Did you get in that TM time?

Got in an excellent 55 minutes on the TM yesterday. Felt great. I'm heading up for a weight walk/run with lower body work as soon as I post.

Turns out the tooth that lost the crown will need a root canal. This is troublesome since the whole reason I have dental phobia issues is because I had to have two root canals when I was 11 or 12 and they were horrible and totally freaked me out. My wonderful new dentist believes in better living through pharmaceuticals and will generously dope me up for the procedure. I can't tell you how grateful I am.

Where are you, Vicci? Jennifer? Who else am I missing?

[SusanMac]

Robyn - I'm with Tkay....you may have an excellent coach, but the effort it 100% YOU!

Les - will it be painful for you to read our workout reports for the next 3 week. Maybe it's time to pick up a good book on running??

Natasha - When you do weights, is it free weights at home? I really need to get better at mixing those into my schedule.

Kathy - congrats on making it through your marathon work schedule this week. The yoga must have felt esp cathartic!

Just got back from a great workout. 25-mile bike, followed by 20-min run. It was just one of those days where everything clicked.

I'm headed out to a stand up paddleboard class tonight! Never done it before, but it looks fun. Really looking forward to it. I'll check in & let you know how it goes tomorrow.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - I doubt the workout reports will cause me pain. I'll keep doing as much as I can but probably not reporting much in the mean time. I'm also looking for a pool to do some deep-water pool running.
TKay - The biggest issue with a bike trainer is I personally don't have a means to ride on my trainer wearing normal shoes (my road bike is the only one I can mount on my trainer without major modification). Better dentistry through chemistry - a good thing. Sorry about your root canal - I hope it goes without issue. Good job on your TM run too.

Clean bill of dental health (thankfully - I couldn't afford $11k of dental work again this year). Swelling continues to go down, I was able to walk around the block without too much issue. Still hitting the ice - tush and ankle (and knee - it's bothering me because I'm favoring my left foot a little).

Still getting tired by the end of the day but not too badly... hopefully I'll be back in battery soon.

Happy trails,
Les