Starting July, I think it goes without saying, that Keith & Linda are heavy on everyone's mind. What a scary thing to be going through. I know she posted on FB that they will be transferring to Mass Gen for facial surgery. Hopefully, that will go well and they can have some recovery time in Maine.
Just can not catch up on sleep. So busy this week and not even sitting down until after 10pm, I am usually falling asleep around 9:30. Got the bike packed for camp. My first time ever shipping and it took me 2 hours to pack. Need a new pedi but gotta make lasagna tonight. I finally feel like life is a bit more controlled today. Camp can't come fast enough.
Rain, rain, go away is the theme of the day here in Houston. We've been getting rain and thunderstorms for 3 days as a result of the proximity of Hurricane Alex, and are forecast for the next several days. There goes my weekend of riding outside! I'm a weather weenie, so my butt will be parked on the trainer for several hours tomorrow. We have plans with friends for tomorrow night, and then are making burgers and watermelon margaritas for the fourth.
My thoughts are with the Patch family and all of you this holiday weekend - be safe, friends!
Yep. heavy hearts all around as we all hope and wait for continued news and improvement for Team Patch. I really appreciate the updates that you all have been able to bring to the EN community. It helps.
Sorry 'bout all the rain Kristen. Good to hear that you're not letting it get in the way of your margs. I'm not going to tell Brian about that because he loves watermelon and margs and he will want one!!!
Isn't it something special? This "thing" that we have here? I met Linda & Keith @ IMFL, but I know many people have never "met" them. How lovely it is that from all over the country people have been touched by this and reached out to them.
This place is so much more than triathlon training.
You are so right, G. We're linked by so much more than triathlon. That's what I love about it! As I think about lining up for a couple of more races this year I often find myself thinking, "maybe if I don't wear my EN gear, I won't tarnish the brand by not performing so well." But then I immediately realize that it isn't about my overall time or performance in any one of the disciplines in the race. It's about the community that I love and the people that I so respect within that community. I want to take every opportunity that I can to fly our flag and celebrate the community for all the non-triathlon things that it represents! It's such a great thing. I am so thankful to have found my way to you all!
Hope the weekends are going well. We did a MTB ride last night - which kicked my butt! This AM we paddled around Lake Dillon in kayaks. Very cool! Saw some nesting osprey in a tree on one of the little islands. Such a treat!! I should be heading out for a run or a ride now, but enjoying kicking back for a while.
On the way to the lake DH asked me what IM I am going to do next year. I told him I thought I'd go iron free next year and just snowboard and XC ski in the winter, and then hike, run, and MTB in the summer. He said he thinks I should pick a race and then do it 2 years in a row to try to get a true PR. Ummm? OK? Where did all this come from?! Not sure what I should think about that? Except that he clearly has no real sense for the work involved in an endeavor like that.
Hi all - what a week, eh? Thinking about the Patches so much. Boston truly does have some of the best medical resources, so I have no doubt Keith is getting very excellent care. It's a good place to be in this situation.
Did my 4 hr ride today and maybe like you Olivia, couldn't get out of the house til much later than I had anticipated. I was then worried about afternoon traffic, but it was actually quite light b/c of the holiday. There are advantages to staying in the city for the weekend.
Kristen, I made up a watermelon margarita recipe last year and my DH loved it - he's probably made it 5 times since then, and perfected it, as is his way Thanks for reminding me
Speaking of SOs, that cracks me up Olivia about the casual PR comment. He has utter faith in your abilities. It's kind of cute.
ps - I have one word.....Spartacus - Kit, you still have the best avatar of all
Yep, hubby and I were talking about the Patches... very heavy heart about this whole thing. and everybody else wrecking too! anyways... I gotta scoot... just got home from church, still in dress... and need to change into something comfy...
Hi ladies! checking in from Ten Sleep, WY... it's absolutely beautiful out here (now that I finally made it and can relax a bit). had a nice jog yesterday and a bike ride (not far or fast, on a mountain bike borrowed from a neighbor) and am just chilling out. Not keeping up with my training schedule, but at least moving as much as I can (the OLY next weekend shuold be interesting... but I'm doing it for fun, so it's all good).
Dan's family is huge (this is his mom's side) and I'm doing what i can to remember names, but relationships (i.e., who is married to whom, whose kid is whose) are too much for me - there are 3 or 4 generations here. Everyone is super nice and it's been a very low key weekend which is good since I arrived without a voice and have been struggling to get it back... feel okay for the most part just can't talk.
Gina you're absolutely right, this EN bond we have is truly amazing... I already felt it on the forum, but experienced it first hand when Beth opened her apartment to a complete stranger so she could find her way to WY! I wish I had a picture of Dan's face when I told him I'd never actually met Beth before - he figured I was staying with a friend... well, i was, but not one I'd ever met.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. I'm jealous of you all heading to Moo camp, should be tons of fun!
wow... awfully quiet here without the cowgirls in town... hope everyone had very safe travels to WI and is enjoying camp!
My cold is sputtering to an end, finally. I opted to stay home today, although now that I'm up I feel okay and could have gone in. Had I had work home it would have been a perfect day to telework... but I was not in any condition to go in yesterday... so that's life. Training is off due to travel and sickness... at least I'm just in OS for another week before figuring out what to do next. I may stick to the plan and pick up IM training at week 5 or I might do 5 weeks of HIM training since my last few weeks of OS training have been spotty. We'll see. Sort of leaning towards HIM (not knowing what IM looks like) because it worked well for Eagleman and while it's hard I know I can do it and I know it will get me ready for the half.
Also was off the wagon a bit on the paleo diet while I was gone. I did my best but there were lots of transgressions. Will be back at it now that I'm home and have control of what I'm eating... still need to drop about 7 pounds to be at my race weight when I start IM training. Hopefully I can. Taking off the last 5 took forever... hopefully the diet is the piece I needed.
Marianne, bummer about your knee! Take the time to lt it heal so that it isn't nagging you on race day. I'm jealous of eveyone that get to go to the Cowgirl camp. I can't wait for the course recon details, I'll be having my own solo training camp this weekend. I hope the weather in DC cools off, this heat wave is sucking the life out of me! Yesterday we broke the record at 102 degrees! This is my 4th IM, and the training for this one has been so much harder because of this crazy heat. I am getting up and starting the weekend rides at the crack of dawn! I just hope it's cool on race day in Wisconsin! OK, enough complaining.
Becky, glad you had fun on your vacation. I hope you kick that cold soon. Have you tried "Airbourne"? I take it as soon as I start feeling sick and during the peak of training when I am worn down. I think if you do OS or HIM plan you will be fine for your race. The main thing is to do everything you can to recover quickly afterwards as you will be starting IM training and it is a kick in the pants!!!! Do you have recovery tights? I have the ZOOT ones and it was the best investment I made last year!
yes bummer. right now the swelling is down but the knee still a bit tender. my left sciatica or whatever the heck is wrong was pinging this morning down the left leg so I just walked 4 miles. only 94 here today! anyways, yep I stayed home... I already feel quite fat! been since Saturday of a good workout! I have been productive here at the house though and many areas of clutter are now cleaned up so that was good! my other hobbies of gardening and scrapbooking I have returned to while I recuperate and yet nothing quite like a good run to shake out the doldrums.... which hasn't happened since Saturday!!! ha ha. okay enough, m
We miss you all at cowgirl camp! It is like our big, sunny kitchen of a forum, but everyone is three-dimensional, instead of being a tiny thumbnail pic. Instead of talking about food, we eat food. And everyone's bike is even prettier in real life.
@Kate - thanks...nope don't have recovery tights - are you talking just the calf ones or do they go up the whole leg? I should probably invest in them since Timberman is at the end of week 1 (of 12 week) IM training. I figured I'd follow the recovery plan outlined in one of the wikis as far as being able to jump back in following the HIM... which would really put me at week 3. Yikes. For now I'm thinking of 1 more week of OS then 5 weeks of HIM training (the first week of HIM has an RR and now that I've done 2 RRs and a HIM, I think I'm good to skip it for now and work on hill riding and running instead to gear up). Hopefully we can meet up for a ride or two before you head off to WI!
X 2 on loving the FB pics. I wish I was there having fun!
Becky, yes, I think Kate means the full compression tights. I have a pair of the Zoot ones and wear them after races or, particularly, long runs. I really think that a long/hard workout followed by an ice bath and a few hours in the compression tights really help with recovery and reducing soreness.
Becky, are you recovering from your cold?
Marianne, how's the injury?
Not much happening here. This is the second week in a row that we have had torrential rain for several days in a row, which makes for slow days at work. On my long ride last weekend I had to turn around early due to flooding, and I would expect it to be worse this week. Better find a new place to ride!
thanks Kristen, finally kicking the cold! yay! I can breathe deeply without coughing - which means I can sleep without Nyquil (and have done a lot of that lately)! I feel sluggish for not having run this week (or swam in almost 2), but at least I've been on the trainer a few times. I may swim tonight. Sunday's OLY will be interesting, but I'm looking forward to just getting out there, getting the cobwebs dusted off, then stepping it up for the rest of my [long] season! I think this break, although it was unintentional, was much needed. How's your mojo? You're doing the 20 week IM plan, right? I'm trying to figure out if I should jump into week 5 after next week of OS or if I should do the last 5 weeks of HIM then the last 11 weeks of IM. I've been through the last few weeks of HIM before so I know what's coming and know it will get me ready for Timberman, but I don't know what the IM plan looks like - if weeks 5-11 will get me ready for the HIM. What do you think? What do your long runs look like, how bout the weekend rides?
I'll check out the tights. I've been starting to do some cold water in the showers on my legs. Not quite an ice bath but working my way into it.
And, in the interest of disclosure I need to confess that I had ice cream at work... ugh... was doing so well since I've been back, but our front office had an ice cream social for us (actually, the ice cream was left over from an event yesterday and they saved it for us to have a Friday afternoon get together)... which was too nice to pass up. So, I guess following the 90/10 rule, this was my cheat (well, that and the wine with dinner that last 2 nights - but primal says a bit in moderation is okay)... more incentive to swim and get my long run in tomorrow!
Becky, yes on the full recovery tights. I also have the ZOOT knee high recovery socks that I wear to work, as a nurse I am on my feet for 12 hour shifts. I am crossing my fingers for the weather here tomorrow, sounds like we are in for some storms in DC. @Marianne, hope your knee is feeling better. @Joanna have a great race in RI!
First of all, let me just say "Having a great time, Wish you were here"!!!
Sorry we haven't been posting much in the forum. It always seems we get back to our rooms around 11 at night and then have an early start to the next day so "down time" to update the threads has been limited. It's been so much fun meeting many of the EN Chicas for the first time in person. I'll share a few pics here for you (if you are on FB you may have already seen these) with a quick summary to let you know what has been going on.
Thursday- After a morning coffee % TDF in PJs party in Gina and Beth's room (they brought cappuccino and french press machines!) we took care of admin stuff in the AM (like getting bikes together, some bikeshop shopping, etc) and had a lovely brunch at Cafe Sole. We then met up with Michele Moreno (who, by the way, has been sooooooo helpful and wonderful!) for a quick shake down ride on the out & back section of the IMWI course. We ducked back to the hotel with just enough time to shower up and be ready for Rich's 4-keys talk at the hotel and then it was off to the foodie dinner at Harvest (quite fancy, everyone dressed up, even Rich!)
After dinner we opened up the box of EN Chica Visors that had arrived. I was nervous (Beth and I have been through a lot together working with Headsweats on this- what a production!) but they came out AWESOME!!!!
Friday morning we decided to ride two loops of the "lollypop" section of the IMWI course by driving out to Verona and starting from there. Michele Moreno drove her car around the course as "SAG" to keep an eye out for the campers (did I mention she is Awesome yet?) . Colleen Capper (former EN Chica- once a Chica always a Chica!) gave us a recommendation for a good place to park the car- and she was right! Bathroom facilities and easy access to a running trail too. PERFECT!
We REALLY took our time on the course Toooo Funny! Rich would probably be mad at us for not riding hard enough- but we all were having just so much fun chatting, riding, talking about the course, talking about the birds, whatever.
It was like a "tour" more than a ride! AWESOME!!! We even stopped at the "Uphill Grind" (combo coffee shop/bike shop) to have iced coffee on that second loop- PERFECT!
On the ride back to the hotel, Gina's Moo Jo and my Moo Jo shared a special little moment in the car together. Aren't they cute!
We showered up again and then got ready for the next EN Talk. We gave Rich his pink speedo at the end of his talk (and made sure he got it on film since he recorded the talk!!) I don't have pics of that moment, but I know some folks in the room took pics when we gave him his little (and I mean LITTLE) present. So I hope someone posts them!
OK- I gotta go now- time for coffee in Gina and Beth's room before we ride again!
Greetings from IMWI Tri Rally Camp/ EN Chicka Camp!!!!
Wish that all of you were here!
As Beth said- it's great to be 3 dimensional and all together. We are definitely missing those of you that couldn't make it.
Thanks to Nemo for posting those pics on the forum. I have pics on my phone and need to learn how to get them off and posted. Maybe tomorrow night???????????????
We have gotten great practice on the course and are feeling great about how IMWI will go. We did have a very social recon loop yesterday and then a 2nd work recon loop. Today was 1 loop but we did hill repeats on 2 sections that a few of us found tricky.
We have all decided that with the perfect weather we have been experiencing these few days, we'd like to be semi-pro, i.e. not have an office job, spend lots of time outside riding and having fun with the girls, and the boys, we come across. Then having yummy food.
I'm glad you all had a great time at camp! Love the pics! Welcome home (hope everyone is getting home safely)!
I think my head is back into training...at least I hope it is. I was a DNS yesterday. I've pretty much been off since Eagleman (vaca, on, vaca/sick) I was worried I wouldn't be able to hack it at the race. I know I was going for fun and could have considered it a training day but my mojo was really, really low when the alarm went off at 3:30am (to be in the car by 4 to get there by 5:30 and check in). Not to mention I really didn't sleep well, couldn't turn the brain off. So I managed to talk Dan out of it... I think he was disappointed (even though he hasn't been on his bike or in the pool in 3 weeks bc of the crash)... had he said he wanted to do it I would have...
On the upside, after getting some sleep we went to Prince William Forrest Park where I did 4 loops (about 29 miles) and ran for 30 minutes - some decent hills. It was my first outside ride since Eagleman, I realized as I peeled the number off my helmet... the weather has been so awful I've been riding indoors... I felt okay, a bit stiff today but not bad. Dan did 3 loops and an hour run... he was definitely feeling it. I am still a bit disappointed with myself. I've never chickened out of a race before. But I think it was probably good for me. Maybe. I don't know.
My weight is slightly up today... really need to get that figured out (and down) in the next 6 weeks. Hopefully a pound a week is an attainable goal. IMFL is 16 weeks away, I know I have time to get my sh@! together, but I need to get my head and heart in the right place. So much going on in life lately that isn't making me happy - usually my solace is my training but that's not even cutting it right now, I'm looking at it like a job and that's not good. I think if I liked my real job that would go a long way. Hard to know what I want to do but not be in a position to do it... hmm...
anyway, hope all is well around the Chica-dom. I'll stop whining now.
Hi Ladies! Becky- sorry to hear your Mojo is low right now. Don 't worry- you have lots of time to take a little mental/physical break before IMFL and it sure sounds like you need it.
Cowgirl Camp was EXACTLY the little Mojo boost in the arm that I needed. I can't possibly express how wonderful it was to hang out and train with such wonderful woman all weekend. I just wanted to pack you all up and take you home with me! Knowing I get to share an amazing experience with you all in 9 more weeks is really gonna keep me going when it gets tough over the next few weeks. We really missed all the ladies who had to back out at the last minute and we thought of you often- please know you were with us in spirit!
I'm in Chicago on my way home. I have a LOT of catching up to do on the forum, personal email, Facebook, and oh yeah, WORK! Ugh. So much to do!
PS- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ladies- take care of yourselves. All of these accidents this year really have me worried about everyone in the hause. I don't know if my heart could bear hearing about one more bike crash.
Welcome back, IMOO chicas! So glad to hear that you had a fun weekend. All the pictures were great!
Becky, I feel ya. In fact, I made the decision this weekend to withdraw from IMFL. I have spent the past 2 months trying to sell it to myself: how fun it would be, how the training wouldn't be that bad, etc, but just couldn't do it. I was truly dreading 12 weeks of long rides every weekend and the disappearance of free time. Guess I wasn't as over IM training (from 2007) as I thought! Anyway, I'm going to race the Austin Longhorn 70.3 with a bunch of other ENers in October, do some shorter races in the meantime, and focus on the Houston Marathon in January.
We have had too many crashes in the Haus lately. No more, people, please! Be safe out there!
The IMOO camp looks like big fun! I wish I could have been there. I was thinking about you all a lot this weekend. I raced Muncie instead. It was a bit disappointing b/c I really thought I could take 15 minutes off my half time from last year. Instead, my back started to hurt during the bike, and I couldn't maintain my goal watts. The run was hot, and I decided to slow way down to avoid an IV. My final time was 6:33--4 minutes slower than Boulder. Now I'm fired up to get faster!
I do have to put in a plug for the Muncie Endurathon. It's a great, well-run race that also happens to be significantly less expensive than the 70.3 races. Between the low entry fee ($135) and the inexpensive hotel ($65 for a one-night stay--no 2 night minimums), the weekend cost hundreds of dollars less than Steelhead. It's a flat course with a non-wetsuit swim, so it would be a good half for people thinking of doing Florida or Louisville. The roads are beautifully smooth (no chip seal here!) and the volunteers are wonderful. They had ice water and cold towels at every mile of the run. Awesome!
Could some computer-savvy chicka help me out and remove the IMFL from my signature line and replace it with Lonestar 70.3? I tried but must have done it wrong, because Florida is still there!
@Kristen - I am not computer savvy, but Cary (flip flop avatar) could probably help since he's the one who did the signature line that I copied from (heck, it might have even been yours). I am sorry to read you've withdrawn from IMFL, but it sounds like it probably is the best decision for you ... lately it sounds like you've been dreading it. So, trust your gut and have some fun. Racing with other EN'ers at Lonestar will be a blast! Who knows, maybe you'll be ready next year and I can talk you into doing Wisconsin with me for EN cowgirls take WI part II... I wish I didn't have to register for it before Florida but I'm gonna roll the dice - and then plan on an IM-free 2012 when my A race will be the NYC marathon. I will certainly miss you in Panama City come November, but am hopeful we can race together another day... lots of days left for both of us!
I'll get my mojo back, it's just been such a bizarre year and I've handled it well some days and not so well other days... but once I'm into the swing I'll be okay - and at some point excited. Actually, kind of looking forward to getting back into the HIM plan next week as I'm much better with structure - discipline (except for getting up at o'dark thirty lately) is not my problem, I just need someone to tell me what to do and I need to fill up my time... down time is when I start to unravel... my head will spin and I am not constructive.
@Colleen - good job in Muncie (Indiana, right?)! Sounds like you did the right thing for your body given the conditions and now your head is in a good place to kill it next time!
Speaking of nothing - working on a re-fi of my mortgage now which is actually cool since the rates are so low...I'll likely have to pay down my mortgage a bit at closing but it will result in a sweet rate and more money in my pocket on a monthly basis... since the stock market is crazy now, I'm perfectly happy cashing in a chunk of change for the refi so it will work for me as opposed to watching my portfolio go to heck in a handbasket. And, in the process of preparing my loan app I realized that my car will be paid off with the next payment! Yay! That's another few hundred bucks in my pocket every month! Perhaps I'll have my one-way trip to WY through Chicago paid off sooner than I thought and can add funds to the PM piggy bank soon (thinking of waiting til off season as opposed to IMFL training so I have the time to learn how to use it properly and understand all the data). All in all, feeling better since my morning whine session - I think owning up to my DNS helped. Still not thrilled with the work situation,but I have a goal in mind and am moving forward to attain it. Maybe I'll start a gym concept and you call all buy in/franchise when the time comes.
Trying to get back in the groove... Majorly bummed all weekend abt not being able to go to Moo camp :-( Appts this week and next to try leg back up to par! Glad to see this is rest & test week- likely just what the doc ordered! Super hot and humid weather back here again. Think IMLOU will be another scorcher year again! Trying to decide if I want to volunteer for race or spectate.
On the bright side, my beloved Adamo has given up the right. It has been worn all the way through now so checking out two of the new Cobb saddles. If all else fails, I'll go back with another Adamo. Don't guess I've ever had a saddle long enough to wear one out before! Also on bright side, think I'm almost down to EN super hero kit wearing weight. I'll have to try it on and see!
Fun reading about the Cowgirl Camp! Moo Jo as well as Moo Jo's honorary chicas are having a great time on Habitat 500! We rode 50 miles yesterday and 72 today. I ran after yesterday's bike but today I was feeling pretty tired and just wanted to get mine and my daughter's camp set up. This is such an awesome ride! Great to ride year after year with the same people. I always swear I won't be doing it the next year but I always have a great time, great riding and would miss it if I didn't come back. This year is especially great because my daughter Shelby is making it a point to ride with me. A couple of others pulled the two of us into McGregor, MN today but otherwise, we have ridden together and loved it! Check out our stuff at www.teamcrowriver.com! Check ya'll later!
Comments
Starting July, I think it goes without saying, that Keith & Linda are heavy on everyone's mind. What a scary thing to be going through. I know she posted on FB that they will be transferring to Mass Gen for facial surgery. Hopefully, that will go well and they can have some recovery time in Maine.
Just can not catch up on sleep. So busy this week and not even sitting down until after 10pm, I am usually falling asleep around 9:30. Got the bike packed for camp. My first time ever shipping and it took me 2 hours to pack. Need a new pedi but gotta make lasagna tonight. I finally feel like life is a bit more controlled today. Camp can't come fast enough.
My thoughts are with the Patch family and all of you this holiday weekend - be safe, friends!
Sorry 'bout all the rain Kristen. Good to hear that you're not letting it get in the way of your margs. I'm not going to tell Brian about that because he loves watermelon and margs and he will want one!!!
Isn't it something special? This "thing" that we have here? I met Linda & Keith @ IMFL, but I know many people have never "met" them. How lovely it is that from all over the country people have been touched by this and reached out to them.
This place is so much more than triathlon training.
Hope the weekends are going well. We did a MTB ride last night - which kicked my butt! This AM we paddled around Lake Dillon in kayaks. Very cool! Saw some nesting osprey in a tree on one of the little islands. Such a treat!! I should be heading out for a run or a ride now, but enjoying kicking back for a while.
On the way to the lake DH asked me what IM I am going to do next year. I told him I thought I'd go iron free next year and just snowboard and XC ski in the winter, and then hike, run, and MTB in the summer. He said he thinks I should pick a race and then do it 2 years in a row to try to get a true PR. Ummm? OK? Where did all this come from?! Not sure what I should think about that? Except that he clearly has no real sense for the work involved in an endeavor like that.
When do you all leave for camp?
Hi all - what a week, eh? Thinking about the Patches so much. Boston truly does have some of the best medical resources, so I have no doubt Keith is getting very excellent care. It's a good place to be in this situation.
Did my 4 hr ride today and maybe like you Olivia, couldn't get out of the house til much later than I had anticipated. I was then worried about afternoon traffic, but it was actually quite light b/c of the holiday. There are advantages to staying in the city for the weekend.
Kristen, I made up a watermelon margarita recipe last year and my DH loved it - he's probably made it 5 times since then, and perfected it, as is his way
Thanks for reminding me
Speaking of SOs, that cracks me up Olivia about the casual PR comment. He has utter faith in your abilities. It's kind of cute.
ps - I have one word.....Spartacus - Kit, you still have the best avatar of all
do IM TEXAS!!!! m
Hi ladies! checking in from Ten Sleep, WY... it's absolutely beautiful out here (now that I finally made it and can relax a bit). had a nice jog yesterday and a bike ride (not far or fast, on a mountain bike borrowed from a neighbor) and am just chilling out. Not keeping up with my training schedule, but at least moving as much as I can (the OLY next weekend shuold be interesting... but I'm doing it for fun, so it's all good).
Dan's family is huge (this is his mom's side) and I'm doing what i can to remember names, but relationships (i.e., who is married to whom, whose kid is whose) are too much for me - there are 3 or 4 generations here. Everyone is super nice and it's been a very low key weekend which is good since I arrived without a voice and have been struggling to get it back... feel okay for the most part just can't talk.
Gina you're absolutely right, this EN bond we have is truly amazing... I already felt it on the forum, but experienced it first hand when Beth opened her apartment to a complete stranger so she could find her way to WY! I wish I had a picture of Dan's face when I told him I'd never actually met Beth before - he figured I was staying with a friend... well, i was, but not one I'd ever met.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. I'm jealous of you all heading to Moo camp, should be tons of fun!
Monday night chat room is live now
wow... awfully quiet here without the cowgirls in town... hope everyone had very safe travels to WI and is enjoying camp!
My cold is sputtering to an end, finally. I opted to stay home today, although now that I'm up I feel okay and could have gone in. Had I had work home it would have been a perfect day to telework... but I was not in any condition to go in yesterday... so that's life. Training is off due to travel and sickness... at least I'm just in OS for another week before figuring out what to do next. I may stick to the plan and pick up IM training at week 5 or I might do 5 weeks of HIM training since my last few weeks of OS training have been spotty. We'll see. Sort of leaning towards HIM (not knowing what IM looks like) because it worked well for Eagleman and while it's hard I know I can do it and I know it will get me ready for the half.
Also was off the wagon a bit on the paleo diet while I was gone. I did my best but there were lots of transgressions. Will be back at it now that I'm home and have control of what I'm eating... still need to drop about 7 pounds to be at my race weight when I start IM training. Hopefully I can. Taking off the last 5 took forever... hopefully the diet is the piece I needed.
Becky, glad you had fun on your vacation. I hope you kick that cold soon. Have you tried "Airbourne"? I take it as soon as I start feeling sick and during the peak of training when I am worn down. I think if you do OS or HIM plan you will be fine for your race. The main thing is to do everything you can to recover quickly afterwards as you will be starting IM training and it is a kick in the pants!!!! Do you have recovery tights? I have the ZOOT ones and it was the best investment I made last year!
Train Safe!
Morning Ladies!
We miss you all at cowgirl camp! It is like our big, sunny kitchen of a forum, but everyone is three-dimensional, instead of being a tiny thumbnail pic. Instead of talking about food, we eat food. And everyone's bike is even prettier in real life.
@Kate - thanks...nope don't have recovery tights - are you talking just the calf ones or do they go up the whole leg? I should probably invest in them since Timberman is at the end of week 1 (of 12 week) IM training. I figured I'd follow the recovery plan outlined in one of the wikis as far as being able to jump back in following the HIM... which would really put me at week 3. Yikes. For now I'm thinking of 1 more week of OS then 5 weeks of HIM training (the first week of HIM has an RR and now that I've done 2 RRs and a HIM, I think I'm good to skip it for now and work on hill riding and running instead to gear up). Hopefully we can meet up for a ride or two before you head off to WI!
@M - rest up and recover!
@Cowgirls - miss ya, the forum is too quiet without y'all! But I'm loving the FB pics!
X 2 on loving the FB pics. I wish I was there having fun!
Becky, yes, I think Kate means the full compression tights. I have a pair of the Zoot ones and wear them after races or, particularly, long runs. I really think that a long/hard workout followed by an ice bath and a few hours in the compression tights really help with recovery and reducing soreness.
Becky, are you recovering from your cold?
Marianne, how's the injury?
Not much happening here. This is the second week in a row that we have had torrential rain for several days in a row, which makes for slow days at work. On my long ride last weekend I had to turn around early due to flooding, and I would expect it to be worse this week. Better find a new place to ride!
Have a great weekend, ladies!
thanks Kristen, finally kicking the cold! yay! I can breathe deeply without coughing - which means I can sleep without Nyquil (and have done a lot of that lately)! I feel sluggish for not having run this week (or swam in almost 2), but at least I've been on the trainer a few times. I may swim tonight. Sunday's OLY will be interesting, but I'm looking forward to just getting out there, getting the cobwebs dusted off, then stepping it up for the rest of my [long] season! I think this break, although it was unintentional, was much needed. How's your mojo? You're doing the 20 week IM plan, right? I'm trying to figure out if I should jump into week 5 after next week of OS or if I should do the last 5 weeks of HIM then the last 11 weeks of IM. I've been through the last few weeks of HIM before so I know what's coming and know it will get me ready for Timberman, but I don't know what the IM plan looks like - if weeks 5-11 will get me ready for the HIM. What do you think? What do your long runs look like, how bout the weekend rides?
I'll check out the tights. I've been starting to do some cold water in the showers on my legs. Not quite an ice bath but working my way into it.
And, in the interest of disclosure I need to confess that I had ice cream at work... ugh... was doing so well since I've been back, but our front office had an ice cream social for us (actually, the ice cream was left over from an event yesterday and they saved it for us to have a Friday afternoon get together)... which was too nice to pass up. So, I guess following the 90/10 rule, this was my cheat (well, that and the wine with dinner that last 2 nights - but primal says a bit in moderation is okay)... more incentive to swim and get my long run in tomorrow!
Hellooooooooooo Ladies!!!
First of all, let me just say "Having a great time, Wish you were here"!!!
Sorry we haven't been posting much in the forum. It always seems we get back to our rooms around 11 at night and then have an early start to the next day so "down time" to update the threads has been limited. It's been so much fun meeting many of the EN Chicas for the first time in person. I'll share a few pics here for you (if you are on FB you may have already seen these) with a quick summary to let you know what has been going on.
Thursday- After a morning coffee % TDF in PJs party in Gina and Beth's room (they brought cappuccino and french press machines!) we took care of admin stuff in the AM (like getting bikes together, some bikeshop shopping, etc) and had a lovely brunch at Cafe Sole. We then met up with Michele Moreno (who, by the way, has been sooooooo helpful and wonderful!) for a quick shake down ride on the out & back section of the IMWI course. We ducked back to the hotel with just enough time to shower up and be ready for Rich's 4-keys talk at the hotel and then it was off to the foodie dinner at Harvest (quite fancy, everyone dressed up, even Rich!)
After dinner we opened up the box of EN Chica Visors that had arrived. I was nervous (Beth and I have been through a lot together working with Headsweats on this- what a production!) but they came out AWESOME!!!!
Friday morning we decided to ride two loops of the "lollypop" section of the IMWI course by driving out to Verona and starting from there. Michele Moreno drove her car around the course as "SAG" to keep an eye out for the campers (did I mention she is Awesome yet?) . Colleen Capper (former EN Chica- once a Chica always a Chica!) gave us a recommendation for a good place to park the car- and she was right! Bathroom facilities and easy access to a running trail too. PERFECT!
We REALLY took our time on the course
Toooo Funny! Rich would probably be mad at us for not riding hard enough- but we all were having just so much fun chatting, riding, talking about the course, talking about the birds, whatever.
It was like a "tour" more than a ride! AWESOME!!! We even stopped at the "Uphill Grind" (combo coffee shop/bike shop) to have iced coffee on that second loop- PERFECT!
On the ride back to the hotel, Gina's Moo Jo and my Moo Jo shared a special little moment in the car together. Aren't they cute!
We showered up again and then got ready for the next EN Talk. We gave Rich his pink speedo at the end of his talk (and made sure he got it on film since he recorded the talk!!) I don't have pics of that moment, but I know some folks in the room took pics when we gave him his little (and I mean LITTLE) present. So I hope someone posts them!
OK- I gotta go now- time for coffee in Gina and Beth's room before we ride again!
Greetings from IMWI Tri Rally Camp/ EN Chicka Camp!!!!
Wish that all of you were here!
As Beth said- it's great to be 3 dimensional and all together. We are definitely missing those of you that couldn't make it.
Thanks to Nemo for posting those pics on the forum. I have pics on my phone and need to learn how to get them off and posted. Maybe tomorrow night???????????????
We have gotten great practice on the course and are feeling great about how IMWI will go. We did have a very social recon loop yesterday and then a 2nd work recon loop. Today was 1 loop but we did hill repeats on 2 sections that a few of us found tricky.
We have all decided that with the perfect weather we have been experiencing these few days, we'd like to be semi-pro, i.e. not have an office job, spend lots of time outside riding and having fun with the girls, and the boys, we come across. Then having yummy food.
Gonna try to catch up more. Be safe out there.
I'm glad you all had a great time at camp! Love the pics! Welcome home (hope everyone is getting home safely)!
I think my head is back into training...at least I hope it is. I was a DNS yesterday. I've pretty much been off since Eagleman (vaca, on, vaca/sick) I was worried I wouldn't be able to hack it at the race. I know I was going for fun and could have considered it a training day but my mojo was really, really low when the alarm went off at 3:30am (to be in the car by 4 to get there by 5:30 and check in). Not to mention I really didn't sleep well, couldn't turn the brain off. So I managed to talk Dan out of it... I think he was disappointed (even though he hasn't been on his bike or in the pool in 3 weeks bc of the crash)... had he said he wanted to do it I would have...
On the upside, after getting some sleep we went to Prince William Forrest Park where I did 4 loops (about 29 miles) and ran for 30 minutes - some decent hills. It was my first outside ride since Eagleman, I realized as I peeled the number off my helmet... the weather has been so awful I've been riding indoors... I felt okay, a bit stiff today but not bad. Dan did 3 loops and an hour run... he was definitely feeling it. I am still a bit disappointed with myself. I've never chickened out of a race before. But I think it was probably good for me. Maybe. I don't know.
My weight is slightly up today... really need to get that figured out (and down) in the next 6 weeks. Hopefully a pound a week is an attainable goal. IMFL is 16 weeks away, I know I have time to get my sh@! together, but I need to get my head and heart in the right place. So much going on in life lately that isn't making me happy - usually my solace is my training but that's not even cutting it right now, I'm looking at it like a job and that's not good. I think if I liked my real job that would go a long way. Hard to know what I want to do but not be in a position to do it... hmm...
anyway, hope all is well around the Chica-dom. I'll stop whining now.
Back home! I'm so tired, my eyes hurt, but a whole lot of chica mojo was made in Wisconsin this weekend. Everyone's coming to the next camp, yes?
Hugs to the entire crew of you this morning.
Cowgirl Camp was EXACTLY the little Mojo boost in the arm that I needed. I can't possibly express how wonderful it was to hang out and train with such wonderful woman all weekend. I just wanted to pack you all up and take you home with me! Knowing I get to share an amazing experience with you all in 9 more weeks is really gonna keep me going when it gets tough over the next few weeks. We really missed all the ladies who had to back out at the last minute and we thought of you often- please know you were with us in spirit!
I'm in Chicago on my way home. I have a LOT of catching up to do on the forum, personal email, Facebook, and oh yeah, WORK! Ugh. So much to do!
PS- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ladies- take care of yourselves. All of these accidents this year really have me worried about everyone in the hause. I don't know if my heart could bear hearing about one more bike crash.
Becky, I feel ya. In fact, I made the decision this weekend to withdraw from IMFL. I have spent the past 2 months trying to sell it to myself: how fun it would be, how the training wouldn't be that bad, etc, but just couldn't do it. I was truly dreading 12 weeks of long rides every weekend and the disappearance of free time. Guess I wasn't as over IM training (from 2007) as I thought!
We have had too many crashes in the Haus lately. No more, people, please! Be safe out there!
The IMOO camp looks like big fun! I wish I could have been there. I was thinking about you all a lot this weekend. I raced Muncie instead. It was a bit disappointing b/c I really thought I could take 15 minutes off my half time from last year. Instead, my back started to hurt during the bike, and I couldn't maintain my goal watts. The run was hot, and I decided to slow way down to avoid an IV. My final time was 6:33--4 minutes slower than Boulder. Now I'm fired up to get faster!
I do have to put in a plug for the Muncie Endurathon. It's a great, well-run race that also happens to be significantly less expensive than the 70.3 races. Between the low entry fee ($135) and the inexpensive hotel ($65 for a one-night stay--no 2 night minimums), the weekend cost hundreds of dollars less than Steelhead. It's a flat course with a non-wetsuit swim, so it would be a good half for people thinking of doing Florida or Louisville. The roads are beautifully smooth (no chip seal here!) and the volunteers are wonderful. They had ice water and cold towels at every mile of the run. Awesome!
@Kristen - I am not computer savvy, but Cary (flip flop avatar) could probably help since he's the one who did the signature line that I copied from (heck, it might have even been yours). I am sorry to read you've withdrawn from IMFL,
but it sounds like it probably is the best decision for you ... lately it sounds like you've been dreading it. So, trust your gut and have some fun. Racing with other EN'ers at Lonestar will be a blast! Who knows, maybe you'll be ready next year and I can talk you into doing Wisconsin with me for EN cowgirls take WI part II... I wish I didn't have to register for it before Florida but I'm gonna roll the dice - and then plan on an IM-free 2012 when my A race will be the NYC marathon. I will certainly miss you in Panama City come November, but am hopeful we can race together another day... lots of days left for both of us! 
I'll get my mojo back, it's just been such a bizarre year and I've handled it well some days and not so well other days... but once I'm into the swing I'll be okay - and at some point excited. Actually, kind of looking forward to getting back into the HIM plan next week as I'm much better with structure - discipline (except for getting up at o'dark thirty lately) is not my problem, I just need someone to tell me what to do and I need to fill up my time... down time is when I start to unravel... my head will spin and I am not constructive.
@Colleen - good job in Muncie (Indiana, right?)! Sounds like you did the right thing for your body given the conditions and now your head is in a good place to kill it next time!
Speaking of nothing - working on a re-fi of my mortgage now which is actually cool since the rates are so low...I'll likely have to pay down my mortgage a bit at closing but it will result in a sweet rate and more money in my pocket on a monthly basis... since the stock market is crazy now, I'm perfectly happy cashing in a chunk of change for the refi so it will work for me as opposed to watching my portfolio go to heck in a handbasket. And, in the process of preparing my loan app I realized that my car will be paid off with the next payment! Yay! That's another few hundred bucks in my pocket every month!
Perhaps I'll have my one-way trip to WY through Chicago paid off sooner than I thought and can add funds to the PM piggy bank soon (thinking of waiting til off season as opposed to IMFL training so I have the time to learn how to use it properly and understand all the data). All in all, feeling better since my morning whine session - I think owning up to my DNS helped. Still not thrilled with the work situation,but I have a goal in mind and am moving forward to attain it. Maybe I'll start a gym concept and you call all buy in/franchise when the time comes. 
On the bright side, my beloved Adamo has given up the right. It has been worn all the way through now so checking out two of the new Cobb saddles. If all else fails, I'll go back with another Adamo. Don't guess I've ever had a saddle long enough to wear one out before! Also on bright side, think I'm almost down to EN super hero kit wearing weight. I'll have to try it on and see!