Ok, I'm going to throw this out here.....HELP!!!!! I think I have enough to finally order a power meter. I've been on wheelbuilder for about 30 minutes and am more confused than ever. How do I know which one to order? I just want a hub as I plan to use my forerunner 310xt as the reciever for now anyway. I'm such a bike noobie. I don't even know which type of tires I use. I really did buy a book, but it just sounds like a foreign language to me.
I would post elsewhere, but I feel like I'm not competent enough to even understand the responses.
Thanks ladies, speak slowly....
Carly- go to the I wanna buy a power meter through EN thread here
Oops, didn't mean to post that link twice, first time, didn't see it
Nemo- Mirror lake was not all that cold, actually pleasant with wetsuit. The downhill to keene- Kind of fun, the uphills- not so much, but I also had "the illness" Joe is really sweet
Back from an odd 24 hrs, felt like I was in the twighlight zone. At cousin's wedding, haven't seen him in 20 yrs(?)he lives in Oregon. Hotel was like a wedding factory, multiple weddings at same time. food tasted that way . It was basically 24 hrs of really bad food, anywhere. Anyway, about 1am, fire alarm went off in hotel. It was odd that people were milling in the hallway-Is it really a fire alarm, what do we do? Uh, yes it is.... yes we should leave until we are told to return to room when cleared . Hmmmm. Glad it was not a real fire. It was good seeing cousins aunts and uncles. My cousin that got married very good at guitar, lead guitarist in band in Portland.
Tracy -- Oh, the wedding factory. Were there lots of people getting married on 10.10.10? There seemed to be a number of couples doing so in Chicago. Lots of photo shoots in the middle of Michigan Avenue. Neat your cousin is in a band - was there fun balance between good music and bad food?
Nemo - Gotta love Joe!
Linda - Lisbeth = amazing! I get out the bowing smiley, too. And the story fable about the bike is a good one. We all put so much effort and energy into one day - many way a good thing, but definitely a hard thing. Our game.
Carly - You can totally trust Rich on this one. He'll probably suggest a velocity deep-v (which most of us have) and will ask you questions about spoke color, etc. that are easy to answer.
I believe I was a bonafide sports fan this weekend. I spent lots of Saturday following Kona online, while doing fun, pretty things with japanese paper to my kitchen windows, as Operation: Rid Apartment of Miniblinds continues.
Yesterday, was a fun day of Chicago Marathon spectating, which was fun. It was amazing to see runners everywere and spectators all along the course. It was also cool to find Z-Trip, making up raps about the crowd and runners just across one of the bridges at 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning. At a victory picnic, I got to spend time with many people I haven't seen all summer, so that was extra fun.
Goreous, fun weekend in Chicago. I didn't realize I had today off until I was leaving work on Thursday. Loving the bonus day! Off to Target to apartment shop. I seem to have entered whatever phase of adulthood involves spending lots of time at Crate and Barrel. I'm almost tempted to set up a registry for Beth Schwindt and Dash Kestrel just so I can keep an accurate wish list.
Sure is funny what our partners hear and internalize about us that we don't ever know about. Joe is a peach! Good for you, Nemo for seeing what you could have gotten yourself (and Joe) into.
Lots of fun watching Kona this weekend. Brian even got into it. We watched the replay of 2009 on Friday night so he was all smart about the top contenders. So funny!
Beth - so great of you to go out and cheer for Chicago runners. My cousin did his first marathon yesterday. He once weighed over 300 lbs. Now super skinny and a marathon finisher to boot! I'm so proud of him, and I'm glad you were out there cheering...I'm sure you helped.
Carly - exciting times to buy new gear! Daunting, sure. But so great! The team is so helpful in getting you up to speed with your new toys, I mean, tools.
Linda - Good for you for telling your story. You have made peace with it, clearly. Isn't it strange too, how your friend had a companion story? Seems almost like you were meant to discuss and connect on that.
Tracy - Still with the traveling! You amaze me how you fit all of that in.
Horribly busy at work these days. Working with executives directly can be a real PITA. It just means I'm "on" all the time and that's pretty tiring. Plus I never get to check in with y'all during the week. Tonight is a gift because DH is at a team building event, ahhh). Looking forward to my relay team taking on the Denver Rock'n'Roll marathon this weekend! We have two really fast girls, and then me and another woman who aren't so fast. Oh well, at least we look awesome in our singlets!
@Carly, getting a PM opened up an entire new world for me in terms of training.
@Tracy, I know what you mean. I have been in situations before where a fire alarm goes off and people just mill around. Weird. Glad it was all ok. Sounds like a good family time.
@Kit, good luck!!! and you are fast! But you are right, you will be looking good in your stuff.
Had a fun night biking beside daughter while she ran tonight. Some times we get a rare opportunity to just have wonderful conversation with our children. This was one of those times. I love and hate that they are growing up so quickly!
ok, so where are the new emoticons coming from? my list doesn't have any new ones and I'm super jealous!
the kits look awesome - very professional... not that I haven't spent enough money in the last 2 months, so what's a couple hundred more to be properly outfitted?!
did the 4.5 Sun (a day off last week and this). no huge problems after the in-person fit. some tweaks and twinges but I could shift and find a better position. Sun was 3 ABP then a 30 min run. About 44 miles in (2:20ish) my leg stopped cooperating. Big, searing pain behind my knee/upper calf. Not the pain I'd been having (outside of L knee)...this sucked. I couldn't move around to get rid of it. Worse riding in aero. So my time slowed way down... my recovery was practically standing still. The run was painful. Before the side of knee pain did not effect my run at all... this was very bad, probably bc it impacted the calf. I stopped a few minutes in to stretch my quads and do the downward dog to get a good calf stretch up behind the knee. It was not great. Stretched, foam rolled, trigger point balled, tiger balmed... ibuprofen with food last night and today.
Still bad today so no run. Even if it's better tonight (doubtful) no run. Ugh. I hope it's related and the fit is okay... I hope nothing is torn or pulled and it's just strain. This is so not cool.
Linda, Poop on the roof and you didn't ask how it got there? Oh come on! I gotta know!
Carly- gonna be great to have another Power Girl in the haus! Such fun!
Tracy- Oh man, those wedding factory places are a NIGHTMARE! They seemed to be all the rage when I was fresh out of college. Sooooooo glad we didn't go down that path! How is the boot doing?
Olivia- the relay marathon sounds like a lot fo fun! You really are starting to get the hang of this "Non-IM Year" stuff! Love it!
Becky- that knee pain doesn't sound good at all. Go to the Med forum and post your symptoms and get some help! Good news is you are pretty much at the taper point anyway- so all you gotta do is stay healthy!
OK- is it just me, or has it suddenly gotten a lot harder to read the threads in the forum? The font seems so light or something. I feel like I'm going blind around here!
@Nemo - thanks... I did see a behind the knee pain thread and posted there. fingers crossed it's still the cleat position... I wore the old road shoes Sat and had no probs. wore the sidi's for the sun ride and the prob developed late in the ride... we had adjusted the cleat during my in person fit, but I wonder if it's still not quite right. Either way, those cleats are going on the new shoes I just ordered (another pair of specialized road that I fell in love with as soon as I tried them on) and I'll have both the old and new road shoes with me for the RR this weekend (2 loops of Eagleman) in case I need to change. So, no run tonight... since everthing is pushed back a day, I'm hoping to be able to do my long run on Fri... even if that's my only run this week (well, except the RR run on Sunday). The hay is in the barn as they say!
@Linda - I can't believe I missed poop on the roof... now that's funny!
@Carly - I feel your pain and confusion. Believe me... I was researching power for the off season right before I had to buy the new bike. I was overwhelmed and felt completely clueless. Nemo and Kit were super patient and helpful. I spent a lot of time reading various threads in the power forum... I thought the PM/wheelbuilder sites were useless... ultimately when the time comes I'll be going with a quarq so I can use the various wheels I have... but lots of folks here have PMs so I'm sure that you'll get your questions answered! Good luck and have fun! I'll be following up some time after FL... likely December so I'll have a month to fiddle before starting with it in Jan OS.
Okay, seriously... where are the new emoticons... I'm seeing them everywhere.... and I don't have them... if there is one crying or throwing a fit, insert it here!
Nemo-yes, wedding factory-no way for me, if I ever meet that guy. I will elope and have party after. At my cousin's wedding, he is maybe 10 months younger than me, his bride looked a little older, but they did the whole " the bride cuts the cake" dealio played to farmer in the dell. the did it before dinner too? They skipped the garter bouquet toss dealio. i could see maybe in my 20's doing all that traditional stuff, but in my 40s nah, I'll pass
Thanks for asking, the boot is helping I think. Taking the load off the tendon to get inflammation down. Still swelling pretty easily though( feels it, not visible) hard to elevate at work, so starts to hurt after 7-8 hrs, even with compression socks.PT starts thursday
Linda- i'm also curious to the poop on the roof as well, how did it get there?
Becky- hope the knee feels better, really rest it up and listen to it so you are not on and off. Any Active Release Technique guys around?
Olivia-I'll be happy Not do go anywhere for a bit. Especially driving! Maybe a trip in Nov to Az to visit friends, but since my foot is out of commission, it will be hard to be in tucson and not be on my trails- maybe i'll hold off until the spring. I am so glad you are doing the run adventure next year.
@Tracy - thanks!!! it works... yay! I have a chiro appt this week (assuming I can switch from Th to Fr) and he does ART... and I have a post-RR massage Mon night... I'm hoping that combo will do the trick. If not, I think Suz has an ART that she really likes and I'll try to get in to see him/her ASAP.
I'm sure there's other stuff, but I'm so happy to have the emoticons...
Quick note: Chica schwag commission total on CafePress was $73.05! I'm going to send Girls on the Run - Dane County a check for $75, along with work's magic matching gift form (triple matches). We did good!
Oh- and I keep forgetting to mention this. Joe and I are going to the Smokey Mountains in western NC this weekend for some hiking, backpacking, and camping! mmmmmm, s'mores! I'm really looking forward to the trip- it's been a looooong time since Joe and I were able to get away for a weekend of camping in the mountains.
Anyway- we'll be in the Ashville, NC area, which I think is kinda close to Gina. So Gina, if ya wanna do some hiking this weekend- let me know! Oh yeah- and if the travel goes well, this might pave the way for some weekend bike rides out that way
Asheville is about 4 hours from here & if you were gonna be on a MTB, I would drive up. My venture away from the clean lines of Ironman training and racing continues!!
This afternoon I ran on part of the Cumberland Trail. The trees are lovely, it is quiet, and so COMPLETELY different than structured training. Here are a few pics, which never seem to do it justice-
@Tracy, glad you are starting to feel some relief! Hope you are back in action sooner than you hoped! @Becky, hope the chiro and massage do the trick!! @Linda and Gina, so jealous but glad you are both getting some change of scenery! I so wanted to go up north and hike the last couple of weekends, but husband's garden and his work took precedence.
So, realized today that I hate my job. The gals that sit in my area are too obnoxious for words and I just feel like strangling them some days! One in particular has a very grating voice and is extremely loud, interrupts ALWAYS and when someone comes in to ask a question she just yells the answer over the partition before I can speak. I was supposed to be back in accounting but Im just doing the same type of work I did when I was in audit and HATED my job so much that I would cry for about two hours every morning. I can, 1) whine and complain, 2) confront these women and tell them to quit being so obnoxious, 3) tell my boss this ain't what I signed up for or.....put my big girl pants on and look for a different job which is what I think I'll do. Nuff whining...move on, learn a lesson. Heck, I'll probably make more money.
Becky -- Good thoughts for happy knees! May massage work its magic.
Linda - Good mantra! And kindred to my spirit of being pure id lately. =-) Wowsers. Does Ironman ever turn us into disciplined machines? I am rereading Daniels and the phrase that keeps jumping out is that all serious athletes need to seriously stand down for a month once a year and add in a two-week break here and there.
Gina - Have we seen pictures of the new mountain bike? And that looks like an amazing place to be! AMAZING!
Nemo - Have fun! That sounds like a blast.
Tracy - I am also too old for the farmer and the dell and poofy dresses with crinolines. And tiaras.
Sheryl - Jobs are lame! Time to become a professional triathlete? ;-)
I'm roasting my first chicken right now. It is a beauty from a local farm. I predict this is going to be the winter of lots of roasted meat. While the chicken is roasting, I am eating the leftovers of this recipe, with the addition of zucchini. This is my new favorite vegetable recipe.
I also discovered the middle eastern grocery up the street is the new Trader Joe's. I was in there buying feta and pumpkin seeds, but also found chocolate-covered blueberries, dried peaches, roast garlic yogurt spread, tomatoes, granola, and wasabi peas. Get this: almost everything is made in-house. No cookies, but I'll take baklava.
I'm still a little rattled from hearing crazy robbery underneath my window last night. Ugh. Sometimes I hate living alone. Maybe I should get a guard turtle.
Oh Beth- So sorry about the burglary. Scary. Why I can't live in the city.
Linda- Poop on the roof! Poop on the roof! Story! Story! Please?!?!?! (whining)
Becky- be sure you are pedaling with feet flat. I found that I pointed my toes (road bike that was "fit" for me) due to seat being just a touch high. Seriously- millimeters and getting used to new stuff. Now I am very focused and have no problems when I get off road bike.
How is this- I can't ride the TT bike until I put the pedals on. So I am not doing it. I love that bike, but I still don't want to get on and ride it yet. Although I miss having power... But I refuse to hook road bike to computrainer cause I know I will try to race the little tin man. NO NO NO! Be good and chill out!
Stressed at work- Sheryl and Olivia- I hear ya! More like Sheryl- quitting is looking better and better.
Still miss you guys! Can't get on as much, life busy. Miss you all.
wed: overslept and out of it, going in for 2nd cup of coffee. knee still "angry" looking, like a kid and I am so happy bridesmaid dress will cover my knees. going today with Heather to look for brides dresses!!!! woo hoo. fun huh?? going for a run with gFS as soon as I can get tidied up. yes I am keeping knee covered with ointment but it is around the edges of it!!! from dog tripping me and i had on tights so thank goodness for that. got a migraine this week so no fun there... probably why I got good sleep last night was due to poor sleep the night before due to residual headache that woke me up and knee! I did a power test yesterday but maybe not correctly. I ahve a garmin and powertap and never knew I was supposed to off set it!!! shoot me I know. well???? so that might have been for nought... except hard workout for 42'!!! straight with storm coming. hopefully Patrick or some of you can clear up whether or not or how to offset anything with these two combined??? for example if my average speed was 17.5 - 23.5, (tail/head wind_) my average power for the whole 42' was 103?? yep. so either I am very slow once more, or there is something up. but basically my average power on Garmin read about 100 ish until last 10 minutes when I "gave it all she had Scotty" and got it up to 103!!! hey, what can I say. anemic, thyroid or just suck??? !!!! (don't answer that!) solo.. so nobody to chase but looking at the numbers. now my state time trial back in June yielded me average speed of 18.5 on a windy day so??? 30 days post IM solo, 17.5 might be right... at this pace, what will IM TX be?? yes a specialist doc is next Monday. Is it Jennifer B that has garmin/pt combo only and if so do you offset it??? scooting for more coffee! no bfast yet waiting on thryoid one hour delay for food!!! and then another 3 hr delay for iron pill!!!! ha haha. Accordin to Dr. Oz.... this is all could be perimenopause!! which can happen in your 30's and also last for a decade!!!! and I was only watching him when I got my nails done!!! somebody told me the other day that I was the most girly girly mt biker she knew!!!! snicker. scooting girls, hugs to all. oh I saw the little Schleiss cows yesterday?? brown, solid blackish and our very own Moo Jo but didn't know which one we were getting?? m
@Michele - thanks, I will be more conscious of how I'm pedaling...
I'm going back for round 2 of my in person fit Friday - taking both current shoes, will come away with 2 pairs of roadies and am hanging up use of the sidi's. I just with the aero pad extension kit would come in... but it doesn't look good. I ordered over a week ago and it still hasn't shipped. If it was on back order I wish they'd just tell me so I can try to find it somewhere else. Grr...
I took last night off. Stretched and iced when I got home. It's better today. Not perfect, but a huge improvement. I have stuff set out to run or swim... we'll see how it feels after another 8 hours off...
My weight is crazy high. I know it's pre-period week and that's always my higher week... but it hasn't been this high since July. I am not happy. Need to not get down about it and really get serious about clean eating... too much eating out... made stuffed zucchini last night... with ground turkey... yumm! But, also had a glass of wine... well, no one is perfect... and it was only one... and when Dan offered me a piece of dk chocolate (my standard dessert), I said no... so improvements are being made.
@Sheryl - hang in there. I've had so many bad jobs I know exactly what you're going through. I would get up and by the time I'd be walking off the metro towards the office I would feel physically ill. I was down all the time... that was probably my first admitted bout of depression where I got help... it's hard to spend so much time in a place you don't like... and really hard to leave it behind when you punch out. I'm still searching for what I love. Some may say I'm fickle and I move around a lot... I prefer to think of it as I know who I am and what I am and what will make me happy and fulfilled... life is too short to stick with something that eats you up inside. Good luck with the job search (it took me a long time to get out of that first bad spot - bc it was shortly after 9/11... and the economy tanked)... but I did get out. Sadly, to another crappy job... but it was at least a step up the ladder which made the next step easier... hugs.
@Beth - glad to hear we made a great cause some cash! If we keep the chica gear going, maybe add to it with sports bras, etc... we can keep the contributions rolling in.
@Nemo - your weekend sounds wonderful. Hope you have a great time!
@Sheryl- crappy jobs just suck. Good luck finding something new- half the battle is getting the energy to look around.
@Marianne- you shouldn't have to offset anything on your Garmin. Or at least I can't think of anything you need to do other than just sync it up with the PT Hub. But 103 does seem small watts for 18mph speeds. Hmmmmmm. Hopefully R&P can help you out.
I had a nice run this morning and even did a few little pickups. Nothing crazy, just maybe 200 yards of tempo pace to sorta test out the legs. Felt nice to run an "interval" again. It's been a loooooooong time since I allowed myself to do that kinda stuff.
@Marianne- you shouldn't have to offset anything on your Garmin. Or at least I can't think of anything you need to do other than just sync it up with the PT Hub. But 103 does seem small watts for 18mph speeds. Hmmmmmm. Hopefully R&P can help you out.
@Nemo & M- thinking that the Garmin is extracting avg power instead of the pnorm we take from WKO. Not sure what the calculation factors are for pnorm but likely that is playing part in the mix.
just ordered my new kit and cycling stuff! I'm happy now but it will be a different story when I get the bill... the garmin, now this... But, the way I see it, I'm spending money like water (and still have the PM to go - but that will be late Nov/early Dec).. why not just get what I need and be done with it?! No buyer's remorse, the kits are cool... I hope they'll look good with my pink socks and chica visor!
Spent some time at lunch on the athletes treating athletes site doing stretches from Leigh for my IT band and behind the knee... feeling almost 90%... and better when I'm up and moving. Woo hoo. I might try a run tonight... we'll see. The weather is gorgeous so I actually want to!
Becky- Almost 90%? I would stand down, or pool run. Take it from someone who knows. This close to IM, not worth running when not 100% better, all you are doing is setting yopur self for being back to70- 75% or worse and having a crappy ride this weekend. That 90% I take is with NSAIDs on board? Just sayin
Coach P says this all the time. All I can say is that when Keith had his accident I had a two week "break." Swam a few times, rode once. As P explained it, even though I was under stress my body was, at some level, resting. All I can say is that I came back feral. I felt like an animal and ready to take it down. It lasted from mid-July to the 2nd RR. I'll never do another IM build without that break. If I feel I need the full 12 or 20 weeks, then I'll start a few weeks early to build in the swing time. It works, it really does.
Poop on the roof!! LOL! I really didn't ask. After raising four boys, that kind of funny nonsense happens regularly. I take it in, but don't bother to ask. It would be an answer worthy of being in the Jackass movie, so I often pass.
S and 0--crappy jobs and stressful ones blow. I have a client right now that has me in that boat. Dislike mucho.
Becky--stop the minute you feel anythig in the knee, then take to pool running if you have to. Too close now!
@Linda, Tracy - thanks! heading home now...not sure what I'll do... I actually want to run - but maybe that's the guilt or the number on the scale talking... or the fear that I won't be ready (I know, one missed hour long run in the grand scheme of training won't matter)... but I am my own worst enemy. I just don't want to swim for an hour - truth be told... not to mention tonight is a water aerobics night so even if I did want to swim I'd have to deal with minimal lanes and likely sharing with a non-swimmer (how snotty of me)... two days off, in a row, is probably what the knee needs... but not what I want. Ya know? Tomorrow is a brick day, hopefully with a post work swim... Friday will be my long run... Sat is the loooooooooooong swim... Sun is the RR. I don't know.... maybe just a walk around the block to loosen up, then stretch and ice. It's movement...
walking home from the metro - knee/calf still wasn't right... so I nixed the run and opted for a drainer ride (less admin than going to the pool) - knowing I could get off at the moment it bugged me. I think I isolated the problem... the seat needs to be moved up. During the fit the mechanic told me that I'm not sitting on my sit bones and am wearing out the center part of the saddle (and probably having soft tissue pain after long rides)... so during my Sun flat ride I was consciously pushing myself back in my saddle to sit in the "correct" spot and retrain myself... that is apparently not where I was sitting when he took measurements bc that's when I felt the pain... I was then having to extend my leg too much to finish the pedal stroke. Yay. Instead of stopping the workout 30 min in I just stayed forward in my normal sitting position... will work with him on it tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
Got an email from trivillage - my aero pads will ship in 24 hours. I'll believe it when I get my confirmation... on 10/8 they were supposed to ship in 2-3 days.
Not sure what I'll do tonight. I didn't do the brick so I'm an hour run, a brick run, and a swim down for the week... tomorrow will be my long run... maybe I'll go to the gym and knock out the swim and a run... and just make it a looooong night... I can sleep in tomorrow bc it's my telework day. I can also do my run later in the day (at 4 when I'm off the clock) to give me recovery time. Sat is the long swim so that would work out... who knows.
So, that's it from me... training, dealing with bike fit... thinking about the RR... as much as I'm looking forward to having this behind me (I'm becoming a very one dimensional person), I think I'll be lost without it. Fortunately the holidays will be right there to help me deal with my time... and I suspect Dan will be happy to have me around and not talking about intervals or training or whatever.
Becky - Take care! And you will be ready. New bike! Fun IM!
Linda - I think my lazy approach to the OS did something similar to your two-week break. I was so physically and mentally ready to do IM training from week one and it definitely paid off. I think the trick must be to plan rest, before your body plans it for you. My working theory is that if I rest now and am super-kind to my body and let it tell me what to do, then when I get to the OS, body will be ready to be faster and fitter. =-)
Nemo - Thinking of you and Joe on your beautiful hike!
Olivia - Marathon relay sounds fun. And isn't a large part of racing all about looking awesome?
New joys in life? Cold roast chicken and The Lazarus Project. I've read half a book in two days. It is seriously one of the best stories I've read.
I finally finished photographing all the dishes I collected this summer for my etsy store. I had forgotten how many amazing things I've found. And proof I was doing something besides being a triathlete this summer!
Final straw today at work. My boss had each of us come in before he left for Europe (business) to let us know what our increases and bonus amounts are. I started there in April. Within a month I had uncovered fraudulent reporting to the government to the tune of 100's of 1000's of lbs of alcohol. Controller immediately was fired (he was hanging by a thread anyway) and I was put in the plant accountant position. Haven't done a lick of accounting work since they put me there. Apparently because I was an auditor in my past life, a job I HATED and left during a voluntary layoff, it made total sense to my boss to not have me do the job outlined in my job description but to have me become the big hated auditor and perform those types of duties!!! Now, cue the meeting today. Because the person who hired me neglected to establish any sort of goals for me....I get no bonus. Not my fault and I was measured against the goals of the person I initially replaced but I still have no bonus in spite of saving the company $1000's in penalties and fines!!!! ARRRGGGGG. Total performance BS in my mind. So....I'm getting my transcripts sent to the only college in the state where I can obtain the licensure to teach business courses at the high school level and I'm going to quit at some point when the great and powerful OZ gives me some courage. Ugh...Ok. enough obsessing about me....
Have a great weekend all!!! Marianne, good luck tomorrow!!!
Comments
Oops, didn't mean to post that link twice, first time, didn't see it
Nemo- Mirror lake was not all that cold, actually pleasant with wetsuit. The downhill to keene- Kind of fun
, the uphills- not so much, but I also had "the illness" Joe is really sweet
Back from an odd 24 hrs, felt like I was in the twighlight zone. At cousin's wedding, haven't seen him in 20 yrs(?)he lives in Oregon. Hotel was like a wedding factory, multiple weddings at same time. food tasted that way . It was basically 24 hrs of really bad food, anywhere. Anyway, about 1am, fire alarm went off in hotel. It was odd that people were milling in the hallway-Is it really a fire alarm, what do we do?
Uh, yes it is.... yes we should leave until we are told to return to room when cleared . Hmmmm. Glad it was not a real fire. It was good seeing cousins aunts and uncles. My cousin that got married very good at guitar, lead guitarist in band in Portland.
Always amazed at how much driving wears you out
Have a good week everyone
Tracy -- Oh, the wedding factory. Were there lots of people getting married on 10.10.10? There seemed to be a number of couples doing so in Chicago. Lots of photo shoots in the middle of Michigan Avenue. Neat your cousin is in a band - was there fun balance between good music and bad food?
Nemo - Gotta love Joe!
Linda - Lisbeth = amazing!
I get out the bowing smiley, too. And the story fable about the bike is a good one. We all put so much effort and energy into one day - many way a good thing, but definitely a hard thing. Our game.
Carly - You can totally trust Rich on this one. He'll probably suggest a velocity deep-v (which most of us have) and will ask you questions about spoke color, etc. that are easy to answer.
I believe I was a bonafide sports fan this weekend. I spent lots of Saturday following Kona online, while doing fun, pretty things with japanese paper to my kitchen windows, as Operation: Rid Apartment of Miniblinds continues.
Yesterday, was a fun day of Chicago Marathon spectating, which was fun. It was amazing to see runners everywere and spectators all along the course. It was also cool to find Z-Trip, making up raps about the crowd and runners just across one of the bridges at 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning. At a victory picnic, I got to spend time with many people I haven't seen all summer, so that was extra fun.
Goreous, fun weekend in Chicago. I didn't realize I had today off until I was leaving work on Thursday. Loving the bonus day! Off to Target to apartment shop. I seem to have entered whatever phase of adulthood involves spending lots of time at Crate and Barrel. I'm almost tempted to set up a registry for Beth Schwindt and Dash Kestrel just so I can keep an accurate wish list.
Thanks ladies, will email Rich right now.
Lots of fun watching Kona this weekend. Brian even got into it. We watched the replay of 2009 on Friday night so he was all smart about the top contenders. So funny!
Beth - so great of you to go out and cheer for Chicago runners. My cousin did his first marathon yesterday. He once weighed over 300 lbs. Now super skinny and a marathon finisher to boot! I'm so proud of him, and I'm glad you were out there cheering...I'm sure you helped.
Carly - exciting times to buy new gear! Daunting, sure. But so great! The team is so helpful in getting you up to speed with your new toys, I mean, tools.
Linda - Good for you for telling your story. You have made peace with it, clearly. Isn't it strange too, how your friend had a companion story? Seems almost like you were meant to discuss and connect on that.
Tracy - Still with the traveling! You amaze me how you fit all of that in.
Horribly busy at work these days. Working with executives directly can be a real PITA. It just means I'm "on" all the time and that's pretty tiring. Plus I never get to check in with y'all during the week. Tonight is a gift because DH is at a team building event, ahhh). Looking forward to my relay team taking on the Denver Rock'n'Roll marathon this weekend! We have two really fast girls, and then me and another woman who aren't so fast. Oh well, at least we look awesome in our singlets!
Have a great week...I'll lurk as I'm able!
@Carly, getting a PM opened up an entire new world for me in terms of training.
@Tracy, I know what you mean. I have been in situations before where a fire alarm goes off and people just mill around. Weird. Glad it was all ok. Sounds like a good family time.
@Kit, good luck!!! and you are fast! But you are right, you will be looking good in your stuff.
Had a fun night biking beside daughter while she ran tonight. Some times we get a rare opportunity to just have wonderful conversation with our children. This was one of those times. I love and hate that they are growing up so quickly!
ok, so where are the new emoticons coming from? my list doesn't have any new ones and I'm super jealous!
the kits look awesome - very professional... not that I haven't spent enough money in the last 2 months, so what's a couple hundred more to be properly outfitted?!
did the 4.5 Sun (a day off last week and this). no huge problems after the in-person fit. some tweaks and twinges but I could shift and find a better position. Sun was 3 ABP then a 30 min run. About 44 miles in (2:20ish) my leg stopped cooperating. Big, searing pain behind my knee/upper calf. Not the pain I'd been having (outside of L knee)...this sucked. I couldn't move around to get rid of it. Worse riding in aero. So my time slowed way down... my recovery was practically standing still. The run was painful. Before the side of knee pain did not effect my run at all... this was very bad, probably bc it impacted the calf. I stopped a few minutes in to stretch my quads and do the downward dog to get a good calf stretch up behind the knee. It was not great. Stretched, foam rolled, trigger point balled, tiger balmed... ibuprofen with food last night and today.
Still bad today so no run. Even if it's better tonight (doubtful) no run. Ugh. I hope it's related and the fit is okay... I hope nothing is torn or pulled and it's just strain. This is so not cool.
Linda, Poop on the roof and you didn't ask how it got there?
Oh come on! I gotta know!
Carly- gonna be great to have another Power Girl in the haus! Such fun!
Tracy- Oh man, those wedding factory places are a NIGHTMARE! They seemed to be all the rage when I was fresh out of college. Sooooooo glad we didn't go down that path! How is the boot doing?
Olivia- the relay marathon sounds like a lot fo fun! You really are starting to get the hang of this "Non-IM Year" stuff! Love it!
Becky- that knee pain doesn't sound good at all. Go to the Med forum and post your symptoms and get some help! Good news is you are pretty much at the taper point anyway- so all you gotta do is stay healthy!
OK- is it just me, or has it suddenly gotten a lot harder to read the threads in the forum? The font seems so light or something. I feel like I'm going blind around here!
@Nemo - thanks... I did see a behind the knee pain thread and posted there. fingers crossed it's still the cleat position... I wore the old road shoes Sat and had no probs. wore the sidi's for the sun ride and the prob developed late in the ride... we had adjusted the cleat during my in person fit, but I wonder if it's still not quite right. Either way, those cleats are going on the new shoes I just ordered (another pair of specialized road that I fell in love with as soon as I tried them on) and I'll have both the old and new road shoes with me for the RR this weekend (2 loops of Eagleman) in case I need to change. So, no run tonight... since everthing is pushed back a day, I'm hoping to be able to do my long run on Fri... even if that's my only run this week (well, except the RR run on Sunday). The hay is in the barn as they say!
@Linda - I can't believe I missed poop on the roof... now that's funny!
@Carly - I feel your pain and confusion. Believe me... I was researching power for the off season right before I had to buy the new bike. I was overwhelmed and felt completely clueless. Nemo and Kit were super patient and helpful. I spent a lot of time reading various threads in the power forum... I thought the PM/wheelbuilder sites were useless... ultimately when the time comes I'll be going with a quarq so I can use the various wheels I have... but lots of folks here have PMs so I'm sure that you'll get your questions answered! Good luck and have fun! I'll be following up some time after FL... likely December so I'll have a month to fiddle before starting with it in Jan OS.
Okay, seriously... where are the new emoticons... I'm seeing them everywhere.... and I don't have them... if there is one crying or throwing a fit, insert it here!
becky- here is the thread for EN smileys
http://endurancenation.us.dnnmax.co...fault.aspx
Nemo-yes, wedding factory-no way for me, if I ever meet that guy. I will elope and have party after. At my cousin's wedding, he is maybe 10 months younger than me, his bride looked a little older, but they did the whole " the bride cuts the cake" dealio played to farmer in the dell. the did it before dinner too? They skipped the garter bouquet toss dealio. i could see maybe in my 20's doing all that traditional stuff, but in my 40s nah, I'll pass
Thanks for asking, the boot is helping I think. Taking the load off the tendon to get inflammation down. Still swelling pretty easily though( feels it, not visible) hard to elevate at work, so starts to hurt after 7-8 hrs, even with compression socks.PT starts thursday
Linda- i'm also curious to the poop on the roof as well, how did it get there?
Becky- hope the knee feels better, really rest it up and listen to it so you are not on and off. Any Active Release Technique guys around?
Olivia-I'll be happy Not do go anywhere for a bit. Especially driving! Maybe a trip in Nov to Az to visit friends, but since my foot is out of commission,
it will be hard to be in tucson and not be on my trails- maybe i'll hold off until the spring. I am so glad you are doing the run adventure next year.
OK , need to get work done around here
I'm sure there's other stuff, but I'm so happy to have the emoticons...
Quick note: Chica schwag commission total on CafePress was $73.05! I'm going to send Girls on the Run - Dane County a check for $75, along with work's magic matching gift form (triple matches). We did good!
Oh- and I keep forgetting to mention this. Joe and I are going to the Smokey Mountains in western NC this weekend for some hiking, backpacking, and camping!
mmmmmm, s'mores! I'm really looking forward to the trip- it's been a looooong time since Joe and I were able to get away for a weekend of camping in the mountains.
Anyway- we'll be in the Ashville, NC area, which I think is kinda close to Gina. So Gina, if ya wanna do some hiking this weekend- let me know! Oh yeah- and if the travel goes well, this might pave the way for some weekend bike rides out that way
Asheville is about 4 hours from here & if you were gonna be on a MTB, I would drive up. My venture away from the clean lines of Ironman training and racing continues!!
This afternoon I ran on part of the Cumberland Trail. The trees are lovely, it is quiet, and so COMPLETELY different than structured training. Here are a few pics, which never seem to do it justice-
So nice G!!! "I do what I want" is my new mantra these days. SOooooo needed.
Beth--Nice donation from a small group just getting swag we were going to buy anyway!
@Becky, hope the chiro and massage do the trick!!
@Linda and Gina, so jealous but glad you are both getting some change of scenery! I so wanted to go up north and hike the last couple of weekends, but husband's garden and his work took precedence.
@Beth, great job on that one!
So, realized today that I hate my job. The gals that sit in my area are too obnoxious for words and I just feel like strangling them some days! One in particular has a very grating voice and is extremely loud, interrupts ALWAYS and when someone comes in to ask a question she just yells the answer over the partition before I can speak. I was supposed to be back in accounting but Im just doing the same type of work I did when I was in audit and HATED my job so much that I would cry for about two hours every morning. I can, 1) whine and complain, 2) confront these women and tell them to quit being so obnoxious, 3) tell my boss this ain't what I signed up for or.....put my big girl pants on and look for a different job which is what I think I'll do. Nuff whining...move on, learn a lesson. Heck, I'll probably make more money.
Linda - Good mantra! And kindred to my spirit of being pure id lately. =-) Wowsers. Does Ironman ever turn us into disciplined machines? I am rereading Daniels and the phrase that keeps jumping out is that all serious athletes need to seriously stand down for a month once a year and add in a two-week break here and there.
Gina - Have we seen pictures of the new mountain bike? And that looks like an amazing place to be! AMAZING!
Nemo - Have fun! That sounds like a blast.
Tracy - I am also too old for the farmer and the dell and poofy dresses with crinolines. And tiaras.
Sheryl - Jobs are lame! Time to become a professional triathlete? ;-)
I'm roasting my first chicken right now. It is a beauty from a local farm. I predict this is going to be the winter of lots of roasted meat. While the chicken is roasting, I am eating the leftovers of this recipe, with the addition of zucchini. This is my new favorite vegetable recipe.
I also discovered the middle eastern grocery up the street is the new Trader Joe's. I was in there buying feta and pumpkin seeds, but also found chocolate-covered blueberries, dried peaches, roast garlic yogurt spread, tomatoes, granola, and wasabi peas. Get this: almost everything is made in-house. No cookies, but I'll take baklava.
I'm still a little rattled from hearing crazy robbery underneath my window last night. Ugh. Sometimes I hate living alone. Maybe I should get a guard turtle.
Oh Beth- So sorry about the burglary. Scary. Why I can't live in the city.
Linda- Poop on the roof! Poop on the roof! Story! Story! Please?!?!?! (whining)
Becky- be sure you are pedaling with feet flat. I found that I pointed my toes (road bike that was "fit" for me) due to seat being just a touch high. Seriously- millimeters and getting used to new stuff. Now I am very focused and have no problems when I get off road bike.
How is this- I can't ride the TT bike until I put the pedals on. So I am not doing it. I love that bike, but I still don't want to get on and ride it yet. Although I miss having power... But I refuse to hook road bike to computrainer cause I know I will try to race the little tin man. NO NO NO! Be good and chill out!
Stressed at work- Sheryl and Olivia- I hear ya! More like Sheryl- quitting is looking better and better.
Still miss you guys! Can't get on as much, life busy. Miss you all.
scooting for more coffee! no bfast yet waiting on thryoid one hour delay for food!!! and then another 3 hr delay for iron pill!!!! ha haha. Accordin to Dr. Oz.... this is all could be perimenopause!! which can happen in your 30's and also last for a decade!!!! and I was only watching him when I got my nails done!!! somebody told me the other day that I was the most girly girly mt biker she knew!!!! snicker. scooting girls, hugs to all. oh I saw the little Schleiss cows yesterday?? brown, solid blackish and our very own Moo Jo but didn't know which one we were getting?? m
@Michele - thanks, I will be more conscious of how I'm pedaling...
I'm going back for round 2 of my in person fit Friday - taking both current shoes, will come away with 2 pairs of roadies and am hanging up use of the sidi's. I just with the aero pad extension kit would come in... but it doesn't look good. I ordered over a week ago and it still hasn't shipped. If it was on back order I wish they'd just tell me so I can try to find it somewhere else. Grr...
I took last night off. Stretched and iced when I got home. It's better today. Not perfect, but a huge improvement. I have stuff set out to run or swim... we'll see how it feels after another 8 hours off...
My weight is crazy high. I know it's pre-period week and that's always my higher week... but it hasn't been this high since July. I am not happy. Need to not get down about it and really get serious about clean eating... too much eating out... made stuffed zucchini last night... with ground turkey... yumm! But, also had a glass of wine... well, no one is perfect... and it was only one... and when Dan offered me a piece of dk chocolate (my standard dessert), I said no... so improvements are being made.
@Sheryl - hang in there. I've had so many bad jobs I know exactly what you're going through. I would get up and by the time I'd be walking off the metro towards the office I would feel physically ill. I was down all the time... that was probably my first admitted bout of depression where I got help... it's hard to spend so much time in a place you don't like... and really hard to leave it behind when you punch out. I'm still searching for what I love. Some may say I'm fickle and I move around a lot... I prefer to think of it as I know who I am and what I am and what will make me happy and fulfilled... life is too short to stick with something that eats you up inside. Good luck with the job search (it took me a long time to get out of that first bad spot - bc it was shortly after 9/11... and the economy tanked)... but I did get out. Sadly, to another crappy job... but it was at least a step up the ladder which made the next step easier... hugs.
@Beth - glad to hear we made a great cause some cash! If we keep the chica gear going, maybe add to it with sports bras, etc... we can keep the contributions rolling in.
@Nemo - your weekend sounds wonderful. Hope you have a great time!
@Marianne- you shouldn't have to offset anything on your Garmin. Or at least I can't think of anything you need to do other than just sync it up with the PT Hub. But 103 does seem small watts for 18mph speeds. Hmmmmmm. Hopefully R&P can help you out.
I had a nice run this morning and even did a few little pickups. Nothing crazy, just maybe 200 yards of tempo pace to sorta test out the legs. Felt nice to run an "interval" again. It's been a loooooooong time since I allowed myself to do that kinda stuff.
@Nemo & M- thinking that the Garmin is extracting avg power instead of the pnorm we take from WKO. Not sure what the calculation factors are for pnorm but likely that is playing part in the mix.
just ordered my new kit and cycling stuff! I'm happy now but it will be a different story when I get the bill... the garmin, now this...
But, the way I see it, I'm spending money like water (and still have the PM to go - but that will be late Nov/early Dec).. why not just get what I need and be done with it?! No buyer's remorse, the kits are cool... I hope they'll look good with my pink socks and chica visor!
Spent some time at lunch on the athletes treating athletes site doing stretches from Leigh for my IT band and behind the knee... feeling almost 90%... and better when I'm up and moving. Woo hoo. I might try a run tonight... we'll see. The weather is gorgeous so I actually want to!
Becky- Almost 90%? I would stand down, or pool run. Take it from someone who knows. This close to IM, not worth running when not 100% better, all you are doing is setting yopur self for being back to70- 75% or worse and having a crappy ride this weekend. That 90% I take is with NSAIDs on board? Just sayin
Coach P says this all the time. All I can say is that when Keith had his accident I had a two week "break." Swam a few times, rode once. As P explained it, even though I was under stress my body was, at some level, resting. All I can say is that I came back feral. I felt like an animal and ready to take it down. It lasted from mid-July to the 2nd RR. I'll never do another IM build without that break. If I feel I need the full 12 or 20 weeks, then I'll start a few weeks early to build in the swing time. It works, it really does.
Poop on the roof!! LOL! I really didn't ask. After raising four boys, that kind of funny nonsense happens regularly. I take it in, but don't bother to ask. It would be an answer worthy of being in the Jackass movie, so I often pass.
S and 0--crappy jobs and stressful ones blow. I have a client right now that has me in that boat. Dislike mucho.
Becky--stop the minute you feel anythig in the knee, then take to pool running if you have to. Too close now!
walking home from the metro - knee/calf still wasn't right... so I nixed the run and opted for a drainer ride (less admin than going to the pool) - knowing I could get off at the moment it bugged me. I think I isolated the problem... the seat needs to be moved up. During the fit the mechanic told me that I'm not sitting on my sit bones and am wearing out the center part of the saddle (and probably having soft tissue pain after long rides)... so during my Sun flat ride I was consciously pushing myself back in my saddle to sit in the "correct" spot and retrain myself... that is apparently not where I was sitting when he took measurements bc that's when I felt the pain... I was then having to extend my leg too much to finish the pedal stroke. Yay. Instead of stopping the workout 30 min in I just stayed forward in my normal sitting position... will work with him on it tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
Got an email from trivillage - my aero pads will ship in 24 hours. I'll believe it when I get my confirmation... on 10/8 they were supposed to ship in 2-3 days.
Not sure what I'll do tonight. I didn't do the brick so I'm an hour run, a brick run, and a swim down for the week... tomorrow will be my long run... maybe I'll go to the gym and knock out the swim and a run... and just make it a looooong night... I can sleep in tomorrow bc it's my telework day. I can also do my run later in the day (at 4 when I'm off the clock) to give me recovery time. Sat is the long swim so that would work out... who knows.
So, that's it from me... training, dealing with bike fit... thinking about the RR... as much as I'm looking forward to having this behind me (I'm becoming a very one dimensional person), I think I'll be lost without it. Fortunately the holidays will be right there to help me deal with my time... and I suspect Dan will be happy to have me around and not talking about intervals or training or whatever.
Linda - I think my lazy approach to the OS did something similar to your two-week break. I was so physically and mentally ready to do IM training from week one and it definitely paid off. I think the trick must be to plan rest, before your body plans it for you. My working theory is that if I rest now and am super-kind to my body and let it tell me what to do, then when I get to the OS, body will be ready to be faster and fitter. =-)
Nemo - Thinking of you and Joe on your beautiful hike!
Olivia - Marathon relay sounds fun. And isn't a large part of racing all about looking awesome?
New joys in life? Cold roast chicken and The Lazarus Project. I've read half a book in two days. It is seriously one of the best stories I've read.
I finally finished photographing all the dishes I collected this summer for my etsy store. I had forgotten how many amazing things I've found. And proof I was doing something besides being a triathlete this summer!
@Becky, how are you feeling today? Been thinking about you through out the day!
@Beth, totally want to see all your for sale stuff!
@everyone - hoping all have a great weekend.
Final straw today at work. My boss had each of us come in before he left for Europe (business) to let us know what our increases and bonus amounts are. I started there in April. Within a month I had uncovered fraudulent reporting to the government to the tune of 100's of 1000's of lbs of alcohol. Controller immediately was fired (he was hanging by a thread anyway) and I was put in the plant accountant position. Haven't done a lick of accounting work since they put me there. Apparently because I was an auditor in my past life, a job I HATED and left during a voluntary layoff, it made total sense to my boss to not have me do the job outlined in my job description but to have me become the big hated auditor and perform those types of duties!!! Now, cue the meeting today. Because the person who hired me neglected to establish any sort of goals for me....I get no bonus. Not my fault and I was measured against the goals of the person I initially replaced but I still have no bonus in spite of saving the company $1000's in penalties and fines!!!! ARRRGGGGG
. Total performance BS in my mind. So....I'm getting my transcripts sent to the only college in the state where I can obtain the licensure to teach business courses at the high school level and I'm going to quit at some point when the great and powerful OZ gives me some courage. Ugh...Ok. enough obsessing about me....
Have a great weekend all!!! Marianne, good luck tomorrow!!!