I CANNOT believe that Otto stood for that outing!! He's a sport! Snowcat is AWESOME too.
OK and I really need that hat!! Did you order it from the store? That would look soooooo much better than the idiot hat that I always wear when I'm out XC skiing or running in the mountains.
It is really great that you got to meet more teammates in Dallas. That's when this whole network is extra special.
Oh yeah, and if you're up to running whenever you do finally make it to C'ville, my sister said you are welcome to join their Saturday AM run and post-run breakfast! She also recommended just hanging out on the downtown mall, the Mellow Mushroom, and even some of the wineries in the area (they got married at one of them last May...so she's biased).
Linda, I'm so glad you took your own advice. I had no doubt you'd do the right thing. Glad to see you back and that you're feeling good about the recovery you've given yourself.
Robin, what does Esther think about the snow...bet she wants to play in it...and your boys too!! Woo hooo!!
So. Any day now I'd think we're going to see some pics of Anabelle. Right?
Decided to start my transition as of today. The sun was shining in a clear blue mountain sky and I could not fathom the bike indoors!! Big pot of chili on my stove tonight. My cornbread maker is doing his part now. Soon we will feast on a nice hearty meal, paired with Spanish wine. Yum!
very cute snow pics!! ours is now ice. not enough for a snowman though.... but got to sleep in again!! so 3 x!! figuring out my menus/ what' for dinner Mom kept me occupied yesterday on a "rest day" and today hope to nail down bfast and lunches/snacks! drop dead day for me personally is today!! anyway we have church and I have another mission Guatemalal meeting where we practice the skits we are doing for the kids! m and ps, Linda you don't have an old bod!!
soooooo cute!!!! love them. thanks for sharing, brought a smile to my face. going to movies with kids later on... snow is melting and sun is out..another rest day for me. but popcorn!!! m
Oh Gina, Annabelle is a complete DOLL!!!!! Don't stop with the pics.! They are so wonderful!! Definately brought a smile to my face!!! You have to love dogs, and puppies especially!!!!! I bet Indie is happy!!
I was going to PM everyone about this, but that seems to be on the fritz. I had a convo with P the other day (truly a fantastic person), and one of his goals is to focus on what makes the women vibe and experience here in EN so special. The focus is less about driving membership than finding ways to enhance this experience and make it better for us all currently here, and new women who come in.
Would you all mind taking a few minutes address a few of the following ideas--or add completely different thoughts! He wants to compile an overview of what the team is thinking and feeling.
Why you think EN works so well for all of us here
How has this community of women helped you in training or otherwise
What you get out of it
What do/can we offer women new to the team, or new to the HIM /IM distance
Anything you would like to see happen in EN to support the women
Any other thoughts/ideas welcome
You don't have to answer the list specifically .It's just a tickler to get you thinking. Thanks for helping, and together we'll make the EN Chicka vibe rock even louder!
Thanks, Linda and P for putting this out there...I've always wanted to tell peeps in EN how much I appreciate this forum, so I guess now is my chance!
I'm still feeling like a relative noob in this forum, but the main thing that comes to mind is SUPPORT. Not only in racing and training, but also in everyday kinds of things. A couple thiings I've observed in my 1st year in the haus of why it works:
1. RnP, the charter members and the WSMs set an amazing example of what EN is all about and immediately tuck you into the fold...no questions asked. They lead you along the way of the haus w/o you having to feel inferior about where you are in your triathlon journey. They celebrate every tri success with you and support you when you have had a bad tri experience. And make you LYAO!
2. I feel EN works for me and so many others because RnP put work hard to help us stay focused on LIFE and not just TRI...designing workout plans that fit into busy lives and still seeing results! If we're talking strictly women here, it's refreshing to know that SOMEONE is out there thinking of the busy lady balancing work, home, family and oh yeah, squeezing in that bike ride at 5 am!
3. The women of EN are incredible! I come to this forum on a good day, a bad day, any day! They are there with words of encouragement, a laugh, a virtual hug and cute puppy pics! They help solve problems not only in tri but also in life. They offer so many different voices of wisdom and reason! And so very very welcoming! Any time some one new pops into the forum, they are always welcomed by more than 1 lady in here. That's top notch and classy.
4. How has this community of women helped me? Coming into this forum everyday, hearing what everyone else is doing, hearing what everyone else is struggling with has been a huge mental help. It helps to keep things in perspective and also to know that I'm now the only chicka out there who may be thinking the same thing or struggling with the same thing!
A thought for new women- what about woman to woman mentors for EN? I know Kitima (she lives right near me and we did IMLP 07 together) has been sort of mentor for me this year with my new PM. She's been a lifesaver! And it's been great being able to email someone with my questions (I have a little forum phobia sometimes about asking questions!)
I guess that's all my thoughts for now...I'm sure some will pop into my head tomorrow while I'm driving!
Off to watch the probowl and a good night's sleep before tomorrow's TT!!! Good week to everyone!
Linda, read your questions but no time to answer so I am not ignoring!! okay Tooth Fairy was downright an adorably cute movie!! Duane Johnson, Ashley Judd and Julie Andrews made for a good cast... popcorn tasted great too... signing off and catch up with y'all later... gonna try running on pavement tomorrow morn cuz I got a PT appt!! smile. supposed to be 25 at 7 a.m. so a tad cold for the bike.. another smile... so gonna upload some new songs and enjoy the morning... onwards on laying out what we are eating tomorrow! y'all have a good evening.. m
Cute puppy pictures! And there can never be too many of them. And cute snowman pictures, too!
In the land of suckage, my boyfriend broke up with me on Friday night and demanded I leave the house immediately. Dude. I'm not even quite sure why. Did I see it coming? Nope. I was ordering sheets and working on redecorating the bedroom earlier in the day. Best theory so far? Alien invasion. Dash and I are camped out at my sister's haus -- so company in the pain cave! I am very thankful I can pull out the triathlete skills now. 1) Breathe. Take a drink of water. Observe the situation. Decide what you need to do. Do it. 2) And I think it is good for the broken heart to see that the legs and the arms and the rest of my body still work. Run. Pedal. Everything will work itself out.
I will definitely think about the RnP question. Thoughtful answers on the way.
Beth- I am glad to hear from you. Was worried after the FB post. Not enough right words to console- we are here for you! We loves ya!
Gina- OMG- ditching the cat, moving to the country and gettin me a crop of adorable lab puppies... ok, not enough furniture to last puppies (multiple)... maybe just 1.. or 2
Linda- will give it some thought and respond back tomorrow.
Leigh- I bow to your beerness! You are so TOTALLY rocking those watts baby! Keep 'er going!
Fellow EN chicks- there are getting to be so many don't want to leave anyone out!! Ran the trails today- 5"+ snow and 1 degree at start. Amazingly enough, I was never cold (even though I stepped in numerous mud/creeks), but made sure I changed out of wet/cold stuff right away. It was truly a beautiful run- tricky on some of the footing and the second trail had fresh snow- not another soul had tracked it up yet. Felt like a pup in the snow having to jump as you sunk in. Some drift of 8" or so made it interesting. Ran 11 today- trail race is next weekend 15 miler! Did my yoga to stretch out the sore muscles and old bones. My daughter turned 25 today (wow!) so we had birthday dinner tonight and played Let's Dance on the Wii - what a workout!
but also get the time it takes to swim that 50... add in the #of strokes and the time it took and then the next time you swim it, try to lower that number! I am horrible on #of strokes..... just horrible!! coffee and cinn rolls for kids about ready so gotta scoot. wish me luck on my "pavement" run today!! uploaded Michael Jackson "Can you Feel It" "Blame it on the boogie", "Shake your body"...but also Sheryl Crow Lean on Me, Hallelujah but Justin Timberlake (from haiti Cd)
Beth- Glad to see you check in. I was worried after your FB post on Friday. Just know you have our support, even if from a distance.
Linda- I will give some thoughts to your questions. The short answer is the vibe here, particularly in the Chicka forum.
Well, little Anabelle is simply a love bug. Right now she is sacked out in her crate after breakfast and a play session. I have taken the week off to get her settled in and I will work on house projects also.
With all the puppy action, I failed to mention that we did get about 5 inches of snow on Friday. It was beautiful, but now a slushy, melty mess. Don't know how you Tundra folks deal for months on end!!
Beth - so sorry about your situation! Be strong, friend.
Linda - I have nothing but warm, fuzzy feelings about this forum, but I'll have to think about how to articulate them.
Kris - that trail run sounds amazing!
Gina - what a good dog mom you are, taking the week off to settle Anabelle in. I wish all of my clients would do that, or, at the very least, prepare for a puppy before bringing one home!
Kris- 25? Really? That just doesn't seem possible!
Beth- you know we are all here for you- whatever you need! Thankyou for checking in and letting us know you are OK- we were worried.
OK- Marianne & Tracy- when exactly do you guys leave for your volunteer work? We need to have a virtual send-off party!
Gina- all I said was "so honey, you remember Gina right? well she just got a new puppy and......" Joe immediately broke in with "oh no- we are not getting a dog!" :-)
I'm in a hotel right in Richmond. We drove up here last night so we could beat the traffic through Norfolk. We're about 1 hour from Charlottsville where I have the appt with the UVA stride analysis guy. I'm really hoping he can help me figure out this calf thing so I can get fixed up and back into training. I'm going nuts!
Linda- I need to give your questions some thought. It's hard to articulate what makes this so special. I'm just so thankful we have it!
@ Gina- it's official. I'm trading my cats in for a puppy. She is so damn cute!!
@Kris- thanks!! the TT was funny as hell. Really cool vibe and some freakishly talented people. the case of beer will last me forever (I'm such a lightweight!)
@Linda- I was talking about this the other day actually. Dave always jokes and calls me a women's forum lurker and he's right. I spend far more time reading this thread than I do responding to it. As one of the younger peeps, I can't always contribute to the more serious discussions about kids and life, but it's pretty damn cool to know that those kinds of discussions do exist in the house and that if I had something serious I wanted to talk about I have 100% confidence I could post it in here for some feedback and real world experience. It's also just refreshing, y'know??
The house is primarily number hungry and results oriented (as it should be when focusing on getting faster, fitter, etc) and while I absoutely love and thrive on that in the motivation front, this forum always provides a good reminder for me to step back and enjoy and live the rest of my life. Feeling burned out and tired?? I log on and find vacation and puppy pics or stories of date night or family outtings. Feeling on top of the world?? I log on to find tough discussions about illness, job loss etc- stuff that could happen to anyone.
Sorry to ramble. Still waking up but wanted to chime in.
Beth: Glad to hear from you! I was worried too after reading your FB post. So sorry about the sudden break-up!! They are never fun situations---especially when it involves being uprooted from your home. The upside is that you come to realize that you don't need much more than your bike and running shoes (after my divorce, I declared that I didn't need anything that didn't fit into my car) and that HOME is where you are loved (So welcome home, chica!). Do what you need to heal up, girlfriend. Whatever you need, just ask...we're here for you.
Nemo: Love the snowcat---and Otto too! Could you and Kris send some of that snow up here to NY? I want to ski!
Gina: Soooo cute is Annabelle! I'm with Leigh...the cat is getting swapped for a puppy.
Kris: What a lovely run you had! Snow and cold in KY...still?! If those conditions persist for your race, consider putting sheet metal screws into your running shoes for some traction. I use #8 x 1/2 inch sheet metal screws. Here's a good link for screw shoes: http://www.competitiverunner.com/screwshoes.html or http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm They are better than YakTraks which tend to fall off in heavy, wet snow.
Linda: To answer your questions in my typical long-winded manner: It seems that my job (surgery) and my hobbies (triathlon, mtb) are male predominant activities. While I really do love that locker-room, testosterone-laden, drive/drive/drive vibe that comes with it, I am a lil peep and often get exhausted trying to keep up with the boyz. Not to imply that our gender is weak/overly coddling or that their gender is cutthroat and dog-eat-dog, but it's nice to hang out with girls after a long day of playing with the guys. The vibe here is completely supportive, empathetic, and non-judgemental.
What more can EN do for us? I think the whole Cowgirl movement of this season and the support for it has been utterly amazing. We should plan on an annual or semiannual EN Chicka rally (like that 2011 Colorado get-together).
Swim golf was FUN. I like it. It's nice if it's one of the last sets too because once you try it a couple of times, you look forward to it at the end.
I now have a good reason for swimming during the out season. OMW....to get in after nearly four months of not swimming...it was awful. One of my swimming buddies told me it would be better in a month. From now on I'm swimming at least a 1500 a couple of times a week during the out season.
Beth, sorry girls I am not on FB,,, I liked it a bunch but it was taking some time.. so I got off, might revisit it, but not today.... so whatever happened, ditto to what the girls said.... a big hug and some warm butternut squash sent to you... and of course a box of chocolates!!! smile. again another hug... and of course a cute little hug to our newest dog in da Haus, annabelle! digging my way out of laundry but glad I snuck a look back in here. m
Beth, I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. Breakups suck. Just know that eventually this will end. Please feel free to e-mail if I can be of any help.
Comments
OK and I really need that hat!! Did you order it from the store? That would look soooooo much better than the idiot hat that I always wear when I'm out XC skiing or running in the mountains.
It is really great that you got to meet more teammates in Dallas. That's when this whole network is extra special.
Oh yeah, and if you're up to running whenever you do finally make it to C'ville, my sister said you are welcome to join their Saturday AM run and post-run breakfast! She also recommended just hanging out on the downtown mall, the Mellow Mushroom, and even some of the wineries in the area (they got married at one of them last May...so she's biased).
Linda, I'm so glad you took your own advice. I had no doubt you'd do the right thing. Glad to see you back and that you're feeling good about the recovery you've given yourself.
Robin, what does Esther think about the snow...bet she wants to play in it...and your boys too!! Woo hooo!!
So. Any day now I'd think we're going to see some pics of Anabelle. Right?
Decided to start my transition as of today. The sun was shining in a clear blue mountain sky and I could not fathom the bike indoors!! Big pot of chili on my stove tonight. My cornbread maker is doing his part now. Soon we will feast on a nice hearty meal, paired with Spanish wine. Yum!
HERE SHE IS !!!!!
More to come
Gina--You are going to kill us all with cuteness overload. It is just amazing. You must feel so good to see that snuggling with Indie!
aw, Gina, she's beautiful! Isn't "puppy smell" great?! I loved sticking my nose in Bailey's fur and taking a deep breath!
Here are a few more of Anabelle !! I promise I will stop. Until tomorrow.
Gina, no more pictures, please. My ears are bleeding from Joanne's screams that she wants a chocolate girl
Hi Ladies!
I was going to PM everyone about this, but that seems to be on the fritz. I had a convo with P the other day (truly a fantastic person), and one of his goals is to focus on what makes the women vibe and experience here in EN so special. The focus is less about driving membership than finding ways to enhance this experience and make it better for us all currently here, and new women who come in.
Would you all mind taking a few minutes address a few of the following ideas--or add completely different thoughts! He wants to compile an overview of what the team is thinking and feeling.
You don't have to answer the list specifically .It's just a tickler to get you thinking. Thanks for helping, and together we'll make the EN Chicka vibe rock even louder!
LP
That puppy melts my heart! We have a black lab that we rescued at about 10 months. I bet he looked just like this one at that age!!
Finally got outside for my first ride in NorCal. Beautiful weather, great time. Nothing better than that.
I'm still feeling like a relative noob in this forum, but the main thing that comes to mind is SUPPORT. Not only in racing and training, but also in everyday kinds of things. A couple thiings I've observed in my 1st year in the haus of why it works:
1. RnP, the charter members and the WSMs set an amazing example of what EN is all about and immediately tuck you into the fold...no questions asked. They lead you along the way of the haus w/o you having to feel inferior about where you are in your triathlon journey. They celebrate every tri success with you and support you when you have had a bad tri experience. And make you LYAO!
2. I feel EN works for me and so many others because RnP put work hard to help us stay focused on LIFE and not just TRI...designing workout plans that fit into busy lives and still seeing results! If we're talking strictly women here, it's refreshing to know that SOMEONE is out there thinking of the busy lady balancing work, home, family and oh yeah, squeezing in that bike ride at 5 am!
3. The women of EN are incredible! I come to this forum on a good day, a bad day, any day! They are there with words of encouragement, a laugh, a virtual hug and cute puppy pics! They help solve problems not only in tri but also in life. They offer so many different voices of wisdom and reason! And so very very welcoming! Any time some one new pops into the forum, they are always welcomed by more than 1 lady in here. That's top notch and classy.
4. How has this community of women helped me? Coming into this forum everyday, hearing what everyone else is doing, hearing what everyone else is struggling with has been a huge mental help. It helps to keep things in perspective and also to know that I'm now the only chicka out there who may be thinking the same thing or struggling with the same thing!
A thought for new women- what about woman to woman mentors for EN? I know Kitima (she lives right near me and we did IMLP 07 together) has been sort of mentor for me this year with my new PM. She's been a lifesaver! And it's been great being able to email someone with my questions (I have a little forum phobia sometimes about asking questions!)
I guess that's all my thoughts for now...I'm sure some will pop into my head tomorrow while I'm driving!
Off to watch the probowl and a good night's sleep before tomorrow's TT!!! Good week to everyone!
So was it Zoe? Annabelle? Zoe? Annabelle? Until you met her and decided?
Cute puppy pictures! And there can never be too many of them.
And cute snowman pictures, too! 
In the land of suckage, my boyfriend broke up with me on Friday night and demanded I leave the house immediately.
Dude. I'm not even quite sure why. Did I see it coming? Nope. I was ordering sheets and working on redecorating the bedroom earlier in the day. Best theory so far? Alien invasion. Dash and I are camped out at my sister's haus -- so company in the pain cave! I am very thankful I can pull out the triathlete skills now. 1) Breathe. Take a drink of water. Observe the situation. Decide what you need to do. Do it. 2) And I think it is good for the broken heart to see that the legs and the arms and the rest of my body still work. Run. Pedal. Everything will work itself out.
I will definitely think about the RnP question. Thoughtful answers on the way.
And, please. Bring on the cute.
Gina- OMG- ditching the cat, moving to the country and gettin me a crop of adorable lab puppies... ok, not enough furniture to last puppies (multiple)... maybe just 1.. or 2
Linda- will give it some thought and respond back tomorrow.
Leigh- I bow to your beerness! You are so TOTALLY rocking those watts baby! Keep 'er going!
Fellow EN chicks- there are getting to be so many don't want to leave anyone out!! Ran the trails today- 5"+ snow and 1 degree at start. Amazingly enough, I was never cold (even though I stepped in numerous mud/creeks), but made sure I changed out of wet/cold stuff right away. It was truly a beautiful run- tricky on some of the footing and the second trail had fresh snow- not another soul had tracked it up yet. Felt like a pup in the snow having to jump as you sunk in. Some drift of 8" or so made it interesting. Ran 11 today- trail race is next weekend 15 miler! Did my yoga to stretch out the sore muscles and old bones. My daughter turned 25 today (wow!) so we had birthday dinner tonight and played Let's Dance on the Wii - what a workout!
Night all! Sweet dreams!
Guys....what is swim golf? I know...I'll look it up....nevermind. I found it.
That puppy is so cute....I love puppies. Their feet smell like fritoes...
Beth..sorry about your situation. I hope things get better.
Beth- Glad to see you check in. I was worried after your FB post on Friday. Just know you have our support, even if from a distance.
Linda- I will give some thoughts to your questions. The short answer is the vibe here, particularly in the Chicka forum.
Well, little Anabelle is simply a love bug. Right now she is sacked out in her crate after breakfast and a play session. I have taken the week off to get her settled in and I will work on house projects also.
With all the puppy action, I failed to mention that we did get about 5 inches of snow on Friday. It was beautiful, but now a slushy, melty mess. Don't know how you Tundra folks deal for months on end!!
file:///Users/souzchef/Desktop/MOV01655.MPG
Linda - I have nothing but warm, fuzzy feelings about this forum, but I'll have to think about how to articulate them.
Kris - that trail run sounds amazing!
Gina - what a good dog mom you are, taking the week off to settle Anabelle in. I wish all of my clients would do that, or, at the very least, prepare for a puppy before bringing one home!
Beth- you know we are all here for you- whatever you need! Thankyou for checking in and letting us know you are OK- we were worried.
OK- Marianne & Tracy- when exactly do you guys leave for your volunteer work? We need to have a virtual send-off party!
Gina- all I said was "so honey, you remember Gina right? well she just got a new puppy and......" Joe immediately broke in with "oh no- we are not getting a dog!" :-)
I'm in a hotel right in Richmond. We drove up here last night so we could beat the traffic through Norfolk. We're about 1 hour from Charlottsville where I have the appt with the UVA stride analysis guy. I'm really hoping he can help me figure out this calf thing so I can get fixed up and back into training. I'm going nuts!
Linda- I need to give your questions some thought. It's hard to articulate what makes this so special. I'm just so thankful we have it!
@ Gina- it's official. I'm trading my cats in for a puppy. She is so damn cute!!
@Kris- thanks!! the TT was funny as hell. Really cool vibe and some freakishly talented people. the case of beer will last me forever (I'm such a lightweight!)
@Linda- I was talking about this the other day actually. Dave always jokes and calls me a women's forum lurker and he's right. I spend far more time reading this thread than I do responding to it. As one of the younger peeps, I can't always contribute to the more serious discussions about kids and life, but it's pretty damn cool to know that those kinds of discussions do exist in the house and that if I had something serious I wanted to talk about I have 100% confidence I could post it in here for some feedback and real world experience. It's also just refreshing, y'know??
The house is primarily number hungry and results oriented (as it should be when focusing on getting faster, fitter, etc) and while I absoutely love and thrive on that in the motivation front, this forum always provides a good reminder for me to step back and enjoy and live the rest of my life. Feeling burned out and tired?? I log on and find vacation and puppy pics or stories of date night or family outtings. Feeling on top of the world?? I log on to find tough discussions about illness, job loss etc- stuff that could happen to anyone.
Sorry to ramble. Still waking up but wanted to chime in.
Beth: Glad to hear from you! I was worried too after reading your FB post. So sorry about the sudden break-up!! They are never fun situations---especially when it involves being uprooted from your home. The upside is that you come to realize that you don't need much more than your bike and running shoes (after my divorce, I declared that I didn't need anything that didn't fit into my car) and that HOME is where you are loved (So welcome home, chica!). Do what you need to heal up, girlfriend. Whatever you need, just ask...we're here for you.
Nemo: Love the snowcat---and Otto too! Could you and Kris send some of that snow up here to NY? I want to ski!
Gina: Soooo cute is Annabelle! I'm with Leigh...the cat is getting swapped for a puppy.
Kris: What a lovely run you had! Snow and cold in KY...still?! If those conditions persist for your race, consider putting sheet metal screws into your running shoes for some traction. I use #8 x 1/2 inch sheet metal screws. Here's a good link for screw shoes: http://www.competitiverunner.com/screwshoes.html or http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm They are better than YakTraks which tend to fall off in heavy, wet snow.
Linda: To answer your questions in my typical long-winded manner: It seems that my job (surgery) and my hobbies (triathlon, mtb) are male predominant activities. While I really do love that locker-room, testosterone-laden, drive/drive/drive vibe that comes with it, I am a lil peep and often get exhausted trying to keep up with the boyz. Not to imply that our gender is weak/overly coddling or that their gender is cutthroat and dog-eat-dog, but it's nice to hang out with girls after a long day of playing with the guys. The vibe here is completely supportive, empathetic, and non-judgemental.
What more can EN do for us? I think the whole Cowgirl movement of this season and the support for it has been utterly amazing. We should plan on an annual or semiannual EN Chicka rally (like that 2011 Colorado get-together).
Swim golf was FUN. I like it. It's nice if it's one of the last sets too because once you try it a couple of times, you look forward to it at the end.
I now have a good reason for swimming during the out season. OMW....to get in after nearly four months of not swimming...it was awful. One of my swimming buddies told me it would be better in a month. From now on I'm swimming at least a 1500 a couple of times a week during the out season.