Runnin' Dan's Blog

RE: A first "Tri" report

annrose — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:46:08 GMT

From reading a lot of others' experiences on their first TRI's, I think you did quite well. Soon you'll be an "old pro."

(Sinking in the water while swimming seems to be a problem men have. My husband had the same problem when he tried swimming--his legs kept sinking, so now he doesn't want to try anymore.)

In my comment on your previous post, I mentioned a wonderful lady that lives in my area.... I finally got to meet her, and I'm kind of "star-struck!" She was on TV this spring--on the "Today Show." She loves TRI's apparently, as she is signed up to do a half ironman triathlon ("Troika") on August 3; last month she did an Olympic distance....Her strength is running; she's OK at swimming (I went swimming with her), but she still is nervous in the water during events.

RE: Getting older or just getting better?

annrose — Sat, 10 May 2008 00:30:04 GMT

Congratulations on your birthday and upcoming anniversary! Appreciated reading how you turned your life around in the past 10 years! There's a lady that lives in my general area, a teacher, a few years younger than me, who also turned her life around dramatically several years ago by losing over 100 pounds, taking up running--running 5Ks, 10Ks', half and full marathons, plus a few tri's, plus went through surgery--who has been quite an inspiration to many. One of her goals is to do a marathon in every state. I have exchanged messages with her online, and I'm going to see if I can meet her once school is out for the summer. She is a faster runner than I am, but maybe we could do some swimming in the lake, since open water swimming requires a buddy to be safer. (She has her own website, www.msteechur.com.)

So what did you think about Lance's performance in the Boston? (Since you both hail from Austin, wondering what you think about him and if you've ever seen him. He's in the news again, urging Congress to do more about cancer.)

RE: Today's Brick

annrose — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:05:57 GMT

I agree with..."too funny!" Sorry, I'm back again, but your blog is so well-written and I really enjoy it. I know a little from what I've read about aero bars, but I wouldn't have suspected they would take some practice to use. Hopefully, you and your bike are doing much better now. I'll look forward to hearing about your swimming adventures! (Oh, and watch out for that pergo floor!)

RE: Today's Brick

Chrisema — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:00:03 GMT

I'm LMAO!!!! Seriously, sitting at my desk, LOL!!!

Too funny!

I'm glad you made home in one piece.

Me thinks we will not be doing many workouts together; no way can I ride OR run that fast!

C

RE: "Tri" ing something new

annrose — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:03:19 GMT

Yes, I know stretching is important, and I've been very diligent lately. Just before I noticed my groin injury, I think I skimped a little because I was on vacation and thought I was taking it easy. But also I think it may have been due to my new shoes not being adjusted to fit properly, and the fact that the 10K I did in mid-December was mostly on trail, with some uneven ground, which probably caused more twisting of my foot upon impact. I also went back to using orthothotic inserts to keep my feet from rolling inward too much. I am much better now. I've also considered doing a triathlon. There is one in June that has both a competitive and a recreational division. What is holding me back isn't my swimming skill (good) or anything, it's a matter of equipment. I hate cold water, and in Washington State even in the summer, I'm not sure that the lakes get very warm. Most people here wear wetsuits, which can be pretty expensive, though maybe it's possible to rent one. Then there's my bike. It's only three years old, but it is just a $350 Trek hybrid, which weighs close to 30 pounds. I can't get much speed on any terrain that's not flat as a pancake. (Also Washington tends to be hilly.) I would like to get something lighter, but not pay a fortune. There are road bikes and there are also special tri-bikes. For just one or two triathlons, I think a road bike would be fine, if I can find one that's suitable for me, that is light enough that it doesn't require a weight-lifting work-out to put it into the rack on my car! (That's really the big thing--the weight, which, of course, doesn't bother my 6-foot husband but is a problem for the petite wife!) Have you seen this website about triathlon's? (It's quite interesting, with stories of people's first triathlons, and lots of advice.) http://www.beginnertriathlete.com Have fun! - annrose

RE: What not to do one week after the marathon

austxdan — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:10:01 GMT

annrose,

I don't want to sound hypocritical here, because I'm often guilty of this as well, but perhaps you are not stretching enough. Stretching before running, especially a speed workout, is critical to help avoiding injuries. C is better than I am at this, but I try to stretch both before and after a run. Obviously before the run for this blog entry I was guilty of not stretching enough prior to the run and then pushing myself. So . . . guilty as charged!

Dan

RE: What not to do one week after the marathon

annrose — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:06:21 GMT

Sorry about your calf pain. I've been dealing with a groin pull for over two months. I'm a new runner, and this is my first injury from running. I didn't even know what was wrong at first. I first noticed the discomfort two weeks after my very, very first race (a 10K), but I had race fever and went ahead and did a 5K after taking a few days off. Serious ouches afterward. I want to do another 10K in May, and I'm really keeping my fingers crossed here. It's especially frustrating in that I was really working on my speed in November and December, and now I can't do much. My goal was to get below a 10 minute mile on a one mile run and get my 5K pace down to as close to 30 minutes as possible. (My 5K with injury was 38:58.)
-annrose

RE: 2008 AT&T Austin Marathon post-mortem

Johana — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:04:45 GMT

I am not sure what I expected at the Austin Marathon, but it it was really wierd for me to speed up a lot the last 10K over the section from 15-20. That said, what an impressively organized race and course. I live in a hilly area and have been trying to figure out if I could have duplicated the 6 mile climb from 12-18 and decided I could not. What a beautiful day and marathon.