No, it's not that bad, just a tad tight at first. I'll get the BODY GLIDE, though, anyway. I'm becoming addicted to the HRM. It's kinda' fun playing with all the buttons and gadgets!

oh you have no idea how that addiction can take over!

Pace, HR, Zones, it becomes a little obsession, doing the math for a race of X length and then Y length etc etc.

Crazy!

So I know that Triathlon culture is a nitch culture but with all our exchanges here do you get the feeling we are the only two people in all of outsports that cares anything about actual training let alone Tri specific training? I know I am a little extreme with my 8-11 hours a week. But hardly any other word from anyone else.

It's like were are alone in here..............a big room and no one else to play with us.................guess if it is just you and me we can take off all our clothes and RUN AROUND NAKED and nobody will care or see?!

I guess the majority of outsports is about sport as a spectator situation and about a social networking place as spectators not actually people in the threads doing sports?............maybe I'm wrong.........Thoughts on that? ............ .anyone?...............Bueller?...............Bueller?

I'm with you, Coach! It's crazy, just you and me! Maybe, we ought to get a room!

Just consider us the leaders of the pack...pioneers...founding fathers...trailblazers!

Somehow, I don't mind.

I have actually been reading your posts out of curiosity. It's great that the two of you are seriously into triathlon. But, FWIW the are other people on Outsports that actually particpate and not just spectate with regard to sports. I know of guys that play Softball, Tennis, Flag Football and Basketball. There are also guys that swim and bike. Of course I run, but I am probably not as serious as I could be. I would agree though that most who visit this site, discuss their favorite team or athlete. I am guessing people don't post about their own sports because it lacks the excitement of college or the pros, where many share an opinion.

Philly Runner thank you for your response.

If that pick is you I am sure you are plenty fast enough as a runner!!!!!

Please feel free to chime in more..........maybe we will talk you into doing a du or triathlon!?

I come to philly a few times a year to get my instrument worked on.

I like the town!

Best,

Drew

Great to hear from you, phillyrunner! I second what Erstegeigert writes. I'm a runner, too. I wanted a new challenge. Hence, my interest in triathlons. How about you? I'm still kind of scared about it, but it is worth it. Drew's a good coach!

Cheers,
BBC

No that pic is not me, it is Shane Victorino of the Phillies. I am a bit older than him

I used to think about doing a Tri but always felt it would take too much training time. Before taking up running I swam for years, but I reached a point where due to an injury I just didn't feel competitive enough at it. Anyway, these days I run for because I enjoy it and fitness it delivers, but still do several races every year.

If you are in town and want to do a run let me know.

I thought the same thing about tris, phillyrunner, but Drew has shown that the time commitment is not as great as I once thought. He juggles a career in music and teaching, and I am writing a dissertation and teaching, not to mention a myriad of other commitments in everyone's life. It's about structuring that time and giving yourself a mental edge.

The only competition I'm looking for is with myself. I started running for the fitness benefits and to blow off steam. I am looking at tris as a way to continue that fitness through cross-training, before I blow a knee out due to over-training in one area. But I want to push myself further too. I turned 45 in February, and I've given up hope that the NFL will draft me in the first round as starting QB. But I've still got a lot left in me.

Part of the inspiration came from reading about [/i][i] Overachiever's Diary[i] by Louis Tharp and his story here at Outsports. Pick it up. It might change your mind. Inspiration is also coming from Drew and this thread. How can I back down now, after everything he has offered and my postings on the board?

I look forward to a run with you the next time I'm in Philly!

Thanks, Drew for the link to <http://endurancenation.us> The site is very helpful. Most helpful for now is the EnSwimEBook that I downloaded. As I'm sitting at the computer I keep practicing head rotation in line with the rest of my body, so I'm doing all sorts of contortions. As the instructions say, "keep your head in line with your spine as if a spike was driven through them." YIKES!!

In the swim, I imagine it's quite a free for all, and you must get kicked, jabbed, and what not. How do you keep from losing teeth?

How's your training going?
BBC

We call it "the blender" or "the human blender"

1600-2600 of your closest friends trying to get out of the water as fast as fitness allows.

It has also be called a nice Hour warmup to your day (anywhere up to 1:15 is a good time for irondistance swim) before you jump on bike for 112 miles and run a marathon...............it is only 10% of the day or less so not really to hard if your technique is ok.

Today did my bike with a friend of mine, but had flat........have been having too many of those recently, still have to do my 40 min run and things getting pretty tight here between Madame Butterfly this weekend (IT WILL ROCK!) and my solo coming up with or Orchestra April 26th and 27th.......busy busy................

Might have to liten up my load until then depending on practice life......or focus only on run with an occasional swim to save my arms from the bike for 6+ hours a week.

Recenlty I have not been able to DIG deep for my new level of bike fitness. I can do ok, but never get my my zone 3 and 4 unless with someone pushing or pulling me to get my butt in gear. It can be hard to "work" but the work pays off when I do it.

How's school for you? Keeping busy? Signed up for your first tri yet?
Spending time outside for bike yet?

Best,

Drew

Human Blender? Sounds fun, I hope!

Have fun with Madame Butterfly and the solo later this month.

Biking outside? Not yet, it's still cold up here in the morning. Possibly by next week, I'll be zone-testing outside.

As for school, well my own work is going well. I'm presenting a paper this weekend in New York. As for teaching, well, I have term papers coming from three classes starting next week. So, I expect that grandmothers will start expiring soon. Funny, it's usually no other relative. But if you are a grandmother and your grandchild is a college student with a C or below average, Watch Out! This is not a good time of year for you! Gee! Come to think of it, my grandmother died twice when I was in college.

Cheers,

BBC

Have a ton more questions and will post them as soon as I organize them a bit more.

With the swim some of the more popular tris have wave starts where you self select which group to start with.

every 10-20 or 30 seconds a new group starts.

It can take a LONG time to get the whole race in the water, but is little safer.

I have yet to do an Ironswim group start from open water. IM Ky this year had such rains they had to change the swim course as the river was running to fast.

So we did a 1 at a time start and the whole group took about 20-30 minutes to get every one of the 1600+ of us in the water. (I was 26th in the water which was why I was one of the fastest for a tiny bit of time for my age group, until all the faster swimmers passed me.)

Off to do 3 miles at threshold pace. Ugh................

Drew

Well, how diid the 3 mile run at threshold pace go? I bet it was a piece of cake for you.

I'm keeping to my average 154 bpm in my runs. My legs are kinda' sore tonight, though. Rather than swimming or spinning I went running too many times this week.

How often do you count strokes in the pool? And how many strokes do you take before a breath?

Guten Nacht!

BBC

It was easier than last weeks hard run but not easy. That's the joy of Threshold.

My challenge for running is the combination of HR or Zone running and pace. For example today (IN THE RAIN...........probably will be on treadmill at gym) I have to do 1:30 run with warmup in zone one (HR below 146) then most of my time in zone 2 (147-157) and they claim that puts me close to my Mary pace but not at it (8:33) I hope to be around 9 minute pace. The last 20-30 mins they want me doing 1/2 mary pace (8:17) with out worry about HR.

As boring as this is on the treadmill (better that than struck by lightning)I have to say I enjoy pushing a button and just sticking with that pace for X amount of time.

Did I sent you my weekly schedule? I don't remember

for my swim I am still kinda half doing it. With the opera being so taxing I am really saving my body! So not doing full swims.

Re: Breathing on the swim. I am bi-lateral (Which is important with tons of people in a race you want to switch sides if Mr. Splashy McWavington is swimming on your right side and you keep getting water every time you try and breath) I breath 3 times on each side before a switch. 1 breath every time the arm on that side comes out of the water. I do sometimes skip a few breaths in a race to pull ahead of a choppy section or away from someone/something as the breathing slows you down.

I only count strokes when the workout tells me to play "Golf" as they call it...........count the strokes and then try and do same distance with less strokes by engaging the core to propel me more. (once a week when I am doing full swim workouts) However, starting in May I will be with Masters Swim here (5:30 a.m. UGLY!) so will do whatever workout they have, I think?.........might just be self coached but masters swim has 100 meter pool and the 50 meter at my gym makes me dizzy after so many turns. Still deciding on that.

We shall see.

So when you run 156 HR on the runs what is your pace?

Drew

I responded last night right before I went to bed, and I should be more precise. Your explanations have been helpful. My pace is between 8:19 and 8:12, so I am running for a good part in zone one (HR at 145), and the latter part HR 148-154.

I'll need to work on breathing on both sides.

You sent me your weekly schedule, and I'll begin to work towards that in May when I have greater time on my hands.

5:30 AM Swim? That'll wake you up.

BBC

Okay, Coach Drew, I'm studying your "Basic Month Template," trying to get as much in, so that I can really get going when this semester ends. Could you explain Zones 2-5?

Also for swimming, what do you mean by "WU," "Swim Golf MS," as well as "sprint" and "kick?" Do the last two have obvious meanings?

As for running, I noticed you have "hilly" down. I'm afraid New Jersey is about as hilly as, oh...I don't know...it's pretty flat. Should I just increase the incline on the treadmill to simulate a hilly course for the time being? Could you also elaborate on "negative splits?"

Do you you ride alone or with others?

Hope Madame Butterfly went well last weekend. Also, if you're pressed for time, I can read up on other aspects from the links that you have sent. There is a running, biking, and swimming training plan in "Triathlete" magazine, which I just sent a subscription into. I know that you're coming up for your performances at the end of the month, so these questions can wait.

Thanks!

Tschuss! (I never know if I'm spelling that correctly. Most of my German dictionaries are academic and idiomatic expressions like that are difficult to locate. I should ask a German friend.)

Anyway, Cheers,
BBC

The last few weeks I have only been able to do biking and running, no swimming and even those have been cut short because of needing to save arms for the work I have to do with performing. Follow the spirit of the law not the letter. You could do a sprint 6 weeks from today with the base of running you have now, but the biking and swimming would not feel as comfortable as they could.

WU is Warm up..........just swim

Zones are HR Zones you should be aiming for while biking/running......It can be hard to achieve the zones if you are not used to pushing..........for me that is especially true on bike......The zones are Determined by Average HR during your 10 K Test on run or 40 Min TT on bike.

They are a scientific percentage that can show where to aim for your body to be able to get the most benefit for the run, above those zones would not allow the body to recover in time for the other workouts.

Use this to set your zones http://www.performancetrainingsystems.com/...one_finder.html

The Swim Golf is explained in the free swim seminar book you downloaded. Basically, count your strokes for 1 length or lap and then the next one try and make fewer strokes or improve your "golf score". I do this by engaging my core while I swim making me stronger and faster.

Sprint in swim just means swim fast

Kick means you get a kickboard and only use your legs.

You can simulate hills on a treadmill if you want, or find the 1 hill anywhere close to you and do hill repeats, those are always valuable. Hilly course is just a bonus if you will be racing "flat course" but someday you might get yourself out of Jersey for a race and find you need to train on hills to survive.

Splits refers to the time for a race..............So in a Tri my swim split is 1:15 my bike 7:15 etc
Negative splits is within one discipline if you are smart and train well for a marathon the first 13.1 you would run 1:50 and the second 13.1 you would run 1:48 that would be a negative split.

More simply when running on a 2-3 mile out and back course the return trip would be faster than the going out.

I try and ride with others as much as my body/schedule and life allow. It helps you work harder if they are faster than you. It is hard to find the right group to do that with but leads to good results with fitness over a 2-3 month period when the long rides are with a pack (Herd mentality, you dig deeper to keep up) However, on many of my short workouts I don't have time to hook up with another rider so just hammer out an hour by myself. There is scientific and tons of experiential data that you can ride faster on the bike in a group (just watch the tour de france when the peleton (sp?) catches up to a solo rider. It is amazing the speed that group can manifest) Important to learn is that some roadies (as road bikers are called) are total jerks and testosterone heads and you need to find out if they are open to riding with someone who is not as experienced with biking and some are just as nice and friendly as you could imagine. You also need to work on your confidence and handling skills with a group as it feels wierd if you have not done it. You should probably start out with some group rides with easy pace groups. (Check with your local bike shop for some organized group rides and join in, see where you fit with time and experience) There is group ride rules and ettiquette (sp?) that you need to find out and get used to. Ride with nice people until you are ready to ride with some of the big boys.

I still consider myself to be somewhat afraid in a group (respectfully cautious perhaps is a good word) as I am on May 1 officially 2 years into adult biking and didn't start riding group until Oct of this season. Trained an entire Season for Ironman without riding with anyone else! UGH can you say "lonely" and I am extrovert! No wonder I got slower and slower the longer I was out there! Never again!


Butterfly was AMAZING!!! We had singers who are singing on international stages doing the leads and I loved almost every exhausting minute of it.

I had a friend visit which made the performances more exciting for me. To have someone you really want to play well for in the audience helps!

Tchsssssss is how I spell it.........don't even need a vowel! LOL
Hope I responded to everything!

Bis Spaeter!

Drew

P.S. The majority of this stuff I learned from that group online I told you about. I have to credit them and hope I am not telling too much stuff out of "house" If you end up training to go "long" (1/2 Iron or Full Iron) you want to join that group. Endurancenation.us

vielen Dank, Coach!

Yeah, I know some Chowderheads who consider themselves the next Lance Armstrongs that fit in the category you describe. I try my best not to imitate their phony bravado. I may prefer riding alone until I surpass them (yes, what a goal!), as the time spent will be to improve mental as well as physical agility.

As for getting out of Jersey...Don't worry...I'll approach races as I approach conferences, i.e. as opportunities to travel to places that I haven't seen. Traveling is one of my passions. BTW, what's Little Rock like? Never been there.

Bis zum nachste Mal!

BBC

Little Rock is moderatly hilly with some flat parts. I live in a neighborhood called Hillcrest and have to go down hill to the river where I tend to do lots of my shorter rides. We have some other rolling hills out to the west of town by pinacle mountain (the biggest hill around but no bike road on it) For someone who has logged thousands of miles on my bike I have done it in a very small area. I worry about my arms and safety on the roads so stay where I know the roads and drivers. If friends lead me on a ride I will try new stuff but stay close to home usually.

It is a very good place to live and not bad for some touristy visits!

Enjoy your day!

Best,

Drew

Well, Coach, I signed up for a membership to Endurance Nation. Another forum in which I'll have to prove my mettle. My hat's off to you once again.

Little Rock sounds okay by your description. I will visit. What's the Clinton Library like?

Take care for now!
BBC

I just received the EN Sprint Distance Workout Calendar, and even though Mondays are off on it, I'm starting tomorrow, since I took today off. Are you with me, Coach? Come on...it's a piece o' cake! Or do you want to start on Tuesday?

I'm enjoying the forums on EN.

Yes, "work is speed entering the body!"

I misquote it and say, "pain is speed entering the body."

I will probably be coming 1 week late to the full workout program. With the pending solo with my orchestra this weekend I need to save my arms by not biking, but can do a little swimming until Wednesday.

So slacker that I am I will do a 19 week build up to my IM instead of 20. Did you pick out a race to train for yet?

Best,

Drew

p.s. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with my season here and it looks GREAT!

Gruss Gott, Herr Kutscher Erstegeiger!
I would say, "Goals are what motivates the body and the mind. Pain be damned!" But someone has probably said it already.

Knock them dead with the solo. Any chance that you'll perform outside LR in the future?

"Slacker?" Pshaw! Horse Feathers! And all that Balderdash!...I'd say you're training to leave all others in your dust.

I'm looking at several races. I'm traveling to the UK and Texas in the fall for conferences, so I'm deciding what best fits my schedule.

Tschuss,
BBC
P.S. Gina said hi to me. I replied back, but am not sure I posted correctly. Again, the neo-Luddite in me!

I may have asked you this already, Drew, so please don't mind the repetition. Been reading the nutrition thread on EN Forum. How much do you eat before a ride? Do you increase your protein intake the night before? If going on a long ride, as the threaders stated, you'll need to refuel while riding.

Should I approach it as I do running early in the morning? If you eat a big meal, all you'll be doing is looking for a 'loo.

So, I guess it's gauging the length of your ride and what your stomach can tolerate.

Decided to take an extra day off and begin training according to the EN Plan, i.e. Tuesday. Started to tackle a pile of papers for grading. Some good, some not so good.

Bis zum nachstes Mal! BBC

BBC

The duration of workouts I do would need more fuel than your duration. Even with a 1/2 mary or an olympic tri they don't get long enough to worry out running out.

2-3 hours is fine with out worrying about glycogen depleation. But I do practice taking in stuff on anything over an hour (I start at 40 minutes), and you should too, in case you wind up going long later in the future.

I unsually only need a banana or two before a run. I can eat more, usually don't.

I might be more serious before my IM by having more protein. I do have protein in my gel on the run and my liquid calories on the bike.

Still eating HORRIBLY and gaining weight, but next week back to normal.

UGH.......back to reality next week.

Have a good one,

Drew

Though I've had a rough couple of days feeling under the weather and overloaded with work, things are beginning to pick up. My refund from the feds arrived today. So as I said to you, Coach, I think I'll upgrade to a more recent model of bike and retire what I guess has become a Model T, or perish the thought, an Edsel! I want to spend around $1500. What should I look for?

Thanks!

Ride Safe,
BBC

Hey Coach Drew!

You were certainly right when you said that this sport can start taking a toll on your wallet. Taking the advice from ENation, I am going to take my time before making the investment in a new set of wheels. And I may first go the route of getting a used bike, or as a friend terms his used car...one "previously tested!" I was also looking at sports-specific sunglasses. Well, I wear corrective lens, so that ups the ante by even more. I'll stick to my RayBans Aviators and use the old strap to hold them in place.

I'm set to see the Met perform at Carnegie Hall later in the month. Thanks for the lowdown on Mendelsohn's Italian Symphony.

I may need a bark or two from any quarter tomorrow to get back to serious training. Need the push after wading through term papers.

Ride safe,

BBC

Tuesday I am BACK IN THE SADDLE!!!!!

We will encourage each other this week to get our butts in gear.

OK!

Drew

I'll be holding you to it! After a few weeks of training, I'll need some pictures to satisfy AUSMUSfan in another thread!

Back at ya'

BBC

Explain this Garmin to me, Coach.

And I got the message, I can squeeze in two runs and two rides (maybe a spin class or a swim as it's raining today and the heavens are supposed to open up in a downpour tomorrow).

Thanks.

BBC

There is a satellite up in the sky and it sends a signal to a kind of bulky wrist unit (about 2-3 inches long) tell your wrist unit how fast, far, where you are going.

Just another way for "big brother" to keep tabs on you.

Some of them have HR function and can estimate calories or watts or stuff like that, and can download to your computer.

They get pretty expensive. But cheaper than many polar products.

It is always between polar and garmin for me and I would probably try garmin next time.

You don't have to calibrate the foot pod.

Don't worry about the pool worry about the bike/run.

I am off to swim (How's that for hypocritical?!)

Best,

Drew

A true smart ass! So I'm a little technically behind the times...

Run today: 5.4
HPM: 155
vDot: 38.03

Back at ya'

BBC

Okay...No more excuses. Just spent the last 2 1/2 weeks grading papers and exams. One student owed me two papers and sent them via email at the eleventh hour. Of course, one wouldn't open. I spent most of the semester hearing about his problems, and why he had to miss class or needed an extension. Anyway, I cut him a break. I remember being in a had place one time, and a professor wouldn't give me a break when I really needed it. Vowed never to do the same. So I gave him the advice I try to follow: When you find yourself in a hole...STOP DIGGING!

My big change in training is that I'm going to start the day off training, beginning this Thursday. The Bike has to be done early in the morning around here, because it gets crazy around here during the summer. I'll just have to adjust to running then. Maybe I could swim later in the day though. This is a big change for me, as I like to write in the early AM. Ah...I can organize my thoughts while training.

Coach...Have you bought 10 Hours a Week from EN? I only wish that it came in a hard copy. Not quite used to EBooks yet.

Tschuss,

BBC

Alright as of SUNDAY I am officially back in the forge to becoming Iron once again.

Doing all my workouts in 80-90+ degree heat............WELCOME TO SUMMER in AR!

Biked Sunday and then ran after the 2 hour bike.

Swam and biked yesterday including a bike test where I have only lost a few MPH points and ran today 5 miles Nice and HOT!

Don't have that ebook you mentioned but will look it up.

GET THAT REAR MOVING!!!

Best,

Drew

YES, SIR! RIGHT AWAY, SIR!

Okay, I did just that this morning! I biked a short ride...30-45 minutes, but boy did it feel GREAT!!!

Yesterday went for a 6 mile run, and my feet were hurting when I went to bed, so I didn't think that I'd make it out today. But I bought a new pair of bike shoes yesterday, and they acted as inspiration.

The feet are fine. It's my arse that's killing me, guv'nr!

How're you doing, Coach?

Okay, Coach, I know that you've been busy, so you may not see this for a bit.

My training has not been going as well as I would have liked. With time off from teaching, I'm concentrating almost all daylight hours on writing. I want to defend my dissertation sometime next year. But I'm setting a schedule. I may be slow, but I still plug away. I need more biking time.

In any event, here's the problem. Lately, I have pains in my right leg at night while sleeping on my right side. The pain is in the upper thigh and shoots down to my ankle. I figure it's a nerve. But this morning after a heavy lower body workout at the gym on Friday and a great run yesterday, I have pain in the ball of my right foot and the toe next to my big one. I know the whole R-I-C-E, and I took off today and probably tomorrow as well.

Anyone have other suggestions?

Cheers,
BBC

Hey Blue,

This is not an injury I have encountered in my running, but here is a link to some information that may be of help from the mayoclinic

I went for a 7 mile run early this afternoon, shorter than my usual Sunday run but then I am not used to running during the hot part of the day. At any rate I got the itch to do something more this evening, so I took out my bike for the first time in over a year and did 15 miles. Hopefully I will do this more often for the cross training benefits.

Thanks phillyrunner!

You've diagnosed the pain in the foot! (Some just think I'm a pain in the ass! ) Now to figure out the pain in the leg.

Good for you getting on the bike...it's a welcome alternative to running. Just wear a helmet.

BBC:

I am back for 1 day before I head to Phillyware to get my fiddle worked on and do a little visiting with my Best Friend in Del.

Leave tomorrow for Philly

Your leg sounds like might be IT band syndrome.

Lots of Stretch and little massage should help it.

Do you stretch regularly?

It is the outside of your leg right?

Google IT Band Syndrome

Easily managable!

Best,

Drew

Thanks Coach!

I do stretch before every run. Warm up before for 10 minutes, then stretch, run, cool down 10 minutes, then stretch again!

It's funny...my left leg is fine...just this sharp pain in my right leg in the thigh and it shoots down the leg. Only when I sleep. It's gone after I get up.

Phillyrunner had a good link for the ball of my foot.

I'll google the IT Band Syndrome. Have fun down in Philly and Delaware.

Did you get in any hot water in Hot Springs?

Sorry, Couldn't resist!

BBC

I was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too busy to get into any trouble.......and the new significant other came to visit. I don't know if that's trouble or not, lets just give it some time.

I will enjoy phillyware...........peace..............

Best,

Drew

10 Weeks from yesterday is my race and BOY do I need to get my head in the game!

Yesterday after my 3 hr bike watched 15 of my friends online do IM Coer d'alene. It was AWESOME!

I am definately NOT doing another ironman next season!!!!!!!!

This year I made all these improvements in speed and then got burned out. I will make it and it will be a different type of tough for me. More mental than last seasons since I did not know what would happen having never done one. Now I know and just do not look forward to it.

I will be coming here to complain and keep everyone updated.

The things I do for my endorphin high!!!!! UGH!!!!

Best,

Drew

Oh, YES, you are...I'm just starting out with this, and I need someone to keep my arse in gear! So quit complaining! You've got it in you. You can do it!

Remember, pain is speed leaving the body, or however that goes!

I will do TRIs next season just not another Ironman

I have no problem with the shorter distances.................I could do a 1/2 IM today and be back up and around next weekend.

With an IM I would be out of commission for about a month. Also all the training burns me out. (up to 18 hrs a week......UGH) With shorter distances I can have a life and career.

Now that I know how to train for speed I know I have to do shorter distances to get faster. Since I am such a later starter in sports I will be digging to get to my goal speed and VO2Max. IM does not really help me achieve that..........but now I know what does.

Now, what about your Tri? Sign up yet?

Drew

I understand.

And, no, I have not signed up for any this fall. The ones that I could do in the area are on weekends when I will be out of town, presenting papers at conferences. One of those conferences is overseas, and the cost is adding up, so I really can't afford to sign up for one farther afield. I am still training for one though. And I do intend to do one. So, I'll continue to pester you with questions. And I'll have to post a picture of me in bike gear. I look pretty good, if I do say so myself!

BTW, I've received much encouragement from the members of this board.

Cheers,
BBC

Philadelphia just had it's big Triathlon weekend. Saturday was the sprint distance with over 1000 participants and Sunday was the Olympic distance with over 1800. I knew a couple of people in both events. After seeing the numbers of people of all abilities it just makes one feel like getting out there and doing one.

So Phillyrunner do you have a bike?

What's stopping you?

Just being devil's advocate.

Best,

Drew

As I told BigBlue, if the goal is just to finish, I suppose there is nothing stopping me even if my bike is only a hybrid. I need to give it thought.

Bloody, hell, man! I'm riding on a twenty-year old bike!!! Who gives a flying ____ through a rolling _____?