UmmSqueaky Member

Missed swimming on Tuesday - we got more than a foot of snow on Monday and I set my alarm for a half an hour earlier to shovel. Yeah no, it took more than an hour to dig out the front of my house. Took another hour to dig out my driveway after work, and I still have another hour to dig out between the house and the garage.…

My downtown Y pool is back open and I am so freakin happy. So excited I couldn't sleep. Apparently no one told the masters coach we were back but the last workout from December was still on the board, so we did that. 900m free 200m kick 3x100 free fast 200m IM 16x25 IMO (one stroke at a time, 25 sprint/25 easy) 200 free…

Day off from work so I could get to the pool on a week day. 2000y free. Going to try to psych myself up to get to a new masters group on Thursday. I hate new things :/

Sick all week. Can't figure out a good time to swim during the week with the downtown pool still closed. Finally got to the pool today. 2000 yards freestyle.

I'll echo the above advice and get some swimming under your belt. What kind of swim is it - in a pool or open water swim? If it's the latter, definitely get out into a lake or ocean asap. Having read a lot a lot of advice for first timers before I did my first tri a few years ago, the overwhelming problem newbies face is…

I don't need my fancy garmin to count my laps but I want my fancy garmin to count my laps. To each their own.

So, after finally working up the courage to get to masters swim, the pool has been out of commission since mid December. I had to work all over again to remotivate myself to get to a different Y before work. Finally made it today, although just to swim by myself. Will take even more mental prepping to try to join a…

masters swim 2200m 500m warm up 200m kick 3x100 fast 200m IM 16x25 IMO sprint 200m free (25 drill, 25 swim) 200m free breathing (3, 5, 3, 5) 200m free breathing (3, 5, 7, 5)

That's the much maligned 6th Doctor, Colin Baker, aka my Space Grandpa! He's the best Doctor Who actor on the circuit, an absolute delight to listen to and to talk with. I once came upon him in the hall following a Dalek singing "Hello Dalek" to the tune of "Hello Dolly." Got the short shrift TV wise, but has absolutely…

Thanks everyone! The road we walk is long, and it's good to have this resource to keep coming back to. 4 years ago, I hid from the cameras. Now I take perhaps a few too many mirror selfies.

Third masters swim, apparently this is a distance work out. My train gets me to the gym a bit early, so I'm going to make of habit of hopping in and do as many laps of easy warm up as I can before everyone gets there at 6:30 400m warm up 200m IM kick (flippers fun, but I learned that apparently my garmin doesn't record…

Spent a few hours trying to wrestle my winter bike into shape yesterday. I took the studded wheelset off 2 years ago (didn't use them last year), and they just sat on the floor of my porch. I'm wondering if they didn't distort or stretch or something. Back studded tire wouldn't seat fully. Put it on, road around the block…

Oh excellent. My goal is just to finish. I know I can do all the distances, just not in 8 and a half hours! I'm looking to summer 2019, IMOO 70.3. Lots and lots of hills on the bike course though, so I'm planning lots and lots of hill work this summer :)

Well, winter doesn't mess around in Minnesota - 50 degrees and raining on Monday, temp drops, and yuck. I had set my winter bike up for slush but instead we got a thick coat of ice on EVERYTHING. Going to pull out the studded wheel set tomorrow and get them on the bike so I can get back into commuting. I also have a…

Got to the pool for the 3rd time this week, which is more than I usually get there in a month. Really hoping to keep this up - masters swim tuesday/thursday, and then a saturday workout where I build distance (next year's goal is a 2.4 mile open water swim in August, and a half ironman in 2019). 2000y freestyle today. Will…

2 for 2 getting to masters swim this week! 1750m 300m warm up 200m kick 3x100 fast free ladder 2x:* 25 non free * 50 free * 75 sprint * 100 individual IM * 75 spring * 50 free * 25 non free 150m cooldown

After a year and a half as a slow triathlete, I joined the masters swim team at the YWCA in November but procrastinated all month. Finally set my alarm for 4:45 a.m. today, got out of bed...and found the whole city coated in an inch of ice. Chipped away a bit at the sidewalk and still made it into the pool by 6:30. Super…

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles 11/8 - 23 miles 11/9 - 17 miles 11/13 - 8 miles 11/14 - 23 miles 11/16 - 17 miles 11/20 - 14 miles 11/28 - 17 miles 11/29 - 23 miles 11/30 - 17 miles - should have taken the long way home from work. Probably only 3 more days without snow and yuck. it was nice…

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles 11/8 - 23 miles 11/9 - 17 miles 11/13 - 8 miles 11/14 - 23 miles 11/16 - 17 miles 11/20 - 14 miles 11/28 - 17 miles 11/29 - 23 miles - 40 degrees when I left work so I took the long way home, mostly in the dark. We've got a few more 40 degree days this week and…

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles 11/8 - 23 miles 11/9 - 17 miles 11/13 - 8 miles 11/14 - 23 miles 11/16 - 17 miles 11/20 - 14 miles 11/28 - 17 miles - been kept low by a cold for the last 2 and a half weeks. Pushed through it today for a glorious commute to and from work in 45 degree weather.…

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles 11/8 - 23 miles 11/9 - 17 miles 11/13 - 8 miles 11/14 - 23 miles 11/16 - 17 miles - typical work commute. We've got our annual work Thanksgiving lunch today, so I may try to take the long way home and make it 23 miles for the day instead of 17. November total:…

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllll. All three of mine are steel. My old road bike was aluminum and I much prefer my steel roadie now. Haven't ever had carbon but that's a possibility when I get a tri bike. Yes, exactly. When I got my steel road bike I was surprised how smooth the ride was in comparison to my aluminum bike.

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles 11/8 - 23 miles 11/9 - 17 miles 11/13 - 8 miles 11/14 - 23 miles - took the long way home from work and got drizzled on for the last 5 miles. Still felt amazing though, super pumped to be back into the bike routine. And of course I wake up this morning and have…

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles 11/8 - 23 miles 11/9 - 17 miles 11/13 - 8 miles - got waylayed by a cold last Friday so took a few days off from riding when the temps were in the 20s. Misplaced my bike locker key card yesterday morning so I missed riding to work in really nice fall weather…

Squeeeee another Waterford! Mine is second hand, but built for a fellow shorty. I've been riding it as much as possible before the snow comes.

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles 11/8 - 23 miles 11/9 - 17 miles. First really cold day biking into a headwind this morning (20-ish degrees actual temp, felt like 5 degrees with the windchill). Still pretty windy out, but I'm hoping it keeps the same direction so it's at my back for the ride…

11/2 - 28 miles 11/3 - 8 miles 11/6 - 17 miles 11/7 - 18 miles - signed up for the masters swim team at the Y. Alarm set for 4:45 to bike to the gym for the 6:30 practice. Instead, I stayed in bed until 6:45. Hard to motivate oneself out of bed when it's so freakin cold. Going to try again on Thursday. November total: 71…

All Wisconsin or Wisconsin heritage steel: Waterford, Gunnar and Schwinn. Having lived in the Twin Cities for more than a decade, I feel like I need to add some Surly steel to the mix - hoping to pick up a fat bike sometime this winter.

Oh man, I've had a pretty poor cycling year. Also a pretty poor year for maintaining my weight loss. Ugh, whyyyyy???? But, better late than never, gearing myself up for winter bike commuting! I'm hoping for no snow for a little while longer yet so I can ride my new (to me) bike - a teeny tiny Waterford ST-14. Holy heck I'm…

Yes! I was Charlie on Thursday of CON this year but took no pictures.