Sunday, May 22, 2011

Thing I Have Learned This Week

Pristine Canyon Lake, Arizona
In no particular order:

--  Running and cycling with friends will help you go faster and farther than you thought you could on any given day. 

-- Compact cranksets are sweet and make hill climbing easier for these reasons: 

• Higher RPMs can be maintained on steep climbs because of a lower low gear.
• Closer spacing of the gears makes it easer to maintain the optimal cadence as wind gusts and or small changes in elevation cause small speed changes.
• Some maximal speed potential on down hills is lost, but unless you are sustaining speeds of over 33mph on the flats this shouldn't be an issue.


-- Salt Sticks work when you feel your legs cramping.


-- The new Honey Stinger Vanilla Waffles may be better than the original.


-- Support your local bike shop because they support you.


--Open water swimming is much different than pool swimming, and you should go jump in the lake often.


-- Do your long run on the day before your long bike/brick, not visa versa. **Mark Allen was right about this one.


--A good training week will give you confidence.  A bad one just sucks.


--Having a big race on your schedule gives you the motivation to get up before dawn to train.


--Naps are heaven sent.


--If tracking elevation gain on your Garmin is what keeps your pedaling, so be it.


--Exercise gives you endorphins.  And that, Martha Stewart, is a good thing.



3 comments:

  1. Yes, I was gonna ask you about open water swimming...I don't ever do it. I was so mad I had the same time as a girl that I am totally faster than when we swim in the pool together. I don't get it. It was wierd cuz I was way more sore too so I thought I killed it during my race until I saw my time. Could the wetsuit, bouancy perhaps make my stroke different? I know my breathing was different too.

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  2. Lorie-I love reading your posts, they truly do inspire me. When the doctor told me my athletic days were over and that my dream of running a marathon would never happen I was pretty sad and upset. But guess what? the last couple of months I have felt the best I have felt in soooo dang long I started to train again shhhhhh though my family doesn't know. I signed up for a 1/2 marathon in November, Blake will be home and he wanted me to wait for him. I am doing RPM 5 times a week, running on a training schedule and weights and kickboxing are back in the schedule. I don't know how long I can hide it from Eric, but I wanted you to know and knew you would appreciate it. I've decided that I could die at anytime, with cancer or without so if I'm feeling good I'm taking advantage of it. and NO the doctor does not know either, but I plan on inviting him to the race..... ha ha love you

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Que lindo es sonar despierto.
How lovely it is to dream while you are awake.

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