Thanks Andy and Carm. I think for now I'm not going to make anymore purchases, since I've spent a lot and its unclear right now if I'm going to be entering any sanctioned / certified triathlons this year (ie non-Somersault events). Though Carmen, I'd love to see your pedals sometime when we meet up...

As for clipless pedals .... you can easily find spd pedals for st*pid cheap prices, and if you know someone with lightly used and/or even brand new ones available, it can be really, really affordable ... I have some old SPDs with maybe 2 years of commuting on my hybrid that I could probably tear of...

Will you go back for a second look at the Altras, scrummy? They have me intrigued. I still can't believe that the guy on the bus wore them for the first time at ATB.

Awesome awesome splits, Jes, especially with those hills. You had a great race. I can't wait to cheer you on at Ottawa Marathon.

Double Bellybuster wrote:

jes wrote:There is quite a bit of downhill at that point though, as you go into the gully right before the 'big' hill.

Yes, you must brake as you descend if you want an effective Low-Five at the bottom.

I was caught off-guard last year during my 1st ATB. I wasn't expecting him at the bottom of the gully!

What Doonst said. Here's my cold winter running clothing selection but I've never run for 12 hours in the cold and I am a bit of a furnace. This might be a place to start. You'll feel really cold, that's a given, but I hope that you will go ahead with the run. What kind of % humidity are you looking...

You can definitely buy a new entry-level road bike with that budget. I bought mine new (Cannondale CAAD9) for about $1000 4 years ago and I've since upgraded to a compact crank to help with some hills around here and in the Adirondacks. I'm quite happy with this bike and have done up to the half-iro...

Congrats Laura! I hope that the rest of your year is sunshine and rainbows. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights too.

I wear dark shades and always seem to have a few good ones to choose from! Remove the shades and I often look like hell so don't feel bad! There are some of course where my form sucks but that's to be expected from continuous shooting!

Wait until you actually see the Boston Expo. You'll likely be bringing more stuff back than just your schwag outfit. It's the best expo that I've ever been to.

Those are some sweet shoes!

I'm immensely proud and honoured to run the 5K in honour and memory of: Soldier: Private Garrett CHIDLEY Unit: 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry From: Ontario Date of Incident: December 30, 2009 http://www.sd35.bc.ca/Documents/news2010/100104-garrett_chidley.jpg

Good luck scrummy! Yeah, don't go to 0 drop yet. My shoe list had shoes in the range that you specified as a first step toward minimalist footwear. It was recommended that I do *really* short runs to begin with (even around the block, then swap shoes). I ran in my Kinvaras for months of 4-6ks before...

This looks cool! I agree that using the word "Iron" in reference to a tri that's not the Big Show seems weird. I saw so many signs at my 70.3 (Timberman) a couple of years ago that said, "You're an Ironman!" at the finish line and thought that was so strange. Of course at the tim...

I'm in for the 5k!

I have a similar proportioned foot, have a neutral alignment and try to run mid-foot. I use the Saucony Kinvaras for most of my runs and they are amazing. I broke them in right away although I eased into the lower heel-toe drop (they're 4 mm's) as was suggested to me by Solefit. I use the Saucony Pe...

Well done Jennifer! Congrats on finally getting a tri under your belt and it sounds like you had a blast! I'll just have to do a sprint in May to get my redemption. :) :dance: :-BD I really want to do the Subaru Vancouver race someday. If I could sort out a good road bike rental and have it fitted ...

Well done Jennifer! Congrats on finally getting a tri under your belt and it sounds like you had a blast! I'll just have to do a sprint in May to get my redemption. :) :dance: :-BD I really want to do the Subaru Vancouver race someday. If I could sort out a good road bike rental and have it fitted ...

Jwolf wrote:I'll just have to do a sprint in May to get my redemption.

I really want to do the Subaru Vancouver race someday. If I could sort out a good road bike rental and have it fitted to me perfectly before race day, I'd totally do it. I don't want to ship my bike. Maybe next year!

You pay good money for a chip time. I would make a fuss.

Congrats again Jen and thanks for a such a nice detailed RR. I really enjoyed reading it. The pool congestion sounds pretty typical of pool tris (our local Early Bird one has swimmers switching lanes under lane ropes every 50m too) but it sounds like you had a successful first tri experience in the ...

If you want to keep a strength program in place, you may want to incorporate functional strength and mobility work instead of conventional weight lifting. That type of strength work does complement your running, mostly through injury prevention and increased mobility of problem areas and if done pro...

Yes, definitely make it a multi-year goal. It's a good one! If you train hard and effectively, you can shave off 10 minutes no problem. I ran my first 1/2 (T.O. Waterfront) in fall 2010 in 2:05, did a 1:58 in spring 2011 (BMO Vancouver) and a 1:55 in spring 2012 (Scotia Montreal). It's all about imp...

Ok... I somehow got a Second Chance registration offer from the race via email!! Given that I was feeling spontaneous today, I signed up! I'm quite excited.... for my 2 day 1 night adventure in DC! I'm going to rock this Half!! P.S. - The email said I was offered the second chance since I had signe...

Check out a book called Core Performance. There are a lot of fantastic mobility and strength exercises in there. Have you done this book? I just remembered that I have Core Performance Endurance. I bought it a few years ago, but never got into it. I should dig it up again. I have it and have used i...

Check out a book called Core Performance. There are a lot of fantastic mobility and strength exercises in there.