I left last Monday morning for a conference at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. It was a lot of fun; eating went well given the circumstances (travel). It helped that the conference food was pretty good - fruit salad at every snack; healthy lunches; the one conference dinner had 7 salads.

I had hoped to get to Kitts Pool (I didn't) and I had planned to race (I didn't). We didn't have a car, and cab fare to/from the race + race registration would have made for a $120+ day... too much. I couldn't figure out whether or not there was a bus from campus to Stanley Park that early, so anyway, I skipped it.

AP, I was surprised that the UBC fitness centre only had 7 treadmills for that size of a school! I ran on the track for 3 days and the treadmill for 2. The long course pool was such a treat for me.
Very nice place. I went to the nude beach... and the Grouse Grind was awesome!!! My advisor and I got up in 47 minutes.

One thing I had thought about doing, and didn't, was run in the US in the AM and Canada when I arrived in the evening, but I didn't get to my room until 10 pm and I was exhausted. Same thing going back... yeah, I should have just sucked it up...

M: 6.5 mi run (4 x 1 mi @ 10k pace) + 1100 yd swim
T: 12 mi on the UBC track
W: 6 mi run (10 x 400 @ 10k pace)
T: 8.5 mi run + 2500 m swim (700 long course / 1800 short course)
F: 3.7 mi run + 4200 m swim (4000 long course / 200 short course) AM + Grouse Grind Hike PM
S: 8 mi run
S: 8 mi run

Totals: 8430.4 yd swim + 52.7 mi run

Goals for this week:
- I fly home Aug. 1, and my pool access will be more limited... so lots of swimming... 19,000 yd goal this week
- day off from running
- Get lots of work done. The more I do in Oregon, the less work I bring home.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Sounds like you had a fun trip! 7 salads in one meal is impressive.

I had a mixed week. I didn't get all my workouts in but I feel good about what I did.

M + W = Personal trainer
T = Run/Walk
Th = nothing
Fri = 40 minutes on treadmill, 25 minute swim. Was going to do the class at the gym but left work early and didn't want to wait around for it.
Sat = nothing
Sun = up at 3:30 am to volunteer for the Seafair triathlon and from there I went to the kitty shelter. By the time I got home at 5:30 I was so tired I couldn't see straight.

Wed was a depressing day, however. I went in a got a second opinion on my knee and unfortunately the story is the same, cartilage is gone. The Dr. suggested a cortisone shot to get rid of the last of the swelling and see how that feels. From there I can get injections that put some kind of goo (forgot the name) that will provide cushion and get me running again. No currently available surgical procedures are appropriate. At some point I'll need a knee replacement so the question is when. I'm still deciding what to do. My PT is talking with the Dr and will get back to me with his thoughts. I'm leaning towards the shots and trying to knock out some goals of mine before I can't run anymore. Kind of a "If I'm going out, I'm going out with a bang."

This week:
M = Trainer cancelled this morning. Car needs to get into the shop so I'm walking to/from work. Not a lot of mileage but activity!
T = Unk, depending on results of car diagnostics and repair.
W = trainer, maybe the shot after work
Th = depenant on Wed shot or not
F = trying to get to the class at the gym I liked.
Sat = Swim or long walk
Sun = Nothing.

ETA obligatory cat pic:

This little fella wants to know if anyone has bail money?

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

There's only 7 deadmills because we all run OUTSIDE - especially in the Pacific Spirit Park - right on UBC's doorstep. :-) And 47min for the Grind is very good! :-) The top male time last year was ~28min IIRC.

My last week:
- 4 runs
- 4 rides
- no yoga
- no swim
- indoor climbing
- moderate success from FODMAP diet already - waaay less bloated and brain fog is mostly gone. Pants fit again. Getting a bit tired of "salad w/grilled chicken" every day.... :-) but feeling better is worth it. The daily detailed diary helps too.

This week:
- 4x run
- 5x rides - possibly a long ride to visit my buddy Francois & his kick-ass missus who are visiting down in WA state (near Kayak Point - about a 100mi ride)
- 2x swim (ONE DONE TODAY!!! Yay!!!)
- yoga is done for the summer so just some stretching would be good...
- continue to FODMAP & log everything.

I'm going to have to decide re: Leadman soon I think. The swim is now my limiter (big surprise - not!)

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I failed again. Oh well.

PTx2
Bike x 1
Walk x 8
PT@home x 3
No swim

Work is kicking my ass. I got home anywhere from 8-9:30 M-W, so no pool. By Thursday I was too tired. Sat I rode, and yesterday I was intending to get to the pool early, but I slept until 10 and thought it was 7, so I must have needed the rest. My internal clock is NEVER that off. It was truly strange for me. After 10, the local pool turns into Club Med, so that did not appeal and my ankle was too sore to ride again.

I did ride clipless. While I did not unclip, and just left my shoes on the trainer, this was my first time back in bike shoes since this all started.

I see the surgeon tomorrow and he will probably tell me I don't have enough strength or ankle flexibility and wtf have I been doing with all of my time? Oh yeah? Healing. I had to cut waaaaay back in order to actually feel better at all.

This week's goals:
Bike or swim x 3
PT x 2
PT@home x 2
Walk x 8

Last week's goals:
Swim x 3: WIN
Bike x 2: WIN
Run x 5: FAIL - 4 only. Took Sunday completely off.
Core/strength x 2: WIN
Mobility/stretch x 2: WIN


Race Saturday was a bit weird - the morning got off to a poor start and I really wasn't feeling it, but I swam well, had an ok bike, and ran the 7.5km on rail trail at a "moderately uncomfortable" effort that turned out to be faster than my 5k PR pace. By a lot. I seriously ran over 3mins faster than I did for the same distance last month doing a relay tri with my husband (I did swim/run, he biked), but off a hilly 30km ride. Weird.


Still can't buy a freakin' podium spot, and got beat for 4th in my AG by 30sec. D'oh.


This week's goals:
Run x 4
Swim x 2
Bike x 2
Core/strength x 4


Leaving Sunday for a night in a hotel, 4 days of backcountry paddling, then another 2 nights of glamping in Eastern Ontario. Must pack ALL THE THINGS on Saturday, though we're actually about halfway packed already. SO STOKED!


Cheers!


-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

Two PT, one run, one short bike ride... and a TON of walking in Vegas. We decided to save on cab money and hoofed it up and down the strip. I gained 2 lbs eating incredible French food (Guy Savoy, Bouchon), sushi, and the mandatory Vegas buffet (Bacchanal). Thankfully, that fell right off when I got home and jumped back on diet and exercise.

So WHILE I was in Vegas, the gf of my husband's coworker (a guy I really like who hangs out with us a lot) decided to google my Twitter handle (as we are Facebook friends and my tweets feed to FB) and was directed to some of my posts on Slowtwitch, including one that referenced her. While nothing I said was rude, insulting, or untrue, my words hit some of her sensitive points. Thus, she whines to her bf who tells my husband and ... omfg drama ew ew ew.

End result: I like her even less, but she started going to the gym... and I modified my ST handle.

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You. You make me stronger.

UGH - drama. Unfortunate to deal with, worse that you were on holidays when it went down. Did you like Vegas? It's on my "someday" list - along with a lot of other places.

I've been doing alright since I signed up for my Sept race. At least 3 substantial rides per week, plus the general putzing around with the kid. And thanks to America Ninja Warrior and my son's obsession with the playground, I've been messing around on the monkey bars. Mostly it's embarassing. I used to actually have upper body muscles/strength (and nice calluses from climbing). Now - not so much. Upper body/core makes such a difference for mountain biking (and in a bikini - Hawaii in November), so I'm working on getting it back via playing & actual weights at home.

My husband is out of town this weekend so my son & I are heading to my mom's. I figured I wouldn't get a long ride in, but she told me to bring my bike & go. I'm pretty excited about exploring new/different roads (or at least ones I haven't been on in a few years).

Vegas CAN be amazing, but we have a 72-hour rule. Any more than that and it's overwhelming. What I've learned over the years is that you have to go all in - splurge on the amazing food, killer shows, and a quality hotel. You don't go to be a tourist and watch the fun go by - you indulge and be one with the Vegas lifestyle.

We stayed at the Aria, which I HIGHLY recommend - rooms were beautiful, convenient place on the strip, next door to the amazing Crystals shopping center and shuttle/access to big stuff nearby. It also has three massive pools and a handful of hot tubs - there were NO KIDS. I think I saw one kid in the pool the entire time I was there, and I started each day with a book and a vodka-cran by the pool. In summer, it's always deathly hot (105 was the daytime average) but when you're standing around in a pool with a bunch of other awesome folk and a cool drink in your hand, life is good.

You have to take advantage of the amazing food - you can't miss a Thomas Keller restaurant when you have the chance (and Bouchon is quite reasonably priced). There are options that you just don't get outside of SF or NY... or Europe.

The shows are incredible and it's hard to get a bad seat (most venues being smaller). I've seen Love, O, Phantom (don't recommend since it's a weird super-fast-paced Vegas version), and most recently Nine Inch Nails with Soundgarden. When we go back in Sept for my 30th, it will be Penn and Teller, Blue Man Group, and Britney Spears.

A last tip: cash changes everything. My husband slipped our hotel check-in girl a 20 and we got a room upgrade worth 10x. An extra dollar to the girl who brings your drinks poolside and they come a LOT faster. You're expected to give a buck to the cab guys who open your door and reiterate your destination to the driver - that one pisses me off.

It's super fun to play "spot the hooker", too - the mismatched couples are the easy ones. We were in a line for a cab to go to breakfast and the guy in front of us was waiting with his purchased lady to send her off. Very "Pretty Woman" but her outfit was the dead giveaway (dress with hip cut-outs and zippers where ya don't need 'em, 6" gladiator-style gold heels, and a knock-off purse).

It helps if you know people who know people, too. We did a whiskey tasting at Whiskey Attic (10 shots, I mean "tastes"... and then we went downstairs and had 3 amazing craft beers) and got to know our server, who got us a hookup for a fancy AM pool party "Rehab" and then talked with the owner, who INSISTED we go to a different sushi place than we'd planned and that we ask for the "sake som". It made a world of difference in our quality of service - half the sake was upgraded from the normal tasting menu.

I highly recommend Vegas if you're ready to drop $5-6k, but think you miss out a lot if you try and do it on the cheap.

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You. You make me stronger.

Expecting to do it on the cheap was sort of where my planning fell apart when I looked into it. I decided that if you were going to do it - you might as well do it up right. Also - it would be a "once & done" thing for us, as geographically it's not that convenient.