Question:

REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEER TO COMPLETE QUESTIONNAIRE Hello, My eighth grade daughter is doing an English project that requires her to interview someone knowledgeable about a chosen topic. Since she is a competitive runner (cross-county) and is intrigued by Triathlons, she chose this sport as her topic. She is looking for someone willing to complete the attached questionnaire to assist her with the project. Rather than post your answers, I would ask that you privately e-mail She would be looking for brief answers to the questions below. Your answers will be kept confidential and used only for her report, a copy of which will be returned to you. Regards, Fred K. 1. How long have you been a triathlete? 2. At what age did you start seriously training? 3. Have you competed in any major races like    the Ironman? 4. Why did you decide to become a triathlete? 5. On average ow much training do you do per week? 6. Please briefly describe the way you feel during    a hard race. 7. What do you think it takes to be a good triathlete? 8. Has anything ever unexpectedly happened to you    during a race, if so, what, and how did you handle    it? 9. Did you start out as a triathlete or did you    begin as a runner, or swimmer, or biker? 10. What is the longest (in total miles or km)     triathlon in which you have competed? 11. Do any of the three sports swimming, running     or biking affect each other because of the     use of different muscles? 12. Has you or any one you know ever suffered     serious physical from training as a triathlete? 13. Have you never suffered any injuries from     a competition, and if so, what? 14. From your point of view out of all three     sports in a triathlon, which is the most     dangerous and why? 15. Did anyone ever discourage you from     becoming a triathlete, if yes, how did     you handle it? 16. May I quote you in my report, and for my     bibliography may I use your name? (If yes,     please provide your name. Thanks.)

Response:

1. How long have you been a triathlete?

7 years 2. At what age did you start seriously training?

27 3. Have you competed in any major races like   the Ironman?

96 97 98 Great Floridian Ironman triathlon 4. Why did you decide to become a triathlete?

At age 27 a frien asked me to trian for an ironman with him (he never made it) 5. On average ow much training do you do per week?

currentely 18-23 hours a week. Bike 300 miles Run 15-20 miles swim 3000 yards, intend to increase both running and swimming throughout the season. 6. Please briefly describe the way you feel during   a hard race.

In short distance alot of pain and desire to catch the next racer (as I’m a bad swimmer I always pass people throughout race)  In Ironman racing I daydream alot and try to visualize myself finishing. 7. What do you think it takes to be a good triathlete?

Alot of training and time and effort.  Persistence.  Willingness to give up other things, willingness to trian steadily.  Alot of desire and motivation( I want to win badly and this gives me my motivation) 8. Has anything ever unexpectedly happened to you   during a race, if so, what, and how did you handle   it?

List to long to mention here.  A couple crashes, one very bad (compound fracture of the femur, broken knee cap, broken tibia).  Got lost on course couple times, never give up however, I still placed of getting lost once.   9. Did you start out as a triathlete or did you   begin as a runner, or swimmer, or biker?

I biked for about a year before I took up triathlon but was turned off by drafting and team work in the sport 10. What is the longest (in total miles or km)    triathlon in which you have competed?

Ironman 2.4-112-26.2 11. Do any of the three sports swimming, running    or biking affect each other because of the    use of different muscles?

You’ll need to read a couple books to answer this one.  Biking uses quads mostly and calfs, running gets the hamstrings alot, swimming the upper body, triathlon balances the body out well. 12. Has you or any one you know ever suffered    serious physical from training as a triathlete?

Yes, many.  Broken bones (see above)  Shoulder seperation(hit by a car)- been hit by cars 4 times while biking in 6 years. Hamstring pull, quad pull, severe neck, knee foot, pain, cuts, bruises, Stress fractures ect… 13. Have you never suffered any injuries from    a competition, and if so, what?

see above 14. From your point of view out of all three    sports in a triathlon, which is the most    dangerous and why?

Bicycling, because of poor drivers, beware of the cars!!! 15. Did anyone ever discourage you from    becoming a triathlete, if yes, how did    you handle it?

my girlfriend hated the sport, we’re no longer together (because of triathlon in part) 16. May I quote you in my report, and for my    bibliography may I use your name? (If yes,    please provide your name. Thanks.)

Ok Tim Hignett tim(dogspot1) buaidh no bas

Response:

Question:

Yikes, here we go again. Clinchers are separate tubes and tires.  The tire "clinches" to the wheel rim.  The tube sits inside. Tubulars are tires with the tubes already inside the tires.  (Didn’t these used to be called "sew-ups?")  You glue them onto a different type of rim. From what I can gather (although I’m far from being an expert), tubulars have ever so slightly the greater performance advantage. Professional road-cyclists who don’t carry their own spares use them, exclusively. Clinchers used to be a lot worse, performance-wise, but are now very, very close to being the same. Most folks I talk to say that any advantage you’d gain from using tubulars is more than eliminated when you factor in the weight of having to carry an extra tubular on your bike with you. Tubulars are supposed to be easier, but messier (and potentially more problematic to the novice) to change.  Clinchers take longer to change, but aren’t as messy since you aren’t dealing with glue. Seems like all the LBS around me recommend clinchers.  They just don’t see an advantage to tubulars. Ironically, triathlon-specific LBS seem to prefer tubulars… go figure. I ride clinchers.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is the difference between these?  I have heard that clinchers are the ones that almost every new bike comes with, but it seems that tubulars are wheels that have tubes( vs. something else).  Could someone please clear this up for me.

Response:

What is the difference between these?  I have heard that clinchers are the ones that almost every new bike comes with, but it seems that tubulars are wheels that have tubes( vs. something else).  Could someone please clear this up for me. Thanks in advance Steve Gordon Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

The main problem that I used to have with tubulars (Yes, they were called sew-ups once upon a time), is that if they aren’t glued on properly, they have a nasty tendency to get torn off of the rim in turns, resulting in a messy, messy, crash. I much prefer the convenience of clincher format tires. John – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yikes, here we go again. Clinchers are separate tubes and tires.  The tire "clinches" to the wheel rim.  The tube sits inside. Tubulars are tires with the tubes already inside the tires.  (Didn’t these used to be called "sew-ups?")  You glue them onto a different type of rim. From what I can gather (although I’m far from being an expert), tubulars have ever so slightly the greater performance advantage. Professional road-cyclists who don’t carry their own spares use them, exclusively. Clinchers used to be a lot worse, performance-wise, but are now very, very close to being the same. Most folks I talk to say that any advantage you’d gain from using tubulars is more than eliminated when you factor in the weight of having to carry an extra tubular on your bike with you. Tubulars are supposed to be easier, but messier (and potentially more problematic to the novice) to change.  Clinchers take longer to change, but aren’t as messy since you aren’t dealing with glue. Seems like all the LBS around me recommend clinchers.  They just don’t see an advantage to tubulars. Ironically, triathlon-specific LBS seem to prefer tubulars… go figure. I ride clinchers. What is the difference between these?  I have heard that clinchers are the ones that almost every new bike comes with, but it seems that tubulars are wheels that have tubes( vs. something else).  Could someone please clear this up for me.

"Ad astra per aspera" "A rough road leads to the stars"    http://www.newsfeeds.com       The Largest Usenet Servers in the World!

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Question:

Anyone have experience with these products? Recommended intake? Please share The good, bad, and the ugly will be appreciated. Aloha, Steve

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I used the Pro Hydrator before a 1/2 Marathon and an Olympic tri. The stuff does work and there is plenty of credible literature to back it up. I just mixed it with Gatorade as per the instructions and I did not suffer dehydration like most of the other runners (it was the first hot day of the year and very humid). I am planning on using it at Ironman Florida because for me it definitely worked.     You should just buy a bottle and try it on a long run or long ride/brick. You will be amazed at how much you have to urinate post event. I used the flavorless variety and just mixed it with my favorite flavor of gatorade. It is very important to follow the instructions because it says to start drinking ~2 hours before the race and finish 30 minutes prior to start time. This was about 2 quarts of gatorade and and about 8 ounces of the Pro Hydrator (if I remember correctly). I would definitely stick with mixing it with a sports drink versus water because the sodium in the sports drink will accelerate gastric emptying versus plain water. If you are doing a long event like 1/2 IM or full IM you will want to again consult the instructions and add the smaller but appropriate amount to your bottles on the bike and in the transition area or special needs bag if applicable.     Make sure you try it in training first as with anything else. Good luck and train healthy. Marcus Schantz – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone have experience with these products? Recommended intake? Please share The good, bad, and the ugly will be appreciated. Aloha, Steve

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I tried to get my body acclimated to this stuff before last year’s Clermont Nationals. I started using it in preparation for last year’s Wildflower. Though I started out diluting it at one athletes recommendation, almost double the suggested ratio, I found it still cause tremendous bloating and gas. I tried for 6 straight weeks to find a ratio that would work. alas, it just didn’t work for me, and I opted for Endurolytes, the E-Caps product, which works beautifully ! Good luck ! — Lynne Fonda-Kosorek NOVA MATCH USAT Certified Triathlon Coach President, USAT SW Board of Directors TEAM USA ‘97,98 Track & Cross Country Coach. Monterey High School

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Recommended intake: 0. Reason: too gimmicky, unknown side-effects – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone have experience with these products? Recommended intake? Please share The good, bad, and the ugly will be appreciated. Aloha, Steve

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Question:

Breezy Point Triathlon, Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, June 1997.

This was my first tri after a 5 year break from the sport to finish grad school, do some special projects at work, etc.  The swim was absolutely brutal to me that day.  The water was so cold, my feet got cold and did not warm up until the end of the run. Glad you finished.  Keep it up.

Response:

I recently was able to re-establish my access with rst after an unfortunate separation.  As I was looking over some of the older articles, I noticed this topic and thought I might add a tale.  I really consider myself a lurker in this group, but have occasionally posted a subject (usually asking for advice), so here goes: I never swam, biked, nor ran competitively during my younger days.  In fact, of the sports that I did participate in, running was usually some form of punishment for goofing off or showing little zeal.  Consequently, I generally hated running for some time and always wondered why would you want to simply run?  Sounded boring. Life was cruising along and it eventually took me to medical school and ultimately into residency.  It also took me into a residency in neurosurgery.  To make a very long story short, for about 3 years I had very little time in my life for anything, sleep and eating included.  I finally was able to finish the most brutal of the residency and enter stages where, though it gets a little time constraining at times, I had some extra time on my hands.  I knew I was in horrible shape.  I’m lean to begin with and probably will never (I hope) look like the "fat-asses" mentioned in several other posts on this subject.  However, I realized I felt awful about my physical shape. So… I never thought about triathlons.  In fact, I had seen the Ironman on tv, but thought, "Kinda’ crazy if you ask me."  But, I started running.  It was the simplest means by which to get back in shape.  No excuses, just throw on the shoes and go.  Somewhere along the line, I bought a road bike, thinking it would be a good diversion from the running both mentally and physically.  I also figured swimming would be the best overall workout and started going to the pool regularly. Then it happened.  I truly believe that had it not been for the countless nights spent in the hospital, I would have never become so intense on getting into shape.  Slowly I began to gain some endurance and started feeling good about myself physically.  I was beginning to make a little progress with my speeds, as well.  So this crazy idea enters my head one day that since I’m doing the work, why not put them together?  I swear that my initial intentions were to just vary the workout.   My first triathlon:  Breezy Point Triathlon, Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, June 1997.  I won’t make this a race report, but ever since then, I have been obsessed.  I still have a significant commitment to my career (two more years of residency), but whenever I can, I’m training. The days which I’m unable to exercise put me into that foul mood with which most readers can understand.  Why do I continue?  The enjoyment of the training (except headwinds), the purity of individual sport and accomplishment, always looking for something else to buy for my bike?  So many factors probably contribute to my continuing, but I’m still shocked that I got into this game to begin with.   Sorry that I’ve rambled for so long, I’ve tried to synthesize 1 1/2 years as efficiently as I can.  Thanks to all those out there that have been at races or on rst, keeping me interested and motivated. Nathan Simmons —

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Question:

: just feel like it.  My time: 1 hour, 36 minutes, 30 seconds. Well done!  That’s a great time for your first half-marathon. (And, more importantly, you clearly enjoyed yourself!) You can be proud of how far you’ve come in the past 9 months. Nick

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After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race on Sunday, the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. First, I must say that I had the time of my life.  I can NOT emphasize that enough.  After all that time running alone I was surrounded by kindred spirits.

I’ve run this race twice and have immensely enjoyed the combination of spectacular scenery, friendly people, and perfect weather. Now that I don’t live in that area anymore, I’ll have to enjoy your experience vicariously… —

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race on Sunday, the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. First, I must say that I had the time of my life.  I can NOT emphasize that enough.  After all that time running alone I was surrounded by kindred spirits. I’ve run this race twice and have immensely enjoyed the combination of spectacular scenery, friendly people, and perfect weather. Now that I don’t live in that area anymore, I’ll have to enjoy your experience vicariously…

Little did you know you were running with some world class lady triathletes….  From Triathlete Digest, at the San Diego Marathon & 1/2:    Julianne White-Empfield  2:54:44    Melissa Spooner               2:56:20    Liz Downing                     3:13:55 and the 1/2: Katja Schumacher  1:24:39 Chaz

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After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race on Sunday, the San Diego 1/2 Marathon.

Whoah! Major achievement and a super time. Way to go, man. Mike "TriBop" Tennent Remove "nospam." for email reply IMC ‘98 IronVirgins Website http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/imc_iv.htm WebRunner Running Page and my Model Railroad page http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race snip vicariously… Little did you know you were running with some world class lady triathletes…. From Triathlete Digest, at the San Diego Marathon & 1/2:   Julianne White-Empfield  2:54:44   Melissa Spooner               2:56:20   Liz Downing                     3:13:55 and the 1/2: Katja Schumacher  1:24:39 Chaz

I saw a couple triathlon butts-O-steal go by me early.  I bet I could have spotted the 1:24:39 had I known

Response:

After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race on Sunday, the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. First, I must say that I had the time of my life.  I can NOT emphasize that enough.  After all that time running alone I was surrounded by kindred spirits. At 6:00 AM I came over the hill of El Camino Real toward the valley (I live here so I use the side roads).  As far as I could see looking west when I crossed highway 78 was a stream of headlights winding to the 5 and then south.  I had no idea.  My wife said softly "oh my god".  It is not that we did not know it would be a lot of people, I just had not imagined the logistics that would lead up to the racing. After parking and coffee we watched the early marathoners leave and it was inspiring.  So I went to get in line. I was right up front, had been there at the starting line for 30 minutes when we finally left.  I ran a bit too fast out of the gate. I had made a cheat sheet and stapled it to my waist band to check my time at the 1, 3, 6, and 12 marks to see if I was over or under my targets.  My cheat sheet had three columns, the "goal run", the "hope to run", and the "wouldn’t it be neat" run.  At one mile I was too fast.  I was even ahead of the "wouldn’t it be neat".  I knew I may be in trouble so I tried to drop a notch or two. I had no idea how many people were in the race, so I had no perspective of where I was and I never looked back.  Leaving in the front of the line left for only one experience.  Lots of folks were passing me and I was passing no one… and now I was supposed to drop it down a notch.  That was hard to do.  This went on consistently for about 3 miles… running forward and getting behind more and more people.  Was I discouraged, no!  I was amongst friends and I was having a blast trying to figure out the mind games and pace myself. Around mile 5 fewer people were passing me and those that did passed slower.  I even passed a few.  I knew I had entered my place in the pack.  At mile 6 I checked my time again.  I was still ahead of my best expectations but not so much now.  I felt good and I was able to really start to relax.  My face already hurt, literally, from smiling. And those people along the sidewalk clapping, they love to see that smile and clap harder.  We had a silent agreement, I would smile if they would clap; so we did. When I hit the 1/2 way mark I made a u-turn to the north bound side of Coast Highway.  Then I saw the sea of people behind me, and it was a sea that went a long ways.  Now I damn near broke my face with that smile.  Around mile 9, I hooked up with a few people that were running my race and "hung out".  We ran most of the rest near each other.  We made jokes about the winners already being on their second beers since they finished long ago.  Somewhere around mile 11 they got about 15 strides ahead of me. At mile 12 I checked my chart again.  I was still ahead of my best expectations and I felt good.  I started to get a side-ache so I dropped a notch again and waited; it passed.  Around 12.5 I tried to figure when I should burn whatever I had left.  I did not want to go too early.  As a result, I waited a bit too long.  I gave everything I had with about a quarter left to go.  When I can around the corner for the last 75 yards I swear I was gliding.  I felt better in that moment than I had in the last decade save my wedding day and the births of my children. I hit my stop watch at the line and was amazed.  It was not a world record, it was not a course record.  It was only my first race.  But for a guy that 9 months earlier went out one night 40 pounds over wait and only 3 months from his last cigarette to try to run a mile, it was amazing. I had made a commitment to myself that I would not tell anyone my time.  I did not want to be compared to some obscure table of runners. I wanted to make sure my feeling of success was not deflated; I would need the motivation later and it was after all only my first race.  My goal 4 months earlier was just to finish it without walking.  When asked, I would just answer that I made my goal. Now I am going to break that promise and tell you my time.  Why? three reasons.  One, my pride is stronger than anticipated so I don’t feel at risk.  Two, I learned in the last 12 weeks that runners of meeting runners that they are much more likely to compare their own results to some table then they are to compare yours.  And three, I just feel like it.  My time: 1 hour, 36 minutes, 30 seconds. That experience solidifies it, I am a runner.

Response:

hi maile,  great run ,great feeling.  congratulations.     chad

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Question:

Any good fitness/triathlon type stores in Boulder? Any recommendations appreciated.

Response:

Check out Pro Peloton.  It’s on N. 13th Street, which runs parallel to Broadway.  If you’re visiting in the morning (around 10 or 11), you have a pretty good chance of meeting Chuckie V.  Also, check out their rides on Wednesday AM.  They’re pretty nice, and I say this as a flat lander who visits every year only to get stomped by the big lunged ones.   Excel sports Bouder is really nice too, especially if you’re a gearhead into Ibis and Alan Cross bikes, etc.  There’s a mechanic there named Steven (or is it Stephen) you’ll recognize him from the catalog.  He’s great, and they’re all a nice bunch of folks. Enjoy boulder! Kendra – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Any good fitness/triathlon type stores in Boulder? Any recommendations appreciated.

Response:

Any good fitness/triathlon type stores in Boulder? Any recommendations appreciated.

To add to Kendra’s mention of Pro Peloton (I highly agree) and Excel Sports, I would also talk about the Boulder Running Company (2775 Pearl St.). Owners are Johnny Halberstadt (a character if I ever met one – really ranks among the world’s genuine,  good-hearted people); Jay Johnson and Mark Plaatjes. At least one of them – usually two, if not all three – is there at all hours. I lived in Boulder for nine years, and only wish that both Pro Peloton and Boulder Running  Co. had been open when I was there. Katherine Williams, now in Madison, WI

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Check out Pro Peloton.  It’s on N. 13th Street, which runs parallel to Broadway.  If you’re visiting in the morning (around 10 or 11), you have a pretty good chance of meeting Chuckie V.  Also, check out their rides on Wednesday AM.  They’re pretty nice, and I say this as a flat lander who visits every year only to get stomped by the big lunged ones. Excel sports Bouder is really nice too, especially if you’re a gearhead into Ibis and Alan Cross bikes, etc.  There’s a mechanic there named Steven (or is it Stephen) you’ll recognize him from the catalog.  He’s great, and they’re all a nice bunch of folks. Enjoy boulder! Kendra Any good fitness/triathlon type stores in Boulder? Any recommendations appreciated.

I just got back from Boulder today and whole heartedly agree about Pro Peloton. They are very well respected and in the words of one of their local competitors "the best road bike people on the planet!" Oh, the rides are on Wed eve at 6 P.M. and again on Sun morning, but beware, those guys are fast! They did a real nice job about keeping the group together. Marcus Schantz

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Question:

-snip On the way back I did the NC Triathlon in Raleigh.  Nice local race. Had my best race in a while (possibly two years) but unfortunately not a USAT sanctioned event so won’t count in rankings!

HOLY COW!!!  I missed an opportunity to meet the Hugster!!!  I, too, was at the race, though as a volunteer.  I had done Fairmount 1/2IM the week before and needed a rest, so I thought that I would help with the race instead.  I definitely had as much fun cheering my friends on as I do racing. You probably saw me, though I don’t expect you to remember.  I was the only guy doing the body marking before the race, and I was the transition area volunteer running from falling rack to falling rack, trying to keep the racers racing and their bikes off the pavement.  Glad to hear you enjoyed the race. Cameron

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Whew – it’s good to be back.  I just got back from my month long adventure of going to the Olympics.  Was going thru withdrawal! Was fortunate enough to meet and/or talk to several RSTers along the way. Started my trip with the Sunset Tri in Bridgeton NJ where I met Rich Stein (and also hung out with Allyn Cutts & Eddy O’Kinsky, local race directors that I already knew).  Pleased with my race. The next day I did the Hawk Sport Festival where I met a bunch-o-RSTers!  Pretty tough course (definitely not the "FLAT" run that was advertised – 1st 5k was primarily downhill, 2nd half was back up – took 4.5 mins more on way back – YIKES!)  Met John Walker (reminded me of Scott Tinley – must be the blond hair and mustache – but he was pretty quick too!), Roxanne Scott (friendly and came all the way from California just to meet us east-coast RSTers, HA), Steve Irish (just as Ruth says – modest, attractive, really shouldn’t have a problem finding a date except he seems rather shy!), and Tucker Newberry (seemed nice, didn’t get to talk to him that much).  That was a lot of fun and made the pit stop worthwhile since I really can’t say I gave the race much effort – spent too much time enjoying the view on the bike course! Headed down the Blue Ridge Parkway – beautiful, much better than taking a regular highway like I-85 or I-95 even if it took a few more hours. Made it to Atlanta on Tuesday in time to see swimming finals with RSTer Michelle Nezi – who has just moved from Atlanta back to Philly!  It was awesome! Saw mountain biking with RSTer Mark Jenkins – we were running all over the place!  Both took power naps between the men’s and women’s races despite the heat and 40,000 person crowd! (Just pretended I was laying out at the Jersey Shore!)  It too was awesome! Talked to some others (Steve Sciance & Jay Train) but missed them out there on the women’s marathon course – we were supposed to all hook up but it’s hard to find people you’ve never met with the crowds that were down there!  (Also didn’t help that Steve & Mark didn’t set their watches to HST – Hug Standard Time – 15 to 30 mins after EST!) Also saw Track Cycling – met a triathlete from Virginia who had an extra ticket to some kind of priority seating. I suggested we sit together (before I even knew he had great seats). So I didn’t have to sit in the nose bleed stand section (sold my ticket for $70 – only asked for face value of $37 but people kept outbidding each other!) I bought his extra one that was in a chair along the perimeter of the track!  INCREDIBLE – didn’t even mind the 3.5 hour rain delay as he was very entertaining. And of course I went to the freebies – the men & women’s marathons, men’s cycling road race and men & women’s cycling time trials. Had some great training rides and even met another RSTer kind of by mistake – I think his name was Mark Linneberg (?) – he had e-mailed me a list of rides and I showed up on one.  I heard him talking about NJ and asked him if he was from there … blah blah blah .. til we found out that we had been in contact by e-mail!  Also, I highly recommend the DYNAMO swim workouts – excellent coach on Mon, Wed & Fri (Andy) – long distance workouts for $4 (sprint work outs on Tues & Thurs).  One downfall is that it is held very early –  at 5:45am (translate: 6am HST = no warm-up) so I missed several times when I planned to go. One morning I was getting ready to go to bed when my alarm went off at 5:10 am to get up to swim – sleeping took priority as I went to bed at 5:30 am!  Betty Mills who won OC trains there – she kicks butt!! Stayed in Atlanta til the Friday after the Olympics so I could spend some time with my best friend who lives down there.  Didn’t get to see her too much during the games – very hectic schedules! On the way back I did the NC Triathlon in Raleigh.  Nice local race. Had my best race in a while (possibly two years) but unfortunately not a USAT sanctioned event so won’t count in rankings! Well this is too long already – I could just go on and on.  It was great meeting all those RSTers in person but I am happy to be back and able to get on the computer!     -hug

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Question:

Would like to RENT a FULLSUIT TRIATHLON WETSUIT for the DONNER LAKE TRIATHLON on July 21, 1996. I’ve called a number of stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, but all are only willing to sell, not rent.  Since I’m not sure how many triathlons I’ll do in my life (especially in cold enough waters to need a wetsuit, like Donner), I don’t want to buy a wetsuit. Does anyone who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area know of a place where I can rent a triathlon wetsuit?  If not, is anyone willing to lend me his fullsuit triathlon wetsuit for the weekend of July 20?  I think I’m an extra large since an O’Neil large and Quintana Roo large are both too tight. I would greatly appreciate any information someone can provide. My e-mail address is: Thanks, Rich Regueiro

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<<Would like to RENT a FULLSUIT TRIATHLON WETSUIT for the DONNER LAKE TRIATHLON on July 21, 1996. One firm that does rent suits is Bonzai Sports out of Fairfax, VA at 703-280-2248.  I’m not sure if they will ship rentals or not but they do actively rent a large number of suits.  They have a good stock of QR’s and a few Ironman suits to my knowledge.  Good Luck! Paul Elieff-Ironman Triathlon Wetsuits " The challenge of a thought is to make it a reality."

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Question:

OK, fire away with your comments!

Thanks to Milt for reviewing the subject, however, this rec.runner votes to leave it as it is. — Colin Freebury Ottawa, Ontario

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I agree that some split is possible, although it in not that easy to see where.

I’m not so sure,  There really aren’t that many post on here.  I would be nervous to fragment the group down to the point there is little discussion at all.  I feel most people do a great job on this list with the subject headings.  As a runner, my interest change daily, weekly, monthly…sometimes I want to read some threads sometimes I don’t.  But I like the flavors of all running topics under one simple newsgroup!!  - for example, some people may be inhibited from posting too many results if they thought people were fed up of them, but a rec.running.results would be a natural place for these. One  always gets irked by the odd thread here and there ( Treadmills being one of mine!),

I have my down arrow key…..I’m not irked at all!….I’d rather have the option to skip that to not see at all.  but by and large this group is great, and the FAQs are very useful.

AGREED!!!! Keep posting! Tim

Andrew Hill

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I have my down arrow key…..I’m not irked at all!….I’d rather have the option to skip that to not see at all. but by and large this group is great, and the FAQs are very useful.

I agree 100%.  It is nice to have diversity.

Response:

(Milt Epstein) writes: Now that it looks like I’m going to be getting back into running, I’d also like to get back into reading rec.running.  I’m thinking that a subdivision of rec.running would help me (and hopefully others) in  keeping up with rec.running.   Three sections would appeal to me: equipment, race-info, misc.  Too many subdivisions would increase the likelihood that I would miss a lot of good ideas.

I second that.  I for one would like to filter out all the geographically local stuff, such as runners looking for someone to run with in distant, exotic countries beyond the vast ocean (such as the US of A , and races I’ll never attend because the starters fee is $505: $5 for the number attached to my shirt and $500 for the airline ticket :-/  Thus, I would not subscribe to the race-info group. There are a lot of postings on injuries and such; but I doubt if it’s a good idea with a rec.running.health subgroup, because it’s too varied a subject, that I wouldn’t want to unselect as a whole. Still confused but at a higher level

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I agree that some split is possible, although it in not that easy to see where. Marathons and ultramarathons may be a possible split group – or something related to competitive running as against "hobby" running. Another possible group would be a results service and reports. I love hear- ing about people’s experiences in races etc., and would like to see more results posted, with the odd comment here and there. I was a little surprised, in fact, when I looked about the newsgroups and only found rec.running. BUT I really like what goes on on rec.running, and I’m especially grateful to those people who contact me directly on comments – so even if rec.running did not split, I wouldn’t be unhappy, but splitting may help increase the info’ – for example, some people may be inhibited from posting too many results if they thought people were fed up of them, but a rec.running.results would be a natural place for these. One  always gets irked by the odd thread here and there ( Treadmills being one of mine!), but by and large this group is great, and the FAQs are very useful. Keep posting! Tim

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I took at look at all (the subject lines of) the articles still around  at my site as of 11/22/94.  I think expiration at my site is set to 7  days.  There were 411 articles, which works out to about 60 per day   (whether this is too much volume or not may be a matter of personal  opinion)

Milt: I think your arithmetic may be off on this point.  I read rec.running daily, along with a couple of other newsgroups and I have no difficulty keeping up.  I doubt there are 25 new posts per day. I am reluctant to subdivide the group.  I like the fact that we are all on one group, holding together, not like the cyclists who are split into roadies, mountain bikers and "social issues" cyclists.  A measure of cohesion to the theme is lost IMHO. Cheers. David F. Monti, Race Results Weekly "Race results by fax first thing every Monday morning…"

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I agree that some split is possible, although it in not that easy to see where. Marathons and ultramarathons may be a possible split group – or something related to competitive running as against "hobby" running. Keep posting! Tim

I have always thought the prefix "rec" was interesting considering it is the abbreviated form of recreation.  Although this may just be a matter of semantics, I associate a "hobby" with recreation contrary to associating "competition" to recreation.  However illogical it may seem, it seems that it is unnecessary to seperate "hobby" running and competitive running since competitive running really is not recreation by my terms anyway (maybe I’m just too serious about my running) so you might as well keep the status quo. with his categories.  This group is getting too much traffic.  This necessitates dividing this newsgroup into more manageable and relevant divisions.  Contrary to what a previous individual said, subdividing a newsgroup does not necessarily make it weaker but is evidence that it is strong and has a large following.  Of course, this is just my opinion. -Jacob

Response:

I took at look at all (the subject lines of) the articles still around  at my site as of 11/22/94.  I think expiration at my site is set to 7  days.  There were 411 articles, which works out to about 60 per day   (whether this is too much volume or not may be a matter of personal  opinion) I think your arithmetic may be off on this point.  I read rec.running daily, along with a couple of other newsgroups and I have no difficulty keeping up.  I doubt there are 25 new posts per day.

To add a little more data on this point.  I again went through all the posts at my site, and I computed the following summary of posts per day (using all the impressive computing resources at my power — each post, and excluded any days that only had partial data (e.g. where the times did not start from almost 0000 and end at close to 2359).   26 25 Nov   12 26 Nov   20 27 Nov   50 28 Nov   37 29 Nov   53 30 Nov   42 1 Dec   34 2 Dec Note that Nov 25-27 were the Fri-Sun of the holiday weekend, so I’m sure they were atypically low (I’m not sure how much things drop off on a regular weekend).  Also note that Dec 2 (today) is not complete yet (the latest post today at my site was at about 2000, which is about 5/6 of a day, so I’ll estimate 41 for today’s total).  So for this week, we have between 37 and 53 new posts per day.  A total of 223, an average of 45 or so.  Lower than 60, but higher than 25. — Milt Epstein Department of Computer Science University of Illinois

Response:

It is *definitely* time to split up this group; there is way too much traffic, much of which is skipped over by many people, I bet. As far as what to split rec.running into, I don’t have strong opinions, but I think race-info/injuries/general(or misc) would be a good try.

Response:

I agree that there are some problems with rec.running. The volume of messages is very high and therefore difficult to follow from day to day. Also, the topics of the messages are very varied, one might not be interested in reading all of them. However, I’d suggest less radical solutions. Like reading the subject lines of your messages. I don’t mean to be offensive or condescending. But I really think that would be an effective, if a bit less satisfying solution. The benefit to be gained from the large audience of rec.running is the collective experience of the group. The substantial reduction in the audience of smaller, more narrowly focused groups would come along with the sacrifice of many people’s knowledge and expertise. Now, it is possible to get solutions to the most localized and bizarre questions. What’s the best place to run in xxxx city? What was that sidebar thing in Runner’s world a few months ago? Not only do bizarre questions find answer more often, even less outlandish answers get a greater variety and often better answers, than if the audience of rec.running was smaller. We shouldn’t forget the advantages of our size. We should take the bad things about rec.running in stride, and in the meanwhile enjoy its advantages.                                         Rob Robert Lendvai         |   "My favorite, I might say, the "Fool on the hill" |     my only study, is man."

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Well, I think I’ve already given away the gist of my post with the subject line, but let me give a little background anyway. I haven’t been keeping up so well with rec.running of late.  Partly that’s been because I’ve been in the midst of a long layoff due to knee/leg problems (which hopefully I’m on the verge of solving, partly due to getting orthotics).  And partly it’s been because of the much increased traffic in rec.running over the last year or so.  It seems every time I think I’ve caught up with it, I turn around and there’s already another 100 or so articles. Now that it looks like I’m going to be getting back into running, I’d also like to get back into reading rec.running.  I’m thinking that a subdivision of rec.running would help me (and hopefully others) in keeping up with rec.running.  Of course, as with UseNet guidelines, I’d go by the desires of the majority, so if most others don’t think a subdivision is warranted, that will be the end of it.  But I did a little bit of analysis on the recent articles in rec.running, so I thought I’d present that as a way of starting off the discussion. I took at look at all (the subject lines of) the articles still around at my site as of 11/22/94.  I think expiration at my site is set to 7 days.  There were 411 articles, which works out to about 60 per day (whether this is too much volume or not may be a matter of personal opinion).  I looked over the subject lines and tried to come up with a natural grouping for them.  There were several natural categories that came to mind, but also a fair number of articles that didn’t seem to naturally fit into these categories.  Of course, it’s likely possible to broaden those categories somewhat to include more articles, and of course a misc group would probably be included to cover articles that didn’t fit into some other category.  And I’m sure others out there will have some good suggestions as to how a reorganization should go. I present below my summary.  I’ve excluded most of the specific subject lines in the interests of brevity; I have those available if anyone cares to look at them, perhaps to try to come up with a different grouping.  Also, I looked at the articles in news.announce.newsgroups related to creating/reorganizing newsgroups. According to those guidelines, this articles serves as an informal, "pre-RFD", discussion of a potential rec.running reorganization.  If anything comes of it, we can move to a formal RFD; if not, we’ll let it die a natural death. So, to my summary.  I grabbed all the subject lines present on my site on Nov 22 18:13:27 1994.  There were 411 of them.  Here is my rough grouping: 12 FAQs (from Ozzie Gontag) 63 Equipment   24 Treadmills     19 Treadmill slower than outside?   31 Shoes     16 How Do Tell When You Need New Shoes?     10 [particular shoes]      3 Snowshoes   2 HR Monitors   3 Pedometers   5 Orthotics [should this be here or in injuries/health conditions?]   1 Polar nightvision 44 Injuries/health conditions   10 Blisters    7 Foot/toe problems    2 Shin splints    6 Knee problems    7 ITB    2 Stitches    2 Hip Pain    4 Cramps    2 Pissing blood    1 Cold    1 Exercise-induced anaphylaxis? 49 Other health considerations    9 Beer and running    4 Sex and running   14 Calories burned    2 Chromium Picolinate – Fat Loss    1 Too Fat to Run   14 Optimal running weight    1 Body composition    4 walk/run what’s really the dif????? 44 Training/technique/advice/wisdom   (e.g. mixing XC and track, intervals, speed workouts, hills,     weights, conditions (dark, cold, rain), marathons (first), age) 109 Races/Marathons (race-info)   22 Results   66 Particular races/marathons   21 Particular location/area 33 Social/Personal   14 Race/running "experiences"/"firsts"    1 Running alone–antisocial??   13 "Local" runners/info/partners/clubs    1 16 y/o wants penpals from other countries    3 Famous runners (Zatopek, Pre, Oprah)    1 research on running 56 Misc   17 Quotes   14 Music/Songs    9 Hashing    4 "What is ECOSORB?"    2 How to Direct a Race    1 test    3 Track and Field (newsgroup, info)    1 Any running camps?    2 XC-team data needed for analysis    1 College X-Country    1 WWW page for Greater Bost<Track Club: Information wanted    1 RFD: rec.sport.orienteering (The categories only add up to 410, so I must’ve lost an article somewhere . The natural groups that jumped out at me are (the names are of course open to discussion just as the groups are): equipment (any running related equipment, including shoes) injuries advice/wisdom — I originally thought this group would be called   something like "training" or "technique", but there were a fair   number of related articles that weren’t quite covered by them;   things like running in the dark/rain/cold and others race-info — there were lots of things related to questions about   particular races (mostly marathons), mainly divided up between   general info about particular races, results, and questions about   races in a particular area around a particular date.  "race-info"   was a name that occurred to me that covered these topics pretty   well misc Other groupings I made above that did not fit into these categories so well were: faqs other health considerations social/personal The first of these, FAQs, could most likely be crossposted to all of the new groups (I believe there is precedent for that).  Note that the number of FAQ postings shown here is higher than normal because both the current and previous postings of the FAQs were on my site at the time I collected the subjects, something that would most likely only happen for a short time. For the other two, it is quite possible that some of the articles covered could be naturally covered by some of the other groups (e.g. some "other health consideration" could be moved to "advice"), or otherwise placed in misc (like most/all of the "social" stuff). While I’m suggesting this, I might as well also see how people feel about changing the base name of the group to rec.sport.running.  I notice that most groups in rec.* are at the third level, and there are many rec.sport.* groups (including rec.sport.triathlon).  I wasn’t around when rec.running was created so I don’t know why only a second level name was chosen — perhaps it was somewhat of an artifact. OK, fire away with your comments! — Milt Epstein Department of Computer Science University of Illinois

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Question:

I am interested in learning about other Internet resources, including discussion groups, related to running.  Can anyone help?

Response:

I am interested in learning about other Internet resources, including discussion groups, related to running.  Can anyone help?

misc.fitness ?.?.triathalon

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I am interested in learning about other Internet resources, including discussion groups, related to running.  Can anyone help? misc.fitness ?.?.triathalon

How about the dead runners’ society? For information on this mailing list, send email to: Tom Carminati U S WEST Advanced Technologies

Response:

: I am interested in learning about other Internet resources, including : discussion groups, related to running.  Can anyone help? : misc.fitness : ?.?.triathalon rec.sport.triathlon, I believe (is the group name misspelled?)

You dun gud( I had to peek in the .newsrc file) turn off the charm, it’s too damn bright  -SK

– Doug Freese    All opinions are mine

Response:

: I am interested in learning about other Internet resources, including : discussion groups, related to running.  Can anyone help? : misc.fitness : ?.?.triathalon rec.sport.triathlon, I believe (is the group name misspelled?) turn off the charm, it’s too damn bright  -SK

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: I am interested in learning about other Internet resources, including : discussion groups, related to running.  Can anyone help? : misc.fitness : ?.?.triathalon rec.sport.triathlon, I believe (is the group name misspelled?)

For Hash House Harriers, there is the newsgroup alt.hash.house.harriers I suggest all information collected on this topic be added to the FAQ. Marty Moore —    The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of      North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information         Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.            internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80

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