Train-This Testing Day in the 'Cuse

Yesterday was the most fun I've had in a while. A bunch of my Train-This teammates (as well as Coach Mary and Coach Kelly) congregated at the city YMCA in Syracuse for a testing day! This YMCA has a room with (I think) 8 computrainers and a bunch of spin bikes. 13 team members gathered from near (Syracuse) and far (Canada) with some coming from Rochester and Buffalo as well.

Those of us who hailed from the west hit a bit of a snowstorm about 20 miles out of Syracuse. This resulted in almost EVERYBODY arriving late (me included). No worries, since Mary is basically the most laidback coach ever.

that's me in the pink headband and
Amelia making the funny face.. looks
like we were really working hard, right?

I was in round one on the computrainers (supposed to start at 10, didn't even get to the YMCA til 10:15). We found the bike room, changed into our gear, and then warmed up on the bike and got them calibrated. The man in charge of the computrainers, Ted, did a GREAT job getting everyone calibrated and familiarized with how the system works. Then we did a 10 mile time trial. There were 7 of us "racing." I am not very pleased with how I tested but whatever, I don't train with power since I don't have a powermeter, so the watts are irrelevant to me. What I did get was actual good HR data for Mary because this was a legit testing day for me. I do NOT test well on my own. The computrainers are interesting (this was only my 2nd time on one). I'm not really sure if there is any way to really replicate riding outside, and when riding a computrainer it does change the resistance that you feel when you climb a "hill." However, it is pretty interesting to watch the elevation change. In my option, nothing will ever be a substitute for outdoor riding. But for the winter months, I think the computrainer is definitely the best option. Now just to rob a bank save enough money to buy one...

After cooling down and taking our bikes off the trainers, we changed and hopped in the pool while the other group did their bike tests. Mary had rigged up the "coach cam" which was basically an underwater video camera taped to the bottom of a broom. I kid you not. This way she could videotape us swimming directly at her, and then walk alongside us on the deck with the camera in the water so she could get side action shots. Pretty ghetto/awesome!

The testing was really fun because I was able to do it alongside teammates - some who I see often (such as Kim), some who I see rarely (such as Amelia) and some who were there for their first time (like Greg). I also met some teammates that previously were only known to me through the Train-This google group. Fun times are had when everybody gets together, especially when the 4 vegans on the team convince us to go to a vegan cafe to get lunch after testing. (For the record, I am vegetarian, not vegan). Note: vegan milkshakes are delicious, but my stomach was still disagreeing with me 12 hours later!!

Greg got his initiation into Train-This while at lunch; all of the girls were talking about how Bree Wee dropped out of IM Cozumel because she got her period, and we were discussing what our strategy would be if we had that problem. He was the lone guy left at the table with nothing to contribute and probably was feeling pretty uncomfortable. Oh Greg, you just have NO idea what you're in for with this team! :)

book & itunes from Kim, mix CD from Amo, bottle brush from Mary!

I just love seeing friends and getting to spend the day with them, especially doing something that we ALL love! I love that my friends care about me, and that I got 3 birthday presents! (Not that I care about presents at all, but getting gifts from people makes me feel special!!).

I mean really, could I have asked for
an any more fun day than this?