February 24, 2011

Walleyball Fail and a New Bike!

42 comments

Well, friends… last night’s Walleyball game was not pretty.

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Apparently there are teams in the league that:

a) Actually know how to play Walleyball, and

b) Are really serious and hardcore about it and possibly trying to kill us with their insanely intense spikes from the net. I seriously almost got killed like 3 times. These girls were NOT there for fun.

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Uhh… yeah. The game lasted a total of 15 minutes, we got completely destroyed, and that was that. Lol.

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Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted 🙂

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Lol. Major thanks to our awesome classmate Tyrone, who served as our coach, cheerleader, and photographer 🙂

By the way — if you’re new to the blog and have no idea what I’m talking about — check out my first two Walleyball posts — they’re hilarious!

We’ll be back for more next spring, Walleyball…!

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In other fitness related news, guess what I bought over the weekend???

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Yep — you guys convinced me — a road bike with dropped handlebars! I feel like such a big girl!

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It was expensive, but I figure it’s something I’ll keep for years and years, so it will be worth the investment 🙂 I can’t wait to ride it and start getting used to the handlebars — now the weather just needs to warm up again and I’ll be all set! I have my sights set on doing my first triathlon this summer… we’ll see 🙂 Have you guys ever done a triathlon? What did you think? Any words of wisdom? Obviously I’m looking at starting with short sprint tris 🙂

I’m off to school for another busy day — but I finished my Epidemiology take home exam and submitted it yesterday so YAY! One more thing crossed off the list 🙂

Have a good one!

- anne

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42 comments
  • Congrats on the new bike, it looks awesome. I can't wait to read some posts on your rides and training using it. I'm doing my first 3 triathlons this year (sprint, olympic, and half ironman) so I cant offer any advice but I can tell you I'm crazy excited! Good luck and enjoy the bike :)
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  • Walleyball looks like SO much fun! but pretty crazy, I'd imagine. Is it played on a squash court? Congrats on your new bike, it looks sweeeet!! using the drops is pretty easy (it just feels so great to be going super fast!) but clip-in pedals (if that's what you'll be using) are a different game altogether. Recommend starting on grass to get accustomed to them! As for the triathlon, get as much time on the bike as possible beforehand. I did my first with my only bike training being 3 spinning classes a week. It was awesome for fitness, but no substitute for road biking. And maybe do a brick workout at least once a week, because those lead-legs after you get off the bike and start running are horrible! It's so much fun though - 3-types-of-exercise-in-one. HEAVEN!!! Good Luck!
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    • It is played on a squash court! My first post about it goes into the details of the game - so fun :) I won't be using clip-in pedals anytime soon - they terrify me and it just seems like one more expensive thing :) For now, I'll just get used to the drops!
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  • I want to play Walleyball too, but mainly so that I can say Walleyball over and over again. Ummmm- Awesome bike! Steph and I over at 321delish have been competing in Tri's for a few years now. We are far from professional (and have come a long way) but are trying to learn as much as we can and share it with the blog world! Let us know if you have any questions! Chloe & Steph
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  • HHahaha wait I love your coach, he looks like a blasty! Slash that reminds me of when people would get REALLY competitive in gym class..I mean, really?! Slash that bike is GORGEOUS. I just got a really expensive bike for my birthday, but no dropped handlebars:(
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    • Hahahha that was the WORST when people got all competitive in gym class. It was totally like that last night! We were like, "Really, girls? Now that you've seen we suck can we please take down the spiking a notch or ten and crack a few smiles?"
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  • LOVE the new bike! She's so pretty! Congrats on the investment. I love, love, love triathlons. I started doing them because I got injured running and fell hopelessly in love with the sport. My advice for starting up is have fun and don't stress. What's better than getting your sweat on in three different sports for one race? Answer: nothing.
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    • Haha, truth! Yeah I'm definitely aiming to just have a good time - clearly I'm not going to be winning any tris anytime soon, heh.
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  • Sorry your team got walloped. What a nice bike. I would never be able to ride it because of the handle bars. Congratulations.
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  • Ah, I'm super jealous of the bike. I definitely want to get a bike, but I don't have the money right now. :/ I love the color of the handle bars!
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  • I couldn't wait to see how your championship turned out...at least you all had fun playing and made it as far as you did!! As for triathalons...I did a mini one in college. It was mandatory as part of our preseason basketball workout my junior year. It was fun and very challenging but I wouldn't say that I really prepped for it how I should have. The whole team pretty much took it lightly...I would love to do another one now though, with my new appreciation for fitness...I think it would be a lot of fun!
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  • I really wanna do a sprint tri this summer too! I've always just focused on running, but I really enjoying cycling when I do it. I grew up swimming in a lake all summer, so I'm used to it, but swimming continuously for a distance is hard!
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    • Yeah, I think it will be fun to mix it up! I was on swim teams when I was little so I'll be good on the swimming - it's mostly just the transitions and the biking that will slow me down!
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  • I have a road/race bike that I got for 10 bucks at a garage sale - and it works great! I use it outside of my little town, but other than that I hate riding it around "in town". I look silly all hunched over!
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    • Yeah - I decided on dropped handlebars because I hate riding in town/with cars so I figure I'll be using it when I'm out for longer rides, anyway!
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    • I totally do need a bell and basket, heh. And maybe some pink ribbon coming out of the handlebars. ;)
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  • CONGRATS on the new bike purchase, Anne! That is so exciting! I love the handlebar tape color. Teal is my fav! That is a purchase you will not be disappointed about. I bought a Trek Madone two summers ago and absolutely love it. I've done a duathalon (5k run, 12 mi bike, 5k run) and a few 75 mile supported rides (not races). But I will be doing my first sprint tri (with an indoor swim) this April! http://justcallmesassy.blogspot.com/2011/02/so-i-guess-i-should-train.html
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    • I may or may not have purchased the bike because of those teal handlebars ;) Shhhhh. Good luck with your spring tri!
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  • Oh there are always those super serious teams that get pissed when you're just having fun and joking around. Oh well! And now you're making me want a bike! I would love to do a triathlon but I am so scared of the swimming part...
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    • Don't be scared! You can do it :) I'm scared of the transitions! Ha
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  • Great looking bike, Anne. Very exciting, indeed. And given your running ability, endurance, and swimming ability, you'd be a natural for a tri! (Got the bike shoes, too?)
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    • Thanks! I'm going to stick with regular shoes - clip in shoes would be a bit much at this point, I think :)
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      • I think you'll decide to upgrade to clip-in shoes/pedals fairly soon. Big difference. Beyond that, recommend you get a decent, small speedometer, so you can track your pace, distance, and, of course, progress. You'll have a love/hate relationship with it, but it, too, will prove very valuable...
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        • We'll see :) And actually, my Garmin watch has a bike setting! So I am already good to go on that :)
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  • I did my first traithlon on a mountain bike, and I didn't know how to change gears. It was a reverse, so the swim was last, and I didn't bring a towel. It was a big old pile of hilarious FAIL, and so much fun. The second one I did, I got pulled from the race during the first transition, because they thought I had hypothermia. My racing companions and I ignored the thought of wet suits, and went into the super cold lake wearing almost nothing. It was the worth 45 of my life, in that water. I never warmed up. I couldn't stop shaking and crying as I got out. My third triathlon was Olympic length. Somehow I signed up for some fancy elite type race, where everyone had the weird alien helmets and million dollar bikes. I was the second to last person to cross the finish line, even though my time was totally respectable. None of the water stations were manned when I did my run, and no one was at the finish line. It was awful. My advice? Be prepared. Know what you're getting yourself in to, sign up for FUN races, not ridiculously competitive ones. Now, I still had fun, but, yeah, I could have made much better decisions. And, most people don't make the mistakes I make.
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    • Lol good lord! That's quite the tri racing history you have, ha! Interesting that they had a reverse tri - I wonder if it would be easier to do it in that order, since running after biking would be hard? Did you notice a difference?
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  • Gorgeous. That definitely is a big girl bike. Mine, I will admit, is all about the fashion. (http://www.rei.com/product/781229) So girlie but I absolutely love it.
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    • So cute! Love the pink.
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  • Yay for the new bike. I need one to commute to and from work. Of course, as soon as spring really arrives I'll be walking to and from again. Can't wait. I love the walk in the early morning.
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  • Yay Anne! Welcome to the road biking world! It's amazing, if I do say so myself. LOVE the bike! It's so pretty!
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  • Pretty new bike!! I did a sprint tri 2 years ago. It was an utter fail. :( I trained through winter (the tri was in early April) in the gym. Luckily, the tri's swim portion was in a pool (I'm crazy scared of open water), so that was the main reason I went for it. However, I had practically NO training on a real bike - just the stationary one in the gym. Also, I only had a mountain bike - so I was planning on using my hubby's road bike for the race. So, I took it out like 2 times the week prior to the race, but still didn't feel too comfortable with the dropped handlebars and he had these weird shifters on it. Come race day - the pool swim was a disaster. They had us 4 people/lane, going in circles. So, it seemed like every time I'd try to breathe, someone was passing me and would splash water in my face. So, I spent a lot of time just doing breaststroke, coughing and gagging my way through. Then, during the bike portion, I thought it felt hard to pedal...but I knew ZERO about the bike, so really didn't think anything was wrong with it - I was moving forward. LOL I could never get in that groove where it's kind of easy to pedal and just keep the bike moving - I was constantly having to really push. I just thought the swim had killed my energy and was all disappointed in myself. I was like, "I swear I was in better shape than this!!" Then, in the run portion, they had people counting at the part where you'd turn in to finish the .1 mile (of 3.1) and go to the finish line. So, you'd do 3 laps around several city blocks and then turn in. I knew I had done my 3 laps and was ready to finish, but the counter person was all, "No, you have one more lap!" That killed me. I was confused and didn't want to stand there and argue, so I kept running...but the entire time, I was going through the laps and was like, "I was DONE!" Epic. FAIL. It wasn't until my hubby met me at the finish line and we went to pick up the bike that he was pushing it for me and was like, "This feels weird." He looked down and apparently, when I'd put the bike in my car, I had unhooked the one rear brake pad. So, the entire time, I had been riding with 1/2 my brake down...and had no idea. I was SO bummed and I've had some serious triathlon aversion ever since. However, I've been considering doing another one. Like, I need to redeem myself. Hehe... So, my biggest tip would be: KNOW YOUR BIKE and be able to take it apart/put it back together. Then, if you have some wonky counting system that you have to deal with, ensure that the counter person SEES you on every lap.
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    • Yikes! That does sound horrendous! I think you owe it to yourself to do another one just so it can be more fun than the first :)
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  • Haha, the fact that you've been in a Walleyball league cracks mah shiz up. I can only imagine the shennanigans that have happened on that court... Now, we have SERIOUS walleyball players? Really?! Somebody tell them to take it down a notch. On the other note, what a beautiful little bici!!! :) Have fun with her!
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  • Congrats on the bike! As a cyclist, if I can offer you any piece of advice it's to buy clipless pedals and shoes. The best investment (other than the bike itself) that you will ever make. Staves off injuries, makes your stroke more efficient, and adds extra style points and a slight element of danger while learning to clip out. Enjoy it!
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  • Nice bike! I cant wait for spring to start riding again. I have done triathlons, they are A LOT of fun. and the environment is contagious. Let me know if you need any help or advice!
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  • yay, congrats on the new purchase! when can we ride our pretty bikes together!? ps. i will do a biathlon! just not a triathlon... you know how i feel about swimming laps. ;)
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    • The next time it's pretty out we have a date with Maple View and bikes :)
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  • Awesome new bike!! It's a beauty :) I've never done a triathlon, but cycling is addicting and time and moola consuming! :) Have fun!
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  • Oh my gosh, sea green and grey used to be my favorite color combo (random much?) back in the late 80s! Your bike is so pretty :)
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