Thread Drift

[DrBee]

Knotted - I hope you feel better. How would some virtual soup do? Maybe more chocolate will help.

[Nanci]

Decongestants will make your e-tubes quit itching. Afrin really unclogs things, but it is SUPER addictive (speaking from experience- and I _knew_ it was addictive before I used it, but it just felt so good to be able to breathe for once in my life!)

Nanci

[KnottedYet]

Thanks, Nanci. I will add decongestants to my list. Which I will go get eventually. After I warm up enough to take a shower.

Just realized I could make chicken soup (frozen chicken, rice, peppercorns, garlic -which cures everything) in my crock pot while I laze around in bed with my laptop.

The chicken is defrosting as we speak. Dog is guarding the microwave.

I'm sure he thinks this whole day is just for him. Snuggling in the bed! Extra attention! Chicken!

[Trek420]

Yeah, he probably planted the cold bug

[KnottedYet]

Knotted's Chicken Soup

3 lbs frozen chicken thighs (minus the one that slipped into the garbage disoposal...ewwww)

1/2 head of garlic, cloves chopped in half

Thumb-sized knob of ginger, sliced thin

palm full of whole peppercorns

3 big splashes of soy sauce

4 handfuls of brown rice

All tossed into the crock pot with enough water to cover. I plan to repeat the garlic and maybe the ginger and probably the soy sauce after it cooks a while.

Dog has given up trying to figure out how to get into the garbage for the chicken skin and the thigh that fell into the disposal. He's curled up on the bed, waiting for me to fall asleep again, plotting his revenge.

[Selkie]

Sick Day.

Woke up in misery. Called in to work, and went back to bed. Weird dreams. Sitting here in my jammies, bummed because I am "free" for the day, but won't be riding. Gonna take some big effort just to take a shower and leave the house to pick up cough drops and throat lozenges.

This must be one of the 130 cold viruses I haven't met yet.

My tonsils are trying to dissolve their way into my skull. Every muscle and joint in my body is explaining (vociferously) that it wants to go back to bed and stop playing on the computer already. My eustacian (?) tubes in my ears itch. Q-tips don't go that far... don't try it.

My temp is 97. It's an anti-fever! If you put me next to someone with a fever, will we instantly annihilate each other like a bad special effect from the original Star Trek?

My dog thinks I stayed home just to give him extra love.

I think you have what made me miserable about three weeks ago. It's our busy time at work (nearing the end of the Fiscal Year) so I couldn't take leave. Anyway, if it's the same thing, it takes about a week before you start feeling OK. It's a persistent virus--I'm still dealing with residual booger-ness from it.

[Lise]

KN, that sounds like a cure-all if I've ever heard one! Hope you're feeling better soon. Glad you've got such a smart and loving dog. L.

[Nanci]

I'm making oven-roasted Lipton Onion Soup potatoes for dinner, with salmon, which is marinating in (real) sherry, soy sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar (out of ginger). I think I will cook it in foil on the grill. It's so hot out. Never made salmon before...

That chicken soup sure sounds good. My two soup specialties are Cream of Wild Rice and Bean with Tomatoes, Chiles and Ham.

Waiting for tech support from Cingular to call me to see why I can't call my home area code from my cell phone of a different area code, when I am in the home area code, and get a message saying it's a call to which long distance charges apply, please dial 1, but I can't do that either. I have a Nationwide plan- this just started for no reason two weeks ago...

I just learned today that correct electrolyte replacement will reduce/eliminate black toenails and blisters on a really long run.

My post to the ultra list earlier today:

I just read Karl King's article about the relationship between electrolyte status and foot problems.

I ran Croom 50k in April 2004 and subsequently lost both big toenails. (So no chance to lose them at Wickham Park 2004) Quarter-sized blisters on my big toes, and a row of smaller blisters at the base of other toes after both runs.

Wickham Park 2005, lost both big toenails. Same blistering as above.

Wickham Park 2006, one teeny blister, all nails intact!

Now, I've been taking Succeed S! Caps as long as I've been running, ( but you know how it goes- you miss a dose, or forget for a while, or skip one because you just ate or drank something...) but Wickham Park 2006 was the first time I set a timer on my watch and took an S! Cap every 30 minutes no matter what for the entire 10 hours I was on the course. Nothing else changed- same shoes, socks, foot prep, etc.

Could it really be that simple?

Nanci

Karl's reply:

Nanci,

For years I ran ultras and had the usual half dozen toenails in various
stages of blackness and repair. You all know how that goes. Then I got
the electrolytes dialed in and the black toenails healed over a few months.
That was the end of my black toenails.

This subject came up when Kevin Sayers and I were doing a practice climb up
the south side of Hope Pass on the LT100 course. To back up my claim of no
black toenails, I took off my shoes and socks and told Kevin, "If anybody
asks, you're my witness - no black toenails."

Maybe I've been lucky, but if so, it has lasted for years of running.
The only thing I changed was getting the electrolytes right. Same socks
(Ultimax ), same type of shoes, same types of terrain.

For those who want the technical side of this, please see:

http://www.succeedscaps.com/blisters.html

Karl King (FI in S Caps, NFI in Ultimax, just like their fit and durability)

[DrBee]

I had no idea about this black toenail and electrolyte thing. What happens there physiologically?

The salmon sounds great! I love grilled salmon - we do it in aluminum foil, too.

For dinner tonight - we're ordering gourmet pizzas (ha - we do have something cool here):
The "Delta Duck" - duck sausage with apple brandy, fresh tomatoes, asiago and mozzarella chesses and house made basil pesto.

The "Green and White" - grilled chicken breast, spinach, garlic alfredo sauce, asioago and mozzarella cheeses.

They are from a 5-start restaurant (only one in the Delta). It's an outstanding restaurant...great presentation, awesome food and service and atmosphere. Too bad it's $150/couple on average for dinner.

Makes up for the really aggravating day at work today. Incompetent and insubordinate people should be fired. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to happen.

[KnottedYet]

The soup is done! I've already eaten 3 bowls of it. First thing I've really wanted to eat all day. I'm feeling much better now. Thanks for suggesting soup!

Now that I've eaten dinner perhaps I should shower and change out of my jammies and GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!

Need to take dog for a walk. (P.S. I did give him some soup.)

[Brina]

dinner tonight is steak and lima beans. we opened a bottle of 2001 Domaine Brusset from the Rhone Valley - from the Wine Spectator:

Refined and subtle. With its silky tannins, lovely full-bodied richness on the palate, this is a red that's well worth hunting for, giving joy with its fresh blackberry aromas and spice, toasted oak and chocolate notes. It has a harmonious finish and an opulent aftertaste

and only $14 a bottle. whoohoo


Nanci, interesting about the electrolytes. I have never heard anything like that.

Knotted, glad you are feeling better.

[Nanci]

fishdr- Karl explains the physiology in the article. The nausea article is great too.

What I think is weird is I have three identical races three years in a row and the only thing that I changed was at the last one, taking electrolytes every 30 minutes without fail because of the timer, instead of just trying to watch my watch. I didn't even find the tiny blister until days later. Other years, my toenails would be black (actually pre-black pinkish purple) as soon as I took my shoes off, with blister juice coming out from under them at both ends, with huge blisters on my big toes and under my other toes.

I think when I ride the 200k July 1st, I'm going to put that watch somewhere on my bike with the alarm set.

BF hated the salmon. I guess it was too far removed from beef or chicken. I liked it, though.

[crazycanuck]

Urugh...Pooey...Darn.. The oilers lost game 7...My friend & I were having quite a ball during the game...whilst at work!!! I couldn't listen live but i could follow the typed play by play on nhl.com. My friend however could listen & was updating me.

So to anyone in North Carolina...enjoy stanley but the Oilers will be back again to win it one day..

Anywho...
Can you ladies tell me if i stay at 25km/hr on my bike on the flats, is that slow in mph? I'm still confused on if i'm spinning or mashing.

What's the best way to learn how to draft?? I'm ok at slow speeds but not too confident beyond that...

c

[Nanci]

That's about my average speed. But that means I'm going faster on the flasts, by 1-5 mph, and a lot slower on hills or in wind.

I learned to draft by going on a long ride with a tolerant friend. It's nice to have someone who can ride really steadily and give good signals for road hazards, etc. Remember, if you touch the wheel ahead of you, you're the one who's going down.

Then just keep back at the distance you're comfortable with, and gradually get closer as you gain confidence. If the person ahead slows, just drift over to your left to slow down by drag, rather than braking and then getting too slow, and then having to really pedal to catch back up. Don't drift over to the right though, because if you overlap wheels, and the rider ahead moves closer to you, all you can do is go off the road. It only takes a couple seconds, usually, to get enough drag from the wind to slow you back down.

I have a hard time pulling in casual situations, because I have a hard time maintaining a constant steady speed. But if I'm in an actual paceline, at the front, then I am riding close to my max, so it's easier to maintain, because I'm not speeding up any more!

Another thing that took me a while to learn was to "soft pedal-" keeping the pedals turning without applying much force, if I was catching up, instead of coasting, because if you coast, then start pedaling again, you have a sort of jerk when you start up, which makes things not so smooth for the rider behind you.

(Gotta go to work...)

Nanci

[Nanci]

Yay!!! I hope it survives the hot weather. I got my gift yesterday, and it had to go into the refrigerator for emergency resuscitation :-)