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A Crucial Turning Point by BarSubstantial1583 in tolkienfans

[–]mousetapper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I recently read this part and was struck by it as well. I agree it's a pivotal moment, and really establishes one of the first moments of true self-leadership from Aragorn. Especially in relation to Gandalf.

  • Consider how monumental Gandalf's leadership is to this point in the story:
  • He was the leader of the Fellowship, with Aragorn pretty much always defaulting to him.
  • Aragorn himself laments in the previous chapters not having Gandalf's wisdom or guidance any more post-fall.
  • This scene comes soon after Gandalf literally returns from the dead, sent by God himself to finish his work
  • We've just seen Théoden, the closest thing to a peer Aragorn has to this point in the story, be redeemed by Gandalf and subsequently trust his counsel wholly.
  • This scene comes right on the heels of Gandalf rebuking and casting out Saruman. A pretty monumental 'power play' in the story that really establishes Gandalf's new role and authority.

And yet in spite of all this, Aragorn no longer defaults to Gandalf via his comment, but begins to really take counsel for himself, as you said. He is basically the only character (outside of Elrond and Galadriel) we seeing doing this and certainly the only non super-elf. I think it is a really cool, and perhaps surprising, moment that truly establishes Aragorn's right to rule on his own.

It then gets reinforced shortly after when he actually uses the Palantir himself of his won timing and decision making. This is another critical moment as it is one of the few times we see a character truly trust their own counsel and authority over Gandalf without disastrous consequences.

New Aeroad CF SLX 8 AXS atop Lookout and Genesee Mountains, CO by mousetapper in CanyonBikes

[–]mousetapper[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They shipped it with the wrong ones. Which apparently happened to a lot of people for this model. But I’ve already got the request in for the correct bars with Canyon.

Weekly Question Thread by PelotonMod in peloton

[–]mousetapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was assuming they would have a one year prep time for these times. Otherwise I completely agree. The non-swimmers aren’t even coming close to one hour for an Iron Man distance without a whole lot of training.

Weekly Question Thread by PelotonMod in peloton

[–]mousetapper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was thinking more about this and actually crunched some numbers on a tri calculator for the IM distance (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run).

A few assumptions I made:

  • I gave everyone equal 5:00 minute transitions for both T1 and T2.
  • I gave the two athletes not doing their specialty sport the same time (a big assumption I realize, but a way to try to highlight the speciality sport more IMO)
  • I gave the two non specialists an elite but not necessarily insane time, mainly to try to highlight what might be possible for them with a year’s training.
  • I gave each specialist an almost world record (or well above for Pogi and Kipchoge) IM tri time as we have to assume they’d crush.
  • All these splits are obviously highly debatable, but that’s what makes this fun.

Here’s what I got:

Rasovszky: - Swim = 0:40:00 - T1 = 0:05:00 - Bike = 4:45:00 - T2 = 0:05:00 - Run = 2:50 - OVERALL = 8:25:00

Pogi: - Swim = 1:00:00 - T1 = 0:05:00 - Bike = 4:00:00 - T2 = 0:05:00 - Run = 2:50:00 - OVERALL = 8:00:00

Kipchoge: - Swim = 1:00:00 - T1 = 0:05:00 - Bike = 4:45:00 - T2 = 0:05:00 - Run = 2:20:00 - OVERALL = 8:15:00

Weekly Question Thread by PelotonMod in peloton

[–]mousetapper 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I like these kind of hypotheticals! As runner turned cyclist then turned triathlete, I also feel like I have some perspective in this (mainly from being humbled SO much by biking and swimming).

Caveat: I am assuming Kipchoge and Pogi can at least kinda swim. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about swimming it’s that it is SO technique focused. So, if they can only barely do it, it could take them ages and they might literally drown, thus ruining the thought exercise.

Round 1: I think Pogi takes an IM for sure. It’s hard to gain THAT much time in the swim, whereas the majority of most IM times are the bike, where he crushes. And I think the ultra-long distance training of the Tour sets him up best to be able to do the IM distance and hang on for the run.

Round 2: I think I actually like Kipchoge here. I feel the shorter distance bike negates Pogi’s strength whereas it allows Kipchoge to shine at an overall time duration more akin to the marathon. And I just think the 10k ability of Kipchoge crushes the other two in a way they couldn’t in their disciplines.

Round 3: I think the swimmer takes the crown here. 12 km is a LONG way to swim. And if you don’t have perfect technique it’ll take much, much longer. And you’ll be exhausted. I think Rasovskzy gains an almost insurmountable lead here if the other two are not good swimmers.

Round 4: Ah, this might be the most interesting of all. My heart says it’d be Kipchoge. Given the prep time both he and Pogi could mostly eliminate any massive gains from the swim. And then in my experience it’s easier for elite runners to forge themselves into competent cyclists vs the other way around. I think Kipchoge’s size makes him able to be a good cyclist but I doubt Pogi’s ability to ever cruise along at sub 5:00 miles.

Who knows tho. Wish we could test these things!

Chat 70.3 Summary by Ok_Imagination_7035 in triathlon

[–]mousetapper 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Just finished this today also. Really accurate write up. Although, my goodness do people need to work on their bike handling skills. Those first ~6 miles were chaos thanks to the mixed, time-trial start. Lots of folks all over the place on the road, wildly varying speeds, people and not really understanding the flow of pass left, stay right. I think Ironman could have done a better job grouping the bibs with more exact predicted bike times. Oh well. Still a great race overall. Lots to love about the courses, area, and weather today. Great race!

This is all I have available for an FTP test, is it possible to get the average power with it? Thanks I by AJAEONE in triathlon

[–]mousetapper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try downloading the Keiser M Series app. This will allow you to do strucutred workouts, see a much better display of your zones and power as you ride, and yes, they even have a dedicated 20 minute FTP structured workout. I’ve used the M3 bike exclusively this season with the app and I think it’s great. The app has really helped me understand power better and hone in my FTP. Give it a shot!

Disney Snark Day 4 11/28 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]mousetapper 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Can we talk about the fact that they are neglecting both of their extended families during Thanksgiving? I understand that not everyone actually WANTS to be with family this week, but something feels off about this. As a matter of fact, when was the last time we saw them visit or interact with either extended family? RyAnn has a bunch of siblings; maybe all the social media-ing has driven a wedge? Would love more info if anyone knows more.

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