Todd's Tri Turtles - (Beginners, Sprint, 5K, 10K) - CLOSED

This seems like the perfect group to join as I am new to BT and triathlons.

My name is Mike and I am from East Greenbush, NY, just outside of Albany. I just turned 36 and was introduced to the world of triathlons after reading the book "You are an Ironman". I was blown away how people of all ages, abilities and conditions have made completing an IM a goal and saw it through to the end. It was very inspiring.

In the last 4 or 5 years I have managed to lose over 100lbs (even though I have gained back about 30) and I am excited to have found triathlons as a way to continue my weight loss and have something that satisfies my new found "want" to compete.

I was running and weight training on a fairly consistent basis up until august of 2012, when some family/life situation but a damper on my motivation to lace on my running shoes. i have recently set a goal to run at least 3 days a week and I even joined the local YMCA so I can get on a bike and into a pool. There is a Sprint Tri here at the end of September that I am shooting to complete. I would then like to use the winter to train with the hopes of competing in multiple events in 2014 (sprint and oly distance tris as well as some stand alone 5k and half marathons).

My plan is to participate in the cycling classes offered at the Y until I can afford a decent road bike. The Y also offers a 7 week "stroke clinic" that is geared to competitive swimmers and triathletes. I feel that if I can be consistent with my training and nutrition that I should have no problem completing the sprint in Sept. If I feel like I am progressing well I may even look for a sprint event sometime over the summer and bump the Sept sprint to an oly. We will see.

I'm excited to be here and I look forward to sharing this journey with everyone.

Mike

Mike, welcome to the group and know that your weight loss is truly impressive. Even if you gained back 30 pounds you are still 70 pounds lighter than before.

I believe the swim class you spoke of would be great to help with proper swim technique, which will lower your swim time and help you conserve energy.  I think it is important to take advantage of the resources we have around us, and you appear to have quit a bit. 

Again Welcome and know that we will get you to your goals and have fun along the way.

Here is a templete that can be used to tell me and everyone else about yourself if you want to become a member of the group.  I am currently planning to allow around 10 into the group at this time, but will see.  I will post more things and request I have when we have a full group, but don't think you can not start asking questions / posting now. 

NAME: (user / first name)

STORY: (tell us about yourself, how you got involved, interest, what drives you)

FAMILY STATUS: (married / single / kids) 

CURRENT TRAINING:  (what your doing at this point and if you are not doing anything right now don't worry, because you are about to change that)

THIS YEAR'S RACES: (what races you have done and hope to do by the end of this year)

WEIGHTLOSS: (any weightloss goals you may have)

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM THE GROUP:

Welcome to the group Corbet and don't worry about the smart phone issue as I see that you have still been managing to log your workouts.  You may end up changing your mind about the extra time on the swim if it's not your weakest element, as you will see that no race, especially sprints are won nor lost in the swim.  Becoming comfortable with a swim distance however is truly important. Also you spectating at IM Lousiville and the relationships you have with other triathletes will help you greatly as you move forward..  Again Welcome

I didn't know there was a template so I'll use this to fill in any hole sin my original post.

NAME: Michael/MJSolt

STORY: You can read my short bio above but here's the Cliffs notes version. Was 290lbs, got down to about 185lbs. Life threw me a curveball and I have gained back about 35lbs. Found Tris after reading "You are an Ironman" and watching some very inspiring Youtube videos. I want to get into even better shape and have some "goals" for my training. Triathlons seems like a great way to get in shape, have some fun and meets cool people. 

FAMILY STATUS: newly engaged to the love of my life Emily, were happily planning out wedding for the spring of 2014

CURRENT TRAINING: Right now I am trying to get all of my ducks in a row. Running is a no-brainer, strap on the shoes and go. I plan on following a 3 day per week run schedule(short/medium/long) to try and build a base before I start adding any fanciness to my routine. I am waiting to hear back about a stroke clinic at my local YMCA so I am not just flopping around in the water and I am planning on doing two cycling classes per week until I save some money for a decent road bike.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: I have a 5k planned for early June and my 1st Sprint Tri for the end of September. Haven't decided if I am going to add any other races in between or just train for the Sprint.

WEIGHTLOSS: Pie in the sky I would like to drop about 55lbs and get down to about 170lbs. More realistically I just want to get stronger and healthier.

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM THE GROUP: I am looking to share my training, ask questions get some feedback on my training and nutrition. 

Edit: My fiance and I just registered to volunteer at IM Lake Placid in July. We will be in the tent that prints out the race results for the athletes. We plan to make a weekend of it and spectate for the race before we have to volunteer. I am really excited to see this event first hand.

I heard back from the YMCA. They offer the Adult Stroke Clinic, (7) 45-minute sessions for $65. It's a group class as the one-on-one training is a bit cost prohibitive for me (especially when I am trying to save a cool grand for a bike and gear).  Seems like a no brainier to take the clinic right?

Hopefully I can learn enough in 7 weeks that I wont need any further sessions, but at less than $10 per sessions I can afford to roll with it for a while.

Yes, I would say it is a no brainer.  Also while you may or may not need / want more sessions after the 7 weeks, they likely will have at a very bare minimum have pointed out serious faults with your stroke if you have any.  The other positive to what you are looking at doing is starting the habit of going on a regular bases to swim, learning drills, and workouts that you can use or your own or adapt to your desires after the sessions have ended. 

Once again I am not a trainer, but practicing Flip Turns my not be your best use of time.  Some of this will be obvious but here is why I say that.  1.  You will not do flip turns in your tri, 2.  As far as a rhythm goes it's hard to get that in any pool and once again you will just be going arm after arm in your tri, 3. If you really think about it you actually use more of your breath because you take in a deep breath, go under, do your turn, kick off, resurface, and then take a breath. That is a much longer break between then taking a breath, then touching the walk, turning around, and going back while being able to breath as you need to, and you can still kick off the wall if you wish. Lastly, that time could be used concentrating on your breathing and stroke. 

Please do not get frustrated with the distance you can swim, as you continue to go it will increase, I promise.  Just try different things, IE. do 1 lap (40), take a minute or so break, do 2 laps (80), take the same break or more.  Try going out easy and stay nice and steady, just one arm in front of the other and she how long you can safely go, it might only be 120 and that is just fine.  Do Not Get Frustrated, as your post states the most important thing is for you to go swim in the morning, so anything / everything you do after showing up is just icing on that days cake.     

NAME: ib80/ Isaac

STORY: Im 33 years old and about 9 months ago I hit an all time low after reaching an all time high. I 

was about 315 pounds, and that pretty big considering Im 5'8. I cant exactly point out what clicked but 

some of the factors that motivated me to loose weight were some health issue's like constant palpitations, terrible espisodes of heartburn that would often feel like heart attack symptoms, terrible plantar facia problems to the point were I could barely walk for the first hour or so after waking up, and of course the single most important reason was my family. Im currently at 187 pounds and I feel like a new person. I wanted different ways of working out and I started to go to the gym, play soccer on weekends, basketball oscacionally, purchased Bowflex dumbells setup with bench for the house, P90X and most recently and my main sport of choice is cycling !! I went to a friend of mine who I knew was riding and asked him for advice. I purchased a hybrid bike ( 2013 Cannondale Bad Boy 5 ) only to sell it and change it for a Specialized Roubaix carbon road bike after a month and Im in cycling heaven. I just completed my very first adventure this past Sunday by completing the 40 mile New York 5 Boro Bike Tour in just about 2 hours and now Im thirsty for more adventures, thus the reason why Im here posting this. I have always admired triathlon competitors and it was always a dream of mine to some day do one no matter how small or insignificant. I have my eye on the Staten Island Triathlon ( 400M Swim, 12 Mile Bike, 5K Run ) but as insignificant as it may seam to many of you, it seams like a dream to me even though I believe I can finnish it. Im weakness would be Running but Im sure I can train hard enough to do 5K. 

FAMILY STATUS: married / 1 Child  ( 6 years old ) 

CURRENT TRAINING:    3-6 workouts a week. Weight Training 3 times a week, Bike 3 times a week ( about 80 miles per week ), Running 2-3 times a week 1-2 miles.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: 2013 New York 5 Boro Bike Tour

WEIGHTLOSS:  Looking to reach a nice healthy and fit 170-175 pounds, maybe even 165 if my body

dictates.

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM THE GROUP: Encouragement, Sensitivity, Motivation, friends and Knowledge.

NAME: ibr80/ Isaac

STORY: Im 33 years old and about 9 months ago I hit an all time low after reaching an all time high. I 

was about 315 pounds, and that pretty big considering Im 5'8. I cant exactly point out what clicked but 

some of the factors that motivated me to loose weight were some health issue's like constant palpitations, terrible espisodes of heartburn that would often feel like heart attack symptoms, terrible plantar facia problems to the point were I could barely walk for the first hour or so after waking up, and of course the single most important reason was my family. Im currently at 187 pounds and I feel like a new person. I wanted different ways of working out and I started to go to the gym, play soccer on weekends, basketball oscacionally, purchased Bowflex dumbells setup with bench for the house, P90X and most recently and my main sport of choice is cycling !! I went to a friend of mine who I knew was riding and asked him for advice. I purchased a hybrid bike ( 2013 Cannondale Bad Boy 5 ) only to sell it and change it for a Specialized Roubaix carbon road bike after a month and Im in cycling heaven. I just completed my very first adventure this past Sunday by completing the 40 mile New York 5 Boro Bike Tour in just about 2 hours and now Im thirsty for more adventures, thus the reason why Im here posting this. I have always admired triathlon competitors and it was always a dream of mine to some day do one no matter how small or insignificant. I have my eye on the Staten Island Triathlon ( 400M Swim, 12 Mile Bike, 5K Run ) but as insignificant as it may seam to many of you, it seams like a dream to me even though I believe I can finnish it. Im weakness would be Running but Im sure I can train hard enough to do 5K. 

FAMILY STATUS: married / 1 Child  ( 6 years old ) 

CURRENT TRAINING:    3-6 workouts a week. Weight Training 3 times a week, Bike 3 times a week ( about 80 miles per week ), Running 2-3 times a week 1-2 miles.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: 2013 New York 5 Boro Bike Tour

WEIGHTLOSS:  Looking to reach a nice healthy and fit 170-175 pounds, maybe even 165 if my body

dictates.

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM THE GROUP: Encouragement, Sensitivity, Motivation, friends and Knowledge.

Hi everyone,

I'd love to joing the group too. I'm a little "out of the loop" in some respects, I'm in Australia so it's just going in to winter and the triathlon off season, but the long runs are kicking off and I'm planning to (attempt to) extend my aerobic base by training for and running the Gold Coast half marathon in July. I may need some translation as I work in kilometres, kilograms and degrees centigrade (can't figure out farenheit to save my life!) but I should be able to post and be a useful contributer

NAME: Taringa/Anna

STORY: 41 year old female, have enjoyed swimming all my life though never competetively. Not so fast on a bike and I can't run for toffee. I discovered open water swimming about a year ago when trying to regain some fitness and fight off middle-aged decline, managed a 750m open water swim, and then while recovering from that decided triathlon might be fun. Trained for and completed 2 tri-it-out distance tri's and I love it. I love the training, love feeling all virtuous for getting out and doing something, and I love the competition atmosphere.

FAMILY STATUS: Married (12 years now) with a three year old daughter.

CURRENT TRAINING:   Focussing on improving my running and strength with 3 days of run, 2 days at the gym doing stationary bike and then weights, and one day swim. It's starting to get cold here now (I know you'll all laugh at me, here in Brisbane "cold" is a nightime low of 16C and daytime 26C. We have to put jumpers on!) so swimming is harder and harder in the morning. I can only manage 6 sessions a week (work/family life gets in the way), I guess it's one of the perennial problems facing us triathletes. I do what I can.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Gold Coast half marathon in early July, then there's the Brisbane running festival in August and another half marathon in September. By that time the Tri season will be starting up and hopefully I'll be fitter and better at the run leg!

WEIGHTLOSS:  I'd like to lose another 3-4 kg. I've gone from 69kg a year ago to 58kg now, but I still have a spare flotation tyre around my midsection.

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM THE GROUP: A bit of extra motivation for the off days really. Most of the time I can chug along, putting one foot in front of the other, slowly gaining ground, but a bit of an extra push now and again would be great. And if I can do that for others in return I'd be happy. And of course to share in the celebrations and commiserations of other people trying to do the same thing I am!

Exactly, I hear your legs feel like bricks when you hop off the bike.

Welcome Issac, you have an inspirational story and should be proud of yourself.  First off let me say that no goal in this group will be viewed as insignificant.  Second, that is a nice ride and time with an average near 20, which would set you up well for the cycling portion.  Third, don't worry that much about the run because you can always walk it if you have to.  No, it might not be what you want, but unlike swimming your not going to drown. When is the Staten Island Tri, because if your cycling is at the point it is, and you are not worried about the swim, then you should be good to sign up and give it a go.  Like I said as long as the other two are fine, you could always walk if it came to that, and there will be others doing the same, trust me.  Again Welcome

Welcome Anna, you can be our international triathlete.  I don't think I'm going to be much help in the conversion area, but can tell you that a 5K equals 3.1 miles.  When is your Half Marathon, is it your first, and are you going by a set half plan?  I really liked your comment about giving others a push (inspire), which is something I will be asking of members when we get Full and running.  I think the hardest thing for most of us is picturing you in the cold while were basking in the summer sun and the time differnence, so please understand alot of times I won't respond to your post until around this time.  Again Welcome

That stinks, but you did accomplish today's goal of going to the pool.  I have had similiar issues, but ours was a swim meet, or pump out, or all lanes were full.  Even when something goes wrong like this we can learn / adapt.  After it happened to me a couple times, I started making sure that I had my running shoes and shorts in the truck when I went to the pool.  If they were closed or whatever the problem was, then I would just go for a jog, which meant I did not get up early for no reason.

Let me say that I really like the mix that we have so far and hopefully we get six or so more to join us.  I really want this to be a positive group that inspires each other and finds joy in the accomplishs of everyone. 

I will post up some challenges and things in reference to the group and everyone's training pages and so forth when we are Full / Closed.  Do not be afraid though to start asking questions, posting, or whatever it may be.