TriForrestTri & Blackbud's Group - FULL

Hi Ben:

I would like to join your group. What really struck me in your narative is that this is a hobby you do for fun.  That is exactly how I feel. I have no illusions, I'll never win a race or even win my age group, but I am here to enjoy the experience.

 My name is Maggie. I'm a 45 year old female in Arlington, VA. I started last year with a sprint and got hooked. This year I hope to do several sprints and an Olympic.  I am also trying to shed some body fat along the way. Mostly I want to push myself and see how far I can go.

Thanks

I wouldn't say that I'm "stuck" with you!  I'm actually kind of excited about this whole thing.

Hey Maggie - It's great to have you on board! 

Ok....here's the skinny on me:

My name is Tanya and I am a 35 yrd old working mother (1 8yr old son) and wife (1 husband) who lives in Gilbert AZ.  I work for a software company based in Atlanta, but work from home here in AZ.  I was very athletic in school and was always participating in sports, but once I joined the real world and life took over, keeping active was not a priority.  After years of puting others first and letting myself "go" I decided in March of 2004 that being 50 pounds overweight was unacceptable!  So I joined Weight Watchers and started walking.  After losing about 25 pounds it became clear that walking just wasn't cutting it anymore.  So I started a little jog/walk thing, and before I knew it....I was a runner!  Soon I did my first 10k and 1/2 marathon and shed that last 25 pounds.  I have been weight stable now at my goal weight for a year and a half.  I decided to switch to Tri's after coming to the conclusion that I did indeed want to remain active and fit, however, my body is not so excited about all this running all the time.  I figured the cross training that Tri's provided would be good, however, I had one little problem....  I didn't know how to swim.  When I say this, I am not simply saying that I had bad form.  I am saying that I never learned now to swim....never learned how to put my face in the water and blow the air out my nose.  I have tried my whole life, and just could never do it.  I like being in the water.....as long as I could touch and keep my head above water or plug my nose.  SO....if I wanted to attempt the goal of doing a triathlon, I was also going to have to learn how to swim.  I hired a swim coach, and swam 5 days a week from July 13 until Oct 15....my first Tri.  Just learning how to swim was the hardest thing I have ever done!!!!  So now I have a $1,000 stroke, but little endurance.  So that is what I am working on now.  So far I have done 4 Sprints, and have come in 3rd and 4th in my AG in two of them.  I JUST downloaded the Sprint to Oly training plan, as I would like to do my first Oly this spring. I have huge fears about the OWS, but I know I can work to overcome this too.  I also embrace the idea of doing it just for the fun of it, but at the same time, if I am going to do something and put a lot of time into it, I want to do it well.  So the competitive side of me does come out, the bottom line is to just achieve my own goals and be proud of my accomplishments.

Ok...that was a 500 word essay and NOBODY asked for.  Sorry.  I'm chatty.

Oh....and Maggie...I had the pleasure of meeting Ben while I was in Denver on business.  Met up with him and Blackbud for a spin class.  I totally smoked them.  NOT! Haha!

Hi Ben, Can I join the group? My name is Victoria, I'm currently in the Coast Guard and stationed in Alaska. I swam in high school, ran in college, but never owned a bike until I met my boyfriend two years ago.  He bought me my first one and I literally had to learn to ride it, so biking is definitely my weakest area. He started me in triathlons, but I have never actually completed one.  We moved to Alaska last summer and I must say, there is a paucity of opportunities in small island town of 7000 and almost no support for athletes (Unless it involves killing deer or baiting fish hooks....)

I am currently following the 1/2 ironman training plan on BT and plan to race in the California Ironman 70.3 in March. I trained for the Vineman 70.3 in July, but had to cancel due to last minute work conflicts.  I am more of a long distance person. I've completed two half and two full marathons, I don't enjoy sprinting, so I am drawn to the HIM distance.  As for the areas I need to improve upon: I have a difficult time maintaining my training while underway on the cutter and find I have to start over every time we come back into port. I have never really had an issue with weight, but have a hard time building a good muscle base, and I think I need that to get any faster. I view triathlon as a way to relieve stress and enjoy the workouts, but am nervous about completing my first race.  I think I'm looking less for true "mentoring" than I am looking for a support group to bounce ideas off of and to keep me inline.  Thanks for letting me join. Hope everyone's holiday season is off to a good start.

Sorry it's taken a couple days to reply...  It's been a bit hectic around here to say the least.

Mark - It sounds like we've got a few things in common.  Not the least of which is the swim challenge.  When I started swimming about 3 years ago, I had all the swim skill of a monkey.  It's still my weakest area but at times, I also enjoy it more than biking and running.  Let me know how you like the Felt 75.  I've got the Felt S32, so we'll have to compare notes.

When you get a chance check out the"Training Log" feature.  It's great to see how you're training is going from week to week and we'll all get to see how you're doing too.

Before I log off, I thought I ought to wish everyone a  Merry Christmas!!!

It's always tough to squeeze in workouts during the holidays, but it's well worth it.  And it's even better if you can share a run with family.  Just ask StandsWithFist how much her son enjoyed running with her   Anywho, I'll try and check in a few times over the next week to see how things are going.  Happy training!!

2 weeks?!?!  Knowing that your bike is on it's way is excellent, but the waiting for has got to be almost painful

As for how to continue training for your marathons, I think you might find it a relief to add some swimming and biking to your training but it really depends on how much your running now.  Given you're running background, I'm willing to bet that you're already running more than what the 16 week Swim Focused plan suggests.  I'm not sure what kind of distance/time your running during the week, but you might be able to do your short and medium runs during the week on Tue, Wed and Thursday then a long run on Sunday.  This would still leave you with Saturday off every week.

Just be careful not to overdo it and stick to the 4 week cycle that the plan has built into it.  After 3 weeks of training your body will likely be begging for some much needed rest, so reduce your training on week 4 by 25%. 

Have a happy new year!

-Ben

Hey Mark!  If you wear biking shorts for the whole tri, you will be cycling in a big, wet, mushy diaper!!!  Tri shorts have a nice, soft chamoise lining in them to help cushion your tush, but it does not hold water.  Plus, the material the Tri shorts are made out of is super thin and wicks away the water super fast so you can dry quickly on the bike.  Well worth it!!!  A lot of people have pairs they train in, and then they keep a nice pair just for racing, or have a 1 piece tri suit just for racing.  That way you don't have to bother messing with a shirt.

Happy New Year eveyrone!

What Tanya said!!!