THE SLAYER RULES-FULL Up

Ha ha! Found you. Can I join in the fun again? Last time was superb. 

We need to get some basic info out there in a structured format:

Name:

Story: (Other identifying info you don't mind sharing about yourself in real life like location, age, family stuff, etc, but no obligation to share):

Tri History good and bad:

Tri plans for now and future:

Weight or other body issues of importance and what you are doing to deal with it:

Questions you would like to have addressed:

Open to other data that you all want shared.

Name: Ashley

Story: I just turned 30 (yippee!), live in San Diego with my bf and my 2 dogs (the pig ninjas).  Work as a nerdy scientist, making vaccines.

Tri History good and bad: Started running in 2005, got into biking in 2006 and did my first HIM in 2006.  Then got fat and lazy for a bit (thanks, whiskey and grad school), but got back into it in 2010.  Just did my first Ironman in Coeur d'Alene with Slayer last June.  Also had a very tough and not at all ideal race, dealing with mechanical issues.  Walked pretty much the entire run.  

Tri plans for now and future:  I'm currently reveling in laziness but will soon get back on the saddle.  I have 2 big races for 2012: Wildflower long course in May and the Full Vineman in July.  I'm seeking revenge for my poor race season last year.  While fun is always my #1 priority (and I definitely accomplished that), a solid performance would also be welcome.  Last year I was finishing my dissertation, moving and starting a new job during my peak training weeks.  This year should be much better...and I'm getting a new bike so I don't run into some of the, uh, issues I had at my IM.

Weight or other body issues of importance and what you are doing to deal with it: Need to work on flexibility.  Maybe I'll start foam rolling more or doing yoga.  I say this every season.  

Questions you would like to have addressed:  How awesome is this group going to be?!

Open to other data that you all want shared: I'm also pretty into the Paleo/Primal way of eating, if anyone wants to discuss that.  I'm interested to see how that goes with heavy training this year.  

I was part of the Slayer mentor group last year and it was a really great experience.  I know a few of us still keep in touch and it's really fantastic.  Hope this year's group is even better!

Welcome back Ashley, one super cool chica. Of course this group will be even better! IMCDA was tough on both of us but we learned alot. We have to get you ready to rock this year bec its time for you to show everyone what you are capable of.  I will want to know more about your plan and your obstacles and how you intend to overcome them. What did you learn last year?!!

She's a great resource for us and  not just on viriolgy.

Yes, IM #1 was a great eye opener.  This will be a brutally honest assessment.  Here is a list of things I learned/changes I need to make:

The Swim:

• must swim much, much more!  I really don't care much for swimming, but I need to make myself do this.
• my IM swim was pathetic (2 hours) and miserable.
• Starting in January, I'm going to start swimming with the UCSD masters' team.  Swimming with a masters' team helps me so much.  Unfortunately, once things start going well, I tend to convince myself that I can swim on my own.  Then I start slacking again.
• Lessons!  I have a swim coach picked out for a few lessons to help my stroke.

The bike:

• Last time I trained on my own. Entirely.  That allowed me to ride slowly, skip rides, start rides too late so I couldn't fit in all the mileage, wuss out on tough rides, etc.  This time, I formed a team, called Team Badazz, with whom to ride.  Several of the team members are much faster than I, so I've been improving already.  My average speed is up around 17mph now, and that's with a lot of climbing.  My goal is to do 18 mph + for Vineman.  It's also much more fun to ride with my team.
• No shying away from hard rides!  We've been doing some tough rides.  Just conquered a 7 mile climb a couple of weekends ago.
• I need a new bike.  Yes, I know it's the engine and not the equipment, but I rode the ish out of my bike and it's old.  I have my eye on a couple of bikes (and the cash set aside) and will purchase next month.  My old bike had a couple of mechanical issues that killed my ride last year (including the shifter falling apart and then I couldn't shift for about 45 miles).  Kinda proud that I wore that bike out

The Run:

• Not so worried about this.  I was a runner before I got into tris.  My plan is to follow my Be Ironfit plan for this.  Also will be running with Team Badazz.
• Need a new plan for tri shorts--I had a wicked case of baboon butt after CdA.
• This year I will do some peak runs in the heat.  The avg temps in Napa are around 90-95+ in July, so I need to be prepared.

In general, I just need to be much more hardcore and train a lot more.  No more slacking!  I know you all will help keep me accountable 

Sign me up.

Join right in jbyce. throw your bio in to the mix.

nerdjock: damn that was brutal but it was real. do you have any kind of weekly or monthly totals you are looking to hit in each discipline?

Is there room for one more? I did a sprint tri and swim leg of Olympic tri team in Dallas last year. I ran a half marathon and 10K this last year. I am a better swimmer than cyclist and better at these two than running.

I am signing up for 2 sprints and an Olympic this coming summer in Tri-Cities washington where I live now. I train 4-5 days per week and follow the Sprint to Olympic program on BeginnerTriathlete.com.

Hope you have room for me.

Greg

welcome to the "RULES" you guys! Lets get full bios out there for all of us to get to know each other. Tell us what you you are looking for in the group. We are looking for good participants and if you are game, lets get ready to rock! FIRST RULE-best to get here early!

drgdclark  silverback25

Slayer I would like to get in if I could. I swim at Dynamo. This should be fun and add some extra accountability.

Name: Scotty

Story: I'm 29 and getting married in September 2012. I was an athlete in high school. Played baseball almost year round. I went to college and the usual happened. Stopped being active and gained some weight. A few years after college I met my fiance and she somehow conned me into running a 5K. It was the longest I had run since high school. My first thought after finishing in 31:00 was "I think I can go faster than that." That was about the beginning of everything. From there the races started getting longer and then eventually led to tris.

Tri History: I did a couple years of sprints. Had mixed results. The first race I thought I was going to die. I somehow decided to skip over Oly races and went and did my first 70.3 last year in Augusta. It was a pretty good day but the second half of the run was rough!

Plans: I am currently in a "maintenance" mode. My A Race for this year is Eagleman. After that I am going to shift my focus towards sprints and oly races due to wedding planning the rest of the summer.

Weight: I raced last year at around 183. I would like to e more around 175 so I have some work to do there. 

OK here's the lowdown

Name: Kate 

Story: I live in Scotland, UK, am 39 (the big 4 0 this year!), am married with a cat, hubby dislikes triathlons and anything to do with them after a pretty scarring experience of poor organisation and marshalling at the first race he attended to support me so it's very much a lone persuit. I on the other hand love them. I travel, lots, and the tri stuff keeps me sane. I'm also into scuba diving, climbing, music and food. Which leads onto my other interest which is nutrition and weight loss. 

Tri History good and bad: Been into triathlon since 2007 when I realised that I didn't have to wait until I'd lost weight to do a tri. Weight has been an issue for years but having lost 65lbs in the past year I'm now the lightest I've been for 10 years so I'm hoping to improve my performance significantly. I love doing races but essentially the Tri stuff is for fun and motivation to keep exercising and improving my shape. I'm a swimmer at heart (not that you'd realise it from the amount I need to improve my stroke) and super happy in the water, I love cycling and I run .....really slowly 

Tri plans for now and future:I'm slowly working up the distances and this year will do an olympic distance for the first time. I've got at least 5 sprint races planned as well as a couple of runs and dualthlons. 

Weight or other body issues of importance and what you are doing to deal with it: As I said earlier I'm the lightest I've been for 10 years, I want to loose another 6lbs then keep at that weight. I'm not in anyway under estimating the challenge that will be. I've been overweight all my life with the exception of 2001 when I also got to goal then put it all back on and more. Over the years I've lost hundreds of lbs only to put it all back on again so this time I'm determined to be different. 

Questions you would like to have addressed: How to get comfortable on the bike? What's normal in terms of comfort/pain and what's not? How to get the most out of the limited time I have to train? How should I structure a training plan? How can I identify what to work on?

I'm a member of the local tri club and get there when I can, it's a great club but I'd like more of a structure so I'm hoping to try and devise a plan in the near future for my training for the year. 

Name: Pete Schriver

Story: Adult onset athlete. Proud husband and father to a beautiful wife and 2 kids (David 14, Sara 8). I started into triathlons 4 years ago after a near death experience from my heart. I realized that something needed to change. I adjusted my work obligations . My wife had done a sprint triathlon and it looked like a good way to have a well rounded work-out program. Like everything I do, I wanted to get better. I honestly became obsessed in a good way. I was almost dead last in my first sprint but now run solidly in the MOP in the shorter distances. I have completed one IM, 5 HIMs, Multiple Olympic distances with a couple of podium finishes, and an excessive number of sprints. I have converted quite a few people into triathletes and now it seems most of my friends are triathletes

I live in the foothills of S.Carolina.

My plans this year include a HIM in the spring followed by IM Cozumel in the fall. I will probably do a tuner HIM about a moth before the IM. I am going to do several sprints and olympic races in between just for the fun and social aspect. Paris Island Tri in Beaufort,SC is on my early list. It is a great race and very well run.

Tri History good and bad:

Weight or other body issues of importance and what you are doing to deal with it: I'm 6'5" so I can get away with carrying a little extra weight. I spent most of last year around 210-220. I lost a lot of weight after my last HIM and am down to 205. I would like to be in the 190 range by Cozumel but I don't really stress over the number. My friends all comment that I look too thin but I am much heavier than most long course triathletes.

I think I would benefit in participating in the group because I have made just about every mistake that can occur. I have always believed you can learn as much from other peoples mistakes as from things that go well. I have also tried out about every gadget and device that was supposed to make me faster.

The one thing I have learned is that volume is KEY. You really get out what you put in. I don't think there is any better Mentor then the Slayer. I am ready for some "Tough Love" and a solid year.

2 years ago swimming was my focus. I hired a coach and spent a lot of quality time in the pool. Last year cycling was my focus. I pushed my FTP to a new high. This year it is my ru. I am tired of having a solid swim decent bike only to get crushed by the run. I am only running now and trying to make it a daily habit. My son runs cross country so we have some friendly competition. 

Looking forward to a great year.

Will you guys take someone who hasn't done a single traithlon yet? I'd sure like to join.

Name:  Jimmy

Story:  I'm 42 years old and working on 10 years of marriage.  I have two kids ages 6 & 8.  I used to be an avid golfer (5 handicap) but got burned out on it and decided I would love another challenge.

2012 Races: I'm planning on doing several sprints and an olympic.  My ultimate goal for this year is to do a HIM the first week of August.  I'll be beginning the free HIM plan offered on this site starting in March. Within the next couple of years, my goal would be to do an Ironman.

Current Training:  For the past 4 to 5 months I've been trying to build my base.  Right now it works out to about 5 to 8 hours a week. I just starting swimming about 3 months ago. It seems to be going ok.  I swam a mile straight last week at about 1:48 100/yd. I know I need some work on this.  I only get to the pool about 3 times a week. I live in the Pacific Northwest so there is no biking outside right now.  I only get on my bike trainer about 2 to 3 times a week.  I'm having a hard time staying focused on it. I can't wait for Spring to get outside on the bike!! I run often during my lunch hour at work.  I probably average about 20 miles per week. 

Weight:  I weigh between 165 to 170 pounds and I'm 6'0 tall.  I usually don't have a problem maintaining this. I'm not sure if this is ideal or not but I feel comfortable here.

I would sure appreciate any advice this group could give.

Jimmy

If you have room for 1 more... I'd love to join!

Christie

Jimmy: I grew up in Spokane.  Have you lived there long?

Kate: Dang, girl!  Over 60 pounds since last year?!  You are our official Skinny B#$%^!