Slornow and Wannabefaster's mentor group...Closed

Name: Jason/wannabefaster. I will be co-mentoring this Group with Randy/Slornow. This will be our fifth (sixth?) time running a mentor group together. We took last round off but missed doing this so as Randy said, "We are back." Randy says that I am the younger, faster mentor...... Younger, maybe. Faster, I wish. Randy is smoking fast and only getting faster. He is a really good guy as well with a wealth of information about Triathlon training and life.

Available: Right now. Let's get started.

Story: 44/45 year old triathlete in my ninth season of Triathlon. I always exercised but some guys at work convinced me to do my first sprint triathlon and I have been hooked ever since. I have slowly worked my way up the distances and have done six Iron distance races with a seventh one on my schedule in 2016. I will race every distance from sprint to IM over the course of the year. I am a mediocre (but improving through effort and force of will) swimmer, slightly better than mediocre cyclist but a reasonably good runner. I am actually kicking off next season with a couple marathons, two weeks apart, before I get heavily in to the triathlon training.

Family: Married to a fabulously supportive wife and have two kids, 18 and 13. I work full time as a physician so I can definitely relate to being overscheduled and the trials and tribulations of fitting an active life style in to a very busy schedule.

Training: In 2011 I took the major step of hiring a coach. Little did I know what I was in for. My coach is hard-core and writes me a very aggressive training schedule. I train one to two times per day and am very committed to following a structured training plan. Consistency is my major mantra when it comes to training.

2012: Raced a bunch of different races with the culmination of the season being IMAZ which I finished in 10:18. Thought I might have been able to go sub-10 but didn't have it in me.

2013: Was a pretty light racing season for me. Wrapped up the year with IM Tahoe in September which was the hardest athletic event I have ever done. It was hard!

2014: I had a very busy summer. Lots of racing. Started the season with American Triple-T and finished off the season at IMAZ again.

2015: Two IMs in one year. Muskoka and AZ. PRd at AZ but did worse compared to AG and overall. It motivated me to get back to work, and hard!

2016: Paris marathon. Boston Marathon. Battle of Waterloo (ask me about this one....), IM Chattanooga. Still chasing that sub-10 goal.....

Weight loss: You can never be too rich or too thin...... Really, I am doing OK on this front but I do have an interest in everyday and race day nutrition. If you join this group you will definitely be exposed to my race day nutritional strategies......

What will make me a good mentor: I love triathlon. I have gathered a lot of information and I really enjoy spending time on this site and helping people get better at their athletic endeavors. Randy and I had a great group in the last several times. We are looking forward to having some of the old folks back and to a bunch of new folks as well. We have had very active groups that covered a lot of topics (no question is too basic or too complex) and I see no reason that this will change. Everyone from beginner to experienced is welcome.

Hi guys. I'm trying to return to my former glory. Heck, a fraction of my former glory would be thrilling. I have done mentor groups in the past, and I was thinking I should join one again, just to keep the conversation going and keep the spark alive while I try to get back into training and racing. I'm a combo platter of someone who knows a lot and has quite a bit of experience while simultaneously needing a lot of help and advice on the stuff that I'm struggling with.

NAME: QuincyF/Quincy


STORY: I've always been an amateur athlete of some sort. Running, soccer, etc. Super comfortable with the water, family cycling background, etc, so triathlon was a natural thing to fall into. Was a Navy pilot, then an airline pilot, then a bunch of other stuff. Trained for my first half marathon in 2009 as a way to lose weight after having my son in Jan 2009. At the time I did all of my long runs on the lakefront path in Chicago and would see all these fabulous people getting in and out of the water at Ohio st. beach. They were obviously triathletes and it planted a seed. I borrowed a bike and a wetsuit and pulled off my first sprint tri at the end of the season and was hooked. 2010 I did my first Oly and got my own bike. Also first Marathon and a bunch of other sprints, half marathons, etc. 2011 I did my first 1/2IM and 2012 my first and only IM (Wisconsin). By then I had gotten good enough to qualify for AG nationals and was doing time trials on my bike, etc. The whole enchilada. 2013 was sort of a confusing season with no IM and a backslide in fitness.

But by this time I was starting to realize my son was autistic and becoming immersed in the world of special needs parenting. My husband (who got dragged into the tri thing with me, kicking and screaming at first, then as obsessed as me when he realized how fast he was on the bike) and I had become sick of trying to raise kids in the city, dealing with the mess that has become national news (Chicago Public Schools, the criminal in the mayor's office, stress, etc). So in 2014 we tried to train while selling our house and orchestrating a cross country move. That led to serious mental burnout (along with some stress that had nothing to do with triathlon, but really impacted our mental toughness and ability to compartmentalize). By midsummer 2014, we cancelled all of our races and pretty much gave up on any organized training whatsoever. 2015 was the summer of our move to New Mexico so there was no real way to train or have any kind of a season. Once we got to New Mexico, the cumulative fatigue, lack of consistent training, weight gain, and altitude (my new house is at 6000') had set us back so far, it's as if we are beginners all over again! I've accepted that, but I would like to regain a new normal that includes living the triathlon lifestyle, even if it is slower and more relaxed than before.

So basically, I need to rebuild myself as a high altitude, off road, and perhaps a bit slower New Mexican triathlete. The scene is different here, but there are a bunch of crazy fit people running around here, and I'd like to be part of that again. Sorry so long, but I've got a lot of rings on my trunk.


FAMILY STATUS: Married, hubby is in exact same boat as me. Two kids, DD11, DS7.


CURRENT TRAINING: I've been doodling in the pool (swimming at altitude is hard), riding the trainer about 3x a week, and doing TRX. I did a fake 10k training plan that ended in November and didn't run much in December. Basically starting now with a 1/2 marathon plan for April.


THIS YEAR'S RACES: Last real race was Door County 1/2 IM in 2014. It was a total bloodbath, and no I don't want to talk about it. Kept trying to do a sprint tri for fun last year but apparently the cosmos were dead set against it.


UPCOMING YEAR'S RACES: Just added a 1/2 Marathon in mid April. I/2 IM, Toughman NM, August 21. Will fill in with some 5k, trail races, and sprint tries along with some cycling events.


WEIGHTLOSS: I'm not in a good place for me, but if I train consistently and track my intake, that will fix itself. I'm going to try not to dwell on it. Spandex spares nobody.


So that's it. I'd like to get some encouragement, advice, and perhaps be of some help to others at the same time. The greatest unexpected benefit that came from my endurance sports hobby has been helping other people get a start in racing and making a ton of like minded friends. Cheers, Q

This sounds like a good group - have heard good things about previous iterations.

NAME: SenatorClayDavis/Mike

STORY: Minimal athletic background (competitive downhill skiing as a teenager, recreational mountain biker). In 2014 (age 36) decided to take my health seriously. Did lots of road biking, completed a sprint swim-cycle event (repeated knee injuries meant no run) and caught the triathlon bug. Took training seriously last year and completed my first actual triathlon season in 2015.

FAMILY STATUS: Married with two girls (5 and 1)

CURRENT TRAINING: Swim 2x/week; Biking 3x/week (just started training with power and using trainerroad), Running 3x/week but moving to 4x this week (all on treadmill).

THIS YEAR'S RACES: 3 sprints and 1 Oly. Won my AG in all races, consistent top-10 OA finisher. Typical race: out of the water in similar place to my overall finish placing, into podium position after bike, get passed by a bunch of people on the run.

UPCOMING YEAR'S RACES: 2 sprints and 2 Olys. Would like to be a consistent top 5 OA finisher and hit an OA podium at some point. Targeting 2:20 for my "A" race in August.

WEIGHTLOSS: Not a big priority (6'2" 160lbs)

Sorry. Back from Up North in MI where I trained not at all (unusual for me) but I skied a lot with my 13 year old daughter. Internet is very spotty up there so I drop off the grid for a few days whenever I head up North.

Welcome Mike and Quincy.

Looking forward to a great group.

And Randy, I am still licking my wounds from the State loss to Bama. It just hurts real bad....... Oh well. ;-)

Hey guys, I would like to join in. I have been on both ends of the group before. I simply am not on enough to be a mentor, but I would like to attribute my thoughts, ideas, and help provide commentary.

NAME: Ben/bcagle25

STORY: Been involved in triathlon since 2009, biking since 2007, but really started to pick it up once I started tri. Same for a few years as a kid. I have done everything from sprints to Ironman's and various distances in between. TriStar 111, Leadman Epic 250, etc. I have always been a play it as it goes guy. Only starting now am I focusing my attention on improving and seeing exactly what I can do in this sport. Past few years my attention has been more directed at finishing school, helping start/build a gym. Now I have a lot of time to focus on the sport and my own individual performance.

I work as a strength coach at a private gym in Madison, Wisconsin. We work with a lot of endurance athletes of all different goals, abilities, backgrounds, etc. I also help out with various training camps in the Madison area geared towards Ironman Wisconsin as the summer approaches.

FAMILY STATUS: G/f who is also a competitive triathlete, former swimmer/rower

CURRENT TRAINING: Back into "full focused" training in 2016. Right now about 10-12 hours, 3-4x swims, 3-4x bike, 4-5x runs per week.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Big ones were Raleigh 70.3, Nats, Steelhead the following day.....not a great idea

UPCOMING YEAR'S RACES: On the list so far. NOLA 70.3, Lake Mills Sprint (aka Wisconsin World Championships), Wisconsin Milkman Half (First Year!), Ironman Wisconsin

WEIGHTLOSS: No weight loss goal, I race best in the 170s.

Ben, I think I still follow you on Twitter?!? We were in some group together, maybe in 2011? What has happened to BT? It seems a lot slower now and a lot of the usual suspects seem to be gone. I guess I thought just because I had left the party for a while, it was still raging without me. I'm glad you're in this group, you can keep me up to date on the Chicago/Milwaukee/Madison Tri Scene. Even though there is a lot of endurance sports out here, the tri scene is not as robust...not as much water I guess.

Jason, I've been thinking more about my August HIM, and I am really going to need to talk nutrition with you and the rest of the group. It's high altitude, will be hot, and plenty of hills. No room for screwing it up and my MO is screwing up fueling. Good news is it's local so we can train on the course. I guess there's a reason the race is named Toughman. FTR, even though I'd like to go sub 6 in a HIM, and I think I can, this race goal is finish with my dignity intact. I'll save PR for another day (I've been close, but never broken 6).

I just read your original post a little closer. It sounds like the last couple years have been rough but I am glad that you are jumping back in to things with both feet.

I would love to talk HIM training and racing. Race day nutrition has become some what of a pet project for me. I am happy to discuss what I do and also very happy to help develop a plan to get you through your race feeling good.

Ditto. Great to have you here.

Interesting. It's fine by me because I don't really like wading into the gen pop very much, the mentor groups were where I really learned the most. Wondering if participation in tri is falling too, or if it's just the website like you said. I've looked around for other sources of support, but I always end up back here. I just like the vibe.

Hah, yes, the last few years have been a **** show. I'd love your help figuring out nutrition. As time goes by, I'll share some of my fails, wins, and controls I've tried to implement to fix the fails. It will be good for a few laughs (barfing on my bike shoes while riding IMMOO, weeping in the portapotty at Racine HIM, etc.)

Can I still get in?

NAME: Ed Andrews

STORY: Same as others, minimal athletic background. Age 47.

FAMILY STATUS: Married with one son (13)

CURRENT TRAINING: Spring thru Fall: Running 3x week (10mi), Biking 1x to 3x/week (18mi to 39mi), Swimming (not enough – 1x to 2x at 400m to 800m). Winter: treadmill, outside weather permitting. I have a membership with pool access, no excuse at the moment. Will get a swim coach, self-guided stuff not working.

LAST YEAR'S RACES: Springfield Route 66 ½ Iron – DNF, cramped up on swim at 0.6mi. Went ahead and completed the bike (17mph avg) and run (well sort of, 13 min/mi pace). Traverse City ½ Marathon (2:01, almost made my 2hr target).

HISTORY: Started running with the family 4 years ago, nothing before. Fell short of completing a ½ IM and Full Marathon.

UPCOMING YEAR'S RACES: Springfield ½ IM (will complete), Peoria Marathon.

WEIGHTLOSS: Trim down to low 150s, high 140s. I’m 158 currently.

Lost some of my spark after the DNF at the ½ IM. Time to get back on track, maybe a Full in 2017.

Is there room for another Canadian ? I promise not to complain about winter.

Hooray, another chick! And you have a race in chile in 6 days?!? How exciting! I'd love to hear about the logistics of that.

Just came on to tell you guys that I saw a guy on his roadie who only had one leg. Amputated at the *hip*. So, you know, get out and do your workout because if he can, we all can too!