kenj mentor group - back for another great season! CLOSED

Great Adam!!  Post your bio when you get a chance!

I would like back in!!!

NAME: bdenehy/Bill Denehy 

STORY: I’m 38 and live in Cold Spring, NY (Hudson Valley).  I’ve done two seasons of triathlon and I am loving it.  The driving factor was my sorry state of fitness and health.  When I started, I was at my heaviest weight and was suffering terribly from a herniated disc and sciatica.  With 3 young kids to play with, I didn’t want to go through life acting like an old man at 36.    I started with dieting and strength training, then transitioned to S/B/R.  I had a background in recreational running from many moons ago but had never swam or biked, and have no history of team/organized sports.  I quickly found that biking is now my absolute favorite activity, but somewhere where I need a lot of improvement.

Training is great, but I LOVE racing.  I’m not at the front of the pack, but if I could fit a race in every weekend, I probably would.  At most races I tend to be in the back 1/3^rd of the swim, middle of the bike, and the front 1/3^rd running, ending up somewhere in the middle.

FAMILY STATUS: I’m married for 10 years with 3 fantastic kids, 2 to 7.  As much as I can, I try to keep my triathlon training/racing separate from family time.  This means very early workouts, almost never exercising in the evenings, and the occasional missed training day on weekends. 

CURRENT TRAINING: I like to always have a plan, even if I don’t stick to it perfectly.  I’m currently doing a BT maintenance plan, mixed with Jorge Martinez’s winter bike training, trying to keep it balanced.  Beginning in January, I’ll switch to a run focus that will lead to a May marathon.  For that I’ll be using Pfitzinerger’s 70 mile/week Advanced Marathon Plan (have I mentioned that I like plans?).  After that race, I’ll switch back to a training schedule with lots of biking.  I always mean to mix strength training back in there, but I can’t seem to make it happen.

2012 RACES: This was a big year for me. 5 sprints, an Oly, 3 HIM’s and the big race of the year was IM Arizona.  I went into last season recovering from a dislocated shoulder but had no training injuries/problems once racing season started.

2013 RACES:  I’m not going to try another full distance race this year, but will most likely return to that in 2014.  I’m focusing on getting faster at all distances without committing the time I feel I’ll need to get faster at the full distance.  My goal or “A” races for 2013 are a May Marathon, a crazy 30k trail race, and the SOS tri (8 legs, kinda like a HIM in terms of difficulty).  But I’ll also do a HIM (Peasantman), a 50k, a couple of half marathons, and all of the sprints and OLY’s that I can fit in.  The local tri company came up with a season pass idea this year, so I’ll try to get my money’s worth.

WEIGHTLOSS:  I lost all of the weight that I needed to when I started doing tri’s.  Now I just want to maintain.  I dabbled last year with trying to shave off extra pounds for racing, but just didn’t think it was worth the hassle.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I am focused, focused, focused.  I spend a lot of time thinking about training (maybe too much).  I do like to share, but like the small group feel of mentor groups. I was a part of KenJ’s group in 2012 and learned a lot and hopefully contributed a bit of what I learned through trial and error.  I’m happy to share and would love to hear from you all.

NAME: Robin

STORY:  This is my 4th year training for triathlons.  Taking that plunge and signing up for my first sprint was one of the best things I have done for myself and I enjoy the training immensely. So far I have only competed in sprints and some Half marathons and longer bike tours.  This year will be my first year training for a longer distance race (FL 70.3) I come from a swimming background and swam in HS.  My husband bikes (road and mountain) so I have a lot of advice there.  Started running for really the first time ever consistently 3 years ago and finished 2 half marathons since then.   I have always been active and enjoy sports, but until I started training for triathlons I never had any real consistency in my workouts. 

FAMILY: I am 38 years old. married for 17 years with 2 kids, ages 7 & 9! Moved to Anchorage, Alaska a year and half ago and am still transitioning to AK life.

CURRENT TRAINING:  I start Half Ironman training on Sunday! Also participate in masters ski in the winter 1 - 2x a week and family skis on weekends.

2012 races: Last years races were a bit of a bust as a suffered from plantar fasciitis for the first 4 months of the year. Managed to squeak in one sprint, a long bike tour/race and a half marathon.  Also living in Alaska - there aren't many choices in races - nothing longer than 1 olympic in the summer.

2013 races:  My main focus is Ironman FL 70.3 in May.  I am thinking seriously about my first marathon (Chicago marathon) in the fall.  Also a beautiful bike tour and a few sprints thrown in as well.

WEIGHT LOSS: The move to AK has been hard on my waistline!  I am currently up about 15 pounds from my race weight a year and a half ago. I do very well during the week, however I seem to sabotage all the hard efforts on weekends. This is something I need to work on as I would love to get back down to my lowest and maybe even lower!

WHAT WOULD MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE?  I am a great cheerleader for others and love to see everyone around me
working towards their goals and completing them - that is super motivating for me! I am still relatively new to the sport and can remember those firsts and can help others just starting out. Coming off an injury has also taught me a lot about patience and figuring out what my body is telling me.  I still have lots to learn and am super excited to continue the learning process.

This is my 4th season in KenJ's group and am excited to continue on under his mentorship (this group rocks!).  I look forward to meeting all the new folks!

Great to have you back again Robin!  It will be fun meeting you in person at Florida this year!

Chicago is a great marathon if you decide to register for that!  The whole environment around that race is motivating which makes for a great first race at that distance.  It doesn't hurt that it is also pancake flat!

Room for another New Yorker?!

NAME: zee744/Nate Zerrahn

STORY: I'm 27 from Upstate New York (40min from Lake Placid) currently living in Albany. It all started back in 2008.  I was always an athlete but HATED running. My dad had been doing tri's for about 3 years. It was his 3rd year doing IMLP and the first time I was actually able to be there. It rained. A lot. All day. Ken knows. Well Ken and 2400 of your/his closest friends proved to be my real motivation. I was in awe watching that day. Went out and bought a bike 3 weeks later and registered myself for IMLP 2009. Unfortunately, 2009 was my last and only decent season. I had a pretty good showing in my first IMLP but, since then, due to work schedule and women holding me back, I've been totally off an on. I did Syracuse 70.3 in 2010 and IMLP again in 2011, both on veryyy limited training (we're talking maxing at 6 hours a week). I think my youth got me through both of those with respectable times. Now I am refocused on 2013. I have a coach, whom I'm sure I won't be referring to so nicely in the near future. I'll be going for VO2 and other testing in the next couple weeks and really have my sites set on 2013 being my year. 

Also, I'm in the process of building my next bike. So far its been awesome! I have all my parts, at steep discounts, just waiting for the finances to order my frame. If anyone has some good advice or knows bikes I'll be picking your brain but will be a good resource for all bike maintenance after.

FAMILY STATUS: I'm single and staying that way for now. Like I said, I'm focused on 2013 and really chose to not have time for women, besides Lucy 2.0, my soon to be trusty steed. I do have two children, Calvin and Hobbes, my cats.

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm working with a coach so really whatever I'm told to do. Plan to come in the next couple days, but for now I've just been doing what I can. Tracking and logging will be much easier to do as soon as I get my Garmin in the mail!

2012 RACES: Kind of took an off year. Only did a Olympic and pretty much just trained when I could. Had somewhat of a significant life change that really made me a better person and I wouldn't change taking this year "off"

2013 RACES:  So far on the schedule: Rev3 Quassy Half/Olympic (most likely the olympic), IM Syracuse 70.3 or a local half(haven't decided), IM Lake Placid and whatever comes up after that! Going to discuss with the coach on which route to take as I need to start registering.

WEIGHTLOSS:  I'm already fairly thin, but the coach thinks it will help me reach my lofty goals if I drop some lbs. still, so I have about 15lbs to cut in the next couple months which I should be able to do fairly easy.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: To steal from Bill "I am focused, focused, focused." I contemplated starting a group myself, but would rather be a mentee than mentor. I'm fairly experienced, so I can provide some good insight and help others through my previous experiences. I love to meet new people and prefer the small group setting. Look forward to talking to everyone!

Welcome to the group Nate, I think you will fit in well with us here!  Lake Placid is a great race, even in the rain!!  Some day I would like to go back there, but my wife likes Florida better so I'll keep her happy for now. I am expecting another group member that has been with us in the past to join in and he is doing Lake Placid as well!

I get to Albany every couple of months Nate, I usually stay around SUNY Albany and run around the campus.  If that is close, maybe we can hook up for a run sometime!

Thanks for joining us!!

rquinn23 - 2012-12-28 1:49 PM I would like to join this mentor group! I have not been a member of a mentor group before--in fact, I have not really used Beginner Triathlete much for anything other than articles, so using the training log will be new for me, too (I use TheDailyMile.com to log my training now). I guess I will use the format that others in this group have for my bio. NAME: Becky Quinn STORY: I am a 37 year-old, weekend warrior type. Married, no children, and though I am not new to triathlon, I have signed up for my first Ironman distance race for 2013 (more on that later). I think I started triathlons with some sprint distance races in 1998 at the urging of a friend who was doing them. At the time I had just started running 5K races, was definitely a mid-packer, used a cheap mountain bike, then a cheap road bike, for the triathlons, and swam laps at the gym with no real idea of what I was doing. I love the event aspect of the triathlon--there is so much planning, preparation and then execution of the plan that I think of as fun. After a few years I stopped doing triathlons for no particular reason, but got more into running and in 2001 completed my first marathon. I have now completed a total of 9 marathons, and a couple of years ago finally broke the elusive 4 hour time goal. This year (March of 2012) I tried to qualify for Boston (which I think requires a 3:40 for my age group), and came up way short because of a bad race. I still broke 4 hours, though, so I was happy with that. In 2008 I discovered cycling as an endurance sport rather than just part of a triathlon, became involved in a local cycling group, and found that I am quite good at it, for a weekend warrior, that is. And although I had been participating in various cycling and running events each year, by the end of 2010 I was the heaviest I had been in a while and made up my mind to get serious about training for something. It turns out that I really need to have a goal, an event, something to aim for with training, or else I let the excuses for NOT exercising take control. I started CrossFit in January of 2011, and absolutely LOVE it. I am a huge CrossFit fan, particularly because I saw how it positively impacted my running and cycling. I decided 2011 would be the year for triathlons, completed a few sprints and an olympic distance, then did my first half-ironman at Amelia Island, FL in October of 2011. I was very fit by that time, but had let my training falter in the last few weeks leading up to the event, so I did not do as well as I could have, but was still happy with my result. After that race was the first time I ever considered a full ironman. After thinking about it for a year, I signed up for Ironman Louisville which is in August of 2013. CURRENT TRAINING: You'll notice I have mentioned cycling and running quite a bit, but not swimming. My swim is terrible, which has to be due to technique since I have strength and endurance. And because it is so terrible, I have neglected it in the past because I don't enjoy it as much as the other disciplines. I will be focusing on swimming 3-4 days per week starting in January. Because of an insanely heavy work schedule this year (I work for an elections office--enough said!), I am really out of shape at the moment, but have been back to CrossFit for 3 weeks, have started running again, but will likely only bike once a week, and maybe once more on a trainer, for the next couple of months as I focus on swimming, running and core work. PAST RACES: As I mentioned, 2011 was my big triathlon year, and this year I ran a half marathon PR in February, a marathon in March, then not much more other than some 5K races (my times are noticeably slower this year than they were last year when I was in much better shape). 2013 RACES: My A race will be Ironman Louisville in August. Leading up to that I hope to fit in a local half-ironman in April, an Olympic distance and a few sprints, as well as a half marathon in February that I run every year (Gasparilla in Tampa, FL--an awesome race if you're able to make it). WEIGHT LOSS: I have about 10 pounds of fat to lose, and my goal is to become the fittest I have ever been this year. Often times in the past I have let my nutrition and training lapse because I know I can still complete a race if I'm not 100% focused. I know this will not be the case with an ironman, so I need to remain focused and work on my dedication to nutrition and my training plan. WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I am a big fan of supporting others and learning about what works and doesn't work for others in training and nutrition. I like to see people accomplish their goals, especially if they come from a place where they have not had confidence in themselves in the past, but discover that confidence and strength through an active lifestyle. I hope I can also offer something to the group...I am a master at transitions in a triathlon, both T1 and T2! So I've got that going for me. I'm looking forward to this group! Thanks for having me.

Hi Becky and welcome to the group!  Sounds like you have a great plan to get you through IMKY!!  I have heard great things about that race!

Are you in the Tampa area?  If you are, Robin and I are both doing FL 70.3 in May if you are looking for a warm up race! 

We have a couple of us that like to do strength training, especially kettlebells.  I don't think we have had a cross fitter with us so your perspective on strength training will be a welcome addition!

Thanks for joining us!!

I have a couple of things that I will mention a couple of times while we are adding members to the group:

1. It is easier to keep up with the posts (or at least it is for me) if I get them in my e-mail, which you can if you click on the toggle notification button at the bottom.  Click on that and then check the box next to e-mail notification and they will go to the e-mail address you put in your account when you registered.

2. One of the benefits of the group is the motivation and encouragement we give each other.  Having your training logged in here helps us comment on each other through the inspire feature.  If you have not used this feature before, don't be afraid to say so and I will let you know.  If you are logging some place else too, you can leave as little or as much detail as you like here, just let us know what you did! 

3.  To make the logging easier, there are some automatic upload features that help, especially from Garmin, Timex and Training Peaks.  If you need help learning this feature, again let me know and I will give you the link to the directions.

Also, it will take a few days, maybe a bit longer with the holidays, to fill the group up.  Once I close it, I will put together a chart that you can use to quick link to the other members logs for easy access.

It is a great race! Helps that its local and staying at home is cheaper than the ridiculous rates they charge at hotels/condos. I have a lot of people I know doing the race as well. 

I'm pretty much around everything in Albany. I work downtown and live outside of Albany. I'm always down to meet up, though don't know that area too well. 

Thanks for having me and sorry about your Steelers  (I'm a huuuge sports nerd, with the Niners being my football team)

That's another benefit of FL, for what I paid for 4 nights in Lake Placid for a hotel I rented a 3 bedroom condo on the beach in Panama City.  My wife's family is in central Florida so they come up and spend some time with us which is why she likes it so much.

My Steelers have their challenges to fix this off season.  Some gaps in the offense and an aging defense, but they always seem to draft well so maybe next year.  The Niners have a good team, I think the NFC is where the Super Bowl winner will come from as long as they don't beat each other up too much in the playoffs! 

Back for another round!

NAME: DJ. I'm CyborgQueen because I have two cochlear implants. If you are curious about them, I'm more than happy to explain my experiences. Heard crickets for the first time with them.

STORY: I’m 34 living in Las Vegas. Moved here 4 years ago from NJ. Took up cycling in 2009, then had my first triathlon in 2010, and did 3 more including my first Olympic. In 2011, I only did one triathlon race, was hit in the implant site hard and had a bad race. I finished, but it wasn't pretty. Decided to focus on cycling because I was getting extremely busy with school. 2012 I did 4 races, barely swam, and was just doing them to finish. Did one relay (I did the bike). Did one century ride. Graduated in Game Art and Design. I'm a housewife currently, and I love it. Dream is to do a HIM.

FAMILY STATUS: I am a newlywed. Been married since 9/22/2012. We have been together for 8 years. My husband is very respectful of me going out and cycle/run race, etc. I'm eternally grateful. No children yet. We have 5 cats and a dog. Since I'm a housewife, I have a lot of free time.

CURRENT TRAINING: I am not set on any training plans as I am not planning on any races. I can get away with doing sprints, and may do a couple. Currently doing a lot of bike focused workouts with trainer workouts, hill work, group rides and endurance rides. I am also doing some cross training as well. I hope to get back into running. I recently got ANT+ stick and membership to TrainerRoad, so I am working on that for the winter season, I would like to improve better on hills.

2012 RACES: 4 triathlons including a relay. I had a lot of PR's and PB with running and cycling. I really don't like swimming. In fact for one race, I didn't swim at all prior to the race, and I did OK.

2013 RACES: no races planned, but I am doing a few Century rides, charity rides. One is in St. George, and the other is in Arizona. Details will come later. I am playing by ear this year.

WEIGHTLOSS: I would like to lose 10 lbs. However, if I am starting a family, all of that is going out the door. *winks*

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I planned to just hide under the rock, but Ken encouraged me to come and give some inputs. Regardless if I'm not training for triathlons. I love hearing stories and achievements and will cheer you on.

Looking forward to you joining in Sara!

Glad to have you with us again DJ! 

CyborgQueen - 2012-12-29 12:21 AM Got a question: those who have done TrainerRoad, what programs should I try? The choices are a bit overwhelming.

I think Robin and maybe Kathleen were talking about Trainer Road a few weeks back, maybe one of those 2 can answer your question.  I haven't looked into Trainer Road yet, but maybe I will once I get through the end of the year!

It looks like we have some nice mentor group crossover at races this year!

Ken and Robin at FL 70.3

Ken and me at Peasantman. But I'll be cheer leading as he finishes a full while I recover from the half :-)

Nate- If you do the olympic at Quassy, I'll be there too. If you do the half, let me know if you have questions on the course. I did the half last year and it was a lot of fun (painful fun). The 2 distances are on different days though. I would have went back for the half, but want to be well trained when i go back there. I'll be running until May, so would only have a month to get biking.

Hi there - I wonder if I could join this group? My name is Jennifer and I live in the uk. I am 47 and have competed in local sprint triathlons for the last 4 years. I usually finish last - both for my age group and overall but I still enjoy it. However, in a fit of madness I have entered a half ironman for beginning of June next year.  This is mainly because I was talking to my  tri club secretary about how I would love to do an ironman race in about 3/4 years time and he said that I should get a move on due to my advancing age!! (in a more polite manner but I knew what he meant).

My main concern about it is not doing the swim and or the bike in enough time to be allowed to finish the race - which is my goal.

I live with a partner and we have two teenage children between us.  I been in mentor groups before and I like the idea that people are watching  in order to make sure I'm doing the training. Laziness is another of my downfalls.

Jennifer