Manatee Mentors 2016 - Manatee à trois

Welcome to Manatee thread #3!

Go Manatees! Go!

Manatee Mini Bios (aka Personals)

• I'm Janyne (that’s ja-neen). IM finisher. I like to run and ride bikes.  Adult onset swimmer and I like swimming more than swimming likes me. I live with my husband, Kevin, in the Raleigh, NC area.  Golden retriever puppy, Zoe, will be 11 months old this week.
  
  
• I'm Randee. Midlife crisis Imer. I like to ride my bike and eat (and therefore I must swim/bike/run to afford the calories). I live with my DH, 1 Greyhound, 2 cats, and I love Janyne's puppy Zoe.
  
  
• I'm Karen. Long-time running addict (since age 10), and triathlete for about the past six years. Have done all distances up to and including HIM; lately seem to be doing a lot of the latter! Running and swimming are my strengths; the bike is my nemesis! I seem to specialize in hot conditions and tough courses; better at that than pure speed. Managed to run myself into Worlds in May at IM Vietnam 70.3. Looking forward to racing in Australia as I've never been. Just hoping I don't run into a kangaroo and that someone in 70+ has a bad day so I don't end up DFL.
  
  I'm an international school teacher and live in steamy Saigon about 10 months of the year with my two fur children (cats), Smudgee (4 1/2, 15 pounds) and Tomoko (3, 6 pounds), who look (from pics at least) like the same cat in sizes XXL and XXS.
  
  
• Hi, I'm Chris. I like long walks on the beach and short runs at the park. I enjoy cycling and barely tolerate swimming. I am a sprint triathlete a few times a year, but mostly I enjoy family, photography, training, and have lately begun spending time with TW (THE Wife, Ann) doing ropes and tree courses. At 6'3" I hate heights, go figure. I have 2 daughters that occasionally show up in my blog. I love all three of the ladies in my life and realize just how blessed I am.
  
  BTW, TW is the ultimate wife, I'd suggest that everyone find one like her.  Maybe she'll be TuW from now on.
  
  
• I'm Mary and came from Poland 13 years ago (my Polish name is Marysia). I am a single mom to two awesome children (my son Mikolaj is 8 and my daughter Zosia is 6), we also have two cool cats (one is very introvert and the other one a total opposite, still - they love each other).
  As if working full time, taking care of the kids, and training, was not enough, I also study psychology (XXS part time), but that's more as a hobby, and not necessarily career requirement.  This is my second year of triathlons: I've done several sprints and am now training for my first Oly. Running is my strongest, although, I hate running (sort of). I love biking. Swimming is my weakest, but mostly because of mental aspects. Because of that, I would like to challenge myself and one day swim 10 km. I absolutely love hiking and camping, and am very glad that my kids enjoy it too.
  
  
• I'm Sean, this is my 2nd year in tri and second year as a manatee. I'm 35 and have a wonderful wife and two crazy boys - Carson (6) & Cooper (4). I love biking, hate swimming and am starting to love running. I did an IM this year, but am now focused on shorter distances (up to HIM) and getting faster.
  
  
• Hi, I'm TJ, I have done triathlons up to and including HIM. Right now I am mostly run focused and am training for my second ultra marathon, a 50 miler. On my recovery days I am enjoying training for a metric century ride with Mary S. Swimming I could live without, can you tell?
  
  I live near Albuquerque, NM with my husband and one of our adult sons and, as of next week, a nephew-in-law (is that a thing?)  I also have one more son who is proudly serving our country. In addition we have 3 dogs (GSHP, Australian Kelpie, Pit Bull mix) and two cats (both long haired calicos).
  
  
• Hi I'm Stacey, a wouldbe couldbe triathlete from Western Australia. Meaning I would be if I could get off my lazy butt and train. I generally do a few races each year and come last or there abouts. I would do much better if I could master the training motivation (or even just slightly improve it). I'm married to Phil and we are crazy Mastiff breeding dog people. No puppies this year though.
  
  
• Kirsten, lifelong athlete, runner since 2009, triathlon since 2011.  Two time IM finisher.  But I like all the distances for different reasons.  Right now I am trying to get re-motivated to train regularly.  Currently mostly running, although I did swim today for the first time in 3 weeks.  SO and I live near Vancouver Canada with 3 dogs and 2 cats.
  
  
• HI, I'm Anne. Hailing from Central Illinois, I've been around BT since 2008 but only joined the Manatees this year. I enjoy cycling and am getting starting to get into gravel grinding. One IM under the belt but no tris this year. I stay busy with my job in the marketing department of a civil engineering firm, and with my 3 cats and Steve, my significant other.
  
  
• I am Robin, an adult-onset athlete wannabe. I recently took early retirement from working with the NC EPA. I live with hubbie, the best dog in the universe and 3 cats. I have done several sprints and olympic distances and keep trying for a HIM but seem to find injuries easily. If I would ever actually get 100% (or even 70%) motivated for consistent training, things could be different.
  
  
• Hello, my name is Eric, and I live in Chicago with my significant other Mandy who I have been with for almost 14 years. We are expecting our first child at the end of September. I am a life long athlete, and played tennis in college. In 2008 I decided to sign up for my first triathlon, (Chicago Sprint in August) and started training. In May of that year I was hit by a car riding my bike to work by an out of town driver who wasn't sure where he was going. I had broken both of my elbows, my left wrist and the worst one was a bad left tibial plateau fracture. Basically my surgeon said it looked like a bomb had gone off in my leg, and he hoped I would be able to walk a half mile in time. Fast forward to August of 2009 it was either lose my entry (from medical deferment) or give it a try. I finished in 2:42:13, and loved it. I have been off and on with triathlon since, but have completed 18 with most of those in the last 3 years.
  
  
• Oh yeah.  I'm Melanie from PA.  I have been doing triathlons since 2010 and also play ice hockey (goalie!).  In general, doing most anything outside in nature makes me happy. I love plants/gardening, photography, bird-watching (on a casual level, not the super-intense level of some), kayaking, hiking, generally being active.  I also enjoy food, beer and wine which put me at constant odds with my body shape and weight.   I have two dogs that I love with all my heart and a husband that's OK, too, LOL.
  
  
• I'm Jim. I live in rural NE Michigan in a resort town (Kid Rock and Chris Chelios came to town this weekend). I'm married (23 years this month) and we have 4 children 3 girls and a boy. The two oldest girls are in college and the younger two are in high school. 3 out of 4 have tried triathlon one does not understand why anyone would run without a ball. We also have 2 dogs, our daughter's 17 year old cat died last Wednesday, so we are down one. I am also responsible for my elderly parents, my mom is in the final stages of Alzheimer's and my Dad lives with us, but recently had an issue with congestive heart failure, and in doing cardiac rehab. I work as an attorney and I'm on our local school board.
  I've done several sprints, a couple of Olympic, and 5 half IM races. I am prepping to do IM Louisville on October 9th, It will be my first iron distance race, but that's how I do 50 haha. Swimming is my biggest issue. We don't have an easily accessible pool, so I am mostly limited to Lake Huron and waiting for the temp to hit 50 F. I also run, it's been my go to stress release, since college, but I never ran a until I was 40. I did take 15 years off from all things exercise, until I had "the physical" and was 30 lbs overweight and everything that was supposed to be low was high and everything that was supposed to be high was low. That spurred 10 years of healthier living, exercise and my unpatented "don't eat like a pig diet." It's simple eat what you want, just don't eat like a pig. ie. 2 pieces of pizza instead of 1/2 + large.
  
  P.S. I'm a lawyer, so sometimes I struggle with brief.haha
  
  
• Dave - signed up for the Muskoka 70.3 promptly after running my first 5km running race.(It was a year out and I did do other tris before that one) Have also done sprints and Olys but have only done Xterras for the past few years. Currently not training for a 160km gravel race 11 days away. Toying with doing a 50km trail run in the fall. I subscribe to "Total Aversion Swimming" although I am 100% happy in the water and can swim - just slowly. Whitewater kayaking, snowboarding and offroad motorcycling are the other sports I am equally "Okay" at.
  
  
• I'm Judi.  My current situation is "retired" from multipart because of perpetual injuries and work sucking my will to live.  I have done mostly sprint and olympic distance races since 2008. Prior to all the injuries I loved running 10K and HM distance.  Did one full marathon which most of the long time Manatees remember as a complete disaster.  I'm married, have two daughters known as Thing One and Miss Thing....they are in their 20's but the names have stuck.  I have three fur baby cats, Mocha the old man is a tuxedo kitty.  Snickers is my calico and Mishka is a little dilute tortie we just adopted in June.
  
  
• I am Jen, living in Toronto, Canada - married with a 3-year old daughter and a 12-year old chocolate lab.  Got into running through my local running shop in 2005. Loved it. Started with 10k and worked to the marathon. Had no idea what the legs of a tri were when i met my now husband in a marathon training group. I couldn't swim but saw him do Ironman Canada in 2007 and figured i could give it a go. Two problems: no bike and I couldn't swim. At all. The bike was easy to remedy but I took swim lessons and just kept going and going until i could do a try a tri. It was total panic. Anyway, keeping at it i've been able to get to the HIM distance (4 now complete) and an IM 2012. I am still thrilled nearly 4 years later. Life is super busy at the moment - we're planning a huge home reno so although i love tri i am not really racing this year.  I am still training - swimming with a tri club and trying to stay consistent and a relative level of fitness.
  
  
• I'm Laura! After dipping my toe into triathlon off and on starting in 2004, this is my first real entire season. I love to swim and am a cycling scaredy cat. Married to J, my Giraffe, so named because of his long legs. I have an insane sweet tooth, love Star Trek way too much, and have recently embraced lentils. Still saying no to kale.
  
  
• Hi, I'm Tom, I live near Manchester in England and it is my first year doing or trying to do triathlons! I am 39 married with two kids 3 and 6 and they are all amazing! I did my first sprint in May but car crash and illness has delayed the progress since then but back training again now. I love all the training so far but then the distances are still pretty small and can't wait now to do my next one!
  
  
• Hi, I'm Monica!  Originally from Vancouver, and now live in Austin, TX via London & Chicago.  I've been married to a fellow BTer (though I"m not sure he's still even ON BT anymore, the slacker!) and we have 2 cats (aka: the cute little furry jerks) and 1 pitt-mix pup who is the WORST at doing pretty much anything except for eating & sleeping.  I started doing triathlons in 2010, I really like swimming & riding my bike, but running & I have a mutual hate. I've done every distance from sprint to IM & have realized after every single race that I should have trained more.  If Darren is the master of the mini-taper, I'd consider myself the master of the non-training-but-stubborn-enough-to-finish kind of racer.  I don't recommend it.  
  
  
• My name is Markus, 46 years old and I'm originally from Germany, now live in the Houston area. Married with 4 kids 4,5,17 and 19 and a cat and dog. Former gymnast and my second year doing Triathlons. I came down with Guillain-Barre Syndrome 3 years ago that did a lot of damage to my peripheral nerve system and ever since then I've been trying to inspire other Guillain-Barre victims. I like swimming and biking, running I'm not much of a fan of, especially that I'm struggling to gain my pre sickness speed back. I also still enjoy doing gymnastics on occasion and stuff with the kids.
  
  
• Hi, I'm Matt (aka Mr. Matt, nickname given when I got married around the time we needed a distinction between me and our other resident Matt).  Along with my wife I have a stepson, who I would do anything for.  
  
  I was a track athlete in high school that gained a ton of weight while being lazy in engineering school.  After graduating I decided enough was enough and got back to running.  During my journey I discovered triathlon and took that as a new challenge to push me.  After finishing my first tri I got hooked and raced for 5 consecutive season.  After that I decided to give road racing a go, but quit after getting locked into a nasty crash that involved a smoked helmet.  Now I casually ride bikes, but currently most of my training comes from weightlifting and/or hitting my punching bag.
  
  
• Tom A: I'm a triathlete who's a runner this year.  I've been doing tries since 2012, and have loved the balance of the three sports.  I'm a pretty solid natural athlete, and tend to place reasonably well, though I'm a good athlete, not a premier one.  I'm focusing on 5k speed this year.  Though any Manatee who's been around a while can tell you that I collect running injuries as much as I collect race medals.  Just getting over a ridiculous injury to both of my Achilles tendons.
  
  
• Hi, I'm Ann-Marie, known around here by some as Hands.  It was bestowed upon me by Yanti after a series of posts by me on-the-one-handing various points for doing or not doing a ride.  When all was said and done, I probably used up about 14 hands!  I'm a life-long athlete, but adult on set all disciplines related to triathlon.  Growing up in Florida, I've spent a lot of time in the water. Unfortunately, none of that time was actually doing anything that resembles real swimming! Turns out I stink at it and during the swim portion of every tri I I am reminded just how much I stink!! Running is my happy place. So, I do a lot of running and associated races.  I live in Orlando with my german shepherd Gunnar, but want to live in western North Carolina. Gunnar wants to live there too.
  
  

• Hi, I'm Yanti. I'm from Indonesia and a few other places. I hold 3 world records: 1) part of the largest contingent of Elvises to run a marathon (although NyNy makes for a better Elvis, I think), 2) I swam from one island to another where nobody'd done it before (and most said it couldn't be done), 3) that other human in my profile picture, the non-female-looking one, I married him during the run leg of Ironman Western Australia in ... uh ... 2014. He's one of history's greatest athletes, and possibly crazier than I am.

  That pretty much sums me up
  
  

• I'm Robin and I did my first triathlon in 2009. I broke my foot/ankle at the swim start and wasn't smart enough to stop. Hey, it didn't hurt that bad! A few months later I had to have surgery to repair the injuries and will at some point have to have surgery on "The Limb", as we call it, again. I've done all distances of triathlons but prefer the longer distances. I did IM Boulder in 2015 and the entire process, from the first day of training through the end of the race, was the time of my life. I'm married to an amazing husband and we've been trained by two Golden Retrievers and we're owned by two cats.