Big Steve's Group (Year Three) - Closed

I would like to Join your group if possible.

Name: Josh

Story:  I am turning 35 this year, I have played soccer all my life and in the last few years I have taken up running and biking to get in better shape.  I am married with 3 kids, ages, 9, 5, and 4 months so I have to be somewhat creative when it comes to training time. I get time at work 3 hours a week to train during the day, I train before work and can usuaully get in a long run or ride over the weekend. 

Past Events:  I completed a sprint tri in 2011. I completed 2 half marathons in 2012 one of which was a trail run though the woods.  I completed a centry bike ride and a few shorter ones in 2012 also. 

Current Training:  Mostly biking, since I got my bike in June of 2012 I have put 2k miles on it, its a road bike.  I bike 3 days a week.  I have just started running again this week after taking some time off my last half marathon was thanksgiving weekend. I have not done any swimming since the sprint tri in 2011.  My goal is to get in the pool next week and see how it goes.

Goals:  To finish a local Half Iron Man that is scheduled for June 1st. 

I would like to use the month of January as warm-up gut/ops check if you know what I mean.  If all goes well I would like to take on a 16 week plan starting in Feb to perpare for the June race.  Swimming will be my weak point put I have plans to join a local masters swim club starting in Feb if all goes well.  I am not scared of open water, I grew up living on a lake and can swim but not like I think I should be able to for something like this.

Welcome to the group!!

I am in!

NAME: Margarita

STORY: I started doing triathlons 3 years ago to balance out my overwhelming passion for cooking and baking. It also gave me an excuse to buy a bright shiny red bicycle. Last year I had a knee surgery in  May and managed to miss the entire season.

CURRENT TRAINING: I have just started training again after seven months of barely doing anything. I am following a 16-week half-marathon plan since my first race is a half-marathon in April. I think I'll add an olympic tri plan in about a month and try to somehow merge them.

2013 RACES

For now, I am only signed up for the Rutgers Unite Half Marathon. I will probably do a sprint and a couple of olympic races.

P.S. Steven is a great mentor

My training so far:

• 1/1: 2-mile run
• 1/3: 3.1-mile run

Does WII Just Dance 4 count?

I'd like to join your group Big Steve!

Name: Schwartzie (that's at least my real nickname anyways)

Backstory:  I have no idea why I did it but after working traffic control for several Sprint Tr's and Marathons, I decided to challenge myself and push my training to the next level.  I've always trained hard but had a hard time keeping motivated on the weekends and had issues focusing my training for specific issues.  After dropping 30 pounds from September to the beginning of December I decided it was time to push myself again.  I did my first Sprint Tri on Dec 8th.  I finished 4 and 1/2 minutes faster than my goal of 90 minutes. I finished 13th of 36th in the Clydesdale division and 2 of 7 in my age group.

I'm 36 and working to drop down to 235 from 260, at 5-10 (I'm built like a fat inside linebacker.)  I've been married for almost 7 years now, I have 6 and 4 year old boys and a 9 year old daughter (that lives out of state.)  I strength train at a minimum 3 times a week.  Play hockey 2 times a week.  I run on the treadmill after each Leg workout.  I do sprint interval training after Tri's/Shoulders/Chest.  And I try to do 2 combo trainings on the weekends, a swim/long bike and a brick run of at least a 15-20 mile bike and a minimum of a 5k run, of which I'm trying to increase each week.

I need some consistent and persistent encouragement to keep fighting through my trainings.  As my work schedule gets busy, I start to fall off a little and definitely fall off the wagon on my diet.  I am consistent with posting my workouts and would love the extra push from a good support system.

Thanks for the consideration.

Schwartzie

"Beating old times and just finishing" .... words to live by!  Love it.  Welcome to the group.  We'll keep you motivated.

Thats a great time for a 1st 1/2!

Welcome back!! Glad you're part of the group.  Hope the knee is back to normal and yes WII Just Dance counts, that game kicks my every time I play with the girls. Not sure why they don't have it as an option in the training log :-)

Welcome aboard Schwartzie!  Losing 30 pounds around the holidays is amazing.   

Lets all try and give each other the consistent and persistent encouragement mentioned in Schwartzie's post.

Welcome to the group Gilbert!   Tough Mudder is quite the experience.  I did it in Oct '11.  I finished in 3 hrs as well but that race is not about the time, its about helping your fellow Mudders since many of the obstacles are impossible to scale solo.  I swore never to do it again unless I went with a group.  Doing it solo took away from the experience.

First computrainer session of the year was a ramp test this morning. Basically its a threshold test to record a score so that you can measure against it later in the season or next year.  Needed to record my heart rate after 3 minutes @ 150 Power, 3 minutes @ 200, @250 & 300 then my HR after a 1 minute rest.  I was supposed to stay in the same gear and be at 16 mph throughout the test. 

I stareted in the big ring up front and 3rd ring from the smallest in the rear but could not stay in that ring for the 300 segment. 

Had to go up a couple.

150 - HR: 135
200 - HR: 157
250 - HR: 164
300 - HR: 170
Recovery - HR: 140
Ramp Score = 766

I plan to do a Lactate Threshold Test early next week on the bike, I have found a route I can ride with little to no traffic and mostly flat.  This will be my first time doing the test, I just recently got a HR Monitor so the HR training is still new to me.  I think I have made my Training log public, I have been using Strava and Training Peaks for the last year but will be posting more stuff on here for review.

Any tips or things to look out for when I do the test?

Thanks

Hey all! I'd love to join! First IM this May and need a lot of knowledge and support.

NAME: Martin

STORY: I began running in 08. Before that I playing college (US) and before (dont tell the NCAA) and after professional soccer back home in Europe. This is not a glamorous as it sounds, there is a lot of money is soccer, even down to the town level. Anyhow, I ran a wee bit and ran the SF marathon in 3:38. The last 5 miles were HELL but when I crossed the line, I thought: I can go faster. 19 marathons and a a 3:10 and Boston later...I am now about a 3:50 marathoner. I completed my first half-ironman (crazily also my first tri) in March in Oceanside and finished in a 6:20. I swam a loooooooooong swim, passed about 1,20 people on the bike and survived the run. To be honest, I have no clue how to do this. I want to learn and I don't want to speak to the guys who make you feel bad about not knowing much. If I can make it through the swim, I think I can make it. I am from Ireland. We are not meant to swim.  

FAMILY STATUS: I live in San Francisco, CA so I have no excuses to not train...besides work and the time I want to spend with my fiance. We are getting married in October so there is a lot of planning and although she is wonderfully accepting (not that she understands which is so cute), I want to make sure I support us in all of our planning. Work is demanding, I am a strategy manager, but my company is a bay area company and they don't care about the hours, just about the results. I would equate it to a 9-6.

CURRENT TRAINING: Getting back into it. Not much training in the last month but killed it this week, hahaha.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:

2012:

• IM Oceanside 70.3
• MCM
• Kaiser Half, SG

2013 RACES

The main races for 2013 are going to be:

• IM Texas
• Chicago Marathon (I have a bone to pick with Chicago)
• MCM

WEIGHTLOSS: I’ve gained 20 lbs since I qualified for Boston. Combo of PX90 and weight gain. I would like to race at 180 lbs. I am now at 195.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD CONTRIBUTOR:

Well, I am an Irishman so people like that... Otherwise, I am motivated and love to motivate and encourage others. I hope that I can even make one of your workouts better.

I've never done one but they say its the best predictor of athletic endurance performance. Let us know how you do it and the results.

Hey Martin, welcome to the group!  Great to have a Boston marathoner in the group.  Its going to be an intense few months to get ready for IM Texas but if your 1st Tri was a 70.3 you should do fine.   Would love to grab a Guinness when I'm in SF for Escape from Alcatraz.

UGH.....

2 days in a row with no training.  I've got excuses, but doesn't everyone.  I've got to get back to my healthy eating life style.  The last 2 days have been horrible.  I got to work in the middle of the night last night and got no sleep.  Fortunately, I'm skating tomorrow and as long as I am focusing on my dietary requirements, I should be back on the wagon after this weekend.

Anybody have any suggestions on exercises or other training techniques that would make up for my pool being closed for January.  My lap pool at my community center has been closed for repair to the heater and deck resurfacing.

E

I'd like to join, if I could? 

I haven't done a tri since 2010 - in fact, I haven't done ANYTHING. OMGosh I am so out of shape and overweight now! SO, back to the beginning I go.

I quit smoking 11 days ago, on Christmas Day (woot!) after having smoked for 18 years. I plan on sticking with it and am enjoying being able to smell things again, and all the benefits that come with not smoking!

I started training this week on Monday. My plan is to train for an Olympic, and register for the Sprint if I'm not in Olympic race form by May. I've only ever done 5k's, Sprint Tri's and Duo's. My race is in June. I'm looking for something else between now and then to keep the motivation going, but I live in Nowhere, New Mexico and there isn't much around! Even a 5k would be helpful. I will likely have to travel 2-3.5 hours to find one though. 

I am a 36 year old female, 5'1" and *gulp* 145lbs. I was 115 two years ago. (obviously my profile picture is OLD) So not only do I need to build my fitness back up, I need to lose 30 lbs. I CAN do it, and by joining a mentor group again I will enjoy having people to hold me accountable!

Family is: my husband (who also does Tri's), and two girls - ages 9 and 6. I work full time and my husband is often gone for the military. I will be swimming at lunch, and have my trainer and treadmill set up in the living room, so although I don't get much outdoor training time, I do have the resources available at home. And since they're staring me in the face, they are hard to ignore! 

I look forward to getting to know you all!

Jeanie