Birkierunner's group - CLOSED

Sort of jumping the gun here… but Jim’s a Wisconsin/Minnesota guy and a fast one at that!  (and being fast in the WI/MN Tri scene means quite a bit!!!)  don't want to miss out if I'm away from BT at the wrong time!

NAME: ball6135/Robb

STORY: I’m 41 yrs old, I had been 'athlete' through high school and college (full ride for Lacrosse of all things) and right up to kid #1 when I decided to stop pretty much everything.  As they got a bit older, I started back into 24 hr. mtn. Bike races and eventually, at the urging of a friend, signed up for Lifetime Oly about 5 years ago.  Since then, I have been training nearly year round...

FAMILY STATUS: Married to a wonderfully understanding wife (Michelle) and two of the best cheering section daughters (Sammy & Hailey) that a oversize, aging triathlete could have. 

CURRENT TRAINING: As of right now, I’m not planning anything full distance next year (unless Silverman makes a surprise comeback next fall).  I love swimming (which was new to me when I started Tri’s) and biking.   I struggle with the run, but am looking to take that up a notch or two this year!  I am one of the strange ones  that finds it much easier to get up at 4:30 to swim vs. getting on a trainer or a treadmill during our long winter months!

THIS YEAR'S RACES: 2011 was capped off with a dismal and disappointing performance at IMWI.  I “finished”…  about 4 hours late!  (I can talk nutrition/hydration issues on that one!!)

2012 RACES:  Currently REV3 Dells (Half) will be my target race, but will be racing in quite a few of the local races as well (Liberty, Waconia, Gear West Du and something in July).  Even thinking of an open Marathon (Twin Cities) next fall to replace the empty place in my heart from Silverman.

WEIGHTLOSS:  I’m 6’4” and would love to be “sub-clyd” but need to drop another 10 lbs or so to meet that goal. 

Hey, I'm a total newb, but can I join?

NAME: Ingrid

STORY: I'm 32 years old, and I compete in equestrian sport of three-day eventing professionally (the jumping into water and over logs you see in the olympics... that's what I do- ironically called the "equestrian triathlon"). I have been running and swimming for years (captain of HS XC and swim teams) as part of the fitness for my sport/job. I also do a lot of coaching and traveling. Needless to say, I'm highly competitive, so I got this hair-brained idea to take up triathlons... I've always been interested, and I need a new challenge, and I got injured last september when a horse fell with me, and spent WEEKS doing nothing, which made me realize just how much I missed physical activity and pushing myself. I am very comfortable with the running and swimming, but I'm maybe the world's most chicken bicyclist, so that will need work. 

Family Status: Single

Current Training: I'm registered for the Salt Lake Marathon in mid-April- I've never actually raced any longer than 5k, but I regularly trail run over 20 miles, and I'm really looking forward to the challenge, and checking "marathon" off my bucket list... The weather here has been unbelievably mild, so I've been out some on my bike as well. Swimming is the hardest for me to fit in currently- I'm physically pretty tired by the end of the day from riding, so hauling myself to the pool for a workout just doesn't sound like much fun.

2012 Races: I have to finalize the sport/job schedule before I finalize the sport/hobby schedule, but I would like to do a sprint triathlon in mid-may, and then move on up to an olympic. I'd ideally like to give a HIM a shot by the end of the year, but I don't know if that's completely unrealistic. I have all sorts of questions about planning a schedule for a season, entering races, withdrawing from races, any memberships required, etc... 

Hello, I am currently part of another mentor group but would love to join yours as well.  I would love to gain some of your knowledge!

NAME: Mitchparadise, Mitch

STORY: Did some college sports, track and basketball then spent the next 10-12 years in the bars drinking and drugging. sobered up and realized how out of shape I was when I could barely complete a 3 on 3 half court basketball game.  Started running again about 4 years ago.  Did a few 10k's, half marathons etc... started hitting goals I never thought I could again. Realized how much I missed being fit so I kicked it into gear last year.  I've only done 1 triathlon, which was a full Ironman in July.  (The Full Vineman) and I'm totally hooked on the long stuff.  I had serious nutrition problems but I finished the race and am now an Ironman.  I bought a bike about 4 months before the race so my cycling is horrible, swimming is ok (I train with masters), my running has never been better.

Just looking for some accountability.  I basically train alone so I like the idea of being part of a group for motivation etc..

FAMILY STATUS: Married with a 23 month old daughter.  I originally got in shape because I knew I was going to have a family soon and have always wanted to be a superdad.

CURRENT TRAINING: I generally train 4-6 days a week. I try to stay consistent.  Bought an indoor trainer for the bike so I'm starting to get on that at night for some extra bike work.  I haven't been to any Masters swims in about 2 months, but plan on getting back in.   Running about 20-25 miles per week

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Ironman California 70.3, Full Vineman, Xterra challenge trail run series.  10k's half marathons, maybe even a swim race????

2011 RACES:  This was an amazing year.  I put all my training into Vineman, but once I finished that I started demolishing all my running records.  I pr'd at all distances I ran.  5k -21.08, 10k - 44:42, half marathon - 1:49:29.  Plus I actually won my age group in a few 5k's with a 5th place overall in a trail run.

2012 goals: I need to work on my cycling, nutrition, but really want to train without injury and stay motivated.  I plan on doing more group things... Flexibility as well

I'm ready to go!!!  Let's do it this year!!!

Thanks for the compliment Fred!  I hope you meant "highly" instead of "ugly" :-)

Welcome Ingrid and Mitch!  Glad to have you join the group.  Ingrid, I've heard the 3-day eventing is a pretty rigorous sport...don't they make you carry your medical records with you during the competition just in case?  I'd be a lot more nervous about riding a horse than a bike!  We'll be able to guide you through the process of planning a season and entering races.  If it is a USAT sanctioned race you will either need to be a member of USA Triathlon or pay for a one-day competition license for the race for liability/insurance purposes.  If you plan on doing several USAT sanctioned races (the race website will usually indicate whether or not it is) this season the membership will pay for itself.  Races rarely will offer a refund if you need to withdraw from a race, but some may offer a partial refund or deferral to next year...its always worth asking the race director...but in general you usually have to eat the entry fee if you need to cancel.

Mitch, you're welcome to join a second group...just don't give away all of our "secrets"...lol, but seriously this site is all about information sharing so its good to get several perspectives.  Anyone that claims to have all the answers probably doesn't have many correct ones.  Sounds like you had a successful 2011, so lets see if we can help you out in the accountability side of things and make 2012 even better!  Looking forward to working with all of you.

We're only up to 3...spread the word!

Hey guys, I'd love to join your group too!!

I am Mitch's training partner Jim!

NAME: Jim 46

STORY: Been doing triathlons for almost 20 years. Was a bodybuilder before I started doing triathlons. Got into triathlons only because I wanted to do Ironman,  no other distance really got me pumped! The last 10 years I have dealt with several significant injuries and as a result I put on a lot of weight, at one time I was almost 320! Mitch and I committed to doing Vineman last year and I knew I wasn't close to being ready for it but also knew I had to get my training back on track! Last year was an amazing journey, Mitch and I would rotate going to each others house to train! We live about 100 miles apart! I fell a little short during Ironman and did not finish the Marathon!

Family Status: Married with 2 kids, ages 11 (son) and 8 (daughter).

CURRENT TRAINING: I love putting in the miles!! I usually swim 2-3 day, ride 3 days and run 3 days a week! I am also weight training 3 days a week.

LAST YEAR'S RACES: Vineman , then Long Beach Half

2012 RACES: I want to do a lot more races in 2012! Doing Oceanside 70.3 in March and hopefully Wildflower before doing Vineman Full.

WEIGHT LOSS: My #1 goal for 2012 is to get my weight under 200lbs, right now I'm just over 250! I will keep everyone updated on my progress!

You can never have too many Jim's in a mentor group!  I will say up front I don't have specific experience with weight loss programs but I think the group will be a good support forum for you.  Welcome ironjim!!

n=4

ok, did a quick 4 miles on the treadmill then swam a quick 1000 m.  Getting ready for a Xterra 21k this Sunday.  This one has like 4000 feet of climbing... I can't wait.  Gonna be a monster!

Once I get through this race I'm all about the bike for IM California.  My biking needs great help.  I'm sort of using a winter BT plan for my trainer but only using specific workouts and not following the whole program as it doesn't really fit.  The workout have been killer but I need to get out there for more long rides and hill work.  Question: Does cranking up the resistance on an indoor trainer equate to a hill workout???

Hey Mitch, good luck on the Xterra race.

Increasing the resistance on your trainer will obviously have some benefit as far as general leg strength, but you need to think about specificity as well.  Hill climbing will use a different set of muscles versus riding the flats so simply increasing the resistance while sitting in the saddle won't translate totally to hill climbing per se.  Try to incorporate some drills where you increase the resistance and are pedaling, standing out of the saddle for various intervals of 30 sec up to 2 minutes or so with recoveries in-between.  Be sure your bike is firmly clamped into the trainer and that the trainer itself is stable before trying it.  Also, be sure not to overdo it on the resistance the first few times so that your knees don't take a beating.  Let us know how it goes!

Xterra 21K tomorrow... Here's the Elevation profile... I love it!

http://www.trailrace.com/maps/boney_13mile_elev.jpg   

Can I join?

Name: Beth and I also live in Minnesota.

Story: I'm 46 and a history prof.  I've been doing tris for the past two years. Before that yoga and cycling.  6 months before my first tri, I got into the pool for the first time in 25 years and also started running. Been in two mentor groups and agree that an active group is really important.

I hang in the middle of the pack, but I'm ready to start doing the work to get faster and do longer distances. Until now, I've done sprint distances.  Last year, I did 5 sprints. My average race swim times are around 1:50-2:00 min/100 yds and my bikes average 18-20 mph for 20+ miles; running has been all over the place from 8:30-10+ min per mile. 

Family: I live with my partner but most of my family is on the East Coast.

Current training:  Running is my limiter. I've had some injuries from it and basically run enough to get through the run portion of a tri. But this fall I started focusing on the run with the Higdon novice plan for HM and ran my first in Oct in 2:01; next one is in April. Stayed pretty injury free and am running consistently now.  So far this winter, I've been swimming one master swim per week, spin 2xs a week (or trainer but not good with that), and running about 4 days; yoga several days, strength training 2xs a week. Swim and spin will increase by 1-2xs per week in Jan. Time management has been an issue since the fall. And it will continue to be during the school year. Need to figure out how to work in some training when I'll be in Italy for 2 weeks and on a 2 week road trip in early July.

  2012 races: Earthday HM in April; Buffalo (sprint), Lake Waconia, and Graniteman and my A race this year will be one of the new Duluth half-ironman races.  I'll do one more strategically chosen race in late July-early August before the HIM. Maybe a late fall marathon or a spring one in 2012. I have no triathlon training plan yet and am open to suggestions.

Weight loss: Not an issue. Though I could probably use help with nutrition during races and in training.

Goals: HIM in August and staying injury free as I continue to improve my running.  Figuring out how to get the training into a schedule that will be busy will be a trick too.

Hi Beth!

So I ran my Xterra 21k today, broke my big toe very bad at mile 9.5, hobbled my way to the finish.  This was an insane course and absolutely amazing.  I'll be writing a race report soon.

I'm taking this as a blessing in disguise as my cycling and swimming need much more work than my running. Time to get in the water! Going to go to the doctor tomorrow just to make sure it doesn't need to be set.  It's kinda crooked at the moment but may just be from the swelling.  I'll keep ya updated....

Hi Mitch!

Sorry to hear about your toe. But I'm impressed that you finished the race and your great attitude!

Welcome to the group Beth!  Nice to have another "local" that I may cross paths with this season.  I've done the Buffalo Oly many times in the past but the course was getting a little dangerous with both races using the run course and the incoming bike finishers were just a couple feet from the runners.  I think they may have changed things a bit though?

Setting up a basic week that you can duplicate from week to week is important.  Also, I understand the demands of training while travelling so hopefully we can help out in that department as well.  Nice to have you aboard!

n=5

I would like to join this group.

NAME: Knewbike/ Kevin

STORY: I'm 42 in my 3rd year of consistent triathlons and 4th of running.  I did a couple of triathlons a number of years ago and off and on (mostly off) running/cycling my whole adult life.  For a career I am an overeducated autobody painter

FAMILY STATUS: Married 21 years with an 11 year old daughter.

CURRENT TRAINING: I've kept somewhat consistent with the running.  I tend to only swim as needed (read during races!!!)  I don't always record my workouts.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: A+ race is 70.3 IM Muncie.  Also registered for Battle of Waterloo endurance race (3rd year) and Bayshore 1/2 marathon (Traverse City)  Will do some sprints along the way.

PAST RACES:  I did  70.3 Steelhead in 2010 under 6 hrs and IMOO 2010 under 14.  My goal there was to finish.  My second year I wanted to place in AG.  And took overall Masters in my 1st sprint event that year and 2nd AG in my second.  I slacked off after that having achieved my goal a little early.  I also did a trail marathon and a trail 50K that 1st year. 

THIS YEARS GOALS:  To go sub 5hrs in Muncie.  To break 20 min in a 5K  (PR is 20:33 last year) To do this I need to take my training and consistency to the next level.

WEIGHTLOSS:  I have been as low as 145lbs and as high as 200lbs in my adult life.  I seem to be able to lose and gain at will so not an issue. Am currently 155 and expect to be below 150 by Muncie.

I will try to contribute what I know and don't know and hope to be a good addition to the group.

Hi, I'd like to join the group.

My name is Lisa. I am 50 years old, married 25 years with a 21 year old daughter and 17 year old son.

I have always injoyed being active and ourdoors. I have swam and cycled on and off since childhood. At 43 I joined a woman's rec soccer team, my first try at team sports. In the fall of 2009 a few woman on my soccer team were talking about triathlons. It sounded fun but I never have seen myself as a runner. In 2010 I registered for a sprint triathlon with the idea a friend would do it with me. She decided not to so I did it alone. I also hike and xc ski.

Last year I did a sprint and an olympic distance tri along with a 10K, two 12K's and a half marathon. I enjoyed all of the events I participated in but not having a training plan hurt my performance.

For the 2012 season I would like to do a sprint in June and an olympic distanc in July. I have made it a goal for this season to train consistently and have a purpose for each workout.

Lisa

Welcome to the group Kevin and Lisa.  A recurring theme has been seeking consistency in training and that is what this group can offer to help out with.  Its amazing how maintaining consistency can rack up the training hours.

Several folks have mentioned training plans.  How many of you have explored the training plans offered here on BT?  Who plans on using one of the BT plans and which one? 

n=7

Hi! Can I join you guys? It looks like you need a representative from the south

NAME/AGE/LOCATION Melissa, 46 yo, Mt. Pleasant, SC

FAMILY STATUS married for 16 years with three children, 15, 9 and 5.

JOB Translator (German into English)

STORY: I had been a runner until an old knee injury started causing problems in 2010, finally requiring a couple of surgeries and rehab time. I began swimming during my down time, and then picked up biking in January 2011. My first triathlon was in May 2011, and it was lots of fun for me. Over the course of 2011, I did 3 triathlons, one splash-n-dash, a 10k and a couple of 5ks.

CURRENT TRAINING Right now, I am training for a half marathon in February. I think you will see from my training logs that I am WAY behind. Basically, since Thanksgiving, either I have been sick or traveling, which has made a complete mess of my schedule. Nonetheless, I am back at it with a vengeance! I just signed up for bronze membership so that I could import a 16 week run-focus sprint plan into my schedule to get me ready for my first triathlon in April. Oh, I should probably add that I am doing the Galloway run/walk method to try and keep from re-injuring my knee.

2012 RACE PLANS: So far, my plans are for the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon in February, the Cooper River Bridge Run 10k in March, and possibly 2 sprint triathlons in April. There is a series of 5 sprint triathlons in our area, of which I did 3 last season. I will just have to see which ones fit into my schedule this year, but I would like to get at least 3 done.

WHY ME? I have really been looking forward to joining a mentor group, ever since finding BT. I crave a social outlet for my triathlon training and racing, would like to give and receive motivation, feedback and congratulations!

USERNAME: jvanis Name: Jeff Vanis

Location: Minnesota

STORY: I am a run-hater turned triathlete.  I used to hate running with a passion, but then started traveling for business and picked it up to fill in time while on the road.  I set a goal to run a marathon in 2008, while dealing with an injury, my wife suggested we do a sprint triathlon the next year.  That is the day it all started.  I have found something that keeps me participating in healthy activities, make healthier decisions, meet many new amazing people, and presents a wide open road ahead of me. 

FAMILY STATUS: I have been married for 4 years to my amazing wife Heather.  We are the proud new parents of twin boys, Carter and Caleb, that were born at the end of November 2011.

CURRENT TRAINING:Monday will start my 16 week plan to take me to my first race of the season in Knoxville.  Looking to beat my Olympic PR of 2:19:5x from last year.  Hope to go sub 2:15 this year.  I am building my own training plan again this year as it has suited me well in the past.  I wish I could afford someone, but it is not my priority financially right now.  

THIS YEAR'S RACES: 2011 was a short season for me due to a bike accident that resulted in multiple surgeries to repair a broken clavicle.  I was able to get some early season races in including an age group placing, an overall win, and beating my goal time of 2:20 at REV3 Knoxville Olympic. 

 
2012 RACES:  My schedule is not set in stone yet, but the likely contenders are as follows:

• REV3 Knoxville Olympic
• Mason City Sprint Tri
• Lifetime (Not sure distance yet)
• REV3 Wisconsin Dells Olympic
• Lake Marion Olympic Triathlon - Possible
• REV3 Cedar Point Half

WEIGHTLOSS: I have found triathlon to be a great vehicle to allow me to lose weight and keep in shape without getting bored of "working out."  I had put on some pounds in college and triathlon was able to help me remove close to 40 pounds from high to low.  Right now, I am setting a goal to drop 25 pounds to get into race condition and help me perform at the peak of my ability.

Looking forward to a group of people to help keep me accountable, and share with.  It is nice to have some local people as well in the group! I was going to host a group this year, but got started a bit later, so joining works well!  I have seen Jim in action at New Brighton... speedy dude!