PirateGirl's group - CLOSED - Pirate ship has sailed!

Hi Elaine-

I'm Cynthia, a 36yo mom of 1and 3 yos.  I did a mini tri a couple weeks ago but my "real" first tri is a 400yOWS/13mibike/5krun sprint in June.  I'm following a training plan from trinewbies and (besides being sick the past week) feel like I'm doing pretty well.  my husband decided to do the tri (s) with me, but he's not a training partner, his method is "just be a little more active than before" which so far has meant joining me for most weekend workouts and a couple independent workouts.  i like following my training plan and clearly seeing progress.

I was a runner in high school and recall my race day mental strength could have been better.  I loved cheering you through IMAZ and would love someone to cheer me! 

I'm considering a 5K in midMay and a muddybuddy course 2 weeks before my tri but have not signed up for either yet, waiting on some logistics (babysitting and a partner for muddybuddy).  I also need to do some OWS practice, swimming is not my strength.  I get my new road bike road-ready; I've been riding my mtn bike with mud hawgs.

Before kids I was a regular outdoor rockclimber.  When there was just one kid, I hiked a lot with her. After my June sprint, I don't know what is next.  I certainly loved the mini a couple weeks ago, but I don't know if I'm settling into a new lifestyle or if this is a one-off   July I will mostly be on travel too so I wonder what level of fitness I'd be able to maintain.

-Cynthia 

Pirate Girl aka Elaine: I was in a mentor group previous to this and found it extremely helpful. I was sad to see it end....I'm just in the middle of training for my very first tri in June and don't want to lose motivation and found I kept going at times when I didn't want to simply because of the BT group!

So, here's a little bit about me.  I live in Topeka, Kansas where you would think it was flat, but it is not at all.  We have some of the worse killer hills here! I will be turning 50 in a few weeks. That was the impetus for me to do this in the first place. I wanted to do something meaningful this year and decided that this would be the thing to do. I am married to Bret, a true road bike guy who even went to France last year and biked several stages of the Tour de France. He is very supportive as are my three daughters (and three grandchildren!). I weighed in at a whopping 153.5 pounds in January on a 5' frame so I was actually a little fat thing and now I'm down to 124 with a goal of 112. Not sure when I'll get there, but I have a nutritionist and doctor that I'm working with so that I make sure I keep healthy.  I was also diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis four years ago so I do have some added issues, but since I've been training, my MS has actually been less of a problem than before! 

I ran my very first 5K race this past Saturday and had a blast! Didn't plan or prepare as well as I would have liked, but it was a great experience and it has made me even more determined and excited for my triathlon. I will be doing a sprint tri and have had the chance to go over and look over the course. I've joined a new tri club here and will be having swim, run and bike clinics with them over the next few weeks as well as a planned swim at the very lake of the tri so we can all get used to it. 

I have been using a combination training program of the beginner program from BT and another program that right now I can't remember the guy's name!  I have found swimming to be more fun than I originally anticipated and am discovering I can run further than I think I can.  The winter was awful here and that really made it difficult sometimes to get in my training and so I am beginning to realize that I have about 7 weeks til my event and I'm getting a tad nervous. I know I won't finish in the top of the pack. And I may very well be the last one to cross the finish line, but right now all I want to do is FINISH THIS FIRST ONE! I have a feeling, though, that I'm going to like it and will want to improve my times and maybe even move up from the sprint.  But, one thing at a time, right?

I, too, like to post my training every day that I train. And I do like the fact that your focus isn't on telling me to go bust my butt. (Although I know occasionally that may very well be what I need...it isn't the kind of thing that truly motivates me) I know that the first time I went to the pool it was extremely difficult because I was so fat! The gals in the last group I was in encouraged me enough that I had the guts to go.  That's what I need.  

So, that's me in a nutshell.  Can't wait to get a group going and get training!

Hi Cynthia! Welcome!

Which MuddyBuddy are you looking to do in June? I highly recommend them. They are a BLAST! OMG you will have so much fun! I've done the one in LA in November a few times. Last year I dressed up as (you guessed it) a pirate. Just don't crawl through the mud pit on your knees. I learned the hard way the first time the sand tears your kneecaps up. I sort of "swim" my way through, dragging my legs behind. They are popular events and do sell out, so be sure to get registered before that happens.

It's so cool your first tri is in June! We'll all be cheering you on. And if you need any tips or advice for your first one, just let us know. There's nothing like your very first tri. :) I know what you mean about wondering if it will be a lifestyle or not. That's how I approached my first tri. I wasn't sure if I was going to get into them or not, but after my first one I signed up for another a month later.

Workouts during travel can be tough. I try to find a pool if possible, but mostly just pack the running shoes and work on running, then get back to biking as soon as I return. I hate treadmills, but sometimes it's the only way to get a workout in. I always figure some sort of workout is better than none at all. ;)

Welcome to the group TJ! Wow...another first tri in June. How exciting! Yep, we'll do our best to keep ya motivated and help get you to that finish line.

You'll have to let us know when your birthday is in a few weeks. We may need to plan a group workout of some sort with the number 50 in it to celebrate!

Your weightloss has been amazing! Keep up the fantastic work! Yeah, those last 10 lbs are the tough ones. You start to get happy when the scale moves even 1 lb lower.  I know what that's like!

The 5K sounds like it was a perfect motivator...now you're motivated to keep up the training! Don't worry, we'll kick ya in the butt when needed (a soft kick ) to make sure you get there.

Hi Paul! Welcome to our quickly growing mentor group!

Congrats on your first sprint tri! I just checked out your race report. Hey, I'll help ya with the OW swimming part if you can teach me to run like that. Holy cow! Awesome job!

Another race in June...this is becoming a theme for our group. If peeps are looking to join our group and don't have a race in June, they may want to find one. June is going to be fun around here!

Hi Bill! I definitely have to welcome a fellow dirt lover!

Heh...go big or go home, right? I think you'll do great in the 70.3! You defininitely have the bike and run base. Transitions aren't that bad and if you practice a few bricks in training, you'll get used to the heavy leg feeling from bike to run. Thankfully the swim is the shortest part of the whole race.  We should be able to track you online for the 70.3, which will be a ton of fun for us!

100 mile MTB rides?! I'll need to ask you about those. I have a crazy thought in my head to try one in the future. In the meantime, my husband is toying with the idea of us doing a 24 hr race as a duo team next February. We've only been on 5 person teams, so I'll have to up the endurance on the MTB. Definitley much different than road riding endurance.

Ok, we'll keep on your tail on the swimming. You've got to get through that swim in the 70.3 in order to get to your favorite sports. That's what I always think when I'm out there..."Get me out of this water so that I can get on my bike!"

Wow...you guys are making me work this morning! People are joining faster than I can reply. Hey, that's cool.

Roll call so far:

movingsouth - Cynthia
Big Mama - TJ
Schrup - Paul
wgraves7582 - Bill

I'm going to cap our group at 7. The recommendation is 5-10. I want to offer a quality mentoring experience for all of you, and I know 10 would be a bit much for me to keep track of. 7 is a good number.

So that means 3 spots left! (Heh...this is like Ironman sign-ups online! )

OK, you made me do it, I sent out an email blast seeking a muddy buddy partner.  dunno if I'll get one, but I asked!   The MB is in San Jose, June 8.  my husband said no, but at least that means the kids have a babysitter

Welcome to our group Lisa!

You're in Chandler? Sweet! We'll have to meet sometime! Feels like I'm up in that neck of the woods for a race practically every month.

The Tempe International Oly is a great race. The women's waves are nice and small, and so you don't get kicked and beat up as much during the swim. It does get warm in the afternoon on race day, but hey, being a Zonie you're used to that.

I'm thinking about SOMA too. Last year it was 98 on race day which was freakishly warm. I need to beat that race down! But it's not until October, so I'll have time to think about it. October seems SOOO far away right now.

That makes 2 spots left. We're starting to hoist the main sail!

Welcome Elizabeth! Another Zonie in the group!

I heard Tri for the Cure was wonderful! Some of the gals in my tri club did it and said it was great. Congrats on finishing your first tri and 3 years as a survivor! That's fantastic! And no, it's NEVER too late to become an athlete. You're on your way.

Another June race! Woohoo! There is going to be a lot of cheering in this group for June.

Only 1 spot left! The ropes are being pulled in, the ship is starting to pull away from the dock! Who will make the jump and be the last one on?

(Can you tell I'm having fun with the pirate theme here? )

Hi Elaine, it would be awesome if I could get in this group,looks like this is filling up fast!

Im starting my sophmore year doing Tri's, I have Wildflower Olympic comming up in a few weeks and that is the level I am at currently with a couple centuries and a half marathon in the fall. I consider it a huge achievement that I have finally gathered all the gear I need to be competitive,bike,wetsuit,etc. I live in northern California and travel to southern California every other week for business. The good part is I get to belong to several different groups, bad part is my schedule is extremely hectic! I quit smoking last year after 20 something years, started swimming as soon as I was able too and it led me to where I am today. I swam year round competitively when I was younger, did not bike or run at all.

This year I'm making my transition into longer distances and have no clue how to follow training plans and exercise/race nutrition. I have spent most of my training just doing minutes ,Heart rate, distance training. I feel I have established a decent base and would like to get faster this year.

Hi Stuart! Welcome to our group!

Congrats on the quitting smoking! What a huge lifestyle change you've made this past year. The Wildflower Oly will definitely show the fruits of your labor! I can't wait to hear how it goes.

We can definitely talk about how to follow a training plan, and dial in race and training nutrition. If you have specific questions, just ask away.

Sheeeew, thanks for the last spot! I'll be 42 this year and Married with a 5 yr old daughter that loves"Shushi".

And with that, our group is full at 7! We've pulled away from the dock and the ship has sailed with our group.

The final roll call:

PirateGirl - Elaine
movingsouth - Cynthia
Big Mama - TJ
Schrup - Paul
wgraves7582 - Bill
Javamom - Lisa
azelizabeth - Elizabeth
nevergivin - Stuart

For those that didn't make it on the ship, don't worry. There are plenty of good mentors here on BT with openings still. They really are a great group of people.

And with that, our group can get rolling. This is exciting! First, it's easy to check on each other if you add each person in the group as a "friend" in you BT blog. If you've never done that before, just click on the Control Panel (the top Quick Link next to the calendar) and click the "Friends" tab and type everyone in on each line. Click "Apply" and you'll see them under your training summary in your blog. I'm also going to link this thread in my blog so that it's easy to find each day I open my blog.

There aren't any rules or anything in this thread. It's pretty much an open conversation. The thread will get long, so I usually try to use the "Quote" feature to keep track of where I'm replying, especially when I want to have multiple conversations. Sort of like the crazy Thread About Nothing (TAN) thread in Cup of Joe.

I want to encourage everyone to participate and offer advice. We can all learn from each other, which is why this is fun. It's helpful to keep this thread live with weekly updates, topics on just about anything, etc. Mentor groups tend to dwindle if no conversation is going on. So my goal is to keep the conversation going, even if I'm just talking to myself.

my 3yo loves "snushi" too. especially miso soup and unagi. hmm, what's for lunch? wasabi would clear the sinuses! darn this cold.

dunno if I'll do my brick today or not... go now while kids are awake and do it at quarter speed? (half speed for hauling the kids, another halved for the cold). or use trainer at nap time? or see what energy I have after Daddy gets home? sigh.

PS. I have one bite on a muddy buddy partner, but he moved already to Boulder and is checking on red eye flights (!) to come.  I guess I'd be obligated to fly to the Boulder one in August