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Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open
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 2013-01-05 9:55 AM |
Pro  4353    Wallingford, PA |  Subject: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - OpenWHEN CAN YOU START MENTORING CONSISTENTLY: Now GROUP FOCUS: Beginner to Intermediate Sprint through Half-Ironman athletes NAME: Jenny (jsnowash) STORY: I've been involved in triathlon/endurance training for over a decade now. It started when my kids were little, and I found myself out of shape and overweight. I needed an athletic goal to keep me focused and motivated, and signed up for my first sprint triathlon. After that first race, I was hooked. I did several more sprint distance races and one olympic that first season, and have been training and racing ever since. A few years ago, I started teaching indoor cycling classes. Last year, I decided that I was really interested in doing more than just teaching cycling classes, so I pursued certifications in Personal Training and Triathlon Coaching. I'm now a coach with a regional coaching group and club (Endurance Multisport: http:\\www.endurancemultisport.com)and am about to open an independent fitness studio, largely focused on indoor cycling with more of a "training" focus and strength training (Inner Drive Fitness: hptp:\\www.innerdrivestudio.com). "Find What Drives You" is the studio's tagline, which is where the mentor group title comes from... FAMILY STATUS: Married, mom of 3 ages 11, 13 & 15. CURRENT TRAINING: I am more or less in "maintenance" mode right now - running 4-5 times per week and cycling 2-4 times per week, mostly pretty easy effort, and not really following any specific schedule at the moment. I'm not really swimming much right now, but will pick that back up again soon. THIS YEAR'S RACES: 2012 was the year of my first Iron Distance triathlon - IM NYC (the one and only!). I felt like I had a great season last year, finished the Ironman in about the time I predicted (13:25-ish), and set PR's at shorter distances from sprint to half-iron. 2013 RACES: My focus right now is more on getting the studio open and developing my coaching skills than on racing. My focus this season will likely be on shorter distances - primarily Olympic distance, although I won't rule out a half-iron distance race later in the season. WEIGHTLOSS: I lost about 40 lbs when I began tri training, getting myself back to a healthy body weight. My weight has been pretty stable since then, although I always seem to put on a few pounds over the winter... WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTOR: This will be my 3rd or 4th time leading a mentor group. I enjoy helping other athletes, especially those new to the sport, get off on the right foot. My experience as an athlete and coach/trainer will help me offer sound advice. Looking forward to another awesome mentor group in 2013! Edited by jsnowash 2013-01-05 9:56 AM |
| 2013-01-17 12:35 PM in reply to: #4563355 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Shameless post to bump my newly live mentor group up to the top of the page  Who's ready to start training?? |
| 2013-01-18 2:19 PM in reply to: #4582804 |
| 12 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Hi Jenny: I'd love to be in your group. I'm training for my first tri right now. I did the swim portion of a relay Sprint with a friend and I decided then to the same race on my own the next year (coming up this August). I've lost 32 pounds so far with a goal of another 25-30. Right now, I workout out 3x week doing 2 swims, 2 runs, 1 bike and weight/core training. Looking forward to talking with you. Lisa Grigg |
| 2013-01-18 6:43 PM in reply to: #4563355 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Welcome, Lisa! Glad to have you! Are you following any kind of training plan at the moment? Looking forward to getting to know you! |
| 2013-01-18 8:17 PM in reply to: #4585415 |
| 12 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open I'm doing a very conservative "couch-to-5k" type program for running, adding 1 minute of running each week. I've never been a runner before and I'm overweight, so I'm easing in to prevent injury. For the bike, I've only been doing on a stationary bike in the gym. I was a competitive swimmer when I was younger, so I got that part fine. I'm doing an Indoor Tri (10 min swim, 20 min stationary bike, 20 min treadmill run) in February as a warm up. My goal for the next few months is keep on track with good eating and building endurance.
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| 2013-01-18 11:12 PM in reply to: #4563355 |
| New user 5 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Jenny- I am interested in joining your group. I have made a new years resolution to race two triathlons this year and two half marathons this year (the second goal may be a little lofty but we will see!). I have done a handful of tri's and a handful of half's but none in the past year. This past year was a year of transitions for me with some up and downs and I wasn't training for anything...still working out just not training. I am hoping that this group will keep me motivated and focused. I am in the process of narrowing down what race I want to sign up for....I am thinking a sprint sometime in April. Thank you for your help and encouragement in this process! Lucy |
| 2013-01-19 5:13 AM in reply to: #4585494 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open lgrigg213 - 2013-01-18 9:17 PM I'm doing a very conservative "couch-to-5k" type program for running, adding 1 minute of running each week. I've never been a runner before and I'm overweight, so I'm easing in to prevent injury. For the bike, I've only been doing on a stationary bike in the gym. I was a competitive swimmer when I was younger, so I got that part fine. I'm doing an Indoor Tri (10 min swim, 20 min stationary bike, 20 min treadmill run) in February as a warm up. My goal for the next few months is keep on track with good eating and building endurance.
Sounds like a good plan! I'm a fan of going conservative for building up running volume, especially for newer runners. I think you're very wise to take it slow. What kind of stationary bike are you riding at your gym? Is it a "spinning" bike, or one of those electronic bikes (LifeCycle, etc.). FWIW, I think you'll get a training benefit that's more similar to riding a real bike on a spin bike than on the electronic bikes if you have access. Do you have a bike yet? |
| 2013-01-19 5:13 AM in reply to: #4585640 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Welcome Lucy, glad to have you! Have you started on any kind of training plan yet? |
| 2013-01-19 5:15 AM in reply to: #4563355 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open By the way, both of you, and anyone else who joins the group, it will be very helpful if you use your training log here on BT to track your training. That way if any issues come up, I (and other mentor group members) can take a look and be able to provide better advice. |
| 2013-01-19 9:51 AM in reply to: #4585728 |
| 12 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open It's a Life Cycle bike. I'm not sure that there are any spin bikes outside the spin room. I'll ask to see if there's one in the main gym. The bike I have is a cheap mountain bike I bought 10 years ago or more from KMart. I've heard the advice for your first tri to just put slick race tires on your mountain bike, if that's what you have. But this one is so cheap and old, I'm afraid something will break during the race. I'm clueless on what type of bike to get. Any advice on what to get would be appreciated. |
| 2013-01-19 10:07 AM in reply to: #4585729 |
| New user 5 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Thank you! Like I mentioned my thought is to find a race maybe mid to late April, which gives me roughly 3 months. I was taking a look at the 16 week balanced program on here and planning to jump to month 2. Right now I can run 45 minutes fairly easily, can do an hour spin class. I have not been out on my road bike in over a year and I haven't been swimming for a good few months. |
| 2013-01-19 9:43 PM in reply to: #4563355 |
| 1 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Hi Jenny, I'm signed up for my first 1/2 ironman tri in Haines City FLA. The event is on May 19th, which is also my 51st birthay. I am interested in joining your group.
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| 2013-01-20 5:19 AM in reply to: #4563355 |
| 7 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Hi, have decided I want to try tri! I found an event in Sydney (29 April 2013) that is female only, aims to be inclusive and has a mini event -150m swim, 5km bike, 1km run. I have decided as a complete novice i will do the mini distance so i can get an undertanding of the whole event. Quite frankly, the whole idea of transitions scares the hell outbof me. There is also an enticer and sprint distance scheduled for that event, and I contemplated the enticer (350m swim, 10km bike 2km run) but I dont think I'm up for that yet. I have been exercising fairly consistently for about a year, started off Jan 2012 with couch to 5km (did it!)played soccer in winter and bought a fancy stationary bike (not a spin bike) so I had couldn't use the 'it's too cold to ride' excuse) and now it's summer I've been swimming(the only pleasant exercise in our current heat wave!). My training so far looks like this:Mon 30 min stationary bikeTues/Weds restThurs 45 min bikeFri 30 min swiSat run/walk 40 minsSun 45 min swimBut just to give you an idea, this week my 2 bike rides were replaced by 45 min walks pushing my 3 year old son in the pram...(you do what you can!)So my questions are:--I have tried a 'brick session' where I did the 5km bike/1km run and I did this comfortably at a medium pace on stationary bike and slow jog. Should I work on picking up a bit of speed and riding outdoors?- I only have a hybrid/7 speed commuter bike. Not planning to purchase anything unless I feel as though I am going to commit to training for longer events, particularly as they are a big investment. Feel naff about doing a race with the wrong sort of bike but would you say my position is sensible? How much training should I reserve for my commuter bike as opposed to my stationary bike?Finally, my local pool ends morning lap swimming end of Feb and closes completely for the winter by end of March. I know when the cooler weather arrives here, the swimming no doubt will suffer. I will need to travel 45 mins to the nearest indoor pool, most likely on weekends. At the moment I can swim 100m slowly without a break, then I have a 5-10 second break and can do another 50. I then swim 12-15 laps a mix of free/breaststroke and kicking on a board. A slow/easy pace.-Do you think I'll need to keep up swimming at least 2 times a week?-- a no fuss/one piece/inexpensive tri suit...do they exist?Thank you so much for reading all this and offering to answer my questions. At the moment I am really enjoying a mix of swimming, biking and running. It feels great!!!  but I am super keen to put my training into action on race day! |
| 2013-01-20 5:21 AM in reply to: #4586476 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open bethiebowman - 2013-01-19 10:43 PM Hi Jenny, I'm signed up for my first 1/2 ironman tri in Haines City FLA. The event is on May 19th, which is also my 51st birthay. I am interested in joining your group.
Welcome! Glad to have you! So, is the upcoming half ironman your first triathlon, or have you done some races at shorter distances? Are you following a training plan at this point? |
| 2013-01-20 5:26 AM in reply to: #4586560 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Dizi - 2013-01-20 6:19 AM Hi, have decided I want to try tri! I found an event in Sydney (29 April 2013) that is female only, aims to be inclusive and has a mini event -150m swim, 5km bike, 1km run. I have decided as a complete novice i will do the mini distance so i can get an undertanding of the whole event. Quite frankly, the whole idea of transitions scares the hell outbof me. There is also an enticer and sprint distance scheduled for that event, and I contemplated the enticer (350m swim, 10km bike 2km run) but I dont think I'm up for that yet. I have been exercising fairly consistently for about a year, started off Jan 2012 with couch to 5km (did it!)played soccer in winter and bought a fancy stationary bike (not a spin bike) so I had couldn't use the 'it's too cold to ride' excuse) and now it's summer I've been swimming(the only pleasant exercise in our current heat wave!). My training so far looks like this:Mon 30 min stationary bikeTues/Weds restThurs 45 min bikeFri 30 min swiSat run/walk 40 minsSun 45 min swimBut just to give you an idea, this week my 2 bike rides were replaced by 45 min walks pushing my 3 year old son in the pram...(you do what you can!)So my questions are:--I have tried a 'brick session' where I did the 5km bike/1km run and I did this comfortably at a medium pace on stationary bike and slow jog. Should I work on picking up a bit of speed and riding outdoors?- I only have a hybrid/7 speed commuter bike. Not planning to purchase anything unless I feel as though I am going to commit to training for longer events, particularly as they are a big investment. Feel naff about doing a race with the wrong sort of bike but would you say my position is sensible? How much training should I reserve for my commuter bike as opposed to my stationary bike?Finally, my local pool ends morning lap swimming end of Feb and closes completely for the winter by end of March. I know when the cooler weather arrives here, the swimming no doubt will suffer. I will need to travel 45 mins to the nearest indoor pool, most likely on weekends. At the moment I can swim 100m slowly without a break, then I have a 5-10 second break and can do another 50. I then swim 12-15 laps a mix of free/breaststroke and kicking on a board. A slow/easy pace.-Do you think I'll need to keep up swimming at least 2 times a week?-- a no fuss/one piece/inexpensive tri suit...do they exist?Thank you so much for reading all this and offering to answer my questions. At the moment I am really enjoying a mix of swimming, biking and running. It feels great!!! but I am super keen to put my training into action on race day!Welcome aboard! I'm just about to head out the door to meet some friends for a run, but later in the day I promise I'll come back and respond to some of your questions! |
| 2013-01-20 6:32 AM in reply to: #4586564 |
| 7 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Thanks! You must be one busy lady! |
| 2013-01-20 8:24 AM in reply to: #4586560 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Okay! Back from my run, and as promised, here are a few answers... Dizi - 2013-01-20 6:19 AM Mon 30 min stationary bike Tues/Weds rest Thurs 45 min bike Fri 30 min swi Sat run/walk 40 mins Sun 45 min swim I'll answer this one in two parts... First, at this point, I would not worry about picking speed up at this point. Your focus for now (IMO) should be on building a consistent routine, and building a solid foundation of running, riding, and swimming. There's an old saying around here - "speed is the icing on the cake, but first you need to bake the cake". Right now, you need to bake the cake. Build up your fitness level by gradually extending your running and riding time at a more moderate effort. You can work on speed later... Trying to work on speed before you lay that groundwork can lead to injuries - so better to take a more measured approach in the beginning. If I'm reading your schedule correctly above, you're only running (or run/walking) one day per week. To build your running fitness, it would be good if you could try to gradually build up to more frequent running - ideally, 3 days per week at a minimum. I recognize that that can be difficult with little ones around (been there - done that!). If you don't have one, you might consider investing in a jogging stroller, that way you can do some of those run/walk sessions with your little guy. Riding outdoors, at least some, would be good. It's okay for some of your bike training to be on the stationary bike, but some of it should be on the bike you'll be racing on. The bike leg of your race is pretty short - you won't be on the bike very long, but riding outdoors will help with your handling skills, etc. Plus your position on your real bike is likely a little different than your position on the stationary bike, so it will be good for you to spend some time training the way you'll race. I only have a hybrid/7 speed commuter bike. Not planning to purchase anything unless I feel as though I am going to commit to training for longer events, particularly as they are a big investment. Feel naff about doing a race with the wrong sort of bike but would you say my position is sensible? How much training should I reserve for my commuter bike as opposed to my stationary bike? Your commuter bike should be perfectly fine for your race, assuming the course is pretty flat (7 speeds doesn't give you a whole lot of gearing options if the course is hilly...) You can always upgrade to a better bike down the road if you decide you really love this. As for how much riding on your commuter vs stationary bike - I would say you just need to ride the commuter "enough" that you're confident with your bike handling skills, and know you'll be comfortable for your race distance. It's hard to say how much that is - but generally, the more you can ride the bike you'll race on, the better. Finally, my local pool ends morning lap swimming end of Feb and closes completely for the winter by end of March. I know when the cooler weather arrives here, the swimming no doubt will suffer. I will need to travel 45 mins to the nearest indoor pool, most likely on weekends. At the moment I can swim 100m slowly without a break, then I have a 5-10 second break and can do another 50. I then swim 12-15 laps a mix of free/breaststroke and kicking on a board. A slow/easy pace.-Do you think I'll need to keep up swimming at least 2 times a week? Bummer that your nearest indoor pool is that far away... I would say that for now, keep up your swimming at least 2 days per week. See how your swimming progresses between now and when your local pool closes. At that point, evaluate how your swimming is going. If you're pretty comfortable with the swim distance at that point, you might be able to maintain your level of swimming fitness on one swim per week up until your race. If you feel like your swimming still needs work, then you might need to try and figure out a way to swim more frequently. In the mean time, I would start looking around to see if there might be any closer options. I don't know about where you are, but here in the US, there are many high schools and colleges that have indoor pools that have some public hours for lap swimming - any chance there might be something like that a little closer to you? A no fuss/one piece/inexpensive tri suit...do they exist? If they exist - I haven't found them! (the inexpensive part, anyway!) A simple alternative, especially for a short race, is to wear a 1 piece bathing suit (with a nylon sports bra beneath if you need one) for the entire race. If you want, you can slip on a pair of bike, tri, or running shorts in transition, or wear a pair of tri shorts or tight fitting nylon running shorts (kind of like bike shorts without the padding) over top of the suit for the whole race. Hope all of that helps! Good luck with your training - it sounds like you're off to a great start! |
| 2013-01-20 11:37 AM in reply to: #4563355 |
Veteran 604 Cleburne, Texas | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Hello Jenny, I'm interested in your group. With your endurance history I'm sure you could give me some tips! Here's a little about me: Spring of 2011, a friend talked me into signing up for a 5K. I was hooked! Several 5 and 10K's followed. Fall of 2011, a friend I met running a local 10K told me she was a triathlete working on her running. Triathlete, hmmmm. Fall 2011, I completed my first Sprint distance triathlon - on a mountain bike...(the tire wouldn't fit in the bike rack so I had to lay it down in the grass away from the other bikes. I was the black sheep, lol) Spring 2012, I completed my first HM (and purchased my first road bike) Fall 2012, completed my first HIM, 70.3 Currently, training for my first marathon, only five weeks away!
Status: Married with two kids, a son (18) and a daughter (16). Training schedule: BT full marathon training program. A little disappointed because I've fallen a little short over Christmas/New Years. 2013 Seaon: This year is not laid out very well yet. Unsure of how much time I'll have to train this summer/fall with my son starting college this year. However, I would like to end 2013 with the same HIM I did last year. +++ edit: Dizi - I'm pretty frugal with two teenagers in the house. Most of my race clothing is Peal Izumi and I found it on Amazon.com very reasonable. I KNOW women's clothing cost more but you might check it out. I got a one pc sprint suit on sale for under $70 and it's holding up just fine. I bought a sleeveless NeoSport wet suit for $115. My cycling shoes, helmet, tri bag, etc. Edited by HelmoAlkou 2013-01-20 11:54 AM |
| 2013-01-20 12:03 PM in reply to: #4563355 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Welcome, Monty! Nice to have a guy in the group! |
| 2013-01-20 12:11 PM in reply to: #4586824 |
Veteran 604 Cleburne, Texas | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open I was a little worried y'all might run me off  . |
| 2013-01-20 10:19 PM in reply to: #4586655 |
| 7 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open jsnowash - 2013-01-21 1:24 AMOkay! Back from my run, and as promised, here are a few answers... I'll answer this one in two parts... First, at this point, I would not worry about picking speed up at this point. Your focus for now (IMO) should be on building a consistent routine, and building a solid foundation of running, riding, and swimming. Yes, I will take this on board 100%. If I'm reading your schedule correctly above, you're only running (or run/walking) one day per week. To build your running fitness, it would be good if you could try to gradually build up to more frequent running - ideally, 3 days per week at a minimum.[\quote]Yes, I feel the need to be running more. Should I turn my rest days into run days? Or can you recommend an alternative training plan? Riding outdoors, at least some, would be good. Agreed! I also love it but again, getting out for the ride and getting my husband to care for my son is often a challenge! Your commuter bike should be perfectly fine for your race, assuming the course is pretty flat .I think the course is flat. Would have to check but I think the whole theme of this event is to get the ladies out there and give them a fair go!Bummer that your nearest indoor pool is that far away... I would say that for now, keep up your swimming at least 2 days per week. See how your swimming progresses between now and when your local pool closes. I will have to be creative with the swim, I will look at a hotel pool near my work that I could squeeze in a lunch swim on a Friday...otherwise travelling 45min is my only option I'm afraid! If you want, you can slip on a pair of bike, tri, or running shorts in transition, or wear a pair of tri shorts or tight fitting nylon running shorts (kind of like bike shorts without the padding) over top of the suit for the whole race. I think I could do running shorts over my swimsuit for now...Thanks for your VERY helpful advice and being aware of what was going on in other forums |
| 2013-01-20 10:24 PM in reply to: #4563355 |
| 7 | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Ps so sorry about the horrible formatting with my posts...not sure what I need to do so I can space everything out??? Every time I hit enter it reformats with no spacing. Any tips much appreciated so that you can actually read what I post!!! |
| 2013-01-22 7:52 AM in reply to: #4563355 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Just checkin' in everybody! How was your weekend? |
| 2013-01-22 8:11 AM in reply to: #4563355 |
Veteran 268 Kitchener | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open Hi Coach Jenny! If there is still room, i'm interested in joining. I sound a lot like you did when you started! Mom of 1, work full time, did my first mini-sprint last summer as a way to improve my fitness and not get so injured running. Loved it! Hate training, but love racing, so I train anyway. My goal this year is just to complete the sprint distance (i've got 3 races in mind: june/july/august) injury-free. If I manage to lose weight along the way, well then that's an added bonus! Let me know if there's still room! I'm up in Ontario. The windchill puts us at a balmy -19*F here today. brrrr! --erica |
| 2013-01-22 9:36 AM in reply to: #4588945 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Jenny's Winter "Find What Drives You" Mentor Group - Open pilot_e - 2013-01-22 9:11 AM Hi Coach Jenny! If there is still room, i'm interested in joining. I sound a lot like you did when you started! Mom of 1, work full time, did my first mini-sprint last summer as a way to improve my fitness and not get so injured running. Loved it! Hate training, but love racing, so I train anyway. My goal this year is just to complete the sprint distance (i've got 3 races in mind: june/july/august) injury-free. If I manage to lose weight along the way, well then that's an added bonus! Let me know if there's still room! I'm up in Ontario. The windchill puts us at a balmy -19*F here today. brrrr! --erica Hi Erica! There's absolutely still room! Welcome aboard! Feel free to ask any any questions, seek advice, etc. Have you started structured training yet for your summer races? (Personally, I'm sort of in "maintenance" mode at the moment...) |
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