Team KiterChick - CLOSED

Hi, can I join?

Despite my BT handle I female. During the day I am a single parent to a beautiful little boy who is now 4 but with all the attitude of a 14 year old. He is the light of my life and I live for those supper sweet smiles of his. At night I morph into a paramedic which I have been doing for almost 7 years. Despite my years of service I still love my job. One of the things that I love the most is that there is no day that is the same.

I've been running and biking for as long as I can remember. My first wheeled apperatous was a Cabbage Patch Dolls trike that I quickly rode until the wheels literally came off. Its all been down hill from there. After wearing out several bikes and countless sets of running shoes I took the plunge into running three years ago. This past year, 2011, my New Years Resolution was to to a sprint tri. Now keep in mind that I had not swam in about 20 years so just being able to swim at all was going to be an acomplishment. I did my first one at the Iowa Games and fell in love. Sooon I was either in the water, up on my bike or pounding out the miles on the trails. By the end of the year I had done three tri's, one sprint and two oly's, two half marathons, and one marathon.

This upcomming year I would like to challange myself to do a HIM. To tell the truth I'm still scared of the distance. I can easily do the distances in of themselves but I've never put them together. So I will really be in need of some support.  I would also like to add a few oly's and two marathons to next years schedule.

So why do I do this? My son has a speech delay and also was diagnosed with ITP which is an auto immune disease that has no cure. I also have some problems that I've learned to work through. I do all this running and tri's to keep myself healthy but also to show my son that he can do anything he puts his mind to dispite working with some problems.

So if you'll have me I'd love to join.

Hi Hubbie, of course you can join, I'd love to have you!

First let me say, kudos to you for taking on a HIM in addition to being a single parent and working nights as a paramedic. Finding the time to train must be difficult, but good for you for finding some to take care of yourself. It sounds like you're really setting a great example for your son!

While it's certainly a challenge, you do not need to be afraid of the HIM distance, especially given your background. To put it in perspective, my HIM time was a bit over two hours higher than my marathon PR, so if you've done a marathon, you can definitely do this. It isn't even as much running! Do you have any races in mind for the marathons and tris?

Thanks for joining, and I'll do my best to help you out along the way!

Thanks. Yes there is one in Wisconsin that takes place in July that I have my eye on. The site looks so beautiful, something to take my mind away from the distance factor. Oh yeah, we'll be running through the zoo so that can give my boy something to do while waiting for me to pass.

Can you suggest any specific programs that I should be following? Right now I'm in my maintance period but not really following a plan. Just putting in some decent times and over all enjoying the three different sports.

Hi Bryan, you're completely welcome to join my group! Would you care to share any of your background and/or goals that you're shooting for in 2012?

Also, I've added you as a friend for my training log, and it would be great if you could do the same. I've admittedly not been logging my nutrition, but as this may be helpful for some people, I will make an effort to do so starting today.

Let me know if you have any specific questions, and welcome to the group!

As for programs, I can suggest a couple, although it's partly going to be determined by how you personally prefer to train. Last season, I used a modified version of this program: http://www.amateurendurance.com/triathlon-workouts/article/half-iro... I used this as a base, but I made my long runs on the weekend build up to higher mileage (up to 20M, although this is definitely NOT required) and I tended to do more biking in general, since I just enjoy that a lot. I had a DVD interval workout that I did at home on my trainer for the "spin" workouts. If you have a trainer, that could work great for you, as you could be at home with your son while still training! Otherwise, there's also a plan here on BT: http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-lis... I haven't done this myself, but I've seen other people mention they enjoyed it.

What are your goals for this race? Are you just hoping to finish, or were you shooting for a specific time? If it's the former, then any plan will likely get you to the finish line fine, but if you're looking to really push yourself, you may have to do what I did and add some more volume and/or intense workouts, since most available plans tend to be geared toward beginners.

Hope this was a helpful start!

Hi Scott, you're definitely welcome to join my group. In fact, while our specific timelines differ a bit, I can empathize with letting things go for a bit. Specifically, I was active in team sports in high school, but decided drinking and overeating were much more fun in college and early grad school and gained 20-30 lbs. It took several years, but I hit a point where I decided I'd had enough, and that led me to running and eventually triathlons. Sounds like you've hit that point too, so congratulations, since that's the first step!

That's great you already have a program you're following, and a race to shoot for. While I think it's best that you are starting with a smaller tri, as this is something you should build up to to prevent injury, you're likely going to find that the amount of exercise involved is not going to be enough to take off any significant weight alone. As rough as it is, you're going to have to watch your food intake. Sounds like you have a supportive family, so hopefully that will carry over into this aspect as well. I see you already added me to your training log friend list, which is great. If you have time, try to track nutrition as well. I haven't been doing so, but will start today too, especially as I need to start dropping the off season weight I've gained over the past couple of months. We can keep each other accountable!

This early on, don't fret about your equipment. I know around here a LOT of people use mountain bikes for sprint tris, so you're certainly not alone. Early on, your focus should be working on improving your run and such, then, if you're hooked, you can worry about equipment upgrades in the future. Just think, if you can build a strong biking base on a suboptimal bike, your new one will seem that much better when you get to that point.

Looking forward to having you here, you sound like a great, motivated guy!

Sounds like you're off to a great start, Scott. Drastic diet changes are always a bad idea, but it sounds like you're just trying to eat more sensibly, which is the way to go. Glad to hear you haven't cut carbs entirely too, since, as I'm sure you're aware, you'll certainly need some for training.

Congrats on the weight loss to date! We'll make sure to keep that ball rolling into the new year!

Thanks for the info, Bryan, that's very helpful! I think building up to an IM by the time you're 50 is completely reasonable, and it's great that you're building up a reasonable base prior to jumping into such an endeavor. With the marathon training, and your swim background, it sounds as though the bike may be your weakest link, although correct me if I'm wrong. Luckily, that's my strongest, so I can certainly help you there!

Don't worry about lack of training at this point, if you look at my log, I'm in the same boat. It's winter and the holidays after all! It sounds like you have a lot of goal races, and we'll make sure you start to focus more once 2012 rolls around...

I don't always eat well either, so I know it can be rough. Hopefully you'll find that once your training volume increases, you'll want to be healthier overall, which will carry over into your nutrition. I know lately I've been piling in the cookies, but last summer, when my training was peaked, I tried to keeps things relatively clean. We can talk specifics in the coming weeks.

Hi everyone- my name is Will and I am hoping there is room for me.  About me:

NAME: williemc432/ Will

FAMILY STATUS: Married w/ a wonderful 2 year old daughter

STORY: Hi- I am 36 year-old, originally from South Carolina, but I have been living in Massachusetts for the last few years.  In 2010 I did a couple of duathlons and a sprint triathlon,  but 2011 was my first full season of triathlons. 

After college I spent many years traveling for work which was a great cultural expierence, but left me badly out of shape.  One day while living in CT, I woke up disgusted with myself, bought a mountain bike and now 7 years later I have never looked back.  When I moved up to Boston and met my wife, she introduced me to running, which I hated with a passion.  Now after a few years of avoidance, running has become my favorite of the three sports.

CURRENT TRAINING: Between work and family activities, its hard to find time to train- which means lots of night-time runs, lunch swims, and time on the trainer in the basement.  I shoot for 4 to 8 hours a week of training, and my focus is on the sprint/olympic distances for now.  During the year I worked with a swim coach on overcoming aniexty in an OWS, and am scheduled to do a swim clinic in January/Febraury to work on some of my many swim issues. 

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Most are in my race reports- A spring pool triathlon (Spring Fling); a botched triathlon, where I freaked out during the swim and DNF'd (Ashland); a successfull first-OWS triathlon (Lowell Mill City); my A race for the year (Nautica NYC Triathlon); and my first half-marathon (Manchester City).

2012 RACES:  I am still a bit undecided on the exact schedule- my thoughts are a couple of sprints spread out between June, and August with my focus on an Olympic in July and September.  I have picked the June and July races, but am waiting on some scheduling issues before I pick the September race.  In addition, the plan is for 2 half marathons (1 spring and 1 fall), and perhaps a century ride somewhere (I have said this every year for 5 years, but cannot seem to make it work).

WEIGHTLOSS:  Definitely self defeating here, I am 5'9", and currently weigh about 165, but I can usually get down to around 155 by managing my diet better.  I feel I could probably hit 150, but I don't seem to have got that part nailed yet.

Hi Will, there is definitely still room, so welcome to the group. I wasn't expecting to get someone so local too. One of my close friends, who is an amazing cyclist, lives in Teele Square, and I used to live in Powederhouse Square a few years ago, so I know Somerville well!

I see you're signed up for the MA State Olympic tri, I did this one last year and it was a lot of fun! Incidentally, it was my first race where I didn't deal with my own OWS issues (I believe mine were due to getting too worked up competitively, causing me to hyperventilate). The swim is by far still my weakest dicipline, but I too, am signed up for clinics this winter to improve on my speed, and it's good to hear you're working on overcoming your shortcomings there as well.

If you're looking into century rides, the Charles River Wheelmen (crw.org) have a spring and fall one. I've done the spring course solo, which starts in Wakefield and goes up to NH. I've heard good things about the fall one, but haven't done that one myself.

Once again, welcome to the group, and definitely let me know any questions you may have!

KiterChick- Yep, Teele/Powderhouse is where I am at, sounds like we know the same area well.

One question that I have surrounds how people stay motivated as their workouts stretch in duration? 

Prior to this year, I would frequently do rides of 3 - 4 hours and have no issues.  But this year, as I have tried to incorporate more running and swimming, I have trouble carrying that focus over, specifically on any runs over an 1:15 or so.  For whatever reason, I start to get really bored, and mentally check out.  Most of my workouts are shorter duration/ higher intensity which I love, but these longer/slower workouts are mentally tough.  One of my goals this year is to extend my distances to go for a HIM in 2013.

Will    

If there is still space.... another New England'er here....

NAME: Ned42 / Ned

FAMILY STATUS: Married ten years this June, with three boys (3, 4 and 10), hands full to say the least.

STORY: Turned 40 this past September, and this has been the year to get it together.  I was born and raised in CT, lived in NYC and Chicago, but once we started having a family CT was the place to be.  I have my own business which can be beneficial at times and a lot more burdensome at times. We spend a lot of time in Vermont, family loves skiing and the outdoors.

This past spring the wife and I on somewhat of a whim decided the "tri-training" program at our local Y was the kick in the we needed.  It has turned out to have been a fantastic decision on a variety of levels.

CURRENT TRAINING: Between work and family they come first, it is certainly hard to find time to train.  But I am in the groove and will not let myself fall off this wagon.  Currently putting in 5+ hours a week.  At least one group bike trainer session, a couple spin classes, some treadmill, and one or two decent runs outside weather permitting... swimming is sadly absent from this routine at the moment, can't exactly say why.... water at the pool seems so cold this time of the year....

THIS YEAR'S RACES: The program at the Y that started us off finished with a sprint, which out of the 30+ people that started the program I finished 4th.  Also did the Hammer Fest Sprint Tri (Branford, CT) which was a great experience... to discover how truly hard an OWS is and how training for transitions is key.  Certainly didn't perform nearly as well as I had hoped and fortunately have taken the experience as motivation.  Been throwing in the 5K's and 5M's locally as the come up. 

2012 RACES:  Certainly need to do some additional sprints this spring and summer, my main goal for the summer is the NYC Nautica (Olympic)

WEIGHTLOSS:  This is a struggle for me, I was over 230 this past spring and training to date has gotten me down to 210.  Been stuck for a while, but the Thanksgiving to Xmas time frame here isn't helping... I feel I could probably hit 190's.

Will, getting bored on long runs is definitely an issue. Unfortunately, being able to stay mentally checked in for long rides doesn't always translate to running, as you seem to be experiencing. I think it's a combination of running being the more monotonous activity of the two, paired with the fact that you need to be more alert for cycling, whereas with running you can just plod along.

As for solutions, I'd certainly suggest running with music, if you don't already. I used to do all of my runs without, but have found that I'm not as excited about it as I once was, so I use it for all of my training runs. Aside from that, do you generally run alone? Not sure if you can spare the time outside of family/work commitments, but the Somerville Road Runners appear to have an informal, reasonably paced, weekly long run on the weekends that leaves from Davis (http://www.srr.org/events/longruns/index.php). Having other people around to chat with, or at least set a pace, would certainly be motivating.

The good news is that training for a HIM doesn't have to require as much running as you would think! I added a lot of extra mileage, because I come from a marathon background, and I know more mileage equals greater speed for me, but some programs peak at 90 minute long runs. Are you going to be the fastest person out there with that base? Probably not, so it would be up to you whether you wanted to push beyond that, but will you be able to get through the run on race day? Absolutely!

Hope this helped!

I'd like to join if there is still room for me

Name: kussmaul/Teddie

Family Status: Single (but looking!), no kids

Story: I am a RN, but I work as a clinical consultant for a diagnostic company.  What that means is I travel a lot (at least 3 days/week) and provide education for physicians on our testing.  I was never that athletic growing up, swam and skied a bit, but that's about it.  As an adult I bought a horse and started competing in dressage (horses make triathlon look like a very cheap sport!).  I had to retire my horse about 5 years ago and started biking and loved it.  A girl I work out with was training for a triathlon and it sparked my interest.  A little over a year ago I decided that I wanted to do one.  I've done 3 so far - two sprints and one olympic.  The last was the olympic back in April.  Swimming was defiantly my weakness (not that I am fast in any of the legs).  The swim was in the bay and pretty wavy and it kind of freaked me out (I really had only done one previous OWS and that was one of my sprints).  Since than I have gotten more into running and that has been my focus.  I have never been a runner, but completed two half marathons in the last month.  

Current training:  I just finished up a half marathon training program with a local running store.  They start back up the beginning of January and I am going to train with them again.  I have been running since my last half but have backed off the milage.  I also started working with a PT last week for my ongoing Achilles and heel pain issues. I have not been on my bike or in a pool since the spring. 

2012 races:  Right now I have a couple of running races on my schedule - the Hot Chocolate 15K in Feb, Cowtown half marathon in Feb, and Dallas Rock and Roll half in March.  I'm going to enter the lottery for the Nike San Francisco Women's half in Oct.  I have kind of agreed to run the San Diego Rock and Roll half with a co-worker in June.  I am still trying to talk myself into another tri - the last swim really scared me!  Running is also easiest with all the travel I do.

Weight loss: I think I started darn loading for my last half at Thanksgiving and have not stopped!  So I have about 5 pounds I need to lose.  

Hi Sarah, I would love to join the group if there is still room. Here is my info/bio:

NAME: sebaf74 / Sebastian

STORY: I am 37 and work full time in consulting (statistics) I was a swimmer as a teenager and have played several different sports after that. I had gained some weight after I turned 30, and an injury while playing racquetball sidelined me for 8 months and made it much worse. Last March I decided to get healthy and started swimming again and eating healthy. Then the triathlon bug bit me I have lost 60 lbs and I am at my goal weight right now.

FAMILY STATUS: Married with a 6-year-old daughter.

CURRENT TRAINING: I am following a plan created by myself by using pieces from different training plans. Since besides doing triathlons, I am back competing in swim meets (in breast stroke mainly), and I am also planning to do some 5k and a 15k, I had to go this route. I am currently following a pretty balanced training with a total weekly time of 8-10 hours.

THIS YEAR RACES: I did my first tri this year, a Sprint (Suncoast Triathlon) and loved it. I felt really comfortable on the swim, the wind made for a tough bike leg and even though when I started to run I did not feel too good, I ended up speeding up in the last mile or so and finished with a big smile on my face and feeling exhilarated. 

2012 YEAR RACES: I have a Sprint on January 7, another one on February 25 and one more in March. Then comes my main race this first half of the year, which is St. Anthony's (OLY) in April. I will also have a couple of swim meets in these 4 months and will run at least a 5k and a 15k in Gasparilla on March 3. My goal is to build my endurance and do a HIM next year (there is a tri in October that is somewhere in between and OLY and a HIM that I may do).

WEIGHT LOSS: Like I mentioned, I have lost quite a bit of weight and I am pretty close to my optimal. I am actually going to go for a body composition test in the next week or so to determine if I need to lose a little more or not. My goal would be to have a percentage of body fat around 10-12%.

Hope this gives you enough info and that there is still room in your group. Thank you!

Hi Ned, there's definitely still room, so welcome to the group. Wow, three boys must be nuts! Good for you for still finding some time to focus on yourself amidst all of the craziness. That has to be extremely helpful that your wife is getting involved too, so you can help each other out.

Your workouts sound great for now, especially considering it's the off season. I wouldn't worry about the lack of swimming yet either; I'm signed up for a full IM and I haven't swam since late October! I do plan on hopping into the pool after the new year though, and I'd imagine you've got a plan setup to add that aspect back in yourself. As for OWS, it's hard! Glad to hear you've taken any negative experiences and decided to use them as motivation to improve.

Congrats on the weight loss so far! The holidays are difficult for everyone (including me!), so I'm sure you'll get back on track to meet your final goal in the new year.

I grew up in VT, so it was nice to hear you spend time up there. It's such a great area for running and biking. It means you never have to leave your training behind when you travel. Fun, right?

Hi Teddie, there's definitely still room for you, and happy to have you. I was just down in TX for my last tri of the season, the Austin 70.3. It was really hot! :P

First, let me say, that if you've done two half marathons, you are a runner, whether you feel like one or not, so congratulations for that! Hopefully your PT helps you get back to the point where you can up your mileage again, especially with the future races you have planned. Injuries are rough!

As for the OWS, I'm not going to tell you to not be afraid at all, I think it's good to respect the swim, but you shouldn't let it stop you from returning to tris. I literally backstroked virtually my entire first sprint, which was just this past May, due to hyperventilation issues. It was embarrassing, and really discouraging. Since then, I've done two HIMs. My swim times are admittedly still slow, but I can now freestyle consistently throughout the entire distance. What worked for me is KNOWING that I'm weak at the swim. As a result, I start towards the back of my wave, and focus on keeping steady and ignoring the people around me. There's always time to work on speed in the future, but the first goal should be to focus on calm thoughts.

Hope this helps, and welcome to the group!

Hi Sebastian, happy to have you and welcome to the group! Congrats on the weight loss, that's really great. Let me know how the body comp test goes. That is really cool. I'd love to get that done myself. Maybe I'll wait until I lose this holiday weight though...

Sounds like you have a pretty solid swim background going. Signing up for running races is a great way to keep motivated too. I feel your pain being discouraged about the wind on the bike, I had a lot on the second half of the Austin 70.3 and it's EXTREMELY demoralizing. Just realize that everyone is dealing with the same pain, so you just have to grit your teeth and fight through it. At least you're in an area where you can get outside and put in the mileage when needed.

Speaking of your area, I'll be doing my first tri of 2012 somewhat near you, the Gator Olympic race. They had a half too, but the thought of putting in that amount of time on the trainer was too much for me! Apparently there's gators in the lake too. I can't believe you guys have to deal with that. Yikes!

TO ALL KITERCHICK GROUP MEMBERS:

I just wanted to say that I'm really excited to have all of you as part of the group. I LOVE triathlons and really hope I can help you all with your goals. That being said, this is my first go at this, so I am completely open to suggestions as to how this group is run. Also, you should feel free to talk amongst yourselves (haha, I feel like Mike Meyers from his SNL Coffee Talk days, "Talk amongst yourselves, I'll give you a topic - triathlons!"), as many of you have similar goals.

For now, I'll certainly address your individual concerns, and perhaps start introducing "Tips of the Week" or some such general advice after the new year. I'm already really excited about this experience, and I hope it ends up being a positive experience for all of you as well.

-Sarah

Hey! Is there still room here? I would love to join you all  

NAME: Frances

STORY: I am a 30yr old Aussie environmental scientist (tho currently studying to become a paramedic). I completed my first mini triathlon in 2010 and got such a high off the adrenilin that i've become addicted rather quickly. So far this summer i've completed 3 further mini's as training blocks and then finally completed my first sprint triathlon on the weekend just passed, what a rush! I'm due in for shoulder surgery in mid Jan so this season is over for me but i wanted to join a mentor group to remain involved and take inspiration (i'll still be working my butt off in recovery as I need to get ready or a 750km in northern spain in April).

FAMILY STATUS: Single

CURRENT TRAINING: For most of this year I was on a running training plan so that i could do my first 12km race. The last 3mths though i have been on a beginner sprint program listed on BT.

THIS YEAR RACES: HBF 4.5km fun run, City to Surf 12km run, TriPink mini sprint, Power station mini sprint, UWA mini sprint and Hillary's Sprint Tri. Plus a few orienteering races.

2012 YEAR RACES: My big thing for 2012 (not a race but will require good fitness and lots of training post surgery) is to hike the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. I am then planning to running my first half marathan in August followed by a full season of sprint Triathlons (and hopefully my first Oly).

WEIGHT LOSS: I lost 15kg in 2010. I was appointed wellness officer for my work place and decided i couldnt be a postive role model if i was overweight and unfit, so i went about changing my life. It was awesome timing that the Bunbury Triathlon Club hosted a mini triathlon to entice women into the sport as it gave me something to work towards. I'm currently at 66kg which is 4kg higher than i want to be, at the moment i'm struggling with the increased appetite associated with training so any advice would be awesome.

Look forward to meeting you all!