Mtskibum's Group - FULL

Hi there, I'd sure love to have you as a mentor !  I am a 40 year old mommy of one, she is 4 and VERY busy ! I was taking her to the pool to learn to swim and realized I could not do it !  So about 10 weeks ago I started talking with lifeguards at the pool and learning how to swim.   One day while at the pool one of them invited me to do an indoor tri in March 2009 at the YMCA. So next I realized I did not know how to run ! lol I've never been a runner.......  so I practiced that too and then did a 5k on Thansgiving day this year. I learned then that I had been running 1 mile short of the 5k ! lol.......so good to know before a race next year ! lol

Anyway, I'm doing this to better myself and have fun keeping up with my kiddo.

My first tri will be March 7th 2009, then I'd love to do one in April in Carmel In. and then one in June, it's an all womens tri in Vincennes In.

If there is an opening I would love to join your group. I am 38 and a mother of two wanting to do  my first sprint in April. I have always wanted to do this and have finally said this is the year! I'm a little overwhelmed by it all, but have the motivation to do it!

 Thanks!

Hi!  My name is Cara and I am a total newbie to Tris!  I have ALWAYS wanted to do one, so I am finally jumping on board.  I am a mom of two (boy 5 & a girl 3).  They keep my on my toes!  I work part-time so I have time to step up (begin) training.  In the past...I ran track/CC in high school and now run 5k-10k each summer, treadmill rest of the year  (I did run a marathon in 1998).  I swam in my younger (very younger) days on a team.  So my training is VERY sporadic .  I want to do a Sprint or two this season and end with an Olpy on Aug 30th.

I very excited to get start this new year!!

Cara

Hi,

I'd like to join your group. I want to do a sprint tri this summer. I'm discovering my inner athlete in my 40s. I found a swim group to join, first meet-up is Monday. A friend and I are going to do the couch to 5k. I've been riding the stationary bike because of one of the challenges. I have some problems with real riding--gears are puzzling, not too excited about riding in traffic, hate speed and going downhill (other than that, I love it!).

I look forward to working out with everyone. Thanks for being a mentor.

Mary

Story:  After getting out of a bad marriage iin '07 in which I had gained too much weight and gotten out of shape, I finally realized that I was sick of being blah.  I have always been interesred in tri and decided that I would complete a sprint either prior to or during my 40th year (birthday in Feb. 09) but thought I couldn't do it because I'm a weak runner.  Well, so far so good! -  I am so excited about tri, I just love it.  

Family Status:  Single, two basset hounds.

Current Training: I Started the Couch to Sprint in August '08, then started the Original Sprint the 1st of November.  I plan to do my first Sprint in April 2009.  I need help with nutrition and running.

May I join the group?  Thanks. 

Hey everyone! Happy New Year!

I went out of town for a couple days and poof, the thread grew. Welcome! I'm excited about this year. This is the best time of year because you can sit down and dream a little and put some goals down on paper. Here's a little recap.

Mere wants to do her first sprint tri in April.

Cara wants to do a sprint tri or two plus an Oly

Pat wants to do 4-6 races (sprint and Oly) plus maybe a 70.3

Melissa wants to do a sprint tri in July

Mary wants to do a sprint tri this Summer

Kurt is doing a splash and dash today, and wants to do a tri this summer.

Virginia plans her first sprint tri in April.

Looks like a good start. Very exciting! Let's all take some time and get a concrete goal on paper and be on purpose about it. Get the race you want to do on your calender. That way it is in front of you and everyone else. For example: My next race is 2 weeks from saturday. I saw that reminder today and now I know I have to get focused and stay focused for the next two weeks. Pick a race, sign up for it, get it on your calender and then start looking at the programs offered here for training. Work backwards from your race date! Then we can look at what we have to do each month, each week, and each day to get there. Break it down into smaller pieces. Consistancy is the key!

Welcome everyone!

Hi:

 I'd like to join this group, if you still have room!

 My name is Sarah. I'm 40, have two girls (ages 7 and 5), and lost 80 pounds last year to get within a normal BMI for the first time in half my life.

I've slacked off/maintained for the last few months, and was looking for something to get back into enjoyable exercise, when I happened to pick up a copy of Slow Fat Triathlete.

Zing! I think I'd like to do that. 

Running: I'm on week 2 of Couch to 5K. Haven't run since high school.

Bike: started outside bicycling again last year as kids are getting to the point when running along beside their bikes won't work. Just got a new hybrid bike for Christmas. Have recumbant bike at home, did a lot of weight loss with that. Scared of going too fast.

Swimming: I enjoy being in the water, but need to learn how to swim properly (strokes).

I am also a numbers freak.  

 There is a triathlon in my area in July 2009, which I'm shooting for.

Thanks!

Here goes some accountability.....

Story: My name is Jeff and I've been on BT for about 3 years. I've been a part of a few different mentor groups with the first one being the most productive. I started out here having never done a race and have since done a few sprints, two Oly's and one HIM. Last year was a rough year for myself and my family but with the new year upon us, I'm looking to regain my training and perhaps a bit of my sanity. I currently am signed up to run a marathon on Feb. 1st but since my training has been so sporadic, I'm unsure if I'm going to attempt it. After that I have no plans for any races, so I need to figure it out. Perhaps a sprint in February to kick things off.

Family: I'm 40 years old and have been married for 13 years and have a 9 year old daughter and 6 year old son. My wife is athletic and is currently going through a swimming phase. She's run marathons and been a cyclist in the past. She has never put them all together, but would like to at some point. Both of my kids are swimmers with my daughter competing at a high level for her age.

Goals: I'm starting a new job on Monday (the 5th) and would like to get a routine going with working, training and the family. The races will fall into place once I get the base figured out. I'm hoping by joining this group I'll be motivated and hopefully can help motivate as well.

If you still have room I hope you'll let me be a part of the group. I know there a lot of holes in this introduction so please feel free to ask questions if you'd like.

Happy New Year everyone!

Jeff

Ok, welcome. We have 3 new members and now we are closed! That makes it an even 10 if my math is correct. I'm heading to Breckenridge for the weekend. I'l be out of touch until Monday the 5th. And, unfortunately, I have to go back to work that day too! It's been nice not hearing the alarm in the morning.

I've heard a few people say that nutrition is something they want to work on. I'm in the same boat. My goal this year is to eat all fresh food. No more processed anything. This is not going to be easy. As many of you know with kids and lack of time, sometimes it just is the only way, but I'm going to do my very best to eat fresh and get rid of the processed stuff. It takes more planning, but I'm a planner. I've actually been accused of planning too much. So, starting monday, I will be cutting out sugar and processed foods. My goal is to get my body fat percentage down.

Take some time this weekend and get some races picked out. Get some goals down on paper. Write down the one question that you just have to have answered, and we'll pick it up on Monday!

Have a great weekend!

Mike,

I hope you don't mind if I jump in here!  

When I started on this journey, I, too, wanted to keep it simple.  As a matter of fact, I still do.  The first thing to remember is to have fun.  There will be days when you have to force yourself to workout, but it shouldn't be everyday.  Use the time that you workout as a time to wipe the "junk" from your brain.  For instance, when running, listen to music you like but don't listen to as often.  If you want a good brisk walk instead, listen to a book on tape.  When swimming, for each lap that you swim, use a letter of the alphabet.  The first lap would be "A"--find words that begin with it or movies or songs.  For biking, you really need to pay attention to where you are.  

If you've never done any of this workout stuff before, try importing a plan for beginners on this site.  It will help you to formulate a workout series so that you don't have to.  You don't need all of the "stuff" that a lot of the guys on here do--I don't have a heartrate thingy or a footpod thingy, I just go.  It's all part of the keeping it simple.  

Another thing you could do is to set small goals for each week.  That could be something that each of you do here in this mentor group.  It helps you to stay accountable AND maintain the level of simplicity that you want. Just make sure they are SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely).

You guys are in GREAT hands with Mike.  He is an awesome guy with a heart of gold.  He was a mentee under McFuzz (my hubby) and it was McFuzz who told him it was his time to pass on his knowledge and love of the sport.

OK Mike, I'll leave you guys up to your own devices, for now.   

 KISS

keep it simple sport!

 Am I insane for planning to do a triathlon?

I'm doing the Couch to 5K now (just finished week 2), and my goal triathlon is July 19th (in 28 weeks). I also need to learn how to swim freestyle, rather than doggy paddle. I can bicycle, except for the part about going fast, and I'm not sure how long a bike ride I can actually do. 

What I'm looking at for a training plan is to finish the C25K, and start Total Immersion drills. I want to get that base down first, which should take about 7 weeks. During this, I also thought I'd spend some time on the exercise bicycle.

After that, I was looking at the "20 Week Sprint - 2x Balanced Program" on this site. 

How does that sound? 

Oh, yes, and there's quite a lot of snow outside, and it's warm outside at the moment - only -15C (5F). Outside training isn't in the cards at the moment.

thanks!

fifthcircle - 2009-01-02 8:14 AM Most races here are not scheduled in stone yet...except for the 1/2 Marathon MAY 3rd! I'll start with a question: How do I keep it simple? I love the science behind triathlon. I love learning about the long distance training, nutrition, and racing. I am NO WHERE NEAR even thinking about that for myself, but it is fascinating to me. Blood sugar level. Base heart rate. V02 max. Power taps. Race day fueling. Aero positioning...... I should just be running as much as possible, and eating more healthy. Can someone come reboot my brain and set it to match where I am in training? You know, like ultra beginner So how do you keep it simple? (I need a book on Zen to start...I know that much!) -Kurt

Hey Kurt, I'll take a stab at this.

When I first started I was very much like you. All of the technology, science and gadgets, really fascinated me. I read a lot and most of the time got pretty confused. The bottom line is that in order to keep it simple you should pick a plan and stick to it. I've used many plans out here and have found that if you do the work, you will finish the race. It doesn't matter how much you know or how many gadgets you have, if you don't put in the work you won't finish. Of course if you do the work and have some gadgets it can be quite fun.....

I will say that reading about triathlon from either magazines, books or online articles really helps to motivate me. There will be times when you don't feel like doing a workout, sometimes thinking about an article or even seeing a magazine lying around will help to push you over the edge to get out there and do it.

Good luck with your training!

Jeff

Hey everyone! Some good stuff going on here.

I agree with BamBam66 .... Keep it simple. When I decided to do my first triathlon, I focused everything on that race. I had run cross country in High School and love to ride a bike, and thought I could swim pretty good. So, I jumped in and started training. I realized I had to learn how to swim the right way. I bought the Total Immersion DVD and book and started on my drills. I trained hard on the treadmill and a little on the bike. I looked at the race results from the year before and picked out a time I wanted to beat. Then I downloaded the original sprint program here and went to work.

Find out what motivates you to get to the gym. I heard something a while back that has stuck with me. Races are not won on race day, they are won on a tuesday morning at 4:30 a.m. in February. It's very true. Find your motivator.

As for the gadgets, I'm a gadget freak! But, my first year, I didn't have anything fancy. My first Triathlon was an Xterra, so my mountain bike was perfect. My second tri was a road tri. I just bought some commuting tires for my mountain bike and rode it. It wasn't much fun watching the guys with the fancy bikes go by me like I was standing still, but I was out there to push myself against the clock and to make my son proud. You don't need all the fancy stuff to do a tri. But if you are like me, you will start wanting it and getting it. The funny thing is, I've come to the conclusion this year, that I can have all the technology in the world, but if I don't build my engine, it won't do me much good. Focus on building the best engine you can, and you'll have a great race day.

One thing I decided to do today was to do a time trial. Find out where I'm at. I swam 1000 meters and timed myself. Now I have a bench mark for getting faster this year. I encourage you to get to the pool or treadmill or bike and do a time trial that is the same distance as your race distance, or just do the best you can. That way, you will have something to build on. Then once a month, do it again and see how you are improving.

Keep up the good work!