SWBKRUN Mentor Group-"Off Season?" What is that?!!

I'm in for another year of course. (LOL copied my intro from last time)

Name: Tony

Family Status:  Married for almost 15 years have 2 kids 5 and 2.   My wife is faster on the run but I can take her on the swim and bike : )  She does tri's also. 

Current Training: Working on olympic plan for mooseman then into marathon plan for Marine Corps Marathon.

2008 Races: Did my first sprint in april and in total 4 sprints, 1 int'l bike relay, 1 full int'l, also completed 4 miler, 8k, 5 miler, and a 10k.

2009 Goals: Finished Mtn bike race, 1/2 marathon and 10 miler so far. Doing  a century, 40k TT, Olympic tri, sprint tri's, bunch of running races and a marathon.

Other goals include getting better at the swim, if I felt more comfortable in the water, HIM wouldn't be a problem to complete.

Weightloss: Working on trying to get a few pounds off but weight loss isn't a real goal.

Just wanted to add that this is my 3rd go around in Steve's group and we had alot of fun in our group last year. oh yeah and Steve isn't yelling when he types in caps, that just means he is EXCITED!

Story:  I live in NYC, so it's semi tough to train.  Mainly train at my gym and central park.  I raced in my first sprint tri in Oct.  I was just happy to finished since I only trained for 7 weeks and now I'm a big fan of the sport.  My goal this year is to do 2 more sprints in the spring and early summer, an olympic distance at the end of summer and the Montauk sprint in Oct (to see if I improved from last yr).   My biggest weakness right now is swimming, running and biking.


Family status: Married 5yrs and have a 21 month old boy.

Current training: due to location I mainly do my training inside and try to get to central park as much as possible.

This year's races: My goal is to do 2 sprints in the spring and early summer, an olympic distance at the end of summer and the Montauk sprint again so I can see if I've improved from last yr.

2009 races: 1) Iron Clad Sprint , 2)Harriman sprint 3)? (olympic) 4) Montauk sprint 

Weightloss: I'd like to lose around 12 lbs..  Only problem with that is I eat too much.

Sign me up. My story.....Grew up living a very active lifestyle. As a Canadian boy, obviously hockey was No#1. Volleyball, baeball,etc. When I moved up to Calgary, did alot of mountain biking with our glorious rocky mountains nearby. Then the downfall, got married, had kids and got fat. Joined a gym about 1 year ago, got a trainer for a few months and shed alot of the weight..Down about 45 lbs so far. Hit my long-term training goal weight of 210lbs, and thought hmm..what can I make my new goal now? Not sure what led my into the Triathlon thoughts, but  I have always despised running, so I thought this would be a great way to mix up my training and get my out of my comfort zones.

Did my 1st Tri in March(Sprint).....Blew away my expectations, and now I'm hooked.

FAMILY STATUS: Married 5 years, 2 little girls (3 1/2 and 1 1/2), and a Wheaten Terrier named KONA(we were married in Hawaii, I had no idea about this ironman thing back then)
CURRENT TRAINING: Starting to warm up here in Canada, so outdoor training is getting very realistic again..Pretty much ran outdoors all winter(sans the -25 days). Been swimming 5:30am 3 days a week, running a few days a week, and the bike trainer in the basement that I rarely get on, but more so at the gym.

2009 RACES:  My 1st Tri(sprint) was done in Vanouver in March. I was a little agrressive and have signed up for 3 sprints over a 4 week period in May/June. The 3rd one will be my 1st OWS so that'll be interesting. After that...we'l see. I think I am ready to committ to a couple of Oly's in the midsummer,

WEIGHTLOSS: I'm 6' 205 lbs....So i could lose 10-15lbs comfortably still....But not a focus as much for me anymore.

I do all my training by myself as life is very 'inconsistent' to say the very least. 

Can girls play too?

Name:  Tracy (tahrens)

Story:  I was a college athlete who coached for several years post college. But then the kids came and my sports involvement went away. I got involved in cycling and loved it, so when a friend convinced me to do a super sprint at the end of the season in 2007 my only hang up was the running.  But I over came that and had a fabulous time.  The joy was so infectious my husband and 8 year old also race!

Family status:  Married for 10 years with an 8 year old and a 5 year old girl.

Current training:   I am in the heat of training for my first Half Ironman in 4 weeks and am working on improving technique and getting faster. I also started lifting again. (girls with muscles rock!!)

2008 Races:  2 sprints, one of which was my first open water swim.  I was a seaweed monster leaving the lake from that one!!  My first Olympic...The SavageMan.  That wasn't a race, it was a total challenge to my womanhood. I did it and I wasn't even last!!  Ggggrrrrrrr.  The Army 10 miler (wow was that hard), a 60 mile bike charity ride, and a repeat of the super sprint that started me off. I took over 5 minutes off last years time and it was a great marker of the progress I've made this year! Like I said earlier, when I started I couldn't run 2 miles without stopping.

2009 Races:  First HIM in 4 weeks (yikes )  a few sprints, The SavageMan again, the Army 10 miler again, and possible a marathon at the end of the season, we'll see how it goes. 

Weightloss:  I'm fortunate that weight loss doesn't have to be a focus for me.  I am working on getting stronger with much better muscle definition.

I was a part of this group last year and am very excited to continue my training into 2009 with them. I know I will not be successfull with my 2009 goals without their support.   

I'm excited to meet everyone and have a great 2009 season. 

STORY:  I am in Oklahoma, 36yo and did my first sprint in Aug. of 2008.  I loved it!!  I also did a couple of bike races and 5k's.

FAMILY STATUS: I have been married for 13 years and we have a 10yo son & a 3yo German Shepherd

CURRENT TRAINING:  I am getting ready for my first race of the season - an olympic on May 17th.  This will be my first oly distance as well as my first open water swim.  I try to get a S/B/R each 3 times a week as well as some strength training.

2009 RACES:  Right now I have 1 sprint, 2 olympics, a duathlon & my first HIM set for 2009. 

Count me in!  I have been truely motiviated by this group and look forward to another few months as we actually achieve the goals that many of us began together. 

NAME: Barry

STORY: I have always been more than inspired when watching documentaries of the Ironman.  I have a cycling background, or let me just say that I have been riding with my group for several years and have enjoyed it.  In Oct. 2008, I told my wife that I was going to try to do a Half Ironman in September, and I knew that was a STRETCH, as I have never run or really swam.  I had a pretty good "lake stroke" but that was it.  I made it over the hump and am way further along than I ever thought possible.

FAMILY STATUS: Married to Shawna with 5yr old son Jones
 
CURRENT TRAINING: Training daily and sometimes 2 or 3 times daily.  Who would have ever thought it?

THIS YEAR'S RACES: none

2009 RACES:  My focus race is the Augusta 70.3 in September.  Planning on a couple sprints or and olympic along the way.

WEIGHTLOSS: Started out around 185 6 months ago, and now sitting around 165, which is about where I need to be at 5 7"  

Name: Redknight/Rob:

Story: I'm from Guelph Ontario. (Not far from Toronto). I have completed my first year of tri's and had a great time. I have been part of Steve's group since Jan 08. We had a great forum and I learned a lot from everyone.
I will likely be the old timer in the group again. I'm 56 years old and have lead an active life. Being from Canada my main focus over the years has been hockey. That is the sport which I always return to. When I was 43 I took up karate and in the end achieved a 3rd degree black belt and taught kids and adults the sport for years. Retired from that and eventually ended up here as I wanted to achieve something else and had been watching the Kona Ironman for years. This has been one of the most rewarding things I have done. I have met so many people on the website and at the races and everyone has been so nice and helpful.

Family Status: Married 29 years 2 daughters 3 grandchildren. No dogs right now but I want to get another one. 4 cats inherited from my daughter .....yuck. ( the cats not my daughter)

Current Training: I am loosely following a  training plan right now. I  try to workout at least 5 times a week to maintain the base I developed over the past year. I am will be doing kickboxing  and playing hockey in addition to training. I don't work with a trainer but get all the help I have needed so far from the group. ( I'll be leaning on everyone again ths year preparing for my HIM). Unlike some of you the most fun for me is in the races not the training. I love being around everyone and most of my training is done by myself. 

2008 RACES: I completed 5 races in 2008. 2 super sprints, 1 sprint and 2 long sprints. The difference between the sprint and long sprint was the bike portion was 30 Km instead of 20 and the run was 7.5K instead of 5Km.

2009RACES: I will be doing my first Olympic distance this year in June and my "A" race will be my HIM in Sept in Muskoka.

Weight loss. Last year I started my trainng at 185 lbs and am 5'8". I lost about 13 lbs at the peak of my training and racing . Since I am not training as hard right now I have put on a few winter lbs. I want to lose these and get down to the 170 for my racing form.

 I'm looking forward to meeting new people joining the group and giving any help I can. See you all later

Name: Shannon

Family Status:  Married for 10 years, 2 daughters (8- and 2)

Current Training:  Halfway through the 13 weeks to Sprint Tri training program from BT. Strated it early (first Tri not until July).   I was a competitive swimmer for years and feel great on the swim; run is the big challenge for me.

I've been tracking my training on an iphone app but am trying to get it up on the BT logs.

2009 Races:

1) Trek Womens Triath on on 7/5/09
2) Danskin ShRocks Tri 8/16/09

Weightloss: Lost 60 ounds over last 18 months. Started Tri training to get the rest off - fell in love with it.

Name: Kim (kt65)

Story:  I grew up in a family with one brother and tons of boy cousins and had to keep up with them whether it was riding bikes, playing touch football, riding skateboards, etc.  Played varsity basketball in high school and lots of co-ed sports in college but got really busy in grad school.  From age 25-33, didn't do too much but decided to start running when I turned 34, just started not fitting my clothes and getting kind of "soft".  At age 34, I trained for and did my first marathon and kept running for exercise.  At age 36, I did my second marathon, Big Sur and went sub-4....but suffered an injury (plantar fasciitis)from overtraining.  Kind of got lazy again, but still ran twice a week, spin class 1-2x/week but two years ago, saw a tri-training group that promised to get me to the finish line of a sprint (even though I didn't know how to swim at the time!).  I signed up and the rest is history!

Family status:  Partnered for 9 years with one cat and one dog (Ripley) who is my running partner.

Current training:   I am currently training for my first HIM (Vineman 70.3) which is in July and have ramped up to 10-13 hours /week of training.

2008 Races:  Auburn International (olympic distance)-had a (mental) breakdown in the swim and finished 2nd to DFL out of the water, but came back to finish MOP overall.  2 sprints and had to DNF the 2nd one due to a scary bike crash.  OWS of the two sprints went much better, one was 880 yds and one was 1300 yds.

2009 Races: Kaiser Half Mary in Feb 2009 went well.  Tri for Real June 7 (olympic distance).  Vineman 70.3 (HIM) July 19.

Weightloss:  Weight has not been an issue, I am trying to stay at my current weight.  I feel better and stronger than last year when I did go below 105 lbs. 

Name: Shawn

This sounds like a good group for me. I have hovered around BeginnerTriathlete for a couple of years now and attempted/used a some of the sprint plans. I thought maybe it was time to try joining a forum like this. 

Story: 2 years ago, my wife decided to try a tri, the local one. She had a bit of a swimming background and was looking for something to inspire her or give her a goal. It took a couple of weeks but the bug got to me too. My problem was I had no swim and brought nothing to the show. Short story.... took lessons, got running, and did the tri. She beat me but we had fun. Yes Dorothy, you can dog paddle a triathlon.  The following year, I set my goals on a longer distance and failed in the swim for a DNF. She completed her short course so again, beat me! I was there for her on the finish line that time and it was great. She had the biggest smile on her face! Now I have signed up for a HIM with a sprint, Olympic, short Olympic and the grand finale in September, Muskoka.  I might need help this year and since I noted one other athlete in this group living in Ontario and doing Muskoka too, it might be great to compare training along the way.

Family status:  Just past 10 years married, no kids, 2 large non running dogs (Newfs)

Current training:   With a running group gearing up for a 10 Mile Road Race in May, then jumping into the 20 week HIM program from this site.

2008 Races:  Brewhouse long course, DNF, gave up in the swim, went out too fast and had no confidence. Local race was cancelled. Did the 10 Mile road race in May. It went well for me. 

2009 Races: Buffalo Sprint, Timberman (Grand Rapids) Olympic, Brewhouse Long course (Take 2) and Muskoka HIM

Name: Israel (Izzy) Garavito

Story: Just graduated from college! Party's over for me . . . My background has always been in more 'power' sports - hockey and rugby, mostly. I rowed for the U of MN. That was my first experience with the endurance world. I've never been a competitive swimmer/cyclist/runner, but the challenge of it all has drawn me in. I'm in this for the long haul because of the competition (I LOVE to compete and have fun, since I think it brings out the best in people and shows you where you can/have to improve) and the health benefits--I'm a type I diabetic and every since I started training for tris my numbers have been spot on. So I'm looking forward to my first race and hope to eventually make it to the AG nationals and qualify for the worlds. Long shot, I know, but I'm excited about it!

Family status: Single

Current training: Started with a sprint-specific plan and now I'm following the spring-Oly bridge plan. Just started logging here the last two weeks. I have 6 sprints planned this season but am considering changing the last two to Olys.

2009 Races: Land between the lakes tri (sprint), New Brighton Tri (sprint), Lifetime fitness tri (spring, considering changing to Oly), Big Creek Try (if I qualify), St. Paul Tri (sprint), Chicago Tri (sprint, considering changing to Oly), and one or two 5ks (have to check calendar) and a 12k.

good to meet you all and excited about BT and 2009!

Izzy

NAME: Roni 

STORY: I live in Kalispell Montana, but spend most of my time traveling around the Pacific Northwest in an RV with my husband, who has to travel for his job. I started training for triathlon in 2007. I had never run a mile straight in my life, and only swam and biked recreationally. I used a couch to sprint program from BT and learned to run, swim with my face in the water, and bike (without coasting 60% of the time). I completed my first sprint in August 2007 and was hooked.  I have found having a goal, such as a race to complete, to be absolutely essential in keeping me active. It really has become a lifestyle at this point, and I'm lovin it! 

FAMILY STATUS: I'm 38, married and have 2 daughters who are 18 and 21 years old. 

CURRENT TRAINING: I just finished my first full marathon last week, so am having a bit of a recovery week. Starting Monday it's back to my HIM training for Boise 70.3, which will be my first HIM. I'm doing the BT silver member 20 week training plan.  

2008 RACES: 2 Sprint Triathlons, 1 Olympic Triathlon, 3 half marathons, a 10 miler, and several 5 and 10k's

2009 RACES: Finished my first Marathon, Yakima River Canyon Marathon, on 4/4! I'm also registered for, Bloomsday- a 12k run in Spokane, WA on May 3rd,  OnionMan- an Olympic Tri in Walla Walla, WA on May 25th, Boise 70.3 on June 13th , and will do various other sprint tri's and road races as they come up. 

WEIGHTLOSS: I've lost a total of 50lbs, and have kept it off for 2 years. Mostly through diet changes, but training has certainly helped my body composition and keeping the weight off. I've gained a few pounds back during marathon training, so I'm watching my nutrition really close again and trying to keep myself accountable. That's the reason for my avatar pic, I figure if I have to post a bikini pic each month I'll think twice about what I'm eating I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone! Happy training!

Happy Easter everyone!  Just got back from a 2 hour run at sunrise and am headed to a family brunch where my relatives are always horrified to see how much I eat!!!  

 Welcome to all the new folks in the group.  I have learned tons and have enjoyed the comraderie(sp?) (ribbing) that goes on in the group, so hopefully you will too!  

 btw, Roni, it looks like we are doing the same plan, but you are a bit further along since Boise is in June.  How is it going?  Are you able to get those LOOOOng rides and runs in?  I'm trying my best.  Good luck!  Very exciting...and congrats on your marathon