Greg Shotts' Mentor Group - Full

Hi Greg,

I'd like to join your group. I was looking for someone who is not speedy and super competitive, and I like the way you answered the "What will make me a good mentor" question. I'm into tri's for the lifestyle too, but have had injuries and illnesses to deal with, so I'm just getting back into base training for a while and need some accountability and encouragement.

Here's my info:
Joann (in Spokane), age 48 female, very happily married, with a 6 year old daughter and 2 big dogs. I homeschool our daughter, and also am a caregiver for a disabled friend who lives in our home. I also tutor math occassionally.

Tri Experience:
I've done 3 sprint tri's. Am BOP. I don't run because of bad knees, but I walk a lot and sometimes jog during the tri's. I'm going to work on race-walking technique next year to try to get faster. I refuse to give up doing tri's just because I can't run!

Health and weightloss: 
I've just recovered from 2 cancer surgeries and the swine flu this fall, so have been taking it easy until the end of December. Then I hope to get back into regular training. For me that means: walking a lot, strength training, swimming, biking, and some kind of yoga, physical therapy, or stretching. I, too, had to learn to swim in order to do this sport, but now I enjoy swimming, but I'm slow...
I hope to do more core stuff in 2010 also. I just lost 10-15 lbs with the surgeries and flu, and would like to lose 10 more and get down to 150. (I'm 5'9")

2010 Events:
I've registered for a sprint tri in July, and would also like to walk a half marathon in May. If I'm up to it and training goes well, I'd like to do an Oly in August or September. Like I said, my main goal is lifestyle, but putting something on the calendar really forces me to train.

Thanks for volunteering to be a mentor. I appreciate it!

 

Thanks for the welcome, Greg.

Valley Girl is the only Tri I've ever done. It's well organized and is lots of fun for beginners and experienced athletes. It's what got me hooked in this sport/lifestyle. Is your cousin signed up for 2010? It filled up in about an hour after registration opened!

It may sound like I'm falling apart physically, but I'm really not. I'm in the best shape since my 20's. I am taking a break for the holidays just because I think my body needs some deep rest. I had the surgeries in September and recovered really well, but then the flu just slammed me in Novemeber. I look forward to getting back into exercising, but don't want to push it and get sick again. I'm learning to listen to my body. 

As for your roll in the group, just be yourself. Some mentors ask a question a week, just to get people focused and thinking and talking. Others have very chatty people and the mentor just steers and encourages the group. Hopefully we'll get some more people and have a fun group.

Good luck on your tapering during the holidays. That would be tough. 

Enjoy the day,

Joann

  

Greg:  I would like to join your group.  I like the fact that you do not consider yourself competitive, yet still compete in HIM races.  I am a goal driven person and having an accountability group will help me and hopefully the group as well. 

A bit about me:  I am 56 years old - cicvil engineer.  Two years ago we took a picture of the people at work and I saw the way I looked and did like it.  I had to lose some weight - I lost about 35 pounds and would like to drop another 10.  I am 5'8" and 170 now.  The goal in 2008 was to hike up Half Dome in Yosemite - it is a 17 mile hike with a 5000 foot elevation gain and then 5000 foot loss - hard on the knees.   I trained and was walking 30 miles per week at the peak.  My adult sons and I did the hike - we all did great and have a life memory.  2009 goal was to compete in a sprint tri.  I signed up in October 2008 for a race in May - then realized I needed to train.  The race went well - but the open water swim was more than a bit scary.  I then did another sprint in August - swim was much better. 

Goals for 2010 is to do 2 or 3 olympic length races, and if I feel ready a HIM in September.  I may be rushing things, but I also know that age is starting to sneak up on me.   I currently train about 5 -8 hours a week, and want to pick that up as the days lengthen and I expect my work time to drop back to just full time in March.   

Thank you for volunteering

Merry Christmas

Bill

I would also like to join your group. I share your mindset in that I am not competitive (at least not for 2010) and enjoy my time training and racing for my own satisfaction rather than the trophy collection.

I'm a 44yo male, married with kids in their late teens. I live in the Holy Land... on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. I'm 6'5" tall and weigh in at about 295 lbs. I have a few sprints under my belt and a few running races but that was a few years and about 60 lbs. ago. I've been on the couch for 2 years and have finally gotten sick of how I look and how I feel.

I am newly motivated to make 2010 my come back! I have been training for 2 weeks and have been struggling with coming to terms at how out of shape I have allowed myself to become.

My "A" race for 2010 will be the Honolulu Marathon in December where my goal will probably be to finish with a 10min/mile pace. I still need to set up a few smaller venue triathlons and probably the marathon readiness series (progressively longer running races leading up to the marathon) for a few tests and motivators through the year.

My goals are to lose 60 lbs of flab and slowness prior to the marathon, build base thoughout the year in all three disciplines and remain consitant for the rest of my life.

Thanks for volunteering to be a mentor. I look forward to learning and sharing with the group as we plunge into this crazy lifestyle!

Hello Greg.  My name is Mark; I’d like to join your group if you don’t mind.  I like the fact you seem down to earth and humble.  I find that a good quality in a mentor. 

About me:  I’m 36 and a father to three wonderful girls and a husband to one awesome lady.  Professionally, I am a planning and construction project manager.  Family and work keep me extremely busy.  My middle child plays competitive volleyball during the spring, which has us traveling all over the U.S.  My youngest will also start to play team sports this spring so that will also impact my imaginary free time.  I am an avid mountain biker and road ride as a necessary evil to keep fit.  I recently started mountain bike racing last year after not competing in ANYTHING since college ~15 years ago.  I swam in high school and a bit in college.  Having said this, I’m a decent swimmer and competent on the bike, what I lack is running skills.  I’ll be the first to admit I’m a terrible runner.  I am more of a plodder. Currently I’m ~208 lbs @ 5’10”.   I look more suited to play a contact sport rather than race a bike.   I was @ 200 in August before I broke my arm 6 weeks before a 24 hour mountain bike race.  I still competed in it and still had a ton of fun even though I lost a bit of fitness  (gained some weight too) during my time off to recover and a bunch of confidence charging down the hills and taking the drops at speed.  

Why this group:  I see being a part of this group will hold me accountable to 1.) Keep up with my training. 2.) Keep me motivated to loose more weight – I want to get down to 180 – 185 lbs and 3.) Help me with the lessons learned from previous season’s as this is MY first season to tri.   Also, you are an accomplished runner from which I can learn from and possibly find some joy in my weakest and least favorite discipline.    

Last season racing: A few TMBRA mountain bike races ,  a couple of Houston’s own Short Track Stampede mountain bike series races,  and one 24hr mountain bike race at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville Tx. 

Goals are definitely a great tool in forming a strategy for the coming year. They give us focus and allow us to better structure our plan of completion as well as give us a measureable target.

I've only recently returned to training after a 2 year layoff and I haven't yet outlined the majority of my 2010 goals. However, I do have two main goals so far for the coming year. I want to lose 65 lbs. (which should give me a single digit body fat percentage) and I would like to finish the Honolulu Marathon (12/10) with an average pace under 11 minutes/mile. I still need to pick up a local race guide so I can plan out some smaller venue events along the way.

I have a few performance minded goals for 2010 as well. I want to be worthy of my QR Caliente Tri-bike (this might take more than one season) and I want to stay consistant in my training throughout 2010.

2010 is the year to get 'er done!

Hi Everyone,

Looks like a great group!

I'm sort of starting over, so my early goals for the year are:

1. Get on a consistent schedule for strength training and PT. Strength twice a week. PT daily.
2. Build up my walking so I can walk a half mary in May.
3. Follow the "zero to a mile" swim program until I can go a mile without stopping.
4. Bike an hour a week.
5. Continue to lose weight until I reach my goal of 150.

My goals have more to do with schedule and lifestyle right now than with a specific event. I am registered for a sprint tri in July, but may add more events as I get fit.

Happy Monday everyone. I look forward to getting to know you all and watching you progress in your goals.

Joann
 

Greg:  The group looks great.  Thanks again. 

I have started to put together a list of races for the year.  Last year was the first time I have ever raced - 2 sprints.

For 2010 I would like to do an early season Sprint, then 2 Olympics.  There is also a fun low competition local tri that is very low key that starts with a 6 mile run, then a 13 mile bike, and ends with a 6 mile kayak down river. 

There is a local HIM in mid September that if I think I can get ready for I might do.  I have a hard time with just doing a race so I can say I finished versus trying to be at least mid range in my age group (55-60).  I have never ever ran more than 7 miles so a 13 mile race after a 56 mile and 1 mile swim is currently hard for me to imagine, but September is a long time from now. 

The swim is still a bit scary for me.  I can swim continuously for 3000 yards in a pool, but 1500 yards in a cold water lake is still a challenge.  I look forward to hearing from others how they deal with their challenges. 

+1 to Greg's suggestion to write things down.  I've logged on a calendar: my planned races, my daughter's volleyball and travel schedule, and my 20 week HIM training program.  You all should have access to my training and race logs so feel free to take a peek.  I don't have my planned training log here as I do not have that capability with my current membership.  Having everything on paper or logged electronically gives me a easy two week look ahead of mycommitments and scheduled training.  It allows me to plan either to get up early, get the w.o. out of the way or switch things around depending on time constraints.  

I'm still undecided whether or not I'm doing the Nov 7th HIM (Ironstar-Conroe Tx).  It will all depend on how my summer goes.  I think next year I’ll be more prepared to take on the 70.3.  I'm training at that distance as suggested by other seasoned Triathletes for the August Austin Dirty Tri / Xterra.

My feelings about missing a work-out are firmly in the It Depends camp. I'm 42 years old, and I know I don't recover from things as quickly as I used to. I also know that we all get a little less resilient as we age. With that in mind, I don't try to make up workouts that I've missed, unless it's a key workout. For me, that would usually be a long run or a a long ride, and I'd make it up by replacing a shorter run/ride with a longer one. If I'm sick or life keeps me from making up the key workout within a few days of when it was scheduled, I forget about it altogether. I think part of this comes from reading your plan and understanding what's really important and what's not. The other part of it is knowing what your limits are, and making sure you don't push yourself to the mental or physical breaking point.

The Hal Higdon plan I've been following recently calls for running 5-days a week and cross-training for one of the off days. Sometimes I make five days.....but sometimes I really don't feel like it and I'll miss a day. I've only made about helf of the cross-training days. The only days I ever "make up" if I miss are the long runs on Sundays, or the mid-week medium runs on Wednesday. I make those up by doing the mileage the day before or after. If I got sick for a few days, I'd just forget about what I missed.

Don't tell anyone, but if I'm feeling overly fatigued or stiff & sore, sometimes I skip workouts just for the heck of it! The conventional wisdom is that you're better off being under-trained than over-trained, and I really agree with that.

Hi Dee,

I'm also in the Pacific Northwest. Here's a website events in the Washinton/Oregon area. You can get on their mailing list too. http://www.racecenter.com/

As for goals, you don't need to have an event or even a schedule. Just say what you'd like to do and break it down into time frames. For example, I want to swim a mile straight. I've started a plan to do that, so I plan to swim 3 times a week. The reality is that I'll probably swim only twice a week, but I'll push for three times.

Sometimes I write weekly goals, and other times my goals are monthly or longer range. Do what works for you and do what is meaningful for you. 

From your blog, it looks like you've done a great job of setting and meeting goals in the past few months. Just keep going with that and keep pushing forward. And don't forget to have a blast!

Joann