Destination MoP Group is FULL (of motivated life jugglers)

Ready to start Jan 1st.

Names:  Slow Turtle (Heidi) and Juneapple (Stu)

Heidi's Story: I’m 42 years old, and have completed 3 seasons of tri’s. I’ve been a (slow) runner since I was in 8th grade. In 2004 I ruptured a tendon in my foot, and was stuck in the pool for any and all exercise. Eventually, I was able to start running again, but I kept swimming to prevent more injuries. Then, in Spring of 2008 I started biking to work, and quickly realized that I was unofficially training for a Tri! So, I signed up for a sprint, and was hooked. I do Tri’s for fun- I’m strictly a BoP girl.

Family: Married with three kids. They are 20, 8 and 4. So, I can relate to the challenges and fun of all the ages.

Current training: I try to follow the 2x’s balanced training plan for sprints. I recently added the Jillian Michael’s 30 day Shred into my routine-and my goal is to do core work twice a week. I broke my foot in 3 places in March of 2010, so sometimes, I have to back off a little on the running.

2010 Races: It was a light year, due to the broken foot. The Northern Columbia Sprint Tri, The 3rd annual Home Tri (a virtual race) and the DACC sprint Tri.

2011 Races: I’m not registered for anything yet. But, the 2 races I did last year, are annual events for me.

Weightloss: This isn’t a huge problem for me. I’d like to drop about 10 lbs that I put on when I broke my foot, but that
might not be reasonable.

What will make me a Good Mentor: If you’re looking for a cheerleader as you’re getting into this sport, I’ll be a good mentor for you. I’m not incredibly knowledgeable about the finer points of the sport. But, I’m great at encouraging people to keep going, and to find the positives. I understand that we aren’t all going to be blazing fast, and I will support your efforts no matter what pace you go at.

Stu and I were in a mentor group together for the past two sessions, and we both got a great deal out of the experience. The accountability and camaraderie was really important, especially when I was struggling with my injury. I’m hoping to give back now.


Stu's Story:  High school swimmer, biked a bunch in college, but never ran.  After leading a fairly sedentary lifestlye during my 30s and early 40s, I found myself at mid-life under a bunch of stress and 50 lbs overweight.  So I decided to change some priorities, starting with health and fitness.  So, I started running a bit (I was really slow) and worked my way up to a half-marathon and my first triathlon (sprint) 4 years ago.  Had some injury issues along the way, but had an okay 2009, and an excellent 2010, including lots of personal bests.  I attribute much of last year's success to the information and support here at BT.  At age 50, I'm in the best shape of my life, albeit with more aches and pains in the morning :-)

Family Status:  Married for 28 years with one daughter who just started college.  My wife gets to the gym every now and then and is generally supportive of my habits.  I'm hoping my daughter will join me in a New Year's 5K which would be her first 5K ever!

Current Training:  My approach is all about consistency and balancing training with the rest of life (work, family, music). For me, tri races are the goal which helps me make better lifestyle choices each day.

2010 Races:  1 Half-Ironman (HIM), 1 Olympic, and 2 Sprints.  1/2 Marathon, 10 Mile + other local runs.  The HIM was not pretty.  I'm out for revenge in 2011 ;-)

2011 Races:  1 or 2 HIMs, 1 or 2 Olympics, 1st Marathon in November presuming I can stay injury free and get the training time in.

Weightloss:  Currently hovering around 200 (down from 240 a few years back).  Ultimately would like to get to 185 or so, and I do have to monitor my diet or I gain quickly.  I've been racing in master clydesdales, but hope to go AG this year.

What will make me a good mentor:  My goal is to help you get started on a path to better fitness, improved self-confidence, and good nutrition through the triathlon lifestyle.  I'm a great believer in setting realistic goals and taking a long-term view of this journey.  I've made more than my fair share of mistakes and have learned a bunch from them.  I don't know much about gear or the finer points of training.  I'm sure there are gizmos I could buy or advanced training techniques I could use that could cut a few minutes off my time, but that's not my priority (or in my budget!).  

Heidi and I will probably be most helpful to beginners who are juggling the many competing demands in mid-life, but we're open to all.  We will respond quickly to your questions and encourage you to reach the goals you set for yourself.  We look forward to traveling with you on your journey - so post your bio and let's get started!



Edited by juneapple 2011-01-12 8:02 PM