kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2012 Part 2 - CLOSED

Name: uhcoog (Scott)

Story: I was a fat kid.  I was a fat adult too.  In early 2010 I made a drunken pact with a buddy to do a sprint if he signed up.  Well he did and now here I am a tri junkie.  In the 2 years I've gone from 230+ lbs, never run over 3 miles, and hadn't been on a bike or in a pool since before I was a teen to someone who runs 15 miles on Wednesday just because.  

Family Status: Married for 10 years with 2 daughters (Reagan almost 5, Abby 3)
Current Training: So currently I'm racing short course.  I am about ready for the Kemah Olympic here in town.  Hoping to go sub 2:30:00.  After that I'm not sure where I'm headed.  I have a few sprints on the schedule throughout the summer so speed may be my focus.

2011 Races: Kemah Olympic, Sylvan Beach Sprint, Bridgeland Sprint, Clear Lake International Olympic, Austin 70.3

Planned 2012 Races:  Kemah Olympic, Aggieland Sprint, Bridgeland Sprint, Houston Olympic, Oilman HIM

Weightloss: As with Kelly this has always been a limiter for me.  Recently I hit 160 and decided to just maintain.  Weird feeling really.  I ordered a medium tri top and small tri short for this season.  Also a weird feeling as up until recently I've been 200+ lbs since age 12.

Name: Triguy1043 (Jeremy)

Story: I did my first triathlon at 16 years old and 20 years later I am working to complete my second IM this summer at IM Lake Placid. I was in the Marine for 7 years and I am currently a Phisical education teacher at a deaf school in NY.

Family Status: Married for 10 years this July to my wife Becky who is a awesome triathlete, we have  1 daughter & 1 son. (Elena 5 & Reece 2)

Current Training: As said I am trainig for IM Lake Placid hoping to go under 12 hours. I am also a assistant race director for ATC endurance a triathlon company that puts on 3 races in upstate NY.

2011 Races: HP Sprint, 1/2 Marathon Lake Placid, Deruyter Sprint, Lake George 1/2 IM, Fulton 1/2 MArathon

Planned 2012 Races:  Fort to Fort 10K, HP Sprint Tri, IM LAke Placid, Deruyter Sprint, USMC Marathon

Weightloss: A year and a 1/2 ago I was 210 pounds and today I am 170 hoping to be 165 by July. Trainig with a goal and a focus really allowed me to take my life and health back into my hands.

Welcome back Scott and Jeremy! 

Scott -- want to tell everyone about your viewing experiences at the Texas 70.3 this past weekend?

Jeremy -- want to give an update about your (impressive) IMLP trianing?

Name: karen26.2 (Karen)

Story: Started running in my 30's, injuries forced me to cross train with swimming and biking.  Discovered I love to bike.  (Swimming is a love / hate thing with me.)  Did a sprint tri several years ago and really liked the challenge, never looked back.

Family Status: Married to a super supportive guy, our 24th anniversary is in May.  We have one son, 21, a good kid/adult.  Also have 3 dogs that we adore, they are spoiled!

Current Training: Currenlty training for Vineman 140.6 in July.  I have a goal but I'm not sharing.  I have a few other races (olympic in April, half iron in May, olympic in July) but am mainly focusing on Vineman.  It will be my 3rd full iron distance.

2011 Races: Beast of the East Half Iron, Ironman Wisconsin, Savannah Marathon

Planned 2012 Races:  West Point Oly, Ridges Resort 5k Swim, Beast of the East Half (because last year racing in an oven was so much fun!), Chattanooga Oly, Vineman 140.6

Weightloss: I was doing so good last year before Wisconsin.  I was down to a weight I was ok with, still wanted to lose a little more, but I was content.  Then after Wisconsin I lost focus on nutrition and am just now starting to get back on track!!!

Sure.  So given that this is the local WTC 70.3 for my area a ton of my friends were racing.  This was my first spectator/volunteer experience.  First and foremost I found out I am indeed a junkie.  Secondly I found out this is a wonderfully put on race and an immaculate course, other than you run 3 loops and dubbed "The Hamster Wheel" by my friends.  If you are coming to Texas for a HIM I'd take this over Austin or Buffalo Springs for sure.

I have a feeling Kelly wants me to talk about Lance though.  I had posted in the prior thread that I spoke to a lot of athletes and volunteers that were pro-Lance prior to the race and on the fence during/afterward due to the changes they noticed that were certainly geared towards him.  When I strolled up prior to the event the first thing I noticed was that the pro bikes were fenced off from the rest of the field.  Normally this isn't the case.  Part of what a lot of my friends like about triathlon is that the pros are usually in the front row but pretty much mixed in the the rest of us schleps.  This was clearly not the case, and most attributed this to Lance's presence.  Lance also had an escort with him for a good bit, if not all, of the run even when not in the lead.  Then there was the way the crowd acted.  I was standing at the swim exit when the pros came out and there was a smattering of applause.  When Lance came out at the back end of the pack there was an uproar, and as he headed towards T1 everyone followed.  Kinda like the Pied Piper.  Same thing happened on the run.  Again everyone I know feels the extra exposure of the sport is good.  They just don't like some of the changes taking place to accommodate Lance.  They feel if he's going to race he should race at the least like the rest of the pros.  Anyway I'm on the fence and pretty indifferent.  I'm not a huge Lance fan or detractor, I do think he juiced but that's another discussion, and really his presence isn't going to put a huge crimp on my race ability or style.

Name: Scott

Story: I'm 44 and have worked out my entire life. It was mostly weight lifting and sports such as lacrosse, tennis, racquetball, etc but the elbows stopped tolerating the punishment of the racket sports and I had a series of friends blow out different body parts lifting as we all aged and I wasn't up for that. I had taken spin in my mid 20's and tried it again a few years back and started doing it regularly. Threw in a little running then a little swimming and in July 2010 started masters swim.

Family Status: Married with 4 daughters.

Current Training: I've been logging here since the last week of Feb last year.

January was my highest volume month. I did a little too much high intensity work the last week off that month and had to back it off a bit. I was really feeling fatigued and feel much better now.

March also included a half Marathon. I wanted to break the 8/mile barrior. I ran a great first half doing every mile in the 8:05-10 pace. The middle of mile 7 I picked up the pace and was in at 7:55 and felt strong. Just before mile 8 my left calf tightened up. I had no choice but to stop and stretch it out. I really thought it would tear if I didn't. I thought my day was done but to my surprise it loosened enough to continue. Even though I stopped for 30 seconds mile 8 was still 8:18 so I proceeded with caution but thought I could still do it. Mile 10 I decided to pick it up again and go for it and within a half mile the calf knotted again. Another 30 second stop and I could continue but trying to dial it up was over. Finished at 1:46:53 which is an 8:09/mile pace and I felt fresh having not been able to push the second half. It was a PR nonetheless.

2011 Races: Quincy Half Marathon, Cohasset 5K, Charles River one mile swim, Ashland Olympic, Stamford KIC IT Olympic, NYC Nautica Olympic.

Planned 2012 Races:  Quincy Half Marathon (Done), Patriot half ironman (6/16), Pumpkinman half ironman (9/9), Smuttynose Marathon (9/30).

Last year was the Olympic year. This year is the HIM year.

Weightloss: For a normal person I've never had an issue. With the training I do I could eat whatever and stay in the 185-188 range and at 5'11" and a solid build from all the years of lifting people would call me in shape. Trying to lose that 10 pounds to get down to Tri weight is miserable. I just love to eat. Currently 183 and I'd like to be 175 for the HIM on 6/16.

I've done a bunch of the mentoring groups and like meeting the new people and contributing so I look forward to spending the next few months with you.

I think it's great that you got to be a spectator at the event.  Can't wait to do the same myself.

I'm not a Lance fan OR a Lance hater at all.  He is an incredible athlete, and I respect him for both his athletic ability and charitable causes.  Do I care that the pro bikes are in a different area from the age groupers' bikes?  No, I'm too focused on my on race.  I do feel bad for the pro triathletes who feel slighted because of his presence.  That doesn't make sense to me.  Triathletes recognize and follow the pro triathletes year round.  They are the ones cheering for them and rooting them on.  Your average joe is the one hooting and hollering for Lance.  I'm sure he drew a crowd that probably wouldn't have gone to see the race otherwise.  The media coverage is a good thing for the sport.  The negativity flowing through the triathlon community because of it is not a good thing.  Personally, I don't idolize famous people - athletes, entertainers, etc.  My heart wouldn't skip a beat if I saw Lance in person.  Just another dude racing a triathlon......a fast dude but still just a dude   

Welcome Scott!  Patriot is a GREAT race, one of my all time favorites.  Do you have any goals for it?

I think it's a lot like having Tiger at a golf event. The coverage swings to him, the crowds follow him, he gets the loudest applause, etc. It's not his fault. America as a whole is just in love with celebrities and the idea of being a celebrity of sorts by rubbing elbows with them.

I was on a skydiving team for 6 years and went to the national championships every year. The guys who were pros had no choice but to train in the same aircraft and use the same hanger facilities. They were all very nice and down to earth. It also didn't hurt that the Golden Knights army team was part of that group of elites and part of their job was PR so they set the example. All very nice guys.

Scott -- I did want you to talk about Lance. 

I think the Lance effect is interesting.  As many of you know, I'm a big pro cycling fan and I always found the Lance-centric coverage of cycling by American news organizations to be interesting.  For example during the TdF, it wouldn't matter that it was a pancake flat stage for the sprinters, coverage would be fcoused on Lance even though he would just be chilling in the peloton all day.  But without Lance, there would never have been the same level of cycling coverage in U.S., so I'll take it. 

What's interesting about a triathlon is that there is a bit of hipster-ish culture going on.  We take a little bit of pride in the fact that what we do is off the beaten path.  I think in some ways the collective triathlon community wants to remain a little exclusive and a little special and having tons of people flood it because of Lance is a little off-putting to some members of the community. 

Also I think that triathlon is unique in that pros and age groupers race the same course on the same day.  We can legitimately compare ourselves to the best in the sport (imagine being abel to drive the Indy 500 course on the same day as the pros were racing).  There is essentially no divide between pros and age groupers.   When you have a big celebrity enter the sport, some of those barriers necessarily go up.  I think you have to strike a balance in providing both access and safety for all participants. 

I think its going to be interesting to watch (both what happens to the sport and the collective reaction among the triathlon community). 

Thanks for having me. Where it's my first finishing would be nice.

I'd like to break 5:40 as follows.

Swim: 39:50 which is 1:55/100 pace. Honestly I'll be very happy if I am this slow. In the pool I have a great internal clock and can tell you within a second what my interval was for a hundred. In open water I don't have that clock and my perceived effort lies to me and I think I'm going much slower than I really am. Last year my three Olympics I swam at 1:35, 1:33 and 1:08 (in the Hudson with current) pace. For an Olympic I got away with it. An HIM that's way too fast for me. I want to error on the slow side.

T1: 3:30 I suck at transitions. If I can stay under 3:30 I'll be happy.

Bike: 2:56:31 19.0 MPH. Patriot is a great course for me. It's very flat. I have great stamina on the bike but lack climbing power. I feel this is a pace that will leave me strong for the run. If I come in too fast I'll have a bad second half of the run.

T2: 1:30, again anything under is great.

Run: 1:57:54 9:00/mile. If my swim and bike are on target I might be able to better this with heat also being a major factor, I hate heat and more specifically humidity.

Total: 5:39:15 is the goal. If I'm under 6 hours I'll consider it a success being the first.

Speaking of Lance.  Found this interesting:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/news/lance-armstrong-to-return-to-pro-peloton-to-sharpen-his-fitness-for-ironman_211554?utm_medium=whats-hot

Maybe he should add in a marathon instead.  Just my $.02.

No Problem Kelly

So I am training for IM Lake Placid I am doing a the Intermediate Ironfit Plan however I have modified the cycling to the competetive plan. I am currently starting week 15 (Build week 5) of the 30 week plan. I have seen wonderful gains. I am training strictly on HR for both bike and run. It took some getting used but I think it has helped me stay injury free to this point because I used to train all out all the time. I have watched my weight go from 193 to a current 170 and I have seen my running pace go from Z1 run Avg HR 148 and 8:30 mpm to a current avg HR 149 and 7:35 mpm.

I have only ridden outdoors 3 times so its hard to tell my cycling gains all I know as when the weather does break I will be climbing like I am in the TDF.

Thanks to all for your support and advice during these 15 weeks and I look forward to hearing from you all during this next mentoring period.

Kelly - Would love to join your group.  I'm a northern CT (Simsbury) gal and also Heat member.  Have seen you (or your name) around a lot in the CT tri world!

Name: skitri (Maggie)

Story: Was a fairly competitive rower in my late 20's, then married, kids and totally let myself go.  Decided to train for my first marathon, having barely run 3 miles when a friend suggested a tri training group....and love was born in 2009.  Did my first HIM (Timberman) last year and this year got REV3 Quassy ready to go and possibly Maine in August.

Family Status: Married 2 kids (7 & 9)

Past Races: Nations Tri, Timberman, Massachusettes State Tri, REV3 Quassy (olympic)

2012 Races: Lake T series here in CT, REV3 Quassy, Litchfield Hills Olympic, possibly REV3 Maine, Surftown HM, Hartford HM

Weightloss -- Story of my life...but finally trying to put all the pieces together to get to a healthy racing weight  -- trying to get down to 128 by June..currently holding steady at 137.

TOO MANY YANKEES IN HERE!!!!

Name: artist (Terry)
Story: I have always been active, but in my 40's work and family seemed to dominate my life. I worked as a sports report for the local newspaper when I was in my early 50's. I was sent to cover the local tri and for three years kept saying "I could do that" In year four I got serious about training and have been training ever since. I continue to fight injuries and family commitments but here I am/

Family Status: Married for 14 years with 2 grow daughters and three grandchildren.

Current Training: I continue to look at the sprint distances and am in a masters swim class to improve my swim times

2011 Races: Scofield Tri (DNF) and the Other Half 1/2 Mary in Moab.
Planned 2012 Races:  Canyonlands 1/2 Mary, ST George Tri, Kokopelli (St George) Other half (1/2 Mary)

Weightloss: I struggle with weight loss, but have to blame eating habits and low training levels as part of the issue. Age and gender do not help either.

Other: I get motivation from this group that has become like friends. I do not have time to always keep up with posts, but I look forward to reading and learning what is happening to all.

Name: rizer22 (Jeff), age 34, actually 35 in 7 days!!!

Story: 2010 was my first experience with anything endurance, other than high school sports, and being a gym rat. 2010 started with Mountain Biking, and completed 3 XC MTB races. Had a severe illness in the fall 2010 that sidelined me for three months. Plan was to buy a road bike to build my endurance for mountain bike racing.  Yeah, that turned into loving the road bike, and committing to Triathlon after seeing the local hospital sponsoring their first Sprint Tri in my hometown. That was august 2011, so I had time for plenty more events before then. Started training, and found out how much I loved the sport.  Golf clubs pretty much stayed in the basement all of last year. I now feel better than I have in ten years since dealing with major sinus issues and 12 surgeries on clearing those sinuses.

Family Status: Married, two kids (Cole 7, Brayden 4).  Cole completed his first kids Tri in June 2011 as well and they both do the Kids races at the XC Mountain Bike events.

Current Training: Finally back at it, other than swimming. Had Shoulder surgery in January. No swimming until end of April now. So focusing on XC MTB races and Duathlon for the Glastonbury Ten Penny Ale in May. Had all hopes of Rev3 Quassy HIM in June, but that's not happening now.

2011 Races: Cupids Chase 5k, King of Burlingame Mountain Bike TT, Winding Trails Route 66 XC MTB Race, Domnarski Farm Route 66 XC MTB Race, Glastonbury Ten Penny Ale Duathlon, Lake T Weekday Series Sprint Tri, Niantic Bay Sprint Tri, DKH Sprint Tri, Hartford Half Marathon, DAS Cross Race.

Planned 2012 Races:  King of Burlingame MTB TT, Hop Brook XC MTB race, Winding Trails MTB Race, Glastonbury Ten Penny Ale Duathlon, Amica Ocean Beach 19.7 Tri, Niantic Bay Sprint, DKH Sprint, Hartford HM. Looking for a couple Olympics this summer.  I think HIM will now be 2013

Recruit some southerners.  At least I lived in Georgia for a few years. 

Welcome welcome welcome!

I'll be at Rev 3 Quassy this year (racing the Olympic and then likely volunteering with the Blazeman Foundation for the Half). 

Where did you row?  College?

You should do the Rev 3 Olympic with me -- we can race!