Jenny (jsnowash)'s Spring Guinea Pig Group - CLOSED

Hey Jenny,

I'd like to join your group.  I'll post my bio later today. 

jeff

Jenny, if you don't mind an Old Guy joining your group I'd love to join!  

Bill

Edited to add my Bio.

NAME: breger1 / Bill.  AKA: berger, bruger, byllger, BQByll, bonger1, etc. etc. etc.  (It's a long story I'll relate someday!)

STORY: I will be 60 years young this June.  I have always been active, having played recreational Basketball 3 or 4 times a week, till well into my 50's when all the old BBall skills went south.  7 years ago I was in Dallas Consulting for 6 months (I live in S. Florida) and knew absolutely nobody.  For something to do I impulsively joined a Half marathon Training Group (and I was a non-runner then!).  I surprisingly found I liked it, lost 25 pounds almost immediately, and got hooked.  

I've now run many HM's and 8 marathons, including Boston 2010 and New York.  I'm a dedicated Trainer - some would say obsessive.  I'll stick around!  I know a fair amount about how to train for running, but biking is totally new and swimming is going okay, but I'm way slowwwww.  This past year I've been having some back issues (from an old back injury in my teens), which told me I needed to cross train - so started Triathlon training in January.

FAMILY STATUS: I've been married for 28 years (on April 7) and we have a biological son who is almost 24.  I also have 2 adopted daughters from a previous marriage ages 43 and 44.  My wife supports me and follows me around to my races - we try to make a vacation out of them.  She is a runner and active in the weight room and in yoga.  But she has no interest in racing.

CURRENT TRAINING: Living in S. Florida I train all year round.  The summertime can be tough given the Heat and humidity but i persist.  Over the Fall and Winter I had an excellent season of training (50 miles per week avg.) that led to a small PR in an HM in January.  Since then training has been spotty since I had a ski vacation and then promptly got sick for over 3 weeks (chest crud).  But I'm back at it now working on Triathlon training.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:  I have my first Sprint Triathlon coming up this Saturday but I'm a slow swimmer and I have an old Walmart Special bike (Hello, Back of the Pack!).  The plan is to pass as many runners as I can on the run leg.  (I do have a new Road Bike coming in next week.  So I'm hoping that helps my slow biking.)

I have the Bayshore Half Marathon the end of May.  After that, I have an Olympic Tri scheduled for Oct/Nov.  I may decide to do a Marathon in the Fall or Winter to try to BQ again in my new AG.

2012 RACES: My "A" race will probably be the Olympic Tri in Oct/Nov.  I won't attempt a HIM until I know I'm good and ready to do it as well as I am able. 

WEIGHTLOSS: I am a slim, trim 6' 3" guy who no one would ever consider overweight.  But before I started running I was up to 203 pounds.  Too much for my slight build.  Now I hover around 187 and really, that's too much.  (Snacking is my big sin.)  Racing weight would probably be around 180.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I love to "do things the right way".  I love learning how one should train and then going out and doing it.  Swimming is all about technique and I need some serious help here.  And I'm really finding the bike training to be hard.  This will need to be a big focus of my training. 

Jenny - I would appreciate the opportunity to join your group.  Based on your description, I think I could benefit from your/the group's experience, motivation, kick in the you know what, etc.

Ok, quick bio.  I started tris a couple of year ago.  I had been watching Kona coverage for a while and always thought I can do that (well, not Kona, but a tri race), so I decided to sign-up for an Oly distance race.  It was such a great feeling to cross the finish line and I was hooked.  In 2011, I completed a HIM and an Oly.  For 2012, I signed-up for an HIM, OLY and IMFL.

My schedule is quite fluid, and I do the best I can with my training.  And so far, I think I'm balancing things decently.

In any case, hopefully I made the 'cut'....

Brian

Hello Jenny, my name is Todd and I would like to join if you would like to have a middle age guy to go with the old guy.

I will post a full bio later today, but think you could be the solution to some of my problems, which I will address in my Bio.

Hi Jenny!

If you still have space in your group I would love to have you as a mentor!

Family status: No family! I work full-time though which is my biggest hinderence on my training.

Current training: I restarted my tri training about a month ago now and wish I really worked on my limiters over the winter, but I can't look back. My training is mostly run & bike focussed. I used to swim competitvely growing up so I'm able to get back into swimming more quickly.

Tri background: I first started triathlon in 2011. I completed 1 sprint, 1 long course sprint (half way between Sprint & Olympic) and a try-a-tri.

This year's races: I am looking to improve on my Sprint time and am aiming to completely my first Olympic distance race. I have an A-race Sprint for July 21 and aiming to do my first Olympic August 12. This race will be more of a gauge of how I'm doing and then hoping to schedule my A-race Olympic for early September.

Weightloss: not an issue but I need to increase my strength.

Why I think you can help: I feel like your journey to triathlon has been similar to mine so far, the way you entered into the sport and your love for the training and racing. My long-term goal is to complete a HIM next summer!

Hope you'll have me as a mentee!

ETA: My training log isn't updated as I keep my log in a notebook at home but I can update the information on BT.

NAME: Hunting Triathlete / Todd

STORY: I began this journey just over two years ago as a way to quit smoking.  I am pleased to announce that I have been smoke free for over two years now after 15+ years of a pack a day.  I now want to do more than just complete the races / events I enter.  I likely will not podium, but do want to see improvement.  I am truly the average joy, middle of the pack in basically all three phases, but closer to falling below than rising to the next level.    

FAMILY STATUS: I've been married for 11 years, and have 1 child, age 9.

CURRENT TRAINING: Sporadic at best!  Life gets in the way, or should I say that I let life get in the way.  I also have no real workout routine or plans other than by the seat of my pants.  I have realized that when I do work out I am more of a time / distance kind of guy than interval / drills guy (too much to remember with a tired mind).

RACE HISTORY:  I have complete several sprints, two half marathons, and one full marathon along with other assorted runs.   

PAST ISSUES:  I have had the ability to complete the above with very little training, which has just made me worse. I don't want to settle but I have.  I don't have a strong support base, which is fine, but can be mentally draining. I think that You and this group could likely help me out with both issues.   

2012 RACES: My "A" race has yet to be determined, but am pretty sure I will attempt my first Olympic Tri on July 1.  I think this date would also really help you with the guinea pig portion of this Mentor Group.  I am eyeing a Half the last weekend in October, but have time to decide on that one.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD TRAINEE: I want to learn and be a part of something.  I have never had real plans or coaching before so I could offer that perspective for you.  You work for me and I will do the same for you.

Jenny - I would love to join your group and love to be a guinea pig!

Name: Mitch / Username: dangremond

Story: Like everyone else - I am busy.  Between a wife, three girls (ages 13, 9 & almost 2), a house, a job and a dog I feeling like I'm running on fumes a lot.  Endurance sports have become my outlet that is supposed to help me maintain my sanity.

I got into triathlons about 4 years ago after getting 20+ pounds overweight and realizing that there were triathlons that weren't ironman distance.  My first love before triathlons was cycling - and I absolutely hated running.  I have since become an avid runner and feed off of the runner's high.  My wife can tell when I haven't run for a few days.  I still haven't embraced the swim and that is one of my challenges.

With the little one at home the last two years have been tough from a training and racing perspective.  I ran two half marathons and a 10-k last year and paced a friend in the last of 3 loops of a 50 mile ultramarathon.    My 1st half marathon in 2011 was a disaster.  I was training incorrectly and dealing with injury after injury and an overtrained body that couldn't handle the volume I was trying to throw at it.  It wasn't until the last half 2011 that I joined a mentor group and started listening to the mentor and to my body.  The last half of the year I began changing the way I train (mostly run perspective) and began really living by the phrases "run a lot, mostly easy and sometimes hard" and "your easy is never easy enough and your hard is never hard enough".  That shift in philosophy allowed me to increase my volume, get back to where I was when I ran my first half marathon in 2008, have a new PR in my fall 10-K and recently have my highest volume months ever with a strong consistency of working out. 

Family status: See above.  My wife doesn't quite get my passion and thinks I go overboard at times.  As long as my training doesn't impact the family too much she is fine.  That requires me to get creative at times and to work out mostly in the mornings.  I have a treadmill and bike trainer set up in the basement which is imperative due to living in Michigan.  Majority of my biking will be done on a trainer.  I have access to a high school track that is almost perfectly a 1 mile warm-up away.

CURRENT TRAINING: I have been working on consistency in all three disciplines.  I recently started swimming again and have been biking 3 to 4 times per week (indoor training) and running 4 to 5 times per week.  My goal is to get swimming to 3 days per week, increase length of cycling workouts (and intensity of some workouts), and run 6 days a week (3 short and easy, 2 harder mid-length and 1 long run).

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Martian Half Marathon (April 14), Dexter Ann Arbor Half Marathon (June 3), Motor City Sprint Triathlon (June 17), Run Woodstock (Pace friend in 50 or 100 mile race)(Sept 8), MI Olympic Dist Tri Championship (Sept 16), Brooksie Way Half Mary (Early Oct), Detroit Full Marathon (Mid to late Oct), Detroit Turkey Trot (Thanksgiving).  Full plate for sure and open to change.  Early July and August I have family activities planned that will impact training from a frequency and volume perspective. 

WEIGHTLOSS: In early 2007 I weighed in around 183 (5'9").  I am now around 162 and would like to get to 155. I need to learn to resist the temptation of foods that I know aren't good for me and increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I've begun to listen and have admitted that I don't know everthing and a second set of eyes and another brain or two can't hurt in evaluating what I'm trying to do from a fitness perspective.  I hope to continue to listen and improve my training so that I can accomplish my goals.

2012 GOALS: (1) Achieve consistency in training for Swim, Bike and Run; (2) Swim 3 times per week; (3) get weekly run volume to 30 miles per week through 6 runs per week (3, 6, 3, 6, 3, & 9 mile runs); (3) Bike three times per week and improve to point where I am not dropped on weekly roadie group ride; (4) Redeem myself in the Dexter Ann Arbor Half Marathon through running a smart race; (5) Get back to Tri-ing with the Motor City Sprint Tri; (6) Complete my first Oly distance Tri; (7) Give a long hard thought to completing my first full marathon, (8) PR the Detroit Turkey Trot with a time less than 46:30.

Jenny,

I am interested in joining your group.  I am new to tri training and to BT, although not new to athletics.  I am learning the training log system.  I am in rural Montana and have limited options for mentorship other than online. 

My bio.  I am a 43 y.o., married, middle aged mama!  I have been involved in athletics (basketball, softball, running, biking, gym rat - yes, I am embarrased I did jazzercise in a leotard!) off and on most of my adult life, well, except for that 10 year stint when I had children, gained weight, lost motivation, got cranky, then pulled myself back up and laced up my sneakers ....  I have been back running and biking for the last 4 years.  I teach a spinning class 3X a week, but am just an amatuer at that.  I swam as a kid on a local swim team and then in college for exercise, but getting back in the pool this last month has been humbling to say the least!  I have to travel to another town for a lap pool so only get 2 workouts per week swimming. 

I am committed to training and finishing my first tri this summer.  I have been on relay teams in the past, but I always felt like I was skimping by not doing the whole race.  I have my eye on two sprints this summer in Montana and if all goes well, an Olympic in the fall in an exotic location - of course, most anywhere is exotic past Montana.

I have about 7-9 hours to train per week.  I train early in the morning and by myself mostly.  My kids and my husband support me, but sometimes I get the impression they are a little skeptical (maybe jealous) of the time and energy I spend on exercise.  I would like to lose the last 8-10 pounds that hold me back from being lean.  I am a driven person by nature so I know I will finish what I start, but I don't want to let myself down by not training with either the knowledge or intensity I know I can summon. 

Mainly, I am looking for a mentor group to hold me accountable, ask questions, cheer me on and discover what this tri thing is all about.

Janette 

Thanks for the group, Jenny!!

Let's get to work.

Thanks, Jenny. 

Hi, Group!

I'm Jeff aka Jeffnboise.  I'm from ....wait for it...Boise, ID.  49 yrs old, divorced, single father of 3.  (18-17-9).  Been doing the 'tri' thing for 4-5 yrs.  In fact, I was with Jenny in my FIRST BT Mentor Group.  Background is running, favorite is cycling, and I'm a crap-tastic swimmer (but I'm getting better).  I work for the Dept of Veterans Affairs to pay my bills and PT at a LBS to get my bike "fix".

I don't really have any A-B-C races.  Maybe some I enjoy more than others, but don't really do any different prep work for them.  My base training is pretty good; I'm always doing something.  But I'll miss a workout to have beers with friends, or scrap a scheduled workout to do something more 'fun'. 

I think I can contribute some assistance on bike maintenance issues and advice of keeping your life 'grounded'.  I like triathlons, but I like alot of other things, too.  When the fun stops-I'll stop.  However, as I approach the big Five-Oh, I would like to accomplish some bucket list items.  Half-IM, full Mary, and some AG finishes at the Olympic distances. 

I'm looking forward to meeting and working with you all.

I'm so excited!!

@Hunting Triathlete - I was going to say, there seems to be a rodent theme with your avatar and that pic you posted... any correlation? =)

In response to Jenny: I don't train with any gadgets. I would love to spring for a 910xt but I'm going to save that for a little down the road. My purchase for the year is going to be a wetsuit.

I think my limiter is my running. I have zero history in running and am trying to build a base by just running kms rather than focusing on speed/sprints etc. I'm also afraid to get injured from running though since we have no soft paths to run on - only concrete.

And no history of injury *touchwood*

Jenny asked:

1. Do you train with any gadgets (heart rate monitor, power meter, GPS, etc.)  Heart Rate monitor and GPS (Garmin 910XT), yes.  But I don't fixate on either or make sure I'm in certain zones.  I can typically tell from the effort level what my HR and Pace is.  If I want to run a Recovery Run, I know what that feels like and almost always come in within the right zone.

3. Do you feel you have a "limiter" for triathlon? What is it?  I'm no spring chicken anymore LOL.  Seriously though, I think the biking will take some significant work.  And though I can swim a mile no problem, I'm sure it is slow.  Technique is rusty no doubt.

4. Do you have any kind of injury history? I'm almost indestructible.  Really.  But my back does act up every now and again.  (An old back injury from my Teen years.

Bill

1. Garmin 305 Forerunner, w/ heart rate monitor, GPS, and bike sensor for speed and cadence (I use it mostly for recording workouts and reference purposes). 

3 & 4. Not really, but I have two bulging disk in my back which act up (corrected with stretching), and I think at times my cardio (breathing & heart rate) are still negatively affected by the years of smoking.  I believe that the latter would be corrected / improved if I would just stick to it and build a good solid base.

Yippee!  Great news on the mentor group. 

In answer to the questions:

1.  Gadgets.  I love my Polar HR monitor especially for biking.  I find that it especially stay on track with the pace I want to achieve for a particular ride.  It lets me know when I am slacking or even when I need to rethink my gears because I am pushing too hard.

2.  Next purchase Gadget.  I think I am going to splurge on the wetsuit.  Anything that will make my lower trunk more buoyant has to be helpful. 

3.  Limiters.  I have fear of open water swimming.  I saw Jaws way too young!  I love to catch fish, but I hate the idea of any tickling my toes.  In my mind I know fish will steer clear of anything thrashing in the water like me, but I think about it and start to hold my breath. 

4.  Injuries.  I struggle with achilles tendon soreness when I run without insoles.  In the winter in Montana, I am stuck with the treadmill for running and I find that the pounding can make my knees a little stiff.

Race Update:  With my newfound mentor group incentive, I officially signed up for a Montana race as part of a relay:  Peaks to Prairie - 9.3 mile run, 49 mile bike (ME!) and 23 mile river kayak.  I also convinced my husband (who is an exercise hater) to run a 5 K for a good cause on April 28.  I have another 5 mile running race before Mother's Day with my sisters and my mother. 

NAME: hgoudreau/Heather

STORY: I'm turning 33 tomorrow (yikes). I've been a runner since 2001 or so; I was a regular gym-goer who decided to hop on a treadmill one day, and just built up from there. I ran my first road race (a 5k) a year or so later, and have been racing (if you can call the speed I run at "racing") ever since.  I have run a number of 5 and 10ks, 3 half marathons, and I ran my first full marathon (the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco) last October.

Last January, on a whim, I registered for a sprint tri at the end of July. I trained for it, while also training for a half marathon (at the start of the training schedule) and my full marathon (at the end of the training schedule) and had a blast. I want to do more this year, and woud love to also get faster on the running side of things.

Now that I have run all the "standard" road race distances, I would love to go back to some of the shorter distances to get faster at them. I may run another full one day, but given how much time the training for that took, I'm not ready to do it again just yet.

FAMILY STATUS: Married. "Mom" to two large dogs (one is probably a catahoula/rotti cross - he tips the scale at 101lbs and runs at a 16min/mile pace; the other is a malinois - she weighs around 50lbs and runs much faster than me). We also foster rescue dogs and currently have an Australian Shepherd staying with us.

CURRENT TRAINING: Sporadic. I spent the winter running some, spinning some (although not very often), yoga-ing some, playing indoor soccer, and snowshoeing (at a hiking pace, not at a run - I haven't figured out how to run in my snowshoes yet; that may be a goal for next winter).

As of today, I'm training for a 10k race that I would love to do in late May. The race is sold out, but I'm working the internet trying to get a bib.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:  10k road race at the end of May (fingers crossed) that I would LOVE to PR; planning on two sprint tris in July (one is 10 minutes away from our house, the other is the race I did last year that I want to do to try to beat my time). I might also sign up for an Olympic distance in the late summer and maybe a half-marathon in late September.

I should also mention that I am an avid soccer player, so tend to try to work my games into training.  I usually play midfield for an 11 a-side team (and play where ever I'm needed on my 7a-side teams) so I do get a fair amount of running in during a game.  The only thing is that the speed is all over the map - sometimes it is a flat out sprint, which might be followed by some slower jogging or walking.

WEIGHTLOSS: Not a primary goal. Training tends to make this happen naturally.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I love training plans that require no thought on my part to follow. I always do my best to follow a plan once it is set (as in, I will run at 10pm, if necessary to get the mileage in). I'm open to trying new things and would love to get faster than I am.

1. Do you train with any gadgets?  Yes. I run with my ipod (but don't have to) and use a Garmin 305 for running and biking. It has a heart monitor, but I don't usually use it. If it would help my training, I can certainly start.
 
3. Do you feel you have a "limiter" for triathlon? What is it? My biking is REALLY slow. I don't have a road bike (I use a hybrid commuter bike), and may eventually (when I have the funds) buy a road bike, but that probably won't happen this summer.

4. Do you have any kind of injury history? Nothing recent. I had shin splints 4 or 5 years ago, but took a fall and winter (and half a summer) off running, and they healed. It was likely an issue caused by the wrong kind of running shoes. I have since found brands that fit me better and haven't had issues since. To help prevent a recurrence, I wear insoles in my soccer cleats (as they have NO padding), which seems to help.

1. Do you train with any gadgets (heart rate monitor, power meter, GPS, etc.) - I just received a Garmin 910xt about 1 month ago and love it (have foot pod and speed sensor as well).  I will try to include links for all workouts on my training page.  Also recently received my first wetsuit - DeSoto T1 Black Pearl but haven't had a chance to swim in it yet.  No power meter but train using power curve on my Kurt Kinetic Trainer.  I don't really train by HR but use it as a "guide".  In running I train more by pace and in cycling on the trainer by power.  I do have my 5 Friel zones mapped out and track HR data by zone.  I also use a Training Stress Score (TSS) to map long term and short term trends in training loads.

2. If you don't train with any gadgets, is that something you would like to explore? - N/A

3. Do you feel you have a "limiter" for triathlon? What is it? - Swimming - Swimming - Swimming

4. Do you have any kind of injury history? - Some running related issues.  Some recurring tendinitis of the right patella seems to be the most frequent. I've gotten a bit better in the last yeat listening to my body.  I ice things as necessary and occasionally take ibuprofen.