HILDEBEAST'S Mentor Group, CLOSED!

I'm in!

NAME: Hoffsquared/Melanie

STORY:  Rediscovered my "inner athlete" at the age of 43 (now age 51).  Started running, getting fit, and then 3 years ago discovered the sport of triathlon.  Fell in love with training for three different sports and racing!  I am still setting PRs every year and get on the podium every now and again.  Swimming and running are my strengths.  Although I commute by bike every day to work with 18 miles roundtrip - cycling is my weak point.  I love race days and being around people with the same frame of mind --- being healthly, getting outside, and challenging oneself.

FAMILY STATUS: Married for 28 years, 1 soon to be college graduate, 1 still in high school, and one very old, very deaf dog.  I am an environmental professional.  I live in Northern Virginia (inside the Beltway as they say).

CURRENT TRAINING PLANS: Focus on leg strength and endurance for the bike.  Keep my run up to snuff.  Put up with the swimming.  This works out to:  2 days swimming, 3 days running, 5-6 days biking, 1 day strength, with some stretching and yoga thrown in.  I'm trying to use 10 minutes each morning while the coffee is brewing to do some strength work.  

2013 RACES: My 2013 races so far are Wash DC RocknRoll 1/2 marathon, Columbia Triathlon, Iron Girl Columbia (with my daughters), Nation's Triathlon, Dogfish Dash 10K, and MCM.  I'm looking to move up a few placements in each this year.

Season Goals:  Less than 8:00 min/mile pace @ Dogfish Dash, 20 mph bike portion during race, no breastroke during swim!

WEIGHTLOSS:  I think my race weight is about 11 lbs less than where I am now.  But I look really skinny in the face at that point so the target might be 8 lbs less.

I am looking forward to a great year.  

NAME: soccermom15 - Janet

STORY: 48 years old - never much of an athlete growing up and even less of one in my 20's and 30's.  Played a little rec softball and tried indoor soccer but not very good at either one.  Finally decided in my early 40's that I needed to do something.  I volunteered at a local tri and saw a lot of "normal" people participating so thought I'd like to give it a try some day.  I knew how to swim and ride a bike so decided to start with the running since that was something I couldn't do.  Did my first 5k a couple of months later.  I was slow but finished.  After a couple of years of just running, I did my first tri in May of 2009.  I've done a couple of sprints since then and would like to do an Oly eventually.

FAMILY STATUS: Married for 22+ years, 2 kids - 22 & 18.

CURRENT TRAINING: Kind of starting over at this point.  I had surgery on my shoulder 6 weeks ago and have just gotten the OK to start training again.  I was walking but no running, swimming or biking.  Hoping the running will come back pretty easily.  Did my first swim since August this week and it's going to be a slow comeback there.  Biking has always been my limiter so not sure how that will go but hoping to put in some good time on the trainer this winter.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Besides some running races, I attempted 2 sprints this year.  DNF'd on both .  Woke up sick the day of the spring race and only made it halfway through the bike before I had to stop.  The fall race I was unprepared for the hills on the bike route and my shoulder was not working properly so the swim didn't go so well.

2013 RACES:  Gateway sprint in May and hopefully another sprint in the fall.  Not sure which I'll end up doing - have several choices so we'll see how training goes before I decide.  Also some running races - 2 15k trail races in Feb and some 5k's this spring.

WEIGHTLOSS: I gained about 5# while recovering from surgery so would like to lose that at least.

I'm in as well.

Name: apglave/Page

Story: I've been involved with sports my whole life.  Between grad school (ironically studying exercise science), marriage, and the first of 2 babies, I got ridiculously out of shape.  Started to get things back in order when I finally graduated and got my "big girl" job.  Then came baby #2.  Hoped to do a sprint last year, but decided to wait until we figure out how to handle 2 kids (3 and 9 months).  I think we've got it figured out as much as we can, so I'm planning a sprint for next fall.  

Family: Married 5.5 years, 2 boys (3 and 9 months)

Current training: Almost all biking at the moment as leaving the house is a challenge.  Plan on starting 1 run a week this week.  Swimming will have to wait until the pool at work opens.

Weight loss: I hope to drop about 25 lbs in the next 5 months.  Then I'll determine how I feel about endurance sports at that weight (155).  I've found a performance drop off under that point for my previous sports - I'm built like a linebacker. 

2013 Races: Not sure, but probably the Houston Oaks Tru Tri Sports sprint in September.  1 race a year will probably be my limit for a while.

Welcome Janet and Page!  I am loving the bios, really giving me some insight as to where you are and where you want to be.  I know it is hard to train consistently when you have little kids at home! 

Once the group is closed I will give you all a list of our members that you can post on your Dashboard or so that you can load everyone as a friend!

Looking forward to this group!

My day did not start off great but has ended nicely.

Didn't sleep very well and my plans to do 10 minutes of strength exercises while morning coffee was brewing fizzled out due to general grumpiness.  Rest of the day was so so until trip to orthodontist to get daughter's braces off.  Her smile is so beautiful!  Then I turned grumpy again.

A vanilla chai helped turned things around.  Then my new goggles arrived!

I now have a pair of Aqua Sphere Eagle interchangeable optics goggles.  Prescription goggles essentially.  I am very excited to try them out this week!  Even more than that to try them in a race.  No more trying to figure out which colored shape on the horizon is the actually buoy I'm supposed to swim towards!

Seriously, I think this will help my swim immensely.  Maybe not improve time so much but just make feel more comfortable being able to see with some clarity beyond a few yards.  

So tomorrow I hope to get the morning coffee brewing 10 minutes of strength exercises in.  

Hi Janet,

Whereabouts are you in Missouri?  I went to school at SMS (now Missouri State) in Springfield.

Love the state.

Page

I had a similar day :-(

Sick baby means not a lot of sleep.  And sick everyone else makes for a grumpy house.  I did at least get a short playground workout with the 3 year old followed by a quick weight workout.  

I would have liked to make up for the workout I missed yesterday because I thought I needed to rest, but trying to be good on my normal rest day.

I can't imagine doing an OWS with that much limited vision.  I bet it will help a lot.

I am SO in and ready for a new season!

NAME: Alex (short for Alexandra)

STORY:  Hi everyone-- I'm Alex, and I'm one of Hilde's devotees, back for my third year in her mentor group, fourth season in triathlon. I swam and skated a lot as a kid, but was never involved in any sports beyond that except for the high school badminton team. Got considerably out of shape through undergrad and most of grad school, then lost 45 pounds or so in my final year of grad school (stress plus better eating and exercise will do that!). Discovered triathlon 4 seasons ago more or less by chance, and have been loving it ever since, even despite injuries and setbacks along the way...Hilde will tell you: I will NOT let things stop me. I'm on sabbatical for the spring semester, so can spend a bit of extra time on training without losing too much sleep, too. After a season of firsts in 2012, I'm looking forward to seeing what 2013 will bring!

FAMILY STATUS:  Single, living just outside Chicago, IL at the moment-- I grew up in Canada.

CURRENT TRAINING:  Just started my training for 2013, so have scheduled things to get me ready for a late spring marathon on my way to a half-Iron in July and a full IM in early September. I'm also going to try to fit in three CrossFit sessions a week to work on strength and general conditioning, as those are aspects of my training I neglected last year.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:  As I said, 2012 was a year of firsts: first full marathon (Ottawa), first half-Ironman (Antwerp), and first full Ironman (Esprit Montreal). Finished them all, smiling and uninjured, just as I'd planned! Also did two half-marathons to bracket the season and a sprint tri shortly before the IM to practice nutrition and transitions under race conditions.

2013 RACES:  Back for more: I've already signed up for the Ottawa marathon again, then IM 70.3 Racine (hills on the bike course!), finishing up with the Esprit Montreal Ironman in September. May well fit in an Oly and a half-marathon somewhere early in the season to see how things are going and just for fun, but we'll see-- my travel schedule this year is a bit up in the air still.

WEIGHTLOSS: I'm probably about 15 pounds heavier than my ideal racing weight, so that's certainly a goal of mine along the way. Eating wisely and doing more interval and strength work will help with that, I hope!

After 2 seasons under Hilde's command guidance, I can honestly say she is the BEST! We all work hard, have fun, and cheer each other on like crazy! Come on in, the water's fine-- with or without a wetsuit...

Welcome Shad and Jack(?)!  And of course our resident Canadian, Alex!  Love the bios, and sooo many future Ironmen!!  Makes me feel a bit like a weenie, it's not even on my bucket list.  I think we'll take a few more in the group before we close 'er down and get to work!!

This is the place to reach out to the group, ask questions about pretty much anything, we're not embarassed easily over here!  Successes, motivational needs, whatever, post here.  And as we get ready to really get down to the nitty gritty, go train like a Beast!

Got the 10 minute exercise while coffee brewing in! Yeah. Also got a good nights sleep.

I kind of like thinking like a BEAST! Will have to come up with some sort of mantra along these lines to keep me going when the going gets tough.

Jack flash - I had PF a few years back. Good luck getting through it. I'm always on the lookout for little signs of its return so I can take needed rest. I am a diehard 'barefoot in the house' person ever since full recovery.

A welcome also to Joe, one of my "old" timers, just kidding Joe!  He's been with me awhile and we banter back and forth as old people are wont to do, ha ha!

Page... can you set your log page to be viewed by everyone, or add me as a friend?  I can't see it unless I'm listed as a friend.  Thanks!!  No fair keeping your logs secret, I can't nag what I can't see!

NAME: Joe (short for Joseph which my Mom called me at very inopportune times)

STORY:  I am Joe, and this is the 3^rd or 4^th year with this crazy group. I have been running, biking, swimming, playing tennis for a very long time

FAMILY STATUS:  Married, living just near Madison, WI and I grew up in Madison, WI.

CURRENT TRAINING:  Trying to figure out what exactly what training I need to do based upon what races I decide to do for 2013. I'm going to try to compete in a couple runs and maybe a Oly or a 1/2 IM this year we’ll see…time and training will tell.

 
THIS YEAR'S RACES:  I'm going to try to compete in a couple runs and maybe an Oly and/or a 1/2 IM this year we’ll see…will run a 20K and maybe a 20 miler run in early spring.

WEIGHTLOSS: The holidays did me in so some obvious work to do—not worried will get ‘er done.

Hilde's OK actually a card. But one thing for sure she goes after her exercising pretty much every day. Along with checking in as to how everyone is doing and that you are doing. Brutal commander!!