Ernesto's group (5th season) - OPEN

Hey Ernesto, I would like in.

NAME: username: JBacarella/ first name: Jim

STORY: I ran when I was young, but for fun and stress release, I had never raced until I was 43 years old. My wife and I moved to a small town, started a business and a family. I was Fat and Happy!

  When I was 39, I had one of those tell all physicals. I was 30 lbs overweight, had high blood pressure, and when the nurse called to tell me my test results, everything that was supposed to be high was low and everything that was supposed to be low was high. I got frustrated and said was anything normal, she said yes your Cholesterol. I asked what it was she said 199, bad is 200. I went on a weight loss plan, but knowing how I am, I created my "don't eat like a pig" diet. Its ok to eat pizza but not half a pizza. I also started walking. I lost 30 lbs but grew bored, and started looking for a sport. I tried softball, but the local men's league is just an excuse to drink beer while people throw balls at you, not a lot of sport.

   Our town hosts a triathlon, and as we were driving through it I had flashes of Dave Scott and Mark Allen, and turned to my wife and declared I want to do that next year. She said ok ( heavy dose of disbelief included). Then I asked her, will you teach me how to swim? That was 4 years ago.

   Now I am in good physical condition, even during my slow training periods and higher weights. I also act as the liaison for our local triathlon, basically making sure the city, businesses and company that owns the event are on the same page. 

FAMILY STATUS: I have been married almost 20 years, my wife is very supportive of most of my hair brained ideas. We have 4 children, 3 girls and a boy. They are aged 18,16,14 and 12. My 16 year old daughter has competed in a couple of Sprint tri's taking second in both, and my youngest daughter and son have done kids tri's. All four of my children run 5 k's with me.

CURRENT TRAINING: I have been focusing more on running prepping for a marathon on May 19th. The bulk of my training is during lunch. My job allows me to go in early, and take extra time at lunch. I have worked out in the morning, but hate it, and evenings are filled with kids activities. I also spent a lot of my winter on the bike trainer and treadmill. Swimming is my weak spot. I live in a resort town on Lake Huron in Northern MI, we have no public pool readily available. A neighboring school district has a pool, but it is open sporadically. I do most of my swims in open water between the end of May (when the water temp hits a balmy 50 F) and mid-September. I have no problem with cold or rough water, I just swim like a barge. I plan running 1,000 + miles this year and 3000 on the bike. My goal is IMAZ in 2014.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Witchy Wolf Trail run, a couple of 5k's, The Great Lakes Bay Marathon, Tawas HIM, maybe Beatles on the Bay HIM. Klondike 10K. Black Bear and Maybe the Iron Cheese race.

2012 RACES: 3 5k, a 10K and a 15 mile trail race the Qualifier marathon. Tawas HIM 6:15 (first HIM)

FUTURE RACES: IMAZ 2014.

WEIGHTLOSS: I must remain vigilant, currently 5'9" 174, I want to get down to 168, I would like to weigh 160 for my HIM. I have reinstituted the "Don't Eat Like a Pig" Diet.

WHY I'M A GOOD MENTEE: This past year in Ernesto's group has been great for me. I finished my first HIM, had three podiums, 2 second place finishes in 5 K races and I won a 10 K with a very small field. 

 I have more than doubled my run mileage without injury, added almost 700 miles on the bike and have 5x the swim distance over 2011. I attribute that in part to my involvement with Ernesto's group. I have learned a lot, love the camaraderie and motivation, I have gotten from this group and Ernesto's leadership. I want to build on what I did in 2012. I listen, take advice and criticism, and love the sport.

Ernesto - I would like to join your group again as well.

Name: Mitch / Username: Trisuppo

Story: I'm at the point that I'm losing track of how many seasons i've been hanging with Ernesto's group.... Like everyone else - I am busy. Between a wife, three girls (ages 14, 10 & 3), 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 6 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 trying to embrace the swim and that is one of my challenges.

With the little one at home, the last few years have been tough from a training and racing perspective. This past year i started to listen to Ernesto and my body and trained a lot smarter. I PR'd an early season HM, was on my way to PRing a 2nd HM in June and ended up with a stress fracture. i spent the summer doing some swimming and biking and started to rehab my leg in August. i ran a sprint tri in Sept, my first tri since 2009. I really live 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 and increase my overall fitness.

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.  With the advent of Spring I am getting outside for runs more often and looking forward to cycling outside on the weekends.

CURRENT TRAINING: I have been working on consistency in all three disciplines. I have been swimming more regularly, have been biking 3 to 4 times per week (indoor training) and recently  followed a Hanson's HM plan calling for 6 runs per week. I am currently following a Mat Fitzgerald HIM plan for an early Sept HIM.  I haven't signed up yet, wanting to see how the training goes with a busy summer.  The plan call for 3 swims, 4 bikes and 4 runs per week (one of the bikes and runs as a brick).

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Martian Half Marathon (Mid April), Tawas HIM (early Sept), Detroit HM (Oct), Turkey Trot 10k (Thanksgiving)

WEIGHTLOSS: In early 2007 I weighed in around 183 (5'9"). My weight was in the low to mid 160's for the last few months but recently started using the myfitnesspal app on my smartphone to track my food intake.  By doing that and being discliplined I've lost 6 pounds in the last 5 weeks and am at 158 currently.  Would like to get to at least 155 and see how I feel and then go from there.  No idea what race weight would be approrpiate but would love to see what biking and running is like in the low 150's.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I've learned 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. Ernesto and this group have become that additional brain for me and I am very thankful for that. I hope to continue to listen and improve my training so that I can accomplish my goals.

2013 GOALS: (1) Achieve consistency in training for Swim, Bike and Run; (2) Swim 3 times per week; (3) run healthy; (4) Bike four times per week; (5)Complete my first HIM; (6) PR the Detroit HM - goal time 1:40; (7) PR the Detroit Turkey Trot with a time less than 46:30.

Sounds great, Ernesto! I'd love in!

I'll get my bio a little later. I'm at work and don't have the time right now...=)

- Joel

Hey Ernesto, I'm in again!

NAME: username: flyingpenguin/first name: Jordan

STORY: 20 and fresh out of my Junior year of college. Had to stop playing collegiate football last year, looking to fill the athletic void it's created in my life. Currently also in the Army, figured that this kind of varied aerobic fitness would be better suited (and more fun) in the long run. Working to get better every day.

FAMILY STATUS: Part of a family of 5, doing triathlons with my dad, who has started racing as his "i'm not old yet" challenge. Generally healthy and active, I have no problems getting involved or staying involved and my family is completely supportive of my racing. Girlfriend is supportive too, but would rather I spend money on her or something "more useful" than "a super expensive bike", but I guess I could understand that.

CURRENT TRAINING: Currently more on "maintenance" than killing it, but honestly I could use a bit more motivation as i've hit that "what next" phase of training after getting a couple races under my belt. I'm looking to stretch out to Olympic Distance now (planning two Olympic races in August) so I could use a solid plan that fits that from a comfortable sprint distance i'm at now. 

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Chicago Triathlon (Olympic Distance), TriIndy Triathlon (Olympic Distance), Carmel Sprint Triathlon (Sprint, already completed), Olivet Indoor Sprint Triathlon (Sprint, already completed)

2012 RACES: None

FUTURE RACES: 2014 IM Steelhead 70.3 OR Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3, various oly.

WEIGHTLOSS: I'm 5'9, 180. I'm around where I need to be, but if i'm not careful I can slip. Fortunately being 20 and athletic means I can generally lose what I need to with hard work and some smart eating.

WHY I'M A GOOD MENTEE: I love being a triathlete. I'm someone who looks for a challenge, and this challenges me in not just one, but three different skillsets. I've had years of athletic training and I know what it means to put hard work in towards a goal. I'm a goal-oriented, forward seeking person who's always looking for the next big challenge. I'm a listener and learner, and respect the opinions of everyone in the group, you guys have a lot of combined experience under the belt. I've made great progress since January, and i'll only keep getting better. 

Ernesto, I will like to continue with you if you will have me. This will be my 4th go around with this group. I started as a complete Tri newbie in January 2012, and I now I still consider myself a Tri newbie (with 5 races under my belt).

NAME: username: Samyg / first name: Samy

STORY: Born and raised in Venezuela; came to the States for college and have been living in South Florida for the past 10 years.  I am 44 yrs old, which means next year I will be going up in age group to the 45-49 yrs old. Did my first tri (Sprint) in February and finished my first season in November with my first Oly (total 4 sprints and 1 Oly). And I did my first HM in February 17

FAMILY STATUS: Married to a beautiful Jersey Girl (one of the classy ones). Two kids (4 yr old and 2 yr old).

CURRENT TRAINING: Due to family, most of my training takes place at 5:00 am. The past year I did 2 runs/bike/swim per week, concentrating on building my base, with little or no speed training. This year I will try to add a 3rd bike and a 3rd run to my schedule, and start doing some speed training (specially on the run).

After a first year free on injuries, I seem to have hit the injury bug this season. Had a hip flexor thing that I am getting over, but now I have a recurrent shoulder issue that's keeping me dry. This have made me review my goals for the year, and maybe could affect my race schedule.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: I plan to split my races between Olympic and sprints distances. Done so far: Feb 17- Ft. Lauderdale half marathon (my first HM). and April 14-FAU sprint. Planned: June 1-Motivation Man Olympic, September 24-Miami Escape Olympic (A race). I also plan to throw a couple of sprints here and there to keep it interesting. And my second HM at the beginning of 2014.

WEIGHTLOSS: 6'3" @ 190 lbs. I lost about 15 lbs since the tri journey began, with no change in diet. Lately I have gaines 8-10 lbs, so would like to get back to 190.

Hello Ernesto and friends!

Ernesto, you have been a great coach and buddy and it will be awesome to be able to count with your support and valuable insights again in 2013!

NAME: username: sirgab/first name: Gabriel

STORY: I'm from Guatemala.  After living for over 13 years abroad (2 in Chicago getting my MBA and the rest in SF/Bay Area and Pasadena, CA; where I enjoyed great road and mtn bike riding), I'm now back in Guatemala City.  After being totally sedentary and somewhat overweight for several years I did my first sprint triathlon 2 years ago and became hooked immediately.  So my plan is to keep active with triathlons and seek to improve my time/endurance at the different distances, while staying healthy and injury free.

FAMILY STATUS: I'm married to a lovely Guatemalan woman (Estefania) and the proud father of two beautiful girls and now a 9 onth old boy (Gabe Jr)

CURRENT TRAINING: Just ran my 2nd marathon 2 weeks ago in Antwerp which I was able to finish in under 4 hrs (3:45). Now my main goals for 2013 are to complete my 2nd Ironman (IM Cozumel on Dec. 1) and improve my time by targeting a finish in under 12 hours.  I will also compete in the Vineman 1/2 IM tri in Northern California on July.  Additionally, I plan to compete in a number of Oly and 1/2 IM distance tris, along with other running races. 

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Vineman 70.3 triathlon (July 14), Guatemala City 1/2 Marathon (August), Ironmaya 70.3 tri (Sept), Ironman Cozumel (Dec 1)

2012 RACES: Ironman Texas (my 1st one, finished in 12:44) Ironmaya 70.3 (5:41) 

WEIGHTLOSS: I'm 5'10, and currently 155 lbs which is as low as I have been since High School. Ideal racing weight for my recent marathon, but now looking at adding a little more weight/muscle mass.  I've lost 20 lbs since I started training 2 years ago.

WHY I'M A GOOD MENTEE: I'm now passionate about triathlons and all of the benefits that come with a balanced lifestyle.  I also enjoy all of the great people I have met throughout the sport and through BT.  Realizing that one is always learning, I'm looking to improve the structure/effectiveness of my trainings, as well as sharing good stories, recommendations and support messages with other on this group.

Cheers,

Gabriel

Hi Ernesto and Team - it wouldn't be the same training for my first HIM without this group - would love to be back again!

NAME: username: markhodges1973/ first name: mark

STORY: I wasn’t really into sports as a kid. Coming from the UK there wasn’t much pressure to be involved either at school
or socially. During College and my single life, sport was an excuse to drink beer from the comfort of a Pub. Come my thirties I thought keeping fit meant running after my growing children. After moving to the US with work I went to watch a College friend who was travelling the USA participating in ‘Triathlons’ – as you all know I had a reality check and was hooked as a spectator. I spent the next two years ‘researching’ triathlon and started with a couch-running program, then added in swimming and finally biking. This culminated in 2012 being my first year as an official Triathlete!

FAMILY STATUS: Married to Karen for 10 yrs. Have two girls, Chloe (14) and Libby (9) and Cockapoo, Molly.

CURRENT TRAINING: I am currently following the Time Crunch Triathlete program for Olympic distance. Come June 10^th
I start my free BT HIM plan and already SO excited! I need to focus more on OWS rather than just pool. Also converted to the MAF method of running and surprised to see the results, so will continue to run at these laboriously slow paces :-)

THIS YEAR'S RACES: One sprint completed; my first Olympic is in four weeks. I will likely participate in another oly and
sprint (all OWS) before the HIM in October.

2012 RACES: 1 x indoor sprint; 3 x outdoor sprints.

WEIGHTLOSS: I was 210lbs when I started researching, now at 170lbs which seems to be my ideal weight. I recently
changed to a paleo type diet which seems to be good for me right now – I sometime dip under 170 but quickly bounce back.

GOALS for 2013: Have fun! Injury prevention (weight training, warm up/down, dynamic stretching –focus on hips); improve
nutrition; train more consistently; increase race distance to Olympic and finish year on HIM.

NAME:  Joel (The Chupacabra. Beware....)

STORY: Currently in my late 20's and finished up my first tri season last year. I ran track and played soccer in high school and before. I've kept my love for running. I haven't really had a break from running longer than 3 months. I never made a big splash in high school. I was always front of the middle, but never the front. Last year I started training and competing with a little more seriousness and thought. I ran a mini Xterra last year and a full Xterra last year. Working out has been my stress relief since I started a new job (teacher!!) and graduate school (just finished). I've got my sights set on increasing performance and working towards the front of some races. I wasn't too serious about running until I realized that I wasn't too bad at it and went for it. I enjoy tri training because of the variety. I've recently started looking and exploring the effects that nutrition have on my performance. It's big! I ran a HM in March at 1:28:13 and I think I can do better. My marathon was 3:21:45 and I KNOW I can do better. I want to BQ before I'm 30. Tri goals: top 2 in my age group by the end of this season and top 10 overall. I have some work to do....

FAMILY: Not married. Long time girlfriend who has come to understand the demands of training and what it means. My students are my children.

CURRENT TRAINING: Just finished my first marathon a week ago, so I took it easy this week, but I shoot for 6-7 hours. That will go up over the summer.

RACES: 5k here and there. Maybe a sprint at the end of July. 3-4 Xterras through the summer with a final tri of Xterra EPIC Marquette. Maybe a marathon in late fall or early winter. I finished my first a week ago, and I know I can do better.

WEIGHTLOSS: No weightloss goals. I'm currently holding between 143-145 and at 5'10", I think I'm doing well. I don't think losing much weight would be beneficial to my overall fitness.

GOALS: I want to be more competitive. That means a better swim and overall fitness. I have a good run base right now and will continue that.

Looking forward to this everyone!

Name: Joe; username:Joepetto 

Story:  I am age 44 and 2013 will be my fourth year in triathlon.  I got into the sport after I stopped feeling sorry for myself about turning 40 and not being very happy with my professional situation (attorney).  I needed a kick in the rear so I went out and bought a road bike for my birthday.  Turned out that I loved it and dropped 10 pounds very quickly.  I then started to run and my wife an avid swimmer encouraged me to do a tri.  Having no swim background and what I learned was a true swim phobia (developed after a near drowning experience at age 5) I forced myself to learn swim following the Total Immersion program. On the way to training for my first try I tore my medial meniscus on St. Patty's day and had the knee scoped.  After 3 months of rehab, I finished my first race and was hooked.  Year 1 finished with an Oly and a half marathon.  Year 2 was about taking on new challenges.  I completed the Eagleman HIM in June and finished my first full mary in November.

In 2012, I far exceeded my goals based upon the support of this group.  PR'd every race I ran; took 29' of my HIM, 20' of my marathon, finished top 10 AG in sprint and 2nd OA in a 5K.

I have had a mild form of ulcerative colitis since my 20s and have kept it under control with meds.  Besides causing the lining of the colon to bleed, colitis causes all kinds of GI issues and makes the absorption of nutrition more difficult.  As of late, I'm fighting a bunch of nondescript health issues.  The neurology bad stuff is off the table and am fighting what looks like a possible endocrinology issue - diabetes or parathyroidism.  

Family: Married 15 years to my best friend and two great girls - ages 9 and 12.  I'm in big trouble when they become teenagers.  They are amazingly supportive and nothing is better than seeing them at the finish line or in transition.  

Current Training: In the midst of my HIM plan.  One more build, a recovery and then two weeks of peak. Will spend the summer enjoying and readying myself for a BQ.

2013 Races: Rev3 Williamsburg 70.3 (June),  Rock N Roll Philly, Philadelphia Marathon, assorted road races (5K, 10K, 10 miler), and a couple of tris (or not).

Weight Loss:  When I started the journey I weighed 183 (am 5' 9").  I'm down to about 154in the offseason and need to keep weight on.

What Makes Me a Good Mentee: I take coaching and criticism very well and am always willing to learn.  I'm also a typical type A personality that always wants to push myself harder and expect more from myself.  Despite my type A personality, I am extremely self deprecating and don't take myself that seriously - ultimately, it is about having fun!

2013 Goals:  Get faster as I finish the final year in my AG.   Specific goals: BQ marathon at 3:25, 5K under 20:00, HM run under 1:32 all while staying healthy.   

NAME: username: davidfedez / first name: David

STORY: I am a 29 year old male originally from Spain where I lived until I was 22-23 years old and moved to the US. I lived in Austin, TX and now I live in Miami, FL. Before moving here, I always mountain biked and I also played pro Team Handball until I got a career ending knee injury when I was 18 years old. I played at an amateur level after that. So I can say that I was always very active and in shape, although I never trained specifically for endurance sports.

When I moved here I stopped doing sport for a few years (except for playing soccer on Saturdays with my friends) due to a crazy business schedule and the lack of team handball opportunities in the States. Last year I decided that I wanted to be back in shape and I trained for my first Sprint Tri, I loved it and wanted more!

FAMILY STATUS: Married since August last year to my awesome wife, who is very supportive.

CURRENT TRAINING: Since I had a very bad knee injury, I am working out without increasing volume and/or intensity drastically. I have been consistently training for 4/5 hours per week during the last couple of months and now I am just starting to increase my volume up to 7/8 hours per week.

Since February, I've been focusing on swimming and running, my two biggest limiters. I have been neglecting the bike as I think is my strongest sport due to years of mountain biking. However, starting in May, I started to combine all three sports in a more balanced way (swim 3 x week, bike 3 x week, run 3-4 x week). Always stopping or not doing a work out if I feel pain in my knee.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:

   - Completed: 5k, 2 Sprint, and 1 International.

   - Pending: 1 Sprint and 1 Olympic to come before my biggest race of the year: HIM Miami in November

2012 RACES: 5k and 1 Sprint

WEIGHTLOSS: I am 5'11" and last year I was around 180 pounds. When I started training more seriously (since mid January) I was 169 and 17.8% body fat. Now I am at 161-162 pounds and 12.5-13% body fat. I was able to do this not only because I started training, but also due to following my sister's recommendations (she is a nutritionist for top athletes in Spain). Therefore, my focus is not to lose weight, since I have been already working on it. I would actually like to gain a little bit of muscle instead.

GOALS for 2013:

    a. Finish a HIM in November

    b. Keep improving my ranking in my age group in Sprint and Olympic distance races (Currently my best result is a 7th place)

    c. Build an aerobic base. Never did endurance training, so I need to work on this, even though it is the only think I do all year.

    d. Swim: Finish in the top 35% swimmers for my age group (currently 55-60%)

    e. Run: 5k Sprint tris run under 22 min and 10k Olympic tris run under 45 min

Hi Ernesto

I would love to be a part of your group and learn from you for my first sprint triathlon 

I will post my bio tomorrow morning. 

Akshat

To all the above, you are in the group (old and new). I just got back from a ride (last one before my upcoming Ironman next week) and I won't be able to write individual responses until a little later in the day. I promise I will, same as always.

Welcome to the new season!

E

Lets see if I can make the cut off this time. Procrastinated to long for the January group.

NAME: username:CWard/ first name: Chris

STORY:  I am 45 years old, and a retired Naval Chief Petty Officer. As with anyone in the military, exercise was a way of life, 3 days a week. But after retiring, I took time off and now realize I need to change my habits. In high school, I was a runner, mainly track and the 800's but even as I went into the military, I always prided myself into doing well in the 1 1/2 mile fitness tests and could still do it in 12 mins at 38 as I retired.

Why Triathlons? That is where my father comes in. He is 70+ and has been doing triathlons for several years now. He does the Sprint Distance, and has been going strong. He placed 5th or 7th in New Zealand for his age group, and is returning to Worlds this year in London. He is a great inspiration, even after having a bike accident and break several ribs and collarbone two - three years ago, and can still do as well as he does.

Thus, my quest has started last summer as I did minor trainings on my own, and then got involved with the WSU Triathlon Club at school. This allowed my to be a little more accountable for my training, and learning how to manage that with trying to do graduate school.

FAMILY STATUS: I am married for the past 6 year to a wonderful woman. She has got very dedicated in losing weight and has done a great job so far and lost around 50 pounds. I have no children of my own.

CURRENT TRAINING: I have been using a coach that we have in WSU Triathlon Club, and she has been keeping my on a good pace for my Sprints. She does say though, she will get me up to Olympic distance.

Alot of my focus lately has been the swimming since I really hadn't swam since I was in the Navy, but I feel that that has gotten better since the start of the year. At least a lot more confident that I can complete a mile swim non stop.

At the moment I am using a mountain bike, that my father used when he started Tri's, but like I say to my students, you got to start somewhere in your goals. My goal for next season, as long as everything falls into place and I enjoy the sport, will be to purchase a road/tri bike next year for my birthday.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Campus on the Run 5k, Moses Lake Sprint, Palouse Sprint

2012 RACES: None

FUTURE RACES: Uncertain.

WEIGHTLOSS: I am 5'11 and hang around 200 lbs. I know when I was in the military, I was at 170'ish and maintained that quite well with all the fitness and work I had to do on ships with all the ladders I climbed for work. Goal would be to get maybe back to the 180's.

WHY I'M A GOOD MENTEE: In education, I adapted a Latin proverb that was at my undergraduate school: By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn. I carry this over to most things I do now. I know there are those that know alot more than I do in the sport. Everyone learns differently, and sometimes even though two people may be trying to convey the same idea, the way they present it is totally different and one might resonate with me better than someones else. But I also want to be able to provide information too as I grow with knowledge and give back to a community. We only grow stronger by coming together.

2013 GOALS: (1) To finish my first ever sprint. (2) To just enjoy myself.

Beautiful day out today on the Palouse. Summer time is surly here as WSU commencement was last weekend and UofI's is this weekend. Time for the area to become peaceful.

2 hour / 28.5 mile ride working within heart rate zones for certain intervals.