PirateGirl's Group - FULL

Welcome to the group, Rae! Always nice to meet a fellow engineer, and a dog lover too!

I hear ya on the running part. I am not a fast runner at all. But I'm working on it. Last year at the SOMA half Ironman I walked the ENTIRE run portion of the event. This year I went back and ran all the way to mile 9 before a cramp set in, but running that far helped to take an hour off of my previous time. I think we all have those races that we like to go back the next year and get revenge on.

I just joined up with Master's swimming too. It's keeping me motivated to swim during these colder months. Last year I didn't swim at all during the winter, and it bit me hard when I got back in the pool in Feb. So I'm going to try to stick with Master's 3x per week for the next few months.

Have you checked out the Spinervals DVDs? I've been using those for trainer rides and they are EXCELLENT! When I was shopping for a trainer people would say "Oh I hate the trainer....all I do is stare at the wall." I think it's because they didn't have a goal other than to spin for a certain amount of time. But Spinervals is a focused workout, and Coach Troy tells you everything you need to do. I've only been using them for a few weeks, but I'm really impressed. It's nice to have a structured workout with a focus on what to do.

So do you have an Oly you've been eyeing on the horizon for possibly doing this summer? You've got lots of time to prepare, and with the help of the group here we'll do everything to help you get there!

Hi Pam! Welcome aboard!

Wow...college and keeping up with the training...you are one busy gal! It's cool that you keep active while in school. But you've got a great advantage of getting into this sport while you're so young.

I'll share any lessons I learn with ya as I train for IMAZ, and maybe that will help as you think about IMWI for '08. I'm quickly finding out how much focus and time management you have to have while training for an event like this, especially if you work full time or have other obligations that take up the majority of your time. But some mornings it means getting up at 4AM to be on the trainer to be done and into work by 7. Hey, if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. Thankfully this will all be over with by April.

We'll do everything we can to keep ya motivated. I'm hoping this group will become a virtual workout group where we keep updated on each other and motivate/advise each other as needed. I can't tell you all how happy I am that this is starting to take off!

I would like to join this group, as well, if I may!

I've been on BT for a long time, but I really have a hard time staying motivated and need more support and accountability. Here are my stats:

Family: Living with my BF for 3 years, no kids, 1 dog, 2 cats. The BF is not a triathlete and is unsupportive about it about half the time (which is another hurdle).

How I Train: First, I spend a lot of time figuring how to get OUT of training :-). Other than that, I always have a plan. If I don't have something on the calendar that says "Tuesday--60 minute spin, 15 minute T-run" nothing will happen. Right now I'm with Team in Training so I use their plan but I don't go to group workouts much.

I have done two sprints, I have a half in May and am going to IMC in August. I am always BOP and am incredibly uncomfortable in the water.

Weigh loss goals: My weight isn't bad. I wouldn't mind being 135 (I'm 143 right now, at 5' 9" but my body fat percentage is HUGE. I do not exaggerate, I have a ridiculous body fat percentage so it is my goal to try and burn thru that without eating skinless chicken and plain broccoli for the rest of my life.

Other: I travel a lot for work which makes it really easy to miss a lot of workouts. Also, besides my Ironteam friends, and I do'nt see them often, I have no other companions in the sport so I could use a smaller group here on BT to communicate (and commiserate) with.

Thanks for doing this! BT.com is amazing and this is just another element that rocks.

--leslie

Hi Leslie! We're glad to have you in the group!

Sorry to hear about the BF being unsupportive. But that's why we're all here, to help with that support. I'm sure it makes it tough, but hopefully it will improve over time.

I'm sure frequent travel for work makes the training tough. I rarely have to travel for work, but when I do it always messes up the training plan. I almost can never find a pool that would work for lap swimming (the play pools at hotels just don't cut it), and biking is definitley out, so it's usually running. But I've traveled to a few places where the hotel doesn't have a treadmill or gym, and outside is just plain scary for running, so I guess it just becomes an extended rest period. In the future I'm going to try taking a deflated fit ball along to inflate at the hotel, and maybe do some core workouts. Or I guess there's always yoga on the TV to follow along with.

Our little group is coming together quite well here!

Hi Karen! We're glad to have ya! Cute pic of your son.

You've got lots of running experience, so I'll definitely be picking your brain about that. IMAZ will be my first marathon, so I have a lot to learn. I'm thinking nutrition and pacing on the bike will be key for surviving the marathon. That and the mental side as well. Right now I'm having trouble wrapping my head around 26.2 miles of running (well, for me it will be shuffling ). I always hear these horror stories about people getting sick or having to run from porta potty to porta potty. I'd really like to avoid that as much as possible.

Everyone here is interested in encouraging each other, so I think this is going to work out great. I can't wait to hear more about everyone's experiences and learning more.

Oh I am jealous! I have asked Santa for that set this year. I originally bought 2 Spinervals to try out (1.0, "Sweating Buckets" and 8.0, "Recovery & Technique" ) and I needed more just for a little variety. TriSports.com is located here in Tucson, and I stopped by to buy that box set but they didn't have a complete set. So I bought 2 other individual videos. Hopefully Santa will come through for me. My Master's swim coach also works for Coach Troy, so she has the entire set. On Thurs nights we are going to start doing spinning after swimming, where we all bring our trainers down to the pool and do a Spinervals workout in the lobby together. First try of it is this week, so we'll see how it goes.

Well ladies, it looks as if we have formed our official group: Elaine (me), Rae, Pam, Cathy, Leslie, and Karen. Our group is now full. For other folks who are reading this thread and are still interested in joining a group, we have many terrific mentors available in the mentor forum. Just scroll through the ones that are still open and post to the one you'd like to join.

I've added you all as a link in my training blog, because I've found that makes it easy to check in on each other's training. I usually go to my blog the first thing every time I log onto BT, and that way everyone is just one click away. I love the "inspire me" function on there, so feel free to drop in on anyone in the group (or anyone else on BT) and leave a little note. After awhile you start to look forward to the little red numbers next to your blog every day.

We'll also keep this thread active by posting our thoughts, questions, and anything else we may have on our minds. Basically it will be our online clubhouse, so don't be shy and jump in with anything you'd like to add.

Now that you've told us, we'll harrass you via your logs and make sure you have accountability :-).

Good job!!!!!

Hi Pam,

This is a total guess (as I've never ice skated before) but could it be from those small adjustments your ankle and lower leg muscles have to make to keep your balance on skates? Maybe skating causes certain muscles to wake up and have to work differently than the running and biking leg muscles. That's the only think I can think of.

Congrats on signing up for the marathon! Once you spend money you're committed. Now you have 5 people to keep an eye on you and your training.