mosc11/enders_shadow mentor group - FULL

First, I am so excited to be doing this WITH Kristen this time around! 

Name:  Carol

Story: I started tri training in June of 2006 after I had joined a gym in yet another attempt to loose weight.  In the locker room I overheard a conversation between two women in their 50's about the triathlon they had just completed.  I thought if they could do it, so could I.  I trained from June 18th through the summer and did my first tri September 16th.  I haven't seen the scale drop too much but I am two sizes down in pants and really the numbers I obsess about right now are my split times.  Swimming is my favorite thing and I have always used it in my fitness routine though I have never competed in swimming or been trained.  Before last year I never raced competitively in anything.  Softball and Volleyball were my sports of choice (notice not much running there).  I guilted my sister Mary (marymosc13) into completing the races with me last year and now she is a tri/running freak as well (she is much faster however).  The run is my nemesis but I will rise above that this year!

Family Status:  I am a 35 year old (in one week anyway)married mother of two.  My husband is a cop so his crazy schedule sometimes affects my training but we do o.k. considering.  I have two beautiful girls ages 4 1/2 and 20 months.  The big one is on a countdown now to her first tri.  Try explaining 10 years of waiting to a 4 year old, not easy!  I am a part time pediatric speech therapist and a part time stay at home mom, both jobs joyous and challenging!

Current Training:  I am loosely following the 13 week sprint plan here on BT.  I did it last year so I'm tweaking it this season.

Last Year's Races:  Sandyhookers Practice Tri, which actually turned out to be a duathalon because the water was too rough.  Danskin Tri, Sandy Hook.  Both were sprint distances and I'm sticking to that distance for a little while.  The run is my weakest link so I figure I can't move on until I conquer it. 

2007 Races: This year I have done 2 5k's and have one more on the calendar.  July will be a busy month for me with a practice tri and the NJ State Tri.  I will be doing Danskin again in September.  Still looking for something in August as of now.

Weightloss:  As far as the scale is concerned I'm only down about 10 pounds and could probably stand to loose about another 15-20.  I like to eat so there in lies the problem.  Maybe next year I'll conquer that one! 

Hello!

What a great idea this is.  My name is Marie, 34, and I am from Texas.  I tried a  TRI last year and was unsuccessful and ended up injured. It has been a year of complete inactivity and I still have this desire to complete my first triathlon.  Due to the inactivity this past year, I don't think that a TRI is in the near future... but I hope to start of slowly and build up. 

Family Status: Married with one six year old daughter

Current Training:  Just started walking 2 weeks ago.  Planning on using the couch-5K aggressive plan starting next week. I just wanted to get my muscles use to moving again before I satarted.

Weight GAIN: I have gained 20 pounds over the past two years.  My current weight is 140 and I would be happy to get back down to 125.  My downfall - Coca-Cola.  I have been drinking 6-8 cans of coke a day.  I have been trying to cut down to two a day - but it's proven to be very difficult.  I'm experiencing major headaches- but they are getting better. I know I really need to focus on my nutrition.

Biggest Challenge:  The SWIM... I spent two months in classes and frequented the Y - but I just can't seem to get the breathing down.  I never could get past 50 continuous meters - yet I was running 5 miles and biking like crazy.

Thanks in advance for your help!  I'll start logging my workouts TODAY!

hello michael, cindy, marie and jessica!  welcome!

a little caveat here...i tend to log in late at night otherwise i have some little face next to me asking to play elmo or noggin on the computer so sorry i didn't say hey until now. 

sounds like this will be a great group.   i know the swim may seem daunting but take it one stroke at a time and make sure if you are racing in an open water swim tri you get a couple OWS in your training, big difference.  the other thing i would suggest is to practice more than just freestyle.  i used the side stroke when i got caught up in some others swimmers and was able to move and track and then got back into freestyle after the path cleared more.  you tube has some good instructional videos on strokes.

Taking into account the current shape I am in, I do think it is very unrealistic to think I'll be race ready in three months. There is a Sprint race with the swim portion in a pool on October 7th that seems attainable to me. 

 I have to remind myself and others that I am starting off the couch and that I'll ahve to take this slowly. The pool in my city doesn't open until after the holiday. 

Can I join you folks?  I was in a mentor group last time, but we were disbanded . 

My name is Karen, and I'm a 39 year old wife, mother of 2 boys, and I'm 35 days away from being done with my pediatric residency (not that I'm counting...).  I did a couple of sprint triathlons before starting residency, but have been out of things in the past 3 years.  I'm trying to get back in the game, and do the mini-Mussel on Juy 14th, in Geneva NY.  My schedule and family obligations make it hard to be consistent, so I need prodding!  I can usually get out running 1-3 times a week, but fitting in swimming and biking is tougher. 

Current training:  I'm trying to swim, bike, and run.  Sometimes even in the same week. 

Last years races:  running down the hallway to deliveries and codes.

2007 Races:  Right now I'm planning on the mini mussel, and the Chase Corporate challenge (next week- I'll be post call- meaning I'll have spent the previous night in the hospital with very little to no sleep, and maybe have had a few hours sleep in the morning).  I'd love to do a few 5Ks, maybe a 10K, and hopefully a later season sprint tri.  While I know I should just be happy to finish the triathlon (and I will be!), I secretly hold out hopes of being in the middle of the pack!  I'd also love to do a sub 25 minute 5K (26:55 was my PR so far), but I really don't have any good plan for doing it!

Weight loss:  I have managed to lose almost 20 pounds in the past year by paying attention to portion sizes, and really trying to enjoy what I do eat.  I'm now around 125 (I am 5'5", and while I'm pretty happy here, I still have a predominance of cholesterol (and abdominal fat) that I'd be healthier without, and I'd love to get to 120 (high school weight).  I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and really tasty treats, and I am learning not to eat what I don't want (i.e.- I don't really love bagels, but we have bagels every wednesday at work.  I used to eat a bagel because it was there, but I finally realized it wasn't making my taste buds happy, and it certainly wasn't helping my waistline or my blood sugar, so I stopped).  I have noticed that my running speed has improved quite a bit since I lost the weight!

Thanks!  Yes- my schedule becomes much more manageable when I'm finished- I'll be a pediatric hospitalist working as an inpatient attending pediatrician for 10 or so weeks a year, and doing research and administration the rest of the time.

My boys are 13 and 11 (oh, the joys ).  I also have 2 dogs- Sandy, an airhead yellow lab with a penchant for rolling in and/or eating things that are dead and rotting, and Tupper, an Australian Shepherd with an anxiety disorder who likes to eat UPS men.

Thanks for taking me in .!