Poison Apples Team Thread

Hey everyone -

I am Stacie aka dimplespoo. I am new to the challenge part - this is officially my first challenge. I used to run in high school and then had knee surgery on both knees and then just let that stop me getting back into the sport. About 2 years ago I started again and was loving it until hurting the knee again last summer. Now trying to do it again and slowly this time. Starting off building up to a 5k and then aiming for a 1/2 marathon in the spring (April) here in OKC.

I am married, no children except my two furry running partners. My husband is active duty military so he isn't home much (4 months (one being vacation last month) home in the past year) and I am 1/2 way through grad school. I work from home for a company in Alaska and we have just moved from Alaska to Oklahoma last fall.

I am aiming for 40 miles this month and I might be able to accomplish more but we will see how that goes.

Let's kick some booty.

Stacie

Good morning, fellow Poison Apples! 

This is my first challenge as well, and I am going to run 35 miles in October.  This summer was my first triathlon season and I participated in two 5Ks, a small mini-tri, and two sprint tris.  I was a competitive swimmer in high school, and I still swim masters when I can.  My running is my worst leg, so I've entered a 10K race on December 9 to get me motivated to get faster and become the runner that I know is inside me somewhere.   

I am married with two teenagers, and today is my 19th anniversary.  My son is a freshman at the University of Maryland and my daughter is a high school sophomore.  We live in southern Maryland (30 miles southeast of Washington DC), where I work as a legal secretary in a DC law firm.  My husband is a teacher at a Catholic school.

Looking forward to meeting everyone (online) and showing them what newbies can accomplish together! 

Laurie 

Morning Poison Apples!

Of course I'm an Apple-- I spent the day yesterday peeling and coring fresh picked apples for pie fillings-- by bedtime, I saw apples when I closed my eyes!

A bit about me--I've completed two sprint tris last year(with the help of BT training plans), but I was sidelined most of this summer. I am easing back into some training with a 10K beginner plan from Hal Higdon's site. I'm working up to a half-marathon in late winter (in a warm state ), then cycling back to tri training in Spring.  I'll be doing two days of swimming on my cross-training days on this 10-K plan.

I'm a married mom of two school-aged kids, live in a rural-ish part of Michigan, work part time from home, and, in addition to my adult-onset recreational athleticism , I enjoy gardening, reading, being outside, and cooking. 

Go Poison Apples!

Hello Poison Apples!

I think I took someone to the hospital once who'd eaten a poison apple, so how appropriate.

Anyway, hi guys.  My real name's Kelley.  I am so new I guess this is my 2nd post on BT.  I've just started the slow painful but awesome prospect of getting my rather rotund rear off the couch and into a triathlon by next summer.  Right now I'm doing the couch potato to 5k training program here on BT and I'm just starting week 3 today.  So, I'll be doing mostly walking for my mileage (running starts on the 16th!), but if all goes as I just finished inputting in my planned log for October, I'll be 12 miles over my stated goal (31 miles) for this challenge. 

Something more about me.  I'm a web developer/government contractor for a job and I play EMT/ambulance driver in my free time (aka I'm a volunteer).  It's fun (would be more fun if the ambulance went more than 75mph though) and since I'm hopelessly single it gets me out of the house (triathlon training is also going to be good for that).  Being an EMT has let me know what I'm getting into as far as upcoming injuries though.  I've seen a few nasty bike accidents (luckily nothing unfixable).

I've never been much of an athlete.  I played varsity tennis for 2 years in high school (missed senior year when I was an exchange student) and played lacrosse goalie for 1 1/2 seasons (I had enough of being a target).  My athletic prowess then was something along the lines of not dying in the 600-yard "dash" we had to do for the president's physical fitness test.

Since then I've tried on and off to start running but since I hadn't decided to do anything with it I usually gave up.  Now with triathlon (and eventually adventure racing since I'm an absolute masochist it would seem) as a goal there's more motivation.

I'm looking forward to this and getting to know a few more newbies who are a little further along than I am on this journey.  Alas, I will have to beg off thinking about being available to be team leader.  While I love spreadsheets, my internet connection at work is so sporadic (your tax dollars hard at work) and slow that it would make it almost impossible.  However, I'll be happy to be a cheerleader when I can be.

Oh and excuse my love of parentheses

Kelley

Congrats Laurie, that's awesome on the anniversary!

I'm also in the DC area (live in Greenbelt and work at Andrews AFB).  In fact I went to grad school at UMD.  I'm thinking it rather apropos that one of my alma maters has a turtle for its mascot.  I'm hoping that eventually I swim/bike/run like my other alma mater mascot (an Eagle), but I'll take the turtle to start.

Kelley

Hi Kelley!

My husband and I both worked in Greenbelt for about a decade together.  He ran the Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center (if you've ever been there) up until about 5 years ago, and I worked at the federal courthouse before I got sick of the lousy pay and got a job in DC.  And he's also a volunteer EMT and LOVES to drive the ambulance.  He makes me wear my Road ID whenever I go out for a ride and give him detailed instructions about where I'm going (what everyone should be doing!).  He even listens to the pager to ensure he doesn't hear about any bike vs. car accidents.  I think he's a little paranoid, but it's nice to know someone is watching out for me! 

Go Terps!  Laurie

I could try to do a pretty good job as team leader if no one else volunteers.

Stacie

btw Steve - I am with you on not ready to give a tri a try yet. I am working on a half marathon for next April that is how far I am back in the running game. Thing holding me from a TRI is the swim part. I don't know how to swim so I need to learn that before giving a tri a go.

Welcome everyone - even though we are newbies we are going to kick some major hiney.

Stacie

How will we smack talk when we're a piece of fruit???  Silent, but deadly...  no wait, that's something else. 

Laurie