Suz and Steph - We are FULL... and off to train! (Page 2)

Hi Everyone!  If there is still room in the group, I’d be interested in joining.  My information is as follows:

NAME:  Sheryl

STORY: Just turned 50.  I completed a couple of Sprint triathlons in the last two years and a few 5k’s.  I don't have an athletic background, so my goal was just to complete these events, which I did.  Over the past few months, I haven’t been consistent in working out and have gained some weight.  I’ve been eating more on the go, which has also contributed to the weight gain.  The time I have available to exercise is in the early morning, and although I love it once I get going, getting out of bed in the morning has been a struggle, as I haven’t been sleeping that well as of late.

When I decided to do my first triathlon in 2011, I had this intense sense of commitment, working out 6 days a week, no matter how tired I was, no matter what.  Since then, I’ve been “Trying to get that feeling again”, as the Barry Manilow song goes, but it has continued to elude me.  I’m hopeful that if I’m able to participate in this group, that it will help in this area.

FAMILY STATUS:  I’m in the process of a fairly lengthy journey to single parenthood, the stress of which I believe is contributing to my lack of energy, weight gain, and challenge to remain motivated.  I have two wonderful children who are very supportive of my fitness efforts…a daughter who attends a local junior college and works out a few times a week and a son who is in the 6^th grade and is very passionate about baseball.

CURRENT TRAINING:  I haven’t been doing much the past couple of months but plan on using the BT 16-Week Sprint – Swim Focused Program.  The mileage for the event is pretty much the same as the triathlon I’m going to do this year.  It’s a 3 Swim, 2 Bike and 2 Run schedule.  I’m also going to add in some strength training.  My daughter purchased the P90X workout DVDs a while back, and they have some pretty intense strength training workouts that I’m going to mix in.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:  Sharon Sprint Triathlon in Sharon, MA, on August 11^th.  I’m also going to try to do a few small road races as well.

WEIGHTLOSS:  This would be great!  Like you mentioned in your profile, I too am at my heaviest. When I started training, I lost about 10 pounds and that was it.   While attending a local triathlon expo, I heard a nutritionist speak.  She began by saying that when women train for triathlons, they don’t tend to lose weight because their bodies are always preparing for the famine that’s coming and the children they may bear…in other words, it’s genetic…which I found quite discouraging.  I’d like to drop about 40-50 pounds, so any help in this area would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your time.  I look forward to participating in this group, if there is still room.

total newbie here - 54 years old,  active , love to swim and bike- not really at all a runner, but I signed up for a mini-tri in 7 weeks so I need to get going. It's a 20, 20, 20 one at a nearby university.

live in snowy area so much of what I do right now is indoors, 

swim aerobics 3 times a week (community pool not open to lap swim), lap swim 2 days a week (access to pool limited), bicycle on spinner with dvd right now 2 times a week, and haven't done any running- I do snowshoe and cross country skis though and have access to indoor equipment at local university. 

So, I will be reading away here to make a plan.

Happy 2013!  Hope I can join your group:

NAME: Christine

STORY: I am a runner who finally figured out that cross-training prevents injury!  Ran the Chicago Marathon in 2010 after recovering from a pubic ramus stress fracture. Have trained for 2 other marathons that resulted in DNS due to various ailments from plantars facsciitis, calf strains and posterior tibialis tendonitis.  Bought myself a bike for my 40th birthday and have loved it!

FAMILY STATUS: Married for 4 years and we are raising our 3 teenage daughters (17,16, 15) from our previous marriages.  Life is never boring in our house.  Hubby is one of those "natural born" runners who seems to accomplish every single goal he sets.

CURRENT TRAINING: Running 3 days a week, spin class 1 day a week, Insanity fitness class 1 day a week, weight lifting 2 times a week.  I am going to start getting into the pool this week.  I have extremely limited swimming experience.  I am unsure about which tri training program to use at this point.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: At this point--Danskin Sprint in August and Wisconsin Half Marathon in May

WEIGHTLOSS: It has been a continual journey for me.  I am down 81 pounds from my heaviest and I am 28 pounds from my goal.  I have lost the weight by going to Weight Watchers.

Looking forward to learning from the amount of experience here!!

Happy New Year.  My name is Meg and I live in NJ.  I am totally new to triathlons, but have decided to train for one this summer.  When discussing it with my family, my daughter and husband both agreed they were onboard to train with me.  We were thinking of doing a tri as a family.  My goal is to complete it not worry about time, as I have been inactive for about 13 months.  I used to train hard 5 days a week /2 to 3 hours a day when I was working towards my black belt and krav level two certificate.  Once I received both, i took some time off and put on 30 pounds so I have huge motivation to get training!

I have read some training guides, but I was wondering if anyone had advice and motivation for us as a family.  

I will be 40 in march, enjoy the swimming, hate the running and like to bike as long as I can enjoy the ride!

If there is still room, I'd like to be included in your group.  Thanks.

Thanks Susie.

This is Aarthi here --> sounds like RT  

Off to a great start to 2013 with a nice 5-miler this morning by the beach. Temps are low 70s and breezy so we couldn't stay away. Besides, today is our 10 year anniversary and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate! 

Looking forward to sharing my tri journey with this great group...

Motivation for the whole family?  My wife is hooked on Tri's after doing her first one last year.  I have found that she likes to be challenged.  We challenge each other every month and have a reward program for the winner.  We have challenged each other to the number of times we make it to the gym each month to weight loss for the month.  The smack talk each month motivates you and it helps get my butt out of bed to make it to a spinning class. 

Just an idea.  Good Luck. 

Yep - its Aarthi, but sounds like RT :-)

I joined A1A riders but have yet to ride with them because of work schedule. My husband and I ride 20 miles at 5:30 am so we stay away from the traffic as much as we can. Its been a lot busier now with the snowbirds in town. 

Maybe I'll get to train with you in person one of these days! 

Thanks, Steph!  Here is my swim plan:

I have a swim coach who uses the Total Immersion system.  I will start a triathlon swim course next week at the local YMCA, every Tuesday and Thursday evening, and I may also join a swim club/group Friday nights.  I also have some TI DVDs:  an introductory do-it-yourself course (perpetual motion freestyle), tips on breathing better (O2 in H20), and an open water primer (Out of the Box).  TI isn't big on gear, but I have also made use of the Swim Smooth system and have some short, soft fins, and a Finis snorkel (which I'll try out today).  The first time I tried fins I felt like a dolphin!

For anyone who is new to swimming, I have had good results from both of the systems above, and after 3 months working on it, I can say I feel a lot more comfortable in the water, and I am not only confident that I can finish a 70.3, but I see my technique improving week-to-week in time, and in stroke length month to month.  Swimming has been interesting to work on, because it's not so much a problem of fitness (at my beginner stage) but of balance in the water and comfort and moving through the water artfully (trying to, anyway!)

Finally, I'll mention that I like to listen to music running, and I found some underwater earbuds that fit the bill swimming; makes all those hours seem shorter!  Shorter, but not a shortcut - I saw your quote, Steph!

It's nice to see everyone's posts - I'm very happy to have a group!

Jeptha

Welcome Sheryl,

I've done some of the P90X workouts, they're intense. I also like the yoga one.

Glad to hear you have a plan picked out.  It's wonderful that your kids are supportive of your fitness goals. Will you be doing the P90X with your daughter?  That could help keep you motivated too.

Susie

Welcome Kim!

I too am a believer in strength training and specific muscle training. Runner have a tendency to develop muscle imbalances (week hamstrings and glute meds) targeting those can really make a difference.  

And congrats on achieving your 8 min mile goals.  Time to set a new goal.  Just remember it's never too late to get started. I did my first triathlon at age 45. First marathon at 48, so set that goal and jump in!

Hi Trailgroomer (guess that's from the snowshoe and cross country ski interest)  What's your first name?

Sounds like you are fairly active already, despite not running. I hear snowshoeing is great cardio work.  Would love to try it sometime.

Susie

Welcome Christine!

You must hail from the Chicago or Milwaukee area based on your races.  I'm just north of Chicago.

Congrats on the weight loss thus far. Impressive!  

I can relate to the injuries, especially the posterior tibial tendonitis.  That one put me in a CAM boot for 4 weeks last April. 

For swimming: Does the pool you swim at have any Master's groups?  I used to think that Master's swim was only for those "uber" swimmers. Not so.  The one at my club welcomes any level and is very supportive of less experienced swimmers. It helps to have a group to motivate and educate. (or just into getting your butt in the pool)

Susie

Hi Susie,

Yes, P90X is quite intense!  I have to tell you, I have yet to make it through the yoga one!  I've done yoga before and could not believe how challenging it was!  I did the workouts for about a week and could already feel the difference in my body.  As much as part of me was tempted to do it for the 90 days, especially to help with weight loss, I enjoy the variety that comes with triathlon training, and the social aspect of it as well, so for now, I'm going to vary which DVDs I do a couple of times a week or so.

It would be nice if my daughter and I could workout together, but right now we are on different schedules.  She doesn't get in from work until later at night and I workout early in the morning.  She is going to try and accompany me to a spinning class on a Wednesday morning when she doesn't have to work the night before.

I am excited about the training plan, as it is pretty much the mileage that I'll be doing for the triathlon in August.  I've had to mix up a couple of days because of when spinning class is offered, but other than that, I'm going to do my best to stick to it.

Thanks for the encouragement.  I hope you have a great week!

Sheryl

Yeah for the New Year's Day Run!

I too ran by the beach today...only subtract about 55 degrees.

So, who else celebrated the New Year with some type of training?

Susie