McFuzz's New Athlete Group (CLOSED) (Page 2)

Originally posted by Shrekrcr

You got it on the weight loss........at least a hundred pounds...screw it.....I will just throw it out there........I am 6' 2" and 341.1 as of this morning.

Matt

Originally posted by fadullium

Hey everyone! My name is Jon and if you'll have me I'd like to join the group. =)

A little about me, I’m a 32 year old father of two C-R-A-Z-Y boys (10 and 6) and I am the lesser of two halves that have been going strong for almost 11 years now. By day I slave away in a cube farm and at night well... I mostly play referee to the two boys ;-)

Over the past few years my brother has completed a number of sprint and Olympic distance Triathlons and has FINALLY convinced me to bite the bullet and join him this year.

I did wrestle in high school and swim in middle school but that feels like a lifetime ago and I don’t consider myself much of an athlete. I am somewhere between an avid and recreational cyclist and while I prefer the challenges of single-track mountain biking, I’m willing to learn to ride on pavement and I believe that I’ve put in a couple of good sessions on the trainer to get my legs and lungs used to a decent (for me) cadence/ speed. For swimming, in addition to my overall fitness, I’ve had to focus on my rhythm, form, and technique (all things I had in middle school that I THOUGH I would still be able to pull off.) As for running, that’s on hold for me right now. I injured myself trying too much too fast and I’ve got to take a break. I thought I could go back to my old Marine days and get right back into running 3 miles and well, I was wrong and 8+ years and about 60 lbs later running hard and long proved to be a mistake. There’s a thread here where I’ve asked for advice here: http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid...

My goals for 2014 are pretty basic. First, I’d like to be able to complete a sprint, and if that goes well one or two more before I even think of signing up for an Olympic distance to be run early fall (Savage Man 30). Second, I’d like to be more fit. If I can “run & gun” with the big boys at my current weight (I’m currently around 237lbs from a high (a low really) of 277) then I’m all for it but I suspect that with continued training I may just have to lose another 50 lbs. ;-)

2015? – We’ll see if I don’t break down trying to make it through THIS year =P

I look forward to learning from, working with and maybe meeting all of you

Originally posted by McFuzz

Welcome Jon,

(Grin) I got my brother involved in tri's back in 2006. He and I have competed head-to-head three times since then. That first race, he was just starting while I was training for a HIM, so I spotted him some time. The second and third, we were more evenly matched so it was straight-up "who finished first?" That last race, I ran the whole 10K like a scalded dog because he was behind me and I didn't want him running me down. Lay down some smack talk and start putting the hurt on him. (My brother was the better runner back in our HS days when we ran track and XC together.)

If you prefer mountain biking, consider doing an off-road triathlon like the Xterra series.

Originally posted by Mr10670

Hello,
My name is Mike and I am in central Maryland. I would like to join the new athlete group here as well. A bit about myself: I'm 43 and married, no kids. Last March I was diagnosed with severe high blood pressure (190/110) and type 2 diabetes. My doctor gave me 2 choices; lose weight, quit smoking or continue on doing what I was doing and I would be dead of a heart attack or stroke by 50. I chose the first option. No cigarettes in 10 months and I have lost 102 lbs. I no longer take HBP medicine since I don't need it any more and I manage my diabetes with diet and exercise. I was recently asked what my New Years resolution would be since I quit smoking and lost weight. I didn't have an answer immediately but I have always have wanted to do a tri. So here I am. I ran track and CC in HS and was a lifeguard as well at summer camp. Biking is my weakness. I haven't rode a bike in 10 years. I will be looking for tips on bike equipment, training and riding technique. Thanks for volunteering and helping newbs out like myself.

Originally posted by fadullium



Thanks for the welcome!

I definately plan on talking smack, and I'm not above paying off volunteers to hide his gear ;-)... anything to get a leg up, because in the end, he's really the only one I need to beat! haha

I didn't know that they (off-road Tris) even existed! I'll work on my google-fu and see what I can find.

Oh and I don't know if any of you also use garmin connect if you do feel free to add me (User ID : A_666_K9)

Originally posted by annplumley

Hi Matt! It is nice to meet you. I am also very new to all of this and just registered for BT last week! Your bio caught my eye because our kids are the same ages. My son is 7 and my daughter is 4. One of my goals is to be an inspiration to them. My son already talks about wanting to go running with me this summer and my daughter of course chimes in because she doesn't want to be left out. I find it to be a great motivator to get healthy when there are little eyes watching everything you do!

Originally posted by Mr10670

Hello,
My name is Mike and I am in central Maryland. I would like to join the new athlete group here as well. A bit about myself: I'm 43 and married, no kids. Last March I was diagnosed with severe high blood pressure (190/110) and type 2 diabetes. My doctor gave me 2 choices; lose weight, quit smoking or continue on doing what I was doing and I would be dead of a heart attack or stroke by 50. I chose the first option. No cigarettes in 10 months and I have lost 102 lbs. I no longer take HBP medicine since I don't need it any more and I manage my diabetes with diet and exercise. I was recently asked what my New Years resolution would be since I quit smoking and lost weight. I didn't have an answer immediately but I have always have wanted to do a tri. So here I am. I ran track and CC in HS and was a lifeguard as well at summer camp. Biking is my weakness. I haven't rode a bike in 10 years. I will be looking for tips on bike equipment, training and riding technique. Thanks for volunteering and helping newbs out like myself.

Originally posted by Tridimi

NAME: Tridimi - Dimitri

ABOUT ME: I'm 1m90 ~ 6ft and 23 inches and weighing about 99.4kg ~ 219.14 lbs. I just turned 31. I live in Belgium, Kortrijk (yes, very worldwide known city ;-)) Allthough i'm a complete newbie to the tri-world, I do have some history of sports. I have been a "competitive" swimmer from the age of 9 till 12. After that, i switched to water-polo untill i was 18 and quit sports alltogether and got fat. After a few years getting even fatter, i decided at the age of 22 that running up a small stair huffing and puffing and having kneepains wasn't healthy anymore. At that time the scale screamed in agony when i was standing on it. I weighed 132kg ~ 291 lbs.

So after a year of losing some weight I decided to start riding a road bike. And biking went well. In the years to come i lost some more weight and had some great accomplishments on my bike. I did some couple Time Trials and some randonneur bike trips (long distance trips). I once even finished a 24h solo race clocking in at 705km ~ 438 miles all by myself. (And still very proud of it!) All in all I really like biking and I think of myself as being good too in TT's and long distances. I really love climbing mountains but I carry to much mass to be good at it but I don't care. Nothing can compare to the feeling of riding up a mountain with steep roads and after hours of pushing those pedals relentlessly, seeing those last meters and finally arriving at the top.

But then i startd living together with the misses, boguht a house, got a kid and changed work. And bye bye free sports time and hello fat. :D The last year i tried with moderate succes to get back into shape. I've changed work for 2 years now, the kid is getting older and more self dependant and now i've made up my mind that 2014 has to be the turning point. I looked at what was possible. And allthough my first love is biking, it's hard to train 3 times a week on a road bike. It takes too much time and it's insane trying to train at night.

In 2013 I already started to run now and then. And sometimes a swimming session here and there. I was surprised to see that my swimming technique is far from perfect, but way better then most people. In fact when i compared my swimming times untrained over 1000meter ~ 0.625mile, i saw far from last on recreational triathlons. And when i noticed running gave me a quick condition boost with just 2*30minute run a week, I thought why not try triathlon?

So a few months back i started reading up and started doing some training and today I discovered this site so here I am, applying to this group hoping I may join :D


FAMILY STATUS: Not married (yet), 1 kid (Kasper, the sometimes not so friendly ghost).

CURRENT TRAINING: Running - biking - swimming. My biggest challenge in preparing for a triathlon is combining very irregular working hours with my partners health condition. She has, to this day, spasmophilia and something else which doctors can't seem to find even after 4 years of extensive research. This means I try to be at home in my free time as much as possible when the kid is not in school or taking a long nap. So in the weekend my training moments are really not that much.

So far 2-3 runs, 1 swim and sometimes 1 bike training is what i can get max. But I do have to admit that with a little bit more motivation 3 runs, 2 swims and 1 bike training should be possible.

I'm a very bad runner though. Thats why my main focus is (and should be I think) running a lot. 2-3 runs a week may not look like a lot of running for most of you, but over the last few weeks/months i can say this is the first time i ran more then 10 times in less then 10 years. My running time now is about 5m50/km ~ 9.22m/mile. When i go out running, I mostly just run 11km ~7 miles at a steady pace. I recently finished a 8.5km - 5.4miles race in 44:25 which made me very happy. Last sunday and monday i actually ran 7 km and the day after 11 km without getting hammered the day after. That was my first succes of the year 2014 :D

At swimming in a 25m - 82ft long swimming pool, i swim 1.6km ~ 1 mile in around 37 minutes

I train mostly by HRM when running though i have to admit i don't let it be too restrictive. When biking i try to keep a high cadence and do watch my HR a bit but then I'm mostly going on feeling. I know how my body feels and what my limits are on bike. I know keeping track of HR all the time when running and biking would really take the fun out of sport. I sport for fun, i'm not a pro.

For swimming i made up 4 different sessions with lots of variety. I got it from a triathlon book from a famous coach here in Belgium, and adapted it a bit to my needs. Later on, i'll try and post it in the group so maybe someone can helop and improve them even more! Swimming with a training plan is more fun then expected.

2014 RACES: 2014 will be a special year!! For starters me and some colleagues are going for a 3 day biking trip to the Mont Ventoux in May. But i'm not really working in that direction. My real goal is an OD tri in the beginning of July. Seeing I should have already a lot of training and some weight loss, the bike trip doesn't worry me. And on the 14th of June i'm getting married followed with a 2 week honeymoon, which actually will give me 2 weeks with A LOT of training seeing we are leavign the kid with my parents (I love my parents!!!! ;-))

Maybe when all goes well, i'll add another race in the end of August/september.

2015 RACES: HIM, definately!!

WEIGHTLOSS: Yes, please!! I love eating! I really do! There is so much good stuff to eat! Part of the reason i try to get back into sport is just about that: Getting to eat an extra dessert without having to feel guilty. I'm not interested in having sub 7% of fat. But I do realize finishing a triathlon and especially getting better running times really requires me to loose some weight. In the past, I managed to ride as much as 15.000km ~9320 miles on my bike in one year. I used to weigh 205 lbs. I love my body then. Still chubby but with a good set of muscles laying just below that layer of fat. My goal is to reach 90kg ~ 198lbs.


I have to say I also like to talk/type to much, so don't feel bad if you don't feel like reading everything :D If you want to know more of me, ask! Maybe i'll try to upload some pictures of myself too. I always find it more fun on the net if you can put a face on someones nickname (and because i want to show that "I'm not fat, I'm just bigboned" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX_xgoo4IBMLOL)

Originally posted by annplumley

One  of my goals is to think positively about my efforts and not compare myself to others or get down about what I cannot do. With this in mind I will share that I was completely proud of myself for being able to swim for 23 minutes without stopping this morning! This is a big accomplishment for me and was what my training plan asked me to do so I feel successful! When I got tired, I switched to my weak attempt at a breaststroke or the side stroke to catch my breath a bit. I am also proud that I was able to alternate my breathing - breathing to the right for 25 yards, and then to the left for 25 yards. I have never tried this before and while breathing to the left was uncomfortable I did it! It is nice to head in to my day feeling proud of myself.

And now a strange question - is the only way to post in our thread to reply to someone? I apologize if I did this wrong but I couldn't figure it out! I think I may have replied to something someone else wrote but that was the only way I could see to put in a message. Still trying to figure out the ins and outs of the website.

Originally posted by annplumley

One  of my goals is to think positively about my efforts and not compare myself to others or get down about what I cannot do. With this in mind I will share that I was completely proud of myself for being able to swim for 23 minutes without stopping this morning! This is a big accomplishment for me and was what my training plan asked me to do so I feel successful! When I got tired, I switched to my weak attempt at a breaststroke or the side stroke to catch my breath a bit. I am also proud that I was able to alternate my breathing - breathing to the right for 25 yards, and then to the left for 25 yards. I have never tried this before and while breathing to the left was uncomfortable I did it! It is nice to head in to my day feeling proud of myself.

And now a strange question - is the only way to post in our thread to reply to someone? I apologize if I did this wrong but I couldn't figure it out! I think I may have replied to something someone else wrote but that was the only way I could see to put in a message. Still trying to figure out the ins and outs of the website.

Originally posted by McFuzz



Welcome to the group Mike. Congratulations on making some very positive lifestyle changes. I think the rest of the group would be interested in more of your story. What did you do to lose weight? I'd be interested in how you feel now compared to how you felt then. How does what I wrote about what Matt wants to do compare to your own story (note to all of you...you have as much to contribute to these discussions as I do...so pipe up!)?

As for cycling, what types of riding do you really want to do? You can do a triathlon on about any bicycle, it doesn't have to be the latest and lightest carbon fiber and titanium device known to mankind. (I did my first two triathlons on a steel-frame mountain bike, and rode an old road bike to a 20+mph bike split in my only HIM.) Road bikes get expensive in a hurry, with entry level bikes starting at about $700 and increasing to quite obscene amounts quickly! In addition to the bike, you'll find yourself buying shoes, helmet, saddle bag, tools, computer, spare tubes, etc. That $700 road bike will cost you $1000 by the time you get everything else (and a pair or two of bike shorts). Oh...and you'll always want one more bike...

Originally posted by Jynxy



just a quick question Mike,

when was the last time you went to see your doctor ?, you say you have been doing some exercising but if you have had a history of HBP you really should get checked regularly or have you got the all clear

Originally posted by Shrekrcr

That's Great, Mike! How did you lose all that weight?

Matt

Originally posted by el penguino Hi All, I hope you have a little more room in the group. I'm also signed up in another group, but they are much more technical and pro, and very encouraging, but really at a different level than I am generally. Me: Nancy/el penguino Story: I'm just 44 in 9 days (New Years Eve). This will be my first (of hopefully many) year of triathlons. A true newbie slowly getting into shape! I was kind of sporty up through high school. I swam on a small local swim team for a couple years as a little kid, played soccer all through high school. Always kind of middle of the back at best. After college, my brother conned me into playing ultimate frisbee, which I loved, and is how I met my husband. I ran a marathon way back in about 1998 ish, the Marine Corps Marathon. I've been kind of a slug since then, until this spring. I started the C25K this spring, got running and lost a bunch of weight. My boss at work started doing triathlons and got me interested in trying one myself. I'm slow in pretty much everything, but I'm really good at plodding on and on and on. I'm hoping to complete a half marathon and some sprints this summer. Family: I've been married for 13 years this January (yesterday!) to a way too smart physics professor, and have 2 great and super smart boys, 6 and 11.They have their father's brains and keep us and their teachers on their toes making sure they are actually challenged in their school work. I'm hoping they get the idea that being active is a great thing from me! I also have 4 siblings, and lots of nieces and nephews. Training: I'm not sure how much time I'm spending right now, let's say 7 hours. I'm focused on building my run base back a bit as I had a bit of an overuse injury in November. I pushed my distance a little too fast and got a very sore hip. I took a lot of November off for that to heal and for another non-sports related medical thing to get sorted out. Then I did a Holiday Streak running every day. Now I'm running every day slowly and swimming 3 times a week, or at least trying too. My run mileage is based on the BarryP method, and my swim I'm kind of cobbling together at the moment as I try to build some endurance there too. I just started with a swim coach to work on my technique- my birthday present to myself. The bike will come back out once I can ride better outside- in Vermont, riding in the winter is a bit of a challenge, and my swim and run could use the focus! 2014- Covered Bridge Half Marathon at the beginning of June 2-3 Sprints over the summer really slim chance of running a marathon in the fall. Turkey Trot 5K 2013 Season: Turkey Trot 5K (38 minutes, and I have every intention of doing a lot better this year!) Weightloss: I lost about 50 pounds over the spring and summer, have put about 10 back on with having Nov. off and the holidays. I was at 190, went down to under 140, and am now hovering around 150. I want to get back below 140, and we'll see after that! Equipment: I have good running shoes, a decent swimsuit, and beat up road bike that works for now. My husband and I are trying to find me a better road bike; I did a lot of riding back and forth to work last summer, and really want to get a decent light bike- the one I ride now is kind of a hybrid- thick tires, heavy frame. We just bought a frame for a bike I'm going name Frankenbike.

Originally posted by rita.trifonopoulos Hi, my name is Rita and I think this group would be a good fit for me! I'm 27 years old, a type 1 diabetic (very well controlled, insulin pump), work a non-traditional schedule in law enforcement, and live in Chicago. I've never completed a triathlon, or any type of race, for that matter...but in hopes of finding something to motivate and challenge myself, I've signed up for the Chicago Triathlon, as well as a couple of sprints leading up to it for this upcoming season. I'm a competitive swimmer (high school, college, and on-and-off-again Masters). But I've never completed a running race, and I *just* acquired my first non-mountain bike. I'm a newbie in every sense of the word...but I'm incredibly dedicated to my new goals, I'm just looking for a little guidance and wisdom, as well as a push in the right direction. Looking forward to interacting and sharing with you all!

Welcome Nancy! 

Be careful about bikes, there is ALWAYS a better bike out there and many triathletes are compelled to try finding it!