Beer Drinker Appreciation Society (BDAS) - Open (Page 2)

I have been mainly lurking on the forums last month or so until the mentor program opened up

welcome bert!

Thor I am in for the challenge! I need to clean up the bike and get it back on the trainer. Maybe I will ride before work tomorrow.

Kate - Thrilled to have you!

DQ

Scott - Great to have you back!

Bert - So glad to have you! Love the international flavor this group is taking on!

So what cases are you working on in the garage?

NAME: Gretchen

STORY: I have been swimming consistently since 2010. In 2012 I was inspired to try triathlon while watching the Olympics. I distinctly remember thinking "it is swimming, biking, and running, how hard can it be?" Well, I was about to find out! I trained inconsistently during the remainder of 2012, all of 2013, and all of 2014. I did my first tri in 2014. Last year my goal was to work on consistency. I set myself a goal to do at least 400 workouts during the course of 2015--not unattainable, but it certainly required consistent training throughout the year. Yesterday I went for a run to mark my 413th workout in 2015.

Training is always complicated by my somewhat unorthodox travel schedule. In 2015 I spent three months in Egypt. In 2016 I will spend at least four months in country. there is no opportunity for biking or swimming while I'm over there, so I'm guaranteed to be run focused for a while this year!

FAMILY STATUS: Married, no kids. One dog who goes on most of my runs with me

CURRENT TRAINING: since my last race in September I've been focusing mainly on running and swimming. I did finally get on my bike on Monday, but during the early part of the year I will maintain the focus on running. I've seen some good results in the last few months and I'd like to keep building on that.

2015 RACES: one indoor tri (I won my age group!); one super sprint (I almost died--it was five days after I returned from Egypt and I hadn't been on a bike in over a month.), two sprints, and capped off the season with an Oly in September (second place Athena under 40)

The Plan for 2016: My plan for 2016 is still somewhat in the air. None of the races I did last year are posted yet, so I don't have much chance to outline a good schedule. I am hoping to be able to do the indoor tri again in February. I'll be in Egypt during March, April, May, and the first part of June. I'd like to do a sprint in July, August, and then another Oly in September. I toyed with the idea of finishing out my season with an HIM in early October, but I don't think it will work with my travel schedule. I'll probably be in Egypt again by then! Oh well--there is always next year!

BEER/WINE/BOOZE PREFERENCE: At heart, I'm a bourbon girl. I'll drink essentially anything, but my favorites are Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, and Jim Beam (my daily drink). I don't really care for Maker's Mark or Four Roses. On the beer front (and I do use "beer" loosely to mean essentially anything that comes in a bottle or can that is fermented and carbonated) I prefer hard ciders, porters, stouts, and lagers. I despise IPAs and super hoppy beers.

WEIGHT LOSS: When I got into triathlon I thought it would be super easy to drop some unwanted weight through training. Easy? I was super wrong on that front! In 2015 I dropped about 20 pounds over the course of the year (although after Christmas cookies, that number might be off). I'd like to continue to slowly drop weight through 2016, so my goal this year is 30 pounds total in 2016.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD BDAS MEMBER: I'm consistent and can be relied upon to show up every day. I've been around tri for a while now, so hopefully I could be a source of information for folks (although, please don't ask me anything about bikes!).

Happy New Year BDASers!!!!

I'm starting off the year with an unscheduled rest day. Ugh! I spent yesterday and today doing some painting around the house. I think in the last 24 hours I have spent at least 10 of those standing on a ladder--or, more accurately, doing calf raises on the riser! Calves are killing me today, so I thought I'd take a day off to let them rest (and give me time to finish my projects!).

Thor--totally in for the January challenge!

I set my 2016 goals last night. These are based on my 2015 goals and then adjusted for performance from 2015.

1.) 400 workouts again! (minimum 30 minutes to count as a workout--cannot be work related)
2.) At least two sprints and one Oly tris (although I'd love to up this and include other things)
3.) Distance goals (Swim 100 miles; Bike 1250 miles; Run 450 miles)
4.) Complete at least one challenge each month
5.) Lose 30 pounds

In addition to Thor's 24/31 challenge, my January challenges include tracking food intake everyday (starting Monday!) and doing yoga at least three times per week.

Hey Doug -

Welcome to the party! Speaking of party - or lack there of - I have been trying to limit my drinking to 1-2 days as well. I've found that doing so has helped me to keep my weight under control because I don't eat as much afterward. It sounds like you and me are on the same page - lose weight in order to race at a lighter weight. Let us know how we can help support you in your weight loss goals.

NAME: Dave O. (as opposed to group mentor Dave Q.)

STORY: Was very active when younger...then college happened. Gradually gained weight after college till I decided to start dabbling in this exercise thing again. My goal is to be healthy, set a good example for my kids, and try to continually improve on my performances. I know I'm a runner. I'm trying to figure out if I'm more than that. Last year was my first year in the triathlon world.


FAMILY STATUS: Married with 3 kids, 4 rescued dogs, and 1 ferret. My whole family now belongs to our local YMCA. My son (15) dabbles in exercise, my daughter (13) is my exercise buddy that joins me and pushes me to go to the Y, my other daughter (11) is my straight up athlete in swimming and gymnastics.


CURRENT TRAINING: My training has been winding down significantly since my marathon mid-November. It's time to ditch the post race blues and get back into it now that the holidays are over. No need to atrophy any more than I already have, plus I've put on my holiday weight and that needs to go.


2015 RACES: Ignoring my 5K races, my big ones were Kutztown Fools Run 10Mi, St. Luke's Half Marathon, Average Joe Sprint Tri (Local YMCA), Steelman Olympic Tri, Celtic Classic 10K, D&L Heritage Half Marathon, Bucks County Marathon.


The Plan for 2016: Figure out what type of athlete I am. Am I a runner or a triathlete. So far here are my planned races: Kutztown Fools Run & St. Lukes Half. There will be more, but I need to determine my focus.


BEER/WINE/BOOZE PREFERENCE: My beer preference falls into the lager, ale, & wheat worlds. I usually avoid porters and stouts and I have limited interest in the latest trend of jacking up the hoppiness of beers to 11. Anything hoppier than Bells Two Hearted is usually a single beer item and then I'm done. My favorite beer according to Untappd (many of us are in there BTW) is Franziskaner Weissbier.


WEIGHT LOSS: I want to lose around 25. I competed at a higher weight than that all of last year and I really think I would have benefitted from carrying around less girth. This year's focus is going to be on weight I think.


WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD BDAS MEMBER: My advice will usually be in the running world, though I may have some insight for the first timers since I was one last year. I'm pretty good about popping into the forum and trying to contribute.


Oh, and for those who are interested....we've got custom designed threads!!! http://shop.jakroo.com/BDAS

Rumor has it that next year's winter classic will be in Philly at Citizens Bank Park again. If that happens then I might just have to give it a shot since I missed it last time.

So you're interested in a Beginner Triathlete Mentor group and you are wondering if this is the one for you...

Ok, this being year two for me I can give a little insight to the newcomers. At my old job we had a softball league, golf league, and a bowling league. Each of those leagues had the super serious folks that didn't screw around and wanted you to "Put your game face on!!!" I wasn't on those teams. I wanted to go out, play my best, have fun, and when I was done...enjoy a beer with my friends. I was annoyed if we didn't win but it didn't ruin my week. The BDAS is like that. The other groups are there for you if you're all business and the 6-pack you want is abs. Join us if you want to get in shape and get advice from people who have probably been where you are. Oh, we have a little fun in here too. Last year we were the most active forum in the mentor area by ALOT.

I'm in....will write more once the kiddo goes to bed.....looking forward to this year.

Welcome Doug. Glad to see familer names along with the new ones. If you don't mind add your name to bottom of post either type it or add signature. Trust me it will help keep everyone straight as we gain members.

Also can we add weights to workouts?

I may share the same name (he's Dave O and I'm Dave Q)- but I could not have said it better myself. Nice post.

Speaking of names - I just want to highlight the importance of what Scott said a few posts ago - please sign the bottom of your posts. There will be a ton of new faces here - and being able to make connections with one another is key.

Speaking of nice - I'm drinking my favorite beer on the planet - Bell's Two Hearted Ale. Anyone else a fan?

Edited by Qua17 2016-01-01 8:12 PM

I'll let Mr. Molsen (Thor) have the final say - but as long as the weight is not the 12 oz variety, I think weights should count.

Dave

Thrilled to have you and to learning more about you!

Hope you didn't get affect by the recent flooding.

DQ

Hi BDASers

We are off to a great start. A few pieces of business as we wrap up our first day.

1) Be sure to post your yearly goals. If you don't write them down and share them - they are just hopes. But adding them to a post will not only make them real to you - but they will let us cheer you on as you make them a reality. Case in point - last year, Gretchen (Dr. Foodlove) made it her goal to work out 400 times over the course of 2015. By posting that goal - it helped her make it happen and she blew us away by working out more than 400 times last year.

2)Please add your names to the bottom of your post.

3) Today I was supposed to go for a run but I sat on my butt and watched my Buckeyes rock the Irish in a bowl game. It's the second day I blew off a workout. If I don't work out tomorrow - I'm going to assess myself a Coors Lite Penalty or as I called them CLP. You earn a CLP when you come up short or do something your not proud of. Well, if I don't workout tomorrow, I will have to suffer through a CLP.

Nite everybody!

DQ

Hmmm, not seeing Heady Topper on here......???

love this one!

NAME: Kyle

STORY: In 2014 I decided enough was enough and focused on losing weight. I was my heaviest scale reading at 290 and a year later in the spring of this year I was down to 225. Things got crazy at work in the effect of potential lay offs and shutting down parts of the plant and now I find myself back up to 270. I am continuing to work out but gone was the diet and in was the excuse of "I worked out.....I can eat that". I got a bike the middle part of last year and started riding that and picked right back up. I decided at the same time that running would be another good way to lose the weight as well and started the C25K program in the summer and then did a 5K in the fall. Talking to one of my friends in CO, she was like well....you have the bike thing, and are starting on the running thing....start swimming and do a tri. At that point it was challenge accepted. So currently I am working on losing the weight (goal is about 50 lbs to start) and to work my fitness up to putting all the things together. Work is still up in the area on layoff/working and/or being relocated so my race schedule/plan for this year is up in limbo....

FAMILY STATUS: Married for 7 years with a 3.5 yr old daughter

CURRENT TRAINING: I am currently focusing on running as it is my second weakest area. I do mix some biking and some swimming in there as well, but as it stands just working on building up each of the sports.

2015 RACES: Strut Your Mutt 5K

The Plan for 2016: One race 5K or greater in each month and one of those being a sprint triathlon. Right now Frozen Bunz Run Jan '16, Race for the Chocolate Feb '13

BEER/WINE/BOOZE PREFERENCE: I am a craft beer guy for the most part. I enjoy good flavor beers in a wide range of styles. I also enjoy a nice cab every once in awhile. Rum and bourbon are the two hard choices for me.

WEIGHT LOSS: I am focusing on losing about 50 pounds this year.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD BDAS MEMBER: I am a easy going friendly guy. I am a sponge when it comes to new topics and love to learn from everyone and help out where I can.

Name: Kate

Story: I think this will be my third round in BDAS! I swam D1 in college, then got really into adventure sports like whitewater kayaking and skiing. Now I really enjoy mountain biking and skiing. I try and do a few tris a summer for fun and to keep my fitness goals on track.

Family Status: Married with a 6yo daughter. I also have two parents with dementia who I spend a lot of time with.

Current Training: I pretty much hibernate from the end of mountain biking til ski season starts. I need to start swim/ bike/ run again but have been skiing a fair deal (today was day 13 on the mountain for the season + 4 or so cross country days).

2015 races: I did two Xterras last season and had a blast. My mountain biking really needs more work.

The plan for 2016: at least two Xterras. I'm thinking of adding a few 5ks and 10ks to keep improving my running. I also have been eyeing some open water swim races.

Beer/ wine/ booze: I like them all ;-). Beers I tend to like stouts/ porters/ brown ales or really light stuff. Wine I like merlot. I'm also a fan of gin and tonic and margaritas.

Weight loss: I've had 5-10 pounds creep on and would like to get rid of them.

What will make me a good BDAS member? I hope I bring some fun to the table. I'm definitely less committed than many and not real regimented but I have some pretty good knowledge -esp on swimming.

Kate (my signature only shows from my PC not when I post from phone or iPad).

NAME: Jenn (aka Aviatrix802)

STORY: I'm 45.5 and heading into year 3 of tri-ing

FAMILY STATUS: Married for 13 years and have two rambunctious boys (8 & 10) who keep me young! I'm still trying to convince any of them to do a tri race!

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm coming off sporadic on again/off again fall training due to no real plan and increased work.

2015 RACES: This past year I had a knee issue so my June HIM turned into an Aquabike (which was totally awesome and worth it and I recommend it to anyone, particularly those with issues running - knees, etc I would be happy to talk more about my experience with it for anyone interested). I also did a sprint and 2 Oly's to wrap up the year.

The Plan for 2016: One of 2 things is going to happen but I need to firm things up with some folks first and get hubby onboard. I will either be jumping in headfirst to do IM Mont Tremblant in August with my sis-in-law or Big George (HIM) on Labor Day weekend in Lake George, NY. Either way things are going to get very interesting very quick! I will probably still do my local sprint I do in July and maybe a HIM in June to tune up for IMMT or an Oly in Lake Dunmore that I've done in the past. I will let you know what level of crazy I take on because I will definitely need some mental support!

BEER/WINE/BOOZE PREFERENCE: I have to be honest, I like an occasional IPA but prefer heffe wiessen, porters, stouts, ales, etc. If a beer is super hoppy I can enjoy one but have to move on. I do belong to a wine club so I get quarterly cases of red and love Bordeaux, Temperanillo, Cabs, Merlot, a good Pinot Noir, some Malbec, etc. I have been known to really enjoy a dry Sauvignon Blanc in the white category but keep the fruity rieslings away. (dry ones would be okay) hahaha

WEIGHT LOSS: I'm pretty happy there and sometimes need to be careful of losing too much weight during training but I did get the Feedzone Portables book and look forward to making stuff out of there for "real-food" rides.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD BDAS MEMBER: I try to get on a few times a week and love cheering people on in pursuit of their goals. Every member over the last couple of years has inspired me somehow and I appreciate it! I love the variety of experiences on here and learn new things all the time. Oh, and I have a BDAS bike jersey I wear proudly! LOL

As for 2016 goals

1) Lose 50 pounds and/or 15% body fat.
2) Complete 1 race (5K or greater) each month.
a) one of which to be a sprint triathlon (TBD)
3) 50 dives/hours underwater (I am also an avid scuba diver (Tek, Rec, and pursuing cave diving))


As with everything goals can evolve. I am sure that as my fitness and endurance increases other things will hit the horizon.