Super Cats Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 3)

Thats all good. It might be that the focus is increasing your body rotation a little so you are noticing the difference in position causing the water to move more effectively over the body.

See how yuo go next swim and we will go from there!

Welcome Dave!

Sounds like you will fit right in here... warning I type a lot and I tend to ask a lot of questions Oh yes and I am NOT loosing the Boys v Girls swim challenge... just so you know

First up I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS to you for getting yuor act together after seeing the doctor. It takes a lot of mental effort to decide to do something yourself and not just rely on medication I heard about winter in Seattle from Mel here on BT (mchally) and it did not sound great!

Ive been laid of running in the past with a mixture of shin splints/plantar fascitis and Runners Knee - I am injury girl! At least sometimes I feel like it! You know when you talk to a personal trainer and they ask you if there is anything they should know? I tell them to get our a pen and piece of paper and warn them it could take awhile!

Im guessing from your post you can swim and ride right now? Can you water run? Use the elliptical? Or walk? There are lots of ways of giving yuor body some swim like training OR some time on your feet without running so if the doc is happy with any of these options we can help get you ready for when you are given the ok!

Circuit training is hard! And can be REALLY good for the fat burning - I was a gym junkie before I discovered triathlon so Ive had all sorts of weight training evilness inflicted on me in the past. The worst being a thing called 'German Body Composition Training'.

Im NOT a morning person.. although I find mornings easier if I either have to meet someone (either a friend or a personal trainer works) OR if its summer and light in the mornings. I do NOT like getting up in the dark. I do it 1-2 times a week but Im not going to say I love it. But once I get into my workout Im always glad I did... well usually.. except when my training buddy doesnt turn up!

Sounds like you are another on the team looking at weight loss goals... I LOVE red meat and that can be healthy - just not every day ok? Same for the beer! Oh and Im a carb junkie so.. well... yeah we all have our faults... mine is I like to eat!

What steps have you taken nutritionally to achieve your weightloss goals so far? What specifically do yuo think needs to change to keep yuo on track?

Sorry Ive written an epic post again!

Cat

Yes you are in!! Im just reading your intro post now so will hopefully have a reply up in a minute or 5!

Cant accuse me of not being thorough right?

CONGRATULATIONS on getting through your sprint tri! Sounds like you have a great friend there offering you support on your journey!

Sounds like you need to do some work on your swimming! Has anyone had a look at yoru stroke and offered any tips yet? Do yuo have any knowledge on what your weakness is?

If you swim tonight be careful kicking. I sprained my ankle in a race last month and while I could swim pushing off the wall and kicking was not good for awhile so if in doubt rest up!

When it comes to cycling keep riding the mountain bike until it sells. Because it is heavier it will build up the strength in yuor legs making you even faster when you get a road bike. Also time in the saddle () is ALWAYS a good thing no matter how you get it! Do you have access to a spin bike/class or even an exercise bike or SOMETHING while you are without a bike? While not ideal anything will help in your down time.

Sounds like you are very focused and 3 times a week in each sport is an excellent routine to be in! Especially as you progress through the distances!

Well done on your success so far!

Oh Dolces are beautiful bikes too! Are you going to keep her as a wet weather bike or something? If you do have weeks when the hubby is travelling or you need to keep and eye on your son you could even get a bike trainer and set the spare bike up on that permanantly indoors. It would allow you to get some fantastic training in even when you cant get out on your own!

But I can see yuo got an upgrade! Awesome! 105 components are about the minimum I always recommend once you get into it. You  so notice the difference between that and the Tiagra etc

I am getting a Orbea Diva, full carbon frame/fork/pedals/seatpost etc etc etc. It comes with an Ultegra/Dura Ace component mix and it its one of the most beautiful bikes I have ever seen in person... the pictures online just dont do it justice. The angles on the Orbea top and down tubes on the frame are so very distinctive and make it a real head turner

I wanted an Italian bike but this Spanish lady is just the business! A much better bike than I am rider! Oh and its Carbon and White (because we all know colour can be important!)

I have mentioned Im a little cycling obsessed right?

Oh a niggle is like a bit of pain or discomfort or something just doesn feel right.

Normally something thats not severe enough to be an injury or anything but may be a bit annoying.

Welcome to BT!

Sounds like you have your season all ready to go so congrats on signing up for your races and making the commitment!

Ive been there where you put of going running. I find for me the easiest way is to commit myself to going out 3 times a week and start with a short amount of time, lets say 20 minutes. Your goal is to do at leat 5 minutes walking to warm up then jog SLOWLY until you feel you have to walk again. Alternate running and walking until you 20 minutes are up and then walk for a bit to cool down and you are done.

Some people find it easier to get out there if they have music like an ipod/mp3 player - this is really personal and up to you but do remember you cannot use them in races!

With 6 weeks until your first race it sounds like yuo are ready to go with the swimming and riding so keep it up. And try to run a little so its not all new on race day.

Do yuo have any specific questions about the race day or transition at this stage? We can cover off a whole range of things from what to wear through to how to set up transition and how it all works. So let me know if you have any specific questions and we will go from there ok?

Oh and dont worry about being last or embarrassing yourself. The ONLY person you are racing in your first triathlon is yourself and your goals for the first race should be:

1) To start the race

2) To finish the race

3) To have fun

Triathlons are an incredibly supportive environment and you will be amazedhow there are all kinds of people competing in them!

Hi Puppy!

Of course i will have you (oh and to anyone reading this... he does NOT like being called puppy - he can explain)

I would love to have a full intro from yuo so everyone here can get to know you a little better. As with everyone else I would be really interested in you current training and your strengths/wekanesses.

Would also be interested to know what has worked for you loosing weight so far and what you think are the bigegest challenges for you.

Cat

Ok... A lot of talking by me up til now - apologies i wanted to make sure I didnt want to miss anyone as they joined up

I will close this group very soon and then will do the following:

1 - Make sure everyone is in my friends list

2 - Start keeping an eye on everyones training logs to see how you are going. If you are not using your BT training log currently I strongly recommend you do so yuo can come back later and see how far you have come!

3 - Try and find someone who knows html to make a team table for the mentor group that we can put in our training logs. Will try not to make it pink annd sparkly in care the boys disown me on the spot

4 - Come up with some key topics that are useful for everyone based on your introductions. Some of the strongest themes right now seem to be nutrition and weight loss, running and swimming in particular. As well as any articles I have found here on BT and elsewhere that I like or have found useful.

5 - Pose questions. Im really interested in all aspects of your training so you will find I ask a lot of questions, especially of the group in general in regards to what you do an what works for you

Things I need from you:

1 - Check in regularly - offer each other advice, share your stories and tell us how your training and your life in general is going.

2 - Ask questions - none to big or too small! Ask anything you can think of at any time

3 - Answer questions - we all have our own experiences and our own learnings as training progresses so if you want to answer a question or state an opinion go for it! Despite my ridiculous post count it is NOT all about me!

3 - Help offer motivation and support for each other. Inspires on the training logs are great for this - especially since we have a few people in our group that have trouble sticking to one thing!

4 - Have fun!

Ok here is a list of our group!

crews 

d2lock

D001

Dogwoodgirl

El Flaco

hel2hel

JoeBwan

losta

madkat

patchadams

peach5757

Sulcus

Rudedog55

Im closing us up now! I think this a great bunch of people with a lot of similar and overlapping goals so Im really really looking forward to getting to know you all better

Cat

Dear Super Cat's Mentor Group,

Be afraid.  Just when you thought the group was closed (at TWELVE people no less), Cat opened the door a crack, and let me in!  (I was going to say, "Look what the cat dragged in."  But I figured that might get confusing.  You know -- Cat vs. cat...)

I'm thinking she may end up regretting her decision later.  But for now.... Here I am!   

Of course, now I guess I need to post an intro.... Hmmmm.....

Name:  Dee  (aka EEEEvil Chia Poodle aka Evil Dee aka Deeder aka DeeDee (and probably some other nicknames that no one's told me to my face.  LOL)

Story:  In August 2007, I stumbled across BT while doing a Google search on "swim technique."  And I never left again.    

Family Status:  Owned by one dog.  (He has me well-trained, too.)

Current training:  Far too frequently, work interferes with training.  (Although it's been better lately.)  

I really like swimming, but I've been having problems with my shoulder for over a year.  (My doctor thinks it's tendonitis.  However, she won't send me for PT unless I see an orthopedist.  She said I'll probably have to go for a MRI, too....  Therefore, I haven't done this.  It's expensive!)  The result is that my swim, both speed and endurance, have suffered dramatically.

My bike is... well, stationary.  (I've decided that if I'm going to waste time watching TV, I'll do it while pedalling.)

My running is.... in worse shape than my biking.  Mostly, I wog.  (Walk/jog.)  I find that if I run too much, it makes my knees hurt.  (Which is a nice lead-in to the next section, because I'm sure this is a contributing factor....)

Weightloss:  I never had a weight problem until fairly recently.  But too much time at work (while sitting), and eating junk food (due to work-related stress), combined with too little exercise --->  Well, it's all come together with icky results.  And it's amazing at how quickly it happened.

I need to learn to:  1) make better food choices 2) not eat to solve stress and 3) work out more consistently. 

Health: I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about 3 years ago.  Fortunately, it was non-aggressive, and surgery was able to "cure" it.  I still go several times a year to my oncologist.  I also get blood tests for the ovarian cancer marker.  It's no excuse, but part of my recent weight gain may be due to loss of some important hormones.  (But I still need to eat better and exercise more consistently!)

2009 Goals:  1) Improve my swim technique so my shoulder doesn't hurt. (I may need to find a coach, if I can't do this on my own.)  2) Eat better.  3) Lose some weight.  4) Get better at wogging.  (Both consistency and distance.) 5) Build up some endurance (swimming, biking and wogging).  

(Can I make one of my goals to increase my post count?  Or is that a given?)

Anyway, I'm happy to be a part of this group!  (Thank you, Cat, for letting me in.)    

Hi Dee!

I hope no one minds I let in one more - she will definatley keep up entertained and for those of you that struggle with motivation I know she has some techniques to help!

Dee with your injuries nad run challenges you definatley fit in around here.

Sounds like yuo already have soem goals going forward so Im really looking forward to hearing how you will go about achieving them.

What sort of training are you aiming for? And how are you eating at the moment?

Is there anything else you would like from me to help keep yuo on track?

Cat

Congratulations on getting into UNC!  

peach5757 - 2009-04-16 3:50 PM Hi!  Is there still room in this group?  I just started training for my first tri.  It's a sprint triathlon on June 28th in Kure Beach, NC.  I'm looking for any and all support I can get because I have a tendency to start things and not finish them...I need to break that pattern and I really want to succeed in doing triathlons.  I've always been athletic, but just need a little extra push here and there.  Let me know if there is still room and any other info that you may need or be interested in

Thanks!
Jess

Wow, another person in NC.  That makes 3 of us.....

I'm lefthanded, too.  And I've always breathed on my right....

When my shoulder started bothering me, people suggested that I start doing bilateral breathing.

It was weird.  :)

Back in high school, I remember trying to do it -- and practically drowning myself.   But this time, I slowed down the stroke (as much as it's possible to slow down something that's already snail-like), and learned how to breathe on the left side.

I've actually gotten the hang of it now.  (It's not as smooth as my breathing on the other side, but at least I don't inhale 12 gallons of water.)  

And yes, I can see how it would come in handy if I need to sight along the shoreline or avoid inhaling oncoming swells.....

(It did take the stress off my shoulder, too.  Which was the main reason I started doing it.)

P.S. I talk a lot too, in case you didn't notice.  LOL

When do you get to pick it up?

(And how many days until the TdF, since you're probably counting!  LOL)

Hi Lisa - welcome!

To answer your last question first... August is PLENTY of time to have you ready to tri! So please dont worry at all

You have a great background in the sports required which, while it was a little while ago, means your body does know what its all about so puts you in a brilliant position for starting out!

Sounds like yuo have got back in exercise really well and I definatley want to encourage you to keep what yuo are doing and as the summer weather improves slowly work on increasing your running and cycling little by little... no rush there so just take your time, especially as (like many of us) carrying a little extra weight can put a lot of perssure on yruo body!

If you are already having trouble with your knee be careful... I have had lots of dramas with mine so if in doubt just reduce what ever it is that is aggraavating it. Ice can be good and if you have any doubts go to the doc, get them to look at it and learn about knee cap taping just in case. Another common cause of knee pain can be ITBS. Your ITB is a band of tissue that goes along the outside of your thigh joining at yuor knee cap... if it gets tight it can irritate your knee...

I have no problem with you not weighing yourself. If you have access to a measuring tape I would recommend getting a waist (around yuor belly button) and hips (across yuor hip bones) measurement and yuo dont have to tell them to anyone but it will help you see the changes! As my weight hasnt changed a huge amount recently Ive found it really great to have confirmation that my body is infact changing

Dont worry about being on vacation - if you are going to be running/walking and hiking you will be keeping fit and active so just have a great time and then get back into it on your return! No problems... vacations are a part of life... take it and ENJOY!

Thanks Dee!

Its really easy to use and once you get the hang of it we can show you how to add friends etc too!

I will be leaving inspires on your logs to offer some extra training motivation and to see what you are up to!

D001 - 2009-04-17 1:44 PM OK, I've got a "generic" Mentor Links Table set up.... Now, we just have to wait for Cat to pick a suitable Super Cat background.

Ooops guess I better get to it!

Thanks Dee

Well I currently have the cash for just over half of it... so awhile....

Im owed from the gov so if that comes sooner... but probably end of May... bleh!

Dee have you done shark fin or side kicking drill on your weak side? It will teach you better body position/balance on that side and if done regularly for awhile will make the bilateral breathing MUCH easier!