mcgilmartin's 2013 Mentor Group~ let's get swimming! CLOSED FOR TRAINING (Page 4)

Quit smoking pretty much cold turkey 5 years ago on the last day of law school.  I had run in high school and a little in college and did the NYC marathon when I turned 30.  It was a slow progression getting back into running and figuring out what and how to do it.  And man did I cough up some nasty stuff the first couple of weeks after I quit.

OK, the background makes it all logical.  Little history about me.  I grew up swimming, from age 8 through my college years I was always on the swim team.  By the time I was out of college I had zero motivation to swim ever again, so I started smoking and hanging out in bars with my friends more and more.  I finally quit smoking on my 30th birthday and decided I wanted to be a triathlete.  Here I am today at age 40.  I wish I knew back when I was 20 what I know now.

Meet the newest addition to the White Family.......

Can't wait to take this baby for a spin in the morning.  Starting a new job tomorrow (hospice nurse).  Am going to try to be patient with myself as I learn the ropes of the job and figure out the new family routine.  Fitness goals for this week are two mid-week runs on the treadmill, a swim workout (gonna try the one Matt posted), and a long run next weekend.  If things are going well, I'd also like to squeeze in a Bikram yoga class on Saturday.  Hope everyone else has a successful week---looking forward to reading your updates! 

Nice, Robin!  I hope you picked up a used one.  They seem to be in great supply on Craigslist this time of year.  Everyone's New Years resolution from 2012 goes on sale a year later when it turns into a dust collector!  

I'll be curious how your planned vs. actual works out.  I think that's the second biggest issue we have as triathletes... trying to balance training and life demands.  Sounds like you've got a good, sustainable, realistic plan in place.

Very impressive, Bruce---both quitting smoking and going to law school in your late 30s!  What type of law do you practice?  I made a career change from finance into nursing in my late 30s and it was very humbling (but also motivating) to be surrounded by students considerably younger.  You can also add me to the list of former smokers.  I've been smoke-free for nearly 11 years---quit cold turkey on my 31st birthday when I found out I was pregnant---had tried to quit many times before but it took something of this significance to finally stick.  I was active duty at the time (finance officer in the Air Force) and smoking used to be so pervasive in the military culture---I'm sure that's changed.  Not going to lie---I still long for one from time to time---especially with a cup of coffee or a cold beer!  Glad we all kicked the habit before the damage was irreparable and that we've moved on to healthier vices.  Welcome to the group!

OK, add one more to the roster:

Max/Smartine

We have one opening left for this season.

Here's a bit more of my background and a little clarification on my goals here

Name: Jeremy W

Location: Massachusetts

I'm 37, and have been a couch potato since high school, and quite smoking late in 2011, jsut before starting to drop a lot of weight and get back into shape.  (Dropped from a roly poly 240lbs  -> 160 lbs)

Strengths - running is probably my best sport at the moment, mostly short distances to date (havent raced anything longer than a 10k).  I've been running for about 14 months 

I am brand new to swimming and cycling (as in never swam laps in my life but I am comfortable in the water, and I've played around on a mountain bike a few times, but thats about it, I try and get in the pool 3 times a week, and generally put in about a mile each session, I've been swimming for about 8 weeks now (could barely get a couple hundred yards done the first week ).  I bought a relatively inexpensive bike and a trainer a couple months ago (GT series 5  and a Kurt road machine).  I try to put in an hour+ on each of my run days, usually after my son gets to sleep.

My biggest perceived weakness is probably transitioning from all-out events to longer activities where pacing is important.  I ordered up the ANT+ dongleas well as HRM and cadence sensor last week and will probably be signing up for trainerroad to help with the bike workouts (Any thoughts on trainerroad?)

As far as my current training and condition goes, My 5k pace is around a 7 minute mile, 10k at about 7.5 minute mile, I swim a pool mile (72 lengths at my local Y in a little under 40 minutes - (110 lengths at my lunchtime gym it's a 50ft pool but its all ive got access to at lunch)), and I'm a little vague on the bike since I havent had a chance to ride outside yet , just on the trainer and don't know if I have the tension accurate, but I generally can squeeze in about 90 mintes a night at ~16mph

As far as goals are concerned, the events I'm signed up for are my motivation , what I'm really hoping to get is a better understanding of the bike/swim, and endurance aspects of triathlon and how I should be training to accomodate that  

May targets this year are in addition to a bunch of 5k and 10ks, a couple of sprint triathlons and an Olympic in the fall.  Maybe a 13.1 next year.   

What I've found to be my biggest hurdle is the work/family/exercise triangle.  Generally I'm prepping for the coming day 5-6am, getting my son up and off to daycare 6-7am, work 7-4, Dinner/play time with my son 4-8 (or 9 if bedtimes a tough one) I'll generally get an hour in the gym at lunch, and whatever time I can manage after hes in bed (usually 60-120 minutes of workout time here).    I'm having trouble finding good spots for a 'long' workout session for longer distances.  

I think that about covers it..

That was the first time I've ever ran in the rain. I live in Western Nebraska and when it (rarely) rains here, we wait half an hour and its done. I was woefully unprepared for Seattle rain. I had no hat, no jacket and I was miserable. My brother still makes fun of me about that race. He lives in Corvallis and takes every opportunity to remind me that in April when we are out there for the half marathon, there's a good possibility that it might rain. He even emailed me a list of "rain gear" I should bring along. He also did the Seattle RnR half so he was back in the motel, had a shower and a nap while I was still out there on the course. He makes sure to remind me of that too.

jeremy- I like your story!  You are in.

That makes our 2013 group closed.  We're going to have an awesome season.  I see why we have assembled the group we have.

Hi Everyone! Here is my introduction.  Nice to be a part of this group! Thanks Matt!

NAME: Darcie/Pixiedustlady

STORY: I am 42 years old and was born and raised in California.  I joined the United States Marine Corps when I was 19 and served for six years.  I currentley live in North Carolina.  I am a cast and crew driver for Motion Picture/Television and we just wrapped up filming a showtime show called "Homeland".  My work hours leave hardly ANY TIME for training and by the time we finish a 14-16 hour day I want to just take a shower and flop in my bed. The hours also screw my body up because we start at 5 am on Monday and then by Friday we are coming in at 3pm for all night filming. I do LOVE my job though!   We film five hours away from my home in Charlotte, so I dont have access to my bike or swimming.  I usually drive home on weekends and workout when I can.  We film 5-6 months out of the year.  My husband is still on active duty and is leaving for Afghanastan this week for seven months.

I have always done dvds at home workouts such as insanity/P90X to keep in shape and I get burned out quickly doing the same thing.  Last year my husband decided to enter a 5K and I went to cheer him on.  I thought it looked fun and even though I hated running in the Marines, I was ready to give it another shot.  I entered my first race which was the Camp Lejeune half Marathon...I only had 10 days of running under my belt after a 22 year break from any kind of running....yep stupid but I finished in 3:05 LOL. From there we entered all kinds of 5ks/10Ks and half Marathons.  I was injured in the spring time and was off running for a few months.  I found I was getting super bored with running.  I was flipping through my Runners World and saw them talking about the Kona Ironman race...I went to Youtube and saw a video that changed my life LOL  The video was the 2011 Ironman World Championships and focused on the Pros.  I didnt know any of these people called Crowie, Macca, Andreas Ralert, Chris Leato, Chrissy or Leanda Caves...I still watch the video and have downloaded the song on my Ipod and play it when I feel like quitting on my bike or run, here it is if anyone wants to see what motivates me :)  http://youtu.be/2s5AbZyf1Js

I heard a Sprint triathlon was coming to a city near me so I signed up.  I do not know how to swim except float in the water and dog paddle and the last time I had swim instruction was in the Marine Corps Boot Camp where we were taught how to float after crashing into the ocean from a helicopter.. SURVIVAL SWIMMING! Last time I had been in a pool was two years ago and that was a swim up bar in Cancun.  Back to the Sprint... I brought my big ole heavy cruiser bike with me that I had not ridden in six months and knew I could handle the run part.  I did not want to run out and spend thousands of dollars on equipment if I hated this new adventure.   It is HOT here in the summer and fall time so I picked a warm day to try my first sprint. The swim was a pool swim and I do not know how to do the front crawl or any other stroke for that matter...I kind of side stroked/breast stroked/ skipped on the bottom to finish.  I was the last swimmer to go and people were already finishing the entire race before I even got out of the water.  The bike part I LOVED and even though I cant stand running I made the 5k with a ok time...biggest thing is I FINISHED...worst part is me and three others were left out on the course and the event people were tearing everything down and no one was at the finish line...went in to the promised pancake breakfast and award ceremony and everyone was gone....I was starving and thirsty and they had packed up all the food and nothing was left but a warm diet coke.  I packed up and left and decided that it was not going to stop me because I just loved the entire race!  The hardest part is my training partner, my husband is leaving this week for seven months...the area I live in is full of a huge running community but no Triathletes or Triathlete groups.  The nearest training group is one hours drive away. I am excited to have found this site and have been waiting to find the right group to join!!! 

FAMILY STATUS: Married to my wonderful Marine! He came to one of my races and is now hooked on Tris.  He is a natural swimmer but not patient with me and unfortunately always tries to be faster then me even during training which is not helping me.  He placed third in his very first Sprint this year. Because of my past, I need encouragement, not yelling or put downs. We both LOVE watching the Ironman channel and Ironman Europe channel on Youtube and can name off all the of our favorite Pros and age groupers.  We would love to travel to many of the places to do the half IM someday!! I feel lucky to have a spouse that loves Tri as much as I do.

CURRENT TRAINING: We did our first full marathon at the end of October...the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC.  We wanted to do this one as he is active duty and I am a former Marine.  This training took up soooo much time and I wont ever enter another one again unless it has Ironman attached to it.  Currentley we are getting in a few bike rides here and there and run here and there..have not swam in over a month because I get frusterated since I cant do laps. I have not run in a few weeks.  I have old injuries that pop up when I run.  I am trying to not injure myself more then I already am.

2012  RACES: Tons of 5ks, 10ks, Wrightsville beach half marathon, Lejeune Half Marathon, Crystal Coast Half Marathon, Battleship Half Marathon. Marine Corps Marathon, Wilmington Sprint Tri, Triangle Sprint Tri, Chapel Hill Tri and Divas Tri.  All were pool swims except Triangle Tri and we did a relay team...hubs just got out of a cast and did the swim and I biked and ran.  My first open water swim was the Divas Tri and it was a complete and total DISASTER. I had never swam in open water, the water was a lake and it was totally choppy and windy that morning...as soon as I could not touch bottom I freaked and actually turned around to go back...one of the swim patrol ladies calmed me down and told me to side stroke it out..I was gasping and panting and out of breath...I had to hold on to a Kayak a few times to calm down  BUT I MADE IT... I am the worlds worst swimmer and we have no swim coaches within a hours drive here in my area I live in.  I have access to a  beautiful indoor pool on base and gym to workout in..but no instructions for adults.  I have the ocean but I dont like swimming in it and always get stung by Jelly fish.   I know if I can get the right instruction I can get the fear of OWS out of my head!!! I am no longer interested at all in *just running* events.  Me and hubs got sooo bored during the Marine Corps Marathon I just wanted to stop and go home by mile 16.  We trained long and hard for it and I just didnt like the distance or the way my body felt for a week afterwards! My shining moment was at the Divas Triathlon...women only...after my disaster swim I finished number 6 on the bike and that was like a gold medal from the olympics for me! haha! Riding with all the guys from the bike shop DID give me speed and power to hammer away on the bike...now I just need confidence on the mounting and dismounting and going into fast/sharp turns.

2013 RACES:  Disney Princess half Marathon, Wrightsville beach Half Marathon,  Azalea festival Sprint Tri, Triangle Sprint Tri, Wilmington Sprint Tri,  Kure Beach Sprint Tri, Diva Sprint Tri, Olympic Tri at Whitelake and hopefully if I can do it...Half Iron distance in Charlotte.  The swim is what I am scared of and worried about. 

Goals: I need help so bad with swimming.  I wish there was a Tri group in my area.  I am excited to be a part of this group to at least have like minded people to talk with and cheer on.  I have to get over my fear of the open water swim.  I need to find a swim coach who can show me how to do the front crawl...I always hold my breath...I had some scary childhood stuff happen around water so I am scared of drowning.  Id like to improve my transition area and basically be in better shape for all the upcoming races.  I am excited but scared of this year as my husband will be gone till July.

Jen,

We have the exact same trainer! It would of been nice to get some instructions in the box!  We bought the trainer last summer and I have just now used it two times this week.  I bought the *Sufferfest* collection and have done two of them so far.... WOW lol super hard and super fun!! I saw your post where you said you are now *hooked* on riding inside....me too!!

Hey Richard,

You sound like every other runner that takes up swimming!  You are lucky in the fact that your kick can originate from your hips, thereby engaging your quads, hamstrings, and calves.  You should NEVER have a bent knee kick in swimming.  I see that a lot in new swimmers and it's a terrible habit.  You want to execute what we call a "scissor" kick, whereby the movement is initiated by your core, and your legs should be close together with knees relaxed.  You don't want your knees locked, but they shouldn't really bend, either.  I'd suggest you give a pull buoy a try.  Put it between your knees and try to force yourself to engage your lats through your pull.  You'll find that most of your acceleration through the water will come from your upper body.

I'll try to find a video to post, too.

Matt

I just got a message from New Skin that they've renewed my sponsorship through March 31st.  If you guys haven't tried the stuff, it's the BEST anti-chafe out there.  If you want me to send you a sample let me know!!  PM is probably better- you don't want your address floating around online.

Matt

http://www.newskinproducts.com/

I think I'm also supposed to mention that I am not compensated for you buying the product, nor do I work there or have anyone I know that works there

Try it and let me know what you're feeling during and after. It's hard to "coach" someone without seeing firsthand, but I think you're similar to most other runners turned swimmers.

Welcome everyone, looks like a good group!

I signed up for my first half marathon on April 20, so I started a 10-week training plan today. Weeks 1 and 2 don't look bad, but the rest will be tough LOL It just felt good to run again though, I took too much time off last month. Back to it!

Jen, which plan are you using?  Are you planning on logging your workouts in the training log?  Accountability will help you achieve any goal.  I'm so excited for you!

Steve, I'm glad you re-upped for another tour.  Your sense of humor is great!  What does tomorrow hold?

Good Morning everyone.

Matt I didn't swim this morning.  Tomorrow night is my next scheduled day.

If anyone needs a training plan other than here Active.com has several for free.  Sign up on Facebook (like them).  I will be using the free Olympic Tri plan starting in February mixed in with my marathon running build up that I got free from Runners World.  I'm just swapping out the runs. 

WOW! I don't read this page for a few days and we have all kinds of new members! WELCOME to all - I hope you enjoy it here!

I plan on doing the Tour of Sufferfest that starts on 26 January and runs for 9 days. It promises to be a lot of Suffering!

I've been feeling a little (lot) stretched out on my bike since we moved and decided to have my LBS owner (and pro) take a look at my fit. He took one look at me and promptly told me to get off! He then lowered my seat by what felt like 2 inches!! He also suggested changing the drops for something narrower and maybe adjusting the spacers and the stem. We also decided that for all the climbing I plan on doing that a better gearing option would be 12-30 as opposed to the 12-25 that I had. So now, I have a 50-34 on front and a 12-30 on back, in essence, a 30-34, which is just like having a triple! Should be interesting once I'm able to get outside and ride.

Bought my first wool jersey! Can't say how it works for actual riding, but it's long sleeve and I'm loving just wearing it around the house and when I go out! We've had several positive comments (my husband bought one too) and I look forward to getting a few more long sleeve ones just to wear as sweaters, if nothing else. Of course, we had "Mittelbrunn Velo Club" embroidered on it, so it looks all official! Frank, our local bike pro, asked if Mittelbrunn had a Velo club because then we would be against his club. I told him that my husband and I were the only ones in the "club" and he knows that he doesn't have to worry about us! He laughed since he knows our village only has about 600 residents and is mostly a farming village. He did like our jersey's though (probably liked them more once he knew that we really weren't a velo club)!

Heading to France this weekend, so I'll be out of pocket for a day or so. My daughter wanted a trip to Paris for her birthday and we're able to accommodate!

Hope everyone is having a great week and I look forward to reading all the race reports as they come along!