Mad Manatee Mentors CLOSED (Poptart/pet pic bribes?) (Page 4)

Did you tell him it's not very aero?   On the other hand, you could start biathlon training to go with your duathlons and triathlons....

Scary that they still haven't arrested a suspect!

There are a lot of nut cases out there.  I don't like guns and would be more inclined to carry pepper spray.

My daughter is a vet tech and a guy came into her office and stabbed the vet.  She had sufferficial wounds and is fine but he meant to inflict harm and the vet had to wrestle the knife away from him.  He then pulled another knife and was threatening the front office staff.  My daughter came out and told the guy to put down the knife and calm down.  He did and left only to drive across town and stab another vet.

She now carries a .38 Ruger.  I worry about her more now though.  If you pull a gun in self defense you have to be prepared to empty the clip into someone or that gun can be turned on you.  Not a situation to take lightly.

Goooood day--errr, whatever time it is in all our far-flung corners of Earth

I'm closing it up for now with 10 additional podmates (as well as the usual ruckus). Yes, we're the pod people, woo-woo (and if you get that, you're at least as old as I am, so ... bless your heart ).

Beggars who show a strong commitment to Pop Tart generosity and offering cute animal photos will be considered.

MANATEE ALUMNI ALWAYS WELCOME. You just can't escape that easily.

We can also always re-open by consensus Manatee decree.

MANATEE MENTOR GROUP IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW MEMBERS

Well I am glad I said 3 or 4 days ago that I was IN  

Here's the scoop.

Name: Judi

Married 21 years.  2 daughters whom I refer to as Thing 1 and Thing 2.  Currently 1 cat (down from 3  the fat boy was mean and bit me twice....the big girl died last week after a very long life with us and we still miss her)

Experiences....been racing about 8 years, I focus on short course and Olympic distance triathlon.  Tried once to go for the HIM and had a season I would rather not repeat of injury & illness.

This season:  Planned races so far:  Monument Ave 10K  March 28 with about 35,000 people.  It's a big party in Richmond and I love this race

                                                          Petersburg Historic Half Marathon  April 18.  It's a brand spanking new race that is going to go through the Petersburg National  Battlefield complete with a battle reenactment during the race.  Promises to be hilly, I have run the battlefield a few times cause it's not too far from my house and it is a challenging 4 miles.

                                                       Challenge Williamsburg  Olympic Triathlon June 14 (or thereabouts)  Third year racing this one, used to be Rev 3 but Rev 3 and Challenge merged.

I am still thinking of my other races.....likely the East Coast Super Sprint early May because it's a good OWS & transition practice and a super short course not too far from my house.  The race company I have avoided for the past 2 hears was recently sold so once I see how a few of those races are reviewed under new ownership I may be back to the local races.  The Richmond Half Marathon in November is probably going to happen for me--pending how my legs cooperate with the April one and the remainder of the season  AND my work not sucking the will to live from me.

BODY COMP....well let's say I am one of those who put on weight during marathon training in 2013 and STILL haven't been able to lose it.  BTW, while Salty is a fabulous marathoner, I am most definitely NOT cut out to repeat that distance.  I prefer 10K and HM distances.  Just enough to work hard and know it but not enough to take over life.

My weakest link?  I barely tolerate swimming and after 8 years still suck.

Updated my original post with more information!  Thanks for the warm welcome everyone

Having run a half marathon, my brain tells me that if my long run gets to eight or nine miles, I know I can do the full 13.1.  I've conquered the mental barrier.  10 miles is plenty to get you the distance.

Put some hurt time in on the trainer this morning (for those that are new, check our logs, or join our group on Strava for updates, and also our Twitter group).

It's funny in the base period, I think: I'm in great shape.  I'll just knock out this workout no problem.  Halfway in I'm thinking, take the intervals one at a time! Survive!

OK, I'm finally at a point where I can do this:

Name: cdban66/Chris/DubSix

STORY: I had been somewhat athletic in High School, playing soccer, beach volleyball and basketball, but that was a long time ago. Marriage, two children, business ownership, and the general busyness of life just got in the way. A number of years back I began going to the gym, lifting weights and such. Then, in late July, 2010, we had a family weight loss challenge. In order to lose, I began running. My youngest daughter suggested we run a race at Walt Disney World, so I began to prep for that and my oldest sister joined in as well. Before that race had happened, I began looking for more challenge/diversity, since I was enjoying the training. I had a friend who had been in tri’s a while back, he gave me his old bike and it grew from there. Now I try to race a few times a year and am beginning to push myself from "participant" to "racer". I'd like to see improvements this season and have put a few small things in place to do so.

STATUS: I am a 6’3”, 48 yr old male and I've been married for over 28 years. I have 2 girls, ages 24 and 26. My wife, Ann or TW (THE Wife), is the most wonderful person a man could have in his life and has been very supportive of this addition to my lifestyle.

CURRENT TRAINING: My primary focus is biking and running so I have begun to add more intensity. I enjoy riding with my LBS group and am looking for the same in running. I need to find a better focus for swim training. (This is the part where Janyne rolls her eyes and yells at me, mutters something about masters, and mentions that I have said this for the past 2 years)

LAST YEAR: The past few years have been somewhat skinny on racing, or should I say participating. I did a couple of races, but family/work/church obligations (there were many) took precedence, as they always do. My hope is to see time improvements from last year, especially in the run, and advances in my overall endurance fitness.

2014 RACES: I sprained an ankle pretty well in February of last year and everything there after was a bit challenging. I did the same local sprint races that I had in past years, with the second one being as a relay after an ankle flair up.

2015 GOALS: I am currently planning on a couple of run races in the early part of the year, with an HM in February being my primary run race this year. After that I hope to do about 3 or 4 sprint tris in the summer, maybe more if things go well. I have a number of them in the possibilities list and need to get things narrowed down a bit in the next few weeks

BODY COMP: As I mentioned above, this all started as part of a family weight loss challenge. I started at 240 lbs. At my lowest I had reached 207, which felt low for me. Currently I am about 220, with a goal weight of 210+/- for race season.

WHAT WOULD MAKE ME A GOOD MANATEE: I am not the fastest, but I am supportive, upbeat, and really do want to be a better triathlete. I have built a single speed/fixie bike and a MTB, which have helped me on the mechanical side. I have an eye towards a tri bike build in the future. I read logs for info and motivation, post a bit and you will likely receive an "Inspire" or 2 from me every now and again.

It's not about the long run (unless you're doing a Galloway program). It is really about the accumulated, frequent, consistent running. Which HM are you planning on doing?

Did you hear the energizer bunny was arrested?

He was charged with battery.

Glad to hear you're taking care of your knee. It was a good reminder to me, too, that there is always time for the wise and healthy way.

I know so embarrassingly little about Google+ that I have no idea if this'll actually get you there, but for the new members, some really useful links ... such as the Manatee Bike Gallery (submit a pic of yours today!) and especially the Manatee Dictionary.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109453443945893510526

And if you feel like you sometimes don't know what's going on, you're in the right place. We rarely know what's going on either

Stacey, my take is that each plan I have followed has had more days running and a longer "longest" run.  I am also a pretty strong believer in the value of frequency and consistency.  My current plan has me at 5 days/12 mile longest.  My past plans have been 4 or 5 days a week and 11 or 12 mile longest run.  

But, each of us is different.  Look at your objectives closely.  Look at the time that you can invest.  Look at the intensity that you can train at.  Look at your mental fortitude.  When you analyze it all together, you'll get your answer.  I think it is entirely possible, strictly from a "can it be done" perspective.

NAME: ponderingfox/foxy/Tom

STORY: I was always pretty athletic, and took to sports pretty naturally.  I was generally one of the faster people in a group.  I home schooled through high school and didn't play any sports, though in hindsight I would have loved to play soccer and done track/cross country. I view triathlon and running as a way to explore my athletic potential as I enter my thirties (I'm 31).  I've been dealing with various running injuries for the last four years and haven't been able to get to where I would like to go to yet.  I've had some good races and won my age group a time or two, but ultimately I'm racing myself and exploring my potential.  I WILL STAY HEALTHY THIS YEAR! I prefer short course triathlon and 5Ks.

FAMILY STATUS: Single with no pets (the no pets part makes me peculiar in this group)

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm back on the bike and laying down base right now.  Running is coming along slowly as I recently finished PT, and am building up the miles slowly with frequent rest weeks.  I haven't done much swimming over the last few months due to work being super busy and getting in the way of masters.  But I believe that will turn around in the new year.  I have a good group I swim with.

THIS YEAR'S RACES/EVENTS: This is still in the works (keep an eye on my training log for details), but I'm looking at four or five early season 5Ks, doing an Oly series with a bid to win my age group, doing a four race series of Wednesday night tris, and finishing with fal 5Ks and maybe a century or two.

BODY COMPOSITION: 5'9" and 140.  I'm not very big and have always fallen into them, "you look like a runner" category.  I might go down slightly as my running fitness increases.

I'm not seeing that pic.  Try again?

Oh, haha, I see it as it came through email.  Nice.

So I checked out the Manatee Bike Gallery this morning and noticed that Red Robber is still in there. What was the final prognosis after your last race?

I left him in Perth and will use him as a trainer bike. He'll get a thorough checkup and assessment when I get back there on the 23rd; if all can be made well, he may go to Taiwan with me. If not, and depending on what the bike course there actually is, I may bring Tin Canny (Cannondale road bike).

I have nothing but good things to say about Polygon bikes. Best $490 I ever spent on tri gear. I have smashed the crap out of that frame time and time again and he just keeps on ticking. Of course, the frame is the only original thing still left

I don't actually remember the IMWA crash itself or the moments right after (which worries Stace Face), but an acquaintance of mine was at that aid station and she told me the first words out of my mouth were, "My poor bike!"