McFuzz's Group - FULL (Page 5)

Do you guys know what is long and lean and filled with mush???

McFuzz out running in temps of 5 above 0 and a wind chill of 11 BELOW!!!

OK, he wins! People tell me I'm crazy for running in 30 degree weather, so I just tell them about Mike!!

Now that is what I call DETERMINATION!

A-N-I-M-A-L

OK guys...it sounds far worse than it really is.  This morning's attire was cotton sweatpants (pretty lightweight), dry-wick t-shirt, old cotton sweatshirt, knit hat and knit gloves and my high-visibility wind-vest.  Regular socks and running shoes.  By the end of the run, I could feel sweat forming along the hat.  Thicker or more wind-proof gloves and I figure I could have stayed out another half-hour.

Check out Morey1's logs if you want to see a hard-core winter runner!

Here's a link from the USAT website with some good advice for those times we have trouble with motivation. Good, simple suggestions for "getting back on the horse"!

http://www.usatriathlon.org/MultiSport101/Training.aspx

The March issue of Triathlete magazine has a good article on going from base to race training.  There is also a training plan for the RYKA Irongirl Sprint (Steph!). This is how I've been spending my morning! Hope everybody has a great training day today.

There is only one store in this one horse town (that I know of) that carries that mag. I hope they aren't sold out!! I'd love to see it!

CONGRATULATIONS DADDY!!!

Your life has just taken on a new depth that you will never experience anywhere else (including tri!). Children are among the most precious gifts we can receive and are blessings beyond words. Give your lovely wife a big hug from all of us and HANG ON! It's going to be a great ride! Congratulations on your wonderful news!

Congratulations!!

It's a new and exciting stage in life.

CONGRATS!

Being a Dad is really cool! Enjoy every minute of it!

a little late coming from me but :

YAY!! A BABY ON IT"S WAY!! How exciting!!

OK All,

Time for a little reflection/introspection...

We've been a team for about 10 weeks now.  Go back and look at your introductions, your logs, and some of the earlier posts. 

What has helped? 

What should we do differently?

What have been your surprises? 

Here is a start for what you have accomplished in 2007

Swimming:  32 hours 18 minutes, 29,990* yards

Biking:  65 hours 34 minutes, 570.25* miles

Running:  63 hours 41 minutes, 412.2 miles

Just in these three sports, you have logged 161 hours 33 minutes, and some of you spent a lot of time in addition to this with strength training and other sports!!  You should be proud of this!!!!!!  (* You've really done a lot more distance that what shows here)

Not every goal has been met, which says you didn't set fluff goals, but all of you have hit some most of your goals.  Are the March goals you set in January still appropriate?  Keep the ones that make sense, drop ones that you realize aren't important any more, and add a few new ones.  If you've got goals that are still important and you haven't hit them, make some changes to achieve them. 

What do you think??

Awww Man! If I knew you were gonna tally, I'd have kicked some butt!  (just kidding)

  Good for all of us! YAY!!

Ok, here's mine:

1) What has helped me the most is your (everyones) inspires and the fact that people are poking around in my blog, making me accountable and also the fact that there are people out there that actually care that I get a workout in each day.

2) Differently?: The actual plan was that I'd be done with school by now... things just didn't fall into place. So, that is definately something I wouldn't do at the same time - EVER! (This is the year I had planned for my first Tri... I have a goal page listing things I want to accomplish each year.) I am going to make a concerted effort to plan better, oh and to SUCCEED!

We, as a group:  maybe press each other a bit harder to accomplish more. I think if I had more pressure (higher expectations from others) I would make a more aggressive effort...just my two cents.

3) Surprises?: It really surprises me that I can't DO IT ALL! (seriously, I probably do have time to do it all, I just am really good at making excuses and and really good at believing them. )

 So, Overall, I think we are a really good group as far as members go.  Anyone else with an opinion?

just one question: are we continuing on as a group? I know this was supposed to only be for 3 months, but I really like you people!

I don't think Ron has figured this out exactly.  Some groups have a very active forum page, others (like us) do more as inspires.  I'm sure some groups will dissolve over time, and there should be opportunities to start new groups.  We can still check in on each other regularly (like I do some of the people in my first swim challenge).  I see a couple of you becoming my peer (mentoring another group), and that makes me feel good.  (A good mentor puts himself out of a job by making the protoge self-sufficient.) 

One more thought on the Surprise:

I'm surprised that we've ALL stuck with it this long. I had visions of: start with 6, end up with 3. (no one specifically, I'm saying: before I got to know any of you). I'm proud to be in such a terrific group!

What has helped? 

Getting those inspires from everyone constantly.  I think people need to ride it out a little tougher.  It's nice to get a pat on the back.  but we need to know what are the weak points of each of us and figure a way to get around.   The group alone has helped me to stay on track with my workouts. 

What should we do differently?

Not sure there is much to do differently.  I think this group is very supportive of each other.  I on the other hand, have not.  I personally need to step up my support to others.  I apologize for not being there for most of you.  I am without computer right now so that in itself makes it hard for me.  But that's not an excuse just one of the reasons.  I will try to be more of a support to u guys.   

What have been your surprises? 

How much i have been in the pool.  I hate the pool! 

Think positive thoughts and sooner or later I will have no choice but to achieve what I have set out to do

Reflection is good. It's hard to believe the end of February is upon us.

What has helped? This website has helped me a lot. The support of the group has helped me a lot. The inspires are great. They give me  a boost first thing in the morning. The training plans and articles on the site. The knowledge and experience of other group members. All has been beneficial to me. Thanks everyone!

What should we do differently? Not sure about that one. I know for me, I have to make some changes to my training plan. Reality has set in and the limits on time vs. sleep have been rearing their ugly heads. I also think we could push each other a little bit more. Sometimes I need a good swift kick in the butt to get moving. Please feel free to challenge me.

What have been my suprises? The biggest suprise for me was swimming over 10,000 yards in January. That blew my mind. Funny how that happens when you spend 3 days a week doing it. I also noticed how training got boring and started to feel like work. Training by yourself all the time gets a little old for me. I definately need to mix up some workouts and start having more fun! I feel like January and February were where I built my base. Now I can start to focus on certain parts of my training more and also mix it up a little.

Mentally, there are good days and bad days. I know that in a race situation, I have a different attitude than I do at 5 a.m. on the treadmill, but I also know, if I am going to perform at the level I want, I have to put in the "boring" time. My new focus is to have a goal for each and every workout. I don't want to just plod along anymore. That will bring the excitement level back up. Also, I am going to mix things up a bit. I'm going to run outside a couple times, even if it is cold. I'm going to go skiing a couple more times. I'm going to go find some mud and see how good my tires are on my mountain bike. And, I'm going to be the best Soccer coach I can be to the 7 year olds on my team for the next two months!

I've also had to reevaluate my goals for the next two months. Certain things aren't as important as I thought they would be. Certain things are more important. My swimming is going to focus more on technique and less on total yardage. My running has to get some speed work and sprints and hills worked in. My biking has got to get outdoors! I also know that the next two months are my busiest of the year for work and coaching, so I probably won't be able to train 5 days a week. And, that's ok. When the end of April hits, I can fine tune for 6 weeks and then race in my first ever triathlon. That will be cool!

Very nice, Mike!  I'm sure you'll be a great coach and mentor. 

Both Maureen and Michael have suggested that we ought to be a little firmer/harsher/whatever to hold people accountable for workouts.  I think that some of this will start to mature/evolve.  For the first few weeks, and even now, we're still "feeling out" each other so we stick to politeness and "company behavior."  As we become more comfortable with everyone's habits and foilables, it is OK to keep everyone honest and on their toes.  As an example, my online relationship with Morey1 has matured to where we're both comfortable with pointing out some things.  (Me, I can bust his chops about not swimming.  He gets to bust mine about not buying gear and sleeping in instead of working out.)  There have been a few mornings where I've gotten up and run (or biked) because I knew if I didn't, he'd call me on it.  Other mornings, I've been willing to take the heat. 

As you move to this new level of accountability, please keep a few things in mind. 

1)  It MUST be constructive.  Remember the goal of the mentor program is to help each other achieve our individual goals.  I will feel bad (and so will Ron) if we start chasing people away. 

2)  Keep things in perspective and proportion.  Not everyone shares everything in their logs, and sometimes, there is a good reason they're not working out (or logging).  Injury, family crisis, busy week...Don't worry, your turn is coming...  If you want to bust someone, build up some positive points around your stronger "inspires".  Off-hand, I'd suggest a minimum ratio of 5 positive inspires for any stinging one (and a higher ratio would be better).  Don't overdraw, don't pile on, don't single someone out (ixnay on inspiring A, B, C, D, and E and then drawing a bead on F every time), and don't keep after someone who doesn't trade barbs.  A fellow scout leader talks about making a "compliment sandwich" to deliver a specific criticism.  Start with a compliment, deliver your criticism, then end with another compliment. 

On the second point, I can tell you that this is something I struggle with in both my personal and professional life.  It is too easy (ask my wife and kids) to point out all the negatives and places where someone could do better.  I really have to work at finding all of the positive things around me (and I really am blessed with an abundance of positives). 

I'll leave you with one final thought about the mentor program.  As a plus, you get an almost immediate support/accountability group.  As a minus, you may not have much incentive to meet new BT'ers with your close group of comrades.  The BT world is much bigger than the 6 of us (a few of you know this).   If you haven't, go meet some new people! 

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents regarding our progress here.

What has helped: Inspires for sure-you guys always pick me up when I am faltering. Mike is also a VERY good mentor! You have good solid advice and if you are not sure, you always direct us to someone who can help. 

What could be improved: Since I am new to this level of training, I am not sure I know what to improve yet. It has been such a good experience so far!

Surprises: This actually WORKS for ME! I never thought I'd ever be able to stick with anything like this but now that I have committed to it, I am thrilled at the muscle tone I'm gaining and the weight I'm losing! I feel like I may actually be able to complete a triathlon in a few months!

Now, I have a question. Now that college is back in session, I am really getting strapped for time. I've been struggling with how to manage it and am thinking that, instead of doing double workouts 5 days a week, I will cut back to 4 days. I am comfortable cutting one of my swim workouts so that I can put in enough running and I can still double up some days. It depends on my schedule. I am thinking longer workouts, fewer days. my body (joints/muscles) seems to be handling my higher running mileage now. Anyone have feedback on this? I am looking for any advice you all can give me. Thanks!